NOMINATION OF JAMES H. WEBB, JR., TO BE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY MONDAY, APRIL 6, 1987 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, The committee met in open session, pursuant to notice, at 4:36 p.m., in room SR-222, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Sam Nunn (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Nunn, Stennis, Levin, Kennedy, Dixon, Glenn, Gore, Wirth, Shelby, Warner, Thurmond, Cohen, Wilson, Gramm, Symms, and McCain. Staff present: Arnold L. Punaro, staff director; Carl M. Smith, staff director for the minority; Jeffrey H. Smith, general counsel; Patrick A. Tucker, minority counsel; Marie Fabrizio Dickinson, assistant chief clerk; John J. Hamre, George K. Johnson, Jr., Ronald P. Kelly, James R. Locher III, David S. Lyles, Frederick F.Y. Pang, and Gordon G. Riggle, professional staff members; Russell C. Miller, research assistant; Charles R. Siegismund II, system manager; Lori M. Jackson and Pamela G. Powell, staff assistants. Also present: Francis J. Sullivan, assistant to Senator Stennis; Jeffrey B. Subko, assistant to Senator Exon; Greg Weaver, assistant to Senator Levin; William J. Lynn, assistant to Senator Kennedy; Charles C. Smith, assistant to Senator Dixon; Phillip P. Upschulte and Milton D. Beach, assistants to Senator Glenn; Leon Fuerth, assistant to Senator Gore; James R. Sayer, assistant to Senator Wirth; Terrence Lynch, assistant to Senator Shelby; William J. Wight, assistant to Senator Warner; Dale F. Gerry, assistant to Senator Cohen; Mark J. Albrecht, assistant to Senator Wilson; Alan Ptak, assistant to Senator Gramm; Samuel J. Routson, assistant to Senator Symms; and Lorne Craner and Patrick A. Putignano, assistant to Senator McCain. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR SAM NUNN, CHAIRMAN Chairman NUNN. The committee will come to order. I would like to officially welcome Mr. James H. Webb, Jr. to the Committee on Armed Services this afternoon for, Mr. Webb, your confirmation hearing to be Secretary of the Navy. I want to also welcome your family. I think they will be more appropriately introduced in a few moments by Senator Glenn. We are delighted to have them here. I remember that we had a particularly lively hearing when you were confirmed before to a previous position. One of your children voiced a loud opinion right when you were answering a crucial question, and we thought that was a very timely intervention by one of your family members in defense of daddy. So we are welcoming them back today at an older age. Jim Webb comes to the position of Secretary of the Navy with an impressive and unique background as a graduate of the Naval Academy with the Marine Corps commission. He served with distinction in Vietnam and returned as a highly decorated combat leader. He also served in the office of two of our colleagues who were Secretaries of Navy, Senator John Chafee and Senator John Warner. Senator Warner, of course, is the ranking member of this committee and will be here in just a few minutes. He is out of town and hurrying back now for this hearing. After leaving the service, Mr. Webb earned a law degree from Georgetown. Then he authored several acclaimed novels, including the book "Fields of Fire" and "A Sense of Honor." I know that Mr. Webb has met with many members of this committee, and he has committed in writing a pledge to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate, as we require of all of our nominees. His financial disclosure statements have been reviewed by the committee staff director and the general counsel. They have concluded that he does not have any conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest for the position of Secretary of the Navy. At this point, without objection, I would like to insert in the record the Senate Armed Services Committee nomination reference form and biographical sketch. Without objection, it will be part of the record. [The nomination reference of James H. Webb, Jr., follows:] NOMINATION REFERENCE AS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, Ordered, that the following nomination be referred to the Committee on Armed Services: James H. Webb, Jr., of Virginia, to be Secretary of the Navy, vice John F. Lehman, Jr., resigned. [The biographical sketch of James H. Webb, Jr., which was transmitted to the committee at the time the nomination was referred follows:] BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JAMES H. WEBB, JR. James Webb, son of a career Air Force officer, was born February 9, 1946, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1968, and was one of 18 in his graduating class to receive the Superintendent's letter of commendation for outstanding leadership contributions. Commissioned in the Marine Corps, he was the honor graduate of his class of 243 members at the Marine Officers Basic School. Ordered immediately to Vietnam, he served with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment as a rifle platoon and company commander, earning the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Metal, two Bronze Star medals, and two Purple Hearts. Mr. Webb earned a J.D. from the Georgetown Law Center in 1975, winning the Horan competition for excellence in legal writing. While a student, he published his first book, "Micronesia and U.S. Pacific Strategy" and conducted a special twelve week study for the governor of Guam on U.S. strategy in the Pacific region and its effect on land issues in the Mariana Islands. Following law school, Mr. Webb's career alternated between periods of writing and government service. As a writer, he has produced the best-selling novels "Fields of Fire" (1978), "A Sense of Honor" (1981) and "A Country Such as This" (1983). In addition, he was the first "visiting writer" at the U.S. Naval Academy (1979). He has traveled worldwide as a journalist for many national_magazines and newspapers, covering topics ranging from national defense to the Japanese criminal justice system. He received an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his coverage of the U.S. Marines in Beirut for the MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour in 1983. Mr. Webb's government service includes work as the Assistant Minority Counsel (1977-78) and Minority Counsel (1979-81) for the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, and as the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (1984-87). For his work with veterans Mr. Webb was awarded the 1979 American Legion National Commander's Public Relations Award, and was the first recipient of the Vietnam Veterans Civil Council's Outstanding Veteran Award (1976). For his work as Assistant Secretary of Defense, Mr. Webb was awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. Mr. Webb, his wife, JoAnn, and their children, Amy, Jimmy, Sarah, and Julia, reside in Falls Church, Virginia. [The Committee on Armed Services requires all individuals nominated from civilian life by the President to positions requiring the advice and consent of the Senate, and certain senior military officers as determined by the committee, to complete a form that details the biographical, financial and other information of the nominee. The form executed by James H. Webb, Jr. in connection with his nomination follows:] UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES Room SR-222 Washington, D.C. 20510-6050 (202) 224-3871 COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES FORM BIOGRAPHICAL AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION REQUESTED OF NOMINEES INSTRUCTIONS TO THE NOMINEE: Complete all requested information. If more space is needed, use an additional sheet and cite the part of the form and the question number (i.e. A-9, B-4) to which the continuation of your answer applies. PART A-BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION INSTRUCTIONS TO THE NOMINEE: Biographical information furnished in this part of the form will be made available in Committee offices for public inspection prior to the hearing and will also be published in any hearing record as well as made available to the public. 1. NAME: (Include any former names used.) James Henry Webb, Jr. 2. Position to which nominated: Secretary of the Navy. 3. Date of nomination: February 17, 1987. 4. Address: (List current place of residence and office addresses.) Home: 6422 Waterway Drive, Falls Church, Va. 22044. Business: Room 3E326, Pentagon. 5. Date and place of birth: February 9, 1946, St. Joseph, Missouri. 6. Marital Status: (Include maiden name of wife or husband's name.) Married to JoAnn Krukar Webb. 7. Names and ages of children: Amy Lorraine Webb, August 14, 1970. Sarah Catherine Webb, June 28, 1983. Julia Anne Webb, July 29, 1985. 8. Education: List secondary and higher education institutions, dates attended, degree received and date degree granted. University of Southern California, 1963-1964. U.S. Naval Academy, B.S. (Engineering), 1968. 9. Employment record: List all jobs held since college or in the last 10 years, whichever is less, including the title or description of job, name of employer, location of work, and dates of employment. Prior to March 1977: Full-time writing (Fields of Fire). March 1977-January 1979: Assistant Minority Counsel, Committee on Veterans Affairs, House of Representatives. January-June 1979: Visiting Writer and Professor of English, U.S. Naval Acade my. June-November 1979: Full-time writing (A Sense of Honor). November 1979-July 1981: Minority Counsel, Committee on Veterans Affairs, House of Representatives. July 1981-February 1984: Full-time writing and journalism (A Country Such As This, numerous magazine, newspaper and television stories). February 1984-Present: Department of Defense. Consultant (2 months), Assistant Secretary of Defense (Reserve Affairs). 10. Government experience: List any advisory, consultative, honorary or other part-time service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other than those listed above. Member, President's Commission on Voluntarism, 1982-1984. National Advisory Committee, Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program, 1981-1984. 11. Business relationships: List all positions currently held as an officer, director, trustee, partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business enterprise, educational or other insti tution. Associate, Gannett Center for Media Studies. 12. Memberships: List all memberships and offices currently held in professional, fraternal, scholarly, civic, business, charitable and other organizations. Life member, Disabled American Veterans. Life member, First Marine Division Association. Member, Cosmos Club. Member, Council on Foreign Relations. 13. Political affiliations and activities: (a) List all offices with a political party which you have held or any public office for which you have been a candidate. None. (b) List all memberships and offices held in and services rendered to all political parties or election committees during the last 5 years. None. (c) Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign organization, political party, political action committee, or similar entity of $100 or more for the past 5 years. None. 14. Honors and Awards: List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary society memberships, military medals and any other special recognitions for outstanding service or achievements. A. Military: NROTC Scholarship, University of Southern California. |