Afghanistan Hearing

A Pentagon expert on Afghanistan will be among those testifying at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing next week on U.S. operations in that Central Asian country in the coming year.

Michael Dumont, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, along with James Dobbins from the State Department and Donald Sampler from the U.S. Agency for International Development, are scheduled to testify on Dec. 11.

Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) had this to say about the upcoming hearing:

2014 will be a year of major change for United States operations in Afghanistan as the Administration looks to shift from combat operations to an advise and assist role. A successful transition in Afghanistan is critical to combating terrorism. At this hearing, the Committee will hear from the senior leadership of the State Department, Department of Defense and USAID to discuss the pending Bilateral Security Agreement, upcoming presidential elections, and oversight of U.S. assistance programs, among other critical issues.