United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010) |
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy (as pertaining to national security), benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and other matters related to defense policy. The Armed Services Committee was created as a result of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 following U.S. victory in the Second World War. It merged the responsibilities of the Committee on Naval Affairs (established in 1816) and the Committee on Military Affairs (also established in 1816). Considered one of the most powerful Senate committees, its broad mandate allowed it to report some of the most extensive and revolutionary legislation during the Cold War years, including the National Security Act of 1947. The committee is highly influential.
Contents |
[edit] Jurisdiction
According to the Senate Rules Committee[1], the jurisdiction of the Senate Armed Services Committee is as follows: (c)(1) Committee on Armed Services, to which committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects:
1. Aeronautical and space activities peculiar to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems or military operations.
2. Common defense.
3. Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force, generally.
4. Maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, including administration, sanitation, and government of the Canal Zone.
5. Military research and development.
6. National security aspects of nuclear energy.
7. Naval petroleum reserves, except those in Alaska.
8. Pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges of members of the Armed Forces, including overseas education of civilian and military dependents.
9. Selective service system.
10. Strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense.
[edit] Members, 111th Congress
The Committee is chaired by Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan, and the Ranking Minority Member is Republican John McCain of Arizona.
_the_Honorable_Ray_Mabus.jpg)
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Source: 2010 Congressional Record, Vol. 156, Page S6226 ,
[edit] Subcommittees
| Subcommittee Name | Chair | Ranking Minority Member |
|---|---|---|
| Airland | Joe Lieberman (I-CT) | John Thune (R-SD) |
| Emerging Threats and Capabilities | Bill Nelson (D-FL) | George LeMieux (R-FL) |
| Personnel | Jim Webb (D-VA) | Lindsey Graham (R-SC) |
| Readiness and Management Support | Evan Bayh (D-IN) | Richard Burr (R-NC) |
| SeaPower | Jack Reed (D-RI) | Roger Wicker (R-MS) |
| Strategic Forces | Ben Nelson (D-NE) | David Vitter (R-LA) |
[edit] Chairmen
| Committee on Military Affairs, 1816-1947 | Committee on Naval Affairs, 1816-1947 |
|---|---|
|
|
[edit] Committee on Armed Services, 1947-present
- Chan Gurney (R-SD) 1947-1949
- Millard E. Tydings (D-MD) 1949-1951
- Richard B. Russell, Jr. (D-GA) 1951-1953
- Leverett Saltonstall (R-MA) 1953-1955
- Richard B. Russell, Jr. (D-GA) 1955-1969
- John C. Stennis (D-MS) 1969-1981
- John Tower (R-TX) 1981-1985
- Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) 1985-1987
- Sam Nunn (D-GA) 1987-1995
- Strom Thurmond (R-SC) 1995-1999
- John Warner (R-VA) 1999-2001
- Carl Levin (D-MI) 2001
- John Warner (R-VA) 2001
- Carl Levin (D-MI) 2001-2003
- John Warner (R-VA) 2003-2007
- Carl Levin (D-MI) 2007-present
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ "STANDING COMMITTEES - Rules Committee Rule XXV". Senate Rules Committee. http://rules.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=RuleXXV. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
- ^ Joe Lieberman is an Independent Democrat, but caucuses with Democrats on the committee.
[edit] External links
- United States Senate Armed Services Committee Website
- Department of Defense
- Armed Forces Retirement Home
- Selected Service System
- Four Torture Memos Released April 16, 2009, in response to FOIA suit by ACLU Senate Armed Services Committee Report on Torture released April 22, 2009.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
