President's FY 2004 Supplemental Request for Iraq and Afghanistan

Richard L. Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State
Testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations
Washington, DC
September 30, 2003

Statement for the Record

Mr. Chairman, Representative Lowey, Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to testify in support of the President’s request for supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2004. The President’s request for $87 billion will help lock in the gains of our military success in Afghanistan and Iraq and support our ongoing efforts in the war on terrorism.

It is in the interests of all Americans – and indeed, the international community – to see peaceful and prosperous countries across this important region. For far too long, Afghanistan and Iraq exported destabilizing waves of violence, terrorism, drug trafficking, and refugees across their borders and around the world. Both nations have the potential to turn this situation around and become sources of stability and prosperity in the region, around the world, and for Americans here at home.

Meeting our military objectives in both Afghanistan and Iraq was only the beginning of reaching that vision, however, not the end. While it is in our interests to stabilize the situation, we also owe it to our men and women in uniform, to their courage and sacrifice, to accomplish the entire mission. The State Department already is engaged extensively in the follow-on missions, and this supplemental request for $989 million in Foreign Operations and $151 million in State Operations will help boost our level of engagement. These dollars will fund key programs to address security, political, and economic development in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as ongoing programs in the global war on terrorism. The $1.14 billion total will be distributed as follows:

$810 million for Afghanistan;
- $799 million in Foreign Operations funds;
- $11 million in State Operations funds.
$140 million for Iraq;
- $50 million in Foreign Operations funds;
- $90 million in State Operations funds.
$190 million for the global war on terrorism;
- $140 million in Foreign Operations funds;
- $50 million in State Operations funds.

In Afghanistan, security remains an urgent challenge in many parts of the country. Threats from remnant Taliban and al-Qaida elements persist, drug production and trafficking continue to be a problem, and the sort of criminal activity common in post-war landscapes is evident. For Afghanistan to become a truly independent state, however, these security needs must be met by Afghanis. Of the $799 million requested for accelerated assistance to Afghanistan, therefore, a significant amount will go toward supporting the development and deployment of competent indigenous military and law enforcement, including:

$110 million to train, equip, and deploy additional police, including Afghan National Police, Border Police, and Highway Patrol. These funds will improve Afghanistan’s ability to provide its own security as the 2004 elections approach.
$222 million to support a multi-ethnic national army of Afghanistan. This includes training, equipping and sustaining forces, and also providing much of the necessary infrastructure.
$60 million for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. The fledgling national army will have trouble succeeding as long as it faces competitors in the form of local militia. These funds will allow the registration of 100,000 combatants (100 percent of remaining militia), and will demobilize and integrate into society 13,000 of these combatants.
$35 million for the presidential protective detail.

Although security is a necessary ingredient for stability in Afghanistan, peace can only take hold through political and economic development. The Department of State and USAID are engaged in cross-cutting governance and democracy-building efforts, and the supplemental request will support those efforts, including:

$10 million for rule of law projects, such as training of prosecutors and judges in Afghanistan, as well as the physical infrastructure for the judiciary, such as courthouses, supplies, and equipment.
$37 million to help the Government of Afghanistan pay its civil servants, develop communications between Kabul and provincial capitals, and expand domestic revenue generation by 35 percent.
$37 million will support voter registration and the conduct of free and fair elections.
$20 million will fund technical experts within the ministries, who will train Afghan counterparts and improve the Government of Afghanistan’s ability to manage reconstruction projects.

Even though Afghanistan started from a low base, the country has seen an impressive GDP growth rate of 30 percent over the last year. Supplemental funds will support the ongoing reconstruction and civil society projects that form the foundation for that growth, such as:

$105 million for roads, which will help accelerate construction of the Kandahar to Herat road, as well as rebuilding of 1,000 kilometers of key secondary and tertiary roads.
$50 million for Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which will work on small-scale local reconstruction projects intended to provide direct and visible benefits to local populations, particularly in the south and southeast of Afghanistan.
$45 million for private sector initiatives, such as constructing industrial parks in major cities and fifty market centers throughout the provinces, reforming property laws, creating a land registry, completing a natural resources assessment, creating a venture capital fund, and funding short-term power generation to improve reliability of electricity in Kabul.
$40 million for schools and education, including rehabilitation or construction of 130 school buildings and training for 10,000 additional teachers.
$28 million for an additional 90 health clinics, which will provide basic health care to some three million people.

In addition, we need to support our own people, who also serve on the front-lines of this fight, providing assistance in what are often dangerous circumstances and insecure settings. The supplemental request includes $11 million in State Department Operations diplomatic and consular funds for additional security for our mission in Afghanistan.

The security situation in Iraq is unmistakably still a challenge for us, as well. This supplemental request for Foreign Operations focuses on that issue by proposing:

$50 million for Peacekeeping Operations programs, which will support multinational peacekeeping in Iraq and provide contingency funds for these complex and crucial deployments.

The $90 million in State Department Operations funds requested for Iraq in the supplemental includes:

$60.5 million for safe and secure temporary diplomatic facilities in Iraq.
$29.5 million for security and border security related programs, as well as consular operations in the event of a machine-readable visa fee shortfall.

In addition to supporting the missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the State Department continues its extensive worldwide cooperation in the campaign against terrorism. This supplemental request will support those Foreign Operations programs through:

$100 million in an emergency fund, which will help the President quickly meet shifting and emerging contingencies by providing resources that can be drawn on at the onset of a crisis.
$40 million for US Agency for International Development facilities, operations, and security as needed for missions in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

The State Department is also requesting $50 million in supplemental funds to the State Department Operations budget for the rewards payouts program, to include the two top awards for Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

These are difficult times, as the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq continues to shift and take shape. With the clarity of hindsight, however, I believe we will know this nation had the courage to take tough decisions to safeguard our future peace and prosperity at the time when it mattered most. In so doing, the US Government has the opportunity to help not only our own people, but also the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, the region, and around the world.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit to you my statement, and I am prepared to answer any questions Members of this Subcommittee may have with regard to this $1.140 billion.

Released on October 1, 2003

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