| 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 "Special Operations Forces in an Evolving Threat Environment: A Review of the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request for U.S. Special Operations Command." To view testimony for today's hearing click here. "I am pleased to welcome everyone here today to discuss our Special Operations Forces in an Evolving Threat Environment, and to Review the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request for U.S. Special Operations Command. Our Special Operations Forces remain the central, and sometimes sole, line-of-effort across the globe, offering lethal, flexible, and responsive options for Geographic Combatant Commanders and the Commander-in-Chief. We have seen Special Operations Forces increasingly leveraged for asymmetric and unconventional warfare options against nation-state threats such as Russia, China, and Iran. Looking forward, we expect Special Operations Forces to remain heavily deployed across the globe in constant, if not increased, numbers throughout fiscal year 2017. While the President’s budget request includes a 2.3% increase to U.S. Special Operations Command, many challenges remain since the Force is heavily dependent on Overseas Contingency Operations funding. Furthermore, we see dwindling support from the Military Services, who themselves suffer broader cuts and drawdowns. As we conduct oversight in preparation for the National Defense Authorization Act, this subcommittee will spend considerable time ensuring that all resources are aligned and all policies appropriate. This includes focusing on how our Special Operations Forces are being used to counter adversarial propaganda, and enabling our partner forces across the globe with new programs such as the European Reassurance Initiative and the Counterterrorism Partnership Fund. Lastly, but of considerable importance, the 1208 Counterterrorism Program authority used by Special Operations requires re-authorization beyond 2017. This important operational authority has proven critical to our global efforts to counter al Qaeda and Da’ash. I understand the Department will seek an extension of this important authority to 2020, so we look forward to discussing that today. I would like to welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses, and I appreciate their service and perspectives on all of these issues. Today we welcome: ? Ms. Theresa Whelan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict ? General Joseph Votel, Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command I’d like to welcome Ms. Whelan in her new role, which carries many important responsibilities, and also take this opportunity to recognize the service of General Votel, who was recently nominated as Commander of U.S. Central Command. General Votel’s contributions have been critical in safeguarding our nation and our allies, and we wish him the best of luck as he moves on." |
