(Warwick, R.I.)–Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) today announced that he has been appointed to serve on the independent, bipartisan Threat Panel as part of the House Armed Services’ Committee Defense Review (CDR). The panel’s first meeting is today and will focus on Latin America.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve on a panel that will explore the credible security threats we, as a nation, face and work to ensure that we are better prepared to defend against them,” said Langevin. “I expect the work of this panel to complement the Defense Department’s Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which is due out in February 2006. Together, the two reviews will allow us to examine and assess information based on real world threats and mobilize and realign our military and intelligence assets wisely.”

Unlike the QDR, which is adopting a capabilities-based analysis to assess if the nation is ready to respond to various types of warfare (traditional, weapons of mass destruction, cyber, etc), the CDR is looking at the current and anticipated threats posed by individual nations and organizations. Once the Threat Panel performs its analysis and categorizes potential challenges, a second series of panels will identify existing U.S. military capabilities and future defense requirements to address those types of threats. The final phase of the CDR will integrate these recommendations into a report to be released in 2006.

The CDR will not take the place of the QDR, nor is it designed to attack or defend the QDR. The Congressionally-mandated QDR’s scope covers more than ten separate, distinct, and important issue areas, while the supporting analyses and assumptions are reviewed in high detail. The scope of the CDR is significantly narrower, focusing on threats and the capabilities needed to address them, but will not examine these issues in the same detail.

“The Threat Panel is committed to looking at the big picture and deciding on the major threats the U.S. will face over the next 20 years,” said Langevin.

Additional members, representing an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, include: Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA), Rep. John Kline (R-MN), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI) and Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT). The committee will be co-chaired by Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) and Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA).

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