fair, not fair at all to come to come down on people already hurting and leave unscathed the wealthiest people in the countr. in large profitable corporations. so what i would say today to the president of the united states, mr. president, stand tall, do not yield to the republican black male, stand with the vastb majority of the american people who believe deficit-reductionfie requires shared sacrifice, thatt everybody makes a sacrifice, not just working families or the j elderly, not just the sick, not just the poor. with that, mr. president, ind i would yield the floor and the believe note the absence of a quorum. of och to lead u.s. forces in afghanistan. at his senate confirmation hearing he discussed the president's plan to draw down 40,000 troops by next september. also at this hearing he's been nominated to head the special rations command and general james thurmond picked as the commander of u.s. forces in korea. this hearing of the senate armed services committee is two half hours. >> good morning everybody. mccreary here to consider the three military nominations for command of some of the most critical and challenging conditions facing the nation that. our witnesses this morning are what is truly a joint payoff general james thurmond, u.s. army nominated to be commander united nations command, combined forces command and u.s. forces korea, vice admiral william mcgreevey u.s. navy for appointment to the greed of that model and nominated to be commander u.s. special operations commander and lieutenant general john allen, u.s. marine corps of for appointment to be commander of the nato international security assistance force and u.s. forces afghanistan. thank you for your years of great service to this nation and your willingness to serve once again. let me also extend thanks to your families. support is so essential to yours and the nation's success as is the tradition of the kennedy i would invite each of you to introduce any family members or friends who may be here with you to make your opening remarks. general thurman's nomination as the commander of u.s. forces in korea comes at a time of significant change and simmering change on the korean peninsula. our commitment to peace and stability in the region remains steadfast and alliance with the republic of korea is as strong as ever. the strength of that alliance will be particularly important over the next few years as we are embarked on an ambitious realignment of our forces on the peninsula and need to deal with the unpredictable and aggressive behavior of the north korean regime that continues to follow the destructive path of an international pariah. general thurman experience and positions of leadership and with maintaining a well trained, equipped and ready soldiers provide the kind of foundation and professional skills the will be required on the u.s. commander in korea. vice admiral william craven is not need to be the ninth commander of u.s. special forces, u.s. special operations command. he's commanded at every level and special operations community. most recently as commander of the joint special operations command and served in various staff and interagency positions including the time in the national security council. incoming secretary defense leon panetta has credited him as being the, quote, real commander of the extraordinary operation that killed osama bin laden. add broth mccraven has been nominated at a time of exceptionally high temple growth for special operations forces. as the current commander mccraven willson told the committee since it 9/11, our manpower has roughly doubled, our budget has roughly tripled, and i were overseas deployment has quadrupled. mccraven olson has also indicated the force beginning to show signs of, quote, but trading around the edges. admiral mccraven, the committee looks forward to hearing your thoughts of the stress on special operations, presinal can be mitigated given the demand for their unique skills. the committee is also interested in your view on the future of special operations and the challenges of the special operations personnel likely to face. will the announced drawdown of forces in afghanistan impact special rations, force is given its special operations forces depend heavily on their counterparts in the general purpose forces for many of the enabling kit devotees that the need to be successful. in addition the committee will be interested in your thoughts on the employment on the range of special operations to devotee against al qaeda and associated groups outside of afghanistan, pakistan and iraq. director leon panetta expressed concerns on the shifting to other places most notably in yemen, somalia, north africa, and i hope he will address what you see as the appropriate role for the special operation forces in those areas. in announcing lieutenant general allan's nomination, president obama called him, quote, the flight commander to take over the vital mission in afghanistan. if confirmed, the general will have big boots to fill and succeeding general petraeus commander of the 49 member international security assistance force coalition and u.s. forces afghanistan. like general petraeus, general allen brings an in-depth understanding of the complexities of the counterinsurgency effort based on his own experience as the commander in anbar province in iraq. working with the sunni awakening the marines and anbar succeeded in getting local sunni tribal leaders to reject the insurgency and instead support the iraqi government and its the deputy commander at u.s. central command general ellen has developed a regional perspective on issues affecting the region in afghanistan. he will be the first marine to serve as the top commander in afghanistan. the number one priority will be implementing president obama's decision last week to accelerate the transition of security responsibility to afghan forces and start bringing the u.s. surged forces home. as all land by the president, 10,000 u.s. troops will be withdrawn by the end of this year and the remaining 23,000 u.s. surge forces will be torn down by september of next year. the president's decision to use the president on afghan leaders to assume more and more responsibility for their security. just as the establishment of the date to begin reductions have the effect of creating the sense of urgency on the part of the afghan government to take responsibility for afghanistan security. the assumption of the responsibility but the afghans is a path to successful mission and a stable montelimar and controlled afghanistan. the president's transition decision was buttressed by the significant gains the coalition had afghan forces part together made in the last year and reclaiming the former taliban stronghold particularly in the south. another major change in the last year is the surge in afghan security forces. there are now 100,000 more afghan security forces than 18 months ago when president obama announced the surge and another 70,000 afghan soldiers and police will be trained and equipped by the end of next summer when all 33,000 u.s. search trips will have withdrawn. in the testimony to congress last week, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff admiral mollen characterized the president's decision as, quote, more aggressive and incurring more risk than mcraven had initially recommended. however, admiral mullen felt, could come only the president and the end can really determine the acceptable level of risk we must take because as he put it, quote, the truth is we would have run other kind of risks by keeping more forces in afghanistan longer. and among the other risks for the risks of perpetuating the greater afghan dependent on the forces and inhibiting the growth and keep the devotee and confidence on the part of the afghan forces. the committee will be interested in hearing from the general as to his views of the president's decision to be again, gentlemen, our great thanks and gratitude go to each of you and to your families. senator mccain? >> thank you. let me thank our very distinguished witnesses who are each nominated for military command that is essential to the security of the nation and our allies, and i want to thank each of them for their years of dedicated service testing for again when called upon to serve when and where the nation needs the most. all of you will help lead a force that has been out war for ten years. we honor the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and pray they will return safely and successful in their missions. general firman, you've been nominated to lead the forces on the korean peninsula at a tense time to read this long-running conflict in a critical time for the alliance in the republic of korea we speech read the general sharp for his leadership over the past few years. the u.s. republic of korea has never been stronger and better. but the situation on the peninsula has rarely been as dangerous as it is today. the transition of power in north korea has contributed to a series of acts of aggression against our south korean allies. it's clear to me that if there's another such provocation clearly it will not turn the other cheek. this is serious implication for the united states as the treaty allies to the defense of south korea. we remain as committed as ever to our responsibility, and it's for this reason especially in light of the heightened state of alert the increased tensions we need to take a hard look at our current plan for the u.s. force realignment and to the normalization on the korean peninsula. this committee needs a better understanding of this major undertaking. the cost of which are significant and growing. but ultimately what must guide the u.s. defense policy, vis-a-vis the republic of korea is the obligation to insure the mutual security and success. admiral mcraven, what you achieved in york career is all pretty extraordinary before may 2nd, 2011, but on that day by leading the mission that killed osama bin laden, you and your men won an enduring place in the american military history. so to say that i am confident in your ability to lead the u.s. special operations command is an understatement the admiral wilson has done an exceptional job and i'm confident you will build on this great work. if confirmed. the leader of al qaeda is dead but a new one is taken its place. your mission will be to help ensure that he meets the same end. at the same time, a series of deadly franchisees especially al qaeda and the arabian peninsula continues to threaten security of homeland common interests, friends and allies. we continue planning and synchronizing our global operations and to continue building up the capacity of our partners to defeat our enemies far away from our homeland. finally, general allan, you have the biggest boots to fill of david petraeus but we know general petraeus personally recommended to and supported you as his successor to lead the mission in afghanistan could i can think of no higher compliment to pay a military officer. the challenge you will face in afghanistan is always going to be significant. but i fear the challenge has only been increased on necessarily by the drawdown of the u.s. forces the president announced last week. i agree we are making amazing progress in afghanistan. the progress is real and it's remarkable but as the commanders on the ground all point out, it's also a fragile and reversible. our commanders also say that next year's fighting season will be decisive. this would be the opportunity to consolidate the gains in southern afghanistan while increasing numbers of u.s. forces shift their main effort to eastern afghanistan where they are counting the work al qaeda and other militant groups are still present and operating actively. however, under the president's plan which calls for having all of the units out of afghanistan by september but troops will begin flowing out of afghanistan right at the time that the taliban, al qaeda and terrorist allies began to step up operations next spring and summer. at the moment our troops could finish the main objective and begin ending our combat operations in a responsible way, the president now decided to deny them the forces that our commanders believe they need to accomplish their objectives. i hope i am wrong. i hope this decision will not in danger the dreams the troops have made were the decisive progress they still need to make next year, but i am very concerned that the president's decision poses an unnecessary risk to the progress we have made thus far to the mission and to our men and women in uniform. after all we have given to this mission, the money that we have committed, the decade we have devoted and precious lives we have lost why would we do anything now that puts our mission at a greater risk of failure? by drawing down u.s. forces several months early so they miss the next fighting season, how much additional risks are be incurring and how could it affect the mission? those are just some of the questions we must answer this moment. it's a pleasure to have all of you before the committee today. you all make me proud of america's armed forces and confident about future. thank you. >> thank you, senator mccain. let me now colin our witnesses for their steegmans. general thurman? >> chairman, senator mccain and other distinguished members of the senate armed service committee, i think you for the opportunity to appear today. i would like to thank the secretary defense and the president for nominating me to be the next commander united nations commander, commander united states republic of korea combined forces command, and commander united states forces korea. if confirmed, i look forward to working closely with this committee as well as our alliance partner of the republic of korea to address deutsch alleges and opportunities we face together on the strategically important corrine peninsula. recognizing that a strong kick united states republic of korea audiences of the most important factors maintaining peace and stability on the korean peninsula and in the region at large, i will come if confirmed, continue to work with my predecessors directed at sustaining strong ties with our partner. i would also like to thank this committee for the support it has provided the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, our department of defense civilians and their families who selflessly serve the nation at home and abroad. is the commander of the army forces command, which is the army's largest organization, all too well aware of the support of this committee has provided and the difference the support has made to the men and women who serve the country in the armed forces. if confirmed i will make every effort to ensure those serving in the republic of korea will receive the best living and training environment there can possibly be provided. if confirmed, i look forward to working with the committee to achieve this. i would also like to thank my wife of over 47 years. she has been negative as increasing our daughters who are now both married to army officers and bringing up our four grandchildren the also selflessly supported our soldiers and their families. like other military spouses, she is truly an unsung hero and i am blessed to have her love and commitment as i continue to serve the nation. with that i thank the committee for allowing me to appear before you today and i look forward to answering your questions. >> general, thank you so much. admiral mcraven? been a distinguished members of the committee, thank you for letting me the opportunity to be here today. i am deeply honored the president has nominated a team to serve as the next commander. and if confirmed, i promise you that i will work tirelessly to ensure our that it continues to provide the american people the finest special operations forces in the world. joining me today is my wife who has been a constant source of strength to me and said the men and women of the families with whom i have served. i have been extremely lucky to have her by my side of the past 33 years. i have three children as well my oldest son is a captain in the air force, my number to such as completing his ph.d. in california and my daughter is going into her junior year of college. i have been very fortunate to have spent the past 34 years in special operations, and i can tell you from my personal experience, that the decision by the congress to establish the special operations command was the best thing that ever happened. as a result of your efforts and your interest in the wellbeing of the u.s. special operations sailors, airmen, marines and civilians, we have the best trained, best equipped and the most experienced special operations force in the history of the u.s. and possibly the world. the special operations soldiers on parallel contributions to the security of the great nation in iraq, afghanistan and around the world are a direct reflection of the support we have received from the congress over the 24 year history. i want to personally thank you for their support. if confirmed, i will continue to trade, organized and equipped, deploying and when directed by the secretary defense, employ the force across this conflict. we will tall times be prepared to answer the nation's call with experienced forces his intellect, maturity and kurdish allows them to operate politically and militarily complex environments. men and women who relish challenges and willingly go where the threat to america is at its greatest. however, as good as the force is, i know if confirmed, one of my primary responsibilities will be to ensure the members and their families are well taken care of both physically and emotionally. in his 2011 posture hearing, he noted that as a result of the ten years of the continuous combat, the forces freed the edges. admiral olson and his wife were exceptionally engaged in the welfare of the soldiers and their families particularly the wounded four years and if confirmed, doorjamb and i will follow the lead and put forth every effort to insure the wellbeing of the individuals in my command and families that support them. it has been my privilege to serve my entire career in special operations and in all those years i've never ceased to be amazed by the courage and sacrifice of the men and women in the special operations. i am humbled to be considered a sign it is their commander. thank you very much, and i stand by for any questions. -- before the damage. general allan? >> senator mccain, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today. i am truly honored to be nominated by the president to come and the international security assistance force and the united states forces in afghanistan. i'm grateful to the members of congress, the secretary defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff for their confidence so support and assistance extended to me since my nomination. and of course, i am and have always been humbled by the incredible sacrifice of our service members and their families who've continued to serve the nation despite many hardships. mr. chairman, at this point i must note the will of this committee and its leadership in providing crucial support to the men and women who have offered a plea served in afghanistan and iraq. thank you for the support. i would like to start by acknowledging and thinking general david petraeus whose surface is a commander of isf has been so essential to generating the progress that we've seen in afghanistan. if confirmed i will seek to emulate his principled resolute leadership and if he is confirmed to be the devotee of the central intelligence agency, i look forward to a very close working relationship with him and the rest of the intelligence community. i would also like to express my admiration for 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