usaid is always in effect to. and i think we need to address those kind of stereotypes and provided the legislature, the american public, the american media some very graphic examples of how these other agencies use resources excessively and efficiently and respond to the end for the interest of the american people, not only effectively a cost effect really. nsa said a nato made remarks, one of the ambitions i have for this book is to show how a little bit of resources used properly and with the right strategy actually went a very, very long way and during that period precluded the massive investment in terms of american military presence. >> mr. ambassador, my name is bruce, former foreign service officer and i must admit corresponding. i get the impression from your presentation today very negative prospects for the future. i'm the one hand you say yes but there will likely be domestic instability, this discord among the military and civilian authorities. secondly, you agree they will probably not be u.s. govern

we contacted usaid united states agency for international development. their offices are located behind these walls. a perimeter reserved to those holding the bag for those outside the walls it's traffic jams and danger. we want to see with our own eyes one of the six hundred eighty schools. we've been talking to julia the press agent for ten days. she's having trouble finding one of those always calling you because i would love to have some addresses of schools to be able to feel much. to put the address on it right. now on trying to find. grateful. ten days to get the address of a school in kabul a girls' high school that is under construction. we rushed to it. and we find ourselves in front of a magnificent billboard picturing a truly beautiful building. ok so where is the school. the school the kids. who forward oh you know what that. means the board's been here for one and a half years sort of although when they put it up they promised the construction starts and everything would be completed until the sun is it's almost two years now and still noth

. >> brian with usaid.questions along the same lines, looking at the report on the issue of civil-military relations, i was very encouraged by that been the focus. there was -- the question i have, moving forward, how should this affect u.s. policy? there's a reference in here, a report to the united states and important allies, the better prioritizing relationships with democratic leadership. is that all or is there more? and in this particular u.s. assistance, military assistance, what does that mean for u.s. assistance? and also, what does that mean for u.s. priorities in terms of support for the military going after the taliban and al qaeda? >> thank you. brief interest, please. >> military accountability, i said this was a very important unprecedented movement. i also said that in the event that this inquiry doesn't reveal anything, and i indicated earlier that the military was close to it, i don't expect it to do anything but it remains a nagging issue in the media and with the opposition. i think tha

been shot at and there is the difficult transformation for agencies like the department of state, for usaid to send the people who are kind of built around the embassy and get people to be willing to volunteer on the sorted frontier in afghanistan. >> so, does this devonish the role of the state department in our foreign policy? >> what i try to reason the book is there's a fundamental disconnect between the ambition to put more wing tips on the ground, and the ability of agencies like the state department to do it is a simple matter of massive the department of defense at this point spends north of around $700 billion a year. it's if you look at the japan real these operations going on right now that's got the person of the equipment and training to get the places in a hurry. i salles and i described in the book with the haiti relief operations in the military side look like as well. part of the efforts under way and it's sort of put into the bureaucracy speak because we need to fix the interagency and get these diplomats out there and we will all be together jostling around back of the hu

and there's been this sort of difficult permission for agencies like the department of state or usaid to try to send their people sort of built around the embassy. and this kind of these organizations and get people to be willing to go out and volunteer on the frontier in afghanistan, for instance. >> nathan hodge, and this diminished the role of the state department and foreign policy? >> what i try to raise the book as there is a fundamental disconnect between the ambitions that defend, you know put more wingtips on the ground so to speak and the ability of agencies like the state department is a simple matter of math. the department of defense at this point pens somewhere in or around $700 billion a year. just look at the japan relief operations going on right now. they've got personnel, equipment and training to get to places in a hurry. i saw it and i describe in the book, with tahiti relief operations and military side looks like as well. part of the effort underway as part of the bureaucrats because 8016 or agencies. we need to get these diplomats to get out of there and we'll

and the state department's historical resources and the resources given to usaid are sometimes at time are so constrained that we don't have the freedom to apply them effectively? that is a fundamental question that i think it would be healthy for us to address. and i think part of it is that there are stereotypes in this town, there are myths and simple explanations and one of them is that the military is always effective. u.s. aid is always ineffective. and i think we need to address those kinds of myths and those kinds of stereotypes and provide the legislatures, the american public, the american media some very graphic examples of how these other agencies use resources exceptionally, efficiently and responsibly and serve the interest of the american people, not only effectively but cost-effectively. and as i said in my opening remarks, one of the ambitions i have for this book is to show how a little bit of resources use properly and with the right strategy actually went a very, very long way. and at least during that period, preconcluded the massive investment in terms of american

we call back usaid and this time we insist where the school's out of the six hundred eighty there has to be one in kabul we received one last email from the agency it states that most of the schools were built in rural districts. too bad for us and for the afghan kids. the rural districts are swarming with taliban who sometimes burn the schools down and often kidnap journalists furthermore because of the war many villages have been deserted their inhabitants fleeing to the capital whose population has doubled to about four million. case in point campbell is the. the place where schools are needed the most . i guess we need so many things that construction must go faster it's really necessary it's going to slow up but as a mark we lack so much space in our school that we have to refuse her admissions that is more about an occupation story hi heather. yet there is one neighborhood in kabul where construction is thriving where there are no delays. welcome to ship two of the strongholds of to afghanistan's new lords. for the past three years fortified conses a mushroom that ships. each st

to those people p out there, i have a personalb interest in this regard as my daughter works with usaid because then it is a great change and we will see the kind of mistakes we have made in afghanistan after the initial successes that we made in yemen after 2004r reoccur and we will give al qaeda breathing space and they will take advantage. that doesn't mean it is in the lap of the u.s. taxpayer. there are other parties with interests that are larger than ours in the continuingg efforts and particularly about yemen, and my mind the wealthy states of the gulf cooperationc states have been even a greater interest of helping yemen's succeed and al qaeda and the arabian peninsula has made it clear they have them in their sights.in i think there is an evolution and it has been positive. and i think the initiative of the results of the impasse is only the most dramatic evidence of that evolution. what i would like to see is the attitude similar to the attitude of what we saw in the european union when they came together to have initial success and then to confront such developments or poor

. >> i am with usaid. question along the same lines.t the report on the sheriff's civil military relations, i was a very encouraged by that. the question i have is looking forward to how this should affect u.s. policy in. there's a reference in here in the report to the u.s. and important allies, better prioritizing relationships with democratic leadership. is that all, or is there more? this is particular to u.s. assistance. military, civilian, what does that mean? also promote the emmy for u.s. priorities in terms of support for military going after the taliban and al qaeda? >> brief answers, please. >> military accountability. i said this was a very important unprecedented moment. i also said that in the event of this inquiry does not yield anything. i do not expected to yield anything, but it will remain a nagging issue in the media and the opposition. i think that is a very good. a great start. considering we have not had a start ever. i do not think the media and pakistan wants to know why the military failed. the military does no

in the defense department, america's diplomats and development experts at the state department and usaidprotecting america's security, advancing america's interests, and projecting america's values. as a wave of change continues to sweep across the middle east and north africa, they are carrying our diplomacy and development far beyond the embassy walls, engaging with citizens in the streets and through social networks, as they seek to move from protests to politics. with ngos and businesses working to create new economic opportunities, and with transitional leaders trying to build the institutions of genuine democracy. they represent the best of america and i'm so proud to have them as our face to the world. mr. president, it is fitting that you have chosen to come here to the state department to speak about the dramatic changes we have witnessed around the world this year. now on the back wall of this historic benjamin franklin room is a portrait of the leader of tunis, given as a gift in 1865 by the people of tunisia in honor of the enduring friendship between our nations at the end o

in the defense department, america's diplomats and development experts at the state department and usaid are on the frontlines of protecting american security, advancing america's interests, and projecting america's values. as a wave of change continues to sweep across the middle east and north africa, they are carrying our diplomacy and development far beyond the embassy walls, engaging with citizens in the streets and through social networks as they seek to move from protest to politics, with ngo's and businesses to create economic opportunities and traditional leaders to build a genuine democracy. they represent the best of america and i am so proud to have them as our face it to the world. it is fitting you have chosen, mr. president, that you have come to the state department to speak about the dramatic changes we have witnessed a around the world this year. on the back wall of this historic benjamin franklin room is a portrait of the leaders of tunis given as a gift in 1865 by the people of tunisia in honor of the enduring friendship between our nation at the end of our civil war.

. -- usaid work every day to translate your vision into real results, results on the ground in nearly every country in the world. that's why the work we have done to provide them with the tools and resources they need to perform their mission is so important. and it's why we need to keep making the case for those resources. because alongside our colleagues, in the defense department, america's diplomats and development experts of the state department and usaid are on the front lines of protecting america's security, advancing america's interests, and projecting america's values. as a wave of change continues to sweep across the middle east and north africa, they are carrying our diplomacy and development far beyond the embassy walls, engaging with citizens in the streets and through social networks, as they seek to move from protests to politics. with n.g.o.'s and businesses working to create new economic opportunities and with transitional leaders trying to build the institutions of genuine democracy. they represent the best of america. and i'm so proud to have them as our face to th

usaid, a number of different organizations under the in the district of the administration have been involved. host: sarasota, florida, is next. a call for major general jeffrey buchanan. go ahead. caller: hi, general. my wife and i testified in front of congress on behalf of the military people. i served in the marine corps the 1960's. you can google our name. it is carl and mary sheldon, s- h-e-l-d-e-n, but you have to spell the entire name out. when we testified on from of cut -- in front of congress on the behalf of the american people and the united states, we testified against civil asset forfeiture. there is a large difference of us that have served in the services to what the politicians do in this country. we moved to sarasota, florida, from san francisco after we testified. we have had three attempted murders on our lives here they found out about who we are through our sun's divorce. his wife ran her mouth off about our suit against the government and we are out about $600,000. my question to the general is why is there such a vast difference of us still being up for the c

agency for international development and stressed with him the importance, i think, of usaid with itsmultiple missions in overseas and especially in africa to initiate an autism initiative within the department. and i'm wondering have you had collaborations with them and same way with dr. friedan, internationally with cdc. are they also looking to dedicate and prioritize autism at those two agencies? >> sure. i think global health is a priority and we're fortunate to be able to work with mental health and human development, for instance, in this area. cdc similarly has an interest and often globally in international research network that autism speaks is a network that's actually codeveloped with the cdc and with research from 30-plus countries. i think that usaid and other agencies is certainly some, you know -- we will welcome the opportunity to work with them. we'll have a prousaid and understandably at that point. autism is not one of their priorities. but we certainly look forward to revisiting that opportunity and to work with agency. our sense is that from our travels and conve

i'm trying to convince the administration, including the state department, to -- usaid to give food aidn north korea. >> so why exactly is president jimmy carter criticizing u.s. policy? why did the united states decide to withhold food aid to north korea? michael holmes is going beyond the headlines. carter went to north korea with two other former leaders as part of nelson mandela's group, independent group they call the elders, to try to highlight concerns around the world. what do we know about the current u.s. policy when it comes to north korea and food aid? >> let give it some background. the u.s. suspended aid to north korea a couple years ago because, as we heard jimmy carter talk about, it was suspected that the donated food was being diverted to the military, or the elite, and not reaching those most in need. some u.s.-based charities have said north korea is now going to run out of food by the middle of next month this is why jimmy carter is so concerned. north korea has had another harsh weather year. another poor harvest, leaving them severely vulnerable to starvation. tha

were able to start mapping and providing data in a way that it allowed the un and other forces from usaid to get up search and rescue teams were needed. and that is just one example in the country that many of us were taken aback on the devastation, but the resiliency of the haitians themselves and how much mobile technology has been integrated into their country prior to the earthquake. >> i think that to katrina and about all those folks in the superdome and other places, was the wireless network running at that point man? was that in those early days? did mr. chairman, i really do not know. one of the things that we have learned in my experience in 2004 and 2005, and i don't know of we have many of the wireless operators that could provide us the information, but it has been i am starvation that the industry learned from those events and now has worked very hard to get in additional resources to bring back up wireless and increase capacity. we saw this in the tornadic is with a broad an additional commitment and work to get cell coverage back up, get wireless back up. because of this,

there's been this sort of very difficult transformation for agencies like the department of state, for usaid to try to send their people who are sort of built around, you know, the embassy. that's kind of these organizations and to get people be willing to go out and volunteer, you know, on the frontier in afghanistan, for instance. >> so nathan hostages, did this diminish our role in foreign policy? >> really what i try to raise in the book there's a kind of fundamental disconnect between the ambitions that is to send a sort of -- put more wing tips on the ground so to speak. and the ability of, you know, agencies like the state department to do it. it's a simple little matter of math. the department of defense at this point spends somewhere north of around $700 billion a year. it's got the -- if you just look at the japan relief operations that are going on right now. they've got the personnel, the equipment, and the training to get to places in a hurry. i saw it and i describe it a little bit in the book what the haiti relief operation on the military side looks like as well. and part of

military shouldn't be the supported effort, maybe we should be the supporting effort for possibly usaid or state department or some other lead governmental agency to kind of guide us through there. as we talked about the 19-year-old with an automatic weapon might not be the man or woman that we'd want to tackle that problem. thoughts on that. >> i, i was really impressed when i made this trip last april with jack to tour the parwan detention center which was created not far from the bagram detention center which you could not get into during one of my first trips -- my first trip to afghanistan. and so this is a gleaming, white concrete, barbed wire -- looks like a county jail, essentially, that everybody can see. and they mean it that way so that the afghan citizens can say, that's where my uncle is because he got picked up in this raid. and they can come in now to the -- get on the telephone and sit behind the plexiglas and talk to him. and he has some counsel, and they have a hearing. it's kind of hard to get out of that jail. they're not letting kauais out -- guys out just because t

in the defense department, america's diplomats and development experts at the state department and usaid are on the front lines of protecting america's security, advancing america's interest, and projecting america's values. as a wave of change continues to sweep across the middle east and north of africa, they are carrying a diplomacy and development far beyond the embassy walls, engaging with citizens in the streets and through social networks as they seek to move from protest to politics. with ngo's and businesses working to create new economic opportunities and a transitional leaders trying to build genuine democracy in, they represent the best of america. i am so proud to have them as our face to the world. mr. president, it is fitting that you've chosen to come here to the state department to speak about the dramatic changes we have witnessed around the world this year. on the back wall of this historic benjamin franklin room is a portrait -- is a portrait of the leader of tunis given as a gift in 1865 by the people of two new junk as a symbol of -- but the people of tunisia as a s

our colleagues in the defense department, american diplomats and experts at the state department and usaid are on the frontlines of advancing america's interests and projecting our values. as the wave of change continues to sweep across the middle east and north africa, they are carrying our diplomacy and development far beyond the embassy walls. engaging in the streets and social networks as they seek to move from protests to politics. and working to create new economic opportunities and with transitional leaders trying to build the institution of genuine democracy. they represent the best of america. i am so proud to have them as our face to the world. mr. president, it is fitting that you chose to come to the state department to speak about the dramatic changes we have witnessed around the world this year. it is on the wall of this historic benjamin franklin room is the portrait of the leader of tunis given in 1865 given by the people of tunisia given as a friendship to our nation after our civil war. courageous citizens from across the region have given the world another gift, a new op

usaid worked then and continues to work to coordinate and implement programs with other international organizations. adding further -- has been the widespread outbreak of cholera last october. cholera, a disease due to the lack of access of clean water, has killed hundreds of haitians and has further set back progress in one of our closest caribbean neighbors. the people of haiti deserve the opportunity to live in a clean, safe and economically thriving country. the people of america deserve and want to know how their tax dollars are being spent and need to know that the $1.8 billion invested in haiti will speededly facilitate haiti's transition to economic stability. that is why i support house resolution 1018, the haiti assessment act. this bill, which provides for one of the first times the strong, fair and objective accountability of how the people's money is being spent in haiti. this report will also analyze how well the united nations and other organizations and groups are coordinating their efforts to reduce duplication. . finally, miami's-dade's rescue teams volunteered their

in the defense department, america's diplomats and development experts at the state department and usaid are at the front lines of protecting america's security, advancing america's interest, in projecting america's values. as the waves of change sweep across the middle east and north africa, they are carrying our the -- our development beyond the embassy walls. they seek to move from protest to politics. and business is working to create economic opportunities and leaders of trying to build institutions of genuine democracy. they represent the best of america and i am en route to have them as our face to the world. mr. president, it is fitting that you have chosen to come to the state department to speak about the dramatic changes we have witnessed around the world this year. on the back wall of this historic benjamin franklin room is a portrait of the leader of tunis, given as a guest in 1865 by the people of tunisia in honor of the enduring friendship at the end of our civil war. a century and a half later, tunisians and other citizens across the region have given the world another gi

divisions or officers with -- offices with the department of defense, state department or peace corps or usaid. it must. we are a nation teetering on the edge of insolvency. admiral mike mullen recently stated as most sig -- the most significant threat to national security is our debt. now is the time to make the tough calls, mr. speaker. the united states institute for peace is a program that our children and grandchildren should not be funding at the sake of our future -- of their futures. therefore in closing, i would like to urge my colleagues to support amendment 152 and mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman's time is reserved. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> i claim the time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. smith: i oppose the amendment and will yield to my colleagues to explain our side. i yield one minute to the ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee, mr. berman of california. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. berman: thank you,

at even in russia, there is a better working relationship with the russian authorities and the usaid cooperated with us on iran for example on the proliferation of nuclear weapons. so i would hope that perhaps one of them rules of our committee would be we make a special appeal because of the situation. it doesn't apply to everybody in every country but at least two or three countries i think that there is some hope at least that there could be some dialogue. so with that, i won't ask you any other questions. we have votes coming up and i will yield to other members of the panel. thank you. >> thank you mr. chairman and thank you to you all for being here today. mr. elias thank you for your service to this country. i will ask three brief questions and allow other their members to ask their questions and then submit additional questions in writing. mysterious it in your testimony you mentioned about to russian diplomats in the russian embassy. that your ex-wife works with. has any follow-up been done? has anyone held them accountable for their part in this, and was there any prosecuti

usaid, a number of different organizations under the in the district of the administration have been involved. host: sarasota, florida, is next. a call for major general jeffrey buchanan. go ahead. caller: hi, general. my wife and i testified in front of congress on behalf of the military people. i served in the marine corps the 1960's. you can google our name. it is carl and mary sheldon, s- h-e-l-d-e-n, but you have to spell the entire name out. when we testified on from of cut -- in front of congress on the behalf of the american people and the united states, we testified against civil asset forfeiture. there is a large difference of us that have served in the services to what the politicians do in this country. we moved to sarasota, florida, from san francisco after we testified. we have had three attempted murders on our lives here they found out about who we are through our sun's divorce. his wife ran her mouth off about our suit against the government and we are out about $600,000. my question to the general is why is there such a vast difference of us still being up for the c

and other forces friend usaid and other resources were needed. and that was just one example in a country that many of us were kind of taken aback on the devastation, but also the resiliency of the haitians themselves and how much mobile technology had actually been integrated into their country prior to the earthquake. and i think that to katrina and think about all those folks in the superdome and other places and i guess, was the wireless network up and running at that point? you may not know this. was it up and running in those early days? >> mr. chairman, i really don't know, but it is something one of the things we've learned in my experience in 04 and 05 and i don't know if we have any of the wireless operators that could provide this information, but it has been my observation that the industry learned from this event and now works hard to get an additional resources to both bring backup wireless, but also increase capacity. we solve this in tornadoes were they brought in additional equipment aboard to get soft. and because of that, we've