TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS TO THE COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. >> THANK YOU, UNDERSECRETARY.
MS. COOPER?
MS. COOPER? >> MR. CHAIRMAN, RANKING MEMBER,
MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE, A
PIER TODAY TO PROVIDE FACTS AND
ANSWER QUESTIONS BASED ON MY
EXPERIENCE AS THE DEPUTY
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
FOR DT RUSSIA, UKRAINE AND EURA
I WOULDND FIRST LIKE TO DESCRIBE
MY BACKGROUND AS WELL AS MY ROLE
AND VANTAGE POINT RELEVANT TO
YOUR INQUIRY.AG
YOUR INQUIRY.AG I BRING TO MY DAILY WORK AND TO
THISND PROCEEDING MY SENSE OF DU
TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY.
NOT TO ANY POLITICAL PARTY.
I HAVE PROUDLY SERVED TWO
DEMOCRATIC AND TWO REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENTS.
PRESIDENTS. I ENTERED GOVERNMENT SERVICE
THROUGH THE PRESIDENTIAL
MANAGEMENT INTERNSHIP
MANAGEMENT INTERNSHIP COMPETITION, JOINING THE STATE
DEPARTMENT IN 1999 TO WORK ON
COUNTERTERRORISM IN EUROPE AND
THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.
INSPIRED BY WORKING WITH THE
U.S. MILITARY ON A DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSEEP ROTATIONAL ASSIGNMENT,
DECIDED TO ACCEPT A CIVIL
SERVICE POSITION IN THE POLICY
ORGANIZATION OF THE OFFICE OF
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE IN
JANUARY 2001 WHERE I HAVE
REMAINED FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS.
MY STRONG SENSE OF PRIDE IN
SERVING MY COUNTRY AND
DEDICATION TO MY PENTAGON
COLLEAGUES WERE CEMENTED IN THE
MOMENTS AFTER I FELT THE
PENTAGON SHAKE BENEATH ME ON
SEPTEMBER 11th, 2001.AG
MY OFFICE WAS SCHEDULED TO MOVE
INTO THE SECTION OF THE PENTAGON
THAT WAS DESTROYED IN THE
ATTACK, BUT A CONSTRUCTION DELAY
MEANT THAT WE WERE STILL AT OUR
OLD DESKS IN THE ADJACENT
SECTION ON THAT DEVASTATING DAY.
AFTER WE HAD WIPED THE BLACK
DUST FROM OUR DESKS AND TRIED TO
GET BACK TO WORK, I FOUND
MEANING BY VOLUNTEERING TO WORK
ON AFGHANISTAN POLICY AND WOULD
GIVE MY NEXT FOUR YEARS TO THIS
MISSION.
MISSION. I LATER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
MOVE INTO THE LEADERSHIP RANKS
OF MY ORGANIZATION AND HAVE HAD
THE PRIVILEGE TOAV MANAGE ISSUES
RANGING FROM DEFENSE STRATEGIC
PLANNING TO HOMELAND DEFENSE AND
MISSION ASSURANCE.
MISSION ASSURANCE. I ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF
PRINCIPAL DIRECTORIO FOR RUSSIA,
UKRAINE AND EURASIA IN 2016, AND
WAS HONORED TO BE APPOINTED
FORMALLY TO THE POSITION OF
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE IN 2018.
IN MY CURRENT ROLE, I WORKED TO
ADVANCE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
WITH A FOCUS ON DETERRING
RUSSIAN AGGRESSION AND BUILDING
STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE
FRONT LINEIP STATES OF UKRAINE A
GEORGIA, AS WELL AS TEN OTHER
ALLIES ANDER PARTNERS FROM THE
BALKINS TO THE CAUCUSES.
STRENGTHENING UKRAINE’S CAPACITY
TO DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST RUSSIAN
AGGRESSION IS CENTRAL TO MY
TEAM’S MISSION.
TEAM’S MISSION. THE UNITED STATES AND OUR ALLIES
PROVIDE UKRAINE WITH SECURITY
ASSISTANCE BECAUSE IT IS OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS TO
DETER RUSSIAN AGGRESSION AROUND
THE WORLD.AL
THE WORLD.AL WE ALSO PROVIDE SECURITY
ASSISTANCE SOEC THAT UKRAINE CAN
NEGOTIATE A PEACE WITH RUSSIA
FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH.
THE HUMAN TOLL CONTINUES TO
CLIMB IN THIS ONGOING WAR.
WITH 14,000 UKRAINIAN LIVES LOST
SINCE RUSSIA’S 2014 INVASION.
THESE SACRIFICES ARE
CONTINUALLY, IN MY MIND, AS I
LEAD THE OVER ORTEFFORTS TO PROV
TRAINING ANDDE ASSISTANCE,
INCLUDING LETHAL DEFENSE TO THE
UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES.
I’VE CREATED A ROBUST PROGRAM TO
ENSURE THE LONG TERM
SUSTAINABILITY OF U.S.
INVESTMENTS AND THE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE UKRAINIAN
MILITARY FROM A SOVIET MODEL TO
A NATO INTEROPERABLE FORCE.
THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
AUTHORIZATION ACT REQUIRES THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE TO CERTIFY
PROGRESS, TO RELEASE HALF
UKRAINE’S SECURITY ASSISTANCE
INITIATIVE, A PROVISION WE FIND
VERY HELPFUL.
VERY HELPFUL. BASED ON RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ME
AND OTHER KEY D.O.D. ADVISERS,
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN
COORDINATION WITH THEDE DEPARTME
OF STATE CERTIFIED IN MAY 2019
THAT UKRAINE HAD, QUOTE, TAKEN
SUBSTANTIAL ACTIONS TO MAKE
DEFENSE INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
FOR THE PURPOSES OF DECREASING
CORRUPTION, INCREASING
CORRUPTION, INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY, AND SUSTAINING
IMPROVEMENTS OF COMBAT
CAPABILITY, UNQUOTE.
CAPABILITY, UNQUOTE. MERITING OBLIGATION OF THE
ENTIRE $250 MILLION IN USAI