[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.A.S.C. No. 115-96]
MEMBER DAY
__________
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
APRIL 11, 2018
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
30-570 WASHINGTON : 2019
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COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
WILLIAM M. ``MAC'' THORNBERRY, Texas, Chairman
WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina ADAM SMITH, Washington
JOE WILSON, South Carolina ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania
FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey SUSAN A. DAVIS, California
ROB BISHOP, Utah JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island
MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio RICK LARSEN, Washington
MIKE ROGERS, Alabama JIM COOPER, Tennessee
BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam
K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts
ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia JOHN GARAMENDI, California
DUNCAN HUNTER, California JACKIE SPEIER, California
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado MARC A. VEASEY, Texas
VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia BETO O'ROURKE, Texas
MO BROOKS, Alabama DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
PAUL COOK, California RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona
JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts
BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii
BRADLEY BYRNE, Alabama CAROL SHEA-PORTER, New Hampshire
SAM GRAVES, Missouri JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York A. DONALD McEACHIN, Virginia
MARTHA McSALLY, Arizona SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California
STEPHEN KNIGHT, California ANTHONY G. BROWN, Maryland
STEVE RUSSELL, Oklahoma STEPHANIE N. MURPHY, Florida
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee RO KHANNA, California
RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana TOM O'HALLERAN, Arizona
TRENT KELLY, Mississippi THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York
MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin JIMMY PANETTA, California
MATT GAETZ, Florida
DON BACON, Nebraska
JIM BANKS, Indiana
LIZ CHENEY, Wyoming
JODY B. HICE, Georgia
Jen Stewart, Staff Director
Ari Zimmerman, Professional Staff Member
Paul Arcangeli, Professional Staff Member
Justin Lynch, Clerk
C O N T E N T S
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Page
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Thornberry, Hon. William M. ``Mac,'' a Representative from Texas,
Chairman, Committee on Armed Services.......................... 1
WITNESSES
Chabot, Hon. Steve, a Representative from Ohio................... 1
Donovan, Hon. Daniel M., Jr., a Representative from New York..... 6
Johnson, Hon. Mike, a Representative from Louisiana.............. 8
Kihuen, Hon. Ruben J., a Representative from Nevada.............. 5
Rutherford, Hon. John H., a Representative from Florida.......... 11
Schneider, Hon. Bradley Scott, a Representative from Illinois.... 13
Velazquez, Hon. Nydia M., a Representative from New York......... 3
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
Chabot, Hon. Steve........................................... 19
Donovan, Hon. Daniel M., Jr.................................. 34
Johnson, Hon. Mike........................................... 36
Kihuen, Hon. Ruben J......................................... 32
Rutherford, Hon. John H...................................... 40
Schneider, Hon. Bradley Scott................................ 43
Velazquez, Hon. Nydia M...................................... 26
Documents Submitted for the Record:
Blumenauer, Hon. Earl, a Representative from Oregon, joint
with Hon. Adam Kinzinger, a Representative from Illinois... 51
Bustos, Hon. Cheri, a Representative from Illinois........... 52
Congressional Special Operations Forces Caucus Co-Chairs..... 54
Hon. Kathy Castor, a Representative from Florida
Hon. Walter B. Jones, a Representative from North Carolina
Hon. Scott H. Peters, a Representative from California
Hon. Timothy J. Walz, a Representative from Minnesota
Crawford, Hon. Eric A. ``Rick,'' a Representative from
Arkansas................................................... 56
Kinzinger, Hon. Adam, a Representative from Illinois......... 58
Kinzinger, Hon. Adam, joint with Hon. Earl Blumenauer........ 51
Lipinski, Hon. Daniel, a Representative from Illinois........ 72
Pearce, Hon. Stevan, a Representative from New Mexico........ 75
Walden, Hon. Greg, a Representative from Oregon.............. 79
Yarmuth, Hon. John A., a Representative from Kentucky........ 80
Young, Hon. Don, a Representative from Alaska................ 82
Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:
[There were no Questions submitted during the hearing.]
Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:
[There were no Questions submitted post hearing.]
.
MEMBER DAY
----------
House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC, Wednesday, April 11, 2018.
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 1:33 p.m., in Room
2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. William M. ``Mac''
Thornberry (chairman of the committee) presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. WILLIAM M. ``MAC'' THORNBERRY, A
REPRESENTATIVE FROM TEXAS, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON ARMED
SERVICES
The Chairman. The committee will come to order. The
committee is pleased to receive testimony today from our
colleagues on what their priorities are for this year's
National Defense Authorization Bill. And so I would like to ask
unanimous consent that all Members' written statements will be
made part of the record. Now, I would note we have received I
think approximately 14 written statements as well as our
colleagues who are here in person.
So let me welcome everyone. I would yield to the ranking
member for any comments he would like to make.
Mr. Smith. No, don't have any comments. I look forward to
the rest of the testimony. Thank you.
The Chairman. Again, thank you all for being here. We will
start with--and I don't know if you all are doing this together
or separately, chairman of the Small Business Committee and Ms.
Velazquez, the ranking member, we appreciate the working
relationship over a number of years that we have had to try to
expand the defense industrial base especially for small and
mid-sized companies.
Thank you both for being here.
Chairman Chabot, the floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF HON. STEVE CHABOT, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM OHIO
Mr. Chabot. Thank you very much, Chairman Thornberry and
Ranking Member Smith. And I--as you indicated, we have always
had a very good working relationship, Ranking Member Velazquez
and myself, and we hope to continue to do that. We work
together in a very bipartisan way on the committee, all of the
members really do.
I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you on the
National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] for Fiscal Year 2019.
Let me begin by thanking the committee for its longstanding
collaboration with the Small Business Committee. It has been my
privilege to serve on the Small Business Committee for over 20
years now and through those years, I know that the Armed
Services Committee and our committee have really worked very
well together, so thank you for that relationship.
Your commitment to small businesses is evidenced through
the numerous small-business provisions being enacted into law
each year. I am here today to support the inclusion of 13
small-business bills in this year's NDAA; each of them is
important in ensuring a robust defense industrial base and I
will focus on a few highlights in my limited time.
First, I would like to highlight an important
recommendation made by the Section 809 Panel in its Volume 1
report. Recognizing the agility and innovativeness small
businesses bring to the table, the panel advocated for
increased use of research and development programs specifically
calling for the greater utilization of the Small Business
Innovation Research [SBIR] and Small Business Technology
Transfer [STTR] programs across the Department of Defense.
In a similar vein, H.R. 2763 makes a number of important
changes to the SBIR and STTR programs, these are the ones that
I just referred to, including improving agency accountability,
instituting reporting deadlines, and requiring the Small
Business Administration to provide future Congresses with a
greater understanding of the program's strength and weaknesses.
Additionally, the legislation ensures taxpayers reap the
benefits of the SBIR and STTR programs by tying them to long-
term projects at the Defense Department. I want to, again,
emphasize that improving the SBIR and STTR programs through
this legislation closely follows the recommendations made by
the Section 809 Panel, and I urge you to consider this
important legislation for the fiscal year 2019 NDAA.
In addition, the Section 809 Panel made a number of
recommendations regarding small-business contracting. Given
that the Federal Government spends over a half trillion dollars
each year through contracts, the Federal procurement market is
extremely important for small businesses. Unfortunately, as the
panel indicated, the number of small-business contract actions
dropped nearly 70 percent from fiscal year 2011 to 2016 while
the value of the Department of Defense [DOD] small-business
contracts rose approximately 290 percent.
The decline in the number of small-business contract
actions indicates DOD's small-business contracting is
unfortunately not promoting competition and fostering
robustness in the defense market enough.
These startling statistics indicate an immediate need to
reverse this decline, so I would urge you to consider H.R.
5337, 4754, and 5144, all of which would facilitate small-
business participation in the Federal contracting area.
Furthermore, I would urge this committee to consider H.R. 4668
and 3170. These commonsense cybersecurity bills are vital to
protecting our national security. Small businesses are
increasingly targeted by cyber criminals due to their lack of
resources and technical knowledge to prevent cyberattacks, and
may not be able to afford hiring specialized employees or
cybersecurity experts.
Thus, it is important for the Federal Government and
private sector to work together to combat cyber threats by
making information technology education accessible for small
businesses. H.R. 4668 and 3170 would do just that.
Additionally, I would like to ask the committee to consider
H.R. 2333, 2364, and 2056, all of which assist small businesses
with much-needed capital. Despite an economy that is starting
to show signs of improvement, small business continue to face
obstacles when it comes to accessing capital.
To address these challenges, the Committee on Small
Business worked in a bipartisan manner on these measures to
assist small businesses as they seek capital to grow and
expand. Our Nation demands a vital small-business industrial
base. It is fundamental to the health of our Nation as a whole
and I am grateful to the Armed Services Committee for working
with the Small Business Committee, and I look forward to
working with you to ensure that small businesses continue to
provide the Department of Defense and the Federal Government
with competitive solutions to support critical programs.
And I would be happy to answer any questions, and again,
thank you for allowing us to testify.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Chabot can be found in the
Appendix on page 19.]
The Chairman. Thank you. Do any members have questions of
Chairman Chabot? Great.
Ms. Velazquez.
STATEMENT OF HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW
YORK
Ms. Velazquez. Thank you. Chairman Thornberry, Ranking
Member Smith, and members of this committee, I am honored to
advance bipartisan legislation that will benefit small
businesses alongside my colleague, Chairman Chabot. I would
like to echo his remarks regarding our bipartisan working
relationship. I strongly believe that when it comes to small-
business issues, there is no Republican or Democratic approach
and we have guided the committee in that spirit.
We are all aware of the devastation last year's hurricanes
caused to Puerto Rico. But one thing is clear, if we are to
restore the quality of life in Puerto Rico, small businesses
will be central to that equation. I am very proud of Puerto
Rico not only because it is where I was born, but because of
the resilience of its people.
Unfortunately, even today, more than 6 months after Maria,
an estimated 20 percent of the island's small businesses remain
closed and others face continued hardships with power and basic
living needs. That is why I appreciate Chairman Chabot bringing
H.R. 5178, the Puerto Rico Small Business Contracting
Assistance Act, before the Small Business Committee.
This bill was approved with bipartisan support in March.
The Federal Government's procurement of goods and services can
be one of our most powerful tools for stimulating economic
activity. Unfortunately, to date Puerto Rico has been largely
left out of the Federal marketplace. Of the small number of
Federal contracts performed in Puerto Rico a substantial
percentage of those contracts are performed by firms outside of
Puerto Rico.
In fact, the total awards to Puerto Rico's small businesses
declined from about $426 million in fiscal year 2014 to about
$342 million in fiscal year 2015. My bill aims to increase
contracting by offering incentives such as granting agencies
like DOD the ability to double the value of contract awards to
Puerto Rican small-business concerns when counting the small-
business prime contracting goal.
It also provides training opportunities for firms wishing
to participate in the Federal marketplace through the Mentor-
Protege Program. We must remember that as citizens of the
United States, Puerto Ricans have fought, shed blood, and given
their lives in nearly every major American war. We owe it to
them to help rebuild, and this bill will advance that goal.
We started working on this legislation a year ago, long
before Maria. After the hurricane, we need this bill and its
assistance for Puerto Rico even more today.
Beyond Puerto Rico, the legislation before us today will
help American small businesses more broadly. The SBA [Small
Business Administration] administers a portfolio of
entrepreneurial development programs including Small Business
Development Centers, Women Business Centers, and the Service
Corps of Retired Executives, or SCORE. I think we can all agree
that these programs offer our Nation's job creators vital tools
to grow and create jobs.
H.R. 1774, the Developing the Next Generation of Small
Businesses Act of 2017, streamlines this program and makes them
more effective, helping more firms access the assistance they
need. Access to affordable capital is a longstanding challenge
our committee has prioritized. H.R. 2364 will help boost the
small-business investment company program success by modifying
how much private capital banks and savings associations can
invest in these companies.
And H.R. 2056 increases the intermediary loan limit in the
micro-loan program by $1 million, allowing successful lenders
to serve more borrowers in high-demand locations. Additional
areas where small firms add to our economy are innovation and
infrastructure. Innovative firms drive America's competitive
edge in the global marketplace, yet the USPTO [United States
Patent and Trademark Office] reported that just 15 percent of
small businesses know they need to file for IP [intellectual
property] protection abroad.
H.R. 2655 addresses this by creating a partnership between
the two agencies best suited to help them, the SBA and the
USPTO. And as we contemplate our country's infrastructure, we
must protect the small businesses at the heart of building our
roads and bridges. Performance bonds protect taxpayers from
loss if a contractor on a Federal project defaults. H.R. 4486
amends the Miller Act to provide payment protection to small
business that perform work on Federal construction projects. It
does so by exempting certain construction contracts that must
be bonded under the Miller Act from periodic inflation.
In sum, Mr. Chairman, I believe we have a strong package of
bills before you. I want to thank you, the committee, again for
allowing me to testify. And I urge the inclusion of all these
bills, including those highlighted by Chairman Chabot, to
bolster the presence and economic health of our country's small
businesses. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Velazquez can be found in
the Appendix on page 26.]
The Chairman. Are there any questions for Ms. Velazquez?
Great.
Thank you both.
Ms. Velazquez. Thank you.
The Chairman. We look forward to working together again.
Ms. Velazquez. Thank you.
The Chairman. Mr. Kihuen, welcome. The floor is yours.
Is the microphone on or? There we go.
STATEMENT OF HON. RUBEN J. KIHUEN, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEVADA
Mr. Kihuen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you Ranking
Member Smith and my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee.
I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to come
before the committee to discuss the vital role the military
installations in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District play in
protecting our national security.
Members of the committee, I want to begin with Nellis Air
Force Base in the Las Vegas Valley. It's in the adjacent Nevada
test site and training range. Nellis is known as the home of
the Thunderbirds, which showcases the remarkable skills of our
Nation's most highly trained military pilots, and whose pilots
consider themselves America's ambassadors in blue.
If I may have a moment, Mr. Chairman, of personal
privilege, I would like to recognize Major Stephen ``Cajun''
Del Bagno, a Thunderbird pilot who was killed last week on
April 4th, 2018, during a training exercise. My thoughts go out
to his family and his loved ones.
Nellis' mission goes far beyond the Thunderbirds and it is
also the home of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, the largest
and most demanding advanced air combat training mission in the
world. Aircraft from Nellis operate in the Nevada Test and
Training Range where more than 75 percent of all the live
munitions used by the Air Force for training are dropped.
Nellis employs 11,000 military and 3,700 civilians, making it
one of the largest employers in the State of Nevada. In total,
the Nellis complex has an economic impact of over $5.5 billion
annually.
Nellis Air Force Base is also home to Red Flag, the
premiere military training exercise in the world. Red Flag was
created to provide the U.S. and our allies combat training in a
realistic but safe environment. Red Flag brings together units
with diverse missions ranging from air interdiction, combat
search and rescue, close air support, dynamic targeting, and
defensive counterair, and it pits them against other units who
are specially trained to replicate the tactics and techniques
of potential adversaries. In fact during the Red Flag
operations, the forces amassed at Nellis Air Force Base combine
to constitute the fourth largest air force in the world.
Nevada's Fourth Congressional District is also home to
Creech Air Force Base, which is most famous as the command and
control facility for remotely piloted aircraft systems flying
missions across the globe. From its base in Nevada's Fourth
District, airmen at Creech fly 70 to 75 percent of the unmanned
aircraft combat operations around the world, 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
And finally, I would like to recognize the importance of
the Hawthorne Army Depot in Hawthorne, Nevada. If you visit the
depot, which I recently did, you will see thousands of
munitions storage structures dotting the Nevada desert. These
facilities are used to ship thousands of tons of munitions per
year to the warfighter, and receive thousands of tons of
ammunitions per year for disposal. In addition, Hawthorne is
home to the detachment of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.
The Fourth Congressional District in Nevada plays an
essential role in protecting our national security and
supporting our military. That is why, Mr. Chairman, I am asking
that you continue to authorize the operations that occur at
Nellis, Creech, the Nevada Test and Training Range, as well as
the Hawthorne Army Depot as part of the NDAA so that Nevada can
continue to lead the way in conducting vital missions all
around the globe.
I want to thank you for your time and for letting me
testify in front of your committee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and
Ranking Member.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Kihuen can be found in the
Appendix on page 32.]
The Chairman. Thank you. No doubt, very--a number of very
important facilities, but also we share your grief at the loss
over this past week. We have been losing too many pilots and
certainly one of the Thunderbirds is one of our best. So thank
you.
Mr. Kihuen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. And thanks for being here. If there are no
other questions of Mr. Kihuen, I might just say I think we are
going to have to come back after the vote for the second panel
for--for Mr. Schneider and Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rutherford. So
just heads up, I think we will hopefully have a chance to hear
from Mr. Donovan and then we will come back immediately after
votes for our second panel.
Mr. Donovan, welcome, the floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
NEW YORK
Mr. Donovan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ranking
Member Smith and members of the Armed Services Committee. Thank
you for the opportunity to testify today.
Mr. Chairman, I am requesting an amendment to the National
Defense Authorization Act to require the Pentagon to propose a
legal definition of cyber warfare. No matter how much
technology has changed from the days of ancient Greece and
Roman--Greek and Roman warfare until now, we have thought of
war as involving weapons and the use of physical force. In
modern times we have a large body of both United States and
international law that defines and governs war. But for the
past several decades we have faced a threat that does not have
a legal definition: cyber warfare.
Cyber war does not fit within the traditional confines of
how we conceive warfare. While we have a Cyber Command that is
tasked with protecting U.S. cyberspace, we do not have a legal
definition detailing under what circumstances a cyberattack is
considered an act of war. That is why I am requesting an
amendment that will require the Pentagon to form a working
group to propose a legal definition, report back to Congress,
and make the findings known to the public.
We currently do not know when a cyberattack is an act of
war. If North Korea were to bomb a hospital, that would
undoubtedly be considered an act of war under both U.S. and
international legal standards, but if North Korea were to
launch a cyberattack on a hospital and were able to shut down
the hospital or alter patient records, there is nothing that
defines this as an act of war.
Cyber hacking is rampant. The White House just released a
report that cyber crime cost the United States economy an
estimated $57 billion to $106 billion in 2016 alone. If an
enemy causes between $57 billion and $106 billion worth of
damage from bombing U.S. soil, rest assured we would be at war
right now.
North Korea is one of the biggest perpetrators of cyber
hacking. China, Iran, and Russia are also well known for
engaging in this practice. Critical infrastructure, sensitive
technology secrets, and Americans' private information are all
at risk. Cyberattacks continue to develop, but they are not a
new emerging technology. For the sake of our national security,
we are long past due a legal definition that will allow us to
confront the enemy. By not legally defining cyber warfare, we
let our enemies know that this is an issue we are not ready to
take seriously. It is time to change that.
By creating a definition of when cyberattacks are an act of
war, we will create a strong deterrent and stop other nation-
states from engaging in this practice against the United
States. My amendment will start the process of the United
States creating a legal framework for when a cyberattack is an
act of war. I sincerely and respectfully request that the
committee consider my amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I also testify before you today seeking
equity for the constituents I represent on Staten Island. As
you may know the Post-9/11 GI Bill grants housing allowances
and assistance to veterans attending college through the
military's basic allowance for housing [BAH] program. This
assistance is based on the rental and utility cost of the
military housing area in which the veterans live.
Currently, New York City is separated into two zones, one
for Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and the other
for Staten Island. Although the census status shows that Staten
Island's median gross rent is within $50 of Brooklyn's and $100
higher than the Bronx, the formula still grants Bronx students
up to $1,335 more than Staten Island students. It is alarming
that these hardworking military families in my hometown have
nearly identical cost of living expenses, yet they do not
receive the same allowances as BAH recipients who attend
schools in the other 4 boroughs.
The result is that Staten Island's three institutions of
higher learning cannot recruit veteran students to their
campuses because of the thousands upon thousands of dollars in
reduced assistance it would mean for that student. I firmly
believe that the most equitable and commonsense solution is to
have only one military housing area for all of New York City.
My amendment would require DOD to merge Staten Island's
military housing area with the rest of New York City to create
one military housing area for all of New York City.
I again thank you very much for this opportunity to testify
and I sincerely and respectfully request that the committee
consider my amendment.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Donovan can be found in the
Appendix on page 34.]
The Chairman. I appreciate it. I had no idea about the
division in New York and so I don't know if that is appropriate
statutory or regulatory, but we will work with you to pursue
some sort of answer to that.
And on your cyber deal, as you may know, we had a hearing
earlier today on cybersecurity where this exact issue was
discussed, so it is very timely that you would bring that today
and I appreciate you being here. We will take a careful look at
it.
Mr. Donovan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Because there are votes, we are going to--the
committee will stand in recess until just after votes and then
we will conduct our second panel.
[Recess.]
The Chairman. The committee will resume. We appreciate our
colleagues coming back from votes. Again, all your written
statements have, without objection, been made part of our
record, but we appreciate hearing from each of you on your
priorities and what you think are good for the country.
So we will start with Mr. Johnson. The gentleman is
recognized.
STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE JOHNSON, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM LOUISIANA
Mr. Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Thornberry,
Ranking Member Smith, and members of the committee, I sincerely
appreciate you giving us the opportunity to return and provide
input during the committee's Member Day hearing for the fiscal
year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.
I have the distinct honor of representing a congressional
district that's home to two vital military installations for
our Nation and national security interest around the world:
that is Fort Polk and Barksdale Air Force Base, and even our
smaller National Guard facilities such as Camp Minden.
As I am sure you know, Fort Polk is home to the Army Joint
Readiness Training Center and Barksdale is home to the Air
Force Global Strike Command. And as is evident with the recent
provocations of Syria and North Korea and Iran and Russia and
others, we live in a highly uncertain and incredibly complex
time which further highlights the importance of these two bases
and our military readiness to be fully prepared to combat any
threat from overseas.
In keeping with today's time constraints, I just wanted to
focus primarily on two areas that I think are essential in
needing attention by the committee and our Congress. One is
modernizing our U.S. nuclear enterprise, and two is ensuring
U.S. Army capabilities are fully equipped for necessary
training exercises.
As I begin, I wanted to--like to respectfully thank this
committee for working closely with me last year while crafting
the 2018 NDAA to begin the process of reengineering and
modernizing the B-52 bombers at Barksdale Air Force Base. This
much-needed makeover will extend the life of the B-52s into the
2050s, which is amazing to even think about, and improve range
and fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs.
And I would also like to relay my thanks for the continued
support of Fort Polk from this committee in recognizing their
vital importance to accomplishing its missions and military
readiness.
First, the nuclear enterprise. Today, I just briefly wanted
to speak to the nuclear weapons as they continue to play an
integral role in the strategies of Russia and North Korea,
Pakistan, India, and China. In fact, according to many reports,
as you all know and as evidenced from recent aggressive
actions, these countries are increasing their reliance on and
modernizing their capabilities whether it be on land, air or
sea-based nuclear forces.
If this Congress is going to be serious about rebuilding
our nuclear infrastructure, it must continue to express support
for the long-term commitment of Barksdale Air Force Base and
for the majority of the nuclear triad. I applaud the decision
by the U.S. Air Force to include the new gate at I-20 and
Interstate 220 interchanges into Barksdale Air Force Base on
its unfunded priority list. This project has to be completed in
sequence to pave the way for construction of the weapon storage
area which is currently scheduled to begin construction in
fiscal year 2020.
The new weapon storage area is absolutely vital to our
nuclear enterprise as it will support the overall activities of
Global Strike Command overseas and its necessary involvement in
a wide array of strategic deterrence. As members of this
committee, you are well aware of how critical the Bomber
Command, Eighth Air Force in charge of our aging fleet and
missile command, and the 20th Air Force in charge of the U.S.
intercontinental ballistic missiles, are to deterrence and
global strategy.
Second is ground capabilities, and in any event that
maintaining a capable and robust nuclear option does not
suffice as a deterrent from war, it is imperative that we have
a capable and ready ground force. And as this committee and the
Congress have presented a path forward to rebuilding our force
structure, the need for modernizing our ground capabilities is
certainly prevalent to ensure full mission readiness.
As a proud member who represents one of the two training
centers, the unit training centers in the United States, Fort
Polk Army Base and the Joint Readiness Training Center in our
district are crucial to highlight how the Army has continued to
solidify its footprint with the state-of-the-art Joint
Readiness Training Center, the JRTC.
As Fort Polk's JRTC provides invaluable training for advise
and assist roles, and provides soldiers with the training and
flexibility necessary to carry out the demands placed on them
to achieve victory, it also partners with our close allies in
collaborative joint exercises to prepare for the unique
situations and challenges a unit may face while deployed.
As we work to regrow our ground forces, and since Fort Polk
remains a vital security asset, we should invest in the JRTC
infrastructure to replace the existing Joint Operation Center,
the JOC. As the current JOC was constructed in 1976, just 4
years after my birth, it is in need of serious modernization
and as it is unable to offer sensitive training scenarios above
the secret level due to its outdated infrastructure.
Authorizing a new JOC at Fort Polk would allow the JRTC to
replicate scenarios that are sensitive in nature but offer
invaluable training to fully prepare for any challenges ahead
as it is the only combat training center in the Nation that
also trains and deploys combat units.
And preparing to close here, I just want to say the defense
communities that surround both Barksdale Air Force Base and
Fort Polk and JRTC have a long proven track record of fully
supporting these two vital military installations and they
stand ready to modernize our Armed Forces to meet our Nation's
mission capabilities and necessary resources. Congressman
Abraham has visited these bases with me and he has done it
himself many times and he can attest to the same.
And just recently at Fort Polk, the Army completed its
largest land purchase of over 47,000 acres in an effort to
provide even more robust training facilities and capabilities
for the brigade combat team rotations. And that action was
fully supported by the local community, enthusiastically so.
And furthermore the State of Louisiana and our local
community are finalizing an investment of $90 million to
construct that I-20 interchange into the Barksdale Air Force
Base, and that will open up the access to the installation's
eastern reservation and relieving traffic congestion, paving
the way for that weapon storage facility. Just last week, I was
in Baton Rouge visiting my old colleagues at the Louisiana
legislature and went to the hearing of the joint budget
committee, and I just wanted to thank all my colleagues for
their unanimous support for this vital project.
And finally, I just want to thank this committee again for
considering all these important priorities for our
congressional district as you do all of these around the
country, and I look forward to doing anything I can to support
the committee's work to provide our military with the essential
resources it needs. It is a top priority for all of us and it
should be.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your leadership and truly the
time that you all take to consider all these things, the
opportunity to show my continued support for our men and women
in uniform. And I yield back, thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Johnson can be found in the
Appendix on page 36.]
The Chairman. Thank you. Any questions for the gentleman
from Louisiana? The only complaint I have, Mr. Johnson, is
being reminded about how young you are. That was kind of a low
blow, but other than that, I appreciate it. Thank you for being
here today.
Mr. Johnson. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Mr. Rutherford, the floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN H. RUTHERFORD, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
FLORIDA
Mr. Rutherford. Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member
Smith and distinguished members of the committee, I want to
thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of my
priorities which are important to northeast Florida and our
country in the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization
Act.
As some of you know, Florida's Fourth Congressional
District encompasses most of Jacksonville and St. Augustine,
and includes Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station
Mayport, Marine Corps Blount Island Command, the Florida
National Guard installations, and many industry partners, and I
am proud to represent these men and women who contribute
substantially to our national security.
First, I want to thank the committee for its continued
support of many programs that are key to the missions and
growth at northeast Florida's installations. This includes the
MQ-4C Triton, the P-8A Poseidon, the littoral combat ships, and
various shipbuilding and repair accounts also among others. And
I urge the committee to continue supporting these important
programs.
However, today I would like to spend time focusing on four
areas of importance in this year's legislation: the E-2D
Advanced Hawkeye procurement, the Air Force's light aircraft
attack aircraft, the littoral combat ship [LCS], and the Law
Enforcement Information Exchange program.
First, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the Navy's only
carrier-based early warning and battle management command and
control system. This aircraft is a key enabler of the carrier
strike group [CSG] and provides theater air and missile
defense, synthesizes information from multiple onboard and
offboard sensors, makes complex tactical decisions, and
disseminates actionable information to joint forces in a
distributed open architecture environment. The U.S. Navy's
unfunded priorities list this year includes $340 million for
two additional E-2D aircraft in fiscal year 2019, for a total
of six aircraft. The additional aircraft will allow for a more
efficient production schedule and enable early transition of E-
2Cs over to the E-2Ds at the carrier airborne early warning
[AEW] weapons school.
Of operational importance, it will provide CSGs with the E-
2D's advanced capabilities to face rapidly evolving threats,
ensuring that the most capable AEW aircraft is available for
the defense and protection of U.S. and coalition forces. I want
to urge the committee to support this request of six aircraft
in fiscal year 2019 along with supporting the necessary RDT&E
[research, development, test, and evaluation].
Second, senior Air Force leadership has stated the need to
procure a fleet of off-the-shelf light attack aircraft,
commonly referred to as the OA-X program. And last year's NDAA
supported this concept of rapid procurement, as greater use of
this type of aircraft would provide close air support [CAS] in
a cost-effective way for the Air Force.
Using aircraft like the A-29 Super Tucano is a cheaper
solution than having a more advanced aircraft like the F-35
carrying out CAS and other missions. This saves money and
extends the life of the more expensive aircraft. The Air Force
has conducted an experiment leading to the procurement decision
this year, and should that decision be made, Congress needs to
be prepared to meet that request. And I urge the committee to
provide advanced procurement funding for the purchase of long-
lead items so that this first delivery of the aircraft would be
no later than 2020. And I believe the full utilization of
investment in this program has the potential to reshape how our
airmen carry out their mission.
Third, one program I know this committee is intimately
familiar with is littoral combat ship, which the Freedom-class
ships are homeported at Naval Station Mayport. And I applaud
the committee's continued support of this program and for its
commitment to rebuilding our Navy's fleet.
Of importance to Mayport, the President's budget request
supported the necessary LCS MILCON [military construction] at
Mayport for its training and support facilities. I urge the
committee to support this request, as the current alternative
is actually to send these crews out to San Diego to be trained
which is neither good--which is neither a good use of taxpayer
money nor is it good for the crews. I also strongly support
three more LCS in 2019 and a quick transition to the new
frigate, as I know many on the committee do as well.
Last, as a former sheriff, I understand the tools that can
help our law enforcement and intelligence agencies carry out
their respective missions. The Naval Criminal [Investigative]
Service successfully used a capability called the Law
Enforcement Information Exchange commonly referred to as LInX
to address the data collection, analysis, and integration
challenges that confront the defense intelligence and law
enforcement agencies at all levels of government.
I have seen firsthand the importance of this capability in
dealing with high-value, disparate data in numerous law
enforcement and intelligence agencies, and so I would like to
submit report language for the request that LInX actually be
made a congressional interest item to ensure it receives
adequate and stable funding.
Again, I thank all of you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Smith, for the ability to be here to speak today. I also thank
you on behalf of a grateful Nation for all the hard work that
you all do in ensuring that our Nation remains the strongest
and safest in the world. And I am always available for further
discussion on these or any other programs of interest. And I
yield back, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Rutherford can be found in
the Appendix on page 40.]
The Chairman. Okay. Any questions to Mr. Rutherford? Thank
you, sir, I appreciate you being here. We will certainly take a
look at the report language you requested. One of our
challenges this year is we have a specified top line, and so
adding in one area means we have got to take away from another
and I think that is going to be a challenge for all our members
this year.
But we will--I am--I know all of the other three programs
you specifically mentioned will be a very top item for
discussion, so thank you.
Mr. Rutherford. Thank you.
The Chairman. I appreciate you being here.
Mr. Schneider, thank you for being here.
STATEMENT OF HON. BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM ILLINOIS
Mr. Schneider. Thank you. Thank you, Chairman Thornberry,
Ranking Member Smith, for this opportunity to share with the
House Armed Services Committee some key priorities for
Illinois' 10th Congressional District. I appreciate you making
the time today.
My district is the proud home of many military families,
Active Duty, reservists, and veterans. As well, Naval Station
Great Lakes, North Chicago, through which every single new Navy
recruit passes, is in my district and is central to our local
community. We appreciate your work on the National Defense
Authorization Act, which is important both for our national
security and our local communities.
I first respectfully request that you again include
language addressing the opioid crisis. Our men and women in
uniform are not immune from the opioid epidemic ravaging the
country. In fact, the National Institute of Health reports
rates of prescription opioid misuse are higher among service
members than among civilians due to the use of these drugs to
treat the symptoms of PTS [post-traumatic stress] and chronic
pain.
Last year, an amendment I offered to set continuing
education requirements for Department of Defense doctors who
prescribe opioids was included in the House-passed version of
the NDAA. Unfortunately it was not included in the final bill.
Including this provision would ensure our military doctors are
up to date on the latest best practices in preventing
overprescribing and treating misuse.
Second, I urge the committee to continue to support a
critical joint counter-tunnel defense program undertaken with
our ally Israel. These sophisticated subterranean tunnels are a
major strategic threat for Israel and are used by terrorist
networks to stockpile weapons and launch deadly attacks.
Sustained joint cooperation to counter those tunnels both helps
protect Israel and yields technological benefits for American
efforts to secure our own borders and in the fight against
global terrorism. I urge the committee to again authorize this
program which is appropriated for $47.5 million in the recently
passed fiscal year 2018 omnibus.
Finally, I urge the committee to address the issue of
delayed promotions for men and women serving in the United
States National Guard. This issue was brought to my attention
by a constituent who waited nearly a year for Federal
recognition of his promotion. A recent poll of members by the
National Guard Association of the United States found nearly
half of respondents said it took more than 195 days to receive
a promotion, which is longer than the timeline set out by the
National Guard.
I ask this committee to urge the National Guard to address
this issue to ensure promotions are granted in a more timely
and efficient manner while still maintaining necessary
oversight. Thank you for your time and consideration on these
matters and I appreciate all the work you do to serve our men
and women in uniform and to protect our Nation. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Schneider can be found in
the Appendix on page 43.]
The Chairman. Great. Any questions for Mr. Schneider?
Thank you, sir. I appreciate it, three very important
issues that we will take a careful look at. So, thank you for
being here.
As far as I know, there are no other witnesses. So the
hearing stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 2:40 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
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