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2 Since 1941, every action that our Atlantic fleet has been involved in started in Vieques first. It's no accident that our nation lost no pilots in Kosovo. The training they received there helped save lives. The reason this is such a difficult issue is because right now, some of this training can only be done on Vieques. There is no comparable alternative. At the request of Governor Rossello and Resident Commissioner Romero-Barcelo, I asked Defense Secretary Cohen to convene a group of distinguished citizens to come up with alternatives that address the concerns of the people of Vieques while meeting the national security needs of our country. The Panel found that we have not always been good neighbors on Vieques and recommended that we work toward replacing Vieques in five years and reduce training involving bombing to 130 days a year. *Handwritten notes:* - *Dated - old group* - *keep more open-ended* - *depending on defendant* Today, I am announcing a course of action that will end live fire on Vieques, and phase out training there. I will be *directing the Defense Department* to take concrete, and immediate steps to address the local community’s concerns, *while also giving our armed forces the time they need to transition to an alternative training site* (handwritten note: *Let me be very clear: during the transition period, the rules are going to be changing. This isn’t just a change in policy – this is the beginning of a whole new relationship between our military and the people of Vieques.*) *(handwritten note: *not changing readiness – they have deal with*)* The plan has four parts. I want to thank the Secretary of Defense for working closely with me to develop it. *Handwritten notes:* - *look at directive – referendum* - *Contingent on relating training activity* - *hires on the referendum* - *it may end sooner* - *war 5 yrs → question is whether Navy can resume life fire training –* - *Vote over rest 18 months – March 2001*

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