Wednesday, September 26, 2001

MR. PRESIDENT I RISE TODAY TO INTRODUCE AN AMENDMENT THAT ADDRESSES A MAJOR CONCERN OF OUR HOMELAND DEFENSE EFFORTS, THE ADEQUACY OF OUR TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, INCLUDING THE TRAINING WE PROVIDE OUR NATIONAL GUARD FORCES WHO WILL BE THE FIRST ONES ON THE SCENE BEHIND OUR FIRE, POLICE, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL.

ACCOUNTS OF THE HEROIC EFFORTS OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND PENTAGON ATTACKS ARE A TESTAMENT TO OUR ABILITY TO OVERCOME JUST ABOUT ANY OBSTACLE WE MAY COME UP AGAINST — BUT WE’VE ALSO SEEN THAT WE’RE NOT BULLET PROOF.

MONDAY’S WALL ST. JOURNAL HAD A FRONT PAGE STORY TITLED, “ON GUARD, VULNERABILITY EXPOSED, U.S. CONFRONTS ‘MAZE’ OF HOMELAND DEFENSES” WE READ OF THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR HOMELAND DEFENSE PLANNERS IN TRAINING THE LARGE NUMBER OF FIRST RESPONDERS AROUND THE COUNTRY IN AREAS OF CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND NUCLEAR RESPONSE.

MR. PRESIDENT, IN MILITARY CIRCLES IT’S COMMONLY SAID THAT WE FIGHT LIKE WE TRAIN. IF THAT IS SO THEN WE’VE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO WITH OUR HOMELAND DEFENSE EFFORTS. HOW WE “TRAIN” IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO HOW WE’LL FIGHT AND RESPOND TO THE NEXT HOMELAND TERRORIST ATTACK.

WE HAVE LITERALLY MILLIONS OF LOCAL AND STATE CIVIL AUTHORITIES ALONG WITH NATIONAL GUARD, ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY AND OTHER FEDERAL PERSONNEL WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENTS TO FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING. THEY ALSO NEED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN LARGE SCALE EXERCISES DESIGNED TO TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR TRAINING, DOCTRINE, AND COORDINATION EFFORTS. THESE TRAINING EXERCISES COUPLED WITH IMPROVED TRAINING WOULD BETTER PREPARE OUR GUARD FORCES AND LOCAL AND STATE FIRST RESPONDERS FOR THE MYRIAD NUMBER OF POTENTIAL CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND NUCLEAR THREATS WE MAY FACE IN FUTURE TERRORIST ATTACKS. UNFORTUNATELY OUR FIRST RESPONDERS ARE NOT GETTING IT!!!

MY AMENDMENT RECOGNIZES THE CURRENT DEFICIENCY IN OUR FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO OUR NATIONAL GUARD FORCES AND SEEKS TO BEGIN TO REMEDY THIS DEFICIENCY BY PROVIDING $10 MILLION TO MILITARY FACILITIES WITH THE CAPABILITY OF PROVIDING FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FEDERAL FACILITIES SUCH AS THOSE LOCATED AT CAMP DAWSON, WEST VIRGINIA, DUGWAY PROVING GROUNDS, UTAH, AND FT. LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI AND OTHERS CURRENTLY CAPABLE OF PROVIDING FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING BUT BECAUSE OF A LACK OF A CLEAR MISSION WITHIN DOD, A DEFICIENCY IN DOCTRINE DEVELOPMENT AND A LACK OF RESOURCES WE ARE UNABLE TO FULLY LEVERAGE THEIR ASSETS.

MY AMENDMENT PROVIDES ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, SPECIFICALLY FOR HOMELAND DEFENSE AND DOD TRAINING FACILITIES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. IN THE COURSE OF IMPROVING OUR TRAINING FACILITIES DOD AND NATIONAL GUARD PLANNERS WILL NEED TO DEVELOP A COHESIVE DOCTRINE ON WHICH WE CAN BUILD OUR TRAINING WHILE DEVELOPING A PLAN TO TRAIN MORE FIRST RESPONDERS AND TO DO SO ADEQUATE TO THE THREAT.

MR. PRESIDENT, TODAY’S WALL ST. JOURNAL ARTICLE PUTS OUR FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING INTO FOCUS AND DOES SO WITH ALARMING CLARITY.

THE ARTICLE DISCUSSES A TRAINING FACILITY AT FORT MCCLELLAN VIRGINIA RUN BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, CALLED THE CENTER FOR DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS. THE ARTICLES AUTHORS SAY AND I QUOTE, “THE FACILITY IS CALLED THE CENTER FOR DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS. BUT IT IS REALLY A MONUMENT TO JUST HOW UNPREPARED THE NATION IS FOR THE WAR THAT PRESIDENT BUSH DECLARED IN HIS ADDRESS TO CONGRESS LAST WEEK.

THE CENTER, AN ARM OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, IS THE ONLY PLACE IN THE NATION WHERE “FIRST RESPONDERS”—POLICE, FIRE AND OTHER EMERGENCY WORKERS—CAN RUN THROUGH DRILLS USING ACTUAL DEADLY CHEMICALS. IT BILLS ITSELF AS THE PREMIER FACILITY OF ITS KIND. BUT IN THREE YEARS, IT HAS TRAINED ONLY ABOUT 6,000 OF THE NATION’S 11 MILLION POLICE, FIRE, AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL.”

MR. PRESIDENT, WE SHOULD ASK IF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS ARE ADEQUATELY PREPARED TO RESPOND TO AN ASYMMETRIC TERRORIST ATTACK WHERE OUR ATTACKERS HAVE ELECTED TO USE A CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, OR NUCLEAR WEAPON.

IF THE ANSWER MR. PRESIDENT IS NO, OR WE’RE UNCERTAIN, AND I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS AN UNEQUIVOCAL NO, THEN WE MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM.

ARE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS ADEQUATELY EQUIPPED TO RESPOND TO A CHEM, BIO, NUCLEAR ATTACK?

HAVE WE DEVELOPED INSTALLATION PROTECTION PLANS FOR OUR WATER, POWER, AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS?

IF NOT, AND WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT FAILURES OF OUR ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE ARE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS PREPARED TO RESPOND TO A LARGE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES AND/OR LOSS OF SERVICES SWIFTLY AND SECURELY?

CAN OUR NATIONAL GUARD AND ACTIVE DUTY FORCES WHO MAY RESPOND COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER, OR WITH THE LOCAL AND STATE AUTHORITIES WHO WILL BE ON SITE AT THE NEXT ATTACK? IS THEIR COMMUNICATIONS AND OTHER ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT COMPATIBLE?

ARE OUR NATIONAL GUARD FORCES FULLY INTEGRATED WITH THE PERSONNEL WHO THEY’LL BE SUPPORTING AND SERVING ALONGSIDE AT THE NEXT TERRORIST ATTACK? THESE INCLUDE LOCAL AND STATE CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND ACTIVE DUTY FORCES WHO MAY BE CALLED TO ASSIST BY THE NATIONAL COMMAND AUTHORITY.

ONE WAY WE ENSURE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND NATIONAL GUARD FORCES ARE READY TO HANDLE FUTURE ATTACKS IS THROUGH LARGE SCALE TRAINING EXERCISES. WE’VE CONDUCTED SUCH EXERCISES BUT NOT NEARLY ENOUGH OF THEM TO WORK OUT THE BUGS THAT SURELY EXIST WITHIN THE FIRST RESPONDER ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES, THE STATES, AND WITHIN THE AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR DISASTER RESPONSE.

WE CAN, AND SHOULD, ADDRESS THESE QUESTIONS BUT I’M AFRAID THE CURRENT BILL AS WRITTEN UNDER SECTION. 1022. REPORT ON COMBATING TERRORISM, IS INSUFFICIENT. THE CURRENT LANGUAGE ASKS THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO PREPARE A REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE POLICIES, PLANS, AND PROCEDURES FOR COMBATING TERRORISM AND ASKS THAT THIS REPORT BE SUBMITTED NOT LATER THAN 180 DAYS.

MR. CHAIRMAN IT IS UNWISE TO WAIT ANY LONGER THAN NECESSARY TO BEGIN ADDRESSING ISSUES WE KNOW NEED ATTENTION NOW! THEREFORE I ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO INCLUDE IN THIS BILL MY AMENDMENT THAT GIVES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION TO THE INADEQUACY OF FUNDING FOR FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING FOR OUR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.

AT CAMP DAWSON, WEST VIRGINIA, DUGWAY PROVING GROUNDS IN UTAH, AND AT FT. LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI WE HAVE FACILITIES THAT ARE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING NEEDED FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING FOR OUR NATIONAL GUARD FORCES. WE MUST LEVERAGE THESE FACILITIES AND OTHERS OR RISK LOSING FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ARE NOT ADEQUATELY TRAINED TO RESPOND TO THE NEXT ATTACK THAT USES CHEM, BIO, OR NUCLEAR WEAPONS, HOWEVER RELUCTANT WE ARE TO DISCUSS THE UNTHINKABLE USE OF THESE TYPES OF DEADLY WEAPONS.

AS I SAID MR. PRESIDENT, “WE FIGHT LIKE WE TRAIN.” ITS ESSENTIAL WE IMMEDIATELY IMPROVE THE FUNDING FOR OUR MILITARY TRAINING INSTALLATIONS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING QUALITY HOMELAND DEFENSE RELATED TRAINING.

OUR NATIONAL GUARD FORCES ARE THE NEXUS BETWEEN OUR LOCAL AND STATE CIVIL AUTHORITIES, OUR ACTIVE DUTY FORCES AND OTHER FEDERAL FORCES INVOLVED IN DOMESTIC RESPONSE TO TERRORIST ATTACKS. IF THEY’RE TO FIGHT AND SURVIVE IN THE NEXT UNFATHOMABLE ATTACK WE MUST ENSURE THEY’RE BEING GIVEN TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES WITH THEIR ACTIVE DUTY COUNTERPARTS AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEST THEIR SKILLS IN REAL-LIFE EXERCISES.

I YIELD THE FLOOR.