[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 18, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11649-S11650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, today I would like to pay tribute to the 
U.S. Air Force as it commemorates its 60th anniversary, known as 
``Heritage to Horizons . . . Commemorating 60 Years of Air and Space 
Power.'' New Mexico has maintained a long and close relationship with 
the U.S. Air Force, and I am proud to congratulate the Air Force on its 
60th anniversary.
  New Mexico is home to Cannon, Holloman, and Kirtland Air Force Bases 
as well as the former Walker Air Force Base. We in New Mexico are 
honored and proud that so many Air Force officers and airmen, whose 
professionalism and dedication are unsurpassed, have called New Mexico 
home.
  The fact that the Air Force is celebrating Air and Space Power is not 
lost on New Mexico, where work is done in both areas. Holloman will be 
a premier site of air power when the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing becomes 
home to the F-22A Raptor, the most advanced fighter in the world. 
Cannon is also undergoing changes and growth in the air power arena, as 
Air Force Special Operations Command stands up a new wing at Cannon on 
October 1. Kirtland continues to grow as home to much space work, 
including the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicle Directorate 
and the Operationally Responsive Space Office.
  For the last 60 years, America has been protected by the greatest Air 
Force in the world. I salute the men and women of the Air Force and 
hope that on the Air Force's 60th anniversary, New Mexicans will take 
time to thank the officers and airmen who have served and honor the 
memory of those who have given their lives in our defense.
  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, GEN H.H. ``Hap'' Arnold, USAF, once said, 
``A modern, autonomous, and thoroughly trained Air Force in being at 
all times will not alone be sufficient, but without it there can be no 
national security.'' It is in the name of our national security that 
today I recognize the U.S. Air Force's 60th anniversary.
  One hundred years ago, Henry H. ``Hap'' Arnold graduated from the 
U.S. Military Academy. That same year, in August 1907, the U.S. Army 
Signal Corps established an aeronautical division to oversee ``military 
ballooning, air machines and all kindred subjects.'' Arnold went on to 
become the Chief of the Army Air Corps, and, upon the creation of the 
U.S. Air Force as a separate branch of the military in 1947, a year 
after General Arnold's retirement, Congress appointed him to the rank 
of five star general--the first and only in the history of the Air 
Force.
  The U.S. Air Force was created by Congress to ``be organized, 
trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and 
defensive air operations.'' ``[It] shall be responsible for the 
preparation of the air forces necessary for the effective prosecution 
of war except as otherwise assigned and, in accordance with integrated 
joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of the peacetime components 
of the Air Force to meet the needs of war.'' Today, on the anniversary 
of the National Security Act of 1947, we celebrate 60 years of an 
independent Air Force. This independence was necessary and critical and 
remains so in order that, in the recent words of MG Charles J. Dunlap, 
Jr., the United States has ``one service that focuses on maximizing 
options for decision-makers by optimizing airpower.''
  The U.S. Air Force, comprised of close to 700,000 Active Duty, 
civilian, Air National Guard, and Air Force reservists, plays a vital 
and instrumental role in the ongoing fight against terrorism and other 
emerging threats on

[[Page S11650]]

multiple fronts, from flying combat missions and conducting manned and 
unmanned surveillance to logistical ground support. Thirty-five 
thousand Air Force personnel are currently deployed to 120 duty 
stations worldwide, keeping freedom alive and the forces of tyranny at 
bay. Whether it is monitoring satellites in orbit or the space shuttle, 
delivering precision-guided munitions to air and ground targets or 
patrolling the far reaches of cyberspace, the USAF maintains strategic 
and operational dominance in theater and around the globe. Fighters, 
bombers, missiles, and unmanned aircraft are the unparalleled tools of 
today's airmen, tools they use with unmatched skill and lethal 
precision in defense of our freedom and liberties.
  On a daily basis for over 4 years now, dozens of close air support 
missions--troop support, infrastructure protection, reconstruction 
activities and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities--
are conducted by coalition forces in Iraq. The U.S. Air Force is 
responsible for the majority of these.
  Sixty years of Air Force excellence and superiority has been possible 
only because of those who have voluntarily dedicated their lives to the 
success of U.S. air power. With the esteemed heritage of ``Hap'' Arnold 
and other distinguished and outstanding leaders in their hearts, the 
men and women of the USAF and their families serve our Nation with 
distinction, integrity, and patriotism. They approach their mission in 
the same spirit with which they swore their oath of allegiance: with a 
grave sense of duty, honor and bravery.
  Idaho has been home to Mountain Home Air Force Base for over 60 years 
now. Over the past half century, Mountain Home AFB has hosted many 
diverse missions of the Air Force including special and covert 
operations, combat and reconnaissance operations, ballistic missile 
defense, electronic combat, and fighter operations. It is one of the 
largest employers in the State of Idaho.
  The Gunfighters, as Mountain Home AFB personnel are known, deploy to 
fight terror in an integrated fashion, from the maintenance and 
piloting of F-15 Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles, and F-16 Fighting Falcons 
to complementary support missions such as intelligence and 
communications. In the air campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, 
the Gunfighters flew almost 1,000 individual sorties.
  In addition to executing its military mission, the Air Force 
recognizes its environmental responsibility to the communities in which 
it operates and has worked diligently over the years to be a good 
steward of Federal land in southern Idaho. I have worked with 
leadership at the base on many land management issues during my service 
in Congress. Further, the Air Force continues to respect Native-
American cultural sensitivities and practices and works hard to do its 
part in maintaining a respectful relationship for the betterment of 
Shoshone-Paiute tribal interests as well as maintaining state of the 
art training for our airmen.
  As a Nation, we are blessed to have such an outstanding, committed, 
and respectable military. The Air Force works intricately and 
effectively with the other military branches to skillfully execute the 
war on terror, specifically, but not limited to, military operations in 
Iraq and Afghanistan. Always innovative, the Air Force continues to 
look ahead, establishing itself as the dominant space defense force 
empowered and capable of facing new strategic global realities in an 
ever-changing global threat environment, ensuring its ability to 
respond to threats immediately and wherever they arise. Americans can 
be incredibly proud of and thankful for the sacrifice of their Air 
Force women and men worldwide. In the words of another famous former 
Chief of the Air Force, GEN Curtis LeMay, ``If we maintain our faith in 
God, love of freedom, and superior global air power, the future looks 
good.''

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