John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the distinguished colleague, Mr. Levin, and I have been working with our leadership, and we now have cleared amendments. I send a series of amendments to the desk which have been cleared by the ranking member and myself. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider those amendments en bloc, the amendments be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, and, finally, that any statements relating to any of these individual amendments be printed in the Record.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I wish to advise you, Mr. Leader, working with your staff on this side, working with the Judiciary Committee, that is the only remaining item, together with Senator Roth and Senator Byrd, who are working on a matter which if we can resolve those two, I believe I can indicate to my distinguished leaders that we could get the unanimous consent.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. May I add, Senator Dodd has an amendment in there which has been cleared.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, may I address my leader?

Mr. WARNER. Two things, Mr. President. The distinguished ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and I have a package of about a dozen amendments which we can clear tonight. They are agreed upon. We need to call up the bill. Second, we want to discuss with our leadership the possibility of a UC which might help move our bill along. Can we give the general outline?

Mr. WARNER. I thank our respected leaders very much. I told my leader and Senator Levin, we will work nights, we will go right straight through the evenings and stack such votes that we feel are necessary. We will achieve that.

Mr. WARNER. We think that is relevant, Mr. President.

Mr. WARNER. It will take but a minute. I ask my distinguished colleague to generally outline what we had in mind. I ask him to articulate it if he can.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a fine group of Americans who have performed a remarkable service to this country and to our global community. The Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team were honored on June 27, 2000 in a ceremony held at The Pentagon for their extraordinary efforts over the past 14 years. The following remarks were delivered on this occasion by Secretary of Defense William Cohen: Senators Warner and Robb, Congressmen Moran and Davis, thank you all for joining us here today and for your tireless efforts on behalf of our men and women in uniform. Deputy Secretary DeLeon; Assistant Chief of Fairfax County Urban Fire and Rescue Team, Mark Wheatly; members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team and your families and friends; distinguished guests--including our canine friends; ladies and gentlemen. It is a pleasure to welcome all of our guests, whether they arrived on two legs or on four. Two years ago, I received a call in the middle of the night. It was the tragic news of the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. And I think all Americans--indeed, people the world over--were simply stunned by the unspeakable cruelty and inhumanity of that act, the lives of 267 innocent men and women snuffed out in a single instant of indiscriminate violence. Such moments force us to pause and reflect on the thinness of the membrane that separates this life from the next, on how quickly our hearts can be stopped and our voices can be silenced. And there is the futile wish that we all experience in grief: the wish to turn back the hand of time, to reverse what fate has just dictated. Of course, we cannot. But what we can do is renew our appreciation of the precarious and precious nature of our lives, resolve to use our time and energy to preserve and protect the sanctity of life and freedom, and rededicate ourselves to those principles of humaneness and generosity. Today, we are here to honor and express our thanks to a group of men and women who have taken that ideal to its highest expression, who have made that ideal both a career and a calling. Time after time over the past 14 years, those of you in the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team have responded to some of the worst disasters of our time: Mexico City, Armenia, Oklahoma City, Turkey, the Philippines, and Taiwan. You have gone into cities whose devastation could vie with Dante's vision of hell. And upon your arrival, there has been no food, no water, no electricity. On every block, horrific scenes of carnage. On every face, confusion, fatigue, and grief. But in every case, you have used your energy, innovation, and skill to make a tangible difference in the lives of disaster victims. Sometimes it has been risky and harrowing, such as in the Philippines, where your team worked more than 9 hours in a collapsed hotel to free a trapped man while ground tremors from the earthquake continued. Sometimes it has been a combination of thoughtful planning and sheer luck, such as when a special camera was able to locate an 8-year-old boy, who had practically been buried alive when his bunk bed collapsed under the weight of a crushed building in Turkey. Sometimes it has been grim and bittersweet, such as when you were able to save an elderly woman in Armenia who was the sole survivor from her building. The rest of us can only imagine the physical and psychological toll that these types of missions take on each of you: day upon day of work without sleep, the chaos of the circumstances, the calls for help and relief that far outnumber your resources and manpower. So we wanted, on behalf of the Department of Defense, to pay tribute to your efforts and say thank you; in particular, for the aid that you provided during our response to the tragedy in Kenya and Tanzania; but more broadly, for your sacrifices and those of your families and friends, who have provided so much support during your deployments. We want to commend you for the message of friendship that you have sent to the people of other nations on behalf of the United States. When you go to a foreign country and raise your tents, with those American flags sewn on top, and use your skill, patience, courage, and compassion to help other people, that sends a powerful message of goodwill to other nations. That is precisely the type of positive example that we in the Department of Defense encourage in our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen when they are abroad. Because it is a very eloquent and enduring statement about what America stands for. I cannot tell you how many times my counterparts abroad have expressed to me their gratitude--to the United States and the American people--for some type of assistance or aid. That type of relationship--including the trust, respect, and appreciation that you earn--is indispensable to diplomacy, stability, and peace. And so we thank you. Finally, I want to congratulate you for the example that you have set for cooperation between the military community and the civilian community. Several of you have already participated in our Domestic Preparedness Program, and your efforts are going to be even more important in the future as terrorism and weapons of mass destruction become greater threats here in the United States. Every time we work with you to get your gear and trucks onto an air transport or fly you to a distant location, our partnership becomes more valuable for you and for us. Ultimately, when the sirens sound the next time, that experience will allow even more lives to be saved. Just across the hall from my office here in the Pentagon there is a painting of a soldier in prayer. It is graced with an inscription taken from the Book of Isaiah. In the passage, God asks: ``Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'' And Isaiah answers: ``Here I am. Send me.'' Today it is my pleasure to honor an extraordinary group of Americans who, in the dark and decisive hours after tragedies, have always been willing to say, ``Here I am. Send me.'' You proudly represent not only Fairfax County and the state of Virginia, you represent the best of America and the better angels of our nature.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Reserving the right to object, and I do not intend to object, I first say to my distinguished colleague and friend of almost a quarter of a century, John McCain, I judge this action will enable the defense bill then to no longer have this amendment, and at what point will that occur?

Mr. WARNER. If I might just continue, I have consulted with the majority leader, and it is hoped at a subsequent time we can clarify when the Department of Defense bill can be brought up because I know the distinguished Democratic whip, who has helped tremendously on this bill, as have others, is anxious to see this Defense authorization bill move forward; am I not correct, I say to Senator Reid?

Mr. WARNER. That clarifies it. I thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. WARNER. And that bill being?

Mr. WARNER. I want to make certain I hear. The Chair and the distinguished Senator from Arizona were speaking at the same time. Can it be repeated?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my distinguished colleagues. I hope germaneness will prevail as to the amendments that come up on this bill.

Mr. WARNER. Good. That is interesting. I see my distinguished ranking member.

Mr. WARNER. There is no objection.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, for the Committee on Armed Services, I report favorably nomination lists which were printed in the RECORDS of the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, for the Committee on Armed Services. The following named officer for appointment in the United States Air Force to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 624: To be major general Brig. Gen. Craig P. Rasmussen, 0000 The following Air National Guard of the United States officer for appointment in the Reserve of the Air Force to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 12203: To be brigadier general Col. Bruce S. Asay, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Air Force to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Lt. Gen. Robert H. Foglesong, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Air Force to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. William T. Hobbins, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Air Force to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. Tome H. Walters, Jr., 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. Peter M. Cuviello, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Maude, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. Robert W. Noonan, Jr., 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. Daniel R. Zanini, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be general Lt. Gen. Tommy R. Franks, 0000 The following Army National Guard of the United States officer for appointment in the Reserve of the Army to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 12203: To be major general Brig. Gen. Wayne D. Marty, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Maj. Gen. Dan K. McNeill, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be general Lt. Gen. William F. Kernan, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be lieutenant general Lt. Gen. Donald L. Kerrick, 0000 The following named officers for appointment in the United States Naval Reserve to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 12203: To be rear admiral (lower half) Capt. Peter L. Andrus, 0000 Capt. Steven B. Kantrowitz, 0000 Capt. James M. McGarrah, 0000 Capt. Elizabeth M. Morris, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be vice admiral Rear Adm. James W. Metzger, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601; to be vice admiral Rear Adm. Michael G. Mullen, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be vice admiral Rear Adm. John J. Grossenbacher, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be vice admiral Vice Adm. Gregory G. Johnson, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated in accordance with Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, of the Constitution: To be rear admiral (lower half) Capt. Eleanor C. Mariano, 0000 The following named officers for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 624: To be rear admiral (lower half) Capt. Nancy E. Brown, 0000 Capt. Donald K. Bullard, 0000 Capt. Albert M. Calland III, 0000 Capt. Robert T. Conway, Jr., 0000 Capt. John P. Cryer III, 0000 Capt. Thomas Q. Donaldson V, 0000 Capt. John J. Donnelly, 0000 Capt. Steven L. Enewold, 0000 Capt. Jay C. Gaudio, 0000 Capt. Charles S. Hamilton II, 0000 Capt. John C. Harvey, Jr., 0000 Capt. Timothy L. Heely, 0000 Capt. Carlton B. Jewett, 0000 Capt. Rosanne M. Levitre, 0000 Capt. Samuel J. Locklear III, 0000 Capt. Richard J. Mauldin, 0000 Capt. Alexander A. Miller, 0000 Capt. Mark R. Milliken, 0000 Capt. Christopher M. Moe, 0000 Capt. Matthew G. Moffit, 0000 Capt. Michael P. Nowakowski, 0000 Capt. Stephen R. Pietropaoli, 0000 Capt. Paul J. Ryan, 0000 Capt. Michael A. Sharp, 0000 Capt. Vinson E. Smith, 0000 Capt. Harold D. Starling II, 0000 Capt. James Stavridis, 0000 Capt. Paul E. Sullivan, 0000 Capt. Michael C. Tracy, 0000 Capt. Miles B. Wachendorf, 0000 Capt. John J. Waickwicz, 0000 Capt. Anthony L. Winns, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be vice admiral Rear Adm. Joseph W. Dyer, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be vice admiral Rear Adm. John B. Nathman, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be vice admiral Rear Adm. Paul G. Gaffney II, 0000 The following named officer for appointment as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and appointment to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., sections 601 and 5044: To be general Lt. Gen. Michael J. Williams, 0000 The following named officer for appointment in the United States Marine Corps to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601: To be general Lt. Gen. Carlton W. Fulford, Jr., 0000 (The above nominations were reported with the recommendation that they be confirmed.)

Mr. WARNER

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

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, this legislation on behalf of myself and Senator Byrd, believe would establish a commission to examine the Department of Energy; National Security programs, which I believe will help restore the trust of the American people in the nuclear weapons programs of the United States. Mr. President, 2 weeks ago, the Nation learned that two identical computer hard drives, containing highly classified nuclear weapons information, were missing at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. These computer discs are used by the Department of Energy's Nuclear Emergency Search Team (known as NEST) to respond to incidents of nuclear terrorism or other nuclear incidents. The Committee on Armed Services held a hearing, in both open and closed session, earlier this week to hear from the Secretary of Energy on this matter. I must tell my colleagues that I was not satisfied with all the answers provided by the Secretary during that hearing. Sadly, this most recent incident is just one more potentially catastrophic security failure in a series of security failures at our important nuclear weapons labs. I need not remind my colleagues that it was just one year ago this week that Congress was in the midst of an intensive investigation into allegations of Chinese espionage at these very same Department of Energy labs. Under the Rules of the Senate, the Committee on Armed Services is responsible for ``the national security aspects of nuclear energy,'' which includes the DOE nuclear weapons labs. We take this responsibility very seriously. That is why, today, I and Senator Byrd are sending to the desk a bill to establish a congressional commission--with commissioners to be appointed solely by the leadership of the Congress--to examine the efficacy of the current structure of DOE and to make recommendations to the Congress on whether the Department of Energy's national security programs--particularly nuclear weapons programs--should remain as a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy, or be moved to the Department of Defense, or possibly be established as an independent agency, as was the case with the Atomic Energy Commission. Let me be clear, this commission will not re-examine or make recommendations regarding the internal structure of the NNSA, which was thoroughly reviewed and debated during the National Defense Authorization Conference last year. Nor will it hinder the new NNSA Administrator's efforts to fully establish his new agency. I am confident that, under General John Gordon's leadership, the internal structure of the NNSA will be sound. To the contrary, the existence of the commission will act as a safeguard against those who would seek to impede General Gordon in carrying out his statutory missions. There is no higher calling--of any Member of this body or any President--than to protect this great Nation from the threats from nuclear weapons. It is my intent to require this commission to report back to Congress in May of next year, to capture both the current and the forthcoming Administrations' views on where these programs should reside. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, this legislation on behalf of myself and Senator Byrd, believe would establish a commission to examine the Department of Energy; National Security programs, which I believe will help restore the trust of the American people in the nuclear weapons programs of the United States. Mr. President, 2 weeks ago, the Nation learned that two identical computer hard drives, containing highly classified nuclear weapons information, were missing at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. These computer discs are used by the Department of Energy's Nuclear Emergency Search Team (known as NEST) to respond to incidents of nuclear terrorism or other nuclear incidents. The Committee on Armed Services held a hearing, in both open and closed session, earlier this week to hear from the Secretary of Energy on this matter. I must tell my colleagues that I was not satisfied with all the answers provided by the Secretary during that hearing. Sadly, this most recent incident is just one more potentially catastrophic security failure in a series of security failures at our important nuclear weapons labs. I need not remind my colleagues that it was just one year ago this week that Congress was in the midst of an intensive investigation into allegations of Chinese espionage at these very same Department of Energy labs. Under the Rules of the Senate, the Committee on Armed Services is responsible for ``the national security aspects of nuclear energy,'' which includes the DOE nuclear weapons labs. We take this responsibility very seriously. That is why, today, I and Senator Byrd are sending to the desk a bill to establish a congressional commission--with commissioners to be appointed solely by the leadership of the Congress--to examine the efficacy of the current structure of DOE and to make recommendations to the Congress on whether the Department of Energy's national security programs--particularly nuclear weapons programs--should remain as a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy, or be moved to the Department of Defense, or possibly be established as an independent agency, as was the case with the Atomic Energy Commission. Let me be clear, this commission will not re-examine or make recommendations regarding the internal structure of the NNSA, which was thoroughly reviewed and debated during the National Defense Authorization Conference last year. Nor will it hinder the new NNSA Administrator's efforts to fully establish his new agency. I am confident that, under General John Gordon's leadership, the internal structure of the NNSA will be sound. To the contrary, the existence of the commission will act as a safeguard against those who would seek to impede General Gordon in carrying out his statutory missions. There is no higher calling--of any Member of this body or any President--than to protect this great Nation from the threats from nuclear weapons. It is my intent to require this commission to report back to Congress in May of next year, to capture both the current and the forthcoming Administrations' views on where these programs should reside. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, Tony Snow wrote an editorial in the Washington Times. In this editorial he captures the very essence of service to this Nation by those who have worn the uniform of our Nation throughout its history. This weekend, I and others will be attending ceremonies in recognition of those who served in the Korean war. A few days ago, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Presiding Officer, I, and other Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives attended a magnificent ceremony in honor of those who served during the Korean war. I was privileged to be in the Marine Corps and served in the 1st Marine Airwing for a brief period in Korea as a communications officer. I have an indelible memory of the sacrifices of many others, those particularly, not myself included, who had to serve in a position in harm's way and paid the ultimate price in life or in many cases in limb, and the suffering of their families. Upon their return home, unlike World War II, in which I served a brief period towards the end, America did not welcome them with open arms. They were returned home from an operation of our military which was indecisive and inconclusive. Those wonderful veterans, these 50- some odd years, at long last deserve the recognition. I think Mr. Snow's article captures it exceedingly well. I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record the article to which I referred.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to a patriot, federal servant, and industry leader, Bert M. Concklin. I have worked with him closely for nearly twenty years in his capacity as president of the Professional Services Council (PSC), as a representative of two of the largest employers in Virginia, PSC and Computer Sciences Corporation, and as a driving influence on numerous advisory panels. After more than eight years with PSC, Bert has accepted the role of Business Systems Modernization Executive at the Internal Revenue Service. I admire his courageous willingness to tackle such an obvious challenge and I anticipate that he will, as always, perform exceedingly well. The agency is fortunate to acquire such a talented executive. Throughout his career, Bert has proven himself to be an effective leader and an even-handed advocate. The fact that he has been such a dynamic leader for the professional and technical services industry, which is populated by so many of our nation's most innovative names, has in no small way made our jobs in the United States Senate that much easier. Those companies represent the very heart of our national defense and I know that Bert's dedication originates in large part from a love of our country that I share. Perhaps this trait comes from his days at the United States Naval Academy, but I suspect he had it even before. Bert is no stranger to federal service. During his many years of service with the federal government he has held a number of distinguished positions including, Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; Deputy Administrator for Policy Evaluation for the Federal Energy Administration; Administrator of Price Controls for the Cost of Living Council; and Director of Information Systems with the Office of Management and Budget. He has also held significant special assignments including membership on the FAA Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee. I wish every success to Mr. Concklin as he starts the next chapter of his truly remarkable career and thank him for a job exceedingly well done.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I thank my distinguished colleague.