[Senate Hearing 115-674, Part 6]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                S. Hrg. 115-674, Pt. 6

               DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION OF 
               APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019 AND 
               THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM

=======================================================================

                                HEARINGS

                               BEFORE THE

                      COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                     ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                                   ON

                                S. 2987

     TO AUTHORIZE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019 FOR MILITARY 
ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, 
TO PRESCRIBE MILITARY PERSONNEL STRENGTHS FOR SUCH FISCAL YEAR, AND FOR 
                             OTHER PURPOSES

                               ----------                              

                                 PART 6

                               PERSONNEL

                               ----------                              

                           FEBRUARY 14, 2018
                           
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]                          
                           

         Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services
                Available via: http://www.govinfo.gov      
         
                             __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
47-054 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2022                     
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

                      COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

JOHN McCAIN, Arizona, Chairman                            
JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma, Chairman	JACK REED, Rhode Island
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi		BILL NELSON, Florida
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska			CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
TOM COTTON, Arkansas			JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire
MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota		KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York
JONI ERNST, Iowa			RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
THOM TILLIS, North Carolina		JOE DONNELLY, Indiana
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska			MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
DAVID PERDUE, Georgia			TIM KAINE, Virginia
TED CRUZ, Texas				ANGUS S. KING, JR., Maine
LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina		MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico
BEN SASSE, Nebraska			ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts
LUTHER STRANGE, Alabama              	GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
                                                          
             
                 Christian D. Brose, Staff Director
                 Elizabeth L. King, Minority Staff Director


_________________________________________________________________

                       Subcommittee on Personnel

THOM TILLIS, North Carolina, 	
             Chairman
JONI ERNST, Iowa		     KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York
LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina	     CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
BEN SASSE, Nebraska         	     ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts   
                                  
                             (ii)


                           C O N T E N T S

_________________________________________________________________

                           february 14, 2018

                                                                   Page

Military and Civilian Personnel Programs and Military Family
  Readiness......................................................     1

                           Member Statements

Statement of Senator Thom Tillis.................................     1

Statement of Senator Joni Ernst..................................     2

Statement of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand.......................     3

Statement of Senator Tim Kaine...................................     4

                           Witness Statements

Wilkie, Hon. Robert L., Jr., Under Secretary of Defense for           6
  Personnel and Readiness.

Rocco, Lieutenant General Michael A., USMC, Deputy Commandant for    10
  Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Grosso, Lieutenant General Gina M., USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff      16
  for Manpower, Personnel and Services.

Burke, Vice Admiral Robert P., USN, Deputy Chief of Naval 
  Operations,
  N-1............................................................    24

Seamands, Lieutenant General Thomas C., USA, Deputy Chief of 
  Staff,
  G-1............................................................    32

Roth-Douquet, Kathy, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Star Families.    55

Hruska, Kelly B., Government Relations Director, National            66
  Military Family Association.

Haynie, J. Michael, Executive Director, Institute for Veterans       94
  and Military Families, Syracuse University.

Questions for the Record.........................................   102

Appendix A.......................................................   129

Appendix B--Attachments 1 to 6...................................   149

    Attachment 1.................................................   149
    Attachment 2.................................................   151
    Attachment 3.................................................   152
    Attachment 4.................................................   153
    Attachment 5.................................................   154
    Attachment 6.................................................   159

Appendix C
    The prepared statement of The National Association of Chain
      Drug Stores................................................   179

                                 (iii)


 
 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 
               2019 AND THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM

                              ----------                              


                      WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018

                      United States Senate,
                         Subcommittee on Personnel,
                               Committee on Armed Services,
                                                    Washington, DC.

 MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL PROGRAMS AND MILITARY FAMILY READINESS

    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:03 p.m. in 
room SR-232A, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Thom 
Tillis (Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
    Subcommittee Members present: Senators Tillis, Ernst, 
Gillibrand, McCaskill, Kaine, and Warren.

            OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR THOM TILLIS

    Senator Tillis. I'm going to bring the hearing to order. 
Ranking Member Gillibrand will be joining us, but, in the 
interest, making sure we have time for both panels, thank you 
all for being here.
    The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel meets 
this afternoon to receive testimony on military and civilian 
personnel programs and on military family readiness. We are 
fortunate today to have the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Personnel and Readiness and the Services' personnel chiefs to 
discuss the Department's military and civilian personnel 
programs, and to have several important civilian witnesses to 
discuss military family readiness.
    On panel 1, we will hear from the Honorable Robert Wilkie, 
Under Secretary of Defense in Personnel and Readiness, and, 
actually, a former colleague of mine in my office; Lieutenant 
General Thomas Seamands, Deputy Army Chief of Staff; Vice 
Admiral Robert Burke, the Chief of Naval Personnel, Deputy 
Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training, 
and Education; Lieutenant General Gina Grosso, Deputy Air Force 
Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Services; and 
Lieutenant General Rocco--Michael Rocco, Deputy Marine 
Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
    Thank you all for being here.
    I'll introduce the second panel during the transition.
    The recently released National Defense Strategy correctly 
states that creativity and talent of the American warfighter is 
our military's greatest enduring strength. Therefore, the 
topics this subcommittee will discuss today are vital to the 
health and effectiveness of our All-Volunteer Force. As the 
Nation faces an increasingly complex global security 
environment, our military's personnel programs and policies 
must build on an agile and adaptable force capable of 
responding to the uncertain threats we face.
    A high-quality military and civilian workforce must appeal 
to this Nation's best and brightest young people, provide 
greater stability and flexibility to servicemembers in their 
professional and personal lives, and provide compensation 
commensurate with the level of responsibility inherent to a 
military career.
    As we do all of this, we can't lose sight of the military 
families who support our troops much better than any personnel 
policy ever could. Military families confront unique stressors 
and challenges which must be considered in any discussion of 
military personnel management. The Congress needs to understand 
military families' concerns and four work diligently to ensure 
that the Department of Defense (DOD) provides the support and 
the services families need. The readiness of our Armed Forces, 
and, ultimately, our Nation's security, depends on it, because, 
if the Defense Department fails to support military families, 
our volunteer servicemembers will simply walk away.
    Finally, I look forward to hearing from Secretary Wilkie 
and the personnel chiefs about their efforts to improve 
recruitment and retention of military and civilian personnel, 
to improve military personnel and family readiness, to prevent 
sexual assault and harassment, to reduce servicemember and 
family suicides, to combat domestic violence and child abuse, 
and to enhance childcare services, and, finally, to improve 
employment opportunities for military spouses.
    I hope the civilian witnesses on the panel--on panel 2 will 
describe the challenges faced by military families and give us 
good ideas about how we can improve family readiness.
    I want to thank all the witnesses for being here today, and 
I look forward to hearing your testimony.
    I want to especially thank Senator Ernst. She's a frequent 
attender of subcommittees. I know she's got a lot of 
subcommittees today; she's bouncing in and out.
    Senator Ernst, I would offer time for you to make any 
opening comment.

                STATEMENT OF SENATOR JONI ERNST

    Senator Ernst. Certainly. This is a rare occasion, since 
I'm not a Chair or Ranking Member of this Committee. So, I 
don't have any prepared statements, but I do want to thank you 
for being here today.
    A number of questions that I have from--later on, if we get 
to those--Senator Tillis addressed most of them in his opening 
comments. One that I want to raise awareness on, and something 
that we do talk about, is recruitment of our forces, and how do 
we sustain readiness with an ever-decreasing population that 
will not meet the height-weight standards to come into the 
service.
    Senator Tillis and I engaged in a ruck march last week, 
something we frequently do on the Hill, so----
    Senator Tillis. It was cold.
    Senator Ernst. It was--for a North Carolinian, it was cold. 
It was a beautiful day for an Iowegian. But, we were joined by 
Sergeant Major of the Army Daley, and we had a great discussion 
about recruiting young people, and we talked a lot about the 
benefits and opportunities that are extended to these young 
people. But, the fact of the matter is, we need a pipeline of 
people coming into the service. I had some physical education 
teachers from Iowa in this morning, and they stated that 71 
percent of our students will not be able to qualify for 
Military Service, because they're simply not ready, coming out 
of high school, because of those height-weight standards. So, 
I'm not suggesting that we need to lower standards at all. I 
think we keep the standard, but what we have to do is focus on 
that pipeline and make sure that, if they want to serve, they 
are ready to serve as they exit high school.
    So, thank you very much for the opportunity, Mr. Chair.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you, Senator Ernst.
    Ranking Member Gillibrand.

           STATEMENT OF SENATOR KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND

    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. I really appreciate your 
work.
    As we begin our review of DOD's military and civilian 
personnel budgets and programs, I remain concerned about the 
pace of accessing and signing women into all military 
occupations and units that were previously denied to them. It 
has been 2 years now since the Secretary of Defense and the 
Obama administration lifted the remaining restrictions. A lot 
of progress has been made, but we must be vigilant that 
occupational standards remain rooted in everyday requirements 
of military duty, as required by law, to ensure an equal 
playing field for all, and that we field the best possible 
military we can, and recruit and retain the best people.
    Second, I applaud the Department, and you, Mr. Wilkie, for 
finally publishing a Uniform Anti-Harassment Policy applicable 
to all uniformed military members, required by the 2013 defense 
bill, which is nearly 5 years late. I have some questions about 
what you choose to include and what is not included in the 
policy. I understand that the next steps, which you are working 
on, is a policy for the Department's civilian and contractor 
workforces. I'm also interested in hearing about your efforts 
to curb retaliation against those who report sexual assault and 
harassment within the ranks. The reported retaliation rate 
against survivors has consistently been around 60 percent, 
which is deeply troubling.
    An area that we have not talked about sufficiently is 
intimate partner violence and child abuse. This came to the 
forefront last year with the shooting by Devin Patrick Kelley, 
in Texas. In that instance, the system failed in keeping a gun 
out of his hands. I know that the Services have been looking at 
how this had happened, and working to ensure that it doesn't 
happen again. But, a less reported data point I think is 
staggering is that, in fiscal year 2016, there were 13,916 
reports of suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect, and, 
horribly, 18 child abuse-related fatalities. All of the 
deceased victims were under 5 years old, and half of them were 
under 1 year old. In addition, there were nine spouse or 
intimate-partner fatalities. Unfortunately, we do not have 
prevalence data for these crimes, but the data that is out 
there suggests to me that we should be paying more attention to 
this issue. So, I'm grateful to Senator Tillis for agreeing to 
hold a hearing devoted to intimate-partner violence and child 
abuse next month.
    In terms of the Department's budget request, the fiscal 
year 2018 request for military personnel, including healthcare, 
totaled $180 billion. This year's request is $187 billion. I 
look forward to hearing from our government witnesses where 
these additional funds would be used in order to increase 
military family readiness. I do have to say, however, that I'm 
extremely disappointed that, even with $85 billion in 
additional funding provided by the budget deal passed by 
Congress, that the President has proposed freezing the pay of 
Federal civilian workforce, half of whom work within DOD and 
its S.0ervices. I believe this is shortsighted, unnecessary, 
and will further erode morale and trust among our civilian 
employees.
    Thank you, Senator Tillis, for including the second panel 
today, which is the focus of a military families program. I am 
especially pleased to welcome Dr. J. Michael Haynie, from 
Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military 
Families, which he leads, and which has done some very 
important work supporting military families' post-service 
employment and financial readiness.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tillis. We'll just share this mic.
    Senator Kaine has joined us. Senator Kaine is not on this 
subcommittee, but I understood yesterday that he was talking 
about stepping in. So, Senator Kaine, before we receive 
testimony from the first panel, if you'd like to make some 
comments, we'll recognize you at this time.

                 STATEMENT OF SENATOR TIM KAINE

    Senator Kaine. I want to thank the Chair and the Ranking, 
and thank the witnesses and colleagues for forbearance on this. 
I am the ranking on the Readiness Subcommittee, and we're 
meeting around the corner. So, I wanted to just make brief 
comments on a readiness and personal matter, and then race 
back.
    Family readiness. Family readiness, which is so critical to 
personnel, but to the entire military mission. I firmly believe 
that family readiness, and specifically military spouse 
unemployment, is a military readiness issue. I have a child in 
the military who recently is married, and so now I'm 
experiencing the discussions about this issue in a different 
way than I have before. But, I hear about it from folks all 
over the Commonwealth, and I'm sure it's the same for all my 
colleagues. They hear about it in their State.
    Military families face significant financial strain in 
security and sacrifice because of having single incomes or also 
because of the frequent moves. This places an enormous strain 
on the force. I think we've often heard our military leaders 
testify, in the full hearings, that often it's the 
servicemember that makes the decision to enlist, but whether 
somebody stays or not is most often a family decision. So, we 
need to focus on retaining top talent. Military life will never 
be easy on those who serve or their families, but, while we 
can't make Military Service easy, sometimes we can lighten the 
burden on families and make it a little bit more doable.
    Within the last 2 weeks, I introduced S. 2379, the Military 
Spouse Employment Act. I want to thank Senators Gillibrand, 
Murray, and Purdue for being cosponsors of the legislation. 
Truly bipartisan. It's been introduced in a bipartisan way on 
the House side, as well.
    Spouses are facing unemployment rates two to--at least 
three times higher than the national average, and some surveys 
have that rate as seven times higher. The only reason there is 
a range is, we haven't cared enough about the figure to really 
accurately measure it. We do measure veterans' unemployment 
rate very well through the Department of Labor, but military 
spouse unemployment hasn't been a priority, so the measures are 
more difficult, and they have to be done via survey.
    When we saw, collectively, similar rates among veterans-- a 
veterans unemployment rate higher than the national average in 
the late 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 space, we did a bunch of 
things, together with society, and then the veterans 
unemployment rate of Iraq and Afghan war vets actually dropped 
down to be now below the national average. That's good. So, if 
we were able to do it there, with some persistent attention, I 
think we can do it here, too. I hope we can make a similar 
effort, connected to the NDAA [National Defense Authorization 
Act] this year, to take this really talented, resilient 
workforce of military spouses and help them tackle the 
challenge.
    The bill that I passed, which I hope we'll be discussing 
during the NDAA, came from stories that I heard around 
Virginia, and basically falls into four pillars:
    First, assistance with direct hiring. To the extent that we 
can use expedited hiring into Federal jobs--we sometimes do 
that for veterans--we can do it for military spouses, too. 
Often, the best jobs around military bases are other Federal 
jobs, either DOD civilian or other Federal agencies.
    Second, training. The MyCAA, career advancement account, 
can be used by spouses, but we've found a whole lot of people 
don't really know about the account. There's even some uses of 
it we think we can expand. So, it's one thing to use that 
account to take a course, to advance your employability, but 
how about using the account to pay for a credential? If you 
move from one State to the next and you're a teacher, a real 
estate agent, lawyer, cosmetologist, and you need to get a new 
credential, how about using the CAA account to recredential or 
reregister?
    Third, counseling. The Military OneSource offers counseling 
resources for servicemembers and spouses after the transition. 
But, we heard from a lot of folks that the 6 month availability 
of these resources--career coaching, counseling--was just too 
quick to help some people in the transition. That 6 months 
comes fast. The transition isn't done. We can extend that for a 
year.
    Then, finally, there are transition assets on military 
bases, Transition Assistance Program, that are now guaranteed 
access for the military servicemember, but not guaranteed 
access for spouses. Since transition is a family matter, we 
think we ought to guarantee spouses access to those resources, 
as well.
    There's a lot to it. The nice thing is, this is a matter 
that I know there's not a partisan issue to. It's my hope that 
whether it's tackling it on the readiness side or in the 
personnel side as we go through the NDAA process this year, 
this bipartisan idea might find favor with the Committee. Mr. 
Chair, I thank you. Senator Gillibrand, thanks so much for 
being a cosponsor of the bill.
    Thanks for letting me interrupt. You're actually going to 
hear from some witnesses in panel 2 who have been very 
instrumental in helping us realize what we need to do in this 
area. I thank them for their help.
    Thanks, Mr. Chair.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you, Senator Kaine.
    Secretary Wilkie, welcome. We'll then move from right to 
left on opening statements from the personnel Service Chiefs.
    Secretary Wilkie.

  STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT L. WILKIE, JR., UNDER SECRETARY OF 
              DEFENSE FOR PERSONNEL AND READINESS

    Secretary Wilkie. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, Senator 
Gillibrand, and Senator Ernst.
    As you said, Mr. Chairman, this is a bit of a homecoming 
for me. I can never begin to repay the Senators here and my 
colleagues on the staff for your kindness to me through the 
years.
    I also want to thank you for your herculean efforts on 
behalf of our troops to provide them stable and predictable 
funding for our operations for the next 2 years.
    Mr. Chairman, during my nomination hearing, you charged me 
with making life easier for the men, women, and families who 
carry our future on their shoulders. Since my confirmation, I 
am happy to report that the role of personnel and readiness 
(P&R) has not only changed to make that charge real, but it has 
changed to provide a wider use of personnel issues as we inform 
the National Defense Strategy (NDS).
    Secretary Mattis first laid out three Department of Defense 
priorities in the new National Defense Strategy. One is 
rebuilding military readiness as we build a more lethal joint 
force. Two, strengthening alliances as we attract new partners. 
Three, reforming the Department's business and family practices 
for greater performance. P&R has a role in all of these areas.
    The Secretary has also given us new responsibilities for 
the strategic readiness of the force. He has instructed us to 
address resource gaps in capabilities, readiness, and the 
capacity to project power in globally contested environments. 
He has charged us with updating readiness goals in line with 
the NDS, working with the Joint Staff and Services to establish 
a standardized demand signal to determine the forces essential 
to address future warfighting scenarios. He has also tasked us 
with implementing a readiness recovery framework that includes 
a plan on specific Military Service identified areas for 
improvement, such as maintenance, access to training, 
sufficient manpower, depot maintenance, and the time needed to 
plan, coordinate, and execute readiness across the Services.
    As I mentioned last year, the Department has too often been 
caught up in chasing the shiny object, like the new carrier or 
the new fighter. We have forgotten many of the family issues 
that make our All-Volunteer Force work. But, we have also 
forgotten servicemembers on the front line. The front line is 
where 80 to 90 percent of the casualties occur. It is where the 
human dimension of conflict is its most bloody. It is a world 
that is brutal and unforgiving, and a world in which the grim 
reality now is that the enemy is catching up and exploiting 
areas of weakness. The Israeli Defense Force experienced that 
in Lebanon against Hezbollah in 2006. We have experienced it 
against foes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now look to a world 
where threats are proliferating from North Korea, China, 
Russia, and Iran.
    Our goal in reassessing the way we carry the fight to deter 
and, if need be, defeat any enemy is to make sure that our 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines get home alive quickly--
and get home quickly to their families. What does that mean? It 
means no more fair fights. That means overmatching our enemies. 
That means providing our troops with the same level of 
investment and scholarly attention that we do with the billion-
dollar programs that tend to grab headlines across the country.
    Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned at my nomination hearing, this 
is not the military that Chairman McCain and my father joined 
at the dawn of the Kennedy administration. Yet, we are still 
faced with policies and procedures in place then to run that 
force of multiple millions, refreshed each year by tens of 
thousands of draftees and thousands of ROTC [Reserve Officers' 
Training Corps] graduates.
    Today, our military is vastly different. It is comprised 
entirely of high-quality volunteers. As Senator Gillibrand 
noted, 17 percent of the force is female, many of them serving 
on the front lines in numbers and missions unimaginable in the 
days of the Women's Army Corps. Yet, we still rely on a 20 year 
up-or-out model for servicemembers who are forced to leave the 
military in their prime. Promotion models often see the bottom 
performer advanced at the same pace as the frontrunner. Success 
in the Information Age will increasingly rely on the technical 
ability of our troops. Their assignment system values breadth 
over depth of experience. Recruiting is often stovepiped and 
not reaching a wider audience online. Our servicemembers cannot 
move freely amongst Active, Guard, and Reserve components to 
meet changing circumstances in their lives.
    As part of a holistic talent management strategy, I am 
working with the Services, and will work with you, to ensure 
that our legislative authorities and policies meet these 
requirements and the requirements laid out by the Secretary of 
Defense and the National Defense Strategy.
    Our families, as I mentioned, are our priority, as well. In 
my father's day, very few servicemembers had families. Today, 
almost 70 percent do. For our families, the military health 
system has been slow to keep up with modern medical advances 
for conditions like autism, as the Chairman and Ranking Member 
have often pointed out, and other behavioral disorders. The 
Department will continue to enhance and provide DOD support for 
military families with special medical or educational needs 
through the ongoing Exceptional Family Member Program 
standardization, with oversight and analysis of policy 
implementation, increased communication of available resources, 
and continuous process improvement.
    We still have military families making their medical 
appointments on paper. P&R, in accord with the direction of 
this Committee, is consolidating our military healthcare 
systems into one streamlined and efficient military healthcare 
administration.
    Constant rotation, again based on a 19th Century Army model 
and an issue addressed in Senator Kaine's recent legislation, 
causes stress on our force. It prevents families from putting 
down roots, and spouses from garnering meaningful employment. 
We are mindful of this. We are undertaking a review of ways in 
which we can mitigate those stresses through greater stability, 
particularly at large posts, camps, and stations, locations 
where stability can be balanced with the readiness imperative 
for servicemembers' professional development.
    We are also reviewing our childcare service, and will 
implement strategies to improve access to, and the quality of, 
Department of Defense-provided childcare across our services.
    The bottom line is that readiness is holistic, and, if the 
families are not happy, the soldier walks.
    Importantly, we have finally provided our Members with a 
comprehensive anti-harassment and bullying policy, as 
instructed by this Committee over 6 years ago. To mark the 
seriousness of this endeavor, I have instructed the elevation 
of the DOD Office of Resiliency to include the Sexual Assault 
Prevention and Response Office to be a direct report to me, so 
that it is no longer lost within the layers of the Pentagon's 
bureaucracy. This office will be responsible for Department 
policy and enforcement on sexual assault, harassment, suicide 
prevention, and equal opportunity.
    Mr. Chairman, the All-Volunteer Force has performed 
miracles, but certain communities within the joint force are 
still deploying at a higher rate than desired, and, in some 
cases, their current deploy-to-dwell rate is not sustainable to 
achieve our readiness recovery goals. We must address those 
hard facts or the force will break.
    One way we address this is to ensure our servicemembers are 
performing warfighting operations while we rely on our civilian 
workforce to meet support missions that enhance our military's 
readiness. To that effort, I am reviewing not only how the 
Department can optimize staffing at our shipyards, hospitals, 
and especially our headquarters, but how we can hire the right 
people to make them accountable to perform at the highest 
level.
    Mr. Chairman, this Committee has kept faith with the finest 
military in the world, and the solutions for many of the issues 
I have mentioned have already begun to be put in place by you. 
I pledge P&R to continue to build upon your work and help you 
keep that faith.
    Thank you, sir.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Wilkie follows:]

           Prepared Statement by the Honorable Robert Wilkie
    Mr. Chairman, Senator Gillibrand, and distinguished Members of the 
Subcommittee on Personnel, this is a bit of a homecoming and I can 
never begin to repay the kindness shown me by the Senators here and 
their wonderful staff.
    Mr. Chairman, during my nomination hearing I noted that you were 
charging me with making life easier for those men and women who carry 
our future on their shoulders.
    Since my confirmation, the role of Personnel & Readiness (P&R) has 
changed to comport with Secretary Mattis' vision. The Secretary has 
laid out three Department of Defense (DOD) priorities in the new 
National Defense Strategy:

    1.  Rebuilding military readiness as we build a more lethal Joint 
Force

    2.  Strengthening alliances as we attract new partners

    3.  Reforming the Department's business practices for greater 
performance P&R has a role in all these areas, most significantly in 
building readiness and reforming DOD.

    The Secretary has also given P&R new responsibilities for the 
Strategic Readiness of the force. He has instructed us to:

         Address resource gaps in the capabilities, readiness, 
and capacity to project power globally in contested environments.

         Update the readiness goals in line with the National 
Defense Strategy--working with Joint Staff and Services, establish a 
standardized demand signal to determine the forces essential to address 
various future warfighting scenarios and identify actions to maximize 
force readiness.

         Implement a Readiness Recovery Framework (R2F) that 
includes a plan on specific Military Service-identified areas for 
improvement, such as sufficient maintenance; access to training ranges; 
sufficient manpower; depot maintenance capacity; and time needed to 
plan, coordinate, and execute readiness and training activities.

    In my opinion, the Department has too often been caught up in 
chasing the shiny object--the new carrier or fighter. We have forgotten 
the servicemembers on the frontline. The frontline is where 80 percent 
of the casualties occur.
    It is where the human dimension of conflict is its most bloody. It 
is a world that is brutal and unforgiving--a world in which the grim 
reality now is that the enemy is catching up and exploiting areas of 
weakness. The mighty Israeli Defense Force experienced it in Lebanon 
against Hezbollah. We have experienced it against foes in Iraq and 
Afghanistan and now look to a world where threats are proliferating 
from North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran.
    The threshold question then is whether each decision made by the 
Department enhances America's ability to deter--and if need be defeat--
any enemy while keeping our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines 
alive and getting them back home quickly.
    That means no more fair fights. That means overmatching our 
enemies. That means providing our marines and Army infantry with the 
same level of investment and scholarly attention that we do with the 
billion-dollar programs that grab the headlines in this town.
    Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned at my nomination hearing--this is not 
the military that Senator McCain or my father joined at the dawn of the 
Kennedy Administration, yet we are hamstrung by the policies and 
procedures emplaced then to run that force of multiple millions 
refreshed each year by tens of thousands of draftees and thousands of 
ROTC graduates. Today, our military is vastly different. Comprised 
entirely of high-quality volunteers. Seventeen percent of the force is 
female--many of whom are serving on the frontlines--in numbers and 
missions unimaginable in the days of the Women's Army Corps.
    We rely on a 20-year-up-or-out model for servicemembers who are 
forced to leave the military in their prime. Promotion models often see 
the bottom performer advanced at the same pace as the front runner. 
Success in the information age will increasingly rely on the technical 
ability of our troops, yet our assignment system values breadth over 
depth of experience and expertise. Recruiting is stove piped and not 
reaching a wide audience online. Servicemembers cannot move freely 
amongst Active, Guard and Reserve components to meet changing 
circumstances in their lives. As part of a holistic talent management 
strategy, I am working with the Services and will work with you to 
ensure our legislative authorities and policies meet the requirements 
laid out in our National Defense Strategy.
    I will also make our families a priority. In my father's day, few 
servicemembers had families--today over 60 percent do. For our 
families, the Military Health System has been slow to keep up with 
modern medical advances for conditions like autism and other behavioral 
disorders as Senators Gillibrand and Tillis have pointed out. The 
Department will continue to enhance and improve DOD support for 
military families with special medical or educational needs through 
ongoing Exceptional Family Member Program standardization efforts, 
oversight and analysis of policy implementation, increased 
communication of available resources, and continuous processes 
improvement.
    We still have military families making their medical appointments 
on paper and P&R, in accord with the direction of this committee, is 
consolidating our multiple military health care systems into one 
streamlined and efficient military health care administration.
    Constant rotation--again based on a 19th Century Army model--causes 
stress on our force and prevents families from putting down roots and 
spouses from garnering meaningful employment. We are mindful of this 
and are undertaking a review of ways in which we can mitigate those 
stressors through greater stability, particularly at large posts, 
camps, and stations--locations where stability can be balanced with the 
readiness imperative for servicemember professional development. We are 
also reviewing our childcare services and will implement strategies to 
improve access to and the quality of Defense Department-provided child 
care services. The bottom line is that readiness is holistic--if the 
families are not happy, the soldier walks.
    Importantly, we have finally moved to provide our members with a 
comprehensive anti-harassment and bullying policy as instructed by this 
committee over 6 years ago. To mark the seriousness of this endeavor--I 
have instructed the elevation of the DOD Office of Resiliency to 
include the Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Office to be a direct 
report to me, so that it is no longer within the layers of the Pentagon 
infrastructure. This office will be responsible for Department policy 
and enforcement on sexual assault, harassment, suicide prevention, and 
equal opportunity.
    The All-Volunteer Force has performed miracles but certain 
communities within the Joint Force are still deploying at a higher rate 
than desired and in some cases their current deploy to dwell rate is 
not sustainable to achieve our readiness recovery goals. We must 
address those hard facts, or the force will break.
    One way we address this is to ensure our servicemembers are 
performing warfighting operations while we rely on our civilian 
workforce to meet the support missions that enable our military's 
readiness. To that effort, I am reviewing not only how the Department 
can optimize staffing at our shipyards, our hospitals, and especially 
our headquarters, but how we can hire the right people and make them 
accountable to perform at the highest level.
    Mr. Chairman, this committee has kept faith with the finest 
military in the world and the solutions for many of the issues I 
mentioned have already begun to be put in place. I pledge to continue 
to build on your work and help keep that faith.

    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    General Rocco.

STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL MICHAEL A. ROCCO, USMC, DEPUTY 
          COMMANDANT FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS

    General Rocco. Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, 
and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for 
the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss your 
Marine Corps.
    Your 186,000 marines are the foundation of the Corps. They 
are the Corps' most critical resource, and always will be. 
Marines are recruited, trained, and educated, and retained to 
win our Nation's battles. They are smart, resilient, fit, 
disciplined, and able to overcome adversity. Marines are 
warfighters. They are lethal, and they are ready.
    Recruiting high-quality men and women, and retaining those 
whose past service and future potential continues to make the 
Corps stronger and is our highest priority. Our marines ensure 
that we will be no better friend to our allies and those we 
have come to help, and no worse enemy to those who oppose us.
    We will meet our recruiting missions again this year, 
while, at the same time, exceeding all quality goals. The 
Department requires 90 percent of marine enlistees to be in the 
top education tier. We are over 99 percent. We require 60 
percent of enlistees to be in the highest mental aptitude 
group. We are over 72 percent.
    Just as we recruit the best, so must we retain the best. 
The Marines are capable of fulfilling our leadership roles and 
operational requirements. There is a continuous challenge to 
keep high-quality marines in the service, especially in the 
current economy and increasingly competitive civilian job 
market. This is particularly true for cyber and many of the 
other high-tech occupations that are of critical and enduring 
importance. Incentive pays and bonuses remain vital to our 
retention effort, and we appreciate your continued support. We 
are open to, and always assessing, new ways to recognize, 
reward, and ultimately retain quality marines in the Corps. The 
Commandant's top priority in this regard is to increase 
flexibility for officer promotions. We believe that this is a 
simple yet very real and effective way to recognize excellence.
    We look forward to working with all of the services, the 
Department, and Members of the Subcommittee on other 
initiatives that will enhance personnel quality, readiness, and 
lethality. We must remain adaptable and consider new ways to 
recruit and retain the high-tech force we need for the future 
as we build on the foundation of the quality marines we have 
today.
    I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Lieutenant General Rocco 
follows:]

       Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Michael A. Rocco
                              introduction
    Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and distinguished 
Members of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to appear before you 
today to provide an overview on Marine Corps personnel.
    Since our founding in 1775, marines have answered our Nation's 
call, faithfully serving the American people and maintaining a standard 
of military excellence. Your Marine Corps is, and will continue to be, 
our Nation's expeditionary force in readiness. We are warfighters who 
are ready to rapidly respond to crises around the globe to ensure the 
continued security of the American people and to protect the interests 
that underpin our Nation. Marines will be always faithful to the trust 
which the American people have vested in them.
                               our people
    Mission first, people always. Marines are the foundation of the 
Marine Corps. They are the Corps' most critical resource, and always 
have been. Your marines are recruited, trained, educated, and retained 
to win our Nation's battles. They are smart, resilient, fit, 
disciplined, and able to overcome adversity. Recruiting high quality 
youth and retaining those whose past service and future potential 
continues to make the Corps stronger are our highest priorities; they 
ensure we remain no better friend and no worse enemy.
End Strength
    We thank you for the increased end strength authorization to 
186,000 in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act 
(NDAA). This increase is allowing us to strengthen our capabilities to 
meet warfighting requirements. Nevertheless, the Marine Corps operating 
forces continue to average a deployment-to-dwell ratio of 1:2. This 
tempo is not sustainable over the long term; our optimal deployment-to-
dwell is 1:3. Our marines want to deploy, serve our Nation, and protect 
our country from threats overseas, but we owe our marines and their 
families the appropriate time to reconnect with family, refocus, learn 
from their most recent deployment, and train for the next deployment or 
contingency. In the near term, we have made the decision to fund 
modernization and recover our readiness to continue to ensure our 
marines are fully equipped for today's conflict. However, we must not 
accept a 1:2 deployment-to-dwell as the new normal.
Recruiting
    Unique to all services, all recruiting efforts across the Marine 
Corps--officer, enlisted, regular, reserve, and prior-service--fall 
under the purview of a single entity, the Marine Corps Recruiting 
Command. Operationally, this provides us with tremendous flexibility 
and unity of command, facilitating efforts to meet accession 
requirements.
    Last fiscal year, we successfully achieved all enlisted and officer 
recruiting goals for both the Active and Reserve components, and we 
expect to do the same again this year. We also will exceed all quality 
goals. The Department of Defense requires 90 percent of enlistees to 
have a high school diploma or equivalent (Education Tier 1), and 60 
percent of enlistees to belong to Mental Groups I-IIIA (mental 
aptitude). Last year, the Marine Corps achieved 99.9 percent of Tier 1, 
72 percent mental group I-IIIA, and expects to be at or near these 
levels for fiscal year 2018.
    While only 8 percent of new Marine Corps recruits receive an 
enlistment bonus, these incentives are critical to enable us to ship 
new recruits at the right times to balance recruit loads at the recruit 
depots and meet school seat requirements. We appreciate Congress' 
support for these priority programs that assist our contracting high 
quality marine recruits.
    To meet future challenges in the current recruiting environment, it 
is imperative that we maintain our high standards both for our 
recruiters and those who volunteer to serve in our Corps. Recruiting 
quality young individuals translates into higher performance, reduced 
attrition, and improved readiness for the operating forces. Our 
actions, commitment, and investments in recruiting today ensure a high 
state of readiness in our Corps tomorrow.
Retention
    As the Marine Corps manages its 186,000 force, we work to retain 
the very best available marines capable of fulfilling our leadership 
and operational needs. This is accomplished through a competitive 
career designation process for officers and a thorough evaluation 
process for enlisted marines, both of which are designed to measure, 
analyze, and compare our marines' performance and accomplishments. 
However, there is a continuous challenge to keep high-quality marines 
in the service, especially in a competitive civilian job market.
    Marine Corps retention models, systems, policies, and processes 
emphasize consistency of leadership, personnel stability, and sustained 
readiness across the force. Officer career designation incorporates a 
board system that enables leaders to examine officer records and 
accomplishments. After designation, the promotion process continues the 
evaluation of marine officers. It is a primary tool by which we retain 
only the best and most qualified marines.
    For enlisted marines, a tiered rating system takes into account a 
number of quantifiable performance factors and includes inputs from 
both immediate and more senior leaders. It helps to set achievable 
goals for marines as they compete for retention. After initial 
reenlistment, the evaluation and continued retention of high quality 
enlisted marines is supported by a detailed and continual performance 
evaluation system which is fully integrated with the promotion process. 
Those marines with the best proven performance are retained and 
promoted.
    Incentive pays remain critical to our retention effort, allowing 
the Marine Corps to fill hard to retain positions, such as cyber 
security technicians, special operators, and counter intelligence 
specialists. Similarly, Selective Reenlistment Bonuses (SRBs) allow us 
to shape our career force by targeting critical military occupational 
specialties (MOSs) and supporting lateral movement of marines to these 
MOSs. Continuing resolutions have delayed payments of promised SRBs, 
and can negatively impact re-enlistments. We appreciate the committee's 
continued support to ensure we have the resources required to meet our 
retention goals. We are open to, and always assessing, new ways to 
recognize and reward excellence in the Corps to ensure quality remains 
high and retention strong.
Reserves
    Your Marine Corps Selected Reserve is fully manned at its 
authorized end strength of 38,500, and our reserve unit personnel 
readiness stands at its highest level in a generation. Unit reserve 
personnel readiness continues to increase from 71 percent in 2013 to 
over 86 percent today, with significant improvement in both enlisted 
and officer force management.
    While these are welcome and positive trends, we continue to assess 
ways to further improve personnel readiness. We have implemented a 
comprehensive manpower management plan to provide full service support 
to our Reserve officers and staff NCOs [non-commissioned officers] for 
their career management. We have expanded this plan to provide full-
service manpower management support for the entire Selected Reserve. 
This is a talent management initiative that will help our NCOs, staff 
NCOs, and officers move between commands to enhance their development 
and military career goals.
    The increase in our officer manning has been driven in part by 
bonuses and incentives to attract more marines from the Active 
component. In addition, our Reserve Officer Commissioning Program has 
produced 1,199 lieutenants for the Marine Corps reserves since its 
creation in 2006. As a result, our ground company grade officer manning 
has increased from 21 percent in 2007, to 89 percent today.
    Your Marine Corps Reserves has increased the number of Reserve 
marines activating under the 12304b mobilization authority for pre-
planned training missions supporting combatant commander requirements. 
Approximately 1,100 Reserve marines are scheduled to deploy during the 
remainder of this fiscal year. The fiscal year 2018 NDAA extended pre- 
and post-deployment health care to marines who deploy under 12304b, and 
the Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 provided them with post 
9/11 G.I. Bill benefits. We appreciate this subcommittee's work to 
implement these changes.
Blended Retirement System
    The new Blended Retirement System (BRS) went into effect on January 
1, 2018. The BRS is a significant change from the legacy retirement 
system and, while it confers a monetary benefit on the large majority 
of marines who do not reach retirement eligibility, we remain concerned 
on the potential impact on retention behavior of the force. With over 
184,000 marines--both Active and Reserve--having to make an ``opt-in'' 
decision this year, will be closely monitoring BRS execution progress 
for any of these and other impacts.
    During 2017, the Marine Corps focused on training those current 
marines who may elect to enroll in the BRS this year. Headquarters 
Marine Corps subject matter experts visited major bases and 
installations, briefing over 2,000 officer and enlisted leaders on the 
tools available to educate their marines. The Marine Corps implemented 
an integrated communications plan employing administrative messages and 
a website with training links, videos, and robust reference material. 
We utilized the Marine Corps' social media platforms to increase 
awareness and knowledge regarding the BRS and the associated training 
requirements. We are closely tracking BRS execution progress and will 
continue to do so throughout 2018.
Marine Corps Integration
    Executing our successful gender integration plan is key to 
sustaining readiness, as well as ensuring we afford all marines the 
opportunity to succeed as valued members of the Corps. The Marine Corps 
is fully committed to sustaining the most combat effective force by 
capitalizing on the knowledge, skills, abilities, demonstrated 
performance, and potential of every marine.
    To date, our plan is progressing very well. Female marines are now 
represented in all previously-restricted occupational fields. 
Performance standards are working to ensure both male and female 
marines possess the requisite ability to successfully perform the 
critical skills of their chosen military occupational specialty. We 
continue to collect data and assess all aspects of our plan through the 
lenses of 1) combat effectiveness; 2) unit readiness; and 3) talent 
management.
Civilian Marines
    Our civilian marines support the mission and daily functions of the 
Marine Corps and are an integral part of our Total Force. They 
exemplify our core values; they embrace esprit de corps, teamwork, and 
pride in belonging to our Nation's Corps of Marines. Serving alongside 
our marines throughout the world, in every occupation and at every 
level, our civilian appropriated-funded workforce remains by far the 
leanest of all services, with a ratio of one civilian to every ten 
Active Duty marines.
    Approximately 95 percent of our appropriated funded civilians work 
outside the Washington, DC, beltway at 57 bases, stations, depots, and 
installations around the world. Sixty-nine percent are veterans who 
have chosen to continue to serve our Nation; of those, 18 percent are 
disabled veterans. Our civilian non-appropriated funded workforce 
steadfastly continues to provide vital support to our marines, Reserve 
marines, their families, and our wounded, ill and injured.
    The last few years have not been easy on our civilian marines. 
Attracting and retaining top civilian talent when faced with personnel 
reductions, limited pay raises, and furloughs is challenging. Continued 
continuing resolutions also create an environment of uncertainty and 
threat of furlough. Nevertheless, our civilians have truly shown 
themselves as Semper Fidelis, keeping our marines and their families in 
the forefront. For that, they have my personal admiration.
               taking care of marines and their families
    Taking care of marines and their families is a key element of 
overall readiness and combat effectiveness. The adage ``we recruit 
marines, we retain families'' remains as true today as ever. Our 
comprehensive package of services seeks the holistic fitness and 
readiness of our marines and families--body, mind, spirit, and social.
Behavioral Health
    The Marine Corps Behavioral Health Program is an integrated 
community-based service model that includes community counseling, 
family advocacy, suicide prevention, substance abuse, and combat 
operational stress. We provide world-class prevention and counseling 
services at each installation, and all of our behavioral health 
programs provide free confidential services offered by licensed 
counselors. These services are available to individuals, couples, 
families, and children. During fiscal year 2017, we provided nearly 
15,000 assessments and more than 100,000 counseling hours to marines 
and their families.
Suicide Prevention
    Suicide prevention is one of the Marine Corp's highest priorities; 
one death is too many. Preventing suicide has proven to be a very 
challenging task given the complex nature of the problem, but we are 
steadfast in our commitment to eliminating it.
    Our Marine Intercept Program (MIP) is targeted intervention for 
marines who have had a suicidal ideation or attempt. MIP combines 
efforts from fellow marines, commanders, installation counselors, and 
Marine Corps headquarters elements. It assists marines with a suicide 
ideation or attempt through care coordination, regular telephone 
outreach by care managers, development of safety plans, and suicide 
assessments for marines with a reported suicidal ideation or attempt. 
MIP is a very effective program that results in marines receiving 
assistance faster, keeping their appointments, and, ultimately, saving 
lives.
    The Marine Corps DSTRESS Line is a 24/7/365, marine-specific call 
center providing phone, chat, and video-telephone capability for 
anonymous counseling for circumstances across the stress continuum. 
DSTRESS calls can discuss stress and anger management, grief and loss, 
deployment cycles, parent-child relationships, couples communication, 
marital issues, relationships, relocations, and suicidal crisis. To 
date, the DSTRESS Line has had approximately 45,000 sessions with 
marines, attached sailors, and their families. Since its inception in 
2010, DSTRESS has helped save 39 marines who were in imminent danger 
situations.
    Our current social media campaign--``#BeThere--Marine''--is a call 
to action that motivates marines to take steps and pay attention to 
individuals experiencing emotional distress or expressing suicidal 
thoughts. To date, nearly 800,000 individuals have viewed and shared 
these social media posts and public service announcements worldwide.
Sexual Assault Prevention & Response
    Protecting our marines and eradicating sexual assault from our 
ranks are top priorities for me and our Corps. We are committed to 
eliminating incidents of sexual assault by increasing awareness through 
prevention and education, victim centered support, intimidation free 
reporting, thorough investigation, and accountability for those who 
commit sexual crimes. Any marine who comes forward to report a sexual 
assault will receive support, even when the sexual assault occurred 
prior to service.
    Based on results from the 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations 
Survey for Active Duty Servicemembers, sexual assault prevalence has 
decreased by 30 percent since 2014. Conversely, reporting levels have 
increased. We believe that reduced prevalence with increased reporting 
means we are reducing the number of unreported incidents, ensuring that 
marines who experience sexual assault get the support they need.
    In an effort to better reach junior enlisted marines and officers, 
the Marine Corps has developed ``Join the Conversation,'' a 
professional military education campaign that helps guide marines in 
identifying five destructive behaviors--hazing, sexual assault, sexual 
harassment, retaliation, and alcohol misuse. Marines are educated on 
the importance of understanding destructive behaviors, the negative 
impact of those behaviors to the unit and the Corps at large, and what 
marines can do to combat them. This initiative is now formal 
instruction at The Basic School.
    Male marines are less likely to report a sexual assault than 
females. Since so few studies focus on males, the Marine Corps 
conducted interviews with its Sexual Assault Response Coordinators 
(SARCs) and Sexual Assault Prevention & Response (SAPR) Victim 
Advocates (VAs) to learn about their interactions with male marines who 
experienced a sexual assault. We learned valuable information regarding 
barriers to reporting, reasons why male marines report, and techniques 
to build rapport with this population. This information is part of 
current SAPR training for SARCs and VAs.
Personal and Professional Development
    Our Marine For Life Cycle is a career-long process that helps 
marines prepare for transition to civilian life. We provide a continuum 
of tangible learning or experienced-based opportunities at nine 
different action points with specific emphasis at the marine's first 
permanent duty station, promotion to corporal, and the Transition 
Readiness Seminar.
    At their first permanent duty station, marines complete the 
Personal Readiness Seminar within 90 days of arrival to the 
installation. This seminar provides an overview of personal and 
professional development services to include voluntary education, 
career technical/credentialing, personal financial management, family 
member employment assistance, and information and referral; the seminar 
also emphasizes financial readiness awareness.
    At time of promotion to corporal, all marines must complete ``Your 
Readiness'' training. This online, MarineNet training provides an 
overview of personal and professional development services, the 
reenlistment process, transition readiness, developing the Individual 
Transition Plan, and an introduction to available resources and support 
provided at our installations.
    Approximately 12 to 14 months prior to separation, or 24 months 
prior to retirement, marines complete the Transition Readiness Seminar. 
The week-long program seminar includes a mandatory standardized core 
curriculum followed by three 2-day track options to align with their 
future goals and aspirations--accessing higher education, career and 
technical training, or entrepreneurship.
    No later than 90 days prior separation, marines meet with their 
commanding officer for Capstone. During Capstone, the commanding 
officer will validate whether the marine has met their career readiness 
standards. If a marine does not meet their career readiness standards 
or have a viable transition plan, a warm handover will be provided to 
Department of Labor or Veterans Affairs partner agencies for additional 
post-transition assistance.
    The mission of Marine Corps Credentialing Opportunities On-Line 
(COOL) is to help marines receive transferable credit for their 
military skills and work experience. COOL links marines with civilian 
certifications related to their military occupational specialties. It 
is a public website accessible to all current marines, as well as 
veterans, spouses, potential employers, enterprises, credentialing 
agencies, and associations. A credential translates Marine Corps 
technical skills into marketable language recognized by employers. The 
Marine Corps will pay for examination fees and annual maintenance for 
enlisted marines to earn civilian/industry credentials closely aligned 
with their occupational specialty.
    The Marine Corps continually collaborates with the other services, 
the Department of Labor, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
improve our transition programs. We recently participated in a 
Transition Assistance Program hearing and follow-up roundtable with 
these partners and the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. The Marine 
Corps plans to meet throughout the year with the committee to 
continuously improve the metrics relating to successful transition from 
military to civilian employment.
Wounded Warrior Care
    The Marine Corps' Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR) continues to 
execute our Recovery Coordination Program in support of wounded, ill, 
or injured (WII) marines and their families, in a manner that greatly 
facilitates their recovery and upholds our enduring commitment to 
``keep faith'' with those who have incurred life changing impairments 
in service to our Nation. Regardless of the origin of affliction, our 
marines require and genuinely deserve access to the comprehensive 
recovery care available through the WWR.
    WWR recovery care coordinators, in coordination with medical 
providers and unit leaders, help WII Marines develop and execute their 
individual comprehensive recovery plans, which provide the road map for 
a successful transition. WII Marines with complex care coordination 
needs are assessed for post-separation support requirements. When 
appropriate, those marines are transferred to a Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA) designated lead coordinator prior to their medical 
discharge to ensure seamless support.
    WWR maintains faith with our marines through our district injured 
support coordinators, who are geographically dispersed around the 
country and provide one-on-one support as needed, and the Sergeant 
Merlin German Call Center, which conducts outreach calls to marines and 
receives and responds to calls for assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a 
week.
    Since our WWR was established in 2007, thousands of WII marines and 
family members transitioning from Active service have benefitted from a 
full spectrum of support services that begins with physical recovery 
needs and increasingly focuses on post-service employment and education 
opportunities as they heal. Marines and their families, Members of 
Congress, and the public at large can be assured that the Marine Corps, 
through the WWR, will continue to expertly provide recovery care 
coordination support at all times.
Marine Corps Business and Support Services
    The Marine Corps delivers many of its quality of life programs via 
an integrated Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) construct that 
combines Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR); Marine Corps Exchange 
(MCX); Warfighter and Family Services; and Child Development Programs. 
This integrated model is unique within DOD and provides many operating 
efficiencies, including consolidated non-appropriated fund (NAF) back-
office support, e.g., human resources, finance and accounting, 
procurement, construction, and information technology. Our focus on 
efficiency continues today with transformation and innovation pursuits, 
such as a shared services center for all MCCS NAF transactional 
accounting functions that will utilize robotics functionality; we are 
expecting a significant cumulative NAF benefit over a 10 year period.
    The MCX is an integral self-sustaining business component of MCCS, 
delivering products and services in garrison and expeditionary 
environments, while producing an invaluable NAF dividend to our MWR and 
family programs. Marines and their families can count on real savings 
when they shop at the MCX. The 2017 market basket survey showed an 
average savings of approximately 26 percent. Further, the MCX is proud 
to employ military family members who represent approximately 33 
percent of our workforce.
    Transformation and innovation are the fabric of MCCS as we continue 
to assess and implement new delivery models by leveraging technology, 
partnerships, and sponsorships. The Marine Corps is also an active 
participant in DOD Business Reforms that encompass many of the programs 
and services within the MCCS portfolio. We are committed to seeking 
efficiencies across the Department while preserving our highly 
effective MCCS organization that is best attuned to meeting Marine 
Corps operational requirements.
                               conclusion
    The marines of our Corps represent the individuals of our Nation 
who have stepped forward and sworn to defend and protect it. Through 
recruiting, training, education, and retention of men and women of 
character who take up our challenge to become one of ``the Few and the 
Proud,'' we will enhance the quality of our Corps and our overall 
combat effectiveness. By ensuring that we take care of all marines and 
their families, we fulfill our responsibility to keep faith with the 
honor, courage, and commitment they have so freely given.
    Our individual marines are our most precious asset. They are proud 
of what they do. They are proud of the ``Eagle, Globe, and Anchor'' and 
what it represents to our Nation. With your support, a vibrant Marine 
Corps will continue to meet our Nation's call.
    Thank you again for the opportunity to present this testimony.

    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    General Grosso.

 STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL GINA M. GROSSO, USAF, DEPUTY 
      CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MANPOWER, PERSONNEL AND SERVICES

    General Grosso. Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, 
Senator Ernst, thank you for the opportunity to appear before 
you today to deliver the United States Air Force's personnel 
posture for fiscal year 2019.
    Increasing end strength is the Air Force's number-one 
priority to accelerate readiness. We appreciate the Fiscal Year 
2018 National Defense Authorization Act's support for continued 
end-strength growth to 675,000 Total Force airmen. This growth 
allows the Air Force to compete, deter, and win in a more 
competitive and dangerous international security environment. 
The Air Force's Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget continues 
that growth to 680,000 Total Force airmen. This end-strength 
growth increases training capacity to address foundational 
disconnects in the training pipeline. It also funds instructors 
to boost pipeline capacity and increases intelligence, remotely 
piloted aircraft operations support, and cyber mission 
capability.
    As of October 2017, our Total Force pilot shortage was 
approximately 2,000, with the largest shortage in our fighter 
pilot inventory. The Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget 
continues to address the pilot shortage by funding increased 
pilot production capacity. This increased capacity assists in 
rapidly producing new pilots to meet operational requirements. 
In addition, the budget funds implementation of myriad programs 
and policies designed to address assignment, operational tempo, 
and quality-of-life issues targeted to improve pilot retention.
    The Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget increases support 
to airmen and families through a variety of capabilities that 
drive mission readiness by focusing on resiliency and 
retention. The budget increases child and youth funding by $54 
million, for a total of $114 million. This funding will expand 
childcare for those airmen needing care outside of normal duty 
hours, provides fees to support 4,000 children who only have 
access to off-base childcare, and funds youth resiliency camps. 
The Exceptional Family Member Program assists more than 33,000 
airmen who have special-needs family members. This budget adds 
15 installation-level family support coordinators across the 
Air Force and also funds increasing respite childcare for 
primary caregivers from 12 to 40 hours per child per month. 
Taking care of our airmen's children and caregivers removes 
worries and distractions to allow the airmen to fully focus on 
the mission.
    Today's threat environment requires agile and inclusive 
military and civilian personnel management systems to ensure 
the Air Force continues to retain the highly skilled talented--
talent needed to defend our Nation. In our enlisted force, we 
are conducting a triennial review of an enlisted evaluation 
process following the transition to a new system in 2015. 
Within our officer corps, we are looking into options to 
enhance the Air Force's ability to execute the right size and 
mix of capabilities required to meet and sustain emerging 
mission demands. We are reviewing multiple initiatives, to 
include exploring the possibility of modifying our current 
promotion competitive category structure and establishing 
technical tracks. We fully support the Defense Officer 
Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) reform efforts; in particular, 
opting out of promotions, constructive credit, merit-based 
promotions, and secretarial authority for a small number of 
spot promotions. We look forward to continuing the discussions 
with this--on this topic with you.
    Our civilian workforce is essential to the Air Force's 
mission in joint warfighting readiness. Recruiting and hiring 
top civilian talent is critical to our success. In fiscal year 
2018, we implemented a Premier College Intern Program. This 
initiative enables the Air Force to recruit top talent directly 
from college campuses via summer intern program, starting their 
junior year, using direct-hire authorities to streamline the 
process. Our target for fiscal year 2019 onboarding is 500 new 
civilians, and we currently have 450 acceptances, to date. This 
approach ensures we will leverage the new congressional hiring 
authorities and stay competitive with aggressive private-sector 
recruiting.
    Finally, the Air Force is modernizing information 
technology infrastructure across our human resource systems to 
provide exceptional personnel service to airmen and their 
families. In a digitally connected world, our airmen deserve 
the best human resource systems available today. We have a 6-
year plan to migrate 115 technology platforms and 400-plus 
applications to the Cloud. As we modernize our information 
technology platform, we will provide more modern systems for 
our airmen, and we will enhance our ability to make data-driven 
decisions.
    In conclusion, we ensure--we must ensure our airmen have 
the resources, training, and tools to compete, deter, and win 
in an increasingly complex world. We are committed to 
prioritizing and resourcing what is most important to make the 
Air Force more ready and lethal. We welcome the opportunity to 
partner with Congress in our endeavors to protect and defend 
our Nation.
    I thank you for your continued support, and I look forward 
to your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Lieutenant General Grosso 
follows:]

        Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Gina M. Grosso
                              introduction
    Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, distinguished Members 
of this Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before this 
Committee to talk about our airmen. America's airmen remain ``Always 
There'' providing global vigilance, reach and power to protect and 
defend our Nation. Our airmen, Active, Guard, Reserve and civilian, 
have been engaged globally for the longest continuous stretch of combat 
in our Nation's history. As noted in the National Defense Strategy, we 
are facing a complex and volatile global environment with increasing 
disorder resulting from the decline of the long-standing rules-based 
international order under which we previously operated. Great power 
competition has reemerged as the central challenge to U.S. prosperity 
and security. In this environment, we must prioritize and resource what 
is most important to field a lethal, expertly trained, resilient, and 
rapidly adapting Air Force to meet today's and tomorrow's warfighting 
demands.
                         accelerating readiness
    Our airmen, both military and civilian, are our most important 
asset. Increasing end strength, as requested in the Fiscal Year 2019 
President's Budget, will allow the Air Force to better meet today's 
warfighting demands as well tomorrow's. Without continued end strength 
growth, readiness will decline and the Air Force will find it 
increasingly difficult to meet evolving combatant commander 
requirements.
End Strength
    The Air Force appreciates the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense 
Authorization Act support for continued end strength growth to 675,300 
Total Force airmen. This growth allows the Air Force to compete, deter 
and win in a more competitive and dangerous international security 
environment. The Air Force's Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget 
continues that growth to 680,400 Total Force airmen--329,100 Active 
Duty, 107,100 Guard, 70,000 Reserve, and 174,200 civilians. This growth 
will accelerate our readiness and provide more lethal airmen to protect 
and defend our Nation.
Recruiting and Accessing
    Readiness is first and foremost about the airmen who make up your 
Air Force. Today only 25 percent of 17 to 24 year old men and women in 
the United States are eligible to serve--our prime recruiting pool. 
Despite this low ratio, the Air Force achieved its fiscal year 2017 
enlisted Active (31,000) and Reserve component (6,583) recruiting 
goals. The Air National Guard missed its enlisted recruiting goal by 
280 airmen (achieving 94 percent of the goal), but was able to offset 
this with increased retention.
    The fiscal year 2018 Air Force Active Duty enlisted recruiting goal 
is 29,450. Thus far, we have met 33 percent of the overall goal and 
have identified recruits with projected dates for basic military 
training at 55 percent of the goal. The fiscal year 2018 Air Force 
Reserve enlisted recruiting goal is 7,240 with 31.6 percent already 
met. In summary, Active Duty, Reserve and Air National Guard are on 
track to meet fiscal year 2018 enlisted recruiting goals.
    The Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget Active Component enlisted 
recruiting target is 28,250. The fiscal year 2019 Air Force Reserve 
enlisted recruiting target is 7,497 and the fiscal year 2019 Air 
National Guard enlisted recruiting target is still being worked.
    In fiscal year 2019 the Active component officer recruiting target 
is 5,450, a 350 increase from fiscal year 2018. The fiscal year 2019 
Air Force Reserve's is 1,253, an increase of 43, and the Air National 
Guard recruiting target remains steady.
    The Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget increases Reserve Officer 
Training Corps scholarship funding by $18.1 million to allow the Air 
Force to offer 1,000 additional scholarships. We are confident we can 
meet our fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019 recruiting targets.
    The Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget also increases training 
capacity to ``right-size'' the student pipeline with a focus on 
critical skills production as identified in the National Defense 
Strategy. These increases address foundational disconnects in the 
training pipeline, fund instructors to boost pipeline capacity, 
increase Remotely Piloted Aircraft operations support and cyber mission 
capability. Specifically, we are adding 248 authorizations to assist in 
pipeline technical training in addition to adding 74 authorizations to 
increase Military Training Instructors and Military Training Leaders at 
Basic Military Training.
    To further assist with overall pilot shortages, we are actively 
seeking retired pilots to return to Active Duty. As of the end of 
January, 22 applications are in the review process. Though not large 
numbers, these returning pilots will mitigate manning shortages and 
augment other programs to help restore our pilot inventory.
    The end strength increases in this budget begin to restore squadron 
manning by filling gaps that were created by years of declining end 
strength.
Retaining Airmen and Families
    While the Air Force is experiencing historically high retention 
rates in both the officer and enlisted corps, we do have pockets of 
retention challenges. For our enlisted career fields, we have lower 
retention for linguistic analysts, special operations aircraft 
maintenance, and nuclear medicine specialties. For officer career 
fields, retention is challenged for pilots, combat systems officers, 
and various medical specialties.
    We appreciate Congress' generous support of special and incentive 
pays. The Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget includes $1.2 billion for 
special and incentive pays allowing the Air Force to target critical 
skill shortages. Further it assists in compensating airmen for 
hazardous duty or earned skill sets that are critical to our 
warfighting excellence. To ensure we are making the best use of our 
aviation bonus authorities, we will continue to use a business case 
model to target payments based on four main criteria: manning levels, 
retention, cost to train and the length of time to train.
    The Total Force pilot shortage for fiscal year 2017 ended at 1,812 
and was most acute in our fighter pilot inventory. This budget 
continues to address the pilot shortage by continuing the aviator bonus 
and allowing the Air Force flexibility to focus those resources to 
address our greatest needs. In addition, this budget adds required 
training production capacity in our formal training units to assist in 
rapidly producing new accessions to fill our cockpits. Finally, this 
budget permits implementation of a myriad of programs and policies 
designed to address assignment, promotion, operational tempo, and 
quality of life issues targeted to improve retention.
    That said, monetary incentives are just one small piece of our 
retention portfolio. The majority of the retention portfolio are in 
fact non-monetary. Commanders have the authority to approve high year 
of tenure extensions for personnel in undermanned key career fields to 
retain much needed experience. We are adding flexibility into the 
assignments process for aviators by leveraging technology to improve 
our assignment matching system. After researching industry best 
practices, we implemented an information technology solution known as 
``Talent Marketplace.'' Talent Marketplace uses an algorithm, based on 
the Nobel-Prize winning National Medical Residency Matching Program, to 
assist in matching officers to available assignments. This algorithm 
takes into account 1) the officer's assignment preferences and 2) the 
hiring manager's ranking of officers being considered, and produces a 
match. While Talent Marketplace provides an automated ``scientific'' 
match at the beginning of the process, it then assists the Air Force's 
Personnel Center assignment team in applying the ``art'' to finalize 
the process. This two-pronged process approach of ``science'' and 
``art'' assists with transparency in the assignment process and will 
assist with better managing talent. A demonstration of the Talent 
Marketplace concept was first tested with our operations researchers 
analyst career field in the spring of 2017, with successful results. 
Incremental implementation is underway with fighter pilots and combat 
system operators for the summer 2018 assignment cycle. As funding 
allows, we will bring all officer and enlisted skill sets into the 
Talent Marketplace program.
    Having a lethal, agile and flexible force, capable of winning in 
any environment, goes beyond solely the overall size of the force. It 
also encompasses looking after airmen's mental and physical wellbeing 
and ensuring we take care of their families so they can focus on the 
mission.
    Airmen must be able to withstand, recover, and grow in the face of 
stressors and changing demands. Our airmen must be resilient to be 
fully mission-ready and lethal. The Fiscal Year 2019 President's Budget 
increases support to airmen and families through a variety of 
capabilities that drive mission readiness and improve the resilience 
and retention of our human weapon system.
                         child and youth programs
    Airmen cannot be effective if they are worried about their 
children. In fiscal year 2019 we increased child and youth funding by 
$53.6 million for a total of $114.2 million. This funding will (1) 
expand child care for those needing childcare outside of normal duty 
hours, (2) provide fees to support 4,000 children who must use off-base 
child care, and (3) fund youth resiliency camps. The funding increase 
also includes 119 additional civilian child care positions across the 
Air Force; supplies, closed circuit television repair and replacement, 
and national youth partnerships such as Boys and Girls Clubs and 4-H.
                    exceptional family member programs
    More than 33,000 Total Force airmen have special needs families 
currently enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program and 
retention of these skilled airmen is critical to readiness. To assist 
in the retention efforts, we are improving support to Exceptional 
Family Member Program families by increasing installation-level family 
support coordinators from 84 to 99, providing additional coordinator 
training, improving assignment management processing, and offering 
online information for airmen and their spouses to assist in planning 
for future assignments. We are also increasing Exceptional Family 
Member Program Respite Child Care from 12 to 40 hours per child each 
month. These efforts, along with increased communication with our 
Exceptional Family Member Program families through quarterly webcasts, 
accelerate the readiness and lethality of the Air Force.
  Recharge for Resiliency
    Air Force Morale, Welfare, and Recreation capabilities build skills 
and self-confidence, reduce stress, and enhance quality of life for 
airmen and families. With our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation budget, 
we will implement new capabilities designed to drive unit cohesion, 
stability and resiliency in our squadrons. One capability highlight is 
our Recharge for Resiliency Program which was originally designed to 
provide airmen and families an outlet to decompress and adjust after 
returning home from a deployment. In fiscal year 2019, we are expanding 
Recharge for Resiliency to include activities commanders in the field 
can use specifically to build unit cohesion and drive squadron 
vitality. One such example is the Team Cohesion Challenge, an adventure 
race incorporating the four comprehensive airman fitness pillars 
(mental, physical, social and spiritual). The event lasts approximately 
4 to 5 hours and focuses on team building.
                   foundational readiness imperatives
    The Air Force's core values--Integrity First, Service before Self, 
and Excellence in All We Do--are the foundation of all airmen 
performance.
  Wounded Warriors
    The Air Force has 3,200 Wounded Warriors serving today. Our 
commitment to our wounded, ill and injured airmen remains resolute as 
these airmen, their families and caregivers deserve nothing less. As 
such, the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program provides world-class 
medical treatment along with physical, psychological, social and family 
healing through a variety of avenues to include recovery care 
coordinators that provide care management assistance. Our goal is to 
return airmen to duty, whether back to their unit or to another 
opportunity to serve in uniform. For those who cannot return to duty, 
we provide personalized transition support from housing and education 
services, to employment and financial coaching.
  Airmen with Invisible Wounds
    Airmen with Invisible Wounds--post traumatic stress disorder, 
traumatic brain injury or other cognitive, psychological or behavioral 
disorders--experience unique challenges requiring an agile, 
comprehensive approach to support and care. The Air Force has 2,355 
airmen with invisible wounds. Recognizing these challenges, the 
Invisible Wounds Initiative began in 2016 with a complete review and 
revision of medical care and support programs along with a long-term 
culture change on how we care for airmen with invisible wounds. Since 
then, we established a specific medical separation review to ensure 
individuals were diagnosed appropriately and received a thorough course 
of treatment before meeting a medical review board. We also developed a 
communication campaign to educate commanders and leaders at all levels 
on the challenges faced by airmen with invisible wounds with the intent 
to bring clarity, understanding and open doors for more members to seek 
help rather than hide mental health issues.
  Personal Violence Prevention and Response
    Interpersonal violence and suicide are detriments to our airmen, 
our culture, and our core values. These acts negatively impact victims, 
those who perpetrate, and their units. As a result, unit cohesion, 
mission effectiveness, and ultimately Air Force readiness are 
threatened. We are deeply committed to the prevention of interpersonal 
violence and suicide on all fronts from sexual assault, child 
maltreatment, domestic violence, to workplace violence. Should these 
events occur despite prevention efforts, we are committed to providing 
victims the care they need across a robust response system.
    Effective prevention is necessary to accelerate readiness. Our 
prevention strategy involves leveraging cutting edge, evidence based 
innovations to deliver holistic prevention. We are in the final stages 
of validating a tool that will screen for individuals with a high 
propensity for unethical decision-making and risk of engaging in 
counterproductive behaviors and integrity violations inconsistent with 
the Air Force culture and core values.
    At our accessions sources we are adapting the best available 
interventions from civilian settings to develop tailored and holistic 
prevention for entry-level airmen. At Basic Military Training, we are 
using mobile technology to provide prevention interventions matched to 
each trainee's unique risk profile. At the Air Force Academy, the Cadet 
Healthy Personal Skills program is showing tremendous promise in not 
only working to eradicate sexual assault but also fostering healthy 
personal and interpersonal skills to build resilience and exceptional 
leaders.
    Across the Total Force, we are moving to the sustainability phase 
of our evidence-based bystander intervention approach. This integrated 
bystander approach combines sexual assault, dating and domestic 
violence, stalking, and suicide prevention, and reduces these forms of 
violence. Evaluation results indicate the approach is increasing hope, 
efficacy, and positive behavior changes. Final results from the 2017 
DOD Annual Report on Sexual Assault will be released this summer; our 
early analysis shows promising indications of increases in sexual 
assault reporting. The complete analysis will be available late spring 
2018.
    We are also implementing Task Force True North, a comprehensive 
approach to increase help seeking behavior and decrease negative 
behavior outcomes. This approach embeds mental health providers within 
at-risk units. Bold initiatives are also underway to prevent suicide, 
sexual harassment and workplace harassment. These initiatives highlight 
scientific innovations in prevention, such as computer-based learning 
for suicide risk detection and intentional climate design to create 
environments in which workplace harassment is less likely to occur. 
Time-based prevention, an initiative designed to separate someone who 
is suicidal from the most lethal means to kill themselves, is also 
being developed to reduce suicide (i.e. free volunteer storage of 
personally owned firearms). Taken together, these innovations have the 
potential to result in substantial decreases in interpersonal violence 
and suicide.
    We are committed to continuous improvement and critical evaluation 
of our systems. We will partner with external experts from academia, 
industry, other government agencies and non-profit organizations to 
improve our ability to support leaders in the field. We remain 
dedicated to implementing bold ideas that leverage technology and 
strategic communications to improve leaders' ability to support their 
airmen and families.
          developing exceptional leaders and talent management
    The Air Force continues to improve its Force Development processes 
to ensure alignment with the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Through 
that lens, we have been working hand-in-hand with our joint partners on 
several leadership development programs.
    The deliberate development of Air Force leaders includes education, 
training and experience. Our enterprise-level development programs 
focus on improving leadership, management, and warrior ethos. They are 
designed to produce airmen who possess the tactical expertise, 
operational competence, and strategic vision to lead and execute Air 
Force and Joint missions, now and in the future. The Air Force executes 
a senior leader development portfolio emphasizing the continued 
development of enterprise-level senior leaders (targeted for GS-15s, 
senior executives, chief master sergeants, colonels, and general 
officers). Senior leaders' development is managed by specific officer, 
enlisted, and civilian management teams and the development portfolio 
consists of approximately 35 tailored courses and development 
opportunities annually.
    We are examining our professional military education to improve how 
we develop leaders capable of critical and strategic thought, clear 
communication, and adept in the art and science of warfighting. We will 
emphasize intellectual leadership and military professionalism, deepen 
our knowledge of history, embrace new technology and techniques to 
counter competitors.
    We need airmen with the right operational and international skills 
who can work with partner nations to meet global threats and 
challenges. The National Defense Strategy highlights the importance of 
``strengthening allies and attracting new partners.'' Critical to 
meeting this line of effort is developing a workforce with the skills 
to build partnerships, strengthen capabilities and capacities as 
partner airmen. In tandem with Department of Defense efforts, we are 
assessing how we train and develop our airmen to meet the demands of 
the increasingly complex security cooperation environment. We are 
working cross-functionally to build a security cooperation workforce 
that is appropriately trained, certified, resourced, and managed to 
meet the dynamic, global challenges.
Performance Management
    Today's threat environment requires agile, responsive military and 
civilian personnel management systems to ensure the Air Force continues 
to retain the highly skilled talent needed to defend the Nation. 
Cultivating workforce talent is a priority.
  Enlisted
    In our enlisted force, we are finishing a triennial review of our 
enlisted evaluation system since transitioning to the new system in 
2015. The review centered around answering two strategic questions: 1) 
``How do we get the very best out of our airmen so they give their very 
best to accomplishing the mission?'' and 2) ``Are there any alternative 
performance management models that may be used other than forced 
distribution for promotion recommendations?'' Initiatives include re-
examining what is valued in documenting performance feedback, 
transforming the current evaluation form to more precisely document 
performance, developing an evaluation tool that encourages more candid 
performance feedback, and clarifying stratification rules to reinforce 
performance feedback. When completed, senior leaders can use the 
review's recommendations as a baseline to ensure our Enlisted 
Evaluation System is reinforcing the development and feedback for our 
enlisted force. It is also an example of the deliberate and continuous 
process we use to strengthen the capabilities, readiness, and 
professionalism of our vital enlisted force.
  Officer
    Within our officer corps, we are looking into what we can do to 
enhance the Air Force's ability to execute the right size and mix of 
capabilities required to meet and sustain emerging mission demands. 
Currently, we are exploring ways to transform officer performance 
management using the lessons learned from the transition to the 
enlisted evaluation system. In 2017, we began an initiative to look at 
officer performance management, which includes a deliberate review of 
our officer evaluation system and officer promotion processes. We have 
a dedicated team exploring various officer evaluation and promotion 
considerations which include starting at the foundation with thoughtful 
work focused on what the Air Force values in its officer corps. 
Building on that sturdy foundation, we are reviewing a number of 
initiatives to ensure our officer corps is able to meet strategic 
challenges.
    The Department is reviewing proposed statutory changes for the 
fiscal year 20 2019 National Defense Authorization Act to recruit, 
develop, promote and retain officers for today's operational 
requirements. Once we have completed our review and obtained approval 
of our proposed changes not just within the Department, but also by the 
Administration, we will share these proposals with you and provide you 
with more details.
  Civilian
    Our civilian workforce is essential to the Air Force's mission and 
joint warfighting readiness. Recruiting and hiring top civilian talent 
is critical to our success. Civilian airmen represent 25 percent of our 
Total Force. The vast majority of our civilian airmen, 94 percent, are 
at the tip of the spear in our depots and squadrons--not on 
headquarters staffs as many believe. The Air Force's strategy to 
improve its civilian hiring process has four lines of effort: (1) 
Information technology--increasing reliability and automation, (2) 
Authorities--utilizing current authorities and expanding them as able, 
(3) Process improvements and (4) Modest additional manpower.
    In addition to these lines of effort, the Air Force recognizes the 
need for a more agile and flexible talent management system responsive 
to warfighter needs. Air Force civilian force management leaders, 
partnered with other key stakeholders, have begun developing a concept 
plan for a pilot civilian talent management system, modeled after a 
successful demonstration project already in place.
    The Air Force has also made strides in civilian workforce 
recruiting, developing, and retaining talent by launching an accredited 
civilian associate degree in Leadership and Management Studies program, 
as well as implementing a Premier College Intern Program. The purpose 
of the associate degree program is to allow the 50 percent of Air Force 
civilians without a college degree to begin their educational journey. 
The degree enables personal and professional development, improves 
communication and critical thinking skills, and invests in building a 
cadre of future Air Force leaders. In fiscal year 2019, the Premier 
College Intern Program will enable the Air Force to recruit top talent 
directly from college campuses via a summer intern program using direct 
hiring authorities to streamline the process. The intent is to recruit 
college students who have completed their junior year by giving them 
summer internships followed by a guaranteed civilian intern 
developmental position immediately upon graduation. The premier 
internship program will provide the Air Force with a strategic approach 
to target specific fields of study, build a campus talent pipeline and 
introduce the Air Force as an employer of choice. Our target for fiscal 
year 2019 is 500--we currently have 415 acceptances. This approach 
ensures we will leverage the new congressional hiring authorities and 
stay competitive with private sector companies like IBM and Google who 
hire directly from college campuses.
        human resource management information technology reform
    The Air Force is modernizing the information technology 
infrastructure across its human resources systems to provide 
exceptional service to Total Force airmen and their families. In a 
digitally connected world, our airmen deserve the best Human Resource 
Systems available today. To improve these systems, our efforts are 
focused on providing all airmen a modern cloud-based, mobile-enabled, 
self-service oriented digital experience. The way forward requires 
analyzing the Human Resource Management Information Technology 
portfolio which includes 115 talent management information technology 
platforms and 400+ applications, to identify business redundancies and 
opportunities for consolidation. At the foundation of this effort is 
our transition to cloud services which will enhance Privacy Information 
security. As we modernize our Information Technology platforms, we will 
increase our ability to make data-driven decisions.
  MyVector
    MyVector, is a web-based Total Force development platform and is an 
example of how we are evolving our human resources information 
technology capabilities to enhance support to airmen in an efficient, 
agile, and cost effective manner. It underpins the force development 
for all airmen and allows them to be actively involved in their own 
career development process. Presently, more than 176,000 Total Force 
airmen, military and civilians, (15,000 more than last year) are 
registered on MyVector and more than 17,000 airmen have matched 
mentoring connections. We are currently posturing the platform to 
accomplish Officer Developmental Education Boards, enlisted deliberate 
development, and foreign language proficiency tracking capabilities.
  Air Force Integrated Personnel and Pay System
    Another example of modernizing our Information Technology platform 
is the Air Force Integrated Personnel and Pay System (AFIPPS). This 
program will enhance our already fully operational personnel system for 
all three components, Active, Reserve and Guard, by integrating 
payroll. Our strategy has greatly reduced the life cycle cost estimate 
of the program from $1.8 billion to $0.7 billion. It has also 
dramatically reduced risk by using our existing Oracle Electronic 
Business Suite platform, established system infrastructure and trained 
workforce. Contract award will occur early this spring and once 
completed in January 2021, the Air Force will have a fully integrated 
personnel and pay system that will meet all Federal audit compliances 
and resolve existing pay issues airmen experience today.
                               conclusion
    We must ensure our airmen have the resources, training and tools to 
compete, deter, and win in an ever increasingly complex security 
environment. Resilient and ready airmen, both military and civilian, 
are the foundation of the Air Force's readiness and lethality. Your Air 
Force will remain ``Always There'' providing global vigilance, reach 
and power to protect and defend our Nation. We are committed to 
prioritizing and resourcing what is most important and look forward to 
partnering with Congress in our endeavors to protect and defend our 
Nation. I thank you for your continuing support of your Air Force.

    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    Admiral Burke.

STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL ROBERT P. BURKE, USN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF 
                     NAVAL OPERATIONS, N-1

    Admiral Burke. Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, 
and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for 
the opportunity to represent the men and women of the United 
States Navy. The stalwart support for them and their families 
continues to have a profound impact on the health of our force 
today.
    Global demands on the Navy continue to grow. We must 
continue to recruit, develop, and retain the highly skilled 
workforce needed to meet the growing demands of our naval 
forces.
    Our force structure is expected to grow as we build the 
navy the Nation needs, which will require increasing end 
strength. As we grow, our need for highly talented people 
increases. At the same time, propensity to serve is declining, 
and each of the services, as well as the civilian sector, are 
vying for the same limited talent pool. We are clearly in a war 
for talent.
    Current forecasts, based on leading economic indicators, 
suggest difficult times ahead. Labor market factors may pull 
sailors with critical skills into the growing civilian job 
market. We took note of these indicators and initiated 
preemptive action to retain these sailors using all available 
policy levers to posture us to meet this anticipated growth. 
Despite this, we just made our fiscal year 2017 end-strength 
targets. This year's trajectory is good, but we will require 
steady and reliable funding, going forward, to stay on track. 
The new 2-year budget is great news for us and is an excellent 
step in that direction, and we are very appreciative of your 
work on that.
    While recruiters experienced challenges last year, the 
increased fiscal year 2018 recruiting mission will be even more 
difficult, as certain fields are in short supply. Our projected 
growth profile requires a balanced approach of accessions 
increases as well as retention improvement. While aggregate 
retention remains high, the new fields, special warfare, 
advanced electronics, aviation, and cyber demand close 
attention. Targeted bonuses continue to be the most cost-
effective monetary tool in addressing retention challenges. 
But, we're aggressively applying a combination of monetary and 
nonmonetary incentives, with good effect.
    Toward that end, we continue to implement and expand our 
Sailor 2025 Program, a dynamic set of over 45 initiatives that 
work to provide today's sailors and their families the choices, 
flexibility, and transparency they expect and deserve. Combined 
with our manpower, personnel, training, and education 
enterprise transformation efforts, we will provide these 
programs to our sailors with a renewed focus on customer 
service through streamlined, efficient businesses processes and 
systems. We will also better meet the needs of our fleet 
commanders through agility, responsiveness, and use of 
predictive analytics to be the pillar of stability in an 
uncertain world.
    We're moving out now with purpose and a committed sense of 
urgency on these initiatives. We also remain actively engaged 
in your Department's review of officer management policies. We 
are very grateful for the Subcommittee's interest in a 
committed partnership in modernizing DOPMA to meet the future 
needs of each of the services.
    I look forward to your questions, and thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Vice Admiral Burke follows:]

           Prepared Statement by Vice Admiral Robert P. Burke
                              introduction
    Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and distinguished 
Members of this Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear 
before you today to discuss the personnel posture of the United States 
Navy and our manpower, personnel, training, education (MPT&E), and 
family support programs.
                     ready and capable global navy
    For over 240 years, the U.S. Navy has been a cornerstone of 
American security and prosperity. In an increasingly globalized world, 
America's success is ever more dependent on the U.S. Navy. As Chief of 
Naval Personnel, I am responsible for manning our ships, squadrons, 
submarines, and stations with sailors ready to undertake the 
challenging jobs and tasks demanded of them. This entails recruiting 
talented individuals and providing efficient and effective training 
pipelines that transform sailors into highly-skilled maritime 
warriors--the best in the world! My team manages the single resource 
that cuts across every warfare specialty, platform and organization in 
the Navy--our most prized treasure--our sailors. As we stand on the 
horizon of a new fleet with new operating concepts, we must also seek 
out people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, critical thinking 
skills and the mental agility to operate across the spectrum of change 
that lies ahead. This requires a personnel system that is equally agile 
and flexible, ready to meet the challenges and uncertainty of a great 
power era.
                          competing for talent
    While recruiting and retention are generally healthy, it is clear 
that competition for talent is steadily increasing. Propensity to serve 
has declined among young people possessing the requisite academic and 
physical aptitude necessary for service. The improving economy is 
beginning to impact recruiting and retention. We are in strong 
competition with the civilian sector and the other Military Services 
for the same talent pool. As our Navy grows in the years ahead, our 
need for additional highly talented people will increase, even as we 
enhance our ability to retain our current talent base and reestablish 
required fleet wholeness.
    It has been more than a decade since we experienced widespread 
challenges in the recruiting and retention markets. In the period 
since, the civilian unemployment rate has become a less accurate 
predictor of retention and recruiting behavior. The Center for Naval 
Analyses (CNA) recently concluded a study on the impact of various 
economic metrics on retention, and created a useful economic index, 
which is more indicative of overall economic health, relying more 
heavily on factors beyond unemployment, and more closely matching 
historical retention and recruiting behavior. Comprised of different 
economic variables and monthly economic forecasts, we consider it a 
reliable leading indicator.
    Current forecasts suggest difficult times ahead. Several MPT&E 
metrics, which normally serve as the bellwether for change in Navy 
workforce behavior, are consistent with an improving economy, and 
demonstrate that the competition has indeed begun. Forecasts predict 
regional labor shortages in working age population in some states and 
skill-sets, e.g., computers, mathematics, and healthcare. Technically-
skilled labor is at high risk for both shortages and accelerated wage 
growth, based on a large number of anticipated retirements and few new 
workforce entrants. These labor market factors may pull sailors in 
certain critical skill-sets away from the Navy and into the civilian 
job market. We must heed these market indicators and take preemptive 
action to retain key labor skills as challenges increase in the coming 
years. We are using these predictive analytics to apply modest 
increases in enlistment and retention bonuses ahead of need, rather 
than wait for the large reactionary swings of the past.
  End Strength
    Navy end strength and budget growth, in fiscal year 2018 and fiscal 
year 2019, will further efforts begun in fiscal year 2017 to restore 
fleet wholeness, while beginning force growth. Following three 
consecutive years of declining end strength, we will achieve growth 
through a balanced approach of maximizing retention, increasing 
accessions, and ensuring the right sailor, with the right skills and 
experience, is in the right place to meet mission requirements (a 
metric we call ``fit''). To position us for success in implementing 
anticipated force structure growth, we recently initiated a number of 
important policy changes. We have effectively eliminated voluntary 
Enlisted Early Transition Program (``early-outs'') and incentivized 
early return to sea duty for career sailors, to narrow gaps at sea and 
retain sailors through completion of their service commitments. Despite 
aggressive use of all policy levers throughout fiscal year 2017, we 
only just met our end strength requirement, a challenge caused largely 
by a cut in accessions we had to take in fiscal year 2016 due to 
Military Personnel, Navy (MPN) funding limitations associated with 
Budget Control Act top line requirements. While overall strength is 
near programmed levels, the funded levels at the end of fiscal year 
2017 left over 7,500 gapped sea duty billets because new accessions 
primarily fill sea duty billets. We also face significant challenges in 
meeting the demand for specific technical skills in our nuclear, cyber, 
and special operations programs, certain type/model/series aviation 
platforms, and in the healthcare professions.
    The President's Budget for fiscal year 2019 supports growth in 
accounts for fleet manpower, student and training, special and 
incentive pays, and transients, patients, prisoners, and holdees 
(TPPH), furthering Navy's commitment to fully fund total ownership 
costs for people. Funding total ownership costs ensures adequate lead-
time for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, student training and 
special and incentive pays. This is critical to maintain good faith 
with our sailors to increase retention and better position us to 
properly man the growing future fleet.
  Recruiting
    Recruiting risk was moderate in fiscal year 2017, although 
recruiters were already experiencing challenges in meeting mission 
goals in an improving labor market, with decreasing propensity of 
qualified youth to serve in the military, constrained marketing and 
advertising budgets, and security clearance delays. We continue to 
closely monitor the labor market and other leading indicators, 
appropriately adjusting risk mitigation strategies to accomplish the 
mission.
    Meeting an increased fiscal year 2018 recruiting mission will be 
even more challenging as market conditions continue to improve. We have 
begun to position ourselves to address these challenges by restoring 
226 fleet recruiters and career recruiting force billets across the 
Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), and re-phasing the end strength 
growth-profile to reduce risk and stress on the supply chain.
    Since 2015, overall recruit quality has declined slightly, as 
indicated by a decrease in the number of new-contract applicants 
scoring above 50 percent on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). 
The number scoring at least 65 percent, necessary to fill special 
programs such as Naval Special Warfare/Operations (NSW/NSO), is also in 
decline. During 2017, we missed new contract goal for NSW/NSO for the 
month of September, and for the year. Nuclear field shipping-goal also 
presents unique challenges to the recruiting force. The requirement and 
necessity for a fully-adjudicated security clearance imposes delays in 
shipping future sailors from the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) to Recruit 
Training Command (RTC).
    We continue to see strong interest in commissioning opportunities 
through both the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) and Naval Reserve Officer 
Training Corps (NROTC) program, as the number of highly qualified 
applicants vastly exceeds the number of available appointments. Officer 
accession sources continue to attract the finest applicants and 
graduate well-rounded, technically competent leaders for commissioned 
naval service.
  Enlisted Retention
    For fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019, production of new 
sailors will be largely limited by first term sailor training capacity, 
making retention of every capable sailor critical to operational 
readiness as the Navy grows. We continue to maximize retention behavior 
by focusing on retaining proven performers in the right mix of ratings 
and pay grades through targeted use of enlisted retention incentives to 
position us to meet current and future mission requirements. In light 
of growth anticipated in the coming years, we expect most ratings will 
find it difficult to continue achieving required retention. While 
aggregate enlisted retention remains high, nuclear field, special 
warfare, advanced electronics, aviation maintenance and information 
technologies retention require focused efforts.
    Previously-mentioned changes in force management policies to retain 
sailors through completion of their current obligations include 
adjusting High Year Tenure (HYT) gates for sailors in pay grades E3-E6, 
discontinuing the Enlisted Early Transition Program, revising our 
Physical Fitness Assessment separation policy, and reducing Recruit 
Training Command attrition. We also expanded reenlistment and rating 
conversion opportunities. Special and incentive pays continue to play a 
vital role in retaining sailors in high-demand and/or high-investment 
skills under the greatest stress. Monetary incentives will continue to 
be an integral part of our retention strategy as we proactively address 
force structure challenges to meet operational requirements. As part of 
sailor 2025, we will also pilot use of a merit component to enlisted 
retention bonuses.
  Officer Retention
    Competition is increasing to recruit America's top talent into our 
officer corps, train them with cutting-edge technology and techniques, 
and retain their expertise to preserve our competitive advantage in the 
maritime security environment. Generally, officer retention is 
sufficient to meet most community-milestone requirements. However, we 
continue to face challenges within some historically retention-
challenged communities, particularly among aviators in specific model/
type/series platforms, nuclear-trained surface warfare officers, 
submarine officers, and within naval special warfare, specifically 
among Navy SEALs.
    Active component aviation concerns are primarily among the Strike 
Fighter (VFA), Electronic Attack (VAQ), and Helicopter Mine 
Countermeasure (HM) communities--each did not retain sufficient numbers 
of O-4 pilots to meet all operational department head requirements in 
our aviation squadrons. Similarly, the Reserve component is struggling 
to retain aviators in in these same communities, as well as among 
Maritime Patrol (VP) and Fleet Logistics (VR) squadrons.
    While Aviation Incentive Pay (AvIP) and Aviation Bonus (AvB) are 
the primary, and most-effective, monetary incentives for addressing 
aviator retention shortfalls, as with other communities, Navy is 
applying a combination of monetary and non-monetary incentives focused 
on meeting aviator career expectations and quality of life/service. 
Increases in statutory caps for both pays, enacted in the fiscal year 
2017 National Defense Authorization Act, were well received and 
appreciated by naval aviators. The Aviation Department Head Retention 
Bonus (ADHRB) offered to aviators in pay grades O-3 and O-4 targets 
communities with the greatest retention challenges, including VFA, VAQ 
and HM. Aviation Command Retention Bonus (ACRB) incentivizes officers 
in pay grade O-5, particularly those needed to fill post-command 
commander assignments.
    Submarine and surface warfare (nuclear) communities are working to 
retain their best talent by combining monetary and non-monetary 
incentives. Monetary incentives include retention bonuses for officers 
willing to commit early to future service, and special duty pays for 
challenging nuclear billets.
    We restructured naval special warfare officer bonus programs to 
increase bonus take rates. We now offer two SEAL officer retention 
bonuses at critical career decision points: Naval Special Warfare 
Officer Continuation Pay (NSWOCP) to paygrades O-3 and O-4, and Naval 
Special Warfare Officer Retention Bonus (NSWRB) to pay grades O-4 and 
O-5.
    Historically, targeted bonuses have proven most effective and cost-
efficient in addressing retention problems in specific communities, 
jobs, and experience levels to retain high-quality personnel to meet 
operational requirements. Additionally, recently-implemented 
adjustments to add performance components to surface warfare officer 
bonuses were very effective--we are moving to make similar adjustments 
to aviation officer bonus programs. We are complimenting monetary 
incentives with non-monetary initiatives, to include open communication 
and transparency in officer detailing, mentorship, and fleet feedback 
mechanisms to optimize retention policy changes.
                              sailor 2025
    To attract and retain the very best sailors in an increasingly 
competitive talent market will require continued flexibility and 
transparency in our policies and practices. Sailor 2025 is a dynamic 
set of over 45 initiatives designed to help us do just that. It is a 
roadmap designed to improve personnel programs by providing sailors 
with choice and flexibility.
    Sailor 2025 is modernizing personnel management and training 
policies and systems to identify, recruit, and train, talented people 
more effectively, and manage the force of tomorrow while improving 
warfighting readiness. The modern, innovative, information technology 
(IT) infrastructure we are building will help improve the way we 
recruit, train and retain talent, more accurately and efficiently 
assign talent across the force, better design and account for 
compensation packages, and generate a system that affords greater 
flexibility and permeability. Sailor 2025 is built on a framework of 
three pillars:

      A modern personnel system,

      A career learning continuum with modernized delivery 
methods, called Ready, Relevant Learning (RRL), and

      Shaping resilient, tough, sailors bolstered by a family 
support network that fosters a career of service.

  Personnel System Modernization
    The first pillar is a wholesale modernization of our entire 
personnel system. We are creating flexible policies and additional 
career choices, and empowering commanding officers with tools to retain 
the best and brightest sailors. We have already implemented programs, 
including the meritorious advancement program, increased credentialing 
and graduate education opportunities, and tours with industry. We are 
also working to expand ``Marketplace Detailing'' pilot initiatives, 
overhaul the performance evaluation system, modernize delivery and 
tailoring of advancement examinations coincident with a rating 
modernization effort, and achieve greater permeability between the 
Active and Reserve components.
  Ready Relevant Learning
    The second pillar ``Ready, Relevant Learning'', is a holistic 
approach to training our career enlisted force, which will accelerate 
the learning of every sailor for faster response to rapidly changing 
warfighting requirements in increasingly dynamic operational 
environments. Today's legacy training does not take full advantage of 
existing and emerging technology for knowledge-transfer. Oftentimes, 
the skills acquired during accession pipeline training atrophy due to 
delays between receipt of training and on-the-job performance, 
increasing the burden on the fleet and potentially compromising 
operational readiness. We are using the science-of-learning to 
transform the current training model to identify modern training 
solutions delivered at the point of need, better preparing sailors to 
operate and maintain equipment at its technological limits, and meet 
rapidly evolving warfighting requirements. It will require sustained 
focus across three lines of effort: (1) career-long learning continuum, 
(2) modern delivery at the point of need, and (3) integrated content 
development.
    We are currently in the first stage of this career-long learning 
continuum line of effort, known as block learning, which divides 
existing accession level training content into smaller blocks, which 
are moved to real-world points of need in the sailor's career, 
shortening initial accession training time and making sailors available 
to the fleet sooner. block learning uses existing training content 
while we reengineer the training to meet objectives of the future RRL 
training continuum. To date, we have completed block learning analysis 
for 54 rating paths, approved changes for 25 ratings, with 9 now 
delivering training in this new continuum.
    The second line of effort of RRL will provide modern delivery of 
training by taking advantage of emerging learning technologies to allow 
sailors to more efficiently receive training at the point of need--at 
the waterfront, or aboard the operational unit. These training 
solutions will apply science-of-learning principles to make training 
more effective, efficient and available by leveraging technology, 
thereby, minimizing the necessity of repeatedly returning to a brick-
and-mortar schoolhouse. Over the last year, we initiated requirements-
development for modernization of 29 ratings, and began identifying and 
aligning IT capabilities to support delivery of modernized content, 
ashore and afloat. Requirements-development is critical to the third 
line of effort of RRL, integrated content development. Here, fleet 
leadership defines training requirements and aligns training content 
and delivery methods with fleet needs.
  Career Readiness
    The third pillar, career readiness, seeks to remove barriers to 
continued service and improve sailors' work-life balance, health, and 
wellness. Our goal is to enhance sailors' career readiness by better 
developing leaders, and removing obstacles that negatively influence a 
sailor's decision to stay Navy. The Navy is more powerful and lethal 
when we leverage and capitalize on the talents and strengths of the 
entire military and civilian workforce, and instilling an environment 
in which everyone feels valued and respected, which is a force 
multiplier. Toward that end, we have incorporated the One Navy Team 
concept into leader development efforts to make our force stronger, 
more resilient, and more competitive with the best public and private 
sector employers, equipped and ready to deter war and protect the 
security of our Nation.
         manpower personnel training & education transformation
    Recruiting, training, and managing sailors in today's demanding 
operational environment using historical, industrial age, assembly line 
techniques of the past, is costly and unsustainable. To effectively 
combat current and emerging threats, maintain maritime superiority, and 
continue competitively recruiting and retaining America's top talent, 
we must move-out now with purpose and a committed sense of urgency to 
transform and modernize the MPT&E Enterprise.
    Our efforts will greatly improve fleet readiness, integrate pay and 
personnel systems, fix auditability issues, and improve service 
delivery through a holistic, end-to-end, transformation that will 
directly, positively, affect the entire Navy ``Hire-to-Retire'' 
lifecycle. Following industry best practices, we implemented a new 
operating model, restructuring the enterprise around three fundamental 
lines of business:

      Force Development--the recruiting, on-boarding, and 
training of new sailors,

      Force Management--the management of our force from first 
command to retirement or separation, and

      Enterprise Services--ensuring that Force Development and 
Force Management have the tools and resources to meet mission 
objectives efficiently and effectively.

    We are establishing the MyNavy Career Center, a multi-channel 
centralized customer service solution that will enable sailor self-
service, streamline human resource operations, and provide 24/7 call 
center support. Three MyNavy Career Centers will consolidate the 
workload of over 60 geographically dispersed personnel support 
detachments with better standardization, improved auditability, and 
significantly improved customer service. In early 2017, we fielded the 
first incremental release of MyNavy Portal, which continues to evolve 
rapidly with each new planned release, bringing additional 
functionality and integration to the system. Development of the 
integrated Navy Pay and Personnel (NP2) system is underway, with an 
early prototyping field test at Naval Station, Great Lakes, in progress 
since late 2017. In 2018, we will begin early testing of MyNavy Career 
Center functionality, and commencing a second, larger scale, test of 
NP2, which will build-out and test Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) 
initial operating capability (IOC) elements.
    Combined with Sailor 2025 and Ready, Relevant Learning, MPT&E 
Transformation will open the door to new ways of managing the force, 
with improved transparency, connectivity, and customer service. Fleet 
leaders will see faster action, and more-accurate data on personnel and 
training needs. Ultimately, Navy will benefit from a more agile, 
adaptive, and better trained force, ready to meet an increasingly 
complex mission.
                  officer personnel management reform
    In conjunction with our Sailor 2025 effort to modernize personnel 
management programs and training systems, we are reviewing officer 
management statutes and policy to provide our officers with similar 
tools and flexibility to those we have already provided to enlisted 
sailors. We have achieved a solid start within existing authorities. 
However, achieving the point-of-service support expected by our 
officers, and the standard of agility and responsiveness needed by 
fleet commanders, requires a more flexible set of officer management 
tools. We can accomplish this through relatively modest adjustments to 
the current officer personnel management framework, while maintaining 
core Defense Officer Personnel Management Act attributes. We are 
grateful for the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee's 
interest in this area, and your partnership, as we work to modernize 
DOPMA to meet the future needs of all of the services.
                taking care of sailors and navy families
  Family Framework/Support Programs
    In October 2017, the Chief of Naval Operations published the Navy 
Family Framework to reinforce the importance of the role families play 
in mission success and to outline five organizational goals for 
enhancing mutual support between the Navy and our families:

      Improve Navy family support programs,

      Better connect with, and inform, Navy families,

      Improve spouse training and expand our education network,

      Increase meaningful command leader engagement with Navy 
spouses and families, and

      Reinforce Navy families' connection to the Navy and its 
core values of honor, courage and commitment.

    Family Support programs are critical to enhancing mission readiness 
and assisting commanding officers, sailors and their families in 
managing the unique demands of the military lifestyle, balancing 
military commitment with family life.
    Navy Fleet and Family Support Centers ensure military families are 
informed, healthy, and resilient through robust programs to include, 
relocation assistance, non-medical and family counseling, personal and 
family life education, personal financial management services, 
information and referral services, deployment assistance, domestic 
violence prevention and response services, exceptional family member 
liaison, emergency family assistance and transition assistance.
    Navy child and youth programs provide quality childcare. Navy 
morale, welfare, and recreation programs provide core fitness and 
recreation for sailors and families to enhance quality of life and 
encourage life-long positive and healthy leisure pursuits. As part of 
Sailor 2025, we extended hours of operation at fitness centers and 
child development centers in response to the demand signal from sailors 
and their families, which positively influences decisions to remain in 
the Navy and improves our ability to meet fleet readiness requirements.
Suicide Prevention
    Suicide remains the second leading cause of death in the Navy and 
prevention remains among our highest priorities. We experienced a 27 
percent increase in deaths due to suicide last year, a rate of 20.2 
deaths per 100,000, greatly exceeding the 2016 rate of 15.9, as well as 
the previous high rate of 18.1, in 2012.
    There is no single cause, and no single solution, to this complex 
problem. We are tackling each major contributing factor at both the 
individual and community level, studying each death in detail. 
Individual factors continue to be relationship problems, legal 
problems, career and academic setbacks, and mental health problems. 
Sailors who have died by suicide felt a loss of belonging and 
connectedness; felt ostracized and alone; and lacked adequate coping 
and problem solving skills, and emotional regulation. Fleet training 
efforts have revealed that increasingly sailors are responding 
appropriately when shipmates require help. We continue to focus on 
initiatives to enhance our ability to reduce suicide within our ranks:

      Our six Operational Stress Control Mobile Training Teams 
provide resilience and toughness skills for sailors and their families, 
and tools to remain psychologically healthy.

      Embedded mental health providers within units, including 
all large deck ships and expeditionary units, improve access to care, 
remove barriers to seeking care, and embody a culture of help-seeking 
behavior.

      Waterfront clinics are under development in fleet 
concentration areas and civilian resiliency counselors are deployed to 
assist in managing non-medical problems that affect sailors.

      Reserve Psychological Health Outreach Program ensures 
that Reserve component sailors have full access to appropriate 
psychological health care services.

      The Sailor Assistance and Intercept for Life (SAIL) 
Program, implemented last year, provides rapid assistance and ongoing 
risk assessment and support for sailors in the 90-day period following 
a suicide-related behavior. SAIL supplements medical care with non-
clinical resources that address other life problems confronting the 
sailor.

      Defense Suicide Prevention Office collaboration to 
implement skills training at accession points and throughout sailors' 
careers and provide a strong foundation for follow-on training.

    Suicide prevention coordinators partner with command leaders to 
enhance the sense of community and ensure everyone feels valued and a 
part of the mission. The most recent version of the command climate 
survey assesses the extent to which sailors feel they belong, and gives 
leaders more insight into problem areas within the command. Our 21st 
Century Sailor Office reaches out to the commanding officer of each 
command that experiences a suicide-related behavior or death by 
suicide, to guide them to available resources and reassure them of our 
availability, support, and empathetic ear.
  Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR)
    We are reviewing and evaluating the Navy SAPR prevention strategy, 
and training content, to ensure we are achieving the desired impact, 
e.g., knowledge transfer, issue awareness, and intervention skills. We 
continue to collaborate with academia, and other Federal and non-
federal organizations, in investigating research-informed and evidence-
based prevention strategies aimed at reducing, and ultimately 
eliminating, destructive behaviors.
    We continue to refine our response capability with investigations 
into suspected misconduct, and both criminal and administrative 
accountability for individuals who violate the standards. We treat 
victims with compassion, and remain committed to providing quality 
care, conducting thorough investigations in a timely manner, and 
providing a fair and equitable system of accountability to ensure 
justice and maintenance of good order and discipline. Through 
partnerships across the Department of Defense, we continue to execute a 
strategy to prevent and respond to retaliation by better understanding 
the prevalence of retaliatory behavior, including reprisal, ostracism, 
and maltreatment.
  Eliminating Destructive Behavior
    We are eliminating destructive behavior by determining the most 
effective approach for prevention and education to reduce adverse 
social and health-related outcomes. We have engaged a highly qualified 
expert in the field of behavioral science, to better address complex 
societal issues that affect sailors and readiness. We have also applied 
a metrics-based, data science approach, to provide clearer insight into 
the nature of incidents resulting from destructive decisions, and to 
better identify leading indicators, target prevention efforts, and 
accurately focus action. For example:

      We have initiated primary prevention strategies that 
focus on a continuum of excellence, facilitating productive behaviors 
that support a more effective warrior ethos.

      We will evaluate tools for assessing recruits to better 
understand their needs and how to address them effectively. Leadership 
is the key to carrying out the national security mission while creating 
a positive environment for our people.

      We have engaged leaders to evaluate tools and policies 
that build trust, unit cohesion, and a positive command climate, while 
developing the most lethal naval force.

    This year, we launched Full Speed Ahead 2.0, continuing our efforts 
to prevent and combat destructive behaviors and promote positive 
signature behaviors by emphasizing dedication to personal betterment, 
development of team dynamics grounded in trust and respect, and 
reinforcement of sailors' commitment to Navy values to uphold a culture 
inclusive and empowering for all.
    Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention programs support enhanced 
fleet, family, and personal readiness through aggressive prevention of 
alcohol and drug abuse. Substance abuse places lives and missions at 
risk, undercuts unit readiness and morale, is often involved in other 
destructive behaviors, and is inconsistent with Navy's ethos and core 
values of honor, courage and commitment. The Keep What You've Earned 
campaign fosters improved decision making for sailors to protect their 
career investment by creating an environment that encourages and 
teaches methods on responsible consumption of alcohol, offers 
alternatives, and educates about the consequences of poor decision 
making. Detection, deterrence, and prevention are key elements in 
combating drug abuse. Our Prescription for Discharge campaign educates 
sailors on the proper use of prescription drugs. Expanded urinalysis 
screening has increased detection of wrongful prescription drug use and 
yielded a decline in positive synthetic drug results. We are committed 
to providing sailors with the support network, health care, and skills, 
needed to overcome adversity and make responsible decisions.
                             our way ahead
    The three Future Fleet Architecture studies required by the Fiscal 
Year 2016 NDAA provided a range of insights and perspectives that 
validated and informed Navy leadership's thinking on fleet architecture 
and design. These studies will play a foundational role in the process 
of designing a future fleet, and support CNO strategic priorities as 
articulated in the Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority, which 
calls for exploration of alternative fleet designs.
    We are at a point of strategic inflection. The maritime environment 
is becoming more stressed, contested and congested, and the pace of 
change is accelerating in almost every area. We must continue to 
outpace our peer competitors and future threats by ensuring that future 
fleet development is thoughtful, informed, agile and focused. These 
studies will help the Navy determine optimum fleet size and mix, over 
time.
    We are preparing to grow the Navy in an environment in which 
competition for talent will be increasingly sharp. Growing to a 355-
ship Navy would require increases in the MPN and Operations and 
Maintenance, Navy accounts, to support and sustain a larger fleet. 
Manning the fleet may require an end strength increase approaching 
35,000, fully dependent on the required supporting units and squadrons, 
and training pipeline growth. Our end strength profile is largely 
determined by the composition and manpower needs of the fleet and the 
timing of delivery of those platforms. Growth in the number of ships 
will drive end strength increases and growth in other warfighting 
areas, (e.g., aviation and cyber), and warfighting support domains 
(training, maintenance, communications, logistics, and facilities). 
Additional resources would be required for accession supply-chain 
manning, including recruiters, recruit division commanders and 
instructors.
    Navy is developing specific accession and workforce management 
plans to support anticipated force structure scenarios, within 
established fiscal and infrastructure constraints. These plans rely on 
the demand signal of the anticipated force structure. Furthermore, any 
request for additional fleet manning will depend on the rate at which 
new platforms are procured and constructed, the manning-needs of 
specific platforms as they come online, required skill-sets of sailors 
assigned to those platforms, and the seniority/experience mix needed to 
operate at peak readiness, efficiency and capability.
    Finally, Navy continues to aggressively work through the combined 
recommendations of both the comprehensive review and the Secretary of 
the Navy's Strategic Readiness Review, under a consolidated Readiness 
Reform Oversight Council, for improvements on crew manning, individual 
training, and career progression, among other things. These lessons are 
being applied, not only to the surface warfare community, but across 
the Navy.
                               conclusion
    Navy must continue to attract, recruit, develop, assign, and retain 
a highly skilled workforce. As we continue to battle in this 
competition for talent, Navy is well postured to support sailors and 
their families, and increase their resilience. I look forward to 
working with you as we continue to shape the Navy to meet current and 
emerging requirements.

    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    General Seamands.

STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL THOMAS C. SEAMANDS, USA, DEPUTY 
                      CHIEF OF STAFF, G-1

    General Seamands. Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member 
Gillibrand, distinguished Members of the Committee, thanks for 
the opportunity to appear before you on behalf of the men and 
women in the United States Army.
    I've submitted a statement for the record, and would like 
to highlight a few of the points now.
    Manning our Army is one of the key components of readiness 
and is vital to our Army's ability to win--fight and win our 
Nation's wars. Thank you for the Fiscal Year 2018 National 
Defense Authorization Act, which authorized the total Army end 
strength to increase by 8,500. We also appreciate the 2 year 
budget agreement. These will help us improve readiness and 
ensure your Army is fully manned in its formations in the 
coming years.
    To build a future Army, we must recruit diverse men and 
women from high--of high quality and high character in a 
competitive market, where only one in seven--one in four of the 
17 to 24 year olds in the Army--or in the Nation is eligible to 
join the Army, and only one in eight has a propensity to enlist 
in the military. Our recruiters across the Nation are doing a 
great job and working hard to achieve the mission.
    The Army must also continue to retain the most talent 
soldiers and noncommissioned officers with the experience and 
skills necessary to meet our future needs. We project historic 
retention rates again this year for our NCOs.
    The Army leadership has embraced talent management as a 
cornerstone of how we retain our best NCOs and best officers. 
The Integrated Pay and Personnel System Army, or IPPS-A, will 
be the keystone in the archway of talent management. IPPS-A 
will bring a responsive system that connects all three 
components and builds a marketplace for talent. We are a 
standards-based team in the Army, and the Army remains 
committed to giving all soldiers who can meet the standards of 
a military occupational specialty the opportunity to serve in 
that speciality.
    Last year, the Army integrated the gender-neutral physical 
standards for initial-entry training and job-specific training, 
and the initial results are very positive. We have successfully 
assessed and transferred more than 600 women into the 
previously closed occupations of infantry, armor, and field 
artillery. The opportunities are so popular, we're expanding 
the programs next year.
    As part of the Total Force, the civilians are vital to and 
comprise about 22 percent of the total personnel. We need a 
civilian workforce that has critical and unique skills to 
support the soldiers and families. As we build our force, we 
focus on areas that provide the foundation for our future. We 
remain focused on personal resiliency and suicide prevention 
with world-class programs for our soldiers, civilians, and 
family members. Sexual harassment and sexual assault 
retaliation are not compatible with Army values, and they 
diminish our readiness. Therefore, combating all forms of 
sexual misconduct remain a top priority in the Army. Although 
optimistic about the progress we've made in reducing sexual 
violence in the ranks, we understand there's much more work to 
be done as we drive toward zero.
    You've authorized us to grow, and we thank you for that. We 
must be--ensure that the force is ready. The Army has improved 
personal readiness by increasing the number of deployable 
soldiers. We also have an ongoing review to see how we can 
increase the number of deployable soldiers even more in order 
to enhance readiness.
    Because we care for soldiers as they prepare for life after 
the service, the Army Soldier For Life Program, with support 
from commanders and command sergeant majors, has resulted in 
increased educational employment opportunities for Army 
veterans and family members, and a significant reduction in 
unemployment cost.
    Additionally, I appreciate that--you beginning the 
discussion on a review of DOPMA to determine what's essential 
and should be retained and what needs to be updated. Our Army 
is strong because of the courage and commitment of our 
soldiers, civilians, veterans, and family members who serve our 
Nation. I thank you for your continued support of the All-
Volunteer Army.
    [The prepared statement of Lieutenant General Seamands 
follows:]

      Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Thomas C. Seamands
    Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, distinguished Members 
of this Committee, I thank you for the opportunity to appear before you 
on behalf of the men and women of the United States Army.
    Our Army is the most formidable ground combat force on earth 
because of the courage and commitment of the soldiers, civilians, 
veterans, and family members who serve our Nation. Our people are our 
greatest asset as we position the Total Army Force to meet security 
demands around the globe. It is imperative that we remain focused on 
responsible growth of the Army and world-class programs that provide 
continued care and resources for soldiers and their families.
    The Army is globally engaged, supporting combatant command missions 
with approximately 186,000 soldiers committed in 140 countries. The 
Army's forward presence and stationing builds partner capacity, assures 
our allies, and deters aggressors. The continued need for a ready 
force--fully manned, trained, and equipped is evidenced daily by 
international events. Consistent, strategy-based funding is critical to 
the Army accomplishing its missions.
    Manning the Army is one of the key components of readiness and is 
vital to the Army's ability to fight and win our Nation's wars. Our 
Total Army is comprised of the Active component (AC), the Army Reserve 
(USAR) and the Army National Guard (ARNG). The Fiscal Year 2018 
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized a Total Army end 
strength increase of 8,500 to 1,026,500 soldiers (483,500 AC; 199,500 
USAR; 343,500 ARNG). This increase will help us improve readiness and 
ensure the Army has fully manned formations in the coming years.
    Today only one in four 17 to 24 year-olds in the U.S. is eligible 
to serve in the Army, and only one in eight has a propensity to enlist 
in the military, making Army accessions a challenging and resource-
intensive activity. The Army achieved its fiscal year 2017 recruiting 
mission of 68,500 Active component recruits with more than 96 percent 
of them holding high school diplomas. The ARNG fell short of their 
mission of 40,000 (85.8 percent) and the USAR fell short of their 
mission of 14,400 (92.2 percent). For fiscal year 2018, the recruiting 
missions are 80,000 for the Active component, 44,300 for the ARNG, and 
15,600 for the USAR. We are aggressively working both accession and 
retention missions needed to achieve the 8,500 soldier growth in end 
strength for the Total Army provided for in the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA. 
We are committed to holding quality high by using enlistment bonus 
incentives and expanding prior service enlistments to help reach our 
goal. We are also pursing efforts to positively leverage our soldier 
for Life population to assist in achieving our accessions mission and 
continue to maintain an All-Volunteer Force.
    The Army must continue to retain the most talented soldiers and 
non-commissioned officers with the experience and skills necessary to 
meet our future needs. The AC, USAR and ARNG each achieved their fiscal 
year 2017 retention missions. The increase in end strength for fiscal 
year 2018 has also led us to an increase in the Army's retention 
mission, and we have expanded retention incentives accordingly. Each 
component is diligently working to accomplish their respective 
retention missions while maintaining standards.
    Our officer corps is strong and committed to the mission, and we 
continue to make improvements in the diversity of our officer corps. 
The United States Military Academy (USMA) increased the number of 
female cadets from 16 percent in the class of 2017 to 22 percent in the 
class of 2020. The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) had similar 
growth in female admissions from 22 percent in the Class of 2017 to a 
projected 28 percent women in the Class of 2020. Additionally, the 
officer corps has had an increase in African American accessions--14 
percent in USMA class of 2020 are African American versus 10 percent of 
the class of 2017, and projected 14 percent of ROTC commissions in 2020 
will be African American versus an average of 11 percent from 2012 to 
2017. The Army will maintain our emphasis on sustaining a high-quality 
All-Volunteer Force that reflects the diversity of America.
    The Army strives to continuously improve efforts to assess and 
train the right soldier for the right job. The U.S. Army Training and 
Doctrine Command completed a physical demands study of Army specialties 
in 2016 and used it to develop an Occupational Physical Assessment Test 
(OPAT). Since January 2017, the OPAT has been used as a physical 
assessment screening tool for Officer and Enlisted Accessions. Passing 
the OPAT ensures new soldiers, regardless of gender, can succeed in an 
assigned specialty and verifies their readiness for training and to 
prevent or minimize injuries. Longitudinal studies on OPAT are being 
conducted by the Army Research Institute to measure OPAT's effect on 
morale, cohesion, and readiness.
    The Army remains committed to giving all soldiers who can meet the 
standards of a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) the opportunity to 
serve in that MOS. In January 2017, the Army implemented MOS-based 
gender-neutral physical standards to start initial entry training, and 
to successfully be awarded a given MOS. To date, the Army has 
successfully accessed and transferred more than 600 women into the 
previously closed occupations of infantry, armor, and field artillery.
    Since 2016, 74 female officers have successfully completed the 
Infantry or Armor Basic Officer Leader's Course and are arriving at 
assignments in Forts Hood and Bragg. In 2018, assignments will expand 
to Forts Carson, Campbell, and Bliss in support of the Army's Leaders 
First Strategy. Additionally, the Army has transferred, trained and 
assigned female NCOs into both infantry and armor specialties. This 
approach sets conditions in operational units before newly trained 
junior enlisted soldiers arrive. The first integrated enlisted training 
courses for infantry and armor graduated in May/June 2017 and female 
soldiers were assigned to Forts Hood and Bragg. Due to a multi-year 
effort to open other jobs that have long been unavailable to female 
soldiers, as many as 500 women currently serve in every active Brigade 
Combat Team in the Army down to the company level. Of significance, 10 
women have graduated Ranger School and one officer is assigned to the 
Ranger Regiment. As the Army continues long-term studies in support of 
gender integration and the soldier 2020 campaign, lessons learned will 
continue to enhance readiness and increase the diversity across our 
force using a standards-based approach.
    In order to employ and retain soldiers and maintain a capable and 
effective ground combat force, the Army requires a civilian workforce 
with unique and critical skills to support soldiers and their families. 
Civilians serve across the institutional Army and enable the Army to 
free up soldiers for service in the operational Army. When placed in 
the context of the Total Army, civilians comprise about 22 percent of 
the Army's total personnel (soldiers of the Army, Army National Guard, 
and Army Reserve comprise the other categories). Since 2011, the Army 
has been drawing down the civilian workforce from a wartime high of 
285,000 full time equivalents to 239,500 at of the close of fiscal year 
2017. These reductions were implemented to meet budget levels, military 
end strength reductions, and legislative mandates associated with the 
military drawdown.
    Given the need to recover and sustain readiness, and with the 
increasing of military end strength, the Army will need to increase the 
capabilities that our civilians give us. While we continue to implement 
reforms and reduce the size of headquarters activities, we recognize 
that Department of Army civilians are key enablers of our readiness and 
operational capabilities. As the Army looks to become more lethal, 
enhance both its capability and capacity, and ensure critical support 
to the Solider and their families, our Department of Army Civilians are 
an integral partner and we must ensure our workforce is sized 
appropriately.
    Every soldier is a valued member of the Army team and is critical 
to readiness and mission accomplishment. Sustaining individual personal 
readiness is a necessary component of maintaining the readiness of the 
force. The Army is improving personal readiness and individual 
deployability by focusing on strengthening soldiers, building 
protective factors, and fostering a culture of trust to ensure 
successful service and unit cohesion.
    We have implemented a holistic and outcome-focused proactive 
prevention model which drives change through visibility, routine 
assessment, and targeted actions. The prevention model is tailored to 
fit the needs of our people in diverse and challenging environments and 
will improve personal readiness to enhance and sustain a resilient 
force. This paradigm shift to a proactive prevention strategy, as 
opposed to one that is reactive, empowers soldiers and leaders at all 
levels to promote personal readiness.
    We continue to provide commanders and leaders increased visibility 
of their readiness with the development of the Commander's Risk 
Reduction Dashboard (CRRD) with anticipated initial operating 
capability by the end of 2018. This tool provides commanders visibility 
of their soldier and unit risk history, trends, and the impacts on 
personal readiness. We are developing a predictive analytical 
capability for integration into the full operational capability system 
by the end of 2019 in order for commanders to make proactive decisions 
and resource allocations, based upon probability of readiness.
    We are fielding Engage, which is a means to enable bystander 
intervention and improve cohesion across the force. Research indicates 
that soldiers lack the expertise to successfully and routinely execute 
professional confrontations. Engage encourages engagements across a 
wide variety of situations and with peers, subordinates and supervisors 
to enhance communication and positively influence personal readiness.
    We are also executing the ``Not in My Squad'' initiative, developed 
by the Sergeant Major of the Army that is focused on squad leaders. 
Research has determined that squad leaders have the greatest impact on 
units, the individual soldier and the climate. ``Not in My Squad'' 
facilitates self-development and helps squad leaders understand and 
embrace their roles as leaders in their organization.
    Engage and ``Not in My Squad'' are being executed at the 26 Ready 
and Resilient Performance Centers across all components of the Army. We 
have certified 32,000 master resiliency trainers who are resident in 
company-level formations and train soldiers on 16 resiliency skills 
that focus on sustaining personal readiness and optimizing human 
performance. The goal is to have a master resilience trainer for every 
company in the Army to coach these skills.
    Sexual harassment, sexual assault, and retaliation are not 
compatible with Army Values and they diminish our readiness, therefore, 
combatting all forms of sexual misconduct remains a top priority for 
the Army. The Army, along with the Department of Defense, continues to 
make significant progress eradicating sexual assault, while encouraging 
more soldiers to report the crime. Since 2012, reporting has increased 
approximately 59 percent for the Total Army (1,572 - reports in fiscal 
year 2012 compared to 2,497 reports in fiscal year 2016) while 
prevalence has decreased 6.4 percent for women and 36.8 percent for men 
within the Active component. As we analyze fiscal year 2017 data, 
indications are that we will see another increase in reports. The 
increase in reporting and decrease in prevalence are tracking in the 
right direction of our Department of Defense and Army goals. Continued 
progress will come from commanders eliminating sexual violence from 
their formations; encouraging more victims to obtain the services and 
support they need to heal, recover, and resume productive careers; and 
holding offenders appropriately accountable.
    The Army is also as dedicated to providing Department of the Army 
(DA) civilians with a safe space to report sexual assault and to seek 
victim support/services. During the past year, the Army implemented a 
pilot program for DA Civilian Sexual Harassment and Response Prevention 
(SHARP) services. In addition to providing full access to sexual 
assault response coordinators and victim advocates, the pilot enabled 
civilians to opt for either the restricted or the unrestricted 
reporting option. The pilot essentially provided DA civilians reporting 
parity with their uniformed servicemember counterparts. From January 
through December 2017, approximately 34 Army civilians utilized 
services provided through the pilot, with 5 opting to file restricted 
reports. Although the pilot ended 24 January 2018, the Army examining 
ways to allow us to continue to provide SHARP services, including both 
reporting options, to our civilian teammates.
    Another way we've increased support to our DA civilians is through 
the implementation of special victims' counsel program support to Army 
civilians when the offender is a soldier and the case falls under the 
jurisdiction of the military. We cannot fulfill our commitment to the 
American public without our dedicated Army civilians. We owe it to our 
country to take care of our civilian employees the way we take care of 
our soldiers.
    With healthier command climates where victims feel safe to report 
without fear of retaliatory behaviors, the Army is continuing to place 
increased emphasis on prevention. We are especially focused on teaching 
members of the Army team how to recognize and address inappropriate 
behaviors identified in the left spectrum of the sexual violence 
continuum of harm. These behaviors include offensive jokes, hazing, 
cyberbullying, and other actions that create an environment that 
tolerates sexual violence. Historically, civilian and DOD research/
studies have shown a correlation between sexual harassment and sexual 
assault. This research is why the Army decided to combine the sexual 
harassment prevention and sexual assault prevention and response 
programs a decade ago. We're continuing to develop tools to help 
command teams, soldiers, and DA civilians place greater emphasis on 
prevention of sexual violence.
    Although we're optimistic about the progress we've made in reducing 
sexual violence in the ranks, we understand there's more work to be 
done. We will not be satisfied until America's sons and daughters can 
serve in our Army--a multi-generational, ethnically diverse, gender-
integrated Army--without fear of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or 
retaliation for reporting sexual offenses. Through the continued 
leadership of our command teams, the expertise of our SHARP 
professionals, and the commitment of our soldiers and DA civilians, we 
believe this standard is achievable.
    The Army's goal is to sustain the personal readiness of our 
soldiers and build unit cohesion; however, suicide remains one of our 
most serious challenges. We remain devoted to our task of more 
proactively identifying indicators and developing holistic approaches 
to prevention. Our comprehensive approach includes strengthening our 
soldiers, leaders, and families; building protective factors; and 
fostering a culture of trust. Suicide prevention is a complex human 
endeavor that requires a network of human sensors, the skills to 
Engage, continuous assessment of behaviors, and a comprehensive 
assistance and treatment capability.
    To improve personal readiness and resiliency, we are aggressively 
working to decrease the stigma associated with seeking behavioral 
health care. Behavioral Health (BH) encounters for the Total Army grew 
from approximately 900,000 in fiscal year 2007 to approximately 2.25 
million in fiscal year 2017, indicating greater trust in the system. 
Soldiers required 67,000 fewer inpatient bed days for all types of BH 
conditions in 2016, as compared to 2012. This 41 percent decrease, is 
due in part to improvements in outpatient services, Intensive 
Outpatient Programs, and case management.
    In addition to reducing the stigma associated with seeking help, 
the Army has provided more timely care, especially to those with the 
most significant behavioral health conditions. For example, according 
to the 2016 DHA Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, 96 
percent of all soldiers hospitalized for a behavioral health condition 
receive a follow-up appointment in a clinic within 7 days, which far 
exceeds the national average. Embedding behavioral health personnel 
within combat units is a proven best practice--we've recently extended 
this effort by embedding the substance use disorder providers within 
Embedded BH to provide more comprehensive care.
    The Army has reduced Total Army non-deployable personnel from 15 
percent in June 2016 to 11 percent in December 2017. The current 11 
percent non-deployable population includes a new category introduced 
summer 2016 to proactively manage expired medical and dental 
examinations. Excluding this category, the Total Army rate would be 9 
percent and the Regular Army 8 percent. The Army will make continued 
reductions to our non-deployable population a priority.
    The Army continues to reduce the time required for soldiers to 
process through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). 
Current processing times for the Reserve components are down to 298 
days and the Active component is down to 261 days. Processing times 
were impacted during fiscal year 2017 due to information technology 
(IT) migration activities involving our separate Medical Evaluation 
Board and Physical Evaluation Board case processing applications into a 
single disability case processing application for both stakeholders. 
Active component IDES processing times have decreased by 14 days on 
average since October 2017 as our IT migration nears completion, and we 
will continue to strive towards achieving our informal Army goal of 210 
days versus the DOD published goal of 295 days. The IDES population is 
steady state at approximately 12,000. We will continue to evaluate how 
to efficiently and fairly evaluate injured soldiers and either return 
them to duty or assist them in transitioning to civilian life.
    In addition to taking care of soldiers and their families while 
they are in the Army, we are committed to ensuring their successful 
transition. We know that every year approximately 100,000 soldiers 
transition from the Total Army via either retirement or separation. Our 
mandate here is clear--we must continue to focus on preparing our 
soldiers for transition to productive veterans across our respective 
communities.
    The Army's Soldier for Life program conducts strategic outreach and 
shapes education, employment, and health policies, programs and 
services to inspire citizens to serve and to create an environment 
where soldiers transition to be productive veterans of character, 
integrity, and service. The program has connected more than one 
thousand private and public organizations to transitioning soldiers and 
spouses, resulting in increased educational and employment 
opportunities for Army veterans and family members. Further, according 
to the Department of Labor, Soldier for Life efforts assisted in 
reducing the veteran unemployment rates 3.7 percent for fiscal year 
2017, with the lowest amount of unemployment compensation for veterans 
in 17 years.
    For fiscal year 2017, the Army's Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) 
Act compliance was over 88 percent--the Active component at 90 percent, 
ARNG at 86 percent and USAR at 79 percent. We as an Army continue to 
enhance our policies and procedures for transitioning soldiers and have 
ensured commanders understand that they must ensure their soldiers 
attend VOW Act-mandated briefings. In the end, it is in the Army's and 
our Nation's best interest to ensure soldiers transition successfully 
back into our communities. They are better able to become productive 
citizens as well as important ambassadors for the Army who can 
positively affect the propensity for others to serve.
    To build a Total Army of professional Active, Reserve and National 
Guard forces, as well as civilians, who are trained and ready to take 
on the challenges of the future, we must leverage and manage all 
available talent and ensure every individual is optimized to fight and 
win our Nation's wars. The Army is piloting a Talent Assessment Program 
that will identify our talent and match them to Army requirements. For 
example, this past summer at the Aviation Captain's Career Course at 
Ft. Rucker, Alabama, junior captains completed a battery of talent 
assessment instruments, which collectively provide them with 
individually-tailored feedback on where their talents align with the 
requirements of the Army's various career specialties. Likewise, junior 
captains at the Field Artillery Captain's Career Course are conducting 
a similar talent assessment now. The pilot program finishes this 
spring, and we plan to expand the assessment program to include 
additional career courses over the next 2 years.
    Our goal is comprehensive visibility of all our soldiers' 
knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors to best fit the right 
person in the right job at the right time. The Integrated Personnel and 
Pay System-Army will transform the Army's legacy personnel system to a 
21st Century talent management system. To accomplish this, we must move 
from a personnel management system to a talent management system that 
will enable us to better manage soldier talents and match them to Army 
requirements.
    For the first time ever, IPPS-A will enable the Army to manage all 
1.1 million Total Force soldiers in a single, integrated personnel and 
pay system that will directly impact the readiness of the Total Force 
and improve the lives of our soldiers. Finally, it will provide a full 
end to end audit capability to ensure Army personnel and pay 
transactions are compliant with the law. IPPS-A integrates software 
that creates distinct roles and permissions by individual positions, 
sets business processes, segregates duties, and generates system alerts 
when changes are made--we cannot do this with our current systems. 
IPPS-A enables the Army to modernize and transform our human resource 
processes and helps us to facilitate significant business process 
reengineering. The initial implementation of IPPS-A will start with the 
Pennsylvania Army National Guard in October 2018.
    The Assignment Interactive Module 2.0 is a web-based information 
system that will further facilitate the Army's talent management 
efforts. This system promotes transparency of requirements for soldiers 
and units; enables stakeholder interaction via an intuitive 
marketplace; captures unique soldier talents, unit and position data; 
and establishes a talent management link to IPPS-A.
    At the end of the day, the Army is people. The men and women who 
serve our Nation, both in uniform and out of uniform, along with their 
families, are our most important asset. As a Nation, we must ensure 
they have the required resources so they are ready when called upon to 
fight and win our Nation's wars. I thank all of you for your continued 
support of our All-Volunteer Army.

    Senator Tillis. Thank you all.
    Secretary Wilkie, the--you and I have had this discussion 
on a number of occasions, and thank you for your time this week 
in your office. I'm curious about the medically nondeployable 
population. I'd like you to talk a little bit about the number 
who are in that category today, some of that which is expected, 
and some of that needs to change. Any steps you've already 
taken, or steps in the future you intend to take.
    Secretary Wilkie. Yes, sir.
    Today, I will be releasing a--the new Department of Defense 
policy on military retention. The situation we face today is 
really unlike anything that we have faced, certainly in the 
post-World War II era. On any given day, about 13 to 14 percent 
of the force is medically unable to deploy. That comes out to 
be around 286,000 soldiers. In September--I mean, in July of 
this year, Secretary Mattis tasked Personnel and Readiness with 
developing policies to ensure that everyone who comes into the 
service, and everyone who stays in the service, is worldwide 
deployable. The way I described it in our conversation is, if 
Mr. Bezos, in Amazon, walked in to Christmas week, and 14 
percent of his workforce could not perform their duties, then 
he would no longer be the largest company in the world.
    There are several issues that--there are several aspects of 
nondeployability that are on us. I was going to--I was hoping 
that Senator Ernst would stay, because we could talk about our 
experiences as junior officers. If, in our small units, our 
commanders discovered that half of our troops were not 
medically ready because they had not visited the dentist, that 
would have been on us. We would have been accountable, as 
junior leaders, to make sure that they've visited the dentist 
to become dentally ready to deploy. That's a mission for us.
    The other thing that we have seen is that, in a--the down 
years, in terms of recruiting for the military, we offer too 
many medical waivers to get into the service. The medical 
conditions that those servicemembers had when they received 
those waivers followed them into the service as they progressed 
through their careers. We have to address that.
    This new policy is a 12 month deploy-or-be-removed policy. 
However, there are exceptions to it. Does not apply to 
pregnancy. Does not apply to postpartum conditions. Medical 
boards will review the medical status of those who have been 
wounded. I will use a personal example from 1970. My father was 
severely wounded in the invasion of Cambodia, spent a year in 
an Army hospital. A determination was made by a medical board 
then that his service was still required, and he was allowed to 
recover and return to Fort Bragg in the 82nd Airborne Division. 
Those are the things that we will take into consideration.
    But, we need to look at the force holistically. We have to 
ensure, given the climate that this country faces, that 
everyone who signs up can be deployed to any corner of the 
world at any given time. That is the reason for the change in 
policy.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    In the next panel, we're going to hear from military 
families and groups representing them. The one thing that I 
hear consistently is that the frequent relocations creates a 
great disruption to the family, to employment, a number of 
other things. So, maybe starting with General Seamands, we'll 
just move down the line to the services' personnel chiefs. What 
specifically is your service doing to address the concerns for 
the Permanent Change of Status flexibility?
    General Seamands. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Dr. Esper, Secretary of the Army, as he's gone around and 
had townhalls with soldiers, hear the same comment that you've 
made and ask how they can stay at a place longer. So, he's 
asked us to go back and take a look at not only how--if we can 
reduce the PCS, in terms of the monetary cost of the PCS, but 
also provide stability to the soldiers at those installations. 
We're, right now, trying to peel back the onion to find out 
where you can keep somebody in place longer to allow stability 
for them, and perhaps continued employment for their spouse, 
because, if the spouse is employed, they'll want to stay where 
they are, as well.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    Admiral Burke?
    Admiral Burke. Yes, sir. One of those nonmonetary retention 
incentives and--I mentioned, was our detailing marketplace, 
which is sort of a Linked-In for the Navy, allows sailors to 
connect directly with prospective jobs, communicate their 
desires, negotiate. But, the marketplace aspect of this is to 
view, sort of, not just their orders, but total next 
assignment, in terms of a total compensation package. 
Geographic stability can be part of the conversation, when it's 
possible. Career progression, ship type, where those ship types 
are home-ported, where they are in their career, may make that 
impossible.
    But, through use of those techniques over the last 2 years, 
we've been able to increase the numbers of assignments 
systematically, so up to around 25 percent of our next career 
moves have been same home port for our sailors. So, we're 
increasing it. We may be approaching our limit, here, just 
based on where our ships are home-ported. But, we're trying to 
expand that as much as feasible. So one of the market dynamics 
and the detailing process are--are defining that for us. It's 
been interesting to watch.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    General Grosso.
    General Grosso. Mr. Chairman, we're doing several things. 
We also have leveraging technology with a optimization model 
that will let people put their desires in and let the--let them 
see the requirements, put their desires in. We think leveraging 
technology will make it easier to--people that want to move, to 
move; and people that want to be stable, to be stable. So, we 
think that--we are just testing--we tested it, and we're slowly 
incrementing that across the officer force.
    We also, for certain career fields, have implemented a 
second assignment in place. That's one of our pilot retention 
models. But, what you find is that the overseas rotation pulls 
people overseas. So, some of the force structure makes it 
difficult to keep people in place. But, we are certainly trying 
that. Certainly some number is completely possible to do.
    The final thing I would add is that I think some of the 
DOPMA flexibilities that we've talked about--one in particular, 
opting out of promotions--because I've had both--from a female 
retention survey, there are people that would like to stay in 
place, but, because of the career progression forced by an up-
or-out system, they really can't. So, I think, with some DOPMA 
flexibility, I think you could keep families in place longer, 
in the same position. We'd obviously have to think about how to 
manage that, but I think that would be one huge benefit of some 
DOPMA flexibility.
    Senator Tillis. General Rocco.
    General Rocco. Senator Tillis, the Marine Corps, the--prior 
to executing Permanent Change of Station orders, we have 
monitors, the person in the loop that talks to each marine 
before they are issued orders to wherever they may be. So, what 
we try to do is, we take into account the spouse's situation 
and the family situation, in whole. We support any effort to 
protect their ability to have jobs or protect their jobs.
    The other initiative we have--and we just submitted 
recently, within the past few months--is to reduce the time 
that unaccompanied tours for married members will have 
overseas. We're reducing that from 2 years to 15 to 18 months. 
So, that's another initiative to try to keep the families 
stable and have the member go unaccompanied overseas at a less-
than a 2 year time period. But, we support any initiatives that 
would protect the spouse.
    But, we do have marines that are in the loop for every 
change-of-station orders that we provide, and we try to 
mitigate that by keeping them stable or moving them to an area 
both fits the Marine Corps and the family desires.
    Secretary Wilkie. Mr. Chairman, may I add to that?
    On February 8th, Secretary Mattis signed a directive 
placing me in charge of what he calls his Close Combat 
Lethality Task Force. Certainly the primacy of the family and 
the stability of the family is what P&R has had as its prime 
directive for many years. But, the Close Combat Lethality Task 
Force looks to the cohesion of the Marine Corps and the Army's 
front-line close-combat units. Cohesion throughout our history, 
stability, in terms of the years that a team spends training 
with each other, is the key to survivability on the 
battlefield. So, when you look at a place like Fort Bragg, or 
when you look at a place like Camp Lejeune, the goal of the 
Task Force, working with the two services, will be to find 
those formulas that allow those infantry units to stay together 
longer, provide their NCOs and their junior officers with deep 
familiarity with the soldiers and the marines that they lead, 
and, in the end, as they lead those units to actually populate 
larger command structures.
    But, family stability is a key to unit cohesion. Unit 
cohesion is a key to survivability on the battlefield.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    Ranking Member Gillibrand.
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
    Secretary Wilkie, last month you put out a harassment 
policy that once again includes gender identity as a protected 
class, yet there are reports that the Department plans to 
change its policy towards transgender servicemembers in the 
coming months. How will you ensure that this policy abides by 
the Department's own classification on gender identity as a 
protected class?
    Secretary Wilkie. Well, first of all, Senator Gillibrand, 
my commitment to you, when I had my confirmation hearing, was 
that the dignity of all servicemembers is paramount in anything 
that I do, both in my job as Under Secretary, but also in my 
other life as an Air Force reservist. The only thing I can say 
about the policy that is being discussed within the Pentagon is 
that it's predecisional. The Secretary is looking over the 
recommendation of the panel that you mentioned, and is on track 
to report that recommendation to the President.
    But, I will also note that my office is carrying out four--
the orders of four separate courts across the country that 
keeps in place Secretary Carter's transgender policy. We are 
assessing transgender Americans, in accord with that policy, 
and the services are complying with their particular needs as 
they move through the ranks.
    So, right now, there is absolutely no change from a policy 
that was laid out in 2016. But, again, my one commitment to you 
is that dignity is a foundational issue for all of us, and I 
will do my best to ensure that that is maintained throughout 
the force.
    Senator Gillibrand. I was listening intently when you 
talked about the new nondeployability policy. Do you think this 
is going to impact transgender servicemembers?
    Secretary Wilkie. Well, I will say that, with 286,000 
Americans who are now listed as nondeployable, I don't think 
that there's any particular group that would be unaffected by a 
close scrutiny of our standards for deployability. That is not 
aimed at any group of Americans who are serving. That is an 
across-the-board standard that will apply to everyone when it 
comes to being able to fulfill the Secretary's mandate that 
everyone be worldwide deployable.
    It is a staggering number. In this world where the forces 
are at a premium and, as you mentioned, we are struggling to 
maintain the ranks, we need to get a grip on this. As I said, 
some of it is on us, some of it has to do with our training and 
fitness programs, which I think we need to address and bring 
them up to 21st-century standards. But, those numbers are not--
those numbers do not indicate the success or failure of any one 
group. It is across the board.
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
    For each of the services, I'd like an update on three 
things. You can--I only have a minute or two, so do your best 
to be concise.
    Combat integration. Can each of you provide an update on 
the status and implementation in your respective service? Can 
you explain how your service has adapted recruiting practices 
or strategies to attract female candidates? What strategies 
have you employed to ensure the effectiveness of combat 
integration?
    Second, if you have time, this issue of intimate partner 
violence and child abuse. What is the Department doing to 
prevent such violence against our youngest military children 
and against our family members?
    Third, if you can, what specifically are each of your 
services doing to end retaliation against sexual-assault 
survivors who report those crimes? Have you actually convicted 
anyone of retaliation in the last year?
    Start on the end.
    General Seamands. Thank you, Senator. Appreciate it.
    In terms of the combat integration, we're very proud, 
within the Army--we have 675 soldiers and officers who have 
stepped up to the plate, raised their hand and said they want 
to be infantry armor. We've, so far, had them assigned to units 
at Fort Bragg and Fort Hood. We believe that the number of 
people who are in that category is increasing to the point that 
we can expand it to Fort Carson, Fort Campbell, Fort Bliss, in 
Italy, for next year's assignments, as they move forward.
    We've had no issues for sexual assault or sexual harassment 
in those units above the--what the Army average is. We think 
the integration has gone very well. It was deliberate, 
scientific, methodical; slower than some people would have 
liked, but I think we're very happy with the leader's first 
policy that we've put in place.
    Senator Gillibrand. Any update on prosecuting any cases of 
retaliation?
    General Seamands. Ma'am, I'll have to take that for the 
record, but I believe there's at least one case where there is 
a prosecution.
    Senator Gillibrand. Will you submit that to me? Then, also 
add status of child abuse and spousal abuse, if you could 
submit that, too. Thank you.
    General Seamands. Absolutely.
    [The information referred to follows:]

    General Seamands. With regard to the question of prevention, the 
Army is fully committed to preventing domestic violence and child abuse 
by providing a full range of services that promote and sustain healthy 
relationships for soldiers and families. Preventing domestic violence 
is a command priority, and leaders at all levels are empowered to 
intervene. The Army educates soldiers and leaders at all levels on 
prevention, education, reporting, investigation, intervention, and 
treatment of spouse and child abuse.
    In addition to mandatory training, each installation operates a 
Family Advocacy Program and 24/7 Victim Advocacy Hotline to provide 
prevention, identification, reporting, investigation, and treatment 
services. Installation Family Advocacy programs have intervention and 
treatment services to assist victims of domestic violence. Military 
Treatment Facilities have a cadre of licensed health care providers to 
support Families and treat offenders to prevent repeat offenses.
    With regard to the question on retaliation, annual SHARP training 
materials have been updated to incorporate new instruction, vignettes, 
and practical exercises about the prevention of retaliation. 
Additionally, new animated vignettes focused on retaliation prevention 
and response, as well as practical exercises, have been incorporated 
into the Army's Emergent Leader Immersive Training Environment (ELITE) 
Command Team Trainer (CTT). ELITE CTT is integrated into the resident 
Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)/Victim Advocate (VA) course 
at the Army SHARP Academy and information about ELITE is presented in 
the Army Senior Education Program, Army Pre-Command Course at Ft. 
Leavenworth, and the Army Company Commander/1SG Courses.
    In the SARC/VA credentialing courses, all SARCs and VAs are trained 
and educated on retaliation policies, the Spectrum of Retaliation, and 
tools available to commanders in dealing with retaliation (provided or 
presented by Legal).
    SHARP has created multiple information/awareness products focused 
on the prevention of retaliatory behaviors. These products include 
printed public service announcements (PSA), video PSAs and social media 
messaging.
    Each report of alleged retaliation is thoroughly investigated by 
independent authorities, providing transparency for victims and 
visibility for senior commanders. If a report of retaliation is 
founded, Commanders employ a range of effective judicial, non-judicial, 
and administrative tools to address the conduct.
    With regard to convictions, the Army's Office of The Judge Advocate 
General, states that there were no courts-martial convictions for an 
offense under the UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice] arising from 
an allegation of retaliation connected to a report of sexual assault in 
fiscal year 2017. There were three soldiers charged with offenses 
arising from an allegation of retaliation connected to a report of 
sexual assault at courts-martial in fiscal year 2016. In those three 
cases, two soldiers were convicted of offenses arising from allegations 
of retaliation and one soldier received an Other Than Honorable 
Discharge in Lieu of Court-Martial, admitting that there was sufficient 
admissible evidence to convict the soldier of an offense, so findings 
were never entered.
    Comprehensive data on all allegations of retaliation, including 
whether or not the allegation was substantiated and any punishment 
administered, whether judicial, non-judicial or administrative, is 
provided annually to the Department of Defense for inclusion in the 
Annual Report to Congress on Sexual Assault.
    Vice Admiral Burke. The overarching goal of the Navy Family 
Advocacy Program (FAP) is to decrease behaviors that contribute to 
family maltreatment and enhance behaviors that foster a healthy 
lifestyle to facilitate family, community, and mission readiness. The 
FAP prevention team collaborates with key military and community 
leaders to provide services that enhance the toughness of Navy 
communities and reduce the incidence of domestic and child abuse. These 
services include education and skill development, clinical counseling, 
advocacy, collaboration, community intervention and marketing the FAP. 
The Navy New Parent Support Home Visitation Program--in a collaborative 
approach between military, civilian, and private agencies--offers 
efficient and effective non-clinical parenting education and support 
services to expectant parents and families with children up to age 3. 
The New Parent Support Safe Sleep campaign implements an evidence-based 
approach and curriculum designed to decrease sleep-related child 
fatalities by providing detailed guidelines for parents and child 
caregivers to create a safe sleeping environment for infants. 
Prevention strategies through the following major annual awareness 
campaigns have hallmarked our efforts to reach target audiences across 
both military and civilian communities:
      Teen Dating and Prevention Month (February)
      Child Abuse Prevention Month (April)
      Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) The Navy FAP 
Educators Resource Guide--a standardized training curriculum that 
ensures consistent messaging to assist educators and other prevention 
staff by providing command leaders and first-line responders policy 
guidance and program expertise on incidents, or suspected incidents, of 
child and domestic abuse. The guide encourages collaboration with 
programs and departments across the coordinated community response 
system and supports annual command and first-responder training 
requirements. We have released the second edition of a Domestic 
Violence awareness training mobile application, which incorporates 
prevention, early identification and reporting of domestic and child 
abuse, and includes risk factors associated with fatal outcomes, e.g., 
electronic distraction, infidelity (perceived or known), and access to 
weapons. Our One Love pilot prevention model focuses on promoting 
healthy relationships and recognizing the signs of escalating violence 
in relationships, by providing tools to create a movement that 
decreases risk factors and increases protective resources. The message 
of this program is strength-based with the belief that everyone has a 
role in preventing interpersonal violence. We have contracted with 
Boston University to evaluate the program's effectiveness and expect 
results, which will inform program improvements, by October 2018. 
Deployed Resilience Counselors (DRCs) continue to serve aboard large 
deck ships and their availability has been expanded to smaller 
combatants. The High Risk for Violence Coordinated Community Response 
(HRV-CCR) program model formalizes and standardizes procedures to 
monitor risk in child and spouse abuse cases. It provides a coordinated 
community response to reduce family violence by protecting and 
assisting in cases of domestic or child abuse. The HRV-CCR team is 
activated whenever there is a threat of immediate and serious harm to 
Sailors, family members, or intimate partners. Navy has not prosecuted 
any cases for retaliation associated with alleged sexual assault.
    Lieutenant General Grosso.
    1)  The Air Force New Parent Support Program (NPSP) targets 
prenatal families and families with birth--3-year-old children. The 
primary modality of care is home visitation to families screened as 
high risk for maltreatment. Air Force NPSP services are provided by 
licensed professionals; registered nurses and clinical social workers. 
The targeted services are:
         Improving parental problem-solving skills and 
adaptation to parenting
         Increasing knowledge of child growth and development
         Reducing potential for maltreatment
    2)  The Air Force Prevention/Outreach Program provides secondary 
prevention services providing targeted prevention training, skill 
development, consultation, and coaching with individuals, couples, and 
parents at risk for family maltreatment.
         Evidence-informed programs and practice:
           Couple relationship enhancement (PREP 8.0)
           Dads Basics
           Parenting training (Love and Logic for parents with 
children 9 and under); (Active Parenting of Teens for parents with 
children 10 and up)
           Stress and anger management (approved by SAMHSA)
           Skills, Strengths, Techniques, and Resources 
(SSTaR). This program targets both decreased likelihood of a new 
incident, and support of alleged offenders in first steps toward 
readiness for change.
           Strength in Home--Reviewed evidence-based program 
targeting veterans and military couples on impact of trauma on couple 
relationships.
           Prevention/Outreach integrates primary prevention in 
training leaders, agencies, and action teams. It functions in 
conjunction with other service agency programs to promote population 
awareness, collective competence, and shared responsibility regarding 
family maltreatment prevention.
         Educational campaigns:
           April for child abuse prevention; campaigns
           October for domestic abuse prevention
           February for teen dating violence
    Provides opportunity for collaboration with other installation 
support services as well as local community resources.
    ***The policies on the number of cases each Service has prosecuted 
for retaliation to sexual assault is not within the scope of FAP 
policy. Reference Question 13 (below) for retaliation data.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. Marine Corps' Family Advocacy Program 
Prevention and Education Specialists provide universal prevention 
education classes utilizing evidence-based curriculum for domestic and 
child abuse prevention. Class topics include anger management, stress 
management, and parenting. They also provide new commander and unit 
training and education. Additionally, our New Parent Support Program 
(NPSP) is a voluntary, intensive home visitation program, for eligible 
parents and caregivers, providing parenting education and support, and 
information and referral for the Marine Corps community. The NPSP 
target population is eligible expectant parents or parents with 
children through age 5 years with the goal of providing services to 
prevent child abuse and neglect.

    Senator Gillibrand. Vice Admiral?
    Admiral Burke. Senator, on the women integration with 
respect to the recruiting efforts, immediately after the 
remaining career fields were opened, which, for us, was 
predominantly Special Forces, Navy Special Warfare, SEALs, we 
overhauled our recruiting page, our recruiting efforts, 
redesigned them to depict women in those roles, and then 
actively reached out to, you know, public events and things--X-
game events and things that would, you know, attract folks 
interested in those types of career fields. We've been 
continuing to seek them out.
    One of our predominant ways of entry into the SEAL program 
is folks that are already in Recruit Training Command or at the 
Naval Academy. So, there's--or NROTC--so there's already an 
internal Navy program for attracting folks to apply into that. 
So, we also strengthened those programs, as well.
    To date, we've got--we had--we have one woman that will 
start on Special Warfare Combat Crew training, enlisted in May. 
So, she's in her delayed entry program. There's a training 
program to help every SEAL prepare for the special training 
that they go through. This is not something special for women. 
But, she's in that training program and her delayed entry 
program right now. There is a Naval Academy first-class 
midshipman that has expressed interest. She's passed the 
physical screening test and may apply. She has not applied yet. 
But, if she does, she would be eligible to go through 
additional screening this spring and summer. So, that's the 
extent of the interest there.
    The submarine force integration continues to go well. We 
have 18 crews integrated. That's six SSGN--I'm sorry--six SSBN 
crews, eight SSGN crews, and then four SSN crews. That's with 
officers. A total of about 79--right around there--79 women 
officers. Now 99 enlisted women on two SSBNs. We just finished 
the application process for the third SSBN. Additional SSBN 
application processes will open soon. We'll finish with those 
about 2021. Then the first SSN which was designed with the 
berthing compartments designed for women will come online in 
about 2021. From that point forward, all submarines will be 
integrated with women, going forward. Women are doing just 
absolutely wonderful in the submarine force.
    Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Chairman, since I'm over my time, 
why don't we defer to the next round to complete the rest of 
the answers for the services so that Liz can go.
    Senator Tillis. That means, Generals Grosso and Rocco, get 
ready to answer that question after Senator Warren----
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Gillibrand. The other two, that Vice Admiral Burke 
didn't answer yet. So, we'll come back to it.
    Thank you.
    Senator Tillis. Senator Warren.
    Senator Warren. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank 
you, Senator Gillibrand.
    Thank you, to our witnesses, for your service, and thank 
you for being here today.
    Admiral Burke, you and I had a very interesting 
conversation in my office last week, and I'd like to revisit it 
with your fellow personnel chiefs. We talked about new ways of 
thinking about an individual's life cycle in service, including 
potentially making it easier for someone who has to leave 
Military Service for either personal or professional reasons to 
be able to return to uniform later in life. Admiral Burke, I 
know you're interested in piloting that concept. Rather than 
up-or-out, you were talking about up-and-return.
    So, I'd like to ask the other services, Do you also think 
there's value in opening up opportunities to individuals who 
have left the military but might be interested in returning? 
Can you just say a brief word about what you see as the pros 
and cons of that?
    General Rocco, could I start with you?
    General Rocco. Yes, Senator Warren, thank you. That's an 
important question.
    So, in the Marine Corps, we have--and I'd be--our numbers 
are small, but we have the Career Intermission Program. We 
currently have about 12 marines that are involved in that. That 
involves the marine, basically, stopping their time, going out 
into the civilian world, and then coming back, and then picking 
up where they left off.
    We also have the Advanced Degree Program, where they can 
both go and stay in uniform or they can spend up to 15 months, 
being paid full, and then go get an advanced degree of their 
choosing, and then come back, with no payback. When I say ``no 
payback,'' there's a payback in commitment, but there's not a 
payback in a specific job.
    Senator Warren. Okay.
    General Rocco. We have over 300 marines that go to the 
Advanced Degree Program in--up in Monterey, but they go back to 
specific jobs inside the Marine Corps. So, we give them the 
opportunity to do something possibly in the Marine Corps that 
they like or go get an advanced degree in a field of their 
choosing for--from 12 to 15 months, to go do what they need to 
do, and then come back into the Marine Corps, with no harm to 
their career.
    Senator Warren. Okay. I take it you like this program, that 
this program is working well for the Marines.
    General Rocco. It is working very well for us.
    Senator Warren. Okay. It may not be quite as far as Admiral 
Burke was talking about, in terms of out and being able to reel 
back in, but at least it's a step in that direction.
    General Grosso, could you say a word about that?
    General Grosso. Yes, Senator Warren. I completely support 
that idea. We do it, to a small extent, today. We actively 
recruit non---we call them prior-service accessions on the 
enlisted side and on the officer side. We find that we don't 
actually attract them back, for several reasons, but we do 
think it's very powerful. You've got an experienced person--
again, we think some increase in constructive credit would 
help, because, right now, if you come back in, you have to 
start where you left, but you've got all this additional 
experience. So, some additional constructive credit may help us 
attract more.
    Senator Warren. It's a very interesting point.
    It's also an interesting point about the kinds of people 
you may attract, that people, for example, who are in high 
tech, who are in computing, they learn a lot while they are 
out, would like to come back, and you'd very much like to have 
them back, but you may need some flexibility around how you get 
to attract them again.
    If you could, General Seamands.
    General Seamands. Senator, appreciate the question. The 
Army supports this kind of program. We're actually excited 
about the opportunities.
    General Grosso talked about the enlisted force. For the 
Army, we brought in 68,500 soldiers last year. About 5,000 of 
them were prior service. In other words, they had served 
before, and wanted to come back. On the officer side, we 
brought about 1,000 officers on a call of Active Duty as the 
Active Force School last year, where we reached out and invited 
them to come back. Most of them were Reserve or Guard, so they 
had to get clearance from their units to come back on.
    I recall--I went back to an alumni event one time, and I 
met a classmate who had gotten out. My wife asked him, you 
know, ``Do you miss the Army?'' He looked at her and said, 
``Every day of my life.'' So, for a guy like that, it would be 
wonderful to be able to have a transparent, quick process to 
bring them back into uniform.
    You asked for the pros and cons. I think an obvious pro is 
that you get an experienced individual who comes back in. The 
con would have to be that they'd have to continue to meet the 
standards that they met before.
    Senator Warren. Sure.
    General Seamands. So--but I think it's a great program. I 
think the Army would endorse that like to be part of it, as 
well.
    Senator Warren. Good.
    Well, Admiral Burke, you started this. Anything you want to 
add to it? At least you started getting me involved in this. 
The idea of piloting it----
    Admiral Burke. Yes, ma'am.
    Senator Warren.--which is what you said you wanted to do, 
would you like to add a brief word on that? Then I'll go to 
Secretary Wilkie.
    Admiral Burke. All right. Yes, ma'am. Well, thank you for 
the question.
    The--I think it has a lot of potential, in terms of the 
idea of--we can do this, to some degree, today, but it's very 
cumbersome, it's very difficult, on the officer side. We 
piloted this to much greater success on the enlisted side. For 
example, today we've got around 8,000 gaps at sea. We can 
fairly quickly bring folks back in that were on the Reserve 
side, bring them back into the Active component, who are 
enlisted, if they've got the right constructive credit and 
their skills haven't atrophied, and things of that nature. But, 
we're filling, you know, hundreds of gaps at sea from 
reservists that we've brought back into the Active component.
    On the officer side, it takes months to bring them back, 
due to some really, you know, kind of outdated scrolling 
processes that are in the law.
    But, we eventually would have this idea of Reserve-
component/Active-component permeability, the ability to move 
back and forth, for the reasons that you articulated at the 
beginning. We're thinking in terms of, you know, a longer 
career, making our people pyramid narrower at base, so we bring 
in fewer people, giving them opportunities to move around. But, 
as importantly, with this commitment to family readiness, which 
is important to sailor readiness and fleet readiness, we have 
to let people step off the treadmill occasionally or they're 
not going to hang out for a 40-year career.
    So, we've got to have an option to out. So, that option 
could be into the Reserves for a brief period of time, as long 
as they could quickly come back in when that life/work balance 
need is met, or the--one other alternative will be an up-and-
stay, a horizontal career track, where they can keep flying, 
maybe at a different tempo, go into a research job, whatever it 
may be. So, these are the types--we need alternatives to out. 
Right now, there are none.
    Senator Warren. Yeah. I'm over my time, but if the Chair 
will indulge me for just a minute, I'd like to ask Secretary 
Wilkie, What would it take to do something like that? Does the 
Pentagon have the authority right now, or do you need Congress 
to step in and provide more flexibility if--to make this 
happen?
    Secretary Wilkie. Yes, Senator. It would be a combination 
of the two. I think, for the Pentagon, it would be a cultural 
issue. I'll give you an example, then I'll play off what 
Admiral Burke just said.
    If we believe in the concept of the total force, then it 
should be much easier for a servicemember to move amongst 
Guard, Active, and Reserve components. That also means, in my 
view, if someone in your Yankee division sees an opportunity in 
the Active component that he or she feels they're qualified 
for, they should have every right and every opportunity to 
apply for those positions in the Active component. Again, this 
is not your daddy's National Guard anymore, your granddaddy's 
Guard anymore.
    So, that--the answer to your question is, it would need 
help from the Congress, in some respects, because we're talking 
about title 32 and title 10 on the Guard side. But, we have to 
rethink the way we use our Reserve component, and that means we 
have to acknowledge that the family rules that were in 
existence when these rules were created don't apply anymore.
    Senator Warren. So, I very much appreciate that. I 
understand that recruitment and retention is as much art as it 
is science, but we know that the population that has the 
ability and the propensity to serve, and particularly in 
leadership positions, is a narrow group. Figuring out how best 
to tap into that group and make them an ongoing part of our 
military seems crucial to building and strengthening the kind 
of fighting force we need.
    So, I appreciate your thoughts on this. I really like the 
idea that we look at some nontraditional approaches and 
recognize how other changes impact where we are today, and hope 
that we'll be able to build on that, going forward, and that 
you get some real support for the flexibility you need.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for going over.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you. Great questions.
    Senator McCaskill.
    Senator McCaskill. Thank you so much.
    Mr. Wilkie, I think it's great. I've had a chance to 
review, but not in detail, all of the new sexual harassment 
policy that's been issued by DOD. My first question is, Why 
weren't civilian personnel and contractors covered?
    Secretary Wilkie. My time limit. I made a commitment to the 
Committee that I would move, within 60 days, to comply with the 
law that you passed 6 years ago. The most readymade avenue to 
that was to instruct the services, which I have complete 
authority to do, through the Secretary of Defense. There are 
about 30 different statutes that govern the civilian component 
that have to do with union negotiations, in one respect. We are 
working on that. That is the next step, is to make sure that 
these standards apply to the entire workforce. That's 900,000 
civilians. But, it's absolutely vital. It's inchoate now.
    Senator McCaskill. Okay. I just want to make sure that you 
know that--I know the Ranking Member and I are not going to go 
away until we're sure everybody's covered.
    Secretary Wilkie. Right.
    Senator McCaskill. Also, what is the standard to 
substantiate an allegation under this policy? I know the Army 
uses ``preponderance.'' Does this policy envision using a 
``preponderance of the evidence'' standard?
    Secretary Wilkie. I would have to get you a legal answer on 
that. I will tell you what has changed. This also has to do 
with the legal issue that you present.
    For the first time, we are telling these services that 
substantiated allegations of harassment----
    Senator McCaskill. Go on their record.
    Secretary Wilkie.--go on the record.
    Senator McCaskill. Yeah. I'm aware of all that. But, that 
doesn't help me if I don't know what ``substantiation'' means.
    Secretary Wilkie. Right.
    Senator McCaskill. So, I've got to know----
    Secretary Wilkie. I will----
    Senator McCaskill.--that ``substantiation'' is a 
``preponderance,'' is it ``clear and convincing"? I mean, these 
are really important considerations. I'm sure someone has--
knowing how thorough you guys are when you do one of these new 
things, I'm sure this has been in the works for a long time.
    Secretary Wilkie. Yeah.
    Senator McCaskill. This discussion has been had, and this 
Committee needs to know what standard is going to be used for 
``substantiation.''
    Secretary Wilkie. Yeah. Well, I can say that, with the 
reporting requirement on the efficiency report, that could be, 
in the Navy, a captain's mass, where someone has been convicted 
of something. It runs that legal gamut. So, it's--if a body or 
an officer has concluded that another member has committed an 
infraction or a crime, that officer puts that on that 
individual's efficiency report. In my experience as a junior 
officer, nothing gets anyone's attention quicker than knowing 
that the career is on the line and that people are watching. I 
think, as we have had this national conversation and as it 
impacted the military, we've lost that fundamental military 
lever of enforcement.
    Senator McCaskill. Well, you know, I--that's all great, but 
we still have a problem, in that we don't know what the 
standard is. Because what's going to happen here is, you're 
going to have a he-said/she-said about whether or not it was 
harassment. Then somebody's going to have to determine whether 
it's substantiated, which is going to mean corroboration, it's 
going to mean other evidence that might be surrounding the 
incident, it's going to mean interviewing a number of 
personnel. At the end of it, whoever is in charge of deciding 
whether it's substantiated or not has to know what the standard 
of proof is.
    So, this needs to be clearly delineated. If you haven't 
done it yet, if we're going to have a different standard in 
every branch, then it's a problem. So, we've got to get busy, 
and you've got to be able to answer that question clearly----
    Secretary Wilkie. Well----
    Senator McCaskill.--with just one phrase.
    Secretary Wilkie.--you just answered the question for me. 
Our instructions are to standardize all of those matters----
    Senator McCaskill. Okay.
    Secretary Wilkie.--across the services. So, there's--and I 
would have to get--I'm a recovering lawyer--I would have to get 
someone who knows the particulars in the depth to give you the 
answer----
    Senator McCaskill. That would be great.
    Secretary Wilkie.--answer that you deserve.
    Senator McCaskill. Yeah. That's an answer that I think we 
all need to have. Because, frankly, it's important for everyone 
to have really clear guidance on what the standard is. Because 
if you start out, and no one's sure, then you're going to have 
disparate outcomes, and you're going to have a lot of 
unhappiness, especially if it's going on someone's record.
    I'm really glad it's going on their record. That's the 
right thing. That's why it's really important. Every single one 
of these has to be laid out.
    Finally, and briefly, if you'd indulge me, if you're not 
really familiar--are you as familiar with the UCMJ [Uniform 
Code of Military Justice] as perhaps maybe some other witnesses 
might be?
    Secretary Wilkie. I have been subject to the UCMJ for many 
years----
    Senator McCaskill. Okay.
    Secretary Wilkie.--in my other life.
    Senator McCaskill. So, I just want to clear up--there seems 
to be some confusion about the way the system works now, in 
terms of crimes being committed. I want to clear up, briefly, 
that--there have been some things said--and I wasn't there when 
these were said, but evidently--that gave the impression that 
prosecutors were not involved in investigating the cases, and 
that prosecutors were not involved in advising the cases, and 
that prosecutors weren't the primary source of information for 
a convening authority, in terms of recommendations, going 
forward. It's my understanding that the trial counsel, which is 
what a military process prosecutor is called, they review, they 
evaluate, and they advise on the case at every single stage, 
from the initial phase all the way to the court-martial. Is 
that correct?
    Secretary Wilkie. Absolutely.
    Senator McCaskill. So, any characterization that 
prosecutors are not involved in investigating and advising 
these cases is just incorrect.
    Secretary Wilkie. Yes, ma'am.
    Senator McCaskill. Thank you very much.
    Secretary Wilkie. Yes, Senator.
    Senator McCaskill. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tillis. General Grosso and General Rocco, you 
remember the question you've got to answer?
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Tillis. We'll start with General Grosso.
    Senator Gillibrand. Yes, Senator Gillibrand, ma'am. I just 
want to clarify on Claire's question.
    What my understanding is--not until a decision is to go 
forward to trial. So, before--so, we talked to the chief 
prosecutor at the Air Force, and he said he was never consulted 
by counsel or by a commander until the decision was referred to 
trial.
    Secretary Wilkie. Yeah.
    Senator Gillibrand. In 20 years.
    Secretary Wilkie. That--I don't know the context of what 
she was speaking. I can tell you that, when any command, if 
it's a commander who is a commander of a company or a squadron 
or a battalion, is faced with a legal matter involving one of 
his troops or airmen or marines or sailors----
    Senator McCaskill. Or her troops.
    Secretary Wilkie.--or her troops--that trial counsel from 
the JAG [Judge Advocate General] is his--not only his legal 
advisor, but he is also carrying out the details of that 
investigation. That is my----
    Senator Gillibrand. So----
    Secretary Wilkie.--that's been my experience.
    Senator Gillibrand. So, I have been told, the only person 
that consults with the commander is his general counsel--his 
counsel. He does not actually speak to the prosecutor until 
after a decision has been made.
    Secretary Wilkie. No. That's not my experience.
    Senator Gillibrand. Okay. Can I have a letter from each one 
of your services outlining exactly when prosecutors are 
consulted? Because I talked to the chief prosecutor for the Air 
Force who did the job for 20 years, and he said he literally 
was never, never consulted until the decision was made that 
court-martial--that it would move forward to court-martial, but 
never in the deciding phase. In fact, his challenge to me was 
that, once the decision was gone to court-martial, that he 
would have to go back to the commander every time he wanted to 
call a witness, and get permission, and that that delay, in and 
of itself, was problematic.
    Secretary Wilkie. I will get you a comprehensive answer 
from the general counsel.
    [The information referred to follows:]

    Secretary Wilkie. Attached letter signed by Acting GC sent 
to requesting Senators (see Appendix A, page 129).

    Senator Gillibrand. Right, about when--at what stage in the 
process is the prosecutor engaged, briefed on the case. I don't 
think it's before a convening authority is----
    Senator McCaskill. It--not only----
    Senator Gillibrand.--is called----
    Senator McCaskill.--before a convening authority, it's 
before there's even a preliminary hearing. It doesn't even go 
to the convening authority until after there's a preliminary 
hearing at which the trial counsel is engaged in.
    Senator Gillibrand. So, not----
    Senator Tillis. Let's----
    Senator Gillibrand. So, the--you will give us the briefing. 
Because I was told that, not until a decision was made that a 
case would go forward was a trial counsel engaged.
    Senator Tillis. You've heard the request for the record----
    Senator Gillibrand. Yeah.
    Senator Tillis.--from each of the service lines----
    Senator Gillibrand. Just to tell us, How does it work and--
for each of the services?
    Senator McCaskill. Let's figure out a time we can both be 
there, and have the head lawyer for each service come and sit 
down with Senator Gillibrand and I so we can clear up what I 
think are a lot of misperceptions that are being spread around.
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you very much.
    Secretary Wilkie. Senator, now you know why Gary Leeling 
knows I'm a recovering lawyer.
    Senator Gillibrand. Yes. Yes.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Gillibrand. Okay, back to the questions we asked.
    Senator Tillis. Then we'll transition to the next panel.
    Senator Gillibrand. The Vice Admiral didn't answer about if 
he's prosecuted any retaliations, and whether he's doing 
anything on domestic violence.
    Admiral Burke. Start here?
    Senator Gillibrand. Yes, go ahead.
    Admiral Burke. Yes, ma'am.
    On----
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
    Admiral Burke. Yeah. Domestic violence front, we continue 
to expand our prevention programs. Deployed resilience 
counselors onboard our large decks. We've expanded those out to 
pierside for our smaller combatants. Those folks are helping 
with interpersonal-skills training, along with a domestic 
violence prevention mobile app that we issued that helps 
enhance training and provide local resources, to include 
emergency contact information. We're continuing to evaluate 
private-sector programs that provide research-supported 
frameworks to help us reduce interpersonal violence.
    And the child abuse issues, we've expanded and continue to 
improve our training on our New Parent Support Program service 
providers. This program has been relatively successful. We take 
at-risk families and teach them, you know, basic skills, 
increase the father's engagement, promote parenting resiliency. 
In the past year, there were no reported cases of child abuse 
or neglect for those high-risk families that participated in 
the program.
    And in the High Risk for Violence Coordinated Community 
Response Team Program, again, for high risk, known possible 
issues, it has been panning out, as well. That gives us a 
coordinated community response, local law enforcement, base, 
police, whatever the situation might be, that are on call, 
known response force ready to come and protect and assist, 
actual or alleged past victims, potential victims of domestic 
or child abuse.
    We also piloted, in a number of different locations, One 
Love Foundation facilitators to help with these interpersonal 
skills, and helping us get to the left of a number of 
destructive behaviors, but intimate partner and child abuse 
being among them. Part of that was an assessment tool for how 
successful was that. We're just getting to the point where 
we're going to be able to employ some of the assessment tools 
to find out how effective the One Love training was for our 
forces.
    But, we're continuing to employ some big-data approaches. 
We've brought behavioral science folks onboard. We're looking 
at as many approaches as possible.
    Finally, CNO [Chief of Naval Operations] established a Four 
Star Governance Board to look at signature behaviors. Our focus 
is on, the behavior at the high end of the spectrum. How do we 
want sailors to behave, we'll continue to focus on prevention, 
but we want the focus on the winning-team behavior at the high 
end of the spectrum, as well. We have to do both, not just 
focus on the pass-fail line. So, domestic violence and suicide 
and some of these other things are very much at the top of the 
list of the focus of that Four Star group right now.
    So, we're bringing as many resources to bear to take some 
nontraditional looks at trying new approaches, here, rather 
than just continue to train and hope we get new results.
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
    Lieutenant General Grosso?
    General Grosso. Senator Gillibrand, reference your question 
about combat integration, we do have such a small number of 
positions--about 1,700--that we had to finally integrate. These 
positions are all of our special operations career fields. 
Interestingly, we have a challenge recruiting both men and 
women. We have actually put a contract for a group of people. 
Typically, they're--they hire former special operators, and 
they help us recruit both men and women. So, they're going into 
high schools to find very athletic, intelligent people. But, 
it's a challenge for both men and women.
    We have--and we also recruit within the force. So, we have 
had 12 women enter the program; and, unfortunately, we have 
none that have passed the physical exam. In fact, we had just 
one eliminated yesterday for a knee injury. So, I think we're 
certainly trying hard, but, unfortunately, we haven't gotten a 
woman to go through. I think some of--the thing you discussed 
earlier about the health of the population--women are less--
even less available than men in that young population. So, I 
think that's something that we have to look at.
    Reference your questions about child abuse, you know, 
unfortunately for the Air Force, since fiscal year 2013, we've 
had a rate per thousand that's been fairly stable, so about 
four rate per thousand. So, we've really been looking--
targeting the leadership, both in training--both on the 
officer--on the commander side and on the senior enlisted, to 
recognize signs and to encourage people to seek help. So-- and 
not to have a barrier to help. Just like Admiral Burke 
discussed, we've had tremendous success with our New Parent 
Support Program. Our data shows us that 99 percent have not 
reoffended.
    We are rolling out a new program, as well, that's going to 
target couples that have already experienced some form of 
violence, and trying to--trying to help them understand the 
dynamic of that, to also bring down this--child abuse.
    Then, finally, I will say that the work that we're doing on 
our sexual assault prevention, just on prevention in general, 
and healthy life skills work that's ongoing, I think will also 
tangentially have an impact on this challenge for us, as well.
    I will get you your answer on--I don't know the answer on 
retaliation, but I'll get that.
    Senator Gillibrand. So, even the services--tell me, how is 
it going? Have we prosecuted any yet? If we have a rate so 
high, we need to start prosecuting it as the crime that it is.
    General Rocco. Ranking Member Gillibrand, for the Marine 
Corps, your first question, about fields--all the occupational 
fields are--currently are open to female marines. We have over 
300 female marines that are in previously closed units.
    For female recruiting, Marine Corps Recruiting Command has 
focused their efforts to recruit females at colleges through 
sports programs, and high schools through the sports programs. 
So, they've emphasized that, and focused their efforts in 
trying to open up some avenues that were previously closed.
    For retaliation, it's not tolerated. We investigate them 
fully. I don't have the numbers on what exactly--what are the 
results of it, but I know, a number of them, senior officers 
are under currently--investigation--open investigations on 
retaliation.
    For family member violence, we have the Family Assistance 
Program. This is at all bases and stations. They have a 24-hour 
help line. They provide support to the victims. We also provide 
counseling and legal support to those affected by it.
    Finally, on the family assistance, when we talk about 
domestic violence, we incorporate that training and 
predeployment training, post-deployment training, and all 
commanders' course and schools--proficient military schools--to 
make sure that the commanders and the senior leaders are aware 
of what's out there, what the numbers are, and what's available 
to help them, marines and the families.
    Thank you.
    Senator Tillis. Well, thank you all for being here. 
Appreciate the member participation. We're going to transfer to 
the next panel. Thank you for your service, and continue 
engagement with the Committee.
    [Pause.]
    Senator Tillis. If we could have the witnesses just come 
forward. We can come back to order.
    I'd like to welcome the witnesses. On the second panel, we 
have Kathy Roth-Douquet, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Star 
Families; Ms. Kelly Hruska, Government Relations Director for 
the National Military Family Association; and Mr. Michael 
Haynie, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and 
Innovation at Syracuse University.
    Thank you all for being here. We'll allow up to 5 minutes 
for an opening statement.
    We will start with Ms. Roth-Douquet.

STATEMENT OF KATHY ROTH-DOUQUET, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BLUE 
                         STAR FAMILIES

    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Thank you very much, Senator. Thank you 
for including us in this hearing.
    We enjoyed the prior testimony, and we see great movement 
over the years. We credit a lot of that to your leadership and 
the leadership of your staff.
    Blue Star Families builds communities that support military 
families and connects them to their civilian neighbors. We 
believe that all military families should be able to serve and 
simultaneously build thriving and healthy families.
    One way we do this is by performing research and using the 
resulting data to inform others and to develop our own programs 
and solutions. Our annual Military Family Lifestyles Survey 
provides a yearly snapshot of the state of military families. 
It's released by the Senate and House caucuses on military 
families.
    We believe military families are central to the security of 
our Nation. They aren't a nice-to-have. They've a component of 
the force. In the 21st Century, the majority of people who 
serve are married and do have children and will serve over 
time.
    Our survey results show that servicemembers and their 
families have substantial difficulties balancing work and 
family. That's especially acute for female servicemembers and 
female spouses operating in a military culture designed to meet 
the needs of male servicemembers and their families.
    Rather than ad hoc measures meant to provide support during 
periods of acute warfare, military families must be understood 
as a structural component of the force. Thinking about families 
in this way makes the country smarter about what it takes to 
ensure our country's national security and improves the ability 
of DOD to meet military family support needs.
    So, when we asked, this past year, what could DOD do to 
make it easier for you to ensure your family is happy and 
healthy during your or your loved one's Military Service, the 
top things people talked about was operational tempo, which 
included their ability to take their own leave--that was an 
interesting finding, and a top finding--spouse employment, and 
childcare. We also saw a central topic this year being the lack 
of integration in their local civilian communities. We see that 
as being a real avenue for improvement.
    So, one of our key stats is that nearly half of military 
families said that the amount of time away from family was 
their number-one concern. Deployments were cited as a top 
stressor associated with time in the military. Fifty-six 
percent felt that DOD support services were inadequate to 
support their children dealing with the unique challenges of 
military lifestyle. Over time, over a 3-year trend, we've seen 
servicemembers, veteran, veteran spouse, and post-9/11 veteran 
subgroups indicating increased rates of suicidal ideation.
    So, we see some policy actions or solutions that would 
respond to these. Very much applaud the ideas about reducing 
family separation, increasing predictability and absences, and 
increasing dwell time. Can't overstate how much sequestration 
and continuing resolutions hurt military families because it 
reduces predictability. Even with the very brief shutdown we 
had recently, we heard from Special Forces families, from 
National Guard families, about not having support for families 
who were wounded in action. People having to go into their own 
credit cards to get over to Landstuhl to see their 
servicemembers. Not having support at a memorial service for a 
fallen special operations person. Hundreds of National Guard 
not getting their training, not getting their pay. People are 
living on a very tight leash. This is real harm.
    Improved leave benefit and ability to take leave. We need 
to investigate this further, but, in a write-in response, a 
number-one problem that people stated was not being able to 
take the leave that they've earned. This is causing a lot of 
problems for families. That's no impact on the budget. What's 
going on there? Can we do something about it?
    We do believe we need to fully fund and staff the DOD 
Office of Suicide Prevention because of the increased trends in 
suicidal ideation we see.
    Spouse employment. Financial consideration is a key factor 
in whether or not people stay in the military. Sixty-two 
percent of our families in this survey said they felt some or a 
great deal of stress because of their current financial 
situations. Again, sequestration harms that.
    In our survey, we had an uptick of unemployment. Twenty-
eight percent of military spouses told us that they had been 
actively seeking work in the last 4 weeks. We saw that went up, 
because many who had stopped seeking work in previous years, 
maybe that they have heard more about it, and so they've 
started looking again. That's a good sign, but we need to help 
them work.
    A majority of military spouses earned zero income in 2016. 
A majority of those who did work made less than $20,000 a year.
    Not coincidentally, about half of military families have 
less than $5,000 in available savings. That causes a lot of 
pain when people transition out. About half of both Active Duty 
and spouses say that their top obstacle to financial security 
is spouse unemployment and underemployment. So, we very much 
support Senator Kaine's Military Spouse Employment Act, and 
applaud Senator Purdue and the other Senators for joining it.
    We are interested and asking Federal hiring managers, in 
addition, to report on why they don't hire military spouses. 
Seventy-nine percent of military spouses in our survey who 
applied for positions did not get them. Despite the fact that, 
since 2014, there is special authority that allows hiring 
managers to appoint qualified spouses, I think we should ask 
them why they're not hiring them.
    We are interested in the idea of legislation that might 
reimburse States for spouses'--military spouses' licensing fees 
so that States can waive licensing fees for military spouses.
    Childcare continues to be a critical problem. Issues 
related to children, time away from children or worries about 
the impact of military life, was the top stressor for 
military--for female servicemembers, and their top reason for 
exiting Military Service in the next 2 years. We dove a little 
deeper into the experience of military--of females in uniform 
this past year's survey. You may be shocked to hear that the 
experience of women in uniform is not the same as the 
experience of men in uniform. Childcare is one of the key 
reasons. Two-thirds of men said they had childcare to meet 
their needs, in uniform. One third of women said the same 
thing. We asked people in dual-military couples. Interestingly, 
the husband in a dual-military couple did have childcare to 
meet his need; the female in a dual-military couple did not.
    A top reason for not working identified by the military 
spouse respondents were the servicemembers' job demands, which 
includes the moves and the unpredictability of deployments and 
training, and then childcare. Both of those were the majority 
reasons.
    So, we think that these suggestions--to increase dwell 
time, allow military servicemembers to turn down a move for 
family stability, and allow servicemembers to take leaves of 
absence for family reasons, particularly for females in the 
military--will be critical. The needs of the military and 
national security have to come first. We certainly don't want 
to trump those. But, I'm heartened to hear the services feel 
that this is possible.
    Female servicemembers aren't nice-to-have, they are need-
to-have. To get the qualified people we need to run our 
military, we have to have that 17 percent, and growing, 
females. We have to make Military Service compatible with them 
having the kind of American life that other Americans enjoy, 
which includes having children.
    We have to expand options for affordable childcare and 
improve flexible work-hire initiatives so that we can allow 
military spouses to work under the conditions that their 
national security mission requires them to work. Military 
spouses aren't not working because they don't have the 
skillsets, it's because they need flexible work conditions. 
Those do exist. We just need better visibility and better 
cooperation with the Military Services to allow that 
opportunity for the outside resources that can help us find 
these kinds of jobs more possible.
    We support the progress of the Availability of Childcare 
for Every Servicemember and Spouse Act, the ACCESS Act.
    Finally, I do want to mention local civilian community 
integration, even though it's not a DOD function, per se. But, 
70 percent of married servicemembers live off-installation. 
Seventy-two percent of our servicemembers who responded to our 
survey were less than 2 years in their current community. So, 
they're moving very frequently. Perhaps because of this, the 
majority of people who we asked said that they do not feel that 
they belong to the communities in which they live. They don't 
feel they belong. They would like to feel that way.
    We asked them, How many conversations have you had with 
civilians in the last month? Just in bands: 3-6, more than 10? 
Thirty percent said zero. Zero conversations. So, this 
isolation makes it hard to get jobs, it hurts mental health, it 
has a direct effect on child abuse and neglect. If you don't 
have someone you can turn to to help you with your families, 
that's an outcome. So, isolation from family and friends is a 
top-five stressor each year that we've done our survey.
    We think there are things that can be done. We are 
frustrated by the--how difficult it is to create public-private 
partnerships with the Department of Defense, to share the 
resources that are available to communities, the sea of 
goodwill that there is for military people. We are interested 
in exploring the idea of an Office of Strategic Partnership in 
the DOD, similar to what exists in the VA and has been very 
effective, to perhaps push some of the initiatives that really 
are political and not operational. We need to connect the 
civilians and the military. Having more openness at the 
community level would help that.
    As part of the work I did with the Bipartisan Policy 
Council on Defense Personnel Reform, we suggested asking all 
young Americans to take the ASVAB, the Armed Forces vocational 
aptitude test, male and female at 18, a simplified online 
version. We think having one time where all Americans consider 
what sort of--what work they might do in the military, in 
itself, might break down barriers and might allow us to bring 
people into the military who don't currently serve. Creative 
ideas like that are something that we're very interested in 
this.
    So, thank you for letting me speak. I apologize for going 
over my time.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Roth-Douquet follows:]

 Prepared Statement of Blue Star Families Submitted by Ms. Roth-Douquet
    Dear Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and other 
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee,
    Blue Star Families deeply appreciates the opportunity to testify in 
front of the Personnel Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee on February 14, 2018. Thank you for including our 
perspective.
    The following attachments are also submitted for the record:

    1.  Written Testimony

    2.  2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, Comprehensive Report

    3.  2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, Executive Summary

    4.  2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, Comprehensive 
Infographic

    5.  2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, Opportunity Costs for 
Service Infographic

    6.  2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, Civilian Community 
Integration Infographic

    7.  2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, Diverse Experiences of 
Service Infographic

    8.  2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, Benefits of Military 
Service Infographic

    Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand and other distinguished 
Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear 
before you today.
    I am Kathy Roth-Douquet and I am the CEO of Blue Star Families. 
Blue Star Families (BSF) builds communities that support military 
families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, 
including career development tools, local community events for 
families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, BSF has 
engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 
million military family members. With BSF, military families can find 
answers to their challenges anywhere they are. With strong ties to all 
branches of service, Active Duty, veterans, and their families, BSF is 
nationally recognized for its annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey. 
The largest of its kind, the survey provides both quantitative and 
qualitative data that reveals a snapshot of the current state of the 
servicemembers and their families. Conducted annually, the Military 
Family Lifestyle Survey is used at all levels of government to help 
inform and educate those tasked with making policy decisions that 
impact servicemembers and their families-- who also serve.
 supporting military families strengthens national security and local 
                              communities
    Military families are assets to national defense and local 
communities. They are central to the health and capability of the All-
Volunteer Force and are good neighbors actively engaged in making their 
civilian communities great places to live.
    The All-Volunteer Force continues to serve in uncertain and 
challenging times. With our Nation's 16th consecutive year at war 
drawing to a close, military families continue to endure multiple 
prolonged periods of separation from their servicemembers. This past 
year continued to see new and emerging security threats in numerous 
regions while Department of Defense (DOD) grew the Total Force to 
support a mission that is not expected to shrink in the near future. 
The resulting operational tempo and substantial difficulties in 
balancing work and family is very concerning to servicemembers and 
their families. Quality of life issues like time away from family, 
military family stability and the impact of Military Service on 
children are top concerns along with lasting concerns regarding pay, 
benefits, and spouse employment.
    Research suggests that servicemembers' top concern is for their 
family's well-being and family well-being is top consideration in 
whether a servicemember stays or leaves the force. In fact, our 
research shows that while 55 percent of servicemembers and their 
spouses would recommend service to young people, only 40 percent would 
recommend it to their own child; both showing a decline from previous 
year's percentages. While the military has adopted a number of reforms 
to support military families in the past few years, there is still much 
more to be done.
                  key priorities for military families
    Blue Star Families conducted its 8th Annual Military Family 
Lifestyle Survey in April-May, 2017 with over 7,800 respondents 
including military spouses, Active Duty servicemembers, veterans, and 
their immediate family members participating in the survey. The 
Military Family Lifestyle Survey's response rate makes it the largest 
and most comprehensive survey of Active Duty, veterans, and their 
families.
    This year's survey results show military families are increasingly 
concerned about the continued sacrifices that accompany this prolonged 
period of conflict. It shows the country needs to get smarter about 
what a healthy All-Volunteer Force really looks like--and what it needs 
it to look like to ensure future success. The All-Volunteer Force was 
not designed for our current security environment or the modern 
servicemember--who may be single parents, have professional spouses, 
have children with special needs, and living in an increasingly diverse 
and inclusive society.
    Analysis of the qualitative portions of this year's survey 
reinforced the quantitative findings. For example, extended family 
separations, frequent moves, and outdated expectations that military 
spouses sublimate their personal, professional, and familial priorities 
to support their servicemembers Military Service are the most relevant 
topics identified as substantially reducing the quality of life and 
attractiveness of martial service. Simply put, military families have a 
strong desire and commitment to serve; however, responses suggest they 
remain rational actors who are increasingly assessing alternatives to 
maintaining a long-term commitment to Military Service.
    Despite varied topics covered in this year's survey report such as 
family separation, civilian community integration, and mental 
healthcare, one clear and consistent theme emerged: the DOD must do a 
better job of incorporating military families into its current thinking 
and future planning. Rather than ad hoc measures meant to provide 
support during periods of acute warfare, military families must be 
understood as a structural component of the force. Even further, just 
as a strong defense requires diverse skills, strong military family 
support requires a comprehensive understanding of the diversity of 
today's military families. Thinking about the families in this way 
makes the country smarter about what it takes to ensure our Nation's 
security and it improves the ability of the DOD to meet military family 
support needs.
    Our key priorities for the coming year are based on areas of need 
identified in our 2017 survey. We feel improvement in these areas also 
has the greatest potential to reduce the trend of increasing quality of 
life concerns that was a top trend in our 2017 survey.
    The areas we will be focusing on are:
      Increasing understanding among the general U.S. 
population that operational tempo and family separations remain very 
high--72 percent of Active Duty and military spouse respondents 
indicated the current operational tempo (optempo) exerts an 
unacceptable level of stress for a healthy work-life balance, and 40 
percent of military family respondents report experiencing more than 6 
months of family separation in the last 18 months. Military families 
continue to experience significant challenges and make heavy sacrifices 
as a result of their service.
      Improving civilian-military community connections that 
improve local integration is important for the overall health and 
wellbeing of military families and is a smart recruitment and retention 
policy for DOD--51 percent of Active Duty and military spouse 
respondents indicated that they did not feel a sense of belonging 
within their local civilian community and 72 percent of military family 
respondents indicated living in their current community for 2 years or 
less suggesting families experience substantial challenges integrating 
into their local, off-installation communities.
      Improving financial security and improving employment and 
career viability for military spouses--unemployed or underemployed 
military spouses. Military spouse unemployment sits around 28 percent 
(compared to 4 percent for all married women with children under 18) 
and is a top obstacle to the financial security and successful 
retirement or transition planning for military families.
      Increasing modern understanding of the diversity of 
today's military workforce--while concerns about family was the top 
reason motivating male and female servicemembers to exit Military 
Service, traditional expectations regarding gender roles continue to 
compound this issue for female servicemembers, who indicated higher 
levels of stress and concern balancing work and family 
responsibilities. Related, developing better solutions to the lasting 
challenge of access and affordability of quality childcare is a 
continued top need--67 percent of military families are unable to 
reliably find childcare that meets their needs and it was cited as a 
top military spouse career obstacle.
Operational Tempo and Family Separations
    The military lifestyle demands long hours, unpredictable work 
schedules, and that families endure frequent and prolonged separations 
not just for wartime deployments, but also for training, temporary duty 
assignments, and additional responsibilities that frequently require 
travel. Servicemembers and their families feel the current optempo is 
unsustainable and threatens the health of their families. For the first 
time, based on strong indications from 2016's survey results, 
respondents were provided a new ``top issue'' option: ``Amount of time 
away from family.'' Forty-six percent of Active Duty servicemember and 
spouse respondents ranked this new option as their top issue of 
concern. Additionally, 34 percent of Active Duty servicemember 
respondents ranked ``family stability/quality of life'' as their number 
three issue.
    Seventy-two percent of Active Duty and military spouse respondents 
indicated the current optempo exerts an unacceptable level of stress 
for a healthy work-life balance. Forty percent of military family 
respondents report experiencing more than 6 months of family separation 
in the last 18 months and deployments are cited as the top stressor 
associated with time in the military for both servicemembers and 
military spouses. In qualitative portions of the survey, respondents 
identified several steps the DOD can make to alleviate the stress 
arising from large amounts of time away from family. Improving leave 
benefits and ability to take leave was the top response. Improving the 
servicemember's work schedule (while at home) to allow time with 
family, and improving leadership behavior/policies impacting military 
families were also top suggestions.
    Concerns regarding the impact of a military lifestyle on dependent 
children's wellness appears to be increasing with two issues related to 
military child wellbeing ranked in the top 5 concerns for both 
servicemembers and military spouses for the first time in the 9 year 
history of this survey. Thirty-two percent of servicemember and 39 
percent of military spouse respondents ranked dependent children's 
education as a top 5 issue of concern, and 33 percent of servicemember 
and 36 percent of military spouse respondents ranked impact of 
deployment on children as a top 5 issue of concern. Fifty-six percent 
of military family respondents feel the DOD support services are 
inadequate to support military children in coping with unique military 
life challenges. Military leaders can continue to prioritize military 
family programming as an essential component of readiness while 
operational tempos remain high and the global security environment 
remains uncertain. Similarly, mental health, childcare, and community 
integration support are critical needs and are excellent opportunities 
for the DOD, local and national leaders to enhance support to address 
these areas of concern.
    Meeting the demands of an unrelenting optempo can take a toll on 
mental health for servicemembers and their families. The Deployment 
Health Clinical Center released a study citing the rate of anxiety 
disorder diagnoses among servicemembers rose from under 2 percent in 
2005 to more than 5 percent in 2016, and the rate of depression rose 
from 3 percent in 2005 to more than 5 percent in 2015. \1\ Research 
also suggests that substance use disorders are likely to co-occur among 
veterans and servicemembers with at least one other mental health 
disorder such as depression or anxiety, and that alcohol abuse is more 
prevalent among military servicemembers when compared to civilians. \2\ 
Three year BSF Survey respondent trends for servicemember, veteran, 
veteran spouse, and post-9/11 veteran subgroups all indicate an 
increasing rate of those who have considered suicide. Just as physical 
health is a core requirement of servicemembers for readiness, their 
mental health as well as the mental health of their family members are 
a critical component of mission readiness requiring additional support 
and early intervention.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Deployment Health Clinical Center (2017). Mental Health 
Disorder Prevalence among Active Duty Service Members in the Military 
Health System, Fiscal Years 2005-2016. Retrieved from http://
www.pdhealth.mil/sites/default/files/images/mental-health-disorder-
prevalence-among-active-duty-service-members-508.pdf
    \2\ Institute of Medicine (2014). Understanding psychological 
health in the military. In L.A. Denning, M. Meisnere, & K.E. Warner 
(Eds.), Psychology Disorders in Service Members and Their Families: An 
Assessment of Programs. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. 
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222167/

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Recommendations

      Fully fund and staff the Office of Suicide Prevention. 
The Pentagon has reported suicide takes more lives of United States 
troops deployed to fight ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] 
than those killed in combat. BSF encourages Congress to reconsider 
fully funding and staffing the DOD's Office of Suicide Prevention to 
support service Headquarters' ability to provide innovation and 
programming.
Civilian Community Integration
    The end of the draft resulted in a stronger, more professional U.S. 
military; however, it has also decreased understanding of Military 
Service and sacrifice within the broader American society. Roughly, 0.5 
percent of the American public has served on Active Duty at any given 
time since 9/11; this number is expected to continue to decline as a 
result of continued voluntary service and evolving technology. While 
the smaller percentage of Americans in martial service alone is not a 
cause for concern, the resulting decrease in understanding between the 
military and the broader U.S. society presents significant challenges 
for the future of American defense.
    Nearly one-third (31 percent) of military family respondents in 
this year's survey indicated they had not had an in-depth conversation 
with a local civilian in the last month. Military spouse respondents 
indicated higher rates of engagement with civilians compared to 
servicemembers, with 39 percent reporting an in-depth conversation with 
civilians at least once a week. Thirty-two percent of servicemember 
respondents indicated the same. Recent research underscores the 
negative impact of loneliness and social isolation on physical health, 
as ``social isolation may represent a greater public health hazard than 
obesity, \3\'' For military spouse respondents, isolation from family 
and friends has been a constant top five stressor each year despite 94 
percent of military spouse respondents indicating working with others 
in their neighborhood to fix problems or improve conditions is an 
important responsibility. This military spouse disconnect presents an 
opportunity for the civilian communities, DOD, and military 
installation leadership to create a more efficient pathway for 
servicemembers and their spouses to engage locally and for the broader 
American society to gain deeper understanding of the military 
lifestyle.
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    \3\ American Psychological Association (2017). So lonely I could 
die [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/
releases/2017/08/lonely-die.aspx

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Recommendations

      Report on the feasibility of establishing an Office of 
Strategic Partnership in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). 
We support the Secretary of Defense reporting to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the 
feasibility of the DOD creating an Office of Strategic Partnerships. 
Modeled after the VA Office of Strategic Partnerships, such an office 
would serve as a clearinghouse staffed with the political appointee to 
promote consistency and prevent mission stagnation. Potential activity 
would include forming a Joint Partnerships Committee who would host 
quarterly meetings with representatives from all Services. Quarterly 
meetings would allow for increased openness with Services and aim to 
determine where policies, power to enforce, and budgets would align. 
This office would also serve as an access point for qualified non-
governmental organizations to provide innovative solutions to 
challenges experienced by the OSD and Services.

      Enhance and expand the Selective Service System to 
include all young American adults, and require Selective Service 
registrants to complete a modified, online military vocational aptitude 
test (ASVAB). Today's Selective Service System is based on a pre-All-
Volunteer Force recruitment strategy and is not useful for developing 
the increasingly adaptable force the Nation will need in the future. An 
enhanced Selective Service System would collect more detailed 
registrant information which could be used as a recruiting tool that 
allows the military to identify both men and women who have relevant 
skills. By requiring Selective Service registrants to complete a 
modified, online ASVAB, millions of younger Americans will be exposed 
to the possibility of Military Service and, with registrant permission, 
allow military recruiters an opportunity to engage students with 
proclivity to serve. \4\ Such exposure will help in reducing the 
civilian-military divide and improve the future of American defense.
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    \4\ Bipartisan Policy Center. (2017). Building a F.A.S.T. Force: A 
Flexible Personnel System for a Modern Military: Recommendations from 
the
Task Force on Defense Personnel. Retrieved from https://bluestarfam.org 
/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/BPC-Defense-Building-A-FAST-Force. pdf
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Financial Security
    Financial considerations are a key factor in a military family's 
decision to stay in the military. Sixty-two percent of military family 
respondents reported they felt some or a great deal of stress as a 
result of their current financial situation, which is slightly higher 
than the broader American society where 56 percent indicated worrying 
about their finances within the last year. \5\ When financial readiness 
is threatened by financial stress and insecurity, military readiness is 
compromised with potential to negatively impact servicemember's careers 
and the stability of military families. Forty-nine percent of all 
military family respondents also indicated they have less than $5,000 
in available savings. In 2016, 7 percent of respondents reported 
experiencing food insecurity in the past year.
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    \5\ Pew Charitable Trusts (2015). American's financial security: 
Perception and reality. http://www.pewtrusts.org/8/media /assets/2015/
02/fsm-poll-results-issue-briefartfinalv3.pdf
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    Military family financial stress is further compounded by the 
lasting threat of sequestration. BSF survey research shows changes to 
pay/benefits is currently a very sensitive issue, given the numerous 
changes in recent years. Military family respondents rely on government 
leaders to protect their earned benefits and respect their service. 
Sequestration and changes to military pay/benefits is the quickest way 
to decrease morale and erode trust between servicemembers and national 
leadership. It is critical that the government stop whiplashing 
multiyear families with these solutions.
    Findings suggest that retirement planning is an area where a large 
number of servicemembers, military spouses, and veterans experience 
significant challenges and uncertainty. Ten percent of military family 
respondents indicated they are not currently contributing towards a 
retirement account. As with many military benefits, respondents 
indicated their understanding of this benefit was low. Fifty-one 
percent of those servicemember respondents who may be eligible for the 
new Blended Retirement System reported they did not understand the 
benefit. Among those eligible for the new retirement system, 55 percent 
reported they expected the new benefit to be less than they otherwise 
would have received. Most troubling for those who must make a decision 
regarding which retirement system to choose, 42 percent of 
servicemember respondents indicated they did not know how the new 
system compared to the old benefit.
    Without a clear picture of their financial future, military 
families are less likely to stay long-term. Educating military families 
with the facts about the new retirement system and equipping them with 
the tools to invest and save wisely are critical to maintaining both 
financial readiness and willingness to serve.

Recommendations

      Remove barriers to military families receiving nutrition 
assistance in the form of food stamps. BSF supports any efforts to 
remove barriers for military families to receive access to nutritional 
assistance and supports the Military Hunger Prevention Act, H.R. 1078 
(115) which would exclude the value of Basic Allowance for Housing 
(BAH) from military families' income when determining eligibility for 
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. BAH is known to adjust 
depending on the cost of living in any given location and can fluctuate 
enough that it disqualifies military families from SNAP even though 
food prices may also be higher where they are stationed. As the IRS 
[Internal Revenue Service] does not consider BAH taxable income and is 
not considered income for a multitude of other social welfare programs, 
we do not feel it should be considered income when considering 
eligibility for nutritional assistance.

      Mandate the creation on a military family adjusted income 
index. Include language requiring research on the difference between 
total household earnings of military families vs comparable-looking 
civilian families to measure so called ``military family earnings 
penalty.'' This index could be used in future considerations or 
quadrennial reviews of servicemember remuneration.

      Oppose changes to Post-9/11 transferability that would 
end transferability for those with 16+ years of service. While 
transferability is a retention initiative, denying transferability 
denies benefits to those who have chosen to continue to serve during 
16+ years of war and also denies the benefit to the children of those 
who have chosen to stay.

      Oppose repeal of deduction for moving expenses and 
exclusion for qualified moving expense reimbursement.

      Oppose repeal of the exclusion of gain from sale of a 
principal residence.
Military Spouse Employment
    The ability of military spouses to meet their own employment 
expectations is a significant factor with overall satisfaction with the 
military lifestyle and with individual servicemember retention 
decisions. \6\ \7\ Forty-six percent of respondents to our survey 
identified military spouse employment as a top obstacle to their 
family's financial security and military spouse employment remains a 
top concern for Active Duty spouse respondents. Military spouse 
unemployment sits around 28 percent (compared to 4 percent for all 
married women with children under 18), an increase from last year's 
survey findings. Findings also indicate that the financial challenge 
presented by spouse unemployment and underemployment is further 
underscored by the finding that 52 percent of military spouse 
respondents earned zero income in 2016 and only 9 percent contributed 
equally or more. In comparison, of all U.S. households with children 
under 18, the share of married mothers who out earn their husbands is 
15 percent. \8\ Existing research suggests updating the DOD's outdated 
and bureaucratically cumbersome personnel management system into a more 
flexible and decentralized model would allow the military to more 
effectively meet operational needs and would also enable military 
families to optimize duty station assignment selection so that both 
servicemembers and spouses are better able to progress in their 
careers.
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    \6\ Casetenada, L.W. and Harrell, M. (2008). Military Spouse 
Employment: A grounded theory approach to experiences and perceptions. 
Armed Forces and Society, 34(3), 389-412
    \7\ Scarville, J. (1999). Spouse Employment in the Army: Research 
Findings. Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/
a222135.pdf
    \8\ Harrison, D. & Laliberte, L. (1997). Gender, the Military and 
Military Family Support. Weinstein, L. & White, C.C. (Eds.), Wives and 
Warriors: Women and the Military in the United States and Canada (pp. 
35-54). Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey.
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    BSF supports legislative proposals such as Senator Kaine's Military 
Spouse Employment Act of 2018 which seeks to improve military spouse 
competitiveness for Federal employment and offer military spouses more 
opportunities. In 2016, 79 percent of military spouse respondents who 
applied for a GS [general schedule] position indicated they were not 
hired. Federal employment opportunities are key positions for military 
spouses as employment often exist close to nearly all installations, is 
frequently portable, and for bases overseas may be the only option due 
to SOFA [status of forces agreement]. If passed, such legislation would 
be one of the strongest steps the Federal Government can take to 
improve military spouse employment challenges that arise as a result of 
Military Service.

Recommendations

      Support the Military Spouse Employment Act of 2018 
introduced by Senator Kaine.

      Require Federal hiring managers to report on any military 
spouse applicants for open Federal positions and if they were not 
hired, a reason as to why they were deemed unqualified or otherwise not 
hired. Also expand hiring capabilities to Federal hiring managers to 
allow for ``expedited hiring authority'' to quickly employ military 
spouses.

      Develop legislation similar to the Lift the Relocation 
Burden from Military Spouses Act introduced by Representative Stefanik 
and passed with the 2018 NDAA at a state level. Proposed legislation 
would reimburse states for licensing fees if those states agree to 
waive the cost of military spouse relicensing.

      Expand Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) offered to 
veterans to include military spouses.

      Remove repeal of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) 
from the proposed TC&JA [Tax Cut and Jobs Act]. Instead, the WOTC 
should be expanded to include military spouses. The WOTC has been a 
critically important tool assisting in solving the problem of veteran 
unemployment and would be a game-changer for spouse unemployment. (DOL) 
statistics show 35,904 veterans were certified for WOTC during the 3-
year period before the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act. By contrast, 
278,611 veterans were certified during fiscal years 2013 to 2015, an 
increase of more than 700 percent.
Increasing Modern Understanding of the Diversity of Today's Military 
        Workforce
    The All-Volunteer Force implemented in 1973 was not designed for 
the modern servicemember--a force that is married, has children, and is 
increasingly diverse. As a result, modern servicemembers are 
experiencing increasing difficulties balancing work and family. This 
challenge is especially acute for female servicemembers and female 
spouses who must operate in a military culture designed to meet the 
needs of male servicemembers and their families. \9\
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    \9\ Southwell, K.H., & MacDermid Wadsworth, S.M. (2016). The many 
faces of military families: Unique features of the lives of female 
servicemembers. Military Medicine 18(1), 70-79.
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    Women comprise 16 percent of today's Active Duty force and analysis 
of future defense needs suggests this is likely to grow in order to 
sustain an All-Volunteer Force. \10\ Research has shown that even in 
families where both partners attempt to share household 
responsibilities, women often assume a larger load of the work at home, 
creating the burden of ``second shift'' that men don't equally feel. 
\11\ \12\ In this year's survey, ``issues related to children (time 
away from children or worries about impact of military life on 
children)'' was identified as the top stressor for female servicemember 
respondents while male respondents ranked deployment as their top 
stressor. While top stressors for both groups can be understood as 
related to the high optempo and frequent family separations that are 
associated with service, the fact that each gender expressed this 
stressor differently suggests substantially different experiences of 
service between genders--even when experiencing the same stressors. 
Furthermore, existing research indicates that when forced to choose 
between a career and a family, females in heterosexual dual military 
marriages are more likely to consider leaving the military. \13\ This 
was also seen in this year's survey with 41 percent of female and 35 
percent of male servicemember respondents indicating concerns about 
military family as the top reason motivating them to exit Military 
Service in the next 2 years.
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    \10\ U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy (2015). 
2015 Demographics: Profile of the military community. Retrieved from 
Military OneSource Website: http://download.militaryonesource.mil/
12038/MOS/Reports/2015-Demographics-Report.pdf
    \11\ Hochschild, A. (2012). Revised Edition. The second shift:: 
Working families and the revolution at home. New York: Penguin
    \12\ Pew Research Center (2015). Raising kids and running a 
household: How working parents share the load. http://
www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/11/04/raising-kids-and-running-a-
household-how-working-parents- share-the-load/
    \13\ Huffman, A. H., Craddock, E. B., Culbertson, S. S., & 
Klinefelter, Z. (2017). Decision-making and exchange processes of dual-
military couples: A review and suggested strategies for navigating 
multiple roles. Military Psychology (American Psychological 
Association), 29(1), 11-26.
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    Similarly, respondents in this year's survey indicate that the 
military culture substantially heightens gender roles and compounds 
spouse employment challenges already incumbent in the military 
lifestyle. Survey responses over multiple years have consistently shown 
that the most significant obstacles to spouse employment are not 
related to job availability or employment readiness. the top three 
reasons for not working among military spouse respondents who want to 
work were identical to those identified in 2016: servicemember job 
demands (55 percent), childcare (53 percent), and family commitment (43 
percent).
    Childcare continues to be a top need for both military spouses and 
female servicemembers. Sixty-seven percent of military family 
respondents indicated they are not always able to obtain the childcare 
they need. Similarly 67 percent of female servicemember respondents 
reported the same (compared to 33 percent of male servicemember 
respondents). Male military spouse respondents were also far less 
likely to indicate childcare challenges as a factor in employment or 
education decisions, with 40 percent of male military spouses vs. 17 
percent of female military spouses reporting their employment or 
education decisions had not been impacted by childcare challenges.
    In 2012, the GAO [Government Accountability Office] conducted a 
study on military child care reporting that military families face two 
main barriers to obtaining DOD-subsidized child care: lack of awareness 
of available resources and insufficient availability among those 
resources. According to DOD officials and based on GAO's group 
discussions, a substantial number of military families remain unaware 
of subsidized child care that may be available to
    them, particularly off-installation care, despite DOD's efforts to 
provide information at pre-deployment briefings and through other 
outreach efforts. BSF survey research suggests that the bureaucracy in 
learning about and accessing military childcare is substantial and a 
barrier to families obtaining the child care they need. Further, 
families who are geographically isolated from an installation, such as 
reservists and recruiters, are also less likely to be aware of 
subsidized care.
    If the DOD is committed to attracting and retaining talented men 
and women, then it is essential that DOD prioritizes the responsibility 
to create a work environment where both men and women are afforded 
equal time and opportunity to work and attend to responsibilities at 
home. Additionally, DOD can expand opportunities for affordable 
childcare to all military families, promote access to civilian 
childcare providers through referrals and subsidies and improve 
flexible work hiring initiatives to employ military spouses in a manner 
that allows military parents to better balance home and work 
responsibilities.

Recommendations

      Increase dwell time, allow military servicemembers to 
`turn down' a move for family stability, and allow servicemembers to 
take leaves of absence for family reasons. BSF encourages the Committee 
to support any moves towards innovation by the Services.

      Support the progress of S.1434 Availability of Child Care 
for Every Servicemember and Spouse Act (ACCESS Act) / Sec 558 (c) 
Childcare Coordinators For Military Installations. Community childcare 
coordinators located at each base would serve to bridge the 
communication gap between military families and the installation. 
Similar to the role of a School Liaison Officer, community childcare 
coordinators would act as an expert in local childcare options-- on and 
off base--and extend support to help military families locate the best 
available available childcare that meets the diverse needs of their 
military family. The community childcare coordinator would also be 
responsible for liaising with the local civilian childcare providers to 
help them better understand the needs of military families and the 
possible opportunities caring for military family might provide. 
Finally, the coordinator would be responsible for measuring and 
tracking the inventory of childcare in a local area as this information 
is crucial and not currently collected in an effective way to help DOD 
understand and plan regarding childcare capacity.

      The DOD and other stakeholders can link child care 
resources to spouse employment resources such as including a possible 
tab on employment websites so that spouses looking for employment would 
have better visibility of child care options. Regulations and 
requirements imposed by military installation childcare units (e.g., 
complicated waiting list policies and eligibility restrictions based on 
employment status) are an unintended barrier to accessing child care 
for the purposes of seeking employment or furthering one's education. A 
frequently cited child care challenge is that access to on-base child 
care is dependent on a spouse's employment status, yet spouses may be 
unable to obtain jobs or enroll in education programs without first 
having access to reliable child care.

      Simplify on-base child care enrollment, increase capacity 
across military-certified providers including occasional care capacity, 
and increase career to child ratio in order to align with state laws 
where federal ratios are lower than those mandated by the state. 
Nationally, military families spend an average of $108 per week for 
DOD-subsidized civilian child care, which equates to 8.7 percent of the 
average military family's income. Civilian child care agencies and 
providers that meet the quality requirements that enable military 
families to receive DOD subsidies could augment child care options on 
installations and expand access to child care for families who do not 
live near installations or where installation based child care has 
reached capacity.
                               conclusion
    Blue Star Families believes that military families are assets to 
both our national defense and local communities. They are central to 
the health and capability of the All-Volunteer Force and are good 
neighbors actively engaged in making their civilian communities great 
places to live. Servicemembers may be employed by their respective 
services--but they work for all Americans. Thus the responsibility for 
supporting military families is certainly a duty of the Department of 
Defense; however, a healthy nation also shares in this responsibility. 
Our country can help support military families by learning more about 
the unique nature of military life and increasing civilian and military 
collaboration on a number of levels. We can do this by supporting a 
number of positive military lifestyle factors such as: the employment 
of military spouses; military child education and wellness; financial 
and retirement savings education; military childcare; local civilian 
community engagement; strong mental health; and veteran employment.
    Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

    Senator Tillis. Ms. Hruska.

 STATEMENT OF KELLY B. HRUSKA, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS DIRECTOR, 
              NATIONAL MILITARY FAMILY ASSOCIATION

    Ms. Hruska. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and 
Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity for 
the National Military Family Association to speak with you 
today about the readiness of military families.
    Our statement, submitted for the record, highlights many 
issues important to military families, and I will touch on a 
few of them.
    We thank you for pay raises for the past 2 years at the 
employment cost index (ECI), and we appreciate the President's 
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget submission, which includes a 2.6 
percent pay raise at ECI. This is welcome news for military 
families whose purchasing power has been pinched by recent 
decreases to BAH [basic allowance for housing], increased 
healthcare costs, and retirement changes. We thank you for your 
quick work in the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA to ensure military 
children with life-threatening conditions have access to 
hospice services without having to forego curative care and 
quality-of-life therapies. Your actions not only fixed an 
urgent problem for impacted families, but it sends a signal to 
all military families that egregious TRICARE coverage issues 
will be addressed.
    We thank you for your dedication to creating meaningful 
reforms of the military health system, to enhance medical 
readiness and improve access to care and contribute to a 
quality patient experience for military families. However, we 
have concerns about how the healthcare reforms you enacted are 
being implemented. We urge you to maintain close oversight as 
DOD implements healthcare reform, and hold them accountable for 
making improvements and accessing quality a reality.
    While DOD has made progress in making the Exceptional 
Family Member Program more consistent across the Services, 
military families need better coordination between the 
relocation, education, healthcare, and family support elements 
of the program. We also urge you to adopt the recommendations 
of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization 
Commission, and direct DOD to align coverage under the ECHO 
[Extended Care Health Option] program, especially respite care, 
with State Medicaid waiver programs.
    Thank you for proving reimbursements for relicensing, 
recertification for military spouses in last year's NDAA. The 
day after the President signed the legislation into law, our 
office and various Facebook pages were lit up with questions on 
how to apply for these reimbursements. Military spouses are 
very excited about this new policy, and are anxious to see it 
implemented. Please hold DOD accountable to the promise.
    In 2014, the Defense Suicide Prevention Office released a 
report outlining an approach for tracking military family 
member suicides. As a response, Congress included a provision, 
in the Fiscal Year 2015 NDAA, for DOD to track military family 
suicides. We are extremely frustrated. DOD has yet to release 
any information to meet this mandate. If we don't know the 
scope of the problem, targeting solutions is impossible.
    Part of the job of keeping our current force ready is 
preparing for transitions, including the transition to civilian 
life. The President's executive order dated January 9th 
expanded Military OneSource from 6 months to 1 year, post-
separation, or retirement. Let's make this permanent.
    We also ask you to ensure that, as the nature of 
deployments continues to change, as the services increase end 
strength and military missions evolve, programs to support 
military families, healthcare and childcare access, and the 
pillars of military compensation remain strong. Military family 
and servicemember readiness are inescapably linked. Military 
families shudder when they hear their servicemember may not 
have the training or equipment they need to do the job. 
Servicemembers can't focus on their job if their family is 
pinched financially because a spouse can't find a job, their 
sick child can't get a doctor's appointment, or there's no 
quality childcare available. Programs and services must be 
responsive, consistently funded, and constantly evaluated as 
the needs of our military families evolve with the demands of 
the mission.
    Thank you for supporting military families.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Hruska follows:]

    Prepared Statement of The National Military Family Association 
                    Submitted by Ms. Kelly B. Hruska
    The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is the leading 
nonprofit dedicated to serving the families who stand behind the 
uniform. Since 1969, NMFA has worked to strengthen and protect millions 
of families through its advocacy and programs. We provide spouse 
scholarships, camps for military kids, and retreats for families 
reconnecting after deployment and for the families of the wounded, ill, 
or injured. NMFA serves the families of the currently serving, retired, 
wounded or fallen members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, 
Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS [United States Public 
Health Service] and NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration].
    Association volunteers in military communities worldwide provide a 
direct link between military families and the Association staff in the 
Nation's capital. These volunteers are our ``eyes and ears,'' bringing 
shared local concerns to national attention.
    The Association does not have or receive Federal grants or 
contracts.

    Our website is: www.MilitaryFamily.org.

Kelly B. Hruska, Government Relations Director
    Kelly became the Government Relations Director of the National 
Military Family Association in 2015. In this role, she leads the 
Association's advocacy for the families of the seven uniformed services 
and monitors the range of issues relevant to their quality of life. She 
began her work with the Association in 2007 as a Government Relations 
Deputy Director and served as Outreach Coordinator in 2014.
    Kelly has represented military families on several committees and 
task forces for offices and agencies of the Department of Defense (DOD) 
and Military Services. She serves on several committees of The Military 
Coalition, an organization of 33 military-related associations. She is 
co-chair of the Coalition's Survivor Committee. In 2008-2011, she 
served on the first DOD Military Family Readiness Council.
    A Navy spouse for 25 years, Kelly has served in various volunteer 
leadership positions in civilian and military community organizations 
including COMPASS, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, The Girl Scouts, 
and Navy Spouses Clubs. She was also appointed to the City Commission 
on Children and Youth by the Corpus Christi City Council.
    Kelly is a recipient of the Navy's Meritorious Civilian Service 
Medal in recognition of her work on behalf of servicemembers and their 
families at Navy Region Center Singapore.
    A Pennsylvania native, Kelly earned her B.A. in Political Science 
from La Salle University and a Masters of Public Administration from 
Shippensburg University. Kelly and her husband, Captain Jim Hruska, USN 
(Ret) reside in Annandale, Virginia with their daughter, Emily.
                           executive summary
    The United States military is the most capable fighting force in 
the world. For almost 2 decades of war, servicemembers and their 
families never failed to answer the call, steadfastly sacrificing in 
order to protect our Nation. They make these sacrifices trusting that 
our government will provide them with the tools to keep them ready. 
Continued national fiscal challenges have left military families 
confused and concerned about whether the programs and benefits 
contributing to their strength, resilience, and readiness will remain 
available to support them and be flexible enough to address emerging 
needs. The Department of Defense (DOD) must provide the level of 
programs and resources necessary to meet this standard. Servicemembers 
and their families have kept trust with America through 16 years of war 
with multiple deployments and separations. Unfortunately, that trust 
continues to be tested.

We ask Congress:
    As you evaluate spending proposals, consider the cumulative impact 
on military families' purchasing power and financial well-being, as 
well as the effects on the morale and readiness of the All-Volunteer 
Force now and in the future.

Please:

      Reject budget proposals that threaten military family 
financial well-being as a way to save money for the government.

      Keep military pay commensurate with service and aligned 
with private sector wages.

      Provide oversight to ensure recently-enacted military 
health reform efforts enhance military families' access to quality 
health care and that readiness costs are not passed along to families 
as cost shares or premiums.

    We ask Congress to make improving and sustaining the programs and 
resources necessary to keep military families ready a national 
priority.

We also ask Congress to:

      Provide oversight to ensure DOD and the individual 
Services are supporting families of all components by meeting the 
standards for deployment support, reintegration, financial readiness, 
and family health. Fund appropriately at all levels.

      Ensure adequate funding for military child care programs, 
including child care fee assistance programs. Improve access to 
installation-based child care and increase availability of part-time 
and hourly care.

      Facilitate easier paths to both licensure and employment 
for military spouses and veterans who are in the mental health field 
when they work with our servicemembers and their families. Include 
military spouses who enter the mental health profession in federal 
loan-forgiveness programs.

      Preserve the savings military families receive by 
shopping at the commissary and oppose any reform measures that would 
reduce the value of the benefit.

      Require DOD to study where military families with severe 
special needs are concentrated and whether DOD impact aid for schools 
serving military children with special needs is appropriately 
allocated.

      Expand servicemember and family access to Military 
OneSource counseling and other assistance to 1 year post-separation.

      Ensure appropriate and timely funding of impact aid 
through the Department of Education (DOEd).

      Continue to authorize DOD Impact Aid for schools 
educating large numbers of military children and military children with 
severe special needs.

      Bring the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) benefits on 
par with State Medicaid waiver programs and extend ECHO eligibility for 
1 year following separation.

      Correct inequities in survivor benefits by eliminating 
the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset to the Survivor 
Benefit Plan (SBP).

      Ease the financial burden and coverage confusion faced by 
Medicare-eligible, medically-retired wounded, ill, and injured 
servicemembers.

    After over 16 years of war, we continue to see the impact of 
repeated deployments and separations on our servicemembers and their 
families. We appreciate Congress' recognition of the service and 
sacrifice of these families. Your response through legislation to the 
ever-changing need for support has resulted in programs and policies 
that have helped sustain our families through these difficult times.
Pay and Compensation
    We appreciate Congress making the pay raise at employment cost 
index (ECI) a priority in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense 
Authorization Act. Congress chose the ECI as the standard for Active 
Duty pay raises in order to recruit and retain the quality of 
servicemembers needed to sustain the All-Volunteer Force and we thank 
you for meeting that standard this year.
    Although the last 2 years have seen military pay raises at the ECI, 
reductions to servicemember housing allowances, increased health care 
costs, and the new requirement under the Blended Retirement System for 
new servicemembers to contribute to their retirement savings lower 
servicemember take-home pay. We ask you to consider the cumulative 
effects of these policies on military families' financial well-being 
and reject any proposals that ask families to shoulder a greater 
financial burden.
    We believe that Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is an essential 
component of military compensation. We oppose any changes that threaten 
to reduce military families' pay.
    We ask Congress to keep military pay commensurate with service and 
aligned with private sector wage increases.
    We ask Congress to reject budget proposals that threaten military 
family financial well-being as a way to achieve savings for DOD.
Military Health System
    We greatly appreciate efforts by Congress on military health system 
(MHS) reform and were gratified the process included listening to 
beneficiary concerns over costs, quality of care, and the patient 
experience in both direct and purchased care. However, as we reviewed 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, we were 
struck by how few MHS reform provisions represent immediate tangible 
wins for military families. Ready access to high quality health care is 
imperative for families managing the stress and unpredictability of 
military life. There are areas of the system that deliver, but we still 
consistently hear from families who face barriers in accessing quality 
medical care--barriers that range from punishing levels of 
inconvenience and inconsistent military hospital policies to complete 
lack of access to basic standards of care. These are urgent problems 
that must be fixed. For instance:

    Facebook Post from July 28, 2017:

      Anne H: Okay so I have never been seen by base doctors until we 
moved here. Of course we moved here and are now pregnant with baby 
number 5. So excited until we had to be seen on base. The ob 
coordinator is such a sweetheart! However, it just seems like they have 
no time for appointments. I called women's health and they were an even 
bigger mess telling me to call back in September and they would set up 
my first intake appointment for then. Which I'm 12 weeks tomorrow so 
that seemed kinda crazy. So my question is how do I get a doctor off 
base. I have a history of high risk pregnancy. I have low iron, high 
blood pressure, and a guarantee c section as this will be my 4th one. 
Any help is very much appreciated.

      Sarah N: You will have to switch to TRICARE standard to be seen 
off post

      Anne H: I'm just used to doctors that have more flexibility. We 
have never had to be on base. If a normal doctor told me a month to see 
my doctor I would find a new doctor but maybe it's just me.

      Sarah N: That's not so bad. Usually you are only seen every 4 
weeks when not high risk. I was considered complicated and was seen 
every 3 weeks.

      Anne H: I haven't been seen since becoming pregnant. I had an 
appointment this past week, got there to be told they gave my 
appointment to someone else. I have yet to do an intake appointment. So 
it's actually pretty horrible. I know you are seen once a month 
normally. But I haven't been seen at all.

      Sarah N: Oh, geesh! I figured you had already had your intake. 
Around here, with pretty much everything, due to the sheer amount of 
people, you have to be pretty persistent.

      (Per later Facebook posts, Anne's baby was born 5 weeks and 1 day 
early and spent time in the NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit].)

    While the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA includes many well-intentioned 
provisions for MHS improvement, nearly all are contingent on successful 
implementation, including an emphasis on getting the patient experience 
right. We fear the required focus on the patient experience will be a 
heavy lift for the MHS, an organization that routinely reminds families 
their primary mission is not beneficiary care, but military medical 
readiness. It seems like a great distance--with much room for error--
between the law's good intentions and actual improvements that military 
families will experience. Which provision in the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA 
will address a problem such as this? How long will families have to 
wait to see that fix?

      Facebook Post from July 10, 2017:

      Chris M: Hi guys! I have a quick question about Tricare. I'm 20 
and just had my son 5 months ago. When I got pregnant, I immediately 
went to family medicine and started being seen there. I had my 6 week 
postpartum check up there and decided against getting birth control at 
that moment. I'm ready to start on birth control now and I called to 
get an appointment with my dr and they got me an appointment with the 
pediatrician. Then the pediatrician's office called me and told me they 
don't do birth control there. So I called family medicine back and they 
said I'm too young to be seen there now because pediatrics treats all 
the way until 22 . . . that doesn't sound correct to me. I'm at a loss 
of what to do. Please help haha

      Kate W: Contact women's health to see if they can help you.

      Chris M: I actually did call women's health and they said I need 
a referral. The dr I saw at family medicine is my PCM [primary care 
manager] but they won't let me make an appt with him. I'm so new to 
Tricare. lol I've only been married a year so I'm confused by this. lol

    This spouse made what seems to be a reasonable effort to make an 
appointment to obtain birth control. She spoke to three different 
clinics at her military hospital, but none helped her or pointed her to 
a resource to resolve her issue. Within the scope of MHS reform, what's 
the plan to fix problems like this?
    On January 1, MHS reform launched with changes to the TRICARE 
plans. As implementation has begun, our wary optimism has morphed into 
grave concerns about what seems to be a focus on cost savings and not 
improvements to address beneficiary health care needs. TRICARE reform 
thus far does not fix coverage gaps such as TRICARE's failure to adapt 
coverage to emerging technologies or treatment protocols or pediatric 
coverage issues due to TRICARE policies based on Medicare, a plan for 
seniors. TRICARE reform does not address locations with TRICARE 
provider network inadequacy or the concerns that ``race to the bottom'' 
contracts will eventually result in lower provider reimbursements and 
narrowed networks. TRICARE reform does not fix bureaucratic and 
customer service problems such as those families are currently 
experiencing with the T17 contract transition. We understood part of 
TRICARE reform was to reset a balance between beneficiaries' out of 
pocket costs and DOD costs. Yet, we did not expect new TRICARE policies 
and copay constructs that are so clearly detrimental to military 
families. We are concerned that while the Department of Defense (DOD) 
will achieve cost savings, beneficiaries will face higher costs while 
still waiting for improvements in the care they receive.
    Given the magnitude of MHS reform, it would be difficult for any 
organization to get every piece of the implementation 100 percent right 
from the start. We trust there will be an opportunity to make 
adjustments as second and third order effects become apparent and we 
pledge to assist DOD in understanding where improvement is needed. To 
that end, we ask Congress and DOD to:

      Modify the TRICARE Annual Open Enrollment policy to 
prevent military families from becoming trapped in underperforming 
military treatment facilities (MTFs)

      Adjust TRICARE Prime and Select copay constructs

      Monitor and provide oversight on T17 contract 
implementation

      Align TRICARE Extended Care Health Option respite 
coverage with Medicaid waiver programs

      Implement the Defense Health Board's recommendation to 
broaden TRICARE's definition of pediatric medical necessity

      Expand Federal Employee Dental and Vision Program 
eligibility to Active Duty family member dental coverage while 
maintaining DOD's premium contribution levels

      Ensure military family perspectives are considered as MTF 
management is transitioned to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and 
reforms related to direct care system right sizing are implemented
                     tricare reform implementation
TRICARE Prime
    We are grateful TRICARE Prime remains a low/no out-of-pocket cost 
option for all Active Duty families. It is important that those 
managing the stress, sacrifices, and unpredictability of military life 
are spared concerns about health care costs.
  Referral Free Urgent Care Policy
    We greatly appreciate that TRICARE Prime beneficiaries can now 
access civilian urgent care without a referral. For years, we have 
highlighted this problem--families had no option but the emergency room 
for acute medical issues when their MTFs were closed or fully booked. 
While the direct care system has made strides on meeting access 
standards, problems persist at the local level and during Permanent 
Change of Station (PCS) season. Many thanks to Congress for authorizing 
TRICARE Prime referral free urgent care in the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA. 
We are grateful DHA implemented this policy with no restrictions on the 
number of visits and urge them to maintain referral-free urgent care 
moving forward. Changing the number of referral-free urgent care visits 
annually, as suggested in DOD's September 2017 IFR [Interim Final Rule] 
Establishment of TRICARE Select and Other TRICARE Reforms, would create 
confusion among beneficiaries and providers as well as communication 
and implementation challenges for DHA and the managed care support 
contractors.
  Annual Open Enrollment Period
    Our biggest concern about TRICARE Prime is related to the annual 
open enrollment period's potential to trap TRICARE Prime families in 
underperforming MTFs. Prior to 2018, beneficiaries could switch from 
TRICARE Prime to TRICARE Standard at any time. This flexibility 
provided a critical escape hatch for families who believed they were 
not receiving adequate access and/or medical care at their MTF.

        My son had a collapsing trachea. It had been discovered before 
        he was a year old. At age 3 the strider returned. The MTF DX it 
        as ``hiccups.'' I left the appointment, in disbelief, and 
        walked straight to the enrollment office. I moved him from 
        prime to standard and within 24 hours had a civilian children's 
        specialist ``waiting for me in the lobby'' to do a scope on my 
        son. Where the MTF dismissed a possible life threatening 
        condition, the civilians treated it like it was their priority 
        and moved mountains to get immediate answers. From that moment 
        on, all three of my kids were standard.

        I had a history of ectopic pregnancy and a damaged fallopian 
        tube as a result. I had been told I was at greater risk in the 
        future and it was critical to have an ultrasound at 8 weeks to 
        rule out another ectopic pregnancy, a condition that could 
        threaten my future fertility or even my life if it went 
        undetected. Soon after my husband deployed, I got a positive 
        home pregnancy test. I immediately called the appointment line 
        and tried to schedule an appointment but was told they would 
        not see me until I was 14 weeks along. I explained my history 
        and what I had been told about getting an ultrasound at 8 
        weeks, but the appointment line clerk would not budge. I called 
        back several times, trying to convince them I needed an earlier 
        appointment. Finally, they told me if I started having tubal 
        pregnancy symptoms I should just go to the ER. When I finally 
        reached my husband on the ship, I was frantic. I was caring for 
        a toddler at a new base on my own. I didn't yet have a support 
        network to lean on. I knew what my last ectopic pregnancy 
        emergency was like--how was I going to handle a toddler on top 
        of that and being alone to boot? My husband was upset but knew 
        there was nothing he could do from the ship, so he told me to 
        switch to Standard. I did and immediately got an appointment at 
        a civilian office where they ordered an 8 week ultrasound. 
        (BTW, although this pregnancy was fine I did eventually have 
        another ectopic pregnancy with the next one.)

    We realize the annual open enrollment period is a feature of 
civilian plans and generally have no issues with this new requirement. 
However, TRICARE Prime's reliance on military hospitals and clinics 
creates a situation unique to the military and demands a policy 
tailored to military family needs for the following reasons:

      Given the variability in access, quality of care, and the 
patient experience across the direct system, military families may not 
be able to make informed choices during the open enrollment period or 
following a qualifying life event, such as a PCS move. TRICARE Prime, 
and specifically getting care at the MTF, may work for a family at one 
duty station but not at another. MTF access to care can also vary over 
time as providers come and go, making an informed decision nearly 
impossible.

        We are currently contemplating making the switch to Standard. 
        We had no issues on Prime at our last duty station, and a great 
        experience with the clinics and hospital there, but since 
        PCSing it's been a nightmare. It's absolutely impossible to get 
        an acute care appointment here. Last time I tried I was told my 
        2 year old wouldn't be able to be seen for 2 weeks for a double 
        ear infection, and he's a patient being considered for tubes!

        I switched my kids from Prime to Standard several years ago. We 
        were at a large navy hospital and got great care from a 
        phenomenal civilian pediatrician. I switched when she shared 
        that she was leaving practice, and that the hospital hadn't 
        added personnel to cope with two carriers newly moved to the 
        area. That explained why it was so much more difficult to get 
        urgent appointments. I didn't want to continue the hassle of 
        going through them without the benefit of our awesome doctor.

      Although the patient advocate and PCM change request 
should help families resolve MTF problems, these may be ineffective in 
addressing systemic access or quality concerns particularly in time 
sensitive situations. Additionally, appointment line clerks and MTF 
staff do not typically direct families to resources such as the patient 
advocate who can help resolve access and quality of care issues.

      The unique aspects of the military health system demand 
solutions tailored to military beneficiaries. For commercial health 
plans, the annual enrollment period locks in beneficiaries to coverage 
levels, not specific providers or a single medical facility. While an 
annual enrollment period for military families is not unreasonable, 
preventing them from seeking care outside the MTF will severely limit 
patient autonomy in a way that is inconsistent with commercial plans. 
Even those commercial plans with extremely narrow networks do not limit 
beneficiaries/members to a single medical facility (see Insert A, page 
90) for a comparison of medical facilities available to Kaiser 
Foundation Health Plan members versus beneficiaries stationed in the 
National Capitol Region.

      Allowing families to switch enrollment from Prime to 
Select provides an important aspect of MTF accountability. Analyzing 
enrollment changes from Prime to Select will afford the MHS an 
opportunity to understand why families leave. It should also allow the 
MHS to identify problematic MTFs and target solutions to local access 
and quality of care problems.

    Our association has suggested two possible solutions. The fiscal 
year 2017 NDAA gives DOD discretion in defining qualifying life events. 
We believe one potential solution is to include ``dissatisfaction with 
MTF access or quality of care'' as a qualifying life event. Another 
option is to extend the enrollment ``grace period'' to maintain the 
TRICARE Select escape hatch while allowing DHA more time to develop and 
publicize an effective MTF problem resolution process. We are open to 
other ideas and stand by to assist in developing a solution that 
prevents military families from becoming trapped in underperforming 
MTFs.
TRICARE Prime Copays
    While we are not opposed to modest and predictable copay increases, 
the increased copays outlined for Group A/Grandfathered Retiree 
Families are unacceptable and have stunned military families and 
retirees seeking care this year. Although we did not support 
grandfathering, we are disturbed by DHA's complete disregard for the 
congressional intent behind the decision to create the grandfathering. 
Furthermore, the increases outlined in the IFR are far from modest, 
ranging from 67 to 173 percent higher than 2017 TRICARE Prime Retiree 
copays:

    TRICARE Prime Cost Sharing: 2017 vs. 2018--Group A/Grandfathered

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    2018 Group A/
                                              2017                  Grandfathered           Percent Increase
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preventative Care Visit                                  $0                        $0                 No change
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Primary Care Outpatient Visit                           $12                       $20                      +67%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specialty Care Outpatient Visit                         $12                       $30                     +150%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ER Visit                                                $30                       $60                     +100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urgent Care Center                                      $12                       $30                     +150%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ambulatory Surgery                                      $25                       $60                     +140%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ambulance Service                                       $20                       $40                     +100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Durable Medical Equipment                               20%                       20%                 No change
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inpatient Admission                                 $11/day            $150/admission                       N/A
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inpatient Skilled Nursing/Rehab                     $11/day                   $30/day                     +173%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    While we follow the rationale outlined in the September 2017 IFR 
for DHA's authority to increase copays, dating back to the Fiscal Year 
1994 NDAA, it feels like a ``gotcha'' for military retirees--as if they 
should have read the fine print regarding their military retirement 
health benefit. Is this really the way we want to treat men and women 
who served a full military career, particularly at a time when those 
approaching retirement have served nearly their entire careers during a 
period of sustained conflict and high optempo [operational tempo]?
    Furthermore, DHA's rationale for increasing copays rests on 
achieving ``cost neutrality''--that is, keeping per beneficiary costs 
for TRICARE Prime in line with TRICARE Standard/Select. The IFR cites a 
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimate: ``CBO estimates that 
under current law, a typical retiree household enrolled in TRICARE 
Prime as a `family' in 2018, and for whom TRICARE is the primary payer 
of health benefits, will cost DOD about $17,400, and a typical family 
that uses Standard/Extra will cost DOD about $12,700.'' \1\ What DHA 
fails to add is that the same CBO report acknowledges that MTFs, where 
most Prime beneficiaries receive their care, are run less efficiently 
than private facilities and hence have higher costs per service. Our 
Association also contends the Department of Defense has historically 
done a poor job of differentiating readiness costs from costs to 
provide beneficiary care. We believe TRICARE Prime cost estimates are 
inflated due to MTF inefficiencies and erroneously include costs that 
should be attributed to readiness. DHA should not put the burden on 
TRICARE Prime beneficiaries to achieve ``cost neutrality'' through 
copay increases.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate, S. 2943, National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, June 10, 2016, page 17
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Finally, these TRICARE Prime fee increases aren't even being put 
toward MHS improvements that will benefit military families and 
retirees. According to senior DOD officials, they are being used to 
fund readiness--we are tapping military retirees to pay for equipping 
and training the current force. This is unacceptable.
TRICARE Prime Eligibility
    Although TRICARE Prime eligibility wasn't addressed with the Fiscal 
Year 2017 NDAA health care reforms, DOD's September 2017 IFR 
Establishment of TRICARE Select and Other TRICARE Reforms appears to 
assert DOD's authority to put greater limits on TRICARE Prime 
availability. The IFR states that the DHA Director has authority to 
determine locations where TRICARE Prime will be offered using the 
guiding principle that the purpose of TRICARE Prime is to support the 
medical readiness of the Armed Forces and the readiness of medical 
personnel. The IFR also says TRICARE Prime can be limited to Active 
Duty family members if the DHA Director determines it is not 
practicable to offer Prime to retired beneficiaries as well. From the 
IFR: \2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/09/29/2017-
20392/establishment-of-tricare-select-and-other-tricare-reforms

        One other matter on which the interim final rule preserves DOD 
        discretion, similar to that in the current regulation, is with 
        respect to the locations where TRICARE Prime is offered. This 
        is noted in the current regulation at 32 CFR 199.17(a)(5). 
        Under the interim final rule, the locations where TRICARE Prime 
        will be offered will be determined by the Director, Defense 
        Health Agency (DHA) and announced prior to the annual open 
        season enrollment period. The guiding principle for this 
        decision is that the purpose of TRICARE Prime is to support the 
        medical readiness of the armed forces and the readiness of 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        medical personnel . . .

        TRICARE Prime, especially for working age retirees and family 
        members, provides MTFs clinical workload, including for a range 
        of medical specialty areas that permit military health care 
        providers to maintain currency and proficiency in their 
        respective clinical fields. This important support of a ready 
        medical force is what justifies the higher government cost of 
        Prime (which CBO estimates at $17,400 per retiree family), 
        notwithstanding the original statutory requirement of cost 
        neutrality between TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Standard. This 
        cost-benefit assessment supports the conclusion that it is 
        practicable to offer TRICARE Prime in areas where it supports 
        the medical readiness of one or more MTFs. Additionally, where 
        TRICARE Prime is offered, it may be limited to Active Duty 
        family members if the Director, DHA determines it is not 
        practicable to offer TRICARE Prime to retired beneficiaries as 
        well--a determination that again would take into account the 
        nature of the supported MTF and the range of services it 
        offers.

    Please note, the IFR does not just assert DOD's authority to limit 
access to MTF care but, rather, to limit the availability of the 
TRICARE Prime plan only to those beneficiaries who provide clinical 
workload to MTFs. This change would then limit beneficiary 
opportunities for plan and out-of-pocket cost choices to a greater 
extent than under current policy.
    The IFR language raises additional questions, including: How would 
this impact Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Prime Service Areas? 
What would happen to retirees currently on Prime but not seen at MTFs? 
How would this affect Active Duty family members?
    It is our interpretation of the IFR that DOD will continue to offer 
TRICARE Prime to Active Duty military families regardless of their 
geographic location or MTF capacity. NMFA asserts that all Active Duty 
families must have the option of a minimal out-of-pocket cost health 
plan. Additionally, DOD must not create a two-tier health benefit 
system based on assignment location or MTF capacity, factors that are 
outside the control of military families.
TRICARE Select
      TRICARE Select Copays
    We are alarmed by DHA's careless approach to establishing copays 
for TRICARE Select, a plan that was billed as an improvement for 
beneficiaries formerly in TRICARE Standard. As currently defined, we 
believe TRICARE Select out-of-pocket costs are highly inconsistent with 
private sector PPOs [preferred provider organization] and will be 
detrimental to most military families and retirees who rely on it for 
health coverage.
    Even though our Association participated in Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA 
working group meetings with DHA since the legislation was passed, we 
were stunned by the Group A/Grandfathered TRICARE Select copays 
outlined in the TRICARE Changes Fact Sheet that accompanied the 
September 2017 IFR Establishment of TRICARE Select and Other TRICARE 
Reforms. The Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA directed DOD to calculate TRICARE 
Select cost-sharing requirements ``as if the beneficiary were enrolled 
in TRICARE Extra or TRICARE Standard as if TRICARE Extra or TRICARE 
Standard, as the case may be, were still being carried out by the 
Secretary.'' However, TRICARE Select network copays for primary and 
specialty care outpatient visits, emergency room visits, and urgent 
care centers are much higher than expected given the percent cost 
shares beneficiaries paid for network encounters under TRICARE Extra.
    Further details from DHA (not included in the IFR and not publicly 
available to date) revealed specifics on their approach. Instead of 
taking an average of the cost share for the TRICARE allowed amount for 
each of those encounter types, DHA also included all associated 
ancillary, laboratory, and radiology costs, driving up the average per 
encounter charge. Since ancillary services are covered by the new fixed 
dollar copays, TRICARE Select beneficiaries will have no separate copay 
or cost shares for these services. Although DHA claims this approach is 
revenue neutral, we remain skeptical. Even with limited methodology 
details, military Association representatives uncovered a flaw in the 
approach that led DHA to revise their calculations and lower TRICARE 
Select copays from 6 to 22 percent for outpatient visits, urgent care 
and ER [emergency room] encounters. While we appreciate DHA listened to 
our feedback and made a correction to their copay calculations, we 
still have numerous concerns that have not been addressed:

      The approach of folding labs, radiology and ancillary 
services into each outpatient encounter drives up the average copay for 
many, if not most, encounters by shifting costs from those receiving 
more complex medical care to those receiving less complex care. While 
this ``risk pool'' approach may make sense for setting commercial plan 
premiums, it not a sound strategy for establishing TRICARE copays given 
the role copays play in encouraging sound patient decisions.

      Under the TRICARE Select plan, physical therapy, 
occupational therapy, and speech therapy are considered specialty care. 
Active Duty families will pay $31 per visit while retiree families will 
pay $41 per visit, significantly higher than previous TRICARE Extra 
cost shares.

      We are concerned about how the dramatically higher copays 
will impact patient adherence with treatment plans. When a retiree 
family member is directed to get physical therapy twice a week for 6 
weeks, will $492 in copays dissuade them from seeking necessary care? 
What happens to DOD's overall costs for that patient when they fail to 
follow doctor's orders and the problem progresses? When asked, DHA said 
no research or analysis was done on the potential impact on treatment 
plan compliance.

      Mental health visits are also considered specialty care 
under the TRICARE Select copay plan. The $31 ADFM [Active Duty family 
members]/$41 retiree copays are significantly higher than the percent 
cost shares families paid for network mental health visits under 
TRICARE Extra. The new copays are also higher than out-of-pocket costs 
for mental health care under FEHBP [Federal Employees Health Benefits 
Plan] national PPO plans (see Insert B, page 91). For many years, DOD 
has acknowledged the importance of seeking mental health care for 
families struggling with the impact of 16+ years of war. We are 
appalled by TRICARE Select copays that create a cost barrier to 
accessing mental health care.

      The IFR says that converting current TRICARE Standard/
Extra cost shares into TRICARE Select fixed dollar copays is consistent 
with prevailing private sector health program practices. However, we 
believe DHA's TRICARE Select copay structure (combining outpatient 
visit costs together with labs, radiology and ancillary services) is 
inconsistent with most private sector preferred provider option 
practices. An examination of FEHBP national PPO plans (see Insert B, 
page 91) shows significantly lower copays for office visits with 
separate percentage cost shares for labs, radiology and ancillary 
services. FEHBP plans also had significantly lower copays for physical, 
occupational, and speech therapies as well as mental health office 
visits.

      When asked, DHA was unaware of any commercial PPO plan 
that uses their proposed approach of higher copays for office visits 
with no cost sharing for ancillary services. As follow up to our 
question, DHA later provided a single example from Fairfax County 
Public Schools (FCPS)--the CareFirst Blue Choice Advantage plan. This 
plan does have zero out-of-pocket costs for ancillary services and 
copays in line with those for TRICARE Select retirees. However, it also 
appears to be the lower end PPO plan for FCPS employees. The higher end 
FCPS PPO, Aetna/Innovation Health, also has no cost sharing for 
ancillary services but much lower copays across the board compared to 
TRICARE Select. This reinforces our perspective that, when compared to 
the appropriate benchmark, TRICARE Select copays are clearly too high.

      TRICARE Select defies the entire PPO concept with network 
copays so high beneficiaries could actually pay less by seeing non-
network providers. The IFR states TRICARE Select beneficiaries ``will 
enjoy lower out-of-pocket costs if they choose preferred providers 
within the TRICARE civilian network'' but TRICARE Select's high network 
copays will exceed the 20/25 percent out-of-network cost share for many 
therapies and office visits. It won't take long for families to 
determine they can save money by using non-network providers. How does 
this make sense for DOD or military families?
      For both Active Duty families and retirees, TRICARE 
Select Group A/Grandfathered beneficiaries will pay more out-of-pocket 
for their care than Group B/New beneficiaries, creating exactly the 
type of situation we opposed when the grandfathering concept was raised 
during the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA process.

    TRICARE Standard/Extra covers a significant portion of the 
beneficiary population. In fiscal year 2016, over 2 million 
beneficiaries used Standard/Extra including about 1/3 of ADFMs and 1/2 
of retirees and their families. \3\ Given the IFR comments on Prime 
eligibility, it seems clear DHA wants to affirm TRICARE Select as the 
earned health care benefit, potentially shifting many retirees who 
aren't treated at MTFs from Prime to Select in the future. It is 
critical the TRICARE Select copay construct reflect best practices and 
out-of-pocket costs on par or lower than high quality commercial plans.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ Evaluation of the TRICARE Program: Fiscal Year 2017 Report to 
Congress--Plan Choice by Beneficiary Category; please note the ADFM 
group includes inactive Guard/Reserve and their family members eligible 
for TRICARE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Note About Grandfathering
    Some have suggested many of our issues surrounding TRICARE Select 
copays can be addressed by eliminating grandfathering. While our 
Association appreciated Congress' intent to fulfill promises to those 
currently serving and retired, we opposed ``grandfathering'' current 
beneficiaries throughout the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA process for two main 
reasons: 1) It creates a situation where two servicemembers serving 
side-by-side earn different health care benefits for their families and 
future retirement; and 2) It results in a level of operational 
complexity, which will divert scarce resources away from health care 
delivery and be difficult for the DHA to manage.
    Simply eliminating grandfathering is not the solution. We are not 
opposed to modest and predictable growth of out-of-pocket costs linked 
to retiree COLA [cost of living adjustments] to ensure they do not 
outpace military income increases--in fact, we believe it is essential 
to clearly define the health care benefit including expectations around 
future out-of-pocket costs. However, that does not mean we support the 
excessive fee increases imposed on new entrants. The cumulative impact 
of increased encounter copays, enrollment fees, catastrophic caps and 
pharmacy copays included in the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA was too much. We 
also opposed any out-of-pocket cost increases used to fund readiness or 
other military family programs. Senior DOD leaders have been very clear 
that savings from increasing beneficiary costs will be ``ploughed into 
readiness.'' While we would be happy to see grandfathering eliminated, 
it would have to be part of a larger discussion around appropriate out-
of-pocket costs to gain our support.
DHA Beneficiary Communication
    Given the magnitude of TRICARE plan changes, communication to 
beneficiaries has been abysmal. DHA has provided detailed information 
solely via ``pull'' channels (communication channels that require the 
beneficiary to seek them out) such as the tricare.mil website and 
Facebook page. However, there was very little in the way of ``push'' 
communication--such as direct mail--to alert families to impending 
changes and drive them to digital media outlets for more details. 
Association representatives were told in December a letter would be 
sent soon from the new contractors regarding the changes in TRICARE 
regions and the switch from TRICARE Extra/Standard to TRICARE Select. 
While those changes occurred January 1, beneficiaries did not receive 
these letters until a month later.
    The numbers speak for themselves. There are 9.4 million TRICARE 
beneficiaries. About 2.2 million are TRICARE for Life (TFL) and not 
impacted by the changes. That leaves more than 7 million beneficiaries 
affected by TRICARE Prime and Select changes. As of mid-January 2018, 
the TRICARE Facebook page has about 163,000 likes/follows. According to 
DHA's data, the tricare.mil changes website section has had only 
427,631 users. Even if you assume no viewer overlap across these two 
channels and no TFL beneficiary visits (unlikely), DHA is reaching only 
a small percentage of affected families with plan details. Military 
associations such as ours have worked with DHA to increase awareness of 
the changes, but many families are only learning about the changes as 
they receive claims from 2018 encounters and face significantly higher 
copays.

      Facebook Post from February 1, 2018:

      Jennifer P:  It seems like it has all changed. In my opinion, 
they did not do a very good job in informing those of the (TRICARE) 
changes coming. I do not remember seeing anything in the mail about the 
changes. I had an up-front copay for my daughter at the dermatology 
office. I was told they are specialty so it was $31.

      Michele M:   THIS! To my knowledge changes were only communicated 
via websites and emails. The biggest change is going from cost shares 
to copays.

      Jennifer P:  The poor registration lady at the office said that 
the tricare switch has been awful. She brought out her flow chart to 
explain my copay. She did tell me to make sure I kept my receipt 
because I will be needing it!

      https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fd0/1/16/
1f602.png

    When TRICARE changes occur, a greater effort across multiple 
communication platforms must be made to raise awareness of the changes 
and drive beneficiaries to digital media for more details.
                    tricare 2017 contract transition
    We are now 1 month into the T17 contract transition including the 
consolidation of the North and South Regions to create the East Region. 
Early January was marked by call center and website customer service 
problems across both the East and West regions as call volume exceeded 
expectations and winter weather problems created customer service 
staffing issues. Humana quickly resolved website problems and long call 
center hold times in the East Region. According to DHA, Humana is 
currently at a 3 second hold time for callers. Unfortunately, HealthNet 
is still struggling to make improvements with phone call hold times 
clocking in at 30 minutes on average as of late January.

      Facebook post from January 30, 2018:

      Lisa W to From Boots to Wingtips: We got a letter in December 
stating that we could pay our Tricare enrollment fee online. Over 
Christmas, Jeff attempted do that, but couldn't. He called Healthnet 
and was told ``Sorry. You can't make an online payment.'' Okay. He 
attempted to set up a monthly payment plan, but they were not set up 
for that yet. So they took a one time payment and told him to call back 
this month.
      Yesterday, he called back only to listen to a message saying that 
they are not accepting phone calls. He tried the online thing again, 
but that was a bust.
      We just want to pay our stupid fee. My daughter is having the 
same issue as she needs to pay her young adult Tricare Prime premium. 
Grrr . . .

      Facebook post from February 2, 2018:

      Heather H S to TRICARE: TRICARE I am extremely disappointed in 
the service I've received trying to get into a specialist. Tricare 
neglected to call me after my PCM put in the initial referral to tell 
me that I had a doctor assigned to me. I eventually called Tricare 
(with a 58 minute wait time); they gave me incorrect information for a 
doctor. I had to call back (45 minute wait time) for a different 
referral. And I had to call back again (45 minute wait time) for an 
authorization letter for my doctor to even be able to make an 
appointment. Your recording blames long wait times on inclement 
weather, which sounds like a poor excuse since there isn't any 
inclement weather in our country at the moment. Call it what it is, and 
hire more employees to service the demand you're seeing. (Tricare-west)

      Heather H S to TRICARE: Worse, when I try to send a message 
through the website, I get this message: Unexpected Error While 
Communicating with Service. Please try again after some time.

         Heather H S to TRICARE: Online messaging doesn't work today 
either.

    There are also concerns in the West Region regarding provider 
networks. We have heard numerous complaints about providers leaving the 
TRICARE network and overall fewer providers in many geographic areas. 
We understand Prime Service Areas cover about 80 percent of the 
beneficiaries in the West Region, so increasing network coverage to 85 
percent of beneficiaries is not much of a jump and still leaves 
significant white space in the West Region. While we appreciate 
HealthNet allowing beneficiaries to nominate their providers for 
network inclusion, it is unclear if this approach will work. Will these 
providers be willing to join the network? How long will this process 
take?
    In the East Region, network concerns seem limited to applied 
behavior analysis (ABA) providers. ABA offices have reported delays in 
credentialing, treatment authorizations, and claims processing. Some 
providers have already notified TRICARE patients that they will need to 
suspend services if the issues are not resolved (see Insert C, page 
92). Although Humana has shared their corrective action plan, we 
believe this situation warrants further monitoring until problems are 
resolved.
    In both the East and West Regions, provider directory inaccuracies 
are also contributing to military family frustration about the 
transition.
    Contract transitions are by nature disruptive, particularly for 
families in the middle of on-going medical treatment. We appreciate the 
steps the contractors have taken to address problems as they arise, but 
continuing complaints from both regions suggest continued oversight is 
warranted. We hope Congress will continue to demonstrate interest in 
ensuring a smooth transition for military families.
                    special needs military families
    Thank you to Congress and the Committee Staff for your diligent 
work in crafting a Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA provision to allow TRICARE to 
cover pediatric hospice services concurrently with curative care and 
quality of life therapies. The pediatric concurrent hospice legislation 
not only fixes an urgent problem for impacted families, but it also 
sends a signal to all military families that egregious TRICARE coverage 
issues will be addressed.
TRICARE Extended Care Health Option (ECHO)
    Medicaid Waiver programs provide long term care services in home 
and community-based settings to people who would otherwise require care 
in an institutional environment. Most states have lengthy waitlists for 
their Medicaid Waiver programs and, as a result, many military families 
are unable to access Medicaid Waiver services because they PCS before 
reaching the top of the waitlist.

        I have two special needs children and have never been able to 
        access Medicaid services till our recent assignment. When we 
        move out of state this summer, we will again lose services. In 
        9 years, we have received only 9 months of Medicaid waiver 
        services due to frequent military moves. The process takes so 
        long each time we PCS. It is really discouraging.

    Congress established TRICARE's Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) 
to substitute for state Medicaid waiver services that are often 
unavailable to mobile military families. Services provided by Medicaid 
Waiver programs should serve as the benchmark for ECHO covered 
services. However, ECHO currently falls short relative to Medicaid 
waiver services, particularly in the area of respite care.
    The 2015 Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization 
Commission Report validated this issue and recommended ECHO covered 
services should be increased to more closely align with state Medicaid 
waiver programs. Expanded services should be subject to the ECHO 
benefit cap of $36,000 per fiscal year, per dependent. Specific 
examples include, but are not limited to, expanding respite care hours 
to align more closely with state offerings and allowing families to 
access respite care without receiving another ECHO benefit.
      Respite care is covered by almost all State Medicaid 
Waivers: 92 percent of Waivers cover in-home respite while 86 percent 
cover out-of-home respite
      ECHO respite coverage falls far short of Medicaid 
Waivers. ECHO currently provides a maximum of 192 respite hours per 
year while the average State Medicaid Waiver provides 695 respite hours 
per year. \4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ MCRMC state-by-state Medicaid waiver analysis
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pediatric Definition of Medical Necessity
    TRICARE's adult-based definition of medical necessity prevents some 
military kids from getting the care they need--care that is widely 
accepted and practiced in the civilian health care system and MTFs. 
TRICARE is authorized to approve purchased care only when it is 
``medically or psychologically necessary and appropriate care based on 
reliable evidence.'' DOD's hierarchy of reliable evidence includes only 
``published research based on well controlled clinical studies, formal 
technology assessments, and/or published national medical organization 
policies/positions/ reports.'' While beneficiaries certainly want safe 
and effective treatment, such tightly prescribed data for children are 
not always available. TRICARE's strict adherence to this adult-based 
standard of reliable evidence results in coverage denials for widely 
accepted pediatric treatments.
    After our Association, together with the TRICARE for Kids 
Coalition, repeatedly raised this issue at Military Family Readiness 
Council meetings, senior DOD leadership requested the Defense Health 
Board (DHB) examine opportunities to improve the overall provision of 
health care and related services for children of members of the Armed 
Forces. The July 2016 report request specifically directed the DHB to:

        Address any issues associated with the TRICARE definition of 
        ``medical necessity'' as it might specifically pertain to 
        children and determine if the requirement for TRICARE to comply 
        with Medicare standards disadvantages children from receiving 
        needed health care.

    The DHB Pediatric Health Care Services Report \5\ was released 
December 18, 2017. The report documented TRICARE is out of step with 
commercial plans and Medicaid and concluded TRICARE's current 
definition of medical necessity disadvantages children from receiving 
some needed services. The DHB recommended the MHS:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ Defense Health Board Pediatric Health Care Services Report--
December 18, 2017 https://health.mil/About-MHS/Defense-Health-Agency/
Special-Staff/Defense-Health-Board/Reports

        Modify the administrative interpretation of the regulatory 
        language in 32 Code of Federal Regulations 199.2 to broaden the 
        use of the ``hierarchy of reliable evidence'' for the benefit 
        of pediatric beneficiaries. Exclusions to the hierarchy 
        described under ``reliable evidence'' in 32 Code of Federal 
        Regulations 199.2 should not preclude pediatric services (a) 
        meeting definitions of medical necessity used broadly in 
        civilian practice or (b) recommended by recognized medical 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        organizations.

    Although the DHB's pediatric medical necessity recommendation was 
released with the pre-decisional report draft last summer, we are not 
aware of any movement at DHA to update the interpretation of the 
regulatory language. Although this issue doesn't require legislation, 
we believe demonstrated congressional interest will help speed 
resolution of this documented coverage gap affecting military kids. 
Fixing TRICARE's definition of pediatric medical necessity is an 
essential part of the TRICARE reform effort.
         tricare dental program for active duty family members
    The TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) contract change to United 
Concordia (UCCI) took place May 1, 2017 and has led to a significant 
reduction in the value of the TDP benefit for many military families. 
Our Association has heard from dozens of angry families who have lost 
their dentist and/or can't find a dentist within a reasonable distance 
of their home/duty station. Not only have families reached out to us to 
provide feedback, they have leveraged multiple forums to raise the 
issue directly to DHA and the Services including Vice Admiral Bono's 
presentation at AUSA's [Association of the United States Army] Military 
Family Forum, TRICARE webinars, and TRICARE Town Hall events at 
individual installations.
    We are very concerned that, although the contractor is meeting the 
contractual access standard (a general dentist within 35 miles of 95 
percent of beneficiaries), the value of the military family dental 
benefit has become significantly diminished by narrowed provider 
networks. In some areas (Fort Campbell, the Tidewater region of 
Virginia), we question whether even contractual access standards are 
being met based on family member feedback as well as UCCI's 
acknowledgement of network deficiencies in those areas.
    Families are also concerned about the quality of dental care they 
might receive from providers who remain in the network at reduced 
reimbursement rates, particularly because many dentists have issued 
letters saying they are unwilling to accept outdated restrictions set 
forth by UCCI and/or use overseas labs or inferior materials, etc.
    After meeting several times with DHA and UCCI to express our 
concerns, it seems nothing will be done to improve the TDP under the 
current contract and we are concerned about the lack of options to 
address the ``race to the bottom'' nature of the TDP contract process. 
We ask Congress to consider extending Federal Employees Dental/Vision 
Program (FEDVIP) eligibility to Active Duty family members while 
maintaining current DOD contribution levels, adjusted annually for 
inflation, to dental plan premiums. FEDVIP participation would provide 
military families with options for dental coverage that best meets 
their needs.
  next phase of mhs reform: dha management of mtfs/direct care system 
                              right sizing
    During the MHS reform process, our Association detailed challenges 
military families face within the direct care system, including MTF 
appointment shortages and scheduling hurdles, variable quality and 
safety across the Direct Care system, and policies and patient 
experiences that vary greatly across MTFs. As reform efforts continue, 
we hope DHA and the Services maintain a focus on addressing these 
challenges.
    We appreciate and strongly support the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA 
provision that requires DHA to assume responsibility for the 
administration of all MTFs. Currently, DHA sets policy but MTFs have no 
accountability to the Agency for implementation of that policy. 
Consolidating MTF administration under DHA should allow the Agency to 
enforce policy and ensure more consistent communication.
    We are also grateful that the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA requires a DHA 
professional staff including a Deputy Assistant Director for Medical 
Affairs with responsibility for clinical quality, patient safety and 
the patient experience. We trust this position will be held accountable 
for improvements in quality of care and the patient experience.
    While we also support MHS reform intended to right-size the direct 
care system, retaining only beneficiary care that directly contributes 
to the readiness mission, we urge DHA to ensure access for 
beneficiaries who must transition care to the private sector as a 
result. If right-sizing includes specialty care consolidation into a 
handful of military medical centers of excellence, we trust military 
family preferences will be considered when determining where families 
will obtain specialty care.
    The quality and value of the military health care benefit should 
reflect the extraordinary demands of Military Service. MHS care should 
be on par with that provided by top performing civilian health systems. 
MTF policies, procedures and customer service should have a beneficiary 
focus designed to facilitate access to care. In short, military health 
care should be a robust benefit to families--not another sacrifice to 
add to the many that military families already make in support of their 
servicemembers. We truly appreciate your efforts on MHS reform that 
will get us closer to that goal.
                               commissary
    Military families consistently tell us the commissary is one of 
their most valued benefits. We have long viewed the commissary--and the 
savings it provides to military families--as an essential element of 
military compensation. For that reason, we were concerned when the 
Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA authorized the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) 
to make significant changes to its business operations; specifically, 
allowing the introduction of private label products and replacing the 
traditional ``cost plus 5 percent'' pricing model with variable 
pricing. While we understood the changes were introduced to make DeCA 
more efficient and less reliant on appropriated funds, we worried DeCA 
lacked the necessary expertise to manage the new system and the changes 
would ultimately erode the value of the benefit.
    A year later, the jury is still out. We have watched closely as 
DeCA introduced a number of private label products to its stores. 
Shoppers seem to be accepting the new products and have not complained 
to us about their quality relative to national brands. However, we 
often hear from shoppers regarding other elements of the shopping 
experience: empty shelves, expired dairy products, high-priced produce. 
We recently received the following report from a family stationed in 
Germany:
    (Here are) are photos from the commissary the week of Jan 2 to Jan 
5 where the shelves were bare in the meat section along with eggs, 
butter, yogurt, cheese and much of the product section. (Though the 
produce section generally hovered around 60 percent stocked, so it 
wasn't startling enough to take a photo. The complete lack of the other 
categories was surprising . . . one or two subsection within each 
category might be low or out of stock, but not everything all at the 
same time and for a week!)
      
    
    
      
    Similar issues with keeping shelves stocked have been reported at 
the commissary at Fort Myer, so the problem is not limited to stores 
OCONUS [outside the continental U.S.]. We recognize that some supply 
chain problems are unavoidable and unrelated to the changes in business 
operations. However, the problems do speak to DeCA's ability to deliver 
a high-quality benefit families can rely upon. We are also concerned 
repeated problems with product quality or availability will lead those 
families who can do so to shop elsewhere, further contributing to 
DeCA's decline in sales--and hindering its ability to generate enough 
revenue to reduce the need for appropriated funds.
    It is also important to remember the Exchange retail stores are 
highly dependent on foot traffic from nearby commissaries. Any threat 
to the health of the commissary puts the entire military resale system 
at risk. This is particularly concerning as Services reduce funds for 
installation Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programs and instead 
increasingly rely on the Exchanges for MWR funding. If Exchange sales 
revenues decrease, funding for MWR programs will go down as well.
    We are gratified both Congress and DOD have recognized the 
importance of commissary savings to military families and have 
expressed their commitment to preserving the value of the benefit. We 
especially appreciate that Congress has demonstrated its commitment by 
authorizing a full commissary appropriation and by including key 
oversight provisions in the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA. However, we continue 
to be concerned about the long-term viability of this essential 
benefit.
    We ask Congress to continue closely monitoring DeCA as it continues 
with its business transformation.
                       military retirement system
    Servicemembers with fewer than 12 years of Military Service are 
faced this with an important decision--whether to opt in to the 
``blended'' retirement system created in the Fiscal Year 2016 NDAA or 
remain in the current system. This choice has significant long-term 
financial ramifications for servicemembers and their families. It is 
vital to ensure these young servicemembers--and their spouses--are 
given the tools and resources they need to make the decision that is in 
their financial best interest.
    In addition to being an extremely important financial decision, the 
choice to opt in to the BRS is also irreversible. Thus, it is essential 
that servicemembers and their families know where and how to access 
information, training, and counseling in order to make the best 
decision. We are pleased DOD has recognized this responsibility and is 
taking steps to ensure servicemembers are informed about the new 
retirement system. Military OneSource and DOD have been proactive in 
advertising webinars and Facebook live sessions for both servicemembers 
and families to ask questions. We are especially glad the Department 
recognizes that the choice of retirement plan must be a family decision 
and is making its online course available to spouses as well. However, 
DOD should expand family access to the financial education provided by 
Military Family Life Counselors and unit Personal Financial Managers.
    We appreciate the new military retirement system will allow more 
servicemembers to accumulate retirement savings while preserving the 
defined benefit for those who serve a full career. However, we ask 
Congress to consider amending the plan to increase its value for 
servicemembers. Specifically, we ask Congress to increase the maximum 
level of matched contributions to servicemembers' Thrift Savings Plan 
(TSP) accounts to 5 percent--the level recommended by the Military 
Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC). Because 
the match is based on servicemembers' basic pay, rather than total 
compensation, servicemembers should have the option of a higher match 
in order to maximize their retirement savings. We also ask Congress to 
extend the government match for the full career of the servicemember, 
rather than ending it at 26 years of service.
    Finally, we note that the adoption of the new retirement plan is 
likely to affect the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). Will future retirees 
elect to pay into SBP if they have TSP accounts to leave their 
survivors? What would a lower participation rate mean for the overall 
health of the SBP? These are important questions that need to be 
studied. We ask Congress to direct DOD to study the potential impact 
the blended retirement system will have on the Survivor Benefit Plan.
    We ask Congress to increase the maximum level of matched 
contributions to servicemembers' TSP accounts to 5 percent--the level 
recommended by the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization 
Commission.
    We ask Congress to extend the government match for the full career 
of the servicemember, rather than ending it at 26 years of service.
    We ask Congress to direct DOD to study the prospective impact the 
blended retirement system will have on the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP).
      what do today's military families need to ensure readiness?
    It has often been said while the military recruits a servicemember, 
it must retain a family. Our Association has long argued in order to 
build and maintain the quality force our Nation demands, the military 
must support servicemembers as they balance the competing demands of 
Military Service and family life. We urge Congress to strengthen the 
programs and services available to support all troops and families in 
diminishing uncertainty and meeting the daily challenges of military 
life.
    We thank Congress for providing military families with greater 
flexibility in timing their relocation either before or after a 
servicemember's permanent change of station (PCS) report date in the 
Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA. We are anxious to see how the Services implement 
this new policy and will monitor whether it minimizes the upheaval 
associated with moving.
    Yet, budget issues have increased stress and anxiety for families 
facing a military-ordered move. The military must evolve to meet the 
needs of today's military families, but it needs a predictable budget 
and appropriation to do so.
                               child care
    Military families frequently cite the lack of high quality, 
affordable child care as among the most significant challenges they 
face. In part, this reflects a national shortage of affordable child 
care options. However, the need for child care is especially pressing 
for the military community, which is disproportionately composed of 
young families. According to the 2016 Demographics Profile of the 
Military Community, more than 40 percent of military personnel have 
children. Of the nearly 1.8 million military-connected children, the 
largest cohort--37.8 percent--is age 5 or younger. \6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ 2016 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, http://
download.militaryonesource. mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2016-Demographics-
Report.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Like all working parents, servicemembers with young children need 
access to affordable child care in order to do their jobs. However, the 
military lifestyle comes with unique challenges and complications for 
families. Servicemembers rarely live near extended family who might be 
able to assist with child care. Their jobs frequently demand long 
hours, including duty overnight. They are often stationed in 
communities where child care is expensive or unavailable. 
Servicemembers frequently deploy or travel for training or other 
assignments, putting strain on at-home parents.
    We are grateful to Congress for recognizing the importance of child 
care to military families and including a number of provisions 
addressing child care availability in the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA. Thank 
you for requiring a study of compensation paid to DOD child care 
providers. Staffing shortages are a frequently-cited reason for lack of 
availability at installation child development centers (CDCs). Ensuring 
DOD child care providers are appropriately compensated at a level 
commensurate with their skills and responsibilities is a critical step 
in addressing this chronic problem.
    DOD is also to be commended for its commitment to providing high-
quality, affordable child care to military families. Its facilities are 
often top-notch and it offers an impressive level of training and 
professional development opportunities to CDC workers as well as 
providers in its network of on-installation Family Child Care (FCC) 
homes. However, there are additional steps that DOD should consider in 
order to better meet the child care needs of military families.
    Streamline the hiring process for CDC employees and FCC providers: 
The process of hiring CDC personnel is lengthy and arduous. It can be 
difficult for CDC directors to find, hire, and put into place qualified 
staff. This limits the number of children a facility can serve. 
Similarly, military spouses seeking to offer child care in their homes 
as an FCC provider must endure a hiring process that can last up to 6 
months. It's not reasonable to expect a spouse to wait 6 months before 
starting her home-based child care business, especially if the spouse's 
family will only be in a given location for 2 years or less. While the 
safety of children is paramount, requiring multiple redundant 
background checks does nothing to enhance security while significantly 
impacting the amount of quality care DOD is able to provide. DOD should 
analyze whether and how the hiring process can be streamlined while 
still ensuring that necessary background checks and training take place 
to ensure children's safety.
    Increase availability of part-time and hourly care: We continue to 
hear from military families frustrated by the lack of hourly or drop-in 
care at installation CDCs. Many military families--especially those 
overseas or in remote locations--do not have easy access to reliable 
caregivers. For those families, access to drop-in care at an 
installation child care facility can greatly enhance their quality of 
life, enabling parents to go to medical appointments, run errands, and 
volunteer in their communities. This service can be especially vital 
when a servicemember is deployed, providing the at-home parent with a 
much-needed break. Increasing the number of hourly slots would also 
help address a common conundrum faced by military spouses after a PCS 
move: they can't look for work without child care, but under DOD 
priority guidelines, they aren't eligible for child care if they're not 
working. DOD should evaluate the programs at installation CDCs to 
ensure the mix of care offered--full time, part-time and hourly--meets 
the needs of the families they serve.
    Increase participation in the fee assistance program: The fee 
assistance program operated by the services is an innovative, effective 
approach to the problem of insufficient child care availability on 
base. The program helps offset the cost of child care in the civilian 
community, ensuring participating families can access high quality care 
at an affordable cost. Unfortunately, relatively few families take 
advantage of this benefit. Expanding participation in the child care 
fee assistance program would address many families' child care needs.
    A major reason why relatively few military families participate in 
the fee assistance program is a lack of eligible providers. DOD has 
stringent requirements for child care providers participating in the 
fee assistance program, to include national certification, regular 
inspections, and background checks. However, many states have less 
stringent requirements for providers. In those locations, families 
often have difficulty locating a provider who meets DOD's eligibility 
requirements. The Office of Military Community and Family Policy and 
the Defense State Liaison Office (DSLO) have worked together to 
encourage states to increase their standards to meet DOD's and have had 
a great deal of success in this regard. We encourage them to continue 
with this effort. We also encourage DOD to consider ways that it could 
broaden the pool of providers eligible to participate in the program 
while still maintaining its commitment to high quality care.
    Analyze role of FCC Homes: For many years, child care providers who 
offered care in their on-installation homes were an important part of 
the military child care system. These providers receive training and 
professional development from DOD much like that given to CDC employees 
and must comply with stringent DOD inspections and background checks. 
They provide a flexible care option for parents whose schedules don't 
work with CDC hours and offer employment opportunities for military 
spouses. However, the number of FCC homes has been declining for years. 
DOD should survey current providers as well as those who leave the 
program to assess why fewer people are offering this service and what, 
if anything, could be done to attract and retain in-home care 
providers.
    Part of the problem may be that if an FCC provider moves and no 
longer lives on an installation, he or she is subject to the licensing 
requirements of the state. Given DOD's stringent requirements, we 
expect that FCC providers would meet or exceed most states' 
requirements for licensing an in-home day care. For that reason, we 
suggest DOD and the Defense State Liaison Office work with states to 
expedite licensing for approved FCC providers, so they can quickly 
reopen their in-home day care in their new location.
    In addition, operating an FCC is a difficult, at times isolating 
job. We have heard that many providers drop out of the system during 
the deployment of their servicemember spouse as the burdens of 
operating an FCC become too much to manage during a time of additional 
stress. We commend DOD for providing opportunities for training and 
professional development to its FCC providers but encourage the 
Department to seek other ways to support these essential care providers 
in order to make it possible for them to continue offering child care 
services.
EFMP Respite Care
    Military families with special needs family members are supported 
through the Services' Exceptional Family Member Programs (EFMP). The 
primary mission of the EFMP is assignment coordination is to ensure 
special needs families are sent to locations that can meet their 
medical and educational requirements. However, the EFMP also includes a 
family support component. While we appreciate that DOD recognizes the 
importance of supporting special needs families, we hear often from 
families who tell us that EFMP family support programs are falling 
short. This is especially true when it comes to respite care.
    Families with special needs children have unique child care needs. 
For those families, dropping a child off at a day care center or with a 
sitter may not be an option. Instead, parents of special needs children 
need respite care provided by trained caregivers. Access to quality 
respite care allows families to run errands, spend time with other 
children, and simply recharge.
    Recognizing the importance of respite care, especially for military 
families far from the support of friends or extended family, the 
Services have provided respite care for military families with eligible 
special needs family members as part of the EFMP family support 
function. However, because the respite care programs are operated and 
funded by each of the individual Services, eligibility requirements and 
the number of respite care hours available to families vary. This is a 
significant source of frustration to families assigned to joint bases 
or installations managed by other Services. We are also concerned the 
current fiscal environment may lead the Services to reduce the level of 
respite care they offer.
                     military children's education
    The vast majority of military-connected students attend local 
public schools in their civilian communities. Districts serving large 
numbers of military children rely on funding from the Department of 
Education and the Department of Defense to help offset the additional 
expenses they incur. It is incumbent on DOD and the Federal Government 
to ensure that schools charged with serving military-connected children 
have the support they need to provide the best possible education. 
Military families often have no control over when and where they move. 
They worry about the effect multiple moves will have on their 
children's academic achievement. They deserve the assurance that their 
children will receive a high quality education wherever they happen to 
be stationed. We urge Congress to continue funding programs designed to 
support the education of military-connected children.
    We are grateful that Congress chose to permanently authorize the 
Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) grant program in the 
Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA. This program, which was established by the John 
Warner National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2007, 
provides tangible, targeted support to public school districts serving 
large numbers of military-connected children. School districts have 
used DODEA grants to fund transition support programs for military 
children, enhance student proficiency in reading, math, and foreign 
language, and offer Advanced Placement (AP) classes in locations that 
would otherwise be unable to offer this level of instruction. We are 
pleased that military children will continue to benefit from the 
valuable educational programs made possible through the DODEA grant 
program.
Impact Aid
    Military families care deeply about their children's education. It 
is essential to them that local public schools--which enroll the vast 
majority of our Nation's military-connected children--receive the 
resources they need to provide their children with the best possible 
education. For this reason, we strongly support the Department of 
Education Impact Aid program and call for its continued funding. Impact 
aid is designed to replace some of the property tax revenue lost by 
school districts with nontaxable Federal land such as a military 
installation within their boundaries. This essential revenue stream 
goes directly to affected school districts, which use it to meet the 
needs of the community they serve. Without impact aid, the quality of 
education available to military-connected children AND their civilian 
classmates would suffer. We thank Congress for recognizing the 
importance of impact aid by reauthorizing it in the Every Student 
Succeeds Act of 2015 and continuing to appropriate funds to support the 
program. We ask you to continue to prioritize impact aid funding.
    We are also grateful to Congress for authorizing $40 million for 
DOD Impact Aid and $10 million in impact aid for schools serving 
military children with special needs in the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA. We 
ask Congress to maintain this funding to offset the costs incurred by 
districts educating large numbers of military children. These funds 
help local school districts meet the education needs of military 
children in an era of declining state budgets. Both DOD and Department 
of Education impact aid funding are critical in order to ensure school 
districts can provide quality education for military children.
    We strongly oppose proposals that would transition impact aid into 
a voucher program for military-connected kids. Losing impact aid would 
be financially devastating for school districts across the country and 
critically compromise the education services they are able to provide. 
Realistically, any voucher program supported by reallocating current 
levels of impact aid funding will only reach a few of the 550,000 
school-age children of Active Duty servicemembers. Who would decide 
which military children would be eligible for vouchers? Would costs of 
administering such a program come from the same funding stream as the 
vouchers? We believe military children should be eligible for local or 
state funded voucher programs at the same level as their civilian 
neighbors. But, we question DOD's capacity to administer a voucher 
program for military-connected children, made more complicated by the 
transient nature of military life. We urge Congress to reject a Federal 
voucher for military-connected children and preserve impact aid.
    Under the terms of the Services' Exceptional Family Member Program 
(EFMP), military family members with special needs should only be sent 
to locations where their medical and educational needs can be met. In 
practice, this policy has led to concentrations of special needs 
military families in locations such as Joint Base Lewis-McCord, where a 
large MTF and other specialized services are available. While the ready 
availability of services through the military and local civilian 
community benefits the special needs military families, we are 
concerned about the unintended burden on the public school districts 
serving these installations, which must provide special education 
services to a larger than normal population. Serving unusually large 
numbers of children with severe special needs places great strain on 
the budgets of these public school districts. We fear that in the long 
term this financial pressure will affect the quality of the education 
services these districts are able to provide. We ask Congress to 
require DOD to study where military families with severe special needs 
are concentrated and whether DOD Impact Aid for schools serving 
military children with special needs is appropriately allocated.
                spouse employment and education support
    Spouse employment and education support is a critical component of 
military family readiness. Much like their civilian counterparts, many 
military families rely on two incomes in order to help make ends meet. 
However, military spouses face barriers hindering their educational 
pursuits and career progression due in large part to challenges 
associated with the military lifestyle.
    We are gratified in recent years Congress, DOD, the White House, 
and individual States have all taken steps to lessen the burden of an 
Active Duty member's military career on military spouses' educational 
and career ambitions. We fully support these initiatives, including 
DOD's portfolio of Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO), 
which provides educational funding for select military spouses, career 
counseling, employment support, and the DOD State Liaison Office's 
(DSLO) state-level initiatives. However, while progress has been made, 
military spouses continue to face significantly lower earnings and 
higher levels of unemployment and underemployment than their civilian 
counterparts, greatly impacting their families' financial stability. 
\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Military Spouse 
Employment Report, Syracuse University (IVMF) February 2014: http://
vets.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Military 
SpouseEmploymentReport--2013.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    We appreciate that Congress recognized the difficulty military 
spouses have in moving their careers from state-to-state by providing 
up to $500 reimbursement for re-licensing and re-certification because 
of a PCS in the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA. Military spouses are anxiously 
awaiting the implementation of this new program. We hope DOD and the 
Services will quickly implement the reimbursement policy so that 
military spouse can begin to offset the out-of-pocket costs of 
additional licenses.
                              grow our own
    One of our top priorities is to ensure adequate access to 
behavioral health providers who are attuned to the unique stressors of 
military life for servicemembers and their families who have endured 
years of repeated deployments, long separations, and possible injuries 
or illnesses. We support efforts to educate and employ military spouses 
as mental health professionals.
    As military families struggle to cope with the effects of 16 years 
of war, we are seeing an increasing demand for mental health services 
within our families and community. Since 2004, NMFA's military spouse 
scholarship and professional funds program has had almost 90,000 
applicants. Data from this year's approximately 9,000 scholarship 
applicants, as well as from Active Duty spouse respondents to the 2015 
health care survey done by the Military Officers Association of America 
(MOAA), indicate increased rates of behavioral health usage among 
military families. Both surveys show between 40 to 50 percent of 
military spouses have sought behavioral health care for someone in 
their family.
    Unfortunately, access to high quality care is limited. The shortage 
of mental health professionals nationally is mirrored in the military 
community; it is even greater at military installations in remote 
areas. We believe our Nation has an obligation to prevent, diagnose, 
and treat the mental health needs of servicemembers and their families. 
Doing so in the face of a nationwide shortage of mental health 
professionals will require innovative solutions and strategic public-
private partnerships including Congress, DOD, the VA, and other 
organizations. We believe military spouses may also be a source of help 
for their community.
    Since the launch of our military spouse scholarships, the number of 
spouses pursuing mental health careers has increased. Our 2017 
applicant pool had more than 500 spouses planning to pursue careers in 
mental health fields. Twenty-two percent of these mental health 
profession applicants are spouses of wounded or fallen servicemembers.
    Many of our military spouses pursuing careers in mental health 
fields intend to serve military families. Helping these spouses 
overcome obstacles and pursue their careers has the dual benefit of 
assisting the individual spouse and family while addressing the 
shortage of mental health providers in the military community. However, 
these spouses face obstacles due to the unique challenges of the 
military lifestyle. In a February 2016 Facebook post a Marine Corps 
spouse shared an experience all too common for military spouse mental 
health professionals:

        We are currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA and I will 
        start my practicum this June. I have excelled in my graduate 
        program and now I am facing major challenges finding a facility 
        that doesn't require a year sign-on and who has openings for 
        new interns starting this summer. One specific problem I'm 
        facing is we aren't sure when new orders will come or where 
        they will be (making it additionally hard to convince licensed 
        supervisors to take a new intern on if I will only be there for 
        a couple months). Is there anyone who can share a professional 
        contact with me?

    We offer the following recommendations for Congress to consider:
      Include military spouses and others who enter the mental 
health profession in Federal loan-forgiveness programs;
      Facilitate easier paths to both licensure and employment 
for military spouses and veterans in the mental health field when they 
work with our servicemembers and families;
      Pass legislation to allow military spouses full 
reciprocity when transferring an active unrestricted mental or 
behavioral health license from one state to another due to PCS;
      Support partnerships between the military health system 
and the VA to ease spouse difficulties in obtaining clinical 
supervision hours, reduce licensing barriers, and spur employment of 
military spouses and veterans in the mental health field.

    We ask Congress to increase access to behavioral health providers 
by supporting employment efforts of military spouses in the mental 
health profession.
                      military families in crisis
    Our country is still at war and military families continue to live 
extraordinarily challenging lives. Reintegration continues to pose 
challenges for some. Others are anxious about their financial futures. 
Most military families are resilient and will successfully address 
whatever challenges come their way. However, some will need help. It is 
critical military families trust DOD services and programs and feel 
comfortable turning to them in times of need. These programs and 
services must be staffed and resourced adequately so when families 
reach out for help, they can trust it is available. Military families 
must be assured our Nation will support them in times of family or 
personal crisis.
Suicide
    In 2014, the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) released a 
report outlining an approach for tracking military family member 
suicides. The report, Suicide and Military Families: A Report on the 
Feasibility of Tracking Deaths by Suicide among Military Family 
Members, was requested by the Senate and House Armed Services 
Committees.
    We appreciate Congress including a provision directing DOD to track 
military family suicides as well as Reserve component suicides in the 
Fiscal Year 2015 NDAA, but are frustrated by DOD's delays in developing 
a plan to meet this mandate. If we don't have accurate information on 
the extent of the issue, targeting solutions is impossible.
Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect, and Domestic Violence
    Research commissioned by our Association \8\ and others during the 
past decade documents the toll of multiple deployments on children and 
families, the difficulties many families face on the servicemember's 
return, and the added strain a servicemember's physical and invisible 
wounds can place on a family. These stressors put military families at 
risk for marital/relationship problems and compromised parenting that 
must be addressed with preventative programs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\ Anita Chandra, et al., RAND Center for Military Health Policy 
Research, Views from the Homefront: The Experiences of Youth and 
Spouses from Military Families, 2011
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Those looking for budget cuts may find it tempting to slash family 
support, family advocacy, and reintegration programs. However, bringing 
the troops home from war zones does not end our military's mission, 
family separations, or the necessity to support military families. 
``Rotations'' and ``training exercises'' of units to Europe and 
elsewhere must be accompanied by the same high levels of family support 
as if servicemembers were heading on a combat deployment. To family 
members, especially young children, ``gone is gone.''
    We are concerned the extraordinary stress military families face 
could lead to increased domestic violence as well. Preventive programs 
focused on effective parenting and rebuilding adult relationships are 
essential. The government should ensure military families have the 
tools to remain ready and to support the readiness of their 
servicemembers.
    We are encouraged the Family Advocacy Program, a congressionally-
mandated DOD program designed to prevent and respond to child abuse/
neglect and domestic abuse in military families, has redoubled its 
focus on prevention programs. Their efforts to repair relationships and 
strengthen family function will be essential. Programs like New Parent 
Support focus on helping young parents build strong parenting skills 
early on.
    We encourage Congress and the DOD to ensure Family Advocacy 
programs are funded and resourced appropriately to help families heal 
and aid in the prevention of child and domestic abuse.
                   support for transitioning families
    Transitioning out of the military affects the whole family. In 
addition to the transition assistance program available to 
servicemembers, resources relevant to family members need to be 
identified. Issues such as how to find community resources to replace 
DOD programs and the military spouse's role in the long-term care of 
the family as a whole aren't addressed in the transition classes.
    Military OneSource is an invaluable resource for military families. 
Services utilized by military families include: non-medical counseling, 
financial counseling (to include free tax preparation support), spouse 
education and career opportunities, and wounded warrior and caregiver 
support. In fiscal year 2016 Military OneSource completed 167,505 non-
medical counseling sessions; 22,629 financial counseling sessions; 
223,069 federal and state tax returns; and distributed 1,628,322 
educational and promotional materials. \9\ The Department of Defense 
Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) Program is accessed 
through the Military OneSource website. SECO provides spouses with 
career exploration, education, training and licensing requirements and 
options, career connections, and employment readiness. In fiscal year 
2016 Military OneSource received 145,067 calls related to spouse 
education and career opportunities. Military spouses have said:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\ Fiscal Year 2016 Military One Source Year at a Glance

        ``I'm a military spouse from overseas. When I came to the 
        states I didn't know what to do and who to ask. No family here, 
        no friends. Military OneSource is a great and fast help. It's 
        like Google for military spouses. I love it and greatly 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        appreciate all the employees.''

        ``The spouse relocation and transition consultant was amazing. 
        I felt so comfortable talking with her and she gave me a peace 
        of mind with the PCS process! I absolutely loved her, and give 
        my highest level of recommendation!''

        ``I'm a military spouse for 24+ years and oh how I wish I could 
        say deployments get easier. I sure wish I would have known 
        about Military OneSource all those years ago! I plan on 
        utilizing for many, many years to come!''

    Our Association conducted a survey of military spouses facing 
transition. Over half the spouses indicated they were extremely or very 
concerned about relocation and finding employment. Over three quarters 
of the spouses were extremely/very concerned about being financially 
prepared and finding employment for their servicemember. Access to the 
counseling and other services provided by Military OneSource, beyond 
the 180 days currently provided, would make available resources and 
information to ease some of the concerns of our transitioning military 
families.
    Several weeks ago, President Trump signed an Executive Order 
titled, ``Supporting Our Veterans during Their Transition from 
Uniformed Service to Civilian Life,'' which extended Military OneSource 
services to separating servicemembers to 1 year post-separation. While 
we are grateful the Executive Order extended access to Military 
OneSource, we would like to see the extension written into law.
    Expand the opportunity for spouses to access transition information 
including face-to-face training and on-line training.
    We ask for legislation ensuring expanded servicemember and family 
access to Military OneSource to 1 year from a servicemember's 
separation from the military.
        today's surviving spouses need the dic offset eliminated
    Our Association has long believed the benefit change that would 
provide the most significant long-term advantage to the financial 
security of all surviving families would be to end the Dependency and 
Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset to the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). 
Although we know there is a significant price tag associated with this 
change, ending this offset would correct an inequity that has existed 
for many years. Each payment serves a different purpose. The DIC is a 
special indemnity (compensation or insurance) payment paid by the VA to 
the survivor when the servicemember's service causes his or her death. 
The SBP annuity, paid by the DOD, reflects the military member's length 
of service. It is ordinarily calculated at 55 percent of retired pay. 
Military retirees who elect SBP pay a portion of their retired pay to 
ensure their family has a guaranteed income should the retiree die. If 
that retiree dies due to a service-connected disability, their survivor 
becomes eligible for DIC.
    We appreciate Congress making the Special Survivor Indemnity 
Allowance (SSIA) permanent with cost-of-living increases in the Fiscal 
Year 2018 NDAA. This is another step towards permanently eliminating 
the DIC offset to SBP.
    We ask the DIC offset to SBP be eliminated to recognize the length 
of commitment and service of the career servicemember and spouse.
              caregiver and wounded service member support
    Servicemembers and their families must be assured our Nation will 
provide unwavering support to the wounded, ill, and injured. This 
support must extend beyond the recovering warrior's medical and 
vocational rehabilitation. It must also include programs and services 
that help military caregivers, typically spouses or parents, 
successfully navigate their new role.
Medicare Eligible Wounded Warriors & TRICARE Coverage
    Medically retired wounded warriors who receive Social Security 
Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits become eligible for Medicare Part 
A after 24 months on SSDI. At that point, the wounded warrior must 
enroll in Medicare Part B in order to keep TRICARE coverage. After the 
wounded veteran enrolls in Medicare Part B, their TRICARE coverage 
converts to TRICARE for Life (TFL). This poses a variety of problems 
for the severely wounded population:
      In the worst case scenario, the wounded warrior or his/
her caregiver does not realize or is not appropriately informed they 
must enroll in Medicare Part B (and pay Part B premiums) in order to 
avoid losing their TRICARE coverage.
      In other instances, the wounded warrior or caregiver 
understands and enrolls in Medicare Part B and retains TFL. Although 
medical coverage is retained, the severely wounded veteran is now 
paying more for medical coverage than most other working-age TRICARE 
retirees.
      Finally, some severely wounded veterans receive SSDI for 
over 24 months and are forced onto Medicare/TFL. Eventually, the 
wounded veteran returns to work, but is required to stay on Medicare 
Part B for 8 years after returning to work. This results in more than 
$10,000 in Medicare Part B costs to the severely wounded warrior who 
returns to work.
    This is an extremely complex issue facing the most severely wounded 
servicemembers and their caregivers. These families face emotionally 
challenging lives and overwhelming responsibilities. Making a mistake 
about enrollment in Medicare Part B should not result in the life 
altering consequence of losing health care coverage. Furthermore, our 
most severely wounded warriors should not be forced to pay more for 
their health care than others.
    This complex problem crosses many jurisdictions including the 
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, DOD, the Social Security 
Administration, the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means 
Committee, the HASC and the SASC. Given this problem impacts our most 
severely wounded veterans and their families, we urge the House and 
Senate Armed Services Committees to take the lead in creating a 
solution to this complex issue.
                 military families--continuing to serve
    Recent national fiscal challenges have left military families 
confused and concerned about whether the programs, resources, and 
benefits contributing to their strength, resilience, and readiness will 
remain available to support them and be flexible enough to address 
emerging needs. The Department of Defense must provide the level of 
programs and resources to meet these needs.
    Servicemembers and their families have kept trust with America, 
through more than 16 years of war, with multiple deployments and 
separations. We ask the Nation to keep the trust with military families 
and not try to balance budget shortfalls from the pockets of those who 
serve.
    Evolving world conflicts keep our military servicemembers on call. 
Our military families continue this call as well, even as they are 
dealing with the long-term effects of almost 2 decades at war. The 
government should ensure military families have the tools to remain 
ready and to provide for the readiness of their servicemembers. 
Effective support for military families must involve a broad network of 
government agencies, community groups, businesses, and concerned 
citizens.
                               Insert A:
 comparison of medical facility access--kaiser foundation health plan 
                           vs. tricare prime
_______________________________________________________________________
    Without the option of switching to Select, TRICARE Prime families 
will be trapped in their assigned MTF regardless of access or quality 
issues.

    Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Mid-Atlantic States: Search radius 
around zip code 22315 (Alexandria/Kingstowne)

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Hospitals--20 mile radius                         Medical Office Buildings--10 mile radius
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Virginia Hospital Center..........................                                Burke Medical Center
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Children's National Medical Center................                         Falls Church Medical Center
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Sibley Memorial Hospital..........................                          Springfield Medical Center
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Washington Hospital Center........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    National Capital Region Medical Directorate: Search radius around 
zip code 22315 (Alexandria/Kingstowne)

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Military Hospitals--20 mile radius                        Military Clinics--10 mile radius
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Fort Belvoir Community Hospital......................                             Rader Clinic--Fort Myer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                               Insert B:
                      copay/cost share comparison

TRICARE Select vs. Federal Employee Health Benefit & Fairfax County 
Public Schools Plans

FEHBP Plan Types: Nationwide Fee for Service/PPO-Open to All


                               Insert C:
examples of aba provider service suspension notices to tricare patients


                         Insert C (continued):
examples of aba provider service suspension notices to tricare patients 
                              (continued)


    Senator Tillis. Thank you.
    Mr. Haynie.

 STATEMENT OF J. MICHAEL HAYNIE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE 
    FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

    Dr. Haynie. Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, 
thank you very much for the opportunity to address you today on 
the topic of military family readiness.
    I would actually like to use my time to speak briefly on 
the central role that military families play in our national 
defense.
    This year marks the 45th birthday of America's experiment 
with an all-volunteer military military. As the volunteer force 
has evolved as an American institution, all too often the 
narrative associated with the role that our military families 
play in our national security has been misplaced, marginalized, 
and misunderstood.
    As Members of this Committee understand, America's All-
Volunteer Force assumes a deep pool of eligible volunteers. 
However, as we heard from the previous panel, today DOD's own 
estimates suggest that approximately 70 percent of the Nation's 
roughly 34 million 17- to 20-year olds are ineligible for 
Military Service due to issues ranging from obesity, fitness, 
and insufficient formal education. At the same time, over the 
past 20 years, consistently the Nation's youth--that we have 
witnessed a decline in the willingness or propensity of the 
Nation's youth to consider Military Service. According to the 
University of Michigan's annual Monitoring the Future Survey of 
high school students, today less than 12 percent of American 
youth are even going to consider Military Service after high 
school. So, while the Nation's defense rests on the assumption 
of a robust pool of eligible volunteers, the reality is, today, 
that assumption has never been more tenuous.
    All that said, since the advent of the All-Volunteer Force, 
the Nation's most reliable pipeline of eligible and willing 
volunteers comes from our military families, the daughters, 
sons, brothers, and sisters of those who are now or who have 
served in the Nation's uniform. In other words, one consequence 
of the All-Volunteer Force has been to create Military Service 
as a family business. This means our ability to recruit the 
best and the brightest to Military Service in the future 
depends, to a significant degree, on our capacity to support 
those families serving today.
    So, how are we doing? This is an exceedingly difficult 
question to answer, because, as an academic, I want research 
and data. In that regard, I'd like to highlight to the 
Committee that there is a profound deficit of research focused 
on the social, economic, and wellness concerns of our Nation's 
military families. However, what we do know from research 
conducted by my teammates at Syracuse University's Institute 
for Veterans of Military Families and by others, to include at 
this table, suggest that we must do more, and better. I--but, I 
will share some of what we do know.
    We know that military spouses are exceedingly well 
educated, as compared to their civilian counterparts, but, as 
we've heard already this morning--this afternoon, many 
experience unemployment at a rate three times higher than their 
nonmilitary peers. This could be because military spouses 
relocate ten times more frequently than their civilian 
counterparts, creating gaps in employment and education and 
making it nearly impossible to create the security, stability, 
and community connections required to sustain a career. Those 
military spouses who are able to secure employment, on average 
earn 38 percent less than their civilian counterparts.
    We know that employment and underemployment challenges 
experienced by military spouses undercut the financial health 
of our military families. While military families save at the 
same rate as their civilian counterparts, over one-third report 
difficulty covering monthly expenses. Only 50 percent report a 
rainy-day fund for available emergencies. As Kathy mentioned 
earlier, a recent survey found that 54 percent of those 
planning to leave the military within the next 12 months have 
less than $5,000 in savings available to support that 
transition to civilian life.
    One thing that I think we need to talk more about are our 
military children. We know that children of the post-9/11 
generation have been exposed to unique stressors. Two recent 
studies demonstrate that military-connected children have 
higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, sadness, suicidal 
ideation, and suicide attempts, as compared to nonmilitary-
connected youth. While the costs and consequences of the 
Military Service experience on military children is a story 
that will unfold in the years and decades to come, all 
indications are today the costs and consequences will be high.
    Importantly, we also know that military spouses and 
military children are resilient, resourceful, adaptable, 
entrepreneurial, and engaged in the world around them. We know 
that military spouses and military children have much to 
contribute to our communities during and after Military 
Service.
    Finally, we also know that, in recent years, there has been 
a steady decline in the willingness of currently serving 
military members to recommend Military Service to their own 
children. Today, only 40 percent of those serving indicate that 
they would recommend Military Service, with the unwilling 
majority citing concerns related to the well-being of the 
family as being one of the primary factors in their decision.
    All of this is to say that many inside and outside of 
government have long hypothesized a relationship between the 
concerns of military families and DOD's ability to recruit and 
retain the most skilled, qualified, and service-minded 
individuals. From where I sit today, the data is clear. 
Investments positioned to care for and support our military 
families are central to our military readiness and to our 
national security. Further, these investments are morally and 
ethically right.
    It's my hope that the public and the private sector join 
together to act to make strengthening our military families a 
national priority, acknowledging that building a prosperous and 
safe nation for future generations requires that we treat our 
military families as a treasured national resource.
    Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your 
questions.
    [The prepared statement of Dr. Haynie follows:]

              Prepared Statement by Dr. J. Michael Haynie
    Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to address you today on the 
topic of military family readiness. Further, I'd like to thank this 
Committee for your ongoing efforts in support of our servicemembers and 
their families.
    The Committee asked that my testimony focus on military family 
readiness--specifically issues related to the transition from military 
to civilian life, spousal employment, education and childcare programs, 
and financial readiness impacting servicemembers and their families. I 
will address these issues during our discussion, but first would like 
to situate my testimony within a brief statement related to the central 
role that our military families play in our Nation's defense--
specifically with regard to the sustainment and viability of the 
Nation's All-Volunteer Force.
    The U.S. National Security Strategy emphasizes all of the Nation's 
resources as central to our national security, and explicitly 
identifies America's support of wounded warriors, veterans, and 
military families as fundamental to our defense.
    Importantly, emphasizing support for those servicemembers, 
veterans, and families who have shouldered the burden of our past and 
current wars is not about patriotism or politics. Instead, this 
emphasis acknowledges the greatest fear of the architects of the post-
Vietnam All-Volunteer Force; that is, a circumstance where the 
Department of Defense is unable to recruit and retain citizen 
volunteers. In this regard, at no time in the history of the All-
Volunteer Force have the costs and consequence of inaction been more 
profound.
    Since the advent of the All-Volunteer Force, the pool of Americans 
who meet the minimum standards to volunteer has consistently declined, 
to a point where today it is estimated nearly three out of every four 
of the roughly 34 million 17- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. are 
ineligible to serve. Compounding this situation is the fact that only 
about one quarter of high-school graduates who might be otherwise 
eligible, can also pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test, which 
measures basic math, writing, and reading skills.
    Thus, while our Nation's defense rests on the assumption of a broad 
and deep pool of eligible volunteers, the reality is that this 
assumption has never been more tenuous.
    However, the existence of a broad and deep pool of volunteers 
eligible to serve, by itself, is obviously not enough. There also needs 
to be a willingness to serve--particularly among the best and brightest 
of America's youth.
    In that regard, consider that since the early 1980s, the 
willingness of American youth to consider Military Service has steadily 
declined. The University of Michigan's longstanding ``Monitoring the 
Future Survey,'' which has since 1975 annually surveyed about 50,000 
high school students about their general attitudes, behaviors, values, 
including toward Military Service, suggests today that less than 12 
percent of American youth are willing to even consider Military Service 
after high school. Further, this same survey also indicates that 
perceptions of Military Service as a `means to get ahead' in life and 
to `secure and education' have declined sharply in recent years.
    All of this is to suggest that today, given fewer Americans 
eligible for Military Service, and a declining number willing to 
volunteer, those both eligible and willing represent a treasured 
national resource.
    Importantly, throughout the now more than 15 years of sustained 
military conflict, the most reliable and robust pipeline of eligible 
and willing volunteers is represented by the daughters, sons, brothers, 
and sisters, of those who are now or have served in uniform. In other 
words, the health of our military families is inextricably linked to 
the future viability of the All-Volunteer Force. This is not 
speculation or conjecture, but fact demonstrated by research.
    Specifically, new research conducted jointly by Blue Star Families 
and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse 
University suggests that today, only 40 percent of military family 
respondents would recommend Military Service to their children--a 
decline from 45 percent in 2015. Further, the same study highlights 
that the extent to which military families feel supported while 
serving, and throughout the transition from military to civilian life, 
is strongly and directly correlated to the likelihood of recommending 
Military Service to others. For example, the research indicates that 71 
percent of families reporting a supported and smooth transition from 
military to civilian life express a willingness to recommend Military 
Service to their own children. However, among those indicating a 
difficult or very difficult transition, only 56 percent would recommend 
Military Service to a family member.
    All of this is to say that many inside and outside of government 
have long imagined a relationship between action [or inaction] to 
address the concerns of military families, and the DOD's ability to 
recruit and retain the Nation's most skilled, qualified, and service-
minded individuals. Today, a much-enhanced ability to leverage robust 
and longitudinal data--informative of the `lived experiences' of our 
Nation's military families--supports more than ever before, a 
comprehensive understanding of the social, economic, and wellness 
concerns of those families who have shouldered the burden of the 
Nation's post-9/11 wars. This body of research suggests strongly that 
the in-service and post-service welfare of our military families 
directly affects All-Volunteer Force imperative of recruiting a high-
quality and socio-economically representative force.
    Accordingly, over the last 5 years, the Institute for Veterans and 
Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University has engaged in a 
purposeful effort to inform and act on opportunities to advance in-
service and post-service opportunities for servicemembers, veterans, 
and military families. Over that period, more than 90,000 have 
benefited from educational, vocational, and business ownership programs 
offered by the IVMF and its partners. Importantly, the large scale and 
scope of the IVMF's programs has set the conditions for extensive study 
of the in-service and transition-connected challenges facing our 
servicemembers and their families. I look forward to sharing some of 
what we have learned regarding the topics the Committee identified as 
the focus of this hearing during our discussion.
    It is clear to me that investments positioned to care for and 
support our military families, to include a robust infrastructure 
supporting the transition of military families to civilian life, 
represents an investment in the Nation's future defense. Further, such 
investments are also morally and ethically right. These are complex 
issues, but exceedingly important. I thank the Subcommittee for hearing 
me and others on the concerns of military families, and look forward to 
your questions.

    Senator Tillis. Thank you all.
    Mr. Haynie, I'm guessing that's not a Tennessee Volunteers 
orange tie you've got on. Is that----
    Dr. Haynie. Senator, it is not. That is the proud Syracuse 
orange.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Tillis. A man's got to try.
    Dr. Haynie. Big game tonight, North Carolina State, up in 
the Carrier Dome.
    Senator Tillis. That--actually, I want to just start with 
you. The--a question I had--I served in the legislature before 
I came up to the Senate, and we were constantly trying to 
figure out how we partner with the States and with the private 
sector. Ms. Roth Douquet, I heard your concern about the DOD 
partnering not going so well. But, what are you-all's view, 
should we do more--particularly when you have a relatively 
highly skilled workforce that's grossly underpaid. Some of that 
probably relates to the relocation rate and just not being able 
to go and get the credentialing they need in a given new 
jurisdiction. Are there any good examples out there of States 
or private-sector collaborations that are working? What more 
can we do there?
    Dr. Haynie. So, I think one of the things that's--that is 
interesting to me--and I'm going to come back to something that 
Kathy mentioned earlier--is, we saw the private sector stand up 
en masse when the veterans unemployment rate hit the 20-25 
percent. Collaboration between the private-sector actors and, 
you know, coalitions of firms 200-300 strong focused on solving 
the veterans' employment problem. We have not seen that same 
kind of effort as it relates to military spouses.
    I do believe that--for the last 2 years of the Obama 
administration, I was the vice chairman of the Federal
    Advisory Committee on Reform at the VA. One of the things 
that Kathy mentioned, that I think has been transformative 
relative to the VA's ability to partner with the private 
sector, is creating a focused effort and office around public-
private partnerships. I agree very much with Kathy's 
recommendation. I think that, in this regard, DOD could benefit 
from that opportunity, as well.
    Senator Tillis. Ms. Roth-Douquet, do you have anything to 
add to that?
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Blue Star Families helps convene a group 
of about 55 nonprofits, foundations, and government leaders. 
They did all endorse this idea of a--an office similar to the 
VA at DOD. I do agree that it takes a sustained effort.
    Most Americans have no idea this problem exists. Most 
employers have no idea. When they hear that it does, they are 
interested in these talented workers, who actually have health 
insurance, by the way, so they're pretty attractive employees. 
But, it takes a big voice, and a bigger voice than we have. So, 
the work that we're--that we can do with Senators, with States, 
but also getting the DOD this kind of office, can get us to 
replicate the success that there was in veteran hiring, I 
think.
    Senator Tillis. Ms. Hruska, you mentioned, in your opening 
comments, about, on the one hand, you welcome some of the 
healthcare reforms, but you did have some possible concerns, or 
potential concerns, about the implementation. I'd like for you 
to maybe expand a little bit on that. I know your organizations 
also advocated for extended healthcare options for--healthcare 
option benefits for military dependents with special needs. So, 
could you talk a little bit more about what we should be 
mindful of as we move through some of the changes?
    Ms. Hruska. Well, we outlined quite a bit of our concerns 
on the healthcare reform in our testimony. I'll just use one 
example. We appreciate DOD is trying to make the healthcare 
benefit for military families a little similar to the their 
civilian counterparts. So, we are starting enrollment periods, 
and this year is the first year, but the rules are a little 
lax. So, next January, you will have an opt-in period. I 
believe that actually will go November to December. Then you 
must enroll in your healthcare program, starting January 1st. 
So, the Department has created qualifying life events.
    As we look at those qualifying life events, dissatisfaction 
with the military treatment facility is not a reason to opt 
out. We have particular concerns about this, because you may 
have a wonderful experience with a military treatment facility, 
say, here in the National Capital Region, but you move to 
another area, you say, ``I've had a great experience. I'm going 
to sign up and go to my military treatment facility,'' and then 
you have a very poor experience, and then you're trapped. You 
have nowhere--you have to deal with that one healthcare 
facility until the next open-enrollment period. If you have a 
child that has a particular condition, or if you find--you have 
concerns--you're pregnant, you have concerns about a pregnancy, 
that can be particularly restrictive. That's just one issue 
that we have.
    Senator Tillis. Well, thank you. We'll certainly take what 
you expanded on in the written testimony, and any additional 
information you'd like to submit to the record, as being 
instructive as we go through the implementation.
    Ranking Member Gillibrand.
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
    The rate of entrepreneurship in America has grown in the 
past couple of years. And the economy is estimated to be at a 
third of the U.S. workforce. When considering the barriers that 
military families face finding work, these avenues may offer a 
key to increasing employment.
    Mr. Haynie, can you speak about programs such as Boots to 
Business and VWISE, which is Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit 
of Entrepreneurship, and whether the DOD can learn from them, 
in terms of military spouse employment?
    Dr. Haynie. Senator, I can. One of my great passions is 
military connected entrepreneurship. Matter of fact, I am 
leaving here to fly to Austin, Texas. For the next 4 days, 
almost 400 military spouses, military veterans interested in 
pursuing entrepreneurship will receive training, mentorship, 
and support through programs that we operate out of the 
institute. Business ownership is a unique opportunity for this 
population, both our military veterans as well as our military 
spouses, to craft a vocation for themselves in a way that 
accommodates some of the unique challenges, stressors 
associated with Military Service.
    Military veterans and military spouses are over-indexed to 
business ownership in this country, relative to nonmilitary-
connected populations. If you look at--veterans represent about 
6 percent of the population, but almost 15 percent of all small 
business owners in this country. Take women veterans, female 
spouses that are--VWISE program that you mentioned--now 
thousands of women have received training through that program, 
and they're outgrowing businesses at a rate of--venture 
creation rate, 92 percent; 5 year survival rate of those 
businesses, up in the 80-percent range, which is unheard of. 
So, I think it's a unique opportunity for this population, one 
that the Boots to Business Program and the ability of spouses 
to take advantage of that has to remain central to how we think 
about transitioning families out of the military.
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
    Researchers have found that Military Service adds 
additional challenges for married couples, which you've all 
testified to, such as increased household responsibilities for 
spouses or the impact of psychological effects of service on 
marital stability. Married volunteers who served in post-9/11 
wars were slightly more likely to become divorced during their 
first 2 years post-service, compared to civilian populations. 
What can the DOD do better to support military families to 
address these unique strains?
    Go ahead, Kathy.
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. A lot of the ideas about creating 
flexibility in the life cycle, I think, will go a long way. 
Allowing--our current military is millennials. Millennials 
value stability very highly. They value stability more than 
they do upward mobility, in fact. So, the opportunity to weigh 
in on their careers, we believe, would create a lot of strength 
within the family. So, I think that is an important element.
    Predictability also would reduce a lot of the strain that 
creates strains in marriage and creates strains around children 
and childcare. So, I think the same things that will create 
more satisfaction in the career, itself, will provide a lot of 
strength in marriage.
    I don't think DOD should get into the marriage therapy 
business. I don't think it's going to be their strength. I 
think the underlying structure and this partnering with the 
people whose strength it is, organizations like Taya Kyle's 
Frog Foundation--there's a lot of great organizations out 
there. Let's make it possible for them to do their work.
    Senator Gillibrand. So, I'm concerned about, not just 
divorce rates, but also domestic violence rates and suicide 
rates that you've all talked about today. You know, we have 
our--every other year, we have the survey of sexual violence in 
the military, but spouses aren't actually surveyed. I would 
really like to either add the spouses to that survey--and I'd 
like your thoughts on that--or create a unique survey to get 
some of this other data, too. A survey that's conducted by the 
military and aggregated every year or every other year of 
issues like divorce rates, suicide rates, domestic violence 
rates, child abuse rates, so that we actually have real data. 
I'd like your thoughts and recommendations on whether we should 
do a survey that's unique to families or at least add spouses 
to the biannual survey of military sexual assaults.
    Ms. Hruska. Our association would prefer to see a separate 
survey, because domestic violence is sometimes different than 
sexual assault. As the Services discussed earlier, especially 
with the family advocacy program, the outcomes when there is 
counseling and families work together--the outcomes are better. 
So--and, a lot of times, in domestic violence, you want to see 
that both partners want to save the marriage and improve the 
situation. So, I think a separate survey would be beneficial.
    Dr. Haynie. So, what I'd--how I'd like to respond to that 
is to suggest that the more data we have, the better off we 
are. I chose to emphasize military children a bit in my opening 
statement, because, honestly, one of the communities that I am 
most concerned about are our military children. We often look 
for precedent related to how to think about supporting--whether 
it's our servicemembers, our spouses, our children. What we 
fail, I think, or have failed, to consider is, there is no 
precedent relative to the past 15 years. You know, I talked 
about the 45th birthday of the All-Volunteer Force. The past 15 
years have been the first extended test of the All-Volunteer 
Force. What we understood after Vietnam, even after the--you 
know, the first Gulf War, there is no precedent for going to 
Fort Drum, for example, and talking to a soldier who's been in 
for 10 years and has been deployed five times. Talking to that 
soldier's child, who, you know, might be 6 or 7 years old, and, 
for 2 or even 3 of those years, has been without a parent, I--
it's shocking to me that we have not invested more in looking 
at the impact of these stressors on military children. I think 
we have to do it over time. Because there is no safety net for 
them. For the veterans, there is the VA. When families 
transition out of the military, for those children, there is no 
safety net. I think that we will be in for a surprise, as a 
Nation, as a society, when we come to learn, over time, the 
implications of the past 15 years for those children.
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. My grave concern is that we do this in a 
way that preserves the dignity and respect of the people 
involved. So, when I--when my husband was Active Duty, and I 
went to see the doctor, they always asked me, ``Do you feel 
safe in your home?'' I always thought, ``Gee, are my neighbors 
who aren't in the military, are their doctors asking them that? 
I being targeted because my husband's in the military, and 
therefore there's a veil of suspicion over it?'' So, if there 
are surveys, I think it's important that we do it in a way that 
isn't stigmatizing and treating military people as a separate 
population from other Americans that are maybe somehow suspect. 
I say that because who's going to do the survey? Already 
there's a little bit of distrust with being your husband's 
boss's boss. So, we have to make sure it's done in a way that 
is respectful to the people involved, and respectful that many 
of them----
    Senator Gillibrand. Would that lend itself, then, to just 
be part of the regular DOD survey?
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Well, I think people--it's not a popular 
survey. It gets around a 2-percent response rate, that survey. 
So, I think that this is another place you want to look at 
public-private partnerships to have people who are more in tune 
to the right kinds of questions.
    Senator Gillibrand. Well, the RAND Corporation does the 
survey for the Department of Defense, and they implement it. 
All servicemembers are supposed to fill it out, and then they 
extrapolate from that an estimate of how many cases.
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Right. I know a lot of people don't take 
it, or choose not to answer it, because there is a certain 
distrust about it. I felt it, myself. I felt that distrust 
about, Was it really private? So, I think this is just the 
reality that you need to know. When you observe a population, 
you change it. Right? So, if the person who's observing is seen 
as being an official body, you may or may not get the data that 
you hope to get. I'm offering this as----
    Senator Gillibrand. It's a tough question.
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Right. I do feel----
    Senator Gillibrand. What is a trusted source, if you--if 
you were to design--if you were trying to get to the data that 
Michael wants to get to----
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Right.
    Senator Gillibrand. Are these kids suffering? How many kids 
are subject to child abuse? How many have, you know, suicidal 
ideation? How many are at risk? How much domestic violence? 
What's a percentage of divorce? If you want to get to that 
information--because the military, unfortunately, doesn't do 
anything until they have data. So, if they don't see the 
problem, they're not going to fix it.
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Right.
    Senator Gillibrand. They just are going to say the problem 
doesn't exist. So, I can't fix these problems unless I can 
prove to the DOD and my colleagues that they exist. So, I need 
data to prove they exist. So, I need data, but I don't----
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Right.
    Senator Gillibrand. I obviously don't want data that's not 
accurate, and----
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. Right.
    Senator Gillibrand.--I don't want it to be used to bludgeon 
the military, because that's not the point. The point is, how 
do we protect servicemembers, their families, and their 
children?
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. I think that using focus groups that have 
some engagement with something that looks--what we've found 
from people is, they want things from their friends and 
neighbors, and they want it from popular culture. So, I would 
work with Sesame Street or something that seems trusted in that 
way, or--one of the reasons people answered Blue Star Family's 
survey is because it's seen as being different----
    Senator Gillibrand. Maybe we could ask them to do it.
    Ms. Roth-Douquet. With--yeah, and we do actually have some 
data on domestic violence. I think also the--you know, it's----
    Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. We'd like to work with you 
offline with our staff. Thank you.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tillis. Thank you, Senator Gillibrand.
    I want to thank you all for being here. I think it's been a 
great hearing. We've gotten a lot of information. We'll have a 
lot more from your written testimony. Certainly, the question-
and-answer has been very helpful.
    I want to make sure--Ms. Hruska, I--the point that you made 
about getting the information on military family suicide, I've 
taken a note. We will get an answer to your question and share 
that with you. I want this to be the continuation of a dialogue 
as we go into the NDAA. We continue to work on policies after 
the NDAA, so you have an open invitation to work with the 
Committee staff and with my staff. I'm sure I speak for Senator 
Gillibrand. We want your feedback.
    I also want to move that any outside statements received in 
the--that we include any outside statements received in the 
official record for this hearing, without objection.
    Senator Gillibrand. So moved.
    Senator Tillis. So moved.
    So, thank you again for being here and for your personal 
and professional interest in this issue. Thank you for your 
service to a very important population in our community.
    This meeting is adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 5:00 p.m., the Subcommittee adjourned.]

    [Questions for the record with answers supplied follow:]

                Questions Submitted by Senator Jack Reed
                      financial readiness matters
    1. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General Seamands, 
Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General 
Rocco, over the last 15 years, the Department of Defense has 
implemented policies and procedures to improve the financial readiness 
of servicemembers through personal finance management and education. 
Yet there are still too many Active Duty military personnel and 
veterans experiencing challenging financial issues, including excessive 
debt, credit problems, bankruptcy, foreclosures, short-term loan fees, 
and a lack of savings or emergency funds. According to the Department's 
2017 Annual Report on the Financial Literacy and Preparedness of 
Members of the Armed Forces, over 25,000 servicemembers used an auto 
title loan and over 13,000 used a payday loan in the preceding 12 
months. The Department, over a decade ago, concluded that these 
practices endangered readiness. In your view, how important are 
individual and family financial readiness to the overall readiness of 
the armed forces and the Services' ability to execute the missions we 
assign them?
    Secretary Wilkie. Personal financial readiness is a critical 
component of overall military readiness. The Department is committed to 
ensuring our servicemembers possess the skills and resources to help 
them maintain their financial readiness.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. Soldier and family financial readiness 
yields a significant positive impact on overall Army readiness. Poor 
financial literacy can contribute to stress related to indebtedness, 
soldier inability to manage finances, and marital discord. It can 
reduce mission focus and reduce productivity. To improve financial 
readiness, the Army provides financial readiness training to soldiers 
and families throughout their military lifecycle. Financial literacy 
training was required during fiscal year 2017 for Blended Retirement 
System (BRS) eligible soldiers so they can make an informed decision 
whether to opt-in the BRS that began in January 2018 or stay in the 
legacy system. Financial literacy training will be more important to 
Reserve component soldiers as early as April 2018 when given a choice 
elect ``Lump Sum'' retirement payment under BRS for a non-regular 
retirement.
    Vice Admiral Burke. Individual and family financial readiness is 
very important to sustaining mission readiness and family readiness. 
The Navy family readiness system supports commanders in maintaining 
unit readiness, sustaining mission readiness, and promoting personal 
readiness and retention, through the Navy personal financial management 
program, which provides financial literacy education and training, 
counseling, consumer advocacy and complaint resolution assistance, and 
information and referral services to increase personal, family, and 
operational readiness. These educational efforts and the protections of 
the Military Lending Act serve to minimize the adverse impacts on 
readiness of predatory lending and poor personal financial management.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. Individual and family financial 
readiness are critical pieces to the overall readiness of our airmen. 
We continue to build capabilities and work with partners within and 
outside of the department to address our airmen's unique needs, 
creating and adapting solutions in a rapidly changing financial 
environment. The Air Force is committed to enhancing capabilities 
related to financial readiness to increase the overall mission 
readiness for our airmen and their families. The Air Force data on 
Financial Literacy is reported annually via the Status of Forces Survey 
conducted by Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). Overall, the Air 
Force does not have large numbers of financial issues and airmen 
indicate a comfortable financial situation.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. Individual and family financial readiness 
are critical components of individual readiness, and ultimately our 
ability to execute our mission. The Marine Corps has focused on 
improving the reach and structure of its Personal Financial Readiness 
Program to support overall mission readiness. The Marine Corps has 
increased education efforts to help marines understand the lending 
habits of payday and auto title loans. As requested in the Fiscal Year 
2016 National Defense Authorization Act, the Marine Corps has made 
efforts to work with other agencies and nonprofit organizations. The 
best example is demonstrated by the availability of Navy Marine Corps 
Relief Society (NMCRS) loans to help curb the use of predatory loans 
within the Marine Corps. Throughout the last ten years NMCRS has 
provided more than $158 million in financial assistance to Active Duty 
sailors and marines through their Quick Assist Loan (QAL) program. This 
program was created to combat the predatory lenders harming our sea 
service personnel's overall financial well-being. QALs are short-term, 
interest-free loans for amounts up to $500, and are generally processed 
in about 15 to 20 minutes. By working with NMCRS the Marine Corps has 
been able to reduce the number of marines participating with predatory 
lenders and support the marines financial readiness.

    2. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General Seamands, 
Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General 
Rocco, what steps has the Department taken to educate and empower 
officers and enlisted personnel to make better-informed financial 
decisions throughout their military careers?
    Secretary Wilkie. The Fiscal Year 2016 NDAA expanded the scope and 
frequency of financial literacy training required to be given to 
servicemembers. In response, the Department and the Military Services 
are expanding existing programs and developing new initiatives to help 
servicemembers develop the skills to make informed financial decisions 
and meet personal and professional goals throughout the military 
lifecycle. For example, the Department recently educated more than 1.6 
million opt-in eligible servicemembers on the Blended Retirement 
System. In other efforts, the Department is redesigning financial 
readiness training to better focus its delivery at the appropriate 
lifecycle touchpoints in a servicemember's career. servicemembers have 
access to more than 700 certified financial counselors at military 
installations and other locations around the world, as well as 24/7 
counseling via telephone through Military OneSource. These 
professionals are available to assist servicemembers in responding to 
their individual personal financial situations.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The Army provides financial readiness 
training throughout a soldier's career. Even before enlistment, 
soldiers may gain a financial foundation by completing the Consumer 
Financial Protection Bureau's Delayed Entry Program interactive 
learning course. The Army continues with fundamental financial 
education principles at Basic Combat Training and more in-depth 
training at Advanced Individual Training. Officers are provided 
personal financial education as cadets at both the United States 
Military Academy and ROTC, then again at the Basic Officer Leader 
Course. Throughout the remainder of their careers, officer and enlisted 
soldiers receive financial education and counseling through personal 
financial education programs available at Army Community Services 
centers on every installation. Finally, every soldier participates in 
the Soldier for Life--Transition Assistance Program where they receive 
financial education to prepare them for life after the military.
    Vice Admiral Burke. Financial literacy education and training is 
delivered at the personal and professional touchpoints across the 
military lifecycle beginning with recruit training (Boot Camp) and 
officer accessions' training, and continuing throughout a sailor's 
career and transition to civilian life. The financial literacy topics 
include, but are not limited to budget management, life insurance 
(including Survivor Benefit Plan), health insurance, investments 
(including Thrift Savings Plan), banking, credit, loans, deferred 
plans, mortgages, retirement planning and taxes. The training is 
provided by general military training, FFSC personal financial 
education programs including the Million Dollar Sailor course, the 
LifeSkills course, Military One Source offerings, Navy eLearning and 
Joint Knowledge Online courses, the LifeSkills Reach Back mobile 
application (app), the Navy Financial Literacy mobile app, and the 
Personal Financial Management webpage. Fleet and Family Support Centers 
(FFSCs) provide support to all elements of the personal financial 
management program. At the individual command level, elements of the 
personal financial management program are under the control of a 
qualified command financial specialist (CFS). Active and Reserve 
commands, permanent detachments, and departments having at least 25 
personnel assigned must have a trained CFS to coordinate the program 
and to assist the commanding officer or officer in charge in providing 
financial training, information, and counseling to command members.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. The Air Force is committed to ensuring 
airmen and families have timely financial education at critical points 
in their military life cycle. Airman and Family Readiness Centers offer 
comprehensive financial readiness support through personal financial 
counseling and training. We recently implemented updated First Duty 
Station financial literacy training for both enlisted and officers. The 
standardized curriculum focuses on understanding and decision making of 
key financial concepts. The Air Force is concentrating on proactive 
financial education for airmen and leadership at all levels to ensure 
financial issues are identified for early intervention.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. In 2014 the Marine Corps created and 
launched a Personal Readiness Seminar (PRS) to provide marines 
financial and professional development training within 90 days of their 
arrival at their first permanent duty station. A pre- and post-test are 
administered during the financial training to gauge the level of 
financial knowledge prior to training and the increase in knowledge at 
the conclusion of training. We conducted a long-term study of marines 
who attended PRS and found they were more likely to engage in positive 
financial behaviors, including using a budget, paying down debt, and 
saving for the future. To ensure continuous training is available 
throughout a marine's career, Installation Personal Financial 
Counselors provide financial and education counseling aboard Marine 
Corps installations. Additionally, Marine Corps Order 1700.37, 
``Personal Financial Management Program'', dated 11 December 2014, 
requires all Marine Corps units to have a trained unit Command 
Financial Specialist for every 75 marines in the unit. This requirement 
is validated during unit inspections. Financial education seminars and 
individual counseling are available to marines and their families 
throughout the marine's lifecycle. The Personal Financial Readiness 
Program (PFRP) provides financial education on topics including money 
management, investment planning, financial planning, retirement and 
estate planning, and consumer awareness and protection. Topics may 
include budgeting; savings strategies; investing; use of credit; debt 
management and reduction; major purchases; military financial rights; 
Thrift Saving Plan; Saving Deposit Plan; investment tools; goal 
setting; major financial life challenges; insurance products; 
entitlements and benefits; Survivor Benefit Program; and retirement 
plans. Data is collected regarding the reach of the PFRP. Annually we 
have approximately 60,000 Brief Contacts (up to 15 minutes), 13,000 
Extended Contacts (16 to 60 minutes), and conduct on average 2,600 
Workshops and Briefs. The Fiscal Year 2016 NDAA's expansion of 
financial literacy training requirements across the entire lifecycle 
codified and supported our use of a regular and established timeline 
across a marine's career (Ibid.) In accordance with 10 U.S.C. Sec. 992, 
PFRP employs a Financial Continuum of Learning that provides mandatory 
financial education at specific action points during a Marine's career. 
We have begun a complete update to our standard financial curriculum 
and expect to complete the development phase of this project by the end 
of Fiscal Year 2018.

    3. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, please explain how the 
Department has worked with the Office of Servicemember Affairs of the 
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to improve financial literacy 
throughout the force and to make servicemembers more aware of the 
consumer rights and protections available to them?
    Secretary Wilkie. The Department regularly engages with the 
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other federal 
regulatory agencies for education and consumer protection. The 
Department works with CFPB in particular to improve our educational 
products and outreach efforts, and to ensure our servicemembers are 
afforded their rights under the Military Lending Act, Servicemembers 
Civil Relief Act and other consumer protection laws or regulations.
    4. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General Seamands, 
Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General 
Rocco, in your experience, what has worked well to improve financial 
readiness for members and military families?
    Secretary Wilkie. Education is the primary method through which to 
improve financial readiness. Through focused financial education 
delivered at appropriate professional career and personal touchpoints 
we can help servicemembers and their families develop the skills 
necessary to address financial challenges before financial hardships 
are caused that impact readiness. The Department reinforces our 
educational efforts through strategic communications, for example, 
delivering key messages on the importance of contributing to TSP for 
maximum government match through social media where servicemembers and 
family members can access information at their convenience.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The Consumer Financial Protection 
Bureau's Delayed Entry Program education effort has notably enhanced 
the foundational financial literacy knowledge recruits have when 
entering the Army. Additionally, financial education programs at 
Advanced Individual Training ensures continued training on important 
financial matters. Training on the Blended Retirement System is a 
priority for the Army. Centralized DOD training developed for 
educators, leaders, soldiers, and new accessions prove valuable and 
instrumental for the educational process. We look forward to additional 
collaborative efforts with the Services and DOD on additional financial 
literacy projects and training. Additionally, each Army Community 
Services center has financial programs and counseling capacity. Fiscal 
Year 2016 NDAA requirements for training throughout soldiers' careers, 
will help us leverage other resources such as additional financial 
counselors provided by DOD, the robust capabilities of Military 
OneSource, and partnerships with nonprofit organizations to provide 
financial education support. Finally, the Soldier for Life--Transition 
Assistance Program provides significant financial material and 
counseling related to transitioning out of the Army.
    Vice Admiral Burke. The Million Dollar Sailor course and LifeSkills 
course have worked well to improve sailor and family financial 
readiness. The 4-day LifeSkills course, presented to sailors after 
recruit training and prior to technical school training, provides 
sailors with the knowledge and skills required to increase personal, 
family, and operational readiness by recalibrating mental models and 
assumptions, and building a culture of leadership, respect, 
professionalism, and trust. Much of the course delivers the 
fundamentals of financial literacy to include the Blended Retirement 
System material, Thrift Savings Plan, spending plans, account 
management, credit, consumer awareness, car buying, insurance, 
Government travel, and financial planning. Additionally, the LifeSkills 
Reach Back mobile application allows sailors to revisit topics of 
interest post-course. The 2-day Million Dollar Sailor course assists 
sailors and their families in successfully navigating the transitions 
of Navy life and associated financial challenges. It targets the most 
common financial issues facing sailors such as, security clearance 
issues, credit management, identity theft, bankruptcy, mortgage and 
foreclosure issues, government credit card abuse and multiple issues 
involving Internet buying and selling, by providing sound financial 
management skills that can be used over their lifetime and a 
comprehensive overview of steps required to The Million Dollar Sailor 
course and LifeSkills course have worked well to improve sailor and 
family financial readiness. The 4-day LifeSkills course, presented to 
sailors after recruit training and prior to technical school training, 
provides sailors with the knowledge and skills required to increase 
personal, family, and operational readiness by recalibrating mental 
models and assumptions, and building a culture of leadership, respect, 
professionalism, and trust. Much of the course delivers the 
fundamentals of financial literacy to include the Blended Retirement 
System material, Thrift Savings Plan, spending plans, account 
management, credit, consumer awareness, car buying, insurance, 
Government travel, and financial planning. Additionally, the LifeSkills 
Reach Back mobile application allows sailors to revisit topics of 
interest post-course. The 2-day Million Dollar Sailor course assists 
sailors and their families in successfully navigating the transitions 
of Navy life and associated financial challenges. It targets the most 
common financial issues facing sailors such as, security clearance 
issues, credit management, identity theft, bankruptcy, mortgage and 
foreclosure issues, government credit card abuse and multiple issues 
involving Internet buying and selling, by providing sound financial 
management skills that can be used over their lifetime and a 
comprehensive overview of steps required to enhance personal financial 
fitness. It enhances overall quality of life through personal financial 
growth and fitness, to improve overall operational readiness and 
performance, and to enhance retention.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. Relevant and timely education and 
creating a culture where proactive assistance seeking is encouraged are 
key to improving financial literacy. Outreach to members at all levels 
increases an airman's opportunity to practice proactive prevention and 
employ educational capabilities enabling them to improve personal 
financial issues and make informed financial decisions.
    Research studies on financial education from the Government 
Accountability Office and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau pinpoint 
elements which yield the most results for financial literacy to include 
(1) relevant and timely content, (2) appropriate delivery methods for 
audience or topic, (3) accessibility and cultural sensitivity, (4) use 
of partnerships, (5) program evaluation, (6) trained and competent 
providers, (7) program sustainability, (8) building on motivation, and 
(9) improving financial skills. We are taking advantage of the outcomes 
of these studies to improve financial literacy capabilities available 
to our airmen and families.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. The statutory requirement for financial 
training has ensured every Marine has access to training resources 
needed to successfully manage their personal and family financial 
obligations. This requirement ensures unit commanders adhere to the 
NDAA requirements and prioritize financial literacy training as part of 
their unit's mission readiness. To meet this goal, while remaining 
aware of other obligations in a Marine's life and career, we have taken 
a well-rounded approach to training opportunities, including face-to-
face and online training opportunities. This ensures we meet the needs 
of all generations of Marines and provide delivery methods to fit their 
individual learning habits and schedules. Funding for these services 
has enabled us to update materials, improve service delivery, and 
expand program offerings. Finally, the recent introduction of the 
Blended Retirement System has increased interest in, and awareness of, 
the need for financial planning and the resources available to marines 
and their families.

    5. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General Seamands, 
Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General 
Rocco, what is still needed to make existing financial readiness 
preparation more effective?
    Secretary Wilkie. We deliver financial educational in ways that 
provide servicemembers with the tools to make informed financial 
decisions. This includes not only tailoring the delivery of financial 
literacy content through modalities (such as micro-learning modules and 
development of a financial literacy mobile app aligned with the 
military lifecycle) but also the important messaging that financial 
literacy and preparation benefit all servicemembers and their families, 
not just the traditional population of at risk junior enlisted members. 
Furthermore, we continue to review these education programs for their 
effectiveness and make improvements where needed.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. According to the Department of Defense 
(DOD) 2017 Annual Report on Financial Literacy and Preparedness of 
Members of the Armed Forces, there is more work to be done. The Army 
recognizes the enduring need for financial literacy throughout a 
soldier's career. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure 
efforts to make personal financial education a core requirement in 
secondary school systems across the country. New recruits will join the 
Army with a much stronger foundation, which we will continue to 
reinforce throughout the soldier's lifecycle.
    Vice Admiral Burke. To make existing financial readiness 
preparation more effective, Navy is:
      Developing online micro-learning videos, and updating the 
Personal Financial Manager, Million Dollar Sailor, Command Financial 
Specialist, and LifeSkills courses
      Updating LifeSkills and Navy financial literacy 
applications
      Improving our personnel systems to automatically push 
financial training information to sailors as life changes are recorded 
in their records to support the new Blended Retirement System and 
financial literacy training Reviewing all courses and conducting a 
needs assessment which, in conjunction with staff/command leadership 
feedback, will inform program improvements
    Lieutenant General Grosso. Simply put, we need continued 
congressional advocacy and legislative protections to ensure our 
servicemembers and their families continue to improve financial 
readiness. While the impacts of predatory lending practices have become 
less of a concern, it indicates legislative safeguards are instrumental 
in helping our airmen and families avoid these traps. Continued 
Congressional advocacy supporting readiness programs such as spouse 
licensure and employment, child care, and readiness programs for 
deployment and financial readiness remain the most impactful assistance 
to support the overall readiness of the Air Force.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
(CFPB) is critical to ensuring protections exist for our marines and 
their families. Recent decisions by the CFPB to abstain from 
investigating and enforcing violations of consumer protections has the 
potential to dismantle gains made in protecting our marines. We believe 
continued consumer protection and effective trainings are necessary to 
ensure financial readiness among our marines and their families. CFPB's 
continued protection is needed to curb predatory products. The Marine 
Corps currently has the resources we need to ensure training and 
counseling is available to support marines and their families.
  military lending act and consumer protections for military families
    6. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General Seamands, 
Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General 
Rocco, by enacting the Military Lending Act (MLA) as part of the John 
Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, 
Congress sent a clear bipartisan message that protecting servicemembers 
and their families from predatory and high cost lending was of 
paramount importance to their financial security and military 
readiness. This law caps the annual interest rates for consumer credit 
to servicemembers and their dependents at 36 percent while authorizing 
DOD to define what loans should be covered. Over the past 2 years, DOD 
finalized new MLA rules closing loopholes and strengthening MLA 
protections for our servicemembers and their families. According to 
DOD, ``each separation of a servicemember is estimated to cost the 
Department $57,333, and the Department estimates that each year 
approximately 4,703 to 7,957 servicemembers are involuntarily separated 
due to financial distress.'' Do you agree that the protections afforded 
by the new MLA rules, including the enforcement authority of the Office 
of Servicemember Affairs of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 
provide an important benefit to servicemembers and their families?
    Secretary Wilkie. Yes.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The protections afforded by the 
updated Military Lending Act go a long way to help shield soldiers and 
their families from high-cost credit products. Soldiers face continuous 
challenges in navigating, obtaining, and successfully using financial 
products and services. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 
valued partner for increasing soldier financial literacy and avoiding 
debt traps created by high-cost, high-credit products.
    Vice Admiral Burke. We agree that protections afforded by the 
Military Lending Act (MLA), including the new rules, provide an 
important benefit to sailors and their families. The MLA provides 
protection from predatory credit practices for servicemembers by 
expanding financial protections and ensuring military families receive 
the consumer protections they deserve. The restrictions imposed by the 
MLA significantly reduce the ability of lending organizations to take 
advantage of sailors, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's 
enforcement actions serve to deter those who seek to engage in such 
activity.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. Yes, the protections afforded by the new 
MLA rules provide important benefits to airmen and their families. 
These new rules protect airmen and their families from high cost 
predatory lending practices, saving them money and reducing stress. 
Additionally, the enforcement authority of the Consumer Financial 
Protection Bureau has also benefited our servicemembers. Enforcement 
actions, specifically those by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's 
Office of Servicemember Affairs, provide airmen an avenue to file a 
consumer complaint and request assistance in resolving the complaint. 
The enforcement actions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
have provided over $130 million dollars of relief to affected 
servicemembers. Without the intervention of Consumer Financial 
Protection Bureau, servicemembers are vulnerable to exploitive 
practices of some lenders. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's 
actions resolving complaints, protected airmen against misuse of 
allotments, predatory lending, and illegal debt collection practices 
and helped maintain mission readiness of our airmen and families.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. The new Rules and enforcement by the 
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are greatly benefitting 
servicemembers and their families. One of the most beneficial aspects 
of the new Rules is the expanded definition of ``consumer credit'' to 
which the 36 percent Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) applies. 
Before the new Rules, the MLA applied only to vehicle title loans, 
payday loans, tax refund anticipation loans, and similar products. The 
new Rules expand protections to credit cards and vehicle loans to 
include ancillary products such as vehicle GAP insurance, credit 
insurance and credit servicing charges. The new Rules also prohibit 
creditors from requiring servicemembers to submit to arbitration and 
waive protections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. In addition 
to effective CFPB enforcement action, the Office of Servicemember 
Affairs, CFPB is doing an excellent job of educating military 
consumers, as well as military legal assistance attorneys, about the 
MLA both on its website and during installation visits.

    7. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General Seamands, 
Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General 
Rocco, at one point, the Department noted that the new MLA rule ``would 
reduce non-quantifiable costs associated with financial strains on 
servicemembers. High-cost debt can detract from mission focus, reduce 
productivity, and require the attention of supervisors and 
commanders.'' Do you agree these protections enhance the financial 
readiness of servicemembers and their families, and the overall 
readiness of the armed forces?
    Secretary Wilkie. Yes.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. Yes, the new rules provide greater 
protection and close several loopholes concerning timelines, fees, and 
how products are defined. However, we cannot yet ascertain whether they 
are meeting the needs of soldiers. More time is needed to effectively 
evaluate their impact.
    Vice Admiral Burke. We agree that protections provided by the 
Military Lending Act enhance the financial readiness of sailors and 
their families, thereby improving overall readiness. Financial problems 
have a serious negative impact on sailors and their families, and 
adversely impact operational readiness, morale, and retention. For 
instance, a sailor whose financial difficulties result in loss of a 
required security clearance may preclude the sailor from performing his 
or her duties, impacting deployability and retainability.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. Yes, having these protections in place 
enhances financial readiness by providing airmen and their families the 
ability to reduce stress associated with finances and concentrate on 
the mission. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's report, ``The 
Office of Servicemember Affairs: Charting our course through the 
military lifecycle'', indicated that finances are a source of stress, 
even more so than deployments or personal relationships when comparing 
stressors. On the 2017 DOD Status of Forces survey, approximately 10 
percent of airmen experienced relationship issues regarding financial 
matters. MLA protections extended to spouses and children add an 
additional layer of protection from unscrupulous business practices and 
further reduces the related stress on the servicemember.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. I agree. The new MLA rules will help 
ensure military members and their dependents understand the actual cost 
of credit received under covered transactions. Having this 
understanding should reduce financial distraction and strain, which 
detract from mission.

    8. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General Seamands, 
Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General 
Rocco, how can we strengthen consumer protections for servicemembers, 
enhancing even further their financial readiness and the readiness of 
their units?
    Secretary Wilkie. The Department continues to monitor the 
implementation of and compliance with the Military Lending Act by 
engaging with the financial industry, regulators and servicemembers. 
One key to strengthening protections is efforts by the Department and 
Military Services to continually educate servicemembers to make 
informed financial decisions and avoid potential improper lenders and 
other types of fraud. Another area would be to evaluate the need to 
extend MLA protections to Guard and Reserve members who are not 
presently covered since they can encounter problems before being called 
to duty for 30 days or more that impacts their readiness on Active 
Duty.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The Military Lending Act of 2006, 
coupled with recent DOD rules, appear to be strong measures, but 
require more time for analysis to see if further adjustments are 
necessary. The greatest way to protect soldiers and their families is 
to teach them to protect themselves, and we believe quality financial 
education, throughout soldier careers, is the first and best defense as 
a consumer.
    Vice Admiral Burke. Consumer protections can be strengthened 
through financial literacy education and training. For example, Navy's 
4-day LifeSkills course, provided following recruit training, offers 
``Essentials of Credit and Debt,'' which addresses the Servicemembers 
Civil Relief Act, Military Lending Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices 
Act and managing pre-existing student loan debt. ``Consumer Awareness'' 
covers consumer protection laws, predatory lending and identity theft. 
A sailor's financial readiness can be enhanced even more through 
sustained emphasis on the importance of consumer protection training. 
Continued sailor access to Judge Advocate General's Corps legal 
assistance attorneys, and the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of 
Consumer Protection's emphasis on combatting military scams and frauds, 
are both important to the financial readiness of the Navy. 
Additionally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal 
Trade Commission have established strong links with legal assistance 
attorneys and each regularly conducts town halls and training at Navy 
installations to raise sailors' awareness of the Military Lending Act 
and to ensure military legal assistance attorneys have tools and 
conduits to enforcement that are necessary to combat Military Lending 
Act abuses. Continuation of these partnerships will help strengthen 
consumer protections.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. We need more time to properly evaluate 
the December 2017 changes to the MLA in order to see how these consumer 
protections will impact airmen and their families. The Air Force will 
monitor the Status of Forces Survey results and elicit feedback from 
installation level personal financial counselors, legal assistance 
providers, and governmental enforcement agencies (e.g., the Consumer 
Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, State Attorney 
General offices, and Department of Justice) to identify if any 
additional consumer protections are needed. Continued emphasis and 
advocacy from lawmakers to provide consumer protection for 
servicemembers and families will assist them in making sound financial 
decisions and contribute to mission readiness.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. Continuous education for our 
servicemembers and their families about consumer protection laws and 
financial management is crucial to strengthening their readiness. 
Allowing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to continue its 
aggressive educational push and strenuous enforcement of the MLA and 
other consumer protection laws that benefit the military community is 
essential; otherwise, military members lose a critical enforcement 
mechanism and lenders will have no incentive to change their practices.

    9. Senator Reed. Secretary Wilkie, prior to Secretary Mattis' 
confirmation, he gave me his personal assurance that he would support 
and protect these new MLA rules, as well as support and work with the 
Office of Servicemember Affairs of the Consumer Financial Protection 
Bureau, which enforces these protections. Do I have your personal 
assurance to do the same?
    Secretary Wilkie. Yes.
                               __________
            Questions Submitted by Senator Claire McCaskill
                           harassment policy
    10. Senator McCaskill. Mr. Wilkie, in many cases, it is common for 
victims to come forward months and sometime years after an incident has 
occurred. Under this new policy will substantiated allegations be 
annotated on the current fitness/evaluation report even if the conduct 
did not occur during that rating period?
    Secretary Wilkie. Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 1020.03 
``Harassment Prevention and Response in the Armed Forces'' requires 
rating and reviewing officials to annotate substantiated harassment 
complaints on fitness reports or performance evaluations. All 
substantiated incidents will be reflected in a performance evaluation, 
though how this will be done may vary from Service to Service. Military 
Service regulations govern the performance and evaluation reporting 
processes. Per my direction, the Military Services will submit plans 
detailing implementation of DODI 1020.03 by 13 April 2018. My office 
will review these plans to ensure effective implementation of all 
policy requirements including annotation of substantiated allegations.
                      ucmj case management system
    11. Senator McCaskill. Mr. Wilkie, the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA 
required DOD to establish a case management system. Has DOD complied 
with the legislation and are the different services using a universal 
system?
    Secretary Wilkie. Section 5504 of the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA 
required the Secretary of Defense to ``prescribe uniform standards and 
criteria'' for several functions, including ``[c]ase processing and 
management.'' The statute provided that the Secretary of Defense will 
issue those standards no later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment, which will be December 23, 2018. The section further 
provided that those standards and criteria will take effect not later 
than 4 years after the date of enactment, which will be December 23, 
2020. The Department has been working to meet those statutory 
deadlines.

    12. Senator McCaskill. Mr. Wilkie, if DOD has not established a 
case management system, why not, and are the services using various 
case management systems that are interoperable to ensure consistency in 
reporting and tracking and can OSD manage and analyze that information?
    Secretary Wilkie. As discussed in the previous response, the 
statutory deadline for providing uniform standards and criteria for 
case processing has not yet arrived. While the Department works to 
carry out that statutory requirement, the Military Departments continue 
to use their existing case management systems. Those case management 
systems are not interoperable.
                               __________
           Questions Submitted by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
            number of prosecutions for retaliation offenses
    13. Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Seamands, Vice Admiral 
Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General Rocco, please 
provide the number of retaliation allegations in Fiscal Year 2017 that 
were investigated in your service, by whom were they investigated, a 
brief description of the nature of each of the allegations, and the 
final disposition of each allegation.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The Army had 100 unique reports/
complainants of retaliation in fiscal year 2017. The Department of the 
Army Inspector General investigated 56 complaints, Army Criminal 
Investigation Command investigated 18, and the remaining 26 were 
addressed by Commands or referred to other agencies such as the 
Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General. Of the 100 reports, 49 
involved reprisal, 1 involved restriction, 24 were criminal, 12 
involved ostracism, and 14 involved cruelty/maltreatment. The final 
dispositions of the 100 reports are still under review and will be 
provided to DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) 
for inclusion in the Annual Report to Congress on Sexual Assault in the 
Military.
    Vice Admiral Burke. During Fiscal Year 2017, the Naval Inspector 
General Military Whistleblower Reprisal Branch received one allegation 
of retaliation, purportedly resulting from the complainant having 
reported criminal misconduct and/or sexual assault/harassment. In this 
case, the complainant alleged that, after reporting to the chain of 
command that personnel were not ``verifying their Personnel 
Qualifications Standards,'' and reporting to a chaplain that she had 
been sexually harassed by a fellow officer, she received, in reprisal 
for her protected communications, a letter documenting ``her inability 
to perform her duties.'' The Inspector General determined that, under 
regulations, communication to the chaplain did not constitute a 
protected communication, and the Chaplain did not report the 
allegations to complainant's chain of command. The Inspector General 
declined to investigate the matter since the complaint was submitted 
over 21 months following the complainant's becoming aware of the 
alleged unfavorable personnel action. Under the Department of Defense 
directive in effect at the time, no investigation was required when a 
complaint of reprisal/retaliation was submitted to an IG over 60 days 
following the date on which the member became aware of the alleged 
unfavorable action. Allegations of criminal activity committed against 
a victim or witness in retaliation for participating in a sexual 
assault investigation are investigated by Naval Criminal Investigative 
Service (NCIS). Emerging allegations of reprisal, restriction, 
maltreatment, or ostracism against a victim and/or witness are 
immediately reported to the appropriate DOD component with 
investigative authority. In fiscal year 2017, NCIS reports it 
investigated ten allegations of retaliation against a victim and/or 
witness to a sexual assault investigation. Five of those cases involved 
members of the U.S. Navy. A summary of each case is provided. U.S. Navy 
Subsequent to the victim making an unrestricted report of sexual 
assault, NCIS was contacted by local law enforcement (LE) regarding the 
victim's home being burglarized. A Military Protective Order (MPO) was 
in place and at the time of the incident the suspect was at a court 
hearing. Ultimately, no suspect was identified and the burglary 
investigation was closed. The Victim Legal Counsel (VLC) contacted NCIS 
to indicate the subject of the sexual assault investigation had 
violated the MPO and had accessed the victim's email account, deleted 
emails, and forwarded emails pertaining to the victim's divorce and 
child custody proceedings. Both investigations are on-going. Offender 
found guilty at General Court Martial (GCM) and sentenced to life in 
prison. Offender's father has made two music videos alluding to killing 
victim. Victim has been provided an updated safety plan. The 
retaliation investigation is on-going. The victim in an unrestricted 
sexual assault investigation contacted base police to report she was 
receiving harassing electronic communication. Numerous individuals were 
interviewed and provided statements. Forensic evidence was sent to the 
lab with negative results. The investigation did not identify a subject 
and was subsequently closed. NCIS sexual assault investigation was 
closed with command electing not to prefer charges due to insufficient 
evidence against the subject. The victim of a sexual assault contacted 
base police reporting the subject of the sexual assault investigation 
had violated the MPO and followed the victim. Subject denied following 
the victim and indicated he was to stay at least 300 feet away from the 
victim. Subject was unaware that the victim was in close proximity on 
the Ship and would continue to avoid the victim in the future. NCIS 
sexual assault investigation on-going.
    Lieutenant General Grosso.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Investigation
 Retaliation         Authority                    Description                            Disposition
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          1                      CommOstracized by Team Coach -Retaliation         Investigation not complete--
                                      allegation initiated by parents of        Investigating Officer and Judge
                                     Secondary Victim who were informed by           Advocate also made several
                                      Secondary Victim that he was being    recommendations, all of which are in
                                         ostracized by his Coach and two      the process of being implemented:
                                           Teammates. The reason for the           Teammate receive appropriate
                                         ostracism was because Secondary    counseling from leadership; Mandate
                                     Victim's sister (Victim) was sexually  a sexual assault survivor event for
                                            assaulted by Accused, also a    the team (first) then implement with
                                     teammate. The 2 Teammates and Coach    other athletic teams (regardless of
                                       were perceived to have sided with       gender); Develop a communication
                                        Accused and therefore ostracized      plan between Cadet Wing Chain-of-
                                     Secondary Victim and mistreated him     Command and Athletic Department to
                                                                              ensure leadership of both mission
                                                                             elements are aware of developments
                                                                               during sexual assault incidents,
                                                                               within the limits of the Privacy
                                                                                   Act; Develop and implement a
                                                                              professional relationship seminar
                                                                            for Athletic Dept. staff; Schedule a
                                                                                    meeting with the parents of
                                                                              Secondary Victim to brief them on
                                                                              the final recommendations of this
                                                                            Command Directed Investigation; Use
                                                                            scenario as lesson-learned training
                                                                              for commanders, faculty, staff at
                                                                                                          USAFA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          2                      CommReprisal -Reporter (Civilian) alleged           Investigation not complete
                                     that retaliator E-7 sexually harassed
                                      her and that he threatened to fire
                                     her and/or make it difficult for her
                                     to obtain medical supplies after she
                                           rejected his sexual advances.
                                      Originally Reporter and retaliator
                                       were peers. E-7 attempted to kiss
                                      Reporter in his car and he invited
                                     Reporter into his home after a night
                                      out with co-workers. Both advances
                                              were rejected by Reporter.
                                     Subsequently, E-7 became the acting
                                      Superintendent of the squadron. In
                                     that position he allegedly retaliated
                                      against Reporter by threatening to
                                     fire her and making it difficult for
                                     her to obtain needed medical supplies
                                                      to perform her job
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          3                      CommaReprisal, Cruelty and Maltreatment          Investigation opened; command
                                     and Other Matters (Failure to Protect           directed investigation on-
                                           from Ostracism, Maltreatment,    going.PComplainant PCS'd (not due to
                                     Discrimination, and/or Retaliation;                    expedited transfer)
                                     Failure to foster culture of dignity/
                                     respect).P-Reporter, who at the time
                                     was an E-5, filed a restricted report
                                     of sexual assault; the accused is a
                                        civilian employee. There are two
                                            alleged retaliators: alleged
                                         retaliator one (R1) was the O-6
                                         senior military official in the
                                     organization and alleged retaliator
                                         two (R2) was R1's O-5 executive
                                        officer (O-5). R1 and R2 did not
                                     notify law enforcement or SARC upon
                                     learning that reporter alleged being
                                     sexually assaulted, and instead, R1
                                      and R2 informed reporter and other
                                     employees that the accused civilian
                                       employee would not have committed
                                     such misconduct. Thereafter, reporter
                                     changed her restricted report to an
                                           unrestricted report. R1 moved
                                      reporter to the front office to be
                                     more closely supervised; refused to
                                     transfer the reporter out of the duty
                                     section and/or change her rater; and
                                     ordered reporter to stop discussing
                                     her sexual assault case with anyone
                                     in her chain of command (to include
                                     First Sergeant and Command Chief) and
                                           to stop defaming the accused.
                                          Reporter first made a reprisal
                                       complaint to USAFA/IG; this first
                                      reprisal complaint was closed on 6
                                      Jan 17 as not meeting the USAFA/IG
                                     threshold for reprisal. However, due
                                        to new evidence uncovered via an
                                        Office of Special Investigations
                                         investigation of the underlying
                                     sexual assault report, reporter filed
                                         a second reprisal complaint. 2d
                                     reprisal complaint was made to 21 SW/
                                      IG because the reporter PCS'd to a
                                                                new base
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          4                      CommReprisalP-Complainant 1 reported to    Investigation not complete; command
                                        her First Sergeant that the Non-        directed investigation on-going
                                          Commissioned Officer in Charge
                                     (NCOIC) of her work group (Subject)
                                      had been sending her inappropriate
                                       text messages for several months,
                                     despite her expressing displeasure.
                                     Complainant 1's allegation resulted
                                       in the initiation of a commander-
                                     directed investigation (CDI). During
                                     the on-going CDI, the Investigating
                                      Officer (IO), spoke with reporter.
                                      Reporter stated she dated Subject/
                                     NCOIC but that he had also sent her
                                           photos of his penis that were
                                      unwanted. Reporter told the IO ``I
                                        wanted to notify leadership that
                                         these things were going on, but
                                      [Subject] told me that I would get
                                      kicked out of the military or that
                                      leadership would not believe me.''
                                      Subject is the NCOIC of a section,
                                         and he supervises eight airmen.
                                     Complainant 1 and reporter are both
                                         members of the section. A third
                                      female airman in the section had a
                                     consensual sexual relationship with
                                           Subject. At this stage in the
                                      investigation the IO has confirmed
                                           that Subject pursued a sexual
                                      relationship with three of the six
                                             female airmen he supervises
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          5                      CommaReprisalP-Victim made a restricted          Initial Investigation opened;
                                     report to the Sexual Assault Response          investigating officer found
                                     Coordinator (SARC), which was later    allegations to be unsubstantiated--
                                         changed to unrestricted without         closed 28 July 17.PComplainant
                                     victim's consent because of concerns             transferred via expedited
                                           for victim's safety (suicidal         transfer.PNew command directed
                                      ideations). An Air Force Office of         investigation pending based on
                                          Special Investigations (AFOSI)    discovery of new evidence; legal is
                                     investigation was initiated on 3 Oct           working to draft the framed
                                     16. Victim and E-8 worked in the same                          allegations
                                            squadron. Victim received a Letter Of
                                                             Reprimand (LOR) for poor work
                                     performance on 7 Mar 17 from the E-8
                                     (Superintendent). Victim claims that
                                               the E-8 issued an unjust LOR.
                                     Additionally, victim alleged that her
                                      Enlisted Performance Report, which
                                      was submitted by E-8 on 11 Apr 17,
                                     did not accurately portray her work
                                          and volunteer performance. She
                                     reported reprisal on the part of the
                                      E-8 to the IG, which forwarded the
                                               allegation to the command
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          6                      CommReprisalP-Complainant reported to his        Initial Investigation opened;
                                             squadron commander that his            investigating officer found
                                     supervisor had sexually harassed him                     allegations to be
                                       on two occasions. The complainant     unsubstantiated.PComplainant moved
                                     alleged that his negative response to   to another section due to existing
                                     the sexual advances, led the alleged             poor working relationship
                                     subject (who was also complainant's
                                             supervisor), to give him a Letter of
                                       Counseling and a Referral Officer
                                            Performance Report. The Wing
                                           Commander initiated a Command
                                     Directed Investigation regarding the
                                             sexual harassment complaint
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          7                      CommReprisalP-Victim made an Unrestricted       Allegations substantiated, the
                                          Report. Afterwards, the victim            Retaliator received adverse
                                      reported a friend and co-worker of                 administrative actions
                                     Accused was actively mistreating her
                                       and talking negatively behind her
                                            back to other members of the
                                     squadron, all after he discovered a
                                                         Report was made
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          8                DOD IG    Reprisal -Victim made a third party    Reported to AF IG; case transferred
                                     allegation of sexual assault to her    to DOD IG; investigation is on-going
                                          squadron commander. The victim
                                     alleged the commander discussed the
                                             report with the Joint Force
                                     Headquarters Director of Staff. The
                                       victim then alleges he received a
                                      letter of admonishment in reprisal
                                        for the report of sexual assault
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          9                DOD IG      Reprisal -Victim made a report of     Reported to SARC; case transferred
                                     sexual assault during training by her  to DOD IG; investigation is on-going
                                          instructor to her SARC. Victim
                                          alleges her supervisor and her
                                     supervisor's supervisor threatened to
                                        terminate her job with the Honor
                                     Guard in reprisal for make the report
                                       of sexual assault. Victim alleges
                                     that the manager reprised against her
                                     because he knew of the actions of the
                                       supervisors but took no action to
                                                               stop them
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         10                DOD IG    Reprisal -Complainant was supporting   Reported to AF IG; case transferred
                                     a sexual assault victim as she dealt   to DOD IG; investigation is on-going
                                              with her chain of command.
                                        Complainant believes he is being
                                     reprised against for supporting the
                                                   sexual assault victim
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         11                DOD IG    Reprisal -Complainant alleged he was   Reported to AF IG; case transferred
                                     the victim of a sexual assault while   to DOD IG; investigation is on-going
                                       deployed to Afghanistan. Upon his
                                     return stateside, he alleged he was
                                     denied an end of tour decoration in
                                     reprisal for having made the report
                                                       of sexual assault
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         12            Service IG       Reprisal -Victim alleged she was       Service IG Investigation opened;
                                     sexually harassed by a coworker and            investigating officer found
                                     that the same coworker had sexually    allegations to be unsubstantiated--
                                         assaulted another coworker. She     DOD IG reviewed and concurred with
                                     reported this to her supervisor who        findings; investigation closed.
                                     she claimed threatened to reveal the      Complainant informed of findings
                                     victim's inappropriate relationship
                                          with another servicemember. An
                                        inquiry by the Service inspector
                                     general determined that the threat to
                                     reveal the victim's relationship to
                                     the unit's leadership did not rise to
                                     the level of an unfavorable personnel
                                                                  action
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         13            Service IG       Restriction and Reprisal -Victim    Investigation not complete--on-going
                                             alleged she reported sexual
                                     harassment by her squadron commander
                                     and that after she made complaints to
                                                 the IG, she received a Letter of
                                                Reprimand and other duty
                                     restrictions. Also, that the E-7 told
                                      victim ``to stop filing complaints
                                        with IG and using Judge Advocate
                                        General (JAG) and (her) troubles
                                                         might subside''
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         14            Service IG       Reprisal -Victim alleged she was       Service IG investigation opened;
                                     sexually harassed by a coworker. She          allegations unsubstantiated;
                                     reported this to her supervisor who    complaint currently under review and
                                          she claimed wrote a downgraded             will be sent to DOD IG for
                                      performance report in reprisal. An                   concurrence/approval
                                     inquiry by the Service IG determined
                                     no such unfavorable personnel action
                                                              took place
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         15                DOD IG    Reprisal -The victim alleged she was    Reported to SARC; case transferred
                                     sexually assaulted and reported it to  to DOD IG; investigation is on-going
                                     the SARC. Afterwards, she claims her
                                            Group commander and Squadron
                                       commander reprised against her by
                                      denying Incapacitation Pay request
                                            and not informing her of her
                                     promotion or non-promotion to captain
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         16                DOD IG      Reprisal -Victim was offered non-    Investigation not complete--on-going
                                       judicial punishment (NJP). Victim
                                     then made an unrestricted report of
                                     sexual assault. Victim then alleged
                                        reduction in rank from NJP is in
                                        retaliation for making report of
                                                          sexual assault
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         17                DOD IG    Reprisal -Witness/bystander assisted   Investigation not complete--on-going
                                        a coworker in reporting a sexual
                                     assault. As a result of the report of
                                     sexual assault, the witness alleges
                                     his commander reprised against him by
                                            not allowing him to test for
                                     promotion and First Sergeant reprised
                                     against him by issuing him a letter
                                                            of reprimand
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         18                DOD IG      Reprisal -Victim alleged a sexual           Reported to SARC/AFOSI, case
                                     assault and reported it to the SARC/   transferred to DOD IG; investigation
                                     AF Office of Special Investigations                            is on-going
                                     (AFOSI). Afterwards, she claims her
                                           Squadron commander and Flight
                                       commander reprised against her by
                                     issuing her a letter of reprimand for
                                                       making the report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         19                DOD IG      Reprisal -Victim alleged a sexual    Reported to AFOSI, case transferred
                                     assault and reported to AFOSI. Victim  to DOD IG; investigation is on-going
                                        alleges her Enlisted Performance
                                         Report was then marked down for
                                                       making the report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         20                DOD IG      Reprisal -Victim alleged a sexual    Reported to SARC/AFOSI; the case is
                                        assault and reported to SARC and         currently undergoing continued
                                      AFOSI. Victim alleges her chain of     analysis and may be transferred to
                                      command attempted to disenroll her                                 DOD IG
                                      from the AF Academy for making the
                                                                  report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         21                DOD IG      ReprisalP-Victim alleged a sexual    Investigation not complete--on-going
                                     assault and reported it to her Senior
                                                               Materiel Leader. Afterwards, she
                                          claims her supervisor reprised
                                       against her by falsifying Officer
                                     Performance Report feedback date for
                                          making the report and a senior
                                         officer reprised against her by
                                                           giving her a Letter of Counseling for
                                                       making the report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         22                DOD IG      ReprisalP-Victim alleged a sexual    Reported to SARC/AFOSI; the case is
                                        assault and reported to SARC and         currently undergoing continued
                                      AFOSI. Victim alleges her chain of     analysis and may be transferred to
                                      command attempted to disenroll her                                 DOD IG
                                      from the AF Academy for making the
                                                                  report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         23                DOD IG      ReprisalP-Victim alleged a sexual     Reported to SARC; case transferred
                                     assault and reported it to the SARC.   to DOD IG; investigation is on-going
                                     After reporting the sexual assault,
                                     the victim claims her supervisor gave
                                               her an unfavorable Airman
                                                Comprehensive Assessment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         24            Service IG      ReprisalP-Victim alleged a sexual     Reported to CID; case is currently
                                        assault and reported to Criminal    under review by Service IG; results
                                     Investigation Command (CID). Victim             will be sent to DOD IG for
                                               alleged she was issued a Letter of          concurrence/approval
                                                         Counseling and Letter of Reprimand
                                        for reporting the sexual assault
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         25                DOD IG      ReprisalP-Victim alleged a sexual    Investigation not complete--on-going
                                        assault and reported it. After a
                                      trial, the alleged perpetrator was
                                     found not guilty. Subsequently, the
                                        victim's squadron superintendent
                                         intended to move her to another
                                      organization because of the sexual
                                     assault, which the victim felt was an
                                            unfavorable personnel action
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         26                     MCIO/SeReprisal, ostracism, & cruelty or        Complaint filed with IG & Equal
                      Enforcement    maltreatmentP-Complainant was called    Opportunity (EO); Command directed
                                           a liar and told she falsified    investigation open in squadron--on-
                                            official documents, would be                                  going
                                         administratively punished; when
                                          complainant pushed back on the
                                      accusations she was threatened and
                                      harassed by supervisor and another
                                      male squadron member to ``drop the
                                                                 issue''
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         27           Service Law    ReprisalP-Received unwanted Facebook        Investigation opened--on-going
                      Enforcement       message from alleged perpetrator
                                         asking for nude pictures of the
                                          complainant; complainant feels
                                       rejecting the alleged perpetrator
                                       would lead to reprisal due to the
                                                  small size of the base
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         28                     MCIO/DOOstracismP-Peers commented ``unit     Referred to First Sergeant, EO and
                                     would be better without her'' after           SARC; reporter requested and
                                     complainant reported sexual assault;                     received transfer
                                     work and personal appointments more
                                                 scrutinized than others
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It is important to note that retaliation can take many forms. Thus, 
any underlying misconduct that may constitute retaliation could result 
in any number of charges in violation of the Uniform Code of Military 
Justice (for example, communicating a threat, property damage, or 
obstruction of justice). Please see the attached documents for an 
overview of judge advocate involvement in the military justice process. 
Attachments 1 to 4 have already been provided to members of Congress, 
to include another request for information submitted to DOD by Senator 
Gillibrand. Attachment 5 generally describes Air Force judge advocate 
training.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. In fiscal year 2017, the below fifteen 
(15) cases/allegations of retaliation were reported by Sexual Assault 
Responses Coordinators (SARCs) and represent allegations of retaliation 
discussed at Case Management Group (CMG) meetings. Allegations of 
retaliation discussed at CMG may or may not have been formally 
investigated, as some allegations were resolved when the command 
learned of the allegation. Inspector General inquiries and command 
investigations were utilized to formally investigate certain 
allegations. While further coordination will be necessary to report on 
the final disposition of some of the allegations, the following case 
information (allegations) is tracked by the Marine Corps Sexual Assault 
Prevention and Response (SAPR) Office: Victim alleged she felt punished 
because her Master Sergeant (MSgt), in an effort to ensure the victim 
and her offender did not interact, did not permit the victim to perform 
certain duties. She described the experience as stagnating her 
training, proficiency, and career. She was also denied sick in quarters 
(SIQ) because she might come into contact with the offender in her 
barracks. The Commanding Officer (CO) has informed the MSgt the marine 
is allowed to be at any PMO posts during her shift. Corporals were 
discussing a victim's case. The victim was made aware of the discussion 
and information was referred to command for action. No further update 
is available at this time. Victim made an unrestricted report. She 
learned that a MSgt in another unit was discussing her case negatively. 
She reported the conduct to her Victim Advocate (VA) and Victim's Legal 
Counsel (VLC), who reported the matter to the IG. The conduct was 
determined to not constitute reprisal. Nevertheless, the command 
counseled the MSgt for discussing the case. Victim learned that the 
subject in the investigation was talking negatively to other people in 
the command about the victim. She reported it to her VA and the 
command. The command modified the Military Protective Order (MPO) to 
specifically address this concern and counseled subject about talking 
to others about the victim. Victim made an unrestricted report. 
Afterwards, the victim reported receiving adverse comments on social 
media from peers which included stating that the victim was the most 
hated marine within the command. The allegation was reviewed during the 
CMG. It was determined that this was a peer-to-peer situation and the 
command was directed to conduct a Preliminary Inquiry. MPOs were issued 
to control further discussion of the matter within the Detachment. The 
CO issued a 6105 (Page 11 Entry) to the individual who initiated the 
comments. Victim initially made a restricted report and later changed 
the report to ``unrestricted'' to get VLC involved on an IG complaint. 
Victim was found to have narcotics in his system after the assault. The 
victim felt he was drugged during the course of the assault and that he 
should not be held responsible for wrongful drug abuse. The command 
took administrative action for drug abuse that resulted in a negative 
impact on the career progression of the victim. Victim executed an 
expedited transfer. After the victim made an unrestricted report of 
sexual assault, his evaluations were lowered without being provided 
justification or prior counseling. Victim was told he could not go to 
the Naval Academy, reenlist, or laterally change rates to a new MOS 
because he was being seen by mental/behavioral health services. Victim 
was transferred out of the battalion and to a new work place and 
barracks with no explanation, while the alleged offender was able to 
stay in the battalion and MOS. Victim's confidentiality was violated 
and he was labeled a ``rapist'' and reportedly ostracized. No further 
update is available at this time. A Civilian VA (CVA) was retaliated 
against by their SARC while providing advocacy support and services to 
their client. The CVA reported the allegations to the local IG and the 
case was forwarded to DOD IG. The CVA reported the allegations at the 
CMG. The case is being investigated by DOD IG. Victim was a subject in 
a separate ongoing investigation. When his clearance was suspended 
pending outcome of the separate investigation, he filed a case of 
reprisal to his command via his VLC. A request mast was held with the 
O-5 Commander and the victim's issues/concerns were addressed to the 
victim's satisfaction. VLC was also present on behalf of marine. Victim 
made an unrestricted report. Afterwards, the victim reported being 
subjected to adverse performance evaluations, interference with 
promotion, denied the opportunity for meals, and degrading comments 
amongst other adverse actions. She reported the retaliation to the 
command via request mast and also requested an expedited transfer, 
which ultimately led to her relocation to a new unit aboard the 
installation. The Battalion CO initiated administrative separation 
(ADSEP) processing against the victim for fraudulent enlistment. The 
information supporting ADSEP processing is a history of depression not 
revealed during the enlistment process. The information relating to 
depression arose during a counseling session at the Community 
Counseling Center. The victim was attending counseling as a result of 
an unreported sexual assault. The victim's Battalion CO and MEF 
Information Group CO have been advised by the victim's SARC about the 
alleged retaliation. The SARC continues to follow up with the victim's 
O6-level commander to determine the way forward. A victim reported 
receiving threats and being sexually harassed in the barracks. Comments 
she received included reference to her unrestricted report. The alleged 
retaliator received an informal/verbal counseling. Victim stated her 
immediate supervisors made it difficult for her to make personal 
contact with her uniformed VA (UVA) and other resources, as she was 
required to provide a detailed explanation of where she was going and 
why. A colonel spoke with her immediate supervisors and implemented 
policies to ensure the victim could seek assistance without going into 
detail regarding her appointments. UVA for a victim stated the victim's 
immediate supervisors made it difficult for the UVA to make personal 
contact with the victim and stated to the UVA that she did not need to 
accompany victim to appointments. UVA's immediate supervisor expected 
UVA to provide details where UVA was taking her victim and for what 
reason. A colonel spoke with all involved and implemented policies to 
ensure victim could seek assistance without going into detail regarding 
her appointments. Victim reportedly experienced ostracism and 
retaliation from the command when her promotion was delayed. Further, 
she reported several co-workers were directed to stay away from her. 
The victim requested mast with the Commanding General and worked with 
her VLC. The command investigated, but was unable to substantiate the 
ostracism allegation, and developed a plan to assist the victim in 
meeting promotion requirements. The victim was subsequently promoted.
   involvement of trained prosecutors in criminal investigations and 
                            decision making
    14. Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Seamands, Vice Admiral 
Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General Rocco, please 
describe, in detail, the typical training and experience level of each 
judge advocate advising at each stage of the military justice process 
(from initiation of investigation to post-trial matters).
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The JAGC ensures that military 
practitioners are trained at all levels:
      Institutional (primarily conducted at The Judge Advocate 
General's Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS)); Intermediate Trial 
Advocacy Course; for mid-level practitioners, the Graduate Course, 
Military Justice Managers Course, the Judge Advocate Officer Advanced 
Course, and the Advanced Trial Communication Course; and for senior 
practitioners, the Military Judges Course and the Staff Judge Advocate 
Course.
      Functional (primarily conducted by subject matter experts 
at designated locations).
      Operational (primarily conducted at the judge advocate's 
unit by the unit's military justice leadership).
    This training continues throughout the course of a Judge Advocate's 
(JA's) career, corresponding to the JA's rank, time in service, and 
military justice position.
    All JAs are attorneys who are members of at least one civilian bar. 
As such, they are subject to the individual continuing legal education 
(CLE) and administrative requirements of that organization in addition 
to the annual requirements imposed by the JAG Corps (JAGC). Upon entry 
into the JAGC, all JAs travel to Charlottesville, Virginia to TJAGLCS, 
an ABA accredited institution that is located on the University of 
Virginia grounds, adjacent to UVA's law school. While there, students 
will complete the JA Officer Basic Course, a 3-month course covering 
the various military legal disciplines, to include criminal law. 
Approximately 8 years later, JA's will return to coincide with their 
promotion to major for a year-long program to receive their L.L.M. in 
military law which includes a number of general and specialized 
military law courses, some mandatory, others optional. Additionally, 
throughout the entirety of a JA's career, as they move into new 
positions that require specialized training, such as military justice, 
they will attend training to meet that need. This will take place both 
at TJAGLCS, as well as regional training elsewhere when hosted by Trial 
Counsel Assistance Program (TCAP), a JAGC subdivision tasked to train 
military prosecutors and assist in the prosecution of complex cases. 
TCAP is located in Washington DC, staffed with highly experienced trial 
attorneys, and provides assistance world-wide. The military classes 
typically last 1 to 2 weeks. Army prosecutors also train with outside 
agencies as well, such as the National District Attorney's Association 
(NDAA) in order to maximize training opportunities.
    Army prosecutors are called Trial Counsel (TC) and within the first 
6 months, typically less, attend the multi-week Basic Trial Advocacy 
Course. Following that there are a number of other classes offered 
focusing on a variety of topics to include prosecuting domestic 
violence, maximizing the use of experts and prosecuting child abuse. In 
sexual assault cases, Special Victim Prosecutors (SVPs) lead the 
prosecution effort with the assistance of the TC. SVPs have prior trial 
experience, and are specialized prosecutors who provide subject matter 
expertise in sexual offense investigations and prosecutions based on 
their prior experience and training, and often have offices within 
their local installation United States Army Criminal Investigation 
Command (CID) building. SVPs are individually selected and approved at 
the highest level of the JAGC. Each SVP goes through 2 weeks of the 
Sexual Assault Trial Advocacy Training (SATAC), followed by a one-week 
SVP Course. Each SVP also conducts 2 weeks at the NDAA's Career 
Prosecutor Course, and 2 weeks of on-the-job-training; typically with 
another SVP or with a special victim branch of a large civilian DA 
office.
    Supporting the TCs are often Senior Trial Counsel (STC) normally 
selected after a prior successful assignment as a TC. The Chief of 
Military Justice (COJ) provides oversight over the TCs, as well as the 
other military justice personnel, and is the individual responsible for 
the post trial process and providing completed products to the Staff 
Judge Advocate (SJA) for review with the commanding general (CG).
    Staff Judge Advocates (SJAs) advise General Courts-Martial 
Convening Authorities. SJAs have trial experience as a prosecutor, 
defense counsel or both, and have years of prior experience supervising 
military justice.
    At various points in their career, a military justice practitioner 
would attend many of the below courses, either as a prosecutor, defense 
counsel, or senior JA (* are mandatory courses):
    JA Officer Basic Course*
    Trial Counsel Conference*
    Basic Trial Advocacy Course*
    Intermediate Trial Advocacy Course*
    Defense Counsel 101*
    Defense Counsel 201*
    Military Institute for Prevention of Sexual Violence
    Cornerhouse Training
    Advanced Trial Communications
    Defense of the Damned
    Capital Litigation Courses
    NCMEC Course
    USACIL Course on Experts
    Military Justice Managers Course
    TCAP/DDCAP Experts Symposium
    Conference on Crimes Against Women
    Sexual Assault Trial Advocacy Course
    JA Graduate Course*
    NDAA's Career Prosecutor Course*
    Internship at local DA's Office for SVPs*
    Military Judges Course
    Staff Judge Advocate Course*
    Best Practices for SJAs Course*
    Vice Admiral Burke. Senior Trial Counsel (STV), Special Victim 
Investigation and Prosecution (SVIP)-trained trial counsel, and other 
trained and experienced judge advocates, are heavily involved in the 
military justice process from the earliest investigative stages through 
final disposition. Navy trial counsel and Staff Judge Advocates (SJA) 
are continuously trained to stay current with emerging legal issues. 
Navy continues to evolve training and litigation practices in response 
to the increasingly complex nature of military justice cases. The core 
of Navy's military justice experience is our Military Justice 
Litigation Career Track (MJLCT), established in 2007 to develop a cadre 
of professional criminal litigators. The MJLCT is for judge advocates 
with demonstrated military justice knowledge, experience, and advocacy 
skills. Entry into the MJLCT is through a competitive selection board. 
The MJLCT combines continued education, training, and courtroom 
experience with oversight by and access to senior and seasoned 
litigation mentors to help judge advocates develop the skills needed to 
become highly-capable trial lawyers and judges. Generally, Military 
Justice Litigation Qualified (MJLQ) officers are detailed to fill 
billets specifically designated as career track assignments, which 
include certain trial counsel, defense counsel, victim's legal counsel, 
appellate counsel, and trial and appellate judge billets. These 
officers possess the skills, experience, and temperament necessary to 
mentor and train non-MJLQ officers who may also be assigned to these 
billets. At the close of fiscal year 2017, there were 79 MJLQ officers 
but, over the next 2 fiscal years, the community will grow by 6 to 8 
officers to meet increased demand. All judge advocates complete the 
Naval Justice School's Basic Lawyer Course (BLC), which provides 
training in military justice and trial advocacy skills, and includes a 
capstone exercise during which students prosecute or defend in a mock 
sexual assault trial. Students participate from the investigative 
stages through a fully contested court-martial. This model of 
experiential learning serves to provide First-Tour Judge Advocates 
(FTJAs) with the foundational skills to support the military justice 
mission. Upon graduation, FTJAs report to a Region Legal Service Office 
(RLSO) to complete rotations in three core practice areas--Military 
Justice (one year), Legal Assistance (6 months), and Command Services 
(6 months). FTJAs must demonstrate proficiency by meeting professional 
development standards designed and tailored for each core practice area 
before moving on to the next rotation. In limited circumstances, 
following prerequisite training, FTJAs may petition to be detailed to a 
court-martial under the supervision of a more senior lead counsel. The 
commanding officer may detail FTJAs who have demonstrated the necessary 
skills and aptitude. Upon completion of this 2-year training cycle, 
FTJAs can be assigned to a Trial Department to serve as ``core trial 
counsel;'' under continued intense supervision and mentoring. Core 
trial counsel, having previously completed a litigation tour, compete 
for selection into Navy's specialized Military Justice Litigation 
Career Track (MJLCT). Within 6 months of reporting to a RLSO, a core 
trial counsel returns to the Naval Justice School's Basic Trial 
Advocacy course, if they have not previously attended, which focuses 
primarily on courtroom advocacy through student participation and 
competitive skills-based drills. The course includes a sexual assault 
case study, coupled with practical exercises, to maximize participation 
and enhance advocacy skills. Within the first year of reporting, the 
core trial counsel attends at least one SVIP course--facilitated by the 
Naval Justice School, other Service schools, or a civilian prosecutor 
organization (e.g., the National District Attorney's Association). Core 
trial counsel also attend one-of-two courses at the Federal Law 
Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) focused on investigating adult 
sexual assaults or family crimes. At FLETC, trial counsel train side-
by-side with Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents on the unique 
requirements of investigating and prosecuting special victim crimes. 
These courses focus on investigating and prosecuting adult sexual 
assault, domestic violence, and child abuse and exploitation. Naval 
Justice School also offers a Litigating Complex Cases course every 2 
years, which focuses on forensics and medical evidence associated with 
special victim crimes. The Litigation Training Coordination Council 
(LTCC) is a dual-service, inter-disciplinary group chaired by the 
Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Justice and the Chief 
Judge of the Department of the Navy. The LTCC--composed of members of 
the Naval Justice School, the Trial Counsel Assistance Program (TCAP), 
the Defense Counsel Assistance Program, the Office of the Judge 
Advocate General Criminal Law Division, and an adult learning expert--
meets at least once each quarter to ensure all military justice 
training is current, relevant, and properly budgeted and prioritized. 
RLSO Trial Departments are led by a STC, who must be an MJLQ officer, 
and a lieutenant commander-select, or above. In fleet concentration 
areas, STCs serve in the grade of commander (O-5). STC provide proven 
courtroom experience; personally conducting, adjudicating, or 
overseeing litigation in all Navy courts-martial, to include sexual 
assault and other complex cases. Upon reporting, STC complete a one-
week special victims investigation course and participate in additional 
specialized training such as Litigating Complex Cases, Navy Mobile 
Training Team training, or other online special victims offense or 
litigation training. Each core trial counsel and FTJA works under the 
direct supervision of the STC, who reports to an executive officer (O-5 
judge advocate), and a commanding officer (O-6 judge advocate). TCAP 
provides additional guidance, litigation support, advice, and training, 
to RLSO Trial Counsel. Commanding officers may request TCAP to assist 
in courts-martial, to include detailing TCAP counsel to serve as lead 
or assistant trial counsel in complex cases, or to provide mentorship 
and supervision to less experienced trial counsel. TCAP serves as 
Navy's primary litigation resource to trial counsel and trial 
paralegals prosecuting criminal offenses under the Uniform Code of 
Military Justice. TCAP's director is a judge advocate with prior 
experience as a military judge and STC, designated by the MJLQ board as 
an ``expert'' MJLQ officer. The deputy director is a senior civilian 
career prosecutor and prior executive with the National District 
Attorney's Association. The assistant director has experience as both 
trial counsel and defense counsel, and is designated by the MJLQ board 
as a ``specialist'' MJLQ officer. TCAP also employs the services of a 
Highly Qualified Expert to advise on prosecuting a range of special 
victim crimes matters. TCAP visits each RLSO annually to conduct 3 days 
of targeted training related to special victim crimes and trial 
advocacy strategies. Topics include strategic charging of adult sexual 
assaults, child forensic interviews, working with victims, sentencing 
strategies, the Victim Witness Assistance Program, and prosecuting 
computer crimes related to child exploitation. Additionally, TCAP 
identifies special victim crime webinars for core trial counsels' 
continuing legal education. TCAP's goal is for core trial counsel to 
receive over 75 hours of specific SVIP training within their first year 
of reporting to a Trial Department. Staff Judge Advocates (SJA) provide 
advice to convening authorities on military justice matters. The rank, 
experience, and training of the SJA vary with seniority of the 
convening authority. SJAs advising non-flag officer clients, at a 
minimum, have completed the FTJA program and received training in the 
core practice areas prior to assuming their SJA assignment. In 
preparation for assignment as an SJA, judge advocates generally attend 
the Naval Justice School's SJA Course which includes review of military 
justice matters associated with the SJA practice, including evidentiary 
issues, post-trial processing, the Victim and Witness Assistance 
Program, and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program. SJAs 
are typically lieutenants or lieutenant commanders. SJAs advising flag-
officer clients, are typically lieutenant commanders or higher. They 
generally attend the Naval Justice School's Advanced SJA course and 
receive advanced training in handling officer misconduct, the Victim 
Witness Assistance Program, and the Sexual Assault Prevention and 
Response Program. The course includes panel discussions and small group 
sessions based on specific areas of practice. Course facilitators 
include current or former senior SJAs from the Department of the Navy 
Secretariat, Chief of Naval Operations staff, component commands, fleet 
commands, and other flag officer commands.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. See the attached documents, as Appendix 
B, Attachments 1 to 5, starting on page 149. Attachments 1 to 4 have 
already been provided to members of Congress, to include another 
request for information submitted to DOD by Senator Gillibrand. 
Attachment 5 generally describes Air Force judge advocate training.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. Trial counsel, i.e., prosecutors, hold 
juris doctor degrees, are licensed to practice law in at least one 
state, and designated as judge advocates having graduated from Naval 
Justice School and certified by the Judge Advocate General to prosecute 
or defend military justice cases under Article 27, UCMJ. Trial counsel 
perform their duties under the supervision of Senior Trial Counsel 
(STC), Regional Trial Counsel (RTC), and the Officer in Charge, Legal 
Services Support Section. The STCs are ordinarily majors (O-4), and the 
RTCs are ordinarily lieutenant colonels (O-5). Both normally have 
advanced degrees (LL.M.) in criminal justice. The staff judge advocate 
(SJA) is the primary legal advisor to a commander and provides advice 
on military justice matters throughout the military justice process. 
SJAs will have previously served in trial billets and are ordinarily 
lieutenant colonels (O-5) and colonels (O-6).

    15. Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Seamands, Vice Admiral 
Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General Rocco, how 
many prosecutors do you have that are trained in special victim 
capabilities and when do they typically become involved in a case?
    Lieutenant General Seamands. There are currently authorizations for 
23 Special Victim Prosecutors with 26 currently assigned. Additionally, 
there are over 200 trial counsel and 30 to 40 senior trial counsel, all 
of whom have various levels of training in handling special victim 
cases.
    Vice Admiral Burke. Yes, a Special Victim Investigation and 
Prosecution (SVIP)-trained prosecutor is assigned in every Special 
Victim Crimes (SVC) case, either as lead counsel, assistant counsel, or 
supervisory counsel. Assignment occurs within the first 24 to 48 hours 
of report of the SVC to the Region Legal Service Office (RLSO). The 
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is required to notify the 
local RLSO within 24 hours of the report of a SVC, and within 48 hours, 
the NCIS Case Agent is required to collaborate with a SVIP-trained 
Trial Counsel.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. Air Force Instruction 51-201, 
Administration of Military Justice, requires each installation Staff 
Judge Advocate to designate an investigative support team composed of a 
judge advocate and paralegal who will work with the Air Force Office of 
Special Investigations (AFOSI) case agent in all investigations 
involving an unrestricted report of adult sexual assault, domestic 
violence involving sexual assault and/or aggravated assault with 
grievous bodily harm, and child abuse involving sexual assault and/or 
aggravated assault with grievous bodily harm.
    In cases involving sexual assault, AFOSI notifies the installation 
Staff Judge Advocate's office upon starting substantive criminal 
investigation into an allegation under the Uniform Code of Military 
Justice. The Staff Judge Advocate will then designate an attorney to 
provide initial counsel to the case agent on the new investigation. 
This designation will occur as early as practicable in the 
investigative process to ensure proper legal support to the 
investigation. The attorney designated to assist the investigator will 
assist in investigative plan development, case development, and conduct 
a ``hot wash'' at the conclusion of any prosecution.
    Beyond the investigative support team described in the preceding 
paragraphs, there are 11 Special Victim's Unit--Senior Trial Counsel 
(SVU-STC) in the Government Trial and Appellate Counsel Division. In 
cases involving sexual assault, these SVU-STCs are detailed as early as 
possible to provide full-spectrum litigation support including 
evidence/charging reviews, pretrial interviewing of victims/witnesses, 
case preparation, and service as lead counsel in the court-martial. 
These SVU-STCs are involved with the case as soon as they are 
requested, very often before the preferral stage of the process. For 
sexual assault cases, charges must be reviewed by a SVU-STC prior to 
preferral.
    Also, see the attached documents. Attachments 1 to 4 (Appendix B, 
page 149) have already been provided to members of Congress, to include 
another request for information submitted to DOD by Senator Gillibrand. 
Attachment 5 (Appendix B, page 153) generally describes Air Force judge 
advocate training.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. The Regional Trial Counsel (RTC) will 
employ the Complex Trial Team (CTT) to deliver Special Victim 
Investigation and Prosecution (SVIP) capabilities through a task 
organized combination of prosecutors, highly qualified experts (HQEs), 
victim witness assistance personnel, investigators, administrative 
support, and paralegal support from across the region. The CTT will 
work in conjunction with the victim, victim support providers, the 
command, and NCIS to deliver a comprehensive investigation and, when 
appropriate, prosecution. The Marine Corps has approximately fifty (50) 
SVIP Trial Counsel. Qualification of SVIP Trial Counsel is based on the 
following requirements: (1) be a certified as a General Court-Martial 
Trial Counsel; (2) demonstrate to the Legal Services Support Section 
Officer in Charge's (OIC) satisfaction that the trial counsel possesses 
the requisite expertise, experience, education, innate ability, and 
disposition to competently prosecute special victim cases; (3) 
prosecute a contested special or general court-martial in a special 
victim case as an assistant trial counsel; (4) attend an intermediate 
level trial advocacy training course for the prosecution of special 
victims cases (e.g., Trial Counsel Assistance Program Prosecuting 
Special Victim Cases Course); and (5) receive recommendations, in 
writing, from the Senior Trial Counsel (STC), RTC, and, when 
applicable, Legal Services Support Team OIC. Trial counsel become 
involved almost immediately in certain complex cases. As required by 
DODI 5505.19 w/ CH 2 of 23 March 2017, in certain sexual assault and 
domestic violence cases, the trial counsel are notified within 24 hours 
of the report of an offense by NCIS. Trial counsel are consulted within 
48 hours of such a report and then consulted again at least once a 
month by the NCIS special agents assigned to the case. These 
consultations may involve investigative plans, searches for electronic 
evidence, or a review of the evidence gathered to-date. As a case nears 
the completion of the investigation stage, particularly in sexual 
assault and domestic violence cases, the trial counsel drafts a case 
analysis memorandum (CAM), analyzing the evidentiary strengths and 
weaknesses of the case. The trial counsel's supervising attorneys--the 
STC and RTC--working with a civilian HQE, review the CAM for 
completeness. Once the CAM is approved, it is submitted to the SJA to 
inform the advice the SJA provides to the commander responsible for the 
case.

    16. Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Seamands, Vice Admiral 
Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General Rocco, do you 
have a prosecutor trained in special victim capabilities assigned to 
each case as either the primary counsel or the assistant counsel? When 
does that assignment occur?
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The Army assigns a Special Victim 
Prosecutor to each case from the outset when the criminal investigators 
learn about it. Their involvement in each case varies based on the 
complexity of the case and the capability of the trial counsel(s) who 
are also assigned to it, but they typically try contested cases as a 
first or second chair.
    Vice Admiral Burke. Yes, a Special Victim Investigation and 
Prosecution (SVIP)-trained prosecutor is assigned in every Special 
Victim Crimes (SVC) case, either as lead counsel, assistant counsel, or 
supervisory counsel. Assignment occurs within the first 24 to 48 hours 
of report of the SVC to the Region Legal Service Office (RLSO). The 
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is required to notify the 
local RLSO within 24 hours of the report of a SVC, and within 48 hours, 
the NCIS Case Agent is required to collaborate with a SVIP-trained 
Trial Counsel.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. AFI 51-201, Administration of Military 
Justice, requires that a judge advocate designated as a member of the 
special victim investigation and prosecution capability (SVIP) is 
assigned to every prosecution involving an unrestricted report of 
sexual assault as soon as practicable upon notification of the 
allegation. Every judge advocate who is designated as a member of the 
SVIP must have completed the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response 
Program training requirements listed in DODI 6495.02, Enclosure 10, to 
include annual training and responder training requirements. 
Additionally, all judge advocates must complete the judge advocate 
training requirements detailed in Enclosure 10, paragraph 7, of the 
DODI 6495.02.
    Senior Trial Counsel (STC) are assigned in all cases where the 
command's staff judge advocate requests Senior Trial Counsel detailing. 
Typically, they are assigned to the case early in the process, very 
often before the preferral stage of the process. For sexual assault 
cases, charges must be reviewed by a Senior Trial Counsel prior to 
preferral. In 2017, Senior Trial Counsels were detailed as lead counsel 
in 91 percent of general courts-martial across the Air Force.
    Also, see the attached documents. Attachments 1 to 4 (Appendix B, 
page 149) have already been provided to members of Congress, to include 
another request for information submitted to DOD by Senator Gillibrand. 
Attachment 5 (Appendix B, page 153) generally describes Air Force judge 
advocate training.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. Yes. Trial counsel become involved almost 
immediately in certain complex cases. As required by DODI 5505.19 w/ CH 
2 of 23 March 2017, in certain sexual assault and domestic violence 
cases, the trial counsel are notified within 24 hours of the report of 
an offense by NCIS. Trial counsel are consulted within 48 hours of such 
a report and then consulted again at least once a month by the NCIS 
special agents assigned to the case. These consultations may involve 
investigative plans, searches for electronic evidence, or a review of 
the evidence gathered to-date. Marine Corps Bulletin (MCBUL) 5800 
(Military Justice Requirements and Implementation Guidance) dated 25 
May 2017 defines ``special victim cases'' as those cases involving 
alleged violations of Articles 118, 119, 119a, 120, 120a, 120b, 125 
(with a child or forcible), 128 (domestic violence involving aggravated 
assault or child abuse), 134 (child pornography or assault with intent 
to commit the previously listed articles), or 80 (attempts to commit 
the previously listed articles) of the UCMJ. All special victim cases 
will be tried by a Complex Trial Team (CTT) member. The Regional Trial 
Counsel (RTC) will employ the CTT to deliver Special Victim 
Investigation and Prosecution (SVIP) capabilities through a task-
organized combination of prosecutors, highly qualified experts (HQEs), 
victim witness assistance personnel, investigators, administrative 
support, and paralegal support from across the region. The CTT will 
work in conjunction with the victim, victim support providers, the 
command, and NCIS to deliver a comprehensive investigation and, when 
appropriate, prosecution. Normally, a trial counsel is ``detailed,'' or 
assigned, upon receipt by the Legal Services Support Section of a 
commander's formal Request for Legal Services. However, in a special 
victim case, SVIP trial counsel may be detailed upon the CTT's receipt 
of notification of such an allegation.
               intimate partner violence and child abuse
    17. Senator Gillibrand. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General 
Seamands, Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant 
General Rocco, in the last fiscal year, please detail changes to policy 
you have instituted or prevention efforts you have initiated to reduce 
the incidence of intimate partner violence and child abuse?
    Secretary Wilkie. In the past fiscal year, in addition to ongoing 
prevention and oversight efforts, the Department revised Family 
Advocacy Program (FAP) policy and program standards to incorporate 
changes to reporting procedures for allegations of child abuse and 
neglect in military families and homes in accordance with ``Talia's 
Law,'' Public Law 114-328, section 575, and section 20341 of title 34, 
United States Code. The Department also updated its policy guidance on 
addressing domestic abuse and intimate partner violence to include the 
requirement to share any active Military Protective Order with civilian 
law enforcement. We are also in the process of adding the requirement 
for FAP clinicians to use the evidence-based Intimate Partner Physical 
Injury Risk Assessment Tool to evaluate risk of future intimate partner 
violence and physical injury. In collaboration with the Services, the 
Department developed and launched two major public awareness campaigns 
on how to detect warning signs of domestic and intimate partner abuse, 
prevent child abuse/neglect, and promote healthy relationships. 
Further, we offer service provider training specific to the 
identification of and response to child abuse and neglect and domestic 
and intimate partner abuse.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The Army recently sent guidance to 
installations to incorporate Talia's Law (Public Law 114-328, section 
575) into training pertaining to domestic violence and child abuse. 
Additionally, we continue to offer annual Family Advocacy Program 
leader training where staff receive the latest public law, policy, 
prevention, and treatment updates.
    In fiscal year 2017, the Army continued to offer Family life skills 
programs to soldiers and family members to promote healthy 
relationships and reduce and prevent domestic violence and child abuse. 
Army clinicians provide state-of-the-art, evidenced-based treatment, 
which includes cognitive-behavioral, trauma-informed therapy for 
Families, couples, individuals, and groups to prevent, reduce, and 
treat domestic violence and child abuse.
    Vice Admiral Burke. This past year Navy rolled out the High Risk 
for Violence--Coordinated Community Response (HRV-CCR) program, which 
formalizes and standardizes procedures for monitoring risk in child and 
spouse abuse cases. HRV-CCR is activated when there is a threat of 
immediate and serious harm to sailors, family members, or intimate 
partners. HRV-CCR provides a coordinated community response to reduce 
family violence, by protecting and assisting actual or alleged victims 
of domestic or child abuse. We are also piloting the One Love 
prevention model, which focuses on promoting healthy relationships and 
recognizing the signs of escalating violence in relationships. This 
program provides young people with the tools to create a movement that 
decreases risk factors and increases protective resources.
    Lieutenant General Grosso.
    1)  All Air Force clinicians were trained in evidence-based 
interventions that meet the DOD clinical treatment requirements for 
male and female offenders, Change Step (for male offenders) and VISTA 
(for female offenders) respectively.
    2)  Implementation of DOD enterprise-wide Shaken Baby Syndrome/
Abusive Head Trauma prevention program (Period of PURPLE* Crying) 
continues across the Air Force Medical Service with the Air Force 
Family Advocacy Program (FAP) overseeing training for new staff at all 
clinics providing services to expectant families and families with 
young infants.
        *The letters in PURPLE stand for Peak of crying, Unexpected, 
Resists soothing, Pain-like face, Long lasting, and Evening.
    3)  Air Force Family Advocacy Program providers, outreach managers, 
and victim advocates have a high rate of enrollment within the DOD 
funded National Child Traumatic Stress Network Academy of online and 
webinar training including foundational knowledge, alternatives for 
families-cognitive behavioral therapy, 12 core concepts on childhood 
trauma, and the protective factors framework-military.
    4)  Air Force Instruction (AFI) 40-301, Family Advocacy Program, 
Interim Change 1, was published 12 October 2017, which specifically:
         Outlined Family Advocacy Program prevention programs 
and services
         Clarified New Parent Support Program (NPSP) screening 
and referral requirements
         Required Family Advocacy Program treatment 
recommendation of Change Step men's group therapy for adult male 
domestic abuser
         Required use of the Intimate Partner Physical Injury 
Risk Assessment Tool in domestic abuse assessments
         Required use of the Incident Severity Scale for all 
criteria meeting incidents
         Required a Commander's Critical Information 
Requirement for high interest adult sexual assault case situations
         Required using the Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate as a 
Family Advocacy Program first responder whenever possible for prompt 
support to adult victims and non-offending caregivers of child victims
         Clarified guidance for managing child safety and 
utilizing emergency placement care in overseas locations
    5)  Family Advocacy Program Prevention, in partnership with 
research consultants, developed and piloted Skills, Strengths, 
Techniques, and Resources (SSTaR) at selected installations. The 
program targets both decreased likelihood of a new incident, and 
support of alleged offenders in first steps toward readiness for 
change. Training of Family Advocacy Program prevention staff on the 
SSTaR intervention was completed and the program implemented in 2017.
    6)  Training of prevention outreach managers on new evidence-based 
couple communication (PREP 8.0).
    7)  Strength in Home--Reviewed evidence-based program targeting 
veterans and military couples on impact of trauma on couple 
relationships; program supports relationship and prevention of partner 
violence. Program implementation scheduled for 2018.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. The Marines Corps initiated the joint 
Safe Sleep Campaign with the Department of the Navy in fiscal year 
2017; the campaign launched November 2017. This campaign targets child 
abuse and neglect prevention to expectant parents and parents with 
children under one year of age who are most at risk for accidental 
death due to unsafe sleep practices.

    18. Senator Gillibrand. Secretary Wilkie, Lieutenant General 
Seamands, Vice Admiral Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant 
General Rocco, does every servicemember receive training on recognizing 
the signs of child abuse?
    Secretary Wilkie. Family Advocacy Program (FAP) policy requires 
that training on the prevention of, and response to, child abuse and 
neglect and domestic abuse must be provided to commanders and non-
commissioned officers who are senior enlisted advisors. Military 
Departments implementing FAP policies are permitted to include 
additional training requirements for a broader population beyond 
commanders and senior enlisted advisors, but current DOD policy does 
not require all members to receive training on recognizing the signs of 
child abuse.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. Yes, the Army requires commanders to 
schedule time for soldiers to attend annual awareness briefings 
presented by Family Advocacy personnel on the dynamics of domestic 
violence and child abuse, prevention, and treatment services. The Army 
also requires commanders to be familiar with rehabilitative, 
administrative, and disciplinary processes and procedures related to 
domestic violence and child abuse, and receive mandatory briefings 
designed for unit commanders within 45 days of assuming command.
    Vice Admiral Burke. No, however domestic and child abuse prevention 
training is delivered to the appropriate audience at a periodicity 
determined by the local command. There is no minimum periodicity 
associated with this topic, but commands are encouraged to judiciously 
exercise this flexibility to ensure the right people receive the 
training when appropriate. FAP training includes information on 
policies and procedures, definitions of domestic and child abuse, 
mandatory reporting, the impact on families, and personal 
responsibility. To support this requirement, the Navy has developed a 
domestic violence mobile device application.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. Every airmen is made aware of mandatory 
reporting of domestic violence during Newcomer's Orientation and 
Commander's Calls (as requested). Chains of command are trained by the 
Family Advocacy Program prevention staff to ensure active duty 
personnel are aware of Air Force and joint-base equivalent service 
policy, state law, signs, and reporting protocol on both domestic and 
intimate partner abuse and child maltreatment. In addition, the 
following training and active duty and family awareness activities are 
conducted:
      Frontline supervisors of service members and first 
sergeants training
      Briefing of installation personnel at Commander's Calls
      Information Papers, Posters, Flyers disseminated/posted
      Installation websites and social media
      Special Emphasis Month Training and Installation 
Promotion and Awareness Events (October, Domestic Abuse Prevention), 
(February, Dating Violence Prevention), (April, Child Abuse and Neglect 
Prevention)
      Articles in Base News Publication
    Population training including parenting, New Dads, and prevention 
of Shaken Baby
    Lieutenant General Rocco. Yes. The Marine Corps provides training 
to all marines on child abuse/neglect and domestic abuse through the 
Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training (UMAPIT). 
UMAPIT is required annual training for all marines.

    19. Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Seamands, Vice Admiral 
Burke, Lieutenant General Grosso, and Lieutenant General Rocco, Talia's 
law (Public Law 114-328, section 575) mandates reporting of suspected 
child abuse and neglect in military families to FAP by any individual 
within the chain of command of the member, in addition to more 
traditional mandated reporters such as child care providers and law 
enforcement professionals. Individuals within the chain of command 
could range from an E4 lower level unit supervisor up to an O10 
combatant commander. Describe the training your service is providing to 
these members of the chain of command to comply with this law. Please 
provide a copy of any presentation used in such trainings.
    Lieutenant General Seamands. The Army sent guidance to 
installations to incorporate Talia's Law in training pertaining to 
domestic violence and child abuse. As an example, I am including a copy 
of Fort Hood's briefing presentation on Talia's Law.
    Army policy requires installation Family Advocacy Program managers 
to brief each unit commander and his or her senior enlisted adviser on 
the Family Advocacy Program within 45 days prior to or following 
assumption of command. The briefing includes policies and procedures, 
reporting requirements, available prevention and treatment services, 
and commander responsibilities for identifying, reporting, and 
participating in prevention and treatment efforts.
    Vice Admiral Burke. Navy policy requires DON personnel to report 
any incident or suspected incident of child abuse involving persons 
eligible for FAP services to the local FAP. Navy FAP conducts training 
activities to inform commanders, senior enlisted advisors, and 
servicemembers. The Navy FAP Educators Resource Guide (see attached 
Module 1) provides FAP educators and other prevention staff with a 
standardized curriculum that includes current laws, policies, 
procedures and processes.
    Lieutenant General Grosso. The public law is being incorporated 
into AFI 40-301, Family Advocacy Program, Interim Change 2, which is 
currently in draft.
    Members of the chain of command trained on mandated reporting 
annually are:
      Wing Commanders, Vice Wing Commanders, Group Commanders, 
and Command Chief Master Sergeants receive Senior Leader briefings
      New Air Force squadron commanders and first sergeants and 
joint-based equivalent leader's deskside at the squadron or service 
equivalent unit within 90 days of assumed command
      Air Force squadron commanders and first sergeants and 
joint-base equivalent leader additional in-depth annual training 
linking domestic abuse impact to mission readiness
      Frontline Supervisors within squadrons and joint-base 
equivalent units, geographically separated units, Guard and Reserve; 
and offer training or provide information to chaplains and tenant 
units.
    An example copy of the presentation used in the training is 
attached (Please see Attachment 6, starting on page ----). Note: 
Statistical Data are updated for each installation.
    Lieutenant General Rocco. The Marine Corps published MARADMIN 547/
17 on 4 October 2017 to inform all marines and respective personnel of 
the new legislation, reporting requirements, and where to report. The 
MARADMIN is attached. The reporting updates are included in the current 
draft update to Marine Corps Order for the Family Advocacy Program 
1754.11A. Training contents are also in the process of being updated to 
include Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training, New 
Commander 90 Day Training, annual training for Child Youth Program 
staff, and Family Advocacy Staff Training courses.
                        nondeployability policy
    20. Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Wilkie, as you mentioned in your 
testimony, the Department released its new policy on non-deployability 
this week. The policy is very short and leaves many questions 
unanswered. How is DOD instructing the services regarding how to brief 
this new policy to personnel to standardize the tone and spirit of the 
policy?
    Secretary Wilkie. While the policy memo is relatively succinct, we 
are drafting a DOD Instruction in coordination with the Military 
Departments, to ensure consistent policy implementation across the 
Department. This instruction will provide greater detail regarding the 
retention of non-deployable servicemembers, which will clarify many 
areas of concern, including the ability to appeal a determination and 
the establishment of a special category for our servicemembers who were 
wounded in action. I expect this instruction to be published by no 
later than October 2018.

    21. Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Wilkie, please provide, in detail, the 
categories of non-deployability and the number of servicemembers who 
fall into each category. For example, of the estimated 286,000 troops 
that are non-deployable, how many are in that status due to benign 
medical delinquency such as dental or routine immunizations, how many 
are receiving treatment for serious conditions such as cancer, how many 
are receiving mental health treatment, how many are pregnant or 
postpartum, how many are getting medical treatment that has a finite 
period and whether that period is expected to be less than or more than 
12 months, etc.
    Secretary Wilkie. Of the 286,000, nearly one-third simply need to 
complete annual periodic health assessments or dental screening and 
another third consists of servicemembers with temporary profiles that 
limit full duty for routine conditions such as sprained ankles and 
knees. These Service men and women are expected back to full duty. Of 
the remaining population, some are pregnant or in a post-partum status 
and others will process through the Disability Evaluation System. Due 
to National Security considerations, we are not able to provide more 
specific breakouts for the record, but I or my staff would be happy to 
brief you in person.

    22. Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Wilkie, for communities in which DOD 
has invested significant money and training in (such as pilots or those 
with nuclear capabilities), has DOD assessed the danger in losing these 
essential assets in a time when they are in short supply?
    Secretary Wilkie. The Secretaries of the Military Departments 
retain the authority to grant waivers to servicemembers and will 
consider the needs of the Services. The Secretaries of the Military 
Departments will review all waiver requests on a case-by-case basis.

    23. Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Wilkie, have you done an assessment of 
the cost of training that has already been invested in the non-
deployable servicemembers and the cost of training new servicemembers 
in their place?
    Secretary Wilkie. No. Each non-deployable servicemember decreases 
the readiness and lethality of the force. That is why the Secretaries 
of the Military Departments will weigh the needs of each Service when 
making the retention decision.

    24. Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Wilkie, please identify which Military 
Occupational Specialties require a servicemember to be worldwide 
deployable and which do not.
    Secretary Wilkie. Regardless of their Military Occupational 
Specialties, all servicemembers are expected to be worldwide 
deployable; it will be up to the Secretaries of the Military 
Departments to review individual cases and make a determination on 
retention of that individual.

    25. Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Wilkie, since these wars began, DOD and 
the services have worked hard to eliminate stigma attached to seeking 
medical treatment, including mental health assistance. How will DOD 
ensure that this policy does not create a chilling effect, causing 
military personnel to refrain from seeking the medical and mental 
health treatment they need for fear of being determined medically non-
deployable under the policy, thereby threatening their careers and the 
livelihood of their families?
    Secretary Wilkie. The Department is committed to ensuring the 
health and well-being of all servicemembers and that does not change 
with this policy. It is in everyone's best interest to ensure our men 
and women seek and receive medical treatment as quickly as possible to 
ensure proper treatment and timely recovery.

    26. Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Wilkie, are servicemembers who are 
restricted to certain assignments due to their participation in the 
Exceptional Family Member Program subject to the mandates of this 
policy? If so, will this policy create a similar chilling effect on 
that population, encouraging military families not to seek the 
specialized care their family member needs for fear of being 
discharged?
    Secretary Wilkie. Participants in the Exceptional Family Member 
program, and being thus potentially restricted to certain assignments 
when accompanied by dependent family members, does no impact a 
servicemember's deployability and does not put them at risk of 
separation under this policy.

                               Appendix A

[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                               APPENDIX B
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] 
     

                               APPENDIX C

    [The prepared statement of The National Association of 
Chain Drug Stores follows:]

  Prepared Statement by The National Association of Chain Drug Stores
                              introduction
    The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) thanks the 
Subcommittee for the opportunity to submit a statement for the hearing 
on ``Military and Civilian Personnel Programs and Military Family 
Readiness.'' NACDS and the chain pharmacy industry are committed to 
partnering with Congress, the Department of Defense (DOD), and other 
healthcare providers to improve the quality and affordability of 
healthcare services for our Nation's military heroes, retirees, and 
their families.
    NACDS represents traditional drug stores, supermarkets and mass 
merchants with pharmacies. Chains operate 40,000 pharmacies, and NACDS' 
more than 100 chain member companies include regional chains, with a 
minimum of four stores, and national companies. Chains employ more than 
3 million individuals, including 152,000 pharmacists. They fill over 3 
billion prescriptions yearly, and help patients use medicines correctly 
and safely, while offering innovative services that improve patient 
health and healthcare affordability. NACDS members also include more 
than 900 supplier partners and over 70 international members 
representing 20 countries. Please visit nacds.org.
    As the face of neighborhood healthcare, community pharmacies and 
pharmacists provide access to prescription medications and over-the-
counter products, as well as cost-effective health services such as 
immunizations and disease screenings. Through personal interactions 
with patients, face-to-face consultations and convenient access to 
preventive care services, local pharmacists are helping to shape the 
healthcare delivery system of tomorrow--in partnership with doctors, 
nurses, and others. As policies to control spending in the TRICARE 
program are considered, NACDS urges Congress to protect patient health 
and preserve access to local pharmacies.
 implement common sense policies to restore access and reduce costs in 
                      the tricare pharmacy program
    Currently, the Department of Defense (DOD) pays more for acquiring 
certain prescription medications when they are dispensed in the retail 
pharmacy setting as opposed to mail order facilities and military 
treatment facilities (MTF). This disparity in acquisition cost has led 
to misguided policies that steer patients to use mail order or MTFs to 
obtain their prescriptions, instead of their local, trusted pharmacy. 
These policies include:
      increasing copayments on an almost annual basis, 
including in the most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 
\1\, and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018--Sec. 
702: Modifications of Cost Sharing Requirements for the TRICARE 
Pharmacy Benefits Program and Treatment of Certain Pharmaceutical 
Agents.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      requiring beneficiaries to obtain non-generic maintenance 
medications at an MTF or through mail order. \2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015--Sec. 
702: Modifications of Cost-Sharing and Other Requirements for the 
TRICARE Pharmacy Benefits Program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    These policies restrict patient access and have had the unintended 
consequence of reducing medication adherence and shifting costs to 
other federal programs. Failure to take medications as prescribed costs 
the U.S. health system $290 billion annually, or 13 percent of total 
health expenditures. \3\ It has been established that higher copayments 
cause some chronically ill beneficiaries to stop taking their 
medications, resulting in more doctor visits and hospitalizations. In 
2012, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a report which 
revised its methodology for scoring proposals related to prescription 
drug use and found that for each one percent increase in the number of 
prescriptions filled by beneficiaries there is a corresponding decrease 
in overall medical spending. \4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ New England Healthcare Institute. ``Thinking outside the 
pillbox: a system-wide approach to improving patient medication 
adherence for chronic disease.'' New England Health Care Institute 
(2009).
    \4\ Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Offsetting Effects of 
Prescription Drug Use on Medicare's Spending for Medical Services, 
November 2013(https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/112th-congress-
2011-2012/reports/MedicalOffsets_One-col.pdf)
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    In the TRICARE program, the costs are generally shifted to the 
Medicare program. For example, in reviewing the Senate version of the 
Fiscal Year 2016 NDAA, the CBO found that copay increases would result 
in an increase of over $1 billion in other federal spending for medical 
services, particularly in Medicare. \5\ The CBO stated:
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    \5\ Congressional Budget Office. Cost Estimate: S. 1376 National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016. June 3, 2015 (https://
www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/costestimate/
s13761.pdf)
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    Thus, while the higher copayments may deter some beneficiaries from 
filling prescriptions they no longer need or use, those higher 
copayments also could cause some chronically ill beneficiaries to stop 
taking their medications, resulting in more doctor visits and 
hospitalizations. As a result, CBO estimates that the $4.9 billion in 
direct pharmacy savings would be offset by a $1.1 billion increase in 
other federal spending for medical services (mostly from Medicare). \6\
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    \6\ Ibid.
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    CBO found similar results for the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 
2017 NDAA, which again included pharmacy copay increases. \7\
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    \7\ Congressional Budget Office. Cost Estimate: S. 2943 National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. June 10, 2016 (https://
www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/costestimate/
s2943.pdf)
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    Eliminating the current purchasing cost disparity would eliminate 
the need for DOD to steer patients to either an MTF or mail order. This 
would provide cost savings to DOD in the form of reduced purchasing 
costs and lower administrative costs. Currently, DOD pays a much higher 
dispensing fee for medications dispensed through mail order. Moreover, 
this would minimize cost shifts to the Medicare program. Most 
importantly, this would benefit TRICARE beneficiaries through:
      more choice in obtaining prescription medications,
      improved access to pharmacist care (for many, distant 
MTFs may not be a viable option), and
      greater stability with less pressure for continued 
increases in cost sharing/copays.
    To implement this cost-saving change, and consistent with the 
commitment made by the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel 
and Readiness, \8\ we ask members of the Committee to urge DOD to 
convene a working group that includes key stakeholders from the DOD, 
the pharmaceutical manufacturing community, and the retail pharmacy 
industry. The purpose of the working group would be to design a program 
that allows TRICARE beneficiaries and their family members to access 
brand maintenance medications at retail pharmacies, as they presently 
may at military treatment facilities and through mail order, while 
enabling the government to realize cost parity, and where feasible, 
opportunities for cost savings.
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    \8\ December 20, 2017 letter from Admiral Kurta to Senator Rounds, 
committing to convene and chair a working group of stakeholders to 
``explore opportunities to achieve the stated goal of maximizing point-
of-service options for TRICARE beneficiaries and their families while 
generating cost-saving opportunities for the government.''
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    To maximize the impact of the working group, we ask that it would 
convene no later than March 2018 and present its findings no later than 
6 months after convening, with an interim status briefing being 
provided to the Armed Services Committees 3 months after first 
convening.
                               conclusion
    Thank you for the opportunity to share our views. We look forward 
to working with you on policies that control costs and preserve access 
to local pharmacies.

                                 [all]