In his opening statement, he modestly acknowledged what a big job he was trying out for.
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The current security environment is extraordinarily complex and volatile.
WELNA: But there’s one thing Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton first wanted to clear up with Dunford. Is that correct?
A hearing on the nomination of Dunford, the commandant of the Marine Corps, is slated for Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Dunford replied, “Fifth-generation fighter aircraft, including the F-35, are critical as we contend with the technological advancements of near-peer competitors”.
WELNA: In fact, Dunford’s troops gave him that nickname after he led them in a firefight a dozen years ago while marching on Baghdad.
DUNFORD: I believe we’re at the razor’s edge. Dunford said he would be open to extending U.S. military protection to the handful of Syrian militants the U.S. is training to fight Isis should they come under attack by President Bashar al-Assad, their primary enemy. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
DUNFORD: Chairman, I don’t.
“Quite frankly, if we go into sequestration we will be unable to support the current strategy that we have to protect our nation”, he said, adding that the combat readiness of USA forces “will suffer what I would describe, and without exaggeration, as catastrophic consequences”.
WELNA: Dunford was also grilled on Iraq. In addition to sending vehicles and equipment, approximately 300 American paratroopers are now deployed in western Ukraine to train members of the Ukrainian National Guard.
General Joseph Dunford said the U.S. will need to continue cooperation with Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda, support Pakistan’s stability, and achieve a lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Dunford stated that he is concerned about China’s development of space weapons. He said China was a concern, but ISIL was a national security threat that had to be defeated.
The U.S. general’s warning about the Russian threat was “pure logomachy because neither the Russian government nor the Russian military is really interested in getting into a military conflict with the United States”, Draitser said. “If you look at their behavior it’s nothing short of alarming”.
Some U.S. lawmakers have pushed for the military to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine’s government, a move Gen Dunford called “reasonable”.
The range of potential threats outlined by the two leaders gives some insight into the broad range of hotspots that Washington’s national security apparatus is confronting.
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“Given the evolving defense strategy and the latest Defense Planning Guidance, we are presently taking the newest strategic foundation and analyzing whether 2,443 aircraft is the correct number”, Dunford responded in writing to a question asked by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
