Statement by George Little on Length of Congressional Reports
July 11, 2012

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs George Little provided the following statement:

” Secretary Panetta has made clear that a close partnership between the department of Defense and Congress is essential for our national security. For that reason, the Department takes very seriously its responsibility to provide Congress with thorough, accurate and timely briefings and reports on the full range of matters.

“Across the department, we continually strive to provide Congress with the information and analysis it needs to fulfill its vital oversight role, and to do so in the most readable and usable format possible. We also seek to do so in a cost effective manner.

“The department prepares and sends to Congress over 500 reports annually. Last summer, one component within the department issued written guidance on report length. That guidance indicated reports should not exceed ten pages in length, except when the statutory requirements or specific circumstances dictate. The guidance did not in any way seek to restrict information provided to Congress.”