WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Representatives Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma), James Leach (R-Iowa) and Todd Russell Platts (R-Pennsylvania) on Thursday introduced legislation to improve the readiness of the American Armed forces to combat today’s challenges on peacekeeping missions.

The Representatives are calling for the Secretary of Defense to maintain the functions and mission of the Army Peacekeeping Institute so that members of all Armed Forces continue to study the strategic challenges and uses of peacekeeping missions and prepare the Armed Forces for conducting peacekeeping missions. The legislation will be debated today during House floor action on the Defense Authorization bill.

“If done correctly, peacekeeping operations create an environment that allows civilians to rebuild their lives after periods of military and political upheaval,” said Rep. Woolsey. “Only by improving how we work with the international community will we be able to create an environment for peace to take hold and the Peacekeeping Institute is an integral part of making this happen.”

The Peacekeeping Institute (PKI) is being threatened with closure as the Army plans to move more personnel from office jobs to the field. The Army initially recommended the elimination of the PKI even though it has a small staff of 10 and runs on an annual budget of about $200,000.

“Today’s international issues require new ways to address conflict and the lessons to be learned from the Peacekeeping Institute are essential as we work to build a democratic government in Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Rep. Woolsey. “The PKI is the only military organization producing plans to coordinate civilian and military operations and the return of Iraq to the Iraqi people.”

This isn’t the first time that Reps. Woolsey, Leach and Platt have fought to protect the Peacekeeping Institute. Last year they led 34 of their colleagues in sending a letter to then Secretary of the Army, Thomas White, in support of the U.S. Army’s Peacekeeping Institute (PKI) at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

“The easiest way to prevent another Somalia is to remember the lessons it taught us,” said Rep. Woolsey. “The Peacekeeping Institute is an archive of lessons learned from peace operations since 1993. Without heeding the lessons of the past, we risk sending our military men and women into harms way.”

Rep. Woolsey will vote against the Defense Authorization bill but will continue to fight on behalf of the protection of our world and our children. During the Defense Authorization debate, she protested research and development of low-yield nuclear weapons and spoke out to protect the reproductive rights of female soldiers and women of military families stationed overseas.

Rep. Woolsey is dedicated to fighting for a better future for our children and continues to lead her congressional colleagues to improve American foreign policy. She has introduced House resolutions opposing President Bush’s decision to scrap the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and will reintroduce a bill to start the process of abolishing all nuclear weapons. Rep. Woolsey is also an original co-sponsor of a bill to establish a Peace Department, a federal department equal to the State Department, dedicated to the development of peace and the prevention of international conflict.