America's veterans know firsthand that the decision to use military force should be made only after the most careful consideration possible. Force should be used only after all other options have been exhausted, and with the full support of Congress and the American people. If not, any military action our nation undertakes will not have full legitimacy.
When our citizens are willing to serve and, in some cases, sacrifice their lives for America, our government has a corresponding moral obligation to ensure that this willingness is not squandered. In short, we must ensure that there is a strong social contract between those who have agreed to serve our country in the military and their government.
We need to ensure that deployment is absolutely necessary. Decisions that require the greatest sacrifice from our citizens must be subjected to full congressional and public debate.
Today, as a result of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and poor planning by our civilian and military leadership, our military is severely overstretched and cannot take on another significant mission with a high degree of effectiveness. Before we initiate another major military action, I believe that we must take stock of our military's ability to do so.
Meanwhile, tensions with Iran are running high, fueling speculation regarding possible military action. Before we reach that point, if we ever do, Veterans for America is calling on the Bush administration to receive Congress's approval for any military action, in accordance with the U.S. Constitution.
Veterans for America strongly supports S. Res. 39, which was introduced by Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) on January 24, 2007, and a companion piece, H. Res. 163 introduced by Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT). These resolutions state that Congress must approve any offensive military action by the United States against another nation.
In addition, we are calling on the Bush Administration to expeditiously fulfill key provisions of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (P.L. 109-364). These provisions call for careful consideration by the United States of the threat posed by Iran, as well as the means being considered to address this threat.
In particular, Veterans for America believes that the Bush administration should ensure that two key reports, as required in Section 1213 of P.L. 109-364, are completed expeditiously. The deadlines have already passed for both reports. Such a delay is unacceptable at time when tensions with Iran are rising.
Specifically, Section 1213 states that the "Director of National Intelligence shall submit to Congress an updated, comprehensive National Intelligence Estimate on Iran" no later than 90 days after the enactment of the act. The act states that a classified and unclassified version of the report shall be produced. The Congress rightly highlights, and we at Veterans for America completely concur, on the need for the next Iran NIE to receive considerable scrutiny. The American people know that part of the reason the United States is in such a difficult position in Iraq is that the pre-war NIE was erroneous.
In addition, Section 1213 states that "the President shall submit to Congress a report on (a) the objectives of U.S. policy on Iran; and (b) the strategy for achieving those objectives." Given the mixed signals that have been sent regarding U.S. policy regarding Iran, I strongly believe that this report could help better inform the Congress and the American people regarding the wisest course of action for the United States for dealing with Iran.
At a time when our social contract is broken, the leaders of the United States must exercise the greatest care when they consider actions that will require the greatest sacrifice from those who serve.
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