Benjamin Gilman: “Though I have the highest respect for the author of this amendment, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and his…”

“Though I have the highest respect for the author of this amendment, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and his underlying intentions, I am strongly opposed to this measure. I base my opposition on two concerns. First, I believe the notion that we would be reducing the burden of our Armed Forces to our taxpayers by agreeing to the amendment is based upon a false impression. We have invested significantly over the past 50 years in our military infrastructure in Europe. It is this investment that is now paying dividends which allowed us, such as the air strikes in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to utilize our bases in Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and in other countries. It is also paying off in the NATO mission in Bosnia, where we were able to rotate in units from our Armed Forces in Germany and to protect them with air power based in Italy at a much lower cost than having them flown in from the United States, as we appear to be facing an imminent new NATO mission in Kosovo, and we will see our investment recouped there as well. The reductions in Armed Forces required by this amendment simply mean that we will have to forfeit our investment in infrastructure.”