Alcee Hastings: “This particular amendment, most respectfully, is attempting to solve a problem that does not exist. We have all, at some…”

“This particular amendment, most respectfully, is attempting to solve a problem that does not exist. We have all, at some point, been critical of the United Nations. Many have criticized the United Nations for its failure to respond promptly to conflict overseas. Our colleagues on the Committee on National Security often criticize the U.N. for not having professional military capabilities. However, this proposed U.N. Rapidly Deployable Mission Headquarters is a response to these criticisms. It would be a very small unit in New York, staffed by a handful of U.N. employees and personnel, on loan from member states which could deploy quickly to the field to establish communications links, make a survey of the ground situation, and other commonsense steps. This unit is not a stalking horse for a United Nations standing army.”