Hunter Prepared Remarks for Iraq Hearing with General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker

Sep 9, 2007
Press Release

Contact: Josh Holly; 202.226.3988

 Hunter Prepared Remarks for Iraq Hearing with General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker

Washington D.C. – U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, today released the following opening statement for the full committee’s joint Iraq hearing with the House Foreign Affairs Committee featuring testimony from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker:

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I want to start off by saying that this session is truly historic.  Rarely have I seen such anticipation of a hearing from the Congress, from the media, and from the American public.  I also appreciate the opportunity to have such outstanding partners in the form of my esteemed Foreign Affairs colleagues during this critical hearing.

“Before I get into the substance of today’s topic, I want to say something clearly and for the record: our witnesses-both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker-have devoted their lives in service of our great nation and the American people.  They have long, outstanding records of public service.  These records are indisputable evidence of the integrity, candor, and patriotism with which they’ve served.

“I also want to highlight the extreme care that both gentlemen have taken to keep their testimony independent from political influences.  While they have discussed the military, economic, and political situation in Iraq with their chains of command-including President Bush, Secretary Gates, and Secretary Rice-I understand they did not ‘clear’ their testimony with these bosses.  I also understand this lack of information and input has been causing considerable consternation among White House, Pentagon, and State Department officials.  And I see that as proof that today’s testimony is as apolitical and independent as possible.

“Given both of these factors-General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker’s long, distinguished records of service and their insistence on keeping the Administration from reviewing or modifying their statements-I have no reason to doubt the integrity and truthfulness of the testimony we will hear today.  I hope my colleagues feel the same and offer the same warm welcome and attentiveness to our witnesses.

“Mr. Chairman, we’ve heard several different perspectives on the 18 benchmarks that Congress laid out in the Supplemental Appropriations Act just three months ago.  These benchmarks were intended to measure the political, economic, and military progress of the Iraqi government, a government that is newly stood up and clumsy, as most new governments are.  The President provided an interim progress report on these 18 benchmarks in July and will provide an updated progress report later this week.  The Government Accountability Office provided us with a different view on these same benchmarks last week.

“I appreciate everyone’s efforts on assessing these metrics, but I can’t help but wonder: Do these benchmarks really provide a good or complete picture of what is happening on the ground?  None of those 18 benchmarks reflected the reduction of attacks in Anbar Province from 1,350 last October to less than one-fifth of that today.  None reflected that Iraqi civilian deaths in Baghdad have dropped 74 percent from December to last month or that the number of violent incidents against civilians, Iraqi security forces, and coalition forces throughout Iraq has declined in 8 of the last 11 weeks.  Even Comptroller General David Walker expressed concern during testimony last week that the 18 benchmarks are incapable of measuring improvements at the local level or in the daily lives of the Iraqi people. 

“And if these metrics can’t give an accurate picture of progress, where do we look to get an accurate assessment of what’s going on?  The soldiers, marines, diplomats, and other experts who live and work in Iraq-professionals like General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker-have a clearer view of progress at all levels.  And while I look forward to hearing from Ambassador Crocker about political and economic efforts-including the steps the Iraqi government must take to achieve greater progress-I am even more eager to hear from General Petraeus about several items of great concern to the Armed Services Committee:

 

Ø       “What missions has he assigned our men and women in uniform and how are they doing;

Ø       “How do our servicemembers feel about the military surge that is supporting the overall new strategy for Iraq;

Ø       “What are his recommendations regarding future U.S. missions and force size; and

Ø       “How are Iraqi Security Forces performing?

“As our witnesses know, I believe strongly that the most important element in a successful hand-off of security responsibilities to the Iraqis is the development of a reliable, capable Iraqi military.  We heard from General Jim Jones and his independent commission last week that ‘many units in the Iraqi Army can now fight well… and appear to have a greater will to fight than was present in 2005 and 2006.’  The current Iraqi Army is about 131 battalions strong, and they are not the same green force that didn’t show up for formation during the battle of Fallujah a couple of years ago.  I’ve talked to my son-a Marine who served in Anbar-and his friends.  Armed Services Committee members have heard testimony and had off-the-record discussions that Iraqi forces now not only show up for formation at all levels of rank but they are standing and fighting alongside our military.  This is especially remarkable in Anbar, where more and more Iraqis are signing up for the Iraqi Security Forces to work with each other, with local tribal leaders, and with coalition forces against Al Qaeda and other groups that are disrupting their lives.

“We must use this momentum and make sure that every one of the 131 Iraqi Army battalions has what it needs to conduct operations.  And we need to ensure that these forces rotate into battlefield operations and gain real-world combat experience.  Then they can displace American heavy combat forces, which can then begin to depart responsibly for the United States or elsewhere where they’re needed.

“So I would like to hear from our witnesses about the maturity level of the Iraqi army at this point.

“Finally, I want to address the issue raised by the media and others, who say that the military surge is not working.  Many of my colleagues have noted that the United States has the finest fighting force in the world.  The increased presence of this force in Iraq has produced greater stability and security so let’s be honest: the military surge is working.  We can have a lengthy debate about the overall strategy for Iraq, the progress that has been made, and the realistic potential for future progress.  But we should all agree: our military men and women have not failed.

“Our troops need to hear that they’re doing a great job.  And we need to tell them as often as we can. 

“Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing.  To my esteemed colleagues on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, I welcome the opportunity to participate in this historic hearing with you.  And I look forward to the testimony of our distinguished witnesses.”

 

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