[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 107 (Wednesday, July 24, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2014

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                               speech of

                            HON. DEVIN NUNES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2397) makign 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes:

  Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chair, I rise today to address the crucial need for 
retaining the U.S. military's force structure at Lajes Field.
  Due to Air Force planners' short-sighted decision to draw down at 
Lajes, the United States is poised to surrender a military asset of 
unparalleled strategic value. Located on the Azores island chain 
between Europe and the United States, Lajes is like the Hawaii of the 
Atlantic Ocean--only closer to the American mainland. The islands 
belong to Portugal, a strong U.S. ally since World War II that has 
never prevented us from conducting operational missions.
  The base at this crucial location has bolstered the United States' 
control of the Atlantic since World War II, proving critical to our 
tracking of Soviet submarines during the Cold War. It allows for U.S. 
access to Europe, the Middle East, and western and sub-Saharan Africa, 
and enables the expeditionary movement of warfighters, aircraft, ships, 
and global communications to AFRICOM and CENTCOM's joint, coalition, 
and NATO operations.
  It is also a vital site for countering a major regional threat, al-
Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has known ties to al-Qaeda in the 
Arabian Peninsula and other violent groups. In fact, from Lajes, ten of 
the eighteen African countries that hold State Department Travel 
Warnings can be reached within six hours. Further, Lajes is well-
positioned to act as a logistical hub not only for the Defense 
Department, but also for USAID, the State Department, and other 
agencies.
  Having engaged with Portuguese officials for years on this issue, I 
know that the consequences of drawing down the base will be dire. Our 
strategic planners may believe we can leave a mere skeletal operation 
at Lajes and retain access there, but in reality, the Air Force's 
decision to draw down at the base means a total end to the U.S. 
presence at Lajes. This will severely impact the Azorean economy, 
forcing Portugal to find a new tenant for the site. In light of the 
weak Portuguese economy, we do not want to make Azoreans choose between 
their alliance with the United States and their ability to feed their 
families.
  While our strategic planners may not want to be in the Azores 
anymore, leaders of other nations feel differently. Several high 
ranking Chinese officials have visited the islands in recent years, 
including a sojourn by China's Ambassador to Portugal just a few weeks 
ago, as well as a June 2012 visit to Terceira by then-Premier Wen 
Jiabao. The Chinese did not divulge what all these delegates were doing 
there, but I assure you they weren't sipping port and enjoying the 
pleasant climate.
  In the wake of the decision to wind down Lajes, we cannot assume the 
Portuguese will exclude China or other bad actors from the site simply 
out of allegiance to the U.S.; the recent decision to send a rapid 
reaction force of 500 U.S. Marines to Moron, Spain--a contingent that 
would have much more flexibility at the logistics hub of Lajes--could 
easily be interpreted as a calculated insult to our Portuguese friends.
  These Marines could easily be located in Lajes, which is a safe 
environment that allows for forward basing at Rota, Spain, or 
Sigonella, Italy, or if necessary, for the deployment of troops in 
Western and sub-Saharan Africa. This amendment would give Defense 
Department planners the opportunity to think outside the box. If they 
did, they would realize this solution would allow the Air Force to 
scale-down at Lajes, provide maximum strategic flexibility for the 
Marines, and fully utilize the Lajes facility.
  The retention of Lajes was not an issue for seventy years because 
prior planners never contemplated giving up something so crucial to 
U.S. interests. Because this Congress does not assume that Chinese and 
Russian subs will voluntarily stop sailing beneath the Atlantic Ocean 
or that jihadists will stop training in sub-Saharan Africa, we need the 
flexibility that Lajes' unique location provides.
  As we reduce our European footprint--comprising 110,000 personnel and 
dozens of military installations--we need to base our decisions on each 
site's global strategic value and tactical and strategic flexibility. 
It would cost billions to build a base like Lajes today, and we must 
understand that the decision by Air Force planners to draw down at 
Lajes means closing the site and losing our access there.
  Therefore, Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this 
amendment to retain the current force structure at Lajes Field, and to 
keep this crucial military asset fully staffed and fully operational.

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