December 9, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 196 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
RECOGNIZING DAVID HOBBS, THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 196
(Extensions of Remarks - December 09, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E1564-E1565] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RECOGNIZING DAVID HOBBS, THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY _____ HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY of virginia in the house of representatives Monday, December 9, 2019 Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, on behalf of myself and Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, I rise to recognize David Hobbs, the Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He will step down from his position on December 31, 2019 after decades of stellar service to the Assembly and to the national parliaments of all NATO countries, including the United States Congress. David Hobbs took up his post as Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in January 2008, following his election by the heads of national delegations to that body. He had previously served on the Assembly's staff for many years and drew on this long experience to help transform the institution. David Hobbs holds degrees in physics and defense from Manchester University and King's College in London. After working in the UK civil service and the private sector, he joined Aberdeen University's Centre for Defence Studies, where he published studies on nuclear forces and policy. His expertise gave him unique insight not only into the conduct of the Cold War, but also informed his understanding of the strategies Western allies followed to ultimately prevail in it. David Hobbs joined the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 1983 as Director of its Science and Technology Committee. In 1987, he assumed additional responsibilities as Director of Committees and Studies and was tasked with coordinating the work of all five of the Assembly's Committees. Mr. Hobbs played a central role in driving the Assembly's adaptation following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and ensuring that national parliaments and their members helped forge a new security order that placed democratic values at its very core. It was at this time that the Assembly began to reach out to the new parliaments of former Communist countries to assist in their democratic development. David Hobbs was part of a team that established a set of conferences and training programmes, including the Rose-Roth Seminars named after late Senator Bill Roth and Congressman Charlie Rose, which worked with parliamentarians from Europe's new democracies on security sector reform, parliamentary oversight, and preparation for membership in NATO itself. Mr. Hobbs was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in November 1997. In addition to his responsibilities at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, from 1996 to 2007 David Hobbs served as the Chairman of the Euro-Atlantic Foundation, an NGO which provided computing and I.T. assistance to parliaments in Central and Eastern Europe. From 1993 to 2005, he was a member of the research advisory council of the Chemical and [[Page E1565]] Biological Arms Control Institute, and from 2009 to 2014 he was a member of the Senior Steering Group for NATO's Special Operations Headquarters. He wrote extensively on the political and military implications of new technology. As the Assembly's Secretary General, David Hobbs made it a top priority to maintain and strengthen the trans-Atlantic link through parliamentary dialogue and cooperation. He travelled to the United States with parliamentary delegations 37 times between 2003 and 2019 to ensure that European political leaders better understood strategic policy decision-making in the United States and to introduce European national legislators to their counterparts in the House of Representatives and the Senate. He often accompanied the President and Vice Presidents of the NATO PA on visits to the halls of Congress for bilateral discussions with members of Congress and their staffs. Those efforts paid off, and the Assembly is now considered the primary vehicle for Congressional outreach to allied nations and their political leaders. As a member and now chairman of the United States delegation to the NATO PA, I have witnessed first hand David Hobbs' commitment to the trans-Atlantic bond and to NATO, his understanding of U.S. politics and policies and ability to work with members from both sides of the aisle on a bipartisan basis. As our predecessors have, the current members of the United States delegation to the NATO PA and I have come to rely on his expertise, unfailingly sound judgement, and shrewd insights. David Hobbs is also known and appreciated for his quick wit and friendliness and has long made parliamentarians and staff feel welcome and essential to the life of the Assembly. His strong management skills and vision reinvigorated the secretariat in Brussels and helped the Assembly adjust to an increasingly perilous and complex security environment characterized by new challenges like terrorism, cyber- attacks, hybrid warfare, and an ever more revanchist Russia. It should hardly be surprising that this vital institution dedicated to parliamentary diplomacy flourished under David Hobbs' stewardship. He leaves the NATO Parliamentary Assembly a stronger and more vibrant organization. He has dedicated himself to preserving history's greatest alliance, which requires great patience, diplomacy, hard work, and faith. Mr. Hobbs's tenure will be remembered for his grace, the active listening he deployed to ensure that everyone always felt heard, the respect he showed all delegates and staff, and the stability he brought to this vital alliance. ____________________