Sam Gibbons: “I wish today to address briefly the issue of urban encroachment on our military training. Mr. Speaker, for too long we…”

“I wish today to address briefly the issue of urban encroachment on our military training. Mr. Speaker, for too long we have paid lip service to the fact that our American military will always be the best trained military in the world. Unfortunately, as a Nation, we are on the verge of breaking that promise and breaking faith with those who have volunteered to serve our Nation. The Armed Forces' readiness is being eroded by urban expansion, environmental regulation, and commercial competition for our airspace, for ranges and for communication frequencies, encroachment issues that are threatening the ability of our servicemen and women to effectively prepare for the challenges which may face our Nation. The iron law of our military is that training saves lives. When training goes down for whatever reason, accidents and casualties go up. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker. Encroachment is like a cancer, eating away at our training capabilities. We must always be vigilant to this encroachment and act quickly to revitalize our training so as to keep our faith with those sworn to protect us.”