Washington, DC – Today House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Ranking Member Duncan Hunter (R-CA) released the final report of the HASC Roles and Missions Panel. The Panel was established in 2007 to review the roles and missions of the military services.

Click here to access the report.

Members of the Roles and Missions Panel:

Chairman Jim Cooper (D-TN)                      Ranking Member Phil Gingrey (R-GA)
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA)                            Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY)
Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)                    Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA)

 “I want to thank Congressman Cooper, Congressman Gingrey, and all of the Panel members for the time and energy they have dedicated to this project.  The roles and missions framework that our military services follow today was established during the Truman Administration,” said Chairman Ike Skelton. 

 “While that may have been the proper framework sixty years ago, we must ensure that today’s military is organized to protect America’s national security in the face of 21st century threats.  This report will help us begin to consider the many issues related to roles and missions that must be addressed in the current security environment.”

 “We commend Congressman Gingrey and Congressman Cooper, as well as all of the members who worked on the panel, for their thoughtful ideas on roles and missions within the Department of Defense.  The wide range of views and options offered by the panel will be helpful to the committee as we continue to review the roles and missions of the military services,” said Ranking Member Duncan Hunter.

 “This report seeks to provoke thoughtful public discussion about a vitally important question: how do we keep America strong and safe in a complex 21st-century national security environment?” Rep. Jim Cooper said.   

 “Unlike many Congressional reports, we have raised contentious issues and resisted the temptation to find easy, lowest-common-denominator solutions. My fellow panel members and I don’t agree with every idea in the Roles and Missions Panel report, but we believe the questions it raises must be answered.  It’s time to start a conversation—not just in Washington, but across America—about rethinking national security.”

 “By creating the Select Panel on Roles and Missions, the House Armed Services Committee has zeroed in on an area critical to our nation’s defense. Our discussions over the past six months have allowed us to analyze a variety of ideas – including some rather unorthodox ones – on how we can improve efficiencies not only within our military, but also on how we can integrate the core competencies of all agencies whose expertise may be needed to defend America,” said Rep. Phil Gingrey. 

 “Chairman Skelton has long been a champion on the topic of roles and missions, and I know he and Ranking Member Hunter will continue to push the dialogue as we move this discussion into the full committee.  I commend Chairman Cooper and the whole bipartisan panel for their hard work in furthering this discussion and I look forward to continuing the work to keep our military the greatest in the world.” 

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