[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 121 (Monday, September 14, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H7620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PUT MILITARY BACK ON FIRM FOOTING TO MEET CHALLENGES OF 21ST CENTURY

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, no doubt about it, we are living in a more 
dangerous world today than ever before. Weapons of mass destruction are 
possessed and are increasingly available around the world and the 
violence of terrorism is about to take a step toward us on every day 
that we possess.
  A world class military is composed of world class leaders, world 
class soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Why then, Mr. Speaker, are 
the United States pilots saying no to military careers and why are our 
sailors choosing to get out of the Navy rather than face long months at 
sea? It is because our military families are being asked to live in 
substandard housing and to endure long family separations.
  Even the chairman of the Joint Chiefs has argued that operational 
readiness, quality of life, and modernization cannot be sustained at 
current budget levels.
  A recent internal Army memorandum made it clear that maintaining go-
to-war readiness meant sacrificing infrastructure maintenance, as well 
as repairs and quality-of-life initiatives. The memo's bottom line was 
clear: Funding has fallen below the survival level.
  This administration has mortgaged our military and is about to 
default on the obligation. Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation to 
provide for the security of our Nation. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in placing our military back on firm footing to meet the challenges of 
the 21st century. Our Nation demands it, our military deserves it.

                          ____________________