Biden's statement at start of hearing today on military role in for. policy

[Muttocracy]

BIDEN Addresses Military’s Expanding Role in U.S. Foreign Policy

BIDEN: “The increasing dominance of the military in our foreign policy may inadvertently limit our options – when the military is the most readily available option, it is more likely to be used, whether or not it is the best choice.”

July 31, 2008

Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) held a hearing entitled “Defining the Military’s Role Towards Foreign Policy.” At today’s hearing, committee members examined the Department of Defense’s greater role in delivering foreign aid, the increasing prominence of regional military command posts, the effectiveness of civilian and military coordination on policies and programs and the policy implications of broader military engagement in sectors that have been traditionally run by civilians.

...

“In fact, there has been a migration of functions and authorities from U.S. civilian agencies to the Department of Defense.

“Between 2002 and 2005, the share of U.S. official development assistance channeled through the Pentagon budget surged from 5.6 percent in 2002 to 21.7 percent in 2005, rising to $5.5 billion. Much of this increase has gone towards activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

...


continues at link

http://biden.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=093a3b0a-ae22-4a68-82ff-6c9f3b8bd56c


video of him and hearing not up yet.