Chairman Ike Skelton
Opening Statement
Full Committee Global Security Posture Hearing
July 11, 2007
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the House Armed Services Committee's hearing on the global security environment. Before us today is: 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.
"I expect that today's hearing will be an important one, and that we will draw upon what we learn here in the very near future as we struggle with very important questions regarding our national security. Keep in mind that part of the committee's oversight plan for the 110th Congress reads:
[The] committee will conduct all [it's oversight activities] within the context of a comprehensive approach to understanding the strategic risk facing the United States. In so doing, the committee will seek to determine what level of strategic risk is acceptable, what factors increase that risk, and what factors reduce it.
"A large measure of considering and evaluating that strategic risk is understanding what potential security challenges face the United States. With that in mind, I called for this hearing to orient our Members to the range of potential security challenges the United States faces in the immediate and near-to-mid term.
"In a sense, this hearing is the first in a series. Very shortly, the committee will resume its oversight activities involving the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today's hearing will provide us with a broad strategic context which we can use to help us understand how those wars, but especially Iraq, fit into the overall security environment facing the United States.
"We could very easily call this hearing "Strategic Risk 101." We must consider the ongoing wars both in terms of their importance to our national security interests, and the amount of risk incurred through the continued expenditure of resources in their prosecution. Is the risk-reward equation in balance? It is my hope that Members will use today to inform their judgment as they consider that question.
"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.
"Why is this so important? 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.
"Therefore, we must consider the full range of potential future security challenges so that we can asses 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. Consider this: during the 30 years that I have had the honor to serve in Congress, this country has used military force on 12 separate occasions. None of these actions were planned years in advance, and in most cases the United States was forced to act with little warning.
"We need to keep that in mind as we listen to the testimony today.
"Now, before we hear your statements gentlemen, let me turn to the Ranking Member, Duncan Hunter of California."
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