[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 69 (Thursday, May 16, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3566-S3567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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             TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL MICHAEL BARBERO

 Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I would like to recognize the 
service of LTG Michael D. Barbero, the director of the Joint Improvised 
Explosive Device Defeat Organization, JIEDDO, who will retire from 
service on May 17, 2013.
  Lieutenant General Barbero has honorably served his country for more 
than three decades. Since graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at 
West Point in 1976 as an infantry officer, LTG Barbero has commanded 
troops at every level. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 
having served 4 years in Iraq over three separate tours. From 2003-
2004, he served as the assistant division commander of the 4th Infantry 
Division. He next served in Iraq as the deputy chief of staff, 
Strategic Operations at Multi-National Force-Iraq during ``the surge'' 
in 2007 and 2008. Immediately prior to his time as director of JIEDDO, 
he was deployed in Iraq for a final time from 2009-2011. During this 
deployment, Lieutenant General Barbero was responsible for the 
training, equipping, and development of all Iraqi security forces and 
building the ministerial capabilities of both the Ministries of 
Interior and Defense, while serving simultaneously as the commander of 
Multi-National Security and Transition Command-Iraq and the commander 
of the NATO Training Mission-Iraq. Among his many decorations, 
Lieutenant General Barbero has been awarded the Defense Distinguished 
Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.
  As chairman of the Near Eastern and South Central Asian Affairs 
Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have worked 
closely with LTG Barbero in an effort to stem the flow of IED precursor 
materials from Pakistan into Afghanistan. These homemade explosive, 
HME, materials pose the biggest threat to our service men and women and 
are responsible for far too many casualties. Under General Barbero's 
leadership, JIEDDO has made significant strides in working with various 
departments, the interagency, the intelligence community, and the 
Government of Pakistan, to

[[Page S3567]]

create a whole-of-government approach to combat these dangers by not 
only reducing the flow of HME, but also by helping to eliminate the 
enemy networks that seek to use these materials for the nefarious 
purposes of harming our troops, attacking civilian populations, and 
furthering instability.
  General Barbero has approached his work with a high degree of 
transparency, integrity, and focus. Few missions are as important as 
JIEDDO's in working to defeat the IED as a weapon of strategic 
influence. Lieutenant General Barbero carried out that mission 
superbly. No one has done more or worked harder to find ways to counter 
the threat posed by IEDs. I have especially appreciated his efforts to 
encourage others across government to do all they can in order to 
maintain a level of preparedness to deal with this asymmetric threat. 
Under his leadership, JIEDDO further improved its processes and control 
measures to make for a more effective and efficient organization that 
will be a model for other leaders to emulate.
  I have gotten to know LTG General Michael Barbero well during his 
tenure at JIEDDO. He is an inspiring leader, a fine example for his 
fellow servicemembers, and a fellow Pennsylvanian. I am proud to share 
in the celebration of Lieutenant General Barbero, his extraordinary 
leadership of JIEDDO, and his distinguished military service.

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