[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 23311-23312]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      MAJOR GENERAL BRUCE SCOTT, CHIEF OF ARMY LEGISLATIVE LIAISON

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Maj. Gen. 
Bruce Scott, who will soon depart his position as Chief of Army 
Legislative Liaison to assume command of the United States Army 
Security Assistance Command in Alexandria, VA.
  I imagine that the impression most people have of someone who is a 
general is that of an officer who is in charge of troops, such as a 
person leading an Infantry division. Few realize that there are more 
generals who are administrators than troop leaders, and probably even 
fewer realize one of the most critical jobs any general in the United 
States Army could hold as far as preparing that service to protect the 
people, borders, and interests of the nation is the position which 
General Scott has held for the past two years. Though he might not have 
been wearing BDU's or eating MRE's for the past twenty-four months, 
General Scott has had the extremely important responsibility of serving 
as the head of liaison efforts between the Congress and the Army. In 
that role, he has led the efforts to make sure that our soldiers have 
the resources they require to accomplish their mission and dominate any 
battlefield, anytime, anywhere.
  General Scott is well qualified to represent the Army to the 
Legislative Branch. Every position he has held since beginning his Army 
career in 1968 as a Cadet at the United States Military Academy at West 
Point has given him a unique insight into what it is like to be a 
soldier at every level of the service. Thanks to his assignments to 
Infantry and Armored divisions, he understands what is involved in 
serving in a combat arms unit; as a result of his service as a 
Commanding General and Division Engineer, he understands what general 
officers require to do their jobs; a veteran of the White House Fellows 
program, he was exposed at an early stage to the relationship between 
the legislative and executive branches of government, as well as to

[[Page 23312]]

the notion of civilian control of the military; and as a former Deputy 
Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy, Office of the Deputy Chief of 
Staff for Operations and plans, he has an appreciation of the 
strategic, or ``bigger'', picture. All in all, General Scott came to 
this job with the credentials and experience that was required of him
  During his command as the Chief of Army Legislative Liaison, General 
Scott put his rich background to work for him and the Army, working 
hard to represent the interests of the service to the Senate and House 
of Representatives, as well as working to make sure that the Army was 
responsive to our requests and interests. Over the past two-years, 
General Scott helped to shepherd through the Congress major initiatives 
on Army modernization and digitization. He has been a forceful and 
effective advocate for the Army's ``Force XXI'' and its ``Force After 
Next''; and, during my tenure as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee, we worked together to build even stronger ties between the 
Army and the Senate Armed Services Committee.
  I have always believed that hard work will be rewarded, and after 
what I am certain at times was an agonizing, if not occasionally 
exasperating, experience of working with Congress, General Scott will 
soon take the reins of the United States Army Security Assistance 
Command. This is an important assignment, especially in this day and 
age when building or re-reinforcing coalitions and friendships with 
other nations is as important to the security of the United States as 
maintaining a well equipped, well trained fighting force. In his new 
job, General Scott will in many ways be carrying out the duties of an 
ambassador, he will certainly be making an important contribution to 
the diplomatic efforts of the United States as he will be required to 
work with approximately 120 different nations and multinational 
organizations in promoting international security by assuring our 
allies have access to modern and effective equipment and systems. I 
have every confidence that he will discharge the duties of his new job 
with the same ability, dedication, and professionalism as he has done 
throughout his career, and especially as he did as Chief of Army 
Legislative Liaison.
  I am certain that my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services 
Committee and throughout the Senate join me in applauding the work of 
General Scott and in thanking him for his tireless efforts in working 
with us for the benefit of our Army and soldiers. I look forward to 
continuing to monitor the career of General Scott, and I predict that 
he will continue to achieve great things for many years to come.

                          ____________________