-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Congress tells Shinseki to provide answers on beret purchase By Matthew Cox Times staff writer The chairman of the House Government Reform Committee is ready to call Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki before the panel if he doesn’t get some answers concerning the black beret purchase. In a March 13 letter, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., told Shinseki his committee is considering holding a public hearing if Shinseki doesn’t provide satisfactory answers to questions about his plan to make the black beret the Army’s new headgear and to have a portion of them made in China. The letter is the latest example of lawmakers’ concerns over Shinseki’s decision. It followed a Defense Department announcement earlier that day, during a Pentagon briefing, that it will study whether the Army should suspend its plan to issue the berets. Shinseki met with members of Burton’s committee March 7 in an attempt to resolve the issue, but Burton remains concerned over two issues. “As we indicated during the meeting and in previous correspondence,” Burton wrote, “we are concerned about: (1) the inconsistent rationale that protects the traditions of some Army components (those entitled to wear green and maroon berets) and abandons the Rangers’ black beret tradition; and (2) the fact that the Army contracted to purchase a portion of the berets from factories located within, among other nations, the People’s Republic of China.” Burton was unavailable for comment, but his spokesman, Mark Corallo, said that a public hearing is likely to be scheduled on the issue if these questions aren’t answered by late March. “I think the letter is pretty clear,” he said. “If the committee’s questions are not answered, I think there is a good chance that we would have a public hearing.” Shinseki’s spokesman, Lt. Col. Lew Boone, said that while he did not attend the March 7 meeting, or the previous two meetings between Burton’s office and Army staff, “We have tried to answer the questions to the best of our ability each time.” Boone added that if a hearing is held, Shinseki’s statements might convince the public that his decision over the black beret is for the good of the Army. “If the chief makes the points that he normally makes, I believe he would change minds,” Boone said. Corallo said that if the committee’s concerns aren’t satisfied, it could introduce legislation to rework the plan. “There could be legislation to halt the contract or override the color selection. It can be done,” he said. The Defense Department’s announcement that it would study the matter came after Virginia Sen. John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recommending the department stop implementing the plan until the Bush administration can review the controversial change. The issue has unleashed a storm of protests from former and active soldiers who argue that the black beret has officially belonged to the Rangers since the Army authorized it in 1975. In his letter to Rumsfeld, Warner said he, too, is concerned that some berets are being manufactured in China. The Defense Supply Center, Philadelphia was granted a waiver to the Berry Amendment, which requires all uniform items to be American made. The waiver means that 617,936 of the 3.8 million berets needed would be manufactured by Kangol Ltd., a United Kingdom company that operates in China, officials said. So far, the Defense Logistics Agency has paid $1.2 million toward the $4 million contract with Kangol and has received 194,000 of the berets, said DLA spokeswoman Gerda Parr. Rumsfeld has tasked Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to study the black beret issue and make recommendations as to what action, if any, should be taken, said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley at Tuesday’s Pentagon briefing. March 14, 2001 *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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