Letter To Chairman Committee On Armed Services Carl Levin

Letter

Webb, Clinton, Byrd & Bayh Call for Hearing On Redeployment of U.S. Forces from Iraq

d (D-WV) and Evan Bayh (D-IN) today called for a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing to focus on Department of Defense planning for the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq. The hearing would require Administration officials to testify on the status of this planning and solicit the views of outside experts who have experience in the redeployment of large numbers of troops. If necessary, portions of the hearing could be held in closed session.

The joint request to Senator Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, was sparked by a resoponse from Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman to Senator Clinton's request to the Secretary of Defense for a briefing on withdrawal planning to appropriate congressional oversight committees. In his reply on behalf of Secretary Robert M. Gates, Edelman asserted that premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda.

Senator Webb noted that, contrary to Edelman's assertion, there have been bipartisan calls for the Department of Defense to begin redeployment planning and to brief Congress on its status. "The importance of holding this hearing was underscored this month when Senators Warner and Lugar introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act calling for the Administration to present its redeployment plan to Congress by October 16, 2007," Webb said.

In their letter to Chairman Levin, the senators wrote, "The need for the Committee to know the status of Department of Defense redeployment planning is clear, yet past efforts by individual members to obtain this information were rebuffed."

They went on to say, "...the roots of the many problems facing our men and women serving in Iraq were planted by the failure of this Administration to develop sound, realistic plans. We cannot afford to repeat the same mistake when our forces redeploy. Congressional oversight will help to ensure that redeployment plans properly address the numerous challenges that our troops will face, including the resources and the diplomatic support required to ensure that any redeployment is safe and orderly."

Senator Clinton's May letter to Secretary Gates, the response from Under Secretary Edelman, and the resulting letter to Secretary Gates can be found at http://clinton.senate.gov/features/gates.cfm.

The full text of the senators' letter today to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin follows:

July 23, 2007

The Honorable Carl Levin

Chairman

Committee on Armed Services

United States Senate

R228

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Levin:

We write to request that the Senate Committee on Armed Services hold a hearing on Department of Defense contingency planning for the redeployment of United States military forces from Iraq. Such a hearing could solicit the views of outside experts who have experience in the redeployment of large numbers of troops as well as administration witnesses. If necessary, portions of the hearing could be held in closed session.

The importance of holding this hearing was underscored this month when Senators Warner and Lugar introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act calling for the Administration to present its redeployment plan to Congress by October 16, 2007. As they noted, the safety and security of our military forces, as well as our nation's credibility in the region, require that any military withdrawal or redeployment from Iraq be carefully planned and executed. A poorly planned withdrawal would compound the risks to our forces, coalition partners, and the government of Iraq.

The need for the Committee to know the status of Department of Defense redeployment planning is clear, yet past efforts by individual members to obtain this information were rebuffed. Following reports that the Pentagon was not engaging in detailed planning while the Iraqi Defense Ministry was preparing its own plans in the event that the United States and its forces departed Iraq quickly, the Secretary of Defense was requested in May to provide the appropriate oversight committees in Congress with briefings on the current status of contingency planning for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman responded to this request on Secretary Gates' behalf on July 16. A copy of his letter and other correspondence relating to this matter are enclosed for your reference. As you will see, Under Secretary Edelman raised spurious arguments to avoid discussing contingency planning and claimed that premature discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda. His assertion that necessary congressional oversight emboldens our enemies is outrageous.

As you are aware, the roots of the many problems facing our men and women serving in Iraq were planted by the failure of this Administration to develop sound, realistic plans. We cannot afford to repeat the same mistake when our forces redeploy. Congressional oversight will help to ensure that redeployment plans properly address the numerous challenges that our troops will face, including the resources and the diplomatic support required to ensure that any redeployment is safe and orderly.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely yours,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Robert C. Byrd

Evan Bayh

Jim Webb

CC:

The Honorable John McCain

Ranking Member

Committee on Armed Services

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