mr. chairman , while the men and women of our armed forces serve bravely throughout the world , the ability of our u.s. military to recruit highly qualified candidates is being put in jeopardy . 
former commandant of the marine corps general charles krulak once remarked that our all-volunteer military is an all-recruited force . 
the amendment offered today by my colleague from california is a clear threat to the continued success of that force . 
this amendment would prohibit the department of education from withholding title i dollars from school districts that do not provide private student information to military recruiters . 
under the guise of `` privacy rights , '' our military recruiters would be denied the same access to our nation 's best young minds that is regularly provided to recruiters for colleges or businesses . 
mr. chairman , military service can be a noble and fulfilling choice for our young men and women -- including my son , a career army officer . 
planning for the future can be an overwhelming experience . 
as they consider their postsecondary options , our nation 's students deserve to be fully equipped with the information they need to make good decisions . 
while only a select few individuals choose to devote themselves to a career in military service , the defense of america is not their exclusive responsibility . 
each one of us is charged with protecting our nation by doing our part . 
the least we can do is to ensure those who are interested are not prevented from learning about the opportunity to pursue military service . 
school principals and administrators ought to be introducing military recruiters to their students -- not blocking them . 
mr. chairman , the people of the united states benefit from the protection of the most highly qualified and well-trained military . 
i am hopeful our actions today will ensure our u.s. military maintains the ability to continue to serve its citizens most effectively . 
