Listen
to the exchange | Watch
the exchange
(Washington,
D.C.) — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) asked Secretary of Defense
Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, tough questions regarding some of the all too often overlooked
human costs of the ongoing war in Afghanistan during a hearing on the Fiscal
Year 2012 budget request for the Department of Defense (DoD). Senator
Murray also asked how these long-term costs are being factored into the
decision to drawdown forces in Afghanistan. During the exchange Senator
Murray expressed her strong belief that
these costs of war, including the rising rate of suicide among veterans, the
lack of access to much needed mental health care, and the increased number of
tours of current service members, must be taken seriously by the Pentagon and
the White House, particularly in decisions to bring troops home.
“Many
of these service members have sacrificed life and limb in Afghanistan and we as
a country are going to be taking care of them and their families not just
today, not just when they return home, but for a lifetime,” Senator Murray said
today.
Excerpts
from the exchange and the full text of Senator Murray’s questions below.
Secretary
Gates, last Friday I visited the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and
had an opportunity to talk to a number of our wounded warriors, their dedicated
providers, and their caregivers.
As
you know well, many of these service members have sacrificed life and limb in
Afghanistan and we as a country are going to be taking care of them and their
families not just today, not just when they return home, but for a
lifetime.
As
Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I take this issue very
seriously and I’ve been trying to draw attention to this all too often unseen
human cost of the war in thinking about how we should consider that as part of
our decision in any long-term conflict.
I
think you know, the major components of this long-term war include the fact
that deaths from suicide among veterans and service members from this war are
on par with combat deaths, many of our warriors are facing difficult challenges
accessing needed mental health care when they return home, And that many of the
service members serving in Afghanistan today are on their third, fourth, or
even fifth tours.
So,
while we have talked a great deal about costs in terms of rebuilding projects,
Afghan aid, and military resources – I wanted to ask you today what you –
and the Pentagon – consider to be the biggest costs of this war to our wounded
warriors and their families – particularly those costs that we will be paying
for for a very long time and whether that is ever considered or factored in
when you’re making decisions about drawing down in Afghanistan?
Excerpts
from Sec. Gates’ response:
“I
cannot say that decisions in terms of drawdowns or military strategy are made
bearing in mind the costs of the soldiers, and the sailors, and the marines who
suffer, it is on the minds of everybody who makes those decisions, but by the
same token, it is the nature of war and it is frankly one of the reasons why,
as I told an interviewer a couple of weeks ago, I feel I have become more
conservative, more cautious, about when you use force because I’ve seen the
consequences up front,” said Sec. Gates.
“The
costs are exactly as you described, in lives that are shattered, in bodies that
are shattered, and in minds that are shattered,” said Sec. Gates. “So
from our part, in addition to the VA, we have tried to make sure that these
funds for these programs have been protected and will be protected in the
future.”
Excerpts
from Adm. Mullen’s response:
“Senator,
first of all, I appreciate your leadership on this because it has to have a
voice. I actually believe we are just beginning to understand this,” said
Adm. Mullen in response to Sen. Murray’s questions. “Leaders have to
continue to focus on ‘what are these costs’ and I thought you said it very
well, it is to repay this debt for the rest of their lives and we need to stay
with them so that we understand what that means.”
“There
are time bombs set up that we know are out there, we just don’t know when
they’re going to go off,” Adm. Mullen continued. “The
relationship that the Pentagon has with the VA and with communities throughout
the country has got to get stronger.”
“These
costs are longstanding, we don’t understand them as well as we should… not just
for our members, but also for our families, we see that time and time
again. Our families have become almost as much a part of our readiness as
anything else and it wasn’t that way 10 or 15 years ago. Without them we
would be nowhere in these wars,” said Adm. Mullen.
English 
Spanish