Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 3308 - U.S. Armed Forces Protection Act of 1996

(House)
(Longley (R) ME and 29 others)

If H.R. 3308 were presented to the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General would recommend that the bill be vetoed. H.R. 3308 would impermissibly seek to limit the President's authority to determine the command arrangements of U.S. Forces participating in United Nations operations. While under no circumstances will the President ever relinquish his command authority over U.S. forces, as Commander-in-Chief, he must have the discretion to place U.S. military units under limited, temporary operational control of foreign commanders, if that is the most effective way to ensure unity of command and U.S. security interests. Notwithstanding the waiver provided by the bill, H.R. 3308 would attempt to infringe on the President's constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief, could place U.S. and allied lives at risk during coalition operations, and would purport to restrict U.S. flexibility to respond appropriately to international crises.