Ahead of SECDEF Hearing - What Thornberry Wants To Hear

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Today the House Armed Services Committee will hearing from Ashton Carter, Secretary of Defense, and General Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an open hearing. Yesterday, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, laid out what he would like to hear from them with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Watch the segment here. To watch today's hearing, starting at 10 A...

FACT SHEET: Obama’s Defense Secretaries On ISIS Strategy

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Secretary Of Defense Ashton Carter and General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will testify tomorrow about the President’s strategy to take on ISIS. President Obama has had more Secretaries of Defense than any other Commander-In-Chief in the modern era. As Secretary Carter prepares to face Congress, how do his predecessors think the President’s strategy is working out? We Ca...

National Defense Authorization Act for 2016 Becomes Law

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement after the President signed the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. The bill authorizes the pay and benefits our troops have earned and deserve; creates a new portable retirement system for uniformed military; begins reforming the Pentagon to restore agility; gives the Presi...

Armed Services Committee Leaders on Kunduz Investigation

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the investigation into airstrikes on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. “We have been briefed by General Campbell on his investigation into this troubling incident. We appreciate his candor with us as he examines what went...

HASC Hearing Schedule: November 30 - December 4

| Posted in Press Releases

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring (5) hearings the week of November 30 - December 4, 2015. Tuesday, December 1, 2015 "U.S. Strategy for Syria and Iraq and its Implications for the Region" Full Committee (10:00 AM - 2118 RHOB - Open) Washington, D.C. Witnesses: The Honorable Ashton B. Carter Secretary of Defense General Joseph F....

Obama Must Avoid A Constitutional Crisis On GTMO

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

POST By Jim Sensenbrenner In a recent Post op-ed, Gregory B. Craig, former White House counsel, and Cliff Sloan, former special envoy for Guantanamo closure, argued that President Obama has the legal authority to ignore the law and transfer some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists to the United States. I sincerely hope that, as former Obama administration officials, they are not laying the gr...

Opening Remarks of Chairman Wilson

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "Advancing the Science and Acceptance of Autonomy for Future Defense Systems:" "I am pleased to welcome everyone here for today’s hearing on advancing the science and acceptance of autonomy for future defense systems. The military n...

HASC Hearing Schedule: November 16-20

| Posted in Press Releases

***UPDATE***House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring (2) hearings the week of November 16-20, 2015. Wednesday, November 18, 2015 "Outside Views on the Strategy for Iraq and Syria" Full Committee (1:00 PM - 2118 RHOB - Open) Washington, D.C. Witnesses: Mr. John McLaughlin Former Acting Director of Central Intelligence Ambassador Ryan C...

Thornberry on White House Decision to Delay GTMO Plan

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, commented on the White House's decision to delay sending Congress a plan to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay: "Once again, the President has been forced to confront the hard reality of Islamic terrorism and admit that closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay isn't as easy as it sounds on the campaign ...

Thornberry On OPM/DHS/OMB Failure to Appear Before HASC

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement on the Office of Personnel Management, Department of Homeland Security and Office of Management and Budget’s last minute decision not to testify before a classified briefing to the Committee. The briefing, scheduled for 10:00 AM this morning, is intended to cover the massive OPM data breach. ...

WAPO - President Obama's False Choice Against The Islamic State

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Washington Post By Editorial Board PRESSED ABOUT his strategy for fighting the Islamic State, a petulant-sounding President Obama insisted Monday, as he has before, that his critics have offered no concrete alternatives for action in Syria and Iraq, other than putting “large numbers of U.S. troops on the ground.” This claim was faulty in two respects. First, few if any White House critics are prop...

Thornberry To Host Press Gaggle Tuesday

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, will host a press gaggle Tuesday that will be open to credentialed media. WHO: Rep. Mac Thornberry WHEN: Tuesday, November 17, 12:00 PM WHERE: Rayburn 2212 Attending Media should RSVP to claude.chafin@mail.house.gov

Thornberry on Paris Attacks

| Posted in Press Releases

Tonight, Rep Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the attacks in Paris:"My prayers are with the people of Paris tonight. In the midst of a horrifying terrorist attack, the President is right to offer the French any assistance they may need. We do not yet know what specific group is responsible, but their strategy of attacking soft t...

1119120121135