Called to Testify: Congressional Oversight of the Armed Forces

• In Event: Some Assembly Required: The Role of Legislatures in National Security

Abstract

Committee hearings are a key mechanism by which Congress conducts oversight of the federal bureaucracy—and plays its part in exerting civilian control over the military. While there is a robust literature on the tendency to militarize foreign policy, scant attention is paid to assessing if it is Pentagon civilians or uniformed officers who exert influence in Congress. To make sense of this, we collected and analyzed three decades’ worth of expert testimony before the House Armed Services and Senate Armed Services committees. Put simply, we ask to whom does Congress look for expert testimony regarding issues of military policy? The existing literature also points to recent trends toward privatization and jointness. If Congress’s attention matches these trends, we expect to see a shift toward non-government witnesses, as well as an emphasis on testimony from the Combatant Commands, rather than representatives of the military services.

Authors

• Jessica D Blankshain, Naval War College

• Derek S. Reveron, Naval War College