Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee - Senior Command Nominations

Interview

Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee - Senior Command Nominations

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SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

And Senator Warner, I appreciate your usual courtesy.

Gentlemen, thank you for being here today. And again, let me reiterate what we've all said but we can't say enough. Thank you for your service to our country and the people that serve under your command. We are in their debt.

I wanted to ask two lines of questions.

First, General McKiernan, perhaps as Commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, you would be able to comment on a story that appeared today in The New York Times where the president had secured the backing of NATO for a robust missile defense system. And NATO leaders adopted a communique saying that ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing threat to allied forces territory and populations. It will also recognize a substantial contribution to the protection of allies to be provided by the U.S.-led system, according to senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the statements released.

First of all, do you agree that the ballistic missile proliferation poses a threat to the United States as well as our allies?

GEN. MCKIERNAN: Sir, I certainly agree with that statement. I have not worked personally with the theater missile defense question in Europe to any great degree, so I'm not familiar with too much of the specifics about that. But the threat is certainly there.

SEN. CORNYN: I appreciate that very much.

General Odierno, let me ask you -- we talked briefly about this in my office when you were kind enough to drop by. And welcome back to the United States and thank you for your service at (3 Corps ?) and Fort Hood as well as commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq. I asked you in my office, when you were kind enough to come by, about the Iraqi assault on Basra and how you viewed that. And I mentioned to you that while there's some indication in The New York Times today that the Iraqis did not necessarily consult with their American allies that it actually, to my perception, demonstrated the sort of acceptance of responsibility and Iraqi initiative against these Iranian-backed militias that actually could be viewed as a positive development.

And while we recognize they were not able to handle this independently, required U.S. support which is, frankly not a surprise, could you tell me whether you believe that this sort of initiative against Iranian-backed militias, euphemistically called special groups, is a positive or a negative, in your view?

GEN. ODIERNO: If I could just say, as the conflict in Iraq continues to evolve, it changes over time. Although there still is terrorism and insurgency, it is much less than it was. The bigger threat is the communal struggle for power, which, in my view, is being fueled by Iranian support to the special groups.

And one of the things that will have to be tackled is these militias that are equipped, funded and trained by either Iranian Quds Force or Iranian surrogates within Iraq.

The government of Iraq stepping up to take action against these groups, in my mind, is an important step of eliminating these non- governmental security organizations that are trying to sustain control over the population. So I think for that, it is a very important step forward.

Obviously, we would much rather be able to resolve these through reconciliation in peaceful ways instead of having to use force. So in that way, I think it is a positive step forward.

SEN. CORNYN: Prime Minister Maliki called these militias criminals and gang leaders. Would you agree or disagree with this?

GEN. ODIERNO: Well, I think there's a mixture. I think as we continue analyze the threat, there are some that, I believe, are clearly Iranian surrogates that have a very specific purpose to destabilize the government of Iraq, because Iran thinks a weak government in Iraq is in their best interest.

Then there are criminals that are out there that in fact are thugs, have organized crime and are flat out criminals trying to extort money from the population, so it's a mixture of the both.

SEN. CORNYN: I have just two more questions for you, General Odierno. First of all, let me just quote the words of President John F. Kennedy who once remarked that, "The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is a path of surrender or submission." There are some who suggest that the cost of the war in Iraq is too high, and that we should spend the money that we're spending supporting the troops and on ongoing operations in Iraq on other things here domestically.

But as a military leader, without commenting maybe on the specifics, I would like for you to comment on how you view the cost of protecting our freedom and that of our allies and whether you feel like we can put a cost-benefit analysis on that from a strictly financial point of view.

GEN. ODIERNO: Senator Cornyn, first of all, I want to make sure it's clear that I understand the costs involved -- the costs monetarily but, more importantly to me, the costs in the lives of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines as well as those who have been wounded and who will forever have a scar to bear because of this war. And we'll never forget their sacrifices.

But it's always difficult to put a price tag on what I believe to be our security of our nation. I do believe that the Middle East is an extremely important place for us to ensure that we maintain the security of our country. So I'll leave it at that, sir.

SEN. CORNYN: And my last question really has to do with that. I think there are some who have suggested that what we're doing in Iraq is irrelevant to our security here on the mainland of the United States. What is your opinion?

GEN. ODIERNO: Well, I would just say that Iraq is an important place, as well as Afghanistan, in the Middle East. The Middle East is a place that, we all know, there's been a lot of violence over the last several years that has created violence around the entire world. And I think it's important for us to establish what I believe to be a self-reliant government that is stable, that is committed to governance representing all its people, denied as a safe haven for terrorists and integrated into the national community as an engine of security and economic development. And I believe establishing a strategic partnership within the Middle East with these countries extremely important for the security of the United States.

SEN. CORNYN: Thank you very much each of you and good luck.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

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