Washington – Today, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon and other members of the committee hosted a press conference to discuss a new Department of Defense (DOD) policy limiting the size of its reports to Congress.
This morning at a Committee briefing on Military and Security Developments involving the People’s Republic of China, a Department of Defense official articulated a new, official DOD policy that no report to Congress shall exceed 15 pages, regardless of the nature, needs or requirements of the report.
Shortly after the briefing, the Chairman sent a letter (link) to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta requesting clarification of this new policy which was implemented by the Office of the Secretary of Defense without consultation with the Congressional committees of jurisdiction.
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Politico - Buck McKeon: Pentagon skimps on reports
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee blasted the Pentagon on Wednesday for what he said was a new policy of limiting reports to Congress to 15 pages.
In a hastily called Capitol Hill news conference, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said he first learned of the new policy during a classified meeting Wednesday morning when he asked Pentagon briefers why their annual report on China’s military capabilities was only 19 pages, compared to 70 last year.
The briefers responded that the Defense Department had instructed its researchers to limit their reports to Congress to 15 pages, an obviously peeved McKeon said.
“It would not appear the justification is cost-savings, but rather an internal decision to limit the amount of information provided to Congress – irrespective of the subject matter or origin of the requirement,” McKeon said in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that was handed out to reporters.
Calling the scaled-down China report “outrageous” for its lack of detail, McKeon told reporters, “This president, when he ran for office, said this was going to be the most transparent administration, and it’s unfortunate that they’ve taken this tack.” ...more