U.S. Senator John W. Warner (R-Va) Holds Hearing On Krieg/Hayden Nominations

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U.S. Senator John W. Warner (R-Va) Holds Hearing On Krieg/Hayden Nominations

U.S. SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE HOLDS A HEARING ON THE NOMINATIONS OF KENNETH KRIEG TO BE UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY AND LOGISTICS, AND LIEUTENANT GENERAL MICHAEL HAYDEN TO BE DEPUTY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR

APRIL 21, 2005

SPEAKERS:

U.S. SENATOR JOHN W. WARNER (R-VA) CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ) U.S. SENATOR JAMES M. INHOFE (R-OK) U.S. SENATOR PAT ROBERTS (R-KS) U.S. SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (R-AL) U.S. SENATOR SUSAN M. COLLINS (R-ME) U.S. SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN (R-NV) U.S. SENATOR JIM TALENT (R-MO) U.S. SENATOR SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R-GA) U.S. SENATOR LINDSEY O. GRAHAM (R-SC) U.S. SENATOR ELIZABETH DOLE (R-NC) U.S. SENATOR JOHN CORNYN (R-TX) U.S. SENATOR JOHN THUNE (R-SD)

U.S. SENATOR CARL LEVIN (D-MI) RANKING MEMBER U.S. SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY (D-MA) U.S. SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD (D-WV) U.S. SENATOR JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN (D-CT) U.S. SENATOR JACK REED (D-RI) U.S. SENATOR DANIEL K. AKAKA (D-HI) U.S. SENATOR BILL NELSON (D-FL) U.S. SENATOR BEN NELSON (D-NE) U.S. SENATOR MARK DAYTON (D-MN) U.S. SENATOR EVAN BAYH (D-IN) U.S. SENATOR HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY)

WITNESSES:

KENNETH KRIEG, NOMINATED TO BE UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY AND LOGISTICS

LIEUTENANT GENERAL MICHAEL HAYDEN, NOMINATED TO BE DEPUTY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR

[*] WARNER: Good morning, everyone.

The committee meets this morning for two very important nominations made by the president of the United States.

Mr. Kenneth Krieg has been nominated for the position of undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

Lieutenant General Michael Hayden of the United States Air Force is nominated for an appointment to the grade of General to be the principal deputy director of national intelligence.

Now, I'm going to depart from our normal routine to recognize the distinguished chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee for purposes of introduction.

Mr. Chairman?

ROBERTS: Mr. Chairman, thank you for your courtesy. And it is my privilege and honor to join Senator Collins to introduce to the committee and to all present and to endorse Lieutenant General Michael Hayden to receive his four star. As a matter of fact, I think he does a five-star effort in regards to the intelligence community. And so to you, sir, I thank you and to Senator Levin. And I'm looking forward to the comments by Senator Collins as well.

Last week, at the Intelligence Committee when we had the hearing, the general's nomination to be the first principal deputy director of national intelligence, I said that General Hayden is an excellent choice. I have crossed that out. I have put "outstanding."

And he is a distinguished public servant who has already dedicated over 35 years of outstanding service to our country.

I must say that in my years on the Intelligence Committee, Armed Services Committee when I've had the privilege of being briefed by General Hayden, I never met a better briefer who is more credible and to the point. And to do that with the House and the Senate and earn the respect of everybody in the room, regardless of their opinion on an issue, I think takes great skill.

He's held a number of intelligence positions under the Department of Defense. He served on the staff of the National Security Council.

ROBERTS: I believe his most recent experience, as the director of the National Security Agency, best prepares him for the challenges he will face as the principle deputy DNI.

With Ambassador Negroponte obviously having a great deal of credibility in the international community and being a consumer and a user of intelligence, we have as his deputy somebody who knows the intelligence community forward and backward. It will be a great team.

As director of NSA, sense before the initiation of the global war on terror and operations, in regards to Iraq and Enduring Freedom, the general understands the challenges of providing immediate intelligence support to the warfighter, while also ensuring that timely and accurate information also of primary importance reaches the principle consumes of intelligence; i.e., the policymaker no less and the president of the United States.

Just yesterday, I spoke with the senior commander, a three-star Marine who had just come back from Iraq. And we were talking about General Hayden.

And, General, your ears shouldn't have burned, because this Marine said that your personal efforts to ensure that our Marines and soldiers on the ground receive the intelligence they need for their ...

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