[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 26, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S833-S835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    NOMINATION OF CHARLES TIMOTHY HAGEL TO BE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE--
                               Continued

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the time until 4:30 
p.m. will be equally divided in the usual form.
  The Senator from Illinois.


                 Trip To Uganda, Djibouti, and Bahrain

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, as everyone in the Senate knows, and 
people across the United States, with the sad passing of Senator Daniel 
Inouye in December, there were a number of changes that were made in 
the Senate Appropriations Committee--a committee which Senator Inouye 
skillfully chaired until his passing. He also chaired the Defense 
Appropriations Subcommittee and served our Nation with the kind of 
leadership that only a person with his distinguished military service 
could give.
  With this unfortunate change of events, I found myself unexpectedly 
in a new role as chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. I 
never would have guessed 2 months before that it was even in the realm 
of possibility. Given this new role, I thought it was appropriate and 
worthwhile during the recent recess to take a firsthand look at some of 
what our military is doing in an often overlooked part of the world--
Africa--and in the nearby gulf.
  Before I go any further, let me note how impressed I always am on 
these trips that no matter where we go in any corner of the world, 
there is an outpost of America's finest--our diplomatic personnel 
serving on the front lines and representing the best of our values. 
They are often joined by American development and military personnel, 
helping to improve the lives of host nation populations, providing 
training and security in the area.
  I want to thank all of the Ambassadors, their staff, and others who 
made great personal sacrifice to make my recent short, quick visit a 
great success.
  My first stop last week was Uganda--a good friend of the United 
States located in a difficult neighborhood of central Africa. Many know 
that Uganda was recognized around the world for its early efforts to 
stem the spread of AIDS at a time when many other African nations were 
in complete denial. Some of that progress has waned over the years, but 
there has been a renewed effort to rebuild on earlier success.
  Uganda is also helping to lead negotiations with various factions 
involved in the violence in eastern Congo, also known as the rape 
capital of the world. Last year, the armed rebel group M23 overran key 
parts of this eastern Congo, bringing further human suffering to an 
already scarred part of Africa. I want to acknowledge the constructive 
role Uganda has played in moving these talks forward.
  Uganda is also home--originally--to the horrific actions of the 
Lord's Resistance Army, an army group led by a messianic and violent 
warlord named Joseph Kony. Kony and the LRA's brutality were once again 
in the spotlight last year when the group Invisible Children launched 
an online video detailing more than 20 years of brutal LRA violence, 
including murder, rape, kidnapping, and the dragooning of child 
soldiers. To date, this video has had almost 100 million viewers.
  In Uganda, I had the chance to meet with two impressive people who 
were victims of the Lord's Resistance Army. They witnessed some 
horrific acts.
  One young man met with us at the Ambassador's residence. This Lord's 
Resistance Army invaded his village, dragged all the young men out, put 
them in a circle, and said: You are about to become soldiers in the 
army. Before you become soldiers, though, you will be asked to kill 
your family.
  Many of them could not believe it. This young man said he was praying 
they would spare his father. They

[[Page S834]]

brought his father in front of him and murdered him, as the child 
looked on. Then he was brought into service for 6 months, roaming 
through the jungles, fighting on behalf of this Lord's Resistance Army, 
until there was an opportunity for him to escape. He has turned his 
life around. It is hard to imagine anyone could after those horrible 
experiences, but he has.
  Next to him was Lilly, a beautiful young woman. She too was kidnapped 
by the Lord's Resistance Army and forced into unspeakable things for 
the time she was under their control, until she too escaped.
  The good news in both of those stories is they have made a life since 
then, and they have tried to help others who have been victimized by 
this kind of kidnapping. These horrible things are occurring in Africa, 
and we have decided to help. With the Ugandans, we are working to put 
Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army out of business. We have 
pushed them out of Uganda. We now believe they are in the Central 
African Republic.
  In 2010, Congress passed a bill led by a former colleague and great 
champion of Africa, a friend and former colleague of the Presiding 
Officer, Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, called the Lord's 
Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009, 
an important step forward--and it was. I was proud to cosponsor the 
bill. As a result, last year, President Obama--because of the Feingold 
legislation--sent 100 U.S. military personnel to help the Ugandan Army 
track down and bring an end to the Lord's Resistance Army menace.
  I met in the bush with our military in Uganda that was following up 
on this Feingold legislation. I can't tell you what a remarkable job 
they are doing under very difficult circumstances.
  The LRA is on the run. Defections are increasing and formerly 
terrorized communities are starting to live without fear. There is 
still more to be done, but I was impressed and proud of how the United 
States stepped up and is doing something that will be remembered for 
generations by the Ugandan people.
  Let me also take a moment to mention another issue in Uganda. There 
is a proposed law pending before the Parliament in Uganda that would 
literally criminalize homosexuality, in some cases even imposing the 
death penalty. This is a cruel piece of legislation that has been met 
by global condemnation and concern. I met with the activists in Uganda 
who fear for their personal safety if this bill becomes law, a fear 
that I believe, unfortunately, is warranted.
  I and others have appealed to the Ugandan Government not to tarnish 
its international reputation and impose criminal penalties against 
people simply because of their sexual orientation. Uganda must continue 
to be a leader in the region, something this legislation will 
substantially erode. I hope ultimately common sense will prevail and 
the Ugandan Parliament will not pass this terrible legislation.
  While few have ever heard of a small, hardscrabble country in the 
Horn of Africa called Djibouti, it is one of the most strategic pieces 
of real estate in the world. Tens of thousands of ships pass through 
the nearby shipping lanes every year. Over 30,000 vessels, 40 percent 
of all the ocean traffic in the world, passes this point. The country 
is surrounded by violence and instability, including Yemen, just 17 
miles away, and Somalia, their next-door neighbors.
  We are fortunate, therefore, to have Camp Lemonnier located in 
Djibouti. It is a significant U.S. military base helping to bring 
security and stability to a difficult neighborhood. It is not an easy 
location to do business. In the summer, temperatures reach 120 degrees. 
There is not a tree in sight in Djibouti. The country is extremely poor 
and opportunities for recreation and escape are almost nonexistent.
  These American service men and women are to be thanked for their 
dedication and long tours away from family and friends. They are 
playing an important role in bringing greater security to the region 
and helping to dramatically reduce the scourge of piracy that has so 
dramatically impacted the waters in recent years.
  USAID also has a major humanitarian distribution warehouse in 
Djibouti in which emergency food aid can be shipped quickly and 
efficiently throughout the region as far as Bangladesh.
  Even in faraway Djibouti, there was a woman from Illinois helping 
with this effort. I wish to recognize her work for a moment on the 
floor. Her name is Christine Karpinski. She is from Chicago, and she is 
part of this USAID effort to save the lives of the most vulnerable 
people in the world.
  Let me also note Djibouti had elections last weekend, elections the 
opposition is claiming were fraudulent. I wasn't there as an election 
observer, but certainly Djibouti can do more to open its political 
system. It took some notable steps with the current election, and I 
hope the postelection process can move forward in a peaceful manner. I 
also hope the Djibouti Government and other foreign powers which have 
significant footprints there will do more to help its own people out of 
poverty.
  What I saw there in terms of underdevelopment, particularly given the 
sizable sums being paid by foreign governments for base leases and a 
population of less than 1 million people, simply didn't add up. We and 
the Government of Djibouti have a responsibility to do more for the 
people who live there, especially the next generation of young people.
  In Uganda, Djibouti, and so many countries in that region, we will 
find 50 percent of the population under the age of 15. It is a reminder 
to us that the forces, the dynamic forces behind the Arab Spring in 
many parts of the Middle East and northern Africa are at least evident 
in many of these other countries that haven't been touched yet by that 
change.
  Lastly, I had the opportunity to visit the small gulf nation of 
Bahrain. It has been one of the more open and forward-thinking 
countries in the gulf region. It is also a close U.S. ally, home to the 
U.S. Fifth Fleet and located in yet another difficult neighborhood 
bordering Iran, just across the straits.
  Bahrain has been a generous host to our Fifth Fleet. Anyone who 
looked at the map or followed tensions with Iran knows the importance 
of such a naval force in this part of the world. These dedicated 
sailors help keep shipping lanes open and ensure that Iran does not 
threaten its neighbors or U.S. interests. Their presence alone is 
likely to make Iran think twice about reckless moves in the Persian 
Gulf.
  Let me say a word about the Navy. I guess I am partial because my two 
late brothers both served in the Navy during the Korean war. When I get 
a chance to go aboard ships, I visualize my older brothers and what 
life must have been like in those days. When I went out with ADM John 
Miller to visit some of the ships in the fleet, I met some of the 
finest young men and women you could ever ask for. Most of them trained 
in Illinois at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and now were off 
serving in the U.S. Navy around the world.
  No one, unless they have some experience and knowledge of the 
subject, could understand the enormity of the responsibility which 
these men and women in the Navy have. We often hear about the heroic 
efforts of those who were in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force--and 
I certainly don't want to take anything away from them--but the 
important lifesaving peacekeeping jobs being done by the U.S. Navy, 
particularly the Fifth Fleet that I visited, cannot be overstated.
  Bahrain, incidentally, is going through its own domestic 
difficulties. It experienced its own Arab Spring in early 2011, one 
that started with a peaceful protest calling for a more open political 
process. That process unfortunately broke down and many demonstrators 
were killed or jailed. Others, sadly, were tortured.
  The Government of Bahrain did what few other countries in the region 
would be willing or brave enough to do. They created an outside 
commission to look into many issues around the uprising. A blunt and 
sober report was issued, and it is my hope the Government of Bahrain 
will abide by many of its recommendations. At the same time, I hope the 
opposition will seriously explore the latest attempt at dialog offered 
by the government as a means to address the current political impasse.

  Bahrain has so much promise and can continue to be one of the shining 
lights of the gulf. Both sides must renounce

[[Page S835]]

violence and work toward a peaceful political solution.
  Let me also note an overarching theme noted on this trip, one I 
mentioned before on the Senate floor, the role of China. Everywhere we 
went we heard time and again how China is everywhere, often at the 
exclusion of American businesses, investment, and influence. This 
pattern costs us not only lost jobs but lost diplomatic and security 
engagement.
  That is why, last year, Senator Boozman and I introduced a bill to 
create a coordinated U.S. strategy to boost U.S. exports to Africa and 
in turn foster American jobs. This bipartisan bill cleared the Foreign 
Relations, Banking and Finance Committees only to be held up at the 
last minute at the end of the year by Senator Toomey of Pennsylvania. 
To his credit, he didn't do it in a secret manner; he came to the floor 
and objected.
  Although I disagreed with him, I respected him for the fact that he 
stated his point of view. I would like to sit down with him again and 
any others who are skeptics about this legislation and let them know 
what I saw on this trip. Delaying the passing of this legislation costs 
us more than lost influence on the continent and jobs here at home.
  It is going to be a squandered opportunity. Think about this. In the 
last 10 years, the six fastest growing economies in the world were in 
Africa. In the next 10 years, 8 of the top 10 will be in Africa. Where 
are we? We are playing a distant second fiddle to China.
  What does that mean for the future? It isn't very encouraging. It is 
time for us to step forward and show real American leadership in this 
area. I appeal to those who have opposed this Africa trade bill, which 
Senator Boozman and I have sponsored, to take a second look and 
reconsider their position.
  It was an honor to visit our dedicated diplomatic, development, and 
military personnel. It was a reminder of the importance of 
indispensable contributions to U.S. policy they still play around the 
world in improving lives and ensuring security. These investments 
abroad are not only symbols of American generosity and values, they 
make the world safer for everyone. We should keep this in mind when we 
consider America's foreign assistance budget, one that includes 
maintaining all our embassies around the world, is just over 1 percent 
of the total U.S. budget.
  I yield the floor.
  I ask unanimous consent any remaining time between now and 4:30 be 
equally divided and that time which is in quorum calls be equally 
divided between those supporting and opposing the vote at 4:30.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________