Issue Position: Stronger National Security and Defense Reform

Issue Position

"Military is Poised for Reform"
By Chris Gibson
01/22/2012
op-ed for Times Union

As a former Army soldier, I am committed to ensuring that America maintains the world's most powerful military with the strength and resources to defeat any potential adversary, while still placing top priority on the well-being of our troops, their families, our veterans, and the families of our fallen heroes.

Our national security establishment is not optimally organized to meet the threats of the 21st century and is in serious need of reform. Furthermore, we are eroding the very security we seek with massive deficit spending that inextricably links us to the countries which hold our debt.

The recent release of President Barack Obama's "Defense Strategic Review" is a positive step forward in addressing the post-9/11 security environment, establishing priorities, and evolving beyond the Cold War legacy we largely still have today. However, it is too narrow in focus and disappoints in a fundamental way by continuing to embrace the concept of positioning our armed forces around the world.

This is the wrong approach for a Republic. Maintaining permanent land bases overseas is costly and adds little, if anything, to our national security. Now is the time to be bold. Our new strategic redesign must be broad in scope, encompassing the entire national security establishment, including the intelligence community, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. Duplicative and unnecessary bureaucratic structure has thwarted effective action and compounded costs.

The intelligence community, for example, has grown approximately 150 percent since 9/11, with further growth anticipated. Yet, it is already too big, overly compartmentalized and not adequately integrated with the Special Operations Command to defeat the terrorist networks threatening our way of life.

In Iraq, I saw firsthand the extraordinary success achieved when we fused intelligence with Special Operations. Our ability to act swiftly on information to target al-Qaida leadership was one of the main reasons the security environment improved in Iraq. That should serve as a model for our national security.

The President rightly has asked the military to look at ways to consolidate headquarters. This will help eliminate redundancies, improve security, and realize significant savings. We should consolidate the Regional Combatant Commands that span the entire globe into one Joint Forces Command, based in the U.S.

Our land forces should be consolidated in the U.S., too, and organized, equipped and trained for full spectrum operations. These include deploying rapidly with forcible entry capability and fighting a major theater war, conducting post-hostilities operations, defending our homeland and responding to natural disasters.

Meanwhile, our naval forces should provide a global presence, maintaining access to sea lanes and markets around the world.

In an effort to counter the Chinese threat, the Obama administration has suggested building another permanent overseas base in Australia -- a mistake.

Simply put, our military must not be a substitute for our State Department. America should lead with its values, ideas, and commerce, supported by the world's strongest military.

Finally, it is equally important that, as we reorganize our military to reflect today's reality, we also change the way our country goes to war. The nuclear age has consolidated the power to go to war in the executive branch, denying the American people the ability to express their consent through their elected representatives. By reforming the War Powers Act to ensure executive-legislative balance, we would make certain that the decision to use hostile U.S. military force is one that is considered with the utmost care. I have introduced legislation, H.R. 3709, to do just that.

For any defense review to be successful, we need a comprehensive and collaborative process between the president and Congress that produces the details for a fundamental restructuring of the national security establishment. This will save us money, increase our national security, and ensure our military is used in a manner consistent with the character of our nation.

With the right reforms, and if we remain vigilant in protecting our civil liberties at home, I am confident that this will be America's best century yet.

Chris Gibson of Kinderhook represents New York's 20th Congressional District.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Military-is-poised-for-reform-2674274.php#ixzz1vjL47wo0

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