[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FLOYD D. SPENCE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2001

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                               speech of

                            HON. JIM SAXTON

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4205) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2001 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     fiscal year 2001, and for other purposes:

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Gilchrest 
amendment to H.R. 4205. The amendment allows the Department of Defense 
to activate 5 more crucial emergency response teams designated as 
Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, formerly called RAID 
teams, to address an emergency event caused by a weapon of mass 
destruction. As Chairman of the Special Oversight Panel On Terrorism, 
facts have been revealed to show that an event caused by a terrorist is 
becoming much more likely. It has also been revealed that first 
responders to such an event are not currently equipped to handle an 
incident that includes nuclear, biological, or chemical materials.
  There are many adversaries of the United States who are becoming 
increasingly sophisticated and well financed. So it is not a matter of 
. . . ``if' . .  we are attacked by a weapon of mass destruction but . 
. . ``when'' . .  we are attacked. Our nation needs to be ready with 
well-trained teams that can help local first responders in managing 
such an event. These response teams, as trained and equipped by the 
Army, are a valuable resource for respective state governors.
  Some parts of the country, such as my own area in New Jersey, are 
densely populated and have a great need for a response team. The New 
Jersey National Guard and the State of New Jersey needs to have a team 
that can easily reach the populated areas of its state and the 
surrounding region. Cities like Philadelphia and Atlantic City just to 
name two are far from the reach of even the closest response teams 
currently scattered throughout the country.
  It is important that we have enough response teams to be able to work 
in concert with various agencies such as the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, Department of Justice, Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, State Police, local law enforcement agencies, fire departments, 
hospitals, and emergency medical technicians to respond to WMD events 
all over the country. It is equally imperative that the response team 
have the means for being mobile so that a team may expeditiously deploy 
to a region that otherwise would be inaccessible by normal 
transportation mechanisms.
  Mr. Chairman, I applaud the decision by the Secretary of Defense to 
create an organization that is immediately available to him for that 
expeditiously deploying resources in the event of a WMD incident. I 
also urge the Secretary to evaluate methods for enhancing prevention 
measures to complement the consequence management efforts. As 
individuals and groups gain an easier time to acquire information, 
materials, and resources, the need for our senior officials and 
citizens to have a sense of urgency becomes more evident.
  Mr. Chairman, our nation has yet to face a WMD event involving 
nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons and we owe it to ourselves to 
be prepared. Some of the nation's most populated region are currently 
unprepared and unprotected. This amendment will provide a valuable 
resource that may be applied some of those regions.
  I urge other members to emphatically support this measure.

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