[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17689-17691]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise tonight to talk about the matter 
that is before us, which is the National Defense Authorization Act. I 
don't think we have to make a fulsome argument tonight that it is very 
important we pass this authorization act for the fundamental purpose of 
making sure we can, at a minimum, complete action in the very near 
future on authorizing a whole range of programs that keep our people 
safe and ensure our national security. I am confident we will do that, 
but that is vitally important.
  I rise tonight to talk about one aspect of that challenge--and, 
again, it is just one part of our national security interest--relating 
specifically to what has been happening in Afghanistan over the last 
decade, and particularly to women and girls in Afghanistan. The 
amendment I have introduced and will be speaking on behalf of tonight 
is amendment No. 2172, which regards the security of Afghan women and 
girls.
  For the past 12 years, United States servicemembers have been 
deployed in Afghanistan fighting the insurgency there. Their 
sacrifice--the sacrifices of our own people--have created a space for 
Afghan democracy to take root and for a civil society to develop. It is 
imperative as we draw down U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan we remain 
focused on the United States long-term strategic interest in the 
region. It is in

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the United States national security interest for Afghanistan to remain 
stable, secure, and democratic.
  We have seen from a distance what life under the Taliban looks like 
in Afghanistan when the Taliban was in charge. We also can see with the 
perspective of recent history what it has looked like since the Taliban 
was removed. A return to their rule, however, will not only set back 
the progress that has been made, but it will also allow the forces of 
intolerance and extremism to triumph.
  So 2014 marks a significant transition in Afghanistan. U.S. and 
coalition forces will draw down while voters will go to the polls to 
choose their second democratically elected president.
  We are considering this year's National Defense Authorization Act 
with just 6 weeks remaining before the beginning of 2014. Our military 
families are welcoming back soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who 
have seen more than a decade of conflict in Afghanistan. When I meet--
as I know the Presiding Officer and other Members of the Senate do--
with servicemembers who have served in Afghanistan, I never forget--as 
none of us must ever forget--their sacrifice, their determination, and 
their valor. Since October of 2001, Americans have fought for a stable, 
prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan.
  On my trips to Afghanistan, which now number three, I have come to 
understand that women and girls often display remarkable courage but 
are often the most vulnerable targets. But great progress has been 
made, and I will just mention a couple of examples.
  About a decade ago, almost no girls were in school in Afghanistan--
very close to, if not, zero. The number of Afghan girls in school now 
is 2.4 million, and women represent more than 27 percent of Afghans 
serving in parliament. A small but brave corps of women has joined the 
Afghan National Security Forces in service to their country. None of 
this would have been possible just a little more than a decade ago--12 
years ago.
  Whenever I meet with them, Afghan women emphasize they are not 
willing to give up--nor should they be--on the gains they have achieved 
with help from the American people. Just yesterday I met with Nilofar 
Sakhi, who is working to promote women in the workforce. Hearing her 
commitment to advancing the role of women firsthand, as I did 
yesterday, further motivated me to introduce and advance this 
amendment.
  During my last trip to Afghanistan I met with Fawzia Koofi, who is an 
inspiring lawmaker and women's rights advocate. As a mother of two 
young daughters, she has worked to instill the importance of education 
and to make sure her daughters understand that. She now serves in a 
leadership role in the Afghan parliament.
  I would also mention when we were meeting with her she talked about 
how both her father and her husband had been killed because they were 
politically active. Yet even in the face of that, she has put herself 
forward to serve in public office in Afghanistan.
  A third example, another brave woman showing the people of the world 
what it means to serve and to act even in the face of danger, is Suraya 
Pakhzad, who lives in Herat. Ms. Pakhzad recently traveled to the 
United States and visited not just my home State of Pennsylvania but 
literally the county I live in and impressed the people there, as she 
always does. Suraya is a true entrepreneur and philanthropist. With 
U.S. government support she has opened a women's shelter in Baghdis 
province. That is just the beginning of what we could say about her 
service. We don't have enough time tonight to give more examples, but 
Suraya has been a great example to me and to so many others.
  These three inspiring stories I have talked about are just a few of 
the many, but I am deeply concerned--and I know a lot of people are--
that we have already begun to see the progress on Afghans women's 
rights and security being rolled back. In an effort to honor the 
sacrifice the American people have made to help women and girls in 
Afghanistan, I, along with Senator Ayotte, have introduced an amendment 
to this authorization act to ensure those gains are not degraded. The 
amendment is No. 2172, and I am grateful to Senator Ayotte for her work 
and for her leadership on this issue.
  It is clear as can be that the security of Afghan women and girls is 
not simply about their own security and its value and importance. It is 
also critically important to the long-term future of the country. We 
know if more women and girls are allowed to be educated--to go to 
school and to learn, and to grow and to achieve--that, in and of 
itself, has an economic impact, a positive impact, on a woman and her 
family but also on the economy of Afghanistan. The question is what 
steps are we going to take to ensure not just their own security but 
the security of the country. If they advance, if women and girls in 
Afghanistan advance, Afghanistan will be a safer place. It is likely 
the threat of terrorism will be reduced because of the direct 
involvement of women in the economy and in the life of the people in 
Afghanistan.
  Let me quickly summarize what the amendment does. First, it focuses 
on political transition. Afghanistan will hold, as I mentioned before, 
historic elections in April. As the country votes for a president--a 
president that will help Afghanistan transition from conflict--it is 
critical that women not be disenfranchised. Therefore, this amendment 
seeks to ensure the adequate staffing of polling stations by female 
officers.
  Second, the other part of the transition, of course, is the security 
transition. This bill would also improve awareness and responsiveness 
among Afghan National Security Forces personnel regarding the unique 
challenges that women confront. It will also focus on the recruitment 
and retention of women in the Afghan National Security Forces.
  It would be, to use just one word, unconscionable to abandon the 
women and girls of Afghanistan who have made such great progress. If we 
take steps that lead to the abandonment of women and girls in 
Afghanistan during this transition--this drawdown--we will be making a 
terrible mistake, and we will not have honored the sacrifice of our own 
service men and women, and we will be harming the important transition 
that is taking place in Afghanistan.
  This legislation will demonstrate not just our commitment and 
dedication to this important goal but it will also ensure a much 
brighter future not just for that young girl or woman in Afghanistan 
and their family, but it will ensure literally a safer and more secure 
and much less extreme situation in Afghanistan, when we consider all of 
the threats that are present there on a daily basis.
  So I urge my colleagues to support in this authorization process 
amendment No. 2172, and I again want to commend and salute the work of 
Senator Ayotte on this very important priority for the United States.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
  Ms. AYOTTE. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania 
Senator Casey for his leadership on amendment No. 2172, which is very 
important. I appreciate what he just said on the floor--the cases of 
the bravery of Afghan women, the leadership they have shown under 
tremendously difficult circumstances, and the sacrifices our men and 
women in uniform have made to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a 
haven for terrorists again.
  One of the keys to that is that no society can be free, no society 
can have true safety and security unless the women in the society also 
have safety and security. So I thank Senator Casey for his leadership 
in ensuring that we stand by the Afghan women because we cannot succeed 
in Afghanistan if women go back to what they endured under the Taliban, 
which was horrific and was wrong, and none of us should accept.
  So Senator Casey really has been a leader, and I thank him for being 
so concerned about what will happen in Afghanistan and working to make 
sure it never becomes a haven for terrorists again; that women in 
Afghanistan can live with security; that women and

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girls can go to school; that they can contribute to Afghan society and 
take part in free elections; and that Afghanistan will be a place where 
women will no longer be brought into soccer stadiums and violated.
  So I thank Senator Casey for this amendment and bringing it forward. 
I am very proud to cosponsor it. As Senator Casey mentioned, our 
amendment would ensure adequate staffing at polling stations by female 
officers so that when they have elections, this would improve the 
security of those stations, making sure women can come forward and 
vote. It would increase the awareness and responsiveness among Afghan 
National Army and national police personnel regarding the unique 
challenges women confront when joining those forces. Yes, women--some 
of them--are now joining the Afghan security forces to defend their 
nation.
  The amendment would focus on improving the recruitment and retention 
of women in Afghan security forces, and it would ensure that as we 
enter the bilateral security agreement that DOD will produce a strategy 
to promote the security of Afghan women and girls.
  These issues are very important. I commend our men and women in 
uniform for everything they have done in Afghanistan to prevent 
Afghanistan from being a haven for terrorists and to ensure that women 
and girls can live securely and won't be violated the way they were 
when the Taliban was in charge of Afghanistan. The images so many of us 
saw were beyond the word ``outrageous.'' We can't even describe the 
horrific way women and girls were treated--worse than second-class 
citizens--under the Taliban.
  This amendment will ensure what we all understand to be the bottom 
line: that no strategy in Afghanistan can succeed if women are not an 
integral part of that strategy, if women aren't allowed to have the 
security, the dignity, and the freedom all people deserve.
  I thank Senator Casey for his leadership. I hope my colleagues in the 
Senate will adopt this amendment because last year when we considered 
Defense authorization, the Senate passed a similar provision by 
unanimous consent. So I hope my colleagues will do the same and pass 
the Casey-Ayotte amendment to promote the security of Afghan women and 
girls; as we look to the bilateral security agreement, as we look to 
working with our coalition partners as we are drawing down in 
Afghanistan, we will not leave the Afghan women and girls behind and we 
will ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists 
again.
  I thank Senator Casey for allowing me to speak on this very important 
issue.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.

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