[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1797-1798]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             WAR ON TERROR

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday the Senate joined together to 
overwhelmingly pass bipartisan legislation that will further isolate 
North Korea in response to its policy of aggression. It was necessary 
because our Nation faces a daunting array of threats and challenges 
from all across the globe. Our next Commander in Chief, regardless of 
political party, will face similar challenges upon taking office.
  We see terrorist threats from the Islamic State in Iraq and the 
Levant, from Al Qaeda, and from both of their respective affiliates. 
For example, the terrorist group that grew from Al Qaeda in Iraq, ISIL, 
is now not only capable of launching infantry assaults, suicide bomber 
attacks, and raids initiated by the detonation of IEDs, it is also 
working hard to radicalize individuals over the Internet and is 
determined to keep attacking Westerners right here where they live.
  We see threats to stability in Afghanistan from Taliban forces and 
the Haqqani Network. For example, just this week we learned that 
additional U.S. forces will be needed to reinforce the Afghan National 
Security Forces in Helmand Province. We have a determined partner in 
President Ghani, and General Campbell has testified that we need to 
maintain a sufficient force posture to both train and advise them and 
also conduct counterterrorism operations.
  We see challenges from countries looking to aggressively expand their 
influence, such as China and Russia and Iran, while, of course, 
diminishing our influence. For example, Russia is rebuilding its 
conventional and nuclear forces while launching cyber attacks, 
conducting espionage, and propping up paramilitary forces like we see 
in Ukraine. China is rebuilding and modernizing its conventional and 
nuclear forces, as it masters the tactics of low-intensity conflict 
designed to coerce our allies without provoking an overwhelming 
response from us.
  The challenges we face today are very great. They are likely to be 
even greater tomorrow. All of this comes at a time when America must 
rebuild both its conventional and nuclear forces.
  Clearly, the next Commander in Chief is going to take office 
confronting a complex and varied array of threats. After 7 years of the 
Obama administration delaying action in the War on Terror, the next 
administration will need to return to the fight and to restore our role 
in the world. We want to work with our next President, regardless of 
party, to do the things we know are needed to help protect our country, 
but that incoming leader also needs our help now, and we should take 
action now in this year of transition.
  The Secretary of Defense last week announced two aspects of this--
first, a defense budget request that emphasizes the weapons systems 
needed to balance against China's anti-access and area denial weapons 
and plans and a regional security initiative designed to resist Russian 
encroachment in Eastern Europe.
  General Dunford has talked about the acute threat represented by ISIL 
in Libya and the need to take action against this group. Other defense 
officials have recently focused on the need to rebuild the nuclear 
triad too.
  It is clear what needs to be done. For instance, we know that our 
nuclear forces must be modernized to deter countries such as Russia, 
China, Iran, and North Korea. We know that our conventional forces must 
be modernized to both balance against and contain their regional 
aspirations. We know that our Special Operations and Marine 
expeditionary units must be maintained and equipped to conduct 
counterterrorism and regional response. That means providing sufficient 
sealift and naval platforms and carrier air wings to keep amphibious-
ready groups and carrier battle groups on station rather than 
withdrawing our presence at the very moment allies are questioning our 
commitment to traditional alliances. It means that our regional 
combatant commanders need sufficient force levels to protect our 
interests.
  We know the commander of Central Command must have the assets needed 
to assure our moderate Sunni allies, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, 
and Saudi Arabia, and help them resist Iran's efforts to intimidate 
neighbors.
  In the Pacific, we know we must undertake a sustained buildup of 
naval air and expeditionary capabilities and work closely with Japan, 
South Korea, and other regional partners if we want to lead within the 
region and deter China's belligerent policies.
  We know that the authorities our intelligence and counterterror 
forces

[[Page 1798]]

need to defeat ISIL must also be renewed and restored.
  We know that we must return to capturing, interrogating, and 
targeting the enemy in a way that allows us to defeat terrorist 
networks.
  It is clear that the Obama administration has failed to lead in 
sustaining the force and in meeting these strategic objectives. We have 
seen that the administration's efforts to employ Special Operations 
Forces to train and equip units in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq have proven 
insufficient to generate the combat power that is needed to defeat the 
enemy.
  The economy of force strategy set forth in the President's West Point 
speech has failed. National security policies that were for too long 
focused on campaign promises made back in 2008, such as the effort to 
close Guantanamo, to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan based on 
arbitrary deadlines, and to end the War on Terror and take away the 
CIA's detention and interrogation capabilities and remake it into a 
Cold War clandestine service, are finally giving way to geopolitical 
reality today.
  The fact that current members of the Obama administration are now 
recognizing the threat and the need to rebuild the force should inspire 
all of us to get started now--this year, not next year. I think we 
should be doing all we can today to ready the force for the challenges 
ahead and to lay the groundwork for the next President regardless of 
party. Passing the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act 
yesterday was a positive step, but we must also ensure that the United 
States does not withdraw from our alliance and forward presence.
  With sustained bipartisan cooperation, we can pass a national defense 
authorization act at levels that will allow us to modernize the force 
and execute current operations against ISIL and in Afghanistan while 
meeting our commitments to keep the force ready. With sustained 
bipartisan cooperation, we can pass Defense appropriations at adequate 
levels to train and equip and sustain the best military in the world. 
Doing what is required will necessitate a sustained effort, but we can 
begin now, if colleagues are willing to work with us in this year of 
transition. Let's work together to keep our country safe.

                          ____________________