[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 13 (Tuesday, February 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S776-S777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE SERVICE OF THE NATIONAL GUARD

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Armed 
Services Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
355, and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:


[[Page S777]]


       A resolution (S. Res. 355) honoring the service of the 
     National Guard and requesting consultation by the Department 
     of Defense with Congress and the chief executive officers of 
     the States prior to offering proposals to change the National 
     Guard force structure.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for this 
opportunity to speak on S. Res. 355 regarding the budget for the 
National Guard, a resolution which Senator Lindsey Graham and I have 
cosponsored.
  Last week, a total of 75 Senators, including myself, signed a letter 
to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld opposing the plan that proposes changes 
to the standing force structure of the National Guard. This plan has 
raised serious concerns.
  Senator Frist, the majority leader, said last week on a national 
morning news program that he would oppose cuts to the National Guard.
  Nebraska National Guard General Roger Lempke, president of the 
Adjunct Generals Association, has aggressively questioned the proposed 
changes to the Guard. General Lempke and I share another concern about 
the Guard; that is, the increasing problem it has with equipment 
shortages as a result of the war, damage, total destruction, and the 
fact that much of the equipment is most likely going to be left in 
Iraq.
  Earlier this year, General Lempke briefed me on equipment shortages 
faced by the Nebraska National Guard. I learned firsthand that the 
Guard in Nebraska is facing shortages of $35 million in equipment, from 
trucks to body armor, from humvees to night-vision goggles.
  This prompted me, along with my colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham, to 
introduce a resolution on the National Guard that essentially does two 
things: First, it asks the Pentagon to fully fund the Guard to restore 
lost and destroyed equipment; second, it seeks consultation with 
Congress and the Nation's Governors on any potential force structure 
changes. In a briefing today before the Senate Committee on Armed 
Services, General Schoomaker assured members he has already begun this 
process of talking to the Nation's Governors and seeking more 
consultation with affected Members of the Congress.
  This resolution was cleared by the Committee on Armed Services and 
sent to the Senate last week. It has 54 cosponsors, including myself. 
It is bipartisan. It is direct. I urge my colleagues and the majority 
leader to ensure that this resolution be passed today. We cannot wait 
any longer. We must assure the Department of Defense, that Congress has 
spoken, and that we will be heard on this issue.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, and any statements relating thereto be printed in 
the Record, without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 355) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 355

       Whereas the Army National Guard and Air National Guard of 
     the United States, representing all 50 States, Guam, Puerto 
     Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and the District of 
     Columbia, have played an indispensable role in the defense of 
     our country;
       Whereas during one phase of the Global War on Terrorism, 
     Army National Guard soldiers comprised nearly half of the 
     United States combat forces in Iraq;
       Whereas National Guard personnel are currently deployed in 
     Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and more than 40 other countries 
     around the world;
       Whereas 90 percent of the troops on the ground in Louisiana 
     and Mississippi responding to Hurricane Katrina were members 
     of the National Guard;
       Whereas while performing these critical missions, the 
     National Guard continues to experience significant equipment 
     shortages, especially vehicle and radio shortages;
       Whereas members of the National Guard are not ``weekend 
     warriors'', but citizen-soldiers and airmen who serve full-
     time when their country needs them to do so;
       Whereas the National Guard is a resource shared by the 
     chief executive officers of the States and the President;
       Whereas the National Guard is America's militia;
       Whereas deployment to fight terrorism on two fronts 
     overseas, while protecting our homeland, has stretched the 
     National Guard thin;
       Whereas the future of the National Guard could be 
     determined by the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) currently 
     underway;
       Whereas the Army and Air Force could recommend changes in 
     the force structure of the National Guard;
       Whereas reductions in force structure could impact numerous 
     Army National Guard armories and Air National Guard wings;
       Whereas reductions in force structure combined with the 
     lack of adequate equipment for the National Guard threaten 
     its capacity to discharge its missions and its ability to 
     respond in emergencies;
       Whereas homeland defense is the most important mission of 
     the Department of Defense; and
       Whereas the National Guard is the force best suited to 
     defend the homeland and therefore the element from which 
     resources should not be cut: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the vital Federal and State missions of the 
     Army National Guard of the United States and the Air National 
     Guard of the United States, including support of ongoing 
     missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and homeland defense and 
     disaster assistance and relief efforts;
       (2) recommends that the Department of Defense propose fully 
     funding the equipment needs of the National Guard;
       (3) believes that the Department of Defense should, as soon 
     as possible, consult with the chief executive officers of the 
     States, as well as Congress, on any proposed changes to the 
     National Guard force structure;
       (4) requests that any plan of the Department of Defense 
     regarding the National Guard force structure take into 
     account the role of the National Guard role in homeland 
     defense and other State missions as defined by the chief 
     executive officers of the States;
       (5) requests that the Department of Defense prepare budget 
     projections that detail cost savings from any changes in 
     National Guard force structure, as well as projected costs in 
     the event large personnel increases are necessary to respond 
     to a national emergency; and
       (6) requests that the Department of Defense assure Congress 
     and the chief executive officers of the States that potential 
     changes in the National Guard force structure will not impact 
     the safety and security of the United States people.

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