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Wittman Opening Statement for Hearing on Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, today released the following prepared remarks for the subcommittee’s hearing on the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO):
“As the gruesome events that unfolded in Baghdad earlier this week prove, improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, remain a deadly threat, especially in the Middle East and South Asia. In fact, the number and lethality of IED incidents in Afghanistan continues to grow, and the nation of Pakistan is suffering frequent IED attacks. Even the United States is not immune to this threat, and our deployed troops cannot ever let their guard down.
“Despite the best efforts of JIEDDO and others, it is still far too easy for evil doers to make and deploy bombs that indiscriminately kill and maim scores of innocent people.
“If this were an easy human or physics problem, we would have the solution already. I know we’ve made progress, but I would like to know how we can do better and what it will take to get there.
“Today, we are following up on the subcommittee’s excellent report of November, 2008, which quoted General Metz, who is a witness today, as saying that the IED threat could never be completely removed from the battlefield. I am sure General Metz is correct—the enemy will always seek vulnerabilities to attack, and we cannot harden everything and still be effective in counter-insurgency operations.
“Even so, I am disturbed by the negative trends in Afghanistan. A year ago, this subcommittee noted that effective attacks against coalition forces were increasing compared to previous years. Since then, the number of effective attacks has continued to climb, and climb at a rate well beyond the increased number of coalition troops deployed in country.
“Despite this ever worsening operational threat to our troops, funding for JIEDDO has been significantly reduced.
“Maybe this funding reduction reflects better conditions in Iraq and doesn’t reflect a reduced effort for Afghanistan. It is difficult to tell from here, since DOD continues to request JIEDDO funds as ‘colorless’ money that can be spent as the command wishes without informing the Congress how the work is prioritized.
“The subcommittee expressed concern with this funding mechanism in last year’s report. Our concern was not addressed, and as you can see, has now led to real questions about JIEDDO’s priorities. With attacks in Afghanistan increasing, I ask for General Metz to provide us some detail on efforts being made in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition, I ask all witnesses to address, as they are able, the status of the issues raised in our November 2008 report.”