Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee - Building Partnership Capacity and the Development of the Interagency Process

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REP. JOE WILSON (R-SC): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

And Madame Secretary, Mr. Secretary, Admiral, thank you very much for being here today.

I believe that we are in a global war on terrorism, as you all have identified, a global counterinsurgency. To protect American families, it's just crucial that we deny the terrorists the ability to create breeding grounds for terrorism or safe havens, and working together, I believe you're making quite a difference.

And Madame Secretary, in particular I want you to know how grateful I am for the work of the United States Agency for International Development. I never cease to be amazed -- their annual report I wish the American people could see. In dozens of countries all over the world, where there's a natural disaster, USAID is there right away, providing aid, helping countries provide infrastructure, working, as we see it, the country briefs. The dedicated people you have in the State Department -- it would warm your heart how much they care about the people that they're serving, and working with the Peace Corps.

I've seen in firsthand in 2005. I was in Muzaffarabad, and Mr. Secretary, it was extraordinary. I ran into a constituent of mine, a young Pakistani-American corporal in the Marine Corps, and they were up there providing care for persons who had been in the earthquake in northern Pakistan. And with his perfect Urdu, he was able to truly project America as we know it, a country that cares about people around the world.

And then I was able to visit in Darfur and Sudan, and the USAID tents, the food being provided.

Additionally, I've seen the PRTs working together in Jalalabad. And also at Khost, and I was most recently at Asadabad and with a young Navy lieutenant. He was talking about building a bridge for the people of Asadabad. You would think he was talking about the birth of his own child. He was so excited and so proud to show us what they were doing.

And I've seen also the -- in Iraq, the CERP activities. In Mosul -- one of my sons served for a year in Iraq, and he -- his greatest pride, indeed, was to provide water tanks to villages, to help, in a small way, to work with the project to distribute 2 million book bags to the children of Iraq, additionally with medical clinics.

So l see progress all around.

But I do share the concern of Congressman Jones that we have countries in the neighborhood of Iraq, many of them very, very wealthy, and it's in their interest, Madame Secretary, as you indicated, that they truly deliver on the commitments they have made, but even more so. And so -- how, again, how is this going to be brought to their attention?

SEC. RICE: Well, it's going to be brought to their attention by continuously bringing it to their attention, Congressman. I -- this is actually a subject for discussion every time I'm with those countries. And as the security environment improves, there will not be perhaps the concern that they cannot carry out the projects that they need to carry out.

Frankly, the Iraqis could -- the Iraqis are quite capable of funding a lot of their own activities.

And they are -- I think the reconstruction assistance now is about 10- to-one them to us. But it doesn't mean, for instance, that they wouldn't be helped tremendously by debt relief by some of these countries. All of the Paris Club countries -- the United States, France, Britain, now Russia -- are in a position of discounting that debt, but we haven't gotten the same response from some of the countries in the region.

So those are the kinds of things that we go after them about all the time. It is most in their interest. That's why we have a neighbors conference. And I'll be delivering the message again. And thank you, I can deliver the message directly from the Congress of the United States when I go to Kuwait.

REP. WILSON: Well, it's good business, and good security for them.

And Mr. Secretary, the Foreign Military Financing programs to me can be so helpful. I was in Ghana and and so impressed by the developing military there and our association. Are there other examples of progress in Africa?

SEC. GATES: I think FMF is a good example of a longer-term solution to the kinds of issues that we're talking about with 1206 and being able to do it in the short term. And we've had some experience using 1206 in Africa in providing some training and so on. And I think it is a great short-term initial way to get into the programs with some of these folks.

REP. WILSON: And is it helping them also with the latest equipment so they can be interrelated with other --

SEC. GATES: Generally it's -- you know, generally the kinds of things that we provide are pretty -- you know, are small boats, are radios, some trucks and things like that. It's pretty simple stuff that they need, and training and professionalizing them. Those are really the needs that most of these countries have.

REP. WILSON: Thank you.

SEC. GATES: Even though they'd all like to have F-22s.

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