[Senate Hearing 118-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



 
       DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024

                              ----------                              


                        TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2023

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


                         DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

                      Department of the Air Force

                        Office of the Secretary

STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK KENDALL, SECRETARY


                opening statement of senator jon tester


    Senator Tester. Good morning, everybody. And I want to call 
this committee meeting to order.
    I want to welcome our witnesses; Secretary Kendall, General 
Brown, General Saltzman, thank you for your leadership and 
commitment to our Air Force and Space Force; I look forward to 
discussing your fiscal year 2024 budget, priorities today.
    General Saltzman, this is your first hearing before this 
committee, and we look forward to continuing to work with you.
    Secretary Kendall, I want to thank you for joining me to 
visit the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, and 
the 120th Airlift Wing of the Montana Air National Guard a 
couple weeks ago tomorrow, I think it was. And I appreciate 
your visit. I look forward to continuing our discussions to 
ensure that our service members have the tools they need to 
protect this country's freedoms.
    The fiscal year 2024 budget request for the Department of 
the Air Force is $215.1 billion, $9.3 billion more than fiscal 
year 2023, and about $41 billion more than fiscal year 2022. 
With China's pacing threat, and Russia's destabilizing actions, 
necessitated robust National Defense budget. However, 
modernization efforts in the fielding of crucial systems and 
aircraft are frozen unless we enact the Defense Appropriations 
Bill for fiscal year 2024.
    We cannot allow CRs (Continuing Resolutions) to block our 
progress towards a modernization, and robust, and capable Air 
Force and Space Force, it is imperative that the fiscal year 
2024 budget is enacted on time. And I look forward to working 
with Senator Murray and Senator Collins, to position us for 
success.
    Our national security is equally undermined by leaks of 
classified information, while the damage assessment of recent 
leaks by a member of the Air National Guard is ongoing; I would 
like to hear from you today why this individual had access to 
such highly classified information in the first place.
    Until we can confidently guarantee that our folks receiving 
security clearances will keep our Nation safe, I will continue 
to push for commonsense reforms to the background check and 
security classification process.
    Further, while it was important to explore and invest in 
modernization improvements of our assets and systems, these 
efforts fall flat unless they can be translated into 
capabilities delivered to the warfighter.
    As in previous years, your requests for modernization 
programs grow significantly, while your procurement request 
remains relatively flat. This is concerning because it implies 
that experiments, prototypes, and modernization efforts are not 
transferring to a large-scale production. We cannot let record 
high investments, and innovation, and modernization go 
unrealized.
    Once again, I want to thank you, each of you, for your 
service to this country.
    Before you make your opening statements, I want to turn it 
over to my Ranking Member, Senator Collins, for any comments 
she would like to make.


                 statement of senator susan m. collins


    Senator Collins. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I 
appreciate your holding this hearing on the Air Force's fiscal 
year 2024 budget request.
    To our witnesses, thank you so much for your service and 
leadership, and that of the Airmen and Guardians who serve our 
Nation.
    Secretary Kendall, the seven operational imperatives that 
you and the Chiefs have established for the Air Force and Space 
Force provide a useful framework for our analysis this morning.
    In many respects, the budget request reflects your 
continued focus to implement them, such as proposals to double 
funding for missiles, to increase funding for the Space Force 
by 15 percent, and to accelerate the development of the Next-
Generation Air Refueling Systems optimized for the Indo-Pacific 
Theater.
    Until that new system is in place, I welcome the 
Department's continued commitment to recapitalizing all of the 
legacy KC-135 aircraft across the Air Force, including the 60-
year-old airframes flown by the MAINEiacs of the Air National 
Guard in Bangor, Maine. However, there is a lot in this 
request, or perhaps more accurately not in it, that raises 
questions about whether the budget will achieve the seven 
imperatives before our country faces the challenges that you 
seek to address.
    Let me highlight just three of them: First, the Department 
is proposing to retire three times as many aircraft as it plans 
to buy this year. If this request were to be enacted with no 
changes, by my calculation, the Air Force would have 800 fewer 
aircraft in 2028 than it does today. Meanwhile, China continues 
to increase both the number and the capability of its most 
advanced fighter aircraft, the J-20 and the J-16.
    Second, the mission-capable rate for the F-35 in February 
was just 53 percent. It is not clear to me how this budget 
request will tackle this problem. And the Air Force, obviously, 
is far less effective if many of its planes are grounded. I 
would like to know how this budget request will improve the 
operational availability of the F-35.
    Finally, the Air Force is the largest consumer of fuel in 
the Federal Government, therefore, the Air Force has the 
greatest exposure of budget shortfalls and readiness risks if 
the cost assumptions in this request understate the actual 
price of fuel. For 2 years in a row that is exactly what has 
happened, the budget request has underestimated fuel costs, and 
Congress has come to the rescue to protect training and 
readiness. We were able to do that because of a substantial 
increase in the Defense top line for the past 2 years.
    So the question I will have for our witnesses is: What is 
the Air Force doing to maintain its flying hours, programs, and 
operations? What will it do if fuel costs, once again, exceed 
the estimate in the budget request?
    There are many issues for us to cover today, not the least 
of which is, as the Chairman mentioned, the disturbing 
revelation last week that a young Cape Cod-based Air National 
Guardsman was, allegedly, able to remove, photograph, and 
disseminate many classified National Security documents for 
months without notice from the Office of Special 
Investigations, the Pentagon, or the Intelligence Community.
    I look forward to discussing these issues with our 
witnesses. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Collins.
    Next up, we have the Honorable Frank Kendall, Secretary of 
the Air Force.


                summary statement of hon. frank kendall


    Secretary Kendall. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, Members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the 
Department of the Air Force's fiscal year 2024 budget 
submission.
    Approximately 1 year ago, I began my testimony before this 
committee with a quote from General Douglas MacArthur reminding 
us that ``The history of failure in war can almost always be 
summed up in two words: too late.'' That warning is even more 
valid today.
    Over the past year, under the rubric of the seven DAF 
(Department of the Air Force) operational imperatives, that 
Senator Collins mentioned, the Department of the Air Force has 
worked to define the capabilities and technologies that we 
need, along with the programs and resources required, to deter, 
and if necessary prevail over our pacing challenge, China, 
China, China.
    In fiscal year 2024, we are requesting approximately $5 
billion as a direct result of this work, and over $25 billion 
for operational imperative-related investments. War is not 
inevitable, but successfully deterring conflict is heavily 
dependent on our Military capabilities.
    In our fiscal year 2024 budget request, there are 
approximately 20 completely new, or significantly rescoped 
program elements, some of which are classified, that we must 
develop, produce and field, if we desire to maintain the air 
and space superiority that America and our allies have counted 
upon for decades. In order to proceed with any of these 
programs the Department of the Air Force needs timely 
authorizations and appropriations.
    The Department of the Air Force is ready to move forward 
with the next generation of capabilities we need. And there is 
no time to lose.
    In addition, to these new starts or enhanced efforts, the 
fiscal year 2024 budget includes requests for additional 
resources to increase production and accelerate development of 
programs essential to the Department's missions, as defined in 
the National Defense Strategy.
    For the Strategic Triad, we have fully funded the Sentinel 
ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile), the B-21 Raider 
Bomber, the Long-Range Standoff Weapon, and our Nuclear 
Commander Control Programs.
    For the Conventional Force, we are increasing production of 
both the F-35 and the F-15EX. The Next Generation Air Dominance 
Program is funded to move forward, and as indicated last year, 
an Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program of record, is 
fully funded in our fiscal year 2024 request.
    We are also continuing the acquisition of sensor programs, 
like the E-7 Wedgetail, and the new resilient missile warning 
and tracking space system. As we indicated last year, hard 
choices have been required to move the Department into the 
future.
    We deeply appreciate the support of the Congress and this 
Committee for the divestitures we requested last year. This 
year, we must continue the divestment of the over-40-year-old 
A-10 Warthog. This program has served us well, but it is 
absorbing resources needed for higher priorities; we ask for 
Congress' continued support for this and other identified 
changes we must make to field the forces we need to be 
successful against our pacing challenge and other threats.
    But of course it isn't all about the equipment we need to 
perform our missions; it is also about the men and women who 
serve in the Total Force, Active, Guard, Reserve, and those who 
support them.
    I recently returned from the Indo-Pacific where I met with 
a number of armed teammates--excuse me--I think I may have 
skipped a page.
    We appreciate Congress' support for 4.6 percent pay raise 
last year. This year we are asking for our 5.2 percent pay 
increase. The largest 1 year increase we have ever requested.
    In line with Secretary Austin's Taking Care of People 
Initiative, we are continuing to invest in child development 
centers and housing to meet the highest priority needs of the 
Airmen, Guardians, and their families.
    Like the other Services, with the exception of the Space 
Force, the Air Force faces challenges in recruiting in a 
generation where the propensity to serve is the lowest that we 
have seen in decades. We are removing barriers to ensure that 
anyone with a capability and desire can serve to their full 
potential.
    Under our National Defense Strategy, we are strengthening 
teams, both in the Joint Force and with our allies and 
partners, building these relationships, investing in our 
ability to work together is the essence of integrated 
deterrence. The effectiveness and importance of these 
relationships are on display in Europe today, where NATO (North 
Atlantic Treaty Organization) is stronger than ever.
    I recently returned from the Indo-Pacific where I met with 
a number of our teammates where I participated in a ground-
breaking event for one of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation 
Agreement bases in the Philippines. Our budget request also 
supports strengthening our partnerships around the world, 
especially where we confront our pacing challenge and most 
acute threats.
    I started by talking about the value of time, and I will 
finish by highlighting a legislative proposal that can save up 
to 2 years of that valuable time. Our proposal would expand 
Rapid Acquisition Authority so that Military Departments can 
more quickly respond to emerging threats and take advantage of 
evolving technology.
    Within reasonable constraints, this legislative proposal 
would allow progress on compelling national security needs that 
would, otherwise, be delayed, until the next submission and 
approval of the President's budget. I have been pushing this 
reform for many years, and we look forward to working with the 
Congress on this proposal.
    In closing, I believe the Department of the Air Force is 
well postured to move into the future. Our work to define that 
future is not complete, but it has produced compelling results 
that are reflected in our fiscal year 2024 budget submission.
    We look forward to your questions today; and would like to 
offer a more complete briefing on the classified details of our 
submission, at your convenience.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Thank you Secretary Kendall.
    General Brown, you have the floor.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL CHARLES Q. BROWN, JR., AIR FORCE 
            CHIEF OF STAFF
    General Brown. Good morning, Chairman Tester, and Ranking 
Member Collins, and distinguished Members of this Subcommittee.
    I am proud to represent the 689,000 Total Force Airmen 
serving our Nation. I want to thank you for your steadfast 
support to our Airmen and their families.
    It is an honor to join Secretary Kendall and General 
Saltzman to testify in the fiscal year 2024 budget submission. 
This budget builds on the progress made in fiscal year 2023, 
and marks the next milestone towards the transformation of the 
Air Force to address the evolving security challenges outlined 
in the National Defense Strategy.
    As I emphasized last year: we must continue to accelerate 
change or risk losing our strategic advantage. The Department 
of the Air Force's operational imperatives describe key 
capabilities that must be attained to enable the Air Force's 
modernization in the face of a rapidly changing threat 
environment, remain dedicated to ensuring our investments and 
resources outlining this budget submission are aligned with the 
National Defense Strategy so the Air Force can continue to 
deter our adversaries, prevail in conflict, and to execute our 
mission to: Fly, Fight, and Win, Air Power Anytime, Anywhere. 
Not sometime in some places, but Anytime, Anywhere.
    This budget ensures the Air Forces continue to provide the 
Nation the assurance of air superiority, the advantage of 
global strike, the agility rapid global mobility, and you 
combine that with the adaptability of intelligence, 
surveillance, and reconnaissance, and the authority in our 
command and control capabilities, providing the ability to 
sense, make sense, and act. This is what we must do today, and 
we must be prepared to do tomorrow.
    In order to provide these core functions to the Nation, we 
must accelerate development of programs essential to our 
mission with this budget submission. The right of the assurance 
of air superiority, we are increasing production of the F-35 
and F-15EX, as highlighted by the Secretary, while the Next 
Generation Air Dominance Program continues development.
    To provide the advantage of global strike, we fully funded 
the Sentinel ICBM and the B-21 Raider Bomber. To provide the 
agility of Rapid Global Mobility we must continue the 
recapitalization of the KC-135 Fleet, while moving towards the 
Next-Generation Air Refueling System. To provide the 
adaptability of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, 
we are transitioning to the E-7A, complemented by other 
persistent, connected, and survivable and systems, and to 
provide the authority of our command and control we continue to 
mature Advanced Battle Management System by investing in 
digital infrastructure and modernizing cloud-based 
communications.
    Last year's budget has started our necessary 
transformation, as we indicated, that hard choices would have 
to be made. Often, these choices are between current capacity, 
readiness, and future capabilities.
    Our message this year has not changed. The Air Force must 
modernize to counter strategic competitors, by balancing risk 
by investing in platforms and capabilities that have decreasing 
relevance against our pacing challenge, investments in speed, 
agility, and the lethality of the Air Force capabilities 
underwrites the entirety of the Joint Force.
    Our Airmen remain the backbone of our Air Force, and we are 
committed to ensuring their well-being and development while 
providing them the resources and opportunities to reach their 
full potential whenever and wherever the Nation calls.
    The Air Force is dedicated to reducing barriers, improving 
quality of service, and quality of life for Airmen and their 
families. Addition to excess of air power doesn't happen alone, 
the excess is only possible through the collaboration with many 
of our stakeholders and teammates.
    I want to thank the Congress and this Subcommittee for 
their past and continued support.
    We look forward to working with you on our fiscal year 2024 
legislative priorities, like Expanding Rapid Acquisition 
Authority, furthering modernization efforts at the Nevada Test 
and Training Range, preventing encroachment on our nuclear 
launch and control facilities, and supporting pilot production, 
through civilian contractor position conversion.
    While we remain the strongest Air Force in the world, we 
must continue the change required to address both today and 
tomorrow's national security threats. We must have teamwork and 
collaboration with all of our key stakeholders, to accelerate, 
providing our Airmen the capabilities they need to deter, and 
project credible combat power.
    We must have on-time appropriations and avoid continuing 
resolutions to stay ahead of the pacing, acute, and unforeseen 
challenges now, into the future. There is not a moment to lose.
    Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you today. 
And I look forward to your questions.
    Senator Tester. Thank you, General Brown.
    General Saltzman.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL B. CHANCE SALTZMAN, CHIEF OF SPACE 
            OPERATIONS, UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE
    General Saltzman. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, 
distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for your 
continued support and for the opportunity to testify on the 
Space Force fiscal year 2024 budget submission.
    As the Space Force enters its fourth year, we continue to 
mature as an independent service, and are fully delivering on 
assigned missions. Since assuming my responsibilities in 
November I have traveled globally to engage with guardians, 
combatant commanders, and military service chiefs from partner 
nations to better understand where the Space Force should focus 
our efforts.
    Across the board, each of these groups emphasized the vital 
role space plays in strategic competition and integrated 
deterrence.
    As this committee well understands, competition and 
deterrence require investment in and modernization of 
technology, training, and partnerships. That is what the fiscal 
year 2024 budget submission for the Space Force does.
    This budget submission is directly in line with the 
National Defense Strategy, and the Department of the Air Force 
operational imperatives. As the fiscal year 2024 budget will 
allow us to further efforts to develop a resilient Space Order 
of Battle, and preparing for Rapid transition to a wartime 
posture against any potential adversary to fight and win in a 
high intensity conflict.
    In conjunction with ongoing modernization projects, the 
Space Force has several new starts for fiscal year 2024 to 
support these efforts. Investing in these modernization 
projects will allow us to execute our assigned missions as we 
move forward to better posture for the emerging complexities of 
the space domain, and the threat systems being fielded by 
strategic competitors.
    Space is now undeniably a contested warfighting domain; 
China and Russia define space as such, and are investing in 
technology meant to undermine U.S. advantage in the domain.
    China, our pacing challenge, is our most substantial threat 
into and from space, but Russia also remains an acute threat. 
Both present serious challenges with space capabilities that 
can track and target U.S. Military Forces on land, at sea, and 
in the air. Both can hold U.S. space assets at risk with cyber 
and electronic warfare, lasers, ground-to-space missiles, and 
space-to-space orbital engagement systems.
    These systems threaten the space architecture the Nation 
relies on for prosperity and security. To meet this challenge 
the Space Force will prioritize three lines of effort: First, 
fielding ready, resilient, and combat-credible Forces. Second, 
amplifying what I call the ``Guardian Spirit''; and three, 
partnering to win.
    These are directly in line with Secretary Austin's Mission, 
People, and Team priorities. In sum, this budget request is 
designed to deliver the forces, personnel, and partnerships the 
Space Force requires to preserve U.S. advantages in space.
    To build resilient-ready, combat-credible Forces, we are 
accelerating the pivot towards modern, more defendable 
satellite constellations, and support infrastructure. We are 
conducting transformational Force design analysis based on 
threats, operational needs, and costs, so that we can maximize 
our budget while investing in effective missile warning, space 
domain awareness, communication, and navigation systems.
    Additionally, we are investing to ensure our networks are 
hardened to defeat cyber threats and that we have the 
operational test and training infrastructure necessary to 
prepare Guardians for high intensity conflict.
    With our second line of effort, we are amplifying the 
Guardian Spirit by recruiting, developing, and retaining the 
best talent, and empowering Guardians to succeed. Investment in 
space-centric curriculum for entry-level schools will build 
Guardians laser-focused on space operations in competition and 
conflict.
    Guardians will be empowered through mission command to 
innovate and execute in those scenarios. Notably, and with 
Congressional support, we plan to integrate the space mission 
elements of the Air Force Reserve into the Space Force to offer 
Guardians flexible career paths, including both full-time and 
part-time duty to retain talent and bring private-sector 
experience to the Force.
    The third line of effort acknowledges that the Space Force 
relies on Partnerships to accomplish our mission. We are 
investing in training, education, data sharing, and integrated 
capabilities with our allies and partners. The Space Force will 
strengthen our presence in all combatant commands where 
Guardians are already making solid connections with allies and 
partners.
    Because of its critical importance, the Space Force is 
collaborating with commercial partners to build resilient 
capacity and leverage emerging technologies. To enhance this 
partnership, the Space Force is working to eliminate barriers 
to such collaboration so that we can build enduring advantages, 
and field them more rapidly.
    In conclusion, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the 
Space Force's fiscal year 2024 budget request. The Space Force 
continues to be the preeminent military space organization in 
the world. Our adversaries seek to challenge our advantage in 
space, but with the support of this committee our Guardians 
will be able to outwork, out-innovate, and out-compete our 
potential adversaries to ensure that we maintain that 
advantage.
    The fiscal year 2024 budget request will make this 
possible, but only if the Congress passes timely 
appropriations.
    I look forward to your questions. Thank you.
    [The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Frank Kendall, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., and 
                       General B. Chance Saltzman
                                overview
    The Department of the Air Force (DAF) remains focused on 
implementing the National Defense Strategy (NDS) and the priorities of 
the Secretary of Defense: mission, people, and teams. Our ability to 
perform our missions comes first, and everything we are doing to 
support and develop our people and build strong teams supports that 
goal. One year ago, we submitted a posture statement in which the need 
to modernize the Air and Space Forces, especially to meet our pacing 
challenge--the People's Republic of China (PRC)--was highlighted. Over 
the past year, we have provided threat briefings to Congress on the 
severity of that challenge. A year ago, we also outlined seven 
operational imperatives the DAF must meet to be successful, but we were 
only beginning our work to analyze and define the solutions to those 
imperatives. We are pleased to report we have made significant progress 
in identifying the capabilities the DAF will need to prevail against 
the PRC and in defining new programs and resources to develop and field 
these capabilities. That progress is reflected in over a dozen new 
efforts, including a mix of completely new or significantly re-scoped 
program elements, in our Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget submission. 
With our budget submission, the DAF's ability to execute these plans 
and to keep pace with the threat is now in your hands, and we urge you 
to act promptly on our FY24 request.
    Within the NDS, there are four priorities: defending the homeland, 
deterring strategic attacks, deterring aggression, and building a 
resilient joint force. The Nation's Air and Space Forces have key roles 
to play in each of these, and this is reflected in our FY24 budget 
request.
    The need to defend the homeland is paced with the growing threat 
from the PRC. We have just seen a manifestation of this threat in the 
high-altitude surveillance balloon destroyed by an Air Force F-22 
fighter aircraft. While the recent high-altitude balloon incursion into 
our airspace may have garnered significant attention, there are other, 
more concerning threats to the homeland. PRC and Russian satellites 
observe the United States continuously. Cyber-attacks focused on 
intellectual property theft, penetration of critical infrastructure, 
espionage against national security networks, and disinformation, from 
both the PRC and Russia, are a constant reality. As the PRC increases 
the range of its conventional strike capabilities, the potential for 
missile strikes of various types against the homeland is increasing. In 
our FY24 budget, we are once again requesting F-15EX and F-35 fighter 
production. We are also accelerating our acquisition of a new space-
based missile warning architecture to improve our warning and enable 
defenses against missile threats.
    To deter strategic attacks against the United States, our allies, 
and partners, the DAF continues programs to recapitalize the 
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and bomber legs of the 
nuclear triad. The Sentinel program, our ICBM replacement, is 
continuing in development. The Minuteman III, first deployed in 1970, 
is the oldest land-based strategic missile system in the world. FY24 
budgets more than $4.4 billion for its replacement, Sentinel, which is 
critical for our nuclear modernization. For the bomber leg, we recently 
rolled out the B-21 Raider, which is scheduled to achieve its first 
flight this calendar year. Complementing our new bomber is the 
modernization of the B-52 and development of the Long-Range Standoff 
Weapon. Stable and consistent Congressional support remains vital to 
ensuring a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent. These 
programs and others that contribute to this priority are all fully 
funded in the FY24 budget request.
    Our biggest challenge is maintaining and strengthening our capacity 
to deter aggression, and to prevail, if necessary, with priority to the 
PRC and the Indo-Pacific followed by the Russian challenge in Europe. 
While there is overlap with other priorities, the focus of our seven 
operational imperatives described in last year's posture statement has 
been on this challenge. The Nation's ability to project power, in the 
western Pacific in particular, is being challenged aggressively. The 
FY24 budget request includes approximately $5 billion in funding 
focused directly on achieving the seven operational imperatives and 
includes several new initiatives. The DAF's Future Years Defense 
Program (FYDP) request includes nearly $35 billion in funding to 
continue our investments designed to address the operational 
imperatives. The criticality of these efforts highlights the importance 
of an on-time appropriation.
    Space has been recognized as a military domain of crucial 
importance to the joint force, allies, and partners, and to our ability 
to project power. The first operational imperative is to define the 
Space Force that we will need and to put the programs in place to field 
that force. The Space Force has two fundamental missions: to provide 
essential services to the joint force and to protect the joint force 
from adversary hostile uses of space systems. The ability to perform 
these missions is at risk today and that risk is increasing over time. 
Our space systems are threatened by a variety of growing anti-satellite 
capabilities, and the joint force is threatened by increasingly 
sophisticated adversary space-based systems intended to target the 
joint force. Our FY24 budget request continues the work on a resilient 
missile warning constellation initiated last year. Our budget also 
builds out a more resilient space communications capability for the 
joint force, based on diversity and dispersion of communication 
satellites. This development work includes programs being managed by 
the Space Development Agency (SDA), now a part of the DAF and the Space 
Force, continuing to field distributed communications architectures. 
The total Space Force budget in the FY24 request is $30 billion, 15 
percent above the enacted Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Space Force 
appropriation. It includes over $2 billion and seven new efforts for 
this imperative. Other initiatives in this portfolio can be discussed 
at a higher level of classification.
    The Air and Space Forces play crucial roles in Joint All Domain 
Command and Control (JADC2). The second operational imperative is 
intended to ensure the totality of DAF Command, Control, 
Communications, and Battle Management (C3BM) programs provide an 
integrated capability with the resilience and performance needed to 
provide the Air Force and Space Force, the joint force, allies, and 
partners, with timely information and the systems to communicate, 
manage, and employ that information. Providing this capability 
resiliently is critical to enable our warfighters to make effective 
decisions in a high-speed, complex fight against our pacing challenge. 
The Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) is one part of this 
overall effort, which has now been brought under the technical 
management of a recently created Program Executive Officer (PEO) for 
Integrated C3BM. Additionally, our Nuclear Command, Control, and 
Communications (NC3) capability investments will be synchronized with 
the PEO for Integrated C3BM efforts. The FY24 budget submission 
includes a net of roughly $500 million for DAF C3BM, including an 
additional $65 million for one new effort in this area.
    If the United States is to deter aggression and prevail should 
conflict occur, we must have the ability to track and engage advancing 
enemy forces in the air, on the sea, and on land. The third operational 
imperative addresses this need with a combination of space- and air-
based systems. For space-based systems, the Space Force is working in 
close collaboration with the intelligence community to ensure that the 
joint force has the support it needs from integrated intelligence and 
operational support systems located in space. This will include 
operational space sensing, coupled with tasking and data management, 
designed with joint tactical warfighting as a primary mission. For 
airborne systems, the DAF is continuing the acquisition of the E-7A 
replacement for the E-3 airborne warning and control system. Other 
initiatives can be discussed at a higher level of classification. 
Overall, the FY24 budget requests $431 million for moving target 
related systems (exclusive of the Intelligence Community and classified 
funding) and includes six new efforts.
    For over 75 years, the Air Force has dominated opponents in the 
air. The PRC is challenging that dominance, and we cannot afford 
complacency, nor can we afford Air Force capability and capacity 
composed largely of fighters that cost as much as or more than the F-
35. The fourth operational imperative addresses the family-of-systems 
needed to sustain our dominance in the air. The centerpiece of this 
effort is the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform, but this 
platform will be too expensive to be purchased in large numbers. The 
FY24 budget enhances funding to field uncrewed Collaborative Combat 
Aircraft (CCA) to complement the NGAD, F-35, and possibly other current 
and new crewed platforms. Concurrent with CCA development, the DAF will 
acquire assets for experimentation and testing to explore 
organizational structures, maintenance concepts, and operational 
tactics. CCA inventory goals have not been established, but for 
planning purposes, we are assuming an initial inventory of 1,000 CCAs, 
with nominally two CCAs paired with each NGAD aircraft, and a portion 
of the F-35 inventory. In addition to the CCAs, this operational 
imperative has addressed other aspects of the NGAD family-of-systems. 
In total, the FY24 budget submission requests approximately $490 
million for air dominance, with the entire CCA program and supporting 
elements encompassing three new efforts.
    The PRC and Russian investments in long-range precision strikes 
have put our forward airbases at risk. The Air Force's Agile Combat 
Employment (ACE) concept partially addresses this threat. The fifth 
operational imperative team analyzed additional steps to enhance 
forward air base availability and resiliency. In the FY24 budget 
request, the DAF prioritized actions that could be taken quickly to 
increase the overall resiliency of our forward-deployed air assets, 
including building hardened shelters and pre- positioning equipment and 
supplies needed to implement ACE. The FY24 budget includes $1.2 billion 
to strengthen the resiliency and expand the availability of our forward 
airbases in the Indo-Pacific region. While not a new start, it 
represents a significant increase over FY23 funding levels.
    The Air Force's global strike capabilities provide a powerful 
conventional and strategic deterrent. The sixth operational imperative 
examined ways to improve the cost-effectiveness of the family-of-
systems surrounding the B-21 bomber. As noted above, the B-21 Raider is 
fully funded in the FY24 request, and it continues to make progress 
toward production and fielding. The Raider is more than a new platform, 
and this imperative identified new weapons, sensors, and communications 
that can make the B-21 more effective in the joint tactical fight. The 
fiscal year 24 request includes $80 million to modernize our global 
strike capabilities and includes two new efforts.
    Both the Space Force and the Air Force have a number of systems and 
facilities on which they depend to mobilize and transition to wartime 
operations. The final operational imperative addressed the need to 
ensure these systems and facilities would function as needed in 
wartime. Much of the work to date under this imperative focused on the 
cyber-security of our critical information systems and infrastructure, 
especially modernizing and hardening our network infrastructure and 
giving our cyber operators new tools for cyber defense. Air and Space 
forces must also be capable of operating in a contested cyberspace 
environment. Our current budget reflects initial investments to achieve 
these objectives by cyber hardening networks, weapon systems, and 
priority defense critical infrastructure, and we recognize that there 
is much work to do in this area. The FY24 budget request includes $613 
million in this area to strengthen the DAF's cybersecurity posture. 
This represents a significant increase in enterprise information 
technology and cyber defense funding over FY23 levels.
    The work on the operational imperatives over the past year has 
informed the FY24 request, but it has also indicated some areas in 
which more effort is required. In just the last year, the threat has 
become more severe. As a result, the DAF is continuing and expanding 
our efforts to define solutions to the challenges we face. We are 
continuing the work of the seven operational imperatives to refine 
resource needs and plans across the lifecycle of these capabilities. In 
addition, we have started work on three cross-cutting operational 
enablers. These are mobility, electronic warfare, and munitions. These 
combined efforts will inform our Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) request, but 
they have already influenced our FY24 plans.
    In the DAF mobility portfolio, the tanker recapitalization effort 
has been our highest priority. The KC-46 is still working to meet all 
its requirements, but we believe they will be achieved. As the threat 
continues to increase the range at which it can engage our aircraft, we 
are being forced to reexamine how we will operate these platforms. The 
mobility study we have initiated will identify new ways to achieve more 
mission resilience and effectiveness with existing platforms and will 
define the requirements for the next generation of tanker and transport 
aircraft. While it is too early to provide any results, one outcome 
seems probable: the next tanker must be much more survivable than 
current designs and is unlikely to be a derivative of a commercial 
aircraft design. The DAF will conduct an Analysis of Alternatives to 
determine the requirements and concept for the Next Generation Air-
Refueling System and we will evaluate our future mobility platform 
needs.
    Russia's war against Ukraine, Korea Readiness Review, and the 
experience combating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have 
taught us that munitions planning, production capitalization, and 
stockpiling must account for the possibility of a longer and more 
intense conflict than previously assumed. The munitions cross-cutting 
operational enabler analysis will inform our FY25 budget, but we are 
not waiting to address our highest-priority munitions requirements. The 
target set for which we must be prepared is evolving. We must build a 
munitions inventory that is more diverse with greater capacity while 
accelerating design and production capability, which includes advanced 
weapons. In the FY24 budget, we are increasing our procurement of 
munitions and partnering aggressively with the other services, allies, 
partners, and industry.
    The combat support area of electronic warfare (EW) must be 
reevaluated in light of emerging threats. Historically, EW development 
has been stove-piped for the sole purpose of providing enhanced 
survivability of individual platforms. As our adversaries have advanced 
their long-range sensing and targeting capabilities, we need to examine 
new ways to use EW as an offensive capability designed to defeat 
adversary kill webs. While most of this analytical work is classified, 
we expect new programs as well as some program restructuring in our 
FY25 budget.
    Last year we indicated that hard choices would have to be made. 
Often those choices are between current and future capabilities. The 
DAF FY24 budget provides an acceptable level of operational risk for 
the current force in order to fund the future force. Affording the 
investments necessary to implement the operational imperative-derived 
recommendations requires both divestitures from the current force and 
an acceptance of risk in the level of readiness of the current force. 
Make no mistake: your Air Force and Space Force are ready and able to 
confront and defeat any adversary, but they are not being maintained at 
as high a level of readiness as might be possible. The fact is that the 
threat is racing to make those existing forces obsolete. The DAF must 
move as rapidly as possible to the future set of capabilities we need 
to sustain our deterrent and our ability to project power. There is not 
a moment to lose.
    We deeply appreciate the support of Congress in FY23. Congress 
largely supported our divestiture requests in FY23 with one exception--
the divestiture of 32 of our oldest and least capable F-22s. A year 
later, the threat is more severe, and the need to modernize is more 
pressing. This year we hope to continue the divestitures that were 
requested last year as we transition the force to one that is relevant 
to the threat. In particular, we are requesting the retirement of an 
additional 42 A-10s. This 40-plus-year-old fighter has served the Air 
Force and the Nation well, but it does not deter or survive against our 
pacing challenge, and we need to move forward.
    The Air and Space Forces are working to fulfill the NDS priority of 
building a resilient joint force and defense ecosystem. All our mission 
capabilities rest on one single foundation--our people. The hard work 
and dedication of over 700,000 military and civilian Airmen and 
Guardians across the Active, Guard, and Reserve components power our 
department. In fiscal year 24, we vow to continue supporting them by 
ensuring they can serve to their fullest potential. We demand a culture 
of respect, will promote accountability, and aim to end harmful 
behaviors, such as sexual harassment, sexual assault, racial, ethnic, 
and gender disparities, domestic violence, domestic abuse, and suicide 
as well as hazing, bullying, and other forms of discriminatory 
harassment. We will also promote initiatives that improve diversity and 
inclusion, ensure quality healthcare access, advance recruitment and 
retention, and improve our talent management processes to strengthen 
readiness. Every current and potential Airman and Guardian should 
understand their value and the importance of service to our Nation.
    As we move forward to meet our challenges, we do so as members of a 
much larger team. First, the Air and Space Forces are critical members 
of the joint team. We are also members of an international team with 
our allies and partners who collectively ensure our success at 
achieving integrated deterrence against any threat, but first and 
foremost against our pacing challenge.
    Our people and our missions are successful because of teamwork. The 
fiscal year 24 budget continues numerous investments, such as $194 
million for Pacific Deterrence initiatives, to strengthen our 
relationships and interoperability with our joint force, allies, 
partners, and interagencies. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
(NATO) is stronger than ever, and the ever-increasing F-35 community 
provides strong interoperability. In the Pacific, we are expanding our 
relationship with traditional partners like Japan, South Korea, and 
Australia, while strengthening our cooperation with nations like the 
Philippines and other Pacific Island nations. Our united resolve 
against Russian aggression and our combined focus on the pacing 
challenge in the Indo-Pacific highlight the incredible partnerships we 
have with democracies around the globe that share our values. As we 
research, test, acquire, and build the military capabilities of 
tomorrow, we strengthen and expand the Defense Industrial Base, and we 
do so in concert with our allied and partner nations.

                       UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE

    The United States Space Force was created in recognition of the 
space domain's critical importance to national prosperity and the need 
to contest the domain for national security purposes. Recently, the US 
has seen dramatic changes in the domain with an exponential increase of 
launches, on-orbit active payloads, space debris, and proliferation of 
counter-space threats. This reality presents new risks and 
opportunities to national objectives across diplomatic, information, 
military, and economic instruments of power. Consequently, ensuring our 
Nation's ability to operate in, from, and through a stable space domain 
is a vital national interest for the Space Force to address.
    Spacepower is not simply ``important'' in modern competition and 
conflict--it is foundational. Russia's war against Ukraine continues to 
validate this assertion in several ways. First, Russian counterspace 
attacks since the outset of the war reinforce the reality that space is 
a warfighting domain. Second, proliferating constellations and 
disaggregating space missions are proving to be far more resilient and 
effective, especially with commercial augmentation. Third, equipment 
alone cannot win in the modern fight. Winning takes space-enabled, 
multi-domain operations and a joint force trained on the most current 
operational concepts. In this environment, we must shift to a resilient 
and effective Space Order of Battle and ensure we have the tools, 
talent, and experience to be ready to face the challenges to our 
missions of providing space superiority so that we can enable and 
protect the joint force, our allies, and partners.
               space force's role in defending the nation
    A primary responsibility of the Space Force is to field ready, 
resilient, and combat-credible forces. To be ready, Guardians must be 
trained, exercised, and postured. To be resilient, our architectures 
must be designed to render threats operationally impractical or self-
defeating. And to be combat-credible, space forces need systems for 
full spectrum operations utilized by competent warfighters practiced in 
their tradecraft.
    Through the operational imperatives, we are defining the space 
systems and capabilities we need to prevail against the pacing 
challenges--the PRC and, secondarily, Russia. Through the work in the 
first operational imperative, we are focused on increasing resilience 
for space architecture by addressing the risks facing people, 
platforms, and processes through systems proliferated across multiple 
orbits. Resilient systems will allow us to prevent, respond, and 
campaign through competition and aggression. When operated by a ready, 
combat-credible force, resilient systems will disincentivize would-be 
aggressors.
    The FY24 budget includes critical investments for meeting all four 
priorities demanded in the NDS and the DAF's first operational 
imperative by evolving toward more resilient space architectures. 
Building resilience must first consider the continuous operation of 
over 50 legacy platforms, which necessitates investing $172 million in 
FY24 for additional cyber protection, evaluating select legacy systems 
for upgrades, and integrating space capabilities from several allies 
and partners. These upgrades will broaden the resilience of several 
mission areas, including military Positioning, Navigation and Timing 
(PNT), Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management (C3BM) 
systems, and NC3 by migrating the Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) system 
to a proliferated architecture that will be more resilient during a 
strategic attack.
    Still, the surest way to lessen long-term risk is through the 
generational replacement of legacy platforms. This year's budget 
requests $102 million to continue our analysis of the force design for 
how space-based systems support several critical warfighter needs, 
including delivering communications to the tactical edge, providing 
secure PNT information, and enabling data links that connect sensors, 
warfighters, and weapons. The insights gained from comprehensive force 
design analyses ensure we make effective and cost-effective transitions 
from legacy to next-generation space systems.
    The first mission area to undergo this transformation will be 
Missile Warning/Missile Tracking (MW/MT), with the last legacy Space-
Based Infrared System launch having occurred in 2022. In the FY24 
budget, we turn the page into a new era of MW/MT with over $2.3 billion 
to ramp up research, development, test, and evaluation of the first 
tranche of proliferated satellites, ground segment development, and 
interoperability testing which sets the way for a complete 
constellation in the years to follow. Additionally, we are on track to 
deliver the first Next-Gen Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous 
space vehicle by 2025 to reduce risk and improve the transitional 
resiliency and effectiveness of MW/MT, missile defense, battlespace 
awareness, and technical intelligence.
    Recognizing that joint warfighters need to sustain and expand 
SATCOM capabilities, this budget pursues new solutions. MeshONE, for 
example, is a $151 million effort that will deliver a novel approach to 
a modern, scalable, resilient, cyber-secure Wide Area Network available 
to the joint force at the tactical edge. We are also leading the 
transformation of communications via the emerging space data transport 
layer. Beginning in FY24, our investment of $1.8 billion will deliver 
an initial warfighter capability that will provide low-latency data 
transport and beyond-line-of-sight targeting, with persistent regional 
access to the joint force. Once fully operational, this capability will 
serve as the backbone of data transport in support of C3BM and JADC2.
    We must also provide protection to the joint force and our allies 
from adversary space systems that threaten our forward-deployed forces 
and those of our partners. The FY24 budget includes funding for 
critical counter-space capabilities intended to fulfill this mission 
need. Specific budgetary information is available at a higher level of 
classification.
    Our ability to use space effectively requires assured access, being 
first to field the necessary capabilities, and the ability to 
reconstitute them, if necessary. This budget ensures the National 
Security Space Launch (NSSL) program is equipped to place essential 
capabilities in orbit when needed. The NSSL program is preparing for a 
new phase in which we are pursuing a dual-lane, hybrid approach that 
maximizes the use of the Nation's robust commercial launch market. 
Recognizing the exponential growth of the commercial space industry, we 
are investing $99 million in FY24 and over $1 billion over the FYDP 
into the Range of the Future vision, which aligns us with the 
accelerating domestic space launch market, and maintains safe and 
assured launch for commercial, civil, and Department of Defense users.
              space force's role in taking care of people
    The Space Force is implementing a more modern talent management 
approach based on a competency framework that optimizes individual 
contribution. Over the past year, we have made progress toward 
achieving our end state described in the Guardian Ideal. The result has 
been tangible impacts on retention and the development of Guardians of 
all ranks. Our future hinges on recruiting and retaining a diverse and 
innovative force of highly talented Guardians, and we are proud to have 
met our recruiting targets. Guardians will soon be leading an 
innovative approach to holistic health by emphasizing a continuously 
healthy lifestyle rather than episodic fitness testing. We are 
retooling how we measure healthy living and providing Guardians and 
leaders with the resources they need to uphold the highest standards 
expected of military professionals.
    We are also advancing opportunities and education for all ranks and 
phases of a Guardian's career. Starting with Basic Military Training, 
FY24 will see graduation standards fully established, with Guardians 
being held to service-specific requirements, while Air Force Officer 
Training School and Reserve Officers' Training Corps Space Force cadets 
will see increased space-related academic content. This budget will 
mature the University Partnership Program to inspire and recruit the 
right talent and provide additional opportunities for Guardians to 
obtain advanced academic degrees in essential Science, Technology, 
Engineering, and Math subjects. Reflecting our continued commitment to 
professional military education, this budget funds the program with our 
first graduates in 2024. With Congressional support, we intend to 
innovate by pursuing a personnel system with full- to part-time 
fluidity that will improve career flexibility and enhance retention 
tools.
    Recruiting initiatives are only the beginning for Guardians as 
space professionals. To develop professional warfighters, this budget 
commits to enhancing readiness by increasing the quality and quantity 
of realistic testing of new systems and training of Guardians on them. 
By incrementally instituting Operational Test and Training 
Infrastructure and the National Space Test and Training Complex, FY24's 
investment of $21 million will continue progress in delivering more 
realistic testing and training against a thinking adversary, much like 
the high-end fight our Nation may face in a future contingency. To do 
this, the Space Force will build agile operational capabilities and 
execute orbital experimentation to rapidly expand our technological 
prowess.
           space force's role in succeeding through teamwork
    Teamwork for the Space Force starts internally within the DAF, 
where the Space Force relies upon support from the Air Force. For 
example, the Air Force supports the six Space Force Bases with over 
8,000 Total Force Airmen providing numerous activities to the Space 
Force. This includes, but is not limited to, finance, contracting, 
education and training, child and youth services, dining, fitness, 
lodging, manpower, logistics, communications, medical, emergency 
services, and base security. Externally, the Space Force is building 
teams in four key areas: joint force, commercial industry, the 
intelligence community, and internationally.
    With Congressional support, the Chief of Space Operations is 
formally designated as the Force Design Architect for Space Systems of 
the Armed Forces. This is important because our closest partnering 
efforts are inside the joint team. We are exercising our role as the 
integrator of all space requirements from and for the joint force as we 
merge and integrate requirements through more-responsive processes from 
sister services and Combatant Commands. Moreover, this budget requests 
to restructure the Space Force's organizations responsible for this 
important analytic work, namely by redesignating the Space Warfighting 
Analysis Center as a direct-reporting unit, which will increase 
responsiveness to warfighter needs.
    In coordination with the Intelligence Community (IC), Guardians are 
also taking the initiative and exploring joint service intelligence, 
surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting needs and opportunities. 
Inherent coordination in integration with the IC ensures that 
operational and intelligence requirements are being met efficiently, 
especially when they overlap and use shared assets. For example, the IC 
and DAF are similarly seeking new means for moving target engagement, 
the fourth operational imperative.
    To best partner with our industrial base and commercial space, we 
must improve space acquisition to be more dynamic, cost-sensible, and 
effective. In the past 3 years, several significant improvements have 
been made to the structure and relationships comprising space system 
acquisitions. For example, all major stakeholders in space acquisitions 
are collaborating to define resilient architectures, assess risks to 
identify needs, and drive rapid change that aims to deliver results 
faster than the threats can react. The nine acquisition principles 
developed by the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space 
Acquisition and Integration will revamp acquisition strategy to 
epitomize responsive acquisitions that apply state-of-the- art 
commercial best practices.
    Expanding the use and future of the commercial space industry and 
academia across all mission areas organic to the Space Force and the 
joint force remains critical. These include satellite communications 
(SATCOM), space domain awareness (SDA), launch, PNT, and more. A 
strategic advantage for the United States is our robust, innovative, 
and responsive industrial base, which includes the highly specialized 
traditional defense industrial base and the highly innovative new 
commercial space industry segment. We are embracing a hybrid 
architecture of commercial solutions across many mission areas. Our 
approach to hybrid architectures affords several benefits including 
resiliency, cost competition, responsive surge capacity, rapid 
technology refreshment, increased innovation, improved diversification 
to industry, and more expedient integration with international 
partners.
    We continue to expand the team of allies we cooperate with across 
all mission areas. Space Systems Command recently delivered two SDA 
sensors on Japanese satellites to build SDA capacity and relations with 
a key ally in the Indo-Pacific region. In the European theater, our 
partnership with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense led to Enhanced 
Polar SATCOM payloads on two Norwegian satellites that will provide 
communications from highly elliptical orbits. The Space Force continues 
to address partnering challenges by implementing new classification 
guidance and sharing agreements, investing in more accessible hardware 
and software such as the Unified Data Library, and supporting DAF- and 
Department of Defense-wide solutions, particularly the Mission Partner 
Environment. The Space Force recognizes that the best solutions are 
preventative, such as the implementation of the Combined Space 
Operations Vision 2031 and the successful maturation of the NATO Space 
Centre. These structural improvements will help us to develop and 
operate resilient, interoperable architectures by and for coalitions.

                        UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

    The United States Air Force is critical to our national defense, is 
committed to Airmen and families, and succeeds by teaming with our 
joint teammates, allies, and partners as we execute our mission to 
``Fly, Fight, and Win . . . Airpower Anytime, Anywhere.'' Our speed, 
agility, and lethality are exponential force multipliers to any global 
military operation. Our capabilities underwrite the entirety of the 
joint force, and we are uniquely suited to provide this cornerstone of 
the Nation's defense.
    To meet the threats facing the force of today and in the future, we 
must implement the programs that have been defined by the analysis of 
the seven DAF operational imperatives and continue the momentum of 
Accelerate Change or Lose. We are orienting our decisionmaking 
processes and shaping investments around resilience and lethality 
against the pacing challenge, long-range kill chains, and the elements 
supporting them. We remain dedicated to ensuring our investments and 
resources are properly aligned with the NDS to deter our adversaries 
and prevail in conflict. As the combat environment and the character of 
war continue to evolve, our determination to be the leader in speed, 
agility, and lethality remains an irreplaceable role for the joint team 
and our allies and partners.
                air force's role in defending the nation
    As stated above, we must continue to make hard choices in Airpower 
modernization to keep pace with our strategic competitors while 
balancing risk. The difficult decisions are far from over, and the 
measured near-term risk decisions which prioritize essential 
modernization and acceptable current readiness continue. Airpower 
modernization is critical to address the four NDS priorities: defending 
the homeland, deterring strategic attacks, deterring aggression, and 
building a resilient joint force.
    The NDS priorities depend upon platforms and capabilities that 
support effective command and control and are survivable in the threat 
environment of both today and tomorrow. In FY24, we continue our 
modernization efforts while divesting platforms and capabilities that 
have decreasing relevance against our pacing challenge. Current 
airborne platforms, such as the E-3 and E-8, are not adequately 
survivable against emerging threats, are not optimal for joint or 
coalition operations, and need to continue divestiture as we look to 
the future. These airborne capabilities play a critical role in meeting 
the operational imperative to track and engage enemy forces at scale. A 
combination of space- and air-based systems will be needed to maximize 
lethality and close kill chains. We remain committed to balancing 
current, mid-term, and longer-term capability and capacity by divesting 
the E-3 while rapidly acquiring and fielding the E-7A to modernize 
efficiently.
    A focused redesign of the C3BM network, being pursued under the 
second operational imperative, is overdue and a top-priority 
modernization effort that will define and field ABMS capabilities. The 
establishment of the C3BM Integrating PEO will align command and 
control modernization efforts across the DAF and with the joint force. 
ABMS will fulfill the Air Force's integral contribution to JADC2 and 
the FY24 budget focuses on building and maturing ongoing programs.
    Air superiority for the joint force demands affordable Airpower 
modernization, which includes NGAD. The FY24 budget continues NGAD 
development. The NGAD family-of-systems operational imperative will 
provide an innovative suite of capabilities that allow us to establish 
and maintain air superiority, a precondition for the joint force's 
freedom of maneuver. The uncrewed CCA program included in this budget 
is a significantly enhanced activity for air superiority and is 
targeted to support both NGAD and the F-35. The CCA program will have 
three simultaneous lines of development--the platform, autonomy, and 
unit construct.
    In addition to the longer-term operational imperative programs 
described above, the modernization decisions we are making consider the 
entirety of the Air Force's capability and capacity mix. As we work to 
develop a new generation of capabilities, we are also working to 
improve current and mid-term capability and capacity. This process 
includes replacing some legacy platforms, namely the MH-139A replacing 
the UH-1N, and the Survivable Airborne Operations Center replacing the 
E-4B. It also includes modernizing existing platforms that will remain 
in operation for many years, including the B-1, B-2, B-52, C-17, C-5, 
F-16, F-15E, F-22, and F-35 fleets. Within the FY24 budget, we have 
committed over $12 billion to modernize these existing platforms. These 
modernization efforts are designed to improve mid-term capability and 
reduce risk while providing needed capacity to complement the improved 
capabilities provided by the programs defined by the operational 
imperatives and the new families-of-systems such as the B-21 and NGAD.
    As noted earlier, capable, improved, and complementary munitions 
are needed for both our new and existing platforms. We are prioritizing 
investments in munitions and technology to counter pacing threats in 
highly-contested environments. This includes investments in both air-
to-air and air-to-surface capabilities to engage mobile targets from 
standoff ranges in adverse weather. Investments into hypersonic 
munitions will enable us to hold high-value, time-sensitive targets at 
risk in contested environments from standoff distances. The FY24 budget 
invests over $5 billion to support Small Diameter Bomb II, Joint Air to 
Surface Standoff Missile, Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, Air-
Launched Rapid Response Weapon, and more munitions' facilitation across 
the defense industrial base. These investments will shorten the kill 
chain while supporting the moving target operational imperative.
    For the current force, we are pursuing improved readiness through 
multiple channels, including the Air Force Force Generation model 
(AFFORGEN). AFFORGEN enables the presentation of sustainable, 
predictable capacity and capabilities while ensuring operational 
preparedness and required readiness. AFFORGEN balances risk between 
Combatant Command requirements, Air Force readiness, and modernization 
by deploying pre-identified units and/or teams who have trained 
together to improve performance. AFFORGEN will meet initial operational 
capability in FY24.
    Agile Combat Employment (ACE) increases readiness by dispersing 
operations from large bases to networks of smaller locations and 
provides the basis for the operational imperative of resilient forward 
basing. We are standardizing the concepts and terms of ACE in Air Force 
Doctrine as well as incorporating them into ongoing exercises and 
worldwide training. There is $1.2 billion to fund the resilient forward 
basing operational imperative this fiscal year in addition to funding 
for ACE. Additional work is being done to identify and create 
capabilities and formalized training programs to field an agile force 
that sets the theater and establishes distributed command and control.
    The Flying Hour Program (FHP) and Weapon System Sustainment (WSS) 
budget requests ensure our Airmen have the training and equipment 
necessary to ``Fly, Fight, and Win.'' The $9 billion in FY24 funds our 
FHP to levels that can be reasonably executed and meet our readiness 
requirements. Our WSS FY24 funding of over $19 billion is aligned with 
our FHP but is challenged by requirements growth due to an aging fleet, 
the fielding of more complex weapons systems, increasing operational 
requirements, and increasing organic and contract costs.
    Execution of our mission requires appropriate infrastructure 
support and resilient basing. The Facilities, Sustainment, Restoration, 
and Modernization (FSRM) efforts focus on prioritizing existing 
quality-of-life requirements and maintaining our operational and 
training infrastructure. In addition to new mission builds for Military 
Construction (MILCON) projects, we are pursuing improvements for our 
Airmen, supported Guardians, and their families to our Child 
Development Centers (CDC) and dorms with targeted investments totaling 
$107 million in FY24 MILCON and $294 million in FSRM. Since 1990, we 
have 60 percent fewer fighter squadrons, 40 percent fewer Airmen, but 
only 15 percent fewer installations in the continental United States. 
Our FY24 budget reflects our commitment to right-sizing our facilities 
and infrastructure footprint through consolidations, demolitions, and 
optimizing our space utilization.
               air force's role in taking care of people
    Taking care of our people begins with recruiting the best military 
and civilian Airmen of tomorrow. In FY23, the active-duty component of 
the Air Force is projected to miss military enlistment requirements by 
about 10 percent, over three thousand individuals. The Air Guard and 
Reserve components are projected to miss their goals by even higher 
margins. To maximize our pool of eligible individuals and to recruit 
the best our Nation has to offer, we are working to reduce barriers and 
connect with young people and communities. While maintaining our 
established standards, we are reviewing and removing barriers to 
service and offering enhanced financial opportunities to those who wish 
to serve. Additionally, we are taking a targeted approach to open our 
bases to local communities to strengthen connections and help 
influencers and potential recruits see the many possible opportunities 
we have to offer for a rewarding career and personal development. We 
are also highlighting, particularly online, the positive experiences of 
Air Force veterans who have moved on to successful careers outside the 
military.
    Once Airmen join our team, the focus shifts from recruitment to 
retention. Congress provided critical retention tools to the Services 
last year with increases in basic pay, housing, and subsistence rates--
providing a viable compensation package. Our focus on improving the 
quality of life for our Airmen includes improving the childcare 
availability for our members. The FY24 budget includes new CDC 
construction, existing CDC facility improvements, staffing initiatives, 
and additional childcare providers.
    Military housing is another important way we have focused on 
retention. Our FY24 budget includes funding for continued investment in 
DAF's government-owned and government-leased housing based on the need 
to support mission requirements, address health and safety concerns, 
and modernize housing for unaccompanied personnel. Our FY24 budget also 
includes Family Housing Construction funds for prioritized investments 
in DAF's Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) portfolio to 
improve the safety, quality, and habitability of select privatized 
housing projects and ensure their long-term financial viability. We 
remain committed to providing continued oversight of the private sector 
MHPI companies that own and operate privatized housing projects on DAF 
installations to hold MHPI companies accountable for project 
performance, problems with property management, and inappropriate 
business practices. In addition, we will continue to engage with local 
civic leaders to increase the availability of affordable, quality off-
base housing options for our servicemembers and their families.
    Retention efforts must also ensure military members and families 
have access to the care and support they need--including mental health. 
As the Nation struggles with a shortage of mental health providers, we 
are employing various innovative means to provide this care to Airmen 
and Guardians. The Targeted Care program improves access to care by 
connecting people to the most appropriate resource given their needs. 
Additionally, we are implementing the recommendations of the 
Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military, as 
approved by the Secretary of Defense, and leaning forward on exploring 
the co-location of victim support services. Furthermore, we are 
implementing groundbreaking military justice reforms to establish the 
Office of Special Trial Counsel, which will provide expert, 
independent, and specialized support for the investigation and 
prosecution of serious crimes such as sexual assault. We are also ready 
to begin implementation of the Department of Defense's Suicide 
Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee recommendations 
and have leaned forward on restructuring prevention training, 
increasing emphasis on lethal means safety and behavioral health 
workforce development.
    Retention also requires that our talent management decisions are 
optimized for both the member and the Air Force. The Airmen Leadership 
Qualities we value must be reflected in our systems and transparent to 
our members. We are in the process of categorizing 161 specialties and 
approximately 19,000 functional skills to map flexible designs which 
align with the talent of our Airmen and are adaptive to emerging 
technologies and threats.
    To develop the Airmen of tomorrow, our evaluation systems and 
supporting data systems must be modernized. FY23 saw the beginning of 
new officer and enlisted evaluation systems which will generate over 17 
million data points to drive enhanced talent management decisions and 
reduce administrative burdens in the future. The new processes, enabled 
in part by the FY24 investments into digital infrastructure and tech 
refresh, will increase agility and flexibility to build the talent 
management structure we need. Concurrently, we are also implementing a 
dual-track ``Civilians We Need'' career model identifying functional 
expert and enterprise leader tracks on a model designed to allow 
flexible career paths based on the members' evolving needs.
            air force's role in succeeding through teamwork
    Teamwork for the Air Force begins within the DAF, where the Air 
Force relies upon and supports the Space Force. The Air Force and Space 
Force are inextricably linked through shared history, current 
activities, and future operations. The Air Force relies heavily on 
Space Force for the technical development and execution of each of the 
operational imperatives and other necessary capabilities. Neither the 
Air Force nor the Space Force alone has the situational awareness and 
decision support tools to close hundreds of kill chains on relevant 
timelines in all domains in a highly contested environment. We can only 
be successful through teamwork to provide survivable, long-range, 
persistent families-of-systems across multiple modalities and as a part 
of a full joint and combined force. The Air Force depends upon a ready, 
resilient, and effective Space Force.
    Our teamwork extends to the entirety of the joint force and 
Combatant Commands. Each of the operational imperatives and our broader 
capability investments supports the joint force by providing the 
capabilities necessary to deter and, if necessary, defeat any 
challenger. We play a vital role in homeland defense through air domain 
awareness and the provision of Airpower. We are also leveraging the 
capabilities of the mission and system level cyber risk assessment 
components of the Strategic Cybersecurity Program, led by the Under 
Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions and Sustainment, to help inform 
investments in cyber risk mitigation. The joint force's ability to 
effectively mobilize, deploy, and sustain forces cannot be accomplished 
without the mobility assets we provide. This FY24 budget includes $252 
million of investment in support of the integrated priority lists of 
the Combatant Commands. All our platforms and airborne capabilities 
contribute to joint force combat power, and we remain committed to 
providing capabilities to the Combatant Commands in the execution of 
their missions.
    Beyond the joint force, we are seeking to expand how we team with 
our international allies and partners. Investments in readiness, human 
capital, infrastructure, and relationships with allies and partners 
remain foundational to balance present-day demands and set conditions 
for the future. This budget request, coupled with support from our 
allies and partners, enables responses to imminent threats while also 
seeking to improve the teamwork and interoperability of the allied and 
partner forces to win the fight of the future.
    To ensure maximum teamwork with our allies and partners, we are 
seeking to expand interoperability through an Integrated by Design 
process. Integrated by Design is not a replacement for our current 
security efforts, but it ensures that we collaborate and make decisions 
together on interoperability, resource investment, information sharing, 
force development, and strategy from the very beginning of our programs 
with the end state constantly in mind. Conversations with allies and 
partners about developing capabilities that are complementary instead 
of competitive will also better align us to face future challenges in 
unity. That unity will be a comparative advantage against threats that 
seek military, technological, or economic means to challenge our 
collective national security.
                               conclusion
    The Department of the Air Force FY24 budget prioritizes defending 
the Nation, taking care of our people, and succeeding through teamwork 
by balancing the risk between maintaining current readiness, mid- term 
improvements, and longer-term modernization. Current readiness is being 
maintained at acceptable levels to support combatant commanders while 
investments are made in mid- and longer-term modernization that is 
critical to developing, building, and fielding the force needed for the 
future. The modernization efforts defined by the operational 
imperatives are not optional; they are called imperatives for a reason. 
No one can predict when a war with any potential threat may happen, and 
war is not inevitable. Nevertheless, the PRC, our pacing challenge, is 
actively and effectively developing the capabilities it believes are 
needed to defeat the American ability to project power. The PRC is also 
expanding and improving its strategic forces and experimenting with 
destabilizing novel concepts. The DAF must move forward as quickly as 
possible, or we will fall behind. No one should doubt our current 
capabilities, which remain the strongest the world has ever seen. 
Nevertheless, we are in a race for technological and operational 
superiority more challenging than anything we have ever experienced. In 
this environment, timely and soundly balanced investments in current, 
mid-term, and longer-term Air and Space Forces are essential to our 
continued security. Our most sacred duty to our Airmen and Guardians is 
to provide them with the tools they need to be successful. We believe 
the budget we have submitted for FY24 meets that need, but time is our 
most precious asset, and we urge Congress to move quickly to fund and 
authorize our proposed budget to enable the new starts, significantly 
rescoped program investments, and required capabilities that will allow 
us to keep pace with the threat.

    Senator Tester. Thank you General Saltzman. I want to thank 
all three of you for your testimony.
    As I said in my opening statement last week, the FBI 
(Federal Bureau of Investigation) arrested a 21-year-old Air 
National Guardsman. He had access to highly sensitive 
information that we can't even talk about in this forum.
    So General Brown, I have got three questions: Number one, 
why did this individual have access to this classified 
information? Number two, how could this Guardsman take this 
information and distribute it electronically for weeks if not 
months, and nobody knew about it? And number three, do we have 
protections in place, because we spend a lot of money trying to 
protect classified information, do we have protections in place 
to stop this from ever happening again?
    General Brown. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the question, and 
let me go with your third question first. We do have 
protections in place to protect classified information, and all 
of our members are, as they get their security clearance, and 
then sign documents to have the process to protect the 
information.
    Obviously, in this case this process fell apart. And so the 
aspect of this particular Airman for his particular job he had 
the access for information but he didn't actually have a need 
to know for some of the information.
    We are going through an ongoing investigation associated 
with that, and then also determining how he was able to 
distribute. So ongoing, we have an ongoing investigation, and 
we have a process of looking at accountability, not only from 
the criminal standpoint for the individual, but also as we look 
at the organization itself, we are going to take a look at the 
overall processes across the Department of the Air Force.
    And that Secretary Austin also sent out a memo to the 
Department of Defense, for us all to take a look at our 
processes, and then we will look at how we review all of our 
processes across the Department of the Air Force, to include a 
standout on security.
    Senator Tester. So I am going to flesh this out a little 
bit more. You in your opening statement said that your 
oversight of 689,000 of some of the best people in the world 
that are under your command. How did this person even get 
access? Did he do it legally? Did he do it illegally? How did 
he have access to this information?
    General Brown. Chairman he actually has, because of his 
duties he has access to some aspects as he--based on his job as 
a cyber administrator. He took advantage of that access, and I 
don't want to go into more detail----
    Senator Tester. Okay.
    General Brown [continuing]. In too much detail, but I can 
talk to you in a closed session about that.
    Senator Tester. We will have a closed session with the Air 
Force, and I am talking a little off script here, but we will, 
because I think there are some things we need to talk about in 
the SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility), not 
only this, but other things.
    But this is very disturbing, and the fact that it happened 
is bad enough, and we have just got to make sure it doesn't 
happen again. I think you are on the same page with that.
    General Brown. I am.
    Senator Tester. A few months ago we saw an incursion of a 
Chinese spy balloon. I think Senator Murkowski would agree with 
me, that I think it should have been shot over the Aleutians, 
but it wasn't. And it had the ability to gather intelligence 
from bases across this country. The administration put in $90 
million in this budget to improve detection and assessment.
    I assume this question is for you, Mr. Brown. Is there a 
point--General Brown, I am sorry. Is there a point person 
within the Air Force to improve our detection and assessment of 
the balloon issue, because I don't think it was the first one?
    General Brown. Chairman, we actually have an individual who 
is, Kristen Baldwin, who is actually not only for detection, 
but we are also looking at all the other aspects of detection, 
and tracking, and how you negate that--future threats like 
that.
    Senator Tester. Okay. And can you tell me who that person 
is, or?
    General Brown. Yes, sir. It is Kristen Baldwin. She works 
in our acquisition peripheral. What we have done is that we had 
a team that has come together to take a look at all the various 
capabilities that we have as a Department, but also outside of 
the Department of the Air Force, they are bringing in 
development to figure out what the best tools are to counter 
threats like that in the future.
    Senator Tester. Okay. The NORTHCOM (United States Northern 
Command) commander has told us that he has additional unfunded 
requirements for Air Force Over-the-Horizon Long Range 
Expeditionary Radars. We need to provide the resources, and I 
think this committee, on both sides of the aisle; wants to make 
sure our Nation is safe, okay, and provides the resources to do 
that.
    So why has the Air Force decided to put this on the 
unfunded list instead of a higher priority?
    Secretary Kendall. Chairman, if I could?
    Senator Tester. Sure, Frank, go ahead.
    Secretary Kendall. We have funded two new Over-the-Horizon 
Radars in the budget. There is quite a bit of money in the 
budget to fill those, and get them in place. The money that I 
believe is on that list for General Vanherck is to accelerate 
that process on the margins. It is not a fundamental change; it 
just tries to move it a little bit faster.
    Senator Tester. Okay. Let us talk about the industrial 
base, because it is a concern on all the branches of the 
Military. There was about $900 million put into last year's 
budget for the industrial base and supply chain issues. Can you 
tell me if that money has gone out the door, and what kind of 
benefits it has provided for the Air Force?
    Secretary Kendall. Yes. I think a large fraction of that 
money has gone out the door, but I will have to get that for 
you, for the record.
    Senator Tester. Okay.
    Secretary Kendall. There are a number of things we do with 
those funds, but essentially what we are trying to do is ensure 
that our supply chains are healthy.
    Senator Tester. Yes.
    Secretary Kendall. Identify any gaps in our supply chains 
that need to be addressed.
    Senator Tester. Yes. And does that include workforce?
    Secretary Kendall. Workforce in the industry?
    Senator Tester. In the industry, yes.
    Secretary Kendall. It can, but generally it has had some 
indirect effect rather than a direct effect.
    Senator Tester. I got you. So I would really like to, 
before I turn to Susan Collins, or Senator Collins. I would 
really like to get information as to the money that we put in: 
Is it actually having an effect? Is it actually doing what we 
want it to do? And this, by the way, will happen across the 
board for all the services. And is it actually making a 
difference?
    Secretary Kendall. Okay.
    Senator Tester. Because regardless of what number we put on 
the Defense budget, if it is not being utilized in a way that 
makes a difference for you then we have got to do something 
else.
    Secretary Kendall. It is fairly intensive work across the 
Department to identify weaknesses in the industrial base, and 
to prioritize the things that need some additional resources, 
you know, in ways appropriate. In the past we have done some 
things. In space, for example, we have already selected 
subcontractors in space specific technologies. There are other 
things we funded, like casting capabilities, and so on, where 
the return for industry isn't there to make those investments 
without the Department's support, assistance essentially.
    Senator Tester. Okay. Senator Collins.
    Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Let me just follow up, General Brown, with the questions 
that the Chairman started with. As I read the press reports 
about the Airman First Class, who allegedly took, perhaps, 
hundreds of sensitive classified documents. The first thing 
that came to my mind is: Whatever happened to ``Need to Know''? 
That is the principle that is supposed to oversee and restrict 
access to sensitive classified information.
    Instead, allegedly, this Airman First Class used the JWICS 
(Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System) System, 
the classified Internet system, to access all sorts of 
sensitive, classified documents that had absolutely nothing to 
do with his job. Is the Need-to-Know principle still in place?
    Secretary Kendall. Chairwoman Collins, it is very much----
    Senator Collins. Or, Secretary Kendall?
    Secretary Kendall [continuing]. In place. General Brown 
mentioned the letter that the Secretary of Defense had put out 
tasking a review across the entirety of the Department, in very 
great detail, of all of our security practices. The two Chiefs 
and I put out a letter this morning which emphasized the point 
that you just made about, ``Need to Know''.
    We need to enforce it much more rigorously than it appears 
to have been in this case. I will say that we don't know all 
the facts here yet. There is a criminal investigation going on, 
that has been the first priority, to make sure that wasn't 
interfered with. But we have turned on three other things to 
look at this across the board.
    I have tasked our Inspector General to go look at the unit, 
and anything associated with this leak that could have gone 
wrong, from the point of view of implementing our policies, to 
see what things allowed this to happen, to get the Senator 
Tester's initial question.
    We are turning on a complete review of our policies 
themselves, within the staff, to make sure our policies are 
adequate, and that will be illuminated by what we learn about 
what happened in this instant. We are asking the entire Force 
to do a stand down, to review their security practices, to 
conduct training as necessary, respond to the Secretary of 
Defense's guidance.
    There is a full court press going on about this. We are all 
disturbed about it. And we are working very, very hard to get 
to the bottom of it, and take corrective actions.
    Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. One follow-up 
question for you on this issue, and that is, it appears that 
this was going on for many months without the Airman, 
allegedly, being caught and when he was caught, it was because 
of investigative journalism, not the controls within the Air 
Force. That is equally disturbing.
    Secretary Kendall. That is absolutely one of the things we 
will be looking at. And apparently he shared it, from press 
reports, with a group of friends in a chat group that was 
supposed to be isolated. It got out of that group, and it was 
there for, as you say, for a period of months. It got out of 
that group, and there is some press reports more recently about 
it being disseminated by some other people. And we are going to 
get to the bottom of all of that.
    Obviously, we have to tighten up our processes and our 
practices to make sure this doesn't happen again.
    Senator Collins. Thank you. General Brown, last year I met 
with Former Defense Secretary Gates, and I asked him: What was 
the most important action that we could do to strengthen our 
national security? And I expected him to say: Have a larger 
Navy, or improve recruitment; or answers like that. Instead, he 
said, ``No more continuing resolutions.''
    And you made a reference in your testimony. Could you, so 
that everyone understands the harm, of putting the Department 
on a continuing resolution, illustrate the problems that it 
causes for our Military?
    General Brown. Sure. The key area is that if we have a 
pacing challenge, we cannot outpace our pacing challenge if we 
have a continuing resolution. Those aspects of lost buying 
power, in this case, if we have continuing relations about $9 
billion of lost buying power.
    The other aspect of the series of continuing resolutions we 
have had over the past, probably 10n to 12 years, we have lost 
probably about a quarter of that in continuing resolutions, 
which prevent us from doing new starts, getting equipment into 
the hands of our Airmen, and the rest of the Joint Team as 
quickly as possible. It impacts our families because their pay 
raises, and/or their ability to move to new locations and 
continue with their career, and their development, and 
education of their children.
    I think the key part is just the aspect of us not being 
able to have a steady pace of acquisition and supporting--and 
to the Chairman's point, on the Defense Industrial Base; when 
we have, what I would call, a bit of a rollercoaster ride, it 
is hard for them to ``facilitize'', and get the workforce to be 
committed, and by having continuing resolution, it just slows 
us down, and when we are trying to accelerate, it is not 
helpful.
    Senator Collins. I completely agree with you. And thank you 
for your answer.
    Senator Tester. Chairman Murray.
    Senator Murray. Well, thank you very much, Chair Tester, 
and Vice Chair Collins. I am really glad to join both of you 
again as we continue to hear about the resources that our 
Nation needs to stay strong, and safe, and competitive on the 
world stage. And as Vice Chair Collins just talked about, it is 
so important that we return to regular order and work to pass 
our funding bills in a timely, bipartisan way, which is what we 
are really focused on doing.
    These conversations also serve as a reminder to all of us 
about how the investments and decisions we make here in DC, 
help strengthen our country, and protect our families.
    If we are going to keep pace with our adversaries like 
China, and others; that means our investments have to keep pace 
too. We can't fall behind, and we certainly can't fall into 
uncertainty due to partisan gridlock. So I am really glad to 
have this opportunity today on this committee to hear from our 
witnesses about what that means for our Air Force and Space 
Force, and of course, how we can support our service members 
and their families.
    It is really important that we remember that includes 
getting our military families support, like child care, mental 
healthcare, good housing, schools, because really, at the end 
of the day, our best aircrafts aren't going to go very far 
without the brave and talented men and women who pilot them and 
work to keep our country safe.
    So let me thank all of you for your service to our country. 
This committee and all of our members have a deep appreciation 
for everything our Service members do to keep us safe.
    With that, Secretary Kendall, let me start with you. 
Quality of life for our military families is a priority for me, 
and I am pleased to see child care prioritized in this budget 
across all branches. However, I consistently hear from families 
at Fairchild Air Force Base about Child Development Center wait 
lists, and challenges finding high quality and affordable 
childcare. I know those centers struggle to keep staff because, 
in part, due to low wages.
    The President's budget seeks to address this critical 
issue, and it includes a standardized Child Development Center 
employee discount for child care workers. And the Air Force has 
previously, I know, ran a pilot program to provide additional 
benefit to Center employees, what other tools has the Air Force 
used to support current employees and future hires to keep 
these Child Development Centers fully staffed?
    Secretary Kendall. Thank you, Senator Murray. As you 
indicated, this is a major issue for those across the Force, 
and across the country, actually, particularly after the 
pandemic. The biggest problem, as you mentioned, is staffing, 
we do have some new facilities that we are funding but the main 
problem we have right now is staffing.
    Secretary Austin is focused on this in his efforts to 
improve the quality of life for our service members and their 
families, and the Department of Defense put out a policy that 
could put a substantial discount, 50 percent, for staff 
members' first child in a child care with us. The Air Force 
have gone farther than that, we have gone to 100 for the first 
child, and then we do 25 percent for subsequent children. That 
has had an impact. We have gone from about 65- to 75 percent 
staffing overall, but there are still places where there are 
difficulties.
    We have a number of other efforts underway. We work very 
hard to provide support for our men and women, and the hours 
that they work, which are not always standard hours. So we 
would need to have child care available more broadly. We are 
using child care from individuals in their homes, and we are 
doing things to encourage that and incentivize that, 
financially and otherwise. So there is a lot of effort going 
into this area. It is making a difference, but we have more to 
do.
    Senator Murray. Okay. This is such an important issue for 
those families, and for recruitment, in general, for keeping 
those talented people that we need in the military, so I will 
continue to work with you this one.
    Secretary Kendall, last year's Defense Appropriations Bill 
directed the Air Force to provide a plan to this committee on 
the transfer of KC-135s to Air National Guard units, like the 
141st Air Refueling Wing in my State. We are still waiting for 
that plan. Can you give me a timeline for when we expect to see 
that?
    Secretary Kendall. Senator, that plan should be available 
within the next few weeks. And I will get a firm date for you 
after the hearing and let you know when you can expect it.
    Senator Murray. Okay. And you have you been coordinating 
with the Air National Guard on the transfers?
    Secretary Kendall. We will definitely coordinate with the 
Guard, and I want you to know that. There has been no decision 
to make those transfers. It is an opportunity, we will look at 
them.
    Senator Murray. Okay. I will look forward to hearing from 
you on that soon then.
    General Saltzman, as our competitors around the world 
continue to closely link their space industries and militaries, 
they can quickly put new technology into the field. We need to 
make sure we are doing the same if we want to stay ahead of our 
adversaries. Washington State is home to a number of these 
cutting-edge commercial space companies that are developing 
really revolutionary technologies, and I believe this is the 
kind of innovation that we should be supporting.
    How are you working with the rapidly growing space industry 
in Washington State, and really elsewhere, to bring these new 
technologies and capabilities into the Military?
    General Saltzman. Thanks Senator Murray. We are working 
closely with industry. In fact, Secretary Kendall and I are 
leaving this afternoon to go out to Colorado for a Space 
Symposium to continue to work with industry.
    Fully support Honorable Frank Kendall's--I am sorry--
Honorable Frank Calvelli----
    Senator Murray. He is sitting next to you, so.
    General Saltzman [continuing]. Calvelli's Go Fast formula, 
which is buy small, have small requirement sets, small 
satellites, to use existing technology to reduce nonrecurring 
engineering costs. And then short-term, fixed-price contracts, 
2 and 3 years, this allows us to advance the tech refresh cycle 
that actually pulls more contributors into innovating, and 
producing capabilities, that we can rapidly deliver to our 
Guardians.
    And so, we are seeing, even in the Space Development 
Agency, that model play out very successfully. Putting 
satellites on orbit in about 27 months, and so that is one of 
the key efforts that we are taking to make sure we can deliver; 
work with industry and deliver capabilities faster.
    Senator Murray. I appreciate the answer to that. And again, 
you just made the point that Senator Collins did, that a CR is 
not going to work for those short-term contracts. So thank you.
    Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
    Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you. Nice to know there is 
more than one Honorable Frank, we need all we can get.
    Let me start, though, with you, Secretary Kendall. I have 
heard you say that the cost of hypersonics is a challenge that 
will drive a smaller inventory. DOD (Department of Defense) 
investment into hypersonics is primarily focused on capability 
with, in my view, minimal attention to ability to scale 
production. Are you looking at nontraditional suppliers, or 
commercial aerospace manufacturing companies to leverage their 
expertise, to scale production and to meet higher rate, needs?
    Secretary Kendall. Yes, we are, Senator. The components for 
hypersonics, in particular, tend to be very specialized, they 
have to endure very high temperatures, for example, and operate 
for a period of time, and we need high reliability for any of 
our weapon systems. But yes, we are always looking for 
suppliers outside the normal traditional Defense primes, if you 
will.
    Senator Moran. Is manufacturing the--and I think you have 
to answer this question, yes, but I want to highlight that 
manufacturing needs to influence the development of hypersonic 
technologies, right?
    Secretary Kendall. Absolutely, and our leading program, the 
HACM program, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile; there are 
considerations being given in the design to manufacturability, 
and to reliability, so that we have a design that meets the 
technical requirements which are very stressing, but also is 
producible. So that that is a factor that we take into account 
through the design process.
    We are about to transition that program which came out of a 
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Technology 
Program, into a full-scale development program, and I can 
assure you that manufacturability will definitely be part of 
that program.
    Senator Moran. Thank you, sir. You may have answered this 
when you responded to Senator Murray, but I am not sure it is 
the same. What is the Air Force's plan to recapitalize the 
National Guard Fighter Fleet? And how does that impact the 
Guard's ability to complete its missions?
    Secretary Kendall. We are recapitalizing across the Force. 
The Guard, of course, is an essential part of that. I think 
General Brown mentioned, and I mentioned the additional 
production of F-35s and F-15EXs. So we are bringing fighters 
into the Force faster than we had planned a year ago, but still 
not at a pace that can replace every fighter, one-for-one, as 
they retire.
    We do need to retire some aircraft, like I mentioned, the 
A-10. And what we are trying to do, wherever we are retiring 
aircraft, particularly in the Guard, is replace programs with 
like programs, fighters with fighters, where we can. And if we 
can't do that, then we try to bring in a flying mission so it 
is still a flying mission. And if we can't do that, then we 
want to bring in a mission that is important to the Department 
and that the Guard can perform.
    I think it is important to recognize that they are enduring 
missions, and missions that are critically important to the 
Department, that don't necessarily involve flying. ISR 
(Information, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) is one, C3 
battle management is one, cyber is one, and electronic warfare 
is one.
    So I think people need to be open to alternatives to what 
they might have traditionally done, if that is what the country 
needs the most. So we are working, as we lay out strategic 
plans for the different elements of the Force, including the 
Fighter Force, to try to get to the Force that we are going to 
need to be competitive with China. And it won't look exactly 
like the Force that we have today.
    Senator Moran. Mr. Secretary, I would only highlight what I 
think is, you know, when you talk about flying for flying 
mission, the importance in today's world of recruitment and 
retention, if we are going to have retention within our Air 
Guard that, I think, is an important component as you make 
these decisions: How do we keep our professionals in place? And 
I saw you shaking your head, so I feel comfortable----
    Secretary Kendall. I fully agree, Senator. Thank you.
    Senator Moran. Let me turn to General Saltzman for just a 
moment. You have testified about the Air National Guard's 
existing space capabilities as ``must haves''. In the context 
of establishing a Space National Guard, I understand that you 
are evaluating several options, and you mentioned this in your 
oral testimony, and it is in your written testimony as well.
    Can you explain to me the options that you are looking at, 
and the costs associated with them? How do you avoid 
degradation of readiness or capabilities with those options? 
And what is your best military advice, or that is yet to come?
    General Saltzman. Well, thank you, Senator. The three 
options that we have looked at are, of course, our status quo. 
We can leave things as they are. But I think this is the most 
problematic course of action, because the capabilities that 
live inside the Air Force, in the Air National Guard, General 
Brown relinquished those capacities to train and develop those 
Airmen when the Space Force was established, in those 
capacities for organized training and equip of the space 
missions move to the Space Force.
    And so we have a little bit of a disconnect between 
capabilities inside an Air Force, when the capacity to 
organize, train, and equip them are in the Space Force. So 
status quo is probably the most problematic.
    The other two options are to establish the Space National 
Guard, which you mentioned, or reconstitute those capabilities 
inside the Space Force. We are currently going through a 
detailed analysis of exactly what the costs associated with 
each of those are, and there are pros and cons of both.
    And my best military advice would simply be, to make sure 
that we choose the most cost-effective way of implementing, 
because we have a lot of high priority projects that require a 
lot of money, but also to minimize the operational impact in 
any kind of transition. So whichever one maintains the 
operational capabilities that are currently there in the most 
cost-effective way, would be my advice.
    Senator Moran. General, you mentioned earlier in your 
testimony that you would take the possibility into account for 
a time, different arrangements; is that a new opportunity 
within the Air Force?
    General Saltzman. So slightly. There are two different 
concepts at play here. One is the legislative proposal that we 
have on the table, which is about taking the Air Force Reserve 
component performing space missions and integrate them into the 
Space Force, because those are already Title 10 Forces in both 
sides, it was a little easier to integrate in the near term, 
those capabilities. So that is the current ledge proposal. And 
that would create a full-time and part-time Force inside the 
Space Force. We think that is tremendous for retention, for 
flexible career paths.
    Secondarily, we would consider: What is the best 
disposition of the capabilities in the Guard?
    Senator Moran. Thank you, all.
    Senator Tester. Senator Baldwin.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    General Brown, in April of 2020 the Air Force officially 
selected Truax Field in Wisconsin to receive the F-35 Mission. 
And I wanted to raise it again today because the F-35 aircraft 
will start arriving this month in Madison, and it will take 
roughly a year to get the full squadron in place. But as we 
discussed during last year's hearing, even though there is 
significant support for the basing decision, I do continue to 
hear concerns about the potential noise impacts to residential 
areas in the flight path.
    I worked with Senator Leahy to fund noise mitigation 
through our annual appropriations, and the Department of 
Defense has provided the Wisconsin Department of Military 
Affairs a grant to conduct community outreach about noise 
mitigation planning, to be followed by actual funding for that 
noise mitigation to begin to occur.
    Because the F-35s are arriving this month, and throughout 
the next year, I am very anxious to be able to share with my 
constituents an update on that funding. Can you provide me with 
an update on the implementation of the F-35 transition? And 
what mechanisms are already in place to support these 
communities during the transition process?
    And in particular, what your outreach and communication 
efforts are? Is the Air Force pursuing these outreach and 
communication efforts to ensure that the public is 
knowledgeable and has access to all of the relevant information 
about what is happening in their community, and what assistance 
is available?
    General Brown. Senator Baldwin, first of all, we are happy 
to have Truax join the F-35 community, it is a great 
capability. And one of the things that we will continue to work 
on, is the Department of Air Force will work very closely with 
the unit there, but also the community on the noise impacts. 
And so part of this is, as we bring in F-35s, and the warning 
of those noise impacts, but also working with the Airport 
Authority, the Federal Aviation Administration.
    And then we will also put into place noise mitigation 
measures. And having flown fighter aircraft throughout most of 
my career, and having to do our departures and arrivals a bit 
differently just to support the noise mitigation, this is 
something we will work very closely with the community as we 
move forward.
    I will have to get back to you and provide you a bit more 
details on the exact funding and the time lines as far as the 
engagements, but we will, you know, engage with the local 
community, and will be available to the local community to 
answer whatever questions they may have as we move forward.
    Senator Baldwin. Yes. Well, I will just share to 
underscore, that there is widespread support for basing the F-
35s at Truax, but particularly I don't believe that the 
information about noise mitigation resources are getting out to 
folks who will be most impacted in the population centers, sort 
of immediately south of the airport. It is rather rural on the 
northern part of the airport, but people really are searching 
for information and need to be able to get that. So I urge you 
to continue, and double up on those efforts.
    General Brown. Most definitely.
    Senator Baldwin. All right. General Brown, also for you; I 
wanted to talk about the retention and recruiting shortfalls 
that remain an issue in all the service components, but of 
particular concern is the shortage of pilots in both the Active 
component and Air National Guard.
    With a reported shortage of approximately 1,600 Active Duty 
pilots, the reliance then on the Air National Guard to fill 
those gaps is critical. However, the Air National Guard itself 
is short approximately 1,000 pilots, and this could have 
significant implications both in the near-term and long-term 
readiness for the Air Force's mission.
    So can you speak to how the Air Force plans to address this 
shortage and attract more talent to the Active component, as 
well as to the Air National Guard, particularly in light of the 
significant competition for pilots from both the commercial 
sector, and other branches of the Military?
    General Brown. Most definitely, yes. You know, one of the 
key areas we focus on, as we do look at our shores, the first 
thing we do is to put 100 percent of our manning into--our 100 
manning into our cockpits. It would take the shortage on our 
staff positions, where it says, we are inclined to take up that 
gap, versus on the flight line in the development of very young 
pilots.
    We actually have a lot of young people that want to become 
pilots, and so one of our key parts is how do we increase that 
production, and would have some initiatives to do that. And one 
of the legislative initiatives is to convert some of our 
civilian SIM instructors to contractors so we can actually get 
more of our uniform members on a flight line to help the 
production and move that forward.
    We also actually have to balance between our Active and our 
Guard, because if we retain a lot on the Active Duty, it 
impacts our Guard and Reserve, because that is how they get 
many of their pilots. So it is a combination of factors that we 
are working through on the production, and then the absorption 
into the cockpits as well.
    So we have a number of initiatives in how we have adjusted 
our pilot training to increase that production, and then at the 
same time, as we take care of the Airmen, but also their 
families, also impacts retention.
    As you mentioned, there is competition with the commercial 
sector, and that is something we have got to pay attention to 
as well, and how this is a national asset, from an aviation 
standpoint, both for commercial, but also for our military.
    Senator Baldwin. Yes. Well, please if you can, and follow 
up, point to any legislative measures or actions that this 
committee could take to support these efforts to increase 
recruitment and retention of pilots, please do let us know.
    General Brown. Will be happy to work with you. Thank you.
    Senator Tester. Senator Hoeven.
    Senator Hoeven. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
    I would like to thank all three of you for the work you are 
doing, and your strong leadership with the Air Force and Space 
Force. It is very much appreciated. And you are willing to be 
creative and innovative as we need to be these days.
    Secretary Kendall, I was just in South Korea and Taiwan, 
clearly both want to continue to build their defenses, and work 
with us to do so. In regard to Taiwan they have about $19-plus 
billion in hardware, military hardware, that they have ordered, 
and that they are paying for, and that they are waiting for, 
and they are, obviously, anxious to upgrade their defenses, and 
to do it soon.
    What can we do to help? And things like the F-16, 
obviously, very important to them right now, what can we do to 
accelerate getting them those weapon systems? And what can we 
do to work together, jointly, to strengthen their defenses?
    Secretary Kendall. Good question, Senator Hoeven. The best 
place to defend Taiwan from is Taiwan. And in having Taiwanese 
have the capability to defend themselves against the threat 
that they face I think is a high priority for us.
    The F-16s are a program that we are trying to move through 
some supply chain and some production difficulties to get into 
place, getting through the bureaucratic pipeline would be very 
helpful getting those sales approved. One of the things that we 
have been working with Taiwan on is the mix of things that they 
have in their military, to make sure that it is appropriate to 
the mission, that they have their highest priority.
    I think you may have seen in the press recently that they 
are attempting to buy some Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which 
would be very helpful actually.
    Senator Hoeven. Mm-hmm.
    Secretary Kendall. So we are working with Taiwan. It is not 
an area that I am leading in, but it is one that we work very 
hard on to make sure that their requirements are met. At the 
end of the day, Taiwan has got to decide for themselves what 
they want to have in their inventory. But once they do that, 
and we are happy to advise them on that, then we need to do 
everything we can to move that through as efficiently and 
effectively as possible. Appreciate your support for that.
    Senator Hoeven. Absolutely and we want to work with you, 
and with General Brown and General Saltzman to find ways to 
maybe help our military-industrial complex respond faster, not 
only for their needs, but also for yours, for ours.
    Secretary Kendall. Absolutely.
    Senator Hoeven. Along those lines, General Brown, in regard 
to modernization in your comments--which all three of you had 
and which I absolutely agree with, it's vitally important. The 
effort to modernize the nuclear mission which is incredibly 
important. It's certainly important to our Chairman, and 
myself, with bases at Malmstrom and at Minot Air Force Base, 
Minot being the only dual nuclear base.
    How are we doing? And we have worked very hard to fund 
this. How are we doing? Are we on schedule with modernization 
of both the--not only the B-52, but the LRSO (Long Range Stand 
Off Weapon) as a replacement to the LCM, and also with the GBSD 
(Ground Based Strategic Deterrent) as a replacement to the 
ICBM?
    General Brown. Yes, Senator Hoeven, one of the things that 
has been really helpful to maintain the time lines associated 
with these programs and nuclear portfolio is the consistent 
funding and full funding. And that has helped us move in a very 
positive way. What I would tell you, as we look at, like 
Sentinel, for example, and the B-52, we do know that as we go 
into these large programs that there is potential supply chain 
and other issues, and we are working very closely, internally, 
with our industry partners to look ahead and figure out how 
best to do long lead items well in advance.
    And so we have been able to restructure some of our 
approaches, acquisition approaches, with Dr. LaPlante from OSD 
(Office of the Secretary of Defense), to help mitigate those 
areas so we can keep everything on time, and in some cases we 
are moving things forward. For example: some of our 
telecommunication lines, we will move those forward so we 
actually can get ahead in certain areas, and we don't have 
anything on a critical path that is going to impact the overall 
program; so good collaboration with--internal to the Department 
of the Air Force, but also with OSD and our industry partners.
    Senator Hoeven. Thank you.
    General Saltzman, in regard to both the LEO Mission, which 
we work with; are you on schedule for getting those Low-Earth 
Orbit satellites into space for the Communications Mission; can 
you do so under the budget you have? And also what is your plan 
for upgrading PARCS in a timely way; obviously, highlighted by 
the recent Chinese spy balloon?
    General Saltzman. Thank you, sir. First, the Space 
Development Agency is on track. We conducted our first launch 
of Tranche 0, just a couple of weeks ago. The satellites are 
performing well. And as I mentioned earlier, tremendous 
success, and I think it demonstrates a new model for 
acquisition, 27 months from putting it on order to being on 
orbit----
    Senator Hoeven. Wow.
    General Saltzman [continuing]. Which is a pretty impressive 
capability.
    Senator Hoeven. Very.
    General Saltzman. Especially for space acquisition. 
Congress added 250 million, which we greatly appreciated, to 
accelerate those. We are going to need the launch investment 
now to actually pay for putting them on orbit, so I think there 
is some cleanup that we are going to do across the program to 
make sure that happens, but the good news is, we are on track 
to not only deliver those capabilities, but accelerate the 
delivery of those capabilities.
    And with regards to the PARCS Radar we have, with the plus-
up, again, thanks to Congress, we are looking at, through RDT&E 
(finances research, development, test and evaluation), what is 
the most appropriate way to upgrade them, move them from analog 
capabilities into more digital, that includes data storage, 
some beam forming. We are going to bring that radar into the 
21st century, and make sure that it can meet all those space 
situational awareness, as well as missile warning 
responsibilities.
    Senator Hoeven. Thanks Chair. I want to thank the Chairman 
and Ranking Member of this committee, too, for accelerating 
some of that funding in the last go round, which I agree was 
very important for that Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Mission, and 
we are seeing how important that is with what is going on.
    Thanks to all three of you again.
    Senator Tester. Senator Murkowski.
    Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Gentlemen, thank you for being here today, and just--all, 
regarding your leadership. I understand that in questions from 
Senator Tester, he had acknowledged the NORAD, NORTHCOM, and 
the Department of Air Force's unfunded priority list. I am 
encouraged that you have placed the number one request there as 
the E-7 delivery, and the acceleration of that. I think we 
recognize that it cannot come soon enough, and we are urging it 
along as quickly as we possibly can.
    I want to ask about where we are with Long-Range Radars 
currently. They were fielded in the 1980s, to reach their life 
in 2025. Right now there is no current program of record to 
replace the existing Long-Range Radars, making the 3DELLR the 
only viable option to maintain the required domain awareness 
for Homeland defense there.
    So this is directed to you, Secretary Kendall. Do you think 
that the budget that we are looking at adequately funds this 
3DELLR System to include upgrades to the system, such as Over-
the-Horizon Radar, or the advancement of the Archer? So where 
are we with the Long-Range Radars?
    Secretary Kendall. Thank you, Senator Murkowski. If I could 
just clarify, the Department of the Air Force does not have an 
upper list, we support the President's budget. General Brown 
has an upper list, which I think includes the E-7 acceleration 
that you are mentioning. We are funding the sustainment of the 
various Long-Range Radars that you mentioned for a missile 
warning system. Some of those Raiders, as you mentioned, are 
old. We just talked about PARCS a moment ago. The BMU System 
itself is quite old. We don't have a program in place, as far 
as I know, to replace that yet. We are sustaining it right now. 
But we are looking at all that.
    The major investment we have in our budget for 2024, is the 
Over-the-Horizon Radars, that we talked about, as you mentioned 
earlier. Those are focused mostly on airborne threats coming 
across, particularly in the northern approaches. So we are 
looking at that entire suite of capabilities we have, to 
protect the United States against a variety of threats.
    One of the things we are focusing on is the C3 battle 
management and the integration--excuse me--of all those systems 
together, so that we can get the most accurate picture as 
possible of any threats that emerge.
    And I will be happy to get with you in a classified 
setting, and go through the details of all that. Show you what 
we are investing in, and what other things we are considering.
    Senator Murkowski. I would appreciate that, and I recognize 
that the value of this integration, I had an opportunity, just 
last week, to go out to Sparrevohn, in the center of Alaska, 
one of the older sites, actually not that old, got built in the 
'80s, but it seems old. But recognizing the role that is played 
with Over-the-Horizon, but also what we have had in place for 
it for some decades now.
    And General Brown, we talk a lot in this committee about 
all that we do to modernize our Air Force, everything that we 
need to do to replace aging weapon systems, but we also know 
that the ability to train, and to train well has got to be key. 
And we talk about our exceptional training opportunity with the 
Joint Pacific Alaska Ranch Complex, JPARC.
    What more do we need to do to ensure that the JPARC remains 
this extraordinary training asset for our Air Force and for 
those who also come to share partnership in the training 
exercises?
    General Brown. As you highlighted, training is very 
important to our Air Force, and the aspect of not only our Air 
Force, but the Air Forces of other nations that come to 
participate with us and also our joint teammates. And two of 
them are premier Ranges, one of those is JPARC, and the other 
one is known as the Nellis Test and Training Range.
    In this particular budget, in fiscal year 2024, we have 
over $750 million that are placed into our Range 
infrastructure, to ensure that we have the right threat 
emitters to support our Airmen as they engage, so they have a 
threat emitter that replicates the threat as well as the 
improvements on the targets that they are able to go against it 
as well. And then on top of that it is the supporting 
infrastructure to support the Ranges.
    So we are on a good path, but we have got to continue to 
keep focus on, and as we have this money into this year's 
budget, just continue to see that for both of those Ranges, 
JPARC and the Range at Nellis, are two key Ranges that we are 
going to continue to invest in to ensure we have the 
capabilities to train our Airmen.
    Senator Murkowski. Okay. I want to note that we are going 
to continue to place a priority on that.
    Mr. Chairman, I have a question regarding the Combat Rescue 
Helicopter, and the significance of that mission, particularly 
for the 176th Wing on JBER, that is the primary SAR Rescue 
Force there in Alaska, but because my time has expired I will 
submit that question; as well as one for General Saltzman for 
the record.
    Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Murkowski.
    And with that question and others, we would ask that you 
get the response back as soon as possible.
    Senator Boozman.
    Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Ranking 
Member, for having this hearing. And we appreciate you guys 
very, very much, and all you do and represent.
    I have had the opportunity to visit with many of our Allied 
Partners regarding training, the opportunity to train with our 
Airmen as far as F-35 training.
    General Brown, can you speak to the importance of pilots 
from our partner nations training with our pilots here in the 
U.S., and how crucial that is to national security?
    General Brown. Senator Boozman; thanks for the question. I 
will tell you just from my own personal experience in my many 
years operating with our allies and partners, most of my time 
as general officer, working with allies and partners, and how 
much they value the opportunity to train together, whether it 
is at locations overseas, but primarily here in the United 
States where they can actually use some of our advanced Ranges 
like I just talked about.
    And so there is real value in the aspect of them being able 
to train. And as we bring on the F-35, not only for the United 
States Air Force, but with our allies and partners, their 
ability for us to train very closely together as we bring in 
this new capability, it helps provide additional capacity as we 
look at our collective security, not just our security, but the 
security we share with their allies and partners as well.
    Senator Boozman. Very good. And this is the cream of the 
crop. So not only are they, you know, helping with defense, but 
also the ability to develop those relationships with future 
leaders of their countries.
    The other important point I continue to hear from our 
allies is the need for training to start on time. They have 
time lines and commitments along with the need to be ready to 
fight if needed. As we continue to build F-35 capacity, our 
U.S. bases are becoming resource constrained and affecting our 
allies' ability to train.
    General Brown, with U.S. Air Bases becoming more crowded, 
can you speak to why it is important to have the ability to 
invest in future F-35 training centers?
    General Brown. What I would like to highlight to you, 
Senator, one of the areas we have looked at is, overall, as we 
have more and more countries that are interested in the F-35 
and bring that in, we also have to take a look at how we, 
across the board, have our capability to not only train them 
but train ourselves, but as we remain our combat capability.
    We have the locations where we have done traditional 
training, are starting to get a bit more crowded, and so, as 
you know, we have been looking very closely at Ebbing as a 
location, and we are doing that work to get Ebbing up to speed, 
and a part of that is also to meet the time line associated 
with the work we have done with our allies and partners so they 
can get their training on time.
    And in the big scheme of things it helps us all to get 
their training on time, to get certain capability, but that we 
appreciate the support from your delegation. And we have done 
some really deep work internal to the Department of Air Force 
to align things, to make sure we get that capability on time at 
Ebbing.
    Senator Boozman. Good. Thank you.
    Mr. Secretary, do you feel like you have got all of the 
authorities that you need regarding, you know, things going 
forward to help build the training capacity that we need?
    Secretary Kendall. Senator, yes, I do. I am not aware of 
anything that I need that I don't have. But I will be happy to 
share with you if I come to that conclusion.
    Senator Boozman. Good. We appreciate that. Let me just talk 
about one thing that I think has already been talked about, but 
I think it is so, so very important. Senator Tester, and I 
chaired a roundtable regarding quality of life issues, and Mrs. 
Brown came and, you know, she did a tremendous job, and could 
speak as somebody, you know, that not too-too long ago, was in 
the situation of our Airmen, Airwomen, you know, that are 
struggling now to starting their careers, making ends meet, all 
of the challenges as you move every 2 or 3 years.
    So I guess what I would say, and it doesn't matter if you 
are in the Space Force, regular, you know, Reserves, whatever, 
but particularly, like I say, the challenge of moving, spousal, 
you know, opportunities regarding their ability to work, 
schools child care is such a huge issue.
    And I want to compliment you all, you all are doing a 
really good job in those arenas. But also it is going to become 
more and more important, from recruiting and a retention 
standpoint, those quality of life issues.
    Looking back, you know, now that I am older and appreciate 
my parents so much more than I did as a kid, as we all do, but 
my dad doing 23 years as a Master Sergeant realizing that those 
were the first things they looked at, you know, taking care of 
us.
    So I guess what I am saying is, we do appreciate the fact 
that you really are looking hard at those quality of life 
issues, and realize how important they are, and doing your very 
best to take care of the men and women that work for you, and 
we do appreciate that.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. The only thing I have to add to that is 
General Brown is a fine outstanding man, but you obviously, 
married up.
    Senator Boozman. I agree with you.
    Senator Tester. Exactly.
    Senator Boozman. After getting to know her, I agree with 
you totally. In fact, that is probably an understatement.
    Senator Tester. General Saltzman, and it was the same way 
in last year's budget, you submitted an unfunded priorities 
list that includes classified, high priority space programs. It 
seems to me that the decision did not include these programs in 
the budget, is not driven by physical constraints, but by 
disagreements within the administration over the future of our 
space architecture. Can you please explain those different 
schools of thought?
    General Saltzman. Well, you know, you say it is not about 
priorities, but in the end I think all these resourcing issues 
do come down to some level of priorities, and where we are 
willing to fall in our sword or not. I am comfortable with the 
level of resourcing we have, especially in the classified 
programs. I think there was some back and forth towards the end 
of the budget submission that maybe align funds in a way that 
we are going to have to figure out other ways to manage the 
programs, for example.
    But we have those ways. We can collaborate with the other 
stakeholders, we can make sure that our concept of operations 
are clean, and that we can put the right kinds of demand 
signals, for example, on partners that are building 
capabilities for us. So I feel like although it may not be the 
way we would have designed it, I feel like I am comfortable 
that we have the kinds of mechanisms in place to collaborate 
appropriately, and get what we need in place.
    Senator Tester. This committee added significant funding 
for your classified unfunded priorities last year. Can you give 
us some insight on the return on that investment?
    General Saltzman. I am happy to say that I expect; that by 
the end of my tenure, if I make it all the way to 2026, that 
you are going to see a substantial on-orbit capability that 
allows us to compete in full spectrum operations.
    Senator Tester. Okay.
    General Saltzman. I am not sure I could have said that 2 
years ago, but the fact that we have accelerated the programs, 
and we have built a program that delivers in capability in 
terms of 3, 4, 5 years, I am very comfortable that we have a 
program in place that will do just that.
    Senator Tester. Okay. Secretary Kendall, you made a 
decision on a different power source for the F-35, and you 
chose the Pratt & Whitney over the GE, and I have got no dog in 
this fight, I want to just make sure we are doing what is right 
for the Air Force.
    The question that I have was; that it is my understanding 
of the Pratt & Whitney engine is on paper, and the GE engine is 
sitting on a stand. Can you give me some of the thoughts, 
process that you went through when you made that decision? And 
why you chose one over the other?
    Secretary Kendall. Thank you, sir. That is a Department of 
Defense decision actually, and a decision I support. The 
competition, essentially, was between an advanced technology 
that had been in work for several years, I was part of the 
starting of that, and continuing, it is called the ATP, which 
provides a substantial improvement in fuel efficiency, as well 
as other features.
    The unfortunate thing about this is that it is a very 
expensive program to continue. There is a large upfront cost 
associated with engineering, manufacturing development for that 
program. And at this point the only--of the three F-35 
variants, the Marine Corps, the Navy, and the Air Force, the 
only one that is definitely compatible with that program is the 
Air Force.
    So the Air Force sort of had to carry that entire cost, 
several billion dollars, to do development before you start 
production. So that was just simply not affordable. The 
enhanced core upgrade that we did fund; provides an acceptable 
level of improvement to meet our known needs, and it is 
compatible with all three variants of the F-35. So that was 
where we ended up.
    Senator Tester. So to add, the issue was compatibility?
    Secretary Kendall. Cost and incompatibility. I would say 
affordability for us was the first concern.
    Senator Tester. Okay.
    Secretary Kendall. We couldn't get past that threshold, and 
if we had then it would have been probably a different answer.
    Senator Tester. Okay. Senator Shaheen.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you 
all. I am sorry I missed much of the questioning, for other 
hearings.
    But Secretary Kendall, and I guess General Brown, both; we 
continue to be concerned in New Hampshire about the level of 
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that continues to 
contaminate the former Pease Air Force Base. And I know that 
the Air Force is taking steps to address that, and to plan for 
the aqueous film forming foam, whatever is going to succeed 
that, in terms of being able to fight fires.
    Can you speak to where you are in terms of developing that 
alternative, and what you expect to be a time line for when 
that will be available?
    Secretary Kendall. Senator, we have been unsuccessful in 
finding an equivalent alternative to the PFAS. So what we are 
doing, basically, is going to water as the alternative for now. 
I think, as you are aware, the EPA (Environmental Protection 
Agency) has come out with new criteria, which is in the final 
stages of regulatory consideration.
    The Air Force has assessed our bases, including Pease, to 
understand how much contamination we have, and once there is a 
finalization of that, then we will start looking at 
remediation, and moving forward to try to do something to clean 
this up.
    You and I spoke about this before but you know it is 
something of great concern. We want to make sure that nobody 
around any of our bases is in an unsafe condition, particularly 
with regard to their drinking water.
    Senator Shaheen. I appreciate that. And I do appreciate 
very much the cooperation that we have gotten from the Air 
Force in New Hampshire. It has made a huge difference. One 
current challenge, that I think you are aware of, is there is a 
difference in interpretation of something that was in the NDAA 
(National Defense Authorization Act) about making information 
available to the local public about contamination, and 
hopefully we will be able to work that out in a way that is 
agreeable to both the Air Force and communities.
    Can you also speak to when the Remote Vision System--this 
may be for you, General Brown, for the KC-46 is going to be 
operational?
    General Brown. What?
    Secretary Kendall. You go, yes.
    General Brown. If I have my facts right, I think it will be 
fiscal year 2026, is when they will be operational, and will be 
able to start cutting it in. But I will make sure I come back 
to you, and get the answer.
    Secretary Kendall. I mean the current system is being used 
now. It is cleared for all but one of our aircrafts. But the 
fixable problems we have with the remote viewing system, as 
General Brown said, will be coming in, and I think in 2026. We 
will confirm that though.
    Senator Shaheen. That has slipped again has it? It is my 
understanding that that was originally going to be fielded in 
2025.
    General Brown. This may have slipped a little bit, but I 
think we are on a good path. And as the Secretary highlighted, 
we were able to, operationally, employ the KC-46 worldwide 
today, with the only exception, the only airplane we can't 
refuel with it is the A-10.
    Senator Shaheen. And I understand that there is also a 
recently identified issue with the KC-46's load guidance 
system. Is that affecting the aircraft's ability to carry 
cargo, in a significant way?
    General Brown. I am not aware of that issue, but I will 
look into it, and I would be able to get back to you.
    Senator Shaheen. I would appreciate that. Thank you.
    General Saltzman, I know, I just had an opportunity to meet 
with a number of National Guard members in New Hampshire, and 
one of the things that they are still not clear about is how 
the one-component proposal is going to operate in terms of 
National Guard across the country. Can you talk about how you 
see that working, and what you are doing to address the 
concerns of the state adjutant generals on that issue?
    General Saltzman. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. The legislative 
proposal that we put forward for this year simply takes the 
Reserve component and integrates them into the active Space 
Force. So that is just the Title 10 Air Force Reserve aspect of 
this. It was a simpler administrative lift to make sure that we 
understood exactly how to do this. But it also set aside the 
discussion for the National Guard at this point.
    So it is a two-step process. I think if we get the 
legislative proposal in and signed off in law, that will allow 
us to start looking at how the Space Force can actively use 
both full-time and part-time Guardians to do its Mission set. 
Then I think you have the opportunity to open up and evaluate 
whether that same model could be extensive--extensible out to 
the National Guard as well. But it is a two-step process at 
this point.
    Senator Shaheen. And do you anticipate any opportunity for 
or adjutants general, or other representatives of the Guard to 
weigh in with you as you are thinking about and have this 
second iteration should go?
    General Saltzman. I talk to Dan Hokanson all the time, he 
is of course the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. He 
reflects the opinions of all of those tags that are out there. 
And so I would say that, at least from a space perspective, we 
are engaged already to make sure we understand what the 
requirements are, what the limitations are, what the 
opportunities are to better integrate.
    We are a little bit stuck, as I said, with the status quo, 
where the Air Guard has responsibility for training a space 
mission, but we don't really have the capacity on the Air Force 
side to do that; and so we have got to come up with some 
solution, and the tags are fully engaged in helping us do that.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Senator Capito.
    Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you all, 
here, and it is nice to see you again. And we had our meeting 
several weeks ago, and I appreciate that.
    Secretary Kendall, as you know, the conversion of the Air 
National Guard C-130 units to the J models has been ongoing. 
And I am pleased to say that I have seen the impressive J model 
myself while visiting the West Virginia Air National Guard's 
130th Airlift Wing, in my hometown of Charleston. But they made 
us aware that the aircraft our Guard units are receiving may be 
behind in some of the modification processes for Tactical Data 
Link capabilities, an upgrade that is necessary to integrate 
with the rest of the Joint Force if we found ourselves in a 
combat environment. I am wondering: Does the fiscal year 2024 
budget address this Tactical Data Link deficiency?
    Secretary Kendall. Yes, I believe it does, Senator. I think 
we are doing that. There was a period of time over which we 
were going to do that with some of the fleet. I can get the 
details to that, too, for the record though.
    Senator Capito. Okay. So General Brown, how does improving 
that Tactical Data Link, what kind of difference does that make 
in a combat environment, and how important is that?
    General Brown. What the Tactical Data Link does is really 
increases situational awareness for the air crew. And so they 
have, not only a better sense of where they are, but a better 
sense of the other activities that is going on around their 
aircraft, and how they can help contribute to the mission. And 
so, you know, having flown with Tactical Data Links in 
Fighters, personally, it really does help your situational 
awareness to have a good understanding what is going on in the 
environment.
    Senator Capito. So it was the goal to transition? I mean, 
you said ``most''. Secretary Kendall, is the goal to transition 
all of those to that more advanced data link; or some, or what?
    General Brown. Yes, Senator.
    Senator Capito. Oh.
    General Brown. I mean, that the goal is to actually move as 
many of those as we can as the--as those aircraft have service 
life, and wanted to put the Tactical Data Link into.
    Senator Capito. Okay. Good, that is good news.
    Secretary Kendall, again, a more technical question here; 
and we know that range would mean everything if we ended up in 
an Indo-Pacific situation, and also have the 167th Airlift Wing 
in Martinsburg, West Virginia, which operates the C-17 
Globemasters. But they are not equipped right now with the 
extended fuel range tank, which would make a big difference if 
we found ourselves in the Asia Pacific. How does the budget 
deal with that? Is that something that you are planning to 
transition all the C-17s to?
    And then General Brown, I am going to ask you, too, what 
kind of impact that would have?
    Secretary Kendall. Yes. We are transitioning C-17s. I don't 
think the entire fleet will transition, the largest fraction, 
it will split among the parts of the Fleet that are in the 
Active Guard and Reserve.
    Senator Capito. Mm-hmm.
    Secretary Kendall. Roughly equivalent percentages of each I 
think.
    Senator Capito. Okay.
    Secretary Kendall. We can give you the exact numbers for 
that.
    Senator Capito. Okay. Yes, we will follow up with that, and 
appreciate that.
    General Brown, do you have a comment on that, what that 
could mean and what difference it makes?
    General Brown. You know, as the Secretary said, that 
modification is roughly equivalent across the Active Guard and 
Reserve, and what it does do is provide options as far as being 
able to go further in different locations.
    Senator Capito. Right.
    General Brown. And be able to break capability and 
capacity. Particularly in the Indo-Pacific where, again, having 
served there as the Commander of Pacific Air Force, is just, 
you know, the extended ranges that we have to operate in, this 
is where that capability will be very helpful.
    Senator Capito. Well, I mean, you won't find any better 
Airlift Wings than I have in West Virginia, I can tell you 
that. I have to put that advertisement in. I might have some 
disagreement here, but----
    Senator Collins. I beg to differ.
    Senator Capito [continuing]. I will say that. Secretary 
Kendall I know that--and I haven't been here for the whole 
hearing--but certainly the data breach and the leak of the 
classified information I think was alarming to everybody. And I 
could maybe even put you in that category, who are concerned 
about the damage that has been done. But I mean I think we need 
to look forward here.
    I understand that DOD is conducting a review of the 
processes at the DOD level. Are you doing the same at the--
within the Department of the Air Force?
    Secretary Kendall. Absolutely. And ``alarming'' I think is 
as good a word as any to describe what has happened. We are 
doing a number of things, and I discussed some of them earlier, 
but we are investigating to see what errors might have 
occurred, or breaches of policy, and so on, that could have 
allowed this to happen, in addition to, obviously, whatever 
wrongdoing by the individual.
    We are looking at the unit, we are looking beyond the unit, 
other things that could have influenced this. We are reviewing 
all of our policies, and we have direction from the Secretary 
of Defense to do a review across the Department of a whole 
number of things that have to do with information protection, 
basically.
    Senator Capito. Right.
    Secretary Kendall. So Secretary Austin signed out a memo 
yesterday on that, with a lot of detailed guidance, and a 
fairly quick suspense to come back. The two Chiefs and I signed 
out a memo this morning amplifying on what the Secretary had 
said, but also emphasizing some areas such as Need to Know, and 
enforcing Need to Know.
    Senator Capito. Right.
    Secretary Kendall. This individual, whatever else was true, 
had no reason to be looking at, or having possession of those 
documents. And we have to do a better job of that. That is 
clear, if nothing else is from this.
    Senator Capito. Well, we will be interested in hearing what 
the results of that are. I think that is important for not just 
system-wide, but for us to know, and the American public to 
know, so a transparent process there.
    Just a quick comment on the information that has come out 
about this individual that was arrested, I think there is a lot 
of discouraging things about it, but for me, I was just sitting 
here thinking about it, thinking: it is almost like it was a 
game. You know, it was a--you are in this chat room with--
supposedly, with small amounts of people. And, you know, all 
this kind of chatter.
    It is not a game. You are endangering lives. You are 
endangering, you know, freedoms, just eroding trust. And so I 
think that that is one aspect of it that is incomprehensible, I 
think, to many of us. And I will put myself in that boat. You 
don't need to comment on that. I just wanted to make a quick 
comment.
    Secretary Kendall. I agree with you. What you described it 
exactly the same way that any Airman, or Guardian, or anyone in 
uniform could not appreciate the seriousness of this material, 
and how damaging it would be to have it get out into public 
domain. That is a fundamental problem of its own, right. That 
is what the appearance is in this case. It is a criminal 
investigation.
    Senator Capito. Right.
    Secretary Kendall. So we don't want to say too much about 
the case itself.
    Senator Capito. Right.
    Secretary Kendall. But that appearance is very disturbing.
    Senator Capito. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. We have saved the best for last. Senator 
Collins.
    Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Secretary, I want to return to the F-35 engine issue. 
As I understand it, there are two factors driving the 
administration's decision. And I support that decision.
    One, is the Adaptive Engine Transition Program was not 
compatible with the Navy and Marine Corps variants of the F-35. 
The second factor, as I understand it, is the Joint Program 
Office did a business case analysis which described stark 
differences in the overall lifecycle costs between proceeding 
with the engine core upgrade path chosen by the administration, 
compared to the more expensive engine replacement.
    As I understand it, the engine core upgrade would actually 
decrease the overall costs of the program while the engine 
replacement option would have the opposite effect, it would, 
substantially, increase the cost of the program well into the 
billions of dollars even after you account for fuel cost 
savings. Is my understanding correct?
    Secretary Kendall. Roughly, let me just tell you my view on 
this. I have seen a number of business analyses, but basically 
there is a large upfront cost associated with the ATP engine. 
You have to go through an engineering development program that 
is going to cost several billion dollars and take several 
years. So that upfront cost, the affordability of that, for the 
Air Force at least, it was a major factor.
    There is a return. There is a value to having that enhanced 
performance. You get more range, you get more capability out of 
the aircraft, and you get more power off of the engine that you 
can use to drive all the things on the aircraft. So there is a 
judgment call, if you will, about the value of those things 
relative to their cost. The fuel savings, over time, would take 
a very long time to pay for themselves. So that is really not, 
I think, at the end of the day, in terms of financial impact, a 
major factor.
    The fact that the ATP would not fit in all three, and it 
certainly will not fit in the Marine Corps version, there is 
some disagreement about whether it would fit in the Navy 
version, or could be made to fit in the Navy version. And I 
will defer to the Navy to give an opinion on that.
    So at the end of the day, when you looked at the needs of 
the whole, Department of Defense, the decision was made, and I 
supported, was to go ahead with the engine core upgrade. It is 
not quite as mature, so there is a little bit of risk in that, 
but it gets us to our known requirements. And so that is the 
path that we are on right now.
    Senator Collins. Thank you. In my opening statement I 
mentioned my concern about fuel costs. In the last 2 years the 
budget requests greatly underestimated fuel costs on the very 
day the budget was released, the fuel costs were already much 
higher, they appear to be going up again. Do you anticipate 
requesting a supplemental to cover increased fuel costs?
    Secretary Kendall. If we have to we will. Mike McCurdy, 
Under Secretary for Financial Management communicated earlier 
to the Congress about how we deal with inflation, or things 
like this. I believe the budget includes an assumption of fuel 
cost inflation between 3- and 4 percent, so what we will do, as 
we did last year, is we will watch and see what happens with 
fuel prices, and if necessary we will work with the Congress to 
try to solve that problem, if it emerges.
    Senator Collins. Thank you. General Saltzman, I applaud the 
Space Force's effort to develop a more resilient space 
architecture. However, we in Congress often hear complaints and 
concerns about how long it takes to develop new capabilities, 
especially for those in space.
    The Space Development Agency recently launched the first 
set of its satellites in less than 3 years from contract award. 
Could you tell the committee, what other steps you are taking 
to accelerate the development and delivery of space-based 
capabilities?
    General Saltzman. Yes, Senator. To some degree that is just 
a mindset shift. Instead of developing large exquisite 
satellites, and developing, and pulling in requirements from a 
myriad of stakeholders; because we know that when we launch a 
satellite we want it to last 10, 12, 15 years, that is what 
extends the length of the program; Mission Assurance that we 
have to layer on to those kind of programs.
    We are taking a wholly different approach: smaller 
satellites, smaller requirement sets allow us to go faster, and 
the contracting piece of that, put something on orbit, 
recognizing that we may have to do some tech refresh on a 
faster time line but that will actually have better capability, 
and even more cost effective over the long run.
    And so I think that what Frank Calvelli has done by 
establishing this formula for going fast, is effective and 
paying off, existing technologies, small contracts, fast 
contracts, fixed price, we are delivering the capability in 
much faster time lines.
    Senator Collins. Thank you. Mr. Secretary.
    Secretary Kendall. If I could add to that. One of the 
things that we are taking advantage of is that the 
transformation of the commercial world in space to a much more 
efficient, much more cost-effective designs, and engineering 
practices that support the business case that commercial firms 
have. So we are basically able to capitalize on that in things 
that we are building for Military purposes. So it is a nice 
synergy there between the commercial world and the Department 
of Defense's world now.
    Senator Collins. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Collins.
    And I want to express my appreciation to all three of you 
for your testimony here today, and the questions that you have 
answered.

                     ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS

    Senators may submit additional written questions, and as I 
said earlier, we would ask you to respond to all of them as 
quickly as possible.
    [The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but 
were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the 
hearing:]
                  Questions Submitted to Frank Kendall
               Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
    Question. Last year, Congress accelerated investments in weapons so 
that our weapons magazines are loaded up for future contingencies. In 
this year's budget, the Air Force is requesting $1.0 billion to achieve 
time and cost savings via multi-year Procurement contracts for the 
production of several missile programs. This includes significant 
investments by the Government to increase industry's production 
capacity. However, it is not yet clear what the private sector 
investment will be in return for this procurement predictability from 
the Government.
    Secretary Kendall, what industry investments are you expecting in 
return for these Government investments? General Brown, are these 
programs fully funded across future budgets and is the Air Force 
committed to protecting those investments in future years even as the 
Air Force seeks to increase procurement of newer, more modern missiles?
    Answer. The FY24 budget request shows a renewed commitment to 
munitions procurement throughout the Future Years Defense Program 
(FYDP) by the Department. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) worked 
closely with industry partners while building this plan and does not 
foresee any additional or separate industry investment is necessary to 
ensure that our procurement profile is executable. Increasing industry 
production capacity and providing procurement predictability will 
benefit the DAF by maximizing procurement quantities and stabilizing 
the industrial base.
    Additionally, the Air Force is pursuing a multi-year procurement 
strategy for our most critical munitions such as the Advanced Medium-
Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), the Joint Air- to-Surface Standoff 
Missile (JASSM), and the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). We are 
fully funding these programs through the FYDP to their current maximum 
production capacities, which will protect these investments and ensure 
a stable industrial base over the next four to 5 years.
    Question. In the last five budget cycles, the Air Force's request 
for research and development funds compared to the request for 
procurement funds has doubled. The Air Force has invested heavily in 
the development and testing of important systems and capabilities, but 
it is a disservice to the taxpayers if these investments don't 
translate into fielded systems.
    Secretary Kendall, does the Department of the Air Force have a plan 
to combat this trend of funding disparity between R&D and Procurement? 
Why are programs not transitioning from the research, development, and 
prototyping phase?
    Answer. The DAF increased its Research and Development (R&D) budget 
by $20.0 billion from the FY20 budget request to the FY24 budget 
request. This is principally due to the stand-up and resourcing of the 
Space Force, but also driven by a shift in investments to address the 
pacing challenge, as well as ensure Air, Space, and Cyber mission 
dominance. The DAF is taking a balanced approach to implement the 
National Defense Strategy (NDS) by procuring capabilities that deliver 
this mission and making necessary R&D investments to transition 
technology to deliver future capabilities. The strategy includes 
modernization and pivots to address the China fight including 
Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), Command, Control, Communication, 
Battle Management (C3BM), and resilient space architectures. While the 
Department begins R&D investments with the general intent to procure 
systems, each system is evaluated on its merits against cost, schedule, 
and performance requirements, as well as resource constraints. In 
limited cases, the outcome may result in a decision not to continue to 
procurement. DAF prioritization of Operational Imperatives facilitates 
a sharp focus on technology transition. This is complemented by a 
series of enabling initiatives including digital transformation, 
facilitating innovation pathways for small businesses and ensuring 
acquisition, requirements, as well as resourcing processes are 
integrated and tailored to accelerate capability delivery.
    Question. Due to this large increase in R&D over the previous 
fiscal year, I presume a Continuing Resolution (CR) would have a 
significant impact on the Air Force modernization budget. What areas 
are most at risk in the event of a CR?
    Answer. Modernization of the Air Force and Space Force is critical 
to DAF implementation of the NDS. At the forefront of the FY24 DAF 
budget request are the Operational Imperatives, modernization efforts 
intended to close key capability gaps and directly address our pacing 
challenges. A CR would further erode our competitive advantage to China 
by stopping the investment of at least $2.0 billion in 88 new 
modernization efforts including 20 aligned to critical capabilities 
within the Operational Imperatives, including 71 Air Force new starts 
totaling $1.4 billion and 17 Space Force new starts totaling $595.0 
million.
    Further, during a CR, the DAF is limited to operating at FY23-
enacted funding levels resulting in $9.3 billion of lost buying power. 
The DAF would be forced to delay on-going development, stop work, or 
terminate programs to remain within funding limits if a CR extends into 
FY24 for a long period. These programs are key to the high-end fight 
with a near-peer competitor. Modernization is necessary to not only 
keep pace with our strategic competitors but required if we are to 
establish a new high ground in the Air, Space, and Cyberspace domains.
    Question. The Air Force is requesting $9.0 billion to continue 
modernizing the nuclear enterprise. For the air- and land-based legs of 
the nuclear triad, we are running out of time to replace existing, 
aging systems.
    Secretary Kendall, we discussed the ongoing modernization of the 
ICBM fleet extensively during your visit to Malmstrom Air Force Base 
earlier this month. This is more than a missile program. We're talking 
about significant infrastructure and construction investments, too. Are 
we sufficiently tapping into our existing manufacturing workforce to 
achieve our ambitious construction goals for ICBM modernization?
    Answer. The construction goals for ICBM modernization are 
ambitious. To best accomplish those goals, the Air Force is 
accelerating some initial construction efforts at FE Warren AFB, WY to 
begin in FY24 instead of FY26. The Air Force is also managing 
construction and transition risks from the industrial base, the age of 
the launch facilities, and the need to maintain Minuteman III 
operations while fielding LGM-35A Sentinel. Congress can help address 
these issues by supporting our request for contract type flexibility 
for the early construction lots.
    Question. In January, we learned that former missileers at 
Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana are dying of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma 
at rates higher than the national average.
    Secretary Kendell, you recently joined me at Malmstrom--along with 
the Air Force Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Miller--to discuss 
the Air Force's response to this crisis.
    As a follow up, can you tell us what the Air Force is doing to 
reach out to former missileers whose information is not captured in 
electronic health records?
    Answer. The DAF has taken many steps to reach out to former 
servicemembers and other populations who have worked in missile fields 
to better understand the extent and severity of the issue, as well as 
track population trends over time. Leadership has been using townhalls, 
open forums, and webcasts to communicate updates to the impacted 
communities and leveraging installation Public Affairs offices to 
communicate directly to local communities.
    Additionally, the Department is working with the Director of the 
Air Force Association of Missileers to amplify Air Force Global Strike 
Command (AFGSC) and Air Force Surgeon General communications on this 
issue. The Department of Veterans Affairs and other veteran service 
organizations have assisted in expanding outreach, as well.
    Finally, AFGSC has consolidated pertinent information on a public-
facing website which provides the most updated information on the 
progress of the ongoing study and addresses questions from the impacted 
community. The website can be accessed here: https://
www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/Resources/Missile-Community-Cancer-Study/.
                                 ______
                                 
             Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
    Question. In the FY23 NDAA, SEC. 603 authorized several policies 
that will drastically improve the quality of life of Airmen stationed 
in Alaska. After making inquiries with the Air Force leadership in the 
state, I understand that there has been no guidance released for how 
these new policies should be implemented. Because of this, 
servicemembers in Alaska are missing out on time-limited incentives to 
help alleviate the unique hardships of serving in Alaska, as well as 
improve the recruitment and retention of Airmen.
    What is the status of the implementation of Section 603(a) of P. L. 
No. 117-263 regarding pay for cold weather special duty pay? What is 
the status of the implementation of Section 603(b) of P. L. No. 117-263 
regarding the requirement that the Secretary of the Air Force reimburse 
eligible servicemembers for the cost of airfare for that member to 
travel to their home of record while assigned to a duty location in 
Alaska? When should Airmen expect to begin receiving a cold weather 
duty pay and reimbursements for eligible travel to their home of 
record?
    Answer. Alaska has several unique bases and missions vital to the 
Air Force. We understand the importance of providing quality-of-life 
improvements to our Airmen stationed there. The FY23 NDAA expanded our 
capabilities to offer additional benefits for this initiative. AF/A1 is 
working closely with the Pacific Air Force team to request Cold Weather 
Special Duty Pay, under the authority created by Section 603(a), on 
behalf of Alaska. Then it will be routed through the Secretarial 
process.
    The travel reimbursement incentive for service members who travel 
to their home of record from Alaska is near the end of the Per Diem 
Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee process. The final steps 
are to receive the Committee principal's signature, followed by the 
Joint Travel Regulations update. Once approved, the Air Force will 
implement the incentive. The Air Force has been monitoring both 
guidance initiatives closely and works diligently to implement these 
new authorities as soon as possible and continues to look for new, 
effective ways to improve the quality of life and the unique hardships 
for Airmen stationed in Alaska.
    Question. Alaska provides the only location capable of supporting 
both short- and long-range hypersonic weapons testing within the United 
States. This unique geographical location offers the only location 
where hypersonic testing can be conducted without overflying populated 
areas and provide the DoD, with unrestricted flexibility to meet 
hypersonic mission objectives.
    The Pacific Spaceport Complex.--Alaska (PSCA) provides an 
unparalleled test range for hypersonic vehicles and other advanced 
aerospace systems. Specifically, PSCA's launch site on Kodiak is 
ideally located to serve as the anchor for the Aleutian Test Range 
(ATR) stretching westward to Shemya Island. Through instrumentation 
strategically placed throughout the Aleutian Islands, AAC could provide 
telemetry data and vehicle safety throughout extended flight profiles.
    Currently, the most feasible long-range capability for hypersonic 
testing requires the use of ships and aircraft positioned along the 
flight route of the hypersonic vehicle to track and receive data. This 
is a logistics challenge that is extremely expensive to mobilize for 
each test. Land-based instrumentation provides higher reliability and 
lower cost than ships and/or airborne platforms. Furthermore, the ATR 
can support air-, sea-, undersea- and land-launched systems to provide 
maximum test flexibility.
    Additionally, the Federal Government and State of Alaska have 
jointly invested over $120.0 million of capital improvements at PSCA. 
As only one of two U.S.-based spaceports that can launch into high-
inclination and polar orbits, PSCA is a national asset to provide 
critical resiliency for U.S. access to space and to facilitate keeping 
national security space payloads launching from U.S. soil. This FAA-
licensed commercial spaceport is a low-cost operation, capable of 
launching solid- and liquid-fueled rockets and has supported numerous 
government orbital, suborbital, and test missions since 1998. In recent 
years, Kodiak was the only spaceport able to support DARPA's Launch 
Challenge to demonstrate agility and flexibility key to military 
missions. However, the Space Force has not recently used PSCA.
    SEC. 237 of the FY23 NDAA includes a provision directing the 
Secretary to identify non-DoD test facilities to expand testing of 
``operationally relevant, live-fire'' hypersonic weapons. What steps 
has the Air Force taken to evaluate the PSCA and the Aleutian Islands 
for the potential to support hypersonic weapons testing? Do you support 
such an effort, and if so, when will we see a commitment to move this 
forward? What are the Space Force plans to make PSCA, and other orbital 
capable commercial spaceports, part of the USSF launch architecture and 
regularly fund missions at these locations to demonstrate critical 
resiliency capability for national security space, Responsive Space 
Launch, and Rapid Launch missions?
    Answer. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Test Resource 
Management Center (TRMC) has an extensive existing hypersonic test 
infrastructure road map and is the lead with oversight over all 
Department of Defense (DoD) hypersonic test infrastructure investment 
across the Major Range Test Facilities Base (MRTFB) in order to avoid 
duplicative Service investments. The Department of the Air Force 
supports any DoD efforts to expand hypersonic test infrastructure that 
will enable more rapid fielding of hypersonic weapons or vehicles.
    The Space Force is seeing unprecedented demand for launch capacity 
from both government and commercial sectors. We are working hard to 
expand access to existing U.S. spaceports and increase the number 
locations available via a National Spaceport Interagency Working Group 
(NSIWG). The NSIWG is led by the FAA Office of Commercial Spaceports 
and has membership from the Space Force, OSD Policy, Department of 
Commerce, Department of State, and NASA. The NSIWG is drafting a 
National Spaceport Strategy that seeks to encourage the growth of 
spaceports nationwide and interoperability between them, all in an 
effort to expand resiliency to space access and ensure U.S. leadership 
in this domain.
    Additionally, the Space Force recognizes that increased access to 
space by spaceports in diverse locations is important to our resilience 
and national security. The Rocket Systems Launch Program has used PSCA 
for several of their small-launch missions and continues to execute 
contracts to invest in PSCA. The Space Force also plans to take 
advantage of the increased capability offered by new vendors in 
National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3, Lane 1. The Space Force 
procures commercial launch services and we are limited to locations 
where launch providers have established capabilities. Additionally, 
four locations in the U.S. can address high inclination launch: Cape 
Canaveral SFB, FL; Vandenberg SFB, CA; NASA Wallops Flight Facility 
(WFF), VA; and PSCA, AK.
    Question. I understand the Air Force has had to make difficult 
budget decisions, but in my view, a top priority should be the 
capability to rescue our men and women in harm's way. I am concerned 
about the Service's decision to terminate the Combat Rescue Helicopter 
(CRH) program. I believe the moral imperative to ``leave no one 
behind'' is critical to show our commitment to the men and women who 
risk their lives to protect and defend us in all theaters of operation. 
It also concerns me that of the existing CRHs, the Air Force's current 
fielding plan places the National Guard at the lowest priority.
    As you know, the 176th Wing on JBER is the primary Search and 
Rescue (SAR) force in Alaska. They have the Air Force's highest tempo 
and utilization rate (UTE). The Wing reports that their HH-60 Fleet has 
the highest UTE average at 130 by-month hours per tail over the last 6 
years, with the next highest being Moody at 115 and Patrick at 107. Our 
footprint in the Arctic will only grow; the 176th must be better 
outfitted to support the AORs SAR requirements. Last year alone, they 
conducted 106 sorties and had 62 rescues. Further, I understand the 
additional 10 CRHs Congress added last year are planned to be Attrition 
Reserve aircraft, so you really only have 75 helicopters to accomplish 
what the original program of record says is 113 aircraft.
    How does the Air Force plan to address this capability shortfall 
for the rescue mission?
    Answer. The Air Force remains committed to the Joint Personnel 
Recovery (PR) mission and its own Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) 
fleet, forces, and supporting architecture. The Air National Guard is a 
key component of the Total Force and will be recapitalized at all 
locations with HH-60Ws. The reduction in procurement of HH-60W will not 
result in a near-term capability shortfall, but will limit the capacity 
for dedicated CSAR forces available to the Joint Force. This will 
require the Joint Force to carefully adjudicate use of Air Force-
dedicated CSAR forces and make use of other assets for less demanding 
PR missions. The Air Force recognizes the HH-60W's inherent capability 
limitations in the future threat environment and plans to mitigate this 
by modernizing how it trains and equips personnel for extended 
survival, improving communications architectures for distributed 
operations, enhancing its Find-Fix-Track capabilities in support of 
isolated personnel, supporting science and technology efforts to mature 
technological solutions that may provide enhanced capability, and 
layering PR forces to include traditional, non-traditional, Joint, and 
partner-nation capabilities.
                                 ______
                                 
               Question Submitted by Senator John Hoeven
    Question. Last fall, the administration released a draft regulation 
that would require contractors to report on any greenhouse gas 
emissions they make that can be linked to the work they perform on DoD 
contracts. Further, it would make contractors set emissions reduction 
targets. This will severely impact oil and gas companies that are major 
contractors.
    What is your plan to continue to procure fuel if this regulation 
makes it impossible to offer contracts to oil and gas companies?
    Answer. The DAF and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which 
procures most of the fuel on behalf of the Air Force, procure fuel in 
full compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The 
DLA will continue to comply with all applicable laws, rules, and 
regulations when procuring fuel on behalf of the military services. If 
there is a regulatory change that impacts how we or DLA procures fuel, 
the DAF will work closely with DLA and in coordination with our 
industry partners to determine how to best meet all operational 
requirements for the military services.
                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted to Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
               Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
    Question. General Brown, we have very little margin in the 
modernization schedule for the land and air legs of the nuclear triad. 
Are you concerned about the modernization strategy?
    Answer. As you point out, there is very little margin in our 
modernization schedule for the land and air legs of the nuclear triad. 
In the FY24 budget request, nuclear modernization remains the DAF top 
priority. Our acquisition professionals, working with our industry 
partners, are proactively identifying and looking for ways to mitigate 
potential schedule challenges and/or program risk. Also critical to 
successfully executing our modernization strategy will be on time and 
fully funded budgets and we greatly appreciate Congress' support for 
these programs.
    Question. The Air Force has requested congressional support for the 
divestment of 310 aircraft in the FY24 budget request. However, you are 
only procuring 96 replacement aircraft. Furthermore, some of these 
divestments are planned to be replaced with modernized aircraft that 
are still in development and not yet ready for production.
    General Brown, I'm all for getting rid of older systems that aren't 
relevant to current and evolving threats, but how do we avoid a 
capability gap if we're retiring more aircraft than we're able to 
field?
    Answer. There are several challenges within our fleet today, many 
stemming from the age of our fleet and the number of missions performed 
over the past 20 plus years of continuous conflict in the Middle East 
and the relevance to the evolving threat. The FY24 budget request 
balances between current risk and future risks. While divesting older 
systems reduces current inventory numbers in some cases, divestment 
allows for procurement of new and more capable aircraft to address the 
current and future threat in a high-end conflict.
    The Air Force endeavors to procure a modern force while remaining 
ready for today's challenges. We received great support from Congress 
for the last several budget cycles to move beyond legacy force 
structures that are not supporting the current defense needs for the 
Nation. These divestments free up dollar amounts and, most importantly, 
manpower to operate and maintain new aircraft. The transition from 
legacy aircraft to modernization requires a balanced risk and the Air 
Force is taking deliberate steps to manage near term capacity risk. 
Specifically, the FY24 budget requests to divest legacy A-10 and F-15 
aircraft that would not contribute lethality in a high-end conflict, as 
well as balances risk across the Joint Force along with allies and 
partners.
    In order to provide maximum capacity across the spectrum of 
conflict, the DAF is increasing its force mix of multi-role platforms 
while divesting older platforms designed for narrow mission sets.
                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Senator John Hoeven
    Question. You've described the importance of domain awareness for 
both air and space. After the Chinese flew a spy balloon over the US 
earlier this year, the commander of Northern Command described how this 
revealed gaps in our domain awareness.
    With atypical threats like high-altitude balloons, does the line 
between air and space responsibilities create a gap in our domain 
awareness investments?
    Answer. Our acquisition model has been focused on specific 
platforms operating in specific domains. The shift to multi-domain 
operations has highlighted our need to reevaluate our approach to 
platform and domain integration. The DAF is reconciling that through 
the standup of the DAF Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Command, 
Control, Communications, and Battle Management (C3BM), which serves as 
an integrating PEO for DAF capability and system requirements. In 
particular, the PEO's Architecture and System Engineering Division is 
tasked with architecting solutions that work both in, and across, 
domains to architectural needs.
    Question. The Air Force did not include Air National Guard Federal 
Tuition Assistance in its budget request. This continues to be a 
benefit only afforded to the Army National Guard. In your written 
testimony you acknowledged that in fiscal year 2023, the active-duty 
Air Force is ``projected to miss military enlistment requirements by 
about 10%, over three thousand individuals'' and that ``the Air Guard 
and Reserve components are projected to miss their goals by even higher 
margins.''
    Do you agree that Air National Guard Federal Tuition Assistance 
could be an important tool in helping the Air Guard and Reserve and 
meet its recruitment and retention goals? Will this be prioritized in 
future budget requests?
    Answer. Air Force Tuition Assistance (MilTA) is funded for those 
Air National Guard service members on Title 10 active-duty status and 
those on Title 32 Active Guard Reserve (AGR) orders under Title 10, 
U.S. Code, Section 2007. MilTA remains an important retention tool for 
those already serving on active-duty status. All Air National Guard 
States and Territories (except Guam) offer State Tuition Assistance 
programs and many Air National Guard service members qualify for Post-
9/11 GI Bill benefits. Considering these other opportunities members 
have, and due to competing budget priorities, the Air Force does not 
plan to budget for the National Guard Federal TA program (FedTA). The 
Air Force Recruiting Service continues to pursue accession goals by 
offering targeted enlistment incentive programs.
                                 ______
                                 
          Questions Submitted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
    Question. Does the FY24 Budget include funding for Tactical Data 
Link upgrades for Air National Guard C-130J units? Will all Air 
National Guard C-130Js receive this upgrade? If not, how many? What is 
the projected timeline for these upgrades?
    Answer. In FY24, 15 additional Active Component C-130J aircraft 
will be upgraded with Block 8.1, which includes the tactical data link 
(TDL) capability. Older C-130Js in the Air Force Reserve (AFR) and Air 
National Guard (ANG) are projected to begin receiving upgrades in FY28. 
The Mobility Air Force (MAF) fielding plan, approved in 2015, upgrades 
one Airlift Wing at a time. Air Mobility Command (AMC), ANG, and AFR 
Command concurred with the 2015 modification plan. ANG and AFR elected 
not to expend National Guard Reserve Equipment Appropriations (NGREA) 
on modifications and agreed Block 8.1 funding is an AMC responsibility.
    The Block 8.1 modification includes TDL (Link-16) and many other 
upgrades. Block 8.1 is incorporated in aircraft production lines. All 
Air Force aircraft starting with FY20 congressional adds will be 
delivered in a Block 8.1 configuration. The 165th Airlift Wing, located 
in Savannah, GA, will begin receiving C-130Js in Block 8.1 
configuration from the production line in December 2023. There are 48 
Congressionally-added C-130J aircraft between FY20 and FY23. The ANG is 
expected to receive 40 Block 8.1 C-130Js directly off the production 
line by the second quarter of FY28.
    The Block 8.1 system complexity impacts crew qualifications and the 
associated training pipeline. Factoring Congressional additions and 
established training pipeline limitations, the current phased approach 
addresses urgent operational needs while incrementally building 
qualifications across the total force.
    Question. Will all U.S. Air Force C-17s, across components, receive 
the Extended Range modification? If not, how many Active, Guard, and 
Reserve C-17s, respectively, will receive the upgrade?
    Additionally, what is the projected timeline for these upgrades? 
How would the cost and time schedule of these upgrades be affected by 
combining modifications for the Extended Range Fuel Tank with the On-
Board Inert Gas Generation System (OBIGGS) II System upgrade?
    Answer. The C-17 Extended Range (ER) modification provides 
additional fuel for increased range but does not increase aircraft 
efficiency. The Air Force is not planning to modify the remaining 
aircraft to ER configuration since the C-17 ER modifications provide 
minimal impact to pacing scenarios and we have higher priority 
modernization requirements. Ability to aerial refuel the entire C-17 
fleet mitigates the mission completion risk. Currently 69% of the AFR 
fleet, 62% of the ANG fleet, and 79% of the Active Component fleet have 
received the upgrade.
    The C-17 OBIGGS II System upgrade is a modification to correct a 
safety of flight issue known as ``C-17 OBIGGS II Filter Fire 
Mitigation'' on only those 112 aircraft equipped with the OBIGGS II 
System. This mod will continue to be installed until FY29. 
Additionally, to restart the C-17 ER production line would take an 
extensive reinvestment of Non-Recurring Engineering costs and would be 
executed separately from the current OBIGGS II program so as not to 
delay delivery.
                                 ______
                                 
           Questions Submitted to General B. Chance Saltzman
             Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
    Question. Alaska is home to one of nation's few state spaceports on 
Kodiak Island. It is a national asset and I think it's not utilized as 
much as it should be. According to a recent FAA report--the National 
Spaceport Policy--the number of launches will increase from 74 last 
year to 186 in 2026, a nearly 300% increase. Meanwhile, according to 
the same report, 4 out of every 5 of these launches takes place either 
at Cape Canaveral or Vandenburg. Last year during Space Symposium you 
stated, ``the United States Space Force must transform its space 
capabilities to increase our resiliency against these and other 
threats--and we must do so quickly.'' Meanwhile, RocketLab--a U.S. 
company--recently shifted a pair of NASA launches to New Zealand. This 
is in addition to the 4 launches that USSF/NRO has already allowed 
RocketLab to launch from foreign soil.
    Should the Space Force make more of an effort to launch from U.S. 
spaceports instead of foreign ones? Without greater use of and 
investment in our state spaceports, is our domestic space launch 
infrastructure resilient and ready for a future conflict? Shouldn't we 
invest more in alternative spaceports to ensure we're not wholly 
dependent on a couple Federal space ports, one on each coast?
    Answer. The Space Force is working hard to expand access to U.S. 
spaceports and increase the number of them via a National Spaceport 
Interagency Working Group (NSIWG). The NSIWG is led by the FAA Office 
of Commercial Spaceports and has membership from the Space Force, OSD 
Policy, Department of Commerce, Department of State, and NASA. The 
NSWIG is drafting a National Spaceport Strategy that seeks to encourage 
the growth of spaceports nationwide, and interoperability between them, 
all in an effort to expand resiliency to space access and maintain U.S. 
leadership in this domain.
    The Space Force recognizes the importance of strong domestic 
spaceports, as well as the value of having access to diversified launch 
locations to increase resilience, including utilizing launch facilities 
available to us through our allies. In addition, launch locations are 
assigned to missions based on optimizing the path from launch to the 
desired destination of the satellite or spacecraft. These factors are 
each considered as the NSWIG develops their strategy.
    The current Space Force OSP-4 launch contract enables launch from 
any of the U.S. ranges. Additionally, the intended Phase 3 dual-lane 
strategy extends the ability to launch NSSL Lane 1 missions from launch 
complexes other than those associated with the two Space Force-managed 
ranges.
    Question. Phase 2 of the National Security Space Launch Program was 
designed when space was far less contested, congested, and competitive. 
In Phase 2, the Department chose just two providers in a 60%/40% split 
for 34 launches and this decision is proving to be, at best, minimally 
sufficient to meet the Department's space launch needs. Phase 3, which 
is currently being developed for a highly contested, competitive, and 
congested domain, includes 39 launches in the ``block-buy'' lane and 66 
or more throughout Phase 3.
    If two providers are just barely sufficient for Phase 2, how are 
the same two providers, 60%/40% split sufficient for Phase 3's block 
buy? How is this acquisition resilient if two providers just barely 
meet the need now and the need increases dramatically in Phase 3?
    Answer. The NSSL Phase 2 acquisition strategy was designed to end 
U.S. reliance on Russian-made engines, drive competition, and deliver 
assured access to space for the Nation through two qualified launch 
service providers. Phase 2 does not restrict the number of missions the 
Space Force can order from each of its two contracted launch service 
providers and both providers have the required capacity to meet all 
NSSL needs. The Phase 2 Request for Proposal (RFP) forecasted about 34 
missions across the five-year ordering period and is projected to end 
with a total of about 47 missions ordered.
    For NSSL Phase 3, the Space Force selected an approach that aims to 
take full advantage of the United States' robust and evolving 
commercial launch market. The draft NSSL Phase 3 acquisition strategy 
proposes a dual-lane contracting approach, allowing access to an 
unlimited number of qualifying providers to promote resiliency through 
diversity and best meet Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office 
(NRO) requirements for launch. To meet this intent, the Space Force 
divided the 66 projected missions in the Phase 3, five-year ordering 
period between two contract lanes:
  --Phase 3 Lane 1 (27 missions): Designed to provide access to 
        multiple launch system providers, systems, and launch sites, 
        allow on-ramp of new launch systems and technology when ready, 
        and offer tailored mission assurance based on a satellite's 
        risk tolerance.
  --Phase 3 Lane 2 (39 missions): Designed to secure launch capacity 
        and provide assurance and stability for our most stressing 
        National Security Space missions through two qualified launch 
        service providers. Lane 2 also garners economic order quantity 
        savings. Lane 2 is projected to have approximately the same 
        number of missions projected for NSSL Phase 2; therefore, two 
        launch service providers can provide sufficient capacity to 
        meet the Phase 3 projected mission count.
    The projected 66 missions to be ordered in the NSSL Phase 3 enables 
the Space Force to employ a flexible acquisition strategy to meet 
multiple objectives and provide the warfighter more resilient launch 
capability.
    Question. Space is more contested that ever, and the Department's 
need to access space has also radically increased with both 
proliferated constellations and exquisite needs. As you also know, and 
has been reported widely, you are also seeing dramatic increases in 
launch demand--commercial, civil, and national security. Even ULA's CEO 
Tory Bruno has stated, ``There is a worldwide shortage of launch . . . 
There'll be more missions than both [ULA and SpaceX] are really able to 
fly and that'll be for a number of years.''
    So why, in a supply-constrained environment of space launch would 
the Department further constrain supply by artificially limiting the 
numbers of providers in Phase 3 of the National Security Space Launch 
program to just two? Wouldn't a three-provider block buy promote 
additional competition, drive down launch costs, and be more resilient 
and redundant for the Department, especially if something bad were to 
happen to one of the launch vehicles or one of the space companies were 
to happen to one of the launch vehicles or one of the space companies 
were to be sold?
    Answer. The draft NSSL Phase 3 acquisition aims to take full 
advantage of the United States' robust evolving commercial launch 
market. The draft NSSL Phase 3 strategy proposes a dual-lane 
contracting approach, allowing access to an unlimited number of 
qualifying providers to promote resiliency through diversity and best 
meet Space Force and NRO requirements for launch.
  --The draft Phase 3 strategy fully supports the expected increase in 
        launch demand and launch providers while simultaneously 
        fostering greater competition.
    --Phase 3, Lane 1 is designed to capitalize on emerging launch 
            capability for our more risk- tolerant missions and provide 
            annual on-ramp opportunities for the Space Force to tap 
            into new launch technology as systems are ready.
    --Phase 3, Lane 2 is designed to secure launch capacity and provide 
            the full mission assurance required by our nation's most 
            stressing NSSL missions.
      -- The Phase, 3 Lane 2 strategy is a full and open competition 
            and the 60/40 allocation split incentivizes launch service 
            providers choosing to compete to provide their most 
            competitive pricing to meet all NSSL requirements.
      -- With only three potential bidders for Phase 3 Lane 2, awarding 
            three contracts is likely to disincentivize launch 
            providers to bid competitively and will drive increased 
            costs.
      -- The Space Force estimates that carrying a third launch service 
            provider in Lane 2 could drive a $1.0 billion increase or 
            more due to additional launch service support (NSSL-unique 
            costs not directly associated with any one mission), and 
            space vehicle integration costs across three different 
            launch vehicles versus two.
    Question. I understand the Air Force has had to make difficult 
budget decisions, but in my view, a top priority should be the 
capability to rescue our men and women in harm's way. I am concerned 
about the Service's decision to terminate the Combat Rescue Helicopter 
(CRH) program. I believe the moral imperative to ``leave no one 
behind'' is critical to show our commitment to the men and women who 
risk their lives to protect and defend us in all theaters of operation. 
It also concerns me that of the existing CRHs, the Air Force's current 
fielding plan places the National Guard at the lowest priority.
    As you know, the 176th Wing on JBER is the primary Search and 
Rescue (SAR) force in Alaska. They have the Air Force's highest tempo 
and utilization rate (UTE). The Wing reports that their HH-60 Fleet has 
the highest UTE average at 130 by-month hours per tail over the last 6 
years, with the next highest being Moody at 115 and Patrick at 107. Our 
footprint in the Arctic will only grow; the 176th must be better 
outfitted to support the AORs SAR requirements. Last year alone, they 
conducted 106 sorties and had 62 rescues. Further, I understand the 
additional 10 CRHs Congress added last year are planned to be Attrition 
Reserve aircraft, so you really only have 75 helicopters to accomplish 
what the original program of record says is 113 aircraft.
    How does the Air Force plan to address this capability shortfall 
for the rescue mission?
    Answer. The Air Force remains committed to the Joint Personnel 
Recovery (PR) mission and its own Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) 
fleet, forces, and supporting architecture. The Air National Guard is a 
key component of the Total Force and will be recapitalized at all 
locations with HH-60Ws. The reduction in procurement of HH-60W will not 
result in a near-term capability shortfall, but will limit the capacity 
for dedicated CSAR forces available to the Joint Force. This will 
require the Joint Force to carefully adjudicate use of Air Force-
dedicated CSAR forces and make use of other assets for less demanding 
PR missions. The Air Force recognizes the HH-60W's inherent capability 
limitations in the future threat environment and plans to mitigate this 
by modernizing how it trains and equips personnel for extended 
survival, improving communications architectures for distributed 
operations, enhancing its Find-Fix-Track capabilities in support of 
isolated personnel, supporting science and technology efforts to mature 
technological solutions that may provide enhanced capability, and 
layering PR forces to include traditional, non-traditional, Joint, and 
partner-nation capabilities.

                          SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS

    Senator Tester. This Defense Subcommittee will reconvene on 
Tuesday, May 2, at 10 a.m., for a Hearing with the Department 
of the Army.
    We stand in recess.
    [Whereupon, at 11:39 a.m., Tuesday, April 18, the 
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday, 
May 2.]