"This was certainly not an easy decision to come by," said Saxton, who was also being considered for the chairmanship of the House Resources Committee. "The future of our natural resources is important to the country and important to me. However, in light of the international situation in which we are currently involved, I believe that my experience in terrorism issues is best used within the framework of this new subcommittee."

The position Saxton has accepted is the chairmanship of the newly-created Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

"Iraq, North Korea, Iran, the Middle East, and the re-emergence of the al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Africa pose new and potentially dangerous international problems which we will have to confront in the near future," Saxton said.  "As we begin to rely more on our Armed Forces to quell terrorism and use diplomacy to mediate potential international powder-kegs, I will be in a better position to provide our men and women in uniform with the resources needed to respond to threats."

Saxton also cited a recent decision by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld to provide unprecedented authority to plan and conduct military action by U.S. Special Forces on al-Qaida and other terrorist networks as a reason for his decision to accept the position. (See attached article.)

"Secretary Rumsfeld's decision to provide an additional $7 billion to buy equipment and add about 4,000 more personnel was a big