[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 13, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN DEFENSE PREPAREDNESS ASSOCIATION

  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, today I want to salute the American Defense 
Preparedness Association [ADPA] on the occasion of its 75th 
anniversary. As many of my colleagues know, ADPA was organized after 
the conclusion of World War I by Army officers and defense industry 
leaders, who were concerned about the rapid demobilization of the Armed 
Forces and the consequent adverse impact on the domestic industrial 
infrastructure that supported U.S. soldiers and sailors at that time.
  The association has grown and matured during the last seven decades. 
It now represents all of the U.S. armed services and the 700 or so 
defense-oriented corporations which make up the core of our defense 
industrial base.
  Mr. President, a important part of ADPA's work today is education on 
national security issues. The organization has been at the forefront of 
efforts to preserve a prudent and capable national security 
establishment. ADPA has come to be recognized around the world as a 
principle voice of the U.S. defense industrial base. Over the years, 
representatives of ADPA have provided valuable testimony before the 
Armed Services Committee on a broad range of national security issues, 
including defense industrial base policies and reform of the defense 
acquisition system.
  Mr. President, the vision and the purpose of the ADPA was recently 
outlined by its president, Retired Army Lt. Gen. Lawrence F. Skibbie:

       While ADPA acknowledges that the U.S. national security 
     establishment--both military and supporting industry--can and 
     should be downsized, we believe the defense industrial base 
     remains a national asset and, while it will contract in 
     accordance with changing national priorities, it must be 
     guided and nurtured as it inevitably becomes smaller.
       The United States must retain a military capability 
     sufficient to counter threats on both the strategic and 
     tactical levels. Implicit in this delicate balancing act is 
     the ability to support U.S. Forces in global contingencies, 
     and to construct larger forces if necessary. Fundamental to 
     this capability is a strong industrial base that is 
     structured to respond as conflicts dictate.

  Mr. President, I agree with General Skibbie's assessment. The 
concerns ADPA has raised recently about the rapid build down of our 
defense establishment are just as valid today as they were in 1919. We 
must remember and learn from our experience in past build downs. As we 
continue to reduce and restructure our defense establishment, we must 
do so in a way that preserves the essential capabilities that we need 
to protect our Nation's interests today and in the future.
  Mr. President, the American Defense Preparedness Association and its 
members have made major contributions to the security of our Nation 
during the past 75 years. I hope my colleagues will join me in 
congratulating this organization on its silver anniversary.

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