Chairman McKeon Statement on Secretary Hagel's Speech at National Defense University

Statement

Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement regarding Secretary Hagel's speech today at the National Defense University:

"Secretary Hagel, like many of his predecessors, has laid out a bold agenda for reform. Many of the measures he recommends, like transforming out dated bureaucracies and cumbersome acquisition processes, are long overdue and should be executed absent the military's current resource crisis. I look forward to working with Secretary Hagel to reform these institutions and have already initiated an examination of similar reforms for consideration as part of the National Defense Authorization Act."

"As encouraging as many of the Secretary's remarks are, the fact that he is being driven to consider dramatic reform not because of strategic threats but because of an irrational budgetary environment remains troubling. The Armed Services Committee will do what it can to prevent the Pentagon from making ill considered short term cuts at the expense of long term strategic need. We cannot allow inadequate budgets to drive unacceptable strategies.

"Today the Secretary rejected deep cuts, and pledged to maintain America's unique strategic purpose. I look forward to joining him in his efforts to restore the resources needed to execute that mission."

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