[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 25916-25917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, with respect to H.R. 1815, the House-
passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 
year 2006, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services 
be discharged from any further consideration of the bill; that the 
Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that all after the 
enacting clause be stricken and the text of S. 1042, as amended, be 
substituted in lieu thereof, and that the bill be advanced to third 
reading and passed; that the Senate insist on its amendment to the bill 
and request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the 
two Houses, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees; that the 
motion to reconsider the above-mentioned votes be laid upon the table; 
and that the foregoing occur without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? The Chair hears none, and 
it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 1815), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
  Mr. WARNER. I ask unanimous consent with respect to S. 1042, S. 1043, 
S. 1044, and S. 1045, as just passed by the Senate, that if the Senate 
receives a message with respect to any of these bills from the House of 
Representatives, the Senate disagree with the House on its amendment or 
amendments to the Senate-passed bill and agree to or request a 
conference as appropriate with the House on the disagreeing votes of 
the two Houses; that the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees, and 
that the foregoing occur without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WARNER. Now, Mr. President, the Chair was about to announce the 
conferees.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER appointed Mr. Warner, Mr. McCain, Mr. Inhofe, 
Mr. Roberts, Mr. Sessions, Ms. Collins, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Talent, Mr. 
Chambliss, Mr. Graham, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Thune, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
Kennedy, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Reed, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Bayh, and Mrs. Clinton 
as conferees on the part of the Senate.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, time is short. We are about to go to our 
respective caucuses, but I say to my colleagues that I wish to express 
my profound appreciation first and foremost to my distinguished friend 
and colleague of 27 years; we have been together in this Chamber, 
working toward the passage of authorization bills in each and every one 
of those 27 years. I thank my friend.
  I thank the distinguished members of our staff, and I do use the word 
``distinguished'': Charlie Abell, who left the Department of Defense at 
our request to come over to be our chief of staff, replacing a very 
fine person, Judy Ansley, who went on up to the National Security 
Council, and our Democratic staff director, Rick DeBobes, who has been 
with us many years. Together they have led a dedicated professional 
staff, all of whom deserve credit and recognition in helping Members 
reach agreements and to prepare all types of information needed by the 
Members, and I may say to give good, sound advice. I have always 
encouraged that of our staff. They are not just to be there to be 
``yessayers'' or naysayers. They are to give us their best advice, and 
that they do.
  Accordingly, I ask unanimous consent that the names of both the 
majority and minority staff be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                   Committee on Armed Services Staff

       Charles S. Abell, Staff Director; Richard D. DeBobes, 
     Democratic Staff Director; June M. Borawski, Printing and 
     Documents Clerk; Leah C. Brewer, Nominations and Hearings 
     Clerk; William M. Caniano, Professional Staff Member; 
     Jonathan D. Clark, Minority Counsel; Fletcher L. Cork, 
     Receptionist; Christine E. Cowart, Administrative Assistant 
     to the Minority; Daniel J. Cox, Jr., Professional Staff 
     Member; Madelyn R. Creedon, Minority Counsel; Marie Fabrizio 
     Dickinson, Chief Clerk; Regina A. Dubey, Professional Staff 
     Member; Gabriella Eisen, Research Assistant; Evelyn N. 
     Farkas, Professional Staff Member; Richard W. Fieldhouse, 
     Professional Staff Member; Creighton Greene, Professional 
     Staff Member; William C. Greenwalt, Professional Staff 
     Member; Micah H. Harris, Staff Assistant; Bridget W. Higgins, 
     Research Assistant; Ambrose R. Hock, Professional Staff 
     Member; Gary. J. Howard, Systems Administrator; Gregory T. 
     Kiley, Professional Staff Member; Jessica L. Kingston, Staff 
     Assistant; Michael J. Kuiken, Professional Staff Member.
       Gerald J. Leeling, Minority Counsel; Peter K. Levine, 
     Minority Counsel; Sandra E. Luff, Professional Staff Member; 
     Thomas L. MacKenzie, Professional Staff Member; Derek J. 
     Maurer, Professional Staff Member; Michael J. McCord, 
     Professional Staff Member; Elaine A. McCusker, Professional 
     Staff Member; William G. P. Monahan, Minority Counsel; David 
     M. Morriss, Counsel; Lucian L. Niemeyer, Professional Staff 
     Member; Stanley R. O'Connor, Jr., Professional Staff Member; 
     Cindy Pearson, Assistant Chief Clerk and Security Manager; 
     Paula J. Philbin, Professional Staff Member; Benjamin L. 
     Rubin, Staff Assistant; Lynn F. Rusten, Professional Staff 
     Member; Catherine E. Sendak, Special Assistant; Arun A. 
     Seraphin, Professional Staff Member; Jill L. Simodejka, Staff 
     Assistant; Robert M. Soofer, Professional Staff Member; Scott 
     W. Stucky, General Counsel; Kristine L. Svinicki, 
     Professional Staff Member; Diana G. Tabler, Professional 
     Staff Member; Richard F. Walsh, Counsel; Pendred K. Wilson, 
     Staff Assistant.

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, as we stand in this great Chamber, I 
marvel at the work conducted by the Armed Services Committee since the 
beginning of the 109th Congress. The committee has conducted 46 
hearings and received numerous policy and operational briefings on the 
President's budget request for 2006 and related defense issues. Since 
the committee reported out this important legislation on May 12, the 
Senate has debated many important provisions contained in this 
legislation. Along the way, there have been many contentious issues to 
resolve, such as detainee policy, missile defense, BRAC, and many 
others.
  After a total of 12 days of debate on the Senate floor, we have now 
resolved them. I am proud we have achieved our goal of passing this 
important bill. This marks the 46th year the Senate has passed a 
national defense authorization bill. I thank particularly my ranking 
member and my colleagues for their support.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, we would not be at this point in our 
deliberations, we could not have arrived at this point on the road 
without our chairman, Senator John Warner, who is not only a person who 
is eminently fair--he is invariably that, fair--he is unflappable. 
Despite his passion for the men and women of the military, he is 
unflappable when it comes to getting things done in a very calm, 
deliberative, and bipartisan manner. I am proud to serve in this Senate 
for many reasons but not the least of them is being able to be a friend 
and colleague of John Warner of Virginia, truly a gentleman.
  Our staff, as he has pointed out, has made it possible for us to be 
here as well. We function on a bipartisan basis. We obviously have 
disagreements at times. We are always able to work those out in an 
agreeable way or disagree in an agreeable way. We have been able to 
bring the bill to the floor again with the help of our bipartisan

[[Page 25917]]

staff. We are glad Charlie Abell is back on our side of the Potomac 
again where he belongs. Dick DeBobes, as the chairman pointed out, 
leads our minority staff with distinction. I probably should not single 
out any other member of our staff, but I want to mention Peter Levine 
because of the unusual circumstance we found ourselves in where his 
particular expertise made it possible for us to resolve this issue 
relative to detainees. It is most needed and appreciated by all of us.
  I think I can speak for both Senator Warner and myself when I say 
that our staffs not only work together, as Senator Warner has 
indicated, but make it possible for us to reach the point where we are.
  I wanted to add my thanks, and now on to conference, which is always 
fun. We have had more bumps on the road this year than I can remember 
in any prior year for an authorization bill. We were on the floor, off 
the floor, on the floor, off the floor for various reasons which we 
don't need to recount. Hopefully, the road ahead of us will be smoother 
and we can come out of conference, I guess now would be early in the 
next year.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, we won't make any predictions. We will get 
started and do our best. I thank my good friend and look forward to 
working with him again next year. We have truly formed a unique 
partnership, the two of us together. I thank so many Senators who 
recognize that he and I have a trusting partnership and resolved a lot 
of problems that otherwise could prove contentious and maybe not had a 
resolution. So to the next year.
  I must say, I have consulted with the Senator from Michigan. Both of 
us have great concern about the IED problem. We are going to have one 
more hearing, in all probability a closed hearing, on this subject, 
listening to some viewpoints in the private sector. We regularly meet 
with those in the Department of Defense who have the primary 
jurisdiction over this problem. This is one issue on which I am gravely 
concerned and over which I lose sleep at night, as I am sure all of us 
do, about the frightful weaponry the insurgents are employing and how 
best we can put the entire country to work to resolve this problem.
  I thank my good friend.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, if I may very briefly respond.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I commend our chairman for the initiative 
which he has shown on the IED issue. We had a hearing a few weeks ago 
on this issue which was one of the most fascinating and I think one of 
the most important hearings our committee has held, at least that I can 
remember, exclusively on the IED issue. It was under the chairman's 
leadership that we did this. I think it was a significant hearing.
  This committee has been absolutely dedicated to doing everything we 
possibly can in addressing this threat. We have done everything we know 
how to do, but we still have not solved the problem. As the chairman 
mentioned, we are looking for additional technologies, additional ways 
in which this problem can be addressed.
  I did want to mention that hearing because I thought it was unusually 
important.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my good friend; again, a 
partnership effort to achieve that.

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