Senator Coons urges acceptance of Sikh Americans in the military

Senator Coons, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and 13 of their colleagues have written a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging the Department of Defense to revise regulations on appearance that effectively prohibit religiously observant individuals from serving in the U.S. military. While applying to all faiths, the letter specifically references followers of Sikhism, who wear turbans and maintain unshorn hair and beards as a matter of religious obligation. Current military policy requires religiously observant service members to remove their head coverings, cut their hair, or shave their beards while accommodation requests are pending, even if they are capable of meeting safety requirements. 

 “No American who wishes to serve our nation should be barred from doing so because of their faith,” Senator Coons said. “In recent years, the military has taken steps to improve its accommodation of religiously observant individuals, but its restrictions regarding unshorn hair, beards, and turbans continue to prevent many Sikh Americans, in particular, from having the opportunity to serve. The Department of Defense can and should refine its regulations to accommodate religious obligations that do not interfere with the safe performance of duties. Our military has only to gain from the service of these dedicated and principled people of faith.”

Since the Reagan Administration, service members have been allowed to wear neat and conservative religious apparel as long as it does not interfere with the performance of military duties. In recent years the U.S. Army has granted waivers to three Sikhs to wear turbans and maintain unshorn hair and beards, as required by their faith. However, the most recent revisions would require religiously observant service members to remove their head coverings, cut their hair, or shave their beards while an accommodation request is pending and submit a new accommodation request each time they are assigned to a new base or duty station.

Full text of the letter is below:

Dear Secretary Hagel,

We respectfully request that the Department of Defense refine its January 22, 2014, revisions to Instruction 1300.17 (Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services) so that religiously observant individuals are not presumptively prohibited from serving in our military.

As you know, 10 USC § 774 was enacted during the Reagan Administration and permits service members to wear neat and conservative religious apparel, such as a yarmulke, as long as it does not interfere with the performance of their military duties.  In recent years, the U.S. Army has granted individualized waivers to three Sikhs to wear turbans and maintain unshorn hair and beards. Each of them successfully completed basic training and complied with safety requirements relating to helmets and protective masks.  Two of these soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star Medal and Army Commendation Medal for their service; another was recently promoted to the rank of Corporal.  In recent years, the U.S. Army has also granted waivers to a Jewish Rabbi and two Muslim doctors to maintain beards.

Despite their achievements, Section 4(g) of the revised Instruction would require religiously observant service members to remove their head coverings, cut their hair, or shave their beards—in violation of their religious obligations—while an accommodation request is pending, even if they are capable of meeting safety requirements.  Section 4(j) of the revised Instruction would require each of these soldiers to submit to a new accommodation request each time they are assigned to a new base or duty station.  These seem inconsistent with the intent of section 774, which creates the presumptive entitlement to wear religious apparel that is neat and conservative and which does not interfere with military duties.

We believe that a service member’s religion should not be a barrier to serving in our nation’s armed services.  Accordingly, we hope that Instruction 1300.17 can be further amended so that talented Americans of faith are given a fair opportunity to serve in our nation’s military.

We appreciate your attention and look forward to working closely with you on this matter. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Delaware company demonstrates value of federally funded scientific research

Delaware’s ET International, Inc. was among 100 companies profiled in a new report released today by the Science Coalition – a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities, including the University of Delaware. The report, titled, “Sparking Economic Growth 2.0: Companies Created from Federally Funded University Research, Fueling Innovation and Economic Growth” highlights companies that trace their roots to federally funded university research. The companies in the report were self-selected by the member universities of the Science Coalition and are illustrative of how federal research can spur the creation of companies that bring innovations to market, create jobs, and contribute to economic growth.

ET International, Inc. (ETI) was founded in 2000 by Dr.Guang Rong Gao, a distinguished professor in computer and electrical engineering at the University of Delaware. The company originated in the university’s scientific labs and is now a leading provider of system software for advanced many-core computing systems ranging from supercomputers for highly scientific research to high-performance portable devices for smart phones. In a statement to the Science Coalition, the company noted that “Federally supported research completed at the University of Delaware and ETI” by Dr. Gao “allowed his deep-rooted belief in fundamental dataflow principles technologies to be successfully explored, designed and implemented…”

Indeed, ETI’s first phase of growth generated over $22 million in investments from the industry’s most renowned High Performance Computing organizations including The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, IBM, Intel, Cray, and Samsung. ETI’s software solutions increase performance, computing power, and efficiency to allow users to fully realize the power of many-core architectures. Built on a decade of highly complex research, ETI currently provides software, applications and custom engineering services for the energy, defense, semiconductor, digital media, and financial markets.

During a time when federal funding for R&D has been on the decline, with funding levels in 2013 at historic lows, ETI and the other companies highlighted in the report show the high return on investment yielded by federal funding of basic scientific research. Senator Coons is committed to ensuring that our nation continues to support innovative research and companies like ETI that create jobs and keep America on the cutting edge of technological innovation. 

Bill to reform military justice system gains key bipartisan support

The Military Justice Improvement Act, a bill that would remove the prosecution of sexual assault in the military from the chain of command, gained key bipartisan support in the Senate this week. Senator Coons, an original cosponsor of the bill, said he was pleased by the announcement that Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) will support the measure and was encouraged by the broad spectrum of support that now backs legislation to fundamentally reform and improve the military justice system.

The Military Justice Improvement Act, introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), will be offered as an amendment to the FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act and could come to the Senate floor as early as this month. The bill would separate the prosecution of all crimes punishable by one year or more in confinement from the military chain of command, except crimes that are uniquely military in nature, such as disobeying orders or going Absent Without Leave. The prosecutorial decision would instead lie with independent, specially trained military prosecutors.

"The disturbing rise in sexual assaults in our armed forces is simply unacceptable and absolutely cannot be tolerated," Senator Coons said. "The Pentagon has to do a better job of preventing these criminal acts, and that starts with making sure that everyone who wears a uniform knows that sexual abuse not only is unacceptable but also carries real repercussions. This legislation will put people who are trained and skilled at administering justice in charge of how accusations of sexual assault are handled in our armed forces, and it will encourage those who are sexually assaulted to report the crime without having to fear retaliation. The support of Senators Paul and Cruz is a promising step toward passing this legislation and demonstrates the extent to which this issue transcends party lines."

Senator Paul said he tries not to look at problems “through a partisan lens” and kept an open mind when Senator Gillibrand approached him on the Senate floor about the legislation. After further research and a few modifications, Senator Paul said he was able to give the bill his support.

Senator Cruz said he entered the Armed Services Committee markup of the bill undecided but was “really persuaded by Senator Gillibrand’s passionate and able advocacy.” Cruz has provided a consistent vote for the legislation in the Armed Services Committee.

Senator Coons disappointed indefinite detention provisions survived 2013 NDAA

When the Senate debated the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act last month, included among its provisions was an amendment to repeal powers granted to the U.S. military in last year's NDAA to indefinitely detain American citizens.

Senator Coons, who pledged last December to work to remove those powers, cosponsored the amendment and praised the Senate's progress on Twitter:

The Senate just passed our amendment to ban indefinite detention of US citizens without a trial. It's about time we got this right.

— Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) November 30, 2012

That progress was short-lived, however, and the amendment was stripped out of the bill when Senate and House negotiators met to reconcile the chambers' versions of the legislation. As a result, the military's power to detain American citizens indefinitely has survived.

Here's how Senator Coons reacted to the news:

"As a nation, we must strike the essential balance between national security and civil liberties. I am deeply disappointed that the final version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act fails this test by removing an amendment I cosponsored, along with Senator Feinstein, to prohibit the indefinite detention of American citizens by the military."

"The detention authorities provided by this legislation were not requested by the Pentagon and will not make us safer. At the same time, they erode the fundamental promise of our Constitution – that an American citizen has a right to due process of law. Our civilian criminal justice system has proven itself capable — time and again — of obtaining convictions and tough sentences for terrorists that act on our soil.  Civilian trials not only provide tough sentences for terrorists, but they also protect all of us from the prospect of facing a military tribunal for a crime we did not commit."

"We live in a dangerous world, and we must ensure our military has the tools and resources they need to keep us safe. But threats to our safety are no excuse for curtailing the liberties guaranteed to every American citizen by the Founders of our country."

Senator Coons recognizes Armed Forces Day

Senator Coons is joining Americans across the country in recognizing Saturday as Armed Forces Day.  This national commemoration serves as a thank you to all service members and their families who sacrifice so much for our nation.

“The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our freedom are true heroes, and Armed Forces Day is one way to show them our gratitude for their service to our country,” Chris said.  “We also recognize the tremendous sacrifices of the families of our service members.  I will to continue to work hard in Washington on behalf of all service members and their families—it’s the least we can do for America’s heroes.”

Created in 1949 by the Department of Defense, Armed Forces Day combines previously separate Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard days. Armed Forces Day is not just dedicated to the men and women who serve in the military, but also to their families.  To show the appreciation of a grateful nation, all 397 national parks will be issuing free passes on Saturday for active troops and their children to enjoy relaxation, rejuvenation, and just plain fun. 

Chris will celebrate Armed Forces Day by attending the Newark Memorial Day Parade at the University of Delaware on Sunday. The event is dedicated to the United States Armed Forces and the Delawareans who have given their lives for freedom. A ceremony will be held on the University of Delaware’s Green at 1:00 pm, followed by a parade on Main Street.

Senator Coons congratulates Dover AFB reserves on national award

This morning, Dover’s own 512th Airman and Family Readiness of the 512th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base was honored with the 2011 Reserve Family Readiness Award for the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Every year, the award goes to the best unit in each reserve component that prepares airmen and their families for deployment, sustains them throughout, and supports them in their reintegration when they return. The award-winning 512th A&FR supports more than 1,800 airmen and their families connected to Dover Air Force Base, who are spread over 29 states.

The 512th A&FR’s director, Master Sergeant Laura Coseglia, accepted the award on behalf of her team from Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs David McGinnis at a ceremony held at the Pentagon. Senator Coons was presiding over the Senate at the time of the ceremony, but a member of his staff was present, as was wing commander Colonel Randal L. Bright.

Master Sgt. Coseglia’s team has earned best in the nation honors because of their community-based approach to support for airmen and their families. Rather than focus on a top-down, directive based approach to meeting the needs of men and women who serve, the 512th A&FR reaches out to our Delaware community, partnering with over 175 different military, non-profit, business, education, and veteran groups. In today’s austere environments, when needs seem to always outstrip resources, this broad community-based approach opens up creative possibilities for meeting needs.

Senator Coons believes that the community-based approach to serving needs in Delaware that the 512th A&FR does the best in the nation provides the flexibility and responsiveness that is too often lagging in support for our nation’s service members and veterans. He will join with Wilmington University on April 21 for Operation Success, a job fair and outreach event for service members, veterans, and their families, which is bolstered by the Delaware service members support community, including the 512th A&FR.

Video: Senator Coons talks detainees with Chris Hayes

Still in Washington for votes on Saturday morning, Senator Coons appeared on MSNBC's Up with Chris Hayes to discuss the controversial detainee provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act approved by the Senate earlier in the week.

Earlier in the week, Senator Coons entered an in-depth statement into the Congressional Record detailing his objections to the detainee provisions. Click here to read it. 

National Guard gets its seat at the table

After months of deliberation, the Senate passed the final version of a piece of legislation that would give the Chief of the National Guard Bureau a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senator Coons has been an outspoken advocate for this measure that is important to many Delawareans who admire the value our state’s National Guard adds to U.S. national security.

Most recently, Chris penned an op-ed in The Delaware State News.

Though the courage of members of the National Guard is no less respected than the other branches, and the sacrifice of their families is every bit as great, passing the legislation was not about rewarding extraordinary service. Rather, it was about recognizing what we need to do for our future in order to keep our country safe. It was about bringing to bear every resource we have for the defense of this nation.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are the top military advisers to the president and to the Secretary of Defense. They are responsible for making sure our military is prepared for every threat to our national security, but as those threats tilt toward the asymmetric, so must our military planning.

Click here to read the entire op-ed.