Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph F. Dunford on whether they were consulted by President Obama before his veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016. Senator Tillis also inquired whether Secretary Carter and General Dunford believed the president’s veto of the NDAA was positive or negative for our nation’s Armed Forces and if the needs of our military will be met if the NDAA is not signed into law.
General Dunford testified that he was not consulted by President Obama and he believes some needs of the U.S. military will not be met if the NDAA is not signed into law. Secretary Carter said he was consulted and supported the veto.
“I find it remarkable given the circumstances we are in now and the testimony today, that we would take a step back with this NDAA while we continue to fight this fight,” said Senator Tillis. “This requires a willing administration, and it is clear to me this Administration is not willing to confront the challenges our men and women in uniform face today. Taking a step back in these times just does not make sense.”
Tillis also questioned Secretary Carter on his recent statements that the death of Master Sargent Joshua Wheeler did not occur during combat, stating, “Secretary Carter, you testified that in that particular operation, those are the operations that are happening frequently where American soldiers are at risk. I would consider that as a combat operation.”
After Tillis’ questioning, Secretary Carter reclaimed his statement, admitting M Sgt. Wheeler was indeed in combat at the time of his death.
M Sgt. Wheeler was killed in an ISIS raid to rescue 70 hostages in Iraq on October 22, 2015. M Sgt. Wheeler was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC, and is the first American to die in the war against ISIS. Secretary Carter and the Obama Administration had previously been hesitant to call M Sgt. Wheeler’s death a “combat death” in an effort to comport with President Obama's vow to keep U.S. troops out of combat in Iraq.
Watch Senator Tillis’ Questioning Here:
