[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  EXPRESSING RESPECT AND GRATITUDE TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, with a deep sense of humility, I believe 
the Senate should close its proceedings today by paying our profound 
and deepest respect to the men and women of the Armed Forces of the 
United States of America and their comrades in arms from 18 other 
nations, NATO, for having taken an enormous risk in performing with a 
degree of excellence that by any standard can be judged by all who 
understand military operations as in keeping with the finest traditions 
of our military and the military of other nations of the world.
  Their actions to bring about what appears to be a cessation of 
hostilities, certainly in the air, at this time receives our profound 
gratitude and our prayers for their safety.
  I, moments ago, spoke with the Secretary of Defense to pass on to our 
old colleague from the Senate a ``well done.'' I had the opportunity, 
as did many here in the Senate, to work with him on a regular basis 
throughout this crisis period in Kosovo, and I commend him for 
maintaining a very strong hand on this situation, particularly at times 
when it became very difficult.
  We have discussed the command from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, 
chiefs of services, down through the CINCs, to the privates, whether 
they be in the air, on the sea, on the land. Again, they performed 
their job with great professional skill and dedication. It was not an 
easy job, because there was a good deal of uncertainty, and that 
uncertainty still remains as to exactly how this mission was carried 
out and whether it could have been done differently. But nevertheless, 
some 3,000-plus sorties were flown by the men and women in the aircraft 
of eight nations, supported by ground personnel at bases throughout 
that region, 17 bases alone in Italy.
  I had the privilege last week, as a matter of fact a week ago today I 
was in Albania with General Jackson, who will be heading the ARRC force 
and who broke the news of the agreement between the military side with 
the representatives from Yugoslavia, General Clark and Admiral Ellis. I 
wish to say to these commanders that, again, it was their leadership 
which instilled a sense of confidence and conviction in their 
subordinates that this job had to be done, that we had to stay the 
course, and the professionalism we have witnessed now in the air 
operation.
  I was asked momentarily, does this represent a victory or how would 
you characterize it? I simply said to the press early today, and to my 
colleagues I say now, it is far too early to try to make those 
judgments. The Senate Armed Services Committee, which I am privileged 
to chair, will hold a series of hearings on what went right and what 
went wrong and what, most particularly, will be the strategy of our 
forces for the future if faced with another situation of the 
seriousness and the complexity of this one in Kosovo.
  I visited this region last September. As I stood there in Albania and 
Macedonia and observed the terrain, which is identical in many ways to 
that in Kosovo, I thought back to the refugees at that time huddling in 
the hills. I said on the floor of the Senate there would be a need 
then, as there is now, for a ground military force to stabilize the 
situation, stabilize it so while the ground forces of NATO will go in, 
eventually other nongovernmental organizations from all over the world 
will come to help these people who were tragically driven from their 
homes and villages by a very brutal military force under the direction 
of President Milosevic, a man who has conducted himself with complete 
disregard of all international law and human rights.
  Again, I return to the troops. While the air operation, hopefully, 
will be secured, if not already, within hours, we have remaining before 
us the challenge on the ground, and the ground forces will now take up 
their professional responsibilities. May the hand of God rest upon 
their shoulders, because they will be faced with land mines and booby 
traps, all types of uncertainty. They will have to perform tasks not 
unlike those of a mayor of a village, to the extremes of how to deal 
with this hidden weaponry and a tragic situation of returning people to 
a devastated homeland.
  The KLA will present challenges. In some instances, they fought with 
great courage. But now they must reconcile themselves to the fact that 
this international force, indeed NATO and the United Nations, must 
resolve the situation in a peaceable manner.
  So while victory cannot be pronounced now, not until the ground 
forces go in and perform their challenging tasks, I say clearly that 
NATO has taken another major, significant step in the international 
community toward reaching its five basic goals. Those goals have been 
stated on this floor and in the press many times.
  I salute all. In my discussions with Secretary Cohen, we made 
reference to the President. The President is Commander in Chief. The 
words that Secretary Cohen used--and I have a great respect for Bill 
Cohen, having served with him here some 18 years in the Senate--were 
that the President was steady. He stayed steady at every turn in these 
events, stayed focused and gave it his attention. In every way, I think 
the comments of the Secretary of Defense were very respectful. Clearly, 
in the minds of all of us, we have to credit the President with holding 
together the 19 nations.
  It was essential that that coalition under the NATO charter remain 
together throughout this first phase--that is, the air phase--and now 
they must remain together throughout an equally difficult and 
challenging phase, that of securing the ground.
  As I said, when I was there one week ago with General Jackson, 
General Clark, Admiral Ellis, and other military commanders, it is 
clear that the magnitude of the uncertainty relating to the landmines 
and booby traps, and indeed the problems associated with moving the 
Serb forces out, pose a challenge that, in many respects, has never 
been faced by a U.S. military force. But I have confidence in those 
commanders and in the men and women who will boldly undertake this 
task.
  So I wish to just pay my humble respects, and I will follow this 
operation very clearly, in terms of our duties in the Senate and on the 
Armed Services Committee and, most assuredly, in our prayers for their 
safety and for the safety of those Kosovars who were driven from their 
homes and now have hope to once again return.

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