[Senate Hearing 117-985]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-985
THE NOMINATION OF GENERAL JACQUELINE D. VAN OVOST, USAF FOR
REAPPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE OF GENERAL AND TO BE COMMANDER, UNITED
STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
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HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via: http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
63-134 PDF WASHINGTON : 2026
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
JACK REED, Rhode Island, Chairman
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii TOM COTTON, Arkansas
TIM KAINE, Virginia MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota
ANGUS S. KING, Jr., Maine JONI ERNST, Iowa
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts THOM TILLIS, North Carolina
GARY C. PETERS, Michigan DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois RICK SCOTT, Florida
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
MARK KELLY, Arizona JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
Elizabeth L. King, Staff Director
John D. Wason, Minority Staff
Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
___________
september 23, 2021
Page
The Nomination of General Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, USAF for 1
Reappointment to the Grade of General and to be Commander,
United States Transportation Command.
Members Statements
Reed, Senator Jack............................................... 1
Inhofe, Senator James M.......................................... 3
Witness Statements
Van Ovost, General Jacqueline D., USAF for Reappointment to the 3
Grade of General and to be Commander, United States
Transportation Command.
Advance Policy Questions....................................... 24
Questions for the Record....................................... 40
Nomination Reference and Report................................ 60
Biographical Sketch............................................ 61
Committee on Armed Services Questionnaire...................... 64
Signature Page................................................. 66
(iii)
This hearing is printed to include all available
information
requested or required to be inserted for the
record.
(iv)
THE NOMINATION OF GENERAL JACQUELINE D. VAN OVOST, USAF FOR
REAPPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE OF GENERAL AND TO BE COMMANDER, UNITED
STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
----------
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
United States Senate,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:32 a.m. in room
SD-G50, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Jack Reed (
Chairman of the Committee) presiding.
Committee Members present: Senators Reed, Shaheen,
Gillibrand, Blumenthal, Kaine, King, Warren, Peters, Manchin,
Duckworth, Rosen, Kelly, Inhofe, Fischer, Cotton, Ernst,
Tillis, Scott, and Hawley.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JACK REED
Chairman Reed. Excuse me. Let me call the hearing to order.
A few administrative announcements. A ten o'clock there
will be two votes for the benefit of my colleagues and to the
general.
Also, this will be a hybrid hearing. Some of our colleagues
will be joining virtually; as a result, we will use the
seniority rule to identify speakers, as we have in the past at
hybrid hearings.
Good morning. The committee meets today to consider the
nomination of General Jacqueline Van Ovost to be the next
Commander of the United States Transportation Command
(TRANSCOM).
If confirmed, General Van Ovost will be the first female
genera to take on this critical role and will also be the first
time we have had two female combatant commanders serving
concurrently.
General, I want to welcome you to the committee and I thank
you for your many years of service to our Nation and for your
willingness to continue to serve in positions of great
responsibility.
We also thank your family for their support and sacrifice
and welcome your husband, Alan.
The men and women of TRANSCOM perform duties that sustain
the whole Department of Defense (DOD) effort in protecting our
nation's security. We saw that very clearly with the
extraordinary efforts of TRANSCOM to support the withdrawal
from Afghanistan. Our ability to conduct and support operations
around the globe remains a clear, competitive advantage for the
United States forces.
With its competitive edge in deploying and sustaining
America's Armed Forces, TRANSCOM provides the Defense
Department with unique capabilities that some may have come to
take for granted. TRANSCOM is busy supporting all the combatant
commanders every day and without these forces, the United
States would be at a significant disadvantage almost everywhere
in the world.
TRANSCOM faces a number of daunting tasks. General, given
that you have served previously as Commander of Air Mobility
Command, I believe that these are not new issues for you. One
primary concern is addressing a new set of cyberthreats.
TRANSCOM works extensively with private sector entities in the
transportation and shipping industries to support Defense
Department deployment operations, which creates increased
exposure to the commercial, internet, and challenges of
operating our strategic transportation system.
General, I look forward to your views on how to ensure that
TRANSCOM's network is secure and that sensitive information
remains protected.
TRANSCOM has just completed a new Mobility Capability
Requirements Study, an MCRS, and a Sealift Tanker Study. These
studies indicate, among other things, a need to keep more C-130
airlift aircraft that are in the Air Force's plans, and a need
for a program of subsidies for U.S.-flagged fuel tankers, to
keep more tankers in the domestic fleet. I am interested in how
you plan to address these critical shortfalls.
There is also the issue of modernizing the Ready Reserve
Force, the RRF; a group of cargo ships held in readiness by the
Maritime Administration. The RRF is aging and will need to be
modernized over the next decade.
General Van Ovost, I look forward to hearing what criteria
you think we should consider as we undertake this large
modernization program.
The Defense Department also needs to ensure that the Civil
Reserve Air Fleet, or CRAF program, which provides as much as
40 percent of wartime airlift needs, remains viable after
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and will be able to provide
needed search capacity in the future. Notably, we saw some of
that capacity used by the Defense Department in activating
stage one of the CRAF program during the Afghanistan
withdrawal.
General, I am interested in your views on the state of this
fleet and whether anything needs to be done to ensure its
readiness.
Now, finally, I would ask that you share your views on how
TRANSCOM should contract out the management of the Personnel
Property Program, or DP3. DP3 is the program that handles the
movement of household goods for DOD personnel. In this plan, a
contractor team would be responsible for issuing contracts to
individual movers and carriers, rather than the U.S.
Government. Last year, after a bidding competition, TRANSCOM
awarded a contract to a contractor team; however, the losing
bidders protested the award and GAO upheld the protest. We need
to have a clearer picture of how TRANSCOM will proceed with the
DP3 outsourcing effort.
Thank you, again, for your decades of service. We all look
forward to your testimony.
Let me now recognize the Ranking Member, Senator Inhofe.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR JAMES INHOFE
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I appreciate having this and, of course, seeing General Van
Ovost.
I have to say this about you, General, I know you never
were privileged to getting your training in Oklahoma, but they
don't know that in Oklahoma. They think that you are one of us.
You have come to our Coyle breakfast and all of that, so you
are a star there.
I enjoyed meeting Alan for the first time and I look
forward to your testimony, as I always do, and, again, I thank
you for all that you have done for America.
If we learned anything in the last 8 weeks, it is that we
can't shoot from the hip when it comes to military operations
and geopolitical affairs. I am, of course, referring to this
Administration's botched evacuation of American citizens and
allies in the waning hours of the Afghanistan withdrawal and
paving the way for the Taliban takeover.
While this hearing is not about your current role, it is
about what you will bring to the TRANSCOM, which oversaw a
vital portion of the Afghan evacuation. As the current
commander of Air Mobility Command, you had firsthand knowledge
of how evacuations were unfolding; you oversaw more than 250
military aircraft, supporting complex aircraft.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the success of
the military portion of the operation and what the limiting
factors were for the withdrawal, since thousands were left
stranded to face Taliban retribution.
Additionally, TRANSCOM has had issues meeting its
requirements. This is, I think I didn't check that. I think
this is about the first time a major operation was done and not
carried out as we normally do with the National Defense
Strategy Commission, and we were not able to do that for some
obvious reasons. For one thing, last year's budget, Congress
had to reverse divestments of thousands of air-refueling
tankers because the Air Force made cuts that would directly
hinder TRANSCOM's ability to refuel aircraft.
I am curious what you think is the right path for combatant
command's input in the budget process and, finally, I would
like to get your thoughts on the ongoing transition of this
issue that keeps coming up. I will be glad, I think everyone up
here will be glad when it is over, if we bring it to a
successful conclusion; that is, the Global Household Goods
Contract.
So, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to the meeting.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much, Senator Inhofe.
General, your statement, please.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL JACQUELINE D. VAN OVOST, USAF, NOMINEE TO
BE COMMANDER, U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND.
General Van Ovost. Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Reed,
Ranking Member Inhofe, and distinguished Members of this
committee. It is my great honor to appear before you today as
the President's nominee to command the men and women of the
United States Transportation Command.
I first want to thank President Biden for his nomination,
as well as Secretary Austin and Chairman Milley for the special
trust and confidence that they have placed in me.
I also want to acknowledge General Stephen Lyons for his
steadfast leadership of the United States Transportation
Command and thank him for his staunch support of Air Mobility
Command.
Here with me today is my husband Alan, who, for the past 30
years, has been an incredible source of strength and
inspiration. He has always kept me grounded in my faith, and
like most military spouses, has exemplified the true meaning of
flexibility and resiliency. Most notable, however, has been his
support and commitment to our military families.
The strength of our servicemen and women starts at home and
the impact Alan has had on service family resiliency and
quality of life is immeasurable. I can unquestionably say that
without his love and support, I would not be here today.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the remarkable
men and women I have had the privilege of leading at Air
Mobility Command. Projecting decisive strength and delivering
hope 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, this team tackles some of
our nation's hardest missions.
Just last month, AMC played a significant role in the
national and coalition effort to airlift more than 120,000
people out of Afghanistan. It was a difficult and dynamic
mission, where some of our airmen had to make decisions when
lives were on the line. I am so very proud of the work they did
there and that they continue to do every day.
Mr. Chairman, today we face a dynamic and increasingly
contested global strategic environment. Determined and
emboldened strategic competitors, like China and Russia,
continue rapid and deliberate development of advanced
capabilities and they challenge international norms with their
coercive behavior.
As the National Security Strategic Guidance emphasizes, we
must maintain our military competitive edge by continuing to
field and train the best force, adopt new technologies, and
build and maintain key partnerships. As all components within
the Department of Defense compete daily across the global to
strengthen our strategic network of allies and partners,
advance our national security interests, and remain poised to
defeat our adversaries, the unique mission of the United States
Transportation Command has never been more important.
If confirmed, I will ensure United States Transportation
Command continues to provide our nation with one of its most
important, strategic, and asymmetric advantages over our
adversaries: the ability to rapidly project and sustain joint
combat power at strategically relevant speeds, distances, and
scale at the time and place of our nation's choosing.
If confirmed, I look forward to working with this
committee, our like-minded allies and partners, our commercial
industry partners, the services and combatant commanders to
ensure United States Transportation Command delivers for the
nation, meeting the demands of logistics required by the
evolving character of war.
I would like for acknowledge and thank the Members of this
Committee for your continued support of the men and women who
so selflessly serve to defend our great nation. Their honor,
courage, and sacrifice is humbling, and their passion for
service, inspiring. They are the foundation to our success and
we owe them the very best our nation has to offer.
Mr. Chairman, thank you, again, for this opportunity. It is
my honor to appear before the committee today and I look
forward to your questions.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much, General.
I have a series of questions which are required for all
sitting nominees and you can simply respond, as appropriately.
Have you adhered to applicable laws and regulations
governing conflicts of interest?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Have you assumed any duties or taken any
actions that would appear to presume the outcome of the
confirmation process?
General Van Ovost. No, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Exercising our legislative and oversight
responsibilities makes it important that this committee, its
subcommittees, and other appropriate committees of Congress
receive testimony, briefings, reports, records, and other
information from the Executive Branch on a timely basis.
Do you agree, if confirmed, to appear and testify before
this committee when requested?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Do you agree, when asked before this
committee, to give your personal views, even if your views
differ from the Administration?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Do you agree to provide records, documents,
and electronic communications in a timely manner when requested
by this committee, its subcommittees, or other appropriate
committees of Congress, and to consult with the requestor
regarding the basis for any good faith delay or denial in
providing such records?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Will you ensure that your staff complies
deadlines established by this committee for the production of
reports, records, and other information, including timely
responding to hearing questions for the record?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Will you cooperate and provide any witnesses
and briefers in response to congressional request?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Will those witnesses and briefers be
protected from reprisal for their testimony or briefings?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much, General.
Again, let me commend you on your extraordinary career and
your knowledge and experience as you enter this very demanding,
but as you point out, significant component of our national
security, one of our advantages.
The one issue I wanted to touch upon, I suggested in my
opening comments, is cybersecurity. I was struck once and
talked to you or asking questions of one of your predecessors,
who indicated that his dealing with the commercial airlines,
there is some interest, but the person in charge has no contact
with the board of directors or the senior management, so that
it is a complicating challenge.
What can you do to help improve and protect the cyber
connections between yourself and commercial entities?
General Van Ovost. Senator, cyber operations pose
significant threats to logistics. They target vulnerable supply
chain elements and can interrupt the flow of goods and supplies
around the world.
Senator, there has been a lot of work that the United
States Transportation Command has done to develop relationships
with our commercial service providers; one of which, of course,
is to ensure secure command and control of the assets and
ensure secure data management and IT.
If confirmed, I will continue to thicken the relationships
with the commercial providers to ensure that they understand
the threats and we can remain agile enough to combat these
threats as they come up.
Chairman Reed. Thank you, General.
I would like, in the future after you have got your feet on
the ground in this particular job, to inform us either directly
or informally about whether you are getting the kind of
cooperation from the civilian sector that you need. This is a
two-way street, so the commercial entities have to take it as
seriously as we do. So, please let us know as that develops.
Let me shift gears for a moment and talk about the C-130
Force Structure. The fiscal year 2022 budget would reduce the
inventory of C-130s to a level of 255 total aircraft from our
current level of 287 and the new C-130 Air Force fleet size
would be inconsistent with the study that has just been
published about capabilities.
So, does this give you a concern?
General Van Ovost. Senator, the Mobility Capability
Requirements Study that was just released did provide a more
comprehensive assessment of the viability of the Joint
Deployment and Distribution Enterprise, given the new threats
that we face. One of the recommendations of this study was to
follow on with a specific intra-theater lift study, looking at
the lift capabilities, not merely in air, but also in land and
surface and preposition, in order to meet tomorrow's threats.
So, Senator, while the current C-130 discussion on total
aircraft inventory was your question, the bottom line is I
think we need to take a holistic look on the survivability of
these various assets, given the new threat.
Chairman Reed. Well, thank you, General.
So, you are already planning to look at different
alternatives to the number of C-130s that are available and
also look at the capabilities of C-130s in a given environment.
Is that fair?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator; in fact, it is very
important that we explore the new technologies as we are
looking at the joint warfighting concept and the new ways that
the services are going to fight, it is becoming apparent that
potentially runway, independent operations might be a keep
capability. In that case, we have to discover how it is that we
are going to support and sustain our runway, independent
operations.
Chairman Reed. Thank you, General.
A final question. The Ready Reserve Force recapitalization,
the committee has authorized the Department to start a program
to recapitalize the Ready Reserve fleet by purchasing a number
of foreign-built vessels and purchasing these vessels to
modernize the RRF has been held up by problems with the
contracting effort at the Maritime Administration.
Can you give us an update on this process, are we making
progress, and do we have to do more here?
General Van Ovost. Senator, thank you.
This is a critical capacity concern of mine, with respect
to U.S. Transportation Command. We must continue to move
forward on recapitalizing this aging fleet. As you are aware,
over 50 percent of our roll-on/roll-off capability will be
aging out in a decade. So, the time is now to do that
recapitalization.
I fully support the Navy's buy-used strategy. I understand
that a vessel-acquisition manager is in place and is working
the contract and we do expect that there will be a buy in
calendar year 2022 of used ships to begin this recapitalization
progress.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much, General.
Now, let me recognize the Ranking Member, Senator Inhofe.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Biden administration's horrific attempt at a successful
withdrawal from Afghanistan will go down, in my opinion, and
the opinion of many others, as one of the biggest blunders in
American military history; however, it has given us a great
opportunity, and through your efforts, I would say, in training
in lessons that we have learned.
As Commander of the Air Mobility Command and the Air
Component Commander for TRANSCOM, you oversaw operations with
over 250 military aircraft; in fact, my staff told me that they
had, the number of sorties were at 2,627. I had them go back
and check the accuracy of that. That is just a huge undertaking
of what went on that included C-17s, C-130s, refuelers, KC-
135s, KC-10s, maybe even the 46, but it was huge.
General, in AMC's planning for the withdrawal, and
specifically for the airlift, what were the limiting factors in
wind and what advice did you give to your senior leaders on how
the withdrawal would be conducted?
General Van Ovost. Senator, I am proud of how the airmen of
Air Mobility Command executed this campaign in such a dynamic
situation.
Senator Inhofe. I think they are probably still riding high
on this. You all did such a great, great effort.
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
While my advice was limited to the mission I was tasked
with, which was airlift out of Kabul International Airfield, my
goal was to ensure that airlift and our supporting ground
operations were never a constraint for the Central Command
Commander. Due to the heroic efforts of our airmen, we achieved
that goal.
Senator Inhofe. Well, that is great and it is really a job
well done.
I mentioned in my opening statement where we are right now
with this Global Household Goods Contract and the fact that I
am hoping we are in a position now to get this behind us. It is
my understanding it is now being competed again with an award
date of this month.
So, what was your feeling about it and do you believe a new
system is needed? Do you believe that TRANSCOM's approach is
the best path forward? How do you feel about it now?
General Van Ovost. Senator, you have hit upon a key
``quality of life'' issue for our servicemembers and their
families. It is clear that the current program is really
incapable of consistently providing that quality capacity,
accountability, and transparency that our members and family
members deserve.
So, if confirmed, I will ensure, as I assess the contract
as we move forward in letting that contract that all the
mechanisms are in place for the single move manager to be able
to effectively execute and meet the standards that our members
and families deserve.
Senator Inhofe. We will get it behind us.
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Senator Inhofe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Reed. Thank you, Senator Inhofe.
Now, let me recognize Senator Shaheen, please.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Congratulations, General, we are delighted to have you
before us and to have you as the person nominated to head up
TRANSCOM. I very much appreciated the opportunity to see you in
action in New Hampshire when you came to visit the New
Hampshire Air National Guard, and I know that people were very
impressed with your presentation.
Of course, there, one of the areas of focus of that
presentation was the KC-46. It is the first Guard base to get
those planes. People are very anxious for when they can do the
fully operational missions that they are anticipating. That
was, obviously, one of the questions that people had for you.
So, as you are thinking about what we still need to do to
make sure that those are fully operational, how will you
continue to push on that once confirmed?
General Van Ovost. Thank you, Senator.
Let me commend the men and women of the 157th for being the
first Guard base to help us field the KC-46. They have done
some amazing work within operations and maintenance, and we are
able to take those new tactics, techniques, and procedures, and
export them across the fleet; indeed, even in this Operation
Allies Refuge, they all leaned forward to support us and the
KC-46 was in the fight for this operation.
Now, while I desire to get full operational capability as
soon as possible in the KC-46, as you know, we have moved to an
interim-capability release, where we are providing the U.S.
Transportation Command taskable capacity and we are flying this
aircraft around the world doing drogue refueling and probe-and-
drogue, and probe refueling, I'm sorry, boom refueling with
certain aircraft. So I appreciate the fact that Pease leans
forward and volunteers to continue to do this work.
Senator Shaheen. So, as you are thinking about the
challenges ahead to make sure those planes become fully
operational, are you comfortable with Boeing's commitment to
address the challenges that we have with the planes and do you
have a sense of what the timeline is going to be?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Again, while I like to move as quickly as possible, and we
want to hold contractors responsible to meet all requirements
in different contracts, I am seeing positive movements on
resolving the deficiencies of the KC-46 so that we can achieve
FOC as soon as possible.
With respect to, in particular, the Remote Vision System
2.0, we are looking for the timeline of 2024 for cutting into
production and retrofitting those aircraft. So, I am hopeful we
have achieved agreement on a design that we know will be
effective. Our boom operators have been very engaged, as have
yours, and so I look forward to continuing to push this
progress forward as quickly as possible.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you.
One of the things that was discussed when you were in New
Hampshire was the partnership that the 157th has with Delta
Airlines to try and address the real maintenance challenges
that reduce the aircraft flying time.
So, can you talk about how TRANSCOM can address the
overlapping FAA and DOD maintenance requirements, which are
really requiring, I think, a challenge as we look at the future
of, really, not just the KC-46, but aviation?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
You hit on a key thing, again, that the Wing has been very
focused on, is to how to ensure the maximum effectiveness of
our maintenance operations both, in the field and in depot. It
is the United States Air Force's responsibility with respect to
that, so as a TRANSCOM perspective, I will ensure that the Air
Force continues forward to try to streamline and reduce the
maintenance times on these aircraft, which really turns out to
be readiness.
So, as the TRANSCOM Commander, I would be focused on more
fighter readiness and I will absolutely be watching the
readiness of the KC-46.
Senator Shaheen. Is that an area where we need to better
engage the FAA? Are you comfortable that what the FAA is
requiring is necessary?
General Van Ovost. Senator, I am comfortable with their
procedures. We work with them on a number of issues. We have
other commercial platforms that we work with them, and so I am
comfortable with the process that we are going to go through to
ensure we have the most effective, technical orders to operate
off of.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you.
One of the other things we discussed while you were in New
Hampshire was the deterioration of the ramp, the parking ramp
at Pease, and I am out of time, so I will send you a question
for the record, with respect to this, but, again, another
critical issue if we are going to ensure that the 157th
continues to complete its missions and that we can have other
aircraft going through, be able to land at Pease. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Reed. Thank you, Senator Shaheen.
Let me recognize via Webex, Senator Fischer.
Senator Fischer. Thank you Senator Reed.
Thank you, General, for being here with us this morning. I
enjoyed the visit that we had yesterday in my office. Thank you
for taking the time to [inaudible] yesterday.
One of the battlefield conditions that the National Defense
Strategy presupposes is the increasing prevalence of contested
domains, but I think it is unclear to what extent TRANSCOM has
acted on this guidance.
General, what do you view as the key challenges that
TRANSCOM and the Department of Defense must address, with
respect to planning for a potential conflict in a contested
logistics environment and how can we build a more distributed
and resilient [inaudible]?
General Van Ovost. Senator, thank you for the conversation.
As I emphasized earlier, the character of war is changing.
We face direct challenges across all domains, particularly in
previously unmatched areas of superiority, like global
logistics. So, as I think about the challenges that we face, we
have to be able to project and sustain the Joint Force along a
very long, contested line of communication, particularly when
we think about the distances associated in the Indo-Pacific
area.
One of the key areas for the all-domain threats that we
must overcome is cyber operations because they pose significant
threats, as I previously mentioned. We need secure command and
control and modernized digital infrastructure.
As the AMC Commander, responsible for global command and
control, I prioritized our investments in cyber mission
assurance, secure and resilient communications, and data
utilization and management so that we could achieve decision
advantage at the speed of war. Those are the kinds of things
that I would focus on as the Transportation Command Commander,
if confirmed.
Indeed, I understand that USTRANSCOM has a number of
digital modernization initiatives to include some pilot
programs with U.S. Cyber Commands that are very promising,
including Zero Trust.
Senator Fischer. You know, as we look to a possible
conflict, I know that TRANSCOM may be heavily reliant on
commercial partners to participate, for example, the Civil
Reserve Air Fleet and the Ready Reserve Force.
How do you view the potential role of these partners if we
are in a contested, operating environment?
General Van Ovost. Senator, our ability to project and
sustain the Joint Forces are inextricably linked to commercial
industry and those emergency programs that you talked about:
Civil Reserve Air Fleet and Voluntary Intermodal Service
Agreement.
As we go forward, at this time, U.S. Transportation Command
is writing into the contracts to ensure some basic cyber
hygiene standards by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology. As we go forward, as you probably know, they are
required to do a self-assessment every year on their cyber
vulnerabilities. My understanding is TRANSCOM is entering into
a pilot program where they are going to have a third party do
that assessment; take a different look at those companies.
So, I think, if confirmed, I would want to deepen those
relationships with our commercial partners. I would like to
share more so that we understand each other, we understand
where the threat vectors are, and where that attack surface is,
and we have an understanding of where the risks are across the
whole global logistics complex.
Senator Fischer. Thank you.
In September of 2019, TRANSCOM conducted the largest no-
notice sealift exercise of the wartime sealift fleet in the
Command's history, and at the end of the exercise, TRANSCOM
concluded that the readiness rate could delay the buildup on
combat power in the theater of operations.
What has the Command done to address these problems and
what, in your opinion, needs to happen? What more needs to be
done in order to correct that?
General Van Ovost. Senator, warfighting readiness is a key
priority for this command, so as you stated, during the
exercise, the readiness levels were not where we wanted them to
be, where TRANSCOM wanted them to be. Frankly, we have older
ships and some of the Reserve ships are up to 46 years old, and
as you know, older equipment takes longer to maintain and,
perhaps, takes longer to actually bring to the ready for us.
So, the single-most-important thing is I would support the
Navy in their recapitalization effort to buy used.
Senator Fischer. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Reed. Thank you, Senator Fischer.
Let me recognize Senator Kaine and also ask if Senator
Shaheen could preside while I go and vote. The vote is on, the
first vote is on. Thank you.
Senator Kaine. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Ranking Member
Inhofe.
General Van Ovost, I also really appreciated the
conversation we had yesterday. Two topics I just want to raise.
One, the controversy and challenges around the retirement of
the old tankers suggest that maybe we waited too long to begin
the process of figuring out what the new refueling aircraft
should be.
So, trying to learn that lesson and taking it over into the
airlift fleet, our C-17 airframes are pretty old; anywhere from
10 to 25 years old. The C-5s are over 30 years old. So, talk to
me about what the Air Force is thinking about doing to start
the planning of the next generation of cargo aircraft so we can
avoid any time crunch that we have felt in the tanker.
General Van Ovost. Senator, as the AMC Commander, I have
two responsibilities. One, as the Component Commander to the
United States Transportation Command to provide ready capacity
for tasking around the world to project and sustain the force
on a day-to-day capacity; on the other hand, I have an
``organize, train, and equip'' responsibility, where I need to
look out into the future to see how our capacity can remain
credible in order to defeat the threats in the future, so I can
continue to project to sustain the force with credible
capacity.
So, as I think about aging infrastructure, I have to
balance both sides; I have to have capacity today and I must be
able to respond to tomorrow. So, it is a risk between the both.
There is not quite a balance, but there is a risk between the
both.
As I look to the strategic airlift fleet, you are exactly
correct. We are looking into the timelines for the C-5 and when
it has to retire, as well as the C-17. They have performed
magnificently, both, frankly, during Operation Allies Refuge.
So, what we are doing now is we are looking through the joint
warfighting concept at the new threats and the new employment
concepts, which we will have to deliver airlift to, and as we
think about that, we think about the capability. We think about
survivability, you know, full spectrum of survivability and,
frankly, kinetic survivability, and being connected on to the
battlefield so that we have the situational awareness to be
able to make decisions.
So, we are gathering these requirements and then we will
move to an analysis of alternatives, a formal process where we
will then finalize those requirements and run them through the
Joint Staff for approval. So, we are moving forward with that,
but, basically, as we look at our warfighting concepts and we
are doing these war games, that is giving us that insight to be
able to create those requirements that we can then codify for
the next strategic airlifter.
Senator Kaine. Thank you for that answer, General Van
Ovost.
The second topic I wanted to ask you about was raised by
Ranking Member Inhofe and that was the household moves. You
know, being a senator from Virginia with an awful lot of
military members, the moving situation is one that often comes
up, people have concerns about.
I was interested when we talked yesterday, tell the
committee how many times you and your family have had to move
during your career.
General Van Ovost. Senator, we have had to endure 13 moves.
Senator Kaine. So, you have a consumer's view of this
situation and you know how important it is that it be right. We
also talked a little bit about some of the challenges of
managing moves in the status quo, or the status quo ante
environment.
Isn't it the case that you were dealing with more than 900
different moving contractors? That has kind of been what we
have had to manage, which is pretty difficult.
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator. U.S. Transportation
Command has had to reach out, frankly, during COVID and
coordinate and provide information to all of these service
providers to keep them up to date on the different policies and
enforce health-protection measures that we were trying to take,
and to ensure that the capacity delivered during this
incredible time.
Frankly, what we learned in COVID was it really exasperated
the flaws that are in the current contract. Having a single
move manager that would be, with a multi-year contract, they
would be more confident to invest in quality suppliers and
digital IT and will be pressed with the accountability that our
family members deserve.
Senator Kaine. Well, I think the committee knows from
earlier iterations of contracts, like in the housing space, the
contract is only as good as the military's willingness to
exercise deep and intense oversight of the contract.
I appreciate the challenges of the need to make these moves
right to meet families' needs, and because of your own
experience and having had to endure 13 moves with your family
over the course of your military career, it seems to me like
you are the right person to get this right. So, I encourage you
in that.
With that, I yield back.
Senator Shaheen. [Presiding.] Thank you, Senator Kaine.
Senator Cotton?
Senator Cotton. General, thank you for your service to our
country and congratulations on your nomination.
We have spoken on several occasions this morning about
reports and studies. A GAO report released earlier this year
says that in the 5 years and across about a dozen classified or
sensitive studies, quote, the Department of Defense has studied
contested mobility, but has not systematically addressed
recommendations, end quote.
What, in your opinion, is preventing TRANSCOM from
systematically addressing the study recommendations and how can
you improve on this assessment?
General Van Ovost. Senator, facing these, you know, really
threats from China and Russia and strategic competition, we
have learned that we really need to ensure that logistics
planning is integrated with all joint warfighting functions.
Logistics planning is not an add-on and it needs to be part of
the deliberate process as we go forward.
So, if confirmed, Senator, I will work with the other
combatant commanders to ensure that logistics concerns are
being addressed early and we provide options to them for the
best use of these scarce resources.
Senator Cotton. Thank you.
Following on that line, I, too, want to commend our airmen
who performed excellently, a job in Afghanistan that they
should never have had to be perform. They were brave. They were
skillful. They saved many lives.
That is the rare occasion in which we have seen contested
logistics play out in the real world in recent years; however,
the contest we faced in Afghanistan would look like child's
play if we had a conflict with China in the Western Pacific,
and it would have us fighting on all fronts to include, very
much, as you say, on logistics.
What have studies, such as the Mobility Capability
Requirements Study, as well as others, demonstrated regarding
the survivability, efficiency, and reliability of our logistics
systems during a large and contested conflict with China?
General Van Ovost. Senator, the Mobility Capability
Requirements Study did provide a very comprehensive assessment
on what the new employment concepts would do to logistics and
that information was given to the combatant commanders to,
overall, assess the risk to their plans for us having to,
essentially, project and sustain along a long, contested line
of communication.
You are correct, in Afghanistan, early on, the ground line
of communication became non-usable and we had to move to air
lines of communication to execute the retrograde.
So, as we move forward, we take the results from the
Mobility Capability Requirements Study and we would like to
exercise those in our upcoming war games and TTXs so that we
can better tease out the insights required to build a stronger
Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise so that we can
project and sustain throughout strategic competition.
Senator Cotton. Thank you.
China's Belt and Road Initiative has invested substantially
throughout Asia and Africa, increasingly in Europe, in
logistics and transportation hubs, in particular, in
international ports. I would like your assessment on whether
that initiative, and especially its investment in ports, has
created any new access problems for TRANSCOM or do you foresee
it creating access problems, as ports might be potentially
closed to the United States and our partner forces during a
time of crisis.
General Van Ovost. Senator, you have hit on a key concern.
China has been challenging a stable and open international
order, trying to impose their authoritarian model beyond their
borders. They have been coercing our allies and partners to
make different economic, diplomatic, and even security
decisions. Their investments around the world in ports are
something that we are absolutely watching, with respect to how
it would change any access, basing, and overflight that we
critically need.
The good news is we have a deep bench of allies and
partners and we can provide multiple options through multiple
routes and nodes, not just from our organic capability, but by
relying on our commercial partners, who have a very extensive
network throughout the world, and in some cases, that we might
not have access to.
So, going forward, Senator, if confirmed, I will continue
to assess our global posture with respect to China, to ensure
that we can meet all the combatant commanders' requirements.
Senator Cotton. Thank you, I am glad to hear that. TRANSCOM
has a lot of very important responsibilities. I think the
number one priority for TRANSCOM, as all of our combatant
command, needs to be the preparation for, and therefore,
hopefully, the deterrence of a conflict with China.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Cotton.
Next, we have Senator King, via Webex.
Senator King. Thank you, Madam Chair.
First, General, welcome to the committee, and thank you for
your willingness to take on this incredibly important
assignment.
In light of Senator Kaine's questions, I have to mention
that many years ago, I worked in this area for a moving and
storage company that did a huge amount of work for the military
and I will never forget a military spouse telling me that she
considered seven moves to be equal to a fire in terms of her
household goods. So, I know how serious that problem could be,
absolutely, from, literally, from the ground up.
Let me talk a moment about the time of conflict and cyber.
If we are engaged in a conflict, the very first target will be
nuclear command and control by an all-out cyber attack. The
second will be command and control, generally. The third will
be you, will be TRANSCOM.
In your pre-filed remarks, you said something to the
effect, well, you said, the posture of TRANSCOM and the
Department is likely insufficient to deal with a well-
resourced, capable, and determined nation-state adversary.
You just defined China and Russia: well-resourced, capable,
and determined nation-state adversary.
In other words, we are not prepared. I want to hear your
views on what has to be done. This is a ``hair on fire'' issue.
Your whole infrastructure is not going to be functional if you
don't have command and control and the ability to allocate your
resources.
I want to hear your sense of urgency on this issue.
General Van Ovost. Senator, you are exactly correct, the
ability to command and control this enterprise is central to
making an executing logistics decisions around the world. We
must take advantage of the significant advances in commercial
technology and integrate that into military technologies,
especially when it comes to exposing and using data to make
better decisions.
So, if confirmed, I will focus, I will first assess the
digital initiatives that U.S. Transportation Command is
currently executing and I will work to accelerate these
technologies so that we can always retain decision advantage.
But to your point, these are determined enemies and
technology is only going to increase; it will never be one-and-
done. This is about risk management, and so I will apply the
focus to the areas that are the most risk first.
Senator King. Well, in that light, I would urge you to
engage, either in the private sector or within the Department,
your own hackers to determine where your vulnerabilities are.
Every CIO says, we are okay, boss. They don't know whether that
is true until you test it, so I urge you to test it. Because I
can assure you at this very moment, our adversaries are
figuring out how to hack your systems and compromise your
ability to move our resources around the world.
Let me change the subject for a minute to tankers. General
Lyons testified a few years ago that he was concerned that
there could be a gap between the deployment of the KC-46s and
the retirement of the C-135s, a gap in terms of refueling
capability.
Do you feel that that gap has been adequately addressed
today?
General Van Ovost. Senator, a few years ago, that is
exactly where we were headed, but since then, now that we have
brought the KC-46 interim capability release to bear for
USTRANSCOM's taskings, and in addition, we have amazing support
from our total force volunteerism to increase a taskings of the
Guard and Reserve refueling assets. We have been able to meet,
and I foresee that we will absolutely be able to meet the day-
to-day requirements and any wartime requirements made.
Senator King. Have the problems with the boom-management
system in the KC-46 been resolved and, if so, what is the time
frame for restarting the significant deployment of those
airplanes?
General Van Ovost. Senator, the boom deficiencies are still
in work and we are satisfied with the design, and we are
pushing the contractor to continue to integrate and test. We
are looking forward to a 2024 cut into the line to ensure that
in the future, this aircraft can meet all of the requirements.
But until that point, what we are doing with interim
capability release is we are providing a capability to the U.S.
Transportation Command for select missions for that aircraft;
for example, we are refueling now, B-52s, the C-17s, and I
expect we are going to be refueling F-16s and F-15s in the very
near future.
Senator King. Well, I would be remiss if I didn't mention
when it comes time to start the reallocation of the KC-46s,
don't forget the Maineiacs in Bangor who provide incredible
refueling support over the North Atlantic, and we would very
much like to have the KC-46 capability, because most of the
airplanes we are flying up there now are way older than their
pilots.
Thank you very much, General, for your testimony. I look
forward to working with you.
Chairman Reed. [Presiding.] Thank you very much, Senator
King.
I am told that Senator Hawley is on his way, and that would
allow me to ask a question in the interim.
General, with respect to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, did
we learn in lessons, and I presume we are doing an after-action
review, from the operations in Afghanistan, and can you share
any of those lessons with us.
General Van Ovost. Senator, the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, as
you mentioned, this is the third time ever that we actually
activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, and we did it in the
run-up to Operation Allies Refuge.
We start with commercial augmentation; in other words, they
voluntarily contract and meet our commitments, which is,
frankly, how we meet 90 percent of our passenger movement. When
volunteerism wasn't there or we didn't have enough, that is
when the U.S. Transportation Command Commander requested to the
Secretary to activate stage one of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet,
which is 18 long-haul, international, passenger aircraft.
Because we have deepened our relationships with our Civil
Reserve, especially over COVID, where we had numerous
conversations with them because, essentially, we were both
relying on each other for our networks, because international
rules were changing during COVID, and so it was a mutual,
beneficial relationship that we had and we kept each other
informed of what was going on around the world, such that in
the run-up to this activation, we kept them informed that we
might have to activate and they were prepared when the decision
was made.
Now, nothing goes perfectly, and I look forward to
learning, gathering the lessons learned, and worked with the
CRAF to make it a better activation both, from our position and
from their position, but I am so thankful for their
partnership.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much.
Let me suspend my questioning and recognize Senator Hawley.
Senator Hawley. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I really
appreciate your willingness to wait for me.
General, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for
your years of service to our nation and congratulations on your
nomination.
I want to ask you a question that I have asked all the
senior leaders who have come before this committee. I will
preface this by saying that Secretary Austin has reaffirmed
several times now that China is the pacing threat, emphasis on
``the,'' for the Department.
Do you agree with that, that China is the pacing threat?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Senator Hawley. Very good.
I have also asked the Secretary, Deputy Secretary Hicks,
and just about every other Defense leader if the United States
should maintain its ability to defeat a Chinese fait accompli
with regard to Taiwan. They have all responded yes.
I want to ask you, I have been, myself, a real pest on this
issue and I don't want to let my reputation slide, so I want to
ask you, General, if we agree that we need to maintain the
ability to defeat a potential Chinese fait accompli against
Taiwan?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Senator Hawley. Very good.
Given the importance of this, do you agree that TRANSCOM
needs to prioritize that scenario, the fait accompli scenario,
as it develops plans, concepts, and capabilities?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Senator Hawley. Very good.
Now, General, Admirals Davidson and Aquilino have both
warned us that China might attempt a fait accompli against
Taiwan sooner than previously anticipated. This, I think, was
eye-opening testimony that this committee heard earlier this
year.
Do you agree that the threat of a fait accompli against
Taiwan is something we need to be worried about in this decade
and not just in the 2030s and beyond, but potentially sooner
than that?
General Van Ovost. Senator, I am not privy to all the
intelligence that the geographic combatant commander would have
with respect to the driving threats, but I would say that the
rapid, technological advances that China makes are very
disturbing.
Senator Hawley. Would you agree that we need to be able to,
we need to be prepared to blunt and also deny that offensive,
any potential offensive from the beginning, from the start, if
China should attempt it?
General Van Ovost. Senator, I believe from the U.S.
Transportation Command position that we need to ensure that we
have the favorable, global posture, credible capacity, and
ability to securely command and control so that we can be agile
enough to respond to the INDOPACOM requirements of the
[inaudible] plan.
Senator Hawley. Let me ask you about some of the logistics
requirements for blunting a Chinese fait accompli.
How might those differ from the logistics requirements for
fighting and winning a protracted war in INDOPACOM? So, help us
understand the difference, logistically, between denying on the
front end and fighting a lengthy war, by contrast.
General Van Ovost. Senator, U.S. Transportation Command is
responsible to deliver an immediate force tonight and a
decisive force, when necessary, as you pointed out, the blunt
versus the continuation.
As we go forward and look into the plans, our Mobility
Capability Requirements Study of 2020 recently looked at this
contested environment and validated the requirements for
sealift, airlift, and air refueling to defeat this kind of war.
So, where there is a balance, the other piece that we will be
looking into, with respect to the study, is the posture, you
know, where do we need to be postured; where do our logistics
need to be; where does the fuel need to be.
If confirmed, I will work with INDOPACOM with the services
and DLA to best posture to meet the INDOPACOM Command
requirements.
Senator Hawley. Very good.
Let me ask you this, the Joint Force has limited lift
capacity and this past August, we used over half of our
available C-17s, if I am not incorrect, in our inventory to
support the evacuation operations in Afghanistan. Those
capacity limits have significant implications for the force's
ability to manage multiple conflicts at once.
Are you concerned by the threat of simultaneous conflicts,
potential simultaneous conflicts, for instance, in Asia and in
Europe, and TRANSCOM's ability to satisfy any operational
requirements, should we have kinetic operations in multiple
theaters at one time?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator. First, I would say that
the surge for Afghanistan, I want to just say how proud I am of
the airmen, of maintenance, and crew operators, who were able
to surge the fleet and safely and effectively accomplish this
operation.
When I look to the Mobility Capability Requirements Study
2020, this is exactly what it looked at: What is the integrated
scenario we might be up against should we go against a peer
conflict, and what are the requirements for each of the
capabilities, in my case, that Air Mobility Command brings: the
airlift, air refueling, air medical evacuation, and global
mobility support.
It did recognize that we would be stressed to meet the
globally integrated requirement for air refueling and for
intra-theater airlift.
Senator Hawley. Let me ask you how you would approach and
prepare for the possibility of simultaneous conflicts in
multiple theaters.
General Van Ovost. Senator, I believe that using the
warfighting construct of our favorable posture, our credible
capacity, and secure command and control, we need to constantly
re-look at, given the threat, and we would have to change our
posture based on how the threat changes. I would work with the
Secretary of Defense and with the combatant commanders, again,
to meet the requirements.
Senator Hawley. Thank you for being here. I may have a few
more questions for you for the record. Thanks, again, for your
service.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you again. I appreciate you waiting
for me.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much, Senator Hawley.
Now, let me recognize, via Webex, Senator Gillibrand.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I am sorry
I am off the floor, so it is not as quiet as it should be.
General, one of the issues that I have heard a lot in my
office that I wanted to check with you about was the fact that
a lot of servicemembers is how COVID delays have negatively
affected their PCSing, including being told to handle their own
move, since there are not enough TRANSCOM contractors and
services available to assist them.
So, if confirmed, can I have your commitment that you will
work to improve the PCSing experience for our personnel?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Senator Gillibrand. The second issue is the vaccine gap on
the last mile. I understand TRANSCOM has done a lot to
facilitate the distribution of vaccines worldwide; however,
there is still inequity between developing nations and
developed nations. Less than 4 percent of the African
population is fully vaccinated, whereas 70 percent of the
European population is vaccinated, for instance.
Experts in both, the public and private sectors, have
blamed the last mile problem as the bottleneck. This includes
getting the frozen vaccines from logistics hubs.
Can you tell me how you will respond to this, if confirmed?
General Van Ovost. Senator, U.S. Transportation Command, if
requested, by the Department of State, does contract or deliver
COVID vaccines and personal protective equipment around the
world, and we have done so on various occasions.
If confirmed, I will work with the Department of State and
Department of Defense as they give us the tasks, but as you are
probably aware, the Department of Defense does not make the
decisions on where the vaccines go.
Senator Gillibrand. Yes. Well, thank you, again.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for letting me have time for a few
questions.
I appreciate you both. God bless.
Chairman Reed. Thank you, Senator Gillibrand.
Now, I may resume my second round, but, General, there is--
well, I see Senator Kelly arriving and if--oh, excuse me, we
have Senator Duckworth now on the Webex.
So, Senator Duckworth, you are recognized.
Senator Duckworth. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I just wanted to welcome General Van Ovost to this and I
want to commend the General's leadership and recognize the
servicemembers of Air Mobility Command for conducting the
historic, largest, non-combatant rescue, evacuation airlift in
history. I am so proud of TRANSCOM's monumental efforts in
August, as well as the continued work of servicemembers across
the United States military in providing ongoing airlift support
of our Afghan allies, including volunteers from the 182nd
Airlift Wing in Peoria, Illinois.
I think we are all witnessing real time example of why it
is so important that we plan for and resource our logistics and
sustainment capabilities as much as we plan for and resource
our combat capabilities. Our logistics enterprise is absolutely
vital for responding to emergencies, while preparing for future
conflicts.
General Van Ovost, welcome. Based on the finding from the
most recent Mobility Capability Requirements Study, if you are
confirmed, how will you ensure TRANSCOM is balancing steady
state requirements, emergency response missions, and
preparation for future operations in a contested environment?
General Van Ovost. Senator, thank you for the earlier
discussion and thank you for your support of logistics around
the world.
We are simply a strategic capability, really, unmatched by
any other nation to be able to project and sustain our force
around the world, and it is very helpful that you bring forward
the thoughts about the critical role that logistics plays, and
not simply within an old plan, but, frankly, from a deterrent
value. Our logistics formations can absolutely deter when we
have these deep relationships with our allies and partners and
we become more interoperable with them and we use their
logistics chains, as well as very, very powerful, when our
enemies see that.
Speaking to the Mobility Capability Requirements Study and
the need to project decisive force along a long, contested line
of communication, if confirmed, I will not only assess these
results with the services, but I will work with the combatant
commanders on their operational plans to ensure that we can
provide them multiple options to meet their needs both, for an
immediate force tonight and a decisive force, when needed.
Senator Duckworth. Thank you, General.
Following up on that, as the services are looking to divest
from older platforms, like the C-130, for example, what future
capabilities are required to meet future challenges, especially
in the Indo-Pacific Region, as far as TRANSCOM is concerned?
General Van Ovost. Senator, as we look to the joint
warfighting concept and the embedding concepts, in particular,
the joint concept for contested logistics, we recognize that we
have gaps in our capabilities in strategic competition. So, I
think about ensuring that we participate from a logistics
standpoint in the joint warfighting, in the games, in the
exercises, and tabletop to tease out those insights where we
can then increase the credibility of logistics around the
world.
So, not only from there, the warfighting concepts from the
different services, but we, indeed, need to think about doing
new things, with respect to logistics. I think about having and
utilizing data to make better logistics decisions more
effective to use our critical resources better, especially, in
a very dynamic situation, and then ensuring that we can
actually execute those orders with a secure and resilient
command and control.
Senator Duckworth. Well, as you are doing that, do you
think that TRANSCOM is adequately represented in the
formulation of the upcoming NDS?
General Van Ovost. Senator, I understand that U.S.
Transportation Command has provided advice for the new National
Defense Strategy, which is in formulation inside the
Department. If confirmed, I will continue to provide that
advice to the Secretary of Defense concerning logistics and,
again, how logistics formations can increase deterrence and how
logistics needs to be integrated with all the joint warfighting
functions to be most effective for the warfighter.
Senator Duckworth. I couldn't agree with you more. I have
been unwavering in my insistence that we cannot build a combat-
credible deterrence if we do not have the logistics capability
and capacity to realistically support the complex military
operational plans that we are likely to be executing.
You touched on training a little bit. Can you touch a
little, can you expand a little bit more on any training
exercises or strategic planning that TRANSCOM must participate
in over the next few years to get a clear picture of the state
of our strategic capabilities, like the Ready Reserve Force, as
well as to ensure that our operational plans adequately factor
in logistics and sustainment concerns.
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator, and you are probably aware
of the several Capstone exercises by INDOPACOM and EUCOM,
Defender series, and various service games that we want to
ensure that we are a part of so that we can, again, tease those
insights out for how we are going to operate better together
into the future and how we are going to increase our
interoperability, not just with the services, but with our
allies and partners, who can be of great benefit to us to
ensure that we can capitalize on their capabilities.
Senator Duckworth. Thank you, General.
I am over time, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much, Senator Duckworth.
Now, let me recognize Senator Blumenthal. Senator
Blumenthal, please.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for your service, General, and thanks for being
here today.
I have been very personally involved in assisting
individuals with efforts to evacuate from Afghanistan both, in
Kabul and in Mazar-i-Sharif. After the United States'
withdrawal was completed, as you know, thousands of Afghan
allies, along with Americans, fled to Mazar-i-Sharif or sought
to leave Kabul, despite the absence of the American airlift or
the end of it. A lot of them are currently in hiding. They are
desperate. Their situation is urgent.
Yesterday, Simcom canceled further flights to Al Udeid
because of flight manifest discrepancies and I know that the
air evacuation has been impeded by the cancellation of those
flights. The flight manifests that I have seen have been fully
vetted numerous times, far more than the manifests made on
flights from Kabul before the American withdrawal. So the lives
of Americans and hundreds of Afghan allies hang in the balance.
I don't doubt our commitment to evacuate U.S. citizens and
vulnerable allies, but we keep erecting unnecessary
bureaucratic hurdles, when time is of the essence.
My question to you as a logistics expert, and I believe,
future combatant commander, can we depend on you to provide any
and all assistance to get the air bridge from Kabul and Mazar-
i-Sharif to Al Udeid back open and to keep it open for a
sufficient number of days?
General Van Ovost. Senator, while I cannot comment on the
Department of State or the immigration or flight manifest
vetting, what I can say is that if the refugees do make it to
one of our lily pads, so, for example, Al Udeid, then U.S.
Transportation Command would then be subsequently tasked to
provide their airlift movement to the final destination and we
would absolutely support that effort.
Senator Blumenthal. Well, as you know, even before the
withdrawal in late August, I and other members of the Senate,
veterans groups, NGOs [non-governmental organizations], private
citizens have been working tirelessly, along with the
Administration, to evacuate as many citizens, legal permanent
residents, SIB holders, and other Afghan allies with their
families, as quickly as possible. I hope that you will be
committed to participate and to support that effort, despite
our absence; that is American military absence.
Do we have your commitment on that point?
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator.
Senator Blumenthal. Let me ask you, assuming you are
confirmed, do you have specific steps in mind that United
States Transportation Command can play in addressing climate
change, which has been judged to be a national security threat?
General Van Ovost. Now, Senator, climate change is a threat
to infrastructure and operations, and it absolutely drives
instability around the world. I have seen that firsthand as the
Air Mobility Command Commander, who had been asked to respond
to disasters and provide humanitarian relief. So, it absolutely
is a critical concern and climate considerations will be a part
of how we inform our strategies, our plans, and our
infrastructure going into the future.
If confirmed, I look forward to looking at the strategies
plans and the infrastructure and evaluating them with respect
to the climatology of those locations.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you, very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Reed. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.
Senator Kelly, please?
Senator Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General, great seeing you again. Congratulations on your
nomination.
I would like to follow-up with some of the discussion that
we had last week. General, a concern of mine that I believe you
share is the readiness of our nation's sealift capabilities.
Our competitors are investing heavily in this area; in fact,
the Naval War College published an assessment this spring,
which found that the Chinese maritime industry is now the
largest in the world in nearly every relevant category, from
investment in global ports to shipbuilding, while our former
dominance of this industry is slipping.
Just to put this in perspective, right now, the Chinese
have over 5,000 ocean-going merchant vessels. We have less than
a hundred.
After years of focus on counterinsurgency, we need to take
a clear-eyed look at the range of scenarios our military must
prepare for. It is absolutely vital that we assess and respond
to the unique demands of engagement in regions as distant as
INDOPACOM, the Indo-Pacific Region.
So, to start, General, can you say a bit about our current
state of readiness and any concerns that you have about our
sealift capability.
General Van Ovost. Senator, you rightly hit upon a concern.
China has been developing capabilities in order to project
combat power around the world to secure their overseas
interests and objectives. It is concerning, it is concerning
from an access, basing, and overflight, and it is concerning
with respect to their capabilities to monitor our capabilities
around the world.
With respect to warfighting readiness, which is a key to
our functioning as a warfighting combatant command, the
Mobility Capability Requirements Study did validate the amount
of sealift that we would need to deliver a decisive force, and
I am concerned about the readiness, given the age of the fleet
and the maintenance, and its day-to-day readiness capacity.
So, the first thing I would do is I would continue the
great work by TRANSCOM, working with the Navy, to execute their
buy-used strategy, so that we can get more U.S.-flagged, U.S.-
manned, sealift capability that we can count on. In addition,
the recent fuel tanker study did validate the fact that we had
insufficient U.S.-flagged POL tanker capacity to meet the needs
of the National Defense Strategy.
So, if confirmed, I will work with the Navy and MARAD on a
way forward to try to secure more U.S.-flagged tanker capacity.
Senator Kelly. Yeah, to do that, we have got to get, figure
out a way to get more U.S.-built ships, as well, U.S.-flagged,
U.S.-crewed to meet this need, and I feel we need some rapid
progress on this front. We can't wait years. This is a national
security issue. If we can't meet the requirements of the NDS,
we put our national security at risk.
So, I would like to see a plan, and I am going to work with
my colleagues on both sides of the aisle of this, to return our
sealift capability to what it formerly was, where it had the
capability to meet the needs of our nation, because that is not
true today.
So, I think it is important that we all understand that
this is a critical investment to make as a nation, and this is
going to need to be a whole-of-government effort, including
stakeholders outside of this committee's jurisdiction. So, I
appreciate your commitment to this issue and I look forward to
working with you more on it after your confirmation.
With that, I yield back the remainder of my time. Thank
you.
Chairman Reed. Thank you very much, Senator Kelly.
General, let me resume and ask some additional questions.
Some of our colleagues are trying to get online by Webex and
some may be trying to return, but as I noted initially, there
are votes in progress, also.
It is usually the little things that go wrong and mess up
all the big things we have planned. That is what I learned when
I was wearing the uniform, and U.S. roads and U.S. bridges
could be some of those little things.
I was struck when the Commander of the 4th, the 3rd ID,
rather, at Fort Stewart indicated his real problem is the
railroad bridges can't sustain the weight of the tanks that he
would have to roll out there to the port of embarkation. So,
you could have your ships ready, down and ready to take them
on, but they don't get there on time or they never get there.
There is, under TRANSCOM, the Defense Access Road Program,
and it is a cooperation between the DOD and the Department of
Transportation to jointly address surface-transportation issues
with a concern to DOD. It is neglected, frankly.
In the fiscal year 2020 and 2021 NDAA [National Defense
Authorization Act] legislation, we put in extensive amendments
to try to update the program and energize the program. In one
respect, it was a reflection of the growing concern over rising
oceans, et cetera, and many of our bases are right along the
coast and the roads and railroads are affected by this.
TRANSCOM and associated entities have yet to issue any
updates to their guidance and eligibility criteria for projects
under the DAR program, so can you give us an update as to what
is happening with the DAR program, how are our changes being
implemented, and the status of coordination between the DOT and
the Federal Highway Administration, et cetera. Again, great
strategists don't usually think about the road outside the
base; they are thinking about, you know, do I have enough
ships? Do I have enough? But it is the little things, so any
comments, I would appreciate.
General Van Ovost. Yes, Senator. You pointed to a critical
capability. Our posture is really dependent upon, it starts
with the national infrastructure here and power projection,
especially from our Army, power projection platforms begins
with sufficient road and rail capacity to get to the seaports,
as part of the initial marshaling for projection of that
decisive power into the future.
I am not familiar with the Defense Access Road Program, but
I am familiar with the national, the infrastructure bills and
the various strategic highway programs and strategic rail
programs. My understanding is that U.S. Transportation Command
has been working with the Department of Transportation on
providing some advice in the areas of most risk in that area.
So, Chairman, if confirmed, I would look to come back to
you with my assessment of the DAR program.
Chairman Reed. Well, thank you very much, General.
Again, this might be seen as details, but as I keep
harping, it is the little stuff that, oops, we forgot that, and
the big stuff doesn't happen.
We are at a juncture where my colleagues, we have no one, I
think, available on either the Webex or in person; as such,
General, let me thank you for your testimony and I look forward
to your confirmation and to your service as the next USTRANSCOM
Commander.
Thank you very much, ma'am.
General Van Ovost. Thank you, Chairman.
Chairman Reed. With that, the hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 10:50 a.m., the Committee adjourned.]
------
[Prepared questions submitted to General Jacqueline D. Van
Ovost, USAF by Chairman Reed prior to the hearing with answers
supplied follow:]
Questions and Responses
duties and qualifications
Question. What is your understanding of the duties and functions of
the Commander, U.S. Transportation Command?
Answer. The Commander, United States Transportation Command
(USTRANSCOM), is responsible for providing air, land, and sea
transportation for the DOD, in peace, crisis and war. USTRANSCOM
executes through three component commands and two subordinate commands
to accomplish this mission: Air Mobility Command (AMC), Military
Sealift Command (MSC), and the Military Surface Deployment and
Distribution Command (SDDC), as well as the Joint Transportation
Reserve Unit (JTRU) and the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC).
The Commander is assigned five responsibilities in the Unified Command
Plan (UCP), to include: Mobility Joint Force Provider, DOD single
manager for transportation, Joint Deployment and Distribution
Enterprise planning and operations, DOD Single Manager for Patient
Movement, and the Joint Enabling Capabilities provider.
Question. What background and experience do you possess that
qualify you to perform these duties?
Answer. Beyond my experience commanding mobility units at multiple
levels and staff experience at USTRANSCOM headquarters, I was the
Director for Mobility Forces in CENTCOM, coordinating with the
Combatant Command, Services, and USTRANSCOM, to ensure the Commander's
operational scheme of maneuver was supported across the theater. My
time on the Joint Staff as the Deputy Director for Europe, NATO, and
Russia Plans and Policy, then subsequently the Vice Director of the
Joint Staff, provided in-depth knowledge and experience with the
National Defense Strategy, roles of the Services, Combatant Commanders,
the Chairman, and the Secretary of Defense to create and execute
globally integrated plans and comprehensive policies that achieve
national interests.
My subsequent time as the Director of the Air Staff provided the
experience of balancing service responsibilities to organize, train and
equip ready forces for today and tomorrow, with meeting the demands of
the Combatant Commander as they fulfill National Defense Strategy
requirements today. This position directly led to my selection as
Commander, Air Mobility Command, the Air Component of USTRANSCOM.
Question. Do you believe that there are any steps that you need to
take to enhance your expertise to perform the duties of the Commander,
U.S. Transportation Command?
Answer. As the current USTRANSCOM Air Component Commander, I am
aware of the breadth of USTRANSCOM's worldwide responsibilities. If
confirmed, I will engage with all of USTRANSCOM's component commands,
DOD agencies, and commercial partners to ensure I fully understand the
range of challenges they face in order to accomplish USTRANSCOM's
crucial mission.
relationships
Question. If confirmed, what will be your relationship with:
The Secretary of Defense.
Answer. The Commander, USTRANSCOM, performs his or her duties under
the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense. The
USTRANSCOM Commander is responsible directly to the Secretary of
Defense to carry out the command's missions.
Question. The Deputy Secretary of Defense
Answer. The Deputy Secretary of Defense has the authority to act
for the Secretary of Defense when serving as his designated
representative in the Secretary's absence. As such, the USTRANSCOM
Commander will report to and through the Deputy Secretary when serving
in that capacity.
6. Question. The Under Secretaries of Defense
Answer. Under Secretaries of Defense coordinate and exchange
information with DOD components, including Combatant Commands, which
have collateral or related functions. In practice, this coordination
and exchange is normally routed through the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. Additionally, the Under Secretary of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment provides logistics policy for the
Department. If confirmed as a Combatant Commander, I look forward to
continuing these relationships.
Question. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Answer. As specified in Title 10, U.S.C., the Chairman is the
principal military advisor to the President, the National Security
Council, the Homeland Security Council, and Secretary of Defense. The
Chairman is not, by law, in the chain of command, which runs from the
President through the Secretary of Defense to each Combatant Commander.
In his or her role as the Global Integrator, however, the CJCS plays an
important role in a full range of security matters on behalf of the
Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, I will keep the Chairman fully
informed regarding USTRANSCOM matters.
Question. The Service Secretaries and Service Chiefs
Answer. Each Service Secretary is responsible for equipping,
training, and maintaining ready forces belonging to that Military
Department. Close coordination with each Service Secretary providing
forces to USTRANSCOM is essential to ensure the Joint Deployment and
Distribution Enterprise (JDDE) remains ready to meet national security
requirements. In addition, USTRANSCOM is responsible to deliver
service-provided forces to Combatant Commanders. If confirmed as the
Commander USTRANSCOM, I will continue my predecessors' productive
dialogue with the Service Chiefs and the Commandant of the U.S. Coast
Guard.
Question. The other Combatant Commanders
Answer. As one of four UCP-designated Combatant Commands with
Transregional responsibilities, USTRANSCOM's primary mission is to
support each of the Combatant Commanders in accomplishing the
responsibilities assigned to them in the UCP. Given the complexity of
today's security environment, it is essential all the Combatant
Commanders work together to execute U.S. national security policy. If
confirmed, I will continue to build upon the trust and mutual support
my predecessors have fostered with the other Combatant Commanders.
Question. The Director of the Defense Logistics Agency
Answer. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) manages the global
supply chain for the DOD, other Federal agencies, and partner and
allied nations. USTRANSCOM maintains a strong strategic partnership
with DLA. USTRANSCOM includes the DLA Director in our periodic
Component Commanders conferences, and if confirmed I have every
intention of continuing to bolster this relationship. USTRANSCOM and
DLA have ongoing transformational efforts to improve the JDDE
operational outcomes and lay the groundwork for data-related
initiatives.
major challenges and priorities
Question. In your view, what are the major challenges confronting
the next Commander, U.S. Transportation Command?
Answer. USTRANSCOM is a warfighting combatant command that enables
the projection and sustainment of combat power at a time and place of
our Nation's choosing. As the character of logistics evolves, we
increasingly face direct challenges across all domains, particularly in
areas of previously unmatched superiority - including our global
logistics capability. Accordingly, the Command's major challenges are
maintaining warfighting readiness and modernizing the DOD's
transportation assets. The sealift and aerial refueling fleets are
aging, demanding recapitalized fleets capable of operating in contested
environments. Additionally, we must maintain a competitive edge with
our adversaries in the cyber domain. Command and control is an
essential element of our warfighting framework, necessitating steady
focus on cyber assurance and improved cyber security. If confirmed as
the next USTRANSCOM Commander, I will ensure the JDDE remains capable
of projecting decisive military power while preserving the ability to
command and control global mobility operations.
Question. If confirmed, what plans do you have for addressing these
challenges?
Answer. If confirmed, I will work with my fellow Combatant
Commanders, Service Chiefs, Defense Agencies, Joint Staff and OSD
partners to assess risks and collaboratively develop mitigation
strategies. My near-term challenge will be dealing with the ever-
growing number of cyber adversaries. I will continue the Command's
efforts to pursue several initiatives in cyber resiliency and digital
modernization, as well as partner with the commercial sector to improve
JDDE cyber security. Fortunately, for sealift, there is a
recapitalization plan in place to acquire used sealift vessels over the
next 10 years; and I will ensure we continue partnering with the Navy
to ensure we have the necessary Congressional authorities. As the Air
Mobility Command Commander, I am familiar with the aerial refueling
challenges, and I support the USAF's plan to release KC-46 interim
capability for select missions, while carefully managing legacy tanker
retirements and securing additional Reserve man-days to meet day-to-day
and crisis requirements.
national defense strategy (nds)
Question. The 2018 NDS prioritized the ``long-term, strategic
competition'' with revisionist powers China and Russia as the primary
challenge with which the United States must contend, while also
recognizing the need to deter and counter rogue regimes like North
Korea and Iran and move to a more resource sustainable approach to
counterterrorism.
In your view, what, if any, changes should be considered in
reshaping the NDS, taking into account developments since 2018?
Answer. USTRANSCOM has made recommendations to the team preparing
the forthcoming NDS, and most of those inputs can only be shared in a
classified environment. As Secretary Austin has written and spoken, the
need for an integrated approach to deterrence should be an important
concept shaping the future NDS and the Nation's approach to either
potential near peer threats such as China or Russia or rogue regimes
like North Korea and Iran. I recommend that even though the 2018 NDS
specified Resilient and Agile Logistics as a key competitive advantage
for the United States, the future NDS should more directly address the
very real deterrent effect logistics formations and investments have
through their demonstrated ability to project and sustain US power to
any point on the globe at a time and place of our choosing. That can
take the form of delivering a combat brigade or pallets of vaccine
doses. Recent cyberattacks on the Colonial Pipeline or supply chain
entities clearly demonstrate that our ability to project power can and
(we expect) will be disrupted and contested. The future NDS should
prioritize investments in strategic mobility assets, changes in
operating concepts and investments in our allies and partners. Those
investments speak directly to President Biden's Interim National
Security Strategic Guidance requirement, ``to defend access to the
global commons, including freedom of navigation and overflight rights,
under international law.'' Therefore, to reiterate, the 2021 NDS should
expand upon logistics, strategic mobility, and the access, basing and
overflight agreements that are the foundation for our ability to
achieve the Nation's security objectives. Consequently, we should
ensure the NDS recognizes the importance of logistics requirements and
challenges to the Department's ability to successfully achieve the
objectives of the NDS.
Question. What capabilities do you believe the Joint Force needs
from the U.S. Transportation Command to prevail in competition with
great power adversaries?
Answer. Our ability to rapidly move forces transoceanic distances
is a strategic comparative advantage, providing a wide range of options
in support of the National Defense Strategy while creating multiple
dilemmas for our adversaries. Should deterrence fail, USTRANSCOM
delivers two capabilities for DOD:
#1, an immediate force tonight, and
#2, a decisive force when needed.
USTRANSCOM's responsibility to the Secretary of Defense is global
power projection and the ability to prioritize limited resources to the
highest strategic priority, shifting temporally and spatially across
the globe to meet the highest national security objective.
The NDS's Global Operating Model and Dynamic Force Employment
concepts emphasize sustaining capabilities for major combat, while
``providing options for proactive and scalable employment of the Joint
Force.''
Question. How do you intend to work with the services to implement
these concepts while balancing the need to rebuild readiness?
Answer. USTRANSCOM will continue to work with military Service
Departments to address air refueling, airlift, and sealift readiness
concerns, to provide the capabilities needed to support a modernized
Global Operating Model while enabling concepts such as Dynamic Force
Employment (DFE). We will continue to fully support and are actively
engaged with the Joint Staff, fellow combatant commands, and the
Services in developing the emerging Joint Warfighting Concept and its
supporting concepts, especially the Joint Concept for Contested
Logistics.
USTRANSCOM's ability to project and sustain military forces is
inextricably linked to commercial industry, which provides critical
transportation capacity and access to global networks to meet
requirements in both the competition phase and times of crisis. We can
and do leverage commercial industry creating space for our organic
capabilities to train and rebuild readiness, while maintaining our
ability to support the Joint Force.
As part of its focus on near peer competitors, the NDS disputes the
decades-long assumption that the U.S. military will have uncontested
access to international airspace and sea lanes. Given this new threat:
Question. What areas of operations will be more challenging for the
joint distribution and deployment enterprise, and what would you do, if
confirmed, to mitigate those challenges?
Answer. As accurately described in the NDS, the U.S. military no
longer has assured access to international airspace and sea lanes.
Beyond the physical challenges in our ``fight to get to the fight,''
supply chains are neither robust nor resilient, presenting dilemmas
across the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise in sustainment
operations for all commodities, particularly with liquid energy.
Additionally, USTRANSCOM's partnerships with commercial entities that
use unclassified information systems add to the challenge of ensuring
reliable communication, command, and control systems required to
effectively lead global distribution and sustainment operations across
the JDDE.
I will work with DLA, the Services, fellow Combatant Commands, and
commercial partners to attain the agreements and resolutions necessary
to reduce these vulnerabilities while preserving our ability to project
and sustain military power globally. I will leverage existing DOD
forums to develop cross functional solutions and action plans, as well
as engage in well-established associations with our air, sea, and
surface industry partners to address specific challenges related to our
commercial associates. Finally, I will work with the JDDE to ensure
solutions are developed, scrutinized, and prioritized using all
available tools at my disposal including, but not limited to, the Joint
Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) and Integrated
Priority List (IPL).
Question. Do these challenges require the services to generate more
capabilities to deal with anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) environments,
where we could face greater enemy mine or ISR capabilities?
Answer. DOD is in the process of modifying the way we think about
mobility operations to better understand the investment trades required
to preserve our ability to project military power globally. All the
Services are pursuing multiple different capabilities to combat
persistent, multi-domain A2/AD challenges, to include adversary mine
and ISR capabilities, within the future operating environment. If
confirmed, I am fully committed to work across the Department and with
the Services to continue this important effort.
contested logistics
Question. Over the last several years, DOD and U.S. Indo-Pacific
Command (INDOPACOM) have conducted or sponsored several studies on
contested mobility and logistics which have resulted in more than 50
recommendations. However, the GAO found that DOD has failed to
implement many of these recommendations. As a result, DOD and INDOPACOM
may be missing an opportunity to leverage existing knowledge on
mobility challenges in contested environments and increase resilience
for major conflicts as envisioned in the National Defense Strategy.
In your opinion, what are the highest priorities and key challenges
that DOD must address in a contested logistics environment in a
potential conflict with China and Russia? Please identify which of
those challenges are unique to either China or Russia and which are
common to both.
Answer. Long, contested lines of communications and the tyranny of
distance in the Indo-Pacific region create dilemmas that will require
the integration of logistics planning across all warfighting functions
to support the Joint war fight. Common to both China and Russia, the
growth in demand from increasingly dispersed operations, increasingly
complex and lethal kinetic platforms, and extended adversary anti-
access/area denial capabilities place immediate stressors on the Joint
Deployment and Distribution Enterprise to support forward forces
immediately, as we rapidly build capacity to deploy a decisive force.
Strategic lift (sea and air) assets and the ability to dynamically
command and control those assets remain critical when looking at both
great power challenges. Strategic lift allows us to present a sizeable
Joint Force at scale around the globe. Additionally, air refueling is a
key enabler that allows this enterprise to rapidly deploy fighters and
bombers, as well as support the employment of those combat aircraft
across strategic distances.
Ongoing recapitalization efforts remain crucial to this enterprise.
We need to sustain efforts to recapitalize our sealift fleet to improve
our readiness and capacity to project the Joint Force. The KC-46 is
another key investment to recapitalize the aging AR fleet. However,
even when the 179th KC-46 is delivered, there will still be 300 KC-135s
at 67 plus years of age. Investments in air refueling will remain
necessary. In addition to recapitalization efforts, we must also
continue to invest in the readiness and maintenance of some of our
older platforms. We have a great relationship with the Navy and the Air
Force and are extremely appreciative of their efforts to enhance
spending for readiness.
Finally, intratheater lift (airlift and sealift) is also critical
to sustain and support the force to meet volume and time-sensitive
requirements for cargo, passengers, and fuel. This is especially the
case in the Indo-Pacific region. As captured in both the Mobility
Capability Requirements Study and Fuel Tanker Vessel Study recently
provided to Congress, the Department must continue efforts to identify
the types and mix of intratheater air and sealift assets needed to
successfully support and sustain operations in the future operating
environment.
Question. What capability and/or capacity shortfalls in the current
Joint Force present the most significant challenge to supporting U.S.
Transportation Command operations in these contested environments?
Answer. The full capacity of the JDDE relies upon timely access to
the Reserve Components and emergency preparedness programs like the
Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift
Agreement (VISA) that leverage commercial industry augmentation. The
Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA directed a Mobility Capability Requirements Study
(MCRS) to assess the adequacy of the JDDE's capacity relative to the
current NDS. The study assessed the demands associated with the
National Defense Strategy and factored the implications of contested
environments on degraded mobility outputs. I have reviewed the findings
and recommendations of the recently released MCRS and Fuel Tanker
Vessel Study, and if confirmed, I will work with the Joint community to
implement appropriate recommendations from the study.
Question. Which programs, in your assessment, are the highest
priorities for mitigating current and emerging warfighting capability
and/or capacity shortfalls in the Joint Force?
Answer. The recently completed Mobility Capability Requirements
Study (MCRS) and Fuel Tanker Vessel Studies provide a great roadmap for
challenges facing USTRANSCOM as the Department looks at the future
Joint Operating Environment. If confirmed, I'm committed to review and
implement recommendations stemming from the studies while also
conducting my own review and assessment of the JDDE to ensure the DOD
mobility enterprise is prepared to meet current and future requirements
consistent with the Joint Operating Environment described in the NDS.
In my current role as the Commander, Air Mobility Command, I am aware
these priorities may include enhanced cyber mission assurance,
improving command and control capabilities, while also sustaining key
ongoing recapitalization efforts, like air refueling and sealift
recapitalization. Finally, as captured in both recently completed
studies, the Department must work to identify the right type and mix of
intra-theater (sea and air) capabilities for the future operating
environment.
Given the ``tyranny of distance'' in the Pacific, there are
significant challenges specifically related to energy requirements in a
contested environment, which could be mitigated by making targeted
investments and operational energy improvements to both military
platforms and installations.
Question. If confirmed, what role would you take to reduce
contested logistics vulnerabilities in INDOPACOM and elsewhere, and
what specific operational energy improvements do you envision pursuing?
Answer. USTRANSCOM recently completed the Fuel Tanker Vessel Study
to address the department's ability to meet future combatant commander
deployment and sustainment requirements. The study considered both U.S.
flagged and foreign flagged capacity to ensure enough capacity exists
to meet NDS requirements. The study also considered contested
environment impacts likely to be encountered in future operations. The
study concluded that there is insufficient US Flag tanker capacity to
meet NDS requirements. DOD will have an enduring need for foreign flag
tanker augmentation. However, the mission, location, and timing of some
fuel delivery requirements drives the need for U.S. flag tankers.
Though there is sufficient friendly foreign flag capacity, there is
substantial risk to mission associated with a heavy reliance on foreign
flag tankers, particularly for intra-theater missions within a
contested environment. The analysis clearly demonstrated the need for a
Tanker Security Program in addition to identifying several other
solutions. These solutions, working together, are important steps
toward a comprehensive strategy to increase U.S. flag tanker capacity,
to reduce the risk of reliance on foreign flag tankers for the most
important fuel missions, and to ensure the DOD has sufficient tanker
capabilities to meet NDS objectives.
experience in managing logistics operations
Question. You have most recently served as the Commander of the Air
Mobility Command, the air component of the U.S. Transportation Command.
What steps do you believe you need to take to achieve a more
complete understanding of the logistics operations of the other
component commands of U.S. Transportation Command?
Answer. As the current Air Component Commander, and having served
as a staff officer in USTRANSCOM, I am familiar with the logistics
operations of the component commands and the capabilities they bring to
bear to accomplish the global mission. If confirmed, I will engage with
the USTRANSCOM components and subordinate command, as well as sister
agencies and commercial partners to enhance my understanding of the
capability and challenges they face in their execution of that global
mission.
civil reserve air fleet
Question. The military services rely heavily on the Civil Reserve
Air Fleet (CRAF) to supplement organic airlift in order to meet the
U.S. Transportation Command's wartime and peacetime transportation
requirements.
What is your assessment of the CRAF's ability to meet requirements
to transport any equipment, materials, or commodities for U.S. military
operations or to respond to a humanitarian disaster?
Answer. Today, the CRAF program is fully subscribed with 26
carriers to meet anticipated DOD needs by guaranteeing wartime
commitment through assured peacetime business. They are well positioned
to support humanitarian assistance, military operations, and peacetime
missions. It should be noted, regardless of the mission profile,
employment of CRAF capabilities requires a permissive environment. If
confirmed, I will continue to work with our CRAF partners to ensure
they remain committed and ready to support DOD requirements when
needed.
Question. How much should we be relying on CRAF to meet our
peacetime and wartime airlift requirements?
Answer. Consistent with our National Airlift Policy, CRAF is
designed to leverage the commercial air carrier industry to provide
capability beyond that available in the organic military airlift fleet.
In peacetime, our reliance should be consistent with the requirement to
maintain the proficiency and operational readiness of the organic
military requirement, while ensuring the capability of our commercial
partners to meet approved requirements for military airlift in wartime.
I believe the DOD must strike a balance between commercial airlift and
the organic fleet to ensure our military crews are trained, proficient
and postured to meet the requirements outlined in the Mobility
Capability Requirements Study for NDAA fiscal year 2020. This study
provides DOD leadership with the analysis required to effectively
manage the DOD's reliance on commercial augmentation without negatively
impacting the military force.
Question. What changes, if any, do you think need to be made to
CRAF--authorities, requirements, composition--to ensure that CRAF can
continue to meet our needs?
Answer. I greatly appreciate how USTRANSCOM and Air Mobility
Command continuously assess all facets of the CRAF program to ensure it
meets our needs and supports the NDS. In doing so, USTRANSCOM recently
concluded the Mobility Capabilities and Requirements Study 2020 (MCRS
20). Although MCRS 20 found current CRAF subscription levels provide
sufficient capacity to meet passenger and cargo requirements above the
capacity of the organic mobility fleet, it is worth exploring the
potential to enhance the CONUS aeromedical evacuation component of CRAF
to reduce stress on organic theater airlift and meet NDS requirements.
If confirmed, I am committed to further exploring this essential
capability.
sealift
Question. When the United States goes to war, U.S. Transportation
Command moves approximately 90% of its cargo requirements with the
strategic sealift fleet, which consists of government-owned ships
augmented by the commercial U.S.-flagged fleet.
What is your assessment of current and planned organic strategic
sealift capacity?
Answer. Department of Defense mobility studies over the past two
decades have validated the requirement for approximately 20 million
square feet of Roll-on/Roll-off (RO/RO) sealift capacity. The U.S. Navy
organic fleet provides approximately three-fourths of the capacity, and
the remainder is sourced commercially through the Voluntary Intermodal
Sealift Agreement (VISA). Over the next 10 years, 33 of 50 USN RO/RO
vessels, which deliver the surge force, will retire. The readiness of
this aging fleet is USTRANSCOM's number one readiness concern. I
support OSD and Navy's plan to recapitalize the fleet by purchasing
used commercial ships to improve readiness to meet the National Defense
Strategy. A long-term, stable procurement strategy will ensure we
maintain sufficient capacity to deploy the force.
Question. What do you believe is the appropriate mix of new
construction, used ship purchasing, and service life extensions that
the Department should employ in the Ready Reserve Force
recapitalization plan?
Answer. I defer to the U.S. Navy within the context of their
Service responsibilities to retain a viable surge sealift capacity to
deliver the decisive force. The Navy's plan to purchase used ships is
an appropriate, cost-effective approach for the organic fleet, and
includes significant work for the U.S. industrial base to convert/
upgrade the used ships in U.S. shipyards. The health of the ship
construction and repair base is essential to our national interests,
and the Navy must ensure its overall shipbuilding program is sufficient
to maintain the U.S. shipyard capacity.
Question. What is your view of the importance of maintaining U.S.-
flagged vessels to participate in strategic sealift, including through
the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement and Maritime Security
Program?
Answer. The U.S. has long been a maritime nation. I believe it is
critically important to maintain a viable U.S. flagged sealift
capability to support DOD needs. The vessels within the VISA provide
the Department assured access to commercial capacity, providing
approximately twenty-five percent of the Department's Joint Force
deployment capacity, and the majority of its sustainment capacity.
Additionally, the Maritime Security Program (MSP) provides a fleet that
is actively plying our deep-sea international trades, supporting
National Economic Prosperity, while meeting national defense and other
security requirements. These U.S.-flagged commercial sealift programs
employ a pool of trained and ready U.S. Merchant Mariners needed to
crew the U.S. Navy organic fleet when it transitions from reduced
operating status to fully operational status.
Question. What is your assessment of the adequacy of the current
and qualified, licensed merchant mariner population who would be
available to crew strategic sealift vessels to meet surge and
protracted U.S. Transportation Command requirements?
Answer. In accordance with Presidential Directives and National
Policy, USTRANSCOM relies on the Maritime Administration to determine
whether adequate manpower is available to support the operation of
reserve ships during a crisis. The current Department of
Transportation/Maritime Administration estimates there are sufficient
Mariners to activate the surge fleet but would be challenged to
concurrently sustain both the organic and commercial fleets through a
crew rotation. Any additional decrement to U.S. Merchant Mariner
availability increases the risk to our ability to surge the fleet.
global household goods contract
Question. For more than two years, U.S. Transportation Command has
attempted to consolidate its Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) into
a single prime contractor that would oversee close to 1,000
subcontractors in charge of moving servicemembers and their families.
U.S. Transportation Command contends this was done due to poor customer
service and outcomes under the current model. In 2020, the GAO upheld
numerous protests against U.S. Transportation Command awarding of the
Global Household Goods contract citing that it violated federal
procurement law. U.S. Transportation Command stated that the GHC would
represent the ``best value'' for DOD and servicemembers when cost and
performance are considered, yet according to reports, the winning bid
was billions more over the life of the contract. The contract is now
being re-competed with an award due in September of 2021.
What is your current assessment of the existing household goods
program? Do you believe a new system is needed, and do you believe U.S.
Transportation Command approach is the best path forward?
Answer. The Defense Personal Property Enterprise exists for one
purpose and one purpose only: to provide quality moving and storage
services to DOD and Coast Guard personnel and their families. As these
families have correctly highlighted over the last several years, the
Department faltered on this mission. I assess the existing household
goods program as incapable of consistently generating the quality
capacity DOD personnel and their families deserve or the accountability
Congress demands.
I believe change is required in order to keep faith with military
families, I believe the Department of Defense has a thoughtful,
deliberate strategy to improve the relocation process, and I believe
the reform efforts USTRANSCOM is leading on behalf of DOD--to include
the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC)--will deliver credible
improvements to military families.
In the existing household goods program, each of DOD's 39 Regional
Shipping Offices award business to over 900 Transportation Service
Providers on a shipment-by-shipment basis. The transactional nature of
our relationship with a disparate confederation of suppliers prevents
us from capitalizing on existing capacity, limits industry investment
in generating additional capacity, and inhibits us from incorporating
modern capabilities (to include the convenient technology we take for
granted in every aspect of our personal lives) into the Defense
Personal Property Program. And because DOD does not have a formal
contract with any of these providers, the Department cannot hold them
accountable for performance failures in a meaningful way. This
fragmented approach generates the friction, frustration, and opacity
many military families endure during the relocation process.
The GHC is an opportunity to raise the standard for DOD families,
attract additional quality capacity to the program, and introduce a
level of accountability absent in today's program.
I am confident in the approach because it has been transparent,
involved broad collaboration across the Department's Personnel and
Logistics communities, and incorporated industry input. Additionally, I
appreciate that it is just as focused on improving the Department's own
internal management framework as it is improving the level of service
from commercial providers.
What resonates with me most, though, is the Department's focus on
relocating people and addressing perennial family pain-points and not
simply focusing on moving their things.
Question. If confirmed, would you continue the awarding of a new
GHC prime contractor with the current scheduled September award date?
Answer. Yes, but only after rigorous reviews are conducted to
ensure the recommendations GAO made in its protest decision were
implemented and (as was done ahead of the previous award) after
receiving concurrence from the Services. I understand the earliest the
contract will be awarded is October 2021.
Changing the conditions within which industry operates is required:
to improve access to and management of quality capacity to meet DOD's
peak demand; to improve communication throughout the process; to
deliver modern, digital management tools to DOD customers; to improve
the claims process in the event of loss, damage, or inconvenience; and
to enable the Department to affix the accountability and responsibility
lacking in today's program. The Global Households Goods Contract
delivers that change.
I concur with the `Best Value' acquisition strategy rather than
awarding to the lowest price, technically acceptable bidder. That said,
I understand the reports referenced in the introductory paragraph to be
incorrect. As directed by the 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act,
USTRANSCOM submitted a cost report detailing the projected savings by
Military Department to the Defense Committees on 22 April 2020. This
cost report (based on rates submitted by the initial GHC awardee)
projected savings of $210 million across the FYDP when compared to what
DOD pays under the current program. I commit to updating this cost
report and submitting it to the Defense Committees before awarding a
new contract.
Additionally, and just as GEN Lyons has done, I commit to
continuing the transparency and close coordination with each of the
Defense Committee staffs on the full range of issues involving the
Defense Personal Property Program.
Question. There have been press reports of shortages of movers in
areas with a high military population. Families are getting their PCS
orders cancelled at the last minute. Does this post-pandemic labor
shortage change the way you would think about handling the GHC?
Answer. I believe the labor shortages further highlight the
inherent flaws in relying on a fractured, transactional process to
manage the critical business of relocating military families around the
globe. If anything, the impacts of the labor shortages (things like
families being stranded at the curb or being served by an incompetent
crew) underscore the necessity of entering in to a multi-year
contractual relationship to 1) provide industry with the confidence and
rationale to invest in capacity and relationships with trusted
suppliers to meet DOD's demand and, 2) provide DOD with meaningful
avenues of accountability, which is lacking in the existing program.
Question. If confirmed, what will you do to provide transparency
and information to families planning moves?
Answer. Communication can make or break the relocation experience
for DOD personnel and their families. The Department must deliver
accurate and timely information directly to families planning moves.
Simple, relevant, easily accessible products must clearly outline what
customers can expect during the process and the business rules in place
to protect them. We must be similarly clear on who they can call for
help when things go wrong.
Recent surveys highlight the need for more comprehensive
information in a central location. I will continue the partnership
USTRANSCOM established with OSD P&R to leverage the Military OneSource
platform as the authoritative source for DP3-related information.
Providing a `single source of truth' will reduce the likelihood of
families finding out-of-date or conflicting instructions when searching
for information and eliminate customer confusion on where to turn to
find the requisite information to conduct successful moves.
I will also prioritize the work to develop simple, standard
products and deliver them directly to DP3 customers. The Department
must evolve beyond static brochures and capitalize on modern
communication channels to present customers with the `right'
information when they need it. Recent surveys highlight the need for
simple, modern tutorials explaining the relocation process.
While each service has made improvements to their `Help Desks,' I
do see value in establishing a Department-wide Help Desk staffed with
professional customer service representatives that are available 24x7
to address the full range of relocation issues (such as housing,
reporting timelines, travel) as opposed to simply answering personal
property questions.
Further, I commit to publishing DP3 metrics on publicly-available
websites. The Government Accountability Office's sensible
recommendation to develop DP3-related metrics will provide DOD leaders
with a clear assessment of the program's performance; making these
metrics available to all DP3 stakeholders is a critical component in
delivering on the Department's commitment to transparency.
Finally, I will continue to invest time and resources into hosting
the Personal Property Relocation Advisory Panel (PPRAP) and meeting
with the Service-appointed Family Advocates to identify and solve
relocation problems for military families.
cybersecurity
Question. Most of the critical communications and operations of the
Defense Department can be conducted over the classified internet
service of the Department, which is not connected to the public
internet and is therefore much more protected against eavesdropping,
espionage, and/or disruption by computer network attacks. U.S.
Transportation Command, however, must communicate over the unclassified
internet with many private-sector entities that are essential to the
Defense Department's force generation and deployment operations in the
transportation and shipping industries in particular.
What actions do you plan to take, if confirmed, to ensure that the
Department reduces the risk of cyber intrusions that would affect U.S.
Transportation Command's operations?
Answer. As the USTRANSCOM Air Component Commander, I know that
USTRANSCOM has made significant advancements to reduce the risk of
cyber intrusions. If confirmed, I will continue to make cyber mission
assurance a top priority for the Command and ensure we make the
appropriate investments to protect Command and Control / Information
Technology systems and infrastructure that are most consequential to
mission success. My focus areas will include adopting security best
practices, increasing the emphasis on improving the cybersecurity
posture of our most critical systems, and partnering with the
Department to continue progress on implementing the new information
security framework, known as Zero Trust. With USTRANSCOM's mission
inextricably linked to our commercial industry partners, I will
continue to evolve the Command's cybersecurity contract language, so it
remains aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) cybersecurity framework and Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement (DFARS) cybersecurity requirements. In addition,
I will work with the Department to ensure USTRANSCOM has sufficient
resiliency and capacity across the JDDE to operate in a contested cyber
environment. If confirmed, I look forward to evolving the strong
relationship USTRANSCOM already has with USCYBERCOM and other
stakeholders to advance the Department's capabilities to reduce the
risk of cyber intrusions to preserve USTRANSCOM's ability to meet our
national security objectives.
Question. Do you believe that the current posture of U.S.
Transportation Command and the Department is sufficient to deal with
adversaries in cyberspace?
Answer. The posture of USTRANSCOM and the Department is likely
insufficient to deal with a well-resourced, capable, and determined
nation-state adversary. Therefore, we must continue to improve our
ability to protect against, detect, and respond to increasingly
sophisticated adversary actions that exploit vulnerabilities. The
recent malicious cyber campaigns against the Nation's public and
private sector highlight the increasing threat to U.S. national
security. For USTRANSCOM, cyber vulnerabilities present risk to
strategic logistics as adversaries continue to demonstrate the
willingness and capability to target both military and associated
commercial industry partners. In this rapidly changing environment, the
Department continues to improve the resilience of military networks and
implement defensive measures that make it harder for malicious cyber
actors to successfully compromise networks. If confirmed, I will
continue the focus on cyber mission assurance and look forward to
building upon existing relationships with USCYBERCOM, DHS, and other
key stakeholders to mitigate the operational impact of any adversary
actions.
Question. What do you believe are the critical needs of U.S.
Transportation Command for operating in the presence of cybersecurity
threats?
Answer. Cyberspace is a warfighting domain in which capable
adversaries continuously attempt to degrade our Nation's ability to
project the Joint Force globally. The JDDE, which includes a wide range
of commercial dependencies, represents a large cyber-attack surface for
potential adversaries. For USTRANSCOM to operate in the presence of
cybersecurity threats, it must continue efforts to develop a deeper
understanding of adversary capabilities and intentions, as well as an
understanding of the cyber terrain most consequential to mission
success and the associated vulnerabilities. I'm aware that over the
past year the Command has significantly improved its understanding of
both the threat and key cyber terrain, and if confirmed I'll continue
to focus on advancing these efforts. USTRANSCOM must also continue to
invest in technologies and the right cyber talent to modernize
Information Technology capabilities and defend critical cyber
infrastructure, that will in turn enable mission execution in the face
of a persistent cyber threat. With USTRANSCOM's mission inextricably
linked to our commercial industry partners, it's also critical that the
Command continue to revise existing cybersecurity contract language to
remain aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) cybersecurity framework and Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement (DFARS) cybersecurity requirements. Furthermore,
the Command needs to ensure it retains sufficient operational
resiliency across the JDDE to enable continued operations in a
contested cyber environment. If confirmed, I will continuously work to
ensure these needs are met.
Question. How important is it that U.S. Transportation Command be
aware of cyber intrusions by advanced persistent threat (APT) actors
into the networks of airlines, shippers, and other defense contractors
that enable the Command's operations?
Answer. Commercial industry partners make up a significant portion
of USTRANSCOM's capacity. As such, it is extremely important to be
aware of APT intrusions into their networks so the command can rapidly
assess potential impacts to global operations and take response actions
to mitigate the risk to mission. It is also important for us to examine
what occurred during the intrusion so we're able to apply lessons
learned.
Question. When U.S. Transportation Command becomes aware of an APT
intrusion into an operationally critical contractor, what steps should
the Command take to determine whether operational plans should be
adjusted to mitigate the risk of the intrusion affecting military
operations?
Answer. Prior to changing an operational plan, USTRANSCOM would
execute a mission risk assessment process to consider appropriate
operational and technical mitigation actions based on the threat,
vulnerabilities, and potential mission impact. That risk assessment
involves identification (step 1), assessment (step 2), risk management
and monitoring (step 3), and reporting (step 4). The outcome of the
assessment is to determine the impact or potential impact to the
Command's mission, identify mitigation actions, determine whether
operational plans should be adjusted, and then take the appropriate
actions to implement and increase opportunity for mission success. The
mitigation steps are generally a broad-scope, collaborative effort
across government, industry, and the international community in some
situations. The Defense Transportation System has enough modal and
nodal resiliency that often we do not need to adjust operational plans.
If confirmed, I will work to ensure USTRANSCOM continues to maintain
sufficient resiliency and capacity across the JDDE to mitigate risks.
relationship with the military departments
Question. U.S. Transportation Command relies on the services to
make strategic acquisition planning decisions, such as the KC-46 tanker
for refueling and the Rough Terrain Container Handler for port loading.
How is U.S. Transportation Command involved in this process, and do
you believe the Command's needs are sufficiently taken into account?
Answer. Yes, Department processes provide multiple venues for
USTRANSCOM to voice Joint Force requirements and identify challenges
facing this enterprise in relation to the National Defense Strategy. As
a Combatant Command, USTRANSCOM is responsible to define the joint
deployment capability and capacity requirements to meet the National
Defense Strategy. The Mobility Capability Requirements Study and Fuel
Tanker Vessel Study are recently completed products that inform the
Department and Congress on how well postured the Joint Deployment and
Distribution Enterprise is with respect to meeting global demands.
The Services are responsible to provide a trained and ready
capability consistent with war plans. If confirmed, I am committed to
working closely with the military departments to ensure there is a
common understanding of capability requirements and potential risk
associated with investments or lack thereof.
Question. Should the service force providers change their equipment
or units to field better capability to conduct logistics operations in
contested environments? If so, how?
Answer. Yes, and I believe the Services are on the path to
modifying their equipment and force constructs in recognition of the
challenges of the changing contested battlespace. USTRANSCOM has worked
diligently with the Joint Staff and the Services to highlight the
impact of rising operational demands on a historically underfunded
logistics enterprise. For example, it has been an active partner with
the Joint Staff and the Services in developing the Joint Warfighting
Concept (JWC) and associated Supporting Concepts, specifically the
Joint Concept for Contested Logistics (JCCL). These family of concepts
will guide investment and divestment decisions for the Department to
design and develop a more lethal future Joint Force, capable of
conducting assured logistics operations across persistently contested
environments.
Additionally, emerging Service-level concepts like the Air Force's
``Agile Combat Employment,'' the Army's ``Multi-Domain Operations,''
and the Navy/Marine Corps' emphasis on distributed maritime operations
are providing the impetus for relooking at how we would organize and
fight against capable peer adversaries. These new concepts all envision
a future Joint Force able to employ more lean and agile units in a
distributed construct, reducing target profiles and providing dilemmas
to adversary targeting efforts. I should point out; however, these
concepts levy increased requirements on the JDDE. It is also widely
understood adversaries continue to study, and plan against our
comparative advantage in logistics and mobility operations. Recent
global war-games and simulations are increasingly highlighting
adversary abilities to degrade our power projection capabilities under
persistent, all-domain attack. If confirmed, I will continue to
leverage the Command's technology transfer authorities, and research
and development funding to assist the Services and fellow Combatant
Commands in exploring, testing, and transitioning advanced capabilities
that will enhance global deployment, distribution, and sustainment
operations to meet these challenges.
It is widely understood logistics underpins the success of the
Joint Force. If confirmed, I will continue to collaborate, as the
coordinator of the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise, with
the Services, other Combatant Commands and the Department to address
capability gaps and prioritize investments to enable future logistics
and transportation functions, supporting Joint Force operations in
contested environments.
U.S. Transportation Command is the only Combatant Command that sets
aircraft requirements by total aircraft instead of via primary mission
aircraft inventory (PMAI).
Question. Do you believe that the Combatant Commanders should
determine total fleet sizes for the services or should they advocate
for specific requirements for their assigned and apportioned forces?
Why or why not?
Answer. I support the department's current budget process, which is
designed to balance risk and resources with involvement of all relevant
stakeholders - to include the Combatant Commands. It is true that for
USTRANSCOM, global transportation capacity is a critical element of our
warfighting framework and directly impacts the success of our power
projection capability; from a Program Review perspective, I think it is
most prudent for our command to think in terms of total fleet
inventories, as I believe that allows us to most rapidly respond within
an ever-changing global environment. It also allows force providers the
flexibility to best manage their respective fleets to meet global
requirements.
peacetime-wartime logistics management
Question. Our transportation and logistics systems have been
significantly altered over time to reduce organic military air and
sealift capacity and to rely instead on commercial aircraft and sealift
as well as commercial supply chains to deliver spare parts to deployed
forces. This was done to reduce costs and increase buying power and
flexibility for the military.
Is there increased risk from this approach? If so, what is the
nature of that increased risk?
Answer. Our commercial providers are both a strength and potential
vulnerability. There is inherent risk regarding the level of
responsiveness in relying on U.S. industry partners to meet wartime
deployment and sustainment requirements when these companies are
engaged daily in domestic and international commerce moving people and
goods across the globe. That risk is mitigated by maintaining a balance
of organic and commercial capabilities within the portfolio.
Additionally, commercial providers help mitigate geographic access
challenges by leveraging existing intermodal networks to deliver
military materiel.
Question. How should U.S. Transportation Command plan for dealing
with the risk inherent in such operations (e.g., providing equipment
and logistics to deployed forces thousands of miles away in potential
combat zones)?
Answer. The recently completed Mobility Capability Requirements
Study 2020 (MCRS-20) and Fuel Tanker Vessel Study addressed the
department's ability to meet future combatant commander deployment and
sustainment requirements. As in past studies, these two studies
considered both organic and commercial capabilities to ensure outside
capacity exists to meet war plan requirements. These studies also
considered the impact of contested environments on the mobility
enterprise.
USTRANSCOM's warfighting framework outlines the overarching
elements USTRANSCOM constantly assesses in reviewing plans and the
global strategic environment. First, our global posture, which includes
the nodes and routes critical to the execution of mobility operations
is foundational to be able to deliver the Joint Force around the globe.
Second, our transportation (organic and commercial) and air refueling
capacity, to include the readiness of those forces, enables the
deployment of a winning force at the time of need. Finally, the ability
to command and control those forces around the globe and integrate with
other commands and key warfighting elements is essential to the
successful execution of this Command's mission. In sum, by maintaining
favorable global posture, sufficient transportation capacity, and the
ability to C2 global mobility operations, DOD retains the ability to
project immediate and surge forces required to compete, deter, respond
and win in order to meet U.S. strategic objectives.
USTRANSCOM will continue to work with OSD, the Joint Staff,
Services, and the Combatant Commands to assess operating environments
and the ability of the enterprise (organic and commercial) to meet
Joint Force demands.
Question. How would the nature of the relationship between U.S.
Transportation Command and commercial partners change in a wartime
environment?
Answer. TRANSCOM is inextricably linked to our commercial partners,
they are an integral part of providing global assets and capability to
support military operations anywhere in the world. The relationships
with commercial partners are nurtured by regular engagements in
peacetime to ensure lasting support in wartime. As history has shown,
the relationship with our commercial partners strengthens in wartime.
In the buildups for both Operation Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, our
airlift partners in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program answered the
call to activate and provide additional capacity to meet defense
requirements. Similarly, commercial sealift capacity in support of
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan overwhelmingly provided the vast
majority of sustainment cargo capability during those conflicts. If
confirmed, I will continue to work with our commercial partners to
ensure the business relationships remain solid and continue to support
DOD requirements.
Question. If confirmed, how do you plan to find the appropriate
balance for logistics capacity between commercial and military
logistics systems?
Answer. Today, our ability to project military power is
inextricably linked to commercial industry. It is important to strike
the right balance between commercial capabilities such that DOD is not
overly dependent on commercial capability for mission success. The
Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA Mobility Capability and Requirements Study (MCRS-
20) includes an assessment of the reliance on commercial transportation
capacity in support of joint deployment requirements. Future operations
in contested environments will require greater effort to ensure we
minimize the threats our commercial providers face when transporting
military cargo and personnel in non-permissive (wartime) environments.
If confirmed, I will work with commercial industry, Department of
Transportation, and other stakeholders to ensure commercial capacity is
sufficient and appropriate to meet future demands.
The military relies on an extensive network of logistics facilities
overseas to support our deployed forces. These overseas depots enable
our deployed forces to remain on station longer without having to be
supported directly from CONUS. These depots are in host nations, which
are U.S. friends and allies.
Question. What is your assessment of the resiliency of these
overseas depots, particularly in places near ongoing political
instability?
Answer. USTRANSCOM does not own or operate overseas depots.
However, as lead for the JDDE, USTRANSCOM does collaborate closely with
Geographic Combatant Commands, Military Services, DLA, and other
strategic partners to develop and maintain an agile, secure and
resilient distribution network to support and sustain overseas depots.
We constantly monitor the operational environment and respond to
challenges, as appropriate, with the use of alternate distribution
routes and logistics nodes to ensure the continued viability of those
depots.
emerging technology
Question. U.S. Transportation Command's uniquely complex and data-
heavy mission could present an opportunity to take greater advantage of
emerging technology like data analytics or machine learning.
How do you believe U.S. Transportation Command can most effectively
leverage emerging technology for improved performance?
Answer. I am aware that USTRANSCOM is working towards better
leveraging today's advanced computing power through incremental steps
with key data initiatives. Acknowledging the criticality of data, a key
USTRANSCOM initiative is to develop and implement a cloud-based data
architecture to ingest, manage, and govern JDDE data. This will provide
the required data foundation to exploit advanced analytics, artificial
intelligence, and machine learning. If confirmed, I will continue to
support future efforts such as this to enable USTRANSCOM to advance
decision making in support of the warfighter throughout the spectrum of
conflict.
sexual assault prevention and response
Question. The Department of Defense has developed comprehensive
policies and procedures to improve the prevention of and response to
incidents of sexual assaults, including providing appropriate resources
and care for victims of sexual assault.
What is your view of the steps taken to prevent and respond to
sexual assaults in U.S. Transportation Command, including assaults by
and against U.S. civilian and contractor personnel?
Answer. Sexual assault is destructive and undercuts our ability to
keep a mission-focused, ready force. We are committed to preventing
this crime, encouraging increased reporting, caring for victims, and
holding offenders appropriately accountable. From what I understand,
the steps taken by the U.S. Transportation Command have been thorough
and successful. I further believe U.S. Transportation Command has
policies, structures, and leadership committed to upholding an
environment of respect, trust, and dignity to maintain a safe and
healthy Command. If confirmed, I will continuously review the program
to ensure it remains effective.
Question. What is your view of the adequacy of U.S. Transportation
Command policies and procedures to protect victims of sexual assault
from retaliation for reporting the assault?
Answer. Retaliation is an offense under the Uniform Code of
Military Justice and should not be tolerated. I believe USTRANSCOM has
been following Department of Defense sexual assault prevention and
response policies, procedures and applicable laws. However, I know more
work remains to be done to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and
sexual assault, including retaliation against individuals who report
sexual assault, within the DOD and I remain committed to this
improvement journey.
Question. What is your view of the adequacy of the training and
resources in place in U.S. Transportation Command to investigate and
respond to allegations of sexual assault?
Answer. USTRANSCOM and their partners work together to investigate
and respond to allegations of sexual assault. They also train the
entire force annually in the concept of bystander intervention. This
training reinforces to all servicemembers that they owe their fellow
servicemembers a duty to step in and stop situations that could
escalate into unwelcome sexual activity. However, more work remains to
be done to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and sexual assault
within the DOD. If confirmed, I will continue to focus on all aspects
of sexual assault and harassment, including training, education and
accountability, to ensure that all U.S. Transportation Command members
serve in a climate of dignity, respect, and inclusion.
Question. What is your view of the willingness and ability of
military leaders to hold servicemembers accountable for sexual
misconduct?
Answer. In my personal experience, commanders demonstrated a
willingness to hold servicemembers accountable for sexual misconduct.
Having had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force for
more than 30 years, at many duty stations, and with the Joint Force, I
have been able to observe many different military leaders of all
services with varied backgrounds. Over the course of those years, we
have made significant progress in building and maintaining a fighting
force that is representative of all Americans. The key to maintaining
the strength of that force is providing an environment where those who
engage in wrongdoing, no matter the offense, are held accountable. A
military leader's responsibility is not only to ensure the health and
safety of those under their command, but also to hold accountable those
who commit misconduct, including sexual misconduct. Military leaders
must understand both ends of this spectrum and remain equally committed
to undertaking actions that ensure success.
Question. What is your understanding of the adequacy of the
resources and programs in U.S. Transportation Command to provide
victims of sexual assault the medical, psychological, and legal help
they need?
Answer. The health and welfare of the victim is and will continue
to be the foremost priority. U.S. Transportation Command teams with
partner commands to provide preventive training and the full spectrum
of response, medical services, and legal support to victims of sexual
assault. While I cannot judge the adequacy of care and legal support in
every case, if concerns are brought to my attention, I will take
immediate action to address, if confirmed.
Question. What is your view about the role of the chain of command
in providing necessary support to the victims of sexual assault?
Answer. Prevention, response and support of military members who
are a victim of sexual assault or harassment is a leadership issue. A
military leader is responsible for the health and safety of those under
their command. Anyone who is the victim of sexual assault must have the
full support of their chain of command and feel safe in coming forward,
not only to seek justice but to seek any care they may need. If
confirmed, I will continue to hold leaders and commanders accountable
for prevention, response and support to victims of sexual assault.
Question. What is your view about the role of the chain of command
in changing the military culture in which these sexual assaults have
occurred?
Answer. Sexual assault prevention and response programs are
Commander's programs, thus the chain of command is vital to creating an
inclusive and supportive command culture. It is the role of the chain
of command to make it clear, not just in words but in actions, that
crimes including sexual assault will not be tolerated and to establish
a safe environment for victims. Current authority granted to commanders
allows them to hold accountable not only those who are the perpetrators
of sexual assault but also those who engage in other crimes and
misconduct that we often see when allegations of sexual assault are
reported. If confirmed, I am fully committed to creating an inclusive
command culture where members are treated with value, dignity and
respect.
Question. What is your assessment of the potential impact, if any,
of proposals to remove disposition authority from military commanders
over felony-level violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,
including sexual assault?
Answer. The Uniform Code of Military Justice exists to provide
justice and to maintain good order and discipline, both of which
directly contribute to unit cohesion and military effectiveness in
combat. I have not studied in-depth the implications of removing all
disposition authorities from the military commanders over felony-level
violations to clearly understand impacts, positive or negative. Given
the criticality of Commander authority on and off the battlefield, we
must thoughtfully understand the effects these changes would have on
readiness, mission accomplishment, good order and discipline, and
trust.
The Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military
recommended, and Secretary Austin endorsed, that an independent
prosecution authority, rather than military commanders, should decide
whether to pursue criminal charges in sexual assault and related cases.
I am supportive of effective solutions to combatting the scourge of
sexual assault, and I am looking forward to reviewing the Secretary's
implementation plan.
Question. Do you consider the current sexual assault policies and
procedures, particularly those on restricted reporting, to be
effective?
Answer. Several years ago, the Department instituted restricted and
unrestricted reporting options for victims of sexual assault. These
options allowed victims to choose when to report and whether to pursue
a criminal investigation. I believe that the reporting options, if
properly implemented and followed, are effective and allow the victims
to get needed and deserved support services in any case.
Question. If confirmed, what actions will you take to reassess
current policies, procedures, and programs and to ensure senior level
direction and oversight of efforts to prevent and respond to sexual
assaults in U.S. Transportation Command?
Answer. If confirmed, I am committed to take all actions necessary
to ensure current policies, procedures and programs as well as senior
level direction and oversight efforts are complied with, and effective
to prevent and respond to sexual assaults in U.S. Transportation
Command. In my current assignment and in past assignments, I have met
with the military experts and those charged with special
responsibilities in these areas including the Inspector General, Sexual
Assault Response Coordinator, Victims' Advocates, Judge Advocates, and
others. If given the privilege to serve as Commander, U.S.
Transportation Command, I will continue to rely upon these experts and
ensure they have unfettered access to myself and all senior leaders to
continuously strive towards a workplace safe from the scourge of sexual
assault.
Question. What methods for monitoring overall trends and gauging
the sufficiency of component commanders' efforts in preventing and
responding to incidents of sexual assault do you consider appropriate
and intend to implement as U.S. Transportation Command Commander?
Answer. Component Commanders, as commanders do at every level, set
the standards and require our Joint Force professionals to meet them,
including establishing the foundation of military discipline, while
ensuring victims receive care, and holding perpetrators accountable. If
confirmed, I will work with each of the Component Commanders to gain
feedback on sexual assault and harassment trends, and program
performance and effectiveness, to gauge the sufficiency of their
efforts.
relations with congress
Question. What are your views on the state of U.S. Transportation
Command's relationship with the Senate Armed Services Committee in
particular, and with Congress in general?
Answer. USTRANSCOM has established a good working relationship with
the Committee and Congress in general. I am confident the command is
responsive to Congress' requests and aggressively works to meet any
suspense set by Congress, whether it be for requests for information,
briefings, office calls, or hearings.
Question. If confirmed, what actions would you take to sustain a
productive and mutually beneficial relationship between Congress and
U.S. Transportation Command?
Answer. If confirmed, I will continue the current working
relationships already maintained by USTRANSCOM. I will make myself
available to Congress, provide my personal view when asked, and ensure
we continue to strive to meet any and all deadlines established by
Congress on requests to USTRANSCOM.
congressional oversight
Question. In order to exercise its legislative and oversight
responsibilities, it is important that this Committee and other
appropriate committees of Congress are able to receive testimony,
briefings, reports, records (including documents and electronic
communications) and other information from the Department.
Do you agree, without qualification, if confirmed, and on request,
to appear and testify before this committee, its subcommittees, and
other appropriate committees of Congress? Please answer with a simple
yes or no.
Answer. Yes.
Question. Do you agree, without qualification, if confirmed, to
provide this committee, its subcommittees, other appropriate committees
of Congress, and their respective staffs such witnesses and briefers,
briefings, reports, records (including documents and electronic
communications), and other information as may be requested of you, and
to do so in a timely manner? Please answer with a simple yes or no.
Answer. Yes.
Question. Do you agree, without qualification, if confirmed, to
consult with this committee, its subcommittees, other appropriate
committees of Congress, and their respective staffs, regarding your
basis for any delay or denial in providing testimony, briefings,
reports, records--including documents and electronic communications,
and other information requested of you? Please answer with a simple yes
or no.
Answer. Yes.
Question. Do you agree, without qualification, if confirmed, to
keep this committee, its subcommittees, other appropriate committees of
Congress, and their respective staffs apprised of new information that
materially impacts the accuracy of testimony, briefings, reports,
records--including documents and electronic communications, and other
information you or your organization previously provided? Please answer
with a simple yes or no.
Answer. Yes.
Question. Do you agree, without qualification, if confirmed, and on
request, to provide this committee and its subcommittees with records
and other information within their oversight jurisdiction, even absent
a formal Committee request? Please answer with a simple yes or no.
Answer. Yes.
Question. Do you agree, without qualification, if confirmed, to
respond timely to letters to, and/or inquiries and other requests of
you or your organization from individual Senators who are members of
this committee? Please answer with a simple yes or no.
Answer. Yes.
Question. Do you agree, without qualification, if confirmed, to
ensure that you and other members of your organization protect from
retaliation any military member, federal employee, or contractor
employee who testifies before, or communicates with this committee, its
subcommittees, and any other appropriate committee of Congress? Please
answer with a simple yes or no.
Answer. Yes.
______
[Questions for the record with answers supplied follow:]
Questions Submitted by Senator Jeanne Shaheen
pease air national guard aerial pavement evaluation
1. Senator Shaheen. General Van Ovost, 11 of 12 apron sections
evaluated at Pease Airbase are owned by the Air National Guard (ANG).
The North Apron accounts for 24 percent (683,709 sf) of ANG pavement.
Overall, the ANG portion of the North Apron (A01C1) is the lowest-rated
apron and is in serious condition. Can U.S. Transportation Command
(TRANSCOM) identify and report the impact this degradation has to
future dynamic global operations such as supporting alternate strategic
assets outside of KC-46 and KC-135?
General Van Ovost. On an annual basis the posture plans for both
NORTHCOM and TRANSCOM are evaluated over the FYDP to ensure adequate
infrastructure exists both in and outside the United States to support
operational plans and contingency missions. Pease ANGB is a critical
location that is consistently evaluated against those requirements.
2. Senator Shaheen. General Van Ovost, in accordance with the 2016
Aerial Pavement Evaluation, all aprons at Pease can support assigned
KC-135 and future KC-46 aircraft with no Allowable Gross Load
restrictions. Can TRANSCOM coordinate with Air National Guard to report
and specify what domestic and international assets are restricted at
the deteriorated aprons such as North Apron and Nose Dock Apron which
are both in very poor to serious condition?
General Van Ovost. The 2016 Aerial Pavement Evaluation does confirm
all aprons at Pease can support assigned KC-135 and future KC-46
aircraft with no Allowable Gross Load restrictions. Those responsible
authorities for aircraft operations to include domestic and
international assets are provided airfield suitability information,
including apron conditions, from which they can make accurate risk
informed decisions on operating their aircraft on the Pease ramps.
3. Senator Shaheen. General Van Ovost, can you share how you intend
to remain committed to continue engagement with the New Hampshire
National Guard on the deterioration of the Pease parking ramp and the
impact assessment on Pease's ability to host strategic assets?
General Van Ovost. Senator Shaheen, if confirmed, I commit to
engaging and working with my staff and the committee to ensure
sufficient and accessible mobility infrastructure exists, not only in
the Northeast, but globally, to meet the National Defense Strategy now
and in the future. I will ensure Pease ANGB and its capacity and
capabilities are properly evaluated against mobility requirements in
TRANSCOM's annual posture plan review. Our Air Force staffs to include
the National Guard Bureau, Air Mobility Command, and the Air Force
Civil Engineer Center are manned with subject matter experts who will
maintain visibility of the Pease parking ramp conditions. The staffs
work together to ensure commanders are aware of pavement conditions and
ability to support assigned missions.
4. Senator Shaheen. General Van Ovost, if TRANSCOM finds that
restoration of the parking ramp is in the best interest of supporting
global requirements, how do you intend to ensure that the funding to
facilitate the restoration of the parking apron is executed in a timely
manner to mitigate future operational limitations for Pease?
General Van Ovost. If current or future mission requirements are
identified requiring funding, TRANSCOM will work with the Department of
the Air Force and the National Guard Bureau through the MILCON working
group process for project prioritization and funding allocation.
Parking apron restoration would be prioritized with all Air Force
facility restoration, modernization, and repair projects. Air Force
staffs review, prioritize, fund, and execute these projects on an
annual basis. Pavement evaluations, mission requirements and field
commanders will help inform prioritization of any future Pease ANGB
apron restoration projects.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Mazie K. Hirono
sexual harassment
5. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, as part of my responsibility
as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and to ensure
the fitness of nominees for appointment to senior positions within the
Department of Defense, I will be asking the same two questions that I
ask nominees to all of the committees on which I serve. Since you
became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual
favors, or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a
sexual nature?
General Van Ovost. No
6. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, have you ever faced
discipline, or entered into a settlement related to this kind of
conduct?
General Van Ovost. No
afghanistan evacuation
7. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, I want to thank you and your
team at Air Mobility Command for your extraordinary work executing the
around-the-clock, historic airlift operation to evacuate over 124,000
U.S. citizens and Afghan partners under extremely dangerous conditions.
What are your initial thoughts on the airlift, and are there any
lessons learned you have identified up front you can discuss with us
today?
General Van Ovost. Our Airmen executed this historic NEO mission
with extraordinary skill both in the air and on the ground. Our
aircrew, maintainers, logisticians, medical personnel and others
continuously amazed the AMC leadership team with their resourcefulness
and skill as they tackled new problems daily. Although this was a
relatively short operation, the Airmen and our aircraft operated at a
significant level of stress and we are in the process of reconstituting
the force, regaining readiness, and planning for the future.
The AMC and USTRANSCOM teams are involved in an extensive effort to
collect lessons and move out on actionable items to improve our ability
to meet mission requirements. However, there are a number of things
that are immediately apparent from my perspective. First, this
operation confirmed that our ability to project and sustain the joint
force is inextricably linked to our commercial industry partners.
Second, we need to improve our data systems to provide the information
our military commanders, Federal departments, commercial partners, and
allies and partners need to make decisions at the speed of relevance.
Next USTRANSCOM and AMC C2 systems need to be more flexible when
responding to rapidly changing conditions and scenarios. Finally, we
need to pursue a refined common operating picture and better tools to
increase situational awareness.
8. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, if confirmed, will TRANSCOM
conduct an after-action report sharable with Congress so we can
understand in more detail what went right and what went wrong during
the operation to inform future missions of this sort?
General Van Ovost. Yes, USTRANSCOM is conducting an after-action
report and if confirmed, I will share the report with Congress.
sealift recapitalization
9. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, in General Stephen Lyons'
statement to the Committee at the TRANSCOM posture hearing earlier this
year, he pointed out that 33 of our 50 Roll on/Roll off sealift ships
are scheduled for retirement in the next 10 years. In last year's
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress took steps to
bolster the Government's ability to purchase additional used, foreign
vessels currently on the market to augment the ready reserve force. How
do you assess the progress of recapitalizing our sealift fleet?
General Van Ovost. I am grateful for Congress' continued support of
the U.S. Navy's plan to recapitalize the fleet. Although vessel
acquisitions were delayed in FY21, a vessel acquisition manager is now
in place. Accordingly, the U.S. Navy and the Maritime Administration
expect to survey candidate vessels in the October 2021 timeframe, and
they expect used ship purchases in calendar year 2022, to begin the
recapitalization process. If funding for ship purchases continues
beyond 2022, I assess that our recapitalization efforts will remain
satisfactory.
10. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, do the current sealift
recapitalization plans sufficiently address the potential for attrition
during a conflict with a near-peer competitor like China or Russia?
General Van Ovost. The FY20 NDAA directed a Mobility Capability
Requirements Study (MCRS) to assess the adequacy of the Joint
Deployment and Distribution Enterprise's capacity relative to the
current National Defense Strategy (NDS). The study assessed the demands
associated with the NDS and factored in the implications of contested
environments and their impact on mobility forces. I have reviewed the
findings and recommendations of the recently released MCRS and Fuel
Tanker Vessel Study, and if confirmed, I will work with the Joint
community to implement appropriate recommendations from these studies.
11. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, section 3511 of last year's
NDAA provided authority to establish a Tanker Security Program, subject
to the results of a TRANSCOM Mobility Requirements Study. Do you have
sufficient results from that study to determine whether the Tanker
Security Program needs to be implemented?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM recently completed the Fuel Tanker
Vessel Study to address the Department's ability to meet future
combatant commander deployment and sustainment requirements. This
comprehensive and thorough study concluded insufficient U.S. flag
tanker capacity exists to meet NDS requirements. DOD will have an
enduring need for foreign flag tanker augmentation. The study's
analysis clearly demonstrated the need for a Tanker Security Program in
addition to identifying several other solutions. These solutions,
working together, are important steps toward a comprehensive strategy
to increase U.S. flag tanker capacity, to reduce the risk of reliance
on foreign flag tankers for the most important fuel missions, and to
ensure the DOD has sufficient tanker capabilities to meet NDS
objectives.
space mobility
12. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, General Lyons confirmed with
me in April that TRANSCOM is working closely with industry partners
like SpaceX on the viability of using space-based vehicles to rapidly
deliver time-sensitive logistics anywhere in the world. This technology
is a potential game-changer, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where
commanders are confronted with the tyranny of distance and time when
moving people and parts from one location to another. Can you provide
us a brief progress update on space mobility?
General Van Ovost. With the recent high-profile successes of
commercial rocket launches, the possibility of rocket cargo point-to-
point intra-planetary transportation is closer to reality than at any
other time in the Space Age. USTRANSCOM continues to investigate rocket
cargo transportation, from the end user's perspective, as a potentially
disruptive fourth mode of transportation in the Joint Deployment and
Distribution Enterprise portfolio. The capabilities of space
transportation appear to offer enhanced supply chain responsiveness as
well as improved global access. USTRANSCOM is continuing its
investigation of space transportation opportunities through cooperative
research, with an expanding variety of industry partners. The command's
preference is to encourage the development of a competitive field of
space transportation sources, offering a spectrum of capabilities from
which to choose for urgent lift supporting future operations. Even in
these early stages of inquiry, we have learned that more concept
development is needed to make space transportation not just feasible,
but practical. Integration with existing supply chain equipment,
materiel handling and packaging concepts, reliable return of reusable
space vehicles from their destinations, and requirements for the
supporting infrastructure remain fundamental, to-be-answered questions.
We are still in the early stages of adding partners, learning
feasibility, and planning concept demonstrations. USTRANSCOM is also in
close communication with the DOD's science and technology community,
including U.S. Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory, to
learn from their own deep dives on the status of enabling space
transportation technologies. If confirmed, I plan to continue the
collaborative work with Government and industry to understand the
maturity, uses, limitations, and value of this new transportation
opportunity, which is still emerging from industry sources.
13. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, if confirmed, do you plan to
prioritize this capability as the next TRANSCOM Commander?
General Van Ovost. In strategic competition, perpetuation of the
Nation's unparalleled global transportation capabilities in the sea,
air, and land domains must succeed. At the same time, the opportunities
to enhance our response to global transportation needs through the
emerging dimension of space transportation, must be explored to
determine its reach, speed, and reliability, and feasibility. If
confirmed, I will ensure USTRANSCOM remains a proponent of advancing
rocket cargo as a potentially disruptive transportation capability.
aerial refueling
14. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, in last year's NDAA,
Congress set limits on the number of KC-135 and KC-10 tanker aircraft
the Air Force could retire over the next couple years as a result of
delays in fielding the new KC-46 aircraft. I think this year's final
bill will also have some limitations as well, although that's subject
to change. Are you concerned about the pace of retirements of the Air
Force's legacy tanker fleet?
General Van Ovost. I am not concerned with the pace of retirements
for KC-10 and KC-135 aircraft, and I support the retirement profile
outlined by the DOD legislative proposal submitted for congressional
review for the FY22 NDAA. USTRANSCOM currently has sufficient capacity
to meet steady State and crisis response demands. With exceptional
collaboration between the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and USTRANSCOM, four
positive developments occurred over the last year that allowed
USTRANSCOM to arrive at a workable solution with the USAF. First,
Boeing accepted responsibility to fix the KC-46 contract's ``Category
1'' deficiencies, enabling the USAF to present a KC-46 Interim
Capability Release. Second, the USAF agreed to lower the KC-10
divestiture profile. Third, the USAF funded additional MPA to increase
the Reserve and Guard air refueling capacity and contributions.
Finally, we are seeing a reduction in air refueling demand in the
USCENTCOM AOR.
15. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, what changes to the limits
of retirements, if any, do you recommend Congress make in this year's
NDAA?
General Van Ovost. I support the retirement profile outlined by the
DOD Legislative Proposal. The exceptional collaboration between the
USAF and USTRANSCOM resulted in an agreed-upon retirement profile for
FY22: 36 KC-10 (divest 14 in FY22) and 376 KC-135 (divest 18 in FY22).
16. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, is the current and projected
future tanker fleet size sufficient to address the potential for
attrition during a conflict with a near-peer competitor like China or
Russia?
General Van Ovost. The recently completed Mobility Capability and
Requirements Study 2020 (MCRS-20), directed by the FY20 NDAA, goes into
detail on the sufficiency of this force element. While all the
specifics cannot be detailed here, the air refueling fleet is
sufficient, but will certainly be stressed by the various NDS wartime
missions associated with great power competitors.
17. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, this year's version of the
Senate NDAA would prohibit the Air Force from developing a follow-on to
the KC-46 aerial tanker--how do you view that issue?
General Van Ovost. We cannot delay the acquisition process of a
follow-on tanker if the Air Force is to meet the required timelines and
budgetary actions necessary to continue this vital recapitalization
effort. When the final KC-46 is delivered by the current program of
record, the remaining KC-135 fleet will be approximately 70 years of
age. The air refueling fleet is and will remain critical to this
country's ability to deploy and employ combat aircraft, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, and command and control
aircraft during contingency operations. Continued recapitalization of
the aging KC-135 is critical to maintain a ready and capable air
refueling fleet postured to respond and execute National Defense
Strategy wartime mission sets.
cybersecurity
18. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, there are benefits to
partnering with civilian carriers to meet TRANSCOM's missions, but also
the risks that come from partnering with companies who primarily use
unclassified networks. What is your understanding of the current status
of TRANSCOM's efforts to harden its networks to defend against
cyberattacks?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM has made, and continues to make,
significant efforts to harden its networks from cyberattacks. Cyber
mission assurance is a top priority for USTRANSCOM, and USTRANSCOM is
making investments to protect command, control, information technology
systems, and infrastructure that are most consequential to mission
success. This includes continued investment in cloud services, which
has led to a more robust infrastructure, increased security posture,
and improved resiliency of mobility systems. USTRANSCOM is also
adopting security best practices, increasing emphasis on improving the
cybersecurity posture of its most critical systems, and partnering with
organizations within the DOD to continue implementing a new information
security framework, known as Zero Trust, to harden its networks.
19. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, if confirmed, will you
continue coordinating with CYBERCOM on this effort?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM has a strong relationship with
USCYBERCOM. If confirmed, I will continue to coordinate with USCYBERCOM
and strengthen this relationship.
military moves
20. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, last November, the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) overturned the Department of
Defense's (DOD) multi-billion dollar contract award to move service
members' household goods around the world because of pervasive errors
in the contracting process. I don't believe to date TRANSCOM has re-
awarded that contract, so if confirmed, that decision will fall to you,
General. What is your understanding of the status of re-awarding that
contract?
General Van Ovost. I anticipate award of the Global Household Goods
Contract (GHC) to occur in late October 2021. USTRANSCOM anticipates
additional protests will follow the re-award, which will delay start of
the 9-month contract transition period approximately March 2022,
presuming USTRANSCOM prevails in the protest. Following transition, we
will begin a 7-month phase-in of moves and will avoid significant
changes during the 2023 peak PCS season. We expect GHC will be at full
performance by December 2023.
After GAO's recommendations sustaining some of the protest
allegations, and in accordance with GAO's recommendations, the
USTRANSCOM Acquisition Directorate initiated corrective actions and
invited the offerors in the competitive range to submit new proposals.
The source selection team, which includes members from USTRANSCOM, each
of the Military Departments and the Coast Guard, evaluated those
proposals from December 2020 through September 2021.
After conducting these proposal evaluations from a ``clean slate,''
the evaluation team completed multiple iterations of ``discussions''
(negotiations) with the offerors and the Source Selection Advisory
Council (SSAC), inclusive of USTRANSCOM senior leaders, each of the
Military Departments, and the Coast Guard, who unanimously made an
award recommendation to the Source Selection Authority. The SSAC's
recommendation and associated documentation currently is undergoing
multiple levels of review, to include third party reviews by Defense
Pricing and Contracting professionals and the U.S. Air Force Judge
Advocate General's Acquisition, Fiscal Law, and Litigation Directorate.
21. Senator Hirono. General Van Ovost, do you plan to take into
consideration the timing of any implementation of that contract to
avoid, to the extent possible, negative effects it might have on
military service member and family household good movements, especially
during the summer peak season?
General Van Ovost. Yes, I do. Improving the ``at the curb''
experience for service members and families is the North Star.
USTRANSCOM undertook this massive effort because of their concern for
Service members and their families. To minimize transition impact on
service members and families, USTRANSCOM instructed offerors to avoid
volume phase-in during peak season. The Performance Work Statement
(Appendix A, Para A.1) states: ``Offerors must plan to accommodate work
interruptions should protests warrant, and shift Volume Phase-In
Periods as necessary so that a significant phase-in volume does not
occur during peak relocation season (15 May through 31 August).''
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Joe Manchin III
regional threats
22. Senator Manchin. General Van Ovost, in April we heard from
General Stephen Lyons that the success of the DOD's power projection
capability was contingent on three critical elements which were: global
mobility posture, global transport capacity, and global command and
control integration. Do you believe there are any shortfalls in our
allies' capabilities to support these critical requirements if TRANSCOM
is called to respond in support of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO)?
General Van Ovost. Deep relationships with our allies and partners
are essential to deterrence and to the access, basing, and overflight
capability that underpin USTRANSCOM operations worldwide. If USTRANSCOM
is called upon to respond in support of NATO in Europe, we would rely
on--and we would expect to receive--NATO host nation support to provide
needed access to airfields and port facilities in Europe and road and
rail movement across multiple countries without restrictive border
crossing requirements. While we enjoy excellent access, basing, and
overflight cooperation with allies and partners currently, future
operations will demand more distributed operating locations given the
improved range and precision of our adversaries' fires.
23. Senator Manchin. General Van Ovost, what shortfalls have you
experienced in your career with interoperability within our own
Services, commercial partners, and allied nations, and how do you
intend to solve them at TRANSCOM?
General Van Ovost. Interoperability is key to operate in today's
security environment. If confirmed, I intend to advocate to pursue
developing common systems to share data with other services, our
commercial partners, allies, and most importantly other Federal
departments. DOD's ability to decide and act effectively is critical to
our ability to compete, deter and win. Within the framework of Joint
All Domain Command and Control (JADC2), the Air Force's Advanced Battle
Management System (ABMS) is the cornerstone of our C2 structure for
enabling connectivity to the data to empower rapid decisionmaking. In
addition, while USTRANSCOM does not ``Command and Control'' the Civil
Reserve Air Fleet aircraft, communication between Air Mobility
Command's Air Operations Center and the airline operations centers is
critical to being able to effectively utilize the capabilities they
bring to bear.. Specifically, we need to eliminate policies which
unnecessarily slow or inhibit classified or unclassified communication
with our industry partners, while training and equipping those partners
to communicate with us to enable USTRANSCOM and its components to
effectively execute their missions in the time of need.
cyber vulnerabilities of transportation command
24. Senator Manchin. General Van Ovost, cyber threats continue to
be a growing concern and threat to our Nation's security and
infrastructure. General Lyons told us back in April that TRANSCOM was
moving forward with a third-party verification process to ensure the
companies TRANSCOM works with are up to snuff in their cybersecurity
measures. Are you aware of this program, and if so, can you give us an
update?
General Van Ovost. Yes, I am aware of this program. USTRANSCOM has
awarded a proof-of-principle contract to have a third party assess our
commercial partners' compliance with Cyber Maturity Model Certification
(CMMC) Level 3 requirements. USTRANSCOM is now coordinating with two
commercial partners to identify dates for the third party to conduct
the assessment, which will provide indications of compliance with NIST
security controls and identify gaps.
25. Senator Manchin. General Van Ovost, if not, do you commit to
ensuring all contractor meet the Cybersecurity Maturity Model
Certification if you are confirmed?
General Van Ovost. Yes, if confirmed, I commit to incorporating
CMMC language into USTRANSCOM contracts in line with DOD timelines and
ensuring all contractors meet the CMMC requirements.
26. Senator Manchin. General Van Ovost, on the topic of increased
cybersecurity, I've been hearing for years that the Department of
Defense is working toward implementation of a zero-trust network to
ensure our systems are as secure as they can be, but I haven't seen
much progress. Are you familiar with zero-trust concepts, and can you
ensure their implementation will be a priority for you as TRANSCOM
Commander?
General Van Ovost. Yes, I'm familiar with Zero Trust concepts and
know that USTRANSCOM, in partnership with USCYBERCOM, is implementing a
Zero Trust security model on its classified network that will enhance
network traffic visibility and better position the command to secure
sensitive data, systems, and services. USTRANSCOM will achieve the
baseline Zero Trust maturity level, as outlined in the Department's
Zero Trust Reference Architecture, by the end of this calendar year. If
confirmed, I will make advancing the Zero Trust security model beyond
the baseline maturity level a priority.
worldwide logistics
27. Senator Manchin. General Van Ovost, the level of coordination,
fleet readiness, and response to the combatant commanders in light of
the COVID pandemic that TRANSCOM provided is nothing short of amazing.
The global threat from rational and irrational states and actors is
ongoing and the rise of humanitarian support and crisis mitigation is
enduring. As a nation ready to support humanity, TRANSCOM has a
critical role in the success of these missions. However, the age of our
surface connectors, computer based systems, and the increasing threat
of precision fires concerns me. What are your concerns if called today
to support an armed conflict in a contested environment while also
potentially called to support a humanitarian mission on opposite sides
of the world?
General Van Ovost. The NDS delineates a shift to great power
competition and potential conflict that will challenge the ability to
deploy and sustain the Joint Force in every segment of mobility
operations, especially in divergent geographic locations. In the
homeland, adversary actions in the cyber domain, particularly against
USTRANSCOM's command and control centers for air refueling, airlift,
and sealift, is a priority concern in terms of consequence to support
wartime missions.
Another concern is maintaining and improving our global
transportation nodes. Our mobility posture provides access, basing, and
overflight, which are critical in wartime, but also essential in any
global response as recently demonstrated in the Afghan NEO. Our allies
and partners provide the nodes and networks necessary to connect the
globe and provide options that we must protect against malign actions
of our adversaries.
I am also concerned by the long, contested lines of communications
against both China and Russia, and the tyranny of distance in the Indo-
Pacific region. This requires the integration of logistics planning
across all warfighting functions to support the joint warfight. The
growth in demand from increasingly dispersed operations, increasingly
complex and lethal kinetic platforms, and extended adversary anti-
access and area denial capabilities place immediate stressors on the
Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise to support forward forces
immediately, as we rapidly build capacity to deploy a decisive force.
Finally, the core mobility assets of strategic and intra-theater
sea and airlift, as well as air refueling capabilities, in sufficient
numbers and readiness, remain critical in supporting national
objectives for humanitarian operations and wartime output. Both the
Mobility Capability and Requirements Study 2020 (MCRS)-20 and POL
Tanker Study submitted to Congress in June 2021, provide greater detail
in these areas.
28. Senator Manchin. General Van Ovost, if you are confirmed, how
do you intend to ensure your command review makes sure you're
prioritizing capabilities that can succeed in a global conflict against
near-peer adversaries?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM's priorities are synchronized with
and support the National Defense Strategy. In terms of access, our
regional posture enhances the flexibility and warfighting effectiveness
of USTRANSCOM assets. If confirmed, I will continue to ensure
USTRANSCOM invests in partnerships that expand access and support
adaptive basing initiatives critical for success. Checking the malign
influence of Russia and China will be a cooperative effort with the
Geographic Combatant Commands, and our ability to identify critical en-
route infrastructure is a major element of USTRANSCOM's posture plan.
Within the United States, our domestic road, rail, and seaport
infrastructure is also a key component of power projection. I will
leverage our National Defense Programs in partnership with the
Department of Transportation to ensure these remain capable of
supporting national defense objectives.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Tammy Duckworth
joint transportation management system
29. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, I understand TRANSCOM
seeks to procure and implement a single integrated system for logistics
services known as the Joint Transportation Management System (JTMS) to
ensure our service members have access to data faster to make sound
decisions. What is the timeline for JTMS procurement and fielding?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM has been working with the Office of
the Secretary of Defense on the Joint Transportation Management System
(JTMS) as part of a broad, department-wide transportation business
reform effort. The final recommendation to the department on JTMS is
pending solution analysis that is currently underway. The purpose of
JTMS is to leverage commercial transportation and financial software to
integrate financial management and transportation business operations
at the transactional level to improve the department's ability to
record and provide timely reconciliation of transportation and
financial management transactions accurately, which have resulted in
long-standing financial management deficiencies. JTMS is intended to
contribute to the department's efforts to close auditability gaps and
meet the statutory requirements identified in Section 103, Audit of the
Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2018, in the 2014 National Defense
Authorization Act.
JTMS feasibility analysis currently is in progress so a final
timeline for procurement and fielding has not been finalized.
USTRANSCOM is actively working with the Office of the Secretary of
Defense, Military Departments, and other stakeholders to ensure, should
the department proceed, that JTMS will meet the intended business
reform requirements.
30. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, is there a plan to test
and evaluate such a system?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM worked with Department stakeholders
on several efforts to test and evaluate the feasibility and
applicability of commercial software to meet Department-wide
transportation and financial management business reforms requirements
to include conducting a limited prototyping effort from 2018 to 2020.
While initial results were encouraging, additional analysis and
stakeholder input was needed based on the limited scope of the
prototype.
31. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, if testing occurred, what
were the lessons learned?
General Van Ovost. While the JTMS prototype effort showed
commercial transportation and financial software has a degree of
applicability and could assist USTRANSCOM and the Department of Defense
achieve a level of business reforms, commercial software alone cannot
solve all desired reforms, and meet all operational requirements.
Additionally, the prototype was of limited scope and duration that
necessitated further analysis. Like any large-scale information
technology project, JTMS will require department wide policy changes, a
significant business process reengineering effort, integration into the
existing department IT portfolio, and a comprehensive change management
strategy should the department proceed. Additionally, USTRANSCOM and
the department conduct unique, DOD-specific operations where no
commercial software solution exists.
32. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, finally, when do you
anticipate JTMS to be fully operationally capable?
General Van Ovost. A fully operational date has not been
established. Should JTMS go forward, however, based on the size, scale,
and diverse nature of USTRANSCOM and the Department's global
transportation mission, roll-out will be a multi-year endeavor.
cybersecurity
33. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, we must maintain a
competitive edge in the cyber domain as our global command and control
underpin our logistics capabilities. TRANSCOM must be prepared to
operate in a contested logistics and persistent multi-domain attack
environment. Could you please provide the progress made through
TRANSCOM's partnership with U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) to implement
a proof of principle using ``Zero Trust'' security?
General Van Ovost. In partnership with USCYBERCOM, USTRANSCOM has
made significant progress toward implementing a Zero Trust security
model on its classified network. USTRANSCOM is on track to achieve the
baseline Zero Trust maturity level, as outlined in the Department's
Zero Trust Reference Architecture, by the end of this calendar year. If
confirmed, I will make advancing the Zero Trust security model beyond
the baseline maturity level a priority.
34. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, when will the results
become available?
General Van Ovost. USCYBERCOM will conduct a Zero Trust validation
event on USTRANSCOM's classified network no later than mid-January
2022, which will assess whether USTRANSCOM successfully achieved the
baseline Zero Trust maturity level.
35. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, in addition to cyber
hygiene and third-party inspections, what efforts is TRANSCOM pursuing
to build cybersecurity and resilience with commercial partners?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM incorporates Defense Federal
Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) cyber language into its
contracts. In addition, USTRANSCOM contracts require Transportation
Service Providers (TSPs) to perform annual cybersecurity self-
assessment of the 110 National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) security controls outlined in NIST SP 800-171. During meetings
with TSPs to discuss their self-assessments, and in several other
forums, USTRANSCOM shares information and collaborates with the TSPs,
enabling them to advance their cybersecurity posture and better manage
risk. USTRANSCOM also has a Cyber Working Group that is assessing
requirements needed above NIST to ensure cybersecurity. If confirmed, I
will continue to strengthen the relationships with commercial partners
to ensure we maintain a shared understanding of threats so we can be
agile enough to combat these threats as they arise.
36. Senator Duckworth. General Van Ovost, what resources are
required to ensure the security of our data in cyber-contested
environments?
General Van Ovost. Given USTRANSCOM's unique mission, ensuring data
security in a cyber-contested environment is paramount. The resources
required include investment in cloud services, implementation of
advanced detection and response solutions, and Zero Trust security
capabilities. It also requires investment in technologies such as
machine learning and artificial intelligence to both secure the data
and assure data is available at the speed of need. We must also take
advantage of the significant advances in commercial technology and
integrate it into military technologies, especially when it comes to
using data to make better decisions.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Jacky Rosen
cyber intrusions
37. Senator Rosen. General Van Ovost, what are the steps you will
take as the head of TRANSCOM to improve the cybersecurity posture of
our most critical systems?
General Van Ovost. If confirmed, I will continue to make
cybersecurity posture and cyber mission assurance a priority for
USTRANSCOM and ensure we make the appropriate investments to protect
command and control and information technology systems and
infrastructure most consequential to mission success. My focus areas
will include adopting security best practices and continued investment
in cloud services that lead to a more robust infrastructure, increased
security posture, and improved resiliency for our mobility systems. I
will also ensure we continue progress implementing Zero Trust security
capabilities.
38. Senator Rosen. General Van Ovost, how will you work with
CYBERCOM and key stakeholders to mitigate the operational impact of any
malicious cyber campaigns?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM is already aligned closely with
USCYBERCOM and key stakeholders on a wide array of cybersecurity
initiatives designed to counter the impact of any malicious cyber
campaign. USTRANSCOM also works with USCYBERCOM to execute joint
defensive cyber operations in response to emerging threats and named
operations to mitigate known cyber vulnerabilities. If confirmed, I
will continue to ensure USTRANSCOM remains aligned closely with
USCYBERCOM and key stakeholders on all initiatives and operations.
cloud migration
39. Senator Rosen. General Van Ovost, can you discuss the key
benefits of migrating TRANSCOM's cyber domain to a commercial cloud and
how, if confirmed, will you share lessons and best practices with other
parts of DOD--including how to move older DOD technologies to a
commercial cloud?
General Van Ovost. The key benefits of migrating USTRANSCOM's cyber
domain to a commercial cloud are the ability to make use of the data,
security, resiliency, and application advantages that cloud technology
offers. If confirmed, I will ensure USTRANSCOM continues to share
lessons learned and best practices with other parts of the Department
through the existing groups the Command already participates in, such
as the DOD Digital Modernization Executive Committee and DOD Chief
Information Officer Cloud Community of Interest.
rapid mobility
40. Senator Rosen. General Van Ovost, can you discuss how you will
use your current experience to build off of the Joint Warfighting
Concept to ensure TRANSCOM can deliver in future mobility operations
through better use of data?
General Van Ovost. My experience as the AMC Commander, as well as
our collective experience, tells us that logistics holds the potential
to be a pathfinder for better interoperability, security, and
visibility of data across the Joint Force. The need for defined,
secure, and shared logistics data is ubiquitous across all elements of
the Joint Force, and with our industry partners and allies. Competitive
advantage against adversaries through information dominance is a key
element of the Joint Warfighting Concept, and in the supporting Joint
Concept for Contested Logistics. Unlocking the latent potential of
trusted, reliable logistics data will not only enhance mobility
operations, but more importantly, inform joint planning to ensure
operational plans are logistically feasible.
USTRANSCOM remains a strong advocate for, and supporter of, the
Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative, which is intrinsically
linked to the Joint Warfighting Concept. This overarching effort will
help enable more localized data management improvement efforts, such as
the Aerial Port of the Future Joint Capability Technical Demonstration.
The Aerial Port of the Future may radically change how we collect,
process, and use data within and across aerial ports on a global scale.
Finally, if confirmed, I will continue to advocate for prioritized
Department-wide investments in those data management solutions that
enhance global command and control, mobility capability and capacity,
and commercial industry and allied partner data interoperability.
covid-19
41. Senator Rosen. General Van Ovost, if confirmed, what is your
strategy for continuing to deliver on TRANSCOM's promise to support the
Department of Defense's operations during the ongoing pandemic,
including collaborating with our allies?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM has and will continue to implement
OSD guidance on force health protection for our uniformed personnel,
Government civilians, contractors, and our work centers. For our
patient movement mission, we will continue to provide safe transport of
COVID-19 positive patients in our biocontainment units for both our C-
17s and C-130's, using specially trained aeromedical evacuation teams
and critical care air transport teams. USTRANSCOM will also continue to
provide force health protection measures for individuals traveling on
USTRANSCOM aircraft, to include 72-hour pre-departure COVID-19 testing
for those who are unvaccinated or for those heading to destinations
where our partner nations require a negative 72-hour pre-departure test
before entry into their country. If confirmed, I will enforce this
guidance until OSD and the Geographic Combatant Commands provide new
guidance.
42. Senator Rosen. General Van Ovost, can you discuss how you will
mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on TRANSCOM's long-term operations?
General Van Ovost. In coordination with OSD, we will implement the
Executive Orders mandating vaccination of our uniformed personnel,
Government civilians, and contractors. For our Component Commands,
implementation of the OSD guidance on force health protection will be
executed through Military Department channels. USTRANSCOM has provided
guidance to the workforce on telework, virtual meetings, use of face
coverings in accordance with OSD guidance, reinforced regular cleaning
and disinfecting of work and common spaces, and emphasized good
personal hygiene to include frequent handwashing. USTRANSCOM will also
continue to provide force health protection measures for individuals
traveling on USTRANSCOM aircraft. For our patient movement mission, we
will continue to provide safe transport of COVID-19 positive patients
in our biocontainment units for both our C-17s and C-130's. Finally, we
will share best practices with the department, industry, the inter-
agency, and our allies.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Thom Tillis
aerial refueling operations/platforms
43. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, the Air Force and TRANSCOM
have previously stated that more than 25,000 hours of aerial refueling
missions are not being supported annually. Given that the KC-46 is
still not fully operational, and the Air Force has already begun
retiring some of the legacy tanker fleet, I assume that there is still
a significant shortfall in TRANSCOM's aerial refueling capacity. What
is the current shortfall?
General Van Ovost. TRANSCOM currently has sufficient capacity to
meet steady State and crisis response air refueling demands according
to the most important priorities articulated by the Joint Staff and
NDS.
In April 2020, the Secretary of the Air Force provided Congress
with a report titled ``FY20 NDAA Contractor-Operated Aerial Refueling
Aircraft,'' which assessed the Joint Force's request for air refueling
to support missions and operations. Requests for air refueling
capability vary in criticality and are often unconstrained by
resources. While the air refueling fleet remains stressed, USTRANSCOM
manages the tension between available resources and requests for
capability in order to ensure warfighting readiness and operational
mission support.
With exceptional collaboration between the USAF and TRANSCOM, four
positive developments occurred over the last year, which allowed
TRANSCOM to arrive at a workable solution with the USAF on meeting air
refueling demand. First, Boeing accepted responsibility to fix the KC-
46 contract's ``Category 1'' deficiencies, enabling the USAF to present
a KC-46 Interim Capability Release plan to add needed air refueling
capacity before final discrepancy fixes are implemented. Second, the
USAF agreed to lower the KC-10 divestiture profile from initial
planning efforts. Third, the USAF funded additional MPA to increase the
Reserve/National Guard air refueling capacity and contributions.
Finally, AMC is seeing a reduction in air refueling demand in the
CENTCOM AOR as witnessed by a drop from 70 deployed air refueling
aircraft on a daily basis in 2017 to less than 30 projected for FY22.
44. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, if the shortfall has been
reduced or eliminated, please explain.
General Van Ovost. While we currently have sufficient capacity to
meet steady State and crisis response air refueling demands, the
transition to a new tanker naturally creates a temporary reduction in
available aircraft. A significant improvement to air refueling capacity
projections was the 2021 release of the KC-46 Interim Capability
Release plan and additional support provided by the Air Reserve
Component tanker force. The Joint Force has an insatiable appetite for
air refueling and global demands will likely continue to put pressure
on the air refueling mission. The needed air refueling capacity is
captured in the recently completed Mobility Capability Requirements
Study and USTRANSCOM will continue to manage available air refueling
assets according to the most important priorities articulated by the
Joint Staff and NDS.
45. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, has the overall aerial
refueling requirement changed or is the shortfall now being measured
differently?
General Van Ovost. Air refueling requirements have changed for both
steady State demands and when projecting the need to scale for
conflict. The Mobility Capability Requirements Study completed in June
2021 details the changes in these scenarios. In daily competition, the
changes have been the most significant with a substantial reduction in
CENTCOM requirements. Looking forward, air refueling demand as
proscribed by the Joint Staff and NDS appears balanced with expected
capacity, especially with the KC-46 interim capability release plan
that began meeting USTRANSCOM operational air refueling requirements in
2021.
46. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, I have serious concerns
regarding the Air Force's desire to retire a significant number of
legacy tankers prior to the KC-46 becoming fully operational. I am
particularly concerned by the potential loss of the KC-10, which
provides significantly more fuel offload than both the KC-135 and the
KC-46. I understand that the KC-10 fleet has many more years left in
terms of potential service life and am concerned that prematurely
retiring such a strategic asset would result in a loss of warfighter
capability that cannot be regained for many years to come. Please
describe the importance of the KC-10 to TRANSCOM's aerial refueling
capability, and the potential impact to missions for Air Force, Navy,
and Marine Corps pilots and aircrews if we cut additional KC-10's.
General Van Ovost. The KC-10 delivers necessary and relevant
capability for all Joint Staff and NDS wartime missions. Unfortunately,
the KC-10 is increasingly expensive to maintain. I concur with the USAF
and USTRANSCOM decision to divest the KC-10. This divestiture is the
best air refueling value assessment that incorporates current utility,
future capability and cost, as well as facilitation of operational
fielding of the KC-46. Through a deliberate interim capability release
plan, the USAF has made the KC-46 available for USTRANSCOM missions, in
combination with KC-10 and KC-135 aircraft, to ensure sufficient
capacity to meet global air refueling requirements is maintained. In
addition, the aircrews and maintainers needed to field and operate the
KC-46 as aircraft are delivered to the USAF rely on the manpower that
will be freed up with KC-10 retirements.
47. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, I understand that, although
the KC-46 has been cleared to conduct some aerial refueling missions,
the aircraft will not be considered to be fully operational until major
deficiencies such as the Remote Visual System are resolved, which
likely won't be until 2023 at the earliest. I was surprised to learn
that, despite this non-or semi-operational status, the KC-46s being
delivered are being coded into the Primary Mission Aircraft Inventory
(PMAI). Please explain why these aircraft are given the same inventory
status as fully operational KC-10's or KC-135s.
General Van Ovost. PMAI aircraft are coded as such to ensure the
airframe has the resources to support flying operations that includes
maintenance and flying crews, weapon system sustainment and support,
and programmed flying hours. Following established PMAI guidelines, it
is necessary to code the KC-46 as a PMAI weapon system to generate the
flying, maintenance and mission support personnel, and equipment
required to support it. With USTRANSCOM utilizing KC-46 capacity now
for operational missions, it is important the weapon system has the
resourcing to sustain and grow operational capacity over time. A
trained crew force allows the growth of the KC 46 capacity that will be
needed to execute additional taskings to support the Joint Force in the
future. Utilizing the KC-46 now frees up unrestricted KC-135 and KC-10
aircraft for other operational taskings or readiness building
activities, thereby adding air refueling capacity for our Joint Force
requirements.
48. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, I understand that there have
been conversations regarding possible uses for KC-10 aircraft prior to
being fully retired and sent to the boneyard. I understand that one
option is to provide the aircraft to industry, either through sale or
as Government Furnished Equipment, for use in a commercial air
refueling program. I understand that the Navy and Marine Corps have
been successfully utilizing a commercial air refueling program for the
last 20+ years. What is the status of those discussions?
General Van Ovost. Discussions regarding commercial air refueling
as a viable means of support to USTRANSCOM's mission are ongoing. The
U.S. Air Force is conducting further study of the commercial refueling
option, which will be key to determining its merits.
49. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, shouldn't KC-10 retirements
be halted until a decision is made on commercial air refueling?
General Van Ovost. No, through coordination between the U.S. Air
Force and USTRANSCOM, we have developed a sustainable way forward that
maintains sufficient air refueling capacity to meet requirements as we
bridge to the KC-46. The U.S. Air Force Interim Capability Release
(ICR) process that makes KC-46 capacity available for limited
USTRANSCOM tasking is a key step forward that will help with the
transition to that platform. In addition, the aircrews and maintainers
needed to field and operate the KC-46 as aircraft are delivered to the
Air Force rely on the manpower that will be freed up with KC-10
retirements. I support the KC-10 divestment profile agreed to by the
U.S. Air Force and USTRANSCOM, and which has been submitted by the
Department of Defense
50. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, do you believe TRANSCOM and
the Air Force should be pursuing a commercial air refueling program to
address current and future aerial refueling shortfalls?
General Van Ovost. Commercial air refueling should certainly be
considered. The U.S. Air Force, as the force provider, continually
assesses the air refueling enterprise to determine cost-effective,
legal, and operationally credible alternatives to meet air refueling
requirements. The U.S. Air Force is conducting further study to assess
the commercial option.
contested environment
51. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, the Mobility Capabilities
and Requirements Study 2018 Executive Summary identified the need to
mitigate mobility impacts of operating in a contested environment. In
your view, how well is TRANSCOM prepared for strategic lift in a
potentially contested operating environment?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM is postured to operate on a global
scale in contested environments; however, adversary capability and
capacity to directly or indirectly disrupt, degrade, or deny our
ability to operate is growing.
In the homeland, adversary actions in the cyber domain,
particularly against USTRANSCOM's command and control centers for air
refueling, airlift, and sealift is a significant concern in terms of
consequence to support wartime missions. Within the United States,
USTRANSCOM relies on resilient road, rail, seaport, and airport
critical infrastructure to provide unimpeded power projection with the
ability to fight through disruptions by employing insightful command
and control capabilities and tightly coordinated interagency support to
deploy and sustain the Joint Force.
Long, contested lines of communications against both China and
Russia, and the tyranny of distance in the Indo-Pacific region creates
dilemmas that will require the integration of logistics planning across
all warfighting functions to support the joint war fight. The growth in
demand from increasingly dispersed operations, increasingly complex and
lethal kinetic platforms, and extended adversary anti-access and area
denial capabilities place immediate stressors on the Joint Deployment
and Distribution Enterprise to support forward forces immediately, as
we rapidly build capacity to deploy a decisive force. Our allies and
partners provide the nodes and networks necessary to connect the globe
and provide options that we must ensure are not at risk due to malign
actions of our adversaries.
Finally, the core mobility assets must be able to operate
successfully in the face of persistent multi-domain attack to achieve
wartime output. The support of our full range of operations during
wartime is designed so that our commercial air and sea transportation
partners operate in a permissive environment, whose viability must be
maintained by DOD. Intra-theater sea and air lift is also critical to
sustain and support the force across great distances to meet volume and
time-sensitive requirements for cargo, passengers, and fuel. Both the
Mobility Capability and Requirements Study 2020 (MCRS)-20 and POL
Tanker Study submitted to Congress in June 2021 provide details in
these areas.
52. Senator Tillis. General Van Ovost, to the best of your
knowledge, has TRANSCOM conducted attrition analyses of major
operations plans using assumptions of contested sea lanes, limited
ability to degrade anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, etc.?
General Van Ovost. Yes, in the last several years USTRANSCOM has
developed and incorporated contested environment impact considerations
into the mobility analysis based on Intelligence Community threat
assessments of adversary abilities and intent to target mobility and
logistics operations. Attrition of mobility assets, as well as combat
power lost because of an attack on mobility targets, are included in
this contested environment analysis.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Dan Sullivan
great power competition in the arctic
53. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, Russia's and China's rapid
development of capabilities in the Arctic has made the region an
emerging front-line for great power competition. Given the National
Defense Strategy's (NDS) focus on great power competition--if
confirmed--will you commit to visiting Alaska with me in your first
year to see first-hand the opportunities Alaska offers TRANSCOM?
General Van Ovost. I welcome the opportunity to visit Alaska and
see first-hand the incredible Joint Force team executing the multitude
of missions necessary to support the NDS.
54. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, in your personal opinion,
what makes Alaska strategically important for the United States and why
would our adversaries want to limit our presence and power projection
capabilities in the Arctic region? Please elaborate.
General Van Ovost. From a national security perspective, Alaska's
location on the North Pacific rim and proximity to Russia makes Alaska
strategically important. I defer to the USNORTHCOM and USINDOPACOM
Commanders for a more nuanced discussion of Alaska's strategic
importance. Among U.S. adversaries, Russia in particular considers the
Arctic a priority area of strategic interest and fundamental to its
national security. Russia is especially sensitive to U.S. military
presence and power projection capabilities in the Arctic because Moscow
views the Arctic as a strategic vector through which the United States
may attack Russia, to include nuclear attack.
arctic capability gaps
55. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, over the years senior
defense officials have identified military logistics and mobility gaps
within the Arctic region. These requirements have varied from the need
for fuel north of Dutch Harbor, a strategic Arctic port, polar
communications, and additional aerial refueling. Unfortunately, we
haven't made consistent progress on each of these requirements and
other known capability gaps. That is one of the reasons why I secured
in this year's NDAA--alongside my SASC colleagues--the need for U.S.
Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to produce an independent assessment that
identifies the activities and resources required to implement the NDS
and service Arctic strategies in the Arctic region. Can I get your
commitment to closely coordinate and collaborate with NORTHCOM on this
assessment so that TRANSCOM equities--like a Strategic Arctic port--are
captured in the final deliverable?
General Van Ovost. If confirmed, you have my commitment, to closely
coordinate and collaborate with NORTHCOM on USTRANSCOM equities in the
Arctic.
56. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, can I also get your
commitment to review TRANSCOM capability requirement gaps within the
Arctic region within 60 days of your confirmation and sit down with me
to discuss how you will work with the service components to close these
gaps?
General Van Ovost. If confirmed, you have my commitment to assess
USTRANSCOM capabilities in the Arctic region, and to discuss necessary
approaches to close any identified gaps.
kc-46 basing
57. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, the previous Senate-
confirmed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper acknowledged that collocation
of 100 5th-generation fighters with KC-46 tankers would provide our
Nation with ``extreme strategic reach.'' The current TRANSCOM
Commander, General Stephen Lyons, USA, noted that ``[t]he aerial
refueling fleet continues to underpin the Joint Force's ability to
deploy an immediate force across all NDS mission areas . . . '' Given
Alaska's bed-down of F-35s, access to expansive training ranges, and
proximity to several high-priority regions, would you agree with former
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper that collocation of 100 5th-generation
fighters with KC-46 tankers in Alaska would provide extreme strategic
reach to the United States? Please elaborate on how that kind of air
power could affect our power projection posture, strengthen our
alliances, and message to our adversaries.
General Van Ovost. Air refueling aircraft, by their intended
design, provide extreme strategic reach for our other air assets daily
around the globe. The home station of our air refueling aircraft is but
one component of global responsiveness. Across the broad spans of the
Indo-Pacific region, the elements of access, basing, and overflight to
en-route and forward locations are essential to position and employ
combat capability, and as important, if not more so, to where we home
station mobility assets. The ability of USTRANSCOM to control and
rapidly shift assets anywhere in the world to address emerging and high
priority needs is also foundational to global responsiveness and
executing strategic reach. In this context, using the notion of
``extreme strategic reach,'' mobility assets must operate not only
across broad regions such as USINDOPACOM, but globally with the
responsiveness to leverage the Department's combat power fully when and
where it is needed, which USTRANSCOM is uniquely capable of performing.
I will defer to the U.S. Air Force and its Title 10 basing
responsibilities for determination of where to base aircraft.
logistics and sustainment in a contested environment
58. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, China has the capability
and capacity to employ thousands of missiles within the first and
second island chains. Similarly, Russia boasts an immense quantity of
missiles that easily range all of Europe. Both countries are likely to
expand their missile arsenals over the next several years. With that in
mind, what concerns do you have regarding TRANSCOM's ability to conduct
logistics and sustainment activities in an increasingly robust anti-
access/area denial (A2/AD) environment?
General Van Ovost. The nature of conflict against either China or
Russia will challenge the ability to deploy and sustain the Joint Force
in every segment of mobility operations. USTRANSCOM is postured to
operate on a global scale in contested environments; however, adversary
capability and capacity to disrupt, degrade, or deny our ability to
operate directly or indirectly is growing.
In the homeland, I am concerned about a cyber-attack against our
command and control centers for air refueling, airlift, and sealift in
terms of consequence to support wartime missions. Our operations
centers and the ability to conduct command and control operations are
the centers of gravity for mobility operations. USTRANSCOM, in
conjunction with USCYBERCOM, is taking actions to mitigate this risk
both at the system level and within the DOD Information Networks that
support these operations centers.
I am also concerned with ensuring our constellation of allies and
partners provides the nodes and networks necessary to connect the globe
and that we must ensure are not at risk due to malign actions of our
adversaries. Access, basing, and overflight are not guaranteed in the
emerging complex and intertwined geopolitical structure. Loss of key
nodes under wartime conditions significantly would complicate our
ability to rapidly deploy and sustain the Joint Force. This is not
limited to wartime; during contingency operations, our allies and
partners are critical to access, basing and overflight as recently
demonstrated by the Afghan NEO effort.
Finally, core mobility assets must be able to operate successfully
in the face of persistent multi-domain attack. Our commercial
transportation partners, for both airlift and sealift, will operate in
permissive environments, which USTRANSCOM must assure for their
viability to support the full range of operations. USTRANSCOM must work
in concert with other elements of the Joint Force to ensure we can set
conditions to protect key nodes and lines of communication, and
interdict adversaries before they can strike vulnerable transportation
and logistics targets. Intra-theater sea and airlift is also critical
to sustain and support the force across great distances. Both the
Mobility Capability and Requirements Study 2020 (MCRS)-20 and POL
Tanker Study submitted to Congress in June 2021 provide details in
these areas.
59. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, how is TRANSCOM preparing
for strategic lift in a potentially contested operating environment?
General Van Ovost. The National Defense Strategy depicts a shift to
great power competition and potential conflict that will challenge the
ability to deploy and sustain the Joint Force in every segment of
mobility operations. USTRANSCOM is postured to operate on a global
scale in contested environments; however, adversary capability and
capacity to directly or indirectly disrupt, degrade, or deny our
ability to operate is growing.
In the homeland, I am concerned about adversary actions in the
cyber domain, particularly against USTRANSCOM's command and control
centers for air refueling, airlift, and sealift, in terms of
consequence to support wartime missions. Our operations centers and the
ability to conduct C2 is the center of gravity for mobility operations.
USTRANSCOM, in conjunction with USCYBERCOM, is taking actions to
mitigate this risk at the system level and in the DOD Information
Networks that support these operations centers. Within the United
States, we rely on resilient road, rail, seaport, and airport critical
infrastructure to provide unimpeded power projection with the ability
to fight through disruptions by employing insightful C2 capabilities
and tightly coordinated interagency support to deploy and sustain the
Joint Force.
Long, contested lines of communications against both China and
Russia, and the tyranny of distance in the Indo-Pacific region, require
the integration of logistics planning across all warfighting functions.
The growth in demand from increasingly dispersed operations,
increasingly complex and lethal kinetic platforms, and extended
adversary anti-access/area denial capabilities place immediate
stressors on the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise to
support forward forces immediately. Our allies and partners provide the
nodes and networks necessary to connect the globe and provide options
that we must ensure are not at risk.
Finally, the core mobility assets must be able to operate
successfully in the face of persistent multi-domain attack. Our
commercial transportation partners, for both airlift and sealift, will
operate in permissive environments which USTRANSCOM must assure for
their viability to support the full range of operations. USTRANSCOM
must work in concert with other elements of the Joint Force to protect
key nodes and lines of communication, and interdict adversaries before
they can strike vulnerable transportation and logistics targets. The
Mobility Capability and Requirements Study 2020 (MCRS)-20 and POL
Tanker Study submitted to Congress in June 2021 provide details in
these areas.
60. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, how is a contested
environment expected to affect TRANSCOM's ability to use the Civil
Reserve Air Fleet and Ready Reserve Force, as well as commercial
contracted logistics partners?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM inextricably is linked to our
commercial partners, whether it be those in the Civil Reserve Air
Fleet, the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement, or the merchant
mariners manning the Ready Reserve Force ships. These partnerships
enhance our ability to support military operations anywhere in the
world. Historically, relationships with commercial partners strengthen
in wartime situations and scenarios. Contested environments pose unique
challenges for global logistics, and if confirmed, I will continue to
work with our commercial partners and all stakeholders in the Joint
Deployment and Distribution Enterprise to mitigate risk to these high
value assets and personnel.
military sealift
61. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, when the United States
goes to war, TRANSCOM moves approximately 90 percent of its cargo
requirements with the strategic sealift fleet, which consists of
government-owned ships augmented by the commercial U.S.-flagged fleet.
In your responses to the advance policy questions, you said that over
the next decade, 33 of 50 Navy roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) vessels, which
deliver the surge force, will retire and that the readiness of this
aging fleet is TRANSCOM's No. 1 readiness concern. I understand that a
2019 exercise showed only 40 percent of the sealift fleet would be
ready in a crisis and that the average age of these ships is 45 years.
What plans and associated timelines are in place to mitigate this
looming shortfall?
General Van Ovost. I support the OSD and U.S. Navy plan to
recapitalize the fleet by purchasing used commercial ships to improve
readiness to meet the National Defense Strategy. The U.S. Navy's plan
is an appropriate, cost-effective approach for the organic fleet.
Currently, a vessel acquisition manager is in place, market surveys of
available used vessels are nearing completion, and ship surveys are
planned for the October 2021 timeframe. USTRANSCOM expects the U.S.
Navy to purchase used ships in calendar year 2022 in order to begin the
recapitalization process.
strategic highway network improvements
62. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, during an office call I
had earlier this year, General Stephen Lyons, the current TRANSCOM
Commander, brought up the need for a Military Strategic Transportation
Program (MSTP) that would seek to improve our Strategic Highway
Networks (STRAHNET). Why is this initiative necessary?
General Van Ovost. From the inception of the National InterState
and Defense Highway System in the 1950's, national defense has been a
statutory consideration in promoting the Nation's highways. Over time,
expansion of the National Highway System (NHS) has reduced this
national defense focus. Since established, the NHS has grown by over
300 percent compared to only about 50 percent growth in the STRAHNET.
With the STRAHNET making up a smaller proportion of the NHS over time
(now only about 29 percent), investment in highways important to the
DOD has become diluted, affecting national defense interests. The DOD
relies on each individual State's Departments of Transportation (DOTs)
and local Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to operate and
maintain the STRAHNET to ensure military readiness and protect national
security. State DOTs and MPOs, however, currently are not required to
consider national defense needs in project funding decisions using
Federal funds. The MSTP proposal, developed in coordination with the
Federal Highway Administration, would provide the necessary incentives
and guidance to State DOTs and MPOs to address national defense
requirements. In addition to DOD benefits, the proposed MSTP would also
provide appreciable benefits to freight commerce, manufacturing supply
chains, and local communities.
63. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, what strategic risks is
the United States accepting if we don't make these improvements,
particularly improvements to critical Power Projection Platform (PPP)
routes?
General Van Ovost. The expeditious movement of military equipment
on the National Highway System (NHS) is central to the DOD's enduring
mission of providing military forces needed to deter war and to protect
the security of the Nation. USTRANSCOM has identified 5,000 miles of
the most critical highway corridors in 19 states that support the
movement of equipment from designated installations to seaports during
national emergencies. These routes must be capable (e.g., be of
adequate road/bridge design and condition) of supporting the rapid
movement of military equipment, including oversized and overweight
vehicles. Although no single Power Projection Platform route deficiency
presents a significant risk to the safe and rapid movement of
equipment, increased congestion, unaddressed deficient roadway
characteristics, and continued highway infrastructure degradation in
the aggregate will challenge our ability to meet sealift loading
timelines at our strategic seaports.
64. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, can you give me some
examples of how Strategic Highway Networks would be beneficial in a
national emergency?
General Van Ovost. A healthy STRAHNET benefits not only military
needs, but also improves highway safety for the traveling public and
benefits the freight transport industry to further advance the
country's economic productivity. It also represents a capable and
resilient network of roadways to support the safe and rapid movement of
DOD personnel, equipment, and relief materials in response to a variety
of plausible national emergencies from Defense Support of Civil
Authorities to large-scale wartime deployments. The STRAHNET traverses
all U.S. states and passes through or near all major metropolitan
areas. Any projects on STRAHNET that address vertical clearance, bridge
structural condition and functionality, pavement condition, and roadway
configuration would similarly enhance transportation-related responses
to virtually any national emergency.
defense personal property program
65. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, availability of
transportation service provider capacity in the Defense Personal
Property Program (DP3) hit all-time lows during the 2021 peak season.
Plagued with labor shortages and reduced third party partner options
transportation service providers struggled to meet the demands of DOD
relocations. According to an industry study 98 percent of companies
experienced a reduction in qualified labor and associated labor costs
rose 20-40 percent. How is TRANSCOM addressing and planning for these
capacity problems in the 2022 peak season?
General Van Ovost. The USTRANSCOM staff has heard from our industry
partners about their challenges in securing labor in previous years,
and this has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic in
2020 and during the 2021 peak season. Based on current economic trends,
we anticipate capacity constraints to persist through the 2022 moving
season. While USTRANSCOM cannot alleviate the labor shortages
nationwide, we remain committed to working with our industry partners
to address capacity constraints. Moving into 2022, we will continue our
collaborative approach with industry.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, USTRANSCOM has worked
closely with industry to adjust program rules in recognition of the
impacts of the pandemic on the supply chain and labor pool. These
changes included extensions to our transit times, the addition of
surcharges to account for stop movement impacts during the start of the
pandemic (e.g., canceled moves and changed pickups), and other
additional actions to account for supply chain disruptions. In 2021, we
increased crating compensation due to lumber price increases, reduced
containerized bookings to help with lumber costs, added long delivery
compensation for delivery from storage, and allowed the use of
commercial best non-DoD approved storage. USTRANSCOM made these
adjustments in partnership with our transportation service providers
without losing our focus on program improvements to better serve our
customers.
In addition to the above efforts with industry partners, USTRANSCOM
is taking active steps within DOD to mitigate the effect on service
members and their families. We are engaging with the Military
Departments to reduce the number of families moved during peak season,
which would reduce the surge demand of transportation service providers
during peak season.
66. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, are you committed to
working with industry providers to provide flexibility within the
program in response to these challenges?
General Van Ovost. Yes, if confirmed, I am and will remain
committed to working with our industry partners to deliver the quality
capacity and accountability that our service members and their families
deserve.
67. Senator Sullivan. General Van Ovost, in August, TRANSCOM
released a proposal to require electronic inventories for all DOD
shipments starting in April 2022. A recent industry study shows that 65
percent of current DP3 participants do not utilize the technology and
that 54 percent of those individuals State it would take them a year or
more to purchase and implement the technology. Most concerning is that
76 percent of survey participants stated they would reduce their
capacity within the DP3 program if this timeline is enacted. In light
of the severe capacity problems within the program and concerns over
losing a significant portion of the limited remaining capacity, is
TRANSCOM still supporting a mandate of 100 percent electronic
inventories starting in April 2022?
General Van Ovost. For 2022, USTRANSCOM is not making electronic
inventories mandatory. USTRANSCOM will not mandate the use of
electronic inventories until the 2023 moving season, giving our
industry partners well over a year to prepare. Currently, USTRANSCOM is
strongly encouraging transportation service providers to use them.
USTRANSCOM has had extensive dialog on electronic inventories with
industry partners for the past 3 years. Many have been supportive, as
indicated by their collaboration on the establishment of an
International Organization for Standards number specific to the
electronic inventories (ISO Standard 17451). Some industry partners,
however, have expressed their concerns regarding the challenges you
mentioned. USTRANSCOM will continue to encourage these partners to
replace the legacy process with a more modernized customer service
standard.
USTRANSCOM strives to provide our service members and their
families with the best service possible, and view electronic
inventories as a major customer service issue. Hard copy inventories
are consistently illegible and can negatively affect a customer's
ability to account for their property and preexisting damage.
Electronic inventories provide our service members, their families, and
moving companies the ability to read legible inventories and reduce
claims disputes. Electronic inventories also enable electronic
transmission and storage by providing an email that is easily
retrievable by service members and their families while in geographic
transition.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Marsha Blackburn
afghanistan
68. Senator Blackburn. General Van Ovost, in light of the
TRANSCOM's role in Operation Allies Refuge, what examples of both
organizational successes and perceived gaps or areas for improvement
will inform your perspective as the TRANSCOM commander?
General Van Ovost. Authorities inherent to the USTRANSCOM Commander
allowed USTRANSCOM to react, mass forces, and streamline
communications, which enabled USTRANSCOM to concentrate airlift
capacity and enabler personnel at the point of need. Some examples
include: Task Force Gryphon from the 43d Air Mobility Operations Group
deployed to Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, to support the
launch of the 82d Airborne Division; the use of a Contingency Response
Group at Kabul to run airfield operations and the insertion of Joint
Enabling Capabilities Command forces to USCENTCOM and Department of
State to facilitate interagency coordination and NEO movement.
Additionally, due to the heightened demand signal and the expediency
required, the temporary relaxing of the use of both detailed systems of
record and normal manifesting procedures drastically increased the
speed of operations; however, this expedited throughput caused a
significant degradation of In-Transit Visibility resulting in a lack of
real-time awareness at multiple levels. This is an area for
improvement.
69. Senator Blackburn. General Van Ovost, please share shortcomings
that you noticed outside of TRANSCOM's control including, but not
limited to, an authority or permission that could allow TRANSCOM to be
more efficient, a particular platform or capability that could have
saved more Afghans, or a strategic airlift relationship with a partner
nation that the United States needs to pursue?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM possessed the authorities and
capabilities needed to successfully execute Operation Allies Refuge.
Additionally, partner nations supplied essential support throughout the
operation, especially in area of access, basing, and overflight.
USTRANSCOM is in the process of conducting an after-action report which
may identify shortcomings to address for future operations.
u.s. transportation command in great power competition
70. Senator Blackburn. General Van Ovost, how do you envision
TRANSCOM's role either complimenting or guiding the efforts of Pacific
Movement and Coordination Center (PMCC)?
General Van Ovost. Over the past 3 years, USTRANSCOM has been
engaged in the efforts of Indo-Pacific Command to develop the Movement
Coordination Center Pacific (MCCP). The MCCP provides an opportunity to
increase interoperability, expand training opportunities, leads to
greater regional cooperation, and increases lift sharing options for
the U.S. and its Allies and Partner Nations. MCCP is modeling much of
their efforts after the successful Movement Coordination Center Europe
(MCCE). These centers reinforce our global posture while enhancing
access, basing and overflight opportunities.
71. Senator Blackburn. General Van Ovost, does an equivalent center
exist within other Geographical Combatant Commands?
General Van Ovost. Yes. USTRANSCOM has been involved with the
Movement Coordination Center Europe (MCCE) for the past 13 years.
Utilizing the Air Transport & Air-to-Air Refueling and other Exchanges
of Services (ATARES) system, 27 countries currently are MCEE members.
United States European Command is the Executive Agent for MCCE. A
similar capability exists within CENTCOM. Although structured somewhat
differently, the CENTCOM Deployment and Distribution Operations Center
(CDDOC) performs roughly the same functions as the MCCE in the CENTCOM
AOR.
impact of fuel prices on u.s. transportation command
72. Senator Blackburn. General Van Ovost, how much of an impact do
you anticipate fuel price volatility will have on TRANSCOM's ability to
operate over the course of the next fiscal year?
General Van Ovost. Fuel price volatility will not prevent
USTRANSCOM from completing its mission. Fuel accounts for approximately
12 percent of the USTRANSCOM budget; therefore, fuel pricing changes
can drive significant changes in operating costs. Transportation
operations are funded through a Working Capital Fund, which is designed
to absorb this cost volatility.
73. Senator Blackburn. General Van Ovost, what kind of impact do
you anticipate fuel price volatility will have on TRANSCOM's Defense
Working Capital Fund?
General Van Ovost. Working Capital Funds are designed to absorb
price uncertainties, with financial losses passed on to the Military
Departments through higher future rates. If fuel prices rise
substantially, however, USTRANSCOM could seek immediate relief through
a cash recovery charge to the Military Departments. USTRANSCOM last
used this cash recovery mechanism for a fuel price increase in FY14.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Josh Hawley
fait accompli timeline
74. Senator Hawley. General Van Ovost, former U.S. Indo-Pacific
Command (INDOPACOM) Commander Admiral Philip Davidson testified that
the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan ``is manifest during this
decade, in fact in the next 6 years.'' Current INDOPACOM Commander
Admiral John Aquilino testified similarly that the threat of a Chinese
invasion of Taiwan ``is much closer than most of us think'' and could
occur well before 2035. When asked if he agreed with Admiral Davidson's
testimony, Commandant of the Marine Corps General David Berger
testified, ``I do.'' Likewise, when asked about Admiral Davidson's
testimony, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday stated, ``I
don't think we should ignore that possibility.'' Do you agree that the
threat of a Chinese invasion against Taiwan is something we need to be
worried about in this decade, not just in the 2030's or afterward?
General Van Ovost. Yes, I concur with the assessments of Admiral
Davidson and Admiral Aquilino.
importance of partner exercises in the pacific
75. Senator Hawley. General Van Ovost, partner exercises across the
Pacific are critical to strengthening our relationships in the region
and gaining access to key logistical nodes. How do these kinds of
activities help us prepare for logistics and basing of transportation
assets?
General Van Ovost. Multinational exercises across the Pacific
bolster relationships with our allies and partners and are critical
events to enabling information sharing, promoting interoperability,
ensuring resiliency, and providing credible deterrence. Through
exercises and wargaming, partner nations gain a better understanding of
our deployment and distribution requirements and are more willing to
permit access to mobility nodes. Additionally, these engagements help
identify opportunities to address construction of common use
infrastructure.
76. Senator Hawley. General Van Ovost, how do you see the Pacific
Deterrence Initiative supporting these kinds of critical activities?
General Van Ovost. The Pacific Deterrence Initiative reinforces the
U.S. role as a trusted ally and effective competitor in the region.
Investments in the Indo-Pacific region help to establish new
relationships and strengthen partnerships in geo-politically sensitive
areas. The initiative also enables our ability to potentially gain
access to, or protect, lines of communication, while supporting
transportation and infrastructure requirements of the Joint Deployment
and Distribution Enterprise.
support to air force agile combat employment
77. Senator Hawley. General Van Ovost, how is TRANSCOM working with
the Air Force to support the operational concept of Agile Combat
Employment (ACE), since it appears that TRANSCOM would play a
significant role in ACE?
General Van Ovost. USTRANSCOM engages with all the Military
Departments on their emerging operational concepts, to include the Air
Force's Agile Combat Employment (ACE). In particular, USTRANSCOM, as
synchronizer for the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise
(JDDE), supports the geographical COCOMs and enables concepts like ACE
by helping set global posture (infrastructure, equipment, and forces),
as well as advocate for access, basing, and overflight (ABO)
permissions from partner nations. If confirmed, I will continue to
collaborate with the U.S. Air Force and work to incorporate the
concepts articulated in ACE into our global posture priorities,
operations, exercises, wargames, and studies.
______
[The nomination reference of General Jacqueline D. Van
Ovost, USAF follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
______
[The biographical sketch of General Jacqueline D. Van
Ovost, USAF, which was transmitted to the Committee at the time
the nomination was referred, follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
______
[The Committee on Armed Services requires certain senior
military officers nominated by the President to positions
requiring the advice and consent of the Senate to complete a
form that details the biographical, financial, and other
information of the nominee. The form executed by General
Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, USAF in connection with her nomination
follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
______
[The nominee responded to Parts B-E of the committee
questionnaire. The text of the questionnaire is set forth in
the Appendix to this volume. The nominee's answers to Parts B-E
are contained in the committee's executive files.]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
------
[The nomination of General Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, USAF A
was reported to the Senate by Chairman Reed on September 28,
2021, with the recommendation that the nomination be confirmed.
The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on October 1, 2021.]
[all]