[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       EQUIPMENT FOR OUR MILITARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NANCY E. BOYDA

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 2007

  Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas. Madam Speaker, thanks to long contributions of 
our soldiers and our veterans, America has amassed the most powerful 
military in the history of mankind. It is so powerful that we can 
almost imagine its resources are infinite. But they are not. They are 
limited, and due to the ever-expanding, ever-deteriorating war in Iraq, 
they are stretched dangerously thin. Our soldiers and their families 
will never complain, but that is why we must speak for them. We must 
ask--no, demand--that they have the equipment, training and support 
they need to succeed. And today, they do not.
  Since the Iraq war began in 2003, the Army has lost nearly 2,000 
wheeled vehicles and more than 100 armored vehicles. Almost half of the 
U.S. Army's entire supply of ground equipment is now deployed in the 
Middle East. The constant demands of combat and the treacherous terrain 
are wearing out equipment at up to nine times the usual rate.
  America's military is overburdened, and now our nation must seriously 
discuss how best to deploy our depleted forces against the dangers of 
our day. In this age when we face so many perils, from sinister 
terrorists to an unstable North Korea to a belligerent Iran, do we 
truly want to devote so many precious resources to an open-ended Iraq 
war? Or has the time come to, responsibly and conscientiously, hold the 
Iraqi government responsible for its own stability?
  Congress has the duty to demand from President Bush an unambiguous 
way forward. We should not dictate strategy, but we can and we must 
require the president to offer a plan to end the Iraq war and rebuild 
our strategic readiness. Congress and the American people will no 
longer tolerate an unending war. There must be real progress, sooner 
rather than later. And if the president and the Iraqi leadership cannot 
deliver, we must redeploy our troops.
  I believe, to the core of my being, that our strategic readiness 
cannot survive an endless conflict in Iraq. We must make these 
important decisions based on the reality of the situation, not or where 
we wish we were. And so, in order to preserve the strength of the 
American armed forces and hold President Bush accountable, I am 
supporting the Iraq Accountability Act. I urge my colleagues to do the 
same. If they refuse to do so, if they cast their ballots for a stay-
the-course strategy, then they are telling President Bush that 
everything is fine in Iraq--that it is OK to stretch our military to 
the breaking point. And that's just not right.

                          ____________________