Carrying through with its plan to root out military capabilities duplication, the House Armed Services Committee has formed a panel to investigate the state of roles and missions. In a joint statement, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), committee chairman, and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) announced the bipartisan membership for the new Roles and Missions Panel. Congressman Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) will lead the effort, joined by ranking member Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.). The House Armed Services Committee proposed in its version of the 2008 defense authorization bill that DOD conduct a mission scrub every four years. Skelton says, “Ensuring that the military services are working on the appropriate roles and missions is key to our national security, and Congress has an important role to play in this effort.”
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…