Albright says American image has dipped

In a hearing today, Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that the Bush administration has cost the United States "moral authority" in the eyes of the international community. Albright said that while America is still "the world's mightiest power," America needs to reestablish respect from abroad.

Albright said that the first thing the next president should do is withdraw troops from Iraq. She said that having troops in Iraq has contributed to a negative view of America globally. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) disagreed and said "Our work has elevated our reputation." Albright said a withdrawal would look favorable internationally because the United States can "steer credit to responsible Iraqi leaders." She emphasized that the military has been brilliant, but the problem in Iraq is political. Albright said that this admistration has had an "overemphasis on military aspects of missions."

Energy policy has not been addressed by the United States enough, according to Albright. She said that our future energy policies should focus on innovation and finding alternative sources. Albright said that offshore drilling is not a solution. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) said that our energy policy is a "vital component of our grand strategy."

Albright specified the five major issues for the next president would be nuclear non-proliferation, fighting terrorism without creating more terrorists, promoting democracy without forcing it on other nations, the growing gap between the poor and wealthy, and establishing new energy policy. Albright that she hoped that the next president would work closely with Congress and advocate bipartisanship.

Iraq troop reduction benefits Afghanistan

Following an announcement by the Bush administration to withdraw 8,000 further troops from Iraq by February and funnel more troops to Afghanistan, the Secretary of Defense said that both the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan are top military priorities. "With positive developments in Iraq, the strategic flexibility provided by ongoing troop reductions there , and the prospect of further reductions next year-- I think it is possible in the months to come to do militarily what we must in both countries," said Sec. Robert Gates in his written statement, referencing earlier Defense Department statements that in Afghanistan the U.S. does what it can and in Iraq it does what it must.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who drew the earlier distinction prioritizing the two wars, told the House Armed Services Committee that both conflicts are military priorities. "These [wars] are our priorities and they've been our priorities," he said. Mullen also enumerated the differences between the two conflicts including the nature of the enemy to the terrain on the ground. "We treated the needs of each war separately-- and weighed out decisions for each solely-- against the risks inherent and resources available."

Both Gates and Mullen made statements indicating united military decision making in reference to a new book by journalist Bob Woodward and a subsequent series in the Washington Post on the surge and how the military may have been circumvented by the White House. Mullen who is quoted in the book, emphasiezd that he was not interviewed about his statements. Mullen said that his advice, as chairman to the president was allowed up the chain of command unimpeded. "I think that is a very important part of our democracy and how the system is supposed to work."

Speaking about the recent 45-day period of review of troop levels in Iraq Mullen said that the decision was "candid, transparent, and thoroughly collaborative...including the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Additionally Gates announced that a procurement process for a new air tanker fleet would be postponed until July of 2009. The original bidding and selection process had been contested by Boeing and the GAO ordered a new request for proposals. Gates said because of the changes that need to be made to the "emotional" and "complicated" process, this procurement should be left to the next administration.

Electromagnetic Pulse comes out of Sci-Fi into reality

The House Armed Services Committee met to discuss the threat of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack on the U.S. Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) said that the potential damage that could be caused by an EMP would be significant.

Dr. William Graham, Chairman of the Commission to Asses the Threat to the United States from EMP Attack, said that an EMP attack could severely cripple U.S. infrastructure, causing power outages that could last up six month. He said that in the 1990’s Russian scientists tested 300-kiloton weapons at approximately 60,150, and 300 kilometers above a test site in central Asia. He said that scientists recorded damages to cables as far as 600 kilometers from the test site. He said that this is a fairly accurate model of what could happen if an EMP was detonated over the U.S.

Graham said that because we are such a developed nation an EMP attack poses a much larger threat because America is dependent on many kinds of electronic devices. He said that there are many potential enemies of the U.S. who have EMP capabilities including Iran who has tested them.

House Armed Services Committee hearing on joint capacity programs and military and governance funding of U.S. allies

The House Armed Services held a hearing on the partnerships between the State Department and the Department of Defense. Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testified on joint capacity programs and funding for strengthening military and governance capabilities of U.S. allies, particularly undeveloped or young states. Mullen made an opening statement but did not offer testimony. He was available only to answer questions for members.

In his opening statement, chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) criticized the fact that interagency cooperation is often ad hoc and are not the result of advanced planning. He mentioned that Rice had appealed for more funding for these capacity building programs but the "administration has not taken the hint." Currently the Defense Department foots the bill for adding weapons and training to states like the Philippines, Nepal, and Lebanon. The idea behind supporting these militaries is to prevent terrorist groups or rebel guerrillas from creating a crisis that would require U.S. military intervention or threaten U.S. security.

Ranking member Dunkin Hunter (R-CA) was critical of the military spending money on what he classified as a State Department program and he brought up an instance when money had been spent in Nepal to counteract the Maoist rebel force. He questioned what critical Defense initiatives had to be put off because of allocations to fighting potential threats instead of current threats.

In his opening statement Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expressed his support for the "Global Train-and-Equip" program that Defense pays for and State helps implement through an agreement called 1206. Gates gave examples of success of the program including one where al-Qaida affiliated operatives in Palestine were stopped by U.S. help to the Lebanese government. Gates called for 1206 to be made permanent and give the Defense Department more authority in overseeing it. One point that Gates repeated was that in the current conflict military members have had to do quasi-diplomacy in their jobs because of the lack of funding for the State Department to send the needed resources to conflict zones.

Rep. Hunter caused a bit of tension when he criticized the "culture of the State Department." Comments that he made were based on a "town hall meeting" where foreign service officers complained about the idea of being forced to accept high risk assignments in Iraq. He said thousands of military members serve willingly in Iraq and Afghanistan, but was disappointed that the State Department had a hard time filling 47 spots in the Green Zone of Baghdad.

This prompted a heated response from Rice who defended the Foreign Service and said that she has had more than enough volunteers to serve in conflict zones and that certain diplomats, already serving in high-risk assignments, were offended at such an attitude.

House Armed Services Committee hearing on Military Mental Health

At the House Armed Services Committee Military Personnel Subcommittee hearing "Mental Health Overview," Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs Ward Casscells said that hopefully the program they have developed will start at the beginning of the soldier's career, and will continue through their career, beginning with an origin screening. Not everyone needs to be a war-fighter, Casscells said. Early detection of mental problems is important. They're not sure exactly what sort of treatment works, Casscells said, but they are making major progress. Treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society is important.

Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker said the global war on terror has increased stress on soldiers and their families. If Post Traumatic Stress is not identified and addressed promptly, it can lead to more therapy resistant issues, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Schoomaker said, and this is evidenced by looking at veterans from Vietnam. A new training program for soldiers, "Battlemind," is preparing soldiers better for the battlefield.

Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam Robinson said the length of deployments are causing high levels of stress. Also referencing Vietnam Veterans, Robinson said that no treatments cause significant issues. A big issue in dealing with mental health issues, he said, is to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and therefore encourage more soldiers to come forward and get the help they need. They are expanding training for personnel, and said that just as you train your body with physical exercise, you can train your mind.