G. V. "Sonny" Montogmery National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007

G.V. ``SONNY'' MONTGOMERY NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007 -- (Senate - June 22, 2006)

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Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise today to thank the distinguished Senator from Virginia, Mr. Warner, and Senator Levin of Michigan for their leadership in getting this legislation passed and for accepting language from legislation that I have sponsored, the National Guard Equipment Accountability Act, and making it part of the Defense authorization bill we just passed. They have done an outstanding job managing this legislation on the floor.

I also thank the Senator from Delaware, Mr. Biden, the Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, and the cochair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, Mr. Leahy, who also cosponsored this important legislation.

As a nation, we have a solemn duty to honor, prepare and properly equip all the men and women in uniform. The National Guard and Reserve are an essential part of our national defense, and confronting our enemies in distant lands is one of their obligations. Responding to threats here at home is another. In Washington State, the threats of volcanos, tsunamis, and other natural disasters are never far from our minds. We are aware of our porous northern border and the threat that poses to our safety and security. We know that the National Guard is not only the first line of response but also the first line of defense. Whether it is Mount St. Helens or floods or a variety of issues, we know the National Guard in Washington State has been there when we need them most.

They do more than just preserve our security at home. Thousands of National Guard members are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan--in fact, there are about 500 members of the Washington National Guard deployed overseas. All of those serving in the National Guard make great sacrifices. They accept enormous responsibilities to help us. We owe it to them to make sure their missions are successful and that National Guard members have the resources they need to execute their missions.

Right now, I want to make sure we are upholding our part of the bargain. When our Reserves and National Guard are deployed on operations overseas, they are deployed with equipment from their unit. They go to their mission with the tools that they have trained with--familiar humvees, radios, trucks, whatever it takes to make them successful. While they serve abroad, their equipment actually becomes part of the greater mission. As a result, when these men and women return home to places like Camp Murray, their equipment often does not return with them. It is left behind, helping other Guard units complete their portion of the mission and to fill in where there are gaps in supplies. The problem is that we have no plan to help the National Guard and Reserve units deal with the loss of that equipment. These returning units are left underequipped and lacking the equipment necessary for continued training for their next deployments.

That is why I offered this language to make sure that we are taking care of this shortfall. According to the Department of Defense, the Army National Guard has left more than 75,000 items valued at $1.7 billion overseas in ongoing operations. So that is why this language was so important to add to the Defense bill.

Last October, the Government Accountability Office found that at the time the Army, in leaving this equipment and resources behind, did not have a replacement plan. So specifically my amendment codifies language telling the Department of Defense to provide our men and women in uniform with the protection and resources they deserve. The language requires a tracking system of all this equipment and for a replacement plan to make sure that these men and women get the equipment they need in the theaters of operation, when they return home--enabling them to plan ahead for their next mission.

Finally, my amendment would also require a memorandum of understanding, specifying exactly how equipment will be tracked and when it will be returned. This will help our National Guard and Reserve units plan ahead for future obligations and missions. Given the current equipment situation and aggressive use of our National Guard, I believe it is critical that we have them fully equipped for both their missions at home and abroad.

Again, I thank the Senators for helping to get this language into the Defense authorization bill. Our soldiers, our Active Duty, our Reserve units, and the men and women of the Guard have chosen to stand and serve our country with pride and to sacrifice and accept enormous responsibility. We, too, have the responsibility of giving them the resources they need to fulfill their mission. I know this legislation will help them do so.

I yield the floor.

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