04/02/2013 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

        HJR 11-COMMEM. ANNIVERSARY OF REAGAN SDI SPEECH                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON announced that the first order of business would be                                                                 
HJR 11.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAN SADDLER, sponsor of HJR 11, reviewed the                                                                     
contents of the bill. He read from the following sponsor                                                                        
statement:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     HJR 11 commemorates the 30th Anniversary of President                                                                      
     Ronald Regan's "Strategic Defense Initiative"                                                                              
     addressed to the nation on March 23, 1983. President                                                                       
     Reagan believed that we should achieve "peace through                                                                      
     strength," and called for the nation to develop the                                                                        
     ability to intercept and destroy strategic nuclear                                                                         
     missiles before they could reach the United States.                                                                        
     Though his idea was initially mocked as a "Star Wars"                                                                      
     fantasy, Reagan's vision was eventually realized.                                                                          
     Americans developed what became better known, and                                                                          
     better respected, as the "Strategic Defense                                                                                
     Initiative."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     HJR 11 commemorates the 30th anniversary of President                                                                      
     Reagan's speech to the nation calling for the creation                                                                     
     of the "Star Wars" defense system, and credits Reagan                                                                      
     for his vision. HJR 11 also honors the Alaskans who                                                                        
     play a critical role in this system: The Alaska                                                                            
     National Guard's 49th Missile Defense Battalion mans                                                                       
     the nation's primary installation of the Ground-Based,                                                                     
     Mid-course Defense System and interceptor missiles, at                                                                     
     Fort Greely, in Interior Alaska.                                                                                           
     But while we have 26 missiles and silos at Fort                                                                            
     Greely, the plans had originally called for 40. In                                                                         
     2009 President Obama stopped short of finishing                                                                            
     deployment of the last 14 interceptors planned for                                                                         
     deployment. This incomplete system left the nation                                                                         
     vulnerable to the threat of increasingly sophisticated                                                                     
     and capable missiles: from Iran, from China, and from                                                                      
     North Korea. In recent weeks, the threat has gotten                                                                        
     even more real, North Korea has made clear and                                                                             
     credible threats to launch nuclear attacks on the                                                                          
     United States.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     HJR 11, therefore, also calls on the current President                                                                     
     to deploy the full number of ground-based missiles                                                                         
     originally intended to be installed at Fort Greely.                                                                        
     But just as this resolution was being drafted,                                                                             
     Secretary of Defense Hagel announced his decision to                                                                       
     deploy an additional 14 interceptors to Fort Greely,                                                                       
     Alaska by 2017 - bringing the total to 44 (40 in                                                                           
     Alaska, 4 at Vandenberg AFB in California)                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     It's clear that President Reagan was right about Star                                                                      
     Wars; that our nation needed and someday would be very                                                                     
     glad to have, a defense against the threat of ICBMs.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER concluded that HBJ 11 recognizes                                                                         
President Reagan's "Star Wars" vision, honors his commitment to                                                                 
ensure our nation maintains peace through strength, expresses                                                                   
appreciation of the brave Alaskans manning the defenses at the                                                                  
frontiers of space, and validates Defense Secretary Hegel's                                                                     
timely decision to complete the installation of the full                                                                        
complement of missiles at Fort Greely.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON voiced appreciation for Representative Saddler's                                                                    
efforts.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:10:38 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report CSHJR 11(MLV) from committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note.                                                                  
There being no objection, it was so ordered.