[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 144 (Thursday, September 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5066-S5068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 825. Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Hoeven, and Mr.
Tester) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the
bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:
SEC. _____. COMMEMORATION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AIR
FORCE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) on August 1, 1907, the Aeronautical Division of the
Army Signal Corps, consisting of 1 officer and 2 enlisted
men, began operation under the command of Captain Charles
DeForest Chandler with the responsibility for ``all matters
pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all
kindred subjects'';
(2) in 1908, the Department of War contracted with the
Wright brothers to build 1 heavier-than-air flying machine
for the Army and, in 1909, the Department accepted the Wright
Military Flyer, the first military airplane;
(3) pilots of the United States, flying with both Allied
air forces and with the Army Air Service, performed admirably
during the course of World War I, the first air war in
history, by participating in pursuit, observation, and day
and night bombing missions;
(4) pioneering aviators of the United States, including
Mason M. Patrick, William ``Billy'' Mitchell, Benjamin D.
Foulois, Frank M. Andrews, Henry H. ``Hap'' Arnold, James H.
``Jimmy'' Doolittle, and Edward ``Eddie'' Rickenbacker--
(A) were among the first individuals to recognize the
military potential of airpower; and
(B) in the decades following World War I, courageously laid
the foundation for the creation of an independent arm for the
air forces of the United States;
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(5) on June 20, 1941, the Department of War created the
Army Air Forces as the aviation element of that Department
and, shortly thereafter, the Department made the Army Air
Forces co-equal to the Army Ground Forces;
(6) General Henry H. ``Hap'' Arnold drew upon the
industrial prowess and human resources of the United States
to transform the Army Air Corps from a force of 22,400 men
and 2,402 aircraft in 1939 into an entity with a peak wartime
strength of 2,400,000 personnel and 79,908 aircraft;
(7) the standard for courage, flexibility, and intrepidity
in combat was established for all Airmen during the first
aerial raid in the Pacific Theater on April 18, 1942, when
Lieutenant Colonel James ``Jimmy'' H. Doolittle led 16 North
American B-25 Mitchell bombers in a joint operation from the
deck of the USS Hornet to strike the Japanese mainland in
response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor;
(8) the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3001 et
seq.), signed into law by President Harry S. Truman,
realigned and reorganized the Armed Forces to establish the
Department of the Air Force (referred to in this section as
the ``USAF'') as separate from other military services;
(9) on September 18, 1947, W. Stuart Symington became the
first Secretary of the newly formed and independent USAF,
marking the date on which the USAF was established;
(10) on September 26, 1947, General Carl A. Spaatz, a
pioneering aviator and former Commanding General of the Army
Air Forces, became the first Chief of Staff of the USAF;
(11) the Air National Guard was also created by the
National Security Act of 1947 and has played a vital role in
guarding the United States and defending freedom in nearly
every major conflict and contingency since its creation;
(12) on October 14, 1947, the USAF demonstrated the
historic and ongoing commitment of the USAF to technological
innovation when Captain Charles ``Chuck'' Yeager piloted the
X-1 developmental rocket plane to a speed of Mach 1.07,
becoming the first flyer to break the sound barrier in a
powered aircraft in level flight;
(13) the Air Force Reserve, created on April 14, 1948, is
comprised of citizen airmen who serve as unrivaled wingmen of
the active duty USAF during every deployment and on every
mission and battlefield around the world in which the USAF is
engaged;
(14) the USAF carried out the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and
1949 to provide humanitarian relief to post-war Germany and
has established a tradition of offering humanitarian
assistance when responding to natural disasters and needs
across the world;
(15) the Tuskegee Airmen served the United States with
tremendous dignity and honor, overcame segregation and
prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter
groups of World War II, and helped to establish a policy of
racial integration within the ranks of the USAF, as, on April
26, 1948, the USAF became the first military branch to
integrate, a full 3 months before an Executive order
integrated all military services;
(16) the arsenal of bombers of the USAF, such as the long-
range Convair B-58 Hustler and B-36 Peacemaker, and the
Boeing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress, under the
command of General Curtis LeMay--
(A) served as the preeminent deterrent of the United States
against the forces of the Soviet Union during the early years
of the Cold War; and
(B) were later augmented by the development and deployment
of medium range and intercontinental ballistic missiles, such
as the Titan and Minuteman, developed by General Bernard A.
Schriever;
(17) on April 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed legislation establishing the United States Air Force
Academy, the mission of which is to educate, develop, and
inspire men and women to become aerospace officers and
leaders of impeccable character and knowledge, and that, as
of 2017, has graduated 59 classes and 49,700 cadets;
(18) during the Korean War, the USAF--
(A) employed the first large-scale combat use of jet
aircraft;
(B) helped to establish air superiority over the Korean
Peninsula;
(C) protected ground forces of the United Nations with
close air support; and
(D) interdicted enemy reinforcements and supplies;
(19) after the development of launch vehicles and orbital
satellites, the mission of the USAF expanded into space and,
as of 2017, provides exceptional support with respect to
real-time global communications, environmental monitoring,
navigation, precision timing, missile warning, nuclear
deterrence, and space surveillance;
(20) during the Vietnam War, the USAF--
(A) engaged in a limited campaign of airpower to assist the
South Vietnamese government in countering the communist Viet
Cong guerillas; and
(B) fought to disrupt supply lines, halt enemy ground
offensives, and protect United States and Allied forces;
(21) on April 3, 1967, former prisoner of war Paul W.
Airey, a career radio operator, aerial gunner, and First
Sergeant, became the first Chief Master Sergeant of the USAF;
(22) in recent decades, the USAF and coalition partners of
the United States have supported successful actions in
Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Haiti, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and many other
locations around the world;
(23) USAF Special Operations Forces have served with honor
and distinction around the world since their activation in
1990, providing the United States with specialized airpower
across the broad spectrum of conflict in any place and at any
time;
(24) for 27 consecutive years beginning in 1990, Airmen
have--
(A) been engaged in continuous combat operations ranging
from Operation Desert Shield to the Global War on Terrorism
to Operation Inherent Resolve; and
(B) shown that the Airmen--
(i) constitute an air and space expeditionary force of
outstanding capability; and
(ii) are ready to fight and win wars for the United States
when and where they are called upon;
(25) when terrorists attacked the United States on
September 11, 2001, fighter and air refueling aircraft of the
USAF--
(A) took to the skies to fly combat air patrols over major
cities of the United States; and
(B) protected the families, friends, and neighbors of the
people of the United States from further attack;
(26) on December 7, 2005, the USAF modified its mission
statement to include flying and fighting in air, space, and
cyberspace and prioritized the innovation,
operationalization, and sustainment of warfighting
capabilities to deliver unrestricted access to cyberspace to
defend the United States and its worldwide interests;
(27) women have played a prominent role in the evolution of
the USAF, courageously fighting alongside their male
counterparts and dedicating their lives to protecting peace,
liberty, and freedom around the world as they provide ``ready
to fight tonight'' airpower whenever and wherever needed;
(28) as of 2017, the USAF has made tremendous strides in
the global warfighting domain of cyberspace by
revolutionizing offensive and defensive capabilities and
effects with speed, agility, and surgical precision, thereby
ensuring the continuous command, control, and execution of
joint and service operations in contested, degraded, and
limited environments;
(29) the untapped potential of enlisted aviators is
recognized by the USAF as these highly trained, intelligent,
and professional Airmen fly remotely piloted aircraft to
distant skies in support of combatant commanders and meet the
insatiable demand for persistent intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance capabilities;
(30) the Civil Air Patrol, as a total force partner and
auxiliary of the USAF, has maintained a steadfast commitment
to the United States and the communities of the United States
through a proud legacy of service, from the earliest days of
World War II, when the Civil Air Patrol protected the
shorelines of the United States, through 2017, as the Civil
Air Patrol executes emergency service missions;
(31) the USAF is steadfast in the commitment to fielding a
world-class air expeditionary force by recruiting, training,
and educating its officer, enlisted, and civilian corps
comprising the active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force
Reserve components of the USAF;
(32) more than 100,000 Airmen stand watch around the world
at 175 global locations, committed to winning the constant
fight against violent extremist organizations by expending
more than 56,000 munitions and striking more than 32,000
enemy targets over the course of 18,200 airstrikes;
(33) Airmen were imprisoned and tortured during several
major conflicts, including World War I, World War II, the
Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Persian Gulf War, and,
in the valiant tradition of Airmen held captive, continued
serving the United States with honor and dignity under the
most inhumane circumstances;
(34) Airmen have earned the Medal of Honor 18 times, the
Air Force Cross 183 times, the Distinguished Service Cross 42
times, and the Silver Star 74 times;
(35) the USAF--
(A) is a tremendous steward of resources;
(B) develops and applies groundbreaking technology;
(C) manages complex acquisition programs; and
(D) maintains test, evaluation, and sustainment criteria
for all USAF weapon systems throughout the life cycles of
those weapon systems;
(36) talented and dedicated Airmen will continue to meet
the future challenges of an ever-changing world with
limitless strength, resolve, and patriotism;
(37) on every continent around the world, the USAF has
bravely fought for freedom, liberty, and peace, preserved
democracy, and protected the people and interests of the
United States;
(38) Airmen of the USAF, together with their joint force
partners, will continue to be a tremendous resource for the
United States in fights across every domain and at every
location, delivering continuous air and space superiority,
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global
mobility, global strike, and command and control
capabilities, thereby ensuring the safety and security of the
United States; and
(39) for 70 years, the USAF and the Airmen of the USAF,
through their exemplary service and sacrifice, have
repeatedly proven their value to the United States, the
people
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of the United States, the allies of the United States, and
all free people of the world.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Air
Force as an independent military service should be
commemorated; and
(2) the achievements of the Air Force in serving and
defending the United States through global vigilance, global
reach, and global power should be remembered, honored, and
commended.
______