SASC members apprehensive about BRAC, force readiness.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Senate Armed Services Committee

All nine new members of the Senate Armed Services Committee--six Republicans and three Democrats--plan to focus much of their attention this year on military readiness, force modernization and base-closure issues.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, of San Antonio, who replaced fellow Republican Sen. Phil Gramm, said he came to Congress determined to promote a healthy debate on national defense issues. "Military spending during the previous administration left us vulnerable," he said. "It created instability and the potential for attacks, even such as those we saw on September 11."

In an interview on Capitol Hill, he described himself as a military brat whose father, a B-17 pilot in World War II, was an oral pathologist in the Air Force. Cornyn served as Texas' attorney general from 1999 to 2002. During his campaign for the Senate seat, he visited virtually all of the 17 active U.S. military installations in Texas.

"Texas is uniquely situated in terms of military recruitment," he said. "Seventy percent of the military calls Texas home."

There also is a heavy defense-industry presence in the state. The V-22 Osprey program and the Joint Strike Fighter both have production facilities in Texas.

Regarding the Base Realignment and Closure process, Cornyn said that "Texas has already contributed, and I hope it will not be asked to contribute more in terms of closing bases. It has a huge impact on the economy and the quality of life for soldiers.

"I plan to work with our local communities to make sure the bases work in conjunction with the overall missions of the military," he added.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., is not a freshman senator, but this year marks his first on Armed Services. He told National Defense that the most important issues for the committee and this Congress are homeland defense and fighting the war on terrorism.

The September 11 attacks, he said, "solidified my belief that we live in a new world, one in which we have no other choice but to be proactive, and to do all we can to prevent terrorist attacks before they happen. This includes raking the war to the terrorists where they operate, confronting states that give them safe harbor, cutting off their funding sources, and making sure they are not provided weapons of mass destruction.

"The work of the new department (of homeland security) is critical, and Congress has an essential role in making sure it gets started up properly and becomes effective as quickly as possible," he said.

"I support...