[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 75 (Thursday, June 11, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S6259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THANKING GENERAL EUGENE E. HABIGER FOR CAREER SERVICE IN THE UNITED 
                            STATES AIR FORCE

 Mr. KEMPTHORNE. Mr. President, I rise to say thank you to a 
patriot and one of this nation's finest military leaders, General 
Eugene E. Habiger, who is retiring at the end of June, 1998. Since 
1996, General Habiger has served as the Commander in Chief of United 
States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
  General Habiger's career in the military began in 1959 when he 
enlisted as an infantryman in the U.S. Army. After his tour in Fort 
Benning, Georgia, he attended the University of Georgia earning a 
Bachelor of Science degree in 1963. After college, Gene joined the Air 
Force and upon completion of Officer Training School in September 1963, 
he was selected as a distinguished graduate.
  Soon after leaving Officer Training School, as a young Captain and B-
52 Aircraft Commander, Gene flew 150 combat missions and participated 
in the B-52 Arc Light operations during the Vietnam War. In the early 
1980s, he commanded the 325th Bombardment Squadron and later served as 
assistant deputy commander for operations, 92nd Bombardment Wing, 
Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.
  In the late 1980s, Gene commanded the 379th Bombardment Wing at 
Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, and the 2nd Bombardment Wing at 
Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. In the 1990s, Gene's command 
experience served him well as vice commander, Headquarters Air 
Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; and 
as Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, 
Washington, D.C.
  The apex of General Habiger's career came with his current assignment 
as Commander in Chief, United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air 
Force Base, Nebraska. The command has responsibility for all U.S. Air 
Force and U.S. Navy strategic nuclear forces. These powerful forces act 
as this Nation's strategic deterrent.
  During his command at USSTRATCOM, General Habiger made major 
contributions to the national security of the United States by 
establishing the parameters for future strategic forces and possible 
arms control agreements. His leading role in managing a stable drawdown 
of nuclear forces helped foster mutual understanding and cooperation 
with Russia. In addition, his cooperative efforts with the Department 
of Energy shaped the process by which the United States will maintain 
the long term safety and reliability of its nuclear weapons stockpile. 
As the Department of Energy's customer, General Habiger insured the 
Stockpile Stewardship Program is programmed and funded to develop the 
new tools, technologies, and concepts to ensure our strategic forces 
remain safe, effective, ready, and responsive to changing needs.
  In addition, Gene was a premier player in shaping our strategic force 
structure. His team completed a very detailed analysis of United 
States' Strategic Force Structure options reaching far beyond START II. 
This unprecedented target-by-target scrub of the Single Integrated 
Operational Plan (SIOP) helped shape the conceptual and practical 
character of post-Cold War US nuclear weapons policy that will be 
instrumental in decisions for years to come.
  Convinced that the Nation's security is best served by a stable 
strategic relationship with Russia, General Habiger was a forceful 
spokesman for the START II Treaty and Defense Department Cooperative 
Threat Reduction activities. Twice, he accompanied the Secretary of 
Defense to Moscow to meet with the Russian Defense Minister and 
Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Rocket Forces stressing the 
political, economic, and military importance of ratifying START II for 
both the United States and Russia. Gene's work on a post-START II 
nuclear arms control agenda was reflected in national policy, and 
helped form the basis for portions of the START III framework announced 
at the Presidential Summit in Helsinki, in March 1997.
  Undoubtedly, General Habiger has been the unparalleled leader in 
expanding military-to-military contacts with Russian counterparts, 
particularly the Strategic Rocket Forces. These actions established a 
more stable relationship with Russian leadership. As evidence of the 
high regard and confidence in which General Habiger is viewed in 
Russia, he was the first non-Russian to enter a Russian nuclear weapons 
storage area. His ceaseless efforts in establishing good relations with 
Russia have significantly improved communication and understanding. For 
the first time in history, as Commander in Chief of the US nuclear 
arsenal, he can pick up the phone and talk directly to senior Russian 
military leadership.
  General Habiger and his wife, Barbara, have two sons, Karl and Kurt. 
I am sure Gene and Barbara have ambitious plans for their life after 
military service and I hope they make the most of this time. From a 
private in the U.S. Army to a four star general in the U.S. Air Force, 
General Habiger has served our military and the Nation with great honor 
and distinction. I have the pleasure of calling Gene Habiger a friend 
and I want to thank him for his contribution to our nation's 
security.

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