Congressional Record, Volume 157 Issue 89 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)

[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3952-S3955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

NOMINATION OF LEON E. PANETTA TO BE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
proceed to the consideration of the following nomination, which the
clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read the nomination of Leon E. Panetta, of
California, to be Secretary of Defense.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2
hours of debate, equally divided, between the two leaders or their
designees.
The Senator from Michigan.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I understand there is a time agreement on
this nomination; is that correct?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct--2 hours of debate,
equally divided.
Mr. LEVIN. I thank the Presiding Officer, and I yield myself 10
minutes.
Mr. President, the nomination of Leon Panetta to be Secretary of
Defense is a wise and a solid nomination. Director Panetta has given
decades of dedicated public service to this Nation, and we should all
be grateful he is once again willing to answer the call and take the
helm at the Department of Defense. We are also grateful to his wife
Sylvia for her significant sacrifices over the last 50 years in
supporting Leon Panetta's efforts in the public and private sectors.
When Mr. Panetta appeared before the Armed Services Committee at his
nomination hearing, all of our Members commented invariably in the same
way--reflecting the view that we are grateful Mr. Panetta is willing to
take on this position. He is going to bring a reassuring level of
continuity and in-depth experience. He has been a critical member of
President Obama's national security team during his tenure as Director
of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Department of Defense will need
Director Panetta's skill and his wisdom to navigate the extraordinarily
complex set of challenges in the years ahead.
Foremost among those demands are the demands on our Armed Forces, and
these are exemplified by the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Between those two conflicts, we continue to have approximately 150,000
troops deployed. The U.S. military is also providing support to NATO
operations to protect the Libyan people. In addition, even after the
extraordinary raid that killed Osama bin Laden, we face potential
terrorist threats against us and against our allies which emanate from
Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other places.
The risk of a terrorist organization getting their hands on and
detonating an improvised nuclear device or other weapon of mass
destruction remains one of the gravest possible threats to the United
States. To counter that threat, the Defense Department is working with
the Departments of State, Energy, Homeland Security, and other U.S.
Government agencies to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons,
fissile materials, and dangerous technologies. As Secretary of Defense,
Director Panetta's leadership in this area will be of vital importance.
Here again, it is that experience as Director of the CIA which will be
so invaluable.
In the coming weeks, President Obama and his advisers will face a
number of key national security decisions. While the drawdown of U.S.
forces in Iraq remains on track, there have been recent signs of
instability in that country. As a result, it is possible that Iraq's
political leadership may ask for some kind of continuing U.S. military
presence beyond the December 31 withdrawal deadline which was agreed to
by President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki in the 2008 Security
Agreement.
Another key decision point is looming in Afghanistan regarding
reductions in U.S. forces starting next month. President Obama said the
other day:

It's now time for us to recognize that we have accomplished
a big chunk of our mission and that it's time for Afghans to
take more responsibility.

The President also said a few months ago that the reductions starting
next month will be ``significant.'' Hopefully, they will be. Director
Panetta, while not assigning a specific number, agreed they need to be
significant. A significant reduction in our troop level this year would
send a critical signal to Afghan leaders that we mean it when we say
our commitment is not open-ended and that they need to be urgently
focused on preparing Afghanistan's security forces to assume security
responsibility for all of Afghanistan. The more that Afghan security
forces do that, the better the chances of success because the Taliban's
biggest nightmare is facing a large, effective Afghan Army--an army
which is already respected by the Afghan people, but now, hopefully--
and soon--in control of Afghanistan's security.
Another major issue facing the Department is the stress that 10 years
of unbroken war has placed on our Armed Forces. Over the last decade,
many of our service men and women have been away from their families
and homes for multiple tours. Not only is our force stressed, so are
our military families. We owe them our best efforts to reduce the
number of deployments and increase the time between deployments.
The next Secretary of Defense will have to struggle with the
competing demands on our forces while Washington struggles with an
extremely challenging fiscal environment. The

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Defense budget will not and should not be exempt from cuts. But
Congress, working with the next Secretary of Defense, will need to
scrub each Defense program and expenditure and make the tough choices
and tradeoffs between our war fighters' requirements today and
preparations for the threats of tomorrow.
Last week, the Armed Services Committee marked up the fiscal year
2012 National Defense Authorization Act. The committee cut about $6
billion from the President's budget request. However, the President has
decided to reduce the national security budgets for the next 12 years
by $400 billion. What we don't know is how much of that $400 billion he
will recommend to come from the Defense budget and how much from the
intelligence and homeland security budgets or how much is recommended
to be in the first of that 12-year period--fiscal year 2012.
The Nation is fortunate that Director Panetta's compelling record of
achievement and experience is well suited to the demands of the
position of the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Panetta is the right person
to help our military through the fiscal challenges that confront this
Nation. His service as President Clinton's Director of the Office of
Management and Budget is invaluable because he understands the budget
process and because he shaped the decisions that helped achieve the
budget surpluses of the late 1990s.
Leon Panetta has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to reach across
party lines and work in a bipartisan spirit since entering public
service 45 years ago. He worked on the staff of the Republican whip in
the Senate and headed the Office of Civil Rights in the Nixon
administration. He later won election to the House of Representatives
as a Democrat, where he served 16 years, earning the respect of his
peers and becoming the chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Throughout his time in public service, Leon Panetta has been guided
by a clear moral compass. He has said:

In politics there has to be a line beyond which you don't
go--the line that marks the difference between right and
wrong, what your conscience tells you is right. Too often
people don't know where the line is. My family, how I was
raised, my education, all reinforced my being able to see
that line.

Leon Panetta has been intimately involved in the most pressing
national security issues of our time. During his tenure as Director of
the Central Intelligence Agency, President Obama turned to Director
Panetta to personally oversee the manhunt for Osama bin Laden and the
awe-inspiring operation that brought an end to al-Qaida's murderous
leader and provided a measure of relief to the families and friends who
have suffered since September 11, 2001. The raid on the bin Laden
compound epitomizes the way in which the CIA and the Defense Department
are finally working together to support each other in counterterrorism
operations, and Director Panetta deserves credit for this close
coordination.
Before concluding, I wish to pass along my gratitude and deep
admiration for the man who is stepping down as head of the Department
of Defense, Secretary Robert Gates. Secretary Gates has provided
extraordinary service to this country, spanning the administrations of
eight Presidents. Four and a half years ago, he left the comfort and
rewards of private life, following a long career in government, to once
again serve the critical post of President Bush's Secretary of Defense
at one of the most difficult times in recent history. Throughout his
tenure, across the Bush and Obama administrations, Secretary Gates'
leadership, judgment, and candor have earned him the trust and respect
of all who have worked with him.
Secretary Gates has combined vision and thoughtfulness with
toughness, clarity and courageous decisionmaking. Secretary Gates
established a direct and open relationship with Congress and with our
Senate Armed Services Committee in particular. As chairman of that
committee, I will always be personally grateful for that.
Secretary Gates' tenure as Secretary of Defense will be judged by
history to have been truly exceptional. So our next Secretary of
Defense will have enormous responsibilities but also big shoes to fill.
I am confident Leon Panetta is the right person to take on that
challenge, and I urge our colleagues to support this nomination.
Mr. President, I yield the floor, I suggest the absence of a quorum,
and I ask unanimous consent that any time consumed during the quorum
call be equally divided.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the
quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of President
Obama's nominee to serve as our 23rd Secretary of Defense, Mr. Leon
Panetta. These are big shoes to fill. Secretary Gates has had a
remarkable term as Secretary and a remarkable career in public service.
In addition, the challenges our military faces in this economic climate
are significant. We must have a serious discussion about crafting a
sustainable way forward.
I sat down with Director Panetta earlier this month to discuss these
challenges. I can say with certainty, Leon Panetta is up to the test.
He has the experience and wisdom required, and I look forward to
working with him once the Senate gives its advice and consent to his
nomination.
I have known Leon Panetta for a long time. We served together in the
House of Representatives, and we worked together in government for many
years. He has an amazing history of public service to America. We
served together on the House Budget Committee when we were both
Congressmen in the early 1990s, and he chaired that committee. He
understands budgets and the challenges they present.
As Director of the Office of Management and Budget, he took that
skill to the executive branch; and as Chief of Staff to President
William Jefferson Clinton, he crafted the proposal which brought us to
balance in our budget as a nation.
It is hard to imagine it was only 10 years ago that we had a balanced
Federal budget. In fact, we were generating a surplus, putting that
money into the Social Security trust fund to make it stronger. Ten
years later, mired deep in debt, it is hard to imagine that happened,
but it did, and Leon Panetta was a big part of that occurrence.
He advised President George W. Bush on how to bring a close to the
Iraq war in a responsible way. For the last 2 years he has had an
awesome responsibility as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Thanks to the President's strategic focus and Director Panetta's
extraordinary leadership, Special Forces and CIA operatives were able
to locate and capture Osama bin Laden last month in Pakistan. These are
precisely the skills and experiences we need at the table at this
moment.
I know Leon Panetta as more than just a fellow colleague in the House
and a person who shared some time in public service when I did. I know
him as a person. I know his family. I know what he thinks. I know his
values. I have to tell you, President Obama and America are fortunate
to have a person of this quality who is willing to give even more of
his life in public service. He could have stayed out in Monterey, CA,
his home area, and no hardship assignment, but he chose not to. He came
to Washington to head up the Central Intelligence Agency and now has
accepted this invitation to head up the Department of Defense. There is
no question in my mind that he will bring to it an extraordinary skill
level and amazing values.
Director Panetta and I have talked a little bit about some subjects,
and one near and dear to my heart, the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is
legislation I introduced almost 10 years ago allowing immigrant
students who have no country an opportunity to contribute to America.
These young people came to the United States with their parents when
they were just kids and infants. They have lived here all their lives.
All they want is a chance to prove how much they love this country. The
bill I introduced said there are two ways they should be allowed to do
it: No. 1, to complete at least 2 years of college, to have, obviously,
a high school diploma and good background; but another, to serve in our
Nation's military.

[[Page S3954]]

I have been proud to have the support of Secretary of Defense Gates
in this effort, and I look forward to the same support from the next,
Secretary Panetta. The DREAM Act would strengthen our military and
strengthen our Nation, and I am sure, as General Colin Powell has said,
``Immigration is what's keeping this country's lifeblood moving
forward.'' These young people can help us move forward as a nation to
be safer and create more opportunity.
We have a number of challenges ahead. Our men and women are fighting
wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya. Servicemembers and their
families have borne an incredible burden of sacrifice in these
conflicts over the last decade. As a nation, we are spending tens of
billions of dollars a month to sustain them in their efforts.
At the same time, public support for these undertakings will not last
forever. The current situation needs to change, and the President is
about to make an announcement when it comes to our troop levels in
Afghanistan. We have to craft a way forward and deal honestly and
responsibly with what is possibly one of our most challenging
situations in Afghanistan. I believe it has to begin with a substantial
redeployment of U.S. troops back to America from Afghanistan.
Last week I joined Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and 24 of my
colleagues in a letter to the President expressing these concerns. I
trust the President and incoming Secretary of Defense and Congress can
find a responsible path forward. We need to take a hard look at every
aspect of our Federal budget, including our Department of Defense, to
sustain our men and women in uniform but not to waste money on
privatization, on contractors, and on runaway contracts.
As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen has
commented that our greatest national security threat is our ballooning
deficit. Of course, we need to protect our country, but we need to do
it in a fiscally responsible manner. Even as we address the path
forward in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, even as we trim the spending
in the defense budget, we will not back away from our commitment to the
men and women in uniform. I know Leon shares that statement.
I support Leon Panetta as our next Secretary of Defense because now
more than ever we need his steady hand, his leadership, to tackle these
challenges in budgets, in management, and in the critical conflicts we
are engaged in around the world. I congratulate President Obama for
selecting Leon Panetta for this awesome responsibility, and I look
forward to working with him on these issues and others in the years to
come.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong support
for the nomination of Leon Panetta as the next Secretary of Defense.
Director Panetta comes to this job at an extraordinarily challenging
time for the Department of Defense and for our Nation. Among the many
issues he will confront, Mr. Panetta will oversee the completion of our
direct military operations in Iraq, the beginning of the transition of
our forces out of Afghanistan, the enhancement of our cyber defenses,
and the reduction of our defense budget.
I have known Leon Panetta for many years, and I know he is
particularly well suited to address all of these challenges. He is a
man of great intellect, of great decency, and great determination.
At the end of this year, for example, in compliance with the Status
of Forces Agreement, we will complete the withdrawal of our forces from
Iraq and hand over primary responsibility for our ongoing relationship
with Iraq to the Department of State. It remains to be seen whether the
Iraqi Government will ask us to extend our military presence past
December 31. But for now, we are thoroughly and determinately preparing
our troops to leave. Having served as a member of the Iraq Study Group,
Mr. Panetta certainly understands the importance of this transition and
will carry it out.
As the next Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta will also continue to
focus our efforts on fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We
are facing a critical turning point in our operations. This week, we
expect President Obama to announce his plan to begin reducing our force
levels in Afghanistan this summer, a commitment he made in his speech
at West Point in 2009.
Along with the reduction in forces we must sustain the security gains
that we have accomplished during the past year and further build the
capacity of the Afghan forces so they are able to take full
responsibility for their own security. Mr. Panetta understands how
important it is for all of our agencies to work together in this effort
and all security missions; that using military force may be our primary
weapon of securing areas but enduring success comes from coordination
among the intelligence and law enforcement communities, from effective
diplomacy, and from assistance programs administered by the Department
of State and the USAID.
The conditions on the ground in Afghanistan are directly related to
our ability to successfully attack the terrorist networks that are
operating along the border in Pakistan. In his current position as
Director of the CIA, Mr. Panetta has reinvigorated these efforts, most
notably with the successful raid on Osama bin Laden. Indeed, I believe
when history looks back, outside of the critical and ultimate decision
by the President of the United States, one of the most important roles
played in this effort to prepare the way for those courageous SEALs was
the steady leadership of Leon Panetta at the Central Intelligence
Agency. He understands the complexities of our relationship with
Pakistan and, indeed, throughout the world. This expertise will be
critical as we move forward, and critical for our next Secretary of
Defense.
He will also lead the Department of Defense in preparing for the
emerging threats to our national security, such as attacks to our cyber
infrastructure. Indeed, every branch of government is working to define
the roles various organizations will play in protecting people,
infrastructure, and information within cyberspace.
During his confirmation hearings before the Senate Armed Services
Committee, I discussed with Director Panetta the strategy the
Department of Defense would employ in confronting the potential of a
cyber attack against the United States. He responded in no uncertain
terms. His words:

I have often said that there is a strong likelihood that
the next Pearl Harbor that we confront could very well be a
cyberattack that cripples our power system, our grid, our
security systems, our financial systems, our governmental
systems. This is a real possibility in today's world. And as
a result, I think we have to aggressively be able to counter
that.

Indeed, Mr. Panetta understands the future as well as the present,
and he will bring his experience as well as his vision to bear on the
emerging challenges that face the United States.
Perhaps most challenging of all, Leon Panetta will lead the
Department at a time of great fiscal constraints. As our Nation
continues to find a path forward to rebound from the economic
challenges of the last few years, there is an ever-growing pressure to
reduce the size of the defense budget, which has nearly doubled over
the past 10 years. But we must be careful to do so in a way that
removes unsustainable costs without losing vital capability.
As a result of the high operational tempo and the duration of
multiple overseas operations, all of our services are facing serious
reset and recapitalization needs. Serious decisions will have to be
made to ensure that we have the right systems in place to meet the
threats we face, all at a price level that we can afford.
Having served as the House Budget Committee chairman, and as the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, there is no one who
has more knowledge, more experience, more sense of the details than
Leon Panetta, and I believe he is the most well qualified individual to
tackle the huge budgetary issues that are facing the Department of
Defense.
Leon will have an extraordinary role to play, particularly in the
wake of the extraordinary service of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
I can't think of anyone I respect or admire more. I can't think of
anyone who has served this country with more distinction,

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who has served with more selfless dedication to the Nation, and
fundamentally who has made his decisions knowing full well that at the
end of the day young Americans in the uniform of the United States will
carry out his orders.
Bob Gates has done a superb job. But I have every confidence that
Leon Panetta will continue to carry on, will continue to meet those
standards, will continue to lead the Department of Defense with
distinction, with dedication and great loyalty, just as Secretary Gates
has done, and ultimately we will know that at the end of all the
decisions emanating from the Pentagon there is a young American willing
and able and ready to serve, to support this Nation and defend it.
With that, I rise to express my great support for Secretary-designee
Panetta and wish him well in all of his endeavors and pledge to work
with him closely.
I yield the floor.
I note the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Franken). The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, first of all, I rise in total support of
Mr. Leon Panetta as the new Secretary of Defense. He is an outstanding
public servant who has served in many capacities and he has been a
tremendous leader in every role he has held.