WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama’s traveling companions on his upcoming fact-finding trip to war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan will be Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., both foreign policy experts who are also, in the Democratic presidential candidate’s words, “good guys.”

After Obama offered details of the trip to reporters as they flew to a San Diego campaign event last night, Reed and Hagel confirmed their role in what promises to be a politically significant mission for the first-term senator from Illinois, who is running for president with a resume comparatively light on defense and foreign policy issues.

West Point graduate Reed and decorated Vietnam veteran Hagel, who are close friends, have significant backgrounds in national security, as well as contacts they have shared with Obama in preparation for the trip.

The three plan to meet with top U.S. military commanders and civilians and senior Iraqi and Afghan leaders, as well as lower-ranking troops, civilians assigned to the war zones and members of the forces from other nations in the American-led coalition. For security reasons, the senators have not released details of their itinerary, except to say that they will travel “later this summer” to get “a firsthand look at the security and political situation in these two important countries for American national security,” according to a statement from Hagel and Reed.

In Iraq, the three-man congressional delegation “will examine whether the tactical buildup of U.S. troops has resulted in the progress necessary to resolve Iraq’s political differences, provide basic services to the Iraqi people, and create long-term stability,” the release said.

On the Afghanistan leg of the trip, they will assess the struggle against the Taliban, look into the recent rise in violence and study the political and economic situation.

Reed, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee who has been to Iraq 11 times since the U.S. invasion in 2003, will arrange the logistics for the trip. Obama and Hagel serve on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Reed called the trip “a good opportunity to look, listen and assess recent developments in the region. I am pleased to join Senators Obama and Hagel on this bipartisan fact finding mission. Our troops are performing heroically in Afghanistan and Iraq and doing everything they can to stem the violence. They deserve a policy that is worthy of their sacrifice,” said Reed.

Hagel said, “I look forward to joining Senators Obama and Reed on this important trip. ... U.S. policies in Iraq and Afghanistan are at the center of America’s national security. These critical issues must be addressed in a bipartisan manner that builds consensus for a bipartisan American foreign policy.”

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