Armed Services Leaders Appoint Members to Defense Strategy Commission

Washington, DC—Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, have appointed the following individuals to serve on the Commission on the National Defense Strategy for the United States:

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ):                   

• Former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
• General Jack Keane (USA Ret)
• Dr. Thomas Mahnken 

Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI):           

• Ms. Christine Fox 
• Mr. Michael Morell 
• Ambassador Anne Patterson 

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX):            

• Ambassador Eric Edelman 
• Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, Jr.
• Mr. Roger Zakheim

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA):               

• Admiral Gary Roughead (USN Ret)
• Ms. Kathleen Hicks
• Mr. Mike McCord

Established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, the Commission on the National Defense Strategy for the United States is a panel of bipartisan national security experts appointed by Congress to make recommendations for the nation’s defense strategy at the outset of an administration.  It succeeds the National Defense Panel created in the mid-1990s to evaluate the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review, which Congress eliminated, and offer an independent assessment of defense needs.   

The 12-member Commission is charged with reviewing the current national defense strategy of the United States, including the assumptions, missions, force posture, force structure, and risks associated with the strategy.  The panel will also conduct a comprehensive assessment of the strategic environment, national security threats, the size, shape, and posture of the force, military readiness and capabilities, and the allocation of resources. The Secretary of Defense is required to provide the Commission with analysis, briefings, and other information necessary for the fulfillment of its responsibilities. After completing its examination, the Commission will make recommendations to the President, Secretary of Defense, and relevant congressional committees.

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