On Iraq - testimony of Paul Wolfowitz, Joshua Bolton and John Keane before Senate Foreign Relations Committee

US Department of Defense Speeches, July 29, 2003

So, I hope that you guys will lay out a specific plan about how we plan on making progress in the coming weeks and coming months. I also hope that you'll tell us specifically what request you have made for international assistance and what expectations are of contributions that might be forthcoming: how many forces, what type, how many dollars.

I note that General Myers in testimony last week said that the 30,000 troops promised by their countries, quote, "it needs to be higher than that," end of quote. What are we doing to make that number higher?

I thought it was really important, quite frankly, the Japanese Diet decided that they were going to vote to send forces. I thought that was--we're talking about 1,000 forces, but the symbolism of that, I thought, was consequential. And I congratulate the administration. But what else are we going to do? Who have we made requests to? Are we considering a second U.N. Security Council resolution? Are we considering asking NATO formally to take over a U.S. command? Well, I understand in my discussions with NATO that the likelihood of them being able to free up even 20,000 troops is highly unlikely. I'm not looking for large numbers of troops. I'm looking for what you're asking for. What are you asking for? Are we trying to change the profile of the forces on the ground?

And Mr. Bolten, I'm pleased you've joined us today. For almost a year, the committee has tried to get a reasonable estimate as to what the operation is going to cost or what, at least, the administration thinks it's going to cost in Iraq in terms of securing the country, administering it and rebuilding it. I know the World Bank is coming in shortly with their estimates and--but I know you have to be making your own estimates here. And we want to know what is it? What are you planning for? I hope you can offer us some answers today. And again, please don't waste our time or yours by saying the future is simply unknowable. We know the future is unknowable. But you can't plan a great nation's steps based on everything, quote, "being unknowable." Pick a number! Pick an idea! Pick a notion! Give us an idea what you're thinking. We don't expect you to give us specific figures, but as the government's chief budget officer, you have to have some numbers that y!

You're using for your planning, and we'd like you to share them with us.

I'm glad to see that the interim Iraqi budget for the remainder of this calendar year has been issued. And in my judgment, it doesn't make the scale of investments that are urgently needed to turn things around before that window of opportunity closes. Yet, it has a $2.2 billion deficit that we finance from vested and seized Iraqi assets. Ambassador Bremer announced last week that next year's budget will have a projected $4 billion deficit. That means you must have an idea of revenues and expenditures. I hope you'll share that information with us.

And I hope they can lay out a plan for making the massive investment that Ambassador Bremer says will have to be made. He says that it's going to cost us, over five or six years, $13 billion to keep electric production apace of demand. International groups have said it's going to cost $21 billion. I don't know who's right.