    [Senate Hearing 116-]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

           DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021

                                  ----------

                            WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2020

                                           U.S. Senate,
               Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., in room SD-138, Dirksen
    Senate Office Building, Hon. Richard Shelby (chairman)
    presiding.
        Present: Senators Shelby, Hoeven, Boozman, Durbin, Leahy,
    Tester, and Baldwin.

                             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

                        National Guard and Reserve

    STATEMENT OF GENERAL JOSEPH L. LENGYEL, CHIEF, NATIONAL
                GUARD BUREAU

                 opening statement of senator richard c. shelby

        Senator Shelby. The subcommittee will come to order. I am
    pleased, this morning, to welcome our distinguished panel to
    consider the President's budget requests for the National Guard
    and Reserve Components in fiscal year 2021.
        Today, the committee will hear from, begin with General
    Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Lieutenant
    General Charles Luckey, Chief of the Army Reserve, Lieutenant
    General Richard Scobee, Chief of the Air Force Reserve, Vice
    Admiral Luke McCollum, Chief of the Navy Reserve, and
    Lieutenant General David Bellon, Commander of Marine Corps
    Forces Reserve. I thank all of you for appearing today.
        Your written testimony will be made part of the record in
    its entirety. I would forgo an opening statement because I said
    a few minutes ago we have got votes scheduled at 10:30 a.m.
    That means we will probably have to leave here by 10:45 a.m.
    and we don't know what will happen if we have to come back--we
    will, but General, we will start with you.
        [The statement follows:]
                Prepared Statement of Senator Richard C. Shelby
        Good morning, the Subcommittee will come to order.
        I am pleased to welcome our distinguished panel to consider the
    President's budget requests for the National Guard and Reserve
    Components in fiscal year 2021.
        Today the committee will hear from General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of
    the National Guard Bureau; Lieutenant General Charles Luckey, Chief of
    the Army Reserve; Lieutenant General Richard Scobee, Chief of the Air
    Force Reserve; Vice Admiral Luke McCollum, Chief of the Navy Reserve,
    and; Lieutenant General David Bellon, Commander of Marine Corps Forces
    Reserve.
        Thank you for appearing today, and thank you for your service.
        Our Nation's guard and reserve components contribute important
    capability and capacity to our Nation's total military force.
        They participate in joint training exercises, execute missions with
    partner nations, and deploy around the globe in support of combat
    operation.
        They also provide critical support to our Nation during domestic
    emergencies including floods, winter storms, as well as hurricane and
    wild fire response operations.
        In order for them to continue to be successful, they must be
    sufficiently manned, trained and equipped--and that requires the timely
    execution of appropriated funds.
        As we consider the request for resources for fiscal year 2021, we
    look forward to hearing updates on the overall modernization of our
    forces as the Department of Defense has shifted to prepare, deter, and
    if necessary, fight a future conflict against a near peer adversary.
        We also very much appreciate the men and women that make up our
    reserve components; understanding that they serve our Nation by
    remaining ready to put their lives on hold.
        Whether they are called to mobilize, voluntarily deploy, or
    transition to full time support--they represent the very best of us.
        To that end, we understand that these men and women have been
    called upon regularly for both disaster response and to attend to our
    Nation's borders and look forward to an update on that work as well.
        Now, before I turn to the Vice Chairman I have two items I want to
    mention.
        First, I want to recognize one of today's witnesses--Lieutenant
    General Luckey. Sir, I understand that you will soon be retiring after
    decades of service.
        I want to take this opportunity thank you for your many years of
    hard work and sacrifice. Your country is grateful, and I wish you well
    going forward.
        I also want to congratulate the Navy Reserve, which celebrated 105
    years yesterday; that is quite an accomplishment.

                 SUMMARY STATEMENT OF GENERAL JOSEPH L. LENGYEL

        General Lengyel. Chairman Shelby, thank you very much.
    Mindful of the time, I will summarize my opening statement and
    ask that it be submitted for the record.
        Senator Shelby. Without objection, it is so ordered.
        General Lengyel. I would like to just thank the members of
    this committee for their continued support of the National
    Guard. The great things that you do for us such as the National
    Guard Reserve Equipment Account that made us a more lethal,
    more ready, more valued part of our United States Army and
    United States Air Force.
        Myself and Command Sergeant Major are here today to
    represent the 450,000 men and women of the National Guard, and
    we are honored to do that. We want to thank their families and
    their employers, without their support we could not do our
    jobs. We are a 21st Century National Guard. We do three things
    for our Nation. We do the war fighting, which today we have
    30,000 men and women deployed around the world and every
    combatant command on every continent. We have 10,000 on duty in
    the homeland doing things for Homeland defense, Homeland
    Security, and domestic operations, and we continue to do that
    every day. And we build partnerships not just at home, not just
    in our States, not just with our communities, but with 84
    nations around the world today.
        So I thank this committee for what they do for us to make
    us a valued part of United States Army, the United States Air
    Force. And now, as a Reserve Component, we now support the
    United States Space Force. And for 25 years, we have been in
    the space mission as part of the United States Air Force, and I
    look forward to the day when we can create a component that is
    part of the United States Space Force called the Space National
    Guard.
        And with that, sir, I will end my remarks, and thank you
    very much for having me here today, and I look forward to your
    questions.
        [The statement follows:]
                Prepared Statement of General Joseph L. Lengyel
                             cngb executive summary
        Today's National Guard plays a vital role in the security and
    welfare of our Nation. On any given day, approximately 30,000 Guardsmen
    carry out Federal missions around the world, and an additional 10,000
    Guardsmen conduct State and Federal missions within the United States
    and its territories. National Guardsmen are part of an operational
    force nearly 450,000 strong that provides strategic depth to our
    Nation's Army and Air Force.
        The National Guard brings unique relationships, authorities, and
    flexibility to the Joint Force. Due to the complex global security
    environment marked by rapid technological change, these attributes are
    instrumental in implementing the Department of Defense's (DoD) National
    Defense Strategy (NDS). The National Guard directly supports the three
    tenets of the NDS: building a lethal force ready for any fight,
    strengthening alliances and seeking new partnerships, and reforming to
    improve performance and affordability.
        The National Guard also represents a tremendous value to the
    American taxpayer. Personnel costs for our citizen-soldiers and
    citizen-airmen are significantly lower, when not activated, than our
    Active Duty counterparts. We are a force that allows for the rapid
    expansion of the Army and the Air Force. When we are not activated, we
    offset risk in capacity, allowing for modernization and
    recapitalization that benefits the Active, National Guard, and Reserve
    forces. We are the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force.
    Furthermore, National Guardsmen leverage civilian skill sets in a
    military capacity, and conversely bring military training and knowledge
    to civilian communities.
        As the Joint Force faces increasing demands in all corners of the
    globe, and with the ever- present threat of natural disasters and other
    unforeseen events taking place within our borders, the National Guard
    supports the NDS and serves the American people at home through three
    core missions: Warfight, Homeland, and Partnerships.
                                    warfight
        The warfight is a primary mission and at the heart of everything
    the National Guard does. Being ready to fight and win America's wars
    drives our training, our equipment and maintenance requirements, and
    our recruitment efforts. While we are able to use our training and
    equipment for State missions and DoD mission support, we provide ready
    forces to Combatant Commanders.
        Our current threat environment requires the National Guard to be
    prepared for complex, global operations in the most demanding
    conditions. With the rise of China and Russia, we have shifted our
    focus from counterinsurgency operations to great power competition.
    China and Russia are undermining the international order through
    various means, exploiting all domains to change the character of
    warfare. We remain poised to surge to augment the Joint Force for
    national security threats from Iran, North Korea, and non-State violent
    extremists.
        The changing and global nature of threats shapes the warfight, and
    the National Guard is evolving rapidly to meet new demands. We are the
    principal combat reserve of the Army and Air Force, making up 20
    percent of the entire Joint Force providing strategic depth in support
    of combatant commands. Since 9/11, more than a million Guardsmen have
    mobilized and deployed; many have deployed multiple times. While the
    model of one weekend a month and two weeks a year provides the
    foundation of readiness across the National Guard, dynamic employment
    and global operations will require more of our service members than
    ever before. In order to fully leverage readiness that lives in the
    National Guard and to empower our Guard men and women, mobilization
    requirements need to be predictable. This structure, predictable in
    time but geographically agile, will afford the DoD greater flexibility
    during this period of great power competition.
        This flexibility in employment also requires an enterprise approach
    to modernization of the Total Force in order to remain deployable,
    sustainable, and interoperable with the Active Components. The Guard
    requires parity in our training, facilities and equipment. There is
    only one standard for readiness, and there should be only the highest
    standard for our equipment. Without parity, we cannot integrate with
    the Active Components; if we cannot integrate, we cannot be the lethal
    force necessary to help deter, fight, and win America's wars. Training,
    facilities, and equipment must strive for parity to keep our Guardsmen
    interoperable and our country competitive.
        A prime example of a fiscal year 2019 action that supports National
    Guard parity is the arrival of F-35s to the Vermont Air National Guard.
    The presence of this cutting edge capability within the National Guard
    demonstrates a new commitment to the recapitalization and modernization
    necessary to ensure Guard readiness and interoperability.
                                    homeland
        The National Guard serves a dual State and Federal role within our
    borders. Guardsmen can be found in nearly every county of the United
    States, and this proximity allows us to respond quickly to any threat
    that endangers our homeland. Our skills, developed for and honed
    through the warfight, can play an important part in a unified response
    during domestic emergencies, and allow Guardsmen to assist first
    responders in times of crises.
        The United States strives to never let the fight reach our borders.
    However, the reality of today's security environment makes clear our
    homeland is no longer a sanctuary. Cyber threats and new weapons'
    technology extend the reach of our adversaries.
        National Guard Missile Defenders in places such as Fort Greely,
    Alaska, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, and Vandenberg Air Force
    Base, California, protect our homeland and stand ready to support DoD's
    efforts to adapt to the challenge of advancing missile threats that can
    reach our shores. The National Guard plays a critical role in our DoD's
    cyber enterprise and are a valuable resource to the States. More than
    3,900 Soldiers and Airmen make up the Guard's cyber force. On a routine
    basis, these professionals directly support the U.S. Cyber Command's
    Cyber Mission Forces (CMF) construct. Additionally, our National Guard
    cyber teams, at the direction of their States, used their expertise to
    respond to ransomware attacks in Texas, Louisiana, California,
    Colorado, and Montana.
        National Guard cyber support to State and local municipalities in
    2019 are an indication of the future cyber environment; and our actions
    demonstrate both the effectiveness and value of the Guard's cyber
    capabilities.
        The National Guard is often at its most visible in American
    communities in the aftermath of natural disasters, and 2019 was no
    exception. The National Guard responded to snowstorms, wildfires, and
    floods, and provided full-spectrum recovery and support to all those
    affected by Hurricane Dorian. Our collaboration with State, local, and
    Federal (including military) entities helps the National Guard respond
    quickly and effectively in times of disaster. In addition, we are
    constantly training and are ready to respond to incidents in the
    homeland, whether natural or man-made. We are America's military first
    responders in times of disaster.
        The National Guard also provides support to civilian law
    enforcement agencies through DoD's National Guard Counterdrug Program.
    Through this program, the National Guard has provided support to more
    than 300 Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial civilian law
    enforcement agencies across all 54 States and territories for more than
    30 years. While Guardsmen do not conduct law enforcement missions, they
    provide expertise such as analysis support, communications, and
    linguist services to law enforcement entities. This helps law
    enforcement combat cartels, positively reach at-risk youth, and seize
    billions of dollars in illegal narcotics. This program is another way
    the National Guard is making a difference in the homeland.
                                  partnerships
        The National Guard is unique in the depth and breadth of its
    relationships. Whether its security cooperation activities with
    international partners or emergency response coordination with State
    and local governments, or collaborating within the Federal interagency
    process, these relationships strengthen alliances and partnerships.
        Partnerships are vital to our military strength and success. Every
    day, our allies and partners join us in deterring war and preserving a
    free and open international order. By working together with our allies
    and partners, we share the burdens and responsibility for our common
    defense.
        These relationships also offer unique perspectives and positions
    that help us understand and access critical regions of the globe.
        When building alliances with foreign nations, the National Guard's
    State Partnership Program (SPP) is one of the premier security
    cooperation initiatives within DoD. The SPP is a scalable and tailored
    approach to security cooperation that formally links a State's National
    Guard with the armed forces of a partner country. The National Guard
    consults and coordinates with combatant commanders, U.S. Embassies and
    their country teams, and host nations to understand the full range of
    issues they face. SPP events are led by respective State adjutants
    general who seek engagements on a broad array of interests that are
    beneficial to both nations.
        Today, 84 countries around the world are partnered with the
    National Guard through this program. Through the SPP, we do more than
    conduct military-to-military engagements; we leverage whole-of-society
    relationships and capabilities. These partnerships also help us counter
    malign influence, support combat and security operations deployments,
    and assist with disaster response. Given the benefits of this program,
    consistent funding is critical to the continued success of the SPP, and
    the long-term advancements of our national security interests.
        Owing to our role as State-controlled militias, the National Guard
    inherently has close relationships with State and local agencies and
    officials. Our skills and abilities developed for the warfight--
    including manpower, training, leadership, organization, logistics and
    communications--augment Governors' and community partners' emergency
    response strategies, ultimately responding to the needs of Americans in
    the homeland.
                  three priorities for the future of the guard
        Today's National Guard is the finest in its history. However, we
    must not become complacent and must continue to evolve for the threats
    ahead. We will be responsive to global trends and prepare for the
    challenges of the future by committing to three priorities: readiness,
    people, and innovation.
    Priority #1: Readiness
        Guard Soldiers and Airmen support DoD missions across every
    geographic combatant command and respond to disasters in communities
    across the Nation. As an operational force, we provide strategic depth
    to the Army and Air Force. We must remain interoperable in light of
    increasing global demands, train and equip our Guardsmen, and maintain
    our facilities to this standard.
        The National Guard needs functional facilities to accomplish
    critical domestic response and warfight missions. We cannot be ready
    for the challenges of the future with yesterday's training, equipment,
    or facilities. Like the need for cutting edge equipment, our Soldiers
    and Airmen deserve the best facilities while serving our communities or
    preparing for overseas operations.
        The Army National Guard (ARNG) is committed to generating forces
    that are both warfighting- capable and governor-responsive. Combatant
    Commanders depend upon ARNG Soldiers during every phase of conflict
    abroad and governors depend upon them during emergencies at home.
        In fiscal year 2019, the ARNG contributed to missions in
    Afghanistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Ukraine, Kosovo, Eastern Europe,
    the Horn of Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. ARNG units also conducted
    vital, multinational exercises and performed more than 2 million duty
    days while assisting communities during devastating hurricanes, floods,
    winter storms and wildfires.
        In its Federal role, the ARNG's primary task is to generate combat-
    ready forces for the U.S. Army and the Joint Force. The Army designates
    select ARNG formations as Army Response Forces (ARF) that are available
    to rapidly deploy and conduct contingency operations.
        Additionally, four ARNG brigade combat teams and enablers will
    complete decisive-action training rotations at the Army's premier
    combat training centers. The ARNG's primary focus in fiscal year 2020
    is to sustain gains in recruiting and address challenges in retention
    that threaten readiness. All of these activities will be overlaid with
    deployments and exercises for tens of thousands of our Citizen-Soldiers
    around the world.
        Given this level of activity, ARNG leaders are managing the
    cumulative impacts of training and operations to ensure we keep faith
    with Families and civilian employers. Doing so is essential to support
    the people who underwrite our Soldiers' service year after year.
        The Air National Guard (ANG) commitment to readiness provides our
    Nation and Air Force with significant flexibility. After more than two
    decades as a proven operational force, the ANG has become a critical
    component to the Nation's strategic deterrence, operational capability,
    and first-in capability. Furthermore, the ANG possesses strategic
    capacity across each of the Air Force Core Competencies: Air and Space
    Superiority; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; Rapid
    Global Mobility; Global Strike; and Command and Control.
        In fiscal year 2019, the men and women of the Air National Guard
    supported 14,692 deployments to 52 countries and on any given day,
    there are more than 5,000 Guard Airmen serving around the world in
    support of the combatant commands.
        The Air National Guard's focus on readiness assures dominance in
    air, space, and cyberspace. We do so by preparing 21st century Air
    Guardsmen for today's fight, while building for tomorrow's fight. Our
    objective is to provide our Nation with an operational and lethal force
    with rapid response capability, which is fully interoperable with the
    United States Air Force and the Joint Force, and able to deter
    aggressors and defeat threats to our national interest.
        In addition, the National Guard remains a valued and loyal partner
    to our national security space enterprise. Our National Guard space
    units ensure we dominate that domain as it gains prominence in warfare.
    Since the United States Space Force was formally established by the
    December 20, 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, the National
    Guard has supported and will continue to support the newest military
    service. Specifically, the National Guard supplies the Department of
    Defense 100 percent of its unit-equipped, surge-to-war operational
    reserve component space force structure. To date, the National Guard
    provides 40 percent of the operational expeditionary space electronic
    warfare capabilities in the Space Force, and is rapidly growing to 60
    percent with the addition of two squadrons in Guam and Hawaii.
        Furthermore, the National Guard retains decades of space-related
    depth and expertise. For example, every day the space professionals at
    Clear Air Force Station Alaska monitor missile threats in the Pacific,
    and National Guard space intelligence experts in Ohio monitor space
    threats. Most recently, space electronic warfare units from California
    and Florida returned from overseas deployments that were critical to
    combatant command success. For the future success of our newest
    service, it is vital the National Guard's expertise and capabilities
    continue to be available to the Space Force enterprise.
        Readiness requires that our leaders remain focused on the mission
    and empower our men and women to reach our objectives.
    Priority #2: People, Families, and Employers
        No one who puts on a uniform serves alone. This is particularly
    true in the National Guard, where our Guardsmen balance service with
    civilian careers. We strive to balance the needs of both our drilling
    and full-time Guardsmen with the demands of the mission, and provide
    support to the families of our service men and women.
        Our Guardsmen come from communities all across the country,
    bringing with them diverse cultures, experiences, and skills. Our
    National Guard culture values diversity and inclusion, which are
    fundamental to organizational readiness and help us reach and maintain
    the highest standards. We are at our best when we reflect the
    communities we serve.
        To build for the future, we must recruit people with the right
    skills and experience. That is why focusing on active duty service
    members who are transitioning to civilian life is a critical piece to
    our recruitment. We want to ensure we capture the talent and skills of
    these service members and show them the benefits of continued service
    to their country. We must recruit the very best men and women,
    therefore we must also have competitive incentives--such as education
    benefits. We must share our story, our history, our legacy.
        We also have a responsibility to support the Guardsmen in our
    ranks. We are emphasizing mental health and resilience for our Soldiers
    and Airmen through the Suicide Prevention and Readiness Initiative,
    which helps Guard units identify risk factors and effective
    intervention techniques. Through the Warrior Resilience and Fitness
    Innovation Incubator, the National Guard is also taking a grassroots
    approach to find ways to address mental health crises at a local level.
        To support our Guard members' families, we provide family readiness
    programs, employment assistance programs, and ensure that families know
    where to turn if they need help. Family programs not only benefit
    service members and their families, but also have a positive effect on
    a unit's morale and readiness.
    Priority #3: Innovation
        We have a responsibility to improve the National Guard--to leave it
    better than we found it, so we can be ready for the challenges of the
    future. Innovation--whether in business processes, technology,
    partnerships, or culture--is in our DNA. We must constantly look
    forward, educating and empowering our Guardsmen to implement innovative
    measures.
        Technology has radically shaped our lives, and it has radically
    reshaped our national defense. Success no longer goes to the country
    that develops a new technology first--it goes to the country that
    adapts its way of fighting fastest. The National Guard continues to be
    a catalyst for DoD's technological initiatives, including artificial
    intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, ``big data,'' and advanced
    computing.
                                   conclusion
        The National Guard traces its lineage back 383 years. In that time,
    we have fought in every American war, responded to our countrymen in
    need, and developed partnerships that have strengthened our national
    defense. However, we are just getting started. With the incredible
    skills and talents of our men and women, we are ready for today and
    building for the future.
        We will undoubtedly face new challenges, but our values, our
    vision, and our willingness to fight and secure our Nation runs deep.
    Today and tomorrow, the National Guard is Always Ready, Always There.

        Senator Shelby. General.
    STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL CHARLES D. LUCKEY,
                CHIEF, ARMY RESERVE
        General Luckey. Chairman, thank you as well, and as Joe
    Lengyel did, I will do the same. I will summarize my remarks. I
    want to first, if I would, just note that this is my last time
    before you, sir, in this forum. I think it is also General
    Lengyel's and I want to thank General Lengyel for the
    collaboration and cooperation for his service as well.
        Senator Shelby. How many years----
        General Luckey. For me--this is 43 years old. I am maybe
    one of the more seasoned Generals in the Army, I don't know,
    but I just say mature but----
        [Laughter.]
        General Luckey. Chairman, I just want to thank you, I want
    to thank this entire committee for the support that it has
    given to the 200,000 soldiers in America's Army Reserve, and
    civilians for their families and for the employers. I will talk
    about that briefly here in a second.
        Over the last 3 years, three and a half years I have been
    in command, the support that we have received from you, from
    this committee to make sure we continue to be able to modernize
    and ensure the interoperability of America's Army Reserve of
    the Total Force has been reassuring and significant. As you all
    know, about 35 percent, maybe a little more than that of our
    procurement inside the Army Reserves comes out of the degree of
    funding that this committee and the House provides, and I
    appreciate, as I have said now, for the last 4 years, the
    support we have received in that regard.
        I will just leave it at this, leaving command of this
    formation here in a few months, I just, I want to thank you, I
    want to thank the entire United States Senate for the
    opportunity to serve in this capacity as the Commander of
    America's Army Reserve. It has been the honor of a lifetime. I
    am so proud of this team. What this team has done in terms of
    driving readiness in an environment where as you well know,
    chairman, is critical that while we maintain the readiness that
    gives a relevance to the Army Reserve, we also aren't so ready
    that we can't keep good and meaningful civilian jobs and
    healthy, sustaining family lives.
        And so for the families out there supporting America's Army
    Reserve through their soldiers and all those employers that
    share the best talent in the world with me as the Commander of
    this team spread across 20 time zones, I just want to say
    thanks. Thanks to the Nation. Thanks to all of them for
    everything they have done to support this team as we built the
    most capable combat-ready and lethal Federal Reserve Force in
    the history of the United States of America. I appreciate and
    look forward to your question, sir.
        [The statement follows:]
           Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General Charles D. Luckey
                            america's army reserve:
                         leadership. energy. execution.
        The increasingly complex and volatile global security environment,
    the changing character of warfare, and the rapid advance of technology
    continue to demand increased readiness and capability to deter and, if
    necessary, defeat aggression. As the dedicated Federal reserve of the
    Army, America's Army Reserve--its units-of-action and individual
    Soldiers--must be ready to mobilize, deploy, fight and win as an
    integrated part of the Army team anywhere in the World. More to the
    point, it must do so quickly.
        Over a long history of wars and contingency operations, as well as
    domestic emergencies, the Soldiers of America's Army Reserve have never
    failed to answer the Nation's call, evolving from a small corps of
    medical professionals to what is today a global operational reserve
    force. Over the past several years, the Army Reserve initiated a major
    shift in posture--away from a rotational model to a force with
    sustained levels of readiness and a renewed emphasis on the field craft
    necessary to deploy, fight and win against peer threats. Today, we
    continue to build and sustain the most capable, combat-ready and lethal
    Federal Reserve force in the history of the Nation. It is a large
    undertaking. As a community-based force with a presence in all 50
    States, five U.S. territories and 30 countries, America's Army Reserve
    spans the globe with over 200,000 Soldiers and Civilian employees and
    2,000+ units in twenty different time zones. It comprises nearly 20
    percent of the Army's organized units and over a quarter of its
    mobilization base-expansion capacity. As a unique set of enabling
    capabilities, the Army Reserve provides half of the Army's maneuver
    support and sustainment formations, including medical, fuel
    distribution, civil affairs, logistics, and transportation units. Put
    simply, America's Army Reserve supports U.S. national security
    interests by providing key and essential capabilities that the Total
    Army and the Joint Force need to dominate on the battlefield during the
    opening days of conflict. Nested within the Army's priorities of
    Readiness, Modernization and Reform, our supporting lines-of-effort are
    to:

      --Build and sustain an increasingly capable, combat-ready and lethal
            force ready to deploy, fight and win.
      --Continue to garner and sustain the support of our Soldiers'
            Employers and Families as they work to maintain balance in
            their lives.
      --Anticipate change as we shape and scope the Future Force, and
            leverage our unique and pervasive connections with the Nation's
            private sector.
        The challenges of building and fielding such an array of ready and
    lethal capabilities from the ranks of a largely part-time team is no
    small task. However, the diversity and efficiency of the force is also
    its strength. Leveraging a dispersed and dynamic phalanx of Soldiers
    and leaders with civilian-acquired or retained skills from over 140
    different career fields, America's Army Reserve brings the brains and
    brawn of the Nation to bear for the Army and the Joint Warfighter--when
    needed.
        This effort requires a balance of pragmatism, operational drive and
    focus, and a strategic perspective on the tough business of driving
    deep and abiding cultural change. Shifting our orientation from
    predictable, rotational and episodic readiness and employment, to
    large-scale and short-notice combat operations against a peer threat
    demands a dramatic change in our mindset and perspective. At its core,
    only inspired leadership at echelon--combined with boundless energy and
    a pervasive commitment to embrace and deliver the warrior ethos within
    the context of existential warfare--will harden this team's resolve and
    hone the decisive edge. This is the work that we are about.
                                  people first
        Our dynamic requirement remains straightforward, but tough: This
    team needs to be ready enough to be relevant, but not so ready that our
    Soldiers cannot maintain good, meaningful civilian jobs and healthy,
    sustaining family lives. This challenge is exacerbated by the simple
    fact that we must recruit and retain our ranks where Soldiers live and
    work, and anticipate emerging demographics by moving force structure to
    not only where talent resides today, but where it will be tomorrow.
    This process demands agility, synchronization and integrated planning.
    It also relies, without exception, upon the enduring support of
    thousands of Employers across America as well as our Soldiers'
    Families.
        Put simply, this part-time force would not be possible without the
    support of civilian Employers around the globe. They are our essential
    partners in National Security--sharing the best talent in the World--as
    they continue the commitment and sacrifice which allows Soldiers to
    serve the Nation while maintaining rewarding civilian employment.
    America owes those employers, who are willing to trade a short-term
    inconvenience or disruption to the ``bottom line'' in ex- change for a
    more secure common future, a deep appreciation for sharing their
    workplace talent with America's Army Reserve.
        As with employers, nothing would be possible for an all-volunteer
    force unless our Families continued to stay on the team. There is no
    doubt that the Army depends on its Families to support its Soldiers and
    to share them with us. This is doubly true in the Reserve Component
    where many weekends and training days are consumed in what would
    otherwise likely be ``family time'' for our Active Component brothers
    and sisters. Accordingly, the Army Reserve relies heavily on our
    Families, and the communities that support them, as we partner with a
    broad range of organizations and employers who support our military
    families.
        To that end, America's Army Reserve is pressing hard to leverage
    new technologies and opportunities to better communicate with our
    entire Army Reserve family. We are now fielding a new ``smart phone
    friendly'' application that enables our Families to self-organize and
    provide mutual support where they live and work at the zip code level
    without regard to their Soldier's specific unit-of-assignment or chain-
    of-command. This Double Eagle mobile application (app) is also designed
    to help leaders maintain contact with Soldiers during the periods
    between battle assemblies, as well as conjure supporting resources for
    Soldiers and family members who may be in crisis. As a command insight
    tool, the app creates a broadly expanded level of access and
    connectivity, propagating the penetration-at-echelon of timely and
    relevant information and key aspects of commander's intent. Across our
    dispersed battle-space, it will increase our Soldiers' bond as a team
    while offering their Families similar opportunities as a critical
    partner in this undertaking. Finally, working in close coordination
    with U.S. Army Recruiting Command, the app will be optimized to support
    the Total Army in identifying potential recruits for the team by
    leveraging the entire end-strength of America's Army Reserve as real-
    time recruiters, living and working across America and scouting talent
    for the Nation.
          building the most capable, combat-ready and lethal federal
                   reserve force in the history of the nation
        In preparing to meet the challenges of this new and evolving threat
    paradigm, your Army Reserve is training, organizing and posturing
    itself to be able to respond on short notice to identify early-
    deploying formations, aggregate additional capabilities and move
    quickly to accomplish post-mobilization training tasks in order to meet
    the Warfighter's time-sensitive requirements. This construct, Ready
    Force X (RFX), is the way in which we focus energy, optimize processes
    and prioritize resourcing to deliver capabilities at the speed of
    relevance for a major war. Early- deploying RFX units and capabilities
    need to be able to move quickly--in some cases in days or weeks--in
    order to support the Joint Force in any significant conflict or
    demonstration of national resolve. We do not call this ``fight
    tonight'' readiness; we call it ``fight fast'' capability. From a
    cultural perspective, RFX requires each Soldier, at the individual
    level, to embrace the ethos of personal readiness. While many aspects
    of collective readiness at the unit level can be tuned-up quickly upon
    mobilization, the key individual Soldier requirements of physical
    fitness, medical readiness, tactical discipline, professional
    education, and fieldcraft proficiency must be ``baked in'' to the
    entire force. Put simply, at a profound level, we are all in RFX.
        As noted above, this focus on fighting fast, and in opposition to a
    peer adversary, is a stark and challenging departure from the
    progressive and rotational (or cyclic) readiness models that have
    evolved over the past nineteen years of sustained operations, primarily
    in the CENTCOM theater of operations. Not only does it drive all
    aspects of our training to build increasingly high levels of both
    individual and collective readiness, but it enables us to prioritize
    equipping and modernization of certain formations or capabilities with
    a sustained level of focus over a period of years. This is because the
    lead capability sets and formations inside the RFX architecture do not
    ``rotate'' arbitrarily from 1 year to the next. This key attribute--the
    ability to plan and sustain a coherent training, equipping and
    resourcing strategy across a number of years for the bulk of America's
    Army Reserve--will deliver ever greater capability and lethality as we
    move into the future.
        As with the other Components of the Army, your Army Reserve pushes
    to stress Soldiers and units with relevant scenarios that emulate the
    full-spectrum, all-domain, aspects of the next fight, while
    simultaneously acknowledging that we continue to deploy the force into
    the current one. By orchestrating, rationalizing and synchronizing
    strenuous training exercises and activities at a wide variety of
    training platforms and venues across North America, and around the
    globe, your Army Reserve has elevated its priority on combat-readiness
    and fieldcraft to an unprecedented level. Working closely with the
    other Components of the Army and, in many cases, with close partners
    and allies from around the World, America's Army Reserve continues to
    build and expand upon opportunities to train the way we will fight:
    together. Whether it be our expanded and, essentially, year-round Cold
    Steel gunnery operation--now well into its fourth year--or an expansion
    of Combat Support Training Exercises (CSTXs), routine and embedded
    rotations at the Army's Combat Training Centers, or ever closer
    collaboration with our teammates in the Army National Guard at such
    training venues as Northern Strike or Golden Coyote, we continue to
    explore expanded options to build readiness for tomorrow.
        The Army Reserve is always looking to the future, and developing
    the capabilities and sustained readiness necessary to deter, and if
    deterrence fails, win the next fight. To that end, we have already
    received and deployed an initial tranche of 60 Joint Light Tactical
    Vehicles (JLTVs), which we will use as training and familiarization
    platforms, setting the conditions for fielding-at-scale in the years
    ahead. As the leading edge of Army Reserve modernization, these initial
    JLTVs will support the Army Reserve Training Strategy and accelerate
    Army interoperability; both in training and on the battlefield.
                     defense support to civil authorities
                         always present. always ready.
        With Soldiers, facilities and capabilities in more than a thousand
    communities across the Nation, America's Army Reserve is well-postured
    to respond quickly when disaster strikes and
        our fellow Americans are in their time of greatest need. Our key
    responsive capabilities include search and rescue units, aviation
    assets, route clearance engineers, medical units, water and fuel
    distribution operations, water purification and communications support;
    many of these forces have been well-tested over the recent past. While
    we fully acknowledge that our first responsibility is to leverage our
    unique capabilities to support the Army in winning the Nation's wars,
    we also embrace our opportunity and mandate to respond to need, on no-
    notice, in the Homeland. As America's Army Reserve demonstrated
    recently in its response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence
    and Dorian, and in ongoing support operations in response to the recent
    earth- quakes in Puerto Rico, we cede this responsibility to no one.
        The Army Reserve has been able to invest in the capacity and depth
    to be well-postured to move quickly and effectively to support our
    fellow citizens when they need our support. This is a huge benefit to
    the Nation, and one that informs our focus as we look to the future.
        While recognizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency is the
    lead Federal agency for disaster response in the Homeland, America's
    Army Reserve is enhancing the immediate response authority of our Army
    Reserve Regional Commands to more effectively command and control units
    to execute emergency response operations in support of the American
    people. As an example, and to that end, we have reorganized, empowered
    and equipped our 1st Mission Support Command, headquartered at Fort
    Buchanan, Puerto Rico, to be the ``go-to command'' to generate and
    integrate your Army Reserve's immediate response operations in the
    Caribbean when disaster response is needed. We will continue to shape,
    develop and scale this capability as we move forward, ensuring that we
    position our units and their equipment to become ever more responsive
    and operationally effective, whenever and wherever needed.
                       shape and grow the future force:
                            modernize and transform
        From its inception in 1908, leveraging the huge capacity and
    existing technical capability of medical professionals in the Nation's
    private sector, America's Army Reserve has always brought depth in
    critical technologies to the Army for a massive discount to the
    taxpayers. Our times are no different. Drawing now upon its diverse and
    dispersed professionals working in a variety of leading edge
    technologies across the Country, your Army Reserve will tap into the
    finest brains in business, industry and academia to act as a screening
    force for the Army and an additive to National Security. This role is
    in our cultural DNA.
        For the past 2 years, your Army Reserve has been on a path of
    transforming its structure and procedures to seize the ``digital key
    terrain.'' This journey presses on as our 2-star Innovation Command--
    still headquartered in Houston, Texas and now in Direct Support of Army
    Futures Command in Austin--assesses and develops emerging outposts in
    technology hubs across the country, focusing on the harnessing of
    skills and talent acquired or retained in the commercial sector. The
    command serves as a link for operational innovation and the development
    of concepts and capabilities to enhance the readiness of the future
    force by capitalizing on extensive ``civilian acquired or retained''
    knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience. As a screening force for
    the Army, we are uniquely positioned to support the Army in staying on
    pace with rapidly emerging trends or opportunities in the private
    sector, while also providing a potential pool of on-demand talent for
    Army Futures Command. This process is already well underway.
        As it pertains to cyberspace operations, we remain steadily on
    glide path to establishing Cyber Protection Teams at key locations
    around the country, such as Camp Parks, CA (Bay Area), Adelphi, MD
    (DC), San Antonio, TX, Fort Devens, MA (Boston), East Point, GA
    (Atlanta), and Coraopolis, PA (Pittsburgh). Moreover, the Army Reserve
    Cyber Operations Group (ARCOG), with five Cyber Protection Centers and
    ten Cyber Protection Teams, provided direct support to Army Cyber
    Command (ARCYBER), and general support to other government agencies
    including DHS, NSA, FBI and DIA. Army Reserve Cyber Soldiers bring
    unique skills and experience to the force from their civilian
    occupations, drawn from over 40 corporate, financial and academic
    institutions. The cyber talent within the Army Reserve delivers
    capability, improves cyber readiness, and increases our network defense
    capability. To identify and cultivate cyber talent, the Army Reserve
    created the National Cyber Private Public Partnership in 2015. This
    program places Soldiers in critical Army Reserve cyber formation and
    provides enhanced opportunities to pursue civilian careers in the
    field.
        As for reform, America's Army Reserve is committed to achieving the
    Secretary of the Army's intent of increasing both the effectiveness as
    well as the efficiency of the Total Army. As the Principal Official of
    this Component of the Army as well as the Commanding General, U.S. Army
    Reserve Command, I have directed my team to consolidate supporting
    staff operations, re- shape headquarters and drive to an integrated
    Army Reserve Staff that is optimized to support each independent set of
    responsibilities as a holistic effort. This rigorous analysis and
    scrutiny predates the publication of the Department of the Army Reform
    Initiative memorandum and is advancing on pace. Over time, this
    initiative will enable us to strike the right balance between staffing
    head- quarters, providing full time support to units in the field, and
    cascading appropriate authorities ``down echelon''. We will continue to
    assess and evaluate the size, consolidation and function of
    headquarters as we press into the future, and we will adjust with
    agility and speed.
                                   conclusion
        We remain grateful to the Congress for passing the fiscal year 2020
    defense appropriations bill. The need for consistent, predictable, and
    timely funding is critical to Army Reserve readiness and modernization
    requirements. As a result of it, your Army Reserve will continue to
    meet the challenges of the time. In these dynamic and challenging
    times, we will stay steady in the saddle as we build the most capable,
    combat-ready, and lethal Federal Reserve in the history of the Nation.

        Senator Shelby. Thank you. General Scobee.
    STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL RICHARD W. SCOBEE,
                CHIEF, AIR FORCE RESERVE
        General Scobee. Chairman Shelby, I will also keep my
    comments brief and I will submit my oral statement for the
    record.
        Senator Shelby. Without objection, so ordered.
        General Scobee. Thank you. Thank you for inviting me to
    report on the status of America's Air Force Reserve Command and
    discuss our 2021 fiscal budget request. I am joined today by my
    teammate, Command Chief of the Air Force Reserve, Command Chief
    Master Sergeant Tim White.
        The Air Force Reserve were an essential component of the
    Total Force and we provide that experience and critical
    capabilities for our National Defense. We are predominantly a
    part-time Force, however, provide full-time capability to the
    joint Force. And our personnel are interoperable and
    interchangeable with everything that we do in the Air Force.
    The National Defense Strategy has directed us to be ready and
    prepared for tomorrow's battle space and that is what we are
    going to do.
        Our Airmen are the foundation of those efforts, and it is
    essential that we provide not only excellent support to our
    Airmen, but also to their families and that is what we are
    getting after. During the last year, we had some lines of
    effort we were doing and we have made significant progress,
    especially in our readiness and reforming our organization.
    That has gone very well for us. But our ability to support that
    Joint Force has really been enhanced by our modernization
    initiatives, and we have replaced a lot of the obsolete
    equipment that we have had. Our National Guard and Reserve
    equipment appropriations have provided essential funding for
    our modernization efforts, and we thank you for the past year's
    appropriations.
        The Air Force Reserves' full-time manpower has improved
    over the last year but is still insufficient, so the Command
    Chief and I are going to continue to work on that. Part of the
    things that have gone right for us is the conversion of our Air
    Reserve Technicians to Active Guard Reserve billets and the
    Congressional approval of direct hiring authority, where we
    have almost hired, I think it is 970 additional Airman over the
    past year because of that authority that you have given us, and
    we appreciate that. Last year, Congress also authorized our Air
    Reserve Technicians to receive medical coverage through TRICARE
    Reserve Select. Thank you very much for that. That health plan
    is both going to help us with retention, but it is really going
    to keep us from breaking healthcare coverage for our Airmen as
    they deploy that are technicians.
        My ask this year is that was approved for 2030, and as we
    go forward, I am going to try to bring that back as much as we
    can in order to get that benefit to all of our Airmen. We are
    in good shape in the Air Force Reserve Command, and we
    appreciate Congress's help with all the enhanced capabilities
    that we have seen. We are focused on critical, emerging, and
    evolving threats, but I am confident with Congress's continued
    backing, we can overcome these obstacles.
        Our recent successes are testament to what you have done in
    Congress. Your backing of key legislation has been what has us,
    and also having the on time appropriations for 2019 budget
    directly reflected in our readiness improvements. I want to
    thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and
    your support as we go forward in the Air Force Reserve. We are
    prepared to defend this great Nation, and I look forward to
    your questions.
        [The statement follows:]
           Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General Richard W. Scobee
        As an integral component of the Total Force, the Air Force Reserve
    provides experienced manpower and critical capabilities for our
    National Defense. Our Citizen Airmen are interchangeable,
    interoperable, and integrated across the Total Force. We execute the
    full spectrum of Department of the Air Force missions, while providing
    daily operations at a fraction of the cost of a standing force.
        Total Force operations require Total Force readiness. The Air Force
    Reserve must be structured, trained, and equipped for the future fight.
    Operational success in tomorrow's battlespace will require an agile,
    modern force. We must be prepared to provide ready forces for joint
    operations, defend our homeland, counter violent extremist
    organizations and rogue nations, and deter aggression through nuclear
    and conventional readiness.
        Because of the hard work and support of Congress, we have begun to
    reverse the negative effects of over a decade of operating under
    continuing resolutions. In the last 2 years, we made significant and
    steady advancements in readiness. This would not have been possible
    without the distribution of additional readiness funds in fiscal year
    2018 and the on time allocation of the fiscal year 2019 budget. The
    approval of our fiscal year 2020 budget request enables us to continue
    building readiness and capabilities. In addition to providing vital
    support through appropriations, the Congressional backing of key
    legislation and statutory changes aided our ability to further our
    readiness gains.
        With the assistance of Congress, we have improved both individual
    and unit level readiness across the Air Force Reserve. Our nuclear
    deterrence forces are mission ready, and we increased our pacing unit
    readiness. We modernized key weapon systems and lessened critical
    manpower shortfalls. Through internal reforms and process improvement
    initiatives, we increased our organizational effectiveness and enhanced
    our ability to provide excellent care for our Citizen Airmen and their
    families.
        Although our readiness has increased, we still face challenges. Our
    full time manpower remains below the level required to train and
    maintain our force. Many of our aircraft need critical system upgrades
    to enhance our ability to provide relevant warfighting capacity to the
    Total Force in order to enable joint all-domain operations. Weapon
    system sustainment is essential for the continued operation of legacy
    platforms. We have a backlog in infrastructure and facilities
    requirements, and we need resources, equipment, and tools to optimize
    our training. Our fiscal year 2021 budget request targets the most
    critical of these deficiencies to further improve Air Force Reserve
    readiness.
        In recent years, our potential adversaries have studied our
    vulnerabilities and employed technological advances to exploit them,
    thereby altering the nature of warfare and expanding conflict into new
    domains. The changing battlespace has given rise to new operational
    missions and generated a need for advanced capabilities. To ensure we
    are prepared for future conflict, the Air Force Reserve increased our
    space manpower in the fiscal year 2021 budget, and we are enhancing our
    cyber defense capabilities. Our fiscal year 2021 budget request
    postures our force to meet future operational requirements, prioritize
    modernization, enhance critical capabilities, and align our operational
    assets with emerging and evolving missions.
        Because we are involved in every Air Force mission set, nearly
    every Active Component initiative impacts the Air Force Reserve. In
    order to remain relevant contributors to joint operations, we must
    maintain interoperability as a Total Force. We optimize our operational
    capability when we maintain parity with our Active Component
    counterparts. The concurrent fielding, recapitalization, and divestment
    of airframes, systems, and equipment is essential to our ability to
    more effectively integrate within the Total Force. Associations between
    geographically co-located Active and Reserve component units greatly
    enhances this integration, providing multiple benefits to the Total
    Force and the American taxpayer.
        Our readiness, operational capabilities, and success as an
    organization all depend on our Reserve Citizen Airmen. They are both
    the heart of our organization and its foundation. Our Reservists are
    incredibly talented. Their diversity and high level of experience
    multiplies our operational capabilities, and their dedication enables
    us to execute our mission. It is therefore incumbent upon us to develop
    our Airmen as individuals, technical experts, and leaders, ensuring
    they have the resources and support they require. We are absolutely
    committed to providing excellent care to our Citizen Airmen and their
    families.
        Our fiscal year 2021 budget request of $5.8 billion builds on our
    recent readiness gains and supports our continuing efforts to implement
    the National Defense Strategy. The Air Force Reserve is a cost
    effective force, and will continue its good stewardship of American
    taxpayers' dollars. We will use the requested funds to invest in the
    capabilities, weapon systems, and training required to generate combat
    power today and tomorrow. With continued Congressional support, we will
    further our internal improvement efforts, provide excellent care to our
    Reserve Citizen Airmen and their families, and remain a ready force
    prepared to defend this great Nation.
                    the air force reserve in the total force
        The Air Force Reserve is a predominantly part time force which,
    when mobilized, provides full time support to the Joint Force. In
    addition to our daily contributions to global operations, we provide
    rapid surge capability and strategic depth for national defense. We now
    participate in every Active Component mission, operating as part of an
    integrated Total Force across nearly all Air Force core functional
    areas and weapon systems.
        On average, over 6,000 Reserve Citizen Airmen contribute to world-
    wide operations every day. Typically, about two thirds of those Airmen
    are volunteers. Our personnel support all combatant commands and are
    deployed to every geographic area of responsibility. Last year, our
    Reservists provided nearly two million days of support to the Active
    Component and the Joint Force. This includes participating in the first
    F-35 combat deployment, during which a Reserve pilot dropped the first
    ordnance from an F-35 in combat.
        In addition to supporting global military operations, the Air Force
    Reserve partners with and supports multiple Federal and civil
    organizations and institutions. We routinely participate in
    humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts. We also support global
    scientific research programs and education and technology initiatives.
        In 2019, the Air Force Reserve participated in approximately 60
    joint and multinational exercises, increasing Joint Force integration
    and strengthening relationships with allies and partner nations.
    Additionally, over 1,000 personnel conducted Innovative Readiness
    Training. Airmen within the civil engineering, medical, communications,
    and force support and sustainment skillsets are given the opportunity
    to enhance their deployment readiness by providing critical services to
    communities in the United States. Last year, we helped Americans in
    eight States, contributing over $11 million in value to local
    communities.
        Approximately 80 percent of Air Force Reserve members serve part
    time. In addition to their military training and experience, our part
    time force brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from their
    civilian careers to their military service. This strengthens our
    capabilities, enables the integration of civil sector best practices,
    and facilitates beneficial partnerships with industry and other
    institutions. Many of our members have civilian careers similar to
    their military jobs, which enables Citizen Airmen to bring scope and
    depth to their military positions. This is particularly advantageous
    for emerging and evolving missions, such as cyber and space, and we
    actively recruit personnel with civilian experience into these career
    fields.
        The Air Force Reserve provides the Total Force with a method to
    retain talent, by providing a continuity of service option for Active
    Component members who would otherwise separate. The Department of the
    Air Force understands the importance of retaining experience and
    talent, and seeks to leverage the value, which the Reserve Component
    brings to the Total Force. In addition to using Total Force
    partnerships to place newly trained members in units with highly
    experienced personnel, the Air Force is currently exploring flexible
    service options designed to allow members to easily transition between
    components of the Total Force. The Air Force Reserve fully supports
    these efforts, which will benefit our Airmen, our readiness, and our
    national defense.
        Total Force Integration is exemplified by associations between
    geographically co-located Active Component and Reserve units. In this
    construct, equipment resources are officially assigned only to the lead
    unit, but are shared between the lead and associate unit. Associations
    further enhance our interoperability and give the Active Component
    access to the experience resident in the more seasoned Reserve force.
    This ensures parity in equipment and training, while providing cost
    savings and readiness benefits to both components.
        Currently, there are 78 associations between the Reserve and the
    Active Component. Most of these are classic associations, in which the
    Active Component is the lead organization. Active associations, in
    which the Reserve is the lead unit, comprise a little more than 10
    percent of current associations. The Reserve and the Active Component
    have associations in nearly every major mission set, and many training
    units, including every undergraduate pilot training wing, pilot
    instructor training, and major aircraft formal training units. We are
    also the lead component for the B-52 and C-5 Formal Training Units.
                   implementing the national defense strategy
        After nearly two decades of counter-terrorism operations, great
    power competition has re-emerged. The return of peer and near-peer
    competitors to the world stage in an age of unprecedented global
    economic interdependence combined with the proliferation of swiftly
    advancing technology has created a unique and complex environment. This
    necessitates a rapid shift in military operational focus and
    capabilities. The United States must be able to combat adversaries
    across the spectrum of conflict and operate simultaneously in all
    warfighting domains. The 2018 National Defense Strategy provides the
    framework to ensure we can compete, deter, and win in tomorrow's
    battlespace, and we are diligently working to meet that intent.
        Our efforts align under those of the Department of the Air Force
    and support the Total Force's mandate to provide ready forces for
    national defense. In order to operate seamlessly in a combat
    environment, we must have the capability to connect with the Joint
    Force. The Total Force must be capable of conducting robust nuclear
    deterrence, homeland defense, and counter-extremism operations. Meeting
    this mandate in the future operational environment will require the
    Total Force to dominate space, generate combat power, and conduct
    logistics under attack. As the Airmen who execute the mission represent
    the most important element in this and every undertaking, the
    Department of the Air Force is simultaneously focused on developing and
    caring for our people and their families.
    Air Force Reserve Strategic Priorities
        In order to restore readiness rapidly and prepare for the future
    fight, the Air Force Reserve established three priorities. The first,
    prioritizing strategic depth and accelerating readiness, focuses on the
    requirement to prepare for future operational requirements while
    maintaining present-day readiness and sustaining our present level of
    support to the Joint Force. The second, developing resilient leaders,
    serves two purposes. The intents of this priority are to enhance the
    physical, mental and emotional fitness of all Reserve Citizen Airmen
    and to develop mission- focused leaders who can operate independently.
    Our final priority, reform the organization, aims to increase
    efficiency and effectiveness through internal process improvements and
    innovation.
        The Air Force Reserve strategic priorities were developed based on
    the challenges outlined in the National Defense Strategy and are
    aligned with Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Air Force, and Air
    Chief of Staff directives. We made significant gains in 2019,
    increasing overall readiness, implementing new leadership development
    programs, and improving our internal operations. We are in the process
    of expanding and accelerating these efforts, to further enhance our
    mission readiness and our ability to support our Citizen Airmen and
    their families.
    Air Force Reserve Future Force Framework
        To align Air Force Reserve capabilities and force structure with
    the National Defense Strategy and to posture our force to execute
    tomorrow's missions, we developed the Air Force Reserve Future Force
    Framework. This will enable us to deliberately organize, train, and
    equip our force to meet present directives and develop operational
    capabilities for the future fight. This framework directs mission
    optimization through assessing capabilities to determine which mission
    sets are best suited for the Air Force Reserve and through the
    alignment and improvement of policy, planning and programming efforts.
    The framework also provides for tailored and prioritized training,
    which synchronizes efforts and capitalizes on technology to optimize
    unit training assemblies by enabling the completion of ancillary
    requirements through virtual methods. Finally, the Air Force Reserve
    will continue to leverage civilian sector strengths by capitalizing on
    member expertise and knowledge, developing industry partnerships, and
    tailoring recruitment efforts.
                    fiscal year 2021 budget request overview
        The American people fund our readiness, therefore, we must be good
    stewards of taxpayer dollars. We take great care to ensure we only
    request the appropriations we require, and we continually seek to
    conserve fiscal resources through cost savings and cost avoidance
    efforts.
        We cannot effectively manage our appropriations without the timely
    allocation of funds. With a predictable budget, we can deliberately
    plan our spending, thereby maximizing our readiness return. On time
    allocations allow us to execute our programmed Reserve Personnel
    Appropriations (RPA) and flying hour funds. Systematic infrastructure
    upgrades and weapon system sustainment require predictable budgets for
    optimal cost effectiveness and timely implementation. Our recent
    readiness gains, which were favorably impacted by the on time
    allocation of our fiscal year 2019 budget, demonstrate the criticality
    of predictable budgets to national defense.
        Our fiscal year 2021 budget request of $5.8 billion is designed to
    further our ongoing efforts to align the Air Force Reserve with the
    National Defense Strategy and Air Force priorities, enhance readiness,
    and posture our force to meet future threats. We are requesting $2.2
    billion in RPA, which funds Reserve military pay for all statuses,
    formal schools, training, and individual readiness requirements.
    Furthermore, our fiscal year 2021 budget request includes $3.4 billion
    for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) appropriation, which funds our
    flying hour program, operational readiness and mobilization
    requirements, equipment maintenance, and the salaries of our civil
    service personnel, including civilian pay and benefits for our Air
    Reserve Technician (ART) Force.
        In fiscal year 2019, we executed 99.5 percent and 98.6 percent of
    our RPA and O&M funding, respectively, and we are on track to fully
    execute our 2020 appropriations. Our fiscal year 2021 budget request
    includes an RPA increase of $193.6 million, approximately 60 percent of
    which is driven by higher AGR authorizations. Our fiscal year 2021 also
    includes an O&M increase of $123 million, which includes funding for
    over 81,000 peacetime flying hours and depot maintenance, Federal
    Aviation Administration mandated upgrades, and contractor logistic
    support for nearly 320 aircraft.
        Maintaining and modernizing our infrastructure and facilities is
    critical to readiness, force protection, and ensuring a safe work
    environment for our Airmen. These efforts are funded through Military
    Construction (MILCON) appropriations, which provide for new facilities
    and major infrastructure projects, and with the Facility Sustainment,
    Repair, and Modernization (FSRM) funds included in our O&M
    appropriation. FSRM funds appropriations are used to repair and
    modernize existing facilities and to extend the service life of
    existing infrastructure.
        In fiscal year 2019, we were appropriated funds for seven MILCON
    projects, totaling $115 million, and awarded $142 million in FSRM
    funding for 194 projects. We have three authorized fiscal year 2020
    MILCON projects, and we have distributed over $76 million in FSRM funds
    so far this year. Our FSRM investments include $35 million for airfield
    pavement repairs. Our fiscal year 2021 budget request includes $23.1
    million in total MILCON appropriations, which will fund the
    construction of a new F-35 simulator facility at Naval Air Station
    Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas for $14.2 million, provide $5.6
    million for Air Force Reserve-wide minor construction requirements and
    $3.2 million for Planning and Design funds of future MILCON projects.
    These funds, along with our requested $103 million in FSRM
    appropriations will assist in reducing our $890 million MILCON and $1.5
    billion FSRM requirements backlogs, providing modern, efficient, and
    safe facilities for our Reserve Citizen Airmen.
                   generating combat power today and tomorrow
        The Air Force Reserve provides daily operational support to the
    Joint Force, while maintaining a strategic force for sustained
    operations during major conflict. We provide surge capacity and rapid
    response capabilities, enabling the Joint Force to quickly adapt to
    operations tempo increases and unforeseen events, such as national
    disasters and contingencies. We also fill Active Component manning
    shortfalls and provide augmentation to meet short term manpower
    requirements.
        Our ability to meet current taskings and to supply strategic
    manpower are predicated on our readiness. As an operational reserve, we
    must maintain our readiness to support present-day missions while we
    align our capabilities to meet the intent of the National Defense
    Strategy and prepare for future requirements. Over the past 2 years, we
    increased readiness across the enterprise, improving both individual
    and unit readiness.
        The Air Force Reserve must be able to decisively employ both
    traditional and emerging capabilities. In order to enhance our ability
    to compete, deter, and win in any environment, we remain focused on key
    mission sets and actively expand our capabilities in the space and
    cyber realms. As warfighting domains become increasingly integrated, we
    must be prepared to conduct joint all-domain operations, which will
    allow us to create decisive, asymmetrical advantages in the future
    fight.
    Pacing Squadrons
        In 2018, the Air Force identified operational squadrons that would
    be required at the start of a peer conflict. Several of these pacing
    squadrons are Air Force Reserve units, and we also support Active
    Component pacing squadrons through associations. Over the past year, we
    concentrated our resources and efforts on these units, improving their
    readiness. We will continue to prioritize our pacing squadrons to
    ensure they meet all requirements within the specified timelines.
    Nuclear Deterrence Operations
        Nuclear capability is a foundational element of our national
    defense, and the Air Force Reserve shares in the nuclear mission. Our
    Nuclear Deterrence Operations assets include nuclear strike, air
    refueling, and command, control, and communications capabilities. In
    fiscal year 2019, we evaluated these units during four assessments and
    through participation in an enterprise-wide Nuclear Execution Force
    exercise. Our nuclear forces remain mission ready.
        Ready forces require modern equipment and capabilities. To further
    increase our capabilities in this critical mission, our fiscal year
    2021 budget request includes funding to equip six of our seven nuclear
    command, control, and communications capable command posts with the new
    primary strategic communication system, the Global Aircrew Strategic
    Network Terminal. This system will replace the legacy terminal, which
    is based on 1990s technology.
    Air Superiority
        In order to defeat a peer or near-peer adversary, we must be able
    to generate combat power in contested environments. Last year we
    prioritized the readiness of our fifth-generation fighter squadrons and
    focused on providing realistic training to our F-22 and F-35 pilots.
    Our fiscal year 2021 budget request increases the training funds for
    these airframes. This will enable us to expand fifth-generation fighter
    pilot production and to provide fully-qualified fighter aircrew with
    more frequent and higher value training.
        The Air Force Reserve has Classic Associations in several F-35
    units. We execute F-35 combat operations in our association at Hill
    AFB, Utah. Additional associations execute F-35 formal training at Luke
    AFB, Arizona and Eglin AFB, Florida, and operational test and weapons
    instructor course missions at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The Air Force
    Reserve's first unit-equipped F-35 wing will execute combat operations
    and be part of an Active Association. The Department of the Air Force
    plans to increase F-35 aircrew authorizations and our fiscal year 2021
    budget request supports this effort by adding Reserve manpower at the
    F-35 Formal Training Unit to support greater Total Force student
    throughput.
    Aerial Refueling
        The Air Force Reserve air refueling fleet in fiscal year 2021
    consists of seven unit equipped wings and four associate wings. In
    January 2019, the first two KC-46s arrived at McConnell Air Force Base
    (AFB), Kansas. These aircraft were delivered to a classically
    associated Active and Reserve wing and are being flown by Total Force
    crews. In addition to one operational squadron, the Air Force Reserve
    has several trained instructors who support the KC-46 Formal Training
    Unit. The Air Force Reserve's first unit-equipped KC-46 wing, located
    at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, began conversion in 2019. The
    first KC-46 is projected to arrive in June with the expectation that
    all twelve aircraft will be delivered by December 2020.
        At present, we have eight wings which operate the KC-135. Six of
    these wings are unit-equipped, and three are tasked with an alert
    mission. We are focused on the readiness of our KC-135 force, with the
    goals of improving mission capable rates, increasing aircrew and
    maintenance manpower, and providing better training for our aircrew and
    maintenance personnel. The first Air Force Reserve aircraft will begin
    datalink modification with ``Real Time Information in the Cockpit''
    (RTIC) in late summer. This modification increases the communications
    and information capabilities of the aircraft increasing its support
    capacity in a fast paced contested environment.
        The Air Force Reserve has two wings who associate with the Active
    Component to fly and maintain the KC-10. The Air Force Reserve remains
    committed to this aircraft and mission as long as it remains a part of
    the air refueling force. As the inventory is reduced, the Air Force
    Reserve will work with the Department of the Air Force to convert those
    units and their manpower to the determined follow-on missions.
    Airlift
        The Air Force Reserve enables combat delivery through our strategic
    and tactical airlift fleets. In order to effectuate the C-5 formal
    training requirements, the Air Force Reserve C-5 crew ratios were
    adjusted to focus on balancing training capacity and resources for the
    Active and Reserve Component while maintaining combat readiness. The C-
    130H fleet was upgraded for compliance in accordance with the Aircraft
    Modification Program Increment 1 (AMP 1) and has begun to install new
    propulsion upgrades. The C-17 fleet continues to provide operational
    and strategic depth to the Global Reach enterprise.
    Personnel Recovery
        The Air Force Reserve has one wing dedicated to the no-fail mission
    of personnel recovery. We operate three search and rescue platforms,
    and our fiscal year 2021 budget request includes funds to update
    mission planning capability for this high demand asset. The request
    also supports modernization requirements for our Guardian Angel and HC-
    130 aircraft.
    Dominating Space
        The establishment of the United States Space Force (USSF) in
    December 2019 underscored the importance of space to our national
    security. The Air Force is a major contributor to space operations. In
    the last year, our personnel executed approximately 26 percent of daily
    space missions. We added 70 space manpower authorizations in fiscal
    year 2020. In addition, the Air Force Reserve has already taken steps
    to provide focused support to the Space Force for the near term. Our
    space units are aligned with and will be able to integrate effectively
    with USSF forces for the foreseeable future.
    Cyber Defense
        Digital technology permeates nearly every aspect of modern life.
    This technology is both pervasive and inexpensive, making the cyber
    realm easily accessible. The increasing integration of cyber
    capabilities enhances our ability to generate combat power, yet exposes
    us to new threats.
        Therefore, the Air Force Reserve is building and expanding our
    foundational capabilities to conduct operations in the information
    environment, by evolving our cyber mission portfolio and re-purposing
    our cyber force to better defend against future threats.
        The Air Force Reserve is home to the only Total Force wing that
    operates all six defensive cyber weapon systems. We provide support
    directly to Air Forces Cyber, Sixteenth Air Force, and United States
    Cyber Command. We are implementing the Cyber Squadron Initiative and
    standing up Mission Defense Teams on all nine Air Force Reserve host
    installations, as well as Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort
    Worth, Texas where we are the lead Air Force unit. Our fiscal year 2021
    budget request provides additional manpower to stand up cyber flights
    at all our unit- equipped locations.
        We are in the process of transitioning our cyber personnel from
    information technology support to mission assurance and defensive cyber
    operations. Along with our Active Component counterparts, we are
    replacing our internal communications network with contractor delivered
    information services. The shift to Enterprise Information Technology as
    a service will allow us to leverage modern systems and practices from
    civilian industry for our internal networking needs, while enabling our
    personnel to focus on cyber operations and defense.
        The Air Force Reserve is also developing and implementing new
    programs to expand accessibility and better utilize data. Our goal is
    to shift from stove-piped service information technology systems to
    cloud platforms. As part of this effort, we will transition to an
    operating-system agnostic framework. We are extending mobile-based
    capabilities and implementing alternative platforms to enable increased
    user accessibility. These efforts allow users to connect securely to
    Air Force networks through virtual desktop applications, enabling
    access from any device and any location. We are also working with the
    Air Force Chief Data Office to create a mature Shared Data Environment,
    which will serve as a single source for information.
    Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)
        The Air Force Reserve ISR enterprise is uniquely designed to
    provide strategic depth and operational surge capacity in traditional
    and emerging mission sets. Tailoring of current and future missions is
    necessary to ensure our ISR forces are readily available for mission
    execution. We will develop capabilities in areas that support the Joint
    Force while ensuring its current mission sets are relevant to multi-
    domain operations and major power competition. Investments in the
    operational use of public access information, increase presence in
    battlespace characterization, and support to key capabilities such as
    nuclear, space, and cyber operations that are necessary to ensure we
    are postured to meet the needs of Joint Forces.
        The Air Force Reserve continues to provide approximately 500
    experienced pilots, sensor operators and intelligence Airmen to support
    Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operations at five associations with
    our counterparts in Air Combat Command and Air Force Special Operations
    Command. We will maintain our contribution of both steady State and
    surge capacity to MQ-9 combat lines, as the Total Force RPA enterprise
    reorganizes to a leaner and more lethal force. As the Active Component
    restructures RQ-4 operations with divestment of a portion of the fleet,
    we will invest our associated manpower, focusing on readiness in
    missions supporting the National Defense Strategy.
    Command and Control (C2)
        The Air Force is preparing for the future fight by fielding new
    concepts and capabilities which enable Joint All-Domain Command and
    Control (JADC2), the Department of Defense's top modernization
    priority, which is critical to executing joint all-domain operations.
    JADC2 is a system that uses data, machine learning and state-of-the-art
    software to seamlessly link ``sensors to shooters'' across all
    domains--air, land, sea, cyber and space. The Air Force Reserve's
    current C2 program will maintain status quo until the development of
    JADC2 and the Advanced Battle Management System priority.
        As part of the Air Force's strategic initiative to strengthen joint
    leaders and teams, Ninth Air Force will now provide the Department of
    Defense (DoD) with an air-centric capability to task during crisis
    operations and be offered as part of the dynamic force employment model
    to meet the National Defense Strategy for more integrated and multi-
    domain operations. Our fiscal year 2021 budget programs Air Force
    Reserve manpower to associate in the stand-up of the service-retained,
    Joint Task Force (JTF)-capable organization (9 AF, JTF Headquarters at
    Shaw AFB, South Carolina).
                             manning a ready force
        Adequate manpower is vital to readiness. Our fiscal year 2021
    budget request increases our authorized end strength from 70,100 to
    70,300, adding 200 AGR authorizations to increase our full time
    manpower and enable our readiness.
        In recent years, the Air Force Reserve has encountered multiple
    manning challenges. For several years, our overall manpower has hovered
    slightly below end strength targets. While we do have part time manning
    shortfalls in some locations and in certain critical career fields, our
    total assigned part time personnel is near the total authorized.
    Although there have been improvements in the past year, our full time
    manning remains below the authorized level.
        Our full time personnel continue to do excellent work by increasing
    our readiness while maintaining a high operational tempo. However,
    because we lack sufficient manpower, our full time force is overtasked.
    We place too many requirements on too few Airmen. We owe it to them to
    reduce some of the burden.
        Our full time force is a mix of ARTs and AGRs. Between 2013 and
    2018, our ART manning levels dropped from 80 to 74 percent, largely due
    to the highly competitive civilian job market. This decrease in
    manpower was further exacerbated by the civil service hiring process,
    which prolonged vacancies and caused us to lose candidates.
        Ensuring our full time personnel are fairly compensated for their
    work is essential to recruiting and retaining talented individuals.
    Therefore, we implemented several initiatives to boost our full time
    manpower. These efforts are producing results. At the start of fiscal
    year 2019, our full time manning level was approximately 75 percent. By
    the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, our full time
    manpower increased to around 80 percent of authorized.
        The increase in our full time manning levels is due, in part, to
    the conversion of a percentage of our ART billets to AGR
    authorizations. As a result, AGR manpower and retention rates are
    higher than that of the ART force, with a comparatively faster hiring
    process; thus AGR vacancies are of shorter duration. The ART to AGR
    conversion initiative is a multi-year effort, which began in fiscal
    year 2018. In fiscal year 2019, we executed over 453 conversions, and
    we have already completed nearly 71 percent of the over 362 conversions
    planned for fiscal year 2020. Our fiscal year 2021 budget request
    provides for the conversion of an additional 625 ART authorizations to
    AGR billets, largely in maintenance and force support specialties.
        Our ART manning and overall full time manpower also benefited from
    Direct Hiring Authority. This authority, which Congress granted,
    streamlines the civil service hiring process for certain critical
    career fields, drastically decreasing hiring timelines. Direct Hiring
    Authority provided particular benefit to our full time maintenance
    force. This authority allowed us to hire over 600 maintainers between
    March and October of 2019, increasing full time maintenance manpower to
    approximately 80 percent. Around 75 percent of the individuals hired
    were new to civil service. Direct Hiring Authority enabled us to
    decrease our ART maintainer vacancies to their lowest level in nearly 4
    years.
        Extending this authority to additional career fields, such as
    pilots, would likely produce similar results. At present our overall
    pilot manning is approximately 85 percent of authorized levels, with
    full time manpower at nearly 75 percent of authorized. Overall, pilot
    manpower has remained steady over the last year. We are exploring new
    options to increase both full time and part time pilot manning,
    including updating pay grade determination criteria for ART aircrew
    members and offering additional recruitment and retention bonuses.
        In addition, the Air Force Reserve took steps to improve retention
    in both our full time and part time force. Reducing attrition preserves
    readiness and provides cost savings by decreasing training
    requirements. We are presently targeting retention through bonuses and
    special salary rates, which offer a marked return on investment. A
    single $15,000 retention bonus results in a cost avoidance of roughly
    $45,000 in training funds and prevents an approximately three year
    readiness gap, which occurs while a replacement is trained.
        We are focusing our retention efforts on Airmen with six to 10
    years total service, which is the group with the highest attrition
    rate. In addition to expanding existing programs, we are seeking new
    methods of increasing retention and engaging wing leaders in these
    efforts. We also reduced barriers to recruiting, including decreasing
    hiring timelines, eliminating mileage restrictions, and removing
    unnecessary interview requirements.
        Our full time to part time force mix is based on pre-Gulf War force
    structure and operational tempo. In order to effectively accomplish our
    mission, train our force, and maintain readiness, we must increase the
    percentage of full time manpower in relation to our end strength.
    Presently, full time uniformed military members constitute
    approximately 20 percent of Air Force Reserve authorizations. Based on
    current requirements, we need to increase this type of full time
    support which is essential to maintaining readiness.
                modernizing and improving the air force reserve
        Tomorrow's operational environment will notably evolve when
    compared to how we conduct operations today. The return of great power
    competition, combined with the rapid advancement and widespread
    availability of digital technology, drives the need to transform our
    forces so they can generate combat power effectively to win, despite
    contested environments established by our potential adversaries. This
    requires fielding new warfighting concepts and capabilities and
    modernizing existing platforms to meet future threats.
        We implemented multiple readiness initiatives, including bolstering
    training, removing unnecessary requirements, and instituting internal
    reforms to streamline our operations and enhance support to our Reserve
    Citizen Airmen. We are prepared to meet both current and future
    requirements, and we must carry our present momentum forward into the
    coming years, to further optimize our force.
    Maintaining Operational Parity With the Active Component
        In order to effectively support the Active Component and connect
    with the Joint Force, the Air Force Reserve must modernize
    simultaneously as the Air Force upgrades legacy platforms, adding
    capabilities required for the future fight. Our operational
    capabilities are tied to our ability to integrate into the Total Force,
    therefore we must maintain parity with the Active Component whenever
    possible.
        The concurrent fielding of new airframes, aircraft upgrades, and
    other equipment is critical to sustaining and improving this
    operational parity. The Air Force Reserve can only provide strategic
    depth and operational support to the Joint Force in mission areas where
    our personnel are trained on the required weapon systems, and we are
    most effective when we can operate interchangeably with our Active
    Component counterparts. Concurrent fielding enables our personnel to
    train on the same systems employed by the Active Component,
    facilitating interoperability within the Total Force. This maximizes
    the Air Force Reserve's ability to support operational missions and
    enhances our integration with the Active Component, assuring we are
    capable of providing the Total Force with the warfighting capability
    necessary to achieve decisive victory against future threats and in all
    domains.
        In addition to concurrent fielding, the Reserve must recapitalize
    and divest weapon systems in conjunction with the Active Component.
    This prevents problems which arise when the Reserve Component continues
    to operate a legacy system that is no longer used by our active
    counterparts. In this situation, the Reserve becomes responsible for
    all aspects associated with that particular platform, such as
    standardization and evaluations and safety. Furthermore, once the
    Active Component divests a weapon system, the Reserve is unable to hire
    qualified Active Component aircrew separatees for that specific
    airframe, increasing training costs and reducing readiness.
    Weapon System Modernization and Sustainment
        While addition of new platforms such as the F-35, KC-46, B-21, and
    F-15EX will enhance our capabilities, both the Active Component and the
    Reserve will continue to rely on many of the proven platforms currently
    in our inventory. This necessitates aircraft modernization and system
    upgrades, which will provide the capabilities needed for the future
    fight and ensure survivability if operating in a contested environment.
        Key modernizations are required to keep our legacy fleet relevant
    in the prioritized missions outlined in the NDS. Necessary A-10
    enhancements include the installation of upgraded mission computers,
    Helmet-Mounted Targeting, Anti-Jam Global Positioning System equipment,
    and missile warning systems. Our B-52 fleet requires upgrades to radar
    and defensive systems and the install of advanced data link equipment,
    and our fiscal year 2021 budget request includes funding to install
    Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications capability on this
    aircraft. Our F-16s require active electronically scanned array (AESA)
    radars to more effectively support homeland defense and other priority
    NDS missions.
        After decades of operating in a permissive environment, we must be
    prepared to conduct logistics under attack. The C-5 and C-17 are both
    vulnerable to radar guided missile threats which would be mitigated by
    the installation of a layered defense and awareness suite. Currently,
    the Radar Warning System upgrades for both aircraft are unfunded. We
    are presently installing the Mobility Air Forces datalink system in our
    C-5 fleet and to equip our KC-135 aircraft with the Real-Time in
    Cockpit situational awareness system. Our KC-135 fleet is also
    scheduled to begin Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures
    modifications in June 2020, and the installation of additional threat
    awareness and self-defense systems would provide further protection for
    this aircraft.
        In addition to modernization, many of our airframes require
    upgrades, repairs, and component replacements in order to maintain
    airworthiness and extend service life. These weapon system sustainment
    actions are critical to both our mission capability and aircraft
    availability rates. Maintaining a mission capable aircraft fleet is
    essential to meeting operational taskings and training our personnel.
    Lack of weapon system sustainment funding can ground aircraft,
    hampering our ability to support global operations and degrading our
    readiness.
        Years of continuing resolutions, lack of flexible funding, and an
    aging fleet have increased weapon system sustainment requirements.
    Historically, the Air Force Reserve has had approximately 75 percent of
    our share of these requirements funded. We obligated over $500 million
    for weapon system sustainment in fiscal year 2019. Our fiscal year 2020
    appropriations are approximately $759 million. We've been authorized
    $345 million to date, of which 80.6 percent has been obligated. We are
    also on track to obligate our entire fiscal year 2020 authorization, as
    we're currently at 36.6 percent obligated.
        Our fiscal year 2021 budget requests $703 million in weapon system
    sustainment funds, which will provide needed upgrades to multiple Air
    Force Reserve platforms. Our current sustainment requirements include
    measures to extend the B-52's service life by an additional thirty
    years and to replace this platform's engines with new, more fuel-
    efficient powerplants. Our A-10 fleet requires wing replacements and
    our C-130H aircraft need avionics and propulsion upgrades.
    Internal Improvements
        Reforming our organization through internal improvements and
    increasing our operational efficiency continues to be one of our major
    focus areas. Our intent is to increase our overall readiness and
    enhance our ability to support our Reserve Citizen Airmen by
    streamlining our internal processes and eliminating requirements,
    policies, and programs which either detract from or do not contribute
    to our readiness or provide support to our personnel.
        In fiscal year 2019, we completed a major reform of our internal
    medical process, and took action to fix hindrances that needed to be
    remedied, including a policy which placed unnecessary participation
    restrictions on individuals with medical profiles.
        We are currently accelerating and expanding our internal reform
    efforts. We identified additional areas within our organization that
    require enhancement and are working to improve the most critical of
    these. One of several of these initiatives is the holistic reform of
    our manpower and personnel programs and processes. We are also
    identifying processes which create problems for our Airmen, such as pay
    and benefits issues.
        As part of this enterprise-wide initiative, the Air Force Reserve's
    Force Generation Center is presently improving our mobilization and
    deployment processes through automation and system upgrades. This will
    expedite orders approval, enabling Airmen to receive benefits earlier
    in the process and reducing gaps in support. These improvements will
    alleviate problems caused by our lengthy current process, helping our
    personnel, their family members, and their civilian employers' better
    plan and prepare for deployments.
        In addition to our own internal efforts, we participate in
    Department of the Air Force development and reform initiatives,
    including the Air Force War Fighting Integration Capability team. We
    also support and will benefit from the Department of the Air Force's
    ongoing predictive maintenance efforts and are working to acquire
    additive manufacturing capability. To date, four Air Force Reserve
    wings purchased equipment required to manufacture parts in house, which
    are currently being used for training and familiarization. These two
    initiatives will decrease aircraft repair time, ultimately improving
    mission capable and aircraft availability rates.
    Exercise Planning
        Operating in contested airspace requires both modernized aircraft
    and trained aircrew. We must ensure all Reserve Citizen Airmen receive
    realistic training and are fully capable of employing the systems which
    will be required in the future operating environment.
        We are building Integrated Mission Planning Cells into our
    operational support squadrons. This will provide a standardized,
    transparent, and equitable exercise planning process for our units. The
    addition of dedicated mission planners will allow our wings to match
    resources and requirements with training opportunities, enabling
    deliberate and properly prioritized use of our centrally managed
    training funds.
        These mission planners will be fully integrated into all phases of
    the exercise planning process, which will ensure learning objectives
    and training requirements are met. Training for joint all- domain and
    contested environment operations will require scheduled access to
    secure networks, as well as software and hardware management.
    Therefore, our operational support squadrons will employ dedicated
    datalink managers. This will ensure our aircrew are proficient on the
    newest systems and receive critical high-end readiness training.
                providing excellent care to airmen and families
        Our Airmen are our greatest asset. They are ultimately responsible
    for maintaining our readiness, aligning our organization to meet future
    requirements, and executing our operational missions. Their success
    depends on our support. The Air Force Reserve is absolutely committed
    to providing excellent care to both our Airmen and their families. This
    mandates a holistic approach, and we continually seek ways to better
    support our personnel and enable their personal and professional
    success. We currently have numerous personnel support initiatives,
    including reducing the administrative burden on our Airmen, improving
    education and training, growing our resiliency programs, and providing
    our Airmen and their families with access to needed resources. Our
    ultimate goals are to improve the quality of life for our personnel and
    to foster an environment where people want to stay and serve.
    Suicide Prevention
        Recently, the Air Force Reserve has experienced an alarming spike
    in member suicides. Our rates are not going in the desired direction.
    Losing even one Airman to suicide is a horrible tragedy, with every
    life having its own deeply personal story.
        In response to this heartbreaking trend, we expanded upon our
    existing support programs and are adding new leadership tools to assist
    with suicide prevention and intervention. Suicide is a complex
    interaction of factors; while there is no one ``fix,'' we are committed
    to addressing suicide comprehensively. We are conducting thorough
    analyses of potential common socio-demographic factors, such as age,
    race, relationships status, and financial security, among individuals
    who die by suicide, in order to develop algorithmic methods and
    integrated databases to identify at-risk Airmen.
        Although the Air Force has found no direct link between deployments
    and member suicide, all personnel receive mental health screenings
    before, during, and after deployment and as part of their annual health
    assessment. These screenings assess suicide risk along with other
    behavioral and mental health issues. We conduct Suicide Analysis
    Boards, modeled after safety investigation boards, to identify the
    causes and contributing factors behind member suicides.
        Our intent is to create protective policies and programs which will
    reverse this trend and bring our suicide rate to the only acceptable
    number: zero.
    Personal Resiliency
        The personal wellness of our Airmen and their families is
    incredibly important. The Air Force Reserve has multiple on base
    entities which provide support and resources to our personnel. We
    employ dedicated Sexual Assault Response Coordinators in all wings and
    Violence Prevention Integrators on all nine Air Force Reserve host
    installations and at Fort Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base,
    where we are the lead Air Force wing. Furthermore, we embedded full-
    time Religious Support Teams within our units.
        Last summer, we initiated a mental health and suicide prevention
    outreach and awareness campaign. We also directed all our units to
    conduct a resiliency tactical pause, which will be an ongoing effort to
    enhance connectedness among our personnel. Many of our wings and our
    members took an active role in these efforts, increasing their
    effectiveness and impact.
        In addition, the Air Force Reserve promotes and provides mental
    health resources as part of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program.
    This initiative supports Reservists and their family members through
    pre- and post-deployment events. This program has seen an overwhelming
    success, with over 97 percent of attendees finding the events
    beneficial.
                                    summary
        Over the past 2 years, the Air Force Reserve made significant gains
    in readiness. We enhanced our mission capabilities, bolstered our full
    time manning levels, and increased our organizational efficiencies. We
    carefully constructed our fiscal year 2021 budget request to accelerate
    these efforts. This request will facilitate further modernization of
    our weapon systems, better posture our force to meet emerging and
    evolving mission requirements, and boost our ability to support our
    Airmen and their families. We will continue our diligent efforts to
    meet the intent of the National Defense Strategy, increase our
    interoperability within the Total Force, and further our integration
    within the Joint Force.
        Our recent readiness gains would not have been possible without
    your support. The approval of our fiscal year 2019 and 2020 budget
    requests enabled us to improve our readiness while maintaining robust
    support to global operations. Recent legislative actions, such as
    Direct Hiring Authority, removed barriers to success and improved the
    quality of life for our Citizen Airmen. The future operational
    environment will require a capable, modern, and combat-ready force.
    With your continued support, we are confident the Air Force Reserve
    will remain prepared to fly, fight, and win across the operational
    spectrum of air, space, and cyberspace.

        Senator Shelby. Vice Admiral Luke McCollum.
    STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL LUKE M. MCCOLLUM, CHIEF, NAVY
                RESERVE
        Admiral McCollum. Good morning, sir, and Vice Chairman.
    Thanks for the opportunity to be here and I will state for the
    record, I will also submit the record. And in the spirit of
    brevity, I will just to get down to the point. One, thank you
    very much for your support. Our men and women deeply appreciate
    your conscious effort to deliver readiness and operational
    capability to the men and women of the United States Navy
    Reserve.
        And on behalf of the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations), being
    able to talk about it and advocate is a great honor. Also in
    that honor, behind me, is my wife Liana who represents families
    and how they providing enduring support for their deployed
    loved ones. Also behind me is my Force Master Chief of the Navy
    Reserve Chris Coates, who has been just a fantastic advocate
    for the men and women as we travel the world and understand
    what the issues are and we come back to advocate.
        In this budget, primarily three things that we are very
    proud and solicit your support on, and that one is
    predictability. Our Reserve Force is at their best when they
    are predictable with their employer, predictable with their
    military boss, and their families as it comes together. Second,
    as part of the larger Navy HR (Human Resources) transformation
    in the pay and personnel, we will deliver to our men and women
    an integrated pay and personnel system, and this budget pays
    for that.
        As far as equipment is concerned, for the record my
    submission of the National Guard Equipment Report prioritizes
    aviation recapitalization. And finally, the appreciation for
    child care is in the budget as well as our men and women own
    unusual hours when they go and drill on weekends, the advocacy
    for that.
        But just in closing, it has been an honor to travel and see
    the outstanding work our men and women do, how they combine
    their military skills, their civilian skills to deliver
    wherever our Nation asks them to go. And I look forward to your
    questions.
        [The statement follows:]
              Prepared Statement of Vice Admiral Luke M. McCollum
        Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairman Durbin, distinguished members of the
    Committee, it is my distinct pleasure to report to you today on the
    unparalleled talent and capabilities provided by the United States Navy
    Reserve. Today, the Ready Reserve Force consists of 59,641 Selected
    Reserve Sailors (including 10,153 Full Time Support members) 43,754
    Individual Ready Reserve members and 422 civilians. This Ready Reserve
    Force of over 100,000 deliver strategic depth and operational
    capability to the Navy and Marine Corps team and the Joint Force in
    times of peace and war. The Navy Reserve prides itself on being a
    ready, agile force that provides valuable, vital support to the Navy
    and the Nation.
        Your continued support of key enablers of the Navy Reserve is very
    much appreciated. Predictable Reserve Personnel Navy (RPN) funding is
    critical for the success of the Navy Reserve. Keeping this account
    funded at President's Budget (PB) enables the Reserve Component to
    execute its missions to the level of performance and professionalism
    expected of an integrated force multiplier.
        In the past, the Navy Reserve focused on providing Individual
    Augmentees (IAs) to backstop the Joint Force effort to counter violent
    extremists. Great Power Competition requirements dictate that the Navy
    Reserve will pivot from an IA model to a unit-centric model capable of
    rapidly deploying trained and ready forces. A comprehensive review is
    underway to ensure that force structure, resourcing, manning and
    mobilization processes are aligned with the National Defense Strategy
    (NDS) to meet the Great Power Competition.
                               navy reserve force
    Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command (CNRFC)
        CNRFC operates six regional headquarters and 123 Navy Operational
    Support Centers (NOSCs), located in all 50 States, Puerto Rico, and
    Guam. NOSCs are the readiness generation centers of the Navy Reserve
    that provide administrative, training and readiness support to
    Reservists. Additionally, NOSCs are the face of the Navy in many parts
    of America where access to naval units is minimal compared to fleet
    concentration areas such as San Diego and Norfolk. The NOSC is a vital
    resource to the Navy that enables access to industry, academia and
    associations that support the Navy while also completing a vital
    recruitment mission. NOSCs also provide valuable support to veteran
    Sailors and fulfill the solemn duty of paying final tribute to Service
    members who have faithfully defended the Nation by providing funeral
    honors. Their strategic value to the Navy Reserve cannot be overstated
    due to the crucial role they play in supporting Reserve Sailors,
    Veterans and their families.
    Commander, Naval Air Forces Reserve (CNAFR)
        CNAFR is composed of one Naval Air Facility, two Joint Reserve
    Bases one air logistics scheduling agency and three air wings. Fleet
    Logistics Support Wing and Tactical Support Wing both reside at Naval
    Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, while Maritime Support Wing
    is headquartered at Naval Air Station North Island, CA. The three air
    wings consist of 21 squadrons with 167 aircraft assigned. In addition
    to these standalone commands, the Navy Reserve operates 26 Squadron
    Augment Units and four fleet support units which directly support
    various AC Navy squadrons around the country including the Navy's
    newest, carrier-based platforms, the CMV-22B Osprey and F-35C
    Lightning. The valued skill sets of over 8,000 aviation professionals
    in the Navy Reserve are critical to aviation readiness and safety. An
    added benefit to the Total Force is that many of these highly skilled
    professionals perform a similar role in a civilian capacity, bolstering
    the Navy's strength through their vast knowledge and experience.
        A key component of the Navy's ability to operate forward is
    proficient and well-trained Naval Aviators. During a time when pilot
    production is a high priority, Reserve Component Aviators provide
    CNATRA critical support in all phases of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast
    Guard undergraduate flight training. In 2019, skilled instructors
    within the CNATRA Reserve Component Command continued to provide 20
    percent of the total student production across five Training Air Wings,
    contributing more than 53,000 flight hours and almost 27,000 student
    events.
    Commander, Naval Information Force Reserve (CNIFR)
        CNIFR, based in Fort Worth, TX, is the executive agent for nine
    Joint Reserve Intelligence Centers (JRICs) located throughout the
    country. In partnership with the Defense Intelligence Agency Joint
    Reserve Intelligence Program, these facilities provide fully capable
    intelligence and cyber warfare centers enabling wartime readiness
    through training and operations, and real-time intelligence support to
    Combatant Commands, Combat Support Agencies, the intelligence
    community, and Navy fleets. There are a total of 28 JRICs located
    across the country, providing members of the Navy Reserve a ``train as
    you fight'' environment utilizing the same systems and tactics,
    techniques and procedures as the parent commands. For the last 17
    years, Reserve Component Information Warfare (IW) Sailors have provided
    approximately 80 percent of the total IW Individual Augmentation
    manpower, and continues to source 551 recurring IW mobilization
    requirements. This has been a critical mission in the fight against
    violent extremists requiring an enormous commitment by Reserve Sailors.
    Additionally, the Navy Reserve is poised to support space operations.
    Today, the Reserve Space Cadre contains approximately 125 qualified
    officers focused on space operations and acquisition, enhanced
    warfighting capabilities, and integration of space knowledge into fleet
    operations.
    Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC)
        Headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story,
    Virginia, NECC is comprised of Coastal Riverine and Naval Construction
    Forces; Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Diving and Salvage Units; and
    expeditionary units providing logistics capabilities. Currently, NECC
    is manned with more than 8,000 Sailors, 50 percent of which are Reserve
    Component Sailors working alongside their Active Component counterparts
    in the Navy and Joint Force to provide invaluable expertise based on
    prior service experiences. NECC Forces execute full spectrum military
    operations to shape the battlefield environment, provide humanitarian
    assistance and disaster relief, and conduct major combat operations.
                                   personnel
    Civilian Skills
        The specialized skillsets that Navy Reserve Sailors possess make it
    an indispensable force multiplier that is leveraged on a daily basis in
    support of Navy and Marine Corps missions. In order to capitalize on
    the individual expertise of Reserve Sailors, the Navy Reserve has
    embarked on an initiative to enroll Selected Reservists in a Reserve
    Civilian Skills Database. To date, over 12,000 Selected Reservists have
    voluntarily reported their unique civilian skills and certifications.
    Capturing these skills enables the Navy to leverage the maturity and
    diversity of Reserve Sailors. Recent examples include Data Science,
    Science and Technology Researchers and Additive Manufacturing.
        The Navy Reserve is also an integrated force provider that extends
    the unique skillsets of Reserve Sailors to provide medical and
    religious services to the Marine Corps, which has proven to be a combat
    capable and cost effective model.
    Mobilization
        On any given day, roughly 20 percent of the Selected Reserve
    Component is operational, delivering critical support to our forces
    around the globe. The Navy continues to mobilize thousands of
    Reservists to fill un-serviced requirements of the Combatant
    Commanders. In 2019, Reserve Sailors provided nearly three million man-
    days of support to Navy missions worldwide, to include nearly 3,000
    individual mobilizations. Since 2001, 65,349 Navy Reserve Sailors have
    executed more than 87,000 mobilizations. These Sailors support
    Combatant Commands around the globe, and add to the broad and diverse
    set of operational support missions the Navy Reserve executes on a
    daily basis, including, but not limited to, Expeditionary Warfare,
    Naval Air Warfare, Naval Special Warfare, Fleet Air Logistics, Cyber
    Warfare, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Strategic Sealift and Shipyard
    Maintenance. The high utilization of Reserve Sailors to fill gaps in
    the Joint Force comes at a high readiness cost to operational plans
    (OPLANS). While mobilized as IAs, Sailors are unavailable to their
    active commands and are deferred from further mobilizations during
    their ``dwell'' period after returning. Cumulatively, this takes a
    significant toll on the Navy Reserve's overall OPLAN readiness. As
    such, the Navy Reserve continues its effort to comply with current (and
    past) Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO) guidance of moving away from IAs
    in order to support OPLAN readiness.
    Distributed Mobilization (DM)
        The Reserve Component's ability to rapidly mobilize the entire
    force during a large-scale contingency will be critical to mission
    success. Meeting the logistic and administrative demands of a large
    activation requires a process change that is different from the current
    model which is centered on a single mobilization site. The Navy Reserve
    is now implementing a Distributed Mobilization model that will leverage
    multiple existing processing sites to meet mobilization requirements
    more effectively. Accelerating and expanding mobilization capacity will
    align the Navy Reserve with the current Total Force modernization
    effort in support of GPC.
    Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) Management
        There are approximately 43,754 Sailors that make up the Individual
    Ready Reserve. As a key component of strategic depth, the IRR consists
    of trained Sailors who are fulfilling their minimum service requirement
    in an unpaid status. The Navy Reserve is developing a tiered readiness
    model that better tracks unique skills to make it easier to quickly
    employ IRR Sailors where they are needed most. Efforts to further
    cultivate strategic depth will support a focused engagement plan to
    deliver robust processes in support of seamless Reserve Component to
    Active Component transitions and mobilizations.
    Reserve Incentive Programs
        The Navy Reserve uses special incentive pays and bonuses to recruit
    and retain Sailors in hard-to-fill specialties while maintaining the
    right balance of seniority, skills and experience to meet the Navy's
    mission today and in the future. The Navy Reserve is grateful for the
    current bonus structure that provided $31 million in fiscal year 2020
    toward Reserve incentive programs to mitigate manning shortfalls in
    specific skill sets and paygrades. Your continued congressional support
    of RPN funding in PB21 is necessary to ensure the Navy Reserve
    continues to recruit, onboard, train, qualify, promote and retain the
    RIGHT Reserve Sailors to fill critical war-fighting capability gaps.
    Personnel and Pay Transformation
        There are many examples of Reserve Sailors experiencing delayed or
    inaccurate pay as a result of outdated and ineffective systems. This
    directly impacts the readiness of the force and puts unnecessary stress
    on Reserve Sailors and families. As part of MyNavy HR Transformation,
    the development of Navy Personnel & Pay (NP2) will provide a modern,
    cloud- based, Commercial-Off-The-Shelf solution that combines personnel
    and pay functions into one consolidated and seamless system that
    improves user interface and maximizes Sailor self-service across the
    Active and Reserve Components. The initial NP2 capability, will allow
    seamless transition of Navy Reserve Sailors to active duty without
    delays in establishing pay accounts, which is key to AC/RC permeability
    and the ability to smoothly perform mobilizations within the timelines
    established by Combatant Commanders. This is an urgent need and is a
    topic on the minds of Navy Reserve Sailors. The Navy Reserve encourages
    full support of the PB21 request for NP2, which will enable the RC to
    leverage modern technology to meet the expectations of a millennial
    workforce, promote seamless AC/RC permeability, and address Reserve
    Sailor pay concerns.
                                   equipment
    Reserve Maritime Capabilities: P-3 to P-8
        For the third year in a row, the P-8A is the top equipment priority
    of the Navy Reserve. Currently the RC operates the P-3C in
    Jacksonville, FL at Patrol Squadron 62 (VP-62) and in Whidbey Island,
    Washington at VP-69. These squadrons provide strategic depth for the AC
    Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Force through the planned P-3C sundown
    in 2023. The replacement aircraft to the P-3C, the P-8A Poseidon, a
    militarized version of Boeing's 737 jetliner, provides broad area, full
    spectrum, anti-submarine warfare, armed anti-surface warfare, and
    networked maritime Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance
    capabilities. Last year, congressional support of CNO's unfunded
    priorities list provided P-8As for the Navy Reserve, which will
    facilitate the transition of VP-62 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in
    fiscal year 23.
    Navy Logistics: C-130 and C-40
        Since World War II, the Navy has relied on aviation combat
    logistics to enable the forward leaning and expeditionary posture
    exclusive to naval operations. Operated entirely by the Navy Reserve,
    Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift (NUFEA) is made up of 25 C/KC-130T
    and 17 C-40A aircraft and remains the Navy's only source of organic
    intra-theater air logistics. Last year, fleet logistics (VR) flew
    22,707 flight hours and transported 111,625 passengers and 22.2 million
    pounds of cargo in support of Navy and Department of Defense (DoD).
    This was done at a cost avoidance of nearly $1.0B per year compared to
    alternative means of transportation.
        The C/KC-130T Hercules is a medium lift aircraft used for cargo and
    personnel a transport with an ability to operate from unprepared
    airfields. It is the Navy's only transport aircraft capable of moving
    oversized cargo (fully-intact F-35 engines, AMRAAM and Harpoon
    missiles, submarine masts, etc.). Currently there are five Reserve C/
    KC-130 squadrons with 25 aircraft. The Navy Reserve will continue to
    upgrade these legacy airframes via the ongoing Avionics Obsolescence
    Upgrade program, NP2000 propellers, and engine performance
    improvements. Until recapitalization is possible, efforts will focus on
    sustainment and readiness, which are critical to preserving the Navy
    Unique Fleet Essential Airlift requirement. Ultimately, a transition
    from the aging C/KC-130T to the C-130J is necessary to ensure
    interoperability and capitalize on the existing supply chain for these
    more modern aircraft.
        The Navy C-40A Clipper provides the Fleet with on-demand, medium
    cargo airlift capability to rapidly support ongoing naval operations as
    a critical intra-theater logistics connector. Six squadrons with 17
    aircraft provide transportation of items critical to forward- deployed
    naval operations, to include vital parts and personnel, and unique
    support for Naval Special Warfare, often at short notice, around the
    clock. The Navy Reserve successfully completed the transition from the
    C-9B Skytrains to the C-40A Clipper last year when VR-51 on Oahu,
    Hawaii, received its final two aircraft. These aircraft provide greater
    airlift capacity in the INDO-PACOM area of responsibility and are a
    critical asset in Great Power Competition.
    Attack Fighter Aircraft
        Within the next decade, most of the Navy Reserve's adversary
    aircraft will reach the end of their service life. In fiscal year 2019,
    Active Component F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets flew 18,000 hours of
    adversary support and added costly flight hours on inventory-limited
    fleet aircraft. Increasing Navy Reserve capacity and capability to
    support Navy adversary requirements will improve warfighting strike
    fighter service life.
        The Navy Reserve operates legacy F/A-18C in two squadrons, VFA-204
    in New Orleans and VFC-12 in Oceana, Virginia. These aircraft are some
    of the oldest in operation and are not interoperable with AC squadrons
    who are operating F/A-18E Super Hornets and the F-35C Joint Strike
    Fighter. The Navy's current Master Aviation Plan shows an RC transition
    from the F/A- 18C to the F/A-18E in 2024-2025. Recapitalizing these
    jets will help maintain a strategic reserve and a more robust, threat-
    representative adversary capability. Continued focus on this transition
    is necessary to enhance lethality and preserve the operational and
    strategic value of these Reserve squadrons.
                         resiliency and quality of life
        The Navy and the Nation asks a great deal from Reserve sailors and
    their families; and, therefore, remains committed to providing the best
    support before, during and after their service. Unlike their active
    duty counterparts, Navy Reserve Sailors find themselves in the unique
    position of having to balance their civilian jobs, military obligations
    and families. Predictability is critical in enabling Reserve Sailors to
    achieve this balance. The Navy Reserve is focused on delivering
    programs that improve resiliency and quality of life for Sailors and
    families.
    Suicide Prevention
        The Navy Reserve is committed to building command climates that
    increase awareness and support the mental health of Sailors. The Navy
    Reserve is actively engaged in Cross Functional Teams charged with
    suicide prevention efforts and to assist with the implementation of the
    Defense Strategy on Suicide Prevention. The way ahead is focused on
    resilience-building tools such as a commander's mitigation dashboard,
    which will be used along with the numerous resources provided by the
    21st Century Sailor Office.
    Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP)
        The Psychological Health Outreach Program was established in 2008
    to ensure that Reserve Sailors and their family members have full
    access to appropriate psychological healthcare services to increase
    resilience and facilitate recovery. PHOP currently has 29 locations
    within the continental United States, one in Puerto Rico and one in
    Hawaii. PHOP covers a broad range of topics to include psychological
    health assessment, surveillance, resilience education as well as legal,
    financial and medical training. In 2019, PHOP trained and educated
    33,000 Reserve Sailors and supported 8,128 service member referrals.
    Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Initiative Program (YRRP)
        The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is a Department of Defense-
    wide effort to promote the well-being of National Guard and Reserve
    members, their families and their communities, by connecting them with
    resources throughout the deployment cycle. The theme for fiscal year-20
    events is ``Families, Our Home Front Warriors''. It will focus on
    providing more flexible program policy decisions and additional
    advertising campaigns will be implemented to increase attendance at
    Navy Returning Warrior Workshops (RWW). The RWWs use presentations and
    group sessions to provide insight into how Sailors and family members
    can be successful in reintegration with family, friends and careers
    following deployments. The Navy Reserve will continue to support
    Sailors and their families throughout all facets of their service.
                             information technology
    Cloud Computing, Mobility Innovations and Digital Capabilities
        Navy Reserve strategy for Enterprise information technology (IT)
    provides world-wide access to critical Navy and IT business systems for
    approximately 60,000 geographically dispersed Selected Reservists. The
    IT strategy improves efficiency and lethality through three core
    technological advances: Cloud Computing, Mobility Innovations and
    Digital Capabilities. Emphasis on access and mobility made it possible
    for RC Sailors to use their personal devices to access secure,
    encrypted email via the Ready-2-Serve (R2S) mobile website application.
    The ability to have remote access is essential for Reserve Sailors who
    are geographically dispersed and lack permanent location to access to
    Navy computer systems. IT initiatives have enabled business practice
    modernization that better aligns to fleet and warfighting by sustaining
    communications and IT capabilities across the Navy Reserve Force.
                        operational maintenance support
    Shipbuilding and Surge Maintenance
        The Engineering Duty Officer and Naval Sea Systems Command Reserve
    Component (EDO/NAVSEA RC) is a fully integrated, mission ready force of
    472 Officers and 2,011 Enlisted Sailors spread across 91 units. This
    responsive and transformative engineering force provides leadership and
    advanced skillsets that support the delivery of ships and systems on-
    time and on-cost for the United States Navy. In fiscal year 2019, the
    EDO/NAVSEA RC contributed an unprecedented 68,066 days of operational
    support (12,000 days more than fiscal year 2018) and 2,553 days of
    Engineering Duty Officer Qualification training. Today, there are more
    than 100 EDO/NAVSEA Sailors on active duty supporting Navy shipbuilding
    and surge maintenance operations around the world.
        Last year, SURGEMAIN executed 17,064 days of in support of all four
    Navy shipyards [Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard,
    Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]. EDO/NAVSEA
    Sailors continue to fill critical roles supporting technical efforts in
    advance of the construction of COLUMBIA-class submarines, trouble
    shooting and system testing the USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN-78) and as part
    of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan. Additionally, the
    NAVSEA SURGEMAIN Reserve Force team `surged' over 30 Sailors to USS
    DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69) resulting in the delivery of another
    carrier on-time from a maintenance availability at Norfolk Naval
    Shipyard.
    Navy Reserve Activity Infrastructure
        The average age of Reserve facilities is 43 years and over 20
    percent are designated substandard. A lack of sufficient sustainment,
    restoration and modernization funding has a compound effect on
    infrastructure over time and, in turn, has a profound impact on the
    readiness of the Reserve Force. Both Operations and Maintenance Navy
    Reserve (OMNR) funding and Military Construction (MILCON) funding is
    critical to support Reserve structures that enable the readiness of
    Reserve Sailors. Your continued support of Reserve infrastructure
    funding through consistent investments in Reserve MILCON and OMNR will
    greatly improve infrastructure readiness.
                                   conclusion
        The Navy Reserve remains a committed, resilient force delivering
    strategic depth and unique capabilities to the Joint Force. As such,
    Reserve Sailors stand ready to answer the Nation's call by filling
    vital, strategic roles to ensure the Total Force can meet the
    challenges of the Great Power Competition. Looking ahead, it is clear
    that modernization will be vital for seamless integration of the Navy
    Reserve Force with the Total Force of the future.
        Serving the men and women of the United States Navy Reserve Force
    has been the honor of my lifetime. As I travelled and met the Sailors
    of the Navy Reserve Force, I personally witnessed the commitment to the
    mission and to each other as they serve tirelessly wherever the Nation
    asked them to go. I am truly humbled by their service and that of their
    families. Thank you for your steadfast support of Navy Reserve Sailors,
    their families, and their employers. Your continued support is
    essential to preserve the lethality of the Reserve Force and to ensure
    the Navy Reserve operates seamlessly as part of the Total Force.

        Senator Shelby. Thank you. Next, we have Lieutenant General
    David Bellon, Commander of the Marine Corps Forces Reserve.
    General.
    STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVID G. BELLON,
                COMMANDER, MARINE CORPS FORCES RESERVE
        General Bellon. Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Durbin, and
    distinguished members of the subcommittee, I also will submit
    my opening statement for the record and summarize.
        Senator Shelby. Without objection, it is so ordered.
        General Bellon. Sir, on behalf of the Commandant of the
    Marine Corps, it is a great pleasure to be here today. I want
    to thank you and the subcommittee for all the resources you
    provide, and I think if I had anything to impart for my opening
    statement it would be this, that your Marine Corps Reserve is
    in exceptional shape.
        Right now we are at 99 percent of our requirement for
    staffing, and of that Force, 25 percent function every drill
    weekend and every annual training and respond to crisis. They
    are not under contract, and by that I mean they have actually
    served through their original contract and they would like to
    continue to serve every month voluntarily. That reflects the
    leadership of your Marine Corps Reserves. Thank officers,
    enlisted staff, and CNO noncommissioned officers.
        In the past year, we had a 20 percent increase of deployed
    Forces from your Reserve. So typically we amount for about 5
    percent of the Marine Corps budget and this year we represented
    11 percent of the total Marine Forces forward-deployed. So in
    this era of fiscal austerity, it is my way of communicating to
    you that we try to be very good shepherds of the resources you
    provide and deliver the combat power you need.
        In the coming years, obviously, there is going to be a
    significant evolution of the Marine Corps Reserve as part of
    the Total Force, and we go about that with a happy heart. It is
    threat informed and we are conscious of the budget, and we are
    very mindful of the resources you continue to provide us and we
    are thankful.
        [The statement follows:]
            Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General David G. Bellon
        Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Durbin, and distinguished members
    of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to appear before you and
    provide an overview on the current state of the Marine Corps Reserve.
        The United States Marine Corps Reserve stands ready to augment,
    reinforce, and sustain the Active Component by providing forces for
    employment across the full spectrum of crisis and global engagement.
    Over the last year, we have been engaged around the world in theater
    security cooperation activities and operations, serving side-by-side
    with our Active Component, and have made tremendous contributions in
    support of every geographic Combatant Commander. While the Marine Corps
    Reserve is supporting current service and Combatant Command
    requirements, we are also participating in the service's efforts to
    redesign our force and our warfighting capabilities to deter against
    pacing threats as prescribed by the National Defense Strategy.
        I am deeply impressed by the professionalism, competence, and
    dedication of our Reserve Marines. Like their Active Component
    counterparts, they serve selflessly to protect our great Nation. I am
    inspired by the way they balance family responsibilities, civilian
    careers, and military service. They do so with humility, without
    fanfare, and with a sense of pride and dedication that is consistent
    with the great sacrifices of Marines from every generation. Without a
    doubt, the success of the Marine Corps hinges on the quality of our
    Marines.
                                 a total force
        As an integral part of the Total Force, the Marine Corps Reserve
    plays a key role in providing that national security force in
    readiness. Over the past year, the Marine Corps Reserve supported
    Combatant Commanders by providing forces focused on combat operations,
    crisis prevention, crisis response, and theater security cooperation.
    Global deployments, along with
        participation in Service, Joint, and multi-national exercises,
    develop the depth of experience of the Reserve Force, ensuring the
    Marine Corps Reserve is relevant, ready, and responsive to meet
    Combatant Commanders' requirements.
        On average in 2019, the Marine Corps Reserve provided approximately
    11 percent of the Total Force's forward deployed forces for
    approximately 5 percent of the Marine Corps' budget. In 2019, 2,624
    Reserve Marines mobilized supporting 45 operational requirements in
    each of the six geographic Combatant Commands. This is approximately a
    19 percent increase in personnel deployed and 22 percent increase in
    operational requirements compared to 2018. Likewise, 9,944 Reservists
    participated in 43 training exercises, supporting requirements in 21
    countries across the globe. The Marine Corps Reserve filled 59 percent
    of the total service individual augment requirements. We continue to
    meet the increased demand for use as an operational reserve, though
    this has begun to challenge readiness to meet strategic requirements.
        In 2020, the Marine Corps Reserve will continue to support the
    Combatant Commanders by mobilizing in excess of 800 Reservists
    supporting approximately 27 formations. Over the course of 2020, more
    than 8,000 Marines will support theater-specific exercises, security
    cooperation events, and ``standing'' operations across every Combatant
    Command. These operations and exercises greatly increase the Reserve
    Component's interoperability with the Active Component, Joint Forces,
    our allies, and coalition partners.
        The Marine Corps Reserve continues to provide daily support to
    Combatant Commanders in a wide range of roles that include multi-
    national exercises, such as Dynamic Front 20 in Latvia, New Horizons 20
    in South America, and Maple Resolve 20 in Canada. I anticipate the
    Marine Corps Reserve will continue to deploy across the globe and to
    integrate with the Active Component in support of high-priority
    Combatant Commander requirements for the foreseeable future. In 2019,
    23 of the 45 formations activated were deployed to the CENTCOM AOR and
    in 2020, the Marine Corps Reserve will activate an additional eight
    Reserve formations that will deploy to the CENTCOM AOR. In 2020, the
    Marine Corps Reserve has also continued to deploy reconnaissance,
    assault amphibian, and combat engineer units to the Indo-Pacific Area
    of Responsibility in support of III Marine Expeditionary Force's
    requirements in Okinawa, Japan.
        In addition, the Marine Corps Reserve has recently increased its
    participation in the Department of Defense's Innovative Readiness
    Training (IRT) program. This program provides military training
    opportunity, exclusive to the United States and its territories, which
    delivers joint training opportunities to increase deployment readiness.
    Simultaneously, IRT provides key services (healthcare, construction,
    transportation, and cybersecurity) with lasting benefits for our
    American communities. The IRT program has allowed our units to increase
    deployment readiness by training to mission essential tasks, while also
    training with their counterparts from different services and making
    tangible, meaningful impacts in their communities. Utilizing $1 million
    from the Marine Corps and $780,000 from the Office of the Secretary of
    Defense (OSD), the Marine Corps Reserve supported 7 exercises, a 50
    percent increase from 2018. Examples include diverse construction-
    training that supported the Girl Scouts at Camp Paumalu, Hawaii;
    relocating the Village of Newtok, Alaska; and repairing a remote
    airfield in California. With your continued support of these efforts,
    we look to expand to 12 exercises that will include construction,
    medical, and cybersecurity efforts.
        In addition to participating in operational requirements across the
    globe, the Marine Corps Reserve supports the Total Force by dutifully
    executing the sensitive and crucial mission of providing casualty
    assistance to the families of our fallen Marines. There is no
    responsibility that we treat with higher regard than the solemn mission
    of providing casualty assistance. Inspector-Instructor and Reserve Site
    Support Staffs are geographically positioned to accomplish the vast
    majority of Marine Corps casualty assistance calls and are trained to
    provide compassionate and thorough assistance to families. Indeed, the
    majority of Marine Corps casualty notifications and follow-on
    assistance calls to the next of kin are made by our Marines. During
    Calendar Year (CY) 2019, our Inspector-Instructor and Reserve Site
    Support staffs performed 95 percent of the casualty calls performed by
    the Marine Corps.
        The professionalism and compassion of our Casualty Assistance Calls
    Officers (CACOs) continues well beyond the initial notification. We
    ensure that our CACOs are well trained, equipped, and supported by all
    levels of command through the combination of in-person and online
    training. Once assigned, the CACO serves as the family's central point
    of contact and coordinates with funeral homes, government agencies, and
    other organizations. They assist family members with planning the
    return and final resting place of their Marine and ensure the filing of
    appropriate documents so families receive all benefits they are
    entitled. In many cases, our CACOs provide a long-lasting bridge
    between the Marine Corps and the grieving family.
        Additionally, the Marine Corps Reserve units and personnel provide
    significant support in the form of military funeral honors for our
    veterans. The Marine Corps Reserve performed 20,416 military funeral
    honors which represented 93 percent of all funeral honors rendered by
    the Marine Corps during 2019. As with casualty assistance, we place
    enormous emphasis on providing timely, compassionate, and
    professionally executed military funeral honors. Although this comes
    with a cost to readiness, some Marine Corps Reserve units are executing
    in excess of 500 funerals per year.
        Finally, the Marine Corps Reserve functions as the greatest link
    between the Marine Corps and communities across the Nation. We are the
    face of the Marine Corps to the majority of the American public. With
    Reserve units located across the country, the Marine Corps Reserve is
    uniquely positioned to interact with the American public and
    communicate the Marine Corps story to our fellow citizens; most of whom
    have little or no contact with the Marine Corps. Last year, Marine
    Corps Reserve personnel and units conducted more than 500 local and
    regional public engagement and community relations events across the
    country.
                                   personnel
        Marines, Sailors, and our civilian Marines are the foundation of
    all that we do. The resources we dedicate to sustaining and developing
    this foundation directly contributes to the success of our institution.
    The vast majority of the Marine Corps Selected Reserve's authorized end
    strength of 38,500 falls under the Marine Corps Reserve. The Selected
    Reserve is composed of Marines in four categories: Selected Marine
    Corps Reserve Units, Active Reserve, Individual Mobilization
    Augmentees, and service members in initial training. Embedded with
    these Marines are 1,641 Active and Reserve component Sailors who serve
    critical roles in the operational, medical, dental, and spiritual
    readiness of our Reserve Force. The success of the Marine Corps Reserve
    would not be possible without continued support from the U.S. Navy.
        In addition to the Marines and Sailors of the Selected Reserve, the
    Marine Corps Reserve administratively controls approximately 61,000
    Marines who serve in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). The Marine
    Corps Reserve continues to monitor the mobilization viability of these
    IRR Marines through the use of muster events at multiple locations
    across the country. These muster events allow the Marine Corps Reserve
    to ensure these IRR Marines meet the requirements for mobilization.
    These events also provide the opportunity to address administrative
    issues, conduct mental health and post-deployment assessments, to
    review Reserve obligations and new opportunities, and to meet with
    Marine Corps recruiters. During the past year the Marine Corps Reserve
    conducted 25 muster events and met 5,667 IRR Marines. In addition to
    the musters, the Marine Corps Reserve contacted and screened 48,883
    Marines telephonically.
        The Marine Corps Reserve strives to retain the very best Marines
    capable of fulfilling our leadership and operational needs. Marines
    approaching the end of their current contracts, whether Active or
    Reserve Component, receive counseling on the tangible and intangible
    benefits of remaining associated with the Selected Reserve. We educate
    each transitioning Active Component Marine on opportunities for
    continued service in the Marine Corps Reserve through the Marine Corps'
    transition assistance and educational outreach programs.
        Recruiting, retaining, and properly aligning high quality Marines
    is essential to the Marine Corps' ability to answer the call as the
    Nation's Force in Readiness. Monetary incentive programs have proven to
    be critical enablers for the Marine Corps Reserve's high levels of
    affiliation, retention, and alignment. While incentives such as
    occupational specialty retraining and targeted bonus payments directly
    support retention, the authorization for inactive duty travel
    reimbursement of up to $500 of actual costs for Marines who are
    required travel in excess of 150 miles from their residence to their
    drill center has proven to be particularly beneficial in ensuring that
    the each Marine is assigned to an appropriate billet and filling a
    valid requirement. In fiscal year 2019, your support of incentive
    programs enabled us to maintain our end strength at 99.7 percent of
    total authorization, while ensuring over 87 percent of our Marines were
    serving in billets commensurate with their rank and Military
    Occupational Specialty. Going forward, I ask for your continued support
    of these incentives as they are vital to our ability to retain and most
    advantageously utilize the Corps' most precious asset--the individual
    Marine.
                                   equipment
        Reserve Component units remain highly interoperable with their
    Active Component counterparts due to the Marine Corps' Total Force
    approach to equipment fielding and management. Reserve Component Forces
    are manned, trained, and equipped to standards that facilitate the
    seamless integrated employment of forces to meet Combatant Commander
    requirements. Our reserve units and personnel continue to be in high
    demand, with a similar number of exercises, missions, and operations
    scheduled this year, as executed last fiscal year.
        This high operational tempo places a stress on our ability to
    maintain our equipment and replenish our deficiencies, however. Most
    disconcerting is our individual combat equipment deficiencies,
    specifically ballistic protection and load-bearing equipment. In the
    event of a large- scale wartime mobilization, to include any sizable
    call-up of the Individual Ready Reserve, individual combat equipment
    deficiencies may become a strategic risk to mission.
        With regard to maintenance readiness, the Marine Corps Reserve has
    mitigated risk for many years in two ways. First, risk is mitigated by
    refining units' Training Allowances, which is that portion of a unit's
    full Table of Equipment located at Reserve Training Centers. Our goal
    is to balance the amount of equipment necessary to conduct training
    with the amount of equipment that can be maintained within personnel,
    facility, and fiscal constraints. Second, risk is mitigated by
    leveraging Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) dollars to buy mobile
    maintenance support teams that augment the limited organic maintenance
    capacity. Congressional support for the Marine Corps Reserve fiscal
    year 2021 President's budget request within the National Defense
    Authorization Act, to include OCO, is paramount to our continued
    success in sustaining our equipment and maintenance readiness.
        Upcoming fielding of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and
    Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) will provide the Reserve Component with
    the latest generation of combat equipment. Additionally, fielding of
    programs such as the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) and the
    Ground Weapons Locating Radar (GWLR) will enhance our ability to fight
    and win on the modern battlefield. The top procurement priority of the
    Marine Corps Reserve is the KC-130J Super Hercules. The Marine Corps
    Reserve has been fielded 11 of 28 aircraft and will not be fully
    fielded until 2024. This extended fielding timeline forces the Reserve
    Component to simultaneously operate the KC-130J and the legacy KC-130T
    aircraft until 1st Quarter, fiscal year 2022.
        These two aircraft have vastly different logistics, maintenance,
    and aircrew requirements, resulting in an increased outlay of resources
    to maintain the readiness of the Reserve Component KC-130 Squadrons.
                                    training
        Each year and typically in the summer, the Marine Corps Reserve
    participates in a number of training exercises both within the United
    States and overseas to improve combat readiness and enhance our ability
    rapidly activate and integrate with the Active Component. The service-
    level Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) is conducted aboard Marine
    Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. ITX
    improves combat readiness, efficiency in Total Force integration, and
    enables more rapid activation response times at the battalion and
    squadron level.
        The exercise consists of two infantry battalions conducting live-
    fire and maneuver exercises, along with other elements of the Marine
    Air-Ground Task Force. This is one of the few opportunities that
    Reserve ground, aviation, and logistics combat elements, under the
    command of a regimental headquarters, are able to come together and
    synchronize all warfighting actions to operate as a Marine Air-Ground
    Task Force under live fire and maneuver conditions.
        The Reserves also took part in a CMC directed Force on Force (FoF)
    MAGTF Warfighting Exercise (MWX), the first of its kind, designed to
    challenge the MAGTF against a peer adversary in a free-play
    environment. Serving as a part of the Adversary Force (ADFOR) with
    Higher Command responsibilities, the Division employed a Scout Platoon
    from 4th Tanks that participated in Unit Level Training, Collective
    Training and MWS.
        Additionally in 2019 and in concert with Canadian Allies, Reserve
    Marines and Sailors participated in Sentinel Edge Vigilant Shield and
    conducted Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) from Home
    Training Center (HTC) to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Cold Lake, AB to
    generate and sustain sorties. The exercise demonstrated Long Range
    Insertion of MV- 22s, employment of HIMARS Rapid Infiltration and
    expeditionary operations with fixed and rotary wing integration.
        To preserve fiscal and materiel resources, the Marine Corps Reserve
    uses training simulators wherever and whenever possible. Reserve units
    employ Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainers (ISMTs) to maintain
    combat marksmanship skills and to maximize the use of their most
    precious resource, time. The ISMTs enable onsite training and eliminate
    long distance travel to remote DoD areas. Additionally, units
    capitalize on non-traditional training methods such as online training
    to mitigate the limitation of 38 training days per fiscal year to
    complete mission essential tasks and all required DoD and Service
    annual training requirements.
        Expanding the use of simulators and online training enhances
    readiness and enables the Reserve Component to maximize limited
    training time during drill weekends.
                                   facilities
        The Marine Corps Reserve occupies facilities in 47 States, the
    District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These
    facilities include 27 owned and 131 tenant Reserve Training Centers,
    three family housing sites, one permanent barracks, and one General
    Officer Quarters. Although some sites are located on major DoD
    installations, most are situated within civilian communities, ranging
    from neighborhoods to industrial and commercial districts. We continue
    to improve the maintenance and security of our facilities to ensure the
    safety of our Marines and Sailors and to provide an effective training
    and mobilization location.
        Fifty-seven percent of the facilities budget supports the
    sustainment and maintenance of existing infrastructure and day-to-day
    operating costs. We have improved the overall readiness of our
    facilities inventory through the Facilities Sustainment, Restoration
    and Modernization (FSRM) support program and maximized the impact of
    our budget through divestiture and demolition of excess footprint.
        The Marine Corps' Military Construction, Navy Reserve (MCNR)
    program focuses on providing construction for new and enduring
    capabilities, as well as recapitalization of our aging facilities. The
    construction provided by the annual authorization and appropriation of
    MCNR funding is an important factor in advancing our facilities support
    mission as we optimize our force laydown throughout the Nation.
    Continued support for our MCNR request is essential as we divest of
    failing infrastructure and modernize capabilities.
        Of most critical importance is the safety of our Marines and
    Sailors. We have ongoing efforts to improve overall force protection at
    all of our sites by working with our service partners and the National
    Guard for joint occupied facilities. Numerous protection assessments
    and security engineering reports have been conducted at our facilities
    to assist and develop designs to mitigate protection concerns,
    specifically physical security. These assessments identify requirements
    and serve to prioritize enhancements to improve facility security for
    our Marines and Sailors.
        The combined effects of our targeted consolidation, FSRM, and MCNR
    programs have steadily reduced the number of inadequate or substandard
    Reserve Training Centers and enabled better support to the Force. As
    our infrastructure ages, however, our operating costs have steadily
    increased. In addition, service level efforts to modernize our force
    and its infrastructure have also increased costs. Continued support to
    our annual funding request for our facilities program will enable us to
    improve the overall physical infrastructure that reinforces the
    operational readiness of our units.
                                health services
        The Marine Corps Reserve Health Service Support (HSS) ensures the
    health and wellness of the Reserve Marines and Sailors remains at the
    forefront. We continue to improve medical readiness through a robust
    Individual Medical Readiness (IMR) Program within the Marine Corps
    Reserve and by accurate monitoring, identification, and supervision of
    the unit-level actions necessary to attain readiness goals.
    Additionally, our Health Services personnel participate in Force
    Readiness Assistance & Assessment Program (FRAAP) inspections and
    audits which provide oversight at the unit level and the ability to
    monitor policy adherence and readiness.
        The Reserve Health Readiness Program (RHRP) greatly increased
    overall medical and dental readiness throughout the Force. This program
    provides support using contracted civilian medical and dental providers
    to work with units that do not have organic medical or dental support
    personnel or are not supported by a military treatment facility. During
    fiscal year 2019, the RHRP performed 17,769 Periodic Health Assessments
    (PHAs), 205 Post-Deployment Heath Re-Assessments (PDHRAs), 172 Pre-
    Deployment Heath Assessment (PreDHA) Events, 260 Audiological
    examinations, and 366 Dental Events.
        Between deployments, our Health Services priority is to work toward
    achieving the DoD's goal of a 90 percent medically ready force. During
    fiscal year 2019, our individual medical and dental readiness rates
    were 77.6 percent and 86 percent, respectively. The Marine Corps
    Reserve units rely heavily on RHRP to maintain our medical and dental
    readiness. Continued support of this program is imperative for
    maintaining readiness.
                               behavioral health
        In addition to RHRP, the Marine Corps Reserve has implemented a
    robust behavioral health program, which includes Combat Operational
    Stress Control, Suicide Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention and
    Family Advocacy programs. Operational Stress Control and Readiness
    (OSCAR) training continues to be conducted at all levels and is
    provided during pre-deployment training to service members deploying
    for more than 90 days and all commands in garrison. This training
    provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and tools needed to assist
    commanders in preventing, identifying, and managing combat and
    operational stress concerns as early as possible. Each of these tools
    support the commander in building unit strength, resilience, and
    readiness as well as keeping Marines in the fight.
        The Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) continues to
    support behavioral health through various independent contracted
    programs, such as the PDHRA and the Psychological Health Outreach
    Program (PHOP). The PDHRA places an emphasis on identifying physical,
    behavioral, and mental health concerns that may have emerged since
    returning from deployment. The PHOP addresses both post-deployment
    behavioral health concerns and crisis-related interventions by
    providing our Marines and Sailors access to local resources through a
    network of contracted behavioral health programs. These programs are
    critical to maintaining a resilient force by providing a pathway for
    Marines, Sailors, and families to seek behavioral health assistance.
        Signs of operational and combat stress may manifest long after a
    service member returns home from deployment. This delayed onset of
    symptoms presents unique challenges to Reserve Marines who may be
    detached from vital medical care and the daily support network inherent
    in active duty Marine Corps units. Encouraging Marines to recognize and
    communicate mental health issues is a pervasive challenge facing our
    commanders. We address the stigma associated with mental healthcare
    through key programs, such as the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
    (YRRP) and OSCAR. Further, we market all of our behavioral health
    initiatives and programs through our Marine Corps Reserve portal
    website and during key Marine Corps forums throughout the year. Your
    continued support of our behavioral health programs is greatly
    appreciated.
        The Marine Corps Reserve Drug Demand Reduction Program (DDRP)
    continues to focus on reducing illegal drug use and prescription drug
    misuse within the Reserve community. The Marine Corps Reserve relies
    profoundly on its drug-testing program, which acts as a powerful
    deterrent against drug use. Each Reserve unit conducts monthly drug
    testing to screen our Reserve Marines for drugs as well as breathalyzer
    testing to screen for alcohol use while in a duty status.
        The DDRP staff provides quarterly and on demand education and
    awareness training on the dangers of misusing and abusing prescription
    drugs as well as information on the proper disposal of old, unused, and
    outdated medications. Additionally, the DDRP increases leaders'
    awareness on the dangers of abusing prescription drugs through annual
    substance abuse supervisory level training.
        We recognize that the factors contributing to suicide are numerous
    and complex. Risk factors can include depression, family history of
    suicide, and substance abuse. Common precipitating stressors include
    relationship challenges and legal, financial, and disciplinary
    problems. Typical warning signs may include talking about suicide and
    expressing hopelessness. We mitigate these factors using a multi-
    dimensional and multi-level approach. Small unit leadership is
    encouraged to foster a sense of belonging for Marines. Commanders
    employ responsible messaging to discourage suicide related behavior and
    conduct Force Preservation Councils to identify risk factors and
    stressors in order to provide a course of action to mitigate
    destructive behavior. Once a possible behavioral health issue has been
    identified, the command implements intervention and reintegration
    strategies to lower risks, encourage Marines to ask for help when
    needed, and restrict access to lethal means (firearms, etc.) for those
    at risk for suicide. In keeping with ``Protect what you've earned''
    messaging, Marines are taught coping skills. A culture shift is taking
    place to show that it is a sign of strength to seek/ask for help early,
    when problems are most manageable. Finally, all Marines are taught to
    recognize suicide warning signs, to get help for their fellow Marines,
    and that we never leave a fellow Marine behind.
        The PDHRA program specifically focuses on identifying issues that
    emerge after our Marines and Sailors have returned home from
    deployment. The PHOP secures behavioral health screenings,
    psychological treatment referrals, and provides essential follow-up
    treatment to ensure our service members' behavioral health needs are
    met.
        Similarly, Care Management Teams focus on support through the
    Department of Veterans Affairs Transition Care Management Program. Our
    Marines are assigned a Care Manager who oversees the referrals and
    follow-on care of the Reserve Marine's individual healthcare needs.
        Marine Intercept Program (MIP) is an evidence-informed targeted
    intervention for service members who have had an identified suicide
    ideation or suicide attempt. MIP includes a series of telephonic
    voluntary caring contacts in which a counselor reaches out to the
    Marine and assesses them for risk, encourages the use of a safety plan,
    and identifies and addresses any barriers to services. The MIP
    counselors then incorporate these caring contacts into the counseling
    process. These services are also provided to our Reserve Marines
    through the PHOP.
        Our Marines have proven their strength in enduring unique issues,
    such as frequent moves, deployments, and separations from loved ones.
    To help with these struggles, our Marines, Sailors, and family members
    are able to access behavioral health programs at Marine Corps
    installations through Marine Corps Community Service (MCCS) while on
    active-duty orders. The Marine Corps DSTRESS Line is another resource
    available to all Reserve Marines and family members regardless of duty
    status. DSTRESS is a 24/7/365, Marine-specific anonymous crisis call
    and support center that provides phone, chat, and video-
    teleconferencing for non-medical, short-term, solution-focused
    counseling. Additionally, we continue to be supportive of Military
    OneSource, which provides confidential, non-medical counseling,
    resources, and support to service members and their families anywhere
    in the world.
                      sexual assault prevention & response
        Sexual assault remains a complex and challenging matter that is
    often interrelated with other readiness challenges, behavioral health
    issues, and destructive behaviors. For the Marine Corps Reserve,
    addressing the continuum of destructive behaviors and fostering a
    culture of dignity and respect are top priorities toward the goal of
    reducing and ultimately eliminating sexual assault within our ranks. To
    accomplish this goal, we execute a Sexual Assault Prevention and
    Response Program (SAPR) with seven full-time employees who provide
    supportive services across our geographically-dispersed force. In
    addition to the Force-level Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC),
    each Major Subordinate Command within the Marine Corps Reserve has a
    SARC who serves as a Special Staff Officer to their Commanding General
    and manages their SAPR Program from our headquarters in New Orleans.
    Together with the SARCs, two professional civilian victim advocates
    provide support to our Marines, Sailors and their families by traveling
    to provide in-person advocacy services, training, and unit-specific
    program guidance as needed. The Marine Corps Reserve continues to work
    diligently to improve our victim response, outreach, and prevention.
        Our SAPR staff trains up to 160 Victim Advocates each year at our
    headquarters in New Orleans. After completing our 40-hour training
    course, these potential Victim Advocates submit an application for
    credentialing through the DoD's Sexual Assault Advocate Certification
    Program. Once credentialed, the advocates are officially appointed by
    their commanders to serve at their respective Reserve Training Centers.
    In total, the Marine Corps Reserve maintains an active roster of more
    than 250 Victim Advocates across the country.
        Our SAPR personnel respond to Marines, Sailors, and adult
    dependents who request support services related to a report of sexual
    assault. Our SARCs and SAPR Victim Advocates screen for potential
    safety issues and develop individualized safety plans as needed. They
    offer advocacy services and referrals and maintain a data base of
    nationwide resources for victims of sexual assault who may not reside
    on or near a military installation.
        The Marine Corps Reserve maintains a Sexual Assault Support Line
    that is manned by the professional SAPR staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a
    week. The Marine Corps Reserve also actively publicizes the DoD Safe
    Helpline which is an additional resource that offers crisis support
    services for members of the DoD community. The DoD Safe Helpline is
    available 24/7 worldwide with ``click.call.text'' user options and can
    be used anonymously for confidential support.
        Our prevention strategy is holistic and integrated with other
    programs that work toward the eradication effort, such as the Equal
    Opportunity Program, Deployment Resiliency, Safety, Spiritual Readiness
    Initiatives, and Behavioral Health. The Marine Corps Reserve continues
    to set the example of discipline and respect by supporting a zero-
    tolerance policy related to assault and a retaliation-free command
    climate. Leaders at every level are encouraged to actively engage with
    our Marines and Sailors to learn what can be done to further support a
    positive environment that is free from attitudes and behaviors that are
    incompatible with our core values. All Marines and Sailors receive SAPR
    training every year to ensure widespread knowledge about our program to
    include prevention and response.
                                quality of life
        The Marine Corps Reserve remains dedicated to ensuring an
    appropriate balance and effective performance of our quality of life
    programs, which are designed to help all Marines, Sailors and their
    families, whether they are deployed or on the home front. Our force is
    dispersed throughout the country and away from traditional brick and
    mortar support resources available at our major bases and stations.
    Taking care of our Marines and their families is a key component to
    overall readiness and combat effectiveness. In addition to personnel,
    equipment, training, and facilities, we focus on other important
    aspects of readiness, such as family strength, education, professional
    development, financial health, transition assistance, and behavioral
    health. Our Deployment Readiness Coordinators, along with MCCS, help
    ensure our families get the support they need before, during and after
    our Marines deploy. MCCS and our Deployment Readiness Coordinators
    provide a vital link to ensure support reaches those who need it.
        The Marine Corps Reserve tracks the submission of medical service
    treatment records to ensure Reserve Component Marines receive timely
    access to Department of Veterans' Affairs healthcare services. Working
    across all 158 sites, we aggressively target our performance for
    submission timeliness to ensure our Marines are able to submit timely
    disability benefit claims.
        Marine and Family Readiness Programs remain flexible, constantly
    adjusting to meet the needs of our geographically dispersed Marines and
    their families. A resilient force is primarily achieved by providing
    robust, relevant, and standardized training to our commanders, Family
    Readiness Command Teams, Marines, and their families. Our Marine Corps
    Family Team Building (MCFTB) program enhances readiness and maintains
    resiliency through proactive, non- clinical, preventative education,
    professional training, and community building support to service
    members and their families throughout mission, life, and career events.
    MCFTB training events are delivered both, in person, and through
    interactive webinars, at our 158 sites. During fiscal year 2019, the
    Marine Corps Reserve conducted 162 training events at which 10,422
    Marines and family members received valuable information to prepare for
    and thrive during deployments and to achieve a positive post-deployment
    reintegration experience.
        A key component to our quality of life and resiliency is the
    religious ministry support provided by 222 Religious Ministry Team
    (RMT) members. As Uniformed Members, RMTs support Marines and their
    families across the full spectrum of military life including combat and
    humanitarian engagements. Currently, 125 RMT personnel are embedded in
    46 Marine Corps Reserve units and 97 are integrated in Navy Reserve
    religious support units that directly support Active Component Marine
    Corps units. This support includes developing the Commandant's
    spiritual readiness initiatives, providing divine services across the
    spectrum of faith communities, advising on spiritual and ethical
    matters, and delivering pastoral care in a safe, confidential
    environment. Chaplain support is provided in numerous Funeral Honor
    Details for our Marines, Sailors, and families. The Chaplains provide
    spiritual guidance at the service and follow on care as needed,
    providing a source of healing for family members.
        One signature program is the Chaplain Religious Enrichment
    Development Operations (CREDO) program. The CREDO program provides
    transformational workshops: the Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER), the
    Personal Resiliency Retreat (PRR), and the Applied Suicide Intervention
    Skills Training (ASIST) class. The MER and PRR equip Marines, Sailors,
    and their families with practical relationship and communication tools
    that strengthen marriages and individual resilience. The PRRs help
    Marines and Sailors set personal goals, make good decisions, deal with
    stress, and live lives with greater purpose and satisfaction. During
    fiscal year 2019, fourteen MERs and one PRR were conducted with 665
    participants. In response to suicidal events, the CREDO Program has
    been offering ASIST training. ASIST trains individuals on how to
    intervene in suicidal ideations and keep individuals safe until they
    can receive follow on care. 118 personnel have been trained at 8 ASIST
    classes since March 2019, providing commands with resources to offer
    positive outcomes in unit readiness.
        The Marine Corps emphasizes the importance of readiness for Marines
    and family members in many areas of life. Personal and Professional
    Development programs continue to provide training and educational
    resources to our Marines, Sailors, and their families in a variety of
    areas. One key program that assists commands, Marines, and family
    members with readiness is the Command Financial Specialist Program
    (CFS). The CFS provides assistance on a wide array of financial issues
    to include budgeting, savings, investing, insurance, Survivor Benefit
    Program (SBP), Veteran benefits, retirement, and financial counseling
    to all members of our dispersed forces.
        Our Transition Readiness Program emphasizes a proactive approach
    that enables Marines to formulate effective post-transition
    entrepreneurship, employment, and educational goals. A virtual
    transition readiness seminar remains available for Reserve Marines and
    Sailors that are unable to travel to attend an installation-based
    transition course. The Marine for Life Network links our Marines to
    employment, education, and community resources in their home town areas
    to support their overall life goals. Tutor.com offers our children
    access to 24/7 no-cost, live tutoring services for K-12 students. Our
    Marines are provided with remote access to language courses through
    Mango Languages. This program supports over 70 languages to include
    English as a Second Language (ESL). Peterson's Online Academic Skills
    Course helps Marines build math and verbal skills to excel on the job,
    pass an exam, and advance in their career or continued education.
        Our Semper Fit program continues to be fully engaged in partnering
    with our bases and stations to provide fitness education activities
    that promote physical and mental readiness, develop healthy positive
    self-esteem, and develop healthy lifestyles. The High Intensity
    Tactical Training (HITT) program focuses on physical resiliency, combat
    readiness, and injury prevention and provides hands-on, science-based
    strength and conditioning courses and online physical fitness tools to
    include instruction on injury prevention, nutrition, and weight
    management. Our Marines' and Sailors' quality of life is also enhanced
    through team building and esprit de corps activities, such as unit
    outings and participation in competitive events. These programs are
    crucial to unit cohesion and camaraderie.
        The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is an invaluable part of
    our resiliency efforts. Since its inception in 2010, we have held more
    than 900 training events for more than 49,000 Marines, Sailors, and
    family members. In fiscal year 2019, we conducted 19 events with 2304
    participants.
        Our Marines, Sailors, and their families, who sacrifice so much for
    our Nation's defense, should not be asked to sacrifice quality of life.
    We remain a steadfast advocate for flexible Family Programs and
    Services that evolve and adapt to the changing needs of our Marines,
    Sailors, and their families. The combined effect of these programs and
    services are critical to the readiness and retention of our Marines,
    Sailors, and their families, and your continued support is greatly
    appreciated.
       supporting our wounded, ill, or injured marines and their families
        The Marine Corps ensures the availability of full spectrum care to
    all wounded, ill, or injured (WII) service members, whether they are
    Active or Reserve, through the Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR). The
    Marine Corps Reserve ensures Reserve Marines' unique challenges are
    addressed through a WWR Liaison Officer who provides subject matter
    expertise and special coordination with the WWR staff.
        The WWR staff includes the Reserve Medical Entitlements
    Determinations Section, which maintains specific oversight of all
    Reservists requiring medical care for service-incurred and duty-
    limiting medical conditions. Reservists facing complex care and
    recovery needs have access to WWR's network of 45 Recovery Care
    Coordinators who provide one-on-one transition support and resource
    identification for WII Reservists and families often living long
    distances from military installations. WWR also has medical advocates
    at the regimental staff who are available to assist Reservists in need
    of medical care coordination and advocacy. District Injured Support
    Coordinators dispersed throughout the country also coordinate with
    Reserve units to ensure we keep faith with all Marines.
        The Marine Corps Reserve will not forget the sacrifices our Marines
    have made for this great Nation and we will continue to work with the
    WWR to establish resources and programs that address the unique and
    ongoing needs of our Reserve population.
                                   conclusion
        The Marine Corps Reserve is manned, trained and equipped to provide
    individual Marines and units to the Active Component as part of the
    Total Force. We are forward deployed supporting Combatant Commanders'
    requirements, participating in multiple exercises at our training
    centers and around the world, and often the face of the Marine Corps to
    our local communities. Along with our Active Component, we are focused
    on force design, readiness and manpower to maintain and enhance our
    ability to increase the capacity of the Service's ability to deter
    against pacing threats. Given a worthy mission and a clear signal that
    their individual contributions are valued by the service, your Reserve
    Marine will continue to answer their ``irrational call to service.''
    With your continued support, we will remain ready to augment, reinforce
    and sustain the Active Component. Semper Fidelis!

        Senator Shelby. Thank you. I will start it off. The fiscal
    year 2021 budget request continues investments that support the
    National Defense Strategy, allowing us to be preeminent in the
    world. Could you describe to us--I direct this to you General
    Lengyel.

       CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE IN THE CYBERSPACE
                                     DOMAIN

        Can you describe the contributions of our Guard and Reserve
    components to these critical war-fighting areas, particularly
    the cyberspace domain and what are the biggest threats that we
    face there, and how are our Guard and Reserve Forces uniquely,
    if they are, postured to respond to some of those threats.
    General.
        General Lengyel. Chairman, thank you for the question.
    Obviously, you know, the National Defense Strategy has postured
    and positioned us to address peer adversaries in the future. So
    addressing threats such as growing the Force, investing in the
    Force, modernizing the Force, and growing capabilities that
    allow us to address fighting an adversary of China or Russia in
    the future, as well as continuing to deal with threats such as
    Iran and North Korea and violent extremists as we go forward.
        The operational Force that we all represent here of the
    Reserve component, and in my case the National Guard, is a
    completely different and unique part of our Department of
    Defense compared to what it was even 15, 20 years ago. As I
    talk to you today, there are 16,000 members of the National
    Guard just in CENTCOM (United States Central Command), and we
    are in every mission set and every combat zone and every combat
    mission set, to include space and to include cyber, that the
    Department of Defense is doing.
        And in the cyber realm in particular, the National Guard
    has grown cyber capability to support the Department of
    Defense, which is also in many cases now being used in the
    State, in a domestic operations sense, but we have more than
    4,000 members of the Guard now in the cyber mission set. We
    have 23 cyber protection teams as part of the Cyber Mission
    Force. And every State, territory, and the District of Columbia
    has a cyber-capability that can now be used to address the
    continuous threat that we see day in and day out.
        And I think that, you know, as we speak today, we have some
    States using their cyber capabilities in a domestic sense,
    either dealing with ransomware or adversarial attacks on our
    Nation's communities, or even protecting some of our election
    systems around the country.
        So the investments made by this committee to help us buy
    the equipment that we need, not just in the cyber realm but new
    equipment such as the C-130Js. The NGREA (National Guard and
    Reserve Equipment Account) investments that we have made that
    allow us to modernize our Force, allow us to make our equipment
    more lethal, allow us to buy things for us in the National
    Guard in particular, and allow us to do not just our Federal
    mission, but also our mission here in the homeland.
        So without the investments made by this committee, the
    operational Force that we are today would not be possible.
    Thank you.

            SPACE FORCE COMPONENTS IN THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE

        Senator Shelby. General, you referenced the Space Force a
    minute ago. While the establishment of the U.S. Space Force did
    not include a National Guard or Reserve component, do you
    envision a role down the road for the National Guard in the
    Space Force?
        General Lengyel. Senator, thank you for the question, and
    not only do I envision it, but right now as we speak, the
    National Guard is in the space mission.
        Senator Shelby. Is the imperative in it?
        General Lengyel. We have been in a space mission for 25
    years as part of the United States Air Force. What I envision
    is without the creation of a Space National Guard is that we
    will begin to diverge from the Space Force as a service. We are
    very closely aligned with the Air Force in the National Guard.
    We have the same culture, the same training. We have the
    ability to program for resources and requirements inside that
    service. We have the same thing with the Army. We have the same
    training standards. We have the same discipline, the same
    service culture between the Army Guard and the United States
    Army.
        And as the Space Force stands up, as units move from the
    United States Air Force into the Space Force, I believe that it
    is imperative for readiness, for service culture, for the
    future of the Space Force and for the future of the National
    Guard that the National Guard Space Units also become part of
    the Space Force. And to do that, we have to have a component to
    move into.
        We have to have a Space National Guard component which we
    currently do not have. So we have been in this mission for 25
    years. It seems--it is a zero cost option right now. They are
    all bought. They are paid for. There is no proposal to create
    Space Guards in 54 States and territories right now. It is in
    seven States and one territory. That is the proposal, and it
    wouldn't grow other than that required by the U.S. Space Force,
    the Secretary of the Air Force, and the requirements therein.
        So, I do. I see it as a natural fit. It is a natural
    partner. As the space enterprise grows into the commercial
    sector, it will need a Reserve component to leverage those
    talents to be part of the Space Force. So I do feel that way,
    sir.
        Senator Shelby. Thank you. I have a number of other
    questions. I will submit them to all of you for the record,
    without objection, and hope you will answer them forthwith.
    Thank you.
        General Lengyel. Absolutely, sir.
        Senator Shelby. Senator Durbin.
        Senator Durbin. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Let me specifically
    recognize General Lengyel and General Luckey and Vice Admiral
    McCollum. As I understand, this we may be your last time
    testifying before the committee. Thank you all for your service
    to our country and especially to those who are wrapping up many
    years of contributions to our National Security.
        I am going to disclose something which is kind of a secret.
    It is not classified. It is not top secret. It is a budget
    secret and here is the budget secret. Presidents have come to
    know that when it comes to the men and women who serve in the
    Guard and Reserve there is a special affection and attachment
    to them by members of Congress.
        My colleague here, Senator Leahy, co-chaired the Guard
    Reserve Caucus for many years and he typifies the feeling we
    all have about what you do. Not to take anything away from the
    other branches of the service of the active military, but the
    Guard Reserve are near and dear to us. Now, the secret is this.
    Presidents can ask for less money for the Guard Reserve because
    they know full well that Congress is going to step up and put
    more money in whatever year because we believe in your mission.
    We believe in what you do. We feel a special, personal
    attachment to you.

           EFFECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S WALL REPROGRAMMING

        And so what does the President decide to do to build his
    wall, he decides to cut out the money that Congress added for
    the Guard Reserve, up to $2 billion worth from the men and
    women who are sitting here today and those they represent. The
    net result of that, of course, is that there is less money for
    equipment, accounts, and training, and other things that are
    important. And you say to yourself, well, wait a minute, if
    that wall is so darn important for our National Security that
    is the President making that decision. That might be a decent
    argument were it not for the fact the President has over $9
    billion in unspent funds he has taken out of the military
    already to put in his wall account that he hasn't spent yet.
        And now he comes and asks us for $3.8 billion more out of
    appropriated funds for our military, $2 billion out of the
    Guard Reserve to build up the balance in his unspent funds for
    his wall. I think that is entirely upside down and wrong and
    have a bill to restore those funds. And I hope that my friends
    on the other side of the aisle will stand up for the Guard
    Reserve and for the money that we have already appropriated for
    our National Defense which the President wants to put into the
    wall account that is unspent to build up a double-digit balance
    in this wall account for the November election. That is what
    this comes down to.
        Now, I have disclosed the secret. It is no longer a secret.
    The fact is we believe in you. We believe in what you do, in
    the men and women who sacrifice their personal and family lives
    to serve our country. So I just ask you in the time remaining,
    2 minutes remaining, if you could take 15 or 20 seconds and
    tell me what the President's reprogramming of these funds you
    believe, what aspect of it is the most difficult and
    challenging for each of you. Why don't you start, Admiral
    McCollum?
        Admiral McCollum. Sir, we typically use this account to
    provide intermediate upgrades such as avionics upgrades,
    modular inputs to our aircraft for tactical communications
    capability for our small builds, and for supply and logistics
    water fuel systems.
        Senator Durbin. So if the money is not there, what happens?
        Admiral McCollum. It is kind of like taking your car to a
    garage. You can take it--you will take it less often to the
    garage to get those upgrades, and we will defer some of our
    upgrades in hopes that we can pick that up in the future.
        Senator Durbin. General Bellon?
        General Bellon. Senator, as you probably know--thank you
    for the question first of all. As you probably know, the Marine
    Corps represents about 1 percent of the NGREA budget. So my
    ability to meet my task to support an augment of the active
    component, while it is affected, it is not tremendously
    impacted.
        However, I know the subcommittee is curious about how we
    might make better use of NGREA when it returns, and from the
    Marine Corps' perspective, what we really need in the Reserve
    Force is the ability, the flexibility to use that money that
    you bestow on us on behalf of the taxpayers to buy individual
    combat and clothing equipment. And by that, I mean the literal
    body armor that our Marines and sailors when they go----
        Senator Durbin. So, upgrading avionics protective equipment
    for the men and women who might face combat, General Lengyel?
        General Lengyel. Sir, this money is a critical source that
    keeps our platforms lethal, capable, and more survivable. No
    question about it. So because we lost this money this year
    there will be delayed upgrades to our systems. We are taking
    $790 million out of the upgrade system for the National Guard
    equipment in the Army and Air National Guard. We will lose the
    ability to put radar warning receivers to let crews know when
    they are being attacked by other planes. These will slip to the
    right.
        Senator Durbin. General Luckey.
        General Luckey. Senator, as I said in my opening remarks,
    as you know, I have appreciated for the last 4 years the
    largesse of this committee in providing NGREA funds for the
    America's Army Reserve. It has grown, from my perspective, to
    about 35 percent, 37 percent of the procurement dollars that
    the Army Reserve has on an annual basis to acquire.
        Senator Durbin. So what will this budget decision mean to
    you?
        General Luckey. So again, I would say the same thing my
    colleagues have. It slips out, it extends if you roll, the
    purchasing and the fielding of systems for command and control
    for----
        Senator Durbin. Assistance that you asked for and believed
    that are needed?
        General Luckey. Yes, sir.
        Senator Durbin. General Scobee.
        General Scobee. Vice Chairman, thank you. And thank you for
    your comments. I would say this, the reason that you have put
    me in this job is to make sure that I produce combat power for
    America and I don't ask for anything I don't need. The money
    that we have put into this we absolutely need to do the
    upgrades that we talked about and my job is to make sure I
    articulate that risk.
        So the risk to our systems right now is, what I am trying
    to solve is capability gaps across combat airplanes, mobility
    systems, our personnel recovery systems, and special operations
    weapons.
        Senator Durbin. I hate to cut you short but listen to what
    we are sacrificing to build up the balance in an account of
    unspent funds for the wall. Listen to this. Does this make any
    sense at all? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Senator Shelby. Senator Hoeven.

                           REAPER MISSION PERFORMANCE

        Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks to all of
    you for being here. And thanks for what you do. We truly
    appreciate it. General Lengyel, I see Air Force in the 2021
    budget is not asking for funding for more Reapers. And of
    course, we fly the Reaper in our Guard mission in North Dakota
    and other Guard units fly Reaper as well, as active duty Forces
    and reserves. What is your sense of where that leaves you in
    terms of the Guard performing its Reaper missions without
    additional procurement at this point?
        General Lengyel. So Senator Hoeven, I would say that I am
    not aware of additional Reaper requirements for our National
    Guard units. We are a big part of the Air Force Reaper Mission,
    as you well know. Continued modernization and upgrades of those
    systems are very important----
        Senator Hoeven. Is there are particular upgrades that you
    want to mention at this point in regards to an operations
    facility in Fargo by any chance that----
        General Lengyel. Obviously, we are looking to not interrupt
    the operations, the very important operations going on in Fargo
    as they do military construction to make sure that there is no
    break and operations of the Reaper mission going on in Fargo.
        Senator Hoeven. And I want to thank you for putting that
    number one on your unfunded priority list. I deeply appreciate
    that. That is an important mission and that would enable that
    Reaper unit to continue that mission without interruptions.
        General Lengyel. Yes, sir.

                            MONTGOMERY GI PARITY ACT

        Senator Hoeven. That is very important and I want to thank
    you for your commitment to it. For all of you, and starting
    with you General Lengyel, I have introduced a bill along with
    Senator Leahy and Senator Boozeman. It is the Montgomery GI
    Parity Act, and I want to thank Senator Leahy for that and
    making the bill bipartisan. It is very important.
        I also want to commend you for standing up an education
    program for Air Guard similar to the Army education program. I
    think there is 14 units that are initially in it, but obviously
    that needs to be Air Guard wide on the same basis we have for
    Army Guard, but in a broader sense Guard and for Reservists.
    They need to be able to use both their Federal tuition
    assistance and the GI Bill education benefit together. Active
    duty Forces do it. It is a wonderful thing. It is very
    important. And it is critically important in the Guard where we
    get these fantastic young people that use that education
    better.
        That is how we get these really smart, capable young people
    in, for example, intelligence group targeting unit. Again, that
    is another unit we have in North Dakota. But we don't want to
    get those smart guys and gals without those education benefits.
        So this legislation would provide that Guard Reserves can
    use both Federal tuition assistance and GI Bill education
    benefits at the same time, same way as active duty. And, do you
    support the legislation and will you so state on the record?
    Also, I feel that the DOD (Department of Defense) could
    implement this administratively as well. So, please tell me
    about your thoughts on that important legislation and I am
    going to ask the others the same question.
        General Lengyel. Senator, I fully support simultaneous use
    of Federal tuition assistance with the Montgomery GI bill. It
    is important that one of the greatest retention tools and
    frankly recruiting tools we have in the Guard is our access to
    additional ways that people can expand their education.
        And simultaneous use. It is still a bargain for the
    Department of Defense and the government to have simultaneous
    use when you compare the cost with our active-duty
    counterparts. It is like five times more expensive if you are
    an active duty who can use both. So I thank you very much for
    pushing that legislation. Absolutely support it.
        Senator Hoeven. Thank you. These young guys are telling me,
    they come into the Guard for that reason. They get in the
    Guard, they get their education, and they find out it is a
    great organization and they stay--that is what they are telling
    me because of those educational benefits.
        General Lengyel. Absolutely correct, sir. Thank you very
    much.
        Senator Hoeven. I would like to thank you, General. And
    General Scobee maybe starting with you, I would like to get the
    sense from the Reservists.
        General Scobee. Senator, thank you very much. Absolutely
    support the legislation as well, and I couldn't have said it
    better than General Lengyel, it is really one of those benefits
    that whether our Airmen are coming from other components or
    other services into the Reserves component, it is what they are
    looking for, and there is nothing better than having a well-
    educated and trained Airmen in your command. It makes them
    great for our workforce and it also makes them fantastic as
    service members in the United States Air Force.
        Senator Hoeven. Thank you.
        General Luckey. Senator, I am always in favor of anything
    that is going to facilitate and enable our soldiers to get the
    quality education that they need to remain effective members of
    this team. So I support you in that regard. The other thing I
    would say is, you know, I am very aware of the fact that in
    many cases, there is a little bit of--there is a difference
    sometimes between what the States are willing to provide in
    addition to Federal benefits and then of course the incentives
    that are provided by the Federal Government.
        So I will just tell you candidly and one of the things I
    continue to do as I engage in the States, with the leadership
    in the various States in the country, I encourage State
    legislatures and Governors to look at again parity between how
    they treat Army Reserve soldiers in their States and the way
    they treat their Guardsmen. And I acknowledge the difference
    between the components, but I am always looking for places to
    do better for my soldiers. Thank you, sir.
        Senator Hoeven. Thank you.
        General Bellon. Senator, thank you for the question. I do
    think that the benefits are important, but maybe I will reframe
    the opportunity from a Marine Corps perspective. These young
    men and women joined the Marine Corps to be challenged. They
    come in--they want to do hard things, and I think it is on us,
    our moral obligation as the leadership to develop them.
        We are in a ruthless competition for talent and when these
    young people come in and answer their call to service and
    demonstrate this capacity, this is a critical tool for us to
    develop and then retain that talent for future service to help
    defend the Nation.
        Senator Hoeven. Thank you, General. Admiral.
        Admiral McCollum. Senator, thank you. I think anybody in
    the HR business, talent management would tell you if you can
    provide measurements and tools to increase accession and
    retention is a win.
        And then, we in the military, if we can do those things
    with any program or policy such as the one you have outlined,
    tie that to the National Defense objective to fight and win
    then the Nation, and in our case the Navy, wins.
        Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Senator Shelby. Senator Tester.
        Senator Tester. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is great to
    have all of you here. I just want to recognize a few folks that
    this is their last time to testify in front of this committee,
    General Luckey, General Lengyel, and Admiral McCollum. You
    know, I am not good enough at math to add up all the years you
    guys have had in service, but I just want to say thank you very
    much for your service to this country and thank you for being
    here today.

                          C-130 RECAPITALIZATION PLANS

        General Lengyel, I am concerned with the lack of clarity
    about the details of recapitalization plan for our Nation's
    aging C-130H fleet. We have talked about this before but so to
    keep things moving, and I will ask you to do this because they
    are not those tough questions, if you could just answer yes or
    no, it would be great. Would you agree that the C-130s perform
    vital missions on behalf of our Nation's security?
        General Lengyel. Yes, sir.
        Senator Tester. That is true today. Will it be true in the
    future?
        General Lengyel. Yes, sir.
        Senator Tester. As we visited yesterday, you told me that
    the Air Mobility Command believes that the Air Force requires
    300 C-130s to adequately address the military's tactical
    airlift needs. Is that correct?
        General Lengyel. Sir, I told you that the mobility
    capability requirements study, which was done last year, says
    we need 300 C-130s.
        Senator Tester. And the Air Force is planning to reduce the
    C-130 inventory to 255 within 5 years. Is that correct?
        General Lengyel. That is correct.
        Senator Tester. As part of that reduction, the Air Guard
    will go from 13 squadrons with C-130 missions to 9, correct?
        General Lengyel. There will be four Air National Guard
    squadrons that changed missions to some platform. It could be a
    different kind of C-130 but doing a different mission. But
    without a doubt, yes, there will be changes.
        Senator Tester. So I have talked to you yesterday. You know
    why I am nervous. There are no longer any H models active in
    the active Air Force. They are all in the Guard. The 120th
    airlift wing in Great Falls, Montana is flying the oldest
    aircraft of the entire inventory planes built during the Gerald
    Ford Administration.
        I have got some old equipment on my farm. None quite that
    old though, I will tell you that. This summer, it is my
    understanding that there will be an Air Force basing decisions
    that will determine which three Guard squadrons will receive
    the C-130Js, is that correct?
        General Lengyel. Yes, sir.
        Senator Tester. So that will bring good news for three
    Guards squadrons, but in my opinion, and this is my opinion,
    the flying missions of all those other squadrons will all be in
    jeopardy. Can Congress--well, let me put it this way. Congress
    can continue to step up to the plate and secure funding for new
    J-models, but it doesn't get us far if the Administration is
    going to take those funds, going to raid those funds to put it
    into an ineffective border wall.
        So why--we only have a finite amount of funding for a
    finite amount of aircraft. So is it fair to say that this
    recent programming will delay the procurement of more J-models?

       EFFECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WALL REPROGRAMMING ON C-130
                             RECAPITALIZATION PLANS

        General Lengyel. I think that is a possibility. Yes, sir.
    Unless you give it back to us in some other future year.
        Senator Tester. That is right. But if the money is gone,
    unless we restore it, it is going to delay this procurement.
    Okay, this will Force the Air Guard to sustain the H-models
    even longer, relying on aircraft that will require more and
    more maintenance and become less and less safe and effective.
        To make things worse, the President is raiding over $1
    billion from an account that is being used by the 120th in
    Great Falls to modernize the C-130Hs. I believe Senator Durbin
    talked about that in his questioning. What does a draining of
    the National Guard equipment account do to C-130s in a State
    like Montana, in Montana, and talk about what the immediate and
    longer impacts are.
        General Lengyel. Yes, sir. I mean as you know, the National
    Guard Reserve Equipment Account is a critical source of funding
    for us to modernize our platforms. And we frequently have to
    use that money because platforms that the active component no
    longer has falls below the cut line when they want to have--
    when they make tough financial decisions on what they are going
    to do with their funding to upgrade platforms.
        So things like threat warning systems, things like avionics
    upgrades, things like cockpit situational awareness programs,
    things like displays that allow us to find and to pick threats
    on the ground, those things will be delayed on implementing
    into our aircraft and the aircraft will be affected including
    those in the 120th in Montana. That is a near-term threat.
        The longer term issue is it is just unknowable. It is
    depending on how much NGREA we continue to get into the future.
    The applicability--availability of those funds for us to use as
    they were intended in the NGREA so, that is the near term
    threat.
        Senator Tester. Well, I want to thank you for that. I want
    to thank you for leadership. I will tell you this incredibly
    frustrating for me. This isn't on you. We have a Commander-in-
    Chief, you are in the chain of command, I get it, you do what
    you are ordered to do, but I am going to tell you, when we talk
    about building the wall and I talk about how silly it is.
        It has been $25 million a mile, and they say, well, there
    is technology on top of it. Well, let's put the technology in
    place and then we are going to fund it not with the Mexicans
    folks, not with the taxpayers from Mexico, but by raiding funds
    that are necessary to keep this country safe. Congress needs to
    stand up. You need the equipment you need to do your job. Thank
    you for being here, but more importantly thank you for your
    wife for being here.
        General Lengyel. Thank you, sir. I am glad she is here too.
        Senator Shelby. Thank you, Senator Tester. Senator Boozman.
        Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank all of
    you all for being here and all of you represent in your hard
    work. It really is an honor to work with you. I would like to
    ask you a little bit about, the 2018 National Defense Strategy
    describes our need to build a more lethal Force by restoring
    readiness. This requires the military to be the right size and
    mix to meet future objectives. Beginning with you at Admiral
    McCollum, do you believe you have the appropriate level of full
    time support and the proper flexibility and authority of meet
    the National Defense Strategy?
        And then tell me also, one of the things that I am hearing
    as I visit with you all and visit with my Guard Reserve is
    things like employer fatigue. You know, that really is--with
    the op tempos that you are doing. Do we have flexibility even
    in those regards to try and make the Force--these are the
    underpinnings, you know. These are the little things that we
    have to do right.

                      FORCE READINESS AND EMPLOYER FATIGUE

        Starting with you, Admiral McCollum is a favorite son of
    Arkansas. We are so proud of him and he and his family are
    pillars of his community, and we do appreciate you representing
    us in such a great way.
        Admiral McCollum. I thank you, Senator, for those comments
    and certainly for the question. And as the Navy and our Nation
    look at the National Defense Strategy, and as a fighting Force,
    what are the great enablers? For the Reserve Force,
    predictability I would say is one of the great enablers.
    Predictable with a part-time--sailors predictable with their
    families, with their civilian employer, and their military.
        That predictability comes--is reinforced through enablers
    such as predictable funding and appropriations that deliver on
    time. The National Security strategy that you have actually
    outlined, warfighting readiness and lethality. The Navy's focus
    in this budget is lethality and readiness, Navy Reserve
    readiness. As we look into components, one is personal
    readiness, and the other one is readiness associated with a
    service member's job that they do.
        This committee has been very gracious in providing the
    funding as we deliver capability, but I will have to tell you
    that the demand signal that the Navy and our Nation places on
    its Reserve Forces is ever increasing as we look at our near,
    peer competitors. And what it requires for that readiness, and
    great capability raises that training requirement. So continued
    dialogue with this committee and support thereof was very
    beneficial.
        Senator Boozman. Thank you. General Bellon.
        General Bellon. Senator, thank you for the question. I
    think, to give you a pointed answer, full-time support. The
    Marine Corps, I think, is the only service to use the paradigm
    that we use which is we actually use active component and
    strength, and we place those down in our tactical units in the
    Reserves. And we rotate those active unit Marines through the
    Reserve Forces in order to ensure readiness, training, and the
    most current understanding of the threat.
        So that works very well for us. To answer your question
    about fatigue, from the Reserve Force itself and anywhere you
    travel, the Commandant travels, where I travel, the young
    Marines and sailors always ask the same question, when can they
    go? That is why they join, but however, it is a different
    perspective from the employers. And I think you know, we have
    gotten very comfortable in our generation of being thanked for
    our service and feeling as though our service is valued, but
    that has got to extend to employers and families and those--
    that network that makes our service possible. So we are very
    conscious of that as well, Senator.
        Senator Boozman. General.
        General Lengyel. Sir, in a short answer for full-time
    support, on the Air Guard we have about the right mixture, on
    the Army Guard we do not. For 4 years I have tried to increase
    the level of full time support inside the Army National Guard
    and I have been patently unsuccessful. We are manned at 63
    percent of what the Army says we need for this new operational
    Force that we are.
        Keep in mind we are in a continuous rotation, always
    deploying, and the levels of full time support is just not able
    to maintain the readiness. So I would tell you that we need
    improvement there. We need improvement in readiness. We have--
    in order to train the Force, we need places to train them. Some
    of our facilities are so old we don't have enough MILCON
    (Military Construction) or FSRM (Facilities, Sustainment,
    Restoration and Modernization) to sometimes keep the places
    available to train the Forces so that we have Forces ready to
    go, on demand when we can.
        And, you know, continuous things that we are doing to
    attract and retain it. We are in the midst of duty status
    reform, which is helping, but things such as specialty pay and
    allowing people who will choose to continue serving, those
    kinds of things are very helpful to us and will be in the
    future.
        Senator Boozman. Good. I am going to get cut off here. I am
    going to get gaveled, so I will talk to you in person. I don't
    want the chairman getting down on me.
        General Lengyel. Okay. I don't want him getting on me
    either, Senator.
        Senator Boozman. Right.
        Senator Shelby. Thank you, Senator Boozman. Senator Leahy.
        Senator Leahy. Thank you very much, and thank you for yours
    and Senator Durbin's comments about my co-chairmanship of the
    Guard Caucus. You know, that--when Kit Bond and Wendell Ford
    ran it and they asked me to take Wendell Ford's position and
    Lindsey Graham, Kit Bond's, all the way through we were told,
    keep it nonpartisan. And that is why on Guard matters we have
    usually had, I think chairman, we have had usually 85, 95 votes
    in the Senate. You sometimes can't get that many to say the sun
    rises in the East so that is what we have tried to do and you
    worked very much with us.
        I might say, General Bellon, what you were saying about
    equipment for the Reserves. When our youngest son was called up
    for Desert Storm in the Reserves, I was glad to think that he
    was going to get first-rate equipment because they--of course
    the war got over so quickly he didn't get in danger, but he's
    good. Caring aside, he was going to be the first in the point
    of a three person team, and you know what that means, and that
    is why you have to be equipped.
        And General Lengyel, I appreciate all the times you and I
    have talked, as I have an all of you, discussed these so many
    times. I will just add before we have to go to vote, I worry
    about this money being taken for the wall, these funds, you
    know. The Guard has to respond on domestic emergencies. I saw
    how important that was in my State of Vermont in a hurricane.
        But every one of us could talk about a hurricane. Imagine,
    down in Tennessee right now, I am sure the Guard is out there.
    It is an easy question. Are you going to be more or less
    prepared to respond to domestic emergencies if $1.9 billion is
    taken out of your coffers for this wall?

     EFFECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S WALL REPROGRAMMING ON DOMESTIC
                                  EMERGENCIES

        General Lengyel. I would say over the next 3 years, we will
    be less equipped to do our domestic operations missions than we
    otherwise would have been.
        Senator Leahy. Thank you. I know you and I have discussed
    this and those discussions have been private, but as your staff
    knows and the concern we have that money being gone is not a
    Democratic or Republican concern, it is every one of us in our
    own States. We pray they will never be a natural disaster, but
    we know it is not impossible.
        And we know that the Adjutant General's phone is going to
    be one of the first things to ring and then your phones are
    going to ring saying, well, can you back us up? Don't the Guard
    Reserves routinely have to turn down request for equipment each
    year because the amount provided by Congress is still not
    enough to meet those needs across country?
        General Lengyel. Yes, sir. We have lots of things that we
    say we need that we can't afford to buy.
        Senator Leahy. You all agree with that? Does anybody
    disagree with that?
        [No response.]
        Senator Leahy. I don't see any hands going up. Thank you.
    And because we do have a vote on--what might you have purchased
    with that money if it had not been diverted?
        General Lengyel. So I will focus my comments on the
    domestic portfolio. There is lots of things that we buy for the
    critical due things with that fund. We buy buckets that fit on
    helicopters that put out fires. We buy hoists that allow our
    helicopters to be modified to rescue people. We buy command and
    control systems that are specifically designed for our
    chemical, biological, radiological enterprise, the CBRNE
    enterprise.
        We buy equipment for things that only the National Guard
    does such as the crowd civil disturbance operations. Relevant
    today is things such as personal protective equipment that
    these folks might use for COVID-19 response if a State were to
    use their National Guard in that sort of a sense. So these are
    the types of things that our only source of revenue is to buy
    things for our homeland mission, Senator. Thanks.
        Senator Leahy. Thank you. And I would like to thank General
    Bellon, and that if another Lance Corporal Leahy gets called--
    not me but my son Mark gets called up, that the equipment is
    there for them. But I would say the same to the Navy and to all
    of you because it is necessary. We have a vote on, Mr.
    Chairman. I am going to stop there. I am just proud of you and
    I think I can speak for Lindsey Graham and all the members of
    the Guard Caucus. We are on your side.
        Senator Shelby. Thank you. Senator Baldwin.
        Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General Luckey,
    first let me thank you for continuing to improve the
    operational capability of the total Army. Your job isn't easy
    in an environment where insufficient and inconsistent funding
    makes it difficult for the Reserves to support the Joint Force.
        At this hearing last year, you referenced how crucial the
    National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account, NGREA,
    appropriation was to making sure Army Reserve units could
    modernize as fast as the active component. As you are aware and
    has been discussed already, DOD has decided to divert $1.3
    billion in fiscal year 2020 in National Guard and Reserve
    equipment funding to help pay for construction of the
    President's border wall.
        My question for all panel members is, have you identified
    specific requirements that will be impacted because of this
    reprogramming?

       SPECIFIC IMPACTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S WALL REPROGRAMMING

        General Luckey. So to the extent that you called me out by
    name Senator, let me start. So the answer is, yes. Thank you
    for the question. As I said in my opening remarks, this is--as
    you all know, for the last 4 years, I have thanked and
    appreciated the support we have received from both the Senate
    and the House as it pertains to this particular source of I
    will just say procurement capability for the Army Reserve.
        And as I said here earlier this morning, represents about
    35 to 38 percent of the procurement dollars that I have
    received over the last couple of years. And that is frankly a
    larger--that is a significant increase percentage wise than
    what has been over the last 10 years. So it has become, I will
    just say, increasingly impactful and that is why I have
    expressed here year after year my sincere appreciation for the
    support that you have given us in that regard.
        As I think I noted earlier this morning, I have sort of
    bend this into terms of capability sort of like General
    Lengyel. I look at different aspects of this particular ability
    to procure capability, and I acknowledge that, you know, we are
    basically talking right now about a 1-year sort of delay in
    some things, but to the extent that you are asking me, what are
    some of the bins of things that we would have been procured
    with it with a 2020, with the funds for this coming year, I
    would say command and control systems, some aspects of the
    medical readiness elements of the Army Reserve.
        The command and control system being key because that is
    really how we get to interoperability from a communications
    perspective on a battlefield. As you well know inside our RFX
    (Ready Force X) contract we are looking at putting about 38,000
    soldiers in America's Army Reserve into combat and in a very
    lethal environment in less than 90 days. So the criticality of
    being able to be interoperable is key for us in terms of our
    relevance and combat.
        And I would just say, I would key on a those aspects. There
    are some other things. There is the ability to distribute
    petroleum products and all kinds of things to the battle phase,
    but I would just say bending it, those are some of the key
    things I am concerned about. Thank you.
        General Scobee. Senator Baldwin, I would say we fall into
    that same category and if I could bend it this way, it is
    capabilities that will have to be slipped and not necessarily
    any of the readiness issues that we have. But I will tell you,
    it will be in some self-protection systems that we have for A-
    10s and F-16s all the way to B-52s that we have at Barksdale
    where we have some debriefing capabilities that we really need
    for our aircrews.
        It will also be in some self-protection for our pararescue
    folks that are flying helicopters in harm's way. But it will be
    in those capabilities. Some of the money that we have, because
    it is a 3 year money, we will be able to bring forward for the
    very critical systems, but some of those we will have to delay
    and continue to fund those in future years' dollars. Thank you.
        General Bellon. Thank you, Senator. As I commented earlier,
    we account for about 1 percent of the NGREA budget. However, to
    put this into context of Senator Leahy's comments, if we had
    the flexibility to spend our portion of the NGREA budget on
    things like individual combat equipment, we could close our
    Delta within 3 years.
        Admiral McCollum. Senator, thank you. One of the important
    things that the Navy ask of its Navy Reserve is to be
    interoperable and that is skill wise on an individual level but
    also when our equipment operates side-by-side the active
    component. We use NGREA to provide the necessary upgrades to
    allow us to be interoperable. So at a broad picture, those are
    some impacts.
        General Lengyel. And ma'am, we get over half of the money.
    Half of that $1.3 billion comes to the Guard and we will lose
    avionics upgrades, system survivability upgrades. That is the
    tactical lethality piece, the domestic operations portfolio,
    bridging equipment, CBRNE communications equipment, all delayed
    or deferred provided you give us the money again next year.

                         ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS

        Senator Shelby. Senator Baldwin, thank you. We, as I told
    you at the outset, we are pushed now for time for our vote,
    Senator Baldwin. I hope we will make sure we get there, you
    know. In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for your
    assistance to the committee, for your dedication to your jobs.
        And the other Senators, there are other committees going
    on, will probably have additional questions for the record and
    we would request all of you to respond to those.
        [The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but
    were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the
    hearing:]
                Questions Submitted to General Joseph L. Lengyel
                Questions Submitted by Senator Susan M. Collins
        Question. The Air Force budget proposal seeks to retire thirteen
    KC-135 tankers from the Active Duty and Reserve fleet. Do you have any
    concerns that these retirements, which come amid delays in the new KC-
    46 tanker program, will put pressure on Guard refueling units to carry
    the burden of addressing any gaps in capacity?
        Answer. The National Guard Bureau is cognizant of the potential
    aerial refueling capacity gap created due to a combination of KC-46
    delivery delays, mission capability gaps and the fiscal year 2021
    budget proposal to accelerate KC-135 retirements from the Total Force
    fleet between fiscal year 2021-2025. The accelerated retirement of 13
    KC-135s in fiscal year 2021 increases risk to steady State requirements
    in the near-term until they are replaced by operational KC-46s in the
    mid- term. The Service is considering options on how to address the
    associated capacity gap. These options include increasing taskings on
    remaining operational aircraft, reducing operational taskings from
    Transportation Command and the Combatant Commands, or increasing
    efficiency utilizing operational aircraft already in service.
        Question. The Maine National Guard's 101st Air Refueling Wing and
    the City of Bangor maintain an exemplary partnership supporting over
    1,000 transient flights annually given its strategic location. Although
    the city successfully shoulders part of this mission, I have concerns
    that sometimes the Maine Air National Guard does not receive the
    appropriate recognition of the workload and manning required to
    continue supporting this important mission. How can the National Guard
    ensure these sorts of shared missions receive the recognition needed
    within the Guard to make sure they are provided adequate manning?
        Answer. Full-Time manpower requirements are derived from a Manpower
    Study utilizing the Logistics Composite Model. The unit can request an
    updated evaluation from the National Guard Bureau at any time. The Air
    National Guard continuously evaluates the national security environment
    and must periodically move force structure and resources to meet
    emerging requirements. The fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021
    President's Budgets (PB) restructured Tanker Task Force manpower at the
    101st ARW by divesting the maintenance and mission support functions.
    To meet the readiness requirements of the National Defense Strategy,
    the positions were repurposed to aircraft maintenance in order to
    increase the Full-Time ratio and improve readiness through increased
    mission capability rates.
        Question. The Maine National Guard has been a long-time partner of
    Montenegro through the Guard's State Partnership Program and in fiscal
    year 2019, they conducted over 30 SPP engagements. This has been a
    vital partnership which was essential to assisting Montenegro access
    into NATO in 2017. Montenegro also recently agreed to purchase 67 Joint
    Light Tactical Vehicles from the United States, the largest acquisition
    of military equipment in that country's history, and the Maine National
    Guard plans to support the Montenegrins' vehicle tactical training,
    maintenance, and sustainment planning. With the reduction in the
    Department's stated needs in the budget request for the European
    Deterrence Initiative, do you believe the State Partnership Program
    takes on additional importance with respect to assuring our Eastern
    European allies and countering Russia in the region?
        Answer. The State Partnership Program is an important tool at the
    Combatant Commander's disposal to help counter Russian malign
    influence, and this is a great example of the value of the program.
    Montenegro finalized a $36 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) deal in
    2019 for the purchase of 67 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles also known as
    the JLTV. They are expected to receive the first delivery in 2020. The
    Maine National Guard is planning at least five State Partnership
    Program events through fiscal year 2021, specifically to support the
    Montenegrins' operation and maintenance of the JLTV. State Partnership
    Program events were added during this fiscal year in support of both
    the Country Team and Combatant Command's security cooperation goals.
    This highlights the importance of the enduring nature of State
    Partnership Program relationships. The Maine National Guard will be
    there helping Montenegro with their JLTV program long after the initial
    FMS case is concluded, and its related training is over. By building
    lasting, mutually beneficial relationships based on trust and shared
    understanding, the State Partnership Program plays an important role in
    reassuring our allies and countering the influence of malign actors,
    not just in Europe, but around the globe.
                                     ______

                 Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
        Question. Can you provide a list of Unfunded Requirements that you
    were asked to provide to the House Appropriations Committee?
        Answer. The NGB's unfunded priority list is in the table below. The
    National Guard Bureau requests Congress' support for the critical
    personnel, operation and maintenance, procurement, and military
    construction funding included in the fiscal year 2021 President's
    Budget request that will support the National Guard. Funding for these
    items are the highest priority for the National Guard Bureau, and
    necessary for the National Guard to support the National Defense
    Strategy.

        Question. How are you working with the Active Duty component to
    prioritize the Guard's delivery timelines for equipment and aircraft?
    Should Congress look at how the Services are prioritizing Guard
    deliveries?
        Answer. The Air National Guard continues to work in concert with
    Headquarters Air Force and the Major Commands on deliveries of aircraft
    and equipment with an emphasis of balanced and proportional fielding.
    Based on the requirements of the current National Defense Strategy and
    the preponderance of legacy force structure within the Reserve
    Component, significant adjustments are required in order to ensure
    relevance and readiness across the Total Force. The components are
    actively collaborating on those adjustments but a great deal of work
    remains. This includes programs where proportional fielding is planned
    but the timeline places the Air Guard towards the end of the fielding
    schedule. Since prioritization varies across the Components and for
    each of the major programs, the Service should be allowed to continue
    to work the progressive efforts that are currently underway; each
    annual budget position will convey the Services' overall status.
        The Army National Guard participates as a full partner in the
    Army's procurement budget development and submission, from requirements
    determination through validation and prioritization, including a post-
    appropriation reconciliation at the component level. The Army
    prioritizes equipment fielding to units based on prioritization to
    ``first in contact'' units--regardless of component. The budget
    submission includes the plan for future distributions to the Army Guard
    based on requirements and known employment, and are again staffed and
    agreed with by the Army National Guard during post-appropriation
    reconciliation.
        Question. If a National Guard Space Force is not created, will
    there be an impact on operations?
        Answer. Most likely, over time. While the National Guard's space
    mission will continue, they will face growing challenges over the next
    few years if National Guard space units are not aligned with their
    active duty counterparts under the United States Space Force (USSF).
    For example, Air National Guard space units would be managed under a
    different organizational construct than their active duty counterparts.
    As a result, funding gaps could occur due to the fact that the programs
    would no longer have funding lines under the Air Force, therefore could
    not be funded in the Air National Guard. This would result in issues
    with equipment and weapon systems. Operational gaps could occur from
    misalignment of tactics, techniques, procedures, and doctrine.
        Additionally, National Guard space units would be managed by an Air
    Force Major Command that does not manage or operate space missions, so
    their oversight could run counter to how USSF manages their active duty
    units, thus increasing operational, funding, and cultural gaps. These
    issues would require an inordinate amount of oversight and coordination
    to mitigate these disconnects between the USAF, ANG, NGB and the USSF.
        Question. If a National Guard Space Force is created, will there be
    additional costs?
        Answer. National Guard Bureau is aware that CBO assesses an annual
    cost of $100 million for a National Guard Space Force, however, the
    National Guard Bureau assesses that the costs of establishing a Space
    National Guard would be negligible, due to utilizing existing personnel
    and facilities with no additional requirements.
        Question. What are you doing to improve the quality of life to
    prevent suicides?
        Answer. In 2019, the National Guard expanded its approach to
    suicide prevention. The Warrior Resilience & Fitness (WRF) Division was
    established to synchronize Air and Army National Guard well-being,
    resilience, and suicide prevention efforts across the 54 States,
    territories, and DC. The goals are to: (1) align, promote, and enhance
    wellness and prevention best practices; and, (2) provide strategic
    oversight for outreach, innovation pilots, and data analysis.
        Question. What programs have you requested appropriations for to
    help with these issues?
        Answer. For fiscal year 2021, the National Guard requested
    approximately $36,200,000 for behavioral health and resiliency
    training. This includes $8,400,000 for suicide prevention in personnel
    and operation and maintenance funding. The National Guard Warrior
    Resilience & Fitness program has been funded strictly by congressional
    adds and discretionary funds.
        Question. As proven cases of the novel coronavirus increase, a
    governor may soon call on the National Guard to help with response.
    Whether the elite chem-bio response teams, a more general medical
    detachment, or even military police, I am concerned about the men and
    women who serve as or support first responders being exposed. What gaps
    currently exist in the equipment or capabilities of the National Guard
    to prepare or respond to a governor's request for assistance?
        Answer. The National Guard Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear
    Response force to include the Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support
    Teams are ready to respond at a moment's notice to support the needs of
    governors and the nation. They are equipped with the latest protective
    equipment and are adequately resourced for a COVID 19 response. Other
    general purpose medical, security, and logistic units do not have
    stockpiles of protective clothing and must rely on the same supply
    chain their civilian counterparts at the State and Federal levels.
    There were no fiscal year 2020 NGREA request for additional protective
    equipment. As a result of our Nation's COVID 19 response, the National
    Guard, working with DoD, other Federal and State partners may need to
    address contingencies supplies.
        Question. Are you aware of the medical readiness issues for Reserve
    and Guard in regards to continuity of care when they go on and off
    orders?
        Answer. Individual medical readiness is hampered when a member
    comes off orders and there is a delayed onset of a condition related to
    their service. It is in this situation when the member will go back to
    try to get the medical issue resolved, but because they are no longer
    on orders they are not covered. Additionally, members are entitled to
    the benefit of Tricare prior to deployment to resolve issues. Often,
    this benefit is not authorized with enough time to process prior to
    their deployment. The Tricare entitlement is for 6 months prior to
    deployment, however the authorization is dependent upon a mobilization
    order which often doesn't come until shortly before the deployment.
        Question. What measures are in place to ensure continuity of care?
        Answer. Members injured in the Line of Duty (LOD) have up to 1 year
    to receive medical and dental care. Additionally, the Transition
    Assistance Management Program (TAMP) is available for the continuation
    of medical care given upon ending a contingency order for 6 months.
        Question. What specific programs or equipment will be impaired or
    jeopardized by the redesignation of NGREA funds, especially for units
    that rely on this funding to maintain and modernize their vital
    equipment? Please provide the specific line item for the program and
    the funding amount redesignated from the program in comparison to its
    required funding amount.
        Answer. According to the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying
    the fiscal year 2020 Defense Appropriations Act, Congress's intent for
    providing NGREA funding is to ``allow the reserve components to procure
    high priority equipment that may be used for combat and domestic
    response missions.'' The loss of $790 million in NGREA funding will
    limit the ability for the National Guard to accelerate fielding
    capabilities ahead of the timeframe planned by the Army and Air Force.
    This delays equipping parity between service components.
        The following items will be delayed or deferred without the fiscal
    year 2020 NGREA funds: avionic upgrades, system survivability upgrades,
    bridging equipment, CBRN response equipment, and communications
    equipment. Also on the fiscal year 2020 buy list was equipment for
    National Guard activities in support of State responses to emergencies
    or disaster response, such as de-crowd civil disturbances, personal
    protective equipment that might be used by the National Guard for its
    COVID-19 response, water buckets for helicopters to fight fires, and
    search and rescue helicopter hoists. These items are for the National
    Guard's State response to emergencies or disasters, which are only
    purchased out of NGREA and are not found in the annual DoD budget
    request, where the National Guard's Federal mission requirements are
    requested.
        The National Guard does not procure by State, rather it procures
    capabilities that support many States and air wings within States. The
    charts below contain the funding and systems planned for the Army and
    Air National Guard NGREA purchases. The overall impact of the loss of
    this funding is a delay of up to 12 months for the quantities of these
    capabilities.

        Question. As global threats shift, arctic weather conditions mimic
    the kind of environment our forces could face in the future.
        How are you ensuring that your troops receive Arctic and cold
    weather training? How does the Guard and Reserve provide Arctic and
    cold weather training?
        Answer. The 109th Airlift Wing, NY, is operationally tasked with
    polar airlift in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Qualification and
    proficiency training for this unique capability is accomplished
    primarily on the Greenland ice cap as well as through participation in
    USNORTHCOM exercises above the Arctic circle. The 109th also operates a
    specialized, barren-land Arctic survival school on the Greenland ice
    cap to support their operations in collaboration with the Survival,
    Escape, Resistance, and Evasion (SERE) instructors out of Eielson AFB,
    AK. Additionally, the 109th operates a Maintenance Recovery Team school
    for its LC-130H maintainers, training how to troubleshoot and fix
    aircraft that are stranded on the ice caps.
        Question. Are there plans to increase Arctic and Cold weather
    training for Reserve/Guard?
        Answer. The National Guard trains to meet the readiness
    requirements set forth by the active component in order to meet the
    National Defense Strategy.
                                     ______

                    Questions Submitted by Senator Roy Blunt
        Question. General Lengyel, we talked earlier this week about
    Rosecrans in St. Joseph, Missouri. The 139th Airlift Wing is a premier
    C-130 base providing critical security for our national defense.
    Rosecrans is currently under consideration to host the next Aeromedical
    Evacuation Squadron. In addition to the skilled personnel already
    supporting, maintaining, and operating the C-130 fleet, Missouri's
    nursing and medical schools could provide the Air Force with excellent
    personnel to support this mission. The St. Joseph and Kansas City metro
    region produces over 4,000 nurses annually. Qualified medical
    candidates are being deferred due to limited positions because so many
    Missourians want to serve. It is easy to see how the Air Force could
    utilize this additional capacity in the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
    at Rosecrans. Could you talk a little about where that basing decision
    is in the process? And based on everything we know about how well
    suited Rosecrans is based on the criteria established by the Air force,
    could you talk a little about why Rosecrans wouldn't be a top
    candidate?
        Answer. The Air Force continues to work through the Strategic
    Basing Process to determine where to base the new Air National Guard
    Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. Late last year, the Air Force narrowed
    down the candidate list from 14 units to seven units, of which
    Rosecrans is one of those seven. The Air Force began conducting the
    site surveys on those seven locations earlier this month and initially
    expected to select the preferred and reasonable alternatives in the
    next few months. That timeline may be delayed based on the current
    travel restrictions for military personnel in response to the COVID-19.
    In addition to looking at a unit's ability to recruit nurses and other
    medical positions from the local area, the basing process also looks at
    mission, capacity, environmental, and cost criteria to provide a
    holistic assessment to determine the best location for new missions.
        Question. General Lengyel, we also discussed the AVCRAD in
    Springfield, Missouri, which was established in 1961. It is one of four
    National Guard rotary wing aviation depot repair facilities. It
    directly supports 14 States and employs over 300 personnel in Missouri.
        Wise resource investments and a business model approach has allowed
    the AVCRAD to outperform its peers. It uses cutting edge technology to
    improve quality and save taxpayer dollars. For every $1 invested in the
    AVCRAD, the taxpayer saves almost $2-$3.
        Thanks to your support, $32 million in military construction
    funding for a Phase 3A maintenance facility is currently under
    construction with an expected move-in date in August 2020.The AVCRAD's
    current undersized facilities drastically slows repair throughput. Slow
    throughput both decreases national aircraft fleet readiness and
    requires higher cost repair solutions. Quite frankly, the AVCRAD
    requires additional space for new equipment and growth.
        This could be accomplished with a $40 million military construction
    Phase 3B project. The annual AVCRAD cost avoidance would rise from $212
    million to $281 million with this project. The $69 million cost
    avoidance increase would payback in less than a year.
        Since the AVCRAD is a regional facility that supports multiple
    States they are prioritized separately from individual State Adjutant
    General priorities within the Infrastructure Requirements Plan (IRP)
    process.
        I understand the IRP process allows the Director of the Army
    National Guard to select up to three regional facility projects to
    submit for inclusion in the Future Years Defense Plan. However, due to
    the low level of Army National Guard military construction funding, the
    Director of the Army National Guard has not consistently selected any
    regional projects in order to provide all available military
    construction funds to individual State requirements.
        While I am totally sympathetic to tight military construction
    budgets and individual State needs, I would like to find a way to work
    with you to move this project forward.
        Could you please take a look at that IRP process and see if there
    is a way to include more regional projects like the AVCRAD in Missouri
    for funding in future years?
        Answer. The Missouri project, Aircraft Maintenance Hangar Facility
    Phase 3B (PN 290110), will complete the consolidation of all operations
    under a newly modern facility at the Springfield Airport. It will
    provide critical maintenance hangar space for aircraft lifecycle
    maintenance operations. This project is a high priority with regional
    and national impacts on readiness and maintenance costs.
        Funding limitations and decisions to fund other Army National Guard
    priorities makes it difficult to recapitalize and expand these
    facilities. The Connecticut AVCRAD provides the same regional and
    national readiness, and requires an upgrade to their corrosion
    prevention facility. The National Guard is committed to exploring ways
    to balance resources between unit level needs and national level
    requirements. The Army National Guard looks forward to working with
    Congress to address these issues.
                                     ______

                Questions Submitted by Senator Patrick J. Leahy
        Question. In response to questions on the use of funds appropriated
    under National Guard and Reserve Equipment, you provided a few examples
    of Guard equipment purchased through the fund. Please elaborate on the
    types of equipment approved for purchase with fiscal year 2020 funding
    and its utility to the Federalized or non-Federalized mission. Please
    also identify what equipment will no longer be purchased given the
    administration's raid of the fund to support the border wall. For the
    Air National Guard?
        Answer. The most serious impacts for the Guard are to the readiness
    of our forces for domestic missions. The fiscal year 2020, National
    Guard and Reserve Equipment Account funds would mitigate modernization
    gaps or quantity shortfalls in capabilities with Critical Dual Use
    equipment and select commercial off-the-shelf items required to
    optimize National Guard domestic response capabilities to support and
    interface with first responders. A detailed summary of the impacted
    programs and equipment is below. As the money was reprogrammed for a
    higher Administration priority, none of the items in the attached list
    have been procured.

        Question. In response to questions on the use of funds appropriated
    under National Guard and Reserve Equipment, you provided a few examples
    of Guard equipment purchased through the fund. Please elaborate on the
    types of equipment approved for purchase with fiscal year 2020 funding
    and its utility to the Federalized or non-Federalized mission. Please
    also identify what equipment will no longer be purchased given the
    administration's raid of the fund to support the border wall. For the
    Army National Guard?
        Answer. The ARNG uses NGREA funding to both accelerate
    modernization timelines for ARNG units and for unique, State-required
    equipment used for domestic operations performed by units such as the
    Weapons of Mass Destruction--Civil Support Teams (WMD-CSTs). The below
    table shows the items that were approved to be procured using the $395
    million in NGREA appropriations for the ARNG.

        Question. In response to questions on the use of funds appropriated
    under National Guard and Reserve Equipment, you provided a few examples
    of Guard equipment purchased through the fund. Please elaborate on the
    types of equipment approved for purchase with fiscal year 2020 funding
    and its utility to the Federalized or non-Federalized mission. Please
    also identify what equipment will no longer be purchased given the
    administration's raid of the fund to support the border wall. For joint
    functions?
        Answer. The National Guard planned to use NGREA funding to procure
    equipment for the National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological,
    and Nuclear Response Enterprise (NG CRE) consisting of the Weapons of
    Mass Destruction-Civil Support Teams (WMD-CSTs), Homeland Response
    Forces (HRFs) and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and
    High-Yield Explosive Response Force Packages (CERFPs). Equipment in
    these areas would support civil authorities at a domestic incident
    site, which include use or threatened use of a WMD; terrorist attack or
    threatened terrorist attack; natural or manmade disasters in the United
    States that result, or could result, in the catastrophic loss of life
    or property; by deploying critical command and control and life-saving
    capabilities, search and extraction, mass casualty decontamination, and
    medical stabilization in order to save lives and mitigate human
    suffering. Specific equipment not being procured for the NG CRE is
    below.
        Chemical Detector to detect unidentified compounds--Non-Traditional
    Agents (NTAs), such as Novichok use by the Russians in the United
    Kingdom, and Pharmaceutical based Agents (PBAs), specifically Fentanyl.
    The current down range Chemical Detector used by the WMD- CSTs does not
    have the capability to detect low level concentration of NTAs and PBAs.
    Fiscal year 2020 NGREA funding of $2.06 million for advanced chemical
    detection capability was necessary to fill the gap in capability until
    a Program of Record (POR) within the Chemical, Biological Defense
    Program can develop and field a man-portable down range capability to
    the WMD-CSTs to meet this requirement.
        NG CBRN Response Enterprise Information Management System (NG
    CIMS): CIMS provides all NG CRE forces the equipment and software
    capability to develop and share a common operating picture (COP) with
    NG CRE forces and with local, State and Federal responders during a
    domestic CBRN incident. NG CIMS supports the United States Northern
    Command (USNORTHCOM) COP effort for response in the homeland. Each
    year, the NGB is required to brief Congress on the status of the NG
    CIMS program. fiscal year 2020 NGREA funding of $2.7 million for CIMS
    would have completed procurement of essential equipment. Radiation
    Portal to screen civilian victims for radiation contamination for
    sustaining large population decontamination throughput for a major or
    catastrophic radiological or nuclear incident. Radiation Portals enable
    rapid screening of victims prior to entering and exiting the
    decontamination process. fiscal year 2020 NGREA funding of $1.2 million
    for Radiation Portals would have completed the procurement and
    eliminated the need for time consuming ``wanding'' of victims,
    significantly improving the decontamination process and victim
    throughput.
        NG CRE forces would use Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with day/
    night infrared systems to conduct reconnaissance prior to sending
    soldiers and airmen downrange into a potentially life- threatening
    environment. UAVs provide the stand-off reconnaissance of collapsed
    structures, wide area search for casualties, and the location of
    obstacles, safety hazards and force protection requirements within
    known or suspected CBRN contaminated areas. fiscal year 2020 NGREA
    funding of $1.4 million would have been used to purchase and field UAVs
    to the HRFs and CERFPs.
        The legacy radiation detector (UDR-14) mounted on the National
    Guard WMD-CST TALON IV CBRN Robot has limited capability and has become
    obsolete. WMD-CSTs require a capability to detect all radiation hazards
    to include alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron as well as identify
    isotopes. Radiation detector integration on the WMD-CST Talon IV Robot
    is required for the WMD-CST mission of confirming or denying the
    presence of all types of hazards in a radiation environment. fiscal
    year 2020 NGREA funding of $3.8 million would have been used to replace
    the UDR-14 mounted on the 62 WMD-CST Talon IV Robots.
        Question. In response to questions on the use of funds appropriated
    under National Guard and Reserve Equipment, you provided a few examples
    of Guard equipment purchased through the fund. Please elaborate on the
    types of equipment approved for purchase with fiscal year 2020 funding
    and its utility to the Federalized or non-Federalized mission. Please
    also identify what equipment will no longer be purchased given the
    administration's raid of the fund to support the border wall.
    Specifically for pandemic preparedness and response?
        Answer. NGREA funding was necessary to fill equipment gaps for the
    National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response
    Enterprise (NG CRE) consisting of the Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil
    Support Teams (WMD-CSTs), Homeland Response Forces (HRFs) and Chemical,
    Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive Response
    Force Packages (CERFPs). Equipment in these areas would support civil
    authorities at a domestic incident site, which include use or
    threatened use of a WMD; terrorist attack or threatened terrorist
    attack; natural or manmade disasters in the United States that result,
    or could result, in the catastrophic loss of life or property; by
    deploying critical command and control and life-saving capabilities,
    search and extraction, mass casualty decontamination, and medical
    stabilization in order to save lives and mitigate human suffering.
    Specific equipment not being procured for the NG CRE is below.
        Question. As proven cases of the novel coronavirus increase, a
    governor may soon call on the National Guard to help with response.
    Whether the elite chem-bio response teams, a more general medical
    detachment, or even military police, I am concerned about the men and
    women who serve as or support first responders being exposed. If a
    multi-State response is required, what gaps currently exist in the
    Guard's equipment or capabilities?
        Answer. The National Guard, as the Nation's first military
    responders, is supporting the governors' request for COVID 19 response
    support in addition to all other emergency and disaster response needs
    or requests. Of note, there is currently no National Guard stockpile of
    personal protective equipment for a pandemic response. All stocks that
    have been used were bought during the H1N1 response in 2009, or from
    State medical supplies, and both were of limited quantity. In addition,
    PPE supplies, associated with a pandemic response, have been bought by
    OSD and have been distributed to the States. The expectation is all PPE
    requirements will be provided by the supported State or Federal agency
    or facility.
        Question. Your position on the Joint Chiefs was established to
    provide the President with the best military advice in service of the
    Guard, in particular the advice that only you can give related to the
    Guard in its non-Federalized mission supporting the States.
        Has the Coronavirus Task Force requested advice from you or the
    Bureau on the possible use of the Guard under command of the governors
    to respond to the current outbreak or prepare for pandemic response?
        Answer. The National Guard Bureau (NGB) has General Officer
    participation in the Department of Defense Coronavirus Task Force and
    one officer embedded in the team. NGB has daily communication with the
    Task Force and is providing staff input as the department considers how
    to support the response. The Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the
    Joint Chiefs of Staff participated on an ``All States Call'' between
    the 54 Adjutants General and the Chief of the National Guard. The
    Adjutant Generals were clear on their States needing 502(f) assistance
    from the Secretary of Defense in order to protect the citizens of their
    States.
        Question. Has NORTHCOM requested information for the purpose of
    planning coordination on the prospective use of Guard units under
    command of their governors?
        Answer. The National Guard Bureau (NGB) and NORTHCOM share
    information. NGB provides NORTHCOM a daily operations summary of each
    State's actions. The summary aids NORTHCOM in planning for the future.
    NGB anticipates an increased coordination requirement if the number of
    Title 10 forces supporting the response increase. NORTHCOM is
    coordinating with NGB and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on
    Policy regarding all State Dual-Status Commander (DSC) requests from
    the Governors.
                                     ______

                    Questions Submitted by Senator Tom Udall
        Question. Can you identify how many National Guard troops are
    currently at the border?
        Answer. As of 23 March 2020 there are 2,523 personnel supporting
    southwest border effort.
        Question. What States are they supporting?
        Answer. As of 23 March 2020 California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
    are supporting the southwest border mission.
        Question. What is their current mission set or role?
        Answer. The National Guard (NG) is providing U.S. Customs & Border
    Protection (CBP) both ground and aviation support. The NG is assisting
    CBP with various missions to include: detection and monitoring,
    involving ground-based mobile and fixed security camera systems as well
    as aircraft based cameras and sensors. Other ground missions include
    supporting information analysis; vehicle, equipment, and infrastructure
    maintenance support; administrative, paralegal, and logistics
    management support. Aviation support additionally provides light and
    medium helicopter lift capacity to enhance CBP agent response times.
        Question. What is the breakdown by service?
        Answer. The breakdown by Service on the border is Army National
    Guard: 2,329 and Air National Guard: 194
        Question. How much money has been diverted from Department of
    Defense and National Guard budgets to date as a result of the
    deployments?
        Answer. In reference to the fiscal year 2020 Title 32 National
    Guard support to Southwest Border, the National Guard continues to cash
    flow the Southwest Border Mission with its appropriated resources. The
    projected fiscal year 2020 fully burdened cost estimate for this
    mission is $319 million and as of 3 June 2020, the National Guard
    executed a total of $227 Million (Personnel--$185 Million and
    Operations and Maintenance--$42 Million). As of 11 June 2020, the Army
    National Guard and Air National Guard are funding the SWB activities
    using offsets from appropriated funding.
        Question. The Department of Defense established new policies for
    maternity leave as part of the ``Force of the Future'' initiative in
    2016. This new policy authorized 12 weeks fully paid maternity leave
    after normal pregnancy and childbirth for active duty service members.
        However, there was no such change for reserve personnel. In the
    reserves, if the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement.
        Under the current law, reserve component members in reserve
    training status are required to attend unit training assemblies
    (weekend drill) in order to receive points towards creditable military
    service.
        If the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement. Would
    you support a legislative fix for this problem, such as the MOMs Act I
    introduced this Congress?
        Answer. Members of the Reserve Component, serving in a full-time
    capacity are already entitled to the same parental leave benefits as
    Active Component members. For our drilling status Guardswomen, I
    support any action that cares for our families appropriately. Doing so
    will enable us to recruit and retain the very best men and women.
        Question. Do you agree with the Congressional Budget Office that
    the price would be negligible to make this legislative fix?
        Answer. Currently, each member is expected to attend, and get paid
    for, 12 Unit Training Assembly drill periods. There are approximately
    6,500 female Reserve Component members who give birth per year. Paying
    for 12 IDT periods, such as provided for in this language, for each of
    these members, would cost approximately $8.9 million per year (fiscal
    year 2019 estimate) in lost manpower. That is, members who give birth
    and may have previously been excused and did not make up the missed IDT
    periods would now be paid directly for those periods.
        Question. I asked last year whether there was a plan in place to
    ensure New Mexico will be unit equipped with a sustainable and viable
    mission in the near future. I mentioned that the CV-22 mission was one
    possible option for the 150th ANG, and last year I led a letter from
    the New Mexico delegation to Secretary Wilson urging the transfer of
    HH-60G's to the 150th. What is the current status of getting a flying
    mission back to New Mexico? Is there any reason why New Mexico, a
    border State with excellent flying conditions and mountainous terrain
    perfect for training should be without a flying mission?
        Answer. In collaboration with the Air Force, the National Guard
    Bureau continually evaluates potential unit equipped missions for
    various units including the 150 Special Operations Wing (SOW). There
    are currently no validated and funded mission requirements. Any new
    mission beddowns are determined via the Air Force's Strategic Basing
    Process. Ongoing evaluations include the AC-130J, MC-130J, CV-22, HH-
    60G and Armed Overwatch. The 150 SOW's manpower presents a cost-
    effective option to resourcing future requirements. While having a
    unit-equipped mission in each State is an ANG Capstone principle it is
    not a sole determinate in validating and resourcing AF requirements.
        Question. When will the New Mexico National Guard receive a flying
    mission? What is the plan?
        Answer. The 150 Special Operations Wing (SOW) is executing the HH-
    60, HC-130 and CV-22 flying training mission. There is currently no
    timeline for the 150 SOW to receive a unit-equipped flying mission. In
    collaboration with the Air Force, the National Guard Bureau continually
    evaluates potential unit equipped missions for various units including
    the 150 SOW. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) led a site
    visit to the 150 SOW earlier this month to initially determine the
    feasibility of transferring the AC-130 flight training mission to
    Kirtland Air Force Base. Other mission requirements such as HH-60s and
    MC-130s continue to be evaluated for feasibility.
        Question. Can you provide a timeline for when the New Mexico
    National Guard will once again receive a flying mission? If not, when
    can the delegation expect a timeline for a new mission?
        Answer. The 150 Special Operations Wing (SOW) is executing the HH-
    60, HC-130 and CV-22 flying training mission. There is currently no
    timeline for the 150 SOW to receive a unit-equipped flying mission. In
    collaboration with the Air Force, the National Guard Bureau continually
    evaluates potential unit equipped missions for various units including
    the 150 SOW. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) led a site
    visit to the 150 SOW as of March 2020 to initially determine the
    feasibility of transferring the AC-130 flight training mission to
    Kirtland AFB. Other mission requirements such as HH-60s and MC-130s
    continue to be evaluated for feasibility.
        Question. National Guard and Reserve troops are an essential part
    of America's national defense strategy. Over the past two decades, they
    have been used in an operational capacity, constantly serving on
    domestic and international missions to help protect our country.
    Despite conducting the same duties as their active duty counterparts,
    they are not receiving the same credit for their active time. To
    support our service members in reserve components, changes must be made
    to reflect the total force mentality. The National Guard's suicide rate
    has climbed higher than the active duty and Reserve's, according to an
    annual Pentagon study released September 2019. In response, officials
    are looking for new ways to help troops feel comfortable coming forward
    about their issues and getting help they need. The most recent figure
    is about 30.6 deaths per 100,000 service members, according to the
    Defense Department Annual Suicide Report for calendar year 2018, well
    above the Reserve's 22.9 per 100,000 and the active component's 24.8.
        What is the guard and reserve doing to address the high suicide
    rates?
        Answer. In 2019, the National Guard (NG) expanded its approach to
    suicide prevention and established the Warrior Resilience & Fitness
    (WRF) Division to synchronize Air and Army National Guard well-being,
    resilience, and suicide prevention efforts across the 54 States,
    territories, and DC. The goals are to: (1) align, promote, and enhance
    wellness and prevention best practices; and, (2) provide strategic
    oversight for outreach, innovation pilots, and data analysis.
        Question. What are the current programs and how are they
    implemented in a part time force?
        Answer. The current Army National Guard (ARNG) initiatives include
    Suicide Prevention Training, Master Resilience Training, Suicide
    Prevention Proof of Concept, and Unit Risk Inventory.
        The ARNG provides a Suicide Prevention Program Manager to each
    State, territory, and DC to conduct prevention and advanced
    intervention training for all members. These trainings enable them to
    recognize the signs of suicide in themselves and others, have the
    confidence and skills to intervene appropriately, and connect those in
    need to military and community resources.
        Master Resilience Training: ARNG provides one Master Resilience
    Trainer per company to advise commanders on increasing unit resilience,
    and to train Soldiers in specific resilience skills on an ongoing
    basis. Soldiers and Families use these skills at drill, during
    deployment, and at home in their communities to persevere and thrive
    through adversity.
        ARNG Suicide Prevention Proof of Concept: A Brigade from the South
    Carolina ARNG is actively participating in the SECARMY's Suicide
    Prevention Proof of Concept through fiscal year 2021. This proof of
    concept targets several new trainings to particular ranks and
    leadership levels, provides commanders with new risk assessment tools,
    and embeds Performance Experts into each company that will
    operationalize resilience in their units.
        Unit Risk Inventory (URI): The ARNG provides trained personnel who
    directly assist commanders to evaluate unit risk, to include substance
    abuse, interpersonal violence, and suicide. These personnel then help
    the commander develop and implement mitigation strategies that are
    tailored to their unit.
        The current Air National Guard (ANG) initiatives include Leadership
    Suicide Prevention Talking Points, Suicide Analysis Board (SAB),
    Prevention Action Group,
        Quarterly Leadership Talking Points to assist ANG leadership with
    ongoing conversations with their members using safe messaging. The
    intent of these talking points and videos is to spend a few minutes
    during a regularly scheduled meeting/briefing to discuss suggested
    topics and engage with their members in a meaningful way, building
    connections and strengthening relationships. Topics included: Social
    Media, Time based prevention, Resiliency, Connectedness, etc.
        In March 2019, the ANG conducted the first ever ANG SAB, which
    consisted of an in-depth review of 12 ANG suicide deaths from CY18. The
    multidisciplinary board developed 11 ANG recommendations aimed at
    preventing future ANG suicide deaths.
        The Preventions Action Group was established to bring together six
    disciplines (Drug Demand Reduction (DDRP), Sexual Assault Prevention
    and Response (SAPR), Directors of Psychological Health (DPH), Equal
    Opportunity (EO), Chaplains, and Suicide Prevention Program (SPP)) to
    provide synergy towards effective resiliency prevention, education, and
    outreach.
        Question. What actions are you taking to reduce the stigma for
    getting help?
        Answer. The National Guard (NG) is committed to developing and
    sustaining a culture that values support seeking behaviors for all
    Service members. As such, we are building targeted solutions that
    reduce stigma and increase wellness by reinforcing that seeking help is
    a strength.
        The NG is reducing the stigma of seeking support by increasing
    access to care and expanding local counseling services through multiple
    efforts.
        Star Behavioral Health Providers Program is a partnership with the
    Uniformed Service University and Purdue University to develop networks
    of civilian providers trained in military culture, the deployment
    cycle, and mental health treatments relevant to the NG. By breaking
    down barriers between the military and civilian communities, this
    initiative encourages help seeking behavior, builds trust between
    Service members and their providers, and allows for open and honest
    dialogue.
        In fiscal year 2019 the Warrior Resilience & Fitness program
    established a pilot program. One phase of the program is for embedded
    clinician to engage with Service Members, offer initial support
    services, and provide referrals as needed during drill weekends. This
    pilot program is helping to reduce stigma by making community providers
    readily available and part of the team.
        The pilot also provides NG Service members a variety of services
    including: ID cards, employment advisors, behavioral health
    specialists, Veterans Affairs advisors, health and wellness coaches,
    and transitional assistance at a centralized location. This pilot
    program is helping to change the way Service members view counseling by
    making it a standard resource available among other common support
    services.
        Several other pilot proposals are under review that would help to
    shift the culture to one that values support seeking behaviors by
    providing training aimed to reduce stigma across a broad range of
    prevention domains, mobile applications to enable easy access to
    resources and crisis support, and confidential consultation with
    community providers.
        The NG is working with leaders to promote a culture of seeking help
    early and often. The Air National Guard (ANG) conducted a resilience
    pause to provide an opportunity for commanders to engage with their
    Airmen to promote trust and confidence and to gain much needed feedback
    about how to better support our Airmen. A ``playbook'' with resources
    were developed to help guide the discussions and activities around
    acknowledging that seeking help is a strength.
        Question. The current Air National Guard space units will be
    located in California, Guam, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, New York, Ohio
    and Florida. I would like to get in the record that New Mexico has many
    assets that can both contribute to the new Space Force and a National
    Guard mission focused on Space. New Mexico is well suited to support
    and test multiple space capabilities and acquisitions and request the
    guard and reserve to look at New Mexico has a future hub for space
    initiatives. Will you work with the New Mexico National Guard to
    identify equities that can support the Space Force mission in New
    Mexico?
        Answer. Yes.
        Question. The Department of Defense established new policies for
    maternity leave as part of the ``Force of the Future'' initiative in
    2016. This new policy authorized 12 weeks fully paid maternity leave
    after normal pregnancy and childbirth for active duty service members.
        However, there was no such change for reserve personnel. In the
    reserves, if the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement.
        Under the current law, reserve component members in reserve
    training status are required to attend unit training assemblies
    (weekend drill) in order to receive points towards creditable military
    service.
        If the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement. Would
    you support a legislative fix for this problem, such as the MOMs Act I
    introduced this Congress?
        Answer. We support a legislative change that permits a member of
    the Reserve Component (RC), who is the primary or secondary caregiver
    in the case of the birth or adoption of a child, to receive retirement
    points while on leave in connection with such birth or adoption. This
    change would align with current Active Component (AC) authorities that
    allows a primary caregiver up to 12 weeks of total leave associated
    with a birth or adoption of a child, and up to three weeks of leave for
    a secondary caregiver. Today, this is not the case for servicemembers
    of the RC, who are only eligible for the same benefits if on active
    duty for certain qualified periods. This newly proposed bill offers
    parity between the AC and RC, providing a parental leave policy that
    takes care of servicemembers across the Total Force.
        Question. Do you agree with the Congressional Budget Office that
    the price would be negligible to make this legislative fix?
        Answer. Yes, we concur that cost would be negligible. As proposed,
    members who give birth would be entitled to receive 12 points toward
    retirement (or equivalent of 3 months of missed drill periods),
    alleviating concerns about missing a good (qualifying) retirement year
    due to maternity absence and affords the ability to flexibly reschedule
    drill periods missed during maternity periods for compensation.
    Supporting information: Flexible rescheduling is already practiced by
    Navy and introduces no additional new cost. Further, the cost of a
    retirement point varies by rank and years of service and ranges between
    $0.25/month to $0.90/month. 12 points might equate to $100/year at age
    60 but would not change Retired Pay Accrual actuarial tables for a
    small target population.
        Question. National Guard and Reserve troops are an essential part
    of America's national defe nse strategy. Over the past two decades,
    they have been used in an operational capacity, constantl y serving on
    domestic and international missions to help protect our country.
    Despite conducting the same duties as their active duty counterparts,
    they are not receiving the same credit for their a ctive time. To
    support our service members in reserve components, changes must be made
    to refl ect the total force mentality.
        The National Guard's suicide rate has climbed higher than the
    active duty and the other Reserve Components, according to an annual
    Pentagon study released September 2019. In response, officials are
    looking for new ways to help troops feel comfortable coming forward
    about their issues and getting help they need.
        The most recent figure is about 30.6 deaths per 100,000 service
    members, according to the Defense Department Annual Suicide Report for
    calendar year 2018, well above the Reserve's 22.9 per 100,000 and the
    active component's 24.8.
        What is the guard and reserve doing to address the high suicide
    rates?
        Answer. To address suicide and other destructive behaviors, the
    Chief of Naval Operations established the Culture of Excellence, a
    Navy-wide framework designed to promote signature healthy behaviors and
    enhance warfighting excellence by instilling toughness, trust, and
    connectedness in Sailors. Navy is using evidence-informed primary
    prevention strategies to reduce destructive behaviors though decreased
    risk factors and to promote signature healthy behavior by increasing
    protective factors.
        Relationships, legal problems, financial difficulties, transition
    periods, and mental health issues continue to be common stressors in
    most suicides. Of note, over 40 percent of Sailors who died by suicide
    never deployed.
        As part of our Culture of Excellence, suicide prevention measures
    include increasing embedded mental health providers who deliver direct
    support to our warfighters as far forward as possible for early
    intervention. We have also placed deployed resiliency counselors, which
    are civilian social workers, onboard aircraft carriers and large
    amphibious ships. An Expanded Operational Stress Control program was
    developed to be used in conjunction with the Command Resilience Team
    Network to assist leaders in the use of chaplains, medical personnel,
    counselors, and community resources to build a culture that is
    supportive of help-seeking behaviors. The goal of the program is to
    assist Navy leaders build resilience within commands and individual
    Sailors by increasing the awareness and understanding of stress and
    providing strategies to mitigate detrimental effects. Navy's vision is
    to develop an environment in which all Sailors are trained and
    motivated to navigate stress, assist their shipmates, and, most
    importantly, seek help from available resources early.
        Question. What are the current programs and how are they
    implemented in a part time force?
        Answer. Suicide prevention measures for active and reserve Sailors
    under our Culture of Excellence framework include increasing embedded
    mental health providers who deliver direct support to our warfighters
    as far forward as possible for early intervention. We have also placed
    deployed resiliency counselors, which are civilian social workers,
    onboard aircraft carriers and large amphibious ships. An Expanded
    Operational Stress Control program was developed to be used in
    conjunction with the Command Resilience Team Network to assist leaders
    in the use of chaplains, medical personnel, counselors, and community
    resources to build a culture that is supportive of help-seeking
    behaviors. The goal of the program is to assist Navy leaders build
    resilience within commands and individual Sailors by increasing the
    awareness and understanding of stress and providing strategies to
    mitigate detrimental effects. Navy's vision is to develop an
    environment in which all Sailors are trained and motivated to navigate
    stress, assist their shipmates, and, most importantly, seek help from
    available resources early.
        Our primary suicide prevention program for the Navy Reserve is the
    Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP). PHOP was created in 2008
    to ensure reserve component service members and families have access to
    psychological health services prior to deployment, post-
    demobilization, and before retirement/discharge. PHOP is funded by the
    Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery to provide support for both Navy
    and Marine Corps reserve component personnel who normally reside
    outside of fleet concentration areas. We are grateful for your
    continued support of this important program.
        Question. What actions are you taking to reduce the stigma for
    getting help?
        Answer. In addition to our Culture of Excellence, we are supporting
    a Defense Suicide Prevention Office funded pilot study that the Office
    of People Analytics is conducting: Resources Exist, Asking Can Help
    (REACH). REACH is designed to address barriers to help- seeking and is
    targeted for junior enlisted personnel. By using a model where leaders
    are trained to facilitate the small group discussions utilized in
    REACH, the leaders themselves are also learn the resources available
    and the importance of seeking help early. Our leaders are therefore
    better able to encourage Sailors to seek help as well as direct them to
    appropriate resources.
        Every member of the Navy community influences the conversation
    about suicide and psychological health. Leaders, Sailors, providers and
    family members must work together to create a culture where Sailors
    feel comfortable seeking help and have the support to maintain
    psychological and physical readiness. Staying connected and actively
    engaged can promote early recognition of distress, build community and
    break down barriers that may prevent intervention and care. The Every
    Sailor, Every Day Campaign is an evidence-informed health
    communications campaign designed to educate and empower active and
    reserve component Sailors and their families to practice ongoing self-
    care, build resilience, navigate stress, recognize risk, seek help,
    intervene early and practice lethal means safety during times of
    increased stress. The campaign aims to reduce barriers and negative
    perceptions associated with seeking psychological healthcare by
    upholding a culture that supports and promotes seeking help.
                                     ______

                  Questions Submitted by Senator Tammy Baldwin
        Question. The 2020 National Guard and Reserve Equipment Report
    states that the Army National Guard identified the Heavy Expanded
    Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) as ``Significant Major Item Shortage.''
    Specifically, the ARNG is short 435 HEMTTs which corresponds to a
    $213.75 million funding shortfall. What is the ARNG's plan to mitigate
    the impacts of this shortfall? What specific requirements will be
    impacted as a result of this shortfall?
        Answer. The shortage reflected in the National Guard and Reserve
    Equipment Report (NGRER) is a modernization shortage, rather than an
    equipment on hand shortage. The Army National Guard is currently at 90
    percent on hand for the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT)
    of which 40 percent is =the least modernized; this ``modernization
    shortfall'' is included in the numbers reflected in the fiscal year
    2020 NGRER (435 HEMTTs, for a total of $213.75 million). The Army
    National Guard will continue to utilize the legacy HEMTT to mitigate
    the impacts of the modernization shortfall. With this mitigation, there
    are no current specific requirements that will be impacted as a result
    of the HEMMT shortfall. The Army's HEMMT strategy is to increase
    modernization. The Army National Guard will continue to coordinate with
    the Department of the Army and Congress to ensure modernization of the
    HEMTT fleet maintains pace with the active duty Army.
        Question. Currently, National Guard personnel assigned to Office of
    Complex Administrative Investigations (OCI) investigator positions or
    to the Special Victims Counsel (SVC) program are limited to serving in
    those positions for no longer than 3 years--or 1,095 days--in any 4
    year period. How would exempting these two positions from the ``1095
    rule'' improve the National Guard's ability to support victims of
    sexual assault?
        Answer. Exempting OCI personnel from the ``1095 rule'' would result
    in timelier sexual assault investigations and more efficient use of
    taxpayer dollars. The present system requires OCI to engage in constant
    recruiting and training, wasting time and money, which could be
    partially avoided with a 1095 exemption.
        All OCI investigators must meet stringent education, experience and
    background qualifications. One-year Active Duty for Operational Support
    tour funding, along with the limitation of said orders not to exceed
    1,095 days, disrupts mission continuity needed to respond timely to
    requests for investigation. The result is the constant turnover of
    highly trained and experienced personnel for untrained and
    inexperienced personnel. Every year, victims (and State Adjutants
    General who request the investigations) must wait as investigations are
    delayed while a new group of investigators is rotated through the
    required training. Exemption from the ``1095 rule'' would allow OCI to
    retain proven, trained, and experienced investigators.
        Exempting National Guard Special Victims' Counsel (NG SVC)
    personnel from the ``1095 Rule'' would directly improve the National
    Guard's ability to support NG SVC clients as well as NG SVC Program
    operations. Specifically, an exemption from the 1095 Rule would
    increase the likelihood that an NG SVC could continue client
    representation through the duration of a client's case without that
    representation being arbitrarily truncated regardless of case or client
    needs. In addition to the inherent inefficiency of switching legal
    counsel prior to the conclusion of representation, such actions
    significantly increase the likelihood of generating anxiety in clients
    who must then develop a new attorney-client relationship in the middle
    of what is often an already inherently uncertain and stressful period
    of their life.
        In addition to the challenges associated with all ADOS recruiting
    and retention efforts, NG SVC practice requires significant training
    and certification beyond those required of other Judge Advocate and
    paralegal positions. These requirements, when coupled with the
    requisite characteristics and temperament needed for personnel who
    support victims of sexual assault, create a constant and significant
    strain on recruiting and retention for the NG SVC Program. The 1095
    Rule limitations combined with the year-to-year ADOS construct often
    dissuade potential personnel in an already limited pool of qualified
    applicants from requesting appointment to the NG SVC Program.
        Finally, the 1095 exception process creates an administrative
    burden. NG SVCs must initiate discussions with each of their clients
    regarding potential retention, transfer, or termination of each case.
    While preparing requests for NG SVCs who require 1095 Rule exceptions,
    the NG SVC Program must prepare to transfer all of those NG SVC's cases
    to new NG SVCs in preparation for a potential denial of the exception.
    This process generates uncertainty, diverts program resources, and
    creates additional stress for NG SVCs and their respective clients.
                                     ______

          Questions Submitted to Lieutenant General Charles D. Luckey
                 Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
        Question. What are you doing to improve the quality of life to
    prevent suicides?
        Answer. The Army Reserve is dedicated to Suicide Prevention and
    continues to work diligently to further reduce suicides across our
    force. As part of our mitigation strategy to prevent suicides, we
    examined and analyzed reports of ideations and attempts. In a sampling
    of the reports, we found the following percentages centered on the top
    four stressors in Army Reserve suicides: Financial Issues/Debt (50
    percent), Relationship/Family conflict (30 percent), Mental/Behavioral
    Health (10 percent), and Substance Abuse (10 percent). Our quality of
    life improvements that addressed suicide within the force focused on
    these areas.
        To address the financial stressors the Army Reserve is assisting
    Soldiers in acquiring employment through the Private Public Partnership
    Office (P3O). P3O is regionally aligned throughout Army Reserve
    Regional Support Commands and Functional Commands to provide support to
    Soldiers seeking employment. Services include resume building,
    interview skills, and corporate partnerships with local and national
    employers giving Soldiers direct access to company hiring personnel.
        With regard to the relationship and mental health stressors there
    are several efforts within the Army Reserve to connect with Soldiers
    and reduce suicides. Resilience efforts accomplished through Strong
    Bonds and the Yellow Ribbon Program supports Family resilience and
    Soldier reintegration from deployment to mitigate stressors. We have
    PhDs on staff at the Readiness Divisions who are licensed and trained
    to assist Soldiers with behavioral health issues and to advise
    commanders. In addition, Military OneSource--a DoD-Funded Program--
    provides Army Reserve Soldiers with free access to non-medical
    counseling and peer to peer support. Further, Vet 4 Warriors\*\ serves
    Army Reserve Soldiers and Family members. Vet 4 Warriors\*\ provides
    immediate, free, and long-term peer support to the Army Reserve through
    confidential phone, chat, text, and email conversations to help those
    they serve live better lives. Give An Hour* Counseling Services is
    another resource available to our Army Reserve Family--Give An
    Hour's\*\ mission is to develop national networks of volunteers capable
    of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within
    our society. By harnessing the skill and expertise of volunteer
    professionals, they can increase the likelihood that those in need
    receive the support and care they deserve. Give An Hour\*\ provides
    free mental healthcare to the Army Reserve Soldiers and Family members.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \*\ Vet 4 Warriors and Give An Hour are private non-Federal
    entities. References to these
    organizations in this response is not intended to present an official
    endorsement by the Army Reserve.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        The Army Reserve substance abuse program directly addresses the
    substance abuse stressor. This program enables drug testing at all
    units to identify Soldiers with potential substance abuse problems. The
    program also enables Soldiers to get the necessary support to manage
    and recover from substance abuse.
        Question. What specific programs are supported by appropriations
    which help with these issues?
        Answer. The Holistic Health and Fitness, Suicide Prevention, Yellow
    Ribbon, Employer Support and Soldier and Family programs are all
    supported by appropriations. These programs help with suicide
    prevention issues.
      --Holistic Health and Fitness Program (H2F): H2F is a comprehensive,
            integrated, and immersive health and fitness ``System'' of
            governance, personnel, equipment/facilities, programming, and
            education. The framework H2F encompasses all aspects of human
            performance to optimize Soldier personal readiness, reduce
            injury rates, improve rehabilitation after injury, and increase
            the overall effectiveness of the Total Army.
      --Suicide Prevention Program: The Army Reserve Suicide Prevention
            Program is based on four pillars: (1) provide resources; (2)
            educate the force; (3) reduce the stigma; and (4) involve
            Families. The top four stressors leading to Army Reserve
            suicides are financial issues/debt, relationship/family
            conflict, mental/behavioral health, and substance abuse.
      --Soldier and Family Programs: Army Reserve Family Programs provides
            oversight of regional delivery of programs and services to
            Soldiers, Family members, command teams, and Civilians. Family
            Programs underwent a program review resulting in the transfer
            of functions to Readiness Divisions, delivering programs closer
            to Families that benefit from them.
      --Yellow Ribbon Program: The Army Reserve Yellow Ribbon Reintegration
            Programs (YRRP) events and activities are an important part of
            deployment cycle support. Preparation and execution of YRRP
            events assist in administrative, logistical, mental and
            behavioral preparedness.
      --Employer Support Program (P3O): P3O supports Soldiers, veterans and
            military families across the business industry and academia.
            The Private/Public Partnership (P3) initiative builds a
            nationwide network of not-for-profit, for-profit and academic
            organizations. P3 assists Soldiers in gaining access to unique
            training opportunities that allow them to apply their expertise
            and leadership skills to real-world projects correlating with
            military experience.
        Question. Are you aware of the medical readiness issues for Reserve
    regarding continuity of care when they go on and off orders?
        Answer. The Army Reserve is aware of challenges relating to
    continuity of care for Soldiers while they transition between duty
    statuses. These challenges revolve around the lack of integrated Active
    Component and Reserve Component systems and processes to support the
    transition of the Soldier on and off active duty. Reserve Soldiers do
    not exclusively receive treatment on active duty installations. This
    creates the need for the Army Reserve to rely on multiple medical
    systems to capture the treatment plans, patient encounters and medical
    documentation for our Soldiers. This reliance compounded with the
    different orders types, durations, and the entitlements associated with
    each, creates frustration for our Soldiers.
        Care that originates within the Active Duty system is managed in
    Active Component databases and rarely transitioned to Army Reserve
    systems. Soldiers and their civilian providers lack immediate
    accessibility to individual medical records. Often, they must petition
    for copies of the records which can delay follow-on care.
        The Army Reserve continues to work with its Active component
    counterparts to overcome these challenges and we see the Military
    Health System Genesis, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) universal
    medical records system, as a key solution to many of the challenges we
    currently face.
        Question. What measures are in place to ensure continuity of care?
        Answer. The Army Reserve has many policies and programs in place to
    ensure a Soldier's continuity of care. First, the memorandums of
    agreement between the Army Reserve and the active component ensure that
    our medical administrators have access to patient encounters and
    treatment plans when Soldiers receive care at an active duty Medical
    Treatment Facility (MTF). The ability to view the patient records is
    vital to providing our Soldiers the best possible care when they are
    injured in line of duty or when their injury is aggravated in a
    qualified duty status. Our medical administrators have view-access to
    the Soldier's medical treatment notes to mitigate a lapse in care.
      --Line of Duty (LOD) Care is available for Soldiers who sustain an
            injury while serving on active duty and are able return to
            Reserve status. The Soldiers' unit coordinates LOD Care with
            DHA-Great Lakes to provide pre-authorizations for care through
            TRICARE. Upon approval, the Soldier can receive care within
            their community for up to 365 days from the date of incident.
            To receive treatment, the Soldier must have an approved LOD
            investigation to determine their injury was caused or
            aggravated by military service.
      --The Army Recovery Care Program (ARCP) provides medical treatment
            for Soldiers who are found to have an unfitting medical
            condition during transition from active duty status and/or are
            injured in another duty status. Eligible Soldiers can volunteer
            to remain on active duty orders (12301H) for medical care at
            one of the ARCP's 14 Soldier Recovery Units. Soldiers who do
            not meet entry criteria but are eligible to remain on active
            duty for an injury aggravated by service, can volunteer for
            entry into the Remote Medical Management Program upon SEC Army
            Directorate approval.
      --The Deployment Health Assessment Program (DHAP) is a proactive and
            preventive R2 (Ready and Resilient) commander's program that
            enables the early identification and treatment of physical and
            behavioral health issues at critical stages in the Deployment
            Cycle Support (DCS). DHAP identifies emerging health-related
            issues and supports the identification of an at-risk population
            that could require support from programs and services such as
            SHARP, Army Substance Abuse Programs, and Suicide Prevention.
            DHAP tacks Soldiers' positive responses to DD Forms 2796 Post
            Deployment Health Assessment and 2900 Post Deployment Health
            Re-Assessment Form for indicators of needing follow-on care.
            Soldiers with positive responses requiring further evaluation
            are helped with coordination of an evaluation through an MTF,
            the Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) or Vet Center. DHA-
            Great Lakes authorization is needed when an MTF is not within a
            50-mile radius (per DHA Great Lakes Guide). Our team of
            dedicated medical administrators work together to identify the
            most effective and efficient ways to leverage technology and to
            update policies that maximize the care available to our
            Soldiers as they continue to support our Nation.
        As the Department of Defense moves towards the department-wide
    healthcare system, Military Health System Genesis, the Army Reserve
    continues to engage with our DHA partners to ensure they understand and
    can fully support the unique continuity of care needs for the Army
    Reserve Soldier. The new system will ensure that medical documentation
    is accessible for our citizen Soldiers and their healthcare providers.
    It will also ensure that all military services can access the medical
    treatment plans for Soldiers.
        Question. What specific programs or equipment will be impaired or
    jeopardized by the redesignation of NGREA funds, especially for units
    that rely on this funding to maintain and modernize their vital
    equipment? Please provide the specific line item for the program and
    the funding amount redesignated from the program in comparison to its
    required funding amount.
        Answer. The re-designation of fiscal year 2020 NGREA funds will
    impact the modernization and fielding rate of vital equipment required
    for wartime and homeland missions. The table embedded lists specific
    equipment that will both be impaired and jeopardized by such re-
    designation. This list is consistent with Army Reserve effort to
    modernize Command & Control, Liquid Logistics, Medical, and
    Transportation equipment.

        Question. As global threats shift, arctic weather conditions mimic
    the kind of environment our forces could face in the future.
        How are you ensuring troops receive Arctic and cold weather
    training?
        Answer. Fort McCoy, WI currently conducts multiple iterations of a
    two-week Cold Weather Operations Course using a Program of Instruction
    from the Northern Warfare Training Center in Fort Wainwright, AK. The
    course is designed as a Train the Trainer course developed to give
    units Subject Matter Expertise in Cold Weather Operations. Soldiers are
    introduced to basic skills for cold weather operations and
    survivability.
        Question. How does the Reserve provide Arctic and cold weather
    training?
        Answer. Beyond the training offered at Fort McCoy, WI the Army
    Reserve conducts annual training with our Canadian partners to build
    the strategic alliance necessary to counter competitor's aggression in
    the Artic. Exercise Maple Resolve is a combined U.S. Army exercise with
    Canada that serves as brigade-level validation for the Canadian Army.
    The exercise seeks to enhance our professional relationships, training
    and overall coordination with our allies and partners. The exercise
    improves relationships between the two armies and allows them to work
    together to address mutual threats and hazards at home and in coalition
    operations abroad (Artic).
        Question. Are there plans to increase Arctic and cold weather
    training for Reserve/Guard?
        Answer. Currently, there are no plans to increase Artic and cold
    weather training. The current training allows units to experience
    leader, individual, and collective tasks in an arctic-like environment.
    Training focuses on firing and maintaining weapons, operating and
    maintaining vehicles and equipment, and performing unit Mission
    Essential tasks.
                                     ______

                    Questions Submitted by Senator Tom Udall
        Question. The Department of Defense established new policies for
    maternity leave as part of the ``Force of the Future'' initiative in
    2016. This new policy authorized 12 weeks fully paid maternity leave
    after normal pregnancy and childbirth for active duty service members.
    However, there was no such change for reserve personnel. In the
    reserves, if the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement.
        Under the current law, reserve component members in reserve
    training status are required to attend unit training assemblies
    (weekend drill) in order to receive points towards creditable military
    service.
        If the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement. Would
    you support a legislative fix for this problem, such as the MOMs Act I
    introduced this Congress?
        Answer. Per Army Regulation (AR) 135-91 Reserve Component (RC)
    Soldiers are normally afforded up to 6 weeks of maternity leave, with
    variance based on the attending physician's advice. The Army Reserve
    Rescheduled Training (RST) policy provides flexibility for Soldiers
    requiring parental leave. Soldiers can make up missed duty days or
    training requirements from 60 days prior to scheduled duty to 60 days
    after the scheduled duty. This allows the Soldier and the unit to
    resolve any conflicts and ensure the Soldier is given the opportunity
    to earn all creditable retirement points and pay.
        Question. Do you agree with the Congressional Budget Office that
    the price would be negligible to make this legislative fix?
        Answer. Paying for 12 IDT periods, such as provided for in this
    language, for each of these members, would incur a cost in lost
    manpower (approximately $8.9 million per year (fiscal year 2019
    estimate) across DoD). That is, members who give birth and may have
    previously been excused and did not make up the missed IDT periods
    would now be paid directly for those periods.
        Question. National Guard and Reserve troops are an essential part
    of America's national defense strategy. Over the past two decades, they
    have been used in an operational capacity, constantly serving on
    domestic and international missions to help protect our country.
    Despite conducting the same duties as their active duty counterparts,
    they are not receiving the same credit for their active time. To
    support our service members in reserve components, changes must be made
    to reflect the total force mentality.
        Answer. The National Guard's suicide rate has climbed higher than
    the active duty and Reserve's, according to an annual Pentagon study
    released September 2019. In response, officials are looking for new
    ways to help troops feel comfortable coming forward about their issues
    and getting help they need.
        The most recent figure is about 30.6 deaths per 100,000 service
    members, according to the Defense Department Annual Suicide Report for
    calendar year 2018, well above the Reserve's 22.9 per 100,000 and the
    active component's 24.8.
        Question. What is the reserve doing to address the high suicide
    rates?
        Answer. The Army Reserve Suicide Prevention Program is based on
    four pillars: (1) provide resources; (2) educate the force; (3) reduce
    the stigma; and (4) involve Families. The top four stressors leading to
    Army Reserve suicides are Financial Issues/Debt, Relationship/Family
    conflict, Mental/Behavioral Health, and Substance Abuse.
        Since CY17, the Army Reserve has seen continued decreases in the
    number of deaths by suicide (CY17=62, CY18=47, CY19=37). As part of our
    mitigating strategy to prevent suicides, we examined and analyzed
    reports of ideations and attempts. In a sampling of the reports, we
    found the following percentages centered on the top four stressors in
    Army Reserve suicides: Financial Issues/Debt (50 percent),
    Relationship/Family conflict (30 percent), Mental/Behavioral Health (10
    percent), and Substance Abuse (10 percent). A few CCIRs may contain
    overlapping stressors. For example, an individual expressing an
    ideation may have experienced issues with finances, relationship, and
    substance abuse.
        The position the Army Reserve has taken and continues to take to
    prevent suicides include providing oversight and management in the
    following areas:
      --Mandate personal contact with Soldiers and Family between Battle
            Assemblies
      --Standardize procedures for reporting ideations and attempts
      --Emphasize attention on ``newly'' assigned Soldiers, ensuring a
            positive transition
      --Promote/advertise local resources
      --Increase suicide prevention training opportunities and disseminate
            information to Family members regarding risk factors, warning
            signs and contact assistance numbers
      --Developed an Army Reserve Supplement to Army's Soldier Leader Risk
            Reduction Tool to help leaders facilitate dialogue with their
            Soldier
      --Partner with outreach programs in local communities
        The Army Reserve provides intervention skills training to Soldiers
    and leaders. Training includes encouraging leaders to openly
    communicate with their Soldiers and Families to reduce the stigma and
    assist in decreasing suicides rates. Additionally, the Army Reserve
    will continue to improve awareness of available resources and access to
    training. The Army Reserve will continue to promote the use of the Army
    Soldier Leader Risk Reduction Tool (SLRRT) and the Army Reserve
    Supplement to the SLRRT to increase first-line leader involvement and
    assist leaders in identifying potential risks amongst their Soldiers.
        Suicidal ideations and associated behaviors are risks to unit
    cohesiveness, readiness, and individual Soldier welfare. There is a
    sustained leadership focus and resourcing to support suicide prevention
    within the Army Reserve. The Army Reserve is a Family, and as such, we
    will look out for our own and intervene when we determine a member is
    ``at risk.'' We will remain vigilant on this issue, and continue to
    partner with our mental health professionals, chaplains, and Family
    Readiness personnel as we continuously refine and improve our program.
        The Army Reserve also has 10 units participating in the Army's
    Suicide Prevention Pilot Program. The aim of the pilot is to decrease
    the prevalence of suicidality through increases in unit cohesion,
    trust, coping and communication skills. It is designed to test numerous
    new broader Army initiatives in an operational environment, so we can
    receive critical feedback from Soldiers and Leaders, while promoting
    the reduction of high-risk behaviors, including suicide. It will focus
    on:
      --Increased Leader Visibility and Soldier Awareness through the
            application of tools augment engaged leadership
      --Concentrated Resilience and Communication Skills training and
            education to ensure they become core competencies
        A combination of G1, Army Public Health Center, Walter Reed Army
    Institute of Research, and contract personnel will evaluate the
    effectiveness of the pilot and its individual initiatives in spring
    2021 to assess impact on reduction of suicides as well as increased
    coping skills and unit climate.
        Question. What are the current programs and how are they
    implemented in a part time force?
        Answer. There are several efforts within the Army Reserve working
    initiatives to connect with Soldiers and reduce suicides. These include
    resilience efforts, availability of professional staff, peer support,
    and counseling services, among others.
        The resilience efforts accomplished through Strong Bonds and the
    Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program works on Family resilience and
    Soldier reintegration from deployment to mitigate stressors. We have
    PhDs on staff at the Readiness Divisions who are licensed and trained
    to assist Soldiers with behavioral health issues and advise commanders.
    Vet 4 Warriors\*\ serve Army Reserve Soldiers and Family members. Vet 4
    Warriors\*\ provides immediate, free, and long-term peer support to the
    Army Reserve through confidential phone, chat, text, and email
    conversations to help those they serve live better lives. Give An
    Hour\*\ Counseling Services is another resource available to our Army
    Reserve Family--Give An Hour's\*\ mission is to develop national
    networks of volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic
    conditions that arise within our society. By harnessing the skill and
    expertise of volunteer professionals, they can increase the likelihood
    that those in need receive the support and care they deserve. Give An
    Hour\*\ provides free mental healthcare to the Army Reserve Soldiers
    and Family members. Military OneSource is another resource available to
    the Army Reserve. Military OneSource is a 24/7 connection to
    information, answers, and support to help Soldiers and Family members
    reach their goals, overcome challenges and thrive. The above resources
    are just a few of many resources that support the Army Reserve Family.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \*\ Vet 4 Warriors and Give An Hour are private non-Federal
    entities. References to these
    organizations in this response is not intended to present an official
    endorsement by the Army Reserve.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Question. What actions are you taking to reduce the stigma for
    getting help?
        Answer. The Army Reserve understands there are individuals who are
    frequently reluctant to seek help. Soldiers avoid seeking this type of
    assistance based on fear it might adversely affect their careers. We
    have taken the necessary steps to change this misperception across the
    Army Reserve by encouraging leaders to review all policies and
    procedures and remove anything that may stigmatize help-seeking
    behaviors. We also encourage leaders to eliminate any policy which
    discriminates, punishes, or discourages a Soldier or Civilian from
    seeking help. The Army Reserve is dedicated to eliminating the long-
    standing, negative stigma, associated with seeking and receiving help
    to ensure Soldiers, Army Civilians, and Family Members who may be
    struggling get the help that they need.
                                     ______

          Questions Submitted to Lieutenant General Richard W. Scobee
                 Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
        Question. What are you doing to improve the quality of life to
    prevent suicides?
        Answer. From a medical perspective, the AF Reserve Command (AFRC)
    Surgeon General's office supports AF Reserve Directors of Psychological
    Health. These Licensed Clinical Social Workers are placed in AF Reserve
    wings to address individual, unit, and wing readiness and help Airmen
    and their families maximize psychological health, resilience, and
    wellbeing so that they can prevail over the unique challenges of the
    mission and life in and out of the military.
        AFRC has also approved and staffed ten full time Religious Affairs
    Airmen at each of the 10 AFRC host base locations. This full-time
    presence allows immediate and timely access for members and provides
    pastoral care and confidential communication. The ability to speak to a
    Chaplain Corps member with complete confidentiality encourages openness
    and vulnerability so that needs can be identified and members can
    receive needed care. In addition, Reserve Personnel Appropriation
    funding is being made available for Chaplain Corps members to surge
    during deployment and post-deployment times. Chaplain Corps members
    continue to provide pastoral care, marriage enrichment programs,
    relationship counseling, and suicide intervention in order to address
    the stress and strain felt by AFRC members and their families.
        In 2019, all Air Force Reserve (AFR) wings conducted a Resilience
    Tactical Pause (RTP) to improve communication and connectedness in an
    effort to prevent suicides. The RTP was intended to provide an
    opportunity for leaders to engage Airmen (military and civilian) in a
    manner that fosters interpersonal connection. This was the beginning of
    an ongoing, sustained effort to address this challenge. Every AFR host
    wing has a Community Action Plan (CAP) designed to equip communities
    and leaders with the tools to assess, improve, and sustain quality of
    life initiatives. AFR tenant wings fall under their host active
    component CAP; however, the AFR is developing a master CAP with reserve
    best practices for their use.
        Question. What programs have you requested appropriations for to
    help with these issues?
        Answer. AFRC has 10 full-time chaplain positions in the fiscal year
    2022 POM to ensure full Chaplain Corps support to the Airmen and their
    families at the ten host base locations. Additionally, Reserve
    Personnel Appropriations and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) funding
    have been requested to provide personnel support and program support to
    wings during pre-deployment, deployment, and post deployment.
        Question. Are you aware of the medical readiness issues for Reserve
    and Guard in regards to continuity of care when they go on and off
    orders?
        Answer. Yes. Medical readiness and taking care of AFR members is a
    significant priority. Any change in a member's medical condition,
    especially if it has the potential to adversely impact the member's
    readiness, must be communicated by the member to their command through
    either the Reserve Medical Unit or the military treatment facility, as
    appropriate for their duty status. For issues that arise while in
    military status, the Line of Duty (LOD) process provides a mechanism
    for identifying medical issues arising from military duty, and it also
    facilitates further care as needed.
        Question. What measures are in place to ensure continuity of care?
        Answer. A number of programs exist to ensure Airmen receive the
    care they need to include placing them on medical continuation (MEDCON)
    orders. Airmen may be eligible for MEDCON orders when they incur or
    aggravate an illness, injury, or disease in the line of duty and that
    condition renders the Airman unable to perform military duties. While
    on MEDCON orders, our first priority for the member is to get them the
    medical care they need and the initial orders will be certified for a
    period of time consistent with the their validated medical treatment
    plan.
        Last year, Congress authorized Reserve Federal Employee Health
    Benefits (FEHB) eligible members to receive medical coverage through
    the Tricare Reserve Select healthcare plan, beginning in the year 2030.
    This effort will improve healthcare costs, ease of access and
    continuity of care for our Air Reserve Technicians (ART) and their
    families as well as increase our full time retention. I ask that you
    consider implementing and funding this change to the earliest date
    feasible in order for our ART force to benefit from this premium-based
    healthcare plan.
        Question. What specific programs or equipment will be impaired or
    jeopardized by the redesignation of NGREA funds, especially for units
    that rely on this funding to maintain and modernize their vital
    equipment? Please provide the specific line item for the program and
    the funding amount redesignated from the program in comparison to its
    required funding amount.
        Answer. The redesignation of fiscal year 2020 NGREA funds forced
    Headquarter Air Force Reserve Command to prioritize all planned
    expenditures. In all cases, the Prioritized Integrated Requirements
    List (PIRL) was utilized in order to determine which programs were the
    most critical. The highest priority was given to programs that were
    already under contract where the loss of funds would cause a break in
    the contract. In those cases, the contract will continue using funds
    realigned from fiscal year 2019 NGREA.
        The next level of priority are programs that are in testing or
    integration but not yet under contract for purchase of equipment or are
    under a contract that allowed the command to reduce the amount of
    equipment to be purchased. These programs will receive the minimal
    funding needed to keep testing and integration efforts proceeding or to
    keep production lines open. These fiscal year 2020 programs include:
      --A-10 and F-16 Anti-Jam GPS--$11 million reduced to $4.5 million
      --A-10 and F-16 High Resolution Cockpit Display Modernization--$12
            million reduced to $3.5M
      --F-16 ALR-69A Radar Warning Receiver--$12 million reduced to $7.5
            million
      --AN/ASQ-236 All-Weather Targeting Pod--$15.5 million reduced to $6.5
            million
      --F-16 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radars--$20 million
            reduced to $10 million
      --C-130 Modular Aerial Spray System--$17.5 million reduced to $7
            million
        The final group of programs are those that are not under contract
    and which fall low enough on the PIRL that the loss of funding did not
    create an unacceptable level of risk. Among these programs are several
    that would most likely have been delayed for other reasons (Amounts
    below reflect the total cost of each program).
      --A-10 Link 16--$12 million
      --A-10 ALR 69A Radar Warning Receiver--$7 million
      --A-10 Missile Warning System--$12 million
      --F-16 Automatic Data Transfer Equipment (ADTE)--$6 million would
            most likely have been delayed due to issues with integration
      --C-5 Real Time in the Cockpit (RTIC)--$9 million
      --KC-135 Real Time in the Cockpit (RTIC)--$15 million
      --C-130 Real Time in the Cockpit (RTIC)--$700,000
      --WC-130 241 Radar Upgrade--$650,000
      --WC-130 ARC 210 Generation 6 Radios--$6.5 million
      --C-130H Iridium Satellite Phone for Fire Fighting unit--$300,000
      --KC-135 Large Aircraft Infrared Counter Measures--$12 million
      --HC-130 Link 16 Radios--$5 million
      --WC-130J Radar Transmission through SATCOM--$2.5 million
      --B-52 Targeting Pod Trainer--$250,000
      --Support Equipment--$5.5 million
      --Vehicles--$1.0 million
      --HH-60 Avionics Communication Suite Upgrade--$2 million would most
            likely have been cancelled due to impeding aircraft retirement
            and Sunset restrictions
        In order to fund the necessary programs that lost fiscal year 20
    funds, there are several fiscal year 19 programs that were reduced or
    delayed to include:
      --HH-60 Link 16, Helmet Mounted Display, Blue Force Tracker, Avionics
            Communications Suite Upgrade, and Smart Multifunction Color
            Display--$26.5 million reduced to $1.6 million due to impeding
            aircraft retirement and Sunset restrictions
      --A-10 ALR 69A Radar Warning Receiver--$1.5 million
      --WC-130J Radar Transmission through SATCOM--$2 million
      --WC-130J Block 8.1 Upgrade--$8 million
      --Support Equipment--$14.8 million reduced to $2.4 million
      --Guardian Angel/Personnel Rescue Mission Equipment--$9.8 million
            reduced to $5 million
      --Vehicles--$7 million reduced to $4.8 million
        Question. As global threats shift, arctic weather conditions mimic
    the kind of environment our forces could face in the future.
        How are you ensuring troops receive Arctic and cold weather
    training?
        Answer. Our single classic associate unit (477th Fighter Group)
    assigned at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson uses an event identifier
    code input into a training tracking systems (Patriot Excalibur for our
    aviators and Training Business Area for our support personnel). These
    systems are programed to send an alert to leadership when a member is
    coming due and is overdue for this training. This tracking method is in
    accordance with our Regular AF host Wing Leadership requirement and
    mirrors their process.
        Question. How does the Reserve and Guard provide Arctic and cold
    weather training?
        Answer. AFRC currently has one classic associate unit (477th
    Fighter Group) assigned at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. They
    receive their annual arctic survival training alongside their Regular
    Air Force counterparts in accordance with current guidance and
    regulations established by the Regular Air Force host Wing Leadership.
    Our other units that participate in events in the arctic region receive
    their arctic training from the host base survival training experts as a
    just in time measure to ensure they are properly trained in accordance
    with current guidance and regulations and are safe to participate in
    those events.
        Question. Are there plans to increase Arctic and cold weather
    training for Reserve/Guard?
        Answer. There are currently no plans to increase Arctic and cold
    weather training requirements for the Air Force Reserve component.
                                     ______

                   Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
                            s. 1615, moms leave act
        Question. S. 1615 will allow women serving in the reserve
    components of the Armed Forces to receive compensation and credit when
    they go on maternity leave. Providing maternity leave for the women
    serving in the National Guard and Reserve is essential to maintaining
    the health and mental well-being of our service members. Can you
    discuss how this bill will impact new mothers who are serving in the
    Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard?
        Answer. Thank you for considering the Reserve Components when
    introducing legislation to ensure every member of our Armed Forces is
    considered. This bill would allow new mothers to receive 12 retention/
    retirement points towards the statutory requirement of 50 points per
    year towards retirement when they are unable to attend training due to
    pregnancy/maternity leave. The Air Force Reserve fully supports this
    legislation.
        Question. Is legislation to provide maternity leave to members of
    the reserve component necessary, or can these benefits be provided
    through a Department policy change?
        Answer. The Air Force has exercised every option through policy to
    allow our new mothers to receive service credit within the boundaries
    of current law. Awarding retention/retirement points in lieu of
    military service due to pregnancy/maternity leave would require a
    legislative change. Air Force policy (AFMAN 36-2136) allows female
    members the opportunity to perform their reserve duty by telework,
    where able, or opt to reschedule their reserve duty around their
    pregnancy and any civilian maternity leave they may opt to take outside
    of their military service. However, this may not be enough to ensure a
    good year of service depending on the member's ability to break away
    from their civilian employer or in a specialty where telework may not
    be feasible.
        Question. Please outline the differences in maternity leave
    benefits for members of the active duty Armed Forces versus those in
    the reserve component.
        Answer. There is no difference between the components if the
    Reserve component member is performing Active Guard and Reserve (AGR)
    duty or performing duty under a call or order to active service for a
    period in excess of 12 months (AFI 36-3003 & AFMAN 36-2136).
        In the case of our traditional reservists, part-time members may
    not participate in any status during the 34th week of pregnancy to term
    and 12 weeks immediately after delivery unless: the reservist
    volunteers, the decision is supported by her unit commander, obstetric
    care provider or military medical authorities. Pregnant reservists may
    telework or be allowed to complete their military service in an
    alternate duty location in order to comply with obstetric care
    provider's travel recommendations. Pregnant reservists must be able to
    commute home safely every day or have access to birthing facilities
    approved by an obstetric care provider if staying overnight at their
    unit's location (AFMAN 36-2136). The key difference is that reservists
    in full-time status continue to be compensated while on maternity
    leave, assuming their orders do not expire, while part-time reservists
    are not compensated.
                                     ______

                Questions Submitted by Senator Patrick J. Leahy
        Question. It is crucial to the Armed Forces' ability to attain
    optimal readiness and maintain their operational capacity that women be
    fully integrated into the force structure. For decades, the Air Force
    Reserve has embraced this as a priority, and can be an example across
    the services for how gender integration can be implemented.
        Please provide examples of ways that the Air Force Reserve has
    pushed to recruit talented women?
        Answer. We are actively engaged at all levels in collaboration with
    civilian entities to identify all potential female applicants. For
    example, we have an annual presence at the International Women in
    Aviation Conference, providing brand awareness through community
    outreach and describing opportunities to serve. In addition, we
    deliberately recruit at Women's colleges and recently sponsored Women's
    NCAA Basketball Tournaments, primarily targeted at the female audience
    viewing the event.
        Question. What specific incentives does the Air Force Reserve offer
    to retain women and develop their skills?
        Answer. Our Air Force Reserve offers opportunities and incentives
    based on ability, qualifications, and performance, not gender.
    Incentives are available for Airmen of either gender for specific
    career fields where the Air Force Reserve has needs for talent. We also
    offer tuition assistance and other education based incentives that
    target skill development for all Airmen.
        Question. How does the Reserve ensure female Reservists are engaged
    in decisionmaking at all levels? Please provide an accounting of the
    representation of women among leadership ranks.
        Answer. Our Air Force Reserve (AFR) senior leader levels are
    managed through a volunteer system, with no limitations placed on
    applicants, other than Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), duty status and
    performance requirements. We see our female Reserve Citizen Airmen
    participating at all levels of leadership in every career field. Women
    represent approximately 26 percent of our AFR General Officer, Colonel,
    and Key/Strategic Chief Master Sergeant combined billet footprint.
        Question. What challenges does the Reserve face in recruiting and
    retaining women? How can Congress further help the Reserves improve
    gender integration?
        Answer. Currently, women account for 27 percent of the AFR, which
    is a higher rate than both active duty and the Air National Guard. The
    key for the Air Force Reserve is to seek out and recruit those who have
    the drive, desire and ability, and make sure they understand the
    available opportunities to serve.
        Question. Family changes, childcare issues, spousal unemployment,
    financial problems, and sexual assault can all be issues that
    contribute to Reservists' mental health challenges. I hear from
    Vermonters that we need to be aware of the stressors on Reservists and
    their families to prevent skilled Reservists from leaving the force, or
    worse, the tragedy of death by suicide, which we know is a crisis.
        How are you supporting military families that may be dealing with
    financial problems?
        Answer. In accordance with U.S. 10 Code Section 992, all military
    members are required to attend financial touchpoint training throughout
    various times in their career. The required financial touch points
    include: Initial Entry Training, Arrival at First Duty Station, Arrival
    at Subsequent Duty Stations (E-4/O-3 and below), Promotion (E-5/O-4 and
    below), when the member invests in the Thrift Savings Plan, when
    entitled to Continuation Pay, when transitioning to the Reserve
    Component, and during major life events such as Birth of a Child,
    Marriage, Divorce, and Disabling Sickness or Condition. Training is
    available in person with Airman and Family Readiness staff and/or
    virtually via the MyVector/Airmen Distributed Learning System. Military
    Family Personal Financial Counselors are in place at the installations
    to assist with providing this training as well.
        In accordance with AFI 36-3009, Airman and Family Readiness Centers
    are required to have a certified personal financial counselor on staff.
    Airman and Family Readiness Centers are available to provide a variety
    of financial resources, workshops and one-on-one appointments for
    Reservists to attend during the week or on a UTA weekend. Financial
    appointments can be arranged to meet the member's specific needs,
    whether it be completing an individualized budget or locating local
    financial resources in the community. Employment resources are also
    available through the Airman and Family Readiness Center office.
    Members and their spouses are able to seek individualized resources or
    receive assistance with resume review.
        The Air Force Aid Society is the official charity of the USAF. It
    is available for Reserve members in Title 10 status for 15 days or
    more. The assistance is limited to emergencies incidental to or
    resulting from a member's Active Duty tour.
        Yellow Ribbon events offer multiple breakouts teaching budget/
    financial skills as well as resources and referrals to personal
    financial counselors offering free services to members/families
    attending events. Several events also offer free follow-up counseling
    after the event ends.
        Question. What resources are available to Reservists struggling
    with mental health issues or suicidal ideation?
        Answer. From a medical perspective, the AF Reserve Command (AFRC)
    Surgeon General's office supports AF Reserve Directors of Psychological
    Health. These Licensed Clinical Social Workers are placed in AF Reserve
    wings to address individual, unit, and wing readiness and help Airmen
    and their families maximize psychological health, resilience, and
    wellbeing so that they can prevail over the unique challenges of the
    mission and life in and out of the military.
        AFRC has also approved and staffed ten full time Religious Affairs
    Airmen at each of the 10 AFRC host base locations. This full-time
    presence allows immediate and timely access for members and provides
    pastoral care and confidential communication. The ability to speak to a
    Chaplain Corps member with complete confidentiality encourages openness
    and vulnerability so that needs can be identified and members can
    receive needed care. In addition, Reserve Personnel Appropriation
    funding is being made available for Chaplain Corps members to surge
    during deployment and post-deployment times. Chaplain Corps members
    continue to provide pastoral care, marriage enrichment programs,
    relationship counseling, and suicide intervention in order to address
    the stress and strain felt by AFRC members and their families.
        In 2019, all Air Force Reserve (AFR) wings conducted a Resilience
    Tactical Pause (RTP) to improve communication and connectedness in an
    effort to prevent suicides. The RTP was intended to provide an
    opportunity for leaders to engage Airmen (military and civilian) in a
    manner that fosters interpersonal connection. This was the beginning of
    an ongoing, sustained effort to address this challenge. Every AFR host
    wing has a Community Action Plan (CAP) designed to equip communities
    and leaders with the tools to assess, improve, and sustain quality of
    life initiatives. AFR tenant wings fall under their host active
    component CAP; however, the AFR is developing a master CAP with reserve
    best practices for their use.
        Question. What resources are available to military families
    struggling with accessing affordable childcare? Are there any
    legislative changes required to improve or expand on-base childcare?
        Answer. Air Force Reserve Host bases do not have access to on base
    DoD Child Development Centers (CDC) at their locations. In addition,
    CDCs at some classic associate units on active duty bases provide
    limited access for childcare purposes during Unit Training Assembly
    (UTA) weekends.
        The Air Force Home Community Care program provides child care for
    United States Air Force Reserve and National guard members assigned to
    specific installations during drill/UTA weekends. Care is provided in
    high quality family child care homes throughout the United States. The
    program is offered through the Family Child Care (FCC) program at the
    tenant location. However, the number of FCC providers at the
    installations are limited, and this service is not available at all
    installations.
        I look forward to working with Congress on legislation aimed at
    increasing the number of FCC providers who can offer affordable quality
    daycare to Air Force Reserve members during their UTA weekends.
        Question. How are you working to prevent sexual assault, and what
    resources are available to survivors of sexual assault?
        Answer. The AFR has a robust Sexual Assault and Prevention Program
    aimed at awareness training and providing those who are victims avenues
    to report such crimes and receive the help needed to move forward. All
    AFR Units have a Special Victims Council (SPVC), Sexual Assault
    Response Coordinators (SARC) Victims Advocate and Case Management
    Groups chaired by the Installation Commander. The Air Force Reserve
    participates in all Air Force prevention initiatives. Culture change
    continues to be a major focus as the Air Force transitions the language
    from Bystander Intervention to Wingman and Leadership Intervention. All
    Wingman and Leaders are being further charged with intervening in any
    culture or situation that can aid sexual assault occurrences.
        A Reserve member who experiences a sexual assault while performing
    military duty is entitled to a Line of Duty determination. The member
    has the same access to services as their Active Duty counterpart.
    Orders can be extended if necessary for the member to receive both
    medical and psychological treatment. If the member reports an assault
    that did not occur while performing duty, they are eligible to receive
    victim advocacy and referral services from the Sexual Assault
    Prevention and Response office at their installation. This can be
    provided through local rape crisis centers and also through the
    Department of Veterans Affairs.
                                     ______

                    Questions Submitted by Senator Tom Udall
        Question. The Department of Defense established new policies for
    maternity leave as part of the ``Force of the Future'' initiative in
    2016. This new policy authorized 12 weeks fully paid maternity leave
    after normal pregnancy and childbirth for active duty service members.
        However, there was no such change for reserve personnel. In the
    reserves, if the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement.
        Under the current law, reserve component members in reserve
    training status are required to attend unit training assemblies
    (weekend drill) in order to receive points towards creditable military
    service.
        If the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement. Would
    you support a legislative fix for this problem, such as the MOMs Act I
    introduced this Congress?
        Answer. Thank you for considering the Reserve Components when
    introducing legislation to ensure every member of our Armed Forces is
    considered. The Air Force Reserve fully supports the MOMS Act.
        Question. Do you agree with the Congressional Budget Office that
    the price would be negligible to make this legislative fix?
        Answer. Thank you for informing us about the CBO findings, our AFRC
    financial experts will review their report as soon as it is made
    available. At this time, we have no reason to disagree that the price
    of the legislative fix is likely negligible.
        Question. National Guard and Reserve troops are an essential part
    of America's national defense strategy. Over the past two decades, they
    have been used in an operation al capacity, constantly serving on
    domestic and international missions to help protect our country.
    Despite conducting the same duties as their active duty counterparts,
    they are not receiving the same credit for their active time. To
    support our service members in reserve components, changes must be made
    to reflect the total force mentality.
        The National Guard's suicide rate has climbed higher than the
    active duty and Reserve's, according to an annual Pentagon study
    released September 2019. In response, officials are looking for new
    ways to help troops feel comfortable coming forward about their issues
    and getting help they need.
        The most recent figure is about 30.6 deaths per 100,000 service
    members, according to the Defense Department Annual Suicide Report for
    calendar year 2018, well above the Reserve's 22.9 per 100,000 and the
    active component's 24.8.
        What is the guard and reserve doing to address the high suicide
    rates?
        What are the current programs and how are they implemented in a
    part time force?
        Answer. From a medical perspective, the AF Reserve Command (AFRC)
    Surgeon General's office supports AF Reserve Directors of Psychological
    Health. These Licensed Clinical Social Workers are placed in AF Reserve
    wings to address individual, unit, and wing readiness and help Airmen
    and their families maximize psychological health, resilience, and
    wellbeing so that they can prevail over the unique challenges of the
    mission and life in and out of the military.
        AFRC has also approved and staffed ten full time Religious Affairs
    Airmen at each of the 10 AFRC host base locations. This full-time
    presence allows immediate and timely access for members and provides
    pastoral care and confidential communication. The ability to speak to a
    Chaplain Corps member with complete confidentiality encourages openness
    and vulnerability so that needs can be identified and members can
    receive needed care. In addition, Reserve Personnel Appropriation
    funding is being made available for Chaplain Corps members to surge
    during deployment and post-deployment times. Chaplain Corps members
    continue to provide pastoral care, marriage enrichment programs,
    relationship counseling, and suicide intervention in order to address
    the stress and strain felt by AFRC members and their families.
        In 2019, all Air Force Reserve (AFR) wings conducted a Resilience
    Tactical Pause (RTP) to improve communication and connectedness in an
    effort to prevent suicides. The RTP was intended to provide an
    opportunity for leaders to engage Airmen (military and civilian) in a
    manner that fosters interpersonal connection. This was the beginning of
    an ongoing, sustained effort to address this challenge. Every AFR host
    wing has a Community Action Plan (CAP) designed to equip communities
    and leaders with the tools to assess, improve, and sustain quality of
    life initiatives. AFR tenant wings fall under their host active
    component CAP; however, the AFR is developing a master CAP with reserve
    best practices for their use.
        A screening assessment is conducted annually as part of the
    Periodic Health Assessment (PHA). If the member's responses indicate
    potential psychological issues, then further evaluation is conducted.
    For acute issues that pose an imminent threat to life, Police and
    Emergency Medical Services (``911'') are activated in order to
    facilitate immediate care. For subacute issues, the abovementioned DPH
    provide resources, including access to community mental health
    resources that may be beneficial to the member.
        Question. What actions are you taking to reduce the stigma for
    getting help?
        Answer. As a Command, there is a concerted effort to reduce the
    negative stigma of asking for help and to communicate the resources
    available to the Airman to help with the pain that may arise from a
    mental health problem. Within the medical community, our Surgeon
    General's office has worked with other Air Force Major Commands to
    modify service medical standards to allow a member to continue while
    undergoing evaluation and treatment of many mental health disorders.
        Training on suicide prevention and providing assistance to Airmen
    who are struggling with mental illness has been incorporated in all
    Commander, First Sergeant and supervisory courses. Furthermore, members
    who seek help are assured that such cases are held in strict
    confidentiality and are disclosed only on a need to know basis.
                                     ______

              Questions Submitted to Vice Admiral Luke M. McCollum
                 Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
        Question. What are you doing to improve the quality of life to
    prevent suicides?
        Answer. To address suicide and other destructive behaviors, the
    Chief of Naval Operations established the Culture of Excellence, a
    Navy-wide framework designed to promote signature healthy behaviors and
    enhance warfighting excellence by instilling toughness, trust, and
    connectedness in Sailors, and includes the reserve component. Navy is
    using evidence-informed primary prevention strategies to reduce
    destructive behaviors though decreased risk factors and to promote
    signature healthy behavior by increasing protective factors.
    Relationships, legal problems, financial difficulties, transition
    periods, and mental health issues continue to be common stressors in
    most suicides. Of note, over 40 percent of Sailors who died by suicide
    never deployed.
        As part of our Culture of Excellence, suicide prevention measures
    include increasing embedded Mental Health Providers who deliver direct
    support to our warfighters as far forward as possible for early
    intervention. We have also placed Deployed Resiliency Counselors, which
    are civilian social workers, onboard aircraft carriers and large
    amphibious ships. An Expanded Operational Stress Control program was
    developed to be used in conjunction with the Command Resilience Team
    Network to assist leaders in the use of chaplains, medical personnel,
    counselors, and community resources to build a culture that is
    supportive of help-seeking behaviors. The goal of the program is to
    assist Navy leaders build resilience within commands and individual
    Sailors by increasing the awareness and understanding of stress and
    providing strategies to mitigate detrimental effects. Navy's vision is
    to develop an environment in which all Sailors are trained and
    motivated to navigate stress, assist their shipmates, and, most
    importantly, seek help from available resources early.
        Question. What programs have you requested appropriations for to
    help with these issues?
        Answer. The President's budget request for fiscal year 2021
    supports our efforts to address suicide and other destructive
    behaviors, through the Chief of Naval Operations established Culture of
    Excellence, a Navy-wide framework designed to promote signature healthy
    behaviors and enhance warfighting excellence by instilling toughness,
    trust, and connectedness in Sailors, and includes the reserve
    component. Navy is using evidence-informed primary prevention
    strategies to reduce destructive behaviors though decreased risk
    factors and to promote signature healthy behavior by increasing
    protective factors.
        Relationships, legal problems, financial difficulties, transition
    periods, and mental health issues continue to be common stressors in
    most suicides. Of note, over 40 percent of Sailors who died by suicide
    never deployed.
        As part of our Culture of Excellence, suicide prevention measures
    include increasing embedded Mental Health Providers who deliver direct
    support to our warfighters as far forward as possible for early
    intervention. We have also placed Deployed Resiliency Counselors, which
    are civilian social workers, onboard aircraft carriers and large
    amphibious ships. An Expanded Operational Stress Control program was
    developed to be used in conjunction with the Command Resilience Team
    Network to assist leaders in the use of chaplains, medical personnel,
    counselors, and community resources to build a culture that is
    supportive of help-seeking behaviors. The goal of the program is to
    assist Navy leaders build resilience within commands and individual
    Sailors by increasing the awareness and understanding of stress and
    providing strategies to mitigate detrimental effects. Navy's vision is
    to develop an environment in which all Sailors are trained and
    motivated to navigate stress, assist their shipmates, and, most
    importantly, seek help from available resources early.
        Our primary suicide prevention program for the Navy Reserve is the
    Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP). PHOP was created in 2008
    to ensure reserve component service members and families have access to
    psychological health services prior to deployment, post-demobilization,
    and before retirement/discharge. PHOP is funded by the Navy's Bureau of
    Medicine and Surgery to provide support for both Navy and Marine Corps
    reserve component personnel who normally reside outside of fleet
    concentration areas. We are grateful for your continued support of this
    important program.
        Question. Are you aware of the medical readiness issues for Reserve
    and Guard in regard to continuity of care when they go on and off
    orders?
        Answer. Yes, we are aware of the medical readiness issues related
    to continuity of care as Reserve Sailors go on and off orders. We
    continue to refine our processes and resources to minimize the medical
    readiness issues for Reserve and Guard regarding continuity of care
    when they go on and off orders.
        Question. What measures are in place to ensure continuity of care?
        Answer. We continue to refine our processes and resources to
    minimize the medical readiness issues for Reserve and Guard regarding
    continuity of care when they go on and off orders.
        Reserve Component (RC) members may be considered for Pre-Activation
    or ``Early'' Eligibility of TRICARE when going on orders. If the
    service member is issued delayed-effective-date active duty orders for
    more than 30 consecutive days in support of a contingency operation, RC
    members qualify up to 180 days early for active duty TRICARE benefits
    to address any potential readiness issues before going on orders.
        RC members coming off orders have access to the Transitional
    Assistance Management Program (TAMP) which provides 180 days of
    premium-free transitional healthcare benefits after regular TRICARE
    benefits end to address continuity of care issues.
        Monitoring is in place for those RC members that come off orders to
    detect potential needs for medical care through the Post-Deployment
    Health Assessment (PDHA) and Post-Deployment Health Re-Assessment
    (PDHRA).
        Any RC member on mobilization orders or other types of RC non-
    mobilization orders greater than 30 days may qualify for assignment to
    medical hold (MEDHOLD) (e.g. retained on MEDHOLD active duty orders),
    if follow on medical care is required. All other RC members on non-
    mobilization orders of 30 days or less may qualify for follow on
    medical continuity of care via the Line of Duty-Healthcare (LOD-HC)
    program.
        All Navy Reserve Activities have medical staff trained to manage
    and implement the LOD-HC and MEDHOLD programs, respectively.
        Additionally, Ready Reserve members in a drill status are qualified
    to enroll in the Tricare Reserve Select program, which is a premium-
    based insurance plan that is available worldwide to address the medical
    and dental needs of qualified Selected Reserve members and their
    families.
        Question. What specific programs or equipment will be impaired or
    jeopardized by the redesignation of NGREA funds, especially for units
    that rely on this funding to maintain and modernize their vital
    equipment? Please provide the specific line item for the program and
    the funding amount redesignated from the program in comparison to its
    required funding amount.
        Answer. The Navy Reserve is aware NGREA is not a guarantee and
    every dollar is valuable. We do our best to spread the funding where it
    will have the most impact. Because most of the Navy Reserve equipment
    inventory is aircraft, most of the funding would have supported
    aircraft upgrades. Without this funding, aircraft modifications will
    likely be delayed and the Navy Reserve will focus on safety of flight
    improvements and delay upgrades that would have improved operational
    effectiveness. With aged equipment, especially aircraft, loss of a year
    of NGREA hastens end of useful service life.
        58 percent of Navy's $75 million fiscal year 2020 NGREA was slated
    to provide much-needed lethality-focused upgrades to the Navy Reserve
    adversary aircraft fleet. NGREA would have been able to provide $43.5
    million of the $119 million requirement. There was no funding included
    in the base budget. These upgrades would have enhanced safety and
    improved active duty strike fighter pre-deployment training, especially
    critical to the Great Power Competition in which we can expect our
    strike fighter pilots to encounter peer adversaries. Routine training
    against U.S. top generation strike fight is expensive and impacts the
    active duty strike fighter inventory. Outfitting Navy Reserve legacy
    adversary aircraft with a few key capabilities facilitates significant
    training improvement at a fraction of the cost per flight hour compared
    to an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet or an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
        18 percent, or $13.6 million, of $75 million fiscal year 2020 NGREA
    funds allocated to the US Navy Reserve was going to procure
    construction and maintenance equipment. With $8.3M also provided in the
    base budget, the total investment was to be $21.9 million. NGREA funds
    represented 62 percent of the total amount provided. This funding was
    committed to procure equipment used for a variety of construction and
    maintenance operations, to include airfield repair. This equipment is
    used by the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, Naval Beach Group,
    Maritime Prepositioning Force and other Special Operating Units in
    support of expeditionary force bases and camp sites.
        10 percent, or $7.8 million, of Navy Reserve's NGREA was to be
    allocated to C4ISR equipment. With $1.6 million included in the base
    budget, the total investment amounted to $9.4 million. NGREA funds
    would have represented 82 percent of funding provided. The funding
    would have provided three separate line items of interoperable, cyber
    secure C4ISR communications gear in support of Navy expeditionary
    forces.
        7 percent, or $5.3 million, was to be used for HSC-85's SOF-support
    unique equipment requirements. The MH-60S requires a permanent external
    gun mount and extended range fuel capabilities that were resident in
    the recently retired HH-60H.
        2 percent, or $1.4 million, of Navy Reserve's fiscal year 2020
    NGREA funds were for procurement of physical security equipment. With
    $5 million included in the base budget, the total investment amounted
    to $6.4 million. NGREA funds represented 22 percent of funding
    provided. Equipment would have allowed for the purchase of small and
    medium arms weapon simulators for expeditionary forces.
        The remaining 5 percent, or $3.4 million, was to be used for a
    variety of low dollar amount items to include: aircraft safety
    upgrades, an aircraft passenger seat kit, a temporary, open-air C-40
    aircraft hangar, undersea remotely operated vehicles and diving
    equipment. There was no base budget funding for any of these. These
    items would:
      --Provide minor system updates to enhance C-40 aircrew in flight
      --Reduce excess passenger logistics flights flown in 7th Fleet AOR
      --Provide aircraft protection for a C-40 otherwise exposed to hail or
            extreme heat in Fort Worth, Texas
      --Provide relevant training for undersea remotely operated vehicle
            operators who are consulted as the technical experts by
            forward-deployed, operational forces
      --Outfit the reserve portion of Navy Experimental Dive Unit with
            training gear that can be used on drill weekends
        Question. As global threats shift, arctic weather conditions mimic
    the kind of environment our forces could face in the future.
        How are you ensuring troops receive Arctic and cold weather
    training?
        How does the Reserve and Guard provide Arctic and cold weather
    training?
        Are there plans to increase Arctic and cold weather training for
    Reserve/Guard?
        Answer. The Navy Reserve does not conduct any Arctic or cold
    weather training; theater specific training is required for any Sailor
    (active or reserve) prior to deployment. Type Commanders are
    responsible for certifying that the theater specific training is
    complete prior to entry into the applicable geographic area.
                                     ______

                   Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
                                  p-8 poseidon
        Question. Admiral McCollum, in your testimony you mentioned that
    the P-8A is your primary equipment requirement for the third year in a
    row. You have previously testified that the Navy's warfighting
    requirement for the P-8 is 138, but recent reprogrammings have left the
    Navy with only 119 P-8s. First, what do P-8s bring to the fight that
    other ISR or Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft are unable to provide?
        Answer. The P-8A is the Navy's only high-altitude, long range,
    broad area Anti-Submarine Warfare platform. While the Navy operates ASW
    helicopters, their range does not compete with the P-8A. The P-8A also
    offers generational leaps in network-enabled kill chain capability and
    situational awareness over a much larger area than the retiring P-3Cs.
    Additionally, the P-8A has replaced the P-3C, with the final active
    component squadron completing their transition this fiscal year.
        Question. How will your P-8 squadrons and their ability to conduct
    ISR and ASW operations be impacted if they are not recapitalized this
    year?
        Answer. The Navy's warfighting requirement for the P-8A is 138
    aircraft. As mentioned, the aircraft appropriated to the Navy in the
    2020 budget increased the P-8A program of record to 119 aircraft. The
    Navy receiving two additional P-8A aircraft allows our reserve
    personnel to begin the process of transitioning away from the P-3C
    toward the P-8A, though two aircraft are insufficient to recapitalize a
    squadron. VP-62 personnel would be the first to transition due to the
    training infrastructure that exists at NAS Jacksonville, FL. A full
    Reserve squadron transition of both VP-62 and VP-69 would require 10
    additional P-8A aircraft. Without the required number of aircraft in
    each Reserve squadron (six per squadron) there will be increased risk
    with regard to the Navy's ASW defense and deterrence capacity.
        In a 10 December 2019 notification letter that outlines P-8
    production line shutdown decision timing, Mr. Tim Peters stated that
    Boeing will make a P-8A production rate down decision from 1.5 aircraft
    per month to 1 aircraft per month in April 2020. With a production rate
    down to 1 aircraft per month, Boeing will make a line shutdown decision
    as early as August of 2020, which would effectively end the P-8A
    production line in November 2022. Without the procurement of additional
    P-8A aircraft, Boeing intends to shut down their P-8A production, which
    will prevent the Navy Reserve VP squadrons from transitioning to the P-
    8A. Boeing also stated that a restart of P-8A production following
    shutdown will be cost prohibitive.
                                     ______

           Questions Submitted to Lieutenant General David G. Bellon
                 Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
        Question. What are you doing to improve the quality of life to
    prevent suicides?
        Answer. The Marine Corps approaches suicide prevention by using
    every resource available to promote and apply the leadership functions:
    strengthen, mitigate, identify, treat, and reintegrate, which allow
    Commanders to increase individual and unit readiness:
      --Strengthening Marines enhances resilience against the stresses of
            life and aids in the prevention of suicide.
      --Mitigation is the use of techniques and interventions to minimize
            the impact of stressors that cannot be removed by teaching
            Marines proper stress response.
      --Identification utilizes the relationship a leader has with their
            Marines to continuously monitor how each Marine is dealing with
            immovable and personal stressors.
      --Treatment for our Marines is facilitated by leadership
            interventions and command climate that facilitates discussions
            leading to care and recovery.
      --Reintegration of Marines is a Commander's priority stemming from
            the leadership requirement to care for Marines. This is
            accomplishes when a Commander creates a climate that addresses
            stigma ensuring each Marine receives a proper assessment for
            worldwide deployment.
        The Marine Corps' Death by Suicide Review Board (DSRB) analyzes all
    deaths by suicide to provide strategic and operational recommendations
    that address multiple Marine Corps suicide prevention goals.
    Recommendations from DSRB help commanders at all levels to understand
    the risks of suicide and improve prevention initiatives. DSRB provides
    important, actionable recommendations for the Marine Corps, such as
    creating a culture in which seeking help and self-improvement are not
    negative or signs of weakness. This includes looking out for high
    performers who may have experienced a mistake or ``fall from glory'',
    and focusing on Marines in remote locations (e.g., recruiters, who may
    be at higher risk due to job stressors and lack of local support
    services). Recommendations from DSRB inform Commanders at all levels to
    understand suicide risk and improve prevention initiatives. Death
    reviews are an established practice to glean lessons learned and apply
    targeted prevention initiatives.
        The Marine Corps' current and future suicide prevention initiatives
    include:
      --In the spring of 2020, the Command Individual Risk and Resiliency
            Assessment System (CIRRAS) Phase I will be released. CIRRAS
            will augment a Commander's efforts to identify force
            preservation risk factors for individual Marines by providing a
            single, standardized software-based tool to enable proactive
            identification and assessment of risk and resiliency factors.
            CIRRAS is an integrated look at force preservation, to include
            suicide prevention and the prevention of other problematic
            behaviors.
      --In the spring of 2020, the revised Inspector General Marine Corps
            checklist will ensure Commanders have the necessary protocols
            in place, at the unit level, to prevent deaths by suicide.
      --In the spring of 2020, the updated Marine Corps Order 1720.2 will
            provide the field with a suicide prevention policy that is
            realistic, actionable, and effective.
      --In the fall of 2020, the Marine Corps will release Marine Awareness
            and Prevention Integrated Training for Families as a
            prevention-focused training designed to provide families with
            information on suicide prevention.
      --Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training teaches
            every Marine the basics of suicide prevention.
      --Combat And Operational Stress Control Capability initiatives
            promote prevention, intervention, protection and crisis
            response for stress reactions at the unit level.
      --Dedicated Suicide Prevention Personnel, such as Suicide Prevention
            Program Officers at the 05 and 06 levels respectively, in the
            Fleet Marine Forces, in the Recruiting Stations and Recruiting
            Districts provide information and resources to command teams to
            ensure compliance with the Marine Corps Suicide Prevention
            Program.
      --Chaplains provide confidential counseling and support to Marines,
            suicide prevention and recognition trainings, referrals to
            resources, and postvention services.
      --Behavioral Health staff provide non-medical counseling services to
            Marines to augment a Commander's efforts to teach and
            strengthen coping skills, mitigate stressors, and identify
            Marines in crisis, and/or at risk for suicide. Marine Intercept
            Program ensures all Marines who verbalize suicidal ideations or
            who attempt suicide are offered access to telephonic and face-
            to-face caring contact services.
      --Coordination with Navy and Marine Corps behavioral health services
            regularly increases access to care and seamless management of
            care.
        Accessing the comprehensive set of Marine Corps Community Services
    (MCCS) programs can have a profound effect on the well-being of our
    Marines and families. These programs support and enhance operational
    readiness, war fighting capabilities, and quality of life. Our
    programming includes employment, education and transition assistance;
    fitness and recreation, deployment support and family team building and
    prevention. MCCS is valued by leadership as being a user-friendly and a
    responsive single portal that provides constant and unwavering support
    to Marines and their families throughout their entire service or
    affiliation with the United States Marine Corps.
        Our Marines and families, in all locations across the country, have
    access to the following Quality of Life programs:
      --Chaplain Religious Enrichment Development Operation (CREDO)
            provides regionally based religious ministry designed to assist
            the Marine Corps community in developing the personal,
            relational, and spiritual resources necessary to increase the
            personal resilience of Marines and their families, and enhance
            mission readiness. CREDO helps improve job performance and
            enhancing overall quality of life for our Marines and their
            families. Offers married couples and individuals
            transformational, retreat-based and seminar-based programs
            promoting professional, personal, relational and spiritual
            growth.
      --The DSTRESS Line provides a 24 hour anonymous phone, chat and Skype
            counseling and referral service using a 'Marine-to-Marine'
            approach. The call center is staffed with veteran Marines,
            Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsmen who were previously attached
            to the Marine Corps, Marine spouses and other family members,
            and licensed behavioral health counselors specifically trained
            in Marine Corps culture. The DSTRESS Line's goal is to help
            callers manage stress in all forms, ranging from relationship
            and career issues to deployment and financial problems, and
            develop the necessary skills required to cope with the widely-
            varying challenges of life in the Corps.
      --LifeSkills Training and Education promotes positive adjustment and
            improved individual and family functioning. It is a
            comprehensive collection of personal and professional skill
            building classes that promote positive adjustments and improved
            individual and family functioning. It provides Marines and
            family members practical skills for successful interactions and
            positive outcomes at work, home, and in life. Participants
            finish LifeSkills better equipped to tackle challenges with
            increased self-awareness and confidence. Through increased
            insight, participants are more likely to lend a hand to others
            in need, creating a mentorship atmosphere and stronger
            relationships. When participants gain life skills, it creates a
            positive and productive environment that promotes community.
            LifeSkills includes four training series; communication,
            impact, relationship and wellness and is available both as
            instructor led and computer based training.
      --Lifestyle Insights, Networking, Knowledge, and Skills (L.I.N.K.S.)
            is an interactive acculturation program to Marine Corps life.
            Participants learn about Corps history and rank, local
            installation resources, services, and benefits, military pay,
            separation and deployment, crossroad options, communication
            styles, investing in the community and Marine Corps traditions.
            Partnerships are made with several services and personnel to
            include career planners, chaplains, and L.I.N.K.S. mentors.
            Promotes positive adjustment and improved individual and family
            functioning. L.I.N.K.S. training is available for specific
            groups including: Marines, spouses, kids, teens, parents and
            extended family, and unit sessions.
      --Marine Corps Family Team Building (MCFTB) reinforces and sustains a
            state of personal and family readiness to provide Marines and
            families with tools and resources needed to successfully meet
            the challenges of the military lifestyle and enhance mission
            readiness by providing preventative education that is offered
            across the life cycle of a Marine. It provides skill building
            tools and readiness for individual and family development. It
            is designed to meet the needs of Marines, Sailors and their
            family members based on stresses of daily living and the mobile
            military lifestyle. The training programs focus on topics and
            concerns related to overall family functioning, relocation,
            deployment, military separation, life skills, and establishing
            appropriate connections within the military and civilian
            community.
      --The Marine For Life Network (M4L) connects transitioning Marines
            and their family members to education resources, employment
            opportunities, and other Veterans services that aid in their
            career and life goals outside of military service. M4L seeks to
            provide a resource of connectivity with linkages to the Marine
            Corps and to the employment, education, career/technical, and
            entrepreneurial opportunities that await Marines and their
            families.
      --Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLCs) are experienced
            behavioral health professionals who work with Marines and their
            families to address deployment, return and reunion issues as
            well as other stressors that impact a Marine's daily life.
            MFLCs, embedded within the units, can inform the command of
            trends in the behavioral health of the unit. MFLCs do not
            provide medical care; if a Marine requires medical support from
            a psychologist or psychiatrist, the MFLC will assist in
            connecting the Marine to the appropriate resource.
        --Any Marine or Marine family member may consult with an MFLC, to
                include parents, significant others, or close relatives of
                the Marine.
        --Provides support to the command by addressing the needs of the
                individual Marines and keeping the command informed of
                overall trends in the behavioral health of a unit.
        --Aims to help Marines and their families address stressors and
                offer referrals to create an environment that encourages
                the proper management of stress.
        --Assists people to explore alternate solutions to current daily
                life stressors.
        --Provides confidential care in a unit or installation setting.
        --Ensures all Marines, attached Sailors, and their families have
                access to confidential solution-focused counseling.
        --Focuses on efforts to enhance protective factors of individual
                Marines and their families.
        --Assigned to installations, embedded in units, schools, and Child
                Development and Youth Centers, MFLCs augment and work in
                collaboration with other Marine Corps Behavioral Health
                programs. MFLCs act as touchpoints for Marines and families
                who may need assistance.
      --MFLCs also assist the commander's behavioral health efforts by
            assessing each situation and making the proper decision to
            refer a Marine, Sailor, or family member to Marine Corps
            resources.
      --Military OneSource is a U.S. Department of Defense program that
            provides resources and support to active-duty, National Guard
            and Reserve service members and their families anywhere in the
            world. The program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
            at no cost to users. Military OneSource services supplement
            existing service-branch and installation resources and include:
        --A 24-hour call center staffed with master's-level consultants
                familiar with the military lifestyle. They answer questions
                and provide resources and referrals on everyday issues such
                as finding child care, dealing with stress, helping
                children deal with a parent's deployment, reunion and
                reintegration after combat duty, making a PCS move,
                creating a budget, caring for older relatives, making
                large- scale consumer purchases, and finding services in
                the local and military communities.
        --Specialized consultations by phone in the areas of special-needs
                family members, personal finances, and education.
        --Face-to-face counseling sessions in the user's community designed
                to address short-term, non-medical needs. Examples include
                concerns related to parenting, relationships, stress,
                deployment, and reunion and reintegration after deployment.
                Counseling sessions are also available online or by phone.
        --The Military OneSource website provides information to service
                members and their families in multiple formats, including
                audios, articles, checklists, organizers, booklets, DVDs,
                podcasts, and webinars.
        --Access to the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA)
                program, which provides financial assistance to military
                spouses pursuing degrees, licenses, or certification
                leading to employment in portable career fields.
        --Personalized health coaching by phone.
        --Language-interpretation services are available.
      --The Personal Financial Management Program assists Marines and their
            families in achieving and sustaining personal financial
            readiness by providing personal financial education, training,
            counseling, and financial information and referral. A solid
            understanding of personal finances will build confidence in
            facing financial challenges, responsibilities and mission
            readiness. For those who need it, individual financial
            counseling by Accredited Financial Counselors is available. The
            Personal Financial Management Specialists and the unit Command
            Financial Specialists provide no cost services to Marines and
            are the primary source of financial education and counseling.
            One-on-one coaching is available for financial topics from
            budgeting/diversifying your income, credit and debt management,
            military/consumer protections, car buying, home options,
            savings and investing, financial planning for future events,
            clearance issues.
      --Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP) is dedicated to
            providing Reservists full access to appropriate psychological
            healthcare services, increasing resiliency, and facilitating
            recovery, which is essential to maintaining a ready military
            force. Services are offered by a team of Licensed Clinical
            Professionals including many former military members and
            military dependents. All services are free and confidential.
      --Readiness & Deployment Support is a collection of trainings/briefs
            specifically for Marines, families and extended family members,
            these programs increase awareness of relevant readiness issues,
            while offering individual creative solutions to build a
            healthier family and ensure all are aware of the vast resources
            available to them as Marine Corps families. Additionally,
            briefs provide an opportunity for Marines and their families to
            meet the Command team members, and the Family Readiness
            Officer, who all provide support to Marines and Families
            throughout any type of deployment. Readiness and deployment
            support training will prepare military families for the unique
            challenges of a deployment while maintaining a constant state
            of readiness independent of deployment.
      --The Single Marine Program (SMP) serves as the voice for single
            Marines in identifying concerns, developing initiatives, and
            providing recommendations through advocacy, recreational
            activities, special events and community involvement. The SMP
            is comprised of single Marines who represent and want to make a
            difference in their unit. Led by young leaders, the SMP
            functions to support single Marines' leisure interests and
            Quality of Life (QOL) concerns. A single Marine's QOL concerns
            include, but are not limited to, activities and issues that
            directly or indirectly influence personal readiness, morale,
            living environment, and personal growth and development.
      --The Substance Abuse Program equips Marines with education on
            substance misuse, relationships, stress management, emotional
            regulation, thinking patterns, and risk awareness, and tools to
            promote the safety of Marines, their families, and enhance unit
            performance across the Corps.
      --The Unit, Personal, and Family Readiness Program (UPFRP) is a unit
            centric program, guided by the Family Readiness Command Team
            that reinforces the relationship between the unit and the
            services relevant to the unit, the unit members, and their
            families. The primary goal of UPFRP is to empower Marines and
            family members, providing them the opportunities to not just
            survive but to thrive while taking on the challenges of the
            military lifestyle. The program is supported by Deployment
            Readiness Coordinators (DRC) or Uniformed Readiness
            Coordinators (URC) who implement the Commander's family
            readiness vision, manage the tenets of the UPFRP, and assist
            unit Marines, Sailors and families maintain a constant state of
            family readiness. Regular communication with the Marines and
            families is the cornerstone of UPFRP. The DRC/URC provides the
            link for two-way communication between the Commander and the
            families, using a variety of mediums. Readiness and Resource
            Referral provides assistance to address issues with the
            potential to impact the Marines, families, and the unit. The
            DRC/URC is a readiness resource and referral expert,
            continuously researching and identifying trainings, resources
            and services to meet every need.
        Question. What programs have you requested appropriations for to
    help with these issues?
        Answer. The Marine Corps appreciates the Congressional support
    received to date and utilizes appropriated funds to support our suicide
    prevention efforts for the programs and initiatives identified in
    Question 1.
        Question. Are you aware of the medical readiness issues for Reserve
    and Guard in regards to continuity of care when they go on and off
    orders?
        Answer. Reserve Marines that transition to active duty (AD) orders
    for more than 30 consecutive days are eligible for the same health and
    dental benefits as active duty service members via TRICARE. Treatment
    and services received by the activated Reservist are documented in
    their Electronic Health Record ensuring that their medical history is
    preserved when transitioning back to inactive duty.
        Activated Reserve Marines that incur an illness or injury that does
    not resolve by the end of their AD orders may be placed on Medical Hold
    (MEDHOLD) status by the USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment Reserve Medical
    Entitlements Determination (RMED) section with further treatment and
    care coordinated by RMED.
        Reserve Marines that are activated for a pre-planned mission or in
    support of a contingency operation and their immediate family members
    are eligible for 180 days of full medical coverage via the Transitional
    Assistance Management Program (TAMP). After TAMP expires, they can
    continue coverage by enrolling in TRICARE Reserve Select.
        Reserve Marines that are activated for unplanned mission of
    operations may elect to purchase full medical coverage after completion
    of their AD orders by enrolling in TRICARE Reserve Select.
        For both Active and Reserves, supporting our Wounded, Ill, or
    Injured Marines and their Families the Marine Corps ensures the
    availability of full spectrum care to all wounded, ill, or injured
    (WII) service members, whether they are Active or Reserve, through the
    Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR). Marine Forces Reserve ensures Reserve
    Marines' unique challenges are addressed through a WWR liaison who
    provides subject matter expertise and special coordination with the WWR
    staff.
      --The WWR staff includes the Reserve Medical Entitlements
            Determinations Section, which maintains specific oversight of
            all Reservists requiring medical care for service- incurred and
            duty-limiting medical conditions. Reservists facing complex
            care and recovery needs have access to WWR's network of 45
            Recovery Care Coordinators who provide one-on-one transition
            support and resource identification for WII Reservists and
            families, often living long distances from military
            installations. WWR also has medical advocates at the regimental
            staff who are available to assist Reservists in need of medical
            care coordination and advocacy. District injured support
            coordinators and field support representatives dispersed
            throughout the country also coordinate with Reserve units to
            ensure we keep faith with all Marines.
      --Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) continues to work with the WWR to
            establish resources and programs that address the unique and
            ongoing needs of our Reserve population. Approximately 400
            total Reservists are supported by the Reserve Medical
            Entitlements Determinations (RMED) Section on a monthly basis.
        Question. What measures are in place to ensure continuity of care?
        Answer. WWR/RMED/Liaison Officer (LNO) provides subject matter
    expertise in matters related to the care and support of WII Marines and
    their families for an organization consisting of 36,000 personnel
    assigned to more than 180 MFR sites dispersed across 47 States through
    tracking and maintaining accountability in order to ensure proper and
    continuous care is provided.
      --WWR creates and publishes by-weekly compliancy reports to assist
            MARFORRES leadership regarding the status, time in status and
            number of Marines on Medical Hold or approved for (Line of
            Duty) LOD benefits within the Marine Corps Medical Entitlement
            Determinations System (MCMEDS) resulting in a 45 percent
            increase in compliance (since Oct 2019) for managing patients
            and correcting errors.
      --Evaluated, developed and implemented an MARFORRES Functional
            Administrative Support Tool (FAST) checklist to reflect LOD and
            Medical Hold standardized administrative processes for day-to-
            day administrative duties.
      --Developed and incorporated LOD and Medical Hold questions and
            answers into a formalized distance education program, (e.g.
            Reserve Independent Duty Administration Course) in order to
            enhance the overall personnel readiness of MARFORRES.
      --WWR/RMED works with MARFORRES leadership to facilitate training for
            commands on the administration and responsibility to ensure
            expeditious medical treatment and proper case management of WII
            Marines.
      --WWR/RMED facilitates training events for approximately 20 middle
            management and subordinate staff on a quarterly basis regarding
            their role in the MCMEDS.
      --WWR/LNO coordinated with outside agencies regarding the need to
            expand training and education workshops to include Line of Duty
            Coordinators in future training events.
      --Developed a newly proposed ``medical readiness'' slide on monthly
            MARFORRES G-1 Status Report which incorporates the Temporary
            Not Physically Qualified and LOD/MedHold discrepancies for case
            management visibility to MARFORRES Commands.
        Question. What specific programs or equipment will be impaired or
    jeopardized by the redesignation of NGREA funds, especially for units
    that rely on this funding to maintain and modernize their vital
    equipment? Please provide the specific line item for the program and
    the funding amount redesignated from the program in comparison to its
    required funding amount.
        Answer. Specific line items and requested funding amount impacted
    is below. The full requested program funding quantity is equal to the
    reprogrammed funding amount.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           1        Meteorological Mobile Facility (Replacement) Next Gen (V)2 IBV               1        $1,900,001
           2             Naval Integrated Tactical Environmental System (NITES-IV)          Varies        $1,473,695
                                                                   INMARSAT Module
           3                                              F-5 N/F Cockpit upgrades               3       $13,500,060
           4                           White Phosphor Night Vision Goggle Upgrades            1220        $4,149,220
           5                                     Marine Air Ground Tablet MAGTAB (Large and Sma512variants$1,793,024
           6                                                 Tactical Decision Kit               8        $2,184,000
                  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          .......                                   Total Requested NGREA Funding:                       $25,000,000
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Budget impact summary, line items 1 and 2 could be procured by
    reprogramming O&MMCR 1A1A funding to MARCORSYSCOM as procurement
    funding for the purchase. However, in doing this, the purchase would
    create negative impact on the Reserve Components already limited
    Operation and Maintenance budget. Line item 3 is cost prohibitive
    without HQMC Enterprise APN funding or NGREA. The investment by the
    USNR in the same program for their portion of the F-5 fleet,
    necessitates investment by the USMCR IOT ensure an interoperable fleet
    of adversary aircraft. The USMCR has a total requirement of 7 F-5 N/F
    cockpit upgrades at a cost of $4.5 million per aircraft for a total
    program cost of $31.5 million. This purchase would start the process of
    closing the identified safety and training gap that currently exists
    within the USMCR F-5 fleet.
        Question. As global threats shift, arctic weather conditions mimic
    the kind of environment our forces could face in the future.
        How are you ensuring troops receive Arctic and cold weather
    training?
        Answer. The Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, located
    in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California, supports unit-
    level and individual training in cold weather conditions.
        The Marine Corps conducts three Mountain Training Exercises per
    year. Mountain Training Exercises train several thousand Marines each
    year and are focused on mobility, company attacks, and force-on-force
    training in cold weather and high elevation conditions.
        The Marine Corps also conducts multiple formal courses for
    individual leaders. These courses teach Marines cold weather skills,
    including weapons employment in the cold and mobility across extreme
    terrain in the snow. Individual courses include 8 cold weather programs
    of instruction, for a total of 13 courses per year:
      --Winter Mountain Leaders' Course (x2) (90 Students/year)
      --Cold Weather Medicine Course (x2) (80 Students/year)
      --Mountain Communication Course (x2) (100 Students/year)
      --Basic Cold Weather Leaders' Course (x2) (200 Students/year)
      --Scout Skiers Course (x2) (50 Students/year)
      --Mountain Scout Sniper Course (20 Students/year)
      --Winter Mountain Engineer Course (35 Students/year)
      --Cold Weather Food Service Course (25 Students/year)
        The goal of this training is to prepare units to fight and win in
    unforgiving mountainous and cold environments.
        Question. How does the Reserve and Guard provide Arctic and cold
    weather training?
        Answer. Marine Forces Reserve address arctic and cold weather
    training through multiple methods. On the unit level, Marine Forces
    Reserve sends one infantry battalion and its logistics enablers to
    Mountain Warfare Training Center each year. From an individual augment
    perspective, Marine Forces Reserve sends Marines to the Winter Mountain
    Leaders' Course each year. Additionally, reservists that activate as
    part of active duty units attend cold weather training with their
    respective units.
        Marine Reservists also receive cold weather and arctic training
    through participation in various joint and combined exercises.
    Specifically, Marine Reservists participate in exercises Cold Response
    and Trident Juncture in Norway, Arctic Edge in Alaska, and Nordic Frost
    in Vermont.
        Lastly, many Reserve Component units are uniquely positioned to
    conduct their own cold weather training based on their geographic
    location. Units based in areas that are generally considered cold
    weather regions are able to accomplish cold weather training through
    standard drill periods, thus augmenting the Mountain Warfare Training
    Center and cold weather exercises. These training opportunities include
    working with other local military units or organizations to build cold
    weather proficiencies.
        Question. Are there plans to increase Arctic and cold weather
    training for Reserve/Guard?
        Answer. Marine Force Reserve units have to be prepared to respond
    to contingency and crisis anywhere in the world. That drives us to
    balance training and force development for our Reserve Marines across a
    broad range of environmental challenges. Although there is always more
    to be done, Marine Force Reserve units currently participate in a broad
    range of training events that include cold weather and Arctic training
    including participation in Innovative Readiness Training in Alaska and
    in Trident Juncture, Northern Wind, Thunder Rein, Artic Challenge, Bold
    Quest and Arrow in Norway, Sweden and Finland. We have cold weather
    clothing and equipment set from which we can outfit Reserve Marines for
    cold weather training and contingency operations.
                                     ______

                    Questions Submitted by Senator Tom Udall
        Question. The Department of Defense established new policies for
    maternity leave as part of the ``Force of the Future'' initiative in
    2016. This new policy authorized 12 weeks fully paid maternity leave
    after normal pregnancy and childbirth for active duty service members.
    However, there was no such change for reserve personnel. In the
    reserves, if the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement. Under
    the current law, reserve component members in reserve training status
    are required to attend unit training assemblies (weekend drill) in
    order to receive points towards creditable military service.
        If the female service member does not perform duty within the
    allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not receiving
    credit for their military service and points towards retirement. Would
    you support a legislative fix for this problem, such as the MOMs Act I
    introduced this Congress?
        Answer. Supporting our Marines during critical life events will
    always be the priority for the Marine Corps, and pregnancy is no
    exception. There are numerous exemptions to mandatory reserve
    participation requirements as well as avenues to achieve satisfactory
    years for retirement while Marines are in a limited duty status due to
    pregnancy. While these measures have been put in place to support
    Reserve Marines throughout pregnancy there is always room to improve.
    We stand ready to work with DoD and the other services on this issue
    and will implement any policy change DoD directs.
        Question. Do you agree with the Congressional Budget Office that
    the price would be negligible to make this legislative fix?
        Answer. The Marine Corps not seen or received the Congressional
    Budget Office cost analysis of the MOMs Act I, which would be necessary
    prior to commenting on this or any legislative fix.
        Question. National Guard and Reserve troops are an essential part
    of America's national defense strategy. Over the past two decades, they
    have been used in an operational capacity, cons tantly serving on
    domestic and international missions to help protect our country.
    Despite conduc ting the same duties as their active duty counterparts,
    they are not receiving the same credit for th eir active time. To
    support our service members in reserve components, changes must be made
    to reflect the total force mentality.
        Answer. The National Guard's suicide rate has climbed higher than
    the active duty and Reserve's, according to an annual Pentagon study
    released September 2019. In response, officials are looking for new
    ways to help troops feel comfortable coming forward about their issues
    and getting help they need.
        The most recent figure is about 30.6 deaths per 100,000 service
    members, according to the Defense Department Annual Suicide Report for
    calendar year 2018, well above the Reserve's 22.9 per 100,000 and the
    active component's 24.8.
        Question. What is the guard and reserve doing to address the high
    suicide rates?
        Answer. In keeping with the motto, ``Mission first, Marines
    always'', we must constantly strive to not only prepare our Marines to
    defeat our enemies on the battlefield, but also to handle the everyday
    stressors of personal life. It is clear that the personal challenges
    Marines experience, especially those involving failing relationships,
    financial difficulties, pending disciplinary issues and transitions,
    can be just as daunting as the operational dangers they face.
        We have implemented the following steps to mitigate the potential
    for future suicides or suicide related incidents utilizing available
    resources and leadership principles:
      --All Marine Forces Reserve units have an up-to-date Suicide
            Prevention Implementation Plan which includes national and
            local resources.
      --Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training (UMAPIT)
            is completed by all Marines and Sailors annually. UMAPIT
            consists of tailored curricula designed to proactively manage
            challenging situations and improve one's ability to address
            behavioral health issues, such as substance abuse, suicide,
            family maltreatment, and combat and operational stress, before
            they become unmanageable. UMAPIT teaches every Marine the
            basics of suicide prevention, normalizes life changes, and
            emphasizes seeking help early in hopes of decreasing stigma.
      --All newly joined Sergeants and below receive immediate telephonic
            contact information that is programmed into their cell phones
            in the presence of their senior leadership. This information
            includes Unit Senior Enlisted Point of Contact; Military
            OneSource and DStress Hotline. Additionally, Unit Readiness
            Coordinators (URC) provide this information to our Marine
            family members and encourage them to make contact as soon as
            their Marine shows signs of distress due to a sudden change in
            a relationship, work/school, or living conditions.
      --An aggressive sponsorship program has been instituted for all new
            joins. A peer partner of equal grade is assigned to ensure the
            new Marine is aware of drill dates, is available to answer any
            questions, and check up on the Marine between drills. The peer
            also ensures their immediate chain of command is made aware of
            any significant stressors the Marine experiences, such as
            relationship issues, loss of employment, homelessness, etc. In
            such cases, the Marines will be provided information and
            referral resources that can enable them to successfully cope
            with the situation.
      --Resiliency Team Site Visits: Our Psychologist-led Resiliency Team
            conducts targeted site visits to specified units based on
            available data and trends (e.g., suicidal ideations, alcohol/
            substance related incidents, unauthorized absences). Services
            offered during site visits include, but are not limited to
            Assessment and evaluation of ``high-risk'' Marines and Sailors;
            Collaboration with Medical Department representatives in
            processing TNPQ/NPQ dispositions; resiliency training; and
            presentation of unit specific trends and recommendations
      --Unit leadership, if made aware of any legal, personal,
            relationship, financial or job change stress, will immediately
            order the Marine to a Psychological Health Outreach Program
            representative for consultation.
      --Small unit leadership continues to be our first line of defense.
            Utilizing ``kneecap-to- kneecap'' conversations with all
            Marines remains an important aspect of this effort.
        Question. What are the current programs and how are they
    implemented in a part time force?
        Answer. The Marine Corps strives to ensure programs are available
    to all Marines and annual training is requirement of every Marine. Our
    Prevention programs are implemented throughout the Force utilizing a
    variety of methods:
      --Trainings--Briefings and interactive workshops are provided in
            person or via webinar
      --Outreach--site visits and monthly outreach via phone and e-mail
      --Consultations--telephonic or in-person follow-up
      --Targeted intervention--expanding the follow on care for our Marines
      --Confidential care--provided worldwide ensuring access to behavioral
            health services and assisting Marines and families in
            navigating the many support resources available.
        Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training teaches
    every Marine the basics of suicide prevention. Unit Marine Awareness
    and Prevention Integrated Training (UMAPIT) is completed by all Marines
    and Sailors annually. UMAPIT consists of tailored curricula designed to
    proactively manage challenging situations and improve one's ability to
    address behavioral health issues, such as substance abuse, suicide,
    family maltreatment and combat and operational stress, before they
    become unmanageable. UMAPIT teaches every Marine the basics of suicide
    prevention, normalizes life changes, and emphasizes seeking help early
    in hopes of decreasing stigma.
        Combat And Operational Stress Control Capability initiatives
    promote prevention, intervention, protection and crisis response for
    stress reactions at the unit level. The Combat Operational Stress
    Control (COSC) Program trains Operational Stress Control and Readiness
    (OSCAR) Marines to listen to those in their unit. OSCAR training builds
    teams of selected Marines and unit leaders as well as medical and
    religious personnel who work together to act as sensors for the
    commanders by noticing small changes in behavior and taking action
    early. OSCAR teams support the commanders in building unit strength,
    resilience, and readiness. This Marine-led training teaches team
    members to help Marines face everyday stressors before they become
    overwhelming. OSCAR team members use their leadership skills and
    knowledge of the full spectrum of stress reactions to break stigma and
    intervene when Marines show signs of stress, to include suicidal
    ideation.
        Dedicated Suicide Prevention Personnel, such as Suicide Prevention
    Program Officers at the 05 and 06 levels respectively, in the Fleet
    Marine Forces, in the Recruiting Stations and Recruiting Districts
    provide information and resources to command teams to ensure compliance
    with the Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Program.
        Chaplains provide confidential counseling and support to Marines,
    suicide prevention and recognition trainings, referrals to resources,
    and postvention services.
        Behavioral Health staff provide non-medical counseling services to
    Marines to augment a Commander's efforts to teach and strengthen coping
    skills, mitigate stressors, and identify Marines in crisis, and/or at
    risk for suicide. Marine Intercept Program ensures all Marines who
    verbalize suicidal ideations or who attempt suicide are offered access
    to telephonic and face-to-face caring contact services.
        Coordination with Navy and Marine Corps behavioral health services
    regularly increases access to care and seamless management of care.
        Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day
    workshop designed for members of all caregiving groups. Family,
    friends, and other community members may be the first to talk with a
    person at risk, but have little or no training. ASIST can also provide
    those in formal helping roles with professional development to ensure
    that they are prepared to provide suicide first aid help as part of the
    care they provide. The emphasis is on teaching suicide first-aid to
    help a person at risk stay safe and seek further help as needed.
    Participants learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs,
    providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep
    someone alive.
        The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) is a Department of
    Defense-wide effort to promote the well-being of National Guard and
    Reserve members, their families and communities, by connecting them
    with resources throughout the deployment cycle. Through Yellow Ribbon
    events, Service members and loved ones connect with local resources
    before, during, and after deployments. Reintegration during post-
    deployment is a critical time for members of the National Guard and
    Reserve, as they often live far from military installations and other
    members of their units. Commanders and leaders play a critical role in
    assuring that Reserve Service members and their families attend Yellow
    Ribbon events where they can access information on healthcare,
    education and training opportunities, financial, and legal benefits.
        Question. What actions are you taking to reduce the stigma for
    getting help?
        Answer. The Marine Corps approaches suicide prevention by using
    every resource available to promote and apply the leadership functions:
    strengthen, mitigate, identify, treat, and reintegrate, which allow
    Commanders to increase individual and unit readiness:
      --Strengthening Marines enhances resilience against the stresses of
            life and aids in the prevention of suicide.
      --Mitigation is the use of techniques and interventions to minimize
            the impact of stressors that cannot be removed by teaching
            Marines proper stress response.
      --Identification utilizes the relationship a leader has with their
            Marines to continuously monitor how each Marine is dealing with
            immovable and personal stressors.
      --Treatment for our Marines is facilitated by leadership
            interventions and command climate that facilitates discussions
            leading to care and recovery.
      --Reintegration of Marines is a Commander's priority stemming from
            the leadership requirement to care for Marines. This is
            accomplished when a Commander creates a climate that addresses
            stigma ensuring each Marine receives a proper assessment for
            worldwide deployment.
        The Marine Corps' Death by Suicide Review Board (DSRB) analyzes all
    deaths by suicide to provide strategic and operational recommendations
    that address multiple Marine Corps suicide prevention goals.
    Recommendations from DSRB help commanders at all levels to understand
    the risks of suicide and improve prevention initiatives.
      --DSRB provides important, actionable recommendations for the Marine
            Corps, such as creating a culture in which seeking help and
            self-improvement are not negative or signs of weakness. This
            includes looking out for high performers who may have
            experienced a mistake or ``fall from glory'', and focusing on
            Marines in remote locations (e.g., recruiters, who may be at
            higher risk due to job stressors and lack of local support
            services).
      --Recommendations from DSRB inform Commanders at all levels to
            understand suicide risk and improve prevention initiatives.
            Death reviews are an established practice to glean lessons
            learned and apply targeted prevention initiatives.
        We stress that there is no shame in admitting one's struggles with
    life and asking for help. We are providing each Marine and Sailor with
    the tools and resources necessary to help them become resilient. With
    involved leadership, as well as informed Marines and Sailors at every
    level of command, an individual experiencing a life altering event or
    suffering from depression can be encouraged to seek help. All members
    of our command remain vigilant for one another, recognize the warning
    signs and implement integration plans after a Marine or Sailor has
    sought help.
        Behavioral health resources and assets (e.g., Military and Family
    Life Counselor's, Psychological Health Outreach Program) are included
    at drill weekends. These entities increase access and awareness of
    resources which increases the likelihood that a Marine or Sailor will
    ask for help.
        Every Suicide Prevention Program requires the recognition of
    preventative and/or proactive measures an individual has taken. By
    recognizing and commending preventative efforts, we are encouraging
    more open communication about suicide, thus helping to reduce the
    stigma.

                              SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS

        Senator Shelby. We are here to help you, to support you
    with the role that you play in our National Security. The
    Defense subcommittee will reconvene in open session on
    Wednesday, March the 11 at 10 a.m. to receive testimony from
    the Department of the Navy. Until then, we stand in recess.
    Thank you very much.
        [Whereupon, at 10:52 a.m., Wednesday, March 4, the
    subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Wednesday,
    March 11.]