SJR 22 AM H: Inviting the United States Department of Defense to select Alaska as the site to base and train military troops.
00SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 22 am H 01 Inviting the United States Department of Defense to select Alaska as the site to 02 base and train military troops. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS the nation's military strategy has shifted from its focus during the Cold 05 War on deterrence and containment to support for the nation's new policies of global 06 leadership in preventive diplomacy and promotion of democratic values; and 07 WHEREAS our armed forces, in the face of budget and force reductions and 08 increasingly limited resources, are now called upon to conduct operations ranging from 09 enforcing peace to preventing conflict and providing humanitarian assistance, while at all 10 times remaining fully trained and prepared to accomplish their ultimate mission: to fight our 11 nation's wars and win; and 12 WHEREAS the United States Department of Defense is now conducting its 13 quadrennial review to evaluate the roles, missions, force structure, and base structure required 14 to meet the challenges of the changing world situation; and
01 WHEREAS Alaska's military bases offer the armed forces an unmatched military 02 value as a global power projection platform, as well as incomparable joint training areas that 03 combine world class airspace and air-to-surface target ranges with state-of-the-art electronic 04 arrays and capabilities and a wide range of terrain that is similar to the terrain of many 05 worldwide contingency operations areas; and 06 WHEREAS the State of Alaska and its citizens have always extended a warm 07 welcome to members of the armed forces and their families and supported them with state and 08 local programs and educational opportunities that recognize the contributions that members 09 of the armed forces and their families have made to our nation as well as to our local 10 communities; 11 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature invites the United States 12 Department of Defense to make use of Alaska's unique qualities and capabilities by selecting 13 military areas of operation within the state as the site to base and train the full spectrum force 14 our nation now requires to successfully deploy and conduct both joint and combined 15 operations in environments around the world. 16 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the 17 United States; to the Honorable Al Gore, Vice-President of the United States and President 18 of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable William S. Cohen, Secretary of Defense; the Honorable 19 Togo D. West, Jr., Secretary of the Army; the Honorable John H. Dalton, Secretary of the 20 Navy; the Honorable Sheila E. Widnall, Secretary of the Air Force; the Honorable Strom 21 Thurmond, Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable 22 Floyd D. Spence, Chairman of the National Security Committee of the U. S. House of 23 Representatives; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. 24 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska 25 delegation in Congress.