Newsmakers, sunday at 10 00 a. M. And 6 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. On tuesday the Senate Armed ServicesCommittee Held a hearing on civilian control of the u. S. Military. This follows president elect trumps selection of retired general james mattis to be defense secretary. This is just over two hours. [ room noise ] the Committee Meets this morning to receive testimony on civilian control of the armed forces. Id like to welcome our witnesses, dr. Elliott cohen, robert e. Osgood, professor of strategic studies at the Johns Hopkins school of advanced international studies. Thats very impressive. Dr. Kathleen hicks, also impressive, Senior Vice President kissinger chair and director of the International Security program at the center for strategic and international studies. Welcome. Civilian control of the armed forces has been a bedrock principle of American Government since our revolution. A painting hanging in the Capitol Rotunda celebrates the legacy of George Washington, who voluntarily resigned his commission as commander of the Continental Army to the congress. And this principle is enshrined in our constitution, which divides control of the armed forces among the president as commander in chief and the congress as coequal branches of government. Since then congress has adopted various provisions separating military and civilian positions. In the 19th century, for example, Congress Prohibited an army officer from accepting a civil office. And more recently in the National Security act of 1947 and subsequent revisions congress has prohibited any individual from serving as secretary of defense within seven years of active duty service as a commissioned officer in the armed forces. Of course it was only three years later in 1950 that Congress Granted general George Marshall an exemption to that law and the Senate Confirmed him to be secretary of defense. Indeed, the separation between civilian and military positions has not always been so clear. 12 of our nations president s previously served as generals in the armed forces. Over the years numerous highranking civilian officials in the department of defense have had long careers in military service. Our Current Deputy secretary of defense, for example, served 27 years in the United States marine corps. The basic responsibilities of civilian and military leaders are simple enough. For civilian leaders to seek the best professional military advice while under no obligation to follow it. For military leaders to provide candid counsel while recognizing civilians have the final say. Or as james mattis once observed, to insist on being heard and never insist on being obeyed. But the fact is that the relationship between civilian and military leaders is inherently and endlessly complex. It is a relationship of unequals whose nonetheless shared responsibility for the defense of the nation. The stakes could not be higher. The gaps in mutual understandings are sometimes wide. Personalities often clash. And the unique features of the profession of arms and the peculiarities of service cultures often prove daunting for civilians who never served in uniform. Ultimately the key to healthy civilmilitary relations and civilian control of the military is the oath soldiers and statesmen share in common. To protect and defend the constitution. It is about the trust they have in one another to perform their respective duties in accordance with our republican system of government. It is about the candid exchange of views engendered by that trust and which is vital to effective decisionmaking. And it is about Mutual Respect and understanding. The proper balance in civilmilitary relations is difficult to achieve. And as history has taught aus cheefg that balance requires different leaders at different times. The president elect has announced his intention to nominate james mattis to be secretary of defense. In light of his recent military experience his nomination will require congress to pass legislation providing a onetime exception allowing him to serve as secretary. Legislation this Committee Plans to consider this thursday. The members of this committee will have to reach their own conclusion. But as for me, i will fully support that legislation and mr. Mattiss and general mattiss nomination. There is no military officer i have met in my lifetime with a deeper understanding of civilmilitary relations than james mattis. He even coedited a book on the subject. Hes upheld the principle of civilian control in the armed forces in four decades of military service as well as in civilian life. His character, judgment, and commitment to defending our nation and its constitution have earned him the trust of our next commander in chief, members of congress on both sides of the aisle, and so many serving in our armed forces. In short, i believe james mattis is an exceptional Public Servant worthy of exceptional consideration. The committee is fortunate to have with us two of the foremost scholars on civilmilitary relations, both of whom have a record of distinguished government service. Im eager to hear their views on this important subject, and id like to add it was the Ranking Member, senator reids request and legitimate concern about this issue that we are having this hearing, and i want to thank my friend the Ranking Member for making sure that this hearing is held. Senator reid. Well, thank you very much, mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing because i do think as you indicated so well how critical this issue is to the country. Also let me welcome our distinguished witnesses, dr. Elliott cohen and dr. Kathleen hicks. Thank you very much for your scholarship and your service to the nation. Civilian control of the military is enshrined in our constitution and dates back to general George Washington and the revolutionary war. For almost 230 years this principle has distinguished our nation from many other countries around the world and has helped ensure that our democracy remains in the hands of the people. When the department of defense was created by the National Security act of 1947 the law included a stipulation that an individual appointed ed ted tos the secretary of this nation con be within ten years in active doubt as a commissioned officer in the regular component of the armed services. However an exception to the statute was enacted into law shortly thereafter, 1950, to permit George Marshall to serve as secretary of defense shortly after he concluded his service as secretary of state. It then stood untouched for nearly six decades until the fiscal year 2008 the National Transportation act modified the requirement by reducing the interval from ten years to seven years. But the principle was very clear and stim was sustained. This requirement has served our nation well for the past 70 years and only once has Congress Waived and modified this statute. For only the second time since the creation of the department of Defense Congress was making a determination if an exception should be made to allow recently retired general james mattis to serve as the secretary of defense. As this Committee Considers legislation to provide an exception to general mattis, i believe it extremely important that we carefully consider the consequences of setting aside the law and the implications such a decision may have on the future of civilian and military relations. We must always be very cautious about any actions that may inadvertently politicize our armed forces. During this past president ial election cycle both democrats and republicans came dangerously close to promsing the nonpartisan nature of our military when the nominating conventions featured speeches from recently retired general officers advocating for a campaign for president. As former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Martin Dempsey stated shortly after the conventions, if senior military leaders active and retired begin to selfidentify as members or supporters of one party or another then the inherent tension built into our system of government between the executive branch and the legislative branch will bleed over into suspicion of military leaders by congress and a further erosion of civilianmilitary relations. I hope our Witnesses Today will speak to this issue and share any reflections they may have. Another issue we should consider is wheths the total number of retired senior military officers selected for highranking positions in the Trump Administration will impact the dynamic of the interagency process and the advice the president receives. It is true that throughout our history retired general officers have often held positions at the highest level of government as civilians. One notable example is general colin powell when he ably served as secretary of state under president george w. Bush. What concerns me, however, is the number of retired senior military officers chosen to lead agencies critical to our National Security. And the cumulative effect it may have on our overall National Security policy. In addition to general mattis, general john kelly has been nominated to lead the department of homeland security. General Michael Flynn will serve as the National Security adviser. Both of whom like general mattis have retired from active duty service in the past few years. While he is not a civilian and remains on active duty if we include the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general Joseph Dunford the leadership of our National Security apparatus will be comprised of two retired fourstar generals, one active duty fourstar general and one duty fourstar general and one retired threestar general. Captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2008 captioning performed by vitac each week of American History tv that at archival films provide context. John glenn became the First American to orbit the earth. Railamerica, 57 minute. Nasa documentary and the space race. , astronaut and u. S. Senator from ohio died on december 8 at the age of 95