1-1 By: Shapleigh, Duncan S.C.R. No. 38 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 3, 1999; March 4, 1999, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Veteran Affairs and 1-4 Military Installations; April 13, 1999, reported favorably by the 1-5 following vote: Yeas 3, Nays 0; April 13, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Future military threats to the United States and its 1-8 allies may come from technologically advanced rogue states that for 1-9 the first time are armed with long-range missiles capable of 1-10 delivering nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons to an 1-11 increasingly wider range of countries; and 1-12 WHEREAS, The U.S. military strategy requires flexible and 1-13 strong armed forces that are well-trained, well-equipped, and ready 1-14 to defend our nation's interests against these devastating weapons 1-15 of mass destruction; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Previous rounds of military base closures combined 1-17 with the realignment of the Department of the Army force structure 1-18 have established Fort Bliss as the Army's Air Defense Artillery 1-19 Center of Excellence, thus making McGregor Range, which is a part 1-20 of Fort Bliss, the nation's principal training facility for air 1-21 defense systems; and 1-22 WHEREAS, McGregor Range is inextricably linked to the 1-23 advanced missile defense testing network that includes Fort Bliss 1-24 and the White Sands Missile Range, providing, verifying, and 1-25 maintaining the highest level of missile defense testing for the 1-26 Patriot, Avenger, Stinger, and other advanced missile defense 1-27 systems; and 1-28 WHEREAS, The McGregor Range comprises more than half of the 1-29 Fort Bliss installation land area, and the range and its restricted 1-30 airspace in conjunction with the White Sands Missile Range, is 1-31 crucial to the development and testing of the Army Tactical Missile 1-32 System and the Theater High Altitude Area Defense System; and 1-33 WHEREAS, The high quality and unique training capabilities of 1-34 the McGregor Range allow the verification of our military readiness 1-35 in air-to-ground combat, including the Army's only opportunity to 1-36 test the Patriot missile in live fire, tactical scenarios, as well 1-37 as execute the "Roving Sands" joint training exercises held 1-38 annually at Fort Bliss; and 1-39 WHEREAS, The Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1986 requires 1-40 that the withdrawal from public use of all military land governed 1-41 by the Army, including McGregor Range, must be terminated on 1-42 November 6, 2001, unless such withdrawal is renewed by an Act of 1-43 Congress; now, therefore, be it 1-44 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-45 hereby support the U.S. Congress in ensuring that the critical 1-46 infrastructure for the U.S. military defense strategy be maintained 1-47 through the renewal of the withdrawal from public use of the 1-48 McGregor Range land beyond 2001; and, be it further 1-49 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 1-50 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 1-51 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 1-52 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of 1-53 the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 1-54 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 1-55 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. 1-56 * * * * *