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Randy
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December 05, 2012
California Senator Dianne Feinstein released a report last week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office: Facilities and Factors for Consideration If Detainees Were Brought to the United States. Senator Feinstein touted the report as proof that the U.S. could handle the detainees if the U.S. were to close military detention facilities at its Naval Station in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
“Since 2002, the United States has operated detention facilities in Guantánamo Bay to hold individuals detained during overseas counterterrorism operations. In 2009 the President directed the closure of these facilities within 1 year,” says the report. “Since then, a number of statutes have prohibited the transfer of Guantánamo Bay detainees to the United States. GAO was asked to review existing U.S. facilities and identify factors to be considered in the event that restrictions were lifted and Guantánamo Bay detainees were transferred to the United States.” The GAO report lists six correctional facilities operated by the Department of Defense, including Naval Consolidated Brig Chesapeake, which are equipped to confine prisoners for more than one year. Since 2009, Congressman Forbes has introduced and sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to prevent the transfer of detainees to Virginia and the rest of the United States. Congressman Forbes introduced legislation, H.R. 1638, to prohibit the use of federal funds to transfer detainees to locations in Virginia. Mr. Forbes was also a cosponsor of H.R. 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act and H.R. 1186, which prohibited the use of funds to transfer individuals detained Guantanamo Bay to facilities in Virginia. All these provisions were incorporated into the last three National Defense Authorization Acts and passed as law. Question of the week: Do you support the continuation of current law, which prohibits detainees from Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to prisons in the United States? ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) I don't know ( ) Other (Leave your comments below) Take the poll here. Find out the results of last week’s instapoll here. Find out the results of my instapoll about the “Fiscal Cliff” here.
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Randy
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October 23, 2012
America’s Navy now stands at 285 ships, the smallest Navy since 1917 when measuring fleet size in terms of number of ships. Over the past decade the Navy has called for and planned towards a variety of different shipbuilding plans, all of which are larger than the roughly 300-ship Navy the President now says we need. For instance, in 2002 the Navy put forward a goal for a fleet size of 375 ships and since 2006 it has been pursuing a goal of 313 ships. Furthermore, a bi-partisan panel of defense experts concluded in 2010 that a fleet of approximately 350- ships was necessary to meet America's security demands.
Today's ships are most certainly more technologically-capable than they were in the early 20th century, but numbers still matter. A ship can still only be in one place at one time and demand for Navy assets Perhaps most importantly, the small size of the fleet has serious implications for our sailors and their families. Despite a requirement for Navy ships to be deployed for six months, deployments of seven months or more have become regular occurrences. The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, has publicly stated that "we can’t run at that rate,” but admitted that seven to seven-and-a-half month deployments will become the new norm because of the increased demands on our fleet. These longer deployments also threaten to wear out the fleet before the end of its intended service life, driving up maintenance costs or forcing ships back to sea with low readiness levels. Read more about Congressman Forbes’ position on this topic, especially as it relates to US presence in the Asia-Pacific realm, in his piece in the US Naval Institute’s Proceedings, “Rebalancing the Rhetoric,” here. Question of the Week: What do you believe are the most serious negative impacts of having a Navy that is at its smallest size since 1917? (Multi-Answer) ( ) Greater stresses on our sailors and their families. ( ) The Navy can be fewer places and do fewer things, even though demand for Navy ships is increasing. ( ) Longer deployments and more maintenance costs for the fleet and the taxpayer. ( ) None. Our Navy is more capable than it was a century ago. ( ) Other – (Share your thoughts below). Take the poll here. Find out the results of last week’s instapoll here.
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Randy
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October 12, 2012
The WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) protects workers, their families, and communities by requiring most employers with 100 or more employees to provide notification 60 calendar days in advance of plant closings and mass layoffs. ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) Other (leave your comments below) Take the poll here. Find out the results of last week’s instapoll here.
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Randy
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July 19, 2012
In recent months, considerable angst has arisen in regards to leaks of classified national security information. Three particularly high-level and dangerous leaks have given rise to allegations that, at worst, the White House purposely released the information in order to reap political gains or, at best, has been negligent in protecting against leaks and aggressively punishing guilty of releasing classified information. These incidents, which pose potentially severe and dangerous implications for U.S troops and intelligence officers, include the release of:
1) Classified information about cyberwarfare, including the fact the Stuxnet malware attack on the Iranian Nuclear program was an American operation. 2) Classified information about the Osama Bin Laden raid, including specific participating units and information from the compound. 3) Highly sensitive details about the process by which the President in White House counterterrorism meetings designates people for “Kill Lists” targeted by special operations forces and drone strikes. As a result of the gravity and frequency of the leaks, and because of concern that the Administration could not effectively investigate themselves, several in Congress are calling for an independent counsel to be appointed to investigate the string of national security leaks. Question of the Week: Do you believe an independent investigator should be appointed to investigate the recent flurry of leaks of classified national security information? ( ) Yes. ( ) No. ( ) I am not sure. ( ) Other, please share your thoughts below. Take the poll here. Find the results of our last instaPoll here.
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Randy
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July 19, 2012
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) held a hearing Wednesday to discuss the potential effects of catastrophic budget cuts to defense industry and jobs in Virginia, if no action is taken before January 1st. The CEOs from Lockheed Martin, Pratt and Whitney, EADS North America, and Williams-Pyro were present to answer questions from HASC about their views on sequestration and how they expect its implementation to affect jobs and the American economy.
The witnesses were in agreement that sequestration could potentially raise the cost of capital and decrease competition, especially amongst second and third tier defense companies, and also diminish job seekers’ incentive to work in an industry where cuts are looming. Della Williams, CEO of Williams Pyro, described sequestration as “cosmetic surgery with a chainsaw.” I explained that the amount the administration spent on the stimulus package for one year was equivalent to the amount that is being taking out of defense for 10 years. My big concern are all the cuts that are taking place, and I'm also concerned about the $487 billion we've already taken from Defense, much less the half trillion dollars that are coming. I am troubled by precedence here. At the beginning of the decade, the United States had 50 major contractors and today there are six. Today, only two companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, build U.S. fighter aircraft. When I asked the witnesses what impact they thought sequestration may have that might be similar to the weeding out of the industrial base in the ‘90s, they agreed that they expect consolidation of corporations, noting that consolidation can severely limit competition. They further suggested the possibility that companies may simply exit the public market and will move toward more commercial markets. AAs Virginia is the number one state for federal defense spending with 13.9% of state GDP coming from the defense industry, I am dedicated to working against sequestration and the potentially devastating impacts that it could bring. With defense cuts, 122,800 jobs are predicted to be lost in Virginia and the Commonwealth will lose $10.5 billion in Gross State Product. The defense industry is a vital part of the Fourth District’s economy and provides jobs to thousands of people, and I will continue working to ensure the economic success of the Fourth District. Please read more below about my work to stop these defense cuts from devastating our economy, causing massive layoffs, stripping Veterans’ benefits and crippling our military. Click here to read more about my efforts to Defend Our Defenders Watch Looming Defense Cuts: A Threat to Jobs and Those Who Serve
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Randy
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July 17, 2012
Today I spoke with Governor Mike Huckabee on his nationally syndicated radio program to discuss looming Defense cuts and the disastrous effect they would have upon both the military and all Americans. We discussed how the defense budget has been continually targeted and reduced over the past three years and how additional cuts will lead to the possibility of another 1+ million jobs disappearing. You can listen to the clip here.
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Randy
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July 12, 2012
As the Chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, today I held a USAF force structure hearing with the Council of Governors. It is vital we understand the impact of the Department of Defense freeze on assets and personnel. The witnesses included Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa, Lieutenant General Christopher D. Miller, USAF, and Major General Timothy J. Lowenberg, USAF.
The hearing was held to receive testimony on Department of the Air Force aircraft force structure reductions, and discuss the implications of these budgetary cuts by the Department of Defense on sectors of the military, especially the National Guard.
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Randy
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May 16, 2012
Last week I had the pleasure of appearing on various national news programs to discuss the vital importance of funding our national defense properly and fully. If you missed some of my appearances you can view them by clicking below.
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Randy
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May 09, 2012
Looming defense cuts are scheduled to go into effect at the end of this year. The cuts have the potential for drastic consequences to our military, our security, our economy and our veterans.
Question of the Week: With defense cuts imminent, what measure are you most concerned about? ( ) Pink slipping 13% of our warfighters. Roughly 200,000 active duty service members will have to leave the service. ( ) "BRAC"-ing Military Retirement. Payment of full retired pay could be delayed until the age of 57 or 60 ( ) Devastating State Economies. Under defense cuts, 122,800 jobs will be lost in Virginia and the Commonwealth will lose $10.5 billion in Gross State Product. ( ) All of the above. ( ) Unsure ( ) Other (Leave your comments below) Take the poll here. Find the results of last week’s instaPoll here.
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Randy
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April 05, 2012
Don’t miss the following news clips on the impact of automatic defense cuts featured on the House Armed Service Committee Drumbeat blog.
In addition, this article in the Wall Street Journal discusses how industry is bracing for defense cuts:
Contingency Planning Includes Massive Layoffs and Closing Facilities The Wall Street Journal reports that as sequestration looms, major industry players are doing contingency planning that includes layoffs and closing facilities: “The Pentagon has told congressional leaders it will start planning this summer to make the sharp reductions in military spending set to begin in January if lawmakers don't reach a broad deal to reduce the federal budget deficit. “Several major defense contractors already have begun contingency planning, anticipating they may have to lay off employees, close facilities and reduce other costs if the spending cuts take effect. “Many lawmakers on Capitol Hill don't expect to start serious negotiations over how to avoid the defense cuts until after the November elections…But the Pentagon has warned it can't wait that long to begin preparations for the possible layoffs of tens of thousands of federal workers and other fallout from major cuts in spending. “Some defense contractors worry the Pentagon could begin delaying certain decisions on new projects as it tries to reprioritize its spending… “‘It's become clear to the companies that sequestration is a real possibility,’ said Stan Soloway, chief executive of the Professional Services Council, a trade association for government contractors… “If no deficit-reduction deal is reached, the law calls for the defense budget to be cut by more than $50 billion a year, or roughly 10% of the agency's $531 billion base budget. The cut would last for 10 years, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the impact would be disastrous. “Several senior Republicans, including House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard ‘Buck’ McKeon of California, have proposed delaying the cuts in the first year… “The uncertainty has alarmed government officials and defense companies, which now have less than eight months to prepare for cuts and possible layoffs… “Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's acting under secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, told Congress last week that the automatic cuts were ‘intended to be so crazy that nobody would ever do it.’ “Mr. Panetta would have little discretion to direct where the cuts would occur, meaning virtually every defense program would be hit. “The aerospace and defense industry is pleading with Congress to reach a deal soon to avert the cuts. The industry employs about one million workers. Last year, the Aerospace Industries Association, a trade group, released a study that projected the sector would lose in the neighborhood of 350,000 direct and supplier jobs under the automatic cuts. “Robert J. Stevens, chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., told lawmakers and congressional aides last month that the spending cuts' impact on the defense industry would be ‘devastating.’ "‘We ask that we not let an automatic budget trigger, a default position, become the dominant force for allocating resources that will shape our nation's security posture and our industry, and we strongly urge action to stop this process,’ Mr. Stevens said at a Senate Aerospace Caucus luncheon. “Dan Beck, a Boeing Co. spokesman, said his company already had begun to prepare for the impact of a possible ‘worst-case scenario’ of Pentagon cuts. “Credit-rating agencies have raised questions about the effect of cuts on defense companies' finances. "Fitch Ratings said last week that the ‘threat of across-the-board defense cuts’ was a concern and could affect Northrop Grumman Corp., a large defense contractor, but Fitch said it ‘expects a legislative resolution could reduce this risk, particularly with the respect to the timing of the cuts.’” Read full story here.
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