[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                     
 
                         [H.A.S.C. No. 117-82]
-----------------------------------------------------------
                                HEARING

                                   ON

                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

                          FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023

                                  AND

              OVERSIGHT OF PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED PROGRAMS

                               BEFORE THE

                      COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                         FULL COMMITTEE HEARING

                                   ON

                               MEMBER DAY

                               __________

                              HEARING HELD

                             APRIL 28, 2022


                                     
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]





                               ______

             U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
 48-578                WASHINGTON : 2023
 
 
 

                                     
                      COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                    ADAM SMITH, Washington, Chairman

JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island      MIKE ROGERS, Alabama
RICK LARSEN, Washington              JOE WILSON, South Carolina
JIM COOPER, Tennessee                MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio
JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut            DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado
JOHN GARAMENDI, California           ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia
JACKIE SPEIER, California            VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey          AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia
RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona               MO BROOKS, Alabama
SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts          SAM GRAVES, Missouri
SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California        ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York
ANTHONY G. BROWN, Maryland,          SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
RO KHANNA, California                TRENT KELLY, Mississippi
WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts    MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin
ANDY KIM, New Jersey                 MATT GAETZ, Florida
CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania       DON BACON, Nebraska
JASON CROW, Colorado                 JIM BANKS, Indiana
ELISSA SLOTKIN, Michigan             LIZ CHENEY, Wyoming
MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey           JACK BERGMAN, Michigan
VERONICA ESCOBAR, Texas              MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida
JARED F. GOLDEN, Maine               MIKE JOHNSON, Louisiana
ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia, Vice      MARK E. GREEN, Tennessee
    Chair                            STEPHANIE I. BICE, Oklahoma
JOSEPH D. MORELLE, New York          C. SCOTT FRANKLIN, Florida
SARA JACOBS, California              LISA C. McCLAIN, Michigan
KAIALI'I KAHELE, Hawaii              RONNY JACKSON, Texas
MARILYN STRICKLAND, Washington       JERRY L. CARL, Alabama
MARC A. VEASEY, Texas                BLAKE D. MOORE, Utah
JIMMY PANETTA, California            PAT FALLON, Texas
STEPHANIE N. MURPHY, Florida
STEVEN HORSFORD, Nevada
Vacancy

                     Brian Garrett, Staff Director
                Sapna Sharma, Professional Staff Member
               Whitney Verett, Professional Staff Member
                          Brooke Alred, Clerk
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

                               WITNESSES

Arrington, Hon. Jodey C., a Representative from Texas............     1
Bilirakis, Hon. Gus M., a Representative from Florida............     6
Carter, Hon. Earl L. ``Buddy,'' a Representative from Georgia....     9
Case, Hon. Ed, a Representative from Hawaii......................     3
Foster, Hon. Bill, a Representative from Illinois................     7
Johnson, Hon. Bill, a Representative from Ohio...................     4
San Nicolas, Hon. Michael F.Q., a Delegate from Guam.............    11
Tenney, Hon. Claudia, a Representative from New York.............    12

                                APPENDIX

Prepared Statements:

    Arrington, Hon. Jodey C......................................    19
    Bilirakis, Hon. Gus M........................................    25
    Carter, Hon. Earl L. ``Buddy''...............................    29
    Case, Hon. Ed................................................    21
    Foster, Hon. Bill............................................    27
    Johnson, Hon. Bill...........................................    23
    San Nicolas, Hon. Michael F.Q................................    32
    Tenney, Hon. Claudia.........................................    36

Documents Submitted for the Record:

    Bishop, Hon. Dan, a Representative from North Carolina.......    41
    Bost, Hon. Mike, a Representative from Illinois..............    44
    Brown, Hon. Shontel M., a Representative from Ohio...........    46
    Casten, Hon. Sean, a Representative from Illinois............    48
    Cohen, Hon. Steve, a Representative from Tennessee...........    50
    Davis, Hon. Rodney, a Representative from Illinois...........    54
    Griffith, Hon. H. Morgan, a Representative from Virginia.....    57
    Johnson, Hon. Henry C. ``Hank,'' Jr., a Representative from 
      Georgia....................................................    59
    Neguse, Hon. Joe, a Representative from Colorado.............    61
    Rodgers, Hon. Cathy McMorris, a Representative from 
      Washington.................................................    63
    Schrader, Hon. Kurt, a Representative from Oregon............    65
    Thompson, Hon. Glenn, a Representative from Pennsylvania.....    66

Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:

    [There were no Questions submitted during the hearing.]

Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:

    [There were no Questions submitted post hearing.]

                               MEMBER DAY

                              ----------                              

                          House of Representatives,
                               Committee on Armed Services,
                          Washington, DC, Thursday, April 28, 2022.
    The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:01 a.m., in room 
2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Adam Smith (chairman 
of the committee) presiding.
    The Chairman. Call the meeting to order. Good morning.
    Today we meet to hear from Members of the House, not 
members of the committee, on their interests in the National 
Defense Authorization Act that we are putting together. I look 
forward to those comments. I don't have any opening statements.
    Mr. Rogers, do you have anything?
    Mr. Rogers. No, I just look forward to hearing from our 
colleagues and what they want us to be helpful with. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Absolutely. And I believe Mr. Arrington is up 
first. Mr. Arrington, you are recognized.

  STATEMENT OF HON. JODEY C. ARRINGTON, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM 
                             TEXAS

    Mr. Arrington. Chairman, thank you so much, and Ranking 
Member and committee members, for the opportunity to provide 
input. This is a great process. I don't know any committee that 
runs a regular order or a healthy congressional legislative 
appropriations process than your committee. And it has played 
out well with the partnership with Air Force and the experts on 
your committee and the ground, the information we get on the 
ground in my community in West Texas and the largest B-1 bomber 
base in the country at Dyess Air Force Base.
    So I think you have got 61 years running now where you guys 
get an NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act] done. God 
Bless America, I mean, seriously. In this institution, you guys 
are still, you know, giving Americans and Members of Congress 
hope because of your constructive, bipartisan work. So, you 
know, if I don't say anything else, please hear that. That is 
the sentiment I know of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle.
    Now, with respect to, you know, my parochial interest and, 
but I think these are aligned very much so with the interest of 
our country and with respect to the Air Force's 7th Bomb Wing 
and the 317th Airlift, which is there in Abilene, Texas. We 
call it the Big Country. And we are proud to host our airmen 
out there and have done some really great things together with 
you and your team over the years identifying the challenges and 
opportunities to keep our air arsenal just as strong and 
effective as possible.
    I was very pleased. It was a competitive process. I wish I 
could take credit for it. But the Air Force selected Dyess to 
be one of the bases for the next-generation bomber, the B-21. I 
know everybody is thrilled about that and looking forward to 
having that most capable and most lethal bomber in the world 
flying again out of the Big Country.
    The challenge has been we have had 62 B-1 bombers. And 
these guys can be anywhere in the world in 24 hours projecting 
American strength, hit any target anywhere in 24 hours. So, 
suffice it to say, it is integral to our air arsenal, to our 
prevention, deterrence, and intervention when needed.
    But recently the Air Force has retired 17 of these planes. 
And so we have gone from 62 to 45. But there are only 36 combat 
coded. So I think we are in a bit of a vulnerable spot. And so 
I have worked with your team and with the Air Force to make 
sure that the birds that we have left in the transition to the 
B-21 are the most lethal and capable they can possibly be. And 
that is with respect to expanded carry and with hypersonic 
weapons. And, again, your folks have been great to work with.
    These are the things we have done leading up to this next 
year's NDAA. But we have just got to be vigilant so that this 
is the most seamless process and there is no disruption to our 
readiness as we see the world quickly evolving in terms of the 
threats to our country and our interest. And you guys know that 
better than I do.
    So, by the way, no community has won the Barksdale Trophy 
for the most supportive community for bomber bases more than 
Abilene. And I just want to brag on them because their 
reputation preceded me. And if I have been effective in any 
regard over the last 6 years working with you all, I think it 
is in large part because of the good work that they have done 
and the relationships they have had with the Air Force.
    The Chairman. The gentleman's time has expired. If you have 
something you wanted to get wrapped up----
    Mr. Arrington. Other than just bragging, you know, you get 
a Texan and a microphone talking about his people, sir----
    The Chairman. I can appreciate that.
    Mr. Arrington. You know what? I think I have pretty much 
hit it. But let me just summarize in one statement. We need to 
continue to develop the B-21 and get it ready for showtime in 
the next several years. So keep investing in the R&D [research 
and development] there. And if we can expedite the onlining and 
operationalizing of the B-21, let's do it. And then let's 
continue to make the remaining B-1s as lethal as possible. 
Those are our priorities. That is our focus.
    Thank you all so much for your leadership.
    The Chairman. Thank you. I appreciate it.
    Mr. Arrington. Thanks for indulgence, too.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Arrington can be found in 
the Appendix on page 19.]
    The Chairman. Go ahead, Mr. Case. Yes.
    Mr. Case. My mic, is my mic working?
    The Chairman. It is working, yeah.
    Mr. Case. Okay. Now it is.

    STATEMENT OF HON. ED CASE, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM HAWAII

    Mr. Case. Chair, Ranking Member, and members of the 
committee, aloha. Thank you very much for the opportunity to 
focus on national security challenges and opportunities that 
face us in my part of the world, the Indo-Pacific, and Hawaii's 
continued critical role.
    Today I would like to touch briefly on three specific 
issues: the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, Pacific 
Deterrence Initiative, and our public shipyards, including 
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
    First, I am so grateful to this committee for your prompt 
and full efforts to address the Red Hill crisis to date. These 
have been critical to taking care of our service members and 
the residents of Honolulu. But we know that the Red Hill crisis 
is more than just fixing old and dilapidated infrastructure. It 
is about force readiness in the Indo-Pacific and about public 
confidence in support of our military back home.
    This crisis has forced us to rethink logistics and bulk 
fuel storage distribution in this critical region. These 
changes, which will need to be implemented over several years, 
will be instrumental in meeting the challenges in the Indo-
Pacific. To this end, I ask this committee to fully support the 
President's additional $1 billion FY2023 [fiscal year 2023] 
budget for Red Hill and take all other action to provide 
effective oversight and direction of the Red Hill remediation, 
defueling, and closure initiative of the Department of Defense.
    Second, a critical component of our military's efforts in 
the Indo-Pacific is the 2-year-old-now Pacific Deterrence 
Initiative. PDI continues to evolve and mature as a cohesive 
series of investments that strengthen our presence throughout 
the region. This year the administration submitted a budget of 
$6 billion for PDI, which is a welcome and necessary further 
increase from last year's level set by this committee. We also 
see an increase in military construction and improvements in 
critical logistics nodes throughout the region.
    During my recent delegation visit to the Pacific, a 
recurring theme from our friends and allies is the need for 
more U.S. presence. We just want you to show up more. These 
investments underscore our commitment to them and are critical 
to our efforts.
    Third, underpinning all of our efforts in the vast and 
maritime Indo-Pacific are our public shipyards. Without the 
physical and human capacity of our shipyards, we cannot project 
the force that is necessary to deter and address today's 
threats. The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, as with our Nation's 
other three shipyards, is a part of the fabric of our Hawaiian 
community. Unfortunately, these shipyards have become aged and 
increasingly ill-prepared for the challenges of the 21st 
century. We simply must reinvest in these facilities and our 
world-class shipyard workers.
    The Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan, or SIOP, is 
our commitment to improve and recapitalize these facilities. It 
is critical that we continue to support the multiyear $21 
billion effort that we have undertaken. SIOP is multifaceted, 
and the plan will recapitalize our dry docks, reconfigure 
infrastructure, and modernize the equipment necessary for a 
more agile and efficient workforce. Without these improvements, 
we will see delays in the timely return of ships and submarines 
to their mission.
    In closing, I encourage the committee to continue to 
authorize the commitments that address our modern-day 
challenges in the Indo-Pacific. These promises reaffirm our 
obligation to our service members and their families, the 
workers that keep our shipyards running, and finally, to our 
friends and allies that rely on us to be the bulwark of 
democracy in this critical region.
    Thank you very much. And I appreciate your consideration.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Case can be found in the 
Appendix on page 21.]
    The Chairman. Thank you. And I should have said this. Mr. 
Arrington, do you have any questions? I don't. Okay. Good. 
Thank you.
    Mr. Johnson.
    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. Is the microphone working? Thank you, 
Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Rogers, and distinguished 
members of the House Armed Services Committee, thank you----
    The Chairman. Actually, I lied. I don't think it is 
working. Can you hit the button one more time?
    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. I did. I pressed it----
    The Chairman. No, just one time.
    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. One time.
    The Chairman. Okay. Sorry. One time. And talk.
    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. How about now?
    The Chairman. [Inaudible.]
    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. Now we're on. Okay. That is what 
happens when you wear hearing aids. You can't tell which end of 
the sound spectrum you are on.

   STATEMENT OF HON. BILL JOHNSON, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM OHIO

    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. Thanks, Chairman Smith and Ranking 
Member Rogers, for allowing me to testify this morning on my 
top priority for the fiscal year 2023 National Defense 
Authorization Act.
    And I would like to do it this way. I would like you to 
imagine for a moment that you are the parent of a son or 
daughter who died while serving our great country. The anguish 
of losing a family member, let alone a child, is indescribable. 
I know that from personal experience.
    And now I would like you to imagine how it would feel 
should the personal effects, the last remaining possessions of 
your deceased child, are inexplicably lost forever. We are 
still--you are then told that you are on your own, that you, 
the family, must file a claim with a third-party vendor who was 
contracted by your deceased child's branch of service to 
deliver your child's personal effects to you and hope for the 
best.
    This is a true story of what actually happened to my 
constituents, the Ward family, when their son, Specialist 
Christian Ward, died in an accident while stationed at Fort 
Carson, Colorado. The contractor hired by the Army did not 
delivery many of Christian's belongings to the family. And 
rather than the Army accepting responsibility for the lost 
items, the Ward family was told by the Army that it was the 
family's responsibility to file a claim and work with the 
third-party contractor.
    As a retired Air Force officer who served nearly 27 years 
in uniform, this is not how our Armed Forces should be treating 
grieving families whose son or daughter died while protecting 
our freedoms. I was a commander in the Air Force. And if I had 
been Specialist Ward's commander, you can better believe I 
would have been raising hell with somebody. You can delegate 
responsibility, but you can't delegate accountability. And we 
can do better. We must do better.
    I introduced H.R. 3363, the Specialist Christian Ward Act, 
to ensure that no other grieving military family experiences 
the unnecessary pain the Ward family did. The legislation is 
rather simple. It states that in the event such personal 
property of a deceased military member is lost, damaged, or 
destroyed, the Secretary of that service is permitted to 
reimburse the family or designated recipient for the fair 
market value of the property and also permits the Secretary to 
pursue a claim against the third-party contractor. This ensures 
that DOD [Department of Defense] is responsible for working 
with the third-party contractor rather than placing this 
tremendous burden upon the grieving family when they have so 
many other pressing concerns during a time of intense crisis.
    This legislation was actually included in the House-passed 
version of the FY22 NDAA. And I respectfully ask that it be 
included in the FY23 NDAA. I am grateful to my friend and Ohio 
colleague, Congressman Mike Turner, for offering an amended 
version of the Specialist Christian Ward Act during the 
committee markup last September. The amendment was accepted by 
voice vote as part of an en bloc and was included in the base 
text of the House-passed bill, H.R. 4350.
    Unfortunately, I learned last December after the negotiated 
conference report was released that the language was stripped 
out of the final version of the NDAA. I have been told that the 
Senate removed the language due to concerns expressed by DOD. 
What the Department's exact concerns were I don't know. They 
haven't responded to my questions seeking clarification. But I 
do know this. It is Congress, not the Department of Defense, 
that legislates. And I strongly believe we must hold DOD 
accountable for contractors whom they hire, particularly when 
it involves the handling of personal effects from deceased 
service members.
    Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. It is my 
hope to work with you to fix what may seem like a small issue 
to some, the filing of a claim, but one that has significant 
impact for our military families. The Ward family knows they 
will never likely receive Christian's belongings that were lost 
in transport. But they have made it their mission to ensure 
other grieving families never go through this awful and 
unnecessary experience.
    I respectfully urge you to again include the amended text 
of the Specialist Christian Ward Act in the FY23 NDAA.
    And with that, I yield back.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Johnson of Ohio can be found 
in the Appendix on page 23.]
    The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Johnson. That is very well 
said and a very important issue. We will take another run at it 
this year. And we will be in touch with you to make sure we 
understand what the concerns are on the Senate side.
    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. Okay. Yeah, I have asked the 
Department of Defense. And they have not responded. I asked 
Secretary Austin what the issues were so we could fix it. But 
they haven't responded.
    The Chairman. Understood. We will get to the bottom of it. 
Thank you.
    Mr. Johnson of Ohio. Thank you.
    The Chairman. I think we have some people who are supposed 
to be online. Are they online? Okay. I have to read one quick 
thing here anyway. I did not do this at the start to make 
sure--well.
    I ask for unanimous consent that all Members' written 
statements will be made part of the record. The committee has 
received statements for the record, in addition to our 
colleagues who are appearing remotely or here in person. 
Without objection, so ordered.
    That's all I needed to do, right? Okay. My opening 
statement that I neglected to read in the opening. So now we 
are good. A couple of members are allegedly in route, so we 
will give them a minute.
    [Pause.]
    The Chairman. Thank you. We are back in session.
    And, Mr. Bilirakis, you are first up. You are recognized. 
Go ahead.

   STATEMENT OF HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM 
                            FLORIDA

    Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you. I appreciate it, Mr. Chairman. 
Thank you very much. Again, I want to thank you and the Ranking 
Member Rogers for providing me with the opportunity to testify 
on one of my longstanding commitments towards our Nation's 
veterans, rectifying the unfair offset between military retired 
pay and VA [Veteran Affairs] disability compensation, known as 
concurrent receipt. I am sure you are familiar with it.
    Specifically, I am advocating for the inclusion of my bill 
H.R. 1282, the Major Richard Star Act, into the FY23 NDAA. My 
bipartisan and bicameral bill with the support of 
cosponsorship, original cosponsorship of Dr. Ruiz, would expand 
eligibility to certain military retirees for concurrent receipt 
of veterans' disability compensation and retired pay or combat-
related special compensation.
    In the past, military service members, as you know, found, 
have endured, of course, they have endured this disability, and 
it is service connected. They could not collect their pension 
and their disability pay in unison. To receive VA disability 
compensation, veterans had to forfeit their retirement benefits 
and pay back dollar for dollar the amount that would have been 
owed to them if they had received both benefits.
    In the fiscal year 2004, the National Defense Authorization 
Act, Congress created the Concurrent Retirement and Disability 
Pay [CRDP] program. In doing so, veterans who are 100 percent 
disabled were authorized to receive both earned benefits, known 
as concurrent receipt, for the first time ever. Since then, the 
law has expanded the eligibility to receive military retirement 
pay and their VA disability pay concurrently to military 
retirees with 20 or more years of service and a 50 percent or 
higher disability rating. My father was responsible for that 
when he was in Congress.
    While this certainly marks tremendous progress, medically 
retired veterans with less than 20 years of service who are 
wounded in combat must still offset their DOD retirement pay by 
their disability, their VA disability compensation. Many of 
these veterans had the full intention of serving for 20 years 
or more and gain full retirement benefits but through no fault 
of their own were unable to do so because of injury in the line 
of duty.
    This group of retired veterans, also known as Chapter 61 
retirees, are arguably the most at risk because of their 
complex combat injuries and are just as deserving, and I know 
you will agree, as those who served greater than 20 years of 
service.
    By creating the CRDP, I firmly believe that Congress 
admitted that the offset required, that was created in 2004 
again, the offset required of disabled veterans was wrong. 
Approximately 550,000 military retirees are eligible to receive 
both military retired pay and VA disability compensation but 
are prohibited under the current guidelines of this program. 
Again, this applies to Chapter 61 veterans.
    In my view, I see these veterans as essentially being taxed 
for their service and sacrifice because they were deemed 
service-connected disabled. My bill would remove that tax and 
the disparity between these combat disabled veterans and the 
rest of the military retiree population.
    This bill and its Senate companion have received a wide 
margin of bipartisan support and also bicameral support, as I 
said, this Congress. As a matter of fact, we have 220 
cosponsors in the House and 58 cosponsors in the Senate. It 
also has the support of the VSOs [veteran service 
organizations], including the American Legion, the VFW 
[Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.], DAV [Disabled American 
Veterans], VVA [Vietnam Veterans of America], AMVETS [American 
Veterans], Military Officers Association of America, Fleet 
Reserve Organization, American Ex-Prisoners of War, and the 
Association of the Navy.
    So I really appreciate your consideration in this matter. 
And then we did find the money as well to pay for this. So I 
would appreciate your consideration. And I would like this to 
be included in the NDAA.
    Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Bilirakis can be found in 
the Appendix on page 25.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much.
    Mr. Foster.

 STATEMENT OF HON. BILL FOSTER, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM ILLINOIS

    Mr. Foster. Thank you. And good morning. And thank you, 
Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Rogers, and members of the 
committee for allowing me to testify.
    I am here today to request that the committee first 
authorize $20 million for research and development on low-
enriched uranium fuel for aircraft carriers and submarines, and 
secondly to reverse the Wilson Amendment, which bars the U.S. 
from funding the comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty 
Organization's Preparatory Commission.
    For decades, ending the use of weapons-grade, highly 
enriched uranium [HEU] outside of nuclear weapons has been a 
U.S. policy priority. Currently, the largest remaining non-
weapons use for HEU and the biggest barrier to its elimination 
is its use as fuel for U.S. naval propulsion reactors. The 
movement away from the use of LEU [low enriched uranium] for 
non-weapons applications has only accelerated in recent years. 
All advanced reactors under development use low-enriched 
uranium, since the security cost of HEU makes its use in 
commercial advanced reactors a non-starter.
    NASA recently forswore the use of high-enriched uranium in 
all of its propulsion and its surface power reactors for 
precisely the same reasons that the U.S. Navy should--that the 
marginal performance improvement from the use of HEU does not 
justify the vast increase in proliferation risk and security 
costs. So the U.S. Navy stands virtually alone in the world in 
using weapons-grade HEU for non-weapons applications.
    And if we continue to use weapons-grade HEU for propulsion 
reactors, then all of the weapons-interested countries of the 
world, from Iran to South Korea, have an excuse to copy us and 
accumulate large inventories of weapons-usable high-enriched 
uranium, as is their right unfortunately under the current 
protocols of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
    As the only Ph.D. physicist in Congress, I believe it is 
crucial that we continue research and development to optimize 
the transition of these reactors to LEU fuel. So, as the 
committee has done in previous NDAAs, I urge you to include $20 
million to continue this R&D [research and development] on LEU 
fuel.
    Secondly, I would like to draw your attention to another 
pressing issue, the restriction of funding to the Comprehensive 
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty [CTBT] Organization's Preparatory 
Commission under the Wilson Amendment. This commission is 
tasked with monitoring nations' compliance with a comprehensive 
ban on nuclear explosive testing. Without the U.S.'s 
inspectors, countries like Russia, China, Iran, who are focused 
on undermining the CTBT's inspection regime, are filling the 
void. The quality of the inspections has undoubtedly fallen. 
Not only that, the Wilson Amendment makes it harder for our 
country to eventually ratify or even decide to adhere to the 
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
    This year we have the opportunity to reverse this provision 
and to take concrete action to curb the global proliferation of 
nuclear weapons and secure the safety of future generations. 
Short of ratification, U.S. support for the CTBT Preparatory 
Commission remains essential.
    I urge you, your strong consideration of my two requests. 
Thank you.
    And I yield back.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Foster can be found in the 
Appendix on page 27.]
    The Chairman. Thank you.
    Mr. Carter.
    Mr. Carter. Well, I am having trouble here. Is it on?
    The Chairman. There you go. Don't worry about the light.
    Mr. Carter. The light doesn't mean anything?
    The Chairman. Yeah, well, most people can't seem to see it. 
So you hit the button once. If it doesn't work, if you hit the 
button again, it will work. So----
    Mr. Carter. Wow. How simple.
    The Chairman. Go ahead. Sorry.

 STATEMENT OF HON. EARL L. ``BUDDY'' CARTER, A REPRESENTATIVE 
                          FROM GEORGIA

    Mr. Carter. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member 
Rogers. I appreciate the opportunity to be here for you. And 
good morning to you.
    Gentlemen, I have the honor and privilege of representing 
the First Congressional District of Georgia, which encompasses 
all four military installations in our country. And we have 
Moody Air Force Base. We have Kings Bay Naval Base. We have 
Hunter Army Airfield. We have Fort Stewart. All of those within 
the First Congressional District.
    So it is no mistake that great installations such as these 
were placed along the 110 pristine miles of coastline in 
southeast Georgia. Our proximity to the Port of Savannah, the 
Port of Brunswick, and warm climate were important to our 
military leaders when they chose the First Congressional 
District.
    In addition, our community is also home to Combat Readiness 
Training Center at the Air Dominance Center in Savannah. 
However, it may not be home to this critical CRTC for much 
longer if the President's budget prevails. Keep in mind that it 
is only one of four, only four in the Nation, and this is one 
of them right here.
    Unfortunately, the President's fiscal year 2023 budget 
provides no funding in military personnel and operations and 
maintenance for the CRTC in Savannah. Consequently, the Air 
National Guard intends to soon close the Savannah CRTC citing 
budget concerns. I remind you, here we are potentially on the 
brink of World War III, and we are talking, this administration 
is talking about potentially closing a Combat Readiness 
Training Center. It is the most ludicrous thing I have ever 
heard of in my life.
    Now, with Russia's military aggression in Europe and 
China's increased engagement in Asia and the Pacific 
threatening our allies and partners, we cannot compromise our 
military's combat readiness. The Savannah CRTC is the most 
heavily utilized, unique, and cost efficient training facility 
in the Air Force. It offers unparalleled opportunities for 
peer-to-peer air combat training, regional training 
conferences, classified engagements, and support for regional 
operations.
    Most notably, the Savannah CRTC is one of the very few 
locations in the United States that features an accredited 
6,000-square-foot Special Access Program Facility to support 
our Nation's cutting-edge fifth-generation fighter aircraft, 
the F-35 and the F-22. And, oh, by the way, every F-22 pilot 
that has been trained in the last 2 years has been trained at 
this CRTC.
    The Savannah CRTC is already a site with considerable 
Federal investment. Just a few years ago Congress at the 
request of the National Guard Bureau chose to invest $25 
million in military construction funding for a hangar to 
support fifth-generation fighter maintenance. The project is 
already well underway and is scheduled for completion in August 
of this year. Again, a $25 million hangar that is to be 
completed in August. I have been invited to the ribbon cutting 
to be held in September. It is slated to be closed in April of 
2023.
    Closing the CRTC would pointedly undercut the usefulness of 
this investment. This is exactly the type of waste that 
frustrates taxpayers. We need the Savannah Air Dominance 
Center's CRTC now more than ever. And we cannot treat $25 
million in investments like it is pocket change.
    I am calling on President Biden to invest in our combat 
readiness and keep this center open so that our world-class 
military service members have the world-class training they 
deserve. Furthermore, I would ask the committee to add $5 
million for operations and maintenance of the Air National 
Guard to support training and options, and operations of 
Savannah CRTC in your fiscal 2023 NDAA. In addition, $6.5 
million is needed in support of the Air Force National Guard 
personnel who support these who are assigned to the CRTC in 
Savannah.
    As Members of Congress, I know we recognize that budgets 
have limits and hard decisions must be made to protect our 
country's bottom line. But our military's capacity to conduct 
realistic live training sets us apart from our adversaries. And 
there is no better example than right here. We can see from 
Russia's tactical incompetency in Ukraine just how disastrous 
it can be if a nation does not properly prepare----
    The Chairman. The gentleman's time has expired----
    Mr. Carter. I think I've made my point. I hope I have, Mr. 
Chairman.
    The Chairman. I believe that you have, yeah.
    Mr. Carter. And I thank you for that.
    The Chairman. Yeah.
    Mr. Carter. This is ludicrous.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Carter can be found in the 
Appendix on page 29.]
    The Chairman. Thank you.
    Questions, Mr. Rogers, anything?
    Mr. Rogers. No. I would just make the point that I make to 
people all the time. I don't care if it is a Democrat President 
or a Republican President. They propose budgets. We write 
budgets. So don't let it get you too riled up.
    The Chairman. It is but the start of a long process.
    Mr. Carter. And as a member of the budget committee, I keep 
that in mind.
    Mr. Rogers. Yes.
    The Chairman. Thank you. Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate 
it.
    Do we have anybody on? Okay. Is Ms. Tenney with us? Let me 
just say you have a lovely set of cabinets there, the flags and 
the books and the knickknacks. Very well put together. We do 
need you, however, at some point. All right. So we don't have 
Ms. Tenney.
    So we will go with Mr. San Nicolas, who is here the old-
fashioned way, in person. Mr. San Nicolas, you are recognized.
    Sorry. I should put a little memo up. Don't worry about 
what color the light is. Push the button, talk. Go ahead.
    Mr. San Nicolas. I am going to assume that--there we are.
    The Chairman. It is working. Go ahead.

  STATEMENT OF HON. MICHAEL F.Q. SAN NICOLAS, A DELEGATE FROM 
                              GUAM

    Mr. San Nicolas. Hafa Adai, Chairman Smith, Ranking Member 
Rogers, and members of the distinguished House Armed Services 
Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on our 
priorities for Guam in the development of the chairman's mark 
for the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 
2023.
    I would like to just take a brief privilege, Mr. Chairman, 
to recognize my two children, Kaleb and Katelyn, who are here 
with me today. Today is Take Your Kid to Work Day for their 
school. And so they are here to observe Daddy working for the 
people of Guam.
    I would also like to point out, Mr. Chairman, that my son 
has autism. And the first item I am going to speak to that I am 
hoping we can address in the NDAA speaks to that particular 
demographic, that is severely impacted in the territories and 
is underscored by a recent Supreme Court decision and is 
something that I believe this committee can address in the 
context of how I am going to share it.
    As China and North Korea proceed to push their political 
and military power throughout the region and as Russian 
aggression has illustrated the need to remain globally 
vigilant, now more than ever we must support the resiliency of 
American families throughout our Republic whose sons and 
daughters swell our ranks in defense of freedom.
    Specific to our territories, it is well known on this 
committee that our military recruitment per capita proudly 
exceeds national averages. And to further support this, I 
respectfully request the committee to include in this year's 
NDAA necessary amendment language to strike the provisions that 
prevent Supplemental Security Income from applying to American 
families in territories.
    A standard lifeline throughout our Nation, SSI provides 
support that is critical for us to maximally recruit into our 
armed services. If a family is able to avail of SSI, Mr. 
Chairman, that means that the family members who typically 
would have to stay home to take care of those dependent family 
members would then have the resources to be able to answer the 
call to serve our country.
    Enabling SSI in our territories will significantly bolster 
the family and recruitment environment of some of our highest 
per capita military service areas in the country. On a cost 
basis with a recent CBO [Congressional Budget Office] scoring, 
SSI initiatives for territories in the 117th Congress at a 
price point of just $33 million per annum, it represents a 
fractional cost of service member recruitment and retention and 
a 0.004295 percent of the total prior year 2022 NDAA at $768.2 
billion.
    I really hope, Mr. Chairman, that we can give this serious 
consideration. I believe that this is an opportune time for us 
to address this inequity. In our research and in our office as 
we have looked back on the applicability of SSI to the children 
of service members, extraordinary effort has been made in 1993 
and 2004 to make it available to service member children, but 
again, territorial children are fully excluded. And if we are 
going to be creating a maximal recruitment environment in our 
own territories that on a per capita basis have put out more 
recruits per capita than anywhere else in this country, it is 
only right for us to come full circle.
    On the readiness front, as we further harden Guam with 
necessary missile defense assets to complement our force 
projection on the second island chain, attention to Guam 
defense access roads is needed to ensure that critical access 
points are traversable by the necessary vehicles and equipment 
needed to support the planned 360-degree defense system.
    And with that, Mr. Chairman, without objections, I would 
like to enter into the record a letter from Rear Admiral 
Nicholson, who is a commander of Naval Forces Marianas on Guam, 
without objections.
    The Chairman. Sorry. I had to get to my button there. 
Without objection, so ordered.
    [The information referred to can be found in the Appendix 
on page 34.]
    Mr. San Nicolas. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    According to Rear Admiral Nicholson's letter, increased 
exercises and new capabilities in Guam will undoubtedly 
increase military traffic on the Guam road system. In light of 
these increased traffic and associated road infrastructure 
requirements, we request the committee initiate a study of 
defense access road needs on Guam, as they correspond to the 
aforementioned MSR [military supply route] use, as well as the 
planned 360-degree air and missile defense system for Guam to 
ensure that all possible DARs [defense access roads] are funded 
to meet military needs assuming worst-case scenarios.
    And with that, Mr. Chairman, my time has expired.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. San Nicolas can be found in 
the Appendix on page 32.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much. I appreciate your being 
here. It is great to be able to have your children here with 
you as well. So, appreciate your testimony.
    Question? No. Okay.
    With that, Ms. Tenney I see is on the Webex. And you are 
recognized. Go ahead.

  STATEMENT OF HON. CLAUDIA TENNEY, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW 
                              YORK

    Ms. Tenney. Thank you, Chairman Smith and also to Ranking 
Member Rogers and the distinguished members of the House Armed 
Services Committee, for providing Members the opportunity to 
share our priorities with you today.
    I am so honored to represent New York's 22nd Congressional 
District, which stretches from the shores of Lake Ontario in 
the north to the Pennsylvania border in the south. The region 
has a strong heritage as a birthplace of innovation. The Erie 
Canal was started here. It is where IBM was founded. And today 
it is the headquarters for the Air Force Research Lab 
Information Directorate, which we all call Rome Lab.
    My congressional district is home to 96 percent of Rome 
Lab's workforce, which employs 830 military and civilian 
personnel and is responsible for over 1,415 indirect jobs 
across the region. In addition, with a local impact, a local 
economic impact of more than $500 million, Rome Lab is vitally 
important in driving economic growth and high-tech innovation 
in my community.
    But just as important as Rome Lab's local impact is its 
impact nationally, which is unrivaled. It remains among our 
Nation's top defense innovators. My requests this year on its 
behalf reflect investments that are needed to ensure our Nation 
continues to out-innovate and out-compete our adversaries and 
provide for our common defense well into the 21st century. 
History has proven that every dollar we invest in Rome Lab pays 
dividends well into the future, both in terms of the increased 
prosperity to our communities that I represent and to the 
unprecedented advancements in our national defense 
capabilities.
    I therefore ask for your full support of three critical 
requests for the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, all 
of which would greatly expand Rome Lab's capabilities and in 
turn enable the United States to compete globally with our 
adversaries, dominate the virtual battlespace, and counter 
emerging threats to our country.
    The top request for NDAA is authorization for $10 million 
to develop the first and only government-owned UAS [Unmanned 
Aircraft System] Traffic Management System. This investment 
would be a true game changer leading to the development of 
revolutionary tools to counter low-cost small unmanned aircraft 
system that our adversaries use to target Americans, exploit 
air space, obscure their activities, and commit acts that 
disrupt our Nation's economy and our homeland.
    The second request on behalf of Rome Lab is authorization 
language of $10 million for the Quantum Cloud Computing and 
Multi-Modality Network Testbed. It is a national security 
imperative that we continue to lead in the development of 
quantum computing technologies, especially given advances that 
continue to be made by adversaries like China. Last year this 
committee recognized the importance of investments in quantum 
technologies. And FY22 NDAA provided Rome Lab with an increase 
of $10 million for its quantum network testbed, as well as an 
additional $10 million funding increase for its research into 
the ion trap quantum computing. In FY2023, we ask that you 
continue to build on this forward progress by investing in the 
Quantum Cloud Computing and Multi-Modality Network Testbed.
    My final request on behalf of Rome Lab is authorization 
language of $10 million for the development of the Artificial 
Intelligence and Machine Learning for Joint All-Domain Command 
and Control Future Flag Testbed. This effort builds on the 2021 
NDAA Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Center of 
Excellence's four pillars--data, people, algorithms, and 
infrastructure--while adding a fifth pillar of capability. AI 
is a proven and rapidly advancing capability that has the 
potential to impact every aspect of the Pentagon's mission.
    I thank you all again for the opportunity to share my 
priorities with you on behalf of the dedicated men and women of 
Rome Lab, whom I am honored to represent in Congress. I can 
assure you that these investments will deepen our military's 
expertise in cutting-edge fields and are essential for 
strengthening our Nation's defense capabilities.
    Thank you so much.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Tenney can be found in the 
Appendix on page 36.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. I 
believe those are all the witnesses that we have to testify 
today. So we appreciate the input from the Members. And we look 
forward to working with them as we put together the bill going 
forward. We do plan to mark up June 22nd in committee, get it 
off the floor in July. So that is our timeline. And we will 
look forward to working with all of you as we go forward.
    With that, we are adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 10:48 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]



      
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