releases: https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/floor-statements?ContentRecord_id=cae7db07-2394-4da3-b4a7-3ffab0036337
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/floor-statements?ContentRecord_id=cae7db07-2394-4da3-b4a7-3ffab0036337 | OPENING STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN AT HEARING TO CONSIDER PENDING NOMINATIONS | 2015-12-09 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Republican | House | AZ | John McCain | M000303 | www.mccain.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening statement today at hearing to consider the nominations of Marcel J. Lettre II to be Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; Gabriel O. Camarillo to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; John E. Sparks to be a Judge on the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; and Vice Admiral Kurt W. Tidd (USN), to be Admiral and Commander of U.S. Southern Command: We welcome all of our nominees here this afternoon, as well as members of your families. As is our tradition, at the beginning of your testimony, we welcome you to introduce any members of your family joining you today. Admiral Tidd, you have been nominated to serve as the next Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). If confirmed, you will be responsible for overseeing a region facing a daunting array of security and governance challenges. At the same time, however, you will be forced to confront these challenges without the support you require due to persistent resource shortfalls that plague our efforts in the region. In testimony before this committee in March, General John Kelly, the outgoing SOUTHCOM Commander, framed the impact of these longstanding resource shortfalls in stark terms by stating: This presents more than just risks to our national interests; U.S. Southern Command has accepted risk for so long in this region that we now face a near-total lack of awareness of threats and the readiness to respond, should those threats reach crisis levels. Of particular concern is the deteriorating situation in Central America, where feeble governance, endemic corruption, and weak security institutions are allowing transnational criminal organizations to operate with impunity. Despite our efforts to counter these ruthless groups and the drugs they traffic into our country, it is clear that we are not winning the war. The demand for the drugs heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine is too high and the profits too great to dissuade these criminals from their illicit actions. We of course must improve and adequately resource our drug interdiction strategy, but we must also reduce demand here at home. To be clear, the threat posed by these groups extends beyond the drugs they smuggle into our communities. The smuggling routes they control are also used to traffic weapons, bulk cash, and even humans, and pose a direct threat to our national security. While the challenges within the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility are significant, there are also opportunities. Colombia, once on the cusp of becoming a failed state has emerged from decades of conflict as a remarkable example of what sustained U.S. support and engagement can achieve. Admiral, I look forward to your thoughts today on how you intend to approach both the enormous challenges and opportunities within the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Mr. Lettre, if confirmed to be the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence you would serve as the principal intelligence advisor to the Secretary of Defense. The position of Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence was created in 2002, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, to better integrate, oversee, and prioritize intelligence resources and capabilities throughout the Department. This mission has never been more important. Currently, the United States faces an increasingly complex global threat environment, where terrorist organizations are metastasizing and now exercise state-like capabilities, and nation-state adversaries are increasingly asserting power, often through irregular and asymmetric means. Every component of our Defense Department must have timely intelligence to understand the varied threats we face, to prepare for potential conflict, and to respond swiftly, accurately, and decisively when necessary. In an age of decreasing budgets, accurate and timely intelligence becomes all the more vital. We look forward to discussing how Mr. Lettre plans to address his important mission. Mr. Camarillo, you are nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. You currently serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics & Technology (AL&T). If confirmed as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force you would be responsible for the overall supervision of manpower and reserve component affairs of the Department of the Air Force. The Air Force is challenged with implementation of congressionally mandated reductions in headquarters personnel, to transform what is currently a bloated infrastructure into a lean and responsive organization. I hope your recent experience in the Army headquarters will also bring a new, fresh perspective to the Air Forces remotely piloted aircraft (or RPA) personnel community. The Air Force must move away from legacy organizational structure in this vital area. The Air Force must also embrace the use of enlisted and warrant officer RPA pilots as it builds a viable career force. I look forward to hearing your views on this subject. Mr. Sparks, you have faithfully served as commissioner to the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces for fourteen years. You are a graduate of one of the finest educational institutions in the world, the United States Naval Academy, and you served with distinction as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. I cannot imagine a more able and qualified individual than you to serve as Judge on the highest court in our military justice system. Our committee has been at the vanguard of recent significant changes to the military justice system, establishing new protections for victims of sexual assault while preserving the rights of those military members accused of criminal activity, and while empowering the vital and necessary ownership of good order and discipline by military commanders. As an individual nominated to serve as a judge, neither I nor any of my colleagues would expect you to comment on a matter that might cause you to be disqualified on any future case that may come before the court. However, I look forward to hearing your views on the state of military justice as they are informed by your wealth of experience. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |