The White House Briefing Room
April 1, 1999
PRESS BRIEFING BY ADMIRAL PAUL REASON AND LT. GENERAL THOMAS KECK
2:28 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Norfolk, Virginia)
______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 1, 1999
PRESS BRIEFING BY
ADMIRAL PAUL REASON AND
LT. GENERAL THOMAS KECK
Norfolk Naval Base
Norfolk, Virginia
2:28 P.M. EST
COLONEL CROWLEY: If I could have your attention, please. During the
course of the President's stay here in Norfolk, following his arrival, he had a
chance to interact for about 30, 45 minutes with a cross-section of military
families from the Tidewater area, representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and
Marine Corps. Some of those families are deployed in the European theatre and
participating in the operation in Kosovo. I think one family, at least, came
from -- whose military member is deployed to the Gulf region, as well.
But I thought before we leave it would be a good opportunity for you to
hear a little bit more about the meeting with the family. And at the same time,
following the meeting with the family, the President had a brief conversation
with the crews in the ready room at Aviano Air Base before they were going out
to launch an additional mission.
Norfolk is a very important military center, where you have both the
NATO Command here, the United States Unified Command and then the subcomponents
for the Army, Navy and Air Force. And we have two representatives here to give
you a little bit of insight into the President's conversation with the families
and with the crew at Aviano.
So first, we'll have Admiral J. Paul Reason, who is Commander of the
United States Atlantic Fleet; followed by Lt.
General Tom Keck, who is the Vice Commander of the Air Force Air
Combat Command. And these folks are the force providers who are
providing many of the forces that are participating in the
operation in the European theater.
So we'll hear first from Admiral Reason and then from
General Keck.
ADMIRAL REASON: Thank you. Well, good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen. When the President arrived in Air Force
One here at Naval Station Norfolk this morning, he went into a
session with about 18 family members -- spouses and children of
soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that are deployed from this
region. Some are in Europe, some are at sea in the Mediterranean
or the Adriatic. Some are as far away as the Persian Gulf. But
to a person, they were very focused in providing information
about their own personal situations to the President.
He was exposed to how these families that were
represented are coping with their service member's being deployed
in an arena where every day the tension is heightened a little
more than the day before.
Some of the exchange was very pointed; some of it was
full of candor, perhaps, as a force provider, beyond the point
that I would have expected. There was one military wife who
explained to the President -- and she was accompanied by her
three children -- that even though her husband was in a very high
pay grade, an E-6, he had lots of years of service -- that, in
fact, she was drawing welfare. And she explained exactly how
that could happen and the fact that it is not uncommon; but that
as a patriot, that really concerned her and bothered her and she
felt that that was wrong. And she made that crystal-clear to the
President and to everyone that was gathered, so that there was no
mistake.
There were others who were there that talked about
family separation. There was one wife whose husband had just
deployed only two days ago for six months, and she expressed the
situation that she was left with her family to face. And as just
an aside, she was pregnant, and she was due to deliver before her
spouse would return home.
So these were very graphic images and graphic
explanations that the Commander in Chief was exposed to this
morning. Now, there was a lot more, but if you need more you can
ask questions right after you hear a few words from General Tom
Keck.
GENERAL KECK: I am Lt. General Keck, the Vice
Commander of Air Combat Command up at Langley. For those of you
who are not familiar with ACC or Air Combat Command, we are the
prepare and provide force -- the force provider for our service
CINCs that are overseas.
We have a very large number of aircraft that are
deployed right now, supporting, actually, two small-scale
contingencies right now, in Kosovo as well as the one in
Southwest Asia. We number over
101,000. We have changed our culture significantly as we've
moved to the expeditionary Air Force -- that is a light, lean,
lethal force that deploys on very short notice with great power.
Following the meeting with the families this morning --
and I have to say the Air Force and all the services -- soldiers,
sailors, airmen, and Marine -- greatly appreciated the President
spending time with the families. We have a saying in the Air
Force that we recruit the individual, but we actually retain the
family. And if a service member can deploy and know that his or
her family is being taken care of back home in a safe
environment, with a great network out there to take care of them,
they can perform their task while deployed overseas much more
efficiently and effectively, as they concentrate on their work.
Following the meeting with the spouses and the
families, the President came upstairs. We had patched into a
ready room at Aviano one of the squadrons there, but they
actually had members from three different squadrons there -- some
F-16s, some air-to-ground F-16s, some HARM-targeting F-16s, and
some A-10s. We had maintainers in the room, communicators and
intelligence supporters, the entire shooting match.
I have to tell you, morale was extremely high. The
individuals were getting ready to step. The President's words
were that he was extremely proud of them for what they're doing.
He also told them that America is behind them and pulling for
them.
Again, it was fairly short, as a lot of the crew
members had to go to their aircraft. But I know -- I got to talk
to them while we were waiting for the President to come up -- it
was really important to them. And again, morale was extremely
high.
I'll turn it back to Admiral Reason.
COLONEL CROWLEY: They're here if you have any
questions you want to ask about this or -- you don't get that
much interaction with the military -- if you've got any kind of
military questions that are on the fringes of the operations that
are going on over -- the Admiral and the General would be willing
to take those questions as well.
Q When you said there were some pointed exchanges --
ADMIRAL REASON: Not pointed, there were exchanges that
were steeped in candor. They were very frank. They were honest,
somewhat emotional sometimes. But there was nothing
argumentative.
Q I mean, did any of it involve the current
conditions in Kosovo? Or was it mostly military life and --
ADMIRAL REASON: It was the life of the individuals
that were there conversing with the President. You know, it was
all focused on having the President, the Commander in Chief,
understand and appreciate that also those who remain at home
serve and serve diligently.
And the President made the point to each of the spouses
and the children, individually, how proud he was of the fact that
they served, that they sacrifice, that they went through hardship
in the name of supporting their spouses who are doing what they
want to do. They're volunteer, American patriots. And so there
was never a complaint that cast any doubt on the fact that they
were doing what they wanted to do. It's just that it's tough;
it's hard; it's a very difficult lifestyle.
Q Did any of the family members there express
concern about the three captured Army soldiers and what their all
concerns are about possible capture for their loved ones?
ADMIRAL REASON: Yes, there was an expression that said
when you're involved in conflict and the situation escalates, it
reaches into every family. It reaches into every home of those
who are deployed in association with a conflict. There was some
expression that the nation needs to recognize for these people
who are deployed in that arena that they really are involved in a
war.
And for them, it's very personal. And the ships that
their spouses are attached to fire weapons -- for them at home,
it's very real, it's warfare. And so they wanted to make sure
that the President understood that very clear fact that, in their
home, their husbands are off to war.
Q But they specifically mentioned this particular
capture incident, and that they expressed that concern to the
President about the capture?
ADMIRAL REASON: They did. They did very much. And
I'm sure that impacted the comments that he made in a larger
forum here, how strongly the entire nation stands behind those on
the front line. It was very clear this morning.
Q Was there any concern expressed by perhaps family
members of Enterprise crew members about the possibility that the
carrier is going to be coming back later than its currently
scheduled return date, and what did the President --
ADMIRAL REASON: There was not a specific concern about
Enterprise coming back later. However, there was the expression
of concern that a given other ship might return late from
deployment and, fortunately, I was there and as the
commander-in-chief of this fleet, I assured that wife the ship
would be back on time.
Q Can you make that same promise for the other ships
that are deployed right now, including the Enterprise?
ADMIRAL REASON: I believe that I can, but we're
professionals at this, and when situations change that cause us
to extend schedules or change schedules, we do what the nation
asks of us.
Q -- the President referred to talking about
financial hardships. Was any of that in relation to this, or
this was generally about military pay not being high enough?
ADMIRAL REASON: It's one in the same. Like I said,
there were personal situations. And those situations talked
about, one, the level of pay, but the impact that that level of
pay, which was universally predicted as low, not high, impacted
their families -- especially the ability of a spouse to work.
And a couple of wives expressed that they could improve their
financial position if they could work, but to work generates a
child care need which may offset the gain they might enjoy. So
it's a tug of war which was expressed by at least three spouses
-- of work, child care, spouse being deployed, so not at home to
help in the rearing.
Q Admiral, the President said America takes care of
its own in his speech in relation to the three personnel who were
taken. Did he reassure the families in any way that everything
that could be done, would be done to either rescue these service
personnel or go after the people who did it?
ADMIRAL REASON: That did not come up.
Q You said they talked about this tug of war. What
was his response? What was the President's response when people
described, like this woman on welfare described her situation --
what was his response?
ADMIRAL REASON: The President did not respond
specifically to every bit of information that was provided to
him. He gave a general response after several people had
informed him of their particular situations, that it was
important to him that they understand that the nation appreciated
their service and the service of their spouses. He also
expressed that it was very important to him that their quality of
life be as high and be as full as could possibly be engendered.
You know, there were many people in that room, sort of
spectators along the back wall -- the Secretary of Defense, the
Secretary of the Navy, Senator Robb, Congressmen Sisisky and
Scott, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs -- they all heard this entire
series of interchanges. So he looked to the back of the room to
sort of indicate that we can do things to make this better. But
he could not address and did not address specifics to the
individuals of what would be done.
COLONEL CROWLEY: Okay. Thank you. You will notice,
for Admiral Reason this is a welcoming home to the White House
Press Corps since he served as Military Aide to President Carter.
So you see the presidential service badge here, so I know several
of you have met him in a prior engagement.
Very good. Any other questions? Thank you very much.
END 2:44 P.M. EST