    [House Hearing, 118 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                             [H.A.S.C. No. 118-78]

                           MILITARY DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL
                             CHIEFS: PERSONNEL POSTURE

                                   __________

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                       SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL

                                     OF THE

                          COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                        ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 SECOND SESSION

                                   __________

                                  HEARING HELD

                                 APRIL 17, 2024

    [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                    __________

                       U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
    56-396                      WASHINGTON : 2025

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL

                          JIM BANKS, Indiana, Chairman

    ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York          ANDY KIM, New Jersey
    MATT GAETZ, Florida                  CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania
    JACK BERGMAN, Michigan               VERONICA ESCOBAR, Texas
    MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida               MARILYN STRICKLAND, Washington
    BRAD FINSTAD, Minnesota              JILL N. TOKUDA, Hawaii
    JAMES C. MOYLAN, Guam                DONALD G. DAVIS, North Carolina
    MARK ALFORD, Missouri                TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama
    CORY MILLS, Florida                  STEVEN HORSFORD, Nevada

                   Hannah Kaufman, Professional Staff Member
                     Ilka Regino, Professional Staff Member
                      Alexandria Evers, Research Assistant

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

                  STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

    Banks, Hon. Jim, a Representative from Indiana, Chairman,
      Subcommittee on Military Personnel.............................     1
    Kim, Hon. Andy, a Representative from New Jersey, Ranking Member,
      Subcommittee on Military Personnel.............................     2

                                   WITNESSES

    Cheeseman, VADM Rick, USN, Chief of Navy Personnel, U.S. Navy....     4
    Glynn, LtGen James F., USMC, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and
      Reserve Affairs, U.S. Marine Corps.............................     5
    Kelley, Ms., Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Human Capital,
      U.S. Space Force...............................................     7
    Miller, Lt Gen Caroline M., USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for
      Manpower, Personnel and Services, U.S. Air Force...............     7
    Stitt, LTG Douglas F., USA, Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army.....     3

                                    APPENDIX

    Prepared Statements:

        Banks, Hon...................................................    33
        Cheeseman, VADM Rick.........................................    62
        Glynn, LtGen James F.........................................    69
        Kelley, Ms...................................................    83
        Kim, Hon.....................................................    44
        Miller, Lt Gen Caroline M....................................    91
        Stitt, LTG Douglas F.........................................    46

    Documents Submitted for the Record:

        [There were no Documents submitted.]

    Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:

        Ms. Tokuda...................................................   107

    Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:

        Mr. Finstad..................................................   116
        Mr. Waltz....................................................   115
            MILITARY DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL CHIEFS: PERSONNEL POSTURE

                                  ----------

                      House of Representatives,
                           Committee on Armed Services,
                            Subcommittee on Military Personnel,
                             Washington, DC, Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
        The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 3:28 p.m., in
    room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Jim Banks
    [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding.

      OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JIM BANKS, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
         INDIANA, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL

        Mr. Banks. The subcommittee will come to order. I ask
    unanimous consent that the chair be authorized to declare a
    recess at any time. Without objection, so ordered.
        I want to welcome everyone to this hearing of the Military
    Personnel Subcommittee. Today's hearing is focused on the
    personnel policymakers who are charged with developing the
    policies, guidance, and programs that affect recruiting,
    accessions, assignments, benefits, career progression, and so
    much more.
        And it is no small secret that policies, especially
    personnel policies, drive military culture. Strategic leaders
    in their efforts to form a shared belief system risk
    substituting continuous oversight with policy and guidance on
    how to think, feel, and behave. And some of the most culturally
    transformative guidance and policies in the military Services
    over the last decade have been in the personnel arena. Most
    notably, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
        For more than 10 years, former President Obama and
    President Biden have issued executive orders establishing a
    coordinated government-wide initiative to promote diversity and
    inclusion. Navigating these policies is no small task,
    especially considering the military personnel system that you
    are tasked with running is supposed to be based on merit not
    social engineering.
        I am concerned that policies you must implement not only
    contradict the military culture necessary to ensure an
    effective fighting force but that the culture upheaval this
    administration is pushing on the Department of Defense [DOD]
    and on the military Services may continue to lead to recruiting
    and retention problems.
        For example, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [DEI]. It is
    no secret that the backlash to DEI policies has been very
    strong. Last week Axios quoted Johnny Taylor, the president of
    Society for Human Resource Management, "The backlash to DEI is
    real, and I mean in ways that I have actually never seen it
    before." And yet even as Americans have pushed back, the
    Department of Defense continues to focus on DEI.
        This has an impact on recruiting and retention. This has an
    impact on potential servicemembers seeing their future success
    as dependent on their race or gender, not merit. We are going
    to end our recruiting crisis by chipping away at merit-based
    personnel actions with requirements and directives to take -- I
    am sorry. We are not going to end our recruiting crisis by
    chipping away at merit-based personnel actions with
    requirements and directives to take, for example, gender into
    consideration.
        As Lieutenant General Burt advocated for when addressing
    state Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer [LGBTQ]
    laws, "If the good match for a job does not feel safe being
    themselves and performing at their highest potential at a given
    location, or if their family could be denied critical health
    care due to the laws in that state, I am compelled to consider
    a different candidate and perhaps less qualified."
        The bottom line is that I am concerned. Especially that
    this administration and the military Services are dismissing
    the cultural changes that these personnel policies are forcing
    on the military without considering their effects on
    recruiting. It may just be a correlation that recruiting has
    struggled since the focus on DEI as a national security
    priority. But I am deeply skeptical of that. This needs to be
    investigated.
        But now I want to thank our witnesses for being here today.
    Lieutenant General Douglas Stitt of the U.S. Army, Vice Admiral
    Richard Cheeseman, Jr., Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for
    Personnel, Lieutenant General Caroline Miller, with the Air
    Force, Lieutenant General James Glynn with the U.S. Marine
    Corps, and Katharine Kelley, the Deputy Chief of Space
    Operations for Human Capital.
        Before hearing from our witnesses, let me offer Ranking
    Member Kim an opportunity to make any opening remarks.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Banks can be found in the
    Appendix on page 33.]

     STATEMENT OF HON. ANDY KIM, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW JERSEY,
           RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL

        Mr. Kim. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you all for joining.
    Without Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Guardians, we
    couldn't man military weapons systems, deliver humanitarian
    assistance or effectively respond to security challenges around
    the globe.
        I have read your testimonies. And there is no doubt you are
    all concerned about a number of issues, including young
    people's decreasing propensity to serve, their lack of
    connection to the value of military service and that affects,
    also, the changing recruitment landscape that is out there that
    the Chairman and I have been grappling with the rest of the
    members on this committee.
        I share these concerns and would add that this is why I
    support taking the steps necessary to widen the pool of
    applicants we can draw from for all our all-volunteer force. I
    am encouraged by the prep courses that the Army and Navy have
    established to help potential recruits overcome physical
    fitness barriers into service and meet or exceed service in
    Department of Defense physical requirements.
        I am encouraged by how the Services are employing
    innovative tools to increase the impact and effectiveness of
    the recruiter force from the Army's creation of a recruiter
    military career track to ensure that those who serve as first
    line ambassadors in schools and communities across the country
    are well-prepared, to the Navy's recruiting operation center,
    which now monitors recruiting efforts in real-time, and the Air
    Force's barriers to service review of internal policies, which
    resulted in an additional 6,800 people being eligible to serve
    as Airmen.
        These are just a few examples of how you are all trying to
    think out of the box to encourage military service among our
    youth.
        Another important factor is ensuring we have the force we
    need is to pay attention to the quality of life needs of
    servicemembers and their families. I am excited that myself and
    many others on this subcommittee have been a part of the
    Quality of Life Panel that released its report and
    recommendations last week.
        By focusing our efforts on solutions to address pay and
    compensation, we will make sure servicemembers and their
    families have enough money to put food on the table.
        I also often hear from many servicemembers in my district
    who are stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst about how
    they struggle to get access to the medical and child care that
    they need.
        These are issues that I know my colleagues on the other
    side of the aisle can agree need to be addressed. As I have
    said before, we ask our servicemembers to be willing to make
    the ultimate sacrifice, which they voluntarily do day in and
    day out, which means that we owe it to them and their families
    to do everything we can to ensure that they have all that they
    need when they need it.
        Mr. Chairman, thank you for having this hearing today so we
    can discuss many of the important issues of personnel policies
    on the lives of our servicemembers. And thank you to the
    witnesses again for being here. And I yield back the balance of
    my time.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Kim can be found in the
    Appendix on page 44.]
        Mr. Banks. Thank you, Ranking Member Kim. Each witness will
    have the opportunity to present his or her testimony and each
    member will have an opportunity to question the witnesses for
    five minutes.
        We respectfully ask the witnesses to summarize their
    testimony in three minutes or less. Your written comments and
    statements will be made part of the hearing record. With that,
    Lieutenant General Stitt, you may make your opening statement.

     STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL DOUGLAS F. STITT, USA, DEPUTY
                       CHIEF OF STAFF, U.S. ARMY

        General Stitt. Good afternoon, Chairman Banks, Ranking
    Member Kim, distinguished members of this committee. Thank you
    for the opportunity to appear before you on behalf of the
    Soldiers and civilians of the United States Army.
        I submitted a statement for the record and want to
    highlight a few points from it now.
        The United States Army is amidst a fundamental
    transformation. We are adapting and changing capabilities,
    force structure, and our accessions enterprise. These
    collective efforts combine to enable ready combat formations
    while ensuring the care of our people and their quality of life
    is commensurate with their service.
        The Army senior leadership directed fundamental changes to
    improve the effectiveness of our accessions formations in the
    face of this challenging recruiting environment. These
    transformative efforts include enhancements of our recruiting
    workforce, engaging across the totality of the labor market,
    and a streamlined reporting structure. Compared to the same
    point last year, we are ahead in our accessions mission, and
    the Army is on pace to meet its fiscal year 2024 end strength
    of 445,000 in the active component.
        The Army remains a great place to serve, as demonstrated by
    our historically high retention rates. In fiscal year 2023, the
    Army achieved 102 percent of its retention mission. And we
    remain on glide path to exceed our retention mission in 2024.
        We remain focused on critical programs that get upstream
    and prevent harmful behaviors from entering our formations. Our
    civilian workforce is a readiness multiplier across the total
    Army. And our investments in their capabilities are crucial for
    meeting the needs of the Army of the future.
        All of these efforts contribute to Army readiness and are
    vital for retaining our Soldiers, civilians, and their
    families.
        For our Army families, we programmed $1.6 billion across
    fiscal years 2024 to 2028 to improve the Army family housing
    inventory. For unaccompanied Soldiers, we invested over $2.1
    billion annually in the construction, sustainment, restoration,
    and modernization across fiscal years 2025 to 2029 for our
    barracks.
        With congressional support, we will keep the Army on a
    sustainable strategic path as we transform for the future. We
    will deliver ready combat formations with advanced capabilities
    to defend our nation and its interest.
        We understand the critical importance of preserving the
    all-volunteer force. We will continue investments in the
    quality of life for our Soldiers, civilians, and their
    families. We will maintain and build cohesive teams and foster
    climates of trust grounded in our shared Army values.
        Chairman Banks, Ranking Member Kim, members of this
    committee, I thank you for your generous and unwavering support
    for our talented Soldiers, civilian professionals, and their
    families. I look forward to your questions. Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of General Stitt can be found in
    the Appendix on page 46.]
        Mr. Banks. Thank you.
        Vice Admiral Cheeseman.

     STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL RICK CHEESEMAN, USN, CHIEF OF NAVAL
                          PERSONNEL, U.S. NAVY

        Admiral Cheeseman. Good afternoon, Chairman Banks, Ranking
    Member Kim, and distinguished subcommittee members. Thank you
    for the opportunity to appear before you today.
        I am honored to be here to serve and represent the Sailors
    of our United States Navy, a high quality, motivated workforce
    comprised of the best America has to offer.
        The Navy budget request for fiscal year 2025 fund holistic
    efforts to support our warfighters and the foundation that
    supports them. It prioritizes our people with increases in
    military pay and basic allowances and additional funds for
    recruiting and retention bonuses.
        The budget also prioritizes several quality of life in
    service initiatives, including tools and education for our
    leadership specifically to address mental health, suicide and
    other harmful behaviors that build upon quality of service
    investments from the fiscal year 2024 appropriation.
        And while I am grateful for your continued support of our
    Sailors and their families, I must stress that our Navy remains
    most lethal and effective when we are able to execute under a
    full year budget.
        We remain in a very challenging recruiting environment. Our
    current projected miss is 6,700 against a 40,600 sailor
    mission, which is significantly better than what we anticipated
    at the beginning of the fiscal year. And I remain optimistic
    that investments in marketing and data analytics will show
    additional progress.
        As we position ourselves for success in the coming year, I
    look forward to sharing our continuous performance improvement.
        With recruiting challenges, there is a need for a greater
    retention. I appreciate your steadfast support in funding
    Sailor Special Incentive Pay and Bonuses, which are vital to
    targeting complex skill sets. These monetary incentives,
    coupled with several other initiatives, have helped us maintain
    our historically healthy retention levels.
        Last month, we rolled out Culture of Excellence 2.0, which
    focuses on building great people, great leaders, and great
    teams and prepares our warfighters to dominate in combat,
    innovate and solve hard problems, and prevent harmful
    behaviors.
        It simplifies, streamlines, and aligns several programs and
    concepts into an actionable approach for building great culture
    while providing tools for Commanders to better understand and
    act on the needs of their people.
        Our men and women of the United States Navy Active,
    Reserve, and civilian, along with their families, give our Navy
    the decisive edge. We must build strong warfighting teams,
    recruit, and retain talented people from all of America,
    provide them world class training and education and ensure they
    are prepared for when their Navy story ends, whether it be a
    single enlistment or a full career.
        You and every American can be proud of your Sailors and
    their families. I appreciate your continued support, and I look
    forward to your questions.
        [The prepared statement of Admiral Cheeseman can be found
    in the Appendix on page 62.]
        Mr. Banks. Thank you.
        Lieutenant General Glynn.

     STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES F. GLYNN, USMC, DEPUTY
      COMMANDANT FOR MANPOWER & RESERVE AFFAIRS, U.S. MARINE CORPS

        General Glynn. Chairman Banks, Ranking Member Kim, and
    distinguished members of the subcommittee. It is my privilege
    to appear before you along with Sergeant Major Jake Rife to
    provide an overview of your Marine Corps through the lens of
    its personnel.
        Your Marine Corps and your Marines remain strong. Despite
    headwinds, we met the recruiting and retention missions for
    last year and expect to do so again this year. We have done so
    while maintaining top quality, something on which we will never
    compromise.
        Rest assured the caliber of our Marines directly
    contributes to the warfighting capability and readiness of the
    United States Marine Corps.
        Despite our successes, recruiting still presents
    challenges, including a shrinking pool of eligible youth who
    are increasingly unfamiliar with military service.
        To counter these trends, we are modernizing how we recruit
    and are working to increase access to schools. We ask for your
    continued support of these efforts and also to continue to
    resource our vital advertising efforts.
        In short, we must collectively ensure the health of our
    all-volunteer force and the strategic advantage it provides,
    talent, capability, and warfighting excellence.
        I am pleased to report that we continue to retain Marines
    at a historic pace, both in number and in quality. It
    reinforces that once an individual becomes a Marine, they
    desire to remain a Marine. And the desire for continued service
    speaks to our ethos.
        As we listen to Marines, they explain that being part of a
    team, accomplishing the mission, taking care of one another,
    and serving something bigger than themselves is what is
    motivating to continue in uniform. It also demonstrates that
    Marines believe in the leaders and processes that assign,
    promote, and award in a fair and transparent manner.
        Our talent management efforts to date remain foundational
    to force design and the future success of our Corps. They are
    helping us maximize the number of fully trained, qualified,
    experienced, and deployable Marines in the operational forces.
    And the overarching goal remains to increase Marine Corps
    warfighting capability and sustain our ability, really our
    responsibility, to be the nation's premier expeditionary force
    in readiness.
        And to that end, as we meet this afternoon, more than
    30,000 Marines are forward deployed or forward stationed with
    their families prepared to respond should that call come.
        Warfighting readiness is built on trust, including trust in
    the Marine Corps support of families. Family readiness for us
    is quite simply readiness. We are thankful for the attention
    you and the Quality of Life Panel have given to important
    policies and programs from child care, health care, housing,
    spouse employment or compensation. These are things that matter
    to Marines, to our families, and to me.
        We are leaning in with equal vigor in areas such as
    preventing destructive behaviors and increasing resilience
    through implementation of the Marine Corps Total Fitness
    Strategy. And I look forward to our dialogue on these topics as
    we continue to provide Marines with the highest quality of
    life.
        Again, it is my honor to represent the Marine Corps today,
    and I look forward to your questions. Semper Fidelis.
        [The prepared statement of General Glynn can be found in
    the Appendix on page 69.]
        Mr. Banks. We understand that Lieutenant General Miller is
    not feeling well, and she has submitted her opening statement
    of the record. All members already have a copy of that. So we
    will move on to Ms. Kelley.
        [The prepared statement of General Miller can be found in
    the Appendix on page 91.]

    STATEMENT OF KATHARINE KELLEY, DEPUTY CHIEF OF SPACE OPERATIONS
                  FOR HUMAN CAPITAL, U.S. SPACE FORCE

        Ms. Kelley. Chairman Banks, Ranking Member Kim,
    distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
    opportunity to appear before you today representing the over
    14,000 uniformed and civilian Guardians of your Space Force.
        Our military and our nation's modern way of life depends on
    your Space Force successfully securing our national interests
    in, from, and to space.
        And while advanced technology is a vital component or our
    capabilities, our Guardians are the foundation of our ability
    to maintain freedom of action in space.
        Building and maintaining this foundation starts with
    winning the fight for talent in an era where opportunities to
    work in the growing space economy are expanding at an
    unprecedented pace. The Space Force must be seen as an employer
    of choice.
        We need to offer competitive pay and benefits compelling,
    career paths, and strong support for spouses and families. We
    must attract the talent we need through these mechanisms. And
    we must ensure our target recruitment population know about
    these initiatives through strong branding and talent
    acquisition efforts. But our work does not stop with attracting
    this talent. We must continue to focus on keeping the trained
    and experienced Guardians we have invested in and depend on.
        Thanks for your strong partnership, we continue to make
    progress serving as a pathfinder in modernizing the
    Department's approach to talent management, starting with
    enhanced space education.
        For example, we are establishing a refreshed Office of
    Training course, which will expose new Officers to the full
    spectrum of our space mission sets before they arrive at their
    first duty station.
        We have also partnered with some of our nation's top
    universities to provide new models of intermediate and advanced
    professional education for both uniformed and civilian
    Guardians.
        We are revamping our performance assessment and leadership
    selection process, drawing best practices from both inside and
    outside the Department to build high performing teams and
    effective leaders.
        Perhaps most importantly with your tremendous support, we
    are working to build a first of its kind flexible military
    service model as envisioned in the recently passed Space Force
    Personnel Management Act. This important legislation will
    enhance career flexibility while allowing us to retain
    invaluable technical talent that is so vital to the Space Force
    mission.
        We are doing all these things and much more not just to
    take care of Guardians and their families because it is the
    right thing to do, and it certainly is, but because taking care
    of Guardians is required to win.
        Warfighting success in space starts not with technology on
    orbit, but with the people who develop it, launch it, operate
    it, sustain, and exploit it in defense of our nation. Your
    support enables our Guardians to stand ready to face any
    challenge in the space domain.
        Thank you for the opportunity to be here today and to
    represent. And I look forward to your questions.
        [The prepared statement of Ms. Kelley can be found in the
    Appendix on page 83.]
        Mr. Banks. I want to thank all of our witnesses for your
    opening statements. I will begin with questions and yield
    myself five minutes.
        Last year, the White House objected to a provision that I
    introduced in the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA]
    based on merit and requiring all the branches to maintain merit
    in accessions and promotions and require the military to base
    promotion decisions specifically on who is the best candidate
    for the job regardless of their race, inferring that somehow
    merit contradicted DOD's strategic advantage of drawing from a
    diverse group of people is what the administration responded
    when they opposed my amendment.
        My question for all of you is this. Do any of your
    personnel policies permit consideration of race or gender in
    promotion decisions? And we will start with Lieutenant General
    Stitt.
        General Stitt. Chairman Banks, we approach promotion and
    selection from merit looking at the whole of the candidate
    coming before any promotion or selection board. We do not set
    demographic quotas in our sessions, promotions, or selection.
        Mr. Banks. So you don't consideration of race or gender in
    promotion decisions?
        General Stitt. Our promotion and selection considerations
    are based upon the merit of the individual coming before that
    respective promotion or election board.
        Mr. Banks. Admiral Cheeseman?
        Admiral Cheeseman. Chairman Banks, thanks for the question.
    Race and gender are not part of the merit-based decision for
    promotion. It is about being best and most fully qualified.
        Mr. Banks. Lieutenant General Glynn?
        General Glynn. Likewise, Chairman Banks, best and fully
    qualified status.
        Mr. Banks. Lieutenant General Miller?
        General Miller. Same for the Air Force.
        Mr. Banks. And Ms. Kelley?
        Ms. Kelley. And the Space Force, sir.
        Mr. Banks. Do you think that considering merit alone in
    promotion decisions would harm the Department's lethality? We
    will begin with you, Lieutenant General Stitt.
        General Stitt. Chairman Banks, utilizing our merit-based
    promotion system, I believe we have the best land force in the
    world.
        Admiral Cheeseman. Sir, we are looking to keep every
    talented individual, and it is based on merit.
        General Glynn. Chairman, I opened with comments on
    warfighting readiness and lethality. That is our focus and that
    is what our system emphasizes.
        General Miller. It is the same in the Air Force. We need
    the best and the brightest based on merit.
        Ms. Kelley. Sir, it's the same for the Space Force, merit-
    based to develop the best Guardians possible.
        Mr. Banks. Do you think that considering merit alone in
    promotion decisions would harm -- I am sorry. I just asked you
    that. Okay. My last question on that note, now that
    universities are prohibited from engaging in affirmative
    action, are Officers who joined your Services through Reserve
    Officers' Training Corps [ROTC] or Officers Candidate School
    [OCS] less qualified than those who came through ROTC and OCS
    before the affirmative action ban? Simply yes or no.
        General Stitt. We utilize a merit-based selection and
    assessment for applicants coming into both ROTC and the Officer
    Candidate School.Admiral Cheeseman. No, sir.
        General Glynn. I don't see how they are affected by it at
    this point.
        General Miller. No, sir.
        Ms. Kelley. Not for the Space Force.
        Mr. Banks. Okay. What policies have you implemented or
    changed to address overall what has been a very challenging
    recruiting year for each of your Services?
        General Stitt. Chairman Banks, the challenges that we face
    today didn't happen overnight. They won't be fixed overnight.
    But the United States Army Recruiting Command has aggressively
    transformed looking at considering the totality of the labor
    force, not just focusing on high school graduates. We have
    recently created a new Warrant Officer specialty of 420-T[AE1],
    which is a Warrant Officer who is focused on the technical and
    procedural aspects of our recruiting.
        We are creating a new military occupational specialty
    within our Enlisted Corps, Military Occupational Specialty
    [MOS]-420-T to serve as a professional recruiter. Recruiting
    command has adjusted their training and intake to better
    upskill and reskill our recruiting workforce to operate within
    this challenging recruiting environment.
        We are piloting and innovating at scale across our
    recruiting stations around the globe to look at those stations
    where we are seeing small gains. How could those small gains be
    brought forward into a brigade and potentially across the
    command? So a variety of efforts.
        Mr. Banks. I will come back to the rest later. I only have
    a few seconds left. And I want to ask the Vice Admiral a quick
    question.
        The Navy's Task Force 1 Report claims that diverse
    organizations perform better on the findings from a 2015
    McKinsey study. Do you recall that?
        Admiral Cheeseman. Yes, sir. I am aware of that study.
        Mr. Banks. Recently that study has been completely
    debunked. Many sources have debunked the study. Have you gone
    back to correct the findings of the McKinsey study and divert
    from relying on it to justify DEI in the United States Navy?
        Admiral Cheeseman. Sir, I am aware of the Econ Watch report
    that you are referring to. That is a recent report. The Navy is
    a learning organization. So we will certainly review that
    report and compare it to the McKinsey Report. It is important
    to note that in the Task Force One Navy Report, there was
    another reference from the National Academy of Sciences that
    talked about something very similar in a little bit different
    respect.
        But I think it is important to note overall as far as the
    Navy's program goes that it is not about diversity for
    diversity's sake. As we have just talked about, it is about a
    meritocracy. It is about the best and most fully qualified. And
    we have created a program where, you know, we want to make sure
    that all of our Sailors and all of our future Sailors
    understand that they can succeed in the Navy, and they have
    access to the same opportunity.
        Mr. Banks. Ranking Member Kim?
        Mr. Kim. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. While your service's
    needs are each different, recruiting challenges remain a top
    area of concern for all of you. I understand the department is
    piloting some changes on how to look at some medical conditions
    and whether they impact a person's ability to serve.
        When it comes to medical accession standards with regard to
    recruitment efforts, do you think that they should be
    modernized to consider advances in the management of chronic
    conditions that may not necessarily impact the ability to
    deploy? I just wanted to get your thoughts on that. Maybe we
    will start with you, Lieutenant General.
        General Stitt. Ranking Member Kim, we, the Army,
    participate along with the other Services and the DOD
    accessions military workgroup where we provide recommendations
    and review applicable Department of Defense instructions on
    medical accession standards.
        Admiral Cheeseman. Sir, thanks for that question. Certainly
    the Navy is all for any accession standards that -- you know,
    any review of an accession standard that, you know, allows us
    to bring somebody to boot camp, have them successfully complete
    that boot camp, and their first tour. So we are actively
    involved in those groups. We are looking to assess each
    standard, you know, case by case and look forward to continued
    development.
        Mr. Kim. Okay. Great.
        General Glynn. Congressman, I would affirm in a similar
    manner anything that in the modern era with what we know about
    medicine and how it -- what the long-term impacts on someone's
    ability to serve and deploy in the name of warfighting and
    readiness. If we can modify those standards and adapt them, and
    the Department looks at it regularly and we have the
    opportunity to submit those kinds of recommendations, we
    continue to support the modernization of it along with the
    systems that support them.
        Mr. Kim. Okay. Great. Lieutenant General Miller, Ms.
    Kelley, are you on a similar page like the others?
        General Miller. Yes, yes, Congressman, we are.Ms. Kelley. I
    am as well. The Space Force is uniquely positioned to test some
    of this as well based on a little bit of a different service
    model that we have so.
        Mr. Kim. That's interesting.
        Ms. Kelley. So we are certainly in support of the larger
    efforts as well.
        Mr. Kim. I appreciate your willingness to think through
    this and figure out, again, how we can just continue to adapt
    to this.
        Another aspect that has come out in conversations here with
    the subcommittee, when the Services Senior Enlisted leaders
    have publicly advocated for significant military pay raise,
    especially amongst Junior Enlisted servicemembers, I wanted to
    get your thoughts on this. Do you agree with that assessment?
    Are there other compensation policies that should be re-
    examined? Maybe we'll start from right to left this time
    around.
        Ms. Kelley. Yes, thank you. The Space Force is certainly
    very much supportive of the look at what we can do for pay,
    especially for Junior Enlisted. We certainly are very
    appreciative of some of the feedback and the efforts that went
    into the quality of life report. And we are going to continue
    to partner with both Congress and inside the department to
    figure out where we go next.
        The piece that I think is also very important is that we
    are cognizant of and actively using the existing pay
    authorities that Congress has already given us. And I think
    from a Space Force perspective because of so many unique skill
    sets that we have, we are taking advantage of those today. And
    we look forward to the continued dialogue on where this goes,
    and we certainly want to be part of that conversation.
        Mr. Kim. All right. Thank you.
        General Miller. Yeah, I will agree with Ms. Kelley that,
    you know, looking at how to better make sure that our Airmen
    and their families are taken care of, we are 100 percent all
    in. The challenge that we have, of course, is the Military
    Personnel Appropriations [MILPERS approps]. And so, you know,
    it is tight right now. It is not going to get any better. So we
    are going to have to have the appropriations to go with that
    but fully support that.
        The only other potential concern we have is, you know,
    compression. If we are going to -- you know, how that is going
    to impact the higher ranks. So I think it is a whole looking at
    everything. But any pay and benefits that we can do to support
    our Airmen and their families, we are all in. Thank you.
        Mr. Kim. Message received back to us. I mean, we know we
    need to be part of this equation as well and, you know, wanted
    to get your thoughts on this.
        I just wanted to end with one last question particular to
    Vice Admiral Cheeseman. You mirrored your Future Sailor Program
    after the Army's. What do you think is the most important
    lesson learned since creating that program?
        Admiral Cheeseman. Yes, sir. Thanks for the question. For
    us, the physical side, we have seen a lot of benefits. We are a
    little bit behind on the academic side relative to where the
    Army is. They got a fresh start before we stood up.
        Where we are seeing benefit is when we have representation
    from the Navy in the classroom. Future Sailors want to learn
    from other Sailors. So it is not just about going out and
    getting contractors to maybe be your instructors versus being
    instructors. We see real benefit in using other Sailors, other
    people in the Navy that can talk to them not just about
    academic progress, but life in the Navy. We are seeing good
    benefits from that, sir.
        Mr. Kim. Okay, great. Thank you. Chairman, I yield back.
        Mr. Banks. Thank you. Representative Gaetz?
        Mr. Gaetz. Quality is down. Quantity is down. But there was
    a bright spot I noticed in recruiting. We had Academy Nights
    recently in my district. And a new question rose to the top
    that I hadn't really heard in a lot of previous years.
        So many students came to me and said Congressman, which of
    these academies should I go to if I want to be in the Space
    Force? And I think we have really ignited a sense of
    imagination and interest in the Space Force. How long until I
    am able to offer these students a great Space Academy to
    attend?
        Ms. Kelley. Congressman, thank you so much for that
    question. We are certainly seeing a lot of interest in our own
    data.
        We don't have a strategy right now that says stand up our
    own academy. We are leveraging the Air Force at the moment. But
    I really appreciate the comment about the interest that is out
    there. And I will take that back.
        Mr. Gaetz. Yeah, I think we should devise a plan to at
    least see what metrics or when that might be necessary and to
    plan for it. And what we have learned particularly about this
    generation is that there has got to be a real interest in that
    particular mission, that particular thing, not just the overall
    brand. And so that is why I think it would be helpful.
        I want to ask you some questions, General Glynn. What does
    it cost us to have a Marine Corps?
        General Glynn. You mean the overall --
        Mr. Gaetz. Yeah, just ballpark.
        General Glynn. Just over $50 billion a year.
        Mr. Gaetz. Right. And how much of that do you manage in
    your portfolio?
        General Glynn. It is just about -- I am trying to do math
    in my head here. When you divide it, it is about $4 or $5
    billion a year.
        Mr. Gaetz. Okay. And what if we doubled it, what you were -
    - your portfolio? What if I gave you $2 for every dollar you
    get now. What would be like some stuff you could do?
        General Glynn. There is a host of --
        Mr. Gaetz. Exciting, isn't it?
        General Glynn. -- investments in the people that, yeah, I
    mean --
        Mr. Gaetz. Your probably weren't expecting that question
    from me.
        General Glynn. It is not an offer I get very frequently.
        Mr. Gaetz. Right. But what is interesting is it is like the
    offer we have made to Ukraine is actually more than the cost of
    the United States Marine Corps. In this supplemental that we
    are about to vote on, there is $61 billion for Ukraine, and it
    is about $50 billion to have a Marine Corps.
        So we could double our investment in the Marine Corps or we
    could vote for the supplemental. And I am just going through
    it. And there is stuff here that is really insulting.
        The $300 million for the anti-narcotics efforts in Ukraine.
    So we are about to proceed onto a bill that does nothing to
    protect Americans from the narcotics [narcos] in Mexico and the
    Northern Triangle and in this country. But we got $300 million
    to go fight the narcos in Ukraine. And it doesn't end there.
        Two hundred fifty million for the International Development
    Association. Now, I did not know what that was, but I knew it
    probably wasn't good. It turns out it is an arm of the World
    Bank. We are $34 trillion in debt. We are on a glide path to
    $50 trillion in debt, and we are borrowing money from China to
    give it to the World Bank.
        And then I looked at where this money got disbursed. And it
    is places like Niger. Niger where we have Air Force, and we
    have Army servicemembers who are not getting their medicine,
    who are not able to get their troop rotations, who are not able
    to get their mail because there are not diplomatic overflights
    allowed so that we can care for our own servicemembers.
        So in a bit, we will hear many of our colleagues stand up
    and talk about how important it is to stand with our allies.
    But not even all this money is going to our allies. So it is
    potentially being recycled through globalist money washing
    accounts to redistribute.
        And that is really what this is about. What this
    supplemental is about. It is about creating a massive wad of
    unaccountable American cash. And when we have had the officials
    who are the Inspectors General over this Ukraine sitting before
    us at those chairs, they cannot attest that the end use
    monitoring is done and that this equipment is not falling into
    the wrong hands.
        As a matter of fact, when we asked them those direct
    questions, they tell us, ``Oh, we have to talk to you about
    that in a classified setting'' not because the answers are
    particularly classified, but just because they are particularly
    embarrassing.
        So I am incredibly proud of what you are doing at the Space
    Force. I hope we are able to ignite more young people toward
    that interest. If I didn't say so before, the $50 billion we
    spent on the United States Marine Corps is a tremendous
    investment. I know that because we have got Marines who work in
    our office and who are about our district. And we are
    incredibly proud of them. I yield back.
        Mr. Banks. Ms. Escobar.
        Ms. Escobar. Back to the focus of our hearing. Good
    afternoon. Thank you all so much for being here. Thank you for
    your service to our country. I am excited to get to questions
    that I have about the topic at hand.
        Lieutenant General Stitt, I am deeply concerned about the
    Army's review and consideration of potential cuts to the
    Credentialing Assistance and the Tuition Assistance Program.
        Key education benefits like these programs are a core
    element of the incentives for military service, which are ever
    more important amidst a challenging recruitment and retention
    environment.
        Can you speak to the value of both the Credentialing
    Assistance and Tuition Assistance Programs? And while I know
    the Department of the Army has not yet issued decisions about
    any cuts to these programs, I really would like your input on
    how to reconcile any projected cuts in this recruiting and
    retention environment.
        General Stitt. Representative Escobar, these are, as you
    stated, highly successful programs, both the Tuition Assistance
    and the Credentialing Assistance. And they are important
    programs as we look at retaining and assessing individuals into
    our force. And that is why we need to make sure that we are
    ensuring the long-term sustainability of both of these great
    programs with left and right limits.
        Ms. Escobar. Agree. I would like to see a strategy for us,
    and Congress needs to focus on this, a strategy to ensure the
    longevity and investment in these programs. Thank you so much.
        General Glynn, I really enjoyed our conversation earlier.
    And I would really love for you to expand a little bit and
    share with my colleagues a little bit about the Marine Corps
    Total Fitness Program. It was to me a great example of thinking
    through some of the challenges that our Active Duty
    servicemembers are facing and ways to address them in a
    meaningful way. So, please.
        General Glynn. Thank you for the opportunity and for your
    enthusiasm about the topic. Marine Corps Total Fitness is the
    approach that we have adopted over the course of the last year
    to take a holistic view of the wellness of Marines and frankly
    their families. And so it is the intentional integration of
    four domains; mental, spiritual, social, and physical and
    ensuring that every offering that we have doesn't just go after
    one domain but offers all four so that folks are building a
    reservoir of wellness, and they are prepared for the challenges
    of life, in particular military life.
        Our early efforts so far are very promising. And they get
    directly at many of the destructive behaviors that we have
    discussed with this subcommittee in the past.
        Ms. Escobar. Thank you so much. I think that your approach
    mirrors some of what I have seen in some of the other Branches.
    But really I am looking forward to over the long term seeing
    what impact is and how helpful it is.
        I had the opportunity to serve on the Quality of Life Panel
    that some of my colleagues here on this dais also participated
    in. And we did some really work, work that I am excited about,
    hopefully getting out of the Congress to the President's desk
    and implementing.
        But even if we do all of those things, we still have to
    take care of the individual and the challenges that each
    individual and their families face.
        What I would like to hear from some of our other witnesses
    really is how each Branch -- we have got very -- actually, we
    will hear from Lieutenant General Stitt how the Army is
    handling this same issue. I wish we had time for everyone to
    respond. This is an important topic to me.
        General Stitt. We take a similar approach with holistic
    health and fitness and working on our prevention across the
    force, going anywhere from providing at the lowest level,
    linking Soldiers up and doing, you know, self-care wellness
    checks across the force.
        You know, at Fort Riley and in Alaska, they have mandated
    100-day wellness checks and not just with a provider, but with
    a military family life consultant. Educating and informing
    families on the resources that are available across our posts,
    camps, and stations to really just connect and ensure that our
    Soldiers understand that they have leaders in place that want
    to care for them.
        Ms. Escobar. Thank you. I am out of time. I appreciate all
    of you. I yield back.
        Mr. Banks. Representative Mills.
        Mr. Mills. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you
    all for being here today.
        I want to touch on a topic that I have mentioned in the
    past because it is really important for us with regards not
    just retention but ensuring that our priorities are set in the
    right way.
        As a military veteran myself, our priorities in the
    military when I was in the U.S. Army was increase lethality,
    readiness, and being properly equipped.
        I still to this day think that we should be focused on
    those three topics to ensure that we are ready for any of our
    adversarial nations regardless of the battlefield and
    regardless of the scenario.
        I want to give a special ``Oorah'' to our Marine General
    here. You guys have done an amazing job on your recruitment
    efforts to maintain not only retention but recruiting the best
    and brightest when it comes to the Marine Corps. So I want to
    thank you for that. And I hope that we can recruitment efforts
    up in the remaining Armed Service groups so that we can also
    meet those challenges and not reduce our standards as we have
    recently seen with the Navy where we are actually even waiving
    the ability for a diploma in the high school, I believe, is now
    the requirement.
        But as I talk about that, I want to get something that is
    really kind of near and dear. Does either of you across your
    Services know how many servicemembers were unconstitutionally
    pushed out of the military due to the forced Coronavirus
    [COVID] vaccine requirements? By all means, please jump right
    in.
        Ms. Kelley. For the Space Force, none.
        Admiral Cheeseman. Sir, I am concerned about the adjective
    you used with unconstitutionally so.
        Mr. Mills. It is my own opinion. But I will tell you, I
    will make it easy for your Vice Admiral. How many people were
    pushed out of the Navy due to the actual refusal of taking the
    COVID vaccination?
        Admiral Cheeseman. I believe we had 1,878 separations.
        Mr. Mills. Got you. That is challenging. Sir, General
    Stitt?
        General Stitt. The Representative knows I would like to
    take that question for the record. I don't know the exact
    number off the top of my head.
        Mr. Mills. Understood. Thank you, sir. General Glynn?
        General Glynn. Sir, we achieved a greater than 97 percent
    vaccination rate. During that period, we had about 3,700 that
    left the service.
        Mr. Mills. Now, would it shock any of you to know that
    those who had applied for religious or medical freedom
    exemptions that their entire documentation, granted, through
    the military process, through the federal government, through
    review of their actual submissions, that their requirements
    were actually being seen, adjudicated, and decisions made
    within less than five minutes of each application?
        General Miller. I would be surprised with that. That is not
    how the Air Force did it.
        Mr. Mills. The Department of Defense Inspector General
    reported on average it took less than five minutes to
    adjudicate processes, service-wide, for those who were seeking
    certain military medical or religious exemptions, which was
    shocking to me because I work in the federal government, so I
    know we are not that efficient.
        But my issue with this is that I don't think that permitted
    the necessary timeline when you think about what would actually
    have to be requested because they would have had to have gone
    to their priest to their -- whichever their religious, like,
    figure was that they were actually looking at as well as for
    maybe even in their own physician or other doctors that would
    have been able to verify these types of things.
        So I would ask that each of you look at the process or
    procedures that are being utilized to ensure that the necessary
    adjudication is actually being done for those who are actually
    seeking that.
        In looking at additional information, I would like to ask
    and determine, can any of you elaborate on why anyone removed
    from the military for refusing the untested vaccine would be
    given less than honorable discharge?
        Admiral Cheeseman. Sir, I can speak for the Navy. Nobody
    that left the Navy was given anything other than an honorable
    discharge.
        Mr. Mills. They weren't given the general or a Category 3
    [AE2]for their reenlistment?
        Admiral Cheeseman. The characterization was honorable. I
    will have to take the question for the record on the
    Reenlistment Code [RE code] and get back to you.
        Mr. Mills. Because a general is still different than an
    Honorable as we all know, especially when it comes to your
    Reenlistment Status, correct?
        Admiral Cheeseman. Yes, sir, it is. But everybody who left
    the United States Navy received an honorable discharge. I will
    have to verify the RE code just to be sure.
        General Miller. For those, though that we have -- so all of
    those that left from the Air Force, we have personally
    submitted a letter to them saying, you know, gave them the
    process to come back. And of all of the ones that have come
    back, we have boarded 98. Ninety-eight have been approved to
    come back, you know, with an honorable.
        Mr. Mills. General Stitt or General Glynn, would you guys
    like to reply to that at all or?
        General Glynn. A similar process as Representative Mills.
    We followed the DOD guidance and sent individual Soldiers a
    letter instructing them how to come back, utilizing their local
    recruiter in pursuing return via the Army Board of Correction
    for Military Review.
        Mr. Mills. Well, I thank you. My time has expired. But I
    will say that one of the things that I truly believe is that
    those who, in my vision and my view, was unconstitutionally
    prejudicial by our military for these vaccines should be
    reinstated, full back pay, full benefits, and be given the
    chance to serve the United States military and not the
    President's agenda or any other. And so, with that, I yield
    back, Mr. Chair.
        Mr. Banks. Ms. Tokuda.
        Ms. Tokuda. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Based on the last reports
    we have available, fiscal year 2022, there were 8,940 reports
    of sexual assault and a prevalence rate, which you know is the
    estimate, of how many sexual assaults occurred in the military
    was at 36,000.
        When we take a look at it by different service Branches, in
    2022 Air Force saw a 13 percent increase, Navy saw a 9 percent
    increase, Marine Corps 3.6, and Army, while a decrease of 9
    percent, had a prior year's total of a massive 26 percent rise
    in reported sexual assault.
        My question for you folks today is how does sexual assault
    in your Branches at these levels undermine our overall
    readiness and quite frankly impact our ability to recruit and
    retain servicemembers? Anyone can start.
        General Stitt. Representative Tokuda, good afternoon. We
    take sexual assault very seriously and started with the Office
    of the Special Trial Counsel now that we have implemented so
    that those sexual assault cases are now being prosecuted
    through that office and then leveraging through the Department
    of Defense the integrated prevention assistance groups where we
    are facilitating at individual posts, camps, and stations a
    Commander's ability to see themselves through greater data
    collection, integration with local law enforcement, Criminal
    Investigation Division [CID] on post because every post, camp,
    and station is different and some of the risk factors around
    post, camp, or station in one location are going to be
    different than another.
        So this Integrated Prevention Advisory Group [I-PAG]
    enables that Commander to get a better understanding of their
    environment. And then that respective Commander and the
    leadership there can flex those resources and programs to meet
    those challenges.
        Ms. Tokuda. I guess I would just like a simple answer for
    that and appreciate -- we will talk about the Special Trial
    Counsels [STCs] a little bit later on. But bottom line, do you
    think sexual assault in your branch impacts your ability to be
    ready and prepared to fight when we need to and does this
    impact recruitment and retention? It can be a simple yes or no
    answer.
        General Stitt. Representative Tokuda, any behavior that
    detracts from our ability to perform our warfighting mission
    infringes upon readiness.
        Ms. Tokuda. Thank you.
        Admiral Cheeseman. Ma'am, a similar answer for the Navy.
    Absolutely, sexual assault, any harmful behavior destroys unit
    cohesion and affects the mission. Yes, ma'am.General Glynn. I
    think we all agree that sexual assault is a crime that plagues,
    you know, many organizations, and it's an issue across the
    nation, not just for uniform Services but as it directly
    contributes to the readiness of a unit.
        General Miller. I would concur with that. Additionally in
    order to defend the Constitution, we have to have trust in one
    another. And if we can't trust the individuals that are in our
    formation, it absolutely impacts readiness.
        Ms. Kelley. Ma'am, I would concur with my colleagues.
        Ms. Tokuda. Thank you. And I agree what was just said, I
    believe, by Lieutenant General Glynn there that yes, sexual
    assault plagues many organizations. But at a prevalence rate
    this high for an institution that is entrusted with the
    safeguarding of our national security, these are absolutely
    unacceptable. These absolutely impact our readiness and quite
    frankly undermine every single effort you folks have put forth
    and talked about today to recruit and retain the very best to
    defend our country, to keep our families safe.
        I know I am running short on time, but I did, first of all,
    want to commend Secretary Austin and his leadership for
    prioritizing sexual assault prevention since we have seen sadly
    such drastic increases in numbers of assault and responding by
    establishing the Office of the Special Trial Counsels.
        Earlier today, I actually had a meeting with a number of
    survivors of sexual assault who experienced sexual assault
    during their time in uniform. And they talked to me about what
    it was like to live through that experience and quite frankly
    what it has been like after and what they would like to see
    done.
        So my question really, and you can provide more answers
    later, is about how you have been able to implement these
    special trial counsels and quite frankly build up a primary
    prevention and sexual response workforce as well that is
    critical as a secondary part to try to prevent these things
    from happening.
        But given that this was a landmark moment in history in
    terms of military justice systems, now that we are few months
    in, I believe you started at the beginning of this year in
    terms of these offices becoming fully functional, operational,
    I would like to get a sense of the early impacts.
        So going through the branches, perhaps you can submit this
    later since I am running out of time, what are some earlier
    takeaways about the Offices of the Special Trial Counsel that
    are important for this committee to know? What have been the
    challenges or successes? What kind of metrics and methods are
    you using to measure the success and impact of the Office of
    the Special Trial Counsel?
        And in terms of initial caseloads, do you have sufficient
    staffing in each of your Offices of Special Trial Counsel? And
    in particular, I would like to know how we are moving more of
    those restricted reports to unrestricted reports so people can
    get the help that they need.
        [The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
    on page 107.]
        Thank you. I am out of time. I yield back, Mr. Chair.
        Mr. Banks. General Bergman.
        Mr. Bergman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to begin
    with a historical bit of data on Marine Corps budgeting. In
    1972 when the fiscal year ended on June 30, we were both
    pleased to return money to the Department of Defense from our
    Marine Corps budget but at the same time fly unnecessary flight
    hours to burn gas so we could get our allotment. So there is a
    certain dichotomy there that doesn't quite fit.
        I appreciate that we hopefully continue to set a standard
    in warfighting. And I am referring to myself as a marine here.
    But I know that we all, all of you at the table, fight the war
    in a different uniform and a different mission but with the
    same passion for our national defense and our defense of
    freedoms.
        Lieutenant General Stitt, you testified that the Army
    developed two new military occupational specialties, 420-T
    talent acquisition technician, and 42-T, talent acquisition
    specialist. And I guess the 420-T is going to be a Warrant
    Officer, did I get that right?
        General Stitt. That is correct, Representative.
        Mr. Bergman. Will they have promotion opportunities all the
    way through Chief Warrant Officer 5 [CW05]?
        General Stitt. That is correct.
        Mr. Bergman. Okay. So as you develop this talent
    acquisition team, you know, you are going to do a rigorous
    selection and training process to recruit interested young
    Americans. These folks are going to be career recruiters?
        General Stitt. That is correct.
        Mr. Bergman. Okay. So how does the Army plan to incentivize
    these competitively selected and skilled talent acquisition
    technicians and talent acquisition specialists to stay in the
    Army past an initial enlistment?
        General Stitt. Right now, we are in the developmental
    stages for MOS 42-T and with the Enlisted MOS. Within the
    Warrant Officer's specialty, we are looking at continuity pay
    that already exists within the force for our Warrant Officers
    but also looking at potential non-monetary incentives such as
    stability at a location of choice. We are still looking at all
    our options, Representative.
        Mr. Bergman. What I would like to -- just take for the
    record, as you develop the long-term incentives, because when
    you think about it, it is one thing to recruit someone, whether
    it be Officer or Enlisted, to an initial contract, it is a
    whole different set of goals, if you will, when it comes to
    Firearms Technical Assistance Project [FTAP], Select Train
    Educate Promote [STEP] towards a, you know, 20 plus year
    career.
        So I would just like to see as the Army develops just your
    metrics to make sure your incentives work. Because we can put
    them out, but if we do not then check to see if they, you know,
    are still on target, if you will, then what good were they?
    Okay.
        Lieutenant General Glynn, you stated that the Marine Corps
    made its recruiting mission in fiscal year 2023 and is
    currently on track to meet it again this fiscal year. How has
    the structure and role of the MCRC, Marine Corps Recruiting
    Command, ensured the Marine Corps makes its recruiting mission?
        General Glynn. Congressman, thanks for that question and to
    your opening comment about the money and the budget, I mean,
    you are well aware we had the first clean audit in the history
    of any military service. So we are pretty proud of knowing
    where every dollar goes to.
        In the case of MCRC, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, it
    continues to be a very adaptive and dynamic organization
    constantly looking at where it is. Our commitment remains the
    same, to be in every ZIP Code, in every state, in every
    territory of the nation but ensuring that we are located where
    we need to be to ensure that we have the messaging, and we have
    the contact with young and men and women who might be inclined,
    but are uninformed, about the future military service and the
    future of service in a Marine Corps uniform.
        Mr. Bergman. Okay. I see I got 26 seconds left. What would
    you guess the percentage of your Marines, both Officer and
    Enlisted, who are really excited about going to be recruiters
    as opposed to staying in a deployable unit?
        General Glynn. I would say it is not the majority.
        Mr. Bergman. It is small. That is right. That is okay. You
    said -- that is okay. I don't want it to be a trick question
    here.
        General Glynn. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Bergman. We need to send the best to the recruiting
    field to recruit the best so we can train them to fight. And
    with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
        Mr. Banks. Representative Horsford.
        Mr. Horsford. Thank you, Chairman Banks and Ranking Member
    Kim for the hearing. My district in Nevada covers almost 50,000
    square miles. It includes both one of the fastest growing
    housing markets in the country and in rural communities.
        It is also home to Nellis Air Force Base with more than
    11,000 military members that must compete for critical services
    in a rapidly growing district and at Creech Air Force base,
    also in my district, which has 3,500 servicemembers who lack
    access to critical services at their duty location and must
    travel 100 miles a day in order to access child care, military
    housing, and health care services.
        Access to safe, secure, and affordable housing is a concern
    of many of our constituents. As recruits consider military
    service, the availability and affordability of adequate housing
    is a concern.
        Nellis Air Force Base is among the installations with the
    highest levels of unmet housing need. This time last year, that
    unmet housing need meant that young Airmen were being released
    into off base community housing after 11 months. It concerns me
    that since then the issue has only worsened with Airmen now
    being released after only eight months.
        Lieutenant General Miller, I don't have to tell you that
    eight months is very short of the Air Force's requirement of 36
    months' time in service. So I will ask you the same question I
    asked Secretary Kendall and General Allvin earlier today, but I
    want to ask you, can you speak to the importance of ensuring
    adequate housing availability for both recruitment and
    retention of military members and what is currently being done
    to address the needs of our young unaccompanied Airmen at
    installations such as Nellis?
        General Miller. Yes, Congressman, thank you. And I will
    tell you that housing is absolutely a readiness issue. It is a
    quality of life that we have to make sure that we have safe and
    quality housing.
        So at Nellis in particular, we just did a $4.5 million dorm
    renovation. We also have two projects coming up for Military
    Construction [MILCON] that are in design to do that. We are
    partnering with the community to find additional housing.
        We know that Creech is a continual challenge because of the
    distance. And so we are looking at all sorts of opportunities
    to get child care out there, do bussing. So that is a big focus
    item for us.
        Mr. Horsford. Okay. Well, at the Nellis issue and those
    investments, I am proud to have worked with this committee to
    secure. The problem is that is to replace other housing that is
    coming off.
        General Miller. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Horsford. So it is not really in addition to, it is in
    place of. And so we really need a larger commitment to housing
    in these unmet areas if we are going to address the recruitment
    and retention area issue.
        On the Creech side of the equation, I look forward to
    partnering with you. I have identified a number of
    opportunities in partnership with the local YMCA and other
    child care providers in and near Creech Air Force Base.
        Let me turn to another issue around health care, which is
    also a critical piece of the support that we need to provide to
    military members throughout their careers.
        For members at Creech Air Force Base, many Airmen must
    travel to Nellis Air Force Base, as I said, to receive
    specialty health care resulting in months long wait times and
    increased cost. Additionally, the transition of the Services'
    health care to the Defense Health Agency [DHA] has resulted in
    many members having increased concerns with their access to
    medical care.
        So to the panel, can you speak to the impact that the
    changes to the military health care system are having on our
    ability to recruit and retain top talent?
        General Stitt. Representative Horsford, I think we are in a
    very competitive environment with a nationwide shortage of
    providers. So in conjunction with the Office of our Surgeon
    General and DHA, you know, we are taking on this challenge. It
    is very serious. And we acknowledge absolutely we need to take
    care of our Soldiers and families and continue to work forward
    on this.
        Admiral Cheeseman. Sir, I travel often in my role. And this
    is, you know, darn near the number one concern I hear from
    family members. So similar to our Army counterpart, our surgeon
    general works closely with DHA. As Secretary of the Navy
    [SECNAV] testified yesterday, we are willing to take risks in
    the short term with the operational medical forces as we cover
    down with DHA to make sure we are, you know, addressing these
    things appropriately. But, you know, underinvestment and under-
    execution need to be addressed, and we look forward to moving
    out together with DHA.
        Mr. Horsford. I know we are out of time. I want to thank
    our witnesses for being here. These are critically important
    issues. Thank you for your service. And I look forward to
    having my office follow-up with you. With that, I yield back.
        Mr. Banks. Representative Finstad.
        Mr. Finstad. Thank you, Chairman Banks, and thank you to
    our witnesses for your service and for being here today.
        Personnel and recruiting are dynamic issues. Today's
    generation is not like the generation of World War II. This is
    okay. As a father of seven children under the age of 20, I get
    it. And it doesn't mean that there aren't future heroes and
    noble public servants in today's youth.
        Generations change, and as they will, we must change our
    recruiting methods to ensure that military service remains a
    tangible and viable option not solely an abstract one.
        So let me be clear. Our individual servicemembers are the
    most important collective part of the U.S. military. This
    importance begins with their recruitment and continues through
    their civic engagement as veterans.
        Before we consider all the fancy gadgets within
    modernization portfolios, we must consider the former, current,
    and future groups of servicemembers that will defend the
    American way of life. Military family health and wellness
    equals enhanced military readiness. And I look forward to
    supporting the quality of life focus in the fiscal year 2025
    NDAA.
        So let's talk recruitment for a little bit here. The Air
    Force has managed to improve their recruiting situation while
    the Army and Navy continue to struggle despite no lack of
    effort.
        The Marine Corps, to its credit, appears to consistently
    make its recruiting mission. So at the risk of a cage match
    fight breaking out between all of you, I want to learn from
    this. And I want us to be able to hear the secret sauce of
    success here.
        So, Lieutenant General Miller and Lieutenant General Glynn,
    what has the Air Force done to improve its recruiting success
    and what are the tenets of the Marine Corps' success in
    recruiting?
        General Miller. Yes, Congressman, thank you. We have looked
    internally, and we looked at barriers that we were putting on
    restraining ourselves from an adequate recruiting pool. So we
    looked at things such as our tattoo policy was incredibly
    stringent. And we hadn't needed to change up until this point.
    And so we looked into that and, you know, what was reasonable.
        Additionally, our body composition was higher than it -- I
    mean, it was relatively low. So we just increased that to make
    sure that we were still maintaining DOD standards. And we
    looked at driver's license. We had restricted many career
    fields from -- because they had to have a driver's license and
    so all of those internal barriers. Not lowering standards, we
    did not lower standards. But we just made those small policy
    changes, we were able to increase our pool of applicants.
        And additionally, you know, we had a campaign, you know,
    it's the -- last year, I think, you know, if you were going to
    go into the service, you weren't going to be paid enough. You
    were going to be sexually assaulted. All of these negative
    things. We needed to change that. Because if you look at our
    retention numbers, if you come into the service, our retention
    numbers are incredibly high.
        So we have been working on all facets of that, sir.
        General Glynn. Congressman, thanks for the opportunity to
    comment on it. I wouldn't say that there is one single item
    that is, you know, the special sauce as you alluded to. But I
    would say our commitment over years first and foremost has been
    in the quality of Marine that we put out there as a
    representative of our Corps and to ensure that that individual
    is representative to the part of the nation ZIP Code, as I
    alluded to earlier, that young men and women can possibly see
    themselves in becoming a United States Marine. That would be
    the first thing.
        The second thing is, our Commandants over the years, and I
    have been on recruiting several times, have been fully
    committed to ensuring that those that volunteer, go on
    recruiting duty, and succeed are recognized, rewarded,
    promoted, you know, whatever tangible and intangible ways that
    are required. So there are clear and compelling reasons to go
    and be a recruiter and do well as a recruiter.
        The last thing I would say is that through our recruiters,
    we try to listen to young folks like the seven young folks you
    alluded to. What appeals to them? And over and over again, it
    was in my opening statement, a desire to serve something bigger
    than themselves. And so we challenge them with the opportunity
    to earn the title Marine and go on and take that unique title
    to apply in unique areas of the world and unique circumstances
    and have the memories of a lifetime is why I continue to do it.
        Mr. Finstad. That is great. And I appreciate that. And I
    will just say again, as a father of seven, clarity of mission
    is always something that is very crucial to motivating at least
    my seven. When they can firmly believe in what I am putting in
    front of them, I get amazing results. And so I appreciate
    hearing that from you.
        Maybe just -- I guess my time is up here. But I would just
    say thank you again, and I look forward to working with each
    and every one of you, specifically around recruiting and
    quality of life issues as we move to the NDAA process. Thank
    you.
        Mr. Banks. Representative Alford.
        Mr. Alford. Thank you so much, Chair and Ranking Member
    Kim, and our witnesses today for being here. As a member with
    two premier defense installations in our district, Fort Leonard
    and Whiteman Air Force Base, I care deeply about the
    servicemembers' personnel issues. And that is why I am on the
    subcommittee.
        This Congress, I was honored to sit on the Quality of Life
    Panel and sign the recommendations designed to improve the
    standard of living for our servicemembers, all of which will be
    in the National Defense Authorization Act and will pass.
        I am very excited for these. I believe the recommendation
    for a 15 percent pay raise for Junior Enlisted will be a
    significant step in the right direction, especially for
    retention efforts. But there is much that we can do in Congress
    and the Department of Defense needs to do to address the
    challenges facing our fighting force today.
        In fiscal year 2023, the Department of Defense failed to
    meet its recruiting goal by 41,000 recruits. It is a huge
    shortfall. It includes industrial base procurement lethargy and
    backlogs as well as credibly deterring hostile competitors in
    multiple regions across the globe, all sorts of factors that we
    need to act upon.
        I kind of want to have a philosophical discussion. And I
    know we are probably not in the business of theorizing. But
    Lieutenant General Stitt, I know that only 9 percent of
    America's young people right now have any interest in joining
    the military. Some military families are actually discouraging
    their children and grandchildren from joining, which is a very
    sad thing. Why do you think that is, and what is the Army doing
    to try to change that?
        General Stitt. Representative Alford, I think what we are
    seeing this year to date is great progress within recruiting.
    And we remain cautiously optimistic today that we will achieve
    our fiscal year 2024 mission of 55,000 sessions into the active
    component and have 5,000 individuals contracted into our
    delayed entry program for next year.
        We have undertaken a significant overhaul of our recruiters
    and our recruiting workforce and our recruiting structure,
    looking at who we recruit, how we recruit, and with whom are we
    doing our recruiting? And when we talk about who we recruit, we
    look at the totality of the United States labor market. Let's
    move beyond just having a conversation with a potential
    applicant who is in high school but looking at the labor force
    right now where the students in high school about 80 percent
    are graduating from high school and going on to a college or
    university or a two-year school.
        So upscaling and rescaling our recruiting workforce to not
    only engage high schoolers but engage those who have complete -
    - are attending college but may not complete. And then also
    engaging others that are in the workforce today but may be
    looking for other options. How we recruit, utilizing, and
    connecting with America today and where they live in the
    digital sphere, utilizing digital job boards; LinkedIn, Indeed,
    Glassdoor, and piloting and innovating across the nation,
    starting small, learning, collecting data and then moving on,
    taking those lessons learned.
        And then with whom we are recruiting, moving away from a
    borrowed military manpower situation where we are disrupting
    cohesion and readiness to identify a sergeant of infantry to go
    serve temporarily as a recruiter but creating a
    professionalized workforce across the nation that can start to
    thin the lines and send those other non-commissioned Officers
    back in to do the jobs across the force and enhance our
    readiness.
        Mr. Alford. Missions are becoming more technical. The
    skills needed are different than they were 20, 30 years ago. Do
    you see a time, Lieutenant General Stitt, where basic training
    as we know it is no longer needed for many of the people we are
    trying to get into the military, casting a wider net to be able
    to get some of these people in to do specific jobs, not firing,
    not fighting on the front lines necessarily, but to operate
    machinery and equipment that is more technical in nature?
        General Stitt. What we are seeing right now, Representative
    Alford, particularly within the Officer Corps is utilization of
    authorities from the 2019 NDAA for direct accession and into
    the service.
        We have brought in, off the top of my head, around 16
    individuals to serve in our branches as Cyber Officers. So we
    are utilizing the authorities to go out and continue to evolve
    and adapt our recruiting.
        Mr. Alford. Thank you. I am out of time. Thank you so much
    again for being here, and I yield back.
        Mr. Banks. Representative Waltz.
        Mr. Waltz. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you all to our
    witnesses for your service. And we are in, as I think you have
    heard loud and clear from the committee today, and I know that
    all of your service secretaries and chiefs are focused on this,
    but we are in an absolute recruiting crisis.
        And what we have here, and I don't know if you can read it,
    but this was through the end of November. It is a quarter old.
    But basically the Services were making their numbers, not Army
    or Navy. I know that we have had some improvement, Army, in
    Quarter 2[Q2] or the first quarter of this calendar year.
        But I think it is important for everybody watching,
    listening to appreciate that even if you make those numbers,
    and that is an if still, we will see. We are not digging out of
    the hole, right? I mean, we have got now the smallest Army
    since World War II.
        And so the first question I would like you to talk about,
    what does it take not just to hit the numbers, but then how do
    we dig out of that trough that we found ourselves in in the
    last two years? And keep in mind, we are stating, Mr. Chairman,
    that this Congress prevented the expulsion of another 20,000
    after going down 45,000 for a vaccine that doesn't stop the
    spread, which made it in, I think, many people's view then a
    personal health decision. So thank God we didn't go that far.
    But talk to me about how we dig out of the hole.
        What do you need to exceed to get us out in let's say the
    next three years, 2027 being pretty important since Chairman Xi
    told his military to be ready to go by then? I think we need to
    be ready to go by then. How do we dig out of the hole?
        I will go to you, General Stitt. You have got the biggest
    one to dig out of.
        General Stitt. Representative Waltz, we didn't arrive at
    these recruiting challenges overnight. We are not going to dig
    ourselves out of the hole overnight. As I just stated, our
    transformation efforts across United States Army Recruiting
    Command [USAREC], our direct support of United States Army
    Recruiting Command efforts from the totality of the Army,
    Active Duty operational formations supporting recruiting
    efforts around the country. The returns that we are seeing from
    be all you can be --
        Mr. Waltz. A great ad during March Madness by the way. I
    think you have a lot more recruits that want to jump out of
    planes and kick in doors and do bad things to bad guys
    responding to that, I hope, than the previous ads we have had,
    which I still don't know why we had those. But anyway, nice
    correction.
        General Stitt. The Coach Krzyzewski ad is showing very
    favorable returns.
        Mr. Waltz. But talk to me, I mean, just in the time I have
    remaining, we have to dig out of the last couple of years not
    just break even. So let's talk about exceeding goals to make up
    for the hole that we are in. So in three years, you have to
    have, what, 10, 15,000 on top of your current goal? Is that
    roughly right?
        General Stitt. We would estimate that we would need
    somewhere -- you know, depending on where we finish in 2024,
    2025, we would like to get us back up to around 470,000 by the
    end of the program.
        Mr. Waltz. Navy, your Chief of Naval Operations [CNO] is, I
    think, being very candid, and I appreciate it, that you are
    what, 18,000 short he just said in terms of at sea needs and
    about 4,000 short here on shore. The Army is having great
    success with a prep course pre-basic training. Talk to me about
    what Navy is doing to emulate that. And I know that sounds like
    a Go Army, Beat Navy kind of question. It is not.
        Admiral Cheeseman. No.
        Mr. Waltz. But how can we emulate success.
        Admiral Cheeseman. You know, not too proud not to, you
    know, take lessons and learn them from my Army friends.
        Mr. Waltz. Right.
        Admiral Cheeseman. Sir, to your point about the numbers.
    CNO and I share your concerns, which is why you see our
    recruiting mission for this year as 40,600. We took what we
    missed last year and added it to what we need to do this year,
    partially, because we recognize it's not just about end
    strength. It is about work requirements in the fleet that we
    need to maintain so we can build out of that trough.
        So I think you can expect us to have similar missions in
    the years to come as we build up that work requirement and
    eventually, you know, outnumber just the end strength. And I am
    going through my Navy friends and hopefully this body asking
    for more end strength to come back because that is the glide
    slope that we are on.
        So your point about numbers, we are 2,500 recruits ahead of
    where were at this time last year.
        Mr. Waltz. Mm-hmm.
        Admiral Cheeseman. And in fiscal year 2023, while did miss
    mission, we were 6,000 recruits better than we were the year
    before. So we are trending in the right direction.
        Mr. Waltz. Mr. Chairman, if I could just ask one more. I
    think I am the end. General Miller, I asked this question of
    your secretary. You are the only service that requested with a
    budget request a decline in junior ROTC. I think we would all
    agree, and your Service chiefs have all agreed, not only do you
    get a recruit out of high school ROTC, you get a better
    citizen. And, oh, by the way, Senator Wicker and I worked to
    increase the authorization up to 4,000. So why the decline if
    we are in the midst of a recruiting crisis?
        General Miller. I don't know why the decline in the Junior
    ROTC. But I would say that as a citizens program, I think they
    are fantastic because they treat --
        Mr. Waltz. And we are also -- thank you. I appreciate that
    on the record. We are also working to decrease the minimum
    numbers.
        General Miller. That is right.
        Mr. Waltz. We have Junior ROTC departments in high schools,
    most of them in minority parts of the country, minority/
    majority high schools with say 96, 97 cadets. But the
    requirement is 100.
        General Miller. Right.
        Mr. Waltz. So they are on a probation list. We are working
    to reduce that. Is there anyone that would oppose that? Okay. I
    will take that as a no.
        General Stitt. No, sir.
        General Miller. No, sir.
        Mr. Waltz. Okay. No, great.
        General Miller. Mm-hmm.
        Mr. Waltz. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the
    indulgence.
        Mr. Banks. I want to thank all of our witnesses again for
    your service and for being here with us today to talk about
    these important issues.
        I hope that you will take back some of the issues that we
    discussed today to your Service Chiefs and discuss them, talk
    about concrete actions that we need to take to mitigate the
    problems that we face when it comes to recruitment and other
    issues.
        I appreciate all of you being here today. With no further
    business, the subcommittee stands adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 4:49 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

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                                A P P E N D I X

                                 April 17, 2024

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                  PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

                                 April 17, 2024

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     [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

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                  WITNESS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING

                                  THE HEARING

                                 April 17, 2024

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                  RESPONSE TO QUESTION SUBMITTED BY MS. TOKUDA

        General Stitt. The Army implemented the military justice reform
    requirements, including the Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC),
    through structural change focusing on independence, building expertise,
    and preserving the Army's commitment to good order and discipline.
    Through targeted personnel growth, the Army is increasing expertise in
    special victim litigation, holding offenders accountable, and providing
    transparency for victims as cases progress through the military justice
    system. The OSTC utilizes a three-tiered structure, with:
        (1) a headquarters element in the National Capitol Region, (2)
    eight circuits, and (3) teams of special trial counsel and support
    personnel located at 28 installations with world-wide coverage. The
    organization includes approximately 160 personnel, including 63
    certified special trial counsel. The Sexual Harassment/Assault Response
    and Prevention (SHARP) Program is actively incorporating reforms
    derived from the 90-Day-Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault
    in the Military Services.
        As part of these efforts, the Army is introducing SHARP Prevention
    Specialists at each installation for the first time since the program's
    inception. To date, we have recruited and onboarded 10 SHARP Program
    Prevention Specialists. These specialists are tasked with spearheading
    the planning, execution, coordination, and evaluation of prevention
    activities, encompassing policies, programs, and practices.
        Their responsibilities extend to providing training, education, and
    outreach initiatives focused on the prevention of sexual harassment and
    assault. Collaboration with various stakeholders such as the Integrated
    Prevention Advisory Group (I-PAG), Family Advocacy Program, Behavioral
    Health, and Equal Opportunity enhances the effectiveness of their
    efforts. By deploying SHARP Prevention Specialists at each
    installation, the Army is equipping itself with dedicated professionals
    who possess the requisite capabilities, skills, and tools necessary to
    combat sexual misconduct at its core.
        In addition, the Army is establishing a Victim Support Specialist
    implementation plan. Victim Support Specialists will serve a vital role
    in deployed settings by facilitating 2 victim care and support. Upon
    returning to home station, these specialists will assist commands with
    prevention and training requirements under the oversight of SHARP
    Prevention Specialists. The rollout of these specialists is anticipated
    in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
        The Army OSTC reached full operational capability (FOC) on December
    28, 2023 and began exercising its statutory authority over all covered
    offenses. Special trial counsel, rather than commanders, now make
    independent case disposition decisions and prosecute courts-martial.
    Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel have exercised authority
    over nearly 1700 reported offenses. By employing a justice-focused and
    victimcentered approach to sexual assault cases, the OSTC will improve
    accountability efforts, increasing trust in the military justice
    system.
        The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2022 required
    the Department of Defense (DoD) to publish a plan to address the manner
    in which they will analyze effects in law and policy with respect to
    the disposition of offenses over which special trial counsel exercise
    authority.
        The plan was published by the General Counsel of the DoD on
    December 15, 2023. It includes seven categories of systemic performance
    measures and data collection categories to assess the effects of the
    creation of the OSTC and monitor the disposition of offenses over which
    special trial counsel exercise authority.
        The categories of performance measures and data collection
    established are: (1) Due Process Protections: measures intended to
    assess protection of the rights of the accused; (2) Victims'
    Experience: measures intended to assess the participation and
    experience of victims throughout the military justice process as well
    as adherence to their rights; (3) Accountability: measures intended to
    assess the accountability imposed on the accused with regard to
    substantiated allegations; (4) Timeliness and Resource Prioritization:
    measures intended to assess the efficiency and timeliness of case
    processing and the appropriate prioritization of OSTC resources; (5)
    Competence and Capacity: measures intended to assess the experience
    levels and capacity of special trial counsel; (6) Communication:
    measures intended to assess communication between special trial
    counsel; and (7) Demographics: measures intended to capture demographic
    factors of the accused and victim(s) at various stages of the military
    justice process.
        Additionally, the Army will provide input to the DoD as part of the
    report to Congress in February 2025 assessing the holistic effect of
    the military justice reforms contained in the NDAA for FY 2022. The
    Army OSTC utilizes a three-tiered structure, with: (1) a headquarters
    element in the National Capitol Region, (2) eight circuits, and (3)
    teams of special trial counsel and support personnel located at 28
    installations with world-wide coverage.
        The organization includes approximately 160 personnel, including 63
    certified special trial counsel. As part of the initial manning
    approved by the Secretary of the Army, the OSTC will grow to
    approximately 180 personnel in FY25. While individuals choose
    restricted reporting for a variety of reasons, conversion of these
    reports may be an indicator of trust in the response system. The Army's
    SHARP Program is actively engaged in initiatives aimed at facilitating
    the transition of restricted reports to unrestricted reports, ensuring
    that victims have access to the necessary support and resources they
    require.
        By implementing stringent confidentiality measures and prioritizing
    victim empowerment, the SHARP Program underscores its commitment to
    creating a supportive environment conducive to unrestricted reporting.
    Victims who opt for restricted reporting are assured access to a
    comprehensive array of support services, 3 including behavioral health,
    medical assistance, legal services, and victim advocacy, as are
    unrestricted cases.
        The Army also continues to offer adult victims making restricted
    reports the option to participate in the Catch a Serial Offender
    (CATCH) Program, where they can anonymously submit suspect information
    to help identify serial offenders. Through continuous monitoring of
    conversion trends and initiatives like CATCH, the Army is dedicated to
    fostering trust in the response system, thereby encouraging victims to
    seek the assistance they need without barriers.   [See page 18.]
        Admiral Cheeseman. The Navy has fully implemented the Fiscal Year
    2022 National Defense Authorization Act (FY22 NDAA) requirement to
    establish the Office of Special Trial Counsel. The office reached full
    operational capability in October 2023, before the mandated December
    2023 date. It is led by an O-7 Lead Special Trial Counsel and is
    staffed by 91 personnel in 10 locations worldwide.
        The Office of Special Trial Counsel is manned by independent,
    specialized, and expert counsel. The office is fully executing the
    mission of screening and prosecuting covered offense cases, including
    exercising discretionary reach-back authority where appropriate to make
    disposition decisions on cases that predate 28 December 2023, as
    authorized by the FY24 NDAA. The office reports directly to the
    Secretary of the Navy without any intervening authority and completes
    its duties independent from the victims' or suspects' chain of command.
        Successes include the Navy-wide effort to train and educate legal
    professionals, Fleet leaders, and legal partners on military justice
    reforms. Early indications are that the Fleet has received these
    changes well and adapted to them. Challenges common with setting up a
    new organization include ensuring that optimal facilities are available
    to support the mission.
        It is too soon for us to know what impact these changes may be
    having on the force writ large. Performance measures and data
    collection categories have been developed in accordance with
    Congressional direction in Sec. 547(c) of the FY22 NDAA. Military
    justice reform remains an ongoing and evolving effort. The Navy is
    continually assessing the efficacy of new policies and practices and is
    ready to adjust as needed. The Navy, in close partnership with the
    Office of Special Trial Counsel, is spearheading an initiative to
    develop a comprehensive, ongoing assessment framework using a wide
    range of qualitative and quantitative factors. These assessments
    include a newly developed military justice reform survey to obtain
    victim and other user input on their perception and confidence in the
    system as the significant military justice reforms are implemented.
        We are continually assessing the staffing needs of the Office of
    Special Trial Counsel (OSTC). The number of new cases the Navy OSTC
    receives is on an upward trajectory as a result of mandatory reviews of
    domestic violence cases and, as of January 2025, the anticipated
    addition of substantiated allegations of Article 134, UCMJ sexual
    harassment cases. The Navy is assessing the resourcing impacts of these
    projected caseloads that may generate additional manpower needs.
        All reporting options-Restricted Reports and Unrestricted Reports-
    have access to the following care and recovery services: SARC/SAPR VA
    advocacy services, healthcare, mental healthcare, Sexual Assault
    Forensic Examination (SAFE), consultation and representation through
    Special Victims' Counsel/Victims' Legal Counsel/Victims' Counsel,
    spiritual support through Military Chaplains, and victim safety
    assessments. DoD's Restricted Reporting policy permits adult victims of
    sexual assault to officially report incidents of sexual assault to
    specified individuals: (Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARC),
    Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Victim Advocate (VA), or
    healthcare personnel.
        These personnel ensure the victim receives these services without
    triggering an investigation. Navy affirms victims' rights to the full
    range of supportive services without participating in the military
    justice process triggered by an Unrestricted Report. SARCs and SAPR VAs
    routinely provide victims with the information necessary to make
    informed decisions about their reporting options and recovery. A
    victim's decision to make a restricted report (or to convert to an
    unrestricted report) will depend on a number of factors, to include the
    victim's desired pathway for recovery. Navy's SAPR Program trains all
    SARCs and SAPR VAs in the provision of victimcentered, culturally
    sensitive, and trauma-informed care that takes into account each
    victim's safety, needs, autonomy, and desired privacy.  [See page 18.]
        General Glynn. The Marine Corps stood up the Office of Special
    Trial Counsel ahead of the Department's target date of 28 December
    2023, is hiring a primary prevention workforce, and has implemented
    various other measures to prevent and address destructive behaviors.
    The Marine Corps is expanding the integrated prevention workforce, as
    well as the sexual assault prevention and response workforce, and is
    enhancing entry-level training to teach the continuum of harm, address
    healthy communication, boundaries, and relationships.
        These include modernizing SAPR annual training commensurate with
    respective rank and leadership positions. We are also implementing "no
    wrong door" and "warm handoff" protocols among SAPR, Equal Opportunity,
    Family Advocacy Program, and other victim services. Further, the Marine
    Corps is taking an integrated approach as part of our strategic focus
    on preventing all harmful behaviors, including sexual assault and
    sexual harassment. These efforts align with Marine Corps Total Fitness
    (MCTF), which strengthens Marines and families holistically across four
    domains: social, spiritual, mental, and physical fitness. Strengthening
    Marines and enhancing resilience across all domains supports prevention
    of harmful behaviors.
        The statutorily mandated transfer of disposition authority for
    covered, known, and related offenses from Commanders to an independent
    Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) has occurred with the full
    support of Commanders and their Staff Judge Advocates, which in turn
    has facilitated necessary dialogue and coordination regarding the care
    and treatment of victims and accused. Further, continuous dialogue and
    communication with the Victims' Legal Counsel Organization as outlined
    in the OSTC's victim engagement plan ensures victims remain informed
    and heard. Lastly, close coordination and collaboration with other
    services' OSTCs has allowed for the sharing of best practices.
        Early challenges encountered by the OSTC include the volume of
    cases requiring a disposition decision, the complex nature of covered
    offense cases, and the number of Military Criminal Investigators and
    Special Trial Counsel available. Some of the challenges are due to
    working with, understanding, and executing new processes and
    procedures, which we believe will improve over time as the OSTC
    construct matures.
        We will continue to assess staffing levels to ensure appropriate
    staffing in the OSTC. The addition of sexual harassment as a covered
    offense next year will require additional assessment.
        Regardless of their chosen reporting method, all victims are
    provided access to the following care and recovery services: SARC/SAPR
    VA advocacy services, healthcare, mental healthcare, Sexual Assault
    Forensic Examination (SAFE), consultation and representation through
    Special Victims' Counsel/Victims' Legal Counsel/Victims' Counsel,
    spiritual support through Military Chaplains and victim safety
    assessments. Education is the key to empowering victims to make the
    best choice for themselves on reporting and we continually work to
    improve our training.
        We make sure all victims know that they can change a Restricted
    Report to an Unrestricted Report during the process and that they know
    the implications of doing so. We understand that at times, restricted
    reporting may be the safest choice, especially amongst domestic abuse
    victims and intimate partner sexual assault victims, as seeking outside
    support may increase risk to victims from their abusers.
        In these cases, victims are still afforded access to medical
    services, legal advice, and advocacy services. Furthermore, we
    participate in DoD's Catch a Serial Offender (CATCH) program, which
    serves as an avenue for victims to anonymously submit suspect
    information to help military law enforcement identify serial offenders
    in cases with both Restricted and Unrestricted reports, or in cases
    where no report is submitted. Our overarching goal is to encourage all
    reporting.  [See page 18.]
        Ms. Kelley. Consistent with the mandates of the Fiscal Year 2022
    (FY22) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Department of Air
    Force (DAF) Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) reached full
    operational capability on December 27, 2023. Focused on accountability
    for offender misconduct, Special Trial Counsel (STC) provide expert,
    specialized, independent, and ethical representation of the United
    States in the investigation and trial-level litigation of covered
    offenses. OSTC is headquartered at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, D.C.,
    and field operations occur from six District Offices worldwide, in
    order to facilitate effective communication between OSTC personnel and
    installation command, legal, and law enforcement teams.
        OSTC reached full operational capability with 35 active component
    judge advocates, 5 reserve component judge advocates, and 6 enlisted
    paralegals. The Office will continue to grow through FY27 to an
    anticipated total of 67 judge advocate billets and 15 paralegal and
    civilian support billets. During the period of growth, OSTC operations
    are augmented by reserve component judge advocates who are certified
    STC. Although OSTC operates independently of the chain of command, it
    exercises its authority in a unified prosecutorial effort that includes
    local legal, law enforcement, and command personnel.
        In conjunction with the servicing legal office, OSTC serves as the
    lead advisor to law enforcement on critical investigative steps and
    alerts command to appropriate disposition decisions. OSTC personnel
    collaborate with installation legal personnel, from initial report
    through trial-level litigation, and they ensure robust victim
    engagement throughout the administration of justice. To ensure
    effective operations, OSTC worked with the Office of the Judge Advocate
    General (AF/JA) to revise 14 DAF policy directives, instructions, and
    manuals.
        Continued partnership further enabled position-tailored training on
    military justice reform, reaching over 2,000 command team members and
    2,500 total force JA personnel at 128 DAF locations. Currently, STC are
    leading the investigation and prosecution of hundreds of qualifying
    offenses. To measure mission success and impact, OSTC is implementing
    the Department of Defense's "Plan for Assessing Effects of Changes in
    Law," as directed by FY22 NDAA Section 547(c). The plan includes seven
    categories of performance measures and data collection categories.
        Similarly, OSTC is evaluating the optimal timelines for the
    investigation and prosecution of covered offenses, as outlined by the
    Department of Defense's Study Team Report on Recommendation 1.8 of the
    Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military. It is
    too early to identify discernible trends in the data, but OSTC and (AF/
    JA) are evaluating these performance measures in advance of the
    February 1, 2025 congressional reporting deadline established under
    Section 541 of the FY23 NDAA.
        The DAF, through the Independent Review Committee for Sexual
    Assault in the Military, has expanded the full-time Sexual Assault
    Prevention and Response (SAPR) workforce which ensures dedicated
    personnel to provide top-tier advocacy, care, and support to victims.
    In addition to expanding the SAPR workforce, the DAF has also stood up
    a dedicated prevention workforce to implement prevention strategies to
    eradicate interpersonal violence before it starts. The US Space Force's
    Holistic Health Approach includes primary prevention skill-building
    focused on healthy relationships and interactions.
        This research-informed skill-building is taught across the career
    cycle of a Guardian and includes relationship green flags (to signal
    what healthy relationships look like), healthy boundaries, conflict
    resolution, empathy, communication, mindfulness, and self-care. Each
    offering includes activities to provide learners with the opportunity
    to practice skills. Regardless of the reporting option chosen, victims
    receive full care and support for as long as needed. Victims who elect
    to make a restricted report may receive medical (physical and mental)
    care, advocacy and/or legal consultation. Victims are empowered to
    select their reporting method and are fully supported if they decide to
    switch to an unrestricted report, which will potentially initiate an
    investigation.  [See page 18.]
        General Miller. Consistent with the mandates of the Fiscal Year
    2022 (FY22) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Department
    of Air Force (DAF) Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) reached full
    operational capability on December 27, 2023. Focused on accountability
    for offender misconduct, Special Trial Counsel (STC) provide expert,
    specialized, independent, and ethical representation of the United
    States in the investigation and trial-level litigation of covered
    offenses.
        OSTC is headquartered at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, D.C., and
    field operations occur from six District Offices worldwide, in order to
    facilitate effective communication between OSTC personnel and
    installation command, legal, and law enforcement teams. OSTC reached
    full operational capability with 35 active component judge advocates, 5
    reserve component judge advocates, and 6 enlisted paralegals.
        The Office will continue to grow through FY27 to an anticipated
    total of 67 judge advocate billets and 15 paralegal and civilian
    support billets. During the period of growth, OSTC operations are
    augmented by reserve component judge advocates who are certified STC.
    Although OSTC operates independently of the chain of command, it
    exercises its authority in a unified prosecutorial effort that includes
    local legal, law enforcement, and command personnel.
        In conjunction with the servicing legal office, OSTC serves as the
    lead advisor to law enforcement on critical investigative steps and
    alerts command to appropriate disposition decisions. OSTC personnel
    collaborate with installation legal personnel, from initial report
    through trial-level litigation, and they ensure robust victim
    engagement throughout the administration of justice. To ensure
    effective operations, OSTC worked with the Office of the Judge Advocate
    General (AF/JA) to revise 14 DAF policy directives, instructions, and
    manuals.
        Continued partnership further enabled position-tailored training on
    military justice reform, reaching over 2,000 command team members and
    2,500 total force JA personnel at 128 DAF locations. Currently, STC are
    leading the investigation and prosecution of hundreds of qualifying
    offenses. To measure mission success and impact, OSTC is implementing
    the Department of Defense's "Plan for Assessing Effects of Changes in
    Law," as directed by FY22 NDAA Section 547(c). The plan includes seven
    categories of performance measures and data collection categories.
        Similarly, OSTC is evaluating the optimal timelines for the
    investigation and prosecution of covered offenses, as outlined by the
    Department of Defense's Study Team Report on Recommendation 1.8 of the
    Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military. It is
    too early to identify discernible trends in the data, but OSTC and (AF/
    JA) are evaluating these performance measures in advance of the
    February 1, 2025 congressional reporting deadline established under
    Section 541 of the FY23 NDAA. The DAF, through the Independent Review
    Committee for Sexual Assault in the Military, has expanded the full-
    time Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) workforce which
    ensures dedicated personnel to provide top-tier advocacy, care, and
    support to victims.
        In addition to expanding the SAPR workforce, the DAF has also stood
    up a dedicated prevention workforce to implement prevention strategies
    to eradicate interpersonal violence before it starts. The US Space
    Force's Holistic Health Approach includes primary prevention skill-
    building focused on healthy relationships and interactions. This
    research-informed skill-building is taught across the career cycle of a
    Guardian and includes relationship green flags (to signal what healthy
    relationships look like), healthy boundaries, conflict resolution,
    empathy, communication, mindfulness, and self-care.
        Each offering includes activities to provide learners with the
    opportunity to practice skills. Regardless of the reporting option
    chosen, victims receive full care and support for as long as needed.
    Victims who elect to make a restricted report may receive medical
    (physical and mental) care, advocacy and/or legal consultation. Victims
    are empowered to select their reporting method and are fully supported
    if they decide to switch to an unrestricted report, which will
    potentially initiate an investigation.  [See page 18.]

    =======================================================================

                  QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS POST HEARING

                                 April 17, 2024

    =======================================================================

                        QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. WALTZ

        Mr. Waltz. The new GENESIS system allows health care providers to
    understand a patient's complete medical history with an integrated
    health record and delivers new capabilities. Service members
    consistently ranked medical care as a top cause of dissatisfaction
    during a series of focus groups conducted by the Office of the Naval
    Inspector General in 2023, according to the report. They cited their
    inability to access care in a timely manner for everything from routine
    primary care visits to mental health appointments.
        As we look to improve Quality of Life and Service for our military,
    have the extensive electronic issues and downtime of this online
    GENESIS program been corrected for our servicemembers and veterans?
        How are you working with DHA to address the red flags GENESIS
    identifies going back to a Servicemembers' childhood?
        How has the Medical Assessment Record Pilot (MARP) improved medical
    capability in the GENESIS system?
        The GENESIS system allows DoD access to all of service members
    medical history from birth including medical history, prescriptions,
    etc. into one data base.
        How are you addressing HIPPA concerns from servicemembers and
    prospective recruits pulling healthcare and prescription information
    from civilian medical centers into a massive electronic data center -
    the largest electronic healthcare electronic repository in the U.S. -
    long before enlistment?
        Admiral Cheeseman. Ensuring quality of life improvements continues
    to be a vital priority and the rollout of MHS GENESIS provided a
    significant opportunity to streamline several aspects of military
    requirements. As demonstrated, the program revealed unintended
    challenges that are currently being addressed and the Navy continues to
    collaborate with the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for
    Personnel and Readiness as the program owner of MHS GENESIS.
        As an accessions tool, the Navy is a key member of the Deputy
    Secretary of Defense directed MHS GENESIS Task Force to modernize and
    review how the Department of Defense (DoD) accesses new Service
    members. Three key ongoing initiatives include: increased and enduring
    medical staffing, development of machine learning capabilities, and a
    review of defining medical qualifications.
        Relatedly, the Joint Accessions and Retention Military Service
    Working Group and the Medical Accession Records Pilot program are both
    efforts that address restrictions on certain disqualifying health
    conditions and are reviewing requirements with an emphasis on
    incorporating mental health parameters. MHS GENESIS pulls data from
    civilian medical systems for inclusion in a patient's medical record.
        Having a full and complete picture of any patient's medical care is
    critical to ensuring the quality and safety of healthcare provided.
    Specific to recruits, it also gives Military Departments a full and
    comprehensive view of recruits' medical needs, to ensure the health of
    prospective recruits is consistent with military service.
        Patient privacy and safeguarding patient data in accordance with
    the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
    is foundational to the Military Health System. To safeguard data in MHS
    GENESIS, DoD mandates users undergo Cyber Awareness, HIPAA and Privacy
    Act training, and sign an acceptable use policy. Only those with an
    official need can access protected health information (PHI), as per
    standards provided by DoD policy. Additionally, Military Medical
    Treatment Facilities conduct system activity reviews to identify and
    prevent unauthorized PHI access.
        Mr. Waltz. The new GENESIS system allows health care providers to
    understand a patient's complete medical history with an integrated
    health record and delivers new capabilities. Service members
    consistently ranked medical care as a top cause of dissatisfaction
    during a series of focus groups conducted by the Office of the Naval
    Inspector General in 2023, according to the report. They cited their
    inability to access care in a timely manner for everything from routine
    primary care visits to mental health appointments.
        As we look to improve Quality of Life and Service for our military,
    have the extensive electronic issues and downtime of this online
    GENESIS program been corrected for our servicemembers and veterans?
        How are you working with DHA to address the red flags GENESIS
    identifies going back to a Servicemembers' childhood?
        How has the Medical Assessment Record Pilot (MARP) improved medical
    capability in the GENESIS system?
        The GENESIS system allows DoD access to all of service members
    medical history from birth including medical history, prescriptions,
    etc. into one data base.
        How are you addressing HIPPA concerns from servicemembers and
    prospective recruits pulling healthcare and prescription information
    from civilian medical centers into a massive electronic data center -
    the largest electronic healthcare electronic repository in the U.S. -
    long before enlistment?
        General Glynn. The medical readiness of our Marines is a top
    priority, and ensuring protection of personal information is important.
    We look forward to the Department's assessment of the medical screening
    process from the Military Health System GENESIS Task Force with a focus
    on finding efficiencies and increasing staffing of MEPCOM's medical
    providers. In my role as Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve
    Affairs for the Marine Corps, I support USD(P&R) who has direct
    oversight of MHS Genesis and its associated policies and protocols.
                                     ______

                 RESPONSE TO QUESTION SUBMITTED BY MR. FINSTAD
        Mr. Finstad. Minnesota has approximately 463 active duty Service
    Members and 17,375 Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This
    shows that many States have greater Reserve and National Guard equities
    than active component equities. The biggest branch in the US Military,
    the US Army, even has approximately 60,000 more Soldiers in the Reserve
    and National Guard than the active component.
        What accounts for the disparity between promotion timelines and
    zones of consideration between active component and Reserve, and
    National Guard promotion boards for officers? Do the Services plan to
    create more parity in promotion timeline for Reserve and National Guard
    officers?
        Constituents that also serve in the Reserve and National Guard,
    while holding down another job as a Citizen-Service Member, have
    provided notice to my office about the lack of parity in promotion
    timelines between themselves and their active component counterparts or
    peers. That is, it appears that officers in the active component get
    promoted to the next higher grade between 1-3 years faster or earlier
    than Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This lack of parity in
    promotion timeline does not reward or treat fairly Reserve and National
    Guard officers who often carry double weight by also serving their
    cities, towns, counties, and state. The Services should create parity
    between their components, such that an officer in the Reserve and
    National Guard can receive the same promotion opportunities in the same
    timeline as active component officers.
        General Stitt. The Reserve Components (United States Army Reserve
    and Army National Guard) work within statutory requirements, DoD
    Policy, and Army policy to provide promotion opportunities and career
    progression for all Soldiers. Officers are promoted through mandatory
    promotion boards (10 USC 14101), promotion vacancy boards for the USAR,
    and Federal recognition boards for the ARNG. Officers are subject to
    time in grade requirements which are set by statute (10 USC 14303 and
    14404) and policy. Promotions may also be limited by authorized
    strength and positions. Officers recommended for promotion must be
    assigned to positions commensurate with grade in order to promote;
    otherwise they must transfer to the IRR to be promoted upon reaching
    maximum time in grade. Within these constraints, it is important to
    note that officer promotions are designed to promote officers with the
    greatest potential and are not an award solely for time in service. For
    all of these reasons, it would be detrimental to align Regular Army
    eligibility with the Reserve Components.
        Mr. Finstad. Minnesota has approximately 463 active duty Service
    Members and 17,375 Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This
    shows that many States have greater Reserve and National Guard equities
    than active component equities. The biggest branch in the US Military,
    the US Army, even has approximately 60,000 more Soldiers in the Reserve
    and National Guard than the active component.
        What accounts for the disparity between promotion timelines and
    zones of consideration between active component and Reserve, and
    National Guard promotion boards for officers? Do the Services plan to
    create more parity in promotion timeline for Reserve and National Guard
    officers?
        Constituents that also serve in the Reserve and National Guard,
    while holding down another job as a Citizen-Service Member, have
    provided notice to my office about the lack of parity in promotion
    timelines between themselves and their active component counterparts or
    peers. That is, it appears that officers in the active component get
    promoted to the next higher grade between 1-3 years faster or earlier
    than Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This lack of parity in
    promotion timeline does not reward or treat fairly Reserve and National
    Guard officers who often carry double weight by also serving their
    cities, towns, counties, and state. The Services should create parity
    between their components, such that an officer in the Reserve and
    National Guard can receive the same promotion opportunities in the same
    timeline as active component officers.
        Admiral Cheeseman. There is parity between the Navy officer
    promotion timelines of the Active and Reserve Components. The vast
    majority of Navy Reserve officer communities promote within the same
    DoD standard required for Active Component officers (described below).
    When there is variation, it is minimal (+/- 1 year), and it is
    attributable to breaks in service between Active and Reserve,
    conversion to a different officer community, or other career changes
    that impact time-in-grade or time-in-service.
        Additionally, both the Active and Reserve Components have the same
    minimum time-in-grade requirements for officer promotion. Federal law
    establishes the requirement for each Military Department to maintain an
    Active Duty List (ADL) and Reserve Active Statue List (RASL). The ADL
    and RASL are governed by two separate pieces of law. For Active
    Component officers, DoD directs the promotion timing on the ADL, by
    grade: O-4 = 10 years +/- 1 year O-5 = 16 years +/- 1 year O-6 = 22
    years +/- 1 year For Reserve Component officers, those officers on the
    RASL, DoD policy dictates that the Secretary of the Military Department
    determines the timing for promotion based on force requirements.
        Title 10, U.S.C. 14303 and 14304 sets forth
    minimum and maximum years of service in grade for reserve component
    officers to be eligible for promotion to the next grade. Those reserve
    officers in grades of O-3, O-4, and O-5 must complete three years time-
    in-grade, but no more than seven years time-in-grade to be eligible to
    promote to the next grade. Additionally, Title 10, U.S.C.
    14305 requires a relatively similar promotion opportunity over
    a five-year period in each grade and competitive category. Navy policy
    defines this as a variance of +/- 10 percent for active component
    officers, and the Secretary of the Navy, under the authority of DoD
    policy, has established the same percentage for reserve component
    officers.
        Mr. Finstad. Minnesota has approximately 463 active duty Service
    Members and 17,375 Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This
    shows that many States have greater Reserve and National Guard equities
    than active component equities. The biggest branch in the US Military,
    the US Army, even has approximately 60,000 more Soldiers in the Reserve
    and National Guard than the active component.
        What accounts for the disparity between promotion timelines and
    zones of consideration between active component and Reserve, and
    National Guard promotion boards for officers? Do the Services plan to
    create more parity in promotion timeline for Reserve and National Guard
    officers?
        Constituents that also serve in the Reserve and National Guard,
    while holding down another job as a Citizen-Service Member, have
    provided notice to my office about the lack of parity in promotion
    timelines between themselves and their active component counterparts or
    peers. That is, it appears that officers in the active component get
    promoted to the next higher grade between 1-3 years faster or earlier
    than Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This lack of parity in
    promotion timeline does not reward or treat fairly Reserve and National
    Guard officers who often carry double weight by also serving their
    cities, towns, counties, and state. The Services should create parity
    between their components, such that an officer in the Reserve and
    National Guard can receive the same promotion opportunities in the same
    timeline as active component officers.
        General Glynn. We are committed to ensuring that all qualified
    officers, regardless of component, have equal opportunities for
    advancement in the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve places great
    emphasis on maintaining the authorized strength of the Reserve
    Component, ensuring a capable and ready reserve force to augment,
    reinforce, and sustain the Active Component. This focus inherently
    shapes promotion timelines and zones of consideration.
        Overall, the promotion flow points for Marine Corps Reserve
    officers may deviate somewhat from those of the Active Component, but
    typically by less than a year. The difference in timing is largely
    attributed to the transition timeline of Active Component officers into
    the reserves. Transitioning officers who actively engage and maintain
    an adequate level of participation once in the Reserves promote
    equitably with their activeduty peers. In some cases, these Marines
    transition to the Individual Ready Reserve following End of Active
    Service and have limited to no participation in the Reserves as they
    establish civilian employment.
        This transition period often limits their reserve participation,
    thereby delaying their eligibility or consideration for selection by
    promotion boards. We continuously assess and refine our promotion
    processes to ensure fairness and consistency across all components of
    the Marine Corps.
        Mr. Finstad. Minnesota has approximately 463 active duty Service
    Members and 17,375 Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This
    shows that many States have greater Reserve and National Guard equities
    than active component equities. The biggest branch in the US Military,
    the US Army, even has approximately 60,000 more Soldiers in the Reserve
    and National Guard than the active component.
        What accounts for the disparity between promotion timelines and
    zones of consideration between active component and Reserve, and
    National Guard promotion boards for officers? Do the Services plan to
    create more parity in promotion timeline for Reserve and National Guard
    officers?
        Constituents that also serve in the Reserve and National Guard,
    while holding down another job as a Citizen-Service Member, have
    provided notice to my office about the lack of parity in promotion
    timelines between themselves and their active component counterparts or
    peers. That is, it appears that officers in the active component get
    promoted to the next higher grade between 1-3 years faster or earlier
    than Reserve and National Guard Service Members. This lack of parity in
    promotion timeline does not reward or treat fairly Reserve and National
    Guard officers who often carry double weight by also serving their
    cities, towns, counties, and state. The Services should create parity
    between their components, such that an officer in the Reserve and
    National Guard can receive the same promotion opportunities in the same
    timeline as active component officers.
        General Miller. Air Force Reserves: Regardless of component,
    Regular AF (active-duty component) (RegAF) and Air Force Reserve (AFR)
    promotion timelines are driven by the needs of the US Air Force
    determined by the number of officers required in each grade, along with
    the average length of service of members within the grade and projected
    vacancies.
        The disparity between RegAF and AFR officer promotion is primarily
    due the size and makeup of the AFR officer reserve corps compared to
    the RegAF. The AFR is a smaller component compared to the RegAF;
    therefore, it requires less officers. Equally as impactful is the AFR's
    primary sustainment strategy based on capturing talent leaving the
    Regular Component.
        This results in officers joining the AFR with various years of
    service as well as time-in-grade compared to the RegAF. It also means
    that inventory levels are less stable, fluctuating year to year, making
    it challenging to accurately project long-term need.
        Additionally, AFR officers tend to serve longer than their Regular
    Component counterparts. For example, most AFR lieutenant Colonels
    retire with 28 years of service compared to 22 years for RegAF
    officers. When you need less officers; the ones you have generally join
    with longer time-in-service/grade; and the ones you have serve longer,
    it limits the number of available vacancies to promote officers into
    resulting in longer promotion timelines.
        To create parity among the components would result in officers
    being promoted into grades without positions for them to fill. Air
    National Guard: The promotion process for National Guard (ANG) officers
    differs from the Reserve and Active-Duty Components and is based on
    meeting time-in-grade (TIG) requirements and they can be promoted
    through either the Mandatory Promotion process or Position Vacancy (PV)
    process. If an officer is not chosen to promote through the PV process,
    they will meet the board in the Mandatory Promotion process - both
    processes and timelines outlined below.
        Ultimately, the commander plays a crucial role in promoting
    officers based on their qualifications and the needs of the unit,
    ensuring that deserving officers advance in their careers. The ANG
    officer promotion process typically takes between 6 -12 months which is
    time needed to conduct a board and comply the requirements in the
    Reserve Officer Promotion Act (ROPMA). Timelines should be comparable
    with the Defense Officer Promotion Act (DOPMA). ANG Mandatory Officer
    Promotions: The mandatory promotion process for ANG Officers to the
    grades of first lieutenant and captain occur two times per calendar
    year.
        Eligibility for the Federal promotion selection lists is determined
    by the officer's time-in-grade. For promotion to first lieutenant and
    captain, the time in grade requirement is 2 years. For promotion to
    major and lieutenant colonel, the time in grade requirement is 7 years.
        Mandatory promotions to the grades of major and lieutenant colonel
    are required to meet the Reserve Officer Personnel Management Act
    (ROPMA) selection board annually held at Air Reserve Personnel Center
    (ARPC), Buckley Air Force Base. The process estimated from start
    (eligibility) to finish (Senate confirmation) is 345 days. ANG Officer
    PV Promotions:
        This process allows for timely promotions based on eligibility and
    available positions. Position vacancies are nominative promotions and
    contingent on position vacancy and minimum TIG. Major & Lieutenant
    Colonel requires four years TIG, and Colonel requires three years TIG.
    The ANG holds six PV boards throughout the year and two Colonel
    promotion boards per year in the spring and fall.
        PV promotions to the grades of major through colonel are selected
    for promotion through their State Federal Recognition Examination Board
    (FREB) and then required to meet a Federal Recognition Review Board
    (FRRB) held at Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC), Buckley Air Force
    Base to extend federal recognition. The process from start
    (eligibility) to finish (Senate confirmation) is on average 6 to 8
    months.

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