On December 10th, 1816 The Senate established the permanent Committees on Military Affairs, the Militia, and on the Naval Affairs. Fifty-two years later, the Military Affairs and Militia committee were combined, and in 1872 "Militia" was dropped from its' name. In 1947 through the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, the Naval and Military committees were combined into the current Committee of Armed Services. According to the rules, the committee has jurisdiction over many areas including Common defense, all military departments, aeronautical and space activities, the Panama Canal, the Selective Service, Naval petroleum reserves, security of nuclear energy and military research. Today, the Armrd Services Committee is considered one of the most powerful senate committees. Among the more newsworthy items, the Armed Services Committee is responsible for making a recommendation to the Senate regarding the President's Defense Secretary nominee.
Prior to 1816, there were no permanent standing Senate committees. In those days, the Senators met as needed to discuss issues at their desks in the Senate Chambers. Most often, work was done as a whole rather than by committee. But as the number of senators increased and the complexity of government increased, the Senate chose to create permanent legislative committees to devote continuing attention to important legislative matters such as appropriating funds and managing the militia. On December 10, 1816 the Senate established 11 standing legislative committees including the committee on Military affairs, the Militia and on the Naval Affairs.
After the War of 1812, James Madison no doubt encouraged such a committee when he urged Congress to take on the task of reorganizing the militia "on a plan which will form it into classes according to the periods of life more or less adapted to military services". It was a request much like what Thomas Jefferson had requested eleven years earlier in 1805. Madison reminded Congress that an "efficient Militia" was authorized and predicated by the Constitution as well as necessary to secure our democracy. The country had never prepared to secure itself prior to the War of 1812 and had depended upon the Royal Navy of Great Britain for security. Thus, the rush into war with Great Britain created an unorganized and inefficient militia. Now, that peace had returned to America it was time to prepare for the defense of our country and embark on a permanent reorganization of our military and militia. Perhaps, this was an impetus to creating permanent standing committees to address issues such as this.
"As a subject of the highest importance to the national welfare, I must again earnestly recommend to the consideration of Congress a reorganization of the militia on a plan which will form it into classes according to the periods of life more or less adapted to military services. An efficient militia is authorized and contemplated by the Constitution and required by the spirit and safety of free government. The present organization of our militia is universally regarded as less efficient than it ought to be made, and no organization can be better calculated to give to it its due force than a classification which will assign the foremost place in the defense of the country to that portion of its citizens whose activity and animation best enable them to rally to its standard. Besides the consideration that a time of peace is the time when the change can be made with most convenience and equity, it will now be aided by the experience of a recent war in which the militia bore so interesting a part."
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29458
http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/about/history
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CDOC-105sdoc24/html/ch1.html
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/US_Navy_101203-N-8273J-142_Service_chiefs_testify_before_the_Senate_Armed_Services_Committee.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment