BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS Page JULY 17, 2001 Wolfowitz, Hon. Paul D., Deputy Secretary of Defense 586 586 BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS JULY 19, 2001 Berger, Hon. Samuel R., Chairman, Stonebridge International, Former Assist- 686 692 703 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002 THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2001 COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, U.S. SENATE, Washington, DC. UNIFIED COMMANDERS ON THEIR MILITARY STRATEGY AND OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:49 a.m. in room SD106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator John Warner (chairman) presiding. Committee members present: Senators Warner, Smith, Inhofe, Levin, E. Benjamin Nelson, and Carnahan. Committee staff members present: Romie L. Brownlee, staff director; Judith A. Ansley, deputy staff director; and Scott W. Stucky, general counsel. Professional staff members present: Charles S. Abell, Charles W. Alsup, John R. Barnes, Edward H. Edens IV, Gary M. Hall, George W. Lauffer, Thomas L. MacKenzie, Joseph T. Sixeas, Cord A. Sterling, and Eric H. Thoemmes. Minority staff members present: David S. Lyles, staff director for the minority; Richard D. DeBobes, minority counsel; Daniel J. Cox, Jr., professional staff member; Richard W. Fieldhouse, professional staff member; Creighton Greene, professional staff member; Peter K. Levine, minority counsel; and Michael J. McCord, professional staff member. Staff assistants present: Beth Ann Barozie, Shekinah Z. Hill, and Suzanne K.L. Ross. Committee members' assistants present: Christopher J. Paul and Dan Twining, assistants to Senator McCain; George M. Bernier, III, assistant to Senator Santorum; Robert Alan McCurry, assistant to Senator Roberts; Arch Galloway II, assistant to Senator Sessions; Kristine Fauser, assistant to Senator Collins; David S. Young, assistant to Senator Bunning; Menda S. Fife, assistant to Senator Kennedy; Barry Gene (B.G.) Wright and Erik Raven, assistants to Senator Byrd; Frederick M. Downey, assistant to Senator Lieberman; Elizabeth King, assistant to Senator Reed; William K. Sutey, assistant to Senator Bill Nelson; Sheila Murphy and Eric Pierce, assistants to Senator Ben Nelson; and Larry Smar, assistant to Senator Carnahan. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JOHN WARNER, CHAIRMAN Chairman WARNER. The hearing will come to order. As you are well aware, we are having a vote in the Senate, and as a consequence many of our colleagues are in transit from the Senate floor back to the committee. The committee meets this morning for the first of a series of hearings on the status and requirements of our regional commands. Today we have two of our most distinguished regional commanders, Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, USAF, Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command, and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; and Gen. Tommy R. Franks, USA, Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command. Clearly, you individually and those in your commands are on the very forefront of the risks that our men and women of the Armed Forces take the world over, but particularly in your two areas. You represent the finest troops that this country has ever produced, and they are not only carrying out faithfully the orders of the Commander in Chief, but doing so in keeping with the finest traditions of our U.S. military. We rely on your unique perspectives as we here in Congress strive to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities as a co-equal branch of Government in providing for those troops and their families. As we meet this morning, the largest contingency operations the U.S. military is engaged in around the world are in the Central Command and the European Command. Over 20,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Turkey and, indeed, the waters surrounding them, to enforce the no-fly zones over Northern and Southern Iraq and to help provide for the defense of Kuwait. In Bosnia, we have entered our fifth year of peacekeeping duties with over 5,000 U.S. troops participating in NATO's Stability Force (SFOR) operation, 4,600 of whom are in the Bosnia region. I know there are plans to somewhat reduce those forces in keeping with the objectives of the President. I support the President in this, and we look forward to your comments. I think we are doing it in a very orderly way, in consultation with our allies, and in no way in derogation of our commitment as a full partner to NATO in this and all other responsibilities that we collectively face with that historic treaty organization. In Kosovo, almost 6,000 U.S. troops participate in NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) operation, 5,500 of whom are in-country. With the rising tension in neighboring Macedonia, I am increasingly concerned, as we all are, about the safety of our troops in the Balkans, particularly those stationed in Kosovo and near Macedonia. If we are not careful, those troops and other NATO troops could be drawn into the conflict more than they are today. We will hear from you, General Ralston, on this developing situation. This past year has also seen its share of tragedy, particularly in the Central Command's area of operation. The devastating terrorist attack of the U.S.S. Cole in the Port of Aden on October 12 last year, and the training accident in Kuwait just a week or so ago, brings home to all Americans the very real dangers our men and women in uniform face every day. There are enormous risks in carrying out their missions in the cause of freedom. The U.S.S. Cole tragedy also highlighted the growing terrorist threat facing our Nation and our military forward-deployed units, and the need for additional force protection measures to protect our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. General Franks, we look to you to provide the committee with an update of the steps you have taken since the U.S.S. Cole attack, and the views that you have for the future as to that force protection enhancement within your area of responsibility. We would also like you to reexamine the engagement policy which led our forces into that region, and the necessity to continue that engagement policy, but I presume under somewhat different conditions. We welcome your testimony. Before we begin, I would like to enter into the record at this time statements by Senator Strom Thurmond and Senator Jim Bunning. [The prepared statements of Senator Thurmond and Senator Bunning follow:] PREPARED STATEMENT BY SENATOR STROM THURMOND Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General Ralston and General Franks, I want to join the Chairman and the members of this committee in welcoming you. Mr. Chairman, General Ralston and General Franks represent regions of the world in which the United States has a vital interest and has expended huge resources to secure peace and stability. Yet, more than 10 years after the end of the Cold War and the devastation in the desert of Iraq, our forces are deployed on commitments that appear to have no ending in the very same regions. In hindsight, we should have taken a different approach to the situations in the Balkans and Iraq. I hope that both our witnesses will focus on the future and on how we can end the cycle of violence in these regions. More importantly, I hope they will give us their perspective on how we can minimize the impact of the commitments in Kosovo and Southwest Asia on our troops and the readiness of our Armed Forces. Mr. Chairman, I am also very interested in the quality of life of our forces stationed in Europe and those deployed to the Persian Gulf region. In particular, after the U.S.S. Cole incident, I would like to hear the witnesses' views on force protection and the terrorist threat facing our military personnel. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to today's testimony and again want to thank General Ralston and General Franks and the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines they represent for their dedication and professionalism. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. PREPARED STATEMENT BY SENATOR JIM BUNNING General Ralston and General Franks, thank you for coming before this committee today. We appreciate your service to this country. Like my other colleagues, I applaud our men and women in uniform. They are indeed the best in the world. However, I have concerns about our military being stretched too thin and stressed, and participating in areas of the world where I believe we may have no national security interest. I fear that this is affecting our military's readiness and operations, as well as the safety and morale of our troops. I've expressed my frustration before about our military's chain of command system. It is tough to get the truth and expertise that we need on these issues because of the chain of command. We know the President is the Commander in Chief. Whatever his policy is, you have to salute and come over here and do it. I understand that. But it makes it very frustrating for us because we need to hear your expertise. Because you are the experts and the ones directly involved in these operations. This committee is trying to work with you to be helpful. If we don't get candid answers from you all, then we simply can't do our jobs. Therefore, you can't do your job the way you'd like to do it, and neither can our troops. So we would appreciate candor. We don't want your candor as soon as you retire and put on a suit. I'm always amazed how those who retire from the military, as soon as they put on a suit, say, "Now let me tell you how it really is." Chairman WARNER. Now, Senator Levin will be forthcoming. I think in the need of time we have to get underway. Do you all have a preference as to who would like to proceed? General FRANKS. I will defer to General Ralston. General Ralston. STATEMENT OF GEN. JOSEPH W. RALSTON, USAF, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND, SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, EUROPE General RALSTON. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for the opportunity to appear before the committee today, along with my colleague, General Franks. I would like to submit my statement for the record Chairman WARNER. Without objection. General RALSTON.-and then spend a few moments here on oral testimony, if I may. I would draw your attention to the poster board that we have over here and just-I know you know this, Mr. Chairman, but for some of our other people that are watching here, sometimes I feel that the U.S. European Command Area of Responsibility (EUCOM AOR) may be misnamed, because it includes a lot more than Europe. It stretches, as you see, from the northern part of Norway to the end of South Africa. It includes the Middle East countries of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. It includes all of Africa that you see there in green on that map. |