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


 
       DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023

                              ----------                              


                         TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2022

                                       U.S. Senate,
           Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The subcommittee met at 10:01 a.m. in room SD-192, Dirksen 
Senate Office Building, Hon. Jon Tester (chairman) presiding.
    Present: Senators Tester, Baldwin, Shaheen, Shelby, Blunt, 
Moran, Hoeven, and Boozman.

                         DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

                       National Guard and Reserve

STATEMENT OF GENERAL DANIEL R. HOKANSON, CHIEF OF THE 
            NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU


                opening statement of senator jon tester


    Senator Tester. I want to thank you all for being here 
today. Before Senator Shelby gets here, I just want to express 
my appreciation, because we don't do this enough, to be honest 
with you, of not only the jobs that the people in front of us 
do, but the jobs that the people behind you do.
    And I just want to say, thank you. These are difficult 
times, with the conflicts that are going on in the world, and 
inflation, and all that stuff, but I will tell you that we have 
had a number of these hearings. And I think this is--maybe the 
last one, right?
    Voice. It is the last one.
    Senator Tester. This is the last hearing. And I think this 
country is in good hands with the leadership, and the people 
that we have serving in our Military. And I just want to thank 
you for that before we start this hearing.
    I call this committee meeting to order. Good morning.
    I want to start by thanking you all for being here. We 
appreciate the leadership of our Nation's National Guard and 
Reserve Forces, and look forward to discussing the fiscal year 
2023 budget priorities with you.
    As you know, leadership from the Department of Defense and 
Military Services already testified before our committee about 
the evolving China threat, and investments being made to 
modernize the Force. We want to learn from you what this means, 
from your perspective, the Guard and Reserve Components, who 
are often the first to be called upon when a crisis occurs.
    Case in point, Service members from the National Guard and 
Reserve are deployed to the European Command area of 
operations, as we speak, or are working remotely to support 
Ukraine and our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) 
allies against Russia's unprovoked war. We look forward to 
receiving an update on those efforts.
    The mission to support Ukraine comes on the heels of our 
National Guard and Reserve Forces serving unselfishly during 
the height of the pandemic in communities all across our 
Nation.
    However, vaccine refusal rates among Guard and Reserve 
personnel are among the highest across all of the services. I 
am concerned about what this means for already lagging end 
strength, and readiness of our Guard and Reserve Forces, while 
the Nation continues to rely on you to answer the call for 
service.
    That is why I want to make sure that the Guard and Reserves 
are getting their fair share, to be set up for success on all 
fronts. If that is not the case, you can count on this 
committee to help.
    Once again, I want to thank each of the witnesses for their 
testimony, upcoming, and their service to our country.
    I especially want to recognize General Scobee for his many 
years of dedicated service. I want to wish you the best in your 
future endeavors. And I hope you retire in Montana.
    And with that, I will turn it over to Senator Shelby.


                 statement of senator richard c. shelby


    Senator Shelby. Wow. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
    I welcome all of our witnesses back here, and I thank you 
for your service.
    The National Guard and the Reserve serve both overseas, and 
when disaster strikes, which is often here, here at home. Over 
the last few years they have answered the call on many, many 
occasions. From responding to COVID-19, hurricanes, and 
wildfires, to safeguarding our border, these men and women have 
served our country with distinction.
    I am deeply concerned, however, that the administration's 
failure to direct the appropriate resources to the crisis at 
the southern border has resulted in shifting the burden to the 
Guard. Because the administration has refused to fund the 
construction of a comprehensive barrier along the border, it 
has been compelled to send the National Guard to deal with the 
consequences.
    Further, if the administration succeeds in appealing a 
recent court decision, Title 42 restrictions will end, and the 
demands on the Guard's manpower and resources will only 
increase.
    Recently, we have seen as much as $300 million in a single 
year reprioritized from the Guard to pay for border 
deployments. That is a lot of money.
    Now, we are seeing Active Military Components cover most of 
the bill which puts a significant and unnecessary strain on the 
DOD in the year of execution. Regrettably, this was all 
predictable and avoidable.
    So today, I would like to understand, if you can help us 
here, how the administration's policies at the border are 
straining your resources? And how the President's budget 
supports the fundamental requirements of the Guard and the 
Reserves?
    I would also like to know whether your respective budgets 
fall short of providing adequate funding for much needed 
equipment, modernization, training, and recruitment.
    I know that is a lot, but this is the funding committee. 
Thank you very much.
    Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Shelby.
    We will start with you, General Hokanson.


            summary statement of general daniel r. hokanson


    General Hokanson. Good morning, Chairman Tester, Vice 
Chairman Shelby, and esteemed members of the subcommittee.
    Our Senior Enlisted Leader, Tony Whitehead and I, thank you 
for the opportunity to represent your National Guard. Today's 
National Guard would not be possible without your continued 
investments. It provides the manning, training, and equipment 
for our primary mission to fight and win our Nation's wars, 
which also makes possible our ability to serve our communities 
in their times of need.
    We are more than 440,000 strong, 20 percent of the Joint 
Force, and second in size behind the U.S. Army. Today, over 
43,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen are on duty around 
the globe, and here at home.
    Briefly, I would like to highlight just one of our many 
missions, the State Partnership Program. Your support of this 
program has made it invaluable to 93 countries, 45 percent of 
those in the world today. One of those partnerships is between 
the California National Guard and Ukraine.
    When Russia began its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, 
Ukraine's military leaders reached out to people they trusted, 
people they had known for years, and those were members of the 
California National Guard.
    While much of the world underestimated the Ukrainian Armed 
Forces' abilities, the National Guard was not surprised, 
because we have been training with them for more than 29 years.
    In fact, the National Guardsmen were some of the last 
Americans to leave Ukraine, 165 members of the Florida National 
Guard were deployed to the Joint Multinational Training Group-
Ukraine Mission in Lviv, and today they are continuing to train 
our Ukrainian partners in Germany.
    I am extremely fortunate to represent today's National 
Guard, a force that is ready to fight and win our Nation's 
wars, ready to serve our communities in their time of need, and 
ready to work with our partners at every level from local to 
international.
    Again, thank you for your continued support. It allows us 
to keep our promise to America, to be always ready, always 
there. I look forward to your questions.
    [The statement follows:]
            Prepared Statement of General Daniel R. Hokanson
    Chairman Tester, Vice Chairman Shelby, and esteemed members of the 
subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you 
today.
    Russia's brutal, ongoing invasion of Ukraine has been a stark 
reminder of how quickly a democracy can come under attack, how 
persistently our strategic competitors seek to undermine the post-war 
global order, and how critical a manned, trained, and equipped military 
force can be. Moreover, it is a reminder of the power of citizens-
turned-soldiers and airmen; men and women who, in times of crisis, step 
forward from their civilian lives to take up arms in defense of their 
country. This is the spirit of the Ukrainian people. It is also the 
legacy and the purpose of our National Guard.
    The past twenty years have radically transformed the National 
Guard. The events of September 11, 2001, and the two decades of 
conflict that followed, required a better-trained, better-equipped, 
more-professionalized fighting force. The National Guard evolved to 
meet that mission. Today, we are an integral part of the Joint Force 
and our Nation's second-largest military organization after the U.S. 
Army; the Department of Defense (DoD) cannot implement the National 
Defense Strategy without the National Guard.
    Today's National Guard stands stronger, more capable, and more 
professional than ever. We are ready to maintain our Nation's 
competitive edge in this new strategic environment focused on China and 
Russia. We are ready to fight and win future conflicts as part of the 
Joint Force. We are ready to use our battle-tested skills, equipment, 
training, and personnel to come to the aid of our American communities 
in times of crisis. In more than 2,800 locations across the 50 States, 
3 territories, the District of Columbia, and around the globe, we are 
prepared for whatever the future may hold.
    We are the National Guard, and this is our promise to America: 
Always Ready, Always There.
                    national guard missions in 2021
    The past 2 years have seen the National Guard perform at historic 
levels. Our unique, dual- status authorities allowed us to rapidly 
provide operational forces to the Joint Force while maintaining 
strategic depth in our formations to quickly respond to unforeseen 
needs of the Commander-in-Chief, Secretary of Defense, and governors. 
We faced several challenges simultaneously: projecting American 
strength overseas, continuing the national fight against COVID-19, and 
addressing a relentless series of natural disasters across the country.
    Nevertheless, the National Guard never missed a deployment to 
support every combatant command, and never failed to fulfill a mission 
directed by our Nation's governors. In every aspect of national 
defense, the National Guard brought professional experience gained in 
combat and a connection to our American communities--a dual-status, 
multi-use force unlike any other.
Fighting America's Wars
    The National Guard's primary purpose is fighting America's wars. We 
continually participate in deployments around the globe that help deter 
aggression from strategic competitors, train alongside our 
international allies and partners, and ensure we are manned, trained, 
and equipped for combat. On any given day, approximately 19,000 
National Guardsmen are supporting combatant commands' missions 
overseas.
    After nearly two decades of combat engagement in Operation Enduring 
Freedom, the National Guard played a number of critical roles in the 
historic evacuation of the Afghan people in 2021. As part of Operation 
Allies Refuge, National Guard aircraft and aircrews helped evacuate 
both our Afghan allies and American citizens to safe havens in the 
region. We also provided teams of KC-135 Stratotankers to refuel 
aircraft over Afghanistan, and monitored conditions on the ground via 
pilotless MQ-9 Reapers. The National Guard also provided aeromedical 
evacuation, helped secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport, and 
supported the processing of Special Immigration Visa holders. Once our 
displaced allies arrived in the United States, the National Guard also 
supported resettlement operations, including transportation to evacuee 
housing sites, medical care, and other logistical needs. In addition, 
two National Guard facilities--Camp Atterbury in Indiana and Fort 
Pickett in Virginia--were among the military installations that helped 
process Afghan evacuees.
    Today's complex and dynamic geopolitical environment, and 
particularly the rise of strategic competitors, calls for a new Total 
Force approach, new capabilities, and a renewed commitment to 
readiness. Agile, battle-tested and battle-proven, the National Guard 
remains Always Ready, Always There to fight America's wars.
Securing America's Communities
    The National Guard's community-based force structure brings unique 
advantages in homeland defense. Guard Airmen defend the National 
Capital Region, and man non-stop, 24-hour intercontinental ballistic 
missile defense systems from Alaska and California. In 2021, Guard 
Airmen flew more than 2,000 sorties protecting America's air space in 
support of Operation Noble Eagle; operated 15 of the 16 NORAD Aerospace 
Alert Control sites; and manned the Western and Eastern air defense 
sectors to ensure detection, warning and tactical control of NORAD and 
USNORTHCOM tactical forces against external threats.
    Though the National Guard's primary mission is combat, our unique 
structure and authorities allow us to use our combat-driven personnel, 
skills, and equipment to help our communities in times of crisis. 
Located in 54 States, territories, and DC, the National Guard rapidly 
responds to disasters of every size and type.
    In 2021, the National Guard served more than 10.2 million personnel 
days in domestic operations, including supporting the presidential 
inauguration, serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, 
responding to civil unrest, and helping communities coast-to-coast as 
they faced devastating and historic natural disasters. On average, more 
than 28,000 Guardsmen were involved in domestic operations on any given 
day in 2021.
    After the events of January 6, 2021, more than 26,000 National 
Guardsmen--representing all 54 States, territories, and DC--deployed to 
the Nation's Capital in fewer than three weeks.
    Supporting Federal, State, and local law enforcement, the National 
Guard helped secure the presidential inauguration and facilitate the 
peaceful transition of power.
    Combat training, equipment, and experience also helped the National 
Guard respond to severe weather events affecting many areas of the 
country in 2021, including wildfires, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, 
and winter storms. The National Guard cleared roads of debris, 
performed search and rescue missions, dropped water and fire 
suppressants over acres of flames, directed traffic, provided medical 
support, and delivered food, water, and supplies to devastated 
communities. The Guardsmen who responded to these events left behind 
families and civilian jobs; many of them also lived in communities 
affected by these disasters. However, in times of great danger and 
difficulty, they answered the call to serve their communities and their 
Nation.
    In addition, the National Guard continues to play a substantial 
role in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout 2021, the 
National Guard continued to man testing sites, provide assistance in 
hospitals, and ultimately help vaccinate more than 15 million people. 
Overall, in 2021, the National Guard conducted approximately 7.6 
million personnel days in support of COVID-19 operations.
    However, the National Guard's contributions to American communities 
goes well beyond responding to times of crisis. The National Guard 
participates in several programs that enrich American communities. For 
example, through the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program, Guard 
units have the opportunity to enhance their engineering, construction, 
healthcare, and transportation skills by performing services for 
underserved communities that would otherwise not have the resources to 
conduct them on their own. With the National Guard's own Youth 
ChalleNGe program, at-risk youth are given educational opportunities 
and the chance to develop life skills and self-discipline that can help 
them succeed as productive citizens.
    The National Guard also assists law enforcement in detecting, 
interdicting, disrupting, and curtailing drug trafficking activities in 
our communities. By offering programs and capabilities including 
aviation assets, language skills, intelligence analysis, photographic 
imagery, communication support, and training centers, we are part of a 
full-spectrum approach to countering illicit drugs.
Strengthening America's Alliances and Partnerships
    The strength of the National Guard is amplified by our integrated 
efforts with our partners at every level: local, State, Tribal, 
territorial, Federal, and international. We know that trust, respect, 
and understanding cannot be surged in a time of crisis--it takes a 
long-term investment in relationships. By working closely and 
communicating frequently with our partners, we improve our 
understanding and our abilities to execute the mission, whatever it may 
be.
    In 2021, the National Guard continued to work with local, State, 
and Federal law enforcement to respond to episodes of civil unrest. We 
also worked with State and Federal emergency management agencies to 
respond to disasters in the homeland, and trained with these partners 
to improve our response capabilities for future events.
    Furthermore, the National Guard continued to expand the State 
Partnership Program (SPP), a unique security cooperation program that 
pairs a state's National Guard with a partner nation. In 2021, SPP 
added partnerships between Austria and Vermont, Cabo Verde and New 
Hampshire, and Egypt and Texas. Today, the SPP includes 85 partnerships 
with 93 countries. This unique relationship has been brought to the 
fore in Ukraine as the California National Guard has been instrumental 
in DoD efforts supporting the Ukrainian people for more than 28 years.
    The past year's achievements indicate tremendous National Guard 
involvement across all mission sets, from fighting America's wars, to 
responding to disasters in the homeland, to working with partners at 
every level--and the expectation that we will continue to be involved 
at a high level in the years ahead.
             investing in america's defense and deterrence
    Today's National Guard is a tremendous value to America. The 
National Guard provides approximately 20 percent of the total Joint 
Force, in addition to our millions of personnel days in the homeland, 
yet only represents 4 percent of the Department's budget. We augment 
the Joint Force across all aspects of National Defense Strategy 
implementation, and directly support our communities in tangible, 
substantial ways. We do all this with lower training costs, lower 
facility and land use costs, and low personnel turnover. In fact, 
despite the national and international challenges of the past few 
years, the National Guard's retention rate remains high: people believe 
in what we're doing and they want to be a part of it.
    Our evolution into an operational force was made possible by 
Congress and DoD investments. As a result, the National Guard provides 
the Army and the Air Force with enduring, rotational, surge, and 
follow-on forces, giving our Nation an affordable hedge against future 
risk.
    The National Guard represents a lower-cost operational force for 
the Army and the Air Force, with the additional advantage of providing 
ready, skilled forces for our American communities in times of 
emergency. Because our primary Federal mission is to serve as an 
integral part of DoD efforts to fight and win our Nation's wars, we 
must not be relegated to long-term, non-combat missions that detract 
from readiness. The global security environment demands unrelenting 
focus on maintaining our competitive advantage. As such, the National 
Guard must continue to invest in our primary Federal mission: fighting 
and winning America's wars.
                       looking toward the future
    The challenges of the past 2 years have thrust the National Guard 
into the spotlight, highlighting the duality of our Federal and State 
roles as well as areas for improvement. While we have effectively 
demonstrated our ability to perform as an operational reserve, we seek 
greater inclusion in meeting the pacing threats of the next decade to 
modernize and remain interoperable with the Joint Force and our allies 
and partners.
    The increased importance of the space and cyber domains, increasing 
national resilience, and a focus on alliances and partnerships are ways 
the National Guard contributes to the National Defense Strategy. In 
addition to these strategic themes, I have identified four priorities 
that will elevate National Guard readiness, making our force more 
resilient and more effective: people, readiness, modernization, and 
reform.
    By prioritizing people, we are working to ensure our force is 
physically and mentally resilient, able to balance the demands of the 
mission with the demands of their families and civilian careers, and 
fully representative of the communities we serve.
    By prioritizing readiness, we are better able to anticipate the 
challenges of the future, from strategic competition to disasters in 
our communities, and better leverage the Guard's unique capabilities to 
enhance the Joint Force and support the National Defense Strategy.
    By prioritizing modernization, we position ourselves for the best 
possible deployment, deterrence, sustainability, and interoperability 
with our allies and partners.
    By prioritizing reform, we leverage every resource.
National Guard Capabilities in Space
    Space is a vital and increasingly contested domain. Our success on 
the battlefield and the security of our Nation relies on space 
capabilities, which we use for navigation, communications, 
intelligence, and missile warning.
    Since 1995, the National Guard has added warfighting capacity and 
manpower to space operations. Today, we provide 15 percent of the 
Department of the Air Force's space professionals and defend our Nation 
on behalf of USSPACECOM and other geographic combatant commands through 
missile warning, space electromagnetic warfare operations, and military 
satellite communications. In addition to decades of operational 
experience, the unique citizen-Soldier and citizen-Airman nature of 
National Guard members contributes to our military's efforts in space. 
Guard members often have aerospace-related careers in their civilian 
lives that help them also serve their country; 45 percent of our 
citizen-Airmen space professionals work in the civilian aerospace and 
high-tech industries.
National Guard in the Cyber Domain
    The National Guard has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to play 
a critical role in the DoD's cyber enterprise. Today, there are nearly 
4,000 National Guard cyber operators across 40 states. Many of our 
Guardsmen have cyber-related civilian jobs at leading technology 
companies, and they are able to apply their expertise in the service of 
our Nation. In addition, we have also emerged as a trusted and valuable 
resource in helping our local, State, Federal, and international 
partners defend and mitigate against malicious cyber activity.
    As we do with civil unrest and public safety, the National Guard is 
able to use our cyber skills honed for combat in the service of our 
communities here at home. For example, during the last presidential 
election, more than 1,200 Guardsmen from 18 States provided IT support, 
vulnerability assessments, risk mitigation, and network monitoring at 
the request of their Governors. But in recent years, the National Guard 
has also responded to ransomware attacks against schools and local 
government organizations.
    Constant contest in the cyber domain is our contemporary reality. 
The National Guard is a leader in the digital domain, and enhances our 
Nation's cyber capabilities in combat and in the homeland.
Increasing National Resilience
    Given the current strategic environment and climatological risks, 
we cannot disregard potential threats to our Nation's critical 
infrastructure. From cyberspace to satellites to first-responder 
communications, the National Guard plays an important role in both 
integrated deterrence and synchronized response to interruptions 
affecting these vital sectors. Our close coordination with partners at 
every level, our longstanding homeland defense capabilities, and our 
geographically dispersed forces all strengthen our national resilience. 
This benefits both the defense enterprise and the American people.
The State Partnership Program
    The National Defense Strategy is clear: Alliances and partnerships 
are a national security priority. Almost 30 years after its creation, 
the SPP is one of the most valuable security cooperation programs 
available, and it is paramount that Congress provide stable and 
consistent funding per the fiscal year 2023 President's Budget to 
ensure maximum program potential.
    What began with 13 post-Soviet countries has expanded to include 45 
percent of the world's nations, and helps ensure the DoD has capable, 
trusted, and interoperable partners at our side. Throughout Russia's 
brutal, ongoing invasion of Ukraine, we remain connected with seventeen 
of our SPP partner nations in the EUCOM area of responsibility who are 
providing support in the conflict to reinforce shared common defense 
goals. This includes the partnership between Ukraine and the California 
National Guard.
    The SPP also provides our Soldiers and Airmen opportunities to 
build enduring relationships, train and learn with their partners, and 
become more aware of the global environment in which they operate.
    However, Continuing Resolutions continue to impact execution of the 
SPP. When states and their partners receive funding late in the fiscal 
year, it is detrimental to the planning and execution of partnership 
events. As we continue to mature the SPP, we are working closely with 
the combatant commands and the State Department to identify and 
prioritize potential State Partnership countries. We appreciate 
Congress' continued support of this cost-effective, strategically 
valuable program.
People
    Our service is only possible because of our people: our Soldiers, 
Airmen, civil servants, families, and civilian employers. Every step we 
can take to make our people more ready and resilient ultimately helps 
us keep our promise to America.
    Chief among these is medical readiness and ensuring healthcare 
coverage for every member who serves in uniform. There are 
approximately 60,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen who are 
uninsured. However, we still demand our National Guardsmen be ready to 
serve at a moment's notice. If they are unable to seek treatment for a 
physical ailment or mental health crisis, or obtain follow-on care due 
to a lack of insurance, their readiness and ability to serve is 
impacted. In addition, the National Guard has unique challenges based 
on the part-time nature of traditional Guard service.
    The Joint Force and the American public relies on the National 
Guard to be available in times of crisis--and over the past year, we 
have responded to every mission. We fight the same wars as our active 
duty counterparts; we spend weeks, months, and years away from our 
families like our active duty counterparts; and--unlike our active duty 
counterparts--we leave civilian careers behind to serve our Nation. To 
keep our promise to America--Always Ready, Always There-- we support 
the Department's efforts to identify Duty Status Reform that reflects 
our service and sacrifice.
Readiness
    For the sake of readiness, we must fully integrate the National 
Guard into the Future Force Design's development, testing, training, 
and fielding.
    We must also continue to innovate and collaborate with state, 
local, and Federal partners to further strengthen our integrated 
homeland defense posture. Planning and preparing for disruptions to 
critical infrastructure from hostile actors or climate change is key to 
developing resilience in the homeland.
    However, one of the most significant threats to our readiness in 
the National Guard is budgetary uncertainty. When we are faced with a 
Continuing Resolution--or an ongoing series of Continuing Resolutions--
we cannot program the manning, training, and equipment we need to 
successfully fulfill our obligations to the Joint Force or successfully 
support the National Defense Strategy. Our strategic competitors are 
not waiting for the next budget cycle; they are innovating, training, 
and looking to gain any advantage available. We cannot give them this 
advantage.
Modernization
    The National Guard is expected to be--and must be--fully 
interoperable with the Army and Air Force. Therefore, the Total Force 
structure must meet the demands of the modern battlefield where all 
components have deployable, sustainable, and interoperable equipment. 
We are working with the senior leadership of the Army and the Air Force 
to ensure National Guard force structure and equipment is included in 
future force design and modernization. We cannot predict when or where 
the next conflict will be, or what our competitors are bringing to 
bear, so we must stay engaged throughout this process to ensure our 
equipment, training and processes are modernized and ready to fight and 
win.
    A key component of force modernization has been the use of National 
Guard and Reserves Equipment Account (NGREA) funds to acquire off-the-
shelf solutions to reduce cost, procure equipment, and fill mission-
critical shortages that ultimately improve National Guard readiness.
Reform
    We cannot allow our achievements to make us complacent. We must 
strive to build stronger service members and a more efficient 
organization, and continue to earn the taxpayers' trust. Our reform 
initiatives include ensuring drill weekends maximize readiness; 
increasing the number of telework-compatible career-building 
opportunities; and ensuring the National Guard Bureau (NGB) hears, 
understands, and amplifies the interests of Guardsmen around the world.
    One critical element of reform is emphasizing the need to invest in 
the people and programs that make the greatest difference. We must 
foster an organizational culture that prioritizes performance and 
accountability. To that end, we must continue to integrate National 
Guard Soldiers and Airmen, both officers and enlisted, throughout the 
DoD joint enterprise to increase their readiness to lead in the Total 
Force. With the increased roles and responsibilities placed on the 
National Guard, Joint Force experience, education, and leadership will 
ensure the NGB is in a strong position to advocate for our Nation's 
Guardsmen in any and every setting.
                               conclusion
    For 385 years, the National Guard has fulfilled its promise to 
America: Always Ready, Always There. By prioritizing people, readiness, 
modernization, and reform, we are preparing for the challenges of the 
future.
    Our Nation relies on the National Guard to defend democracy, 
restore peace, and bring hope and security around the globe in times of 
crisis. We boldly face the future: Always Ready, Always There. I look 
forward to answering your questions.

    Senator Tester. Thank you General Hokanson.
    General Daniels.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JODY J. DANIELS, CHIEF 
            OF ARMY RESERVE
    General Daniels. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, 
distinguished members of the committee, I am honored to be here 
today along with Command Sergeant Major Andrew Lombardo, 
representing the 200,000 soldiers and civilians of America's 
Army Reserve. Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and for 
your continued support to our soldiers, civilians, families, 
and their employers.
    The Army Reserve contributes vital enabling capabilities to 
fight and win our Nation's wars. This includes over half of the 
total Army's quartermaster, medical, transportation, and civil 
affairs capabilities. Although the Army Reserve accounts for 
just 20 percent of Army personnel we maintain approximately 
half the Army's enabling forces, and a quarter of its forced 
mobilization capacity, at 6 percent of the total Army budget.
    To date, the Army Reserve has mobilized over 4,000 medical 
professionals, logisticians, engineers, and other enablers to 
provide relief to our civilian counterparts during this 
continuing global pandemic. In support of Operation Allies 
Refuge, an Army Reserve Surgical Unit provided emergency care 
to patients wounded in the Hamid Karzai International Airport 
suicide bombing.
    Here at home, we quickly mobilized and transformed Fort 
McCoy, Wisconsin, an Army Reserve installation into temporary 
housing and relocation facilities to support over 12,000 Afghan 
guests. We also activated over 1,000 Army Reservists to support 
Operation Allies Welcome locations with some remaining on duty 
today.
    In addition to our support to wildland fire and hurricane 
response, Army Reserve soldiers, from the 361st Multi-Role 
Bridge Company, stationed in Georgia, conducted emergency 
bridging operations in Louisiana. This helped create a supply 
and evacuation corridor to assist communities impacted by 
Hurricane Ida.
    The Army Reserve also continues to support every geographic 
combatant command. Since March of 2021, we have mobilized 
almost 18,000 soldiers in support of global operations.
    We are also shaping tomorrow by bringing innovation and 
depth to Army modernization efforts. Our 75th Innovation 
Command supports Army Futures Command, with its link to unique 
private sector expertise. This diverse talent pipeline was 
instrumental in the formation and development of the Army's 
software factory.
    Yet, readiness and modernization are nothing without 
people. Ready and resilient soldiers, capable leaders, cohesive 
teams, strong families, and supportive employers are key to our 
readiness.
    To that end, we aggressively address harmful behaviors that 
threaten to undermine our organization. We are building 
resilient soldiers through tough, realistic training done 
safely. Sustaining our essential enabling capabilities also 
requires consistent, adequate, and predictable funding.
    We are grateful for appropriations that positively impact 
Army Reserve readiness and modernization, like the National 
Guard and Reserve Equipping Account.
    We are deeply appreciative of the additional MILCON 
(military construction) funding that you provided allowing us 
to replace some of our World War II-era wooden barracks. The 
future holds many challenges, but today's Army Reserve strives 
to be the most ready Army Reserve in our Nation's history. With 
your continued support we will leverage our essential 
capabilities to meet the needs of the Nation, and shape the 
Army Reserve for future warfare.
    Thank you. And I look forward to your questions.
    [The statement follows:]
        Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General Jody J. Daniels

                     The United States Army Reserve

                   Ready Now! Shaping Tomorrow . . .

    Meeting the challenges of a complex global security environment 
requires an agile and adaptable force committed to our Nation, its 
people, and its ideals. In cities and communities across America, these 
Soldiers and leaders are the men and women of the U.S. Army Reserve.
    The Army Reserve provides quick access to trained, equipped, and 
ready Soldiers and units, with the critical enabling capabilities 
needed to compete globally and win across the full range of military 
operations. The Army provides the bulk of sustainment and enabling 
forces to the other services, and most of those capabilities reside in 
the Army Reserve. Simply put, the Joint Force cannot deploy, fight, and 
win without the Army Reserve.
    Citizen Soldiers leverage their professional skills while serving 
in uniform, adding substantial value and depth to the force, with 
skills, education, and expertise acquired in the private sector. They 
provide operational flexibility and strategic depth indispensable to 
the Total Army. They are doctors, lawyers, academics, scientists, 
engineers, cyber specialists, first responders, transportation 
specialists, and administrators at the top of their fields.
    In the two decades since September 11, 2001, more than 420,000 Army 
Reserve Soldiers were mobilized. Currently, nearly 8,000 Soldiers are 
deployed to 23 countries in direct support of Geographic Combatant 
Commands--more than 16,000 since the start of the pandemic.
    Present in the Indo-Pacific and Europe, the Army Reserve provides 
critical capabilities that enable operational support to Joint Force 
campaigns in priority theaters bolstering positional advantages against 
any potential threat.
    These capabilities--critical during major combat operations--are 
also crucial at home. The Army Reserve provided vital support from the 
first weeks of the pandemic, rapidly mobilizing in support of the 
largest sustained domestic mobilization in history. More recently, over 
1,500 Army Reserve Soldiers supported Department of Defense (DoD) 
efforts to resettle Afghan evacuees in the United States and other 
countries as part of Operation Allies Welcome.
                             by the numbers
    As both a component and command, the Army Reserve has a 
congressionally authorized strength for 189,500 Soldiers and 11,000 
civilians, and it is present in all 50 States as well as five U.S. 
territories. This year's budget supports the end strength, all rate 
adjustments to include basic pay raise and basic allowances for housing 
and subsistence. It also includes special pay incentives to recruit and 
retain talent into the Army Reserve to sustain the quality all-
volunteer force.
    The Army Reserve provides nearly half of the Army's maneuver 
support and a quarter of its force mobilization capacity. At a cost of 
just 6 percent of the total Army budget, the Army Reserve supports the 
Total Force--with just 13 percent of the component serving as full time 
support.
    Although the Army Reserve constitutes nearly 20 percent of the 
Army's personnel, it provides a significant portion of key support 
units and capabilities. These include over 50 percent of its 
quartermaster and medical formations, over 80 percent of its civil 
affairs, legal, psychological operations, and religious units, and over 
40 percent of its chemical and transportation forces. Some of the Army 
Reserve's critical enabling capabilities include petroleum 
distribution, water purification, port opening, and railroad 
operations.
    This year's budget also funds 24 Geographic and Functional 
Commands, four Readiness Divisions, 947 USAR Facilities including three 
installations and two sub- installations. It increases Full Spectrum 
Training Miles (FSTM) (tactical vehicle training) and supports 
Collective Training Events. It increases support to over 10,000 
civilian full- time employees in over 1,100 communities, funds OPTEMPO 
to meet readiness requirements and increases the Army Reserve flying 
hour program. On average, the Army Reserve annually supports the 
mobilization and deployment of more 12,000 Soldiers and Civilians 
through Mobilization Force Generation Installations located in Texas at 
Fort Hood and Fort Bliss.
    The Army Reserve is a highly motivated, educated, and experienced 
force. Thirty-three percent of all Army Reserve Soldiers hold a 
bachelor's degree or higher. In the officer ranks, 10 percent have 
master's degrees and 3 percent have doctorates. Soldiers in the 
enlisted ranks are also pursuing higher education. More than 13 percent 
hold bachelor's degrees, and nearly 4 percent have a master's or 
doctoral degree, many of which are leveraged in civilian sector career 
fields that include investment banking, business management, and 
technology sciences.
    The Army Reserve also builds on the strength of its diversity. 
African Americans, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native 
Americans make up nearly half of the force, while women make up 25 
percent of all Army Reserve Soldiers and 22 percent of its general 
officers.
                                 people
    People remain the Army Reserve's number one priority, and a focus 
on Soldiers, Families, and DoD Civilians is essential to readiness and 
modernization efforts. By investing in and prioritizing people, the 
Army Reserve makes the Total Force stronger and more lethal.
    Army Reserve Soldiers serve, on average, 39 days a year during 
battle assemblies and annual training to meet individual and collective 
readiness requirements. To succeed, the Army Reserve must support all 
aspects of a Soldier's life--families, civilian employment, and 
education goals--integrated with a rewarding uniformed experience that 
delivers the training, confidence, and skills that employers seek.
    In order to maximize the time available for training, shaping, 
growing, and retaining the future force, the Army Reserve is focusing 
on reducing and removing unnecessary administrative burdens. Junior 
leaders are empowered with the direct authority required to 
successfully lead and train their Soldiers.
                        recruiting and retention
    Notably, members of the Army Reserve's winning team include an 
Olympic Gold Medalist and a National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (NASA) astronaut. Citizen Soldiers, though, come from 
all walks of life. They include neighbors, teachers, and first 
responders, as well as service members who have transitioned from 
active duty and the Army National Guard.
    In an extremely challenging recruiting environment, the Army 
Reserve is tackling mid- grade officer and enlisted deficits. The Army 
Reserve is investing in 3,000 full-time Soldiers to provide direct 
support to recruiting and retention programs and has adopted innovative 
recruiting practices to help achieve end-strength objectives. Despite 
the COVID-19 pandemic limiting face-to-face recruiting efforts, the 
Army Reserve is adapting to close the gap by boosting accessions and 
retention rates.
    The DoD Enlisted Bonus Program will help the Army Reserve to meet 
its end strength objectives, as will the new Priority Unit Bonus 
provision, intended to retain critical occupational specialties. The 
Army Reserve is piloting an automated readiness model to specifically 
target critical vacancies, in addition to high-priority specialties to 
ensure the organization is competitive today and remains so well into 
the future.
    The Army Reserve wants to retain Soldiers for Life. The ``AC2RC'' 
program allows the Nation to retain the valuable talent of its service 
members, while providing them with the opportunity to pursue a civilian 
career. The Army Reserve must continuously adapt the way we recruit and 
retain talent in order to sustain the all-volunteer force.
                            quality of life
    The Army Reserve is putting people first by promoting programs that 
improve the quality of life for the Army Reserve while making it easier 
to integrate family, work, and military life. Programs that help 
families with housing, healthcare, childcare, spouse employment, and 
PCS moves are essential for taking care of our people and maintaining 
our readiness. Readiness relies upon both the families who support and 
sustain our Soldiers and the employers who enable them to serve the 
Nation.
    Family programs deliver services to approximately 184,000 Soldiers 
and more than 240,000 family members. Leadership and commanders across 
the force ensure Soldier and Family Readiness Groups have easy access 
to resources that help families in times of need. Likewise, the Yellow 
Ribbon Reintegration Program is conducted virtually and in-person to 
ensure Soldiers and families know about support programs and services 
during deployment cycles.
    Additionally, our volunteer Army Reserve Ambassadors are engaging 
with key stakeholders in communities across America to build a cadre of 
supporters and advocates for Soldiers and families.
    With more than 87 percent of the force integrating military service 
with civilian careers and advanced education, the Army Reserve is 
increasing its efforts to help Soldiers connect with civilian job 
opportunities. The Private Public Partnership Office (P3O) is 
leveraging technology, relationship management tools, social networking 
platforms and hiring events--in collaboration with military and veteran 
service organizations such as Vet Jobs, Recruit Military, and others--
to connect Soldiers and Families with employment, internship, and 
mentorship opportunities. By collaborating with organizations able to 
assist Soldiers with job opportunities, and a nationwide network of 
corporate, profit/non- profit and academic partners, the Army Reserve 
can offer robust programs to improve the quality of life for those 
serving our Nation.
                           harmful behaviors
    The Army Reserve is addressing harmful behaviors, such as sexual 
harassment and assault, extremist activity, racism, and domestic 
violence, that break trust with Soldiers and the American people. A 
large focus remains on adopting the Army's ``This is My Squad'' 
philosophy by implementing Foundational Readiness training, and 
ensuring people feel valued as members of cohesive teams that are 
highly trained, disciplined and fit teams. Foundational Readiness 
sessions give leaders time to conduct counseling, strengthen trust, 
build esprit de corps and underscore the Army Values of loyalty, duty, 
respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage, 
while ensuring inclusion and equal opportunity for all. Reducing 
harmful behaviors is integral to building and sustaining a positive 
command climate at scale.
                           suicide prevention
    Suicides are devastating to families, units, and readiness, and the 
Army Reserve is committed to identifying and providing services and 
support to vulnerable individuals to let them know that every life is a 
life worth living.
    Suicide remains one of the Army's most complex challenges, and 
prevention requires a comprehensive approach. During 2020 and 2021, the 
Army Reserve saw a slight increase in suicides. However, in 80 percent 
of suicide ideation cases, Soldiers actively sought help, or leaders 
intervened upon recognizing changes in behavior. The Army Reserve 
continuously expands strategic partnerships with behavioral health 
networks and local providers to increase timely access to care and to 
ensure Soldiers are mentally fit.
    This year, the Army Reserve initiated ``Operation Well-Being Battle 
Drill,'' which clarifies expectations and responsibilities of Army 
Reserve unit commanders--with the help of law enforcement--when 
accounting for Soldiers who fail to report for duty. As part of the 
Army's ``This Is My Squad'' philosophy, the policy to care for Soldiers 
in their ``squads'' empowers both non-commissioned officers and 
commanders.
    The Army Reserve also empowers Soldiers down to the squad-leader 
level to escort any Soldier in crisis to immediate life-saving care. 
The Army Reserve is conducting training sessions to help identify and 
address high-risk behavior earlier. The Army Reserve authorizes 
Soldiers to be placed in a paid duty status to perform critical 
lifesaving missions and to receive the care they need.
    The Holistic Health and Fitness Program supports the entire force, 
not just people in crises. The H2F program focuses on ways to help 
Soldiers and others improve their overall readiness during demanding 
periods through teaching good physical and mental health practices.
       sexual harassment/assault response and prevention (sharp)
    Every Soldier deserves a workplace free of sexual assault, sexual 
harassment, and personal fear. The results of a thorough internal 
analysis of the Army Reserve's SHARP Program have enabled programmatic 
changes driven by the Secretary of Defense and the National Defense 
Authorization Act, including improved victim care, staffing, 
organization, reporting, and oversight.
    The Army Reserve SHARP office is part of the Army's Independent 
Review Commission implementation planning team, which ensures that 
there is an Army Reserve-centric approach to countering sexual 
harassment and sexual assault. This includes SHARP staffing redesign, 
independent oversight structure, and professionalizing the Reserve 
Component workforce.
    Efforts also include adapting a regional approach to determine the 
appropriate number of professionals required to provide prevention, 
response, training, and intervention for Army Reserve formations. In 
coordination with the Army's People First Task Force, the Army Reserve 
is testing a virtual fusion directorate pilot program that offers a 
virtual response team to provide advocacy and direct victim support.
    The Army Reserve SHARP Program is inspecting and providing staff 
assistance to every major subordinate command's program. These 
inspections have aided in developing solution-focused strategies for 
program improvement.
                               extremism
    The Army Reserve's ``People First'' priority is helping to build 
unit cohesion by creating a foundation of strength, resilience, 
discipline, inclusion and trust that leadership will always take care 
of their Soldiers. While extremist activity is rare, any instance can 
have an outsized effect on the force and must be investigated and 
addressed appropriately.
                               readiness
    Since the onset of the pandemic, Army Reserve Soldiers have been a 
part of one of the largest sustained domestic mobilizations in 
history--supporting our fellow citizens across the Nation and allies 
overseas during times of great need. Thousands of Soldiers stepped up 
to the challenge with the skills and expertise needed to make a 
difference both at home and around the world, including Germany, 
Poland, and the Pacific Territories.
    In support of Operation Allies Welcome, more than 1,500 Army 
Reserve Soldiers and Emergency Preparedness Liaisons mobilized to seven 
stateside and overseas installations at locations including Fort McCoy, 
Wisconsin and Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst, New Jersey, as an 
example. As part of the Army's support to DoD, the Army Reserve 
assisted Afghan families and other at-risk individuals in finalizing 
their immigration processing safely. By providing logistics, 
protection, governance, medical, and morale support, the Army Reserve 
enabled Afghans to adequately resettle in locations inside and outside 
the U.S.
    The Army Reserve continues to support U.S. Army North in COVID-19 
response operations. Since the start of the pandemic, the Army Reserve 
has mobilized extensive medical capabilities. Currently, two 25-person 
Medical Care Augmentation Teams (MCAT) are preparing to reinforce 
civilian medical treatment facilities. The MCATs follow the initial 
response where more than 20 Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces, 
composed of 85 medical professionals, provided critical professional 
and expeditionary medical staff.
    Army Reserve Soldiers supported Fort Hood in processing thousands 
of Soldiers from all components for mobilization and deployment during 
the pandemic. Additional support included Religious Support Teams, as 
well as Command and Control support by the 377th Theater Sustainment 
Command, 4th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, 416th Engineer Command, 
807th Medical Brigade Operational Command Post, and overseas mission 
support from the 7th and 9th Mission Support Commands.
    In addition to supporting USNORTHCOM and COVID-19 force protection 
measures, the Army Reserve continues to provide global support to 
Combatant Commanders. The Army Reserve remains committed to maintaining 
readiness as a fit fighting force that can deploy and communicate while 
building global partnerships and support to current missions. Oceania 
Engagement Teams are headquartered at the Army Reserve's 9th Mission 
Support Command in Hawai'i, and are providing an opportunity for 
Soldiers from all three components to engage with host nation leaders 
and cultivate meaningful and lasting partnerships.
    With Soldiers and equipment in more than 1,100 communities across 
the Nation, the Army Reserve is postured to deploy capabilities 
critical to Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities. 
In 2021, at the request of civil authorities, the Army Reserve Soldiers 
assisted in a search for missing persons in Haywood County, North 
Carolina. They also responded to two separate power outages in Houston 
and Huntsville, Texas by delivering 1,600 and 800 gallons of water, 
respectively.
    In fiscal year 2021, the Army Reserve returned to pre-COVID-19 
collective training levels, rotating 35 units with approximately 1,800 
Soldiers through the National Training Center and approximately 1,700 
Soldiers rotated through collective training exercises at the Joint 
Readiness Training Center and at the Warfighter Exercises.
                             modernization
    With the rapidly changing global environment, the Army acquisition 
process must provide the flexibility to leverage technological 
advancements. Ensuring interoperability of mission critical 
capabilities across all war fighter platforms, and addressing gaps 
identified by the Army in its ability to conduct Large-Scale Combat 
Operations in a Multi- Domain Operations environment remains a central 
challenge. It is essential that we continue to build on the readiness 
and modernization efforts that support survivability and lethality on 
the battlefield.
    As a multi-year process, we must synchronize transformation efforts 
to always maintain sufficient readiness. Army Reserve Mission Force, or 
``ARM Force'', is part of the Readiness Way Ahead for the Army Reserve, 
which nests under the Army's Regionally Aligned Readiness and 
Modernization Model (ReARMM). Both efforts align units against regional 
priorities, while meeting modernization requirements by creating 
predictable windows to field new equipment.
    ReARMM's intent is to provide a flexible, predictable force 
generation processes by focusing on regional and functional support to 
the National Defense Strategy. ReARMM and ARM Force both align units 
against competition requirements, providing predictable mission cycles 
that allow for training and modernization. Unlike the active 
component's two-year cycle, the transitional cycles for the Army 
Reserve consist of 1 year of modernization and 3 years of training, 
followed by a 1 year mission. Personnel, equipment, and structures are 
evaluated and assessed for readiness, and updated based on mission 
requirements.
    As the Army Reserve modernizes its existing facilities, it is also 
investing in innovation. This budget supports two major construction 
projects; a $46 million Army Reserve Center in Perrine, Florida, and a 
$24 million Army Reserve Center in Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. It also 
includes $9.8 million for planning and designing future projects and 
$20 million for minor construction requirements.
    On May 27, 2021, Fort Hunter Liggett, California conducted a 
groundbreaking ceremony for a $21.6 million electrical micro-grid, 
which will make it the first Army installation to achieve Net Zero 
energy efficiency for critical operations. That means it will be 
capable of generating and distributing electricity for 14 days of 
energy resiliency--an important first step in scaling this type of 
energy self-sufficiency throughout the DoD. The system will generate 
more electricity than Fort Hunter Liggett can consume over a 12-month 
period.
                            shaping tomorrow
    Army Reserve units and Soldiers are shaping the future force by 
bringing innovation and depth to modernization efforts. Many Army 
Reserve Soldiers have Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 
backgrounds, including those assigned to the 412th and 416th Theater 
Engineer Commands, the 335th Theater Signal Command, the Cyber 
Protection Teams, the Military Intelligence Readiness Command, and the 
75th Innovation Command. All efforts directly support Army Futures 
Command--providing relevant technology scouting, critical subject 
matter expertise, and serving as the bridge between modernization 
objectives and private sector innovators and technology leaders.
    As mentioned briefly above, the Army Reserve commissioned a NASA 
astronaut into the 75th Innovation Command, making a great example of 
how Citizen Soldiers bring critical job experience and skillsets to the 
Army that accelerate innovations and technologies. Areas of expertise 
in the Reserve Component include artificial intelligence, autonomy and 
robotics, block-chain, cyber, medical, synthetic biology, and space. As 
the Army moves toward multi-domain operations, Army Reserve Soldiers 
will play a critical role in linking the private sector into the 
defense enterprise. By embracing emerging technologies, the Army 
Reserve will become a more effective and efficient force and enable our 
ability to prevail on the future battlefield.
    In the face of growing cybersecurity threats, talent in areas like 
defensive cyber operations provide valuable capabilities. The Army 
Reserve has 25 percent of the Total Army's Cyber Protection Teams 
aligned to the U.S. Cyber Command's Cyber Mission Force. Cyber 
Protection Teams conduct defensive cyberspace operations in support of 
the Army, Combatant Commands, the DoD, and Interagency operations 
worldwide.
    The Army Reserve is currently preparing to conduct home-station 
defense cyberspace operations in support of Exercise Defender 22--
designed to support mission partners and assist in real-world 
exercises.
                             in conclusion
    The Army Reserve provides trained, equipped, and ready Soldiers to 
meet the Nation's requirements at home and abroad. Whether performing 
combat missions and contingency operations, or saving lives and 
protecting property in America's communities, Army Reserve formations 
will continue to offer versatile, available and effective capabilities. 
Sustaining critical operational capabilities requires consistent, 
adequate, and predictable funding to ensure the Army Reserve can 
continue to meet the needs of the Army and Joint Force. The Army 
Reserve appreciates defense spending that positively impacts people, 
readiness, and modernization efforts that support survivability and 
lethality across the full range of military operations. In a rapidly 
changing, accelerating, and evolving global environment, the Army 
Reserve provides critical skills and depth for the Army, the Joint 
Force, and the Nation.

    Senator Tester. Thank you, General Daniels.
    Admiral Mustin.

STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL JOHN B. MUSTIN, CHIEF OF NAVY 
            RESERVE
    Admiral Mustin. Good morning, Chair Tester, Ranking Member 
Shelby, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. It is my 
distinct honor to report to you today, alongside my peer 
Reserve Chiefs, on the status and the vision of America's Navy 
Reserve.
    First, I would like to recognize my wife, Kim, whose 
steadfast support exemplifies the unsung sacrifices of our 
military spouses.
    I would also like to thank the Navy Reserve Force Master 
Chief, Tracy Hunt, for his tireless efforts in support of our 
Enlisted Reserve Sailors.
    For more than a century the Navy Reserve has reliably 
responded in times of peace and times of war. Recently the Navy 
Reserve provided nearly 9,000 sailors in response to the 
Coronavirus-19 pandemic, and surged hundreds of sailors to 
support the evolving security crisis in Europe.
    While indicative of the flexibility and the responsiveness 
of the force, these activations merely hint at the demands 
expected of the Navy Reserve in a conflict with a great power 
maritime competitor. To that end, the Navy Reserve is rapidly 
transforming to deliver a peerless force, designed, trained, 
and ready to fight, in sustained multi-domain, high-end 
warfare. And this is why the singular priority of our Navy 
Reserve is simple, warfighting readiness.
    Modernizing Reserve equipment, training systems, and 
mobilization processes is critical to delivering this 
readiness. To ensure our sailors are ready to activate and 
serve on day one of any conflict, the Reserve Force must 
maintain parity with our active counterparts by operating 
relevant, modern equipment.
    These efforts are supported by the National Guard, in 
Reserve Equipment account, which is vital to ensuring the 
lethality of our Reserve equipment. Similarly, procurement of 
the more capable C-130 Juliet aircraft variant, to replace the 
three-decade-old Legacy C-130 airframes, is the Navy Reserve's 
number one equipment priority.
    Last year, Navy Reserve Fleet Logistics squadrons flew 
26,000 hours, and moved 24 million pounds of cargo, at a cost 
avoidance of a billion dollars. However, the current C-130 
Fleet is challenged to meet sustained fleet logistics 
requirements. Modern KC-130 Juliets will realize an additional 
$200 million in annual transportation cost savings.
    In addition to equipment modernization, we are leveraging 
technology advancements to improve and modernize access to 
training, in implementing policies and processes to place the 
right sailors in the right billets. In concert with these 
efforts, our adaptive mobilization process demonstrated during 
our response to the COVID pandemic will leverage the Navy 
Reserve's nationally distributed infrastructure to locally 
mobilize 50,000 sailors in only 30 days, rapidly and at scale.
    Our Reserve sailors are vital to our enduring warfighting 
advantage, and we are committed to maintain a culture of 
excellence, and eliminate destructive behaviors, ensuring 
sailor wellness, and fostering a diverse, inclusive culture to 
enhance the asymmetric advantage of our winning team.
    I am grateful to the committee's support of our Navy 
Reserve, our efforts are made possible by the timely delivery 
of a fiscal year 2023 appropriations bill to provide 
predictability to our sailors, their families, their employers, 
and most importantly, to our global combatant commanders.
    In closing, I remain humbled every day by the commitment 
and contribution of our 97,000 citizen sailors, 450 civilians, 
and the supporting families and employers that are your Navy 
Reserve.
    I thank you for your support and attention and I look 
forward to your questions. Thank you.
    [The statement follows:]
           Prepared Statement of Vice Admiral John B. Mustin
    Chair Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, distinguished members of the 
Committee, it is my distinct pleasure to report to you today on the 
contribution of the Navy Reserve to national defense, both as it stands 
today and as it will be following our urgent transformation to address 
future challenges.
    The Navy Reserve, like the Reserve Service of each other military 
branch, provides strategic depth and delivers operational capabilities 
to the Active Service and the Joint Force, in times of peace or war. In 
the two decades since 9/11, the Navy Reserve executed 95,393 
mobilizations, with 70,672 individual Sailors responding to military 
operations and contingencies across the globe. In the past year, the 
Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic continued to threaten the health and 
livelihood of people throughout the world and created unique challenges 
for Active and Reserve Forces. In total, the Navy Reserve executed 
8,915 activations as part of the nation's emergency response to the 
pandemic. I am supremely proud and gratified by the many ways the Navy 
Reserve adapted to meet these challenges, even while continuing to 
provide trained units and qualified Sailors for active duty service 
when needed. These activations highlight the flexibility, readiness and 
value of our citizen-Sailors. And yet, these significant contributions 
merely hint at what likely will be required from the Navy Reserve in a 
future conflict with a great power maritime competitor.
    As President Biden stated in his Interim National Security 
Strategy, a powerful military matched to the security environment is a 
decisive American advantage. Reserve Forces are a force multiplier and 
critical contributor to this advantage as global dynamics shift and 
pressurize the rules-based international order. The Navy, in 
partnership with the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, is urgently adapting 
to generate Integrated All-Domain Naval Power to confront the threat of 
long-term strategic competition, climate change, global pandemics and 
other emerging challenges. Similarly, the Navy Reserve is transforming 
to deliver ready units of action and augmentation manpower to support 
warfighting requirements throughout the spectrum of conflict at a 
resource-informed and favorable cost. To this end, the Navy Reserve 
Fighting Instructions, issued in November 2020, and updated in May 
2022, directed the Reserve Force to make smart, requirements-based 
disciplined investments to ensure Reserve Sailors are ready to augment 
the Naval Force by contributing in key mission areas, and filling 
critical capability gaps when and where needed. Along four primary 
Lines of Effort--Design, Train, Mobilize and Develop the Force--the 
Navy Reserve is aggressively transforming structurally, procedurally 
and operationally to address the future. Firmly aligned with the 
National Defense Strategy, the Secretary of the Navy's Strategic 
Guidance, the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy, and the Chief of Naval 
Operations' (CNO's) Navigation Plan, these Fighting Instructions make 
clear that my number one--and only--priority for the Navy Reserve is 
warfighting readiness.
    Timely, predictable and relevant funding from Congress is critical 
for the Navy Reserve to meet mission requirements and, as always, we 
are grateful for your continued support and enduring interest. 
Specifically, keeping the Reserve Personnel Navy account funded at 
President's Budget levels enables the Reserve Force to generate 
warfighting readiness through trained Sailors who are equally ready to 
fight and win in the early stages of conflict as they are to sustain 
combat operations following an outbreak of hostilities. Continued 
Congressional support will ensure the Navy Reserve provides relevant, 
modern capability and capacity, and a resilient surge force today and 
into the future.
  sailors: develop the force--deliver a seasoned team of navy reserve 
                                warriors
    My focus on warfighting readiness begins with our people. With Navy 
Reserve representation in every state and territory and seamlessly 
integrated into the civilian population, Navy Reserve Sailors are your 
neighbors. As such, the Navy Reserve continues to foster a diverse, 
inclusive team of Sailors and civilians who value respect as our 
cornerstone attribute and represent the very best of our local 
communities. We will continue to address extremism and promote a 
positive culture based on the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and 
commitment, and the foundational tenets represented in our Culture of 
Excellence.
    Our Sailors, civilians and the families that support them are the 
foundational building block of the Navy Reserve Force. As such, they 
are the focus of my fourth line of strategic effort, Develop the Force. 
In order for the U.S. Navy to remain the world's most dominant maritime 
force, we must attract, develop, support and retain the world's 
greatest Sailors and civilians. To this end, we must provide our 
Sailors with exceptional training, modern equipment and a network of 
support that enables them to be the formidable fighting force we 
require when they affiliate with the Navy Reserve.
Culture of Excellence
    In January of 2022, the CNO, Admiral Mike Gilday, released his plan 
to `Get Real, Get Better'. This plan serves as a call to action for 
every Navy leader, Active and Reserve, to apply a set of Navy-proven 
leadership and problem-solving best practices to empower people to 
achieve exceptional performance. Specifically, the Reserve Force will 
contribute to developing a Culture of Excellence, improving recruiting 
and retention, reinforcing signature behaviors and eliminating those 
destructive behaviors that negatively impact our Force.
    Our holistic Culture of Excellence Campaign Plan promotes healthy 
behaviors and enhance warfighting excellence by instilling resiliency, 
trust, and connectedness in Sailors and their families. One key enabler 
of the Culture of Excellence is the development of Warrior Toughness. 
This holistic human performance approach, focused on mind, body and 
soul, enhances the toughness of our Sailors by improving performance 
throughout their everyday lives, especially when under stress. By 
emphasizing commitment, execution, ethical decisionmaking and 
conscientious reflection, we are building a warrior mindset that 
enables Sailors to sustain mental toughness while being mindful of the 
well-being of themselves and others.
            Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    Bringing diversity to the fight is an integral part of our 
warfighting readiness. The composition of the Navy Reserve Force is as 
diverse as the range of missions we fulfill on behalf of the Navy and 
our joint forces. Our Sailors and civilians hail from nearly every 
country in the world, from different backgrounds, cultures, and 
perspectives, and operate in every domain, including under, on and 
above the sea, as well as in cyber and in space. By actively seeking 
out and leveraging our differences and capitalizing on the individual 
strengths of our Sailors and their families, we build a cohesive and 
unified force that is the heart of the Navy Reserve.
            Countering Extremist Activity
    In keeping with these efforts, and aligned with the direction of 
Secretary of Defense, the Navy Reserve remains committed to eliminating 
extremism in the Force. Sailors who adhere to or engage in activity 
related to supremacist, extremist or criminal conduct do not support a 
culture of inclusion and are contrary to the law and our standards of 
conduct. Leaders in the Navy Reserve are empowered with the full range 
of disciplinary authority, including administrative separation and 
criminal prosecution, to address Sailors who engage in extremist 
activities.
            Eliminating Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment
    Reducing the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment is 
a critical mission of the Navy Reserve. In order to harness the 
capabilities of our Sailors, we must provide an environment that is 
inclusive, diverse, and advances trust and respect. Any conduct that is 
contrary to the creation of this environment decreases our readiness 
and negatively impacts our ability to execute critical warfighting 
missions. To this end, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response 
(SAPR) and Harassment Prevention Programs are designed to train all 
Sailors on the programs available to prevent and eliminate sexual 
assault and sexual harassment and break down barriers that inhibit 
reporting. Leaders at every level are responsible and accountable for 
the culture of their command; they are responsible for maintaining a 
zero-tolerance policy related to sexual assault and harassment, and 
ensuring a command climate that is retaliation-free. Our resolve to 
address the issues of sexual harassment and assault remains 
unfaltering.
Resiliency
            Sailor Resiliency
    Each Navy Reserve Sailor, with unique skills and experience, is a 
critical contributor to our warfighting readiness. As such, their 
health and wellness, both physical and mental, is valued by the Navy 
Reserve. The 21st Century Sailor office provides the framework for the 
support network, programs, resources, training, and skills our Sailors 
and their families, both active and reserve, need to overcome adversity 
and to thrive. In alignment with the 21st Century Sailor initiative, 
established in 2008, the Psychological Health Outreach Program (PHOP) 
provides Navy Reserve Sailors and their families psychological 
healthcare services to increase resiliency, and, if required, to 
facilitate recovery. PHOP services include command consultations, 
psycho-educational briefs, behavioral health screenings, referrals, 
phone/email follow-ups, and facilitation at Returning Warrior 
Workshops. Additionally, Resiliency Check-In events are provided to new 
Sailors and Commands, enabling one-on-one mental wellness assessments 
and electronic behavioral health screening for immediate access to 
services.
            Suicide Prevention
    No member of the Navy Reserve operates alone. We are a team with a 
common mission, with each member serving a critical role based on their 
experience, training, knowledge and skills. Therefore, suicide is a 
tragedy that impacts families as well as the entire Force. To prevent 
suicide and suicidal ideations, the Navy Reserve is focused on stress 
navigation and resilience-building tools that promote community and 
embody comprehensive wellness. Reserve Component (RC) Sailors have 
access to all Navy, Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (DoD) 
suicide and resiliency resources as well as Reserve-specific PHOP 
resources. In fiscal year (FY) 2021, incoming calls increased to the 
PHOP suicide crisis line by 36 percent. Just last month, we completed a 
6-month social media outreach campaign highlighting the resources 
available to Reserve Sailors and their families to prevent suicide. 
Through several media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 
and Linkedin, we reached out to Sailors and their families to emphasize 
the importance of connectedness, help-seeking behavior, and ``Ask. 
Care. Treat.'' through a comprehensive campaign to prevent suicide in 
the Navy Reserve. Even recognizing we are never `done' with such 
efforts, we are seeing tangible positive results.
    In addition to programs promoting Sailor well-being, the Navy 
Reserve provides safety nets for Sailors who struggle with depression 
and post-traumatic stress. The Sailor Assistance and Intercept for 
Life, an evidence-based suicide prevention program, provides rapid 
assistance, ongoing risk assessment, and care coordination and 
reintegration assistance for activated Reserve Sailors who have 
demonstrated suicide related behavior. Suicide is a critical detractor 
from warfighting readiness. The Navy Reserve continues to reinforce and 
emphasize the importance of community, peer relationships, and 
leadership in the prevention of suicide: there can be no bystanders to 
this effort.
Policy and Processes
    Modernization of the policies and processes that support Reserve 
Sailors is a key element of warfighting readiness and remains as 
critical as equipment modernization for the Navy Reserve. Ensuring 
standardization across the force and streamlining processes and 
procedures allow the Reserve Force to attract and retain the quality 
Sailors that are necessary to build warfighting readiness.
            Recruiting and Retention
    To provide the critical support required by the Total Force, the 
Navy Reserve must effectively recruit and retain Sailors with the high-
demand skills required to meet the challenging security environment of 
the future. As a result of wage discrepancies and a strong civilian job 
market, the propensity of the Nation's youth to serve in the military 
steadily declined from 13 percent to 10 percent from 2018 to 2020. This 
drop represents nearly one million fewer youth who are considering a 
career in the U.S. military at large. For fiscal year 2021, COVID-19 
continued to affect our recruiters' ability to leverage in-person 
events, reduced access to high school students and in-person traffic to 
recruiting stations. As COVID-19 now transitions from a pandemic to 
endemic, we are witnessing an increased competition for talent. 
Accordingly, we continue to leverage our competitive pay and benefits 
package, talent management initiatives, the creation of a reserve-
specific Recruiting Command, and our digital Forged by the Sea 
marketing and advertising campaign to achieve our recruiting and 
retention goals.
    Special and incentive pay and bonuses are a critical tool that 
allow the Navy Reserve to compete with the civilian sector. These tools 
attract Sailors to hard-to-fill specialties while affording the Reserve 
Force the ability to shape our all-volunteer force to meet the demands 
of current and future operational requirements. In concert with policy 
updates, increased marketing and advertising efforts, and improvements 
within the Navy recruiting organization, special and incentive pay, and 
bonuses are critical to mitigate manning shortfalls and enable the RC 
to shape the force in order to deliver a surge ready force capable of 
meeting competition today and in the future.
            MyNavy Human Resources (HR) Enterprise
    The MyNavy HR Enterprise is modernizing the performance, 
productivity, and cost efficiencies in all aspects of the Navy Reserve 
personnel readiness processes. Changes to HR services offerings will 
provide the support required throughout a Sailor's career and enhance 
warfighting readiness of the Navy Reserve by improving the speed, 
accuracy and quality of personnel and pay services, better positioning 
Navy Reserve to equip and manage our Sailors.
    As demonstrated by the Reserve Force response to the Coronavirus 
pandemic, Reserve Sailors must be prepared to mobilize with speed and 
scale to support large-scale contingency operations. A personnel and 
pay system that enables Reserve Sailors to efficiently transition from 
reserve to active status--and back again--is imperative to ensure 
warfighting capacity and enabling the delicate and challenging balance 
between civilian jobs, military service, and family. But Sailors must 
also receive the proper pay and associated benefits. The MyNavy HR 
Enterprise, specifically the implementation of the Navy Personnel and 
Pay (NP2) system, will streamline and modernize the pay process 
providing a seamless transition of Reserve Sailors on and off active 
duty. This is a critical enabler for large-scale mobilization of 
Reserve Forces required to provide surge support in a long-term, 
strategic competition. For that reason, NP2 is the most significant 
systems update in decades for the Reserve Force, and remains my most 
important strategic software update imperative. Additionally, the pay 
stability associated with this capability will provide Reserve Sailors 
peace of mind during their time of transition. In short, the Navy 
Reserve is dependent upon the MyNavy HR Enterprise as it streamlines 
and modernizes the pay process, consolidates antiquated databases, and 
enhances Sailor access.
capabilities: design the force--deliver a more lethal, better-connected 
                                 fleet
    The warfighting readiness of the Navy Reserve depends on a properly 
designed force, equipped with the right equipment, and prepared to 
surge to the fight at a moment's notice. As a result, we are actively 
modernizing our Fleet Design to ensure we provide the Navy cost-
effective, sustainable and ready surge forces capable of prevailing in 
future conflict. The modernization of legacy platforms, systems and 
equipment to ensure interoperability with Navy and joint forces is a 
critical part of our future Fleet Design. Likewise, the processes and 
procedures required to guarantee the Reserve Force's ability to 
mobilize to the future fight is critical to our warfighting readiness. 
To this end, we are optimizing the accessibility of our Ready Reserve 
Forces to ensure the policies and systems are in place to access this 
capacity and capability, at scale, in the event of conflict.
Future Fleet Design
    The Reserve Force serves as an augmentation force, and is therefore 
a key enabler of the Total Force. The increasing complexity of a large-
scale global conflict will, no doubt, require Fleet commanders to 
provide command and control of distributed Navy and Joint Forces in 
contested environments that present logistics and communications 
challenges. Additionally, manning shortfalls in critical areas of the 
AC may present a significant challenge to the Navy's ability to surge 
fleet forces in response to an immediate crisis. The Navy Reserve 
continues to identify and strengthen the RC's warfighting capability 
necessary to support the Navy's most critical tactical, operational and 
strategic requirements and prioritize these over administrative 
support. For a range of capabilities, the RC is an extremely cost-
effective alternative for providing surge capacity during a conflict--
in some cases delivered at only 17 cents on the dollar relative to 
active units.
    Among other promising areas of transformation, we are growing RC 
capacity in Maritime Operations Center, Expeditionary Logistics, Naval 
Special Warfare, Surge and Expeditionary Maintenance, Space, Cyber and 
emerging technologies to enhance our ability to meet the challenges of 
a high-end global conflict. By leveraging the civilian supply chain and 
communications infrastructure, tapping into the unique skills and 
experiences of Reserve Sailors and civilians, and building our unmanned 
capabilities we will ensure our Reserve Force delivers vital 
capabilities at a reduced cost, within acceptable risk when called 
upon.
Equipment Modernization
            Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift (C-130J)
    Operated entirely by the Navy Reserve, Navy Unique Fleet Essential 
Airlift (NUFEA) consists of 27 C/KC-130T and 17 C-40A aircraft that 
provide the Navy's sole source of organic intra-theater air logistics. 
These platforms are capable of providing personnel, parts and oversized 
cargo (F-35 engines, AMRAAM and Harpoon missiles, submarine masts, 
etc.) to forward-deployed and expeditionary Naval Forces, often to 
locations inaccessible by commercial sources. Specifically, the C-130 
is the Navy's only air asset capable of transporting all modules of the 
F-35 engine over large distances, simultaneously. This logistical 
connectivity is a critical link in the warfighting supply chain that 
overcomes contested logistical challenges. If left underappreciated, 
these challenges can demoralize and diminish warfighting capability as 
evidenced by Russia's poorly executed invasion of Ukraine. A recent 
example of this critical intra-theater lift was the first deployment of 
the Navy's CMV-22, which demonstrated the need for NUFEA to move 
squadron personnel and equipment across the Pacific theater as the 
squadron shifted operations between forward logistics sites in support 
of deployed carrier strike group operations.
    Last year, Navy Reserve Fleet Logistics squadrons flew 25,986 
flight hours, transported 136,393 passengers and 24.1 million pounds of 
cargo for the Navy and the Department of Defense, an increase of 8.3 
percent from the previous year. Executing these missions resulted in a 
cost avoidance of $1.1 billion relative to alternative means of 
transportation, while providing forward deployed assets necessary 
supplies, improving readiness and meeting joint force requirements. 
Despite the necessity of this critical asset, there is a growing gap 
between demand and capacity.
    Transitioning from legacy airframes to the modern KC-130J aircraft 
is the Navy Reserve's top equipment priority. This recapitalization is 
necessary to fill critical capability and capacity gaps and ensure 
interoperability with our Active and Reserve Component Marine Corps and 
Air Force partners, who have already transitioned to the C-130J. To 
date, data indicates that the fiscal year 2022 demand for cargo and 
personnel transport will be at the same levels or higher than Fiscal 
year 2020 and fiscal year 2021. These increasing requirements on the C-
130 lifts, coupled with an aging airframe and obsolescence issues 
pressuring supply chains, highlights the need for the procurement of 
the KC-130J to replace the legacy C/KC-130T. Currently, the Mission 
Capable (MC) rates of the C/KC-130T average 25 percent of Total Active 
Inventory. Comparatively, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force 
operate the KC-130J at an average cost per hour of $2,500 less than the 
C/KC-130T while delivering a superior MC rate. In addition to the 
capability and capacity afforded by the KC-130J, we also expect to 
realize a MC rate of 70 percent for these aircraft. We are moving 
forward this year with new maintenance initiatives identified through 
root cause analysis to improve Department of the Navy C-130T MC rates 
due to the non-availability of spare parts and supply chain realities 
Every mission capable aircraft will generate an average of $48.7M in 
cost avoidance which will total an additional $200 million in 
transportation cost savings per year. Recapitalization to the KC-130J 
will continue to be the number one equipment priority of the Navy 
Reserve and, as such, is reflected in the Navy's fiscal year 2021 and 
fiscal year 2022 Unfunded Priority List.
            Aviation Adversary Training
    The adversary mission is crucial to ensuring our Navy is meeting 
air wing and float readiness requirements prior to deployments. The 
Navy Reserve Tactical Support Wing (TSW) provides tactical threat 
replication support for Fleet training, ultimately increasing the 
readiness of every deploying Fleet Carrier Air Wing. TSW currently 
maintains 29 F-5/N and 2 F-5N+/F+ aircraft to provide low-to-mid level 
threat replication. The F-5N/F jets are being upgraded with modern 
avionics to improve safety of flight and address obsolescence issues, 
with further upgrades improving high end capability, including enhanced 
quality of training. Upgraded jets will be designated F-5N+/F+, with 
the first two upgraded F-5N+ already delivered to VFC-13. The existing 
F-5 fleet will be augmented by eleven F-5E/F aircraft procured in 
fiscal year 2020. These eleven aircraft will receive an avionics and an 
airframe reconfiguration to match the F-5N+/F+ airframe configuration. 
TSW will receive these upgraded airframes during the next 3 years, 
increasing both capacity and adversary capability.
    High-end threat replication support is provided to the Fleet by F-
16A-D and F/A-18E/F aircraft. The Navy Reserve will receive safe for 
flight designation for operating 12 F-16Cs in fiscal year 2023 to 
provide the fleet dissimilar aircraft training and high-end adversary 
support. Further, we are increasing the threat-replication capabilities 
of these aircraft via targeted, cost-effective upgrades. In addition to 
providing superior threat-replication using multi layered systems and 
techniques, both the F-16C and F-5 aircraft operate at an average cost 
per flight hour $30,000 less than the current inventory, resulting in 
over $5 million per year savings. Providing the Fleet with advanced, 
high-fidelity adversary support will require future funding to further 
modernize these aircraft with threat representative capabilities such 
as Infrared Search and Track Systems and the evolution of the adversary 
data link known as RedNet.
             readiness: train the force--enhance readiness
    The Navy Reserve, alongside the AC, is prioritizing the development 
of new operational concepts and redesigning the force to provide the 
necessary capability and capacity efforts to ensure high-end 
warfighting readiness over low-value operational and administrative 
support. To this end, the Navy Reserve dedicates training resources to 
better prepare Sailors to mobilize to their specific, programmed billet 
at their unit, referred to as ``MOB to billet.'' In tandem with 
mobilizing Sailors to specific billets, the Navy Reserve advocates the 
continued reduction of the Individual Augment (IA) burden in order to 
improve unit and billet readiness, referred to as ``IA to Zero''. The 
skills required to operate state-of-the-art warfighting systems cannot 
be surged from untrained Sailors, no matter how patriotic those Sailors 
may be. The Navy Reserve is actively engaged to ensure proficient and 
ready forces will be available to the Navy and Joint Forces as part of 
the Integrated All-Domain Naval Force on the first day of conflict.
Mobilization to Billet
    To fill our critical role as a strategic augmentation force, the 
Navy Reserve must be ready to provide support to Combatant and Service 
Component Commanders on day one of conflict. To facilitate this, the 
Navy Reserve is defining and documenting comprehensive training, school 
and credentialing requirements for each mobilization billet to ensure 
each Sailor is fully trained for their specific, assigned billet. By 
leveraging current technology, the Navy Reserve is maximizing 
efficiencies by improving distributed access to required training. 
Additionally, by actively implementing the policies and processes 
necessary to audit, report and place the right Sailor in the right 
billet the Navy Reserve is optimizing warfighting readiness across the 
Reserve Force.
Assessment and Tracking Mechanisms
    The Train the Force line of effort has shifted the paradigm from a 
Navy Reserve focused on ad hoc manpower augmentation for operational 
support via individual activations, to the creation of a mobilization-
ready Reserve Force trained for billets providing specifically-tailored 
support to the AC and joint forces upon the initiation of any 
hostilities. This initiative includes the holistic review of over 
80,000 defined training requirements across the Navy Reserve, and the 
generation of an organic Navy Reserve specific readiness reporting tool 
that ties into existing reporting systems and protocols. To increase 
active component (AC) ownership of reserve training, we have shifted 
the focus and priority to high-end warfighting, and improving the Navy 
Reserve Readiness Module to calculate and report Reserve warfighting 
readiness to a range of stakeholders. Finally, we are aligning and 
training Navy Reserve Sailors to supported commands' warfighting 
requirements, honing a Navy Reserve that supports Total Force 
warfighting throughout the spectrum of conflict at a resource-informed 
investment.
Information Technology (IT)
    The Navy Reserve's strategy for information technology provides 
approximately 59,000 geographically dispersed Ready Reservists world-
wide access to critical IT business systems.
Cloud Computing, Mobility Innovations and Digital Capabilities.
    As directed by the Navy Reserve Fighting Instructions, the Navy 
Reserve IT strategy emphasizes improving efficiency and lethality 
through three core technological advances: Cloud Computing, Mobility 
Innovations and Digital Capabilities. Secure mobile applications, 
innovative technological solutions that simplify processes, and the use 
of data science to inform strategic decisions are force enablers that 
keep the Reserve Force operating in a technologically advanced battle 
space.
    We are currently migrating to the Navy's portion of the larger DoD 
Microsoft 365 effort, known as Flank Speed. Timing and funding is 
critical to operate in an arena fraught with great power competitors, 
highly complex threats, and contested spectra across multiple domains. 
Flank Speed implementation delivers critical computing innovations to 
the Navy Reserve that enable distributed training, adaptive 
mobilization, and increases in overall warfighting readiness.
          capacity: mobilize the force--deliver a larger fleet
Distributed Activation
    For the Navy to capitalize on the capabilities and capacity of the 
Reserve Force in a global conflict, we must respond with speed and 
scale when called upon. Adaptive Mobilization (AM) is the enabling 
process of this requirement, allowing the Navy to respond with a mass 
mobilization of personnel in support of large-scale contingencies. The 
AM process was tested during the COVID-19 pandemic when 8,915 Sailors 
were activated as part of the Nation's emergency response. The 
organizational construct of the Navy Reserve is ready to meet the 
challenges of a call for rapid mobilization of forces. For instance, 
the six regional Readiness and Mobilization Commands (REDCOMs) and 
their subordinate Navy Reserve Centers will support distribution of 
current and future-activations by mobilizing the entire Selected 
Reserve population--roughly 48,000 Sailors--within 30 days of demand 
initiation. Existing Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) 
staff, located at the REDCOMs, Reserve Centers, and our Fleets will 
execute the AM model across globally distributed regions; thus 
capitalizing on the raison d'etre of the 10,000 strong TAR force. By 
shifting command and control of Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center 
under Navy Reserve Forces Command and leveraging the nationally 
distributed infrastructure of Navy Reserve Activities, Selected Reserve 
(SELRES) Sailors can be mobilized locally with minimal interim stops 
before reporting to their ultimate duty station. A robust exercise 
schedule including Mass Activation Exercises, Fleet Exercises, Mob-to-
billet Exercises and Large-Scale Exercises continues to validate, 
refine and improve the AM construct and its efficiency across the 
Force.
Navy Mobilization Working Group
    The Chief of Naval Personnel and I continue to sponsor a cross-
organizational multi-stakeholder Navy Mobilization Working Group to 
improve Navy's reserve mobilization capacity. The working group 
developed our AM construct and continues to simplify and streamline the 
activation, pay and personnel processes required to transition the 
reserve component to active duty as it is designed. The group is also 
tasked to improve processes by which operational commanders request 
reserve support and force providers subsequently authorize, fund, 
approve, and order reserve forces to active duty in support of service 
and joint requirements. We are transitioning Navy Reserve mobilization 
from a supply and demand-based Individual Augmentation process to a 
MOB-to-billet demand-based process that can activate Sailors to their 
commands rapidly and at scale.
Individual Augment (IA) to Zero
    Following September 11, 2001, the Navy began augmenting the Joint 
Force with Sailors who deployed as Joint IAs to alleviate the demand on 
land forces and the high operational tempo they faced during Operations 
Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Initially, the Navy sourced IAs 
from both the active and reserve components equally, based on mission 
suitability. Over time, however, the reserve component assumed the 
majority (over 76 percent) of IA mobilizations. While supporting these 
IA mobilization requirements, the Navy Reserve adhered to the 
Department of Defense mobilization-to-dwell ratio policy, requiring 
each Sailor to receive Secretary of Defense approval to deploy if less 
than 4 years have passed since their previous 1 year mobilization. The 
cumulative effect of dwell has generated a significant drain on the 
strategic depth of the Navy Reserve and a reduction of the capability 
and readiness of Reserve units as a whole. Fortunately, the demand for 
Navy IAs is projected to decrease 89 percent, from 11,000 in 2010 to 
1,151 in 2023. Of the planned 1,151 requirements in 2023, 875 (76 
percent) are for non-maritime Joint requirements, with the majority of 
those allocated to overseas base operations.
Individual Ready Reserve Management
    The Navy Reserve is comprised of 55,728 SELRES Sailors, 10,015 TAR 
Sailors, and 39,739 Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) members, totaling 
over 105,000 Sailors. IRR Sailors provide additional surge capacity for 
the Reserve Force at a significantly reduced cost. These IRR Sailors 
continue to be monitored for mobilization readiness through their 
Military Service Obligation and are afforded opportunities to 
voluntarily perform training and/or active duty for operational 
support. The IRR Sailors also maintain many of the primary benefits of 
military services such as access to military exchange, commissary and 
Morale Welfare and Recreation facilities, Space-Available travel, PHOP 
and SAPR services. To monitor mobilization readiness, Navy Personnel 
Command regularly screens members of the IRR. Concurrently, we are 
reimagining the management of the IRR to better align with the 
requirements of a long-term strategic competition. Efforts to align 
management functions of the IRR with the Distributed Activation 
construct and to evaluate the screening processes and skill-sets of 
members are critical to this endeavor.
International Partnerships
    In future conflicts, our Nation will not fight alone. We are 
considerably stronger when standing alongside our allies and partners, 
and we greatly expand our Navy's (and our Navy Reserve's) capacity when 
partnered with like-minded services around the world. As such, the Navy 
Reserve is engaging with international Reserve Component counterparts 
in a robust exchange of ideas and lessons-learned. Topics discussed 
with international partner reserve navy staffs include modernization 
efforts, total force integration, participation and continuum-of- 
service models, improved access to civilian expertise resident in 
reserve populations (e.g., Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, 
Cyber, Space, logistics), and the leveraging of IT and virtual 
resources to improve the training and readiness of dispersed reserve 
forces. We will build on this strong foundation as we continue to 
pursue a deeper exchange of ideas on these and other topics, and we 
will seek opportunities to exercise and operate interchangeably with 
our key international RC allies.
                               conclusion
    The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are urgently adapting to 
provide Integrated All-Domain Naval Power to address the reemergence of 
maritime rivals. Similarly, the Navy Reserve is prioritizing 
warfighting readiness to provide a surge-ready Total Force capable of 
defending the nation, as we have done for 107 years since our entry 
into World War I. By focusing on our Sailors, the Navy Reserve is 
increasing readiness by training to strategic capabilities and 
warfighting readiness. These efforts will ensure that the Navy Reserve 
has the necessary capacity to provide strategic surge forces to the 
Navy and Joint Forces. A future Navy Reserve Force, designed around 
capabilities that provide a decisive advantage and enabled by modern 
platforms and hardware, will ensure the Total Force prevails in 
competition or conflict. Greater efficiencies realized through advances 
in our mobilization infrastructure and information technology will 
provide the deployment of war-winning forces rapidly and at scale to 
any conflict theater. Enhancements to the generation of the Navy 
Reserve's warfighting readiness support the strategic direction 
reflected in the National Defense Strategy and current service and 
joint doctrine, and will contribute to prevailing in conflict if 
necessary.
    On behalf of the men and women of the United States Navy Reserve, 
thank you for your steadfast support of Navy Reserve Sailors, 
Civilians, families, and employers. The Navy Reserve enjoys a history 
of over a century addressing and overcoming challenges. Beginning with 
our founding in 1915, anticipating the emerging global insecurity of 
the First World War, adapting to the capability, capacity, and scale 
required by the Second World War, evolving during the long phases of 
the Cold War and into the Global War on Terror, our Navy Reserve has 
adapted in each era to answer the emerging challenges required to 
maintain our national security. Today, we have entered a new era with 
new challenges. With your continued support, we will lead the 
transformation of our Navy Reserve to address the current and future 
global environment with speed and agility.

    Senator Tester. Thank you. Thank you, Admiral Mustin.
    General Bellon.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVID G. BELLON, 
            COMMANDER, MARINE FORCES RESERVE
    General Bellon. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, and 
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the 
opportunity to appear before you today, and to testify on 
behalf of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, about your Marine 
Corps Reserve.
    I am honored to appear with my fellow Reserve Component 
Service Chiefs, and my Senior Enlisted Leaders, Force Sergeant 
Major Carlos Ruiz, and Command Master Chief Carrie Weser, who 
are seated directly behind me.
    As the Commandant stated 2 weeks ago before this committee, 
the Marine Corps must be ready to respond to crisis in any 
clime and place, that is part of our national security.
    On average, every year approximately one-third of my force 
activates for exercises, or in support of global combatant 
commands, from no notice deployments, to CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, 
and EUCOM, to at home in support of COVID-19 operations, to 
recruit training in support of both coasts for the recruit 
depots at Paris Island, and San Diego, to Operations Allies 
Welcome here at home for our Afghan partners.
    There is no timeline or mission that your Marine Corps 
Reserve will not and cannot answer when called upon. As the 
Marine Corps approach the global threats continues, to evolve 
so must the Marine Corps Reserve. This means not only having 
the right capabilities, at the right capacity, but also getting 
the right access to our warfighters at the speed of relevance, 
to meet future demands in an increasingly complex global 
landscape.
    Our 3-year effort under Force Design 2030, punctuated by 
the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, has led us to consider whether 
the current models for authorities and resource funding will 
allow us to generate, access, and deploy the Marine Corps 
Reserve at the speed of need, required by growing global 
threats.
    With the current lack of overseas contingency operations 
funding, our ability to respond to future contingency scenarios 
is severely questioned.
    I would like to work with this committee to explore a new, 
more modern set of authorities, and funding that would enable 
and empower your Marine Corps Reserve to continue responding to 
crisis and contingency with increased flexibility.
    As you are aware, a vitally important component of Force 
Design 2030 is the Marine Corps strategy for talent management. 
As part of this evolving strategy, the Marine Corps must 
continue to leverage the Reserve Component to recruit, and 
retain, and promote diverse warriors who possess unique 
talents, skills, and perspectives. Talent management, like 
force design, must succeed in order to ensure that we have the 
best warrior leaders in place, so that we win future battles.
    As this committee is well aware, Reserve Marines work 
extraordinarily hard to balance family responsibilities, 
civilian careers, and education with their Military Service. 
They introduce different perspectives to the Marine Corps based 
on their wide range of background and experiences. They have 
chosen to continue to serve honorably even though many of them 
have long since fulfilled their initial obligation to the 
Corps.
    On a daily basis, they demonstrate extraordinary 
selflessness, and continue to answer their irrational call to 
serve.
    I want to thank the committee for your continued support to 
the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation. In this 
coming year, I would like to work with this committee to 
explore several opportunities to enhance the Marine Corps' 
littoral maneuver and sustainment capacity by building these 
capabilities within the Marine Corps Reserve.
    I believe that leveraging degree of funds for this effort 
can have a direct and immediate impact to our operational and 
strategic posture. By increasing the flexibility of NGREA 
(National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account), Congress can 
help protect our warfighters, and prevent strategic risk to 
mission by ensuring your Reserve Marines remain at the peak of 
operational readiness.
    Finally, I echo the sentiments of my fellow Reserve Service 
Chiefs. And I would actually, personally, like to thank Ranking 
Member Shelby for over 60 years of public service, sir. You are 
a true example of a servant leader.
    General Scobee, Rich, I want to thank you for everything 
you have taught me over the last 3 years, and I am so proud to 
have served with you.
    Senator Shelby, and General Scobee, on behalf of all the 
Reserve Marines, we thank you for your service to our Nation. 
And I appreciate the opportunity to be here today, and look 
forward to your questions.
    [The statement follows:]
        Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General David G. Bellon
    Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, and distinguished members 
of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to appear before you and 
provide an overview on the current state of the Marine Corps Reserve.
    The Marine Corps Reserve, as part of a single, integrated Total 
Force Marine Corps, remains a vital contributor to the warfighting 
capability and capacity of the Naval Service. While the global pandemic 
continues to challenge each Service in unique ways, know that your 
Marine Corps Reserve remains relevant, ready, and responsive for the 
Nation. Reserve Marines are actively serving side-by-side with their 
active duty counterparts and are making tremendous contributions in 
support of each Combatant Commander on a daily basis. While the Marine 
Corps Reserve is supporting current Service and Combatant Command 
requirements, we are also participating in the Service's efforts to 
redesign our force and our warfighting capabilities to deter against 
the pacing threats as prescribed by the National Defense Strategy.
    I am deeply impressed by the professionalism, competence, and 
dedication of our Reserve Marines and Sailors. Like their Active 
Component counterparts, they serve selflessly to protect our great 
Nation. I am inspired by the way they balance family responsibilities, 
civilian careers, and military service with humility and a sense of 
pride and dedication that is consistent with the great sacrifices of 
Marines from every generation. As a warfighting organization, the key 
to our success has been and will continue to be the individual Marine, 
and the success of the Marine Corps relies on the dedication and 
selflessness of our Reserve Marines and their families.
A Total Force
    Throughout the past year, the Marine Corps Reserve continued global 
deployments supporting Combatant Commander requirements despite the 
continued challenges presented by COVID-19. The Marine Corps Reserve 
provided Combatant Commanders with forces focused on combat operations, 
crisis prevention, crisis response, and theater security cooperation. 
In addition to the Marines already activated and deployed, 2021 saw an 
additional 1,144 Reserve Marines mobilized to support 23 operational 
requirements across four geographic Combatant Commands. The Marine 
Corps Reserve continues to meet the demand for use as an Operational 
Reserve; however, this remains a challenge to our readiness and ability 
to meet strategic requirements.
    In fiscal year 2022, the Marine Corps Reserve has already activated 
1,107 Marines in support of Commander United States Northern Command 
and is slated to support five other Combatant Commanders by activating 
and mobilizing an additional 639 Reserve Marines to support 18 separate 
formations. These operations significantly increase the Reserve 
Component's interoperability with the Active Component, Joint Forces, 
allies, and coalition partners. I anticipate that we will continue to 
deploy across the globe and integrate with the Active Component in 
support of high-priority Combatant Commander requirements for the 
foreseeable future.
    Throughout 2021, due to the ongoing global pandemic, the Marine 
Corps Reserve continued to provide direct support to the Total Force's 
accession requirements, and activated a second rotation of more than 
450 Marines and Sailors to reinforce the Marine Corps Recruit Depots at 
Parris Island and San Diego. These Marines ensured the recruits 
awaiting training maintained proper quarantine protocols, enabling 
assimilation into training platoons with minimal risk of a COVID-19 
outbreak during training. While this task is now complete, the result 
of this Total Force effort enabled the mission to make Marines to 
continue despite the global pandemic.
    As Operation Allies Welcome developed, the Marine Corps used its 
Reserve Component to relieve Active Component Forces so they could 
return to II Marine Expeditionary Force to restore their readiness and 
ability to respond to crisis and contingency. The Marine Corps Reserve 
activated 1,100 Marines to support Tasks Forces supporting Afghan 
relocation in Quantico and Fort Pickett, Virginia. While the request 
for Reserve Forces to support was short notice, the ability to meet the 
requirement in a timely manner with volunteers speaks to the dedication 
of our Reserve Marines.
    The Marine Corps Reserve typically uses participation in the 
Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Program to 
provide joint/military training in the United States and its 
territories to increase deployment readiness. IRT simultaneously 
provides key services (healthcare, construction, transportation, and 
cybersecurity) with lasting benefits for our American communities. 
While 2020 saw a significant reduction in IRT Programs due to the 
global pandemic, the Marine Corps Reserve returned to a much greater 
level of participation in 2021 supporting 15 exercises under the IRT 
Program. Our participating units were able to train to mission 
essential tasks involving both horizontal and vertical construction, 
logistic support, and medical care while making tangible, meaningful 
impacts in communities from Arizona to Alaska and Hawaii. With your 
continued support of these efforts, we look to expand our footprint in 
this program, which will include construction, medical, and 
cybersecurity efforts.
    In addition to participating in operational requirements across the 
globe, the Marine Corps Reserve supports the Total Force by dutifully 
executing the sensitive and crucial mission of providing casualty 
assistance to the families of our fallen Marines. There is no 
responsibility we treat with higher regard than this solemn mission. 
Inspector-Instructor (I-I) and Reserve Site Support staffs are 
geographically positioned to accomplish the vast majority of Marine 
Corps casualty assistance calls and are trained to provide 
compassionate and thorough assistance to families. Indeed, the vast 
majority of Marine Corps casualty notifications and follow-on 
assistance calls to the next of kin are made by our Reserve Marines. 
During fiscal year 2021, I-I and Reserve Site Support staffs performed 
76 percent of the casualty calls performed by the Marine Corps. The 
professionalism and compassion of our Casualty Assistance Calls 
Officers (CACOs) continues well beyond the initial notification. We 
ensure that our CACOs are well trained, equipped, and supported by all 
levels of command through a combination of in-person and online 
training. Once assigned, the CACO serves as the family's central point 
of contact and coordinates with funeral homes, government agencies, and 
other organizations. They assist family members with planning the 
return and final resting place of their Marine and ensure the filing of 
appropriate documents so families receive all entitled benefits. In 
many cases, our CACOs provide a long-lasting bridge between the Marine 
Corps and the grieving family.
    The Marine Corps Reserve also performs the solemn mission of 
military funeral honors, and our Reserve units take pride in performing 
the majority of these services for our fallen Marines and their 
families. Marine Corps funeral honors are dedicated to ensuring all 
Marines who have honorably served receive the appropriate honors as a 
final salute to their life and the final demonstration of the country's 
gratitude to those who, in times of war and peace, have faithfully 
defended our Nation. COVID-19 still presents many challenges for units 
performing military funeral honors. These challenges include the 
temporary closing of our cemeteries, mandatory compliance with local, 
city, State and Federal Government travel restrictions, and strict 
adherence to health and safety guidelines. Notwithstanding these 
challenges, Marine Corps Reserve units accomplished 21,474 military 
funeral honors in 2021, which was 92 percent of the total funeral 
services provided by the Marine Corps.
    Finally, the Marine Corps Reserve functions as the greatest link 
between the Marine Corps and communities across the Nation. From the 
Toys for Tots campaigns each holiday season to community engagement 
events and solemn funeral details, we are the face of the Marine Corps 
to the majority of the American public. With Reserve units located 
across the country, the Marine Corps Reserve is uniquely positioned to 
interact with the American people and communicate the Marine Corps 
story to our fellow citizens, most of whom have little or no experience 
with the Marine Corps.
Personnel
    Our Marines, Sailors, and civilian Marines are the foundation of 
all that we do. The resources we dedicate to sustaining and developing 
this foundation directly contribute to the success of our Service and 
the Marine Corps Reserve. The vast majority of the Marine Corps 
Selected Reserve's authorized end strength of 36,800 falls under Marine 
Forces Reserve. The Selected Reserve is composed of Marines in four 
categories: Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) Units, Active Reserve 
(AR), Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs), and Service members in 
Initial Active Duty Training (IADTs). Embedded with these Marines are 
1,557 Active and Reserve Component Sailors who serve critical roles in 
the operational, medical, dental, and spiritual readiness of our 
Reserve Force. The success of the Marine Corps Reserve would not be 
possible without the support of these Sailors and U.S. Navy programs.
    In addition to the Marines and Sailors of the Selected Reserve, the 
Marine Corps Reserve administratively manages approximately 63,000 
Marines who serve in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). The Marine 
Corps Reserve continues to monitor the activation viability of these 
IRR Marines through the use of muster events at multiple locations 
across the country. The events also provide the opportunity to address 
administrative issues, conduct mental health and post-deployment 
assessments, review Reserve obligations and new opportunities, and meet 
with Marine Corps prior-service recruiters. During the past year the 
Marine Corps Reserve conducted 26 muster events in which 5,669 IRR 
Marines attended. In addition to the in-person muster events, the 
Marine Corps Reserve contacted and screened 47,414 IRR Marines.
    The Marine Corps Reserve strives to attract and retain the most 
qualified Marines capable of fulfilling our leadership and operational 
needs. Marines approaching the end of their current contracts, whether 
Active or Reserve Component, receive counseling on the tangible and 
intangible benefits of remaining affiliated with the Selected Reserve. 
We educate each transitioning Active Component Marine on opportunities 
for continued service in the Marine Corps Reserve through the Marine 
Corps' transition assistance and educational outreach programs.
    As the Marine Corps restructures our forces to ensure we are 
postured to confront future potential adversaries, we are making every 
effort to retain those Marines impacted by force design decisions. 
During 2021, the Marine Corps Reserve deployed a series of Personnel 
Transition Teams (PTTs) to every Reserve unit impacted by force design. 
These PTTs were specifically designed to ensure each impacted Marine 
was provided information, education, and one-on-one career counseling 
concerning available incentives, career opportunities, and continued 
service options. For example, during the divestment of our reserve tank 
battalion, we successfully retained over 52 percent of all Reserve 
Marines assigned to those site locations through voluntary reassignment 
to another Marine Reserve unit, while an additional 21 percent of those 
Marines chose to transfer to their local Army National Guard tank unit 
to continue their military service. Survey responses show that 92 
percent of the Reserve Marines felt they had been provided the 
information and support needed to make an informed decision, while 91 
percent of the Reserve Marines felt their best interests were kept in 
mind.
    Recruiting and retaining high-quality Marines remains essential to 
the Marine Corps' reputation as the Nation's force-in-readiness. 
Although the Marine Corps Reserve has recruited and trained Marines 
safely in the face of the global pandemic, the challenges associated 
with COVID-19 have had a significant impact on our ability to recruit. 
As a result, during calendar year 2020, the Selected Marine Corps 
Reserve faced a 50.4 percent reduction in new non-prior service 
accessions and a loss of 7.9 percent of the forecasted prior-service 
accessions. Although reserve recruiting has returned to near historic 
levels during calendar year 2021, the force will continue to be 
impacted by these notable losses. The Marine Corps Reserve still enjoys 
high affiliation and retention rates enhanced through incentive 
programs such as occupational specialty retraining, inactive duty 
travel reimbursement, and bonus payments. These programs are essential 
to ensure we continue to meet authorized end strength and retain our 
most talented Marines. Your continued support of these critical 
programs has helped preserve our overall personnel end strength at 89.7 
of the total requirement and maintain a grade and Military Occupational 
Specialty match rate of 77.4 percent.
    Our personnel readiness is not only reflective of the health of the 
force, but it directly contributes to our overall operational 
readiness. We fully expect to meet our Selected Marine Corps Reserve 
retention goals this year. Continued use of available incentive 
programs is critical to optimally match individuals to our 
requirements, maintain individual and unit-level readiness, address 
shortfalls in staff non-commissioned officers, and fully rebuild 
readiness from previous force structure changes.
Equipment
    Reserve Component units remain highly interoperable with their 
Active Component counterparts due to the Marine Corps' Total Force 
approach to equipment fielding and management. The Reserve Component is 
manned, trained, and equipped to standards that facilitate the 
seamless, integrated employment of forces to meet the requirements of 
Combatant Commanders. Our Reserve units and personnel continue to be in 
high demand despite the challenges associated with the COVID-19 
operating environment.
    This high demand for Reserve units and the resulting high 
operational tempo places stress on the Marine Corps Reserve's ability 
to maintain equipment and replenish deficiencies. One of the greatest 
ongoing concerns is our Individual Combat Clothing and Equipment (ICCE) 
deficiencies, specifically ballistic protection and load-bearing 
equipment. Additionally, the ability to provide sustainment of ICCE on 
hand is hindered by the delay in implementation of sustainment 
contracts, further delaying the ability to order and receive shortfall 
items. In the event of a large-scale wartime mobilization, to include 
any sizable call-up of the IRR, ICCE deficiencies may become a Service 
level risk.
    The Marine Corps Reserve continues to mitigate risk and ensure 
maintenance readiness through Training Allowances (TA), Operation and 
Maintenance Marine Corps Reserve (OMMCR), and third party logistics. 
First, we refine a units' TA, which is that portion of a unit's full 
Table of Equipment (TE) located at Reserve Training Centers (RTCs). Our 
goal is to balance the amount of equipment necessary to conduct 
training with the amount of equipment that can be maintained within 
personnel, facility, and fiscal constraints. Second, we leverage OMMCR 
funds to employ mobile maintenance support teams that augment our 
limited organic maintenance capacity in the Marine Corps Reserve. 
Third, we utilize a Service-managed third party logistics provider to 
repair secondary components that cannot be repaired organically due to 
limited intermediate maintenance capacity. Congressional support for 
Reserve funding is paramount to our continued success in sustaining our 
equipment and maintenance readiness.
    Future fielding of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and 
Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) will provide the Reserve Component with 
the latest generation of combat equipment. However, the Reserve 
component fielding of the JLTV and ACV has been delayed beyond the 
current Future Year's Defense Program (FYDP), with the JLTV fielding 
not scheduled to resume until fiscal year 2029 and the full allowance 
of ACVs currently scheduled for fielding in fiscal year 2027. 
Additionally, fielding of programs such as the Ground/Air Task Oriented 
Radar (G/ATOR), Ground Weapons Locating Radar (GWLR), All Terrain Crane 
(ATC), Platoon Water Purification System (PWPS), and Mobile Integrated 
Remains Collection System (MIRCS) will enhance our ability to fight, 
maneuver freely, and win on the modern battlefield.
Training
    The Marine Corps Reserve typically participates in a number of 
training exercises in the United States and overseas each year to 
improve combat readiness and enhance our ability to rapidly activate 
and integrate with the Active Component. Although the global pandemic 
presented numerous challenges to the Reserve Force's ability to 
participate in and conduct training, drill weekends and annual training 
periods have resumed to the maximum extent possible. In addition, 
telework drill weekends continue to be an option along with online 
training when feasible. Local commanders continue to demonstrate 
initiative and creativity in conducting meaningful training for the 
Marines. While digital training continues to allow for an increase in 
individual skills, the focus of effort is to conduct critical unit 
training at the company and battalion levels.
    As operations in a COVID-19 environment are the new norm, 
precautions still include the wearing of masks and social distancing, 
when practical, during training. Local commanders continue to adjust 
their training to include spreading out unit drills over multiple 
weekends to ensure compliance with local health mandates and reduce 
gatherings of personnel. During in- person drills, our small-unit 
leaders continue to perform admirably, maintaining communication with 
their Marines and ensuring mitigation measures are enforced to 
guarantee quality training while preventing the spread of COVID-19.
    Although the global pandemic has adversely affected higher-level 
training normally gained during regularly scheduled exercises, Reserve 
participation in scheduled exercises has slowly begun to increase in 
fiscal year 2021. In the past year, the Marine Corps Reserve 
participated in 46 exercises, training a total of 10,072 Reserve 
personnel. Reserve Forces returned to their participation in the annual 
service-level Integrated Training Exercise (ITX), conducted aboard 
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms California. 
This evolution included 4,311 personnel from 77 different units that 
spanned 58 Home Training Centers. Over the span of 20 training days, 
ITX improves combat readiness and efficiency in Total Force integration 
and enables more rapid activation response times at the battalion and 
squadron levels. Through measured matriculation of Marine Corps Reserve 
Forces back into Combatant Commander-sponsored exercises and battalion/
squadron annual training exercises in fiscal year 2021, the Marine 
Corps Reserve is continuing to focus on operational readiness.
    Resident Professional Military Education (PME) courses regained 
momentum in fiscal year 2021 as seat capacity returned to 1,080. In 
addition, the Marine Corps Reserve continues to leverage distance 
education and virtual learning to maximize PME training opportunities.
    The Marine Corps Reserve uses training simulators wherever and 
whenever possible to preserve fiscal and materiel resources. Reserve 
units employ Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainers (ISMTs) to maintain 
combat marksmanship skills and to maximize the use of their most 
precious resource, time. The ISMTs enable onsite training and eliminate 
long distance travel to remote Department of Defense (DoD) training 
locations. The use of this and other simulations systems, as well as 
increased online training, enabled the force to complete mission 
essential tasks and required DoD and Service-level annual training 
during the global pandemic.
Facilities
    The Marine Corps Reserve occupies facilities in 47 States, the 
District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These 
facilities include 27 sites that are owned and maintained by the Marine 
Corps Reserve, 131 tenant Reserve Training Centers that are operated by 
other Services, three family housing sites, one permanent barracks, and 
one General Officer Quarters. Although some sites are located on major 
DoD installations, most are situated within civilian communities, 
ranging from residential neighborhoods to industrial and commercial 
districts. We continue to improve the maintenance and security of our 
facilities to ensure the safety of our Marines and Sailors and to 
provide an effective training and mobilization location.
    Fifty-seven percent of the facilities budget supports the 
sustainment and maintenance of existing infrastructure and day-to-day 
operating costs. We have improved the overall readiness of our 
facilities inventory through the Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, 
and Modernization (FSRM) support program and maximized the impact of 
our budget through divestiture and demolition of excess footprint.
    The Military Construction, Navy Reserve (MCNR) Program focuses on 
providing construction for new and enduring capabilities, as well as 
recapitalization of our aging facilities. The construction enabled by 
the annual authorization and appropriation of MCNR funding is an 
important factor in advancing our facilities support mission as we 
optimize our force laydown throughout the Nation. Continued support for 
our MCNR request is essential as we divest of failing infrastructure 
and continue to modernize our capabilities.
    The safety of our Marines, Sailors, and their families is of utmost 
importance. We are engaged in ongoing efforts to improve the overall 
force protection at all of our sites by working with our Service 
partners and the National Guard for joint occupied facilities. Numerous 
protection assessments have been conducted at our facilities and 
security engineering reports have been generated to assist and develop 
designs to mitigate protection concerns, specifically physical 
security. These assessments identify requirements and serve to 
prioritize enhancements to improve facility security for our Marines, 
Sailors, and their families.
    The combined effects of our targeted site consolidations, FSRM, and 
MCNR Programs have steadily reduced the number of inadequate or 
substandard Reserve Training Centers and enabled better support to the 
force. However, as our infrastructure ages, the operating costs have 
steadily increased and will continue to grow as the Marine Corps 
modernizes to meet the requirements of the National Defense Strategy. 
Continued support to our annual funding request for our facilities 
program will enable us to improve the overall physical infrastructure 
that reinforces the operational readiness of our units and personnel.
Health Services
    The Marine Corps Reserve Health Services Support (HSS) system 
prioritizes the health and wellness of our Reserve Marines and Sailors. 
We continue to improve medical readiness through a robust Individual 
Medical Readiness Program within the Marine Corps Reserve and by 
accurate monitoring, identification, and supervision of unit level 
actions necessary to attain readiness goals. Additionally, our Health 
Services personnel participate in Force Readiness Activation Assessment 
Program inspections and audits which provide oversight at the unit 
level and the ability to monitor readiness and adherence to policy.
    The Reserve Health Readiness Program (RHRP) has greatly increased 
overall medical and dental readiness throughout the force. This program 
provides support using contracted civilian medical and dental providers 
to work with units that do not have organic medical or dental support 
personnel or are not supported by a Military Treatment Facility (MTF). 
During fiscal year 2021, the RHRP performed 15,814 Periodic Health 
Assessments (PHAs), 846 Post-Deployment Heath Re-Assessments (PDHRAs), 
18,903 audiological examinations, and 13,408 dental examinations.
    The Marine Corps Reserve HSS's priority is to achieve the DoD's 
goal of a 90 percent medically ready force. National, regional, state, 
and local restrictions on travel and group activities due to COVID-19 
community transmission affected scheduling and availability of both 
organic unit and RHRP readiness events over the course of several 
months. During fiscal year 2021, our individual medical and dental 
readiness rates were 76 percent and 81 percent, respectively. Marine 
Corps Reserve units rely heavily on RHRP to maintain our medical and 
dental readiness and continued support of this program is imperative 
for maintaining overall readiness.
Behavioral Health
    In addition to the RHRP, the Marine Corps Reserve continues to 
execute a multifaceted behavioral health program that includes Combat 
Operational Stress Control Capability, Suicide Prevention Capability, 
Substance Abuse Prevention, and Family Advocacy Programs. The Combat 
Operational Stress Control Capability (COSCC) provides essential 
knowledge, skills, and tools to assist commanders with improving 
mission readiness, force preservation, and improving the long-term 
health of Marines and their families. The COSCC is comprised of two 
trainings: Operational Stress Control and Readiness (OSCAR) and 
Deployment Cycle Training (DCT). OSCAR builds teams of selected Marines 
and unit leaders along with medical and religious personnel to work 
together acting as sensors for the commanders by identifying small 
changes in personnel behavior and helps to enable a bias for action 
within the command. The DCT is conducted at all levels and is provided 
to Service members at the appropriate point in the deployment cycle. 
The combination of these programs help to prevent, identify, and 
effectively manage combat and operational stress, whether deployed or 
in garrison. Each of these tools supports the unit commanders in 
building unit strength, resiliency, and readiness, as well as keeping 
Marines in the fight.
    COVID-19 community transmission has not only impacted medical 
readiness, but also the mental health of our Marines and Sailors. 
Amongst our Active and Reserve Component Service members, mental health 
effects included increased isolation, relationship stress, and 
financial strain. The Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery continues to 
support behavioral health through various independent, contracted 
programs such as PDHRA and the Psychological Health Outreach Program 
(PHOP). The PDHRA Program focuses specifically on identifying issues 
that emerge after our Marines and Sailors have returned home from 
deployment. PHOP
    secures behavioral health screenings, psychological treatment 
referrals, and essential follow-up treatment to ensure our Service 
members' behavioral health needs are met. In fiscal year 2021 PHOP 
connected with 5,960 Marine Corps Reservists; an estimated 11 percent 
of those connections resulted in intensive case management. Through 
their outreach services, PHOP addresses both post-deployment behavioral 
health concerns and crisis-related interventions by providing our 
Marines and Sailors access to local resources through a network of 
contracted behavioral health programs. Internally, PHOP and Force 
Chaplains regularly exchange contact rosters to multiply networking 
effectiveness. These programs are critical to maintaining a resilient 
force by providing pathways for Marines, Sailors, and families to seek 
behavioral health assistance.
    Signs of operational and combat stress may manifest long after a 
Service member returns home from deployment. This delayed onset of 
symptoms presents unique challenges to Reserve Marines who may be 
detached from vital medical care and the daily support network inherent 
in active duty Marine Corps units. Encouraging Marines to recognize and 
communicate mental health challenges is a pervasive issue facing our 
commanders. The Marine Corps Reserve addresses the stigma associated 
with mental healthcare through key programs such as the Yellow Ribbon 
Reintegration Program (YRRP) and COSCC. We market all of our behavioral 
health initiatives and programs through our Marine Corps Reserve 
website and during key Marine Corps forums throughout the year.
    The Marine Corps Reserve developed a smart phone mobile application 
(app)--USMC Reserve Connect--that is tailored to Marine Reservists and 
family members. The app, which is approved by the Defense Information 
Systems Agency (DISA), is an enterprise-wide, mobile app that serves as 
a gateway to public content on government websites. The app was 
established to deliver portable, timely, and relevant information to 
Marines, Sailors, and their families and
    to reduce reliance on traditional computers to access career and 
personal resources. The app is customizable, enabling units to provide 
Marine Reservists with relevant, unit-specific information. The app 
includes a mobile Common Access Card (CAC) portal that allows Marines 
to pair their devices with a mobile CAC reader to access some CAC-
secured sites.
    USMC Reserve Connect increases engagement, communication, and 
connectedness through greater access to career, lifestyle, and 
behavioral health resources. USMC Reserve Connect is free to the public 
and is available for download in most mobile app stores.
    The Marine Corps Substance Abuse Program continues to educate 
Marines and Sailors on substance misuse and how misuse may impact 
relationships, coping mechanisms, thinking patterns, and risk 
awareness. The Substance Abuse Program provides tools to promote the 
safety and total fitness of Marines, Sailors, and their families to 
sustain and improve personal readiness and unit performance. The Marine 
Corps Reserve relies profoundly on its Drug Demand Reduction Program 
that uses random urinalysis testing to deter the use of illicit drugs 
and misuse of prescription drugs. Each Reserve unit conducts monthly 
drug testing to screen Reserve Marines and Sailors for drugs as well as 
breathalyzer testing to screen for alcohol use while in a duty status. 
However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Alcohol Screening Program 
has been paused until an installation reaches HPCON A or at the local 
unit's commander's discretion to ensure the safety of all Marines. The 
Substance Abuse Program staff provides quarterly, on-demand education 
and awareness training on the dangers of abusing prescription drugs as 
well as information on the proper disposal of unused and outdated 
medications.
    Additionally, the Substance Abuse Program's annual supervisor-level 
training increase leaders' awareness of the dangers of abusing 
prescription drugs. In fiscal year 2021, the Substance Abuse Program 
expanded its educational efforts to include the introduction of new 
universal prevention training through Prime for Life. This 4.5 hour 
training is designed for Substance Abuse Control Officers and their 
unit leaders to explore how biology and choices affect an individual's 
risk of alcohol and substance dependence, with emphasis focused on 
values and goals.
    The Marine Corps Reserve recognizes there are a multitude of 
factors contributing to suicide-related events. Risk factors can 
include depression, social isolation, impulsive or aggressive 
tendencies, and substance abuse. Common precipitating stressors include 
relationship, legal, and financial challenges, as well as disciplinary 
problems. Commanders employ a coordinated, consistent, and effective 
suicide prevention methodology that allows for the identification of 
stressors and application of mitigation measures to prevent and address 
conditions that lead to suicidal behaviors within their units. Force 
Preservation Councils are established to optimize the potential of all 
Active and Reserve Marines and Sailors by identifying additional risk 
factors and applying holistic risk management courses of action in 
order to improve individual and unit readiness. Once a possible 
behavioral health challenge is identified, appropriate interventions 
are delivered while command leaders coordinate with the individual and 
mental health professional to develop an effective reintegration plan. 
Through this coordination, leaders continue to demonstrate dignity and 
respect for the Service member while meeting the needs of the unit.
    The Marine Corps' Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated 
Training (UMAPIT) educates every Marine on the basics of suicide 
prevention, assists with normalizing life changes, and emphasizes the 
need to seek help with the aim of decreasing the negative stigma around 
behavioral health. UMAPIT is a tiered initiative designed to improve 
the total fitness of Marines, help foster mission readiness, and 
increase the chance for early intervention. This training incorporates 
evidence-informed practices and raises awareness about common risk 
factors and warning signs associated with a range of behavioral health 
issues such as substance abuse, suicide, family maltreatment, and 
combat operational stress before such issues become unmanageable. There 
has been a noticeable shift in the Marine Corps culture toward 
encouraging Marines to seek help. This culture shift aids in reducing 
barriers to care and the fear of reprisal for seeking help. Lastly, all 
Marines are taught to recognize suicide warning signs and to seek 
appropriate resources for themselves and others to ensure that no 
Marine is left behind.
    Care Management Teams focus on supporting Reserve Marines and 
Sailors through the Department of Veterans Affairs Transition Care 
Management Program. The Reserve Marines and Sailors are assigned a Care 
Manager who oversees the referrals, follow-on care, and individual 
healthcare needs of the Reserve member. The Marine Intercept Program 
(MIP) is an evidence-informed, targeted intervention for service 
members serving on active duty or activated Reservist who have had an 
identified suicide ideation or suicide attempt. MIP includes a series 
of telephonic contacts in which a counselor assesses the Marine for 
risk, encourages the use of a safety plan, and identifies and addresses 
barriers to services or resources. These services are also provided to 
our Reserve Marines and Sailors through the PHOP.
    Our Marines have proven their strength in navigating challenging 
issues such as frequent moves, deployments, and separations from loved 
ones. To help with these challenges, our Marines, Sailors, and family 
members are able to access behavioral health programs at Marine Corps 
installations through Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) while on 
active-duty orders. Additionally, we continue to support Military 
OneSource which provides confidential, non-medical counseling, 
resources and support to Service members and their families anywhere in 
the world.
Sexual Assault Prevention & Response
    Sexual assault is a complex and challenging problem with short- and 
long-term consequences for victims and their families, friends, and 
communities. In the military, those consequences include harm to unit 
cohesion, morale, and potentially the confidence of the Service as a 
whole. Sexual violence is often interrelated with readiness challenges, 
behavioral health issues, and destructive behaviors. For the Marine 
Corps Reserve, addressing the health and safety of our Service members 
and fostering a culture of dignity and respect are top priorities 
toward reducing and ultimately eliminating sexual assault within our 
ranks. In one step toward accomplishing this goal, the Marine Corps 
Reserve administers and implements a Sexual Assault Prevention and 
Response (SAPR) Program. Seven full-time, professional employees ensure 
the efficacy of the program and its services across our geographically 
dispersed force. In addition to the force-level Sexual Assault Response 
Coordinator (SARC), each Major Subordinate Command (MSC) within the 
Marine Corps Reserve has a full-time civilian SARC who serves as a 
special staff officer and subject matter expert to their Commanding 
General. The SARCs manage each MSC's SAPR Program from Marine Forces 
Reserve headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana. There are also two 
professional civilian SAPR Victim Advocates (VAs) who travel throughout 
the country to provide in-person advocacy services, training, and unit-
specific program guidance to Marines, Sailors, and their families. The 
Marine Corps Reserve works diligently to improve our victim response, 
outreach, and sexual assault prevention by approaching these efforts as 
a team. The SARCs and SAPR VAs work together to ensure there is never a 
gap in coverage, regardless of the MSC. Leaders at every level and 
anyone in need of support services have access to a SAPR staff member 
for program guidance.
    The SAPR staff trains up to 160 individuals to become victim 
advocates each year during courses held quarterly in New Orleans. After 
completing the 40-hour training course, these trainees submit an 
application for credentialing through the DoD's Sexual Assault Advocate 
Certification Program. Once credentialed, the SAPR VAs are officially 
appointed by their commanders to serve in the billet at their 
respective RTCs. In total, the Marine Corps Reserve maintains an active 
roster averaging more than 200 SAPR VAs across the country.
    SAPR personnel respond to Marines, Sailors, and adult dependents 
who request support services related to a report of sexual assault. The 
SARCs and VAs screen for potential safety issues, develop 
individualized safety plans, and offer advocacy services and referrals 
in the military and civilian sectors. In order to more effectively 
support the Reserve Component, the SAPR Program maintains a database of 
nationwide resources for victims of sexual assault who may not have 
access to military providers.
    The Marine Corps Reserve operates a dedicated Sexual Assault 
Support Line that is staffed by the professional SAPR team 24/7. The 
Marine Corps Reserve also actively publicizes the DoD Safe Helpline, an 
additional resource that offers crisis support services for members of 
the DoD community. The DoD Safe Helpline is available 24/7 worldwide 
with ``click/call/text'' user options and can be used anonymously for 
confidential support.
    The Marine Corps Reserve's prevention strategy is holistic and 
integrated with other programs aimed toward eradicating sexual assault 
and interpersonal violence, such as the Equal Opportunity Program, 
Safety, Spiritual Readiness Initiatives, the PHOP, Total Force Fitness 
initiatives, and Behavioral Health. The Marine Corps Reserve continues 
to set the example by employing a zero-tolerance policy related to 
sexual assault and harassment and a retaliation-free command climate. 
Leaders at every level are encouraged to actively engage with Marines 
and
    Sailors to create a positive environment free from attitudes and 
behaviors that are incompatible with our core values. Each year, all 
Marines and Sailors receive SAPR training that covers reporting 
options, available resources, and prevention techniques. New course 
material was recently released for our Staff Non-Commissioned Officer 
population focusing on leadership traits and the importance of 
fostering a positive command climate to reduce the risk of sexual 
violence. Along with overall education about the SAPR Program, these 
periods of instruction give individual Marines and Sailors an 
opportunity to interact with their local Command SAPR representatives, 
thereby helping to generate trust in the program and confidence that 
the prevention of sexual assault is a priority for leadership.
Military Equal Opportunity
    A key component to mission readiness is a healthy command climate, 
devoid of unlawful discriminatory practices and unacceptable behaviors 
that are collectively referred to as Prohibited Activities and Conduct 
(PAC). These behaviors may include bullying, dissident and protest 
activity, harassment, hazing, prohibited discrimination, sexual 
harassment, and wrongful distribution of an intimate image. The 
Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) Program is enforced throughout the 
Marine Corps Reserve to eliminate such behaviors and foster a culture 
of dignity and respect, regardless of race, color, national origin, 
religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, or sexual 
orientation. The MEO Program is staffed by fully trained, Active 
Component Marines who possess the 0147 Military Occupational Specialty. 
These billets include a force-level Equal Opportunity Advisor (EOA) and 
three additional EOAs at the MSC levels. The Marine Corps Reserve EOAs 
work cohesively as trusted agents to ensure seamless coverage by 
providing sound program advice to commanders and assistance to members 
across the force.
    EOAs are also assisted in program implementation by unit-level 
Equal Opportunity Representatives (EOR), a collateral duty maintained 
by Staff Noncommissioned Officers and higher at every O5 and O6 level 
command. Additional EORs are utilized at geographically dispersed 
subordinate units throughout the force for additional program 
implementation at the lowest level.
    Both EOAs and EORs provide training to all Reserve Component 
members in preventing, identifying, and reporting PAC. Additional 
guidance is provided to ensure members understand the benefits of a 
healthy command climate and the adverse impact that PAC has on 
individual members, units, and the Service. EOAs and EORs are 
responsible for monitoring and advising commanders on command climate 
issues to include those identified in their Defense Organizational 
Climate Survey (DEOCS) results. During fiscal year 2021, Marine Corps 
Reserve units were in full compliance with the Secretary of Defense-
directed DEOCS requirements, including all follow-on corrective action 
plans. In addition to MEO resources, commands utilize the SAPR and 
behavioral health programs for a holistic approach to maintaining 
healthy command climates. Both EOAs and EORs work cohesively to ensure 
formal PAC complaints are addressed in a timely manner and in 
accordance with the applicable references. During fiscal year 2021, the 
Marine Corps Reserve resolved 49 unique cases through the complaint 
resolution process.
    Throughout this process, commanders ensured complainants were 
protected against all forms of retaliation, maltreatment, ostracism, 
and reprisal.
    As a testament to the outstanding work performed by the Marine 
Corps Reserve MEO Program, the Marine Corps Reserve EOA was awarded the 
fiscal year 2021 Equal Opportunity Advisor of the Year award for the 
Marine Corps.
Quality of Life
    The Marine Corps Reserve is committed to ensuring quality of life 
support programs are designed to effectively assist all Marines, 
Sailors, and their families, whether they are deployed or on the home 
front. The Marine Corps Reserve is geographically dispersed throughout 
the country and often stationed away from most traditional brick-and-
mortar resources available at major bases and stations. Therefore, we 
strive to provide awareness of, and access to, the numerous support 
programs available for their benefit. Face-to-face and virtual learning 
opportunities are offered along with toll-free telephone and Internet 
resources. The ability to access the comprehensive set of MCCS 
programs, which support operational readiness, warfighting 
capabilities, and quality of life, can have a profoundly positive 
effect on the well-being of our Marines and their families. MCCS 
programming includes Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), School 
Liaison Program, personal and professional development, fitness and 
recreation, deployment support, family team building, and prevention. 
MCCS is a user-friendly and responsive resource that provides constant 
and enduring support to Marines and their families throughout their 
entire service or affiliation with the Marine Corps. The Unit, 
Personal, and Family Readiness Program is supported by civilian 
Deployment Readiness Coordinators and Uniformed Readiness Coordinators 
who implement a commander's family readiness vision and provide a vital 
link to Marines, Sailors, and their families to ensure a constant state 
of family readiness.
    MCCS programs continue to be flexible, constantly adjusting to meet 
the needs of our geographically dispersed Marines and their families. 
The training programs provided to our commanders, Family Readiness 
Command Teams, and Marines and their families help to produce a ready 
and resilient force equipped to achieve success. The Marine Corps 
Family
    Team Building (MCFTB) Program enhances readiness and resiliency 
through non-clinical preventative education, professional training, and 
community-building support to Marines, Sailors, and their families 
throughout the wide array of mission, life, and career events. As a 
direct result of the global pandemic and the different state and local 
gathering restrictions implemented throughout the country, MCFTB 
training events were delivered almost exclusively through virtual 
interactive webinars at 158 RTCs. During fiscal year 2021, the Marine 
Corps Reserve conducted 176 training events in which 3,008 Marines and 
family members received valuable information to prepare for and 
flourish during deployments and achieve a positive post-deployment 
reintegration experience.
    A fundamental component to the Reserve Marine's quality of life and 
resiliency is the religious ministry support provided by 139 chaplains 
and Religious Program Specialists who make up the Religious Ministry 
Teams (RMT). Religious ministry support and care extends to all Marines 
and Sailors, regardless of religious affiliation. Beyond equipment, 
training, and technical skill, the strength of spirit enables our 
Marines and Sailors to accomplish the mission with honor, to overcome 
adversity, and to sacrificially serve with meaning and purpose. RMTs, 
as uniformed Service members, help to increase the readiness of 
Marines, Sailors, and their families by preparing them for the rigors 
of military life including the demands of military operations. The 
Marine Corps Reserve has chaplains embedded in 41 Marine Corps Reserve 
units across the country. By being present in person, these chaplains 
are able to cultivate trust with leadership, offer religious services, 
and provide confidential counsel.
    The Chaplain Religious Enrichment Development Operations (CREDO) 
Program provides transformational retreats and workshops including the 
Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER), the Personal Resiliency Retreat 
(PRR), and the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) 
class. The MER and PRR initiatives equip Marines, Sailors, and their 
families with practical relationship and communication tools that 
strengthen marriages and individual resiliency on the home front and 
during deployments. The PRR helps Marines and Sailors set personal 
goals, make good decisions, deal with stress, and live their lives with 
greater purpose and satisfaction. During fiscal year 2021, 1,563 
individuals participated in 16 MERs and 69 retreats and workshops 
focused on resiliency and team building in the context of leadership 
and human dynamics.
    In an ongoing effort to reduce suicidal events, the CREDO Program 
offers ASIST and Suicide Alertness for Everyone (safeTALK), evidence-
based programs that train individuals to intervene in suicidal 
ideations and keep the individual safe until they can receive follow-on 
care. A total of 137 personnel were trained at six ASIST and two 
safeTALK classes in fiscal year 21 that helped provide commands with 
the necessary resource of trained personnel. Participants in these 
programs self-reported an 83 percent increase in their likelihood to 
intervene to help a person having thoughts of suicide. In fiscal year 
2021, the program continued to emphasize ``taking it to where the 
Marines are'' by offering three of the workshops in conjunction with 
travel to remote geographic locations.
    COVID-19 continued to impair the operational tempo of the CREDO 
Program throughout fiscal year 2021, limiting travel for in-person 
training and necessitating the cancellation of four retreats and four 
ASIST workshops. Live virtual training helped to enable mission 
execution with three offerings on MarineNet's Adobe Connect platform: 
Leadership and Personal Growth Workshops (LPGW), Marriage Enrichment 
Workshops (MEW), and Professional Naval Chaplain Workshops (PNCW). In 
fiscal year 2021, CREDO conducted 63 virtual and 31 in-person workshops 
consisting of 677 training hours for more than 1,700 participants.
    The Marine Corps emphasizes the importance of readiness for Marines 
and family members in many areas of life. The Marine Corps Personal and 
Professional Development Programs continue to provide training and 
educational resources to increase awareness and build skills for 
individual and family development. These programs enhance the quality 
of life for our military community by promoting self-reliance and self-
sufficiency, as well as continuing the tradition of ``taking care of 
our own.'' The Marine Corps Personal and Professional Development 
Programs include transition readiness, personal financial management, 
voluntary education, and information and referral.
    The Marine Corps' Transition Readiness Program (TRP) is a 
comprehensive program which helps Marines and their families formulate 
and achieve effective post-transition employment, educational, and 
entrepreneurship goals. It provides the tools and resources needed to 
comply with Department of Defense (DoD) directed Career Readiness 
Standards (CRS).
    Further, the Marine Corps has incorporated a Marine for Life Cycle 
approach to transition readiness that informs Marines throughout their 
career. Transition Readiness is a process that occurs across the Marine 
for Life Cycle, not an event that occurs at a single point in time.
    Additionally, the Marine for Life Network links our Marines to 
employment, education, and community resources in their hometown areas 
to support their future goals. The Transition Readiness Seminar (TRS) 
is a week-long program required by Title 10 for all Active and Reserve 
Component Marines and Sailors who have served a minimum of 180 
consecutive days on active duty. Due to the global pandemic, most 
installation-based transition courses were temporarily closed to non-
tenant Service members; however, our geographically dispersed Marines 
continued to meet this requirement through virtual course 
participation.
    Several library resources are also available. Marines may take 
advantage of the Department of Defense partnership with Tutor.com which 
offers our Marines and their dependents access to 24/7, no-cost, live 
tutoring services for grades K-12 and college students. Our Marines are 
also provided with remote access to language courses through Mango 
Languages, which supports over 70 languages, including English as a 
Second Language. Peterson's Online Academic Skills Course helps Marines 
build math and verbal skills to excel on the job, pass exams, and 
advance their careers and education.
    Marines with a solid understanding of their personal financial 
situation and sound financial management practices are better prepared 
to meet the needs of the nation. The Personal Financial Management 
Program provides personal financial education, training, counseling, 
and information and referral as the number one source for unbiased 
financial information to Marines and their families. The PFMP utilizes 
the Financial Education Action Points to increase the knowledge and 
improve the financial practices of Marines at predetermined milestones 
within their career, such as promotion, PCS, marriage, birth of a 
child, and others. The PFMP is available to all Marines free of charge 
and on a variety of platforms (in-person, hybrid, and virtual).
    The Marine Corps' Semper Fit Program partners with our bases and 
stations to provide fitness education activities that promote physical 
and mental readiness and develop positive self- esteem and healthy 
lifestyles. Additionally, the High Intensity Tactical Training (HITT) 
Program focuses on physical resiliency, combat readiness, and injury 
prevention. The HITT Program provides hands-on, science-based strength 
and conditioning courses and online physical fitness tools to include 
instruction on injury prevention, nutrition, and weight management.
    The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) is a DoD-wide effort 
to promote the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members, their 
families, and communities by connecting them with resources throughout 
the deployment cycle. The YRRP is an enduring and invaluable part of 
our efforts to build resiliency. Since its inception in 2010, we have 
conducted more than 944 training events for more than 53,500 Marines, 
Sailors, and family members. In fiscal year 21, we conducted 22 virtual 
events connecting more than 1,500 participants with local resources 
before, during, and after deployments.
    We remain a dedicated advocate for flexible quality of life 
programs and services that evolve and adapt to the changing needs of 
our Marines, Sailors, and their families. The combined effect of these 
programs and services is critical to the readiness and retention of our 
Marines, Sailors, and their families.
Supporting our Wounded, Ill, or Injured Marines and their Families
    The Marine Corps ensures the availability of full spectrum care to 
all wounded, ill, or injured (WII) Active and Reserve Service members 
through the Marine Corps' Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR). Due to the 
unique nature of how Reserve Marines are activated and mobilized, they 
often encounter unique challenges to healthcare when wounded, ill, or 
injured. The Marine Corps has sought to address these challenges 
through the establishment of a WWR Liaison Officer whose sole purpose 
is to provide subject matter expertise in WII policies and procedures, 
coordination between Reserve leadership and WWR staff, and guidance and 
training to Reserve units throughout the recovery care continuum.
    The WWR staff includes the Reserve Medical Entitlements 
Determination (RMED) Section, which maintains specific oversight of all 
Reservists requiring medical care for service-incurred and duty-
limiting medical conditions. In addition to the oversight of medical 
care, RMED administers the Incapacitation Pay Program for the Reserve 
Component. Qualification for Incapacitation Pay is determined based 
upon the member being physically disabled as a result of their service-
connected injury and the member demonstrating a loss of civilian earned 
income from non-military employment or self-employment as a result. 
During fiscal year 2021 the RMED section processed 67 Incapacitation 
Pay requests for payments totaling $366,123.48.
    Reserve Marines facing complex care and recovery needs have access 
to WWR's network of 45 Recovery Care Coordinators who provide one-on-
one transition support and resource identification for WII Reservists 
and families often living long distances from military installations.
    The WWR also has medical advocates at the regimental staff who are 
available to assist Reservists, as well as Active, retired and veteran 
Marines, in need of medical care coordination and advocacy. If face to 
face contact is needed with issues related to non-medical care and case 
management, the WWR has Reserve Staff Non-Commissioned Officers who are 
activated through Active Duty for Operational Support (ADOS) funding 
called District Injured Support Coordinators (DISC) who are dispersed 
throughout the country to assist. The DISCs are the WWR Commanding 
Officer's representatives in the field with the mission to facilitate 
the successful transition of post-9/11 WII Marines from the Active or 
Reserve Component to veteran status. This mission is accomplished by 
providing needs-based support and problem resolution, to include non-
medical case management, to post-9/11 WII veterans and their families 
to ensure we keep faith with all Marines.
    The Marine Corps will not forget the sacrifices our Reserve Marines 
have made for this great Nation and we will continue to work with the 
WWR to establish resources and programs that address the unique and 
ongoing needs of our Reserve Service members and their families.
Force Design
    The Marine Corps Reserve, operating as both a strategic and 
operational Reserve, remains a critical part of the Total Force Marine 
Corps. As the Marine Corps transitions toward Naval Campaigning in 
response to Strategic competition, the Reserve Component continues to 
be an integral element of the planning effort. The Marine Corps' force 
development process is accomplished through deliberate integrated 
planning teams and comprehensive war games. The Marine Corps Reserve 
provides support to this force design effort, while remaining a vital 
global contributor in meeting Combatant Command requirements.
    Although significant adjustments to the Active Component forces 
continue, the redesign of the Reserve Component has yet to mature to 
the point of implementation. Currently, only the deactivations of 4th 
Tank Battalion, bridging units, VMU-4, and VMGR-452 have impacted the 
Marine Corps Reserve. The decision to deactivate Tanks and Bridges 
impacted the entire Marine Corps while the decision to deactivate VMU 
was specific to the Reserve Component.
    With each unit deactivation, whether a Marine is contractually 
obligated to serve or is no longer obligated, Personnel Transition 
Teams (PTTs) will travel to impacted locations to meet with each 
individual Marine in order to assist them in finding opportunities for 
continued service. As changes to the Reserve Component impact the 
physical location of Reserve units across the country, we will continue 
to actively analyze their efficacy to ensure that any and all unit 
relocations are analyzed in detail and driven by relevant qualitative 
and quantitative factors.
    The Reserve Component remains nested with all Service-related 
initiatives supporting Force Design 2030. As the Active Component 
evolves, so will the Reserve Component while also remaining ready and 
relevant to maintain its position as a vital contributor in support of 
Combatant Command requirements. Additionally, the Reserve Component, 
alongside Active Component planners, specifically II MEF, are working 
to design and mature the concept of Service Retained Forces in support 
of global crisis and contingency operations. The Service Retained Force 
concept provides an opportunity for the Reserve Component to remain 
relevant and ready and provides a clear role for Reserve Marines in the 
future force under Force Design 2030. This will include potential 
adjustments to the current capabilities and platforms within the 
Reserve Component that will ultimately serve to make a more lethal and 
capable Reserve Force.
Talent Management
    Earning victory in the increasingly complex and multi-domain 
warfighting realm of the future requires all Marines to achieve and 
maintain an advanced level of technical, intellectual, and physical 
capability and to operate comfortably in distributed and ambiguous 
environments. The Marine Corps of the future will require significantly 
more low-density/high-demand skillsets that are difficult to achieve 
and retain. To attain these Service objectives, the Marine Corps must 
leverage the Reserve Component to attract and retain diverse personnel 
with unique talent and skill. It must also provide a path to service 
that is more compatible for Reserve Marines who choose to maintain a 
civilian career concurrently with military duty. As the Active 
Component Marine Corps develops and implements new talent management 
and diversity objectives, policies, and programs, the Reserve Component 
offers the Service many unique opportunities to attract, recruit, 
identify, incentivize, and retain the most talented individuals across 
the Total Force. The Marine Corps Reserve is currently integrating with 
Active Component teams at Headquarters Marine Corps, Manpower and 
Reserve Affairs and Marine Corps Recruiting Command to ensure the 
Reserve Component is seamlessly integrated into all Service-level 
talent management efforts. A sample of Reserve Component officer 
billets will be included in the initial release and testing for the 
Marine Corps' Talent Management and Engagement Platform (TMEP). When 
this platform reaches full operational capability, TMEP will greatly 
enhance talent development, diversity, leadership development, and 
inclusion and equity throughout the Reserve Component. Moving forward, 
the Marine Corps Reserve will continue to develop innovative policies, 
pathways, and tools designed to capture, catalogue, and maintain 
visibility of our diverse pool of talent and ensure these Marines have 
a path for future service.
Conclusion
    As the operational environment continues to change, the Marine 
Corps Reserve will adapt and triumph over any challenges these changes 
may present. As a warfighting organization, the key to our success has 
been and will continue to be the individual Marines, Sailors, and their 
families. As part of the Total Force Marine Corps, the Marine Corps 
Reserve will continue to focus on force design, readiness, and manpower 
in the coming years to maintain and enhance our Service's ability to 
deter pacing threats as prescribed by the National Defense Strategy. 
Your Reserve Marines will continue to answer their ``irrational call to 
service'' and, with your continued support, we will remain ready. 
Semper Fidelis!

    Senator Tester. Thank you General Bellon.
    General Scobee.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL RICHARD W. SCOBEE, 
            CHIEF OF AIR FORCE RESERVE
    General Scobee. Chairman Tester, Vice Chairman Shelby, and 
distinguished members of the subcommittee, it is an honor for 
me to be here on behalf of the men and women of the Air Force 
Reserve.
    I am joined today by my Chief Master Sergeant Tim White, 
who is the Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Air Force Reserve.
    As a command team we are continually amazed at the 
accomplishments of our Reserve Citizen Airmen, as they rose to 
meet every challenge that emerged over this past year. The Air 
Force Reserve provides strategic depth with rapid surge 
capability across every Air Force Corps Mission set, because we 
are a predominantly a part-time force, we provide ready forces 
and an exceptional value to our taxpayers.
    We are accessible as a force, as evidenced by our daily 
contributions to global Joint Force Operations. We are 
committed to attracting top talent by fostering a culture of 
inclusion, where every airman can serve to their fullest 
potential. Over the past year we once again proved our ability 
to rapidly surge, and provide capacity on demand within 24 
hours of notification, Reserve Airmen answered the call to help 
evacuate our most vulnerable allies from Afghanistan.
    At the same time we also surged hundreds of airmen to 
support Afghan evacuees here in the United States, and within 3 
weeks Reserve Airmen worked with our interagency partners to 
provide for the basic needs of over 11,000 evacuees as part of 
Operation Allies Welcome.
    With appropriations from this committee we increased our 
organizational effectiveness; we enhanced our ability to 
provide excellent care for our Reserve Citizen Airmen, and 
their families. Our requested fiscal year 2023 budget, will 
ensure that the Air Force Reserve meets the priorities laid out 
by the National Defense Strategy, to succeed against pacing 
threats.
    We remain in lockstep with the Secretary of the Air Force's 
Operational Imperatives, as well as the Chief of Staff's vision 
to accelerate change or lose. We request resources from 
Congress which ready our Force to defend our Nation.
    Our Reserve Personnel Appropriations, and Operation, and 
Maintenance Funds drive our readiness. These accounts fund our 
training, our flying hours, mobilization requirements, 
equipment maintenance, and our salaries. We are particularly 
grateful for the additional funding in the fiscal year 2022 
Omnibus to offset increased fuel prices, and our facility 
sustainment, repair, and modernization projects.
    Achieving Total Force Readiness requires Total Force 
Investment in both personnel and equipment. We accomplish 
equipment parity through the National Guard and Reserve 
Equipment Appropriations, NGREA enables us to modernize our 
gear, sustain our capability, and replace obsolete equipment 
when we need to recapitalize it.
    Parity is critical to seamless Total Force integration, 
encountering those pacing threats outlined in the National 
Defense Strategy. We remain grateful for these appropriations, 
and cannot overemphasize how vital they are to our readiness. I 
appreciate your support for NGREA, now and in the future.
    Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today, 
and your steadfast support, as we ensure the Air Force Reserve 
is prepared to defend our great Nation.
    I look forward to answering your questions.
    [The statement follows:]
       Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General Richard W. Scobee
          air force reserve fiscal year 2023 posture statement
    As an integral component of the Total Force, the Air Force Reserve 
provides accessible and experienced surge capacity at a fraction of the 
cost of a standing force. We execute the full spectrum of Department of 
the Air Force (DAF) missions, providing strategic depth to deter our 
adversaries, defend Americans and our allies, and defeat emerging 
threats. Our credible deterrence is predicated on maintaining equipment 
parity across the total force to respond to pacing threats, while 
continuing to invest in our Reserve Citizen Airmen and their families. 
As an integral part of the Total Force, we are committed to the Chief 
of Staff's vision of Accelerate Change or Lose. We understand the need 
to make deliberate and aggressive changes to remain a viable Total 
Force in an era of strategic competition.
    Total Force operations require Total Force investments. As we face 
an increasingly lethal and more disruptive battlespace, combined across 
domains, and conducted at increasing speed and reach, the Air Force 
Reserve must be structured, trained, and equipped to respond. Long-term 
success in strategic competition requires continuous and predictable 
funding to modernize both nuclear and conventional forces to prevent 
further erosion of our military advantage.
    Because of Congress's hard work and support, we were able to 
aggressively pursue readiness as we continued training in the COVID-19 
environment. During the last year, we shifted our force's health 
readiness efforts to accelerate vaccine education and delivery while 
also expanding testing capability to support operations. The approval 
of our fiscal year 2023 budget request will enable us to continue 
building readiness and capabilities.
    During the last year, we accelerated the readiness of our nuclear 
deterrence forces and continued our focus on ensuring preparedness 
against pacing threats. We modernized key weapon systems and continued 
to close the gap on critical staffing shortfalls. We increased our 
organizational effectiveness and enhanced our ability to provide 
excellent care for our Reserve Citizen Airmen and their families while 
also working to bolster individual and organizational resilience.
    While we continue to prioritize readiness, we still face readiness 
and capability challenges. Our fiscal year 2023 budget request will 
enable us to enhance our full-time staffing, which is currently a 
challenge and conduct critical system upgrades on many of our aircraft 
to enhance our ability to provide combat-credible warfighting capacity 
to the Total Force in order to enable joint all-domain operations. 
Weapon system sustainment is essential for the continued operation of 
legacy platforms. Our request continues to address infrastructure and 
facilities requirements to optimize our training. Our fiscal year 2023 
budget request targets our most critical deficiencies and postures the 
Air Force Reserve to meet future operational requirements, prioritize 
modernization, enhance critical capabilities, and align our operational 
assets with emerging and evolving missions.
    The concurrent fielding, recapitalization, and divestment of 
airframes, systems, and equipment is essential to the AFR's ability to 
more effectively integrate within the Total Force. Because we are 
involved in every core Air Force mission set, every Regular Component 
initiative impacts the Air Force Reserve, including the SecAF's 
Operational Imperatives. Therefore, to remain viable contributors to 
joint operations, we must maintain equipment parity and 
interoperability as a Total Force.
    Reserve Citizen Airmen and their families are foundational to our 
readiness, operational capabilities, and success as an organization. 
Their diverse talent and depth of experience are a force multiplier and 
their dedication to our mission is second to none. The Chief of Staff's 
Action Order A: Airmen, recognizes the fundamental importance of 
continuing to provide excellent care to our Reserve Citizen Airmen and 
their families. It also underscores the imperative to ensure proper 
resourcing to continue developing our Airmen as individuals, technical 
experts, and leaders.
    Our fiscal year 2023 budget request supports our continuing efforts 
to implement the National Defense Strategy by making deliberate and 
impactful investments in readiness. The Air Force Reserve value 
proposition is simple: we provide experienced and accessible strategic 
capacity at a fraction of the cost. We will use requested funds to 
invest in the capabilities and training required to generate combat 
power for the future security environment. With the requested 
Congressional support, we will continue to organize, train, and equip 
our Reserve Citizen Airmen to remain a ready force to defend our Nation 
and its interests.
                          operational impacts
    The Air Force Reserve is a predominantly part time force. When 
mobilized, our Reserve Citizen Airmen provide full-time support to the 
Joint Force. In addition to our daily contributions to global 
operations, we provide rapid surge capability and strategic depth for 
national defense as an integrated Total Force, across all Air Force 
core functional areas and weapon systems. On average, over 6,000 
Reserve Citizen Airmen contribute to world-wide operations every day. 
Typically, approximately two-thirds of those Airmen are volunteers.
    Last year, the Air Force Reserve irrefutably demonstrated its 
readiness and accessibility with its contributions to Operation Allies 
Refuge (OAR) and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). On August 15, 2021, we 
received initial taskings to support OAR. On the same day, the first 
Reservists flew into Kabul as part of a Total Force crew. Over the 
course of the operation, the Air Force Reserve provided four C-17s and 
20 crews, along with three C-5s and five crews. In August alone, we 
supported 37 evacuation missions out of Kabul. Additionally, the Air 
Force Reserve provided a total of 519 personnel to support OAW as a 
part of Joint Task Force Liberty at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in 
New Jersey and Task Force Holloman at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB) in 
New Mexico. These Reserve Citizen Airmen provided for the basic needs 
of over 13,000 evacuees from Afghanistan, about half of whom were 
children.
    In addition to supporting global military operations, the Air Force 
Reserve partners with and supports multiple Federal and civil 
organizations and institutions. We routinely participate in 
humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and scientific research efforts. 
Last year, both our weather reconnaissance and Modular Airborne Fire 
Fighting System (MAFFS) units experienced their second highest response 
levels on record. We provided weather reconnaissance to cover 17 named 
storms and continued the emerging winter weather reconnaissance mission 
to collect Atmospheric River data on the West Coast in support of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in forecasting 
floods. Our aerial firefighting crews performed 929 drops, with over 
2.5 million gallons of fire retardant in response to the California 
wildfires. Finally, in fiscal year 2021, our Modular Aerial Spray 
System aircraft flew 13 sorties, providing adult mosquito control for 
over 900,000 acres in response to Hurricane Delta.
                            force structure
    Approximately 75 percent of Air Force Reserve members serve part-
time. In addition to their military training and experience, our part-
time force brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from the private 
sector to their military service. Over half of our force also brings 
extensive experience from the Regular Component. This strengthens our 
capabilities, enables the integration of commercial best practices, and 
facilitates beneficial partnerships with industry and other 
institutions. Many of our members have civilian careers similar to 
their military jobs, enabling them to bring breadth and depth to their 
military positions.
    Our ratio of full-time to part-time staffing is based on a Cold War 
force structure and operational tempo. Full-time Air Force Reserve 
personnel enable our readiness while bearing the brunt of increased 
operational tempo. Based on current mission, training, and readiness -
requirements, we aim with our request to increase full-time staffing 
relative to our end strength.
    Unit associations between geographically collocated Regular 
Component and Reserve units exemplify Total Force Integration. In this 
construct, equipment resources are officially assigned only to the lead 
unit but are shared between the lead and associate unit. Associations 
further enhance our interoperability and give the Active Component 
access to the experience resident in the more seasoned Reserve force. 
This ensures parity in equipment and training, while providing cost 
savings and readiness benefits to both components. There are 79 
associations between the Reserve and the Regular Components which span 
nearly every major mission set. Most of these are classic associations, 
in which the Regular Component is the lead organization. Active 
associations, in which the Reserve is the lead unit, comprise a little 
more than twelve percent of current associations.
    Air Force Reserve space professionals are critical to the U.S. 
Space Force (USSF), which cannot execute its current mission without 
our additional operational capacity. The 2022 NDAA directed the 
Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on the optimal organization for 
active and reserve components of USSF. The Air Force Reserve recognizes 
the importance of its space personnel to USSF's mission and will 
continue to organize, train, and equip its space professionals.
Mission Portfolios
    We provide daily operational support to the Joint Force, while 
maintaining a ready and accessible strategic force for sustained 
operations during major conflict or surge operations during unforeseen 
events, such as national disasters and contingencies. Our ability to 
meet current taskings and to supply strategic staffing reserve are 
predicated on equipment parity and our readiness. As an operational 
reserve, we must maintain our readiness to support present-day missions 
while aligning our capabilities to meet the intent of the National 
Defense Strategy and prepare for future requirements. To meet these 
requirements, we remain ready to decisively employ traditional 
capabilities, while continuing to modernize our equipment to deter and 
defeat pacing threats.
            Air Superiority
    Preserving the advantage in strategic competition requires 
generation of combat power in contested environments. Maintaining 
equipment parity with the Regular Component ensures assures the ability 
to match pacing threats. Legacy aircraft divestiture, delayed 
modernization programs, and limited delivery of replacement aircraft 
add substantial risk to the ability to sustain combat-credible air 
superiority and strategic surge capacity in the future. The Air Force 
Reserve's first unit-equipped F-35 wing at NAS Joint Reserve Base Fort 
Worth, Texas will conduct combat operations as a part of an Active 
Association. We currently execute F-35 combat operations through our 
Classic Association at Hill AFB, Utah. We conduct F-35 formal training 
at Luke AFB, Arizona and Eglin AFB, Florida through classic 
associations. We also perform operational test and weapons instructor 
course missions at Nellis AFB, Nevada through a classic association.
            Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)
    Our ISR enterprise is purposefully optimized to provide strategic 
depth and operational surge capacity in traditional and emerging 
mission sets. We continue to develop capabilities in areas to support 
the Joint Force while ensuring current mission sets provide decision 
advantage against pacing threats. Investments in the operational use of 
publicly available information, increased presence in battlespace 
characterization, and support to key capabilities such as nuclear, 
space, and cyber operations are integral in shifting to a focus on 
strategic competition.
    We continue to provide approximately 450 experienced pilots, sensor 
operators and intelligence Airmen to support Remotely Piloted Aircraft 
(RPA) operations across four associations. We will maintain our steady 
state and surge capacity for MQ-9 combat lines, as the Total Force RPA 
enterprise reorganizes to a leaner, more lethal force.
            Rapid Global Mobility
    Global power projection through rapid global mobility hinges on a 
robust airlift enterprise and the extended range provided by a modern 
aerial refueling fleet. The Air Force Reserve enables combat delivery 
through our strategic and tactical airlift fleets. We provide 65 
percent of the total aircrews and 100 percent of student aircrew 
training capabilities for the C-5 and 31 percent of aircrews for the C-
17. Air Force Reserve Command's (AFRC) C-5 and C-130H fleets continue 
to face sustainment challenges due to aging aircraft, diminishing 
vendors, and increased part costs. Additionally, each of our mobility 
platforms require continued investment in modernization to ensure 
survivability in contested environments.
    The Air Force Reserve air refueling fleet consists of seven unit 
equipped wings and four associate wings. In December 2019, our Unit 
Equipped wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, began 
its KC-46 airframe conversion and is expected to receive its final 
aircraft delivery and complete conversion in 2022. The Classic 
Associate unit at McConnell AFB, Kansas entered conversion in April 
2020 and is projected to reach Full Operational Capability in fiscal 
year 2023. Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in New Jersey entered 
conversion in Oct 2021 and has since taken delivery of its first two 
aircraft. Travis Air Force Base California will enter conversion in 
fiscal year 2023.
    We continue to focus on KC-135 survivability to enable operations 
in contested airspace. The first Air Force Reserve aircraft will begin 
datalink modification with ``Real Time Information in the Cockpit'' 
(RTIC) in July 2022. This modification increases the communications and 
information capabilities of the aircraft increasing its support 
capacity in a contested environment. Additionally, all KC-135 aircraft 
are scheduled to receive Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures 
hardwiring installs during their programmed depot maintenance.
    The Air Force Reserve remains committed to the KC-10 and its 
mission as long as it remains a part of the air refueling force. As the 
inventory is reduced, the Air Force Reserve will work with DAF to 
convert those units and ensure staffing meets follow-on mission needs.
            Nuclear Deterrence Operations
    Nuclear capability is foundational to national security. Our 
Nuclear Deterrence Operations assets include nuclear strike, air 
refueling, and nuclear command, control, and communications 
capabilities (NC3). To modernize our capabilities and maintain Total 
Force interoperability, we will equip all seven of our NC3 capable 
command posts with the new primary strategic communication system, the 
Global Aircrew Strategic Network Terminal, in fiscal years 2022 and 
2023. This system will replace legacy terminals that are based on 1990s 
technology. Additionally, our tanker wing at Beale Air Force Base 
achieved a key nuclear operational readiness milestone in fiscal year 
2021, after reactivating its tanker mission in fiscal year 2017.
            Command and Control (C2)
    Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) is the Department of 
Defense's top modernization priority. The Advanced Battle Management 
System (ABMS) is the Air Force's primary contribution to JADC2. To 
assure strategic depth, the Air Force Reserve must maintain equipment 
parity to achieve enterprise mission optimization as DAF fields new 
capabilities. This includes ensuring legacy platforms are equipped with 
ABMS capabilities to guarantee interoperability and lethality. C2 
interoperability is essential to ensuring ready and accessible 
capabilities. Additionally, as the Regular Component transitions from 
legacy airborne C2 platforms, associated reserve units should be 
appropriately resourced to concurrently train on these new platforms to 
maintain strategic depth.
            Cyberspace Operations
    Integrating cyber capabilities enhances our ability to generate 
combat power but exposes us to new threats, as digital technology is 
both pervasive and inexpensive. The Air Force Reserve is home to the 
only Total Force wing operating all six defensive cyber weapon systems, 
providing support directly to Air Forces Cyber, Sixteenth Air Force, 
and United States Cyber Command. We are posturing our forces to conduct 
cyberspace operations in the information environment by evolving our 
cyber mission portfolio and repurposing our cyber force to better 
defend against persistent threat actors.
            Special Operations Forces and Personnel Recovery
    The Air Force Reserve has one wing dedicated to personnel recovery 
and another multi-mission special operations wing. Both wings operate 
in low-density, high-demand environments. As the Regular Component 
fields new platforms and realigns missions, we will continue to provide 
support across the spectrum of these no-fail missions.
            Dominating Space
    The establishment of the United States Space Force (USSF) 
underscored the criticality of space operations to our national 
security. This point has been amplified by recent space weapons tests 
by our strategic competitors. The Air Force Reserve is a major 
contributor to space operations. In the last year, our personnel 
executed up to 30 percent of daily space missions directly supporting 
United States Space Command taskings. The Air Force Reserve will 
provide focused support to the USSF for the near term. Our space units 
will continue to integrate seamlessly with USSF for the foreseeable 
future.
                   readiness, training, and staffing
Flying Hour Program
    A fully funded flying hour program is essential to maintaining 
proficient combat-ready aircrews. In fiscal year 2022, AFRC's Flying 
Hour Program was funded at 86 percent of unit requirements. In previous 
fiscal years, we were able to offset shortfalls. However, due to 
improved pilot manning, unit airframe conversions, and a reduction in 
Overseas Contingency Operation funding, we may not be able to 
compensate for shortfalls. These shortfalls could result in some AFRC 
units facing ``stop-flying'' dates in late fiscal year 2022. 
Significant stoppages to flying hour programs will have pernicious 
effects on readiness by reducing pilot absorption, deferring 
maintenance, and delaying aircrew currency training. The fiscal year 
2022 Omnibus Appropriation provided an additional $51.4 million to 
offset significant increases in fuel costs, which has been beneficial 
in maintaining the flying hour program.
Exercise Planning
    Deterring and defeating pacing threats requires both modernized 
aircraft and trained personnel. As the Total Force implements the Chief 
of Staff's Action Order C: Competition, we will continue to remain 
focused on ensuring Reserve Citizen Airmen are ready to prevail in 
contested environments against peer competitors. To ensure we optimize 
investment in readiness, we have implemented a Deliberate Planning 
Exercises (DPEX) program. DPEX shifts from ad hoc exercise scheduling 
to a comprehensive centrally planned exercise program to schedule 
personnel for exercises in sync with Time Phased Force Deployment Data 
(TPFDD) requirements. DPEX optimizes readiness by using training 
resources to ensure units are participating in exercises to support 
specific areas of responsibility (AORs) as they prepare for deployment 
to those AORs, enhancing survivability, effectiveness, and lethality.
Force Health Readiness
    We established a dedicated Command Case Processing Division, which 
eliminated our backlog of medical standards adjudication packages and 
reduced decision times by 82 percent. We have also embedded 38 full 
time healthcare providers across our Aerospace and Operational Medical 
Units. These point of care providers have reduced local level case 
processing time by 90 percent and provided real time support to 
aeromedical and arming dispositions, short notice deployment 
assessments, and public health emergency responses.
    Over the last year, we accelerated COVID-19 pandemic response 
efforts for testing, vaccine education, and vaccine delivery. As we 
began mandatory vaccinations for our military members, we took 
purposeful steps to develop accommodation request processes to balance 
readiness requirements with individual beliefs and medical conditions. 
Each accommodation request was thoroughly reviewed by a team of 
chaplains, healthcare providers, and attorneys to provide approval 
recommendations to the commander. These processes were scaled and 
implemented as best practices across the Joint Force. To date, over 94 
percent of our military members and 95 percent of our civilian 
employees have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Full Time Staffing
    Adequate full-time staffing is vital to readiness. Our full-time 
force is a mix of Air Reserve Technicians (ART) and Active Guard 
Reserves (AGR). Our fiscal year 2023 budget request maintains our 
authorized end strength at 70,000, with 283 ART to AGR conversions to 
increase our full time position execution rates, predominantly 
targeting force support specialties. The ART to AGR conversion 
initiative is a multi-year effort, which began in fiscal year 2018. In 
fiscal year 2021, we executed 816 conversions, and we are progressing 
on our 725 conversions planned for fiscal year 2022. ART to AGR 
conversions address one of the root causes of ART vacancies. Junior 
workforce members often have difficulty demonstrating the sufficient 
experience required to be listed on a hiring certification for ART 
positions. AGR positions, with an effective off-ramp strategy, provide 
a way to gain sufficient experience to be considered for ART positions 
at the end of a three year AGR tour.
    In 2018, our ART staffing levels were at 74 percent, largely due to 
the highly competitive civilian job market. Direct Hiring Authority 
(DHA), which Congress granted, streamlined our hiring process, reducing 
onboarding timelines by up to 2 months. Additionally, special salary 
rates, as a part of a comprehensive human capital strategy, are poised 
to increase full-time maintenance overall staffing levels. Because of 
these measures, we achieved a 10-year high in ART staffing of 94.4 
percent in fiscal year 2021, closing a significant full-time staffing 
gap in 3 years.
    We are grateful to Congress for authorizing Tricare Reserve Select 
for military technicians and other Title 5 civilians who also serve in 
a Reserve Component. When enacted in 2030, this will serve as a 
significant retention tool, as it provides Reserve Component members a 
cost-effective option for obtaining premium healthcare for themselves 
and their families.
Pilot Staffing
    AFR provides a mechanism to retain talent by providing continued 
service options for members who would otherwise separate. DAF 
understands the importance of retaining experienced talent from both a 
cost-effectiveness and capacity perspective. During fiscal year 2021, 
we experienced a high of 94 percent overall pilot staffing. During 
Calendar Year (CY) 2021, civilian airline hiring nearly doubled 
industry projections, with CY 2022 projecting to be nearly double 
again. As a result, overall pilot staffing has already dropped to 90 
percent. For ART aviators, we offer recruitment, relocation, and 
retention incentives, which can equal up to 25 percent of annual base 
pay, and special salary rates which can equal up to 30 percent of 
annual base pay.
    Additionally, in fiscal year 2022, we are offering aviation bonuses 
up to $35,000 for priority units at critical manning levels. Each of 
these measures has been implemented to retain significant investments 
in training well-qualified pilots. While the overall Aviation Bonus 
Program cost has increased from $3 million in fiscal year 2017 to $31 
million in fiscal year 2022, this contributes to a cost avoidance of 
$10 billion in replacing the over 3,600 pilots in AFR.
End Strength
    In fiscal year 2021, we exceeded our end strength goal of 70,300, 
for the first time in 5 years. This allowed us to fully execute our 
Reserve Personnel Appropriation (RPA) budget. Reductions in RPA budget 
requests based on prior year under execution will adversely impact 
readiness. Additionally, declining affiliation rates from the Active 
Component drove an increased reliance on non-prior service recruiting 
to meet end strength, which increased annual training costs. We 
anticipate that a robust civilian job market and a decrease in 
propensity to serve will create a more challenging talent market.
    Since fiscal year 2017, we have experienced a steady increase in 
retention rates from 88.7 to 90.7 percent, which has contributed to our 
ability to make gains on end strength. Reducing attrition preserves 
readiness and provides cost savings by decreasing training 
requirements. We are presently targeting retention through bonuses and 
special salary rates, which offer a marked return on investment. A 
single $15,000 retention bonus results in a cost avoidance of roughly 
$45,000 in training funds and prevents an approximate three year 
readiness gap, which occurs while a replacement is trained.
                      equipment and infrastructure
Equipment
    Credible strategic depth requires concurrent fielding of systems 
for Active and Reserve Components. Effective support to the Joint Force 
demands continuous upgrades to legacy platforms to assure 
interoperability and combat effectiveness. Rapid technological 
advancement and the wide proliferation of digital technology have 
increased the tempo of strategic competition. These forces drive the 
need for continuous equipment modernization and equipment parity with 
the Active Component.
    In addition to concurrent fielding and recapitalization through 
modernization, the Air Force Reserve must be able to divest its 
obsolete legacy platforms. Deliberate divestment avoids gaps in 
critical capabilities and frees up resources for investment in 
capabilities to match pacing threats. Asynchronous airframe divestment 
can cause significant per platform sustainment cost growth due to 
diminishing vendors for spare parts. Further, it can also drive 
increased training costs as we are unable to hire qualified Regular 
Component members for obsolete legacy platforms.
Weapon System Modernization and Sustainment
    As new systems are brought online to enhance our combat 
capabilities, both the Regular and Reserve components will continue to 
rely on proven platforms in our inventory. Aircraft modernization and 
system upgrades will provide capabilities needed for strategic 
competition by ensuring survivability in contested environments. By 
right sizing the A-10 fleet, we will be able to reinvest personnel and 
operations and maintenance funds into platforms countering pacing 
threats.
    After decades of operating in permissive environments, we must be 
prepared to conduct logistics under attack. The C-5 and C-17 are both 
vulnerable to radar guided missile threats which would be mitigated by 
the installation of a layered defense and awareness suite. The 
installation of additional threat awareness and self-defense systems 
would provide further protection for these aircraft. Our KC-135 fleet 
is also scheduled to continue Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures 
modifications during programmed depot maintenance.
    In addition to modernization, many of our airframes require 
upgrades, repairs, and component replacements in order to maintain 
airworthiness and extend service life. For example, the C-5 fleet's 
engine replacement program and its upgraded instrumentation have made 
it a highly capable aircraft, but legacy structural and mechanical 
issues continue to drive down its reliability rates. Funding weapon 
system sustainment actions is critical to both our mission capability 
and aircraft availability rates. Maintaining a mission capable aircraft 
fleet is essential to meeting operational taskings and training our 
personnel.
    Weapon System Sustainment (WSS) funding is an investment in future 
readiness. We obligated over $703.6 million for WSS in fiscal year 
2021. Our fiscal year 2022 WSS appropriations are approximately $785 
million. We anticipate a significant increase in requirements as we 
face aging aircraft and increased labor and parts costs due to 
inflation. Our fiscal year 2023 budget requests $835.4 million in 
weapon system sustainment funds. The requested funds will provide 
needed upgrades to multiple Air Force Reserve platforms including 
investing in increased C-17 readiness.
Infrastructure and Facilities
    Maintaining and modernizing our infrastructure and facilities is 
critical to readiness, force protection, and ensuring a safe work 
environment for our Airmen. Military Construction (MILCON) 
appropriations fund new facilities and major infrastructure projects. 
The Facility Sustainment, Repair, and Modernization (FSRM) funds 
included in our O&M appropriation are used to repair and modernize 
existing facilities and to extend the service life of existing 
infrastructure. While we work diligently to maximize use of existing 
facilities at our nine host installations and fifty-seven partner 
locations, we still have $961 million in MILCON projects and $1.37 
billion in validated FSRM projects in backlog. The $30 million in 
additional FSRM funding in fiscal year 2022 will be invested in a 
myriad of urgent projects.
    During fiscal year 2021, we were able to complete $125 million in 
MILCON and FSRM projects at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station in 
Pennsylvania for our newest C-17 unit. We are working toward executing 
several projects included in the fiscal year 2022 MILCON appropriation 
to include: $33 million in funding for squadron operations and aircraft 
maintenance unit facilities at Beale Air Force Base in California, $29 
million for a logistics readiness complex at Grissom Air Reserve Base 
in Indiana, and an $8.7 million assault strip widening at Youngstown 
Air Reserve Station in Ohio. Future multiyear efforts will include 
beddown facilities for F-35s, KC-46s, MH-139s, and HH-60Ws.
              taking care of our airmen and their families
    Reserve Citizen Airmen are our most important investment. We 
continue our resolve to cultivate a culture where everyone can serve to 
their fullest potential while providing excellent care to both our 
Airmen and their families. These efforts include suicide prevention 
through investments in resilience, social support through the Yellow 
Ribbon Reintegration Program, working to implement the recommendations 
from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault, and removing 
significant barriers to service through childcare programs.
Culture
    Competitive pay and benefits are not enough to ensure the Air Force 
Reserve remains an employer of choice where Airmen choose to serve. 
Cultivating a culture where everyone is able to serve to their fullest 
potential is also essential. To that end, we remain committed to the 
Department of Defense's efforts to counter extremism within the ranks. 
Last year, we conducted Extremism Stand Down Days in accordance with 
the Secretary of Defense's guidance for over 75,000 personnel. 
Additionally, the AFRC Commander and Command Chief held town halls with 
all Air Force Reserve recruiters to emphasize the importance of their 
diligence as a first line of defense in preventing extremism within the 
ranks. As a Department of Defense leader in Diversity and Inclusion, we 
are committed to continuing to ensure every member of our team is 
valued by providing education and outreach at every reserve 
professional military education touchpoint to include command courses.
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR)
    For the second consecutive year, reports of sexual assault are 
projected to decrease. While a possible reduction in sexual assault is 
welcome news, any number greater than zero is unacceptable. We are 
working diligently with our Total Force partners to aggressively 
implement all of the accepted recommendations in the Secretary of 
Defense's Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault and 
Sexual Harassment. We are working to recruit, retain, and develop our 
full-time prevention workforce to ensure our prevention footprint is 
optimized to meet the unique needs of Reservists. We will also continue 
increasing efforts to educate our force on prevention and local area 
resources for survivors. Based on the IRC's recommendations, our 
Violence Prevention Integrators (VPIs) will focus on sexual assault 
prevention, allowing Sexual Assault Response Coordinators to focus 
exclusively on supporting survivors.
Suicide Prevention
    During CY 2021, we experienced half as many military suicides as in 
CY 2020. However, we had a concerning increase in suicides among our 
civilian workforce. We remain firmly resolved to preventing suicide 
across our workforce. Our suicide prevention efforts are along four 
lines of effort: building connections, detecting risk, promoting 
protective environments, and developing resilient Airmen and families. 
We have placed VPIs at each of our nine host base locations and NAS 
Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. VPIs focus primarily on preventing 
suicide, violence, and sexual assault. Based on the IRC's 
recommendations, having VPIs focus on training and prevention allows 
Sexual Assault Response Coordinators to focus solely on supporting 
survivors.
Personal Resiliency
    In fiscal year 2021, we completed the process of providing full-
time Religious Support Teams (RSTs) consisting of a chaplain and 
chaplain's assistant at each of our nine host installations and NAS 
Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. These RSTs fill a previously identified 
gap in care for Airmen and their families by providing spiritual 
support and liaising with helping agencies. Additionally, in fiscal 
year 2021, we hired 20 full-time First Sergeants to work directly with 
Airmen and their families to navigate helping agencies. We anticipate 
being able to place full-time First Sergeants at each of our wing and 
wing equivalent organizations by fiscal year 2024.
    The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is a vital resource for 
providing pre- and post-deployment education on mental health resources 
for Reservists and their families. Historically, the feedback for these 
events has been overwhelmingly positive, with 97 percent of attendees 
finding the events beneficial. Since March of 2020, 87 Yellow Ribbon 
in-person events have been cancelled due to COVID-19 safety concerns. 
During this time, we shifted to virtual events, which resulted in 
attendance dropping from 6,957 Reservists and family members in 2019 to 
704 in 2021. As we have returned to in-person events, we experienced 
increased participation rates. Given increased event costs due to 
increased travel and venue costs, demand for some events has exceeded 
capacity.
Childcare Benefits
    The Air Force Reserve has worked to ensure that childcare is 
available during training periods at no cost to parents through the 
Home Community Care (HCC) program. Many of our Airmen have gaps in 
childcare due to being single parents or dual military couples. Airmen 
who do not have another adult to provide childcare during training 
periods are eligible for the program. The HCC program addresses gaps in 
coverage at host locations without Child Development Centers and at 
Regular Component host facilities without weekend childcare options. 
Currently, the HCC is available or in progress at 41 Air Force Reserve 
locations, and is working to recruit providers by zip code. This 
program is vital to retention, as 50 percent of Reservists cite family 
and work/life balance issues as their reason for separating during exit 
surveys.
                                summary
    Our fiscal year 2023 budget request is carefully crafted to ensure 
equipment parity with the Regular Component, interoperability with the 
Joint Force, and readiness to support our partners in NATO and across 
the globe. We remain committed to the vision of the generational 
changes laid out in Accelerate Change or Lose with a dedicated focus on 
how the Reserve Component can best leverage its unique strengths as a 
Total Force partner to achieve the objectives outlined in the National 
Defense Strategy.
    This request will continue weapon system modernization, positioning 
our force to be more capable, survivable, and lethal while also 
enhancing support to our Airmen and their families. In an era of 
strategic competition and increased resource constraints, we will 
continue to provide strategic depth ready to meet pacing threats in the 
most cost-effective manner possible. Reserve Citizen Airmen will 
continue to leverage their unique blend of military and civilian career 
experience to bring outsized impact to pursuing the DAF's Operational 
Imperatives. With your continued support, we are confident the Air 
Force Reserve will remain prepared to deliver Airpower and Spacepower 
anytime, anywhere to fly, fight, and win.

    Senator Tester. Thank you, General Scobee. And I want to 
thank you all for your testimony.
    The first question I have is for all of you, and you can 
answer it in the order of opening statements. The Services are 
modernizing for near-peer fight, and each has its own set of 
force structure and investment priorities. What does the focus 
on China mean for the Guard and Reserve Force Structure, and 
your investment priorities?
    General Hokanson. Chairman Tester, Dan Hokanson, on behalf 
of the National Guard. Obviously, when we look at the threats 
that we face, the biggest thing we want to do is deter that so 
we do not get into a fight. And by having a modernized, 
relevant, and capable Reserve Component to augment our active 
forces, I think is perhaps one of the best deterrents that we 
have.
    Along those lines we just have to make sure that as we go 
through the modernization process of all of our services to 
make sure that our Reserve Components, particularly the 
National Guard, as the combat Reserve for the Army and the Air 
Force, that our equipment is deployable, it is sustainable, and 
it is interoperable on the battlefield.
    General Daniels. So again we also, the Army Reserve look at 
what that Force will be going forward into 2030 and to 2040. 
And we are working with our Combined Arms command to look at 
what capabilities and requirements we need to achieve to be 
able to sustain multi-domain operations out in the future.
    So we are looking very closely at information advantage as 
a capability that we need to develop. And we are also looking 
at protection formations, and what are the implications of 
those activities across the Army Reserve, as we look at those 
new forces, new structures, new capabilities, and the skills 
that our personnel need to have. And so we are intimately tied 
in with those conversations going forward, making sure that we 
modernize at the same pace as the active component along with 
their similar structures.
    Senator Tester. Admiral.
    Admiral Mustin. The Navy Reserve is in the midst of a 
massive transformation, and for the last 2 years we have been 
reevaluating every unit and every billet for its relevancy in a 
great-peer, great-power competition. What we found was the 
global war on terror, for 20 years, resulted in us optimizing 
for a land war where, as a Maritime Force, we need to redeploy, 
and rethink about how we apply our Reserve Force capacity and 
capability.
    To that end, we have divested about 8,000, or changed about 
8,000 billets from largely administrative or legacy structures 
to new capabilities that are specifically relevant to what we 
see in China and Russia. Those areas are Maritime Operations 
Centers, cyber, space, expeditionary maintenance, and 
expeditionary logistics.
    Additionally, we have invested in Navy Special Warfare to 
grow capability there as well. This is all done not from the 
Pentagon independently, but in conjunction with discussions 
with combatant commanders, and specifically our four-star fleet 
commanders to assess their needs specific to the warfighting 
expectations and operational plans.
    We are not done. We continue to execute the analysis, the 
audit, and the assessment of the relative value of every 
billet, knowing that every sailor is precious. But the key for 
us, and our lens here is, how do we maximize the return on 
investment for the taxpayers; to ensure that our sailors are 
ready, and they are ready to contribute on day one, if and when 
they are called upon?
    Senator Tester. Thank you. General.
    General Bellon. Senator, thank you for the question. I 
think the Marine Corps always looks at these problems through 
the same lens, lethality and survivability. And based on the--
already the testimony that has preceded me with the Commandant 
of the Marine Corps, through this committee, and others, you 
know, that we are repositioning ourselves to be located inside 
the weapons engagement zones of our adversaries in order to 
enable the Joint and Combined Force.
    What does that mean to the Reserves? That means that we 
have to maintain a pacing partner, that makes sure that our 
Reserve formations and individual marines are armed and 
equipped so that they are just as lethal as our--as the rest of 
the Force. So in this past year the Reserve Component has been 
married up with the Second Marine Expeditionary Force(MEF), and 
given the specific role of global contingency response.
    We have an active, working MEF that we are partnered with 
as we design the future force. The second thing I would draw 
your attention to is, in my opening comment, maneuverability. 
If you are inside the weapons basket of our adversaries, you 
have to be able to maneuver. Maneuver to get off our own shots, 
maneuver to survive, maneuver to sustain, maneuver to CASEVAC, 
MEDEVAC. And I believe that in the future the Reserve Component 
of the Marine Corps could take a lead in converting structure 
to near coastal, and riverine maneuverability for strike, 
survival, and sustainment.
    Senator Tester. General.
    General Scobee. Chairman Tester, I think what you have 
asked is a key question here. And I would say, in the Air 
Force, we have really endeavored to join as the three 
components: The Reserve, with the National Guard, and with the 
Active Component, to ensure that we are coming up with a Force 
structure that is modern and equipped to meet the needs of the 
National Defense Strategy, especially against the pacing threat 
by China.
    I think this has been one of the things that we have really 
worked hard to do, ensuring the Reserve has the strategic depth 
that we need in order to surge to fight the wars the American 
people need us to fight, has been the key to that. And what we 
are looking at is; what weapon systems will be needed as we go 
forward? What legacy weapon systems do we need to keep as we 
are going forward in order to have the capacity we need? And 
how do we balance those things with the need for modernization?
    So what we are endeavoring to do is ensure that the force 
structure that we bring in the Air Force Reserve is 
synergistic, with the other two components to meet those needs.
    Senator Tester. Senator Shelby.
    Senator Shelby. Thank you, again, Mr. Chairman.
    General Hokanson, as migrant numbers are increasing, the 
Department of Homeland Security recently requested even more 
manpower and resources from DOD (Department of Defense) to fill 
capability gaps at the southwest border. You are very familiar 
with this. What risk are you assuming in your equipment, your 
training, and operations, as you provide this support for DHS 
(Department of Homeland Security)?
    General Hokanson. Vice Chairman Shelby, when we look at the 
National Guard presence on the southwest border, we were able 
to reduce those on Title 10 from 3,000 last year to 2,500 this 
year. And then of course there is a separate Operation Lone 
Star by the State of Texas, which has just about 6,000. So the 
concern that we always have there is this does add PERSTEMPO 
(Personnel Tempo) to our personnel, and also as a primarily law 
enforcement function, it does have an impact on the readiness 
of our forces.
    Senator Shelby. There have been many references in the news 
about the border mission causing extremely low morale in 
Service members, in the Guard, and there are reports of an 
increase in suicide among Guardsmen. What is the Guard's 
assessment of this, if you have done this? And what is the 
Guard planning to do to address this problem, because it is 
becoming a problem?
    General Hokanson. Vice Chairman Shelby. So for the soldiers 
on the southwest border under Title 10, they fall under U.S. 
Northern Command as you know. And so we work very closely with 
U.S. Northern Command. Anytime we hear instances of low morale, 
or concerns with those units, and we work with that 
headquarters, basically, to adjudicate those.
    And we also encourage our Adjutants General who have 
soldiers along the border to go visit them, and identify first-
hand any additional resources that they can provide, or that 
they may need. And then to make sure that NORTHCOM (U.S. 
Northern Command) is aware of that so that they can provide 
those.
    With respect to Operation Lone Star, I would really have to 
defer to the State of Texas, as it falls under the governor 
there. But obviously, sir, I am very concerned about the morale 
of every single one of our soldiers and airmen, and we will do 
everything we can at the national level to support any needs 
that they have.
    Senator Shelby. Thank you. I will propound this to all of 
you. The Guard and Reserves are often the last service 
components to field new equipment, platforms, and you tend to 
receive less in the President's budget for procurement, than 
others, on upgrades.
    Can each of you identify critical equipment platforms that 
need urgent upgrades and modernization that are currently 
unfunded? Also, how do you plan to mitigate any risk associated 
with budget gaps in these platforms?
    General, we will start with you.
    General Hokanson. Yes. Vice Chairman Shelby, if I could 
pick one field, I would say the fighter fleet that we have in 
the Air National Guard, we have got six squadrons of F-15 Cs 
and Ds, which need to be replaced, and seven squadrons of the 
pre-block F-16s, the older ones.
    In the National Guard we have 25 fighter squadrons, and I 
think our Nation needs every single one of those. So it is 
important that we identify really a way forward to recapitalize 
those fleets with newer aircraft so they can continue to 
provide really 30 percent of the Air Force's air capability.
    Senator Shelby. And the next generation too, right?
    General Hokanson. Yes, sir, absolutely. When we look at the 
future threat environment, we want to make sure that, number 
one, we can meet everything we are being asked to do, but then 
we can also operate on that battlefield successfully to fight 
and win.
    Senator Shelby. General Daniels, you are on.
    General Daniels. I would say that there are three key 
capabilities that that we would seek additional funding. And 
that would be for Mission Command, or communication systems, to 
ensure interoperability with the Active Component in the Guard. 
Our next need would be what we call field logistics or liquid 
logistics, so that would be fuel handlers, and/or water 
purification systems. And then the third capability would be in 
tactical vehicles.
    Senator Shelby. What about Corps, sir?
    General Bellon. Sir, I think to answer your question, I 
would have to say--I mean, think about what our actual 
priorities are, which is the individual sons and daughters, 
moms and dads, that make up the Corps. So the very first 
priority would have to be individual combat equipment, which is 
the very body armor that they wear on their body, their night 
vision, all the things that make them survivable and effective 
as individual warriors.
    The platforms that they will man are important too, that 
has got to be the priority. As far as new capabilities, back to 
my previous statement, I think coastal, near coastal and 
riverine maneuver platforms, small craft.
    Senator Shelby. Admiral, what about the Navy?
    Admiral Mustin. Without question, my number one priority is 
the recapitalization of our C-130 fleets. On average, the 
aircraft that we have in theater now----
    Senator Shelby. Tell us how important is that--to the 
committee, how important is that?
    Admiral Mustin. There is no active duty counterpart to what 
we do in the Reserve force. So that is our intra-theater lift. 
So certainly working with the Air National Guard, the Air 
Force, were able to get from CONUS into theater, whether that 
is in the EUCOM area or INDOPACOM. Once there, however, 
transition to strike groups, and distributed U.S. Navy assets 
are impossible without C-130s.
    And so we have got C-40s, smaller capability but if we want 
to transfer an F-35 engine, we have got to have the C-130s. We 
have got a robust fleet, 12 squadrons, but they are on average 
three decades old. And so our mission capable rates are lower, 
and we struggle to maintain them given that we are the only 
Service, Active or Reserve, to continue to fly what is called 
the Tango Variant.
    So that is my number one priority. And the incessant demand 
from not only our fleet commanders, but combatant commanders 
drives my urgency to recapitalize there. On a related note, 
however, the Navy Reserve also provides all of the adversary 
air squadrons. And so, I use NGREA to modernize our F-5 
squadrons, and our new F-16s to enable them to do, not only 
low- to mid-level threat replication, but also mid to high 
levels.
    So those two areas are my primary drivers. And I would 
offer one final one is the----
    Senator Shelby. Thank you.
    Admiral Mustin [continuing]. We are also recapitalizing now 
our 40-foot patrol boats, which is our Expeditionary Combat 
Command capability.
    Senator Shelby. General Scobee, the Air Force.
    General Scobee. Vice Chairman Shelby, I would say that 
General Hokanson hit it on the head when he was talking about 
our legacy systems, especially in the F-16. It will be the same 
for the Air Force Reserve. We are tied very closely with the 
Air National Guard when it comes to legacy platforms.
    But it is also making sure that our C-130Hs are upgraded. 
And Admiral Mustin said it exactly right, those are the things 
that we are trying to do for all of our legacy systems. And we 
have been very successful using NGREA for that.
    And then I would say after that, it is ensuring that we are 
in--you know, we have parity with the communications suites 
that we need, tactical data link, and then also our defensive 
system upgrades. That is where we are going to put our 
emphasis.
    Senator Shelby. In the area of recruitment and retention, 
and I will try to be brief, my time is running thin here, with 
the Chairman's indulgence. There is a nationwide workforce 
shortage as we know, and the services are seeing an all-time 
low recruiting numbers, which we know can affect readiness.
    It doesn't seem, at the moment, that incentive pay is doing 
enough to solve the problem. We have gone through COVID, we 
have gone through other things. That is a big challenge for 
you, isn't it General? How can we help?
    General Hokanson. Vice Chairman, as you said, it is a very 
difficult environment now. A lot of competitors for the young 
men and women that we are trying to bring into the organization 
are offering a lot of the benefits that, historically, only we 
provided. What we have found, however, is there is no 
replacement for having the right number of recruiters, and 
coming out of the COVID environment, where after the past 2 
years it is been difficult to have face-to-face interactions, 
we are getting our recruiters back out there.
    It is a tough environment. The number of folks, even 
eligible to enter the military, has decreased over time. And so 
for us we are looking at incentivizing our recruiters to do 
that. But also looking at the right bonuses to bring people in, 
but most importantly, it is having the right number of 
recruiters so that they can get out there, identify, and have 
the conversation----
    Senator Shelby. You have got to look for the right people 
though, haven't you?
    General Hokanson. Yes, sir, absolutely.
    Senator Shelby. Number one.
    General Hokanson. Have got to find the right people.
    Senator Shelby. My last question is the State Partnership 
Program. I know it is a big priority for the--you know, it is 
an unfunded priority for the Guard. Can you tell us how 
additional funds will be utilized? And can you explain how the 
program can provide support to the Eastern European countries 
to help with the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine? General, you 
will----
    General Hokanson. Yes, Vice Chairman. So when we look at 
the State Partnership Program, we do have, I believe, about the 
right amount of funding. What we do run into is the 
flexibility, because sometimes if the appropriation comes late 
we have to execute it within that fiscal year, and sometimes a 
lot of the countries that we work with don't have that 
flexibility, because their fiscal year is a little bit 
different than ours.
    So any flexibility we could get on that funding to go 
through the fiscal year, to meet the intent of the 
appropriation that you give us would be extremely beneficial to 
us and our partners.
    Senator Shelby. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your 
indulgence.
    Senator Tester. Senator Shaheen.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to 
each of you for your testimony this morning, and for your 
service to the country. And to all of our members of the 
Military who are here this morning, thank you very much.
    General Hokanson, I know you were just at the Air National 
Guard Base in New Hampshire, at Pease, and we very much 
appreciated your visit. I don't know if this issue came up, but 
it has certainly come up in the community. As you are probably 
aware, the former Pease Air Force Base had a lot of PFAS 
(Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) contamination.
    The Air Force, General Scobee and General Hokanson, has 
been very good in working with the community of Portsmouth to 
address that PFAS. But I am troubled because we put a provision 
in the defense bill last year that has been interpreted by the 
Department of Defense to limit the disclosure that they provide 
to communities about PFAS contamination. And I don't believe 
that was the intent of the committee when we passed that, and 
it has created real concerns for the community.
    Do you have any idea when DOD is going to issue guidance 
about what is going to be allowed with respect to disclosure?
    General Hokanson. Senator Shaheen, not specifically. I know 
with respect to Pease, the Air Force BRAC (Base Realignment and 
Closure) Office is working on that, and I know they are in the 
investigative phase right now. But the concern that we have 
within the National Guard, specifically, is we need access to 
the DERP (Defense Environmental Restoration Program) funding, 
the emergency response funds, because if we don't have that 
then it causes us to utilize our operations and maintenance 
funding which has a significant impact on our readiness.
    So we obviously want to work very closely with the Air 
Force on this to ensure that we are good neighbors to our 
communities, and we will continue to follow up with that 
particularly related to Pease Air Force Base.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you. I think that the transparency 
piece is really important also, to reassure communities that 
are affected so that they don't lose trust in their military 
partners on those bases. Thank you.
    One of the things I think you may also have heard when you 
were at Pease, was the partnership that they have with Delta 
Airlines with respect to the KC-46 and maintenance. Can you 
talk about why that is helpful, and whether that has any 
potential to service a model for other Guard bases, or other 
efforts to address the challenges with the KC-46?
    General Hokanson. So ma'am, anytime we can partner with 
industry and our partners actually within the State, it 
benefits both of our organizations, particularly at Pease, when 
you look at the civilian support for some of our aviators, that 
they fly the KC-46, and also with the airlines, it gives them a 
great benefit. And also we can learn from each other.
    And so in many cases, we are operating the same platforms, 
in this case it benefits both of us. And we want to work 
together whenever we can, because I think it makes us both 
better.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Admiral Mustin, you talked 
about the importance of budget certainty. I think you also 
mentioned that, General Scobee, in your remarks. Can you talk 
about the challenges that it creates for you, Admiral Mustin? 
And I am going to ask each of you to respond to this, when you 
don't know what is going to happen with the budget, and you are 
not sure about your appropriation?
    Admiral Mustin. Yes, Senator. Thank you for the great 
question. The reality is, like each of the other components, we 
wrestle with the unknown as it relates to predictable funding. 
So we create what we believe to be an adequate reflection of 
the consumption, or the obligation of funds, and that is a 
direct reflection to the operations of our force.
    When either we operate in a continuing resolution, meaning 
no new starts, no new contracts, it pressurizes the back half 
of the year, in that we may get a full year's funding with only 
6 months to execute. In many cases it is unexecutable. And so 
we hate to then show up at the end of the fiscal year and say, 
we have got money that we could not obligate.
    On the other hand, we want to ensure that we maximize the 
utility of every dollar available, and we have got many 
talented citizen sailors who want to do more service, and yet 
when we are unable to offer that to them, because we have 
uncertainty with the budget, it results in a lack of readiness 
for us.
    Senator Shaheen. General Scobee, do you want to add to 
that?
    General Scobee. Senator, thank you. You know, in addition 
to what Admiral Mustin said, it is also the fact that we will 
be out of step with where we have transitioned our Force. For 
instance, every year we try to maximize our Force and put the 
jobs and people in places that that the country needs us.
    So as we go from year to year, they may be, when they 
should have been technicians, we might have them as traditional 
reservists, and vice versa. So the money is not where it needs 
to be for execution in that year, and it causes us to slow 
down, either hiring, or slow down the ability to get after the 
missions we are trying to get after.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you. My time is up. I am sure 
everybody would like to weigh in on this question, but is it 
fair to say--and you can just nod your head--that you can't be 
as effective and as efficient as you would like to be if we 
can't get our act together here in Congress, and get you the 
budget that you need to operate?
    [All Witnesses] (Nodding affirmatively).
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Thank you for that question, Senator 
Shaheen. Senator Moran.
    Senator Moran. Chairman Tester, Thank you.
    Let me start with General Hokanson. And I am going to try 
to go quickly. I have no chance for a second round this 
morning, so I am going to try to get all my questions in the 
first round.
    General Hokanson, we had a conversation last year, about 
this time, in this type of hearing, and you expressed support 
for establishing a cybersecurity pilot program that would 
partner the National Guard with industry, academia, and State 
and local government to work on our critical infrastructure; I 
worked to secure $10 million in the 2022 Defense Appropriations 
to enable the Guard to implement that pilot program.
    But it is my understanding that there has been--I would 
categorize this--as little accomplished since then. But could 
you tell me what the problem is, and what needs to be done to 
get this off the dime?
    General Hokanson. Yes, Senator Moran. So when I look at 
where we are with our cyber, within each of our 54 National 
Guards, we did a pilot a few years ago called the Cyber Mission 
Assurance Team, and we learned a lot of lessons from that. But 
what we found is we didn't have the force structure, but we had 
a small defensive cyber element in each State.
    So we actually got with USCYBERCOM (U.S. Cyber Command) to 
realize, how can we best improve and help each of our States 
with their resiliency? And so we created four, what are called 
cyber mission elements, and for lack of a better term, it is 
the basic building block for all cyber elements that are in the 
Department of Defense.
    And we have got four States working at that right now. And 
what we are trying to do is make sure that we have the 
authorities to utilize that funding in those four States, to 
see how they connect with industry, and with private 
organizations also within the State to make sure they can 
utilize that, but also stay within their authorities.
    And we are learning a lot, as we have in the election 
support in 2016 and 2018, and we are looking to also do that 
this year as well. And we are also leveraging what we have 
learned from our responses to, in Louisiana as an example, to 
one of the school districts that was hit, and then also some of 
the counties in Texas as well.
    So what we are doing, so it is, we are learning from what 
we have, but we want to make sure that we have the authorities 
to utilize that resourcing for what it was intended to do.
    Senator Moran. When do you expect that you would have an 
understanding of the answer to that?
    General Hokanson. Well, sir, this is ongoing. We plan to 
field all 54 by 2024. And so I am hoping that we get that stuff 
as quickly as possible, because we want to make sure every 
resource that is made available to us that we can actually 
implement and learn from.
    Senator Moran. And the resources that were made available 
to you in the Defense Appropriation Bill of last year, they are 
still of value to you?
    General Hokanson. Yes, sir, absolutely.
    Senator Moran. Again, General Hokanson. It is my 
understanding that the eight Army National Guard divisions have 
the same capabilities as Active Army components; however, I 
recently learned that the National Guard does not have the same 
amount of divisional intelligence surveillance and 
reconnaissance assets as the active component such as the Gray 
Eagle.
    It seems to me that those are important assets, or we put 
our Guard at greater risk in their absence. What can we do to 
fix this problem? When do you expect the eight Army National 
Guard units to receive the MQ-1C Gray Eagle?
    General Hokanson. Sir, you hit a great point there as our 
Army National Guard divisions, all eight, have to look exactly 
like their active duty counterparts, so we are interoperable on 
the battlefield. We are working very closely with the Army on 
that equipment that is in the active divisions, that is 
currently not in the National Guard, specifically to the Gray 
Eagle. There is the Gray Eagle, and then the extended range one 
as well.
    What we want to make sure is what the Army is planning to 
go to is incorporated into the National Guard as much as 
possible so we don't have legacy systems that are outdated. And 
so we are working very closely with the Army and their 
acquisition process to make sure whatever the Army is going to 
look like, the National Guard divisions look exactly the same.
    Senator Moran. And the Army is supportive of that outcome?
    General Hokanson. Well, sir, I would have to look at 
exactly what their program is. But I know that they have them 
in their organizations right now, and so that is something that 
we will want as long as they have them.
    Senator Moran. Thank you. General Scobee, I was going to 
ask you a question, but I don't think I have time. But I would 
thank you for your service, and I look forward to shaking your 
hand to express that in a more personal way than across the 
room.
    I want to get a final question in. In fiscal year 2021, 
NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), that bill included 
language that I introduced with Senator Udall, now Ambassador 
Udall, called the Mothers of Military Service Leave Act, known 
as the MOMS Act. It was designed to ensure that women serving 
in the National Guard and Reserve Components can take maternity 
leave without worrying about negatively impacting the credible 
Military Service that they are earning.
    The law required that this legislation be enacted within 
180 days after the enactment of NDAA. I am told that the Army 
has issued a policy on this, and that none of the other 
services have. I have asked for an update on implementation and 
have not received a briefing; my staff has not received a 
briefing.
    Can you provide me an update of where your Service stands 
in implementing this? And General Hokanson, have you spoken to 
Secretary Austin, or other services about this? And can you 
answer why it hasn't been implemented to support the wellbeing 
of our female Military Service members?
    General Hokanson. Yes, Senator Moran. We have provided 
input to OSD (Office of the Secretary of Defense) on the 
implementation of this, and I know that there is a draft out 
there. We are just waiting for OSD approval so that we can then 
implement that as quickly as possible.
    Senator Moran. Let me ask your colleagues at the table 
where they are on this topic?
    General Bellon. Sir, I guess I will go ahead and start. As 
always, we are ready to execute orders as soon as they come 
from the Department.
    Senator Moran. So this is not a branch issue, this is a 
Department issue?
    General Bellon. We are simply waiting for the alignment of 
policy and orders.
    Senator Moran. I know you are not going to place the burden 
on anyone. You are waiting?
    General Bellon. Yes, sir.
    General Daniels. So for the Army Reserve, as a part of the 
Army we implemented a policy we took it to OSD, have them bless 
off on the language. They approved of it. And so we went 
forward and started to execute.
    Senator Moran. Thank you.
    Admiral Mustin. The Navy is wildly supportive of the MOMS 
Act. And I appreciate your introduction of that language, 
specifically. We also, however, are waiting for the Policy 
Division to approve it. Once approved, the Navy is ready to 
execute.
    Senator Moran. Thank you.
    General Scobee. Senator Moran, we are in the same boat. 
Once the OSD Policy is approved, we are ready to implement.
    Senator Moran. I will change my questioning to a different 
panel. Thank you.
    Senator Tester. Senator Baldwin.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Chairman Tester.
    General Hokanson, you stated in your written testimony that 
over 60,000 Guard Members do not have health insurance, and 
that is roughly 16 percent of the Guard. In response to 
questions that Senator Collins and I asked in this 
subcommittee, the Defense Health Agency is on record agreeing 
that healthcare coverage is really a readiness issue, for the 
total force.
    I am planning on introducing legislation that would expand 
TRICARE Reserve coverage to all members of the Reserve. We 
could make this happen for less than a 3 percent increase in 
funding for the Reserve Component Personnel accounts. Can you 
explain why this initiative - what this initiative would do for 
the National Guard?
    General Hokanson. Yes, Senator Baldwin. And thank you for 
that. When I visit the 54, and visit our States, and talk to 
the family members, one of the most important concerns they 
have is healthcare, and especially even more lately as we look 
at the impacts of inflation.
    But when I look at what we have asked our Guardsmen and 
Reservists to do over the last 2 years, you know, we talk about 
the Fight Tonight Force, you have got to be able to ready to 
go.
    When we look at COVID, and our requirement to ask Guardsmen 
and Reservists to come on duty almost immediately, one of the 
key things there is, they have to be medically ready to do 
that. And any way that we can ensure all of them have access to 
preventative care so they are always ready to go. But also 
mental healthcare. As we have seen, there are some concerns 
there as well. Anything we can do to ensure that they have that 
access, and they can afford it, then it is really important. It 
will make a huge impact to our readiness.
    Senator Baldwin. Yes. I am glad you brought up mental 
healthcare. The Wisconsin Guard experienced a tragic string of 
deaths by suicide last year, which highlighted the need for 
mental healthcare in the Guard. This year I am requesting an 
increase--increased funding for the Guard to hire additional 
mental health providers. What impact would more providers have 
on mental health readiness in the Guard? And how many providers 
do we need to guarantee an adequate patient-to-provider ratio?
    General Hokanson. So Senator, when we look at our mental 
health professionals right now, we could use, about, to double 
where we are at for a total of about 450. And through our 
analysis, that would be roughly two per Wing, and one per 
Brigade.
    Where that benefits the Force is access to where our 
soldiers and airmen know someone that they can go to, and they 
can have those conversations. Or it is somebody that can 
continue to provide information briefs and access, or tell 
people what services are available to them. And we don't ever 
know what the exact solution is, but the more conversations we 
have, and the more accessible that is, I think it is definitely 
going to make a difference.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you. General Daniels, I want to 
commend you and the Army Reserve for your outstanding support 
to Operation Allies Welcome at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin.
    I had the opportunity to witness, firsthand, the great work 
the men and women of the Army Reserve did in support of our 
Afghan partners during a visit to Fort McCoy last September.
    With that mission now complete, do you have the resources 
you need to restore Fort McCoy facilities back to full 
operational capacity? And will additional MILCON (Military 
Construction) funding at Fort McCoy, this year, assist with 
those efforts?
    General Daniels. So thank you for the additional MILCON 
funding that we received this past year. That will actually 
help us convert some of those World War II barracks into more 
modernized training facilities.
    We have received approval to use the OHDACA (Overseas 
Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid) funds to help us do 
restoration of our existing facilities that were used, had a 
lot of wear and tear on them, a lot of throughput, that they 
were sort of not conditioned to having that volume at that that 
length of time. So any additional funds will continue to 
modernize those Reserve wooden barracks into something more 
modern. So thank you.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you. And General Hokanson, regarding 
PFAS remediation, what does the National Guard need in order to 
get equal access to the Defense Environmental Restoration 
Program funding? And how can we assist you in that process?
    General Hokanson. So Senator Baldwin, the key there is just 
for us to have the authorities to access that funding. As I 
mentioned earlier, if we don't have access to that we have to 
come up with the funding somewhere, and so we will have to draw 
from our readiness accounts which has a significant impact on 
our readiness. And really all we are asking for, is to be 
treated the same as everyone else.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Senator Tester. While Senator Hoeven gets set up, I just 
want to follow up on a question that the Ranking Member asked, 
and real quickly. I believe the question was asked about, what 
does your budget not do adequately? And just to list the first 
one: Guard was F-16s, Army was communications interoperability, 
these were just the first ones, and you listed several more 
than that. Marines was body armor, Navy was C-130, Air Force 
was F-16s again.
    I just want to go back and revisit this, because I think 
this is really an important point. Is what you are saying, that 
the budget that is being presented today does not address those 
issues adequately?
    General Hokanson. Chairman Tester, with respect to the Air 
National Guard, we have identified to the Air Force, on their 
unfunded priority list, not only the F-16s but also our F-15 
fleet, the need to recapitalize with new airframes those, all 
of those squadrons.
    Senator Tester. Okay.
    General Daniels. So the Army's budget is aware, and it is 
tracked over time. We are looking to make that perhaps be a 
little bit closer to the left than to the right.
    Senator Tester. Okay.
    General Scobee. Chairman, the weapon system sustainment is 
absolutely the thing that is our top of our unfunded request.
    Senator Tester. Yes. Okay.
    Admiral Mustin. C-130s are on the Navy's unfunded priority 
list.
    Senator Tester. Okay. Gotcha.
    General Scobee. And the Service is aware of the ICE 
shortfall for the Reserves.
    Senator Tester. Thank you all very much.
    Senator Hoeven.
    Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Chairman.
    General Hokanson, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle. You and I have 
talked about it before. It is a mission that you all have to 
support the Military--our Army with that mission. But you don't 
currently have any of your Guardsmen that actually have that 
system, and train on it, and operate on it. And we all know how 
active you are these days, and everything we do. And it is just 
amazing. And you do, of course, an incredible job. So I guess, 
what about, don't you need to be training on this system if you 
are going to actually utilize it in combat which is, in fact, 
the case?
    General Hokanson. Yes, Senator Hoeven. So when we look at 
the eight divisions in the Army National Guard, our goal is 
they look exactly like their active component divisions, so 
they are interoperable on the battlefield or whenever our 
Nation needs them. And as you mentioned the Gray Eagle is one 
of the capabilities that currently exists in the active 
component.
    We are working very closely with the Army when we look at 
not only the Gray Eagle, but the extended range version of the 
Gray Eagle to make sure if the Army acquires more, that we have 
those integrated in the National Guard divisions as well, 
because we think it is absolutely important. And so we are 
working with them very closely to see what decisions are made 
to make sure that we are part of that process.
    Senator Hoeven. But you do need to have that system in the 
Guard with an established training for it, don't you?
    General Hokanson. Yes, sir. If the intent is to implement 
those across the entire Army, we absolutely need those in our 
formations, and as you said, we need to train in those so that 
we are ready to use them when they are needed.
    Senator Hoeven. Yes. That is vitally important. That is how 
we do it with all of our weapons systems, and rightly so.
    I want to ask you about the MQ-9 Reaper conversion. As you 
know, we have had that mission with the Hooligans at Fargo. Our 
Guard in Fargo shifted from the F-16 to the originally--
Predator, now Reaper. But given that they have had that mission 
now for, I lose track, a long time, one of the first to get it, 
may be the first Guard Unit to get it, and they have very good 
clients, they need the Block 5, so I want to know that that you 
have arrangements to make sure that they continue in the Block 
5.
    General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. We are working very closely 
with the Air Force to ensure that all of our systems stay 
current, particularly when you look at the demand for ISR 
(Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) globally, it 
is very, very important. And so we want to work to make sure 
that the Air Force modernize our fleet so we continue to 
perform those missions that we are being given.
    Senator Hoeven. Good. And then you participated in a 
Dynamic Force Employment Exercise in March, can you tell me 
what specifically you learned in regard to--and utilized the 
MQ-9 in that exercise, tell me how that worked, and what you 
learned from it?
    General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. I would have to follow up 
with the State to see how it actually worked, but I know that 
the intent all along was that our units are capable of dynamic 
force employment, to show that the Guard readiness levels are 
the same as their Active Duty counterparts. And when asked to 
do those mission sets, we can perform them seamlessly. And so I 
will follow up with the Adjutant General, Alan Dohrmann, to get 
the after-action review of that.
    Senator Hoeven. Thanks General. Line of Communications 
Bridge, we included some language in the last year's MILCON 
approps bill in regard to the Guard establishing a dedicated 
training pipeline for the Line Of Communications Bridge. So can 
you provide me with an update on that?
    General Hokanson. Senator, I will have to get back with you 
on that specific one, due to the level of details that need to 
be provided related to that.
    Senator Hoeven. Okay. If you would do that I would very 
much appreciate it. I guess the last issue is just access to 
mental health counselors for Guardsmen and Reservists. And I 
would start with you, General, but anybody that wants to kind 
of weigh in on that one, in terms of what you are doing in that 
area?
    General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. That is very important to 
us. And when we look at where we are today our desire would be 
to basically double it to about 450 mental health professionals 
across our formations, which we feel would be a good way to 
provide access to all of our both Army and Air Guardsmen. 
Because we think any time we have a greater opportunity for 
them to have someone to go to, also to inform them, and make 
them aware of what systems, and what programs are available to 
help them, I think it, you know, we don't know how big of a 
difference it will make, but I am sure it will make a 
difference.
    Senator Hoeven. Yes, and anyone else who wanted to.
    General Daniels. If I could jump in. The Army Reserve is 
very concerned about this. And so, in fact, my husband and I 
are hosting a family programs town hall tomorrow night, to 
outreach to the families to make sure that they are involved, 
and they know how to access these resources as well, because 
once you get the families, and the spouses, and they know how 
to get to those resources, that tends to help them open up and 
provide those opportunities.
    We have got a number of different groups that are going to 
come in and give a 5- 10-minute presentation, do some Q&A, and 
talk about a number of different resources that are available 
at no cost to the Service members.
    Senator Hoeven. Yes, pulling in the spouses, a really good 
idea.
    Admiral Mustin. We also, in the Navy Reserve, have taken on 
a social media campaign to educate families as well as Service 
members, with the intent being that they are often the ones who 
need or can access those benefits. And Lieutenant General 
Bellon and I are both are the beneficiaries of something called 
the Psychological Health Outreach Program, PHOP, which is a 
Navy and Marine Corps Reserve-centric that has had wonderful 
results, just both in terms of education and advocacy.
    Senator Hoeven. Good. Thanks to all of you for your 
service. Very much appreciated.
    Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    Senator Tester. Senator Boozman.
    Senator Boozman. Thank you. I am in business now. Thank you 
Mr. Chairman.
    And we appreciate you all being here, and all you 
represent. It is always a pleasure to visit with you as we talk 
about military construction issues, and things like that, which 
is dramatically underfunded, which we are working hard to fix 
with your all's help.
    But Lieutenant General Daniels, in a recent article you 
wrote called, ``Changing Culture'', you stated that company 
commanders are reporting they spend one or two nights per week 
briefing metrics to higher headquarters, which can overburden 
these soldiers with needless requirements that take away from 
spending time with family and employers. Can you tell us how 
this is impacting recruitment and retention?
    General Daniels. This is a great retention tool because I 
have, essentially, provided top cover for all of my soldiers, 
all of my units, all of my formations and said, this is what I 
care about. And it is about readiness. It is about going out 
and conducting tough realistic training done safely. And it is 
not about all the admin statistics.
    So go do those training, go do those events, go do those 
things why you join the Force. You didn't join the Force to 
fill out paperwork. You joined the Force to do cool Army 
training. So by providing this paper, I have made it very clear 
what my intent is, and what I want leaders to focus on, which 
is us out doing that tough training safely.
    Senator Boozman. So have you got, you know, based on that, 
and again I think myself, and the committee, that common sense, 
you know, is with you. Have you got any specific suggestions 
that we can go forward with, or to help you?
    General Daniels. I think that at this point it is a matter 
of the leaders understanding what the priority is, and getting 
after it. And going and doing that training. Getting the 
equipment out and using it, you know, trains the user as well 
as then the maintainer who has that opportunity to fix it after 
it is been used.
    So that is where we get after it. We may have a slight 
increase in maintenance requirements because we are using the 
equipment more often, but perhaps not, because it is now being 
used as frequently as it probably should, and staying, you 
know, lubricated. So we will monitor that that budget as well.
    Senator Boozman. Very good. During the Army's Budget 
Hearing, it was highlighted that the Army fell short of its end 
strength goals by roughly 12,000 soldiers. Understanding the 
need to maintain an adequate level of readily deployable and 
capable ground forces to meet priorities outlined in the 
National Defense Strategy it is crucial--you know, in being 
crucial in deterring our adversaries.
    General Daniels, has the Active Duty Army engaged with the 
Reserve Component to fill some of these gaps in personnel? And 
where do you see the Reserves being the most beneficial in 
supporting the Army's overall mission?
    General Daniels. So we have been asked to help augment the 
Mission 100 up in Alaska, by providing a number of chaplains, 
chaplains' assistants, religious affairs specialists, 
behavioral health specialists, because those are very much 
capabilities that the bulk of them reside in the Army Reserve. 
So we are helping out on that front.
    Senator Boozman. Very good.
    General Daniels. But other than that we have not seen a 
capability or demand signal for additional forces.
    Senator Boozman. Okay. Thank you.
    Lieutenant General Scobee, duty status reform is an issue 
that seeks to streamline and simplify the activation and the 
utilization of Reserve Component members. The current construct 
is based on outdated statutory authorities that are decades 
old. How would duty status reform legislation positively impact 
the Air Force Reserve? And what impact would this type of 
transition have on readiness?
    General Scobee. Senator Boozman, it is incredibly important 
that we do this. Currently, there are 27 different statuses 
that all of our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen serve 
in, and duty status reform is going to reduce that down to 
four.
    And I can give you a perfect example. In 2008 when I 
deployed, from the time I was activated, mobilized, deployed, 
reintegrated, and demobilized I went through three different 
healthcare providers in order to go through each of those 
statuses. And some of my family members were dropped out of the 
ability to do it. So it is really important that we streamline 
this capability to keep everybody in a status that best suits 
their needs.
    And to answer your question directly, it is about 
readiness. It is about resiliency for our airmen. And it is 
about taking care of all of our Service members and their 
families. It goes across every branch, and every component. 
That is what we need.
    Senator Boozman. Good. Thank you. That is very helpful.
    Hopefully, Mr. Chairman, we can work with you and Senator 
Shelby on, you know, some of these, again, common-sense things; 
that these aren't things that cost money, these are things that 
save money, and would dramatically make things more efficient. 
So we appreciate . . . 
    Senator Tester. I appreciate your common sense, Senator 
Boozman. Thank you very much.
    Senator Boozman. Thank you.

                     ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS

    Senator Tester. Look, I thank you folks for being here 
today. I really appreciate your testimony. The Senators may 
submit additional questions, and we would just ask you to 
respond to them in a reasonable amount of time.
    [Clerk's Note: Following this hearing, Questions for the 
Record were sent by the Chairman on behalf of the Committee to 
General Hokanson on June 21, 2022. As of March 24, 2023, no 
responses were provided by General Hokanson.]

                          SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS

    Senator Tester. This Defense Committee will reconvene on 
Tuesday, June 14, at 10 a.m. for a classified hearing from the 
Intelligence Community.
    With that, once again, thank you. Thanks to all the folks 
behind you, and the folks you represent.
    This committee stands in recess.
    [Whereupon, at 11:06 a.m., Tuesday, June 7, the 
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday, 
June 14.]