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Confirmation hearing scheduled for Allen, Dunford
The Senate Armed Services Committee will take up the confirmation hearings for Gens. John Allen and Joseph Dunford the first week Congress returns after the election, the committee announced Friday.
The Nov. 15 date for the confirmation hearing is a sign that the committee is interested in quickly clearing the nominations of the four-star generals amidst a jam-packed lame-duck session.
Allen has been nominated to become NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of U.S. European Command, and Dunford, currently assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, has been picked to replace Allen as U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
While neither nomination is considered controversial, the hearing will likely be an opportunity for senators to grill both generals about the U.S. plan in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon has not laid out its plans between now and the end of 2014, and there is disagreement over how quickly the United States should withdraw the 68,000 troops remaining in Afghanistan.
Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) has advocated for a continued reduction of U.S. forces through 2013, while ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) and other hawks have said that the military should consider keeping all 68,000 there through the fighting season.
