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STATEMENT BY
JOHN J. HAMRE
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

BEFORE THE
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 8, 2003   
 

Chairman Hunter, Representative Skelton, distinguished members of the Armed Services Committee; it is an honor to be able to testify before you on the issue of Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in Iraq.  I was privileged to be able to testify before the Congress in July after my colleagues and I returned from our trip to Iraq on behalf of Secretary Rumsfeld.

This is a critical hearing.  There must be "next steps" for Iraq.  America is now a Middle East power.  We cannot forsake our responsibilities or avoid our obligations.  We must succeed in the rebuilding of Iraq, to help create a government that is representative of its people, at peace with its neighbors, and offers a future of hope and promise for its citizens.

My colleagues and I returned from Iraq with two broad suggestions.  We need to dramatically "indiginize" the security program in Iraq and we need to expand the international base of support for the operation.  We indicated that the Coalition Provisional Authority was rapidly running out of money and would soon need supplemental funds.  We also indicated that the security situation in Iraq remained problematic and that without dramatic improvements in security, the remainder of the rebuilding effort would be substantially impeded.

In the two-and-half months since we visited Iraq I believe there has been significant improvement.  We receive reports from friends and acquaintances in Iraq that the security picture is somewhat improved, despite the attacks on our forces.  There is some improvement, especially in the northern and southern portions of the country. 

But Iraq is far from a secure environment.  Just a couple of weeks ago the major pipeline north from the oil fields was yet again blown up.  Attacks against our troops are becoming more sophisticated and daring.  The economic plundering of the country continues. 

We continue to believe that the highest priority for enhancing security should rest with expanding the role of Iraqi security personnel.  The Administration has launched new efforts to recruit security personnel, as contract security officers for specific installations, as policemen, and increasingly as border guards. 

It does not appear at this point that there will be significant contributions of foreign military personnel.  We have to build the capacities of Iraqis themselves to bring security to the country.

President's Request for Supplemental Funds for Iraq

President Bush has requested that Congress appropriate an additional $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan.  I know that there is a great deal of controversy associated with this request.  Nonetheless, Mr. Chairman, it is critical that the Congress appropriate these funds.

As I said at the outset, for better or worse, America is now a Middle East power.  We now own this problem.  We cannot walk away from the problem.  We must now shoulder it.  The American people need to know that this investment is both necessary and well designed.  Here I believe the Administration has not followed through adequately.

To date there has not been a satisfactory accounting of how funds are being spent, and only recently has the Pentagon begun explaining how these additional funds will impact the reconstruction effort.  I used to be the Comptroller at the Defense Department and I know full well that we live in a world of estimates.  The best-planned estimate will always be wrong.  I know that from first hand experience.  But I also know that the sharpest critic will accept this fact so long as I offered a complete counting of the facts I could count on and the assumptions I had to make.  Congress will accept estimates so long as they understand how we made them and conclude that they are reasonable.

I have full confidence in the DoD Comptroller, Dr. Dov Zakheim.  I have worked with him for years and I know he is a thoroughly honest man.  Unfortunately there has developed over the past two years a general level of distrust between the Administration and the Congress on budget matters and even on defense issues.  This is now blocking the way to a full understanding of our collective problem and the solutions we must adopt.

I strongly encourage the Defense Department to continue its efforts to provide as complete and comprehensive an assessment as possible of the costs that we are incurring and are forecast to incur during the coming year.

Up until just a day ago, we had too narrow an institutional base to support the reconstruction efforts in Iraq.  I think it was an excellent idea for Ambassador Bremer to establish a liaison office here in Washington, headed up by Mr. Ruben Jeffries.  But until the President named his National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice to lead a broader interagency effort, it was a problem that Mr. Bremer had to rely on a small staff in Washington to support him.  In general, the efforts to enlist a wider base of support in the federal government for the reconstruction effort is a step in the right direction, and I'm more hopeful that we are getting on the right path.

This raises the question of whether or not the federal responsibilities for rebuilding Iraq should have been assigned exclusively to the Defense Department.  I understand and appreciate Secretary Rumsfeld's view that the Defense Department would overwhelmingly field the assets required for reconstruction, and therefore he should have complete authority to undertake the task.  In theory I agree with this.  But in practice it has not worked.  The patterns of cooperation inside the Government broke down during the past year.  DoD found itself having to manage tasks for which it has no background or competence, and it has not been effective in inviting the support of others in the government who have that background and competence.  So the President's direction to Condoleezza Rice to take over the coordinating function for reconstruction should improve collaboration with other, better skilled parts of our government. 

The challenge of rebuilding Iraq is enormous.  We have been eroding too much of our effectiveness caused by bureaucratic struggles here in Washington.

Mr. Chairman, Representative Skleton, Distinguished Members, we must succeed in our task to rebuild Iraq.  This isn't a matter of America's credibility.   This is a question of our security.  We will be substantially less secure as a nation if we fail.  We have made important progress during the past four months.  This is challenging, but it is not hopeless.  We have the capacity to succeed, and I join you in offering my full efforts to make this possible.

Thank you.  I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have at the appropriate time.