[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 14, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S283-S286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MEETING OF THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, tomorrow morning the Senate Armed Services
Committee will conduct a closed hearing with the Secretary of Defense
and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as our witnesses. This came about
in a routine way as a consequence of a letter that Senator Levin, the
chairman of the committee, and I as ranking member, sent to the
Secretary on January 8.
Senator Levin and I have worked closely in the joint management of
this committee, and I expressed to him, following the Christmas recess,
the need that I perceived for Members to get a current briefing with
regard to those issues relating to the Department of Defense, obviously
one being the deployment to Iraq, the situation in Iraq, the situation
in Korea, and other matters--generally speaking, the continuing war
that the President is engaging against terrorist.
I am about to read the letter we sent. I have been very much involved
in these issues as a member of this committee. Senator Levin and I
start our 25th year as Senators, and we have been together on that
committee now this quarter of a century. We have worked together very
closely in a trusting relationship, and that continues.
We have had our strong differences, particularly when we manage the
annual Defense authorization bill. We have taken the two desks of our
respective leaders here and debated issues during those 25 years. We
have our differences with regard to certain issues as they relate to
Iraq.
Interestingly enough, we planned a joint trip to Korea some 18 months
ago, but that trip just could not be developed.
I bring that background only to say this letter reflects a perfectly
routine meeting that we have had through the years and the joint desire
on behalf of the committee to have these two very important witnesses
appear to bring us up to their current knowledge with regard to these
issues. It is a routine matter.
There is some concern that we have summoned the Secretary of Defense
to be here tomorrow morning as a consequence of some publicity that has
been put forward of recent regarding the relationships between the
Congress and the administration and, most specifically, the Department
of Defense. Some of that publicity relates to a conference Republican
Senators held last week. I have always followed the rule--
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and will continue to do so--that those are private matters between the
respective conferences of this side of the aisle and that side of the
aisle, and what transpires is simply our business.
Nevertheless, certain facts have emanated from the one held by the
Republicans.
Coincidentally, the morning after that conference, Senator Levin and
I--just the two of us from the Senate--had a breakfast meeting with the
Secretary of Defense and about, I would say, eight of his senior
members to discuss a wide range of issues. At that meeting, we brought
up the subject of this letter, and the Secretary said: Of course, let's
schedule whatever time you want. I have the letter. I am ready to come.
In fact, he had just briefed the House Armed Services Committee in a
similar way.
This letter is straightforward.
I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record at
the conclusion of my remarks.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
(See exhibit 1.)
Mr. WARNER. It states in part:
Dear Mr. Secretary, we are writing to request that you or
your Deputy, together with Joint Chiefs . . . testify before
the Armed Services Committee next week, in both open and
closed session--
We have now decided it will be just in closed session--
on current and potential U.S. military operations. . . .
And the letter flows thereafter. It will be part of the Record.
In no way is this to be construed as a summons to the Secretary by
myself or Senator Levin with respect to our concerns about the
consultation process between the Department of Defense and the
Congress.
To amplify on my concern about certain inquiries that have been
received in my office in the last roughly 36 hours, I do feel very
strongly about the situation in Iraq; likewise, the situation in Korea.
I believe every Member of this body feels very strongly about it.
Frankly, candidly, and proudly, I say that our President has
exhibited the extraordinary leadership with regard to particularly the
situation in Iraq and the manner in which he has taken steps in the
international arena--the United Nations, the Security Council--working
with the heads of state and governments of nations which are now and
have been close friends and allies in trying to bring about peace in
this world.
I have said in this Chamber, and I will continue to say, that in my
humble career, almost a quarter of a century in this body and some 5
years I spent in the Pentagon where I was exposed to international
situations, foremost among them the war in Vietnam, Mr. President, the
situation in Iraq is one of the most complex and serious situations I
have ever witnessed in my professional career as a public servant. I
think it requires the highest degree of attention that it is receiving
by our President, that it has, is, and will be received by this august
body, the Senate, and working with the House as a Congress as a whole.
I think our President has received strong support with regard to the
steps he has taken.
I was proud with Senator McCain, Senator Bayh, and Senator Lieberman
to draw up a resolution which was passed by this body on which, for the
record--and it is in the Record--Senator Levin and I had disagreements,
but there was a strong endorsement of the actions being taken by our
President.
In that context, I think the consultation process between the
President and his principal Cabinet officers and others in the Congress
has to be stronger than it has ever been because of the complexity of
this situation. That is why I urged Senator Levin to have this hearing
tomorrow. That is why I am taking other steps to see that our
committee, the Senate Armed Services Committee, which presumably in the
not too distant future I will be named chairman, receives the maximum
amount of information, not only that it desires but that it needs to
properly perform our oversight process, that it needs to properly not
only relate to our constituents but to members of the administration to
convey our feelings and views which indeed could be contrary in some
respects to actions taken or that are about to be taken by the
President and others as it relates to this situation.
North Korea is a very special and complex situation. Again, I think
our President is following the correct steps.
Had I had the opportunity, I probably would have advised a greater
relationship in terms of visitations and otherwise with the regime in
North Korea, assuming the opportunity had been provided, but that
government completely abandoned the commitments they had made earlier,
and indeed the commitments which presumably they were continuing with
this administration of President George Bush.
I will not get involved in the various details there, but I am
gravely concerned about the some 37,000 men and women in the Armed
Forces who are essential on that border to show the resolve of this
country to protect South Korea and to try to promote first the
deterrence of any combat and then perhaps promote closer relationships
between the North and the South. Those forces, together with other
associated forces on standby, are in the area of North and South Korea
for peaceful purposes.
I do not know what will evolve from the efforts by the
administration, which I think are very positive. The administration has
sent a high-ranking official over there to see whether, in working with
our principal allies on this matter--Japan, China, Russia--we can work
together as a group of nations to once again bring back a course of
action which will involve the cessation of the manufacture of weapons
of mass destruction by North Korea and to foster a closer and more
peaceful relationship with those two countries and North Korea as it
relates to the neighboring countries in that area of the world, and
hopefully to curtail the continued export by North Korea of weapons of
mass destruction to other nations.
I return to this whole subject of the consultation and its importance
at this particular time because of the complexity and the difficulty of
the American people to really fully grasp the seriousness of this
situation in Iraq and the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.
I saw where there is being planned what has been termed a peaceful
march, a protest march, protesting the possibility of military
engagement with Iraq at some point in time. I underscore that our
President has made no decision about that and repeatedly says he has
made no decision about it.
For over 5 years during the war in Vietnam, I was privileged to serve
in the Navy Secretariat. I remember so many times coming up to the Hill
to testify. I remember the widening gap between the Congress of the
United States and the administration in that period of time because of
the different views with regard to that conflict. Who suffered the
most? It was really the men and women of the Armed Forces who were
courageously fighting in that war.
I suppose at no time in the long public career which I have been
privileged to have in this country have I had such heartfelt compassion
for the men and women in the Armed Forces than in that period. They
would come home on leave or come home wounded or tragically, in many
cases, not come home as a consequence of being a casualty on the
battlefields, battlefields which I visited on occasion, and the ships,
and they would come home to a nation that did not understand what they
were doing, a nation that was hostile to them individually and
collectively, as well as to the families of those service persons.
Strengthening the consultation between the Congress and the executive
branch at this time is essential to see that that chapter in American
history is never repeated.
Today we have an all-volunteer force, and I think it is magnificent.
I do not think we have to return to the draft--but I will save that for
another day--because I experienced the draft periods. I was privileged
to serve briefly in a very modest way in the Navy in the concluding
months of World War II when the draft was on. I happened to volunteer
at 17. Most of my age group at that time did volunteer for selective
service. I served again in the Korean war, briefly again in Korea.
Again, it was a draft situation. I do not want to return to those
periods where men and
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women--well, in those days men were drafted. Any future draft would
have to involve both sexes, but that is a subject for another time.
I harken back to those periods of Vietnam, and I will watch very
carefully what transpires in the next few days during this hopefully
peaceful protest of the policies of the Government as they relate to
the possible use of our troops in the war.
I want to recount one other chapter which I will never forget. My
recollection is it was Saturday afternoon and I was in my office and my
beloved, dear friend John Chafee, who used to sit right at that desk,
was Secretary of the Navy and I was Under Secretary, and Secretary
Laird telephoned me and said: I would like to have you and John Chafee
go down to The Mall and take a look at another demonstration--by the
young men and women of that era--in protest to Vietnam and come back
and have a talk with me.
I remember so well that in those days we were all dressed up in our
business suits even though it was a Saturday. We used to work pretty
much 6 days a week during that war. We dispensed with our chauffeur-
driven cars. We got in an old car and drove down to The Mall in some
sort of cobbled together set of gym clothes, or whatever we had on. We
blended right into that crowd. I can see it as clearly this moment as I
did then.
Estimates were there were close to a million--I want to repeat that--
close to a million young men and women. There was no particular anger,
but they were protesting the war in Vietnam and the impact that war was
having on their lives, their future, and their loved ones or friends or
otherwise who had suffered the consequences of serving in uniform in
that period. I do not want to see a return to that.
I remember we went back and talked to Secretary of Defense Laird
about what we had seen, and I can see him now. He was very concerned
because we did not have in place then a clear policy by which at some
point in time we as a nation had to come to the conclusion that we had
to basically make an honorable and dignified exit in that situation.
That is for another day for historians to examine. It is emblazoned in
my mind. I do not see nor do I sense among our people across the Nation
today any feeling that such magnitude of a problem exists at this point
in time with regard to Iraq.
Nevertheless, those situations come about sometimes quickly. That is
why I will always be an advocate--whether it is the Bush
administration, whether it is the Clinton administration, the Carter
administration, or the previous Bush administration; I have worked with
them all; I have been privileged to work in this body a quarter of a
century--why I have been a steadfast proponent for consultation. I will
continue. I hope it is not misconstrued by way of criticism. It is
constructive thinking and drawing upon my own, you might say limited,
experiences in previous military conflicts in this country.
I recall at the conclusion of World War II when those in uniform came
home. They were welcomed with open arms. It is impossible in these few
minutes to describe the gratitude of the Nation, of the world, for the
participation of those upward 16 million who served in that conflict
and how all doors were open when they came home.
That was not present in Korea. It is why it is called the forgotten
war. When they came back, there was no warm reception. We read
something about it, but we were not entirely sure what it was they were
fighting for over there. It is called the forgotten war. Over 50,000
men, and some women, from the United States of America gave their lives
in that conflict. That is why it is called the forgotten war.
Fortunately, today there are a number of things that have taken place
to properly put in perspective the enormous sacrifice this country gave
to secure for South Korea the freedoms they have enjoyed, the freedoms
that have flourished. It is with a certain sense of sadness I read from
time to time now that certain elements of the South Korean people
resent our presence there.
The principle focus of these remarks is to reflect in the quiet
moments at the end of a long day in the Senate a subject I feel
strongly about, the consultation between the executive branch--whatever
President it would be--and his principal Cabinet and other officers
with this body, particularly in times as stressful and as complex as we
are now facing here with the Iraqi situation or with the Korean
situation.
I encourage the Department of Defense at the earliest point to
release such statistics they keep with regard to the consulting
process, the number of times that the Secretary of Defense has been up
to brief the Congress--as they are going to do tomorrow. To the extent
I can reflect on those brief remarks that I make to our conference,
they were done in a constructive tone, a noncritical tone, and against
the background that I briefly described of what I have experienced in
my years as a public servant in times that are parallel, in many
respects, to what we have now with the extraordinary tensions in this
world as a consequence of terrorists, as a consequence of a despot such
as Saddam Hussein.
Much is unknown about the Government of North Korea and its principal
leaders. That is, in itself, very difficult. We have so little insight
into that regime and particularly the leader of that nation at this
time.
I conclude by saying I will continue to speak out. If I feel strongly
enough I will criticize. I have been known to do it. At this time I am
trying to provide an element of constructive leadership as it relates
to my good friend and longtime friend. When I was in the Navy,
Secretary Rumsfeld was on President Nixon's staff in the White House,
and we have known each other from that period of time. We formed a
friendship then and have seen each other in the intervening years. We
remain trusting and good, close working colleagues. Now and then he has
a few choice words about me about some of the things I have done over
here. He was not entirely pleased with my efforts on TRICARE For Life
and current receipts, but those are honest differences between public
servants.
In this instance, what I said at that conference was done in a
heartfelt, constructive manner and it was not in any way directed it as
a personal criticism against any of the President's Cabinet or the
President himself. It was done simply to lay down a format for
consultation with this body in the weeks and months to come, as we are
continuing to lead as a nation to secure freedom in this world and a
greater degree of peace for others.
Tomorrow's hearing will be very important before the Senate Armed
Services Committee. I am confident the Secretary will share such
information that is essential for us to perform our functions.
I yield the floor.
Exhibit 1
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC, January 8, 2003.
Hon. Donald H. Rumsfeld,
Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Secretary: We are writing to request that you or
your Deputy, together with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman
General Richard B. Myers, USAF, testify before the Armed
Services Committee next week, in both open and closed
session, on current and potential U.S. military operations.
In particular, we request that you discuss the commitment of
military forces in and around Afghanistan allocated to the
global war on terrorism, the buildup of U.S. military
personnel and equipment in the Persian Gulf region to
confront the threat posed by Iraq, and potential military
commitments in support of a diplomatic solution to the
enhanced tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
As the 108th Congress convenes, our nation is facing a
broad range of national security challenges. Together with a
large coalition of nations, our troops are engaged in the
second year of operations in Afghanistan; on an almost daily
basis, U.S. military forces are deploying to areas around
Iraq; and for the past month, we have witnesses escalating
tension over the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
Our Committee last conducted hearings on Iraq in September
of 2002, prior to the vote on the resolution to authorize the
use of force against Iraq, followed by a briefing in
December. We had comprehensive hearings on Afghanistan in
July 2002, and North Korea in March 2002, when the combatant
commanders responsible for those regions testified.
As the new Congress convenes, and the Committee has a large
number of new Members, it is essential to our oversight
responsibilities to gain a timely update on vital national
security issues in order to fulfill our constitutional
responsibilities.
Sincerely,
John Warner.
Carl Levin.
Mr. WARNER. I yield the fllor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
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The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Talent). The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call
be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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