Rodney Frelinghuysen: “The gentleman is correct in one respect: the House does not have, nor does our bill show, any specific amount for…”

“The gentleman is correct in one respect: the House does not have, nor does our bill show, any specific amount for Pakistan, but we anticipate the administration will come forward with a figure which may be similar to last year. There are good reasons that we have invested in what is called the Coalition Support Fund. It allows the Secretary of Defense to reimburse any key cooperating nation for logistical and military support, including access, specialized training to personnel, and procurement and provision of supplies and equipment provided by that nation in connection with the U.S. military operations in Enduring Freedom. Pakistan is one of those nations. Receipts for reimbursements are submitted by Pakistan and other cooperating nations and are fully vetted by the Pentagon and follow strict criteria to meet the standard for reimbursement. All payments are made in arrears and follow notification to Congress as to what the money has been spent for. Specifically regarding Pakistan, the Coalition Support Fund remains a critical tool to enable Pakistan to effectively deal with the future challenges emerging from the U.S. drawdown. There will be challenges, no matter what the troop number, and the President has set a troop number at approximately 9,500. It would be cost-effective. It is a cost-effective tool for the U.S. to remain engaged in the region. We can't turn our back on Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly because Pakistan is a nuclear-capable nation.…”