mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time . 
i thank our friends for accepting this important amendment that the gentleman from minnesota ( mr. kline ) xz4002240 has brought forward to the bill . 
certainly today united states troops are deployed around the world as they defend our freedoms and as they assist others in defending their freedom . 
in iraq and afghanistan they are working tirelessly to create a secure environment for fledgling democracies . 
on the korean peninsula , they face a brutal dictator . 
in kosovo they observe an uneasy peace among old adversaries , and in japan and europe they stand to react to any national crisis . 
in addition , our naval personnel operate in dozens of bases worldwide to protect global trade routes , prevent nuclear proliferation , and many other important tasks . 
and even as they perform these actions in defense of liberty in other nations , our troops serve the united states of america , not the united nations or any other foreign power . 
their mission may send them abroad , but we must never allow a foreign court to interfere in u.s. military affairs . 
examples already exist of the dangers of the international criminal court . 
during the most notable example recently , european opponents of the iraq war suggest that senior u.s. officials including the secretary of defense and top military commanders should be tried by that court . 
the united states of america has a long history of fair and firm military justice . 
the uniform code of military justice is understood and respected by our military personnel that serves our armed forces well . 
under no circumstances should our men and women in uniform fear retribution in the form of prosecution by a foreign court of justice . 
i think the gentleman from minnesota ( mr. kline ) xz4002240 understands this as well as any member of this body . 
i appreciate his bringing this amendment to the floor , and i am pleased to see it included in a bill that i hope is heartily responded to by support today . 
