Committee InfoDescriptionWelcome, Representatives, to the House Armed Services Committee. The House Committee on Armed Services is a standing committee that is responsible for managing and funding the Department of Defense in addition to the United States armed forces. The Committee is governed by twenty-three rules, which include determining how often and when to meet as well as defining the subcommittees.The Committee consists of seven standing subcommittees: the Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, on Military Personnel, on Readiness, on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces, on Strategic Forces, on Terrorism Unconventional Threats and Capabilities, and on Oversight and Investigations. These subcommittees are responsible for their respective fields with such exceptions as strategic weapons and special operations. For example, the Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces oversees all Army and Air Force acquisition programs, but its responsibilities do not cover that of strategic missiles or information technology programs. The rules of the Majority party caucus and that of the Minority party’s conference determine the members of each Subcommittee. In addition, the Chairman of the Committee may create a panel consisting of members of the Committee if an issue falls within the jurisdiction of more than one subcommittee. These panels can only exist for six months or less. The Armed Services Committee passes the National Defense Authorization Acts, each year in order to specify funding for the Department of Defense. This year’s bill, which was signed into law on October 28, 2009, included provisions related to funding of the F-22 Raptor fighter program, but not every provision was related directly to the armed services. The Victims of Iranian Censorship Act (VOICE Act), for example, authorized the Department of State to undertake efforts to aid Iranian dissidents. Probably the best-known act attached to the bill was the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which changed the definition of a hate crime under federal law. Howard McKeon (R-CA), the top Republican in the committee, said, “it’s unfortunate that the final legislation included a divisive hate crimes provision that generated a largely partisan final vote,†and blamed the Democrats for using the bill to push a controversial position. Currently, the committee is holding hearings discussing a wide variety of topics, ranging from the state of Walter Reed Medical Center to claims from the occupation of Guam in World War Two. However, the major topic of discussion is the state of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The committee has held a series of hearings addressing the topic, and has heard from such notables as General David Petraeus, the current Commander of U.S. Central Command (the military administration in charge of the Middle East, and therefore Iraq and Afghanistan). The committee has seen some internal strife regarding the trial of September 11 suspects in New York City. The Republican members of the committee have introduced a resolution condemning the decision to hold the trial there. The committee is able to discuss a range of topics covering many of the most important issues today. For more information regarding the House Committee on Armed Services, please visit http://armedservices.house.gov/. To find more information about past memberships, please see http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/browse.html. ------------- My name is Jeanne Thai, and I am a sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences. I am double majoring in Economics and Political Science as well as minoring in Hispanic Studies. I went to a high school, five miles from my home in Lincolnwood, a suburb right outside of Chicago. Since I have played the piano for so long, I thought I would put my skills to some use in college by joining the Penn Music Mentoring Program (PMMP). I am also involved with the Concerts branch of Social Planning and Events Committee (SPEC). Please feel free to contact me at jthai@sas.upenn.edu if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting you. My name is Maya Spitzer, and I am currently a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. I am undeclared, but I plan to pursue a major in American History and minor in photography. I graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in 2008, and then I spent the last year in Israel on a gap year program and interning at the Jerusalem Post. I love photography, and spend most of my free time taking photos. I also enjoy knitting, cooking and playing golf. I can’t wait to meet you all! Please let me know if you have any questions at all. You can contact me at mspitzer@sas.upenn.edu. Chairs
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Account LoginConference DatesMarch 31 - April 3, 2011 RegistrationRegistration is now closed. InformationClick here for more details about PENNMC 2011! Check us out on Facebook!
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