Military & Defense
Ensuring Our Nation's Freedom

In my thirty five years in the House of Representatives, I have continually worked to ensure that our military is not only the best in the world, but able to succeed in any situation. America has faced and will continue to face many different enemies and must be prepared to defend itself against all of them. Whenever possible, America must use diplomacy to avoid conflicts and to build friendships. When diplomacy fails, however, we must be ready to fight.

Our military bases in Alaska are some of the most strategically located in the world.  The Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC) provides the best training facility for our troops.  I have spoken with many high-ranking military officials and with senior Members of Congress about making the JPARC the premier training facility for our troops.  I will continue to support all of our bases, and hope to see new missions continue to come to Alaska. 

We are winning the Global War on Terrorism, but that is not enough to guarantee America's safety-we must also continue to support our Armed Forces to ensure we are prepared to win any future conflicts, and Alaska, due to its strategically important location, will remain crucial to America's effort. As the father of the Air Force, General Billy Mitchell, once said "Who controls Alaska, controls the world." I will make sure that our military continues to utilize Alaska properly.

I believe in producing results instead of promises. Here are just a few of the things which I have been working on as your Representative in Congress.

Iraq
I have been a firm supporter of General Petreaus and the Surge in Iraq and have held firm against those who wanted to legislate defeat. The Surge continues to stabilize Iraq, as the number of violent incidents have fallen drastically and with the decrease in violence has come fewer Iraqi and coalition deaths, which have decreased by more than 50% in September and October. In fact, the Surge has been so effective that we have been able to lower the number of American troops in Iraq, including the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, who return to Alaska in November. By July 2008, five brigades (almost 20,000 troops) will have been redeployed from Iraq due to the increase in stability and the ability of the Iraqi Army, Special Operations Battalions and National Police to shoulder the workload. More than 140 battalions are currently involved in the fight and more than 95 of them are able to lead missions with coalition support. Many Iraqi units are operating without assistance and all are involved in fighting Iraqi Extremists, Al Qaeda, and Iranian forces and stabilizing the country. A withdrawal now would destroy these gains and give Iraq back to Al Qaeda, Iran and sectarian strife. Troops are not enough to create a stable democracy, however. In the end, the Iraqi government must continue to build a government that will represent all of the people of Iraq. America cannot, and should not, have permanent bases in Iraq and it is up to the Iraqis to ensure the country remains stable when we remove our troops.

Defense Appropriations
As the Congressman for All Alaska, it is my job to make sure that Alaska's military has the funding it needs. This year alone, I helped to secure more than $161 million to build the facilities for the military in Alaska. That funding included $76 million to build a company operations facility and to upgrade the base's electric infrastructure, $106.97 million to build facilities for the F-22 squadron and to transfer the 176th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard to Elmendorf Air Force Base. I also worked to include almost $15 million for the Air Force Reserve in Alaska and almost $12 million in earmarks for defense projects in Alaska in 2007-2008.

BRAC
During the last round of BRAC, in 2005, the commission wrongly targeted Eielson Air Force Base for closure. I worked tirelessly with Senator Stevens to successfully convince the commission of the necessity of Eielson. Outsiders do not always understand the strategic importance of Alaska and without the intervention of the senior members of Alaska's Congressional delegation, Eielson would have been closed and America would have lost a base that will only become more important as the Northwest Passage clears. Eielson is not in the clear yet, however. Preparations for another round of BRAC are beginning, with the commission slated to hand down its decision in 2010. Without a senior Congressman in the House of Representatives, Eielson could be closed to due to a lack of long-term vision and to save less important bases in other states. I will do everything in my power to not only prevent Eielson's closure, but to expand its mission to reflect its strategic importance.

Defense Bills Cosponsored by Rep. Young in 111th Congress:

H.R.1864 –
This legislation would provide a pay increase of 3.4 percent for members of the uniformed services for fiscal year 2010. This legislation was included in the FY10 Defense Appropriations Bill.

H.R.2294 - Keep Terrorists Out of America Act 
This bill expresses the sense of Congress that individuals currently detained at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should not be transferred or released into the United States.  Prohibits the President from transferring or releasing any such individual into the United States unless 60 days prior to such transfer: (1) the President submits to the governor and legislature of the state to which the President intends to transfer or release such an individual certification that the individual does not pose a security risk to the United States; (2) the governor and state legislature of the state in which the President intends to transfer an individual consent to the transfer; and (3) the President notifies the Congress of, among other things, the name of the individual being transferred, the installation the individual is being transferred to, a justification for the transfer, and a certification that the President has mitigated any risks to national security posed by the transfer.

H.R.2699 - Armed Forces Behavioral Health Awareness Act
This bill would make any member of the Armed Forces who is deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers (centers for such counseling and services for veterans), regardless of the member's duty status. This bill would also direct the Secretary of Defense to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide emotional support services for family members of members of the Armed Forces, including members of the reserves. Additionally, this bill would require the Secretary of the Army to carry out a pilot program to enhance awareness of post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) among members of the Army.