Senate And Joint Chiefs At Odds Over National Guard Role

By Adrianna McGinley

In a rare collective appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, all Service Chiefs testified against a proposal that would give the National Guard Bureau Chief a permanent seat on the Joint Chief of Staff.

General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he values the role of the reserve force, but does not believe it is necessary to give a permanent seat to the National Guard.

“It’s unclear to me what problem we are trying to solve,” Dempsey said, noting that the head of the National Guard already attends meetings with the Joint Chiefs.

National Guard Bureau Chief General Craig McKinley testified in favor of attaining the position, saying the National Guard serves a unique role in U.S. defense because of its ability to serve in wide variety of situations.

“That is really where I’m zeroing in on,” McKinley said. “To institutionalize the role of the National Guard Bureau Chief in becoming that spokesperson, through the Joint Chiefs of Staff, through the chairman, to the Secretary of Defense, to give my best military advice, when asked, so that we don’t miss a beat in this very new age of asymmetric challenges that face our nation.”

When Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) asked General Dempsey if there was any indication that the Army and Air Guards were not being sufficiently represented by the respective Chiefs, Dempsey responded, “absolutely no indication. Not only is there no indication, it just isn’t accurate. They are represented by the two Service Chiefs.”

Department of Defense General Counsel Jeh Johnson, who was called on to testify about the legal implications the legislation may have, said he found, “no outright legal barriers to enacting this legislation. Nothing in the constitution prohibits it.”

Johnson did however warn against possible legal ambiguities concerning the extra power a National Guard vote may give to the Army and Air Force, which would raise questions of balance.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) noted that same concern emerged in 1978 when the Marine Corp was given a permanent seat among the Joint Chiefs, as it is considered part of the Navy. The panel agreed, but acknowledged that it has not been an issue.

Graham made clear his stance on the legislation saying, “the citizen soldier’s time has come, you’re going to get a seat at the table General McKinley if I have anything to say about it.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) pointed out that the proposal is one thing Congress seems to agree on, telling the witnesses, “please don’t deny us this moment.”

Adm. Mullen Discusses Threats Facing Troops In Afghanistan

By Sam Wechsler - Talk Radio News Service

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke Wednesday about the need for the U.S. to better protect its troops from being harmed in the war in Afghanistan.

Mullen stated that “the center of gravity is really the protection of the [Afghan] people.” He added that civilian casualties are not conducive to winning the war.

He explained that the largest threats to the U.S. military in Afghanistan are attacks from IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) employed by the Taliban, and post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by American soldiers.

“We’ve come a long way with respect to [IEDs], but this is an enemy that is very adaptive and very capable...and as they adapt, we adapt, and they adapt again,” said Mullen. In order to better equalize the threat of IEDs, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is sending upwards of 2,000 armored all-terrain vehicles that provide better protection from the explosives.

“When I visit troops there is also a great skip in their step because they know they’ve made a difference, they’ve turned it around in a place like Iraq, and they’re very confident that they can get the job done in Afghanistan,” said Mullen.

As for a timetable, Mullen said that military must “turn the tide” against the Taliban within the next twelve to eighteen months.

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 to review the budget request of the Department of Defense for Fiscal Year 2009

At the House Armed Services Committee, Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) said that he strongly supports the decision to have a real increase in defense spending. He said that many in the committee had a deep concern about the risk facing the nation in two key areas. First, he said, is the concern about the "current readiness posture." Second, was the rapid deterioration of security and stability in Afghanistan.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates said that challenges made more dangerous by modern technology included terrorism, extremism, violent jihadism, sectarian conflict, and proliferation of dangerous weapons and materials. He then said that the investment in defense spending was a 7.5 percent increase over last year's enacted level. He said that increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps would relieve stress on the force and enable the nation to meet its commitments at home and abroad.

Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that we must provide our service members with leadership, resource, and support. He said he has set three strategic priorities for the military, which are to increase stability in the Middle East, reconstitute and revitalize the Armed Forces, and to re- balance our strategic risk.

Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said that he was disappointed that the Administration did not request funding to cover the full costs of the war in Fiscal Year 2009.