A resolution honoring the service of the National Guard and requesting consultation by the Department of Defense with Congress and the chief executive officers of the States prior to offering proposals to change the National Guard force structure.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak on behalf of a resolution I am submitting with Senator Graham and 31 other senators, many of whom are members of the National Guard Caucus like me and Senator Graham. I am also very proud to note that the National Guard Association of the United States has endorsed our resolution.

This resolution honors the service of the National Guard and requests consultation by the Department of Defense with the Congress and our Nation's Governors prior to offering proposals that could change the force structure of the Guard. In my opinion, it could not be timelier or more important.

We all know the tremendous sacrifices the National Guard is making around the globe today. The Army National Guard and the Air National Guard represent 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia and they are currently hard at work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and over 40 other countries around the world.

Long gone is the phrase ``weekend warrior''. The Guard is made up of citizen-soldiers and airmen who serve full-time when their country calls on them. Since September 11, they have responded and represented America's militia with great honor.

Currently, the Nebraska National Guard has 364 personnel in Iraq. Their units are the 1-167th Cavalry which provides combat support to the Marines, the 67 Area Support Group which is responsible for command and control and the 189th Truck Company which handles convoy operations. In Afghanistan, there are 65 National Guard members of the 2nd Battalion at the Regional Training Institute helping to train the Afghan National Army. Their Adjutant General, Major General Roger L. Lempke, leads the Nebraska National Guard with great pride and distinction. He is a credit to the National Guard, Nebraska and the Nation he represents.

The Guard is unique in that it's a shared resource between the Governors and the President. The National Guard is the first to respond to domestic emergencies which range from natural disasters to homeland defense. Ninety percent of the troops on the ground in Louisiana and Mississippi responding to Hurricane Katrina were members of the National Guard.

Most Nebraskans will recall the blizzard that roared out of Colorado in October 1997 and slammed into Nebraska causing extensive damage that would take weeks to clean up. It was fall and most trees still had their leaves. Branches snapped under the weight of more than a foot of heavy, wet snow and ice. The resulting power outages left 125,000 Nebraskans without electricity for days and even weeks.

As governor of Nebraska then, it was the responsibility of my office to declare a state of emergency which activated the National Guard to help in clean up and rescue operations. The Guard responded with troops and equipment that made the effort proceed smoothly and efficiently.

The Guard handles State missions like this every year and every season while experiencing critical equipment shortages, especially vehicle and radio shortages. Congress added $1 billion dollars for new equipment for the Guard last December, but that's only a small portion of what is needed to fully fund the equipment needs of the Guard. And deployments, especially to Iraq and Afghanistan, have stretched the Guard thin.

It's in this environment that the Department of Defense will release the Quadrennial Defense Review next month. The QDR review could impact the future of the Guard. The Army and the Air Force may recommend changes in the force structure which will impact Army National Guard armories and Air National Guard wings throughout the country.

Reductions in the force structure combined with a lack of adequate equipment for the National Guard threaten its missions and ability to respond in an emergency. Homeland defense is the most important mission of the Department of Defense and the National Guard is the force best suited to defend the homeland. It's the very last place resources should be cut from.

Unfortunately, media reports indicate that to pay for modernization programs, the Department of Defense will propose changing the Guard's force structure. In an effort to begin a dialogue with DOD we are offering this resolution which honors the National Guard and recommends that DOD: Fully funding the equipment needs of

the National Guard; requests that the Department of Defense should, as soon as possible, consult with Governors, as well as Congress, on any proposed changes to the National Guard force structure; requests that any plan of the Department of Defense regarding the National Guard force structure take into account the role of the National Guard in homeland defense and other state mission defined by Governors; requests the Department of Defense provide budget projections that detail cost savings from any changes in National Guard force structure, as well as projected costs in the event large personnel increases are necessary to respond to a national emergency; and requests the Department of Defense assure Congress, and Governors, that potential force structure changes will not impact the safety and security of the American people.

Every debate about the defense budget should be held in the context of long-term national security goals. I look forward to engaging with the Department on their QDR proposals for the future of America's militia, the National Guard, and I urge adoption of this resolution by the full Senate.

Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for this opportunity to speak on S. Res. 355 regarding the budget for the National Guard, a resolution which Senator Lindsey Graham and I have cosponsored.

Last week, a total of 75 Senators, including myself, signed a letter to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld opposing the plan that proposes changes to the standing force structure of the National Guard. This plan has raised serious concerns.

Senator Frist, the majority leader, said last week on a national morning news program that he would oppose cuts to the National Guard.

Nebraska National Guard General Roger Lempke, president of the Adjunct Generals Association, has aggressively questioned the proposed changes to the Guard. General Lempke and I share another concern about the Guard; that is, the increasing problem it has with equipment shortages as a result of the war, damage, total destruction, and the fact that much of the equipment is most likely going to be left in Iraq.

Earlier this year, General Lempke briefed me on equipment shortages faced by the Nebraska National Guard. I learned firsthand that the Guard in Nebraska is facing shortages of $35 million in equipment, from trucks to body armor, from humvees to night-vision goggles.

This prompted me, along with my colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham, to introduce a resolution on the National Guard that essentially does two things: First, it asks the Pentagon to fully fund the Guard to restore lost and destroyed equipment; second, it seeks consultation with Congress and the Nation's Governors on any potential force structure changes. In a briefing today before the Senate Committee on Armed Services, General Schoomaker assured members he has already begun this process of talking to the Nation's Governors and seeking more consultation with affected Members of the Congress.

This resolution was cleared by the Committee on Armed Services and sent to the Senate last week. It has 54 cosponsors, including myself. It is bipartisan. It is direct. I urge my colleagues and the majority leader to ensure that this resolution be passed today. We cannot wait any longer. We must assure the Department of Defense, that Congress has spoken, and that we will be heard on this issue.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Armed Services Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 355, and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 625 which was submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.