Carrying through with its plan to root out military capabilities duplication, the House Armed Services Committee has formed a panel to investigate the state of roles and missions. In a joint statement, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), committee chairman, and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) announced the bipartisan membership for the new Roles and Missions Panel. Congressman Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) will lead the effort, joined by ranking member Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.). The House Armed Services Committee proposed in its version of the 2008 defense authorization bill that DOD conduct a mission scrub every four years. Skelton says, “Ensuring that the military services are working on the appropriate roles and missions is key to our national security, and Congress has an important role to play in this effort.”
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.