Time For Congress To Rebalance On Asia-Pacific: Reps. Forbes & Hanabusa

[unhappycamper]

http://breakingdefense.com/2013/10/time-for-congress-to-rebalance-on-asia-pacific-reps-forbes-hanabusa/



Rep. Randy Forbes can play the partisan as well as any of his GOP colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee, but he also makes a habit of reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats on select issues. As chairman of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee, Forbes has pressed colleagues on both sides of the aisle for much of this year to hold more hearings on the Pentagon’s Pacific pivot (or whatever term we’re using this month). In this op-ed, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a respected Democrat from Hawaii with a strong parochial and strategic interest in the topic, joins Forbes to press the call for more congressional focus on one of the fundamental strategic issues with which our country is grappling. The Editor.

Time For Congress To Rebalance On Asia-Pacific: Reps. Forbes & Hanabusa
By Rep. J. Randy Forbes and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa on October 29, 2013 at 1:35 PM

We are pleased to announce the launch of a bipartisan House Armed Services Committee (HASC) oversight effort we are calling the HASC Asia-Pacific Oversight Series. For the last 12 years, the United States has worked alongside its allies and partners to sustain large-scale ground operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the war against Al Qaeda and its associated forces.

While the committee will continue to conduct strong oversight of our nation’s efforts to degrade and destroy these terrorist networks, we believe the time has come for Congress to play a leading role in shifting our attention towards the long-range trends that stand to affect our security interests. Primary among these are the shifting security dynamics that have been occurring across the Asia-Pacific region. More specifically, we feel the rise of Chinese military modernization, and the geostrategic impact this trend stands to have on our friends, allies and trading partners throughout the region, calls for a thorough oversight effort by the House Armed Services Committee.

The Obama Administration acknowledged the need for our government to pay closer attention to the Asia-Pacific two years ago with its stated policy to begin to shift the nation’s attention to the region. However, we feel the Congress has been slow to conduct a ‘rebalance’ of its own. This series aims to stimulate such a process, not only because the Obama Administration has not fully supported its rhetoric with resources, but because we know this policy will only be successful with strong congressional input and support.

At its core, this series will seek to enhance an understanding of Asia-Pacific security issues for both members of Congress and the general public. To be successful, we will rely on government witnesses and some of the best independent thinkers across the country to increase our understanding of the military, economic, and political trends affecting the long-term security outlook in the region.



unhappycamper comment: It will be interesting to see where these folks are going to get the bucks for our 'Asia pivot'. The services are crying poor mouth:

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20131030/NEWS05/310300001/Vice-chief-Sequester-cuts-would-impact-missions
http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131029/NEWS04/310290008/Air-Force-searches-Band-Aids-keep-aging-planes-airworthy
(af) http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131029/NEWS02/310290004/Commission-weighs-merger-between-Guard-Reserve
http://www.stripes.com/news/army/top-army-officer-says-cuts-would-impact-missions-1.249916
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/10/30/army-looks-beyond-armor-to-upgrade-vehicle-fleet.html?comp=1198882887570&rank=1
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/10/29/marines-move-to-guam-in-question/

That's what a five percent budget cut looks like.