[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 46 (Thursday, March 11, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING LEONOR TOMERO FOR HER SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS 
       AND APPOINTMENT TO THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 11, 2021

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
thank Ms. Leonor Tomero for her years of service to the United States 
Congress and congratulate her on her appointment to serve as the Deputy 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy 
in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
  Leonor has committed her professional career to advancing dialogue on 
nuclear non-proliferation and arms control within the non-profit world, 
amongst our international allies and partners, and most notably, with 
the Departments of State and Defense. She has been a strong advocate 
for taking a common-sense approach to rethinking our reliance on 
nuclear weapons--one of the only true existential threats to humankind 
today. Though she started her congressional career as a Senate staffer, 
something we try not to hold against her, Leonor has spent the last 10 
years as a valuable member of the House Armed Services Committee's 
professional staff.
  From 2010 to 2021, Leonor supported the Strategic Forces 
Subcommittee's oversight of national security space, nuclear weapons, 
nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear clean-up, and missile defense 
issues. Leonor's work with committee members helped the committee 
conduct proper oversight of both programmatic and policy aspects of 
strategic deterrence and increased understanding regarding the delicate 
balance of strategic stability. Leonor's commitment to advancing space 
from a national security standpoint culminated in the establishment of 
the Space Force, which despite the previous administration's boasting, 
was truly a bi-partisan effort that emanated from the HASC Strategic 
Forces subcommittee.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the House Armed Services Committee, I 
extend our deepest appreciation to Leonor for her dedicated service to 
the committee, the Congress, and the military and civilian personnel of 
the Armed Forces. We wish her well as she continues her public service 
at the Pentagon with the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy.

                          ____________________