[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 129 (Thursday, September 26, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE MICHAEL A. SHEEHAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAC THORNBERRY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 26, 2013

  Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express appreciation and pay 
tribute to Michael A. Sheehan upon his retirement as Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. 
Since his confirmation on December 17, 2011, Mr. Sheehan has 
distinguished himself as a tireless leader and advocate for special 
operations forces, counterterrorism policy, and operations. With more 
than 30 years of experience in combating terrorism, Assistant Secretary 
Sheehan has provided indispensable advice to the defense committees and 
directly contributed to U.S. government counterterrorism strategy and 
policy. He has personally shaped many key counterterrorism initiatives, 
including the prudent use of operational authorities that fully enabled 
U.S. Special Operations Forces and our foreign partners around the 
world. Under his leadership and guidance, the Department of Defense 
worked to degrade al-Qa'ida's reach across the Middle East and 
Northwest Africa, and to diminish significantly its influence in Yemen, 
Somalia, Mali, and Afghanistan. By continually pressing for the 
effective and strategic employment of special operations forces to 
train, equip and advise our foreign partner forces, Assistant Secretary 
Sheehan has helped implement a U.S. national counterterrorism strategy 
to meet the challenges of a diversifying terrorist threat.
   During this tenure, Assistant Secretary Sheehan has elevated the 
importance and effectiveness of numerous Department of Defense efforts 
to build partner capacity and enhance partnered operations. He 
personally oversaw counterterrorism operational authorities under 
Section 1208, capacity building efforts under Section 1206, numerous 
projects under the Global Security Contingency Fund, the Defense 
Institutional Reform Initiative, and the Ministry of Defense Advisory 
program that have resulted in the significant improvement of the 
efficiency and effectiveness of these critical components within U.S. 
defense strategy.
   Assistant Secretary Sheehan also provided oversight of multiple 
Department of Defense humanitarian assistance and disaster relief 
programs and operations, including assistance to the Philippines after 
Typhoon Bopha in December 2012, support for non-combatant evacuation in 
the Central African Republic in December 2012, and the humanitarian 
assistance efforts in Jordan to address refugees from Syria. 
Additionally, he has represented the Department on the interagency 
Atrocities Prevention Board (APB) and has overseen U.S. Special 
Operations Forces contributions to the African Union initiative 
launched against Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army.
   With an encyclopedic knowledge of terrorist organizations, keen 
strategic awareness, and extensive operational experience, Assistant 
Secretary Sheehan has continually provided the congressional defense 
committees of the United States Congress with honest, effective, and 
timely advice and testimony. Assistant Secretary Sheehan's visionary 
leadership and guidance has greatly enhanced our national security and 
further aligned the Department of Defense to meet the 21st century 
challenges facing our nation and the warfighter. At every turn, in his 
more than three decades of government service, he has made our country 
safer. For that, we shall remain forever grateful.

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