US President Barack Obama’s advisers will recommend he veto the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) if it is passed in its current form, citing concerns over certain clauses pertaining to Pakistan and Guantanamo Bay in particular.
A statement released by the White House maintains that certain provisions in the bill depart from President Obama’s budget request for fiscal year 2013 and constrain US armed forces’ ability to execute the new defence strategy. The Obama administration had strong objections to the certification requirements of the Pakistan Counter-Insurgency Fund in particular.
“These requirements – some of which require the Secretary of Defence to certify Pakistani cooperation on issues outside of his purview – will severely constrict the defence department’s ability to respond to coalition support requirements, endangering our campaign in Afghanistan,” said the statement.
The NDAA draft, currently being debated in the Senate, states that the US secretary of defence has to certify before congressional defence committees that Pakistan is cooperating with US counter-terrorism efforts. The Obama administration also objected to the restriction of use of funds to transfer detainees in Guantanamo Bay to foreign countries.
“When he signed past versions of this legislation, the President warned the Congress that restrictions on transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay to foreign countries would in certain circumstances interfere with constitutional responsibilities committed to the Executive Branch. Since these restrictions have been on the books, they have limited the executive’s ability to manage military operations in an ongoing armed conflict, harmed the country’s diplomatic relations with allies and counterterrorism partners, and provided no benefit whatsoever to our national security,” said the statement.
“The administration also opposes the prohibition on funding to construct, acquire or modify a detention facility in the US to house any individual detained at Guantanamo, which constrains the options available to military and counterterrorism professionals to address evolving threats.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2012.
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