Additional $91 Billion Sought To Fight Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan
09 March 2006
Coordinated diplomatic, military effort needed, say Rice, Rumsfeld
By David Anthony Denny
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -– A $91 billion supplemental budget request would be used to advance U.S. security and economic goals in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places, Condoleezza Rice says.
The secretary of state testified March 9 along with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and generals Peter Pace and John Abizaid at the Senate Appropriations Committee. Pace is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Abizaid is the commander of U.S. Central Command, which includes Afghanistan and Iraq.
The joint State-Defense testimony reinforced the administration’s position that both diplomatic and military activities are necessary to win the war against terrorism and to develop stable democracies, Rice said.
The State Department’s supplemental funding request is geared mainly toward Iraq, where Rice said newly formed government ministries need additional support to function effectively.
“It is no surprise that these are bureaucracies and ministries that have needed to be completely reformed as Iraq moves from a dictatorial society … [and] have very little modern capacity to govern,” Rice said.
Once the insurgency has been cleared out, she said, additional funds would be made available for provincial reconstruction teams, provincial leadership support and governance and infrastructure development.
For Afghanistan, the supplemental budget request also would cover debt forgiveness, refugee assistance and some energy infrastructure reconstruction, Rice said.
The State Department requested $75 million to expand television and radio broadcasts, as well as online communications, to directly reach the Iranian people. (See related article.)
The request also includes support for nongovernmental organizations that function within Iran, and “in many ways most importantly, to improve and increase our educational and cultural outreach to the people of Iran,” Rice said.
In addition, the State Department requested funding to support post-quake reconstruction efforts in Pakistan, and money for humanitarian aid and peacekeeping efforts in the Darfur region of Sudan.
HELPING PARTNER NATIONS DEFEND THEMSELVES
Rumsfeld spoke about the need to help partner nations and allies develop their capabilities to better govern and defend themselves. This emphasis on partner capability building, he said, is at the heart of the efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in several smaller-scale training and equipping operations in places like the Philippines and the Republic of Georgia.
“Our investments and policy should reflect these new requirements. … When other nations and partners can shoulder greater security burdens within their borders and around the globe, it's far less likely that U.S. troops will be called on, at what is always considerably greater cost in both blood and treasure to our nation,” Rumsfeld said.
Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia asked Rumsfeld whether his department had a plan if a civil war occurs in Iraq. The secretary said the plan was to prevent a civil war from happening and, if one were to occur, to have the Iraqi security forces respond to the extent that they are capable of doing so.
Pace described how the supplemental funding would be used to replace equipment that is being destroyed, damaged or worn out in Iraq and Afghanistan, to buy body armor and other needed protective equipment and to fund research on ways to defeat roadside bombs.
Abizaid said more money is needed to continue funding the further development and equipping of Iraq’s military and police forces.
REACHING OUT TO SOUTH ASIA, AFRICA
In a second congressional hearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee March 9, Rice was asked about South Asia and Africa.
She said India is a natural partner for the United States and that the landmark civil nuclear agreement that recently was concluded with New Delhi will bring India into the nonproliferation mainstream. (See related article.)
In addition, Rice said she would consider a committee member’s suggestion that a U.S. special envoy is needed in Sudan.
The U.S. Congress must approve all appropriations requests and can reduce or increase the amount of money requested before funds become available. Such legislation must be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and be signed by the president in order to take effect.
The full text of Rumsfeld’s prepared testimony is available on the Defense Department Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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