Press Releases

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on news reports that President Trump is considering troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. Thornberry most recently traveled to Afghanistan in October when he joined Speaker Ryan to observe the situation on the ground firsthand. "I am deeply disturbed by reports that the Administration… Read more »

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the retirement of Secretary of Defense Mattis:"In January 2017, Congress took an extraordinary action by passing a law that allowed James N. Mattis to serve as Secretary of Defense. The only other time it has been done was for General George C. Marshall. Speaking in support of the… Read more »

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), respectively Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria: "We are concerned that it would be a strategic error to remove U.S. forces precipitously from Syria without regard to the impact it might have on our ability to consolidate our… Read more »

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the President's intent to nominate General Mark Milley to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:"The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the senior military advisor not just to the President and Secretary of Defense, but to Congress as well. Many of my… Read more »

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring two (2) events the week of December 10-14: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 "Department of Defense's Artificial Intelligence Structure, Investments, and Applications" Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities (3:30 PM, 2118 Rayburn - Open) Witnesses: Dr. Lisa Porter Deputy… Read more »

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) announced that all hearings scheduled for this week will be postponed. New hearing dates have yet to be determined: Wednesday, December 5, 2018 ******* POSTPONED ******* "Department of Defense's Artificial Intelligence Structure, Investments, and Applications" Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilites (10:00 AM, 2118… Read more »

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Chairmen respectively of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, warned the country today of the dangers of ill considered cuts to our military. In an opinion column for the Wall Street Journal, the Chairmen note that the cuts being contemplated are more likely to diminish our war fighting capability and effectiveness than… Read more »

Today, the Department of Defense released its first ever audit of the entire department. The audit, which was required by Congress in the FY 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, is the largest one of its kind. DOD auditabilty is an issue the House Armed Services Committee has taken seriously for more than a decade. In addition to mandating the audit, the Committee stood up a… Read more »

The House Armed Services Committee will hold no public hearings the week of November 19-23. Read more »

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the report of the National Defense Strategy Commission: "The National Defense Strategy Commission was chartered by Congress to independently assess the National Defense Strategy against the threats we face and the resources we have. The Commission's bipartisan report validates the… Read more »