[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S6607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MILITARY NOMINATIONS

  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I know the Senator from South Carolina has 
been working diligently, and he called a hearing. We have a number of 
very important military nominations out of our committee. They are now 
pending on the calendar. I know he has also followed that and has been 
working diligently to try to get all of these nominations approved by 
the end of business this evening, or certainly by tomorrow.
  I both thank him for that, and I emphasize to all of our colleagues 
how important it is. Many of these positions need to be filled now. We 
have had these nominations before us for the appropriate time. We have 
looked into them on the committee. They are very top officials that 
will be going to various and important positions all over the world.
  We have General Kadish, U.S. Air Force, who is one of these.
  We have General Kross. General Kross will be going to TRANSCOM.
  We have a number of Army nominations.
  We have General Tilelli, to be the top military official in a very, 
very important and volatile part of the world, Korea. He wears two 
hats, both in U.S. Army and the U.N. Command.
  We have General Wesley Clark in the SOUTHCOM position--enormously 
important.
  We have a number of U.S. Army Reserve officers: General Bergson, 
General Caton, General Kropp, General O'Connell, Colonel Deloatch, to 
be major generals; Colonel Diamond, to be brigadier general; Colonel 
Gilley, Colonel Gilliam, Colonel Roan, Colonel Rossi, and Colonel 
Simmons, to be brigadier generals.
  We have Lt. Gen. David Bramlett going to FORCEM, another very 
important position, commanding all of our Army forces in the United 
States.
  We have General Schoomaker.
  We have a number of Marine Corps generals:
  Brigadier General Braaten; Brigadier General DeLong; Brigadier 
General Hanlon; Brigadier General Higginbotham; Brigadier General 
Karamarkovich; Brig. Gen. Jack Klimp;
  Maj. Gen. Carol Mutter, she will become the head of manpower in the 
Marines Corps. She will also became the highest ranking female to serve 
not only in the Marine Corps but also in the history of our military. I 
have met her, have talked to her, and have followed her career--an 
enormously important general.
  I will not name all of these, but I guess the first thing I would 
like to say to my chairman, Senator Thurmond, is that I appreciate his 
diligence in trying to get these nominations through, and I hope that 
we will be able to get all of them through this evening.
  I certainly urge my colleagues who may have questions about any of 
the nominees or have any concerns about the nominees, to basically come 
to the floor and let us know and state their concerns, and let us see 
if we cannot follow them and get all of these nominations through.
  I think it is important for them to go through. I believe, if any of 
them do not go through, that it is very important for the leadership of 
the Senate to schedule a debate and let us debate them. If there are 
any concerns about any of them, I think we ought to debate it, get the 
concern out on the floor and have the Senate vote on it.

  That would be my hope. I believe the Senator from South Carolina will 
share that hope.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, these nominations have been before us 
for quite a time. They all meet the requirements. They should be 
approved. They are needed in their respective services. I hope that we 
could get those up as quickly as possible and get them approved.
  There is one that is being objected to by a Senator. Maybe we can act 
on the rest of them. I would like to see all of them acted on, 
including that one. But maybe we can act on the rest of them so they 
can go about performing their duties.
  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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