Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for including my amendment in this package. My amendment is very simple. It asks the Department of Defense to report on what actually makes an installation in the Pacific strategically important. In my many meetings with military leaders, I'm always told about the strategic importance of various installations in Alaska and all across this country; however, ``strategic'' is never fully defined. My amendment merely asks the Department of Defense to qualify and quantify exactly what makes an installation strategic. As every Alaskan knows, Alaska has numerous strategic installations that proudly protect this country from harm. Among those bases is Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, which is the home to the 18th Aggressor Squadron. This squadron provides our Nation's pilots with real-life training they need to be the best in the world. Throughout the year, but especially during Red Flag-Alaska, the F-16 Aggressors fight realistic mock battles in the largest training range in the United States, and it's one of the most terrain diverse training areas in the world. Eielson Air Force Base is also home to the strategically important 168th Air Guard Refueling Wing. These KC-135s provide legs for our Nation's northern air bridge, which allows us to project power into the Arctic and the Northern Pacific.…”