Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee - Nominations

Hearing

The committee meets today to consider the nominations Admiral William Gortney to be Commander, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); General John Campbell to be Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, United States Forces, Afghanistan; and Lieutenant General Joseph Votel to be Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

Welcome to our nominees and thank you for your many years of service to our nation, and for your willingness to continue to serve in these positions of great responsibility. Thanks also to your family members. Our senior military officers are asked to undertake long hours and immense workloads, and we know as you do that your success in these roles would not be possible without the support of your families.

All three nominees have impressive records of service and are well qualified for the positions to which they have been nominated. Admiral Gortney has been the Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, including U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command ; the Director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon; and the Commander of U.S. Naval Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet.

General Campbell has been the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army; Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army; and Commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan.

General Votel has been the Commander of Joint Special Operations Command; Deputy Commander of the Joint IED Defeat Organization; and Chief of Staff of the Special Operations Command.

If confirmed, our nominees will assume some of the most demanding positions at the Department of Defense.

Admiral Gortney's NORTHCOM responsibilities will include defense of the homeland and supporting civil authorities in case of natural and manmade disasters. Admiral Gortney will also be dual-hatted as the Commander of NORAD, our binational command with Canada, which has the mission of providing aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America.

General Campbell will assume his position in a time of significant transition in Afghanistan. He will be tasked with implementing the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops by the end of the year, while simultaneously supporting counterterrorism operations and sustaining the mission to train, advise, and assist the Afghan security forces as they continue to assume responsibility for their country's security.

The current political uncertainty in Afghanistan stemming from the allegations of election fraud threatens to derail the significant gains made throughout the country. The two presidential candidates in Afghanistan have stated that a comprehensive audit of the election results is needed and that they will abide by the results of such an audit. Regardless whether the candidates can agree on the details of the audit process, it is the duty of the Afghan election commissions to move forward to identify and eliminate fraudulent ballots, so that they can announce a credible election result. General Campbell, I would appreciate hearing your views on the ongoing events and what impacts they may have on the security situation.

General Votel will assume the helm of a force that has sustained an exceptionally high operational tempo for nearly 13 years of war. As our we draw down our forces in Afghanistan, we will need to give particular attention to the role of our special forces and their continued ability to carry out the counterterrorism mission. General Votel, I look forward to hearing how you will address these challenges while also ensuring that the men and women of the special operations community are not shouldering an undue burden.

Thank you again to our nominees for being here today, and for your service to our nation. We look forward to your confirmation.

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