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(MORNING SESSION)

DECEMBER 11, 1987

Nomination of Robert C. Duncan, to be Director of Defense Research and
Engineering....
Duncan, Dr. Robert C., to be Director of Defense Research and Engineering.....

DECEMBER 15, 1987

To act on nominations of Samuel K. Lessey, Robert W. Page, Sr., Robert C.
Duncan, other pending military nominations, including the nominations of
Lt. Gen. Colin L. Powell, to be reassigned in the grade of Lieutenant
General...

DECEMBER 18, 1987

Page

571

578

589

Nomination of Thomas F. Faught, Jr., to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Engineering, and Systems

603

Heinz, Hon. John, a U.S. Senator from the State of Pennsylvania

603

Faught, Thomas F., Jr., of Pennsylvania, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Engineering, and Systems

614

NOMINATION OF GEN. ROBERT T. HERRES, USAF, TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1987

U.S. SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES,
Washington, DC.

The committee met, in open session, pursuant to notice, at 2:08 p.m., in room SR-222 Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Sam Nunn (chairman) presiding.

Present: Senators Nunn, Exon, Dixon, Gore, Warner, Gramm, and McCain.

Staff present: Arnold L. Punaro, staff director; Carl M. Smith, staff director for the minority; Romie L. Brownlee, deputy minority staff director; Patrick A. Tucker, minority counsel; Christine C. Dauth, chief clerk; Robert G. Bell, Richard D. Finn, Jr., William E. Hoehn, Jr., George K. Johnson, Jr., James R. Locher III, David S. Lyles, and Mark B. Robinson, professional staff members; Richelle M. Turner, staff assistant.

Also present: Jeffrey B. Subko, assistant to Senator Exon; Charles C. Smith, assistant to Senator Dixon; Milton D. Beach, assistant to Senator Glenn; Henry D. Sokolski, assistant to Senator Quayle; Mark J. Albrecht, assistant to Senator Wilson; and Alan Ptak, assistant to Senator Gramm.

OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR SAM NUNN, CHAIRMAN Chairman NUNN. The hearing will come to order. The committee meets this afternoon to begin consideration of the nomination of General Herres of the United States Air Force to serve as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General, we welcome you here today. This is a very important position, and we are delighted that you are here with us and that we are going to implement the reorganization legislation in this important respect.

The committee will have a number of questions for you. I am sure that the creation of the position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was one of the most important provisions of the GoldwaterNichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986.

The Congress established high standards of performance, experience and expertise for an officer to serve as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and certainly we will want to get into your background and so forth and the kind of joint experience you bring to this important position.

This afternoon's hearing is historic because the committee has before it the nomination of an officer to serve in a new and critical position, designated as the second most senior position in the United States military. And believe me, General, we quarreled about that one for a long time, so there is a lot of history behind that, as Senator Warner and everybody who was involved will attest.

On May 7 of last year when this committee presented its defense reorganization bill to the Senate, Senator Goldwater made an important statement which is worth repeating today. He said, and I quote him: "By far the most critical problem in the Department of Defense, Mr. President, is the imbalance between service and joint interests. Although we have long understood the need for effective unity of effort by all Armed Forces the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps have retained a degree of independence that has continually frustrated such coordination. As a special study group commissioned in 1982 by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, reported" and this is Goldwater quoting from that study: "A certain amount of service independence is healthy and desirable, but the balance now favors the parochial interests of the services too much and the larger needs of the Nation's defense too little."

Continuing quoting Senator Goldwater: "This statement, Mr. President, is absolutely correct. The three military departments and four services exercise power and influence which are out of proportion to their statuory duties. Planning is not completely unified, and combatant commands are not singly led and prepared to fight as one, regardless of service. This fundamental problem in the balance of organizational power underlies the major deficiencies that have persisted during the last 45 years."

The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will play a critical role in helping to establish a more appropriate balance between joint and service power and influence. Key among the Vice Chairman's responsibilities will be assisting the Chairman in carrying out his many joint duties and providing improved emphasis to joint perspectives in defense decision making and management.

General Herres, I trust that you fully understand the enormous responsibilities that will be placed on you when you are confirmed in this job and the great expectations that the Congress and, I am sure, the executive branch officials and the present Secretary of Defense have in terms of your ability and your responsibility. Senator Warner.

Senator WARNER. Mr. Chairman, I have known the nominee for some time and he has my support. At the appropriate time I will ask questions.

[The prepared statement of Senator Dixon follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT BY SENATOR ALAN J. DIXON

Mr. Chairman, we are here today to consider and act on the nomination of Gen. Robert T. Herres, USAF to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was created by Congress last year after much discussion of the defense reorganization bill. You and our former chairman Senator Goldwater argued very hard for this position and I supported both of you in creating the position.

General Herres has served in many positions during his Air Force career to include his present position, as commander in chief of the North American Aerospace

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