Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney). (Mrs. MALONEY of New York asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time is remaining on each side?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It gives me great pleasure to jointly offer this amendment with the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon). I take this opportunity to commend him for his leadership and his effort, and I certainly enjoy working with him on this very, very important issue for our country, and I thank him for that. The amendment contains several promising provisions. I am particularly pleased with section 1413, which contains language authorizing a domestic preparedness pilot program. The pilot, aimed at improving the Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996, allows the FBI to assist Federal, State and local agencies with threat and risk assessments in order to determine training and equipment requirements. This is something we need. I believe this is a step in the right direction. Mr. Speaker, addressing the threat of terrorism presents great challenges for our Nation. At present, at least 43 Federal departments, agencies and bureaus are involved. At times, uneven and nearly incompatible levels of expertise exist, and duplication and poor communication may also complicate our effort. Furthermore, GAO, at my request, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) pointed out, recently concluded a series of terrorism studies with these observations: That no regular governmentwide collection and review of funding data exists; that no apparent governmentwide set of priorities has been established; that no assessment process exists to coordinate and focus government efforts; and that no government office or entity maintains the authority to enforce coordination. It is, therefore, within this context that I ask the House to consider this amendment. This language offers the potential to better prioritize training and assistance to American cities. It is also a timely and complementary amendment, in that, as I understand, the President will soon announce recommended improvements to our response program. Together, these two efforts, this language and the President's proposal, should bring us one step closer to attaining adequate coordination throughout all aspects of government. With an eye aimed toward this goal, I look forward to working with both the majority and the administration over the next several weeks. I again compliment the gentleman from Pennsylvania and thank him for his coordination and cooperation with me. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. 25 minutes each? All right. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SKELTON. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Chairman, that gives each side how much time total?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer). (Mr. ROEMER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant). (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Cramer).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, as there is no Member to claim the time in opposition, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, as there is no Member opposing the amendment.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for her answer to my inquiry. I think it is very important that we do follow through on this program to see how it works, because we must do our very best in our committee and in this Congress to fulfill that promise made to military personnel, not just for those who it will affect directly, but to those future soldiers and retirees that we wish to keep the faith with.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment. I would like to commend the sponsors for their efforts to fulfill the promise made to military personnel. Since the Second World War, recruits were offered ``free health care for life'' at a military hospital if they served a 20-year career in the military. These promises were made when the ratio of active duty personnel to military retirees was much greater. However, as we have drawn down the force, base closures, reductions in medical personnel and budget cuts have diminished this health care for retirees, forcing them to rely on Medicare. This amendment will test the FEHBP option for those with the greatest need to improve the viability of the program. Many of us are worried about the potential costs of this legislation, both to the Defense Department and to the beneficiaries. The Department had predicted that the costs of implementing this program would further reduce the space of available care. I am pleased to note that this proposal would not harm Defense health care program's budget, and it is funded by stockpile sales. I take this moment to commend the gentleman from Virginia and the other cosponsors for their dedication to this issue. Mr. Chairman, at this time I wish to make an inquiry of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). I would like to ask if the gentlewoman supports this amendment, and if so, why?

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. I yield to the gentleman from Colorado.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I might say that I personally favor this amendment. I will not oppose it. It is also my understanding that the administration as well is in favor of it. So I compliment the gentleman from New York for bringing this to our attention. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, he is absolutely wrong. I am not for that. I am not for that at all. What bothers me is the wording of this amendment. I think this amendment, as worded, as I explained a few moments ago, should it become law, could very well invite some real disasters for our troops. I really think that it can be rewritten much, much better.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have made my thoughts clear, and I oppose a standing United Nations army. I oppose the United States military forces being part of a standing United Nations army. What I am concerned about is the wording in this amendment that may cause in the long run some injuries and casualties to wonderful United States troops. I think that is our job in this body, to support the troops. And in my small way, in reading this amendment and the wording of this amendment, I am standing up for American troops. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished service of Rear Admiral Kendell Pease, who recently retired from the United States Navy as Chief of Information after 34 years of exemplary service. After a brief period as an enlisted man and four years at the Naval Academy, Admiral Pease joined the fleet as a public affairs officer in 1968. He served his country in Vietnam, with subsequent assignments in Naples, Italy; Charleston, South Carolina; Washington, DC; and Norfolk, Virginia. He was public affairs officer at the Naval Academy, served on the staff of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs at the Pentagon, and was also public affairs officer at the Bureau of Naval Personnel. It was at the Navy Office of Information in the Pentagon where Rear Admiral Pease really made his mark as a spokesman for Navy-wide operations and policy. He served in the Office of Information three different times, the final time in his position as Chief of Information, where he was the principal public affairs advisor to and spokesman for both the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations for nearly six years, the longest term ever held by a Chief of Information. Admiral Pease's tenure spanned some of the most dramatic changes the sea service has experienced in more than 200 years. He saw the aftermath of Tailhook and the integration of women into combat roles in the Navy; he saw the challenges of personnel drawdowns following the collapse of the Iron Curtain; he helped the Navy mold and then iterate a drastic change in mission philosophy, from a blue water fighting force designed to counter the Soviet threat to a brown water force capable of fighting in the littorals and projecting power from the sea. He was always engaged with the media, discussing necessary new acquisition programs like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; the Seawolf and the New Attack Submarines; the next generation aircraft carrier CVX and CVN-77, the transition ship to CVX; and DD21, the Navy's land attack destroyer for the 21st century. Over and over and over again, Rear Admiral Pease communicated the Navy's role of Forward Presence--operating ships, submarines and aircraft anywhere in the world, unencumbered by host country sensitivities. Admiral Pease was the Navy's chief spokesman during numerous naval deployments to protect American interests in global hotspots like the Persian Gulf, Taiwan Straits, Somalia, and the Adriatic Sea off Bosnia. And on occasion, when force was the final resort as we have seen several times in the past few years in Iraq and Bosnia, Rear Admiral Pease was there, telling the story of the heroic American Sailor and his or her efforts in the face of adversity. Admiral Pease placed particular emphasis on the Sailor, because he realized that they were the backbone of the fleet--the ingenuity of the individual American Sailor is what make our Navy the greatest one in the world. Rear Admiral Pease was a master of presenting the Navy's role in world events to the American public. He personally mentored hundreds of junior officers who were members of the Navy public affairs community; he was demanding, but mostly of himself, often arriving at the Pentagon before six a.m. and routinely working until nine or ten at night. His untiring commitment led to a remarkable increase in America's understanding of the Navy and its people. He clearly played a significant role in the shaping of public opinion and the future of the sea service. Admiral Pease was an innovative communicator. He was at the forefront of promoting digital photography to tell a story half a world away; he also used video teleconferencing at sea and the internet to carry the Navy's message. And his tenure as the Chief of Information saw incredible evolution not only in the way the Navy communicates with the public, but also with Sailors. He refined the Navy's internal publications, reorganized and enhanced the Navy's weekly news program ``Navy and Marine Corps News'', and pioneered Direct to Sailor television aboard ships at sea--satellite technology destined to bring live television programming to all Navy ships in the next decade. Perhaps most of all, Rear Admiral Pease was valued not only for his ability as a communicator, but more importantly as a strategic, big picture thinker, advisor and the voice of reason. He served three Secretaries of the Navy and three Chiefs of Naval Operations during his six years as the Chief of Information. A man of unparalleled vision, his opinion weighed significantly more than the two stars he wore on his collar would indicate. He is a man who served his country loyally and truly epitomizes the Navy core values of honor, courage and commitment. I know the Members join me in this tribute to Rear Admiral Kendell Pease, who has truly given his all to the United States Navy for the last 34 years.