WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, outlined his priorities for a new Defense Secretary following the abrupt departure of Secretary Chuck Hagel:
“I have great respect for Secretary Hagel personally. His combat experiences gave him insight into war that others lack and a special loyalty to those in harm’s way. His abrupt departure highlights the floundering status of our ISIS strategy. Now, the central question the nation, Congress and the American people face is: what is our policy concerning ISIS and terrorism? A second related question is: who will the President look to in order to help him make that decision?
It seems clear that a small but growing group in the White House, close to the President and his agenda, have had too much influence. They base decisions, unacceptably, on politics. We know this because President Obama’s previous Secretaries of Defense—Sec. Robert Gates and Sec. Leon Panetta—have documented this fact shockingly in their books. When national security and the lives of our soldiers on the battlefield hang in the balance, politics cannot rule the day.
Certainly, President Obama has zero personal experience with military policy. He has made colossal errors that have placed the nation at risk. One of the most dramatic errors was the complete withdrawal of our forces from Iraq in 2011, against the advice of military leaders and common sense. Now we are paying the price.
The President must nominate a Secretary of Defense with strength, ability, experience, and integrity. One in whom the military, Congress, and the American people can place full trust. Congress must insist on it.
As it stands now, we continue to stumble along with no clear strategy. Much of this is the direct consequence of the President’s indecision. It cannot continue. Too much is at stake.
Fortunately, we have a large number of highly qualified leaders with great experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and the region from whom to select. An ideological or political insider will not meet the requirements. Mr. President, give us a Secretary of Defense in the mold of Gates and Panetta that will speak the truth and not acquiesce to political pressure.
Careful observers of defense and national security developments have watched anxiously as more and more power, control, and influence has been collected within a circle of insiders in the White House. They have too often shut out or rejected sound military and defense advice from leaders of wisdom and experience.
That day is over. We must restore the basic decision making process that serves the national interest, not political interests. And we must establish a policy that all Americans can believe in and rally behind.”
