More Hearings

Now that the Obama administration's fiscal year 2012 budget submission date has been set for next Monday, the Senate Armed Services Committee has started scheduling its usual round of hearings with the heads of the military departments and combatant commands.

First on the docket, as we reported last week, the committee will hear testimony from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen on Thursday, Feb. 17.

This afternoon, the committee announced a Tuesday, March 1 hearing to have Navy Adm. Eric Olson, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, chief of U.S. Central Command, talk about their FY-12 plans and priorities.

The following week on March 8, Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos will testify on their FY-12 budget proposals.