[House Hearing, 112 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

[H.A.S.C. No. 112-1]

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION

__________

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

__________

HEARING HELD

JANUARY 20, 2011

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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
One Hundred Twelfth Congress

HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON, California, Chairman
ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland ADAM SMITH, Washington
MAC THORNBERRY, Texas SILVESTRE REYES, Texas
WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina LORETTA SANCHEZ, California
W. TODD AKIN, Missouri MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina
J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania
JEFF MILLER, Florida ROBERT ANDREWS, New Jersey
JOE WILSON, South Carolina SUSAN A. DAVIS, California
FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island
MICHAEL TURNER, Ohio RICK LARSEN, Washington
JOHN KLINE, Minnesota JIM COOPER, Tennessee
MIKE ROGERS, Alabama MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam
TRENT FRANKS, Arizona JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania DAVE LOEBSACK, Iowa
K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts
ROB WITTMAN, Virginia CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine
DUNCAN HUNTER, California LARRY KISSELL, North Carolina
JOHN C. FLEMING, M.D., Louisiana MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado BILL OWENS, New York
TOM ROONEY, Florida JOHN R. GARAMENDI, California
TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania MARK S. CRITZ, Pennsylvania
SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia TIM RYAN, Ohio
CHRIS GIBSON, New York C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER, Maryland
VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri HANK JOHNSON, Georgia
JOE HECK, Nevada KATHY CASTOR, Florida
BOBBY SCHILLING, Illinois BETTY SUTTON, Ohio
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii
AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia
TIM GRIFFIN, Arkansas
STEVEN PALAZZO, Mississippi
ALLEN B. WEST, Florida
MARTHA ROBY, Alabama
MO BROOKS, Alabama
TODD YOUNG, Indiana
Robert L. Simmons II, Staff Director
Zach Steacy, Director of Legislative Operations
COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION

----------

House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC, Thursday, January 20, 2011.
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in room
2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Howard P. ``Buck''
McKeon (chairman of the committee) presiding.
The Chairman. The committee will come to order. We have
four items of official business to consider today: adoption of
the committee rules, approval of the committee's oversight
plan, approval of the committee's security procedures, and the
appointment of the committee staff.
Good morning. First let me welcome all members, returning
and new, to the House Armed Services Committee. We have a full
schedule today, so I will only make brief comments at this
point.
First I want to reiterate the pledge I made when I was
named chairman, and that is to continue this committee's long-
standing, bipartisan tradition in the furtherance of a strong
national defense. The security challenges facing our Nation
require that we find solutions and not merely prolonged
political debate.
Second, our armed services are being tested in the field on
a daily basis. They are completing their mission. We must as
well.
As my good friend, Ike Skelton, my predecessor as chairman,
would remind us, there is a plaque in front of this rostrum
which states what our job is. It quotes the Constitution,
Article I, Section 8: ``The Congress shall have the power to
raise and support Armies, to provide and maintain a Navy, to
make rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and
naval Forces.''
This is a heavy responsibility. It is particularly weighty
in a time of war and demands that this committee also operate
on a war footing. It is the job of this committee to ensure
that our men and women in uniform are properly trained,
resourced, equipped, and supported so that they can fulfill
their difficult mission and return as safely as possible to
their family and loved ones.
Lastly, I know it will come as no surprise to most of you,
but the committee will become very busy in the weeks and months
ahead. While there is much to do, we can assure we are
effective by focusing on a set of strategic priorities. My
priorities include: to continue our committee's strong
tradition of providing our warfighters and their families with
the resources and support they need; to conduct vigilant
oversight to ensure that our troops that are deployed in
Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world have the equipment,
resources, authorities, training, and the time they need to
successfully complete their missions and return home; and
finally, to invest in the capabilities and force structure
needed to protect the United States from tomorrow's threats
while maintaining fiscal responsibility, accountability, and
transparency from the Department of Defense [DOD].
I believe that focusing on these priorities will allow us
to put together a strong national defense authorization bill
and provide the oversight that the Nation demands of us. I will
be informed by your views, too, and will both encourage and
expect your participation. We have a lot to do, and I welcome
any and all member ideas and participation on the many issues
we need to cover.
Before I introduce our new slate of members, I want to take
a moment to recognize a special member of this committee who is
not here today. Congresswoman Giffords is a beloved member of
our committee, and I know all members of the committee will
join with me in praying for her recovery and her return to the
work that means so much to her.
Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to echo those
sentiments, and I appreciate your kind words for Ms. Giffords.
All of us are keeping her in our thoughts and prayers, and her
family as well.
Gabby is just a critical part of this Congress and a
critical part of this committee. She represents Fort Huachuca
and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and nobody could have a more
tireless and passionate advocate for them than they do in
Gabby. She really cares about her district and cares about the
people in the military who serve there, but, beyond that, cares
deeply about the military, has travelled all over the world
visiting our military, and is just about as strong an advocate
as they could have.
She is just a critical member of this committee, and we are
absolutely confident that she is going to be back and at full
strength, I think, before anybody would have expected. So I
appreciate those kind words, and we look forward to having her
back on the committee just as soon as is humanly possible.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
The Chairman. I really appreciate that. I know you were
down there visiting her, and I know that you are very close to
her, and your family. You know, she came up to me during the
lame duck session and congratulated me and said she wanted us
to come to Fort Huachuca. I told her about the CODEL
[congressional delegation] that we are taking next week to
visit yours and my district. It gives us a chance to get to
know each other a little bit better and something that I am
really looking forward to. And I hope that very, very soon we
can go with her to Fort Huachuca.
It is amazing how she is doing. We are blessed to have her
on the committee, and I am glad she has had the blessings of
recovery that she has had.
At this time, let me introduce the very large and
impressive new team that is joining us on our committee. I will
introduce the Republicans, and then, Adam, if you will
introduce the Democrats.
Our first new member is Scott Rigell, representing the
Second District of Virginia. Scott's coastal district--right
down here--Scott's coastal district is home to Naval Station
Norfolk and Langley Air Force Base. Scott is a business owner
and a second-generation Marine, serving 6 years in the Marine
Corps Reserve.
Sitting next to him, from the 20th District of New York,
the vast Hudson Valley, we welcome Chris Gibson. Chris has
served 24 years in the Army, including four combat tours in
Iraq, and most recently served in Haiti during our humanitarian
relief effort. An author, he has also served as a professor of
American politics at West Point.
From the Fourth District of Missouri we welcome Vicky
Hartzler. Vicky's district includes two large military
installations, Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base,
one of the homes of the B-2 bomber that was built in Palmdale,
California. Also a business owner, Vicky will bring her years
of experience as both a teacher and as a State representative
to the committee.
Next we have Dr. Joe Heck. He joins us from the Third
District of Nevada. Dr. Heck has more than 30 years in public
service as a physician and Army reservist. He has been called
to Active Duty three times, including a deployment to Iraq in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Joe's district includes
much of the Las Vegas suburbs.
And then from the Seventh District of Illinois, Bobby
Schilling. Bobby runs a successful family business alongside
his wife Christie as owner and operator of an Italian
restaurant. Bobby Schilling. That is a good Italian name.
Together they have 10 children. We look forward to Bobby
bringing his expertise as a business owner to the committee.
From the Third District of New Jersey, Jon Runyan. He is
sitting down. Jon represents a large military district
including McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix and the Lakehurst
Naval Station. Prior to joining Congress, Jon played 14 seasons
in the NFL as an offensive tackle, helping lead the Eagles to a
Super Bowl appearance in 2004. We are pleased to welcome him to
our team here.
From the Eighth District of Georgia, we welcome Austin
Scott. Austin's district includes Warner Robins Air Force base,
employing many of his constituents. Austin has a career of
public service at the State level, having served 14 years in
the Georgia General Assembly. We are excited to have him bring
his expertise to the committee.
From the Second District of Arkansas, we welcome Tim
Griffin. Tim is a JAG [Judge Advocate General] officer, and his
many years in public service include 14 years in the Army
Reserve. In 2006, Tim served as an Army JAG in Mosul, Iraq. He
is the founder of a law firm in his hometown of Little Rock,
Arkansas. His legal experience and service will prove to be a
valuable addition to this committee.
From the Fourth District of Mississippi, Steven Palazzo.
Steven is a native of Gulfport, has served in the Marine Corps
Reserve and the National Guard, including tours in the Persian
Gulf War in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. In addition to his
military service, Steven has a career of public service at the
State level in the Mississippi State Legislature. Steven's Gulf
Coast district is home to one of the largest shipyards in the
country, employing thousands of his constituents, and is also
home to Keesler Air Force Base.
Next, Allen West joins us from the 22nd District of Florida
with a distinguished career in the U.S. Army, serving several
combat tours, including in Operation Desert Storm, Operation
Iraqi Freedom, and in Afghanistan. We thank him for his
military service and look forward to his contributions to our
committee.
Martha Roby, way down there. Martha Roby joins us from the
Second District of Alabama. Martha's district is home to two
large military installations, Maxwell Gunter Air Force Base and
Fort Rucker, the Army's primary air-training base. Prior to
this Congress, Martha served on the Montgomery City Council. We
are delighted to have her join the committee.
Next is Alabama's Fifth District Representative, Mo Brooks.
Mo has led a distinguished public service career in both the
Alabama House of Representatives and as a prosecutor. Mo's
district is the home of Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville and is
one of the Nation's foremost missile development centers. We
welcome Mo to the committee.
And then I would like to introduce Todd Young from the
Ninth District of Indiana. Todd's career includes service in
both the Navy and the Marine Corps, and a turn as a deputy
prosecutor for Orange County, Indiana. We welcome Todd, thank
him for his military service, and look forward to his
congressional attributes.
We are fortunate to have this talented group join our team
here at the committee.
Let me now recognize Adam Smith, our ranking member, my
good friend from Washington.
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Our list of new members is regrettably shorter, as you
might imagine, but we will get to them in just a minute.
I want to first of all congratulate you on becoming
chairman in this committee. It is a very, very high honor. You
can look at the walls around us at the people who have come
before you and know how many great public servants have held
that seat. It is a great honor for you, and I know you will do
a great job. I have enjoyed working with you on this committee,
and I look forward to continuing to do so. It is an honor to
serve with you, and congratulations on your new position.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Smith. And I agree completely with your sentiments in
your opening remarks. This is the best committee in Congress
for those of you who don't know it yet. We get to do incredibly
important work every single day for people who are absolutely
worthy of our support. And as importantly, this is probably the
most bipartisan committee in Congress. Without question, there
will be things that we disagree on, but the overwhelming
majority of the time, we will be working together to try to
help the men and women who are serving in our Armed Forces; to
help the bases in our district, bases across the country; to
help their families; find any way we can to make sure that
those brave men and women who are fighting to protect our
country get absolutely every little piece of support that we
can give them. And the best friendships and best relationships
that I have in this place were built in this committee based on
the issues that we have been able to work on together. And I
know under your leadership, Buck, we will continue to do that.
And you are right, it is particularly important at this
time in our country. When we have our troops in Afghanistan and
in Iraq fighting wars, putting their lives on the line every
single day, the work of this committee becomes even more
important. And I am incredibly proud of the work that a lot of
us have done during the course of those struggles to make sure
that our warfighters get what they need as quick as possible.
Obviously, the MRAP [mine resistant ambush protected vehicle]
example is the best example of where we saw a problem, and this
committee and this Congress stepped up and tried to get that
piece of equipment out to our troops as quickly as possible
because we knew it would save lives. But there are countless
other examples. In fact, I know Mr. Bartlett can give you a
great long history of what this committee has done issue by
issue, piece of equipment by piece of equipment, that has made
a difference for our warfighters.
So it is an honor to serve here. We have very, very
important work to do, and I look forward to doing it with all
of you in the weeks and months and years ahead.
With that, I will introduce--we have five new members of
the committee this cycle. Three of them are returning members.
I will go through and introduce them. Our first new member is
Tim Ryan. He is a returning member of the committee. He
previously served during the 108th and 109th Congress. He
represents the 17th District in Ohio. He will be serving on the
Readiness and Emerging Threats Subcommittees. We look forward
to his contributions.
On a personal note, I have had the privilege of traveling
with Mr. Ryan to Iraq. He is a great guy to travel with and
certainly is never afraid to get out there and see our troops
wherever they are.
From the Second District of Maryland, we have Dutch
Ruppersberger. Dutch's district is home to the National
Security Agency, and if you know Dutch at all, you would know
that, because I think that is the first thing he says: You
know, the National Security Agency is in my district. He is
very, very proud of that and works very, very hard on their
behalf. He also has Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Grounds and
other national security installations. He has served in public
office for nearly 25 years. He will be serving on the Strategic
Forces and Emerging Threats Subcommittees. As importantly, he
is currently a member of the Intelligence Committee. A lot of
those issues cross over. There are members on this committee
who have served on both, including our most recent chairman Mr.
Reyes. I think those issues are critical, and we need to do a
better job of working together between DOD and the Intel
[Intelligence] Community. Dutch will be a critical part of
making that happen.
Also returning to the committee is Kathy Castor from the
11th District of Florida. She has a very special home down
there with regard to our military. It is home to the Special
Operations Command and the Central Command, which are both
tenants at MacDill Air Force Base. She has previously served as
a freshman on the committee during the 110th Congress. She will
be serving on the Tactical Air and Land and Emerging Threats
Subcommittees. We are all looking forward to getting down into
her district very soon to visit those important military
installations and to working with her.
Now, for members who are new to the committee, we have
Betty Sutton from the 13th District of Ohio. Betty has served
in Congress, I think this is her third term. And she is a very,
very strong voice on industrial base issues, which is basically
to say to make sure that we maintain our manufacturing and
technical strength as a country here in the U.S. so that we
can--certainly there are economic implications of that, but
there are very, very important national security implications
of making sure that we make things here in America that can
help protect our country. And she is very, very smart on those
issues and very tenacious. I look forward to her service on the
committee.
And our last new member has big shoes to fill. Colleen
Hanabusa from the First District of Ohio--sorry, we are off the
script there, obviously from Hawaii--and takes Neil
Abercrombie's spot. Neil. It is hard to imagine a more
passionate member of this committee than the now current
Governor of the State of Hawaii. Neil loved this committee,
loves his district, and loves the military. And I know Colleen
will do a great job moving in and taking his place. Her
district is home to the Pacific Command, Pacific Fleet Marine
Forces Command, Pacific Air Forces Command, and the Army
Pacific Command. She will be serving on the Readiness and
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees.
We are delighted to have her on our committee. As I am sure
she will tell you, as Neil always used to tell us, don't be
afraid to go to her district. I know politically the idea of
going on a CODEL to Hawaii can get you into some trouble, but
there is critically important stuff going on in that district,
and to be an effective member of this committee, you need to
know what is going on there. So if you want to go over there,
stay in the worst hotel possible, tell everybody that you are
suffering, that is fine. But get over there and see what they
are doing in Hawaii, because it is critical to our national
security.
Additionally, we have one other member who is not new to
the committee, but has now been installed as permanent member
of the committee, and that is Mr. Hank Johnson from Georgia. We
are very happy to have him back as a full and permanent member
of the Armed Services Committee.
And with that, I again thank you, Mr. Chairman. I look
forward to working with you on these critically important
issues, and I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Adam.
I join with Mr. Smith in welcoming all of the new members
to our committee. I look forward to working with you and
getting to know all of you better. Even if you do not stay long
in Hawaii, it is a jumping-off place for everything that you go
to get to Japan, Korea, China, which are all very, very
important to this committee, and you generally have to stop
going and coming. And there is a lot to see in Hawaii, too,
besides the beach.
I am confident that you all will enjoy your time served
here. It will be rewarding and fulfilling. And I am really
looking forward to getting to know Adam better. We kind of sat
at opposite ends, so I never really have had the opportunity to
get to know him, but we have had several conversations since
the election, and I am really looking forward to working with
you. All I have heard have been good things, so I think we are
going to have a great time.
Now, we just heard that the votes have been moved up to
10:30. They are moving along very expeditiously over there. So
we will try to do the same thing here.
On to the business. Members should all have before you a
copy of the Committee Resolution No. 1 concerning the committee
rules for the 112th Congress.
[The following information was submitted for the record.]

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The Chairman. The rules package was coordinated with Mr.
Smith and subsequently provided all members' offices on Sunday,
January 16th.
Most of the changes to the committee rules are intended
either to make our committee practice rules consistent or are
intended to conform our rules to the House rules. There is also
a handful of miscellaneous and technical changes.
At this time I would like to ask our counsel Ms. McElroy to
summarize the key differences between the rules of the last
Congress and those set before us today in Committee Resolution
No. 1. And if you want to read very quickly, that would be
good.
Ms. McElroy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
There are a few proposed changes to the committee rules for
the 111th Congress. First, the proposed rules include the
following additions in order to conform with the new rules of
the House. The committee rules must be made publicly available
within 30 days of the election of the chairman; committee
meetings must be publicly announced at least 3 days in advance;
proposed legislation must be made publicly available at least
24 hours prior to consideration; the committee must provide
audio and video coverage of meetings and hearings; written
witness statements must be made publicly available within 1 day
of a witness' appearance; the text of amendments adopted by the
committee must be made publicly available within 24 hours; the
results of all roll call votes must be made publicly available
within 48 hours; and the committee must submit four activity
reports per Congress instead of one.
Second, there is a proposed change to rule 9(c) regarding
the number of staff from each member's personal office
authorized to attend committee hearings that have been closed
to the public for the protection of national security. Members
may now designate one staff member plus an alternate, which may
be a fellow, to attend such hearings. Previously, members were
only authorized to designate one staffer. Despite this change,
attendance at each committee hearing will still be limited to
one staffer. This limitation is simply due to the size
constraints of the committee spaces.
Third, the proposed rules update the jurisdiction and names
of certain subcommittees. The intent is to more closely align
the subcommittees with DOD missions rather than military
departments. There would be a Subcommittee on Tactical Air and
Land Forces, formerly called Air and Land Forces, that includes
Army, Air Force and Marine Corps acquisitions programs, except
Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicle programs, strategic
missiles, space, strategic lift, long-range strike, or IT
[information technology] programs. The jurisdiction of the
subcommittee would also include all tactical aviation programs
independent of which military service owns the asset.
There would also be a Subcommittee on Seapower and
Projection Forces, formerly called Seapower and Expeditionary
Forces. The subcommittee would oversee all Navy acquisition
programs, other than strategic missile, space, IT or tactical
aviation. Oversight would also include Marine Corps amphibious
assault capabilities, seaborne unmanned aerial strike, and deep
strike bombers and strategic lift programs, regardless of which
military service owns the asset. The subcommittee's oversight
of maritime programs would remain unchanged.
The third proposed subcommittee modification is to the
Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, which was
formerly known as Terrorism, and Unconventional Threats and
Capabilities. Jurisdiction of the subcommittee remains
relatively unchanged, but the proposed rules have been
clarified to more accurately reflect the subcommittee's
oversight of all science and technology policy and programs,
not simply the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Lastly, while not reflected in the proposed committee rules
package, it is worth noting that the new rules of the House
clarify that the committee does have jurisdiction over
cemeteries administered by the Department of Defense.
The Chairman. Excellent. Thank you very much.
At this time is there any discussion or are there any
questions concerning the committee rules?
If there is no further discussion, are there any amendments
to the committee rules?
If there are no amendments, the chair recognizes the
gentleman from Texas Mr. Thornberry, the vice chair of the
Armed Services Committee, for the purpose of offering a motion
regarding Committee Resolution No. 1 concerning the committee
rules of the 112th Congress.
Mr. Thornberry. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee
Resolution No. 1 concerning the committee rules for the 112th
Congress.
The Chairman. The clerk will read the resolution.
Ms. Simler. Committee Resolution No. 1: Resolved, That the
Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives,
adopt the committee rules for the 112th Congress, which are
stated in the copy before each member.
The Chairman. The question now occurs on the motion of the
gentleman from Texas Mr. Thornberry. As many as are in favor
will say aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it. Committee Resolution No. 1 is agreed to.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the
table. Without objection, committee staff are authorized to
make technical and conforming changes to reflect the action of
the committee in adopting the resolution.
The next order of business is the adoption of the
committee's oversight plan. House rules require all House
committees to adopt an oversight plan no later than February
15th. A copy of the proposed oversight plan for the 112th
Congress was originally provided to members on Sunday, January
16th. The members should all have before them a revised
version, which was provided to members yesterday, in
consultation with the minority.
[The following information was submitted for the record.]

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The Chairman. The oversight plan includes a broad range of
issues that the committee will be considering during the 112th
Congress and has been coordinated with Mr. Smith and his staff.
Is there discussion of the committee's oversight plan?
If there is no further discussion, are there any amendments
to the oversight plan?
Ms. Bordallo.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I raised the issue of the importance of China and other
issues related to the Pacific area, and I think this should be
highlighted and included.
The Chairman. Great point. That is on page 17 of the
revised edition, and I apologize that we got that to you so
late, but that is included.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. I appreciate your pointing that out.
If there is no further discussion, are there any amendments
to the oversight plan?
If there is no further discussion, no further amendments,
the chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas Mr. Thornberry,
vice chair of the Armed Services Committee, for the purpose of
offering a motion regarding Committee Resolution No. 2
concerning the committee oversight plan for the 112th Congress.
Mr. Thornberry. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee
Resolution No. 2 concerning the committee oversight plan for
the 112th Congress.
The Chairman. Thank you. The clerk will read the
resolution.
Ms. Simler. Committee Resolution No. 2: Resolved, That the
Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives,
adopt the committee oversight plan for the 112th Congress, a
copy of which is before each member.
The Chairman. The question now occurs on the motion of the
gentleman from Texas Mr. Thornberry. So many as are in favor
will say aye.
Those opposed, no.
The ayes have it. Committee Resolution No. 2 is agreed to.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the
table. Without objection, committee staff are authorized to
make technical and conforming changes to reflect the action of
the committee in adopting the resolution.
The next order of business is the adoption of the
committee's security procedures. The members have before them a
copy of the proposed security procedures.
[The following information was submitted for the record.]

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The Chairman. The security procedures were coordinated with
Mr. Smith and subsequently provided to all members' offices,
along with the rules package and oversight plan, on Sunday,
January 16th. At this time is there any discussion or are there
any questions concerning the security procedures?
If there is no further discussion, are there any amendments
to the security procedures?
If there are no amendments, the chair recognizes the
gentleman from Texas Mr. Thornberry, vice chair of the HASC
[House Armed Services Committee], for the purpose of offering a
motion regarding Committee Resolution No. 3 concerning the
security procedures for the 112th Congress.
Mr. Thornberry. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee
Resolution No. 3 concerning the security procedures for the
112th Congress.
The Chairman. Thank you. The clerk will read the
resolution.
Ms. Simler. Committee Resolution No. 3: Resolved, That the
Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives,
adopt the [committee] security procedures for the 112th
Congress, a copy of which is before each member.
The Chairman. The question now occurs on the motion of the
gentleman from Texas Mr. Thornberry. So many as are in favor
will say aye.
Those opposed, no.
The ayes have it. Committee Resolution No. 3 is agreed to.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the
table. Without objection, committee staff are authorized to
make technical and conforming changes to reflect the action of
the committee in adopting the resolution.
The final item of business for today is the committee
staffing resolution. The members should have all before them
Committee Resolution No. 4, which is the resolution appointing
the committee staff for the 112th Congress as well as a copy of
the list of committee staff.
[The following information was submitted for the record.]

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The Chairman. As many of you know, our committee is unique
in that the committee staff is integrated without distinction
between majority and minority staffs. They are here to provide
advice and counsel to all of you, Democratic and Republican
members alike. Please feel free to avail yourself of their
services. They are a talented group of professionals. I
encourage you all to get to know them and to join us on CODELs
at every opportunity, because that is where you really get to
know each other.
At this time is there any discussion of the resolution?
Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith. Just two quick points. First of all, we have an
outstanding staff. I agree with that, and I would concur with
the chairman's remarks and urge all members, particularly new
members, get to know the staff. You are going to rely on them
enormously, and they do an amazing job for this committee.
And then second, I just want to thank the chairman on all
four of these for his cooperation between your staff and the
minority staff in developing the rules and the oversight plan.
I think it is a good start to our process. I appreciate you
including us and appreciate the product that you came up with.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
If there is no further discussion, the chair recognizes the
gentleman from Texas Mr. Thornberry, vice chair of the HASC,
for the purpose of offering a motion regarding Committee
Resolution No. 4 concerning committee staffing for the 112th
Congress.
Mr. Thornberry. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee
Resolution No. 4 concerning committee staffing for the 112th
Congress.
The Chairman. The clerk will read the resolution.
Ms. Simler. Committee Resolution No. 4: Resolved, That the
persons listed on the sheet before the members, and such other
personnel as may be required by the committee within the limits
and terms authorized under the Rules of the House of
Representatives, are hereby appointed to the staff of the
Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, for
the 112th Congress, it being understood that according to the
provisions of the law, the chairman will fix the basic salary
per annum.
The Chairman. Thank you.
The question now occurs on the motion of the gentleman from
Texas Mr. Thornberry. So many as are in favor will say aye.
Those opposed, no.
The ayes have it. Committee Resolution No. 4 is agreed to.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the
table. Without objection, committee staff are authorized to
make technical and conforming changes to reflect the action of
the committee in adopting the resolution.
I thank you all for your cooperation. We are going to be
able to get to the floor on time. You will be able to get to
your retreat on time. I think we are off to a good start.
Before we adjourn, though, let me raise a few
administrative matters. As chairman I plan to strictly enforce
the 5-minute rule. I think Mr. Skelton did a great job of that,
and I want to follow on that rule. Once your time is up, I will
call the time.
I would also like to remind members that the full committee
will hold a briefing on Tuesday, January 25th, at 10 a.m. in
Rayburn, 2118, right here. Additionally the full committee will
hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 26th, on the
proposed Department of Defense budget reductions and
efficiencies initiatives.
Let me recognize Mr. Smith in case you have any closing
comments or wish to add to the discussions.
Mr. Smith. Just again, thank you. Look forward to working
with you. Appreciate your leadership. We have a lot of good
work to do, and I think we have a great committee to do it.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. If there is no further
business, the committee stands adjourned subject to the call of
the chair.
[Whereupon, at 10:35 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]