[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNITION OF THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SPECIAL 
                             INVESTIGATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 1, 2008

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Air Force Office 
of Special Investigations, or the AFOSI.
  Today, August 1, 2008, OSI celebrates its 60th anniversary as the 
investigative arm of the United States Air Force. At the suggestion of 
Congress in 1948, AFOSI was established as the consolidated and 
centralized investigative service for the United States Air Force by 
then-Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington. Since its inception, 
AFOSI has served to ensure a capability for independent and objective 
criminal investigations. Through the years, AFOSI's mission has evolved 
in many ways to meet the changing needs of the Air Force. As a direct 
result, it has matured into a highly effective war fighting unit while 
maintaining the standards of a greatly respected federal law 
enforcement agency. Its goal today, as it was 60 years ago, is to 
provide the world's best investigative service to the world's best Air 
Force.
  AFOSI has played a central role in the history of the Air Force. It 
was the AFOSI commander in Korea who first alerted the Far East Air 
Forces headquarters in Tokyo of the North Korean invasion in June 1950. 
During the early to mid-1960s, AFOSI units were deployed to Vietnam and 
quickly proved their mettle in support of air base defense by gathering 
early warning threat information on sabotage and surprise attacks. As 
terrorism became more prevalent in the 1970s, AFOSI responded with 
investigative tools and programs that enhanced the protection of Air 
Force people and resources. In 1978, AFOSI became the first 
organization in the federal government to establish a computer crime 
program. AFOSI's counterintelligence efforts contributed to victory in 
the Cold War by identifying and neutralizing foreign intelligence 
operations targeting the United States Air Force. When the Pentagon 
felt the impact of cyber-threats in the 1990s, it tapped AFOSI to run 
the Defense Department's computer forensic training and laboratory 
programs.
  In recent years, AFOSI has answered the call to help protect an air 
and space force that is committed to going anywhere in the world, at 
any time. Its response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and contributions 
to subsequent combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as 
support to worldwide humanitarian assistance missions, continue to 
highlight AFOSI as a force multiplier providing for the safety and 
security of our armed forces anywhere in the world.
  Although AFOSI has evolved and adapted to today's needs, there has 
never been a change in the fundamental nature of the organization: it 
is an independent, high performance investigative agency, and 
indispensable to the Air Force. Today's AFOSI is made up of 
approximately 3,200 people operating across the globe, virtually 
anywhere you would find our Air Force's interests or resources.
  With a legacy of service, integrity and excellence behind them, the 
members of this office march on today in the footsteps of the many men 
and women who have served in the AFOSI, including one of our honorable 
colleagues, Senator ARLEN SPECTER.
  Madam Speaker, it is with a great deal of pride that the AFOSI 
celebrates its 60th anniversary. In a time of unprecedented change and 
challenge, AFOSI continues to rise to the occasion by answering the 
call of the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, and our 
great Nation.

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