[Senate Hearing 117-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


 
       DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023

                              ----------                              


                        WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2022

                                       U.S. Senate,
           Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The subcommittee met at 10 a.m. in room SD-192, Dirksen 
Senate Office Building, Hon. Jon Tester (chairman) presiding.
    Present: Senators Tester, Durbin, Murray, Schatz, Shaheen, 
Shelby, Murkowski, Blunt, Moran, Hoeven, and Boozman.

                         DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

                         Department of the Army

                        Office of the Secretary

STATEMENT OF HON. CHRISTINE WORMUTH, SECRETARY


                opening statement of senator jon tester


    Senator Tester. Good morning. The subcommittee will come to 
order.
    Secretary Wormuth, General McConville, welcome back to our 
subcommittee. It's good to have you here. We appreciate your 
leadership of our Nation's Army and we look forward to 
discussing with you the Army's priorities for fiscal year 2023, 
as well as other timely topics, such as the Army's role in 
supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
    No matter how large the budget each budget cycle, we 
wrestle with competing priorities of investing in key 
capabilities to support soldiers and their families, 
maintaining high levels of readiness, and continuing 
modernization efforts for the future fight.
    The Army is attempting to drive transformation to the Army 
of 2030, recognizing a strategic pivot from a focus on 
counterterrorism to an army ready to meet the top pacing 
challenge in China and the acute threat of Russian aggression.
    First and foremost, you are the people-centric service. 
Soldiers, their families, and civilians empower the Army. We 
need to make sure that the right people are in the right place 
at the right time enabling the Army to deploy, fight, and win 
as a part of the Joint Force.
    In your fiscal year 2023 budget request, it trims the size 
of the Active Duty Army to 473,000 troops, a reduction of 
12,000 soldiers. We want to make sure we fully understand the 
rationale for and the operational impact of this proposed 
adjustment.
    You're also suggesting numerous changes to ongoing 
acquisition programs. As a subcommittee, we need to know 
whether the dollars in this budget are enough to continue to 
development and increase production on your required war-
fighting capabilities without jeopardizing today's readiness.
    And, finally, we are interested in hearing about the 
lessons learned from the war in Ukraine from the type of 
threats you are seeing to how you may adjust soldier training 
going forward. The insights gained here will be key to shaping 
future military operations.
    I want to thank you both again for appearing here before us 
today. I look forward to your testimony on the fiscal year 2023 
budget request.
    Senator Shelby.


                 statement of senator richard c. shelby


    Senator Shelby. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Secretary Wormuth, General McConville, I, too, want to 
welcome you back to the subcommittee.
    I'm looking forward to hearing from both of you on the 
Army's fiscal year 2023 budget request, but I have to say at 
the outset I'm concerned by the Army's request. We all are.
    With inflation at the highest levels we've seen in 40 
years, 40 years, the request represents a cut from the 2022 
level.
    The Army is 4 years into a once-in-a-generation 
modernization of its force structure that you all know and that 
will shape the Nation's ground forces for decades to come.
    As you rightly note in your written statement, 
modernization is future readiness. We've got to have it. Yet 
the Army's unfunded list contains several billion dollars worth 
of self-assessed high-risk modernization requirements seemingly 
left out of the budget request because of an inadequate top 
line. It's always a money problem, as we all know, for you and 
us.
    The Army must also be sufficiently resourced to fight and 
win in today's increasingly complex security environment. As we 
meet today, we're witnessing the most significant ground war in 
Europe since World War II and the Ukraine, of course, is 
fighting hard to repel Putin's misguided, I think, and poorly-
executed invasion.
    The Army's playing a key role here, as you well know, by 
rapidly deploying thousands of soldiers to reassure, and we 
have to, our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies 
and also to support Ukraine where we can.
    We also need a strong Army to deter China and respond to 
provocations, Iran, North Korea, and radical extremist groups. 
You know all this well.
    To date, the Army has risen to those challenges and I thank 
you, thanks to consistent and sufficient investments in people, 
in readiness, and in modernization.
    I look forward to hearing just how this budget will 
continue to enable you as the Army to meet the future needs 
today and in the future. I have my doubts about these numbers 
that you're requesting.
    Thank you.
    Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Shelby.
    Secretary Wormuth, General McConville, once again, thanks 
for being here. You guys have the floor. Please note that your 
entire written statement will be part of the record.


              summary statement of hon. christine wormuth


    Secretary Wormuth. Good morning, gentlemen.
    Chairman Tester, Vice Chairman Shelby, Distinguished 
Members of the Committee, it's great to be here this morning 
and thank you for your ongoing support of the Army as we 
significantly transform to meet future threats.
    I'm very pleased to appear before you today at about the 1 
year mark as serving as Secretary of the Army. We've 
accomplished a lot this year but we have a lot of work ahead of 
us.
    We remain focused on our three key priorities: readiness, 
modernization, and people. The fiscal year 2023 budget request 
enables us to support the National Defense Strategy, take care 
of our people, and meet operational demands abroad and at home.
    We are investing $35 billion in modernization, almost $2 
billion in military housing and infrastructure, and we're 
funding 22 combat training center rotations in fiscal year 
2023.
    As the Chairman said, we have decided to trim our end 
strength and we're doing this really because we want to stay 
focused on quality and make sure that we have the quality 
soldiers in the force. We didn't want to lower our recruiting 
standards.
    At the same time, we are working hard to adjust our 
recruiting efforts given the challenging recruiting environment 
that we and the other services are facing.
    We're also committed to maintaining momentum on our six 
modernization portfolios. In fiscal year 2023 alone, we will 
field four long-range precision fire systems, the long-range 
hypersonic weapon, the PRISM, Precision Strike Missile, the 
ship sinking mid-range capability, and the extended-range 
cannon artillery.
    We're also modernizing our air and Missile Defense Systems 
and we're going to be building one more Patriot Battalion in 
our force structure and, finally, we're continuing to fund 
FLRAA (Future Long Range Assault Aircraft) and FARA (Future 
Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft)and we intend to field those 
aircraft in around fiscal year 2030.
    As important as it is to maintain momentum on 
modernization, people are the strength of our Army and our 
greatest asset. This budget increases soldier and Army civilian 
pay and funds a number of quality-of-life improvements, 
including barracks, family housing, and childcare initiatives.
    We're also still focused on building positive command 
climates across the Army. Positive command climates begin with 
good leaders and our new Leader Assessment Programs are helping 
us to select the very best leaders for command.
    To reduce harmful behaviors, we're building out a 
prevention workforce that will help us with our efforts to 
build strong cohesive teams that are trained, disciplined, and 
fit.
    Our Sharp Fusion Directorate Pilot brings together in one 
place all of the resources that are needed to help victims of 
sexual harassment and sexual assault and those pilots are up 
and running.
    We've also hired a civilian director for our Criminal 
Investigative Division, and we're establishing the Office of 
the Special Trial Counsel this summer.
    We are also continuing to strive to prevent suicide in our 
ranks. We've started conducting one hundred percent mental 
health wellness checks in some of our units, and we are surging 
behavioral health resources to where they're most needed, even 
as we confront the nationwide shortage of providers.
    As we focus on taking care of soldiers and our families, we 
are also transforming to meet future threats but we are also 
playing a key role here and now. Today, we have over 47,000 
soldiers in Europe to reassure our allies, deter aggression 
against NATO territory, and to help Ukraine defend itself.
    As you all know well, we've provided a wide range of lethal 
assistance, including Javelins, Stingers, Howitzers, drones, 
ammunition, and even MI-17 helicopters, and while we're focused 
on Europe, we have not taken our eye off of the pacing 
challenge of China and the Indo-Pacific.
    Through Operation Pacific Pathways, we have deployed 
thousands of Army forces and equipment sets to the regions for 
exercises that strengthen Joint Force integration, demonstrate 
combat capability, and promote interoperability.
    In just the last 2 years, for example, the Fifth Security 
Force Assistance Brigade has sent 40 advisory teams to 14 
countries in the region. This kind of inter-operability and the 
relationships that our Army forces are building with allies and 
partners in the region increase the potential for additional 
access and combined action if there is a future crisis.
    Our access presence and influence around the world are 
enduring advantages that contribute to integrated deterrence. 
To continue building enduring advantage relative to our 
adversaries, we are pursuing cutting edge experimentation and 
innovation.
    Much of our experimentation activity will culminate this 
fall at Project Convergence 22 where our sister services will 
join us with operational units and new technologies to work 
together to solve important operational challenges.
    America's Army is fit, trained, and ready when called upon 
to fight and win the Nation's wars. We are transforming for the 
future, something we have to do, given the dangerous 
environment we face each day.
    I'm very proud of all that our soldiers do to protect our 
country and look forward to your questions this morning.
    Senator Tester. Thank you, Madam Secretary.
    General McConville.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL JAMES C. McCONVILLE, CHIEF OF 
            STAFF OF THE ARMY
    General McConville. Chairman Tester, Vice Chairman Shelby, 
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the 
opportunity to be here today and for your continued support to 
our Army and our people, our soldiers of all three components, 
our families, our Army civilians, and our soldiers for life, 
our veterans and retirees.
    The men and women of the United States Army stand ready to 
fight and win our Nation's wars as a member of the Joint Force 
and I cannot be prouder of each and every one of them.
    The Army's well aligned with the National Defense Strategy 
through our existing priorities of people, readiness, and 
modernization. We win through our people. They are our greatest 
strength and they are our most important weapon system. That is 
why people remain the Army's Number 1 priority.
    We are in a war for talent. That means recruiting our 
Nation's best and modernizing our talent management systems. 
That means retaining the best. We recruit soldiers but we 
retain families. So we're assuring access to quality housing, 
healthcare, childcare, spouse employment, and PCS (Permanent 
Change of Station) moves.
    When our soldiers get the call that it's time to deploy, we 
want them to be laser focused on their mission, knowing their 
families will be well taken care of at home.
    Above all, putting our people first means building cohesive 
teams where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and 
everyone in every unit is highly trained, disciplined and fit 
and ready to fight and win.
    But being ready today is not good enough. We must also make 
sure we are ready tomorrow and that's what modernization is all 
about, future readiness. The Army continues to undergo its 
greatest transformation in over 40 years and we remain 
committed to our six modernization priorities.
    We will have 24 signature modernization systems in the 
hands of soldiers by fiscal year 2023, either for testing or 
for fielding. Also in fiscal year 2023, we'll stand up the 
third of our five multi-domain task forces. The U.S. Army never 
fights alone. So we continue to invest in strengthening our 
relationship with allies and partners across the globe. We can 
see the return on those investments in our response to Russia's 
invasion of Ukraine.
    Never before have we asked so many to move so quickly. We 
could not do it without the access and presence our allies and 
partners provide. In less than a week, the 1st Armored Brigade 
of the 3rd Infantry Division was able to deploy from Fort 
Stewart, Georgia, and be on the ground in Germany starting live 
fire exercises with tanks drawn from Army provision stocks in 
Europe. This is a testament to our tactical and strategic 
readiness to the quality of our incredible logisticians and to 
the investments Congress has made over the past several years 
in setting the European theater.
    When it's time to go, we go with the Army we have and the 
Army we have is the world's greatest fighting force. We must 
ensure it stays that way and with your continued support, we 
will.
    I look forward to your questions.
    [The statement follows:]
          Prepared Statement of Hon. Christine E. Wormuth and
                      General James C. McConville
            putting the army on a sustainable strategic path
    America's Army remains prepared to fight and win our Nation's wars 
as a member of the Joint Force, and we continue to serve as the 
Nation's premier response force to protect Americans, our Allies, and 
our interests when unexpected crises arise at home and abroad. We thank 
Congress for providing the funding that allowed us to deliver highly-
trained forces for a broad spectrum of challenges, including continued 
COVID-19 response efforts in local communities, unprecedented natural 
disasters, the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in U.S. 
military history, and now support to NATO in response to Russia's 
unprovoked invasion into Ukraine.
    As the Army continues its most significant transformation in over 
40 years, our priorities continue to be people, readiness, and 
modernization. Building upon those priorities, the Army further defined 
six objectives to guide the force towards a vision of the Army of 2030. 
First, we are ensuring the Army continues down a sustainable strategic 
path that allows us to transform to face new challenges without 
sacrificing our readiness to answer our Nation's call anytime, 
anywhere. Second, we must ensure the Army becomes more data-centric and 
capable of operating in contested environments in order to prevail on 
the modern battlefield. Third, we must continue our efforts to be 
resilient in the face of climate change, adapting our installations, 
acquisitions programs, and training to remain ready to operate in a 
changing environment. Fourth, we are building positive command climates 
at scale across all Army formations. Fifth, we must reduce the harmful 
behaviors that hurt our soldiers and break trust with the American 
people, including sexual harassment and assault, racism and extremism, 
and domestic violence. Sixth, we must strategically adapt the way we 
recruit and retain our Nation's best talent to sustain the All-
Volunteer Force.
    This year's budget request supports these priorities and 
objectives, enables us to maintain momentum on our six modernization 
portfolios, and aligns the Army with the strategic ways of the 2022 
National Defense Strategy (NDS): Integrated Deterrence, Campaigning, 
and Building Enduring Advantages.
                 army support to integrated deterrence
    Integrated deterrence is a whole-of-government effort across 
multiple domains, theaters, and the spectrum of conflict to ensure that 
the Joint Force--in close coordination with the U.S. interagency, and 
our Allies and partners--makes the costs of aggression so clear to our 
adversaries that they refrain from hostile behavior altogether. The 
Army's role is to provide combatant commanders with combat-credible 
ground forces capable of fighting and winning in large scale combat 
operations. We are the backbone of the Joint Force in the Indo-Pacific, 
our priority theater for responding to China as our pacing challenge. 
In Europe, the Army remains the tip of the Joint-Force spear in 
responding to Russia as an acute threat and reassuring our NATO Allies.
    Combat-Credible Ground Forces for Deterrence.--To echo the 
Secretary of Defense, our support for Ukraine is unwavering, and our 
commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory is ironclad. In 
recent months, we have collectively witnessed a return on multiple 
investments that Congress and the Army have made over the past several 
years, especially the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) and Army 
Prepositioned Stocks (APS). The U.S. Army has over 45,000 troops 
committed to reassuring our NATO Allies and supporting our Ukrainian 
partners, including those assigned to U.S. Army Europe-Africa, which we 
elevated to a four-star command in 2020. Our deployed forces now 
include two Corps--the XVIII Airborne Corps and our newly re-activated 
V Corps--two Divisions--the 82nd Airborne Division and 1st Infantry 
Division--six Brigade Combat Teams, and two Combat Aviation Brigades. 
Three of the six brigades we have committed in Europe are Armored 
Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs): 1st ABCT, 1st Infantry Division; 1st 
ABCT, 3rd Infantry Division; and 3rd ABCT, 4th Infantry Division. In 
addition to the large-scale deployments to NATO's eastern flank, as of 
April 2022, U.S. Army Special Operations Command has hundreds of 
personnel supporting 38 missions with Allies and partners across 17 
different European countries.
    Never before has the U.S. Army moved so many forces so quickly. It 
took less than one week after receiving deployment orders for an 
armored brigade to deploy from Savannah, Georgia and be on the ground 
in Germany starting live-fire exercises with tanks drawn from APS in 
Europe. That is a testament to years spent investing in our alliances 
and partnerships, and to maintaining strong relationships that enabled 
the Army the access and presence needed to bolster NATO deterrence. 
This also demonstrates the importance of setting the European theater 
over the past several years to deter conflict, and responding quickly 
to fight and win should deterrence fail. It also speaks to the Army's 
collective readiness--not just the tactical readiness of our combat 
units, but the strategic readiness of our logisticians, mobilization 
force generation installations, and power projection platforms required 
to equip, transport, and project those units.
    Rapid Crisis Response at Scale Across the Globe.--Rapid crisis 
response capabilities to defend our interests and protect our citizens 
across the globe is another component of integrated deterrence. Last 
year in Afghanistan, the Army deployed elements from the 82nd Airborne 
Division, 10th Mountain Division, Army Special Operations Forces, 
Minnesota and Vermont National Guard, the Army Reserve's 936th Forward 
Resuscitative Surgical Detachment, and multiple sustainment and 
military police enablers to Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) 
to support an extraordinarily difficult and dangerous non-combatant 
evacuation operation. Working hand-in-hand with the Marine Corps and 
Air Force, Army soldiers helped to evacuate more than 124,000 American 
citizens, Allies, partners, and Afghans who fought for our values over 
the past 20 years. At the height of operations, 17,000 soldiers across 
the NORTHCOM, EUCOM, and CENTCOM areas of responsibility supported 
Afghan Special Immigrant Visa application and family relocation 
efforts. Working closely with interagency partners, more than 8,000 
soldiers from all components supported Operation Allies Welcome, 
relocating more than 76,000 Afghans to the continental United States.
    Contributions to Homeland Defense.--Integrated deterrence begins at 
home with domestic resilience against strategic attacks. By integrating 
the Army's Homeland Defense capabilities with the Joint Force and 
Federal, state, and local partners, the Army enables the Nation's rapid 
response for disaster relief, as well as critical infrastructure 
attacks. Nowhere is that more apparent than in our Army Reserve and 
National Guard. Over the last year, the Army Reserve and National Guard 
have been the backbone for our Defense Support to Civil Authorities, 
responding to everything from hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms 
to wildfires, floods, and the Southwest Border. The National Guard has 
made an invaluable contribution to the Nation's COVID-19 response, 
deploying 16,670 soldiers across 44 states, 3 territories, and the 
District of Columbia. Their missions included everything from COVID 
screening, testing, and contact-tracing to vaccine storage, transport, 
and distribution. The National Guard also provided vital healthcare 
facility assistance for some of the country's most vulnerable 
populations.
     maintaining the modernization momentum toward the army of 2030
    Modernization is future readiness, and we remain firmly committed 
to the six modernization portfolios we defined to Congress in 2018: 
Long Range Precision Fires, Next Generation Combat Vehicle, Future 
Vertical Lift, the Network, Integrated Air and Missile Defense, and 
Soldier Lethality. By the end of fiscal year (FY) 2023, we will deliver 
24 of our signature modernization efforts into the hands of soldiers, 
either for experimentation, testing, or fielding. We could not achieve 
this rapid development without congressional support and authorities. 
Middle Tier Acquisition authorities and Other Transaction Authorities 
are helping the Army to reduce bureaucracy, streamline decisionmaking, 
and accelerate the development of systems in order to field 
capabilities more quickly. The Army has also forged partnerships with 
non-traditional industries, academia, and others to accelerate 
innovative, game-changing materiel solutions. As we build the Army of 
2030, we are laying the foundation for the Army of 2040 and beyond.
    Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF).--In fiscal year 2023 we will 
field the first batteries for hypersonic missiles and our ship-sinking 
Mid-Range Capability, in addition to fielding our Precision Strike 
Missile capability. Our Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTFs) will provide 
Command and Control (C2) of long range precision fires and effects 
through intelligence, information, cyber, electronic warfare, and space 
capabilities. MDTFs will enable the Joint Force to penetrate enemy air 
defenses while establishing our own. We are standing up three new MDTFs 
in addition to the two currently supporting the Indo- Pacific and 
European theaters. Together, they will offer multiple options to 
combatant commanders and complicate decisionmaking for potential 
adversaries.
    Next Generation Combat Vehicles (NGCV).--We have begun fielding the 
Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) as an adaptable and more 
survivable multi-variant vehicle. The AMPV replaces the M113 family of 
vehicles to provide ABCT combat support and enabler elements the 
capability to move at the pace of attack formations, as well as 
incorporate anticipated future technologies. We are testing prototypes 
of Mobile Protected Firepower, a lighter, more deployable armored 
combat vehicle that will provide large-caliber, long-range direct fires 
in support of Infantry BCTs. Robotic Combat Vehicles (RCVs) will 
provide unmanned platforms that will augment the mobility, lethality, 
survivability, and situational awareness of our formations. The RCVs 
will undergo increasingly rigorous experiments and capability 
demonstrations with a decision to procure by the end of fiscal year 
2024. Finally, the Army remains committed to developing the Optionally 
Manned Fighting Vehicle as the primary replacement for the Bradley 
Fighting Vehicle. We are currently in the initial design phase and plan 
to award up to three contracts for prototyping in fiscal year 2023.
    Future Vertical Lift (FVL).--The Army remains committed to 
developing our Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) and Future 
Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA). We are scheduled to down select 
FLRAA to a single vendor in the coming months and are on track to have 
both systems begin fielding by fiscal year 2030. The Army starts 
fielding its family of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in fiscal year 
2024 to provide air-launched effects with an array of payloads and 
networks. This will provide the next generation of UAS platforms for 
multiple echelons: front-line troops, operational formations, and 
theater commands.
    The Network.--Data is as important as ammunition on the future 
battlefield. That is why the network is the key to maintaining 
overmatch as a combined, joint force through decision dominance, the 
ability to make better decisions faster than our adversaries. It is not 
enough to develop new interoperable systems with open systems 
architecture.
    We must also develop a data fabric that facilitates information 
sharing more seamlessly across the Army, Joint Force, and our Allies 
and partners. Project Convergence is the Army's campaign of learning 
and annual series of experiments to inform development of Joint All-
Domain Command and Control capabilities, Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), 
and the Joint Warfighting Concept. Last fall, our second iteration of 
Project Convergence (PC21) expanded to nearly 1,500 participants from 
the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, becoming the 
largest Joint Force experiment in 15 years. This year's PC22 will 
incorporate key Allies--during the main experiment or for testing in 
our Joint Systems Integration Lab at Aberdeen Proving Ground--to 
address the challenges of operating as a combined, joint force across 
vast distances in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.
    The Army is building a more resilient network by modernizing Global 
Position System receivers to meet current and emerging threats with the 
help of advanced Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing systems. Our 
implementation of cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-supported data 
analytics aims to ensure that data is shared and acted upon by those 
who need it. XVIII Airborne Corps, I Corps, U.S. Army Pacific 
(USARPAC), and U.S. Army Europe-Africa (USAREUR-AF) have already 
trained in cloud and data-enabled, mission-command exercises. Future 
experimentation and pilot exercises will incorporate commercial 
satellite services into cloud-enabled, command-post exercises.
    Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD).--IAMD capabilities will 
protect combined, joint forces from adversary aircraft, missiles, and 
drones. The Army is fielding the IAMD Battle Command System while 
developing new radars to expand coverage and streamline sensor-to-
shooter linkages that will enable us to more efficiently target 
incoming threats. We are increasing Patriot Missile Segment Enhancement 
interceptor capacity and growing an additional Patriot battalion by 
fiscal year 2029 to enhance our defenses of theater base clusters. We 
are developing an Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) to protect 
forward C2 and logistics nodes. There are six IFPC battalions 
programmed to begin fielding to our MDTFs in fiscal year 2025. New 
formations like the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) 
battalions provide mobile air defense for tactical maneuver formations. 
Fielding began for four divisional M-SHORAD battalions in fiscal year 
2020.
    The growing threat posed by UAS is emerging as the next big 
challenge for IAMD, with both defense and homeland security 
implications. We established the Joint C-sUAS Office (JCO) as the 
executive agent for Counter small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS) in 
February 2020. The JCO leads Department of Defense development of 
integrated plans, technologies, training concepts, and doctrine to 
focus resources and minimize redundancies across the department and 
interagency. Operationally, our combat training centers are preparing 
our combat formations to counter and defeat ubiquitous sUAS threats, 
and our budget includes funding to field C-sUAS sets for multiple 
divisions.
    Soldier Lethality.--The Army seeks continued congressional support 
for the rapid prototyping, development, and procurement of the Next 
Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW), Integrated Visual Augmentation System 
(IVAS), and the Synthetic Training Environment (STE), among others. In 
fiscal year 2023, the Army will equip the first unit with the NGSW, as 
well as its higher-caliber ammunition. Thanks to iterative soldier-to-
industry feedback, we will equip the first unit with initial IVAS 
prototypes by 4th Quarter, fiscal year 2022. The STE--which uses a 
combination of hardware and software to enable soldiers, units, and 
commands to train in virtual or constructive environments--is due to 
reach Initial Operational Capability in the 4th Quarter, fiscal year 
2023. An example of the payoff to the soldiers comes from the 82nd 
Airborne Division, which last August used One World Terrain to create a 
three-dimensional representation of HKIA that gave commanders on the 
ground the ability to identify massing crowds and emerging 
vulnerabilities.
    Organic Industrial Base (OIB) and Supply Chain Risk Management 
(SCRM).--As the Army undergoes its greatest transformation in more than 
40 years, we have an opportunity to simultaneously review the entire 
OIB for modernization. This includes addressing facilities, equipment, 
people, information technology, cybersecurity, and energy requirements. 
Our support to Ukraine has reinforced that we need an OIB that can 
successfully meet current Army demands, while providing the 
capabilities and capacities to surge and sustain large scale combat 
operations. Our OIB modernization effort also has a resilience 
component, which seeks to reduce single points of failure in the supply 
system and decrease reliance on foreign supply chains and resources. In 
close consultation with and support from Congress, the Army is using a 
15-year phased approach to modernize the OIB for the 21st century 
through collaboration across the entire Army enterprise, coupled with 
industry engagements, while ensuring projects are tied directly to the 
Army's signature modernization efforts. The Army will also modernize 
facilities to upgrade the infrastructure to support the workload in our 
depots, arsenals, and ammunition plants.
    Managing supply chain risk requires a whole-of-government approach, 
and SCRM is integral to the Army's acquisition and sustainment 
processes. Managing supply chain risk early in a weapon system's life 
cycle is critical to ensuring affordability and mitigating risk before 
a weapon system is fielded. The Army has already begun using 
commercially available tools to assess and identify risk in our supply 
chains. The Army also recognizes and uses the authority granted by the 
President in the Defense Production Act. The Army will publish an SCRM 
policy in the 3rd Quarter of fiscal year 2022 and conduct a series of 
tests in December 2022 to apply the best supply chain risk tools and 
assess the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to empower our 
logisticians and other personnel supporting supply chain activities.
    Modernizing the Unit Lifecycle Model.--Last October, the Army 
adopted its new unit lifecycle model, the Regionally Aligned Readiness 
and Modernization Model (ReARMM), and it is projected for Full 
Operational Capability by January 2023. This new model aims to 
harmonize historically conflicting Army priorities. ReARMM facilitates 
modernization by giving units dedicated windows to integrate new 
equipment, reorganize formations, and train on new doctrine. Adopting 
this model is transitioning the Army from small, incremental, 
evolutionary modernization of platforms to large-step modernization of 
our formations across the Total Force. Regional alignment enables units 
to develop additional knowledge of the terrain, culture, and people 
where they are most likely to operate. Joint Force commanders also gain 
by leveraging habitual, trusted relationships between Army formations 
and Allies and partners. It takes care of people by reducing 
operational tempo and maximizing predictability and stability to 
commanders, soldiers, and families. Finally, units aligned to ReARMM 
recently validated the model by successfully participating in Operation 
Allies Welcome both in the United States and abroad without excess loss 
to readiness or the need for major process realignments.
             army campaigning in support of the joint force
    A key dimension of the Army's transformation is the need to 
strengthen and expand--where possible--our work with Allies and 
partners to actively campaign against coercive and revisionist Chinese 
and Russian activities. The Army's access, presence, and influence 
around the world supports dynamic, day-to-day military activities that 
bolster Allies and partners while frustrating our competitors. The 
Army's security assistance enterprise annually executes more than 6,100 
foreign military sales cases with 135 countries to build and strengthen 
Allied and partner capacity.
    Security Force Assistance Brigades--the Leading Edge of 
Campaigning.--Our six new Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs), 
the last of which activated in 2020, are aligned with each geographic 
combatant command and are strengthening relationships with Allies and 
partners through training, advising, and assistance. In AFRICOM over 
the past year, 2nd SFAB deployed 38 advisory teams to nine African 
countries, including Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, 
Somalia, Tunisia, and Uganda, in addition to partnering with Senegalese 
units for a rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center. In 
CENTCOM, 3rd SFAB has supported Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation 
Freedom's Sentinel, and the entire CENTCOM area of responsibility. 
After supporting the Afghan advise-and-assist program, 3rd SFAB was 
instrumental in coordinating the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan. 
In fiscal year 2022, up to 10 teams will deploy to the United Arab 
Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq to advise partner land forces on 
interoperability through persistent presence. In EUCOM during fiscal 
year 2021 and fiscal year 2022, 4th SFAB deployed advisory teams to 10 
nations in support of field exercises: Albania, Bosnia, Georgia, 
Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, North Macedonia, Poland, and Romania. 
Additionally, 4th SFAB advisory teams are currently training with 
several multinational partners to assess and enhance their integration 
into forward-deployed NATO battlegroups. In INDOPACOM during fiscal 
year 2021 and fiscal year 2022, 5th SFAB has deployed 40 advisory teams 
to 14 nations, including: Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, 
Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua-New Guinea, Philippines, 
Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand.
    USARPAC: Backbone of the Joint Force in the Indo-Pacific.--The Army 
in the Indo-Pacific provides the Joint Force with decisive, integrated 
land power required to succeed in competition, rapidly transition and 
respond during crisis, and prevail in low-intensity and large-scale 
conflict. Exercising regularly with our Allies leads to enhanced 
capacity and greater interoperability in the event of a contingency. 
USARPAC's Operation PATHWAYS (OP) annually projects thousands of Army 
forces and equipment sets into the region to execute a series of 
international exercises that strengthen Joint Force integration and 
promote interoperability with Allies and partners. It also allows 
USARPAC, as the Theater Army, to prepare, rehearse, and validate 
training for strategic movement, operational maneuver, and tactical 
employment of land forces across extended distances west of the 
International Date Line.
    The Army continues to signal its deep commitment to the Indo-
Pacific through the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI). For fiscal 
year 2023, the Army has committed $1.4 billion of investments and 
activities that support the tenets of PDI. The Army is leveraging PDI 
to improve forward posture inside the first and second island chains, 
increase conventional deterrence, and support and enable the Joint 
Force. The Army is also developing the intellectual, conceptual, and 
technical tools necessary to guide our transition to an MDO-capable 
force with an emphasis on the Indo-Pacific.
    USAREUR-AF: Tip of the Spear in Europe.--USAREUR-AF's role in the 
midst of Europe's most significant military crisis in a generation 
demonstrates how European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) investments built 
U.S. Army muscles to rapidly flow forces into Europe and coordinate 
NATO's defense. Thanks to the support of Congress, the initiative 
supports five lines of effort: Increased Presence; Exercises and 
Training; Enhanced Prepositioning; Improved Infrastructure; and 
Building Partnership Capacity. Total Army EDI funding in fiscal year 
2022 was $2.4 billion.
    The Army supports increased presence to EUCOM through the rotation 
of a Division Headquarters Forward, an ABCT, and other enablers. This 
force package ensures a U.S. presence across Eastern Europe, including 
the Baltic States, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. USAREUR-AF's premier 
exercise series in Europe-- DEFENDER--continues to enhance the capacity 
and interoperability of Allies and partners to deter adversaries, 
transform operational mission commands, build readiness, and strengthen 
the NATO Alliance. In 2021, DEFENDER integrated approximately 28,000 
multinational forces from 26 nations to conduct near-simultaneous 
operations across more than 30 training areas in 12 countries.
    Through EDI, the Army continues building a division-sized set of 
prepositioned equipment, with corps-level enablers, that will contain 
two ABCTs, two fires brigades, and air defense, engineer, movement 
control, sustainment, and medical units. Additionally, EDI funding 
diversifies capabilities by providing access to Army National Guard and 
Army Reserve units for NATO training objectives. The fiscal year 2022 
EDI budget supports an average strength of 9,450 Army Compo 1, 2, and 3 
personnel deployed in the EUCOM theater. The Army also funds facility 
improvements for Joint Reception, Staging, Onward-movement and 
Integration, as well as Mission Partner Environment network enclaves, 
including in the Baltics and Eastern Europe.
   building enduring advantages by investing in people and resilience
    People are our greatest strength and most important weapon system, 
including soldiers across the active Army, Guard, and Reserve, their 
families, our Army civilians, and our soldiers for life--our veterans 
and retirees. We ask much of our people, and taking care of them is 
both a sacred obligation and essential to sustaining the All-Volunteer 
Force. Prioritizing people means modernizing our talent management 
systems, taking care of families through our quality of life 
initiatives, and most importantly, building cohesive teams that are 
highly trained, disciplined, and fit, where everyone is treated with 
dignity and respect, and that are ready to fight and win.
    Recruiting High-Quality Talent.--The All-Volunteer Force is in a 
competition for talent, and the Army is strategically adapting the way 
it recruits and retains talent to reflect the Nation. We have 
established an Army Recruiting Tiger Team to holistically assess the 
Army's recruiting and accessions enterprise. COVID-19 impacted 
recruiting operations at all levels and across all Services, with a 
high percentage of high schools and colleges limiting in-person access 
from March 2020 through March 2022. As pandemic conditions improve, the 
Army is getting its recruiters back into America's high schools, 
colleges, and communities. As of April 2022, the Army has 1,721 Junior 
Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs across the country, 
whose purpose is to instill in high school students the value of 
citizenship, service to country, personal responsibility, and a sense 
of accomplishment. Thanks to congressional support, the Army is 
strategically growing this powerful youth program to reach new 
communities and better connect America to its Army. In fiscal year 
2022, the Army expanded JROTC to 25 new schools in New Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, New York, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, District of 
Columbia, Ohio, Nevada, California, Washington, Alabama, Georgia, and 
Texas.
    The Army is using improved analytics to more precisely tailor 
incentives and place recruiters. The Army appreciates congressional 
efforts to sustain military service as a competitive choice by ensuring 
their earnings are at the top of the 80th-percentile with comparable 
civilians, and higher percentiles for junior soldiers and junior 
officers. The Army is strategically deploying recruiters to communities 
across the country based on demographics, ethnicity, race, and gender. 
The Army is working with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense 
for Personnel & Readiness to improve how it tailors career options and 
incentives to increase new-recruit job satisfaction. The Army is also 
allowing recruits to choose from select installations as their duty 
station of choice. Over 2,000 enlistees have taken advantage of this 
benefit in fiscal year 2022. The Army is also on track to meet its 
directed level of 5,800 officer commissions while increasing diversity 
representation within the combat arms branches (25 percent in fiscal 
year 2021 to 27 percent in fiscal year 2022). While these immediate 
efforts are having a positive impact on current accessions, we continue 
to adapt our recruiting strategy to posture for emerging societal, 
demographic, and geographical shifts.
    Developing Tech Talent in the Ranks.--The Army knows that it must 
develop new talents within its ranks so soldiers can thrive in a 
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics-saturated operating 
environment. The Army has implemented eight of the nine authorities 
(Sec. 501-506, 513, 518) granted in the fiscal year 2019 National 
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). These authorities allow expansion of 
opportunities to increase the talent pool and fill critical shortages 
in technical fields based on unit demand signals. The Army's Cyber 
branch is a dynamic effort that is having success attracting highly-
talented soldiers (their average vocational test scores are top-tier 
and 25 percent have a bachelor's degree) and officers from top-rated 
universities. The Army is also using direct commissions for specific 
technical talents, as well as incentive pay and bonuses to retain high-
value talent. In fiscal year 2020-2021, Army Futures Command (AFC) 
began piloting AI and Agile Software Development Workforce initiatives 
within the AI Integration Center and Army Software Factory, where 
cohorts develop software and data science-enabled solutions to address 
problems sourced from across the Army. The Army Reserve's 75th 
Innovation Command is AFC's link to unique expertise in the private 
sector, facilitating a diverse tech-talent pipeline that is 
instrumental to the Army Software Factory's success.
    Modern Talent Management Systems to Satisfy and Retain Talent.--The 
Army has several initiatives underway to give soldiers and officers 
enhanced flexibility to shape their careers. With the Assignment 
Interactive Module (AIM) for officers, and now Assignments 
Satisfactions Key-Enlisted Module (ASK-EM) for Non-Commissioned 
Officers (NCOs), the Army has created an assignment process and 
marketplace which empowers officers and NCOs to make informed 
preferences. From a talent management perspective, AIM and ASK-EM help 
the Army get the right people in the right places through algorithmic 
matching and market clearing for greater assignment satisfaction. 
Additionally, the Army is creating more options for Regular Army 
warrant officers and officers to continue service in the Army Reserve. 
The Army is also exercising officer options for brevet promotions to 
fill critical requirements, as well as options to compete for promotion 
and command.
    Data system modernization is as critical for effective talent 
management as it is for successful combat operations. The Integrated 
Personnel and Pay System--Army (IPPS-A) is the Army's flagship Human 
Resources (HR) modernization effort, and will be implemented across the 
Active Duty, Army Reserve, and National Guard by the end of 2022. IPPS-
A delivers a secure, comprehensive, and data-rich HR talent management 
system that consolidates the systems previously required by separate 
components, as well as giving transparency to soldiers right from their 
mobile device.
    Quality Infrastructure for Taking Care of Our Soldiers.--Providing 
quality housing, barracks, childcare, and services for our soldiers and 
their families is a key factor for retaining talent. The Army is 
committed to sustaining quality housing conditions. Residential 
Community Initiative (RCI) companies are planning to invest $3 billion 
in housing over the next 10 years. Seventy-five percent of RCI housing 
are new builds, major, or medium renovations. Seventy-two percent of 
government-owned Army Family Housing (94 percent of which is overseas) 
is rated Q1 (good) or Q2 (adequate), while the Army has programmed $1.5 
billion in family housing construction and maintenance over the fiscal 
year 2023-2027 period to improve its inventory. Seventy-five percent of 
Army barracks are rated in good or adequate condition as well, with 
$4.2 billion programmed for fiscal year 2023-2027 to improve conditions 
for unaccompanied soldiers.
    Taking care of our families--and taking care of our children, 
especially-- increases the readiness of our force. The Army is 
addressing access to childcare by increasing and sustaining childcare 
infrastructure, recruiting and retaining quality childcare staff, 
incentivizing Family Child Care, providing Army Fee Assistance, and 
exploring new initiatives and partnerships. Childcare staffing 
continues to be a challenge across the country. In June 2021, the Army 
increased compensation for direct care staff and we continue to monitor 
the childcare labor market accordingly.
    Positive Command Climates--an Essential Component of Cohesive 
Teams.--Positive command climates at scale are the foundation of a 
combat-effective Army, and positive command climates begin with good 
leadership. Selection for battalion and brigade command are two of the 
most important personnel decisions the Army makes, and the Army 
continues to expand its generational change to the way it selects these 
leaders. The Army started its Battalion Command Assessment Program in 
January 2020, which is designed to assess a candidate's cognitive, 
psychometric, physical, and communication attributes, culminating in a 
double-blind interview with a panel of senior Army leaders. Over the 
last 2 years, the Army has expanded its Colonel Command Assessment 
Program to assess potential leaders for O-6/GS-15 commands as well. 
Since 2020, the two command assessment programs have assessed over 
3,400 candidates. Now the Army is expanding the program to the NCO 
corps, launching a Sergeant Major Assessment Program to assess the 
readiness of brigade command sergeant major candidates to lead and 
coach the junior NCOs and soldiers in their formations.
    Positive command climates are also built on infusing professional 
development across the ranks. In the last few years, the Army has 
instituted Project Athena at resident professional military education 
courses for officers, warrant officers, NCOs, and civilians. Project 
Athena provides rising leaders with assessments, feedback, and 
development resources to turn insights into action. To date, these 
rising leaders have completed over 161,000 assessments. Expansion to 
Army Reserve and National Guard resident courses is slated for fiscal 
year 2023-2024. The Army has also fielded a standardized Individual 
Development Plan for people to map their personal and professional 
goals, supported by an Interactive Leader Development Guide to aid an 
individual's self-assessment and development. To improve our company 
commanders' doctrinal fluency, technical knowledge, and leadership 
skills for MDO, the Army has undertaken the most significant redesign 
of its Captains Career Course since 2005.
    The Army is also exploring ways to better assess command climates. 
The Army tested a comprehensive organizational climate assessment 
through the deployment of a Cohesion Assessment Team (CAT) and, based 
on the results, will institutionalize the capability no later than 
January 2023. CATs use survey results, focus groups, leader interviews, 
and observations to provide commanders better knowledge of the 
organizational climate of their units. In fiscal year 2021, CATs 
supported five brigades. Future assessments will be based on 
institutional metrics to identify units that could benefit from expert 
input on soldier programs and unit climate. The Army is also using a 
new Counseling Enhancement Tool (CET) for developmental counseling 
sessions. The CET assists junior leaders and soldiers by requiring them 
to reflect on past performance before a formal dialogue, and providing 
guidance for interactive, collaborative, and meaningful discussions.
    Reducing Harmful Behaviors to Cultivate Healthier Soldiers.--The 
Army is placing greater emphasis on finding ways to prevent harmful 
behaviors and generate healthier, more resilient soldiers. Prevention 
begins with equipping leaders with better visibility tools to monitor 
and shape soldier health and resilience. The Army is developing 
individual and unit assessment tools such as Azimuth Check, Behavioral 
Health Pulse surveys, and Commander's Risk Reduction Toolkit to provide 
a more holistic and comprehensive picture of both individual soldier 
and unit-risk history.
    From prevention to response, the Army is fully committed to 
implementing the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the 
Military's recommendations, as directed by the Secretary of Defense. 
Building on existing expertise, the Army is developing a full-time 
prevention workforce to enable a holistic approach to preventing 
harmful behaviors. As part of a year-long pilot program, the Army 
launched Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Prevention Fusion 
Directorates across six installations and an Army Reserve command to 
integrate existing response functions and empower survivors with a 
multitude of resources. All reports of sexual assault and harassment 
will be thoroughly investigated and offenders will be held 
appropriately accountable based on the unique circumstances of each 
allegation. With support from experienced Sexual Assault Response 
Coordinators and Victim Advocates, all survivors of sexual assault and 
domestic violence will be fully supported through compassionate, 
quality care.
    Part of improving our response is augmenting our investigative and 
prosecutorial functions. In fiscal year 2022, the Criminal 
Investigative Division (CID) is adding investigative specialists at all 
field offices and aggressively exercising direct-hire authorities to 
add another 99 experienced criminal investigators. CID has realigned 
itself into geographic field offices, akin to the standard Federal law 
enforcement model. Three highly-experienced civilian special agents-in-
charge have been selected to run the field offices at Fort Hood, Fort 
Carson, and Fort Bragg. The fiscal year 2022 NDAA instituted the most 
significant change to the Uniform Code of Military Justice in over 70 
years by requiring trained, experienced prosecutors, outside of the 
chain of command, to make prosecutorial decisions in cases of sexual 
misconduct, domestic violence, child abuse, and homicide. In accordance 
with these reforms, the Army is creating regional circuit Offices of 
the Special Trial Counsel, staffed by experienced criminal litigators, 
to integrate prosecution with victim services and provide legal 
expertise, longevity, transparency, and consistency across the force.
    Climate Resilience for a Changing Operational Environment.--In 
addition to investing in people, the Army is taking important steps in 
alignment with the NDS to build enduring advantage through climate 
resilience. The Army's core mission of fighting and winning our 
Nation's wars remains unchanged. Climate change, however, makes this 
mission more challenging not only for the Army, but the entire Joint 
Force. The Army must proactively adapt to climate change impacts and 
respond to climate risks to maintain its strategic edge in a climate 
change-impacted world. The Army Climate Strategy (ACS), which was 
released earlier this year, and the ACS Implementation Plan, scheduled 
to be released this summer, will synchronize our efforts to: increase 
capability; enhance installation resiliency; prepare for new hazards 
and operating environments; and modernize processes, standards, and 
infrastructure while reducing operational energy demands and greenhouse 
gas emissions.
    The Army requires resilient, efficient, and affordable installation 
energy and water infrastructure to support the Army's ability to 
deploy, fight, and win. Army installations provide secure and 
sustainable facilities and infrastructure that support commander 
priorities, enable missions, and maintain soldier and unit readiness. 
The Army must increase installation energy and water resilience to 
anticipate and withstand future threats, including climate change-
driven increases in extreme weather, and man-made kinetic and cyber 
threats that increase the risk of extended power and water disruptions.
    The ACS has set a goal to achieve a 50 percent reduction in Army 
net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030, shift to carbon pollution free 
electricity by 2030, and attain net-zero Army greenhouse gas emissions 
by 2050 in order to build a resilient and sustainable Army that can 
operate in all domains. The ACS drives increased resiliency and 
capabilities of the force. The Army is moving out to install a micro-
grid on every installation by 2035 to ensure installation resiliency as 
we face a contested homeland and an environment of increasingly severe 
weather. By 2040, we aim to achieve enough renewable energy generation 
and battery storage capacity to self-sustain critical missions across 
the Army. We are also on schedule to field an all-electric, light-duty, 
non-tactical vehicle fleet by 2027 and an all-electric, non-tactical 
vehicle fleet by 2035, reaping cost and resource efficiency, and adding 
to the resilience of Army transportation in spite of climate and energy 
challenges.
    The Army takes pride in stewardship of our lands and resources for 
the American people. The Army is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 
to mitigate its contributions to climate change and act as good 
environmental stewards to further protect the American people. We are 
including climate change threat mitigation into all land management 
decisions and incorporating the latest climate and environmental 
science into stationing, construction, and fielding decisions.
                                closing
    ``This We'll Defend'' has been the proud motto of the U.S. Army 
since 1775. It captures the resolve, resilience, and readiness of 
generations of American soldiers and citizens who have answered the 
Nation's call and picked up arms in her defense. Today is no different. 
When the Nation calls, we send the Army we have--and the Army we have 
is the world's greatest fighting force. With timely, adequate, 
predictable, and sustained funding, we will remain ready to fight and 
win our Nation's wars as a member of the Joint Force, reassure our 
Allies and partners, take care of our people, and pursue our greatest 
transformation in over 40 years.

    Senator Tester. Thank you both for your testimony.
    We will get to questions now. Look, we've talked about this 
before in my office. You're struggling to meet projected end 
strength in this fiscal year. Your budget proposes to reduce 
the Army's end strength next year by about 12,000 soldiers.
    This is for either one of you who wants to answer this. Can 
you please explain to the committee why this decision was made 
and what the impacts of this cut will be on operations?
    Secretary Wormuth. Certainly, Chairman. As I said in my 
opening statement, we were primarily focused on wanting to make 
sure that we preserve the quality of the force, the level of 
soldiers that we're bringing into the Army.
    You know, we could have, for example, lowered standards, 
taken in more CAT-IV (Category 4) soldiers, for example, issued 
more waivers as the Army did several years ago, but we didn't 
want to do that.
    From an operational perspective, we're confident that at 
the level that we're reducing to, we'll still be able to meet 
our requirements. We do want to make some changes to how we're 
recruiting to try to help us come back up.
    You know, we've done things like offer a $50,000 incentive 
for certain particular MOSs (Military Occupation Specialties). 
We are allowing soldiers to pick their first duty station, but 
I think we need to look, frankly, given the environment where 
you have, you know, only 23 percent of Americans even eligible 
to join the Army and you have propensity to join at, frankly, 
quite a low level, we need to look at some more substantial 
changes to how we recruit and we've stood up a Tiger Team to 
look at that and we're going to try to be really creative and 
aggressive in terms of exploring ideas to help us going 
forward.
    Senator Tester. Okay. The Army Reserve is also well 
underneath its planned end strength, I believe by about 9,000 
soldiers. Yet your budget request is not reducing the size of 
the Army Reserve.
    Can you tell me why there's a different approach between 
Active military compared to the Army Reserve?
    Secretary Wormuth. Well, Senator, we're certainly having, 
as you know, we're having some retention challenges in the Army 
Reserve in part because retention in the Active is quite good. 
So we don't have as many folks leaving the Active component and 
going into the Army Reserve, but the Army Reserve is also 
facing the same types of challenges in the recruiting 
environment that we are in the Active.
    So we're looking at that and trying to make sure that we're 
balancing the resources that we're providing to all three 
components for recruiting.
    Senator Tester. Okay. General McConville, China is a top 
pacing threat. This requires our military to be modernized with 
emphasis on nimble distributed operations.
    My question for you is what does the traditional standing 
land force model have to offer in the Indo-Pacific theater of 
operations?
    General McConville. Well, Chairman, I think the land force 
has a lot to offer. Most of the military in the Indo-Pacific 
are led by army forces and we definitely have a role, but as 
far as our specific role, we play a tremendous role in setting 
the theater with logistics.
    We provide command and control. We're building long-range 
precision fires that will give the combatant commander the 
option to penetrate integrated air and missile defense 
capability. We're building mid-range capability that will hold 
a potential adversary's amphibious capability at risk. We're 
providing air and missile defense which allows us to counter 
unmanned aerial systems, theater ballistic missiles, and also 
adversary air, and then we have a very highly-trained, 
disciplined, fit ground force that can seize and hold terrain 
or do a forced entry if required.
    Senator Tester. Secretary Wormuth, how is the Army being 
responsive to INDOPACOM's (Indo-Pacific Command) vision for 
sustained Joint presence in the region, and what can Army 
uniquely contribute to the Joint Force?
    Secretary Wormuth. Chairman, we've got about $1.4 billion 
in the budget for support to INDOPACOM and supporting the Joint 
Force. So primarily through Operation Pacific Pathways, that's 
a series of exercises that are underway in INDOPACOM, we are 
trying to make sure that we have Army presence in the theater 
up to about 6 months a year and so we are demonstrating combat-
credible forces in the region.
    We are also through those exercises trying to work on 
expanding our logistics capability in the theater and looking 
at opportunities for expanding our pre-position stocks, as 
well.
    Senator Tester. Okay. Senator Shelby.
    Senator Shelby. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    As I said at the outset, I'm concerned, and I think I'm 
joined by a lot of others in the Senate and the House, about 
the impact inflation is having on the Army and the Navy and 
everything else, and I'm sure you are, too.
    At eight and a half percent, the current rate of inflation 
is undoubtedly impacting the approximately one million total 
force soldiers and their families, among other things.
    I'm also concerned that inflation will reduce the Army's 
buying power, as you realize, as your own modernization 
priorities shift from research and development into 
procurement.
    Did you, Madam Secretary, did you fully account for all 
foreseeable inflationary pressures in putting this request 
together because this request is going nowhere in the Senate or 
the House?
    As you know, the whole Defense request looks ludicrous to 
probably the majority of the House and the Senate.
    Secretary Wormuth. Vice Chairman, I think the Department 
and certainly the Army inside the department tried to account 
for inflation as best we could when we were developing the 
budget and finalizing the budget.
    So, for example, in addition to an overall, you know, $30 
billion-a-year increase for the department's request, the 
department added $20 billion-a-year to try to address rising 
inflation, but that was before Russia went into Ukraine, 
causing energy prices to spike, but I am concerned----
    Senator Shelby. Before the latest numbers on inflation, 
too.
    Secretary Wormuth. Yes, and I was just going to say I am 
concerned given where inflation is now about our purchasing 
power.
    We see it, for example, in our MILCON (Military 
Construction) projects where construction costs are rising 
significantly.
    Senator Shelby. The munitions industrial base, you know, as 
you know, Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine has made some of 
the Army's capabilities into household names, like the Javelin, 
the Stinger, and so forth.
    As the U.S. provides billions of dollars, and we're going 
to do more military aid, we're realizing just how finite our 
munitions stocks are and how fragile to some extent our 
industrial base.
    Could you update us on the efforts by you and others in the 
Army and how you're going to accelerate the procurement process 
here?
    Secretary Wormuth. Certainly, Vice Chairman. You know, we 
are concerned about the industrial base and we are working 
closely with defense industry to try to make sure that they're 
going to be able to ramp up production.
    So specifically, for example, with Javelin, I think the CEO 
(Chief Executive Officer) of Lockheed announced just in the 
last day or two that they're working hard to double production 
in the near term on Javelins.
    When I talk to CEOs, you know, one of the things that I 
raise typically first are the supply chain issues and, you 
know, how can we work together to shore some of that up, and 
it's something I think we're just going to have to continue to 
work on.
    I think the department as part of the supplemental request 
has asked for some additional authorities that will, I think, 
better position the department going forward to build up our 
munitions stocks and specifically I would say the Army has 
substantially increased its investment in ammunition because we 
recognize the importance of having adequate munitions 
stockpiles.
    Senator Shelby. In the area of hypersonics, General, I'll 
address this to you, we're all pleased to learn that the Army 
will field its first hypersonic battery in 2023, but we all are 
concerned and have been a long time about the progress that 
China and Russia have made in this area.
    Have they surpassed us? Are we on par with them? We've got 
to win that war.
    General McConville. Senator, you make a very good point and 
that's why we've been aggressively going after hypersonics in 
the Army. We're very pleased with our progress so far.
    We have a battery at Joint Base Lewis-McCord right now and 
we're doing the final testing and we expect to have that 
operationally in 2023, as you said, sir.
    Senator Shelby. Talk to me a little bit, General, about 
recruitment. You know, we have an all-volunteer service and it 
gets tough on recruitment.
    As you're planning to reduce and modernize some of your 
soldiers - you've still got to recruit all the time.
    General McConville. Yes, Senator.
    Senator Shelby. What is the biggest challenge here? Is it 
lack of interest? Is it lack of - something?
    General McConville. Well, Senator, I think we're in a war 
for talent. I think, you know, one of the factoids that the 
Secretary talked about, 23 percent of Americans are qualified 
to come to the Army, but an interesting factor that I've seen 
is 83 percent of young men and women that are coming into the 
Army come from a military family.
    So we're becoming a military family business. I have three 
kids and a son-in-law that serve and I think we need to, you 
know, get more exposure and show the advantages and the 
pathways to success to other young men and women so it becomes 
an American family business and there's a call to service.
    Senator Shelby. Madam Secretary, one last question dealing 
with the Army Futures Command. It was established as a four 
star command about 4 years ago to accelerate your modernization 
efforts. That's what we were told.
    As you prepare to put many of these efforts into the 
modernization in place, you haven't, to my knowledge, nominated 
a new commander since General Murray's retirement and his slot 
is open, is that still true?
    Secretary Wormuth. We are working with the White House to 
put forward a nominee for Army Futures Command. We intend to 
keep that as a four star command. You know, I think there's 
been some speculation that we're thinking about downgrading AFC 
(Army Futures Command) and that's not the case.
    Senator Shelby. If you don't have a commander in place of 
the Futures Command, you have no leadership, right?
    Secretary Wormuth. Well, we have a very capable acting 
commanding general, Lt. General Ken Richardson.
    Senator Shelby. Acting?
    Secretary Wormuth. Yes, we want to get that nominee over to 
the Senate.
    Senator Shelby. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Senator Durbin.
    Senator Durbin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Thank you both for being here and for your service to our 
country.
    Madam Secretary, there has always been an effort to take 
care to keep a bright line between our military and partisan 
political activity. I recently read an article by General 
Milley that talked about some of the challenges in the military 
today and one of them was the politicization of the military 
ranks.
    Is this a problem, a challenge, and, if so, what are you 
doing about it?
    Secretary Wormuth. Senator Durbin, I think it's absolutely 
essential that the U.S. Army remain apolitical. You know, 
Americans of all political persuasions have to be able to look 
to the Army and feel confident that it is apolitical and that 
it will follow the lawful orders of the Commander in Chief.
    So I do think we have to be concerned about that. I get 
concerned when I see the Army sometimes being put into a 
position where it becomes a political football. I think, you 
know, the Chief and I do everything possible to try to avoid 
that.
    We have reminded all of our soldiers, you know, that they 
are not to engage in political activities wearing their 
uniforms, for example. So it is something we try to reinforce 
all the time that we must remain apolitical.
    Senator Durbin. Glad to hear that. Let me mention. You 
talked about industrialization. I just want to put a plug in 
for the Rock Island Arsenal and the depots and arsenals across 
the United States that have risen to the challenge time and 
again, and I hope you'll make them part of your thinking about 
future demands for developing high-quality materials and 
equipment.
    Secretary Wormuth. We are very much factoring in our 
arsenals into our organic industrial base plan, and I'm 
actually planning to get up to Rock Island in early June, I 
believe.
    Senator Durbin. Good. Glad to hear that. General, you're 
watching this war unfold in Ukraine as we all are, and we were 
told at the beginning, before the Russians initiated their 
advancement into Ukraine itself, that our experts thought it 
was likely to be 3 days before Kyiv fell and 3 weeks before 
most of Ukraine fell to the Russians and we would have a 
multiyear resistance effort that followed. That didn't happen.
    Kyiv is still standing, thank goodness. The government is 
still in place, and most of the efforts by the Russians have 
not commanded territory to this day, except for the Far East.
    So what lessons do you learn as a professional in the Army 
observing this in terms of the efforts by the Ukrainians and I 
guess especially what have you learned about the Russian 
capacity to fight a war?
    General McConville. Well, Senator, one of my biggest 
takeaways is I take a look at what's happening is there's this 
idea of leadership and this idea of will. If you take a look 
at, you know, what a lot of people do when they do analysis, 
they'll take a look at the Russian Army and they'll say they 
have very good capability, they have very new good equipment, 
they have so much of it. And when they look at the Ukrainians, 
they say, hey, this is a much bigger country than Ukraine, has 
much more equipment, but there's that idea of leadership and 
the fact that the President of Ukraine stayed and said he was 
going to lead from that country, the fact that the will of the 
people, everyone stayed and fought, that is like almost a 
secret sauce of every military, and very, very important to 
have cohesive teams that stay and fight and sometimes that's 
hard to measure, but we're seeing the importance of that right 
now in Ukraine. They stayed to fight and it's making a 
difference.
    Senator Durbin. So if the projections and initial time 
table turned out to be wrong because of the factors that you 
just mentioned, could you speak to the equipment and capacity 
of the Russians in the field in terms of their fighting 
capacity and in terms of our need for preparing for the 
eventuality of defending against that?
    General McConville. Well, we take a look at what the 
Ukrainians are asking for. They certainly want artillery. The 
Russians actually use artillery very, very effective. They 
fight with fires. They haven't been very effective with their 
ground maneuver forces mainly because they're fighting tanks 
without infantry. They're not doing combined arms operations 
and so we take a look at what we need in an army.
    We can take a look at what the Ukrainians are asking for. 
They want long-range fires. They do want armor capability. They 
want air and missile defense. They've been very, very effective 
with the Javelins. They want counter-fire radars that can 
determine where the Russians' artillery is and they're putting 
that together with training and will and that's why they're 
having the success they're having, and let's not forget 
logistics, very, very important.
    Senator Durbin. If I could ask one last question? Madam 
Secretary, I am all in when it comes to standing behind the 
Ukrainians and I've made that well known to my colleagues. I 
think it's heartening that it's such a bipartisan feeling on 
Capitol Hill and that's almost a rarity but it is happening.
    In terms of our capacity and the equipment that we have 
warehoused and available and in production, are we being pushed 
to a limit where we have to reconsider any aspects of our own 
defense and how much is being allocated?
    Secretary Wormuth. At this time, Senator, I mean, certainly 
we keep a close eye on, what our minimum requirements are and 
as requests from the Ukrainian military have come in, we have 
factored that into our analysis, but at this time, I'm not 
aware of us being unable to provide a particular type of 
assistance to the Ukrainians because we felt like it would 
jeopardize our readiness.
    Now I do think, we are working with industry to try to help 
them be able to ramp up production so that we can continue as 
it looks like this is going to be a rather protracted conflict. 
We do need to do everything we can, I think, to be able to 
continue to provide assistance to the Ukrainians while making 
sure that we have the stockpiles we need.
    Senator Durbin. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Senator Blunt.
    Senator Blunt. Thank you, Chairman.
    Secretary, last week at the hearing, Secretary Austin 
stated that we would replace our munitions sent to Ukraine in 
the span of 1 year, doesn't look like to me from looking at 
that a little further that's likely to be possible.
    I think the Javelin's probably closer to 18 to 24 months 
and the Stinger missiles, we haven't bought a Stinger missile, 
according to the CEO of Raytheon, for 18 years.
    Talk to me a little about whether you think that 1 year is 
possible and, if not, our efforts, how important it is that we 
get our stockpile of those two weapons at least back to where 
they were before the war began.
    Secretary Wormuth. Senator, I think, you know, the 
timelines for replenishment vary, depending on what the systems 
are.
    You are right that we have not had an open production line 
for Stinger for some time. We do still have some missiles, some 
Stinger missiles that we can provide, but there's an obsolete 
part that we're going to have to figure out how to work around. 
Do we design around that or bring forward sort of a next 
generation Stinger, and I think that will take a little more 
time.
    And to your point, yes, I do think on the Javelins, I think 
Raytheon is trying to really accelerate, you know, whether they 
can come inside of a 1-year period. I am not sure. I think it 
may take a little more time, but we are trying to work 
aggressively with industry----
    Senator Blunt. And you're committed to replace those 
stockpiles at least to the level that they were at and there 
may be some congressional discussion about moving higher than 
the past level?
    Secretary Wormuth. We certainly want to make sure that we 
continue to have at least our minimum requirements. So, yes, I 
think we want to replenish and continue to be able to provide 
to the Ukrainians.
    Senator Blunt. And, General McConville, the Army's 
reluctantly, I think, requesting a reduced end strength in this 
budget because of recruiting.
    How's that going to affect a basic training post like Fort 
Leonard Wood in Missouri?
    General McConville. Well, I think what we'll see, Senator, 
is we'll have less young men and women coming through training. 
We see it as a momentary pause and when we say recruiting, 
we're talking a couple thousand that's spread out around a 
couple posts. So I'll get you the exact numbers, but it might 
be a couple hundred less coming through training, but we're 
hoping with a call to service we're going to see young men and 
women that want to come back into the service and we need to do 
that.
    Senator Blunt. Yes. Well, I hope so, too. We'll be watching 
that.
    The Defense Department--this budget was really produced 
before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, before you got the 
fiscal year 2022 bill and on research and development of the 
Defense Department and the transition materials said the 
highest research and development number we've ever asked for, 
and then you got a higher number than that in the 2022 budget 
which I hope we match that number and exceed it.
    But what are we learning from what's going on in Ukraine 
right now in terms of our weapons systems, the way that even a 
land war like this is being fought differently?
    I think, General, I ought to go to you first on that.
    General McConville. Well, Senator, what we're learning is 
at least we're reinforcing confidence in where we're going with 
our research and development and our future weapons systems. 
You know, we believe if we had the--you know, us, our allies 
and partners have the long-range precision fires in place that 
we're developing. They would be very, very effective against 
the Russians because they would be able to take the artillery 
out. They'd be able to take their command control posts out.
    We think that the ship sinking capability is great to have. 
That deters any type of amphibious operations that a future 
adversary may want to do. We think where we're going with air 
and missile defense and especially our focus on countering 
unmanned aerial systems is going to provide some great 
capabilities that we're going to need to have to deter future 
adversaries.
    Our long-range aircraft, when we look at the speed, the 
range, and the convergence on the future battlefield, we feel 
very, very comfortable with them.
    So as we look at each system, we're weighing that on how 
that worked in either Ukraine or against a more sophisticated 
adversary, and we feel we're going in the right direction.
    Senator Blunt. Well, and I think looking at what's happened 
with drones and other things that have not been in warfare 
before, I think we knew there was some weaknesses of the 
Russian tanks, but I don't think we anticipated quite how 
vulnerable they have turned out to be. So this is an important 
time for us to think about what our structure should look like.
    Secretary, as Vice Chairman Shelby said, the fact that the 
2022 budget was bigger than you would have expected maybe when 
you submitted this, the inflation number is way off and I think 
we're all looking at our weapons systems, as General McConville 
just mentioned, in a different way.
    I'd expect this is going to be a very vigorous discussion 
with the committee and the Chairman and Vice Chairman as to 
what this budget needs to look like differently than maybe we 
would have thought in March of this year and I look forward to 
working with you on that and you, too, Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Senator Schatz.
    Senator Schatz. Thank you, Chairman, Vice Chairman.
    Thank you both for being here. General McConville, when you 
were Vice Chief of Staff, you signed an MOU (Memorandum of 
Understanding) with General Brown at USARPAC (United States 
Army Pacific) committing at least a $100 million in annual 
funding to address the backlog of infrastructure needs for the 
Army in Hawaii. We've made a bunch of progress over the last 
couple of years, but this President's budget includes zero 
dollars for critical infrastructure improvements in Hawaii.
    How do you square this MOU with the current President's 
budget?
    General McConville. Well, Senator, we have a 10-year plan, 
as you know, we are building new barracks and capability and 
there are some items that, if we have the opportunity to pull 
forward, that are on my unfunded priority list and again we 
want to continue to get after those programs.
    We do have a plan and we're trying to balance the resources 
we have to bring those to fruition.
    Senator Schatz. Do we have your commitment to get us back 
on track?
    General McConville. Yes, you do, Senator.
    Senator Schatz. Thank you.
    I want you to talk for the whole committee, for the staff, 
for anyone else who's listening about Pacific Pathways because 
I think in terms of bang for your buck there's nothing quite 
like it in the entire Defense budget.
    We accomplish so much in the INDOPACOM region for so few 
dollars and I'd just like you to talk us through how it works 
and why it's so inexpensive and why it's so highly leveraged 
and effective.
    General McConville. Yes, Senator. One of the things I think 
is really important is building strong relationships with our 
allies and partners and that's exactly what Pacific Pathways 
does. We get to work very, very closely with those who share 
similar interests. We operate all across the Indo-Pacific. We 
watch very, very closely. It gets our troops into the various 
countries that we want to work with. We get access. We get 
presence. We also get the ability to influence their training, 
inter-operability, and again I think, you know, when we talk 
about peace through strength, having strong allies and partners 
that work together, that train together in a scrimmage, if you 
will, is what makes us much better when it comes time to 
actually have to go to combat.
    Senator Schatz. Thank you very much.
    Secretary, I want to talk to you a little bit about 
climate, but I want to divide it into sort of three lines of 
effort.
    The first, of course, is that the President's Executive 
Order requires all of the branches to transform over time their 
energy systems, transmission, distribution, generation, and 
fuel. Now that can't be done instantaneously and it can't 
supersede the mission. So that's one sort of bucket.
    The other is, and I think from the standpoint of readiness, 
this is the piece that needs to be addressed almost 
immediately, is you're just going to have increasing severity 
and frequency of severe weather events, both, you know, 
domestically and internationally, and we sort of need to 
contend with that as a strategic question but also just a 
readiness question in terms of our soldiers getting either too 
hot or too cold or getting flooded out and all the rest of it.
    And then the third line of effort is how do we 
institutionalize these efforts so that the entire Defense 
Appropriations Subcommittee can get behind this as a national 
security imperative and not have it swing back and forth 
depending on who wins whatever election.
    So the first is the energy piece, the second is severe 
weather, and the third is how do we institutionalize this. You 
have a minute.
    [Laughter].
    Secretary Wormuth. Thanks, Senator. I'll try to talk 
quickly.
    You know, on the first line of effort, we are working to 
try to, transform our non-tactical vehicle fleet to be, 
eventually all electric. I think the Army has a very aggressive 
goal on that. We are even, looking--we're doing some 
exploration of a hybrid version of the Joint Light Tactical 
Vehicle. That's just an experiment at this point, but we are 
doing a lot to really help us with our vehicles, and there are 
some operational benefits to that, as well.
    You know, quieter vehicles with less fuel requirements 
means that you don't have the kind of protracted supply 
convoys. That has, you know, operational benefits on the 
battlefield.
    On installations and increasing severe weather events, you 
know, we have installations all around the country that are 
affected by whether it's drought, wildfire, or hurricanes, and 
it has real impacts, and so we are investing in our 
installations to make them more resilient so that our soldiers 
can continue to train and can train, frankly, in more extreme 
temperature environments which unfortunately, I think, is going 
to be the future.
    On institutionalizing, I think, that's a great question, 
and to me, I don't know if I have the answer, other than, you 
know, I'm definitely a believer that your budget is your 
strategy and where you put your money shows what your 
priorities are, but I think as long as we continue to emphasize 
the operational value of these types of investments, I would 
hope that that would build consensus that the department should 
make those investments regardless of the flavor of 
Administration, if you will.
    Senator Schatz. Perfect. And one final thought is you now 
have senior advisors for climate in each of the service 
branches, and each of the service branches are doing really 
interesting things in the energy space.
    I want to make sure that if you figure out something that 
you share it with the Navy and the Air Force and everybody 
else. So let's make sure those senior advisors and those chiefs 
and those secretaries are in an ongoing conversation to sort of 
elevate and then scale best practices.
    Secretary Wormuth. Absolutely.
    Senator Schatz. Thank you.
    Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
    Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you.
    Madam Secretary, thank you. I'm anxious to have you as my 
guest in Kansas at Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth and I hope 
we can find a time to do that.
    General McConville, good to see you again. I want to focus 
on European Defense Initiative and what it means. I heard the 
Chairman ask about end strength earlier in the questioning.
    We have the 1st Infantry Division, as you know, stationed 
in Europe as part of Atlantic Resolve Mission. The 1st Infantry 
Division only has two brigades which takes me back to my 
constant conversation with you and others.
    As the Army looks to increase its presence in Europe and 
continues to rely upon a rotational basis, what conversations 
is the Army having on creating additional brigade combat teams, 
General?
    General McConville. Well, Senator, right now we're not 
looking at increasing brigade combat teams. We're, quite 
frankly, with the end strength we have and the size of the Army 
and the resources, we're looking at holding what we have.
    We are looking at creating new organizations, like the 
Multi-Domain Task Force, and some of the other--especially the 
mobile short-range air defense capabilities and some other type 
units, but we are not looking right now at creating additional 
brigade combat teams.
    Senator Moran. How does the Army plan to use the National 
Guard's five armored brigades to assist our partners and allies 
in Europe?
    General McConville. Well, Senator, first of all, the Guard 
does incredible things. We're real proud of them and what 
they're doing both at home and away is just magnificent. We 
don't go to war without them and, quite frankly, we don't do 
peace-time operations without them.
    So they're an integral part of the rotations. When we look 
at a Guard unit, you know, we don't want them rotating every 
other year but we do and they want to have a mission out there 
and they're part of the team and so they will be part of that 
rotation in the future just like they're doing right now.
    Senator Moran. What kind of training do you envision for 
our Guard and Reserve soldiers? What will they be conducting in 
regard to our partners and NATO allies? What kind of training 
is the Guard going to be engaged in?
    General McConville. Well, if we take a look, we have a 
Guard over there right now working with our allies and 
partners. They are highly trained and so they're doing, you 
know, basic combat-type training. It could be with Javelins. It 
could be with Stingers. It could be with combined arms, basic 
marksmanship, but they run the gamut of the type of training 
that our allies and partners need and there's a much bigger 
emphasis moving right now on logistics and sustainment and 
maintenance of some of the equipment that we're loaning or 
allowing our allies and partners to use.
    Senator Moran. In regard to the Javelins and other 
equipment, for us to be fully equipped as an Army by 2030, the 
budget calls for transition from development to production for 
a wide range of aircraft, precision fire, ground vehicles, and 
missile defense systems.
    I've suggested this to the Chairman, although I don't know 
what his reaction was, but that we consider having a hearing in 
this room or perhaps in a classified setting in which we look 
at supply chain, where we are in our capabilities of providing 
the necessary equipment to Ukraine and how to make certain that 
we and our allies have the necessary technical capabilities 
through production to meet our current demands.
    The war in Ukraine and our competition with China has made 
future production demands for these capabilities even more 
pronounced.
    In your opinion, does the Army have sufficient industrial 
base capacity to successfully execute and modernize its 
priorities, and how will the Army manage transition from 
prototype to production, and how will the Army partner with 
industry to produce these capabilities, Madam Secretary?
    Secretary Wormuth. Senator, I think we do have, I think,--
you know, I'm quite confident in the defense industrial base in 
terms of it being able to meet our needs with the work that 
we're doing across our six modernization portfolios.
    You know, we are certainly working closely with industry to 
work through the supply chain challenges that I think have 
become very evident during the pandemic, but we have a 15-year 
organic industrial base plan in the Army just to work on our 
depots, our arsenals, to make sure that they're able to produce 
what we need and repair the systems that we're developing, and 
I think, you know, in terms of crossing over, if you will, from 
the development phase into procuring some of the bigger systems 
that we're working on right now, we are really trying to look 
very early at affordability issues, you know, the sustainment 
costs, the maintenance costs of all of these systems to make 
sure that we're factoring that in and that we're able to afford 
it going forward.
    So I think we're on a good path, but we're going to need to 
continue to have a close dialogue with industry going forward.
    Senator Moran. I think in this setting you can't be more 
concrete than that and I understand that. I do hope that maybe 
that if Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth are insufficient to 
entice you to come to Kansas that our defense industrial base 
would be of interest to you, as well.
    Secretary Wormuth. Well, I'm pleased to say I got to Fort 
Leavenworth. I've not gotten to Fort Riley yet, but I was able 
to go up and see the Combed Arms Center a few weeks ago. It was 
great.
    Senator Moran. Thank you. Thank you for that visit.
    Senator Tester. Senator Moran, before I go to Senator 
Shaheen, I just want to tell you that I just talked to the 
Ranking Member. We're going to have a hearing on supply chain 
and inventory in a classified session.
    Senator Moran. Mr. Chairman,----
    Senator Tester. What power you have.
    Senator Moran. Mr. Chairman, thank you for demonstrating my 
credibility and power in front of this august audience. Thank 
you.
    [Laughter].
    Senator Tester. Senator Shaheen.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, 
Madam Secretary and General McConville.
    I want to start with the question that I asked at the Full 
Armed Services Committee about the ENVGB, the Enhanced Night 
Vision Goggle Binoculars, because I'm still trying to 
understand how you arrived at your decision and how you can be 
comfortable that the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, the 
IVAS System, is going to be able to effectively replace those 
on the time table that you're looking at.
    I want to again point out that today we have Army senior 
leaders who are going to testify in front of the Senate Armed 
Services Subcommittee on Air-Land about the Modernization 
Program and as I'm sure you're aware, the testimony provided to 
the committee in advance of the hearing has Army senior leaders 
stating that the Army plans to begin conducting operational 
testing of IVAS in the third quarter of fiscal year 2022 and 
the plan is to begin fielding the system by the end of the 
fiscal year. I think that's what you told me in the Full 
Committee.
    So again last month there was an audit by the DoD 
(Department of Defense) Inspector General who found that the 
Army is at risk of wasting up to $21.88 billion in taxpayer 
funds to field a system that soldiers may not want to use or 
use as intended.
    So if during that operational testing deficiencies are 
discovered that would delay or limit the fielding of the 
system, what's going to be the impact on our forces and how do 
you expect to deal with that?
    Secretary Wormuth. Senator Shaheen, let me try to address 
that--your concerns more effectively than I did last week.
    The Enhanced Night Vision Goggles are a great piece of 
equipment and our soldiers are very pleased with it, I think, 
and we have fielded, I believe, you know, several brigades 
worth of those goggles and the soldiers that use them are very 
happy with them.
    IVAS is, you know, going to be a transformational really 
piece of equipment for our soldiers that provides some of the 
features that the night vision goggles provide but also 
additional features.
    So, you know, we really do want to move forward on that 
transformational path, but in a prudent way. So we are looking 
to the test that's kicking off this month and I think will go 
through June to see how that plays out. You know, we will want 
to take the results of that test into consideration as we 
decide, you know, how much of IVAS to buy, for example, but it 
really is sort of the first wearable technology for our 
soldiers.
    So, again, I thought some of the findings in the Inspector 
General's report were overstated and I think Assistant 
Secretary Doug Bush can talk in-depth about that and I think 
have a great conversation with you about it, but we are not 
going to move forward with IVAS if we don't have confidence 
coming out of that test. So it will be an important milestone.
    Senator Shaheen. So when the testimony says that you're 
going to be in fielding the system by the end of the fiscal 
year that may not be entirely correct?
    Secretary Wormuth. Well, at this point, as I said last 
week, you know, we feel good about where we are with IVAS and I 
think our sense is, is that the testing is going to prove that 
the system and some of the kinks that we've been working on 
with Microsoft are going to be resolved, but if we were 
surprised, you know, by the test results, we would certainly 
want to take that into account. But right now the trajectory 
that I think I see in front of us is that we are going to move 
forward with fielding IVAS.
    Senator Shaheen. And is the testing regimen that's going to 
occur as robust and significant as the testing that you did on 
the ENVGB?
    Secretary Wormuth. Yes, I mean, we tried to test--you know, 
we hold all of our equipment to the same types of testing 
standards.
    Senator Shaheen. And what's the time table? How long does 
it take to run those tests?
    Secretary Wormuth. I believe----
    Senator Shaheen. This suggests it would be done in less 
than 3 months.
    Secretary Wormuth. I think it's a month-long test and then 
we'll take some time to look at the results of that test.
    Senator Shaheen. Well, I look forward to hearing more about 
it because, as I said, I continue to have real concerns about 
what's being proposed.
    I would like to just, if I can, Mr. Chairman, ask another 
question that may run over because when you're talking about 
the recruiting goals and the challenges with recruiting, how 
have you factored in what's happening with the workforce more 
broadly nationwide?
    Secretary Wormuth. Certainly rising wages, while a great 
thing for Americans, are a challenge that we are facing. So, 
you know, that we are looking at again things like recruiting 
incentives, you know, the $50,000 bonus for certain MOSs.
    We have just put out a new marketing campaign called Know 
Your Army that tries to inform young Americans of all of the 
benefits of joining the Army, not just in terms of salaries but 
also paid leave, you know, the possibility of retiring at a 
relatively young age, help with buying mortgages.
    So I think part of what we need to do is better communicate 
the value, the benefits, if you will, but also the intangible, 
you know, sense of purpose that I think the Army can give for a 
lot of people to pursue, you know, their passions and 
challenges.
    Senator Shaheen. I certainly agree. I think that's really 
important. I would argue that one of the problems that our 
military's experiencing is the same problem that industries 
across this country are experiencing and that is we have a 
lower birth rate, so we have fewer people entering the 
workforce, and we've had the most restrictive immigration 
policies in this country's history for the last 5 years and 
that that's had a huge impact on workforce and, Mr. Chairman, I 
know nobody wants to talk about it, but what we need is a 
comprehensive immigration policy that is going to address this.
    Thank you.
    Senator Tester. No argument here.
    Senator Murkowski.
    Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Madam Secretary, General, welcome.
    Madam Secretary, thank you for being there in Alaska. We 
appreciate that focus particularly on the very troubling issue 
of mental health and the rising level of suicides that we have 
seen throughout the Army and particularly up north. So I 
appreciate your attention to that and I'll have a question in 
that vein.
    But let me begin by raising the issue of your Number 1 item 
listed on your Unfunded Priorities. This is a new multipurpose 
physical fitness facility. We're kind of viewing it as an 
Arctic field house of sorts.
    I think we recognize that focusing on morale, focusing on 
readiness, especially in a region that is very cold and 
oftentimes very dark for much of the year, but it is kind of a 
standout figure there, $99 million for the facility is 
striking.
    So can you just provide to the committee, first of all, why 
you feel that this is the Number 1 on your Unfunded Priority 
List, and really why is the price tag so high?
    Know that I'm going to argue for it, but I think it helps 
us to have a better understanding as to what exactly is 
required in the interior there.
    Secretary Wormuth. I just was going to have General 
McConville address it----
    Senator Murkowski. Perfect.
    Secretary Wormuth [continuing]. Since it's the Chief's 
Unfunded List maybe and----
    Senator Murkowski. Please.
    Secretary Wormuth [continuing]. I can add if you like.
    Senator Murkowski. General.
    General McConville. Well, Senator, first of all, you know, 
our troops' presence in Alaska is extremely important for 
national security and at the same time, as you know much better 
than I do, it's a challenging climate for our troops up there. 
We want to give them the ability to be able to work out and 
have a physical fitness center that allows them to participate 
in activities 365 days a year, regardless of the weather.
    We've talked to the commanders up there and said what can 
we do to help you and this is what their priority was and 
that's why this is my Number 1 priority. I think we have to do 
something. We have, you know, a challenge on behavioral health 
out there and when we talk to the commanders, they said that's 
what's needed.
    I think the cost is just because of where it's at, you 
know. It's challenging. Prices are going up and, you know, we'd 
rather put the price--that's what they say it's going to cost 
to build the facility that we need and we want to be able to do 
that.
    Secretary Wormuth. I would just add that, you know, if I'm 
not mistaken, I think the fitness center is also--it's going to 
be relatively large because there has to be an indoor track. 
You know, we've got to have a track that our soldiers can train 
for the new combat fitness test and so that, coupled with the 
high cost of material and construction, is part of the price 
tag issue.
    Senator Murkowski. Well, I appreciate you putting that on 
the record. We recognize that for so much of the year, it 
really is not safe to be training when it's 40 below. It's a 
little bit tough if you're trying to do miles.
    When we're talking about the Arctic and training in the 
Arctic, you know, you have announced just last week before the 
Armed Services Committee very welcome news which we appreciate 
and that is the re-establishment of the 11th Airborne Division. 
I think this is great news. I think it's already bringing 
energy to our troops.
    We are watching daily as the kind of bulking up of NATO's 
East Flank continues with Russia, but we can't take our eyes 
off the fact that we have a Western Flank. We have a Northern 
Flank, and they all come together in the Arctic in Alaska.
    So welcome news. It's a great announcement. Part of my 
responsibility on this Appropriations Committee, though, is to 
make sure that we are able to fund this transformation.
    Can you inform the committee what actually will happen then 
to the Strykers that are currently assigned to the 1-25th, 
whether or not they're going to go away, what the status is of 
the Cold Weather All-terrain Vehicles because again that's 
going to be an investment, and then when you transform from an 
administrative to an operational headquarters, what might this 
mean in terms of resources and in terms of troops?
    So what we want to know is how we can help facilitate this 
in a manner that works best.
    Secretary Wormuth. Certainly, Senator. Let me try to take 
that in turn. You know, we are very pleased about being able to 
reflag U.S. Army Alaska as the 11th Airborne Division.
    There won't be costs immediately associated with that 
particular step. We are looking at potentially taking the 
Strykers out of Alaska and, we have not made a final decision 
about that, but if we do that, we will basically, you know, 
take them and look at the ones that we can reuse elsewhere or, 
you know, basically use for parts and then because the Stryker 
Unit has a larger number of personnel associated with it, we 
will use those spaces to be able to increase the size of the 
headquarters to go from an administrative headquarters to an 
operational headquarters.
    So really from a manning perspective, if you will, it will 
be about neutral and we would be looking at basically having 
that division headquarters have sort of the same types of 
capabilities that you see in the 173rd in Italy, for example.
    So I think, you know, we won't need to do, you know, new 
military construction, for example, to house people at this 
time. So I don't think that these changes are going to have 
large price tags, but we will be continuing to put money in the 
budget for things like the CAT-Vs, for example.
    Senator Murkowski. Good. Well, I appreciate that, and 
please let us know how we can help with again a transformation 
that I think is quite significant, and I think we recognize 
that this is going to help with the mental health and 
behavioral health issues that we have spoken about when we were 
able to discuss the plan to surge mental health resources to 
Alaska in the immediate and then in the near-term.
    So let us know again what it is that we need to do to 
resource that because we know you just can't surge it up for 6 
months and then take those resources away and expect all to be 
well in the world.
    My time has expired. I do want to ask, though, about why 
Arctic and cold weather gear continues to be on the Unfunded 
List rather than in the base budget. I'm just reminded that 
we've got a battalion from the 425 that is jumping into Arctic 
Norway this week and so when you think about what is happening 
on the ground right now, what Alaska can offer, what the Arctic 
Force is that we need, you've got to have the gear, too.
    So hopefully we can address the Arctic gear needs, as well.
    Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen [presiding]. Thank you, Senator Murkowski. 
I'm all into the cold weather gear. We have the Cold Regions 
Laboratory in New Hampshire and so we definitely support that.
    Senator Hoeven.
    Senator Hoeven. Thanks, Madam Chairman, and also 
congratulations on your elevation to the chairmanship.
    Senator Shaheen. I know. I don't know why they put me at 
the end.
    Senator Hoeven. I would address this both to you, Madam 
Secretary, as well as you, General.
    The MQ1C Gray Eagle, so right now you use this for your 
multi-domain operations, and, you know, that drone system is a 
very important part of that mission, and currently we've got 
Active Army divisions that fly that mission, utilize it, but 
there are no Guard units that have the same weapon system, yet 
the Army Guard units comprise 45 percent of the Army's 
divisions and are, you know, heavily used nowadays, 
particularly with all the demands we have not only on the Army, 
but, I mean, on all the Armed Services.
    And so I guess my question is why doesn't the Army Guard 
have its own Gray Eagles so that they can conduct these multi-
domain operations, train on it, and obviously be ready just as 
they do with all the other weapon systems throughout that the 
Army uses and so how do we address that?
    Secretary Wormuth. Senator, why don't I try this first and 
then if General McConville wants to add.
    You know, I'm a big believer of the total Army. The 
National Guard is an incredibly important component of our Army 
and they've just done a fantastic job in the last couple of 
years, both here at home and overseas.
    You know, really I think when it comes to the Gray Eagle, 
you know, that platform has been very, very relevant in the 
counterinsurgency/counterterrorism environments that we've 
been, you know, facing for the last decade or two, and when I 
think about, you know, where we need to go with the Guard in 
terms of their equipment, it's looking to the sort of future 
large-scale combat operations and what kinds of capabilities do 
they need.
    So I think, you know, I would want to--before we expand 
investment into Gray Eagles for the Guard, I would want to 
really look at do I think that that platform is going to serve 
us well in a much less permissive environment, for example, you 
know, that if we were ever fighting Russia, for example, and I 
want to make sure that the Guard gets the new systems that 
we're developing that we know are going to be relevant for 
large-scale multi-domain operations, and we are committed to 
making sure that the Guard does get some of those equipment 
sets over time.
    Senator Hoeven. General.
    General McConville. Yes, Senator. You know, I've talked to 
the Chief of the National Guard and we are actually taking a 
look at what the Guard should, you know, look like to reflect 
the same as the regular Army in the future.
    One of my surprises, kind of to what the Secretary said 
from Ukraine, you would think that the Russians have a pretty 
robust air defense capability, and I'm very, very surprised 
that the Ukrainians have been able to fly the drones, like the 
TB-2, so successfully because some would say, you know, in that 
environment, that higher intensity environment, they wouldn't 
be very effective, but they have been pretty effective.
    So we have to take a look at that, but, what we're trying 
to do is transform the Army with the idea that they may not be 
effective. So, in the future, if there's a robust sensor to 
shooter capability where people go in with counter-UAS 
(Unmanned Aircraft System) that may not be where we want to 
invest. So we need to take a look at that.
    Senator Hoeven. Do you have a platform then that you're 
contemplating? Because this is what you utilize now and, of 
course, you have to be prepared now, not someday, which is 
going to go to my next question, and, that is, you know, with 
the deployment that you have right now for NATO, I mean, is 
that already stressing, you know, your other missions and is 
there going to be, you know, help?
    I mean, is it something you can adequately cover? Is there 
going to be more help in terms of NATO troops over there as 
this conflict continues? So again it's about, that's fine, but 
then I would want to know what you anticipate using so that 
you're prepared now as well as in the future.
    Secretary Wormuth. Well, Senator, what I would say is, you 
know, we are looking at all of the systems that we are 
developing now. I think we believe we'll have utility on a 
future battlefield and so, for example, as part of the Future 
Vertical Lift Program, we do have future unmanned systems that 
we are developing as part of that, that are called, you know, 
Air-Launched Effects, and we're developing--we're very 
concerned about the drone threats of the future.
    So we are investing in counter-UAS equipment for our 
divisions. We are looking at systems, like directed energy M-
SHORAD (Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense), which, you know, 
could be used to shoot down drones.
    So we're definitely trying to look at that and in terms of 
helping Europe, I would say, you know, as we look at future 
force posture in Europe and what that might look like for the 
United States, we're also very actively talking with our allies 
about what forces they might put in the Eastern Flank.
    Senator Hoeven. Yes. That's my question. General, did you 
have some thoughts on that, as well?
    General McConville. I think the Secretary covered it.
    Senator Hoeven. Well, but I would like to work with 
somebody on your staff in terms of what you foresee in terms of 
this multi-domain operations role. You know, what systems are 
you going to use because for the Guard to be part of that, they 
need to, you know, be trained on that, have that system, just 
as you do with all your other weapon systems.
    General McConville. We are committed to doing that, 
Senator, and we will have the staff get with you.
    Senator Hoeven. Good. Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Hoeven.
    Senator Boozman, are you ready?
    Senator Boozman. Yes.
    Senator Shaheen. We'll remove the Senator Murkowski 
(nameplate) in front of you and maybe somebody could replace it 
with his----
    Senator Boozman. I stole her seat. I saw her in the 
hallway. I'm like a fireman. I stay ready. Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen. You don't want to do that. Come on.
    Senator Boozman. We've lost control.
    [Laughter].
    Well, thank you all--I'm sorry. Thank you very much, 
Senator.
    Thank you all for being here. We really do appreciate your 
service to your country in so many different ways. Army 
leadership has worked tirelessly to restore readiness in the 
Army. As you know, readiness is fragile and if not adequately 
sustained, it can decline quickly.
    This year's budget supports an Army end strength of 12,000 
less than the authorized end strength of 485,000 active duty 
soldiers.
    Last week you reasserted your position that you believe it 
is important to have a larger Army but that you would prefer 
quality over quantity.
    General McConville, how is the active duty Army absorbing 
this loss, and where is the Army assuming risk?
    General McConville. Well, Senator, first of all, what we're 
going through right now is a process and what it does is it 
leaves us less capability, you know, as we reduce the end 
strength. It means that we're going to have soldiers do more 
deployments than we would like and so what we're trying to do 
is mitigate those risks by taking a look at organizations where 
we don't quite need that end strength and where we can man at 
less amounts, but we see this as a pause, a modest reduction in 
end strength, and as the recruiting winds change, we see the 
ability to bring back that end strength and at least from where 
I sit, we do need a bigger Army.
    Senator Boozman. Very good. In fiscal year 2013, the 
Defense Suicide Prevention Office received a base budget of $2 
million. 10 years later, the DoD is requesting nearly $28 
million for this office. This is double last year's budget and 
a $26 million increase from a decade ago, but the rate of 
suicides has continued to increase.
    It was recently reported that 2021 was the Army's highest 
level of suicides since the September 11th attacks. Just last 
week in this committee, Secretary Austin said suicide 
prevention and resiliency were a top priority for the 
department.
    Madam Secretary, in light of these recent reports of 
suicide in the Army and given the large increase to Suicide 
Prevention Office, what does the Army's relationship with this 
office look like and are you involved in the strategy 
formulation process to address the DoD's suicide problem?
    I've had the opportunity to deal with this for a long time 
in the VA (Veterans Affairs) and we have the similar problem. 
When I came in 2001 in the House and was on the Veterans 
Affairs Committee then, we had 20-22 suicides a day. Here we 
are, you know, a couple decades later and still suffering 
essentially the same problem.
    So we're doing a number of different things to try and, you 
know, fight it at that level. So talk a little bit about the 
problem and how you feel like we best can respond.
    Secretary Wormuth. Sure, Senator, and it is a problem and 
it's a problem that General McConville and I are very concerned 
about, as are all of the other leaders in the department.
    You know, I think the last couple years, you know, we're 
still sort of looking at the data on this, but, in my mind, 
it's very clear that the pandemic has deepened this problem or 
contributed to this problem because I think, you know, our 
soldiers, like a lot of Americans, have been more isolated and, 
you know, I think when people feel more connected, whether it's 
to their buddies or to their families, you know, they feel more 
supported and the pandemic has chipped away at that.
    So that's why I think, you know, for example, that's 
probably part of why 2021 was such a bad year for the Army when 
it comes to suicides.
    We are working very hard on this. You know, as I said, we 
are in Alaska, for example, we're doing one hundred percent 
wellness checks. Everyone who is assigned to Alaska goes to see 
a behavioral health provider. We have at least one division 
that's doing that, as well.
    We have provided a lot of training and resources to our 
commanders to try to help them identify, you know, early 
warnings, and, you know, it's still relatively early in this 
year, but at the moment right now our suicide numbers are 
significantly lower than they were last year.
    So I think that is perhaps an indication that what we're 
doing is having some positive effect, but we're not going to 
take our eye off the ball and we're looking forward to the 
results of the Secretary's Independent Review Commission on 
Suicide.
    Senator Boozman. Good. No, we appreciate that very much, 
and one thing that we're trying to do in the veterans space is 
put some really good metrics in place so that we understand 
what's working, what's not working.
    The other thing that might be of benefit that we found 
there is that the outside entities in the community, some of 
them do a very, very good job, and, you know, in an effort to--
we've actually done a little grant program to involve them, but 
I think that's something worthwhile looking at, also. It's how 
you involve these groups in the communities that again, like I 
say, deal with this in a different way, everybody working 
together to help identify and really start making a difference 
in the numbers.
    So thank you all again. We do appreciate your service in so 
many different ways.
    I yield back, Madam Chair.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Boozman.
    Senator Murray, I leave the hearing in your capable hands.
    Senator Murray [presiding]. Thank you very much. Welcome to 
both of you.
    Let me just follow up quickly on Senator Boozman's comments 
because this is something that we all are very deeply concerned 
about. He's right. We talk a lot about veterans. We've also 
talked about service members, but late last year the Army 
announced it's going to be implementing a public health 
approach to suicide prevention based on CDC (Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention) guidance, including a new 
training program.
    Can you give us an update on the status of that training 
program and the regulations for the program?
    Secretary Wormuth. Yes, Senator. We have begun implementing 
that new training program and we've really tried to draw on the 
CDC sort of, you know, scientifically-driven strategies and our 
Vice Chief, for example, has started doing a chain-teach of 
some of that training to commanders all across the Army.
    We are continually working with our Army Resilience 
Directorate on how we can improve our suicide prevention 
training. So we're really trying to look at that very 
carefully.
    Senator Murray. Okay. Well, I would ask that you continue 
to update us on this. Obviously it's an issue of concern to 
many of us.
    Secretary Wormuth. Happy to.
    Senator Murray. Let me ask you this. Last week I pressed 
Secretary Austin to provide more insight into what the DoD is 
doing to provide better housing and more oversight for our 
military families who are living in really terrible and, 
frankly, unacceptable conditions.
    In my home State of Washington, we are still seeing issues 
with the availability of suitable and affordable housing at 
Yakima Training Center and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
    We have military families who, they're already making a big 
sacrifice for our country, but they are essentially being 
forced to live without access to safe, affordable housing in 
order to serve our country.
    I just think that is wrong and backwards and I really need 
the Army to be doing everything and I mean everything, if 
possible, to get this fixed and now I understand the Army has a 
10-year infrastructure plan, but that's a really long time when 
families need solutions right now.
    So can you share with me what more we're going to do to 
help families and improve oversight while that 10-year plan 
moves forward?
    Secretary Wormuth. Certainly, Senator. A couple of things I 
would note here. This budget does include investment in 
barracks at JBLM (Joint Base Lewis--McChord). So that is 
something that we're moving forward on.
    On the family housing, you know, I know when I visited JBLM 
last summer, I got an earful, frankly, about Lincoln and the 
privatized family housing, an earful, frankly.
    Senator Murray. Right.
    Secretary Wormuth. And so we really are trying to work 
closely. You know, we have a couple of places, in addition to 
JBLM. We've got Fort Gordon that has some challenges, Fort 
Leonard Wood that has some challenges, and we're really trying 
to work closely with the garrison commanders and the privatized 
housing companies that, you know, build at those installations 
to try to get moving and improving family housing.
    One of the challenges I think we have is the whole issue of 
the rising construction costs and labor shortages. That is in 
some cases drawing out our ability to make as much progress as 
we would like to, but I would say our Installation Command is 
looking at this very carefully and really trying to be very 
aggressive.
    We will continue to work on the situation in Washington and 
I would be happy to have my Installations and Environment 
Assistant Secretary come and talk in detail about specifically 
what we're doing at JBLM.
    Senator Murray. Okay. Well, can you tell me, are there 
problems with the policy or contracts around privatized family 
housing that stand in the way of our being able to get this 
right?
    Secretary Wormuth. I think that our contracts are actually 
pretty aggressive in terms of the amount of oversight that they 
have in them. I was just actually talking to some of our 
housing experts yesterday.
    So I don't think that there are problems with the contracts 
per se, but I think, you know, it's just a challenging 
environment right now with construction costs and labor 
shortages. I don't think that we have contractual issues. You 
know, the Army made moves a couple of years ago to try to be 
much more aggressive in kind of holding the companies to 
account under the contracts and not giving them the incentive 
fees early, for example, and generally I think that's been 
quite successful in getting the companies to do what they're 
legally obligated to do.
    Senator Murray. Okay. Well, I would like my staff to follow 
up with yours on some of the issues that we're seeing----
    Secretary Wormuth. Certainly.
    Senator Murray [continuing]. Because this needs to be 
resolved.
    Secretary Wormuth. Agreed.
    Senator Murray. To both of you, modernization of our forces 
and equipment is really a vital priority across all of our 
services.
    The Army, I know, has made important progress through 
Project Convergence. However, it still seems there's a long way 
to go until many of those capabilities are ready to be 
operational in the field outside of the testing environment, 
and I would like to know how you are balancing speed to get 
these systems to units while being confident that they will 
work as intended during a conflict.
    Secretary Wormuth. Senator, you know, I think we are trying 
to strike a good balance between speed and quality and surety 
of what we're investing in. You know, Congress, you all have 
been very helpful in giving us new authorities to allow us to 
acquire systems more effectively and we've been using them, for 
example, with the Future Vertical Lift Programs, for example, I 
think with some success.
    We've also been using our Rapid Critical Technologies 
Office to help us move more quickly than we usually do.
    I feel pretty confident that we are making good progress on 
a lot of these new systems and we are learning a lot through 
Project Convergence and this year, for example, we will be 
expanding the scope of Project Convergence to bring in 
operational units to use some of these new technologies.
    So they're not just in the laboratory. You know, we are 
starting to use them out in the field and you'll see something 
like, you know, the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon will actually 
be fielded in 2023 in Washington State.
    Senator Murray. General.
    General McConville. I think one of the things we're doing, 
Senator, as part of our strategy is using soldier touch points 
and we're taking some of the best soldiers in the Army and some 
of the other services and we give them the equipment early on 
and we take it out in really challenging places, like Yuma 
where it's like a 115 degrees, and they get to run around with 
it and they have engineers there and they come back and give us 
the information that we need to make sure it's a good system.
    At least from where I'm at we don't want to give anything 
to our soldiers that's not better than what they have, that's 
not safe, and that's not ready to go.
    Some of the systems are going to be what we call an Alpha 
Model. They're transformational. They're not exactly where we 
want them, but they're much better than what we have and they 
have the ability to be improved very quickly with the type of 
strategy that we're using.

                     ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS

    Senator Murray. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much to 
both of you. We appreciate your testimony here today.
    Senators may submit additional written questions. We ask 
both of you to respond to them within a reasonable 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 Hon. Christine Wormuth
               Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
    Question. Consistent with nation-wide trends, the Army has seen an 
uptick in suicides during COVID. However, unlike the other military 
Services, the Army's suicide rates have remained at higher rates.
    Why is the Army an outlier within DoD?
    Answer. The Total Army has experienced an increase in suicide rates 
since 2017, largely due to the increased incidence within the Regular 
Army. Generally, the Army has experienced a higher rate than the other 
Services over this period. The Army firmly believes that there is a 
strong correlation between relationship, work-related problems, 
behavioral health, financial, legal issues, as well as other harmful 
behaviors that contribute to a suicide rate. DoD would be better suited 
to conduct a comparison of those factors that may contribute to 
difference in rates across the Services. The Army has been conducting 
multiple studies, pilots, and initiatives over the last 3 years 
attempting to expand behavioral health resources, identify specific 
factors, increase prevention efforts, destigmatize seeking help, and 
emphasize limiting access to lethal means in order to reduce deaths by 
suicide within our Service.
    Some of the initiatives include:
  --Updating and publishing policies and procedures that emphasize 
        suicide prevention, to include a major revision to the Suicide 
        Prevention Policy; publishing two commander ``how to'' 
        handbooks to facilitate program execution; and a implementing a 
        total force chain teaching program initiated by the Vice Chief 
        of Staff of the Army to emphasize suicide prevention as a 
        priority.
    --The Army is also emphasizing down to the lowest level that 
            service members must demonstrate engaged leadership which 
            includes implementing preventative measures, such as 
            mandating 100 percent wellness checks at select locations. 
            These locations include the 11th Airborne in Alaska, Fort 
            Bliss, Fort Drum, and Fort Stewart. A wellness check can be 
            (1) a Soldier meets with a Military Family Life Counselor 
            (MFLC); (2) a Periodic Health Assessment (PHA)-based review 
            of behavioral health records for incoming Soldiers; or (3) 
            a barracks or home check by leadership.
  --Developing and fielding the Behavioral Health Readiness and Suicide 
        Risk Reduction Review (R4) tool as an instrument that assists 
        first line leaders (company-level and below) with risk 
        identification and suicide prevention related conversations.
  --Effectuating new suicide prevention training that challenges the 
        stigma against seeking help, identifies time-sensitive warning 
        signs and risk factors, and outlines steps service members can 
        take to address the risk. This also includes briefings to all 
        brigade and battalion Pre-Command Courses held since August 
        2021.
  --Refining and fielding the Behavioral Health Pulse (BH Pulse) tool 
        to provide commanders with an assessment of behavioral health 
        across their formations. BH Pulse is a key visibility tool to 
        help prevent harmful behaviors and enhance unit well-being.
  --Bolstering BH support in USARAK by adding two active duty and three 
        reserve providers. This additional staff will provide 186 
        appointments a week--a 33 percent increase in mental health 
        services.
  --In March, Secretary Austin announced a Suicide Prevention & 
        Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC) to review 
        relevant suicide prevention and response activities. The Army 
        will support the review and implement the findings and 
        recommendations of the report in the future. OSD announced the 
        group's charter and membership, and they will start visiting 
        our installations this August. The final report will be 
        provided to the SECDEF in late December.
    Question. A recent Inspector General report on suicide prevention 
resources for transitioning service members found that DoD is not 
screening for suicide risk, or providing continual mental healthcare.
    What is the Army doing to ensure transitioning service members are 
receiving mental health screenings?
    Answer. The Army is focused on preventing suicide both within our 
ranks and by those who have transitioned out of the Army. Army 
Regulation 600-8-101 (Personal Readiness Processing) states that all 
soldiers within 60 days of transitioning out of the military are 
required to complete a periodic health assessment (PHA). In accordance 
with medical regulations, the PHA includes a mental health assessment 
(MHA) consisting of evidence-based questions for depression, PTSD, 
substance abuse, interpersonal conflict, and suicide. These responses 
are reviewed and assessed in a face-to-face encounter with a primary 
care provider. Referrals to specialty behavioral healthcare are made 
after consultation, as needed. In addition, soldiers being considered 
for separation on the basis of disciplinary reasons are required to 
have a mental status evaluation performed by a mental health provider.
    Question. The Inspector General also noted that while the Navy and 
Marine Corps have programs for service members that attempt suicide or 
have thoughts of suicide, the Army does not. Instead, ``at-risk'' 
soldiers receive help from the chaplain or medical provider.
    Why is this?
    Answer. The Army does have an established program to provide 
similar behavioral health services for ``at risk'' soldiers as directed 
in the Behavioral Health At-Risk Management policy. The BH At-Risk 
policy provides guidance regarding clinical care, case management, 
surveillance, and command communication for individuals at-risk for 
suicide who have been seen by a behavioral health (BH) provider. The 
policy requires documentation of treatment in a behavioral health data 
base as well as tracking of, and follow-up with, the soldiers through 
local-level BH At-Risk case tracking meetings. As part of this policy, 
behavioral health providers facilitate dialogue by engaging unit 
commanders when a soldier is deemed high risk in order to detail the 
soldier's duty limitations and offer recommended command actions. In 
addition, providers and unit commanders increase their focus on 
providing a high standard of care for ``at risk'' soldiers during a 
permanent change of station transition, which is a known period of 
vulnerability for soldiers and their families.
    Question. Modernizing our Army requires successful research, 
technology maturation, prototyping, and relevant testing to turn 
innovative and disruptive technology into fielded and sustainable 
military systems for our troops. The Army's $13.7 billion research and 
development request this year continues to pursue Army modernization. 
However, Army procurement dollars are down and that tells me that newer 
systems are not transitioning.
    We understand the need for high levels of research and development 
spending, but the technology needs to transition to the warfighter. 
When will we start to see these investments transition from development 
to real production programs?
    Answer. The transition of technologies from science & technology 
(S&T) efforts to programs of record (PoR) has long been a difficult 
issue, and while we continually transition technology out of S&T, we 
always strive to do better. We are changing the way the Army 
transitions technology from S&T programs to PoRs with transition 
agreements (TA) that bring together the Program Executive Offices 
(PEO), Army Futures Command Cross Functional Teams, and the S&T 
community early in the process so as to mutually define key criteria. 
Our technology maturation initiative (TMI) is an Army S&T 6.4 Research, 
Development, Test, and Evaluation-funded program that focuses on 
partnership, prototyping, and transition and uses TAs to accelerate 
advanced technologies (Technology Readiness Level 6) from S&T to the 
PoRs and fielding to the warfighter. A recent example of planned TMI 
transition is the Anubis project, which addresses the need for 
alternative sources for the chipset to decode military encrypted GPS 
signals (M-Code) to support the Army (and the other services) during 
contested operations. Prototypes will be evaluated to support soldiers, 
ground vehicles, and advanced smart munitions for transition to three 
Program Executive Offices and programs of record in the fiscal year 
2025.
    For transition within acquisition programs from development to 
production, we continue to make progress. This calendar year, we will 
begin low rate or full rate production for the following major defense 
acquisition programs: Mobile Protected Firepower, Joint Air to Ground 
Missile, and Armored Multipurpose Vehicle. There will also be limited 
or full deployment for the following defense business systems programs: 
Integrated Personnel and Pay System--Army Increment II and the Global 
Combat Support System--Army Increment 2.
    Question. The budget request includes $800 million to continue 
development of the Army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon. The Air Force, 
Navy and Marine Corps are also developing hypersonic weapons.
    How are you working with the other services to avoid duplicate 
investments?
    Answer. The Army is in a joint service hypersonics partnership, 
maintained through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) and a joint board of 
directors (BoD) for the Common Hypersonic Glidebody (CHGB) that 
includes the Army, Navy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Air 
Force, and the Missile Defense Agency. The senior leadership 
responsible for hypersonic development across the Department of 
Defense, regularly meet to discuss their respective efforts through 
quarterly CHGB BoDs, where they coordinate priorities, investments, and 
development efforts across the hypersonic technology spectrum.
    Specifically, the Army and Navy are the most closely partnered to 
execute hypersonics through use of a Common Hypersonic Glidebody 
(CHGB), common missile, and joint test opportunities. The Navy is 
responsible for the production of the missile component, the All Up 
Round. The Army is responsible for the production of the CHGB, and the 
Thermal Protection System (TPS) sub-system, as well as the Battery 
Operations Center and the transporter erector launchers for the Army. 
This joint service partnership has been crucial as both services 
leverage each other's investments in order to maintain a path to 
deliver hypersonic capabilities to the warfighter at record speeds 
while also establishing economies of scale for both services' future 
development efforts.
    Question. What is the status of our industry base as it relates to 
the development of hypersonic capabilities? Do we have the range and 
depth we need to ensure a competitive environment?
    Answer. The industrial base for hypersonics is an emerging national 
capability. The hypersonic capability began at Sandia National 
Laboratories (SNL) under a science and technology program (S&T). 
Production has recently transitioned from SNL to commercial industry 
partners. To facilitate the transition, the Army developed an 
acquisition strategy for hypersonics that promotes competition. For 
instance, the Army competitively selected its industry partners for 
major components of the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon system such as the 
Common Hypersonic Glidebody (CHGB), the Thermal Protection System (a 
critical component of the CHGB design), and the ground support 
equipment. Through the Office of the Secretary of Defense, additional 
industrial base funds have been invested in order to build up the 
hypersonic industrial base. However, it will be an ongoing effort as 
development of hypersonic capabilities continue maturing to ensure a 
competitive environment for the future. As an emerging industrial base, 
maturity and depth are still expanding.
    Question. Last year, this Committee added $27 million for the Army 
to implement the recommendations of the ``Independent Review Commission 
on Sexual Assault in the Military'' in the defense appropriations bill.
    What progress has the Army made in implementing these 
recommendations? In what areas do you need more time? Do you have 
sufficient resources?
    Answer. The Army has developed an implementation process using a 
tiered approach that includes iterative, evidence-based, and data-
informed evaluations, with an initial focus on building existing 
foundations to improve training, leader development, and program 
infrastructure. The Independent Review Commission (IRC) tasks for 
implementation included reforming military justice, creating a full-
time prevention workforce, and providing additional independence from 
the chain of command for Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and 
Victim Advocates.
    In accordance with the IRC, the Army has completed 4 out of 32 
recommendations assigned to the military departments by the Department 
of Defense. The completed recommendations:
  --2.6b: Review and update all policies that unnecessarily restrict 
        data collection on important populations of Services
  --3.8: The Services should publish the nature and results of all 
        disciplinary actions related to sexual misconduct and 
        disseminate this information to troops periodically
  --4.3d: Increased victim agency and control of the response process 
        by maximizing adherence to survivor preference, & centering 
        survivor preferences in expedited transfers
  --Crosscutting Action 1: Immediately make sexual harassment victims 
        eligible for Sexual Assault Prevention Response services
    In the next 30 days, we expect to also close, 4.3 a: Implement the 
No Wrong Door approach to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and 
domestic abuse across the Army. This directive will ensure Soldiers, DA 
Civilians, and Family members who seek assistance from any Army agency 
requesting SHARP services will be directed to a Sexual Assault Response 
Coordinator or Victim Advocate under this connect to care policy. If 
assistance beyond SHARP is required from other organizations, such as 
the Family Advocacy Program (FAP), behavioral health, medical, legal, 
or other advocacy and support services, SHARP Professionals will 
facilitate a warm handoff to those agencies. A warm handoff 
necessitates direct communication with and introduction to relevant 
personnel at the appropriate on or off post agency, as well as follow-
up to verify that needs are addressed.
    The timeline for implementation of the IRC recommendations, as 
established by the Secretary of Defense, varies from the near term 
(fiscal year 2022) to the long term (fiscal year 2028). The Army is 
continuing to work with the Office of the Secretary of Defense to 
operationalize our implementation plans of action and resourcing 
submissions.
    Question. After implementing these recommendations, how is the Army 
evaluating the success of the changes that you are making?
    Answer. The Army recognizes that evaluating the success of these 
changes is necessary to understand what additional reforms or 
initiatives are necessary to combat sexual assault and sexual 
harassment in the Army. The Army is supporting the Office of the 
Secretary of Defense's efforts to develop a reporting process for 
outcome metrics that will enable the Army and the Department of Defense 
to track both the implementation status and the effectiveness of the 
reforms.
                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Senator Brian Schatz
Army Climate Strategy
    Question.The Army Climate Strategy includes an emphasis on ensuring 
that the Army considers climate change risks in the way we train our 
Soldiers and conduct exercises. We should make sure this also includes 
the way we train with our allies and partners, since they share many of 
the same vulnerabilities we do and we need to be able to work together 
in a climate-stressed world.
    Can you talk about how the Army is incorporating climate change and 
ecological security considerations in our security cooperation 
activities?
    Answer. The 2022 National Defense Strategy recognizes that changes 
in global climate is transforming the context in which the Department 
operates, although the Department still has only limited authority to 
address climate security and resilience matters through our security 
cooperation tools. The Army recognizes the importance of incorporating 
climate change and ecological security considerations into our security 
cooperation activities. Army organizational inspection programs ensure 
fixed sites and exercise areas--both inside and outside the continental 
United States--are engaging in environmentally sustainable practices 
that meet all applicable Army, Federal, and local environmental rules 
and regulations. For example, in Europe, fixed sites and exercise areas 
are inspected yearly through a formal organizational inspection 
program. Multi-partner exercises are also inspected for environmental 
compliance while they are in progress. During these exercises, the 
owning unit is responsible for conducting appropriate training site or 
exercise inspections.
    The U.S. Army is beginning to incorporate more climate 
considerations such as building a force to operate in a climate-altered 
world and planning for climate change-driven scenarios--such as rising 
sea levels and increases in natural disasters worldwide. As these plans 
take form, they will drive training that will certainly include 
multinational exercises with allies and partners, many of whom are 
facing profound threats as a result of climate change.
    In the future, the Army intends to test hybrid, or all electric, 
tactical vehicles into the Pacific-area exercises while partnering with 
allies and partners to incorporate climate control in the exercise 
concepts and designs.
    Question. Does the Army have sufficient authority to fully 
incorporate climate change risks into our capacity building, security 
cooperation, and disaster preparedness training with allies and 
partners? If not, what recommended changes would the Army like to see 
to Title 10 to ensure it has a firm basis to expand climate 
considerations in our security cooperation activities?
    Answer. The 2022 National Defense Strategy recognizes that mutually 
beneficial Alliances and partnerships are an enduring strength for the 
United States and are critical to achieving our objectives. Building 
climate adaptation and resiliency is an important part of the 
Department's work with Allies and partners. 22 USC allows the Army to 
furnish defense articles or training that builds a partner's capacity 
for climate change-related situations, although DoD still lacks robust 
authorities to address climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction 
challenges through our security cooperation tools. The Army similarly 
lacks authorities to work with partner nation non-military 
institutions, e.g. a partner's equivalent to FEMA. That requires 
approval from DoS and the particular host country's Chief of Mission.
    The Army accounts for climate change risks in the planning of its 
exercises, in the development of its forces, and in delivering the 
logistical support necessary to fight and win.
    Question. How is the Army working with the other Services and the 
Office of the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the way we 
incorporate climate change risks into our security cooperation 
engagements is consistent with our partner country goals, including the 
Title 22 security assistance activities that the Department of State 
leads?
    Answer. Given the 2022 National Defense Strategy's recognition that 
changes in global climate is transforming the context in which the 
Department operates, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as well as 
the Military Departments, incorporate climate change and environmental 
considerations into a variety of instructions that support bilateral 
and multilateral engagements/exercises with allies and partners. These 
engagements and exercises occur across multiple commands and security 
cooperation activities. As a military service, we plan for and work 
within the strict environmental regulations of our partner nations, 
including when the Army is conducting activities under Title 22.
    Question. How is the Army working with Geographic Combatant 
Commands (COCOMs) to ensure that the Army provides assigned forces to 
the COCOMs with a sufficient understanding of climate change risks to 
support their ability to adapt to and operate in a climate-stressed 
environment?
    Answer. Through the Army Climate Strategy, the Army is working with 
geographic combatant commands and Army service component commands to 
prepare a force that is ready to operate in a climate-altered world 
while simultaneously maintaining the ability to win in combat. Such 
preparation requires shifts in how the Army trains and educates its 
people, units, and headquarters to support a workforce that can factor 
in the effects of the changing climate in all decisionmaking in order 
to ensure present and future mission success. By 2035, the Army will 
have significantly increased the number of professionals serving in 
Army command, direct reporting unit, and Army service component command 
headquarters who possess civilian credentials related to climate 
change. The ways in which the Army trains will take into account 
observed changes in both our potential adversaries and in the Arctic, 
desert, mountain, and jungle environments where the Army could deploy.
Army Infrastructure and U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy
    Question. Expanding the Army's posture in the Indo-Pacific to deter 
potential adversaries heavily relies on investments made in 
infrastructure, responsiveness, readiness, and resilience throughout 
the Indo-Pacific and in Hawaii. The effectiveness to project power and 
the ability to respond to crises is wielded by the distribution of 
forces and resources throughout the region, which necessitates a build-
up of military personnel and infrastructure in Hawaii and in U.S. 
territories like Guam.
    Is the Biden administration's plan to upgrade facilities in Hawaii 
commensurate with the importance of the region and the national 
security challenges we face?
    Answer. The Army remains committed to investing in projects in 
Hawaii at a level reflecting the importance of the region. The Army 
continues to promote all projects from the former Hawaii Infrastructure 
Readiness Initiative (HIRI), totaling $916 million through fiscal year 
2030. Additionally, the Army's Military Construction, Army (MCA) fiscal 
year 2023-2027 Future Years Defense Program provides $848million in 
broader Indo-Pacific investments. The Army remains committed to 
investments which maximize training readiness as well as soldier and 
family quality of life initiatives. The Army also recognizes the 
tremendous value of its training lands and real property assets in HI 
and their significant contribution to a strong readiness posture in the 
Indo-Pacific.
    Question. How is the Army addressing the infrastructure needs in 
the Indo-Pacific to tackle the region's scant logistical concerns and 
projected force posture in a way that is responsible and assumes 
climate change and environmental risk mitigation?
    Answer. The Army uses the DoD Climate Assessment Tool to understand 
an installations' vulnerability to climate-related hazards on a 
regional level. Using the Climate Assessment Tool as part of a 
comprehensive analysis helps the Army determine how best to apply 
resources to improve climate adaptation and resiliency at facilities in 
the Indo-Pacific region (e.g., Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter, and 
Pohakuloa Training Area) to mitigate the effects of climate change, 
address environmental risk, and support projected force structure.
                                 ______
                                 
                  Questions Submitted by Tammy Baldwin
More Fuel-Efficient Army Vehicles
    Question. In Ukraine we have seen the how Russia's reliance on 
fossil fuels highlight a logistical vulnerability in a conflict.
    How is the Army reducing our operational energy demand?
    Answer. The Army is committed to reducing the energy consumption of 
the force and expects the hybridization and electrification of the 
current and future non-tactical fleet to reduce fuel consumption by 
over 20 percent.
    Near-term Army developments to hybridize and electrify the tactical 
and combat vehicle fleets continue to progress. In April, the first 
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) with anti-idle technologies began 
testing. When successful, this will allow the Army to retrofit the 
current JLTV fleet. In July, the Army will begin testing commercially-
developed anti-idle technology for use on Medium Tactical Vehicles 
(FMTV), and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV). These 
efforts are supported by partnerships with Defense Innovation Unit 
(DIU), Program Manager Transportation Systems (PM TS), and Product 
Director Light Tactical Vehicles (Pd LTV). DIU partnered with Program 
Manager Transportation Systems (PM TS), and Product Director Light 
Tactical Vehicles (Pd LTV) and has allocated $1.06 M in its funding to 
these efforts. The first hybrid-electric Bradley demonstrator began 
testing in January, which will inform Army decisions on possible 
hybrid-electric combat vehicles. Additionally, the Army is acquiring 
hybrid-electric drive demonstrators for the JLTV, HMMWV and FMTV.
    Long-range, the Army has identified a need to develop an Electric 
Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (eLRV) and Common Tactical Truck (CTT). 
The eLRV will be either an all-electric platform, or an electric 
vehicle with a range extender. The CTT would replace the current Army 
fleet of heavy tactical vehicles, have commonality with current 
commercial truck architectures, and may have a hybrid-electric 
powertrain.
    Question. Would you support increased R&D funding for efforts to 
hybridize the broader Army fleet of vehicles, including near term 
fieldable tech and tech that can be retrofitted?
    Answer. Yes, the Army supports increased R&D efforts designed to 
hybridize the Army's vehicle fleet. Our fiscal year 23 budget 
submission funds the prototype, demonstration, and evaluation of the 
Hybrid Electrical Tactical Vehicle (HMMWV platform), the Joint Tactical 
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (JLTV platform), and the Medium Tactical 
Vehicle (FMTV) platform. The Army's fiscal year 2023 budget also funds 
the development and demonstration of a parallel hybrid electric 
capability for tracked combat vehicles. Along with the fiscal year 2023 
budget submission, the Chief of Staff of the Army also provided 
Congress with an Unfunded Priority List (UPL) that requested an 
additional $10 million for the electric Light Reconnaissance Vehicle 
(eLRV).
    As hybrid technologies mature, the Army will continually assess the 
ability to apply them to platforms across the Army's vehicle fleet 
through either new development or retrofit.
Open Burn/Open Detonation of Munitions
    Question. The Army and the National Academies of Sciences have 
identified alternatives to open burning and open detonations for 
munitions disposal. These operations are a significant concern for many 
communities.
    What is a realistic timeline transition to alternative technologies 
the Army has researched and what funding is necessary to complete this 
transition?
    Answer. The Army is committed to protecting human health and the 
environment by handling, storing, and destroying excess, obsolete, and 
unserviceable munitions and bulk components from munitions production 
in a safe and environmentally compliant manner. In certain 
circumstances, the only viable methods at present to safely 
demilitarize, treat, or destroy these items are open burn (OB) or open 
detonation (OD). The Army is actively pursuing alternative technologies 
that are scientifically viable, scalable to the throughput requirements 
of Army operations, and compatible with explosive safety requirements.
    The timelines for a transition to alternative technologies are 
highly site-specific due to the complexity and diversity of individual 
missions at our installations. Several of our installations are in the 
midst of design, construction, and deployment of alternative 
technologies, but the Army is still several years away from completion. 
For example, both Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HSAAP) and Radford 
Army Ammunition Plant (RFAAP) began an evaluation of certain 
alternative technologies in 2015. Full deployment of alternative 
technologies at HSAAP and RFAAP is anticipated in 2027, but this 
timeline is dependent on our regulatory partners and the permitting 
process. The Army estimates an investment of $200 Million for HSAAP and 
$154 Million for RFAAP for full implementation of these alternative 
technologies, which would greatly reduce the OB footprint.
    The Army also estimates that an investment of $721 Million is 
necessary to design, procure, install, test, and fully commission 
additional alternative technologies at the seven government-owned 
facilities with a demilitarization mission that have OB/OD permits. 
This estimate is in addition to the current programed dollars used to 
support and sustain the Army demilitarization mission requirements. It 
should be noted however that the present programed levels of funding 
are not sufficient to keep up with current demilitarization mission 
requirements and stockpile generations.
Domestic Production of 40mm Ammunition
    Question. The Army is currently contracted with a foreign entity to 
develop two capabilities for the Next Generation 40 millimeter Airburst 
program.
    My office has asked for an update on the Army's plan to acquire the 
IP for Airburst and the response has been non-committal. I am concerned 
that, unless the government acquires the IP, the production contract 
for Airburst cannot be opened to fair and open competition.
    What is the impact to the domestic industrial base for 40mm 
manufacturing if the Army fails to acquire the IP from the foreign 
entity working on the development phase?
    Answer. The Army has taken domestic manufacturing into account for 
40mm production, and while foreign sources have supported development, 
there is a plan in action to transition production to facilities in the 
Continental U.S. (CONUS). Upon acquiring the intellectual property 
(IP), the U.S. Government will compete the production, which will be 
restricted to CONUS-based sources.
    Question. If the Army has not taken domestic manufacturing into 
account in its management of this contract, why not?
    Answer. The Army has taken domestic manufacturing into account and 
is actively executing the plan to transition to CONUS facilities.
    Question. I understand that the purchase of IP rights might have 
budget implications, but the Army has declined my office's request for 
information on what those might be.
    Can you give the Committee an answer on how much of this 
appropriated funding is going to procure the IP rights on this program?
    Answer. The Army has not released the cost of the IP for this 
program because it is considered proprietary information to the prime 
contractors for the airburst programs.
                                 ______
                                 
             Questions Submitted by Senator Mitch McConnell
Fort Knox
    Question. As you know, Fort Knox is one of the country's most 
energy independent military installations. I understand the 
installation recently completed a successful black start exercise, in 
which it unplugged from outside energy sources and operated the entire 
installation's energy grid for eight hours using only its on-base 
natural gas and diesel generation capabilities. In addition to natural 
gas, Fort Knox also has its own source of geothermal and solar-
generated energy. What is the Army's plan to increase usage of the 
installation's significant natural gas resources? How has the Army used 
Fort Knox's success as a model for improving energy resilience at other 
installations?
    Answer. The 2022 National Defense Strategy prioritizes building a 
resilient Joint Force and defense ecosystem and taking necessary action 
to increase resilience, to include energy resiliency at bases and 
installations. Section 320 of the fiscal year (FY) 2019 National 
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized the Secretary of the Army 
to continue production, treatment, management, and use of natural gas 
from covered wells at Fort Knox, without regard to section 3 of the 
Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (MLAAL), but it required these 
activities to meet the same technical installation and operational 
standards as if they had been installed under the MLAAL. Fort Knox is 
currently working with Bureau of Land Management to ensure safe, 
compliant production of its natural gas resources projected by the end 
of 2022. Once compliance has been achieved and sustained, the Army will 
evaluate whether Fort Knox has any unmet energy requirements that may 
warrant considering an increase in production to ensure energy 
resilience.
    Fort Knox's stellar performance in black start exercises is well-
documented, having held the first total outage black start exercise in 
October 2018. The recipient of four Secretary of the Army Energy and 
Water Awards in the last 5 years, Fort Knox's award-winning 
performances demonstrate best practices for the Army and are informing 
our important efforts to improve energy resiliency across all Army 
installations. For example, while Fort Knox was the first to complete a 
black start exercise, six other installations have completed these 
exercises since 2018. Starting in fiscal year 2023, the Army intends to 
conduct at least 5 exercises per year, in compliance with Title 10 USC 
2920.
    Question. As part of the Army Materiel Command's mandate that all 
new non-tactical vehicle (NTV) leases, lease renewals, and purchases 
must first select all-electric vehicles, it is my understanding that 
Fort Knox will receive a shipment of electric vehicles later this year. 
What resources, such as funding for charging stations, has the Army 
provided to Fort Knox to support transitioning their NTV fleet to 
electric vehicles? What are the sources of funding for these electric 
vehicle projects--and associated infrastructure--on Army installations?
    Answer. To support the Army's Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program 
this year, Congress appropriated an additional $50 million, for a total 
Operation and Maintenance, Army (OMA), appropriation of $54.7 million, 
to plan and procure electric vehicle charging support. Fort Knox is one 
of many installations that will benefit from this appropriation as the 
Army transitions its non-tactical vehicle fleet to ZEVs.
    Question. Please detail the Army's planned future construction 
projects at Fort Knox, including to replace or modernize Fire Station 
#1, replace the Gammon Fitness Center, and expand the Godman Army 
Airfield.
    Answer. For future construction projects at Fort Knox, the fiscal 
year 2023 President's Budget (PB) Request Future Years Defense Program 
(FYDP) included a heavy sniper range in fiscal year 2026. Construction 
projects to replace or modernize Fire Station #1, replace the Gammon 
Fitness Center, and expand the Godman Army Airfield were not included 
in the fiscal year 2023 PB FYDP.
Fort Campbell
    Question. The 101st Airborne and 160th Special Operations Aviation 
Regiment at Fort Campbell are currently operating with an outdated air 
traffic control tower built in 1975 that needs to be replaced. What is 
Army's plan to build a new air traffic control tower that improves 
operational safety, meets the needs of today's aviation fleet, and 
anticipates of needs of Future Vertical Lift (FVL) platforms?
    Answer. The Fort Campbell Air Traffic Control Tower facility meets 
current minimum mission and safety requirements.
    Question. As Army proceeds with developing, selecting, and 
producing FVL platforms, what is your plan for funding the necessary 
military construction at Fort Campbell to test and field FVL, including 
increased hangar space and modernization of the Campbell Army Airfield?
    Answer. Army senior leaders are absolutely focused on ensuring 
infrastructure will be able to support the ongoing fielding of 
signature modernization efforts. Once FVL selection, fielding, and 
stationing decisions are completed, these important requirements will 
compete for funding in the next budget cycle.
    Question. Approximately 25 percent of Fort Campbell's permanent 
party barracks are comprised of 1970's Volunteer Army (VOLAR) era 
barracks and need to be replaced. The fiscal year 2022 omnibus 
appropriations bill provided additional funding to increase the pace of 
renovating Fort Campbell's VOLAR barracks. What is Army's updated 
timeline for renovating all remaining VOLAR barracks at Fort Campbell 
to ensure the installation can provide updated housing for the 1st 
Brigade Combat Team, a key readiness and retention issue?
    Answer. There are 17 VOLAR barracks at Fort Campbell that require 
renovation, however, not all of the barracks can be renovated at the 
same time due to the limited availability of alternate housing. Two 
barracks are scheduled for renovation in fiscal year 2022, 13 barracks 
are scheduled for renovation or replacement from fiscal year 2023-2032, 
and the remaining 2 barracks will be evaluated for inclusion in future 
budget requests.. The Army looks to accelerate all barracks renovation 
and construction projects to the extent possible.
    Question. It is my understanding that Fort Campbell is currently 
operating their tactical equipment maintenance facilities with a 
deficit of more than 60,000 square-feet and 12 of the motor pools 
currently in use were built before 1970. The Army did not request 
funding for replacement motor pools in fiscal year 2023, though one 
motor pool was included on the unfunded requirements list. What is your 
plan to support mission readiness at Fort Campbell through future 
investments in motor pool replacements?
    Answer. The current infrastructure at Fort Campbell will continue 
to operate under the current mitigation strategy to meet mission and 
readiness requirements. The Fort Campbell projects to replace or 
modernize Vehicle Maintenance Shops/Motor Pools were not included in 
the fiscal year 2023 FYDP, however these projects will be evaluated for 
inclusion in future budget requests.
Blue Grass Army Depot
    Question. The Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) 
anticipates the complete demilitarization of the chemical weapons at 
the Blue Grass Chemical Agent- Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) in 2023 
with complete closure of the plant occurring a few years after. How can 
the Army transition this high-skilled, trusted workforce to support or 
expand BGAD's conventional mission?
    Answer. The closure of BGCAPP includes a managed drawdown of 
government and contract personnel as sites transition from operations 
into closure and, ultimately, mission completion. This drawdown will 
occur in planned, coordinated, and communicated actions. Although some 
attrition or reduction in force is expected, processes exist to assist 
Federal employees with transitioning to other Federal employment and 
may include retention incentives. For members of the contractor 
workforce, similar matters will follow individual corporate policies. 
Throughout this process, the Army is committed to following 
scrupulously all applicable Federal labor regulations and laws.
    Additionally, the Army's Office of Local Defense Community 
Cooperation provided a grant to the Blue Grass Area Development 
District, enabling this group of local government agencies to award a 
contract for the development of an economic resiliency plan. This plan 
is intended to be a roadmap for employees transitioning out of the 
chemical weapons destruction mission, formalize long-term planning for 
economic development, and promote job creation though new industries 
and opportunities.
    Question. It is my understanding that BGAD is shipping rocket 
motors to Anniston Army Depot for destruction, pending a determination 
on whether the motors can be safely destroyed at BGAD. Please provide 
an update on the potential for rocket motor destruction at BGAD, 
including impacts on total project cost and the BGAD workforce.
    Answer. BGCAPP is currently shipping M67 rocket motors to the 
Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative (ACWA) facility located on 
Anniston Army Depot in Alabama. The M67 rocket motors are derived from 
the disassembly of M55 chemical agent rockets. The process involves 
disassembly of the M67 rocket motor from the chemical agent warhead. 
After disassembly, the rocket motors are packaged and shipped to the 
Anniston ACWA facility and processed through their static detonation 
chamber. Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) is currently in the process of 
proving out a contained burn facility that would be capable of static 
firing the M67 rocket motors for disposal. A supply chain issue with 
igniters required to initiate the static fire of the M67 rocket motors 
has delayed the BGAD process and ability to enter a production phase in 
their contained burn chamber.
Signature Reduction
    Question. It is my understanding that Army's stockpile of 
multispectral signature management systems, such as Ultra-Lightweight 
Camouflage Net Systems (ULCANS), was depleted to equip U.S. forces 
deployed to support NATO allies in Europe. What steps is the Army 
taking to ensure all units deployed to Europe are equipped with next-
generation signature management systems? How can existing backfill 
authority and funding support these efforts?
    Answer. The Ultra-Light Camouflage Net Systems Increment 1 (ULCANS-
INC1) was not critically depleted while equipping U.S. forces deployed 
in support of our NATO Allies in Europe. At the beginning of 2022, the 
Army's inventory was approximately 12,000 ULCANS-INC1 systems, of which 
the Army sent 3,000 to support U.S. forces in Europe. There are 
currently 8,847 ULCANS-INC1 sets available. The Army is postured to use 
any supplemental funding to procure additional ULCANS-INC1 to replace 
the 2,000 (approximately $8.4M) legacy camouflage systems that were 
sent to support Ukrainian forces.
    Question. As the Army seeks to discontinue and divest from legacy 
camouflage systems in 2023, how is the Army communicating to individual 
units the need to replace the legacy systems with next-generation 
signature management systems? Would centralized funding for the 
purchase of these systems or the inclusion of the new systems on the 
Army's mandatory list of unit equipment help advance this transition?
    Answer. The Army plans to complete divestment of legacy camouflage 
systems in fiscal year 2023. The production rate for the new ULCANS-
INC1 system is approximately 1.5K per month and requires about 8 years 
to make a large enough quantity to replace fielded legacy systems 
(approximately 154,000 sets). The Army deferred divestment of the 
legacy system until fiscal year 2023 to allow the industrial base to 
generate the inventory necessary to ensure ULCANS-INC1 camouflage 
systems were available for procurement upon divestiture of the legacy 
systems. The ULCANS-INC1 camouflage system is not authorized on Army 
Modified Tables of Organization and Equipment (MTOE) and is 
subsequently not a fielded piece of equipment. The ULCANS-INC1 
camouflage system is authorized in Army Common Tables of Allowance 
(CTA).
    To communicate with individual units on equipment changes that will 
impact their organizations, the Army publishes an execution order. An 
execution order can inform a unit to divest a legacy system or enable 
the requisition of a new system. Regarding the INC1, units have been 
informed that they can use the CTA authorization to procure the system, 
using unit funds, based on the unit commander's assessment of available 
resources, mission requirements, and other priorities. While 
centralized funding could potentially assist the Army to procure and 
transition to the new system, the Army has no plans to centrally fund 
this new camouflage system given its designation as a CTA authorized 
system.
Subterranean Training
    Question. It is my understanding that the Department's Joint 
Operational Training Infrastructure (JOTI) Strategy requires both 
conventional and special operations forces to prepare for subterranean 
(SUB-T) operations. What advantages does a Category 3 subterranean 
(SUB-T) training facility have over Category 1 and Category 2 
facilities in preparing our servicemembers for the unique challenges of 
engaging in SUB-T warfare?
    Answer. Category 1 Subterranean (Sub-T) facilities provide training 
for individual to squad size elements; these facilities are tunnels, 
caves, or natural cavities. Category 2 Sub-T facilities provide the 
ability for platoon to company element training and are designed as 
urban subsurface systems; they include basements and tunnels, subways, 
and sewers. Category 3 Sub-T facilities provide the ability for company 
and larger element training; they provide a complex structure 
specifically designed for military purposes. Category 3 facilities 
would facilitate larger scale training in complex and coordinated Sub-T 
operations. Army conventional forces' mission essential task lists, 
however, do not include the conduct of large-scale subterranean 
operations at the battalion, brigade, or higher echelon. Army Training 
Circular (TC) 25-8, Training Ranges (2 Nov 21), describes the standard 
design for a subterranean training facility for up to a platoon plus 
training event at home station. This Army standard facility design 
meets Army requirements as outlined in Army Techniques Publication 
(ATP) 3-21.51, Subterranean Operations (1 Nov 19). There is no current 
training requirement for Category 3 Sub-T facilities.
    Question. How many Category 3 SUB-T training facilities are 
currently available to the Army? How many of these are located east of 
the Mississippi River?
    Answer. The Army currently has one Category 3 Sub-T training 
facility at Fort Hood, Texas. There are no Category 3 Sub-T training 
facilities available east of the Mississippi River. One is under 
construction at Fort Campbell with a scheduled completion date of 
during the first quarter fiscal year 2023.
    Question. Given that Kentucky currently hosts a Category 3 SUB-T 
training facility, which is conveniently located in close distance to 
both Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, has the Army considered assuming 
management of this facility? What resources would be needed to support 
Army management of a long-term lease or purchase of such a facility?
    Answer. The Army is aware of the Crestwood Kentucky facility 
located approximately 54 miles from Fort Knox and approximately 200 
miles from Fort Campbell. However, the Army does not have a present 
requirement for a facility to conduct Category 3 Sub-T training of 
conventional forces. As there is no urgent requirement, the Army has 
not conducted an extensive assessment of the resource requirements for 
a long-term Army lease or purchase of this facility.
                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Senator John Hoeven
    Question. The Army has invested significant funding to develop the 
Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) to give soldiers greater 
situational awareness on the battlefield. I understand that the Army 
has a $96 million shortfall in its fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget to 
procure IVAS units, which could adversely affect the program's 
progress.
    What does the IVAS capability mean for the Army?
    Answer. IVAS is a transformational capability that will allow the 
Army to regain overmatch on the battlefield by providing Soldiers the 
ability to fight, rehearse, and train using a single platform. IVAS 
will significantly improve the situational awareness of our close 
combat formations through the combination of fused thermal and low 
light sensors, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and augmented 
reality. Further, as IVAS is a completely digital platform, it provides 
the opportunity for individual soldiers moving on combat vehicle and 
aviation platforms to tie into vehicle mounted sensors to gain real 
time situational awareness as they approach the battlefield. Finally, 
when combined with the Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer (SiVT), IVAS 
will allow soldiers to train using the latest three-dimensional views 
of the battlefield in a virtual environment.
    Question. What happens if you are not able to make up the $96 
million procurement shortfall?
    Answer. The shortfall would reduce the quantity of systems procured 
and fielded in fiscal year 2023, which would require the close combat 
force to rely on older analog night vision systems with no capability 
to train and rehearse in a virtual environment or to tie into ground 
combat vehicle and aviation sensors. Further, the Army will not be able 
to meet the contractually required minimum order quantity. The likely 
result would be a substantial increase in unit cost of the IVAS and 
SiVT.
    Question. How has the Army benefited from putting engineers and 
soldiers together to develop IVAS, and how might this collaboration 
lead to enhanced IVAS capabilities in the future?
    Answer. Throughout the development of IVAS, the Soldier Lethality 
Cross Functional Team (SL CFT) and Program Executive Office (PEO) 
Soldier have utilized soldier touchpoints to link soldiers and 
Microsoft engineers in the development process. This approach provided 
continuous feedback to enable Microsoft engineers to identify and 
address concerns. Soldier touchpoints informed the requirements, 
facilitating the rapid iteration of prototypes, and ensuring the Army 
provided soldiers with the capabilities they need to fight and win. 
Feedback from these events has allowed engineers to improve critical 
hardware, software, and design features, all leading to improved 
soldier acceptance and system performance.
    The collaboration of co-locating soldiers and engineers during 
soldier touchpoints facilitates an immediate test-fix-test methodology. 
Soldiers can see immediate adjustments made by engineers, particularly 
in software, human factor adjustments, and early prototyping. Much of 
this interaction is the very essence of the Army's focus on soldier-
centered design. As improved versions of IVAS are developed, the SL CFT 
and PEO Soldier will continue to conduct soldier touchpoints to sustain 
this important soldier-engineer interface.
                                 ______
                                 
           Questions Submitted to General James C. McConville
               Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
    Question. Consistent with nation-wide trends, the Army has seen an 
uptick in suicides during COVID. However, unlike the other military 
Services, the Army's suicide rates have remained at higher rates.
    Why is the Army an outlier within DoD?
    Answer. The Total Army has experienced an increase in suicide rates 
since 2017, largely due to the increased incidence within the Regular 
Army. Generally, the Army has experienced a higher rate than the other 
Services over this period. The Army firmly believes that there is a 
strong correlation between relationship, work-related problems, 
behavioral health, financial, legal issues, as well as other harmful 
behaviors that contribute to a suicide rate. DoD would be better suited 
to conduct a comparison of those factors that may contribute to 
difference in rates across the Services. The Army has been conducting 
multiple studies, pilots, and initiatives over the last 3 years 
attempting to expand behavioral health resources, identify specific 
factors, increase prevention efforts, destigmatize seeking help, and 
emphasize limiting access to lethal means in order to reduce deaths by 
suicide within our Service.
    Some of the initiatives include:
  --Updating and publishing policies and procedures that emphasize 
        suicide prevention, to include a major revision to the Suicide 
        Prevention Policy; publishing two commander ``how to'' 
        handbooks to facilitate program execution; and a implementing a 
        total force chain teaching program initiated by the Vice Chief 
        of Staff of the Army to emphasize suicide prevention as a 
        priority.
    --The Army is also emphasizing down to the lowest level that 
            service members must demonstrate engaged leadership which 
            includes implementing preventative measures, such as 
            mandating 100 percent wellness checks at select locations. 
            These locations include the 11th Airborne in Alaska, Fort 
            Bliss, Fort Drum, and Fort Stewart. A wellness check can be 
            (1) a Soldier meets with a Military Family Life Counselor 
            (MFLC); (2) a Periodic Health Assessment (PHA)-based review 
            of behavioral health records for incoming Soldiers; or (3) 
            a barracks or home check by leadership.
  --Developing and fielding the Behavioral Health Readiness and Suicide 
        Risk Reduction Review (R4) tool as an instrument that assists 
        first line leaders (company-level and below) with risk 
        identification and suicide prevention related conversations.
  --Effectuating new suicide prevention training that challenges the 
        stigma against seeking help, identifies time-sensitive warning 
        signs and risk factors, and outlines steps service members can 
        take to address the risk. This also includes briefings to all 
        brigade and battalion Pre-Command Courses held since August 
        2021.
  --Refining and fielding the Behavioral Health Pulse (BH Pulse) tool 
        to provide commanders with an assessment of behavioral health 
        across their formations. BH Pulse is a key visibility tool to 
        help prevent harmful behaviors and enhance unit well-being.
  --Bolstering BH support in USARAK by adding two active duty and three 
        reserve providers. This additional staff will provide 186 
        appointments a week--a 33 percent increase in mental health 
        services.
  --In March, Secretary Austin announced a Suicide Prevention & 
        Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC) to review 
        relevant suicide prevention and response activities. The Army 
        will support the review and implement the findings and 
        recommendations of the report in the future. OSD announced the 
        group's charter and membership, and they will start visiting 
        our installations this August. The final report will be 
        provided to the SECDEF in late December.
    Question. A recent Inspector General report on suicide prevention 
resources for transitioning service members found that DoD is not 
screening for suicide risk, or providing continual mental healthcare.
    What is the Army doing to ensure transitioning service members are 
receiving mental health screenings?
    Answer. The Army is focused on preventing suicide both within our 
ranks and by those who have transitioned out of the Army. Army 
Regulation 600-8-101 (Personal Readiness Processing) states that all 
soldiers within 60 days of transitioning out of the military are 
required to complete a periodic health assessment (PHA). In accordance 
with medical regulations, the PHA includes a mental health assessment 
(MHA) consisting of evidence-based questions to screen for depression, 
PTSD, substance abuse, interpersonal conflict, and suicide. These 
responses are reviewed and assessed in a face-to-face encounter with a 
primary care provider. Referrals to specialty behavioral healthcare are 
made after consultation, as needed. In addition, soldiers being 
considered for separation on the basis of disciplinary reasons are 
required to have a mental status evaluation performed by a mental 
health provider.
    Question. The Inspector General also noted that while the Navy and 
Marine Corps have programs for service members that attempt suicide or 
have thoughts of suicide, the Army does not. Instead, ``at-risk'' 
soldiers receive help from the chaplain or medical provider.
    Why is this?
    Answer. The Army does have an established program to provide 
similar behavioral health services for ``at risk'' soldiers as directed 
in the Behavioral Health At-Risk Management policy. The BH At-Risk 
policy provides guidance regarding clinical care, case management, 
surveillance, and command communication for individuals at-risk for 
suicide who have been seen by a behavioral health (BH) provider. The 
policy requires documentation of treatment in a behavioral health data 
base as well as tracking of, and follow-up with, the soldiers through 
local-level BH At-Risk case tracking meetings. As part of this policy, 
behavioral health providers facilitate dialogue by engaging unit 
commanders when a soldier is deemed high risk in order to detail the 
soldier's duty limitations and offer recommended command actions. In 
addition, providers and unit commanders increase their focus on 
providing a high standard of care for ``at risk'' soldiers during a 
permanent change of station transition, which is a known period of 
vulnerability for soldiers and their families.
    Question. The budget request includes $800 million to continue 
development of the Army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon. The Air Force, 
Navy and Marine Corps are also developing hypersonic weapons.
    Please explain the role hypersonic weapons will have in the Army's 
future force structure.
    Answer. Hypersonic weapons provide a pivotal capability to ensure 
the Army achieves its modernization goals of speed, range, convergence, 
decision dominance, and overmatch. Hypersonic systems provide a 
combination of speed, maneuverability, and altitude that enables highly 
survivable, long range, and rapid defeat capabilities for time-
critical, heavily defended, and high value targets. As a result, 
hypersonic weapons are one of the highest priority modernization areas 
the Department of Defense is pursuing to ensure our continued 
battlefield dominance.
    The Army is fielding the first Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) 
battery by fiscal year 2023 (fiscal year 2023). The Army began 
delivering the first prototype hypersonic equipment in March 2021, 
followed by new equipment training beginning in October 2021. The first 
LRHW battery reaches full operational capability in fiscal year 2023 
with the delivery of live missile rounds. After prototype battery 
fielding is complete, the effort will transition to the Program 
Executive Office for Missiles and Space (PEO M&S) as a Program of 
Record. The Army plans to field two additional LRHW batteries by 2027.
    Question. Have you deconflicted operational priorities with the 
other services?
    Answer. Yes, the Army has deconflicted operational priorities with 
the other services. The Army partnered with the Navy to execute 
hypersonics through the use of a common glidebody, common missile 
design, and joint test opportunities. The Army and Navy have worked 
closely together to address Navy budget marks, while keeping the Army's 
fiscal year 2023 fielding and testing on schedule. In addition, the 
Army, Navy, Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, and the Office of the 
Secretary of Defense maintain a joint service hypersonics partnership 
through a memorandum of agreement and a board of directors for the 
Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB), which allows for the deconfliction 
of operational priorities.
    Question. Last year, this Committee added $27 million for the Army 
to implement the recommendations of the ``Independent Review Commission 
on Sexual Assault in the Military'' in the defense appropriations bill.
    What progress has the Army made in implementing these 
recommendations? In what areas do you need more time? Do you have 
sufficient resources?
    Answer. The Army has developed an implementation process using a 
tiered approach that includes iterative, evidence-based, and data-
informed evaluations, with an initial focus on building existing 
foundations to improve training, leader development, and program 
infrastructure. The Independent Review Commission (IRC) tasks for 
implementation included reforming military justice, creating a full-
time prevention workforce, and providing additional independence from 
the chain of command for Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and 
Victim Advocates.
    In accordance with the IRC, the Army has completed 4 out of 32 
recommendations assigned to the military departments by the Department 
of Defense. The completed recommendations:
  --2.6b: Review and update all policies that unnecessarily restrict 
        data collection on important populations of Services
  --3.8: The Services should publish the nature and results of all 
        disciplinary actions related to sexual misconduct and 
        disseminate this information to troops periodically.
  --4.3d: Increased victim agency and control of the response process 
        by maximizing adherence to survivor preference, & centering 
        survivor preferences in expedited transfers
  --Crosscutting Action 1: Immediately make sexual harassment victims 
        eligible for Sexual Assault Prevention Response services
    In the next 30 days, we expect to also close, 4.3 a: Implement the 
No Wrong Door approach to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and 
domestic abuse across the Army. This directive will ensure Soldiers, DA 
Civilians, and Family members who seek assistance from any Army agency 
requesting SHARP services will be directed to a Sexual Assault Response 
Coordinator or Victim Advocate under this connect to care policy. If 
assistance beyond SHARP is required from other organizations, such as 
the Family Advocacy Program (FAP), behavioral health, medical, legal, 
or other advocacy and support services, SHARP Professionals will 
facilitate a warm handoff to those agencies. A warm handoff 
necessitates direct communication with and introduction to relevant 
personnel at the appropriate on or off post agency, as well as follow-
up to verify that needs are addressed.
    The timeline for implementation of the IRC recommendations, as 
established by the Secretary of Defense, varies from the near term 
(fiscal year 2022) to the long term (fiscal year 2028). The Army is 
continuing to work with the Office of the Secretary of Defense to 
operationalize our implementation plans of action and resourcing 
submissions.
    Question. After implementing these recommendations, how is the Army 
evaluating the success of the changes that you are making?
    Answer. The Army recognizes that evaluating the success of these 
changes is necessary to understand what additional reforms or 
initiatives are necessary to combat sexual assault and sexual 
harassment in the Army. The Army is supporting the Office of the 
Secretary of Defense's efforts to develop a reporting process for 
outcome metrics that will enable the Army and the Department of Defense 
to track both the implementation status and the effectiveness of the 
reforms.
                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Senator Patrick Leahy
    Question. The new Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, 
is nearing completion. I was proud to add funding to complete the 
project when the Army identified it as an unfunded priority, and 
appreciate the support from the Army for the project. The training in 
maneuver over complex terrain in cold climates is invaluable for 
preparation for future operating environments for soldiers, other 
members of the Armed Services, NATO allies, and Federal partners.
    What is the estimate for demand among all users for slots at the 
school in fiscal year 2023?
    Answer. The Army Mountain Warfare School (AMWS) has a current 
validated requirement to train 735 students in fiscal year 2023 (fiscal 
year 2023). The Army anticipates a requirement to support up to 839 
training seats in fiscal year 2023 from the Total Force, which the AMWS 
can meet.
    Question. How much funding is available in fiscal year 2023 for 
training and what percentage of the demand will it cover?
    Answer. Current projected funding levels for fiscal year 2023 from 
the Department of the Army for the Vermont Army National Guard Army 
Mountain Warfare School will support 839 training seats, which will 
meet 100 percent of the anticipated demand. The current fiscal year 
2023 demand at the AMWS is 735 seats, but that demand is anticipated to 
grow as the Army continues to refine the Arctic Strategy.
    Question. What value would be added if the Army were to create 
requirements for mountain-trained soldiers in certain units, and are 
there any plans currently to do so?
    Answer. The Army recognizes and appreciates the value of mountain 
training and is developing options to ensure operational readiness and 
reduce risk if faced with operations in mountainous terrain. Given 
current Defense Department planning guidance, the Army has no 
requirement at this time for a full division or even a full brigade of 
Soldiers to have mountaineering qualifications.
    Question. Will the Army approve an insignia for wearing on the 
uniform to show mountain-training?
    Answer. Consistent with current policies, the Army Mountain Warfare 
School in Jericho, Vermont continues to award the Military Mountaineer 
Badge to Vermont Army National Guard Soldiers who complete the Basic 
Military Mountaineer Course. In addition, the Skill Qualification 
Identifier E ``Military Mountaineer'' is awarded to all Army Soldiers 
who complete the course. Active duty personnel are not authorized to 
wear insignia awarded by state schools.
                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Senator Brian Schatz
Hawaii Installation Investments
    Question. The Hawaii Infrastructure Readiness Initiative (HIRI) is 
the Army's $2.6 billion 30-year plan to improve readiness and 
addressing critical shortfalls in facilities on Hawaii, including at 
Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter, and Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA). 
This year's Presidential Budget Request (PBR) does not include any 
funding for critical infrastructure improvements in Hawaii; however, a 
2018 MOU formalized a commitment to provide at least $100 million in 
annual funding to address a backlog of infrastructure needs for the 
Army in Hawaii. HIRI requires high-level attention and vigilance from 
USARPAC to ensure the Army does not delay projects, including planning 
and design funds.
    Given the importance of the Indo-Pacific, particularly in a 
changing threat environment, why were there no funds requested in the 
PBR? Does that reflect the prioritization the Army places on critical 
infrastructure in Hawaii?
    Answer. The Army remains committed to investing in projects in 
Hawaii at a level reflecting the importance of the region. The Army 
continues to promote all projects from the former Hawaii Infrastructure 
Readiness Initiative (HIRI). Additionally, the Army's Military 
Construction, Army (MCA) fiscal year 2023-2027 Future Years Defense 
Program provides $848million in broader Indo-Pacific investments. The 
Army remains committed to investments which maximize training readiness 
as well as soldier and family quality of life initiatives. The Army 
also recognizes the tremendous value of its training lands and real 
property assets in HI and their significant contribution to a strong 
readiness posture in the Indo-Pacific.
    Question. My office was recently informed about the substandard 
training and living conditions for Federal firefighters at PTA. How is 
the Army addressing these concerns and when can we expect suitable 
living conditions for Federal fire fighters on PTA? Does the Army have 
a named project and budget estimate to upgrade existing--or construct 
new--facilities at PTA?
    Answer. The Army is aware of the substandard facility conditions of 
its Operational Readiness Training Complex at the Pohakuloa Training 
Area (PTA) in Hawaii and we are addressing recapitalization of those 
facilities. Specifically, the U.S. Army Garrison- Hawaii has developed 
a Military Construction project for a Fire Station at PTA that was not 
included in the fiscal year 2023-2027 FYDP. The Army continues to 
upgrade existing facilities with Sustainment, Restoration, and 
Modernization funding to improve the quality of life and the work 
environment of Federal firefighters serving at PTA.
    Question. What risk is the Army assuming by allowing the Pacific's 
land force to train, live, and work in substandard facilities?
    Answer. The Army is working diligently to improve the conditions of 
infrastructure in the Pacific theater. The Army's current focus is on 
improving facilities with a poor/failing rating. The facilities in the 
Indo-Pacific with a Quality rating of poor/failing (Q3/Q4) will require 
$7.99B in Restoration and Modernization funds to make needed 
improvements. While Soldiers continue to perform their missions from 
Q3/Q4 facilities, the Army will work to mitigate any impacts to every 
extent possible.
    Question. Will you commit to reengaging and reprioritizing HIRI so 
we can avoid any long-term impacts to readiness as DoD prioritizes 
Hawaii's role in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative?
    Answer. The Army will continue to address the former HIRI projects 
as priority facility investments within the Army's overall facility 
requirements.
    Question. What is the Army doing at Schofield Barracks, Fort 
Shafter, and PTA to mitigate the effects of climate change to buildings 
and family housing to effectively manage the future costs associated in 
maintaining a degraded infrastructure?
    Answer. The Army uses the Department of Defense Climate Assessment 
Tool to understand an installation's vulnerability to climate-related 
hazards. Using the Climate Assessment Tool as part of a comprehensive 
analysis helps the Army determine where best to apply resources to 
improve climate adaptation and resiliency for facilities in Hawaii 
(e.g., Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter, and PTA) in order to mitigate 
the effects of climate change on buildings and family housing.
Defense Communities
    Question. Our military and civilian communities are becoming 
increasingly integrated and dependent on each other. According to DoD, 
there are over 4,000 military installations in the United States, most 
of which are surrounded by local communities that are tightly linked to 
their military neighbors. These ``defense communities'' have a close 
civil-military connection that presents both challenges and 
opportunities for local governments and stakeholders. The military is 
trained and equipped to assist in community resiliency, further 
cultivating and building upon defense community partnerships.
    Would it benefit defense communities to conduct vulnerability 
assessments with local stakeholders to determine the current and 
projected risks to military and surrounding community infrastructure 
that could affect installation resilience?
    Answer. The Army recognizes the importance of partnering with the 
states and communities that regularly support our installations and 
service member families across a continuum of public infrastructure and 
services where such vulnerabilities can directly impact our readiness. 
Our installations along with their neighboring jurisdictions comprise 
communities unto themselves, and it is in our collective interest to 
collaborate on these vulnerability assessments and then carry out 
responses to minimize or eliminate the vulnerabilities. To realize the 
maximum benefit, these assessments need to be undertaken jointly with 
the local command, leverage the expertise of local public and private 
civilian stakeholders, consider the economic and environmental 
comparative advantages of options, embrace an actionable plan, and 
continue to work together to carry out the resulting responses.
    Question. Does the Army share projections and vulnerability models 
with State, Tribal, and local officials so that defense community 
leaders have the information they need to make informed resilience 
planning decisions?
    Answer. Yes, the Army collaborates extensively with local, Tribal, 
and State partners to ensure that all current and future Army 
resilience actions are coordinated to guarantee that infrastructure 
resilience planning is informed by local and regional approaches, and, 
conversely, that local leadership can benefit from Army planning tools. 
At many of our installations, there are formal consultation protocols 
in place to liaise with tribes, community interest groups, and other 
impacted parties. Other coordination opportunities exist through the 
installations long range master planning process. Two-way communication 
and exchange of information between the Army and the surrounding 
community is mutually beneficial for developing mitigating plans to 
reduce vulnerabilities and risks to critical infrastructure, especially 
regarding risks from climate change.
Pacific Pathways
    Question. The Army has a number of partner exercises and 
engagements in the Pacific through its Pacific Pathways Initiative 
which provides more presence and greater persistence west of the 
International Date Line in a way that is cost effective.
    How much did the Army request for its Pacific Pathways Initiative 
in fiscal year 2023? Does the Army assess the benefits to be sufficient 
to expand the initiative? If so, where would the Army seek to expand 
and with which allies and partners?
    Answer. The Army requested more than $236 million for Pacific 
Pathways Initiative events in fiscal year 2023. The Army assesses there 
is a positive benefit in funding and resourcing expanded Operation 
Pathways exercises, which will include engagements with Japan, India, 
Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. This initiative 
increases our forward rotational posture (inside the first island 
chain) and contributes to integrated deterrence in the region. These 
events are crucial for the Joint Force in the Indo-Pacific as they 
support improvements to sustainment, logistics, and distribution 
capabilities. In addition, the Joint Force benefits from the increased 
opportunities to exercise command and control (at echelon), the 
posturing of protection assets, and the ability to provide long range 
precision fires and effects.
    Integrated deterrence generates and supports several outcomes which 
include our direct support to the tenets of the Pacific Deterrence 
Initiative (PDI). This injects increasingly complex dilemmas which the 
military planners for the People's Republic of China (PRC) must account 
for while increasing the Army's integration with our allies and 
partners. Integrated deterrence also provides opportunities for Army 
forces to gain relevant operational experience in the Indo-Pacific 
environment including operations within the PRC's anti-access/area-
denial zone. Our actual physical presence visually signals American 
commitment to the region and demonstrates our pledge to extended 
security cooperation activities.
    Question. How does the Army utilize the Army National Guard's State 
Partnership Program (SPP) in the Indo-Pacific and is the program 
adequately funded?
    Answer. The Army National Guard's (ARNG) State Partnership Program 
(SPP) is fully integrated within the U.S. Army Pacific's regional 
engagement strategy. It provides a scalable and tailored approach to 
security cooperation, partner enhancement, and long-term engagement. At 
present, thirteen states actively partner with 15 countries in the 
Indo-Pacific. Together, the states and partners train on military 
readiness tasks and work to support necessary niche expertise. These 
efforts provide capabilities to support assistance to civil 
authorities, to respond to local/national emergencies, and to assist 
other operations as required. The SPP is adequately funded, and the 
ARNG (as the appropriation sponsor) has the authority to internally 
prioritize and reprogram funds to meet any evolving commitments.
    Question. Logistics pose a particular challenge for the Army in the 
Indo-Pacific region. What is the Army doing through its Pacific 
Pathways Initiative partnerships to address the contested logistical 
concerns?
    Answer. The Operation Pathways exercises provide three key logistic 
opportunities for the Army to address contested logistical concerns. 
First, these training events allow the Army to consistently exercise 
its own systems and field craft, which exposes gaps and provides 
opportunities for improvement. Second, the Army gains valuable 
firsthand experience in the location where the exercises occur, which 
helps identify region-specific logistic challenges, including obtaining 
knowledge about locally available resources, facilities, and 
capabilities. Third, it creates occasions for the system of Army 
Prepositioned Stocks (APS) to be tested and allows the Army to make 
changes to the system to better support forward rotational forces. 
These exercises and the opportunities they provide allow the Army to 
evaluate our logistic systems--including local contracting--in order to 
establish contacts and develop context to improve regional access that 
will better sustain future operations.

                          SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS

    Senator Murray. The Defense Subcommittee will reconvene on 
Tuesday, May 17, at 10 a.m., for a hearing with the Department 
of the Air Force.
    With that, the committee stands in recess.
    [Whereupon, at 11:25 a.m., Tuesday, May 10, the 
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday, 
May 17.]