Chris Smith: “Recent events in Somalia and elsewhere have raised serious questions about when, if ever, members of the United States…”

“Recent events in Somalia and elsewhere have raised serious questions about when, if ever, members of the United States Armed Forces should be commanded not by fellow Americans but by officials of the United Nations. The surrender of command and control may set a precedent for further diminution of American sovereignty, at a time when most Americans believe that too many decisions affecting their lives are already made by unaccountable institutions in faraway places. I share these concerns. They are reflected and addressed in sections 401 and 402 of the National Security Revitalization Act, relating to command and control of U.S. forces. Let us make some crucial distinctions. First, this legislation would not interfere with U.S. participation in multinational military efforts. Such efforts have a long and honorable history in U.S. foreign policy. For instance, in World War I some 2 million Americans served under the ultimate direction of a great French general, Marshall Ferdinand Foch. In World War II, American units worked under British commanders in Italy, in Normandy, and in the China-Burma-India theatre of operations.”