[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 150 (Friday, October 29, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S13567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 64--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS 
 CONCERNING CONTINUED USE OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY TRAINING RANGE ON 
        THE ISLAND OF VIEQUES IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO

  Mr. INHOFE (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, Mr. Sessions, 
Mr. Hutchinson, and Mr. Kyl) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Armed Services:

                            S. Con. Res. 64

       Whereas the success or failure of the Nation's Armed Forces 
     when sent into combat and the risk of loss of life, both to 
     United States military personnel and to civilians, are a 
     direct function of the degree of training received by members 
     of the Armed Forces before combat;
       Whereas from World War II through the most recent crisis in 
     Kosovo the Nation's military has been able to meet the call 
     to arms due to training such as that afforded at the United 
     States Navy training range on the island of Vieques in the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
       Whereas in April 1999, following an accident at that 
     training range that resulted in the death of a Navy civilian 
     employee, training activities at that range were suspended by 
     direction of the Secretary of the Navy pending a safety 
     review;
       Whereas officials of the Department of Defense have 
     testified before congressional committees that the Vieques 
     training range is the only range along the Atlantic seaboard 
     that allows critical combined arms live fire training that 
     includes the coordinated use of naval surface fire support 
     training, Navy/Marine amphibious combined arms training, 
     Carrier Battle Group strike training and high altitude 
     tactics, and subsurface training;
       Whereas officials of the Department of Defense have 
     testified before congressional committees that the safe 
     conduct of operations on the island of Vieques has been and 
     will remain the primary concern of the Department of the Navy 
     and that the recent death of the civilian Navy employee on 
     the range was the first civilian death on the range since its 
     purchase in 1941;
       Whereas the John F. Kennedy carrier battle group, which was 
     unable to continue training at Vieques after the April 
     accident, deployed in September 1999 in degraded readiness 
     condition and the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier battle group, 
     which is scheduled to deploy in the spring of 2000, will be 
     forced to deploy in a significantly degraded readiness 
     condition if not allowed to conduct training activities at 
     the Vieques training range before departing on that 
     deployment;
       Whereas the suspension of training activities at the 
     Vieques training range has resulted in a loss of critical 
     combat training that is essential to the Nation's Navy and 
     Marine forces; and
       Whereas, given that recently deploying Navy and Marine 
     Corps battle groups have been sent directly into combat 
     operations in Kosovo and Iraq, thereby placing service 
     personnel immediately in harm's way, it would be unthinkable 
     to knowingly deploy members of the Armed Forces in the future 
     without this essential training, since to do so would place 
     American lives, including the lives of members of the Armed 
     Forces from Puerto Rico, at high risk: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Congress--
       (1) calls upon the Secretary of the Navy and the Attorney 
     General of the United States to promptly ensure that the 
     Federal property located at the Vieques training range in the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is safe and secure and, once the 
     range is safe and secure, for the Secretary of the Navy to 
     resume critical live fire training at that range;
       (2) calls upon the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to 
     ensure that United States forces deploy with 100 percent of 
     the combat qualifications needed to meet national security 
     requirements;
       (3) strongly urges the Department of Defense and the 
     Government of Puerto Rico to reestablish a mutually 
     supportive relationship, to resolve the issues between the 
     Department of the Navy and the people of Puerto Rico, and to 
     implement a program that addresses the economic and social 
     needs and safety concerns of the residents of Vieques and the 
     citizens of Puerto Rico; and
       (4) recognizes the significant contribution by the 
     residents of Vieques and the citizens of Puerto Rico to the 
     Nation's defense.

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