Mike Levin: “I want to note my concerns with this amendment, which has close to 50 cosponsors. It would establish the position of…”

“I want to note my concerns with this amendment, which has close to 50 cosponsors. It would establish the position of Senior Representative of the National Guard Bureau and would add that position as the seventh member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr. President, the composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a very serious matter. The Joint Chiefs function as an advisory body to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the President. Changes in the composition or functions of the Joint Chiefs should only be effected after long and careful consideration. Mr. President, of all the issues we considered during the committee process that led up to reporting the landmark Goldwater-Nichols bill to the Senate, one issue was more contentious than any other and took more committee time than all others. That issue was the establishment of the position of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The committee eventually decided to create that position by a one-vote margin. Moreover, although the committee decided to create the position, it decided not to make the Vice Chairman a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As a matter of fact, the Vice Chairman was not made a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff until 1992, some 6 years after the position was created. In contrast, the Stevens amendment would add a new member to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Armed Services Committee has not held one hearing on the matter.”