[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF THE RETIREMENT OF CHARLES T. HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2001

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to Charles T. 
Harris--one of our Federal Government's finest public servants and a 
long time resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This March he will 
retire from an exceptionally distinguished career of service to his 
country. He has served our nation both in uniform and as a career civil 
servant for over 38 years. He has been an exceptional leader and 
manager of the nation's treasure and his efforts have materially 
strengthened our national defense. It gives me pride to have the 
opportunity to honor him today for his tremendous accomplishments.
  Mr. Harris began his career in public service in the summer of 1962 
when he entered the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military 
Academy at West Point, New York. After graduation, he served ten years 
on active duty including two tours of duty with the U.S. Army in 
Vietnam, first as a platoon leader and then as a company commander. 
After leaving the Army, Mr. Harris began his civilian career in the 
Department of the Army as a supervisory budget analyst responsible for 
the Army's logistics programs. In 1985, Mr. Harris began work in the 
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), where since 
1988 he has served in the Senior Executive Service in various 
leadership roles, including: Associate Director for Air Force 
Operations, Deputy Director of the Revolving Funds Directorate, Deputy 
Director and then Director for Operations and Personnel.
  Mr. Harris' professionalism and significant contributions have been 
recognized by every administration he has served. Among his many 
awards, he has received the Outstanding Department of the Army Civilian 
Award (the PACE Award), the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious 
Service, and most recently, the Department of Defense Distinguished 
Civilian Service Award, the highest award granted to civilian employees 
in DoD.
  Through his civilian career as a financial manager, Mr. Harris has 
steadily and continuously accumulated a comprehensive knowledge of the 
workings of the Federal budget process particularly as it pertains to 
financing the nation's military forces. Year after year, Mr. Harris has 
succeeded in transforming the administration's defense priorities into 
a clear, defensible and compelling, articulation of the resource 
requirements necessary to execute the nation's peacetime and wartime 
military operations. In his role as Director of the Operations and 
Personnel Directorate, he is directly responsible for fully 65 percent 
of the Department of Defense annual budget. He has become an 
acknowledged expert on Military Readiness, Recruiting and Retention, 
Quality of Life, Contingency Operations, Military Healthcare, Training 
and Education.
  Mr. Harris is an imaginative leader and exceptional manager who 
inspires his people to produce work of the highest quality. Throughout 
his career he has repeatedly sought out opportunities to materially 
improve the ways in which the Department of Defense allocates its 
resources to effectively execute the National Military Strategy. By 
actively working with stakeholders in the Congress and throughout the 
Department of Defense he has successfully streamlined and rationalized 
the submission of budget justification materials so that they are both 
more timely and more useful to decision makers.
  Senior leaders, both in the Congress and in the Department of Defense 
have benefitted enormously from his unsurpassed experience, wisdom and 
clarity. His efforts have enabled our nation's leaders to make the most 
effective use of defense resources to ensure America's military 
strength in the twenty-first century. Mr. Harris is retiring from a 
career of exemplary merit and has earned the profound respect of a 
grateful nation. On behalf of my colleagues, I thank him for his 
service to our country and wish him well on his retirement.

                          ____________________