tions, and you well understand that the future will hold similar uncertainties in family scheduling, depending on their responsibilities. Congressman Montgomery, Sonny, please come up and sit down. Mr. Roberts, you know very well, do you not? Mr. MONTGOMERY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman WARNER. That is fine. We would like to have you join our party, and that is why I put you in the front. [Laughter.] It is nice to see you, Sonny. You certainly served in the Congress, and your first love is the Armed Services Committee, and all those many years. We welcome you. They handed me another note that is so illegible I cannot read it, but I will get to it in a minute. Senator Levin. Senator LEVIN. I think the note said that Sonny Montgomery should be on this side of the table. [Laughter.] Chairman WARNER. His heart is in the right place, as always. STATEMENT OF SENATOR CARL LEVIN Senator LEVIN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me add my welcome and my support for these two nominees, who are extremely talented and well-qualified. They have shown this in their current positions. We look forward to prompt consideration of their nominations. They have shown a true dedication in service to our country. I do not have a picture of Mr. de Leon in my office. I know that we will make up for that by him having a picture of me in his office. [Laughter.] Also, Mr. Chairman, I want to add our welcome to their families. They literally have stood behind our two nominees today. Figuratively, they have stood behind them for a long time. I am sure they will be called upon again to stand behind our two nominees, because of the time-consuming duties that they are undertaking. So, we thank the families as well. Let me add my welcome to Congressman Sonny Montgomery, too, an old friend and true gentle men. Thank you. Chairman WARNER. I would like to say hi to my colleagues, Senator Inhofe, Senator Roberts. Would you like to have a few words before we undertake the hearing? STATEMENT OF SENATOR PAT ROBERTS Senator ROBERTS. Thank you, sir. Mr. Chairman, I would like to echo your comments, and that of the distinguished ranking member on behalf of our witnesses. We had a courtesy call yesterday, and I do not want to call this hearing a perfunctory one, but I think everybody agrees that they are the right folks for the job. Then I also would like to recognize a very close friend of all of our colleagues. Every person who has ever worn a uniform, in regards to Sonny Montgomery, he is the former chairman of the Veterans Committee. He is a dear colleague and a friend to us all, an advisor to presidents. I am not over exaggerating. He was a majorgeneral in the National Guard. I think my relationship really comes from the fact that he is the director of the physical fitness emeritus in the House Wellness Center. [Laughter.] He aided and abetted the well-being of all colleagues and members, and I want to thank him so much for his contribution, and being such a champion on behalf of the military. I thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Chairman. STATEMENT OF SENATOR JAMES M. INHOFE Senator INHOFE. Well, since he did, I will, too. [Laughter.] I appreciate both nominees sharing with with me and, of course, Rudy, we have worked together in many capacities. I do not know how long the opening statements are going to be. I did have some questions I wanted to ask, but I have a deadline here. But as far as Sonny is concerned, for my 8 years in my House, we had breakfast every Wednesday morning together, and it is great to have him back. There is no stronger supporter of the veterans and the services anywhere in America than Sonny Montgomery. Mr. MONTGOMERY. Thank you, Senator Inhofe. Chairman WARNER. Senator Inhofe, I will be happy to yield my time to you to lead off, just as soon I finish these standard questions. There are several questions which we ask all our nominees, gentlemen. Have you adhered to the applicable laws and regulations governing conflict of interest? Mr. de Leon. Secretary DE LEON. Yes. Mr. DWORKIN. Yes. Chairman WARNER. Have you assumed any duties or undertaken any actions which would appear to presume the outcome of the confirmation process? Secretary DE LEON. No. Mr. DWORKIN. No, I have not. Chairman WARNER. Will you ensure your staff complies with deadlines established for requested communications, including questions for the record in the hearings before the Senate? Secretary DE LEON. I will. Mr. DWORKIN. Yes, I will. Chairman WARNER. Will you cooperate in providing witnesses and briefings in response to Congressional requests? Secretary DE LEON. I will. Mr. DWORKIN. Yes. Chairman WARNER. Will those witnesses be protected from reprisal for the testimony offered? Secretary DE LEON. Yes. Mr. DWORKIN. Yes. Chairman WARNER. I thank both of you. Senator Inhofe, would you like to take the Senator INHOFE. No, I can wait until Chairman WARNER. If you are sure, all right. Now, Mr. de Leon, your responsibilities as the Principal Deputy to the Secretary of Defense cover the entire responsibilities to the Department of Defense, am I not correct on that? Secretary DE LEON. That is correct, Senator Warner. Chairman WARNER. The same with you. Mr. DWORKIN. Yes, Senator. Chairman WARNER. We will now take your opening statements. STATEMENT OF HON. RUDY DE LEON, NOMINEE FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Secretary DE LEON. Senator, I will be very brief. Mr. Chairman, Senator Levin, Senator Inhofe, Senator Roberts, I thank you for the chance to appear here today as Secretary Cohen's and the President's nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Defense. You are correct, Senator Warner, about the obligation we owe to Deputy Secretary John Hamre. I knew him almost as long as I have known Sonny Montgomery. He has, throughout, been a person of integrity, a person of tremendous commitment, a person who is capable of working long hours on hard problems. He is, I think, a great model of what a deputy secretary should be, and certainly, I intend to use that model as I go about my duties. Second, 22 years ago, the committee confirmed me to be Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness. I want to thank the committee for their confidence at that time, and also to express my appreciation to members of the committee for the opportunity to work with you. I think that in the last year, particularly, we have made significant improvements in the right direction with respect to military pay and military benefits. I think we are making great strides in the ongoing discussion and the work, in terms of a medical bill, for our Active Duty, our retirees, and particularly, our over 65 retirees. So I want to thank the committee for the opportunity to work on those issues, and for responding to these issues on such a bipartisan basis. Those legislative provisions are having a great impact with our force today, and I think will be long regarded as a milestone, in terms of preserving the high caliber and professionalism of the all-volunteer force. The challenges of the position of deputy secretary are many, but if confirmed, I would look forward to continuing working with this committee and the remaining year of this administration, to continue the work that has been done to support the quality of life for our military men and women, continue the modernization of our military equipment for today's force, and to make sure that we have the next generation technology ready for tomorrow's, that we are capable of responding to the new threats, such as the need to protect our information infrastructure in all aspects of cyber-communications, that we are strong and clear in terms of maintaining our strong alliances with our allies around the world. So Mr. Chairman, I will be brief. I would also like to thank my wife and two daughters for the sacrifices that they make. I try to be at home, but at the same time I have the responsibilities of the position, and I am grateful for their support, and grateful as sort of an extended member of the family, that Congressman Sonny Montgomery would be here today with me. He has been a friend for many years. Tuesday mornings in my office in the Rayburn Building, I looked forward to seeing Sonny and General John Conaway every Tuesday morning at 7:30, and every time that I, as a staff person, would be on the floor or the House, always sought Sonny's counsel, and stayed close to him ever since, and appreciate all that he has done as a supporter and friend. So Mr. Chairman, I thank you for the chance to testify. I thank you for your consideration and the committee's consideration of my nomination. Chairman WARNER. Thank you, Mr. de Leon. I believe General Conaway is in the room. General, we are delighted to have you here. Congressman Montgomery, having heard that statement, would you like to reply? Mr. MONTGOMERY. I am overwhelmed, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here for Rudy and for the General Counsel. Congratulations. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and my other colleagues whose kind words were mentioned today. It is not bad being out of the Congress now. I can make a little money. Chairman WARNER. You earned it. Mr. MONTGOMERY. Thank you for giving me a chance to speak, and having this hearing. Thank you very much. Chairman WARNER. Well, we thank you for taking your time to come back and visit your colleagues and making an official appearance at this important confirmation hearing. I think you have a lot to do with developing Rudy de Leon through the years, and for the well-rounded and responsible individual for this post. Mr. Dworkin. STATEMENT OF DOUGLAS A. DWORKIN, NOMINEE FOR GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Mr. DWORKIN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, Congressman Montgomery, I am deeply honored to appear before you today as the President's nominee to be the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. Since 1997, I have been privileged to serve in the Office of General Counsel, first, as the Deputy General Counsel for Legal Counsel, and currently as the Principal Deputy General Counsel. In both of those positions, I have had the privilege of serving under the leadership of our former general counsel, Judith Miller. In those roles I have had the opportunity to work on the full range of legal issues that confront the Department, and to serve Secretary Cohen and the other senior leaders of the Department. In addition to this exposure to the work of the Department, I have gained a deep appreciation for the superb military and civilian personnel who are the Department of Defense. Every day, often under difficult and dangerous conditions, they serve the Nation with dedication, skill, and courage. If confirmed, I look forward to continuing to support their efforts under the leadership of Secretary Cohen and Mr. de Leon, if he is confirmed, and in close cooperation with the committee. I would also like to thank my family, and I appreciate your words of welcome to them. It is their love and support that have enabled me to accomplish anything I have done in my professional life. I am grateful for the committee's hospitality today, for the opportunity I have had to meet with members of the committee staff in recent days, and I look forward to responding to your questions. Thank you. Chairman WARNER. Thank you very much. If I may take a personal moment with you: As a young man, I was greatly inspired by Judge Arnold, when I was a law clerk on the circuit court, and watched him argue many, many cases. Later in life, I got to know Paul Porter very well. I regarded his sense of humor second to none. He had real joie de vivre for everything he did in his life, and I hope that some of the qualities of both of those men rested on your shoulders through the years. Now, Senator Inhofe, do you want to lead off with a few questions and then I will come back? Senator INHOFE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is very nice of you. First of all, I do want to welcome two people I have so much respect for, and I appreciate the time you have given me in responding to some of the questions that I have had and concerns that I have had. I would ask you, Mr. Secretary, having concerns I have shared with you since the early nineties about the verbal attacks the Chinese have laid on us, as well as Taiwan, going back to 1996, when they said that we were not concerned about the United States intervening in Taiwan, because they would rather defend Los Angeles than Taipei, and when Chi Haotian, just the other day, the Defense Minister of China, said that war with the United States is inevitable, and then just this morning, such things published in China saying the United States will not sacrifice 2 million Americans for 20 million Taiwanese. Well, I see these as direct threats. A couple of weeks ago we had George Tenet, the Director of Central Intelligence, before this committee, and Mr. Chairman, remember when I asked him the question, I said, I feel that we are in the most threatened position that we have ever been in in the history of this country, and he said, I agree, and then he repeated it. So I would just like to know your views about you assess the threat. Do you agree with George Tenet's assessment? Secretary DE LEON. Thank you, Senator Inhofe. Let me first just thank you for all of the effort that you have offered on behalf of the men and women in uniform. Whether it is training for our navy, or advocacy of our pilots, of our soldiers, of our marines, you have been a vigorous advocate on their behalf, and I think you have gained tremendous respect and credibility in the members of our armed forces as well as their leaders, and I want to thank you for all of that effort. Six months before he died, former President Nixon came, he met with Secretary Aspen, the two had corresponded for a long time, but in this final session between the two men President Nixon talked about Asia, and he talked about the criticality of the Amer |