[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.A.S.C. No. 118-36]
MEMBER DAY
__________
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
MAY 16, 2023
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
-------
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
53-021 WASHINGTON : 2024
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress
MIKE ROGERS, Alabama, Chairman
JOE WILSON, South Carolina ADAM SMITH, Washington
MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado JOHN GARAMENDI, California
ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia, Vice DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
Chair RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona
AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts
SAM GRAVES, Missouri SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California
ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York RO KHANNA, California
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts
TRENT KELLY, Mississippi ANDY KIM, New Jersey
MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania
MATT GAETZ, Florida ELISSA SLOTKIN, Michigan
DON BACON, Nebraska MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey
JIM BANKS, Indiana VERONICA ESCOBAR, Texas
JACK BERGMAN, Michigan JARED F. GOLDEN, Maine
MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida SARA JACOBS, California
MIKE JOHNSON, Louisiana MARILYN STRICKLAND, Washington
LISA C. McCLAIN, Michigan PATRICK RYAN, New York
RONNY JACKSON, Texas JEFF JACKSON, North Carolina
PAT FALLON, Texas GABE VASQUEZ, New Mexico
CARLOS A. GIMENEZ, Florida CHRISTOPHER R. DELUZIO,
NANCY MACE, South Carolina Pennsylvania
BRAD FINSTAD, Minnesota JILL N. TOKUDA, Hawaii
DALE W. STRONG, Alabama DONALD G. DAVIS, North Carolina
MORGAN LUTTRELL, Texas JENNIFER L. McCLELLAN, Virginia
JENNIFER A. KIGGANS, Virginia TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama
NICK LaLOTA, New York STEVEN HORSFORD, Nevada
JAMES C. MOYLAN, Guam JIMMY PANETTA, California
MARK ALFORD, Missouri MARC VEASEY, Texas
CORY MILLS, Florida
RICHARD McCORMICK, Georgia
Chris Vieson, Staff Director
Walker Barrett, Professional Staff Member
Jeanine Womble, Professional Staff Member
Brooke Alred, Research Assistant
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Smith, Hon. Adam, a Representative from Washington, Ranking
Member, Committee on Armed Services............................ 1
Wittman, Hon. Robert J., a Representative from Alabama, Chairman,
Committee on Armed Services.................................... 1
WITNESSES
Allen, Hon. Rick W., a Representative from Georgia............... 14
Case, Hon. Ed, a Representative from Hawaii...................... 8
Crenshaw, Hon. Dan, a Representative from Texas.................. 15
Garcia, Hon. Sylvia R., a Representative from Texas.............. 10
James, Hon. John, a Representative from Michigan................. 4
Kaptur, Hon. Marcy, a Representative from Ohio................... 13
Larsen, Hon. Rick, a Representative from Washington.............. 11
Obernolte, Hon. Jay, a Representative from California............ 5
Thompson, Hon. Glenn, a Representative from Pennsylvania......... 6
Wenstrup, Hon. Brad R., a Representative from Ohio............... 2
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
Allen, Hon. Rick W........................................... 43
Case, Hon. Ed................................................ 35
Crenshaw, Hon. Dan........................................... 46
Garcia, Hon. Sylvia R........................................ 37
James, Hon. John............................................. 30
Larsen, Hon. Rick............................................ 38
Obernolte, Hon. Jay.......................................... 31
Thompson, Hon. Glenn......................................... 32
Wenstrup, Hon. Brad R........................................ 25
Documents Submitted for the Record:
Chavez-DeRemer, Hon. Lori, a Representative from Oregon...... 51
Griffith, Hon. H. Morgan, a Representative from Virginia..... 53
Levin, Hon. Mike, a Representative from California........... 56
McGovern, Hon. James P., a Representative from Massachusetts. 59
Pfluger, Hon. August, a Representative from Texas............ 62
Phillips, Hon. Dean, a Representative from Minnesota......... 63
Radewagen, Hon. Aumua Amata Coleman, a Delegate from American
Samoa, and Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, a Delegate
from Northern Mariana Islands.............................. 67
Sablan, Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho, a Delegate from
Northern Mariana Islands................................... 69
Sorensen, Hon. Eric, a Representative from Illinois.......... 72
Wexton, Hon. Jennifer, a Representative from Virginia........ 73
Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:
[There were no Questions submitted during the hearing.]
Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:
[There were no Questions submitted post hearing.]
MEMBER DAY
----------
House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC, Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:59 a.m., in room
2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Robert J. Wittman
(vice chairman of the committee) presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN, A REP-
RESENTATIVE FROM VIRGINIA, VICE CHAIRMAN, COMMIT-
TEE ON ARMED SERVICES
Mr. Wittman. I would like to call to order the U.S. House
Armed Services Committee. Good morning, and welcome to the
House Armed Services Member Day for fiscal 2024 National
Defense Authorization Act.
The committee expects to mark up the NDAA soon and very
much values the input of members who have submitted testimony
regarding their priorities. In addition to our colleagues who
are appearing here in person, the committee has also received
several statements for the record.
I ask for unanimous consent that all members' written
statements will be made part of the record. Without objection,
so ordered.
The committee will recognize members to give their
statements in the order in which they arrived. We will receive
statements in panels of three members and then pause for
questions for those members before proceeding to a new panel of
three members.
I welcome the members who have joined us today to share
their views, and I yield to the ranking member.
STATEMENT OF HON. ADAM SMITH, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
WASHINGTON, RANKING MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON ARMED
SERVICES
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the chance
to be here. I appreciate hearing from the members as we talk
about a lot. This--the defense bill is always a collaborative
process amongst all members of the House, not just the members
of the committee.
There are national security, DOD [Department of Defense]
interests in districts all across the country. We try to
represent all those as best as we can in this process. So it's
great to hear from the members as we begin--as, theoretically,
we begin that process here soon, I hope.
But look forward to the testimony today. I look forward to,
again, putting together a good piece of legislation. Thank you.
I yield back.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you to Ranking Member Smith.
Now we will go to our first panel. The first panel consists
of Dr. Brad Wenstrup from the Second District of Ohio, Mr. Jay
Obernolte from the 23rd District of California, Mr. John Jones
from the 10th District of Michigan, and we will go in that
order.
Dr. Wenstrup, we will begin with you.
STATEMENT OF HON. BRAD R. WENSTRUP, A
REPRESENTATIVE FROM OHIO
Dr. Wenstrup. Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member Smith, thank
you for the opportunity to----
Mr. Wittman. Is your--Brad, is your mic on?
Dr. Wenstrup. I'll start over.
Mr. Wittman. Got it.
Dr. Wenstrup. All right.
Mr. Wittman. Yes. Thanks.
Dr. Wenstrup. Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member Smith, thank
you for the opportunity to testify today regarding the fiscal
year 2024 NDAA. I'd like to discuss three issues that I feel
are necessary for this committee to consider and address in the
fiscal year 2024 NDAA.
One is the role of podiatric surgeons in the Armed Forces.
First, I'd like to express my strong personal support for an
amendment submitted by Representative Lisa McClain for this
year's NDAA which would revise the Defense Health Agency's
policy regarding credentialing and privileging under the
Military Health System to include certifying boards recognized
by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education, including the
American Board of Podiatric Medicine and the American Board of
Foot and Ankle Surgery.
Recruiting and retaining the best and brightest physicians
to the Armed Forces is of utmost importance to the health and
well-being of our military's greatest asset, our people.
Every medical professional serving in uniform must have the
knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to serve our people
well and engage fully in the operational mission.
I am a podiatric surgeon. In 2005-2006 I served as chief of
surgery for the 344th Combat Support Hospital stationed at Abu
Ghraib Prison, Iraq. Podiatric education, training, and
practice have evolved considerably from four to five--since
four to five decades ago.
The present day podiatric surgeon completes 4-year medical
school curriculum, completes a 3-year surgical residency
program, is trained in all aspects of surgical principles,
patient admissions, performing history and physicals, taking
emergency call, and full prescription licensing.
Today, the military faces a tremendous shortage of surgeons
and it is essential that podiatric surgeons in the Armed Forces
meet the highest possible standard and have the training and
certification needed to indicate they are prepared for the
operational mission.
I appreciate Representative McClain's effort and urge this
committee to support the inclusion of her amendment in the
final committee product.
Second, I want to emphasize my strong desire to see my
legislation, the Patriot Retention Act, included in this year's
NDAA. Last Congress I introduced this act with my friend,
colleague, and member of this committee, Representative Jimmy
Panetta.
This legislation aims to provide our Armed Forces with the
needed authority to retain specialty positions that are in
critical shortage in the Ready Reserve. The Patriot Retention
Act would provide a pathway for certain qualified retiring
specialists in an area where there are critical shortages to be
placed in the Ready Reserve without financial disincentives to
their already earned pension--retirement pension.
In fact, this committee has previously supported including
such language in the NDAA including 703 of the House-passed
fiscal year 2022 NDAA contained this language structured as a
pilot program to place certain members of the Armed Forces in
the Ready Reserve.
While the language did not survive conference, I urge the
committee to reconsider this language for this year's NDAA and
work towards a viable solution that aims to improve recruitment
and retention for our Armed Forces.
Finally, I urge our committee to continue the necessary
work of reforming our Military Health System. MHS is a vital
component of our National Security Strategy, and the Defense
Health Agency is a critical element of the MHS that was
established as part of a larger effort to reorganize military
healthcare programs and services.
Last Congress section 743 of fiscal year 2023 NDAA required
the Secretary of Defense to update prior studies regarding the
feasibility of establishing a new defense health command under
which NDAA would be a joint component.
Such an update would review potential structures such as
unifying combatant command, specified combatant command, or
other command structure the Secretary determines appropriate
for consideration.
As the committee looks to develop the policies that will
ensure DOD continues to operate a beneficial healthcare
integrated delivery network with no adverse effects on
readiness, I urge this committee to continue to take a look at
the reforms that may be needed to ensure we have a ready
medical force, a medically ready force, and high-quality
beneficiary care.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Wenstrup can be found in the
Appendix on page 25.]
Mr. Wittman. Very good. Thank you, Dr. Wenstrup. Thank you
for your observations. Obviously, very important. Thanks so
much for your service to our Nation and for your service on
this committee.
Next, we're going to go to Mr. James. Mr. James, I owe you
an apology about my ineptness in properly addressing you
initially. I promise you that will not happen again.
So, Mr. James, the floor is yours.
Mr. James. Thank you, Mr. Wittman.
[Laughter.]
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN JAMES, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM MICHIGAN
Mr. James. I'm here to speak on behalf of the most
remarkable Air National Guard Base in the Nation, Selfridge Air
National Guard Base, which is special in many regards. Its
unique physical environment as well as its industrial
capabilities in the surrounding area, Michigan's and the
Nation's number one manufacturing district, Michigan's Air
National Guard is poised to lead the Nation in providing a
cutting-edge integrated force.
We are steeped in innovation and possess some of our
Nation's finest all-domain training resources. Our training and
manufacturing environment, bolstered by unique and vibrant
partnerships, is unrivaled. These assets will enable the Air
Force to prepare for today's global joint fight and stay one
step ahead of our adversaries.
Speaking of our adversaries, we hear a lot about preparing
for our adversaries and we are woefully behind. You're going to
hear from our colleagues who are speaking directly about what
we can do to get caught up.
One of those critical areas is in our Air Force and our air
defenses, maintaining air supremacy. Our greatest and most
likely future threats--China, Russia, and North Korea--all
originate from northern latitudes. Yet, all of the attention is
being pushed toward the coasts.
The most recent airframes that were approved are being
pushed to California, Louisiana, and Massachusetts. Meanwhile,
we are leaving our heartland, our manufacturing base, and the
bulk of our Nation's population vulnerable.
Selfridge can provide a four-seasons training area in the
largest inland range complex east of the Mississippi, second
only by a couple thousand square miles to Nellis.
With an area cover of over 12,000 square nautical miles our
airspace provides ideal joint and large-scale opportunities in
littoral environment directly integrated with ranges that allow
for all altitude, all ordnance deliveries, as well as moving
and fixed target capabilities in an atmosphere that boasts
impressive threat replication and electronic warfare training
capabilities; not to mention making sure we protect our Soo
Locks--critical infrastructure--the Ambassador Bridge, number
one commercial river crossing in the Western Hemisphere, and
also a third of the Nation's population; not to speak of our
allies in Canada, which would encompass within three--a
hundred-mile radius most of Ontario, which has the capital city
of Ottawa and Toronto.
Our next-gen fighters are trending away, as I said, from
our heartland and our industrial base toward the coasts. This
leaves our strategic and expensive assets evermore vulnerable
to both enemy attacks and the increasingly frequent and severe
effects of changing climate.
Not only is Michigan surrounded by the largest body of
fresh water in the world but those Great Lakes also ensure that
meteorological extremes are far below average compared to other
parts of the country.
Furthermore, Michigan is already home to national defense
complements such as the United States Army Tank Automotive and
Armaments Command, Fort Custer, Camp Grayling, and the number
one manufacturing district, as I mentioned, in America.
Investing in Selfridge Air National Guard Base is
imperative, which is why I have requested F-15 EXs, direct $579
million for six more planes above the President's budget, also
$184 million for fiscal year 2025 advanced procurement to
increase capacity.
In my research I've learned that with a few very
expensive--a hundred million dollars--we can not only increase
the number of planes in these number of years but also our--
address our industrial base and our ability to defend ourselves
in succeeding years.
I've also requested F-35 EXs, an increase of six more F-
35--excuse me, F-35 Alphas for an increase of six more F-35
Alphas in line with the unfunded priorities list in the Air
National Guard. This would increase the PBR [President's budget
request] from 83 total to--F-35s to 89.
And then, finally, not just fighters to replace the A-10s
that are being divested but also hypersonics--not just fighters
but futures. We need to support, please, $100 million for
hypersonic defense that provides R&D [research and development]
at a capable air base that can best protect the Great Lakes and
critical infrastructure.
Again, Mr. Chairman, I would respectfully request that we
consider not only the necessity for these airframes but the
unique ability for Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the
National Guard to maintain a national defense mission to
protect the--to protect America against our most likely threats
in northern latitudes.
And with that, Mr. Wittman, I yield.
[The prepared statement of Mr. James can be found in the
Appendix on page 30.]
Mr. Wittman. Very good. Mr. James, thank you. Thanks again
for your thoughts, for your observations, for your request.
Incredibly important.
Thanks so much, too, for your service to our Nation and
thanks for your service to the voters--well, for that matter,
everyone in Michigan's 10th District. Thanks so much.
Appreciate it.
Now we will go to Mr. Obernolte.
STATEMENT OF HON. JAY OBERNOLTE, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM CALIFORNIA
Mr. Obernolte. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
the opportunity to appear before the committee and highlight a
critically important problem that is occurring at remote and
isolated military bases.
I represent several of those bases--the Air Force base at
Edwards, the Marine Air-Ground Combat Center at Twentnine
Palms, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, the Marine
Logistics Base at Barstow, and the Navy Weapons Center at China
Lake.
There are 43 of these bases scattered throughout the United
States. They form a critically important part of our military
readiness.
For our military men and women service at these bases
involves some sacrifices. It's very difficult to be stationed
at a remote or isolated base, to have a family and try and
support a family in that environment, and we rely on our
military and the Department of Defense to make the quality of
life for those military men and service women at a point that
will allow them to have their families at those bases.
As part of that mission we rely on our civilian workers and
contractors to provide services for our service men and women,
things as prosaic as childcare, teachers for schools,
healthcare professionals to provide access to healthcare to men
and women who would not otherwise have it, food service workers
to prepare their food.
Unfortunately, we are critically short in filling those
positions at those bases, including those in my district.
That's why I would like to offer an amendment to the National
Defense Authorization Act that would direct the Comptroller
General to prepare a report quantifying the scope of the
problem and making recommendations to the DOD on how to
incentivize civilian workers and contractors to work at our
isolated military bases serving our men and women.
This amendment was included in the fiscal year 2023 NDAA.
Unfortunately, when it came back from the Senate the amendment
was not part of the bill. I'd like to offer that amendment this
year. Hopefully, we can get this problem solved and protect our
military's most critical asset, which is the men and women that
work in it.
I thank you for attention, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Obernolte can be found in
the Appendix on page 31.]
Mr. Wittman. Very good. Mr. Obernolte, thanks so much for
your advocacy for our men and women in the military as well as
those that support them. So we appreciate your amendment and we
will make sure that we do everything we can on what we can do
on our side with that amendment. So thanks again. Thanks so
much for your time.
Very good. Any questions? All right. Mr. Obernolte, thank
you.
We'll now go to our next panel.
I'd like to welcome our next panel, Mr. Glenn Thompson from
the 15th District of Pennsylvania and Mr. Ed Case from the 1st
District of Hawaii, and Ms. Sylvia Garcia of the 29th District
of Texas.
Mr. Thompson, we will begin with you.
STATEMENT OF HON. GLENN THOMPSON, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Thompson. Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member Smith, and
members of the House Armed Services Committee, good morning and
thank you for the opportunity to share my priorities for fiscal
year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
As a Member of Congress I strive to meet the needs of our
service men and women. I'm the father of an Active Duty soldier
who received a Purple Heart during Operation Iraqi Freedom,
continues to serve today, a firm believer in the importance of
a strong national defense, and I greatly appreciate the
opportunity to be here today and to share my priorities.
The most critical asset in the defense of our Nation are
the men and women who choose to serve. Not only do they
themselves make life-changing sacrifices but so do their
families. Therefore, we--to have the most lethal and effective
military in the world our personnel and families deserve to
have their most basic needs addressed and that starts with
military housing.
For several years now military housing has been plagued
with widespread complaints of neglect and unsafe conditions.
The committee addressed this issue in the fiscal year 2020 NDAA
that directed the Secretary of Defense to develop a centralized
assessment tool for members of the Armed Forces and their
family members to identify, rate, and compare housing options.
I've recently introduced H.R. 3165, the Military Housing
Transparency and Accountability Act, which expands the
assessment tool to include all military housing including
privatized housing, barracks, and housing for service members
unaccompanied by dependents.
My bill would also enhance the reporting section by
requiring the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Housing
to submit an annual report to both the House and the Senate
Armed Services Committee and the respective Secretaries within
the DOD.
Therefore, it's my hope the committee will consider
inclusion of my bipartisan bill in the fiscal year NDAA. Given
the ongoing recruitment and retention challenges in our Armed
Forces, ensuring adequate housing for service members and their
families is an important necessary part of the solution.
As the United States continues to develop trade ties in
regions of the world where service members were once engaged in
combat, we should make every attempt to ensure prospective
trading partner countries are active participants in recovery
of our service members.
Currently, more than 81,000 service members from World War
II, the Korean War, and Vietnam remain unaccounted for. Over
the past couple of years I've been proud to introduce a
bipartisan resolution which encourages our trading partners to
continue search and recovery activities for POW/MIA [prisoner
of war/missing in action] members.
The family and friends of these American heroes deserve no
less than our greatest efforts to bring their loved ones home.
Therefore, I respectfully request the committee to
authorize robust funding for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency in fiscal year 2024.
Our service members dedicate their lives and well-being to
protect our Nation's values. That is why we must remain
committed to providing them with the resources they need both
during and after their time of service.
One way the DOD fulfills this commitment is by being the
largest Federal partner of the AbilityOne program. The
AbilityOne program helps thousands of Americans who are blind
or have significant disabilities provide an array of products
and services for our military personnel, employing more than
36,000 people, including over 2,500 veterans with a visual
impairment.
And then I want to touch just briefly on one more thing,
healthcare research. As a former healthcare professional, I
respectfully request we continue to support and fund vital
Department of Defense research programs.
These include research programs for multiple sclerosis, ALS
[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis], breast and ovarian cancer,
traumatic brain injury, PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder],
suicide, and the Peer Reviewed Orthopedic Research Program.
I want to thank the committee and the members of this--all
the members of this committee for your continued dedication to
the matters within the jurisdiction of the House Armed Services
Committee, and I have additional priorities that I have
submitted in my written testimony and I appreciate your
consideration.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Thompson can be found in the
Appendix on page 32.]
Mr. Wittman. Very good. Mr. Thompson, thank you. Thanks so
much for your proposals and, as always, this committee will do
all that it can to accommodate requests from the members.
So now we will go to Mr. Case.
STATEMENT OF HON. ED CASE, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM HAWAII
Mr. Case. Thank you Mr. Wittman, Mr. Smith, my Indo-Pacific
partner from Guam, Mr. Moylan, committee members. Aloha, and
thank you very much for the opportunity to testify today on
your fiscal year 2024 NDAA.
This committee will have another extensive discussion of
the Indo-Pacific in this year's NDAA, as you should. But today
I'd like to highlight my home State of Hawaii, which plays a
central role in our National Defense Strategy.
The NDS, of course, identifies the People's Republic of
China as our most consequential strategic [competitor], our
pacing challenge, and an opponent to a free and open Indo-
Pacific, all of which must be countered through integrated
deterrence, campaigning, and building an enduring advantage.
Hawaii has been central to our presence in the Indo-Pacific
over the last century-plus but never, given this challenge, has
our role been more critical than today and over the next
generation-plus.
To preserve and fully leverage our strategic importance I
want to address four specific issues with you today: number
one, the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, or PDI; number two, the
defense of Hawaii; number three, our Red Hill crisis; and
number four, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
These all relate in one way or another to, first,
maintaining a superior force posture in Hawaii; second,
maintaining the support of the people of Hawaii for that
posture; and third, projecting our presence out of Hawaii into
the broad Indo-Pacific.
PDI. Of course, this is an instrumental part of integrated
deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, which we have now funded at $7
billion-plus with the administration requesting $9 billion-
plus, and highlights key elements and investments needed to
maintain our competitive advantage and lays the foundation that
will be indispensable to our efforts for decades to come.
These investments will only be fully realized through a
whole-of-government approach that combines multiple lines of
effort and fosters mutually beneficial cooperation with like-
minded countries that prioritize a respect for sovereignty,
human rights, and a rules-based system.
We cannot do this without the help of our allies and
partners, and a continued investment in the security and
development of these countries will provide us with the
enduring advantage that we need.
Second, the defense of Hawaii. In addition to partnerships,
another instrumental part of our National Defense Strategy is
simply defending our homeland, which includes my Hawaii, home
to Indo-Pacific Command and numerous other force-multiplying
defense assets.
Hawaii's location in the Indo-Pacific provides us with a
strategic competitive advantage and expands our operational
reach into the Indo-Pacific. But if left insufficiently
defended it will also leave us highly vulnerable to the
proliferation of advanced missile threats.
The military agrees and has stated that Hawaii lacks
modern, quote, ``surveillance capabilities to meet today's
mission needs such as an inability to characterize and classify
targets or cover all required airspace.''
This is not acceptable and I urge the committee's attention
to accelerating this investment and planning to adequately
defend Hawaii.
Third, Red Hill. Thank you so much for this committee's
continued support for the people of Hawaii in our efforts to
address the Red Hill crisis, including full implementation of
the Secretary of Defense's directive to defuel and close the
Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility.
This has also fostered the benefit of requiring us to
rethink our strategic bulk fuel storage capabilities out into
the Indo-Pacific that is being carried out with the support of
this committee, and I urge your continued support.
And finally, on PFAS. As elsewhere in the country, Red Hill
has highlighted the dangers caused by PFAS which has leaked
from this facility. These have to be addressed, identified, and
addressed over the long term to maintain the force posture
throughout our country.
I thank the committee again very much for your efforts not
only in the Indo-Pacific but in my home State of Hawaii, stand
ready to help you wherever I can. Mahalo.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Case can be found in the
Appendix on page 35.]
Mr. Wittman. Very good. Thank you, Mr. Case.
Thanks so much for your proposals, for your thoughts, and
in your direction to this committee. Thanks so much, too, for
all that you do not only for the citizens of Hawaii but for our
committee. So thank you. Appreciate it.
Mr. Case. Thank you.
Mr. Wittman. Now we'll go to Ms. Garcia from Texas.
STATEMENT OF HON. SYLVIA R. GARCIA, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM TEXAS
Ms. Garcia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman--I apologize.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member and committee
members for allowing me to speak here today.
Our service members do represent the best of our country.
As Members of Congress it is our duty to ensure that those that
have served, are currently serving, and will serve in the
future maintain access to those rights and protections, going
forward.
This body has made significant strides in recent years
legislating and overseeing improvements to protect and prevent
sexual assault and abuse. But our kids are still vulnerable.
The New York Times released an article in July of 2022 that
uncovered the sexual abuse of teens in the military Junior
Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and reported 33 Junior
ROTC instructors that were criminally charged.
The Department of Defense did acknowledge an unprecedented
58 instances of sexual abuse within the Junior ROTC since 2017.
Teen cadets enrolled in the Junior ROTC programs face the
unique challenge of a particularly uneven power dynamic with
their adult instructors also serving as their commanding
officer.
As a result, predators could leverage these power dynamics
to coerce young victims and commit acts of sexual abuse.
According to the Child Molestation Research and Prevention
Institute, 95 percent of sexual abuse is preventable through
education.
That means that direct access to sexual abuse prevention
training is the most effective method of protecting our kids,
which is why Representative David Joyce and my partner to
introduce the bipartisan Shielding America's Youth from
Exploitation Act to ensure that these abuses never happen again
and that these teens that are enrolled in these programs are
protected.
The SAYFE Act requires the Department of Defense to provide
age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse prevention trainings
to all Junior ROTC cadets across the Nation.
The lack of protection for Junior ROTC teen cadets is not
only a moral failing but it also undermines military readiness.
At a time when the United States is suffering from a
recruitment crisis across all branches of the Armed Forces our
Nation cannot afford to see a program as important as Junior
ROTC undermined by growing accounts of sexual abuse.
Congress has a fundamental duty to protect these cadets and
the SAYFE Act will do just that. I am grateful for the
opportunity to share this consequential legislation for the
committee's awareness and ask for your support as I encourage
all members of the Armed Services Committee give this bill
serious consideration for inclusion in this year's NDAA markup.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the time and I yield back and
will be happy to take any questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Garcia can be found in the
Appendix on page 37.]
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Ms. Garcia. Thanks so much for you
and Mr. Joyce's bill on this issue. Incredibly important.
Thanks for all that you are seeking to do to protect our Junior
ROTC cadets. That's incredibly important.
As I grew up I served as a Junior ROTC cadet for 4 years so
I know how incredibly important it is, and it is a formative
stage for those young leaders. The last thing we want for them
is to be subjected to sexual assault or sexual abuse. So thank
you for doing that.
Any questions for Ms. Garcia?
Hearing none, thank you so much.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wittman. We will now have our next panel.
If we could, since Mr. Crenshaw isn't here, Ms. Kaptur, if
you'd like to join us on this panel we can do that. And we will
fix the nameplate. All right. Very good.
We'll have our next panel. We're joined by Mr. Rick Larsen
from the 2nd District of Washington, Ms. Marcy Kaptur from the
9th District of Ohio, and Mr. Rick Allen from the 12th District
of Georgia.
Mr. Larsen, we'll begin with you.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICK LARSEN, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM WASHINGTON
Mr. Larsen. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member, for
the opportunity to testify today. It's a little bit different
being on this side of the dais after 22 years on the committee.
I welcome you to come testify before the Transportation
Committee at any time and we'll treat you as nicely as you will
treat me later after I'm done with my testimony.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Larsen. Although I won't participate in the committee
markup of this year's NDAA, I will take the next few minutes to
highlight some of the priorities that are important to the
district that I represent.
So in communities surrounding military installations the
jet noise from flight operations is a frequent concern and in
previous NDAAs I've secured funding for jet noise reduction
research.
In my district the sailors at Naval Air Station Whidbey
Island are working to reduce the impact of flight operations on
surrounding communities so I would just request the committee
continue to require the Navy to support this research and
provide a report and briefing on the status of this research.
Second, the bipartisan Electromagnetic Warfare Working
Group, or EW Working Group, works to promote electromagnetic
warfare systems and raise awareness of the importance of EW in
the National Defense Strategy and last year's NDAA included my
request for an updated EW force structure and it is important
that the DOD deliver on this report. It has not yet delivered
on that report and I would hope the committee presses the
Department to do just that.
America's women and men in uniform sacrifice greatly as
well. They should not have to sacrifice, however, their dreams
of having a family. I've met with veterans and service members
who struggle with having children due to medical complications
because of their service in the military. And establishing a
pilot program to cryo preserve gametes prior to training and
deployments would enable service members to choose to have a
family should a dramatic injury occur. And I'd ask that all
members support this effort to help our veterans and service
members start a family.
Last year on the committee I asked General Milley how the
DOD is integrating AI [artificial intelligence] education into
professional military education. His response revealed that the
DOD has work to do to ensure that junior officers and the
enlisted ranks have access to AI education.
I request the committee require the DOD to establish an AI
education program for all ranks, officers and enlisted, to
ensure service members understand AI concepts and ethics and
have the tools they need to solve problems and create
efficiency through the use of artificial intelligence.
As a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly as well, I'm
a strong supporter of NATO's efforts on the Defense Innovation
Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or the DIANA program.
DIANA will enable NATO allies to adopt and integrate
innovative technologies. In last year's NDAA I requested
funding for DIANA and pushed for the DOD to select a U.S.
representative to the DIANA board.
I am pleased that Ms. Barbara McQuiston was elected to
chair at the DIANA board of directors and that the Pacific
Northwest Mission Acceleration Center in Seattle was selected
as the second DIANA site in the United States. And I ask the
committee to support emerging technology and NATO by continuing
to invest in DIANA.
Two final issues. First is the DOD recognizes financial
readiness as a crucial component of not only service members'
lives but the lives of their families and, more specifically,
their children.
Financial literacy education in the Department of Defense
Education Activity schools is critical to prepare military
children for the future and I ask the committee to include a
provision in the NDAA requiring DODEA schools to add a
financial literacy course in their high school graduation
requirement.
And, finally, on the Constellation-class frigate program,
they will protect U.S. interests and they will also--the Navy
has also selected Everett, Washington, as their first home
port. And I hope that the committee can continue to support
reliable predictable shipbuilding schedule and funding to
prepare for the frigate's scheduled arrival in 2026.
And with that, I'd like to thank you for taking time to
consider my priorities for this year's NDAA.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Larsen can be found in the
Appendix on page 38.]
Mr. Wittman. Mr. Larsen, thank you, and the issue of
shipbuilding, obviously, is going to be front and center.
Thanks so much for your advocacy for timeliness of pending
reports. We know how incredibly important that is for us to
make our decisions.
And making sure we're helping service members and their
families with having families; that, too, is important for
quality of life. As well as issues on artificial intelligence
and the NATO accelerator as well as financial literacy.
So thanks so much for all of your issues that you brought
before us and, as always, we will do all that we can to
accommodate you in every way possible. So thanks again. Thank
you.
We will now go to Ms. Kaptur.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARCY KAPTUR, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM OHIO
Ms. Kaptur. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member
Smith. I thank you both for the opportunity to testify before
your committee today as a member of the Defense Appropriations
Committee and look forward to working with you to refine these
proposals as the bill moves forward.
I'm grateful for our partnership across our committees to
ensure that the brave men and women of the United States Armed
Forces have the tools they need to keep our country safe both
at home and abroad. And when they return home, we must afford
them the respect and recognition their service has earned.
I wish to address two issues for which I seek inclusion as
your committee develops the 2024 defense authorizing bill.
First, my proposal is to authorize the Department of
Defense to strike a new service medal entitled ``Last Soldier
Standing.'' And second proposal is to authorize an unmarried
only adult lone child of lifelong service members the
opportunity at their own expense to be cremated or
conventionally interred above or alongside their career
military parents who are interred in military cemeteries.
First, on the medal. I seek your committee's authorization
for the Department of Defense to perform necessary research and
create criteria including character, circumstance, nature of
battle, war wounds, and medical records to define, strike, and
administer the award of a new category of service medal
acknowledging the heroism and exceptional valor of the last
soldier standing.
Presently the Department of Defense only processes medals
for soldiers who have served in battle if there are two living
witnesses that can verify their service. For soldiers who have
served in horrific battle with all soldiers dead but one
remaining alive and critically wounded yet standing his ground,
this regulation simply makes no sense.
In furtherance of this objective, I have the distinct
privilege and responsibility of sharing a story with your
committee I wish to place in the record that serves as an
example of the situation that would warrant the medal I am
proposing.
I respectfully ask for this soldier's story for inclusion
in the record. It is a true story of the late Army cavalry
platoon leader in the Vietnam war veteran Sergeant John Eid of
Toledo, Ohio. His story well illustrates why I believe such a
medal deserves a place in our Nation's military service awards.
His meticulous handwritten maps and battle notes
methodically recount his recollections as an Army combat
soldier who fought against Vietnamese regular forces at La
Drang Valley landing zone Albany beginning November 17th, 1965.
That battle is recorded as the costliest battle and the
turning point of the Vietnam war and his note states, and I'll
read just one sentence: ``My statement does not engage certain
issues but the lack of intelligence, our sketchy mission order,
why transport helicopters were unavailable, why hours passed
with no air or artillery support. Why did the battalion and
brigade commanders behave as they did? There are a thousand
questions. I can only say that more than 1,000 Americans and
North Vietnamese infantry men died in what is called, quote,
`the most savage one-day battle of the Vietnam war.' ``
Sergeant Eid was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star
but was not eligible for additional medals because DOD
regulations state there were not two living witnesses who
survived to attest to his and his colleagues' fight to subdue
the enemy. All were dead but one.
Secondly, on the request for burial of unmarried children
of a career U.S. soldier and spouse buried in military
cemeteries, the unmarried only child should be afforded burial
rights if the applicant pays for burial expenses.
My proposal suggests that on a case-by-case basis the
cemetery would make decisions on space constraints and whether
cremation or traditional burial is suitable and whether a
nameplate of the child could be affixed to the parents' grave
marker.
Thank you, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, for
the opportunity to speak to your committee today and present
these proposals on very vital matters. I look forward to
working with you and your staff to develop these proposals and
move them across the finish line.
I thank you and yield back.
Mr. Wittman. Thanks much, Ms. Kaptur, and without objection
your story of the last man standing in the battle in Vietnam
will be entered into the record and we appreciate your advocacy
for that--it certainly makes sense--and then also to allow an
only unmarried child to be interred with their military
parents.
So we will make sure we take that as part of our task to
include that. So thanks again. Thank you.
[The information referred to was not available at the time
of printing.]
Mr. Wittman. We will now go to Mr. Allen.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICK W. ALLEN, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM GEORGIA
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Chairman Wittman and Ranking Member
Smith, for hosting this Member Day for Members of Congress to
discuss priorities for the National Defense Authorization Act
for fiscal year 2024.
My district, the 12th Congressional District of Georgia, is
home to Fort Gordon, one of the fastest growing military
installations in the country. Fort Gordon is home to the U.S.
Army Cyber Center of Excellence and the U.S. Army Cyber Command
and the Signal School headquarters.
I am proud to represent thousands of service members from
all branches who continue to make sacrifices to ensure the
safety and the security of the United States.
Building a 21st century military is critical to fielding
the threats of today, tomorrow, and years to come in the ever-
changing cyber environment and that starts with the investments
being made at Fort Gordon.
Cyber is the new frontier. Every day our Nation faces a new
type of threat in this domain. We must ensure that our cyber
warriors have access to the ranges and training environments
they need to adequately respond to emerging threats as well as
the readiness and training funding necessary to address the
full spectrum of cyber threats.
Included in the President's budget for fiscal year 2024 was
$163 million for the design and construction of the U.S. Army
Cyber Center of Excellence Signal School, also known within the
Department of the Army as MCA 3.
This funding will go towards facility and mission
capabilities consisting of Signal School headquarters, cyber
noncommissioned officer academy headquarters, secret training
capability for signal advanced individual training, 38
classrooms, and 38 labs.
Additionally, my district borders the Savannah River Site
where they are completing critical missions toward nuclear
modernization to ensure our nuclear deterrent is safe and
reliable.
As you continue to work on crafting a National Defense
Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024 it is my request that
full funding is included for construction of this important
facility at Fort Gordon as well as fully funding the important
missions at Savannah River Site.
I appreciate this opportunity to submit my request and
thank the committee for your great work on this National
Defense Authorization. And I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Allen can be found in the
Appendix on page 43.]
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Mr. Allen. We deeply appreciate all
the things that Fort Gordon does for our United States military
as well as our Army.
That cyber center there, as you said, is an incredibly
important and growing mission and making sure we properly
resource that is, indeed, our job.
So we will make sure we give that all due consideration in
the context of all the other great requests that we have. So,
Mr. Allen, thank you so much. Thank you.
I think we have one member left.
Mr. Crenshaw. Mr. Crenshaw, welcome. The floor is yours.
Thank you so much for all you do for the folks in the Second
District of the great State of Texas.
STATEMENT OF HON. DAN CRENSHAW, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM TEXAS
Mr. Crenshaw. Thank you. Thank you for having me today.
Thank you for hosting this.
I want to tell a story----
Mr. Wittman. Yes.
Mr. Crenshaw [continuing]. To start this off. About 3 years
ago I was having dinner at a friend's house. He was ex-Marine.
He had served in Afghanistan as a civil affairs Marine during
the historic push through Marjah so it was heavy combat.
He is a childhood friend of my wife's, so we've known each
other for quite a long time and he suffered serious traumatic
brain injuries from a vehicle-borne IED. Rocked him pretty bad.
He couldn't speak for a while. He had terrible memory loss.
It crushed him for many years. You know, eventually he
gained back a lot of those motor functions, but the internal
issues were, of course, still there.
And as we're having dinner he tells me about some treatment
that he had just done down in Mexico through a--through an
American nonprofit and American doctors but it was a
psychedelics treatment where you go down for 1 day and you take
a dose of Ibogaine, and the effects last for about 12 hours and
there's doctors involved and the next day they do another
treatment and then they leave.
And he talked to me about how it changed his life, how he
stopped drinking alcohol, how he stopped needing any pain
medications. His wife, more importantly, told me how it changed
their lives.
I thought that was really interesting. I never heard this
kind of testimony before. They live in Maryland. So we drove
back here. At the time I was renting an apartment in Navy Yard,
and I get in my elevator and in that elevator is a guy named
Jon Lubecky. And I don't know him, but he knows who I am and he
says, hey, sir, just want to let you know I'm an old Marine and
I tried to kill myself four times until I did this treatment.
He was talking about the exact same treatment and the exact
same clinic that my good friend Mike was talking about. So, all
on the same night this happens to me.
That's why I decided to take on this issue because, as it
turns out, I have a lot more friends than I even realized who
were affected by this. Some of those are on this committee
actually. The Lutrell brothers, they've told me about their
experiences. My friend Henry Berkowitz, who is an advocate for
vets--may have come by your offices one or two times--have
advocated for these treatments.
Twenty-seven percent of post-9/11 veterans are diagnosed
with PTSD and the truth is we haven't made a whole lot of
progress in actually treating it. And so we have to think
outside the box. We have to do something new.
So that's why I'm here once again, actually, pushing for
further research into the use of psychedelics to treat PTSD,
traumatic brain injury, and CTE [chronic traumatic
encephalopathy]. CTE is, of course, another form of brain
injury.
And I'm calling on Congress to use this year's NDAA to
direct the Secretary of Defense to provide grants for
psychedelic research to treat service members living with PTSD,
TBI, and CTE.
It's worth noting we all voted for this already. We've
passed this out of the House, and where all good things die, it
died in the Senate.
So why am I pushing for this? The studies are pretty
promising. Recent private sector research into the use of MDMA
to treat PTSD found that 88 percent of trial participants had a
significant reduction in symptoms and 67 percent no longer had
PTSD.
And the study is not an outlier. The first use of MDMA-
assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in 2010 found that 83 percent
of the patients given MDMA no longer met the criteria for PTSD
and follow-up results revealed that the positive effects
persisted for years.
Perhaps more compelling than the data are the personal
testimonials you'll hear from veterans that I just spoke about.
SEAL Team Six operators like Marcus Capone, Jonathan Lubecky,
and countless others who say this treatment turned them away
from suicide, rescued their marriage, rescued their families,
and pulled them out of the depths of despair that only veterans
living with PTSD can describe.
Here's the issue. Under current law Active Duty service
members suffering from PTSD must travel abroad to receive this
treatment, risk losing their Active Duty status if they do so.
This creates some problems.
First, losing their Active Duty status means they're taken
away from their community and friendships that are integral to
their lives, only making the problems worse.
They also no longer have the benefits of Active Duty
status, which will further disrupt their lives and their
families.
Second, this prevents us from gaining the research we need
to determine the true efficacy of psychedelic therapy. We still
never understand the extent to which psychedelics can help our
service members unless we start doing the necessary testing.
So, to be clear, this policy and the bill I'm proposing
would not grant every single service member the ability to go
out and try psychedelics on their own. It would not provide
over-the-counter psychedelics at military pharmacies.
It would not even dictate that psychedelics are effective
and people with PTSD should seek them out as treatment options.
All this would do is direct the DOD to begin the research and
allow service members to keep their Active Duty status if they
participate.
It's a simple but positive step in the right direction and
I hope this committee will include this policy in the NDAA so
we can truly study this innovative way to treat our service
members and give them a chance to continue to serve while they
take part in the treatment. I think they deserve that option,
and we should not stand in their way.
Thank you. I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Crenshaw can be found in the
Appendix on page 46.]
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Mr. Crenshaw. Thanks, too, for
sharing those stories. We know the tremendous suffering that
members of the military and their families go through in
dealing with PTSD and anything that we can do to help them on
the path to recovery from that, I think, is key and research is
going to be incredibly important to that.
So thanks so much for your advocacy, and as we do with all
of our members we'll do everything we can to keep that in
consideration as we put together the NDAA.
So thanks so much for your advocacy, for your sharing of
stories of others, and making sure that we're doing everything
we can to support our Active Duty and our veterans community
that are dealing with PTSD. So thank you.
Mr. Smith. Mr. Chairman, if I could----
Mr. Wittman. Please. Please. Yes.
Mr. Smith. I appreciate it and I think this is something
that we really need to take a look at because your point is
let's study it. Let's make it available.
And the thing that I find--well, idiotic is the word--the
military and, by the way, doctors all across the country they
will give you all the opiates you want, like that, without even
thinking about it, and also much less reported is they will
also give you all the benzodiazepines that you want and the
studies make it pretty clear that both of those drugs have
severe long-term negative consequences whatever they may do for
you in the short term, and yet we have no problem prescribing
those all day long.
And yet we won't look at this and I feel the same way about
cannabis for that matter. I don't know if it's going to work or
not but it's just mind boggling to me that we won't study it,
that we have this absolute prohibition on figuring out whether
or not it will work while meanwhile we're throwing all these
other drugs.
I mean if we're--we're not anti-drug, obviously. Okay. We
just seem to be anti a specific kind of drug. I don't know.
Maybe we can figure out some way for the pharmaceutical
industry to make money off of those drugs and then they'd be
more interested in allowing it.
But you get the gist. I'm 100 percent with you and
definitely want to try to figure out a way to move this
forward. I know others on the committee have worked the issue
as well. So I look forward to working with you on it.
Mr. Crenshaw. I appreciate that. There's a wide-ranging
support on the committee and I think it's time for Congress to
get this done and get some advocates from the Senate as well.
So I appreciate it.
Mr. Wittman. Mr. Crenshaw, thank you.
Mr. Moylan, any questions? Okay.
Mr. Crenshaw, thank you. I agree with the ranking member
and that is we need--when we have this discussion to make sure
we distinguish between abuse, which none of us are in favor of,
and prescriptive use, which when you have a substance that is a
net positive, you know, especially something as problematic as
PTSD, I agree with the ranking member we need to look at every
one of those options and why wouldn't you want to do it in a
very structured, scientific way?
Mr. Crenshaw. Worth noting, too, because we talk about
recreational drugs versus nonrecreational drugs, you know,
these--some of these painkillers you're talking about--MDMA as
well--but others--these are recreational drugs, but others are
absolutely not.
Mr. Wittman. Yeah.
Mr. Crenshaw. You're talking about--these testimonies that
I'm talking about you ask Morgan Luttrell. You ask Marcus
Capone, SEAL Team Six operator, Jonathan Lubecky. You ask my
friend Mike. They would never want to do this experience again.
This is not a recreational experience. It's a terrifying
experience but it saves their lives.
Mr. Wittman. Yeah.
Mr. Crenshaw. And so, you know, there's so much to study
there. There's so much potential benefit.
Also worth noting, there's--one of the outcomes that they
see often and I hear this time and time again from my friends
who've been through this, they stop drinking, they stop self-
medicating, just because they don't--something happens to them
that they don't want it anymore.
They feel they don't need it. They feel they don't want it.
It's a fascinating outcome and there's--you know, we're
watching these people over extended periods of time with no
downside to it.
So something we absolutely need to look at and study. This
bill would direct the Department of Defense to issue grant
money to conduct those studies.
Mr. Wittman. Very good.
Mr. Crenshaw. And thank you. I yield back at that.
Mr. Wittman. Thanks. Thanks again. That's very compelling.
Thank you. Thank you.
Very good. I think that that----
Mr. Kelly. [Inaudible.]
Mr. Wittman. General Kelly, welcome. Are there any other
members that have any requests to come before the committee?
Hearing none, the committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 10:51 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
=======================================================================
A P P E N D I X
May 16, 2023
=======================================================================
=======================================================================
PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
May 16, 2023
=======================================================================
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
=======================================================================
DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
May 16, 2023
=======================================================================
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[all]