[Senate Hearing 117-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022
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TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC..
The committee met at 10 a.m. in room SH-216, Hart Senate
Office Building, Hon. Jon Tester, (chairman) presiding.
Present: Senators Tester, Durbin, Feinstein, Schatz,
Baldwin, Shaheen, Shelby, Collins, Murkowski, Moran, Hoeven,
and Boozman.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
National Guard Reserve
opening statement of senator jon tester
Senator Tester. I want to call this committee hearing to
order.
I want to thank our witnesses today. We have General David
Bellon of the Marine Corps Reserve. We have Lieutenant General
Jody Daniels of the Army Reserve. We have General Daniel
Hokanson of the National Guard Bureau. We have Admiral Mustin
of the Navy Reserve, and we have Lieutenant General Scobee,
Chief of the Air Force Reserve.
Thank you all for being here and we look forward to your
testimony.
Before I get started on my prepared statement, I want to
say when you guys are up to bat, there are five of you, try to
hold it to 5 minutes. Your entire written statement will be a
part of the record.
I would just say this. Americans owe the National Guard and
Reserve a debt of gratitude for your response to the COVID-19
pandemic. Nearly 60,000 National Guard and Reserve service
members answered the call of duty. These were historic record-
breaking mobilizations, and I want to personally say thank you
to you and the dedicated men and women under your command as
well as their families.
The pandemic has impacted all Americans. We all know how it
has disrupted our families and our careers with so many jobs
lost and questions about how to pay the bills.
Nearly 800,000 members of the Guard and Reserve have been
through the same, plus deployments, both domestically and
abroad. That places further strain on families and civilian
employment.
Senators are reminded of these sacrifices every day when we
come to work because one of those deployments is right here in
our Nation's Capital.
This subcommittee wants to make sure that we're doing right
by all Americans that serve in uniform. That means supporting
them with pay and benefits that they have earned, making sure
they are properly trained for their missions, providing for
their mental and physical health, and ensuring that they have
the equipment that they need when they're mobilized.
When the President's 2022 budget arrives in the coming
weeks, one of my first questions will be what it means for the
well-being of our Reserve components on all those fronts and
more.
I look forward to continuing our engagement with each one
of the witnesses here today after the budget is provided to
Congress. We want to know how that budget will support your
priorities for the coming year, but as for today, I look
forward to your testimony on the state of each of the Reserve
components, what challenges you are facing, and how this
subcommittee can help.
With that, I'll turn it to Senator Shelby.
statement of senator richard c. shelby
Senator Shelby. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to welcome all of our witnesses today. Our National
Guard and Reserve perform a vast and critical role in our
national defense. They're called to respond to national
disasters, homeland security threats, and overseas
contingencies are constant.
Their unwavering commitment has been particularly evident
over the last year as thousands have been deployed at
unprecedented rates to provide medical care and administer
vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On behalf of my colleagues, I want to thank all of you, the
men and women who carry these tasks out.
I want to also at this point as near-peer competitors, as
we realize, are modernizing and developing their military
capabilities at alarming rates, we want to ensure your
departments receive the necessary resources to remain a ready
and lethal force.
I recognize that we will not receive the budget until May
27. As a result, our conversations about specific funding items
may be limited, but I also look forward to hearing from each of
you about the ongoing efforts to sufficiently recruit, to
train, and equip our Reserve forces, especially in light of
setbacks due to the pandemic.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for calling this hearing today.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Shelby.
And we will start with Lieutenant General David G. Bellon,
Commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVID G. BELLON,
COMMANDER, U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE
General Bellon. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, and
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today and testify on behalf of
the Commandant of the Marine Corps about your Marine Corps
Reserve.
I'm honored to appear with my fellow Reserve component
service chiefs and my senior enlisted advisors, Four Star Major
Carlos Ruiz, who sits behind me, and Force Command Master Chief
Cary Wesser.
The mission of the Marine Corps Reserve is to augment,
reinforce, and sustain the Active component. We have Reserve
forces forward deployed alongside and integrated with our
Active counterparts, supporting numerous combatant commander
requirements on a daily basis.
Over the past year, more than a thousand Reserve Marines
and sailors activated and deployed to support 20 operational
requirements across six geographic combatant commands.
Despite the ongoing global pandemic, the Marine Corps
Reserve has continued to train, equip, and prepare for the next
fight.
I want to thank each of the members for your support to the
Marine Corps' Force Design Initiative over the past year. While
this has necessitated the closure of our Reserve Tank Units and
Bridging Companies, we could not have begun our transition to a
more nimble and lethal force without your assistance.
I want to thank my fellow service chiefs, particularly the
National Guard, for their support. They have been true partners
by providing great options to our Reserve Marines who elected
to transition to the National Guard in lieu of continuing their
service as a Marine outside the immediate region.
I would also like to acknowledge Admiral Mustin and the
Navy Reserve for committing to explore new ways to integrate
our Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Team to ensure we are best
postured for the future fight.
Despite the tremendous pressures and obstacles that COVID-
19 has presented, I'm pleased to inform you that the morale in
your Marine Corps Reserve remains high as evidenced by the
Reserve component end strength of 99 percent of our total
requirement.
Not only are we attracting new Marines but they are also
committing to service beyond their contractual obligations. On
any drill weekend, an average of 25 percent of the Marines
standing in formation are not contractually obligated to be
there.
Every month these Marines have a decision to make and they
choose to continue to serve and lead their fellow Marines and
sailors. I'm always impressed by the professionalism,
competence, dedication to duty, and motivation of our Reserve
Marines. The way they balance family responsibilities, civilian
careers, and school with their military service is nothing
short of extraordinary.
Like their Active Duty brothers and sisters, they serve
selflessly to protect our great Nation and they continue to
answer their irrational call to serve.
As Secretary Austin highlighted, our most critical asset is
our people. The Marine Corps Reserve must promote and retain
the very best Marines and sailors, regardless of race, gender,
ethnicity, or background.
Through the diversity of thought and action, we can find
more resourceful and innovative solutions to the increasingly
complex problems presented from great power competition.
We are actively developing new initiatives and strategies
to help achieve a more diverse and ultimately a more talented
Marine Corps Reserve. We will need all Marines and sailors to
contribute to solving the issues we will face and to ultimately
win the next fight.
I want to thank this subcommittee for your continued
support to the National Guard and Reserve equipment
appropriation.
As you may recall, last year I requested your support for
my effort to use NGREA (National Guard and Reserve Equipment
Appropriation) funds to remedy the deficiencies of individual
combat clothing and equipment within the Marine Corps Reserve.
As ICCE (Iceland Command Control Enhancement) becomes more
expensive in the future, a more flexible NGREA is a key tool
Congress can employ to help protect our warfighters.
In closing, I want to extend my gratitude for your ongoing
efforts to provide timely appropriations each year. This has a
direct impact on your Reserve Marines and sailors and their
limited number of training days.
Your continued support will help to ensure the Marine Corps
Reserve will have predictable and uninterrupted training
schedules to maximize personnel, material, and training
readiness.
I appreciate the opportunity to be here today and I look
forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General David G. Bellon
Chairman Tester, Vice Chairman Shelby, 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 Marine Corps Reserve, as part of the Total Force Marine Corps,
stands ready to provide forces for employment across the full spectrum
of crisis and global engagement. This past year has brought many
challenges with the global pandemic but your Marine Corps Reserve
continues to be engaged around the world in theater security
cooperation activities, serving side- by-side with our Active Component
on a wide array of operations, and making tremendous contributions in
support of every 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 and Sailors. 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
dedication and selflessness of our Reserve Marines.
a total force
Throughout the past year, the Marine Corps Reserve continued global
deployments in support of Combatant Commander requirements despite the
unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19. The Marine Corps
Reserve provided Combatant Commanders with forces focused on combat
operations, crisis prevention, crisis response, and theater security
cooperation. In addition to the Marines already activated and deployed,
2020 saw another 1,044 Reserve Marines mobilized to support 20
operational requirements across six geographic Combatant Commands. The
Marine Corps Reserve continues to meet the increased demand for use as
an Operational Reserve; however, this remains a challenge to our
readiness and ability meet strategic requirements.
In 2021, the Marine Corps Reserve is slated to support the
Combatant Commanders by mobilizing in excess of 966 Reservists
supporting 28 formations. These operations greatly increase the Reserve
Component's interoperability with the Active Component, Joint forces,
our allies, and coalition partners. I anticipate that we will continue
to deploy across the globe and integrate with the Active Component in
support of high-priority Combatant Commander requirements for the
foreseeable future.
In addition to supporting Combatant Commanders, the Marine Corps
Reserve provided direct support to the Marine Corps' accession
requirements by responding to emerging COVID-19 requirements. The
Marine Corps Reserve activated more than 500 Marines and Sailors to
augment and reinforce the Marine Corps Recruit Depots at Parris Island
and San Diego. These Marines ensured the recruits awaiting training
maintained proper quarantine protocols, enabling assimilation into
training platoons with minimal risk of a COVID-19 outbreak during
training. As a result of this Total Force effort, the mission to make
Marines continued despite the global pandemic.
The Marine Corps Reserve typically uses participation in the
Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program to
provide joint/military training in the United States and its
territories to increase deployment readiness. IRT simultaneously
provides key services (health care, construction, transportation, and
cybersecurity) with lasting benefits for our American communities. We
saw a significant reduction in IRT programs due to the global pandemic.
The Marine Corps Reserve participated in only two projects in 2020 but
obtained valuable training that increased deployment readiness in
combat engineering skills. Our participating units were able to train
to mission essential tasks involving both horizontal and vertical
construction, while making tangible, meaningful impacts in their
communities. We expect a marked increase in future projects. In 2021,
the Marine Corps Reserve is slated to support 16 exercises under the
IRT program. Examples include diverse construction training supporting
the Girl Scouts at Camp Paumalu, Hawaii; providing logistical support
and medical care to communities throughout Kodiak Island, Alaska; and
roadwork in Pima County, Arizona. With your continued support of these
efforts, we look to expand our footprint in this program, which 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 we treat with higher regard than this solemn mission.
Inspector-Instructor (I-I) 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 vast
majority of Marine Corps casualty notifications and follow-on
assistance calls to the next of kin are made by our Reserve Marines.
During Calendar Year (CY) 2020 our I-I and Reserve Site Support staffs
performed 95% 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 a 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 to which they
are entitled. In many cases, our CACOs provide a long-lasting bridge
between the Marine Corps and the grieving family.
The Marine Corps Reserve also performs the solemn mission of
military funeral honors and our Reserve units take pride in performing
the majority of these services for our fallen Marines and their
families. Marine Corps funeral honors are dedicated to ensuring all
Marines who have served obtain the appropriate honors as a final salute
to their life and the final demonstration of the country's gratitude to
those who, in times of war and peace, have faithfully defended our
nation. COVID-19 presented many new challenges for units performing
military funeral honors such as: the temporary closing of our
cemeteries; mandatory compliance with local city, state and federal
government travel restrictions; and strict adherence to health and
safety guidelines. Notwithstanding these challenges, Marine Corps
Reserve units accomplished 16,521 military funeral honors, nearly 81%
of the previous year's total.
Finally, the Marine Corps Reserve functions as the greatest link
between the Marine Corps and communities across the nation. From the
Toys for Tots campaigns each holiday season to community engagement
events and solemn funeral details, 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 experience
with the Marine Corps.
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 38,600 falls under Marine Forces Reserve. The Selected
Reserve is composed of Marines in four categories: Selected Marine
Corps Reserve (SMCR) Units, Active Reserve (AR), Individual
Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs), and service members in initial training
(IADTs). Embedded with these Marines are 1,557 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 the support of
these Sailors and US Navy programs.
In addition to the Marines and Sailors of the Selected Reserve, the
Marine Corps Reserve administratively controls approximately 62,000
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 the IRR Marines meet the requirements for mobilization. The
events also provide the opportunity to address administrative issues,
conduct mental health and post-deployment assessments, review Reserve
obligations and new opportunities, and meet with Marine Corps prior-
service recruiters. During the past year the Marine Corps Reserve
conducted 20 muster events which 4,862 IRR Marines attended. In
addition to the musters, the Marine Corps Reserve contacted and
screened 59,294 Marines.
The Marine Corps Reserve strives to retain the very best Marines
capable of fulfilling our leadership and operational needs. The option
of continued service in the Reserve Component has become increasingly
appealing to young Marines leaving active duty. Marines approaching the
end of their current contracts, whether Active or Reserve Component,
receive counseling on the tangible and intangible benefits of remaining
affiliated 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.
Even as the Marine Corps restructures our forces to ensure we are
postured to confront future potential adversaries, we are making every
effort to retain those Marines impacted by force design decisions. In
2020 we deployed a series of Personnel Transition Teams (PTTs) to every
unit impacted by force design. These PTTs were specifically designed to
ensure every impacted Marine was provided information, education, and
one-on-one career counseling concerning available incentives, career
opportunities, and continued service options. For example, during the
divestment of our reserve tank battalion we successfully retained over
52% of all Reserve Marines assigned to those site locations through
voluntary reassignment to another Marine Reserve unit, while an
additional 24% of those Marines chose to transfer to their local Army
National Guard tank unit in order to continue their military service.
Survey responses show that 91% of the Reserve Marines felt they had
been provided both the information and support needed to make an
informed decision, while 89% of the Reserve Marines felt that their
best interests were kept in mind.
Recruiting and retaining high quality Marines remains essential to
the Marine Corps' reputation as the nation's force-in-readiness.
Although we produced Marines safely in the face of the global pandemic,
the challenges associated with COVID-19 have had a significant impact
on our ability to recruit. As a result, the Selected Marine Corps
Reserve faced a 50.4% reduction in new non-prior service accessions and
a loss of 7.9% of the forecasted prior-service accessions.
Notwithstanding these notable losses, Marine Forces Reserve still
enjoys high affiliation and retention rates enhanced through incentive
programs such as occupational specialty retraining, inactive duty
travel reimbursement, and bonus payments. These programs are essential
to ensure we continue to meet authorized end strength and retain our
most talented Marines. Your continued support to these critical
programs has helped preserve our overall personnel end strength at
94.3% of the total requirement and maintain a grade and Military
Occupational Specialty match rate of 81.7%.
Our personnel readiness is not only reflective of the health of the
force, but directly contributes to our overall operational readiness.
While we fully expect to meet our Selected Marine Corps Reserve
retention and recruiting goals this year, continued use of available
incentive programs is critical to optimally align our inventory against
our requirements, maintain individual and unit level readiness, address
shortfalls in staff non-commissioned officers, and fully rebuild
readiness from previous force structure changes.
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 despite the challenges associated with the new COVID-19
operating environment. The Reserve Component continues to meet all
operational and training requirements, including support to Combatant
Commanders worldwide.
This operational tempo places stress on our ability to maintain our
equipment and replenish our deficiencies. In the event of a large-scale
wartime mobilization, to include any sizable call-up of the IRR,
individual combat clothing and 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 three ways. First, we refine units'
Training Allowances (TA), which is that portion of a unit's full Table
of Equipment (TE) 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, we leverage operation and maintenance,
Marine Corps Reserve, funds to secure mobile maintenance support teams
that augment our limited organic maintenance capacity in the Marine
Corps Reserve. Third, we contract third party logistics to repair
secondary reparables that cannot be repaired organically due to the
lack of an intermediate maintenance activity capability. Congressional
support for Reserve funding in the Fiscal Year (FY) 22 President's
budget request 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), Ground
Weapons Locating Radar (GWLR), All Terrain Crane (ATC), Platoon Water
Purification System (PWPS), and Mobile Integrated Remains Collection
System (MIRCS) will enhance our ability to fight, maneuver freely, and
win on the modern battlefield. The KC-130J Super Hercules remains a
procurement priority of the Marine Corps Reserve. The Marine Corps
Reserve has currently reached Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for 13
of 28 aircraft and is expected to reach Full Operating Capability (FOC)
in the future.
training
The Marine Corps Reserve typically participates in a number of
training exercises in the United States and overseas each year to
improve combat readiness and enhance our ability to rapidly activate
and integrate with the Active Component. The global pandemic presented
numerous challenges to the Reserve force's ability to participate in
and conduct training. By April 2020, we had canceled drill weekends and
annual training periods to protect the Marines, their families, and
local communities. In order to limit the amount of lost training
opportunities, we created telework drill weekends and increased
occasions for Marines to conduct online training. Our local commanders
demonstrated initiative and creativity in conducting meaningful
training for the Marines. While digital training allowed for an
increase in individual skills, it could not replace critical unit
training at the company and battalion levels.
With several months of data available, we determined the risk of
not providing ready forces as the result of conducting in-person
training exceeded the risk from COVID-19. We therefore began to resume
in-person drill weekends in June and enabled Marines to conduct their
annual training in the 4th quarter of FY20. Operations in a COVID-19
environment became the norm, with precautions including the wearing of
masks and social distancing during training. Local commanders adjusted
their training to include spreading out unit drills over multiple
weekends to ensure compliance with local health mandates for reduced
gathering of personnel. Our small unit leaders performed admirably
during this trying period, maintaining communication with their Marines
and ensuring mitigation measures were enforced to guarantee quality
training while preventing the spread of the pandemic as a result of in-
person drills. At the end of FY20, we were able to provide an
opportunity for all Reserve Marines to participate in an annual
training period, whether in person or virtually.
The global pandemic adversely affected higher level training
normally gained during regularly scheduled exercises. Combatant
Commanders and host nations canceled joint and bi-lateral exercises due
to COVID-19 restrictions; in FY20, 48 of 71 scheduled exercises across
four Combatant Commands were canceled. Reserve participation in the
exercises that did take place was largely eliminated due to
Restriction-Of-Movement (ROM) requirements. These exercises were
designed to provide mission essential task training in a joint
environment. This left nearly 3,000 Marines in need of an alternate
annual training period. Reserve participation in the annual Service-
level Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) conducted aboard Marine Corps
Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms California was also canceled
due to the global pandemic. ITX improves combat readiness, efficiency
in Total Force integration, and enables more rapid activation response
times at the battalion and squadron levels. The loss of the Combatant
Commander exercises, ITX, and numerous battalion and squadron annual
training exercises in CY20 has resulted in a less operationally ready
Marine Corps Reserve.
Operating in a COVID-19 environment directly impacted Reserve
Marines' ability to complete required resident professional military
education (PME) courses. The Marine Corps Reserve converted the
majority of its 800 seats in resident PME to online courses to overcome
the challenges of educating the force. Employing ROM, wearing of masks,
and social distancing, the Marine Corps Reserve preserved nearly 300
resident seats, enabling Marines to attend PME in person with their
fellow Marines.
The Marine Corps Reserve uses training simulators wherever and
whenever possible to preserve fiscal and materiel resources. 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 Department of Defense (DoD) training
locations. The use of ISMTs as well as increased online training
enabled the force to complete mission essential tasks and required DoD
and Service-level annual training during the global pandemic.
facilities
The Marine Corps Reserve occupies facilities in 47 states, the
District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These
facilities include 158 Reserve Training Centers (RTCs) (22 of which are
owned by Marine Forces Reserve and the remaining 136 of which are
operated by other Services with Marine Corps Reserve units as tenants),
three family housing sites, one permanent barracks, and one General
Officer Quarters. Although some of these facilities 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 effective
training and mobilization locations.
Fifty-seven percent of the facilities budget supports the day-to-
day cost of operating and maintaining existing infrastructure. The
Marine Corps Reserve has 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.
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. In
addition, our targeted consolidation, FSRM, and MCNR programs have
increased the force protection of our Marines and Sailors. These
programs have allowed the Marine Corps Reserve to partner with the
joint bases and other services to meet the Department of Defense
security and force protection lines of effort promulgated by the
Secretary of Defense following the 2015 Chattanooga, Tennessee U.S.
Navy Reserve Center shootings.
As our infrastructure ages and we continue to implement force
protection improvements along with environmental and energy-saving
projects, our operating costs have steadily increased. Service level
efforts to modernize our force and its infrastructure have also
increased costs. The 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 Services Support (HSS) system
prioritizes the health and wellness of our Reserve Marines and Sailors.
We continue to improve medical readiness through a robust Individual
Medical Readiness program within the Marine Corps Reserve and by
accurate monitoring, identification, and supervision of unit level
actions necessary to attain readiness goals. Additionally, our Health
Services personnel participate in Force Readiness Activation Assessment
Program inspections and audits which provide oversight at the unit
level and the ability to monitor readiness and adherence to policy.
The Reserve Health Readiness Program (RHRP) has 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 (MTF).
During FY20, the RHRP performed 14,946 Periodic Health Assessments
(PHAs), 216 Post-Deployment Heath Re- Assessments (PDHRAs), 18,229
audiological examinations, and 16,787 dental examinations.
HSS's priority is to achieve the DoD's goal of a 90% medically
ready force. National, regional, state and local restrictions on travel
and group activities due to COVID-19 community transmission affected
scheduling and availability of both organic unit and RHRP readiness
events over the course of several months. During FY20, our individual
medical and dental readiness rates were 76% and 81%, respectively.
Marine Corps Reserve units rely heavily on RHRP to maintain our medical
and dental readiness, and continued support of this program is
imperative for maintaining overall readiness.
behavioral health
In addition to the RHRP, the Marine Corps Reserve continues to
execute 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 is conducted at all levels and continues
to be provided during pre-deployment training to service members
deploying for more than 90 days and all to commands in garrison. This
training provides essential knowledge, skills, and tools to assist
commanders in preventing, identifying, and managing combat and
operational stress concerns as early as possible. Each of these tools
supports the commander in building unit strength, resilience, and
readiness as well as keeping Marines in the fight.
COVID-19 community transmission has not only impacted medical
readiness, but also the mental health of our Marines and Sailors.
Amongst our Active and Reserve Component service members mental health
effects included increased isolation, relationship stress, and
financial strain. The Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery continues to
support behavioral health through various independent, contracted
programs such as PDHRA and the Psychological Health Outreach Program
(PHOP). The PDHRA program focuses specifically on identifying issues
that emerge after our Marines and Sailors have returned home from
deployment. PHOP secures behavioral health screenings, psychological
treatment referrals, and essential follow-up treatment to ensure our
service members' behavioral health needs are met. In FY20, PHOP
received 584 new referrals through their outreach services. 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 pathways 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. The Marine Corps Reserve addresses the stigma associated
with mental health care through key programs such as the Yellow Ribbon
Reintegration Program (YRRP) and OSCAR. Furthermore, we market all of
our behavioral health initiatives and programs through our Marine Corps
Reserve website and during key Marine Corps forums throughout the year.
In FY20, we developed and are now piloting a smart phone mobile
application (app) that is tailored to Marine Reservists. USMC Connect
is a Defense Information Systems Agency approved, enterprise-wide,
mobile app that serves as a gateway to public content on government
websites. The USMC Connect app was established to deliver portable,
timely, and relevant information to Marines, Sailors and their families
and to reduce reliance on traditional computers to access career and
personal resources. The app is customizable, enabling units to provide
Marine Reservists with relevant, unit-specific information. The app
includes a mobile Common Access Card (CAC) portal that will allow
Marines to pair their devices with a mobile CAC reader to access some
CAC-secured sites. USMC Connect will increase engagement,
communication, and connectedness through greater access to career,
lifestyle and behavioral health resources.
The Marine Corps Reserve Substance Abuse program continues to
educate Marines on substance misuse, relationships, stress management,
emotional regulation, thinking patterns, and risk awareness. The
program provides tools to promote the safety of Marines and their
families and to sustain and improve personal readiness and unit
performance. The Marine Corps Reserve relies profoundly on its Drug
Demand Reduction Program, which uses random urinalysis testing to deter
the use of illicit drugs and misuse of prescription drugs. Each Reserve
unit conducts monthly drug testing to screen Reserve Marines for drugs,
as well as breathalyzer testing to screen for alcohol use while in a
duty status. The Substance Abuse program 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 unused and outdated medications. Additionally, the
Substance Abuse program increases leaders' awareness of the dangers of
abusing prescription drugs through annual supervisor-level substance
abuse training.
The Marine Corps Reserve recognizes 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, legal, and financial
challenges as well as disciplinary problems. We mitigate stressors
using a multidimensional and multilevel approach.
Small unit leaders are encouraged to foster a sense of belonging
for Marines. Commanders employ messaging to safely and effectively
communicate about suicide, conduct Force Preservation Councils to
identify risk factors, and provide courses of action to mitigate
destructive behavior. Once a possible behavioral health issue has been
identified, the command implements intervention and reintegration
strategies, as appropriate, to help lower risks, encourages Marines to
ask for help when needed, and restricts access to lethal means for
those at risk for suicide in accordance with existing laws and
policies. The Marine Corps' Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention
Integrated Training (UMAPIT) teaches every Marine the basics of suicide
prevention. UMAPIT consists of tailored curricula designed to
proactively manage challenging situations and improve Marines' ability
to address behavioral health issues such as substance abuse, suicide,
family maltreatment, and combat operational stress before they become
unmanageable. The Marine Corps' culture is shifting toward recognizing
that seeking help is a sign of strength, which will help reduce stigma
and barriers to seeking care. Finally, all Marines are taught to
recognize suicide warning signs, seek help for their fellow Marines,
and never leave a Marine behind.
Care Management Teams focus on supporting Reserve Marines 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 health care 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
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 barriers to services or resources. The MIP counselors then
incorporate these contacts into the counseling process. These services
are also provided to our Reserve Marines through the PHOP.
Our Marines have proven their strength in navigating challenging
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 Services (MCCS) while on
active-duty orders. Additionally, we continue to support 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 is a complex and challenging matter that is often
interrelated with readiness challenges, behavioral health issues, and
destructive behaviors. For the Marine Corps Reserve, addressing the
health and safety of our service members and fostering a culture of
dignity and respect are top priorities toward reducing and ultimately
eliminating sexual assault within our ranks. To accomplish this goal,
the Marine Corps Reserve executes a Sexual Assault Prevention and
Response (SAPR) program. Seven full-time, professional employees ensure
the efficacy of the program and its services across our geographically-
dispersed force. In addition to the force level Sexual Assault Response
Coordinator (SARC), each Major Subordinate Command (MSC) within the
Marine Corps Reserve has a full-time civilian SARC who serves as a
special staff officer to their Commanding General and manages their
SAPR program from Marine Forces Reserve headquarters in New Orleans,
LA. The program also has two professional civilian SAPR Victim
Advocates (VAs) who travel to Marines, Sailors and their families to
provide in-person advocacy services, training, and unit-specific
program guidance. The Marine Corps Reserve works diligently to improve
our victim response, outreach, and sexual assault prevention by
approaching these efforts as a team. The SARCs and VAs work together to
ensure there is never a gap in coverage, regardless of the MSC. Leaders
at every level and anyone in need of support services has access to a
SAPR staff member for program guidance.
The SAPR staff trains up to 160 individuals to become VAs each year
during courses held quarterly in New Orleans. After completing the 40-
hour training course, these potential VAs submit an application for
credentialing through the DoD's Sexual Assault Advocate Certification
Program. Once credentialed, the VAs are officially appointed by their
commanders to serve in the billet at their respective RTCs. In total,
the Marine Corps Reserve maintains an active roster averaging more than
200 VAs across the country.
SAPR personnel respond to Marines, Sailors, and adult dependents
who request support services related to a report of sexual assault. The
SARCs and VAs screen for potential safety issues, develop
individualized safety plans, and offer advocacy services and referrals
in the military and civilian sectors. In order to more effectively
support the Reserve Component, the SAPR Program developed and maintains
a database of nationwide resources for victims of sexual assault who
may not have access to military providers.
The Marine Corps Reserve operates a dedicated Sexual Assault
Support Line that is staffed by the professional SAPR team 24/7. The
Marine Corps Reserve also actively publicizes the DoD Safe Helpline, 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.
The Marine Corps Reserve's prevention strategy is holistic and
integrated with other programs aimed toward eradicating sexual assault,
such as the Equal Opportunity Program, Safety, Spiritual Readiness
Initiatives, the PHOP, Total Force Fitness initiatives, and Behavioral
Health. The Marine Corps Reserve continues to set the example by
employing a zero-tolerance policy related to sexual assault and
harassment and a retaliation-free command climate. Leaders at every
level are encouraged to actively engage with Marines and Sailors to
create a positive environment free from attitudes and behaviors that
are incompatible with our core values. Each year all Marines and
Sailors receive SAPR training which covers reporting options, available
resources, and prevention techniques. Along with overall education
about the SAPR program, these periods of instruction give individual
Marines and Sailors an opportunity to interact with their local Command
SAPR Representatives, thereby helping to generate trust in the program
and confidence that the prevention of sexual assault is a priority for
leadership.
quality of life
The Marine Corps Reserve strives to achieve appropriate balance and
effective performance of our quality of life programs which provide
support and assistance during deployment and on the home front. The
Marine Corps Reserve is dispersed throughout the country and away from
most traditional brick and mortar resources available at major bases
and stations. The ability to access the comprehensive set of MCCS
programs, which support operational readiness, war fighting
capabilities, and quality of life, can have a profoundly positive
effect on the well-being of our Marines and families. MCCS programming
includes education and transition assistance, fitness and recreation,
deployment support, family team building, and prevention. MCCS is a
user-friendly and responsive single resource that provides constant and
unwavering support to Marines and their families throughout their
entire service or affiliation with the Marine Corps. The MCCS Unit,
Personal, and Family Readiness Program is supported by civilian
Deployment Readiness Coordinators or Uniformed Readiness Coordinators
who implement a commander's family readiness vision and help Marines,
Sailors, and families maintain a constant state of family readiness.
MCCS programs remain flexible, constantly adjusting to meet the
needs of our geographically dispersed Marines and their families. The
training programs provided to our commanders, Family Readiness Command
Teams, Marines, and their families help to produce a ready and
resilient force equipped to achieve success. The Marine Corps Family
Team Building (MCFTB) program promotes readiness and resiliency through
non-clinical preventative education, professional training, and
community-building support to Marines and Sailors and their families
throughout mission, life, and career events. MCFTB training events are
delivered both in person and virtually through interactive webinars at
158 RTCs. During FY20, the Marine Corps Reserve conducted 169 training
events in which 6,854 Marines and family members received valuable
information to prepare for and thrive during deployments and achieve a
positive post-deployment reintegration experience.
A key component to our quality of life and resiliency is the
religious ministry support provided by 141 Religious Ministry Team
(RMT) members. As uniformed service members, RMTs support Marines and
their families across the full spectrum of military life including
combat and humanitarian engagements. There are 87 RMT members embedded
in 46 Marine Corps Reserve units across the country. The religious
ministry support includes developing the Commandant's spiritual
readiness initiatives as part of the Human Performance Division,
providing divine services across the spectrum of faith communities,
advising on spiritual and ethical matters, and delivering pastoral care
in a safe and confidential environment. Chaplain support is provided to
Marines, Sailors, and families at numerous funeral services year-round.
The Chaplains provide spiritual guidance at the services and follow-on
care as needed, providing a source of healing for family members.
The Chaplain Religious Enrichment Development Operations (CREDO)
program provides transformational retreats and workshops, including 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 resiliency on the home front and during
deployments. The PRR helps Marines and Sailors set personal goals, make
good decisions, deal with stress, and live their lives with greater
purpose and satisfaction. During FY20, 235 individuals participated in
five MERs and one PRR.
In an ongoing effort to reduce suicidal events, the CREDO Program
offers ASIST and Suicide Alertness for Everyone (safeTALK), evidence-
based programs that train individuals to intervene in suicidal
ideations and keep the individual safe until they can receive follow-on
care. A total of 122 personnel were trained at six ASIST and three
safeTALK classes in FY20, providing commands with resources to offer
positive outcomes in unit readiness. Participants in these programs
self-reported a 68% increase in their likelihood to intervene to help a
person having thoughts of suicide. One FY20 enhancement of the program
has been a ``take it to where the Marines are'' option with three of
the workshops taking place in conjunction with travel to distant
geographic locations.
COVID-19 has significantly impacted the operational tempo of the
CREDO Program, inhibiting travel for in-person training and
necessitating the cancellation of 10 retreats and five ASIST workshops.
The Marine Corps Reserve immediately pivoted to live virtual training
in order to continue mission execution. Launching with the motto
``Virtual Engagement. Real Impact.'' the transition incorporated new
Leadership and Personal Growth Workshops (LPGW), Marriage Enrichment
Workshops (MEW), and Professional Naval Chaplain Workshops (PNCW). The
LPGWs and MEWs incorporate goals of the PRRs and MERs, respectively, in
a shorter, non-retreat format using MarineNet's Adobe Connect platform.
The PNCWs are built to enable the CREDO program to train and equip
other Chaplains and leaders with skills that directly and positively
impact service members, their families, and Federal Civilian employees.
One example of this training is Adobe Connect, which instructs
participants on the use of the platform for teaching. The Chaplain of
the Marine Corps subsequently instructed all RMTs attached to Marine
Corps Units to complete the class in an effort to mitigate COVID-19
impact by equipping RMTs across the enterprise. Pilot partnerships were
launched to reduce required resources and simultaneously increase
deliverables (e.g., Virtual CREDO, Centers for Adaptive Warfighting,
Federal Coaching Network, etc.). In FY20, CREDO conducted 54 virtual
and 22 in-person workshops consisting of 680 training hours for more
than 2,058 participants.
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 (CFS)
program. The CFS program provides assistance on a wide array of
financial issues to include budgeting, diversifying income, credit and
debt management, military/consumer protections, car buying, home
options, saving and investing, insurance, Survivor Benefit Program,
Veteran benefits, retirement, and financial counseling to all members
of our dispersed forces.
The technical expertise our Marines have achieved during their
service has considerable value to the country's civilian sector. The
Marine Corps' 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 is available for Reserve Marines and
Sailors who are unable to attend an installation-based transition
course. The Marine for Life Network links our Marines to employment,
education, and community resources in their hometown areas to support
their future goals. Tutor.com offers our Marines and their dependents
access to 24/7, no-cost, live tutoring services for grades K-12 and
college students. Our Marines are also provided with remote access to
language courses through Mango Languages, which supports over 70
languages, including 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 exams, and advance their careers and
education.
The Marine Corps' Semper Fit program is fully engaged in partnering
with our bases and stations to provide fitness education activities
that promote physical and mental readiness and develop positive self-
esteem and healthy lifestyles. Additionally, the High Intensity
Tactical Training (HITT) program focuses on physical resilience, combat
readiness, and injury prevention. The HITT program 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 strengthened through team building and esprit de corps activities
such as unit outings and participation in competitive events. These
programs are vital to unit cohesion and camaraderie.
The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) is a DoD-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. The YRRP is an enduring and invaluable part of
our efforts to build resiliency. Since its inception in 2010, we have
conducted more than 922 training events for more than 52,000 Marines,
Sailors, and family members. In FY20, we conducted three live and 22
virtual events with more than 3,000 participants.
Our Marines, Sailors, and their families who sacrifice so much for
our nation's defense should not be asked to sacrifice their quality of
life. We continue to be a faithful advocate for flexible quality of
life 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 is critical to the readiness and retention
of our Marines, Sailors, and their families.
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
Determination 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.
force design
The Marine Corps Reserve, operating as both a strategic and
operational reserve, remains a critical part of the Marine Corps Total
Force. As the Marine Corps transitions towards Naval Campaigning in
response to Great Power Competition, the Reserve Component continues to
be an integral element of the planning effort. The Marine Corps force
development process is accomplished through deliberate integrated
planning teams and comprehensive wargames. The Marine Corps Reserve
provides support to this force design effort, while remaining a vital
global contributor to meeting Combatant Command requirements.
Although there have been significant adjustments to the Active
Component forces, the redesign of the Reserve Component has yet to
mature to the point of implementation. While there has been some public
mention of specific units identified for deactivation, there is still
much deliberation occurring to ensure Reserve capabilities are not
inadvertently or prematurely eliminated. Currently, only the
deactivations of 4th Tank Battalion and Bridging units across the
Marine Corps have impacted the Marine Corps Reserve. The Marine Corps
Reserve has been working tirelessly to ensure that each Marine affected
by unit deactivations is afforded every opportunity to continue their
service to the country. To that end, Personnel Transition Teams (PTTs)
have been traveling to all impacted locations to meet individually with
all Marines. As it relates to the siting of Reserve units across the
country, we are actively analyzing a variety of factors to ensure that
if we encounter a situation that forces us to vacate a location, we
have both the quantitative as well as qualitative measures to
substantiate difficult decisions. As we continue to analyze Service
requirements, our site support organizations will remain in place until
greater clarity of force design implications are known. The Service is
dedicated to maintaining an optimal set of sites for Reserve
capabilities in support of the future Marine Corps.
talent management
The legacy Industrial Age manpower management processes we use
today will not support our larger force design goal. As the Marine
Corps continues to develop talent management objectives in support of
departmental objectives, there are unique opportunities worth exploring
within the Reserve Component. Our nation's Reservists feel inspired to
answer the call to service and are willing to dedicate the requisite
time to develop dual careers. The Marine Corps Reserve is actively
engaged in developing and managing talent and is currently developing a
Reserve Component talent management strategy that aligns the
institution's vision, mission, and goals for how talent should be
managed to increase warfighting effectiveness while instilling the
institution's values. This talent management vision will focus on
talent development, leadership development, and diversity & empowerment
in order to attract, recruit, identify, incentivize, and retain the
most talented individuals across the entire force necessary to achieve
institutional and strategic objectives.
conclusion
Your Marine Corps Reserve is forward deployed supporting Combatant
Commanders' requirements, participating in Service- and Joint-level
exercises both at home and abroad, and is the constant face of the
Marine Corps to our local communities. As part of the Total Force, we
are focused on force design, readiness, and manpower to maintain and
enhance our Service's ability to deter pacing threats as prescribed by
the National Defense Strategy. Given a worthy mission and a clear
signal that their individual contributions are valued by the Service,
your Reserve Marines will continue to answer their ``irrational call to
service.'' With your continued support, we will remain ready. Semper
Fidelis!
Senator Tester. Thank you, General.
Next up, we have Lieutenant General Jody J. Daniels, Chief
of the Army Reserve.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JODY J. DANIELS, CHIEF,
U.S. ARMY RESERVE
General Daniels. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby,
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the
200,000 soldiers and civilian employees of the U.S. Army
Reserve, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you
today and for your continued support for our soldiers,
families, and employers.
In an era of great power competition, the Army needs forces
able to compete with adversaries, respond to crises, win in
conflict, and prepare for the future.
That mission requires a dedicated Federal Reserve force
that is ready now and prepared to meet the challenges of
tomorrow. That force is the United States Army Reserve.
At the cost of just 6 percent of the total Army budget, the
Army Reserve provides 20 percent of the total force, nearly
half of the Army's maneuver support, a quarter of its force
mobilization capability, and a myriad of other unique
capabilities.
Over the last 3 years, the Army Reserve has focused on
rebuilding collective readiness to win near-peer large-scale
combat operations as we transform into a force capable of
providing multi-domain operations.
However, last year, like the rest of the world, we
encountered an unforeseen threat but our readiness paid
dividends in unexpected ways. Within 24 hours of the President
invoking involuntary mobilization authority in response to
COVID-19, the Army Reserve aggregated critical medical
capabilities and initiated one of the largest domestic
mobilizations in our history.
Within days, we assembled over 2,800 soldiers, including
1,200 healthcare professionals, and deployed them into critical
crisis zones around the country. To date, over 4,500 Army
Reserve soldiers have mobilized to support our Nation's COVID-
19 response.
The Army Reserve continues to support the COVID-19 response
operations while prioritizing the readiness and training of our
soldiers and formations. Early in the pandemic, we focused on
individual readiness and began using cloud-based tools to
conduct virtual battle assemblies. We also implemented control
measures to decrease risks during in-person gatherings.
Despite an uncertain training environment, the Army Reserve
continues to support combatant commanders. Since March 1, 2020,
we have mobilized almost 18,000 soldiers, 268 units to support
operations around the globe.
We have also developed a readiness concept known as the
Army Reserve Mission Force or ARM Force to prepare our
formations for the four Cs: competition, crisis, conflict, and
change. The ARM Force is under the Army's regionally-aligned
Readiness and Modernization Model or REARM and provides a
common sense framework to align resources across the component
and unit readiness cycles.
This approach ensures that we have sufficient readiness to
support our combatant commands while responsibly investing in
the modernization necessary for the future fight.
While maintaining readiness, we are also shaping tomorrow
by bringing innovation and depth to Army modernization efforts.
We created the 75th Innovation Command to act as technology
scouts and we are leveraging the vast subject matter expertise
gained through our civilian careers to assist Army Futures
Command.
However, all this means nothing without our soldiers and
our formations. We need ready and resilient soldiers, capable
leaders, cohesive teams, strong families, and supportive
employers to ensure our success.
To that end, we are aggressively addressing behaviors that
destroy our squads. Sexual assaults, sexual harassment,
extremism, and racism run counter to our Army values. We are
embracing the philosophy of this is my squad to build a culture
of dignity and respect and assure all believe their lives are
worth living.
Sustaining critical operational capabilities requires
adequate and predictable funding. We are grateful for the
consistent appropriations that positively impact Army readiness
and modernization efforts meet the needs of the Army and our
combatant commands across the full range of military
operations, including support of National Guard and Reserve
equipping account.
The future holds many challenges, but today's Army Reserve
is the best-trained, best-equipped, and striving every day to
be the most ready Army Reserve in our Nation's history.
With your continued support, we will continue to build on
our strong foundation to meet the needs of the Nation and shape
the Army Reserve of tomorrow.
Thank you and I look forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General Jody J. Daniels
The United States Army Reserve
ready now! shaping tomorrow . . .
The State of the Army Reserve--Ready Now! Shaping Tomorrow
In an era of great power competition, the Army needs forces able to
compete with adversaries, respond to crises, win in conflict, and
prepare for the future. To accomplish this mission, the Army needs a
dedicated Federal Reserve force that is ready today and prepared to
meet the challenges of tomorrow. That force is the United States Army
Reserve.
The Army Reserve is Ready Now, providing Soldiers and units to
Combatant Commanders, enabling competition around the globe, supporting
civil authorities in the homeland and conducting the foundational
training required to win in great power conflict.
190,000 Army Reserve Soldiers and 11,000 Civilians are present in
all 50 States, 5 U.S. territories, and deployed to 23 countries around
the world. The Army Reserve contains nearly half of the Army's maneuver
support and a quarter of its force mobilization capacity at a cost of
just 6% of the total Army budget.
Although the Army Reserve only constitutes 20% of the Army's
personnel, it provides over 50% of its quartermaster and medical
formations, over 80% of its civil affairs, legal, and religious units,
62% of its military information support operations units, and over 40%
of its chemical, transportation, ordnance, and intelligence forces. It
provides the cornerstone of critical enabling capabilities like
petroleum distribution, water purification, port opening, technical
intelligence, and railroad operations.
The Joint Force cannot deploy, fight, and win without the Army
Reserve. The Army provides the bulk of sustainment and enabling forces
to other Services, and most of these enabling forces reside in the Army
Reserve.
While the Army Reserve maintains readiness, it is also Shaping
Tomorrow by bringing innovation and depth to Army modernization
efforts. Army Reserve talent is an integral part of Army Modernization
efforts. The Army Reserve has a higher proportion of Soldiers with
graduate degrees than any other Army component. Nine percent of Army
Reserve Officers have doctorates and over 32% have Masters degrees.
Talent is not limited to the Officer ranks. More than 13% of Army
Reserve Enlisted Soldiers have Bachelors degrees. We have Enlisted
Soldiers who are investment bankers, executives, and technologists. The
call to service attracts individuals from all walks of life and
professions.
Our Soldiers live in two worlds. They bring their civilian
experiences to bear in their military duties and their innovative
mindsets, acquisition skills, and project management expertise help
solve the Army's most complex challenges. As the Army moves towards the
conduct of multi-domain operations, our Soldiers will play a critical
role in linking the private sector into the defense enterprise. Our
pools of talent in areas like defensive cyber operations and additive
manufacturing are valuable wells of capability ready for the Nation to
tap. Part-time service is a valuable mechanism to attract talent that
might otherwise forgo military service.
Soldiers, Civilians and Families are the centerpiece of our efforts
to stay ready and evolve. Ready and resilient Soldiers, capable
leaders, cohesive teams, strong families, and supportive employers are
the key to a ready and capable Army Reserve.
Ready Now! And COVID-19
Over the last three years, the Army Reserve focused on rebuilding
collective readiness to contend with a near peer in Large-Scale Combat
Operations (LSCO). However, in March of 2020, like the rest of the
world, we encountered an unforeseen threat.
Our readiness paid dividends in unexpected ways. Within 24 hours of
the President invoking involuntary mobilization authority, the Army
Reserve rapidly aggregated critical medical capabilities in response to
the COVID-19 Pandemic and initiated one of the largest domestic
mobilizations in its history. In days, the Army Reserve assembled over
2,800 Soldiers, including 1,200 healthcare professionals, and deployed
them to crisis zones around the country. By mid-April, 15 custom-built
UAMTFs--Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces--prepared to treat
patients in New York, Seattle, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, New
Jersey, and Connecticut. Each of these UAMTFs had the capacity to man a
240-bed hospital and relieve some of the burden falling on our civilian
medical infrastructure at the start of the pandemic.
In addition to direct medical support, the 76th Operational
Response Command and 807th Medical Command controlled forces across the
United States; the 377th Theater Support Command and 4th Expeditionary
Sustainment Command provided logistics to units from all components;
the 505th Intelligence Brigade helped U.S. Army North track COVID's
spread, and 180 Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers (EPLOs)
integrated federal, state, and local responses. Forward Engineering
Support Teams helped to convert commercial buildings into hospitals,
contractor support personnel arranged for vital services, and Army
Reserve Aviation units flew over 600 missions, moving 1,870 personnel
and over 8,000 pounds of cargo to points of critical need around the
country.
Outside of the United States, Army Reserve formations assisted our
allies and overseas installations with their pandemic response. In
Europe, the 7th Mission Support Command provided Civil Support Teams to
decontaminate high traffic areas across the U.S. Army Garrison in
Kaiserslautern, Germany, and performed COVID-19 testing and analysis in
Poland. The Medical Support Unit-Europe delivered medical supplies, and
the 9th Mission Support Command based in Hawaii deployed nurses,
medical planners and EPLOs, supported three federal staging areas, and
moved more than 11,500 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
and medical gear into the Pacific Territories, Hawaii, and Alaska.
In total, between March 1, 2020, and March 15, 2021, 4,578 Army
Reserve Soldiers mobilized to support the Nation's COVID-19 response.
The Army Reserve continues to train while maintaining support to
U.S. Army North in COVID-19 operations around the country. Early in the
pandemic, the Army Reserve began making use of cloud-based tools to
conduct virtual battle assemblies.
Army Reserve Cyber Soldiers continued required individual and team
collective training through use of the Persistent Cyber Training
Environment (PCTE), enabling Soldiers to complete complex cyber
exercises while geographically separated. This synthetic training
environment enabled Soldiers to collaborate via the Internet from
personal computers, which maintained individual training and readiness
goals for the year.
When conditions permitted, Army Reserve units transitioned to team-
and squad-level collective training with the intention of getting back
to normal operations where possible. Units incorporated medical
screening procedures, testing (as available), and control measures to
decrease risk during in-person gatherings. Leaders also utilized
innovative tools that provided real-time data on area infection rates
to make informed decisions on the risks of conducting collective
training.
None of these activities and operations prevented the Army Reserve
from supporting Combatant Commanders. Since March 1, 2020, the Army
Reserve mobilized 17,894 Soldiers in 268 units to support operations
around the globe.
The Army Reserve will continue to implement measures to mitigate
the risk imposed by COVID-19 to keep Army Reserve Soldiers and their
families healthy and safe, and to ensure that the Army Reserve is ready
to defend the Nation against any threat to our national security
interests at home or abroad.
Shaping Tomorrow... and the Army Reserve Mission Force
In addition to resuming challenging collective training, supporting
the Nation's COVID-19 response, and providing trained Soldiers and
units to Combatant Commanders, the Army Reserve developed a readiness
concept known as Army Reserve Mission Force (ARM Force) to prepare our
formations for competition, crisis, conflict, and change.
The ARM Force prioritizes resources and support for units based on
mission alignment. Forces earmarked for competition or conflict receive
highest priority, followed by those designated to modernize or generate
forces in case of full-scale mobilization. ARM Force nests under the
Army's Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model (ReARMM)
and provides a commonsense framework to align resources across the
component. The concept complements ReARMM's efforts to transform the
Army into a multi domain-capable force by aligning current force
structure against competition requirements, and providing predictable
mission cycles that allow for training and modernization.
The ARM Force is just one part of how the Army Reserve aims to
shape tomorrow, a journey we are pursuing with the Total Army. The Army
Reserve is heavily engaged in shaping future capabilities from
Information Advantage to next-generation Protection with investments in
systems like Joint Battle Command-Platforms to ensure interoperability
with the Total Army.
While still in early stages of operation, the Army Reserve's 75th
Innovation Command (75IC) currently adds value to the Army, Army
Futures Command, U.S. Army Reserve Command, and Combatant Commands by
providing relevant technology scouting and critical subject matter
expertise, serving as the bridge between the Army's modernization
objectives and private sector innovators and technology leaders.
Army Reserve subject matter experts have assisted the Army's Chief
Information Officer, the Army Science Board, and Army Futures Command
with the critical challenges of cloud computing, cyber security,
artificial intelligence implementation and enterprise architecture, and
participated in major events such as Project Convergence 2020, Joint
Warfighting Assessment 2020, and the Army Software Factory concept.
Personnel from the 75th Innovation Command also serve in key
leadership roles for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Office
of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Army.
PEOPLE
Modernization, however, means nothing without the Soldiers in our
formations. Army Reserve priorities are in line with the Army Senior
Leadership. People are our most precious resource and our number one
priority.
By investing in our people, we will make our Soldiers, units, and
ultimately the Army as a whole, a stronger and more lethal force.
Moreover, a ``People First'' culture builds unit cohesion by creating a
foundation of strength, resilience, discipline, inclusiveness and trust
that leadership will always take care of their Soldiers.
The Army Reserve is a highly diverse and educated force. In total,
the Army Reserve has more Service members who identify as Black,
Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaskan Native
than any other Reserve component across all branches of service.
Twenty-five percent of Army Reserve Soldiers are female.
Diversity extends to the senior leadership of the Army Reserve as
well. Women constitute 19% of our General Officers. We also have double
the proportion of General Officers who identify as Hispanic or as
Asian/Pacific Islander. We expect these numbers to increase even
further as individuals from the diverse ``Gen-X'' and ``Millennial''
generations reach eligibility for flag rank.
People and diverse teams remain critical to our success in all
efforts. We intend to reinforce success by implementing an Army Reserve
People Strategy that aims to:
--Continue to create a vibrant and diverse organization with members
from all demographics, walks of life, and regions of the United
States.
--Strengthen trust across our formations by ensuring people feel
valued as members of cohesive, disciplined, and fit teams,
rightsizing operational tempo, and supporting programs such as
Project Inclusion, Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and
Prevention (SHARP), and Equal Opportunity.
--Invest in an improved quality of life for Soldiers and Families by
fostering and maintaining supportive relationships with
employers and encouraging other partnerships that enable
meaningful Army Reserve service, dual civilian- military career
progression, and strong, supportive families, and communities.
--Embrace reform by empowering junior leaders with the authorities
and permissions they need to successfully lead and train their
Soldiers, and remove unnecessary administrative steps and
pointless requirements that stifle progress and hinder informed
analysis.
Families and Employers
Readiness depends upon both the Families who support and sustain
our Soldiers and the employers who enable them to serve the Army and
the Nation. Strong Families are crucial to individual readiness and to
overcoming many problems that confront military Families.
The National Defense Strategy relies upon the support of an
operational Army Reserve, and our relationships with Families and
employers directly impacts our ability to sustain readiness.
Taking Care of Soldiers
``This is My Squad'' focuses on building cohesive teams that
increase good order and discipline which, in turn, helps ensure that
suicide, sexual harassment and assault, and extremism have no place in
the Army Reserve. Supporting this philosophy are quarterly foundational
readiness events.
Army Reserve Family Programs provide a host of services for
Soldiers, Family members, command teams and civilians throughout the
geographically dispersed Army Reserve community.
For example, the Army Reserve Volunteer Program promotes and
strengthens volunteerism by uniting community efforts and establishing
volunteer partnerships.
Suicide Prevention
America's military men and women are strong, dedicated, and
resilient. However, physical, mental, and spiritual stress can lead to
issues ranging from diminished mission capability to the tragedy of
suicide. Without a doubt, years of multiple deployments, frequent
family separations, and interruptions of primary careers degraded the
capability of geographically-dispersed Soldiers. The social isolation
created by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased these stressors.
Army Reserve commanders, leaders, Soldiers, and Civilians share the
responsibility to prevent suicide. The Army Reserve is working to
increase critical resources and eliminate the stigma associated with
seeking help with suicidal ideations and other emotional or
psychological issues. Army Reserve commanders are also authorized to
place Soldiers serving in an Ask-Care-Escort capacity and those
Soldiers at-risk for suicide into a duty status when ideations are
identified.
Many tools and resources are available to Soldiers and leaders to
increase individual resiliency and prevent suicide. For example,
Military OneSource provides free financial counselors for military
members facing serious financial issues--a key suicide risk factor.
The Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) Program is a model aimed at
the entire force, not just people in crises. The H2F program focuses on
Physical, Nutritional, Mental, Spiritual, and Sleep, to help Soldiers
and others improve their overall readiness and learn how to thrive
during demanding periods.
Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP)
Sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention and response is
critical to preserving individual dignity and unit cohesion at every
level. Army Reserve Leaders are focused on promoting awareness,
reporting allegations, prosecuting offenders, protecting survivors and
creating a positive environment of trust, dignity and respect.
Eliminating sexual misconduct in the ranks is critical to increasing
personal and organizational readiness.
The Army Reserve's People Strategy reinforces the correlations
between sexual harassment and sexual assault and command climate, and
empowers both Soldiers and leaders who recognize potential violations
to act to prevent and respond to incidents. The strategy reflects the
Army Reserve's commitment to safety, respect, inclusiveness, diversity
and freedom from sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Sexual harassment and sexual assault training, accountability and
victim-recovery programs are a priority in every Army Reserve Command.
The Army Reserve is fully committed to creating and maintaining an
environment of dignity and respect.
Domestic Extremism
Today, lone offenders and small cells of individuals, including
Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs) constitute the primary terrorist
threat inside the United States.
Like all components within the Department of Defense, the Army
Reserve is conducting extremism stand-downs that highlight the
importance of our oaths to the Constitution, our responsibilities to
the Nation as Soldiers, and that involvement with groups that advocate
for political violence or crimes of hate run counter to our oaths.
The Army Reserve takes all allegations of Soldier involvement in
extremist groups seriously. Extremist ideologies and activities
directly oppose our values and beliefs and those who subscribe to
extremism have no place in our ranks.
Extremist activity presents a direct threat to readiness and is
counter to the ``This is My Squad'' philosophy. Extremism in the ranks
thwarts the Army Reserve's effort to eliminate barriers to team
cohesion; puts personnel and facilities at risk from physical assault;
hinders recruiting efforts; and breaks trust with the American people.
Resourcing the Army Reserve
Sustaining critical operational capabilities requires consistent,
adequate, and predictable funding to ensure the Army Reserve can meet
the needs of the Army and our Combatant Commands across the full range
of military operations. Ensuring component interoperability across war
fighter platforms, such as Communications and Command and Control
systems, and addressing gaps identified by the Army in its ability to
conduct Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) remains a central
challenge.
We are grateful for consistent appropriations that positively
impact Army Reserve readiness and modernization efforts which support
survivability and lethality on the battlefield.
Ready Now! Shaping Tomorrow . . .
The future holds many challenges, but today's Army Reserve is the
best trained, best equipped, and most ready Army Reserve in our
Nation's history. We will continue to build on that strong foundation
to meet the needs of the Nation and shape the Army Reserve of tomorrow.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General Daniels.
General Hokanson of the Guard Bureau, you're up.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL DANIEL R. HOKANSON, CHIEF, U.S.
NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU
General Hokanson. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby,
and Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, it's an honor
for our Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead and I to join
you today on behalf of the soldiers and airmen of your National
Guard.
Earlier this month, we reached a key milestone, the 10
millionth person vaccinated against COVID-19 by members of our
National Guard. This is not only a reason for hope and relief,
it's a testament to our abilities and a triumph of our
partnerships.
As a primary combat reserve of the Army and the Air Force,
we are manned, trained, and equipped to fight our Nation's
wars, but in times of emergency, our people, training, and
equipment help us respond to our communities.
Last June, more National Guard troops were mobilized than
at any time since World War II. Nearly 120,000 soldiers and
airmen were deployed supporting the war fight overseas or
involved in domestic operations here at home, and despite the
COVID environment, we continued our military training and met
every overseas deployment requirement.
In January, in response to the attack on the Capitol, we
mobilized and deployed 26,000 National Guardsmen to D.C. within
2 weeks. Using organic National Guard air support and
logistics, soldiers and airmen from every State and territory
arrived to secure our 59th Presidential Inauguration.
This past year was an extraordinary one for our National
Guard and in the interest of time, I'd like to highlight just
one weekend, Labor Day of 2020. That weekend, while many
Americans were on holiday, more than 65,000 National Guardsmen
were on duty around the globe. Roughly 20,000 were deployed
across 34 nations in support of our combatant commanders.
During that same weekend, more than 18,000 were helping
their communities fight COVID-19 from manning testing sites to
working in food banks so our fellow Americans would not go
hungry.
More than 3,500 were helping their communities recover from
Hurricane Laura in Texas and Louisiana. More than 2,600 were
supporting Customs and Border Patrol on the southwest border.
More than 1,500 were protecting the rights of peaceful
protesters and safeguarding communities against violence in
Georgia, Texas, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.
That same weekend in Alaska, a team of Guardian Angel
airmen rescued two hikers, one of who fell more than a hundred
feet off a cliff. For their actions, they were awarded the
Wilderness Rescue of the Year by the American Red Cross of
Alaska.
And still on that same weekend, especially modified C-130s
from the California and Nevada Air National Guard, along with
helicopters and unmanned aircraft from multiple States, were
fighting record wildfires. This included the dramatic rescue of
240 people trapped by wildfires in the Sierra National Forest
by the California National Guard's 40th Combat Aviation
Brigade. This daring night rescue in heavy smoke was possible
because our crews were equipped with modernized helicopters and
the latest generation night vision goggles. For their heroism
and extraordinary achievement, the air crews were awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
This one weekend is just one of many weekends for the
National Guard. Our country and our communities needed us, so
our Guardsmen left their families and their civilian jobs and
proudly served as soldiers and airmen. Their selfless service
is both important and inspiring and is reflected in our
recruiting and retention.
It's no surprise the National Guard was ready for the
challenges we faced in 2020 and continue to face in 2021. This
would not have been possible without your investments over the
last 20 years that transformed the National Guard from a
strategic reserve to today's operational reserve.
I'm grateful for the committee's support in helping provide
our soldiers and airmen the facilities, equipment, and training
resources they need to be interoperable on the battlefield and
responsive in our communities.
Combined with our partnerships at every level, from local
first responders to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
to our 82 international state partnerships, we are posturing
for the future. However, there are still places we fall short.
Our equipment must be deployable, sustainable, and
interoperable. Our facilities must be repaired or replaced if
they're no longer functional, and our full-time support must
increase so we can better manage our resources and, most
importantly, our people.
There are also distractions our soldiers and airmen face
every day. If they don't have healthcare, what happens if they
get hurt or injured after they come off orders? If they're
doing the same job as their Active or Reserve counterparts, why
are they treated differently? If they've invested their career
in the Space Mission, will there still be a home for them in
the National Guard?
Every day our team is working to address these issues and
their solutions. I am committed to working with the Army and
the Air Force and you to find them.
Among my most pressing concerns are premium free healthcare
for Guardsmen, the establishment of a Space National Guard, and
elevating six of our general officers commensurate to the
levels of their responsibility. These are strategically
important issues and they are the right thing to do.
The National Guard is about 20 percent of our Joint Force
and anything that impacts our readiness reduces our Nation's
ability to deter and makes us less competitive, less capable,
and less lethal.
Help us keep our promise to remain always ready, always
there.
Thank you for the opportunity to be here. I look forward to
your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of General Daniel Hokanson
The National Guard is a lethal, cost-effective, dual-role
operational force that provides strategic depth to the Army, Air Force,
and Space Force, and responds to crises in our homeland. We are capable
of operating in a complex global security environment and continue to
invest in modernization and readiness to prepare for the threats of the
future. Today's National Guard is an integral part in addressing the
gravest challenges facing the Joint Force.
Globally, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and violent extremist
organizations continue to present significant threats to U.S.
prosperity and security. At home, our adversaries use of cyber-attacks
and disinformation threaten our democracy while the growing frequency
and severity of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and a global pandemic
challenge the safety of our citizens and communities.
The year 2020 was unprecedented and historic. National Guard
members supported every Combatant Commander around the globe and met
every mission here at home. On June 6, 120,000 National Guard Soldiers
and Airmen were mobilized in support of overseas and domestic missions,
one of the highest levels of National Guard support to our nation since
World War II.
Given the uncertain future and budget priorities, we expect the
Department of Defense to rely on the National Guard more, not less.
Therefore, we must be ready to execute our three core missions:
fighting America's wars; securing the homeland; and building enduring
partnerships that support our nation's strategic objectives. Continued
investment in the National Guard ensures we can meet today's demands
while preserving the capability, capacity and deterrence our nation
needs against a broad spectrum of potential future threats.
warfight
The National Guard is the primary combat reserve of the Army and
Air Force, and provides operational capability to the Space Force. We
provide enduring, rotational, surge, and follow-on forces to meet any
Joint Force mission. Today, thanks to the substantial investment in
training, equipment and readiness by Congress and DOD leaders, we have
become the most capable, professional, ready, and combat proven
National Guard in the history of the United States.
In 2020, Soldiers with the North Carolina Army National Guard's
30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, who tested their combat skills at the
National Training Center in 2019, returned from their deployment to
Kuwait and Syria and began supporting their communities COVID-19
response efforts and civil disturbance missions. Also in 2020, the
Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing deployed their A-10s and
Airmen to the region as well. The 124th's deployment, the wing's
second-largest ever, required pilots, security forces, maintainers,
medical personnel, special warfare tactical air controllers and
staffers to support operations across two continents.
The National Guard is also a trusted space and cyber partner. For
25 years, National Guard space units have provided operational, unit-
equipped, surge-to-war capability to protect our nation's vital
interests in this contested domain and today supply the Space Force
with 11 percent of its space professionals and 60% of offensive
Electronic Warfare capability. In addition, our cyber warriors bring
their military and civilian skillsets to bear in support of Cyber
Command's global commitments.
Two decades of investment and modernization in the National Guard
has paid measurable dividends to our Joint Force's lethality and our
nation's security.
homeland
Unique to the National Guard is our ability to apply the training
and equipment from our wartime missions to our state responses in the
homeland. National Guard Soldiers and Airmen logged over 10.9 million
days serving our communities in 2020--more than four times as many as
2019.
The events of 2020 required an unprecedented response to various
unforeseen events within the homeland. Most significantly, the men and
women of the National Guard served more than 7.6 million days in
support the COVID-19 pandemic--a mission that continues today. They
provided over 632 million meals to neighbors, distributed over 539
million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to essential
workers, and tested or screened over 16.1 million people for the virus
across the 50 states, 3 territories and the District of Columbia in
2020. In addition, they were called to fight record wildfires in
California with specially equipped C-130s, helicopters, MQ-9 drones and
shovels; expedited recovery efforts after a record number of named
hurricanes battered the Gulf Coast; and provided support to cyber
security, cyber assurance and recovery from cyber-attacks at the local,
state, and federal levels.
In 2021, your National Guard is making concerted efforts to assist
in logistics, distribution, and vaccination of the communities they
serve. To date, Guard Soldiers and Airmen have vaccinated millions of
civilians, administering well over 150,000 shots a day--with those
numbers continuing to grow.
The National Guard's skills and abilities developed for the
warfight (such as leadership, training, logistics, and communications),
coupled with its unique array of authorities and trusted local, state,
and federal partnerships, makes it a natural choice for tackling some
of the most difficult challenges we face at home.
partnerships
Building enduring partnerships at the international, federal,
state, and local levels contributes to our nation's strength and
readiness. Our approach makes the National Guard a force other nations
and organizations are eager to partner with.
At the international level, the National Guard's State Partnership
Program (SPP) is a key pillar to the Department of Defense's focus on
alliances and partnerships. Through the SPP, the National Guard
maintains long-term relationships that strengthen alliances, enhance
interoperability, reassure allies and deter our adversaries. Improving
the military, security and emergency response capacity of partner
nations improves their resiliency, benefiting the entire international
community. Through 82 SPP partnerships, the National Guard is engaged
with 89 nations, 45% of the world's nations, and ensures the Department
of Defense has capable, trusted and interoperable partners at our side.
At the federal level, the National Guard maintains productive
interagency relationships with the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human
Services, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection that contribute to
rapid and unified responses when disasters strike. Additionally, the
National Guard runs several counterdrug schools that offer in-person
training courses to federal, state and local law enforcement personnel.
At the local level, we develop partnerships and connections in the
communities we serve through efforts such as the National Guard Youth
ChalleNGe, and DOD's Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) and STARBASE
programs. Youth ChalleNGe is a community-based program that leads,
mentors and trains 16-to-18- year-old, at-risk youths on values, life
skills, education, and the self-discipline required to become
productive citizens in America's future. The IRT program connects
annual military training opportunities with the needs of disadvantaged
or remote communities to produce mission-ready forces, civil-military
partnerships and strong communities. The STARBASE program also exposes
our nation's most underrepresented youths to activities in the Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) career fields through a hands-
on learning experience at National Guard and other DOD installations
across the nation.
chief, national guard bureau
As the 29th Chief of the National Guard Bureau and member of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, I provide input into every decision impacting
our Joint Force and advise the Secretary of Defense on all matters
involving the National Guard and the capabilities the National Guard of
the 50 states, 3 territories, and District of Columbia provide the
Joint Force. The health and welfare of our service members is
fundamental to these capabilities, and it's imperative we continue to
provide our Soldiers, Airmen, space professionals, families and
civilians access to the resources needed to maintain their resilience.
Maintaining the welfare of our force also means ensuring our
organization continues to promote inclusion, equality, diversity and
resilience, with zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or
discrimination. Finally, we cannot lose sight of the importance of our
employers. Employers are critical to the success of our part-time
business model and we must continue to foster an employer-service
member relationship that is sustainable and mutually beneficial.
Today's leaders will have to contend with budget pressures,
training shortfalls, time constraints and modernization gaps. We must
develop leaders capable of performing at today's pace of change;
redefine how we train forces and approach readiness; and seek to become
more joint and multi-domain minded. This is critical as we look to
normalize the capabilities of an operational National Guard within the
DOD's processes.
My goal over the next four years is to build on past National Guard
accomplishments and contributions to the Joint Force in achieving
National Defense Strategy objectives through a continued focus on our
three core missions of warfight, homeland and partnerships. I intend to
build a sustainable operational force for the future by focusing on
four priorities: people, readiness, modernization and reform. Today's
National Guard is the most modern, ready and interoperable Joint Force
in our 384-year history. However, our adversaries do not rest. We must
continue to build a National Guard that is stronger and more
responsive, one with greater lethality, global influence and the combat
readiness to deter aggression.
always ready, always there
Serving with the 443,000 men and women of the National Guard is an
honor. We provide combat-proven forces when needed and tirelessly help
our communities where we live. We stand ready to face the threats of
today, and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. Serving in nearly
every zip code, and answering the call in nearly every corner of the
globe, the National Guard remains Always Ready, Always There!
Army Guard SNAPSHOT
--Provides the Army 39% of its operational forces
--334,575 Soldiers
--8 divisions
--27 Brigade Combat Teams
--2 Special Forces groups
--1 Security Force Assistance Brigade
--42 multifunctional brigades
--56 functional support brigades and groups
--13 command & control headquarters
--24,687 buildings, 1,397 firing ranges, and 110 training centers in
2,416 communities.
Air Guard SNAPSHOT
--Provides the Air Force 30% of its operational forces.
--108,100 Airmen across 90 wings.
Manpower contribution to 5 core areas:
--10% of Air, Space and Cyber Superiority.
--13% of Command and Control/Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance.
--40% of Agile Combat Support.
--20% of Rapid Global Mobility.
--17% of Global Strike.
1,053 Air Guard Aircraft
--Provides 36% of Air Force's tanker capability.
--Provides 26% of Air Force's fighter/attack capability.
--Provides 30% of Air Force's strategic/tactical airlift capability.
--Operates 15 of 16 Aerospace Control Alert sites.
--Provides 13% of Air Force's overseas MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial
vehicle capability.
fighting america's wars
Force for the Future
--The National Guard has supported more than one million overseas
mobilizations to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, the Balkans,
Guantanamo Bay, the Sinai, and other overseas locations since
9/11.
--National Guard Soldiers and Airmen served more than 10.2 million
personnel days supporting warfight missions in 2020.
--More than 20,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are currently
deployed in support of missions in Afghanistan, Kuwait,
Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Ukraine, Poland, Kosovo, Eastern
Europe, the Horn of Africa, Central and South America, and the
Sinai Peninsula.
--Two National Guard brigades will deploy to the National Training
Center in Ft. Irwin, Calif. this year: Mississippi Army Guard's
155th Armored Brigade Combat Team in June; and Oklahoma's 45th
Infantry Brigade Combat Team in July.
--Three National Guard brigades will deploy to the Joint Readiness
Training Center in Ft. Polk, La. this year: Ohio's 37th
Infantry Brigade Combat Team in June; Arkansas's 39th Infantry
Brigade Combat Team in July; and Indiana's Security Force
Assistance Brigade in August.
Overseas Presence
--The Louisiana Army Guard's 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is
deployed to Iraq providing Security Forces and conducting
Advise and Assist missions with Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and
partner units in the AOR to enhance capabilities and secure
critical sites in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
--The Illinois National Guard's 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team is
deployed to Ukraine providing training to the Armed Forces of
Ukraine to help them develop defense capabilities and build
interoperability.
--The South Carolina Army Guard's 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
is providing command and control to Air and Missile Defense in
the U.S. European Command in support of Operation Atlantic
Resolve.
--The South Dakota Army Guard's 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is
deployed to the Horn of Africa working with the Suriname
Defense Force to promote regional security, dissuade conflict,
and protect U.S. and coalition interests.
--More than 1,200 Guard Airmen from 48 units served in nine different
locations while filling 33% of the Total Force's civil engineer
needs overseas last year.
--The Air Guard is providing 25% of the Total Force's Distributed
Common Ground System (a system that produces military
intelligence for multiple military branches) capacity in direct
support of the overseas Combatant Commanders.
--The Texas Army Guard's 36th Infantry Division deployed to Kuwait
and provides division-level command and control of Army forces
in Kuwait and Jordan in support of Operation Spartan Shield.
The Ohio Army Guard's 16th Engineer Brigade is also supporting
Spartan Shield by providing engineering expertise, project
management, and command of subordinate engineer battalions.
--The Pennsylvania Army Guard's 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation
Brigade is providing command and control of all Army Aviation
units in Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield and
Operation Inherent Resolve.
--Nearly 1,500 Army Guard Soldiers and 64 aircraft are supporting
U.S. Central Command aviation missions in Afghanistan and
Kuwait.
securing the homeland
--National Guard Soldiers and Airmen spent a record 10.9 million days
serving their communities supporting missions such as COVID-19,
wildfires, civil disturbances and hurricanes.
--Air Guard personnel protect the airspace over America by operating
15 of the 16 NORAD Aerospace Control Alert sites and the
Eastern and Western air defense sectors. Guard ACA pilots flew
2,058 sorties in FY 2020--1,825 scramble sorties (practice and
real-world) and 233 Operation Noble Eagle sorties.
--To allow effective communication between local, state and federal
emergency agencies, National Guard Joint Incident Site
Communications Capability teams set-up and operated a ``self-
contained communications package'' at the Super Bowl and
numerous other major events and exercises last year.
--The 57 full-time National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil
Support Teams carried out 2,475 missions in FY 2020 ranging
from no-notice call-outs to identify substances; to supporting
national security events; to training and assisting state
partners. CSTs can typically respond in 1 to 3 hours.
--The National Guard runs 17 battalion-sized (nearly 2,400 people)
Chemical, Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) Enhanced
Response Force Packages or CERFPs in 17 states capable of
responding in 3 to 6 hours.
--National Guard Soldiers and Airmen comprise 55 percent of the
Defense Department's chemical, biological, radiological,
nuclear (CBRN) response capability.
Cyber Centric
--There are more than 3,900 Army and Air National Guard personnel
serving in 59 DOD cyber units in 40 states.
--1,219 Guard members detected 57 ``vulnerability events'' while
supporting the Nov. 3, 2020 national election. They provided
their state's IT support; vulnerability assessments; network
monitoring; vehicle/foot traffic control; and COVID-19
screening and sanitizing.
--290 National Guard cyber warriors from 15 states also responded to
33 reported state cyber events in 2020.
Taking Drugs off the Streets
--More than $11.2 billion of illicit drugs, weapons, property, and
currency are off the streets thanks in part to the efforts of
over 2,600 National Guard Counterdrug professionals assisting
civilian law enforcement agencies throughout the 50 states, 3
territories and DC.
--National Guard counterdrug operations supported 1,362 law
enforcement agencies and over 439 community-based
organizations.
--Five National Guard counterdrug schools trained nearly 60,000 law
enforcement personnel in 2020, using subject matter experts who
are able to draw upon their military education, operational
experience, and knowledge of DOD capabilities.
10.9 Million Days
When COVID, Wildfires, Civil Disturbances and Severe Weather hit
home in 2020, Guard members in each state, territory and DC left their
jobs and families to serve their communities--responding in record
fashion.
Pandemic Response
--632 Million: Meals provided by Guard members in 2020.
--36.9 million: Masks made by Guard members in 2020.
--16.1 million: People tested or screened for COVID-19 virus by Guard
members in 2020.
--11.5 million: Miles driven to deliver supplies in 2020.
--2.4 million: Calls answered, made at call centers in 2020.
--71,259: Facilities deep cleaned by Guard members in 2020.
--19,211: Increased bed capacity at Alternate Care Facilities in
2020.
Fighting Fires
--Guard members from 19 states logged 155,108 days responding to
52,834 wildfires covering over 9.5 million acres in 2020--
Maryland is 7.9 million acres.
--C-130 crews, equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne
Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS), flew 470 missions and logged 549
flying hours while dropping over 1.3 million gallons of fire
retardant.
--Air Guard RC-26 fixed-wing and MQ-9 Remotely Piloted Aircraft crews
logged over 2,000 hours providing real-time fire mapping;
evacuation route identification; and new fire/hot spot
detection.
--Two California National Guard helicopter crews were awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery by the President after
saving over 200 stranded residents from the Creek Fire.
Supporting Peace
--Guard members from 38 states logged 627,659 days supporting law
enforcement agencies in 2020 by providing crowd control,
monument/infrastructure security, traffic control, and roving
patrol missions.
--At its peak on June 7, 2020, 43,351 Guard Soldiers and Airmen were
providing civil disturbance support.
Bringing Calm after the Storms
--Guard members from 22 states supported 22 severe weather events in
2020 and a record 12 named storms.
--During hurricane responses, Guard members rescued 9,812 people; and
distributed over 6 million meals, 12.1 million gallons of
water, 1.6 million bags of ice, and nearly 319,000 tarps in
2020. They also cleared over 2,700 miles of road to assist
recovery efforts.
--Guard members logged 118,748 personnel days responding to
hurricanes and tropical storms; 36,767 days for earthquakes;
11,340 days for floods; 5,106 days for severe weather; 3,502
days for tornadoes; and 1,174 days for winter storms in 2020.
building partnerships
--Competition with rivals demands greater cooperation with partners.
The National Guard's network of 89 allies and partners through
the State Partnership Program (SPP) provides our nation a great
advantage and directly supports competition objectives outlined
in the National Defense Strategy.
--Through the SPP, National Guard and partner nation personnel learn
together, work together, and prepare--if necessary--to fight
together.
--National Guard Soldiers and Airmen conducted more than 1,200 SPP
activities worldwide in support of Geographic Combatant
Commands in FY20.
--Since 9/11, 27 SPP partner countries have contributed troops to
coalition operations--15 of those SPP countries deployed
forces alongside their National Guard partners.
--The SPP is a cost-effective program that provides DOD decision-
makers a proven tool to help address today's security
challenges and a wide range of potential future threats.
--The National Guard's reputation in disaster response at home and
proven combat capability overseas makes it an attractive
partner to nations faced with military and non-military
threats.
--The National Guard plans to grow two new partnerships per year.
--In the homeland, planning and training with local, state and
federal responders has resulted in unified and rapid responses
to man-made and natural disasters--ultimately, saving more
lives and property.
soldiers, airmen and families
--Army National Guard Child and Youth Services conducted over 2,598
events for over 66,800 National Guard youth ages 6-18 in an
effort to promote resilience and sustain the quality of life
through high-quality support services and enrichment programs.
Coordinators transitioned 202 events into virtual/online
programming that might have otherwise been canceled as a result
of COVID-19.
--The Air National Guard Home Community Care Program is available at
over 42 Air National Guard Wings with state accredited
providers offering free child care to Guard members. In FY20,
the Home Community Care Program, provided over 27,000 hours of
child care, spending $290K, in support of Air National Guard
families.
--The Joint Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program helped over 31,229
service members and families connect with their local community
support services before, during, and after deployments by
overseeing 440 nationwide events in 2020. The Army National
Guard conducted 419 events and supported 26,319 Soldiers and
family members, while the Air National Guard conducted 21
events for 4,980 Airman and their families.
--The NGB Employment Support Program reached 102,141 Guard members
and provided assistance to 45,385 Guard members, their
families, veterans and other reserve component members seeking
jobs. The effort resulted in over 4,100 job referrals and
nearly 900 hires. Each state has a program support specialist.
--The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a DOD program
established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding
between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian
employers. The network of 3,300 volunteers across the nation
bring a vast wealth of experience to assist members resolve
conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment.
--Transition Assistance Advisors impacted the lives of nearly 189,026
service members and veterans in FY20 by providing support,
advocacy and information. Advisors are located at each National
Guard Joint Forces Headquarters to provide resource and
referral information for such issues as education, employment,
VA healthcare enrollment, and disability claims.
--The Army Guard provided over $36 million in Federal Tuition
Assistance benefits to more than 19,000 Soldiers enrolled in
over 71,000 courses in FY20.
--The National Guard's Strong Bonds conducted over 630 virtual
retreats and events for over 17,600 Soldiers, Airmen, and their
families to increase family readiness and resiliency through
relationship education and training.
--Army Guard Survivor Outreach Service coordinators assisted 46,708
surviving family members in FY20, an increase of 2% over last
fiscal year.
--The National Guard Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program
provided training, services and advocacy to victims of sexual
assault with its 134 full-time, nationally certified Sexual
Assault Response Coordinators. There are also 1,618 part-time,
nationally certified Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and
victim advocates.
--The Army Guard's team rendered honors at 94,285 service member
funerals in FY20. The funeral honors team is projected to
conduct over 104,147 requests to render burial honors for
veterans and retirees in FY21.
--Due to the Army National Guard Resilience program's robust training
platform, they received HQDA's only exception-to-policy to
conduct a 2-week Master Resilience Training certification
remotely during the pandemic. The team used the lessons learned
to conduct 9 one-week and two-week trainer certification
courses, helping to offset attrition caused by 3 canceled
classes due to the pandemic. The Resilience program trained 648
total Master Resilience Trainers in FY20, bringing the total
number of MRTs trained to 7,297.
--The MRT schoolhouse in Wisconsin is now certified to bring any
Resilience, Suicide Prevention and Substance Abuse training to
the 50 states, 3 territories and DC upon request. Three Army
Guard MRT Mobile Training Teams provided Resilience, Risk
Reduction, and Suicide Prevention training 25 times last year.
--The Army National Guard provides 54 Suicide Prevention Program
managers, one to each state, territory, and DC. They provided
advanced training to 76,479 Soldiers and family members in
FY20, enabling them to recognize the signs of suicide, giving
them the skills to intervene appropriately, and connect those
in need to military and community resources.
--The Army National Guard provides between 1-to-4 contracted Risk
Reduction and Prevention Coordinators in each state, territory
and DC to help commanders assess high-risk behaviors that are
counterproductive to readiness--such as substance abuse, sexual
crimes, family violence, and suicide. Despite COVID-19
restrictions, coordinators were able to survey over 150,000
Soldiers in FY20, resulting in remote drills, risk mitigation
plans for 2,588 units, and nearly 3,000 prevention training
events.
Resilient Warriors
--The Chief, National Guard Bureau established NGB Warrior Resilience
and Fitness to ensure multiple programs supporting the well-
being and resilience of Guard members and their families are
synchronized into a holistic and integrated model that
leverages the Total Force Fitness framework.
--Warrior Resilience and Fitness developed a Compendium of Warrior
Resilience and Fitness Strategies with over 167 research-
informed programs aimed at preventing and responding to
suicide, sexual assault, and substance abuse.
--Warrior Resilience and Fitness Innovation Incubator provides
funding and technical assistance to 22 pilots across 29
states and territories to assist with implementation and
evaluation of programs that promote resilience and prevent
harmful behaviors.
--NGB signed a memorandum with the Veteran's Administration to
provide greater access to behavioral health services for NG
members during drill weekends. The initiative has seen an
increase in the number of NG members receiving services
during drill weekends (14%) and at Vet Centers (44%).
--SPRINGboard is the first NG-specific readiness tool that will
help leaders make more informed decisions about the health
of Service members.
--NGB partnered with the Uniform Services University and Purdue
University to train community-based behavioral health
providers in military culture. More than 800 providers have
received specialized training.
--NGB signed a memorandum with Psych Hub to provide NG members with
access to the COVID-19 Mental Health Resource Hub that has
over 600 videos and podcasts that support mental health and
reduce stigma about seeking care.
--NGB and the Marines partnered on the first Innovation,
Prevention, and Outreach (IPO) forum to improve behavioral
health, access to care, and overall well-being for
geographically dispersed Reserve Component members and
their families.
Give Teens a Second Chance
--Forty National Guard Youth ChalleNGe and 5 Job ChalleNGe academies
across the country have graduated more than 187,923 cadets
since the program's inception in 1993. The 5-1/2 month, Youth
Challenge in-residence course takes at- risk 16- to 18-year-
olds and teaches them the life skills and self-discipline
needed to succeed, while helping them to earn credits toward
high school diplomas or prepare them for a GED. The 5-month Job
Challenge in-residence program allows some Youth ChalleNGe
graduates to obtain job certifications, credentials or
apprenticeships to facilitate obtaining living wage jobs.
--Nearly 83% of all ChalleNGe graduates earn their high school
diploma, GED or obtain college credits; nearly 32% go on to
attend additional college or other schools.
--The per-student-cost for a ChalleNGe graduate averages $21,450
compared to the almost $63,000 per-year cost for a youth in
juvenile custody.
25 Years in Space
--The National Guard provides our nation and DOD partners a proven
capability by supplying 100 percent of its unit-equipped,
surge-to-war operational reserve forces.
--Currently, the Air National Guard provides 60 percent of the Space
Force's offensive space electronic warfare capability.
--The Air National Guard operates the nation's only survivable and
endurable strategic missile warning/nuclear detection
capability and provides the nation's strategic missile warning
on the High Frontier.
--In support of DOD space missions, NG members conduct training that
bolsters space capabilities and enables homeland protection.
--The Air National Guard's 14 space units in 7 states (AK, CA, CO,
FL, HI, NY, and OH) and one territory (Guam) are conducting
daily missions in support of global Combatant Command
operations.
--Long-standing partnerships and civilian employment with state and
local space entities, in both the public and private sectors,
allows for access, seamless integration and immediate response.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General Hokanson.
Next up, we have Vice Admiral John Mustin of the Navy
Reserve.
STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL JOHN B. MUSTIN, CHIEF, U.S.
NAVY RESERVE
Admiral Mustin. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, and
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today.
It's my distinct honor to report to you on the status and
the vision of America's Navy Reserve.
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize my wife Kim
whose steadfast support through my nearly three-decade Navy
career exemplifies the service and sacrifices typical of our
military spouses.
I'd also like to express my gratitude to Navy Reserve Force
Master Chief Chris Coates, my partner and confidante, who
tirelessly advocates for our enlisted Reserve sailors every
day.
This is also the perfect time to publicly thank my fellow
Reserve service chiefs for their ongoing support, counsel,
collaboration, and partnership.
Finally, I'd like to recognize the 109,000 sailors, our
nearly 500 dedicated civilians, the families who support them,
and the thousands of employers who value and enable the service
of our citizen sailors worldwide. They are all equally critical
stakeholders in the success of our Navy Reserve.
Your Navy Reserve sailors are flexible and responsive. This
past year alone to address the coronavirus-19 pandemic, the
Navy Reserve activated more than 7,000 sailors in direct
support of the Nation's emergency response.
I remain humbled by their agility, capability, and their
sacrifices as well as the enduring support of their families
and employers.
Your Reserve force is also a strategic asset. Aligned with
the National Defense Strategy, the Tristar Maritime Strategy,
and the Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan, the Navy
Reserve is at an inflection point, pivoting to develop
essential strategic depth.
This renewed maritime focus on integrated all-domain naval
power will address the provocative behavior we experience daily
from a rising China, a resurgent Russia, and other ambitious
authoritarian states who seek to disturb global norms and the
rules-based international order.
To this end, the singular priority of the Navy Reserve is
simple: warfighting readiness. Modernization of our equipment,
training systems, and mobilization processes will generate
efficiencies that enhance our contribution to the total force
at an attractive resource-informed cost.
To ensure our sailors are operating relevant modern
equipment, procurement of the Juliet Variant to replace legacy
C-130 aircraft is the Navy Reserve's Number 1 equipment
priority. With an average age approaching three decades and a
mission-capable rate of only 25 percent, the current C-130
Tango Fleet is challenged to meet sustained fleet logistics
requirements.
With the mission-capable rate of nearly 75 percent, the KC-
130 Juliette, on the other hand, would provide an additional
$200 million per year in transportation cost savings to the
Navy.
Similarly, modernization of Navy Reserve high-end adversary
aircraft is aligned with the Navy's divestment of legacy FN-18
Hornets. Increasing Navy Reserve capability and capacity to
support Navy adversary requirements will extend Active
component strike fighter service life while concurrently
enabling the dedication of precious fleet aircraft and flight
hours to the fleet-specific operational missions they were
purchased to perform.
The totality of Navy Reserve modernization also includes
enhancing the processes and systems employed to mobilize our
sailors. For example, adaptive mobilization will increase
current activation capacity 15-fold while reducing the
mobilization timeline by over 80 percent, effectively
activating the entire force in 30 days.
Integral to this process is the implementation of the Navy
personnel and pay system, NP-2, the single-most important
administrative enhancement in decades, which will become
operational in January of 2022.
Your Reserve sailors are one team. Central and vital to the
generation of critical enduring advantage are or people. The
Navy Reserve continues to forge a culture of excellence based
on the Navy's core values, honor, courage, and commitment, and
our four core attributes.
We're dedicated to fostering the diverse inclusive culture
that generates our decisive warfighting advantage. They are a
winning team and they are ready.
That said, delivering surge and warfighting ready maritime
forces to the total force would be impossible without your
continued support. Specifically, we appreciate your support in
the modernization efforts of the Reserve maritime, patrol, and
reconnaissance capability. The acquisition of P-8 Alpha
Aircraft ensures the Reserve force continues to deliver
necessary operational strategic value across the force.
Additional modernization efforts supported by the National
Guard and Reserve Equipment Account, which is vital to ensuring
the readiness and lethality of Reserve equipment, and
ultimately the timely delivery of a fiscal year 2022
appropriations bill will provide predictability to our sailors,
to their families, to their employers, and, most importantly,
to our global combatant commanders.
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, I remain humbled
every day by the commitment and contribution of our citizen
sailors, our dedicated civilians, and the supporting families
that collectively are your Navy Reserve. They all serve our
Nation with distinction every day in every theater around the
globe 24/7/365. They are the sentinels of our security.
Their readiness is not coincidental nor guaranteed and yet
our Navy and our Nation are counting on them to be ready when
called. With your continued support, they will deliver proudly
and capably.
I thank you for your support and attention and I welcome
your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Vice Admiral John B. Mustin
Chairman Tester, Vice Chairman Shelby, distinguished members of the
Committee, it is my distinct pleasure to report to you today on the
contribution of the Navy Reserve to the national defense, both as it
stands today and as we urgently adapt to address future challenges.
The Navy Reserve, like the Reserve Service of each other military
branch, provides the strategic depth and surge capacity necessary to
assure the security and prosperity of the United States, whenever and
wherever needed. In the two decades since 9/11, the Navy Reserve has
executed 93,362 mobilizations, with 69,449 individual Sailors
responding to support the global war on terrorism and related military
operations and contingencies. This past year, in response to the acute
early phase of the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Navy Reserve
mobilized to support the missions of USNS COMFORT and USNS MERCY in New
York and Los Angeles to relieve overburdened local hospitals. In total,
the Navy Reserve has executed 7,310 activations as part of the nation's
emergency response to the pandemic, and today nearly 900 Reserve
Sailors are serving on active duty in support of COVID-19 related
missions. These examples highlight the flexibility, readiness and value
our citizen-Sailors provide. And yet, these significant contributions
merely hint at what may be required from the Navy Reserve in a future
conflict with a near-peer maritime competitor.
As the President recently expressed in his Interim National
Security Strategic Guidance, the United States must ``renew our
enduring advantage'' in response to growing rivalries with China,
Russia, and another authoritarian states. The Navy, in partnership with
the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, is urgently adapting to generate
Integrated All-Domain Naval Power to confront these and other emerging
challenges, and the Navy Reserve is similarly transforming to prepare
for the future. Last year, I issued the Navy Reserve Fighting
Instructions, directing the
Reserve Force to adapt to address the challenges authoritarian
regimes pose to the free, open, rules-based international order we have
enjoyed for decades. Firmly aligned with the Tri-Service Maritime
Strategy and the Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO's) Navigation Plan
(NAVPLAN), these Fighting Instructions make clear that my number one--
and only--priority for the Navy Reserve is warfighting readiness.
The focus on warfighting readiness begins with our people. The Navy
Reserve will continue to foster a diverse, inclusive team of Sailors
and Civilians who view respect as our cornerstone attribute. We
recognize the critical importance of forging cohesive teams that
succeed in cooperation, prevail in competition and win in conflict. We
are actively addressing extremism and promoting a positive culture
based on the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment.
Additionally, the Navy Reserve invests heavily in programs that provide
services to those at risk for destructive behavior. With the Culture of
Excellence Campaign as our foundation, we will continue to modernize
the systems supporting our Sailors and target our investments to train
a highly effective warfighting force.
While central and critically important, our team of highly trained
and motivated Sailors alone will not win the day in a modern conflict.
Achieving warfighting readiness also demands that we provide our
Sailors with cutting-edge warfare systems and equipment. For
capabilities with relatively low peacetime operational requirements,
the reserve component is a cost-effective alternative for providing
surge capacity during a conflict. To ensure interoperability with the
Navy and Joint Force, the Navy Reserve plans to acquire modern
capabilities and to upgrade legacy platforms. As we have demonstrated
for over a century, investment in Reserve equipment and capabilities
provides the Navy with surge capacity for long-term strategic
competition at a favorable, resource-informed cost.
Our modern, highly trained fighting force must be capable of
surging to the battle quickly. To that end, the Navy Reserve is
modernizing its mobilization infrastructure to assure the ability to
mobilize the entire Selected Reserve population--roughly 50,000
Sailors--within 30 days. The design and implementation of a distributed
activation process will rely on regional and local Navy Reserve
Activities to mobilize Reserve Sailors directly to their wartime
billets. Advanced data analytics will allow us to better predict and
address the availability of Sailors for mobilization. We are also
leveraging information technology to create efficiencies that enable
operational capability for our geographically distributed force.
Together, these changes will make the Selected Reserve more responsive
and accessible to emergent crises and conflict.
Timely, predictable and relevant funding from Congress is critical
for the Navy Reserve to meet mission requirements and, as always, we
are grateful for your continued support and enduring interest.
Specifically, keeping the Reserve Personnel Navy account funded at
President's Budget levels enables the Reserve Force to generate
warfighting readiness through trained Sailors who are ready to fight
and win in the early stages of conflict and sustain combat operations
following the outbreak of hostilities. Continued Congressional support
will ensure that the Navy Reserve provides relevant, modern capability
and capacity and a resilient surge force today, and into the next
decade and beyond.
People
Future conflicts will demand a great deal from the men and women of
the Navy Reserve. Our Sailors, Civilians and the families who support
them collectively embody a Culture of Excellence that makes a
formidable fighting force. To provide a ready, capable force, we owe
our Sailors exceptional training, modern equipment, and a network of
support that enables them to balance civilian jobs, military
requirements, and family obligations.
Culture
Consistent with the Chief of Naval Operations' direction, the Navy
Reserve continues to nurture a Culture of Excellence and to develop the
resiliency of the force, while eliminating destructive behavior of all
kinds. The warfighting readiness of the Navy Reserve depends on a
diverse force with varying perspectives, united by a firm resolve to
uphold our core values of honor, courage and commitment. Our
organization has no tolerance for discrimination, extremism, or sexual
assault and sexual harassment. Similarly, we are committed to the
mental wellness of our Sailors and addressing the complicated and
tragic issue of suicide.
diversity, equity and inclusion
The Navy Reserve is committed to cultivating diversity, equity and
inclusion across the Force. This effort promotes organizational trust
and transparency, and is a key factor in generating and maintaining
warfighting readiness. To this end, the Navy Reserve played an active
role in Task Force One Navy's efforts to identify and dismantle
barriers to equality. We will continue to fortify a culture that values
diversity and will inculcate the CNO's ten Signature Behaviors as a way
of life for our Sailors and their families. These efforts leverage our
differences and capitalize on individual strengths to create a cohesive
and unified force where each Sailor's unique experiences, background
and contributions are valued.
In alignment with the Secretary of Defense's direction, the Navy
Reserve is also committed to eliminating extremism in the Force. Our
policies prohibit Reserve Sailors from participating in organizations
that advance supremacist, extremist or criminal gang doctrine, ideology
and causes. This prohibition includes organizations that advocate
illegal discrimination or encourage the use of force to deprive
individuals of their civil rights. Leaders in the Navy Reserve are
empowered with the full range of disciplinary authority, including
administrative separation and criminal prosecution, to deal with
Sailors who engage in extremist activities. We are also incorporating
screening for these behaviors and ideologies as new Sailors apply to
join the Reserve Force. We value inclusion and will remove those
individuals whose extreme views are contrary to the law or our
standards of conduct.
sailor wellness
Each Sailor, Civilian and family member is invaluable to our
warfighting force, and we are dedicated to ensuring their wellness. The
21st Century Sailor office provides the policy guidance for the support
network, programs, resources, training, and skills needed for our
Sailors and families, both active and reserve, to overcome adversity
and thrive. Tailored to our deploying and returning Sailors, the Yellow
Ribbon Reintegration Program provides preemptive services, such as
Returning Warrior Workshops, Deployment Readiness Training, and
Deployment Health Assessments to address challenges facing Reserve
Sailors and their families while serving the nation. We also provide
the Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP) as a resource to
enhance the resiliency of our Reserve Sailors. PHOP counselors and
coordinators provide Resiliency Check-In events to new Sailors and
Commands, enabling one-on-one mental wellness assessments and
electronic behavioral health screening for immediate access to
services.
In addition to programs that promote Sailor well-being, we provide
safety nets for those Sailors who are struggling with depression or
post-traumatic stress, and who may be at risk for suicide. To prevent
such tragedy, we provide easily accessible resiliency-building
resources, promote seeking support as a sign of strength, and encourage
the connectedness of our people. Sailor Assistance and Intercept for
Life, an evidence-based suicide prevention program, provides rapid
assistance, ongoing risk assessment, and care coordination and
reintegration assistance for activated Reserve Sailors who have
demonstrated suicide related behavior. The prevention of suicide is an
``all hands on deck'' effort.
eliminating sexual assault and sexual harassment
All members of our team perform at their best when the prevailing
culture is one of inclusion, diversity, and respect. Conduct contrary
to these values undermines our readiness and impacts our ability to
execute warfighting missions. Sexual assault and sexual harassment are
crimes that must be eliminated. We are breaking down the barriers that
lead to non-reporting, and training all Sailors on the programs
available to assist them in addressing sexual assault and sexual
harassment. The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program is an
integral piece of our concerted effort to eliminate sexual crimes in
the Force. Leaders at every level are responsible and accountable for
the culture of their command and our resolve to eliminate sexual
assault is focused and indefatigable.
Supporting Our Sailors
Just as our Sailors cannot thrive without a positive culture, they
would be hamstrung without practical policies and processes that enable
their service. To that end, we are streamlining pay and personnel
processes that govern how we bring Reserve Sailors onto active duty and
how they are paid. Duty status reform, incentive pay and bonuses, and
the Navy Personnel and Pay (NP2) system are the practical means that
retain the best Sailors and help forge an effective warfighting force.
duty status reform
For the past 25 years, efforts to reform the complex system of RC
duty statuses have garnered attention without closure. Recently, in
response to urgent tasking to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, we
placed Navy Reserve Sailors in important roles, but in a variety of
dissimilar order types. The varied benefits associated with myriad duty
statuses makes it possible for us to compensate Sailors differently,
and to provide dissimilar protections, for equivalent work--a situation
that highlights the need for reform, simplification and
standardization. The Navy Reserve supports the Department of Defense's
efforts to consolidate and simplify the approximately 30 existing
Reserve duty status legal authorities. This consolidation will address
imbalances and disruptions in pay and benefits, reduce overall
complexity, and ensure programming and budgeting processes align to the
categories, purposes, and duration of the orders.
navy reserve special and incentive pay and bonuses
The Navy Reserve must recruit and retain Sailors with the skills
required to compete and win in today's challenging security
environment. Recognizing that many of our Sailors' specialized skills
are highly sought after in the civilian marketplace, we provide special
and incentive pay and bonuses to attract Sailors in hard-to-fill
specialties. The current bonus structure for Reserve incentive programs
is critical to mitigating manning shortfalls in specific, high-demand
skills and paygrades. Sustained Congressional support of predictable,
critical RPN funding is necessary to ensure the Navy Reserve can
attract and deliver the talent we need to prevail in a modern conflict.
navy personnel and pay
Pay problems, largely caused by antiquated pay systems, continue to
challenge and frustrate our Reserve Sailors and their families. An
integral component of the MyNavy HR Transformation, the Navy Personnel
and Pay (NP2) system offers a modernized pay system that will enhance
the quality of life for our citizen-Sailors while serving our nation.
NP2 will integrate active and reserve component personnel and pay
systems into a single Navy system. Specifically, in 2022, NP2 will
achieve Initial Operating Capability for Treasury Direct Disbursement,
with continued development of Personnel products and capabilities to
achieve Full Operating Capability. The resulting changes will enable
Reserve Sailors to seamlessly transition on and off active duty,
without a disruption in pay. A seamless transition to active duty
provides the efficiency necessary to mobilize large numbers of Sailors
in a short time, as may be anticipated when surging forces to confront
a near-peer rival. Similarly, this system will enable seamless
demobilization processing without the burdensome, manual pay processes
that characterize today's workflow.
Training the Warfighter
Changing global dynamics and growing rivalries with authoritarian
states demand a renewed focus on maritime tactics, techniques and
procedures. With an inclusive culture and supporting systems as a
foundation, we will emphasize training our Sailors to develop the
critical warfighting skills required to prevail in high-end conflict.
We are assessing and updating policies to focus our Sailors on training
for their mobilization billets, while reducing land-based individual
augmentations and distracting administrative commitments unrelated to
the Navy Reserve's traditional maritime role.
mobilization to billet
Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Navy began
augmenting the Joint Force with Sailors who deployed as Joint
Individual Augments (IAs) to alleviate land forces' high operational
tempo during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Initially, the Navy sourced IAs from both the active and reserve
components equally based on mission suitability. Over time, however,
the reserve component assumed the majority of IA mobilizations.
Specifically, in the last three years (FY18, 19 and 20), the RC sourced
over 76% of the Navy's IA requirements, many outside the maritime
domain. During this same period, the Navy Reserve has adhered to the
Department of Defense's mobilization to dwell ratio policy. Under this
policy, following a one year deployment, each Sailor requires Secretary
of Defense approval to deploy with their unit if less than four years
from the previous mobilization period, resulting in a loss of strategic
depth and reduction in the capability and readiness of their unit. At
present, with 9% of the force mobilized on IA missions and 18%
sequestered in dwell, 27% of the Force is effectively fenced from surge
mobilization as a result of IA demand. Eliminating involuntary, non-
maritime individual augmentation requirements will restore strategic
depth, and more effectively focus the Reserve Force on critical naval
roles at sea and ashore.
Future conflict with our maritime rivals may come with minimal
advanced warning, leaving little time to prepare. Our renewed focus on
potential maritime conflict recognizes that a rapid response requires
Selected Reserve Sailors to be trained and proficient in the functions
and tasks associated with their programmed wartime billets. This
mobilization-to-billet concept demands all Selected Reserve personnel
train to the requirements of their warfighting role, ready to
contribute to the fight in the earliest stages of conflict. Under a
train-mobilize-deploy model, Reserve units will mobilize and deploy
together as a unit, rather than individually, to conduct the
warfighting missions they will have trained in advance to perform.
Capability and Capacity
To confront near-peer maritime rivals, the Navy Reserve will adapt
its Fleet Design to provide the Navy with a cost-effective,
sustainable, warfighting and surge-ready Total Force, structured to
prevail in future competition and conflict. A critical aspect of this
transformation is modernization of legacy platforms, systems, and
equipment to ensure alignment with the latest Navy, Marine Corps, and
Coast Guard operating concepts. The future fight may also require the
strategic depth provided by our Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), and as
such, we are updating our policies, systems, and processes to enhance
IRR accessibility and effectiveness.
Future Fleet Design
The Navy Reserve is optimizing its force structure to develop
warfighting capabilities that generate the strategic depth required for
long-term strategic competition. My Fighting Instructions directed
Reserve leaders, in close coordination with their active component
counterparts, to assess the requirement for additional Reserve
capability or capacity to address future challenges. For example,
increasing complexity and the prospect of global conflict will require
Fleet commanders to provide command and control of a large number of
distributed Navy and Joint forces. Innovative Navy operating concepts
call for distributed operations in contested environments, presenting
logistics and communications challenges where peacetime solutions that
leverage civilian supply chains and communications infrastructure may
prove unreliable. Manning shortfalls in critical areas in the active
component, combined with an intractable maintenance backlog, may
challenge the Navy's ability to surge fleet forces in response to a
crisis. The contest in the space and cyber domains and a greater
leveraging of unmanned systems are transforming the nature of modern
warfare, requiring specialized knowledge and skills. We will base
decisions to place such capabilities or capacities in the reserve
component on the Reserve Force's ability to deliver these capabilities
at a reduced cost, within acceptable risk, relative to the active
component.
Equipment Modernization
The Tri-Service Maritime Strategy and CNO's NAVPLAN mandate that
the Navy Reserve keep pace with our active duty counterparts to provide
seamless integration with the force. We are actively pursuing
modernization of the Reserve Force to ensure interoperability between
active and reserve platforms and systems, and divesting legacy systems
that have exceeded their useful life. Last year's purchase of Reserve
P-8 aircraft to recapitalize two aging--but highly operational--P-3C
squadrons was a significant step forward in this endeavor.
navy unique fleet essential airlift
Since World War II, the Navy has relied on aviation combat
logistics to enable the expeditionary requirements associated with
global naval operations. Operated entirely by the Navy Reserve, Navy
Unique Fleet Essential Airlift consists of 30 C/KC-130T and 17 C-40A
aircraft that provide the Navy's sole source of organic intra-theater
air logistics. These platforms are capable of providing oversized cargo
(F-35 engines, AMRAAM and Harpoon missiles, submarine masts, etc.) to
forward-deployed and expeditionary Naval Forces, a critical link in the
warfighting supply chain. Last year, fleet logistics (VR) squadrons
flew 22,707 flight hours and transported 111,625 passengers and 22.2
million pounds of cargo for the Navy and the Department of Defense.
Executing these missions generated a cost avoidance of nearly $1.0
billion per year relative to alternative means of transportation.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Navy Reserve VR squadrons
ensured the continuity of Navy training pipelines, safely flying
Sailors between training sites when commercial options were reduced or
unavailable. Supporting global operations, VR squadrons also
transported personnel between U.S. overseas bases around the world.
Specifically, C-130 missions increased 7.5% (from 817 missions to 878),
while flight hours increased 16.6% (from 7,922 to 9,235 hours). Even
with the increased execution of flight hours and missions, demand
continues to increase for C-130 lift, with unmet lift requests
reflecting a gap between demand and capacity. To date, FY21 indicates
an even greater demand for cargo this year than in FY19 and FY20.
Procurement of the KC-130J to replace the legacy C/KC-130T is the
Navy Reserve's top equipment priority. Transitioning from legacy
airframes to the modern KC-130J aircraft is necessary to fill critical
capability and capacity gaps and ensure interoperability with our
active and reserve component Marine Corps and Air Force partners, who
have already transitioned to the KC-130J. Every mission capable
aircraft generates an average of $48.6 million in cost avoidance for
the transport of equipment. The current Mission Capable rates of the C/
KC-130T average 25% of Total Aircraft Inventory, and required
modifications of that legacy airframe will limit aircraft availability
to a maximum of 33% until 2030. Comparatively, we expect to realize a
70% mission capable rate for the KC-130J which will provide an
additional $200 million per year in transportation and cost savings to
the Navy. The current C/KC-130T fleet struggles to meet current fleet
demand and lacks the required capability and capacity to meet wartime
intra-theater logistics requirements, a situation best remedied through
recapitalization.
aviation adversary training
The Reserve Tactical Support Wing (TSW) maintains 31 F-5N/F
aircraft to provide low-to-mid level threat replication. These aircraft
are split between two squadrons: VFC-111 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Key
West, Florida, and VFC-13 at NAS Fallon, Nevada. In order to increase
Adversary capacity, the Navy purchased 11 F-5E/F aircraft from
Switzerland in FY20. Prior to delivery, these aircraft will receive
modern avionics and an airframe reconfiguration to match the current
active Navy airframe configuration. These 11 aircraft will deliver to
TSW squadrons from 2022-2025 as F-5N+/F+, increasing both capacity and
capability.
TSW currently provides critical high-end Adversary support to the
Fleet with 27 F/A18A-D aircraft assigned to VFA-204 at NAS Joint
Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana, and VFC-12 at NAS Oceana,
Virginia. Due to the extremely high projected cost per flight hour
(+$44,000) of these ``Legacy Hornets,'' the Navy is accelerating
divestment from the F/A-18A-D aircraft. VFC-12's transition from the F/
A-18A-D Hornet to the Block I FA-18E/F Super Hornet in FY21 is the
first step towards accelerating Legacy Hornet divestment. Because there
is an insufficient quantity of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft to
recapitalize the entire F/A-18A-D fleet assigned to TSW, a plan has
been proposed to replace the F/A-18C with F-16 aircraft from the United
States Air Force and Air National Guard. Providing the Fleet with
advanced, high- fidelity Adversary support will require future funding
to further modernize these aircraft with threat representative
capabilities such as Infrared Search and Track Systems and the
evolution of the Adversary data link known as RedNet.
Within the next decade, 62% of the Navy Reserve's current Adversary
aircraft will be retired due to the high cost of each service hour, or
because they have reached the end of their service life.
Recapitalization and expansion of Adversary capacity in the Navy
Reserve presents a cost-effective, sustainable solution to develop
warfighting readiness. In FY20, active component Strike Fighter
squadrons flew 13,129 hours of Adversary support, generating more than
half of the total Navy Adversary hours while adding costly flight hours
on inventory-limited fleet aircraft. Flying more Adversary hours in the
Reserve increases service life of those active Fleet Strike Fighter
aircraft and at the same time reduces overhead operational costs. As
such, increasing Navy Reserve support to Navy Adversary requirements
will improve active component Strike Fighter service life, while
enabling the dedication of Fleet flight hours to train for warfighting
readiness.
Warfighting Capacity: Individual Ready Reserve Management
A highly trained, well-designed Selected Reserve with the latest
equipment may still be insufficient to confront our maritime rivals. In
global conflict, the Navy will require ready access to the additional
capacity and talent resident in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). The
Navy's IRR consists of 41,000 trained Sailors with previous service in
the active component or Selected Reserve, now serving in a non-pay,
non-participation status. IRR Sailors have residual military service
obligations and are available for Selected Reserve accessions, as well
as mobilization to support Navy and Joint operations. The emergence of
COVID-19 provided an opportunity to re-imagine how we employ the IRR,
prioritize and facilitate participation, and examine our abilities to
leverage resident skills to meet warfighting requirements. In alignment
with Navy Reserve Force initiatives and the Chief of Naval Personnel,
we are exploring programmatic changes that enable proactive management
of the IRR to improve readiness and reconstitute the strategic depth of
the Total Force.
Mobilization Infrastructure and Technology
A growing rivalry with near-peer maritime competitors demands the
capability to rapidly surge forces for conflict. The Navy Reserve is
adapting our mobilization processes and leveraging Information
Technology to meet this demand.
Total Force Mobilization
The Navy Reserve is transitioning from a mobilization process
tailored to meet Joint IA demands associated with the global war on
terrorism, to one that accelerates access to the reserve component by
providing greater throughput suitable for the demands of an evolving
security environment. This new process, known as Adaptive Mobilization,
requires achieving efficiencies in Full Time Support (FTS) manpower
across geographically distributed mobilization centers. Realignment of
selected Navy Operational Support Centers (NOSCs), and the Sailors who
staff them, is necessary to realize this efficiency.
adaptive mobilization
Surging to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navy Reserve first
operationalized the Adaptive Mobilization concept in the face of real-
world urgent demands. Nearly 1,000 Sailors mobilized through their
local Navy Reserve Activity rather than through a single, centralized
processing site as Sailors had done for the last decade. This change
eliminates the bottleneck associated with the legacy process and
promises strategically significant improvements in accessing the force
in large-scale global conflict.
navy operational support center realignment
The Navy Reserve maintains at least one Navy Operational Support
Center (NOSC) in each of the 50 states and two US territories. This
presence has historically provided Navy representation in communities
far from fleet concentration areas. To achieve the accessibility
improvements promised by Adaptive Mobilization, however, the current
infrastructure profile requires realignment. A rigorous review of all
122 NOSCs identified opportunities for consolidation to reapply FTS
manpower for the Adaptive Mobilization model. Closure decisions will be
based on criteria that includes the presence of other NOSCs in close
proximity, whether the center is on a military facility, changes in the
local Selected Reserve population, the age of the facilities, and
operating and repair costs. Should any NOSC be identified for
consolidation, we will redistribute the FTS staff to support
implementation of the Adaptive Mobilization model across the force.
These changes will significantly accelerate our ability to surge
Sailors to the fight and meet warfighting requirements. Further, they
simultaneously reduce sustained force protection risk, administrative
redundancies, and operating and maintenance costs. Additionally,
consolidation will mitigate the inherent risk to aging infrastructure
from forces such as climate change. For example, in FY21, we spent
$600,000 for hurricane damage and repairs, and there are repairs
remaining from the FY21 Texas freeze and other hurricane disasters.
Closing a select few NOSCs will capture cost savings, reduce
redundancy, divest aging infrastructure, and allow strategic investment
in the redistribution of Full Time Support manpower to support Adaptive
Mobilization processes. NOSC realignment will better position the Navy
Reserve to adapt to meet the changing needs of the global security
environment.
Information Technology
The Navy Reserve leverages information technology (IT) capabilities
to enable the training and readiness of a geographically distributed
force and has begun to employ data analytics to achieve greater
efficiencies for force mobilization.
cloud computing, mobility innovations and digital capabilities
The Navy Reserve's strategy for information technology provides
approximately 59,000 geographically dispersed Ready Reservists world-
wide access to critical IT business systems. The strategy emphasizes
improving efficiency and lethality through three core technological
advances: Cloud Computing, Mobility Innovations and Digital
Capabilities. Secure mobile applications, innovative technological
solutions that simplify processes, and the use of data science to
inform strategic decisions are force enablers that keep the Reserve
Force operating in a technologically advanced battle space. During the
peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navy Reserve seamlessly continued
mobilization and warfighting readiness and training requirements as
well as steady operational support due to IT capabilities on par with
commercially available technology.
non-deployability analytics
The Navy Reserve is maturing its data analytics capability to reap
the benefits of advances in data science and emerging technologies such
as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML). Navy Reserve
Sailors must meet deployability standards to be eligible for
mobilization to the battlefield. Using AI/ML, we have developed an
application that accurately predicts those Reserve members at highest
risk for mobilization cancellation. More importantly, the Mobilization
Assurance and Assistance Program for SELRES (known as MAAPS) identifies
unique factors for each Reservist in much the same manner as a ``FICO
score,'' allowing leadership to tailor interventions to their
particular challenges, thus increasing the overall deployability of the
Force.
conclusion
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are urgently adapting to
provide Integrated All-Domain Naval Power to address the reemergence of
maritime rivals. Similarly, the Navy Reserve has prioritized
warfighting readiness to provide a surge-ready Total Force capable of
defending the nation, as we have done for more than a century. The Navy
Reserve is committed to forging our Sailors into an effective maritime
warfighting force, underpinned by a strong cultural foundation, shared
values, and tactical proficiency. A future fleet designed around
capabilities that provide a decisive advantage, enabled by modern
platforms and hardware, will ensure the Total Force prevails in
competition or conflict. Greater efficiencies realized through advances
in our mobilization infrastructure and information technology will
provide the ability to deploy war-wining forces rapidly to the conflict
theater. These enhancements to the generation of the Navy Reserve's
warfighting readiness support the strategic direction reflected in the
National Defense Strategy and current service doctrine, and will
contribute to prevailing in conflict if necessary.
On behalf of the men and women of the United States Navy Reserve,
thank you for your steadfast support of Navy Reserve Sailors,
Civilians, families, and employers. The Navy Reserve enjoys a 106 year
history of facing and overcoming challenges. Beginning with our
founding in 1915, anticipating the emerging global insecurity of the
First World War, adapting to the capability, capacity, and scale
required by the Second World War, evolving during the long phases of
the Cold War and into the Global War on Terror, our Navy Reserve has
adapted in each era to answer the emerging challenges of national
security. Today, we have entered a new era with new challenges. With
your continued support, we will lead the adaptation of our Navy Reserve
to address the current and future global environment with speed and
agility.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Admiral Mustin.
Next, we have Lieutenant General Richard Scobee, the Air
Force Reserve.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL RICHARD W. SCOBEE,
CHIEF, U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE
General Scobee. Hello, Chairman Tester, Ranking Member
Shelby, and Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee.
It's an honor for me to be here today with my other service
counterparts, and it's also an honor for me to represent the
airmen of the Air Force Reserve.
I would normally be joined today by my senior enlisted
advisor, Chief Master Sergeant Tim White, but he is supporting
the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and the Chief Master
Sergeant of the Space Force at their Quality of Life Hearing
with the House.
As a command team, the Command Chief and I are continually
amazed at the accomplishments of our Air Force Reserve citizen
airmen, despite every challenge that has been put in front of
them over the past year.
The Air Force Reserve is a cost-effective, accessible, and
ready force. We provide strategic depth with rapid surge
capability across every Air Force core mission set. We do so
cost effectively because we are predominantly a part-time force
and we are an accessible force, contributing globally to Joint
Force operations every day, and, finally, we are a ready force.
When the Nation needed rapid pandemic response, we had
medical personnel on the ground in New York City and New Jersey
within 48 hours of being notified. We provide strategic depth
for national defense while operating on only 3 percent of the
Air Force budget.
We're committed to attracting top talent and fostering a
culture of inclusion where every airman is valued and can
thrive.
With Congress's assistance, we preserve pre-pandemic gains
in both individual and unit level readiness and through things
like force innovations, such as virtual training. We modernize
key weapon systems and lessen critical manpower shortfalls. We
increased our organizational effectiveness and enhanced our
ability to provide excellent care for citizen airmen and their
families through internal reforms and process improvements.
The Air Force Reserve invests every congressionally-enacted
dollar for maximum return. We are grateful for the $19.5
million we received in CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security) Act funding, which allowed us to rapidly
scale our telework capability to protect our workforce during
the pandemic.
We are also grateful for continued direct hire authority
for critical career fields. Last year with this authority, we
significantly increased our Air Reserve technician pilot
manning from where it was at 75 percent the last time we talked
to 97 percent today.
Our requested fiscal year 2022 budget will ensure the Air
Force Reserve meets national defense strategy objectives and
the multi-domain force that we need.
We are in step with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's
vision to accelerate change or lose. We are able to compete
with our nation's adversaries across the spectrum of conflict
and will continue to do that by capitalizing on our readiness
gains we made last year.
We diligently request only those funds we can execute, the
Reserve personnel appropriations and operation, and maintenance
funds which drive our readiness. These accounts fund our
training, our flying hours, mobilization requirements, our
equipment maintenance, and our salaries.
In particular, our flying hour and civilian pay programs
have taken considerable reductions in recent years, rightfully
so, due to insufficient justification and an overestimation of
funds that we needed.
We've made significant internal strides in adjusting these
accounts, and I look forward to working with you to enhance
readiness and reduce risk in our fiscal year 2022 budget.
I also want to thank you for enabling access to Tricare
Reserve Select. We are all on this panel in agreement that this
major legislative accomplishment will offer affordable
continuity of care for our members and their families.
However, the legislative currently doesn't take effect
until 2030. To improve our Reserve force's quality of life and
readiness, I request your support for accelerated
implementation and funding of this healthcare access.
One final area I would like to touch on is equipment
parity. We accomplish this primarily through the National Guard
and Reserve Equipment Appropriation. NGREA enables us to
modernize equipment, sustain our capability, and replace
obsolete equipment to maintain parity with the Active component
when recapitalization is not feasible.
Parity is critical to seamless total force integration and
we remain grateful for these appropriations and cannot
overemphasize how vital they are to our readiness. I appreciate
your support for NGREA now and in the future.
Thank you for the opportunity to be here before you today
and for your steadfast support as we ensure the Air Force
Reserve remains prepared to defend our great Nation and the
American people. I look forward to answering 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 requires 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 were able to
make steady gains in readiness during Fiscal Years (FY) 2018 and 2019
and preserve those gains in FY 2020. Funding from the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was integral in our efforts
to maintain readiness during the pandemic. With nearly $19.5 million in
additional funding, we were able to invest in needed software and
information technology infrastructure, allowing us to preserve our
force and provide virtual training. With this investment, we scaled
from an average of less than 1,000 remote workers to supporting nearly
15,000 across the Total Force. Passing legislative relief to allow
Reservists to complete a qualifying year for retirement if the COVID-19
pandemic prevented them from doing so, has the potential to be
extremely beneficial by preventing career disruption.
With the assistance of Congress, we have preserved both individual
and unit level readiness across the Air Force Reserve. Our nuclear
deterrence forces are mission ready, and we increased our priority 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.
While we continue to preserve our force and readiness, we still
face challenges. Due to limited resources, the Air Force Reserve will
continue to balance requirements and prioritize critical system
upgrades to our aircraft to enhance our ability to provide relevant
warfighting capacity to the Total Force in order to enable joint all-
domain operations. Additionally, we will begin to prioritize backlogged
infrastructure and facilities requirements within our existing
resources to optimize our training.
The Nation's adversaries have studied our vulnerabilities and
employed technological advances to exploit them, thereby eroding our
longstanding advantages, 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.
In his paper, Accelerate Change or Lose, the Chief of Staff of the
Air Force presented a clear case for the changes needed to ensure we
are able to meet the challenges of the security environment. Accelerate
Change or Lose outlines a path toward ensuring the Total Force is ready
when called to defend our Nation and its interests. Because we are
involved in every core Air Force mission set, nearly every Active
Component initiative impacts the Air Force Reserve. 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 the Air Force Reserve's 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 at the best
value for 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
execution of 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.
The Air Force Reserve is a cost effective force, and will continue
its excellent stewardship of American taxpayers' dollars.
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
participate in almost 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, approximately two thirds of those
Airmen are volunteers. Our personnel support all combatant commands and
are deployed to every geographic area of responsibility. Last year,
approximately 5,500 Airmen mobilized or volunteered to support
operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within 48 hours of a
request for forces, we were able to generate airlift to ensure that 120
medics were in place in the New York City metropolitan area. In total,
274 medical personnel were deployed to the northeastern United States
in support of the national COVID-19 response, representing the largest
unplanned mobilization of Reserve forces since 9/11. Last year, our
Reservists provided nearly two million days of support to the Active
Component and the Joint Force.
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 in addition to education and technology
initiatives. This year, we added new winter weather reconnaissance
capabilities to collect data on Atmospheric Rivers on the West Coast,
supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
in forecasting floods. We also flew 164 missions to cover 20 of 30
named storms.
In 2020, the nearly 4,000 Reservists supported 91 service, joint,
and multinational exercises, increasing Joint Force integration and
strengthening relationships with allies and partner nations. The COVID-
19 pandemic increased exercise participation manpower costs, as
restriction of movement measures mandated significant personnel
isolation before and after exercises. The pandemic also resulted in 53
planned exercises being cancelled. This resulted in nearly 4,000
Reservists missing an opportunity to receive readiness or proficiency
training and approximately $11 million in unobligated Reserve Personnel
Appropriations.
Approximately 75 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, into which
we actively recruit personnel with civilian experience.
The Air Force Reserve provides the Total Force with a method to
retain talent, by providing a continuity of service options 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 79 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 twelve
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-merged as the highest priority for national
security. The rise of peer and near-peer competitors on 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. Accelerate Change or Lose affirms that
a rapid shift in military operational focus and capabilities is
imperative to remain competitive in this security environment. 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 and
conventional 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
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. This includes sustaining our present level of
support to the Joint Force. The second, developing resilient leaders,
serves two purposes: 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
Chief of Staff of the Air Force directives. We made significant gains
in 2020, preserving 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 Air Force
Reserve Citizen Airmen and their families.
Air Force Reserve Future Force Framework
Both the Future of Defense Task Force Report 2020 and Accelerate
Change or Lose acknowledge that our technological advantages are
rapidly eroding in a strategic environment that is defined by great
power competition. Both of these documents call for change to meet the
requirements of the National Defense Strategy. 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 best
prepare for conflict in highly contested environments. This framework
directs mission optimization through assessing capabilities to
determine which mission sets are best suited for the Air Force Reserve
to align and improve policy, planning and programming efforts. The
framework also provides for tailored and prioritized training. This
element synchronizes training efforts and capitalizes on technology to
optimize unit training assemblies by enabling the completion of
ancillary training requirements through virtual methods. Finally, the
Air Force Reserve will continue to leverage civilian sector strengths
by capitalizing on member expertise and knowledge, cultivating industry
partnerships, and tailoring recruitment efforts to develop the force of
the future.
infrastructure and facilities
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 appropriations are used to repair and modernize
existing facilities and to extend the service life of existing
infrastructure. Through the FY 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act,
Congress provided funds for the construction of a new F-35 simulator
facility and squadron operations facility at Naval Air Station Joint
Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.
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. Last year, we focused on
preserving the readiness gains of the previous two years, concentrating
efforts specifically on mission essential personnel preparing to deploy
and entering training pipelines.
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 are actively expanding 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
future conflicts.
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 FY
2020, we supported one Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection to
assess the readiness of our forces to conduct Nuclear Deterrence
Operations. Our nuclear forces remain mission ready.
Air Superiority
In order to defeat a peer or near-peer adversary, we must be able
to generate combat power in contested environments. Maintaining parity
with the Active Component is essential for assuring the ability to
operate in contested environments. Program upgrade delays and limited
delivery of replacement aircraft add risk to the ability to sustain air
superiority strategic surge capacity in the future.
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.
Aerial Refueling
The Air Force Reserve air refueling fleet in FY 2021 consists of
seven unit equipped wings and four associate wings. In December 2019,
our Unit Equipped wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (AFB), North
Carolina, began its KC-46 airframe conversion. Four of the twelve
aircraft were delivered in FY 2020 with the remaining eight scheduled
for delivery early in FY 2021. Half of the crews have already completed
conversion training, along with 85 percent of maintenance personnel.
The Classic Associate unit at McConnell AFB, Kansas entered conversion
in April 2020 with 50 percent of both operations and maintenance
personnel completing conversion training in 2020.
At present, we have eight wings which operate the KC-135, two of
which are currently undergoing conversion to the KC-46. 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 began datalink
modification with ``Real Time Information in the Cockpit'' (RTIC) in
early 2021. 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 requires a ground training
device to increase training efficiency and precluded the requirement
for a dedicated flyable aircraft for ground training. The C-5 fleet
continues to invest in programs to address safety, obsolescence,
regulatory compliance, and long term sustainability. The C-130H fleet
Aircraft Modification Program Increment 2 (AMP 2) contract award
resulted in a savings of $540 million across FY 2020-2024. The C-17
fleet continues to provide operational and strategic depth to the
Global Reach enterprise.
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 Reserve is a major contributor to space
operations. In the last year, our personnel executed up to 30 percent
of daily space missions directly supporting United States Space Command
taskings. We added 30 space manpower authorizations in FY 2021. In
addition, the Air Force Reserve has already taken steps to provide
focused support to the USSF 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
domain 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
repurposing our cyber force to better defend against future threats.
We provide support directly to Air Forces Cyber, Sixteenth Air
Force, and United States Cyber Command. We are implementing the Cyber
Squadron Initiative and are developing Mission Defense Teams with three
of ten teams projected to reach Initial Operational Capability
declaration during FY 2021. These teams will be located at 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.
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 continuing to develop and implement new
programs to expand accessibility and better utilize data. Our goal is
to migrate from stove-piped service information technology systems to
cloud based platforms. As part of this effort, we are transitioning 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. They also significantly reduce
the equipment, software, and maintenance support requirements to
maintain infrastructure. Our work in these areas prior to the pandemic
allowed for our rapid scaling of telework initiatives. We are 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 mission profiles 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 current mission sets are relevant to multi-domain operations
and great power competition. Investments in the operational use of
publicly available information, increased presence in battlespace
characterization, and support to key capabilities--such as nuclear,
space, and cyber operations--are necessary to ensure that 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.
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'' and create a
resilient, adaptable line of communications across all domains--air,
land, sea, cyber and space to faster and more accurate enable decision
making. The Air Force Reserve's current C2 program will continue to
provide strategic depth for the Total Force as the Air Force pursues
the development of JADC2.
As part of the Air Force's strategic initiative to strengthen joint
leaders and teams, Fifteenth Air Force will now provide the Department
of Defense 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 FY 2021 budget allocated 60 Air Force Reserve
positions to stand up a classic associate unit for the service-
retained, Joint Task Force (JTF)-capable organization at Fifteenth Air
Force, JTF Headquarters at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. This classic
associate unit is projected to reach Initial Operational Capability
during 2021.
manning a ready force
Adequate manpower is vital to readiness. For several years, our
overall manpower has hovered slightly below end strength targets.
During the pandemic, the Active Component experienced high retention
rates, which impacts our ability to recruit prior service Airmen. 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 assigned manning remains below the
authorized level.
Our full time personnel continue to preserve our readiness while
maintaining a high operational tempo. However, 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 Air Reserve Technicians (ART) and
Active Guard Reserve (AGR). 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 positions filled 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 fill our full time
manpower positions. These efforts are producing results. At the start
of FY 2019, our full time manning level was approximately 75 percent.
By the end of the first quarter of FY 2021, the number of assigned ARTs
increased to 82 percent of authorized.
The increase in our assigned full time manning levels is due, in
part, to the conversion of a percentage of our ART billets to AGR
authorizations. AGR manpower and retention rates are higher than that
of the ART force, with a comparatively faster hiring process. Please
also note, younger workforce members often have difficulty
demonstrating the qualifications required to be listed on a hiring
certification for ART positions. AGR positions, with an effective off
ramp strategy, can provide a way to gain sufficient experience to be
considered for ART positions at the end of a three year AGR tour. The
ART to AGR conversion initiative is a multi-year effort, which began in
FY 2018. In FY 2020, we executed 521 conversions, and we are rapidly
progressing on our remaining 816 conversions planned for FY 2021.
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 1,166 ARTs and civilians,
increasing full time maintenance manpower to 80 percent. Direct Hiring
Authority enabled us to decrease our ART maintainer vacancies to their
lowest level in nearly five years.
Extending this authority to pilots has produced similar results. In
FY 2020, our full time pilot manpower was nearly 75 percent of
authorized. Last year, Direct Hiring Authority was used for 55 percent
of pilot hiring, helping us achieve a full time manning level of 97
percent of authorized. Overall, pilot manpower has remained steady over
the last year, at above 85 percent. 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 civilian recruitment and retention incentives.
We are grateful to Congress for authorizing Tricare Reserve Select
(TRS) for military technicians and other Title 5 civilians who also
serve in a Reserve Component. When enacted in 2030, this will serve as
a significant retention tool, as it provides Reserve Component members
a cost effective option for obtaining premium healthcare for themselves
and their families.
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.
While we have experienced a two year positive trend in increasing
retention, we are continuing to focus our retention efforts on Airmen
with six to ten 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. In FY
2020, our attrition rates were 10.3 percent, below the goal of 10.9
percent. To date, our FY 2021 attrition rates are at 10 percent with a
goal of staying below 10.5 percent.
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 25 percent of Air Force Reserve authorizations. Based on
current requirements, we need to continue our efforts 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.
Concurrently fielding 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. Asynchronous divestment can
also lead to significant sustainment cost growth with diminishing
vendors for spare parts. 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 acquiring 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 which will provide enhanced threat
awareness and weapons delivery capabilities in contested environments.
The A-10 is also undergoing critical flight safety upgrades like wing
replacements, which will avert a predicted grounding of 35 aircraft in
FY 2023. Our B-52 fleet requires upgrades to radar and defensive
systems and the install of advanced data link equipment, and is in the
process of integrating Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications
capability. The fleet also requires engine replacements to sustain
itself through 2050. 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 continue Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures
modifications during programmed depot maintenance. The installation of
additional threat awareness and self-defense systems will 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.
The lack of weapon system sustainment funding can ground aircraft,
hampering our ability to support global operations and degrading our
readiness, therefore, the Air Force Reserve will continue to prioritize
these efforts within its appropriated funding levels.
Years of continuing resolutions, lack of flexible funding, and an
aging fleet have increased weapon system sustainment requirements.
Historically, due to competing higher priority requirements, the Air
Force Reserve has had approximately 75 percent of our share of these
requirements funded. We obligated over $445 million for weapon system
sustainment in FY 2020. Our FY 2021 appropriations are approximately
$743 million, of which we are on track to fully obligate, with 88.9
percent funded to requirements 27 percent already obligated.
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 ones. Our A-10 fleet
requires wing replacements and our C-130H aircraft need avionics and
propulsion upgrades, which we will prioritize when and as needed.
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 FY 2020, we continued to fill full time healthcare provider
vacancies by leveraging ART to AGR conversions. This enabled a 32
percent improvement in processing fitness for duty case completion. The
significant process reforms from FY 2019 yielded a 14 percent increase
in quality and reduced medical downtime for Reserve Citizen Airmen
awaiting a return to duty determination. We were also able to
capitalize on the Shared Data Environment to make Individual Medical
Readiness reporting more visible to senior leadership. An increased use
of Individual Medical Readiness services under the Reserve Health
Readiness Program enabled completion of Separation History and Physical
Exams to increase from 9 percent to 42 percent.
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 process and system upgrades. In FY 2020,
the Force Generation Center ran a proof of concept test for a
Deployment Orders Cell (DOC). The initial test supported 8 units and
595 Airmen. Centralizing this process cut the average orders processing
time from 59 days down to 7 days for the Airmen in the test group. 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 current lengthy 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, five Air Force Reserve
wings have purchased equipment required to manufacture items in house,
which are currently being used for training and familiarization.
Personnel at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Base, Pennsylvania and Keesler Air
Force Base, Mississippi have completed initial online training but due
to the pandemic they have not been able to complete the necessary in
person training to manufacture aircraft parts. 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. One of the ways
in which we are ensuring our ability to operate in a future threat
environment is the Deliberate Planning Exercises (DPEX) program. DPEX
shifts from an ad hoc method of scheduling exercises to a centrally
planned, readiness driven, comprehensive exercise program that
deliberately schedules personnel for exercises to boost unit capability
toward specific mission essential tasks.
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
Diverse, resilient, and ready Citizen Airmen are the bedrock of the
Air Force Reserve's readiness and lethality. The Air Force Reserve
continues to fully operationalize Diversity and Inclusion to leverage
its remarkably diverse citizenry for decisive, lethal advantage.
As an organization, we are committed to ensuring an environment in
which every person is valued and is able to reach their fullest
potential. To that end, we have realigned our organization to ensure
that the Chief Diversity Officer is a director-level position on the
major command staff. We have also ensured that at each wing the vice
commander is the Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager and provided
training on a quarterly basis for these duties.
The Air Force Reserve is in the process of conducting an internal
racial disparity review as a compliment to the Department of the Air
Force's ongoing racial disparity review. This review is focused on
processes unique to the Air Force Reserve that may contribute to racial
disparity in the areas of discipline and career development. The review
is being conducted in three phases. The first phase identified
processes with the potential for racial disparity. The second phase,
which is underway, consists of conducting a thorough analysis of these
processes for disparity and making policy recommendations. The final
phase will be continuous review and sustainment.
Suicide Prevention
Over the last two calendar years, the Air Force Reserve has
experienced an increase 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. The Air Force Reserve Suicide
Prevention Program is a comprehensive, evidence-based,
multidisciplinary program that is dedicated to a leadership driven and
safety oriented culture. Its focus areas are building connections,
detecting risk, promoting protective environments and equipping Airmen
and their families.
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. In FY 2019, we began building out
embedded Religious Support Teams at our host installations with
Religious Affairs Airmen. In FY 2021, we are completing this process by
filling 10 Chaplain positions.
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. Over the past year, the program cancelled 14 planned in
person events, due to the pandemic, shifting to a virtual delivery
model. These virtual events primarily focused on pre-deployers. In
2020, the program supported 902 members and 1561 family members., For
the remaining Reservists and their family members who were unable to
attend in person events, these members will be eligible for in-person
post-deployment events once resuming these events is safe.
Childcare Benefits
The Air Force Reserve has worked to ensure that childcare is
available on Unit Training Assembly weekends at no cost to parents
through the Home Community Care (HCC) program. Airmen who do not have
another adult for childcare due to being a single parent or a dual
military couple are eligible for the program. The HCC program mitigates
host locations without Child Development Centers and a lack of
availability of Active Component facilities on weekends. Currently, the
HCC is available or in progress at 41 Air Force Reserve locations,
working to recruit providers by zip code.
summary
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 while
ensuring that we remain a cost effective force that provides strategic
depth to the Nation.
Our recent readiness gains would not have been possible without
your support. The approval of our FY 2020 and 2021 budget requests
enabled us to improve our readiness while maintaining robust support to
global operations. Funding from the CARES Act allowed us to rapidly
scale telework capabilities to protect our people. 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, delivering
airpower anytime, anywhere.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General Scobee.
I want to thank each one of you for your testimony here
today.
I'm going to start with you, General Hokanson. The Air
Force has come under some scrutiny lately for its basing
decision for the Air National Guard's C-130Js. After Congress
appropriated funds for more aircraft to modernize several
units, there were discussions within the Air Force to redirect
some of these aircraft to a C-130 training base that was not
included in the last basing decision.
So the question is, will all four units, including the unit
in Georgia, be fully converted to the modern C-130Js provided
in last year's appropriation bill?
General Hokanson. Chairman, my understanding in working
with the Air Force is that all four of those squadrons will
convert to the J model over the timeline. I'm not specific on
the last one. It'll depend on additional purchases, but the
goal is to get all four converted to J models.
Senator Tester. Okay. And can you tell us, because this
directly relates to the answer you just gave, what is the
timeline for redistributing the H aircraft?
General Hokanson. Chairman, my understanding in working
with the Air National Guard, as soon as the J models are
available that they'll start moving the other, the H3 models
and 2.5, to the units with the oldest C-130s so that we can
retain the capability and capacity our Nation needs.
Senator Tester. So if you don't have it at your fingertips
now, is it possible to get us that timeline since you said you
didn't have it?
General Hokanson. Chairman, absolutely, we'll take that for
the record.
[The information follows:]
--June-August 2021: Texas and West Virginia C-130H3 aircraft depart
to
Connecticut and Montana.
--June-December 2021: Texas and West Virginia receive 5 C-130J
aircraft each.
--June-September 2021: Connecticut and Montana divest their C-130H1
aircraft.
--June-September 2021: Connecticut and Montana receive the C-130H3
aircraft that departed Texas and West Virginia.
--July-November 2021: Kentucky C-130H2.5 aircraft depart to Delaware.
--July-November 2021: Delaware C-130H2 aircraft depart to various
locations.
--October-December 2021: Kentucky receives 2 C-130J aircraft.
Senator Tester. Okay. Thank you.
There have been discussions throughout the year, mobility
capabilities and requirement studies, on this total end
strength for Air Force's 130 fleet.
Can you comment on the Air National Guard's requirements?
General Hokanson. Mr. Chairman, we're waiting. I know in
July is when the mobility capabilities requirements study comes
out and previously they have not included the domestic
requirements here in the United States and so we're asking that
they consider that because we think that that may influence the
actual number of C-130s that the Air Force would retain.
Senator Tester. All right. Okay. Yes. And so how many C-
130s is the Air Force Reserve seeking to upgrade?
General Scobee. Chairman, right now in the Air Force
Reserve, we are in good shape across the spectrum in our C-
130s.
What we have prioritized is (1) upgrade of our H models and
making sure that they're still viable going forward and the
other thing is in our special missions. You're very familiar
with our firefighting capability, our aerial spray capability,
and our hurricane hunters.
The hurricane hunters have already been upgraded to C-130Js
and right now we're looking at between our fire-fighting mobile
airborne firefighting units and the aerial spray units to also
upgrade those to C-130Js and we're on the timeframe to do that
now with the Secretary of the Air Force.
Senator Tester. Thank you.
This is a question for all of you. The horrific crime of
sexual assault is finally getting the attention it needs from
this Administration, and I commend Secretary Austin for calling
for a 90-day independent review commission.
So to all of you, why is sexual assault on the rise in many
of your components? Is there a difference between units or
regions of the country or is it a command climate issue?
General Bellon. Senator, I first want to start by
acknowledging that the service takes sexual assault extremely
seriously. We understand that our most solemn obligation is to
the families and the citizens who give us the young Marines and
sailors who elect to serve and our moral obligation is to
provide a safe environment for them to develop not only as
sailors and Marines but also as citizens.
So there is no course of action that Congress may suggest
to increase the opportunity for safety and to increase the
overall wellness of those Marines and sailors that we would
even begin to think adversely about. So we're open to all COAs
in order to get us to a better place.
I do acknowledge that within the Marine Corps the reporting
has increased. There's several different ways to look at that
and one of that is that, you know, the first thing we had to do
is establish credibility with the force that by reporting they
could trust the institution to do something about that and we
believe that that's part of the increase in reporting. That by
no way mitigates the actual crimes that are being committed.
So what we're trying to do with overall health and wellness
of the force, particularly with sexual assault, is to continue
to educate, continue to hold accountable those transgressors,
and to increase the overall safety at all bases and stations
for our young people.
Senator Tester. General Daniels.
General Daniels. Across the Army Reserve, we're seeing our
numbers declining. However, that does not make us a perfect
organization as any of these numbers is just too many.
So we're still tackling the challenges. We're working on
our command climate. We're working on using--this is my squad
philosophy to get after those conversations, to have soldiers
and their leaders have much greater interaction and knowledge
of backgrounds, to make sure that we're treating everyone with
dignity and respect, and they're all brought in.
We've done an extensive effort to retrain our lawyers and
refresh their capabilities so that they have immediate
conversations with all new commanders so that commanders know
and understand their responsibilities should these allegations
come forward.
We've had a lot of retraining and reinvigorating of
knowledge of dignity and respect across all of our formations
and we will continue to do so. We're taking a hard look at how
should our programs be structured. Is there a difference
between preventative measures and then response measures?
Should these programs be delivered in different methods, and so
we're taking a really hard look at all this to help our force
turn out a much better outcome.
Thank you.
Senator Tester. General Hokanson.
General Hokanson. Chairman, shortly after becoming the
Chief of the National Guard Bureau, we stood up a sexual
assault task force because obviously what we've been doing in
the past has not made a significant difference and so we're
looking across all 54 States and territories and D.C. to look
at those programs that seem to show promise and make sure that
we invest in that, and I'm looking forward in June to see the
readout from that group.
Some of the things that we learned is obviously alcohol and
bystanders are a factor. We need to address that immediately.
Also, the training of our sexual assault response coordinators
is making sure we get enough class dates for them, so we have
trained personnel in all of our organizations, and, frankly,
sir, as the father of a daughter that serves in the military,
this is intolerable and it is something we must address at
every venue.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General.
Admiral.
Admiral Mustin. Not surprisingly and very consistently
amongst all the Reserve chiefs, the elimination of destructive
behaviors of every kind is, first and foremost, on our minds.
We also, as General Daniels mentioned, are seeing a
reduction in the numbers of sexual assault. We peaked in 2019.
We saw a slight decrease in 2020 and are on glide slope now to
continue that decrease.
I agree that the increase in reporting is helpful. We've
determined now that the culture of excellence umbrella concept
is designed to demonstrate what right looks like. So the
creation of a culture wherein every sailor can serve in an
environment where they're not only safe but they're encouraged
to perform is the outcome we seek and, frankly, while we see--
the elimination, of course, is paramount, but every single
incidence is one too many.
And so we are all driven together and this is not a Navy
Reserve initiative but a Navy initiative. So our culture of
excellence is the umbrella concept. Our task force One Navy
recently did a deep dive across multi-constituent/multi-
stakeholder leadership to determine what is it that we can
implicate at the lowest ranks where we see the predominance of
reporting and of incidence.
So we continue to look at that from the bottom up as well
as from the top down, but I think you'll find consistency
amongst all of us in our approach.
Senator Tester. And General Scobee.
General Scobee. Chairman Tester, as you can hear from my
fellow witnesses, we are in lockstep on our way forward and, in
fact, we meet on a regular basis to discuss issues just like
this.
This tears at the fabric of who we are as the Department of
Defense and while we continue to make strides in supporting our
victims of this scourge, we also recognize that sexual assault
is a persistent challenge that we will have to work with
together and it's not easily beaten by any stretch.
One of the things we're working with specifically in the
Air Force Reserve Command is ensuring we have a climate that
does not promote this type of behavior and we remove the
opportunity at every chance we get the opportunity to do.
The other thing is the currency we work in within the
Department of Defense's trust and our airmen, especially if
they've been victimized by this, have to trust that we as
commanders will do the right thing for them and get them the
help that they need and all these things we're working together
to ensure that we're doing for our members.
Senator Tester. Thank you.
I apologize to the committee members for running over, but
this is an issue that has to be addressed, has to be addressed
ASAP. As one of you has already pointed out, even one incidence
is one too many.
Senator Shelby.
Senator Shelby. Thank you.
General Hokanson, I'm concerned about the enduring cost of
having National Guard and Reserve troops here on the Capitol
Grounds. I have two questions.
One, what is the impact of those costs to your budget, 2021
budget, and, two, at what point do you truly reach a budgetary
breaking point if you do not receive resources to backfill
those costs?
General Hokanson. Senator, the cost since January 6 is
about $521 million to the National Guard and we've cash flowed
that through our pay allowances and operations and maintenance
funds.
We will need that funding back in our accounts by the first
of August. Otherwise, it will impact our drill periods for both
August and September.
Senator Shelby. In the area of readiness and modernization,
General Daniels and General Hokanson, this question, can you
tell us here more about the requirement behind this new model,
how it will be resourced, and what overall improvements it will
provide for our Guard and Reserve components in the Army?
General Daniels, you want to start?
General Daniels. So, I'm sorry, the REARM Model, is that--
--
Senator Shelby. Mm-hmm.
General Daniels. Yes, sir. So what that will do, it will
allow us to do multiple different things. One is to have
regional affiliations, habitual relationships with units, and
it will also give us additional predictability in terms of how
long we're going to be spent during modernization, training,
and then mission. So it will allow us to get into a very
predictable cycle for our units and that will help the
employers and the families and the service members know when
they're going to be going off and doing these missions.
General Hokanson. And, sir, with the National Guard, the
benefit there is if you look at our State partnership, we're
already regionally aligned and particularly with the Army
National Guard, we've taken our eight divisions and actually
allocated the subordinate force structures so they're actually
eight full divisions. So that will allow us to help deter and
also be part of the total Army so that we can align those units
and develop long-term training relationships not only with our
State partners but also in those regions.
Senator Shelby. General Hokanson, with the recent riots and
cyber attacks against the U.S., what's the National Guard's
role in defending the homeland from cyber attacks, and how is
it working with other Federal agencies with similar
responsibilities?
Finally, does the Guard have the resources it needs for
cyber defense, the personnel and everything?
General Hokanson. Yes, sir. If you look at our cyber
forces, we have about 4,000 cyber professionals within the
National Guard and that's in 59 units and 40 States. We also
have what's called a Defensive Cyber element in each State and
we did a year-long study under the CMAT (Cyber Mission
Assurance Team) Program which basically looked at a CST-type
and what came out of that is we believe that establishing those
existing units to be aligned with what Cybercom would utilize
and we would man, train, and equip them the same. They would
provide that capability within each State.
If you look over the past year and a half, we had two
incidents, both in Louisiana and Texas, where the Governors
activated their cyber professionals within the National Guard
under State Active Duty to address a cyber attack, one to a
school district and another one to a county, and using
Louisiana as an example, they were able to come in and mitigate
the ransomware and save tens of thousands of IT systems which,
as we all know, is something a school district could not absorb
with their budget.
Senator Shelby. General, the CBO (Congressional Budget
Office) in the area of Space National Guard and Reserve that
you mentioned earlier, the CBO has estimated that an additional
$100 million annually will be required to create a Space
National Guard and Reserve unit with a bill up to $490 million
annually for a larger Space Guard.
Given the level of defense funding proposed by the current
Administration, how does the National Guard plan to prioritize
resources for modernization while also standing up a new
service component and do it without more resources?
General Hokanson. Sir, the actual cost is about $200,000
and that's just to change the name tapes on their uniform and
the sign outside their buildings and the flags of the unit.
The units already exist. They're already performing the
mission today. We don't need any additional MILCON (Military
Construction) or any additional over-structure. We basically
just take the folks that are doing today and instead of Air
Force, it says Space Force on their name tag with an extra
weekend.
Senator Shelby. That's good news, best I've heard in a long
time. Thank you.
General Hokanson. Yes, sir.
Senator Tester. Senator Durbin.
Senator Durbin. Thanks very much, Mr. Chairman.
I want to focus for a minute on January 6 and ask General
Hokanson as follows. If we use some 26,000 National Guardsmen,
and I thank all of them, their families, for their service to
our country and sacrifice, as well as others, COVID-19, but if
we use some 26,000 to protect this Capitol after the
insurrectionist mob overran the Capitol on January 6,
conversations are ongoing about what to do next.
I'm afraid all the prospects are terrible in terms of the
access of the public to this building, but I wonder if you were
in on those conversations and whether there's a basic question
asked as to whether we have to go beyond the National Guard and
Reserve and really think of a permanent military presence on
Capitol Hill.
General Hokanson. Senator, with respect to that, I was
basically in many cases just asked to provide force and so I
worked directly with the 54 to make sure that we got the
personnel that were required to get here.
When I did get a chance to read the Task Force 1-6 report,
looking back, I tend to agree with the Number 1 requirement
that there's a lack of number of U.S. Capitol Police officers
which caused the reliance on other agencies and so when I look
at this as a Guardsman, I see this primarily as a law
enforcement issue and I think it would be a law enforcement
solution to that.
Obviously until that capability is there, the Guard is
there to do whatever we're asked to do and currently, sir, the
2,300 that we have here today are scheduled to end their
mission on the 23rd of May and we are not aware of any
requirement beyond that and so at that time our folks will all
go home.
Senator Durbin. well, it really raises a basic practical
question. If the complement of law enforcement is not adequate
to the challenge, for instance, the thousands that left the
President's rally and came marching up here to crash through
the windows and doors and to assault the policemen and that,
there was need for supplemental help for sure,----
General Hokanson. Yes, sir.
Senator Durbin [continuing]. And it took several hours but
they arrived and finally brought the Capitol back under
control.
I'm just asking whether or not that is something that is
naturally a National Guard function or should be a regular
military function.
General Hokanson. Sir, if we look at our full-time manning
within the National Guard, they're basically there to
administer and train the part-time force. We don't really have
any forces that are there full time with a dedicated mission
set and so for us to do that, it would cause some legislative
changes for the National Guard to do that.
Senator Durbin. Okay. Let me ask a follow-up question. At
the heart of domestic terrorism in America, according to the
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the Attorney General,
is white supremacy, racism, white nationalism. We're seeing in
those who were arrested and charged with January 6 veterans of
the military and I think in one instance, at least one, Active
military who were participating.
So if the issue of sexual predation should be dominant in
our thinking, so, too, should the issue of racism in the ranks.
General Hokanson. Yes, sir.
Senator Durbin. What are we doing, what are you doing to
deal with this issue and to make certain that it is not a
challenge to the integrity of your unit?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. So we follow very closely
the training requirements of both the Army and the Air Force
and, frankly, there is no room for extremism of any sort within
our organization and so we rely on our lower level commanders
and our adjutants general when they identify personnel that may
be susceptible to this that they either address it within the
military chain of command or within local law enforcement,
whichever is the appropriate means.
Senator Durbin. So let me ask, General Bellon, would you
like to comment on the same issue?
General Bellon. Sir, at this time we're adequately
resourced. We project forward. As you know, the service is in
the middle of a force design and the commandant has made it
very clear that we're looking at reinventing ourselves within
the resources we currently have and so at this point in time,
we're not asking for additional resources.
Senator Durbin. Sir, I'm sorry, on the issue of race and
discriminatory conduct and such, would you comment on what's
being done?
General Bellon. Yes. I think, as we talked about before
with sexual assault, the first part is acknowledging it and I
can report to Congress at every level of the Marine Corps as I
engage from second lieutenants in Quantico all the way up to my
peers, we are actively acknowledging the problem, and it is not
a nice to have, it is not an additional burden for us to solve.
It is a primary problem set within the culture of the service.
By talking about that and by signaling at every level that
this is the priority, then the natural culture of our service
to align, follow orders, and execute priorities kicks into
effect, and from my experience, the level of candor that goes
on in the conversations right now, I've never seen anything
like it on any issue.
The acknowledgement, the candor, the sharing of the
different underrepresented populations about what their life is
like as a minority, for example, or what they perceive on
social media and how it contradicts our culture is exceptional,
is exceptional right now and that's the beginning.
Senator Durbin. Thank you for that, and there have been
programs. I won't take any more time of the committee this
morning, but there have been programs which have suggested that
even though we nominally ended racism in the military in the
1940s under President Truman, the reality is much different and
I think that can be said across America in many different
venues.
I think we have to take a very honest, forthright, and open
position on this, that if you're a racist, you have no place in
the military. If you're guilty of sexual predation, you have no
place in the military.
I hope that that is clear and I'm going to ask each of the
branches to respond as I don't want to take any more time this
morning.
Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General Hokanson, as you indicated, the year 2020 was
unprecedented in terms of National Guard activations and
deployments. The main Guard, for example, has deployed service
members to our southern border to assist the overworked and
overwhelmed Border Patrol, to Africa to help with security
missions, to Washington, D.C., to provide support for our
Capitol Police, all the while assisting the State of Maine with
clinics and logistics and responding to the pandemic.
During all of this activity, the Air Guard Wing in Bangor,
Maine, continues its extraordinary work refueling our tankers.
General, the average age of the Maine National Guard's 10
KC-135s stationed in Bangor is over 60 years old. They are
pressed into service to operate all over the world and Bangor's
a critical location for flights crossing the Atlantic.
Can you provide us with some insight on the roadmap that
the Guard and the Air Force are using to recapitalize this
aging tanker fleet and ensure that units like Bangor, which are
in strategic geographic locations, are able to continue their
vital mission long into the future?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. So when we look at the
recapitalization with the KC-46 fleet, the next analysis are
for 7 and 8, are coming out I believe in 2023, and so they'll
look very closely at each of the mission sets, the locations,
and the unit's capability to convert, but between now and then
and actually long after that for the rest of our KC-135 fleet,
it's absolutely critical to our Nation's defense not only in
terms of day-to-day requirements but also other requirements,
as well, and so we're working with the Air Force to make sure
we've got a 25-year plan.
I think some of these aircraft may be approaching a hundred
years old, but the recapitalization and investment in those air
frames is critical so that we can maintain that required
capability and capacity for our Nation.
Senator Collins. Well, I would welcome your coming to see
the Air Refueling Wing and would be delighted to host you for a
visit. I think you'd be very impressed.
General Hokanson. Yes, ma'am, would love to get there.
Senator Collins. I recently traveled to the southwest
border and witnessed the ongoing crisis there. I very much
appreciate the work of the Maine guardsmen and women who have
been supporting the Border Patrol in Arizona. I happened to go
to Texas.
I understand that the Department of Defense has received a
request from the Department of Homeland Security to continue
supporting these border deployments beyond the end of the
fiscal year.
What is the status of the planning to extend the Guard's
presence into the new fiscal year?
General Hokanson. So, Senator, we received that request
recently. I know it's going through the Office of the Secretary
of Defense right now to determine how that's going to be
resourced going forward with the rescinding of the Declaration
of National Emergency, a Title 10 authorization.
We're looking out for the guardsmen to potentially fill
that but it may be Active component, but they're looking at all
options right now, ma'am, but we know the current units that
are scheduled there are to come home on the 30th of September.
So we're making sure that we do this as quickly as possible to
notify those forces so that there's no break in coverage.
Senator Collins. Given the 20-year high in the number of
migrants crossing the border, it is evident that the Border
Patrol agents simply, though they work so hard, are overwhelmed
and really need assistance. So I hope that will be approved or
that Active Duty forces will assist them.
Thank you.
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator.
Senator Tester. Senator Feinstein.
Senator Feinstein. Thanks very much, Mr. Chairman.
My question is of you, General Hokanson, and I very much
appreciate your highlighting the California National Guard's
very heroic efforts battling wildfires.
Last year alone, four million acres in California burned,
10,000 structures were destroyed, 5,000 of them homes, 31
people lost their lives. So I am very interested in what the
Guard can do to be helpful to us.
Do you have any suggestions that you might care to make?
General Hokanson. Senator, thank you for the question, and
thankfully there was a river between one of those fires and my
parents' house.
Senator Feinstein. Wow!
General Hokanson. But when we look at the way we fight
forest fires, we've really kind of taken the approach that
we've learned from hurricanes and this March was the first time
we actually had a wild land firefighting symposium where we
brought all the States together that fight forest fires along
with the National Interagency Fire Center to take really a
different approach because it's no longer a fire season. We
start to call it a fire year now.
What we've tried to do is identify, particularly in
California, Washington this year where aviation units may be
deploying, and identifying States to make sure that they train
their air crews so they can fill that gap in case there's a
need in California or any of the States that fight wild land
firefighting.
We're also looking at the ability when we look at some of
our Title 32 Active, Guard, and Reserve personnel.
Traditionally, they are only on for 72 hours under immediate
response authority.
We're working on a policy which I should have completed by
the end of the month to give adjutants general the ability to
retain some of those personnel on an emergency basis to help
support firefighting because it's absolutely critical our
leaders are with them at all times.
Senator Feinstein. I note that--first of all, thank you for
that answer--that some 14 percent of the Guard members lack
health insurance. It's my understanding that while on Active
Duty orders for more than 30 days, guardsmen are eligible for
military medical coverage. However, once their orders end or if
members are activated for less than a month, they have fewer
options.
Would this be something we might be able to do to be
helpful and encourage people to remain in the Guard and serve
as your Guard serves in California which is really top of the
ladder?
General Hokanson. Senator, that would be--that's my Number
1 legislative priority is to get premium free healthcare for
all of our guardsmen.
When we look at the past year and what we asked them to do,
particularly we did not know what a COVID environment would be
like, we always want the family members and the service member
to know that no matter what we ask them to do because we ask
them to be ready at any time, that they're medically ready and
if anything happens, if they're injured or sick before or after
their duty, that they know that they're going to get the care
they need to continue their civilian employment or their
military employment.
One of the other things we're concerned of is when you go
from orders, sometimes you have to change medical care from
your civilian provider to Tricare and in some cases they'd have
to find new medical providers, but by it being a standardized
process and coverage, they could keep that same healthcare
provider through all of it which we think is really important.
And lastly, ma'am, one of the things we've looked at is
when we look at the number of soldiers and airmen that don't
have healthcare coverage, if they have access to mental health
care or counseling, if that might benefit the number of
suicides that we have in our organization.
Senator Feinstein. Well, thank you. I'd be very happy to
work with you on that and I would suspect other members would,
as well.
I'm a big fan of the Guards and when these wildfires come
to California, we really see with great appreciation their
service. So I want you to know that.
Thank you very much.
General Hokanson. Thank you, ma'am.
Senator Tester. Senator Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you
all for being here this morning and for your service.
General Hokanson, I'd like to start with you, if I may. In
recent conversations that I've had with Major General Sacks,
he's the Alaska TAG, we were discussing the search and rescue
mission there in Alaska and the 176 Wing located at JBER (Joint
Base Elmendorf-Richardson). There are three rescue squadrons,
you're familiar with them, which utilize the HH60 in their
operations.
We're told that the HH60s belonging to the 176 have the
highest operational tempo in the Air Force and the highest
utilization rate. We know that the Wing needs some additional
and some upgraded H60s to keep up with the mission demands and
to support the growing focus the DOD (Department of Defense)
has placed on the region, on the Arctic region.
The current plan to bed down additional aircraft in Alaska
isn't targeted until 2026 and so you've got kind of a
misalignment there, if you will, with the growth in mission
requirements, the operational requirements, and the aging of
the existing helicopters.
So can you update me? Are there options that exist to allow
for perhaps a reprioritization of these assets, and then also
is the utilization rate calculated into the decisionmaking
process?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator, and so obviously as a
former rescue pilot, I follow 176 very closely, and they do an
incredible amount of rescues and----
Senator Murkowski. They're amazing.
General Hokanson [continuing]. Make a huge impact every
day, and I'll be working with the Air Force. I'll make sure,
Number 1, that we have no gap in coverage in terms of the
number of aircraft there, but also ask that they take a look
at, based on the operational tempo and the requirements,
particularly unique to Alaska, especially as the Arctic begins
to open more and there may be additional requirements for them
in that area.
I know the future combat rescue helicopter, once that's
online, our maintenance rates should go up on those, but
between now and then, I think it's 2026, I'll continue to work
with the Air Force to see if we can get reprioritization or
additional aircraft to cover the gap.
Senator Murkowski. Well, I appreciate your eyes on that and
the fact that your background allows you to be intimately
familiar with their mission. I appreciate that, but we are
concerned about any potential for gap because what they do and
what they provide is extraordinary unique and they truly are
the best of the best there.
I appreciate your response to Senator Shelby here with
regards to the Space Force. As you know, we currently have
members of both the Guard and the Reserve in Alaska that are
working to support the Space Force missions there in Alaska.
I understand that you've given a little bit of background
in terms of the CBO score and the cost but know that we're
certainly at the ready to do what we can to help with that very
important mission.
Another question to you relating to suicide and mental
health issues. This is something that I have paid particular
attention to within this subcommittee, making sure that our
service men and women and their families are cared for.
We all know that this past year has been tough on everybody
and you couple the effects of the pandemic with the challenges
that you have in certain areas, particularly remote
assignments, like Alaska, but I don't know if you can speak to
the statistics within the Guard, whether we've seen an increase
in suicides this past year, and then what more we can be doing
to provide those levels of support for mental health and
behavioral health issues that may exist within the National
Guard.
General Hokanson. Senator, we actually watched this very
closely over the past year and at the end of 2020, we were
actually just one below our 10-year average, but, frankly, any
one is devastating, not only to the family but also to the
organization, and I actually stood up a Suicide Prevention Task
Force to take a look at what we're doing across the entire
National Guard.
Coming into today, we're about five below where we were
last year at this time, but, once again, any single one of
those is just a devastating impact to the entire organization.
One thing that we've done is we've looked at some
additional programs and we have 27 pilots that we're running,
pilot programs. We reached out to the 54 States and territories
that they brought up as potential benefit to our service
members, and one I'd like to highlight is called SPRING. It's
the Suicide Prevention Readiness Initiative for the National
Guard.
What it does is it takes existing data from every county in
the United States and identifies potential risk factors and
when they reach a certain level, the adjutants general and the
commanders wit State can assess a region based on the things
that are taking place within those counties and also hopefully
preventively address that and provide additional training or
counselors within that region to make sure that our service
members know that there's opportunities for them to discuss any
concerns they might have.
Senator Murkowski. Appreciate that. Mr. Chairman, I think
that's an interesting approach, recognizing that oftentimes
these factors are community-based, regionally-based. So I look
forward to knowing and understanding a little bit more.
Thank you.
Senator Tester. Thank you.
I believe we have Senator Schatz virtually.
Senator Schatz. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to all of our panelists. I want to continue the
line of questioning from Senator Murkowski regarding mental
health access and suicide prevention.
You know, I think there's two issues. One is making sure
that Guard members, while being deployed, don't feel
stigmatized from accessing mental health services and the other
is, to the extent that we're making progress in that area, in
reducing stigma and encouraging everybody across our society to
understand that mental health is just health and that every
Guard member ought to access those services, I worry a bit
about the transition from deployment to regular life when they
have access to all these great services and programs and
initiatives that you've started up and then they're back to
their regular life and may need continuing mental health
services and that transition can be challenging.
So could you speak to both issues, the stigma issue and
then how do we transition when someone's coming out of their
deployment?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. So when we look at the day-
to-day, the stigmatism related to that, when folks come off
deployment, they have the opportunity to meet with medical
professionals on their way out and they can request help and
they can also be aware of the services available to them and
that extends for about 6 months post deployment.
Also, they do a periodic health assessment, which allows
them to go online and fill out a lot of questions and having
recently done it, they ask a lot of questions, if they have any
mental health concerns, if they'd like to see someone, and they
can do that really anonymously.
Now with respect to the enduring concern, this really goes
back to my Number 1 priority legislatively and that is to
pursue Tricare Reserve Select for all of our guardsmen where
they don't pay for any principal related to that.
The key there is that way, it's always available to them
because you never know when you're going to need it because
your life situation can change at any time, but knowing that
they can get mental healthcare or see a counselor, I think is
something that we don't know the benefits of but I believe it
certainly will help.
Senator Schatz. Thank you, General, and you certainly have
my support for that very important legislative initiative.
Moving on to the Asia Pacific Region, you know, I have
talked to Indo PACOM commanders or ambassadors in the region.
Everybody loves the State Partnership Program. So I'm wondering
if you could just help us to understand how we can use the
State Partnership Program to support Indo PACOM Pacific
deterrence initiative.
General Hokanson. Yes, sir. So when you look at the
National Guards, over 20 percent of the entire Joint Force and
specifically to the Indo PACOM Region, we have 13 state
partnerships. In fact, as the adjutant general of Oregon, I had
state partnerships with both Bangladesh and Vietnam, and the
great asset that it provides to the Indo PACOM commander is
we're fully integrated into their theater security cooperation
plan and these enduring relationships that we've built with
these countries also is an additional U.S. presence but also
gives us many times the opportunity to counter some of the
messaging that they receive from China and other countries.
So I think it's absolutely critical we continue that and
we're in close coordination with Indo PACOM to help in any way
we can with their Pacific Defense Initiative.
Senator Schatz. One final question. You know, we lose some
time obviously during COVID as everybody did with partners and
just wondering how we're specifically focusing on relationships
that were maybe tenuous but being built and then COVID
interrupted that relationship-building in the context of the
State Partnership Program.
Are there particular countries that we're sort of anxious
to get moving again in terms of our partnerships with?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator, and, in fact, I would say
we're pretty anxious to get back with all of them as quickly as
we can.
The one thing that was nice is I think on both of our
parts, our part and our state partners, we realized the
limitations we had in terms of travel and so we're able to find
virtual ways to connect with them, continue our relationships,
but we're very much looking forward to the ability to travel to
all of our state partners as soon as possible to continue to
develop those relationships.
Senator Schatz. Thank you. On energy resilience, I just
wanted to flag the President, as you know, issued an Executive
Order establishing a Federal Clean Energy Standard. This may
not have immediately been risen to your desk, but I'm going to
submit a question for the record about the particular ways in
which you're going to have to change your procurement process
in order to comply with the President's Executive Order, but
I'll submit that to you for a response for the record.
Thank you.
General Hokanson. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Tester. The Senior Senator from Kansas, Senator
Moran.
Senator Moran. Mr. Chairman, thank you for that
recognition. Assuming that it has nothing to do with age, I
appreciate it.
General Hokanson, there's a pilot program that was
authorized in the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), in
the fiscal year 2021 NDAA that would allow the testing and
development of National Guard partnerships across state lines
in regard to cybersecurity.
The opportunity was for the private sector to participate.
In one State, the National Guard in that State then be able to
assist other National Guards in another State in regard to
training, preparation, response to a cybersecurity attack. I
don't think it's necessary to say but something that's hugely
important and front and center for all of us.
As you know, I think, the Kansas National Guard is home to
some of our Nation's best cybersecurity operators and we also
have a number of civilian stakeholders who are interested in
assisting in that mission. So that pilot program has been
authorized.
My question is if we provide you with proper funding, is
the DOD prepared to pursue, make the assessments, tell us how
that program might work, and do you foresee any roadblocks that
would prevent the mission that is contemplated by this pilot
program from being accomplished?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. So I'm looking forward to
seeing the end results of that, but what we've done internally
is take a look at that, as well, and I really look at cyber in
many ways like a hurricane. So we need additional truck
companies to come down there and the same with cyber.
If we need additional cyber help through the EMAC
(Emergency Management Assistance Compacts) process, we can move
them State to State to provide that capability, and in some
cases, they don't even need to move. They can operate from
their current location. So that's very important.
But I think to your point, a lot of our relationships with
the civilian providers or companies that have, you know,
exquisite experience and many of our guardsmen work for them
and they bring that to their cyber jobs is absolutely critical,
but when we look at the fact that we're literally, you know, at
war every day on the cyber battlefield, it's important that our
guardsmen are trained and up-to-date and they can respond
wherever they're needed within their communities and that's
where we look at the State Active Duty capabilities under the
authority of the Governors to address issues within their State
or request help from outside the State.
Senator Moran. General, in my words, I would say that
you're telling me, telling the committee that this has value,
and in part it may be accomplished regardless of the outcome of
the pilot program with the active participation of you and
those on your team to accomplish it. Is that a fair assessment
of your response?
General Hokanson. Yes.
Senator Moran. And you know of no roadblocks that I need to
be pursuing to remove?
General Hokanson. Sir, not at this time. We'll have to work
specifically with each of the States because some of them have
different laws that have to be followed, but we work very
closely with the 54 to look at overarching policies that we can
put across the entire organization to facilitate the need to
address any issues within our communities.
Senator Moran. Also, thank you for recognizing what really
takes place in Wichita with our Red Team in the private sector
who employs those Guard members and then that gives them the
capability to devote significant attention and expertise to
national security matters. I appreciate you knowing that.
Let me ask all our witnesses. DD-214 reform, one of the
things we're trying to overcome is the tremendous burden that
members of the military and their families encounter when they
leave the service and my goal is to make it simple for National
Guard and Reserve members to keep track of their records of
deployment.
My question is would you support, do you support providing
a comprehensive document of military service for the Reserve
component similar to the DD-214?
General Daniels. I'll say absolutely, yes, sir, we would
very much welcome that so that it's easier for members, once
they've served, to show that they have served and it's a
universally-accepted document.
Senator Moran. Has General Daniels received any criticism
or disagreement from any of her colleagues?
[No response:]
Senator Moran. Let the record show that all are in
agreement.
My final question in my last 46 seconds, the Moms Leave
Act. Last year a bill that I authored authorized maternity
leave for mothers in the Reserve component. That bill was
signed into law.
Women in the Guard and Reserve across the United States are
waiting for the department to implement this law so that they
receive comparable support to their Active Duty counterparts.
Does the department require any clarifying language? Are
there any challenges in getting this implemented so that those
mothers, mothers-to-be and mothers that are currently in that
circumstance can receive the benefits of this legislation?
General Hokanson. Senator, I would say we're working very
closely with OSD (Office of the Secretary of Defense) on
implementation guidance and we think this is absolutely the
right thing to do for our reservists to be treated exactly like
their Active counterparts, and it's an acknowledgement that we
need to recognize their service and adjust accordingly.
Senator Moran. Anyone else have a response?
General Scobee. Senator Moran, it's Rich Scobee here at the
end of the table from the Air Force Reserve.
We are in lockstep with what General Hokanson just talked
about. In fact, the Reserve chiefs met last week to discuss
this very issue and so as the department determines how this is
going to be fleshed out across the board, they are working hard
with our elected officials to ensure that we get this Act.
Any barrier that we have to anybody being able to serve
within our commands is extremely important that we get through
and that's what we're working on.
Senator Moran. Thank you. General Daniels.
General Daniels. As stated, we did talk just like 3 days
ago about this very matter. So this is high on our list of
implementation actions.
Senator Moran. Thank you. It might be hypocritical for me
to complain about the length of time it's taking for
implementation because it took a significant amount of time to
get it passed through Congress, but it is important and
timeliness does matter.
Thank you all.
Senator Tester. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and
thank you to each of you for your service to this country and
for your testimony this morning.
General Hokanson, I want to begin with you and actually I
should say I should start by echoing the remarks of the
Chairman and so many of my colleagues with thanks to the Guard
for all of their extraordinary efforts over the last year as we
have battled COVID.
In New Hampshire we could not have done it without the
National Guard, and they have been on consistent deployment now
for over 400 days. So I think it's imperative for all of us to
thank everyone for what they have done. It has made a huge
difference. So thank you very much.
I want to go back to Senator Collins' questions about the
KC-135s because, as you're aware, the 157th Air Refueling Wing
at Pease was the first National Guard Base to get the KC-46s
and we were so excited about that. We said good-bye to our last
KC-135 with the anticipation that we would get those 46s and
they have come in and now we're the first Guard base to get all
of our component of the tankers and we can't use them and it's
really frustrating and I know you all share in that
frustration.
But there were serious concerns voiced last year about the
retirement of our legacy tankers because of the delays in
getting the KC-46s operational and, in fact, in the fiscal year
2021 NDAA, we restricted divestment of the KC-10 and KC-135s.
Now I understand that the President's budget has been
released or at least the outline and it states that retiring
legacy systems should be a priority for the Defense budget this
year.
Do you agree with that position and perhaps I should ask,
General?
General Hokanson. Thank you, Senator. So when I Look at
the--obviously we do need to modernize, but we also must retain
the capability and capacity that our Nation needs. So in some
cases, although we have legacy systems, until they're
modernized, I think it's important that we continue to retain
like the KC-135 to meet all the requirements of our Nation.
Senator Shaheen. General Scobee, do you agree with that?
General Scobee. Senator Shaheen, I appreciate that question
very much.
It is vital that the Air Force is able to project power
across the world. The KC-46 is the linchpin in that. As General
Hokanson said, he's exactly right, we are trying to balance the
new equipment we bring in with modernizing the KC-135 and those
two air frames are going to be what take us into the future.
Having had the opportunity to fly the KC-46, two things I
was able to take from that. One is I'm not as good of a pilot
as I used to be, and the other thing is, is that it's an
incredibly capable machine and I know that General Van Ovost at
AMC (Air Mobility Command) is going to make sure that we get
all the capabilities out of that we can, and it is also
fielding the Air Force Reserve now. So my confidence is high we
are on the right path forward.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you. I've had a chance to fly
on it, as well, as a passenger and was very impressed with the
potential, and I guess that adds to the frustration around it.
Now I understand that the 46s would be able to perform
other missions and particularly aeromedical missions are on
that list and that makes our Guard in New Hampshire very
excited, but one of the challenges to actually doing those
missions if a new problem that's come up and we don't talk
about that as much as we do the remote vision systems, but the
air transportable galley lavatories, basically the bathrooms,
the ATGLs (Air Transportable Galley-Lavatory) are now a problem
that I guess we're going to have trouble flying some of those
missions until that gets fixed.
Do you have any sense, General Hokanson, when that's going
to happen and what I can tell the 157th in New Hampshire about
when they might be able to fly those missions?
General Hokanson. Ma'am, I do not, but we can certainly get
back to you on the exact dates until that's resolved.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Also a question for Boeing as
we see this come up, when we didn't realize--we thought we had
nailed down the other issues with the tanker and this has
become a new problem. So thank you. I would appreciate knowing
more about that.
I have a final question for you, General Hokanson, because
one of the challenges that--and I guess, General Daniels, this
is a concern for you, as well.
One of the challenges our Guard has in New Hampshire is
with the age of some of our facilities. They are decades-old
and replacing those has been costly. The State doesn't have the
funds to do that at this point.
So can you talk about how important it is for us to replace
some of those facilities so that our Guard and Reserve are
prepared when they're called up?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. If you look within the
National Guard, 26 percent of our facilities are over 60 years
old and I know I've worked with General Mikolaities on the
State not having to have a match, especially during the COVID
environment, but it's absolutely critical and this really goes
back to the climate.
If you look at how inefficient so many of our facilities
are and everything that we build new or replace, we make sure
it's modernized and it's more efficient, so it reduces the
energy to offer those.
But also if you look at the armories, these were built in
the '50s and '60s and back then, an infantryman could put
everything in a wall locker and that's not the case anymore.
There's significant equipment requirements and security
requirements.
So any additional funding we can get, we always put to good
use.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Do you want to add to that,
General?
General Daniels. We're in a very similar situation. We're
funded at about 86 percent of our requirements and we continue
to do the best we can with the resources that we've got and we
continue to look for modernization and efficiencies wherever
possible.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you both.
Mr. Chairman, I know I'm out of time, but I would suggest
that as we're thinking about any infrastructure package,
thinking about how we can support our Guard around the country
would be an important piece of that.
Thank you all.
Senator Tester. Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General Hokanson, thank you for visiting with me earlier,
appreciate it, and I want to begin by talking about the MQ-1C
Gray Eagle. That's important equipment for Active Duty Army. As
a matter of fact, the Gray Eagle, they operate all across of
their combat aviation brigades, and so given that the Army
National Guard is expected to deploy and fight alongside the
Active Duty counterparts, it seems to me it would be very
important that you have the Gray Eagle, as well, for your
soldiers and that you are trained on it, and so I would ask
your opinion and do you support fielding the MQ-1C Gray Eagle
for the Army National Guard?
General Hokanson. Yes, sir, and we look at the Army
National Guard divisions. So there's 10 Active Duty divisions
and we're now forming eight National Guard divisions and that
capability currently resides in the combat aviation brigades on
Active Duty.
I want to make sure that our National Guard is equipped and
looks just like the Active component and so if they have Gray
Eagles in their combat aviation brigades, I would strongly
advocate for the same capability within the National Guard so
that our units are interoperable and we have the same
capabilities in each of our divisions.
Senator Hoeven. So what steps need to be taken to
accomplish that?
General Hokanson. Sir, I believe the Army would need to be
resourced because, as we brought the eight additional Guard
divisions on, those capabilities, like DFARS (Defense
Acquisition Regulations System) and other organizations, are
being stood up in the National Guard right now, so that we have
the same and look the same.
Senator Hoeven. Also, I want to ask about the MQ-9 Reaper.
Our Air Guard flies that, the Happy Hooligans, in Fargo, and
they were one of the very first Guard units to get that
mission, originally Predator, now Reaper, and they've been
flying it continuously ever since.
We're building a new operations facility which is good, but
we're flying the Block 1 MQ-9, and we need to get to the Block
5, and so we worked to authorize and fund 16 of the new
aircraft for this fiscal year. We'll continue to work to do
that, but I would like, you know, your assurances that for
Guard units like ours that they will transition in a timely way
from the Block 1 to the Block 5.
General Hokanson. Yes, sir, and I believe they're scheduled
to convert in 2024, about the same time as the facilities will
be completed, and obviously, sir, if there's any opportunity to
speed up, we'll work with the Air Force to do that, but I know
Currently the plan is in fiscal year 2024.
Senator Hoeven. Appreciate that. My next, I guess, question
relates to tuition assistance. A huge tool for recruiting and
retention for the Guard and all Reserve units is making sure
that the educational benefit is there, both the Federal tuition
assistance and the G.I. Bill educational benefit, and I have
put in legislation with Senator Pat Leahy to make sure that the
Guard and all Reserve components can use both because you need
it for recruitment to get these--I mean, your business is a
high-tech business that calls for certainly capable people
physically but they have to be super sharp now in terms of
using all the technology, you know, to stay ahead of our
adversaries. So our legislation would make sure that all Guard
and all Reserve components could use both.
Now good news is that the DOD has said yes, we're going to
do that. So tell me where are we in getting that done and
getting it out to our soldiers, our men and women in uniform.
General Hokanson. Yes, sir. So within the Army National
Guard, we've got it out and we've had that capability
previously.
Within the Air National Guard, we've had to fund that and
currently we have 14 States that are doing that, but based on
the success of that program, we are now funding within the Air
National Guard eight additional States every year until we get
all 54, but, sir, as you mentioned, it's an incredible benefit
to our guardsmen.
Senator Hoeven. It really is, and I would welcome comments
from any of the others on that and the Tricare Reserve Select
benefit is something that we have to have out there for Guard
and Reserve, as well, starting with you, General Hokanson, and
then General Scobee and anyone else that wants to weigh in on
either of those, the education or healthcare benefit.
General Hokanson. Yes, sir. As I mentioned, that's my
Number 1 legislation priority. It's a benefit not only just to
the medical readiness of the organization but to the family
members and also it's a benefit to the employer knowing that if
they employ a guardsman, they have their own healthcare.
Also, we talked about potentially benefits when it comes to
suicide prevention by having mental health readily available as
well as counseling.
Senator Hoeven. General Scobee.
General Scobee. Senator Hoeven, exactly right. General
Hokanson has explained it correctly. What I would really tell
you from a Reserve perspective, this is a new benefit that we
have on the education piece, and we're very thankful that you
started that and that the Department of Defense has followed
through with what we wanted for our airmen.
Our airmen now are so much better than they were in the
past as far as education, high-tech, and the things that we've
been able to do over the last few decades. We really need these
benefits because it attracts and retains the airmen that we
need.
And then as you talked about, Tricare Reserve Select, we
are extremely thankful for that benefit. Right now, it's
scheduled to take place in 2030. We'd like to move that up
sooner, if able, but the ability for our airmen not to have
lapses in coverage is exactly what we've been talking about up
here as a group is to ensure that we have all the medical
benefits that should be allowed for our members to use,
especially when it comes to mental illness or anything that
would happen to them and when they are activated.
Thank you.
Senator Hoeven. I know I'm over my time, Mr. Chairman. Just
any other thoughts that----
General Scobee. Senator, I'd offer just a slightly
different perspective. I think all of these benefits are
welcome by all the service chiefs and they're of great use and
utility to our force, our future force.
The problem becomes if you look in the lens of future
resourcing. Our obligation is to train these young warriors to
be prepared for the next fight and if we push all of our
resourcing into education and health benefits, which are
exceptional, where are we aggregating risk if we're cutting
into the resources that we really have to use which is
preparing them for war?
There's a fine balance here. If there's one pie to slice
from, we have to look at where we're taking those slices from
and then consider the actual risk to the human beings that
we're trusted to safeguard.
Thank you.
Senator Hoeven. Appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Baldwin virtually.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General Hokanson, as we discussed recently, I wrote to the
DOD Inspector General late last year concerned that not all
Guard members were protected as whistleblowers due to the
Inspector General's interpretation of military whistle-blower
protection statutes.
The IG (Inspector General) wrote back last month saying
that it would begin expanding whistleblower protections to
Guard members operating under Title 32 status. This is a
welcomed updated, but I really believe that all members of the
Guard should be protected, regardless of duty status.
Further, I do not believe it was Congress's intent in
passing military whistleblower protections to have these
protections be dependent on a specific duty status instead of
simply tied to being a member of the Armed Forces in general.
In Wisconsin, because of brave whistleblowers, the National
Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations uncovered a
history of reprisal, retaliation, and command-initiated
investigations that were out of line with DOD sexual assault
prevention policy. We have to ensure that these types of
whistleblowers are protected from reprisal.
So can you discuss the importance of ensuring that
whistleblower protections include all Guard personnel, and do
you support a change in definition of ``member of the Armed
Forces'' that would ensure whistleblower protections for all
members of the Guard?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. So when we look at the
intent of that policy, our key is to work with the 54 adjutants
general and their States to make sure that they follow the
intent of that policy unique to their State and so we will look
very closely with them and work with the adjutants general as
those are the ones that would implement that to make sure that
we have a policy that covers all of our Guard members based on
their service.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you. General Hokanson, can you
explain a little about how the Office of Complex Investigations
works? For example, how are cases assigned, how are
investigators trained, and how does OCI (Office of Complex
Investigations) decide which sexual assault cases it
investigates?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator, and thank you for the
opportunity to talk about this.
So when we look at our Office of Complex Investigations,
because 95 percent of what we do operates in the Title 32 or in
the State status, the majority of time we're not under Title 10
and so we rely on our local law enforcement and local
prosecutors to address serious events, specifically sexual
assault, and in cases where the local law enforcement may not
take the case, we have created an administrative review under
our Office of Complex Investigation.
In that case, the victim or the adjutant general can ask
for the OCI to come into their State and conduct an
investigation, administrative, and make recommendations to the
chain of command and so what that allows us to do is to take a
look at some cases that may not be accepted or may not meet the
criteria of local law enforcement and it gives us an avenue to
address those issues.
When we look at where we are today, traditionally we had
about 18 to 24. Shortly after becoming the Chief of the
National Guard Bureau, I reached out to the 54. We were able to
get 32 trained investigators right now. We also separated it
from our General Counsel and is independently and is now led by
a general officer with legal background in a civilian career
who General Walker is doing some incredible work making sure
that we look at all of the new cases but also the backlogs.
The key is we're trying to get the older ones done as
quickly as possible so that we can get current and reduce the
timeframe from when it's reported until that adjutant general
receives a completed report.
Senator Baldwin. Does the Office of Complex Investigations
have enough investigators to investigate every case sent to it
from the States at the current staffing level?
General Hokanson. Senator, we could always use more
resources. For us, it's finding qualified personnel across the
organization that have the time to do this or could leave their
civilian career to do this. So we could obviously always use
more, but it's a fine line between that and those capable to do
it that are volunteering to do it.
Senator Baldwin. Yes. How many investigators would the
Office of Complex Investigations need to keep current and what
funding or other assistance from Congress could help you get
there?
General Hokanson. So, Senator, I know we have 32 today and
General Walker recently came onboard. He's doing a complete
review of the entire organization. So if you don't mind, I
would prefer to get back to you directly from him because I
know he's looking at the caseload and the number of folks he
would need and the exact resources.
Senator Baldwin. I appreciate that and will look forward to
that information.
Let me add on to that. What would the National Guard Bureau
require in order to have the Office of Complex Investigations
do, say, top-down reviews for each Guard unit on a rotational
basis or as a matter of routine in order to ensure that their
sexual assault policies are in line with Federal law?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator, I'll defer to General
Walker and I'll get his specifics there, but I know this is
something that we work with our 54 adjutants general to make
sure that they're following the policies directed by each of
the services and that they meet those requirements and that we
review them to make sure that they have the personnel assigned
to the areas where they're supposed to be and also to make sure
they're trained and one thing this has brought up is the
availability of school seats.
Also, the unique environment the national guardsmen operate
in since 95 percent of our time is in a Title 32 status and so
we're actually right now exploring the potential of creating
our own schoolhouse to really take the best of what the Army
and the Air Force does but also train to the unique environment
the National Guard operates in.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin. Appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Yes. Thank you, Senator Baldwin.
Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you all
for being here.
I also want to echo the great job that the Guard and
Reserve did during COVID. Just last week, the Arkansas National
Guard concluded its 13-month mission to help distribute roughly
56 million pieces of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to our
communities and medical facilities. I think that just
illustrates what went on all over the country. So be sure and
pat yourselves on the back and all of those that have worked
so, so very hard.
Lieutenant General Daniels, I enjoyed our recent
conversation hearing about your efforts to recruit and retain
soldiers. The Army Reserve contains a significant amount of the
Army's medical capabilities with many of your soldiers having
civilian careers in various medical fields.
Can you walk us through your efforts with the Urban
Augmentation Medical Task Forces and the role they are designed
to play in combating COVID-19?
General Daniels. Thank you, Senator.
We took a paper that had been written and within 48 hours
created these Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces of 85
medical professionals and within 2 weeks were then putting them
up into the Northeast cities and places where those hospitals
were under great stress to help provide some relief.
We were very careful and cautious where we pulled these
individuals from so they were not hurting their local
communities but were in a place that they could go and provide
assistance to others.
We deployed 15 of those very early on and then later during
the COVID response, we put another three out to the West Coast
and we had another four on standby.
Senator Boozman. Now that's a great story and in normal
times that 48 hours would take months and months and months,
maybe years. So thank you for your leadership and again, you
know, making things happen.
General Hokanson, in your written testimony, you spoke
about providing the necessary forces to meet Joint Force
mission. You mentioned several Guard units that deploy overseas
and the extensive training that is necessary for them to go.
Locations, such as Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, have the
capabilities to provide first-class alternate locations for
units to train to meet the growing demand of Joint Force.
I guess the question is can you comment on the current
readiness of the National Guard and do you have the necessary
capacity needed to train those forces?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. So when we look at the
current readiness, even despite the COVID environment, we met
every single one of our overseas deployment requirements and
also we met every requirement from our Governors.
However, that did have an impact on us, particularly when
you look at recruiting, the inability to meet face to face like
we previously had, has caused a lot of innovative ways to get
recruiting and retention and also training.
Now you train virtually and now we're to the point where,
you know, with maintaining social distancing and all the other
requirements, we're able to continue our training and also, in
fact, it was the National Guard's 34th Armored Brigade Combat
Team was the first one to go through a combat training center
rotation in a COVID environment.
But, sir, aside from that, when we look at Fort Chaffee and
a lot of our other training areas, it's absolutely critical
that we maintain those so that we have the ability to train our
guardsmen within their States or nearby because the amount of
training space that we have and ranges is continually getting
encroached upon.
Senator Boozman. Right.
General Hokanson. So it's important for us to retain every
single one of those.
Senator Boozman. Very good. General, in your written
testimony you stated, ``The National Guard is a lethal, cost-
effective, dual-role operational force that provides strategic
depth to the Army, Air Force, and Space Force, and responds to
crisis in our homeland. Some estimates put that cost
effectiveness of the Guard at 30 cents on the dollar.''
Knowing that, would you say that the Guard funding request
from the services have been adequate over the years, and then
also how critical is the National Guard and Reserve equipment
account funding to the continued operations of the Guard,
particularly in domestic missions supporting the homeland?
General Hokanson. So, sir, related to the last question
with NGREA, the equipment account, it's absolutely critical to
the modernization of the National Guard and I think all of our
Reserve components.
Our services don't always have enough funding to modernize
the entire organization and so that allows us to help
supplement that, but also when we look at a lot of the critical
dual-use capabilities, like I'll just use fire buckets as an
example to fight forest fires, that allows us to do that, to
purchase that equipment and maintain it in case our communities
ever need it.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Boozman.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
We appreciate all your testimony here today. Senators may
submit additional written questions and we ask you, if you
receive those, to respond to those in a reasonable period of
time.
[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 Daniel R. Hokanson
Questions Submitted by Senator Patrick Leahy
Question. For each of the previous three fiscal years, I have
supported additional funding through the appropriations process for a
National Guard preventative mental health program executed by the
Office of Warrior Resiliency and Fitness. Evidence shows that building
resiliency in individuals before they experience stressful events
enhances their ability to avoid or recover from post-traumatic stress.
An essential part of the concept is to use data and analysis to build
tailored prevention programs for behavioral health by state, region,
and even individual.
What is your assessment of the progress made towards establishing a
preventative program?
Answer. In November 2018, NGB published CNGBI 0300.01 to establish
a Warrior Resilience and Fitness (WRF) Program, which created a
framework to integrate prevention efforts across the States,
Territories, and DC. In July 2019, NGB formally created the WRF Office
which is organized under the J1 Directorate. There are currently three
lines of effort including Innovation and Outreach, Program
Implementation, and Prevention Integration. In 2019, NGB developed the
Warrior Resilience and Fitness ``Innovation Incubator'' (WRFII)
initiative which selects and pilots innovative State-level best
practices that aim to enhance the readiness, wellness, and resilience
of geographically dispersed members of the NG. We currently have 27
pilot programs being reviewed for broader implementation at State or
National level. In addition, WRF is currently evaluating Secretary of
Defense Immediate Action #3 (Establishing a Prevention Workforce) to
analyze status, gaps, requirements, and opportunities of the National
Guard prevention workforce.
Question. How often do you meet directly with the head of the
program or other behavioral health specialists involved in the program
on progress towards achieving the program's goals especially those
related to developing analytic tools and tailored behavioral health
training?
Answer. I have met with RADM Matthew Kleiman, the Chief of Warrior
Resiliency and Fitness, on multiple occasions over the past year to
discuss mental health resources, suicide prevention strategies, and the
development of analytic tools to support the resiliency of the force.
Additionally, RADM Kleiman leads our Suicide Prevention Task Force and
in this role meets with the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Lt
Gen Sasseville, approximately twice a month, and more as needed, to
provide updates on our prevention efforts.
Question. What is the progress in providing analytic tools to help
commanders tailor preventative programs for greater effectiveness?
Answer. NGB has partnered with the Office of the Secretary of
Defense to leverage the Advana system to create a predictive analytics
dashboard (SPRINGboard) that uses external social determinants of
health data and internal DoD metrics to capture geographic risk and
protective factors across the National Guard. Using machine learning,
this tool can help analyze probable health outcomes and provide data-
informed decisionmaking to leaders at all levels.
In June 2020, we began disseminating this tool to Behavioral Health
leaders across the States, Territories, and District of Columbia. We
are continuing to disseminate and expect this tool will be fully
disseminated by December 2021. Of note, full implementation of the tool
is dependent on a data-sharing agreement to get full access to
Department of Defense data for National Guard members. By December
2021, we expect the data-sharing agreement to be in place.
Question. In what fiscal year do you anticipate programming for
this critical function?
Answer. We requested programmed funding for WRF beginning in fiscal
year 2023. I have included this program as a funding priority in the
fiscal year 2023 funding priorities memorandum to the Secretary of
Defense, Secretary of the Army, and Secretary of the Air Force.
Question. Since 2019, members of the National Guard have been
called upon to perform more missions that at any time since the Second
World War, many of them domestically, such as supporting local
officials in coronavirus response and supporting local response to
civil disturbances.
What is the amount and status of reimbursement for funds spent
related to activities of members of the National Guard on orders
pursuant to 32 USC 502(f)?
Answer. To date, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued
reimbursable funding authority to the National Guard totals $4.5B.
Current obligations total over $2.9B with $1.6B billed. Ongoing
reconciliation of funds received with obligations will result in bills
or return of funding to FEMA.
In support of Capitol Response, the National Guard has obligated
$520.9M ($450 million Army National Guard and $71 million Air National
Guard) from current year National Guard appropriations. To date, the
National Guard has not received reimbursement for these expenditures
and if the National Guard Bureau does not receive confirmation funds
will be reimbursed by July 15, 2021, the National Guard Bureau must
take fiscally prudent steps to prevent an Anti-Deficiency Act
violation. These steps will include notifying the Adjutants General to
cancel August and September Inactive Duty for Training (IDT) and all
remaining Annual Trainings effective August 1, 2021.
Question. What is your assessment of improvements that could be
made under policy or law to more smoothly place members of the National
Guard on orders pursuant to 32 USC 502(f)?
Answer. Duty Status Reform would prove extremely helpful to
smoothly place members of the National Guard on orders pursuant to 32
USC 502(f) and other reserve component mobilization authorities. The
Administration is working with the Department of Defense to streamline
mobilization authorities and potentially change benefits associated
with mobilization authorities. The intent of Duty Status Reform is to
enhance readiness with less disruptions to Service member pay and
benefits. The earliest time that the Administration will provide
Congress with a Reserve Duty Status proposal for consideration will be
before the development of the fiscal year 2023 National Defense
Authorization Act.
Question. In early 2020, I asked General Joseph Lengyel, then Chief
of the National Guard Bureau, about items that would have been
purchased to respond to a pandemic, if the National Guard Reserve and
Equipment funds had not been transferred to pay for a border wall in
the southwest.
What equipment and resources gaps currently exist that may curtail
the Guard's ability to respond to pandemics or other public health
crises?
Answer. The National Guard has not identified any resource gaps
that may curtail the ability to respond to a public health crises.
However, the National Guard did identify certain equipment gaps during
the 2020 pandemic response. Equipment gaps included shortages of
thermometers, hand sanitizer, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE
such as masks, gloves, and eye protection).
Since there is not a National Guard stockpile of PPE for a pandemic
or disaster response, all on-hand stocks are limited in quantity and
designed to support complex domestic chemical or radiological
responses. The expectation is that all PPE requirements will be
provided by the supported state, Federal agency or facility.
Question. What lessons have been learned about equipment needs for
responding to pandemics or other public health crises?
Answer. There were several lessons learned about pandemic or other
public health crises equipment needs, including M50 gas mask
limitations, PPE for non-healthcare workers, and disinfection of
respirators. The U.S. Army Medical Command, Office of The Surgeon
General and NGB published guidance recommending M50s only as a last
resort option for COVID-19 response, which also requires coordination
through chain of command/designated POCs. Unit commanders and medical
personnel need to be cognizant of the limitations of M50s when making
PPE or disease spread control recommendations. For example, the M50
mask does not filter exhaled air.
Units should reference the DoD Force Health Protection Supp 7, CDC,
and OSHA guidance. The Air Force Surgeon General has engaged in
conversations specifically regarding PPE for Law Enforcement (LE)
activities with known or suspected COVID-19 positive individuals. A
small percentage of Security Forces Squadron (SFS) and some Office of
Special Investigations operations include law enforcement activities.
Close contact is primarily anticipated during arrests, booking, finger
printing and DNA swabbing. It is recommended that law enforcement
activities in SFS be granted access to elective use N95s. As it is
difficult for the SFS community to determine when a particular defender
may engage in LE activities, the enhanced PPE including N95s may be
staged with first aid kits and leveraged when necessary.
The disinfection procedures for elastomeric full/half face
respirators and powered air-purifying respirators following potential
COVID-19 exposure and after common mask fit testing, should be
conducted according to manufacturer recommendations using an EPA
approved disinfectant. Masks should be immersed and cleaned with soap
and disinfectant. Respirator wipes are not recommended.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Susan M. Collins
Question. You said in your written testimony that the National
Guard's State Partnership Program (SPP) ``is a key pillar to the
Department of Defense's focus on alliances and partnerships.'' That is
absolutely correct. The Maine National Guard's longstanding partnership
with Montenegro is an excellent example of SPP building capable,
trusted, and interoperable military partners. The Maine Guard's work
with Montenegro was crucial to the country's accession into NATO in
2017.
What are your top priorities for the State Partnership Program in
fiscal year 22?
Answer. Thank you for your question regarding the State Partnership
Program (SPP) and my priorities for the future of this critical
program. Since the SPP started in 1993, all events and engagements have
been designed to enhance the national security of the United States by
building relationships with our Partner Nations.
I have four priorities for SPP. First, normalizing funding will
enable NGB to more deliberately plan SPP training events and
engagements, which would help strengthen existing alliances and
partnerships through greater stabilization and predictability of
funding. Second, NGB is working closely with OSD and the GCCs to build
a strategic and deliberate process to best pair state National Guards
with future partner nations. Third, it is important that NGB be able to
provide a Bilateral Affairs Officer for each partnership due to their
critical role in building and maintaining strong relationships with the
partner nation and Embassy teams. Lastly, I'm prioritizing efforts to
`professionalize' our SPP force through our outstanding relationship
with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. This emphasis ensures the
SPP workforce is trained and certified for their positions.
Question. The Maine Guard is currently seeking to partner with a
new nation--the African Island nation Cabo Verde. I think this would be
a great partnership, and many state and local institutions in Maine,
including the University of Maine, have signed on to support the effort
and provide their own unique knowledge. I wanted to highlight my
support.
When do you expect a decision to be made?
Answer. The State Partnership Program pairing process is highly
deliberative. After a comprehensive analysis and review with all
stakeholders and the States, Territories, and the District of Columbia,
NGB will send its recommendation to OSD by the end of August 2021.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Roy Blunt
the 2-152 infantry battalion transfer from the indiana national guard
to the missouri national guard
Question. General Hokanson, I, along with others of the Missouri
Congressional Delegation, wrote to you last month to express our
support for your decision to re-station the 2nd Battalion, 152nd
Infantry Regiment with its 700 excellent National Guard men and women
to the Missouri National Guard.
Once the execution timeline has been determined, we look forward to
supporting the National Guard Bureau and the Missouri TAG, Major
General Cumpton, to ensure this transfer is seamless and successful.
As you know the Missouri Army National Guard is well positioned to
assume and incorporate this great and storied unit.
Also, I want to say thanks and look forward to continue working
with you to complete the AVCRAD Phase 3B and 4 projects in Springfield,
Missouri.
Please let us know if there is anything you need to support these
two efforts. Answer Question 1:
Answer. Thank you for your support, we look forward to the
opportunity to build an additional infantry battalion in Missouri and
to continue efforts to improve Army aviation maintenance support
provided in Springfield. General Cumpton has a great plan to
incorporate these additional combat and aviation support capabilities
into the Missouri Army National Guard.
the role of c-130s
Question. General Hokanson, I would like to note my continued
concerns about the Air Force's proposed reductions of C-130 Total
Aircraft Inventory.
My understanding is that Air Force seeks to cut five flying
squadrons as part of an effort to reduce the number of C-130s to
approximately 255 planes over the next 5 years, with the majority of
reduction coming from the Air National Guard.
I know a number of Senators, including many members of this
committee, have articulated the detrimental impact of reducing our
national airlift capacity.
Furthermore, the targeted reduction of Air National Guard C-130s
would make it difficult--if not impossible--for the Guard to support
routine training missions, as well as domestic operations to respond to
emergencies and disasters.
If any proposed reductions come from within the Guard C-130 force
structure, there will be a significant loss of domestic operations
capabilities. As we have seen over the last several years, those
domestic requirements are not letting up.
Please provide your perspective on the breadth and depth regarding
the role our C-130s play in supporting the requirements of domestic
operations.
Answer. Air National Guard (ANG) C-130s play an important part in
supporting domestic operations. Since 2017, ANG C-130s have conducted
50 percent of all ANG airlift supporting domestic operations while
simultaneously executing Federal operational requirements. These
domestic operations include hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria as well
as responding to civil unrest operations in 2020 and Operation Capital
Response (2021). Specifically regarding Operation Capitol Response, ANG
C-130s flew 352 sorties, which transported 5,197 personnel and 481 tons
of cargo. The ANG C-130s also constitutes 75 percent of all national
wildland aerial firefighting capability with the Modular Airborne Fire
Fighting System supporting the National Interagency Fire Center.
The Mobility Capability Requirements Study (MCRS) for NDAA 2020 is
currently being conducted by United States Transportation Command. The
MCRS will evaluate current operational plans to determine a level of
intra-theater airlift required to balance force structure with
operational risk. The ANG is awaiting the MCRS out-brief to determine
the total force intra-theater airlift requirement for the Federal
operational taskings. If a force structure reduction is recommended,
the ANG wishes to discuss which component(s) will shoulder the
reduction, given the dual role operations levied upon ANG C-130s for
both Federal and domestic support.
the future c-130 force structure and the 139th airlift wing at
rosecrans air national guard base
Question. General Hokanson, while the Air Force and Air National
Guard have indicated that there will be no reduction of C-130H aircraft
at the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, I
expressed in a letter last month to General Charles Brown, and
Lieutenant General Michael Loh--and I want to express to you--my
concerns should any optional course of action be considered.
As you know, the 139th Airlift Wing supports both the C-130 Weapons
Instructor Course and the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center. The
Air National Guard acknowledged that two C-130s at Rosecrans supporting
the Weapons Instructor Course mission were improperly coded as Backup
Aircraft Inventory. If the 139th were to lose one of these aircraft, it
would lose its ability to conduct these unique and necessary training
missions that support the broader Air Force enterprise.
I would appreciate your commitment to ensuring the Air National
Guard correctly recodes these aircraft, and confirming your commitment
to preserving the vital mission of the 139th Air Wing mission.
Answer. The men and women of the 139th Airlift Wing (AW) make
significant contributions to the tactical airlift mission and our
Nation's defense. We understand your interest in preserving the C-130H
aircraft currently based in Missouri.
We recognize the challenges the 139 AW faces as host to the C-130H
Weapons Instructor Course (WIC) and Advanced Airlift Tactics Training
Center (AATTC). The 139 AW has the appropriate resources to execute
these missions while continuing to perform its operational mission and
meet the training needs of assigned aircrew. The Program Change Request
(PCR) mentioned is being coordinated through standard Air Force
procedures and will be considered once all applicable stakeholders have
had a chance to provide input.
We value all ANG C-130 units and, as such, use objective,
analytical data when making force structure decisions. We intend to
retain ANG C-130H/J tactical airlift aircraft that contribute to
missions, including Defense Support to Civil Authorities and other
domestic operations. The ANG has a plan to meet the fiscal year 2021
force reduction by divesting aircraft from the C-130H Formal Training
Unit (FTU). The 139 AW is not impacted by these fiscal year 2021 force
structure reductions.
The Department faces a number of tough choices each budget cycle.
Our data-driven analysis seeks to balance risk across the Total Force
and our core missions, grounded in guidance defined by the National
Defense Strategy. Divestment of legacy C-130H aircraft will allow
investment in new tactical airlift capabilities to meet demands posed
by the future spectrum of conflict and will enable the Joint Force to
project combat power into highly-contested environments.
______
Questions Submitted to Lieutenant General Richard W. Scobee
Questions Submitted by Senator Roy Blunt
the enduring mission of the a-10 and the 442nd fighter wing at whiteman
air force base
Question. Lieutenant General Scobee, Senator Kelly and I recently
introduced a resolution in support and recognition of the A-10. I'm
pleased that we have made great progress with the support of this
committee to ensure our aircraft at the 442nd Fighter Wing and across
the A-10 enterprise are modernized.
The 442nd is an incredible source of fighter pilot experience in
close air support and search and rescue, in addition to enjoying access
to air space and training ranges, first-class facilities, and lack of
encroachment at Whiteman Air Force Base.
As we look into the out-years, I look forward to working with you
to position the 442nd for an enduring mission beyond the operational
life expectancy of the A-10.
Please let us know if there is anything you need to support this
effort.
Answer. The A-10 remains a valuable asset for close air support and
I thank you for your continued advocacy to ensure these aircraft remain
combat effective.
While acquiring new platforms will enhance our capabilities, the
Air Force Reserve will continue to rely on many of the proven platforms
currently in our inventory such as the A-10. 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.
Necessary A-10 enhancements include the installation of upgraded
mission computers, Helmet-Mounted Targeting, Anti-Jam Global
Positioning System equipment, and missile warning systems, which will
provide enhanced threat awareness and weapons delivery capabilities in
contested environments.
In 2022, the Department of the Air Force is looking to begin a
slight reduction in the A-10 fleet and then reapply the resources,
including manpower, to capabilities needed to counter future peer
threats. However, this decrease will not impact the Air Force Reserve's
A-10s and the Department of the Air Force is committed to extending the
A-10's service life on our retained aircraft.
When it comes to modernization and equipment parity, the funding
provided by Congress via the National Guard and Reserve Equipment
Appropriation is vital. NGREA enables us to modernize equipment,
sustain our capability, and replace obsolete equipment to maintain
parity with the Active Component when recapitalization is not feasible.
Parity is critical to seamless Total Force Integration. We remain
grateful for these appropriations, and cannot overemphasize how
essential they are to our readiness. I appreciate your support for
NGREA now and in the future.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the 442nd, they are
a premier source of combat-ready Airmen and I am extremely proud of the
work they do every day in defense of our Nation. The Air Force Reserve
looks forward to maintaining our presence at Whiteman Air Force Base
for years to come.
SUBCOMMITTE RECESS
Senator Tester. The next Defense Subcommittee will
reconvene on Wednesday, May 26, at 10 a.m., for a Closed
Hearing on Intelligence Committee. On the housekeeping front,
the hearing after the next one because it will be a closed
hearing. So this won't apply.
But we will ask questions on this committee based on
seniority and who is physically present. After those questions
have been asked, then we'll go off of seniority virtually.
So that's a little change in process, but we've got some
direction from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention) now that I think will help encourage folks to be
here in person.
So with that, thank you all very much, and this committee
is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:43 a.m., Tuesday, May 18, the
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene subject to the call of
the Chair.]