Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today his appointments to a congressionally-mandated independent panel selected to review the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).
The bipartisan panel is required by law to submit by July 2010 a report to Congress assessing the QDR, its recommendations, stated and implied assumptions, and any vulnerabilities of the strategy and force structure underlying the report.
The panel’s assessment will include analyses of trends, asymmetries, and concepts of operations that characterize the military balance with potential adversaries, focusing on the strategic approaches of possible opposing forces.
The panel consists of 20 members, eight of whom are selected by Congress. The 12 members announced by the secretary of defense are:
- William J. Perry, co-chair
- Stephen J. Hadley, co-chair
- Richard L. Armitage
- Jack Dyer Crouch II
- Rudy F. deLeon
- Joan A. Dempsey
- Sherri W. Goodman
- Retired Navy Adm. David E. Jeremiah
- Retired Army Gen. George A. Joulwan
- Alice C. Maroni
- Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper
- Retired Air Force Gen. Larry D. Welch
Members appointed by Congress are:
- Charles Curtis
- Eric S. Edelman
- Retired Army Gen. John (Jack) Keane
- Richard H. Kohn
- John F. Lehman Jr.
- Retired Army Lt. Col. John Nagl
- Retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales Jr.
- James M. Talent
The report of the Quadrennial Defense Review, due to be released Feb. 1 alongside the fiscal 2011 budget request, is a legislatively-mandated review of DoD strategy and priorities. The 2010 QDR report will assess challenges the nation faces and rebalance DoD’s strategies, capabilities, and forces to address today’s conflicts and tomorrow’s threats.
