[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 980]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       IN HONOR OF F. WHITTEN PETERS, SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HANSEN. Madam Speaker, today I rise in tribute to the Honorable 
F. Whitten Peters, the outgoing Secretary of the Air Force, who 
recently left office to return to private life.
  In his 4 years as Under Secretary, Acting Secretary and Secretary, 
Whit Peters led America's Air Force during a period of unprecedented 
change. Under his inspired leadership, the Air Force evolved from the 
garrison force that won the Cold War to the Expeditionary Aerospace 
Force that dominated the skies over Kosovo and Serbia, deterred 
conflict around the globe, and delivered comfort to the afflicted in 
over 100 nations during the last year alone.
  With unflagging energy and unfailing good humor, Secretary Peters has 
attached and overcome a broad array of resource problems affecting the 
Air Force. Colleagues on both sides of the aisle will well remember his 
work with us to secure additional resources for aircraft spare parts. 
He labored tirelessly to ensure that aircraft maintainers had the tools 
and equipment required to perform their important duties. And he made 
revolutionary use of Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members 
to augment members of the Regular Air Force in keeping our aircraft 
flying. As a result of these and many other significant initiatives, 
the Air Force arrested a decade-long decline in aircraft readiness.
  With similar vigor and success, Secretary Peters has led the 
development of the Air Force as the service leader in the national 
security space arena. Today, the United States Air Force provides over 
85 percent of the national security space funding and 90 percent of the 
people who perform the national security space mission.
  More important, under Secretary Peters' deft guidance, the Air Force 
made national security space assets more responsive and more relevant 
to our national defense than ever before. He built pioneering 
partnerships between NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the 
Air Force to rapidly exploit emerging technologies that will move vital 
intelligence information to field commanders in minutes rather than 
months.
  But, even with the most daunting challenges of global crises, 
emerging technologies and constrained resources, the 700,000 men and 
women of America's Air Force have always been his most important 
concern. His unceasing efforts on their behalf in the halls of this 
building resulted in a better quality of life and better compensation 
for every Air Force member. As a result, the Air Force exceeded its 
recruiting goals in 2000 and is ahead of schedule for 2001.
  When Whit Peters came to the Office of the Secretary, he had 
inherited declining retention rates among the troops at all levels. But 
his efforts have paid off. For the first 3 months of this fiscal year, 
first-term airmen are re-enlisting at rates above the Air Force's goal, 
a goal that is already higher than the goal of any other service. And 
the Air Force's pilot shortage has been cut by a third in just over a 
year.
  My colleagues, today the Air Force is better, much better, America is 
stronger, and the world is safer because of the dedication, sacrifice 
and hard work of Secretary Whit Peters. I know my colleagues will join 
me in wishing him good luck and Godspeed as he returns to private life.

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