For the first time in American history, the Army will station an active unit within the United States. Under the control of US Army North they will be used beginning October 1st, 2008, as an On-Call Federal response, in times of “emergency. The 3rd Infantry-1st Brigade nicknamed “The Raiders” - are currently undergoing training for this new mission.
Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer for The Army Times reports:
“Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas.
But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.”
United States Senator and Republican Presidential nominee, John McCain announced that he will suspend his campaign effective Thursday in order to return to Washington D.C. due to the worsening economic crisis. Senator McCain said he will return to the Senate after his commitment to speak Thursday morning at the Clinton Global Initiative. Senator McCain also indicated that he will not attend the Presidential Debate scheduled for this Friday at the University of Mississippi. The Senator also went on to urge Senator and Democratic Presidential nominee, Barack Obama to suspend his campaign activities and return to Washington as well.
The transcript and video of Senator McCain’s Wednesday press conference follows:
Remarks on the Economic Crisis
September 24, 2008
America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees. If we do not act, every corner of our country will be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen.
Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama has expressed his priorities and concerns. This morning, I met with a group of economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we should take going forward. I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear their perspective.
It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration’s proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.
Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.
I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.
We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.
I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people. All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.
Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now. Americans across our country lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country.
For the first time in American history, the Army will station an active unit within the United States. Under the control of US Army North they will be used beginning October 1st, 2008, as an On-Call Federal response, in times of “emergency. The 3rd Infantry-1st Brigade nicknamed “The Raiders” - are currently undergoing training for this new mission.
