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Opening Statement of Congressman Todd Akin
Subcommittee Hearing on Defeating the Improvised Explosive Device and Other Asymmetric Threats: Today’s Efforts & Tomorrow’s Requirements
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), the ranking Republican on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, released the following opening statement for the subcommittee’s hearing regarding the threat to U.S. military personnel posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other asymmetric threats:
“Today’s hearing is very timely for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the pending change in administrations. There is no question that any new Secretary of Defense will want to continue the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization’s (JIEDDO) excellent work, but the organizational questions on how best to sustain this concentrated effort are difficult and it is important to get those issues on the public record.
“I applaud the Department’s initiative in building such a comprehensive, effective organization as JIEDDO. As we all know, IEDs quickly grew into the most deadly weapon deployed against our troops and appears likely to be insurgents’ weapon of choice for the foreseeable future anywhere in the world. As long as we have the most powerful military in the world, no one will attack us directly. Asymmetric threats will be the order of the day, and IEDs are tailor made for insurgents—cheap, made from readily available materials, and easy to build, employ, and trigger. Obviously, we need to institutionalize the competencies of JIEDDO to counter this ongoing threat—as well as the threat from more powerful explosively formed penetrators (EFPs)—to our forces.
“That said, JIEDDO is a large organization working directly for the Deputy Secretary of Defense with responsibilities in acquisition, training, doctrine, intelligence, and operations, combining the functions of a combatant command and a military department in an ad hoc fashion to solve an important, but narrow problem. As an added complication, JIEDDO funding is provided through supplementals, which will not continue forever.
“The witnesses will be relieved to hear that I do not have an answer to this very complex problem that I want to impose on the Department. I do think the mission of JIEDDO is critical and must continue, with two caveats. First, I don’t see how JIEDDO can reasonably be sustained for the long term with the current structure and funding mechanism. Second, I believe JIEDDO may be performing some redundant functions that are better left to the military services or combatant commands.
“Again, thank you to our witnesses for being here today to address these questions.”
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