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.
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