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House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton Opening Statement on Global Security Posture Hearing

February 13, 2008

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the House Armed Services Committee's hearing on the global security environment. Appearing before us today are:

• Dr. Thomas Fingar, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence;
• Mr. Robert Cardillo, Deputy Director for Analysis from the Defense Intelligence Agency; and
• Mr. John A. Kringen, Director for Intelligence from the Central Intelligence Agency.

"Welcome, gentlemen.

"We are entering the period of the year where we hear from the Department of Defense leadership, the leaders of each of our Armed Services, and our Combatant Commanders, as they all come before us to testify about their portion of the President's Fiscal Year 2009 defense budget. It's then our job to consider those budget requests and their testimony, and determine if our nation's resources are being allocated properly.

"This hearing is designed to provide a broad strategic context of the overall security environment facing the United States as the committee considers those defense budget requests. We spend a lot of time focusing on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is fine and appropriate, but that does not mean we can afford to be any less vigilant regarding the rest of the world.

"It is important to remember that the international security situation is fluid. We must hedge against strategic surprise, and at the same time work to identify trends that could have implications to our national security down the road. Early identification of evolving security challenges and timely engagement using the full range of national power will save us considerable grief in the future. While the wars we're fighting today demand our focus, we need to be careful that we don't become so near-sighted that we fail to see what's developing around us.

"Under our Constitutional duty to raise and support armies and to provide and maintain a Navy, we have a responsibility to ensure that the military can meet its future missions - foreseen and unforeseen. Providing for our national security, today and in the future, is the fundamental purpose of this committee. We must ensure that our forces retain the ability, even in the face of current operational pressures, to deter any potential foe, respond to any contingency that threatens our country or our friends, and if required, defeat any adversary who might threaten America's interests.

"That's why it's fitting that we have a hearing such as this one early in the process of preparing our National Defense Authorization Act. It gives us the opportunity to consider the full range of potential future security challenges so that we can assess the adequacy of our forces, the resources available, and the likely level of strategic risk. We may not know what world we're going to face, but we know we will need a strong military and an effective defensive posture now and in the years to come. I urge us all to consider the testimony today very carefully.

"Now, before we hear your statements gentlemen, let me turn to the Ranking Member, Duncan Hunter of California."