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the system monitored fixed garrisons and the movement of small groups of vehicles within civilian traffic. The adaptive use of crew and external sensor input via satellite communication has proven JSTARS' effectiveness in complex, high-intensity EUCOM contingency operations.

General FRANKS. JSTARS provides an operational joint airborne command and control (C2) platform and tactical/operational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability. These capabilities provide JSTARS subscribers a terrestrial picture with excellent moving target fidelity and unparalleled air-to-ground battlespace C2 and surface situational awareness. Close air support, combat search and rescue, and moving target information distribution are evolving capabilities provided by JSTARS. Additionally, the Navy and Marine Corps have recently purchased ship-based receiving systems to monitor littoral operations which, if netted with the Army and Air Force systems, could produce an even keener operational surface picture and an enhanced air-land C2 structure in and around the Arabian Gulf.

I strongly desire to validate the importance of JSTARS to U.S. CENTCOM with a deployment to the Arabian Gulf region. The last time JSTARS was in CENTCOM'S AOR was in early 1998 during Operation Desert Thunder. The lack of available aircraft and difficulties obtaining diplomatic permissions have delayed efforts to deploy JSTARS into the CENTCOM AOR this year. Nevertheless, my air component continues to plan for a JSTARS deployment this fall.

QUESTION SUBMITTED BY SENATOR BILL NELSON

CENTCOM HEADQUARTERS

11. Senator BILL NELSON. General Franks, there has been some discussion about the possibility of relocating U.S. Central Command_headquarters from its current location at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida to an undetermined location within your Area of Responsibility in Southwest Asia. Given recent terrorist attacks, and the continuing threats in the region, this raises understandable concern regarding force protection for members of your headquarters and their families. At the same time there is understandable concern over the "7,000-mile commute" members of your command must endure when traveling to and from the area. What are your thoughts on the issue of your headquarters' location and moving it to Southwest Asia? What steps can be taken to mitigate the challenges of command and control from the United States and avoid increasing the risks to members of your command by increasing our physical presence in that region?

General FRANKS. There are currently no plans to relocate the CENTCOM headquarters from Tampa to Southwest Asia. Ideally, any commander would want to be located in his AOR but the political situation and existing infrastructure in the region make this unfeasible for the foreseeable future.

CENTCOM compensates for the separation from its AOR several ways. CENTCOM conducts day-to-day operations in the region through the command and control of four forward-deployed headquarters elements on the Arabian Peninsula. These are the Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia, responsible for air operations in the southern no-fly zone; the Combined Joint Task Force-Kuwait, responsible for the ground defense of Kuwait; Special Operations Command Central (Forward), responsible for all of our Special Operational Forces in the northern Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Horn of Africa; and Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) in Bahrain, responsible for all maritime operations in CENTCOM. NAVCENT is CENTCOM's only forward-deployed service component headquarters.

This command and control structure has proven itself a capable and robust substitute for a forward-deployed CENTCOM headquarters. Technology is the enabler in this process by providing ever increasing "reach back" and even "reach forward" capability for communication between Tampa and our forward headquarters elements. My staff strives to employ the latest technology not only to move information swiftly but also to provide redundancy to work around the loss of key nodes or capabilities.

Currently there are four fixed locations in the region that are designated as possible CENTCOM forward headquarters locations, should a crisis or contingency require moving my battlestaff to the AOR. All are on the Arabian Peninsula and access to these facilities is not guaranteed in time of crisis. Consequently, we are developing a capability to rapidly deploy the battlestaff along with an air-deployable command post that provides the same command and control capabilities I have in Tampa or at any established headquarters in the region. There are over 100 C-5 or C-17-capable runways throughout the region where we could fly in this

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2001

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES,

U.S. SENATE,

Washington, DC.

UNIFIED AND REGIONAL COMMANDERS ON THEIR MILITARY STRATEGY AND OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:34 a.m., in room SH-216, Hart Senate Office Building, Senator John Warner (chairman) presiding.

Committee members present: Senators Warner, Smith, Inhofe, Santorum, Sessions, Collins, Levin, Kennedy, Cleland, Landrieu, Akaka, Bill Nelson, E. Benjamin Nelson, and Dayton.

Committee staff members present: Romie L. Brownlee, staff director; Judith A. Ansley, deputy staff director; and Scott W. Stucky, general counsel.

Majority staff members present: Edward H. Edens IV, Gary M. Hall, Carolyn M. Hanna, George W. Lauffer, Thomas L. MacKenzie, Joseph T. Sixeas, and Cord A. Sterling.

Minority staff members present: David S. Lyles, staff director for the minority; Richard D. DeBobes, minority counsel; Richard W. Fieldhouse, professional staff member; and Peter K. Levine, minority counsel.

Staff assistants present: Kristi M. Freddo, Shekinah Z. Hill, and Suzanne K.L. Ross.

Committee members' assistants present: Dan Twining, assistant to Senator McCain; Margaret Hemenway, assistant to Senator Smith; J. Mark Powers, assistant to Senator Inhofe; 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; Menda S. Fife and Sharon L. Waxman, assistants to Senator Kennedy; Barry Gene (B.G.) Wright, assistant to Senator Byrd; Frederick M. Downey, assistant to Senator Lieberman; Andrew Vanlandingham, assistant to Senator Cleland; Jason Matthews, assistant to Senator Landrieu; Elizabeth King, assistant to Senator Reed; William K. Sutey, assistant to Senator Bill Nelson; and Sheila Murphy and Eric Pierce, assistants to Senator Ben Nelson.

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JOHN WARNER,
CHAIRMAN

Chairman WARNER. Good morning. We hold our second series of hearings to receive testimony on the status and requirements of our regional commands. We do that in this committee each year. It provides us a basis of fact upon which we can then proceed to have our long and lengthy series of hearings on the authorization bill.

Last Thursday, the committee heard from Gen. Joseph Ralston, Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command; and Gen. Tommy R. Franks, Commander in Chief, Central Command. Today we are pleased to have Adm. Dennis C. Blair, United States Navy, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command; Gen. Peter Pace, United States Marine Corps, Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command; and Gen. Thomas A. Schwartz, United States Army, Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command and Commander, U.S. Forces Korea.

I would like to just focus on concerns that this Senator has with respect to issues in each of your AORS. In the Asia-Pacific region, China remains a growing concern. Each year there is another incremental set of facts that I think directly impacts on our planning here. First, our line of deterrence, our effort to work with our allies and friends in that region to maintain peace and tranquility, but we note that China will increase its defense budget by nearly 18 percent this year.

I would hope, Admiral, in your testimony you can give us the baseline on which that 18 percent is predicated. Very often we see significant increases like that, but if you go back to the baseline, in real terms so to speak, there is not that much. But that is an issue which I have studied, and I would like to have your perspective on exactly what you believe the 18 percent represents.

This dramatic increase in spending, which will enable the further acquisition of many advanced weapons systems, I presume many coming from Russia, and the positioning of additional short-range ballistic missile launch sites within range of Taiwan are matters we have to take into consideration.

At this point, I am going to do something that is unusual, but I have studied it several times, and I will provide each of the witnesses with a copy, and that is the Washington Post editorial of March 25, titled the Taiwan Arms Decision. In reading that, it comports generally with my approach and philosophy towards this issue.

You have just returned, Admiral Blair, from a trip to China, South Korea, and Japan, and therefore your insights are of particular value.

Under statute and law, the administration is to consult with Congress regarding the annual review of the Taiwan arms situation and their ability to defend themselves. Representatives of the Departments of Defense and State have come up and briefed. I can testify on this side. Yesterday I had a special briefing for members of the committee on that subject.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula remains very volatile and extremely dangerous. Over the past year, while there appeared to be some approachment towards lessening the tensions between the

north and the south, the fruits of that effort remain to be seen in my judgment because we view the actions, as well as the words, and the actions reflect that North Korea took no significant reduction in any of its massive number of troops deployed in that border region. Perhaps you will touch on that, General.

In light of our relationship with South Korea, it is a very important one, critical to the overall posture of deterrence in the region of the Pacific, and we look forward to your update. 37,000 U.S. troops-I think that is the number-are stationed in South Korea. Accompanying them are many families, and we have many industrialists and others from the United States. So, we should always be mindful that very significant numbers of our own population are right there within the range of weapons.

Now, in SOUTHCOM, the situation in Colombia and its bordering nations is, of course, of great concern. We had an opportunity to visit last night with the senior staff, and we want to hear from you this morning with regard to your view of that situation down there. I take note that my distinguished colleague, the ranking member, traveled there with other Senators recently, as did our colleague, Senator McCain.

We continue to support the efforts of the previous administration with regard to the $1.6 billion U.S. aid package. I say we. I speak for myself and I think the majority of this committee. But the precariousness of that situation, and particularly the spill-over effect on the adjoining nations, is of concern to us. We have our own military personnel there now in the position of training.

These are just some of the issues, and we should have, I think, a very informative and profitable hearing from our distinguished witnesses this morning.

If you will forgive my voice. It is not up to prime time, but I am still here in every respect. Thank you. At this time, without objection, I submit the opening statement of Senator Strom Thurmond. [The prepared statement of Senator Thurmond follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT BY SENATOR STROM THURMOND

Mr. Chairman, I join you in welcoming Admiral Blair, General Schwartz, and General Pace to the second in the series of hearings with our regional and warfighting commanders. Our panel represents areas of the globe that are an ever increasing political and security challenge to the United States.

In the Pacific, we are confronted by the two sleeping giants, India and China, optimistic peace talks between North and South Korea, and ethnic strife ready to explode in various parts of the region. In South America, the strife in Colombia is forcing the drug lords and their operations into neighboring countries threatening to spread our so-called war on drugs. Although the historical focus of our Nation has been toward Europe, in my judgment, the future lies in the Pacific and south of our borders. Today's witnesses are bringing a focus on their regions and effectively securing our vital national security and economic interests. They accomplish their missions despite quality of life challenges for their personnel and underfunding of vital readiness accounts.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to the testimony of our distinguished group of commanders and thank them for their professionalism and distinguished service to our Nation. I would also like to assure them that the committee will take into consideration their requirements as we deliberate on the defense budget for fiscal year 2002 whenever it arrives.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman WARNER. Senator Levin.

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