[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 24, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. RICHARD W. POMBO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 23, 1997

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1119) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for 
     military activities of the Department of Defense, to 
     prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal years 1998 
     and 1999, and for other purposes.

  Mr. POMBO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Brady-Pombo 
amendment to H.R. 1119, the fiscal year 1998 Defense Authorization Act. 
Congressman Brady and I are offering this amendment in response to 
statements made by Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Timothy 
E. Wirth regarding the use of U.S. soldiers in foreign countries to 
guard rain forests and endangered species. On June 3, 1997, at the 
Western Hemisphere Defense Environmental Conference, Mr. Wirth stated 
that using troops as glorified park rangers was ``a legitimate military 
issue.''
  Mr. Chairman, President George Washington once said, ``To be prepared 
for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.'' I 
believe this unprecedented notion of sending American military forces 
for purposes of ``environmental crusades'' is misguided and 
fundamentally flawed. America's ability to maintain its military 
readiness and leadership should not be compromised at the expense of 
sending our troops to foreign lands to defend rain forests and 
endangered species. At a time of significant military downsizing, we 
must ensure that our military remains in a position to protect and 
defend our own national security threats, not environmental quests in 
foreign countries.
  While it is true that America is a global power with vital interests 
in key regions of the world, this new role for the military is 
inappropriate and unwise. The Quadrennial Defense Review's [QDR] 
recommendations, stated that ``military readiness must first and 
foremost remain a measure of our Nation's ability to deter, and when 
necessary, to wage war in defense of our national interests.'' I 
believe sending American troops jeopardizes the ability of U.S. 
military forces to maintain military readiness as the top priority as 
indicated in the QDR. I believe it is important that Congress express 
its strong support for maintaining military readiness and not allow our 
well-trained troops to be sent on missions that detract from their 
primary mission: To preserve and protect our Nation's freedom.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Brady-Pombo amendment. Our brave 
men and women in the Armed Forces deserve nothing less.




                          ____________________