[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 117 (Wednesday, July 16, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6652-H6653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2030
 AIR FORCE GENERAL MOSELEY AND SECRETARY WYNNE SHOULD BE HONORED, NOT 
                                 FIRED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, the June 5 forced resignations of Air Force 
Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff General T. Michael 
Moseley represent the first time in United States history the top 
uniformed and civilian leaders of any service were ousted 
simultaneously. The actions of Secretary of Defense Gates are totally 
unprecedented and deserve deeper scrutiny and inquiry.
  Successful leaders must focus on today's problems while 
simultaneously anticipating future challenges. The tenures of Moseley 
and Wynne were defined by these characteristics. They cultivated a 
service that was second to none.
  Moseley and Wynne developed and employed new technology, such as the 
unmanned aerial vehicles that are yielding unparalleled effects on the 
battlefield. They also recognized that the Air Force has to adapt to a 
changing world, and they directed the service to build competencies in 
new areas such as cyberspace and alternative fuels. And finally, Wynne 
and Moseley took action to re-capitalize the Air Force's aging fleet 
with a wide array of assets, including the tanker, the F-22, and the 
next generation bombers. These are steps that will prove essential as 
the service confronts future challenges.
  Secretary Gates' real reasons for the firing of Secretary Wynne and 
General Moseley may never be known. However, I have come to believe 
that his stated reasons do not necessarily match up with reality. The 
publicly stated reason was primarily because of the violation in 
sending nuclear control units to Taiwan. Perhaps the real reason for 
the firings is because of disagreements on the strategic defense of 
this Nation.
  The parts that were in violation were removed from the nuclear 
control list in 1991. The parts shipped were just special lamps. 
Moseley and Wynne had approved a correction on this matter and were 
spending over $1 billion to make those corrections. If Secretary Gates, 
or others in the Pentagon, had some concerns, they could have voiced 
those concerns much earlier.
  In addition, it is important for the Secretary to release the full 
report by Admiral Kirkland Donald, who investigated the case of the 
mistaken shipment to Taiwan. Admiral Donald's findings directly led to 
the firing of Moseley and Wynne, and the report should be made public 
as soon as possible. I call on the Secretary tonight to make this 
report public.
  Now, there have been reports that Moseley and Wynne constantly 
clashed with the Secretary of Defense's office over greater procurement 
of the F-22. In order to avoid a showdown with the Air Force, the 
Defense Department decided that instead of closing down the F-22 line, 
it would restrict how many planes the Air Force could buy and leave the 
ultimate decision to the next administration.
  The F-22 will serve as replacements for the aging F-117s and F-15s. 
The Air Force needs a minimum of 381 F-22s to fill out its 10 air and 
space expeditionary forces. However, it has been authorized funds for 
only 183. As a result, the Air Force must keep selected F-15s and F-16s 
in service much longer than had been expected. Mostly and Wynne fought 
hard for the F-22 against the wishes of Secretary Gates and his office.
  Now, considering the impressive record of General Moseley and 
Secretary Wynne, one must ask why they were forced to resign. While I 
certainly understand and share the Secretary's concern regarding the 
Air Force's control over its nuclear inventory, I think the reason for 
the firings extends far past his publicly stated reason.
  We had a clash of philosophies here. Moseley and Wynne were not 
leaders that were content with simply toeing the line for today. They 
were pushing

[[Page H6653]]

hard for the future. This garnered much criticism, with many suggesting 
that it is impossible to adequately focus on today's challenges if one 
is also thinking about the future. That's what Secretary Gates 
believed. He even went so far as to deliver a speech where he 
disparagingly termed this concept as ``next-waritis.'' Is it not the 
responsibility of the Secretary of Defense to plan for the future 
defense of this Nation?
  Many mistakes that Moseley and Wynne were blamed for can be laid 
squarely at the feet of the Pentagon leadership. Without a real 
commitment from the Secretary of Defense' office, many of those 
problems will persist. To ignore this trend is simply irresponsible. 
General Moseley and Secretary Wynne understood this. Unfortunately, it 
led to their dismissal.
  Responsible military leaders do not have the luxury of focusing on 
the present at the expense of the future. Failure to anticipate, adopt 
and learn lies at the core of military disasters. Given the stakes, 
``next-war-it is'' is a sacred duty, not a reason for decapitating the 
leadership of the Air Force. History has taught us repeatedly that 
those who solely fixate on today's problems will be woefully unprepared 
to address tomorrow's challenges. Iraq and Afghanistan are obviously 
important, but we must also respond to global trends and realize that 
future wars may not always mirror our past conflicts.
  We must support our military leaders who aggressively tackle the 
challenges of today and tomorrow. Firing Moseley and Wynne for taking 
this comprehensive view is simply irresponsible and sets a disastrous 
precedent. Instead, we owe them a debt of gratitude for all they did to 
help win today's fight and help the nation posture for the future. They 
understood the complex array of challenges facing the country and I 
stand resolute in my support for continuing this encompassing 
approach--the nation cannot afford to consider any other option.
  Many of the mistakes that Moseley and Wynne were blamed for can be 
laid squarely at the feet of the Pentagon leadership. Without a real 
commitment from the Secretary of Defense's office, many of these 
problems will persist. We cannot ask aircrews to fly in combat missions 
if their airplanes are falling out of the sky due to structural 
fatigue. We cannot afford the cost of inefficiencies within the 
Department of Defense that is created by unnecessary overlap in roles 
and missions. We cannot ask our Airmen to undertake missions if they 
are not supported with adequate budgets to facilitate those missions 
that we as a nation ask them to fulfill.
  To ignore these trends is simply irresponsible and could prove 
devastating for the nation. It takes an immense amount of time, 
planning, and resources to posture for these challenges and we will not 
have the luxury of any of these elements when what was once a seemingly 
distant future threat becomes a critical challenge for today. General 
Moseley and Secretary Wynne understood this. Unfortunately, it led to 
their dismissals.

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