Evan Bayh: “As my chairman is already fully aware, today's counterinsurgency and counterterror operations remain intelligence…”

“As my chairman is already fully aware, today's counterinsurgency and counterterror operations remain intelligence driven. The ultimate success of so many of our military's missions depends on the effectiveness of our intelligence capabilities. Truly, each and every single operation has an intelligence component. I do not believe that these assets can ever replace people or the human intelligence they produce, but they remain highly valuable given their limited footprint and ability to collect data across multiple spectrums. Simply put, they are force multipliers. Systems like the Predator, Reaper, and Sky Warrior have long loiter times and an ability to strike immediately. Further, they do not have to wait on the arrival of other manned assets before engaging a target, which is something that we cannot currently duplicate. I have visited Iraq and Afghanistan, where I was told over and again the importance of these ISR assets. Further, during a recent Armed Services hearing, I was able to question our new Special Operations Commander, Admiral Olson, about medium to high altitude UAV requirements. He told the committee that there is currently a 30 UAV orbit requirement in CENTCOM. However, we only have 12 orbits available today. I find this unacceptable.”