national defense authorization act for fiscal year two thousand and eight it is i believe a very good bill i want to commend the chairman senator levin and the ranking member senator warner for their efforts in particular staff for all the work that has contributed threats and capabilities subcommittee and i'd like to share with my colleagues the highlights of our bill that originated in the emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee and before i describe those highlights i also want to commend and  the ranking member of my committee it was a partnership and to work together with her pleasure she gave extraordinary valuable service along with her staff and i appreciate very much her personal contribution and her leadership on this issue i'd also like to thank the staff for their great contribution and their great effort by way of background the emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee also known as the e t c subcommittee is responsible looking at new and emerging threats and considering appropriate steps that we should take to improve our capabilities to enhance our security in the light of these new emerging threats two of our committee markup objectives into preparing the bill were first to improve the ability of the armed forces to meet nontraditional threats including terrorism and weapons of mass destruction and second term promote the transformation on the armed forces to meet the threats of the twenty first century in a nutshell that is what the e t c subcommittee should be all about i hope this legislation represents the sum of all of our efforts in that regard this year there are number of issues or themes that the portions of the bill address based on the emergent threats or challenges facing the united states and capabilities that we need to address these challenges the first thing is the defense department's need for improved and alternate sources of energy  epartment is a massive consumer of energy including for its military vehicles and platforms and advanced technology may or for improved effectiveness at a reduced course for our military in the area of energy conservation and energy demand the second area relates to language and cultural challenges facing our military forces operating overseas we held a very fine hearing on this subject and there is clearly a need to improve the language and cultural awareness capabilities destruction and the need to improve u s efforts to reduce this pull of ration risk we held an excellent hearing with former senator sam nunn and senator richard lugar are as well as witnesses from the department of defense on the part of energy on these we commend and thank them for that and giving the tension the catastrophic damage that could result from such political ration we must always look for ways to strengthen and improve our nonproliferation programs the final and related leaman issue that we discussed is the threat of a terrorist incident within the united states involving a chemical biological radiological nuclear or high yield explosive device which is known by an acronym device chemical biological radiological nuclear or high yield explosive device the challenge is to be prepared to manage the consequences of such a domestic see burning incident and for the defense department to have the right capabilities plans and equipment to provide support to civil authorities if requested i'll address the committee's actions on these issues as i describe the highlights of the emerging threats and capabilit being considered by the senate today let me start with the area of science and technology the bill authorizes increased investment in science and technology programs by over four hundred fifty million dollars these programs the form cutting edge research that is developing the capabilities that will ensure the effectiveness of our armed forces in the future while strengthening the nation's high technology innovation sectors these additional s and t investments which reflect military value and technical merit are intended to enhance defense department activities in a number of areas advanced and alternate energy technologies new manufacturing capabilities advanced medical technologies aimed at improving the care of combat casualties and increased funding for defense related university research that will provide the foundation for future miller capability and in fact will probably contributed to our overall economy the armed services committee bill authorizes investments of nearly seventy five million dollars for advanced energy technologies including programs developed fuel cells hybrid engines build hydr infrastructure such as fueling stations at military bases and explore the use of biofuels for military systems these kind of technologies will save money and improve war fighting capabilities reduce americans dependency on foreign oil and help d o d lead the way in the widespread adoption of alter energy technologies the bill includes a provision sponsored by senator pryor that would enhance the department's nanotechnology research program to flecked the maturation of nanotechnology in industry and in universities it would push the department to have a greater emphasis on issues like nano manufacturing moving nanotechnologies into major defen systems and monitoring international capabilities in nanotechnology following a recommendation of the defense science board the bill would require a defense department to produce a strategic plan for the development of manufacturing technologies advanced manufacturing processes are the key to ensuring that our defense industrial base can respond to the surge of production needs of our deployed forces for items such as body armor vehicle armor and jamming devices to defeat improvised explosive devices manufacturing is also in the keys to our overall global competitiveness i'm pleased to note that the committee bill authorizes nearly eighty five million dollars in additional funds for the development of advanced manufacturing technologies to support critical defense production capabilities in relation to the threat from proliferation of weapons of mass destruction the bill authorizes additional funding for important nonproliferation programs at the department of defense and the department of energy this additional funding includes one hundred million dollars for the cooperative threat reduction c t r program and eighty seven million dollars for nonproliferation programs of the national nucular security administration the bill also authorizes fifty million dollars to support the international atomic energy agency proposal for an international nucular fuel bank this promising idea if successfully implemented could remove the incentive for countries such as iran to develop indigenous uranium enrichment programs for nuclear power reactor fuel this would address the loophole in the nuclear nonproliferation treaty that allows uranium enrichment for civilian power purposes to serve as a cover for uranium arrangement for weapons for says in addition as fifteen forty seven includes a provision that would finally repeal all the priest certifications for the c t r program these conditions delay the program annually waste program funds and have long outlived any usefulness senator lugar has worked for several years now to remove these restrictions and i'm pleased that we have been able to include this provision in the bill the additional funding for c t r would allow the program to accelerate and expand work into some biological materials and weapons areas that have become an increasing concern and allow for the first time the c t r program to address issues outside the former soviet union in a planned non emergency fashion the national nuclear security agency program has a number of challenges with respect to the politicization of nuclear weapons materials and technology and much more needs to be done the north korean nuclear test last october highlighted an area where we need a lot of additional work and that is the area of new forensics and attribution the bill authorizes additional funding to develop new technologies to detect and identify the sauces of nuclear material and to support the department of energy office of intelligence efforts to develop a nuclear material forensic library the real challenge we have that faces an existential challenge is the threat that someday a terrorist not a nation state but a terrorist might detonate a nuclear device in the united states or in an allied country and they would get that material from some national source if we can effectively trace materials and we know and we can identify where such materials come from that goes a long way in helping remove the incentives for any nation state to provide these types of materials to terrorists i think this is important research and i'm particularly pleased that was incorporated this language in the legislation in the area of homeland defense there is a concern about the enormous challenge of dealing with a chemical biological radiological nuclear or high yield explosives the sea bernie incident in the united states such an incident could quickly overwhelm local and state emergency response capabilities the bill contains a provision requiring an advisory panel to address the capabilities of the defense to provide support t civil authorities the consequence management of the domestic scene bernie incident the panel will report to congress with these findings and any recommendations and i want to thank particularly senator dole and her staff for leading the way on this initiative in the area of chemical and biological matters the bill adds nearly seventy million dollars for the defense department chemical and biological defense programs including procurement of chemical agent detectors and monitors for the army  guard these systems can be used for overseas deployments or for domestic consequence management commissions the bill also authorizes the restoration of thirty six million dollars for the chemical program and includes a sense of congress resolution that the united states should do everything practicable to meet our chemical weapons destruction obligations under the chemical weapons convention deadline of april twenty twelve or as soon as possible there after this sense of congress provision includes a number of recommendations made by the republican leader senator mitch mcconnell and i thank him for his contribution the sooner we destroy the stockpile the sooner we will move the risks of the communities around the stockpile sites throughout the united states let me turn also to the area of special operations forces and in particular language issues the bill contains additional funding for the special operations command so com to meet critical language and cultural awareness training requirements and for various socom science and technology programs all told the bill authorizes more than twenty million dollars for additional funding to improve the foreign language and cultural awareness capabilities of our military forces the bill also contains a provision creating a national foreign language coordination council an initiative proposed by senator akaka of hawaii and i thank him for his this contribution this council would ensure that the initial steps that the administration has taken will develop into an organizing concerted effort to improve the nation's foreign language capabilities s fifteen forty seven includes in addition a provision that would require the government accountability office to review the ongoing reorganization of the office of the under such a defense for policy the committee has expressed strong reservations about this reorganization especially as pertains the office of the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict the study would examine some of the specific committee concerns the bill also authorizes an additional one hundred twenty four million dollars to cover unfunded requirements of the special operations command to procure mine resistant ambush protected or am rapidly ical this is part of a committee wide four billion dollar increase to ensure that united states military personnel in iraq receive the best protection available against improvised explosive devices the primary cause of injury and death to our personnel and i might add that i just returned yesterday from iraq and one of the points that was raised by major general mixon command of the twenty fifth division was the need for these m wraps vehicles and i communicated that directly to the secretary of defense and i must commend sector to gates for his aggressive leadership to ensure that these m wrapped vehicles are being produced and being sent overseas to our forces particularly our forces in iraq his leadership in this point is very much appreciated finally in the area of counterterrorism and countered drug policy the committee took a number of counterterrorism the committee authorized the department of defense to provide increased rewards for assistance in counterterrorist operations this is intended to provide additional incentives for others to help us find and defeat terrorists the commission committee also funded the departments to train and equip program to build the capacity of partner nations to conduct counterterrorism operations and to operate with u s forces in military or stability operations committee has authorized funding for this program also known as section twelve zero six at the level authorized last year for fiscal years two thousand and seven and two thousand and eight congress has given the defense of this authority the program at the end of this coming fiscal year at which time congress can evaluate the program's effect that their counter drug policy the committee authorized the department to provide counter drug training and equipping assistance to mexico and the dominican republic this would expand the list of countries to which we provide such assistance to these neighbors who are facing serious drug challenges with regard to funding the committee authorized an additional twenty two point five million dollars to boost urge my colleagues to support the bill as the entire on service committee did and now i would like to turn my attention to the matter pending before the senate and that is the amendment submitted by my colleague senator webb of virginia rise to commend him i think this is an important moment that underscores the highlights the strain that our troops are under given the operation of the man's of efforts in both iraq and afghanistan in many places in the world and there no one in this center or the decline in this caucus is democratic caucus that understands from a firsthand basis the strain that soldiers marines airmen and sailors live under constantly them our colleague junior senator webb who is a distinguished veteran of conflict in vietnam someone who we look to for his insight and his leadership particularly with respect to the well for and they say is keeping up our military personnel since two thousand and three the united states has maintained an average of one hundred thirty eight thousand seven hundred troops in iraq today we know we're at a level approaching one hundred sixty thousand at the same time there are proxy twenty five thousand five hundred military personnel in in a stand and an additional one hundred seventy five thousand military personnel performing missions and one hundred thirty countries around the world nearly every deployed combat brigade in the active duty army has reported that they are not ready to complete their assigned war missions let me repeat that nearly every not combat brigade those that are not in iraq or afghanistan are reporting that they're not ready in terms of personnel requip and to complete their assigned war missions now we know and we all know that if they're ordered to they will go into the fight and they will do well but they're not going in with the same level of personnel equipment and in many cases training that we expected them just a few short years ago this is a result direct consequence of the strategy being pursued by the president in afghanistan and iraq and the size limitations on our military forces such as sustained operations the personnel training first let's look at the personnel issues since two thousand and two one point four military troops have served in iraq or afghanistan the standard ratio the military likes to use the deployments is one to two meaning for every year deployed two years back at home duty station for recruits ration retraining all those things you need to restore the professional skill in the high degree of spirit and moreover necessary for successful military forces since the beginning of the iraq war however army brigade combat teams said one to one ratio one year deployed one year back that puts huge strain on not all of the soldiers but the families of those soldiers and this ratio was further strained on april eleventh two thousand and seven when the pentagon announced that all active duty army units in the central command error responsibility principally iraq and afghanistan would be extended to fifteen month tours the marine corps also moved to a one to one ratio of seven months deployed several months at home station there's another aspect to this and that's known as stop loss it's been imposed on fifty thousand troops and what this means is that an individual is eligible having served out their enlisted time to leave the military forces but there are involuntary held behind in order to meet the missions of the army because of this huge personnel crunch let's stop losses affecting fifty thousand individuals who have served honorably and well who have made plans to return to civilian life and those plans are on hold now that's another man afflicted manifestation of the strain our land forces under at this moment the reality of this operational tempo is that many active duty soldiers and marines are on their third or even fourth tour of duty as can a stand or record of the army's active forty four combat twenty have had two tours nine have a three tours and two brigades are on their fourth tour this is an extraordinarily aggressive operational tempo to subject any force to although the deployments for a special operation forces are classified it is known that the average weekly deployment for special operations forces was sixty one percent higher in two thousand and five than in two thousand every aspect of our active force and many of our reserve components are being stressed with strawberry contributions to the operations today that are world wide and this extra strain extends to our national guard and reserves more than four  hundred seventy thousand national guard reservists or about eighty percent of the members of the guard and reserve have been deployed to iraq or afghanistan with an average of eighteen months per mobilization of these more than eighty four thousand two hundred or twenty percent have been deployed more than once president the army national guard has thirty four brigades sixteen are considered an enhanced brigade which means they are supposed to be fully manned and equipped and able to deploy rapidly since two thousand and one every enhanced brigade has admitted boyd oversees at least once and to have already been deployed twice when the president announced the surge the pentagon was forced to recall to active duty several thousand guard and reserve personnel that are already serving in iraq and afghanistan in order to do this the pentagon had to revise its rules that limited the call up time of guard members to more no more than twenty four months every five years with respect to this decision the commission on the national guard and reserve recently concluded overall if the reserve component including the national guard continues its high operational temp current indicators cast considerable doubt on the future sustainability of recruiting and retention even if financial incentives continue to increase there is a real course to this operational temple the course and only board the immediate near term but also in the longer run our current policies overseas of shredded our military the burden of the past few years will have consequences for years to come we risk rendering our military force and we want to do all we can to avoid that and we're already seeing indications of the stress that is being borne by a military forces and they manifested in many different ways for example yesterday the united states army announced it fell short of its active duty recruiting goal by fifteen percent it's the second month in a row that the army's and listen the efforts have fallen short and this is in the context of an attempt belated attempt i would argue by the administration to increase the overall end strength of the army you have a situation now where the army's on the huge pressure is going to have to increase the numbers overall and that attempt is being at least seems to be being frustrated by the inability to recruit new personnel into the army the army expressed concern but repeats the fact the army has met its recruiting goals for the past two years technically that is true but a closer look shows that are some disturbing trends that may have  run negative consequences in order to meet the demands of today the army is drawing heavily on a delayed entry program or pool of future recruits which will leave it empty in the future as they try to enlist more soldiers the army has also begun to lower standards order to meet recruiting goals the army granted a process in the eight thousand five hundred moral waivers for recruits in two thousand and six as compared to two thousand two hundred sixty of these moral way was in one nine hundred ninety six these waivers cover misconduct and minor criminal offenses again the trend is not less but more in terms of trying to achieve retention rather recruiting goals by waving some incidents that otherwise would disqualify a person from joining the army waivers for recruiters who recruits who committed felonies for example were up thirty percent in two thousand and six from the year before last year eighty two percent of armor had high school diplomas that's the lowest level since one thousand nine hundred eighty one only sixty one percent of army recruits scored above average on the service of aptitude test last year that's the lowest score hundred eighty five last year the army would not have met its recruiting goals without lowering its weight standards increasing septal recruiting age to forty two years old frankly you know thinking back not long ago the idea of actively trying to recruit people who are forty two years old who might have physical problems who might have minor criminal violations was considered anathema by the military as a prided themselves on their ability with each succeeding quarter to indeed try to raise the standards not lower it but the pressure on personnel has produced these results and despite these lower standards basic training graduation rates have increased two percent in two thousand and five to ninety four percent two thousand and six leaving one to wonder whether or not the training program standards are being modified so that these individuals can get through and get into the brigade that need to deploy that would have long term unfortunate consequences for the overall effectiveness of our military force the army is also using some extraordinary means to maintain retention rates the problems recruiting but also they're making special efforts to keep those soldiers they have the biggest incentive of course for retention is providing financial compensation to those who decide to extend however the level of funding we are putting towards keeping soldiers simply cannot be sustain the effort to continue to provide these financials incentives in the past four years the army has increasing amount spent on retention bonuses from eighty five million to seven hundred thirty five million dollars at the same time the cost of supporting each soldier has increased from seventy five thousand dollars in two thousand and one to one hundred twenty thousand dollars in two thousand and six because of inducements pay benefits that are appropriate but very expensive and again raises the question of how long they can be sustained and despite these increase in the pay the army is still having difficulties retention particularly retaining officers last year the active are we were short three thousand officers and as projected the shortage will increase to thirty five hundred offices this year the guard and reserve are facing a shortfall of almost seventy five hundred offices army r grade soldiers dropped twelve percent in the past two years according to new york times more the third of the west point class of two thousand less active duty at the earliest possible moment after completing their five year obligation for special forces recruitment retention are most difficult for the past six years eighty two percent of the active duty special forces specialties were under filled many with shortfalls over ten percent now i had a chance to sit down and have lunch with three soldiers at a patrol base which had only been in operation for about three weeks just about two days ago in iraq all of these three soldiers were on their second or third tour too had already decided they were getting out and the third not yet decided they have served their country magnificently they have done it with great dedication and for many different reasons are leaving but that is a very imprecise scientific sample i would admit but still it suggests that because of operational stress because of the man's soldiers that are performing magnus the are also thinking about their futures and thinking in many respects about leaving the force rather than staying on for extended periods of time mr pratt madam president the soldiers recruited today define the quality of our army in the future focusing on filling slots days without regard for maintaining high standards can have dire consequences down the road we have serious challenges before us as a nation and i spent time to talk about personnel because at the heart of senator webb's amendment is the recognition that ultimately a military force is about people the soldiers the marines the sailors airmen and their families and if we keep this operational temple if we don't provide the the respite time to recuperate what is he suggesting at least an equal time out of a war zone as you spend in a war zone then these personal issues become more and more croup acute and become more damaging to the overall capability of our military force now there's another aspect too of readiness and that's equipment in order to meet the equipped needs for those in iraq and afghanistan the army requires that active reserve units leave behind certain essential items that are in short supply including up armored humvees and long range surveillance and communication systems this system ensures that incoming soldiers can receive one hundred percent of the equipment and reduces transportation course but there's a downside to this as the g a o pointed out while this equipment approach has helped the current operational needs as continue the cycle of reducing the pool of equipment available to non deployed forces responded to confuse ease and training forty percent of the marines ground equipment has been deployed in iraq for the past two years is being used at nine times its planned raid i can recall last year being in iraq and was told just before we got on the hole about the that it was flying at many many miller times the number of hours that it was planned to fly in a peacetime environment they were short of course and they were right there was  army national guard presence has on hand only thirty percent of its central equipment here at home while eighty percent of the army national guard that is in the u s is very poorly equipped nearly nine out of every ten army national guard units that are not in five years and he estimates that the total course the shortfall is about thirty six billion dollars in march two thousand and seven the commission on the national guard and reserves reported that nearly ninety percent of national guard units are not ready to respond to crises at home or abroad or narrow the chairman the commission on national guard summed up we cannot sustain the national guard and reserves on the course that we are on again  president the military is doing not only everything they're asked but much more what we need to ensure they have the opportunity to rest and to refit we have to ensure they have a clip and that is well maintained and not overly used after these significant costs will have to be borne but the biggest force i believe is the one that is the born today for soldiers and marines particularly and that is the fact that they are operating in a war zone coming back  too shortly there after being required to go back again this has another effect it has effect on training we pride ourselves as we should this is the best trained military force in the world perhaps of all time but that training can operate as is insufficient time back at home station to do it and then i think also at the heart of senator webb's and then he understands that one of the great factors that holds the unit together is the sense without spending the time at home station training that too is being sacrificed in the short term i want to commend senator webb i think from his heart and from his essence as a as a marine he understands that our soldiers and marines and sailors and airmen deserve a time to prepare to train to regroup before they go back again and a minimum is a minute calling for an equal time at home station that equates to time deployed in the war zone is the minimum that we should provide these brave young men and women i hope we can support system and i hope we can do it get it passed and send the message to our troops we know what you're doing for us we appreciate it and after of service with distinction with courage and great sacrifice you deserve the time to come home to see family to retrain to rest and prepare again to defend the nation and with that madam chairman how would from michigan thank you madam president before my missing colleague from rhode island leaves i'd like to thank him for the incredible contributions i know he made to this legislation is in front of us he too has had a distinguish career serving his country in the armed services as well as in the senate and we congratulate him for his service and i have to also start by congratulating our michigan senior senator who we are all so proud of for all of the important work that he does and that is more important for michigan and for the country than serving as chairman of the armed services committee this national defense a that it brings in terms of additional tools for our troops issues that directly relate to supporting the troops and their families the equipment the new technology the new policies for the future that they need all of these things are incredibly important and senator levin has been the leader on these issues for us and we in michigan are extremely proud of all that he has done for us madam president i specifically today want to raise my voice in support of the webb amendment to the national defense authorization act tonight in iraq one thousand six hundred forty four members of the michigan national guard will bed down after a long day of working and fighting in over one hundred degree weather sand blowing in their face facing dangers at every turn in the harshest physical conditions imaginable for every single one of those men and women there is a family at home in michigan that will go to bed tonight worried and saying a prayer for this safety of their loved one for the safe return of their son their daughter father mother sister brother the true cost of this war can't be measured in dollars and cents although there is a huge financial cost to what is happening but the true cost is measured by the sacrifices of our troops and their families every single day day in and day out this causes more than just the possibility and the reality of physical danger the cost includes the sacrifices that entire families are making financial sacrifices emotional sacrifices sacrifices being made because they are a part day after day month after month and now year after year it isn't right it isn't fair it's not safe and we need to change this policy and that's what the webb amendment does one hundred one thousand six hundred forty four guards members one thousand six hundred forty four families in michigan one thousand six hundred forty four missed birthdays missed father's days mother's days missed high school graduations baby's first steps anniversaries family funerals christmas other holidays it's also one thousand six hundred forty four miss paychecks it may be the only paycheck in the family the paycheck is paying the mortgage the paycheck that they are to help send the kids to college and pay the car payment to be able to have the standard of living that we all want for ourselves and our families sidetracked careers small businesses and farms put in economic danger one thousand six hundred forty four lives that will never be the same one thousand six hundred forty four sets of missed opportunities missed moments that can never be replaced and these members of the michigan national guard make up only a fraction of the hundred sixty thousand men and women in uniform currently serving in iraq and countless others who have served in too many cases these men or women are back in with the second the third and now the fourth redeployment madam president our fighting men and women are the greatest resource that we have they make us proud every single day but unfortunately this government is abusing this resource these people america puts our trust in our military to defend us when our sons and daughters join the military they put their trust in us in the congress and the president of united states to give them the tools and the resources they need and to treat them with the respect they have earned current administration policies and redeployment have violated that trust these policies have let our troops down they have let their families down i'm proud to join with my colleague from virginia and saying enough is enough i'm nuff is enough when it comes to abusing our armed forces by stretching them to the breaking point with redeployment after redeployment our armed services have traveled tough road since we invaded iraq they've shouldered a heavy burden with pride and confidence and honor we've asked extraordinary things extraordinary things from them at every turn and every turn they have delivered they've made us all proud they faced tough situations made tough choices and have done their duty now we need to do our duty we need to do what's right for them it's our time to face the tough situations is our time to make the hard choices it's our time to make them proud that's what this amendments about that's what this bill is about and that's what further discussions we will have about how to end this war are all about america's soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines are always there for us when they are called the question is will we be there for them will we be there for them today and tomorrow and the next day with this legislation that senator webb has proposed is something that is simply the right thing to do and a very important piece of supporting our troops first of all for our regular forces the amendment requires that if a unit or a member deploys for operating enduring freedom or operation iraqi freedom to have the same time at home what's called dwell town valentine is i would say forces would call it dwell time before being redeployed so if someone is deployed for six months they would have dwell time for six months whether that's home with the family whether that's retraining whether that time to regroup whether if they are deployed twelve months they would have twelve months at home fifteen months fifteen months for the national guard and reserve no unit or  member will be redeployed to iraq or afghanistan within three years of their previous deployment now this is strictly a floor but it will stabilize the guard and reserve deployment cycles in a much more predictable way it's good for them it's good for us from a safety standpoint preparedness standpoint and it's certainly good for the families that we're asking to make to make such sacrifices mr president we understand this is a dangerous and unpredictable world that we live in so this a member also includes an important provision and provision and able in the president to waive these limitations if he certifies to congress that deployment is necessary and response to a vile national security interest of the united states now why is this downtime or dwell time so important longer and more predictable dwell time is needed for many reasons most importantly it allows for members to readjust from combat and spend time with their families it also allows troops the time they need to be ready for the next combat mission we have to remember that when our people return from their deployments the majority of their time is spent retraining refurbishing and we equip ring prior to being redeployed the bottom line is at the weather man that will ensure that our men and women in uniform have a more predictable deployment schedule with adequate time between tours we have a responsibility to prevent further needless damage to our military and the weather management does that mr president five years ago i was proud to stand on this floor is one of twenty three members that believe that this war was the wrong choice for the past five years i've been proud to cast a vote after vote supporting the troops working to ensure that they have the resources that they need so they can get the job done as soon as possible and come home safely today i stand on the floor and once again say enough is enough the american people are saying enough is enough this is ministration failed our troops by committing them to this war without a clear reason or goal this is ministration failed our troops by not having a clear mission for our armed forces in iraq they failed our troops by not providing the proper equipment body armor or logistical support for our forces they field our troops with their poor planning for the invasion of iraq and their total lack of planning for how to secure the country despite the best efforts of our brave men and women and they have failed our troops by sending them back into harm's way over and over and over again without the proper down time between redeployment mr president history will judge this administration and how they have handled this war history will judge  now on what we do for the troops and what we do to end this war we need a new strategy for iraq a strategy that brings our troops home safely and responsibly we need to treat our troops with respect the respect that they deserve that they have earned while they're serving us they put their lives on the line every day for us the least we can do is to make sure that they have what they need and that they have the time they need between combat deployments to be with their families and to prepare for the future and they need a strategy they are asking us to be paying attention to what is going on you know when you're over there and so many of us have been to iraq and have seen what's happening on the front lines there there in the battle every day they're focusing on their mission i'm staying alive keeping their buddies alive they're counting on us to have their back they're counting on the president to have their back they're counting on people here getting it right doing the right thing whether it's making sure they have the time they need which the we does to focus on their needs and their families means over whether to make sure that there is a strategy that makes sense and that's what we are now debating on this floor and i believe that the american people have spoken very loudly and very clearly and it's time for us to listen is our job to listen to do the right thing for the troops to do the right thing for their families to do the right thing for communities and for our country when i look around the senate i'm struck by the fact that we've all taken a different path to get here to this debate right now it's been a long five years mr president some of us have stood up against this war sense they want many have come to understand the tragedies of this war and the failures of this administration and have come at a different time but no more no matter what path each of us has taken no matter how we've gotten here today now we have the opportunity to do the right thing that's what this debate is about i'm so grateful to our senate leader harry reid for for making sure that we stay focused and what is clear clearly the most critical issue in front of us and what is happening the war in iraq and our troops and our families and what we need to do to focus on the real threat the real threats here at home through is leadership on the nine eleven commission as well as focusing on the real threats abroad so we have seen leadership bring us back to this creating this opportunity now for us to do the right thing we need to do the courageous thing the webb amendment is an opportunity to do the courageous thing for our troops we can't change the past but we have to change the future and that means acting now i urge all of my colleagues to vote for the webb amendment for the brave men and women who are serving us and counting on us to understand what we are expecting of them as they do their duty the sacrifices that they are making their families are making they are counting on us to do the right thing and mr president they're counting us to do the right thing on the overall strategy on this war and this legislation this time this debate and the next few days is an opportunity for us to tell the american people we fear you we fear you enough is enough enough is enough it is time to get this right and to bring our men and women home safely and responsibly thank you senate continuing work this evening on fiscal two thousand and eight defense programs and a crucial test of senate opposition to the iraq war is set for tomorrow with senators due to vote on whether to end debate over a controversial amendment that would limit how often troops could be sent to iraq senate majority leader harry reid filed for cloture today on an amendment i offered by senator jim webb of virginia to this defense bill that would require active duty military personnel to spend an equal amount of time at their home base as they did deployed to combat zones so in order to win cloture or limit debate on the amendment and proceed to a final vote sixty votes are needed it was unclear whether democrats could muster enough g o p votes to reach that threshold so for the first time the defense authorization bill which the senate has been debating all day contains authorization for fighting in iraq and afghanistan senators tomorrow will vote on limiting debate on an amendment by virginia senator jim webb that would set time requirements between active troop deployment and then there will also be other amendments expected on troop reductions in iraq one amendment offered by senator carl levin chairman of the armed services committee along with the senator jack re would order president bush to begin pulling out troops in one hundred twenty days and in combat by april thirtieth two thousand and eight that measure would allow for some troops to remain to conduct counterterrorism to train the iraqi security forces and protect as you saw today democrats are reviving their push for troop withdrawals as the senate debates this six hundred forty nine billion dollars defense authorization bill the senate continuing to work on that bill and tomorrow votes are expected on two amendments the first requires minimum intervals between deployments for active duty service members and the second is a non binding counterproposal stating that reservists not be deployed for more than one year out of their six six years of service and then later this week an co sponsor by carl levin and jack reed mandating a deadline for troop withdrawal and into combat debate is expected to run as long as two weeks will provide live senate coverage here on c span t minutes if you could let me know when that twelve months is up we will thank you very much and his friends out there on how well the hope of anybody unfollowed six's to serve in a body such as the senate at a time that it matters well our hopes and dreams  going through we're in government to decide that it really matters what we're doing up here on this defense authorization bill matters it matters to the men women and uniform it matters to everybody in the world really because during these difficult times that the world is facing increasingly the world is turning to the american men and women fighting men and women to make things right i imagine a world without the brave armed forces of the united states what would that world look like would be a very dangerous place more more so than is now in so i just want to say that the one thing that we have in common here is republicans and democrats is admiration for those who are carrying the burden of fighting a worldwide global struggle called the war on terror now iraq we're going to have some amendments this week that really have one common thing to them it would take the current strategy in place in iraq and change it general petraeus was unanimously approved by this body to go to iraq and do something different he told us before he left that i need more troops the reason i need more troops is because the mistakes we've made in the past have caught up with us was the biggest mistake america made right after the fall of baghdad not having enough security to keep the country from spiraling out of control not having enough security to suppress the militias because one thing i've learned in life where there is lawless lawlessness people filling the government can't do then you'll find groups that will protect you and what happened in iraq as the security got out of control and you had sectarian violence spawn barricades up the thing we have to realize as a nation that this organization called has one common goal it's not about sunni shia kurds it's about moderate moderation they hate moderation in any form it doesn't matter if it's wearing the sunni face or shia face or kurdish face they've come to iraq to destroy this infant democracy now the report card on the political progress in iraq about like here at home give it give it a very low grade unlike here at home we do have a stable society for the most part in iraq they have a very unstable society so they need political leadership desperately and after my six or seven visit on the fourth of july we pass here to say there's bad news the bad news from my point of views the iraqi political leadership that exist today is paralyzed very much like we are here at home i don't see them any time soon having a breakout when it comes to political reconciliation but i do have hope for the future that they will do that and it's not  unrealistic obama think there is some emerging movements in iraq politically that can bring about reconciliation but here's the really good news that the strategy of additional combat power getting out of the walls behind the situation spiraling out of control and i was told time and time again know the training strategy is working our goal as a trained iraqi army and police forces and we're doing a good job well the first time i went to iraq and went rug shopping the last time i went before the change in strategy i was in the tank and it was clear to me being a military lawyer not a combat commander that the situation on the ground was getting worse all this time around after the new strategy has been in place things are getting better on the ground when it comes to suppressing the number one enemy of this nation right now for the moment as called al qaeda al qaeda in iraq flourished under the old strategy they were able to dominate different regions of iraq sunni populations were being terrorized and a lot of bad things happened when we were in baghdad training and not fighting well general petraeus when he got in charge when he got in place and said we're going to change strategy what he's done is cease in additional combat power into areas previously held by qaeda he's went to the tribal leaders and know that those areas and say if you're fed up we're here to help and here's the really good news to a to a person almost the people who lived under al qaeda his regime in iraq says no thank you that's not the life i want for myself or my family or my friends are my my my group al qaeda overplayed their hand they were incredibly vicious and brutal and they overplayed their hand and what's happened in the last few months is this additional combat capability that now exist in iraq has married up broken without keda they have joined with general petraeus iraqi security forces and literally that province has changed their he is in anbar province where you could not go to before that you can go to now where there's a new alliance in place there's been a surge in police recruits sunni's joining the police force to protect their hometown against al qaeda so the formula that betray us had in mind is not depended upon central government reconciliation he went out into the troubled areas and he told the people living under out qaeda if you choose to we will help you and you need to help yourselves and they have chosen to help themselves they have chosen to tell us where  operating they've given us better intelligence than we've ever had the fast they've joined the fight in we are winning al qaeda is on the run they're on the run because the iraqi people have broken with their way of life the big question for a lot of americans is everybody in the mideast committed to extremism is there any hope that people in the mideast would want to different way of life and bin laden has charted for them the answer is yes and the best evidence that i can give you is what's going on in iraq american combat power has been in place in sufficient numbers and levels the iraqis have chosen to side with us and reject that should be heartening news given the choice given the opportunity those who lived under the al qaeda regime and ideology have said no thank you now the permanent solution is political reconciliation but if we could focus as a nation on the in iraq it would be a much better world of political reconciliation yet to come in iraq would be enhanced if we destroyed al qaeda in iraq the global war on terror would be enhanced if we could destroy the al qaeda in iraq elements and the way we've done province has gone up dramatically and they're providing what was missing before a stable law and order regime that has rejected extremism the police forces in the sunni areas in anbar are doing very well they have the trust of the people and they're marrying up with iraqi army units who most of the officers are shias but we found that the shia iraqi army leadership and the sunni police forces have  so what did they do they moved they moved to dallas well what we're doing we're going to promise another sunni area but more more mixed in anbar and we're getting the same results extreme is the first thing you get terrorism this spectacular tat will continue for a long time to come but the actual situation on the ground has changed dramatically in anbar is beginning to change in the al why we've sent combat capability and to d province that we never had before the tribal leaders in that province have joined with us as they did in anbar more people are joining the police and again our qaeda is moving down the road the goal for us here i think as a nation is to sustain this capability to we defeat al qaeda in iraq and i don't believe that's going to take much longer because what we've left behind in anbar in a few months is going to be mature enough that we will not need that many troops in a few months from now we're going to have a mature police force and a well trained army to control areas in anbar province that were previously in the hands of al qaeda is going to take some time now when general petraeus comes back in september i think you'll give us a mixed report that will be the honest truth there are still areas of iraq very much in doubt but where we go in force and where people have a choice to make they're making the choice that we hope we make now our choice here in congress is whether or not we change course do we in july pass the minutes that would destroy the petrolia strategy and replace it with the old strategy the one thing that my democratic colleagues and republican colleagues have in common they're trying to do what's best for the country well here's what i think is best i think it is best not to do anything now that would give al qaeda a second chance in life i don't want the united states senate to be the calvary for al qaeda by that i mean i don't want us to pass an a t here that would destroy the ability of general petraeus to go after the enemy in aggressive fashion and continue forming these alliances by undercutting his ability to have the manpower that he needs the old strategy  failed to go back to the old strategy is a godsend out keda in is a death blow to those who come out of the shadows to say i want to better away i want to better of iraq so we have a chance here to give this general and the troops who've grown as part of this surge a chance to do something that i think is to our national security interest on the run and destroy it i am convinced now more than ever that the ability to destroy al  here in washington that will put them back in the fight we're going to be taking casualties as long as f k to exist anywhere in this planet my goal in the military is go is to fight them over there suppress them over there bring out the best in the people in the mideast and we're saying slowly but surely that the people in iraq who lived under our qaeda are turning away that isn't good news are they turning to democracy and political you the no not yet but the precondition the forming a new iraq is to take those who wish to destroy this new democracy and isolate them and destroy them before they can destroy this idea called moderation qaeda agenda is not limited to iraq but they see it as a central battlefront in a war on terror we should see it as a central battlefront in the war on terror and any amendment that is passed in july that would undo the betray a strategy is short sided and in the long run very devastating daryn national security interests so i just urge mark colleagues to look close and ask the questions that need to be asked not for the next election but for the next generation of young americans and people in the mideast and that question is if we do not stay committed to this by against an enemy that hates everything we stand for now what are the consequences later and i can tell you and i'll close with this thought that history tells us the answer to that question every time  has been appeased good people die unnecessarily we've got good people in iraq the iraqi people themselves have good people among their population our men and women in uniform  best that we have to offer this alliance between the good will defeat the evil has a has it always has done all only if we have greater will than our enemy the votes were about that really are about political