Bayh to Introduce Legislation to Fully Fund U.S. Special Operations Command Intelligence Collection Capabilities and Personnel Needs

Bayh to Introduce Legislation to Fully Fund U.S. Special Operations Command Intelligence Collection Capabilities and Personnel Needs

As part of tough and smart national security plan, Senator says America must maintain intelligence edge

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Evan Bayh today announced his plans to introduce an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill to ensure that U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has the intelligence-gathering tools and personnel that it needs. In a letter to Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner and Ranking Member Carl Levin, Bayh emphasized the necessity of fully funding USSOCOM's intelligence capabilities and personnel needs, given its leadership role in the war on terrorism.

"To succeed in the war on terror, America must maintain its edge in intelligence-gathering capabilities," Senator Bayh said. "It is neither tough nor smart to force our Special Operations Command, which is at the forefront of the war on terror, to go without critical intelligence collection tools. My amendment will ensure that we have the resources necessary to find and destroy the terrorist networks that threaten our nation."

At an Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this month, USSOCOM Deputy Commander Eric T. Olson testified that USSOCOM is currently lacking in intelligence gathering resources, and will remain short of crucial tools unless action is taken. In response to questioning from Senator Bayh, Admiral Olson stated that USSOCOM is short one full squadron of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles and in the number of Special Operations Forces that can be deployed around the globe.

Bayh's amendment will make up the funding shortfall to ensure that USSOCOM has all the tools it needs to achieve its mission, by fully funding USSOCOM's intelligence and sensor collection capabilities in the coming years, including a second squad of Predators.

In his letter, Bayh also asked the Armed Services Committee to study the structure of our Special Operations Forces (SOF) and examine the shortage in the number of SOF officers who can be sent to trouble spots around the globe. Bayh noted that SOF officers are critical to preventing the emergence of new terrorist breeding grounds.

Senator Bayh, a member of the Armed Service and Intelligence Committees, has been an outspoken advocate for a "tough and smart" approach to national security in the 21st century, confronting terror threats abroad and protecting our homeland.

http://bayh.senate.gov/~bayh/releases/2006/04/28APR06PR.htm