Hearing of the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: Defeating Al Queda's Air Force: Pakistan's F-16 Program in the Fight Against Terr

Statement

REP. SHERMAN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

We're supposed to win the war against terrorism with an administration that trusts Pakistan and doesn't trust Congress. When this committee last dealt with this issue, I said that we in the U.S. government ought to look very carefully at the avionics that we put on these planes before we send them to Pakistan, because we know that the Chinese will be looking very closely at that avionics soon after these planes get to Pakistan.

I think it would be absolutely foolish for us to assume that more than 12 months will go by between when Pakistan gets anything and China sees it. This is -- and so the question is what should we be doing now to protect our national security based on the assumption that China will be able to look at these avionics? I'll ask the vice admiral that question.

REP. SHERMAN: There are extensive provisos, treaties and rules that would prevent A.Q. Khan from doing what he did. Paper is paper. You know that it is quite possible for Chinese agents to look at this without us knowing and you know that the Pakistani government could, within six months, decide to simply renounce the paper -- or six months after they get the avionics -- and fly the planes to Beijing for a goodwill tour.

So the question is not how you're going to convince me that a piece of paper is going to shield our technology from China. You're not going to be able to do that. The question is what do we do to protect our security based on the assumption I'm building into the question, which is the assumption that China will see these avionics?

ADM. WIERINGA: I think both of those -- additionally I'm reminded that there is a 24/7 U.S. presence with the airplanes and the sensitive technology in Pakistan.

REP. SHERMAN: But you know that the day after you deliver this technology, Pakistan could order those people out and fly these planes to China for a goodwill tour. You know that's a possibility. How is that possibility factored into what avionics you're putting on these planes?

And by the way, I don't think they'd have to do it that way, but I'm trying to get you to focus on the question.

REP. SHERMAN: But you have no idea whether -- how that process is working. You have no idea whether they're making one extreme assumption, which is the Chinese will never see it, or the other extreme assumption, that the Chinese will see it as soon as it's delivered.

So this vetting -- I get back to it. You trust Pakistan, but you don't trust Congress to even tell us what vetting process you're using. But you will trust the Pakistanis with the technology. A house divided against itself is not likely to win a war against terrorism and an administration that regards Congress as the enemy to be bamboozled and obfuscated is not likely to win a war on terrorism.

I yield back.

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