[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 122 (Thursday, July 2, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4199-S4201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              F-22 Raptors

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I have come to the floor to talk about 
one of the favorite things I get to do all week, and that is to talk 
about some Alaskans who are making a difference. We call this our 
``Alaskan of the Week.''
  It means that I get to speak about my State, usually an individual, 
maybe a couple of people, but every now and then I like to mix things 
up and keep people on high alert because the people I am going to talk 
about in Alaska are the ultimate people--Americans--on high alert. As 
opposed to recognizing one or two, I am going to recognize a bunch of 
Alaskans, an impressive group, who work day and night, not only to keep 
Alaska safe but to keep America safe. They will be doing it this 
weekend, the Fourth of July--24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 
always on high alert.
  As we are heading into the Fourth of July weekend, Russia is once 
again in the news, and we have been debating the National Defense 
Authorization Act on the Senate floor, a very critical bill that I am 
fully supportive of, which funds our military and pay raises for our 
troops. I thought it would be very appropriate to highlight the 
hundreds of men and women in my State who stand watch and patrol the 
northern skies of Alaska and America to protect our Nation. They are 
unsung heroes. You don't hear a lot about them in the news, but we 
certainly appreciate them. I think all Senators and all Americans do, 
which is why I want to talk about them today.
  They are our brave servicemembers who fly and maintain our F-22 
Raptors--this amazing stealth fighter; our E-3 Sentrys, which are also 
known as AWACS, which are like the quarterback in the sky of aircraft; 
our Alaska Guard KC-135 Stratotankers; our brave members of the Alaska 
Rescue Coordination Center, who operate HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and 
H-130 Hercules aircraft, should we need a search and rescue mission; 
and our Active-Duty members and guardsmen, who maintain, monitor, and 
track threats from other countries for our country, particularly 
threats coming from Russia. These brave men and women--hundreds of 
them--are keeping guard day and night over the northern skies of 
America.

  When the Russians fly their Bear bombers and fighter jets into or 
near American air space, these intrepid Americans are on duty to ensure 
that our F-22s are there to intercept and greet the Russian pilots and 
aircraft who threaten to move into our air defense identification zone, 
or ADIZ, as we call it. They are there waiting and intercepting Russian 
bombers. These airmen keep us all safe. As I mentioned, they are all 
worthy of the great title Alaskans of the Week.
  Before I get into exactly what these men and women do to guard our 
Nation--and they do it round the clock; they are doing it right now, by 
the way, and will be doing it the Fourth of July, by the way--I would 
like to talk a little about Russia and Alaska and our close geography. 
I want to give a little geography lesson. There are actual places in 
Alaska where you really can see Russia from your house.
  Russia and Alaska are divided by the Bering Strait, which is about 55 
miles at its narrowest point. In the middle of the Bering Strait sit 
two islands, Big Diomede, which is actually Russian territory, and 
Little Diomede, which is part of Alaska, part of America. They are less 
than 2\1/2\ miles apart from each other, nearly touching. In the words 
of a New York Times reporter, it is the place where ``the two great 
continental powers reach across the map and all but touch, like the 
outstretched figures in Michelangelo's `The Creation of Adam.''' It is 
a little dramatic, but you get the point--Little Diomede and Big 
Diomede.
  On a clear day, you can see Russia from St. Lawrence Island, which is 
also Alaskan, and even from our mainland, in Wales, AK. During the Cold 
War, the Alaska-Siberia frontier was called not the Iron Curtain but 
the ``Ice Curtain,'' which we needed to stay closed.
  Much preparation was put into keeping Russia from invading or 
infiltrating the United States from its northern flank--from the 
Arctic, from Alaska. In the early Cold War years, our government 
recruited and trained fishermen, bush pilots, trappers, and many, many 
in our patriotic Native Alaskan communities throughout the State to 
stand guard for America during the Cold War. And so many Alaskans did 
this for decades. It was their patriotic duty guarding the northern 
flank of our great Nation.
  There were the great Eskimo scouts of the Alaska National Guard, who 
knew the land better than anyone else could. They were so patriotic 
with their love of this Nation.
  It is still unclear how many Russians were able to get to our lands, 
but stories do abound in Alaska about strangers speaking Russian 
showing up in communities unannounced--five men emerging from the water 
in wet suits over olive-drab uniforms, the color of the uniform of 
Soviet Special Forces. Go to any one of our Native Alaska communities, 
and today, you will still hear such stories.
  Something that is very clear and very well known is that between 1961 
and 1991, the U.S. military intercepted thousands of long-range Soviet 
bombers and reconnaissance aircraft when they were moving into American 
airspace. We used our aircraft back then, the F-102s, F-106s, and 
later, F-4s, F-15s. Then, like now, our aircraft were superior to the 
Russians and that was certainly one of the reasons we won the Cold War.
  This is still going on today. This is still a threat. The Russians 
continue to flex their military muscle, from Ukraine to Siberia, and 
they have added new Blackjack bombers to the mix and their SU-35 
fighters. They still come close to American airspace via flights near 
Alaska. That is where our F-22 pilots and those who support them come 
in.
  Just in the last 6 months, our Alaskan F-22s, shown here, have 
intercepted 10 Russian Bear bombers. We are starting to see Cold War 
levels of intrusions into American airspace and, of course, our 
patriotic men and women--young men and women, by the way--flying these 
great aircraft, going after these big Bear bombers. There were 10 
missions already, and it is just July 2. What are they up to?
  Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, who commands NORAD and these 
forces, ultimately, and U.S. Northern Command, linked the uptick in 
Russian military flights off Alaska's coast to the ongoing coronavirus 
pandemic and Russia's testing of our military readiness. They are 
testing us, but we are ready for them.
  In essence, that is what we have been doing all week--debating and 
getting ready to vote on final passage of the

[[Page S4200]]

National Defense Authorization Act, which is all about our military's 
readiness. Again, in Alaska--24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a 
year--our brave men and women are guarding the northern flank of 
America.
  This is how Lt. Col. Dave Deptula, commander of the 525th Fighter 
Squadron--this F-22 squadron, the ``Bulldogs''--described it:

       The Russians will fly their bombers and fighters across the 
     Bering Strait and they will test our ADIZ [Air Defense 
     Identification Zone] airspace--they will try to see if they 
     can come into our airspace. And if they were going to go into 
     it, we would be there every time to say, respectfully, 
     ``Hello. We're here and we're flying with live munitions.''

  He said the goal is to make sure the Russians know that they are 
there to protect our Nation and try to deescalate.
  By the way, Colonel Deptula is my former Air Force fellow and a great 
Air Force leader, just like his dad.
  As an aside, pilots in the military have what are called ``call 
signs,'' which are essentially their pilot nicknames. As a marine, I 
know many pilots by their call signs. Lieutenant Colonel Deptula's call 
sign is ``Ghost.'' Maybe that is because he is an F-22 stealth fighter 
pilot, able to sneak up on Bear bombers like this without being seen 
and even heard. But I have also heard that maybe it is because when it 
is time to pay the tab at a bar, he doesn't seem to be around. Just 
kidding there, Colonel Deptula, Ghost. I can't think of a better call 
sign for an F-22 stealth fighter pilot in Alaska, and we are very, very 
proud of Ghost in the Sullivan Senate office.

  Here is how it works. Here is what these brave young men and women in 
the U.S. Air Force do to protect our Nation. We have 15 long-range 
radar sites across the great State of Alaska, which are constantly 
feeding information to the 176th Air Defense Squadron, which analyze 
that information.
  By the way, I have the honor and pleasure next week of hosting the 
Secretary of the Air Force in Alaska. She will be able to see our great 
military members, and we will go out and actually see some of these 
radar sites.
  When our military note troublesome activity, they send out a bone-
rattling alarm--what is called the KLAXON--to the Combat Alert Cell. 
This is a group of pilots and maintainers who are always ready. They 
are like firemen. They literally have a pole where they scramble down 
to get to their aircraft--what they call a ``hot cocked'' and armed F-
22 at the ready.
  As these pilots literally race to their jets, so, too, does the 
aircrew of the AWACs--the long-range eyes and ears for the F-22. They 
launch very quickly. This is taking place at JBER in Anchorage. 
Simultaneously, at Eielson Air Force Base, about 350 miles north of 
Anchorage, the 168th Air Refueling Squadron, a unit of the Alaska Air 
National Guard, launch the KC-135 tankers to meet the F-22s as they are 
going to intercept the Russians and to top off the 600-gallon F-22 fuel 
tanks when they are in the air and then refuel them on the way back. 
This is all part of one big mission. That is what they are doing.
  All told, there are hundreds of Alaskans in the air and on the ground 
involved in operations like this every single time it happens.
  As I mentioned, it is happening a lot--twice a month in the last half 
year.
  Patriotic young men and women are always prepared to defend our 
country in the sky--24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  One thing I want to do for this ``Alaskan of the Week'' is remind 
Americans when they are celebrating the Fourth of July--which is a 
great thing to do--to remember that these dedicated warriors will be on 
guard protecting our Nation. When everybody is barbecuing, celebrating 
America, think about what they are doing.
  If you have seen any video of the F-22s flying, it is impressive, but 
we also have to remember there are real pilots in those planes. Look 
how close they are in this mission. It can be very dangerous.
  Think of this to get a sense of how this all works. It is the middle 
of the night and the klaxon goes off. It is winter in Alaska. It is 
dark and 20 below zero. A pilot hustles to her airplane--yes, ``her.'' 
We have F-22 female pilots. One is call sign Contra. We were discussing 
recently in my office about what a great job she does. She gets in the 
aircraft and flies nearly 600 miles sometimes--certainly, faster than 
the speed of sound--to reach the rough Bering Sea to intercept a 
Russian Bear bomber like this in the middle of the night. She probably 
had to refuel on the way there.
  Sometimes Russian pilots can get aggressive. According to Ghost, we 
do not respond aggressively in turn. We are respectful. We are tough. 
We are professional. The Russians know it, and the Russians know that 
they are up against the best Air Force in the world--armed and ready. 
So the Russians usually behave.
  But this can be a stressful mission. As I mentioned, it has happened 
10 times already in the last 6 months. It is so critical for our 
Nation. So many young Alaskans are involved in this. Our men and women 
in the military represent the very best of this country--brave, strong, 
committed, devoted to our country, devoted to democracy, devoted to the 
Republic.
  That is why we have been working on this all week. When we come back 
from our Fourth of July work period, we will continue to work on and 
pass the National Defense Authorization Act for them.
  On this Fourth of July holiday, as I mentioned, I hope we can take 
the time to thank them and to remember those who have served before. 
Know that when you are spending time with friends and family this 
holiday, dozens of airmen in Alaska are on alert and ready to go do 
this mission in a moment's notice.
  We have to remember also that the freedoms we are celebrating this 
weekend have been secured at a price. There is no Independence Day 
without the U.S. military and our courageous veterans, past and 
present.
  Yet it is not just about protecting our Nation. Think about this: 
American servicemembers have done more to liberate men and women across 
the globe from tyranny and oppression--literally, hundreds of millions 
of people--than probably more than any other force in human history. 
That includes those who are currently serving. Think about that when 
you are celebrating the Fourth of July. Can any other country say that? 
Think about the other big countries in the world--China, Russia, 
Germany. Have they been forces to have liberated hundreds of millions 
of people? The fact is, they are the kinds of countries that have tried 
to dominate hundreds of millions. As my friend from Arkansas just 
mentioned, China is doing it again, as we speak, in Hong Kong.
  So, yes, our Nation has challenges right now--no doubt about it. Yet 
I think the vast majority of us recognizes the obvious fact that we are 
the greatest country in the world and have stood for liberating not 
just Americans but hundreds of millions around the world. My view is 
that we are the greatest country in the history of the world. One 
reason is due to those who stand guard to protect us and our freedoms 
and our liberty.
  So a big thank-you to those who fly and maintain our F-22 Raptors--
our AWACS--our Alaska National Guard KC-135s; our HH-60s; our HC-130s; 
and all of the Active-Duty members and guardsmen who on the Fourth of 
July, which we are going to celebrate in a couple of days, will be 
ready to go do this mission at a moment's notice and be ready to 
protect us.
  I will be up on the Yukon River, in Alaska, with my wife and 
daughters, as we always are, to celebrate not only America's birthday 
but my wife's, and we will be toasting the brave young men and women 
who are doing this for our country. I encourage the rest of my fellow 
Americans to do the same.
  To the Raptor pilots and maintainers and everybody who supports them, 
thanks for what you are doing. Most importantly, congratulations on 
being our Alaskans of the Week.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, it is my honor to be here today to see 
a marine Presiding Officer and a marine making a speech.
  We are grateful for Senator Sullivan's service to our country and his 
service in the Senate as a diligent, patriotic, hard-working, good-
humored Member of the Senate. I am glad I had a chance to hear his 
remarks.

[[Page S4201]]

  I was trying to think of where in the world to go on my 50th 
birthday, and I went to Anchorage, AK, to go fishing at Halibut Cove. I 
had a wonderful time and have a great memory. So the Senator represents 
a really terrific State.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. I thank my good friend from Tennessee for those kind 
comments