[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15987-S15988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CIVILIAN RESERVE

  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has 
been pursuing for a number of years the establishment in the State 
Department of a civilian reserve to work on postconflict 
reconstruction. Our first meeting on this issue was in December 2003. 
Its need has become increasingly apparent as time has passed, and it is 
now urgent that we adopt the legislation authorizing the civilian 
reserve and providing the Department the funding and authorities it 
needs to get the job done.
  Senator Lugar has provided leadership in both the committee and in 
working with the executive branch on this issue, and Senator Biden and 
I have worked closely with him in developing the concept and pursuing 
its implementation. In April 2007, Senator Lugar, joined by Senator 
Biden and myself, introduced S. 613, the Reconstruction and 
Stabilization Act of 2007. Senators Warner, Collins, and Durbin are 
also cosponsors of S. 613. We demonstrated that the legislation has 
overwhelming support in this body when it passed by unanimous consent 
in the 109th Congress. It should now be taken up again, passed in the 
110th Congress, and sent to our House colleagues for their immediate 
consideration.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have an op-ed by Senator 
Lugar and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that appeared in the 
December 17 Washington Post titled ``A Civilian Partner for our 
Troops'' printed in the Record at this point.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, Dec. 17, 2007]

               (By Richard G. Lugar and Condoleezza Rice)

                   A Civilian Partner for Our Troops


              Why the U.S. Needs A Reconstruction Reserve

       It is unusual in Washington when an idea is overwhelmingly 
     supported by the president, a bipartisan majority of the 
     Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the State Department, and 
     both the civilian and military leadership of the Pentagon. 
     But that is the case with the proposed Civilian Reserve 
     Corps, a volunteer cadre of civilian experts who can work 
     with our military to perform the urgent jobs of post-conflict 
     stabilization and reconstruction.
       Creating such an institution is essential for our national 
     security, and the Senate should authorize the creation of the 
     corps. Over the past decade and a half, the United States has 
     learned that some of the greatest threats to our national 
     security emerge not only from the armies and arsenals of 
     hostile nations but also from the brittle institutions and 
     failing economies of weak and poorly governed states.
       We have learned that one of the central tasks of U.S. 
     foreign policy for the foresee-able future will be to support 
     responsible leaders and citizens in the developing world who 
     are working to build effective, peaceful states and free, 
     prosperous societies.
       Responding to these challenges is a job for civilians--
     those who have the expertise and the experience in the rule 
     of law, governance, agriculture, police training, economics 
     and finance, and other critical areas. The

[[Page S15988]]

     State Department and the U.S. Agency for International 
     Development are working heroically to meet this need.
       But the truth is, no diplomatic service in the world has 
     within its ranks all the experts or expertise needed for this 
     kind of work. As a result, from Somalia and Haiti to Bosnia 
     and Kosovo, and now to Afghanistan and Iraq, our government 
     has increasingly depended on our men and women in uniform to 
     perform civilian responsibilities.
       The military has filled this void admirably, but it is a 
     task that others can and should take up. The primary 
     responsibility for post-conflict stabilization and 
     reconstruction should not fall to our fighting men and women 
     but to volunteer, civilian experts.
       That is why President Bush called for the establishment of 
     a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps in his 2007 State of the 
     Union address. ``Such a corps would function much like our 
     military reserve,'' he said. ``It would ease the burden of 
     the armed forces by allowing us to hire civilians with 
     critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America 
     needs them.'' Both the State Department and the Pentagon 
     support this initiative.
       The Senate has likewise recognized the need for a stand-
     alone rebuilding capacity, and last year unanimously passed 
     legislation to create a Reconstruction and Stabilization 
     corps within the State Department. Legislation before the 
     Senate would take further steps to establish the operational 
     elements necessary for this work. The bill has three parts:
       First, it calls for a 250-person active-duty corps of 
     Foreign Service professionals from State and USAID, trained 
     with the military and ready to deploy to conflict zones.
       Second, it would establish a roster of 2,000 other federal 
     volunteers with language and technical skills to stand by as 
     a ready reserve.
       Third, it would create the Civilian Reserve Corps the 
     president called for, a group of 500 Americans from around 
     the country with expertise in such areas as engineering, 
     medicine and policing, to be tapped for specific deployments. 
     The corps could be deployed globally wherever America's 
     interests lie, to help nations emerging from civil war, for 
     instance, or to mitigate circumstances in failed states that 
     endanger our security.
       If Congress acts soon, the administration may be able to 
     deploy the reconstruction corps in Iraq and Afghanistan. But 
     future conflicts are equally important. If we are to win the 
     war on terrorism, we cannot allow states to crumble or remain 
     incapable of governing.
       We have seen how terrorists can exploit countries afflicted 
     by lawlessness and desperate circumstances. The United States 
     must have the right non-military structures, personnel and 
     resources in place when an emergency occurs. A delay in our 
     response can mean the difference between success and failure.
       Congress has already appropriated $50 million for initial 
     funding, and an authorization to expend these funds is 
     required. The bill is widely supported on both sides of the 
     aisle and could be adopted quickly.
       Yet this legislation is being blocked on the faulty premise 
     that the task can be accomplished with existing personnel and 
     organization. In our view, that does not square with either 
     recent experience or the judgment of our generals and 
     commander in chief.
       It would be penny-wise but pound-foolish to continue to 
     overburden our military with reconstruction duties. We urge 
     Congress to stand up for our troops by giving them the 
     civilian help they need.

                          ____________________