Thursday, March 13, 2014
ICYMI: Gen. Kelly tells Inhofe that military lacks resources to stop 75% of drug trafficking into U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today at a committee hearing questioned SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. John Kelly on his command's inability to carry out its mission of interdicting vessels that are illegally transporting narcotics and possibly other dangers into the United States as a result of budget constraints.
INHOFE: "if you look at the seizures -- and there's a direct relationship with the assets that are out there. And this is what really bothers me, because I think you -- you have made a statement -- I think it was in our office to some of our staff that there is 75 percent of the cocaine trafficking heading toward the United States -- that you can see it, but you can't interdict it. Is that accurate?"
KELLY: “…I watch them go by"
INHOFE: “And if you had the assets you could interdict them?"
KELLY: "I could interdict them."
INHOFE: "So we have a lot of this stuff coming into the United States that would not otherwise being coming in?”
KELLY: "That’s correct.”
[Kelly then confirmed to Inhofe that he currently has one Navy vessel and two coast guard vessels under his command that allow him to interdict narcotics, and another year of sequestration would eliminate those assets.]
INHOFE: “Is it likely you wouldn't even have the one, in the event that we have to go through sequestration?"
KELLY: "I would definitely not have one if I didn't -- if we were going through sequestration."
During the hearing, Gen. Kelly, in a dialogue with Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), also informed the committee that only about 5 percent of SOUTHCOM's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) requirements are being met. Also in response to a question from Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Gen. Kelly said SOUTHCOM would need "16 vessels of some kind" in order to meet its requirements.
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