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“HONORING LIEUTENANT COLONEL NICHOLAS HALUPKA ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E887 on July 10, 2019.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING LIEUTENANT COLONEL NICHOLAS HALUPKA ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
______
HON. MAC THORNBERRY
of texas
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Halupka for his outstanding contributions as a United States Air Force officer for his more than 22 years of service. In May 1997, he received his Bachelor of Science from Auburn University in Auburn, AL where the Auburn University ``Flying Tigers'' Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps commissioned him into the U.S. Air Force as a nuclear and missile operations officer. He then joined the 10th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base leading some of America's most important strategic nuclear deterrence forces as a missile combat crew commander. After advanced training in space operations, he transitioned to a space operations officer and was assigned as a defensive counterspace flight commander at NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command, in Cheyenne Mountain where he was in charge of protecting America by providing early missile warning and space object detection.
Branching out, he was selected to deploy to Afghanistan to set up a new training command for the Afghan National Army. His efforts yielded clear results with the Afghan Army meeting their training requirements to fight the Taliban. Returning to America, he took on the role of director of operations for missile warning at Beale Air Force Base, boosting U.S. and Allied awareness of space by tracking nearly two million space objects. He then took his accumulated knowledge to work as a space and counter-space senior advisor and analyst embedded with the State Department, where his advice and analysis informed some of our nation's most important strategic foreign policy decisions.
In his relentless pursuit of excellence, Lieutenant Colonel Halupka dedicated his free time to pursue additional educational opportunities, earning a Master of Science in Business Management in 2006, and a Master of Arts in International and Security Studies in 2012 from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Lieutenant Colonel Halupka concluded his career serving as a congressional liaison at the Defense Intelligence Agency. It was during this last assignment that I had the opportunity to get to know Nick. His tireless efforts ensured members of the House Armed Services Committee received timely and critical intelligence that was crucial to informing lawmakers during both moments of crisis and everyday legislative operations. These efforts supported the creation of many bills and enabled the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act. I am personally thankful for the time he has devoted to this task and the vigor and professionalism with which he executed it.
I thank Lieutenant Colonel Halupka for his dedication in service to the security of our nation. While many pursue careers in military, Lieutenant Colonel Halupka viewed the military not as a job, but a calling to service. He is in the less than one percent who serve in the nation's military, and an even smaller percent who give their full service until retirement. The United States owe him a great debt of gratitude.
Madam Speaker, I honor Nicholas A. Halupka for his lifetime of public service. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing him a happy retirement as we celebrate his legacy of selfless service to the nation.
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