John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, be authorized to meet on Thursday, March 27, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., in SR-253, for a hearing on Cloning: A Risk to Women?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 27, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., in closed session to receive testimony on intelligence support to warfighters, in review of the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2004.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Personnel of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 27, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on compensation for disabled military retirees, in review of the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2004.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I will certainly accede to that, but that then we should indicate the Senator from Utah would follow the Senator from Maryland, if that is agreeable.

Mr. WARNER. I say to my distinguished colleague, about 10 minutes.

Mr. WARNER. Reserving the right to object, and then the time remaining would be accorded to someone on this side of the aisle, should that person appear to seek that recognition?

Mr. WARNER. If there is time remaining, then it would return to this side.

Mr. WARNER. I do not object.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise this morning with a deep sense of humility to express this Senator's gratitude for the courage and bravery being displayed from our President, Commander in Chief, to the Secretaries of State and Defense, and to, particularly, General Franks and General Abizaid, and those immediately in charge of the operations in Iraq, and, most importantly, to the men and women of the Armed Forces under these commands, and their families. We all start this morning with expressing our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones who have lost members of the Armed Forces. That is the cost of freedom. As we watch unfolding the pictorial representation of these families, as they boldly step up to appear on media, all of us cannot but be heartened by the courage that the families are showing, and as exemplified by the men and women in uniform fighting this battle. I thought to myself, there were roughly 1,300,000 men and women on active duty prior to the commencement of the larger operations in Iraq. And as the buildup progressed, the President called up roughly 300,000--somewhat short of that--so for ease of mathematics, about 1.5 million are now on active service, together with their families. I always mention the families. In that 1.5 million, if you juxtapose it with the total population of this Nation of 290 million, roughly one-half of 1 percent--one-half of 1 percent--of our population is out there assuming the full risks of loss of life and limb to defend freedom and to defend this Nation. That shows the magnitude of the depth of gratitude that we have to all those who are engaged in this conflict. We have conducted--and I commend the administration--each morning, at 9 o'clock, a briefing in S-407. All Senators are invited. We have had very good attendance. We will have, this afternoon, from 5:30 to 6:30, a briefing with the Secretary of Defense in S-407 again for all Senators. But the questions raised there are very good questions. They are tough questions. I assure America that the Senate is involved in its oversight responsibilities as a coequal branch in this conflict, in the judgment of this Senator. I am proud of the large participation from numbers of our Senators--questions about the magnitude of the battle plan; is that sufficient? Our colleague from North Dakota just mentioned that there had been a lot of criticism. That is part of the freedoms we enjoy. Those who have served honorably in our Armed Forces are coming forth with their expertise. Frankly, I follow it very carefully. I think it has been constructive on the whole. Nevertheless, the Secretary of Defense, here in the Vice President's office yesterday afternoon when he met with several of us, was asked questions on the battle plan. He very firmly said this battle plan was conceived carefully. It went through the Joint Chiefs, not once, not twice, but perhaps a dozen times, and was shared with our principal ally, Great Britain, and others. I have total confidence in the manner in which this war is being conducted by our military commanders and, indeed, by the Commander in Chief, the President. The question of the prisoners of war is very much on our minds. It is hoped that the Senate will address this issue in the near future. I have been in consultation, as have other Senators, with the distinguished leadership on both sides. It is important that this institution express its strong sentiment for the care and protection and adherence to international law as this conflict ensues. The coalition has been very substantial, over 40 nations. I will ask unanimous consent to print in the Record following my remarks a communication from the distinguished Ambassador to the United States from Australia, Mr. Michael Thawley, along with the comments of the Prime Minister of Australia.

Mr. WARNER. Australia has been a vital part of the coalition from the beginning. They have forces in country in Iraq now assisting in many aspects for the success of this operation. This morning at around 6:30, I watched the Prime Minister of Great Britain address Parliament just prior to his departure for the United States to confer with our President today. In the course of that dissertation--it is always fascinating for those of us in the Congress to watch their freewheeling system--the first question out of the box to the Prime Minister: Will you talk to the President, impressing upon him the need to address the conflict in the Middle East, most specifically, the remarks made by the President just recently as to reasserting once again the efforts of this President to foster the peace process. This brings to mind a thought this Senator has had for some time as to one idea--it is just an idea, a concept, a concept that might help to bring about some stability in that region--a cessation of some hopefully large measure of the conflict so that the talks can get under way. It is difficult to see how any constructive talks can take place without the cessation of the fighting, the human bombing employed by the Palestinians, and the retaliation, that is really necessary but all too often takes place before the cameras, as a disproportionate use of force in the eyes of the world, by the Israelis, who have been afflicted so grievously by these human bombs. I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record a letter I wrote to the President just a week or so ago, on March 14.

Mr. WARNER. I will now address the contents of the letter. Dear Mr. President: I would like to commend you on the step you took today to give new impetus to the Middle East process by announcing that it was time to share with Israel and the Palestinians the road map to peace that the United States has developed with its ``Quartet'' partners. This is a welcome and timely initiative, given the complex way in which the Middle East conflict, Iraq and the global war against terrorism are intertwined. I pointed out that I have given basically this same set of remarks in concept on the floor three times. I have addressed the NATO ambassadors and given this concept. It is one basically that can help to bring about a measure of stability and cessation to the fighting; that is, at the invitation of the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, particularly now that the new Prime Minister has been designated, at that invitation, that NATO be asked to look at whether or not they could constitute a peacekeeping force to bring in to work in coordination with the security structures of both the people of Israel and the people of Palestine in hopes that the fighting can be brought under control such that the peace talks can originate. That is something I believe in strongly because it has a direct relationship, a threat to not only our forces but the other forces throughout the world of the hatred generated among militants in that region, generated by this conflict. To the degree this conflict can be brought under control and peace talks initiated, hopefully there will be a commensurate lessening of the threat to our forces, not only the military but our embassies and others abroad. It is an important step. I commend our President. I hope they will consider this concept as they proceed. The war we are witnessing in Iraq was a last resort to disarm a regime that for more than 12 years has defied the international community and brutalized its own people. Despicable tactics Iraqis are using on the battlefield and the way in which they are treating some of the POWs are further proof of the willingness of this regime to flout international law and the laws of human decency. The coalition is taking great efforts to protect innocent civilians and minimize civilian casualties. Humanitarian assistance--food, water, and medicine--is already being delivered. That will increase in the days ahead hopefully. Once this regime is removed, the Iraqi people can hopefully look forward to a measure of the freedom they have not experienced these many years, governed by a rule of law of their own design. I yield the floor. Exhibit 1 Embassy of Australia, Washington, DC, March 21, 2003. Hon. John Warner, U.S. Senator, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Senator: I just wanted to thank you very much for your reference in the Senate debate yesterday to the support of Australian armed forces in the current fighting in Iraq. It was greatly appreciated. It is nice to know that our contribution is valued. You might like to see the Prime Minister's comments about the role of our alliance with the United States in the speech he made to the Australian parliament on our commitment. I also attach his address to the nation in which he set out the reasons why the Government had authorized the engagement of Australian forces in military action. Yours sincerely, Michael Thawley, Ambassador.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Fine. I thank my colleague from Georgia. I say to our colleagues from Louisiana and Georgia, those Guard and Reserve that are now reporting for duty and are integrating with our active forces are, by and large, using that equipment which is in the regular force structure, the equipment which they use having been left at home at their various training centers in the several States. So at this time I believe the equipment to which you refer is that which will be kept in the respective States for the purpose of training. So I wish to point out that our Guard and Reserve do have the best of equipment. It is available; namely, that of our active forces today. Will the Senator not concur?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I commend our distinguished colleague from Louisiana for bringing to the attention of the Senate the need for greater attention to the Guard and Reserve forces. It has been absolutely magnificent how they have been, in many instances, abruptly called from their families and their jobs and within days they are side by side with an active force member performing duties with commensurate skills and commensurate risks. That is the concept of the total force. It has been in place for some time. But, today, in this situation involving Iraq, we have seen the magnificence of how this total force concept is working. The Senator is correct; there are needs to increase the equipment, pay in benefits. But the amendment, as written, only goes to equipment. But I am glad you mentioned pay in benefits because the Armed Services Committee will be taking this up, first, in the context of the supplemental, where there will be some provisions therein to provide for the needs the Senator points out, and, secondly, in the annual review of the 2004 Presidential budget we will make corrections. But as the Senator knows, having served with great distinction on the Armed Services Committee for several years--and you are always welcome back, I say to the Senator--there is a fine balance between allocating the funds between the active and Reserve and Guard forces. And with all due respect to our distinguished colleague, I do not believe this approach you suggest at this time enables us to do the fine balance that we must do, first in the supplemental, and then subsequently in the 2004 review. The distinguished Senator from Georgia is our chairman of the Personnel Subcommittee; he will have a good deal to say about this as our committee reviews both. So I yield such time as I have remaining to my colleague from Georgia.

Mr. WARNER. I will leave it to the managers.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Will the leader suggest perhaps what the order of the first few speakers might be? I see the Senator from Texas is in the Chamber. I understand the Senator from North Dakota is due to arrive shortly and then the Senator from Virginia could follow. Could that be a tentative arrangement?

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I thank the distinguished managers of the bill and our two colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I think this is an amendment each Senator not only can but should vote for. I hope we get 100 votes because it is a consensus across the aisle about the imminent needs of the men and women of the Armed Forces, indeed the Guard and Reserve which in historic numbers have rallied to the call to serve side by side with the Active Force in the conflict, not only in Iraq but also elsewhere in the world. I strongly support it and yield the remainder of my time to my colleague from Georgia.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, resolutions, such as the one before us, are not possible without a dedicated, bi-partisan effort. Our staffs have worked hard and well together over the past few days to help members craft this resolution. I want to especially recognize and thank Steve Biegun of the Majority Leader's Office, Dennis McDonough of the Democratic Leader's Office, and Judy Ansley, Rick DeBobes and Chuck Alsup of the Armed Services Committee staff, for their efforts in helping draft this important resolution.

Mr. WARNER. I specifically ask the Senator from New Mexico be added as a cosponsor.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, this has been a historic debate, fully participated in by many Senators. I am privileged to be a part of that debate. I again salute the distinguished majority leader and the Democratic leader for drawing up this resolution. The Senate has spoken. As we conclude this historic debate, which conclusively states the support of the Senate behind our President, our men and women in uniform and their families, I believe it is appropriate to include as part of this record the speech given to the British Parliament on March 18, 2003 requesting authority to use British forces alongside American forces in the liberation of the people of Iraq, by the Prime Minister, the Honorable Tony Blair, whom I and others view as Churchill II. My colleagues will recall that Prime Minister Blair was specifically mentioned in the text of this resolution I read earlier. This was a purposeful reflection of our great esteem for this courageous leader who has stood so firm arm-in-arm with America. His request to use force was not a popular motion, but he prevailed. The following is the text of his speech and I commend it to my colleagues. I ask unanimous consent to print the speech in the Record.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I yield to the distinguished Senator from Georgia, and I understand the Senator desires to speak and will yield to the Senator from South Carolina.

Mr. WARNER. I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from Arizona.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, following the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, the Senator from Virginia will recognize Senator Kyl for 2 minutes and then in rotation the Senator from Georgia, Mr. Chambliss, for 2 minutes. That results in all the time under my control being expired.

Mr. WARNER. I grant the Senator from Utah 2 minutes.