Opening Statement at SASC Hearing on U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command
Thursday, March 1, 2012
This morning’s hearing continues the committee’s review of the fiscal year 2013 defense budget request and the Future Years Defense Program. Today we receive testimony from Admiral Jim Stavridis, Commander, U.S. European Command, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and General Carter Ham, Commander, U.S. Africa Command. They are here to discuss the defense and security challenges in their areas of responsibility, and how their combatant commands are postured to meet those challenges. Thank you both for your fine service. Please extend on behalf of this Committee our gratitude to the military men and women who serve in the European and African areas of responsibility. They and their families deserve and have this nation’s support and our thanks.
This will likely be Admiral Stavridis' final posture statement before the Committee. Admiral, this Committee has benefited on so many occasions from your testimony, first as the Commander of U.S. Southern Command and most recently as EUCOM Commander and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Thank you for your many decades of great service to our nation. We all wish you and your family the very best in your retirement.
The Strategic Guidance that the Defense Department issued in January reaffirmed that Europe is “our principal partner in seeking global and economic security” for now and the foreseeable future. The Defense Department’s guidance also stressed the central role that the NATO alliance serves for the security of Europe and beyond.
This transatlantic security partnership is clearly demonstrated in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, where NATO and other European countries contribute more than 30 percent of total coalition forces and nearly 80 percent of the non-U.S. foreign forces in Afghanistan. The role of ISAF forces is transitioning from being in the combat lead to assuming a support, advise, and assist role as Afghan security forces step forward and assume the lead for security. This transition is underway, and consistent with President Obama’s decision last June, the United States has begun the drawdown of the 33,000 U.S. surge force from Afghanistan, to be completed by the end of this summer.
The success of transition will depend in large part on the success of the international coalition in training and supporting the Afghan security forces through 2014, when the transition to an Afghan security lead is planned to be completed. That is a major agenda item for the NATO Summit in Chicago in May. Another top agenda item for the NATO Summit will be defining NATO’s strategic partnership with the Government of Afghanistan beyond 2014, including arrangements for sustaining the Afghan security forces.
Successful transition will also heavily depend on the commitment of the Government of Afghanistan and the Afghan people to increasing security throughout the country. The recent violence in response to the unintentional burning of Korans at the Parwan detention facility, including the killing of U.S. and coalition troops, including two more American soldiers yesterday, is deeply disturbing. Admiral Stavridis, the Committee would be interested in your views on the implications of these events for the success of transition and the success of our mission in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department’s Strategic Guidance issued in January also notes that changes in the strategic landscape, including the end of the Iraq conflict and the drawdown in Afghanistan, create an opportunity to “rebalance the U.S. military investment in Europe.” I welcome the Department’s announcement last month that 2 of the 4 Army brigades stationed in Europe will be inactivated. This change, along with the removal of an Air Force A-10 Squadron from Germany, will decrease the number of U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe, currently around 80,000 personnel, by about 10,000, and will result in the closure of a number of facilities. I encourage the Department to continue to review its force posture in Europe across the services to see if additional force reductions and base closures might be in order, consistent with EUCOM's missions and our NATO commitments. We need to consider those before we consider another domestic Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round.
Even as these reductions go forward, our Allies should rest assured that the United States remains committed to its defense obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty. A key challenge for EUCOM is to continue engagements with our European allies to promote the interoperability of U.S. and allied forces and to build the capacity of our European partners to contribute to and participate in coalition operations. At the same time, I and other members of this Committee are concerned that, as Secretary Gates stated last year, NATO is at risk of becoming a “two-tiered alliance,” where some members have the commitment and capacity to support the range of NATO missions, while others enjoy the benefits of the Alliance while not sharing equally in the risks or the costs of making the necessary defense investments to contribute to coalition operations. We would be interested in hearing today about what is being done to address capability shortfalls of our European allies and partners.
The threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering those weapons is a central security challenge. At the 2010 Lisbon Summit, NATO recognized the growing threat to Europe from ballistic missiles from the Middle East, and NATO decided to establish a missile defense of NATO’s population and territory. The United States will provide the core of that defense with its Phased Adaptive Approach on ballistic missile defense, the first phase of which is now deployed. This system is designed to protect our deployed forces, our allies, and our partners from Iran’s increasing missile inventory. NATO is seeking Russia’s cooperation with this regional system. Such cooperation would send a powerful signal to Iran of world unity against their developing long-range missiles or having nuclear weapons. We look forward to Admiral Stavridis’ views on the progress and impact of missile defense.
Nearly a year ago, AFRICOM initiated Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya. NATO – with the support of forces from EUCOM – conducted and completed Operation Unified Protector. These successful civilian protection and mass atrocity prevention operations saved untold Libyans from being slaughtered at the hands of Qadhafi’s forces and helped end decades of tyranny and oppression at the hands of the Qadhafi regime. Our witnesses are to be commended on the successful outcome of those operations. In my view, it was the right call for our NATO allies to lead, with U.S. forces playing a unique and enabling role, particularly given the endorsement of the Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, and United Nations.
Today, Libya’s new political leadership has begun the difficult process of building consensus. AFRICOM is presented with an opportunity that has not existed for more than four decades – the establishment of a military-to-military relationship with the Libyan armed forces. The committee looks forward to learning of General Ham’s efforts in Libya and his assessment of the Libya security services as a potential security partner.
Libya is but one of many of General Ham’s security challenges. The fallout of the Qadhafi regime has created a security vacuum and a market for surplus small arms and other man portable weapons in a region that al Qaeda affiliates and other transnational actors are seeking to use to their advantage. This development is a cause of great concern. General Ham’s efforts to train, assist, and support regional militaries in North Africa will be a key factor as to whether these violent extremist and criminal organizations are able to create safe havens through which they can further destabilize the region and its governments and – potentially – plan external attacks against our interests.
In East Africa, Somalia continues to threaten regional security and serve as a burgeoning safe haven for al Qaeda affiliates to train for and plot external operations. The efforts of AFRICOM since its inception to train and equip the regional militaries, as well as international efforts to maintain and bolster the presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia, has shown progress in recent months. Last week in London, Secretary Clinton – in word and deed – demonstrated that the United States remains committed to helping create a more stable and unified era for the Somali people. AFRICOM’s efforts to build the capacity of regional governments, most notably Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, will be a key determinant of whether recent progress can be consolidated. Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act provided General Ham with new authorities in this area and we are interested to learn from the General whether they have assisted in his efforts.
General Ham is also supporting, with the deployment of U.S. Special Operations forces, the ongoing regional effort to counter the Lord’s Resistance Army. This effort stretches across a vast portion of central Africa that includes at least four countries. The committee looks forward to General Ham’s testimony on these advise and assist operations.
AFRICOM is also home to the newest nation in the world – South Sudan. Many had hoped South Sudan’s creation would bring an end to the decades-long conflict in the former Sudan, but this region continues to suffer from territorial conflicts over natural resources which create further instability and displacement in a region already struggling with significant numbers of refugees and internally displaced peoples.
General Ham and Admiral Stavridis, I have just touched the wave tops of the issues facing you and your commands. We look forward to hearing your testimony and continuing to help AFRICOM and EUCOM accomplish their security objectives.
I want both of you to know that we very much appreciate the positive way you have worked with this committee and the relationships you have fostered with our members.