Letter to Gov. Tina Kotek: Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon (August 2024)

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Peace and Justice Works
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065
pjw@pjw.info

Governor Tina Kotek
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047

August 22, 2024

To: Governor Tina Kotek

Re: Deployment of Oregon National Guard to undeclared war zones

Governor Kotek:

Last year, we sent you a letter similar to the ones we've been sharing with Oregon's military Commanders-in-Chief since 2004. The letters have urged our Governors not to send the Oregon National Guard overseas for combat and support missions in countries against which Congress has not declared war. About 15 years ago, many of the groups organized in the legislature to push for a Resolution calling for such a policy. The Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon campaign specifically asked to not deploy the Guard to Iraq or Afghanistan under the already outdated 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force. Over 7000 Oregonians from around the state submitted signatures in support.

We are very troubled that during the time we were gathering signatures for this letter, you approved the deployment of the Guard to two such undeclared war zones, Iraq and Syria.*-1 Not only does this put Oregonians' lives in jeopardy, but it comes as Oregon has the dubious distinction of having the most wildfires of any state in the US. We understand that their initial deployment has been to Oklahoma for training, so perhaps there is still time to keep them home.

The 2001 AUMF is specific to those responsible for what happened on 9/11 that year. The 2002 AUMF was about ousting Saddam Hussein from power, something the US did by military force in 2003. Even though Congress has talked about formally revoking or modifying these Authorizations, they remain in place. They have been used to justify US military actions in Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan and Syria, as well as continued operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the withdrawal of US troops from the latter country, the US asserts its right to keep an "over-the horizon" presence there, and maintains 2500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria.*-2

Oregonians need our National Guard to remain locally available to assist in combating wildfires, conducting search and rescue missions, and providing support for the medical system in public health crises such as the COVID pandemic. As the climate crisis continues to worsen, there will likely be more natural disasters needing the Guard's attention in the years to come.

In 2020, we noted that six of Oregon's 13 helicopters normally used to fight wildfires were deployed in Afghanistan.

We once again urge you to declare a policy that Oregon's Guard will not take part in any current or future deployments without a formal declaration of war from Congress. Open-ended Authorizations for Use of Military Force have been used to justify ongoing war actions without congress reconsidering the underlying policies.

Examples of proper discretion when the Guard is called upon include Governor Brown refusing to have the National Guard participate in crowd control during the 2020 racial justice uprisings in Portland, or to head to the Mexican Border to meet President Trump's request.

Many of us reached out to you as a candidate in August 2022 to seek your opinion on this life-and- death policy issue for Oregon's Guard.

We are sending this letter to you not long after the 79th anniversary of the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. People need to think about the devastation caused by war no matter which side you are on. Please make Oregon a leader in de-escalating world tensions. Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon.

Thank you,

Dan Handelman for
Peace and Justice Works (Portland)

Rick Staggenborg, MD, President for
Veterans For Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132 of Corvallis-Albany

Southern Oregon Peace Vets (Rogue Valley)

Veterans For Peace PDX Chapter 72

Oak Grove Peace Vigil

Washington County Peace Vigil

Michael Carrigan for
Planet vs. Pentagon (Eugene)

Taxes for Peace Not War (Eugene)

Peace House (Ashland)

Albany Peace Seekers

The Rogue Valley FCNL Advocacy Team