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AMENDMENTS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING TO
OFFER ANY AMENDMENT.
MR. INHOFE: THAT'S NOT MY
INTENTION.
I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME
OF THESE.
MR. LEVIN: IF I COULD ASK MY
FRIEND ABOUT HOW LONG.
MR. INHOFE: UNTIL YOU'RE READY
TO TALK.
MR. LEVIN: THAT SOUNDS GOOD.
MR. INHOFE: THERE ARE A NUMBER
OF AMENDMENTS THAT PROBABLY WILL
NOT COME UP BUT THEY SHOULD
HAVE.
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS SOME TIME
AGO, THE FEDERAL AVIATION
ADMINISTRATION CAME UP WITH A
CHANGE FOR THEIR SUB S
NONSCHEDULED CARRIERS THAT IS
GOING TO MAKE THEM COMPLY WITH
CERTAIN OF THE WAGE AND HOUR --
CREW REST REQUIREMENTS.
HERE'S THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE:
ABOUT 95% OF THE PASSENGERS THAT
GO IN -- THIS IS OUR TROOPS --
GO INTO AFGHANISTAN TODAY ARE
CARRIED BY NONSCHEDULED AIRLINES
AS OPPOSED TO MILITARY.
AND ABOUT 40% OF THE CARGO
THAT'S GOING IN.
NOW, THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS
WITH THE 15-HOUR RESTRICTIONS ON
CREW REST THEY'RE UNABLE TO
BRING THEM IN, LEAVE THEM THERE
AND THEN GO BACK TO THEIR POINT
OF ORIGIN SOMEPLACE IN GERMANY
WITHOUT EXCEEDING THAT 15-HOUR
LIMITATION.
AND THE ONLY OTHER CHOICE THEY'D
HAVE WOULD BE TO LEAVE THEM IN
AFGHANISTAN WHICH THEY CAN'T DO
BECAUSE THAT'S A WAR ZONE.
SO IT'S -- I WANT TO HAVE A WAY
OF WORKING THIS THING OUT SO
THAT WE CAN -- AND WE WANT TO
PURSUE THIS BECAUSE THE -- THE
CARRIERS UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
PROBLEM IS, AND THESE ARE THE
NONSCHEDULED CARRIERS.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK
IS VERY SIGNIFICANT AND WE NEED
TO BE ADDRESSING IT.
ANOTHER ISSUE IS, THE GROUP
THAT IS THE JOINT AND IMPROVISED
EXPLOSIVE DEVICE DEFEAT
ORGANIZATION, THEY'VE DONE
GREAT JOBS IN THEIR TECHNOLOGY
AND STOPPING THE VARIOUS
TECHNOLOGIES, THE I.D.'S THAT
HAVE BEEN KILLING AND CAUSING
DAMAGE TO OUR TROOPS AND TO OUR
ALLIES.
AND THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE
IS, IT IS SET UP JUST FOR THE
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.
NOW, WHEN EVERYTHING IS THROUGH
IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, THAT
MIGHT PUT THEM IN A POSITION
WHERE THEY WOULD CEASE TO EXIST
YET THE TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT
THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS
USEFUL HERE IN THE UNITED STATES
EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT DESIGNED BY
THE LEGISLATURE TO DO THAT.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN
BE -- I BELIEVE CAN BE
CORRECTED.
ANOTHER AREA THAT NEEDS TO BE
ADDRESSED AND I'VE GOT SOME
IDEAS AND THIS IS ONE BY LIKE TO
GET IN THE QUEUE, IT IS NOT
PENDING AT THIS TIME SO THERE IS
A LITTLE BIT OF A PROBLEM
THERE, BUT IT MIGHT BE
SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED
IN CONFERENCE AND THAT IS THE
MILITARY BASES SHOULD BE ABLE TO
BENEFIT FROM PRODUCTION OF
DOMESTIC ENERGY AND RESOURCES ON
THOSE BASES.
IN THE CASE OF McALISTER
DEPOT, THEY COULD VERTICALLY
GO -- HORIZONTAL THINK DRILL
AND COME OUT COME OUT WITH
PRETTY GOOD ROYALTIES THAT WOULD
OTHERWISE GO TO THE GENERAL FUND
OR TO THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA.
IT'S KIND OF DIVIDED IN THAT
WAY.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS, THERE IS
A COST THAT'S INCURRED BY THE
MILITARY OPERATION AND WE WOULD
NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S
GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO RECEIVE
THE BENEFITS OF THE -- OF THE
PRODUCTION THAT TAKES PLACE
UNDER THE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
THROUGH HORIZONTAL DRILLING.
I THINK EVERYONE IS FOR DOING
THIS BUT THE PROBLEM IS IT COULD
BE SCORED IN THAT IF YOU TOOK
ALL OF THE BE -- ALL OF THE
EXISTING PRODUCTION, THAT WOULD
BE MONEY THAT WOULD NOT
OTHERWISE GO TO, TO OUR GENERAL
FUND.
WHAT BY PROPOSE IS HAVE THIS IN
THE FORM OF AN AMENDMENT AND
THEN CHANGE IT TO SAY ANY
OPERATION THAT IS -- FROM THIS
POINT FORWARD, THAT MONEY,
THOSE ROYALTIES COULD GO BACK TO
THE -- BACK TO THE MILITARY
BASE.
BECAUSE WHAT WE ALL AGREE ON IS
WE DON'T WANT OUR BASES TO HAVE
TO FOOT THE BILL FOR THESE
THINGS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE.
THE -- I HAD AN AMENDMENT 1101
THAT WOULD STOP THE TRANSFER OF
THE MC-12 I.S.R. AIRCRAFT FROM
THE AIR FORCE TO THE ARMY.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS -- IS
PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE -- THE
RECONNAISSANCE, INTELLIGENCE
AND RECONNAISSANCE AND THE
MC-12-W IS A C-12, AND IT'S ONE
THAT APPARENTLY THE -- RIGHT
NOW IT'S IN THE CUSTODY OR UNDER
THE JURISDICTION OF THE AIR
FORCE, AND THIS BILL WOULD
CHANGE IT FROM THE AIR FORCE TO
THE ARMY.
WELL, NEITHER THE AIR FORCE NOR
THE ARMY WANTS TO MAKE THAT
CHANGE.
AND THERE OUGHT TO BE A WAY TO
SUPPORT -- TO SUPPORT THAT.
THE -- THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER
AMENDMENTS THAT WILL BE COMING
FORWARD THAT WILL BE OFFERED,
ONE I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT
IS THE SALE OF THE F-16 C AND D
MODELS TO TAIWAN.
AND THEN LASTLY, I FEEL VERY
STRONGLY ABOUT THIS, BACK IN
2007, WE CHANGED THE --
THE -- THE COMMANDS TO CREATE
AFRICON.
IT WAS PART OF THREE COMMANDS,
CENTRAL COMMAND, PACIFIC
COMMAND AND EUROPEAN COMMAND.
WELL, IT'S SUCH A SIGNIFICANT IN
TERMS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY,
IN TERMS OF OUR ECONOMY, AND
THE ACTIVITY THAT'S GOING ON
THERE, ON RIGHT NOW, FOR
EXAMPLE EVER SINCE 9/11 WE'VE
BEEN WORKING WITH THE AFRICANS
TO DEVELOP IN AFRICA OR
PROGRAMS, OUR 1206 PROGRAMS,
OUR TRAINER EQUIP PROGRAMS AND
MORE RECENTLY WE'RE INVOLVED IN
THE L.R.A. ISSUE IN FOUR
COUNTRIES IN AFRICA.
WELL, THERE IS AN EFFORT NOW TO
I THINK ALMOST ANY MEMBER -- I
GUESS I'D FEEL THE SAME WAY --
TO TAKE THAT COMMAND, IT'S NOW
IN STUTTGART, GERMANY, AND PUT
IT IN TEXAS OR FLORIDA OR
SOMEPLACE IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE
SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE INURE
MAYBE TO THE BENEFIT OF A
MEMBER, A SENATOR BUT ON THE
OTHER HAND IT WOULD CREATE
CERTAIN PROBLEMS.
WHEN THE AFRICAN COMMAND CAME
INTO EFFECT, AND I THINK THAT'S
ONE OF THE FEW ISSUES THAT I
PROBABLY AM MORE FAMILIAR WITH
THAN MOST OTHER MEMBERS ARE,
THE OBVIOUS PLACE WOULD HAVE
BEEN TO HAVE THAT COMMAND
LOCATED IN AFRICA ITSELF.
AND MY CHOICE AT THAT TIME WAS
ETHIOPIA AND I THINK THERE'S A
LOT OF JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT.
BUT THEY SAID BECAUSE OF THE
POLITICAL PROBLEM, IF YOU GO
BACK HISTORICALLY IN AFRICA AND
LOOK AT THE COLONIALISM, THERE
IS THIS THING EMBEDDED IN THE
MINDS OF PEOPLE IN AFRICA
THINKING HAVING A COMMAND, A
UNITED STATES COMMAND LOCATED IN
AFRICA MIGHT REVERT BACK TO SOME
OF THE COLONIAL DAYS AND THAT'S
THE EFFORT -- THAT'S THE
CONCERN THAT PEOPLE HAD.
SO ANYWAY, I THOUGHT IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE IT IN
AFRICA ITSELF BUT BECAUSE OF
THIS -- AND, BY THE WAY, I'VE
TALKED TO MANY OF THE PRESIDENTS
OF COUNTRIES OVER THERE.
THE PRESIDENT IN TANZANIA, AND
THE PRESIDENT IN RWANDA, AND
PRESIDENT KABILA IN CONGO.
THEY SAY YEAH, IT WOULD SERVE
BETTER TO HAVE THAT COMMAND
LOCATED SOMEWHERE IN AFRICA BUT
WE HAVE THE POLITICAL PROBLEM
WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD THINK
THAT'S A MOVE BACK TOWARD
COLONIALISM.
SO IT'S A COMPLICATED PROBLEM.
HOWEVER I DO BELIEVE THAT ALL OF
THE GENERALS PRETTY MUCH FEEL
THAT AFRICON SHOULD STAY WHERE
IT IS, AT LEAST STUTTGART IS IN
THE SAME TIME ZONE, EASIER TO
TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT AND PEOPLE
BACK AND FORTH SO I WOULD OPPOSE
ANY AMENDMENTS CHANGING THAT
SITUATION.
WITH THAT I YIELD THE FLOOR AND