Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee - U.S. Policy and Military Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

Federal News Service

HEADLINE: HEARING OF THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE

SUBJECT: U.S. POLICY AND MILITARY OPERATIONS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

CHAIRED BY: SENATOR JOHN WARNER (R-VA)

WITNESSES: DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PAUL WOLFOWITZ; JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN GENERAL RICHARD MYERS; UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS MARC GROSSMAN

LOCATION: 106 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.

BODY:
SEN. JACK REED (D-RI): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Secretary, you urged us all to show will and resolve. And you emphasized that by those very compelling letters from those young privates and captains who are showing will and resolve. But around here in Washington the usual measure of will and resolve is the budget. And when General Schoomaker and General Jumper and General Hagee were here, they said without a supplemental appropriations by October 1st they could be running out of money in critical accounts for this operation. Commentators like Anthony Cordesman have suggested there's a $50 billion hole that has to be filled by a supplemental. When will the Department of Defense show its will and resolve by sending a supplemental up to the Congress?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator Reed, if we think one is necessary, when we think it's necessary. We had a session with the same chiefs that you quoted, I think about a week ago, to precisely address where we stand with this process. What happens is, as you go through the year, certain accounts start to run short because you're spending more money on them than you planned, and clearly the unanticipated higher level deployment leads to some accounts being overspent. And you hear about that quickly. Other accounts spend slower than was planned, and they start to have surpluses there. And I can assure you people don't come running down the hall with their hair on fire to tell you, I have a surplus in my account. We have a process called the Midyear Execution Review, which is conducted by the DOD comptroller. It is underway now. As a result of that meeting with the secretary we've speeded up the schedule by a week so that if there is a problem, we can identify it sooner rather than later and come for help if we need it.

One kind of help we really do need, and that is general transfer authority. In fact, at the end of my testimony, those three points that Senator Lieberman pointed out, I also said that most of all, in this kind of wartime situation where you're dealing with unpredictable events, it is important to have more rather than less flexibility. And I think we asked for $4 billion, which is 1 percent of our budget last year. And it was cut by roughly half. The more flexibility, the sooner we can re-balance accounts. Of course, we can reprogram; that takes time. But the sooner people know that money is going to be available from an account that has a surplus into an account that has a deficit, the better we can manage the resources we have.

The bottom line, though, senator, and I think you and I agree on this, is the troops need to have what they need. And we need to make sure they do.

SEN. REED: Well, I think the bottom line, Mr. Secretary, is you need a supplemental up here. And this is not a shortage of several billion dollars, this is a growing shortage. And as you point out, when the chiefs testified, the anticipated force level would be 105,000, not 135,000, as it is today.

General Myers, is it your professional judgment --

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator, you --

SEN. REED: General Myers, is it your professional judgment that there are adequate resources without a supplemental to continue operations without seriously harming other important Defense Department programs?

GEN. MYERS: We're-Senator Reed, we're evaluating that right now. I've got to withhold judgment for just a little bit more time. Obviously, the extension of the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd Light Cavalry Regiment and their combat-support, combat service support is going to increase our costs. The operations tempo is also higher, so we know that on-that we have additional costs that we have to find funding sources for. We also know there'll be execution issues with some of our acquisition systems and so forth. So, I think we need to wait until the OSD comptroller can look at these issues before we can have a firm decision. We thought before, with what the services were identifying as shortfalls, that we could bridge the gap between-for the last month of this fiscal year and cover our expenses.

I think we just have to ensure ourselves that's still true, given the higher expenses we have right now.

SEN. REED: General Myers, another issue has become relevant in the last few days, certainly since the terrible attack on the contractors in the Fallujah area. That is a huge number, 20,000 estimated, of armed security contractors. This presents a problem today, but it certainly will present even a greater problem after July 1st. I mean, what rules of engagement will they operate under in this new sovereign Iraqi entity? Can an Iraqi minister of Interior hire 200 former special forces for his own private army? What's their status? This is, to me, a startling departure from previous doctrine of using these contractors in security positions. What's your view, and what are you going to do about it?

GEN. MYERS: What we're doing about it is providing Central Command, and General Abizaid, General Sanchez, with the policy guidance that will allow them to handle this issue. And you raised the questions. We do have a lot of contractor support not only in the security area, but also in a lot of our logistics capability-truck drivers --

SEN. REED: Relatively non-controversial.

GEN. MYERS: Right. But still, it raises issues as to their status, their arming, and so forth. You're right, the security forces are probably the-and we're providing that guidance to Central Command so they know how to handle the situation.

By the way, I would just say parenthetically that when I was there, one of the issues I looked at was the coordination between coalition military forces and security forces. And I'm assured there's a pretty robust mechanism for security forces inside Iraq to make sure that they have the latest intelligence or information and that they share information back and forth. And I was a little bit worried about that after the Blackwater issue in Fallujah and some of the things I'd heard about that. I think General Sanchez and his folks do a pretty good job of that.

SEN. REED: Just a final point. My time's expired.

General Eikenberry conducted a report-or a review of security forces several months ago. We've been endeavoring to obtain a copy of that report; if it's classified, certainly under those classified terms. It seems to me unfortunate that it takes us weeks and weeks and weeks to get reports which you've acknowledged, both the secretary and uniform leadership, exist, that you have, that you've reviewed, and that we can't get access in a timely way. I just think it's unfortunate-more than unfortunate, I don't think it's appropriate. Can you assure us that we will get access to this report within days?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: I will check on that, Senator. And I can assure you I will do my best to see if it is appropriate.

SEN. REED: Well, why can't you assure me, Mr. Secretary? This is a report that was prepared by an officer of the United States Army to inform the Department of Defense. But also, this is the Armed Services Committee; we should have access to those reports in a timely fashion. If they're classified, we can go up to 407, we could read them under the circumstances and the classifications. It seems to me this is unacceptable that you, as deputy secretary of Defense say I'll try, but I can't promise you you'll get a report.

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator, we try to give you everything that we can. We also have got to make sure that we manage the whole process of reports like this, and reviews like this, so that people give us candid opinions. Quite frankly --

SEN. REED: Well, don't we deserve a candid opinion, Mr. Secretary?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: -- I put a lot of effort into getting the Eikenberry mission out there against some people who didn't really want to have people looking and examining how we were doing. Lessons learned are a wonderful thing; we need to do lessons learned. We also need to manage, and we need to manage between the executive and the Congress in an appropriate way so that people don't begin to fear every time someone comes out to do an Eikenberry report or to do an assessment or do a lessons learned, it's time to shut up and not give them any information because the next thing you know --

SEN. REED: Mr. Secretary, that's totally unfounded.

We are constitutionally required to supervise the activities of the Department of Defense. We have just as much of a right to get this information as you do, and you seem to be saying we don't. You seem to be saying that we cannot get access to reports prepared in the course of the business of the Department of Defense. Is that what you're saying?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator, I will do my best-I don't-I have not looked at this issue. I would like to get you the report. If I can get it for you, I --

SEN. REED: Well, what you seem to be saying, Mr. Secretary: if you don't want the contents of that report disclosed to us, you won't get it for us. If those contents are embarrassing to the administration, you won't get it for us. If those contents suggest that the problems we saw two weeks ago were understood or anticipated or should have been --

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator, that's not the issue. Don't-please don't do that --

SEN. REED: Well, what is the issue, Mr. Secretary?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: The issue is how to protect the decisional processes that I think are in the country's interest, the candor that is required in predecisional documents, and the equally important responsibility to keep Congress informed.

SEN. REED: Secretary --

MR. WOLFOWITZ: I believe that you can see this report, but I don't know --

SEN. WARNER: Senator, I must say there are seven colleagues waiting. It is an important issue. Senator Levin and I will address the issue.

And may I also thank you for bringing up the question on the contractors. And General Myers, that's a matter that's before the committee for review right now, because they're providing an absolutely essential service not only to our security side but the logistics side. And we've got to do what we can, particularly those that have affiliation with the coalition partners --

SEN. REED: Mr. Chairman --

SEN. WARNER: Yes?

SEN. REED: I appreciate the fact-I apologize to my colleagues-this is an astounding statement by the deputy secretary of Defense, saying that if he wants us to get the information, he'll give it to us, but if he doesn't, he won't. And it's not for any legal --

SEN. WARNER: I -- (off mike) -- I interpret it that way --

MR. WOLFOWITZ: This not a personal thing, Senator Reed. You know-I think you know that there are issues about what documents are predecisional and what things need to be shared. Let's be clear. The Eikenberry report is something I did personally push for, because I thought it was important to have a thorough examination of this issue. And it was-it met some resistance because people are afraid sometimes to have things examined. I said-and I repeat-I will do my best, if I am permitted-it's not me personally-to make that report available to the Congress.

SEN. WARNER: We are now reviewing, Senator Levin and I, in the context of some requests by Senator McCain, the committee and others, as to how we're going to work out a smoother and a more understandable exchange of information --

SEN. REED: Mr. Chairman, would you indulge me for one moment?

SEN. WARNER: Yes.

SEN. REED: My understanding is that reports that are prepared by the Department of Defense are classified and that subject to those classifications, people have access to it. I assume we have a sufficient clearance level on this committee to have access to the report I'm talking about and probably everything that's prepared at the Department of Defense. If I'm in error --

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator Reed, I'm going to do everything I can to get you the report. I just did not want to promise something I'm not sure I can deliver. I will do my best.

SEN. REED: Well, so --

SEN. WARNER: Senator Reed, we just simply have to move on, in fairness to my colleagues and your colleagues on both sides here.