ee a= Wnited States Senate a. = SASH GTON aS August 23, 2010 The Honorable Jim Webb United States Senator Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Jim: Thank you for your letter requesting that the Committee hold a hearing on the efficiency initiatives announced by the Secretary of Defense on August 9, 2010. I share the Secretary’s objectives of reducing “duplication, overhead, and excess in the defense enterprise” and instilling “a culture of savings and restraint” across the Department of Defense. At the same time, I agree that the far-reaching, initiatives announced by the Secretary deserve close scrutiny from our Committee. Accordingly, I plan to work with Senator McCain to schedule a hearing on these initiatives after the Senate reconvenes in September. tL Carl Levin Chairman ec: Senator McCain