[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE MADE BY 28 UNITED STATES SOLDIERS 
                  KILLED DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM

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                               speech of

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 27, 2001

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express concern over the 
second section of H. Con. Res. 39, honoring the sacrifices of the 
heroic U.S. soldiers killed by an Iraqi missile attack ten years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, in this section, Congress ``resolves to support 
appropriate and effective theater missile defense programs to help 
prevent attacks on forward deployed United States forces from occurring 
again.'' Undoubtedly, we must work to ensure that American service men 
and women are never again victim to such a tragedy. But would the most 
futuristic theater missile defense system the Pentagon is currently 
working on the Theater High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, 
have helped our soldiers ten years ago? Probably not: the system failed 
six consecutive tests before finally intercepting a target missile for 
the first time in June 1999. Many experts believe this system will be 
no more effective than our patriot missiles at defending an attack like 
the one on American troops in Saudi Arabia ten years ago. Meanwhile, 
Mr. Speaker, projected costs for construction of THAAD are now 
estimated at $9.5 billion.
  Mr. Speaker, for those who believe in the necessity of missile 
defense, there are other less expensive and more effective theater 
missile defense programs in development that might represent an 
improvement on the system that failed the twenty-eight soldiers we 
honor today. To the extent we promote such cost-effective weaponry 
through this resolution, we duly recognize the valor of these men and 
women. To the extent, however, this resolution supplies blanket 
endorsement of any theater missile defense system, we do not accomplish 
a lofty purpose.

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