agricultural sector as a means of economic growth is a high priority for usaid. in fiscal year 2010, programs assisted nearly 40,000 householes and more than 500 producers in associations of improving the agricultural management practices and use of technology. in conclusion, despite many des the complex challenges to development, us foreign assistance is making a difference with children being reunited with families after being trafficked or abused. health care workers are gaining skills necessary for cure rative measures. across areas where foreign assistance is needed, we are promoting approach that addresses long-term sustainable development. members of the subcommittee, thank you for your attention and i look forward to answering your questions and providing additional information. thank you for your testimony. >> let me start off by, mr. aflak in his testimony with regards to the elections. i would ask whether or not you think that gap would be bridged and by whom? he requests that the u.s. government takes a hard look and asks if offering the assistance to

agricultural sector as a means of economic growth is a high priority for usaid. in fiscal year 2010, programs assisted nearly 40,000 householes and more than 500 producers in associations of improving the agricultural management practices and use of technology. in conclusion, despite many des the complex challenges to development, us foreign assistance is making a difference with children being reunited with families after being trafficked or abused. health care workers are gaining skills necessary for cure rative measures. across areas where foreign assistance is needed, we are promoting approach that addresses long-term sustainable development. members of the subcommittee, thank you for your attention and i look forward to answering your questions and providing additional information. thank you for your testimony. >> let me start off by, mr. aflak in his testimony with regards to the elections. i would ask whether or not you think that gap would be bridged and by whom? he requests that the u.s. government takes a hard look and asks if offering the assistance to

that includes state and usaid. there have been moments of temptation to resist obligations beyond our borders. each time we have shrunk from global leadership, events have seventh us back -- have summoned us thaback to reality. we're still paying for one of those in money and lives. generations of americans have grown up successful and safe because we chose to lead the world in tackling the greatest challenges. we invested resources to build up democratic allies and vibrant trading partners. we did not shy away from defending our values, promotingour interests, and seizing the opportunities of each new era. have trouble with any of the secretary of state and the last few beers. -- i have traveled more than any other secretary of state in the last few years. the world as never been greater need of the qualities that distinguish us. our devotion to universal values. everywhere i travel, i see people looking to us for leadership. sometimes i see them after they have condemned us publicly on their television channels a

usaid is leading the humanitarian effort with health and human services and the nuclear regulatory commission and others. homeland security -- the homeland security adviser is cordoning the process with regard to japan and engaging with officials across the government. we knew you would have a lot of questions especially with regard to nuclear issues. i brought with me today the chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission and he can answer questions about safety in japan and update americans about the impact of the accident. or the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake. i also have the deck -- deputy secretary of energy and he can outline everything we're doing

do the budget cuts mean that there is going to be no usaid for the pacific region? these are 69 nations that really have a need for this program. -- 16 island nations that really have a need for this program. and would like to push for the countries of laos and cambodia -- it has been going on now for 30 years and i still do not understand what happened. >> i will get answers on of these, but let me respond about the usaid presence in the pacific. here is an area where we are finding large energy deposits off of papua new guinea. there is a huge deposit the exxon mobile is developing. we are in a competition with china that is unbelievable. they are expending enormous amounts of money. they have a huge diplomatic presence. the least we could do is have a usaid office in delaware new guinea so that we can fly the flag -- in papua new guinea so that we can fly the flag and people will know we care about them. >> china has a $600 million program. what do we have? 0. >> we have worked with the united nations significantly, and china is working very hard to undo that. >>

agriculture sector as a means of economic growth is ac high pruliority for usaid. in fiscal year 2010, programs assisted nearly 40,000 households and more than 500 producers in associations00 improving agricultural management practices and use of technology. in conclusion, despite many conflicts, challenges and eevelopment, u.s. foreign assistance is making a challenge difference with children being reunited with their families after being attacked did, traffic reviews. low-income women are accessing judicial system for the first time and we are encouragingbeing expansion of the program.ked health care workers are gaining skills necessary.s are gaining skills necessary for cure rative measures. across areas where foreign assistance is needed, we are promoting approach that addresses long-term sustainable development. members of the subcommittee, thank you for your attention and i look forward to answering your questions and providing additional information. thank you for your testimony. >> let me start off by, mr. aflak in his testimony with regards to the election

usaid's mission is an important one. our humanitarian and development work serves as a pillar for national security by building stronger economies and more stable democracies. we are committed to invest in u.s. taxpayer funds wisely at each phase of the procurement process. to yield sustainable long-term results. have realized his commitment to usaid forward and our reform to improve the way we do business. we are holding ourselves more accountable and we expect the same from our contractors and grantees. we expect our contractors to be good stewards of taxpayer funds. we expect contractors to act with integrity, and we're holding them accountable when they fall short. we are on the right track, but i will say frankly you say frankly usaid needs to do better, especially as it relates to past performance reporting. on the positive side, u.s.a. consistently used its past performance as an evaluation factor in our new procurement. for awards over $25 million, our contract review board ensures compliance with as many. when i

there are a number of state department programs, usaid programs. every time tear clinton -- secretary clinton goes, she gives great prominence to these. but in terms of the isaf forces, and i know general petraeus may want to speak to this, one of the things, one of the innovations that's occurred is using our own female soldiers, marines, troopers in female engagement teams, the lion necessary program where they are actually able to to into afghan villages and access and engage half the population that otherwise would be off limits to us. so they are working face to face with afghan women at the local level trying to insure their voice is heard, that they are a part of the process of transforming an area from insecurity to security and then, you know, in terms of being participants in the broader golf nance and so -- governance and so forth. so that's happening at that local level all the time. >> thank you, thank you. madam secretary -- >> maybe i could add on that. >> i'm going to get to you, general. i have another question for you, but i will

we could not find any reports for state department performance reports, for state department or usaid. zero. and we found less than 10% compliance at dod. so we're cutting 1485 contracts, and this is -- we put it back in '09 to give it some distance. by now those should have had at least one evaluation cycle, and we found fewer than 10% of those contracts had a report in the past performance database. so i would make the statement here that with these kind of results, everyone's convinced it's important. everyone says it's important, we have to do better, we have to do -- and,, mr. amey, e i get it about the work force. they're some of the most overworked people out there. i get it. they need to be a larger, more deployable work force. but until we start having meaningful outcomes, there's no point in doing it. we can have meetings, we can set up committees, we can set up task forces, but until we start moving the meter on having useful reports -- and i'm not even talking about quality reports here or using the reports, i'm just talking about step number one which is put reports in th

can you tell me what took so long for usaid to step to the plate and start asking the question, where are our contractors that aren't presently responsible? >> i can only speculate. based on what we've seen over the years, but i would say that they might describe the problem as staffing, as iraq and afghanistan were getting off the ground there are tremendous responsibility that aid had for implementing programs, and they weren't getting the adequate resources that were tracking as far as personnel and contracting officers and things like that. i would think they felt like that. i'm going to take a little bit, just a little bit of responsibility ourselves in that historically on our investigations we were reticent about sharing information with ongoing investigations until such time as it was complete, and it was referred to the department of justice for prosecution, then simultaneously the agency would get it and be able to make a decision on suspension and department, and we've changed that philosophy now and, you know, i think that resulted in the aid case. i'm inherently skeptical

also usaid does similar -- fund similar programs. can you provide us with how much has been spent on cultural preservation at both state and usaid, and most importantly, why does the administration think we should continue to fund projects like this? is this a program you would be willing to give up for higher national security priorities? >> well, madam chairwoman. over a 10-year period since 2001 the ambassadors cultural fund has provided money to 29 projects, mostly archaeological sites, including churches, mosques and sin godges. what we have -- sin gauges. what we have used that for, what ambassadors have used that for is our respect for their cultural. their history, their religion. we think it's been a good tool. obviously this is an area where we like to give some discretion to our ambassadors so they're able to do things that can make people feel good about america but we'd more than willing to talk to you about it. >> thank you. one other concern that came out in "the washington post," and that had to do with a criticism of

both in defense and in usaid and in the department of state. you know we kind of ride on the back of dod when they come in for these big supplementals. so what we have said and maybe it was a political mistake, but it was an honest effort to say let's be transparent, let's put everything into the budget. let us tell you what our core operations are, 47 billion let us tell you but our frontline state overseas contingency operations are comet 8.7 billion. .. you've got to cooperate the same way we are cooperating. i'm in touch with secretary gates and admiral mike mahlon and the general austin in iraq and general petraeus in afghanistan and general mabus and centcom because we are literally joined at the hip now with the concourse is still pretty stovepiped. you look at the 150 account, the defense committee looks at the pentagon account and the usual treatment is the pentagon doesn't get whacked very hard and then everybody comes over and decides to make it up on the 150 account. in my opinion, congressman composting is are over and so i would m

both in defense and in usaid and in the department of state. you know we kind of ride on the back of dod when they come in for these big supplementals. so what we have said and maybe it was a political mistake, but it was an honest effort to say let's be transparent, let's put everything into the budget. let us tell you what our core operations are, 47 billion let us tell you but our frontline state overseas contingency operations are comet 8.7 billion. .. case for your consideration. >> i have a very little time that so far the administration has announced easing of sanctions on cuba twice. between those senators and increased repression and oppression you are aware of the case of others in the american hostage you met. the question is what is the regime have to do to make any consequences from this administration as the administration willing to look at the tightening of the regulations, harder push for democracy assistance at the very least the state department travel warning again? will would be the consequences as well by the way? if one a

usaid has led the effort to provide health care and services to congolese women and children. unicef coordinates effective programs for women and girls that release infant, child, maternal mortality rates an improve access to clean water an sanitation and krin increased py school enrollment for girls who are often denied equal access. in the face of grave atrocities in the drc, we must ensure ongoing investment in the prom grass. i look forward to hearing the testimony of the witnesses today to learn more about how we can best support the congolese people in addressing the hardships an ultimately transform their potential into prosperity. thank you very mucht. >> anybody else on the subcommittee who would like to be heard? mr. mcdermott is with us and i know it is a breech ach of the rules, but i would yield to him. >> thank you, mr. chairman. in 1987/'88, i lived in cko conchassa and i saw the beginning of the aids epidemic as well as the conflict that ultimately led to the leader leaving and followed by all that has followed. i have many friends out there, and the lucys are

you've got a usaid contractor that's failed. you've got a bunch of money being spent. it's an irreversible contract. right now we're paying for it. should we be considering a change in either the regulation or the law that requires that where it's egregious, you know, they're going to continue to do business. they've made all these fixes, but who's going to pay for the fix? >> i agree with you 100% on what you're proposing, and i would just say two things. for the agency, for example, to fix that they're going to put eight fte into a new unit, so you've got to give them credit for that. secondly, i know mr. tiefer is a fan of lbg, but they are paying for their corrective actions, you know, civil settlement -- >> part of their justice settlement all of the corrective action plans? >> we, exactly. >> and justice can do that, and they've done it. kind of rare, but they've done it. all of my history which makes me older than all of you, justice effectively does that sometimes. they don't always do it in this case. >> right. and in addition to that where we find egregious i

one thing for which president obama deserves credit is the attention he's given personally and usaido look at sustainable agricultural development. we know a fair amount about this. we should probably get to the work of it. >> hi there. thank you so much for everything that each of you have said. you gave us quite an insight in a very short period of time to a very complex situation. my question kind of builds on what everybody has said. from the international standpoint, ambassador, if you could speak to what countries -- well, first you mentioned that you have asked the united kingdom for help in the demarcation of the borders, but you haven't indicated if they've responded and what's going on there. so if you could follow that up, that would be very helpful. and, also, give us some idea of what other countries are coming forward to help in different ways. and international organizations as well. i know that china's very engaged already, so i would appreciate if all of you could speak to that. thank you. >> ezekiel? >> okay. we are actually looking in different areas where countrie

both in defense and in usaid and in the department of state. you know we kind of ride on the back of dod when they come in for these big supplementals. so what we have said and maybe it was a political mistake, but it was an honest effort to say let's be transparent, let's put everything into the budget. let us tell you what our core operations are, 47 billion let us tell you but our frontline state overseas contingency operations are comet 8.7 billion. .. case for your consideration. >> i have a very little time that so far the administration has announced easing of sanctions on cuba twice. between those senators and increased repression and oppression you are aware of the case of others in the american hostage you met. the question is what is the regime have to do to make any consequences from this administration as the administration willing to look at the tightening of the regulations, harder push for democracy assistance at the very least the state department travel warning again? will would be the consequences as well by the way? if one a

officials from the state park and usaid said just a trip to the region to discuss humanitarian efforts. more now from this 30 minute briefing. >> good afternoon everyone. welcome to the state department. it's our good fortune today to have with us assistant secretary for population refugees and migration eric schwartz and the u.s. agency for international development assistant administrator for democracy, conflict and humanitarian assistance nancy. the just returned from a week-long trip to tunisia and egypt and are here to brief you on the efforts to address the humanitarian situation resulting from the crisis in libya. but before handing them the podium, i just want to respond briefly to a number of inquiries we've gotten regarding the possible return of the former president aristide to haiti, the head of the second round of elections on march 20. the decision to allow mr. aristide to return is up to the government of haiti. under the haitian constitution he has the right to return to its country. however, former president aristide has chosen to remain outside the tv for seven years

under the strategic framework agreement signed by the investigation and the state department usaid is expected to take over all of those responsibilities. here is what we are trying to do. we are trying to have a consulate in basra that is very important in the south where most oil companies will be doing business right across from iran. we want to obviously keep the embassy in baghdad safe and to know we have a lot of alerts andot t missiles we don't know thes situation wants the troops leave and take their surveillance and intelligence capabilities with them. they want to have a consulate and kirkuk and one in the kurdish part of iraq and branch offices in moscow so we can stay on top ofp what is continuing center of an iraq and all of that cost money and we will have to put in a very significant number of contracts security forces in order to keep our diplomats say if wants the military forces leave. the total u.s. government population and an iraq following the 2011 transition would be 17,000 n personnel from dod, doj comment hhs, you name it. security contractors 50% security.re

usaid has deployed two search and rescue teams. one team from fairfax county and the other from los angeles county. comprise approximately 150 personnel and 12 canines trained to detect live victims -- scheduled to arrive in japan this morning here is "usa today" with their story. international aid efforts come together quickly. a massive international relief teams, fundraising efforts, are pouring into a disaster-stricken japan. also, we told you about the search and rescue squads from los angeles and fairfax county that are arriving today. olympia, washington. michael is a republican. good morning. are you with us? you are on the air. what do you think? caller: nuclear submarine reactor operator and also a senior chemical engineer. i worked in a lot of nuclear power plants, so i know quite a bit about nuclear plants. the journal will nuclear power plant is not a good thing to compare with the united states- designed power plants. the chernobyl power plants use a thing called positive coefficients where we use negative coefficient

but we do have usaid, our teams that are now deployed, one along the border between tunisia and libya, a combined team of usaid, ofda foreign disaster assistance and pr him here at the state department and they are assessing the situation what might be needed in the coming days. there's also another team in malta that is there in case they need to support any reception efforts in that country. we are working to provide -- we have her fight divided already $2 million to the international organization for migration to support these emergency evacuations. we are in the process of working to put in place an additional $15 million across the international organizations and ngo's that are currently working on this challenge. >> what specifically is the state department component of what the president announced? is there one? >> we would be chartering the civilian aircraft. like i say, there are some operations that are going on, very limited infrastructure along the border. but we have aircraft, both military and civilian, standing by to be sent to their on an as-needed basis. >> and where

doing for afghan people together with a variety of other international governmental organizations, usaid very prominent among them. >> what is the nature of iran's role in afghanistan? is it entirely malignant or are there opportunities for cooperation? >> let me answer that. because i think what you see with iran and afghanistan is a degree of con felix. almost bipolarity. you have on the one hand, security services in iran which have of course been greatly strengthened in years as a result of the sprem leader having to put down the riots and the demonstrations in the wake over the hijacked elections a year and a half ago. owso you have these security services. the irani revolutionary guards force providing training, equipping and funding and so forth to the afghan taliban and of course we publicly announced the seizure of 28122 rockets across the border in afghanistan after they were seized. it wasn't a coincidence that we were there and that those elements were there. these rockets are more than double the range of the so 7's that we have seen in the past. there is also an effort to u

usaid has deployed two search and rescue teams. one team from fairfax county and the other from los angeles county. comprise approximately 150 personnel and 12 canines trained to detect live victims -- scheduled to arrive in japan this morning here is "usa today" with their story. international aid efforts come together quickly. a massive international relief teams, fundraising efforts, are pouring into a disaster-stricken japan. also, we told you about the search and rescue squads from los angeles and fairfax county that are arriving today. olympia, washington. michael is a republican. good morning. are you with us? you are on the air. what do you think? caller: nuclear submarine reactor operator and also a senior chemical engineer. i worked in a lot of nuclear power plants, so i know quite a bit about nuclear plants. the journal will nuclear power plant is not a good thing to compare with the united states- designed power plants. the chernobyl power plants use a thing called positive coefficients where we use negative coefficient

i've also directed usaid to send humanitarian assistance teams to the libyan border, so that they cane united nations, ngos and other international partners inside libya to address the urgent needs of the libyan people. going forward, we will continue to send a clear message: the violence must stop. muammar qaddafi has lost the legitimacy to lead and he must leave. those who perpetrate violence against the libyan people will be held accountable. and the aspirations of the libyan people for freedom, democracy and dignity must be met. president calderÓn. >> thank you very much, president obama. thank you so much for your hospitality. ladies and gentlemen of the media, good afternoon. president barack obama and i have held a very valuable conversation concerning the status of our bilateral cooperation and many aspects of this. as always, it has been very satisfying for me to see that we agree on the basic principle of co-responsibility. and i thank you, mr. president, for your invitation to hold this working visit here in the city of washington. some of the things that we evaluated is th

i have also directed usaid to send humanitarian assistance teams to the libyan border so they can work with the united nations, ngo's and others inside the border to address the urgent needs of the libyan people. going forward, we will continue to send a clear message -- the violence must stop. muammar gaddafi has lost legitimacy to lead, and he must leave. those who perpetrate violence against the libyan people will be held accountable. the aspirations of the libyan people for freedom, democracy, and dignity must be met. president calderon. >> gracias, presidente obama. [speaking spanish] >> it has been very satisfying for me to see that we agree on the basic principles of co- responsibility, and i thank you, mr. president, for your invitation to hold this working meeting here. our governments have progress substantially. in some aspects, we have reached unprecedented cooperation, which has been translated into concrete examples, such as the opening of the three first new border crossings over the past 10 years. the ongoing meetings we have held and will continue to have in the future

these hundred million dollar bundles that usaid is spending? >> the two people providing oversight can't get the deputy secretary of state and the head of usaid. they have provided clear guidance on what the priority should be down at the embassy level. that has been integrated as a civilian dimension of an integrated campaign plan with isaf and their oversight levels as well. they would be happy to explain to you how that works and how what is integrated with the campaign. >> i will finish early. thank you for your service. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and thank you, undersecretary flournoy and general david petraeus for your service to the nation. thank you for being here today. you have done something many people who didn't think could be done and that was to establish an orderly withdrawal from iraq. i know of nobody who says anything like we failed over there even though it was a mission that should not have been undertaken in my opinion but nevertheless we are in a bad situation, we have drawn down considerably quite a few troops and i loo

there are a number of state department programs, usaid programs. every time secretary clinton goes, she gave us great prominence to these. in terms of the isaf forces, and i know general petraeus will want to speak to this, one of the innovation that's occurred is using our own female soldiers, marines, other troopers in female engagement teams, the lioness program where they are able to go into afghan villages and access and engage half the population that otherwise would be off-limits to us. and so they are working face to face with afghan women at the local level trying to ensure their voice is heard, to ensure they are part of the process of transforming an area from insecurity to security and in terms of being participants in the broader governance and so forth. so that's happening at that local level all the time. >> thank you. thank you. madam secretary, i'd also -- >> maybe i can add on that. >> i am going to get to you, general. i have another question to you, general, but i will get to you. i tend to -- i was with speaker pelosi on a code

you have seen the usaid in here know what it means to have experience, development, experts to develop the networks. this is a particular concern that we be prepared to continue the humanitarian work that undergirds what people know about asunder -- around the world. when we go into the post- disaster situations, the united states brand is front and center. there's that feeling that we should be, so to speak, trumping -- trumpeted in our own horn. if people do not want american aid, if they do not want usaid and our programs to be there helping them, then we will not be there. if they will take us, we will be advertising. it is a big part of what we are doing. when i have found after traveling around the world as a lot of people do not know what we did. they say the chinese are doing this and the saudis are doing that. and i say we have more money in their than those guys combined and we will get credit for it. it is not only doing the right thing which should be the primary reason, but frankly i want to build america brand again said that when people get food, clean water, shelter, th

the 16% cut in the usaid that passed the house last week would be devastating. we need a fully engaged and fully funded national security team, including state and usaid. there have always been moments of impatient in our country to resist obligations beyond our borders. each time we have shrunk from global leadership, the vents have summoned us back to reality. savings came at an unspeakable cost that we are seeing 10 years later in the money and lives. generations of americans have grown up successful and safe because we chose to lead the world in tackling the greatest challenges. we invested the resources to build up allies and trading partners in every region. we did not shy away from defending our values and seizing the opportunities of each new era. i believe, as i have travelled around the world -- i am the most travel secretary of state in history -- the world has never been in the greater need. everywhere i travel, i see people looking to us for leadership. this is a source of strength, a point of pride, and a great opportunity for the american people.

the 16% cut for state and usaid would be devastating to our national security appeared in this is the definition of penny wise. after investing so much blood, we must give them the basic resources they need to relieve the military of their mission and ensure a future prosperity. the state department is more affordable than the operation led by the defense department. as a bastion can the notes, it will save $51 billion in fiscal year 2012. they are seeking a $2.5 billion increase in the budget. it is about 4% of the funds letter being spent. they believe they will carry out its mission. it is important for the committee to scrutinize this transition. we must also look at the context of the budget cuts that would undermine the ability to successfully achieved new responsibility. we certainly have to watch every penny and where it goes and that it is wisely spent. we should not be guaranteeing success by undermining it. it maintains the contract. >> thank you. welcome to members of both sides of the aisle. members will have seven day system of opening statements. i appreciate you all be

can you explain to me that basically with the usaid areas, we've secured the area.nd there's quite valuable resources in afghanistan? coal being one of them, which i have a little flaherty with. and copper being the other. why is it that china is the only country that's able to go in there and extract these resources and they're making an investment at $3.5 billion, looks like a return of $88 billion, and we're paying for the security? >> this is an area where we would like to expand the opportunity in foreign investment and assistance to develop the strategic mineral resources of afghanistan. the united states through something called the task force business stability operations, a very important function that we have. that they actually were the ones that brought in the u.s. geological survey to survey everything that's there. and now sort of give the government of afghanistan a map, if you will, for this long-term development. >> how is it -- >> we are trying to bring in other western companies now to see if they are willing to invest. >> how is it that china is

the usaid for agenda that russia is implementing is a result of the work that -- that raja is implementing as a result of the work that went into it. we are seeing results. we are seeing that those who got contracts are held responsible. some of them are prohibited from further contracts because of their financial irregularities. we're looking to streamline aid deliveries so that we are not duplicating throughout the united states government. that was one of the goals behind our efforts to have a whole government approach with our ambassadors, our chiefs of mission responsible for everyone, so that if we have a going into justice or agricultural or commerce, it is not in a separate direction that we try to focus it and try to better organize it. we are doing that as well in the state department where we are inventing a lot of our programs, try to better organize them -- a lot of ourttinvetting programs, trying to better organize them. >> you mentioned trade agreements, which obviously can be very beneficial to america. but we do not have a level playing field the protection of intellectual

usaid is leading the humanitarian effort with health and human services and the nuclear regulatory commission and others. homeland security -- the homeland security adviser is cordoning the process with regard to japan and engaging with officials across the government. we knew you would have a lot of questions especially with regard to nuclear issues. i brought with me today the chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission and he can answer questions about safety in japan and update americans about the impact of the accident. or the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake. i also have the deck -- deputy secretary of energy and he can outline everything we're doing to assist japan as it deals with the aftermath. i will ask these gentlemen to speak. if you could address the questions related to their areas to them and we will let them get out of here and get back to work and i will take questions on other issues. thank you. >> if i could start with a few points. first, based on the type of reactor design and the nature of the accident, we see a low likelihood of low probability there is any po

first, i am concerned that levels of funding for our state department and usaid partners will not sufficiently enable them to build on the hard-fought security achievements of our men and women in uniform. inadeqte resourcing of our civilian partners could, in fact, jeopardize accomplishment of the overall mission. i offer that assessment, noting that we have just completed a joint civil military campaign plan between u.s. forces in afghanistan and the u.s. embassy in kabul, which emphasizes the critical integration of civilian and military efforts in endeavors such as thatn afghanistan. second, i want to express my deep appreciation for your support of vital capabilities for our troopers. the funding you have provided has, for example, enabled the rapid deployment of a substantial increase in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets supporting our forces. to take one example, we have increased the number of various types of persistent surveillance systems, towers with optics, from 114 this past august to 184 at the present, with plans for continued increases throughout this ye

it is not just usaid, the u.s. aid agency, but it is the pentagon, the agricultural department, whole array of agencies and departments that spend money they could be considered foreign aid. and some of it is in the guise of military, is a very difficult to come up with a figure that everyone can agree with. as far as a and the success of countries, no successful developing country today became rich because of foreign aid. certainly a lot of countries have received aid and they have achieved this despite that. south korea received large amounts of foreign aid in the 1950's, but then the united states decided to cut off aid. it was at that point that the policies in south korea changed and when in the direction of being conducive to economic growth. there were more market-oriented policies. we set time and again. -- we see that time and again. in taiwan, only once aid was cut off when the government turned around and growth started to take off. the world bank put out a report saying that it was more common to see re

first, i'm concerned levels of funding for our state department and usaid partners will not sufficiently enable them to build on the hard fought security achievements of our men and women in uniform. adequate resources and of our civilian partners could in fact jeopardize accomplishment of the overall mission. i offer that assessment noting we have just completed a joint civil military campaign plan between u.s. forces afghanistan and the u.s. embassy in kabul which -- second, i want to express my deep appreciation for your support of vital capabilities for our troopers. the funding have provided has for example enable the rapid deployment of a substantial increase in the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets supporting our forces. to take one example, we of increased the number of various types of persistence surveillance systems, blimps and towers with optics from 114 this august to 184 at the present. there are plans for continued increases this year. it has enabled the rapid development of the all terrain vehicle version of the mine- resistant plant of vehicles. with

to the qddr process and usaid forward we're looking on the establishment of working capital fund that will basically receive 1% of the program funds to administer proper oversight of our programs. >> just a 1% on top of all the -- on top of what's groan by 45% program money to do for an assistance programs you would take 1% and it would be scalable. >> that's correct. >> as the program gross oversight has to grow and they have to keep pace with it. >> exactly. we're currently about the same number of staff that we had in the late '90s, despite the increase. so this would be a way of tying that -- >> is that right? >> so we would have real time -- >> i don't know why i'm -- we've all seen the graphs of procurement spending going up and acquisition work force going down and mr. gordon to his credit has taken it on very significantly. your challenge is how do i pay for it. >> yes. >> i think you've acting good idea. >> oh, thank you. and i would also like to thank mr. gordon for the acquisition work force initiative which actually funded our compliance division so thank you. >> okay. is

usaid is leading our humanitarian efforts with the department of energy and nuclear regulatory commission. in national security adviser is coordinating a process with regards to japan and the engaging with officials across the government. he is keeping you -- we know you have a lot of questions with regard to nuclear issues. you keep answering questions about american citizens in japan as well as generally of date americans about the impact of the accidents or the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake. i also have our deputy secretary of energy. we can at mind everything we're doing -- al everything. i will ask these two gentlemen to speak. if you could address questions related to them and we will let them get out of here and i will take questions on other issues. thanks very much. >> we believe the steps the japanese are taking are consistent with the approach we would use here in the u.s.. we advised americans in japan to follow the instructions of the japanese government with regard to nuclear facility. the agency has been providing technical assistance. we have dispatched two techn

in afghanistan and iraq, we've got usaid programs and department of defense rebuilding the country. there's not even a centralized data system that tracks u.s. government -- u.s. funds used. that's crazy. why aren't we looking at that? why isn't that part of what we are working on? our domestic food assistance programs. there's 18 different programs. i want to see something in a dget resolution or a proposal going forward that talks about streamlining some of this stuff. the data collection, the administration of these programs, you could save millions and millions and perhaps billions of dollars. and here's a quote. little is known of the effectiveness of some of these programs. because they have not been well studie the b training, i talk about job training, they are taking a me axe to it. there's 47 programs in job training. let's get those organized so we can leverage the limited dollars we are going to be able to put forward in these tough economic times. same thing for transportation for the disadvantaged. 80 different programs. laudable but let's get together on this. again,

usaid very prominent. >> we have two questions along this line i want you to address. what is the nature of iran's role in afghanistan? is it entirely malignant or are there opportunities for cooperation this? >> yes, let me answer that. i think what you see with iran and afghanistan is a degree of conflict and almost by the clarity. you have on the one signed the security services of iran which have of course been greatly strengthened in recent years as a result of the supreme leader having to turn to them in such a significant way to put down the riots and demonstrations in the wake of the hijacked elections a year and a half ago. and so you have these security services, the revolutionary guards quds force foremost among them providing training, equipping funding and so forth to the afghan taliban, and of course we publicly announced the seizure of the 48, 122-millimeter and rockets just across the border in southwestern afghanistan after they were seized in the joint special operations. it wasn't a coincidence that we were there and it wasn't a coincidence those ele

first, i am concerned that levels of funding for our state department and usaid partners will not sufficiently enable them to build on the hard-fought security achievements of our men and women in uniform. inadequate resourcing of our civilian partners could, in fact, jeopardize accomplishment of the overall mission. i offer that assessment, noting that we have just completed a joint civil military campaign plan between u.s. forces in afghanistan and the u.s. embassy in kabul, which emphasizes the critical integration of civilian and mitary efforts in endeavorsuch as that in afghanistan. second, i want to express my deep appreciation for your support of vital capabilities for our troopers. the funding you have provided has, for example, enabled the rapid deployment of a substantial increase in the intelligence, srveillance and reconnaissance assets supporting our forces. to take one example, we have increased the number of varus types of persistent surveillance systems, towers with optics, from 114 this past august to 184 at the prest, with plans for continued increases throughout this year. y

rear usaid captain timothy harrington, u.s.navy commanding officer, naval sea logistics center, and scott amey, general counsel for project on government oversight. panel to have six witnesses. dan gordon, administrator, office of federal procurement policy, deputy director of contingency contract and acquisition policy defense procurement and acquisition policy, department of defense, cori, procurement executive department of state, maureen shauket, chief acquisition officer u.s. agency for international development. and blalock, u.s. navy council and chairman, and chair, internet, enter agency suspension and debarment committee. and uldric fiore, director office of the judge advocate general, u.s. army. we have asked our witnesses to offer five minutes summaries other testimony. the full text of the written statements will be entered into the hearing record and posted on the commission's website. we also ask that witnesses provide within 15 business days responses to any questions for the record, and any additional informatio

usaid is prominent among them. >> we to questions i want you to address. what is the nature of the goal in afghanistan? are there opportunities for cooperation? >> let me answer that. i think what you see with iran in afghanistan is a degree of conflict, almost bipolar. you see on the one hand security services of iran which have been greatly strengthened in recent years as a result of the supreme leader having turned to than in such a significant way to put down the riots and demonstrations in the wake of the hijacked election the year-and-a-half ago. so you have the security services. the iranian revolutionary guard people foremost among them, providing training, funding and so forth to the afghan taliban and we publicly announce the seizure of 48, 122 mm rockets south of the border in afghanistan after they were seized and joined isaf special operation. wasn't a coincident that we were there and it wasn't the win since that those efforts were there. these rockets are more than double the range of the 107s we have seen in the past and double the bursting

first, i am concerned that levels of funding for our state department and usaid partners will not sufficiently enable them to build on the hard-fought security achievements of our men and women in uniform. inadequate resourcing of our civilian partners could, in fact, jeopardize accomplishment of the overall mission. i offer that assessment, noting that we have just completed a joint civil military campaign plan between u.s. forces in afghanistan and the u.s. embassy in kabul, which emphasizes the critical integration of civilian and military efforts in endeavors such as that in afghanistan. second, i want to express my deep appreciation for your support of vital capabilities for our troopers. the funding you have provided has, for example, enabled the rapid deployment of a substantial increase in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets supporting our forces. to take one example, we have increased the number of various types of persistent surveillance systems, towers with optics, from 114 this past august to 184 at the present, with plans for continued increases throughout thi

in afghanistan and iraq, we've got usaid programs and department of defense rebuilding the country. there's not even a centralized data system that tracks u.s. government -- u.s. funds used. that's crazy. why aren't we looking at that? why isn't that part of what we are working on? our domestic food assistance programs. there's 18 different programs. i want to see something in a budget resolution or a proposal going forward that talks about streamlining some of this stuff. the data collection, the administration of these programs, you could save millions and millions and perhaps billions of dollars. and here's a quote. little is known of the effectiveness of some of these programs. because they have not been well studied. the job training, i talk about job training, they are taking a meat axe to it. there's 47 programs in job training. let's get those organized so we can leverage the limited dollars we are going to be able to put forward in these tough economic times. same thing for transportation for the disadvantaged. 80 different programs. laudable but let's get together on this.

pakistan, possibly with the assistance of the pakistani government, which receives billions of dollars in usaid, unquote. how can we claim a cornerstone of our counterinsurgency strategy is to take out taliban strongholds throughout the country while at the same time conducting negotiations with the taliban? this episode further underlies a significant -- we think we can separate the taliban from the rest of the afghan population. our our kearnt insurgey sen strategic fails to wreck size a basic principle. occupations. occupations, fuel insurgencies. occupations fuel insurgencies the taliban is a local movement. we lost the vietnam war because we failed to win the hearts and minds of the local population. without providing them with a competent government that provided them with basic security at a decent living, we are committing the same mistake in afghanistan. news reports indicate the taliban is regaining momentum. the increase in civilian casualties due to higher levels of violence by insurgents further undermines the assurances of progress. as we send more troops into the country and kill

they heard from state and usaid officials.they heard from the wife of john mccain, and actor ben affleck. we are going to show you that testimony. that panel from earlier today. >> i'd like to now welcome our next panel, panel number two, beginning with mr. ben affleck, who is the founder of the eastern congo initiative. in addition to a successful career as an actor, writer and director, mr. affleck is a passionate advocate, philanthropist. in march of 2010, he founded the eastern congo initiative, or a.c.i., an advocacy and grant making initiative with a mission of helping the people make good approaches that create a sustainable and successful society in the long troubled region. it is the first u.s.-based advocacy and grant-making initiative wholly focused on working with and for the people of the eastern congo. since 2007, mr. affleck has made multiple trips to africa with the focus on the eastern congo. he focuses on the conflict on the continent and learning about solutions to the problems affecting the d.r.c. we'll the

we also stand by usaid, but japan is a country with many resources. many of the things we could offer have not been needed. the events remind us the disasters happen, do not always give this warning. we cannot plan for easy. we have to plan for real. we have to look at what we are capable of, what the impact could be to our communities, and determine how we meet those needs and change those outcomes. we put a lot of emphasis on the first 72 hours. we think this is a key area in solving katrina. if aid is not reaching the people that need it, if we are not safe and secure, if we are not able to do the search and rescue, we cannot get the commodities their quick enough, it becomes extremely difficult to change the outcome for the survivors. from this, you actually change some of the provisions of the stafford act when you amended the homeland security act with the proposed katrina emergency management reform act. the city with the intent of congress that we would not operate waiting for requests for help or waiting for the situation to develop, that fem

in afghanistan and iraq, we've got usaid programs and department of defense rebuilding the country. there's not even a centralized data system that tracks u.s. government -- u.s. funds used. that's crazy. why aren't we looking at that? why isn't that part of what we are working on? our domestic food assistance programs. there's 18 different programs. i want to see something in a budget resolution or a proposal going forward that talks about streamlining some of this stuff. the data collection, the administration of these programs, you could save millions and millions and perhaps billions of dollars. and here's a quote. little is known of the effectiveness of some of these programs. because they have not been well studied. the job training, i talk about job training, they are taking a meat axe to it. there's 47 programs in job training. let's get those organized so we can leverage the limited dollars we are going to be able to put forward in these tough economic times. same thing for transportation for the disadvantaged. 80 different programs. laudable but let's get together on this.

you see the usaid big sign there. you know what it means to have experienced development experts who provide the base for a safe place, whether it's in eastern congo or from a flood in pakistan or in haiti or anywhere else. so this is a particular concern that we be prepared to continue the humanitarian work that undergirds that many of us know around the world. to be sure, when we go into these post-conflict post-disaster situations, the united states brand is front and center. there was when i got there a feeling that maybe we shouldn't be so to speak trumpeting other own horn. my attitude is if the it is the american taxpayers that are putting the money out there. if people don't want american aid, if they don't want usaid and our programs to be there helping them, then we won't thereby. but if they're going to take it, then we're going to be advertising it. so i think it's a big part of what we're doing because what i found as i started traveling around the world is that a lot of people don't know what we did. you