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National Security Civil Support Teams
Across the country, the outstanding members
of our National Guard make up civil support teams that help
firefighters and police officers respond to attacks involving
hazardous materials or weapons of mass destruction. These
teams are essential to protect our national security. That
is why I introduced a bill to require that there be at least
one full-time National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil
Support Team (WMD-CST)
in each state and territory.I am proud that both the Wisconsin
National Guard and the National Guard Association of the United
States supported my legislation.
I was pleased when a modified version of my bill became law
as part of the fiscal year 2003 National Defense Authorization
Act. Since then, I have worked hard to ensure that Congress
provided sufficient funds to implement WMD-CSTs in Wisconsin
and in every other state and territory. I am pleased that
H.R. 2555, the fiscal year 2004 Department of Defense appropriations
bill (Public Law 108-90) provided funding for 12 new WMD-CSTs,
including one in Wisconsin, and that the fiscal year 2005
law (Public Law 108-334) provides funding for 11 new teams,
ensuring that all states and territories have at least one
full-time team. The presence of a new WMD-CST will improve
our state's capacity to prepare for and respond to potential
threats in the future. Wisconsin’s civil support team,
the 54th WMD-CST, is now fully certified.
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