[Senate Hearing 117-889, Part 6]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-889, Pt. 6
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR
APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022 AND
THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
S. 2792
TO AUTHORIZE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022 FOR MILITARY
ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, FOR MILITARY CON-
STRUCTION, AND FOR DEFENSE ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
ENERGY, TO PRESCRIBE MILITARY PERSONNEL STRENGTHS FOR
SUCH FISCAL YEAR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
__________
PART 6
PERSONNEL
__________
MAY 12, 2021
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services
Available via: http:// www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
56-724 PDF WASHINGTON : 2024
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COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
JACK REED, Rhode Island, Chairman JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut TOM COTTON, Arkansas
MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota
TIM KAINE, Virginia JONI ERNST, Iowa
ANGUS S. KING, Jr., Maine THOM TILLIS, North Carolina
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
GARY C. PETERS, Michigan KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia RICK SCOTT, Florida
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
MARK KELLY, Arizona TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
Elizabeth L. King, Staff Director
John D. Wason, Minority Staff Director
_______________________________________________________________
Subcommittee on Personnel
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York,
Chair THOM TILLIS, North Carolina
MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
________________________________________________________________
May 12, 2021
Page
Military and Civilian Personnel Programs......................... 1
Members Statements
Statement of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.......................... 1
Statement of Senator Thom Tillis................................. 3
Witnesses Statements
Herbert, Mr. Lernes, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary 3
of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Adirim, Terry, M.D., Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for 4
Health Affairs.
Van Winkle, Elizabeth P., Ph.D., Executive Director, Office of 5
Force Resiliency.
Brito, Lieutenant General Gary M., USA, Deputy Chief of Staff, G- 26
1.
Nowell, Vice Admiral John B., Jr., USN, Deputy Chief of Naval 36
Operations, N-1 and Chief of Naval Personnel.
Kelly, Lieutenant General Brian T., USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff 49
for Manpower, Personnel and Services.
Ottignon, Lieutenant General David A., USMC, Deputy Commandant 63
for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Mulcahy, Ms. Patricia, Chief Human Capital Officer, United States 69
Space Force.
Questions for the Record......................................... 88
(iii)
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022 AND
THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
----------
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021
United States Senate,
Subcommittee on Personnel,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC.
MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL PROGRAMS
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:30 p.m. in
room SD-106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand (Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
Subcommittee Members present: Gillibrand, Tillis, Hawley,
and Tuberville.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
Senator Gillibrand. Good afternoon, everyone. The
subcommittee meets today to receive testimony on the military
and civilian personnel programs in the Department of Defense
(DOD) and the Military Service in review of the
administration's Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year
2022. This is the subcommittee's annual personnel posture
hearing, and serves to establish a foundational record for the
committee of the Department's full range of activities concerns
matters affecting servicemembers, their families, retirees, and
the Department's civilian workforce, and to provide the
Department the opportunity to discuss their personnel policy
priorities.
To our witnesses, welcome, and thank you for appearing. We
will have two panels today. The first panel consists officials
from the Office of The Secretary of Defense, that cover the
full range of military and civilian personnel programs. Mr.
Lernes Herbert--oh A-bear. Is that how you say it? Got it.
Okay. I was like, what is this phonetic? I do not understand
it. Okay.
Mr. Lernes Herbert, performing the duties of Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; Dr.
Terry Adirim, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health
Affairs; and Dr. Elizabeth Van Winkle, Executive Director,
Office of Force Resiliency.
The second panel will include the senior personnel chiefs
of the Military Services, Lieutenant General Gary Brito, U.S.
Army, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-Senator Kelly. Vice Admiral John
B. Nowell, Jr., U.S. Navy, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, N-
1 and Chief of Naval Personnel; Lieutenant General Brian T.
Kelly, U.S. Air Force, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower,
Personnel, and Services; Lieutenant General David A. Ottignon,
U.S. Marine Corps, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve
Affairs; and Ms. Patricia Mulcahy, Chief Human Capital Officer,
United States Space Force.
While I recognize that we have not yet received the
administration's budget request, which is not unusual for the
first year of an administration, I appreciate your willingness
to appear here today to discuss personnel programs and
policies.
For the past 20 years, our country been in a state of
continuous war. President Biden has announced a withdrawal of
troops from Afghanistan by no later than September of this
year. While this represents the closing of one chapter, it also
means the beginning of a new one. As Avril Haines, the Director
of National Intelligence, summarized in testimony before this
committee a couple of weeks ago, quote, ``The United States and
its allies will face a diverse array of threats that are
playing out amidst the global disruption resulting from COVID-
19 pandemic and against the backdrop of great power
competition, the disruptive effects of ecological degradation
and changing climate, and increasing number of empowered non-
state actors, and rapidly evolving technology.''
These challenges mean that the need for a highly trained
and capable military and civilian workforce within the
Department of Defense and throughout the Federal Government has
never been greater. I believe the Department's upcoming budget
request represents an important strategic reset and an
opportunity to ensure that military and civilian personnel
systems are oriented for the force we need in the future, not a
force rooted in the past.
As I stated last month, a subcommittee hearing on the cyber
workforce to prevent the types of attacks we now see with
alarming frequency, including attacks over the weekend against
a major gas pipeline that supplies gas to much of the East
Coast, we must grow and maintain our cyber capability, and that
starts with people. Our ability to field the world's strongest
military has always come from the collective talent and
dedication of our servicemembers and the civilian workforce
that supports them. We must commit to meeting these new threats
by developing, fielding, and maintaining the world's most
capable workforce.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about
their ideas to develop a workforce ready to meet these
challenges. We must ensure military and civilian pay and
benefit enable the Department to compete for America's best and
brightest, especially in emerging technology fields, including
fully funding civilian pay raises that keep pace with
inflation, something this Congress has consistently failed to
do over the past 8 years. We must fully fund military family
programs and child care programs. We must ensure adequate
resources for DOD-operated schools and supplemental impact aid
to help local school districts educate military children. We
must continue to ensure that military health care is fully
funded and oriented to support all servicemembers and their
families, especially the most vulnerable, those with special
needs.
Finally, it will come as no surprise to anyone here, I am
sure, but I will continue throughout this legislative hear to
fight tirelessly to improve the military culture by eliminating
the scourge of sexual assault within the ranks and reforming
the way the military responds to and prosecutes these cases.
Senator Tillis, welcome. I look forward, as always, to
working with you on the fiscal year 2022 Defense Authorization
Bill, which I am confident we will enact for the 61st
consecutive year. We worked so well over time here to take care
of our servicemembers, their families, and civilians that
support them, and I expect that to continue.
Senator Tillis?
STATEMENT OF SENATOR THOM TILLIS
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Chair Gillibrand. There are
certain aspects I missed about having the chairman's role.
Having to be the first one to pronounce some of the difficult
names is not one of them, so thank you so much.
I want to thank you for holding this hearing, and I really
want to thank you for the work that we have done together. I
have enjoyed working with you over the last 6 years, especially
to improve important programs to serve military personnel and
their families. Together we have done a lot of hard work, but
we have much more to do.
This is an important hearing, oversight hearing for us, as
we are able to get a current perspective on the personnel and
readiness programs for the Office of the Secretary of Defense
and the Military Services. I want to thank the witnesses for
appearing here. I want to thank those that we have been in
contact with, Dr. Van Winkle being one of them, before the
hearing. I know you have been working hard in preparation for
this hearing, and working through all the challenges of COVID
over the last year, so thank you for your service.
I look forward to hearing from the witnesses on many
important topics, including suicide prevention, sexual assault
prevention and response, domestic violence prevention, the
impact of COVID-19 on military readiness, recruitment, and
retention, COVID's impact on military families, the challenges
the Defense Health Agency (DHA) has encountered as the DOD
reforms the military health system, reform of the Family
Advocacy and Exceptional Family Member Programs, officer and
enlisted personnel management, and civilian personnel
management.
Again, Senator Gillibrand, thank you for your leadership on
this subcommittee. I look forward to working closely with you,
and I look forward to the witnesses' testimony.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Mr. Herbert?
STATEMENT OF MR. LERNES HERBERT, PERFORMING THE DUTIES OF
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS
Mr. Herbert. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis,
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today.
Manpower and Reserve Affairs has been a key part of the DOD
response to COVID-19 for well over a year now. Manpower and
Reserve Affairs (M&RA) contributions, including issuing stop-
movement orders and other essential personnel policies, both
for military and civilian personnel, to protect our people and
keep our Department running has been crucial throughout the
pandemic.
Manpower and Reserve Affairs also oversaw the rapid
mobilization of more than 65,000 Reserve component members,
supporting the government's response to COVID, and modified
operations to our child development centers and Department of
Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools to ensure we
continue caring for and educating military children as we
battled the pandemic.
While M&RA continues to support the Nation's fight against
COVID-19, we also have not lost sight of the many initiatives
across our portfolio that take care of our people and build the
DOD workforce we need to protect America and defeat our
adversaries, now and in the future.
The M&RA team has worked hard and continues to do so on
policy priorities like combatting extremism, the service to
transgender individuals, sustaining the all-volunteer force. We
are also working on issues related to ensuring our
servicemembers, civilians, and families have access to
affordable child care, that our DOD school continue to provide
high-quality learning opportunities for our dependents, and
that spouse can pursue not just jobs but careers throughout
their service.
Thank you again for the opportunity to be here, and I look
forward to answering any of your questions you may have.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Dr. Adirim?
STATEMENT OF TERRY ADIRIM, M.D., ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE FOR HEALTH AFFAIRS
Dr. Adirim. Good afternoon. So I guess you can hear me.
Great. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis,
distinguished members of the subcommittee, I am honored to
represent the military and civilian medical professionals in
the Military Health System who are serving around the world and
here at home, delivering health care in support of our 9.6
million beneficiaries, as well as providing COVID-19 support to
millions of Americans throughout the United States.
My testimony will provide the subcommittee with information
on major military medical operations for the coming year. The
most significant issue for the Military Health System is the
national response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Department's
role in the response. Secretary Austin has made clear that the
greatest proximate challenge to our Nation's security is the
threat of COVID-19. The Military Health System (MHS) is
providing critical health support worldwide to our military
forces supporting other Federal and state entities as part of a
whole-of-government response to this crisis, and continuing to
meet other strategic global mission requirements while
sustaining high-quality health services to our military
servicemembers and their families.
Regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, as of this morning over 55
percent of our Active Duty force is already vaccinated, and
this number is climbing daily. We have directly administered
almost 3.2 million doses to our eligible beneficiaries and
coordinated another 600,000 doses of vaccine through our
TRICARE providers and retail pharmacy networks.
To meet urgent health care needs throughout the pandemic,
the Department has significantly expanded the use of virtual
health to meet beneficiary demand while minimizing unnecessary
risk for patients and staff. With our vaccination rollout now
reaching our entire population of eligible beneficiaries, we
are communicating with our beneficiaries who may have delayed
or deferred needed preventive and routine medical care during
the worst days of the pandemic, to ensure that they get timely
quality care.
The Department is also resuming a number of major reforms
within the Military Health System. The fiscal year 2017 NDAA
enacted sweeping reforms to the organization and management of
military medicine. The overarching direction from Congress was
to centralize and standardize many military health care
functions in a way that better integrates readiness and health
delivery. Included among these reforms was the expanded
authority and responsibility of the Defense Health Agency to
manage military medical treatment facilities, or MTFs,
worldwide, and the authority to adjust medical infrastructure
in the MHS to maintain readiness and core competencies of
health care providers.
Follow a strategic pause in these reforms due to the
initial COVID-19 pandemic response, the MHS has resumed
executing the transition of MTFs to Defense Health Agency (DHA)
administration and management, in accordance with the law.
Similarly, the Department submitted its required report to
Congress in February 2020, on our plan to restructure military
treatment facilities. The report articulated DOD's decisions to
achieve a proper balance between meeting readiness requirements
and managing the total cost of health care in the direct and
purchased care systems.
The Department is currently revalidating the assumptions
made regarding its readiness requirements prior to the
pandemic, as well as the assessment of network capacity to
absorb additional patients where we intend to proceed with
right-sizing plans. Local transitions will only occur when we
are certain that TRICARE networks can provide timely and
quality access to health care for our beneficiaries. If they
cannot, we will revise our plans.
Finally, the Department is also grateful for this
committee's long-term advocacy and support for our military
medical research program. Military medical research advances
the state of medical science in those areas of most pressing
need and relevance to today's emerging threats, which includes
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you for inviting me here today to speak with you
about military medicine, our response to the global pandemic,
and our plans to further improve our health system on behalf of
the uniformed servicemembers and families who we serve. I look
forward to the discussion.
Senator Gillibrand. Dr. Van Winkle?
STATEMENT OF ELIZABETH P. VAN WINKLE, Ph.D., EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF FORCE RESILIENCY
Dr. Van Winkle. Member of the committee, good afternoon and
thank you for having me today. I have appeared before you in
past year expressing a commitment to addressing the issues that
fall under me, to include sexual assault, harassment, diversity
and inclusion, and suicide prevention, and countless military
and civilian leaders have shared this same commitment. While I
can assure you of our sincerity and have provided, in my
written statement, some of the initiatives that we have been
doing, I want to take this time to discuss some critical issues
that we must keep in mind as we move forward.
Points of failure in the system, as reflected in
painstaking detail within the pages of the Fort Hood report,
will consistently undermine all of our actions if not
addressed. At Fort Hood, and likely other installations, there
is a culture of disrespect and purposeful degradation of others
that was unimpeded and left unchecked by the very individuals
who hold the responsibility to prevent this type of culture. It
left lingering questions as to whether some of our military
leaders were blind to these infractions, whether they were
complicit, and if there is even a meaningful distinction
between the two.
Since 2019, we have introduced strategies and policies
developed in conjunction with experts in the field, to address
sexual assault as part of an integrated violence prevention
framework, focusing on the prevention of all forms of harm and
ensuring an inclusive environment for all who serve. While I
truly believe that an integrated violence prevention approach
with a focus on command climate is how we can best prevent
these behaviors, it must be emphasized that anything we have
put into place, or will put into place, will be ineffective if
members of our military fail to proactively embody the values
that we expect.
Changing climate and culture requires the commitment of
every single member of the community. No one gets a pass. No
one gets to decide they do not have a role to play. When you
join the military you are taking on a responsibility to uphold
our values and to be a part of the team that rejects these
behaviors. When you become a leader, at any level, within this
team, you take on a critical responsibility, both when it is
easy and when it is not. This means calling out behaviors that
are not in line with our expectations, even if they are
perpetrated by a friend. If you overlook these behaviors, you
open a door that you cannot easily shut later. Your looking the
other way allows harm when it otherwise did not exist, and
every time you fail to address misconduct, even the smallest
offensive jokes and comments, someone is watching you, and
trust is either gained or it is lost, and once it is lost, you
will not easily recover it. If you assume witnesses will remain
quiet as you move up in your career, you are not paying
attention. We use words like ``protect,'' ``defend,''
``dignity,'' ``respect,'' and ``discipline.'' These have never
been negotiable, nor should they be confusing for anyone who
wears a uniform. It is not up for discussion and it carries no
exceptions.
As a Department, we are looking at all aspects of these
issues, to shed light in those places we previously did not
have visibility, to applaud those that are doing the right
thing, to appropriately hold accountable those who are not, and
to ensure all members can serve safely and honorably.
I want to thank you for your dedication to these issues,
and I look forward to your questions.
[The joint prepared statement of Dr. Terry Adirim, Mr.
Lernes Hebert and Dr. Elizabeth Van Winkle follows:]
Joint Prepared Statement by Dr. Terry Adirim, Mr. Lernes Hebert and Dr.
Elizabeth Van Winkle
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, distinguished members
of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the
Department of Defense's personnel and health policies and programs as
we look forward to the Fiscal Year 2022 President's Budget and the
upcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
It has truly been a difficult year for the Nation and the
Department, but the events of the past year, especially the COVID-19
pandemic, have reaffirmed why the people of this Department--our
soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and now our guardians, as well as
civilian personnel--are our greatest resource and critical asset.
In addition, President Biden, Secretary of Defense Austin and
Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks have all made it clear from the onset
that the well-being and protection of our servicemembers, their
families, and our civilian force are at the forefront of their agenda.
In fact, in his March 4 Message to the Force Secretary Austin laid out
as one of his top three priorities Taking Care of People, with three
specific pillars: Grow our Talent, Build Resilience and Readiness, and
Ensure Accountable Leadership. All the issues we will discuss today
fall into each of these three pillars, whether it is extremism, sexual
assault, servicemembers who identify as Transgender, diversity and
inclusion, COVID-19, or military and civilian talent management.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel &
Readiness and its subordinate offices are at the forefront of these
issues. We are working closely with our Service partners to advise the
Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense on decisions
that will strengthen the readiness and resilience of our military. The
issues we will address here are complex and diverse; however, we are
all driven by a common motivation that drives all of our efforts--to
build and sustain the greatest Total Force in defense of this Nation.
health affairs
COVID-19 Response
The past fourteen months have represented a unique and challenging
period for our Nation as we've confronted and responded to the COVID-19
pandemic. In line with the President's priorities, Secretary Austin has
made clear that the greatest proximate challenge to our Nation's
security is the threat of COVID-19. The Department has, and will
continue to, act boldly and quickly to support Federal government
efforts to defeat this disease. The Military Health System (MHS) is
providing critical health support worldwide to our military forces,
supporting other Federal and state entities as part of a whole-of-
government response to this crisis, and continuing to meet other
strategic, global mission requirements, while sustaining high quality
health services to our military servicemembers and their families.
Beginning with the declaration of a global pandemic in March 2020,
the MHS provided essential crisis response services in support of
military leaders and civilian demands. Though this summary is not all-
inclusive, I will briefly mention several critical initiatives that
contributed to the national response and also generated additional
expenditures for the Department.
Surveillance and Laboratory Testing. Soon after the pandemic began,
the Secretary of Defense established the DOD Coronavirus Task Force
that included a Diagnostics and Testing Line of Effort. The Department
grew its laboratory testing capacity from 16 operational laboratories
in late March 2020 to 189 operational laboratories by March 2021, and
increased on-hand SARS-COV-2 tests from approximately 200,000 to over
1.8 million. To date, the Department has conducted well over 3 million
tests and has tests on-hand to conduct more than 100K tests per week.
Testing is a key public health intervention that has helped to limit
the spread of SARS-COV-2 within the military. Coupled with other public
health measures like social distancing and masking, military
installations have consistently lower positivity rates than their
surrounding communities.
Even as vaccination efforts continue to increase, testing will
remain a key pillar of our public health strategy to battle this
disease and maintain a ready force. Screening through antigen and PCR
testing using a variety of testing strategies in a post-vaccination
environment will continue as part of the Department's COVID-19 risk
mitigation strategy to drive cases down toward zero. The Department is
also committed to whole genome sequencing and identification of
variants of concern and interest and to understanding their prevalence
among our servicemembers and other beneficiaries. The Department has
already committed the resources and funding to more than double the
number of specimens the Department can sequence and analyze each week.
Clinical Support for Treatment and Therapeutics. Early in the COVID
response, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) developed and released the
first DOD COVID-19 Practice Management Guide (PMG) to provide
clinicians and Military Medical Treatment Facilities (MTFs)--our
military clinics and hospitals--with a single document on best
practices informed by the latest evidence, and guidance across all
clinical care specialties. The PMG has been continually updated and
rereleased, with the most recent version (Version 7) published in March
2021. The DHA also established a Joint Registry for COVID-19. Using the
Joint Trauma Registry as a foundation for this effort, the COVID
Registry collects and assesses clinical information on COVID patients,
in order to inform our military medical community on the rapidly
evolving science behind this disease. In April 2020, DHA also put forth
the Health Protection Condition Guidance in a COVID-19 Environment,
which contained Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
informed guidance to support MTFs in healthcare delivery in response to
COVID-19, based on the locally-determined risk level.
In June 2020, DHA began an effort to collect donated units of
plasma from patients who had fully recovered from COVID-19 to support
development of an effective treatment against the disease. Again, the
DHA relied on the COVID-19 registry to identify potential donors, as
well as capture the use of, and outcomes from, convalescent plasma on
hospitalized COVID patients. In August 2020, after receiving Emergency
Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
COVID-19 convalescent plasma was made available to MTFs for
investigational treatment of COVID-positive patients who met
established criteria in accordance with approved protocols.
The MHS worked closely to implement other, FDA-approved treatments
for COVID. In September 2020, shortly after Veklury (remdesivir; first
FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19) received an expanded EUA, the
medication was rapidly pre-positioned throughout DOD to ensure
availability to hospitalized patients with suspected or laboratory-
confirmed COVID-19, irrespective of their severity of disease.
Similarly, in November 2020, after receiving an EUA from FDA for COVID-
19 monoclonal antibody treatment, DHA developed and disseminated
specialized guidance to assist MTFs and healthcare providers regarding
patient care considerations when administering this treatment for mild
and moderate cases.
Individual Medical Readiness. COVID-19 did affect medical readiness
within the military. The Department uses a concept called Individual
Medical Readiness (IMR) to measure medical readiness, which consists of
six elements. These are Dental Readiness, Immunizations, Medical
Readiness Labs, Deployment-Limiting Medical Condition Status, Periodic
Health Assessment, and Individual Medical Equipment. In 2015, the DOD
Total Force Medically Ready (TMFR) goal was set at 85 percent . Since
2015, the Total Force has consistently met or exceeded the 85 percent
goal. With COVID-19 pandemic beginning in the 2nd quarter of 2020, TFMR
decreased below the Department's 85 percent goal. As of the 4th quarter
of calendar year 2020, TFMR compliance was 82.2 percent; Active
component IMR compliance was 82.4 percent and Reserve component IMR
compliance was 81.7 percent. The COVID-19 vaccine is voluntary and
therefore is not included in the IMR.
The COVID-19 pandemic most affected Dental Readiness and
Immunizations. These IMR requirements can only be completed via in-
person clinic visits. Of note, throughout the pandemic, medical
readiness for deploying servicemembers was prioritized and all
personnel are required to be fully medically ready prior to deployment.
Capabilities such as virtual and telephonic medical appointments
allowed MTFs to continue to provide access to medical readiness support
services. We expect IMR rates to quickly recover and return to pre-
COVID levels as our vaccination campaign proceeds through spring and
summer 2021.
Healthcare Delivery and Deferred Medical Care. In both the direct
care system and the TRICARE network, the Department has worked to
ensure beneficiaries receive medically necessary and readiness-related
care throughout the pandemic and we are currently working to address
delayed or deferred care. In addition to guidance for MTFs on standard
processes to provide medically necessary care that could not be
delayed, the Department significantly expanded the use of Virtual
Health (VH) to meet beneficiary demand while minimizing unnecessary
risks for patients and staff.
MTFs and Markets are increasing the number of available
appointments to meet patient demand for care and schedule previously
delayed care. Despite additional workload associated with COVID-related
deployments and vaccinations, MTF appointment availability is
approaching pre-pandemic levels and access to appointments for routine
and follow-up care averages 4.8 days, which is better than the standard
of 7.0 days or fewer. Likewise, specialty referrals are up from spring
2020 levels and are approaching pre-pandemic rates. While direct care
performance on cancer and other preventive screening is lagging
compared to strong pre-pandemic performance, MTF staff members are
actively reaching out to beneficiaries to encourage and facilitate
screening appointments.
For network care, DHA worked with the managed care support
contractors to develop strategies to ensure our beneficiaries' ability
to access care in the network, ensured resources were monitored to
confirm provider availability, expanded availability of VH and eased
beneficiary access to providers by extending referral and authorization
limits and adjusting rules impacting beneficiary cost shares.
Public Health Planning. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the
importance of integrated DOD and interagency public health planning,
which includes conducting realistic exercises with federal, state and
local public health partners. However, the MHS pivoted quickly and
effectively in responding to the pandemic across a wide range of
requirements, both internal to DOD and across the public health
universe. In the process, we learned lessons and developed associated
recommendations that can have an immediate and sustained impact on the
ability of the MHS to support the ongoing pandemic and to prepare for
future major public health emergencies. Chief among these actions is
developing even tighter integrated coordination with interagency
partners within the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland
Security, Veterans Affairs and State to include the CDC, FDA, the
Assistant Secretary of HHS for Preparedness and Response, the National
Institutes of Health, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other
organizations regarding global medical surveillance of cases and
variants of concern. As a primary partner in the interagency scientific
community, DOD shares genetic sequencing, seroprevalence information
and other relevant surveillance data with interagency partners.
Medical Education & Training. The collaborative leadership efforts
of the Medical Enlisted Training Campus and the Services resulted in
minimal disruptions in training by maximizing the interoperability and
capabilities of alternative learning modalities and technology
adoption. The MHS kept graduation rates on target, and the end-strength
of enlisted medical career fields healthy and ready to support
Combatant Commanders. Additionally, the MHS expanded support for
continuing education credits for 16 healthcare specialties and awarded
over 90 thousand continuing education/medical credits. Continuing
education credits are required for health professional licensure and
certifications. The Defense Medical Modeling and Simulation Office
recognized an opportunity to provide immediate support in meeting
COVID-19 related simulation training gaps/needs of the transitioned
Markets and associated MTFs.
COVID-19 Vaccine and Immunization Implementation. Since December
2020, the Department introduced a global immunization campaign to
deliver expanding supplies of vaccines approved for use under an EUA.
In December 2020, DHA issued a DHA Interim Procedures Memorandum to
implement instructions, assign responsibilities, and prescribe
procedures for the COVID-19 Vaccination Program. DHA continues to issue
updates on the coordinated strategy for prioritizing, distributing, and
administering the COVID-19 vaccine, with the most recent DOD
Vaccination Plan modification (MOD-12) released in April 2021.
As of April 16, 2021, the Department had administered over 2.5
million doses of the three vaccines authorized by the FDA under an EUA.
However, on April 14th, DOD implemented the CDC and FDA recommendation
to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine until federal
health experts conclude their review of the rare, severe adverse events
that have occurred in a small number of individuals. Although DOD was
distributing all of its Johnson & Johnson vaccine to overseas
locations, the Moderna vaccine still represented the majority of our
overseas allocation. If this pause extends beyond several weeks, DOD
will consider adjusting its current allocations to accommodate our
overseas requirements.
Adapted from the CDC tiered framework for prioritizing individuals
for vaccination, the DOD population schema includes persons in critical
national security positions and deploying forces in the Tier 1
priorities. Vaccinations are being administered at 350 DOD sites around
the world, in addition to access to civilian sources for our
beneficiaries. On April 19, 2021, the Department fully opened vaccine
appointments to all eligible individuals, consistent with the
President's direction to all jurisdictions.
The vaccine remains voluntary for all eligible persons to include
Active Duty servicemembers. The Department has implemented a
comprehensive outreach and communications effort to encourage all
eligible persons seek out these highly safe and effective vaccines. We
are encouraged by the trends in vaccine acceptance, and are confident
that all individuals over the age of 15 who want the vaccine will be
fully vaccinated by mid-Summer.
Defense Support to Civilian Authorities. In addition to the
comprehensive response in support of the military mission, the Defense
Department has provided significant expertise, logistics support, and
personnel to civilian communities. Early in the pandemic, the DHA
coordinated the delivery of critical inventory from existing strategic
Reserves to FEMA for redistribution to civilian communities. This
support included delivery of five million N-95 masks and over two
thousand ventilators. The U.S. Navy deployed the USNS Comfort and USNS
Mercy to civilian ports on the east and west coasts to provide hospital
bed surge capacity for cities in crisis. Throughout 2020, Army, Navy
and Air Force personnel deployed as units to civilian hospitals around
the country to augment local staff. Military medical personnel took on
key positions with Operation Warp Speed, and infectious disease experts
and medical researchers from DOD medical research and development
offices collaborated closely with the broader American medical research
community.
COVID-19 After Action Review (AAR). The MHS is a learning
organization, and we are committed to continuously improving our
performance--whether in battlefield medicine, health care quality and
safety, or our COVID response efforts. Consistent with section 731 of
the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021, the
MHS established a rigorous After Action Review (AAR) process, led by
the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. This AAR
builds on the MHS interim AAR process and report established by the
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) in May 2020 and
completed in January 2021. The Department will submit a substantive,
interim report to Congress under section 731 by 1 June, and submit a
final report by the close of 2021.
MHS Reforms and Transition
The Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA for
fiscal year 2017) enacted sweeping reforms to the organization and
management of military medicine. The over-arching direction from
Congress was to centralize and standardize many military health care
functions in a way that better integrates readiness and health delivery
throughout the Department. Included among these reforms: the expanded
authority and responsibility of the DHA to manage MTFs worldwide; and
the authority to adjust medical infrastructure in the MHS to maintain
readiness and core competencies of health care providers.
Following a strategic pause in transition activities due to the
initial COVID-19 pandemic response, which was directed and then lifted
by the Secretary of Defense in April and November 2020 respectively,
the MHS has continued executing the transition of MTFs to DHA
management in accordance with the Department's approved, conditions-
based execution plan that meets the intent of section 702 of the NDAA
for fiscal year 2017.
In the coming weeks, we expect to certify all Wave 1 Market Offices
(i.e, San Antonio, Tidewater, Colorado, Puget Sound, and Hawaii). These
critical markets account for 34 percent of the MHS' dispositions, 48
percent of the MHS's direct care expenditures, and 11 percent of the
MHS's purchased care expenditures--providing tremendous opportunities
for continued standardization and optimization. Wave 2 Market
Establishment planning is underway, and we plan to institute an
intermediate headquarters to manage the remainder of our small
hospitals and clinics in early June.
Section 703 of the NDAA for fiscal year 2017 directed the Secretary
of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees an
implementation plan to restructure or realign military medical
treatment facilities. This report was transmitted to Congress on
February 19, 2020. The report articulated the DOD's decisions to align
MTFs to increase the readiness of our operational and medical forces
and achieve a proper balance between meeting readiness requirements and
managing the total cost of health care in the direct and purchased care
systems.
All restructuring efforts were paused on April 2, 2020 as a result
of the resources required to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Department is revalidating the assumptions made regarding its readiness
requirements prior to the pandemic, as well as the assessment of
network capacity to absorb additional patients where we intend to
proceed with right-sizing plans. The DHA will take a conditions-based
approach to any transition of medical services. In other words,
transition will only occur when we are certain that local TRICARE
networks can provide timely and quality access to health care. If they
cannot, we will revise our plans.
MHS Genesis Implementation
The Department continues to proceed with the multi-year
implementation of its new, Electronic Health Record (EHR), MHS Genesis.
Although we paused a number of specific, in-person activities during
the COVID-19 response, we still delivered the two Waves scheduled for
completion in 2020, two currently in 2021, and remain on schedule for
enterprise completion in 2023. As of today, MHS Genesis supports the
delivery of safe, high-quality data to patients and providers across 20
MTFs.
The value of MHS Genesis has become even more apparent during the
COVID-19 response. We were able to implement COVID-specific
configuration changes in MHS Genesis within hours on several occasions
that provided senior military and civilian leaders with timely
information on COVID laboratory testing results and the health of our
force and our beneficiaries; the same changes in our legacy systems
took nearly four weeks to implement.
MHS Genesis' mass vaccination capabilities have produced a
significant improved workflow that allows the Military Departments to
assess the status of servicemember inoculations in order to ensure
readiness. For example, medical personnel at Twentynine Palms,
California successfully screened 700 Active Duty marine records within
days of going live with MHS Genesis in September. The process was so
successful that Cerner made the solution part of its baseline product
for commercial use.
DOD and VA continue to closely collaborate on a fully integrated
EHR with the oversight of the Federal Electronic Health Record
Modernization (FEHRM) office. The Departments collaborated with the
FEHRM to launch the joint health information exchange (joint HIE) in
April 2020, creating a single common gateway through which DOD and VA
providers can send data to and retrieve data from participating private
sector partners. With the FEHRM's leadership, the Departments support a
Federal Enclave providing a single, common record with high
cybersecurity standards, joint configuration boards to ensure
standardized workflows, and shared risks, schedules and lessons
learned.
TRICARE 5th Generation Contracts (T-5)
The Department continues to manage the TRICARE Program in a manner
that seeks to reduce the growth in health care costs while ensuring our
health benefit remains an exceptional tool for recruitment and
retention of military personnel and their families. Among the most
important strategies we pursue is the development of effective TRICARE
contracts that deliver high-value, patient-centric care designed to
seamlessly integrate military and private sector care in support of
readiness and health outcomes.
The T-5 contracts represent the next generation of contracts that
provide DHA with the flexibility to adjust network requirements,
improve professional services support, and adapt care delivery models
in support of evolving mission requirements and changes in American
health care delivery. After an extensive, multi-year engagement with
Department leaders, industry, and other stakeholders, as well as three
draft Requests for Proposal (RFPs) shared with industry, the Department
issued the T-5 RFP on April 9, 2021. The goals of this procurement
support (1) military medical readiness and the readiness of the medical
force; (2) beneficiary choice; (3) high value care; and the adoption of
Industry Business Standards.
The Department looks forward to healthy competition from industry
and the inclusion of new health care delivery models in the coming
proposals. As part of the T-5 process, the Department will conduct
``Competitive Demonstrations'' during the contract's period of
performance. Twenty-one potential markets are identified in geographic
areas where MTFs may rightsize, downsize or where DHA provides TRICARE
Prime but no MTF exists. The RFP also specifies three innovations:
Virtual Value Networks, Advanced Primary Care, and Care Collaboration
Tools that will start with T-5 initiation and up to seven other
demonstrations are planned during the life of the contract. DHA
anticipates receipt of offeror proposals no later than August 13, 2021.
The new contracts are planned to begin health care delivery in Calendar
Year 2024.
Medical Research and Development
The Department is grateful for the long-term advocacy and support
for its military medical research program. The Defense Health Program
research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) focus is to advance
the state of medical science in those areas of most pressing need and
relevance to today's emerging threats, which includes the COVID-19
pandemic.
We seek to discover and explore innovative approaches to protect
and support the readiness, health, and welfare of military personnel;
to accelerate the transition of medical technologies to development and
acquisition; and to accelerate the translation of advances in knowledge
into new standards of care and treatment that can be applied in the
field or in military medical treatment facilities.
In the coming years, we hope to leverage new technologies to
include artificial intelligence and machine learning, biotechnology,
and autonomous systems. The goal is to accelerate the transition of
medical technologies to development and acquisition programs, and to
further the translation of new standards of care to support and
treatment that can be applied in the field or in military medical
treatment facilities. We will seek to mitigate deployment-limiting
medical conditions for servicemembers by focusing on injury prevention
and rehabilitation.
The MHS continue to employ and strengthen our enterprise-wide
performance management systems that provide stakeholders--both medical
and line leadership--at all levels of the military with visibility into
how we are performing on key metrics. These dashboards show
longitudinal performance in measures of readiness, health, access,
quality, safety and cost. We monitor critical indicators of quality and
safety--that point us toward high reliability as a system of care.
Access to primary care and specialty care are measured along with
patient satisfaction to ensure we are meeting patient expectations. We
have provided Department leadership, MTF commanders and staff with
visibility into COVID-19 specific measures that include, but are not
limited to operational hospital bed capacity and surge capabilities,
timely laboratory test results, personal protective equipment
inventories, COVID-19 vaccine target population and vaccine
administration data, as well as important private sector care data.
Our dashboards can be viewed at an enterprise level, by Service, by
market, and by individual hospital or clinic. We will continue to adapt
this management system as the MTF transition progresses. Commanders can
assess their performance against expected benchmarks, against peer
institutions, and--where possible--against civilian sector performance
as well. These dashboards help us to both assess how we are doing in
these areas, and where we need to invest resources, training, or
management attention in order to achieve further improvement.
manpower & reserve affairs (m&ra)
The diverse portfolio of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) directly supports the priority of
taking care of our people and includes Military Personnel Policy,
Civilian Personnel Policy, Military Community and Family Policy,
Reserve Integration, the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) and the
Department of Defense Education Agency (DODEA).
Military Personnel Benefits
We are grateful for Congress' strong support provided in the Fiscal
Year 2021 NDAA. Your continued support is vital to ensuring our
soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, guardians, and civilians have the
tools, resources, and support to carry out their missions. Our people
are the backbone of our Nation's security; they protect and defend our
Nation and our American way of life. This important legislation
supports vital investments in our military's readiness and
modernization, allows for more flexibility in hiring and supporting our
families, and provides our servicemembers with a substantial pay
increase.
In addition to an increase in pay, the NDAA also supported the wide
range of benefits we provide our servicemembers, from housing to health
care, to congressionally mandated commissary savings. The 13th
Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation found that junior enlisted
military members are paid at or above the 90th percentile as compared
to their private-sector peers. The Department is proud of how we take
care of our people but understand there are still challenges facing our
servicemembers and their families. We appreciate the Congress' interest
on the issue of food insecurity among our Services members, and while
the number remains low, even one family struggling financially is too
many. We recognize there are servicemembers who have relied on
government food assistance programs and food pantries to feed their
families, at no fault of their own, for a variety of reasons, and we
are committed to providing the education and resources necessary to our
servicemembers throughout their careers so they can focus on their
mission and not worry about financial stability.
Military & Civilian Workforce Policies
Since March of 2020, M&RA has been a key part of the DOD response
to COVID-19. From the development of stop movement orders to the
establishment of the conditions-based, phased approach for resumption
of personnel movement M&RA has played a central role in protecting the
Nation and our servicemembers, DOD civilians, and families. M&RA's
directorates issued updated policies for pay, hiring, and workplace
flexibilities for civilian employees and oversaw the rapid mobilization
of Reserve forces, enabling more than 65,000 Reserve component members
to support the Government's response. In addition, MR&A provided
guidance on the modified operation of child development centers at more
than 200 installations worldwide; designed safe, flexible instructional
models for both in-person and remote learning at DODEA schools; and
managed supply chain shortages to keep commissaries operating during
the pandemic.
While M&RA continues to support the Nation's fight against COVID-
19, the organization is also advancing many other initiatives across
its portfolio to take care of our people and build the DOD workforce
needed to protect America now and in the future. This starts by
ensuring that all applicants for military service and military
servicemembers are treated with dignity and respect at all times. The
All-Volunteer Force thrives when it is comprised of diverse Americans
who can meet the high standards for military service in an inclusive
military force--all of which strengthens our national security posture.
At the direction of President Biden and Secretary Austin, the
Department has published updated policy on the open service of
transgender individuals. Servicemembers who meet appropriate standards
are permitted to serve in their self-identified gender without a
waiver.
As the Department looks towards goals of modernization and
standardization, we are proud to update the Congress on our
improvements in the United States Military Entrance Processing Command
(USMEPCOM). In February, we launched the MEPCOM Integrated Resource
System 1.1, a cloud-based system that streamlines the screening process
that includes processing data from cognitive tests, medical evaluation
and background checks. No longer are the days of #2 pencils and written
answer sheets during processing, or recruits carrying large manila
folders with personal information through airports and bus stations.
This modernization, along with the hard work and creativity of our 65
processing centers, allowed all Services to remain on track for their
end strength goals, while recruiting throughout the pandemic. As the
country continues to grapple with the effects of the pandemic, we are
paying close attention to how young Americans react to a call to
service in a dramatically increasing job market. Ensuring the
recruiting mission is appropriately resourced is key to the future
success of the All-Volunteer Force, and we are laser focused on
providing the necessary resources to that end.
The Department is continuing to enhance our screening capacity of
incoming servicemembers. Applicants answer questions about involvement
with law enforcement, arrests, charges, citations, parole and
probation, detention, and other indicators of concern. All recruits
undergo a fingerprint check and a FBI name check. Recruits are also
screened for offensive, racist, or supremacist tattoos, including those
that may reflect gang affiliation. In 2020, the Under Secretaries of
Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and for Intelligence and Security
established procedures to incorporate FBI review of questionable
tattoos/branding through the FBI Cryptology & Racketeering Records
Unit. The Department stands by the statement that the majority of those
who serve in uniform, and their civilian colleagues, do so with great
integrity and honor, but that any extremist behavior in the force can
have an outsized impact. As of today, all Active component military and
the Fourth Estate have completed their Secretary directed Department-
wide stand-downs to address extremism; the Reserve component will be
mission-complete this summer. The Department is committed to
maintaining the highest standards of conduct, to understanding the
threat of extremist activities, and to taking all appropriate actions
to achieve these objectives.
As we continue to build the All-Volunteer Force, the Department
continues to innovate to compete with other global powers and be the
employer of choice for all young people across America. We strive to
become a distinctly data-centered organization that enables readiness
for the Joint warfighter, and manages our talent through a
comprehensively linked digital architecture to support rapid, data-
informed decisions at all levels. For example, in partnership with
Institute for Defense Analyses, we have trained a machine learning
algorithm that accurately estimates the probability that any given
servicemember will remain in the military for any specified time
horizon. This algorithm, known as the Retention Prediction Model,
allows us to use predictive analytics to solve a range of personnel
life cycle related problems with far greater accuracy than ever before.
The Department has been able to maintain numbers during a COVID-19
because of high retention due to the dedication of our servicemembers.
However, in addressing various retention issues, the Department is
actively pursuing initiatives to increase career path opportunities,
identifying non-monetary career-enhancing opportunities, addressing
operational tempo, and managing operational commitments to reduce the
strain of deployments.
In addition to our servicemembers, the Department understands the
importance of building its civilian workforce. To meet this need, we
are expanding civilian marketing and recruitment outreach efforts,
specifically, targeting critical functional communities such as cyber
and digital. The Department appreciates, and continues to exercise the
flexibilities granted by Congress to design and implement programs and
policies that promote the health of the total civilian workforce
including direct hire authority. As we employ the necessary authorities
to efficiently recruit and retain top talent, we continue to work
diligently to close critical talent gaps, enhance professional
development, and build a robust student pipeline that will position the
Department for future success.
Support to Military Families and Spouses
The readiness of the force is dependent on our servicemembers
knowing that their families are cared for. During the pandemic our
servicemembers and their families faced enormous challenges and
continued to show the great resiliency that makes us the greatest
fighting force in the world. The Department looks forward to the
partnership with the First Lady and Joining Forces on the critical
issues they have identified as priorities.
We know that there are serious issues that face the country as a
whole and the Department is not exempt. One of them is the ugliness of
domestic violence and child abuse. The Family Advocacy Program is
focused on prevention, victim advocacy, trauma-informed victim-centered
care, abuser rehabilitation, and family and individual well-being. The
Department is on target with the development of a database to track
incidents of problematic sexual behaviors for children and youth. We
anticipate the system to be fully operational next spring. The
Department recognizes the incentive to do all we can to protect our
community and will keep working to ensure a positive culture for all
that serve.
Another challenge that the country faces, particularly during the
pandemic--and our military families were not immune--is access to
quality child care. Access to child care is a workforce issue that
directly impacts the readiness and retention of the Total Force. The
Department is proud of our rigorous national standards and oversight
requirements that ensure comprehensive health and safety needs are met
and quality programming is provided to participating children. During
the pandemic, very few changes had to be made to operations because of
the thorough and high standards (e.g., cleaning) that were already in
place and implemented daily. In response to COVID-19, installation
child development programs are open but are operating at a reduced
capacity to accommodate social distancing and health protection
condition procedures. The Department recognizes the issue of child care
waitlists and continues to work toward solutions. We anticipate the
pilot program to provide fee assistance for in-home child care
providers will be available for families beginning in the summer of
2021. This initiative will expand the use of fee assistance for in-home
child care providers, and assist us in meeting the child care need. In
addition to fee assistance, the Department continues to pursue efforts
to increase child care staffing, maximize current capacity, explore
public-private partnerships, and identify construction requirements.
Military spouses face barriers to employment related to their
mobile military lifestyle, including frequent relocations and extended
periods of family separation due to deployments. The Spouse Education
and Career Opportunities program provides military spouses
individualized support and robust tools to plan and finance their
education, define and pursue a job or career and grow their
professional and personal networks to suit their needs. The Department
is also developing plans to expand the financial assistance covered to
include continuing education courses and national testing. A good news
story is the Department's cooperative agreement with the Council of
State Governments (CSG) to provide grants to establish interstate
compacts for licensure portability. Five professions have been provided
grants to work with CSG to develop compacts: teaching, social work,
cosmetology, massage therapy, and dentistry/dental hygiene.
force resiliency
The Department's efforts to strengthen resiliency and prevent
problematic behaviors is one of our highest priorities. We are
developing tools to leverage data in order to gain enhanced visibility
of issues at the installation and unit level, while incorporating
emerging, evidence-informed best practices.
Within the last year, we have built out an approach that we refer
to as integrated violence prevention. All leaders and members of the
military community play a role in the prevention of violent, abusive,
or harmful acts. An integrated approach enables them to work in mutual
support towards the Department's efforts to reduce and stop these
readiness detracting behaviors.
Our new Integrated Violence Prevention Policy requires specific
prevention personnel, eliminates `on size fits all' approaches, expands
prevention activities to better address risk factors, and establishes
an oversight framework. It is a critical component of our growing
efforts, but more work remains. The Prevention Collaboration Forum is
the organizing governance to help drive progress in this area.
We recognize that unhealthy command climates can increase risk and
exacerbate problems that can contribute to sexual assault, harassment,
and suicide. In January 2021, we updated the command climate survey to
improve our detection of unhealthy command climates; enable military
leaders to drive change; and, as appropriate, take corrective actions.
New survey constructs help assess a range of factors related to high
level leadership, intermediate leadership, peer groups, and
individuals.
Immediate Actions to Address Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment
One of Secretary Austin's first actions focused on stopping sexual
assault and sexual harassment. Most recently the Secretary directed
three Immediate Actions to accelerate our efforts to prevent sexual
assault and harassment.
The Secretary directed the Services to complete an assessment of
compliance with sexual assault, sexual harassment, and integrated
violence prevention policy as well as alignment with the Department's
Prevention Plan of Action. Since new initiatives from the Department,
Military Services, or the 90-Day Independent Review Commission will be
ineffective if the Services do not comply with policies at the
installation level, this assessment is critical. This effort is
underway and in progress.
The Department is also working to further improve senior leaders'
visibility of command climates across installations; give our leaders
targeted data that enables them to take specific actions to make
improvements and address issues; and, when necessary, hold leaders
appropriately accountable for unhealthy climates, and incentivize those
who are driving healthy environments. We are gathering data on key
climate risk and protective factors force-wide to help identify
installations for biennial onsite evaluations to identify opportunities
to improve prevention efforts and gather lessons from promising
practices. The Department will produce a report on the first iteration
of evaluations for the Secretary this fall.
The last immediate action directs the establishment of a prevention
workforce. While the Services have taken action to bring their
workforces in compliance with best practices for violence prevention,
some installations do not yet have appropriate prevention workforce in
place to be considered compliant with the Prevention Plan of Action.
The Services are currently assessing their staffing, training, and
resourcing, and will report on them to the Secretary in the fall.
Suicide Prevention
Every death by suicide is a tragedy. The Department addresses
suicide prevention comprehensively through a public health approach,
which incorporates both community-based prevention efforts and clinical
care at the individual level. We constantly work to ensure that
servicemembers seek help and check-in with each other, while using
simple safety measures and precautions to reduce the risk of suicide.
As no two individuals are the same, our suicide prevention efforts
address a range of issues that can affect many people. We work to
enhance protective factors (e.g., social connections and coping skills)
and address risk factors (e.g., relationship, financial, and mental
health challenges). The Department's efforts also target our population
of greatest concern--young and enlisted servicemembers--and support
initiatives to support military families.
We also recognize the potential impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the
well-being of our servicemembers and families. The Department has been
working to stay ahead of this issue with multiple initiatives and
virtual support efforts to promote connectedness and access to care. We
have increased telehealth availability, peer support, and leadership
engagement. The Services stood-up behavioral health teams to support
Military Treatment Facility staff in critical and emergency care. DOD
also launched tailored products, resources, and senior leader messages,
sharing them through a variety of communication venues to enhance
awareness and access.
At this time, it is too early to determine whether suicide rates
increased in Calendar Year (CY) 2020. The Department will release
official suicide counts and rates in the CY 2020 Annual Suicide Report
this fall.
DOD remains steadfast in our commitment to the well-being of our
servicemembers and their families. We have much more work ahead of us,
and we will not relent in our efforts to prevent these tragedies.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
As Secretary Austin recently stated, ``We maintain and enhance
force readiness and develop the capabilities we need to protect America
when we fully embrace a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and
thoughts.'' Our commitment to leveraging the strengths of all our
people is not only important for who we are and to represent our
values, but these efforts also strengthen our national security. Yet,
we are not where we need to be.
Over the last ten years, overall composition of racial/ethnic
minorities and women has increased across the officer and enlisted
corps, but not to the degree we would like. Our latest data shows that
too many minority Active Duty servicemembers experience racial or
ethnic harassment or discrimination. This is unacceptable.
Within the last year, the Department has identified numerous
actions to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the force.
Such efforts include publication of a new policy to promote a diverse
workforce that appropriately reflects the population of the United
States, bolstering minority inclusion, and leveraging data capabilities
to target outreach and recruiting efforts to underrepresented
populations. Further, to combat problematic behaviors, we recently
issued and updated policies to address harassment, discrimination,
equal opportunity, and other critical matters. Additionally, to meet
requirements from the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization
Act, the Department has initiated an effort to better identify
discrepancies in rates of retention and promotion of officers related
to race, ethnicity, and gender, which will help us target potential
barriers to diverse military leadership.
Our efforts, though, must continue. More work remains to ensure our
commitment to every member of our Total Force--military, civilian, and
contractor--can succeed.
Conclusion:
Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss the important issues
in the fiscal year 2022 military and civilian personnel programs and
efforts the Department is taking to ensure our Nation's military
remains the greatest fighting force in the world. We also appreciate
your continued support to our servicemembers, civilian employees, and
families. We look forward to your questions.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Ms. Van Winkle, you just
said there were areas where you need to shed light where there
is no visibility. What areas are those?
Dr. Van Winkle. So one of the areas that we have not had
visibility is really within the units and at the installation
level. As you know, much of our data comes from the Gender
Relations Survey, which is a very high level. The problem is if
we do not know what is happening on the ground, if we do not
know what is happening within those units, then we simply do
not have a good sense of whether our initiatives are getting to
where they need to be. That was one of the things illustrated
by the Fort Hood report, and many of the immediate actions that
the Secretary has recently directed is to get just at that--
what is happening on the ground so that we really can intervene
early and prevent these behaviors from happening.
Senator Gillibrand. I am exasperated by that statement.
Isn't that the unit commander's job?
Dr. Van Winkle. Yes.
Senator Gillibrand. Haven't you been asking for the past 8
years we have been focused on this, that commanders can keep
their authority? They have had this authority the entire 8
years at the unit commander level, and so for you to state that
there is no visibility there is an absurd statement. You have
visibility because you have unit commanders, and you had
testimony from survivors for the last 8 years I have been
working on this, that when they are sexually harassed, 66
percent of the time it comes from their unit commander. So you
have had plenty of visibility onto this issue.
Dr. Van Winkle. I think you are right, that in the sense of
we have been hearing those concerns, and the problem was is how
do we get valid information at the ground so that we can start
doing something about it.
Senator Gillibrand. I am sorry. I am sorry. What is invalid
about the information you have been getting from
servicemembers, at least for the last 8 years that I have been
working on this. Direct testimony saying that they are being
harassed, direct testimony saying that when they do come
forward with a sexual assault report that they are retaliated
against, peer-to-peer, administratively, and professionally.
Dr. Van Winkle. It is not that that is invalid. It is that
we did not know where it was happening, and so what we are
aiming for right now is to ensure----
Senator Gillibrand. I am sorry. How do you not know where
it is happening? The survivors have come forward and told you.
I personally have heard hundreds of stories. For example, when
a survivor comes forward and reports a case, and goes to trial,
her entire unit sits behind the accused and not her. We have
heard testimony of survivors that have come forward and said,
``Yeah, I was told by the other members of my unit, 'We cannot
wait to get you to Iraq so we can shoot you in the head.' '' I
don't understand how you don't have eyes on what retaliation
looks like and what climate looks like.
Dr. Van Winkle. So I think the distinction is in terms of
the programs and the policies. You are absolutely right. Every
time that we hear those things, that is problematic, and the
services and the unit leaders need to be doing the right thing.
From where I sit, in terms of the broader policies and
programs, what I want to make sure we can do, and what the
Secretary is supporting right now, is ensuring that we have
that visibility where we don't have victims who feel
comfortable coming forward, so that all servicemembers who are
experiencing these, we know where it is happening and can
intervene.
But you are right, we have heard these stories in the past.
Senator Gillibrand. You have about 5,000 victims coming
forward every year, reporting openly who attacked them, what
happened in those circumstances. Then on top of that you have
over 2,000 that report confidentially. So you have a lot of
information and a great deal of data, and frankly, the military
has more data than any DA's office is ever going to have,
because you have a survey, every year, and you have reporting
requirements. This is supposed to be something that the command
has taken seriously, with zero tolerance for the last decade,
since Dick Cheney was the Secretary of Defense.
So I am baffled by your testimony, ma'am. I don't
understand it, but I don't understand how you can state what
you just stated. This is not a problem that we don't know the
details about.
Dr. Van Winkle. Again, what I would say is what we did not
have visibility on is what is happening at those unit levels
and installation levels, specifically, where we can go down, go
onsite and see what is going on. With Fort Hood, the way the
independent panel went down, those are the types of things that
need to happen. It is long overdue. I agree.
Senator Gillibrand. Okay. I don't think that is the
problem. It is not a lack of visibility. It is not a lack of
information. It is a lack of will. If you have unit commanders
who are the sources of harassment and assault, if you have unit
commanders who turn a blind eye for people retaliating against
other unit members who have come forward, this is not an
unknown problem.
So I do not think it is a lack of information, and I do not
think it is a lack of prevention, and so I would like you to
rework your testimony, because what you have said here is
unbelievable.
Dr. Adirim, in the fiscal year 2017 NDAA, we addressed some
necessary changes to the Autism Care Demonstration Program, yet
I am still hearing concerns from constituents about the
execution of the demonstration program and that many have found
reduced services for military family members with autism. One
of the recent changes the Department of Defense has implemented
is the Navigator Program to help families obtain coverage for
applied behavioral analysis.
While this program is designed to make the system easier
for families, what are you doing to ensure navigators are not
acting as gatekeepers and preventing families from getting
care? Are there other changes you anticipate making to the
Autism Care Demonstration Program and how will these changes
improve care for autistic military family members?
Dr. Adirim. Yes. Thank you, Senator, for this question, and
the opportunity to clarify what these changes are and what they
are not. First of all, we spent the last several years under
the Autism Demonstration project working very closely, as many
as 30 interactions with all stakeholders, including families,
advocates, experts within the Military Health System and
outside the military health system, academics, and researchers.
These are meant to be improvements to the demonstration
program. They are not meant to inhibit families from seeking
services. The navigator is there to help families, especially
new families, understand what their scope of services that they
could access and to help them access those services. Those
navigators will not have the authority to be gatekeepers. That
is number one.
Number two, there is a group of improvements that will be
very helpful to families. So, for example, it eliminates the
requirement for families to have to have a confirmatory
diagnosis. So any Autism Demonstration Program approved
provider can refer families for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
therapy. There are other improvements including creating
programs for families to help them be more engaged in the care
of their child, because evidence shows that when families are
engaged in the care, outcomes are much better.
So I would say that if you are being told that these are
inhibitors to access to the program, I would say that that is
not true, and we are happy to meet with anybody to further
clarify and explain what these improvements are.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Senator Tillis.
Senator Tillis. Madam Chair, if you don't mind I will defer
to Senator Hawley and then I will be called on when you deem
necessary.
Senator Gillibrand. Senator Hawley.
Senator Hawley. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you,
Senator Tillis.
Dr. Adirim, am I pronouncing that correctly, by the way?
Dr. Adirim. Adirim.
Senator Hawley. Adirim. Thank you. All right. Be patient
with me.
Senator Gillibrand. You were not here in the beginning,
Josh, and I muddled everybody's name.
Dr. Adirim. No, you didn't. You got it perfectly.
Senator Hawley. Adirim. I will get it right. Okay. Let me
ask you about some of the unique challenges that medical
treatment facilities and rural installations face. This is in
my home state of Missouri, a particular issue for us, compared
with rural installations, compared to urban or suburban
centers.
My question is, how is the Department accounting for those
challenges in order to ensure that patients at rural military
hospitals get the care they need as DHA assumes responsibility
for managing those facilities?
Dr. Adirim. Senator, I appreciate that question because it
is a really tough challenge, I think, for all of health care,
and how do we deliver health care in places where there may be
gaps in services. What we have done over the last year is
greatly expand our virtual health footprint. We have expanded
virtual health within our direct care system, where we could
bring services to those more rural areas, from those areas
where we may have more of those particular services. For
example, behavioral health is one of them.
We have also greatly expanded virtual health within our
purchased care system as well. So we see that as one piece of
expanding health care into rural areas.
Senator Hawley. Very good. Thank you for that.
Mr. Herbert--did I get that right? Is it E-bear? A- bear?
Mr. Herbert. A-bear.
Senator Hawley. Zero for two. Mr. Herbert, the Department
of Defense stopped planning for a protracted war with a peer
adversary after the Cold War ended. With the rise of China now
we are obviously facing a new threat of potentially protected
war between great powers. My question is, how does this threat
of a protracted war, specifically--emphasis, protracted--
influence the Department's planning as it think about end
strength in both the Active and Reserve components?
Mr. Herbert. Thank you for the question. As you have
articulated, trying to ensure the readiness of the force
through protracted warfare is challenging at best. Having been
in uniform a number of decades, I will tell you that the models
that we followed of prepare for war, go to war, reset the force
no longer persists, or are applicable in our case.
So we continue to try and ensure that our forces stay read
throughout whatever engagements we are currently in, and
whatever engagements we are planning for. In order to do that,
we have to have a healthy, a robust, a well-trained force. We
have to be agile in our force structure so that we can adapt to
whatever requirements come our way.
On the HR side of things, on the personnel side of the
business, we owe the forces very agile and adaptable human
resource systems and procedures, one that is not mired in
bureaucracy but one that can react very readily to whatever
individual needs are and whatever service demands are.
Senator Hawley. Very good. Thank you for that.
Dr. Van Winkle, the Department has struggled to reduce
suicide rates among servicemembers. Let me ask you about your
view on this. What are the weak points, in your view, in the
Department's current approach to military suicide, and how does
the Department plan to address those weaknesses, going forward?
Dr. Van Winkle. Thanks for the question. One of the
initiatives that we have been taking in suicide have been
targeted based on the population of highest concern right now.
Our population of highest concern is our youngest military
members. So we have been working a lot of initiatives to
increase problem-solving skills, access to care, those types of
things.
In terms of your question, when we I talk about the
integrated violence prevention approach, and getting that
visibility on the ground, the way we are doing that is by
redesigning our command climate surveys. Within that there are
metrics that are specifically there to try to get at
servicemembers who may not be feeling connected, they don't
feel valued, they are having additional stressors in their
life, and how they are starting to be able to address these
things within their unit so that we will get an early signal of
where we may have a problem and we can try to truly prevent
that by getting ahead of it.
So that is another initiative that we are working in that
integrated violence prevention approach. Suicide prevention is
a critical part of that.
Senator Hawley. Very good. I may have an additional
question or two for you for the record, but I will leave it at
that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Dr. Van Winkle. Of course.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Senator. Senator Tillis.
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Chair Gillibrand, and thank you
all for being here. I had the benefit of getting your
pronunciations right, but I really do appreciate you being
here.
I want to start with Dr. Adirim. We got information from
the DOD this week that just a little under 27 percent of our
military personnel are fully vaccinated. It seems to me that
this could become a readiness problem for a large part if a
broader swath of the members of military decline the vaccine.
So I guess, are we reaching a point, if we are saying to the
public we need to get as many vaccinated and achieve some steps
towards herd immunity, have we reached a point where the
President may want to consider mandating vaccines for all but
maybe medical or religious reasons?
Dr. Adirim. I appreciate that question too. I never thought
I would have those words come out of my mouth, but this is
something that has been a concern for us, in how do we
encourage and engage with our servicemembers for them to accept
vaccination. It has been tough, and I think those who want
vaccination have been able to get it.
Senator Tillis. It is not a supply problem anymore, right?
Dr. Adirim. Correct, and so what we are doing now is we are
using every avenue available to us, from the installation level
all the way on up, in order to really engage with those who are
hesitant to get vaccinated. What we are finding is that even
those who were in the earlier tiers of the prioritization
scheme are slowly starting to accept vaccination. It is now 4
or 5 months after we started vaccinating, and I think a large
proportion of our servicemembers, as well as other DOD
beneficiaries, have said, ``You know what? I would like to wait
and see what happens.'' I think a lot of those people we are
starting to capture.
We, at this time, do not plan to make the vaccine
mandatory. Certainly we are thinking about once the vaccines
are licensed what we will do then, because we do mandate a
number of vaccines. But right now the vaccine, while it is
under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), is voluntary.
Senator Tillis. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Herbert, I am hoping
that when you were maybe in your 23rd year in the Air Force and
you were a colonel, you would have led by example and gotten
the vaccine by now. I think that we should say that to all the
people in the senior ranks, you have got to lead by example. I
assume you have had your vaccine.
I want to ask you a question about a Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report, I think it was released
last week. The GAO report said, ``The DOD has not collected or
reported accurate data for all domestic abuse allegations
received, including those that did not meet DOD criteria,''
which is required by statute. Can you explain to us why we are
not collecting that data according to the law?
Mr. Herbert. Yes, sir.
Senator Tillis. Thank you for your service.
Mr. Herbert. Thank you, sir. The GAO report I am very
familiar with. There were ten findings that were specific to
the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Five of those had, as
you indicated, directly to do with data collection. What the
Department was doing was collecting data in accordance with the
policy that it set forth, but it did not collect data at a much
more acute level that would give us visibility to every
allegation that was brought forward. It only captured those
allegations that were brought forward with certain parameters,
that met certain parameters that followed the policy.
So we accepted every one of the findings of the GAO report,
and we are redoubling our efforts to get after that in very
short order.
Senator Tillis. Thank you. Dr. Van Winkle, thank you for
your time yesterday, and giving a brief on what more you are
learning about that. There are two things I wanted to give you
an opportunity to talk about. One was the importance of the
climate surveys, the command climate surveys, and how that is
going to be a very important part of making process, and
something else that you mentioned had to do with maybe some
concern over recommendations that were set forth that had not
been fully implemented on the ground. Can you just give this
committee a brief summary of what we are talking about there,
what we discussed yesterday?
Dr. Van Winkle. Sure. I think what the concern is, is that
as we have been putting forward policies and programs, and
certainly over the next year with the Independent Review
Commission and all that we are doing, we are going to be
putting in a lot more really good ideas. But if they are not
being implemented on the ground, we are simply not giving them
a chance. That has been our concern, and then when the Fort
Hood report came out it certainly highlighted that that was a
valid concern.
So one of the ways we are doing it, and it is not the only
way, is by redesigning that command climate survey, so that we
can truly get a sense of what is happening at the installation
level, and then dive down further to find out are there certain
units of concern, is this an installation issue. The metrics on
that survey cover the kind of continuum of harm, so all the way
from those very low-level offensive behaviors, as I mentioned
for suicide, things like connectedness, all the way to whether
folks are experiencing sexual harassment or harassment based on
their race/ethnicity, so that we can really start to take
action early on and prevent these things from occurring.
Again, it is not going to be the one thing that will solve
everything, but it gives us a little bit of a better
visibility.
Senator Tillis. Madam Chair, if I may, I have just one more
question. I can't remember the name of the program. I think it
is ``Catch a Serial Offender.'' Talk about a little bit of the
progress that has been made there. But you also mentioned about
how there is a responsibility that falls on everyone in a unit.
If they see something, say something. Is there an opportunity
there to maybe even encourage, if they are not willing to do it
through the normal channels, to possibly expand the Catch basin
for data that you can gather to possibly track somebody?
Dr. Van Winkle. Thanks for the question. The Catch program
is to try to get at, for those folks who do not feel
comfortable making an unrestricted report and going through the
investigation.
Senator Tillis. That is for a victim--am I correct?
Dr. Van Winkle. Correct. Now in terms of expanding that, I
think these are some of the things that the Independent Review
Commission is looking at, and so as they start to develop their
recommendations they are look at all aspects of this, including
how can we ensure that people have the confidence and the trust
in the system to come forward and report, even these low-level
behaviors.
Senator Tillis. Well, thank you. I think we have to make
progress. You may have sensed a little frustration on the part
of the chair. I share that frustration in terms of just
executing what we have already authorized, what the Department
has already said get it implemented, and we have got to make a
lot of progress. A lot of lives are being affected.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Senator Tillis. I just have
one more question, and if you guys want to take a second round,
you may, on mental health. Obviously, there are a great deal of
challenges with military life, including frequent deployments,
repeated moves, spousal unemployment, that put servicemembers
and their families at increased risk of behavioral health and
suicide.
This is becoming particularly acute during this pandemic.
An August 2020 report by DOD Inspector General revealed
significant barriers to accessing mental health care. Of the 13
military treatment facilities, included in the study, 7 failed
to meet access to care standards each month. Even more
concerning, the report showed that more than 50 percent of
those referred to mental health treatment in the purchased care
system never received care at all.
Dr. Adirim, three questions for you. Does the Department of
Defense have access to the adequate number of behavioral health
providers, one? Two, what can be done to increase access to
behavioral health, both at military treatment facilities and at
private facilities? Three, for those servicemembers and their
families that prefer marital counseling outside of the military
treatment facility, should TRICARE cover the cost of that
counseling?
Dr. Adirim. Okay. I think I got all three, Senator. This is
a concern of ours as well and something that is a priority and
that we work on consistently.
With regard to adequate providers at military treatment
facilities, we have, overall, for all behavioral health
providers, we are at about a 96 percent fill rate, but that
masks some gaps, the gaps being in psychiatrists, which we have
a lower fill rate for those, and that includes Active Duty,
civilians, and contractors.
We are competing with the private sector where there is,
you know, not enough behavioral health providers out in the
civilian sector. So we use whatever levers that we have at our
disposal in order to recruit and retain our behavioral health
providers. It is very important to us, and so this is something
that we are cognizant of.
I believe the report that you are referring to did talk
about several MTFs that did not meet the 28-day specialty
standard. I believe the number was 30 days for those. So it not
meeting the standard, but it is just outside the standard.
Second, with regard to access to care within military
treatment facilities, again, we work really hard, especially
for Active Duty, to get priority access for mental health
services. We do this in multiple ways, not just within the
military treatment facilities and embedding it within our
primary care, but we also embed behavioral health within units
as well.
With regard to TRICARE, this is something that we press our
managed care support contractors to maintain a robust directory
of behavioral health providers. The problem with that is that
we are competing in a system where a significant proportion of
behavioral health providers are cash-only practices, so keeping
them within the network is very difficult. But we work on this
consistently.
As I told Senator Hawley, one of the things, if anything,
you could say, that came out of the pandemic which was good, is
virtual health, and one of the ways that we have been using it
has been with behavioral health. We are evaluating that to make
sure that it meets the needs of our providers.
Now outside of the medical sphere, Military OneSource does
provide non-medical counseling as well. So we use every avenue
possible to provide support, and we completely agree, it is an
increasing need and the pandemic really has exacerbated that
need. Thank you.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Dr. Van Winkle and Mr.
Herbert, we continue to hear that some do not avail themselves
of behavioral health services because of the stigma attached to
seeking this type of health care. What is being done, and what
can be done to reduce the stigma of seeking behavioral health
care?
Dr. Van Winkle. So I can take this from my portfolio.
Absolutely, the stigma of coming forward is always one of the
barriers, that we have good resources but if folks will not
take us up on those, or do not feel comfortable coming forward
it will always be a problem. So we are always looking for
different avenues by which individuals can seek help. We are
also trying to work to ensure that we expand the scope of those
people within the community that can offer help and have the
tools to help, not only to help if somebody comes forward
saying they are having a difficult time, but also recognize
warning signs. So we have a pilot right now on recognizing
warning signs on social media, and again, expanding that
community, so working with chaplains, military families, those
peers, so we can try to identify those things early on, as well
as offering other types of confidential avenues by which to
talk to somebody, whether it is peer-to-peer, through Military
OneSource, or through our national hotline.
Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Herbert?
Mr. Herbert. Yes, ma'am. As Senator Tillis indicated
earlier, it is a matter of leadership. It is a matter of
setting an example. It is a matter of indicating from the top
on down that this is expected, this is part of your readiness
to be a servicemember, that you need to be mentally and
physically fit, and accepting individual responsibility seek
out that sort of help. But ultimately it comes from leadership,
to make sure that individuals understand that if they seek
help, it is not a career- impacting decision.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Senator Tillis?
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Adirim, I just
had one other question for you. It has to do with the DOD and
the deadlines that Congress for transition of all MTFs into
DHA. How is it going, and are there particular service lines
that are doing better than others? Call them out by name.
Dr. Adirim. [Laughs.] Call them out by name. We are working
really hard to make the September 30th deadline. I am hopeful
that we will. Just even in recent weeks, we have had very good
dialogue with all three services. I believe Air Force, we may
be almost completely done. We still have some work to do with
Army and Navy. But I believe we are getting towards the end,
and filling out those last things that we need to do to
complete the entire transition.
Senator Tillis. Thank you, and, Mr. Herbert, I just want to
echo what you said about leadership. You know, if you follow
behavioral health and you follow the stigma associated with it,
there is virtually no one in a command position that does not
know someone or have a family member that is not experiencing
some behavioral health. It is just a statistical reality with 1
in 5 people experiencing it.
So I think that we need to commute from the command down
that it is actually a show of strength to recognize you have a
challenge that could impact your readiness, and that they
should be proud of the fact that they are seeking help. So this
is something that we need to get from the top down, from the
Pentagon down to the unit, socialized within our armed services
so we can do right and be better prepared for the fight.
Mr. Herbert. Yes, sir.
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Gillibrand. Senator Tuberville.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you very much for being here. I
can see you all way back there. That is good. We picked a nice,
big room.
I do know what all you all have talked about. I have been
in another meeting. But the one thing that I am concerned
about, in anything that we do, especially in the military, is
recruiting. We have got to fight big tech. We have got to fight
big business. There is a lot of money out there for kids coming
out of school, kids coming out of high schools. They can make a
great living. We need a fighting machine.
One of those situations where I feel like, as a college
recruiter for years, we had a small range of people every year
that we felt we could pick from to be successful, and I am sure
we are the same way. Any comments on recruiting, from any of
you all, that you think that we can do better, in terms of
building the pool of young men and women to make our services
better? Anybody?
Mr. Herbert. Yes, sir. I appreciate the question.
Recruiting is near and dear to all of our hearts, as you can
imagine. We bring in a quarter of a million young Americans,
young, patriotic Americans every year, and to try and reach out
to a population who, more and more, are further removed from
knowing someone in their immediate family that has served in
the military.
There are challenges. There are challenges in trying to
explain what military life is like. There are challenges in
being able to communicate in spaces and digital media where
they operate, where traditional media does not reach them. The
service, I will tell you, in all the years I have been in
public service, I have never seen the services lean more
forward to try and meet young Americans where they live, where
they operate, and to try and approach them and explain to them
the value of public service.
We have a tremendous asset in that we have a mission that
no corporation can match. They want to be part of something
bigger than themselves. The United States military is an
opportunity for that to happen.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. Dr. Van Winkle, during your
time with the Department in overseeing sexual assault
prevention and response, do you feel like that resources to
prevent sexual assault are being utilized the right way?
Dr. Van Winkle. Thank you for the question. I think we can
always do better in this space. I think the resources that we
do have, I think where we have challenges is people feeling
comfortable and confident coming forward to utilize those
resources. So we provide resources that are both more
confidential and anonymous as well as those where they can come
forward and go forward with an investigation.
In addition, we also have the ``Catch a Serial Offender''
program that was previously mentioned, where we have folks who
can make a confidential report but provide information to the
Department about the offender. If there is a match in the
system they are offered the opportunity to convert to an
unrestricted report so we can hold offenders more appropriately
accountable.
So I think, again, there are resources that are there. It
is important that people feel comfortable coming forward, and
again, this is an area we can always do better, and the
Independent Review Commission, one of their lines of effort is
victim support and care, making sure that we have the right
resources. So I look forward to the recommendation.
Senator Tuberville. Do you have any personal suggestions
about what we can do to get better, from your insight?
Dr. Van Winkle. I think, again, we have to take this from a
very holistic standpoint. It is not only putting the right
things in place but making sure there are no barriers to people
getting there, including just their own fear, whether it is
retaliation or fear of trust. So I think I do defer to the
Independent Review Commission. It is the right body to be
looking at this issue, and they are taking a very comprehensive
approach.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Thank you to all the
witnesses. We appreciate your testimony, and we would like to
welcome the next set of witnesses. Thank you.
[Pause.]
Senator Gillibrand. Welcome, everyone. You may proceed with
your testimony. Lieutenant General Brito, you are first.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL GARY M. BRITO, USA, DEPUTY
CHIEF OF STAFF, G-1
Lieutenant General Brito. Thank you, Chairwoman Gillibrand.
Good afternoon, Chair Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis,
distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you on behalf of the men and women
of the United States Army. I have submitted a statement for
record and would like to highlight a few points from it now.
The Army's number one priority is its people. Our soldiers
and Army civilians, families and veterans for life. We are
putting people first, not only as a priority but as a
philosophy.
Our personnel programs and initiatives are focused on
promoting our culture of cohesion and dignity and respect,
where every individual can advance as far as their talents and
their skills will take them. We have moved quickly to implement
new policies to keep our soldiers and their families safe while
continuing to execute our mission during the global pandemic.
As our Nation engages in discussion focused on race and
equality, we launched listening sessions across the Army to
hear the concerns and ideas of our soldiers and our civilians.
Our People First task force, of which I am one of three co-
chairs, is working very hard to combat sexual harassment,
sexual assault, violent crimes, and other harmful behaviors.
Modernization efforts, programs, policy, and management models
are transforming the Army's personnel systems. These efforts
will give the Army an enduring advantage of a transparent,
data-rich environment, and improve our ability to compete for
and retain talent.
For example, the Integrated Personnel and Pay System Army,
more commonly referred to as IPSS-A, is the number one resource
modernization effort for the total Army, and I thank Congress
for the support of this important program.
Manning the Army is a key component of readiness. Ongoing
21st Century talent management initiatives and actions help us
to attract, acquire, and retain a diverse and talented force
from across the Nation. Our nearly 300,000 Army civilians
remain an integral part of the Army team, providing unmatched
talent in critical areas.
Personnel readiness also means creating installation and
environment that allows our soldiers and families to thrive.
The Army is committed to quality-of-live priorities that
include quality housing, barracks, child care, youth services,
and meaningful employment for our Army spouses.
Resilience programs and initiatives aimed at harmful
behaviors, and supported by Congress, are critical to help us
combat sexual harassment and assault and factors that
contribute to suicide. These efforts are also a major focus of
the previously mentioned People First Task Force.
As the Army G-1 and Army leader, and the father of a
soldier, I acknowledge that sexual assault and harassment is a
problem that has plagued our ranks for far too long. We are
better than this. Our soldiers and civilians deserve better,
and we will get at it.
The Army Soldier For Life program continues to support
soldiers, veterans, and their families. The Army's retired
soldiers are important to the Army family. I would also
highlight that during the pandemic more than 200 retired
soldiers with critical skills were recalled to Active Duty and
executed critical roles, enabling us to execute our mission
against an enemy called COVID-19.
The people of the United States, these men and women who
serve our Nation, both in and out of uniform, along with their
families, are indeed our strength and our legacy. Accordingly,
putting our people first, which is the Army Chief of Staff's
number one priority, is key to readiness, modernization, and
reform.
Chair Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, members of the
committee, I thank you for your generous and unwavering support
to our talented soldiers, civilian professionals, and their
families, and I look forward to your questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Lieutenant General Gary Brito
follows:]
Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Gary Brito
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, distinguished members
of this committee, we thank you for the opportunity to appear before
you on behalf of the men and women of the United States Army.
The Army's number one priority is people--our soldiers and Army
civilians, families and veteran Soldiers for Life. All of the Army's
personnel programs and initiatives are focused on taking care of our
people with dignity and respect and promoting a culture where every
individual can not only serve our country honorably, but can do so in a
way that allows them to advance professionally as far as their talent
and skills will take them. There is no better investment to ensure the
readiness of the Army.
We continue to focus on the Army People Strategy's mission and
vision to acquire, develop, employ, and retain the diversity of soldier
and civilian talent needed to achieve Total Army readiness.
Additionally, three critical enablers from the Army People Strategy
continue to set conditions for putting people first: Army Culture,
Quality of Life, and a 21st Century Talent Management System.
Personnel Modernization
The foundation of Army Readiness is Personnel Readiness. New
technology, programs, policy, innovations and management models are
transforming the Army's Personnel Systems and will provide our soldiers
and civilians with more opportunities to excel; give our Army the
enduring advantage of a transparent, data rich personnel environment;
and improve our ability to compete for and retain talent.
The Integrated Personnel and Pay System--Army (IPPS-A)
The Integrated Personnel and Pay System--Army (IPPS-A) is the
number one Human Resources (HR) modernization effort for the Total Army
and fundamental to the Army People Strategy. IPPS-A is the Army's new
web-based HR system which, once fully deployed, will deliver a single,
comprehensive, data rich HR and talent management system to the Total
Force. IPPS-A will integrate personnel, pay and talent management
functions into a secure system, providing soldiers and units with
unmatched access to their HR, talent and pay data.
The Army completed fielding to the Army National Guard in March
2020 with resounding success. All 54 states and territories are now on
a single system allowing the Army to run HR processes and analytics on
the entire Army National Guard at the touch of a button.
In December 2021, the Army will introduce the revolutionary
capability of IPPS-A to the Active and Reserve components. Release 3 of
IPPS-A will provide mobile access capability for self-service, business
intelligence, and strength analytics tools, as well as automated
workflow that will improve transparency of actions for soldiers while
enabling our commanders and leaders to make informed decisions for a
more ready force. IPPS-A will facilitate the Army's ability to better
manage the talents of the Total Force based on soldiers' knowledge,
skills and behaviors. Release 4 of IPPS-A is scheduled for May of 2025
and will add Army payroll to the system. A plan for continuous
improvements through 2030 will enable the Army to continue to modernize
a talent management system that will have strategic impacts for years
to come.
The introduction of IPPS-A coincides with the Army's execution of a
systematic approach to achieving HR data cleanliness; identifying
authoritative data sources and services; and decommissioning legacy
applications and systems which will be centralized in IPPS-A and a few
other key systems. This HR IT modernization effort is linked to a
future cloud migration of all HR systems, and is designed to facilitate
the creation of a data rich environment that will allow us to fully
implement a talent management system to recruit, retain and incentivize
the very best personnel.
Talent Management
Talent Management provides our Army an enduring competitive
advantage. Continued investment in acquiring, developing, employing,
and retaining talent will keep our Army at the forefront of human
capital development and performance while providing the Nation with a
multi-faceted team that can fight and win in unpredictable environments
to secure America's interests. Fully embracing lessons learned from
industry and the Fiscal Year 2019 NDAA changes, the Army is actively
building a talent management system capable of screening, identifying,
and leveraging the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and preferences of
individuals.
The Fiscal Year 2019 NDAA provided the Army with new authorities to
modernize the officer personnel system. Twenty-nine officers have
received brevet promotions and another 76 positions are being marketed
for brevet promotions this summer. Fourteen Cyber officers have been
direct commissioned, and another 87 candidates are currently in the
process. More than 65 officers with critical skills have been deferred
past their mandatory retirement date. Ninety-four percent of the 83
officers who applied to opt-out of a promotion selection board have
been approved. Of the nearly 1,000 officers who opted in to be
considered early for promotion, 101 were selected.
The Army is building an attribute framework to support our talent
management authorities. The new three-tiered structure, the Army Talent
Attribute Framework (ATAF), will enable us to articulate assignment
requirements, align talent to positions, and support individualized
career paths as soldiers profess their unique knowledge, skills, and
behaviors (KSB).
The Command Assessment Program is improving the Army's ability to
select more capable leaders at the battalion and brigade levels. From a
population of nearly 1,800 officers, 1,050 were selected using
psychometric, cognitive/non-cognitive, writing skills, verbal skills,
physical fitness, leadership, and peer/subordinate assessments. Those
selected are more cognitively capable, better communicators, more
physically fit, and more apt to promote a positive command. By the fall
of 2022, the Army will expand the Command Assessment Program to include
brigade command sergeants major. We are also executing decentralized
assessment pilots at local installations to provide insight and better
align individual talents with first sergeant positions.
The Army Coaching Program helps Officers and NCOs learn from
assessments. Our premier coaching program provides professional insight
to support the development of soldiers so that they understand their
strengths and weaknesses and can weight their professional options. In
fiscal year 2020, at least 1,463 officers participated in the program.
In light of the program's exceptionally positive feedback, ATMTF
expects to expand the program to approximately 3,000 officers in CY21.
The Army is conducting a focused retention initiative targeting
junior officers we want to retain into their field grade years.
Selected captains will receive their career path of choice after
company command, contingent upon continued high levels of performance.
To date in fiscal year 2021, we have extended an opportunity to just
under 1,000 highly talented officers. Twelve have received an assured
mid-career pathway and another 62 are in the selection process.
Using data gleaned from the assignment marketplace, the Army can
see officer talents and link those to opportunities. More than 14,200
jobs and 15,000 Active component officers are participating in the
current marketplace where, based on their talents, they may match for
their assignment of choice or earn a brevet promotion. A marketplace
for master sergeants is expected in December 2021 with IPPS-A's talent
management rollout.
Talent Based Branching represents the future of how the Army
manages its people, combining talent assessments, coaching, resumes,
interviews, and selection panels to put ROTC cadets in the right branch
at the start their careers. This ``whole person'' approach is a
significant leap forward over previous systems that screened based on
class rank.
The Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model
The Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model (ReARMM)
will align units across the total Army Force in a predictable and
sustainable life cycle through training, modernization, and mission
windows. The model will regionally align units to meet current Joint
Force demands, while allowing the Army to meet future challenges
through modernization.
In support of ReARMM, the G-1 is developing new Army Manning
Guidance (AMG) to drive personnel policy aligned with the ReARMM
principles of predictability, stability, and synchronization.
Additionally, the G-1 is reviewing personnel policies to include
stabilization of key NCO leaders and development of the 21st Century
NCO corps.
Marketing
The Army's marketing efforts focus on acquiring diverse talent in a
competitive environment. To attract the talent we require, we must
inform and inspire public awareness of the wide array of opportunities
the Army offers. Marketing remains a key tool to reaching qualified
recruits.
The ad campaign ``What's Your Warrior?'' launched in 2019 to
highlight the breadth and depth of Army careers for Generation Z (Gen
Z) youth. ``What's Your Warrior?'' added more content in late 2020 and
the initiatives continue today. ``What's Your Warrior?'' leverages a
mix of traditional and digital advertising to reach Gen Z recruits and
their influencers across their preferred platforms including national
broadcast, out-of-home advertisement, print, websites, and social
media. The campaign reaches audiences through YouTube, GoArmy social
media channels, and GoArmy.com with a range of promotional assets
designed to appeal to different segments of the ``Generation Z''
population.
Civilian Workforce Efforts
Efforts specifically aimed at expediting the hiring of Civilians
are increasing personnel readiness and ensuring talented individuals
fill critical vacancies.
Direct Hire Authorities (DHAs) are hiring authorities that the
Office of Personnel Management can grant to Federal agencies to fill
vacancies in specific occupations, grade levels and locations, when it
can be proven that there is a critical hiring need or a severe shortage
of candidates. DOD-specific DHAs enable the Army to expedite the hiring
of qualified applicants for critical/hard-to-fill positions quickly and
efficiently by removing some of the lengthier steps of the hiring
process, specifically public notice, rating and ranking and Veterans'
preference. The Army continues to use DHAs to expedite hiring for
critical positions to increase readiness. DHAs cover many critical
positions such as scientific, technical, engineering and mathematics
(STEM), medical, and cyber. During 1st quarter of fiscal year 2021, the
Army utilized DHAs for 70.8 percent of eligible external hiring actions
and increased the usage rate to 73.5 percent for 2nd quarter fiscal
year 2021.
The Army has implemented several initiatives as part of a broader
strategy to reduce Civilian time-to-hire in support of the former
Secretary of Defense's fiscal year 2025 hiring goal of 45 days. In
conjunction with promoting the use of Direct Hire Authorities to
decrease hiring time, Commanders have been given the authority to defer
several conditions of employment that add significant time to the
hiring process (e.g., pre-employment physical results, pre-employment
drug test results, and completed security clearances). Since
implementing various initiatives, we have seen a gradual decrease in
fill time--fiscal year 2019 hiring time was 90.63 days, fiscal year
2020 was 83.4 days, and currently for fiscal year 2021 the hiring time
is 84.89 days.
In support of the Army People Strategy and Civilian Implementation
Program, the Army has developed an Army-wide voluntary reassignment
pilot program for Appropriated Fund employees called the Department of
the Army Voluntary Re-Assignment Program (DAVRAP). The DAVRAP supports
Army-wide human resource goals to reduce time-to-hire and bolster
retention of current employees. This program delivers an Army-wide
recruitment source that allows selecting officials to quickly fill
vacant positions non-competitively with current Army employees. By
allowing selecting officials to non-competitively select employees from
different commands and/or locations, this program can facilitate the
continued employment of current Army employees, to include Veterans and
Military Spouses and family members undergoing a permanent change of
station (PCS) with their military/civilian sponsor.
Building and Maintaining a Quality Force
We must attract, acquire, and retain a diverse and talented force
from across the Nation to build cohesive teams that are highly trained,
disciplined and fit, and ready to fight and win.
Recruiting
The Army enlisted 61,253 recruits in the Active component (AC),
38,633 recruits in the Army National Guard (ARNG), and 13,706 recruits
in the Army Reserve (USAR) in fiscal year 2020.
The AC achieved 38 percent of its fiscal year 2021 recruiting
mission. Recruiting continues to be a challenge in the COVID-19
environment. The Army's Recruiting Command has tripled its virtual
efforts this year with multiple initiatives, including quarterly
virtual campaigns; development of virtual career fair capabilities; and
on-line job postings. These virtual efforts have compensated for the
loss in face-to-face prospecting opportunities. The AC is on track to
achieve its end-strength of 485,900.
The ARNG achieved 45 percent of its fiscal year 2021 recruiting
mission. With an aggressive emphasis on retention and attrition
management, combined with an improved recruiting strategy, the ARNG is
on glide path to achieve its end-strength of 336,500.
The USAR achieved 37 percent of its recruiting mission. The USAR
continues its effort to reduce attrition and increase prior service
transfers from the AC and Individual Ready Reserve as a means to offset
recruiting production. They expect to achieve 98.6 percent of the
189,800 end-strength objective.
The Army is on track to recruit and access more than 4,700 AC
officers in fiscal year 2021, with more than 10,000 officers accessed
across all components. All sources of commission are expected to meet
their fiscal year 2021 accessions mission despite challenges due to
COVID-19. The Army's primary commissioning sources (USMA, ROTC, and
OCS) continue to advance processes to match talent and build diversity
of race and gender across all Army officer branches. Officer Branching
is aligned with the Army People Strategy underpinned by the ASA
(M&RA)'s diversity guidance to `build the bench' of our Nation's future
leaders. The Reserve component is also on track to exceed their fiscal
year 2021 accession goals.
Retention
The Army's People Strategy requires that we not only recruit and
employ the best talent, but that we retain them as well. As part of the
Army's People Strategy, we have called for a 20 percent reduction in
attrition during initial-entry training and a 15 percent reduction in
attrition of soldiers who are within their first 36 months of service
by the end of fiscal year 2020. We are seeing significant improvements
in attrition-reduction efforts, and we expect to achieve our reduction
goals by the end of the fiscal year.
The AC and the USAR each achieved their fiscal year 2020 retention
missions, while the ARNG achieved nearly 98 percent of their retention
mission. The AC continues to exceed historical retention rates and the
fiscal year 2020 retention rate of our eligible population (91.6
percent) was the highest to date. The fiscal year 2020 retention rate
was an increase of nearly 10 percent over fiscal year 2019 and 2
percent over fiscal year 2018. In fiscal year 2021, the AC will
accomplish its mission requirements. These retention achievements
support meeting our NCO requirements in the near to mid-term and would
not be possible without the funding support for incentives granted by
Congress.
The Army saw consistent officer retention in fiscal year 2020,
retaining 90 percent of Army Competitive Category (ACC) captains and 96
percent of ACC majors, which is consistent with fiscal year 2019 and a
slight increase since fiscal year 2018. Overall, the Army retained 93
percent of all officers and warrant officers in fiscal year 2020.
Approximately 71 percent of officers are staying at least one year past
their initial Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO).
Non-Deployable Personnel
The Army's current initiatives to update regulations concerning
non-deployable status have postured the Army to meet the 5 percent goal
for non-deployable personnel. When these policy changes occur, the Army
is postured to achieve the DOD goal of less than 5 percent by the end
of 3rd quarter of fiscal year 2021.
As of March 31, 2021, the Integrated Disability Evaluation System
(IDES) non-deployable population consisted of 12,374 personnel. The
COVID-19 impact to the medical examination portion of the IDES process
resulted in more than 2,800 deferments. Consequently, the average
processing time (from referral until separation) increased from 202
days in fiscal year 2020 to 272 days as of March 2021. We expect the
processing time to increase through the summer, level off, then
decrease in the fall of 2021 as we clear out deferred cases. The Army
will continue to work closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs
and DOD to ensure timely delivery of benefits for our Nation's wounded,
ill and injured soldiers. Efficient execution of the IDES process is
critical to both readiness and taking care of our soldiers and
families.
The Diversity of the Force
Over the last 14 years, the Army's Enlisted Force has become
racially and ethnically more diverse, with Hispanics accounting for the
biggest increase in minority representation. The Combat Arms Outreach
program is a targeted effort to attract and commission a diverse
officer talent pool reflective of the Nation we serve and the soldiers
it leads. Combat Arms Outreach Engagement Teams will consist of diverse
company grade and field grade officers from Combat Arms branches. Teams
will conduct engagements at ROTC programs to encourage cadets to join
Combat Arms branches.
White, non-Hispanic representation in the Enlisted Force has
decreased from 60 percent in 2007 to 51 percent in 2021. Meanwhile,
Hispanic representation has increased from 11.7 percent to 18.7 percent
over the same period. Asian and Pacific Islanders have also increased
as a share of the Enlisted Force from 4 percent in 2007 to 6.3 percent
in 2021. Female representation in the Enlisted Force has increased
slightly over the last 14 years. In 2007, 13.4 percent of enlisted
soldiers were women, whereas today, 14.8 percent of enlisted soldiers
are women. The Army is finalizing its Enlisted Diversity Plan, which
contains initiatives to address recruiting, developing, and retaining
the diverse talent it needs to address sub-population
underrepresentation.
Over the last 14 years, the Officer Corps has also become racially
and ethnically more diverse, with Hispanics and Asians accounting for
the biggest increase in minority representation. White, non-Hispanic
representation in the Officer Corps has decreased from 74 percent in
2007 to 70 percent in 2021. Meanwhile, Hispanic and Asian
representation has increased from 5 percent to 8 percent over the same
period. Non-Hispanic Blacks have declined slightly as a share of the
Officer Corps from 12 percent in 2007 to 11 percent in 2021. There has
also been an increase in females in the Officer Corps over the last 14
years. In 2007, 16.7 percent officers were women, whereas today, 19.8
percent of officers are women. In January 2021, the Army published its
Expanding Diversity in the Officer Corps Plan, which included 25
initiatives to address diversity shortfalls in the Army Officer Corps.
Women in the Army
In 2011, 13.5 percent of soldiers were women. Today, 15.5 percent
of soldiers are women. In addition to comprising an increased share of
the Total Force, women continue to integrate into infantry, armor, and
field artillery military occupational specialties at the Brigade Combat
Team (BCT) level. As of the end of February 2021, 742 females were
serving in infantry or armor roles within BCTs. BCT gender integration
has progressed steadily, with 29 of 31 BCTs currently integrated and
the remaining two BCTs scheduled to integrate by fall 2021. The Army
plans to integrate its BCTs by cohort to ensure female soldiers arrive
at a unit with at least one same-gendered battle buddy. Four BCTs
already have more than 50 female infantry and armor soldiers, and 20
BCTs have a dozen or more female infantry or armor soldiers. The Army
will continue to address female recruitment and accession shortfalls
using initiatives set forth in its officers, warrant officers and
enlisted cohort diversity plans.
Army Civilians
Making up approximately 23 percent of the Total Force, nearly
300,000 Army civilians work across the institutional Army in more than
500 unique job series. Army civilians are an integral part of the Army
team, and they play a critical role in enabling our soldiers to deploy,
fight, and win our Nation's wars. Army civilians provide the Army with
unmatched technical competence in essential functional areas including
technical, medical, engineering, science, logistics, finance, and
administrative disciplines. They provide leadership, stability, and
continuity across the Generating Force, allowing soldiers to focus on
warfighting. Our civilian workforce is motivated, diverse, and highly
skilled.
COVID-19
The health and welfare of our people during the pandemic has been
our top priority since March 2020 when the Department of Defense (DOD)
implemented the Stop Move order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and
protect our soldiers, civilians, contractors, and family members.
Currently, our vaccination priorities are focused on sustaining and
improving our readiness through prioritization and education of all
eligible and willing personnel. Our efforts continue to follow CDC and
DOD force heath protection measures to ensure the safety of our force
and reassure our foreign partners that the Army is committed to
preventing the spread of the virus into and within their countries.
To support soldiers during transitions, we have authorized them to
report up to 30 days early and up to 20 days past their report date.
This flexibility allows our personnel to best align transportation,
pick up of household goods, and school start dates for their
dependents.
We have implemented virtual promotion boards at the junior NCO
level and initially suspended professional military education
requirements for promotion to the next grade to minimize travel
requirements and gatherings of large groups. For officers attending the
captains career course, the Secretary of the Army authorized attending
in a temporary duty versus permanent change of station status through
May 2021 to reduce risk and stress on family members. We have
implemented specific compensation and entitlements that include
Hardship Duty Pay-Restriction of Movement, isolation allowances, basic
allowances for subsistence and meals at no cost, suspension of
requirements to receive performance-based special and incentive pays,
and Special Leave Accrual. All our efforts are designed to provide
financial assistance and prevent undue hardship during this pandemic.
The People First Task Force
In December 2020, the Secretary of the Army established the People
First Task Force (PFTF) to assess findings and recommendations of the
Fort Hood Independent Review Committee (FHIRC) and develop options to
address critical people issues which eroded public trust in the Army.
The PFTF is taking actions to holistically address each of the nine
findings and implement all 70 recommendations of the FHIRC, and is well
under way to broadly apply meaningful changes through multi-faceted
plans to combat sexual harassment, sexual assault, violent crimes, and
other harmful behaviors that exist in our ranks across the Army,
ultimately enhancing a culture of trust and building cohesive teams at
all echelons. Deliberate efforts to redesign the Sexual Harassment/
Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program are in progress and the
task force expects to present its recommendations to Army leadership
soon for review and implementation.
In March, the People First Solarium brought together 100 junior
enlisted soldiers and officers from across the Total Army at the U.S.
Military Academy to examine Army culture and the behaviors that
negatively impact cohesion and trust. This event initiated a deliberate
effort to close the communications gap between soldiers and senior
leaders combined with 96 listening sessions at 14 locations. Parallel
to the Solarium, the This Is My Squad initiative employs a grassroots
approach to building cohesive teams that nests with the Army's NCO
Strategy to shape the NCO Corps for generations to come. In support of
This is My Squad, the Army developed the Squad Leader Development
Course (SLDC) to assist first-line leaders in understanding and
embracing their roles. The recently revised SLDC curriculum assists
junior leaders as they develop their leadership philosophy by tying
their philosophy to their signature character strengths and personal
values. Additionally, the Army will aggressively improve criminal
investigation structure, crime prevention procedures and missing
soldier protocols to empower and protect our soldiers.
The task force is also conducting pilot programs to measure unit
cohesion and trust, as well as the effectiveness of programs meant to
counter harmful behaviors such as sexual harassment, at select
installations. The assessments include: soldier interviews and small
unit visits; surveys measuring morale and trust in leadership; and
analysis of a formation's operations with regards to trust and
cohesion, leader development programs, training, awards, legal actions,
and soldier separation programs.
Equity and Inclusion Efforts
The Army continues to advance the Army People Strategy Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion Annex which includes 5 goals, 25 objectives, and
126 action tasks that serve as the core of the Army's Project Inclusion
initiatives and fulfill the Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA section 529 mandate
for the military services to develop a diversity and inclusion
strategic plan by December 20, 2020. The Annex's five goals center on
Leader Commitment, Talent Management, Organizational Structure,
Training and Education, and Equitable and Inclusive Environment.
One of the Army's major initiatives is the Your Voice Matters
listening sessions where the Army sends diversity and inclusion
professionals to installations to discuss race, racism, diversity and
inclusion, and their impact on the force. As of April 15, 2021, the
Army has conducted 97 listening sessions at 14 different locations,
reaching 5,401 soldiers and Department of the Army civilians.
Another initiative is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion outreach
to Affinity Groups program. On January 18, 2021, then Secretary of the
Army McCarthy signed a memorandum of agreement with the National Pan
Hellenic Council to focus on mutually shared objectives that help
diversify the Army; mentor young men and women throughout the National
Pan Hellenic Council community; and collaborate on outreach
opportunities to build a community of talent, capable of joining the
Army and achieving their aspirations and defined ideals of success.
The Army has also inculcated diversity, equity, and inclusion
training into Army Professional Military Education. The Training and
Doctrine Command has revamped Military Equal Opportunity training to
include diversity, equity and inclusion, the Secretary of the Army and
the Chief of Staff of the Army signed the Officer Diversity Plan on
January 7, 2021. We are working to complete plans for our enlisted,
warrant officer and civilian cohort by the end of fiscal year 2021.
These plans are designed to help the Army acquire, develop, employ and
retain the diverse talent it needs to fight and win our Nation's wars.
The Army has also assigned a Senior Diversity Advisor to the Secretary
of the Army, as mandated by Fiscal Year 2021 NDAA section 913.
Quality of Life Programs
People First means creating a duty and installation environment
that allows soldiers and their families to thrive. Last year we
committed to quality of life priorities that included: quality housing
both for families and our soldiers in the barracks; quality childcare
and youth services; and meaningful employment for spouses.
The Army continues to execute the Army Housing Campaign Plan to
shape policies, procedures, and processes at every echelon. We have
fully implemented 14 of 18 Tenant Bill of Rights at 44 installations
and expect the remaining 4 tenant rights to be available at most
installations with privatized housing by June 1, 2021. We implemented
incentive fee metrics to hold privatized companies accountable for
proper maintenance and customer service, and hired 114 additional
government personnel to provide quality assurance oversight to
privatized and government-owned housing. We implemented 100 percent
change of occupancy inspections, and 100 percent quality assurance
checks on life, health, and safety work orders. We developed
environmental hazards (mold and lead) education materials; established
an environmental hazard response registry; established habitability and
displaced residents' policies; and hired independent, third-party
experts to perform financial and development/operations reviews on
privatized companies.
Quality childcare is essential in enabling personnel readiness. The
Army has a multi-pronged strategy to maintain, and in some cases,
increase access to care. We plan, with Congressional support, to build
21 additional Child Development Centers by fiscal year 2030, adding
approximately 4,000 childcare spaces. We appreciate Congressional
support of the three centers funded in fiscal year 2021, two in Hawaii
and one in Alaska. We continue to invest in our people, adjusting
compensation to recruit and retain quality staff. We are incentivizing
the Family Childcare Program with bonuses for new providers and for
families that continue in the program after a move. Finally, we
continue to invest in Army fee assistance to buy down the cost of off-
post care when on-post care is unavailable or there is a long wait for
care.
The Army, with the support of Congress, continues to make
improvements in spouse employment initiatives. The Army reimburses
spouses up to $1,000 for professional licensing and certification in a
new state. We improved policies for military spouse hiring preference
and strengthened the Employment Readiness Program. We also made the
transfer of non-appropriated fund employees between installations
easier and streamlined the home-based business application and approval
system. We continue to work with DOD to promote workforce development
scholarships; improve state license reciprocity and professional
license compacts; and reduce overseas employment barriers.
Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program (SHARP)
The Army continues to show the highest sexual assault and
harassment reporting ever recorded. The continued increase in reporting
is viewed as a positive trend by DOD and civilian sexual assault/
harassment and prevention experts. soldier surveys, such as the
Workplace and Gender Relations Survey and the Defense Organizational
Climate Survey (DEOCS), have linked an increase in reporting to greater
trust in the chain of command and the SHARP response system. Optimally,
we would see an increase in reporting in conjunction with a decrease in
prevalence, or the estimated number of assaults.
We are working to redesign the Army's SHARP system and are
implementing initiatives to provide Commanders with the essential
resources, education, training, and awareness they need to bring an end
to sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Army. The PFTF has
assembled a team of experts and stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive
review of the Army's efforts to prevent sexual harassment and sexual
assault, along with providing coordinated, victim-centered and trauma-
informed reporting and response services. The PFTF has engaged experts
from academia, the public sector, DOD and the Army to develop bold,
holistic, and sweeping recommendations to improve the Army's SHARP
program. These recommendations will also address the 70 recommendations
from the Fort Hood Independent Review. The Army is committed to
eradicating sexual harassment and sexual assault in our ranks, and we
see the SHARP program redesign as a foundational effort.
Our Army SHARP Academy, the only sexual assault prevention and
response-dedicated school among the Services, has introduced new
prevention curriculum for all SHARP professionals informed by the DOD
Prevention Plan of Action (PPoA). The new curriculum includes a range
of unit-level training products that enable interactive learning. In
January 2021, the Academy began providing updated and enhanced SHARP
training in the Army's Pre-Command Course and work is underway to
improve the required content across the full range of Professional
Military Education (PME).
We are in the process of seeking an exception to policy to allow
the Army to provide SHARP advocacy services to Army Civilians filing
unrestricted sexual assault reports regardless of whether they are
serving in CONUS or OCONUS. Currently, policies only allow limited
SHARP services to Civilians serving OCONUS.
Resilience Programs
The Army's Ready and Resilient (R2) program continues to provide
the foundation for individuals to build and sustain personal readiness
and resilience. Resilience is the Army's number one investment in
primary prevention, as well as a protective factor against harmful
behaviors.
During the past year, we have increased the ability of Command
Teams and Leaders to better ``see'' their soldiers and units, by
deploying the Commander's Risk Reduction Toolkit (CRRT). The toolkit is
a web-based application, populated from 26 authoritative data sources
and displays up to 40 risk factors to give Command Teams a consolidated
history of each soldier's personal information and potential risk. This
access provides the Command Teams a consolidated history of each
soldier's personal information and potential risk. Battalion
Commanders, Command Sergeants Major, Company Commanders, and First
Sergeants are the only personnel who can view individual soldier risk
related to Personal Identifying Information (PII) and limited Protected
Health Information (PHI). We completed fielding of the CRRT to the
Active component and are currently rolling out the capability to
Reserve and Guard units. CRRT not only provides Command Teams
unprecedented visibility of their soldiers' risk factors, it also
displays aggregated risk data from Company through Army Command level.
This tool provides leaders with a common operating picture consisting
of high-risk event trends with relationship to operational events.
Suicide
The Army continues to take a multidisciplinary, holistic
comprehensive approach that includes awareness, research, and clinical/
non-clinical initiatives to address suicide and other harmful
behaviors. Unfortunately, Army suicides increased in late 2019, and we
continue our efforts to prevent these tragedies through our
comprehensive strategies. While we recognize the COVID-19 conditions
that increased isolation and decreased social connectedness could
exacerbate suicidality, evidence does not yet exist to support a causal
link with the pandemic. We are taking proactive measures such as leader
engagement, training and awareness to mitigate associated stressors. We
continue to equip commanders with the tools and resources required to
strengthen resilience, increase leader visibility and enhance
communication, prevention, and intervention capabilities through a
collaborative community response.
We are nearing completion of two pilot initiatives. A Suicide
Prevention/Resilience Strengthening initiative that include units at
Forts Bliss, Hood, and Campbell, is aimed at decreasing the prevalence
of suicidality through increases in unit cohesion, trust, and coping
and communication skills. During the pilot, we are evaluating two main
initiatives: Leader Education and Training and Command Visibility
Tools. Pilot findings will assess the impact on reduction of suicides,
behavioral health problems and undesirable behaviors such as substance
abuse, violence, and crime, and will be available in 3rd quarter of
fiscal year 2021. A second pilot, the Behavioral Health Readiness and
Suicide Risk Reduction Review (R4) tool, focuses on the populations
most at risk of suicide (company level and below) and provides first-
line leaders with practical knowledge for communicating with their
soldiers on suicide prevention. Initial pilot findings will be complete
in 3rd quarter of fiscal year 2021.
We continue to embed multidisciplinary teams of behavioral health
(BH) professionals to provide direct support of brigade-level units.
The Army expanded BH telehealth appointments during COVID-19, and the
Office of the Surgeon General is reviewing the continuation of this
service after the pandemic subsides.
The Army is revising how it governs its Suicide Prevention programs
to better incorporate Prevention and allow the Department to address
early on any new emerging challenges. By elevating our governance
process and taking a more holistic prevention approach, our Senior
Leaders will have both the continuous visibility and information to
reduce the incidents of suicide across our Army.
Alcohol and other Substance Abuse
Recognizing the nexus between alcohol and substance abuse and other
harmful behaviors, the Army is employing a multidisciplinary and
holistic prevention approach to reduce alcohol abuse and other
substance abuse among soldiers. Our most at-risk population continues
to be junior enlisted male soldiers that have co-occurring
psychological or physical conditions. Combat exposure and traumatic
experiences can also increase the risk of substance abuse within our
population. The Army continues to emphasize the importance of
deterrence, training, and awareness efforts, and offers self-referral
for soldiers struggling with alcohol and other substance abuse
problems.
In July 2020, the Army published an update to AR 600-85, Army
Substance Abuse Program. Other revisions include the addition of
problematic gambling behavior to our Prevention, Education, and
Training Objectives. We also provided updated guidance for
administrative processing for separation of soldiers for alcohol or
other drug abuse and implementing the designation of certain positions
as Testing Designation Positions under the Army Drug-Free Federal
Workplace Program. These revisions support efforts to implement an
integrated and comprehensive prevention model aimed at strengthening
soldiers, DA civilians and family members, building protective factors,
and fostering a culture of trust that promotes readiness, successful
service that is free of alcohol and other substance abuse and
organizational cohesion.
We are placing increased emphasis on stigma reduction efforts to
encourage those who want assistance, but are hesitant to seek help, due
to fears it will negatively impact their careers. In addition, the
Army's substance abuse prevention efforts are being aligned with the
Centers for Disease Control prevention strategy to ensure a holistic
approach to prevent and deter substance abuse.
Transition Assistance Program
It is in the Army's and our Nation's best interest to ensure
soldiers transition successfully back into our communities after their
military service. All soldiers are required to begin the transition
process no later than 365 days before the date of their anticipated
transition from Active Duty. For fiscal year 2020, the Army's Veterans
Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act compliance is 95 percent. The Transition
Assistance Program (TAP) remains available to all veterans for six
months after transition, and to all retirees for life.
Even with the challenges of COVID-19, more than 90 percent of
transitioning soldiers met the Career Readiness Standards required by
DOD and the Army. The Army already had a 24/7 Virtual TAP Center that
enabled us to be flexible during this pandemic. Counselors worldwide
use our Virtual software, Microsoft Teams, and telephonic support to
ensure soldiers in transition and their families have access to online
support and information.
According to data from the Department of Labor, in fiscal year 2020
the unemployment rate for all Veterans increased due to COVID-19. The
Army TAP efforts helped to stabilize the unemployment rate for recently
transitioned Veterans to be lower than the national average. Between
fiscal year 2011 and fiscal year 2020, Army TAP efforts, coupled with
the Nation's low Veteran unemployment rates, have contributed to
reducing the Army's annual unemployment reimbursement costs from a high
of $514.6 million to $112.8 million.
The Army TAP's Career Skills Program (CSP) provides soldiers the
opportunity to participate in first-class apprenticeships, on-the-job
training, employment skills training, and internships. It also affords
soldiers the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized skills and move
into high-demand and highly skilled careers at little to no cost. The
Army has more 4,000 industry partners and sub-partners in the CSP
program. In fiscal year 2020, 6,041 soldiers successfully completed a
CSP, and 5,586 (or 90 percent) of them were placed into careers
following the CSP training, despite a world-wide pandemic that moved
most CSP training for the Army to an online and/or virtual platform.
Soldier for Life
The Army Soldier for Life program continues to expand its efforts
to influence policies, programs and services that support soldiers,
veterans, and their families. Forced to transition to virtual
operations during the pandemic, the program conducted more than 25 key
virtual engagements with Army, government and non-government
organizations. In support of the Army Quality of Life Task Force focus
to support military spouses, Soldier for Life spearheaded the
initiative to establish co-working space for self-employed and remote-
working military spouses, with pilot programs already established at
Forts Belvoir, Knox and Sill. For the past two years, Soldier for Life
has increased program awareness through aggressive strategic messaging
across all social media platforms with remarkable success. The Soldier
for Life podcast produced 89 episodes designed to share resources with
the military community. Soldier for Life thrives on creating an
environment where soldiers, veterans and their families embrace their
positive Army experience and return to their communities to inspire
others to serve through personal example.
The Army's Retired Soldiers are both a strategic and tactical asset
for the Army. They inspire Americans by telling their Army stories and
explaining military service and how critical it is to the strength and
security of our Nation. During the pandemic, more than 200 retired
soldiers with needed medical skills were recalled to Active Duty to
serve in COVID-19 hotspots or to backfill soldiers in military
treatment facilities who deployed to these hot spots.
Conclusion. The People of the United States Army--these men and
women who serve our Nation, both in and out of uniform, along with
their families--are our strength and our legacy. Their talents,
courage, and commitment make our Army the greatest in the world.
Accordingly, putting our People First is key to readiness,
modernization, and reform. Every one of our people has unique talents
and abilities they are willing to use in service to our Nation, and we
owe them the opportunity to do so. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking
Member Tillis, members of this committee, I thank you for generous and
unwavering support of our outstanding soldiers, civilian professionals,
and their families.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Vice Admiral Nowell.
STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL JOHN B. NOWELL, JR., USN, DEPUTY
CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS, N-1 AND CHIEF OF NAVAL PERSONNEL
Vice Admiral Nowell. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member
Tillis, and distinguished subcommittee members, thank you for
the opportunity to appear before you to update you on your
Navy's personnel programs. First, I would like to give you a
quick picture of some of our men and women across the fleet
today. You may have seen, this past, the USS Monterey seized a
massive shipment of illicit weapons in the North Arabian Sea.
In the Indo-Pacific, sailors on the USS John S. McCain
recently conducted a Taiwan strait transit, demonstrating
dedication to our allies and freedom of the seas.
For COVID-19 relief efforts, our sailors continue to
support community vaccination centers from Boston and New York
to Norfolk and Jacksonville, and sailors on board the John Finn
successfully shot down an intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) in a critical test of our ballistic missile defense
capability.
As we sit here, submariners prowl the depths on board
ballistic missile submarines, preserving global peace through
strategic deterrence. These are just a few examples of what the
men and women of your Navy are doing right now.
Let me double-tap that it has been the service and
sacrifice of our sailors and the Navy families, amidst the
incredible challenges of a global pandemic, that have enabled
our Navy to project power across the world and accomplish all
assigned missions here and abroad. I want to start by saying
thank you to all of them and to all of their families.
To fight and win in a long-term strategic competition we
must attract, develop, and manage the most talented Navy
workforce possible. COVID-19 mitigations forced us to shift our
recruiting methods to 100 percent digital outreach to find
outstanding millennial and centennial talent. Meanwhile, the
herculean efforts of our men and women at the Recruit Training
Command led to safe bubble-to-bubble training and shipping of
new sailors. This prevented any significant COVID-19 outbreaks
in our accessions pipeline, as our recruit training command
went from an all-stop at the beginning of the pandemic to
putting through over 50,000 sailors through our accession
supply chain since COVID-19 started.
We have continued to develop this talent through
initiatives such as Ready, Relevant Learning and a culture of
excellence. Ready, Relevant Learning is the establishment of a
career-long learning continuum which is transforming an
industrial-age training model into a modern, responsive system.
Additionally, our Culture of Excellence is a Navy-wide approach
to achieving warfighting excellence by creating an environment
of psychological, physical, and emotional toughness, while
promoting transparency, trust, inclusion, and connectedness
among our sailors and their families.
Following the events of last summer, the Chief of Naval
Operations (CNO) established Task Force One Navy, to evaluate
issues in our society and military that detract from lethality
and readiness, such as racism, sexism, and other biases, and
they highlighted 56 recommendations, cultivating a culture of
diversity, equity, and inclusion that the Navy is folding back
into our Culture of Excellence campaign plan.
Now without a doubt, the vast majority of our sailors in
the Navy serve every day with honor, courage, commitment, and
respect. However, we are not under any illusions that extremist
behaviors do not exist in the Navy, and as directed by the
Secretary of Defense, each command across the fleet conducted a
stand-down to address extremism within our ranks, and we remain
committed to eliminating it and all of its effects from the
fleet.
Last, we are optimizing our talent management systems,
providing greater flexibility for sailors in career choice,
development, training, and assignments. Thanks to the support
of Congress in fully funding our MyNavy HR Transformation
programs, we are able to provide our sailors and families with
new and innovative systems. Some of these include our Navy
Personnel and Pay System, countless mobile applications, and
two MyNavy Career Center contact centers which have provided
just-in-time capability to our sailors and their families with
24/7 human resource support during the height of the COVID-19
pandemic.
As we grow our force structure and manpower requirements
across all ship classes, we will continue to attract, develop,
and manage America's finest talent to ensure fleet readiness,
capability, and capacity, with our greatest advantage over our
adversaries always being our people.
Thank you for your support of these efforts and for your
unwavering commitment to the men and women of the United States
Navy and their families. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Vice Admiral John B. Nowell
follows:]
Prepared Statement by Vice Admiral John B. Nowell
introduction
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and distinguished
members of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to discuss our Navy's most
important strategic asset, our people.
strategic environment
As stated in the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy and Chief of Naval
Operations Navigation Plan (NAVPLAN), the United States Navy is engaged
in a long-term strategic competition with the People's Republic of
China (PRC) and Russian Federation (RF). These two nations have usurped
control of valuable sea-based resources, unlawfully violated the
sovereignty of our allies through intimidation by force, and hold
international waterways and the global economy at risk. With its One
Belt, One Road initiative and aggressive naval build-up, as stated by
Secretary Austin, the PRC is our pacing threat. Enabled by
modernization of tactical nuclear warheads, submarines, and hypersonic
missile capability, the RF poses a direct threat to our homeland with
an increased capacity to launch kinetic and cyber attacks with no
warning. The PRC and RF endeavor to undermine the freedom of the seas
that has benefitted the globe since the end of the Cold War and will
attempt to outpace and overwhelm us in this long-term competition.
However, we will bolster our resolve to deter aggression, fight, and
win with the greatest warfighting asset that can outthink and outfight
any adversary, our people.
advantage at sea
To be victorious in long-term strategic competition, we must
attract, develop, and manage the most talented Navy workforce possible,
and these sailors will form the backbone of the Navy that can fight and
win. Additionally, we will continue to strengthen our Fleet by
establishing a culture of toughness, high standards, and trust. We will
increase our lethality by removing bias and prejudice, eliminating
discrimination, and learning from and listening to one another with
dignity and respect. Lastly, we will inspire our sailors to outthink
our adversaries by promoting innovation, initiative, and confidence in
their decentralized decision making. Just as we are accelerating the
development of a larger, more lethal Fleet, we will produce the best
trained and best educated naval force in the world, supported by our
core values of honor, courage, and commitment. MyNavy HR's four
strategic goals, Build a Navy that Can Fight and Win; Optimize Talent
Management; Provide Exceptional Service to our sailors and their
families; and Transform the MyNavy HR Enterprise, are vital to
maintaining our advantage at sea and defending our Nation for decades
to come.
attracting the nation's best talent
At the beginning of 2020, MyNavy HR focused on maintaining
recruiting, retention, and operational readiness due to steady economic
growth, historically low unemployment rates, and strong competition
from civilian employers. When the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic shocked the U.S. and global economies, prospective recruits
and current sailors were forced to choose between a heavily disrupted
and uncertain civilian labor market and military service during a
global pandemic. While the immediate effects to recruiting and
retention were unknown, COVID-19 mitigation measures forced immediate
innovations in the way we attract talent, pivoting to a completely
digital recruiting presence to connect with potential sailors.
Accession Mission and Recruiting Modernization
Despite ongoing challenges driven by COVID-19, we continue to
leverage our digital recruiting presence to achieve the fiscal year
2021 accession mission of 34,834 enlisted sailors and 2,513 officers in
the Active component (AC), and 6,325 enlisted sailors and 1,319
officers in the Reserve component (RC). MyNavy HR concluded fiscal year
2020 with just over 100 percent (39,678/39,600) of our AC enlisted
accession goal. However, record high AC retention created more
challenges with RC accessions, as fewer eligible personnel separated
from the Navy to affiliate with the selected Reserve. Thus, we achieved
97 percent of goal (5,728/5,907), a manageable deficit, as we continue
to meet our RC end strength. For officers, we fell short of mission
solely due to the implementation of COVID-19 mitigation measures, as we
attained 91 percent (2,160/2,390) of the AC and 78 percent (1,109/
1,419) of the RC mission.
COVID-19 mitigations, particularly social distancing, prevented
traditional MyNavy HR recruiting processes, creating the opportunity
for us to accelerate our timeline to transform and modernize our
recruiting model. We expeditiously completed the transition to 26 Navy
Talent Acquisition Groups from legacy models three years ahead of
schedule, using a transformative business model, which embraces and
exploits the speed, accuracy, flexibility, and agility of today's
digital environment. Additionally, we deployed a cloud-based Customer
Relationship Management software, which facilitated personalized
customer service, management decision support via analytics, and
opportunity and territory management capabilities. Simultaneously, we
established E-Talent teams to focus on digital prospecting and lead
efficiency management, greatly reducing the disruption caused by social
distancing. Lastly, in January, Navy recruiters began using ZOOM for
outreach in schools.
Enlisted Recruiting
While digital development and modernization enabled MyNavy HR to
meet enlisted recruiting goals, accessing sailors in specific high-
demand fields continues to be a challenge. Expanding our inventory in
areas such as the Nuclear Field, Cyber Warfare, Special Warfare/
Operations, Submarine, and certain aviation specialties is vital to
maintaining Fleet readiness at sea. To attract superb talent, we
continue to develop and improve recruiting strategies for all
demographic groups while discovering methods to best leverage existing
incentives to attract personnel. Our touch points were already shifting
online prior to COVID-19, but the pandemic hastened our innovations,
requiring new virtual platforms to connect with potential recruits. As
we optimize these platforms, we consistently review, develop, and
improve recruiting strategies to attract the high-quality, diverse, and
motivated talent who will strengthen Fleet readiness.
Concerning generational trends, the youngest military-eligible
generation, Centennials, comprises the bulk of new accessions. Apart
from being the most diverse generation to enter naval service,
Centennials also receive information and address issues differently
from Millennials, members of Generation X, and Baby Boomers. They are
far more comfortable building and maintaining relationships in the
digital space, have greater trust in internet sources, and easily learn
from online content as was demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. More
so than previous generations, they seek physical and psychological
stability in a world fraught with turmoil, including COVID-19, long-
term strategic competition, civil unrest, and shattered economies,
making career readiness, progression, and growth paramount. MyNavy HR
is mindful of these generational trends, as we compete for a diverse
and talented workforce.
Officer Recruiting
There continues to be significant interest in commissioning
programs through the United States Naval Academy, Naval Reserve
Officers Training Corps (NROTC), and Officer Candidate School (OCS),
continuing the trend that very qualified candidates exceed allotted
appointments. Similar to enlisted recruiting efforts, we increased the
use of virtual recruiting by expanding our efforts using digital media
such as LinkedIn and Handshake, enhancing our ability to attend virtual
career fairs and increase diversity-focused placements in local and
national media outlets.
This past year, we grew the highly successful NROTC Preparatory
Program (NPP), expanding NROTC scholarship opportunities to untapped
talent and preparing them for success in the NROTC program. NROTC
Preparatory Scholarship Reservations (NPSR) support this mission by
partnering with educational institutions where interested high school
students can apply for a one-year institutionally or privately funded
scholarship to support room, board, and tuition while they are enrolled
in a university NPP. This program expands the relationship between Navy
and host academic institutions and offers a performance-based pathway
for these midshipmen candidates to earn NROTC scholarships. For
academic year (AY) 2019-2020, 67 midshipman candidates enrolled with 49
completing the program and receiving NROTC scholarships. For AY20-21,
109 candidates enrolled, and, at present, 157 reservations are set
aside. Over 140 candidates are expected to start NPP in the Fall of
2021. Additionally, starting the summer of 2021, the NROTC program has
partnered with the United States Naval Academy to provide 10
reservations for NROTC prospective scholarship applicants to attend
Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training 2.0 (BOOST
2.0) at the Naval Academy Preparatory School.
While we met our recruiting goal for most AC officer communities,
recruiting for the Judge Advocate General's Corps and Medical Corps
continues to be challenging due to a high level of competition from
civilian employers. Our RC officer recruiting goal fell short, as
record high retention in the AC made it difficult for our Navy Veterans
program to recruit potential selected Reserve officers.
Accession Supply Chain
At the beginning of the pandemic, Recruit Training Command (RTC)
Great Lakes suspended recruit shipping for three weeks to implement
safety and health measures. MyNavy HR created a protected ``bubble-to-
bubble'' shipping and training process, as future sailors progressed
from recruiting stations to RTC and follow-on duty. With this ``bubble-
to-bubble'' method, RTC resumed training with smaller weekly training
groups of 500 recruits, who spent two weeks in off-site restriction of
movement (ROM) at private facilities. As RTC solidified safety
procedures, weekly shipping incrementally increased from approximately
500 to 750, followed by 1,000 and eventually 1,250 recruits, resulting
in a graduation class of 1,259 sailors in one week, the largest class
since October 2004.
To consolidate resources, recruits were sent to Fort McCoy, a U.S.
Army facility in western Wisconsin, to complete the required two-week
ROM. The Navy appreciates the strong support from our Army partners.
Two drill halls at RTC were rapidly retrofitted into additional
berthing, and we were able to implement 100 percent testing for
recruits and staff thanks to the support of the Captain James A. Lovell
Federal Health Care Center. Additionally, recruits who had previously
contracted the virus donated convalescent plasma to support development
of potential treatments. However, the success of the ``bubble-to-
bubble'' method would not have been possible without the support from
the Navy Air Logistics Office which provided flights to ship more than
10,000 sailors since the beginning of the pandemic.
Officer Training Command (OTC) Newport implemented similar measures
to maintain a safe officer supply chain, such as smaller class sizes,
conducting ROM on-site where students used online education to prepare
for training, and the staff stayed on-site until OTC was able to
effectively implement testing, screening and prevention measures.
Additionally, 25 NROTC lieutenant instructors were temporarily
reassigned to supplement OTC instructors, as they managed ROM
requirements. These NROTC instructors taught Navigation, Seamanship,
History, Engineering, and Cyber academic courses to over 600 officer
candidates. Additionally, many of these personnel assisted in
converting the OCS curriculum to a Moodle online learning environment
by completing voiceovers and aiding in the development of trainee
guides for future OCS candidates.
developing our talent
As we attract the Nation's best talent, MyNavy HR continues to
invest in our sailors' intellectual capital, enhancing lethality and
bolstering our advantage at sea in long-term strategic competition. We
achieve these goals by instilling continuous learning behaviors, thus
enabling adaptation, institutional improvements, and the ability to
outthink and outperform our competitors in any environment. Some of
these programs include Ready Relevant Learning (RRL), the United States
Naval Community College (USNCC) Pilot, MyNavy Coaching, and Culture of
Excellence (COE).
Ready Relevant Learning
RRL fundamentally changes the way our sailors train, transforming
industrial-era, conveyer-belt training into a modern, proactive system.
This program accelerates learning for faster response to rapidly
changing warfighting requirements in increasingly dynamic operational
environments. Using evolutions in the science of learning, we provide
sailors with the right training, at the right time, in the right
manner, to maximize sailors' abilities to operate at the extreme
technical edge and ultimately win in a high-end fight.
Additionally, RRL changes the ``what,'' ``how,'' and ``when'' of
Navy training to support continual sailor development, improve
individual performance, and enhance mission readiness. Through a
career-long learning continuum, RRL delivers training at the most
appropriate time in a sailor's career, while providing a detailed
learning roadmap for every Navy career, covering technical,
professional, and leadership training tightly linked to real Fleet
needs. In many cases, this shortens initial accession training time
while providing more capable sailors to the Fleet sooner.
Leveraging modern technology and maximizing accessibility, RRL
delivery uses emerging technology to increase training effectiveness,
whether by use of simple tools such as YouTube-like videos and
interactive applications, or more complex tools like immersive
simulators and virtual reality trainers. These modern tools are
designed to be the most effective means of training today's sailors and
are intended to build ``muscle memory'' through multiple ``reps and
sets'' before sailors interact with physical equipment or systems.
Additionally, RRL continues to work toward establishing a cloud-based
environment to deliver, track, and assess modernized training content.
Through our modernized information architecture, all training content
will be accessible to sailors where and when they need it, and new
training will be delivered to the Fleet much faster than current
training systems and processes allow. With this technology, training
will be resident on the waterfront, flight line, and available on our
afloat units.
To date, we have accession level training completed requirements
development for 39 ratings, with an additional nine ratings scheduled
to complete in fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022, and 21 more
ratings will start development in fiscal year 2023 and beyond.
Additionally, 27 ratings are on contract for content modernization,
with an additional eight ratings going on contract in fiscal year 2021,
and we anticipate three additional ratings will start conversion in
fiscal year 2022.
RRL has delivered four modernized A-schools: Operations Specialist,
Intelligence Specialist, Quartermaster, and Retail Services Specialist.
We project four modernized A-schools will be delivered in fiscal year
2021, and six to eight more ratings will deliver in fiscal year 2022,
all as part of the RRL effort to improve sailor development and
performance while enhancing mission readiness.
United States Naval Community College
Further supporting education of our enlisted workforce, the
Department of the Navy has established the USNCC Pilot, and the vision
at full operational capacity is for all Active Duty enlisted sailors,
marines, and coast guardsmen to have the opportunity to enroll in this
fully online community college upon completion of basic training. The
USNCC will establish a consortium of participating civilian academic
institutions to maximize credit earned for servicemembers' technical
training. Students will have the opportunity to earn stackable
certificates leading to an associate of science degree in a
warfighting-relevant concentration, such as nuclear engineering or data
analytics, and a Naval Studies certificate at no cost to the student.
In January 2021, 558 students began taking courses in General Education
(e.g. Mathematics, English, Ethics, and Leadership), Nuclear
Technology, Cyber Security, and Data Analytics. The intent of this
pilot is to evaluate potential partner institutions and obtain student
feedback. The second pilot will begin in January 2022, and the USNCC
plans to deliver a Naval Science course to 100 students. Pending the
results of these pilots, the USNCC will expand to approximately 5,000
students by fall 2022.
Talent Development
To maximize our advantage at sea, sustain a culture of excellence,
and retain our best talent, MyNavy HR is modernizing and enhancing our
development processes, starting with how we grow our sailors, through
initiatives to improve development (MyNavy Coaching) and performance
evaluation (eNavFit). These integrated and coordinated efforts will
shift our culture, practice, and processes and serve as a launching
point for future innovations to develop a capable, mission-ready force
and retain the Navy's highest performing sailors.
MyNavy Coaching is a science and evidence-based communication
program, lending itself to developmental conversations with open,
honest, and respectful feedback mechanisms. This initiative is the
result of collaboration across numerous military communities, academic,
and research organizations, and the Navy is piloting a MyNavy Coaching
curriculum across several Navy warfare communities. The key to
effective developmental coaching for performance is a structured
conversation using a coaching framework-focused on a willingness to
engage sailors with open-ended questions. These questions ask sailors
what they want to develop personally and professionally, providing bi-
directional feedback to perform as a team as well as taking ownership
and accountability of their development and performance. The outcome of
these sessions is a robust individual development plan rooted in the
coaching framework, which has tangible benefits for the sailor and the
command, yielding better development and performance outcomes and
providing greater inclusivity within the Navy.
eNavFit transitions sailor performance evaluation from a desktop
system with wet signatures and paper-based mail submissions to a web-
based system with digital signatures which can be accessed with fully
online, intermittent, or disconnected operations. In fiscal year 2020,
approximately 24 percent of performance evaluations were rejected due
to errors, and the time to complete a performance evaluation and
populate a service record took roughly four weeks. eNavFit retains
current performance evaluation policy, forms, and performance traits,
but transitions to a more modern system. For shore-based commands with
regular internet access, eNavFit has fully online functionality, built-
in business rules to reduce errors, electronic signature, and web-based
submission that can reduce submission time from weeks to days. For Navy
platforms with intermittent internet access, the eNavFit intermittent
operations workflow allows users to work offline, upload, and submit
performance evaluations to the sailor's service record. Finally, for
platforms that are fully disconnected from the internet, the
disconnected operations workflow allows all work to be completed
offline, printed, and submitted by mail to the Navy Personnel Command.
eNavFit bridges our current performance evaluation process to a digital
environment thus enabling future, transformative performance appraisal
enhancements.
Culture of Excellence
Critical to developing our talent, the Navy's holistic COE campaign
plan counters destructive behaviors and champions signature behaviors.
We firmly believe if we can focus more on the interrelated and positive
behavior space rather than the stove-piped and negative behaviors, the
results will ensure the Navy can sustain a lethal warfighting force
composed of sailors who are resilient, tough, and ethical. Ultimately,
we will improve the trust and respect sailors have for each other,
their commands, and the Navy as a whole. The plan focuses on the
following lines of effort:
Develop Lethal Warfighting Force. Ready Relevant Learning
delivers the right training, at the right time, in the right manner, so
that sailors are ready to operate and maintain their equipment at the
extreme technical end of its capability to control the high end of
maritime conflict.
Champion Signature Behaviors. These ten behaviors support
the proactive prevention of destructive behaviors by showing sailors
what ``right'' looks like.
Counter Destructive Behaviors. Destructive behaviors harm
our sailors, impact our mission effectiveness, and contribute to
unplanned losses. We are executing a campaign plan that unifies and
aligns efforts to counter destructive behaviors.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI). We actively include
all perspectives and harness the creative power of diversity,
accelerating Navy's warfighting advantage and lethality.
Governance, Analytics, Assessment & Strategic
Communications: We continuously evaluate the governance structure of
our programs and strategic communications through Flag-level governance
bodies, surveys, and working groups.
We actively address the interpersonal problems associated with
suicide through updated policies, programs, campaigns, and training.
Key initiatives include:
Expanding the embedded Mental Health Program;
Increasing deck-plate leadership through Expanded
Operational Stress Control training led by Command Resilience Teams;
Continuing to offer the Sailor Assistance and Intercept
for Life (SAIL) program that provides rapid assistance, ongoing risk
management, care coordination, and reintegration assistance for
servicemembers identified with a suicide ideation or a suicide attempt;
and
Providing tailored Gatekeeper training to the key
communities who tend to interact more often with sailors who are at a
heightened risk for suicide.
Navy's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program reflects our
force-wide commitment to prevention and that sexual assault is not
tolerated, condoned, or ignored. In fiscal year 2020, Navy saw a three
percent decrease in total reports from fiscal year 2019. We assess that
COVID-19 and resulting response measures, including ROM, may have
affected victim reporting. As long as there is a gap between prevalence
and reports of sexual assault, work remains in understanding,
preventing, and responding to this destructive behavior. Our focus has
increased toward metrics-based data to better understand where and why
assaults occur, provide a more robust analytic capability, and ensure
research-informed approaches to prevention programs and policies. We
completed the second phase of the DOD-mandated Prevention Plan of
Action, a comprehensive approach to understanding the current
environment, determining the scope of the problem, and assessing
organizational factors that drive prevention.
Navy's Harassment Prevention and Military Equal Opportunity program
promotes an environment free from personal, social, or institutional
barriers that prevent sailors from rising to the highest level of
responsibility possible. The program promotes equal opportunity as
being critical to mission accomplishment, unit cohesiveness, and
military readiness. Commanders are required to complete a climate
assessment within 90 days after change of command and every 9 to 12
months as follow-up assessments during their tenure.
Navy families are an integral part of our Navy team and a vital
contributor to mission success. MyNavy HR is committed to delivering
better services and support that are dedicated to the health and well-
being of our families. We have worked diligently to ensure our families
are provided service delivery options that are immediately accessible,
whether in person, virtual or remote locations to include:
Providing relevant, up-to-date services that keep
families informed;
Providing a service delivery model that meets families
where they are;
Bolstering our virtual capabilities to ensure our family
support services are available, 24/7/365;
Ensuring Navy families are aware of the robust programs
and services that are available to them via marketing and education;
Reimbursing spouse licensure fees incurred due to a
permanent change of station (PCS) move for spouses with an average
payment of $369;
Releasing and updating the MyNavy Family mobile
application with input from spouses to identify, consolidate, and
standardize information available into one authoritative source; and
Refining pregnancy policies for our service women,
ensuring consistency with professional opportunities, career
milestones, and community specific achievements.
Task Force One Navy
Task Force One Navy (TF1N) was established in July 2020 to analyze
and evaluate issues in our society and military that detract from Navy
readiness, such as racism, sexism, and other structural and
interpersonal biases. The task force was empowered to establish
transparent approaches to disparities within the Navy. To achieve this
initiative, TF1N leveraged the COE governance structure and its efforts
to identify and begin the process of dismantling barriers to equity and
inclusion while creating sustainable opportunities and ultimately
achieving desired end-state of greater warfighting excellence. The
leadership and membership of this task force represented a diversity of
background, thought, experience, and perspectives.
The TF1N final report is organized around five specific lines of
effort, four of which are each led by a flag officer with specific
focus areas to include Recruiting; Talent Management/Retention;
Professional Development; and Innovation, Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics. There is also a miscellaneous line of
effort with a series of recommendations addressing topics such as
women's policy issues to naming of ships, buildings, and streets to
create a series of additional recommendations. To analyze and evaluate
these issues within each line of effort, TF1N:
Participated in the DOD Board on Diversity and Inclusion
to address DOD-wide issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion;
Leveraged the experience of current and prior Navy
leadership by engaging the current Flag Wardroom, Senior Executive
Services (SES) Corps, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy's
Senior Enlisted Leadership Mess as well as the retired Trusted Advisory
Group comprising of 21 retired flag officers, SES, and Fleet Master
Chief Petty Officers;
Conducted listening sessions across the Navy with sailors
and civilians in the Nation and overseas using consistent themes such
as respect, skepticism, empathy, training, accountability, and silence
of leadership;
Conducted special engagements with the National Naval
Officers Association, United States Naval Academy Minority Association,
Sea Service Leadership Association, and Association of Naval Services
Officers;
Solicited voluntary inputs from a diverse cross-section
of sailors by conducting more than 280 focus groups from across Navy;
Created a Necessary Conversations Guide, a how-to-guide
with messaging and tools for leaders to start productive dialogue about
DEI topics; and
Coordinated with the College of Leadership and Ethics at
the Naval War College to present a summary of actions, selected problem
statements, and key recommendations to the Intermediate Flag and
Executive Course to collectively provide a peer review of insight and
input directly to the TF1N Director.
In total, 56 recommendations and further areas of proposed study
were established for consideration. To ensure these are executed, and
enduring initiatives are reassessed and updated continuously, LOE
stakeholders will continue to lead with accountability and measure the
success of selected recommendations. As we transition to sustain the
TF1N framework, leaders will continuously analyze our Navy systems,
climate, and culture to ensure differences are valued and that
diversity of thought within the organization is promoted. The newly
embedded relationship between TF1N and the COE Campaign Plan will
support the organization in institutionalizing DEI and further
accelerating COE efforts.
Extremist behavior and beliefs are contrary to our values, and we
have zero tolerance for it in our Navy. To reach our full potential, we
must have an inclusive, respectful, professional fighting force ready
to meet the challenges of long-term strategic competition. We expect
sailors and our civilian employees to be guided in their actions by a
professional ethic that prioritizes the team, the mission, and the
Nation. The Navy's leadership plays a significant role in preventing
extremism in the ranks, particularly in the creation and sustainment of
command climates which discourage and hold accountable such behavior
and promote a culture of respect, trust and, professionalism in the
Navy. We are leveraging our leadership at the deck-plate level to
demonstrate accountability, provide standards of behavior, and carry
the message that it is on every one of us in the Navy to expunge
extremism from our ranks.
We increased our efforts through the Secretary of Defense directed
Extremism Stand-Down, which was just one of many tools through which we
strengthen the core of our Navy--our people and our core values of
honor, courage, and commitment. The stand-down emphasized the meaning
and importance of our oaths of office, signature behaviors, and that we
must all strive to be inclusive, creating an environment where every
individual understands that they are a valued member of the Navy team.
We also ensured each sailor and civilian has no doubt that the
corrosive behaviors addressed in the stand-down are contrary to our
Navy's Culture of Excellence where diversity, equity, and inclusion
enable our Navy's warfighting advantage.
optimize talent management
Having attracted the Nation's best talent, it is not sufficient to
stop at developing our sailors for long term strategic competition. We
must provide our sailors and families with a sailor-centric talent
management system that provides greater career flexibility where they
have an active role in career choice, development, training, and
assignments. To achieve this, we expanded our Talent Marketplace,
creating a modern, flexible and transparent assignment process that
aligns the desires of the sailor, their skills, and opportunities for
professional development and advancement with mission and operational
needs. Enriching a sailor's career by providing exceptional service and
improving the way in which they receive human resource services
maintains our competitive edge to produce and retain warfighters and
enhance readiness.
Enlisted Talent Management
Our enlisted retention attainment levels are above the forecasted
levels in all reenlistment zones from the start of this fiscal year to
date. The Navy's retention attainment is determined by both
reenlistments and long-term extensions, characterized as 24 months or
greater. While overall enlisted retention remains high, competition to
retain talent in high-demand, low-density communities such as Nuclear
Field, Cyber Warfare, Special Warfare/ Operations, Submarine, and
certain aviation specialties remains challenging. These skills are
difficult to attract and retain in any job and education market,
requiring a proactive retention strategy that includes monetary and
non-monetary incentives. Targeted special and incentive pays for high-
demand operational ratings continues to be a vital retention tool while
our expansion of the Meritorious Advancement Program has assisted in
rewarding our top performers through spot advancement. In fiscal year
2021, Advancement-to-Position will continue to expand, incentivizing
service in priority or hard-to-fill billets across the Fleet by
advancing sailors who fill them to the next pay grade, delivering on-
demand, continuous advancements.
As a direct result of the pandemic environment, Navy wide
advancement examinations and selection boards were spread out over time
to maximize social distancing, and E-4 examinations were cancelled,
proving E-4 advancements can be executed without written examinations
while also maintaining community health. This provided valuable lessons
learned, as we modernize our advancement system. To ensure sailors who
advance from E-3 to E-4 have the requisite knowledge, skills, and
abilities for their rating, MyNavy HR is piloting the Occupational
Advancement Requirement Standards (OARS), a tool that establishes the
foundation for basic rating standards expected of an E-4 while
providing sailors an opportunity to demonstrate and document knowledge
retention and application to ``real-world'' experiences. While not a
replacement for advancement examinations, OARS completion demonstrates
the sailor has the knowledge and skillset required to perform as an E-4
in their particular rating.
Finally, MyNavy Assignment (MNA) has replaced the Career Management
System-Interactive Detailing and delivers a modern interface and user-
friendly experience for both the AC and RC. This initiative expands
visibility into assignments and ready access to features such as the
Sailor Resume, Job Bookmarking, and the Sailor Application Lifecycle
Tracker, as well as enhanced Projected Rotation Date modification
request routing and associated incentives for a particular assignment.
At the close of last year, MNA began providing a Sailor Aviation
Maintainer Experience (AMEX) data display and AMEX unit level data.
This year, follow-on releases will enable the rating conversion process
for AC and Full Time Support Sailors along with the ability for them to
apply for their next assignment.
Officer Talent Management
MyNavy HR continues to utilize the expanded authorities of the
Defense Officer Personnel Management Act provided by Congress to better
attract and retain our talented officer corps. These significant force
shaping tools include the ``Up and Stay'' construct, retaining control
grade officers beyond statutory limitations, ``opting out'' of
promotion boards, promotion merit reordering, and increased use of spot
promotions.
Though most unrestricted line officers remain under the ``Up and
Out'' model until separation, retirement, or lateral transfer, the ``Up
and Stay'' construct permits officers with specialized skills to detour
off of traditional career paths. They either remain longer in a
specific technical or non-command billet, with limited upward mobility
potential, or return at the same or higher pay grade, depending on
skill and desires. For example, Professional Flight Instructors serve
continuously as flight instructors beyond the department head
milestone. This opportunity provides assignment stability for officers
and their families, allowing complete focus on developing our newest
aviators by supporting instructor manning.
Allowing certain control grade officers serving in targeted skills
to remain on Active Duty beyond traditional statutory limits has been
expanded to Acquisition Major Program Management positions and Naval
and Defense Attaches. This capitalizes on their experience, which
cannot be easily replaced or developed.
Promotion Board Consideration Deferment enables us to retain top
talent by allowing an officer to ``opt-out'' of promotion consideration
for one year to complete a broadening assignment, advanced education,
or a career progression requirement delayed by one of these
assignments. This allows officers to pursue highly coveted fellowships
and scholarships without detriment to their careers.
Promotion Merit Reorder has been extremely effective, allowing us
to place up to 15 percent of those selected for promotion to the top of
the list, demonstrating the primacy of merit over time-in-service. We
have utilized this authority during our fiscal year 2020 and fiscal
year 2021 Active Duty promotion selection boards. Additionally, we have
now expanded the use of this authority for our Navy Reserve promotion
selection boards beginning with the fiscal year 2021 promotion cycle.
Since fiscal year 2019, we have conducted semi-annual expanded spot
promotion boards for O-4 and O-5 officers to promote to the next higher
paygrade, filling shortfalls in critical skill positions with the
requisite talent.
Specifically addressing warfare communities, Naval Aviation
continues to face pilot retention shortfalls, which pose significant
challenges to Fleet manning. Although overall inventory and accessions
remain sufficient to meet operational requirements, we missed fiscal
year 2021 pilot department head selection goals in nearly all platforms
with declination rates on par with fiscal year 2020. The strike fighter
community remains a priority concern with all squadrons facing officer
manning deficits, and we are addressing these challenges through a
number of monetary and non-monetary incentives.
Naval Special Warfare (NSW) officer continuation pay and retention
bonuses were renewed in fiscal year 2020 to increase retention across
milestone tours. Approval of NSW Skill Incentive Pay (SkIP), in lieu of
hazardous duty incentive pay, has reduced costs, decreased personnel
tempo, and removed financial disincentives to seek early medical
intervention for lingering injuries. Pay modernization initiatives like
NSW SkIP will continue to enhance operational readiness, improve NSW's
health and retain the highest caliber of performers.
The Submarine Force continues to have challenges meeting its
department head retention goals, falling short of the target number for
the previous six years (fiscal year 2015 through fiscal year 2020).
This shortfall is being addressed through several monetary and non-
monetary measures to ensure department head sea tours are maintained
near nominal tour lengths. We recently completed a division officer
survey and symposium and are working on several division officer
identified initiatives to improve quality of service. A similar survey
was completed by department heads with a symposium scheduled in 2021 to
identify any further initiatives for the Submarine Force to take in
order to improve quality of service and improve retention.
Additionally, a tiered bonus structure was implemented at the start of
fiscal year 2021 that incentivizes an earlier and longer commitment to
service as well as continued service through all career milestones.
Year Group (YG) 2016 and 2017 submarine officers, which are the most
recent year groups able to commit to department head tours, have shown
an increase in the initial number of contracts signed when compared to
the previous five year groups.
The Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) Community faces challenges with
department head retention. YG14 officers project to meet approximately
95 percent of the first tour department head demand, up from YG13 (93
percent) and YG12 (85 percent). However, there were significantly more
YG14 accessions than YG12-13 accessions, yet YG15-18 accessions are
lower compared to YG14 and will have an increasing department head
demand. Shortfalls over several years have induced a deficit at O-4,
where the SWO Community is approximately 100 officers short of the
discrete Officer Programmed Authorization, leading to shortfalls in O-5
and O-6 production. SWO special and incentive pay adjustments are
required to reduce these systemic shortfalls. The SWO (Nuclear)
Community met department head retention requirements in fiscal year
2016 through fiscal year 2020 following several years of shortfalls.
This change was the result of non-monetary incentives based on officer
feedback.
The Reserve Officer force experienced parallel retention issues as
the AC, as RC implemented similar monetary and non-monetary efforts to
improve and maintain the health of the Reserve force. Overall, Reserve
retention has remained consistent over the last year at healthy levels
in most of the communities. However, shortfalls in aviation accession
and retention were comparable to AC retention challenges. Bonus
programs remain an essential tool for combating low retention,
resulting in an overall increase in bonus acceptance rates and
accessions as compared to fiscal year 2019. NSW and Medical communities
are experiencing the greatest shortfalls. The Medical and NSW
communities are comprised of critical wartime subspecialties in which
incentive and special bonuses are offered to assist in recruiting and
retaining in support of readiness and global force management
requirements.
mynavy hr service delivery
To support managing our talent, the Navy is in the middle of
sweeping transformation by replacing decades' worth of unchanged
processes and outdated technology with a modern, world-class personnel
services delivery system. Although transformation on this scale takes
time, we achieved critical milestones this past year, propelling us
toward our future state vision. MyNavy HR transformation has
fundamentally changed our approach to personnel processes, policies,
and programs, shifting from a bureaucratic to a customer-centric
mindset, as we focus on how the Navy, sailors and families will conduct
human resource business in the future.
Modernized Personnel and Pay Systems
We continue to develop the Navy Personnel and Pay (NP2) system, an
auditable, cloud-hosted software suite, enabling Treasury-Direct
Disbursement and a single pay source for all sailors. NP2 is our
highest transformation priority with an initial operating capability of
January 2022. NP2 is key to Active and Reserve component permeability
and our ability to smoothly perform a distributed mass mobilization and
meet the timelines established in Combatant Commander war plans. The
initial NP2 rollout began in 2019 with the launch of MyPCS Mobile, a
Command Access Card (CAC)-free mobile access to PCS checklists, orders,
travel vouchers, and entitlements calculators. It continued through
October 2020 with releases of new travel processing capabilities,
access to Reserve orders and travel claim processing, and a preview of
MySailor Data, the future replacement of the Navy Standard Integrated
Personnel System Electronic Service Record. Continued deployment of NP2
will see the system integrated into the three Transaction Service
Centers (TSCs) located in Norfolk, Memphis, and Great Lakes in addition
to 12 Regional Support Centers, designed to support a broad base of
customers in Fleet Concentration Areas.
TSC Memphis is responsible for 95 percent of all PCS travel claim
processing and has enabled more effective internal control oversight,
resulting in the highest travel pay audit rates in history. When faced
with record-breaking travel claim volumes due to the COVID-19 stop
movement order, TSC Memphis increased production capacity and targeted
training and communication with Command Pay and Personnel
Administrators in the Fleet. Responsible for Navy Reserve pay and
personnel support, TSC Norfolk demonstrated a 100 percent success rate
of mobilizing sailors with Active pay accounts and executed the first
virtual mass mobilization of approximately 1,250 Reserve medical
sailors in support of COVID-19 relief efforts, including hospital ships
USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort and Expeditionary Medical Facility teams
from Bethesda and Camp Pendleton. Other personnel and pay actions, like
strength gains, are controlled by TSC Great Lakes, which is addressing
issues with enlisted to officer pay record conversions, self-service
emergency data and dependent applications, and other support.
The Modern Sailor Experience
In September 2019, MyNavy HR delivered the MyPCS Mobile
application, a component of NP2, providing sailors access to PCS-
related information and resources using their personal mobile devices
with commercial grade multi-factor authentication. Including a tailored
checklist, the ability to apply for government housing and childcare,
sailors can view orders on their mobile device, and the ability to
submit PCS travel vouchers electronically from their mobile device with
an electronic signature, significantly improves the PCS experience for
our sailors and their families. Legacy travel claims experience 20 to
40 percent rejection rates, yet claims submitted through MyPCS have
experienced a zero percent rejection rate as this sailor-facing
application prevents the member from submitting an incomplete or
incorrectly filed claim.
MyNavy Portal (MNP) is a Single Point of Entry for Sailors to
access human resource services and personal data with an interface
available to the public, a smartcard-enabled secure private site for
sailors, and mobile CAC-free web-browser capability. Over the past
year, MNP added the capability for sailors to establish a CAC-free
MyNavy HR account using commercial-off-the-shelf multi-factor
authentication. This significant accomplishment enables sailors to
access their personnel data, submit leave requests, review physical
fitness reports, submit travel claims to MyNavy Career Center (MNCC),
and complete other career-related tasks.
Mobile applications (App) continue to improve sailor's access to
important information regarding issues ranging from uniform
requirements, training courses, and financial information. To date, we
have created more than 28 Apps, improving the sailor and family
customer experience. Some recent accomplishments include:
Rapidly adding COVID-19 links to the MyNavy Family App
that provided access to resource and blog information, as well as
capabilities to effectively communicate during any potential future
crisis,
Adding policy alerts to the MyNavy UNIFORMS App that
include guidance and graphics for face coverings, temporarily relaxed
hair grooming standards, and guidance from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention on making face coverings at home,
Providing monthly updates to Navy Credentialing
Opportunities On-Line to support sailors making enlistment decisions,
roadmaps to career advancement and retention, in-Service civilian and
industry certification and licensing opportunities, and insights into
prospective occupations during the eventual transition from the Navy
back to the civilian workforce,
Improving the Professional Military Knowledge--Enlisted
Education App by updating E-4, E-5, E-6, and E-7 examination support
for Active and Reserve sailors, so they can prepare for these exams at
their convenience,
Adding several new courses to the MyNavy Financial
Literacy App to help sailors achieve their personnel financial goals,
and
Creating the Navy Exceptional Family Member Program
(EFMP) App to aid sailors and their families with medical, mental
health, and educational needs by providing essential EFMP information
to help their family members thrive.
MyNavy Career Center
For over two years, the MNCC has served as the human resources
services delivery operating model for the Navy, and during this time,
we have established two 24/7 contact centers, providing the first level
of support to sailors and command representatives related to pay and
personnel issues. Using leading edge, integrated commercial
capabilities and a world-class telephony system, MNCC captures every
customer encounter. When required, it escalates customer concerns for
subject matter expert action while maintaining centralized tracking in
three locations. MNCC has successfully processed over one million
service requests, averaging an overall 87 percent resolution rate
within three days and proved to be a ``just in time'' asset when the
COVID-19 pandemic impacted our sailors and families. The challenges of
the pandemic demonstrated the positive impact of the MNCC by quickly
responding to sailor and family needs, adapting our human resource
processes to this dynamic situation, and keeping our sailors informed
about issues directly affecting them and their families.
Delivering Modern Analytics
Capitalizing upon advances in data analytics, MyNavy HR is
modernizing our data-driven decision-making for our internal and
external stakeholders. A central pillar of our strategy is the
development of an Authoritative Data Environment (ADE). This will
reduce duplication across disparate data sources preventing
contradictions in analysis, facilitating an environment in which
decisions are made using timely, accurate data, and leading to
automation of human resource functions. Within ADE, analysts and data
management staff have access to a wide range of authoritative data
assets spanning core human resource functions such as personnel
records, personnel assignments, and manpower requirements. These
``authoritative'' data sets are updated each month with data reaching
back to 2020. In the future, additional data sets will allow us to
expand our time horizon to past years, enabling analysts and decision-
makers to focus primarily on actual decision making vice exhausting
time to make data usable. Additionally, these modernizations will lead
to better quality performance modeling and advanced analytics including
predictive capabilities.
operational readiness
MyNavy HR continues to focus our energy on ensuring the Fleet is
properly manned, with the right sailors, in the right place, at the
right time, with the right training. All of our efforts to attract,
develop, and manage our sailors ensure we build a Navy that can fight
and win in long term strategic competition and maintain our Advantage
at Sea.
End Strength
Navy requests funding to sustain our Active Duty end strength, fund
special and incentive pays, increase operational manning, invest in the
education of our sailors, and modernize the Navy to fight and win in
long-term strategic competition. Successfully mitigating for the
pandemic, we concluded fiscal year 2020 with 346,520 sailors, or 6,020
above authorized end strength, positioning us well to achieve the
fiscal year 2021 authorized end strength of 347,800.
Fleet Readiness and Increasing Fleet Manning
The number of sailors on operational sea duty is at the highest
level since 2014, and we project this trend into fiscal year 2022 and
beyond. More than 137,000 sailors have been at sea since May 2020, with
a high of 137,588 sailors manning 275 operational units at the start of
fiscal year 2021, an increase of 5,000 sailors compared to a low point
in October 2015. One of the most significant effects on Fleet manning
was the fielding of the MNA platform for enlisted detailing, which
added transparency, functionality, and a user-friendly interface for
sailors. It also serves as the core for a larger detailing marketplace
that encompasses multiple career management functions, including
incentive management, reenlistment decisions, skills identification,
and career planning.
To improve unit readiness and lethality, we increased sailors
onboard our operational platforms. For example, a guided missile
destroyer (DDG), the Navy's most numerous ship class, averaged 25 more
sailors on board in fiscal year 2020 compared to fiscal year 2012. To
ensure the Fleet is efficiently manned as requirements increase, MyNavy
HR has adopted the Performance-to-Plan (P2P) framework. P2P identifies
areas for improvement, which will provide the highest return on
investment, to effectively communicate to leadership identified
barriers and strategies for their removal and to foster collaboration
across the various stakeholders within the enterprise.
conclusion
To secure our advantage at sea, we will attract, develop, and
manage our sailors and leaders to build a Navy that will fight and win
in long-term strategic competition. Through our optimization of talent
management, MyNavy HR will achieve talent acquisition excellence,
provide sailor-centric initiatives, and reshape the Navy into a leader
of diversity, equity, and inclusion. By modernizing the sailor
experience and exemplifying the Culture of Excellence, we will provide
exceptional service to our sailors and families, and we are actively
engaging, elevating, and inspiring all personnel to be their best by
leveraging our diversity of talent and people. Finally, we will
continue to transform the MyNavy HR enterprise to improve analytics,
rapidly adopt new tools and processes, provide transparency, and
maintain healthy climates and cultures. Through these endeavors, we
will fight and win with the strength of our greatest asset, our people.
I look forward to working with you to support our sailors who will win
any fight and be ready for any challenges in the future. On behalf of
the men and women of the United States Navy, thank you for your
unwavering support.
Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Kelly.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL BRIAN T. KELLY, USAF, DEPUTY
CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MANPOWER, PERSONNEL AND SERVICES
Lieutenant General Kelly. I think it is on now.
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, distinguished
members of this subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
appear before you today to talk about our airmen and families.
I am honored to appear here today with my fellow service
personnel chiefs, and I am particularly proud to be here for
the first time with my Department of the Air Force Partner, Ms.
Pat Mulcahy, who is here representing the U.S. Space Force. The
U.S. Space Force was purposely built as an agile and
operationally focused service with the United States Air Force
providing much of the support for guardians and their families.
As such, many of the programs we may discuss today are
applicable to both airmen and guardians.
As the Air Force Chief of Staff has articulated, our
national security challenges are growing at a rapid pace, and
it is clear our Air Force must accelerate the changes we need
to successfully meet those challenges or face losing. We are
fully focused on this imperative and recognize that our airmen
and their families for the essential foundation for our ability
to meet those future challenges. As such, it is essential that
we also accelerate the creation of the environment,
development, and talent management systems needed to unlock our
airmen's ability to reach their full potential. We know success
squarely depends on our airmen and on them having the ability
to operate in a safe and inclusive environment where they can
be the best airmen they can possibly be.
If the past year has taught us anything, it is that the
world is full of uncertainty. COVID-19 changed the way we work
and live, but our mission could not and did not stop. We were
forced to accelerate change to meet the challenges of personnel
permanent change-of-station moves, recruiting, retention, and
increased care needs for our families who have been hit hard by
school impacts, child care, and increased demands at home.
As we work through COVID-19, the year continued to bring
critical issues to light. The death of George Floyd and the
release of the Protect our Defenders report on Air Force
military justice and development inequities sparked a renewed
focus on the barriers minority groups face within our service.
The events at Fort Hood and our own Airman Aposhian case
reminded us we must explore new ideas and accelerate our
efforts to eradicate sexual assault and forms of interpersonal
violence from our ranks. The events of January 6th took us by
surprise, revealing a potential challenge in creating the
environment we require for our airmen.
Despite these challenges, the Air Force continues to
accomplish our assigned missions and our airmen continue to
shine.
Over the last 12 to 14 months, the Department of the Air
Force independently launched our own Racial Disparity Review,
an Interpersonal Violence Task Force, and a Resiliency Task
Force. These major initiatives focused on identifying areas of
immediate concern for the well-being and development of our
airmen, while producing fresh solutions and strategies to build
a culture of connectedness and trust.
The Department recognizes, despite strong efforts over many
years, we have not made significant, measurable progress in
preventing or reducing the number of sexual assault cases. We
remain committed to being persistent in our efforts to combat
sexual assault in the ranks and are 100 percent open to using
any research or data-informed prevention strategies that can
prove effective in helping us reduce and eventually eliminate
sexual assault.
In response to the Department of Defense's concerning
suicide trends, the Air Force established five prevention
priorities which nest within the prevention strategies
established by the Centers for Disease Control. Our work has
shown that relationship issues are a top-tier factor, as well
as personal firearms as the primary means, and we have taken
measure to address both. Recognizing a resilient environment
for our families is also important. We made significant
adjustments and what we believe are major improvements to the
Exceptional Family Member Program, and have strengthened our
efforts to manage our child care programs more effectively
while increasing capacity within the system. The Exceptional
Family Member Program (EFMP), in particular, has made major
strides in providing accessible information for our families
and greatly increases the positive nature of the experience
that they get when navigating permanent change of stations,
legal hurdles with school accommodation, and medical care.
In conclusion, resilient airmen are our competitive
advantage and they deserve nothing less than our best. Though
we have made progress, the Air Force still has work to do
before we have an environment that allows all airmen and their
families to reach their full potential. We continue to pursue
every practical solution that moves us closer to making this
environment a reality, and we look forward to continuing to
partner with the Congress in our endeavors to do so.
I thank you for your continued support of the Department of
the Air Force and your airmen, both military and civilian, and
the families that support them. Thank you, and I look forward
to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Lieutenant General Brian T.
Kelly follows:]
Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Brian T. Kelly
introduction
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, Distinguished Members
of this Committee, thank you for your continued support and for the
opportunity to appear before this committee. America's Air and Space
professionals remain steadfast in providing Global Vigilance, Reach,
and Power to protect and defend our Nation.
As the Air Force Chief of Staff has articulated, the Nation's
national security challenges as outlined in the National Defense
Strategy are growing at a rapid pace and it is clear our Air Force must
accelerate the changes needed to successfully meet those challenges or
face losing. We as an Air Force are fully focused on this imperative
and recognize our airmen and their families form the essential
foundation for our ability to change and meet those future challenges.
As such, it's essential we also accelerate the creation of the
environment, development, and talent management systems needed to
ensure we can unlock our airmen's ability to reach their full
potential. Even with world class equipment and training we know success
squarely depends on the skills and resilience of our airmen and on them
having the ability to operate in a safe and inclusive environment that
allows them to be the best airman they can possibly be.
If the past year has taught us anything, it's that the world is
still full of uncertainty and it is imperative our Air and Space Forces
and their families remain ready and resilient at all times. COVID-19
has changed the way we work and live, forcing us to address challenges
with Permanent Change of Station moves, recruiting and production,
unforeseen retention impacts, Basic Military Training capacity, and
increased care needs for our families who have all been hit hard by
COVID-driven impacts to school, childcare, work-life balance, and
increased demands at home. As we continued to work through mitigation
of these COVID-19 concerns, other events over the year brought new and
significant topics to the forefront, causing us to take a hard look at
ourselves and double our efforts to ensure every airman has the
opportunity to reach their full potential.
The death of George Floyd sparked a renewed focus on the barriers
minority groups face within our force. The death of Army Specialist
Vanessa Guillen at Ft Hood Texas, as well as our own Airman First Class
Natasha Aposhian, reminded us we must double down, explore new ideas,
and accelerate our efforts to eradicate sexual assault and other forms
of interpersonal violence from our ranks. As we turned the calendar
into 2021, the January 6th events at our Nation's capital revealed yet
another potential blind spot that can act as a derailer to creating our
desired environment--extremist ideologies that exists both inside and
outside our forces. Needless to say, it was an eventful year that added
challenges to the high operations tempo of our forces, both home and
abroad, and increased demand for military medical personnel to support
our national civil response to COVID-19.
Despite the challenges presented over the past year, the Air Force
continues to accomplish our assigned missions and our airmen continue
to shine. We are prioritizing and accelerating our ability to optimize
airmen and family performance. We are developing the Air Force we need
to defend our Nation and managing the talent we have to help unleash
the full power of the world's greatest Air Force.
It should also be noted the United States Air Force continues to
provide much of the member and family support efforts for the overall
Department, including the newest military service, the United States
Space Force. In discussing all of our support and family related
programs, we are providing support to both airmen and guardians. This
approach allows the Space Force to remain a lean, operational-focused
service. We are also operating under a single military and civilian
personnel appropriation and a common authorized end strength although
we internally manage end strength between the services, with plans to
separate both authorization and appropriations in 2023.
helping airmen reach their full potential
Our airmen, guardians and families are our greatest advantage.
Keeping them first allows our mission capabilities to be limitless.
Over the last 12-14 months the Department of the Air Force sharpened
its focus on providing the absolute best care for our airmen and their
families, while taking all steps necessary to create an environment
where every airman can reach their full potential. The Air Force
launched two major initiatives in 2020--the Racial Disparity Review and
an Interpersonal Violence Task Force--both focused on identifying areas
of immediate concern for the well-being and development of our airmen.
Racial Disparity Review
Following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests in the
summer of 2020, and the PODs report on justice disparities the
Secretary of the Air Force launched a Racial Disparity Review to get an
independent assessment of racial disparity in military discipline,
personnel development, and career opportunities as they pertain to
black/African American airmen and guardians. This scope has since been
expanded to include other minority groups and a second survey and data
collection effort was launched to look at potential disparities across
gender and ethnicity lines as well.
Findings from the initial review were released in December 2020 and
confirmed we still have much work to do to address disparities in a
number of key policy areas. The review validated 16 disparities for
black/African American airmen and guardians in areas such as military
justice/discipline, apprehensions, investigations, promotions,
developmental opportunities, senior leader representation for military
and civilians, trust in chain of command, trust in Equal Employment
office actions and others. According to the report, the data does not
address why racial disparities exist in these areas, and that while the
data show race is a correlating factor, it does not necessarily
indicate causality.
Disciplined and detailed root-cause analysis is underway for each
finding. This analysis includes identifying mitigation actions to
address each root-cause with associated measurements and metrics
designed to track progress for each implemented action. Some actions
and measures produce early visible results, while others require longer
term longitudinal reviews to observe improvements over time. We will
monitor implementation to ensure these disparities are removed to the
fullest extent possible and provide assurance to all of members that
the Department of the Air Force is a place where they are valued and
provided with every opportunity to succeed.
Interpersonal Violence Task Force
Interpersonal violence of all types is counter to Department of the
Air Force culture and our core values. These actions negatively impact
victims, the bereaved, and their units. As a result, unit cohesion,
mission effectiveness, and ultimately the Department of the Air Force's
readiness are threatened. In July 2020, following incidents at Fort
Hood and within the Air Force, the Department of the Air Force
established an Interpersonal Violence Task Force focused on our ability
to keep airmen safe when they had identified ongoing harassment,
bullying, or hazing type activities. While we have programs that
respond and support victims of sexual assault and have a variety of
prevention efforts, we were concerned we did not cover the space in
between these events where our airmen were already unfortunately
enduring some type of negative behavior. We wanted to understand this
space better and understand our ability to identify these airmen and
keep them safe. To do this we garnered feedback from more than 68,000
airmen--both military and civilian--using a total force survey and
individual sensing sessions about multiple types of interpersonal
violence, including sexual assault. Out of this Task Force, focus
groups were formed to look deeper into issues respondents witnessed.
Currently, the Task Force is analyzing those responses and we expect a
final report in late May 2021.
Combatting Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is a crime and its impact undermines our force
lethality, readiness, and mission success. The Department of the Air
Force recognizes, despite strong efforts over many years, that we have
not made significant, measurable progress in preventing or reducing the
prevalence of sexual assault. As a result, we remain focused and
persistent in our efforts to combat sexual assault in the ranks using
effective, research-informed prevention strategies and ensuring
comprehensive support and response for sexual assault victims.
Sexual assault reporting across the Department of the Air Force has
steadily increased since 2010, jumping from 1,271 in fiscal year 2018
to 1,388 in fiscal year 2019, from servicemembers for incidents that
occurred during military service. This increase in reporting is
concerning--every sexual assault is deeply troubling. There is also a
positive aspect to increased reporting as it's an indication that more
victims of sexual assault are willing to come forward to receive care
and aid efforts to hold alleged perpetrators accountable. Another
concern is the increase in prevalence of sexual assaults and the
increasing gap between reporting levels and prevalence levels. This gap
was closing from 2012-2016 when it again began to diverge to include a
large increase in estimated prevalence in 2018. Examining our most
current data, the Department of the Air Force sexual assault prevalence
numbers increased aligning with Department of Defense patterns. From
2016 to 2018, prevalence among women increased from 2.8 percent to 4.3
percent. Rates among men remained relatively low, but still increased
slightly .3 percent to .5 percent. The Department of Defense
experienced an increase in prevalence for women and men, rising from
4.3 percent to 6.2 percent and .6 percent to .7 percent respectively.
Each of these rises also created a greater gap between reported
prevalence and the actual number of reports we received. We want our
environment and trust in the system to drive reporting and prevalence
to match each other where we then drive both indicators toward zero.
Our Air Force Academy sexual assault reporting was consistent from
academic year (AY) 2016-2017 to 2017-2018 with 23 reports each year
involving actively-enrolled cadets as either the victim or the subject,
but rose to 40 reports in AY 2018-2019 and 41 reports AY 2019-2020. We
have yet to attribute any causality to this increase, but the
initiation of the ``Teal Ropes'' Cadet program and a ``Safe To Report''
policy change have been linked to reducing barriers to reporting. We
continue efforts to monitor and reduce incidents across the force to
include the Air Force Academy.
Our overall Department of the Air Force strategy is focused on
prevention, response, and accountability. Our sexual assault prevention
framework includes assessment tools for identifying and screening out
those at high risk for unethical behavior, addressing key sexual
assault risk factors with long-term goals focused on equipping leaders
at all levels, Wingmen intervention skills, and promoting positive unit
culture to eradicate sexual assault.
We have several ongoing training initiatives leading our prevention
efforts. The Sexual Communication and Consent (SCC) Program, an
innovative, evidence-informed sexual assault prevention training
developed specifically for delivery during Basic Military Training
includes both universal and tailored content. Over 8,000 trainees went
through the SCC Program Pilot between September 2019 and April 2020.
After the training the trainees had increased knowledge of sexual
assault (4.4 percent), knowledge of consent (1.8 percent), and self-
efficacy to resist sexual assault (6.8 percent) along with decreases in
date rape myth attitudes (-4.2 percent), dating risk behaviors (-3.9
percent), and social risk behaviors (-4.5 percent). The Air Force
Academy is building on these Basic Military Training efforts and will
initiate a three-year pilot study beginning with the incoming class of
2025. The Department of the Air Force also requires annual, Air Force-
wide training consisting of three components: Bystander Intervention
Training, Wingman Intervention Training, and Total Force Sexual Assault
and Prevention Training. Bystander Intervention Training provides
foundational concepts of safe and desired bystander behavior to all
airmen and guardians across the total force. Wingman Intervention
Training in Technical School and at the First Term Airman Center
targets the most at risk age group population for sexual assault. The
Total Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Training is
refreshed annually to ensure continual engagement of this critical
issue.
As part of the Department of the Air Force's response programs, we
have established 92 dedicated, installation-level, prevention experts
with direct access to command leadership charged with targeting local
risk factors based upon collected data to implement tailored prevention
strategies at the tactical level. We have Sexual Assault Response
Coordinators, Special Victim Advocates, restricted and unrestricted
reporting processes, and medical care for victims. We are also an
active participant in the Department of Defense's Catch a Serial
Offender program to identify serial offenders via anonymous reporting
of sexual assault. As of February 2021, we have 13 of the 24 Department
of Defense matches of offenders, with a total of 599 Department of
Defense entries from victims.
We expanded our accountability programs, implementing the Sexual
Assault Accountability and Investigation Task Force's recommendations
to enhance collaboration among legal offices, military criminal
investigators, and circuit trial counsel for investigations of sexual
assault, domestic violence and child abuse from investigation through
the termination of trial proceedings if applicable. Moreover, we
continue to train and educate commanders as well as update policies to
enhance victim notification, consultation and input during the military
justice process.
Finally, the Department of the Air Force is also exploring the
potential of an Air Force Compatibility Assessment designed to assess
the risk of disciplinary and counterproductive workplace behaviors in
potential recruits that might negatively impact well-being, morale and
mission effectiveness. As is common practice in industry, we are
looking to ensure those we recruit are not only medically and
physically qualified to join, but are also compatible with serving.
Suicide Prevention
Department of the Air Force Active Duty suicide rates were stable
from 2015 to 2018, increasing in 2019. In 2019, the Department of
Defense Active Duty suicide rate was 25.9 per 100,000; and the
Department of the Air Force suicide rate was 25.1 per 100,000. In
response, in the Fall of 2019 the Air Force conducted a Resilience
Tactical Pause to help the force focus on small group discussions and
sessions designed to identify ways to help prevent suicides. The
Department will releases official suicide counts and rates for CY 2020
this fall.
In the spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to
heighten, we implemented a COVID playbook and provided tools and
lessons from the previous tactical pause to help maintain social
connections during a time of physical distancing. The new tools
included our first ever training for family members. This training
provides greater awareness about resources and programs available and
equips family members to identify warning signs and act as another
sensor in our detection and prevention methods. Since implementation,
more than 4,785 family members have connected to the site and taken the
training. While early and unofficial, our suicide rates to date in 2021
are back at pre-2018 levels.
The largest demographic of Department of the Air Force suicides
last year were single men, between the ages of 23-30, and in the rank
of E1-E4, who used a firearm as means of death. Leading stressors
associated with suicide seem to remain stable over time. Relationship
issues are the leading stressor associated with suicide deaths,
approximately 40 percent of suicide deaths are proceeded by significant
relationship problems or failure. An estimated 20-30 percent of airmen
and guardians who died by suicide were experiencing two or more
stressors. Another 840 percent who die by suicide have no apparent risk
factors.
Personally-owned firearms are the most common means of suicide
deaths by far. Since 2015, personally-owned firearms are involved in
over 70 percent of Department of the Air Force suicide deaths. Over 90
percent of Department of the Air Force suicides occur in the
continental United States. Continuing the ``Go SLO (Safes, Locks, or
Outside the home)'' campaign will help build a culture where safe
storage is commonplace, reducing immediacy of access to firearms for
those in distress and preventing firearm accidents for Air and Space
families. Between 2020 and 2021, we distributed 202,000 gun locks along
with educational and training materials on safe storage options.
To combat suicide trends, the Department of the Air Force has
established five prevention priorities for 2021, all of which nest
within the prevention strategies established by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention: Building Connections, Detecting Risk, Promoting
Protective Environments, and Equipping our Airmen and their Families to
mitigate risk and build resilience. The first priority is Leadership
Development that provides our leaders with the information, tools, and
resources necessary to combat suicide. We are challenging leaders to
build unit connection and purpose. Our second prevention priority is
improving and increasing our communications and marketing messaging
about resilience and prevention tools and resources.
Our third priority is focusing on time-based prevention; increasing
safe storage by encouraging ``going SLO'' and building time and space
between personnel in distress and access to lethal means, helping to
prevent accidents. Our forth priority is empowering and equipping
families. We will continue our efforts to engage and equip spouses and
family members in resilience and prevention activities. Lastly, we want
to evaluate our efforts, assessing implementation and effectiveness of
all major resilience and prevention efforts in order to drive program
improvements. These priorities are based on program self-assessment
results, suicide analysis board results, and latest research within a
continuous process improvement framework.
The Department of the Air Force's True North program continues to
support mission readiness by providing commanders resources and
guidance to empower assigned personnel to seek assistance from embedded
Mental Health providers and Religious Support Teams. Access to mental
and religious support teams within a unit is designed to build trust
and confidence in help-seeking actions for unit members. Under the True
North initiative, mental and spiritual support teams are being embedded
in squadrons and groups at 16 installations determined as having the
highest need based on tracked negative outcomes over the last five
years. These additional support teams should positively influence
Airman and family well-being, increasing resilience, and decreasing
negative outcomes such as suicide, sexual assault, domestic violence,
workplace violence and child maltreatment as well as improve mission
readiness and optimize human performance.
Resiliency
The Department of the Air Force has 32 agencies providing
Resiliency services to help our members and their families thrive in
both their personal and professional lives. These resiliency resources,
that are available to help with physical, mental, social, and spiritual
needs, include the Chaplain Corps, Mental Health, Airman & Family
Readiness Centers, Employee Assistance Program, Deployment Transition
Center, Wingman Connect, Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and
Morale, Welfare and Recreation Programs. The Air Force is committed to
forming solid partnerships with supporting organizations based on
individual installation needs and expanding support options to bolster
all pillars of resilience for our airmen, guardians and their families.
Although the Department of the Air Force has a large number of
agencies providing resiliency services, these offerings are often not
connected, making it more difficult for members and their families to
get the continuum of care needed quickly. Recently, the Chief of Staff
of the Air Force and the Chief of Space Operations chartered a
Resiliency Task Force, to perform a top-to-bottom review of current
Department of the Air Force Resiliency Programs and develop a new
robust, consolidated Resilience Strategy which creates new, or expands
existing support and develops sustainable resource and action plans. We
are excited about the work this Task Force is doing and hope to improve
resiliency for all airmen, guardians, and their families.
Family Care
The Department of the Air Force remains committed to continued
strengthening of our Exceptional Family Member Program further through
resourcing, automation and standardization for case management, respite
care policy, assignment coordination, education and legal assistance
support. Today, there are more than 55,000 family members enrolled in
our Exceptional Family Member Program and over 36,000 total force
members coded as sponsors. The Air Force identified this program as a
key priority and retained a transformation expert from private industry
to work full time on program improvements.
Exceptional Family Member Programs
The Department of the Air Force conducted a rapid improvement event
in February 2020 utilizing family feedback to identify problem areas
and create solutions focused on improving transparency, automation and
communication, resulting in a new ``one stop shop'' division located at
the Air Force Personnel Center. This Exceptional Family Member Program
Central Cell integrates multi-disciplinary support subject matter
experts in medical, assignments, special education, and legal matters
with both a special education attorney and a special education
specialist provided to assist our families and school liaisons.
Additionally, we added a TRICARE Liaison, Respite Care Coordinator and
additional medical and assignment personnel to better facilitate
centralized travel screening.
Through the newly launched DAF Family Vector website, the
Exceptional Family Member Program cell provides a two-year historical
review of travel recommendations by location and specialty, providing
families greater visibility of potential duty locations that meet
individual family needs. DAF Family Vector provides resources on
medical, moving, special education, respite care, frequently asked
questions and contact information for the central cell and local base
resources and is available without the need for a Common Access Card.
The Department of the Air Force continues to improve Exceptional
Family Member Program families' access to support for their special
needs family members. Presently, 105 Airman & Family Readiness Center
Exceptional Family Member Program Family Support Coordinators are
spread across 78 installations, working to enhance the quality of life
of special needs families. Continuing our commitment to strengthening
Exceptional Family Member Program support capabilities, 15 DAF
attorneys attended a formal, five-day structured Special Education
Course along with providing Special Education law training to 197
school liaisons, Family Support Coordinators and Headquarters staff.
The Department of the Air Force also stood up two Developmental and
Behavioral Health Family Readiness Centers with pediatric development
and psychological clinicians targeting smaller and remote bases through
telehealth, teleconsultation and provider travel.
Working through the pandemic, we maintained a connection with our
families by hosting several Facebook broadcasts to provide updates on
current and upcoming initiatives as well as fostered open communication
with families on their needs and concerns. In partnership with our
sister services, we held a Respite Care Rapid Improvement Event in late
2020 to identify problems, implement meaningful solutions, and
benchmark and utilize sister service best practices to assist with the
National Defense Authorization Act 2021 requirement for standardized of
respite care services.
Family member feedback is key. We continue communication with
families via social medial platforms and local outreach efforts. The
Exceptional Family Member Program Facebook page has 8,000+ followers
and over one million views, to date. The Department of the Air Force is
committed to continuing efforts at to strengthen the program and to
balance family needs with career progression and mission requirements.
Child and Youth Programs (CYP)
Available, affordable, quality child care programs support families
and enable our members to focus on the mission. In fiscal year 2020,
the Department of the Air Force provided child care for over 39,400
children at installation child development programs. However, at some
installations, the local demand for this type of care exceeds program
capacity making alternative sources of care instrumental in meeting the
needs of airmen and guardians. Our network of Family Child Care homes
and providers offer additional care solutions and community-based fee
assistance helps support families on a wait list for on-base care or
not living near an installation. In fiscal year 2020, 5,199 children
were served through the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood fee
assistance program.
The Coronavirus pandemic negatively impacted unmet demand and the
wait time for on base child care due to local health conditions,
availability of staff, quarantine requirements, and social/physical
distancing guidelines. The pandemic challenges illustrated that we must
find innovative ways to expand capacity and improve access to child
care for airmen and guardians in addition to advocating for resources
to fund child care facility requirements. As of the beginning of April
2021, 3,909 children five years of age and under had an unmet child
care need with more than half of these children located at ten of 74
installations. The average wait time to satisfy the demand was 153
days.
While we are working to accommodate all child care needs, it's
important to recognize the full nature of what is represented by the
3,909 children with unmet demand. These are requests for on-base child
care, meaning location in either an on-base Child Development Center or
an on-base Family Child Care home. Many of the 3,909 have alternative
child care available and in use, to include those matched through Air
Force subsidized care via the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood
(MCCYN) fee assistance program. Many families prefer to have child care
on-base and sign up for it by identifying a date care is needed. While
that request shows up as unmet demand, it is not always accurate nor
does it imply there are 3,909 children who do not have any child care.
Based on new data collection being done during sign-up and requests,
there are 284 children being serviced temporarily via a military
childcare facility and 208 serviced temporarily through a community-
based child care provider via MCCYN. This leaves 3,417 children without
an alternative Air Force-facilitated child care solution while on the
wait list. This is the capacity shortfall number we particularly focus
on in our various efforts. It includes 1,419 children cared for at home
with a parent; 672 in the care of family, friends, or a nanny; and 576
in a family-identified community based childcare program. 750 of the
3,417 indicated they cannot find a childcare alternative or did not
indicate how their child would be cared for while on the wait list. The
Air Force is making every effort to reduce the unmet demand and provide
childcare to those who need it.
The Department addressed the availability and delivery of Child and
Youth Programs with targeted efforts to maximize child care options,
expand child care capacity, and leverage customer feedback in
determining emerging and ongoing needs. We developed a robust
communication strategy with online resources that educates supervisors
and family members about available care solution options and how to
access them. To increase child care options and spaces, we developed
targeted recruitment and retention incentives for Family Child Care
providers that were implemented at 68 installations from September to
November 2020. Although the COVID-19 environment challenged our ability
to increase the number of Family Child Care homes, we have been able to
retain an average of 300 homes to support hourly and full-time care,
24/7 child care, and other specialized care for our Air and Space
families.
Improvements in human resources processes have positively impacted
Child and Youth Programs by reducing on-boarding time and facilitating
employee transfers. The utilization of the Direct Hiring Authority has
continued to positively impact the on-boarding process for appropriated
child care staff members, decreasing time required to on-board new
appropriated fund staff members by 120 days. To retain trained staff,
we implemented a non-appropriated fund employee transfer assistance
program that enables transfer of employment from one Department of the
Air Force location to another, eliminating the requirement to apply for
employment after a relocation.
Seven minor construction expansion projects are currently in the
planning process. In addition, the Department of the Air Force is
applying funding to the planning and design of child development center
construction projects that address child care capacity shortfalls; five
projects are currently postured for execution when funds become
available.
Spouse Employment
Spouse employment is a critical element impacting family
resilience, financial readiness, quality of life, retention, and
mission success. Permanent Change of Station moves may negatively
impact a military spouse's ability to achieve their own career goals
and aspirations, often leading to reduced employment opportunities or
underemployment. The Department of Defense and Department of the Air
Force spouse employment programs provide a robust system of support to
help military spouses find meaningful employment and connect with
available resources. The Department of the Air Force continues to
engage with states on improving spouse employment opportunities and
advocating for improved professional license portability or pursuing
interstate compacts. In 2020, the Department of the Air Force released
results of the ``Supporting our Military Families'' initiative which
assesses each state's efforts to support military spouse licensure
portability and links military quality of life factors to the strategic
basing process. This initiative shifts the strategy from expediting
individual state licensing through legislation to encouraging a
``universal approach'' to licensing and interstate compacts. Results
show positive trends, driving many states to look for ways to remove
barriers and make portability easier for military spouses.
Additionally, the Department of the Air Force reimburses up to $1000
for re-licensing/re-certification costs resulting from a Permanent
Change of Station move for spouses of military members.
The Department of the Air Force utilizes several approaches to
recruit and appoint military spouses. The non-competitive military
spouse appointment authority has provided the Air Force with the
ability to hire approximately 1,800 military spouses from fiscal year
2019 to March 2021. This authority is one of many authorities by which
a military spouse could be employed with. Additionally, the Department
of Defense Military Spouse Preference program provides federal
employment hiring preference for spouses relocating due to a military
member's Permanent Change of Station move. Spouses exercise their
preference by applying for job vacancy announcements of their choosing.
Spouses who are best qualified may be appointed to a federal position
over non-military spouse candidates. Employment may be permanent,
temporary or term limited. Additionally, the Department of Defense has
authorized a pilot program at some foreign overseas locations to permit
spouses to exercise their authority up to 30 days in advance of their
arrival in order to further increase their opportunity to obtain
employment. The Department of the Air Force launched the 18-month pilot
in February 2021.
The Department of the Air Force is fully engaged in ensuring our
members and their families have awareness and access to care solutions
through a Care Solutions Communication Plan. Maximizing awareness and
effectiveness of the support available are driving objectives of the
plan. We remain engaged at all levels to communicate and deliver Care
Solutions that help airmen, guardians and their families reach maximum
performance potential.
the force we need
As the world around us continues to inject uncertainty and rapid
change, the Air Force is focused on maintaining readiness today while
building the Air Force we need for tomorrow's high-end fight. A fresh
look at the foundational competencies and skills we will need to deter
and defeat our pacing threats show us that we are on track. We are
appreciative for your support and realize that continued Congressional
support is paramount as we seek to balance tight fiscal demands with an
increasing appetite for digitization and force modernization. Our end
strength targets reflect this balancing act and ensure a minimal viable
force to compete and win in the high-end fight, both today and
tomorrow.
End Strength
We have successfully increased the size of the force by 26,000
since a low in 2015 of 485,000, bringing us into alignment with the
objectives outlined in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Increased
retention since March 2020, largely due to COVID-19, helped the
Department meet and exceed fiscal year 2020 end strength targets. This
retention trend continued into fiscal year 2021 and has put the
Department in position to exceed fiscal year 2021 authorized end
strength levels. High retention is a great indicator of the value our
airmen place on serving and ensures we maintain the experience we need
to face tomorrow's challenges. Despite this positive outcome, we are
monitoring retention trends closely to see how a post-COVID environment
impacts our airmen's decisions to stay or leave and to ensure we have
plenty of room in our allowed force size to continue to recruit and
access fresh talent that will sustain us into the future. We will
continue to monitor these trends throughout the year and take prudent
steps to maintain readiness and continue to provide our airmen with
flexible voluntary force management options, as needed.
Our small military end strength growth includes the establishment
of the USSF as a service and balances USAF force structure between
legacy and the future force. The USSF growth includes mission transfers
from Air Force, Army, Navy, and headquarters growth. The USAF growth
from fiscal year 2021 includes temporary restoral of end strength
associated with the continued delay of medical manpower reductions,
while factoring for decreases to legacy force structure requirements
such as C-130H and F-16 modernization, as well compensating for USSF
mission transfers. USAF end strength is currently projected to come
back down once the temporary restoral for medical manpower expires at
the end of fiscal year 2022. This request also grows the Air National
Guard for logistics, deployable security forces and ANG recruiting
missions; balancing reductions in legacy C-130 aircraft with funding
enduring missions such as the A-10.
We thank you for your continued favorable Congressional support of
the fiscal year 2022 President's Budget request to ensure the USAF and
USSF can access the talent we need to compete in a world defined by
ambiguity, rapid change, and great power competition.
Recruiting Goals
The Department of the Air Force achieved its fiscal year 2020
recruiting goals of 26,398 regular component Enlisted (100 percent of
goal) and regular Officers of 4,553 (100 percent of goal). We also met
our Air National Guard combined Officer and Enlisted goal by recruiting
11,620 Guard members (108 percent of goal), and our Reserve combined
Officer and Enlisted goal of 7,000 (100 percent of goal). Additionally,
the Department of the Air Force is on target to reach our fiscal year
2021 recruiting goals of 27,053 regular Enlisted and 4,318 regular
Officers; Air National Guard combined Officer and Enlisted goal of
11,428; and Reserve combined Officer and Enlisted goal of 8,800.
While these numbers are good, we are keenly aware of a growing
competition for talent and expect the recruiting environment to become
even more challenging. Today only 29 percent of 17 to 24 year old men
and women in the United States are eligible to serve in the military
and only one in eight have a propensity to serve. Within this eligible
population, the Department of the Air Force seeks to increase our pool
of diverse candidates and reach the best and brightest from across our
Nation while making sure every eligible member who wants to serve has
the opportunity to compete to serve.
To enhance our diversity; we have focused on increasing our female
applicant pool within the officer accession sources, setting an initial
target to achieve growth in applicants to 30 percent female. We
surpassed that goal at the Air Force Academy for the class of 2024, and
30.2 percent of the entering class were women. Last year's graduating
class was more than 29 percent female, a 3 percent increase from 2019.
Within our ROTC program, we raised our applicant pool to 28 percent
female with an actual cadet class of 25.5 percent, marching toward the
initial 30 percent applicant pool goal. The 2020 ROTC class consisted
of 25 percent female, a 1.5 percent increase since 2012. Finally, our
2020 OTS classes were 18.7 percent female across the Total Force, which
is a 2.5 percent increase since 2012.
Recruiting diverse talent is also dependent on our Department being
an inclusive organization. Since June 2018, we have accessed and made
accommodations for more than 29 practicing Sikh, Muslim, Heathen,
Jewish, Norse, Easter, and Russian Orthodox individuals to allow these
talented members to serve while still respecting their religious dress
and appearance requirements. We've also partnered with academia to
provide $19 million in Flight Scholarships at historically black
universities and colleges. These professionals serve as role models for
other talented Americans who can potentially see themselves serving in
our force as well.
In the future we plan to invest in the Regular Component's
recruiting operations in a multi-year effort, allowing for year round
recruiting efforts to meet Total Force accessions goals. The DAF is
committed to improving how we recruit tomorrow's airmen and guardians.
We have added 159 recruiters and established a Recruiting Squadron
specifically focused on areas where we continue to experience
shortfalls such as Special Warfare Airmen, Explosive Ordnance Disposal,
and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. COVID taught recruiting
that going virtual expanded reach capabilities that the traditionally
store front office lacked. Additionally, we are working with OSD on
potentially implementing the DAF Compatibility Assessment, an integrity
test to screen out accessions at high risk for unethical behaviors,
including sexual assault.
Retention
As important as recruiting is, retention within our high-tech force
is equally important. While the DAF is experiencing unprecedented high
retention rates in both the Enlisted and Officer Corps, the aggregate
success may mask areas with retention challenges. To help ameliorate
these retention challenges, the USAF continues to offer targeted
monetary incentives. For Enlisted skills, the fiscal year 2021
Selective Retention Bonus program's $200 million targets critical
capabilities in enlisted Air Force Specialty Codes with low manning
percentages, low retention, and/or high training costs, such as special
warfare, aircraft maintenance, cyber, and intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance.
Focusing on pilots specifically, the DAF has a fiscal year 2021
budget of $194.1 million for the Aviation Bonus (AvB). While the take-
rate for pilots steadily declined from 68 percent in 2013 through 2020
mainly due to an unprecedented major airline hiring boom, COVID-19's
impact on the travel industry resulted in a larger number of pilots
continuing to serve and an increased take rate of 51.3 percent in
fiscal year 2020, up from 45 percent in fiscal year 2013. Given that we
do not expect airline hiring to pick back up until late 2021-2022, or
reach pre-COVID-19 hiring rates until 2023-2024, fiscal year 2021's AvB
program focuses on targeting specialties with low manning while
providing incentives for those who accept longer term contracts to help
take advantage of the temporary airline hiring freeze.
Force Management
Overall Air Force retention is the highest it's been in over twenty
years, likely influenced by COVID and the economy. While high retention
has helped the Department of the Air Force maintain immediate readiness
levels, we ended fiscal year 2020 approximately 990 over our authorized
end strength and started fiscal year 2021 at 333,790, higher than our
fiscal year 2021 year-end authorized end strength of 333,475. As a
result, our focus is on balancing high retention with the need to
sustain the force over time, ensuring enough headspace to access the
talent we need year after year. Recognizing many members have delayed
retirement or separation plans during COVID's peak, the Air Force wants
to remain flexible to allow airmen to transition from the force as
their family situation allows. To provide options we implemented a
number of voluntary force management programs to create space for
needed accessions within our authorized end strength. We also provided
opportunities to waive some limited Active Duty service commitments and
expanded the PALACE CHASE transfer program to allow members the
opportunity to affiliate and serve their commitments in the Reserve
components. Additionally, we paused the Voluntary Retired Return to
Active Duty and the Voluntary Limited Period of Active Duty accessions
programs given our high retention levels. We are monitoring retention
closely to manage impacts to future readiness levels. We are preparing
for fiscal year 2022 and the possibility of continued high retention,
recognizing we may need additional flexibility. We want to remain agile
as we look to the future, knowing we need to preserve our ability to
recruit and access new talent.
managing talent
The Air Force's Talent Management systems continue to transform in
order to fully support the National Defense Strategy and Department of
Defense guidance, develop leaders of competence and character, and
produce the talent we need for the future high-end fight. Most
Department of the Air Force talent management initiatives are directed
towards a system that empowers all airmen (military and civilian) to
reach their full potential within a framework that increases agility,
improves responsiveness, empowers performance, and provides
transparency and simplicity. This framework is centered on defining and
knowing what we value, measuring those key items, and incentivizing and
rewarding those who demonstrate and excel at the valued qualities.
The Air Force is excited about the progress we are making in talent
management. Our initiatives enhance the Air Force's ability to better
identify, develop, and promote talent to meet occupational,
institutional, and joint requirements that ensure we remain a ready,
lethal and agile force now and for the future fight. Some Air Force
initiatives include our Space Force partners while they continue to
develop and mature their independent service-specific Human Capital
Strategy.
Air Force Talent Management Initiatives
The Air Force is committed to transforming the way we develop,
promote, and retain our officer corps in order to successfully carry
out the National Defense Strategy. To meet that task, we must have an
force which can adapt, innovate, and demonstrate agility in dealing
with today's complex security environment, so we appreciate the
additional Defense Officer Personnel Management Act authorities given
to us in the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act and
have instituted several associated programs.
One of the fundamental tenants of our Talent Management system is
to be responsive by ensuring we drive our inventory (size, shape,
talents) to match our requirements. To that end, the Air Force expanded
the previous single Line of the Air Force promotion category allowing
for more agility and a wider range of development paths to ensure
officers have the needed skills and expertise to fight and win. This
was first implemented in March of 2020 for all ranks and is now
entering into our second year of operation. Active component line
officers are now managed in six developmental categories for promotion
instead of a single category. This change clearly acknowledges
different specialties require different developmental experiences and
progression with tailored pathways to better shape the force toward the
skills we need for tomorrow's high end fight.
Additionally, we understand the importance of having role models
for officers as they navigate the different stages of their career.
Recognizing the significance this plays in development, we instituted a
new process to screen and select our best officers for formal
instructor and recruiting positions. At the same time, we elevated
these positions as a critical and an extremely valued component of
their career progression, ensuring our officers with the highest
potential have the opportunity to serve as positive examples focused on
developing the future force.
Furthermore, the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act
flexibilities provided by Congress in 2019 have created pathways for us
to be more agile in our officer development. One such way is our recent
transition away from below-the-zone promotions to merit based
promotions to reward those with the highest potential.
Under this new system, those whose record of performance score the
highest at the promotion board, pin-on first, reinforcing the
importance of performance. This effort is two-fold, first it provides
additional time for officers to gain valuable insight and experience
that may have been lost when we accelerated promotions, as well as
increases transparency to the force by providing promotion selected
officers direct feedback on where they stand in relation to their
peers.
Staying with the theme of promotion flexibilities, the Air Force is
also postured to capitalize on the Temporary Promotion authority that
was provided in 2019. This flexibility offers us the opportunity to
temporarily promote officers into a designated position that requires a
skill the Air Force has a critical shortage of in-grade personnel. The
ability to execute this authority puts us in a much better position to
place talent when and where it is needed while incentivizing airmen
possessing such skills. The Air Force adaptation of this authority is
set to launch in the Fall of 2021.
Likewise, we also realize some airmen miss out on critical career
milestones while pursuing other important endeavors for the Air Force.
To mitigate any negative impact to an officer's career, we are taking
full advantage of the ``opt-out'' of selection board consideration
authority from the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. We have
developed a policy that affords certain officers the ability to ``opt-
out'' of selection board consideration to Major, Lieutenant Colonel,
and Colonel and defer to the next year. Not only does it benefit the
officer, it will also allow us to better retain and put to use those
skills an officer gained while pursing advanced education or filling an
important career broadening position. Current plans allow officers
meeting certain boards starting in October of 2021 to utilize this
authority.
Airmen remain our competitive advantage, so it is crucial we stay
focused on empowering their performance. A pivotal link to empowering
performance is through our evaluation system. While development and
implementation are still ongoing, we are currently transforming our
officer and enlisted evaluation systems. The transformation is centered
on evaluating airmen against the qualities we value in performance and
know we need our airmen to possess for success in meeting future
warfighting requirements outlined in the National Defense Strategy. We
designated these valued items as our Airman Leadership Qualities (ALQs)
and released them to the force for early use in February 2021. The ALQs
represent in the performance characteristics we want to define,
develop, incentivize, and measure in our airmen. We are striving for
our airmen to embody these ALQs to help them reach their full
potential.
Specific to empowering the performance of our enlisted force, we
have reformed our Senior Non-Commissioned Officer promotion process. In
order to put more of an emphasis on performance in primary duties and
responsibilities, we eliminated the promotion testing portion of the
process that was not always a good indicator of performance. Instead we
instituted a board process to allow more focus to be put one's record
of performance.
To complement our efforts at empowering the performance of our
enlisted corps we also established an indefinite enlistment policy for
our enlisted airmen with twelve or more years of service. This change
allowed for the extension of High Year Tenure for E-4s, E-5s, and E-6s,
reduced the administration burden on our airmen that comes with having
to reenlist and increased retention of the skills and experience we
need.
As you can see from the sampling of initiatives we have provided,
talent management is a priority for us and we are working diligently to
build the airmen we need for the future. We also recognize there is
much more work to be done in this arena. For instance, we are currently
exploring how to modify our promotions and evaluation systems in light
of the Racial Disparity Review findings. We must make certain every
Airman can realize their full potential and compete fairly for
promotion opportunities within the Department of the Air Force--we are
committed to seeing every airmen succeed.
Civilian Talent Management
We are also excited at the progress we've made in managing our
civilian talent, most notably in our hiring timeliness. The Department
of the Air Force has dropped average days of hiring from 114 days in
2019 to 85 days in 2020. This is much needed progress, but still not
where we would like to be. We continue to work on hiring timeliness
while leveraging Direct Hire and Expedited Hiring Authorities the
Congress has generously provided us. In 2020, utilization of these
authorities was up to 81.2 percent when eligible which yielded great
results, bringing qualified hires into the Department of the Air Force
in 75 days on average with many hiring actions taking as little as 10
days from beginning to end.
Additionally, we will continue to leverage two new and impactful
programs to reach the civilian talent we need:
In response to our former Secretary of the Air Force's initiative
to establish outreach to colleges/universities and focus on
recruitment, we instituted the Premier College Intern Program (PCIP) in
2018 with the following goals. First, recruit 500 post-secondary
students for internships annually under Direct Hire Authority 1102
National Defense Authorization Act. Second, make the program
morefocused. Third, non-competitively place graduating PCIP interns
into a permanent position or Palace Acquire/Copper Capstone entry level
positions. Additionally, the PCIP graduates feed into our formal intern
training programs and each year the formal intern training program
hires between 450 to 500 interns; since 2001, 7,774 have been hired and
the DAF currently has 1,412 on board.
We also developed a program to allow individuals that become
medically disqualified at Basic Military Training a second opportunity
to serve. The ``DRIVE'' Program is a newly established program that
provides medically disqualified candidates an opportunity to enter
civilian service. DRIVE is a Total Force talent recruiting initiative
which benefits the entire Air Force. Using special appointing
authorities such as direct hire authority, the Department of the Air
Force is able to match candidates to hiring needs. Since August 2020,
the initiative has already successfully placed seven candidates in
diverse career fields such as civil engineering, public affairs, and
cyber security.
The DAF continues to identify new initiatives and advocate for new
and expanded hiring and retention authorities to secure mission
critical civilian talent. We recently obtained a temporary direct hire
authority as well as a temporary qualification waiver for our 2181
series pilots and simulator operators recognizing the dated
qualification specifying significant flying hours did not adequately
address changes in technology that allow for civilian flight
instruction to be accomplished in a simulator.
The Department of the Air Force values the talent and skills our
civilian workforce brings to the fight and fully recognize that Air and
Space Force missions cannot succeed without them. In light of this, we
continue to pursue initiatives and authorities that enable us to
recruit and retain top tier civilians as a critical component of our
Force.
Career Flexibilities
The Air Force's strategic advantage is our people and to be
postured for the future high-end fight, it is imperative we challenge
existing paradigms and remain open-minded about the way we attract and
retain top-talent in our military and civilian ranks. We must inject
flexibility into career paths and focus efforts on capitalizing on
diversity within the Total Force while testing unconventional ways to
ensure the Air Force is a career choice our airmen are excited about
embarking on. To that end, we are currently looking into an array of
options to allow airmen and guardians a career path beyond the current
paradigms that values who they are, their unique skills, and the
perspectives they bring to the fight.
Diversity & Inclusion
While our overall population diversity and recruiting numbers have
improved, we have not been as successful in retaining women and diverse
airmen for longer careers. To improve diversity, the DAF created
several barrier analysis working groups to identify barriers to
retention of women and diverse Air and Space professionals, and we made
several policy adjustments based on their findings.
In 2020, we adjusted policy so new mothers could defer making a
decision on separating from the service for up to 12 months after
delivery, providing ample time to decide if military service was still
compatible with their growing family. We're working towards updating
this policy to be more inclusive to all families. This policy impacts
approximately 3,500 airmen per month. Additionally, the Department of
the Air Force directed units to provide nursing mothers with access to
a lactation facility.
The Department of the Air Force updated hair grooming standards in
February 2021, allowing women to wear one or two braids, or a single
ponytail as well as longer bangs that touch their eyebrows so long as
the bangs do not cover their eyes. These changes which responded to
safety and medical concerns are also targeted at improving diversity
and inclusion in the ranks by giving women from a variety of races more
options that might better suit their hair & health concerns. To that
point and to show our commitment to listening and evolving as required,
our February 2021 female hair policy will soon undergo modification
number one. Shortly after we launched our policy, and despite having
diverse race, ethnic, and gender representation on the policy
development team, we discovered our new policy was not as inclusive as
we desired. As written, the bulk standard established with the braids
and pony tails did not allow some women to comply with the standard
without damaging their hair or making significant investments to have
it straightened. The soon to be released modification will make
allowances for those hair types to ensure we are truly being inclusive
in our application of policies when possible.
Further, dress and appearance policies were adjusted to allow
accent marks and hyphens on name tapes and tags, and qualifying male
airmen are now able to receive five year shaving waivers. These changes
were part of our on-going efforts to create a more inclusive culture.
The Department must continue to operationalize diversity and
inclusion to fully leverage the Nation's greatest strength, it's
remarkably diverse citizenry for decisive, lethal advantage.
Telework/Remote Work
In response to COVID-19, the Department of the Air Force has been
maximizing telework to both protect our personnel and to continue the
Air Force mission. COVID-19 was a catalyst that enabled the Air Force
to reassess how we conduct business. As a result, we've initiated a
complete top-to-bottom review of current Air Force telework policies
and have developed a revised program to help posture the Air Force for
the future. Our new telework/remote work guidance will empower our
airmen to meet the Air Force mission and enable us to attract and
retain top tier talent while generating cost savings in facilities and
personnel relocation expenses. The new policies will also provide
options and potential stability for members and families who may not
want to relocate but can still perform duties from a remote location.
This will be particularly applicable to headquarters staff tours for
many airmen.
Digital Transformation
The Air Force continues to make strides transforming a portfolio of
outdated systems that consume our airman's time, energy and flexibility
when handling their Human Resource business affairs. We are now
beginning to really provide our airmen with cutting edge cloud based
technologies that drastically improves their experience, enhances data
protection, and opens the opportunity for mobile access; however, there
is much more to do. We need our airman to have the ability to remain
mission focused, and are ensuring they have a streamlined end-to-end
experience with this much needed upgrade. Your continued support in our
Digital Transformation efforts are appreciated.
conclusion
Resilient and ready airmen and guardians, both military and
civilian, are the bedrock of the Department of the Air Force's
readiness and lethality. These professionals are evolving to compete,
deter, and win with unmatched power in the air, space, and cyber
domains. Our ability to remain competitive as an employer of choice is
reliant upon prioritizing and resourcing what is most important. We
look forward to continuing to partner with Congress in our endeavors to
protect and defend our great Nation. We thank you for your continued
support of your Department of the Air Force--those in uniform, our
civilian professionals, and the families who support them.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Lieutenant General David
Ottignon.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVID A. OTTIGNON, USMC, DEPUTY
COMMANDANT FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS
Lieutenant General Ottignon. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking
Member, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank
you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss
your marines and our civilian marines who support them. I, too,
have submitted my written statement to this committee and my
opening remarks will be brief.
This past year has been a challenging time for the Nation
as we all continue to navigate our way through the pandemic.
However, your marines and sailors continue to demonstrate their
resiliency as we make marines and service the Nation's force
and readiness.
To echo the sentiments of our commandant, the Marine Corps
is entering a period of transformation to produce a modern,
elite force that will meet the challenges of the National
Defense Strategy and uncertainties of the future. Our marines
represent a diverse group of Americans, bonded together by a
sense of duty. Our manpower programs and initiatives cover the
spectrum of a marine's career and are designed to maximize the
fullest potential of our Nation's most precious resources,
those dedicated Americans who claim the title of U.S. Marine.
The Marine Corps remains fully committed to their families
and civilian marines in the programs that support them. Their
contributions and sacrifices are noble and worth our greatest
respect and admiration. I am proud to represent your marines,
their families, and the civilian employees this afternoon, and
I look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of Lieutenant General David A.
Ottignon follows:]
Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General David A. Ottignon
introduction
Chairman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to appear before you
today to provide an overview on Marine Corps personnel.
our people
Your marines are the centerpiece of the Marine Corps. As
highlighted in our 38th Commandant's Planning Guidance, our principal
emphasis is on our marines. We remain focused on recruiting, educating,
training, and retaining elite warriors with the mental toughness,
tenacity, initiative, intelligence, aggressiveness, and adaptability in
challenging environments.
Force Design 2030 is not possible without the continued excellence
of our marines. We are modernizing our talent management processes to
ensure we continue to have the right marines in this period of great
power competition. Our initiatives cover the spectrum of a marine's
career--from accession goals and rating/promotion practices, to re-
enlistment incentives and retention policies. We are leveraging
technology and data collection to help understand--and someday
predict--why individuals decide to join the Marine Corps and remain a
marine. To that end, we are implementing longitudinal accession,
retention, and exit surveys and cognitive and non-cognitive testing
with the objective of identifying and fitting the right person, with
the right skill, into the right job. We are in our third year of
developing the Retention Prediction Network, which uses cognitive, non-
cognitive, and individual interest tests, performance, and personnel
data to predict the probability of a successful Marine Corps career.
These modernization initiatives will enable us to tailor our force to
compete and win in the modern operating environment.
The Commandant has stated that we will keep faith with our marines
as we execute our Force Design 2030 plans. We are thankful to Congress
for the force shaping authorities you have given us and are confident
that they are sufficient. Of course, we will come to you for additional
statutory changes if in the future they become required.
Recruiting
All Marine Corps recruiting efforts--officer, enlisted, regular,
Reserve, and prior-service--fall under the Marine Corps Recruiting
Command. This is unique amongst the services. Operationally, this
provides us with tremendous flexibility and unity of command,
facilitating efforts to meet accession and end strength requirements.
Last fiscal year, COVID-19 impacted recruiting efforts. Social
distancing requirements limited the capacity at our depots, delayed
shipping activities, closed schools, and canceled community events that
we depend on for personal contacts and outreach. We adjusted to these
COVID-19 challenges by exploring new digital prospecting tools and
researching the market reactions to those endeavors. These actions gave
recruiters the means to operate in a reduced personal contact
environment. As a result, we were better postured for fiscal year 2021
than first anticipated. COVID-19's long-term impacts on recruiting
remain unknown, but we are adapting and learning from the challenge.
The quality of your marines remains exceptionally high. The
Department of Defense requires 90 percent of enlistees to have a high
school diploma or equivalent (Education Tier 1), and 60 percent of
enlistees to score in the Mental Groups I-IIIA (mental aptitude). Last
year, the Marine Corps achieved 99.5 percent for Education Tier 1, and
70.1 percent for Mental Group I-IIIA. We expect to be at these levels
in fiscal year 2021.
To meet the challenges ahead, we remain committed to assigning our
best
marines to recruiting duty. Our recruiters closely reflect the face of
the Nation we recruit, which is a testament to our efforts to recruit a
more diverse force. Approximately 47 percent of our recruiters have a
diverse background, well above our Nation's demographics as a whole.
Our recruiting efforts connect marines with the communities they
represent. We have recruiters assigned to every zip code in our Nation,
and constantly strive to reach all qualified youth and their
influencers--from the most rural of small towns to the largest of
cities.
For future recruiting success, we must continue to adequately fund
both recruiting operations and advertising; we thank Congress for its
support in this goal. Our advertising program is vital to building
awareness of the Marine Corps among high quality, diverse populations
that are increasingly disconnected from military service. A strong
advertising program enables our recruiting command to attract and
recruit the highest quality accession cohorts. Advertising funds repay
many times over, as they produce lower first-term attrition, higher
quality marines, and increased readiness.
Retention
The essence of Marine Corps talent management is to retain the very
best marines capable of fulfilling our leadership and operational
needs. Overall, we met all of our retention goals in fiscal year 2020,
and are on track for fiscal year 2021. However, there is a continuous
challenge to keep high-quality marines in the service, especially in
the current competitive civilian job market. We thank this Subcommittee
and Congress for the retention authorities and flexibility you have
given us. We are using many of these authorities and holding others in
Reserve should the need arise.
We are implementing--and continuing to study--the use of monetary
and non-monetary incentives; modernizing our performance evaluation
systems; and refining the way we match and assign marines to billets.
Incentive pays remain critical to our retention effort, allowing the
Marine Corps to fill hard to retain positions, such as cyber operators,
special operators, and counter intelligence specialists. Selective
Reenlistment Bonuses allow us to shape our career force by targeting
critical military occupational specialties and supporting lateral
movement of marines to these billets.
The Marine Corps is experiencing shortfalls in the number of fixed
wing and tiltrotor aviators required to fill our aviation billets. As a
result, we have implemented a narrowly-tailored aviation bonus to
stabilize the pilot shortfall and facilitate the proper execution of
all aviation staffing demands. We continue to build on the fiscal year
2020 bonus plan in fiscal year 2021. Similarly, and in concert with
Force Design, we are offering Assignment Incentive Pay to offensive
cyber operators to increase retention and build this capacity. This
type of monthly pay is targeted towards hard-to-fill critical billets
that have significant training requirements. These incentives help us
recruit and retain the best marines. At only one percent of our marine
Corps personnel budget, they offer a return on investment many times
over.
Reserves
Your Marine Corps Reserve stands ready to provide forces for
employment across the full spectrum of crisis and global engagement.
While the Marine Corps Reserve is supporting current Service and
Combatant Command requirements, it is also participating in the
Service's efforts to redesign our force and our warfighting
capabilities to deter against pacing threats as prescribed by the
National Defense Strategy.
Despite the numerous recruiting and entry level training challenges
presented by COVID-19, the Marine Corps' Selected Reserve is forecasted
to meet Force Design recruiting and retention goals for this fiscal
year. We continue to mitigate COVID-19 impacts and maintain personnel
and training readiness with improvements to our enlisted and officer
Reserve force management.
This year the Marine Corps implemented a comprehensive Career
Management Plan that provided full-service support to our Reserve
officers and Staff NCOs throughout the Selected Reserve. This talent
management initiative that will help our NCOs, Staff NCOs, and officers
move between commands to enhance their development and military career
goals.
Throughout the past year, the Marine Corps Reserve continued global
deployments despite the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19.
The Marine Corps Reserve provided Combatant Commanders with forces
focused on combat operations, crisis prevention, crisis response, and
theater security cooperation.
This year, the Marine Corps Reserve is slated to mobilize
Reservists in support of 28 formations. These operations greatly
increase the Reserve component's interoperability with the Active
component, joint forces, our allies, and coalition partners.
Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are force multipliers and take advantage of
the wide array of experiences and perspectives necessary to maintain
our current and future warfighting excellence. We are committed to
capitalizing on the knowledge, skills, abilities, performance, and
potential of every marine.
Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan will guide our
actions over the next five years in the areas of recruiting and
accessions, talent management, education, training, and commandership.
It provides a framework to align a number of efforts, identify new
initiatives, and provide oversight across the Corps for implementation
by commanders at every level. A key component of this plan is to target
diversity at our senior and General Officer ranks. Leadership must
exemplify our core tenets and it is important to continue to improve
diversity at our highest levels. To date, 21 percent of Brigadier
Generals and Brigadier General-selects are diverse, the highest level
of diverse representation at that rank in Marine Corps history. We look
forward to seeing this trend continue.
One of our first actions to implement our plan was the appointment
of a general officer as the Service's Chief Diversity and Inclusion
Officer. This position will communicate program goals, develop policy,
and action the aforementioned strategic plan. Concurrently, the Marine
Corps bolstered the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Review Board
(DRB). The DRB serves as the action arm of the Marine Corps Diversity
and Inclusion Management Program to address diversity, inclusion, and
command climate issues that may impact the Marine Corps.
Outreach and external engagement are an important facet of our
holistic approach to diversity and inclusion. We have steadily
increased our Outreach Program budget from $150,000 in fiscal year 2015
to $1.3 million in fiscal year 2021. This Program provides
opportunities for professional development, mentoring, and networking
experiences by fully funding approximately 500 marines to attend 19
national/regional conferences hosted by non-federal entity affinity
groups events throughout the year. For example, the Marine Corps
recently hosted the Petersen Discussion Forum from June to December
2020. The forum was named after Lieutenant General Frank Petersen, the
first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-
American Marine Corps General Officer. The forum met regularly to
examine, analyze, and discuss pertinent issues on the state of race and
gender relations in the Marine Corps.
Diversity in the Marine Corps is increasing. Since 2009, diverse
enlisted accessions have increased from 34 percent to 43 percent, and
diverse officer accessions have increased from 16 percent to 35
percent. Female officers have increased from 8 percent to 13.8 percent
during this same time period. Females represented in previously
restricted MOS are also on the rise. Last year, 737 females were in
previously restricted units; that number is now 1,101. Similarly, 283
women were serving in previously restricted MOS; today that number is
415, including the first woman Reconnaissance Marine.
The Marine Corps is a full partner with the Office of the Secretary
of Defense and other Services in accomplishing the recommendations set
out in the Secretary's Diversity and Inclusion Board Final Report.
However, the Marine Corps is also taking its own initiative to both
study and make changes to continue to improve diversity and inclusion.
A host of independent studies are currently underway to better
understand diversity and inclusion challenges and make improvements.
Next month we expect to have the results of our Fitness Report Bias
Study, an analysis which is examining the objectivity of the current
performance appraisal process. The Basic School Military Occupational
Specialty Assignment Study will examine historical performance data
based on demographics to evaluate the impact of performance on MOS
assignment. We are funding an independent study to identify and
understand any barriers to advancement and retention of women and
minorities in the Marine Corps. Finally, our Exit & Milestone
Longitudinal Survey provides feedback to better understand personnel
satisfaction regarding career opportunities, leadership, performance
management, diversity, and work-life programs.
The Marine Corps acknowledges biases exist and is addressing these
challenges by incorporating unconscious bias training at every rank
through the training continuum. Diversity of thought and experience
that each marine brings will help us find more creative and innovative
solutions to these future challenges. We must actively work to retain
and grow this diversity. Diversity and inclusion are, more than
anything, a leadership issue. Marine leaders must not just talk about
changing culture--they must be the example of how to treat your fellow
marine and all individuals with dignity, respect, empathy and
compassion.
taking care of marines and their families
Taking care of marines and families improves our overall readiness
and resilience. It also directly increases retention, quality of life
and, most importantly, combat effectiveness. The Marine Corps
Behavioral Programs are an integrated community-based service model
that promote the social, behavioral, and psychological fitness of
marines and families to enhance mission effectiveness.
Sexual Assault Prevention & Response
Protecting marines and preventing sexual assaults remain top
priorities for the Corps. We are committed to preventing incidents of
sexual assault by promoting positive behaviors, fostering healthy
command climates, and building skills to identify and prevent negative
behaviors. We remain committed to responding to sexual assaults,
including those occurring before service, by providing victim-centered
support.
We are dedicated to working with the Department of Defense and
Congress on developing prevention measures to reduce the prevalence of
this crime. The Marine Corps has reviewed and analyzed the Fort Hood
Independent Review Committee report. From this report, the Marine Corps
identified many recommendations for implementation focused on program
management and structure; training; command climate; and disciplinary
action. Additionally, the Marine Corps is directly engaged in the
Secretary of Defense's directed 90-day Independent Review Commission on
Sexual Assault in the Military (IRC) and the Immediate Actions to
Counter Sexual Assault and Harassment. The Marine Corps has
representation in all four of the IRC lines of effort and is in the
process of executing the Immediate Actions.
There are a number of important updates to our sexual assault
prevention efforts to highlight. Our renewed focus seeks to tailor
training to specific levels of leadership. This enables a multi-layered
approach to prevention to fit marines of every age, rank, and billet.
For example, updated SAPR annual training for Staff Non-Commissioned
Officers (SNCO) provides more focus at the small unit level. This
training's goal is to help increase SNCO knowledge about sexual
assault, reporting, resources, rank-specific roles and
responsibilities, and to build skills consistent with primary
prevention.
We also updated the SAPR training for the Commander's Course to
better prepare senior leadership to prevent sexual assault once they
assume command. This includes information focused on actionable
recommendations for pre-command leaders and small group discussions
facilitated by Marine Corps mentors and SAPR experts. Commanders set
the tone of their unit--we know how important it is to ensure they are
equipped before they assume command to establish the right command
climate--a climate that encourages marines to look out for one another
and report destructive behaviors and crimes, and that mandates
accountability for perpetrators and enablers.
While we like to highlight our prevention efforts, we acknowledge
that we are not where we need to be; we still have incidents of sexual
harassment and assault and so we must ensure we provide the best
support possible to victims. A revised SAPR Victim Advocate training
was released in October 2019 and has been fully implemented. The
revised 40-hour curriculum focuses on building and refining advocacy
skills and includes cultural competency and prevention training.
We want to leverage technological developments too. SAPR is
implementing online evaluation tools for select SAPR annual training,
Victim Advocate (VA) training, and Sexual Assault Response Coordinators
(SARC) initial training. The evaluation tools measure changes in
knowledge, attitudes, and intentions, as well as training satisfaction,
consistency of instruction, and quality of instruction. Beginning with
pilots in fiscal year 2021, these evaluation results will inform local
SAPR personnel, as well as HQMC personnel, on the effectiveness of the
trainings.
Collaboration is key in addressing sexual assault prevention and
response. Our SAPR program works together with the other Services,
Department of the Navy and Department of
Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Offices, and outside
entities to enhance our ability to prevent and respond to sexual
assault, identify best practices, and leverage resources. SAPR supports
enterprise-wide efforts to prevent sexual assaults within the military
and care for marines.
The Marine Corps continually evaluates SAPR initiatives for
effectiveness by conducting needs assessments, surveys, and staffing
analysis. SARC and VA training curriculum development has been
standardized which better ensures that marines understand reporting
options, SARCs and VAs are prepared to support victims, and all
understand their role in sexual assault prevention.
Suicide Prevention
The Marine Corps cannot afford to lose any marines to suicide. The
Marine Corps approaches suicide prevention by using every resource
available to promote and apply the leadership functions of strengthen,
mitigate, identify, treat, and reintegrate to increase individual and
unit readiness. We are working to reduce suicide by focusing efforts
across four prevention lines of effort: (1) Communication: Our efforts
equip commanders and Suicide Prevention Program Officers with tools and
resources for prevention, response, and postvention, which includes the
publication of a monthly newsletter that provides marines with coping
and stress management skills, and the distribution of an Embedded
Mental Health Guidebook; (2) Collaboration: We coordinate with Navy
behavioral health services to ensure non-medical and medical care are
accessible and seamless. Community Counseling Program counselors
conduct screenings, actively assess needs, provide counseling, and
connect servicemembers and families with additional resources. We work
with sister services and federal agencies to identify gaps in resources
and services, and collaborate on actionable solutions for
geographically dispersed servicemembers; (3) Prevention and Resilience:
Our new Command Individual Risk and Resiliency Assessment System
(CIRRAS) enhances commanders' ability to conduct effective force
preservation and prevention efforts; and (4) Use of Data and Research:
We track suicide-related events data to include monitoring for any
indications of COVID-19 impact. We evaluate the effectiveness of
suicide prevention initiatives, and conduct the annual USMC Death by
Suicide Review Board, which reviews every marine death by suicide to
provide actionable/operational recommendations.
CIRRAS, a Commandant's priority, was released in October 2020, and
has received positive feedback from commanders to mitigate personnel
challenges. The system provides a single, standardized digital platform
that enables proactive identification and assessment of individual
marine risk and resiliency factors. This information is compiled in the
CIRRAS database by small unit leaders, medical officers, and other
authorized support staff. It is transferable between commands so that,
as marines move to different commands, a clear picture of those marines
who are at higher risk for destructive behaviors is transferred as
well. The overarching goal of CIRRAS is to reduce suicide and
destructive behaviors by eliminating gaps in information and timeliness
of information, as well as provides a safe and secure way to manage
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)/ Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Information during the force
preservation process. By presenting timely, prioritized, actionable
information to those who can help marines, leaders will be better
equipped to reduce destructive behaviors in their units.
We have several other programs and services that contribute to our
overall suicide prevention efforts. Our Unit Marine Awareness and
Prevention Integrated Training (UMAPIT) teaches every marine the basics
of suicide prevention. Our Marine Intercept Program (MIP) provides
marines who verbalize suicidal ideations or who attempt suicide access
to telephonic and face-to-face contacts to check in, assess risk, plan
for safety, and refer to other services as needed. Our Operational
Stress Control & Readiness (OSCAR) team includes trained marines and
OSCAR program extenders who can recognize the impacts of stress and
connect marines to needed support.
The OSCAR program extenders are medical staff skilled in prevention
services, chaplains, corpsman, and other professionals who ``extend''
suicide prevention capabilities.
The importance of force preservation and resiliency cannot be
understated for a ready Marine Corps. The Marine Corps force
preservation process is the formalized method used by commanders to
identify individual marine risk factors and apply holistic risk
management measures to improve individual and unit readiness. Every
day, this process assists leaders across the Corps to identify those in
need.
Wounded Warrior Regiment
The Marine Corps' Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR) continues to
execute our Recovery Coordination Program in support of wounded, ill,
or injured (WII) marines and their families. WWR facilitates their
recovery and upholds our enduring commitment to keep faith with those
who have incurred life changing impairments in service to our Nation.
Regardless of the origin of affliction, our marines require and deserve
access to the comprehensive recovery care available through the WWR.
WWR Recovery Care Coordinators, in coordination with medical
providers and unit leaders, help WII marines develop and execute their
individual Comprehensive Recovery Plans, which provide the road map for
successful healing and transition. WII marines with complex care
coordination needs are assessed for post-separation support
requirements. When appropriate, those marines are transferred directly
to a Department of Veterans Affairs Lead Coordinator prior to their
medical discharge to ensure seamless support.
Since our WWR was established in 2007, thousands of WII marines and
family members transitioning from Active service have benefitted from a
full spectrum of support services that begins with physical recovery
needs and increasingly focuses on post-service employment and education
opportunities as they heal. Marines and their families, members of
Congress, and the public at large can be assured that the Marine Corps,
through the WWR, will continue to expertly provide recovery care
coordination support at all times.
Child and Youth Programs
High-quality child care is a readiness priority for the Marine
Corps. The Marine Corps provides high quality, accessible, and
affordable programs and services for eligible families with children
six-weeks to 18-years of age.
The Marine Corps is currently operating at 78 percent of child care
capacity. COVID-19 and the resulting protocols have significantly
impacted our child care capacity. Each installation is impacted
differently by COVID-19, and operational status is based on local
command needs and circumstances. Modifications of daily operations are
in place to mitigate social distancing and operation changes
implementing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Currently, we have a total unmet need of 1,434 children in
Priorities 1 & 2 (child development program staff; single and dual-
military members; military members with working spouse) with notable
waitlists at Camp Pendleton, Hawaii, Quantico, and Camp Lejeune/New
River. These four installations maintain approximately 82 percent of
the overall immediate waitlist. These are primarily due to a shortage
of qualified workers, high turnover/low pay, and lengthy hiring
process. We are addressing these issues through increased hiring and a
non-competitive child care employee transfer program. We also offer fee
assistance for eligible marines who are geographically remote, reside
more than 15 miles from an installation, or are assigned to an
installation that has a wait list. The program budget is $5 million in
fiscal year 2021 and currently supports 535 marine families.
Spouse Employment
Spouse unemployment is a concern for many Marine Corps families,
and can be an obstacle for financial security. The Marine Corps Family
Member Employment Assistance Program (FMEAP) emphasizes a proactive
approach for military spouses, and other dependent family members. This
enables them to formulate informed career and educational choices by
utilizing employment-related referral services, career and skill
assessments, career coaching, job search guidance, portable career
opportunities, and education center referrals/guidance. The FMEAP
provides coaching and training such as: interview techniques; resume
and cover letter writing; the federal application process; salary
negotiations; appropriate dress; staff-assisted computerized job
searches; skills and personality assessments; one-on-one career
coaching; education, training and volunteer opportunities; and
entrepreneur business opportunities.
Installations provide training/workshops to assist spouses and
transitioning servicemembers with the federal hiring process.
Installations also conduct job fairs to assist veterans and family
members in finding employment. FMEAP connects Marine Corps spouses with
volunteer opportunities through installation Volunteer Coordinators to
assist with establishing career experience throughout permanent change
of station transitions. FMEAP also helps translate volunteer
experiences into marketable skills on resumes. The program's holistic
approach helps support spouses throughout a marine's service.
The Marine Corps utilizes several approaches to recruit and appoint
military spouses. We participate in the DOD Military Spouse Preference
Program, which was instituted to reduce the adverse impact on the
career paths of spouses of Active Duty servicemembers. Additionally,
the non-competitive military spouse appointment authority is one of
many hiring authorities through which a military spouse can come into
Marine Corps service. Furthermore, the Marine Corps participates in the
Military Spouse Employment Partnership, which is a DOD-level
partnership with employers who agree to offer transferrable, portable
career opportunities to relocating military spouse employees.
The Marine Corps is now authorized to reimburse marine spouses up
to $1,000 for state licensure and certification costs arising from
relocation to another state. To date, the Marine Corps has reimbursed
248 individual claims totaling $89,480. The Marine Corps also
participates in the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA)
Scholarship which provides up to $2,000 per year (maximum of $4,000)
for military spouses (private to sergeant, warrant officers 1 & 2, and
second Lieutenants to first Lieutenants) to pursue licenses,
certificates, certifications or Associate Degrees necessary for gainful
employment.
Civilian Marines
Our Civilian Marines support the mission and daily functions of the
Marine Corps and are an integral part of our Total Force. They
exemplify our core values; they embrace esprit de corps, teamwork, and
pride in belonging to our Nation's Corps of marines. Serving alongside
our marines throughout the world, in every occupation and at every
level, our civilian appropriated-funded workforce remains by far the
leanest of all services, with a ratio of one civilian to every ten
Active Duty marines.
Approximately 95 percent of our appropriated funded civilians work
outside the Washington, DC, beltway at fifty-seven bases, stations,
depots, and installations around the world. Sixty-nine percent are
veterans who have chosen to continue to serve our Nation; of those,
eighteen percent are disabled veterans. Our civilian non-appropriated
funded workforce steadfastly continues to provide vital support to our
marines, Reserve marines, their families, and our wounded, ill and
injured. Overall, our civilians continue to truly shown themselves as
Semper Fidelis by keeping our marines and their families in the
forefront.
conclusion
The marines of our Corps represent a diverse group of individuals
bonded together by a sense of duty. Through recruiting, training,
education, and retention of men and women of character, we will enhance
the quality of our Corps and our overall combat effectiveness. To echo
the sentiments of our Commandant--the Marine Corps is entering a period
of transformation to produce a modern, elite force that will meet the
challenges of the National Defense Strategy and uncertainty of the
future. Your marines have sworn an oath to defend and protect our
Nation. They stand ready to fight, compete, and win. By ensuring we
take care of all marines and their families, we will keep faith with
them to honor the commitment they have so freely given.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.
Semper Fidelis.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Now Ms. Patricia Mulcahy.
STATEMENT OF MS. PATRICIA MULCAHY, CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER,
UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE
Ms. Mulcahy. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis,
and members of the committee, it is truly an honor to appear
before you today, alongside my military colleagues. On behalf
of all guardians and families, thank you for your leadership
and support that you have provided to the United States Space
Force.
We are purposefully building the Space Force to be lean, to
be agile, and mission focused, and our talent management
efforts are synchronized to ensure we are developing the
leaders and the warfighters who will secure space. Because of
size in establishing this new warfighting culture, we believe
it is vital to be collaborative and connected to all of our
guardians, and in a way that you could not be in a larger
service. We are interested in what they think, as we provide
feedback on their performance and potential.
The mission and the people of the United States Space Force
are an ideal match for the information age, which is why
guardians are uniquely postured to be born digital. With the
digital workforce, we must ensure we have guardians who can
lead the digital transformation and cultivate a digital fluency
amongst all guardians. And integrating, strengthening, and
cultivating this personal resiliency of every guardian is key,
as they are members of highly specialized teams who are pushing
the frontiers of what is technologically possible in a complex,
contested, and brutal space domain.
So to implement our vision, we designed a talent management
approach with three principles in mind: managing positions
based on competencies required to succeed; providing access to
digital tools, training, and services; and developing each
guardian according to their needs. Interwoven in our strategy
is an important work that we are doing with the Department of
the Air Force's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, because our
Space Force will be stronger when our ranks reflect the make-up
of the Nation we serve.
Over the past 17 months, we have secured a number of wins
for our country. First I am proud that more than 11,000
military and civilian guardians joined our ranks from the Air
Force and across America. We are on target to achieve the end
strength goals we outlined in fiscal year 2020, and we have
launched initiatives to ensure we are competitive for the STEM
talent we need through our partnerships with select colleges,
universities, and other organizations. And our ubiquitous
access to digital university and a boot camp-like approach
training coders is increasing our digital fluency and impacting
our mission accomplishment.
We are developing and implementing our space-focused
professional military education programs that will develop
space-minded warfighters who are effective in multidomain
operations and the joint environment.
Although I am pleased with the progress we have made, we
have much work to do. In the second year of building the Space
Force, we are focused on integration, including our Reserve
components and our sister services. Today we have space
professionals in both the Air Guard and Air Force Reserve who
provide a tremendous capability to the United States Space
Force. We have studied ways to best organization to regular,
the Reserve, and the Guard capabilities, and we look forward to
working with the Congress once Executive branch coordination is
complete.
We are also working closely with our sister services as we
prepare to assume space missions from the Army and the Navy. We
are excited by the number of soldiers, sailors, and Marines who
would like to join us, and are assessing those who recently
volunteered for transfer opportunities.
I am honored to serve in the United States Space Force. It
is truly an opportunity of a lifetime to work alongside my
fellow guardians and to build the service that we need to deter
and defend in space, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Patricia Mulcahy follows:]
Prepared Statement by Ms. Patricia Mulcahy
introduction
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, Distinguished Members
of this Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before this
committee. As the Nation's newest military Service, it is exciting to
come before you today to discuss all of the great work our guardians
are doing to build a force capable of defending our Nation's vital
interest in the space domain.
the force we need
The Space Force operates in a unique and dynamic personnel
environment. As the Nation's newest military Service, we start with a
``clean slate'' with respect to culture and organizational process and
procedure. At the same time, the needs of the Nation dictate that we
are operationally capable of deterring conflict and defending our
Nation's interests immediately. This need cannot wait for us to finish
building the force. To this end, we are building our force rapidly
through new accessions and interservice transfers and taking advantage
of the progress the Department of the Air Force has made in improving
the timeliness of the civilian hiring process.
The Space Force is building culture and structure; it is increasing
in end strength; it is developing the systems necessary to be the
digital force it must be; and it is employing new and innovative
methods of managing talent. We realize that continued Congressional
support is necessary to achieve all of these goals at a rapid pace in a
dynamic environment and we are appreciative of that support.
end strength
The Department's fiscal year 2022 military end strength request for
512,300 airmen and guardians increases the USSF end strength by 1,966
due to mission transfers from the USAF, Army and Navy and facilitates
modest USSF headquarters growth. This increase is steeper than
anticipated due to accelerated programming from fiscal year 2023.
However, the Space Force has a plan in place to manage personnel
inventory to support mission requirements with Congressional support.
recruiting
The competitive market for STEM talent creates a significant
challenge to attracting and recruiting individuals with those unique
capabilities into the Space Force. Our recruitment initiatives are
focused on expanding the pool of potential STEM applicants through
partnerships with colleges, universities, and organizations that
produce STEM capable personnel.
While we focus on STEM talent as a whole, we cannot lose focus on
the individual. A beta test is underway to evaluate an enhanced
selection process that gives the Space Force a better understanding of
each recruit. We have instituted interviews, and behavioral
assessments, to expand the tools used for a holistic approach to
selecting future guardians. This will facilitate the Space Force's
ability to select the best fit guardians from a diverse applicant pool.
The Space Force is working with the Department of Defense and
Department of the Air Force stakeholders to mitigate potential barriers
to service from members of underrepresented groups. We are conducting a
comprehensive review of accessions policy, and we will begin a review
of all career field entry requirements and assessments to identify
opportunities to expand the pool of potential applicants from
underrepresented groups.
managing talent
The Space Force is taking a fresh approach to talent management in
order to build an organizational culture that emboldens guardians to
produce trailblazing outcomes and enable a warfighting ethos.
We expect leaders at every level to take bold, data-driven, and
risk-informed actions, while making full use of their team's abilities
to overcome obstacles and accomplish the mission.
The Space Force will shift from managing people within prescribed
career fields, to managing positions based on the competencies and
experiences needed to succeed. To implement this approach, the USSF's
Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) will centralize and unify talent
management activities for all guardians, military and civilian, in an
Enterprise Talent Management Office (ETMO) that leverages talent
management teams and systems.
The Space Force must provide guardians with the tools to succeed in
the 21st Century; we must be a digital Service. All guardians will have
access to digital services, allowing them to accelerate innovation of
operational and business processes and activities, and foster
collaboration. To accomplish this, the Space Force will create digital
solutions, dismantle data stovepipes, and establish a digitally enabled
culture focused on transparency, communication, and inclusive decision-
making. As one of the first steps in creating a digital Service, in
fiscal year 2021 the space force launched the Software Development
Immersive Program. This 12 week immersive course will build a community
of guardians, of any AFSC, skilled in the development, security and
operations approach to rapid software development. These ``Supra
Coders'' will enable us to securely deploy cloud-native applications
onto Space Force platforms in order to strengthen our digital
infrastructure.
Today's newest guardians are tomorrow's Space Force leaders; it is
vital that we get this right. The Space Force's brand and Guardian
Value Proposition (GVP) will address, distinctively and intentionally,
our responsibilities to our society and local communities. The GVP must
focus on how our culture, rewards, recognition, opportunity,
organization, people, and work differentiates us from others competing
for the same talent. The Space Force is committed to recruiting and
retaining a diverse force, to include improving outreach to populations
from underrepresented communities. We will employ talent-finding
platforms to actively seek out and engage people to serve in either a
military or civilian guardian capacity. We will use a blend of current
competency assessments, potential-measuring assessments, and behavioral
assessments to determine fit within the Space Force. Engagement with
guardians will not end when they leave the Space Force. The Space Force
will create an alumni database called ``Guardians for Life'' that
departing members can choose to join. This will assist with maintaining
strong connections to gather feedback, request recruiting support, and
welcome back strong performers who desire to return in line with our
talent needs.
The Space Force will develop each guardian according to their
needs. Every individual will receive tailored training, education, and
experiential opportunities to prepare them for specific placement.
Developmental feedback will focus on strengthening individual
competencies and encouraging growth mindsets. Coaching and mentoring
programs are central to our continuous developmental and engagement
approach. This will include reverse mentoring programs to ensure senior
leaders gain the insights and perspectives from underrepresented
demographics and more junior members of the force. We are exploring a
new promotion assessment approach that looks at three key indicators of
readiness: current performance, psychometrics, and preparedness to
address situations common to the next grade.
The Enterprise Talent Management Office (ETMO) will provide all
guardians with individualized and command support that enables space
warfighter readiness, leader development, and personal growth. They
will reduce the gaps between operations, cyber, intel, and acquisitions
personnel development and talent management to achieve Space
Superiority by unifying execution consistently across the enterprise.
The ETMO must unite, leverage, and organize existing talent management
capabilities within the force; embrace maximum flexibility by tying
geographically dispersed talent together via technology, tapping into
excellence wherever located across the globe; and implement expanded
permeability programs within the Service, Academia, and Industry.
united states air force support
As a growing Service, and one that must remain lean, agile and
mission-focused, we are grateful to have the continued support of the
United States Air Force and the Department of the Air Force across a
wide range of personnel and family support activities and programs.
Interpersonal violence, sexual assault prevention and response, suicide
prevention, resiliency, and family care are all areas in which the Air
Force maintains the lead role. The Department of the Air Force has
taken the lead role in diversity and inclusion initiatives. While some
of these functions will transfer to the Space Force as we continue to
grow, many of them will remain with the Air Force and the Department of
the Air Force. We are truly all one team in this fight, and we are
grateful for the continued efforts of all members of our team.
conclusion
Guardians are the heart of the Space Force. In order to achieve
mission success, we must create an environment that fosters their
success and recognizes their value. We must develop them according to
their individual capabilities and the Service's needs. We must provide
leadership that encourages growth. We must provide them the tools,
digital and otherwise, necessary to accomplish the mission. We must
provide an environment in which they and their families feel safe from
any internal threat, an environment where they can thrive. We must
ensure that we are doing right by our guardians and their families. We
thank you for your continued support for your Space Force, its
uniformed and civilian guardians, and their families.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. I appreciate your testimony.
Lieutenant General Brito, the Army attempted to implement a
new physical fitness test, the Army Combat Fitness Test,
without an objective assessment of its potential adverse
effects on different demographics of the Army. Initial data
showed that 60 percent of female soldiers could not pass the
test and 83 percent failed the leg tuck portion of the test. As
a result, last year's NDA included a provision that I worked on
that prohibited the Army from implementing this test until
completion of an evaluation by an independent entity of the
test validity and its impact on different demographics in the
Army. The Army has been allowed to continue to administer the
test to provide data on the study as long as no test results
are recorded in a soldier's record and the results are not used
in any way to evaluate the soldier.
A recent article on military.com stated that ``internal
Army figures from April show 44 percent of women failed the
Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) compared to 7 percent of men
since October 1.
I have several questions. What is the status of the
independent study and who is conducting it? Are you concerned
with the recent data showing that 44 percent of women failed
the test compared to 7 percent of men? Has the ACFT been shown
to actually improve combat readiness? The last two decades have
been a never-ending war and our Army was combat ready without
the ACFT.
Lieutenant General Brito. Thank you, Chair Gillibrand, for
that question. I am aware of the article as well. We patiently
await the results of the RAND study, which is helping us
conduct an independent study, and I would mention the actions
of the commanders on the ground that are implementing the test,
as mentioned, without a record score at this point, to help us
assess the data on the six events and the impact that it has on
all of our soldiers and genders.
I fully acknowledge that the initial implementation of the
test did show that there was a large disparity, one which was a
little bit troubling, between genders, and that we will
continue to assess and work on.
I would like to mention at this point the ACFT is being
trained and tested on across the Army, in all three components,
and we are asking the units to put this data into the system so
that we can, one, truly assess how soldiers are doing and the
validity of all six events. We will continue to do that up
until the next year or so, into 2022, likely, and we will fully
take the measurements of the RAND study when we do receive
those results.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Lieutenant General Kelly,
the RAND Corporation has raised questions about the
appropriateness of the Air Force PT test across age and gender
for all airmen, recommending revision of the test to
incorporate more practical measures of everyday health. Is the
Air Force reassessing its PT test, and will you commit to
ensuring that the Air Force PT test will not discriminate
against women and other demographics?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Chairwoman Gillibrand, thank you
for that question. So yes, we are committed to that. In fact,
we are taking the opportunity right now that COVID provided us.
When COVID first started, we suspended PT testing for lots of
reasons, based on the health assessment and the health risks
for that. During that time, we were able to start some
assessments of new testing tools and put those into place, and
we will be resuming testing on 1 July. When we resume testing
on 1 July, we are going to be making some modifications to the
previous test, that was a four- component test, down to a
three-component test, and we will be looking at alternate
methods for providing options for our airmen, all genders, all
everybody, to have options for when they take their PT test.
I would tell you, though, that when we first looked at a
number of our qualifications, if you remember when we did the
Women in Service Review as an example, we went through an
exhaustive process with RAND participating, to make sure that
all of the standards that we put in place were gender- neutral,
operationally focused, and not biased. I think we are in the
same study process here now with our current PT test, and I
think we will come out with good results. But yes, we will be
committed to that, and you will see some changes in our PT test
in the coming months.
Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Ottignon, I
understand that the Marine Corps is conducting a highly
sophisticated study of body composition standards. What is the
status of this study, and will it finally tie body composition
standards to the ability to perform military duties?
Lieutenant General Ottignon. Madam Chairwoman, thank you
for the question. Yes, I am familiar with that, and I sat on
the brief not more than 45 days ago. It is tied to the body
mass index is what the original test was, and if you read the
periodicals there is enough data that tells us that that is not
a good measure of someone's strength.
So we are looking very hard at that. There are two numbers,
for men and women. We have got an independent study that is
looking at it as well as Marines that are participating in
that. I suspect within the next couple of months there will be
additional information that will come on that. I think we are
close to finding a standard across both genders.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Senator Tillis.
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you all for
being here. I always hate it when members ask yes-no questions
because there are virtually none of these, but I think this may
be close to one.
We have had a lot of focus on military housing in this
committee. We passed a slew of provisions in the 2020 NDA to
try and improve the situation that we found. I am particularly
focused on Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. I understand I think in
June we should have the final pieces of the Tenant Bill of
Rights complete. Just going down the line, start with General
Brito, are we on track for having that complete, implemented,
rolled out by the summer?
Lieutenant General Brito. Senator Tillis, from the
indicators I have and the data, yes, we are on track. I have a
very responsive bill of rights, and I do know that we are doing
some discussions and negotiating with the partners that run our
housing as well. That will also be a key to success that, I
think, can provide the proper services to all our families and
soldiers that clearly do deserve quality housing.
Senator Tillis. Thank you. Admiral Nowell?
Vice Admiral Nowell. Yes, sir, we are.
Senator Tillis. Thank you. General Kelly?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Yes, Senator. I believe we are.
As was stated by General Brito, I do think there are a few
negotiation issues that are going on with the contractors, but
I believe our folks who lead this effort in Assistant Secretary
of the Air Force/Installations, Environment and Energy (SAF/IE)
are working those and should be on completion by June.
Senator Tillis. General Ottignon?
Lieutenant General Ottignon. Yes, sir, we are.
Senator Tillis. Ms. Mulcahy?
Ms. Mulcahy. Thank you, Senator, and in concert with
General Kelly's response, yes.
Senator Tillis. I have a question I want to drill down on
for, I believe, actually General Kelly. It has to do with the
Exceptional Family Member Program. Can you give me, or describe
for me, the work that has been done to standardize and improve
the program within the Air Force?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Yes, Senator. Thank you for that
question. Let me first start by saying I would have said, 18
months ago, if I assessed that program, our EFMP program would
have been an F-minus-minus, absolutely not meeting the needs of
our airmen and families. About 18 months ago, we took on the
effort to bring in airmen and families, get their feedback, and
hold some rapid improvement events and some process changes,
and through process change and innovation and IT changes, I
think we have made some real headway.
Here are some of the key parts of that program. First, we
created a centralized cell for us. The centralized cell has
medical expertise, it has assignment expertise, it has lawyers
in there that can help with legal issues, it has school liaison
members in there that can help, and it has folks in there that
really can help navigate. So there is a one-stop shop for
airmen and families.
Two, we took on an IT challenge and said we have got to
make this system better for our airmen and families. They now
have a thing we call the My Family Vector where they can reach
out and see what they have out there in terms of what are the
medical capabilities at a base. If I go to Base X, if I go down
to Pope and I am going to be assigned there, and I have this
medical condition, or my dependent has this medical condition,
what is the likelihood I am going to be able to get service and
what is it going to look like? How many hours away do I have to
drive? How long do I have to wait for an appointment and
TRICARE? All that kind of information is now available to them.
Then the last part is the way we screen and check for them
and go through. We now have an ability in that process to use
past claims and past medical data so that we don't have to have
every single family member go to see a doctor. In the past, 100
percent went to see a doctor. We are down to like 15 percent of
those folks now having to see a doctor before they permanent
change of station (PCS). A much higher rate of satisfaction and
much less distraction. You can imagine a family of five or six
with EFMP members all having to go to see a medical appointment
for something they maybe have looked at 2 or 3 years before
when they PCS'd.
So lots of changes and lots of positive aspects to that.
More to following there, Senator, but I think we are on the
right track and we are pretty happy with what we are being able
to do with centralizing that program and providing much more
standardized care for our family members.
Senator Tillis. Thank you for that. I tend to agree with
your initial grade awhile back, but we have gotten positive
reports. You are making progress, and we will submit a question
for the record to the other service chiefs, just to see how you
are doing, and I would appreciate your feedback in what help we
can provide.
Admiral Nowell, I had a question. I am hearing that the
Navy is planning on reducing medical billets at a number of
facilities--Walter Reed, Camp Lejeune, Camp Pendleton, and
Bellingham, I think, at least. I am kind of curious. I got a
briefing from Marine Force Special Operations Command (MARSOC)
Commander a couple of weeks ago and we are seeing some movement
of more Marines to Camp Lejeune. So we are increasing the
number of Marines and their families there, and I am wondering
if factors like that were taken into account when the billet
reductions at Camp Lejeune were being factored in. So I would
like to get your feedback on that, and I also wanted to know to
what extent did you all work with the DHA to gauge the impact
in making sure you have capacity, not only for the
servicemembers but for their families through TRICARE.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Senator, thank you for that, and I
would first share that the Military Medical Manpower Report to
Congress should be submitted shortly. That will have all the
details. But we have worked closely with DHA, along with the
other services, to assess the capacity, as you look at the
MTFs, getting back to the rural areas, how they can support.
But I will assure you that we will not shift any family
member or retiree care, or care for our servicemembers, if it
affects military medical force readiness, areas where the
network does not have the capability or capacity to absorb it,
or any of our graduate medical education, because it is very
important in many places. That is how we train those medical
providers that we put forward.
Then last I would just mention regarding your specific
concerns about Camp Lejeune, we have not cut billets here. In
fact, we have increased organic support to the Marine Corps
there.
Senator Tillis. Very good. General Brito, I am not going to
go further so that I can get Senator Tuberville's questions in.
We have both got a vote that is coming up. I understand that
Chair Gillibrand does have a second round of questions so we
may have to briefly recess if I get to a point where I have got
to go vote, so I am not the last person holding up all the
other Senate members.
Senator Tuberville.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you very much. Thanks for your
service, and Ms. Mulcahy, thank you for being here today and we
look forward to Space Command moving to Huntsville, Alabama, in
the near future. We are excited about that.
I want to talk a little bit about, going back to
recruiting, which is, you know, people are the lifeblood of
what we all do. You have got a tough job, because we went
through a Selective Service interview a few weeks ago, and
Selective Service people that did this evaluation said that we
need to definitely put women in the Selective Service rotation.
They need to file for the draft. Now, we might not ever have it
again, but they said we need to do that, which is great.
Every year we have between 30 and 35 million eligible
people in the age range of draftable. That is the same group
that you are recruiting from. Out of those 30 to 35 million,
only 450,000 of them are eligible to be taken in the military
because of drugs, felonies, not graduating from high school,
and not passing the test, so to speak.
There is one other that we are getting ready to add,
obviously, and I want to hear your thoughts on this, domestic
terrorism. I want to know how we are going to decide and define
somebody that is a domestic terrorist in our country. They are
not going to add up to it. I just want to kind of go down the
line here and get your thoughts on that, because this is going
to be huge for our young people trying to get into the
military.
General?
Lieutenant General Brito. Yes. Thank you, Senator, for the
question. I would like to start by highlighting our Army people
strategy and our actions on this with our 21st Century Talent
Management as well. I would say that the actions and activities
of our recruiting command for soldiers and command for officers
are truly two of the major lines of efforts tied to that
strategy.
To break it down a bit further, we are very much focused on
the quality of the soldier versus quantity, and I would
highlight the aggressive moves for virtual hiring, presence in
a vocation that did not have physical presence before, a very
aggressive marketing campaign to attract soldiers and allow us
to compete for talent, officers as well, across all ranks.
I would also mention through the great and innovative
efforts of our recruiting command they do have some very
aggressive and thought-provoking vetting procedures to ensure
that those soldiers that do want to join, one, meet the quality
marks, do not fall into any one of the bins that you mentioned
like drugs, alcohol, or other things, and show any tendencies
that may put them in an extremist organization of which they
may advocate for any violence for intolerance against genders,
nationalities, or any types of religions.
As you did mention in your question, sir, that may not be
admitted when they come to the recruiter, but certainly
aggressive dialogue with the recruiter to the soldier, checking
of tattoos and other measures like that, will hopefully prevent
any soldier from joining the ranks with that in their mind.
I would mention that same level of building a positive
culture of dignity and respect carries on into the initial
entry training and on to their first unit of assignment, to
assure that we just do not have those plagues in the ranks.
Thank you.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. Anyone else want to add to
that?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Sir, I will jump in there, not to
repeat what General Brito said, but I will tell you that we
were in the midst of transforming the way that we do recruiting
prior to COVID, but it meant that we were well postured for
COVID. So specifically, we had gone to digital, and in fiscal
year 2017, 34 percent of our marketing and advertising was
digital. Today it is 98 percent. So that postured us well to go
totally virtual, to find those high- quality recruits, which
you head the nail right on the head with dwindling numbers,
where they are at, and in the medium that they used.
We formed e-talent teams to take all of that and to get a
better return on investment for what we got back. To put a fine
point on that as you look at our e-talent, 10 percent of
advertising leads under the old system resulted in prospective
recruits, 30 percent now. We brought new customer relationship
management software in, what the civilian world uses, and now
we can use better predictive analytics to figure out where we
need to go and how do we do a better job attracting and then
bringing them on board.
To give you the numbers, last year, amidst COVID, we met a
40,000-sailor accession mission. To put that in perspective, in
fiscal year 2016 we brought in 31,000. So we think that those
are some ways to really get after it smarter.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. We probably can continue
this, Senator, when we come back?
Senator Tillis. Keep going. There are only about 40 members
that need to vote.
Senator Tuberville. Okay. Anybody else want to add to that?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Senator, I will just add a little
bit to the discussion we just had. So the Air Force made their
recruiting goal in fiscal year 2020, and we will make it again
in fiscal year 2021. We are on track and we will do well here
in fiscal year 2021.
But what we have recognized, and what you heard previously
from this discussion of the war for talent now, if you want to
call it that, is we have to go out and shift our resources. We
shifted our resources to going out and exposing and inspiring.
We talk about engagements and we talk about, for instance,
flight academies, to expose communities of people to aviation
that have not been previously exposed to aviation, and
understanding what it means and what the opportunities might
be.
Whereas we had a lot of resources before that were pretty
easily just processing folks that came to us, we have now
shifted that to be much more of an outreach organizations, from
a recruiting perspective. Engaging them in the e-environment,
as was discussed by my colleagues, but other ways.
Then the one other point I would want to make on the
discussion of extremism is when we had our stand-downs, and we
went through the SecDef directive stand-down, one of the big
pieces of feedback that came back is there is some room for
interpretation in that space, and there is some discussion
there, right? So how do you balance the individual
constitutional rights of somebody, and what do you do? Clearly
on the conduct side we understand that. But on the thought side
we do not understand it as well.
What we owe the force and what we owe people back, part of
this and part of the screening process is, how do we look at
it, how do we clearly define it better than what it is today,
and how do we make it easier for our airmen to understand what
is permissible and what is not permissible.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. Senator, just a couple of
things on extremism. One I would say is the Marine Corps is
fully committed to supporting the Department's efforts, and
Congress, with the support of Congress, to help eliminate
supremist and extremist behavior.
Our stand-down revealed very similar reflections, but I
also thought the feedback was incredibly positive to have a
small unit conversation, really Civics 101, and understanding
about what the oath of office is, and the reflections were very
positive.
Our sessions, programs, the way we screen to discover, and
the way we process at sessions was considered, you know, a best
practice within the Department. So I am confident on the front
end, of course with the help of Congress, the tools necessary.
It is a comment that was spoken--how do you continue to find
people who are in your ranks?
We have a unique order that was written in 2018, a
Prohibitive Conduct Order--Activities Conduct Order, excuse
me--and since its inception it was designed to go after
behavior that was inconsistent with our ethos, and we have
identified marines. We have had 16 cases, substantiated cases,
where those were either adjudicated through administrative or
judicial means, and those individuals were removed from our
ranks.
With regards to recruiting and retention, I would just
offer that it is a competitive market. We go into the fiscal
year 2022 with about 50 percent in our ready pool for
enlistments. We do not compromise the quality that we are
looking for. We maintain an exceptionally high quality for Tier
1 at 99.5 percent, and we are well above the DOD standard for
mental categories.
It is a challenge for our recruiters. They showed great
resiliency through COVID. We are coming out of that, but that
direct engagement, that sitting in the living room with a young
man or young woman with their family, and understanding what we
do and the benefits of service to this great country of ours
are invaluable, and I think our recruiters who represent our
country in every corner of our great 50 states would say that
that is the one thing that we want to get back to.
Senator Tuberville. Medicaid. Mulcahy?
Ms. Mulcahy. Thank you, Senator. I want to start first to
echo some of my colleagues' comments on extremism. That was a
very sobering but positive experience throughout the Space
Force with hearing from senior leaders and then having
discussions at the small group level. It was a very positive
experience.
As far as recruiting goes, we have the benefit of small
numbers and people wanting to join the Space Force, and that is
very exciting. What I would say, though, is that we would like
to be, especially when you look at STEM talent, it tends to be
not as diverse and as representative as we would like it to be,
and we know we would be stronger with that. So we are looking
at some different strategies, especially when it comes to
females, about how better to be able to reach out and attract
that talent.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. I used to tell my football
team, ``I don't care whether you like each other or not. You
better love each other, because you are going to fight with
each other on Saturday afternoon.'' I think you are pretty much
the same way. You have got different personalities. I mean,
there is no way you can bring everybody to think the same way,
but they can at the time of need, and I think that is what you
are all looking for.
Thank you very much.
Senator Gillibrand. Senator Tillis.
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Senator Gillibrand. I am going
to be brief and then I have to go vote. I have some questions
for the record, and General Brito, I will just follow up on the
incident I was talking about at Fort Bragg. We will just follow
up on the discussion that you and I had yesterday.
But Admiral Nowell, the Navy has grown more than any other
service line over the last 5 years. Now we are looking at DOD
budgets that are going to be flat. Can you give me an idea of
how that is going to create a stress on force management?
Vice Admiral Nowell. Thank you for that, and I will say,
you know, we have seen pretty tremendous billet growth again.
Our billets are tied to the force of record, and as we are
growing those numbers, just to put it in perspective, over the
last 3 to 4 years we have increased Navy billets by about
23,000. About 12,000 of those are at sea, and we have already
got about 5,000 of those filled. Again, for the Navy Technical
Service, it takes me about 1 to 3 years to get folks through
that, but again, we have been increasing the accession mission.
So as we look at the future, as we look at the draw on that
talent, we know that we have to manage that talent differently.
As we look at what we call the detailing marketplace, how do we
do that? How do we do it more agilely. I think that is going to
be very important.
As we look at great power competition and how we train
those sailors, what is that continuum of learning, how can we
repurpose that, critical. Then as we look at what skills do we
need and how would they change, I was down at Corry Station in
Pensacola last week. We have always called that the cradle of
Navy aviation. Now we call it the cradle of cyber warfare as
well, at how we are doing the cyber mission. So we are looking
hard at do we have that right mix, and then do we also have it
in the Reserve component? COVID helped us test out and
accelerate some of the ways we could do distributed mass
mobilization, and now we are bringing the systems, with
Congress' support, of our transformation, to go ahead and get
things like this Integrated Personnel System for the AC and the
RC. That total force, as we look at the future and great power
competition is going to be critical.
Senator Tillis. Thank you; Just maybe a final notice and
then a final comment. The notice is that I am going to back
down at Camp Lejeune and back down at Fort Bragg for military
housing town halls. It is probably going to happen sometime in
July or August. I hate to say this but I have said it before,
every time I announce a town hall with military families to
focus on housing and other military family issues, the military
housing service requests tend to go down precipitously before I
get there. I just want to make it very clear to the families at
Camp Lejeune and at Fort Bragg that they are still on my radar
and we are going to hear their voice here over the next couple
of months.
Then a final statement for all of you. You are the Service
Chiefs. Military sexual assault is a big problem. We heard, in
the first panel, from Dr. Van Winkle, that we have command
climate surveys. It seems like there is a disconnect, sometime
at the command level, sometimes down at the unit level. We hear
that some of the programs that we expected to be implemented on
the ground have not been implemented on the ground. You guys
are the leaders. You men and women are the leaders of the
service lines. It comes from the top first, and we expect to
see a lot of progress there.
I applaud Senator Gillibrand for all the work she has done
staying focus on this. We have not made near the progress that
she or I would like to make, but I appreciate her leadership
and keeping her shoulder into it.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you very much, Senator Tillis,
and I echo your comments. I appreciate your leadership on this
committee and I appreciate all the questions.
Since I missed a couple of the questions the others asked
while I went to vote, I just wanted to ask a little bit about
extremism. I know somebody did mention that earlier.
Earlier this year, Secretary of Defense Austin directed a
military stand-down to address extremism in the ranks. What did
your service learn during the stand-down about extremism in the
ranks? What is your personal assessment about the extent of
extremism in your service?
Why don't we just start at the beginning and go down the
line?
Lieutenant General Brito. Yes. Thank you, Chair Gillibrand.
One, we did conduct, at all three components, the training, and
the one that directed but more desired from the unit leadership
with the soldiers and civilians. What we did learn, that it is
definitely a concern of our soldiers. I would assess that
extremism is not a rampant problem across the United States
Army. What I would offer, one is too many, and clearly
something that we need to look at. Anything that fractures the
cohesion and dignity and respect and cohesive teams that our
Army deserves, and the contract that we have with the parents
of the soldiers that join, needs to be addressed.
So not a rampant problem, one is too many, and definitely
something we learned from listening to our soldiers and our
civilians. Thank you.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Madam Chairwoman, what we found was
that, one, many sailors said, ``I don't see it at the unit I am
at but I have seen it before in the Navy.'' So we do think
those numbers are small, but we think that it is there. So the
one thing that the stand-down did, across the entire Navy--
Active, Reserve--as well as our civilians, was to draw a clear
line in the sand and say, ``Not in our Navy. Not now. Not
ever.'' I think that was important.
The other thing that we heard is at these listening
sessions that we started as part of Task Force One Navy last
summer--and they can be hard conversations, in listening to
experiences that our shipmates have had--continuing those in
the stand-down, and they continue today, that our sailors
appreciate that and they think that that is very important.
Then it emphasized the fact that this is about deckplate
leadership. It is about the culture and climate. We are doing
many things there in a concerted fashion. But it just
reinforced that it is about shipmates taking care of shipmates.
We expect bystander intervention. I think it helped clear up
some issues with what do I do when I see something.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Lieutenant General Kelly?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Madam Chairwoman, I think similar
to my colleagues I would say the sessions that we had and the
feedback that we got from airmen was that it was good to have
these small group discussions and they felt it was helpful to
be able to talk through the issues.
I think, just like the others had said, I think our numbers
are small, but we frankly learned we don't know what we don't
know. You know, A1C McCaffrey is a pretty visible case for us.
He made it through basic training, made it to tech school, and
before we realized a lot of things that were available to folks
out on social media.
So some of the feedback that came back to us from this
discussion, and is right now being addressed in an Office of
Secretary of Defense (OSD) working group, are we need a little
bit better definition for the force in terms of what is
extremism, as the definitions are in the DOD instructions today
about active participation, and what does active participation
mean, and what are permissible and impermissible behaviors?
Then lastly, and this follows from Senator Tuberville's
question, is screen. Social media screening for our recruiters
is a spot that we have to improve upon. We don't do social
media screening today. We do lots of other law enforcement
checks. We do lots of other asking. You know, we check for
tattoos, we check for extremist behavior, and ask questions.
But the ability to scale and look at the social media thing I
think is going to come back to us, and I think the OSD working
group, for which we are all participating, is going to take
that on, and I think that will be an important aspect going
forward as well.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. Madam Chairwoman, just again,
echoing my colleagues. Definitely the feedback we got was
incredibly positive. The small unit leader discussions were
very fruitful. I am reminded that, you know, this is something
that has got the Commandant's attention, clearly. We also
remember 2018 from Charlottesville. And so this was not our
first time at this.
We took steps, as well, 3 years ago, to create the
Prohibitive Activities Conduct Order that kind of closed the
seam that gave a commander a tool to hold people accountable.
We have had 16 cases where they were either administrative or
judiciously removed from service because of it.
So we have the means to do that. I think I would echo what
Admiral Nowell said. I think there were some reflections of ``I
have seen it but it is not in my unit,'' which I thought was a
pretty good reflection. I think, finally, what I would say is
that many of the commanders said they appreciated the
opportunity to have that time to talk to their marines and
sailors, to readminister the oath of office, and to really
double-tap why it is important, what we do as a Marine Corps
for our great Nation.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Ms. Mulcahy?
Ms. Mulcahy. Yes, Chairwoman Gillibrand. I am going to echo
my colleagues as well. The training was really well received,
especially because we were able to do a combination of senior
leader introduction into the importance of the values and the
oaths of the office that we take, and then get it down to the
small unit discussions. Many of our organizations also included
local authorities and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
and that was very informative as well.
Our guardians, as I know similar have said, for some
clarity on this distinction between membership and active
participation, and we are in full concert with DOD to work
through that.
I would say it does not seem to be, from our view, an
apparent problem pervasive in the Space Force, but I would also
echo General Kelly, that there is a little bit of you don't
know what you don't know.
Senator Gillibrand. Right. Thank you. With regard to Space
Force transition, we understand that the Space Force will
transition several thousand more servicemembers into the ranks
by the end of fiscal year 2022, as many as 9,000. What
challenges are you experiencing as the Space Force executes
this transition, and both for Lieutenant General Kelly and Ms.
Mulcahy.
Ms. Mulcahy. Thank you for that question, Chairwoman
Gillibrand. I think maybe one of the challenges is we have had
overwhelming support and folks who are looking to join the
space for in concert with the other services, so making those
selections is a bit of a challenge for next year. I think by
virtue of the manpower and the end strength that we are
targeting for the end of next year, we do not see any issue
with being able to make that number. I would say, though, that
because of how quickly we are growing, we will, over time, have
some challenges with senior NCOs and with officers, field-grade
officers, so we expected that. But again, trying to ameliorate
that with getting some expertise from the other services as
well.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Lieutenant General?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Madam Chair, thank you for the
question. As Ms. Mulcahy said, we have been working hand-in-
hand with them, and I think, you know, the process of
transferring airmen into the Space Force has worked pretty
well.
What we have been doing internal management, at Ms.
Mulcahy's and my level, is even though we do not have a
separate appropriation or a separate end strength, we are
already managing that way inside the Department. So we know
what are numbers are. We are managing toward it in the Space
Force and the Air Force and sort of keeping track on that,
which helps.
One of the challenges for us, on the Air Force side, is how
do we make sure the airmen who are supporting and are assigned
as Space Force base or Space Force unit, how do we make sure
that those airmen are not either disadvantaged or advantaged in
any way. We need our airmen to go to those units and not feel
any different than they do if they went to an Air Force unit.
So we are working really hard with our partners and trying to
make sure that is a seamless thing for our airmen so they do
not feel any different when they are out there supporting or
assigned to a Space Force unit.
Senator Gillibrand. With regard to--we have talked about
this with some of the other Senators, the cyber workforce, we
had a hearing a couple of weeks ago about the make-up of the
cyber workforce, and who we need, how do we get them, how do we
pay them, how do we keep them, with an eye towards building and
sustaining the force we need over the next 10 years.
Much of the discussion was about recruiting and retention,
the appropriate mix between military and civilian workforces.
What are your views on the appropriate mix of personnel and our
ability to recruit and retain this specialized workforce? Do
you believe we should use National Guard in performance of the
cyber mission, and is there any untapped capacity in the Guard
for these missions?
Let's start with Lieutenant General Brito.
Lieutenant General Brito. Yes, ma'am. It would be hard to
put an actual percentage on the mix for military and civilian,
but I would mention that we definitely need specialized skill,
both in our civilian and military, in uniformed skills as well.
I would mention that we are working in conjunction with
Army Cyber, that we have redesigned our traditional legacy
hiring practices, and they have actually set up a centralized
[inaudible]--I am sorry, Rock Island, Illinois, to help us
recruit the talented civilians that we need and expedite the
talent hiring practices, to get this talented skill into the
force.
If I may shift to the military, one, if it took it back
about 2 years ago, we assessed and recruited the talent, many
of which right out of college, and put them into our direct
commissioning program. Present day we are assessing leaders and
soldiers into this specific branch. Clearly, looking at the
talents of some of the soldiers of all ranks in our National
Guard and Reserves, if they have the skills and talent,
certainly it is an asset that we should tap to execute our very
important cyber mission for our country.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Madam Chairwoman, thank you. As I
mentioned earlier, I was down at Corry Station just last week,
looking at how we are training these operators, both offensive
and defensive, and it is a mix, enlisted and officer. I will
tell you that one of the things we have been doing is, is that
force the way that we want it organized now, what could it look
like in the future, and then leveraging some of the authorities
that you have given us, I think, of the NDAA 2019 DOTMA
reforms, which we have used with lateral entry for cyber, to
permit doing that at higher grades with respect to the age
restrictions.
Some of this is about bonuses and things like that. I
mentioned earlier some of our recruiting initiatives, getting
into digital, how do we go find folks. But then, as well, we
have actually recreated some rates or ranks, if you will. We
brought back our Warrant 1 for the first time since Vietnam and
applied it to cyber. When I was in Corry Station, the feedback
there was great. We would take an E-5 who has got about 5 or 6
years in, but who has the aptitude, and then we can entice
them, because it is a great pay raise, they get to do what they
want to do as a Warrant 1, which is sit in a dark room and
defend or attack. We get about an extra 5 or 6 years out of
them as an operator, as compared to the old model.
Additionally, we expanded our cyber warfare engineer
designator career path from O-1 to O-3, to O-1 to O-6, and so
we can commission them at all pay grades.
So we are leaning into this, not just with the tools we
have but are we organized for what we need in the future.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Lieutenant General Kelly?
Lieutenant General Kelly. Madam Chairwoman, I will not
repeat what my colleagues have already put out there, but I
would just add to that and say, because we are all thinking
about it very similarly, but we have been thinking about on
trying to work on, how do you change your model, from a model
that as you brought talent in and talent stayed with you for a
long time, to understanding, in the cyberspace, sometimes
talent is going to come in for a few years, work on a specific
problem, and depart out. So being able to tap into the Guard
and Reserve and our component, being able to tap into civilians
who are going to be extremely talented in the cyberspace but
are not going to be necessarily interested in uniformed
service, and how do you make sure you do that?
We have been thinking about civilian auxiliary services and
civilian cyber services, and that in that way we have been
thinking about the portability and the lateral entry, not
lateral entry for career but lateral entry for 2 or 3 years, to
work on a specific cyber problem and provide specific talent,
and then transition in and out.
So we are thinking about this cyber talent in a much more
flexible way than we did in our human capital before.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. Madam Chairwoman, I just would
acknowledge a very complex problem, as we try to fulfill the
requirements of both joint and within service, I have regular
conversations with the Deputy Commandant for Information as
well as our Commanding General for Marine Forces Cyber. For us,
again, its a tailor of incentives, both monetary and non-
monetary, to do that to retain and attract. But it is an
absolute challenge.
Senator Gillibrand. Ms. Mulcahy?
Ms. Mulcahy. Yes, Chairwoman Gillibrand. You asked for
about what percent of the force, so for us in the Space Force
it is about 20 percent. But what we are also realizing is that
this business of coding is so important in all of our
disciplines in space, and so it is not just the cyber experts,
but we are identifying folks in the other specialties that we
have to become coders. We have this 12-week boot camp that we
just ran this past year, and had some 25 graduates, and they
came from different specialties, and then they will go back in
all functions and be able to support and help, and we just
think that is so important in our service.
We are also working on fluency, and so digital university
has licenses, and as we got started we had hundreds of them.
Now we have thousands of them. So it is part of the culture
now, and not just our military but our civilian as well, we
have this high expectation.
The last thing I would like to say is one of our NCOs had
the idea, as we brought our first seven guardians into the
Force last fall, to issue a tablet and some of this license and
courseware. There was back and forth--how much would they do on
their own? Those seven guardians did 122 hours in about the
first 10 days of basic military training.
So there is a way that we believe that we can still connect
and make use as we are trying to expand to get more talent in
for cyber.
Senator Gillibrand. So I have an idea that I want to get
your thoughts on. So I have been sitting on the Board of
Visitors for West Point for most of the last decade, and it has
been one of the most helpful experiences I have ever had and
extremely inspiring. We do not have a special school for cyber,
but we need cyber professionals in the whole of government. So
we need them in the DOD, we need them in the intelligence
services, we need them in Commerce, we need them everywhere.
What do you think about the idea of having a national cyber
school that is for whole-of-government, not just one service,
so that you would be able to recruit from this school directly?
The reason why I am suggesting this is one of the challenge we
have in cyber, specifically, that I think is so important, is
we really excel when we have diversity. When we have kids from
all over the globe, all over the country coming to do cyber,
their expertise and skills are so extraordinary, we want to be
able to cultivate them. Because the service academies are so
successful at bringing up men and women to not only have a
heart of service but a dedication to this country, I think it
would be worth considering having a cyber school that can be
recruited from each of the services but also from the
intelligence services and other aspects of government where we
need it.
To develop that love of public service and love of
leadership, what is so unique about the service academies, they
teach leadership. You do not go to any other school in America
where they teach leadership except for the service academies. I
think that makes them profoundly important to the future of
this country.
I would like your thoughts, and if you do not have one
today, because I did not ask you in advance, I would like your
thoughts of what would you want if we did stand up a cyber
school that could be used for whole-of- government needs so
that we get the diversity we are looking for, so that we get
the upfront training in areas that we need our kids to have.
We do have some already in the service academies. West
Point has one of the best cyber majors you could have, and it
is fantastic. But I'm thinking to create an onramp for public
service of all types of students. Because as we have discussed,
it is a hard mix, because you have talent that may not look
like a typical servicemember. They may not be able to bench
press X number of pounds and do so many pushups and all those
things. They may not want to become an expert in shooting and
arms and everything else that our military members develop. But
they may be the best in the country, and we want access to
them.
So I was thinking that might be a way to recruit directly
from the best of the best. What are your thoughts on that?
Whoever has one can jump in.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Ma'am, I will just jump in there,
because the Naval Academy just recently opened Hopper Hall,
named for Grace Hopper, which is all about cyber operations,
state of the art, I think probably similar to West Point. When
we looked at that, some of this is how you think about it. It
is also accepting that when we say ``warfighters,'' what we
have been working in the Navy is typically that is applied to a
surface warfare officer, like me, an aviator, explosive
ordnance, a SEAL, a submariner. But our cyber warriors may very
well be the ones who launch the first attack or, you know,
defend against that last salvo.
So I think looking at different models would be good, and
certainly we are doing that a micro scale, if you look at what
we are doing at the Academy. We have increased the number of
folks that we are allowing now to go into that specialty, as
they come out of the Academy, recognizing that that is a
necessity.
Senator Gillibrand. Let me just comment on that. So to get
into the Naval Academy, it is really hard. You have to be top
of your class, excellent scores, excellent physical fitness,
several sports would be preferred. I mean, it is a certain
person. But that is not going to get all the talent we need in
cyber. So that is why I think the service academies are smart
to have cyber specialties at each of them. But the pond is not
big enough, is my problem. Only certain kids know about service
academies. I mean, that is a huge problem. Only certain kids
know about it, aspire to it, and then create a high school
career to be able to get in.
I am looking for a larger pond that you can then feed from,
do your specialized training at the service academies, for
people who know they want to be in the Navy since they were age
15 and that is where they are going. But this other kid, who
just might be a fantastic engineer or coder, who we could
inspire to do public service, through free education with the
commitment for service, that is a big net.
So to the extent you want to spend some time thinking about
it, and how you might be able to recruit from that one body,
the extra 10 percent of cyber specialists you need, that might
be the key to the competitiveness that we are lacking. Because
lots of kids would love to do public service, but not lots of
kids have a background in military or aspire to it. But we want
access to those kids too, and I think if we created something
meaningful we could get it.
Any other comments before we finish? Ms. Mulcahy, I would
like to know your opinion, since you do not have a specific
service academy for Space Force.
Ms. Mulcahy. Yeah, this is intriguing, Chairwoman
Gillibrand. I would say, as far as a separate academy goes for
Space Force, I think nesting with the Air Force Academy is just
right and just perfect for us now. But this is something to
think about, as a separate school. I have also been thinking
about--and I know that we have certain missions in all of our
services that have to be done by military people that have
cyber skills, but we have other ones that civilians can do, and
so perhaps this is something that caters to both.
Lieutenant General Brito. Yes, and Chair Gillibrand, if I
may add, similar to an approach we are trying, we are working
with our 21st Century Talent Management now. We have seen the
challenges of, one, attracting, inviting those special skills
to the service, and more importantly, retaining them, because
Google and others may offer more money and opportunities. So
certainly an exciting approach, and definitely something I
would like to learn more about.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you all for your testimony. Thank
you all for your service. I am deeply grateful that you
continue to serve our country as ably and as bravely as you do.
Count on this Subcommittee to support the men and women who
serve under you. It is our job to make sure the personnel are
ready and strong and able. So thank you
[Whereupon, at 4:27 p.m., the Subcommittee adjourned.]
[Questions for the record with answers supplied follow:]
Questions Submitted by Senator Thom Tillis
crime
1. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Brito, the Uniform Federal
Crime Reporting Act of 1988 and Department of Defense (DOD) Directive
7730.47 requires the DOD to report criminal incident data to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a part of the Uniform Crime
Reports Program. The program was conceived to meet the need for
reliable uniform crime statistics. An Inspector General of the DOD
evaluation found that although DOD is a Federal agency that routinely
investigates complaints of criminal activity, it does not provide
detailed reports about such crimes to the FBI for inclusion in the
National Incident-Based Reporting System database and the annual
uniform crime reports. While this deficiency impacts informed analysis
of DOD criminal activity prevention, there is much more that needs to
be done at the department and service levels to ensure servicemembers,
their families, and members of the community are protected. Recent
events at Fort Hood and Fort Bragg highlight a perceived increase in
murder, sexual assault, and other high profile criminal acts at Army
installations. What actions are you, as the personnel readiness
advocate for the Army, doing to combat crime?
Lieutenant General Brito. Crime prevention is everyone's
responsibility, at all echelons. Within the People First Task Force,
the Prevention Line of Effort is focused on holistic prevention of all
harmful behaviors, as a precursor to preventing crime and informed by
the Fort Hood Independent Review Commission report. We are taking
proactive measures to target our prevention programs to those at risk
with an emphasis on the environmental factors that contribute to
harmful behaviors. We are working closely with the Provost Marshall
General to revise crime prevention policy and are providing additional
guidance through an Army-wide Execution Order. This execution order
directs a coordinated Army crime prevention program to ensure
Commanders have measures and procedures in place to reduce the
victimization of soldiers and achieve enduring change. Included in the
order are procedures for standardized recurring crime analysis and
reporting of crime trends to improve information sharing between
installations and civilian law enforcement agencies and increase crime
awareness and law enforcement reporting procedures by Army personnel.
exceptional family member program
2. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Brito, Vice Admiral Nowell,
Lieutenant General Ottignon, and Ms. Mulcahy, in last year's NDAA,
Congress mandated major reforms to the Exceptional Family Member
Program. As you all are aware, there have been challenges ensuring
program and process standardization across the services. Families have
been frustrated trying to find health care, getting support for their
children in school, and having access to adequate housing. The Air
Force has done a lot of good work to improve its EFMP that DOD and the
other services should adopt. Can you briefly describe the work your
service has done to standardize and improve the EFMP?
Lieutenant General Brito. The Army established an EFMP Board of
Directors, chaired by the DCS, G-9, that meet at least every six months
with 2 & 3-star leaders to evaluate the EFMP performance and address
critical issues with the program.
The Army has updated our regulation governing legal services to
soldiers and families to include special education law. As a result,
all our Army legal assistance attorneys will now be available to
provide basic legal counseling to all eligible clients, including EFMP
families, in the area of special education law. Over the last year, the
Army has focused on providing our attorneys with in-depth training in
this complex area of the law. Last year, we partnered with a nationally
renowned law school to train 31 legal assistance attorneys and 6
paralegals across 22 installations on special education and disability
law. The course will be offered again this year to train additional
legal assistance personnel. Additionally, training on the basics of
education law is available at any time from the American Bar
Association through on-demand, virtual training for attorneys in
between the more in-depth annual training. Finally, the Army has also
partnered with the American Bar Association military program to provide
pro bono legal assistance to eligible EFMP families when particularly
complex cases arise.
The Army is developing an integrated enterprise EFMP system, which
will provide holistic overview of installation and MTF capabilities,
enhanced medical /assignment coordination and family support access,
case management that initiates and monitors career-long EFMP
enrollment, and a dashboard for stakeholders and users to access and
share data. The Army partnered with the Air Force to leverage their
current EFMP solution and framework to expedite the development of the
Army Enterprise EFMP system
The week of 14-18 Jun, the Army conducted a Rapid Improvement Event
to review current holistic EFMP processes and identify gaps. This
information will help with the planning of an Army centralized office.
The Army attends the DOD Office of Special Needs workgroups to map
out EFMP processes in an effort to standardize processes across the
Services.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Navy is actively working to standardize and
improve the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) by participating
in a joint Department of Defense EFMP Working Group to standardize EFMP
processes across the Services to make it easier for our families to
enroll and gain access to support services. We are also developing a
model to consolidate the EFMP at a single headquarters site to serve as
the single lead for all EFMP matters within Navy. Additionally, we
recently met with the Air Force and Marine Corps to garner lessons
learned and to ensure our implementation plan mirrors other special
education legal support services to determine the number of attorneys
needed to provide the necessary legal support to our families across
the Fleet. As part of this effort, we developed special education
training for our other attorneys to immediately expand our legal
support. We are also hiring additional EFMP staff at our installations
to improve and increase support to our EFMP families at the point of
service.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. While I cannot speak for the Air
Force, I can say that the Marine Corps is very proud of the work we've
done. The Marine Corps is in full compliance with NDAA 2021
requirements for EFMP. Our staffing model (1 staff: 225 families)
ensures we have sufficient numbers of family support providers to
assist families at all times and we place particular emphasis on
support during PCS, as families are transitioning medical, educational
and community support services.
We identify, document, and liaise with military housing offices to
ensure families with medically necessary housing accommodations or
modifications are appropriately assisted and accommodated.
We provide a variety of special education support, including
attending special education meetings with families and free specialized
legal support and representation, when needed. Attorneys are located
regionally at Camp Pendleton, Camp Lejeune and MCB Hawaii. A fourth
attorney will assist families in the National Capital Region, effective
January 2022.
We routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the program and make
adjustments, as needed. During the most recent comprehensive program
evaluation in 2020, customers reported that the USMC EFMP is the
primary and most reliable and proficient source of information for EFMP
families. They also noted that families who use EFMP to address their
needs are highly satisfied and EFMP policy and services align with the
top customer identified needs.
Ms. Mulcahy. The DAF implemented major changes to the EFMP based on
feedback from our Air and Space Force families. As a result, an EFMP
Centralized Cell, a one-stop shop for families, was established
integrating multi-disciplinary experts in medical, assignments, special
education and legal matters with both a special education attorney and
a special education specialist to assist our families and school
liaisons. We added additional medical and assignment personnel to
better facilitate family member travel screening; and, will add a
TRICARE Liaison and Respite Care Coordinator before the end of the
summer.
Additionally, we made improvements to PCS processes and EFMP
support staff training to better support families. We are utilizing a
review of medical claims/records and moving away from doctor visits to
clear families prior to a PCS. Through our newly launched DAF Family
Vector website, the EFMP cell provides a two-year historical review of
travel recommendations by location and specialty, providing families
greater visibility of potential duty locations that meet individual
family needs. DAF Family Vector provides resources on medical, moving,
special education, respite care, frequently asked questions and contact
information for the central cell and local resources - and does not
require a Common Access Card. Department of the Air Force Airmen and
Family Readiness and Child and Youth Programs partnered to offer
training on Special Education (``Wright's Law Training'') to
Installation EFMP-Family Support Specialists, School Liaisons, and
Legal representatives.
In order to ensure we are supporting EFMP family needs, we maintain
connections with our families via social media platforms and local
outreach efforts and continuously solicit their input.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Mazie Hirono
sexual assault/harassment
3. Senator Hirono. Dr. Van Winkle, the Sexual Assault Independent
Review Commission (IRC) provided some initial accountability
recommendations to Secretary Austin, including transferring court-
martial charging decisions outside of the chain of command for sexual
assault and sexual harassment and requiring all sexual harassment
allegations to be investigated outside of the immediate chain of
command. What are your thoughts on these initial IRC recommendations?
Dr. Van Winkle. This is an extremely important topic. Matters
related to court-martial charging decisions fall under the purview of
the DOD Office of General Counsel, and recently the Independent Review
Commission has evaluated this topic as well to provide recommendations
for consideration by Secretary Austin and the President.
That said, I can speak about the critical role of the commander
with respect to two priority areas for our ongoing efforts: prevention
and command climate. In any military, good order and discipline is
essential to project the power necessary to win on the battlefield. We
also recognize that pursuing good order and discipline is about shaping
behaviors. We want to use that ability to shape behaviors to prevent
sexual assault from occurring in the first place.
As we continue to further improve best practices for prevention and
enhance use of command climate tools, it is our continuing belief that
commanders have a unique ability to set expectations for behaviors and
demand positive, respectful command climates. So commanders can and
must also help us reduce the likelihood of sexual assault and sexual
harassment. Although prevention and command climate are separate from
military justice procedures, including decisions related to court-
martials that take place after an alleged crime has occurred,
commanders are key to potentially helping stop these crimes from
occurring in the first place.
4. Senator Hirono. Dr. Van Winkle, do you agree with the creation
of a punitive article in the UCMJ to specifically prohibit sexual
harassment, which is a provision in the `I Am Vanessa Guillen Act'?
Dr. Van Winkle. Yes, I support creating a specific criminal offense
of sexual harassment. This was the first recommendation of the Sexual
Assault Accountability and Investigation Task Force, which I co-led.
5. Senator Hirono. Dr. Van Winkle, in March, the GAO completed a
report which concluded DOD had not implemented several previous GAO
recommendations from 2015 and 2017 related to sexual assault
prevention, including the identification of sexual assault risk and
protective factors, in coordination with the Center for Disease Control
(CDC) guidelines; development of Department specific performance
measures for the prevention of sexual assault so that the measures
include all key attributes of successful performance measures; and
incorporating elements for establishing a long-term, results oriented
strategic planning framework in its sexual assault prevention strategy.
Why hasn't DOD implemented these recommendations, especially the
identification of sexual assault risk and protective factors unique to
DOD?
Dr. Van Winkle. The GAO agreed to close out this action item on
June 10, 2021.
DOD Prevention Plan of Action Objectives 4.4.1 and 4.4.3 directed
DOD and Services/National Guard Bureau (NGB) to identify and utilize
risk and protective factors to plan and evaluate prevention activities.
As part of the required Prevention Self-Assessment (due Dec 31, 2019),
DOD and Services/NGB considered their existing efforts to identify key
contributing factors of sexual assault across their full population and
at-risk populations. Based on their assessment findings, DOD and
Services/NGB developed a plan of action and milestones. The DOD Sexual
Assault Prevention and Response Office offered, and continues to offer,
technical assistance opportunities through agreement with the Centers
for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) to support DOD and Service/
NGB planning efforts and also funded research on contributing factors
for at-risk populations.
violent extremism in the armed forces
6. Senator Hirono. Mr. Herbert and Dr. Van Winkle, Secretary Austin
recently announced immediate actions to counter extremism in the
military and the establishment of the Countering Extremism Working
Group. One of the lines of effort for this working group is to evaluate
whether seeking to amend the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)
is appropriate to address extremism. A challenge associated with
eradicating extremism is clarifying the definition. I am cognizant of
the need to protect free speech for our servicemembers; however,
servicemembers that have ties to extremist ideologies are a threat to
both the military and the nation at large. How is the Department
progressing on the definition of ``extremism''?
Mr. Herbert. and Dr. Van Winkle. Thank you for the question,
Senator. As you mentioned, Secretary Austin has taken immediate actions
to address the threat of extremism in our Armed Forces. To be clear,
the vast majority of the men and women in this Department serve with
honor and uphold our core values. One of Secretary Austin's actions to
address the question of extremism in the ranks was the creation of the
Countering Extremism Working Group, or CEWG, compromised of experts
from across the Department and Services. The CEWG is hard at work
reviewing the Department's extremism policy, which includes ensuring
any changes to this policy balance the rights of our servicemembers
with the need to protect our people and our mission from the threat of
extremism in the ranks. I look forward to updating the Committee once
this question has been resolved.
7. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Brito, Vice Admiral Nowell,
Lieutenant General Kelly, Lieutenant General Ottignon, and Ms. Mulcahy,
at the beginning of this year, Secretary Austin ordered a 60 day `stand
down' to address troubling reports of extremism in the ranks. What are
some lessons learned from this stand down?
Lieutenant General Brito. HQDA published an Execution Order on 18
February 2021, directing the Army to conduct a stand-down event
addressing the impacts of extremism in the ranks. Army commanders and
supervisors led discussions emphasizing the responsibility to guard
against participation in extremist ideologies activities.'' . To assist
leaders, the Army provided the Office of the Secretary of Defense-
approved stand-down framework entitled ``Office of the Secretary of
Defense: Leadership Stand-Down to Address Extremism in the Force'' and
additional educational materials to facilitate discussion.
Initial lessons learned indicate most personnel appreciated the
stand-down. Additionally, many personnel think the dialogue generated
by the stand-down should be recurring or ongoing.
Both standardized instruction and case studies with small group
discussions were useful. The products developed by HQDA provided clear
left and right limits for leaders.
For many organizations, facilitating virtual conversations in the
COVID-19 environment was challenging. It was difficult to assess
attention and receptiveness in an online setting. In-person discussions
were optimal, providing leaders the ability to directly engage their
teams and influence the group's level of involvement.
Some organizations felt that the civilian oath of office was under-
emphasized. While the military oath is an important part of every
promotion ceremony, the civilian analog can frequently seem like an
afterthought. The Army should place commensurate emphasis on the
civilian oath.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Navy received over 1,200 lessons learned and
best practices in response to the Secretary of Defense's (SECDEF) 60-
day Stand-Down to Address Extremism in the Ranks. Our sailors had great
feedback, and Navy is leveraging these lessons learned to inform the
SECDEF Countering Extremism Working Group (CEWG). Sailors were
concerned the Department of Defense (DOD) does not have an approved
definition for extremism, a defined list of extremist groups, or
specific extremist-affiliated tattoos. They also suggested that DOD
needs a mechanism for misconduct with a marker for extremism to track
and assess the magnitude of, and the progress made to combat extremism.
Additionally, we received feedback that DOD needs a mechanism to
support screening for extremist activities prior to accession and
ongoing in-service screenings while also informing sailors about the
rules, laws, and regulations regarding extremism upon separation or
retirement. These are just a few lessons learned, and the
recommendations that will come from the CEWG are expected to include
actions that address many of these issues.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. The Marine Corps is fully committed to
supporting the Department's efforts, with the support of Congress, to
help eliminate supremacist and extremist behavior. We received
incredibly positive feedback regarding the opportunity to have a small-
unit, civics based conversation and discussing the importance of the
oath of office. The small unit leader discussions were very fruitful
and they were some reflections that indicate Marines' have seen
elements of extremist activity, but not in their individual unit.
Finally, many of the commanders said they appreciated the opportunity
to have that time to connect with their marines and discuss why what we
do for our great Nation is important.
Ms. Mulcahy. and Lieutenant General Kelly. The execution of the
DAF's unit stand down day provided an opportunity for leadership to
engage with their members and have frank conversations on extremism.
While the Department provided overall structure, and training
resources, units also had the opportunity to tailor the training based
on individual needs while communicating SecDef's critical message and
intent. Because units differ in mission, scope and demographics, the
delivery of training received varied by unit. Most units delivered the
training remotely due to the current COVID environment, while some had
the ability to train in small groups and in person.
The DAF provided a unit feedback mechanism for unit commanders and
leaders. Because of this, we were able to pull general themes and
lessons learned from unit feedback. We've learned that the current
governing DOD guidance is vague and requires clarification to better
understand the definition of extremism and to better delineate
permissible and impermissible conduct. The Department of the Air Force
is currently working closely with OSD to update the DOD instruction and
will update the respective Department of the Air Force Instruction and
policy soon after.
We've also learned that there is a desire for more measured
communication and educational touch points. We believe there is merit
in reviewing our approach and establishing a more routine and
deliberate approach to training and educating our servicemembers in
diversity and inclusion, equal opportunity, the dangers and threats of
extremism, and the roles and responsibilities of veteran citizens.
Notwithstanding, we are cognizant of the fact that the overwhelming
majority of our Airmen and Guardians serve their Nation honorably and
we must structure any approach to education and training so that it is
executed in a positive and constructive manner that is designed to
reinforce our values, build organizations and is not divisive in its
own right. Creating these deliberate opportunities in such a manner
will develop stronger, more cohesive teams that sets an inclusive
culture, while not tolerating discrimination or harassment in any form.
8. Senator Hirono. Mr. Herbert and Dr. Van Winkle, Lieutenant
General Brito, Vice Admiral Nowell, Lieutenant General Kelly,
Lieutenant General Ottignon, and Ms. Mulcahy, what are your thoughts on
creating a standalone punitive article of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice to address violent extremism in the ranks and send a clear
message that this conduct will not be tolerated?
Mr. Herbert. and Dr. Van Winkle. Thank you, Senator. On April 9th,
Secretary Austin created the Countering Extremism Working Group to
discuss, among other things, this very issue. As part of the CEWG's
first, ``Military Justice and Policy'' Line of Effort, experts from
across the Department and Services have begun discussing whether
amending the Uniform Code of Military Justice is appropriate in order
to address extremism. I look forward to updating the Committee once
this question has been resolved.
Lieutenant General Brito. The Army is currently participating in
the DOD Countering Extremist Activity Working Group where a standalone
punitive article is being considered as a potential course of action.
The creation of any new criminal statute must be conducted with care to
ensure it is both legally viable and effectively addresses the conduct
concerned. Army Implementation of Fort Hood Report Recommendations.
Vice Admiral Nowell. On April 9, 2021, the Secretary of Defense
established the Countering Extremism Working Group to proactively
address the issue of extremism in the Department of Defense (DOD).
Included in its mandate, this working group is tasked with evaluating
whether it is advisable to recommend amending the Uniform Code of
Military Justice related to extremist conduct. It would be appropriate
to await the working group's recommendations to inform further analysis
of this issue. I support and welcome all efforts to eliminate extremism
and cultivate a safe environment for all of our DOD personnel.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. This is one of the many important
issues currently under review by the Secretary of Defense's Countering
Extremism Working Group (CEWG). The CEWG's report is due to the
Secretary of Defense on 14 July 2021. Following the completion of the
CEWG, the Marine Corps will diligently implement the policies,
programs, and processes related to countering extremism as directed by
the Secretary of Defense.
Ms. Mulcahy and Lieutenant General Kelly. I believe it is worth
exploring. We want to ensure this message is clear, but we also want to
ensure we are giving commanders and JAGs the proper tools to hold
individuals accountable. I know there was a proposal for a standalone
article last year out of the House Armed Services Committee that was
not adopted, but the idea merits further discussion. Currently, there
is a working group of DOD subject matter experts who are examining the
issue, and who will ultimately make a recommendation as to the best way
forward. I note the Rules for Courts-Martial currently allow for
aggravation evidence during sentencing that the accused intentionally
selected the victim because of their actual or perceived race, color,
religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual
orientation. One of the aspects for consideration will be whether that
existing language is sufficient, or whether something more is required.
I look forward to reviewing the recommendations of the working group.
army implementation of fort hood report recommendations
9. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Brito, you provided the full
Committee a briefing earlier this year on the Fort Hood Independent
Review Committee Report, which found, among other troubling things, a
permissive environment for sexual harassment and sexual assault at Fort
Hood, Texas. What is the overall status of the Army's implementation of
the 70 recommendations in the Fort Hood Report?
Lieutenant General Brito. The Army immediately began to take action
on findings and recommendations of the Report of the Fort Hood
Independent Review Committee (FHIRC) upon release in December 2020. Of
the 70 FHIRC recommendations, 9 recommendations have been implemented
Army-wide. Fifteen additional recommendations have been implemented
locally at Fort Hood. Of the 61 recommendations not yet implemented
Army-wide, 54 are aligned with an approved implementation strategy.
Many of these recommendations are related to SHARP redesign and the
reorganization of the Army Criminal Investigative Command (USACIDC)
which require significant Department level organizational structure and
policy changes, currently in progress. The remaining 7 FHIRC
recommendations are still undergoing analysis to determine most
effective implementation strategy.
10. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Brito, how is the
restructuring of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division is
proceeding, especially given the Report's findings that too few
experienced sexual assault investigators were assigned at Fort Hood,
which led to slow and inadequate investigations which undermined
victims' trust?
Lieutenant General Brito. Per the direction of the Secretary of the
Army, the process to restructure US Army Criminal Investigation Command
(CID) is well underway. The implementation plan includes measures to
enhance capabilities and capacity organized with and led by civilian
and military agents, officers, and enlisted soldiers. The establishment
and hiring of a civilian CID Director
(SES-2) position, who will initially report to the Under Secretary
of the Army, is anticipated to be complete 4th quarter fiscal year
2021. The new Director will actively participate in and guide the
restructure process. The Army will implement the remainder of the
redesign in phases. The first phase has begun at Fort Hood, Fort Bragg,
and Fort Carson and includes intensive assessments to codify the
baseline measures of effectiveness which will inform and streamline
additional restructuring measures. Pending actions include increasing
the ratio of civilian criminal investigators to military special agents
and adding investigative support capability, ultimately increasing
continuity and investigative experience. These efforts will reinforce
sustained relationships with local and regional law enforcement
entities. We are planning to increase the number of scientists and
forensic analysis experts at the Defense Forensic Science Center which
serves as the Department of Defense crime laboratory. Continuous
assessments of the three designated installations will inform the Army
and provide feedback on future structural changes to CID. Infusing
qualified civilians into the formation is an integral piece of the
overall restructure of CID and will align criminal investigations with
industry best practices enabling CID to maintain military agents for
wartime requirements and effectively deter and investigate felony
crimes at camps, posts, and stations worldwide. We are confident these
planned CID-related recommendations will lead them well into the
future.
implementation of gender integration in the marine corps
11. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Ottignon, the fiscal year
2020 NDAA included a requirement for the Marine Corps to integrate the
genders during all recruit training--with a 5 year deadline to do so at
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Paris Island, South Carolina, and an 8 year
deadline at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. What is the status of
gender integration in the Marine Corps?
Lieutenant General Ottignon. The Marine Corps is committed to
getting gender integrated recruit training right. We will meet the
requirements of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) within the specified timelines through deliberate planning,
adaptation, evaluation, and refinement while assuring our continued
ability to make Marines and maintain our combat capability.
In January 2019, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (MCRD PI)
initiated a pilot to test gender integration at the company level; the
first gender integrated company graduated in Mar 2019. Starting in July
2019, the Marine Corps adopted the company integration method, applying
the lessons learned in the pilot and the 2017 Center for Naval Analyses
study that recommended this method. In 2020, MCRD PI graduated 8
integrated companies, and is projected to graduate 10 integrated
companies in 2021. In this model, all recruits are billeted by platoon
in single-gender squad bays, in compliance with 10 USC 8431. Recruits
execute the same Program of Instruction as an integrated company, but
they are trained and led by Drill Instructors of the same gender.
The Marine Corps expanded gender integrated recruit training to
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD SD) in February 2021, when
MCRD SD received its first shipment of female recruits and commenced
its first iteration of gender integrated training. Female platoons
train alongside male platoons and progressively integrate over the
course of the 13-week training. By the final phase of the 13 weeks,
essentially all training is mixed gender. These initial iterations of
integrated training will serve to identify lessons learned that will be
used for future planning at both depots.
12. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Ottignon, how are the units
with full gender integration performing compared to the all-male or
all-female units?
Lieutenant General Ottignon. Units that have been gender integrated
are performing to standard just as previous units have. The Marine
Corps has initiated a competitively awarded study to the University of
Pittsburgh (UPitt). This independent study will assist the Marine Corps
in complying with the NDAA mandate by analyzing the Corps' approach to
gender-integrated recruit training, comparing it to that of other
Services, and recommending best practices based on analytical data and
an unbiased academic viewpoint. Results are expected no earlier than
spring 2022.
mental health
13. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Brito, Vice Admiral Nowell,
Lieutenant General Kelly, Lieutenant General Ottignon, and Ms. Mulcahy,
in just over 16 months, three sailors connected to the Pacific Fleet
Submarine Force have died by suicide in Hawaii on three separate
occasions. This is alarming and while there are no easy solutions, we
must do more to support servicemembers when they need help. What
processes are in place to identify servicemembers who may be distressed
or at risk of suicide?
Lieutenant General Brito. A death by suicide affects countless
family members, friends, teammates, co-workers, and first responders.
In addition to being a profound tragedy, suicide negatively impacts
unit and organizational readiness.
Suicide is the result of complex, interrelated factors, and the
Army takes a multidisciplinary, holistic comprehensive approach that
includes awareness, research, and clinical/non-clinical initiatives to
address suicide and other harmful behaviors that undermine trust and
cohesion across our Force.
The Army's approach to preventing suicide focuses on strengthening
resilience, increasing leader visibility and enhancing prevention and
intervention capabilities for soldiers, families, and Army civilians
through a collaborative community response.
Several recent initiatives include:
This Is My Squad (TIMS) Initiative. TIMS is a leadership philosophy
intended to cultivate a culture of care, pride and ownership in small
units across the Total Army; Junior NCOs are empowered to care for
their soldiers and families.
Behavioral Health (BH) Pulse Tool. An anonymous, mobile friendly
survey that provides leaders with visibility of a variety of BH
problems, BH utilization, command climate, social relationships and
risky behaviors.
Suicide Prevention Pilot (SPP). G-1 executed a pilot at Bliss,
Hood, and Campbell, and select ARNG and USAR units to decrease the
prevalence of suicidality through increases in unit cohesion, trust,
coping, and communication skills. The two main SPP initiatives executed
were (1) Leader Education and Training and (2) Command Visibility. The
Army is currently evaluating each initiative to assess impact on
behavioral health as well as increased resilience skills and unit
climate. Results of the pilot, which began in October 2019, are
anticipated in 4th quarter fiscal year 2021.
The Behavioral Health Readiness and Suicide Risk Reduction Review
(R4) Pilot. The Army recently completed a pilot on the R4, an
instrument that focuses on the populations most at risk of suicide
(company level and below). The instrument supports the chain of command
by providing first-line leaders with the practical knowledge for
communicating with their soldiers on suicide prevention. The formal
report is projected for completion during the 4th quarter fiscal year
2021.
Army Policy Action published June 2020 supports lethal means safety
by requiring Personally Owned Firearms (POF) to be registered for those
living on-base, for those coming on base, and regulating their storage
on-base. Suicide Prevention personnel collaborate with community and
retailers to offer free gun-locks and safety devices.
The People First Task Force is taking a holistic approach to
preventing all harmful behaviors and will include the Suicide
Prevention program.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Every sailor lost to suicide is one too many.
Navy's approach to recognizing distressed sailors at risk for suicide
is threefold: public health, general medical providers, and Embedded
Mental Health (EMH) providers. Suicide is a public health problem and,
as such, requires that all sailors receive training in suicide
prevention. Suicide prevention training is an annual requirement and
requires that sailors are taught risk factors and warning signs of
suicide. Navy also teaches sailors to ACT (Ask, Care, Treat) when they
have recognized suicide risk in their shipmates as a method to
intervene and connect them with care. Further, Pacific Fleet developed
a suicide prevention continuum initiative that charged the Chief's Mess
with monthly conversations with their sailors about suicide prevention,
including how to recognize distressed shipmates who may be at risk for
suicide and ACT. Additionally, Navy continues to offer the Sailor
Assistance and Intercept for Life program that provides rapid
assistance, ongoing risk management, care coordination, and
reintegration.
All Navy medical providers who are likely to contact sailors at
risk for suicide, including primary care providers, Independent Duty
Corpsmen, and mental health providers, are required to complete annual
training on suicide risk assessment. A Mental Health Assessment that
screens for suicide risk has been incorporated into the required annual
Periodic Health Assessment, and EMH providers have been embedded within
operational units. The proportion of Active Duty EMH billets has
increased to 30 percent over the past few years. Additionally, aircraft
carriers and large amphibious assault ships have Deployed Resiliency
Counselors onboard who are civilian licensed mental health
professionals.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. The Marine Corps approaches suicide
prevention by using every resource available to promote and apply the
leadership functions of strengthen, mitigate, identify, treat, and
reintegrate to increase individual and unit readiness. We are working
to reduce suicide by focusing efforts across four prevention lines of
effort: (1) Communication: Our efforts equip commanders and Suicide
Prevention Program Officers with tools and resources for prevention,
response, and postvention, which includes the publication of a monthly
newsletter that provides Marines with coping and stress management
skills, and the distribution of an Embedded Mental Health Guidebook;
(2) Collaboration: We coordinate with Navy behavioral health services
to ensure non-medical and medical care are accessible and seamless.
Community Counseling Program counselors conduct screenings, actively
assess needs, provide counseling, and connect servicemembers and
families with additional resources. We work with sister services and
federal agencies to identify gaps in resources and services, and
collaborate on actionable solutions for geographically dispersed
servicemembers; (3) Prevention and Resilience: Our new Command
Individual Risk and Resiliency Assessment System (CIRRAS) enhances
commanders' ability to conduct effective force preservation and
prevention efforts; and (4) Use of Data and Research: We track suicide-
related events data to include monitoring for any indications of COVID-
19 impact. We evaluate the effectiveness of suicide prevention
initiatives, and conduct the annual USMC Death by Suicide Review Board,
which reviews every Marine death by suicide to provide actionable/
operational recommendations.
Ms. Mulcahy and Lieutenant General Kelly. We are committed to
fostering a culture that values and encourages help-seeking behavior
and enhances individual competence and confidence in accessing
appropriate helping resources. The DAF has a number of programs to
assist commanders, airmen, guardians and their families identify risk
and access resources for help. Airmen and guardians who have been
informed that they are under investigations for possible UCMJ
violations are 18-20 times more likely to die by suicide. Commanders
are required to use a checklist that supports connectedness, access to
resources and safety planning measures for airmen and guardians under
investigation. Online family member suicide prevention training was
developed and launched late CY20 that equips and empowers families of
airmen and guardians to identify behaviors of members in distress. The
DAF Resilience webpage is a ``one stop shop'' for leaders, airmen,
guardians and families and is loaded with prevention, intervention, and
postvention tools, as well as programs and information that assist with
many aspects of distressed or at risk for suicide airmen and guardians.
Lastly, embedded mental and spiritual health programs such as True
North build trust/increase likelihood of help-seeking behavior by
providing embedded Mental Health and Religious Support Team personnel
currently across 16 installations, with scheduled expansion to other
installations.
14. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Brito, Vice Admiral Nowell,
Lieutenant General Kelly, Lieutenant General Ottignon, and Ms. Mulcahy,
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, servicemembers and their families
have faced virus-related isolation, extended deployments, financial
disruptions, remote schooling, and loss of child care. Some have also
lost family members and friends to the virus. What changes have been
made in your respective Services to help servicemembers cope with these
new challenges?
Lieutenant General Brito. Commanders must continue to increase
visibility and awareness of their soldiers to establish connections and
develop the familiarity needed to perceive behaviors that are out of
character for the individual, or are a deviation from Army standards.
The Army is equipping Command Teams with leader visibility tools and
other resources to help them better ``see'' their soldiers and develop
appropriate prevention programs and targeted interventions.
The Army Resilience Directorate developed the Ready and Resilient
Resource and Activity Guide, a collection of resources to be used by
unit leaders, soldiers, DACs, and family members. For each of the five
ready and resilient dimensions, the guide contains: 1) training and
activities for unit, individual, and family use; 2) information and
tips; and 3) applications, podcasts and other online training and
education resources.
Additionally, the Army Resilience Directorate produces a monthly
`Resilience in Focus' multimedia publication that provides skills and
resources to assist members of the Total Army deal with common
challenges.
The Army is executing Engage and the Junior Leader Development
Course training to build communication skills and unit cohesion while
fostering trust. Engage trains soldiers to develop the skills to
improve one-on-one communication through professional engagements,
especially on difficult topics. The Junior Leader Development Course
empowers junior leaders with skills to build cohesive teams, mentor
subordinates, and improve communication.
The Commander's Risk Reduction Toolkit (CRRT) provides Command
Teams visibility on the risk factor history of every soldier newly
assigned to their unit. This awareness allows leaders to focus on
establishing connections and develop the personal familiarity needed to
prevent undesirable behaviors.
Multidisciplinary teams of behavioral health (BH) professionals are
embedded in units, located in clinics with close proximity to unit work
areas, and able to provide direct support of brigade-level units.
Additionally, Behavioral Health has expanded telehealth appointments
during COVID-19, and is reviewing the continuation of this service
after the pandemic subsides.
The Chaplain Corps is establishing a Public Private Partnership
with Dr. Lisa Miller and Teachers College, Columbia University, to
provide academic courses, workshops, and research opportunities in
uniting spirituality and psychology. The partnership with Teachers
College will broaden and enhance the Chaplain Corps' spiritual,
psychological, and scientific base, skill, and range of practices to
support the unique spiritual needs of soldiers, families, and
communities. Areas of impact include care of the soldier's spiritual
core, fitness, resilience, recovery, retention, ethics, decision making
and development over the lifespan.
Vice Admiral Nowell. Navy quickly realized the effects the COVID-19
pandemic on sailors and their families. Mandatory closure of child care
facilities placed significant stress on Navy families, affecting our
operational readiness. Almost immediately, Navy released guidance to
commanders to remain flexible with both work schedules, maximizing
telework whenever possible, and Family Care Plan enforcement. Further,
we provided virtual counseling services for sailors and families that
covered the portfolio of support services delivered by our Fleet and
Family Support Centers from financial counseling to family advocacy. We
increased the counselors aboard our ships, provided COVID-19 related
educational resources through our family mobile application and
websites, extended application deadlines for spouse licensure
reimbursement, and delivered mandatory transition assistance training
and other family-related training through recently developed online
learning platforms. Additionally, Navy provided virtual services for
both medical and mental health needs. Lastly, we continued to execute
our Culture of Excellence Campaign Plan, focusing on primary prevention
to include command resilience teams and operational stress control.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. The Marine Corps is taking an
integrated and coordinated approach to prevention to build the skills
and resources needed to promote positive behaviors and reduce domestic
and child abuse, suicide, substance misuse, and sexual assault. Our
Behavioral Programs promote the social, behavioral, and psychological
fitness of Marines and families in order to enhance mission
effectiveness.
We publish the Prevention in Action Newsletter that released its
first issue in June of 2020 and shares actionable solutions and skill-
building ideas framed across a central theme and designed for the
Marine Corps Total Force. The monthly newsletter has addressed a range
of topics including: networks, problem solving, connectedness,
financial management, and leadership. Planned future themes will
address: total force fitness, reset and reboot, inclusion, individual
optimization, and healthy relationships. Also, the Innovation,
Prevention, and Outreach Forum is a helpful tool that involves a
partnership with National Guard Bureau and incorporates other
government agencies to focus on developing and implementing solutions
for geographically dispersed Servicemembers. Finally, we have invested
$19.5 million through fiscal year 2021 developing an application based
tool, CIRRAS, that will help provide commanders a single, standardized
platform that enables proactive identification and assessment of
individual Marine risk and resiliency factors. This data is
transferable between commands so that as Marines change duty stations,
gaining commands receive a clear picture of those Marines who are at
higher risk for destructive behaviors. This data is transferred with
the Marine allowing for proactive, vice re-active, support from the
command.
Ms. Mulcahy and Lieutenant General Kelly. DAF adjusted our
counseling capabilities, focused on maintaining connections despite
social[MRGMUA3S1] distancing, optimized schooling support, tailored
family supports service delivery and developed remote and telework
policies to better support airmen, guardians, and families through the
pandemic.
OSD negotiated a temporary telehealth contract option to ensure
Military Family Life Counseling program remained available for
supported populations across the Department of Defense. As COVID-19
conditions improved, Air Force Services worked with OSD to expedite the
return of Military Family Life Counseling to face-to-face (F2F) support
based on critical needs of installations. Military Family Life
Counselors focus on support to individuals, couples, families and
groups for a range of issues including, but not limited to, deployment
stress, reintegration, relocation adjustment, separation, anger
management, conflict resolution, parenting, parent-child communication,
relationship and family issues, coping skills, homesickness, and grief
and loss.
The Department of the Air Force Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
and the Civilian Health Promotion Services (CHPS) saw a significant
drop in use during the onset of COVID-19; this was mirrored throughout
the DOD enterprise for utilization of similar services. To increase
access to care and awareness of available information, the DAF worked
with the vendor to implement the following adjustments: 1) incorporate
telehealth services, 2) highlight the website virtual functions to
include live chat capability with a counselor, and 3) implement a
series of live weekly trainings conducted by the onsite counselors that
were available to civilians and their family members in real time and
then later for on-demand viewing. As a result, participation in the EAP
program increased 294 percent since the initial decline resulting from
COVID-19. Additionally, the CHPS program has experienced an 800 percent
increase in utilization.
To support our force and their families, the DAF Integrated
Resilience Office worked with installations to provide resilience
toolkits to the force, focused on maintaining connection while
physically distancing and practicing self-care. Quarterly Small Group
Discussion Tools were also sent to the force to continue encouraging
connection building even while physically distancing. A Suicide
Prevention ``Call to Action'' initiative launched Sep 2020, directed
installation prevention personnel to provide Squadron and above
leadership necessary information to drive prevention activities to
mitigate risk during COVID-19.
We also addressed challenges of remote schooling. Installation
School Liaisons garnered school district support (devices, equipment/
materials, and even the employment of Teacher Aides at School Age and
Youth Programs, at some locations). Installation School Age Care
programs modified hours in concert with school district decisions for
remote or in-person instruction
Airman and Family Readiness Centers rapidly shifted traditional
face-to-face support to virtual modalities at the beginning of the
pandemic to ensure the supported population retained access to quality
of life support, and continue integrating hybrid approaches (both face
to face and virtual) as health conditions improve or worsen at specific
locations. Airman and Family Readiness Centers leveraged and expanded
virtual options for financial education and real time Personal
Financial Counselors conducted live consultations over secure, video
capable platforms. We will continue to offer airmen and guardians their
choice of in-person or virtual trainings and consultations whenever
possible.
Additionally, the DAF developed and issued guidance regarding
remote work and full-time telework guidance for the total force. This
guidance will help posture the DAF for continuity of operations while
also serving as method for which we can attract and retain talent.
diversity efforts in the army and space force
15. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Brito, what insights are you
and other senior Army leaders gaining from soldiers who have
participated in the ``Your Voice Matters'' listening sessions?
Lieutenant General Brito. Our soldiers have shared personal
experiences and perceptions of inequities and concerns regarding race/
sex discrimination, command climate concerns and areas of quality of
life. Soldiers articulated there is a need to reexamine and address
policies pertaining to leadership; behavioral and physical health care
access and responsiveness; dining facility quality, choice and access;
the ACFT; pregnancy and postpartum issues; housing safety, and
inequities regarding rank, professional development/mentoring, access,
and opportunity.
The following are the top 15 issues discussed during sessions
conducted at 18 installations:
Housing/BAH//Barracks/DFAC continue to be concerns among
soldiers and their families (e.g., mold, poor quality of facilities,
safety, and food, unfair BAH rates).
Behavioral health, and operational factors contributing
to it, are a concern among soldiers in relation to care, access,
stigma, and concern from leadership.
Leaders are not held accountable for their actions (swept
under the rug), inactions, or lack of caring (e.g. toxicity,
discriminatory behavior, tolerance toward divisive symbols, lack of
empathy, ``lazy leadership'').
The idea of People First Strategy is lacking within
several organizations. Units are completely mission-driven and
therefore soldiers are not getting support with personal/family issues.
Soldiers do not have time to decompress.
Height/weight, body composition, and hair and grooming
standards need a thorough review.
Listening sessions are valuable; however, listening
sessions and Project Inclusion are not well known or understood in the
field and often seen as ``check the block'' non-sincere events.
DE&I training and awareness needs to occur at all levels.
(e.g., during enlistment and the accessions process).
Senior leaders were slow to address racial tension or
messaging not clear; fear of saying the wrong thing; Army leaders are
not providing guidance or addressing racism, discrimination, and equity
in the workplace.
Good leaders/soldiers are leaving the military due to
improper recognitions, toxic leadership, lack of diversity in the
ranks, talent management, etc.
Disciplinary actions are not consistent (e.g., UCMJ), and
such application falls disproportionately on minorities.
Perception that favoritism pervades in promotion and
selection boards and Civilian hiring. (e.g. good ole boy system).
Female soldiers see the ACFT as silent discrimination
(e.g. leg tuck)
Leaders should develop or enhance mentorship programs
with diverse senior leader involvement to develop and retain diverse
talent.
There is a fear for family members and their
psychological safety off-post in the wake of the civil unrest.
Racial imbalance between Officer and Enlisted exist with
minority representation found predominately within the enlisted ranks.
16. Senator Hirono. Ms. Mulcahy, in your testimony you stated that
the Space Force's developmental approach will include reverse mentoring
programs to give senior leaders opportunities to learn from junior
members of the force. What do you think senior Space Force leaders will
gain from participating in such programs?
Ms. Mulcahy. A reverse mentoring program provides an opportunity
for USSF senior leaders to gain skills and knowledge from junior
Guardians. As the Space Force endeavors to be the first truly digital
Military Service, this program can help senior leaders better
understand the vast technology options that exist and use of such
technologies to benefit the Force. Additionally, junior Guardians can
provide insights into areas such as teleworking, recruitment, and
retention. Just as important, are the benefits to junior Guardians.
This program can help empower newer Guardians and make them feel valued
and trusted. As well, reverse mentoring can engender better
communication and collaboration for all involved, while supporting our
goal of fostering diversity and inclusion.
[MRGMUA3S1] Recommend use of the term, ``physical distancing,'' to
mirror phrasing in more-recent DOD and DAF guidance.
diversity and inclusion in the navy
17. Senator Hirono. Vice Admiral Nowell, Task Force One Navy made
57 recommendations broken down into several lines of effort, including
recruiting, talent management and retention, professional development,
and innovation and STEM. What is the status of the Navy's efforts to
implement these recommendations?
Vice Admiral Nowell. Navy has implemented eight of the 56 Task
Force One Navy (TF1N) recommendations with an ambitious plan to
implement them all. To date, we have completed:
Expanded use of diversity data in Record of Proceeding;
Assigned a Special Assistant to the Commander for
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Naval Personnel Command and
assigned a trained Command Climate Specialist;
Expanded post-board statistics;
Formally track diverse board membership statistics;
Institutionalized Naval Junior Officer Counsel;
Resumed Navy Leader Development Framework Briefs;
Designated an advisor in Navy's 21st Century Sailor
Office for Women's Policy Issues; and
Established partnerships with civilian counterparts on
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Navy has incorporated the TF1N recommendations into our existing
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion line of effort as part of the Culture
of Excellence Campaign Plan and will continue to implement the
remaining recommendations.
18. Senator Hirono. Vice Admiral Nowell, a large part of the
ultimate success in an officer's career, and their promotion potential,
is superior achievement in high profile, challenging jobs. What steps
is Navy Personnel Command taking to ensure women and minorities are
getting a chance to fill these types of career enhancing jobs?
Vice Admiral Nowell. Navy is dedicated to equality of treatment and
opportunity for all personnel without regard to race, religion, color,
sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or national origin.
Discrimination on any of these bases is contrary to the Department of
the Navy's core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. Navy benefits
when we capitalize on the diverse experience, perspective, innovative
spirit, background, and ideas in our ranks, directly leading to
increased readiness and lethality.
The evaluation of all candidates must be fair and equitable as
directed by the selection board precept. Accordingly, it is codified
within the board's charter to determine the candidates who are ``best
and fully qualified,'' and that candidates of every race, religion,
color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and national origin
are given fair and equitable consideration. Selection Board members are
directed to be particularly vigilant in the evaluation of records so no
candidate's selection opportunity is disadvantaged by service
utilization policies or practices. Each candidate's potential to assume
the responsibilities of a specific program or billet, including his or
her ability to successfully lead a diverse organization, is carefully
evaluated against the billet and the talent is matched against the
person being considered for assignment.
changes to the tricare autism demonstration program
19. Senator Hirono. Dr. Adirim, there have been significant
treatment changes issued in the latest TRICARE Operations Manual (TOM)
for the TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration Program. What was the
rationale for these changes?
Dr. Adirim, The recent changes to the Autism Care Demonstration
(ACD) were the result of three years of work and collaboration with
industry stakeholders and lessons learned over the duration of this
demonstration. These changes included but were not limited to: clinical
reviews, analyses of outcomes, and evaluations of fraud, waste, and
abuse. Each change was carefully evaluated and revised to ensure the
change aligned with the authority and goals of the demonstration. This
revision focuses on providing enhanced beneficiary and family support,
improving outcomes, encouraging parental involvement, and expanding
clinically appropriate applied behavior analysis (ABA) services such as
the inclusion of the group services codes for beneficiaries and
families.
20. Senator Hirono. Dr. Adirim, have you provided sufficient time
and notice to families participating in the Autism Demonstration
Program to have adequate time to plan for the changes outlined in the
latest TOM for the Autism Care Demonstration Program?
Dr. Adirim, Yes. The ACD policy change has a phased implementation
plan over 270 days (see timeline below) to give adequate time for
education and awareness of the changes each step of the way for all
stakeholders. The ACD policy change was published on March 23, 2021. A
notification of the policy publication was announced on March 22, 2021
on www.health.mil/autism and an email notification was sent to all ACD
subscribers from the government messaging platform, GovDelivery. The
email notification invited stakeholders to attend four Defense Health
Agency (DHA)-hosted informational webinars (March 24, April 7, April
16, and April 21) to educate all interested stakeholders, both within
and outside of the Military Health System (MHS), on the changes.
Additionally, the DHA will be hosting an Exceptional Family Member
Program staff meeting on June 1, 2021, a MHS diagnosing provider
meeting on June 11, 2021, and a beneficiary centered webinar with
Military OneSource on June 24, 2021.
21. Senator Hirono. Dr. Adirim, will there be a degradation in
services provided to patients under the most recent changes to the TOM
for the TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration Program?
Dr. Adirim, No. In fact, there is an expansion in the clinically
necessary and appropriate ABA services available to all TRICARE
eligible beneficiaries enrolled in the ACD. Additionally, there are a
wide range of other medical and non-medical services available both
within and outside of the military health system. Medical services may
include: speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy,
nutritional services, medication management, psychotherapy, parent-
mediated programs, medical respite, etc. Non-medical services may
include: support groups, Military OneSource, Service-respite care,
local community programs, etc. The new Autism Services Navigator (ASN)
role is geared toward connecting ACD families with all available
services so that the family can choose the right services and supports
at the right time for their child and family needs.
The recent changes to the ACD also expand the coverage of two
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Adaptive Behavior Services codes
as well as adds the CPT code for medical team conferences.
Additionally, revisions include increases in the daily number of units
for certain CPT codes, the expansion of the use of telehealth parent/
caregiver training, addition of medical coordination codes, and
improvements to the utilization of covered CPT codes.
The DHA is aware of the perception that ABA services have been cut,
i.e., the use of behavior technicians (BTs) in the school setting.
However, this change is a clarification, not a degradation, which went
into effect May 1, 2021. It was never the intent to reimburse for non-
clinical or educational services. School services, where BTs serve as
school supports, shadows, or aides, are beyond the scope of ABA
services covered under the ACD. Clinically appropriate ABA services
rendered by BTs are still reimbursable when appropriately authorized
and completed in an appropriate setting, i.e. the home or clinic. The
ACD is authorized to reimburse for the active delivery of ABA services.
When clinically necessary and appropriate ABA services are requested,
the contractors may authorize only Board Certified Behavior Analysts to
provide targeted and time-limited ABA services in the school setting.
caregiver leave
22. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Ottignon and Vice Admiral
Nowell, in the 2020 Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services
(DACOWITS) annual report, DACOWITS recommended the Secretary of Defense
direct the Navy and Marine Corps to authorize their servicemembers the
full 21 days of secondary caregiver leave provided for in the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 due to the importance of
caregiver leave in recruiting and retaining a ready force. Has the Navy
and Marine Corps modified their parental leave policy to provide 21
days of secondary caregiver leave?
Vice Admiral Nowell. Navy has not modified parental leave policy to
provide 21 days of secondary caregiver leave, as we provide 14 days of
secondary caregiver leave for eligible sailors. While Navy recognizes
the value of secondary caregiver leave, the expeditionary nature of our
service requires us to balance any additional non-chargeable leave with
maintaining operational readiness. With more than 17,000 sailors
becoming a non-birth parent every year, expanding secondary caregiver
leave from two weeks to three weeks would result in more than 325 work
years of additional time off. Many of those lost work years would
affect operational ships, submarines, and squadrons whose broad mission
portfolios already stretch the capacity of their assigned crews.
Lieutenant General Ottignon. No, the Marine Corps has not modified
our secondary caregiver leave policy. We are comfortable with the 14
days of secondary caregiver leave and believe the balance between
providing support to marine parents and maintain readiness is well
struck.
23. Senator Hirono. Mr. Herbert, in the 2020 Defense Advisory
Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) annual report, DACOWITS
recommended the Secretary of Defense should direct the Military
Services to implement flexible (noncontinuous) primary and secondary
caregiver leave options, in accordance with the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, to ensure caregivers have
maximum flexibility in making caregiving arrangements best suited to
their family and service circumstances. What is the Department's
position on this recommendation?
Mr. Herbert. The Department is in the process of implementing the
non-continuous primary care giver leave option enacted in section 521
of the Nation Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. The
option to allow servicemembers to take primary caregiver leave in more
than one increment, under DOD's Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP),
will be incorporated into a revision to our leave and liberty policy
instruction (DODI 1327.06) along with other updates. We anticipate
publishing the revised DODI by the end of the year.
Of note, the fiscal year 2020 NDAA legislation, however, did not
provide companion authority for non-continuous secondary caregiver
leave (currently up to three weeks). The law still requires this leave
to be taken in only one increment.
24. Senator Hirono. Mr. Herbert, in the 2020 Defense Advisory
Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) annual report, DACOWITS
recommended the Secretary of Defense should direct the Military
Services to remove all barriers that prohibit servicemembers from
determining as a family which parent shall be designated the primary
caregiver and which shall be designated the secondary caregiver. What
is the Department's position on this recommendation?
Mr. Herbert. Our discussions with the Military Services indicate
that additional guidance is not warranted. The Department's Military
Parental Leave Program (MPLP) guidance, and the supplementary
implementing guidance for each of the Military Services will clearly
indicate that this election is available.
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