[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 44 (Thursday, March 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S3067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXPANSION OF NATO

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 10-year 
anniversary of the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 
NATO.
  During the debate on whether to expand NATO, I said that this debate 
holds special resonance for me. Growing up as a Polish American in east 
Baltimore, I learned about the burning of Warsaw at the end of the 
Second World War. The Germans burned Warsaw to the ground--killing a 
quarter of a million people--as Soviet troops watched from the other 
side of the Vistula River. I learned about the Katyn massacre--where 
Russia murdered more than four thousand Polish military officers and 
intellectuals in the Katyn Forest at the start of the Second World War.
  The tragedies that Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary 
experienced in the aftermath of the Second World War are etched on my 
heart. That was the one reason I fought so long and so hard for Poland 
and the others to be part of the western family of nations.
  Despite the importance of history, my support for NATO enlargement 
was based on the future. My support was based on what is best for 
America. Thankfully when we voted to bring Poland, the Czech Republic, 
and Hungary into NATO, the yeas carried the day. Since that day, those 
three nations have exceeded every expectation as strong allies of the 
United States, and the naysayers' fears during the debate on the NATO 
expansion have also been shown as unwarranted.
  The NATO expansion nations of 1999, Poland, the Czech Republic, and 
Hungary have more than lived up to their obligations under the NATO 
alliance. Poland has made enormous investments into all areas of its 
military. As a result, over the last 10 years the number of Polish 
troops serving on NATO missions has steadily grown from 1500 to over 
3500. Another 300 Polish military personnel serve in prestigious 
academic and administrative positions in NATO institutions around the 
world. Polish naval vessels also operate as part of NATO standing 
reaction forces all over the world, providing cutting edge mine 
detection and countermeasures expertise.
  Poland has also emerged as one of the United States' strongest allies 
in the war against terrorism and extremism around the globe. Polish 
troops accompanied American soldiers into Iraq when they invaded in 
2003, and maintained a mission that grew as large as 2500 troops up 
until the end of 2008. Nearly 30 Polish soldiers gave their lives in 
Iraq. Poland also has one of the largest contingents in Afghanistan. 
Over 1600 Polish soldiers fight every day to stabilize the Afghan 
province of Ghazni. Nine Polish soldiers have been killed and dozens 
wounded in Iraq.
  In closing, I wish to speak a bit about history. My colleagues have 
heard me speak about Poland's history many times in the past. For 40 
years, I watched the people of Poland live under brutal, communist 
rule. They did not choose Communism--it was forced upon them. Each 
ethnic group in America brings our own history to our wonderful 
American mosaic. Bringing these three nations into NATO family of 
nations 10 years ago was one of the best decisions we made in the post-
cold war era. Of all the things I have done in my years in the Senate, 
this is one of those for which I am most proud.

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