[Senate Hearing 118-570, Part 2]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-570
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
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HEARINGS
BEFORE A
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
H.R. 8774/S. 4921
AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR THE
FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2025, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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PART 2
Department of Defense
Nondepartmental Witnesses
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Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
55-293 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
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COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
PATTY MURRAY, Washington, Chair
RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine, Vice
JACK REED, Rhode Island Chair
JON TESTER, Montana MITCH McCONNELL, Kentucky
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina
CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware JERRY MORAN, Kansas
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
CHRISTOPHER MURPHY, Connecticut SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West
JOE MANCHIN, III, West Virginia Virginia
CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland JOHN KENNEDY, Louisiana
MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico CINDY HYDE-SMITH, Mississippi
GARY PETERS, Michigan BILL HAGERTY, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona KATIE BRITT, Alabama
MARCO RUBIO, Florida
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
Evan Schatz, Staff Director
Elizabeth McDonnell, Minority Staff Director
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Subcommittee on Defense
JON TESTER, Montana, Chairman
RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine, Ranking
PATTY MURRAY, Washington MITCH McCONNELL, Kentucky
JACK REED, Rhode Island LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin JERRY MORAN, Kansas
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota
CHRISTOPHER MURPHY, Connecticut JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West
Virginia
Professional Staff
Kate Kaufer
Mike Clementi
Laura Forrest
Abigail Grace
Katy Hagan
Brigid Kolish
Rob Leonard
Ryan Pettit
Kimberly Segura
Ryan Kaldahl (Minority)
Todd Phillips (Minority)
Jason Potter (Minority)
Jesse Tolleson (Minority)
Mike Wakefield (Minority)
Administrative Support
Gabriella Armonda
Alex Shultz (Minority)
C O N T E N T S
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HEARINGS
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Page
Department of Defense: Department of the Air Force and Space
Force: Office of the Secretary................................. 1
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Department of Defense: Department of the Navy: Office of the
Secretary...................................................... 51
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense........ 141
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Department of Defense: Defense Acquisition Programs.............. 207
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Department of Defense: Department of the Army: Office of the
Secretary...................................................... 269
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Department of Defense: National Guard and Reserve................ 311
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BACK MATTER
List of Witnesses, Communications, and Prepared Statements....... 397
Nondepartmental Witnesses........................................ 373
Subject Index.................................................... 401
Department of the Air Force: Office of the Secretary......... 401
United States Space Force................................ 401
Department of the Army: Office of the Secretary.............. 401
Department of the Navy: Office of the Secretary.............. 402
United States Marine Coprs............................... 402
National Guard and Reserve................................... 402
Office of the Secretary of Defense........................... 403
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
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TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2024
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met at 10:00 a.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Hon. Jon Tester (chairman) presiding.
Present: Senators Tester, 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. I want to call this committee to order.
I want to thank our witnesses, Secretary Kendall, General
Allvin, and General Saltzman, thank you all for being here.
Thank you for your service, and your dedication to our Nation's
Air Force and Space Force. I look forward to, as all of us
will, discussing your fiscal year 2025 budget priorities.
General Allvin, I believe this is your first hearing before
this subcommittee. Welcome. We are always interested to hear
your perspective coming into this hearing. And so, we look
forward to working with all of you to get the fiscal year 2025
budget request for the Department of the Air Force, which is
roughly 258.5, about 5 billion or 2 percent above last year's
budget, passed.
I say last year's budget, but as you well know,
unfortunately, it is only 3 weeks' old. I think that is
ineptness on Congress' part, not on yours, and we tend to tie
your hands behind your back when we don't get budgets done on
time.
I know that Senator Collins and Senator Murray wanted to
get a budget done on time. Unfortunately, there is far too many
people here who believe that government shutdowns are the way
this place should work. And it is not. And I look forward to
working with Senator Collins, and everybody else on this
subcommittee to get you guys a budget on time, that is as
robust as we possibly can get.
At last year's Department of the Air Force hearing, I
stressed the importance of getting that budget done on time. We
failed. But we don't need to fail this year. We need to get it
done, and get it done by the end of September, so you guys have
the certainty that you need not waste taxpayer dollars, and
make sure that the folks that serve under you have every tool
necessary to be successful.
I commend Senator Murray, Senator Collins, for working hard
to get that 2024 Bill across a finish line, but the fact of the
matter is our Airmen and Guardians deserve better, and we can
do better.
A timely enactment of a Defense Appropriation Bill has
never been more urgent. China's intentions regarding Taiwan,
coupled with its advancements in military modernization.
Russia's War, unjust war in Ukraine, and the escalation in the
Middle East are just a few examples of global security
environment that require continued diligence and modernization
of critical weapon systems to effectively deter violence and
defend ourselves and our allies.
Continuing resolutions, government shutdowns without
accurate appropriations, it hamstrings our national defense,
our Airmen and Guardians don't receive the training they need
to get their job done, we can't get rid of outdated equipment,
we can't modernize, we can't field new systems to scale.
So notwithstanding political headwinds and budget
constraints, we are going to continue to work to end this
trend, disastrous trend, I might add, of CRs (Continuing
Resolutions) and uncertainty and get us back onto a regular
budget cycle. The volatile global security environment has
driven a great sense of urgency to the DOD's (Department of
Defense) attempt to field innovative technologies and solutions
at scale as quickly as possible.
We are always open to working with the Department of
Defense to ensure that our warfighter has the tools they need
to be effective, and we encourage the DOD to continue to take
advantage of the current rapid acquisition and prototyping
authorities as well as funding flexibilities to get this job
done.
However, it cannot be ignored that programs initiated with
expedited acquisition authorities apparently suffer from the
same cost schedule, and technical issues as traditional
acquisition programs do.
The Air Force in particular, has struggled to mature and
transition into significant production, several so-called,
rapid acquisition programs, including the E-7 Wedgetail and the
Air Hypersonic Weapon, further I am concerned that many
prototyping programs initiated with much urgency are not fully
funded in the budget. This does not send the right message.
So, before we entertain enacting a new budget and
acquisition authorities, I do want to understand how the Air
Force is going to improve its performance to ensure that
capabilities we invest in, actually reach the hands of the
warfighter without wasting taxpayer dollars.
There is no question that the Air Force must keep Pace with
evolving threats by modernizing, fielding new capabilities, and
procuring systems that outperform our enemy. It is the role of
Congress to ensure the American taxpayer dollars are used the
most effective way possible to achieve superiority. And I look
forward to continuing to work with you folks, and others, to
make that possible.
Once again, I want to thank you for your service, I want to
thank you for your leadership. I want to thank you for what you
do to keep this country safe.
And with that, I will turn it over to Senator Collins for
her remarks.
statement of senator susan m. collins
Senator Collins. Thank you, Chairman Tester, for holding
this hearing. And a warm welcome to our newest member, who I
just saw in the hallway, Senator Chris Coons, I know he stopped
by prior to the hearing to greet our witnesses.
To our witnesses, thank you for your service. And please
relay to the Airmen and Guardians that serve with you how much
we appreciate their service to our country.
I want to expand just for a moment on the comments that the
Chairman made about the importance of the Appropriations
process proceeding on time. Our committee worked very hard last
year and did in fact report each and every one of the
Appropriations Bills, including the Defense Appropriations
Bills prior to the end of July.
Unfortunately, we then ran into roadblocks in getting the
bills brought to the Senate floor. I would note that while the
bill was passed far too late, we did avoid having a continuing
resolution. That was advocated by some of our colleagues. It
would have been an absolute disaster for our Department of
Defense.
And I thank the Secretary for spelling out in a letter what
the disastrous consequences of a year-long continuing
resolution would have been. So, we were far too late as an
institution, in completing our bills, but at least we avoided
that outcome.
I would also note that it does not help the process that
the President is late by a month in submitting his budget.
There is a legal requirement for the budget to be submitted, I
believe it is the first Monday in February, and that deadline
was not met again this year.
Let me offer a few other observations as we begin this
important hearing. First of all none of us can gloss over the
fact that this budget request would result in a real decrease
in funding available for the Air Force and Space Force to buy
aircraft and weapons that is true for the other military
services as well.
Just to keep pay B with inflation for critical needs, like
military pay, healthcare, and housing, the top line would need
to be higher by at least 4 percent, but the administration
proposes a top line increase of less than 2 percent for the Air
Force. To comply with the caps of the Fiscal Responsibility
Act, the 2025 budget request for the Air Force is 2 billion
less than was planned when Secretary Kendall and General
Saltzman testified before the committee just last year.
Second, our witnesses need to be completely forthright, as
I know you will be, and always are, in describing to the
committee the risk the Air Force would be accepting with this
budget request. For example, Air Force officials have said that
at any one time 514 aircraft in the fleet are grounded due to a
lack of spare parts. Funding for additional spares to reduce
that deficiency significantly was excluded from the budget
request and, instead, has been included on the Service's
unfunded requirements list.
What are the consequences if Congress does not restore this
$2 billion reduction? What risks are we assuming given that
China's Air Force continues to grow, and this budget request
proposes a net reduction of 129 aircraft? That means a much
smaller Air Force. Each budget request must account for both
the threats we are facing now and that are projected into the
future.
What I know, with certainty, is that the threats facing our
country and our military are growing. Two combatant commanders
in the last few months have told me that this is the most
dangerous global environment in 50 years.
Third, unless the National Security Supplemental is enacted
into law, and soon, the Air Force will have to take funding out
of hide from the fiscal year 2024 Defense Appropriations Bill
we just enacted to sustain the Airmen and Guardians deployed in
support of our allies and partners confronting adversaries in
Europe and in the Middle East. The Bipartisan National Security
Supplemental passed by the Senate in February included more
than $1.8 billion for these purposes. Without this supplemental
funding, there will be even greater harm to our overall
readiness and modernization.
Finally, I would note that many of the military aircraft
transporting aid to Ukraine and Israel are supported by the
101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor, Maine, of which I am very
proud.
Secretary Kendall, I know they are very eager to host you.
And I look forward to doing so as well.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Collins. Appreciate your
remarks.
We will now start with the panel Secretary Kendall you are
up. Your full written testimony will be a part of the record.
If you can keep it close to 5, we would appreciate it, but take
your time.
summary statement of hon. frank kendall
Secretary Kendall. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Tester, Vice Chair Collins, Members of the
Subcommittee, General Saltzman, General Allvin, and I thank you
for the opportunity to testify today on the Department of the
Air Force's fiscal year 2025 budget submission. The DAF
(Department of the Air Force) fiscal year 2025 budget request
supports the National Defense Strategy.
We appreciate the committee's support for the recently
enacted fiscal year 2024 budget and your efforts to secure
timely passage. As you are aware, the 6-month delay has had a
real impact, that time cannot be recovered, but at least we can
now move forward with our urgent modernization priorities.
As I have testified before this committee repeatedly, time
is my greatest concern, we are in a race for military
technological superiority with a capable pacing challenge, our
cushion is gone. We are out of time.
As we have briefed the committee at a classified level, the
pacing threat moves steadily forward, continued failure to
provide on time authorities and Appropriations, as you both
noted, will leave the Air Force and Space Force inadequately
prepared. We know the committee recognizes this, and we
appreciate your strong bipartisan support.
Our fiscal year 2025 budget request complies with the
Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA). We are requesting $217.5
billion for the Department of the Air Force, which includes
$188 billion for the Air Force, and $29.4 billion for the Space
Force. The fiscal year 2025 budget reflects an increase of
about 1.5 percent, as you noted, less than inflation, Vice
Chairman, over the enacted fiscal year 2024 budget, and does
not keep pace with inflation, or with the 7 percent publicly
acknowledged growth of China's military budget.
To stay within the levels of the FRA, the DAF had to adjust
our previous plans. The DAF fiscal year 2025 budget request
seeks to preserve the momentum behind our modernization
efforts, particularly the work on operational imperatives that
we initiated, and that this committee supported in fiscal year
2024.
In order to preserve modernization, we have marginally
reduced procurement, and we have sustained our foundational
accounts at levels we deemed acceptable, but no more. Because
the Space Force budget is dominated by research and development
accounts, we have had to marginally reduce the pace and scope
of our Space Force Modernization programs.
Our first priority in the National Defense Strategy remains
defense of the homeland. The DAF primarily supports through
investments in domain awareness, air and space defense, early
warning, and cyberspace defense programs.
Our second NDS (National Defense Strategy) priority is to
deter strategic attacks against the United States, our allies,
and our partners. The DAF fiscal year 2025 budget request
prioritizes nuclear modernization to maintain a safe, secure,
and effective nuclear deterrent. Notably, The Sentinel ICBM
(intercontinental ballistic missile) program is experiencing
unacceptable cost and schedule increases and is currently
undergoing a Nunn-McCurdy Review. The Department of the Air
Force will work closely with the committee as that review
reaches its conclusion.
The third NDS priority is to deter aggression and be
prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary. The DAF needs
immediate and significant capability modernization to keep pace
with the growing military capabilities of the PRC (People's
Republic of China). The DAF operational imperatives and the
closely related cross-cutting operational enablers continue to
guide modernization. The fiscal year 2025 Defense DAF budget
request includes $6.1 billion for these efforts.
Finally, the fourth National Defense Strategy priority is
to build a resilient Joint Force and enduring advantages. This
budget request invests to ensure that we can recruit and retain
the Force we need and so that our Airmen and Guardians, and
their families have the quality of life they deserve and can
serve to their full potential.
As we have briefed the committee, the DAF is also currently
undertaking a Department-wide effort to reoptimize to meet the
demands of Great Power competition. The intent is to minimize
both cost impacts and personnel or unit movements. We will work
closely with the committee as we develop detailed plans. We do
not anticipate any significant impact on the fiscal year 2025
budget, and we have not requested funds for this purpose.
The DAF also deeply appreciates the committees support for
the DOD Quick Start Initiative that was enacted last year by
the authorizers. The DAF has obtained approval from the
Secretary for two programs that will be initiated under this
new authority. We are in the process of providing the required
formal notification to the Congress and will publicly announce
the two programs shortly.
Time matters, but so do resources. The United States is
facing a competitor with national purchasing power that exceeds
our own, a challenge we have never faced in modern times. China
is actively developing and expanding capabilities to challenge
strategic stability, attack our critical space systems, and
defeat our ability to project power, especially air power.
Conflict is not inevitable, but it could happen at any time.
General Allvin and I just returned from a trip to some of
our key bases in the Indo-Pacific. We should all be very proud
of our men and women serving in harm's way and doing everything
they can to deter and be ready for a conflict should that
occur.
The DAF fiscal year 2025 budget request is focused on
addressing these realities and these needs. We commit to
working with the committee to secure timely enactment of this
budget request, and we thank you for your support in that
endeavor.
Thank you. We look forward to your questions.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Secretary Kendall. We appreciate
your statement.
Now, we will turn to the Space Force. General Saltzman, you
are up.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL B. CHANCE SALTZMAN, CHIEF OF SPACE
OPERATIONS, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
General Saltzman. Senator 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's Posture for fiscal year 2025.
As the Space Force prepares to celebrate its fifth
birthday, we are wholly dedicated to the work of forging a
service purpose-built for Great Power competition. Space has
never been more critical to the security of our Nation, and the
success or failure of the Joint Force depends heavily upon the
capabilities we present.
It is our responsibility to contest and control the domain,
to defend U.S. space capabilities, and to protect the Joint
Force from space-enabled attack. Gaining and maintaining space
superiority is the purpose for which the Space Force was
established.
With about 3 percent of the Department of Defense budget,
the Space Force offers a tremendous value proposition to the
Nation. Every dollar invested in Space brings asymmetric
returns, but that means every dollar cut creates asymmetric
risk.
Against a near-peer adversary, space superiority is the
linchpin. Without it, we cannot deter conflict. Without it, we
cannot provide vital effects. Without it, we cannot protect the
Joint Force. Until we have built the infrastructure to achieve
space superiority, the Space Force is a work in progress.
The Space Force's theory of success includes three parts:
avoiding operational surprise, denying the benefits of attack
in space, and conducting responsible counterspace activities.
The Space Force budget request is designed to support the
National Defense Strategy by building, training, and equipping
the Forces the Nation needs to perform each activity,
preserving freedom of action in space while deterring and
denying adversarial objectives.
Avoiding operational surprise requires us to maintain an
accurate understanding of the space domain at all times, 8.3
percent of our budget is dedicated to this aim. Operating
across disaggregated sensor frameworks, the Space Force
provides the maximum information possible to decision makers
from the tactical to the strategic level. And denying the
benefits of attack in space demands that we make any attack
against U.S. capabilities impractical and self-defeating, 43.4
percent of our budget is devoted to this objective.
Investing in resiliency for missile warning and tracking,
satellite communications, position, navigation, and timing,
hybrid architectures and proliferated constellations impose a
heavy cost on aggression.
Finally, responsible counterspace activities describe the
mechanism by which the Space Force can test and control the
space domain. The fiscal year 2025 budget dedicates 24.7
percent of the Space Force budget to space superiority. Within
the constraints of the FRA, the fiscal year 2025 Space Force
budget reflects hard choices to maintain legacy Space Services
and preserve current readiness. But it also slows the fielding
of a modernized force.
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Space Force's
fiscal year 2025 budget and posture. Even in the face of
accelerating threats, the Space Force remains the preeminent
military space organization in the world.
With the support of this committee, our Guardians will
preserve and expand our strategic advantage, and we will step
up to meet our pacing challenge.
So long as you continue to trust and invest in your Space
Service, the Space Force will respond with unparalleled value
for the Nation.
I look forward to your questions.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General Saltzman.
Next, we will hear from Air Force General Allvin.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL DAVID W. ALLVIN, AIR FORCE CHIEF
OF STAFF
General Allvin. Good morning, Chairman Tester, Vice Chair
Collins, and distinguished Members of this Committee.
Today, I am proud to represent the 677,000 Total Force
Airmen serving our Nation. I want to thank you for your
unyielding support, not only for those Airmen, but for their
families as well. It is an honor to sit beside Secretary
Kendall and General Saltzman today and testify on the fiscal
year 2025 budget submission.
As we look across the strategic landscape, we find
ourselves in a time of significant consequence. The
simultaneous demands of strategic competition with an
aggressive and increasingly capable PRC, and persistent acute
threats from around the globe require the Air Force to maximize
the readiness of today's forces while adapting our structures
and processes to offer the best opportunity to prevail in an
environment of enduring Great Power competition.
Time is not on our side. The fiscal year 2025 Air Force
budget request reflects difficult choices. We have made
tradeoffs to keep the Air Force's operational readiness today
at the minimum acceptable to meet the Nation's demands while
seeking to preserve the previous year's advances in
modernization. The Air Force budget request also invests in the
Air Force's most precious asset, our Airmen, to ensure they
remain the decisive advantage upon which our Nation depends.
Strategic deterrence is a key priority in our National
Defense Strategy, and the U.S. Air Force remains committed to
the recapitalization of our nuclear force. We are actively
supporting the process triggered by the Nunn-McCurdy breach of
the Sentinel Program and will continue to pursue the path of a
safe, secure, reliable, and effective ground leg of the nuclear
triad well into the future.
The B-21 will form the backbone of the Air Force's future
Bomber Force, capable of executing both conventional and
nuclear missions, and remains a key investment priority for the
fiscal year 2025 budget. Our ability to support the National
Defense Strategy priority of deterring aggression and
prevailing in conflict demands a modern Air Force that is
connected to the Joint Force and can close multiple kill chains
in minimal time to control the tempo of a complex fight with a
peer competitor.
To that end, the fiscal year 2025 budget proposes continued
investments in the F-35 and F-15EX, albeit with fewer than
preferred quantities dictated by the constraints of the Fiscal
Responsibility Act. We continue our investment in the Advanced
Battle Management System that will provide cutting-edge tools
and an integrated digital architecture to enable C3 battle
management in contested and degraded environments.
We remain committed to the Next Generation Air Dominance
Family of Systems, particularly Collaborative Combat Aircraft,
which will allow the Air Force to deliver the affordable mass
required to be effective against a very capable PRC. We are
also committed to building forward basing resilient enough to
enable continuous sortie generation even while under attack.
This imperative became even more apparent to Secretary
Kendall and I as we traveled through the Indo-Pacific. To
arrest the decline in our readiness, we have proposed modest
increases in investment in flying hours and weapon system
sustainment to support them, while prioritizing investments in
critical physical and cyber infrastructure.
Our Airmen are and always will be the deciding factor in
any conflict our Air Force faces and we are committed to their
health, development, and quality of life. We have made
significant progress, thanks to Congress' support, to increase
basic pay, adjust basic allowance for housing and subsistence
to account for macroeconomic factors.
There is still work to be done. During our recent trip, the
Secretary and I saw dedicated Airmen eager to accomplish the
mission despite significant challenges such as infrastructure
degradation caused by natural disaster, and persistent
environmental challenges, as well as access to healthcare
enjoyed by most CONUS (continental United States) Bases.
Efforts in lowering barriers to service and increasing
targeting tools are driving a trend in the right direction for
recruiting and retention. To continue to attract and retain the
very best in critical skills, we are developing tracks for
officers and enlisted Airmen in the technical area, and we are
creating new Warrant Officers billets in Cyber and IT.
The job of your Air Force has not changed since its
inception: support the defense of this Nation through credible
deterrence and unmatched combat prowess. To preserve that level
of deterrence, we must maintain our readiness today, modernize
our Force for tomorrow, and provide the absolute best support
to our Airmen. Success on any battlefield is a team effort.
I want to thank the Members of Congress and this committee
for their past and continued support.
Thank you. And I look forward to your questions.
[Statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Frank Kendall, General David W. Allvin and
General B. Chance Saltzman
overview
The President's Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget request continues
the Department of the Air Force's (DAF) implementation of the 2022
National Defense Strategy (NDS), while striking alignment with the 2023
Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA). The DAF remains focused on the
Department of Defense's mission to defend the U.S. homeland, safeguard
and advance vital U.S national security interests, and meet growing
threats to a stable and open international system, especially those
posed by our pacing challenge, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and
the Chinese Communist Party. In line with the priorities of the
Secretary of Defense, this budget request supports that mission and
invests in the people and teams that are our decisive advantage.
The DAF is currently undertaking a Department-wide effort to
optimize how we organize, train, and equip the Air Force and Space
Force to meet the PRC pacing challenge. These efforts are necessary for
us to remain competitive and are being undertaken with a strong sense
of urgency. They cannot, however, substitute for the resources the DAF
needs to execute its missions.
The total DAF budget request for FY25 is $217.5B, an increase of
1.1% from the FY24 President's Budget request. The USAF budget for FY25
is $188.1B, a 1.7% increase from the FY24 request. The Space Force
budget decreases modestly in FY25, from $30.0B to $29.4B. This is due
in part to fact-of-life reductions in planned satellite availability
for launch and to some key military space requirements shifting to the
National Reconnaissance Office. The DAF had to implement some difficult
tradeoffs, and take risk in certain areas to stay within the funding
levels provided under the FRA.
A forced reliance on funding through Continuing Resolutions has
already significantly hampered the DAF's ability to keep pace with
evolving threats by withholding authorization and appropriations to
initiate new programs of record or increase spending on existing
programs. Unfortunately, the time we have ceded cannot be recovered.
Timely and consistent authorizations and appropriations for defense
spending in line with this budget request are necessary to deter and,
if required, defeat threats to our national security. Continued failure
to provide on-time authority and appropriations will leave the Air
Force and Space Force inadequately prepared for the dramatic
geopolitical, technological, economic, and environmental challenges we
are facing. To keep pace with the threats in the changing strategic
landscape, we urge the Congress to enact this budget request without
delay.
responding to increasing threats
The threats to our national security are dramatically increasing.
The 2022 NDS identified the PRC as the only country with the will and
increasing capability to reshape the international order. In 2023, the
PRC increased its annual military budget by approximately 7 percent
with estimates showing it can support continued defense spending growth
for at least the next five to 10 years.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) already fields the largest
aviation force in the Indo-Pacific region. It has combined a growing
arsenal of long-range precision weapons with improving space- based
capabilities to expand the capability of its long range kill webs and
enable strikes against U.S. and Allied forces, air bases, carriers, and
high-value airborne assets.
In addition to using space capabilities to target U.S. and partner
terrestrial forces, the PLA is rapidly increasing its fielded suite of
kinetic and non-kinetic counterspace capabilities. These include
antisatellite missiles, ``inspection and repair'' systems that can
grapple and disable satellites on orbit, laser weapons and jammers, and
reusable spaceplanes with a range of potential military uses.
The PRC is also advancing its electronic warfare and cyberspace
attack capabilities to threaten U.S. bases and capabilities in the
region and the U.S. homeland. For example, the PRC has targeted
critical infrastructure in Guam that could be used to disrupt U.S. air
operations.
The PRC has also continued its rapid nuclear expansion, on track to
exceed previous projections, with more than 500 operational nuclear
warheads and a nascent nuclear triad. China is moving ahead of
expectations to field a nuclear arsenal comparable to that of the
United States. The PLA Rocket Force has at least 2,800 theater class
ballistic missiles and 350 international-range ballistic missiles,
including hypersonic missiles, highlighting its approach to diverse
potential nuclear- delivery systems. Many of these systems have dual-
use (conventional or nuclear) potential.
We must keep pace with the growing military capabilities of the PRC
while also managing the acute threat from Russia, deterring threats
from other regional actors, while remaining vigilant to potential
Violent Extremist Organization threats. Russia continues to place a
strong emphasis on modernizing strategic weapons that will allow it to
hold the United States homeland at risk, particularly with hypersonic
and other next-generation weapons. Russia is developing and deploying a
range of counterspace systems including surface-launched, air-launched,
and orbital anti-satellite weapons, laser weapons, electronic warfare
systems, and cyber capabilities that can threaten military and dual-use
space assets. Both Iran and North Korea are also working to expand
their military capabilities.
In the midst of these growing threats, the capabilities of the
Department of the Air Force are integral to the four priorities of the
NDS: defending the homeland; deterring strategic attacks against the
United States, our Allies, and our partners; deterring aggression and
being prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary; and ensuring our
future military advantage by building a resilient joint force and
defense ecosystem. With budgetary pressure, the DAF budget request
balances short-term risks and readiness against the need to rapidly
modernize capabilities required to deter future threats and meet NDS
priorities.
complying with fra
The DAF's budget is aligned with the FRA. The global obligations
and enduring missions of the DAF have not changed. Our global
commitments have not changed. As a result, our force structure and
human capital structure remain roughly constant from FY24. The
requirements to maintain adequate operational readiness, support global
deployments, and meet immediate mission requirements were met, but
funded to the highest level of risk considered acceptable. For example,
the so-called ``foundational accounts'' for Weapons Systems
Sustainment, Facilities, and Flying Hours were funded at the lowest
level considered acceptable in both the Air Force and the Space Force.
This practice can be tolerated in the short term under the constraints
of FRA.
With these ``current force'' related elements of the budget
allocated, investments in the ``future force'' were adjusted to manage
risk. The DAF budget request protects essential modernization,
especially the investments derived from our work on Operational
Imperatives and Cross-cutting Operational Enablers, and chose to
marginally reduce procurement of systems already in production in order
to sustain as much as possible the planned pace of research and
development funding for capabilities necessary to keep pace with
existing and imminent pacing threats. Procurement accounts were
adjusted downward in the Air Force from previous levels for some key
programs, including F-35 and F-15E/X. Procurement accounts also
decreased with fact-of-life delays in T-7 and E-7 production. The Air
Force procurement account decreased from $30.6B in the FY24 request to
$29.0B in FY25 and the Space Force procurement account decreased from
$4.7B to $4.3B. These adjustments generally allowed research and
development accounts to keep pace with inflation. They did not permit
the desired growth over time. This is particularly true for the Space
Force where transformational modernization is needed urgently.
meeting national defense strategy priorities
Defense of the Homeland
Our first priority remains defense of the homeland. The DAF
supports this priority through investments in domain awareness, air and
space defense, early warning that increases strategic deterrence and
enables defense of critical infrastructure, and cyberspace defense
programs. These investments are closely tied with the DAF Arctic
Strategy and position the DAF to support implementation of the 2023
Homeland Defense Policy Guidance.
Deterring Strategic Attacks
Our second priority is to deter strategic attacks against the
United States, our Allies, and our partners. The DAF provides two legs
of the Nuclear Triad and 75 percent of Nuclear Command, Control, and
Communications (NC3). The DAF's full-scope nuclear modernization
program recapitalizes all current systems and supporting infrastructure
to deliver modern and credible deterrence capabilities, which are
essential in today's increasingly uncertain international environment.
Decades of deferring modernization of Cold War-era systems, combined
with adversary nuclear modernization, make it imperative to modernize
U.S. nuclear forces to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear
deterrent to protect the U.S. homeland, as well as Allies and partners.
DAF nuclear capabilities provide unique, complementary, and
credible options in support of integrated deterrence. Decades of
deferred modernization have left little room for error in our
recapitalization program if we are to maintain a safe, secure, and
effective nuclear deterrent. The FY25 budget requests more than $19.4B
for nuclear modernization efforts including the Sentinel Ground Based
Strategic Deterrent, B-21 Raider, Survivable Airborne Operations Center
(SAOC), Long-Range Standoff Weapon, Next-Generation Overhead Persistent
Infrared programs, and the Evolved Satellite Communication System.
Additionally, the Space Force is in the early stages of developing and
fielding a more resilient missile warning and tracking capability
focused on tracking advanced threats by integrating new critical
missile tracking capabilities. While B-21 and LRSO are currently close
to planned cost and schedule profiles, other programs are experiencing
difficulties, and these programs have not completed development.
Sentinel is undergoing a critical Nunn-McCurdy review due to cost and
schedule increases. The SAOC cost estimate has also increased and is
putting pressure on the DAF's budget.
deterring aggression and prevailing in conflict
The third priority of our NDS is to deter aggression and be
prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary. The DAF needs immediate
and significant capability modernization to keep pace with the growing
military capabilities of the PRC. Each year, the threat continues to
advance as does our effort to define cost effective competitive
operational innovation. The DAF deeply appreciates the ``Quick Start''
provision placed in the FY24 NDAA and will take full advantage of this
opportunity to save precious time. Our effort to Reoptimize for Great
Power Competition is intended in large part to create institutions with
the mission of ensuring continuous competitiveness against our pacing
challenge. The seven DAF Operational Imperatives and the Cross-cutting
Operational Enablers body of work continues to guide the DAF's
modernization effort. The FY25 DAF budget request includes $6.1B for
these efforts, $4.0B in the Space Force and $2.1B in the Air Force
excluding B-21 investments available at a higher classification.
building a resilient joint force and defense ecosystem
The fourth NDS priority is to build a resilient Joint Force and
defense ecosystem to ensure our future military advantage. Our Airmen,
Guardians, and civilian teammates are the decisive advantage in our
strategic competition, and this budget request invests to ensure they
can serve to their full potential. Programs that respond to the most
pressing problems of our Airmen, Guardians, and their families are
detailed for each DAF Military Service in the sections below.
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
Strategic competition with the PRC while also managing acute and
persistent threats requires the Air Force to modernize to maintain its
preeminent status in the world. The Air Force continues to implement
the programs identified under the Operational Imperatives and follow
through on initiatives designed to maintain the Air Force's qualitative
advantages over any competitor. The Air Force is investing in force
structure and capabilities aligned with the NDS. As the strategic
environment is rapidly changing and technology fundamentally alters the
character of war we are in a time of consequence. The Air Force is
determined to maintain its position as the leader in speed, agility,
and lethality upon which the joint team, the Nation, and allies rely.
The FY25 Air Force budget request is $188.1B. The Air Force budget
invests in foundational accounts in an attempt to arrest the year-over-
year degradation of the capabilities, operational readiness, and
supporting infrastructure necessary to implement the NDS, but doing so
mandates a slower rate of needed modernization which increases the risk
to the DAF's overall readiness. The budget fully funds nuclear
modernization programs to deter strategic attacks, continuing the most
extensive recapitalization effort of the nuclear enterprise in the Air
Force's history. (The recently announced Nunn McCurdy cost breach on
the Sentinel ICBM program is still being
addressed and final estimates are not available at this time.) It
also continues investment in modernization focused on critical long-
range kill webs ($310.6M) and affordable mass ($719.8M) central to the
ability to deter and, if necessary, defeat aggression. This is in clear
recognition of the PRC pacing challenge and Russian acute threat. The
Air Force budget request also invests in the Air Force's most precious
asset--its Airmen--to ensure they remain the decisive advantage the
Nation depends upon.
air force's role in defending the nation
For FY25, the Air Force must make difficult choices to balance risk
today and into the future. Today, the Air Force is accepting risk
across the Service's modernization accounts in order to maintain
minimally acceptable near-term operational readiness. This places
additional risk on the Air Force's ability to deter and defeat any
adversary going forward.
The FY25 Air Force budget request prioritizes operational readiness
in the current year and seeks to preserve previous years' substantial
advances in modernization and procurement. The Air Force's operational
readiness is near the minimum level acceptable for the Service to meet
the Nation's demands.
While this budget attempts to sustain the modernization momentum
created by the Operational Imperatives and Cross-cutting Operational
Enablers, it takes risk in the medium term to balance immediate
operational readiness needs at the level of maximum tolerable risk. The
medium-term risk most noticeably impacts the Air Force's ability to
field the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Family of Systems, as
well as a mature Command, Control, Communications, and Battle
Management (C3BM) system, the Air Force contribution to JADC2.
The Air Force is requesting $2.1B to meet the immediate Operational
Imperatives required to maintain the Air Force's qualitative advantage
and ability to deter and, if necessary, win whenever called upon by the
Nation. The Operational Imperatives provide the Service with critical
capabilities, readiness investments, and the foundation required to
transition and sustain a wartime posture against our pacing threat.
Notably, the USAF FY25 budget request continues progress toward
fielding an operationally optimized Advanced Battle Management System
(ABMS) ($174M) that will improve situational awareness and provide
decision-support tools to close hundreds of kill chains within relevant
timelines while operating in a highly contested environment. The FY25
Air Force budget supports achieving moving target engagement at scale
($177M), which will be decisive in a conflict with a well-resourced
peer- or near-peer adversary. Fielding the NGAD Family of Systems
($675M), particularly Collaborative Combat Aircraft, will allow the Air
Force to augment current and future platforms with lower-cost
complementary systems that can cost-effectively achieve control of the
air in highly contested environments. The B-21 and its Family of
Systems (details available at a higher classification) will be the
backbone of the Air Force's bomber force and provide critical
operational capability for both conventional and nuclear missions and
provide precision effects en masse against targets worldwide. The Air
Force is committed to building resilient forward basing ($594M) that
ensures sustainable and networked bases capable of sufficient sortie
generation and mission execution in a contested environment. The
Service is also investing toward securing the critical readiness
required to mobilize and move the Air Force and Joint Force into
theater ($232.9M), including hardening mobilization and support
capabilities against cyber and non-cyber threats. These investments
represent significant efforts in critical systems and assets required
by the increasingly challenging threat environment.
Among the Air Force's highest priorities is achieving
electromagnetic spectrum dominance and an information advantage in
highly contested environments. The Air Force's budget includes a $50M
budget request in FY25 for investment in EA-37B Baseline 4 capability
enhancements and advanced waveform development. Furthermore, the Air
Force is investing in mission resilience and adaptability efforts such
as the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing's rapid reprogramming to ensure
effective electronic attack, support, and defensive capabilities;
synchronization efforts such as Air Combat Command's Electromagnetic
Battle Management (EMBM). The Air Force's investments in
electromagnetic spectrum dominance are vital to ensuring that the
Nation's warfighters, Joint mission partners, and Allies build,
achieve, and maintain mission effectiveness, survivability, and,
ultimately, warfighting advantage over the Nation's adversaries. These
efforts aid in maintaining the Air Force's credibility in both
assurance and deterrence roles.
As the Air Force adapts to the changing strategic environment, we
are reoptimizing every aspect of the Service around meeting the PRC
pacing challenge. The Air Force is focusing organizations responsible
for strategic readiness on current operational readiness, creating and/
or elevating organizations that are critical to this strategic
environment such as cyber and the nuclear enterprise, and creating a
single command to focus on future capabilities. These reoptimization
decisions make changes that are within the current authorities and, to
the extent possible, the resources of the Department of the Air Force.
As we strive to keep pace in a strategic environment where the
competition has sustained and consistent growth in funding, these
efforts alone will not be enough.
air force's role in taking care of people
The Air Force is committed to attracting and retaining the best
Airmen in the world. In FY24, the Active Duty Air Force is currently on
track to meet its recruiting goals. Air National Guard and Reserve
recruiting are trending upward but continue to remain a challenge for
the Service. The Air Force has continued to break down barriers to
service and made progress thanks to Congress's significant support to
provide requested pay increases and increasing economic security for
Airmen through cost-of-living adjustments to basic pay, BAH, and BAS.
Additionally, the Air Force is opening its bases to local communities
to showcase the service to the public and connect with the Nation's
possible recruits. The then VCSAF's cross functional team on Barriers
to Service implemented 18 policy changes since Jan 2023 to expand
future recruiting opportunities and increase eligibility to serve.
These changes include accelerated naturalization at BMT, aligning the
body composition to the DoD standard, and expanding the tattoo policy.
These changes have provided tangible improvements without sacrificing
quality. The CFT will continue to review and adjust DAF policies and
initiatives to best address future recruiting challenges and amplify
efforts to increase propensity to serve for all.
To maintain talent, the Air Force has focused on quality-of-life
impacts for its Airmen, investing to ensure they have the resources
required to thrive. The Air Force has concentrated on improving access
to childcare; this budget request includes a $40.0M MILCON submission
for a CDC at Mountain Home AFB, on top of 11 CDC MILCON projects that
the Air Force is executing in FY25, and $50M in Facilities,
Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization focused investment in CDCs.
The Service is also on track to implement the Independent Review
Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military's recommendations and
programs as approved by the Secretary of Defense, expanding victim care
and support for victims of sexual assault. Specifically, the Air Force
is increasing the presence of embedded mental health personnel in line
units to prepare for contingency operations. Demand for these mental
health services has increased twofold over the last decade while mental
health manning has remained relatively unchanged. To offset the lack of
providers, the Department of the Air Force is training service members
at every level on basic mental health skills. The Air Force has also
invested in Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence Prevention and
Response with $451M in the FY25 budget request to implement initiatives
supporting and protecting Airmen.
Quality of life also demands the best living and working facilities
possible. Due to fiscal constraints resulting from the FRA, the Air
Force was unable to reduce the $46.8B of deferred maintenance and
repair backlog, nor achieve the 2.3% plant replacement value (PRV)
reinvestment goal envisioned in the Infrastructure Investment Plan. The
FY24 budget request set this goal at 1.58% and the FY25 budget request
reduces it to 1.5%. Additionally, the existing CR has directly impacted
the Air Force's ability to release funds and award dormitory contracts
in the current fiscal year. The inability to release funds increases
risk to meet the Air Force's dormitory investment goal of $1.1B by
2026, and the inability to fund and award dormitory projects in FY24
will roll into FY25. However, with this budget request, the Air Force
will meet the FY22 NDAA requirement to invest at least 5% of the
estimated replacement cost of the total inventory of permanent party
dormitories for facility improvements. The Air Force is deliberately
investing to sustain adequate dormitories. The FY25 budget request
includes a planned investment of $250M for future prioritization of
dormitory repair, but that does not include FY24 rollover due to
funding delays. The Air Force is also engaging with local leaders to
increase the availability of affordable housing options for families.
These moves, along with the substantial increase in BAH for many
localities, have increased housing opportunities and living facilities
for Airmen.
To be the best, we must manage our Airmen's talent. The Air Force
is defining new Total Force skills required to meet the demands of Air
Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN), Agile Combat Employment, and Future
Force Design. As part of reoptimization, the technical tracks for
Officers and Enlisted Airmen as well as the introduction of Warrant
Officers for Cyber and IT, seek to attract and retain the critical
talent needed in fast-paced and rapidly evolving critical technology
sectors that are shaping the modern battlefield. We are also improving
talent management by investing in processes and systems that increase
agility, flexibility, and data access. The Air Force is exploring ways
to identify the most innovative Airmen, network them, and ensure they
can field innovative solutions to meet the Air Force's most significant
challenges.
air force's role n succeeding through teamwork
Teamwork is critical in the total Air Force, including the Reserves
and the Air National Guard, all as part of the Joint Force meeting the
NDS objectives. That teamwork begins within the DAF, where the Air
Force relies on and supports the Space Force. Both Services depend on
each other in developing and fielding the Operational Imperatives and
achieving the Department's reoptimization efforts. Cooperation of both
the Space Force and Air Force is required to meet the challenges posed
by the nation's adversaries. The ability to conduct precision strikes,
engage moving-targets, close kill chains, and build situational
awareness in a highly contested environment requires the seamless
integration of both Services. The Air Force and Space Force are
inexorably intertwined, ensuring that both services, the Joint Force,
and our allies and partners will prevail wherever called upon.
Meeting our pacing challenge also demands that the Air Force
seamlessly integrate with the larger Joint Force, the combatant
commands, and our allies and partners. This is the essence of
Integrated Deterrence. As part of the reoptimization efforts, the Air
Force is executing large-scale exercises to test its capabilities
against peer threats in highly contested environments and re-designing
force presentation models to ensure combatant commanders most stressing
operational needs are met. The FY25 budget includes $428M in investment
to support the integrated priority lists of the combatant commanders.
The Operational Imperatives and capability investments across the
Service are critical to ensuring the Joint Force can succeed against
the pacing challenge.
While the Air Force focuses on supporting the Joint Force in
meeting the NDS priorities, the Service also realizes that Allies and
partners are a center of gravity for United States national security.
Allies and partners facilitate access, basing, and overflight. The Air
Force is committed to working with our Allies and partners, especially
in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East, to advance an
international order grounded in rules and norms. The Air Force
continues to streamline FMS programs and work with allies to develop
interoperable capabilities beginning from the initial design of
systems.
Teamwork is also required with the Defense Industrial Base to
ensure a robust industry that is the world leader in technology and
production capacity that can adapt at speed and scale. As we promote
the strength of the Defense Industrial Base, the Service is working
with industry partners on delivering relevant capabilities with
increased speed and capacity and ensuring mission- dependent supply
chain and logistics resilience.
Teamwork inside the Department of the Air Force; the Joint Force;
the Defense Industrial Base; and Allies and partners will be the
cornerstone of integrated deterrence and combat capability in strategic
competition with the PRC. The interdependence of these forces demands
constant attention to drive seamless integration and interoperability.
Unity in action and capabilities developed between the Air Force, Joint
Force, and Allies and partners will provide our Nation and our Allies
an advantage that no potential adversary can match.
Perhaps as much as any time in history, teamwork is required across
the whole of our government to tackle the increasingly complex and
dangerous challenges that face our Nation. The Air Force will continue
to work transparently and collaboratively through the Department of the
Air Force, Department of Defense, Executive Branch, and Congress to
field and maintain the most ready and dominant Air Force for the
Nation.
UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE
Since its establishment in 2019, the United States Space Force has
focused on one, overarching imperative: to secure the Nation's
interests in, from, and to space. As the threats in space to American
prosperity and security both increase and become more sophisticated,
the Space Force must transform and therefore, it is prioritizing
investments that prepare the Joint Force and the Nation to confront the
dangerous operating environment that space already has become. This
transformation is severely complicated by the constrained fiscal
environment, which has forced the DAF and the Space Force to make hard
choices.
space force's role in defending the nation
The world's use of space is growing at an accelerating rate, making
space simultaneously more important and more dangerous. The domain is
no longer the benign expanse of the past. Counterspace threats continue
to destabilize the environment, and space-enabled attack increasingly
holds the Joint Force and our homeland at risk. The PRC, and to a
significant extent Russia, have operationalized space. The United
States has not kept pace. With space undeniably defined as a
warfighting domain, the Nation depends upon the Space Force to secure
its interests in, from, and to space.
To meet this challenge, the Space Force has organized its
modernization efforts around a theory of success that aims to protect
the Nation and its interests, while also preserving stability and long-
term usability of the domain. This approach adheres to three guiding
principles: (1) avoid operational surprise in the space domain, (2)
deter attacks against U.S. interests in space and (3) prevent an
adversary from using space to attack our homeland or the Joint Force.
The destruction of forces in space risks creating long-lasting hazards
and indiscriminate risks. For this reason, the Space Force's concept of
space superiority seeks to protect U.S. interests without jeopardizing
the future of the space domain.
Avoiding operational surprise in space requires the Space Force to
maintain constant awareness of the battlespace, supplemented by a
robust capability to accurately produce indications and warnings for
malign behavior. Over 8% of the Space Force's FY25 budget is dedicated
to this purpose. Specifically, the Space Force budget invests $1.25B
into the space domain awareness mission area, including funding for the
Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, SILENTBARKER, and Space Data
Fusion. These programs extend the Space Force's umbrella of awareness
in the space domain, by establishing a clear picture of the operating
environment and denying adversaries the ability to strike U.S. assets
without warning.
To deny the benefits of a preemptive counter-space strike, the
Space Force must build resilient space capabilities that guarantee
continuity of critical services to the Joint Force despite current and
growing adversary counterspace forces. These critical services include
missile warning; communications; targeting; and Position, Navigation
and Timing. The Space Force must transform these services to make them
resilient to attack. As airborne systems providing communications and
targeting have become more vulnerable and as threat long-range
precision strike systems have proliferated, the Joint Force dependency
on space is significantly increasing. To that end, the Space Force
budget invests $2.58B, or 55% of the total space-based missile warning
budget, to field a proliferated multi-orbit missile warning network.
Operating across different orbital regimes and sensor types, this
hybrid approach complicates an adversary's attack options against U.S.
space assets, enhances resiliency of a no-fail warning mission, and
assures critical decisionmaking data will be available at the tactical,
operational, and strategic levels. The Space Force is procuring two
additional GPS-IIIF vehicles. Presently, there are 31 satellites in
orbit with four in storage and two slated for launch in FY25.
Simultaneously, the Space Force is researching more resilient PNT
options. The FY25 budget also devotes $4.4B to developing satellite
communications (SATCOM) systems capable of operating through contested
and degraded environments. The Space Force is working to ensure that
all of its capabilities can deter, overcome, and operate through enemy
action.
$7.25B--nearly a quarter of the Space Force's FY25 funding--invests
in the ability to counter an adversary from using space to attack the
U.S. homeland or the Joint Force. This set of investments, which cannot
be discussed in detail in an unclassified setting, is a major
transformational effort for the USSF because it enables the newest
Space Force mission, space superiority. The need to gain and maintain
space superiority over peer adversaries is the distinguishing
characteristic of a transformed Space Force and it is a top priority.
Unfortunately, the compounding effects of Continuing Resolutions and
the FY25 top-line funding constraints under the FRA have had
significant impact on the Space Force's ability to meet the demands of
this critical mission.
Finally, to reoptimize for the pacing challenge, sustain our long-
term competitive advantage, and ensure the relevance of our technical
investments, the Space Force is establishing a Space Futures Command.
Overseeing the forward-looking force design process by which we
determine our objective force, Space Futures Command will provide vital
structures and processes for our force development activities. Working
closely with the Air Force Research Laboratory this Command will
routinely assess the relevancy of and make recommendations on the
priority of areas of scientific research. This will provide a clear and
consistent demand signal to all partners, unambiguously identifying the
technologies we consider to be essential to our success.
The Space Force is in the early stages of a major transformation,
from a force focused only on peacetime capabilities to a force that
also includes the full range of warfighting capabilities. The Space
Force we have today, no matter how ready it is, does not have the range
of capabilities needed against the pacing challenge. Preserving current
force capabilities is necessary but not sufficient. We must invest to
transform our legacy space capabilities into a credible warfighting
force to deter and, if needed, to defeat our adversaries; and we must
do so with a sense of urgency. This requires on-time and stable
funding. Continuing Resolutions force the Space Force to rearchitect
programs, miss launch windows, and break delivery timelines, spreading
mission delays across the FYDP. For example, hypothetical year-long CRs
can force the Space Force to slow its launch procurements,
precipitating impacts for years to come by reducing the capability it
can get on orbit, creating industrial base challenges, delaying test
and training activities, and generating more barriers to its
transformation.
space force's role in taking care of people
The Space Force's small but technologically sophisticated workforce
means the Space Force must deliberately manage talent on an individual
basis. In 2023, Congress passed the Space Force Personnel Management
Act. This landmark legislation will enable the Space Force to build a
modern personnel management system that will better allow the Space
Force to develop and retain the elite military cadre it needs to be
competitive and successful. The permeability between full-time and
part-time military service the single component creates will allow
Guardians of the relatively small Space Force to flexibly manage their
careers and better meet their personal and professional goals while
meeting Space Force operational needs.
The Space Force is also piloting the Defense Civilian Training
Corps in FY25. This program, which will act as a civil service
counterpart to the Reserve Officer Training Corps program, will recruit
civilian Guardians with desirable backgrounds following the completion
of their undergraduate education. Additionally, FY25 resourcing will
allow the Space Force to expand developmental opportunities for all
Guardians. Here, the first step will be a redesigned Officer Training
Course. Under this program, all newly accessed officers will attend the
same initial skills training course to learn the fundamentals of cyber
operations, intelligence, and space operations. This combined initial
skills training will ensure all officers have a comprehensive
operational background prior to pursuing more specialized duties like
acquisition. The Space Force is truly committed to being operationally
focused.
The demands placed on Guardians continue to grow as space becomes a
more dangerous operating environment. To prepare for this challenge,
Guardians must be able to develop, train, and exercise their
operational tradecraft in a secure environment against high-fidelity
simulated threats. To meet these requirements, the Space Force is
building the necessary test and training infrastructure from scratch.
In FY25, the Space Force budget invests $438.7M into the Operational
Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) program. The Space Force is
also expanding its investments in the test enterprise to account for
the electromagnetic and orbital warfare mission areas. Recently, the
DAF organized all of these activities under a single Program Executive
Officer, ensuring resourcing transparency, accountability, and
interoperability across the test and training enterprise.
One personnel challenge the Space Force faces as a small service is
creating the organizational capacity to perform current operations
while simultaneously building operational readiness for a high-
intensity conflict. To better balance these two, the Space Force is
formalizing how it builds operational readiness in combat force
elements. The Space Force is accomplishing this by implementing the
Space Force Generation model for readiness, which is made possible by a
requested additional $344.2M invested across several accounts. This
investment enables a rotational model for Employed-in-Place missions,
allowing personnel to accomplish threat-focused combat training before
they are presented to the combatant commanders for day-to-day
operations.
space force's role in succeeding through teamwork
The Space Force is not just an important teammate, but an essential
one to the Joint and Combined Force. Broader operational success across
all domains and theaters will depend on the Space Force succeeding in
its missions. First, the Space Force provides services that the Joint
and Combined team must have, or they will fail. Achieving that requires
not just fielding effective capabilities joint warfighters need, but
also securing those capabilities from adversarial attack. Second, the
Space Force protects the Joint and Combined team from space-enabled
attack. The Space Force cannot succeed in either regard without robust
relationships across the U.S. enterprise and with indispensable Allies
and partners.
To that end, partnerships with the other Services and throughout
the Joint Force is a top Space Force priority. In FY24, the Space Force
established several service components to integrate Space Force
capabilities and expertise into the Combatant Commands. For example,
the Space Force established U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa, giving
both USEUCOM and USAFRICOM a dedicated team of experts in space
planning and operations. The FY25 budget invests an additional $27.8M
to build service components in support of every Combatant Command. Once
fully implemented, this program will give every Combatant Command
access to Guardians who can help integrate space capabilities into
their joint operations.
Nationally, there are many agencies and organizations with equities
in the space domain. This is why the Space Force is partnering with a
variety of government agencies to unify effort and leverage common
interests for mutual benefit in space. For example, space-based
surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting is a critically important
emerging mission area for the Space Force. Therefore, the Space Force
is working with the intelligence community, as well as industry
partners, so that the Space Force can accomplish this important mission
as part of the Joint Force.
As a highly technical service, the Space Force depends on a strong
industrial base. An eighth of the Space Force FY25 budget is dedicated
to commercial space services which will help reinforce and energize the
space industrial base our nation depends upon. Moreover, the Space
Force is continuing to develop its commercial space strategy within the
larger DAF and Department of Defense industrial policy framework to
identify areas for deeper partnerships with the diverse commercial
space market.
The Space Force can no longer afford to delay its necessary
transformation. Space capabilities are foundational to how the Joint
Force projects power across the world and are increasingly at risk--
they are old, vulnerable, and already not fully meeting joint
warfighter needs. Lessening these risks requires transformational
change--transcending the status quo and making smart investments in not
just new systems, but also people--America's Guardians.
conclusion
The Department of the Air Force is in a race for technological
superiority against a well-resourced strategic competitor. The United
States is now facing a competitor with national purchasing power that
exceeds our own, a challenge we have never faced in modern times The
PLA is actively developing and expanding capabilities to challenge
strategic stability, attack our critical space systems, and defeat our
ability to project power, especially air power. Conflict in the Indo-
Pacific region is not inevitable. The United States is actively working
to prevent conflict by strengthening combat-credible deterrence.
However, acute and persistent threats still exist, and the security and
prosperity undergirded by the United States military for decades is
increasingly challenged. The DAF FY25 budget request is focused on
addressing this reality. The DAF has funded current readiness accounts
at the lowest acceptable level while investing remaining resources in
essential modernization. Some Air Force procurement has been deferred
to free up funding for new capabilities in development. The Space Force
lacks similar trade-off options, forcing delays in needed systems,
especially counterspace systems. The DAF FY25 budget request is aligned
with the NDS. It addresses mission requirements while taking care of
people and fulfilling our role in the Joint, interagency, and combined
team. We urge timely approval of this budget request to allow us to
keep pace with the challenges facing the United States.
Senator Tester. General Allvin, thank you very much for
your statement. I want to thank you all for your statements.
I want to express a couple things before I get to my
questions. Number one, this budget puts a lot of pressure on
you three gentlemen, and the other branches of our military to
make sure that our priorities are correct.
That being said, we are living under a 1 percent increase
budget cap that was negotiated in a bipartisan way by
leadership. I don't think Senator Collins and I are going to be
in conflict with this statement at all. I think this is totally
inadequate. I think we have got to figure out a way to make
sure, at this dangerous time, which I believe is the most
dangerous time in the world since the early 1960s, that we give
you the money you need and then hold you accountable to make
sure you spend it correctly.
But I am here to tell you that from this Senator's
perspective, the amount that is in this budget, and I don't
care if we are talking about Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, it
doesn't matter, is inadequate. And I think it is inadequate
because there was the decision made to put a 1 percent cap down
months ago. That was a bad decision.
That being said, we will work with you and we will work in
a bipartisan way to try to make sure that you have what you
need for that deterrence and those priorities that you have
already spoken of.
I want to start by talking about recruiting, end strength
for the Air Force in this budget it holds it steady at 320,000.
It has always been a challenge. It is a challenge right now to
meet that number.
The question I have is how confident are you, Secretary
Kendall, that you will be able to meet that number? And do you
have enough people to--if you don't meet that number, do you
have enough people to actually implement the modernization
efforts?
Secretary Kendall. All right. Recruiting was the question?
Senator Tester. Yes.
Secretary Kendall. We are actually doing very well this
year. The active Force is on track at this point to essentially
meet its goals. In fact, we are looking at revising the goals
up slightly. The Reserves are doing well also. The Guard has
improved their performance over last year, but it is not quite
meeting their target.
So we took a number of steps. General Allvin led a group, a
taskforce when he was a vice chief-of-staff, that changed some
of our policies to expand the envelope of the people that we
would bring in. We did not lower our standards, but we made
some adjustments. That helped a lot. We increased our efforts
in recruiting in general. We provided better information
technology so our recruiters could be out recruiting instead of
at their computers, and we increased the size of the force.
We also asked, throughout the Force, people to go interact
more. The biggest problem we have with recruiting is the
propensity to serve in the U.S. has declined, and a lot of that
is lack of familiarity with the military. So we have taken a
number of steps to try to reach out and communicate what the
opportunities are in the military.
So, I am very comfortable with the trajectory as it exists
now. I think we are in good shape, as I said, for the active
and the reserves, and I think we are making good progress on
the Guard. The Space Force has not had issues recruiting.
General Allvin may want to add a little bit to that.
General Allvin. No. I think the Secretary has it exactly
right. We are never satisfied because we know it can turn on a
dime. And so, in addition to all those that the Secretary has
mentioned, we're really reinforcing sort of the value
proposition, the sense of purpose, and this idea that we are in
a time of consequence, and just reinforcing that there is
broader purpose in serving in the military. And that
familiarity with what we do, I think, is reaching out to more
people, and we are starting to resonate as well.
Senator Tester. The Sentinel Project is a project that is
near and dear to both Senator Hoeven and me. There is about
$3.7 billion allocated to Sentinel, and this is to replace the
Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. There have
been cost increases, and schedule delays, and quite frankly, I
believe the Air Force is going to make a decision on the path
forward in June, but quite frankly, we are running against--in
my perspective--we are running against some real-time issues if
we are going to get these replaced in the three ICBM bases by
2036.
I know that you are recused from this, Secretary Kendall,
so I will go with General Allvin with the question: How
committed is the Air Force to replacing Minuteman III? Do you
believe that you have--do you believe the Air Force has the
folks in position to manage this program? And do you think we
will be able to get it done on time; that time being 2036?
General Allvin. Well, Senator, as you know, we have to
recapitalize, we have to ensure that we have a robust and
effective triad, and of course, the ICBM leg of that triad is
the most responsive and that has a great deterrence effect. So,
we will remain committed to the recapitalization. And as we
look at the Nunn-McCurdy process playing out, we are supporting
that, and we are continuing our engineering and manufacturing
development as that occurs.
But regardless of what the decision is in July, we remain
committed to ensuring that recapitalization, in whatever form
that takes, the Office of Secretary of Defense has the overall
decision authority, we are supporting that with facts and data,
but we are certainly committed to ensure that regardless of
what the outcome of that committee, we will ensure we have a
safe and reliable and effective triad in the future.
Senator Tester. Well, I think it is critically important. I
just think it is critically important, and I think that if we
don't get a good solid timeline about when things are going to
happen, and I anticipate that is going to happen in June, then
we can anticipate that we will never hit that 2036 mark.
General Allvin. And I will add to that, if I could Senator,
that we have internally, we have ensured that we are having
leadership part of the reevaluation that we have done within
the Air Force is we have elevated--elevating to a two-star
General the Program Executive Office for ICBMS, and ensuring
that we can continue to provide the focus and the overall
guidance that is needed to support whatever decision that comes
out of the Nunn-McCurdy.
Senator Tester. I have some additional questions but there
will be a second round, at least for me.
Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General Allvin, I want to read to you a quote from the
Executive Vice President of the Air Force Association, he said
the following, ``Under this budget the Air Force, already the
oldest and smallest in its history, would see its total
aircraft inventory fall below 5,000 for the first time ever,
and indeed when I looked at the chart on aircraft inventory the
projection is 4,903 aircraft. China, on the other hand, is
increasing the size of its fleet of aircraft.''
Are we at the point where we are risking an Air Force that
is too small to accomplish the missions that it is assigned?
General Allvin. Senator, I believe that the most important
thing that we should be focused on is having the right
capability. Of course, we are all restricted by the budgets
within which we work; however, our focus is to ensure that just
having a quantity, we have the right quality to be able to
ensure the survivability and the ability to compete in highly
contested environment.
So we are focused on getting the maximum capacity that we
can of the most capable platforms and systems, because it has
gone beyond just counting aircraft, it is the entire kill
chain, the ability to have the battle management, to they have
the situational awareness which is, increasingly, we are going
to rely on my brother from Space here to ensure that we do. So
it is really not just platforms, it is a capable system of
systems that will ensure that we can endure.
Senator Collins. As I listened to you, I remember an
Admiral saying to me in my very first year in the Senate, that
quantity has a quality all of its own. I mean there becomes a
point, when I look at the 5-year plan of the Air Force, when
you are seeking to divest more than a thousand aircraft while
procuring fewer than one aircraft for every two jets that are
being retired, and when I look at the situation in Ukraine it
seems clear to me that not only is quality obviously extremely
important in capability, but quantity matters also,
particularly when we are facing as many threats in such diverse
places, as we are.
General Allvin. Senator, I would agree with you. And I
would say that quantity does matter, but we want every one of
that quantity to be survivable, because if we have a large
quantity but they have a reduced chance of survival then we are
actually putting more Airmen in harm's way and at higher risk
if we can't have them survive and be able to actually prevail.
And so, we do look at that capability and capacity, but we
certainly don't want--because our Airmen will go fight, we want
to deter, but when asked we will fight in whatever cockpits we
have, and so we want to ensure that when we are providing that
mass, that mass is actually survivable, and can endure.
Senator Collins. I just want to make sure you have enough
of those cockpits.
For each of our witnesses, but starting with the Secretary,
please describe to the committee the area, or capability, where
you feel you are incurring the most risk given the top line
constraints?
Secretary Kendall. As I mentioned in my opening statement,
my greatest concern is time, and the pace of modernization.
China is, and I have been watching China closely for--since
2010, they have modernized in a way which is intended to take
advantage of what they see as our vulnerabilities, and so they
are attacking things like our airfields, our carriers, our
satellites, that we rely upon in relatively small numbers.
They are also modernizing in the air domain and in the
counterspace domain very effectively in general. And they are
fielding quantities. We do have to respond to the quantities as
you mentioned. Unfortunately, holding on to increasingly aging
and expensive to maintain, and less cost-effective assets
really doesn't help us with that equation.
So when I look at the risk equation I think we are at a
situation where, in the near term, the immediate term, we are
at an acceptable level of risk, and we have to emphasize
getting to the next round of the Next Generation, if you will,
of capabilities.
As General Saltzman mentioned, we have got to have a
transformative set of space capabilities. We need to get to
that. And in the air domain we need to get to the next
generation, particularly the Uncrewed Collaborative Combat
Aircraft that General Allvin mentioned.
We have a cost problem with the aircraft that we are buying
now. Our fighters are very expensive. The F-35 and the F-15EX
cost about $100 million each, NGAD (Next Generation Air
Dominance) and will cost over $300 million, and will be bought
in small numbers. The uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft
give us an opportunity to address the cost and the quantity
issues with relatively inexpensive but very highly cost-
effective platforms that we add to the fleet.
So getting on with the Next Generation capabilities is by
far my highest priority right now. The risk is increasing over
time. And if we focus on the risk today at the expense of the
higher levels of risk we are going to see, as China continues
to modernize, we are going to have to be in a very untractable
position within just a few years.
Senator Collins. Thank you. I will ask the other two to
respond for the record. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you,
Secretary Kendall, and Generals Allvin and Saltzman for your
service to the country.
Secretary Kendall, I want to especially thank you for
coming to the Pease Air National Guard Base last year. We
really appreciated your announcing the Department's policy
increasing transparency for those communities like Portsmouth
that have been affected by PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl
Substances) contamination.
I wonder if you can share an update on the implementation
of the new policy, because I am still hearing concerns from
residents in Portsmouth who feel like they are not seeing the
kind of transparency they had hoped for as the result of the
new policy.
Secretary Kendall. Senator Shaheen, thank you, it was a
pleasure to meet with you, and visit with you at Pease. And as
the Vice Chairman mentioned earlier, I am going to be going to
Bangor very shortly, so I will make sure I have got this
balanced here.
Senator Shaheen. You can stop on the way to Bangor, you
know, we are right on the----
Secretary Kendall. Will definitely do that. That program is
moving forward, and I think it is--we are committed to doing
the right thing in regard to addressing PFAS. We are reacting
to the change in standard, and I think at this phase we are
doing the planning for the next round. I think there has to be
a reassessment given that the standard is tighter than
originally expected. So let me let me take that for the record,
and get back to you with a more detailed answer, but we share
your concern about that problem.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you. My constituents will
especially appreciate that. Also, the Air Force submitted a
proposal to the Armed Services Committee to move assets out of
the Air Guard into the Active-Duty Space Force, and while I
understand how important that is to the Space Force we are
hearing some concerns from the Guard about what this means and
whether it is a precedent for moving other missions out of the
Guard.
So, can you speak to that? And maybe General Saltzman as
well could talk about the intent behind the authority and what
you hope to use it for?
Secretary Kendall. Now, we are in the process of preparing
a report for the Congress on this, and I think it, it has been
briefed already to some of the members. There are roughly 700
people that are affected by this, that are currently doing--are
designated as Space Force missions or Space Force people
serving in the Air National Guard. And we need to resolve their
status, it is awkward the current arrangement. We have made it
work for almost over 4 years now, and we can continue to make
it work, but it is not ideal by any means.
Our preference would be to have those people become members
of the Space Force, and transition as the Reserve people that
are part of the Space Force are under the new statute that was
passed last year, that we intend stability, in general, for
these people, their units will still exist, they will still
serve with, basically, the same conditions of part-time, and
full-time, and so on, and they have the same benefits and
everything else, but they will become part of the Space Force.
The other alternative is the creation of a Space Guard, we
are definitely not in favor that, that it is too small a number
of people to create a large separate institution, and I think
it is better for them, it is better for the Space Force
certainly if we simply move them into the Space Force as the
Reserves are going to be moving in. So, we value those people,
but we want to get this resolved.
Senator Shaheen. So, you don't see this----
Secretary Kendall. They have been out there for several
years we need to get it resolved.
Senator Shaheen. And I appreciate that, and you don't see
this as a precedent for moving other missions out of the Guard,
and this is not a blueprint to start doing that?
Secretary Kendall. No. This is an artifact of the creation
of the Space Force, it is one of the things--it is sort of
cleaning up the battlefield of the creation of the Space Force,
doing what makes sense and logical for these people to--the
legal term is ``sui generis'', it is a unique situation. There
is absolutely no intention to make any other changes in moving
things out of the Guard.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you.
General Saltzman, Starlink and other commercial satellite
ventures are a complement to our operations in space, but I,
and I am sure others were troubled by the reported incident of
SpaceX shutting off its service to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
So, can you talk about how we should be addressing that kind
situation with commercial services?
General Saltzman. Yes, Senator. I think the best way to
answer that question is just to say we do this in a number of
different fields, for a number of different missions, and we do
it contractually. And so, we have many contracts where we are
counting on commercial service providers to be integrated into
our operations.
And we have always had good success in making sure that
throughout the spectrum of conflict, from time of peace,
through crisis, and even in the conflict that those providers
understand what the services is, and what they are expected to
do across that spectrum of conflict. And so bottom line is when
we have contracts to support our military operations those
companies come through.
Senator Shaheen. And so how does Space Force then respond
if there are risks involved and they don't come through?
General Saltzman. Well, I imagine that would be through the
legal ramifications of reversing contract that you have signed.
So, we have also look very carefully at which companies we are
asking for what services to provide, we are very deliberate
with making sure that we account for what parts of our missions
should be inherently governmental functions performed by
members of the Space Force, which ones we feel like can be
augmented successfully by commercial services, we are very
deliberate with that process as we include them in. And so, we
would hold them accountable to those contracts the way you
would any legal framework.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Before I get to Senator Moran, I would just
say that by the time he gets to the courts it is too late, if
they have done something that puts us at risk.
Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you. And thank you to all of
you for your service to the country. Thanks for being present
with us this morning.
Secretary Kendall, the B-21 Raider Program, let me ask
three questions on that topic, all together I am going to try
to get to four different topics in my time. As the B-21 program
transitions into production, is there anything that this
committee should consider to ensure the industrial base is
prepared to support the production ramp and fielding meet the
warfighters' needs? Are there additional milestones or
accomplishments that over the next year or so that you can
share in that regard, with the B-21 and the Strategic Posture
Committee Report, anything that is included in there that the
Air Force intends to incorporate into the B-21 Program?
Secretary Kendall. I hesitate to say positive things about
programs because the B-21 is still in development and it could
get in trouble at any time, but at this point the program is
making good progress. It is flying, I think that is public. It
is classified so I can't give you many details here. I would
point out that the production numbers that are reflected in our
budget for this year show a decrease in unit cost, because we
have been able to negotiate lower prices with the contractor.
So, it is one example of where we are going in the right
direction in our contracting activities and our negotiations.
We can get back to you in classified environment, Senator
Moran, and give you more details about specific milestones. But
we are watching all that very closely, and at this point, at
least, the program is executing fairly well.
Senator Moran. Thank you. And I would look forward to
visiting with you in a classified setting. And it is one that
is critical for modernizing our aviation fleet, we also need to
invest in sustainment of existing systems, and you have, and
while you indicated a balance between New Hampshire and Maine,
it has been a while since you have been to Kansas, we would
love to have you back, but while you were there we visited
Wichita State where we saw the twinning of the B-1. Could you
detail how the Air Force has worked to digitally reengineer
older aircraft is important to maintaining the Legacy Fleet?
Secretary Kendall. We have attempted to plan the full
spectrum of needs where the B-21 is introduced that includes
facilitization, you know, simulations, training, et cetera. So,
I have seen programs get into trouble because there was too
much focus on the platform, and not enough on all the things
are necessary to support it. So hopefully, we have avoided that
in the case of the B-21.
Senator Moran. Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the Air Force
plans to rapidly acquire thousands of Collaborative Combat
Aircraft even as the experimentation and testing of manned and
unmanned teaming continues. What is the acquisition timeline
and when does the Air Force plan to conduct a fly off?
Secretary Kendall. We already have contracts underway for
five competitors right now, we are planning to down select to a
smaller number. I am not sure exactly what that is, at least
two though, and then move into the next phase of design for the
first tranche, the first increment of the CCAs (Collaborative
Combat Aircraft). The details beyond that get classified pretty
quickly.
We are also working on the technology, I am going to get a
ride on an autonomously flown F-16 later this year. There will
be a pilot with me who will just be watching, as I will be, as
the autonomous technology works, and hopefully neither he nor I
will need to fly the airplane. But the technology is moving
forward really well. We are encouraged by that.
We set up the CCA Program to have three separate
components, one is the New Development Program itself, another
is the acquisition of some existing uncrewed aircraft that we
could use to develop the organizational concepts, and
maintenance approach, and so on, sort out some of those non-
acquisition things, and also moving the technology forward to
feed into the program. And all of those are moving forward. I
am very encouraged by where the CCAs are.
Senator Moran. Does the Air Force plan to have clean sheet
designs for each mission set, or does it plan to have multiple
role CCAs?
Secretary Kendall. The initial role for the aircraft is
going to be counter-air, but it will have the potential to do
other things. So, the first increment which we are trying to
get out quickly is sort of a minimum viable product, and then
the second and follow-on increments will add additional
capabilities. We want to manage it very carefully, though,
because we have to keep the cost under control.
The intent is to keep the cost of these aircraft to a third
or a quarter the cost of an F-35, say. If we don't accomplish
that, they won't be as cost effective as we desire.
Senator Moran. Mr. Secretary, my final question. The
release of the MOB 7 Basing Criteria for the KC 46-A Aircraft
revealed an adjusted force structure of eight rather than
twelve aircraft. Will the unit receiving the next KC-46 units
have the exact mission requirements as they did with the 12
aircraft KC-135 fleet? If so, what kind of feasibility analysis
has been done to demonstrate that capability?
Secretary Kendall. I don't have the details on that one
already, I will have to take it for the record.
General Allvin may be able to answer.
General Allvin. I would just answer, Senator, that the
requirements of each of the bases really comes through our
AFTRANS our Air Mobility Command to TRANSCOM, so the
requirement as far as the capabilities required and the
capacity required it adjusts to the fleet size. So that we
wouldn't expect that there would be a fleet--a requirement that
exceeds the capacity of the base with the platforms at the end.
Senator Moran. Do we know that that capacity exists with
eight and not twelve? Or we don't know that? Or you are saying
it doesn't exist.
General Allvin. Well, if the capacity is reduced because of
eight versus twelve, then the requirement will be adjusted
accordingly so we won't be overstressing the crews or the
maintainers to have them go up against a greater requirement
for the capacity there.
Senator Moran. Thank you. Thank you, all.
Senator Tester. Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thanks to all
three of you for being here, and for your service to our
country.
Secretary Kendall, we have the best intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities in the world, but
I am concerned that the drawdown of our fleets of ISR
(Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Aircraft,
including Global Hawk, without adequately replacing those
capabilities in the Air Force is a concern. Do you believe that
we have the best ISR capability now versus any of our
adversaries?
Secretary Kendall. Yes, overall, but we need to modernize,
and we need to modernize quickly, and one of the things we are
doing is shifting more capability into space, and that is
largely because of the increased threats to our airborne
platforms. We are acquiring systems like the E-7 which will
give us an important element of capability. We always want to
present the threat with an array of problems, not just one
problem. So we don't want to be totally dependent on space, and
we can't be totally dependent upon airborne platforms.
So we are going to have a mix in the fleet for the
foreseeable future, and we are going to have a more modern set
of capabilities. A lot of our existing capabilities are very
useful in a benign environment, in a not highly competitive
environment, and we want to retain them for that purpose, but
we also need to get on with modernization of more survivable
assets at the same time.
Senator Hoeven. Right.
Secretary Kendall. And I will be happy to give you a more
detailed brief at classified level.
Senator Hoeven. Right. And we need to do that. You and I
have talked about that, but for purpose of this briefing, so it
is important that Air Force maintain that capability, and that
we not have a gap in terms of what we, our leadership and ISR
now, with the idea we are going to hand it off to Space and
maybe have it in Space Force someday, but have a gap in either
time, like a 5-year time gap, or capability, where an
adversary, like China, might have a superior ISR capability,
correct?
Secretary Kendall. We are moving in the space as quickly as
we can, and we have funded programs right now, particularly for
ground moving target capability, that again, they are highly
classified. And we are moving forward on technology and
programs for air-moving target indications as well. Some of our
older systems, like AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control
System), for example are increasingly expensive to maintain.
Senator Hoeven. Right.
Secretary Kendall. We have drawn them down as a way to be
more efficient with the aircraft that remain, there is a
transition happening there. We have reduced our MQ9 Fleet but,
you know, we have got it to a level now where we think we are
going to maintain it. So we are trying to manage that, and
manage the risk, but we are moving aggressively to space, that
is not a long way away.
Senator Hoeven. Right. But you would agree at the same time
we have to maintain the best ISR capability versus any of our
adversaries, as we do some of that transitioning, you would
agree with that?
Secretary Kendall. We do need to maintain ISR capability on
air as we transition, and I think you--what you are aware I
know you have been briefed, and Allvin and I have been talking
about some of the things we are doing, and how we are going to
take advantage some of the programs that we can't talk about in
an open hearing.
Senator Hoeven. Right. Well, my two remaining questions
are: in addition to ISR, we want to have some offensive
capability as part of that as well, right, both in terms of
cyber and kinetic, right? And it is not just ISR, right?
Secretary Kendall. Oh. Yes. Yes.
Senator Hoeven. It is those offensive capabilities combined
with stealth. And the other thing is, are you willing to work
with this committee to make sure there isn't any gap, and that
we are working with fixed-price contracts where we know the
costs, versus a projected capability and a projected cost which
is likely going to be much, much higher? My question is, are
you willing to work with the committee, and that those things
are important? That is my question.
Secretary Kendall. They are important. We will work with
the committee. I don't want us to talk by each other, and on
what side, I am trying to be careful there.
Senator Hoeven. But you know where I am going?
Secretary Kendall. I think I understand where you are
coming from.
Senator Hoeven. Yes. And thanks.
Secretary Kendall. I will be happy to work with you.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Appreciate it.
And General Saltzman, anything you want to offer on the
same issue, because you are obviously a big part of that
transition?
General Saltzman. Absolutely. And as you know SDA (Space
Development Agency) is doing some work to help start to foster
the kind of data transport layers, the kind of missile warning
capabilities that we will need, as well as the GMTI (Ground
Moving Target Indicator) capabilities that we are collaborating
on, as the Secretary mentioned. All of those, if they are fully
funded through the program as designed looking at later this FY
DP (Future Years Defense Program), to start to deliver some of
those capabilities.
Senator Hoeven. Yes. And to get the right result we have to
work very carefully with both of you to make it happen the
right way.
And then, General Allvin, I want to thank the Chairman for
his emphasizing the importance of the Nuclear Triad and the
updating of the ICBM to Sentinel, and how important he thinks
it is, and that I concur with that. I do as well. I also want
to express my appreciation for your answer that the
modernization is an absolute requirement, and that we will
address Nunn-McCurdy as part of that. And I appreciate the
steps you are taking to make sure that that gets done.
A specific question I have for you is in regard to weapons
generation facility at the Minot Air Force Base which is the
only dual nuclear base status, and your plans to address that?
General Allvin. Obviously, the weapons generation
facilities at all of the bases are key, they are going to be
important and as we have discussed before we need to ensure
that we have those accomplished in the right order, so by the
time we are ready to take on the platforms such as the B-21 and
the modernized platforms, we also have the right weapons
generation facilities to be able to arm those as well.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Again thanks to all three of you,
appreciate it. Thanks Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Thank you Senator Hoeven. And for the
information of the Senators, we are going to be holding a
classified hearing on Space Force related issues, and if there
are issues that need to be in that classified hearing on the
Air Force, too, we are more than happy to include those.
Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Thank you all for
being here, we appreciate your hard work in keeping our Nation
safe, but also in keeping--taking care of the men and women
that serve, which is so, so very important. Along with the
entire Arkansas delegation we are pleased with the continued
investment at Ebbing Air Base, making it the Nation's Premier
Foreign Pilot Training Center for allies and partners.
General Allvin, can you speak to the importance of training
our allied foreign pilots on U.S. soil, and why it is
imperative to our national security?
General Allvin. Thank you, Senator. And trust me, I say
this out of pride not arrogance, but we have the best pilots in
the world, and so if you want to train, being trained by the
best is good for everybody involved, but specifically, you
know, training with our Airmen here in the U.S. in places like
Ebbing, it offers you the opportunity to not only understand
how to fly the aircraft but how to use tactics techniques and
procedures that are similar to those that we do as well.
So as we train that with the pilots from foreign countries,
their Air Forces develop those same tactics, techniques, and
procedures, and then we can train like we are going to fight
together. And so it makes us just a better allied and partner
fighting force when we train on the same systems, and with the
same tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Secretary Kendall, you continue
to emphasize the need for our investments to meet China's
escalating military threats head on. China already has more
troops, more munitions, and more hypersonic weapons than we do,
their momentum is only growing. Can you talk to us how you
would assess the progress you are making to keep pace with
China's aggressive modernization efforts? And very importantly,
what do you need most from this committee to ensure you can
achieve your strategic objectives, and protect America's
interest at home and abroad?
Secretary Kendall. Senator Boozman, the second part of your
question is the easier part. Timely appropriations; and thank
you for asking, so I could say that; the Chairman talked about
it earlier, so did the Vice Chairman.
Senator Boozman. You can't say it enough, we appreciate
that.
Secretary Kendall. We have given up about a third of the
time available over the last 15-odd years when we could have
been making progress. And we have lost 5 years in the 15 years,
and that you cannot win a race when you move at that kind of a
pace, relative to an opponent who is not-- doesn't seem to have
the same constraints. So time is my biggest concern, and timely
appropriations is critical to success.
I get intelligence and briefs every single morning, and I
have given a threat briefing to the committee, we would like to
offer another opportunity to do that, come over with an updated
briefing, because the threat keeps changing, it keeps getting
worse. And I just saw some data this morning which was, you
know, concerning.
And so we have got to move forward as quickly as we can. We
are trying to structure our acquisition programs to make that
happen, but I also want real capability delivered, so the
guidance I have given the acquisition community is structure
programs to get meaningful military capability as quickly as we
can.
And meaningful military capability isn't one or two
prototypes, it is numbers that would matter and pose a threat
to the adversary. So we are trying to structure our programs to
accomplish that.
We need to move forward very quickly in Space. Space focus
needs to go through a transformation, it needs to go from,
essentially, a situation where we could operate with impunity
to one where we can't. And China has already fielded a number
of anti-satellite capabilities and is fielding more.
And China has also fielded a number of systems designed to
target U.S. assets, and support warfighting, and we have to
deal with those. We have to have counterspace capabilities that
can deal with those, and traditionally we have not had a lot of
capabilities. There are things that I can't talk about here
that contribute to that, and that is very helpful, but it is
not enough, we need to do more.
On the Air Force side, we have this very large capital
investment in the installed Force, and we have this very large
set of global capabilities that we are supporting. So the
balance there is about doing enough for all of that, maintain
that, while we get on with modernization at the same time. I
have a little bit of flexibility within the Department of the
Air Force to move assets between the Space Force and the Air
Force, we haven't done a lot of that, I did more of the first
budget that I built than the last two.
I think the risk is reasonably balanced. But time is my
biggest concern. We are doing the right things, what we
identified under both the operational imperatives, and the
subsequent work on cross-cutting operational enablers, is the
right suite of investments. And the $5 billion down payment
that we got in the 2024 budget and the $6 billion we are asking
for in this budget are going to move us in the right direction.
We could move faster, and I would like to be able to do
that, but I think we have a reasonable pace of modernization,
if we are fully funded and promptly funded with the request
that we have.
Does that answer your question?
Senator Boozman. Yes, sir, very much. Thank you very much.
Again, thank you for being here.
And thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, Generals, welcome, and thank you for your
leadership.
Mr. Secretary, it was good to visit with you just the other
day in Anchorage. I appreciate your time and the opportunity
to, again, talk about one of the issues that is impacting the
mission readiness capability in Alaska with this proposal from
the National Guard Bureau with regards to the AGR (Active Guard
Reserve) due to technicians, I appreciate you looking into
that, and really critically evaluating what that will mean to
mission readiness.
We talked a lot about the assets that the Air Force is
requiring to keep pace with what is happening in the world, and
we cannot overlook that none of this happens without the men
and women that are operating and maintaining.
I want to thank you, all three of you, for recently
enacting the assignment incentive pay for extreme cold weather
locations. That makes a difference in places like Minot, North
Dakota, and in Eielson Air Force Base. Those people are very
appreciative for that.
Mr. Secretary, I would like to just draw your attention to
a couple more areas of concern. One is this BAH (Basic
Allowance for Housing) situation in Eielson, you got a
situation there where airmen and their families are paying
anywhere between $500 and $1,000 a month for home--for utility
cost. It is a fact that the BAH there barely covers the cost of
rent in the region. I just ask you to have your team look into
this situation so that we are not in a place where utility
costs really consume everything that these families have. So I
would like you to take a look at that.
The other thing that you and I had an opportunity to speak
to was, the success of the Fly Back Program that we put into
place just last year. We just got this survey back as of
yesterday; I see it is good responses in the survey, in terms
of how many participated in it, what the impact was to the
Airmen who were able to take advantage of it. Basically, it is,
on average, over $1,000 out of pocket to these individuals if
they wanted to try to travel home. Nearly everyone says yes,
save this program.
So, I am hoping that you, too, see the success of this Fly
Back Program, and then the individual initiatives that are
going on to make it even better. Sarah Riffer with our Alaska
Arm Services Y has made it a personal mission to even improve
on this by being able to provide family members who are able to
use the program, to give them companion tickets so that their
families can go home with them. So, every little thing that we
can make a difference, particularly in cold and darker places,
are things that we would like to ensure a focus on.
Let me ask a question to you, General Allvin. And this is
with regards to the redesignation that we just saw up at
Eielson, with the 18th Aggressor Squadron redesignated as the
18th Fighter Interceptor. One of the challenges I think you
recognize is we are utilizing the F-16s there, they are nearly
50 years in age, very capable we do have the introduction of
the F-15EXs which are great modern solutions here with greater
payload.
My question to you is, can you share the future plan for
our Interceptor Squadron as our F-16s continue to age out? I
think you recognize, again, what a benefit this has been with
this redesignation, but we do have aging aircraft.
General Allvin. Yes. Thank you, Senator, for that. And it
has been a win-win, you know, by redesignating to the Fighter
Interceptor Squadron, we have already seen improvements in the
readiness of the F-22s, so that fifth-generation readiness is
happening, and the team is doing a fantastic job in the Fighter
Interceptor's Squad, it is sort of tailor-made for that
mission.
To your point, though, about the aging aircraft, you know,
the average F-16 is 33 years old, and I understand these in
Alaska are older. So we are going to continue to manage that
fleet. The F-16 is the most affordable in the Fighter Fleet,
and so for the mission of Fighter Interceptor, it really is,
really the ideal type of aircraft to do that at the right price
point.
So we will continue to manage into the next decade to
ensure that we have the right--the maintenance on that
sustainability, and continue to make sure that we can maybe
trade out the older ones for the newer F-16s, and manage that
fleet through, because looking into the future, there may be a
point in the next decade or so where we start to leverage
things like Collaborative Combat Aircraft, to be able to
augment on the Fighter Interceptor Mission.
So long term, there may be a different Force design for
doing the Fighter Interceptor Mission, but we will attempt to
manage to ensure we have modern enough F-16s to do that job,
primarily, because they are tailor-made for it.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, I know you indicated you were going to do
another round, could I just do one more, quick question for
General Saltzman? Thank you.
General, we know that the Air Force is proposing
legislation to bypass existing law requiring it to obtain a
Governor's consent before making changes to National Guard
Unit, and to transfer 14 Air National Guard Space Units across
seven states into the Space Force. Last year you testified that
the Air National Guard makes up 30 percent of our Nation's
Space Force capacity. What we understand, and this comes from a
recent poll, of nearly 200 ANG (Air National Guard) Space
operators, more than 50 percent said they would not transfer to
the Active Duty Space Force.
So the concern here of course is that you are going to have
an impact on the mission on our preparedness, it seems to me
you are potentially taking on a lot of risk there. Wouldn't it
be easier to transition these units and personnel to a Space
National Guard? And if you disagree with that, can you explain
how this proposal, your proposal, is not going to create a gap
in our space capabilities?
General Saltzman. Thanks, Senator. The missions that are
currently being performed in the Air National Guard are
critical to our success, and I have been very clear about that
in the past. The easiest way for me to manage it though, is for
those missions to be performed in a single component. There is
an added level of complexity if the Space Force is required to
manage a second component like a Space National Guard. And I am
trying to do my best to keep the administrative bureaucracy,
the staffing levels of the Space Force as small as possible.
But in order to take care of those Airmen that are
currently performing Space Mission, I would need to have some
administrative increases in order to manage two retirement
systems, two promotion systems, all of the necessary overhead
that comes with a second component. We were very thankful for
Congress for passing the Space Force Personnel Management Act,
which gave us the authorities to manage both full-time and
part-time in a single component. We think this is
revolutionary, and it is going to have a real impact on
retention and career flexibility. So we are looking to take
advantage of those.
As far as the mission risk, here is the way I am thinking
about it, almost every mission, in fact, every mission that is
currently in the Space Force has come from another service or
another military organization. And so all we have been doing
for the last 4 years is managing that transition risk.
Now, a lot of it came from the Air Force and it wasn't
nearly as hard, because a lot of the Guardians came from the
Air Force. But recently, in the last 2 years the Army and the
Navy have both given us satellite communications capabilities.
The Army's given us their Missile Warning JTAGS (Joint Tactical
Ground Stations) capabilities.
All of those missions directed to the Space Force, came
with no promise of personnel, so we simply had to plan and
manage the risk that could be associated with it, but by
deliberately planning it, managing our accessions' rates, and
then phasing those transitions in over time, we have been able
to perform those missions seamlessly without any gaps in
capability.
Senator Murkowski. Mr. Chairman, I am well over my time,
but thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Capito.
Senator Capito. Thank you Mr. Chairman and thank you three
gentlemen for being here with us today.
General Saltzman I would like to start with you, because we
do know that space domain awareness is essential for our
military operations in space, and for many operations rely on
Space-based assets like our satellite communications,
obviously, in the non-military space, cislunar space domain
awareness has also increased in importance. How is the Space
Force collaborating with private sector, academic, and
interagency partners to leverage the space domain awareness
arena and capabilities?
General Saltzman. Yes ma'am. Thank you. I can't emphasize
this enough. Avoiding operational surprise in the space domain
is one of our top priorities. The foundation of avoiding
operational surprise is access to data that is collected by a
number of sensors. We organically have many of those in the
Space Force, but we rely on industry, commercial services,
commercial data capabilities, we rely on allies, international
partners. The more data you have on the space domain the better
you are able to make sense of what is going on. And so, we
spend money on it, we have it a part of our commercial space
strategy to make sure we can incorporate that data, and we are
committed to it.
Senator Capito. Is that an increasing capability that you--
I mean it seems to me that would be ever expanding.
General Saltzman. You know, it is ever expanding, and so
one of the things that I am starting to realize now is as we
increase the amount of data that we are pulling in from other
sensors, we have to be able to make sense of that data, and so
now we are investing heavily in decision support software, data
management tools, that help us rapidly pull together----
Senator Capito. Is that AI, is that what you are talking
about?
General Saltzman. I don't think it even needs to rise to AI
necessarily, but there are some elements of that. But it is
automating, certainly, some of the more manpower-intensive
activities that go on.
Senator Capito. Right. Right. Well, I understand too that
there is some emerging cooperation between the Space Force and
the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. So, I would like
to stay in touch with you on those capabilities, and because of
the radio astronomy that we have out there, and have out there
for decades, so excited about those possibilities.
Secretary Kendall, nice to see you again, you wrote in your
statement, something stuck out to me, it says, ``The Air Force
is accepting risk across the Service Modernization account--the
Services' modernization account, in order to maintain minimally
accepted near-term operational readiness, this places
additional risk on the Air Force's ability to deter and defeat
any adversary going forward.''
Obviously, what caught my eye, or ear on that, is the
``minimally accepted''; is that the standard where we are now?
And I think that is a minimally accepted standard. I can't even
imagine that that is actually an accepted standard, the way you
phrased it. So, could you explain that to me a little bit in
more depth?
Secretary Kendall. Thank you, Senator. The availability of
our aircraft right now sits at around 60 percent, to me that is
a minimally acceptable number.
Senator Capito. Um-hum.
Secretary Kendall. It actually dipped a little below that.
I have the most recent data here, in part, driven by the fact
that the V-22 fleet is still not back in the air, it is in the
process of getting back in the air, but nevertheless, this is
driven by a number of things, it is driven largely by supply
chain, driven by, you know, availability of Depot for
throughput, but it is driven by money as much as anything.
So, we would like to be--and if you may remember General
Jim Mattis when he was Secretary, tried to get all the fighter
aircrafts up to an 80 percent availability, that effort failed.
The resources just weren't there to do it. So, we are not where
we would like to be in terms of availability, in terms of
current readiness, but it is an acceptable level because we can
meet our commitments around the world, we can do the things we
anticipate that the Joint Force may be asked to do, and as far
as the air component, particularly in the space components are
concerned.
The point I am trying to make with what I said in the
statement is, we can't go below that, we need to stay there.
Senator Capito. Right.
Secretary Kendall. And that, you know, what happened to us
in '25, in particular, was that our plans were scaled back a
little bit because of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. You know,
we support that Act. It is, again, acceptable to us, but we are
not moving forward with this modernization under it as quickly
as I would like to. But we are sustaining the current fleet at
a level which is acceptable, we have our foundational accounts,
weapon system sustainment, the care of our facilities, our
flying hours, at levels which we could accept, and we could
live with, but long term they would be problematic for us.
So, as we look out over the next few years, we are going to
have to try to do better in some of those accounts, but it is
acceptable for this year, for 2025. And we are moving forward
with modernization at a rate which is as fast as our funding
allows, and I would like to go faster there as well. So, anyway
the bottom line is that that is what is behind my statement.
Senator Capito. Okay.
Secretary Kendall. We have to take small cuts in
procurement in order to sustain the research and development
for the next generation, and again those are on the margins,
and they are acceptable to us, but they are not where we would
like to be.
Senator Capito. Let me ask just a quick follow-up question
on that. So, I suppose when I was reading this, I was reading
more on the manpower aspect of readiness.
Secretary Kendall. Oh.
Senator Capito. As opposed to the operational readiness of
the aircraft. Is that a dual problem, or is it mostly on the
aircraft issues that you just explained to me?
Secretary Kendall. They are all related. The availability
of aircraft affects our ability to fly.
Senator Capito. Right.
Secretary Kendall. And the ability of our pilots to train,
it affects what our maintenance people can do. We have, I think
it is well-known, a shortage in pilots right now, rated
officers. And some of that is the throughput that our pilot
training pipeline, if you will, can absorb. You know, and that
is driven by--in part, by a similar training aircraft not being
as available as we would like them to be, we just don't have
the aircraft hours to train as quickly as we would like and get
as many people through.
Overall, I think that the--and General Allvin and General
Saltzman may want to comment on this--I am less concerned about
the people side of this.
Senator Capito. Okay.
Secretary Kendall. I think that our people are doing very
well. They are getting the training that they need in general,
we are talking about increasing the scale of some of our
exercises to make them more realistic, we are trying to orient
our training more towards what we call the pacing challenge.
You know the threat that China in a conflict--and the
conditions that people would experience in a conflict like
that.
Senator Capito. Okay.
Secretary Kendall. That is a new requirement for us. So, if
we have the time, General Allvin, you maybe want to comment on
that.
Senator Capito. Okay. Yes, General.
General Allvin. I couldn't agree with the Secretary more.
It really is the platforms, but the platforms do drive crew
proficiency, maintenance proficiency, and those sorts, so they
are related but I also you know we can pick up things in the
simulator, and those things that can help with some of the
skills, we certainly would like to have more aircraft
availability to increase the proficiency of our air crews, and
our maintainers, and the like, but I think the first thing is
to get those--get the platforms up to speed, and the aircrew,
and maintainers will rapidly follow.
But we certainly--when the Secretary talks about redoing
some of our exercises, we are trying to get the most out of
every flying hour that we can. And that gives us combat
readiness for the pacing challenge.
Senator Capito. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Senator Tester. Thank you. I will submit my questions for
the record, except for this one I want to ask it.
General Saltzman, you talked about additional duties that
were coming from other branches of the military, your
recommendation in this budget is for an end strength of about
9,800--the first question is, do you anticipate that you are
going to get more duties, responsibilities, programs, whatever
you want to call them, from either the Air Force or any other
branch of Service, number one?
And then number two if that is the truth, does your end
strength recommendations meet that challenge, and if it isn't
the truth, does your end strength numbers meet those
challenges?
General Saltzman. Thanks, Senator. We are in a period of
managed growth, we are certainly getting new missions, we are
developing our own missions. We are getting them from other
services. The trick is, I don't want the manpower before I have
the actual systems to operate. We talk about counterspace, the
ability to hold at risk the adversary satellites that can
perform space-enabled targeting against the Joint Force, those
missions have yet to be realized because we are still
developing the architectures to launch to put into place.
But as those get closer and closer to IOC (Initial
Operational Capability), we will be building the squadrons that
support those and fly those capabilities. And so, the trick is
not asking for manpower before you need it, and then once you
start to ask for it make sure you have the training pipeline,
and the accessions pipeline to account for it. So, I am
comfortable with the level of growth that we have asked for in
this budget and I think that is going to be a continued managed
growth over the next few years.
Senator Tester. And excuse me, I just got to ask one more
follow-up. And that is, when you are recruiting people to join
the Space Force, are you recruiting people from other Service
branches to join the Space Force, or do you have your own
recruiting folks to recruit folks out of high school or
college?
General Saltzman. So, it is both right now. We are using
the Department of the Air Force's Air Force Recruiting Service
as a part of the recruiting for the Space Force, so we bring
people straight from high school straight from colleges for our
officers on our own, but we are also still leveraging, because
we need experienced people, senior people to fill out some of
the staffs, once a year we ask for inter-service transfers. And
so, a couple of hundred a year are coming from the other
Services, but I suspect once we start to develop our own size
at the field-grade ranks, we will need less and less of those
inter-service transfers.
Senator Tester. Okay. Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General Allvin, a September 2023 GAO (Government
Accountability Office) Report found that the F-35 mission-
capable rate across all the variants of the F-35 was only 55
percent that is far less than the program goal of 90 percent
for the F-35A, as I am sure you know. We know that the aircraft
can sustain a much higher mission-capable rate because the
Israeli Air Force has been sustaining mission-capable rates
that far exceed what GAO found for the U.S. fleet last fall.
Your unfunded priorities list includes $612 million for
Fighter Force reoptimization to purchase spares and other
equipment necessary to make up to 208 Fighter Aircraft
operationally capable within the existing inventory. That
strikes me as such a logical investment. I mean, if by just
buying more spare parts we can put more than 200 aircraft back
into commission, why was that not included in the budget
itself?
General Allvin. Well, thank you Senator. Because I really
want to--there are really two parts to that that I want to
answer. First, of all to your point about increasing the
mission-capable rate, the Joint Program Office is working very
hard in trying to look at the degraders across all three
variants, and so that is really happening through the Joint
Program Office.
Your point about the Israelis is a very good one, because
we want to make sure we learn the right lessons. They certainly
are having a much higher mission-capable rate. We need to see
which of that is transportable because obviously they have
different sortie durations and different missions, but the
point is made that they do have a very respectable mission-
capable rate. So, the Joint Program Office is working on that
from a purely mission capable.
The 612 million, is actually, it makes more aircraft
available in this way, it is not so much that just getting more
spare parts, but we are really adjusting the paradigm from how
we traditionally have been deploying, and having spare support
for our aircraft, for our squadrons. Traditionally, you have a
squadron of, in the fighter world, 24, and you have a readiness
spares kit that goes with that 24 in case they need to go
deploy.
If you deploy 12 you still take that readiness spares kit,
so now you have 12 aircraft forward and you have 12 aircraft
back at home that are sort of tethered to the home base because
they don't have an additional spares skit to go somewhere else,
because a long time ago the paradigm was, those would fall in
on the original in the same location.
We are not doing that anymore. So, we need to have the
flexibility to have smaller units rather than units of 24, with
a spares kit that will let them deploy organically. So, by
having this 612 million, which applies to F-35, F-22, F-15, and
F-16, by having those it will allow us to take a squadron of 24
and maybe deploy to two different locations and operate
independently. Meaning, we can make more aircraft available to
the combatant commander for the requirements they may have, or
actually the ones who aren't deploying can actually train
better to do the Agile Combat Employment and go to locations
where they may have to disperse.
So, it is really upgrading our way of presenting Forces to
the combatant commands and training for the high-end challenge,
so that is what that additional capability made available to
the combatant commanders, as others, because we can deploy more
smaller units rather than just having to deploy units to one
location.
Senator Collins. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Yes. I want to thank the folks for their
testimony here today. We are going to work very, very hard to
get this budget out on time so our hearing times are going to
be very compressed.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
Senators May submit additional questions. I would ask that
you would answer them as quickly as possible, and as thoroughly
as possible within a reasonable amount of time.
[The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but
were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the
hearing:]
Questions Submitted to Hon. Frank Kendall
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. Middle Tier Acquisition programs enable rapid prototyping
of capabilities, and the fielding of new technologies. This is an
authority granted to the military services to accelerate development
and deployment of new capabilities considering the urgent threat.
However, for at least the last three budget cycles, the Department of
the Air Force has not fully funded some of these accelerated programs
in its budget.
Secretary Kendall, what is the justification for not fully funding
rapid acquisition programs? I would argue that this sends a message
that the Air Force is not committed to the success of these programs.
Additionally, we know that ramping up production of weapons systems on
short notice is challenging. What is the feedback from the defense
industrial base with respect to transitioning prototypes into large-
scale production? Are the budgets sufficiently stable and predictable
for industry to put skin in the game?
Answer. The Middle Tier Acquisition authority enables rapid
prototyping, and we need to ensure we transition to a full program for
capabilities the Department of the Air Force (DAF) determines are
needed, cost effective, and affordable. The DAF is committed to working
with industry to transition these programs into production to reach
full capacity; however, our modernization plan is highly sensitive to
changes in our topline and you are seeing the result of Fiscal
Responsibility Act topline impacts in the decisions made in the Fiscal
Year 2025 President's Budget request. The DAF is working within our
budget to modernize while remaining compliant with restrictions related
to the size of our force. My guidance to the DAF is that programs
should be structured to field meaningful military capability as soon as
possible.
Question. The Air Force is planning to buy fewer fighter jets this
year than initially anticipated. It's no secret that the F-35 program
continues to face development delays. I understand that right now,
there are dozens of aircraft sitting on the factory floor that are not
combat capable because software hasn't been delivered on time. These
delays harm our readiness and limit the effectiveness of the Joint
Force. Mr. Secretary, you have referred to the F-35 program as an
example of ``acquisition malpractice.''
What lessons have you taken from the high-risk, concurrent
development strategy? Given the pressure from the combatant commanders
to field modernized capabilities now, how do we avoid rushing programs
into production before they're ready? Is the Department of the Air
Force planning to accept these aircraft? What is your plan to get the
F-35 program back on track?
Answer. Over a decade ago, I referred to the decision to enter F-35
production well before the design was stable as ``acquisition
malpractice.'' The United States Air Force (USAF) faces key
development, interoperability, sustainability, and affordability
challenges to ensure combat ready aircraft are acquired, and that the
existing F-35A fleet is upgraded, and retrofitted to ensure these
aircraft are prepared to counter current and developing threats as
quickly as possible within projected resource constraints. Current
Block 3F F-35As are sufficient to counter the threats they were
designed for but will be less effective against high-end threats
identified in the National Defense Strategy. Block 4 modernization with
Technical Refresh-3 hardware ensures F-35 relevance in a high-end fight
against China or Russia. The FY25 President's Budget request provides
funding to deliver Block 4 capability essential to F-35 relevance
against peer/near peer adversaries by Lot 22, which delivers in
Calendar Year (CY) 2030. Development remains Block 4?s most critical
challenge. USAF supports the Joint Program Office efforts to
``reimagine Block 4'' which will focus on what industry can deliver
across the Future Years Defense Program while applying more robust
systems engineering in the Block 4 program to establish realistic cost,
schedule, and performance targets for Block 4 capabilities.
Question. It was a little over a year ago that the Air Force
approved a comprehensive Missile Community Cancer Study. This was after
alarming reports that former missileers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in
Montana are dying of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma at rates higher than the
national average. Mr. Secretary, what is the status of this study and
how are you coordinating with the VA? When can we expect the study's
final findings and recommendations?
Answer. The researchers at the United States Air Force School of
Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) completed Phase 1a of the epidemiological
study and Phase 1b is underway. The epidemiological study is moving
forward as expected. A detailed summary of Phase 1a can be found on the
Missile Community Cancer Study website. Additionally, USAFSAM is
executing the third and final round of Environmental sampling at its
three major installations. We anticipate completing all three phases of
the epidemiological study and the environmental sampling results by
late summer of 2024. A peer-reviewed paper with findings and
recommendations is expected to publish on the MCCS website in the fall.
USAFSAM and Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) teams worked
closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since the start of
this study. The Air Force team (i.e. AFGSC Surgeon General, Air Force
Medical Agency, and USAFSAM) conduct monthly phone calls with the VA
and quarterly updates to the VA Military Environmental Exposure Sub-
Council. Additionally, the VA created an informational website, linking
to the Air Force Missile Community Cancer Study website. The Air Force
provided research data to the VA to help determine the number of former
missileers seeking care in the VA system. The Air Force study team is
committed to its collaboration with VA medical and the research
personnel and will continue to provide regular updates going forward.
Lastly, the Air Force team briefed VA White House staffers and PACT Act
leadership in January 2024.
Question. Secretary Kendall, you are leading an internal re-
organization of the Air Force to ensure it's ready for the future
fight. Tell us more about your plans, please. You have shared that this
realignment will largely be resource neutral. Is that still your
assessment? What steps did you take to understand the resource
implications of this reorganization prior to its implementation?
Answer. At this point, reoptimizing for Great Power Competition
(GPC) does not change the FY24 or FY25 Department of the Air Force
(DAF) President's Budget request. The Department conducted a five-month
effort focusing on developing needed high priority solutions to make
the DAF more competitive for GPC. The effort included over 1,500
Airmen, Guardians, government civilians, and contractors from across
the DAF, including the Major Commands and Field Commands. The
Department is in the process of identifying any GPC-driven resource
increases, which we intend to minimize. Near-term actions may require
changes in budget execution, and we will work within our current budget
authority. If the DAF identifies budget realignment requirements to
implement near-term GPC efforts, we will work through the reprogramming
process to seek funding flexibility from Congress.
Question. General Allvin, regarding internal re-organization of the
Air Force, from your vantage point how do the proposed changes result
in a more capable force? What are your concerns about potential impacts
to our military and civilian workforce?
Answer. The proposed changes are designed to enhance United States
Air Force (USAF) capabilities in a strategic environment defined by
Great Power Competition. We anticipate no changes in end strength.
These adaptations are crucial given the rapid evolution of threats that
challenge traditional concepts of homeland sanctuary and U.S. military
dominance.
The reorganization focuses on transforming USAF wings into combat
units of action. To address vulnerabilities in current force
presentation, doctrine, and command, control, and communications
support systems, the USAF is adopting a structure that increases
survivability and combat lethality. This is achieved through enhanced
dispersion, flexibility, resiliency, redundancy, and agility to deter
and, if necessary, prevail in conflict. By reorganizing its force
structure and embracing new operational paradigms, the USAF aims to
successfully navigate the complexities of Great Power Competition,
thereby defending U.S. interests and maintaining global stability. We
are reoptimizing how we present forces at the wing level to provide
more effective combat capability through more coherent warfighting
teams. The USAF also plans to implement changes centered on how we
develop people, generate readiness, project power, and develop
integrated capabilities. We will continue to update Congress as we
reach key decision points.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Patty Murray
Question. How does the President's Budget support the Air Force's
air refueling mission?
Answer. Air refueling is required for power projection that
delivers a decisive advantage. The FY25 President's Budget requests
nearly $1.8 billion in the air refueling enterprise and approximately
$17.4 billion across the FYDP. The priorities in the Air Force tanker
portfolio are continuous recapitalization of our aging KC-135s and the
acquisition of the NGAS system to provide survivable refueling in a
highly contested environment. Tanker Recapitalization is the program to
continue tanker replacement between the current procurement of the KC-
46A and beginning of the Next Generation Air-refueling System. The
Tanker Recapitalization Program will continue replacement of KC-135s
(after delivery of the last KC-46A) to maintain at least a 466-tanker
fleet. The final acquisition strategy for the Tanker Recapitalization
Program is pending and is expected in Quarter 3 of FY24.
Question. How does the FY25 budget help support PFAS clean up on
Air Force bases and communities around bases? What resources do you
need to help speed up clean-up efforts?
Answer. The $362 million requested in the FY25 President's Budget
will continue to accelerate Department of the Air Force (DAF)
perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) response efforts.
This request will apply $106 million toward cleanup related response
actions; execute interim remedial actions to prevent further plume
migration; sample drinking water wells where sampling was not
previously required; expand sampling to where it is now required; and
further PFAS investigation efforts.
The remaining $256 million will be used for actions in furtherance
of Aqueous Film Forming Foam replacement, including with respect to
procurement, transition activities, and disposal; on-base drinking
water monitoring; and research, development, test, and evaluation,
including with respect to PFAS destruction technologies.
Question. General Saltzman, can you provide an update on the Space
Force Front Door Program? What resources are needed to ensure that the
United States is keeping up with new technologies?
Answer. The Space Force Front Door was established in Calendar Year
(CY) 22 and is the entry point for commercial industry to do business
with the United States Space Force (USSF). In late CY23, we revamped
its website to better evaluate capabilities, be more responsive to
industry, and share information across the Department of Defense and
Civil Government. Since its establishment, we on-boarded over 300 new
companies.
Last year, Congress established a commercial service budget line,
which enables the USSF Commercial Space Office to acquire new and
emerging commercial technologies at the speed and with the agility
needed to meet the pace of the commercial market. The Chief of Space
Operations and Assistant Secretary of Air Force for Space Acquisition
and Integration signed the first-ever Commercial Space Strategy, which
frames the discussions, conditions, and processes necessary to
accelerate purposeful pursuit of hybrid space architectures. For the
United States to keep up with emerging technology, we need the
necessary resources to onboard emerging technologies and provide
investment opportunities that carry technologies across the ``valley of
death''. The USSF will continue to work with partners to fund
commercial technologies for mission areas consistent with the
Commercial Space Strategy and look for opportunities to integrate,
exercise, and operate commercial capabilities to ensure reliability and
scalability across the spectrum of conflict.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Tammy Baldwin
Question. I share the Air National Guard's concerns about the slow
pace of fuel tanker recapitalization--the KC-46A replacing the KC-135
legacy platform that has remained in constant service since 1956. To
maintain capacity to support contingency planning, the FY24 NDAA
prohibited the Air Force from using FY24 funds to retire KC-135s from
the reserve components and set a floor on air refueling inventory of
466 aircraft. Please outline the Air Force's strategy for modernizing
the refueler inventory while providing sufficient capacity to support
contingency operations. Is the FY25 President's budget request
sufficient to realize this strategy? What is the Department's plan for
the reserve component tanker inventory that is not recapitalized as
part of the 15 KC-46A main operating bases?
Answer. Air refueling is required for power projection that
delivers a decisive advantage in peer warfighting. In FY24, the Air
Force retired KC-10s ``1-for-1'' as KC-46 aircraft delivered. The FY25
President's Budget requests nearly $1.8 billion in the air refueling
enterprise and approximately $17.4 billion across the FYDP. The Air
Force tanker plan for the Tanker portfolio remains the continuous
recapitalization of our aging KC-135s. Tanker Recapitalization is the
program to continue tanker replacement between the current procurement
of the KC-46A and beginning of the Next Generation Air-refueling
System. The Tanker Recapitalization Program will continue replacement
of KC-135s (after delivery of the last KC-46A) to maintain at least a
466-tanker fleet. The final acquisition strategy for the Tanker
Recapitalization Program is pending and is expected in Quarter 3 of
FY24.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Question. The FY20 NDAA required the phase out of aqueous film-
forming foam (AFFF) firefighting foam containing PFAS by October 1,
2024. Is the Air Force on track to meet that deadline this year? Has
the Air Force also provided the necessary resources to Air National
Guard units to replace AFFF?
Answer. The Department of the Air Force took steps to cease using
aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) in all 567 facilities and is
transitioning firefighting vehicles to Fluorine Free Foam. Only one
hangar for Marine One at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and approximately
800 firefighting vehicles will require an extension to the FY20 NDAA
deadline of October 1, 2024. The Office of the Secretary of Defense is
developing extension request documentation for each of the two NDAA-
permissible 1 year waivers that will apply to the entire DoD. Each Air
Force component, including the Air National Guard, is securing funds to
remove and dispose of AFFF associated tanks and distribution in
facilities through a centralized contract with the United States Army
Corps of Engineers. Each Air Force component is sourcing the new
Fluorine Free Foam through a contract with the Defense Logistics
Agency.
Question. Secretary Kendall, I enjoyed hosting you in New Hampshire
at Pease Air National Guard Base to announce the Department's policy to
increase transparency with affected communities from PFAS- contaminated
sites across the country. My constituents in Portsmouth are concerned
about a lack of transparency from the Air Force around PFAS clean-up
efforts. Can you share an update on implementation of this new policy?
When will this data be available to community members?
Answer. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is committed to
transparency at Pease Air National Guard Base (ANGB). To implement the
new DoD policy, we are publishing reports that will contain all
publicly releasable PFAS sampling data. To communicate this, the DAF
convened a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting at Pease ANGB on
April 9, 2024, and announced a comprehensive Informal Technical
Information Report will be finalized in May 2024, and made available to
the RAB and to community members on the RAB website.
The DAF has taken additional time to develop the report to ensure
we carefully review the information and redact any personally
identifiable information not consented for release by the landowner(s).
The report will contain all sampling data collected during the ongoing
PFAS Remedial Investigation and include comprehensive maps and figures
that depict the nature and extent of PFAS releases on and off- site at
Pease ANGB.
Question. On April 10, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) finalized a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR)
establishing legally enforceable levels, called Maximum Contaminant
Levels (MCLs), for six PFAS in drinking water. There are 11 private
wells at Pease that, to date, were below New Hampshire's MCLs. Although
these wells are now above the EPA's new standards. Please advise how,
and on what timeline, the Air Force will address wells that fail to
meet the new MCLs.
Answer. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) has been preparing to
implement the EPA MCL final rule for both our on-base DoD drinking
water systems and the response action sites within our cleanup program.
Currently, the DAF does not have a specific timeline to address wells
whose PFAS concentrations exceed the MCL limits set forth in the final
rule, but we will keep Congress updated on our efforts at Pease Air
National Guard Base. Overall, we remain committed to fulfilling our
PFAS-related cleanup responsibilities expeditiously and will take
necessary actions to implement the final rule at cleanup sites in
accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act (CERCLA). The DAF reviewed PFAS sampling results and
will be expanding existing cleanup investigations, assessing
``background'' levels of PFAS, and providing drinking water treatment
for impacted off-base wells. Since a significant number of additional
off-base wells will require treatment in light of the final rule, the
DAF will prioritize locations where known PFAS levels in drinking water
attributable to the DAF are the highest. To expedite implementation of
more enduring solutions, the DAF will focus on installing treatment
systems, such as drinking water filters fitted for an entire home.
Question. The National Guard Bureau's decision to level Air
National Guard units will have a large impact across the country,
including at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire. I have a
lot of concerns about the impact of this decision on Guard members' pay
and benefit and on the ability of U.S. Transportation Command to
utilize Pease and the Guard presence there to continue operations. Can
you advise on your understood impacts that this decision will have on
Air Force operations? Do you believe the Air Force was adequately
consulted on this decision?
Answer. The Air National Guard full-time leveling process ensured
all units with similar mission sets received the same funding
percentages to meet mission requirements. Over the last 30 years, unit
conversions and programmatic actions resulted in an imbalance of funded
full-time percentages across like units funded under the same program
type. The National Guard has agreed to delay implementation in New
Hampshire by 1 year to fully address concerns.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Christopher Murphy
Question. First, I want to start at the outset by thanking you for
the support reflected in your FY25 budget request for the F135 Engine
Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F-35. Before last year's FY24 budget
request, we all know that the Department of Defense deliberated
thoroughly and carefully over options to improve the capability of the
F135 engine to meet F-35 Block 4 requirements. The decision to move
forward with the ECU to the F135 over trying to integrate AETP was
deemed the most cost effective and safest solution for our
servicemembers, and I thank you for keeping to that commitment in the
FY25 request.
In this vein, I'm quite pleased by the progress made over the last
year to advance the F-35's F135 ECU. As you know, ECU meets all the
established requirements and is being designed to be compatible with
any of the power and thermal management system (PTMS) options that are
under development and could be chosen. Maintaining engine commonality
across the full fleet of F-35s--in the U.S. military and across allied
militaries--is one major benefit of the F135 ECU. For another, ECU will
deliver $38 billion in life cycle cost savings key to the overall
program and to ensuring funding is freed up to increase fleet sizes and
weapons capacity in the future. In all these ways, ECU is good for the
warfighter and for the taxpayer.
However, it's worth emphasizing that these benefits and savings are
not realized until ECU enters service. To meet the timeline to deliver
ECU by 2029, the acquisition strategy must stay sound, and the next
development contract award must be made promptly. With that in mind,
I'd like to hear an update from the Department's engagement on ECU, and
specifically, the status of the ECU development contract. Are you
committed to ensuring that the ECU development contract is awarded
without delay to keep the program on track?
Answer. The F-35 Joint Program Office Business Case Analysis on
propulsion modernization determined an F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU)
restores engine life for all three F-35 variants at the lowest cost.
These findings informed DoD's decision to move forward with the F135
ECU. The F-35 will require modernization to the power thermal
management system beyond Lot 22 which delivers in Calendar Year 30. The
Air Force is working with the other Services and the Joint Program
Office to establish requirements to direct modernization development.
ECU risk reduction design efforts have progressed, and service
propulsion leaders are working closely with the Joint Program Office to
develop and refine subsequent phases of the ECU acquisition strategy.
Question. Given the Sentinel program will be delayed for at least 2
years--and potentially longer--are there any new steps will be
necessary to sustain the Minuteman III (MMIII) missiles to hedge
against this increased risk? Is there an amount of delay in the
Sentinel program beyond which there will be no choice but to take
additional steps to sustain or extend the life of MMIII missiles?
Answer. The Air Force continues to invest in modernizing aging and
obsolete components of the Minuteman III system to ensure the land leg
of the nuclear triad is a ready and reliable nuclear deterrent. The
FY25 President's Budget request allocates approximately $1 billion per
year to Minuteman III sustainment activities (i.e. RDT&E, Procurement,
O&M) and the Air Force will continue to identify additional sustainment
efforts required in future budget requests.
In the FY25 President's Budget request, the Air Force is initiating
four new Minuteman III sustainment programs, including Stage One
Battery Replacement, Depot Reentry Support Equipment, Little Mountain
Test Facility Updates, and Missile Transport Equipment.
The Sentinel schedule and alternatives are being considered as part
of the ongoing Nunn-McCurdy assessment. It would be premature to
provide a Sentinel or Minuteman III timeline prior to the conclusion of
the Nunn-McCurdy review process.
Question. I understand you had to make difficult budget decisions
in formulating the fiscal year 2025 budget request. But in my view, the
ability to rescue our military personnel who come into harm's way has
to remain a top priority, no matter the budgetary environment. It's a
moral imperative in our military to ``leave no one behind.'' We must be
clear in our commitment to protecting the men and women who risk their
lives to protect. This is why I remain concerned about the service's
decision to terminate the Combat Rescue Helicopter program, which has
been delivering much-needed modernized aircraft to replace the aging,
worn-out UH-60G Pave Hawks.
The Pave Hawks have been in service since the early 1980s, and most
are pushing well past their 7,000- hour service lives. With elevated
maintenance demands and general functionality concerns, the HH-60G
fleet is experiencing readiness rates half of what they should be--far
below what's needed to support combat operations safely. In addition,
the Air Force is retiring Pave Hawks significantly faster than current
procurement of the new HH-60W. The upgraded ``Whiskey'' model offers a
clear solution to this problem, delivering our search and rescue
squadrons better fuel capacity, range, navigation tools, and defensive
systems--all critical upgrades for making rescues safely and
effectively.
With 10 Combat Rescue Helicopters added by Congress in the fiscal
year 2024 defense bill, my understanding is that the Air Force is now
set to field just 95 aircraft to accomplish a mission for which the
original program of record required 113 aircraft. That's just over 80
percent of the original search and rescue mission requirement. And when
we're talking about the lives of U.S. personnel stranded and in danger,
I'm not comfortable with anything less than 100 percent preparation.
Without a full, modernized combat rescue helicopter capability, how
does the Air Force plan to address this looming shortfall in its search
and rescue capability?
Answer. The Air Force remains committed to supporting the Joint
Force by maintaining the only dedicated DoD Combat Search and Rescue
force. However, the capability limitations of the HH-60W against
current and future threats cannot be mitigated with additional
capacity. With existing Air Force and Joint Force capacity for
Personnel Recovery, the Air Force position is to terminate additional
procurement for the HH-60W program. Procuring additional HH-60W
aircraft diverts limited resources away from higher priority NDS-
focused modernization needs.
Question. I've heard the arguments about the changing threat
environment in Europe and the Pacific, as well as the challenges new
air defenses pose to helicopters. I understand these concerns. But I
still struggle to wrap my head around the Air Force's current plan not
to fully equip itself for potential future combat rescue missions--in
which stranded servicemembers' lives could hang in the balance.
Even though the demands on rescue and search squadrons are
changing, the response shouldn't be throwing up our hands and
abandoning our combat rescue capability. Instead, we should be
committing to upgrading our capability to meet the changing environment
and fully prepare those tasked with critical combat and rescue
functions. To that end, I'm glad the Air Force has again requested
funding to upgrade HH-60W capabilities, including protection from GPS
jamming, expanding secure Satellite Communications, and improving the
ability to operate in Degraded Visual Environments such as blowing
dust, snow, sand, and fog.
Can you please speak to how these investments in CRH development
will enable our combat and rescue missions to meet current, new, and
emerging threats?
Answer. The HH-60G is currently being replaced by the new HH-60W
aircraft coming off the production line. The HH-60W fleet will include
meaningful upgrades to deliver capability to conduct day, night, and
marginal weather Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operations to recover
isolated personnel in hostile or permissive environments. The Air Force
CSAR enterprise will rely on the HH-60W helicopter, HC-130J aircraft,
and Guardian Angel teams for the foreseeable future.
At the currently planned procurement levels, Air Force can meet the
demand for high-end CSAR capability within acceptable levels of risk.
This will require Combatant Commanders to account for risk in highly
contested environments and utilize other Joint assets in areas of
responsibility that do not require dedicated high-end CSAR coverage,
thereby preserving Air Force CSAR forces.
The Air Force remains committed to supporting the Joint Force by
maintaining the only dedicated DoD CSAR force. As the lead Major
Command, Air Combat Command funds modernization and upgrade efforts to
improve the survivability and effectiveness of the current force to
maximize existing capabilities until new assets and capabilities can be
developed.
We are monitoring several joint efforts under the Future Vertical
Lift program and anticipate an Air Force analysis of alternatives
effort to start in FY30. Beyond recovery platforms, current investments
in the Department of the Air Force's Operational Imperatives will
modernize other essential components of the CSAR architecture by
delivering Space and Cyber superiority, information and communications
modernizations, and improvements in autonomous systems and force
survivability.
Question. I appreciated the Department of Air Force's (DAF) and the
Director of the Air National Guard's (DANG) strategic basing decision
in September 2023 to select the 103rd Airlift Wing in Hartford, CT, as
a preferred location to replace eight C-130H models with eight C-130J
models. This decision stands to bolster the 103rd Wing's critical
mission across humanitarian operations, domestic support, and
deployments abroad.
That said, I understand that the Air Force and Air National Guard
leadership are rolling out its sequential order for the basing of C-
130Js, and I want to be sure the DAF and DANG are fully considering the
advantages of basing C-130Js with the 103rd Airlift Wing as soon as
possible. For one thing, my understanding is that the 103rd Airlift
Wing is the only location of the four preferred locations selected in
the fall that has zero initial costs for C-130J bed down, without any
military construction requirements associated with the C-130J
conversion.
Can you please share in as much detail as possible the DAF and
DANG's analysis and rationale for its sequencing decisions for the Air
National Guard (ANG) C-130H Recapitalization to C-130J Main Operating
Base (MOB) 7-10? Can you please share in as much detail as possible the
timeline for basing at MOB 7-10, according to the approved basing
action?
Answer. The Department of the Air Force conducted analysis for the
fielding of C-130J MOB 7-10 to maximize C-130J force presentation to
Combatant Commanders with minimal disruption to Air Force Force
Generation availability while minimizing upcoming C-130H weapons system
sustainment costs. This phasing ensures C-130H units can convert to the
C-130J and immediately cover scheduled taskings. The expected delivery
dates are based on current production schedule. For Main Operating Base
(MOB) 7, the first aircraft will arrive at the 120th Airlift Wing
(Great Falls, MT) in Quarter (Q) 2 of Calendar Year (CY) 26 with the
last aircraft arriving Q1 of CY27. For MOB 8, the first aircraft will
arrive at the 182nd Airlift Wing (Peoria, IL) in Q2 CY26 with the last
aircraft arriving Q1 CY27. For MOB 9, the first aircraft will arrive at
the 133rd Airlift Wing (Minneapolis, MN) in Q2 CY27 with last aircraft
arriving Q1 CY28. Lastly, for MOB 10, first aircraft will arrive at the
103rd Airlift Wing (Hartford, CT) in Q2 CY27 with the last aircraft
arriving Q1 CY28.
Question. I understand there has been some pressure on the Air
Force to reduce the size of the total force C-130 fleet, which has
reportedly raised questions about the need to reduce the size of the
Air National Guard's C-130 units' primary aircraft authorized (PAA)
from eight aircraft to six aircraft. This would leave Air National
Guard units, in Connecticut and across the country, ill-equipped to
meet their requirement of being able to project a lead four-ship Unit
Type Code (UTC) into the overseas operational environment and be able
to meet domestic response and homeland defense requirements. Can you
please describe the Air Force's thinking on this issue? Is the Air
Force committed to ensuring Air National Guard units preserve eight PAA
and their ability to meet their mission requirements?
Answer. There is no pressure to reduce inventory and the Department
of the Air Force (DAF) plans to maintain a fleet of 271 C-130 aircraft
through 2029 and each Air National Guard unit will remain at eight
Primary Aerospace Vehicles Authorized. The Air Force does not support
additional procurement of C-130J aircraft in the FY25 FYDP. Given
remaining C-130H fleet service life of more than 25 years, further
recapitalization of C-130H aircraft with C-130J aircraft is unnecessary
and not desired. Retaining additional C-130H aircraft or further
congressionally driven recapitalization with C-130J diverts limited
resources away from higher priority NDS-focused modernization needs,
impacts DAF's ability to adapt technological advances for intra-theater
lift, and could jeopardize U.S. victory in future conflict.
Question. We have seen a significant increase of activity by our
adversaries in space in recent times, including a Russian satellite
spawning other satellites and a significant increase in missions from
China to include being the first to land on the far side of the moon.
What efforts do we have in place to monitor this? To that end what are
we doing to monitor and obtain data generated from the science
community that may provide beneficial data to the DoD, specifically on
the far side of the moon?
Answer. The United States Space Force operates and leverages the
world's most extensive and capable space surveillance network. This
network is primarily focused on our primary operating environment, up
to and including Geosynchronous Earth Orbit. With that said, there are
16 DAF efforts that have partial funding across a range of efforts to
enhance our current capabilities and expand our space domain awareness
into the cislunar region, a volume of space that is more than 2,700
times larger than the volume in which DoD traditionally operates. The
near-term focus is improving cislunar situational awareness
capabilities by enhancing and integrating existing ground sensors.
The Air Force Research Laboratory plans to undertake a series of
space flight pathfinder demonstrations advancing the technologies for
improving awareness in cislunar space to include propulsion
technologies, mobility, navigation and timing, and space domain
awareness strategies. The Space Force will continue to investigate
opportunities for future focused investments in line with the National
Defense Strategy, as well as DoD and Space Force strategies.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Christopher A. Coons
Question. The Delaware Air National Guard does critical work in
supporting Delaware, and C-130Js are a critical means of supporting the
Guard's work. Delaware is one of four units that have yet to receive J-
models. Does the Air Force support the continued procurement of C-130J
models for the Air National Guard until all qualifying Air Guard units
are equipped?
Answer. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) plans to maintain a
fleet of 271 C-130 aircraft through 2029. The Air Force does not
support additional procurement of C-130J aircraft in the FY25 FYDP.
Given remaining C-130H fleet service life of more than 25 years,
further recapitalization of C-130H aircraft with C-130J aircraft is
unnecessary and undesired. Retaining additional C-130H aircraft or
further congressionally driven recapitalization with C-130J diverts
limited resources away from higher priority NDS-focused modernization
needs, impacts DAF's ability to adapt technological advances for intra-
theater lift, and could jeopardize U.S. victory in future conflict.
Question. A key focus of mine remains FLIGHT Act implementation,
which aims to increase the number of diverse U.S. military pilots by
supplementing flight training costs for ROTC members enrolled at HBCUs.
I have worked hard each year since the FLIGHT Act's passage to ensure
this subcommittee provides resources to implement this law. I
understand that the FLIGHT Act spend plan includes funding for at least
60 ROTC cadets to receive reimbursement for flight training each year,
but that much less have received funding. Can you provide updates on
FLIGHT Act implementation and details on your plan to get more FLIGHT
Act funding to a greater number of cadets at HBCUs?
Answer. In FY23, the Department of the Air Force (DAF) secured
Office of the Secretary of Defense approval for a five-year, $25
million implementation plan which, if fully executed, will directly
support approximately 1,700 Air Force ROTC cadets across 274 minority
serving institutions. This pilot program establishes additional flight
awareness, training, certification, and professional pilot scholarship
initiatives.
Continuing resolutions in FY23 and FY24 prevented the DAF from
fully executing the program. In FY23, we were able to execute
approximately $2.3 million. We anticipate similar execution in FY24,
which will enable us to fund the ``You Can Certify'' Program--100
Cadets, ``You Can Fly'' Program--1,024 Cadets, and FLIGHT Act
Reimbursement Costs--Reimbursed as Requested (four cadets to date).
We value continued Congressional support for this program. A more
defined four-to-five-year funding commitment would help us create
professional pilot scholarships. This, combined with timely
appropriations, will allow us to implement the program to full effect.
Question. The Delaware Congressional delegation is very proud of
Dover Air Force Base's work, including through Bedrock Innovation Lab.
How is the Air Force working to expand programs like the Bedrock
Innovation Lab around the country, and how can Congress support your
efforts?
Answer. Bedrock Innovation Lab is one of the leading SPARK Cells
for Air Mobility Command. The Air Force supports 14 other Innovation
Scaling Cells specifically designed to build innovation networks at
operational levels. There are also over 105 SPARK Cells at tactical
levels, supporting networks at the wing and base levels. Data and
innovation from these activities are shared, scaled, and incorporated
across the Department of the Air Force (DAF). SPARK Cells inform
progressively larger investments with Airmen and Guardian innovators as
they show promise and demonstrate success, mitigate risk, and control
costs. Workforce development (e.g., fellowships, internships, training)
activities are also used to support transition to the warfighter,
increasing impact to the DAF writ large. The DAF plans to continue to
support Bedrock and other SPARK Cells using Squadron Innovation Funds
through the Air Force O&M account.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Susan M. Collins
Question. Secretary Kendall has said the Department of the Air
Force was forced to make hard choices under the Fiscal Responsibility
Act top line set for the Department in fiscal year 2025. For example,
twelve fighter aircraft were cut from the FY25 budget at a time when
the Air Force is already retiring more aircraft than it is buying. The
Air Force has up to 514 aircraft grounded at any given time due to a
lack of spare parts, and funding to address that problem was identified
as an unfunded priority rather than included in the budget request.
General Allvin, please describe the area or capability where you feel
that you are accepting the most risk given the top-line constraints
this year.
Answer. The budget request balances current and future risk. Both
are of concern. The greatest risk is maintaining legacy force structure
while simultaneously pursuing modernization which forces reductions in
previously planned procurement and minimally acceptable readiness
accounts. We are stretched thin, and you are seeing the result of the
Fiscal Responsibility Act topline impacts in the decisions that were
made in the FY25 President's Budget request. The Air Force Foundational
Accounts that our current readiness rests upon (i.e. Weapon System
Sustainment, Flying Hour Program, and Military Construction) are funded
at lower rates than we would prefer. We are forced to work within our
budget to modernize while also remaining compliant with statutory
restrictions related to the size of our force. This results in the
reduced procurement such as F-15EX and MH-139 aircraft are lower than
desired foundational account funding.
Question. Secretary Kendall has said the Department of the Air
Force was forced to make hard choices under the Fiscal Responsibility
Act top line set for the Department in fiscal year 2025. General
Saltzman, please describe the area or capability where you feel that
you are accepting the most risk given the top-line constraints this
year.
Answer. Given the rapid advance of adversary space capabilities,
our greatest concern is time. We have added risk by delaying or
reducing capabilities across several capability areas, particularly
counterspace. We must have resilient assets that will survive an attack
and provide the services that are so important to the rest of the Joint
Force, as well as protect the rest of the Joint Force from space-
enabled attacks. We made hard choices which impacted our ability to
pursue comprehensive SATCOM resiliency initiatives and critical kill-
chain architecture efforts. The additional risk delays efforts to
provide system resiliency, deterrence, and critical space capabilities
to gain and maintain U.S. space superiority for the foreseeable future.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Question. Secretary Kendall, a few years ago you attributed the Air
Force's decision to reduce its acquisition of HH-60W's to the changing
threat environment, as the service looks toward more advanced
adversaries like Russia and China. While I understand that a conflict
with China would look drastically different than our operations in the
middle east over the past 20 years, 1) rescues will still be required
and 2) we must also be prepared for potential conflicts elsewhere that
consist of a similar environment to that of the recent past.
Mr. Secretary, by the Air Force reducing its rescue capacity, does
the service run the risk of being caught flat footed as it relates to
the ability to rescue our servicemembers in harm's way? Are there any
plans to increase capacity through additional acquisition? It doesn't
appear to be addressed in the FY25 budget submission.
Answer. At the currently planned procurement levels, the Air Force
can meet demand for high-end Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) capability
within acceptable levels of risk. This will require Combatant
Commanders to account for risk in highly contested environments and
utilize other Joint assets in areas of responsibility that do not
require dedicated high-end CSAR coverage, thereby preserving Air Force
CSAR forces.
The Air Force continues to invest in modernizing the currently
fielded force, Isolated Personnel survivability, communications
architecture, and integration with Allies and Partners. Investments in
the Operational Imperatives will modernize other essential components
of the CSAR architecture by delivering Space and Cyber superiority,
information and communications modernizations, and improvements in
autonomous systems and force survivability.
Question. As part of the acquisition strategy for Phase 3 of the
National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, Lane 2 will include
annual Launch Service Support (LSS) funding to cover National Security
Space-unique costs. These costs include fleet surveillance, support to
Government mission assurance, NSS-unique infrastructure, and complex
security and integration requirements. The FY25 President Budget
requests $476 million for LSS within NSSL Procurement, up from $291
million requested and appropriated in FY24. This increase appears to
support the inclusion of a third launch provider into Lane 2.
Secretary Kendall, what details can you share about how you intend
to allocate these LSS funds in FY25? If three providers are awarded in
Lane 2 of NSSL Phase 3, do you intend to equally allocate the LSS
funding equally among the awarded providers? Why is the $185 million
increase from FY24 to FY25 so important to preserve?
Answer. The FY25 Launch Service Support (LSS) request is based on
the government's estimate and will be updated based on final LSS
allocation in the awarded Phase 3, Lane 2 contracts. The difference
between FY24 and FY25 LSS budget requests is largely driven by
transition from Phase 2 to Phase 3 launch procurement, increased launch
rates, associated systems engineering/integration, mission assurance,
and Phase 3 award fees.
Question. you know, the Air National Guard has proposed a leveling
process to reconfigure the manning of its units across the country. The
updated unit manning documents reduced Active Guard and Reservists
(AGRs) positions that support Ballistic Missile Defense, Air
Sovereignty, Search and Rescue, and Aerospace Alert missions in Alaska.
Can you explain why having certain Air National Guard positions staffed
with AGRs is critical to enable the active-duty Air Force's efforts to
power project into the Indo-Pacific and defend the homeland?
Answer. The Air National Guard (ANG) full-time leveling process
ensured all units with similar mission sets received the same funding
percentages to meet mission requirements. Over the last 30 years, unit
conversions and programmatic actions resulted in an imbalance of funded
full-time percentages across like units funded under the same program
type. No resources were moved out of the Ballistic Missile Defense, Air
Sovereignty, Search and Rescue, and Aerospace Alert mission sets. The
resources were realigned within the same missions, providing funding
equity across those same areas across the ANG enterprise. The National
Guard has agreed to delay implementation in Alaska by 1 year to fully
address concerns.
Question. Can you explain why having certain Air National Guard
positions staffed with AGRs is critical to enable the Space Force's
efforts to defend the homeland?
Answer. The Air National Guard in Alaska performs a space mission
requiring continuous 24/7 operations which requires a particular type
of duty status to defend the homeland. The National Guard has agreed to
delay full-time leveling implementation in Alaska by 1 year to fully
address these concerns.
Question. There is a $815 million increase for NGAD development is
in your most recent budget submission, with a total commitment of just
about $28.5 billion over the next 5 years. Understandably so, most if
not all of this is for development and test of the air vehicle and
mission systems themselves, to include Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
But there will likely be infrastructure costs required for basing as
well, as Alaska experienced and embraced when ramping up for the
arrival of the F-35s at Eielson in the 2016-2020 timeframe. General
Allvin, could you speak a little bit to the infrastructure
considerations and costs that might be associated with and required for
NGAD basing?
Answer. In general terms, infrastructure required for fighter
missions include squadron operations facilities, simulator buildings,
maintenance hangars, back shops, weather shelters, ramps space, and
munitions storage. Overall costs are assessed during the Department of
the Air Force strategic basing process, which takes into consideration
existing facilities, the ability to accommodate new requirements
through renovations, optimization of space, and quality of life
factors, as well as any new construction to fulfill unmet requirements
for the new mission. Additional details on the basing requirements for
NGAD, including funding profiles, can be provided in the appropriate
classification setting.
Question. We maintain competitive advantages in many aspects of
conflict, but less so in hypersonics. As we begin to shift focus from
pure development to rigorous field testing, we understand that testing
requires an extensive range, with the ability to track and record data
over 1,000+ miles. These ranges are difficult to find, as you don't
want to test missiles overpopulated regions, for obvious reasons.
Alaska provides the only location capable of supporting both short- and
long-range hypersonic weapons testing within the United States, with
the ability to track weapons over long distances using ground-based
stations along the Aleutian Test Range, vs more costly tracking methods
utilizing ships and aircraft to track flight test data. General Allvin,
can you speak a little more to the environmental requirements for
hypersonic testing, what the Air Force looks for when selecting test
ranges for hypersonics, and whether the Air Force has evaluated the
Pacific?
Answer. The Air Force, along with the Office of the Secretary of
Defense (OSD) Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), notionally
examines key criteria including weather/meteorology/atmospherics,
terrain, sea state, capabilities for telemetry/tracking, safety, end-
game scoring, operational security, cost, impact to commercial
aviation, treaty impacts, and range availability during selection of a
test range for hypersonics. OSD TRMC, which falls under the OSD
Research and Engineering Enterprise, is the DoD lead with oversight
over all DoD hypersonics test infrastructure investments in the
Department. The TRMC hypersonics investment strategy identified cost
and schedule efficiencies from using mobile, relocatable
instrumentation to enable the Department to rapidly test hypersonics at
multiple locations, including the Pacific. The Air Force leverages TRMC
as the DoD hypersonics test investment lead and is aligning our test
investment plans to the TRMC strategy by investing in terminal
weaponineering, mobile telemetry, and overhead tracking systems so we
can quickly and affordably test hypersonics in remote operational
scenarios.
Question. This committee was successful in securing over $200
million in additional FY24 funding for radar upgrades and sustainment
in Alaska; radars that, as mentioned previously, serve to detect
adversarial threats, and protect the homeland. We are extremely proud
of the work our Space Force Guardians do in Alaska as they monitor the
horizons from Clear Space Force Station. General Saltzman, what are
some of the Space Force's highest priorities for operations in Alaska,
and the Arctic as a whole? Please touch on one to two of the highest
priorities.
Answer. The Space Force priorities for the Arctic include
maintaining or upgrading ground-based radars to protect the homeland.
For Alaska, this includes Long Range Discrimination Radar as it
transfers from the Missile Defense Agency to the Space Force in FY25,
Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) at Clear Space Force Station, and
maintaining Cobra Dane as a capability in transition.
In the greater Arctic region, Space Force priority capabilities
include the Pituffik UEWR and providing secure communication in the
Arctic region with Enhanced Polar Systems-Recapitalization to extend
satellite communications for U.S. polar forces. Other priorities
include augmenting the aging Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
with Weather System Follow-on-Microwave, environmental Monitoring of
the Arctic, in which much of Alaska resides, and measuring sea ice and
the warming of the Arctic region, subsequently protecting new/emerging
shipping lanes/access to the region.
Question. The United States Space Force recently stood up the
Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) Program Executive
Office in Space Systems Command. With the increase of adversarial space
capabilities, training our guardians has never been more important and
being able to truly measure our performance in how our systems operate
in various scenarios. However, as a nation, we do not have a ``space
range'' for training like other services do. How is the Space Force
planning for and prioritizing a space range?
Answer. Although co-located with Space Systems Command, the
Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) Program Executive
Officer (PEO) and the supporting Integrated Program Office report
directly to the Space Acquisition Executive. It is the OTTI PEO
responsibility to acquire and sustain the test and training
infrastructure necessary for combat credible force readiness in a
contested environment. This generally includes modeling and simulation
equipment, ranges, and weapon system training devices.
In 2022, the Space Force established the National Space Test and
Training Complex (NSTTC) in Colorado Springs, CO, to unify operations
of the Electromagnetic Range, Orbital Warfare Range, Cyber Warfare
Range, and Digital Warfare Environment.
Each of the ranges and the digital environment are operated by
units dedicated to providing customers with a safe and secure
environment supporting test, training, exercise, and experimental
activities in the varied space and cyber domains. Some units were
established as early as 2004 and others were recently established to
meet emerging and/or more mature threats as the space domain was no
longer a sanctuary for US operations. Current initiatives include new
or modernized range environments, equipment and instrumentation
enabling high end, advanced testing of new capabilities.
As the DoD's only space ranges, the NSTTC supports customers from
all services and many agencies, enhancing specialized service and joint
all-domain training.
Question. The Space Situation Awareness program, received $372.8
million in FY24 and then a $110.7 million program increase for $483.6
million in the president's FY25 budget request. However, the space-
based Space Domain Awareness (SDA) project received $115.6 million in
FY24, only a $62.4 million program increase in the president's FY25
budget request for a project total of $178.1 million. Given growing
adversarial space-based threats and an influx of resident space
objects, and the commercial satellite industry's growing in-space SDA
capabilities, how is the Space Force prioritizing the acquisition of
in- space SDA capabilities?
Answer. Acquiring a resilient Space Situational/Domain Awareness
architecture comprised of space-based (i.e., in- space), ground-based,
and commercial capabilities is a priority to the Space Force. The Space
Force leverages ground and space-based systems to discover, track,
characterize, warn, and fuse information within the space domain. In
FY25, we are investing $1.19B (4.1% of our total budget) in these
critical Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capabilities.
Space Force SDA architecture leverages partnerships and data across
the national security space enterprise and commercial sources to ensure
we have a resilient, integrated, and diverse sensor architecture. The
partnerships will invest in efforts such as the Joint Commercial
Office, the Commercial Space Operations Office, and the SDA Technology
Accelerator Program laboratory, consistent with the recently published
Space Force Commercial Space Strategy.
The Space Situation Awareness Program Element consists of three
acquisitions: the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), the
Ground-Based Optical Sensor System (GBOSS), and SILENTBARKER. However,
the Space Situation Awareness Program does not contain all Space
Situational Awareness and Space Domain Awareness capabilities. DARC and
GBOSS are ground-based systems that will track objects in deep space.
SILENTBARKER is a Space Force-National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
space-based SDA program which aims to improve satellite threat
intelligence and space situational awareness and its investment is
shared between the Space Force and NRO. Therefore, the NRO portion of
the investment is not included in the Space Situation Awareness Program
Element.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lindsey Graham
Question. It has come to my attention that the Reserve Component
and the Active Component are struggling to agree on a plan to allocate
funds to procure and maintain F-16 simulators for the Air National
Guard. The South Carolina Air National Guard, which is stationed at
McEntire Joint National Guard Base, is in the process of building a
four-ship F-16 Mission Training Center to support the 169th Fighter
Squadron. This specific $9.8 million MILCON project was requested in
the FY22 budget and funded in the FY22 Omni. The indecision on how the
funding of simulators will proceed could cause significant readiness
impacts for both the Active and Reserve Components and result in wasted
taxpayer dollars with the construction of an empty building.
Do you commit to ensuring that taxpayer dollars will be well spent,
and that readiness will be maintained by ensuring that F-16 simulators
will be purchased and installed upon completion of the MILCON project
at McEntire Joint National Guard Base and guarantee maintenance of
these simulators for the future?
Answer. Currently, the Air Force does not have plans to buy
additional new simulators for McEntire.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
Question. The Air Force was expected to request funding for the
final aircraft in the BACN program of record in FY25. The FY24
President's budget request projected $66.4 million for the aircraft
plus $102 million for modifications. However, the FY25 President's
budget requests $0 for the aircraft and $82.9 million for
modifications.
Did the operational requirement change since the FY24 budget was
released? If so, please provide the analysis which led to this
determination. How many airframes are required to meet the current
operational requirement? What options exist to increase the operational
availability and employment of the BACN platform?
Answer. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) meets the current
operational requirement of one BACN orbit in CENTCOM. Our final
inventory objective is seven E-11A aircraft. We have three deployed
aircraft and three aircraft stationed at Robins Air Force Base for
training. To increase operational availability, the training mission is
to receive an augmented flight simulator. At any given time, one
aircraft is expected to be undergoing maintenance on a rotational
basis.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito
Question. In a response that was provided to my office regarding
the Block 8.1 upgrades for C-130J units in June 2023, the Air Force
noted that the Mobility Air Force fielding plan, approved in 2015,
would upgrade one unit at a time. Are you confident in the Air Force's
ability to operate in a potential conflict in a contested environment
with 25 percent of the fleet missing this upgrade for another five to 8
years? Would the Air Force consider updating the fielding plan to
incorporate National Guard and Reserve aircraft into the modification
timeline?
Answer. The Block 8.1 modification includes Tactical Datalink
(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 received C-130Js in Block 8.1 configuration from the
production line in January 2024. There are 48 congressionally added C-
130J aircraft between FY20 and FY23. The Air National Guard (ANG) is
expected to receive 40 Block 8.1 C-130Js directly off the production
line by Q2 FY28.
The Air Force is confident our fielding plan for Block 8.1
installations will meet the needed capacity for operations in a
contested environment. In FY25, 14 additional Active-Duty C-130Js will
upgrade with Block 8.1, bringing the fleet total to 79 Block 8.1
aircraft by the end of FY25. Older C-130Js in the Air Force Reserve and
ANG are projected to begin upgrade in FY28.
Question. Only 60% of the Air National Guard's C-17 fleet has been
modernized with the Extended Range Fuel Tank. Would the Air Force
consider reassignment of some extended range C-17A aircraft from the C-
17 training schoolhouse to units flying operational missions in support
of Air Mobility Command that require extended range capability?
Answer. The Formal Training Unit trains and educates students
across the Active Duty, Air National Guard (ANG), and Air Force Reserve
(AFR). The Schoolhouse aircraft are rotated based on flying hours
within the Active-Duty fleet. Extended Range (ER) aircraft are required
at the schoolhouse to complete aircrew training and exposure/
familiarization with the systems on ER aircraft.
Only 164 of the 222 Air Force C-17s have ER fuel tanks, including
four of the eight (50%) West Virginia ANG aircraft, 31 of the 50 (62%)
total ANG aircraft, 69% total AFR aircraft, and 79% total Active-Duty
aircraft.
The Air Force attempts to manage the C-17 fleet with a Total Force
lens, with Air Mobility Command (AMC) serving as the lead command for
fleet management. Currently, neither Air Force Reserve Command (ARC)
nor the ANG participate in the C-17 fleet management program, severely
limiting AMC's ability to project fleet needs.
As the lead command for the C-17 fleet, AMC must retain a requisite
percentage of ER aircraft within Active-Duty units to accomplish daily
training and operational missions, both planned and unplanned. The Air
Force attempts to fill operational missions with Active Duty first,
then ARC with participation. For this reason, the Air Force requires a
higher ratio of ER tails in Active Duty versus ARC. From a Total Force
perspective, we cannot transfer aircraft between components until we
fleet manage as a Total Force enterprise.
Question. Why has the Department of the Air Force submitted a
legislative proposal to Congress that would relocate Air National Guard
billets to the single component Space Force without notification to
Governors as required under Title 32, Section 104 of U.S. Code?
Answer. Section 924 of the FY24 NDAA directed a review of multiple
courses of action with respect to the potential disposition of space
functions currently executed by Air National Guard (ANG) units. During
the review, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requested that,
along with the final report, the Department provide a legislative
proposal that would implement the recommended course of action.
Additionally, during the interim briefing to the Congressional
Armed Services Committees required by Section 924, committee staff
requested technical drafting assistance in support of transferring ANG
units with space functions into the Space Force. At the time of these
requests, the legislative proposal was being finalized and staffed
within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) as part of the DoD
Legislative Proposal Process. The proposal was forwarded to OMB, who
after reviewing the proposal, authorized OSD to transmit it to the
committees on behalf of the administration.
The Section 924 report transmitted to Congress explains the
relative costs, benefits, and risks of each course of action. The
Department will comply with all applicable legislation prior to the
execution of any decision, as directed by Congress. Consultations with
governors are now taking place.
Question. Is it the opinion of the Department of the Air Force
that, to allow current Air National Guard space operators to remain in
the Reserve Component, new and separate systems for promotion,
retirement, and personnel only serving the Space Force must be created?
If yes, why must these processes that already exist in the Air National
Guard be recreated?
Answer. The FY24 NDAA Space Force Personnel Management Act (SFPMA)
authorized the Space Force to develop an innovative personnel
management system integrating Active-Duty Guardians and Air Force
Reserve space professionals into a unified Service, offering full-time
and part-time service options without establishing a traditional
reserve component.
Current Department of the Air Force human resource systems managing
full-time members are not integrated with systems managing part-time
members and require new personnel management processes and integrated
systems. One of the efforts of SFPMA will be a systems evaluation for
better integration of existing personnel processes and systems for
part-time and full-time members within the Space Force.
Should Congress make the determination to transfer covered space
functions from Air National Guard (ANG) to the Space Force, the
management of ANG personnel who voluntarily transfer would be managed
the same way that the Space Force is currently managing the integration
of the Air Force Reserve space professionals: primarily focusing on
full-time participation/opportunities and then opening a transfer
window for part-time opportunities. The new authorities granted by
SFPMA will allow the service to talent manage to the individual, based
on the Space Force needs.
Question. Air National Guard data shows that most Air National
Guard space operators do not intend to transfer to the single component
Space Force. How does the Air Force intend to re-mission personnel who
do not transfer within their states if space missions are relocated
from the Air National Guard? What are the projected costs associated
with that re-training?
Answer. The United States Space Force (USSF) has not approached any
Air National Guard (ANG) servicemembers nor presupposed Congressional
decision on the future of these units, so it is premature to speculate
on what ANG servicemembers would be offered and what their final
decision would be regarding any voluntary transfers to the Space Force.
As with all planning options, the Department of the Air Force would
look at all aspects of the issue to ensure mitigation strategies and
measures are in place to incentivize desired outcomes. The USSF is
already largely responsible for the training and sustainment of the
identified ANG units. While servicemember expertise is valuable, the
USSF can and will manage transition risk, leveraging the experience to
date as it already has with transitions from the other active duty
Services (i.e. Air Force, Army, and Navy) based on Congressional
direction. Additionally, the USSF experience with Air Force Reserve
transfers is that, when given a choice, 80% of servicemembers are
transitioning.
SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS
Senator Tester. We will convene again, hearing from the
Navy on April 16 at 10 a.m.
The subcommittee stands in recess. We are adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:22 a.m., Tuesday, April 9, the
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday,
April 16.]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
----------
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024
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, Collins, Murkowski,
Graham, Moran, Hoeven, and Boozman.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Office of the Secretary
STATEMENT OF HON. CARLOS DEL TORO, SECRETARY
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JON TESTER
Senator Tester. I want to call this hearing to order.
Good morning, everybody. Today we welcome Secretary Del
Toro, Admiral Franchetti, and General Smith. Thank you for
serving our Nation and for leading our Navy and Marine Corps. I
look forward to discussing the 2025 budget priorities today.
Admiral Franchetti, this is your first appearance before
this subcommittee. I have enjoyed getting to know you over the
recent months and we look forward to working with you
throughout this process and moving forward.
General Smith, this is also your first appearance in front
of this committee. It is great to see you and I want to thank
you for your service and I want to thank you for being here
today.
The fiscal year 2025 budget request of the Navy and Marine
Corps is at $252.3 billion, excluding funds for military
construction. This represents a 1.4 percent increase above
fiscal year 2024-enacted levels.
You received your fiscal year 2024 funding only a couple
weeks ago, 6 months late, because Congress didn't do its job
and get its work done on time. In my opinion, this is a
disgrace. Our Nation continues to face real threats from China
and Russia and Iran and terrorist groups.
As we saw just this past weekend when Iran brazenly
attacked Israel with hundreds of missiles, the world doesn't
follow any congressional calendar.
The Senate-passed national security supplemental includes
$2.4 billion for the operations in the U.S. Central Command
Area of Operations. That includes funds to replace interceptors
fired in defense of our ships and of our allies in the region.
It is long past time to get these funds signed into law. I
believe the Supplemental was sent out in August of last year.
We have allies and they're friends of ours. We've got countries
that are fighting for democracy. Yet we have soldiers' lives
that are at risk in the region. Yet we continue to fiddle and
do Putin's bidding.
It is long past time to get these funds signed into law and
like I said, I would like the witnesses today to explain the
impact of having to cash flow these operations from existing
budgets.
But as challenging as the Middle East situation is, the
Number 1 threat to our freedom, the pacing threat remains to be
China, and as I said before, China doesn't operate on
continuing resolutions. So notwithstanding political headwinds
and budget constraints, we will continue to work with my good
friend Susan Collins and Chairman Murray to end this disastrous
trend of CRs (continuing resolutions) and insert some certainty
back into our budget cycle.
To be clear, we have our work cut out for us. The
bipartisan fiscal responsibility is the law of the land. It
caps spending for both defense and non-defense programs. Last
year, despite our efforts, we were not able to convince our
colleagues to change those budget caps.
Given the pressures on the budget, such as the impact of
inflation, we need to modernize the nuclear Triad, rising
personnel costs, and near and present global threats, and I
might say and I've said it before, so this is not breaking
news, I think we're in a more perilous time than has ever been
in my lifetime, maybe with the exception of the Cuban missile
crisis.
It is imperative that we invest these dollars that we do
have in a way that gets results that we want.
I want to highlight a few areas that we need further
discussion. The first is our people, our sailors, Marines, and
civilians. The subcommittee had worked with the department to
provide additional funds in recruitment and increase suicide
prevention efforts. I would love to hear an update on that.
Second is shipbuilding. Secretary Del Toro, you recently
concluded a 45-day shipbuilding review and documented serious
scheduling delays. The results are damning and I understand
additional studies are now ongoing. I would love to hear about
that.
Third, the volatile global security environment that has
driven a great sense of urgency and DOD (Department of Defense)
attempt to field innovative technologies and solutions at scale
as quickly as possible.
We're always open to working with the Department of Defense
to ensure the warfighter has the tools it needs to be
effective. However, it cannot be ignored that programs
initiated with expedited expedition authorities apparently
suffer from the same costs, schedule, and technical issues as
traditional programs do.
The Navy is no exception. For example, the extra-large
unmanned undersea vehicle is intended to fill an urgent
requirement. Despite fabrication starting in 2019, here we are
in 2024 with no operational assets. Icing on the cake, I now
hear that the Navy is planning to sole source the follow-on
effort and that begs the question of what message does that
send?
So before we entertain enacting the new budget acquisition
authorities, I want to know how the Navy's going to improve its
performance to ensure the capabilities we invest in actually
reaches the hands of the warfighter without wasting taxpayer
dollars.
It is the role of Congress to ensure the taxpayer dollars
are used in the most effective way possible to maintain
American superiority and I look forward to continuing to work
with you to make that possible.
Once again, I want to thank you, all of you for your
service to this country, but before your opening statements, I
want to turn it over to Senator Collins for any remarks she
would like to make.
Senator Collins.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR SUSAN M. COLLINS
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Let me begin my remarks by saying that I can't imagine a
more timely hearing than this one, given Iran's deliberate
attack against the sovereign nation of Israel with more than
300 drones and ballistic missiles over the weekend and the
Navy's truly heroic response in assisting Israel and our other
allies.
Impressively with the assistance of the United States,
England and France and certain Arab states, Israel intercepted
99 percent of these missiles. That includes more than 80
incoming drones and at least six ballistic missiles that were
taken down by American forces, including the crews of two Bath-
built destroyers, the USS Carney, and the USS Arleigh Burke.
Keep in mind that this is the same USS Carney that has been
protecting U.S. and allied shipping in the Red Sea and has an
amazing record of shooting down incoming missiles and drones
fired by the Houthis. In fact, the U.S. Navy has thwarted
numerous attacks from Iran's terrorist proxies and I do think
we should remember the role of Iran in all of this, whether it
is arming and equipping the Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah. If you
trace back, it always comes back to Iran.
We place and appropriately so a lot of emphasis on China in
our hearings as being the pacing threat, but we cannot forget,
as the Chairman indicated, how dangerous the world is today and
how many adversaries we have and Iran is certainly among them,
and I think we need to remember that less than 1 percent of the
weapons reached their targets this weekend in Israel does not
in any way reflect a lack of effort or maligned intent by Iran.
Rather, it is a testament to the service members who
successfully deployed modern missile defense capabilities,
capabilities that were developed over decades at the cost of
billions of dollars, but we should never take for granted what
it took to make this defense of Israel possible.
If ever the naysayers had any doubt about the value of
today's surface Navy, those doubts should be eliminated by the
events of the last 6 months.
Shifting to the budget focus of today's hearings, I will
start by echoing the Chairman's comments by saying how great it
is to see General Smith back and healthy with us today. I look
forward to continuing to work together, although it appears
that amphibious ships may not be quite as much work this year
as they did last year, and I imagine that you're quite okay
with that.
To Secretary Del Toro and to Admiral Franchetti, thank you
also for your extraordinary leadership and service.
I also want to recognize the service and sacrifice of our
Marines, our sailors, and their families. I'm proud also that
so many Mainers have chosen to support the Navy through their
critical work at Bath Ironworks, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,
the plant run by Pratt and Whitney, the Naval Computers and
Telecommunications Center in Cutler, and other locations and
facilities around our State.
There are many challenges confronting the Navy today but
three are at the forefront of my mind. First, there are not
enough sailors reporting for duty at sea. Second, shipbuilding
is nowhere close to keeping pace with China's growing Navy, and
third, the funding for the Navy's next generation fighter
aircraft that is central to the Air Wing of the future has been
delayed considerably in this budget request.
Let me comment briefly on each of those comments. Last
month the Navy reported a sea duty shortfall of nearly 22,000
personnel. On average, 13 out of every hundred jobs on a ship
are unfilled. These gaps at sea are growing worse. So I look
forward to your assessment of the impact of the empty sea duty
billets on operational readiness and on retention and
recruitment.
China's Navy continues its explosive growth from more than
370 ships today to 435 by the year 2030 while this budget
request results in only 294 U.S. Navy ships in the same
timeframe, merely a single ship more than today's current
fleet.
In total, the request includes only six new ships for
fiscal year 2025. The last time the Navy requested so few ships
was more than 15 years ago.
It's worth pointing out, as the Chairman has, that the
bipartisan National Security Supplemental that the Senate
passed more than 2 months ago includes more than $3 billion to
bolster the submarine industrial base to help address the
lengthy delays in both submarine programs.
I would also add that the Supplemental includes $2.4
billion to reimburse for the direct costs being incurred by
U.S. military units in harm's way in Central Command for 6
months. Those were costs that could not have been anticipated
and that is yet another reason we need to get this Supplemental
to the President and signed into law.
Navy sailors and service members of the other branches of
the military have answered the call, doing everything asked of
them and more. We need to pass the Supplemental so that these
missions can continue and the necessary investments in the
shipbuilding industrial base can be made.
Therefore, we also need to mark up and pass the fiscal year
2025 Defense Appropriations bill as soon as possible that
defers conflict by providing the Navy and the Marine Corps with
the ships, aircraft, munitions, and other capabilities
necessary to keep our country and our allies safe during this
extraordinarily difficult and dangerous time.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Collins.
Now I'll have opening statements and please know that your
full opening statement will be a part of the record.
We'll start with you, Secretary Del Toro.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF HON. CARLOS DEL TORO
Secretary Del Toro. Chairman Tester, Vice Chair Collins,
Distinguished Members of the Committee, it's an honor to appear
before you this morning to discuss the posture of the
Department of the Navy.
First and foremost, I do also want to thank General Smith
and Admiral Franchetti for answering the call of our Nation
time and time again. They, like all who devote their careers
and in some cases even sacrifice their lives in defense of
their fellow Americans, represent everything that makes the
United States a beacon of hope and freedom around the world.
Together, our combined years of service to our country
totals over a century, a century marked by multiple
deployments, time away from home, and sacrifices made by our
families, and as we gather here this morning, thousands of our
sailors, Marines, civilians and their families are either
stationed or deployed all over the world, making the same
sacrifices, enduring the same trials that myself, General
Smith, and Admiral Franchetti have faced throughout our
careers.
In the Indo-Pacific, our Navy and Marine Corps are sailing
and operating alongside our international allies and partners
in support of a free and open maritime commons, one where
nations are secure in their access to the seas and where their
rights within their exclusive economic zones are respected and
upheld by all.
Across Europe we, in cooperation with our NATO (North
Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies, are supporting our
Ukrainian partners as they continue their fight to restore
their territorial and national sovereignty as Russia's illegal
full-scale invasion enters now its third year, and I also urge
Congress to pass the National Security Supplemental without
further delay in support of our Ukrainian partners as they
fight to restore peace in their homeland in defense of
democracy for all free nations, not just Ukraine.
In the Red Sea, our sailors and Marines have encountered
hundreds of missiles and drones launched by the Houthis the
past 6 months targeting merchant shipping and the warships of
both the United States and international allies and partners as
you have stated.
We are confronting an adversary supported by Iran. All
roads lead to Iran. It has no respect for the innocent lives
and civilian merchant mariners and one that is actively
targeting our ships attempting to harm our sailors and Marines
because we dare to defend the defenseless.
And just this past weekend, as you have stated, USS Carney
and USS Arleigh Burke, both operating in the Eastern
Mediterranean Sea, intercepted several Iranian ballistic
missiles heading towards Israel.
For those who question why the American taxpayer should
provide for and maintain a Navy and Marine Corps, look at what
is happening today in the Middle East where we are defending
the free flow of international commerce and actively defending
our international allies and partners.
Members of the Committee, we appear before you today to ask
for your continued support, for your partnership and your
commitment in ensuring that the nearly one million sailors and
Marines and civilians of the Department of the Navy that we
lead are ready on all fronts at all times.
While the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 forced us to
make very hard choices, the $257.6 billion in the President's
budget request for fiscal year 2025 for our department adaptly
balances maintaining and modernizing the fleet and force of
today against planning for the future force while also taking
care of our people.
This budget directly supports our department's three
enduring priorities of strengthening our maritime dominance,
building a culture of warfighting excellence, and enhancing our
strategic partnerships.
We are acquiring the most lethal, agile, and capable
warships, submarines, aircraft weapon systems, and other
systems our world has ever seen. We're also funding the
research and development of transformational technologies and
fielding them more quickly to make our fleet more lethal and
persistent within the current FY DP.
We are investing billions of dollars in the industrial base
that supports us while encouraging them to invest more in
themselves at the same time.
As responsible stewards of taxpayer funds, we will enforce
accountability to ensure that our sailors and Marines have the
platforms and capabilities they need to deliver on time and on
budget.
Above all else, we are taking care of our personnel and
their families by focusing on improving housing, expanding
childcare capacity, and increasing access to mental health
resources, amongst other critical areas.
We are clear-eyed about the challenges our Nation faces
today in the maritime domain, both commercial and naval, and as
a maritime nation we must confront the challenges of today and
prepare for the potential conflicts of tomorrow by investing in
a strong Navy and Marine Corps.
Again, it is an honor to appear before you this morning and
to lead the most powerful lethal and flexible Navy and Marine
Corps team in the world and we look forward to discussing with
you how best to deliver the Navy and Marine Corps that our
Nation requires.
Thank you.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Carlos Del Toro
introduction
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and distinguished members
of the committee, I am honored to appear before you alongside General
Smith and Admiral Franchetti to discuss the posture of the Department
of the Navy (DON). We appreciate your trust and confidence in us to
lead the nearly one million Sailors, Marines, and civilians of our
Nation's naval services, and we value opportunities like this to
discuss our approach to recruiting, training, equipping, and preparing
our Sailors and Marines to defend our Nation.
For over 248 years, our Navy and Marine Corps have served as our
Nation's vanguard, representing our interests around the globe--on,
above, and below the sea, ashore, as well as in space and cyberspace.
Our Founding Fathers recognized the importance of a well-trained, well-
equipped naval force, and codified in our Constitution this legislative
body's obligation to the American people to provide for and maintain a
Navy and, by extension, a Marine Corps. Since the founding of our
Nation, we have relied on our naval services to secure the world's
oceans to sustain our economy through international trade, to engage
with allies and partners thousands of miles away, and to confront the
threats that have challenged our very way of life.
Today, our naval power is on full display around the globe,
especially in the Red Sea and in the Indo-Pacific. We are reassuring
allies and partners, deterring potential adversaries, and responding to
the actions of those who wish to threaten the lives of our Sailors,
Marines, and civilian merchant mariners engaged in lawful,
international commercial activities. American Sailors and Marines are
protecting the national security interests and prosperity of the United
States--all in line with the National Security and National Defense
Strategies.
As we confront global challenges, we remain laser-focused on
managing our strategic competition with the People's Republic of China
(PRC)--our pacing challenge. The PRC continues to behave provocatively
and unsafely across the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the Taiwan
Strait and the South China Sea. The PRC seeks to coerce its neighbors
and threaten their interests, while undermining our alliances and
security partnerships. The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA(N)) is
just one element of the maritime force Beijing employs to challenge the
rules-based international order. As illustrated by ongoing PRC actions
against our Philippine ally at Scarborough Reef and Second Thomas
Shoal, the PRC uses its Navy, Coast Guard, and Maritime Militia as part
of an integrated, cumulative campaign designed to force nations to
submit to Beijing's excessive maritime claims despite international
law, as reflected in the 2016 South China Sea ruling under Annex VII of
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Using these ``gray
zone'' operations, the PRC is attempting to illegally appropriate other
countries' offshore resources, threatening the peace, prosperity, and
ecological stability of the world's ocean. Our Navy and our Marine
Corps play a vital role--and have proven their effectiveness--in
supporting our allies and partners' civilian vessels in standing up to
the PRC's coercive maritime strategy in the South China Sea. While we
do not seek confrontation, we will continue to uphold a free and open
Indo-Pacific, and we will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever
international law allows.
In Europe, Russia's illegal war and full-scale invasion of Ukraine
has entered its third year. Our Ukrainian partners continue to display
incredible courage and bravery on the battlefield, in the air, and at
sea as they strive to restore their national and territorial
sovereignty. We are proud to stand by their side, along with our NATO
allies, and it is imperative that we continue to provide them with the
support required for them to achieve victory, including the passage of
the national security supplemental bill before Congress. As President
Biden stated: ``History is watching. The failure to support Ukraine at
this critical moment will not be forgotten. Now is the time for us to
stand strong with Ukraine and stand united with our allies and
partners. Now is the time to prove that the United States stands up for
freedom and bows down to no one.''
In the Middle East, the Iranian-aligned Houthis continue to launch
unprovoked attacks on civilian merchant ships sailing innocently
through waters where international law allows in the Red Sea and Gulf
of Aden, one of the world's busiest waterways that accounts for more
than 15% of the world's shipping traffic and connects Europe and Asia.
More than twenty countries have joined us in Operation Prosperity
Guardian to protect civilian ships and crews from harm. Acting in self-
defense, our Navy and Marine Corps, along with the navies of our allies
and partners, have shot down scores of anti-ship cruise missiles,
ballistic missiles, and drones launched by the Houthis. Our ships,
aircraft, and crews have performed admirably to both protect
international commercial ships from multi-domain threats and defend
themselves.
Following exhaustive diplomatic efforts to seek an end to the
Houthis' attacks without further damage and bloodshed, we and our
allies have conducted multiple rounds of combined self-defense strikes
against targets in parts of Houthi-controlled Yemen, including storage
sites and locations associated with the group's missile and air
surveillance capabilities. These strikes were in direct response to
Houthi actions that have demonstrated their callous disregard for the
lives of civilian merchant mariners, underscored by the anti-ship
ballistic missile attack that claimed the lives of three seafarers
aboard the merchant ship M/V True Confidence.
The Houthis' actions in the Red Sea are reverberating across the
global economy. Iran, through its proxies and partners, aims to exploit
the ongoing conflict in Gaza to exact a price on the rest of the world
by increasing shipping costs and maritime insurance rates, as well as
lengthening the time it takes goods to reach their intended ports.
These costs are borne by our own citizens, as well as citizens in
countries around the world, including those most vulnerable to
disruptions in maritime transportation. It is imperative that we and
our global network of allies and partners bring an end to the Houthis'
threat to U.S. Navy vessels and the disruption of the free flow of
maritime commerce. In the Red Sea, as elsewhere, we must not hesitate
to counter those who threaten the free and lawful use of the sea by all
nations.
The operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the past 3
months illustrate perfectly how technological investments and force
design decisions made by naval leaders in the past impact operations
for decades. The backbone of our air defense fleet, the Aegis Combat
System, first became a program of record as the Advanced Surface
Missile System 60 years ago this year. Launching from the flight deck
of the nearly 47 year-old USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Red
Sea region, the workhorse of our air wings, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet,
is derivative of a strike fighter platform that first flew 45 years ago
this year, employing the latest version of an air-to-air missile, the
AIM-9 Sidewinder, which first entered service 68 years ago. The
platforms and weapon systems our Sailors and Marines have used with
great effect in shooting down Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles,
ballistic missiles, and drones can be traced back to development
efforts and disciplined investments from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, as
well as timely modernizations and upgrades that have enabled these
platforms and systems to be relevant in today's threat environment.
Today, the decisions we make regarding shipbuilding, platform and
systems acquisition, cybersecurity and information technology,
maintenance, repair, and caring for our Sailors, Marines, civilians,
and their families will shape the future of the Navy and Marine Corps
in the 2050s and beyond. I fully support Admiral Franchetti's
priorities outlined in America's Warfighting Navy and General Smith's
efforts to modernize and increase the lethality of the Marine Corps
under the umbrella of Force Design. The guidance issued by our service
chiefs is aligned with my three enduring priorities of Strengthening
Maritime Dominance, Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence, and
Enhancing Strategic Partnerships. With the support of Congress, we have
made tremendous progress over the past year to advance our three
enduring priorities.
progress update on the don's three enduring priorities
Strengthening Maritime Dominance
Over the past twelve months, we have delivered nearly a dozen new
battle force ships to the fleet and have nearly ninety under contract,
including our highest acquisition priority, the Columbia-class SSBN. We
continue to explore new block buys and multi-year contracts to procure
ships more efficiently and affordably while providing our industry
partners with clear and predictable demand signals for ships,
submarines, and munitions. The submarine industrial base faces an
increased demand as we ramp up production of Columbia-class SSBNs and
continue procuring Virginia-class SSNs. To augment our Fleet and our
Force, we have made significant strides in developing and deploying a
hybrid fleet (manned and unmanned) across the Fourth, Fifth, and
Seventh Fleet Areas of Operations. The Windward Stack and Gatekeeper
operations, led by Fourth and Fifth Fleet, respectively, and similar
activities in other theaters provide persistent presence and deliver
all-domain awareness across a total area covering tens of thousands of
square miles. The assistance provided to Ukraine by U.S. Naval Forces
Europe has demonstrated how to deliver combat power with a hybrid fleet
in battle with Russia's Black Sea Fleet. We are also on track to
conduct an at-sea test of the Transportable Re-Arming Mechanism (TRAM)
for Vertical Launch System at-sea reloading, which will significantly
increase the combat readiness of our surface fleet by reducing combat
reload times.
To keep our Fleet ready, we continue to modernize our four public
shipyards through the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program
(SIOP). Over the past year, we have completed renovations and
improvements of our dry docks at both Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard, and awarded a $2.84 billion construction contract
for the replacement of Dry Dock 3 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. All
of this progress was made possible with the support of Congress, and I
appreciate your enduring commitment to ensuring the success of SIOP as
we contract, fund, execute, and complete these critical projects to
support our future requirements and keep our warships and submarines
mission-ready.
As we modernize our Fleet and our Force through several initiatives
to increase their lethality, mobility, and capabilities, we are also
increasing their resiliency in an effort to combat the effects of
climate change. In 2022, our Department released Climate Action 2030,
focusing our approach on this important issue. Actions we have taken in
line with our climate strategy include critical infrastructure upgrades
to increase the resiliency of our installations, which are central to
our ability to project naval power both at-sea and ashore. Through our
Chief Sustainability Officer, the DON has issued guidance on resilient
infrastructure, water security, acquisitions, and energy to ensure that
we make good use of the resources we have now and invest in the
resources we will need in the future. As a maritime nation, we cannot
afford to ignore how our world's changing climate impacts the
environments across which our Sailors, Marines, and civilians operate.
Our operational environment is directly impacted, increasing the
mission demands of our maritime forces and decreasing our ability to
respond to those demands.
Our partners and allies are seeing the same thing, and as we work
to reduce the threat of climate change and increase our resilience, we
are committed to working with them to ensure our collective naval
forces remain resilient and resourced to maintain their competitive
advantages in the decades to come.
Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence
Our people remain our greatest strength. Personnel readiness and
resilience begin and end with them. Every Sailor, Marine, and civilian
deserves leadership at all levels that fosters healthy commands built
on trust, respect, and inclusion. We will ensure that both Quality of
Life and Quality of Service meet the standards expected by our Sailors,
Marines, civilians, and their families. We are prioritizing our most
pressing infrastructure problems, including facilities, barracks,
water, and energy.
We are acting on our commitment to provide additional services for
our Sailors and Marines who reside in unaccompanied housing. In
February, we launched a pilot program in Hampton Roads to provide
complimentary Internet access to all Sailors living in unaccompanied
housing. The feedback we receive from our personnel participating in
these programs will directly inform our future efforts to roll out this
service Department-wide, providing Sailors and Marines with access to
free Internet services in unaccompanied housing.
We also remain committed to maximizing Sailor and Marine
development and are pursuing every available avenue to retain our best
and most fully qualified personnel while recruiting the next
generation. Our education institutions, including the Naval Academy,
Naval Postgraduate School, Naval War College, Marine Corps University,
and Naval Community College, remain world-class, and we released the
Naval Education Strategy last year to modernize our naval education to
meet our Nation's security needs.
Enhancing Strategic Partnerships
Our greatest asymmetric advantage is our global network of allies
and partners. We continue to foster strong security ties, pursue new
ways to link industrial bases, secure supply chains, and co-produce
technologies to boost our collective capabilities. For example, the
historic AUKUS trilateral partnership among Australia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States, provides a generational opportunity to
strengthen our respective security and defense capabilities, uplift our
respective industrial bases, and contribute to peace and stability in
the Indo-Pacific.
Additionally, we are focused on advocating for national maritime
power--both commercial and naval--across the Federal government. We
have collaborated with our inter-agency partners at the Department of
Transportation, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland
Security, the U.S. Trade Representative, and with maritime stakeholders
throughout the Department of Defense, to build consensus and identify
actions that we can take in support of our nation's shipbuilding and
ship repair capabilities and capacity in support of our naval services.
We are appreciative of the widespread interest and support these topics
have garnered in Congress, and we look forward to working with you in
the years to come to identify solutions that will improve the readiness
and health of our Nation's commercial maritime and naval fleets.
We likewise remain committed to bolstering our relationships with
the defense industrial base and academia. With congressional support,
Ship and Submarine Industrial Base investments have led to improved
hiring across our submarine shipbuilders and suppliers; establishment
of dedicated manufacturing trade centers and pipelines; and the
training and placement of over 5,000 people within the industrial base
since 2020. Over the next decade, our Nation will need 200,000 new
qualified workers to choose careers in fields like naval architecture,
engineering, and lifecycle management, as well as technical expertise
in nuclear welding, robotics, software management, and additive
manufacturing. Pre-apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship, and labor
management programs are critical tools to help fulfill this labor
demand.
Finally, we are strengthening our bonds with the communities we
serve across our Nation through outreach, Navy and Marine Corps Weeks,
Fleet Weeks, and other events. I am especially proud of the work we've
done to foster our connectedness with Tribal Nations. The Department of
the Navy is the first military department to have a full-time,
dedicated Director of Tribal and Indigenous Affairs. We are committed
to the enduring relationships and transparency in our work with Tribal
Nations to meet our shared goals, as well as all communities which our
Sailors, Marines, civilians, and their families work in and call home.
the fiscal year 2025 president's budget
Building on the successes and progress made along our three
enduring priorities during 2023, the President's Budget for Fiscal Year
2025 (PB25) request to Congress for the Department of the Navy reflects
President Biden's faith in our vision for the United States Navy and
the United States Marine Corps, and advocates for the funding levels
required to maintain the Fleet and the Force that our Nation requires.
Our request this year for the Department of the Navy is $257.6 billion,
a 0.7% increase over the $255.8 billion in the President's FY24 Budget
request, adhering to the defense spending levels set by the Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA). I will note for the committee that
adhering to the FRA required us to make hard choices, leading us to
prioritize the readiness of our Fleet and our Force today, as well as
taking care of our people, over significant investments in the future
force. These choices are reflected throughout PB25.
Every dollar of this requested investment by the American taxpayer
will ensure that our Sailors, Marines, civilians, and their families
are provided for--from the continued acquisition of strategic platforms
and systems, investments in research and development as well as basic
science and technology, addressing critical infrastructure
requirements, to improving overall Quality of Life/Quality of Service
for our personnel. Most importantly, PB25 will ensure the Department of
the Navy's ability to continue to invest in support of our three
enduring priorities.
Strengthening Maritime Dominance
Fleet Investments
For FY25, we are requesting $32.4 billion to support ongoing
shipbuilding programs and allow for the procurement of six battle force
ships, each one bringing advanced warfighting capabilities to the
Fleet.
In the undersea domain, this budget provides funding for the first
boat in a new multi-year procurement contract for our Block VI
Virginia-Class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) and provides
significant additional resources to increase industrial capacity for
submarine construction. Our request also continues funding for the
second of our Columbia-Class nuclear-powered ballistic missile
submarines (SSBN), as well as advance procurement and continuous
production supporting the remaining boats. The Columbia SSBN will
modernize the most- survivable leg of our country's nuclear triad and
remains our Department's highest priority acquisition program.
For our surface fleet, we look to procure two Arleigh Burke-Class
destroyers (DDGs) and one Constellation-Class frigate (FFG), each of
which will bring additional capacity and capability to our Fleet's
integrated air and missile defense, anti-surface, anti-submarine, and
naval strike operations. In support of the Marine Corps' Force Design,
PB25 also provides funding for the first-in-class Landing Ship Medium
(LSM) to enable mobility and sustainment for the Stand-In Force.
Investments in our amphibious fleet with the request for one Flight II
San Antonio-Class Landing Dock Transport (LPD) in each of FY25, FY27,
and FY29 are necessary to maintain the thirty-one amphibious ships
required by law and will give us the flexibility to retire older and
less-capable platforms.
Aviation Investments
As we continue to modernize our surface and undersea fleets, we
must also ensure that our aviation community has the right mix of air
frames and capabilities to support our Sailors and Marines in the
execution of their assigned missions. PB25 requests $16.2 billion to
support aircraft procurement, aircraft modification efforts, the
acquisition of critical spare and repair parts, and funding for
aircraft support equipment and facilities.
Our request for fixed-wing aircraft centers around the procurement
of twenty-six F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters--thirteen
carrier-based F-35s for the Navy and Marine Corps and thirteen short-
takeoff vertical-landing F-35s for the Marine Corps--and our rotary
wing procurement request for the Marine Corps includes nineteen CH-53K
heavy-lift helicopters as part of a new, two-year block buy for
airframes with engines procured as a five-year multi-year block buy.
PB25 also includes funding to begin low-rate initial production of the
MQ-25, an unmanned, carrier-based platform that will provide an
organic, in-air refueling capability to our carrier airwings. The MQ-25
is the ``pathfinder'' to the Air Wing of the Future, and will increase
the strike range, capability, and lethality of both the Carrier Air
Wing and the Carrier Strike Group.
USMC Ground Investments
Equally as crucial to our Fleet and our Force are the investments
we make in the Marine Corps' ability to operate ashore. PB25 requests
$4.2 billion in support of critical investments that are key to the
success of the Marine Corps' Force Design transformation efforts.
Highlights in platform and system acquisition efforts include 80 new
Amphibious Combat Vehicles, 674 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, and 123
Javelin anti-armor missiles. Also included are requests for funding to
continue the procurement of Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC)
missiles and launchers and support the sustainment of the Ground/Air
Task Oriented RADAR (G/ATOR). The dollars committed to these
acquisition programs will exponentially increase the mobility,
survivability, and lethality of our Marines, giving them advantages
over our adversaries in austere and contested environments.
Munitions Procurement
As we consider how our Fleet and our Force fight in contested
environments, there is no better example than our operations in the Red
Sea and Gulf of Aden, where the strike and air defense capabilities of
our naval forces are in high demand by U.S. Central Command. However,
we are expending critical munitions from our stockpiles with every
engagement. Our $6.6 billion request continues our multi-year
procurement of the Standard Missile, Naval Strike Missile, Long-Range
Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), and Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-
Extended Range (AARGM-ER). We also intend to procure Tactical Tomahawks
for the Navy and Marine Corps, supporting their ability to strike
targets both from the sea and from the shore.
Further, this request increases production for both the LRASM and
AARGM-ER, both of which are critical munitions that allow our Sailors
and Marines to engage targets at an extended range, reducing risk to
personnel and platforms. We are also investing in systems designed to
provide ships with an ability to defeat unmanned aerial vehicles in a
way that both lowers the cost-per- kill and reduces the expenditure of
high-end missiles against relatively low-end threats. These systems
will help put us on the ``right side of the cost curve'' while also
increasing the ability of our ships to remain on station for longer
periods of time.
Cyber, Cybersecurity, and Information Technology
As we procure more advanced platforms, we continue the
modernization of our IT systems and the cybersecurity safeguards that
protect them. We continue to refresh and modernize our computer systems
and virtual environments to provide a better user experience, in line
with the ``Fix Our Computers'' initiative. We are also taking advantage
of the new capabilities for connectivity provided by proliferated Low
Earth Orbit (P-LEO) satellite networks to support our Fleet and our
Force, both at sea and ashore. By decreasing the time required for
users to log in and set up applications, as well as increasing data
flows and network accessibility, we are improving the quality of
service provided to hundreds of thousands of users across the entire
Department of the Navy.
At the same time, we are implementing our new, comprehensive Cyber
Strategy, published in November by our Chief Information Officer and
Principal Cyber Advisor. This strategy aims to ensure that the DON's
cyber posture positions our naval services for success during
competition, crisis, and conflict. The DON Cyber Strategy is directly
aligned to the National Defense Strategy and DoD Cyber Strategy and
outlines seven lines of effort for our Department to focus on,
including cyber workforce development; cyber readiness; defense of
enterprise IT; data and networks; defense of critical infrastructure
and weapon systems; partnering to secure the defense industrial base;
and fostering cooperation and collaboration. In addition to these
efforts, I have directed the Naval Criminal Investigative Service
(NCIS) to utilize other proactive initiatives under their authorities
as the Military Department Counterintelligence Organization (MDCO) to
better support and harden the industrial base from adversarial cyber
and traditional intelligence threats to ensure acquisition integrity.
Additionally, I am committed to supporting our Cyber Mission Forces
(CMF)--both Navy and Marine Corps--as they continue to gain advantage
in this critical warfare domain. PB25 supports the continued
development of our Department's CMF, both in terms of manning and
training, to ensure our personnel are prepared to operate in
cyberspace.
Through the investments requested in PB25 for our Department's
information technology, cybersecurity programs, and cyber personnel, we
will continue to make progress to secure our global networks from
external and internal threats posed by state and non-state cyber actors
while maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of
data for our users.
Funding for Operations and Maintenance
While acquisition of new platforms and capabilities is critical to
the modernization of the Fleet and the Force, we must always make
readiness our top priority. PB25 requests $34.6 billion for Fleet
readiness, with $7.6 billion for ship operations such as training and
deployment, $14.5 billion for fleet upkeep--including fifty-eight ship
and submarine maintenance availabilities at our public and private
yards, $10.6 billion for 875,000 flight hours for our Navy and Marine
Corps flight crews, and $1.9 billion for aviation maintenance to
increase the number of mission-capable aircraft. Additionally, we are
requesting $4.5 billion to ensure our Fleet Marine Force remains
prepared to operate forward. This amount includes $2 billion for field
logistics, $2.1 billion to maintain the operational readiness of Marine
units around the world, $200 million for maritime prepositioning, and
$200 million for depot maintenance for ground platforms and systems.
Divestments
As we acquire new platforms and systems and focus on the
maintenance, upkeep, and operation of those that are in service, we
must also evaluate which platforms have outlived their service life and
are a drain on the force in terms of time, capital, pier space, and
personnel.
In the information technology (IT) realm, the DON continues to
realize progress through Operation Cattle Drive, our Department's
effort to accelerate the modernization and transformation of our IT
capabilities. Led by our Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial
Management and Comptroller and Chief Information Officer, we are
working to sunset unneeded, obsolete, unproductive, insecure, and un-
auditable IT systems and applications. Operation Cattle Drive will
accomplish two goals: (1) improve the overall financial management and
auditability of the DON, and (2) eliminate unnecessarily redundant IT
systems, resulting in increased efficiencies, cost avoidance, and
funding reallocation to close known resource gaps, enabling better
support to our Sailors and Marines.
PB25 also requests the divestment of several platforms, including
the EP-3 Aries, U.S. Navy MH-53E mine countermeasure and heavy lift
helicopters, MQ-8C unmanned rotary aircraft, and ten ships. As this
committee is aware, legacy platforms that are costly to maintain and
are ill-equipped to perform their missions in contested environments
must be retired in order to invest in new, lethal capabilities.
Some of the ships we seek to divest have yet to reach their
expected service lives. Recognizing that the American taxpayer has
committed billions of dollars to construction, outfitting, maintenance,
and operation of these warships, allow me to provide a hull-by-hull
explanation of our request.
For USS Shiloh (CG 67) and USS Lake Erie (CG 70), both ships are
less than 3 years away from their end of service life, and will require
a significant amount of time and resources to improve their material
condition and upgrade their combat, hull, mechanical, and electrical
systems. Simply put, the costs associated with these upgrades and
continued operation of these ships post-modernization are too high to
yield a positive return on investment. Instead of returning these ships
to a ready state just in time for their normal retirement, the Navy
will apply the funding associated with these ships elsewhere either to
maintain or modernize in-service assets that provide a greater combat
capability to the Fleet and the Joint Force.
The same justification applies for USS Germantown (LSD 42), which
will reach the end of its expected service life in 2026. USS Germantown
currently has an unsatisfactory life cycle health assessment and is
proposed for divestment based on the cost and condition of the ship,
including her rotting wooden decks, limitations on the operation of her
cranes, and other material deficiencies. The funds required to maintain
USS Germantown for her final 2 years are better spent elsewhere in
support of our amphibious fleet. I will also highlight for the
committee that retiring USS Germantown 1 year early does not impact our
ability to meet the thirty-one amphibious ship requirement as we
continue to procure new LPDs throughout the FYDP with the support of
Congress.
USS Jackson (LCS 6) and USS Montgomery (LCS 8)--two of our
Independence-Class variant littoral combat ships--have yet to receive
the Lethality and Survivability Upgrade, an investment of several
million dollars per ship that is beyond our current fiscal guidance.
Further, these ships represent an excess LCS capacity beyond our
revised requirement for fifteen MCM and ten Surface Warfare Mission
Packages.
Much like USS Jackson and USS Montgomery, USNS Spearhead (T-EPF-1),
USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF-2), USNS Millinocket (T-EPF-3), and USNS
Fall River (T-EPF-4), represent excess capacity beyond what our Navy
and Marine Corps needs for expeditionary fast transport ships (T-EPF).
Currently, the Navy has fourteen T-EPFs in service with two additional
hulls under construction, exceeding the revised, combined Navy and
Marine Corps requirement for twelve EPFs. By divesting these four T-
EPFs to bring our fleet size in line with service requirements, the
Navy will realize significant cost savings and will be able to use the
available financial and manpower resources to support higher priority
programs.
Finally, we are requesting to divest the USNS John Glenn (ESD-2),
one of our Fleet's two expeditionary transfer docks which were
originally designed and configured around a specific concept of
operations for uncontested ship-to-shore maneuver that has been
obviated by the evolution of the threat environment. Operational
limitations, including low sea-state restrictions, lack of organic
surface connectors, and other challenges that limit the utility of this
platform as presently configured. By inactivating USNS John Glenn,
which is already in a reduced operating status, we project an annual
cost savings of $33 million in OMN funding.
While all ten of these ships, as well as the Sailors and Merchant
Mariners who have crewed them throughout their time in service so far,
have served our Nation admirably, their divestment during FY25 will
allow us to maximize our utilization of resources and personnel in
support of programs and platforms that better support the Joint Force
in countering our most pressing threats.
Research and Development (R&D) of Enhanced Capabilities
Beyond the acquisition of new platforms, systems, and munitions, as
well as the divestment of those that are no longer capable of
performing their missions, our Department is also focused on the
research and development of our next-generation capabilities. PB25's
$25.7 billion for R&D continues to invest in developing and fielding
those very capabilities that our Sailors and Marines of tomorrow will
rely on in potential future conflicts. These includes our next-
generation fighter aircraft, submarines, and large surface combatants,
as well as unmanned systems that will operate in the air, on the
ocean's surface, and under the sea. Over $3 billion of this request
will also go towards enterprise networks, cybersecurity, and electronic
warfare systems to support our personnel and bolster our current
posture across the electromagnetic spectrum.
As a part of our larger R&D funding request, $2.53 billion is set
aside for basic science and technology development that underpins our
future capabilities. Earlier this month, we released our Department's
latest Naval Science and Technology Strategy, the execution of which
will be led by our Chief of Naval Research and his team. This strategy
will serve as the driving force behind how we invest the American
taxpayers' dollars on S&T and will directly contribute to ensuring that
our Nation leads the world in developing revolutionary technologies.
Our Department recognizes the importance of protecting the
investments we are making in basic S&T research to preserve the
competitive advantages they provide to our Sailors and Marines as
technologies mature into cutting-edge capabilities. In early February,
the Department of Defense (DoD) released the National Defense
Industrial Strategy, centered around four priorities-- resilient supply
chains, workforce readiness, flexible acquisition, and economic
deterrence--to strengthen our industrial base's resilience and counter
threats posed by adversary capital investments and intellectual
property misappropriation to our Nation's innovation ecosystem. In
support of this strategy, the DON recently stood up the Maritime
Economic Deterrence Executive Council (MEDEC). This body will serve as
a coordinating mechanism to synchronize efforts to protect new and
novel technologies with naval applications, both across the Department
and in alignment with our inter-agency partners.
Over the past year, we have made structural changes throughout our
Department--from standing up and empowering new innovation-focused
units to elevating the Chief of Naval Research to be a direct report to
me--to better facilitate the rapid identification, experimentation,
prototyping, fielding, and adoption of new capabilities and
technologies that provide our Sailors and our Marines with competitive
warfighting advantages.
In September, we stood up the Department's Science and Technology
Board, chaired by former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig, to bring
together leaders across various disciplines to help identify new
technologies and capabilities. I charged them to explore the impact of
asymmetric, cutting-edge technologies in both the near and distant
futures of warfighting, across all domains in which we operate. They
are working on improving surface ship cyber defense, shipboard additive
manufacturing, and lifecycle maintenance. Our ongoing project on
surface ship maintenance is investigating key issues that impact our
performance. I expect their recommendations on potential new technology
investments will improve all aspects of our operations, including
planning, condition-based assessments, additive/advanced manufacturing,
and IT modernization.
Likewise, our initiative on surface ship cyber defense is crucial
to executing complex missions in contested environments. We have a
world-class team performing this study that will benefit the Fleet. As
part of this initiative, we have integrated cybersecurity and defense
requirements into the new Constellation-class frigate as a critical
attribute at the onset of the program. The program has scheduled early
integration testing events at available land-based test sites. We
intend for these test events to assess network cybersecurity controls
and reduce shipboard integration risks for government and contractor-
furnished equipment.
This past year, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Naval
Research Laboratory, highlighting our Department's long history of
pioneering research with academia, the private sector and other
partners to develop and deliver naval superiority. We benefit from a
strong organic, national and global research ecosystem across the
entire Naval Research and Development Establishment (NR&DE).
Composed of our fifteen Naval Warfare Centers, five Naval
University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), the Office of Naval
Research, NRL, Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL), Marine Corps
Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA), Naval Postgraduate School
(NPS) and our Center for Naval Analysis (CNA), the NR&DE continues to
be at the forefront of our basic and applied research through
technology development, integration, operations, maintenance and
sustainment. The NR&DE unifies Naval R&D organizations to provide
greater technological advantage to U.S. warfighting.
This continuum of science, research, development, testing, and
evaluation is critical to transitioning ideas and concepts developed in
the lab to new capabilities for naval warfighters. Our long-view
approach provides our thought leaders the autonomy to produce the
scientific knowledge, capability improvements and disruptive
technologies able to address naval mission needs. ONR is investing in
science and technology projects alongside our international partners
and allies, each aiming to address common challenges we face as
maritime nations. Similarly, ONR, through NavalX, is working to deepen
our international and domestic relationships with industry via our Tech
Bridges, many of which are co-located with our Naval Warfare Centers.
We connect directly with companies and source commercial technologies
that complement and supplement our Fleet and our Force's existing
systems, tools, and research.
The Naval Innovation Center (NIC) at the Naval Postgraduate School
in Monterey, California, which I announced in December 2022, will
empower our next generation of warfighters by leveraging the unique
warrior talent at NPS to inform future operational concepts and
advanced technology development. The NIC will provide a space for
academic collaboration, defense-focused experimentation, and
demonstration of operational use cases to ensure the effectiveness,
technological leadership and warfighting advantage of the Naval
services. Meanwhile, the Marine Innovation Unit (MIU) is focused on
identifying, experimenting, and rapidly fielding technologies and
capabilities to address gaps identified by our Marines. MIU leverages
the expertise and professional networks of our talented Reserve Marines
to accelerate the development and fielding of key capabilities
throughout the Force. Their efforts are already reducing timelines
between identifying needs and delivering warfighting capabilities
supporting the Marine Corps' transformational Force Design, ensuring
our Marines are agile, capable, and lethal.
The Navy's Disruptive Capabilities Office (DCO) is pushing the
bounds of rapidly identifying innovative applications of existing and
new systems by harnessing today's exponential growth in technology. The
DCO is collaborating with stakeholders from across our Department, DoD,
and industry, focusing on identifying solutions for our warfighters at
a pace and scale to close our Fleet's most critical capability gaps. It
works closely with the NR&DE to address the immediate and near-term
needs that require the rapid transition and integration of new and
innovative solutions.
Program Executive Office (PEO) Integrated Warfare Systems and PEO
Land Systems are conducting a pilot program to improve our business
practices, realigning their respective portfolios to a capabilities-
focused model. This pilot program explores how our Program Executives
can operate under a new portfolio-centric construct to increase the
capability development and fielding rate over our present timelines and
does so in a manner that leverages pre-existing authorities. The
lessons we learn throughout this pilot program will enable all our PEOs
to better address the emerging threats and requirements under their
respective purviews.
An essential element of our Department's approach to innovation is
the collaboration with our fellow services and throughout the DoD. We
work with our partners at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the
Office of Strategic Capital to ensure that our requirements for
critical technologies are illuminated to industry and investors for
their consideration. We are committed to close collaboration within our
own Department and with our fellow services, OSD, DIU, and the entire
Federal government to ensure we are aligned. The Department of the
Navy's contribution to the ``Replicator Initiative,'' partnering
closely alongside joint efforts like DIU, will accelerate production
and delivery of the capabilities our Joint Force needs at scale.
Innovation is not solely about delivering material solutions. In
many cases, the solutions to real operational problems can be found by
changing warfighting doctrine or training approaches. As we re-focus
our efforts on addressing the challenges we face in the maritime domain
today and will face in the future, we must recognize that there are
still organizational changes which must be made to ensure we are
developing, adopting, and scaling at a rapid pace to deliver the
technologies and capabilities our Sailors and Marines require.
Working alongside our partners throughout the DoD, we will continue
to evaluate our approach to the rapid adoption and fielding of new
capabilities and technologies to ensure we are reducing barriers and
transition timelines, ensuring our Sailors and Marines are equipped
with modern systems and platforms to support their missions.
Investments in the Organic Industrial Base
As we continue to acquire the ships, submarines, aircraft, and
systems we need today and invest in the development of the next
generation of platforms and capabilities for the fight of tomorrow, we
will not be successful without substantial, consistent investments in
the infrastructure that enables these platforms. To that end, PB25
requests $2.8 billion to continue making the necessary investments in
our four public shipyards that will ensure their sustainability and
climate resiliency through the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization
Program (SIOP). As I noted earlier, SIOP will improve the operational
availability of our Fleet by providing modernized facilities,
infrastructure, and equipment that will undoubtedly increase our
shipyards' capacity and capabilities to complete maintenance
availabilities. By recapitalizing century-old infrastructure, we are
also improving the Quality-of-Service for the over 30,000 engineers,
artisans, and Sailors who work at our four public shipyards, providing
safer working conditions while creating reliable, resilient, secure
energy and water sources for this infrastructure and its mission.
Infrastructure and Installation Resilience
DON installations and facilities are power projection platforms. In
order for our installations to remain safe, secure, effective, and
resilient, our Department has made it a top priority to tackle
infrastructure deficiencies that decrease our ability to support
mission requirements. This effort includes addressing facilities and
core utilities that are beyond service life and in poor condition as a
result of decades of under-investment and neglect. PB25 includes a
request for $11.1 billion for the Navy and $4.6 billion for the Marine
Corps for installation and facilities support, as well as $4.6 billion
for military construction projects, to support our worldwide
infrastructure portfolio that our Sailors, Marines, civilians, and
their families rely on every day.
While the Department continues to invest in our most critical
infrastructure, we are initiating a thirty-year infrastructure plan to
guide future investments and resources to fully address the gaps in
modernization and recapitalization. This plan is an integrated,
informed, sustainable approach that recognizes our installations are
critical to our Navy and our Marine Corps' ability to project power on
a global scale as well as to defend the homeland.
We also recently initiated a Critical Infrastructure
Synchronization Forum, which is designed to work through the challenges
and interdependencies of infrastructure resilience and address the
threats to our most critical facilities and core utilities. In support
of this effort, PB25 includes funding for cyber hardening, smart grids,
facility-related control systems, and black start exercises, directly
bolstering our infrastructure portfolio against hazards.
As I highlighted earlier, a major challenge that directly impacts
our infrastructure is climate change. Climate resilience is an
essential component of DON mission readiness, and the Department
strives to ensure installations and infrastructure are resilient
against extreme weather events, water scarcity, sea level rise,
recurrent flooding, wildfires, and other environmental considerations
and threats that present significant risk to our mission. Effectively
responding to climate impacts is a critical component of strengthening
maritime dominance and directly impacts the entire spectrum of military
operations. Our National Security Strategy highlights climate change as
the greatest and potentially existential shared problem for all
nations, and our National Defense Strategy rightly recognizes climate
change as a ``transboundary challenge'' that is transforming the
context in which the Joint Force operates. We are taking actions to
bolster the resiliency of our Department, while also working alongside
our international partners and allies. For example, next month the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the
Environment will be hosting the Department's third climate-related
tabletop exercise.
This exercise will be focused on the challenges posed by climate
change throughout the Caribbean, and how we can work with and support
key regional partners on topics including health, safety, and
infrastructure. I look forward to sharing with you the outcome of this
exercise and what lessons learned can further enhance our Department's
approach to ensuring the sustainability of our worldwide infrastructure
portfolio and advance our collaboration with and support of key
regional partners.
Energy and energy security are critical to the DON's ability to
provide global presence and ensure stability, deter adversaries,
respond to crises, and, if necessary, fight and win our Nation's wars.
Energy security is necessary to address how we operate in a contested
logistics environment, as well as address the increasing demand for
clean and reliable energy to support electrification, support data
centers and power Artificial Intelligence, directed-energy weapons,
autonomous vehicles, and future technologies. In recent years, the DON
has begun development of the Next Generation-Medium Tactical Truck (NG-
MTT) to reduce bulk fuel logistics burdens and improve fuel economy.
The DON has also developed and patented a safety mitigation container
solution to enable the fielding of battery-powered ground vehicles, the
first step toward hybridization efforts for Navy ships. Additionally,
the Department continues to invest in analytic assessments to support
decisionmaking to meet fuel metering and monitoring requirements.
Red Hill
As we focus on our critical infrastructure portfolio, we remain
engaged with the communities that support our installations. One
example of this is the values we share with the people of Hawai'i in
the community we share with them--including our servicemembers,
civilians, and their families--who were affected by the fuel spill at
the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (Red Hill). Since November
2021, our Department has been laser-focused on monitoring and
remediating the environmental impacts and addressing the effects this
spill had on the community that we committed to providing safe drinking
water to. Now, with over 99% of the previously held fuel reserves
removed 6 months ahead of schedule, we remain steadfast in our resolve
to close Red Hill permanently and conduct the long-term environmental
remediation and aquifer restoration efforts at this site to ensure the
health of the surrounding natural environment. Last month, I was in
Hawai'i to attend the transfer of responsibilities ceremony from Joint
Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH), which was responsible for defueling Red
Hill, to Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH), which will execute
the permanent closure of that facility. NCTF-RH's motto is ``Safe,
Deliberate, Engaged, Committed,'' and we will continue to engage with
Red Hill stakeholders at all levels to rebuild the trust between our
Department and the people of Hawai'i in our ability to provide safe
drinking water to the communities we serve.
Safety
Safety is a critical component of our Navy and our Marine Corps
foundation and a key indicator of professionalism and discipline,
directly contributing to the combat readiness of our Fleet and our
Force. The Department of the Navy places the utmost importance on
building a culture of safety excellence, and we reject the notion that
safety mishaps are simply ``the price of doing business.'' Many mishaps
are preventable when we comply with established procedures and take
action to stop unsafe acts before they occur.
However, despite our best efforts, incidents do occur, and when
they do, we quickly respond. The Department of the Navy re-established
the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Safety) position as a Tier
3 SES, elevating the DON's Safety portfolio commensurate with the
importance we place on safety. In addition, the Navy Executive Safety
Board, chaired by the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, was reinitiated
in 2024 and took effective action on systemic issues noted by the Naval
Safety Command (e.g., Shore Fire Protection Systems, Enterprise Safety
Management System, and the LCS Small Boat Launch and Recovery System).
The DON also established the Shore Policy Board to highlight and
address infrastructure-related concerns. The Marine Corps directed the
assignment of a General Officer to lead Marine service safety
initiatives and provide the requisite level of oversight and
leadership.
The DON takes every mishap seriously and properly investigates
causal and contributing factors to prevent future occurrences.
Additionally, we continue to improve our analytic capability to
facilitate identification of units that may be at risk of potential
mishap. We continue to refine the identification of occupational
exposures to things like chemicals, noise, and blast overpressure, to
better understand the effects of these exposures through science and
improve methods to limit exposure. We are executing efforts such as the
promulgation of Lessons Learned and a continuous evaluation and
refinement of safety policy and guidance.
Creating and maintaining a culture of safety within the Department
of the Navy ensures our warfighting readiness, and we remain committed
to prioritizing safety education and promulgation.
Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence
Building a culture of warfighting excellence is focused on training
our Sailors and our Marines to be the very best warfighters they can
be, rooted in the principles of taking care of our people and enabling
strong leadership with an emphasis on treating each other with dignity
and respect. This pillar of our enduring priorities emphasizes not only
caring for our Sailors and Marines, but also our Navy and Marine Corps
families and civilians. Under PB25, we continue to invest in programs
and infrastructure that support our people and enable them to devote
their maximum effort to mission accomplishment.
Warfighting Expertise
In August 2023, the Navy and Marine Corps conducted Large Scale
Exercise 2023 (LSE 23), the third and most complex iteration of the
exercise, which included more than 25,000 Sailors and Marines across
the world. LSE 23 was a Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) exercise
which spanned 22 time zones and included USS Eisenhower (CVN 69) and
five other carrier strike groups (two live, four virtual), six
Amphibious Ready Group (two live, four virtual), and 25 live and 50
virtual additional ships. Based in real-world events, the Navy and
Marine Corps assessed and refined modern warfighting concepts such as
Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), Littoral Operations in a
Contested Environment (LOCE), and Expeditionary Advanced Base
Operations (EABO) throughout the exercise.
The Navy is advancing warfighting tactics and development through
continued implementation of integrated training environments--live
platforms and simulators--across our Fleet, including Live, Virtual,
and Constructive (LVC), Link Inject-to-Live (LITL), Navy Continuous
Training Environment (NCTE), and Tactical Operational Flight Trainers
(TOFT).
The Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) remains
laser-focused on forging new and advanced surface warfare tactics,
techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and training Warfare Tactics
Instructors (WTIs) who bring their warfighting expertise to the Fleet.
Surface WTIs, highly trained surface warfare officers, specialize in
Anti-Submarine and Surface Warfare (ASW/SUW), Integrated Air and
Missile Defense (IAMD), Amphibious Warfare (AMW), and Mine Warfare
(MIW) and are engaged at every stage of a ship's training cycle. Our
successes in the Red Sea are a direct reflection of our investments in
high-end tactical training and advanced TTP development, spearheaded by
SMWDC, Naval Air Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), Naval
Information Warfighting Development Center (NIWDC), and the WTIs in the
Fleet.
We also continue to adapt the expertise of our people in uniform to
match the changing character of war. Similar to the establishment of
our Maritime Space Officer community in 2021 and the creation of our
Maritime Cyber Warfare Officer and the enlisted Cyber Warfare
Technician rating last year, earlier this year, we established the
enlisted Robotics Warfare Specialist (RW) rating to plan missions and
operate and maintain remotely-operated and autonomous systems. The RW
rating is a major milestone in the Navy achieving a hybrid fleet. These
new areas of expertise are necessary to preserve our warfighting
advantage, and also require a strong foundation of education.
Education Initiatives
We continue to prioritize education in support of force readiness.
We provide a range of learning opportunities for our Sailors, Marines,
and DON civilians to further develop their professional competencies
and intellectual skills that enable our Naval force to succeed against
competitors and adversaries, and effectively deter aggression. The DON
is taking an integrated, enterprise-wise approach to improve naval
education and prioritize programs that are critical for a competitive
warfighting advantage. The Naval Education Strategy provides my
guidance and vision to modernize naval education over the next 10
years, and to more effectively deliver relevant, engaging, competency-
focused, and outcomes-based education to the total force. The
Department is implementing a continuum of learning for the entire
force, integrating education into talent management frameworks for more
precise and agile talent management, and strengthening the education
institutions within our Naval University System.
For example, the DON is directing $25 million towards developing
the United States Naval Community College (USNCC). The USNCC ensures
enhanced operational readiness by providing world-class, naval-relevant
education entirely online to a globally deployable force. In September
2023, USNCC completed Pilot II and enrolled approximately 3,500
students, developed seven full associate degree programs in naval-
relevant concentration areas, and validated the five Naval Studies
Certificate courses that will be the core curriculum for every USNCC
associate degree program.
The USNCC is currently pursuing candidacy status and accreditation
through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. USNCC
successfully navigated Phase 1 of the accreditation process and
submitted the Phase 2 readiness report at the end of September 2023.
The USNCC is on track to complete Phase 3 for academic accreditation by
Fall 2024. Through the USNCC Consortium Agreement, degrees are
currently granted to USNCC students through consortium partners
Alexandria Technical and Community College, Arizona State University,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Northern Virginia Community
College, Tidewater Community College, University of Maryland Global
Campus, and Western Governors University.
The USNCC headquarters has been temporarily based in Quantico,
Virginia. In January 2024, the Naval Education Board (NEB), an internal
DON board that I established and Chair, voted unanimously to move the
USNCC's permanent headquarters to the Security Force building on the
campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. At
Annapolis, the USNCC staff and faculty will be able to better
collaborate with the Naval Academy, and have access to the Nimitz
Library, IT support, and ample conference facilities. The USNCC
headquarters move will take approximately two and a half years to
complete, and will require $30 million for relocation of the building's
current occupants and $8 million for building renovation.
Education for Seapower Advisory Board (E4SAB)
Education is a key naval warfighting enabler, is essential for
force development, and is a top DON priority for building a culture of
warfighting excellence. Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, the Education for Seapower Advisory Board (E4SAB)
provides the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense, by
way of my role as the Secretary of the Navy, with independent advice on
matters relating to the Naval Postgraduate School, the Naval War
College, and the Naval Community College. The E4SAB is a requirement
for each institution's academic accreditation and meets at least twice
a year. Chaired by the Honorable Sean O'Keefe, a former Secretary of
the Navy and NASA Administrator, the board's membership includes
leading experts in academia, business, national defense and security,
management, leadership, and research and analysis. I have charged the
E4SAB to provide recommendations regarding the Naval Education
Strategy's implementation. I expect that the board's recommendations
will inform the Department's efforts to improve education across our
entire Naval University System.
Recruiting/Retention
To maintain a combat-ready Navy and Marine Corps, we focus both on
recruiting motivated Americans and on retaining high quality Sailors,
Marines, and civilians to meet our personnel needs. Despite a
challenging and competitive environment, we are proud to highlight that
the Marine Corps met its recruitment goal in FY23 and projects making
all FY24 recruiting missions. While the Navy fell short of its FY23
recruiting goals for Officer and Enlisted Sailors, both Active and
Reserve, it has placed an increased emphasis on updating recruitment
policies and expanding the eligible population by opening the aperture
of qualified individuals within authorized parameters in an effort to
address the continued challenges presented by a strong economy,
competitive labor market, and other social and demographic factors.
High retention is a direct reflection of the value our members
place on their military service. In FY23, the Navy and Marine Corps
exceeded their overall active duty enlisted retention goals and are on
track to meet FY24 goals. We are leveraging financial incentives and
programs to include special and incentive pays, early promotions, and
assignment incentive pays to attract and retain Sailors and Marines in
undermanned or difficult-to-fill positions and communities.
Benefits and Pay
To attract and retain top-tier talent, the DON understands the need
to care for its people through competitive benefits and pay. Initial
results of the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation indicate
that enlisted Sailors and Marines earn more than 83% of civilians with
similar education and years working. In 2025, the Employment Cost Index
(ECI)-based pay raise for our Sailors and Marines will be 4.5%,
outpacing expected inflation for the second year in a row. Along with
competitive pay, the Navy and Marine Corps boast attractive non-pay
policies and programs, including childcare, healthcare benefits, the
Career Intermission Program, spouse employment programs, graduate
education, Tuition Assistance, focused geographic stability, dual-
military co-location, and other programs that contribute to readiness
and enhance quality of life. While the DON may provide pay and benefits
beyond that of many civilian employers, we should--and will--always
remember that we require our Sailors and Marines to serve for a minimum
number of years and at times in combat, where they may make the
ultimate sacrifice of their lives for our defense.
To maintain our global posture and critical mission readiness, the
DON has put in place aggressive strategies to recruit and retain highly
skilled civilian employees. Currently, the DON uses multiple
compensation systems that cover approximately 220,000 civilian
appropriated fund employees to include General Schedule, Federal Wage
System, Senior Executive Service, Wage Marine Pay Schedule, and various
Demonstration Projects. In our effort to enhance our compensation
program for civilian employees, the DON is currently reviewing our
various pay systems with the goal to streamline or combine these to
enhance our capabilities and effectiveness. Additionally, to mitigate
challenges in recruitment and retention of our civilian workforce, the
DON is working to request approval for enhanced compensation, which
include special salary and wage rates as well as special pay incentives
above the normal thresholds. Other available compensation strategies
include accelerated training and promotion programs, student loan
repayment programs, and advanced in-hire rates up to Step 10 for
General Schedule employees and Step 5 for Federal Wage System
employees.
Quality-of-Service Improvements
The DON prioritizes the continuous improvement of Quality-of-Life
(QoL) and Quality-of- Service (QoS) advances. In May 2023, following
the investigation into the suicides aboard USS George Washington and at
Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), I released a joint
memo with then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gilday, Setting a New
Course for Navy Quality of Service, which prioritized a sustained
effort to correct the Navy's QoS. The memo established the Navy's QoS
cross-functional team (CFT), and clear Commander's Intent provided the
lines of effort focusing the CFT's efforts.
The Navy's CFT, led by Commander, Navy Installations Command, is
comprised of flag officers, senior civilians, and senior enlisted
personnel from approximately sixty Navy organizations across both the
Secretariat and the Fleet. The CFT is establishing standards and
measures for Navy QoS, bringing those standards and measures to Newport
News Shipbuilding prior to scaling them throughout the Fleet. We are
constantly evaluating areas in which we are missing the mark for QoL
and QoS enhancements and are finding new ways to improve how we support
our Sailors and civilians.
Housing
Improving off-duty Quality of Life resources and initiatives for
our Sailors and Marines is a focal point for the DON. This effort
includes improving the quality of unaccompanied housing, with $1
billion over the FYDP for barracks construction and renovations and
$144 million allocated for housing sustainment and management. Under
PB25, we are also investing $41 million in food and housing options for
Sailors assigned to ships undergoing maintenance. We are investing $481
million in restoration of unaccompanied housing, a 32% increase over
PB24, and we are fully funding the sustainment of gyms. We have also
established that no Sailors reside on-ship during maintenance
availabilities and that berthing barges are available for duty section
personnel.
The Marine Corps' Barracks 2030 initiative lays out an ambitious
plan to improve the Corps' management of the barracks, modernize the
barracks inventory, and update the refresh rate of the materials in the
barracks. With the support of Congress, the Marine Corps has
implemented the Capital Planning Tool to leverage a tiered approach to
facility lifecycle management that reduces footprint while prioritizing
investments for the most critical facilities.
We are committed to improving the living conditions for our Sailors
and Marines who reside in unaccompanied housing, and will continue to
work closely with Congress, including the House Armed Services
Committee's Quality of Life Panel, to ensure transparency and
collaboration on this important issue.
We are also focused on the continuous improvement of our Military
Housing Privatization Initiative program to maintain resident trust. We
are reinforcing DON oversight and exercising active leadership to
ensure that the community residing in privatized housing feels heard
and supported. Over the past year, the DON Housing team has made great
strides in moving the privatized housing program into the next phase of
sustained oversight and dynamic leadership involvement. We continue to
improve the tools we have developed to perform better analysis of our
processes, policies, and the overall program to ensure higher levels of
service and satisfaction for our Sailors, Marines, and their families.
PB25 includes requests for $245 million for construction as well as
$377 million for operations--including the management, services,
furnishings, utilities, maintenance, leasing, and privatization
support--in support of our family housing program.
The DON remains committed to the early identification and
resolution of housing issues, as well as improving processes and
oversight to improve our residents' experiences. We are dedicated to
providing suitable, affordable, and safe living quarters for our
Sailors, Marines, and their families, and PB25 directly supports our
efforts to do so.
Family Readiness
The DON views childcare as a workforce enabler that directly
enhances the readiness, efficiency, and retention of our Sailors and
Marines. The Navy and Marine Corps operate Child Development Centers
(CDCs), Youth Centers for children ages 6-12, provide fee assistance
for in-home care providers, and subsidize commercial spaces under a
program titled Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood. There are
seven 24/7 CDCs to accommodate shift workers and watchstanders in Fleet
concentration areas and extended hours of operation at other locations.
Together, the Navy and Marine Corps have approximately 42,000 childcare
spaces world-wide and employ over 8,400 child and youth professionals.
However, the demand for childcare exceeds the available inventory
both on and off-base. Due to community and military capacity shortfalls
and staff hiring, there are approximately 4,300 children on the
waitlist. While this is a significant decrease from the 11,000 children
on the waitlist in July 2021, we remain laser-focused on continuing to
reduce our waitlist numbers. In FY23, Navy Child and Youth Programs
(CYP) executed a contract with a commercial childcare provider to open
forty-eight additional spaces near Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and
the model will be replicated in San Diego and Norfolk. We are also
expanding our on-base childcare capacity through ongoing military
construction projects in Naval Base Kitsap, Naval Base Point Loma,
Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, and Joint Expeditionary Base
Little Creek/Fort Story. The Marine Corps has four projects in planning
for FY25-26 in Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Anderson Air Force
Base in Guam, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Marine Corps Base Camp
Butler.
Due to frequent moves to new duty stations, spouse employment can
be a concern for military families and an obstacle to financial
security. The unemployment rate of military spouses is approximately
21%, and earnings are typically less than those of their counterparts
with equal experience in the private sector. They can be at a
disadvantage when it comes to finding gainful employment, from
occupational re-licensure to finding new schools or adequate and
affordable childcare. The Navy and Marine Corps Employment Assistance
Programs provide military spouses with information, referrals, and
guidance counseling to assist in making effective career and education
decisions. To address the challenges faced by military spouses and
lower the financial burden associated with relocating, the Navy and
Marine Corps provide reimbursement for Spouse Licensure and
Certification. As of February 2024, the Navy and Marine Corps have
reimbursed a combined total of 1,293 licensure claims to support the
careers of our military spouses.
Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)
The DON is committed to providing our Navy and Marine Corps
families with necessary assistance and care at their assigned
locations. The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) ensures Sailors
and Marines are assigned to locations where the required medical
services and educational support are available for families with
special needs. Navy EFMP employs 117 personnel to support 23,516
enrolled family members. The Navy has identified and initiated the
process of establishing its central/single-site EFMP office at Navy
Personnel Command under PERS-45 to coordinate health services,
permanent change of station order processing, identification/
enrollment/disenrollment, and educational support services; we expect
full operation of the office by Q4 FY25. The Marine Corps is compliant
with the requirement for a central office that reports to the Deputy
Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
While most Navy and Marine Corps families are satisfied with EFMP,
we continue to seek areas of improvement, namely in areas of medical
and educational support. The Marine Corps was the first service to
offer specialized legal support services to families to address
education needs, and the Navy has implemented the provision of special
education legal support to families. To address the medical issues, the
Defense Health Agency is working to reduce the long wait times for
specialty care.
Mental Health and Resiliency
Mental health is health. Mental health concerns remain a top
priority within the DON. Admiral Franchetti, General Smith, and I are
committed to ensuring our Sailors and Marines have access to the tools
available to strengthen their mental health. We are also committed to
ensuring that their leaders have the tools available to assist them in
recognizing personnel who may require a mental health evaluation.
Prioritizing mental health includes embracing a change in culture
and view towards accessing mental health services--one which
acknowledges that seeking help is a sign of strength. We are working to
ensure our commanders, leaders, supervisors, and civilian and uniformed
managers at all levels continue to normalize talking about mental
health issues to destigmatize seeking mental healthcare, and ultimately
encourage Sailors and Marines to make use of well-being resources
throughout their careers.
Brandon Act
In July 2023, under ALNAV 054/23 and in alignment with the DoD
Directive-type Memorandum 23-005, the DON implemented the Brandon Act.
The Brandon Act honors the life of Petty Officer Third Class Brandon
Caserta by allowing service members to self-initiate a mental health
evaluation at any time, for any reason, and in any environment. There
is a direct tie between mental health, overall well-being, and combat
readiness. In order to ensure we are ready, we prioritize mental health
as we do physical health and will continue to increase awareness of
resources and services available to our Sailors and Marines. I will
stress again that seeking help is a sign of strength.
Military Justice Reform
The DON has answered the call for meaningful change to our military
justice practice. We are deliberately and comprehensively delivering
the most significant reforms to the system in more than seventy years.
The FY22 NDAA military justice reforms and SECDEF's Independent Review
Commission (IRC) recommendations are top-priority initiatives for the
Navy and Marine Corps judge advocate communities, and shortly after I
became Secretary I established an Implementation Advisory Panel
comprised of senior DON leaders whom I directed to oversee and expedite
the adoption of the NDAA and IRC recommendations, including the timely
establishment of the Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) for each
service, implementing independent prosecution offices for personal
violence offenses, known as covered offenses.
In October 2023, in advance of the December 2023 deadline set by
the NDAA, both the Navy and Marine Corps OSTCs became fully
operationally capable and are staffed by experienced, specialized, and
well-trained legal professionals to ensure independent review of the
most serious personal violence offenses in each service. The FY23 and
FY24 NDAAs expanded upon the military justice reforms enacted by the
FY22 NDAA, and the budget request for FY25 includes funding to support
the sustainment and staffing of both OSTCs. My Implementation Advisory
Panel proposed, and I agreed, that the independent investigation of
sexual harassment allegations in the DON should be conducted by the
Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We have provided additional
resources to NICS for this important mission. We have also strengthened
collaboration by integrating local OSTC counsel with NCIS Family and
Sexual Violence squads.
The Naval Court-Martial Reporting System (NCORS) is the DON's new
electronic case management system, currently in its final stages of
development to meet statutory requirements. It is a modern, cloud-based
system that is easily configurable system and will enable the Navy and
Marine Corps to better track and analyze military justice data and to
respond to Congressional requests. PB25 includes additional funds for
NCORS for expanded roles and functionality.
Other important reforms include a new, military judge-alone
sentencing system with parameters and criteria, expanded access by
convicted service members to the appellate court system, broader
notification rights for crime victims, randomized selection of service
members detailed to court-martial panels, new procedures for complaints
of sexual harassment, and increased resources for defense counsel.
Military justice reform remains an ongoing and evolving effort, and
both services are continually assessing the efficacy of new policies
and practices and are ready to adjust as needed. The Navy and Marine
Corps judge advocate communities, in close partnership with the OSTC
regarding covered offenses, are spearheading initiatives for the
Department of the Navy to develop a comprehensive, ongoing assessment
framework using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative factors.
These assessments include a newly developed military justice reform
survey to obtain victim and other user input on their perception and
confidence in the system as the significant military justice reforms
are implemented.
Audit Process
After a two-year audit cycle across FY22 and FY23, the Marine Corps
passed its financial statement audit with a clean opinion, successfully
accounting for more than $46.3 billion in assets. The Navy is
undergoing its seventh full financial statement audit of the Navy
General Fund (GF) and the DON Working Capital Fund (WCF) in FY24. We
continue to execute our proven strategy focused on transformational
changes geared towards our most impactful areas that includes
consolidating the number of feeder and accounting systems the Navy
uses, accounting for and valuing the Navy's mission-critical assets,
supplying the warfighter, and enhancing cybersecurity.
In FY23, the DON sustained all prior year material weakness
downgrades and downgraded three additional material weaknesses ahead of
schedule--GF Fund Balance with Treasury and GF and WCF Oversight and
Monitoring. In addition, the Navy closed 306 financial and information
technology audit findings, leading all Services in FY23 closures, and
concluded the fourth year of 100 percent physical inventory testing,
achieving 99.5 percent inventory accuracy for 11 million items. Even
with the size and complexity of the DON, our audit strategy is
generating proven results validated by our auditors.
Enhancing Strategic Partnerships
In addition to Strengthening Maritime Dominance and Building a
Culture of Warfighting Excellence, the President's Budget for Fiscal
Year 2025 enables us to continue our work in enhancing our Strategic
Partnerships, both at home and abroad.
International Partnerships
In every region where our Sailors and Marines operate, we do so
alongside our international partners. The relationships we enjoy with
our allies and partners are unparalleled by our potential adversaries,
and we are proud to enjoy the friendship of like-minded nations who
share our commitment to upholding the rules-based international order
that has brought relative stability and prosperity to billions of
people over the last several decades. Foundational to our international
partnerships is the trust our Sailors and Marines share with their
counterparts--a trust that is developed through countless exercises and
operations.
Over the past year, I have been fortunate to attend several
bilateral and multilateral exercises in person, including UNITAS 64 in
South America and TALISMAN SABRE in the Indo-Pacific. During every
exercise, I was impressed by the skills of our partners and the esprit
de corps shared between our Sailors, our Marines, and their
international counterparts. With each evolution, the power of our
combined maritime forces was on full display, and I look forward to
opportunities this year to observe the increasing interoperability and
cooperation with our allies and partners at events such as Rim of the
Pacific 2024, scheduled for this summer in Hawai'i.
Exercises are only one facet of our strategy to engage with our
international partners and allies. At a macro level, the United States
Navy and Marine Corps remain committed to supporting our longstanding
NATO alliance--an alliance which now includes Finland and Sweden--
especially as our European allies continue to address security concerns
presented on their borders by Russia. We also are committed to our
partners in Africa, where last year I attended the first-ever U.S.-
hosted African Maritime Forces Summit, held in Cabo Verde.
In the Indo-Pacific, we are focused on ensuring the success of
AUKUS, a generational security partnership that both provides our
Australian allies with a nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed
submarine fleet and fosters advanced technology development among
Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in several
critical areas, including undersea capabilities, artificial
intelligence, and machine learning, cyber, and hypersonics. As part of
AUKUS, the Australian government's contribution to the U.S. Submarine
Industrial Base starting in FY25 will supplement our own SIB
investments. These investments will facilitate increased U.S.
production of future Virginia-Class submarines, which will offset the
impacts to the U.S. submarine fleet caused by the sales of one in-
service Virginia SSN in 2032 and a second in-service SSN in 2035 to
Australia in accordance with Congressional authorization, as well as a
new-construction submarine which will be sold to Australia in 2038. We
are grateful for the support of this committee in our work to ensure
the success of the AUKUS partnership, which will further our goal of
maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region for decades to come.
Guam
As we continue to strengthen our international partnerships, we are
also focused on building and maintaining our relationships here in the
United States with the state, territorial, and local governments across
the many communities that support our Sailors, Marines, civilians, and
their families. As such, we are deeply involved with the government and
citizens of Guam. Our Department is on track to begin the movement of
Marines from Okinawa to Guam in support of the Defense Policy Review
Initiative, with the relocation of Marines slated to begin in the first
quarter of FY25. The end state of this personnel movement is projected
to leave 11,500 Marines on Okinawa, while stationing 7,000 Marines on
Guam. I am also pleased to highlight that our Under Secretary of the
Navy was appointed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense to serve as the
Senior Defense Official for Guam (SDOG). In this role, Under Secretary
Raven will serve as the DoD's senior representative when meeting with
key leadership and stakeholders in Guam. He will also provide senior
leadership oversight and support to Commander, Joint Region Marianas in
the execution of on-island activities and will liaise with the Army,
Air Force, USINDOPACOM, USD (A&S), USD (R&E) to ensure we are aligned
in the capability development and delivery of logistics and
infrastructure requirements.
As we face the unprecedented pace of our mission growth on Guam,
infrastructure and facilities are required to support the expansion of
our on-island infrastructure footprint. In support of our military
construction and family housing construction projects, totaling $2.9
billion across the FYDP, we greatly appreciate Congress' approval of an
extension of the H2B visa program through 2029, which will provide
measures to offset workforce capacity challenges in support of our
missions on Guam. We are committed to working with our government
partners and stakeholders on Guam, as well as our partners across the
DoD, to ensure the success of the transition of our personnel. We
appreciate this committee's support as we carry out this process in a
disciplined, sustainable manner that will enhance the readiness of our
forces throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Industry Partnerships
Beyond international and local partnerships, we are also committed
to ensuring that the defense industrial base on which we rely remains
responsive to our acquisition requirements. PB25 invests $4.0 billion
in our Submarine Industrial Base to support submarine new construction
and sustainment, as well as $227 million in the weapons industrial base
to increase surge production and suppliers for critical components.
These investments are vital to maintaining the health of key industries
that play a significant role in the lethality of our Fleet and our
Force--industries from which we cannot afford to accept production
delays.
We continue to pay special attention to increasing our engagements
with small businesses throughout the defense ecosystem. As a former
small business owner, I know just how critical this segment is, and I
also know the incredible amount of expertise and know-how these firms
bring in support of our Sailors, Marines, and civilians. The DON
continues to explore all opportunities to increase prime awards to for
Small Businesses (SB), including but not limited to increased outreach
to the SB industrial base via conferences and Navy Weeks, monitoring
subcontracting performance and trends of our large prime partners, and
continuing to stress the importance of disaggregation of expiring
contracts to give a possible greater allocation to small businesses. As
a direct result of these strategic initiatives, the DON has increased
spending with SBs by 30% over the last three fiscal years, with SDBs
experiencing a similar 30% increase over that same time period. Both SB
and SDB set new records for prime awards in FY23, with Small Businesses
receiving over $20B in prime awards from the DON (an increase of $1.5B
over FY22); Small Disadvantaged Businesses received $7.6B in prime
awards from the DON (an increase of $680M over the prior record of
$6.9B set in FY22). For FY24, we are on-track to meet our Small
Business goals and remain committed to doing so during FY25.
Beyond capital investments and engagements with small businesses,
we continue to partner with industry and academia in workforce
development initiatives. This past October, I attended the
groundbreaking ceremony for a new, purpose-built regional training
center in Danville, Virginia, that will expand workforce training
opportunities in ``new-collar'' trades--those that combine
traditionally blue-collar jobs with cutting-edge technologies--which
are crucial to submarine and ship construction. This regional training
center demonstrates the progress that can be achieved when local,
state, and Federal governments, as well as industry and academia, come
together and collaborate in support of a noble cause. Danville can and
should serve as a model for nation-wide training programs that provide
Americans with the skillsets necessary to achieve employment in good-
paying jobs while also contributing to our national security.
Last month, I received the results of the 45-Day Shipbuilding
Review, conducted by my Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research,
Development, and Acquisition and Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command.
This review illuminated the delays we are experiencing across several
major shipbuilding programs and highlighted the challenges faced by
both industry and the Navy to deliver ships and submarines on time. Our
Department undertook this review to both provide transparency to
Congress and identify steps we can take to develop a more realistic,
pragmatic approach to shipbuilding. We are building a process and a
team to reduce delays in ship and submarine deliveries with our
industry partners, and we appreciate the continued support of this
committee as we endeavor to ``Get Real, Get Better'' on shipbuilding.
As we invest in the capacity, workforce, and capabilities of our
industry partners, we must also give due consideration to holding
industry accountable for the work they are contracted to perform. It is
of utmost importance that the American people receives the best value
for taxpayer dollars, and the Taxpayer Advocacy Project (TAP) ensures
just this. TAP leverages DON subject matter expertise to research
recurring contractor issues and legal solutions, educate Program
Executive Officers, Program Managers, Contracting Officers, and DON
attorneys on available legal tools to improve contractor performance,
and assist those same stakeholders in identifying and clearing any
Pentagon or vendor barriers to deliver contracted material and services
on behalf of the warfighter and the taxpayer. TAP supports my
priorities by positively impacting readiness improvement, ensuring that
our Sailors and Marines are well-equipped, that contract cooperation is
flowing both ways, and that the DON receives what it paid for on-
budget, on-schedule, and on-performance.
Maritime Statecraft
This past September, during my remarks at Harvard University's
Kennedy School of Government, I called for a new vision of Maritime
Statecraft to prevail in this era of intense strategic competition.
Maritime Statecraft encompasses not only naval diplomacy but also a
national, whole-of-government effort to build comprehensive U.S. and
allied maritime power, both commercial and naval. Our Nation's most
prominent naval strategist, Alfred Thayer Mahan, argued that naval
power begets maritime commercial power, and control of maritime
commerce begets greater naval power. The PRC's leaders have read Mahan,
and their actions show it.
As the PRC has built up its commercial and naval fleets and gained
influential ownership in ports around the world, U.S. commercial
maritime power has declined precipitously. Today, the PRC is the
world's largest builder of commercial, ocean-going ships, with over 40%
of the global market being built in Chinese shipyards. More concerning
still, Beijing leverages its dominant commercial shipbuilding capacity
and modern commercial shipyards and infrastructure to efficiently
produce its naval fleet. Chinese shipping firms have come to dominate
the worldwide commercial shipping industry. They have established an
ownership stake in 95 ports across 53 countries worldwide, including in
many of our own ports and those of our allies. They also field the
world's largest global fishing fleet and the third largest merchant
marine fleet with more than 7,000 ships, compared to the United
States--ranked 70th--with 178.
Since entering office in August 2021, I have engaged across our
Federal government--with the White House, the Department of
Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of
Commerce, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and throughout
the DoD--to bring attention to this issue and explore what authorities
we can leverage to support the revitalization of our national
shipbuilding industry. For example, Secretary Buttigieg and I had a
productive discussion regarding our shared Title 46 authority in the
Construction Differential Subsidy that allows the U.S. Government to
offset the higher cost of building a commercial ship in the United
States relative to foreign shipyards provided the Secretary of
Transportation and the Secretary of the Navy certify a national
security purpose for the vessel. I have likewise welcomed the United
States Trade Representative's in-depth engagement on boosting the
proportion of U.S. international trade carried on U.S.-flag vessels--
today, less than one half of 1 percent of U.S. international exports
and imports sail on U.S.-flagged merchant ships, almost all of which
are foreign-built.
My team and I have toured private shipyards across our Nation, from
Bayonne, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Vallejo and
Richmond, California, to better understand the capacity and workforce
challenges these yards face. In February, I held engagements with the
leadership of major shipbuilders in Japan and South Korea to gain a
better understanding and appreciation for how they construct commercial
and naval vessels in modern shipyards. I was enormously gratified by
the strong interest expressed by the leaders of these world-class
shipbuilders in establishing U.S. subsidiaries and investing in
shipyards in the United States--and I could not be more excited at the
prospect of these companies bringing their expertise, their technology,
and their cutting-edge best practices to American shores.
In mid-November, I convened the inaugural meeting of the Government
Shipbuilders Council at the Coast Guard's only public yard in
Baltimore, Maryland. This new organization, comprised of
representatives from the Departments of Transportation, Commerce,
Homeland Security, and Defense, and our five government shipbuilding
partners--MARAD, Coast Guard, NOAA, and the Army--will discuss how we
can work together to collectively engage with industry, address common
challenges, and share best practices.
All of these are early steps, and there is still much work to be
done. We welcome Congress' collaboration and support as we continue our
Department's work on Maritime Statecraft with our counterparts in other
Federal departments and agencies, industry, academia, and our
international allies and partners. Revitalizing our comprehensive
maritime power is a generational endeavor, requiring sustained,
bipartisan commitment at the national level. Though the road ahead may
be long, not a moment's time should be lost in embarking on a task so
essential to our country's security and prosperity.
closing
As I close, it is important to remember that the missions we send
our Sailors and Marines on every day are anything but routine and, in
most cases, extremely dangerous.
In January, we suspended the search for two U.S. Navy SEALS we lost
at sea--Petty Officer First Class Christopher Chambers and Petty
Officer Second Class Nathan Ingram--during the seizure of lethal,
Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis.
And in February, we lost five Marines in a training accident--Lance
Corporal Donovan Davis, Sergeant Alec Langen, Captain Benjamin Moulton,
Captain Jack Casey, and Captain Miguel Nava--assigned to the ``Flying
Tigers'' of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361.
As we mourn the loss of these brave Americans, their fellow Sailors
and Marines continue to deploy around the globe. We honor their legacy
by protecting the families they left behind and by upholding the ideals
and principles that they gave their lives for.
The investments we ask you to make in our Navy and Marine Corps
represent more than just buying ships, aircraft, and submarines,
developing new capabilities, or bolstering the resiliency of the
critical infrastructure we rely on. It is about supporting our men and
women, both uniformed and civilian, and their families, who have
committed their careers and indeed their lives in defense of our
Nation.
I am grateful for the continued bipartisan support of this
committee, and I look forward to working with all of you to advance our
Nation's security with a Navy and Marine Corps that possesses the
enduring advantages required to uphold our nation's interests in
peacetime, deter potential adversaries in crisis, and win decisively in
war.
May God continue to grant the United States of America and its
people fair winds and following seas. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Secretary Del Toro, thank you. Thank you
for the statement.
Next, we will have Admiral Franchetti. Admiral.
STATEMENT OF ADMIRAL LISA FRANCHETTI, CHIEF OF NAVAL
OPERATIONS
Admiral Franchetti. Chairman Tester, Vice Chair Collins,
Distinguished Members of the Committee, good morning and thank
you for the opportunity to testify on the posture of the United
States Navy.
On behalf of all our sailors, Navy civilians and their
families, deployed and stationed all around the world, thank
you for your leadership and your continued support in providing
and maintaining the Navy the Nation needs.
I'd also like to thank my teammate, General Smith, for his
exceptional partnership and collaboration as we guide our
services under the leadership of Secretary Del Toro.
Flanked by two oceans, the United States is and always has
been a maritime nation whose security and prosperity rely on
access to the sea and for over 248 years the U.S. Navy has
guaranteed that access, operating forward, defending our
homeland, and keeping open the sea lines of communication that
fuel our economy and underwrite our Nation's security.
The events of this past year and the actions taken by your
Navy/Marine Corps team in the Indo-Pacific, in the
Mediterranean, in the Red Sea, and beyond underscore the
enduring importance of American naval power.
With an average of a 110 ships and 70,000 sailors and
Marines deployed on any given day, the Navy/Marine Corps team
is delivering power for peace, deterring potential adversaries
and standing ready to fight and win our Nation's wars if
deterrence fails. I could not be more proud of this team.
No other Navy in the world can train, deploy, and sustain
such a lethal combat-credible force that operates from the
seabed to space at the scope, scale, and tempo that we do.
This year's budget request supports the National Defense
Strategy and my priorities of warfighting, warfighters, and the
foundation that supports them. It enables the Navy to continue
to meet our congressionally mandated mission in both peace and
war.
It is strategy-driven, maintaining our focus on the
People's Republic of China as the pacing challenge, the acute
threat of Russia, and other persistent threats, like the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, and violent
extremist organizations.
Given the discretionary spending caps prescribed by the
Fiscal Responsibility Act and the top line increase of .7
percent, the Navy had to make tough choices, favoring near-term
readiness, investing in our industrial base, and prioritizing
our people, while assuming risk and future capabilities.
Within this fiscally-constrained environment, the budget
request fully funds the Navy's top acquisition priority and the
most survivable leg of our strategic deterrence, the Columbia
Class submarine.
It provides funds for six battle force ships and
incremental funding for two Ford Class Carriers in fiscal year
2025 and continues our support for Marine Corps Force Design by
maintaining 31 amphibious ships, procuring three LPDs (landing
platform, dock) , one LHA (landing helicopter assault), and
eight Medium Landing ships. In total, the budget request
procures 57 ships across the FY DP.
This budget request prioritizes warfighting by funding our
operations training and readiness accounts. It continues our
strong commitment to our warfighters and our families through
pay raises for our sailors and Navy civilians and investments
in quality of service initiatives, such as unaccompanied
housing, education, childcare, and sailor resiliency, and it
invests in our foundation with funding for our installations,
for our Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, and for
the broader Defense Industrial Base, sending a strong signal to
our industry partners on the need to increase our capacity to
meet the growing demands of the present and the future.
As Chief of Naval Operations, I am committed to pulling
every lever available to me to put more ready players on the
field, platforms that are ready with the right capabilities,
weapons, and sustainment and people who are ready with the
right skills, tools, training, and mindset to defend our
nation's security and prosperity wherever and whenever it is
threatened.
I thank the committee for your leadership and your
partnership in ensuring the world's premiere warfighting force
remains ready to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win
decisively in war if called.
I look forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Admiral Lisa Marie Franchetti
introduction
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, distinguished members of
the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the posture
of the United States Navy. On behalf of our Sailors, Navy civilians,
and families deployed and stationed around the world, thank you for
your continued leadership and support. Thank you for ensuring our Navy-
Marine Corps team remains ready for prompt and sustained combat
incident to operations at sea as well as for recognizing in law our
Navy's role in the peacetime promotion of our Nation's national
security interests and prosperity. Your commitment guarantees that our
Navy is always postured and ready to deliver power for peace, respond
in crisis, and win decisively in war.
america's identity as a maritime nation
Flanked by two oceans, the United States is and has always been a
maritime nation. Our economy, like the world's economy, flows through
the sea. Ninety percent of global trade travels by sea. Ninety-five
percent of international communications and roughly 10 trillion dollars
in financial transactions each day transit via undersea fiber-optic
cables. In the U.S., seaborne trade carries more tonnage and value than
any other mode of transportation, generating 5.4 trillion dollars in
annual commerce and supporting 31 million American jobs. There is no
doubt: the seas are the lifeblood of our economy, our national
security, and our way of life.
For 248 years, Congress has provided and maintained a Navy-Marine
Corps team that has preserved America's access to the seas. From the
founding of our Nation to the World Wars of the 20th century, America's
naval forces have fought and won our Nation's battles to keep open the
sea lines of communication that guarantee our prosperity and security.
In every ocean, we uphold and protect the post-World War II rules-based
international order that we fought to establish and have continued to
defend for nearly three quarters of a century.
the geopolitical landscape
Our Nation's security and prosperity, and by extension the rules-
based international order, is under threat from multiple fronts across
all domains, including the maritime. The People's Republic of China
(PRC), Russia, Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),
and Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs) desire to rewrite the global
rules-based order for their own political, military, and economic
interests. They threaten access to waterways, ports, and key logistics
hubs, which are critical to the U.S. and the global economy. They seek
to control key maritime chokepoints like the Taiwan, Hormuz, and Bab
al-Mandeb Straits in order to exploit sea control and subsequently deny
the U.S. Navy, U.S.-flagged, and other internationally flagged
commercial shipping freedom of maneuver.
As the National Defense Strategy (NDS) makes clear, the PRC is
America's pacing challenge, representing the most comprehensive and
serious challenge to our national security. It is the only country with
both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly,
the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do so.
Its coercive and aggressive behavior threatens to refashion the Indo-
Pacific region and the international system to suit its interests and
authoritarian preferences. Over the last twenty years, the PRC used its
considerable economic wealth to revolutionize its maritime capability
to rival and contest ours. In that short time, the PRC tripled the size
of its Navy and is on pace to surpass 400 ships by 2030.
Simultaneously, it has created a world-wide network of ports, railways,
and roads through its Belt and Road Initiative, expanded its strategic
nuclear capacity, advanced its offensive and defense cyber and space
capabilities, built up its rocket force, created man-made islands to
extend its vast territorial claims over the South China Sea, and
developed sophisticated munitions in an attempt to keep the United
States military and our Allies and partners at range.
Russia continues to challenge American interests and to pose an
existential threat to our Allies and partners in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) as evidenced by its unprovoked, unjust, and
reckless invasion of Ukraine. Russia has the world's largest nuclear
arsenal, is battle- hardened, and is on a wartime economic footing. It
continues to violate the core principles that uphold global peace and
security, seeking to change borders of sovereign countries by force. We
will continue to work with our Allies and partners to blunt Russian
aggression and support Ukraine in its fight for territorial integrity
and democracy.
Other persistent threats include the DPRK, Iran, and VEOs. The DPRK
continues to expand its nuclear and missile capability to threaten the
U.S. homeland, deployed U.S. forces, and our Allies and partners in the
region, most notably Japan and South Korea. Iran continues to
destabilize the Middle East with its support for militant groups'
malign activities, its advancing nuclear program, and its harassment of
maritime commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. It
continues to build and export missiles and missile architecture,
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) systems, and advanced maritime
capabilities to VEOs worldwide--not just in the Middle East. Most
notably this year, the world saw Iranian weapons used by the Houthis to
disrupt the free flow of maritime commerce in the Red Sea.
navy's fy25 strategy-driven budget request
The Navy's budget request for FY25 funds a strong, global Navy that
is postured and ready to deter potential adversaries, protect our
homeland, respond in crisis, and, if called, win decisively in war.
Nested under the National Security Strategy (NSS) and NDS, the Navy's
FY25 budget request is strategy driven with a focus on the PRC as the
pacing challenge, while keeping a weather eye on the acute threat of
Russia and other persistent threats like the DPRK, Iran, and VEOs. It
supports the United States Marine Corps Force Design, implements
Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), and executes the 2022 Chief of
Naval Operations Navigation Plan. It fully funds the Columbia-class
submarine and the nuclear architecture that underpins it, allocates
resources to our operations and readiness accounts that will keep our
naval forces forward to defend our global interests, prioritizes
resources to fund the Submarine Industrial Base (SIB), and maintains 31
amphibious ships per our Title 10 requirement.
However, the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) imposed
constraints that required us to make hard choices. Given the
discretionary spending caps and the 0.7 percent topline increase, the
Navy's FY25 budget request favors readiness for the near-term fight and
the need to meet our congressionally-mandated peacetime mission over
the modernization we will need for the future.
As our Nation's founders recognized, naval power is--and will
continue to be--an essential element of our national security. The
actions your Navy has taken this year in the Indo-Pacific, the Eastern
Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and elsewhere to defend American
interests are a direct result of years of readiness investments in our
Navy-Marine Corps team. Our actions illustrate how past investments and
decisions made by our leaders in Congress, the Navy, and industry
affect our ability to meet our mission today. More importantly, our
Sailors' actions on, under, and above the seas to defend the rules-
based international order demonstrate the value of investing in a
strong naval force.
Within this constrained fiscal environment, we must continue that
investment in our Navy- Marine Corps team to meet the threats of this
challenging environment. We must put more ready players on the field--
platforms ready with the right capabilities, weapons and sustainment
and people who are ready with the right skills, tools, training, and
mindset--to ensure we are fully prepared to fight and win our Nation's
wars in this decisive decade. We cannot afford to keep players on the
field that can no longer contribute to our ability to win decisively.
The Navy's FY25 budget reflects that need and reflects my priorities of
Warfighting, Warfighters, and the Foundation that supports them that I
set forth in my America's Warfighting Navy document in January 2024.
warfighting: delivering decisive combat power
The Navy views everything through a warfighting lens. Operating in
support of the NSS, NDS, and National Military Strategy, the United
States Navy is a critical element of the Joint Force, upholding
international norms, providing access to free and open oceans, and
ready to deliver decisive combat power as part of a Joint and Combined
Warfighting Ecosystem. The FY25 budget request ensures our ability to
execute globally distributed sea control and sea denial and guarantees
our ability to fight and win our Nation's wars, if called.
Strategic Deterrence Investments. The FY25 Budget Request fully
funds the Nation's top defense acquisition priority and the Navy's
contribution to our strategic deterrence: the Columbia-class ballistic
missile submarine, the second life extension of the Trident II D5
Ballistic Missile, and the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) command,
control, and communications suite.
Procurement Investments. With 88 ships on contract and 66 under
construction already, the FY25 request invests $32.4 billion in
shipbuilding, funding six battle force ships (one Virginia-class
submarine, two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, one Constellation-class
frigate, one San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, and one
Medium Landing Ship) and providing incremental funds for two Ford-class
aircraft carriers (CVN 80 and CVN 81) and the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN
75) Refueling and Complex Overhaul. The budget request funds a total of
$189 billion across the FYDP for 57 total battle force ships.
Notably, the budget requests $7.3 billion for the procurement of
the first Virginia-class Block VI submarine and will initiate a nine-
ship planned multi-year procurement beginning in FY25. It funds two
Arleigh Burke class destroyers, including completion funds for three
FY23 and two FY24 ships, and continues investment in the Constellation-
class frigate program, which gets more players on the field with
increased lethality, survivability, and capability. Additionally, it
bolsters our investment in the Navy-Marine Corps team and our
commitment to USMC Force Design and the Expeditionary Advanced Base
Operations concept by maintaining 31 amphibious ships, providing $1.6B
in FY25 to the fourth San Antonio Class LPD FLT II, adding funds across
the FYDP to support amphibious ship recapitalization in LPD Flight IIs
in FY27 and FY29, and funding 8 Medium Landing Ships through the FYDP.
Ship Decommissionings and Divestments. The FY25 budget requests the
decommissioning of 19 ships, 9 of which have completed their normal
lifecycle and 10 that are divestments before the end of their expected
service life. This is a return on investment decision, based on a hull-
by-hull assessment of each ship's material condition, life remaining,
cost and time to upgrade, and warfighting relevancy.
Readiness Investments. Our Navy must be able to put players on the
field that are ready with trained crews, ships and aircraft ready to
operate, and with capable weapons systems and munitions. Despite FRA
constraints, the Navy's FY25 budget request provides $34.6 billion--an
overall increase of $200 million from the FY24 request--to Fleet
readiness to support flying and underway steaming at levels that
support our Fleet's global operations. It funds the reality that
readiness is the key enabler for naval superiority and that ship,
submarine, and aviation operations are the Navy's core capability and
the foundation of maritime dominance.
The FY25 request funds $7.6 billion--an increase of $600 million
from the previous year--in ship operations, providing the fuel, parts,
and support necessary to train the Fleet and deploy it worldwide and
investing in the critical maintenance for Military Sealift Command's
support ships. The budget request supports a Fleet average of 58 days
underway per quarter for deployed ships and 24 days per quarter for
non-deployed ships. Out of the total $10.6 billion in Navy-Marine Corps
flight operations funding, the budget request funds $6.8 billion in
Navy flight operations, funding approximately 600,000 Navy flying hours
to resource Fleet preparation and execution of training and operational
requirements.
In regards to maintenance, we must get our ships, submarines, and
aircraft in and out of their availabilities on time and on cost. The
budget request funds $14.5 billion in ship maintenance, including 58
ship availabilities, and covers private contracted availabilities as
well as the Navy's four public shipyards, regional maintenance centers,
and intermediate maintenance facilities. It also provides $1.3 billion
in aviation maintenance that paces the Fleet Flying Hour Program,
funding 328 airframe and 1,486 engine events and sustaining aviation
investments in depot overhauls and aircraft spares to increase mission
capable aircraft numbers.
Sealift Investments. The Navy is committed to meeting Strategic
Sealift mobility requirements by recapitalizing the Ready Reserve Fleet
and the Maritime Prepositioning Force with a combination of used
vessels and new construction vessels. To achieve this, the Navy is
building a Sealift Campaign Plan to focus on a whole-of-strategic-
sealift approach across the entirety of sealift prepositioned and surge
assets. A key element of this plan is continued implementation of the
congressionally-provided authorities to address strategic sealift
readiness and recapitalization through the Buy-Used Program, which
purchases used sealift vessels to replace older, aging vessels
currently in the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Ready Reserve Fleet.
To date, the Navy has procured five ships through the Buy-Used Program
and plans to procure two more in FY24 and two more in FY25, which will
meet the congressionally mandated limit. The Navy supports modifying
the current congressional restrictions on the Buy-Used Program to allow
the Secretary of Defense authority to purchase foreign built, used
vessels without limitations. This authority would allow the Navy to
accelerate surge sealift Fleet recapitalization immediately, while
continuing to support U.S. shipyard industrial base.
The FY25 budget request continues this current recapitalization
strategy to buy and modify two used vessels per year across the FYDP,
while executing the current planned retirement schedule. The Buy-Used
program provides a stable acquisition profile with forecasted
maintenance and repair costs to meet strategic mobility requirements at
a moderate level of risk. Additionally, the Navy is partnering with
MARAD and USTRANSCOM to develop requirements for a range of new sealift
construction options from basic sealift vessels for the Ready Reserve
Force to purpose-built Maritime Prepositioning Force vessels.
Investments in the Hybrid Fleet. The Navy continues to invest in
its hybrid fleet and in the enabling capabilities that will support all
current and future unmanned programs of record. By leveraging America's
unmatched innovation base, the Navy intends to augment our highly
capable, existing platforms with a host of optionally manned and
unmanned platforms operating under, on, and above the seas. This will
extend our reach, expand our ability to distribute our forces, and
enable us to deliver larger volumes of kinetic and non-kinetic effects
across all domains to fully support the Joint Force. These technologies
are being developed in Navy laboratories, with industry partners, and
onboard the Navy's unmanned prototypes and tested in real-world
scenarios.
To deliver these capabilities at the speed of relevance, the Navy
is working to improve the acquisition process. The Navy's newly
established Disruptive Capabilities Office (DCO) is focused on the most
promising, game-changing technologies and getting them from prototype,
to scale, and into the hands of our warfighters as quickly as possible.
The DCO reports directly to me and the Secretary of the Navy.
Simultaneously, the Navy is fully supporting OSD's Replicator effort
and Defense Innovation Unit to rapidly procure and scale technologies
that will ensure our warfighting advantage.
Network Investments. In order to ensure warfighting advantage, we
must guarantee decision superiority for our warfighters. With this in
mind, the FY25 budget request invests $140M in FY25 with a total of
$716M across the FYDP in Project Overmatch. Through Project Overmatch--
the Navy's contribution to Combined Joint All Domain Command &
Control--we are fielding the connective tissue for today's Fleet, while
developing and experimenting with what is needed for our hybrid fleet.
Using modern software methods and pipelines, we are fielding software-
based networking technologies to provide as many pathways to connect
and share information as possible, as well as software applications
that aid decision makers and planners in executing DMO. To date we have
fielded our first increments of Project Overmatch across multiple
Carrier Strike Groups and shore command nodes. The FY25 budget request
will fund our follow-on increments of this capability, while growing
the architecture, adding resilience and redundancy to our
communications paths, and expanding into additional domains in
conjunction with our Joint partners and Allies.
To provide more secure, resilient, and reliable means to C2 our
naval forces, the FY25 request continues procurement and installation
of satellite communications systems to include Satellite Terminal
(transportable) Non-Geostationary Terminals, and Portable Receive
Terminals as well as a wideband anti-jam modem system that protects
vital SATCOM links. Our investments will result in the modernization of
the Automated Digital Network System to a Software-Defined Network that
will increase capacity and capability afloat and ashore for operational
continuity. This investment supports our operational architecture and
creates tangible warfighting advantages by providing access to
resilient, high-speed, low-latency bandwidth at sea.
Cyber Investments. The FY25 budget requests invests $1.55 billion
in enhancing maritime cyber capabilities while also maximizing our
investment in joint cyber capabilities defined via U.S. Cyber Command's
goals and objectives. In 2023, the Navy released our Cyber Strategy to
ensure alignment with national strategic guidance and to define
context-specific lines of effort and outcomes across the intersection
of the maritime domain, information environment, and cyberspace to
enhance national security. The FY25 request executes that strategy and
continues investment in cyber, which includes procurement of software,
upgrades, and technical support and increased development of support
for cryptologic modernization solutions. These investments explore,
test, and accelerate integration of non-kinetic capabilities that
provide our forces with cost-effective offensive and defensive options.
The budget request also invests in cryptographic and cybersecurity
modernization, reducing the threat in the rapidly evolving digital
landscape. We have increased support for cryptologic modernization
solutions, upgrading all operational devices so we stand ready to
operate against future quantum computing threats. In cybersecurity,
network modernization will allow us to rapidly integrate learning from
initiatives like Project Overmatch in order to provide our Sailors the
best-in-class technology, at speed, across all of our platforms. Our
Cyber Mission Forces stand ready to conduct full spectrum cyberspace
operations in all domains.
Workforce Modernization. The Navy is updating its human force
structure to ensure it has a workforce well-versed in cyber and
unmanned technologies. To advance a truly hybrid fleet, we need to
develop warfighters for the next generation who ruthlessly pursue
warfighting excellence, who can deliver the advantage of autonomous and
unmanned systems and who can operate and innovate alongside their
systems. To meet this challenge, the Navy established the maritime
cyber warfare officer designator and the cyber warfare technician
rating in FY24. With this new designator and rating, the Navy now has a
holistic group of cyber warfighters trained to address the most
challenging cyber threats. We have also established foundational Navy-
provisioned offensive cyber training, adjusted tour lengths, and
maximized incentives, improving our cyber team readiness by 20 percent
over the last year. In February 2024, the Navy established a new
robotics warfare specialist rating to build and develop a team with
experience in sensors, platform autonomy, and mission autonomy program.
These Sailors will serve as the operators, maintainers, and managers of
our hybrid fleet, planning and controlling our future unmanned systems.
Allies and Partners Investments. The Navy recognizes that we will
never fight alone. Our Allies and partners are our true strategic
advantage and a fundamental component in putting more players on the
field. They are force multipliers. Moving forward, we will design and
drive interoperability with our Allies and partners into our systems
and processes to deliver combined lethality in support of the rules-
based international order we protect together. A cooperative deployment
program, combined with a robust international exercise program,
highlighted by the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise this year,
underscores our commitment to working alongside our Allies and
partners.
The Navy is committed to strengthening the bonds with two of our
closest allies and fulfilling our US commitments to the Australia-
United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) enhanced security partnership.
This once-in-a-generation opportunity demonstrates our shared interest
in a free and open Indo-Pacific based on international law and serves
to uplift the warfighting capability of our three nations. Through the
establishment of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack
submarine capability in Australia and the development and
operationalization of advanced technologies and warfighting
capabilities, we will build our collective technical and industrial
capabilities to deliver next-generation interoperable systems that
deter aggression and win in war, if necessary.
Investments in the Arctic. The Arctic is critical to America's
safety and economic prosperity. Maritime presence and competition in
the Arctic has grown to include many non-Arctic nations, as faster and
cheaper trade routes become available due to increasingly navigable
waters. To meet this challenge, the FY25 budget request provides $47
million in FY25 and $252 million across the FYDP for Arctic research,
training, and operations. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard must
ensure all navigation and exploration--fishing, oil, and natural gas--
remains in accordance with internationally recognized rules and norms.
We will continue to work with our Allies and partners in the region--
Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the United
Kingdom--to ensure a peaceful and stable Arctic. The U.S. Navy remains
ready to respond to changing geopolitical and climate conditions in the
Arctic.
warfighters: strengthening the navy team
The Navy's active and reserve Sailors, our Navy civilians, and our
families are our asymmetric advantage and give our Navy the decisive
edge. I could not be more proud of our Navy team, who executes our
Navy's mission every day. We must continue to build strong warfighting
teams, recruit and retain talented people from across the rich fabric
of America, and provide them world-class training and education. We
remain committed to improving our Sailors' Quality of Service, which
includes Quality of Life and Quality of Work. Within FRA Caps, the FY25
budget request provides $41B--a 2 percent increase over FY24--for an
active duty force of 332,300, which includes a 4.5 percent pay increase
for our Sailors, and invests $2.8B for 57,700 reserve Sailors, aligned
with Fleet force structure changes.
Manning. Simply put, the Navy needs more people to meet our mission
requirements around the world. Over the last year, we averaged more
than 18,000 manning gaps at sea, primarily in our apprentice ranks.
Because of this, the Navy continues to prioritize seagoing billets for
deployed and next-to-deploy forces to ensure all operational units are
fully ready to support national tasking. We are offering increased
incentives for our Sailors to remain at sea or return to seagoing
billets through programs like the Advancement-to-Position program.
Retention. Our first line of effort in ensuring our Fleet is manned
is to retain the Sailors we currently have. Overall, Navy retention
remains healthy. We ended FY23 meeting or exceeding our retention
benchmark forecasts across most of our zones of service and are on-
track to meet FY24 retention targets. To continue this momentum, the
FY25 budget's personnel funding paces a strong economy by offering our
Sailors a complete compensation package, providing competitive pay and
benefits as well as basic pay increases and cost increases for housing,
subsistence, and basic needs allowances. It invests $84 million more
than the FY24 request in enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses. The Navy
also extended the High Year Tenure (HYT) Plus pilot program
indefinitely, which allows our Sailors to negotiate new orders to
valid, vacant billets, or to extend their current assignment to the
normal tour length to stay in past HYT gates.
Recruiting. The root cause of our manning challenges is our
recruiting challenge. Although the Navy missed its FY23 recruiting goal
by 7,000 Sailors, we contracted 6,000 more Sailors than we did in FY22.
We are using all available levers to maximize the effectiveness of
recruiting for FY24 by seeking innovative ways to attract individuals
who are qualified and willing to serve. This starts by connecting
people that live in every zip code to our Navy story and by spreading
our message to areas of untapped potential, far from our bases and
installations, and with little or no exposure to the Navy. We are
recruiting in previously under-served markets, presenting in new places
like gaming events and in the virtual world to create awareness beyond
our traditional talent base, and expanding our market penetration
through enhanced marketing and advertising via multi-channel means
(social media, connected television, and online presence).
The Navy is also evaluating organizational and policy initiatives
to improve recruiting and expand the pool of qualified, motivated, and
capable applicants that meet our standards. This past year, the Navy
established the Recruiting Operations Center to establish a more
effective enterprise approach to recruiting, elevated Commander, Navy
Recruiting Command to a seasoned 2-star Admiral position to provide
better oversight and direction, and increased recruiter manning for
greater reach and production. To expand opportunities to join our team,
we raised the recruiting age from 38 to 41 years old, established the
Future Sailor Preparatory Course, both Physical Fitness and Academic,
increased enlistment bonuses to attract high quality recruits for high
demand ratings, increased the number of Category IV recruits to match
rating demand, and began accepting high quality (AFQT 50 and greater)
Tier III recruits.
Education & Training. In an effort to prepare our warfighters for
the future fight, the Navy's FY25 budget request prioritizes Sailor
education by investing $25 million in the expansion of the United
States Naval Community College (USNCC) to 25,000 students by FY26 and
by fully funding Tuition Assistance Programs. The Navy is committed to
Naval University System wholeness, giving our Midshipmen at the United
States Naval Academy, our officers at the Naval War College, our
officers, enlisted, and civilians at the Naval Postgraduate School, and
our enlisted Sailors across the Fleet every opportunity to succeed. We
continue to see great results from the USNCC with over 3,500 Sailors,
Marines, and Coastguardsmen currently enrolled in eight different
academic programs. Additionally, through other initiatives like Live,
Virtual, and Constructive training, Ready Relevant Learning, and the
Fleet Learning Continuum, the Navy is ensuring our Sailors have the
professional knowledge, skills, and training to be ready to meet and
excel in its national security tasking.
Quality of Service (QoS). QoS remains among my highest priorities
as CNO. The Navy remains resolute in our obligation to care for and
deliver QoS to our Sailors, both active and reserve, our civilians, and
our Navy families because they are our most important resource. Within
a constrained budget environment, the FY25 budget request continues our
significant investment in QoS with $816 million to Quality of Life
(QoL) and $536 million to Quality of Work (QoW) initiatives. The budget
request includes a $523 million increase in Quality of Life initiatives
over FY24 and pulls every lever to sustain deserved pay increases for
our Sailors, increase BAH and BAS allowances, and fully fund barracks
sustainment and operations.
To demonstrate the Navy's commitment to improving QoS, the Navy
established a QoS Cross Functional Team (CFT) to improve our Sailors
and families' QoL. Reporting to the Secretary of the Navy and me, the
QoS CFT is Sailor-centric and focused on achieving both short-term and
long-term goals to improve our Sailors' QoS. The CFT has made
significant progress in addressing challenges faced by Sailors serving
on ships and submarines at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News
Shipbuilding, including off-ship berthing, the availability of quality
food, Internet connectivity, and improved access to medical care and
resources. The Navy intends to scale these initiatives Fleet wide.
Unaccompanied Housing (UH). The Navy's FY25 request fully funds
barracks operations and sustainment and fully funds barracks
recapitalization for fully scoped and ready projects. The budget
request invests $1.2 billion across the FYDP for barracks construction
and renovations to repair poor and failing UH facilities. It invests
$206 million in FY25--an increase of $41 million from FY24--for UH
repair and addresses repairs to five CONUS facilities (Naval Air
Station (NAS) Lemoore, NAS Oceana, Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Naval Base
Kitsap, and Submarine Base Kings Bay) and one OCONUS facility (Naval
Support Activity Bahrain). The FY25 budget request commits $10 million
in planning and development for UH projects across the FYDP and is
expanding privatized UH in San Diego and Hampton Roads.
The budget also invests in adding Wi-Fi to all our UH. Beginning in
February 2024, we commenced a Wi-Fi pilot (12 facilities/4K Sailors) in
unaccompanied housing facilities at Naval Station Norfolk, Portsmouth
Medical Center, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. This pilot will run through
the end of the fiscal year and will ensure the program is optimized to
deliver connectivity and value to our Sailors prior to a wider roll-out
across the Navy.
Childcare. The Navy is committed to meeting active-duty service
member childcare requirements and is making steady progress on reducing
the waitlist. As of March 2024, Navy has a Child Development Center
(CDC) and School Age Care (SAC) waitlist of approximately 3,600
children, down from 5,300 at the start of FY23. To expand capacity and
drive down the waitlist, the Navy is focused on staff recruitment and
retention through increased pay and other initiatives, facility
expansion through military construction (MILCON), and the Military
Childcare in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) Fee Assistance Program for those
on the CDC and SAC waitlist. Currently, all active duty families on the
waitlist have received MCCYN fee assistance. The Navy is extending the
MCCYN program to Navy civilians this year.
In regards to MILCON, the Navy's FY25 budget request adds $22
million in Facilities, Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization
funding for CDCs, $23 million for CDC Planning and Design for future
MILCON, and $437 million for childcare operations. The following
locations are areas of ongoing CDC construction projects: Naval Base
Kitsap, Naval Base Point Loma, Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads,
and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek/Fort Story. The Navy has 12
additional CDC MILCON projects programmed across the FYDP.
Healthcare. The Navy remains committed to our families and the need
to provide affordable, high quality healthcare. Working closely with
the Defense Health Agency and the Office of the Secretary of Defense
for Health Affairs, the Navy's FY25 budget request invests $1.9B across
the FYDP to stabilize the health system and fully restore military
medical manpower. This will ensure our ability to generate Navy
operational medical capabilities to support high end competition,
crisis, and combat, ensuring more players remain on the field.
Mental Health. The Navy is committed to ensuring our Sailors have
access to the full continuum of mental health resources with the right
care, at the right level, and at the right time. Our FY25 request
increases funding for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention services by
$52 million--a 173 percent increase from FY24--and fully funds the 21st
Century Sailor Readiness and Resiliency and Suicide Prevention and
Response initiatives, which enable Sailors to seek help earlier and
often, but before a crisis. We continue to assign more chaplains to
seagoing units and provide more mental health specialists to Fleet
concentration areas. Right now, 43 percent of our mental health
providers are embedded with the Fleet, providing proactive prevention
and treatment.
Additionally, in 2023, the Navy implemented the Brandon Act, which
honors the life of Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Caserta. The
Brandon Act streamlines access to mental health support for all our
Sailors and reduces stigma by fostering a culture of support for those
seeking help. Also, in 2023, the Navy published the Mental Health
Playbook, which assists command leaders in preventing mental health
issues from occurring, and, when they do, shows them how to connect
Sailors with the proper mental healthcare. We remain committed to
providing our Sailors the support they need.
Sexual Assault Prevention & Response. The Navy is committed to
providing a safe work environment free of sexual assault and sexual
harassment for all our Sailors and to advancing a culture of Great
People, Great Leaders, and Great Teams that drive healthy command
climates. The FY25 budget request invests $353 million in the
recommendations made by the Independent Review Commission on Sexual
Assault in the Military (IRC-SAM) with a focus on prevention, climate
and culture, and victim care lines of effort. The budget requests
includes funding for the phased hiring of Integrated Primary Prevention
Workforce, the phased drawdown of collateral duty SAPR personnel, and
for training and education. On December 28, 2023, the Navy's Office of
Special Trial Counsel (OSTC), led by a rear admiral (O-7) who reports
directly to the Secretary of the Navy, became fully operational. This
independent prosecution office, staffed by experienced, specialized,
and well-trained professionals, now exercises disposition authority
over the Navy's most serious personnel violence offenses, including
sexual assault. Beginning in January 2025, the OSTC will also review
formal, substantiated complaints of sexual harassment further
supporting a safe and secure working environment for all Sailors.
foundations: build trust, align resources, be ready
The Navy must have a robust, strong, and resilient foundation that
supports our warfighters and warfighting. This begins by recognizing
installations and shore infrastructure as warfighting platforms--as
aircraft carriers that do not get underway--and investing in the shore
as a weapons system. The FY25 budget request continues our investment
in installations, shipyards, the SIB, and the weapons industrial base
to ensure they are resilient and mission-ready and can generate and
sustain our warfighters and our warfighting.
As in FY24, the Navy's FY25 budget request provides large
investments in the health of the industrial base, providing clear
headlights to industry on our build plans. In line with the Secretary
of the Navy's Maritime Statecraft initiative, we are exploring
additional ways to further invest in industry and increase shipbuilding
capacity through multi-year, block buy purchases and investments in
workforce development and supply chain resiliency. This requires a
whole-of-government effort. In order to deliver the Navy the Nation
needs, the Navy is pulling every available lever to expedite the
necessary ships, aircraft, and weapons to our warfighters--by
continuing to partner with industry, academia, interagency and allied
partners to solve our most pressing challenges and by improving our
ability to maintain existing platforms.
Installation Investments. The FY25 budget requests allocates $10.5B
across the FYDP to piers, airfields, aviation facilities, maintenance
facilities, and core utilities to meet the Nation's needs. Because
shore infrastructure is vital in enabling global logistics, the Navy is
repairing and updating critical waterfront utilities, making structural
repairs to wharves and docks, and building and repairing taxiways and
hangars. We are investing in our critical utility systems, upgrading
water, wastewater, and electrical generation, distribution, and
treatment capabilities to improve resiliency, quality, and reliability
and minimize risk to mission. In energy, we are pursuing micro grids
and continuing to aggressively conduct and learn from black start
exercises, which are designed to test an installation's ability to
continue mission during a total loss of commercial power. Because most
of our power originates off-base, the Navy continues to partner with
local and state communities and Allies and partners, to improve
resiliency inside and outside our fence line to support the Fleet.
Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) Investments.
Our FY25 request invests $2.8 billion in SIOP and provides $9.0 billion
across the FYDP, continuing our commitment to this once-in-a-generation
investment in our four public shipyards. This is on top of our FY23 and
FY24 requests of $1.9B and $2.7B. We must ensure our shore enterprise
is fully funded, reinforced, and upgraded to prepare for war. The
average age of the Navy's shipyard facilities and related
infrastructure is 61 years old and the average age of our dry-docks is
101 years old. SIOP is a needed investment in repairs, modernization,
and recapitalization to deliver dry-docks that can support current and
future classes of our nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers,
optimize workflow through changes in the physical layout of the
shipyard, and increase productivity through technology and equipment
upgrades.
The FY25 budget request funds the following: the fifth increment of
the P-381 Multi-Mission Dry Dock Extension ($401 million) at Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard, the third increment for the P-209 Dry Dock 3
Replacement at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam ($1,199 million), first
increment for P-1062 Dry Dock 3 Modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
($54 million), P-859 CVN 78 Aircraft Carrier Electrical Upgrades at
Naval Base Kitsap ($182 million), and planning and design requirements
($183 million) for future construction efforts.
SIB Investments. The Navy's FY25 budget request reflects our
prioritization of and significant investment in our undersea warfare
capability. The Department of Defense's FY25 budget request invests
$4.0 billion and $11.4 billion in the FYDP in the SIB, sending a strong
signal to and increasing the health of industry, building our supply
chain resiliency, bolstering our long-term capacity and supporting the
AUKUS partnership, all while ensuring readiness for today. The FY25
request doubles the approximately $2.0B SIB investment Congress
provided in FY23 and FY24. This significant investment is on top of the
President's FY24 $3.3B SIB Supplemental request and the planned
investment of $3B from the Commonwealth of Australia. These actions
meet a generational demand for an increase of at least 100,000 skilled
workers over the next 10 years to build the Columbia-class submarine,
deliver the Virginia-class submarine, and maintain our in-service
submarines.
This is a national effort. The SIB, including the supply chain that
supports material and readiness for all submarine classes, consists of
over 15,000 industry partners spread across every state in the country.
The Navy will continue to partner with industry to make investments
that will deliver a production cadence of 1 Columbia and 2.3 Virginia-
class submarines per year to replace the aging Ohio-class submarine,
achieve our required force structure of 66 SSNs, and support our AUKUS
commitments.
Weapons Industrial Base (WIB) Investments. The Navy's FY25 budget
request invests $6.6 billion in critical munitions and builds on the
FY23 and FY24 weapons industrial base and procurement investments. The
budget request continues the multi-year procurement for four critical
munitions across the FYDP: Standard Missile (SM), Naval Strike Missile
(NSM), Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), and Advanced Anti-
Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM). The Navy remains committed to working
with industry to identify manufacturing challenges and provide
investment opportunities to streamline testing and increase production.
Additionally, the Navy is investing in industry and in its organic
industrial base to ensure we can ramp up munitions production in the
immediate future. Building upon the FY23 and FY24 requests, the FY25
budget request invests $227M to expand capacity for Trident II, Long
Range Anti-Ship Missiles, Standard Missiles, and MK-48 torpedoes. We
welcome supplemental funding to help replenish munitions expended in
the Red Sea.
Typhoon Mawar. The Navy is committed to repairing the damages done
by Typhoon Mawar in Guam. Current damage exists at $44 billion with
over $6 billion in facility repairs and reconstruction in FY24 and
FY25, complicating our ability to meet the NDS and impacting QoL for
residents and service members. With the accelerated degradation of our
shore installations and infrastructure compounded by the increased
demands of our QoS investments, it is important that the Navy obtain
the Guam Disaster Recovery supplemental in a timely manner in order to
begin recovery from the typhoon's damage.
Red Hill. The Navy remains committed to rebuilding trust with the
people of Hawaii and service members, civilians, and families affected
by the Red Hill fuel leaks. Joint Task Force-Red Hill has safely
removed 104.6 million gallons of fuel--over 99 percent of previously
held fuel reserves--6 months ahead of schedule, and turned over
responsibilities to Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH) on 28
March. NCTF will execute the permanent closure of Red Hill and continue
long-term environmental remediation and aquifer restoration efforts.
The Navy team in Hawaii continues to work alongside the EPA and Hawaii
Department of Health to provide water that meets all Federal and state
safe drinking water standards, while transparently communicating with
elected representatives, community groups and the public.
Industrial Base Workforce Development. Our recruiting efforts are
about more than recruiting active duty Sailors. It is about a broader
``call to service'' to active duty and reserve Sailors and workers
supporting the industrial base that covers the spectrum of support to
our Nation. The Navy appreciates Congress' continued support and is
working closely with industry partners to strengthen and grow the
defense industrial base workforce through the SIB, multi-year
procurement contracts, and SIOP to help build a comprehensive,
coordinated, and sustainable development system to deliver skilled
trade workers. For example, the SIB is working closely with regional
training partners across the country to improve workforce attraction,
recruitment, training, and retention in order to achieve the increased
capacity to design, build and sustain the platforms and systems the
Navy and Nation needs.
Additionally, the DDG 51 multiyear procurement contract for FY23
included a workforce development incentive that supports essential
enhancements, including workforce housing and transportation, expansion
of local talent pipeline programs, facilities modifications in support
of workforce development, attraction and retention bonus programs, and
augmented on-the-job training. And, through SIOP and our
recapitalization of century-old infrastructure, we are improving QoS
for our 30,000 shipyard employees. But, we must do more. Alongside
government and industry, we must explore ways to support QoL concerns
in order to ensure that these workers have affordable housing,
commutes, and food options.
conclusion
The Navy continues to meet its Title 10 mission to be organized,
trained, and equipped for the peacetime promotion of the national
security interests and prosperity of the United States and for prompt
and sustained combat incident to operations at sea. Our operations
around the world demonstrate that an investment in America's Navy is an
investment in America's security and prosperity. We answer the bell,
from the seabed to space, in cyberspace, and in the information
environment. No other Navy in the world operates at this scale and no
other Navy in the world can train, deploy, and sustain such a lethal,
globally deployed, combat-credible force.
As our Nation's founders recognized and as seen this year, naval
power is--and will continue to be--an essential element of our national
security. The Navy's FY25 budget request invests in that reality and
prioritizes warfighting advantage to win in this decade. Through our
Performance to Plan, Get Real Get Better, and Culture of Excellence 2.0
initiatives, the Navy is instilling a mindset that makes the most out
of each dollar we receive to build the best Navy possible. We are
committed to ensuring the American taxpayer knows that each dollar
invested in the Navy is a dollar well spent on their safety, security,
and prosperity.
The credibility of our Nation's deterrence rests upon ready and
capable ships, aircraft, and submarines. The investments we make now
will shape the global maritime balance of power for the rest of this
century. I could not be more proud of our Navy team that guarantees our
prosperity and security, deters our adversaries, and is ready to fight
and win if needed. The Navy will continue to work alongside all
stakeholders and our Allies and partners to deliver the Navy the Nation
needs. On behalf of our more than 600,000 active and reserve Sailors,
Navy Civilians, and Navy families, I am grateful to this committee and
to your colleagues in Congress for your steadfast commitment to your
United States Navy.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Admiral. We appreciate your
testimony.
You're up General Smith.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL ERIC M. SMITH, COMMANDANT OF THE
MARINE CORPS
General Smith. Good morning. Chairman Tester, Vice Chair
Collins, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to
represent your Marines today.
I'd like to start by sincerely thanking this committee for
its enduring support and your advocacy for a timely,
predictable, and sufficient budget that enables the Marine
Corps to remain first to fight.
I'd also like to express my deep gratitude for the
partnership between my shipmate Admiral Franchetti and me as we
lead our respective sea services under the leadership of
Secretary Del Toro.
Whether deterring, responding to crisis, or in conflict, it
will be the Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Forces who make
first contact with partners seeking help or adversaries seeking
a fight. Our partnership, collaboration, and integration is a
decisive advantage.
Last week I published updated guidance to the force
entitled Maintain Momentum. I chose this title as I firmly
believe the Corps is on the right path under Force Design.
A few points from that document. First, I believe the
Marine Corps must continue to strike a balance between the
high-end modernization and our commitment to persistent
forward-deployed naval expeditionary forces that campaign and
respond to crises globally. This effort is represented by our
Marine Expeditionary Units.
Second, we must prioritize our operations with the Navy and
its amphibious ships and we must provide Marines with the
organic mobility to rapidly maneuver from shore to shore, ship
to shore, and back again.
Third, on recruiting, our performance speaks for itself. We
will continue to make our mission without ever diminishing our
standards.
Additionally, our top performing Marines are re-enlisting
at record rates and we must sustain this trend.
Fourth, we must maximize the capabilities of our Reserves
to ensure that our Nation has the ready bench of warriors they
have relied on since the founding of Marine Corps Forces
Reserve in 1916.
And fifth, I'm dedicated to ensuring a quality of life for
our Marines that matches the high demands we place on them
every day. That means nutritious food, high quality and
accessible gyms, and a safe quiet place to recover from a hard
day's work.
Our Barracks 2030 Initiative is our most consequential
barracks investment ever and it is sorely needed.
While aggressively pursuing these priorities, I commit to
you that our Corps will always be frugal and accountable with
the resources you and the American people provide. I'm proud of
my Marines and civilian Marines who enable the Marine Corps to
receive an unmodified audit opinion earlier this year, the
first of any service to do so.
They told us what we have long known, that when you entrust
us with the taxpayers' money, it is money well spent and fully
accounted for. All these things are critical to maintaining the
strength and dominance of your Marine Corps.
This year marks 249 years since the founding of our Corps.
That is 249 years of battles won and peace upheld in the name
of democracy and prosperity for our Nation and for all nations
who abide by the International Rules-based Order, but
increasingly world events demonstrate this Order is being
challenged.
`Free trade, unrestricted access to the seas, peaceful
cooperation between nations big and small are under assault.
Our Nation's prosperity is underwritten by a strong Navy and
Marine Corps who maintains a global presence and keeps maligned
actors at bay.
Thank you again for the opportunity to represent your
Marines today. I pledge to continue to work closely with each
of you to ensure your Marine Corps remains the most lethal
fighting force on the planet.
I look forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of General Eric M. Smith
Chair, Ranking Member, and distinguished members of the Committee,
thank you for the opportunity to report to you on your Marines and your
Corps. Your support has been critical to your Corps' ability to remain
the Nation's Force-in-Readiness, all the while modernizing to stay
ahead of our adversaries and those who would seek to threaten our
Nation or its Allies and partners.
who we are and how we fight
The Marine Corps is, first and foremost, a warfighting
organization. We exist to fight and win our country's battles.
Everything we do is with that one goal in mind. The character of war
may change, but its essence never will--it is the violent struggle
between two irreconcilable wills. That struggle is where Marines
thrive. We ask for nothing more than the chance to be First to Fight.
We are and will remain a naval expeditionary force that fights from
the sea as task-organized, multi- domain combined arms air-ground task
forces. With Force Design in progress, we continue our proud history as
our nation's expeditionary shock troops who can deliver combat power
from sea to land--and we have added the additional capability to
project power from land to sea. As a globally present and persistent
force, we are inextricably linked to naval campaigns, and we are
forward deployed in competition, ready to respond in times of crisis at
a moment's notice.
Our foundation as our Nation's expeditionary force in readiness and
as its elite soldiers from the sea will not change. But the formations,
capabilities, and methods we use against our adversaries must evolve.
Combined arms operations today are more than coordinating ground
maneuver, indirect fires, and close air support--already the most
difficult task for any fighting force to master. To fight and win
against a peer adversary, combined arms must now be all-domain,
incorporating effects in and from cyberspace, space, and the
electromagnetic spectrum. The mastery of this evolution in warfare is
what allows us to punch above our weight class. It is what will keep
the Marine Corps--a relatively small service --respected by our friends
and feared by our enemies across the globe.
Maneuver Warfare, encapsulated in our Marine Corps Doctrinal
Publication (MCDP) 1, is integral to how we fight, but our
understanding of ``maneuver'' must evolve along with the changing
character of war. Marines at the tactical edge will maneuver under all-
domain supporting fires to seize terrain and destroy the enemy. This
challenge will require a greater proliferation of capabilities that can
provide those all-domain effects down to the lowest level. This
requirement includes autonomous systems; precision fires; intelligence,
surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (ISR-T); integrated command
and control; and increased ground and maritime mobility.
Marine Stand-in Forces are task-organized, mobile, low-signature,
sustainable formations, built to maneuver across all domains, sense and
understand the battlefield, enable combined kill webs, and apply all-
domain combined arms. They persist forward in contested areas, operate
alongside allies and partners, contribute to deterrence, and, if
deterrence fails, fight to win. Adversaries will attempt to deny and
degrade the joint force's ability to see and sense. Marines at every
echelon are now using the platforms and capabilities that our
aggressive modernization efforts are delivering. Our Force Design
efforts have enabled our Marines to conduct all-domain and multi-source
collections and intelligence in support of the joint force. We are the
eyes and ears for the joint force, ideally positioned within the
weapons engagement zone (WEZ) to conduct both reconnaissance and
counter-reconnaissance, to act as a joint tactical air controller for
the combined joint force, and to strike the enemy from land to sea with
organic sensors and precision fires.
Sustaining those forces will be both vitally important and
exceptionally difficult. Contested logistics can only succeed through a
combination of technology and tactics. Forces will have to coordinate
the deliberate application of multi-domain fires and maneuver to create
the physical and temporal conditions necessary to support logistics
networks. Make no mistake--a peer fight requires both the large
traditional avenues for supply as well as a global network of tailored
nodes to support specialized units distributed across the battlespace.
The Globally Positioned Network ashore, including Maritime
Prepositioned Forces afloat, will become nodes within a larger,
resilient sustainment web that will not rely on single points of
failure. This is a wicked problem to solve, but for Marines, it is not
insurmountable. We became Marines to do hard things.
Today, across the Indo-Pacific, approximately 23,000 Marines are
forward-deployed or stationed West of the International Dateline.
Building upon the longstanding ability of III Marine Expeditionary
Force to deter, campaign, and respond to crises, I would like to
highlight several initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region: a new
integrated naval Task Force called TF 76.3; our Marine Littoral
Regiments--one of which will be forward postured in Japan's Southwest
Islands; an expanded Rotational Force in Australia; and a new
Rotational Force--Southeast Asia. This forward posture is a critical
requirement for integrated deterrence and reinforces a national source
of strategic advantage, our global network of Allies and partners. Just
as important, our forward posture contributes to the core mission of
the Naval Force--presence.
--Marines with the I and III Marine Expeditionary Forces continue to
reinforce joint warfighting advantages through their ongoing
activities across the Indo-Pacific with our allies in the
region, including Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand,
and South Korea. Exercises RESOLUTE DRAGON and IRON FIST with
the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Amphibious
Rapid Deployment Brigade are two of the best examples of our
active campaigning in the theater. Those operations and
activities directly support Japan's efforts to reinforce its
maritime domain awareness in the Southwest Islands, enhance its
reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities, and
further develop its capability to use land-based anti-ship
systems to effect sea-denial. Some of this training occurs at
the JGSDF's Camp Ishigaki on a southwestern Japanese island
approximately 160 miles east of Taiwan.
--In Australia, Marine Rotational Force--Darwin (MRF-D) continues to
demonstrate advanced interoperability between the Marines Corps
and Australian Defense Forces (ADF) across each warfighting
function, power projection with non-traditional assets, and the
ability to overcome mobility challenges in the littoral
environment. Because of the years of working closely with the
U.S. Marine Corps to address the changing threat, the ADF are
developing two amphibious brigades that have much in common
with the Marine Littoral Regiment. This year, MRF-D will
integrate with the ADF in at least 13 operations, activities,
and investments (OAIs), including exercises that seek to
validate theater planning assumptions and enhance overall
interoperability. The MRF-D 2024 rotation will further focus on
simulating and overcoming the logistical challenges we envision
facing in a high-end fight in the Pacific.
--The largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the
United States, Exercise TALISMAN SABER, is well known; what is
perhaps less well known is that TS23 integrated amphibious
vessels from the United States and Japan, as well as German
naval infantry, and introduced field training exercises with
several Pacific Island Countries for the first time. And, for
the first time last year, we were able to include the
Indonesian National Armed Forces within our combined training
alongside the Australians. We look forward to expanding upon
this new opportunity to extend our campaigning.
--In October 2023, we initiated the second rotation of our newest
expeditionary force--Marine Rotational Force--Southeast Asia
(MRF-SEA), to counter ongoing PRC maritime gray zone
operations. MRF-SEA operations and activities included coastal
defense training, raid and reconnaissance training, and
amphibious operations training with Allies and partners in the
Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
--Our most important campaigning event in support of deterring North
Korean aggression, SSANG YONG, resumed in 2023 and involved an
amphibious landing with elements of the ROKMC, 1st Marine
Division, and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). SSANG
YONG 24 is planned for August 2024 to allow for the utilization
of the America ARG (LHA 6) and 31st MEU.
--In August 2023, Marines of the AMERICA Amphibious Ready Group and
31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted humanitarian
assistance/disaster relief operations in the vicinity of Papua
New Guinea following the eruption of Mount Bagana on 31 Jul
2023.
Our efforts across the EUCOM AOR have also significantly expanded,
and now include tailored efforts with NATO's newest members--Sweden and
Finland. Since 2018, Exercise ARCHIPELAGO ENDEAVOR has been the primary
venue for Marine Forces, Europe, to develop interoperability with the
Swedish Marines. Beginning in 2022, the Royal Swedish Navy also offered
the exercise as a medium for the Marine Corps to develop and evaluate
modern concepts such as maritime domain awareness. This generous offer
and the close relationship with America's newest Ally are further
evidence of the strategic impact of our network of Allies and partners.
In 2023, Low-Altitude Air-Defense (LAAD) Marines participated in
exercise ADEX with the Finnish Navy, and Combat Logistics Battalion-6
(CLB-6) participated in Exercises ATRAIN and FREEZING WINDS with the
Nyland Brigade (naval infantry). This year, Exercise FREEZING WINDS
will be the primary bilateral exercise between the Marine Corps and
Finnish Navy and naval infantry forces. In addition to those exercises,
Marines from 2d Marine Division conducted several HIMARS Rapid
Infiltration (HIRAIN) events throughout the theater, including Finland,
Poland, and Greece. These visible demonstrations of combat credibility
and operational reach involve inserting HIMARS via fixed-wing aircraft,
conducting fire missions using U.S. and NATO C2 architecture, and then
extracting via fixed-wing aircraft.
Your Corps' worldwide campaigning activities, alongside the Navy,
help nurture our Nation's source of strategic advantage on the world
stage: our network of Allies and partners. Through our persistent
presence, we are forging close and lasting relationships--every day--
and building a network of friendly forces who have common operating
concepts and increasingly, interoperable systems and procedures.
Following the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the
26th MEU and BATAAN Amphibious Ready Group immediately responded and
provided simultaneous contingency support to EUCOM from the
Mediterranean Sea and CENTCOM from the Red Sea. Their rapid response
demonstrated the ARG/MEU's ability to provide expeditionary sea-based
contingency response packages during times of crisis without the
constraints and restraints of access, basing, and overflight.
Additionally, the 26th MEU(SOC) aboard the BATAAN ARG conducted
maritime security operations in vicinity of the Straits of Hormuz to
deter malign influence and assure free flow of commerce.
Throughout 2023, Marine Security Guard Augmentation Units (MSAU)
operating under Title 22 authorities augmented security at designated
U.S. diplomatic facilities overseas to protect U.S. diplomats and
prevent the compromise of national security information and equipment.
MSAUs conduct on-compound security and defense at these facilities when
Department of State (DOS) deems there is a need to augment the resident
Marine Security Guard detachment due to an increased threat. In 2023,
there were 18 MSAU deployments in support of our diplomats in Ukraine,
Central African Republic, Ecuador, Mali, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Egypt,
Liberia, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Democratic Republic of Congo, and
Bangladesh.
All these examples, from maritime security to Embassy
reinforcement, demonstrate the diverse range of missions that our
crisis response forces are ready to execute at any time and place. The
breadth of those capabilities is simply unmatched across the joint
force and continues to be a source of strategic advantage.
where we are going
Upon my assumption of duties as Commandant of the Marine Corps, I
outlined my top five priorities: (1) Balancing Crisis Response and
Modernization, (2) Naval Integration and Organic Mobility, (3) Quality
of Life, (4) Recruit, Make, and Retain Marines, and (5) Maximize the
Potential of our Reserves. Those priorities remain at the heart of my
direction to your Corps.
Balancing Crisis Response and Modernization
By balancing crisis response and modernization, we will continue
our modernization effort under Force Design while remaining unwavering
in our commitment to a persistent, global forward presence and to our
Marine Expeditionary Units.
Force Design and Modernization. I remain fully committed to Force
Design and all its supporting efforts. The following assumptions inform
our modernization efforts: (1) The long-standing trend of increasing
dispersion on the battlefield will continue and likely accelerate--
frontages will increase, battlefield depth will increase, and sanctuary
will be difficult to achieve; (2) winning the all-domain reconnaissance
and counter-reconnaissance fight provides significant warfighting
advantage and losing this fight will be increasingly difficult to
overcome; (3) the Marine Corps' ability to task-organize for specific
missions will continue to be a source of competitive advantage for the
service; and (4) the future operating environment requires threat-
informed modernization of Marine Corps capabilities.
We will continue to provide our Nation with forward deployed Marine
forces who campaign and are prepared to respond to crisis alongside our
Navy shipmates. Employing our crisis response capability as a subset of
campaigning is how we will be postured to deter malign actors and
provide our Nation's leaders with strategic decision space. Despite the
threats from operating inside an adversary's WEZ, forward-deployed
Marines can shape the operational environment and cause our adversaries
to think before committing to a course of action. Should our
adversaries foolishly choose to fight, Marines will be ready with the
tools necessary to destroy and defeat them in combat.
Marine Littoral Regiments: As an example of our dispersed, task-
organized units that possess modern equipment for the future of
warfare, the 3d Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR)--headquartered at Marine
Corps Base Hawaii--reached Initial Operational Capability in 2023 and
is planned to reach Full Operational Capability in FY 25. 3d MLR is
actively experimenting with innovative tactics, techniques, and
procedures to enable its unique mission as a distributed unit that must
possess resilient communications, air defense, and precision fires. On
the other side of the Pacific, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment--
headquartered in Okinawa, Japan--stood up in November 2023.
Contested Logistics: The ability to conduct logistics in a
contested environment will underwrite the success of any future naval
campaign in the current age of ubiquitous counter-intervention
strategies. Contested logistics remains a service priority but will
require a combination of solutions from the Service, joint force, and
allies and partners. Connecting the industrial base, depots in the
United States, and ports of embarkation with forward nodes in theater
and tied to a resilient tactical level sustainment web, supported by
multi-domain distribution platforms, will take a monumental effort
across all the services.
The Marine Corps will continue to work in stride with the joint
force, Allies, and partners to ensure we have the integrated systems,
architecture, global logistic awareness, doctrine, and training to
sustain our forces. The Marine Corps, in close collaboration with the
Navy, is currently experimenting with over a dozen new manned and
unmanned technologies and potential future capabilities focused on
enabling logistics in a contested environment. These operational
experiments include well-known capabilities such as the CH-53K, the
stern landing vessel (SLV), as well as lesser-known, emerging
capabilities like the tactical resupply unmanned aircraft system
(TRUAS), the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle for Expeditionary Logistics
(MARV-EL), and the autonomous low-profile vessel (ALPV). Concurrently,
the Marine Corps has commenced the formal establishment of the first of
three near-term Global Positioning Networks located in the Western
Pacific.
Marine Corps Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance (ISR)
Enterprise Transformation: As an essential element of transformative
efforts behind our modernization, the Marine Corps ISR Enterprise will
continue to expand and strengthen the Corps' dynamic--and growing--
cadre of ISR professionals. The Marine Corps exceeded our goals in
qualifying Marines to expand signals intelligence and electromagnetic
warfare specialties. Integrated within our infantry battalions, some of
these Marines have already begun contributing to the Joint and Naval
Forces' ability to sense and make sense in complex maritime and
littoral environments. Other groundbreaking efforts throughout the
Fleet Marine Force include integration and experimentation with
innovative maritime sensing capabilities such as surface-search radars,
automatic recognition software, advanced electromagnetic support
capabilities, and various tactical airborne platforms.
Autonomous Systems at Scale: The Marine Corps is actively engaged,
participating, and, in some instances, leading efforts within the
Department of Defense's Replicator Initiative, which aims to field
attritable autonomous systems at scale and in multiple domains. To
accomplish this task, the Marine Corps is aggressively leveraging AI,
robotics, and commercial technology. I see Replicator, if managed
carefully, as an opportunity to build on the momentum of Force Design
to accelerate modernization and alignment with the emergent needs of
the Joint Force. The USMC has worked tirelessly to scale some of the
identified capabilities already, so we appreciate Replicator's holistic
approach to breaking down policy barriers while we strengthen our
industrial base. As Replicator continues to rapidly develop, the
Service will emphasize unmanned systems that can support a range of
military operations in the Indo-Pacific and other geographic regions.
Complementing these efforts, the Marine Corps takes advantage of
the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve to rapidly transition
promising prototypes into production. An example of one such initiative
is the Marine Corps' XQ-58A Valkyrie, a highly autonomous, low-cost
tactical uncrewed air vehicle, which successfully completed two test
flights, one in October 2023 and the other in February of 2024. These
flights mark key milestones in the Marine Corps' Penetrating Affordable
Autonomous Collaborative Killer--Portfolio (PAACK-P) experiment. Future
test flights will inform Marine Corps requirements for the Marine Air-
Ground Task Force Unmanned Aerial System Expeditionary (MUX) Tactical
Aircraft (TACAIR) program. The XQ-58A will complete six planned test
flights with objectives that include evaluating the platform's ability
to support a variety of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
(ISR) missions; the effectiveness of autonomous electromagnetic support
to crewed platforms; the potential for AI-enabled platforms to augment
combat air patrols; and other manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T)
capability objectives. We are committed to the development of a robust
Combat Collaborative Aircraft capability and think this model of
manned-unmanned teaming is just as relevant on the sea and under the
sea. We are exploring options that would provide our future MEUs with
such capabilities.
Training and Education. Last summer, the Navy and Marine Corps team
conducted our most expansive and stressing live and virtual training to
date in Large Scale Exercise 23 (LSE 23) using Carrier Strike Group 2,
anchored on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), to help us better
understand how we would fight the next war at sea. We were able to
connect six carrier strike groups (two live, four virtual), six
amphibious ready groups (two live, four virtual), and an additional 25
live and 50 virtual ships. To add to the realism of the event, exercise
planners added 25,000 sailors and Marines to the exercise with very
little additional preparation outside of normal training. All these
factors make both the learning and findings more authentic. LSE 23
required the use of nine Maritime Operations Centers. Testing
warfighting concepts and challenging ourselves at this scale is exactly
what is required to generate the warfighting readiness we need in the
future against a peer threat.
Readiness. Critical to our ability to remain forward postured and
ready for any crisis is our commitment to operations and maintenance
funding of ground and aviation training, maintenance, safety, and
readiness. This funding allowed us to respond to the many crises around
the world in 2023, and it will help ensure that we are organized,
trained, equipped, and forward-postured to do so again this year and
into the future. We will continue to emphasize the importance of a full
and predictable budget to fund modernization programs, advance our
logistics capability, which is the pacing function, and advance the
role of our installations as power projection platforms.
Unmodified Audit Opinion. As we invest in new platforms, barracks,
and training, it is our responsibility as good stewards of taxpayer
funds to continue to prove that when the Corps is provided a taxpayer
dollar, we can show exactly where and how it has been invested--a
responsibility I take very seriously. Following a rigorous two-year
audit, the Marine Corps achieved an unmodified audit opinion, the best
possible outcome--and the first time in the Department of Defense's
history that any service has received an unmodified audit opinion.
These results demonstrate how seriously the Marine Corps takes its
stewardship of taxpayer funds and our ability to account for and put to
best use every dollar trusted to the service. This audit supports what
we have believed for a long time--when Congress provides the Marine
Corps a dollar, we invest it wisely, and we can tell you exactly where
and how it was spent to further our Nation's national security
objectives. The Marine Corps worked with Independent Public Accountants
to validate budgetary balances and records and to audit physical assets
at installations and bases across the globe. These actions included
counting military equipment, buildings, structures, supplies, and
ammunition held by the Marine Corps and our DoD Partners. The audit's
favorable opinion was only possible through the support and hard work
of numerous dedicated Marines, civilian Marines, and many other
partners across DoD. Nonetheless, we will not rest on our laurels; the
audit report pointed out some areas for improvement, and we will use
these recommendations to make our fiscal practices even better.
Naval Integration and Organic Mobility
The Marine Expeditionary Unit remains our crown jewel, and the
Navy's Amphibious Warfare Ships and surface connectors are key enablers
in campaigning, crisis response, and contingency response. Our MEUs
remain in high demand by Combatant Commanders, Allies, and partners
alike; our MEUs respond to crises all over the globe and prevent crises
from turning into a larger conflict. Amphibious Warfare Ships enable
our global, persistent presence--that presence has been the guarantor
of peace and worldwide prosperity for the better part of the last
century. No platform or unit is capable of a more diverse set of
missions from the low-end to the high-end of military operations. No
other unit is purpose-built for campaigning and deterring maritime
gray-zone operations. No other part of the fleet is purpose-built to
satisfy the naval presence mission. Bottom line, Amphibious Warfare
Ships with embarked Marines are the only tool in the U.S. arsenal that
can strengthen our relationships with Allies and partners across all
domains while being capable of rapidly transitioning to crisis or
conflict. As an assurance for Allies and partners, the Navy and Marine
Corps ARG/MEU team has no equal and is a primary source of strategic
advantage.
Amphibious Warfare Ships. The CNO and I have locked shields, and
there is no space between us on the requirement for Amphibious Warfare
Ships--to include construction, maintenance, and modernization, and the
availability of ships for training and deployment. The Fiscal Year 2025
Thirty Year Shipbuilding Plan continues the LPD Flight II Program on 2-
year centers and LHA production on 4-year centers across the FYDP. This
includes full funding for LPD33 in this FY25, the CY24 delivery of LPD
29 USS McCool, and funding to maintain a scheduled delivery of LHA 8 in
FY26--sustaining no fewer than 31 amphibious warfare ships. The CNO and
I continue to work to improve amphibious warfare ship readiness to
ensure global, persistent presence of MEUs in support of Combatant
Commanders' demands.
Amphibious warship procurement, like other Navy shipbuilding
programs, can benefit from multi-ship procurement contracts that
stabilize the industrial base and provide significant cost savings for
the Department. New ship acquisition using authorities already granted
by Congress yield potentially significant cost and schedule benefits,
accelerates delivery of amphibious warfighting capability to the Fleet,
and provides critical stability and predictability to the shipbuilding
industrial base. By procuring the amphibious warfare ships in the 30-
Year Shipbuilding Plan (3 LPDs and 1 LHA) on a multi-ship procurement
contract, the Department can save hundreds of millions of dollars for
the American taxpayer. Multi-ship procurement supports the industrial
base and is a critical tool for reaching and maintaining the amphibious
warfare ship requirement and meeting the objectives of the 2022
National Defense Strategy, as long as industry produces those ships on
schedule and on budget.Littoral Mobility. Mobility is a critical
requirement to enable the dispersion and persistence of stand-in
forces. In the case of MLRs in the Indo-Pacific, littoral mobility will
be essential to maneuver through the complex geography of the region.
We recognized this capability gap early as we developed concepts for
the Indo-Pacific and designed the associated Medium Landing Ship (LSM)
as a critical enabler for this theater. Separate and complementary to
the Amphibious Warfare Ships, the LSM is a maneuver asset and, as a
shore-to-shore vessel, is unique and critical to expeditionary littoral
mobility. LSMs facilitate campaigning and can support diverse missions
such as security cooperation, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief
(HA/DR), logistics support, and the launch and recovery of uncrewed
systems for maritime domain awareness.
Quality of Life
When we improve our Marines' Quality of Life (QoL), we do right by
our Nation's most precious resource--our Marines and their families--
and we retain our lethal edge by retaining our top talent. To this end,
we have recently undertaken several targeted efforts to improve our
Marines' QoL and further promote the retention of our best Marines:
--Rapid execution of ``Barracks 2030,'' the most consequential
barracks investment plan we have ever undertaken.
--Improvements in quality and accessible healthcare.
--Acceleration of investments in Marine Corps Total Fitness and
focused investments in our gyms, chow halls, Child Development
Centers, and family housing.
--Increased creative incentives for overseas and Pacific-based
Marines.
Our recent Talent Management efforts are data-informed and
comprehensive. Additionally, we recognize that Quality of Life does not
just mean facilities and incentives. Talent Management drives us to
make better data-driven institutional decisions and personnel policies
for our Marines and their families. All Marine leaders know
instinctively that we have a sacred and personal responsibility to
lead, mentor, and care for our junior Marines, but there is still more
the institution can do to help our youngest Marines.
Barracks 2030. The Marine Corps has recently initiated Barracks
2030, our strategy to pursue improvements in our unaccompanied housing.
This strategy codifies many initiatives the Corps began in February
2023 and is certainly informed by the 2023 Government Accountability
Office report on barracks. The Marine Corps' Barracks 2030 strategy
takes an aggressive approach in improving housing for our Marines along
three lines of effort: Management, Modernization, and Materiel. Our
strategy is data-driven--to the ``room level.'' I recently directed the
inspection of the over 58,000 barracks rooms in the Marine Corps--not
as a replacement to our junior leaders' weekly inspections for
cleanliness and repair--but to establish a systematic approach towards
barracks maintenance using a standardized repair checklist. In the
coming weeks, the data from this inspection will inform our
prioritization of efforts and future year budget requests.
As an example of our management efforts, and as directed by the
Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, we plan to
implement a civilian management structure in our Military Housing
Offices by October of this year, followed by civilian and contractor
management of each of our barracks in the next 2 years to improve
responsiveness to maintenance requests. Ultimately, we will return more
than 500 Marine non-commissioned officer barracks managers to their
primary military occupational specialties. We further intend to
consolidate family housing and barracks oversight within the Military
Housing Offices, which will streamline leadership and management of all
Marine Corps housing.
Our Modernization plans extend beyond new structures and include
modernizing systems to enable right-size inventory and deliberate,
proactive maintenance. Over the last 6 years, the Marine Corps has
averaged over $200 million annually in restoration and modernization
projects for barracks exclusively. In Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023, we
renovated 30 barracks, improving the quality of life of 8,116 Marines.
In Fiscal Year 2024, we approached Congress with a funding request to
renovate 13 more barracks to improve the living conditions of 3,517
Marines. We are leveraging a tier-based readiness approach to lifecycle
management to prioritize investments for the most critical facilities.
Every dollar spent will be targeted to where it will have the greatest
impact. Future modernization efforts include installing new air
conditioning systems for barracks in the warmest of climates and
targeted demolition to remove buildings not suitable for our Marines.
In the near term for Material, Marines can expect to see common
space furniture replaced three times faster than in years past and
replacement of lock systems across the entire barracks portfolio within
the next 2 years. We are also committed to replacing room furniture,
washers, and dryers at a much greater frequency through a centralized
procurement system.
Health Care. Quality healthcare for our Marines is the minimum
standard for readiness and is vital to the All-Volunteer Force.
Overseas, and primarily in Japan, network care in the civilian
community is not as readily accessible at the standard set by the
Department of Defense for our Marines and their families. In
recognition of this fact, the Marine Corps conducted a data-driven area
assessment on delayed access to care. Guided by the results of this
assessment, the Marine Corps is working with Navy Medicine and the
Defense Health Agency to identify the location and need of specialties
and develop a plan to address them. We are thankful for Congress'
support for the Defense Health Agency implementation and its support to
address the gap between DoD contract healthcare labor rates and the
civilian market.
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response. Sexual assault is a crime,
and the Marine Corps always focuses on assisting victims with care and
support and holding alleged perpetrators appropriately accountable. As
of December 2023, the Marine Corps Office of the Special Trial Counsel
is fully staffed and operational worldwide. This program will
professionalize prosecution of special victims offenses and
strengthening victims' confidence in the military justice system. The
Marine Corps continues to hold its commanders and senior enlisted
leaders responsible for the command climate of their units and for
fostering a culture of respect for all.
--Our Training & Education Command has undertaken a comprehensive
review and modification of our training covering the career of
a Marine--from the first instance a poolee commits to the Corps
to training for our Colonel-level commanders. Foundationally,
this training review and implementation has leveraged the
Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military
(IRC) training requirements.
--In FY23, the Marine Corps worked to hire 358 positions across the
enterprise and another 92 in FY24 in support of IRC
recommendations approved by the Secretary of Defense and
prevention efforts. This hiring is in addition to the
previously authorized 120 Marine Corps full-time equivalents
(FTE) in prevention and response. As of January 2024, 162
employees have been onboarded, and another 273 hiring actions
are in process. We remain unsatisfied with the pace of our
hiring, especially in certain locations where labor and
workforce factors limit our available pool of applicants. We
will continue to work with Congress to develop policy
initiatives to accelerate this effort.
Marine Corps Total Fitness. Marine Corps Total Fitness is the
summation of physical, mental, spiritual, and social fitness programs
that equip our Marines with the tools of resiliency and fortitude
required to fight at their highest potential and prevent unnecessary
loss due to factors ranging from non-EAS attrition to the tragedy of
suicide. The Marine Corps takes a holistic approach to total fitness,
understanding that fitness is more than simply possessing high physical
fitness or mental aptitude scores. Upon assuming the duties of the 39th
Commandant, I immediately directed simple but effective measures to
supplement our already robust total fitness initiatives--a renewed
focus on Quality of Life by improving the quality of our living spaces,
our chow halls, and 24/7 access to on-base gyms. Further, I will
continue to ensure access to the programs available to our Marines
using force-wide person-to-person engagement programs such as Unit
Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training, which every Marine
in the Corps receives annually.
As a Corps, we apply a public health approach to prevention,
focusing on ensuring the health, safety, and well?being of the entire
Marine Corps community. Our efforts aim to strengthen protective
factors that reduce the risk of individuals experiencing harmful
behaviors. For example, social connections, social support, and
positive social relationships are protective factors against a spectrum
of issues including child abuse, domestic abuse, hazing, sexual
violence, substance abuse, youth violence, and suicide-related
behavior. Skill-building is an essential component of prevention and
equips Marines and their families with the tools needed to cope with
stressors before they become overwhelming. Examples of skill-building
include building problem-solving, coping, anger management, and healthy
relationship skills.
Over the last year, the Marine Corps Behavioral Programs Office has
implemented several efforts to combat the factors contributing to
harmful behavior and suicide. Their efforts include the third iteration
of our annual Wellness Symposium to inform unit Suicide Prevention
Officers, Suicide Prevention Program Coordinators, and uniformed
leaders. The office also partnered with the Lejeune Leadership
Institute to reinforce prevention efforts at our Marine Corps Recruit
Depots through leadership and ethics courses. Our Safety Division has
also updated our Cognitive Behavioral Therapy curriculum. We have
initiated a deliberate service-wide messaging campaign targeted at
Total Fitness and suicide prevention. In fact, the second message to
the entire force that the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and I
recorded was specifically aimed at addressing mental health and suicide
prevention directly.
Safety. Safety is a critical component of our Corps and a key
indicator of a unit's discipline. Operational excellence is the
professional, efficient, and expert execution of our warfighting
missions, functions, and tasks. It demands a culture of continuous
improvement and the pursuit of the highest standards. Safety is not a
restriction or obstacle to realistic or challenging training--it is a
requirement. Many mishaps are preventable when we comply with
established procedures and take action to stop unsafe acts before they
occur. Our safety culture is strong but must be doggedly maintained and
actively inculcated into our youngest Marines. When I became
Commandant, I directed the assignment of a General Officer to lead our
service safety initiatives and provide the requisite level of oversight
and leadership. I am grateful to Congress for the additional
authorization of a general officer that enabled this assignment.
Childcare. Our Child and Youth Programs (CYP) provide high-quality,
accessible, affordable care aboard 16 Marine Corps installations and
through contractual partnerships. Some of the benefits CYP offers
include Child Development Programs, the Community-Based Child Care Fee
Assistance Program, and Youth Programming. We continue to make progress
in recovering from the effects of COVID-19 on our childcare network.
The Marine Corps Child Development Center's (CDC) unmet needs list
continues to shrink, with the current total at 962 spaces.
We are addressing childcare waitlist issues by emphasizing hiring
efforts and a non-competitive childcare employee transfer program.
--Beginning in FY23, we added over $100 million to the Child and
Youth Program portfolio to hire more employees at increased
wages to help retain a professional workforce. Our average CDC
employee salary is now higher than those outside the gate at
most installations.
--In FY23, direct care employees' salaries were increased beyond the
federally mandated $15 per hour. The minimum wage of an entry-
level employee is $18.20 per hour. Childcare employees with
children enrolled in the program now receive a 50 percent
reduction in fees for the first child and a 20 percent
reduction for subsequent children.
--Our current staffing turnover rate is 20 percent, a marked
improvement over the FY21 and FY22 turnover rates of 34 percent
and 45 percent, respectively. Departing employees listed
``relocation'' as the primary reason they resigned in about a
third of cases, which is explained by the fact that many CDC
employees are spouses who move alongside their servicemember.
Military spouses comprise 40 percent of the Marine Corps' Child
and Youth Programs employees. Spouse employment is important
for many Marine Corps families and can be a significant factor
in their financial security, readiness, and retention. Family
Member Employment Assistance Program is available at each
Marine Corps installation and provides employment related
referral services, career and skill assessments, career
coaching, job search guidance, portal career opportunities, and
education centers referrals/guidance. We also reimburse
eligible Marine spouses up to $1,000 for state licensure and
certification cost arising from relocation to another state. We
appreciate Congress' recent expansion of this program and
continued support. To address the challenge of PCS cycles, we
have implemented a CDC employee non-competitive transfer
program that allows employees to transfer from their current
position more seamlessly to a similar one at a different
installation. This single initiative has enabled us to retain
more than 180 spouse employees, whom we may have otherwise
lost.
--To mitigate waitlists, we also offer childcare fee assistance for
eligible Marines assigned to an installation with a significant
waitlist. Over the last three Fiscal Years, the rate of fee
assistance utilization has increased steadily for both
community-based childcare providers as well as children served.
In Fiscal Year 2023, over 1,600 children were enrolled in the
fee assistance program at over 620 community-based providers,
at a total cost of $6.1 million. We recently increased the
maximum amount of fee assistance, which will undoubtedly help
our Marine families, especially those in high-cost areas.
We appreciate Congress's support to improve childcare delivery in
all its forms. Access to and affordability quality and reliable
childcare enables Marines to focus on their duties, which directly
impacts our readiness and lethality.
Overseas and Pacific Marines. The Marine Corps has established a
Pacific cell to focus solely on improving the quality of life and
morale for our Marines, civilian workforce, and families throughout the
Indo-Pacific. This cell is engaged with units stationed in the Pacific
and has solicited direct feedback. One idea we are studying is the
adequacy of policies regarding shipment and storage of privately owned
vehicles for Marines stationed overseas. Those changes would improve
spouse employment, access to childcare, and other quality-of-life
priorities. We are considering other monetary and non-monetary
incentives to reduce the cost and stress of executing orders to
overseas locations.
Recruiting, Making, and Retaining Marines
Recruiting. Our success in maintaining an elite force begins with
recruiting young men and women who possess the character, mental
aptitude, physical and psychological fitness, and desire required to
earn the title, ``Marine.'' Recruiters face a challenging environment.
Labor market challenges, historic lows in qualification rates, and
lower propensities to join have made it increasingly difficult to
maintain our recruiting momentum. Nonetheless, we do not ask young men
and women to join us, and we do not promise them an easy life--instead,
we challenge them to try out for and earn the privilege to wear the
Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Those who meet and sustain our high standards
deserve our best leadership. We are a proud organization that welcomes
and judges all based on one standard--the Marine Corps standard.
There is no better visible example of our disciplined warriors than
our recruiters. We send our very best to recruiting--our recruiters are
often the first Marine a young person ever meets. One in four of our
general officers have been recruiters during their career, and we pride
ourselves in assigning a sergeant major to every recruiting station. We
value the mission--not only for the immediate results of recruiting the
best fighting force for our Nation--but also for the professional
development and leadership that such rigorous duty instills in a Marine
leader. As it is such a challenging duty, we are paying particular
attention to the quality of life for our recruiters. Incentives like
monetary bonuses help, but we understand that non-monetary incentives
often make the difference. Additionally, and in keeping with Marines'
tenet of ``exploit success,'' I recently directed an increase of
several hundred recruiters to ensure our continued success in
accomplishing our mission and sustaining the momentum in re-building
our Delayed Entry Pool.
Our performance speaks for itself. As you know, Marine Corps
Recruiting Command achieved its Fiscal Year 2023 recruiting mission
while sustaining our high standards. Last fiscal year, over 98 percent
of our recruiting accessions were high school graduates, exceeding the
Department of Defense's standard of 90 percent. While we are authorized
up to 4% of accessions from the CAT IV mental group, we have
deliberately chosen not to do so and did not access any CAT IV
applicants in 2023. In addition, the average Armed Forces Qualification
Test (AFQT) score for Marine recruits was over 60--which remains well
above the AFQT average score of 50; sixty-six percent scored in the top
three tiers of the AFQT, exceeding the DoD standard of 60 percent.
Marine Corps Recruiting Command has also successfully made our shipping
and contracting missions every month this fiscal year. Of note, we have
also surpassed the Fiscal Year 2023 total number of Prior Service
Enlistment Program (PSEP) re-accessions back into the Active Component.
So far, in Fiscal Year 2024, we have already attained 126 PSEPs in
comparison to the 121 total in Fiscal Year 2023. For our Officer
mission, we have accessed 639 officers so far this fiscal year, which
is on-pace to meet or exceed the mission by category and component.
Retention. Over the past 12 months, we have implemented five major
reform initiatives: (1) the Commandant's Active and Reserve Retention
Program, 2) the Expanded First Term Alignment Plan (FTAP) Retention
Model, (3) the Small Unit Leader Initiative, (4) Promotion Allocation
Fulfillment, and (5) Marine Corps Graduate Education Program (MCGEP)
Enlisted Pilot. These programs provide demonstrable results, and I am
prepared to provide the Committee with detailed briefings on each. As
just one example of the impact these initiatives are having, we entered
FY23 with a persistent shortfall of approximately 2,000 Sergeants
across the force. Via implementing the Small Unit Leader Initiative, we
not only decreased that shortfall to 150, but also secured the
retention of the top talent within our E4 ranks for years via early re-
enlistment.
In FY22, we successfully re-enlisted 5,918 (22%) of the eligible
first-term population of 26,221 Marines. In FY23, we expanded those
efforts and successfully re-enlisted 7,070 (27%) of the eligible first-
term population of 26,121 Marines. Most importantly, 5,670 of those re-
enlisted remained in the FMF to provide greater unit cohesion. With
even greater goals in FY24, we anticipate continued high re-enlistment
rates, particularly among first-term Marines. In FY23, we initiated a
pilot program targeting our infantry community, seeking to create
greater unit cohesion and individual Marine and family stability via
60-month infantry-only enlistment contracts. Due to the success of that
effort, on 1 October 2023, all infantry contracts became 60-month
contracts. Within the first quarter of this FY, we have already
exceeded our monthly mission goals, and for the year-to-date, we have
shipped 149% of the requirement. We will meet and exceed our annual
infantry recruiting mission of 2,579 this year.
It is important to note that as the Marine Corps shifts from a
``Recruit and Replace'' to an ``Invest and Retain'' model, the service
must incentivize the retention of the highest quality Marines,
regardless of occupational specialty. The idea that ``there is always
boat space for talent'' is our guiding principle. However, if not
diligently managed, MOS-agnostic retention may result in uneven
retention across occupational specialties. To ensure the even
distribution of retained talent across the force, we will continue
incentivizing lateral move opportunities for qualified Marines by
reducing administrative barriers to lateral moves and offering targeted
bonuses for high-demand, low-density skills. Moreover, within the next
year, we can expect the delivery and enhancement of the Talent
Management Engagement Portal and AI/ML enabled models such as the
Retention Prediction Network, Talent Marketplace, and Modernized
Enlisted Staffing Goal Model that will allow us to better identify the
highest quality Marines for targeted retention.
Optimizing Employment of our Reserves
By Maximizing the Potential of our Reserves, we continue to forge a
lethal Total Force that is greater than the sum of its parts while
taking stress off the Active Component. To maximize the potential of
our reserves, we must appropriately resource our AC end strength to
172,300 and RC end strength to 32,500; research the necessary policies
and authorities required to enable AC and RC permeability; and return
to historic National Guard Reserve Equipment Account funding levels to
ensure the modernization and readiness of our Reserves. The Selected
Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) is a service-retained force and reservoir
of capabilities similar to our three active-duty MEFs. Our world-class
Marine Corps Reserve routinely provides forces to satisfy service needs
from training to generate readiness, build partner capacity in SOUTHCOM
and AFRICOM, and augment traditional global force management
requirements. Purpose-built to augment, sustain, and reinforce the
active component, our SMCR units, Individual Mobilization Augmentee
(IMA) Detachments, and Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) are sources of
competitive warfighting advantage.
conclusion
The Marine Corps will be ready to respond to any crisis or
contingency in the future, just as we have in the past. I remain
committed to ensuring the Marine Corps remains our Nation's Force-in-
Readiness. We will never lower our standards or sacrifice the
reputation associated with the sacred title, ``Marine''--and will
remain innovative and agile in our approach to warfighting. With your
help, we will ensure your Marines are provided with world-class
training and improved quality of life and are enabled with the
capabilities required to win our Nation's battles against any
adversary. I promise you that every dollar invested will give you the
greatest return to realize our modernization strategy, build a more
lethal force, and take care of your Marines and their families. I thank
the Committee for your continued advocacy and support for your Marines.
Semper Fidelis.
Senator Tester. Thank you for your statement, General. We
appreciate you being here as well as the entire panel.
I'm going to start with you with rounds of questions here.
Secretary Del Toro, this past weekend U.S. forces stationed
in the Middle East defended Israel from Iran's barrage of
missiles. This is just the latest in a series of actions U.S.
forces have taken in the area to defend assets and assets of
our allies.
Secretary Del Toro, so far you're paying for these
operations out of your existing budget, even though the Senate-
passed National Security Supplemental contains $2.4 billion to
cover these costs, including replacing the missiles.
Can you please explain the impact of having to cover these
costs without the Supplemental funds that the Senate has
already passed, by the way?
Secretary Del Toro. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
thank you both for actually recognizing the bravery and the
courage of our sailors and Marines who've been now operating in
both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea over the course of the
last 6 months, first the Ford Carrier Strike Group, then
followed by the Bataan Amphibious Readiness Group, as well,
too, and, of course, now the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group
with additional ships that are being provided for in the
Mediterranean.
Over the course of the last 6 months we have actually
encountered over a 130 direct attacks on U.S. Navy ships and
merchant ships. The munitions that are critical to these
counter strikes are extremely important to the Department of
the Navy. We currently have approaching $1 billion in munitions
that we need to replenish at some point in time.
So, therefore, over $2 billion that's provided for in the
Supplemental is direly critical to our Navy and Marine Corps to
be able to replenish those munitions and continue to provide
the types of defensive measures that we have this past six and
a half months now.
Senator Tester. Thank you.
Admiral Franchetti, I know that ship maintenance is a
priority for you and addressing that.
What is the impact of extended operations and deployment on
the force?
Admiral Franchetti. Ship maintenance is one of my biggest
priorities.
Senator Tester. I don't know that your mic is on. Go ahead.
Sorry.
Admiral Franchetti. Okay. On?
Secretary Del Toro. It's on now.
Senator Tester. Yes. There you go.
Admiral Franchetti. Ship maintenance is one of my very
biggest priorities. When I talk about getting more players on
the field, you know, one way to do that, of course, is to
procure new ships, but the other one is to get them in and out
of maintenance on time.
So we're very focused as we are looking at the ships that
are already underway, several of which have been extended,
making sure that we work with our shipyards and our planning to
be able to get them in and out of maintenance as quickly as
they come back.
I think more broadly, we're very focused on improving our
processes that are related to shipyard maintenance in general.
Some of that is making sure that we get our packages locked in
about 6 months ahead of time before the ships come back so we
can plan the work ahead of time so we don't have as much growth
work or new work once the ship is in the actual availability.
The other one is putting in place basically a surface
readiness group. It's going to be led by a second tour, a
sequential command captain at the 06 level, who will have a
team of folks that are very experienced in shipyard maintenance
to bring the ships through, help provide that expertise and
oversight along with our NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command)
counterparts that will be doing that.
So, again, I think we're starting to see some big
improvements in shipyard maintenance for our surface ships and
look forward to continuing that progress. We can't take our
foot off the gas and I'm very focused on this.
Senator Tester. Thank you.
Secretary Del Toro, you had a 45-day review of Navy
shipbuilding, documented a 3-year delay in the new Frigate
Program, 2-year delay in the latest aircraft carrier, 2-to-3-
year delay in the Virginia Class Attack submarines, 12-to-16-
month delay in the Columbia Class submarine.
This is despite unprecedented support by Congress.
Headlines and delays like this should constitute a full-blown
emergency for the Navy and the shipbuilding industry.
I know there's no quick fixes, but I have yet to see what
either party is prepared to do about it and to be specific,
who's being held accountable.
Now, look, we do studies and we do surveys. I'm talking
about we being the Senate and that's exactly what they end up
being. I think your review has shown that we've got a problem,
a major problem and a problem that puts our national security
at risk.
So the question is, is how do we hold these folks
accountable? What do we need to do to make sure these folks
understand that profitability in the shipbuilding industry
isn't your Number 1 responsibility? It's to get these ships out
and submarines and equipment out on time, on budget the way we
need them to keep this country safe.
Secretary Del Toro. That's exactly right, Mr. Chairman, and
when I was confirmed, I committed to you that I'd be honest,
transparent, and committed to making a difference and that's my
intent. That was my intent in asking for the 45-day review,
which reviewed over 10 shipbuilding programs for the purpose of
providing the assessment of national and local causes of
shipbuilding challenges.
In that regard, the contributing factors that were
discovered in that review are lead ship issues, design
maturity, first of class challenges faced by the shipyards, as
well, transition of production, design workforce, and other
shortage of blue collar labor across the country, as well.
It was also determined that shipyards simply aren't making
enough of a contribution on their own to increasing their own
production rates at their own shipyards which is also critical.
I mean, it's just one example, Mr. Chairman. We're making a
$15 billion investment over the course of the next 5 years,
money that's the taxpayers' money, and at the same time many of
these shipyards are actually making stock buyback programs
where they're buying back stocks to the tune of $4 billion and
upwards of that. That's unforgivable.
We need them to invest in their own shipyards just as much
as the American taxpayer is investing in the budget to get
these production lines back up.
Senator Tester. Well, I would just say that, you know,
Eisenhower warned of the military industrial complex. The fact
of the matter is, is that they're an important partner for us.
They're an important part of the equation and I get it that
excuses are many, whether it's workforce or whatever it is, but
the fact that some of these corporations are using the money to
buy stocks back without building capacity first is incredibly
irresponsible and I hope they're listening because, quite
frankly, we will do whatever we can do to make sure they have a
workforce, but, dammit, they gotta step up to plate and in many
cases I have not seen that happen.
Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Admiral, I want to follow up on the Chairman's question to
you about maintenance and delays. You addressed it from surface
ships. I want to talk to you about submarines.
The Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, SIOP, and
the Ship Depot Maintenance Line Item are both well resourced in
the budget request. I support these needed investments in the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine and in our other
shipyards because during the past decade fewer than one-third
of the Navy's attack submarines have completed maintenance on
time.
Last year Navy officials conceded that there were nearly
twice as many non-deployable submarines as were anticipated
because of maintenance or other issues. This is the trend that
we simply have to reverse.
To what extent we make the investments in the budget can we
expect that the submarine maintenance backlog will decline?
Admiral Franchetti. Thank you, Senator, and as you know,
our submarines are a true advantage and we really do need to
improve on our overall submarine maintenance.
I think two things that you mentioned there. So the
Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, you know, this
isn't a once in a generation, really once in a 100 year
overhaul of our four public shipyards. We really appreciate the
investments in those shipyards because they are so critical to
that maintenance that you're talking about and this is
recapitalization of the dry docks. It is a reorganization of
the shipyard to ensure that the flow of the work across the
shipyard will be effective and more efficient as we're doing
that maintenance and then, of course, upgrading the equipment
that is part of that.
It's all part of the Shipyard Optimization Program that
we're putting in place, and I think you will really see those
investments pay off over many years. These are long projects
and again we appreciate the investment in that.
As far as getting our submarines out of the shipyard on
time, you know, we've made a lot of progress in putting in
place processes that help us look at the data analytics so we
can better understand where the choke points, what are the
barriers to getting our submarines out of maintenance on time,
and then working to implement the corrections.
We've put the Head of our Submarine Force in charge of that
overall process last year to really drive the operational
demand and understand the sense of urgency that we need in each
one of our shipyards to be able to get them out on time.
One of the other things we've found was that a shortage of
supply parts and rotatable pool would be a way. So we put that
in our budget for last year. We're looking forward to getting
those all on contract now, a little bit delayed, about 6 months
delayed, but we will get that in there and then expect to see
positive results of having those spare parts and long lead time
materials in place ahead of time to expedite that maintenance.
So, again, we're starting to see some good progress out in
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. We have two submarines, the
Minnesota and the Illinois, that are currently on track for
their maintenance availabilities, and we look to take the
learning that they're doing out in Pearl Harbor and bring that
to our other shipyards, as well.
Senator Collins. Well, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in
Kittery, Maine, is the gold standard, just to get that on the
record, but obviously I visited there many times and the
physical constraints are a real barrier and that's why the SIOP
Program has been absolutely critical.
General Smith, I want to talk to you about an unfunded
priority that you've submitted and that's for the procurement
of four F-35 engines and engine-powered modules to alleviate
potential logistical problems associated with transporting
engines to ships and the time that it takes to replace an
engine at sea.
Could you comment on how funding additional F-35C spare
engines and power modules would improve F-35 readiness and
better support our operational commanders?
General Smith. Senator, I can, and thank you for the
question.
Those four engines enable us to do repairs at sea which are
incredibly difficult when we're deployed aboard our amphibious
landing ships, our LHAs, LHDs, and when we have the appropriate
number of spares, we can in stride swap an engine out. We have
the maintainers and the tools to do that at sea but we need the
spare engines to do so and that increases our readiness
dramatically.
So those four engines are vital as we have encountered, I
would say, higher than expected degradation in our engines.
Senator Collins. Thank you.
I couldn't help but notice this morning that sitting next
to our highly-decorated Marine are two former commanders or
captains of the Arleigh Burke destroyers and I appreciate the
fact that you understand that they are truly the workhorse of
the fleet and have been there for more than 3 decades.
Mr. Secretary, could you describe for the members of the
committee who may be less familiar what the important role
played by our destroyers, how important they have been both in
protecting the shipping lanes in the Red Sea and in the defense
of Israel this past weekend?
Secretary Del Toro. Well, thank you, Madam Vice Chair.
Without question, the Arleigh Burke destroyer is a multi-
mission platform that conducts numerous missions, especially
including air defense and ballistic missile, defense for U.S.
forces and our allies and partners has been critically
important to the defense of the Red Sea over the course of the
last 6 months, and they really have operated extraordinarily
well.
It's a testament to the investments that have been made by
the Department of the Navy and the Congress specifically over
the course of the last several decades, investments in the
Aegis Combat System and the weapons systems and the munitions
that actually go on those ships to be able to effectively
defend our national security interests.
As you know, over 90 percent of the world's trade actually
travels on the water and we also have undersea cables that
carry up to 10 trillion financial transactions every single
day.
So the protections of those seas and those undersea cables
is incredibly important and it is actually the Arleigh Burke
destroyer and hopefully in the future the Constellation Class
frigate, as well, too, that will provide that defense to our
national security.
Senator Collins [presiding.] Thank you.
Madam Chair, welcome.
Senator Murray. Thank you. Thank you very much to our Vice
Chair and to Chair Tester, thank you all to our witnesses for
joining us and thank you for your service to our country.
At a time when we know some of our adversaries are making
significant investment in their Navies, we have to keep pace
and maintain strong investments for our Navy and Marine Corps
and that doesn't mean just equipment. We have to invest in our
men and women in uniform, getting them adequate training and
equipment and making sure their families have support, like
childcare, mental health care, safe quality housing, and a lot
more.
And while we discuss what's needed for the Navy and Marine
Corps in fiscal year 2025, I can't neglect to mention that we
must also finish the job on fiscal year 2024 by passing the
National Security Supplemental ASAP.
Iran's attacks over the weekend are a very stark reminder
of the precarious moment that we're in, the pressing challenges
we and our allies face across the globe, including the risk of
further escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, and of
the urgent need to pass the National Security Supplemental.
It is critical we act, that we stand with our allies that
we deter escalation and more conflict, and, of course, we know
that Americans support turning the tide for the war in Ukraine.
For months I've been insisting we pass a comprehensive and
bipartisan national securities supplemental I wrote with many
of you who are here in this room. So I'm glad the Speaker now
seems to be moving in that direction. I look forward to working
with Chairman Cole, Vice Chair Collins, Ranking Member DeLauro
to make this a reality.
After so many months of needless delay from House
Republicans, we've got to get this done. We need to get it
right, as everyone in the room knows, the details matter, and
show the world that there is bipartisan support to stand with
our allies.
Having said that, let me turn to questions for our
witnesses.
Mr. Secretary, last week reporting from military.com
reveals deeply disturbing accounts of child abuse by child
development center employees at Navy installations. The
investigation found that Navy rules prioritized protecting the
institution, keep parents in the dark and have minimal
safeguards to guarantee accountability.
According to the reporting, base commanders and military
police units often don't know who is responsible for reporting
and investigating abuse at CDCs (Child Development Centers) and
in one case it took a full year before workers responsible for
abuse were charged in a civilian court.
The reporters interviewed a dozen families with similar
stories of not being told when their child was injured and in
many cases parents shouldered hefty legal bills to force the
military branches to tell them what happened.
I cannot emphasize enough how concerning and unacceptable
that is.
So, Mr. Secretary, I want to know, what is the Navy doing
to investigate these reports and ensure that those responsible
are held accountable?
Secretary Del Toro. Well, Senator, first and foremost,
thank you for the concern that you display for our service
members and their families, as well, too.
I had four children growing up, many of them actually were
in childcare development centers, and there is no greater
priority than the safety of our service men and women in
uniform and the civilians that actually use those CDCs, as
well, too.
I'm quite familiar with the details actually from the 2022
case of this child development center, but there are
inaccuracies, as well, too, in the reporting of those facts. In
fact, law enforcement officials were informed on the very first
day that they were discovered and they were actually brought to
bear.
Unfortunately, we sometimes can't control how long it takes
for civilian investigations to be followed through and for the
burdens that are placed on families in having to demonstrate
facts, as well, too, throughout those investigations. But
that's no excuse obviously for trying to move as quickly as
possible.
The director of that childcare center was actually fired.
There were actually seven other employees that were fired along
with it and I assure you that moving forward we have learned
the lessons from that case, from both those cases, and ensuring
the highest levels of standards for security and care for our
CDCs throughout the entire Department of the Navy and Marine
Corps.
Senator Murray. So what are you doing to make sure this
never happens again?
Secretary Del Toro. Well, we've actually learned those
lessons and we've applied those lessons throughout all child
development centers from 2 years ago. There were numerous
policy violations that were not adhered to, as well, too. So
we've conducted training across all those CDCs and----
Senator Murray. Is that training----
Secretary Del Toro [continuing]. Those trainings have been
conducted and applied across all CDCs in the Navy and Marine
Corps today.
Senator Murray. Okay. Well, I'm going to be following this
very closely and I expect this to be investigated and addressed
swiftly and report back to us so our men----
Secretary Del Toro. Already have, Senator. We'd be happy to
make those facts available to your office.
Senator Murray. Okay. I would appreciate that. Men and
women in uniform can only do their jobs if they know their kids
are okay.
Secretary Del Toro. Couldn't agree with you more, ma'am.
Senator Murray. Okay. In 2022 the Defense Health Agency
removed labor and delivery services from naval hospitals,
Bremerton and Kitsap Counties in my State, and it forced
service members and their families to then seek care in the
community or travel over 2 hours to Madigan Army Medical
Center.
Kitsap County already has a medical provider shortage and
the reduction of services at the Bremerton Hospital has really
increased the strain on the system.
The Navy predicts that the USS Reagan is going to bring an
additional 3,500 additional crew members and families to the
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Talk to me about how you are going to adjust healthcare
capacity to address the needs as that increase in population
comes there.
Secretary Del Toro. Senator, as much of a concern as this
is to you, it's as much a concern to me, as well, too,
especially in the Pacific Northwest where we are facing
significant challenges in terms of medical care providers not
just in the military service but also in the civilian sector,
as well, too.
We are working very closely with the DHA (Defense Health
Agency). I myself have discussed this situation with the Under
Secretary for Health, trying to work with DHA in providing them
as much of support as we can from the military side, from the
operational medical side to provide additional staff to the
MTFs (Military Treatment Facility) themselves so that we can
beef them up.
I have actually visited numerous clinics in the Pacific
Northwest and I'm aware of some of the shortages and the great
work that they're doing despite the shortages, as well.
We will continue to work with the Office of the Secretary
of Defense and the DHA and the Deputy Secretary of Defense to
provide the necessary support from operational Navy medical
resources basically, but that also creates a challenge in terms
of ensuring that the standards of proficiency that are required
in operational medical readiness are also adhered to should we
ever have to go into a conflict.
Senator Murray. Okay. Well, let's stay in touch on that and
keep us informed.
Secretary Del Toro. Yes, ma'am.
Senator Murray. And I'm out of time, but I did want to
mention Congress approved a $195 million to address the
electrical bone of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and provided
a $130 million over the President's budget request to address
the seismic concerns at PSNS (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard).
Those projects are essential for the Navy SIOP and its Ford
Class Aircraft Modernization Projects.
So if you could provide an update to us or my staff on the
Navy's work to address the seismic issues and I would really
appreciate it.
Secretary Del Toro. I'd be happy to do so and I cannot
thank the support of the communities in the Pacific Northwest,
state government, and local government working with the
Department of the Navy as we actually worked through those
challenges last year.
Senator Murray. Thank you.
Secretary Del Toro. It really was a case study in how it
can be effectively executed when everybody is working together
as one team.
Senator Murray. Okay. Great. Thank you.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Chair Murray.
Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Ranking Member Collins. I guess
Acting Chair now, huh?
Senator Collins. Yes. I like that.
Senator Hoeven. Yes. Me, too.
[Laughter.]
Senator Hoeven. Thanks to all of you for being here and for
your service.
Secretary Del Toro, there's been a drawdown in airborne ISR
(intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and I know
that there's a sense that we're going to do a lot of it from
space which we are, but at the same time, you know, we're
hearing from combatant commanders and everybody else that they
need that airborne ISR.
How important is it that we not only maintain our ISR
capabilities but that we continue to have the best ISR
globally, for example, for things like survivability of the
fleet?
Secretary Del Toro. Senator, I couldn't agree with you
more. There just simply aren't enough ISR assets throughout the
entire department and there will always be a need for more of
them, especially as we get into the realm of countering
unmanned aerial threats, as well, too, not just to our forces
at sea but to our installations commands, as well, too.
Although I can't get into the details of some of the major
investments that we've made to counter those threats and be
happy to do so in closed session, there is a high demand for
those assets and we need to continue and invest more in our
budgets moving forward.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Secretary.
Admiral Franchetti, do you have enough capacity against
missile threats not only in the Mid East, let's start there,
obviously what we saw recently with the attack from Iran on
Israel, but also in Europe and East Asia?
Admiral Franchetti. Thank you.
You know, this is one of the critical things that we
provide every day, air defense, missile defense, and, you know,
we really need to continue to invest in our weapons industrial
base as well as we're making investments in the broader defense
industrial base, so continuing to invest in our weapons
industrial base is really important.
I think the Navy really about 2 years ago, we started
investing in all of our critical munitions that we needed,
including those we need for air defense, and we want to
continue those investments.
We're looking at that as an enterprise investment, one that
in the past munitions were a little bit of a bill payer for
some of our other capabilities and we have changed that that we
are working to invest in those munitions that we need.
We're also partnering with Missile Defense Agency, of
course, for ballistic missile defense and look forward to that
continued partnership and getting exactly what we need to
defend our Nation.
Senator Hoeven. So your capacity status right now is
adequate, inadequate?
Admiral Franchetti. So it is adequate for what we have now.
As you'll see in our budget, we have requested additional funds
for continued improvement in those investments for munitions as
well as in the Supplemental to replenish what we've been using
already in the Red Sea.
Secretary Del Toro. Senator, may I just quickly add to
that?
Senator Hoeven. Sure.
Secretary Del Toro. I would argue that the President's
budget numbers are adequate but that's also prior to the
attacks that we've just had this weekend alone, for example.
So we are now closely approaching a billion dollars on
expenditures for munitions that we need paid back by the
Supplemental which is why it's critical for Congress to pass
the Supplemental this week so that we can actually get the
additional resources to be able to supplement those munitions
that will be critical moving forward.
Senator Hoeven. Which is important to understand that a lot
of the funding in the Supplemental goes to restoring our
weapons as well as strengthening our military industrial base
to produce more of those new sophisticated weapons rapidly,
whether it's airborne assets or whether it's missile defense,
the things that we need now and going forward, right?
Secretary Del Toro. That's exactly right, Senator. I mean,
we've been firing SM(standard missile)-2s. We've been firing
SM-6s and just over the weekend SM-3s to actually counter the
ballistic missile threat that's come from Iran.So we need this
Supplemental to pass this week.
Senator Hoeven. Yes. So it really does go to our arsenal
and our defenses.
Secretary Del Toro. Yes, sir. These are investments in our
industrial base. There's no question about it.
Senator Hoeven. Right. Then for either one of you or both
of you on the nuclear deterrent commitment of the Triad and
whether, you know, we're tracking both in terms of the Columbia
Program and, you know, your commitment to that modernization of
the nuclear Triad, starting with you, Secretary.
Secretary Del Toro. Absolutely, Senator. I mean, the Navy's
investment in the Columbia Class submarine has been enormous.
It is our Number 1 acquisition priority and it will continue to
be our Number 1 acquisition priority moving forward.
We've also, as I came in to this role, made the decision in
my first month as Secretary to assess the possible extensions
of Ohio Class submarines, as well, recognizing that there could
potentially be a gap in the Columbia Program as it's turning
out to be accurate now and so we have actually assessed five
SSBNs (Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear), Ohio Class SSBNs
now that can be extended for another deployment, and we will
continue those efforts until we close any gap that might exist
in the Nuclear Triad.
Senator Hoeven. Very good. Admiral, anything to add there?
Admiral Franchetti. Yes, Columbia is our Number 1
investment priority.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Thanks to both of you.
General Smith, again, same thing on ISR unmanned aircraft.
You're actually working very hard to upgrade, modify,
strengthen, enhance, you know, your ability to deploy and be
that rapid reactionary force globally and I know you're looking
at how do you do that in the modern age with new technologies.
Address your need for airborne UAS in the battlefield.
General Smith. Senator, we're focused on the MQ9. The MQ9
is a vital platform for us. We're focused on the training and
the procurement of that platform and what we call the TSOR pod,
which they're a different classification level I'd be happy to
come brief you on, but it can detect at great ranges adversary
movements and it can seamlessly complete the kill chain for our
long-range fire missile systems. So the MQ9 is vital to our
future.
Senator Hoeven. Both in terms of getting it but also the
school, the development, the training, and so forth.
General Smith. Absolutely.
Senator Hoeven. That capacity as well?
General Smith. Absolutely. We are currently working with
the Air Force to train dually, but we need to stand up a
schoolhouse, as well, to pull some of that pressure off the Air
Force.
Senator Hoeven. Where do you see other modifications and
how do you think you make that expeditionary force more
effective? What else can the committee do to help you in that
process?
General Smith. Senator, I would say steady procurement for
our amphibs is actually the most vital thing for our
expeditionary warfighting capability. We need steady funding
for our LHAs on 4 year centers and our LPDs on 2 year centers
because we are an expeditionary warfighting organization. We
live to deploy----
Senator Hoeven. Right.
General Smith [continuing]. And that is the Number 1 thing
for us, Senator.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you. Again, thanks to all three of
you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Senator Tester [presiding.] Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you all
for being here. We appreciate the great work that you do
ensuring the services not only have the resources to accomplish
the mission but also taking care of the men and women that
serve and sacrifice and their families. It certainly is a
family affair.
General Smith, the Marines Force Design 2030 requires
forward deployed Marine sailors as a standing force. I
understand the medium-range intercept capability system will be
critical to support the standing force.
Is this program funded at the level it needs to be in
fiscal year 2025 and, if not, where do you need the funding to
go? How will this help our allies in the Middle East?
General Smith. Senator, the system you're describing, the
medium-range intercept capability, is an Israeli-built Tamir
missile combined with the TPS-80 gator radar and that gives us
an incredible advantage in detection and action against inbound
enemy air threats.
We are on path to procure that. The current budget supports
it, and it is really just a matter of time to build the arsenal
of TPS-80s and the Tamir missiles that are required to be able
to fully engage this system.
Senator Boozman. So we're funded up and you've got the
resources you need?
General Smith. We do, Senator.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Tell me, Admiral Franchetti,
again the idea that we're in a situation where we have the
issue of expenditure, you know, the idea of shooting a $2
million missile at a $200,000 or less drone. What are we doing
to solve that problem?
Admiral Franchetti. Well, first, I couldn't be more proud
of our Navy team, our investments have really made over the
last 10 years to make sure that our surface ships would have
the weapon systems they need, the training, and the confidence
in those systems to be able to operate them the way that they
are doing that in the Red Sea and, you know, you cannot put a
price tag on the 300 sailors that are on each one of those
ships and we are defending in-depth and using all of those
capabilities that we put in place over really the last 10 years
of investment.
You know, I think we are working hard across the entire
Joint Force to look as we see this changing character of war
and the use of unmanned aerial systems. You saw it in our media
in Azerbaijan. You're seeing it in Ukraine and Russia. You're
seeing it here in the Red Sea, that we know we need to develop
additional capabilities to counter those UASs (Unmanned
Aircraft Systems), whether they're kinetic or non-kinetic, as
quickly as possible, working with industry and the innovation
base to bring to bear some technologies that are out there and
we're hoping to get those on to our platforms as quickly as
possible.
Senator Boozman. So you feel like we're doing a good job of
balancing near-term with the again investments that we need to
go forward to actually counter? Does that make sense?
Admiral Franchetti. I do. We're testing out a laser called
the Helios System right now, but all of the services right now
are testing out different types of capabilities to get there
and I'd like to be able to work together with them to marinize
some of those and again share lessons learned so we can get
after this challenge because we know that it will be with us
for the foreseeable future.
Senator Boozman. Right. Thank you.
Mr. Secretary, the Navy's $1 billion investment in
unaccompanied housing is much needed to improve quality of
life. We also know that there is more work to be done.
Mr. Secretary, can you speak to how quality of life
investments and to the value proposition of service, especially
as the Navy continues as all the services do with recruiting?
Secretary Del Toro. Thank you, Senator. Thank you for your
commitment to quality of service for our Marines and our
sailors. I've been committed to it the entire time that I've
been Secretary as has the Secretary of Defense, as well, too,
and I think those commitments are really paying out.
We're seeing the highest retention rates in the Navy and
Marine Corps today that we've seen in a very long time and I do
believe it's fundamentally because of those quality of service
investments, starting with increase in pay, 5.2 percent last
year, 4.5 percent in this presidential budget. Combined it's
the highest pay increase that we've seen in a long, long time.
That's been compounded by a long-term commitment to
improving family housing on the part of the Congress and the
part of the department for over the last 20 years.
However, I think we've fallen short when it comes to our
commitment to unaccompanied housing and we're now correcting
the record on that. For example, in the Marine Corps, the
Commandant can talk to it, we've just surveyed all our Marine
Corps housing. We essentially have 40,000 units basically that
have been surveyed. We have 60,000 Marines living in those.
17,000 have fallen short.
We need to continue to make the infrastructure investments
in our unaccompanied housing both in the Marine Corps and in
the Navy moving forward.
Part of the solution in my humble opinion is actually
moving some of those barracks to privatize housing. When you
take a look at the gold standard of housing in the Navy, for
example, out in San Diego, that should be the standard
basically for housing and so just this past year alone I made
the decision to move six, and I'm glad the White House agreed
with me, to move six of those additional housing units to that
gold standard. More has to be done and certainly I will.
I would welcome one of my service chiefs to comment on
that, as well.
Admiral Franchetti. I think it's also, in addition to the
housing, it's also opportunities that folks have, for example,
to cook their own food in the housing, to have access to
fitness centers that are nearby, and, of course, making sure
that the unaccompanied housing is not only new or modernized,
it's also maintained properly. So we've put in place QR (Quick
Response) codes that people can report their maintenance and,
you know, really making strong investments in the FSRM
(Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization)
accounts and appreciate all the appropriations from the
committee to be able to improve that.
General Smith. I would echo the Secretary and my shipmate
that the FSRM accounts are vital, the Facilities Sustainment
Restoration and Modernization funds, to modernize the barracks
that we do intend to keep and then the construction to build
the new barracks that we intend to tear down and build new
because the Marines deserve a quiet healthy place, climate-
controlled, to live and to recuperate after a hard day's work.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Well, thank you all. We really
do appreciate your service in so many different ways.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Graham.
Senator Graham. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Appreciate each of
you for your service to our country.
I want to try to keep this as simple as possible, so simple
an Air Force person could understand what we're talking about
when it comes to the Navy.
There was a report done in June of last year called The
Battle Force BFSAR. Are any of you familiar with that, Admiral?
Admiral Franchetti. Yes.
Senator Graham. Okay.
Admiral Franchetti. Battle Force Structure Assessment.
Senator Graham. There you go. We got one acronym down and
many to go, I'm sure.
It said we needed 381 manned ships and a 150 unmanned
platforms for a total of 515, is that accurate?
Admiral Franchetti. Yes. That's accurate and really every
study since 2016 has said that we need----
Senator Graham. Okay.
Admiral Franchetti. [continuing]. A larger Navy.
Senator Graham We need 515. How many do we have now in
terms of ships?
Admiral Franchetti. We have 293 ships today.
Senator Graham. Okay.
Admiral Franchetti. And we are continuing to----
Senator Graham. How many will we have under this budget in
2030?
Admiral Franchetti. In 2030, we will----
Senator Graham. Have 294 ships.
Admiral Franchetti. [continuing]. Have 294 ships, yes.
Senator Graham. Okay. We're going to have one more ship
than we have today in 2030. We got a long way to go to get to
373.
What does it take to build out this 515 platform Navy in
terms of spending?
Admiral Franchetti. So, first of all, on the numbers, it's
not only about the numbers, Senator Graham, it's also about the
capabilities----
Senator Graham. Now wait a minute.
Admiral Franchetti [continuing]. That we need.
Senator Graham. No, no, no, no, no. You said numbers. You
didn't--the report said 515. It said 381 manned ships and a 150
unmanned. Are those numbers right?
Admiral Franchetti. Yes, those numbers are correct.
Senator Graham. Apart from capability? Don't put out a
report that's false. If these numbers are not accurate cause we
have capability to do it with half of that, I need to know
right now.
Secretary Del Toro. Senator, the ships----
Senator Graham. I'm not talking to you.
Admiral Franchetti. Yes, that is our analysis and it was
done last year. That reported that out in the Battle Force
Strategy----
Senator Graham. Okay. So you stick by these numbers, right?
Admiral Franchetti. We will continue to do that----
Senator Graham. Okay. All right. You're telling us what you
think you need.
Admiral Franchetti. Yes.
Senator Graham. So we got a budget that gets us to 294 in
2030.
Now, Mr. Secretary, you support this budget?
Secretary Del Toro. I do support this budget and I----
Senator Graham. Do you support the plan to get to 515
ships?
Secretary Del Toro. By 2043, sir.
Senator Graham. You support that plan?
Secretary Del Toro. I do support the profile. The Number 1
profile that we submitted in the shipbuilding plan----
Senator Graham. Okay. So how in the hell do we get there?
If----
Secretary Del Toro. Well,----
Senator Graham [continuing]. You support----
Secretary Del Toro. I'll be happy to----
Senator Graham. I'll get right to you. I'm talking to----
Secretary Del Toro. Let me explain how we get there, sir.
Senator Graham. Huh?
Secretary Del Toro. I'd be happy to explain how we get
there.
Senator Graham. Okay. How do we get there real quick?
Secretary Del Toro. We get there by having continued
support from the Congress basically without----
Senator Graham. How much money do you need----
Secretary Del Toro. The Fiscal Responsibility Act has made
it difficult this year to be able to invest----
Senator Graham. Admiral Gidley said----
Secretary Del Toro. However, but if I can----
Senator Graham. I am talking.
Secretary Del Toro. Okay.
Senator Graham. Admiral Gidley said last year you need 5
percent above inflation to get there according to this plan.
Secretary Del Toro. And the Congress passed the Fiscal
Responsibility Act.
Senator Graham. Yes. Well, I'm not saying we're not at
fault.
Secretary Del Toro. The budget----
Senator Graham. So we're 1 percent above last year's
numbers, right?
Secretary Del Toro. Correct.
Senator Graham. Okay. Last year's numbers were 1 percent
above. We're still below inflation.
Secretary Del Toro. Now last year's numbers actually were
quite significantly higher than----
Senator Graham. We're 1 percent over last year's number
because of the Fiscal Accountability Act. You don't agree with
that?
Secretary Del Toro. That's correct.
Senator Graham. Okay. Well, what's inflation?
Secretary Del Toro. Inflation runs at about 3.4 percent
right now.
Senator Graham. So we're spending below inflation. Can we
agree on that?
Secretary Del Toro. That's correct.
Senator Graham. Okay. So if it takes 5 percent over
inflation to get to this magic number, this year we're spending
below inflation and when you project it out, the number shifts
we'll have an inventory. We're not the enemy here. It goes to
294.
Where does China go by 2030, Admiral? How many ships will
China have?
Admiral Franchetti. It's projected to have about 430 ships.
Senator Graham. Yes. How many do they have now? 390 what?
Admiral Franchetti. 370.
Senator Graham. Okay. They have 395 now. That's what this
chart says. Maybe it's 370. Let's say it's 370. They have 435,
we think, by 2030. We're going up one ship, they're going up
like a bunch. There is no plan to the public out there. I trust
you about the 515. I'm not arguing with you.
I think you know what the hell you're talking about. I'm
not arguing with you that we should have more money. I'm just
saying we're saying one thing and doing another. The
responsibility falls on elected officials, but I would like you
all to echo what I'm saying. I'd like you all to legitimatize
that my concerns are real. I'm just not making this shit up,
that we talk about a Navy to confront threats that are growing
and our budgets do not meet the needs of this country by a
factor of a bunch, and it's going to take bipartisan effort to
get with the program.
What I want the country to know is that we're on course to
shrink the Navy as China is increasing the Navy. The budgets we
have do not get us anywhere near where the experts say we need.
So what you can do for this country, I think all of you, is
just tell us the truth that we're on track not to meet our
goals, is that true, Admiral?
Admiral Franchetti. Sir, we have about 86 ships on contract
right now, 55 under construction. There's 57 in this budget.
One of the things that we need to do as a Nation is invest
in our shipbuilding----
Senator Graham. How many are we going to retire?
Admiral Franchetti. We are retiring 19.
Senator Graham. Well, so in 2030, if we're at 294 today,
we're 293, we just gained one ship, is that right?
Admiral Franchetti. Yes. That is correct.
Senator Graham. Okay. Well, that's my point. By 2030, we
have like one more ship than we have today and we need 380
something of these things and we're going backward, not
forward.
So I'm going to--will you work with me, Admiral, Mr.
Secretary,--haven't talked about the Marines, you got off
because I didn't even get to you. Will you work with me to come
up with a realistic plan that would allow us as elected
officials to get to where we need to go?
It's up to us to get us there, but I would like a plan if
you would help me to submit that would get us on track to
getting to the ships we need unmanned and manned 515 by 2043.
Will you work with me to do that?
Admiral Franchetti. We're continuing to work to invest in
the industrial base and----
Senator Graham. That's not my question. I meant will you
work with me.
Secretary Del Toro. Senator, we will continue----
Admiral Franchetti. We will continue----
Senator Graham. The answer is----
Secretary Del Toro. We will continue to work with you to
get----
Senator Graham. Good, good, cause we got a long way to go.
Thank you.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator. You're exactly right,
but we got a much bigger problem on this side of the dais than
we do on the other side truthfully.
Senator Graham. We've got problems and I want to work with
you to fix them and I think you want to fix them.
Senator Tester. I do want to fix them and we need to make
sure we're increasing the industrial base so that they can meet
these goals because right now they can't even meet the goals
that we're funding.
Senator Graham. That's what they said, too.
Senator Tester. That's right. And so I don't think there's
a lot of argument that this is a very dangerous time and you
know that serving on the Armed Services, but we need to beat
the hell out of one another first.
Senator Graham. Fair enough.
Senator Tester. Senator Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski. Count me amongst those that are worried
about our shipbuilding capacity and our infrastructure and it's
not just how many ships we're funding but we know we've got a
serious problem when it comes to the workforce that's out there
and, Admiral, we've had an opportunity to talk about this and I
don't know if there's a grand plan there to work more on that,
but I've been focusing on what we're trying to do to build out
these Polar Security Cutters and help Coast Guard with their
shipbuilding.
We're told it all comes down to workforce, comes down to
workforce, but it also comes to the funding of the vessels
themselves.
I want to thank both of you for making the trip to the
Arctic. Secretary, it was good to travel with you and, Admiral,
I know you went the week following with Senator Coons.
I hope that you had an opportunity to meet with the female
submariner who wanted to talk about integration of women
submariners into that. I thought she had a very compelling
message there.
The point that I would like to reinforce, we have
challenges again on the submarine side. We've got challenges
with all of our shipbuilding, but I've been trying to get Coast
Guard moving with the Polar Security Cutters and have been
frustrated on many, many turns here.
We try to underscore how far behind we are and people say
we get the fact that Russia has 55, we don't even have two. I
don't even think we have barely one anymore, but the Navy's the
contract agent for the ongoing effort to build out the
additional icebreakers. The Coast Guard, of course, owns and
operates and maintains, but I need to know and I'd like your
commitment, Admiral, that the Navy as the contract agent for
this effort is proactively supporting the Coast Guard and their
acquisition of additional icebreakers.
Working through this past appropriations process was a huge
struggle to keep in place any kind of funding going forward for
the acquisition line. We took a rescission. It didn't kill it,
but it doesn't help that in the President's budget there's
nothing for the PCS, Polar Security Cutters for fiscal year
2025.
So I'm just nervous on all levels about the commitment that
we have to ensuring that we have the assets in the Arctic and
those assets are the things that can break the ice and we can't
hope that our submarines are going to be able to pop a hole
through and maybe that allows for ships to move through. That's
not how it works.
We've got to do more and I'd like your commitment here as
we're working with the folks at Coast Guard to ensure that
Navy's role in all of this as the contract agent is really
robust and engaged.
Admiral Franchetti. Thank you, Senator Murkowski, and thank
you for your time the other day.
After our meeting, I did go and talk with our folks. I made
sure that they are fully committed and they are providing that
robust support that you asked for to support the Coast Guard in
the design and the procurement of that Polar Security cutter.
So we are very focused on it and you have my commitment I
will continue to watch that and, yes, I did meet with the
submariner when I was onboard the Indiana, as well.
Senator Murkowski. Good. Thank you for that.
Secretary Del Toro. Senator, equally so, you have my
commitment, as well. As we've discussed, I'm one of the few
Secretaries of the Navy that has actually argued for more Coast
Guard funding because I think it's important and the
relationship between the Coast Guard and the Navy just
continues to get stronger and stronger as evidenced by our
contracting actions on this program.
Senator Murkowski. We need to keep leaning in and it's
going to take all of us.
Still sticking with the Arctic, as you know, we're moving
forward with the first deep water Arctic port, the Port of
Nome. It's going to be incredibly important to our national
defense interests. We are, as you know, not fully funded with
that project yet, likely not going to receive MILCON (Military
Construction) funding despite the clear national security nexus
here.
So I would ask, Admiral, that you articulate support for
this project to the White House, to OMB (Office of Management
and Budget), as we're moving forward. The Navy will benefit
greatly. I think you know that. You recognize that. So we just
need a little bit of support here on the infrastructure
shoreside, as well. Head nod means yes, correct?
Secretary Del Toro. Yes, ma'am.
Admiral Franchetti. Yes, ma'am.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you.
General Smith, sticking again with the Arctic because I
like this theme here this morning, we have not only expanded
the training opportunities in the Arctic with the Joint JPARK
Training Facility, got a training center. We got the Northern
Warfare Training Center. Marines have been participating in
exercises like Arctic Edge as well as Nordic Response in
Europe, but I look at the Marines' role in Arctic Ops as
absolutely necessary.
There's a great read in the Washington Post from just about
a week ago about the Navy Seals as well as the Green Berets
that were training. The Seals were down in Kodiak. The Green
Berets were up in Fairbanks. It's 40 below, but the commander
from the Seal Unit said that the Arctic is the most rugged and
extreme place for any military to operate, even the most
routine functions can be an existential threat.
Seems to me that if you're a real Marine, by God that's
where you want to go train. It's the toughest of the tough and
the hope is, is that in this kind of extreme environment you
can get training, if you can live through that, by gosh, you
can do just about anything else.
So I'm asking you to speak to whether or not you see an
increased role for the Marine Corps there in the Arctic in
terms of training and other exercises.
General Smith. Well, Senator, thanks for that question, and
I wholeheartedly agree that the cold makes cowards of us all.
Senator Murkowski. Well, we're cowardly up there. We
embraced it.
General Smith. It is a vital piece of our training as
Marines who fight in any clime and place and so we are
committed to training in Alaska. We're committed to Northern
Edge. We're committed to operating our F-35s from Alaska
through the Aleutians, and we're committed to our ground forces
operating in Alaska.
We also have Bridgeport in California. That's our Northern
Warfare Training Center, but we are fully committed----
Senator Murkowski. You realize how odd that sounds that our
Northern Warfare Training Center is in California?
General Smith. Yes, ma'am. It's up in the Sierra Nevadas.
Senator Murkowski. Okay.
General Smith. It's cold.
Senator Murkowski. Okay. Good.
General Smith. It's not as cold as Alaska is, but, yes,
ma'am, we're fully committed to being able to operate in any
clime and place and that includes Alaska.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you.
Commandant, let me begin with you. Would you describe for
me and this subcommittee the importance of the CH-53K and its
support for mobility for the Marine Corps and how its increased
capabilities will meet the needs of our national defense?
General Smith. Senator, I can. Thank you for the question.
The CH-53K is unique in the DOD inventory in that it can
lift itself. It can lift 36,000 pounds external, plus its
internal load. It has in-flight refueling and it can conduct
operations at great ranges.
So being able to sling load 36,000 pounds means it
literally can lift itself and it is vital to our work in the
Pacific and our inter-island campaign.
Senator Moran. Admiral, let me ask you a similar question.
The multi-domain environment in which we now live as the
National Defense Strategy laid out, the integration of
platforms to support the warfighter's ability to make rapid and
informed decisions in fleet architecture, the Navy is enabling
our autonomous fleet with artificial intelligence from Kansas.
How does the integration of commercially available
platforms support ongoing Navy efforts like Project Unicorn to
deliver multisource intelligence battle space preparedness?
Admiral Franchetti. Thank you, Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Complicated. The way I described it sounded
pretty complicated but maybe you can highlight for me the
importance.
Admiral Franchetti. Certainly. You know, as we look to the
future and the evolution of both unmanned and autonomous
platforms, it's really important to have that backbone, the
architecture through which we can communicate with them.
So we are continuing to work through our Project Overmatch
to develop those opportunities as well as with our Disruptive
Capabilities Office.
I think if you look to the commercial space and in the
innovation base, a lot of that technology and the work being
done is out in the commercial sector in the innovation space.
So we stood up under the Secretary's leadership a
Disruptive Capabilities Office which really helps connect us to
all the people that are developing those technologies in the
innovation area so we can more rapidly get those into the hands
of the warfighter.
So that office's job is essentially to go out and work with
commercial industry to see what is already out there that can
solve challenges that we have and again bring those rapidly to
bear.
Senator Moran. And is it working?
Admiral Franchetti. It is working. It's a great pipeline
and I'm really excited about it.
Senator Moran. Great. Mr. Secretary, last year I asked you
about the status of the Navy's efforts in regard to Camp
Lejeune. Your staff and others have provided us with
information in preparation for expecting my question today.
I think they've answered much of what I want to know. I
would tell you that my staff has been told there's a 190,500
claims that have been received, 551 have evidence to support a
settlement. I don't know what about the other.
Have all 190,000 been evaluated or those are still in the
works?
Secretary Del Toro. No, sir. Actually, a 190,500 have
been----
Senator Moran. Thank you for saying it correctly.
Secretary Del Toro [continuing]. Submitted on the online
portal. Of those 190,500, only 551 claims have actually
submitted all the information that's necessary to be able to
determine evaluation on those claims. 63 currently qualify for
a settlement offer. Of those 63, offers have been made to all
63 of those claimants. Of those 63 claimants who've completed
their files, they've been made an offer basically. They qualify
for an offer. 29 of the 63 were actually accepted, two were
declined, and the remaining offers still await a decision. The
total value of the 29 settlement offers that were already made
is $7,500,000 and we remain deeply committed to working with
all of these claimants for the expeditious resolution of their
claims once all the information is submitted on the portal.
Senator Moran. So, Mr. Secretary, the question I'm looking
for an answer for is what of the other 190,500--what's happened
to those other claims, other than the 551?
Secretary Del Toro. They're essentially gathering their
paperwork and all the necessary medical evidence that's
necessary to be able to submit it on to the portal.
Senator Moran. So a significant number of claims still are
pending?
Secretary Del Toro. That's correct, sir.
Senator Moran. And my final question, Mr. Chairman, is the
Supplemental that I hope that we receive in the Senate this
week.
Can you explain to the committee why this Supplemental
package is critical to preserving peace and stability in the
Indo-Pacific and assuring our allies and partners? This is not
a throw-away question. It seems somewhat self-evident to me,
but there's been some talk about separating the variety of the
package into separate segments.
I think it's a package that's important all together and I
would love to know from your department if that's true and why.
Secretary Del Toro. Senator, you couldn't be more accurate
with your assessment of how important I think it is to keep
these packages together.
As we continue to now look at 3 years of warfare on the
Ukrainian battlefield, we have an obligation to support our
sisters and brothers in Ukraine who are fighting not just for
their own democracy but the democracy of all nations an if we
fail to support them as we have committed to doing so, then
without question I think that there will be a future where we
have to make even greater investments into the defense of
Europe in the future. So that's point Number 1.
There's no question in my mind that as the situation
continues to evolve on the battlefield in Ukraine that
President Xi is also looking intently at our commitment and our
reactions and if we don't meet our requirements and our
commitments in Ukraine and Ukraine falls, there's no question
in my mind that he will be emboldened actually in his intent
towards Taiwan in the future, as well, too, and equally
important obviously is the defense of Israel. The defense of
free trade in the Red Sea and throughout the Middle East is
incredibly important and so all of the investments that the
American taxpayers are making and hopefully will be making in
defense of Israel and defense of our Ukrainian brothers and
sisters in deterring China are critically important and they're
all interrelated, as well, and as I said earlier today, many
roads lead to Iran, as well, too.
So we need the investments in munitions and operations and
O&M money to continue to support operations in the Red Sea
collectively and that's why I think all these packages are
together, in addition to the other parts of the Supplemental
that are also being considered.
Senator Moran. Is it fair to say that failure to invest
broadly with the challenges we face around the world, invest in
all of them results in greater challenges to come in each
component?
Secretary Del Toro. Without question, Senator.
Senator Moran. And you cannot single out one without
causing consequences elsewhere, including the security of the
United States of America.
Secretary Del Toro. That is correct, Senator. I agree.
Senator Moran. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Thank you for that question, Senator Moran,
because the truth is, is that those additional investments also
include people's lives if we don't do what we need to do today.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
So thank you guys. We appreciate your testimony, all of you
across the board. We appreciate the people you represent in the
Navy and the Marine Corps. We appreciate what you do.
Senators may submit additional written questions. We ask
that you respond to them in a reasonable amount of time.
[The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but
were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the
hearing:]
Questions Submitted to Hon. Carlos Del Toro
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. This Subcommittee has been very supportive of the
submarine industrial base. But despite repeated investments, we don't
see submarines being delivered on cost and schedule--just the opposite,
as the 45-day shipbuilding review shows. As a result, this year's
budget requests only one Virginia Class submarine, and instead proposes
$3.9 billion in Submarine Industrial Base investments to increase
shipbuilders' health and supply chains.
Secretary Del Toro, in addition to $3.9 billion for the submarine
industrial base in this budget, the National Security Supplemental
includes $3 billion for the submarine industrial base. How are you
going to ensure that these funds get to the right parts of the
industrial base for a meaningful impact, particularly the sub-tier
suppliers?
Answer. Removal of the second VIRGINIA class submarine in FY25 was
a difficult choice, but the Navy is optimistic it provides an
opportunity to recover the backlog within the production line and for
the Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) investments to take greater effect.
The Navy estimates, with SIB investments requested in the PB25 budget,
that the Navy and industry will get back to a two-per-year VIRGINIA
production cadence by the end of FY28.
SIB investments proposed in the PB25 budget submission expand upon
the foundational investments made in PB23 and PB24. These investments
were made based on studies done jointly by the Navy and the Office of
the Secretary of Defense Cost Analysis and Program Evaluation (OSD
CAPE). Investments across the sub-tier suppliers were assessed as part
of the study, and the Navy will continuously evaluate the need for
supplier investment based on gaps in capability and capacity in meeting
production of one COLUMBIA plus two VIRGINIA Class submarines per year.
Approximately 85% of the funding provided to date (FY18-24) has been
for sub-tier suppliers.
Question. Last year, Congress approved multi-year purchases for
several missiles that are very important to our ability to fight and
win a war if we have to. This will provide funding stability and
predicted quantities for several years to come. In return, reflecting
that stability, we expect to see cost savings and investments from
industry. However, according to your request for this year, we will get
17 fewer Long Range Anti-ship Missiles, and 31 fewer Advanced Medium
Air to Air Missiles that what you planned last year.
Secretary Del Toro, are we going to get the savings, stability, and
industry contributions we expected?
Answer. I would like to thank the Committees for supporting the
Department's multi-year munition procurement strategy. FY24
appropriations provided for Economic Order Quantity, Advanced
Procurement and Industrial Base Facilitization investments that will
enable the purchase of long lead time materials and production capacity
increases required for the successful implementation of the multi-year
awards planned for FY25 and beyond. Although we continue to be affected
by the increasing impacts of inflation on our buying power, we expect
the strategies to yield savings in line with OSD/CAPE projections.
Further, the duration of these procurements, combined with the
significant production capacity increases being implemented and growing
demand from the other Services and partner nations, are expected to
provide needed stability in this sector. Finally, while we have seen
some of our prime contractors and sub-vendors contribute to ongoing
capital expenditures, we will continue to encourage their increased
investments in these endeavors.
Question. I want to commend the Navy for establishing Quality of
Service in response to the very tragic spike of Sailor suicides. We
included $30 million in last year's bill for suicide prevention efforts
including training and wellness programs, and high speed connectivity
for Sailors to stay in touch with their loved ones and not feel
isolated.
Secretary Del Toro, what level of funding is included in the
President's budget request for Quality of Service? How is this funding
split between prevention and policy reforms, mental health, and
infrastructure improvements?
Answer. First, I thank the Congress for your support and
partnership in taking care of our people and building a culture of
warfighting excellence. Quality of Service (QoS) remains a high
priority in the FY 2025 President's Budget with a total Navy QoS
request of $1.35 billion in FY25. Of this total, $531 million supports
prevention and policy reforms, including sexual assault and harassment
prevention and response, and manpower information technology
transformation. $374 million supports mental health, including embedded
mental health providers, warrior toughness training, suicide
prevention, and morale and wellness programs. And $448 million supports
infrastructure, including unaccompanied and off-base housing, berthing
barges, galleys, and additional parking.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Brian Schatz
Question. Joint Task Force--Red Hill has officially transferred
closure duties to Navy Closure Task Force. Over $477 million remain
unspent from the Red Hill Recovery Fund.
How is the Navy planning to utilize these funds to support
environmental and health remediation efforts impacted by the Red Hill
spill?
Answer. Remaining funds are slated to be applied to specific
planned future actions necessary to address RH closure tasks. The
Department of the Navy (DON) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) have
planned for full expenditures of available funding and are engaged in
award activities to complete the expenditure. The current distribution
of funds is as follows: Tranche #2 distributes $457.8M from the Red
Hill Recovery Fund of which Operation & Maintenance, Navy receives
$168.8M. The Joint Task Force accounts for $14.2M to support the Line
of Effort (LOE) 2: Defueling Operations. The remaining $154.6M
allocated to Navy will support LOE 1: Community Response, and LOE 3:
Tank Closure Requirements, including: Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)
treatment system operations and maintenance, Site Assessment Field
Work, and Strategic Engagement and Communications. An additional $41.1M
fulfills the Fiscal Year (FY) requirements associated with Drinking
Water Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) Sampling and Administrative Consent
Order (ACO) Compliance.
Question. Does the Navy, along with its partners in the Red Hill
closure effort, believe that the remaining funds are enough to conduct
the closure mission?
Answer. The remaining funds are not enough to complete the effort.
Funding provided to date addresses physical tank closure activities
including defueling, tank cleaning and pipeline removal, as well as
community response activities. Several lines of effort are underway to
investigate and remediate prior fuel releases that will continue beyond
FY25 that will require the Navy to identify additional resource
requirements. Final actions to meet remediation and long-term tank
closure requirements depend on the results of studies that can only be
completed after defueling and tank cleaning, and will incorporate
regulatory requirements for remediation and long-term maintenance.
Question. How does the Navy plan to assess what environmental and
health damages from Red Hill will require remediation?
Answer. Remediation requirements are established by the State of
Hawai`i through the Emergency Order, 2015 AOC and 2023 ACO, along with
underground storage tank (UST) closure requirements from the Hawai`i
Administrative Rules (HAR). Efforts to investigate and remediate
specific known releases from the RHBFSF have been underway since 2015,
and a Site Assessment to assess the entirety of the RHBFSF facility is
ongoing. This Assessment will form the basis of further Site
Investigation (SI) efforts to determine the nature and extent of
releases at the RHBFSF. Remedial efforts will follow the SI and
continue until the regulatory criteria for environmental closure of the
RHBFSF are satisfied. Remediation activities are specific to the site,
media (soil/groundwater) and quantity and type of released material.
The Navy continues to work closely with the State of Hawaii Department
of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify
efforts required for the environmental restoration of Red Hill.
Question. How is the Navy selecting how to fund projects to address
remediation issues?
Answer. Projects are being developed and funded according to a
master schedule to ensure that remedial actions are implemented as
early as feasible, provided that viable remedial pathways are
identified. Funding for remediation projects is divided between Defense
Logistics Agency (DLA) and Navy. DLA is responsible for funding
environmental remediation requirements that are not associated with the
water system. The Navy, through CNIC, is responsible for funding
requirements associated with the water system. The Navy's project
selection and funding process follows the three steps of future years
planning, stakeholder meetings, and annual programming for compliance
and remediation. During future years planning, Navy reviews large scale
projects including military construction and special projects over a
multiyear period, and refines during planning and design to ensure
regulatory requirements are incorporated. For the stakeholder meetings
step, Navy meets weekly with regulators to identify requirements and
determine projects to comply. During the annual programming step, Navy
identifies a detailed allocation of resources to meet requirements.
Question. Does the Navy suspect it will need additional
appropriations to support environmental and health remediation
projects?
Answer. Navy will need to allocate additional resources to these
projects. Navy will continue to support environmental remediation
projects through the Operation and Maintenance, Navy appropriation. At
this time, the known remediation projects are funded, but as ongoing
investigations progress and regulatory requirements for compliance and
remediation increase, the Navy will identify additional resource
requirements.
Question. The Department of Defense (DoD) has referred to the U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility (AOR) as the
``priority theatre.'' Regional threats from the People's Republic of
China (PRC), Russia, and North Korea have exacerbated the need for
continued investments in maintenance and readiness for our forces.
How is the Navy prioritizing specific Shipyard Infrastructure
Optimization Program (SIOP) investments across U.S. public shipyards to
produce and maintain surface vessels and submarines?
Answer. Thank you for the question, Senator Schatz. The Navy agrees
that to ensure deterrence of our near peer adversaries, prioritizing
specific Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP)
investments for our Virginia and Ford Class ships, as well as our
entire fleet, is paramount in maintaining a ready force. The Navy has
deliberately prioritized drydocks and back-bone infrastructure
investments, such as utilities, at our public shipyards to enable the
Fleet in the fight to be the most ready.
The Navy continues to prioritize Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNS)
with $3.37B in construction under contract. The program has completed
$23.8M worth of construction ranging from dry dock repairs to shop
consolidation and funded $124M of new industrial plant equipment.
Moving into the future, the PHNS area development plan will guide the
execution of SIOP priorities of returning ships to the Fleet and
maximizing shipyard efficiency.
The Navy remains committed to SIOP by investing in drydocks that
support current and planned classes of nuclear-powered warships,
optimizing workflow through significant changes to the public
shipyards' physical layout, and replacing obsolete capital equipment
with modern technology that increases productivity and safety.
Question. The Department of Defense (DoD) has referred to the U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility (AOR) as the
``priority theatre''. Regional threats from the People's Republic of
China (PRC), Russia, and North Korea have exacerbated the need for
continued investments in maintenance and readiness for our forces.
How is Navy incorporating climate risk assessments when assessing
investments in Navy infrastructure, including in projects the Navy
approves for support through sustainment, restoration, and maintenance
funds?
Answer. The Department of the Navy is currently implementing
requirements in 10 USC 2864 to address military installation resilience
by adding climate resilience components to each installation's master
plan. These climate resilience components assess multiple climate
hazards, and develop recommended course of action to address validated
deficiencies. The Navy and Marine Corps uses these recommendations to
develop both Operations & Maintenance (O&M) and Military Construction
(MILCON) projects. ICRPs currently underway in INDOPACOM include: Joint
Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, Naval Base Guam,
and Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka.
More broadly throughout the AOR, the Department is investing in
both built and natural infrastructure with a resilience focus. At
Pacific Missile Range Facility, the Department of the Navy, in
partnership with the local utility, has built the DoD's largest clean
energy microgrid, ensuring our ability to operate this critical
facility in the face of extreme weather or other disruptions. In Guam,
we are partnering with the community to restore native forests,
protecting Guam's aquifer, and enhancing climate adaptation efforts. We
are also undertaking major infrastructure projects like the Shipyard
Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) at Pearl Harbor Naval
Shipyard and the build-up on Guam as we focus on building in a climate
informed way. For SIOP, for example, we are integrating climate
resilience considerations throughout the planning process, and have
included the requirement that the shipyard be able to operate for 14
days off the electric grid and independent of local water supplies.
As the Department's Chief Sustainability Officer, I have issued a
series of memoranda, directing the Navy and Marine Corps to achieve key
resilience and sustainability objectives. The very first memoranda I
issued was on infrastructure, setting a course to ensure that our
standard facility designs are electrified, sustainable, energy
efficient, and resilient. My team is also working with the Department
of Defense and other Services to develop standard thresholds and
approaches to tracking impacts from extreme weather so we can better
track infrastructure damage and more effectively target resilience
investments to guard against future impacts.
Question. Earlier this month, the DoD Inspector General released
its report entitled, ``Review of the Navy and Marine Corps Policies
Covering Sexual Harassment Complaint Process.'' This report points out
that the Navy and Marine Corps have the highest rates of sexual
harassment among the Services. The IG found gaps in the Navy and Marine
Corps' policies relating to the documentation of complaints,
investigations of severe allegations, training of investigating
officers, and tracking the status of complaints. The IG indicates that
while the Navy and Marine Corps are working to resolve some of these
gaps, more needs to be done.
What is your response to the IG's report? Will the prevention
workforce help implement some of the recommended policy changes?
Answer. The recommendations from the Department of Defense
Inspector General's (DoDIG) ``Review of the Navy and Marine Corps
Policies Covering Sexual Harassment Complaint Process'' report align
with current Department of the Navy (DON) efforts to implement
significant reforms in the response to sexual assault and sexual
harassment as required by provisions from Fiscal Years 2022 (FY22) and
2023 (FY23) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as well as
recommendations from the 2021 Independent Review Commission on Sexual
Assault in the Military report. As such, the DON is addressing policy
and process updates to improve the documentation of sexual harassment
complaints, investigations of severe allegations, training of
investigating officers, and collecting data to track the status of
complaints.
The DON's progress to date include:
Issuances of the No Wrong Door Policy to ensure victims of sexual
assault, sexual harassment, and domestic violence receive needed care
and quality of service with minimal delays (June 2022).
Expanding available resources for victims of sexual harassment
including eligibility to receive the full range of support services
available to victims of sexual assault (DON Policy Regarding Support
Services for Victims of Sexual Harassment. June 2023).
DON has developed a Misconduct Report Incident Trucking (MRIT) case
management system to centralize data collection for all Navy and Marine
Corps Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) cases. MRIT is currently in a
testing phase to ensure accessibility across the force to include cases
being entered from ships and submarines. Features of this system align
with DoDIG recommended elements to include when notifications have been
made to the next highest-level commander and when cases have been
withdrawn, downgraded, or dismissed.
Naval Criminal Instigative Services (NCIS) has been designated as
the DoN's primary investigative body for all formal sexual harassment
complaints. In accordance with FY23 NDAA Sec. 54 l(b), all formal
complaints of sexual harassment will be investigated by NCIS and
reviewed by the Navy or Marine Corps Offices of Special Trial Counsel.
The DON is establishing the Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce
(IPPW) that will focus on preventing harmful behaviors, addressing
systematic issues, and improving climate and culture. The DON, Navy,
and Marine Corps are actively hiring personnel to combat harmful
behaviors, including those that fall within the MEO Portfolio.
Additionally, the IPPW will be taking a holistic approach to prevention
with a renewed focus on improving climate and culture across the DON.
As the workforce continues to grow, is trained, and operationalized,
the DON will be able to better assess the positive impacts the IPPW has
in preventing harmful behaviors, to include sexual harassment.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Tammy Baldwin
Question. Mr. Secretary, I noted with concern that your 45-day
shipbuilding review assessed the Frigate program to be delayed by 36
months.
What is your assessment of whether the Navy carries responsibility
for any part of the delays to the Frigate program? If you do identify
responsibility on the part of the Navy, what actions are you taking to
rectify them?
Answer. Ongoing Functional and Detailed Design efforts are driven
in large part by challenges in both the engineering workforce and
industry-wide blue collar hiring and retention, combined with issues
the shipbuilder has encountered in adapting the parent design to meet
the requirements that were reflected in the system specification used
in the competition.
There have been limited changes to the contract after award that
were negotiated and agreed to with the shipbuilder. However, the Navy
does not consider the negotiated changes to be a primary driver of
functional or detailed design schedule delays.
To mitigate ongoing delays in the schedule, the Navy and
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) are jointly pursing program-wide
process improvements and mitigations across multiple program risk
areas.
Question. Would additional funding for the Frigate industrial base
help put this program on a path to success?
Answer. The Navy is very appreciative of the industrial base
funding that Congress has given the Frigate program: $50 million in
FY23 and $50 million in FY24. The Program has identified key risks
(workforce, first-time Prime Contractor, first of class issues, etc.)
impacting FFG 62 and follow delivery schedules for which Surface
Combatant Industrial Base (SCIB) funding is critical to execute
mitigation efforts. Near-term investments target understanding FMM
workforce challenges related especially to recruitment, retention, and
training, with development of corresponding initiatives. FMM plans to
continue working with regional governments and stakeholders to ensure a
robust Frigate Industrial Base through mid- and long-term activities
associated with housing, expansion of talent pipelines, school
outreach, and other community-based initiatives.
The Navy fully supports the President's FY25 budget request.
Question. The Navy took approximately 15 months to obligate the
FY23 Frigate industrial base funding. What are the Navy's plans for
improving the effective and timely execution of this funding?
Answer. The program office received its first funding allocation
related to the Industrial Base with the FY23 SCIB funding. This became
available on March 21, 2023, after the conclusion of the FY23
Continuing Resolution when the remainder of allocated SCN funding was
received. After Collaboration with the shipbuilder regarding priorities
and return on investment, the Navy obligated the FY23 SCIB funding on
August 15, 2023.
While executing the FY23 SCIB funding, the Navy has engaged the
industrial base, primarily focused on design maturation acceleration
and workforce retention, with well-defined and established contract
vehicles; industrial base funding for these efforts will be executed
with increased proficiency.
Question. Mr. Secretary, I am troubled by the selection of an
untested engine for the T-AGOS program. There already exists a suitable
diesel engine in production for Navy service that is already undergoing
the necessary rigorous Navy testing. In fact, the Navy contributed
millions of dollars of investment in building the test stand for this
engine. The current plan for the forthcoming T-AGOS program includes
selection of a locomotive engine that has not proven endurance in Navy
service and has yet to begin Navy testing.
Can you explain the anticipated extra costs and time delays to the
T-AGOS program that will result from selecting a commercial and
untested engine over a technically compliant lower cost engine
solution?
Answer. The prime shipbuilding contractor (Austal) for the T-AGOS
program conducted internal industry studies and selected an engine that
they determined best met the requirements of the contract. There is no
anticipated extra cost or time delays to the T-AGOS program because of
Austal's selected engine.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Question. Secretary Del Toro, I'm pleased to report that Granite
State Manufacturing, a subcontractor in New Hampshire, has been able to
expand their capacity to support the Virginia and Columbia class
programs as a direct result of receiving Supplier Development Funding
(SDF). They added an additional 70,000 square foot manufacturing plant
and created a partnership with local community colleges to train and
hire additional skilled workers to support the build effort. Thank you
to the Navy for heeding Congress's call and ensuring that these funds
go beyond just the prime contractors.
Can you please advise on how other small and non-prime businesses
may be able to take advantage of SDF?
Answer. Submarine industrial base suppliers at any level of the
supply chain, as well as companies interested in joining the submarine
industrial base are invited to submit proposals for Supplier
Development Funding projects. Proposals can be submitted to both prime
submarine shipbuilders, General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) or
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), or to the Navy Submarine Industrial
Base (SIB). Proposals are reviewed by the joint Navy-Shipbuilder team,
and prioritized based on project Return on Investment (ROI), impact to
submarine production, supplier and market segment health assessments,
and risk analyses.
Supplier Development Funding is specifically allocated to support
industrial base suppliers, rather than prime shipyards, to add
capability and capacity to the supply base, improving manufacturing
quality, and reducing risk posed by single and sole-source suppliers.
Since FY 2018, the Navy has funded more than $1.7B to execute hundreds
of supplier projects to support the nuclear shipbuilding enterprise.
The Navy partners with Granite State Manufacturing in their
recently launched partnership with Manchester Community College to
provide a rapid, 12-week welding boot camp training program with
student costs fully covered. Programs like this are critical to meeting
the demand for key skilled trades across the submarine industrial base.
Question. Secretary Del Toro, I'm concerned about the waterborne
security barriers that the Navy depends on to protect our ports,
installations, and ships. My understanding is that the existing marine
barriers have a primary function of performing as marine gates, yet in
the existing installations, this function has caused delays in ship
movements, and require a complex arrangement of contractors and service
boats to operate them. As the Naval Sea Systems Command pursues a full
and open competition for next generation waterborne security barriers:
--Will the procurement become an ACAT level Program of Record? What
level?
--Will the Navy perform a review by OPTEVFOR for the proposed
equipment?
--What improvements will be made to enable better performance of the
marine gate function?
Answer. The Navy plans to initiate the procurement process of
planning and preparing for the replacement of the waterborne security
barriers after Fiscal Year 2026. The Navy has not requested funding for
the Next Generation Waterborne Security Barriers and requirements
remain under development. As a result, the path forward for the program
including the ACAT level (if any), any OPTEVFOR review requirements,
and any marine gate improvements have not yet been determined.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Christopher Murphy
Question. Connecticut is home to Electric Boat and hundreds of
downstream suppliers who support Electric Boat's operations.
Collectively, these companies employ thousands of workers who are
leading the effort to restore our submarine production to full
operating capacity. The shift to one Virginia Class threatens to set
back recent rapid advances made in Connecticut that support submarine
production.
Secretary Del Toro (or CNO Franchetti), how is the Navy's request
for one Virginia Class submarine in FY25 anything but a step back for
our submarine industrial base, which has been making progress that
needs to continue full speed ahead?
Answer. Virginia production is currently below the two per year
rate. Removal of the second ship in FY25 was a difficult choice, but
the Navy is optimistic it provides an opportunity to recover the
backlog within the production line and for Submarine Industrial Base
investments to take greater effect. Procuring one VIRGINIA Class
submarine in FY2025 enables workforce efforts, manufacturing,
outfitting, assembly, and delivery efforts to all be synchronized and
efficiently functioning, thereby ensuring that the ramp to ``1+2'' is
executable and can be achieved in CY28. The Navy is mindful of the
criticality of stability within the vendor base and despite removal of
a ship, retained advance procurement (AP) and economic order quantity
(EOQ) values in the budget.
Question. How does the FY25 request keep existing suppliers--and
not just advanced procurement suppliers--fully funded and active in the
submarine industrial base?
Answer. There is significant funding across the submarine
enterprise associated with material procurements. With retention of
FY25 AP and EOQ funding in the budget, coupled with VIRGINIA Class
material funding across the FY24 and all Block VI (FY25-29) ships, as
well as significant COLUMBIA Class Build II material, the Navy will
work with the shipbuilders to ensure stability throughout the
industrial base.
Question. The FY25 budget does push for significant investment in
the submarine industrial base--with $4 billion requested for supplier
and workforce development support. This is of course on top of the key
$3.3B in the National Security Supplemental. Can you outline in greater
detail for us the plan for these critical submarine industrial funds?
How have you seen investments in recent years go to work for our
suppliers and workers, and how do you plan to invest this funding to
keep this momentum in the fiscal year ahead?
Answer. The submarine industrial base (SIB) investments in the FY24
supplemental and the FY25 budget requests build upon the foundational
investments made in PB23 and PB24 and continue targeted efforts in the
next tranche of supplier development, infrastructure, strategic
sourcing, workforce development, government oversight and technology
opportunities. Investments in recent years have helped work to address
the capability and capacity within the industrial base. These
investments coupled with the previous FY18-22 funding have funded over
200 supplier development projects across 34 states, invested in almost
300 sequence critical materials and have provided significant resources
in single/sole source suppliers. Additionally, training opportunities
exist at local, regional, state and national levels to attract workers
into the SIB. Future investments will continue to drive to achieve
production rate of one COLUMBIA Class and two VIRGINIA Class submarines
per year in CY28.
Question. In April 2022, Seaman Recruit Xavier Sandor took his own
life with his service- issued firearm while standing watch on the USS
George Washington, due to a combination of stress, lack of sleep, and
failure to recognize a sailor going through crisis. Seaman Sandor was
one of three suicides aboard the GW in that single week. Thanks to the
passage of my bill, the Seaman Xavier Sandor Support for Sailors Act,
these sailors will now receive basic allowance for housing during
maintenance.
With this in mind, Secretary Del Toro (or CNO Franchetti), would
you provide an update on the extension of basic allowance for housing
to better support sailors during lengthy maintenance periods, as
required by the Seaman Xavier Sandor Support for Sailors Act?
Answer. We are doing all that we can to minimize situations where
Sailors have to reside onboard ships. Members not already on BAH are
lodged in government unaccompanied housing or government leased
housing.
Unaccompanied and government leased housing are preferred as they
come furnished and the member does not have to arrange utilities.
Question. What further authorities or resources does the Navy need
to better support our sailors and ensure situations like Seaman
Sandor's never arise again?
Answer. Culture of Excellence (COE) 2.0 was officially launched
this year ensuring every member of the Navy Team thrives under a Great
People, Great Leaders, and Great Teams construct. We have also issued a
Mental Health Playbook which is designed to assist leaders in
preventing, mitigating, and addressing mental health issues within the
commands. Every suicide is a tragedy, and one is too many. Suicide
prevention is an all-hands effort that requires ongoing efforts to
create a culture of safety, to take proactive steps toward maintaining
mental wellness, and to foster connectedness with those around us so we
are prepared to fight and win in combat. The Navy needs timely and
sustained funding for Quality of Life improvements across the Fleet and
funding for wellness programs that build a Sailor's resiliency through
mind, body, and spirit needs.
Question. In April 2022, Seaman Recruit Xavier Sandor took his own
life with his service- issued firearm while standing watch on the USS
George Washington, due to a combination of stress, lack of sleep, and
failure to recognize a sailor going through crisis. Seaman Sandor was
one of three suicides aboard the GW in that single week. Thanks to the
passage of my bill, the Seaman Xavier Sandor Support for Sailors Act,
these sailors will now receive basic allowance for housing during
maintenance.
Another key finding of last year's investigation was that the USS
George Washington lacked sufficient mental health resources. What is
the Navy doing to ensure our sailors have access to mental health
support they need?
Answer. The Navy is committed to ensuring access to the full
continuum of mental health resources for our Sailors and Families,
while aiming to utilize the right care, at the right level, at the
right time. Mental health and behavioral health services are available
worldwide from Navy installation counseling centers, on the waterfront,
in operational units through embedded mental health (EMH) providers, at
military medical treatment facilities, and via virtual health
platforms. Non- medical services are available through Fleet and Family
Support Centers, Military and Family Life Counseling, Military
OneSource, and Navy Chaplains.
In FY23, the Navy published a Mental Health Playbook, implemented
the Brandon Act, and coordinated with OSD on recommendations from the
Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee Report.
Also in FY23, the Navy Installation Director of Psychological Health
program was enacted to ensure that all 81 Navy installations world-wide
have an identified licensed mental health provider to serve as
consultant to the installation commander regarding psychological health
for service members and families. Relatedly, EMH remains vital for
mental wellness by placing Mental Health professionals as far forward
as possible: 43% of active-duty mental health providers and 38% of
behavioral health technicians are assigned to EMH billets. Finally, in
FY24, mental health billets on aircraft carriers were doubled and now
include a psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, and two
behavioral health technicians.
Question. The Navy's unmanned efforts seem to be primarily focused
on air and surface assets, but it's worth noting that capable uncrewed
surface vessels (USV) can host acoustic sensing systems that in many
cases can provide more persistent, wider-area surveillance in support
of maritime domain awareness and anti-submarine warfare. The committee
appropriated $20 million in fiscal year 2022 for the Navy to for work
on this type of technology, supporting testing and deployment of four
Outpost persistent, passive acoustic surveillance systems developed by
Thayer Mahan in Groton, CT. These systems were successfully deployed to
the Western Pacific where they identified and monitored adversary navy
operations. Earlier this year, Johns Hopkins University's Applied
Research Lab, on behalf of the Office of Naval Research, completed a
study that showed the Outpost system met all Navy requirements for
subsurface acoustic monitoring in many important maritime areas around
the world.
How does the Navy understand the potential for USV-based acoustic
sensing systems to improve its surveillance abilities and maritime
domain awareness?
Answer. ThayerMahan (TM) operational deployment assessment is
ongoing and has not completed final assessment. The Navy will continue
to evaluate the S&T and commercial technology base to support the wide
area surveillance gaps.
Question. Why did the Navy's not include funding for this type of
technology in its fiscal year 2025 budget?
Answer. PB25 supported validated, technically mature, higher
priority wide-area surveillance program of record (POR) associated with
Fixed, Mobile, and Deployable Surveillance Systems (FSS, MSS, DSS).
PB25 did include funding for DSS Deep Water Active as part of the
transition from DARPA's KRAKEN into the beginning stages of Middle Tier
Acquisition (MTA) Rapid Prototyping and Fielding phase. However, PB25
did not include TM Outpost technology because the technology at this
time is not sufficient to fit DSS gaps.
Question. What is the Navy's strategy to increase its development
and use of USVs that employ capable passive acoustic surveillance
technologies?
Answer. The Navy's DSS Deep Water Passive (DWP) MTA FY19-FY24 POR
is finalizing the Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA) which includes the
unmanned surface communications relay node. These lessons learned,
along with the Navy's unmanned vehicle history, will be incorporated
and matured during the Rapid Prototyping phase of the DSS DWA program
of record.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Question. Mr. Secretary, in 1882, the Navy, who at the time had
been appointed to administer the territory of Alaska, conducted
military operations against the Alaska Native village of Angoon. The
result of this operation was significant loss of life during the
bombardment, followed by the loss of an untold number of lives in the
subsequent winter. In a September 14,1982 letter to Charlie Jim Sr.,
Vice Chairman, Kootznoowoo Heritage Foundation, John S. Herrington
(Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
officially acknowledged the Navy's involvement in the affair saying,
``The destruction of Angoon should never have happened, and it was an
unfortunate event in our history.'' But the U.S. government has never
formally apologized for the shelling of Angoon. Angoon was not the only
Alaska Native village in Southeast Alaska shelled by the military. In
1869, the U.S. military destroyed villages near the present-day cities
of Wrangell and Kake. I have been asking the Navy to issue a formal
apology to Angoon and to these other Alaska Native villages for some
time now. And there have been meetings with the Communities and the
Navy and with myself and Senator Sullivan since 2020 and we are always
told: ``It's coming, we are close.''
What is the status of this apology?
Answer. The Department of the Navy (DON) is committed to issuing a
formal apology to the Alaska Native villages of Angoon and Kake, which
were affected by Navy actions. The Navy has initiated discussions with
the affected clans in Angoon. We are in contact with the village of
Kake to discuss with the affected clans there. Our Navy Region
Northwest Commander has been actively and enthusiastically engaged with
clan leaders by participating in Tribal events in Alaska, establishing
stronger relationships and earning the trust of the clan leaders. We
will continue to work with the clans on a culturally appropriate and
respectful apology, and our goal is to issue an apology in the Fall of
2024.
Question. Mr. Secretary, in its Defense Overview for the FY25
Budget Request, OSD notes that, and I quote: ``In the Arctic, the
Department will continue developing a monitor-and-respond approach.''
In an area that is becoming more and more accessible as temperatures
increase, with new routes becoming available each year that we have
never seen before, new routes that can be exploited by our adversaries
with bad intentions, this sounds like an unacceptably passive strategy
to me.
Mr. Secretary, could you please expand on the Navy's strategy in
the Arctic?
Answer. The National Defense Strategy's monitor-and-respond
approach to the Arctic--with which the Department of the Navy is fully
aligned and integrated--is not a strategy of passivity. The Department
of the Navy, in particular, maintains an active and important role in
the security of the Arctic region, by regularly exercising and
operating in and around the Arctic region both Jointly and with our
Allies and partners. Navy ships and aircraft, along with Marine
aircraft, vehicles and personnel in the region are pre-positioned or
operate forward to strengthen homeland defense, safeguard U.S.
interests, and improve interoperability with Allies and partners while
preserving the Department's focus on the pacing threat.
The DON continues to pursue capabilities that increase our ability
to monitor and respond in the high north consistent with the National
Security Strategy and the National Defense Strategy, including the
Persistent Arctic Surveillance System, Polar Over the Horizon Radar,
new environmental prediction capabilities, and sea ice analysis and
forecasting capabilities. We also have an active role in the
International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research, an
international agreement to help advance polar science and technology,
where current working groups are focused on the environment, human
performance factors, platforms, and situational awareness. Our regular
exercises in the region, including ICE CAMP this year, allow us to test
and hone our abilities, tactics, and equipment while operating with
Allies and Partners.
The Secretary of the Navy directed an update to the Arctic
Blueprint, which will soon be released. The updated strategic guidance
will reinforce the Navy and Marine Corps roles in defending the
homeland and protecting American and Allied interests to ensure a
stable Artic region with internationally recognized norms and rules.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
Question. Did the Department of Justice consult with the Navy
before finalizing the elective option?
I have heard from constituents who are only able to receive a
settlement for one claim via the elective option process.
Answer. Yes, the Department of Justice consulted with the
Department of the Navy before finalizing the elective option.
Question. How does this process impact claimants which submit
multiple claims?
Answer. A claimant may only submit one claim under the Camp Lejeune
Justice Act, though they may allege multiple injuries under that one
claim. The elective option provides an expedited pathway to a
settlement offer for a Camp Lejune Justice Act claim. Every Camp Lejune
Justice Act claim filed with the Department of the Navy will be
evaluated to determine whether the claim is eligible for a settlement
offer under the Elective Option. No additional action by claimants is
necessary.
Question. Are they able to receive a settlement for both claims?
Answer. Claimants are able to receive a settlement for multiple
injuries under one claim.
Question. Based on your testimony, I understand that of 190,561
claims received by the Navy only 551 (0.29%) contain all the evidence
needed to support a settlement determination.
Please outline all required documentation needed to support a
claim.
Answer. Before the Camp Lejeune Claims Unit can adjudicate a claim,
the filer must submit sufficient evidence to enable the Department of
the Navy to investigate the factual basis for the claim. For any claim
submission to be considered properly presented, the file must initially
include, at a minimum, the following information in writing:
(a) Name of the injured person/claimant;
(b) The basis of the claim (basic description of harm/injury as a
result of presence at Camp Lejeune);
(c) The demand of the claim stated as a ``sum certain'';
(d) If an agent/representative files on behalf of the injured
person, the basis of the filer's authority to act on behalf of the
injured person; and
(e) Signature of the individual filing the claim.
Once properly presented, the claimant bears the burden of proof to
substantiate the claim (provide the required documentation to prove the
allegations set forth in the claim). The Camp Lejeune Justice Act sets
forth the eligibility requirements for an individual to recover damages
as a result of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during a
specified timeframe. In order to adjudicate a claim, the Department of
the Navy must first determine if a claimant meets those eligibility
requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, documentation
showing when and for how long a claimant was exposed to water at Camp
Lejeune and what harm or injury, if any, the claimant sustained as a
result. The Camp Lejeune Clams Unit may request documentation from
claimants to substantiate a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim, but such
documentation is not required to file a claim.
Question. Which documentation is most commonly missing from a
claim?
Answer. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims currently pending
review most frequently lack documentation showing when the claimant was
present on Camp Lejeune and/or medical documentation containing a
diagnosed injury.
Question. What is the Navy's process for providing feedback to
claimants which did not submit all required documentation?
Answer. The Camp Lejeune Claims Unit provides detailed instructions
to claimants filing claims using the online claims portal. These
instructions provide examples of documentation that may support a Camp
Lejeune Justice Act claim. The Department of the Navy and the
Department of Justice also published public guidance that details the
evidentiary requirements for claimants to support their Camp Lejeune
Justice Act claim. Additionally, the Camp Lejeune Claims Unit is
committed to notify every filer to identify any additional information
required to support their Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim. Filers will
be able to securely upload all necessary documentation to support their
claim directly through the Claims Management Portal. Alternatively,
claimants may mail their supporting documentation to the Camp Lejeune
Claims Unit at the address listed on the Camp Lejeune Claims Unit
website--https://www.navy.mil/clja/.
Question. Are all 190,010 claimants with incomplete submissions
aware of exactly what their pending claim is missing?
Answer. The Camp Lejeune Claims Unit is currently working through
every Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim pending review to inform each
claimant of additional documentation necessary to process their claim.
While the Camp Lejeune Claims Unit continues that effort, filers are
encouraged to review the Required Documentation section of Individual
Claim filing instructions published on the Navy JAG Corps Claims
Management Portal. The Claims Management Portal is accessible at
https://clclaims.jag.navy.mil/CLJAC/CLIC/#Required%20Documentation.
Question.Last year the Navy estimated $31 million is needed to
support the establishment of a Camp Lejeune Claims Task Force.
Do you have all of the resources needed to stand up this task
force?
Answer. Yes, the Camp Lejeune Claims Unit is approaching its full
staffing level of approximately 140 personnel. The Camp Lejeune Claims
Unit is also nearing full implementation of its purpose-built Claims
Management System which is expected to facilitate and expedite review
and processing of the unprecedented volume of Camp Lejeune Justice Act
claims.
Question. What percentage of the manning requirement is met within
the task force?
Answer. The Camp Lejeune Claims Unit is currently 62% staffed with
Federal civilian employees. The remaining 38% is currently staffed with
contracted support personnel. All contracted support personnel will be
backfilled with Federal civilian employees who are onboarding over the
next several months.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator John Boozman
Question. I understand that the Navy has expressed their interest
in funding multiple solid rocket motor producers and plans to leverage
budget resources to fund these new companies. I expect this effort to
provide a fair and open competitive developmental and procurement
process that does not result in an unfair advantage to those who have
invested their own resources improving existing production capacity for
solid rocket motors (SRMs).
Specifically, the FY24 Consolidated Appropriations Act included
$50M in funding to establish a second source SRM for the Standard
Missile 6 (SM6) program. The report accompanying the Act included
language requiring additional funding increases to be competitively
awarded, I request additional details on how you will ensure a
competitive environment for this funding.
When will the Navy announce its plans for a competition for a
second source SRM for its SM6 program?
Answer. The Navy solicited competitive proposals through a
prototype project Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for four solid
rocket motor (SRM) efforts using a targeted FY23 Office of the
Secretary of Defense (OSD) budget increase, including the redesign of
the Mk 72 Booster and redesign of the Mk 104 Dual Thrust Rocket Motor
(DTRM). Six companies provided submissions and two companies were
selected for each effort. FY24 funds will be used to further mature the
second source designs. Continued design maturity and prototyping OTAs
will be competitively awarded through the Naval Energetic Systems and
Technologies Consortium.
Question. Will this competition use existing qualifications for the
SRM's or will changes be made?
Answer. All SRM development efforts leverage new designs for motors
that meet the same specifications as the current motors manufactured by
Aerojet Rocketdyne. Therefore, the new motors will require
qualification prior to use.
Question. Has an analysis been done on supply chain impact that
could result from a different SRM provider?
Answer. Demand for rocket motors exceeds the current capacity with
Aerojet Rocketdyne. Additional suppliers provide significant increases
in overall capacity for both production stability and increased future
needs. Aerojet Rocketdyne will remain a supplier for Mk 72 and Mk 104
rocket motors.
Question. By what date does the Navy expect a second source SRM to
be qualified?
Answer. The Navy expects second source SRMs to be qualified by
FY27.
Question. What is the estimated cost of qualifying this second SRM
supplier?
Answer. The expected qualification cost per SRM is $40M-$75M. The
cost of qualification is highly dependent on design changes from the
currently qualified motors.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito
Question. Naval Sea Systems Command has included a Next Generation
Waterborne Barrier Procurement in its long-range procurement planning.
Please provide an update on the Navy's timeline for initiating this
procurement process.
Does the Department of the Navy plan to initiate procurement for
this new barrier in or after Fiscal Year 2026?
Answer. Yes, the Navy plans to initiate the procurement process of
planning and preparing for the replacement of the waterborne security
barriers after Fiscal Year 2026.
Question. Given increasing threats to U.S. Navy ships, if
additional funding was provided, could procurement planning or
preparation work for the eventual procurement of replacement systems be
accelerated?
Answer. The Department of the Navy supports the President's Budget
submission for fiscal year 2025 (PB25) as the best balance of resources
needed to strengthen maritime dominance, build a culture of warfighter
excellence, enhance strategic partnerships, and maritime state craft
vision. The Navy's Unfunded Priority List (UPL), submitted in March of
this year, serves as a complement to the critical investments requested
in the PB25 and primarily focuses on ways to accelerate capabilities to
the Fleet. Should Congress make the decision to appropriate funds to
the Navy above the PB25 level, the UPL represents the requirements the
service needs the most.
______
Questions Submitted to Admiral Lisa Franchetti
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. This Subcommittee has been very supportive of the
submarine industrial base. But despite repeated investments, we don't
see submarines being delivered on cost and schedule--just the opposite,
as the 45-day shipbuilding review shows. As a result, this year's
budget requests only one Virginia Class submarine, and instead proposes
$3.9 billion in Submarine Industrial Base investments to increase
shipbuilders' health and supply chains.
Admiral Franchetti, the Navy has fewer submarines than it tells us
it needs, yet you're proposing to reduce procurement. What is the
operational risk associated with that decision, and How do we explain
that to the warfighter?
Answer. Given the current backlog, and delivery rate that has
consistently lagged the procurement rate, removal of the second FY25
SSN does not result in an immediate impact to operations as we have 15
SSNs on contract and 13 in construction. It also does not result in an
immediate impact to force structure as the SSN procured in FY26 will
start in its place.
Attempting to procure another submarine this year would take longer
to build, cost the Navy more, and risk further complications in the
Submarine Industrial Base (SIB), as compared to allowing our PB-25
investments to yield the efficiencies we need. The Navy's decision to
remove the second Virginia Class SSN (VCS) in FY25 provides an
opportunity for the shipbuilders to balance production for VCS Block VI
construction starting in FY25 and serial Columbia production starting
in FY26 and allows for maturation of improvements in manufacturing,
outfitting and assembly as well as industrial base investments.
The Navy's ability to reach and maintain a production cadence of 1
Columbia Class Submarine and 2 VCS per year (``1+2''), sustain the
existing submarine fleet, and ramp up to meet the AUKUS trilateral
agreement is dependent upon SIB capacity. The PB-25 budget reflects a
prioritization in undersea warfare capabilities, with increased
investment in SIB. The removal of the second FY25 SSN was a hard but
necessary decision to not add to the current backlog and give industry
time to be able to produce the ships and submarines we need on a pace
at which we need them.
Question. According to the Navy budget documents, the Fiscal Year
2025 enlisted Sailor end strength is ``substantial below requirement.''
In addition, there are currently over 18,000 gaps in operational sea
billets, a number that has grown steadily. I have concerns about the
workload strain this is putting on Navy leaders and Sailors at sea. The
last thing anyone wants is to have more deadly accidents like the USS
Fitzgerald and USS McCain.
Admiral Franchetti, What do these gaps at sea mean operationally
for the Navy? How do you plan to address this problem?
Answer. As of 25 April 2024, the Fleet has experienced 18,524
enlisted gaps in operational sea duty. These gaps are most apparent at
the Apprentice level, with 18,304, or 98% of the total gaps at sea. The
Journeyman level has 380 operational sea duty gaps, while the
Supervisor level is above target by 160. Balancing operational demands
with limited Sailor inventory is not a new problem. While continued
inventory shortfalls occur, we routinely take actions to ensure safe
and effective operations. Collaboration between the Fleet, Type
Commanders (TYCOM), and distribution is essential to minimizing
operational impact.
The MyNavy HR Force Management enterprise, specifically enlisted
distribution, continues to work closely with U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF)
and the Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) at the start of each detailing cycle to
offer the highest priority jobs to Sailors for application within the
MyNavy Assignments (MNA) cycle. Additionally, Navy Personnel Command is
supporting TYCOM secondary manning actions that move Sailors between
units to fill operational billets that could not be filled through the
normal MNA cycle, and so far, we are successfully mitigating gaps at
sea.
From an accessions standpoint, we took what we missed in FY23 and
added it to what we needed to do this year for a mission of 40,600. We
recognize it is not just about end strength, it is about work
requirements in the Fleet that we need to maintain so we can build out
of that trough. We are doing everything we can to increase our
recruiting and achieve the FY24 mission, while we continue to maintain
historically high retention of our Sailors. First, we are improving the
efficiency of our recruiting enterprise by appointing a two-star
admiral as Navy Recruiting Command, standing up a Recruiting Operations
Center, and increasing manning of our recruiting stations and centers
with the help of Selected Reserve Sailors. Second, we are expanding the
pool of applicants who can join our team through various programs and
policies such as:
--Increasing the age for applicants to be able to join up until their
42nd birthday.
--Implementing the Future Sailor Prep Course (FSPC), modeled after
the Army's Future Soldier Prep Course, to improve academics and
physical fitness and provide more opportunities to future
Sailors.
--Accepting applicants that do not have education credentials, if
they have an Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score of 50
or higher.
--Allowing recruits to participate in alternate cardio options on the
Physical Fitness Assessment, to align with Fleet standards.
--Establishing Every Sailor a Recruiter, a program for currently
serving Sailors to share their experience and provide leads of
interested applicants.
--Utilizing a category IV pilot, which allows for up to 20% of total
accessions who attain an AFQT score of 10-30 to join, as long
as they meet line score requirements for their rating. We have
vacancies in less complex ratings that these future Sailors can
fill, allowing those more qualified to earn ratings that more
closely match their skillset.
--Leveraging the additional enlistment bonus authorities from
Congress to attract high-quality recruits to fill high demand
rates. Future Sailors can earn up to $140k in bonuses (up to
$75k in enlistment bonus + up to $65k in loan repayment).
With these and other initiatives, the Navy constantly explores and
evaluates new methods for bringing in qualified, motivated and capable
applicants from every zip code. We continue to build pathways of
opportunities for all qualified individuals who want to serve.
Question. I want to commend the Navy for establishing Quality of
Service in response to the very tragic spike of Sailor suicides. We
included $30 million in last year's bill for suicide prevention efforts
including training and wellness programs, and high speed connectivity
for Sailors to stay in touch with their loved ones and not feel
isolated.
Admiral Franchetti, How have Sailors responded to Quality of
Service and in particular, those in leadership?
Answer. The Navy is committed to improving Quality of Service
(QoS), and even though the feedback from Sailors to Navy leadership on
the QoS initiatives and improvements to date has been positive, we
recognize we have much more work to do. The Navy continues to take our
Sailors' concerns very seriously and we are making concerted efforts to
address issues to support a better quality of life (QoL) and quality of
work for them and their families. There is ongoing dialogue between our
Sailors and leadership at every level to ensure we are actively
addressing these concerns and improving conditions for our members.
In December 2023, we conducted a survey at Newport News
Shipbuilding (NNS) by polling Sailors and measuring the impacts and
improvements across all ranks of the Navy. Of the 522 Sailors who
completed the survey, about a quarter of respondents reported QoL at
Newport News to be significantly or somewhat better. Additionally,
survey results showed 71% believe leadership is providing adequate
information on QoS updates in Newport News (i.e., food options, fitness
facilities, medical care, and recreation opportunities). The main
stressors continue to be parking/transportation, quality of food
options and access to fitness centers which leadership is working to
address. At NNS, we continue to make improvements through recent
contracts and programs that specifically address QoS issues, to include
expanded access to food with the opening of an additional micromart,
increased access to medical care, upgrades to exercise equipment and
the opening of the Armed Forces Wellness Center, and in the
modernization of Huntington Hall. We are committed to improving QoS for
our Sailors and intend to revisit our Newport News Sailor population
with a survey in June 2024 to continue measuring Sailor satisfaction.
Finally, the Navy continues to work with the city of Newport News to
review PPV housing and create an option for expansion as part of our
effort to improve QoL for our Sailors and their families.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Brian Schatz
Question. The Department of Defense (DoD) has referred to the U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility (AOR) as the
``priority theatre''. Regional threats from the People's Republic of
China (PRC), Russia, and North Korea have exacerbated the need for
continued investments in maintenance and readiness for our forces.
What is the current backlog for maintaining and repairing
submarines?
Answer. When it comes to the number of operational SSNs, the Navy
is not where it needs to be. Sustainment challenges have resulted in a
total of 17 SSNs in depot availabilities or idle versus a public/
private shipyard repair capacity of 13.
Due to this imbalance between shipyard repair capacity and demand,
the Navy expects operational availability to remain at 62-66% through
FY 2026 and then ramp to approximately 80% in FY 2028 based on
improvement efforts. This length of time is required because many of
the improvement efforts (material, workforce, etc.) take time for their
benefits to be realized.
Our submarines are our true asymmetric advantage, and we need to
improve on our overall submarine maintenance. We appreciate
congressional investments in our shipyards because they are critical to
that effort and recapitalization of the dry docks. Those investments
will help ensure the flow of work across the shipyards will be
effective and more efficient. We have made progress toward putting in
place processes that help us look at the data analytics so we can
better understand the choke points and barriers are to getting our
submarines out of maintenance on time.
Question. The U.S. military is moving to incorporate artificial
intelligence (AI) in more aspects of its platforms and operations.
While AI can help improve military efficiency and effectiveness,
significant concerns exist over its uses, including through lethal
autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).
Given the global rules on military AI are yet to be written, does
the Navy believe AI guardrails are necessary?
Answer. The Navy is committed to developing and using AI in a
manner consistent with our national values, shared democratic ideals
and moral stance, which means setting guardrails and implementing AI
responsibly. If developed without appropriate safeguards, even
seemingly benign Al capabilities can introduce vulnerabilities that can
lead to adverse outcomes and put lives of American people in danger.
We believe that putting guardrails in the AI development process
will serve as an enabler for AI adoption, rather than a set of
barriers, by earning trust of Service members, civilian personnel, and
citizens in thoroughly built, tested, and justified systems. Trust in
Navy-developed AI systems will promote rapid adoption of AI and enable
department to modernize its warfighting capabilities across a range of
combat applications and to strengthen the Department's competitive
edge.
The Navy supports international norms for AI usage that respect
democratic values, while defending against aggression. Ensuring AI is
bounded by core ethical principles of being responsible, equitable,
traceable, reliable, and governable will make certain the United States
continues to represent a path to peace, security, and societal progress
and will allow us to maintain the trust of our allies and coalition
partners.
Question. What capabilities does the Navy need to further invest in
to keep pace with the growing threats of AI and what supports does each
service need to enable these skillsets?
Answer. The Navy needs a robust training and education pipeline to
build a workforce that is able to develop, build, deploy and utilize AI
tools across the range of naval missions to include warfighting areas,
as well as readiness and corporate functions. A well-educated and
technically competent workforce ensures we maintain an advantage over
adversaries, while also ensuring our AI use is in accordance with our
values and ethics. Responsible AI (RAI) will be an integral part of our
AI education and training so that those that use or make decisions
regarding the use of AI will be fluent in policy, doctrine, and ethical
use.
Concurrent with our investment in people, we need to continue to
make investments in the hardware and software infrastructure that will
allow us to deploy AI across all Navy missions and do so in all manner
of environments, from the seabed to space. The Navy operates far from
home and must be ready to do so in an environment where an enemy is
actively trying to prevent us from accomplishing our mission. This will
require an AI infrastructure that is more robust than those fielded by
the private sector--it must work in a communications degraded
environment and away from normal sources of computer and software
development. Additionally, it will require significant investment in
edge computing and a robust communications architecture able to support
modern AI Operations (AIOps) across a range of scenarios from CONUS to
a Weapons Engagement Zone. This infrastructure must include both
hardware and a growing suite of software tools that enable modern
AIOps.
Due to the rapid advances in AI tools and hardware we need to use
the acquisition authorities we have, such as Other Transaction
Authorities, to keep pace with this growing technology area. For
example, we need to consider leasing of models and tools, the sharing
and pooling of data, and a better ability to work with industry to find
mutually beneficial rights to data ownership.
Similarly, we also need to grow our long-standing investment in the
science and engineering of AI to better understand how AI works and--
critically--how it might fail and keep pace with growing complexity of
the use cases AI can solve. This involves both fundamental research
into the technology as well as investments in the Test & Evaluation of
AI tools. The power of AI comes from its ability to be useful in
situations it wasn't specifically trained to handle, but this brings
with it an inability to test it in every scenario it might possibly
encounter. Further research into this area is critical if we are to be
able to trust the AI we deploy, while the growing usefulness of it will
almost certainly lead to calls to deploy it in cases even if not fully
understood. Likewise, our adversaries may be tempted to deploy AI tools
that are not fully understood if it gives them a material advantage,
and failing to keep pace could increase strategic and operational
risks.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Susan M. Collins
Question. Admiral, the Supplemental passed by the Senate included
$2.4 billion for operations in Central Command. For example, in light
of concerns that some of us have regarding munitions, how important is
the funding in that bill to recertify 354 Navy interceptor missiles?
Answer. Supplemental war funding provided by the National Security
Supplemental (H.R. 815) is vitally important for Navy to sustain its
current stockpiles, and I thank Congress for enacting these
appropriations. The most immediate support we can give the Fleet for
self-defense and defense of the free flow of maritime commerce, is to
get unusable missiles out of storage, off the maintenance floor, and to
the ships that need them as quickly as possible. The Supplemental
funding enables us to maximize recertification in FY2024 and puts us on
a path to meeting our goal of 720 recertifications per year.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Question. Admiral Franchetti, in the hearing on April 16th, you
testified that the Navy has 293 ships today, and by 2030 will have 294
ships.
Could you please detail the number and types of ships that are
planned to enter service between now and 2030?
Could you please detail the number and types of ships that are
planned to be decommissioned between now and 2030?
Note: when comparing answers to 1a and 1b, the result should be a
net growth of 1.
Answer. Eighty-four ships will enter service in FY24-30 while
eighty ships will decommission during same time period. See table for
amplifying information. As of April 16th, the ship count is actually
294, with four FY24 deliveries having already occurred. This leaves a
projection of 80 deliveries by 2030 and 80 ships to be decommissioned
in that time.
Question. Admiral Franchetti, in the hearing on April 16th, you
testified that the Navy currently has 86 ships on contract, 55 under
construction, and 57 in the FY25 PB request.
Could you please detail the anticipated completion years for the 55
ships currently under construction?
Over the course of time that it takes to complete construction on
the 55 ships currently under construction, how many ships does the Navy
anticipate decommissioning?
Answer. The 55 ships under construction have planned future
delivery dates from FY24-FY32. Data as of April 16, 2024:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiscal Year........................ 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
Under Construction Planned Delivery 7 10 13 7 7 6 2 2 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A total of 98 ships are planned to be retired* from FY24-FY32.
*Note. By definition in General Policy for the Inactivation,
Retirement, and Disposition of U.S. Naval Vessels (OPNAVINST 4770.5J),
retirement is transitioning a naval ship or craft from active to
inactive status by decommissioning or placing out of service.
______
Questions Submitted to General Eric M. Smith
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. General Smith, this Subcommittee has been very supportive
of the Marine Corps' Force Design 2030. A key linchpin of this strategy
is the procurement of Medium Landing Ships. Fiscal Year 2025 is your
first year of requested procurement, and I have two questions for you:
General Smith, as much as you can in this setting, can you explain
to the Subcommittee how these ships fit into your broader amphibious
strategy? And second, the Congressional Budget Office just released a
report stating that these ships will likely cost between $340 million
to $430 million per ship--more than double your initial estimate of
$200 million. In light of the shipyard challenges across the country
right now, how will you manage cost and schedule?
Answer. The Medium Landing Ship (LSM) is planned to fill the
capability gap that exists in the littoral environment between the
Navy's large, globally deployable, high endurance, multipurpose
Amphibious Warfare Ships (AWS) and smaller amphibious warfare type
craft that enable ship to shore employment.
The larger AWS are warships designed to project combat power
globally with multi-domain capabilities contained within Marine
Expeditionary Units (MEUs). The Marine Corps currently has seven MEU
Command Elements--three on the East Coast, three on the West Coast, and
one MEU in Okinawa, Japan with the Forward Deployed Naval Force (FDNF).
Each MEU is paired with an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) that is
comprised of three AWS--one LHD/LHA, and two LPDs. The Navy and Marine
Corps' amphibious strategy is grounded in forward presence of the ARG/
MEU team to campaign, rapidly respond to crisis, and if necessary,
project combat power ashore during conflict in support of Fleet
objectives.
The LSM is not a warship, its role is to provide the primary means
of theater mobility--littoral maneuver and sustainment for Marine
elements of the Stand-in Force (SIF). Marine SIF are task- organized,
mobile and low-signature formations designed to maneuver across all
domains. They provide the Joint Force the ability to sense and
understand the battlefield, enable combined kill webs, and apply all-
domain combined arms. They persist forward in contested areas, operate
alongside allies and partners, contribute to deterrence, and, if
deterrence fails, enable the Joint Force to project power during
conflict. Adversaries will attempt to deny and degrade the Joint
Force's ability to see and sense. The SIF will be the eyes and ears for
the Joint Force, ideally positioned within the weapons engagement zone.
Marine SIF formations primarily operate in the littoral environment
that currently has a critical gap in which the Navy and Marine Corps do
not maintain a platform that is suitable to maneuver and sustain forces
operating ashore. The LSM will fill this void and be a vital platform
for the SIF to deploy personnel and equipment to maintain forward
presence by campaigning, responding to crisis, and enabling Joint Force
power projection during conflict.
In February 2023, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) estimated the
cost of the first LSM to be $268M. This was informed by industry
feedback from multiple partners, gained during industry studies,
concept studies, and preliminary design. In April 2024, CBO released a
report on the LSM that estimated the cost between $460-$560M. NAVSEA's
estimate assumed a high degree of commercial ship attributes with
minimal military unique requirements and used an applicable mix of
analogous ships--commercial/military--for costing estimates. CBO
assumed a higher level of military vice commercial content in
constructing their cost estimate. CBO used LPD-17 and T-AO as analogous
ship classes to estimate the LSM cost. Both ships are larger, more
complex, and built in shipyards with higher cost structures than what
is envisioned for LSM.
Moving forward, the Navy expects to receive full and open
competitive Detailed Design and Construction proposals from industry
later this spring. A formal cost estimate will be conducted this summer
by NAVSEA in support of milestone B/C (Nov 2024). OSD CAPE will also
conduct an independent cost estimate to support the milestone. The Navy
and the Marine Corps are committed to the procurement of the LSM as a
DoN requirement to fill a much-needed capability gap and will continue
to manage cost estimates and scheduled deliveries.
Question. Earlier this month, the DoD Inspector General released
its report entitled, ``Review of the Navy and Marine Corps Policies
Covering Sexual Harassment Complaint Process.'' This report points out
that the Navy and Marine Corps have the highest rates of sexual
harassment among the Services. The IG found gaps in the Navy and Marine
Corps' policies relating to the documentation of complaints,
investigations of severe allegations, training of investigating
officers, and tracking the status of complaints. The IG indicates that
while the Navy and Marine Corps are working to resolve some of these
gaps, more needs to be done.
What is your response to the IG's report? Will the prevention
workforce help implement some of the recommended policy changes?
Answer. At the time of the DoD IG Report, the Marine Corps had
already identified gaps and was updating procedures for handling sexual
harassment complaints, as well as the policies enforcing them. Many of
the report's recommendations had been incorporated in the service's
Prohibited Activities and Conduct order ahead of the report being
published, to include: the option for complainants to select either
formal or informal reporting processes, except in quid pro quo cases
where formal processing is mandatory; requiring a third-party
investigative officer from outside the complainants and subject's chain
of command; and mandatory processing for administrative separation in
cases of substantiated complaints of sexual harassment. Marine Corps
Order 5354.1G will be published in 2024 which incorporates all the
recommendations from DoDIG- 2024-071.
Prevention workforce hiring continues to be challenging but the
Marine Corps is working to fill every open position. We continue
developing the policies, procedures, and practices needed to fulfil
integrated prevention requirements. These important team members will
help ensure we meet the intent of the Department and the Congress in
preventing, reducing and adjudicating complaints of sexual harassment.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Brian Schatz
Question. The U.S. military is moving to incorporate artificial
intelligence (AI) in more aspects of its platforms and operations.
While AI can help improve military efficiency and effectiveness,
significant concerns exist over its uses, including through lethal
autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).
Given that the global rules on military AI are yet to be written,
does the Marine Corps believe AI guardrails are necessary?
Answer. Yes, guardrails are necessary. DoD Directive 3000.09
outlines the guardrails currently established by the department that we
hope will become the foundation for global rules related to the use of
AI in LAWS. ``The design, development, deployment, and use of AI
capabilities in autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems will be
consistent with the DoD AI Ethical Principles and the DoD Responsible
Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Implementation Pathway.''
Question. What capabilities does the Marine Corps need to further
invest in to keep pace with the growing threats of AI and what supports
are needed to enable these skillsets?
Infrastructure:
Answer. Significant investments in hardware and software
infrastructure is needed to deploy AI across all Marine Corps missions
across all environments. Marines operate far from home, in every
environment, and often with an active enemy. This requires an AI
infrastructure that is more robust than those fielded by the private
sector--it must work in a comms degraded environment and do so far from
normal sources of computer and software development. This requires
significant investment in edge computing, algorithm optimization, and a
robust communications architecture able to support modern AI Operations
(AIOps) across a range of scenarios from CONUS to a Weapons Engagement
Zone. This infrastructure requires both hardware and software tools
that enable modern AIOps.
Current acquisition regulations make the procurement of cutting-
edge AI capabilities and hardware difficult due to the rapid pace of
change when compared to our ability to define requirements and procure
to that target. We need an acquisition framework, and the commensurate
authorities, to keep pace with rapidly growing technologies. We also
need more flexibility in our acquisitions processes to adapt to newer
models of ``Buying AI''. This includes leasing models and tools, the
sharing and pooling of data, and a better ability to work with industry
to find mutually beneficial rights to data ownership.
We also need to grow our long-standing investment in the science
and engineering of AI. We must ensure that our understanding of how AI
works and--critically--how it might fail, keeps paces with the growing
complexity of the use cases AI can solve. This involves both
fundamental research into the technology as well as investments in the
Test & Evaluation of AI tools. The power of AI comes from its ability
to be useful in situations it wasn't specifically trained to handle but
this brings with it an inability to test it in every scenario it might
possibly encounter. Further research into this area is critical if we
are to be able to trust the AI we deploy while the growing usefulness
of it will almost certainly lead to calls to deploy it in cases even if
not fully understood. Likewise, our adversaries may be tempted to
deploy AI tools that are not fully understood if it gives them a
material advantage over us. Failing to keep pace could put us at risk
of losing a war.
Workforce:
We need a robust training and education pipeline to build an AI
workforce that can develop, build, deploy and use AI tools across the
range of Marine Corps missions. This includes both warfighting areas as
well as readiness and corporate functions. A well- educated and
technically competent workforce will ensure we maintain an advantage
over adversaries and will also be the key link in ensuring all our AI
use is in accordance with our values and ethics. RAI training will be
an integral part of our AI education and training to ensure that all
who use or make decisions regarding the use of AI will be fluent in
policy, doctrine, and ethical use.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Question. General Smith, my office has heard from constituents in
law school that are currently receiving benefits from the Marine Excess
Leave Program and accepted an offer on the condition of the Department
of Veterans' Affairs confirmation of a monthly stipend through the GI
Bill. Unfortunately, the VA recently changed its policy and is no
longer allowing a stipend for Marines participating in the ELP.
Are you aware of this issue and the importance of this program? Do
you commit to working with Congress on a legislative fix?
Answer. Thank you for your attention on this important program. The
excess Leave Program is a vital pathway for Marines who wish to serve
in our Corps as lawyers. I am committed to working with Congress to
resolve this issue.
The Marine Corps is aware of the Department of Veterans Affairs'
recent determination that disallows payment of a monthly housing
allowance for Marines who choose to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill while
participating in the Excess Leave Program.
For your awareness, the Marine Corps has committed to fully fund
the Funded Law Education Program for the next three fiscal years. We
are also in the process of converting several eligible Excess Leave
Program participants to the Funded Law Education Program, where they
will receive full active duty pay and allowances, as well as have the
Marine Corps pay the cost of their tuition (up to the maximum amount
allowed under the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill).
However, there are some Marines who participate in the Excess Leave
Program who are too senior to participate in the Funded Law Education
Program due to a statutory cap limiting eligibility to those with less
than 6 years of active service.
Question. General Smith, regarding Marine helmets:
Considering a maturing threat coupled with advancements in helmet
technologies, what is the Marine Corps plan to generate new
requirements for its helmet systems?
Answer. Current Marine Corps helmets are meeting our requirements.
The Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH) was fielded to meet an emergent
threat-based requirement for increased ballistic and fragmentation
protection and wear (weight and fit). The High Cut ECH, that close
combat Marines are equipped with, is a modification of the ECH that
provides the same level of protection while meeting the integration
requirements for new headborne capabilities (night vision devices and
over the ear hearing protection). Any future helmet requirements will
be threat informed to ensure that Marines continue to be equipped with
the requisite level of protection.
Question. I'm concerned about reports that Marines are removing
protective helmet padding for extended-wear comforts and/or to free
space for use of combat optics. This is concerning for many reasons,
including how this could lead to TBI issues, which was the subject of a
recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Request you please
provide the result of recent testing that uncovered this fact.
Furthermore, what is the Marine Corps doing to provide its soldiers
with a helmet that supports comfort, safety, and the necessary
capability such as combat optics?
Answer. Initial results of a recently completed extended user
evaluation included instances of Marines removing protective helmet
padding in the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH) and High Cut ECH. In many
cases, it was discovered that Marines were wearing helmets that were
incorrectly sized, leading them to remove helmet pads to improve fit
and comfort. Additionally, it was discovered that commercially
available third-party pads that do not provide adequate blunt impact
protection were being purchased and utilized by Marines. To address
these issues, the program manager will release a Safety of Use Message
(SOUM) to reinforce published sizing guidelines for the ECH and HC ECH
and the policy that prohibits Marines from using non-standard
protection capabilities such as third-party pads. The program office
will also conduct research to identify other pad solutions that may
provide enhanced comfort while meeting personal protection
requirements.
The extended user evaluation is part of a Marine Corps effort to
look at the potential for an improved helmet system. In assessing the
comfort, safety and ability to integrate head mounted devices such as
night vision, the HC ECH was found to be acceptable by Marines in all
categories evaluated. The Marine Corps will continue to evaluate its
helmets and any potential improved systems to provide the best
available capabilities to our Marines.
Question. Please report on the status and plan to resolve
manufacturing and testing matters related to the High Cut Enhanced
Combat Helmet in support of Marine Corps usage.
Answer. The are no manufacturing and testing issues related to the
High Cut Enhanced Combat Helmet. The Marine Corps is working with DLA
to establish a follow-on Sustainment Contract for the Enhanced Combat
Helmet, pending completion of the normal process of manufacturing and
first article testing.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
Question. The U.S. Marine Corps' OPF-L program has awarded
contracts, ostensibly for development and test, to three vendors for
systems with varying attributes and capabilities.
What is the Marine Corps' plan to incorporate loitering munitions,
lethal unmanned systems, ISR and EW platforms into tactical units?
Answer. The Marine Corps plans to incorporate these technologies
into its platoons and companies at the tactical level. For loitering
munitions, the Marine Corps' Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) is
the near-term focus providing infantry platoons and squads with anti-
personnel and anti-materiel precision effects at increased ranges. For
ISR, the Marine Corps is investing in a Family of Small Unmanned
Aircraft Systems (FoSUAS). These Group 1 and Group 2 systems, which
weigh fewer than 55 pounds, provide a variety of short, medium, and
long-range capabilities to squads, platoons, and companies. In
addition, the Marine Corps is developing and procuring modern, counter-
remote controlled IED/counter-UAS systems in multiple form factors
across the Fleet Marine Force. This includes pursuing dismounted, or
man-portable, counter-UAS systems and mounted systems, such as the
Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) that will support tactical
units.
Question. What is the roadmap for the Marine Corps' future use of
small unit lethal unmanned systems?
Answer. OPF-L is fully funded to provide the Marine Corps with a
non-developmental loitering munition capability for use at the squad
and platoon level by FY27. Future efforts will increase the range,
survivability, and effects of these systems for use at company and
battalion echelons.
Question. How is the Marine Corps incorporating loitering munitions
into distributed operations?
Answer. Organic Precision Fires (OPF) remains a priority effort and
is a critical element of Marine Corps modernization. OPF provides an
organic, loitering, beyond line-of-sight precision strike capability to
rapidly engage the enemy beyond the range of direct-fire weapons while
minimizing collateral damage and exposure to enemy direct and indirect
fires. Loitering munitions will be incorporated into infantry
battalions that will increasingly execute distributed operations in the
future.
Question. What is the Marine Corps' fielding plan for loitering
munitions?
Answer. The Marine Corps will begin fielding loitering munitions to
deploying infantry battalions in early FY27. The Marine Corps will
initially procure approximately 550 command and control (C2) systems
and 1,800 munitions.
Question. What is the planned ratio of loitering munitions to
unmanned ISR platforms within a given Platoon or Company?
Answer. Pairing of UAS and loitering munition capabilities will
occur at the squad through battalion echelons. The current plan is for
each Marine infantry company to possess 18 loitering munition systems
and 5-10 short, medium, and long range airborne RSTA systems.
Question. How would training for these platforms occur?
Answer. Since October 2023, the Marine Corps trains and produces
the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 7316, Small UAS Operator.
The 71-day Program of Instruction trains Marines on the Stalker VXE30,
R80D SkyRaider, and the RQ-20 Puma. Marines who are trained and
certified on these platforms are assigned to Marine Corps Infantry
units across the Fleet Marine Force (FMF).
An array of SUAS training and experimentation--in collaboration
with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Marine Corps Warfighting
Lab (MCWL) and Exercise Forces--are executed during Service Level
Training Exercises (SLTEs) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center
(MCAGCC) in 29 Palms. The following are a few recent examples:
--SUAS Dropper Experimentation--MCAGCC in collaboration with ONR and
1st Marine Division schools is testing a fragmentation grenade
dropper SUAS to develop control and risk management procedures
as well tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for the use
of SUAS delivered munitions for incorporation into future
training.
--Live Fire Shoot Counter SUAS training--During SLTE 2-24, 2d
Battalion 4th Marines tested the effectiveness of organic
Marine Corps weapons against SUAS at the culmination of their
Movement to Contact (MTC). Live fire conditions were evaluated
to enable refinement of TTPs against modern aerial threats.
--Counter SUAS experimentation with Electromagnetic Attack (EA)
Equipment--Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command's
(MAGTF-TC) Tactical Training & Exercise Control Group (TTECG)
in coordination with ONR employed EA equipment to gain lessons
learned on best practices to counter a variety of SUAS
platforms with organic Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities.
Question. How is the Marine Corps investing in ``swarming'' UAS
technologies?
Answer. The Marine Corps is actively investing in advanced swarming
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) technologies, emphasizing both the
hardware and software necessary to augment processing power for these
complex systems. Key focus areas include partnerships with national and
international bodies, development of cutting-edge software, and the
integration of tactical communication tools. Specifically, the Marine
Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) has partnered with the Irregular Warfare
Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD), Special Operations Command
(SOCOM), and Army Development Command (DEVCOM) to refine and utilize
emergent semi-autonomous swarming software for managing UAS for various
mission sets, including Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
(ISR), electronic surveillance, target localization, and Counter-UAS
operations.
The Marine Corps is also supporting the Australian Army's
Autonomous ISR program, one of the forefronts in reconnaissance
swarming technology. MCWL and Marine Forces Special Operations Command
(MARSOC) are developing a mobile UAS ``Hive'' system. This system,
designed for high technological readiness platforms, can be transported
via Ultra-Light Tactical Vehicles (ULTVs), small watercraft, and other
vehicles. The technology is intended to facilitate housing, powering,
and commanding various UAS, particularly those listed under the Defense
Innovation Unit's Blue UAS framework, providing a robust platform for
swarming operations.
Additionally, MCWL is leading continued development and
experimentation with the Radio Agile Integrated Device (RAID)-Plate.
This next-generation wearable command and control (C2) solution is
crucial for on-the-edge processing needs essential for AI, UAV control,
data fusion, and UxS autonomy, such as swarming. The RAID Plate is a
lightweight consolidated system that supports connectivity for up to
four radios and includes an NVIDIA Graphics Processing Unit (GPU),
enabling the high processing demands of swarming technologies.
Question. Does the Marine Corps intend to leverage production
readiness of lethal systems being procured by the Army's LASSO (Low
Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance) program?
Answer. The Marine Corps continues to maintain close coordination
with Navy, Army, and SOCOM organizations pursuing similar loitering
munitions capabilities. The Marine Corps' near-term focus is on
completing OPF-Light testing in FY25 to support procurement in FY26 and
fielding beginning in early FY27. The Army's Low Altitude Stalk and
Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program of record is for a larger loitering
munition capability, and it mirrors the Marine Corps' OPF-Medium
requirement. The Marine Corps will leverage other Service's OPF-Medium
testing and certification activities to eliminate duplicative efforts
across the Services. Upon their successes, the Marine Corps will
conduct limited delta testing for service specific requirements to
provide initial OPF-M capabilities to Marine Corps units as quickly as
possible.
SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS
Senator Tester. This Defense Subcommittee will reconvene on
Tuesday, April 30, at 10 a.m., maybe earlier if we can move it,
for a hearing with the Department of the Army. Army's up next.
We stand in recess. Thanks, folks.
[Whereupon, at 12 p.m., Tuesday, April 16, the subcommittee
was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 30.]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
----------
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2024
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met at 10:03 a.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Hon. Jon Tester (chairman) presiding.
Present: Senators Tester, Murray, Schatz, Baldwin, Shaheen,
Murphy, Coons, Collins, Murkowski, Graham, Moran, Hoeven,
Boozman, and Capito.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary of Defense
STATEMENT OF HON. LLOYD J. AUSTIN, III, SECRETARY
ACCOMPANIED BY HON. MICHAEL J. McCORD, UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
(COMPTROLLER)/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JON TESTER
Senator Tester. I want to call this hearing to order. Good
morning. I want to welcome our witnesses, Secretary Austin, and
General Brown. We appreciate you being with us here today.
General Brown, this is your first appearance before this
subcommittee in your position today. And I want to thank you
for your commitment and longstanding service to our Nation.
Secretary Austin, last year when you testified before this
committee, we discussed the danger of a potential Government
default. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and we were able
to come together in a bipartisan manner to avert a catastrophic
Government default and shutdown. But we have failed miserably
in getting the budget done on time.
Here we are, more than halfway through the fiscal year, and
you just got your budget, albeit, 6 months late. These repeated
delays will have real impact, and I hope you will illustrate
for us the impact of these late budgets, and constant
continuing resolutions.
We are meeting today to discuss DOD's $833.5 billion budget
request for the next fiscal year. This is a 1 percent increase
above last year's budget, and it is consistent with the budget
caps that were agreed to in the Bipartisan Fiscal
Responsibility Act.
On a side note, I will tell you this, Mr. Secretary, that
Ranking Member Collins and myself think we need a bigger
number. And the reason for that, and you know this better than
I, is because if we are going to invest in future technologies,
this number has to be bigger.
The military services and the combatant commands are
telling us they have unfunded requirements in excess of $20
billion. The price of fuel is much higher, our Military is
engaged in operations around the world, the National Security
Supplemental that Congress cleared just last month, some 8
months after the administration presented, addresses some of
those concerns. It includes important funds to support
Ukraine's continued fight against the Russians, buys new
weapons for our military services, replace those we have given
to the Ukrainians, supports Israel's air defense capability,
and provides much needed infusion of cash to pay for operations
in the Red Sea, that invests capabilities critical to deter
China.
Finally, passing the National Security Supplemental was an
important step forward, but that alone, will not help you or us
get the job done. Because of the bipartisan budget caps the
fiscal year 2025 budget request is roughly $10 billion below
what you had planned for last year at this time. We need to
understand what risks this lower budget creates for our
military personnel, our operations around the globe, and out
modernization efforts.
We have got to get a budget done so the men and women in
uniform, supported by civilians of Department of Defense, can
go about their business of keeping America safe.
I support the ongoing efforts of Senators Murray and
Collins to chart a path forward that will work, and will work
with anyone to get this job done.
Once again, thank you, gentlemen for being here. Thank you
for your testimony. But before you begin your opening remarks,
I want to recognize Susan Collins, Senator Collins, for her
opening statement.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR SUSAN M. COLLINS
Senator Collins. Thank you very much, Chairman Tester for
holding this very important hearing.
General Brown, as this is your first time testifying before
the subcommittee in your capacity as Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, let me join the Chairman in extending a
special welcome to you. I also want to thank both of our
witnesses, as well as the Comptroller, for your service and the
service of the men and women you represent.
I look forward to hearing from you how the President's
fiscal year 2025 budget request will affect the Department's
implementation of the 2022 National Defense Security Strategy,
the goals of which I largely support. We must be clear-eyed
that this budget request would represent a real cut in funding
for the Department of Defense as it fails to keep pace with
inflation. It proposes a defense funding increase of just 1
percent, $8.6 billion, relative to the current fiscal year.
That amount is well short of the $22.5 billion year-over-year
increase that the Department would need simply to cover
projected cost escalations related to fuel, military and
civilian pay, and medical care.
This is a nearly $14 billion shortfall. It means that the
President's request shifts funding away from modernization,
readiness, and procurement to cover these must-pay costs. If
the world were becoming safer, then perhaps such a reduction
could be absorbed with little risk to national security. But
unfortunately, that is not the world in which we live.
Russian President Putin continues his brutal bombardment in
Ukraine. Hamas refuses to return the remaining 133 hostages,
including five Americans, who have been held for 214 days since
Hamas' attack on Israel. Iran and its proxies continue to fan
the flames of violence throughout the Middle East, and China's
Military budget and Navy continue to grow, including a 7.2
percent increase in defense spending in the Chinese budget
compared to last year.
In the past few months, two of our combatant commanders
have told me that the threats we face today are the most
dangerous than any that they have seen at any time during their
careers. In addition, we see a resurgence of ISIS-K (Islamic
State Khorasan) and other terrorist groups that have caused the
FBI directors to say that it is ``blinking red'' in terms of a
potential terrorist attack on us, or our Western allies.
Indeed, we have seen terrorist attacks.
The proposed inventory divestments and cuts to ship vehicle
and aircraft procurement included in the President's budget
request would require us to incur excessive risk without there
being any discernible reduction in the threats facing our
country. The budget requests would result in the smallest Air
Force fleet in the Service's history. We would have the
smallest Army since the start of the All-Volunteer Force in
1973. Our Naval fleet of 290 ships is already smaller than
China's fleet of more than 370 ships.
Under this budget, the Navy's overall fleet would grow by
just one ship, a single ship, during the next 5e years, far
fewer than the 435 ships China will have. The technological
edge and high-end capabilities that we have enjoyed since the
end of the Cold War is also eroding. It is being directly
challenged by China and Russia.
On a more positive note, I want to commend you, Mr.
Secretary, and your teams, for efforts to make the Department
more innovative and in taking steps to strengthen the
industrial base.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not use this
opportunity to thank Chairman Tester and Chair Murray for
working with leader McConnell and me over the last several
months, indeed this entire subcommittee, to get the National
Security Supplemental across the finish line. These investments
will help to strengthen our own Military and Defense industrial
base while supporting key partners abroad.
From the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Southern Maine to the
Defense Finance Accounting Service facility in Northern Maine
along our Canadian border, and many places in between,
thousands of Mainers proudly support and contribute to our
Nation's defense.
Employees at Bath Iron Works, which builds naval
destroyers, and Pratt & Whitney, which manufactures military
jet engines, perform essential roles in support of our national
security; all of the men and women who serve our country,
whether in uniform or in the defense industrial base, or as a
civilian Federal employee; deserve a budget that supports them.
I look forward to hearing from our distinguished witnesses
today.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Collins.
First up, we will have Secretary Austin. Appreciate you
being here, Mr. Secretary. You have the floor.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF HON. LLOYD J. AUSTIN, III
Secretary Austin. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins,
and distinguished Members of the Committee, thanks for the
opportunity to testify in support of President Biden's proposed
fiscal year 2025 budget for the Department of Defense.
I am pleased to be joined by our outstanding Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown; and by Under
Secretary Mike McCord, the Department's Comptroller.
Let me start by thanking this committee for all that you do
to support the U.S. Military, our troops, and our military
families. As Secretary, I have always been guided by three
priorities: defending our Nation, taking care of our people,
and succeeding through teamwork. Our budget request for fiscal
year 2025 will advance all three of these priorities.
First, the President's request will invest in cutting-edge
capabilities across all domains. That includes $48.1 billion
for naval and shipbuilding capabilities, $61.2 billion to
reinforce U.S. air dominance, and $13 billion to bolster Army
and Marine Corps combat capabilities. Our request will also
provide $33.7 billion to strengthen our space architecture; and
$14.5 billion to develop and field advanced cybersecurity
tools.
It will direct $49.2 billion to modernize and recapitalize
all three legs of our nuclear triad, and it will sharpen our
tech edge through a $167.5 billion investment in procurement,
and $143.2 billion in R&D.
Second, this budget request will support our outstanding
troops and their families. That includes raising base pay and
housing allowances, investing in better housing, making
childcare more affordable, and funding vital work to prevent
sexual assault and suicide in the military. And third, this
request will help the Department further deepen our teamwork
worldwide.
Our network of allies and partners remains a strategic
advantage that no competitor can match, and you can see its
power in our strengthening ties across the Indo-Pacific, in
today's expanded and United NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization), and in the 50-country Ukraine Defense Contact
Group that I convened.
Our budget remains rooted in our 2022 National Defense
Strategy. Our request positions the United States to tackle the
Department's pacing challenge, the People's Republic of China,
with confidence and urgency. It will help meet the acute threat
of Putin's increasingly aggressive Russia. It will help us
tackle the persistent dangers from Iran and its proxies. It
will help us take on the threats from North Korea and global
terrorist organizations, and other malign actors, and it will
help us continue to deter aggression against the United States
and our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat, if
necessary.
Now today, I want to underscore three key messages. First,
even as our budget request abides by the mandatory cap set by
the Fiscal Responsibility Act, it is aligned to our strategy.
We made tough but responsible decisions that prioritize near-
term readiness, modernization of the Joint Force, and support
for our troops and their families. Our approach dials back some
near-term modernization for programs not set to come online
until the 2030s.
Second, we can only fully reach the goals of our strategy
with your help. I am grateful that Congress passed the fiscal
year 2024 Appropriations in March, and the single greatest way
that Congress can support the Department is to pass
predictable, sustained, and timely appropriations.
My third and final message is that the price of U.S.
leadership is real, but it is far lower than the price of U.S.
abdication. As the President has said, we are in a global
struggle between democracy and autocracy, and our security
relies on American strength of purpose----
[Interruption.]
Senator Tester. You may proceed.
Secretary Austin [continuing]. And our security relies on
American strength of purpose, and that is why our budget
request seeks to invest in American Security and in America's
defense industrial base. The same is true for the recently
passed National Security Supplemental that will support our
partners in Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, and make key
Investments to increase submarine production.
In fact, about $50 billion of this supplemental will flow
through our defense industrial base, creating good jobs in more
than 30 States. So we are grateful for our partners in Congress
who help us make the investments needed to strengthen America's
security, through both the supplemental and the President's
budget requests.
The United States military is the most lethal fighting
force on Earth, and with your help, we are going to keep it
that way.
I deeply appreciate your support for our mission and our
troops. And I look forward to your questions.
Thank you, Chairman.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lloyd J. Austin, III
Chairman Tester, Vice Chair Collins, distinguished members of the
Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of President
Biden's proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget for the Department of
Defense.
I am joined for the first time by our outstanding new Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown. I am also glad to be
back with Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Mike McCord. We are
grateful for the partnership of Congress and of this Committee in
sustaining the most formidable fighting force in history. We remain
deeply committed to our mission of keeping the United States secure in
a rapidly changing global security environment. Above all, we are
constantly mindful that our greatest strategic asset is our people--
especially the more than 2 million extraordinary active-duty, National
Guard, and Reserve Service members who step up every day to keep
America safe.
As always, we understand our duty to be the best possible stewards
of hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Our request for resources is rooted in
our strategy, even as it recognizes fiscal reality. For the third
straight year, the President's defense budget request builds on the
2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS). To responsibly and effectively
implement the NDS and tackle the complex challenges we face, the budget
hews to the performance-improvement initiatives that we established to
improve the Department's capabilities, organizations, and management
processes.
This budget request is consistent with the mandatory caps directed
by Congress under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, allocating
$849.8 billion for DoD programs and initiatives for the coming fiscal
year. Under these caps, we made difficult but responsible decisions
that focus on maintaining our readiness and taking care of our people.
I am confident that our budget request will continue to make the United
States more secure. It will continue to bolster our ability to defend
our country, paced to the growing, multi-domain challenge posed by an
increasingly aggressive People's Republic of China (PRC). It will
better prepare us to prevent strategic attacks against the United
States or our allies and partners. It will strengthen the unmatched
global network of alliances and partnerships that magnify our power and
deepen our security. It will expand our ability to deter aggression,
even while it prepares our forces to prevail in conflict if necessary.
And it will pave the way toward a more resilient joint force and
defense ecosystem, built for the security challenges of the 21st
century.
The NDS identifies the PRC as the Department's pacing challenge.
This budget request therefore focuses on the need to strengthen our
integrated deterrence and position the United States to prevail in
strategic competition with the PRC.
The budget request will also help us meet additional challenges we
face in today's shifting global security environment. The NDS singles
out President Vladimir Putin's increasingly aggressive Russia as an
acute threat. In February, Russia's unprovoked and indefensible full-
scale invasion of Ukraine entered its third grim year. The United
States has been the essential nation in rallying support for Ukraine's
fight against Putin's aggression and atrocities.
The NDS also highlights the persistent dangers posed by Iran,
global terrorist organizations, and other malign actors. Ever since
Hamas's vile terrorist assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, the United
States has steadfastly supported Israel's right to self-defense; worked
to prevent the conflict in Gaza from igniting new eruptions on Israel's
northern border; pushed to protect innocent Palestinian civilians and
get far more humanitarian aid into Gaza; and moved decisively to deter
Iran and its proxies from taking action that would escalate into a
broader regional conflict.
Above all, the NDS demands even deeper investments in the
Department's people, who remain the bedrock of America's security. We
rely on the service and the sacrifice of our troops and our civilian
workforce, and the President's budget request will dedicate the
resources, services, policies, and programs needed to faithfully
support them and their families.
Our commitment to maintaining enduring advantages for the United
States is reflected in the Department's requests for procurement and
for research and development--$167.5 billion and $143.2 billion,
respectively.
Provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act forced tough choices
related to further military modernization. The law's topline limitation
requires the Department to make targeted reductions to programs that
will deliver key capabilities in later years to preserve the joint
force's ability to fight and win in the near term. This approach
assumes some risk on mid- and long-term modernization efforts not
intended to be delivered until the 2030s, but achieving our strategy
will require making up for these funding delays with growth in future
years.
Meanwhile, I take seriously Congress's goal for the Department to
get a clean audit opinion by 2028. Americans should expect us to
account for our dollars and our inventory. That is why this budget will
continue to invest in the controls we put in place to ensure that we
spend taxpayer resources as intended by Congress. And it is why I
directed senior leaders to tie performance results to their
organizations' audit objectives.
Notwithstanding our efforts at responsible fiscal management, the
lack of timely enactment of full-year appropriations has seriously
hindered the Department's operations and planning. I am grateful for
congressional action to pass Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations, but when
we are forced to operate under continuing resolutions, at the previous
year's appropriations levels, the Department cannot start new
initiatives or increase the rate of production for many high-priority
programs. Stop-gap funding measures delay badly needed investments in
our military infrastructure, inflict unnecessary disruptions on our
Service members and their families, undermine our recruitment efforts,
and give an unnecessary boost to our strategic competitors.
The single greatest way that Congress can support the Department of
Defense and our troops is to pass predictable, adequate, sustained, and
timely appropriations.
Since my first day as Secretary of Defense, I have been guided by
three priorities: defending our Nation, taking care of our people, and
succeeding through teamwork. As detailed below, President Biden's FY
2025 budget request will advance all three of these overarching
priorities, providing the most lethal fighting force on Earth with the
means to defend the American people in turbulent times.
As Congress develops authorization and appropriations legislation
in the months ahead, I am grateful for your support of our budget
request and the mission and the people of the Department of Defense.
defending the nation
To tackle the evolving challenges and threats from the PRC, Russia,
Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and global
terrorist groups, as well as transnational challenges such as climate
change and pandemics, we must upgrade not just our weapons systems but
also our ability to quickly field new capabilities. Today's rapidly
shifting security environment demands that the Department ruthlessly
prioritize to strengthen our warfighting capabilities, build a skilled
and innovative defense workforce equipped for tomorrow's challenges,
and work together more powerfully with our indispensable allies and
partners.
Outpacing the PRC
As the NDS notes, an increasingly aggressive PRC is trying to shape
the global system to suit its authoritarian preferences. This is a
generational challenge, and the Department will continue to meet it. We
also seek a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region in which all
countries are free from coercion. The FY 2025 budget request will help
us realize that goal.
In FY 2025 and beyond, we will strengthen U.S. integrated
deterrence by advancing new operational concepts, investing in cutting-
edge capabilities across all domains, and deepening our cooperation
with our outstanding allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific. Across
the region, we are experimenting with new technologies to expand our
warfighting advantages and refine the way that we operate.
We have made historic improvements to our force posture in the
Indo-Pacific. Last year was the most transformative year in a
generation for U.S. force posture in Asia. In 2023, we made major
infrastructure improvements in airfields, logistics, and domain
awareness across the region.
Meanwhile, we are modernizing U.S. posture in Japan and have
deployed additional forces in Japan, Australia, Guam, and, on a
rotational basis, in the Philippines.
Through a $9.9 billion request for the Pacific Deterrence
Initiative, the Department continues to prioritize investments in our
activities and infrastructure to reinforce security and stability in
the Indo-Pacific region and bolster our advantages and those of our
allies and partners west of the International Date Line. With our
allies and partners, we will continue to increase the complexity and
the scale of our exercises, which will boost deterrence and enhance
interoperability. We also continue to staunchly support Taiwan's self-
defense, consistent with our longstanding policy anchored in the Taiwan
Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.
Answering the Acute Russian Threat
Putin's unprovoked and unjust 2022 invasion of Ukraine has taken a
harrowing toll on the Ukrainian people and threatened security in
Europe and beyond. Putin's war is a frontal assault on the hard-won,
post-World War II rules-based international order that has produced
decades of prosperity without great-power war. If Putin prevails in
Ukraine, it would embolden would-be aggressors everywhere. The world of
chaos and conquest that Putin seeks--one in which autocrats think they
can rewrite borders by force--would leave the United States far less
secure. The price of U.S. leadership remains far lower than the price
of U.S. abdication. There is no good reason to think that an emboldened
Putin would stop with Ukraine, which could mean unthinkably high costs
for the United States. This is not just about Ukraine's survival; it is
also about America's security.
The United States has therefore rallied a broad coalition of allies
and partners to support Ukraine's brave fight against Putin's war of
choice. The FY 2025 budget request will position the Department to
continue to oppose the Kremlin's aggression, while bolstering U.S.
force posture in Europe and reinforcing our allies and partners.
As Putin's forces continue their attacks against Ukraine's front
lines, cities, and civilians, support from Congress is more crucial
than ever--including the supplemental funding that Congress recently
approved. This supplemental will strengthen American security and save
Ukrainian lives; it will enable us to meet Ukraine's urgent self-
defense requirements, even as we maintain our own readiness and advance
our military modernization; and it will meet our commitments to our
partners in Israel and in the Indo-Pacific region. Moreover, because
the additional arms and ammunition provided to Ukraine will be produced
by our own defense industrial base, the supplemental will invest
billions of dollars in the U.S. economy, creating quality jobs for
Americans and increasing the resilience of our vital supply chains.
Thank you for securing those vital resources.
Persistent Security Threats
Other malign actors, including the DPRK, Iran, and global terrorist
organizations, continue to threaten the security of the United States
and our allies and partners. Russia has deepened its ties to Iran, the
DPRK, and the PRC--all of which seek new ways to undermine U.S.
interests across the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The FY
2025 budget request ensures that the United States is ready to deter
and respond to these persistent threats.
In the Middle East, the Department remains committed to Israel's
right to self-defense; to ensuring that Israel never has to endure
another assault like October 7th; to the swift return of all hostages
in Gaza, including American citizens; and to preventing the further
spread of conflict. At the same time, we continue to press Israel to
protect Palestinian civilians and to increase the flow of urgently
needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
The Department is also focused on Iran, whose nuclear ambitions,
dangerous proxies, support for terrorism, and threats to freedom of
navigation undermine regional security and threaten U.S. forces,
allies, and partners. Through investments including integrated air- and
missile-defense systems, maritime domain awareness, and counter-
uncrewed aerial systems, the FY 2025 budget request will help us
strengthen our partnerships in the region and preserve our ability to
deploy combat-credible forces when needed.
On the Korean Peninsula, we will continue to shore up peace and
security, despite the DPRK's ongoing provocations. With our allies in
the Republic of Korea and Japan, we are reinforcing our extended-
deterrence commitment and strengthening bilateral and trilateral
cooperation. That includes information sharing, joint exercises, new
missile-warning data-sharing systems, and increased U.S. rotations. The
FY 2025 budget request will ensure that U.S. forces in and around the
Korean Peninsula remain ready to respond to aggression by the DPRK.
Our ability to monitor and disrupt terrorist threats to our country
and our citizens has grown dramatically in the two decades since the
September 11, 2001, attacks by al-Qaeda. The FY 2025 budget request
will continue to sharpen our over-the-horizon counterterrorism
capabilities. The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS--now in its tenth
year, with 87 members-- is a lasting example of the value of working
with allies and partners toward our common counterterrorism goals.
Investing to Win Across All Domains
We continue to strengthen our capabilities across all domains of
potential conflict. To strengthen our sea power, this request includes
$48.1 billion for naval and shipbuilding capabilities to enhance and
modernize our fleet. The Navy's commitment to stable acquisitions
remains the foundation of a healthy shipbuilding base. The Department
plans to invest more than $9 billion over the next 5 years to improve
public repair yards through the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization
Plan.
We are also making a historic investment in our submarine
industrial base to develop supply chains, attract and retain skilled
workers, and ensure the on-time delivery of Columbia and Virginia Class
submarines. The FY 2025 budget request includes $4 billion for the
submarine industrial base, which follows the nearly $1.2 billion
requested in FY 2024 and $3.3 billion in the recently passed
supplemental funding bill. These investments account for existing
production capacity at our shipyards and represent an investment
strategy that will allow us to support both our domestic production
goals and our commitments under the AUKUS initiative. These investments
will enable the Navy to maintain undersea dominance, keep a strong
presence in key regions, respond effectively to emerging PRC threats,
and continue the transition to Distributed Maritime Operations.
The FY 2025 budget also requests $61.2 billion in key areas to
assure U.S. air dominance. This includes continued funding for the
modernization and sustainment of the F-35 and F-22 fleets, while
developing the next-generation fighters and autonomous collaborative
combat aircraft critical to maintaining superiority in the skies. Our
request also prioritizes long-range fires, including hypersonic
weapons; a modern air command-and-control framework; rapid global
mobility; and preeminent electromagnetic-warfare capabilities. To
further increase strategic deterrence, the FY 2025 budget request will
invest in the development, production, testing, and deployment of the
B-21 strategic bomber and the Long-Range Standoff Weapon, which will
enhance the Air Force's penetrating strike capability.
On land, the FY 2025 budget requests $13 billion to bolster Army
and Marine Corps combat capabilities. It will continue to strengthen
and modernize the Army's Organic Industrial Base, including
improvements to its arsenals, maintenance depots, and ammunition
facilities. It also invests in electromagnetic-warfare capabilities and
command-and-control systems, as well as air- and missile-defense
systems and land-based long-range fires. Additionally, the budget
request will invest in technology to counter small uncrewed aerial
systems, including sensors, a common operating picture, data libraries,
and both kinetic and non-kinetic mitigation capabilities. And once
again, we ask Congress to provide necessary flexibility for a portion
of this funding to enable the Department to rapidly respond to emergent
operational needs and evolving force protection requirements.
The FY 2025 budget request includes a $29.8 billion investment in
munitions, including procurement for critical weapons such as Maritime
Strike Tomahawk and Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles at or near maximum
production-capacity levels. The Department is committed to boosting the
variety and quantity of our air-, sea-, and ground-launched munition
inventories and to maintaining a consistent and predictable demand
signal for our industry partners.
Congressional support of the Department's previous requests for
multi-year procurement authority would help grow the advanced munitions
industrial base.
The FY 2025 budget request will support the Department's pursuit of
base-resilience and base- hardening initiatives to protect our forces
and installations from air and missile threats--and to recover quickly
if struck. This request will continue to strengthen our missile-defense
capabilities, including multiple new radars and launch systems for the
Guam Defense System.
We are also seeking resources to improve infrastructure for our
joint forces across the Indo- Pacific. We will increase the lethality
and the survivability of our Army and Marine deployments in the Indo-
Pacific by providing them with the capabilities they need to operate in
distributed and contested environments. For our Air Force, this budget
request will improve the resilience of our forward basing by funding
hardening and dispersion activities.
In the space domain, we will continue to invest in the systems and
the capabilities to build advantages over any competitor. The
Department will commit $33.7 billion to strengthen our space
architecture, including strategic and tactical missile warning and
tracking; communications; positioning, navigation, and timing; space
sensing; and the supporting ground architecture. The budget request
will also fund upgrades to our launch infrastructure to support more
government and commercial launches.
Beyond our cooperation with the American commercial space sector,
this budget request will also allow the Department to enhance our
engagement with our allies and partners in the space domain. Consistent
with the Space Strategic Review, these investments continue to focus on
deterring hostile uses of space and ensuring that the United States can
prevail should deterrence fail in this critical domain.
The FY 2025 budget request proposes an investment of $14.5 billion
in cybersecurity and other investments in cyberspace. This includes,
among other things, developing and fielding advanced cybersecurity
tools and techniques to protect our networks and critical
infrastructure; expanding data-centric and artificial intelligence
programs; upgrading our cyber-operations training platform; and
accelerating our use of cloud-based capabilities.
Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic--which killed more than 1.1 million
Americans--underscored the national-security risks from biological
threats. It is important, therefore, that in August 2023, the
Department released the Biodefense Posture Review. This foundational
document outlines key reforms to posture the Department to prevail in
the face of future threats, including from adversaries who seek to
disrupt U.S. military operations. Building on these reforms, the
President's FY 2025 budget request will further enhance our ability to
keep America safe from biological threats.
Innovating and Modernizing
A safe, secure, and effective U.S. nuclear deterrent is the
ultimate check on strategic attacks against our country and our allies.
The Department is committed to maintaining and modernizing all three
legs of the U.S. nuclear triad even as we remain ready to pursue arms-
control measures that enhance U.S. and allied security. The FY 2025
budget request includes an investment of $49.1 billion to fund our
nuclear enterprise and invest in U.S. nuclear command, control, and
communications. This budget request will enable the Department to
maintain our reliable and effective legacy systems while building and
fielding their replacements.
The replacement for the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad, the
Sentinel weapon system, remains one of the largest, most complex
programs within the Department. The Department notified Congress in
January that Sentinel had experienced a critical cost overrun, and we
are now reviewing the program, as required under the Nunn-McCurdy Act.
This robust review will be completed within 120 days after the
submission of the President's budget. The Department remains determined
to prevent gaps in capability as we modernize our intercontinental
ballistic missile fleet.
The Department also continues to invest in cutting-edge defense
capabilities, from uncrewed systems and smarter munitions to advanced
energetics and manufacturing. We are integrating human-machine teaming,
developing autonomous systems, and fielding reliable and resilient
networks and data. At the same time, we are taking steps to optimize
the practices and systems that are working best, while phasing out our
technical debt--those quick fixes that we know will be costly or
obsolete in the future. All this will make our operations faster, more
lethal, and more survivable for our forces, allies, and partners. As I
have repeatedly said, when we sharpen our tech edge, we expand our
military edge.
In this sustained period of record or near-record low unemployment,
the Department is finding new ways to develop and recruit the talent
that will help us maintain America's position as the global leader in
research and development. We are cultivating skilled scientists and
engineers through the Science, Mathematics, and Research for
Transformation scholarship-for-service program and other initiatives.
This budget request will also continue to pilot the Defense Civilian
Training Corps and civilian cyber-workforce-incentive programs to
strengthen skills in other critical fields such as acquisition, digital
technologies, Zero Trust, and cybersecurity.
We are also investing in research partnerships focused on critical
technologies with our allies and partners. Our unparalleled network of
alliances and partnerships is key for technological development, co-
investment in combined capabilities, and production capacity.
The Department continues to vigorously develop and test advanced
weapons prototypes. The FY 2025 budget request will foster the
development of several hypersonic weapons programs, prioritizing
surface-launched boost-glide capabilities and air-launched cruise
missiles. Also in FY 2025, the Army will field its third Medium-Range
Capability battery and its second Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon battery.
Our budget request will also invest in further improvements to our
subsonic cruise missiles to keep them effective against rapidly
evolving threats and targets.
To sustain U.S. technological superiority for the future force, the
public and private sectors must work even more closely together. The FY
2025 budget will advance the work of the Defense Innovation Unit, which
is working with venture-capital firms and tech innovators who are often
doing business with the Department for the first time. By building
bridges with private industry, we can acquire commercial technologies
that will deliver game-changing capabilities at speed and scale. In
2022, I established the Office of Strategic Capital to provide the
Department with new, loan-based tools to catalyze private investment in
domestic production and manufacturing of the crucial technology supply
base, at limited cost to the Department and the taxpayer. The recent
passage of the FY 2024 appropriations bill will empower this new office
to help attract and scale private capital to invest in the critical
technology components that underpin our most important weapons systems.
We also continue to invest in programs to test and scale emerging
technologies, such as the Strategic Capabilities Office, the Rapid
Defense Experimentation Reserve, and the Accelerate the Procurement and
Fielding of Innovative Technologies program.
Additionally, the Department will continue to work with Congress to
tackle emerging concerns through the new Replicator initiative to
accelerate capabilities from prototype to scale. The Department is
currently focused on producing thousands of attritable autonomous
systems over the next 18 to 24 months, creating a repeatable process
that will enable the rapid delivery of future capabilities.
To improve the speed, quality, and accuracy with which commanders
make decisions, we are actively pursuing the Combined Joint All Domain
Command and Control capability, which seeks to integrate and deploy
information across all domains and the electromagnetic spectrum. As
Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks recently announced, the Department has
delivered its initial iteration of this capability, an important step
in scaling it across the joint force. The FY 2025 budget request will
help the United States maintain our edge in command and control across
all domains, as the pace and amount of information in warfare
increases.
Improving Our Resilience
As the NDS warns, the climate crisis is reshaping the Department's
strategic environment and threatening U.S., allied, and partner
interests. Climate change is placing new demands on the joint force and
challenging our readiness. Extreme weather events have inflicted
billions of dollars of damage on DoD installations and assets. And in
places such as the Arctic, climate change is creating new potential
points of friction.
By working with allies and partners to enhance climate resilience,
we strengthen our defense relationships and bolster our ability to
respond to instability and humanitarian emergencies. Meanwhile, by
reducing the operational energy demand of our platforms, we can act
more nimbly and freely in contested logistics environments and sustain
distributed operations.
This budget request will invest in enhancements to our operational
capabilities, mission resilience, and readiness. This includes programs
that reduce or avoid the risk of energy and water supply disruptions to
military facilities--whether caused by extreme weather, cyber
operations, or kinetic attack. The budget request also includes funding
to improve the energy efficiency of combat operations and platforms, to
enhance the joint force's agility, and to reduce logistics risk in
contested environments like the Indo-Pacific region. Throughout, our
focus is on maximizing our operational advantages--and, when necessary,
preparing to fight and win under any conditions.
taking care of our people
Doing right by our people is a readiness imperative. This budget
request therefore will enable the Department to invest in significant
additional quality-of-life improvements, military pay raises, and
benefits for our outstanding Service members and their families.
Furthermore, it helps to implement historic military-justice reforms,
counter the scourge of sexual assault, build positive command climates,
and deepen our efforts to prevent suicide in our ranks.
Strengthening Support to Service Members and Families
Our Service members and their families deserve competitive
compensation packages that make the Department an employer of choice.
After troops received a basic-pay increase of 5.2 percent in 2024--the
largest in more than 20 years--the FY 2025 budget request will support
a 4.5 percent pay raise in the coming year. At the President's
directive, we will continue to examine compensation through the
Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation.
The places where we work and live affect our people's ability to
carry out their missions and the overall recruitment and retention of
the force. The FY 2025 budget request will build on recent investments
in construction, maintenance, cleanup, and conservation, including $2
billion for family housing construction and operations and more than $1
billion in military construction for unaccompanied housing. This
continued investment reflects the commitment in our ``Resilient and
Healthy Defense Communities'' strategy to ensure that our people live,
work, and train in healthy, functional, and resilient spaces.
The FY 2025 budget request will provide additional economic support
to our Service members and families across a range of programs. The
Department is making childcare more accessible and affordable, and we
are expanding the availability of childcare-fee assistance through the
Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood PLUS initiative. Additionally,
in 2023, the Department established the opportunity for Service members
and their families to contribute to dependent-care flexible spending
accounts, which make the costs of childcare and other forms of care for
family members easier to bear. I have also taken direct action to
reduce commissary prices and to increase opportunities for our military
spouses to excel in their own careers.
With thanks to Congress, the Department has implemented expanded
parental-leave benefits for our Service members. New parents now
receive 12 weeks of paid, non-chargeable leave, whether they become
parents by birth, adoption, or long-term foster care. And when a
Service member suffers the tragedy of the death of a spouse or child,
DoD has implemented a bereavement leave benefit that Congress provided,
which allows Service members who have not yet accrued significant
annual-leave balances to take up to 14 days of non-chargeable leave in
these times of grief.
Protecting Our Teammates and Ensuring Accountability
As I said on my first full day in office, sexual assault in the
military is a scourge, and ending it is a leadership issue. Every
member of the force deserves a workplace free of sexual assault, sexual
harassment, and personal fear, which erode cohesion and trust within
our units. The FY 2025 budget request will ensure that the Department
will have the capabilities, the programs, and the integrated prevention
workforce needed to implement the recommendations I approved from the
2021 Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military.
The Department also recently reached a milestone in strengthening
accountability and increasing Service members' trust in the fairness
and integrity of the military justice system. In December 2023, the
Offices of Special Trial Counsel within the Military Departments
reached full operational capability, shifting prosecutorial discretion
for 13 serious criminal offenses away from commanders to specially
trained and independent judge advocates who report directly to the
Secretaries of the Military Departments. This landmark change to the
U.S. military justice system significantly strengthens the independent
prosecution of sexual assault and other serious criminal offenses, such
as domestic abuse and child abuse and neglect. It is the most important
reform to our military justice system since the creation of the Uniform
Code of Military Justice in 1950, and I am grateful to Congress for
passing this important law.
The Department also remains laser-focused on preventing suicide in
our ranks, and we are committed to implementing enabling actions
informed by the work of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent
Review Committee. In September 2023, I announced a comprehensive
suicide-prevention campaign plan implementing more than 80 actions,
including steps to improve suicide-prevention training, reduce the
stigma associated with seeking help, expand access to support services,
and promote the safe storage of guns and potentially dangerous
medications.
Addressing the Recruiting Challenge and Growing Our Talent
The Department of Defense must recruit and retain the best of
America, building pathways of opportunity for all qualified patriots
who seek to serve. Many factors can affect recruiting, including a
competitive economy, shifting attitudes toward institutions, limited
familiarity with the military, and the aftermath of the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars. To push past the headwinds in meeting the recruiting
mission, we must clearly convey the full range of opportunities and
benefits offered by military service. Recent legislation and ongoing
activities by the Services are opening pathways for recruiters to reach
more young people while upholding our standards.
Amid today's challenging recruiting environment, retention remains
high. The Department has moved effectively to incentivize members to
remain in the military, to strive for promotion and increased
responsibility, and to enhance their skills and abilities. This budget
request envisions additional ways to tap into the full range of talent
across America.
The FY 2025 budget request will also support a properly sized,
highly capable civilian workforce aligned to the Department's mission
and workload. The Department will continue to work to make the best
possible use of our deeply dedicated people, including our troops, our
civilian workers, and our contractors.
The Department continues to provide exceptional opportunities for
service and professional development. This means attracting more
personnel with technological skills, foreign-language abilities, or
other talents. We are investing in training and education, as well as
creating scholarships for science, technology, engineering, and math.
The Department is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing
the best talent in America, especially rising stars with expertise on
emerging technologies and cutting-edge capabilities such as AI, data
analytics, digital modernization, and cyber operations.
succeeding through teamwork
Our long-term security and success demand teamwork--across the
Department and beyond. That means working closely and effectively with
our interagency colleagues, Congress, industry, and our peerless
network of allies and partners worldwide. The FY 2025 budget request
will enable the Department to deepen our cooperation with the allies
and partners who magnify our power and advance our shared security
interests.
The NDS is rooted in the immutable military reality that
strengthening our work with allies and partners deepens our common
security and lets us share the burden of forging a safer and more
prosperous world. For example, the Defense Security Cooperation Service
that I established in May 2023 will improve the way the Department
trains, organizes, and equips itself for security cooperation, which in
turn will let us more swiftly and effectively deliver capabilities to
our allies and partners. This budget request will support the initial
phases of the establishment of this service, which will put our
Embassy-based Security Cooperation personnel on par with those in the
Defense Attache Service.
The AUKUS Partnership
I am grateful to Congress for its support of the historic AUKUS
partnership, including passing legislation to allow for more seamless
defense innovation and trade with two of our closest allies, Australia
and the United Kingdom. The FY 2025 budget request will support the
AUKUS initiative to forge a more secure balance of power in the Indo-
Pacific region. Our three proud democracies are jointly tackling the
threats of the 21st century, building on our proud work together in the
20th century.
Last year, the President announced our plans for the first major
initiative of AUKUS: providing Australia with a conventionally armed,
nuclear-powered submarine. The phased approach to that initiative will
allow us to provide this capability on the fastest possible timeline,
while strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime. The first
phase of that initiative is on track: the first Australian submariners
have graduated from our nuclear-power school; two of our submarines
have conducted port visits in western Australia; and Australian workers
are building their skills alongside Americans in our ports in Hawaii
and Guam. In December 2023, I hosted my U.K. and Australian
counterparts at the Defense Innovation Unit in Silicon Valley, where we
committed to seeking even greater innovation and interoperability among
our defense industries. This AUKUS initiative will deepen trilateral
cooperation in several areas, including artificial intelligence and
autonomy, quantum technologies, cyber capabilities, hypersonics, and
more.
We are also expanding our bilateral defense and security
cooperation with Australia, particularly on force posture and
capabilities development. In 2023, our two governments entered into an
arrangement to collaborate on a flexible guided weapons production and
maintenance capability to be located in Australia.
Allies and Partners in the Indo-Pacific
Our network of allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific is deep,
wide, strong, and committed to a shared vision of peace, prosperity,
stability, and deterrence. The FY 2025 budget request will ensure that
the United States can continue to strengthen these key alliances and
partnerships.
To deter the threat that the DPRK's nuclear weapons and ballistic-
missile programs pose to the American homeland, we have increased
rotations of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula and returned to
large-scale, combined, live-fire exercises with the Republic of Korea.
We are working closely with our Japanese allies to forward-deploy
more versatile and resilient U.S. capabilities, to enhance Japan's
counterstrike capabilities, and to modernize our alliance's command and
control.
We are modernizing the U.S.-Philippines alliance by enhancing
maritime cooperation, strengthening Philippine capabilities, and
improving interoperability and information sharing. Under the Enhanced
Defense Cooperation Agreement, we have expanded our rotational presence
to four new strategic locations in the Philippines. These steps
underscore our unwavering commitment to our Mutual Defense Treaty with
our allies in the Philippines.
Our annual Cobra Gold exercise with Thailand helps strengthen
relationships among participating regional partners. Last year's
exercise saw the largest U.S. contingent in a decade, as well as the
participation of dozens of other countries, in a welcome return to pre-
pandemic levels.
With this budget request, we are beginning a new chapter in U.S.-
India relations, under our Major Defense Partnership. Our militaries
are accelerating joint exercises, information-sharing, and other
operational activities to boost maritime security in the Indian Ocean.
By bolstering the Indian military's capabilities, we can work together
to uphold a more stable balance of power across the wider Indo-Pacific.
We are committed to ensuring that the growing U.S.-India partnership
supports the efforts of our broader network of allies and partners,
especially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among Australia, India,
Japan, and the United States.
The FY 2025 budget request will also enable the Department to
remain engaged across the Pacific Islands region, in alignment with our
Indo-Pacific strategy. That includes building on the Defense
Cooperation Agreement that we secured last year with Papua New Guinea,
as well as increased security cooperation and closer bonds with the
Freely Associated States--Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau.
Strong multilateral cooperation, including with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), underpins all these efforts to foster
a free and open Indo-Pacific. As I have said, the Indo-Pacific remains
our center of strategic gravity.
European Security and Support to Ukraine
The United States continues to work closely with our allies and
partners to support Ukraine's fight for freedom. The engine of our
efforts is the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the coalition of some 50
countries that I regularly convene to meet Ukraine's immediate
battlefield needs and support its long-term security and sovereignty.
Members of the Contact Group have organized new, multinational
``capability coalitions,'' focused on supporting such areas as
Ukraine's air force, integrated air and missile defense, artillery,
maritime security, armor, information technology, de-mining, and
drones.
Putin's war of choice poses the largest threat to European security
since the height of the Cold War, and NATO is more united than ever.
The greatest alliance in history has gained two more highly capable
defense partners with the recent accession of Finland and Sweden, and
the United States has moved urgently with our allies to further fortify
NATO and bolster its defenses on its eastern flank.
Allies are also increasing investments in their own militaries at
levels not seen since the end of the Cold War. More allies than ever
are meeting their pledges to invest at least 2 percent of their GDP in
defense--including, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has
noted, a real increase of 11 percent in defense spending in 2023 across
our European and Canadian allies. This is historic progress, and we
will continue to encourage further investments and urge every member of
NATO to meet its obligations under the Defense Investment Pledge.
Our commitment to Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty remains
ironclad. We will not be dragged into Russia's war of choice, but we
will stand with Ukraine as it fights to defend itself, and we will
continue to strengthen NATO's collective defense and deterrence. We
cannot have a secure America without a strong NATO.
The Kremlin's war poses a direct threat to security in Europe and
beyond. The world will only become more dangerous if Putin and his
fellow autocrats conclude that they can wipe democracies off the map
and force free people to live in fear. So we will continue to support
Ukraine's brave defenders--both because it is the right thing to do and
because it is central to America's continued security.
Investing in America's Defense Industrial Base
The United States needs an adaptive, resilient, and robust defense
industrial base to meet its 21st- century defense challenges. Today,
our defense industrial base still relies heavily on foreign production
and vulnerable supply chains. Providing military capabilities at the
speed and scale necessary to maintain our competitive advantage--
without relying on competitors for capital, technology, or raw
materials--will require cooperation and investment from both the
private and public sectors to build a modern defense industrial base.
In January, the Department published the National Defense
Industrial Strategy, which will guide DoD actions--in partnership with
industry and our allies--to meet the production demands posed by
evolving threats. This budget request will shore up critical domestic
and allied supply chains for sectors such as microelectronics, casting
and forging, and batteries and energy storage. It will also help secure
upstream supplies of rare earth elements essential to U.S. economic and
national security, including by supporting programs to boost innovative
manufacturing methods, the use of alternate materials, and strategic
stockpiling.
The budget request also outlines investments to revitalize our
submarine industrial base. That will create good American jobs, grow
our manufacturing capacity, and strengthen our submarine supply chains.
When we invest in America's defense industrial base, we do not just
strengthen our national security; we also boost our economy. The
defense sector can catalyze innovation, create jobs, and make
technological advances. Our relationships with industry can strengthen
America's defense even as they sustain America's economic growth.
Such progress relies on a fully funded defense budget. Dependence
on short-term funding measures damages our ability to invest in our
defense industrial base. Under continuing resolutions, critical
national-security programs are delayed or put on hold, and the fiscal
uncertainty destabilizes the U.S. economy. The only clear path for the
United States to maintain our global strength and continue to outpace
our rivals is for our valued partners in Congress to provide full-year
appropriations. Building on Congress's meaningful investments over the
past 3 years, the Department is committed to working with Congress to
ensure that our industrial base can continue to meet the needs of our
warfighters--and ensure continued security for the United States.
conclusion
As the President has noted, we stand at ``an inflection point in
world history.'' Amid a global battle between democracy and autocracy,
our friends, our rivals, and our foes are all looking to America. Our
security in these turbulent times relies on American strength of
purpose. We remain determined to meet this moment.
The FY 2025 budget request will ensure that the Department will be
able to continue building the most lethal, resilient, and responsive
military on Earth. We hope that our valued partners in Congress will
help us make the critical, targeted investments to strengthen America's
security in this time of historic challenge. To that end, the single
best thing that Congress can do to strengthen our national defense is
to pass a full-year appropriation. Our competitors do not have to
operate under continuing resolutions. When the Department does, it
erodes both our country's security and our ability to compete--today
and in the future.
We make this request mindful of the need to be faithful stewards of
taxpayer dollars. The American public, including of course our
extraordinary troops and veterans, should never expect anything less.
Finally, I want to thank our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines,
and Guardians; their families, caregivers, and survivors; and our
civilian employees. They are our greatest strategic asset--and they
never waver in their drive to make our union more perfect, our country
more secure, and our world more just.
Thank you.
Senator Tester. Secretary Austin, thank you for your
testimony.
Next, we will have General Brown. General Brown, you have
the floor.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL CHARLES Q. BROWN, JR., CHAIRMAN OF
THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
General Brown. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and
distinguished Members of the Committee, I am honored to join
Secretary Austin and the Honorable Mike McCord to appear before
you today.
On behalf of the Joint Force, the Department of Defense,
civilians, and our families, I want to thank Congress for your
steadfast support and the opportunity to testify on the fiscal
year 2025 Defense budget request, which reflects our shared
commitment to national security. I also want to thank you for
passing the National Security Supplemental, which provides
vital support to our allies, partners, and our defense
industrial base, to counter aggression and strengthen our Joint
Force capabilities and capacity in preparation for any future
contingency.
The global security environment is increasingly complex.
The 2022 National Defense Strategy identifies five key
challenges: the People's Republic of China, our pacing
challenge, continues its risky behavior around the globe. A
newly aggressive Russia with its unprovoked war against
Ukraine; a reckless Iran, who we saw a few weeks ago attempts
to escalate regional conflict with unprecedented attacks and
support of proxy forces; the destabilizing North Korea, which
threatens regional security; and violent extremist
organizations, which leverage instability to advance their
cause.
These challenges are interconnected, which demands a
strategic approach addressing the immediate threats while also
preparing for future contingencies. It requires all of us to
operate with a sense of urgency. Days after becoming the
Chairman, I laid out three expectations in my message to the
Joint Force: honing our warfighting skills have primacy in all
we do; modernizing and aggressively leading with new concepts,
and approaches; and trust is the foundation of our profession.
Our military exists to fight and win our Nation's wars. We
train every day to ensure we are so good at what we do that we
deter any adversary from engaging the U.S. in conflict. This
budget requests $147 billion to sustain readiness and ensure
the Department can counter near-term threats. We also focus on
better integrating our allies and partners in our planning and
operations by investing in critical programs and capability,
expanding security cooperation, exercises, training, and
interoperability.
Our investments in readiness ensure the Joint Force can
respond when the Nation calls. While we are focused on our
readiness for today, it is critical to modernize and lead with
new concepts to prepare for tomorrow. The Department continues
to invest in capability and capacity to outpace our competitors
while transforming from costly legacy platforms that are no
longer relevant to the threat.
This budget strategically invests $167.5 billion in
procurement, underscoring our commitment to equip the Joint
Force with unparalleled combat capabilities across every
domain. This budget also invests $143.2 billion in research,
development, tests, and evaluation of future capabilities that
will retain our strategic edge.
This budget invests significantly into nuclear
modernization, digital innovation, multiyear procurement of
critical munitions, and the strengthened defense industrial
base. With rapidly evolving threats in technology, accelerating
our modernization is crucial.
Lastly, trust is the foundation of our profession. Joint
Force must uphold--must build upon, and uphold the trust in
each other, trust of our families, trust of our elected
leaders, and trust of our Nation. Enhancing the quality of
service and the quality life of our personnel is not just a
moral obligation; it is a strategic imperative. The budget
includes investments in quality of service efforts such as
advanced training, educational benefits, and career
development, while also investing in quality life projects like
housing, medical clinics, and child care facilities, as well as
funding spouse employment initiatives, enhanced mental health
resources, and robust programs to combat sexual assault.
We must create an environment where all can reach their
full potential. Trust that our Joint Force stands ready, ready
to defend our national interests, ready to deter aggression,
and ready, if necessary, to fight and win our Nation's wars.
I thank you for your support and collaboration in our
shared commitment to face the security challenges of today and
prepare for tomorrow. We are living in consequential times, and
there is no time to waste.
Thank you. And I look forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of General Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
overview
I am honored to represent our dedicated Joint Force, Department of
Defense civilians, and their families who are focused on ensuring and
supporting our national security. I thank Congress for your support and
collective commitment to addressing our most pressing national security
challenges. The Joint Force acknowledges and appreciates the diligent
efforts of our Congressional members in securing the vital resources
necessary to train, equip, and maintain our readiness, while also
modernizing to prepare for the future.
The President's $849.8 billion defense budget for Fiscal Year (FY)
2025 reflects our shared commitment to facing today's security
challenges head-on, while also laying the groundwork to confront the
uncertainties of tomorrow. This budget includes targeted program
reductions to meet funding levels approved by Congress under the Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 2023. Under these caps, this budget prioritizes
Joint Force readiness and taking care of our people while reducing
programs that will deliver future combat capability in the 2030s.
The 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) identifies the evolving
security challenges that the Department must address to safeguard our
national interests. Implementing the NDS requires the Joint Force
address these challenges while simultaneously accelerating
modernization to maintain our strategic advantages. This budget
resources our strategy and enables the Joint Force to invest in
capabilities to remain the most capable military force in the world for
decades to come. The NDS articulates four key priorities essential to
our national security:
--Defending the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat
posed by the People's Republic of China (PRC)
--Deterring strategic attacks against the United States, Allies, and
partners
--Deterring aggression, while being prepared to prevail in conflict
when necessary
--Building a resilient Joint Force and defense ecosystem
The NDS makes it clear that the PRC remains our pacing challenge
and ``our most consequential strategic competitor for the coming
decades.'' The PRC is the only state with the intent as well as the
economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to reshape its
region and the global order. The Joint Force will focus efforts on
addressing our pacing challenge while simultaneously preparing for and
responding to the acute Russian threat and the challenges posed by
North Korea, Iran, and Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs).
This budget is threat-informed and built to ensure that our
strategic planning, resource distribution, and capability development
are responsive to current challenges as well as future threats. Through
aligning this budget with the strategic and operational landscape, the
Joint Force is postured to remain versatile, resilient, and capable to
protect the American people, our prosperity, and our way of life.
Each branch and component of our Armed Forces plays a pivotal role
in supporting and upholding these priorities. The connections from this
budget request to the NDS, National Military Strategy (NMS), and the
Joint Warfighting Concept (JWC) are clear and deliberate. The JWC,
informed by the current threat environment, has linkages to our
resource allocation and requirement planning processes.
The current strategic environment requires that our force continue
to advance and adapt to the changing character of war. We must always
be prepared to fight and win our Nation's next war. Our current
strategic advantage gives us confidence against any adversary. We must
continue to strengthen our national security and our warfighting
advantage because our competitors and adversaries have not stopped
advancing their capabilities.
I am confident in our Joint Force. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen,
Marines, Guardians, and civilian teammates form the most capable
fighting force in the world--bar none. In my 2 October 2023, Message to
the Joint Force, I articulated my expectations for the Joint Force:
--Honing our warfighting skill has primacy in all we do
--Modernizing and aggressively leading with new concepts and
approaches
--Trust is the foundation of our profession
The Joint Force can only remain the world's most capable force if
it is supported by the necessary resources to organize, train, equip,
exercise, and employ the Total Force. We can only accomplish our
mission and maintain our advantage with stable, predictable, and timely
budgets. By passing an on-time budget, Congress enables the Department
to execute our strategy with a full-year appropriation. We are
challenged to implement our strategy and stay ahead of our pacing
challenge when we are not resourced with an on-time full-year
appropriation and funding is delayed due to another Continuing
Resolution.
Our service members and their families sacrifice for our Nation and
we owe them the tools they need to be successful in a dynamic, evolving
strategic environment.
strategic environment
The global security environment is extremely complex. The
international order and its principles of sovereignty, democracy, and
rule of law have underpinned global security for almost 80 years.
Today, this system is under threat. The NDS identifies five key
challenges that threaten U.S. national interests and our way of life:
the PRC, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and VEOs. All five of these
challenges are currently active at the same time and in some cases
working together.
I have served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for more
than 6 months and during this time, each of our NDS challenges have
confronted our defense and security goals. The PRC continues to
undertake coercive and risky military behavior in the South China Sea,
across the Indo-Pacific, and around the globe. Russia's unprovoked war
of aggression in Ukraine has entered its third year seeking to
overthrow a sovereign neighbor that posed no threat. Iran sponsors and
supports militia groups and terrorist activity threatening regional
stability and U.S. forces. North Korea continues to test ballistic
missiles and technology while also transferring ballistic missiles to
Russia in direct violation of multiple United Nations Security Council
resolutions. VEO activities around the globe spread violence, sow
terror, and cause unnecessary suffering. These actors work to exploit
perceived gaps in U.S. military might, seeking to expand their
influence and challenge the global order.
Today's current global strategic environment requires the Joint
Force to both address the pacing challenge of the PRC and focus efforts
on the rest of the globe. We can and will do both.
People's Republic of China: The PRC's increasingly aggressive
military actions in the South China Sea; actions to assist Russia,
North Korea, and Iran; and increasing economic influence around the
globe threaten to destabilize the global security environment. The PRC
continues to expand military capabilities across multiple domains. We
are entering a decisive decade where the PRC is challenging the future
of the international order and the United's States' place in the world.
Though the Joint Force focuses on being ready for conflict, our
goal is to deter and stay in competition. On 21 December 2023, I held a
video teleconference with my PRC counterpart to discuss the importance
of responsibly managing competition and avoiding miscalculations.
Communication lines have reopened with the PRC across various levels
across the U.S. Government, engaging in substantive dialogue which can
reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and inadvertent escalations.
Russia: Russia's war in Ukraine not only threatens European
stability but also aims to undermine the global order to benefit its
interests. The international community's support for Ukraine has been
pivotal, emphasizing the global commitment to sovereignty and deterring
future aggression around the world. Russia's focus on expanding and
modernizing its nuclear arsenal further complicates the global security
dynamic.
North Korea: North Korea's advancing nuclear program threatens U.S.
interests and regional stability. Its ongoing and increasingly
aggressive ballistic missile research and testing represent a threat to
our homeland and to our Allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Additionally, recent information has indicated that North Korea
provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and ballistic
missiles, which is a notable and concerning escalation in North Korean
support for Russia.
Iran: Iran-backed militia groups have used the HAMAS terrorist
attacks of 7 October 2023 to increase attacks on U.S. forces in Syria,
Iraq, the Red Sea, and across the region. Iran's support for and
involvement in these attacks contributes to larger regional
instability.
Additionally, Iranian aid has enabled the Houthis to initiate a
campaign of missile attacks, since November 2023, against commercial
ships in the Red Sea. Iran is also taking actions to improve its
missile forces and continues to retain programs that would enable
nuclear weapon production. Finally, Iran provides support to Russia's
aggression and continues to operate across the gray zone with coercive
and malign activities.
Violent Extremist Organizations: Against the backdrop of these
state actors, VEOs continue to sow terror and instability, with recent
escalations further threatening regional peace. On 7 October 2023,
HAMAS conducted a heinous and brutal attack on the people of Israel.
The U.S. remains committed to supporting Israel's right to defend
itself while actions to protect and provide humanitarian aid to the
civilians in Gaza must increase. The threat landscape is further
complicated by transnational extremist organizations such as ISIS, Al
Qaeda, and others across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Indo-
Pacific. Despite experiencing significant setbacks, these groups
persist in their violent campaigns, leveraging instability to expand
their presence, manipulate populations, and disseminate radical
ideologies.
The interconnectedness of these challenges necessitates a strategic
approach that addresses the immediate threats while also preparing for
future contingencies. The U.S. and its Allies must navigate this
complex environment with a combination of military readiness,
diplomatic engagement, and a commitment to the principles that have
historically underpinned global order.
warfighting
Our military exists to fight and win our Nation's wars. That is why
I'm adamant, honing our warfighting skill has primacy in all we do. We
train and prepare every day to ensure we are so good at what we do,
that we deter any adversary from engaging the U.S. in conflict. The FY
2025 budget will enable our force to train across the full spectrum of
operations at varied levels of scope, scale, and complexity. The Joint
Force works to implement the NDS through campaigning by linking
together training, exercises, and activities to reach our defined
objectives. This budget enables the necessary investments to carry out
our Joint Force's crucial work and to do so with tactical and technical
proficiency.
First and foremost, our service members are expected to master the
warfighting skills of their individual service. Our service members
must focus on being an adversary's worst nightmare in a fight. As the
tactical expert in each domain of warfare, our service members are then
required to integrate individual mission areas into a cohesive fighting
force. With the changing character of war, future conflicts will be
fought across all warfighting domains--land, sea, air, space, and
information. Therefore, eliminating gaps and seams in Joint Force
readiness will be a priority. This requires proper resourcing for
training aides, employment ranges, and equipment to be able to practice
like we fight across events from daily training evolutions to fully
integrated high fidelity international exercises. This budget requests
$147 billion to sustain readiness and ensure the Department can counter
near-term threats and prevail in long-term strategic competition.
In addition, any future armed conflict will be fought alongside
Allies and partners, necessitating our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen,
Marines, and Guardians be able to integrate across the joint and
combined force. My expectation is that America's service members are
able to execute tactically while also understanding the larger
operational context and geostrategic environment in which they operate.
Finally, our service members understand that the United States
military is only one component of our whole of government efforts to
support and protect our interests in the global order. The U.S. must
act with one end goal in mind and holistically bring together all our
elements of national power.
Allies and Partners: The United States has an incredible network of
Allies and partners with whom we integrate to achieve our security
objectives. We can better leverage their contributions and capabilities
by building them into our plans from the beginning. We cannot expect
success when we focus on building U.S.-only capability and then adding
on Allies and partners at the end. We must start at the beginning with
the end in mind and account for our Allies and partners earlier in our
planning, requirement, and acquisition processes. The FY 2025 budget
will enable the Joint Force to plan, train, and exercise alongside our
Allies and partners worldwide. It will also enable further research,
development, and testing for joint capabilities and the integration of
partner capabilities to collectively address global security
challenges. Our Allies and partners are a powerful force multiplier and
are crucial for our continued security.
Working together as a combined force enhances our capabilities
immensely, demonstrated by the collective effort of Allies and partners
around the world in delivering more than $88 billion in security
assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022. This security
assistance has not only supported Ukraine, but it has also reaffirmed
our resolve to work with our Allies and partners around the world as
closely as ever. We have strengthened NATO, enhanced and recommitted
our support to Israel and Taiwan against regional threats, and advanced
efforts in the tri-lateral security partnership between Australia, the
United Kingdom, and the U.S (AUKUS). This budget includes $2.9 billion
for the European Deterrence Initiative and $9.9 billion for the Pacific
Deterrence Initiative. This will fund capabilities to expand security
cooperation with Allies and partners across Europe and the Indo-
Pacific, ballistic missile defense activities in support of Guam,
improved infrastructure, exercises, training, and experimentation
activities. The $4.0 billion for the submarine industrial base will
strengthen the health and capacity of the submarine force and further
advances AUKUS. In our globally interconnected world, relationships
matter. None matter more than our close-knit ties with our Allies and
partners.
During my more than 6 months in this job, I have had more than 145
engagements with my counterparts from around the world. My engagements
have revalidated a well-known fact. U.S. leadership is wanted, needed,
and watched. U.S. efforts are a catalyst for change--what we do drives
action.
modernization and new concepts
Our Nation needs us to both be ready to fight today's battles and
prepare for tomorrow's wars. We must prepare by modernizing and
aggressively leading with new concepts and approaches. The JWC provides
a framework for how the Joint Force will modernize and how we will
fight in a future conflict. The JWC guides the Department's future
force development, design, and warfighting approach to ensure we have
the right people, equipment, training, roles, and doctrine to deter and
if necessary, win in a future conflict. We must modernize our force,
through innovation and by building a bridge to the defense industry to
deliver capability in a timely manner.
As we work to shorten the timeline between prototype and program of
record, there is growing importance for collaboration between the
Services and our industry partners to deliver at scale, develop
training programs, and provide required sustainment so our warfighters
can operationalize the delivered capabilities. With rapidly evolving
threats and technologies, accelerating our modernization is crucial.
Our adversaries are advancing quickly, and it is imperative that we
equip our Joint Force with the most advanced tools and capabilities
available.
Readiness and modernization depend upon consistent on-time, full
year appropriations. We thank Congress for passing FY 2024
appropriations and we will work with Congress to deliver on-time
appropriations for FY 2025. Continuing Resolutions of any length have
long lasting impacts on the Joint Force. They significantly impact and
degrade our ability to defend the United States. They slow progress,
prevent new starts of programs, and delay our force modernization
efforts. They damage our relationships with the defense industrial
base, eroding trust and driving up costs as industry hedges against
funding inconsistency. We have operated under Continuing Resolutions
for 14 of the last 15 years, totaling 5 years' worth of lost time. Time
we cannot get back.
Force Modernization: We continue the execution of several programs
essential to Joint Force modernization, focusing on advanced platforms,
long-range fires, and uncrewed systems. The Department continues to
invest in capabilities and effects to outpace our competitors while
divesting costly legacy platforms that no longer best meet our needs.
While these choices may be challenging, they are crucial for directing
resources towards the optimal mix of programs to fill the portfolio of
requirements essential for our security.
In the FY 2025 budget, $167.5 billion is strategically allocated
towards procurement, solidifying our commitment to equip the Joint
Force with unparalleled combat capabilities across every domain. Our
air power will be elevated through a fleet of advanced fighter
aircraft, the B-21 bomber, and tanker aircraft. Our sea power is
strengthened with the construction of six battle force ships as well as
the continued production of Ford-class aircraft carriers and Columbia
ballistic missile submarines. Our combat force in the land domain will
be modernized and reinforced with the most advanced equipment available
including the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, Amphibious Combat Vehicle,
and the XM30 Combat Vehicle. This budget also includes significant
development in uncrewed and autonomous systems to expand reach, access,
and payload for operations across all domains. Together, these systems
along with advanced weapons will challenge, target, and neutralize
adversary capabilities while also affirming our technological edge in
an era of strategic competition.
Additionally, this budget significantly advances our long-range
fires capabilities with $9.8 billion for the development and
procurement of multi-domain hypersonic weapons and the improvement of
long-range survivable subsonic weapon systems. These strategic
investments ensure our Joint Force maintains a decisive edge in
delivering precise strikes over vast distances to outpace emerging
threats and support future warfighting concepts.
Across all domains, we continue to invest in the capabilities and
technologies that will position the Joint Force to meet the pacing
challenge of the PRC and the acute threat of a newly aggressive Russia.
Furthermore, the Joint Force recognizes the importance of the space and
cyber domains and is focused on those areas promising the largest
return on investment in the near-term, such as space domain awareness,
space command and control, space resiliency, cyber security, and the
Cyber Mission Force. The $143.2 billion FY 2025 budget request for
research, development, test, and evaluation will enable the Department
to develop the technology, innovative capabilities, and modernized
approaches for the Joint Force to gain and exploit positions of
advantage.
Nuclear Modernization: In alignment with our overarching strategy
for Joint Force modernization, the FY 2025 budget underscores our
commitment to the comprehensive recapitalization of our Nation's
strategic deterrent. This deterrent not only protects the United States
but also many Allies who depend on extended deterrence and assurance.
We are in the midst of a generational change, undertaking the
modernization of all three legs of the nuclear triad simultaneously
with the development of the sea-based Columbia-class submarine, the
airborne B-21 bomber aircraft, and the land-based Sentinel
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). These systems will form the
backbone of our Joint Force's ability to maintain a safe, secure,
effective, and credible nuclear deterrent. Concurrently, we are
enhancing and modernizing our Nuclear Command, Control, and
Communications (NC3) systems to ensure they remain secure and reliable
amidst evolving threats.
This concerted effort in nuclear modernization is foundational,
enabling the broader strategic capabilities that underpin our national
defense. It fortifies our extended deterrence commitments, amplifying
the strength and cohesion of our global alliances and partnerships. A
modernized, safe, secure, and effective nuclear triad provides an
outsized return on investment to assure our Allies, deter aggression,
and preserve our national security.
Our investment in nuclear capabilities reflects a judicious balance
between advancing cutting-edge technologies and phasing out legacy
capabilities. Nuclear modernization is a critical component of our
strategy, ensuring the Joint Force remains equipped to navigate the
complexities of modern warfare and emerging global threats.
Digital Innovation: The Joint Force is also advancing our digital
modernization, acknowledging decision advantage will be a key offset in
future conflicts. The Joint Force remains committed to realizing a
fully capable Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2)
environment and leveraging initiatives being demonstrated today in our
Global Information Dominance Experiments (GIDE). A modernized and
technologically advanced Joint Force will communicate seamlessly across
platforms in all domains. This will ensure we quickly identify viable
paths capable of delivering command and decision dominance. CJADC2 will
enhance warfighting readiness through improved access to and the
interoperability of joint data at the strategic, operational, and
tactical levels. This budget requests over $1.3 billion to develop and
improve our CJADC2 capabilities.
With investments in digital innovation, from command and control to
modeling and simulation, digital modernization can improve all
Department work, advance intelligence collection, streamline processes,
and enable better data-informed decisionmaking. The FY 2025 budget
prioritizes artificial intelligence (AI), investing $1.8 billion in
research, development, test, and evaluation funds and in operations and
maintenance funds, highlighting the strategic importance of AI to our
Joint Force for both the near- and long-term.
Additionally, this budget allocates $14.5 billion for cyberspace
activities, supporting the Joint Force's defensive and offensive
cyberspace operations capabilities and cyber strategy. This funding
will enable the Joint Force to move at the pace of technology.
Investments and relationships help the Joint Force accelerate software
and technology production to scale ideas and move from concept to
combat capability.
Munitions: This budget sends a strong signal to the defense
industrial base through $29.8 billion for munitions and the use of
multi-year procurement authorities for critical munitions. Russia's war
in Ukraine and Israel's operations in Gaza highlight the strategic
nature of how munitions stockpiles directly impact battlefield
operations. Producing advanced munitions can take years and depends on
complex production lines with a skilled workforce that cannot be
started overnight. To ensure the Joint Force is prepared for challenges
around the globe, we must build out robust production capacity to stay
ahead of need to address any emerging crisis. This budget continues to
strengthen the defense industrial base and will support several
investments to improve its capacity to meet current and future demands.
This budget prioritizes addressing our pacing challenge, the PRC,
with procurement of the most relevant munitions--long-range cruise
missiles, anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes, and
air-to-air missiles. The Joint Force takes a holistic approach to
ensure we have the optimal balance of capabilities and capacity
including hypersonic as well as subsonic, survivable, and large payload
weapons. We continually manage and assess our stockpiles and
procurement to ensure we have the munitions that our warfighters need.
Expanded multi-year procurement authorities for critical munitions
will continue to enable us to deepen our inventories and decrease
operational risk. Multi-year procurement authorities are essential to
proactively address challenges with complex supply chains, long lead-
time components, obsolescence, workforce shortages, and infrastructure
shortfalls that must be overcome. These authorities directly support
the capabilities we need to execute our strategy while managing and
mitigating risks during crisis and conflict.
Defense Industrial Base: A strong and robust defense industrial
base including logistical systems and global supply chains will enable
the production of technologies and capabilities critical for our
national defense. To fully modernize the Joint Force, we must provide a
consistent demand signal to the defense industrial base through clearly
articulated priorities and resourcing. Doing so activates the defense
industrial base to expand capabilities and capacity helping to enable
contract performance and on-time deliveries.
This budget allocates investments towards revitalizing and
expanding the defense industrial base, ensuring it is prepared to meet
production demands required for current and future operations. Over $8
billion is requested to fund several key defense industrial base
sectors, including $375 million for microelectronics, $369 million for
castings and forgings, $193 million for strategic and critical
materials, $243 million for kinetic capabilities, $3 million for energy
storage and batteries, $125 million for bio-manufacturing, $4.0 billion
for the submarine industrial base, and a $112 million investment into a
skilled industrial workforce. A strong and robust defense industrial
base contributes to deterrence and provides a foundation for surging in
the event of crises or conflicts.
trust
Trust is the foundation of our profession. The Joint Force must
build upon and uphold the trust in each other, the trust with our
families, the trust of our elected leaders, and the trust of our
Nation. I am proud to lead a Joint Force that continually demonstrates
dedication to the oaths we took to serve our Nation and to the
professional standards expected by our Nation and its leaders. We
strive every day to reinforce the trust placed in us, by the American
people, to safeguard our country's values and interests.
Our Joint Force leaders have a responsibility to foster a cohesive
environment where every service member has the opportunity to reach
their full potential. I am committed to removing barriers to success,
such as any type of discrimination, harassment, or assault, especially
sexual harassment and sexual assault. The profession of arms is based
on trust. We must maintain that trust by serving with integrity and
professionalism.
Force Development: Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines,
Guardians, civilians, and their families are the Joint Force's
asymmetric advantage against our adversaries. Technology and
capabilities are important, but the mission cannot be accomplished
without a professional, organized, and trained Joint Force. The
proposed budget includes strategic investments in critical areas such
as advanced training programs, health and wellness initiatives, and
career development opportunities to ensure our forces are not only
prepared but also thriving. This includes improved pay to reflect the
dedication and risks undertaken by our service members, enhanced
healthcare services, and continued educational benefits for them and
their families. We also remain committed to supporting spouse
employment initiatives, career guidance, and licensure reimbursement.
These investments are a clear signal of our unwavering commitment to
maintaining the readiness and resilience of our forces.
Quality of Service and Quality of Life: Our service members and
their families sacrifice a great deal for our Nation. It is our
obligation, as leaders, to take care of them and ensure their success.
Our Quality of Service efforts support and enable our service members
by providing them the means and capability to hone their warfighting
skills and to be ready when the Nation calls. Our Quality of Life
investments support our service members when they are outside of work
and takes care of their families.
I am committed to improving Quality of Service and Quality of Life,
through proper force development initiatives mentioned above, various
housing initiatives, improved childcare programs, enhanced mental
health resources, and robust programs to combat sexual harassment and
sexual assault. The FY 2025 budget dedicates $1.2 billion to sexual
assault prevention and response efforts, including building a full-time
workforce of over 2,500 dedicated prevention personnel. We remain
committed to suicide prevention and this budget allocates $547 million
to reinforce and expand suicide prevention strategies, ensuring every
service member feels supported in seeking help. Additionally, this
budget includes $2.3 billion for construction of barracks, dormitories,
medical clinics, and childcare facilities as well as another $2.0
billion for family housing construction and operations to ensure we
have quality facilities for our service members and their families. It
is our duty to provide our service members and families with
comprehensive support and resources for their well-being and success.
Recruiting and Retention: We must provide the right capabilities,
training, and education to recruit and retain a talented workforce. To
be as effective as possible on the battlefield, we must leverage the
strengths of everyone on our Joint Team. While the Services continue to
encounter a challenging, but improving recruiting environment,
retention remains high, indicating that our people are finding
fulfillment and meaning as they proudly serve their Nation. We can make
an impact on recruiting by engaging with the public. Only 1 percent of
our society has served in the military and much of our society is not
as connected to the Armed Forces as they once were. Our Joint Force and
our veterans have an obligation to engage in their communities,
providing an important connection between our military and the society
that we serve. Whether in uniform or in some other capacity, we all
have the responsibility to inspire the next generation to serve to the
benefit of our Nation and our security.
conclusion
Our Joint Force is the most capable and lethal fighting force in
the world, and they will defend, deter, and if necessary, fight and win
our Nation's wars. They are ready to respond to the myriad of
challenges that currently exist across the globe. Our military strength
is a crucial element of our national security, and it is most effective
when used in concert with the full spectrum of our national power.
The PRC continues its expansion of its military, pursues
increasingly aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region, and
threatens the international order. Russia remains an acute threat as it
seeks to impose its imperial order and expand its sphere of influence.
Continued unrest in the Middle East also represents a challenge to our
Joint Force, as we withstand and respond to attacks against our forces.
The FY 2025 budget ensures that the Joint Force can effectively
address these challenges and all our NDS priorities. I thank Congress
for its continued support and partnership in our shared mission to
defend our Nation, protect our citizens, and preserve our way of life.
This budget request is not just a financial document; it is a clear
statement of NDS implementation and our collective resolve to face the
challenges of today and prepare for those of tomorrow. It is a
commitment to our service members and their families, ensuring they
have the tools, training, and support necessary to succeed. Given the
convergence of the five NDS challenges, our Joint Force depends on
long-term, stable, predictable, and timely funding. We are living in a
consequential time. There is no time to waste.
Senator Tester. Thank you for your statement, General
Brown.
And there will be probably multiple rounds, but there will
be 5 minutes per member.
This is for you, Secretary Austin. The budget request is
consistent with the cap set forth in the Fiscal Responsibility
Act; however, the proposed growth is below current inflation
levels. It does not account for billions of dollars for
additional requirements identified by the Military Services. As
has been pointed out by both of you, this is a very dangerous
time in which we live, in my lifetime, probably comparable to
the early '60s with the Cuban Missile Crisis.
So Mr. Secretary, where are you taking risk because of this
budget cap? I should say, where are we taking risks because of
this budget cap?
Secretary Austin. Thanks, Chairman. First of all, our
budget continues to be strategy-driven. Over the last several
years, we have worked hard to make sure that we link the budget
request to the strategy, and that has been, in my view, the
best approach to constructing the budget. But to meet the caps
approved by Congress, we had to make some tough but responsible
choices, and we prioritized near-term readiness.
As you heard me say earlier, Chairman, we decided not to
invest in some modernization that would not deliver results
before 2030, and we invested in our people and our families.
The kinds of decisions that we had to make were--the tough
decisions that we had to make were things like fifth- and
sixth-generation aircraft. But having said that, our budget
does include, as you heard me say earlier, $143.2 billion for
RDT&E (Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation), and
$167.5 billion for procurement.
And because we accepted some risk in modernization for the
out years, we will need to have a growth in the topline in the
out years to ensure that we can recapture some of the things
that we weren't able to get into this budget.
Senator Tester. So let me follow up on that. You talked
about focusing on the projects that can give you results before
2030. So that means basically with this budget, what we are
doing is putting off expenditures into future budget cycles,
because these projects, after 2030, are projects that will have
to be taken care of fiscally, correct?
Secretary Austin. That is correct, Chairman. And our plan
is to, going forward, invest in those things, but we weren't
able to do it in this budget. We prioritized near-term
readiness, and taking care of our people, and I believe that is
the right approach.
Senator Tester. Do you believe that in future budgets, if
we are able to invest in those projects, that we will be able
to catch up and remain on schedule?
Secretary Austin. I do, Chairman, if we are provided the
resources and the growth in the topline in the out years that
we will ask for, yes.
Senator Tester. General Brown, you talked about where we
are today, is there operational impacts from this budget today,
over the next year, and what impact does this have, say, 5
years down the road?
General Brown. For operational impacts for today, because
of our focus on readiness, I don't see operational impacts.
Now, as the Secretary highlighted, as we had to defer some of
our modernization, you think about 5, 6, you know, years; a
decade from now, there is potential challenges if we don't get
the additional support in topline in the out years.
Senator Tester. Excuse me, what kind of challenges are we
talking about when you say ``additional challenges''?
General Brown. Well, part of it was deferring some of our
modernization and ensure, you know--the thing I focus on, as
Chairman, is ensuring we have both capability and capacity, and
we have got to make sure we have capability that stays ahead of
the threat, and then also have capacity to be able to operate
in many of the areas around the world like we do today. And
that is where we need to make sure we are working closely
together on the out years to ensure that we can actually
continue to modernize and make sure we stay ahead of the
threat.
Senator Tester. Okay. Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, let me follow up on the Chairman's question
by asking you a very basic question, and that is, if you had
your preference, would you be operating under a 1 percent
increase? In other words, do you think that Congress should
revisit the 1 percent cap that is imposed by the Fiscal
Responsibility Act?
Secretary Austin. Certainly, the cap makes it more
challenging and forces us to make choices that if we didn't
have that cap, we obviously wouldn't have to make. So yes, it
does provide more challenges, but certainly, we have worked
hard to link our requests to our strategy, and as much of our
strategy as we can support, we are going to support.
Senator Collins. Thank you. I want to switch to a different
issue. On October 25, 2023, that was the darkest day in Maine
history in my lifetime. 18 Mainers lost their lives, 13 others
were injured in the worst mass shooting that we have seen. The
killer, Robert Card, was a Sergeant First Class in the U.S.
Army Reserve. The Governor of Maine established an Independent
Commission that has issued an interim report, and that report
included several very troubling findings, about missed
opportunities to prevent this tragedy.
For instance, mental health providers recommended to Mr.
Card's Army Reserve Unit that, quote, ``Measures be taken to
safely remove all firearms and weapons from his home.'' Well,
the Army Reserve Unit took appropriate action to reserve Mr.
Card's access to military weapons. This recommendation was
never communicated by the Army to relevant law enforcement
agencies in Maine.
We had members of Mr. Card's unit raising alarms with their
supervisors about what--about their fear that he was extremely
dangerous. He actually assaulted a fellow soldier. He was
institutionalized for 2 weeks at a hospital for those with
mental illness in New York State while he was on Drill.
We have an Inspector General's Report that is underway to
look at this more thoroughly. After I receive that report, I
intend to draft legislation that would require our Military
Services to report to the appropriate authorities when
someone--when a Service member poses a threat to him or
herself, or to others, while protecting the Second Amendment
Rights of our Service members.
Would you commit to working with me on such legislation to
establish formal policies and procedures, so that we can ensure
that our Military Services share this kind of relevant
information with law enforcement and with State officials under
the appropriate State laws?
Secretary Austin. Thanks, Senator. First of all, this was a
tragedy, and my thoughts and prayers go out to all those
affected by this tragedy. The health and welfare of our troops
is a very important to me, at the top of my mind all the time.
So is the health and welfare of our community members. And so,
absolutely, we will work with you to ensure that we have the
mechanisms to, where appropriate, pass relevant information to
authorities, and so I look forward to my staff engaging your
staff on this issue, and going forward.
Senator Collins. Thank you very much.
Senator Tester. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome, Mr.
Secretary, General Brown, and Mr. McCord.
Secretary Austin, while I am glad that we were able to pass
the National Security Supplemental, I think all of us were
relieved that that happened. What we have seen is that Russia's
industrial base has been able to increase production in part
due to sanctions' evasions, in part because they are getting
assistance now from the People's Republic of China, from Iran,
from North Korea. And we know that Iran now supplies 70 percent
of Russia's drone capabilities in Ukraine. Those are the same
drones that they are using in the Middle East to kill American
Service members and attack us.
So can you talk a little bit about how the administration
is seeking to limit industrial base cooperation between Russia
and China? And what in this budget will help us do that?
Secretary Austin. Well, we certainly have raised this issue
in the right channels, Senator. And you are right, prior to--at
one point, Russia had experienced significant losses because of
the work that Ukraine in its Forces was doing. They had
inflicted significant casualties on the Russian Forces,
destroyed a significant amount of its equipment.
And so to your point, we saw Russia engaged North Korea,
who provided quite a bit of munitions and missiles. The drones
provided by Iran really kind of helped begin to turn the tide
there for Russia a bit and allowed them to kind of get back up
on their feet, in addition to them increasing their production
in their industrial base. But without the help from Iran, North
Korea, and China, to your point, this probably would not have
occurred to the degree that it has occurred.
So we have engaged in the right channels to emphasize our
serious concerns about PRC (People's Republic of China) and
others providing this sort of support. As you know, there are
sanctions that we continue to look at in a number of areas, and
we revisit those sanctions to ensure that we are being as
effective as we can. But that continues to be a work in
progress. And so, this is a whole-of-government effort. And
again, I think we are engaging in the right channels, but there
is a lot more work that continues to, need to be done.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you. Clearly, we still have
work to do. Secretary Austin, the last time I saw you before
the Armed Services Committee, we talked about the 60 Minutes
report about anomalous health incidents, and you committed to
taking a look again at the genesis of those incidents. But one
of the other aspects of that are the personnel who have been
affected by those anomalous health incidents. In DOD
(Department of Defense), the fiscal year appropriations bill
for DOD in 2024 provided funding specific for payments to
victims of anomalous health incidents, and there is funding in
2025 to provide payments as well.
But the rulemaking that is required to get those payments
out the door has not yet happened. Will you commit to this
committee that the Department will work on that, and provide
the required payments to victims?
Secretary Austin. Absolutely, Senator.
Senator Shaheen. And do you know when DOD plans to publish
its final regulations around this issue?
Secretary Austin. I will have to get back to you on that. I
don't have a forecast.
Senator Shaheen. If you could get back to the committee, I
would appreciate that. I know that we have a number of people
who are waiting for help who have been affected.
General Brown, this budget invests in important
conventional capabilities, but one of the areas where we still
have challenges is in the area of disinformation and
misinformation, so can you talk about how the budget invests in
our capabilities for cyber, and in the information domain, to
counter what we are seeing from virtually all of our
adversaries?
General Brown. Well, you know, there are areas that we
invest in, in the information domain, and in particular, there
is about $14.5 billion in our cyber capabilities for both
offensive and defensive cyber. There is about $1.8 billion for
artificial intelligence to better understand how we would use
that. But I think it is also important that we understand how
our adversaries would use artificial intelligence against us.
And it is really, again, how we bring together our data,
and using our data and having good ways to analyze,
particularly the misinformation, and ensuring that we stay
ahead particular in the cyber realm to get information out and
get the facts out early. And part of this is not only the
investment in the technology, but it is also the investment in
the training of our Force to move at the pace of the way
information moves today. That is something we will continue to
work on as well.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you. My time is up, but I hope
we are also working with the Global Engagement Center at the
Department of State, because clearly this is an area where we
have an equal amount of work to do. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you. Mr. Secretary, thank
you for your presence and service. The administration has
halted a shipment of American-made munitions to Israel, even if
it is the administration's goal to reach a ceasefire agreement,
does this not send the wrong message to our ally Israel and
embolden Iran and Iranian-backed groups? We should not be
signaling to Iran's enemies that our support is conditional.
Many of us in this room worked hard to get aid included and
passed by the House and Senate in the emergency supplemental.
My questions on this topic are three: Should we be
concerned that the aid that was included in that recent
supplemental is in jeopardy of being withheld from Israel? Did
the Secretary of State, Secretary Blinken, consult with you on
this decision? And do you agree that halting U.S. assistance to
Israel emboldens its enemies?
Secretary Austin. Thanks, Senator. First of all, our
commitment to Israel's security is ironclad. As you had seen
from the very beginning, we have flowed billions of dollars of
security assistance at very rapid pace into Israel, and as you
just mentioned, with your help, and we are grateful for this,
just passed the largest ever supplemental appropriation.
And most recently, on April 13 and 14, you saw us lead an
unprecedented coalition to defend Israel, as Iran attacked
Israel with a significant number of drones and ballistic
missiles. And so we are going to continue to do what is
necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,
but, that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term
security assistance, of shipments in the context of unfolding
events in Rafah.
Senator Moran. So you agree with the pause, and I mean, you
were consulted and agree with the pause, Mr. Secretary?
Secretary Austin. Again, I think we haven't made any
decisions. We did pause as we reevaluated some of the security
assistance that we are providing to----
[Interruption.]
Senator Tester. I just stopped the clock so that Jerry gets
his full two-and-a-half minutes.
Secretary Austin [continuing]. So, we have been very clear,
Senator, as you know, from the very beginning, that Israel
shouldn't launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting
for and protecting the civilians that are in that battle space.
And again, as we have assessed the situation, and we paused one
shipment of high-payload munitions. And again, I think we have
also been very clear about the steps that we would like to see
Israel take to account for and take care of those civilians
before major combat takes place.
We certainly would like to see no major combat take place
in Rafah. But certainly, our focus is on making sure that we
protect the civilians. And again, we have not made a final
determination on how to proceed with that shipment. And I would
highlight that this shipment doesn't have anything to do with
the Supplemental Appropriations that you just helped us get.
And my final comment is that we are absolutely committed to
continuing to support Israel in its right to defend itself.
Senator Moran. Mr. Secretary, thank you. I worry about the
suggestion that support by the United States is conditional.
Let me turn to a different topic: Legislative Proposal 480,
the Space Guard issue about the National Guard. The code
dictates that National Guard equities cannot be withdrawn
without the consent of a State's Governor. I am informed that
recently, governors from 53 States and territories wrote you a
letter opposing this legislative proposal. Would you tell me
what the Department's thoughts are? Do you consult with
governors? And based upon this overwhelming feedback, does it
cause any reconsideration about the legislative proposal?
Secretary Austin. I have received a letter from the
Governor, Senator. And most recently, Secretary of the Air
Force has reached out and engaged the governors to talk about
this issue and explain the rationale. As you know, when we
stood up Space Force, we took on units and people that were
focused on the Space Mission and incorporated those from the
Air Force, from the Army, from the Navy, incorporated those
people and units into Space Force.
This measure will affect, I believe, a small number of
people. But certainly, you know, I understand the Governor's
concerns, and we owe it to the Governors to engage them on it.
And that is why Secretary of the Air Force has recently engaged
them personally on this issue.
Senator Moran. I encourage that to occur. Mr. Secretary,
thank you.
Senator Tester. Chairman of the Full Appropriations
Committee, Senator Murray.
Senator Murray. Thank you very much, Chair Tester. And
thank you to our witnesses for joining us today.
Right now, we face a number of serious challenges across
the globe. That is why Vice Chair Collins and I pushed through
the gridlock to hammer out and pass a strong National Security
package that sent support to our allies, especially Ukraine,
humanitarian aid to civilians, and a message to our allies and
adversaries alike that America is still strong enough and
united enough to lead the free world.
We didn't just pass a bill; we passed a critical test on
the world stage. And something I don't want anyone to forget:
The Bill the House eventually passed was essentially identical
to the one the Senate passed 2 months earlier. However, the
delay in inaction was not without cost. We and our allies lost
precious time and resources during those 2 months that we can't
recover.
This is similar to the cost we face each time we flirt with
a Government shutdown, or put the Government on autopilot under
continuing resolutions. Those situations come with costs. And
notably, neither China nor Russia faced the threat of a
Government shutdown, or a CR.
I am certain all of us agree that democracies are stronger
than dictatorships, but we have got to prove it. And that will
take bipartisanship, because as we all know, our work is not
done.
We must maintain America's leadership and make smart
investments to help reduce global conflict and instability,
which of course keeps our country safe. That means ensuring our
Military remains the best in the world, supporting the men and
women in uniform who sacrifice greatly to keep our country
safe, having our allies' backs, and taking an all-of-government
approach to keep our country strong and secure.
We are working with tight fiscal constraints, but Secretary
Austin, it is so important we make sure not only that your
Department has the resources needed to execute our National
Defense Strategy, but that your counterparts across government
also have the resources they need to keep our country safe.
The 1 percent increase in funding provided for fiscal year
2025 under the caps is as inadequate for nondefense spending as
it is for the Department of Defense. Having just worked
together to write and pass 12 bipartisan bills for fiscal year
2024, we all know this very clearly.
So as members talk about how we might increase investments
to better meet our defense needs, we cannot ignore our needs
here at home as well. When it comes to additional resources
above the caps, which the Vice Chair and others have mentioned,
I am going to insist on parity for nondefense spending to make
sure we are providing for our children and families, keeping
them safe.
After all, our safety also depends on our diplomatic corps,
which works around the clock to prevent and end conflict. Our
counterterrorism efforts, and the law enforcement personnel
working to identify and disrupt threats, our public health
system and pandemic response efforts, the officials enforcing
our sanctions to help choke off financial resources for
dictators like Putin, our work countering the influence of the
Chinese Communist Party, ensuring we remain on the cutting edge
of research and manufacturing, and so much more.
So, with that in mind, Secretary Austin, can you talk about
your work with your counterparts across government, whether
that is at State, or commerce, or so many other agencies, and
how their efforts assist the work you do to keep our country
safe and factor into our National Defense Strategy?
Secretary Austin. You have heard a number of secretaries
say before, Chair Murray, that if we don't fund State and
others to the right level, then we are going to need more
bullets because they do great and important work to move things
towards greater stability and security in all regions of the
world. And so it is this whole-of-government effort, this
interaction between departments in support of our overall goals
and objectives that really is what causes us to be effective.
So, it is important that they do get supported.
Senator Murray. Thank you. And as the Chair of our
committee knows that includes our veterans and the challenges
that they are having right now with the VA (Veterans Affairs)
budget.
Mr. Secretary, on the $60 billion that Congress
appropriated to support Ukraine and its fight against Putin, a
package this committee worked on for months, as this war
continues now into its third year, how is this funding being
used? What improvements are we seeing on the frontline?
Secretary Austin. Well, it is still very early on, as you
know. It does take time to get some of this capability in. But,
we, in anticipation of the potential of getting the
supplemental approved, we forward-positioned some things, some
critical things like air defense interceptors and artillery
munition so that if it were approved, we would be able to
rapidly move those things in, in support of Ukraine. And we are
doing that.
And you know, I talk to my counterpart in Ukraine every
week. I just talked to him yesterday, as a matter of fact, in
checking on, how that is going, what his most critical needs
are. And I think, again, this is going to be very, very
helpful. But to your point, it is hard to buy back time. But
given that, I think that without this help, Ukraine would have
a very tough time defending against what is a superior force
with the Russians.
Senator Murray. And is our inventory here at home being
replenished?
Secretary Austin. This supplemental will certainly help in
a major way in that regard. Want to make sure that we do have
the ability to replenish our stocks. And, as we have drawn down
some of our stocks and provided weapons and vehicles to
Ukraine, we will replace those weapons with newer models. And
all of that work flows through our industrial base, and it will
affect some 30 different States in the country. And that
creates good jobs, good-paying jobs for Americans. And we
remain excited about that.
Senator Murray. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr.
Secretary. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Vice Chair
Collins for this important hearing. Secretary Austin, and
General Brown, thank you both for your service, I appreciate
your leadership and unwavering commitment to our Service
members, and very importantly, to their families.
Secretary Austin, the National Defense Strategy underscores
the need to prioritize interoperability and enable coalition
with enhanced capabilities. I remain dedicated to working with
the Air Force to ensure Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort
Smith, Arkansas, becomes the premier F-35 Pilot Training Center
in the future. It is important that this mission begins on time
and with the necessary resources. Secretary Austin can you
speak to how this mission will strengthen warfighting
capabilities and create an enduring advantage with our allies
and partners?
Secretary Austin. Well, this clearly provides the
capability for us to enhance our interoperability, Senator. And
it is a great platform, great capability, the training is
always first-rate because of the commitment of our trainers.
And again, there are a lot of countries who want this
capability, and having the ability to train to standard in
country is absolutely important.
And so it contributes to the overall readiness of the
combined Force. So you know, interoperability means having the
right policies and procedures but it also means the ability to
work with, together with our comrades in other countries.
Senator Boozman. Right.
Secretary Austin. And so this face-to-face work that is
conducted at places like this I think is critical.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
General Brown, you and I recently visited Camden, Arkansas,
where we toured a munitions production facility, and saw the
urgent need for our defense industrial base to increase
capacity and replenish our stock piles. The passage of the $95
billion Security Supplemental bill proves that when we provide
assistance to our allies and partners we strengthen our defense
industrial base as well. This fiscal year Congress also
approved multiyear procurement for six missile programs for the
first time.
General Brown, what impact will multiyear procurement
authority have on the defense industrial base, and specifically
munitions production?
General Brown. Well, when I think about multiyear
procurement, what it does is it provides opportunity for
consistency, and that consistency is a for us to be able to
provide a consistent demand signal to industry so they can
actually get a workforce, have a supply chain, and know what to
forecast for over several years.
I think that is going to help us in the long run, because
that consistency will help build trust, it will drive down
cost, and it will ensure we get capability delivered on time.
If we have inconsistency it is going to, you know, decrease
that trust, increase the cost, and then also increase how long
it is going to take to get the capability in the hands of our
warfighters. So the multiyear procurement, the National
Security Supplemental that will invest in our defense
industrial base is hugely important, not only for our allies
and partners but it is just as important for our Force as well.
Senator Boozman. Good. And I appreciate you getting out and
about, I know you are traveling a lot, you know, visiting these
places, and again, I think that is really important, and very
well received.
Secretary Austin I appreciate your continued focus in
taking care of people, the budget calls for a 4.5 percent pay
increase for Service members, and annual increases to housing,
and subsistence allowances, the Quadrennial Review of Military
Compensation is due to be completed by January 2025. In the
meantime there have also been multiple recommendations to
enhance pay flexibility for Service members including incentive
pay for certain career fields, and targeted raises for junior
enlisted Service members. Secretary Austin; in your opinion,
where would pay flexibility be most effective if implemented?
Secretary Austin. Well, first of all let me thank you for
the support that you have given us to date. As you pointed out,
we are asking you for 4.5 percent pay raise in this budget
request, Senator, but to take you back a bit, in 2023 we asked
you for a 4.6 percent pay raise, and you supported us on that.
And in the fiscal year 2024 budget we asked you for a 5.2
percent pay raise, and that is the largest pay raise in 20
years.
And so when you add those together, I think that that is a
pretty meaningful increase in compensation. My goal is to
provide--reduce the costs on troops and families, and provide
more resources. And so anything that we do in terms of these
types of actions, to answer your question, does reduce the
strain on our troops and families, whether or not, you know, we
can do that going forward certainly any recommendation that is
being that is being made we will have to do an analysis in
terms of how it affects, you know, the budget now and into the
future, and so as you propose different things, we certainly
look to work with you, and provide you that analysis.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Boozman. Senator Schatz.
Senator Schatz. Thank you, Chair and Vice Chair.
Secretary, thanks for being here. I want to talk to you
about the Red Hill closure and remediation. Once the decision
was taken to shut down Red Hill that part went relatively
smoothly, and was ahead of schedule, and then there is the
whole enterprise of the new concept of operations as it relates
to fuel in the Pacific. I am going to set that aside for the
moment.
Because the thing that the community is working on and
thinking about the most is long-term health impacts and long-
term environmental impacts, and what, of the appropriated money
that we provided to the Department, is allocated for that? Now,
we just got a brief, and so we have some broad categories for
what I think is called ``community response'', but I would love
it if you could just articulate both at the conceptual level,
and in as granular a manner as you can. What you are planning
to do with the remainder of the money as it relates to making
sure that none of that petroleum eventually makes its way back
into any of those aquifers? And that anyone who has been harmed
by ingesting petroleum product gets taken care of by the
Department?
Secretary Austin. Well, thanks Senator Schatz. As you
mentioned, once the defueling was complete, you know, then we
stood down the Red Hill taskforce, and then stood up a
taskforce that the Navy is now in charge of. And it is charged
with environmental remediation. And you know, I have had
personal conversations with both the leader of the taskforce,
and most importantly, the Secretary of the Navy, on how
important this is, and they are committed to ensuring that they
do the right things to make sure that we get this right going
forward.
We owe it to the members of the community to ensure that we
do in fact do this. In terms of specific amounts of funds that
are allocated to each segment of this, I will have to take that
for the record, and come back to you on that, sir.
Senator Schatz. That is fine. And you know, we just got
briefed on it yesterday, and it is still a bit of like, you
know, big pots of money categories, $95 million here, $32
million there, $62 going to the taskforce. So we don't even
know what these numbers mean but I think, you know, the
community is asking me what is happening with the money. It has
to be obligated by the end of this fiscal year.
And so time is short. So if we can get fidelity on that, it
doesn't have to be with you, but it can be any member of your
team, that would be very, very----
Secretary Austin. The power we had, sir, with----
Senator Schatz [continuing]. Hopeful, yes.
Secretary Austin [continuing]. Your permission, I would
just like to thank you and the delegation for your continued
support. Without that we probably wouldn't have the adequate
resources to do the things that are going to need to be done
going forward here.
Senator Schatz. Thank you. General Brown, you know the
amount of aid that this committee can provide is finite, and
given that the Indo-Pacific is the priority theater, I am going
to say this somewhat less diplomatically than my prepared
question. What keeps you up at night? What are the unfunded
priorities that you think we really need to take a hard look at
in the Indo-Pacific?
General Brown. Well, the things that I stay focused on, and
I will just tell you, I am very confident in our Joint Force,
so there is not much that keeps me up at night, but I do stay
focused on ensuring we have the capability and capacity for our
Joint Force to execute what the Nation asks.
And so it is the modernization things that we highlighted
earlier in this hearing that we had to defer as we--because of
the Fiscal Responsibility Act. And so I want to make sure that
we actually have that capability and capacity to be modernized.
It is also the multiyear procurement that we also spoke about
on munitions.
I also want to have a strong defense industrial base, so we
can produce those munitions and those capabilities, so we don't
have a fair fight. I want to have an unfair fight, where we
have the advantage and do that, not only with our Joint Force,
but also with our allies and partners.
Senator Schatz. This is a little bit outside of our
committee, but a lot of us are on the MILCON (Military
Construction) Committee as well. You know, the other thing I
would flag is, overseas MILCON is never the most exciting thing
for a Member of the United States Senate to fund, but it is
really essential in the Indo-Pacific theater, and then
certainly in the State of Hawaii a lot of the DOD's assets,
bases, and installations, and everything else, are sitting on
really, really old infrastructure.
So that is the other thing that is less exciting to fund
sewer systems, water systems, electrical redundancy, and all
the rest of it. But we are not capable if we don't have those
things operating well. So let us add at least elevate it even
though, you know, it is not exactly the kind of thing that you
do a ribbon-cutting for, if you are a good politician. So thank
you.
Senator Tester. And all those things cost money, and it is
another reason we need to revisit the cap. Thank you, Senator
Schatz.
Senator Schatz. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Capito.
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you all
for being here, for your great service to our country.
Secretary Austin, I am a little concerned--very concerned
about the credibility of the administration's Deterrence
Policy. When I see President Biden's messaging to Putin, and to
Iran, and to the Houthis, and other Iran-backed groups, I just
see President Biden saying, ``don't'', and we have had, you
know, attacks--people obviously not adhering to that. I am
concerned that we are significantly eroding our deterrence by
setting these sorts of ambiguous boundaries and letting our
adversaries kind of walk over us sometimes. So what steps are
you and the President taking to establish a stronger, more
credible deterrence against these threats from our adversaries,
besides just ``don't''?
Secretary Austin. I take it you speaking about the Middle
East specifically?
Senator Capito. Yes. Yes, sir.
Secretary Austin. So you know, we had a number of goals at
the very beginning of this crisis. And one of them was to
protect our people, and both our troops, and civilians in the
region. Another was to recover the hostages; another was to
ensure that we are doing everything that we can to support
Israel in its efforts to defend itself. And then, finally, it
is our goal to ensure that we contain this conflict in Gaza,
and not have a regional conflict breakout.
So you saw us early on, deploy some pretty substantial
capabilities into theater to discourage people from trying to
do that, from trying to blow this into a regional conflict. And
I think even though there has been dust-ups throughout the
region, we don't see a regional conflict at this point,
Senator.
So if you take a look at the attacks that were being
conducted against our troops, you recall that in January we
saw--leading up to January, we saw a number of attacks against
our troops, and our bases, and you saw us in February conduct a
pretty major strike in--that the President authorized in both
Iraq and Syria.
Since that time, we have seen two incidents, and we
attribute those actions to probably rogue elements. So in that
case, they have been deterred from attacking our troops. But in
terms of Iran and its actions in the region, Iran continues to
present a threat to the region, and that is something that we
are going to have to remain focused on, for sure.
Senator Capito. Let me ask both of you a question here
about the reports that of withholding weapons. We all voted,
many of us, I certainly did, and was pleased to support the
bill, by 79 to 18, to reinvigorate not just our own defense
industrial, but also to give aid to several other entities.
What is the status of withholding our weaponry that we voted to
send to Israel? Are we doing that? And why are we doing that.
Secretary Austin. Again, you know, our commitment to Israel
is ironclad, Senator, and you know, as I said earlier, since
October 7, we have flowed in billions of dollars worth of
security assistance.
Senator Capito. Right.
Secretary Austin. And as you just mentioned, you just
passed the largest supplemental in history for--that is focused
on Israel. And we are going to continue to do what is necessary
to support Israel, you know, currently----
Senator Capito. Are those reports false, then, that I am
reading?
Secretary Austin. No. We are currently reviewing some near-
term security assistance shipments in the context of the
unfolding events in Rafah.
Senator Capito. So we are withholding our shipments of
weapons predicated on the strategy that Israel is employing and
going into Rafah; is that the bottom line here?
Secretary Austin. We have not--again, we are assessing. We
have not made any final decisions on this yet, but, to answer
your question, yes----
Senator Capito. Yes.
Secretary Austin [continuing]. We are--there are some
things that we are taking a closer look at.
Senator Capito. Okay. Then that is an answer that is--well,
thank you for clarifying it. I wouldn't say I agree with it.
But thank you for clarifying it.
General Brown, let me ask you. This is one of the things
that come up on the refortification of our own munitions. How
do you see that now, that we have passed this, and the
President has signed this?
General Brown. Well, it is going to put us on a much better
path. And it is not only what the supplemental, but I would
also say the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization
Act, which allowed for multiyear procurement for six systems, I
would look to actually expand that in the future on a multiyear
procurement, because what that will do will provide levels of
consistency for our Defense industrial base so they can
actually work with the workforce facilities, supply chains, and
allow us to make sure we have the capacity from a munition
standpoint.
Senator Capito. So you are convinced that we are on a glide
path to renew our munition supplies to a satisfactory level for
you----
General Brown. We are on a good path. One of the pieces I
would also add, though, you know, getting a budget on time is
actually really important to actually provide that level of
consistency so we can write contracts and give our defense
industrial base the confidence and the trust that they can
invest and have that workforce and supply chain.
Senator Capito. I think we all hear you. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Coons.
Senator Coons. Thank you, Chairman Tester, and Vice
Chairman Collins, and thank you to the leadership of this
committee, the Full Committee Chair and Vice Chair for
navigating some very challenging dynamics and getting,
ultimately, delivered to our warfighters, and to all the
different departments and agencies that were supported through
the supplemental, a critically needed additional funding. As a
new member of this subcommittee, I look forward to working with
you.
I have got two questions I would like to focus on. As you
heard Chair Murray in her, I thought, compelling commentary, we
need to coordinate between defense, diplomacy, and development
to be as effective as possible, particularly in places that are
on the margins of the main conflicts currently, appropriately
occupying most of your time.
I Chair the subcommittee that funds the State Department
and USAID (United States Agency for International Development).
Five years ago, President Trump signed into law the Global
Fragility Act, which Senator Graham and I, and two dozen other
Senators co-sponsored and worked on, and it is a simple
proposition. It requires coordination between DOD, USAID, and
State in fragile countries that are not yet failed states, not
yet scenes of active combat, but where we might implement the
same sort of strategy we pursued in Colombia over a long period
of time, to prevent a fragile state from becoming a failed
state.
One of my concerns has been the genuine lack of DOD
engagement in Global Fragility Act implementation. I understand
you have a lot on your plate, but there are several identified
nations and areas of focus under GFA (Global Fragility Act).
One of them happens to now be the subject of, I think, renewed
intense engagement, Coastal West Africa.
I have been to every country in the Sahel, I have visited
the relevant Air Base in Niger that is now being occupied by
both Russian and American troops, as we are likely being forced
to leave, Niger. I am very concerned about the security and
stability situation in the region. And our partners, Ghana and
Cote d'Ivoire, with whom we have trained and prepared for quite
some time, have been asking now for years for additional
security assistance.
Mr. Secretary, I would be interested in your input on what
DOD's plans are for taking advantage of this existing structure
for how we can coordinate planning between the diplomats, the
development professionals, and the security professionals of
our Government and our allied partners in an area that is newly
of some focus, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, because of
the very real threats of violent extremist organizations, of
Wagner, of Jihadists in the Sahel threatening these partner
nations. How do we plan to use this tool, sir?
Secretary Austin. Well, first of all, we are fully
committed to supporting the Global Fragility Act, and you are
right that area that you mentioned is of increased importance.
You mentioned that we were forced to leave Niger, we will leave
Niger, Senator, but as you know, what we do in order--terrorism
thrives in ungoverned spaces.
Senator Coons. Yes.
Secretary Austin. And what we typically do is to try to
help countries develop their own capability to control their
sovereign spaces. But you have got to have a reliable partner.
And in this case, you know, the----
Senator Coons. Sir, we could spend a lot of time on the
coups in Mali, and Burkina, and Niger, and how that happened
and why. Not to interrupt, I don't mean to be rude. I have very
little time, sir. I agree with you that we have an unreliable
partner in Niger. I visited those facilities. I regret that the
significant investment that we made there will not likely
redound to our benefit.
I just was wondering how you see prioritizing partnering
with State and AID in developing security plans for Coastal
West Africa, if I might, sir?
Secretary Austin. Yes. So what I was going to say next, is
that you are right, this is an important area, and we are
working with State currently to address those places that you
mentioned, and potentially develop the capability to have a
presence there, and partner in a more significant way with a
couple of those countries. And that work is ongoing now.
Senator Coons. Well, I look forward to consulting with you
both about this, because I think there is an urgency to it,
from a security perspective.
Secretary Austin. I would agree.
Senator Coons. Chairman, this is what keeps me up at night,
is a number of very capable foreign terrorist organizations
that see this. If I might, Mr. Chairman, ask one last quick
question?
Senator Tester. Damn quick.
Senator Coons. Damn quick. I have also recently visited in
Jordan and Iraq, and I am very concerned about the threat to
our Forces, posed by low, slow--exactly, the low technology
drones that Iran is providing to Russia at scale. I see that
there is a specific counter-UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) Fund
in this year's budget. Just briefly speak to the importance of
having flexible funding and our ability to develop and deploy
quickly state-of-the-art defenses to this evolving threat to
our troops. Thank you, sir.
Senator Tester. Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, the Army continues to budget for tactical
wheeled vehicles at rates well below the minimum sustaining
rates in industry requires to keep production lines open, and
further the Army is risking a gap in production by
transitioning the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to a company
that has no experience manufacturing this platform. So I am
worried that the Army's management of these programs and their
associated industrial base--and the Army is due to complete a
strategy for the acquisition of the platforms this summer, but
I am concerned about the Army's ability to grade its own work,
frankly.
The tactical wheeled vehicle sector is an important part of
the overall industrial base, and our National Security
Strategy. So Mr. Secretary, can I count on sound decisionmaking
from DOD on vehicle programs? And further, will you engage the
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial-
Based Policy in reviewing the Army's management of the tactical
wheeled vehicles, and providing recommendations?
Secretary Austin. You can. And I will. And there is no
question that Wisconsin's Industrial Base is critical, and so
we want to make sure that we continue to do the right things to
keep the--and make sure we have the capacity to address our
needs going forward, so yes.
Senator Baldwin. Okay. Wisconsin's Industrial Base is
something, of course, that is always on my mind. And so I am
going to shift to our shipbuilding. Mr. Secretary, we were all
troubled by the 75-day shipbuilding review that found major
delays among most of the shipbuilding programs. And I was
surprised to hear that the Navy estimates that the Frigate will
be delayed by as many as 36 months. As you and I discussed last
year, I worked to secure funding for the industrial base and
workforce development programs that would support growing the
skilled workforce that we need to sustain robust production of
the Frigate. I am disappointed that it took the Navy 15 months
to obligate the fiscal year 2023 funds.
Mr. Secretary, will you explain to the committee the
importance of continuing to fully fund the Frigate Program, and
its associated workforce development needs on a consistent
annual basis? And will you commit to working with me to ensure
that the Navy works diligently and responsibly to execute these
funds?
Secretary Austin. As you know, this budget request,
Senator, does include requests for fully funding the fiscal
year 2025 Frigate. But to your point in terms of making sure
that we have the workforce that can provide the capacity that
we need to stay on track, and keep up with the demand, that is
critical. So the industrial base needs to be able to, not only
recruit, but retain the talent that is needed to do that. And
we have to continue to invest in that. And again, we have to
pick up the pace. And so we will continue to work with industry
leaders to do--in fact, do that.
And I have met with some industry leaders and talked about,
you know, what we are doing with the resources that are being
provided to invest in the industrial base, and we will continue
to do that going forward. And I think they are doing some
things on their own to invest, but we have to work together in
a more meaningful way to increase capacity.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Graham.
Senator Graham. Thank you. Rather than getting in a fight
about the Navy, why don't we agree with the following; that the
Battle Force Ship Assessment Requirement Report issued said
that we need 381 manned ships, 134 unmanned, for a total fleet
size of 515, I think by 2043.
General Brown, is that right?
General Brown. Senator, I am not familiar with the complete
study. But I do know we need additional capability.
Senator Graham. Okay. So I am just assuming the people who
issued this knew what they were talking about, we are on track
to have 294 ships by 2030 under the budget proposal, is that
right, Secretary Austin?
Secretary Austin. Right, 291----
Senator Graham. Okay. Yes. Okay.
Secretary Austin [continuing]. 29 and----
Senator Graham. Yes, right. So we are at 293 and 2030, we
are going to have 294. There must be a lot of shipbuilding
between 2030 and 2040. The problem is money. It is not your
fault, I am not blaming anybody, I think this committee ought
to look at an OCO (Overseas Contingency Operations) account, if
you believe the Navy is essential to deterring China, that to
come up with a sustainable plan to get our Navy in shape to
deter war with China and other places, I think we got to look
at sort of modernization OCO, and I want to have a bipartisan
discussion about, to give you the ships and the things you need
to win the wars we hope we never have to fight, by deterring
them.
So let us go to Ukraine right quick. General Austin, you
said that Ukraine is a vital national security interest to the
United States. How that ends, do you agree that if we lose in
Ukraine, pull the plug on Ukraine, we will send a signal of
weakness?
Secretary Austin. That is right.
Senator Graham. Yes.
Secretary Austin. That is right, Senator. I agree with
that.
Senator Graham. And General Brown, I am sure you agree too.
General Brown. I do agree.
Senator Graham. I totally agree, there are people on our
side, Senator Collins will tell you, we hear from all the time.
Just, you know, it doesn't matter, pull the plug on Ukraine.
With all due respect, you are wrong, in my view. So I am going
to keep supporting Ukraine.
Now, you just confirmed that we are delaying transfer or
stopping transfer of certain weapons, like 2,000-pound bombs to
Israel; is that correct, Secretary Austin?
Secretary Austin. What I said, we are assessing, you know,
where we are right now?
Senator Graham. Well, the media reports that it happened,
are they incorrect?
Secretary Austin. That we have made a decision to----
Senator Graham. Yes.
Secretary Austin. Again, we have made no decisions, we are
assessing.
Senator Graham. Are you worried that if you make a decision
to deny weapons that Israel say they need, that it would send a
signal to Hamas and Iran to keep pushing?
Secretary Austin. Senator, we want to make sure that we are
providing the right kinds of weaponry.
Senator Graham. Okay. Would you have supported dropping the
atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, General Brown, to end
World War II?
General Brown. Well, Senator, I think just based on the
situation where----
Senator Graham. Well, we know. I mean it has happened, we
know, I am not asking you, they did it. Do you think that was
disproportionate?
General Brown. It was definitely a----
Senator Graham. Well, do you--in hindsight, do you think
that was the right decision for America to drop two atomic
bombs on the Japanese cities in question?
General Brown. Well I will say it stopped the world war.
Senator Graham. Okay. Let us say we had--do you agree,
General Austin, if you had been around, would you say drop
them?
Secretary Austin. You know, I you, I agree with the
Chairman here----
Senator Graham. I mean, if we go back in time, says, hey,
we got two atomic bombs, should we drop them, what would you
say?
Secretary Austin. Well, you know, I think the leadership
was interested in curtailing the----
Senator Graham. What is Israel interested in? Do you
believe Iran really wants to kill all the Jews if they could,
the Iranian regime?
Secretary Austin. They have----
Senator Graham. Do you believe Hamas is serious when they
say we will keep doing it over and over again. Do you do you
agree that they will if they can?
Secretary Austin. I do and (crosstalk)----
Senator Graham. Okay. Do you believe that Hezbollah is a
terrorist organization, also bent on the destruction of the
Jewish State?
Secretary Austin. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization.
Senator Graham. Okay. So Israel has been hit in the last
few weeks by Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, dedicated to their
destruction, and you are telling me you are going to tell them
how to fight the war, and what they can and can't use when
everybody around them wants to kill all the Jews, and you are
telling me that if we withhold weapons in this fight, the
existential fight for the life of the Jewish State, it won't
send the wrong signal.
Do you still think it was a good idea, General Austin, to
get out of Afghanistan?
Secretary Austin. I support the President's----
Senator Graham. Yes, I think you do. I think it was a
disastrous decision. If we stop weapons necessary to destroy
the enemies of the State of Israel at a time of great peril, we
will pay a price, this is obscene, it is absurd. Give Israel
what they need to fight the war, they can't afford to lose.
This is Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids.
Senator Tester. Senator Murphy. You are clear. Senator
Murphy.
Senator Murphy. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, great to
see you both, thank you for your service to the country. It is
pretty stunning to me how this country and our allies fail to
learn recent history lessons. Those recent history lessons in
both Afghanistan and Iraq, tell us that there are substantial,
grave limitations to the ability of military force to eliminate
a terrorist threat.
In fact history tells us that the application of
overwhelming military force can, in fact, grow terrorist
threats, not shrink them. Mr. Secretary, you have said today
that Israel has the right to defend itself, the United States
supports Israel's right to defend itself. I agree. But if
Israel's strategy is making it more likely, not less likely,
that future terrorist attacks will occur, then it is not an
effective strategy.
And so it is all well and good to get angry about a
conversation the United States is having with Israel over the
right strategy to defeat terrorism, but we have lots of
experience in failed strategies. The National Intelligence
Estimate released just earlier this year said this, that the
Gaza crisis has galvanized Violence by a range of actors around
the world, and while it is too early to tell, it is likely that
the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism,
a generational impact on terrorism.
Both al-Qaeda and ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria),
inspired by Hamas, have directed supporters to conduct attacks
against Israeli and U.S. interests. Here is my question, how do
we apply the lessons that we learned in Iraq and Afghanistan,
as a means of helping Israel understand how to defeat Hamas,
and what is your assessment of whether this campaign is in the
long run going to decrease the ability of Hamas or follow-on
organizations to recruit and retain strength, and the ability
to hurt Israel and the United States?
Secretary Austin. Thanks Senator, we said all along that
Hamas does not equal the Palestinian people, they are not one
and the same. And what we learned to your point, key lesson
there is that you have to protect the people, the civilians in
the battle space, otherwise you create more terrorist going
forward.
So it is not only a moral imperative, but it is also a
strategic imperative that that you protect civilians, and the
two aren't mutually exclusive, you can do both. And we know how
to do that, and so in terms of the lessons learned, the kinds
of things that we would endeavor to pass along, those are the
things that we continue to have a dialogue on.
But you know, there have been far too many, far too many
civilian casualties in this battle space, and I think we should
do everything possible to ensure that that we are protecting
the civilians and providing for their welfare, humanitarian
assistance.
Senator Murphy. I think you are right that there is a
strategic and a moral reason to care about the number of
civilian casualties in Gaza, even if you don't care about the
moral consequences of 13,000 children dead, you should care
about the strategic consequences of providing continued
bulletin board recruiting material to the very organizations
that we are trying to destroy.
Mr. Secretary, let me do a hard turn here on a subject
really important to U.S. national security, but also to my
State. As you know this budget downgrades our commitment to
building Virginia Class Submarines from two to one a year. We
made a big mistake in the 1990s when we hollowed out the
submarine industrial base. We went from having 12,000 employees
at electric boat down to about 1,500, and it took us a decade
or more to scale back up when we realized we really needed
these submarines.
How can we look at the request for only one Virginia Class
Submarine in fiscal year 2025, as anything but a pretty
enormous step back for our industrial base? I am really worried
about our ability to be able to deliver what we know we need,
which is two Virginia Class Submarines, and keeping the
Columbia Class on time. I just worry that you can't do that if
you take this big, even if it is just a 1 year, but a big step
back in commitment to the Virginia Program.
Secretary Austin. Thanks, Senator. So the choices are to
increase the backlog by putting more demand on the system, or
invest more in the industrial base, and that is the approach
that we have taken. We asked you for in 2023 and 2024 we asked
you for $1.9 billion to invest in the industrial base, sub-
industrial base. For this budget, we are asking for $4 billion.
The Supplemental gives us $3.3 billion, and Australians are
also investing in the submarine industrial base, our submarine
industrial base.
So as I have talked with industry leaders, you know, we
have talked about how we go about recruiting more people,
increasing strengths in the supply chains, and so that work is
ongoing and needs to be done, but we have to increase the
capacity. And I know there is argument both ways, in terms of
the demand versus investing in the capacity, but they believe,
and I believe that that we will get there, but we just need to
do more in terms of capacity, so.
Senator Murphy. I appreciate that $4 billion investment, it
is significant, but that has to be an immediate pathway to get
us back on track to be building those two Virginia Classes a
year. Look forward to working with you on it.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, do you believe that Israel has to fully
defeat Hamas so that they don't come back and have another
attack like October 7?
Secretary Austin. I do believe that Hamas has to be
defeated, yes. And the goal of the Israeli leadership, as
stated by them, is to destroy Hamas.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Then if they need to be fully
defeated, then won't giving them precision weapons like
Boeing's joint attack--direct attack munitions, and small
diameter bombs help them fully defeat Hamas with less
collateral damage, with less impact on civilians. Those
precision weapons will help them fully defeat Hamas with less
impact on the civilian population in Gaza, so why wouldn't we
go ahead and get them those weapons just as fast as we can?
Secretary Austin. I tend to agree with you, you need
precision-guided munitions of the right type. And that is why
we just recently provided small diameter bombs to Israel.
Senator Hoeven. But clearly it was the intent of Congress
to get Israel that assistance, and so we are watching very
closely that you get that to them as expeditiously as possible,
so they can fully defeat Hamas, so Hamas doesn't regenerate and
do the same kind of attack that they did on October 7; wouldn't
you agree with that?
Secretary Austin. And I would also agree with that and I
would also agree with the point that we need to do everything
we can to protect civilians in the battle space. So that
precision that you talked about is really, really important, so
some types of munitions are better suited than others, but we
really would like to see that that begin to happen in terms of,
you know, fewer casualties, fewer civilian casualties, and more
precise----
Senator Hoeven. Do you agree or not that we need to get
them the assistance to fully defeat Hamas; do you agree with
that or not?
Secretary Austin. And we have been doing that from the very
beginning.
Senator Hoeven. Do you agree with that, or not?
Secretary Austin. I do.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, appreciate
it.
Mr. Chairman, I want to talk to you about Sentinel, given
the incredible threat from China, and Russia, and the
incredible buildup we are seeing particularly in China, with
their nuclear arsenal, and given the Nunn-McCurdy Review, one,
are you fully committed to modernization of our nuclear forces
to the Sentinel Program and how are you going to do and what
are you going to do to keep that on track.
General Brown. As you know, our nuclear portfolio, and our
nuclear triad is key to our strategic deterrence, and so in
this budget there is $49 billion that is focused on that
portfolio for Sentinel, there is 3.7 billion. As the Air Force
works through its Nunn-McCurdy, we want to continue down the
path to modernize, because this leg of triad, Sentinel, is the
one that is available 24/7, and to provide the that strategic
deterrence in addition to the other two legs of the triad.
Senator Hoeven. Are you fully committed to doing what you
need to, to keep it on track?
General Brown. I am.
Senator Hoeven. And do you feel that you have the plan in
place right now to do that?
General Brown. Well, this is where the Air Force is working
through the Nunn-McCurdy, and I have not gotten a brief from
them, but I do know that the Air Force is focused on this, you
know, based on my past experience, and based on how important I
know it is for the Nation.
Senator Hoeven. Is there something that you would want to
see from this committee that would help you do that?
General Brown. Well, I think the collaboration with the
committee, and consistent funding, on-time funding, will be
helpful to move forward, and then this constant dialogue to
figure out where we can take out any slack to ensure we get the
capability.
Senator Hoeven. Well, our Chairman is from Montana, the
home of Malmstrom, and of course we have the Minot Air Force
Base in North Dakota, and Senator Barrasso in F.E. Warren, I
know that we are committed to helping you. So if there is
something else that needs to be done we want to know what it is
to keep that program on track.
General Brown. We will definitely let you know.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Thank you very much. And then the
last question I would have, Mr. Chairman, for you is, how are
you making sure that we have enough ISR (Intelligence,
Surveillance, and Reconnaissance)--with this you know
development in for space-based assets, and that is I know it is
critically important, we are very committed to funding that and
advancing it. I am concerned that you are not doing enough to
maintain an ISR capacity. What are you doing to make sure that
you have the ISR assets that all of the Forces, not just Air
Force, but all of our Forces are asking for?
General Brown. You know, as a Joint warfighter, and having
been serving jointly, I have been focused not just on the Air
Force but all the Services. And when I look at the ISR, in
particular, it is the capability that only do we have from the
air-breathing assets, but it is how we bring in ISR from our
maritime assets, how we bring it in, and particular from our
space assets, and how we transition.
I would also highlight the fact how cyber plays a key role
in some of our ISRs as well. And so having the capability to
bring that all together and using our digital tools to take all
the information we get from whatever ISR platform, that is what
we really--you know, that is where the focus is. How do you
take that information to things we can analyze to determine
intent, and it is not just--I know our combatant commands are
focused on particular platforms, but it is the combination of
platforms and capability, and how we bring that together, that
is going to make us most effective as a Joint Force.
Senator Hoeven. Well, you and I have worked on this for
some time, and you have had a good common-sense approach to it.
And so we want to continue working with you on it, but what you
do in ISR affects every single Force in the DOD, not just Air
Force. It is vitally important. So I want to encourage your
continued focus on making sure that you have adequate ISR, and
we will work with you to do that, but very important.
General Brown. Actually having the ISR actually makes my
job easier. So I am completely focused on ensuring we have that
capability.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Yes. Thank you. I have got a couple more
questions. And I thank you guys for your patience, and going
through the order here. We have had good participation today.
Look, I have repeatedly called upon Secretary Mayorkas, and
President Biden, and Congress, to step up and fix what is going
on in the southern border. It is not sustainable at all, and it
is unacceptable. DHS (Department of Homeland Security)
continues to rely on DOD support at the southern border to make
sure that they are doing what they can do. But once again, I
don't see any funding in this budget for DOD personnel for
those operations. So Mr. Secretary, a couple things. Number
one, how many troops are serving currently on the southern
border?
Secretary Austin. There is about 2,500 on board.
Senator Tester. Yes. And how does DOD cover these costs?
Secretary Austin. As we always have, out of our operating
budget.
Senator Tester. And so what does that mean, and
operationally, who gets shorted?
Secretary Austin. Of course, that means that there is
something else that we are not doing because of that support.
But you know, it is important that we do everything we can to
support DHS in its effort to--it its work on the southwest
border. We have been doing that for 19--the last 23 years. The
price tag has been about $4 billion. But again, we are
supporting Agency, and DHS is a lead Agency. And again, it is
important to our country, and we are going to do what is
required to support the----
Senator Tester. So let me ask you this, Mr. Secretary, do
you agree with my perspective that the administration needs to
do more to secure the border, and we shouldn't have to depend
upon the military to do that?
Secretary Austin. We should, or should not?
Senator Tester. Should not have to depend upon the
military?
Secretary Austin. I could not--I agree, but if we are
required to assist, then certainly we will continue to do so.
Senator Tester. I want to go back to Senator----
Secretary Austin. And the President agrees with the fact
that there is more that should be done, and that is why when
you came up with this bipartisan approach, that was very much
supported.
Senator Tester. Yes. Well, no doubt about it, Congress
dropped the ball on that because that would have changed things
dramatically, but some folks want it to be used as a political
tool, when in fact we ought to be working for the betterment of
the country, not for Democrats or Republicans.
I want to talk to you a little bit about Sentinel. Senator
Hoeven brought this up. I am frustrated. Secretary Kendall has
recused himself for reasons, by the way, that I understand
Members of Congress who created that problem. Northrop Grumman
is doing what they can do. The Air Force is doing what they can
do. Bechtel is doing what they can do. You guys have educated
me very, very well on what is going on in this world, and why
this is a dangerous time, yet I don't get the sense of urgency
on Sentinel, particularly with the ground-based missiles that
we have.
We have got timelines, and quite frankly, we had a General
in front of the VA MILCON Committee, and General Miller, I
believe, correct me if I am wrong, General Miller, and I asked
them about time lines. Great guy, incredibly talented, could
not even give me the year they anticipated starting this
program. And I get it, there is studies going on, there is cost
issues, and it is going to cost a lot.
General Brown, can you give me any sort of--this is in your
old job, front and center, and it is still in your new job too,
by the way, but can you give me any idea on, if I should be
concerned about the timeline continuing to slip on the ground-
based Nuclear Missile Sentinel Project that I think is
critically important as a deterrent moving forward in this
world in the 21st century?
General Brown. Senator, I don't necessarily have the
details, but I think for all of us, we all should be, you know,
I get concerned we don't get capability to the hands of our
warfighters, or things that are very important to our strategic
deterrence. And so my focus as a Chairman, and same as, when I
was the Air Force Chief, is to ensure we are doing everything
we can to make sure we bring that capability forward.
And so I am focused, and want to make sure that we continue
to do that. So I do have, like you, have some concerns. I want
to understand where we are, and what are the things we need to
do to ensure we bring that capability forward as quickly as
possible.
Senator Tester. We are here to help.
General Brown. Yes, sir.
Senator Tester. But I will tell you that unless we start
getting timelines, and goals, and everything set up, there is
going to be a lot of pressure being put on people because,
quite frankly, I do not think it is acceptable to be continuing
to say: Don't worry about this, it is coming. The truth is, we
have been at this for a while, and I haven't seen it coming,
seen it progressing to the point it needs to.
Senator Collins, I will get to you. I want to get to
Senator Murkowski, for her first round.
Senator Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and apologize,
we are all jumping in between multiple appropriation
subcommittees this morning.
But gentlemen, thank you for being here, thank you for your
leadership. I know that there is probably been a great deal of
discussion here this morning as there is just generally about
the threats from China, Iran, the conflicts in Ukraine, but I
feel it is important to always underscore that we never take
our eye off of North Korea, who just last month, of course,
fired missiles in the direction of Japan, one of our strongest
allies in the Pacific.
It was Prime Minister Kishida who noted, just shortly after
the most recent launch from North Korea, that their frequent
launches threaten the peace and safety of not only Japan but
the region and the international security. So I just make the
statement to let you know that it is something that we are
certainly engaged in tracking, and I know you are as well.
But I want to ask you, Mr. Secretary, not about North
Korea, but a focus on the Arctic. Your fiscal year 2025 budget
overview states that the goal of this year's budget request is
``To develop a monitor and response approach in the Arctic.''
So I read that to suggest that this is a passive approach in
the Arctic, which I think would be a strategic critical error.
As you know, we are already behind. We are under-equipped when
it comes to assets. When you look at what Russia has with their
icebreaker fleet of about 50 vessels, in the United States
here, we have barely two.
Mr. Secretary, you have been to the State, you have had
really strong statements noting that the United States has to
project power in both regions while also serving as a frontline
in the Homeland Defense Mission. So you are saying all the
right things, but I am concerned about the wording here, and I
would ask for you to just expand on what a monitor and respond
approach in the Arctic really entails.
Secretary Austin. Thanks, Senator. The United States is an
Arctic nation, and of course, this is a strategically important
region to us for a number of reasons. And we are going to
continue to take actions to prioritize the region. You are
going to soon see us release a new Arctic Strategy, and that
strategy will account for the changes in the environment, you
know, the warming climate, the fact that we have new members of
NATO that I think will be very helpful in working with us going
forward.
We see each of the Military Services making investments in
their ability to operate in that environment. We also see a
Combatant Commander, NORTHCOM, partnering with Canada to
modernize the NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command).
And so again, it is important to us. You know that we conduct
some pretty significant exercises, like Northern Edge up there,
and every time we do that, we learn a lot more about ourselves
and the challenges that are facing us. But again, the Arctic
will remain important to us, and we will account for that in
the new strategy that we are going to release.
Senator Murkowski. Well, I thank you for that, and would
suggest also, and when we factor it into the strategy that,
again, when we look at the budget, making sure that it is
resourced to demonstrate that, whether it is in the proper
Arctic equipment, cold weather service incentive programs, and
the like.
Very quickly to you, General Brown, as you well know,
Alaska's in a pretty unique position because it executes a
NORTHCOM mission but with PACOM assets, and it creates some
operational control issues as NORTHCOM and 11th Air Force
Commanders are unable to effectively utilize their assets in a
timely and efficient manner. Every 11th Air Force Commander I
have worked with has expressed the concerns about the
structure, in that it doesn't prioritize Homeland Defense,
making their job a little bit harder. I am sure you are
tracking this issue.
I know that the proposal is currently being considered
within the Pentagon. I don't know if you have any updates that
you can provide now, or at a later point in time, but it is
something that, again, we are looking to address. I had a
conversation with General Guo just yesterday.
Secretary Austin. Well, having served as a Commander of
Pacific Air Force, I am very familiar with the operational
challenges associated with Air Forces in Alaska that are both
focused on NORTHCOM-NORAD Missions, as well as INDOPACOM
Missions.
I am not aware of a direct proposal, but I have talked to
General Guo as well, and just based on experience, I know it is
something we got to take a look at to continue to make sure
that we don't create unnecessary seams to make sure we can
respond in whichever way the Nation requires with the
capabilities that are stationed there in Alaska.
Senator Murkowski. I appreciate your review of that. Thank
you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, Congress has overwhelmingly, and with
bipartisan support, indicated its support for providing weapons
and other assistance to Israel. These funding bills have passed
with 70 to 80 votes in the Senate, and by similar bipartisan
margins in the House. You said in response to a question today
that no final decision has been made. I would suggest to you
that pausing or delaying the delivery of weapons to Israel is a
decision, and it is a decision that most Members of Congress
would take issue with.
I was reading a report from John Spencer, who is the Chair
of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, and he said, quote,
``Israel has implemented more measures to prevent civilian
casualties in urban warfare than any other military in the
history of war.''
So that leads me to ask you, what conditions is the
administration asking Israel to fulfill before releasing these
weapons that the administration has deliberately delayed
despite strong Congressional support for this assistance?
Secretary Austin. Thanks, Senator. Well, first of all, it
is about having the right kinds of weapons for the task at
hand. And a small diameter bomb, which is a precision weapon
that is very useful in a dense built-up environment, is
helpful, but maybe not so much a 2,000=pound bomb that could
create a lot of collateral damage. And so, we have been very
clear that we have to do more to--Israel needs to do more to
protect the civilians in the battle space.
And we wanted to make sure that we saw a plan to move those
civilians out of the battle space before executing any kind of
ground combat operation. And we would also like to see them do
more precise operations. Now, I don't doubt that they have some
very good policies, and they do, but it is important to make
sure that we are following the policies. And so, we have been
having conversations about this. And so, we think it is
imperative that we do more to protect civilians in the battle
space, and that is the real issue.
Senator Collins. And I would just suggest to you that it is
Hamas that has its military operations under hospitals, under
schools, concealed in civilian areas, and is using our
hostages, American hostages, Israeli hostages, and innocent
Palestinian civilians as human shields. I think we need to
remember and always remind ourselves that it was Hamas that
massacred 1,200 Israelis.
It wasn't the Israelis that started this conflict. And I am
just very concerned that we not try to micromanage Israel's
right to defend itself against a terrorist group backed by
Iran.
Let me just quickly go to one other issue, and that is, I
know that the National Security Strategy focuses on great power
competition with China, however, the most imminent threat to
the U.S. homeland, and our citizens abroad, as well as our
allies, may well be the reconstituted terrorist factions that
have grown since our abandonment of Afghanistan.
And to follow up on the Chairman's point, according to one
DHS official cited in a Washington Post report: More than
10,000 migrants from Central Asian countries have entered into
the United States in the past year, some of whom have crossed
the border illegally. So is the Department of Defense also
keeping its eye on the terrorist threat which I believe is, as
the FBI Director has said, ``blinking red'', and working with
our intelligence community?
Secretary Austin. Absolutely, Senator, we are. You know, I
meet routinely with the Director of the CIA, and the Director
of National Intelligence, and discuss, you know, our assets and
resources that we have that are focused on collecting on these
groups. And I remind you that we were the country that warned
both Iran and Russia of a pending attack. And so we couldn't do
that if we didn't have the visibility that we have. Now, it is
not perfect, and we will continue to work to do everything we
can to make sure that we have every sensor available helping us
here, so.
Senator Collins. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Chairman, Vice Chairman, thank you.
General, the Air Force recently awarded a contract for the
new Survivable Airborne Operations Center, SAOC, to replace the
E-4, the Doomsday. Would you, General, highlight for this
committee, the importance of this aircraft in the event of a
national emergency or destruction of ground command and control
centers?
General Brown. Well, it is designed to support our Nation
on our worst day, on a major attack on our Nation. And so it is
very important, not only for the command and control, and for
the leadership of the Nation, but also for our nuclear command
and control as well. So it plays a key role to provide the
President and our national leadership options to continue to
operate when we have any type of crisis or contingency.
Senator Moran. What is the reason there needs to be a
replacement of the current aircraft?
General Brown. Just based on age. And one of the things we
have to pay attention to, not only for this particular
platform, but for, I would say all the platforms we have within
the Department, is to ensure that we actually have a viable
platform that we can sustain from a maintenance standpoint,
because at some point it gets more costly to maintain than to
move into a new capability.
I would also say, technology, as technology advances, we
want to make sure we have the most advanced capabilities that
the Nation has to offer in the platforms that we use, not only
for our command control, but also for our warfighters.
Senator Moran. Thank you, General.
Secretary Austin, the Bipartisan Strategic Posture
Committee Report recommended fully and urgently executing the
U.S. Nuclear Modernization Program of record, including the
replacement of all delivery systems. Can you highlight, please,
some of the key successes related to modernization of our
Strategic Delivery System?
Secretary Austin. Yes, well, in this forum, I will say
that, again, we are asking you in this budget for some $49
billion to continue to invest in all three legs of the triad.
We have requested, to this point, some $149 billion, and that
money is being put to use to upgrade our capabilities across
the board.
So, as we look at the threat though going forward, Senator
Moran, you know, the threat that we face today was clearly not
a threat that we were facing 10 years ago, and it won't be the
same 10 years from now. So, this is a kind of a changing
challenge, and we have to keep pace with that. And so we
anticipate that going forward, there will be more changes that
will have to be made, and you know, as our adversaries get more
capability, so.
Senator Moran. Thank you. Thank you, both.
Senator Tester. I want to thank you for being here,
gentlemen. We appreciate you, we appreciate the testimony you
have given here today, and the answers to the questions.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
Senators may submit additional written questions and we ask
you to respond to those questions in a reasonable amount of
time.
[The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but
were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the
hearing:]
Questions Submitted to Hon. Lloyd J. Austin, III
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. The budget request is consistent with the caps set in the
Fiscal Responsibility Act. However, the proposed growth is below
current inflation levels and does not account for billions of dollars
of additional requirements identified by the military services.
Mr. Secretary, where are you taking risk because of the budget cap?
Answer. Since FY22, you have seen us increase our topline request
by over $130 billion. This budget continues to be strategy driven, and
we are investing in what we need to maintain our competitive edge. But
to meet the budget caps approved by Congress under the Fiscal
Responsibility Act, we made tough but responsible decisions to
prioritize near-term readiness at the expense of some modernization
that will not be delivered until the 2030s. It's critical that we
regain topline growth in the out years to ensure we meet our
modernization goals.
Question. I have repeatedly called upon Secretary Mayorkas and
President Biden to step up and secure the southwest border. The status
quo is not working, despite the assistance of our troops. DHS continues
to rely on DoD support at the southwest border. But once again, no
funding is included in the budget for DoD personnel and operations.
Mr. Secretary, how many troops are serving at the border now? How
is DoD going to cover these costs?
Answer. As of May 7, 2024, approximately 2,334 military personnel
are supporting the Department of Homeland Security's border security
mission at the southwest border. As the cost of DoD's support is
unbudgeted, DoD absorbs this cost in the year of execution including
via reprogramming actions.
Question. Mr. Secretary, do you agree with me that the
Administration needs to do more to secure the border from a national
security standpoint?
Answer. Border security is a law enforcement mission of the
Department of Homeland Security. In response to DHS requests for
assistance, we have supported DHS's border security mission at the
southwest border for 19 of the last 23 years at the cost to DoD of more
than $4 billion. We're working with DHS to help develop its own
capabilities, because long-term reliance on DoD presents a risk,
particularly in the event that our forces, capabilities, and resources
need to be committed to a major overseas contingency.
Question. Two months ago, in response to a growing humanitarian
crisis, the President directed the Department of Defense to establish a
pier on the Gaza coastline to provide critical food and water
deliveries for Palestinian civilians. The initial estimate for 60 days
of operations was $154 million; we understand that DoD now estimates
the cost to be $320 million for 90 days of operations.
How will DoD pay for this operation?
Does DoD have a cost estimate for extended operations beyond 90
days?
Answer. The Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore humanitarian assistance
cost estimates significantly decreased from the $320M initial estimate
to the current $230M due to an altered operational environment, partner
contributions, and a reduced amount of funding requirements for
contract solutions. The initial cost estimate was the best initial
government estimate of contracting solutions that would allow the
Department to fulfill its mission to support the U.S. Agency for
International Development. Vendors provided proposals at much lower
costs than previously estimated, and operational, force protection, and
basic life support costs were refined from the initial estimates due to
detailed analyses from the DoD Components.
The JLOTS repair of approximately $15M is included in the revised
estimate of $230M.
Question. Shortages in our supply chain are delaying major programs
across every military Service, which hampers our ability to field new
capabilities to the warfighter on cost and on time. The submarine
industrial base comes to mind, but so do other programs, such as
Sentinel, which will replace Cold War era Minute Man III interceptors.
Secretary Austin, when the Department makes a contract award, how
do you track the health and performance of suppliers? It seems we often
rely on the prime contractor instead of identifying and managing key
suppliers ourselves.
Answer. Keeping suppliers accountable in the performance of a
contract is important for ensuring the health and resilience of the
defense industrial ecosystem. Through the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD(IBP)), the DoD
supports non-prime contractors who manage important elements of the
defense-critical supply chains. OASD(IBP)'s Manufacturing Capability
Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) office identifies areas
where additional critical industrial capacity is needed and makes
targeted investments to close these gaps. All MCEIP investments are
tracked individually by agreement for deliverables and technical
success. These deliverables vary by effort based on technology,
maturity and risk. If the performer does not meet the technical
measures of success or fails to deliver, MCEIP will terminate the
agreement and reinvest the remaining funds. This is one of the major
benefits of the Defense Production Act ordinarily receiving non
expiring funds. Following the technical period of performance (TPOP),
MCEIP will enter a No Cost Monitoring Phase (NCMP) where the government
will maintain oversight of the performance and ownership of all
equipment to ensure proper use, sustainability of the investment and
protection from adversarial capital. This period can last up to 5 years
after the TPOP ends.
Question. Mr. Secretary, we have spent billions in recent years to
shore up and expand our supply base. Are we getting the right return on
our investments?
Answer. The Department is constantly working on ways to increase
supply chain resiliency to support programs using domestic and
alternate materials, as well as innovative manufacturing methods. The
FY25 Budget would make new investments in our supply chains. Supply
chain challenges are also an economy-wide issue, and military demand is
not always enough to influence these markets. Where applicable, we need
to work with the U.S. industry to promote more secure options, drawn
from domestic and allied commercial supply chains. The Department is
receiving significant return on our investments by onshoring critical
industrial sectors within the United States. Congress appropriated $1
billion to the Defense Production Act account via the CARES Act, which
resulted in increased domestic vaccine production, and development of
mRNA vaccine and therapeutics production expertise within the United
States. We have also supported the development of critical minerals
processing and mining within the United States to reduce our dependence
on near-peer adversaries. These investments were made in novel
technologies or sectors prior to commercial viability. As these
investments and companies mature, the money spent will generate new
sectors of production within the United States, along with jobs and
intellectual expertise. Investment in the supply base will grow the
economy and the capabilities of U.S. manufacturing. These investments
are driving employment within the United States and reducing our
vulnerability to trade disruptions and forms of economic statecraft
practiced by adversarial nations.
Question. Mr. Secretary, in recent years, Congress has established
unprecedented acquisition and budget authorities to drive more
innovation into DoD. Yet the results are mixed: many of these programs
suffer from cost overruns and schedule delays, and we have yet to see
prototypes successfully fielded at scale. My concern is that we are at
risk of falling into the trap of `perennial prototyping,' and not
actually delivering capability in relevant numbers to our troops by
increasing procurement.
Answer. The Department has established several programs
specifically focused on transitioning prototype technology across the
valley of death and at scale. For example, the Rapid Defense
Experimentation Reserve (RDER) is a whole-of-Department effort focused
on advanced technologies to close gaps in the Department's Joint
Warfighting Concept. In the past, similar processes have delivered
impactful capabilities, such as Switchblade loitering anti-armor
munitions, which have been effective in Ukraine. We know that this type
of rapid prototyping and experimentation works.
In addition to the establishment of the RDER, there is a new
organization within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for
Research and Engineering called Multi-Domain Joint Operations (MDJO),
which was specifically chartered to work closely with the Joint Staff
to understand all domain joint warfighter gaps, identify leading-edge
capabilities to address those gaps, and work rapidly to transition
those capabilities to Military Service and DoD Agency programs of
record. MDJO guides proven prototype capabilities through to programs
of record, delivering them at scale. The Under Secretaries of Defense
for Research and Engineering and Acquisition and Sustainment have
bolstered their relationship by working closely on the Competitive
Advantage Pathfinder program, which works to identify systemic process
challenges that prevent or slow capabilities from crossing the valley-
of-death, and recommending solutions that could be scaled across the
DoD to enable transition of a wide-range of capabilities faster than
currently planned.
Another example of the Department delivering capabilities at scale
through prototyping is the Replicator initiative. Replicator is a
Department-wide effort to expedite innovation adoption within the
Department while enhancing adaptability and resiliency in warfighting
strategy. The Replicator effort is focusing initially on fielding
thousands of all-domain attributable autonomous systems within 18 to 24
months. Replicator will also be a catalyst to accelerate the
Department's ability to streamline bureaucratic processes for rapid
procurement and acquisition, institutionalizing these processes to
drive future capacity for capability adoption. Replicator is already
identifying and addressing pain points.
Given the proven and well-documented success of the Defense
Innovation Unit's (DIU) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) process and
their use of Other Transaction authority to support rapid prototyping
and subsequently scale, DIU is leveraging these tools to attract new
and nontraditional vendors through the Replicator initiative.
We are also working to educate and train the acquisition workforce
on the authorities afforded to them. This includes improving training
with Defense Acquisition University to ensure all acquisition pathways
are adequately taught to ensure an informed workforce.
Lastly, the Department is executing the newly established
Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies
(APFIT) program to rapidly inject small-business oriented programs with
funds needed to bridge them from development into production,
accelerating production by one to 2 years earlier than previously
baselined.
These focused programs indicate that the Department is not
prototyping for the sake of prototyping alone, but rather to deliver
capabilities at speed and at scale.
Question. Mr. Secretary, for years, research and development
funding has been used to mature and prototype technologies like
hypersonic weapons and artificial intelligence. These technologies
would give us decisive capabilities in a near-peer competition with
China, so when will they become real programs that are fielded at
scale?
Answer. The Department of Defense is focused on developing the best
capabilities for our warfighters as quickly as possible. To accomplish
this goal, the DoD is funding research and development to mature and
prototype technologies that are critical to the needs of our
warfighters.
The Department's offensive hypersonic weapons development is driven
by a need to provide a full range of options to senior decision makers.
Hypersonics are a key component in the mix of capabilities that the
joint force needs to deter and, if necessary, defeat aggression.
In the near term, Army tactical missiles for the first Long-Range
Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) battery are projected to begin delivering in
2024. Additionally, the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) will deploy the full
Navy Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) boost-glide hypersonic weapon
system in the 2020s, to be followed by CPS deployment on Virginia-class
attack submarines.
The Department has funded and has already deployed many systems
that leverage artificial intelligence, and we continue to advance our
capabilities in this technology area each year. For example, Project
Maven which was piloted in 2017, is one of the Department's
foundational artificial intelligence programs. Maven enables the
warfighter to achieve decision advantage by processing multiple data
streams at the edge. Predictive maintenance is another example of
artificial intelligence capabilities being leveraged in the field. The
Services, like the Air Force, have instituted predictive maintenance
programs to enable maintainers to predict and prevent problems before
they occur. Moreover, the Department has learned that successful
deployment of artificial intelligence is not about any single
application but about the creation of a data and operating enterprise
that allows both the deployment and the necessary feedback and
evolution of an artificial intelligence capability within that
enterprise. Through the Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer
(CDAO) and the Military Services, the Department has been setting the
conditions necessary to facilitate that successful enterprise, while
our science and technology community has been exploring solutions to
issues that are unique to the Department, such as intermittent and
constrained communications at the tactical edge.
The DoD will continue to encourage innovation and experimentation
to outpace its competitors to ensure the U.S. warfighter never shows up
to a fair fight.
Question. The Commission to review the Department's budget process
recently made over 20 recommendations to change DoD's internal budget
process. Many of these recommendations do not require legislation to
implement.
Secretary Austin, can you give us an update on progress you have
made in moving forward on key, near-term recommendations, such as
establishing communications enclaves; updating the cumbersome process
for realigning funds; and improving in person communications?
Answer. The Department submitted six requests for PPBE reform in
the FY 2025 budget submission. Each of these is designed to attain the
financial management flexibility that the Department needs. Many of
these proposals have been submitted in previous budget cycles but not
enacted. They include:
--Two-Year Permanent Change of Station Funding (Appropriations
Language)
--National Guard Two Percent Carryover (Appropriations Language)
--Health Care Transformational Fund (General Provision)
--Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Unobligated Balance Carryover
(General Provision)
--O&M, Defense-Wide (DW), Civil Military Program Transfer Authority
(Reverse) (General Provision)
--Increase to Below Threshold Reprogramming (BTR) Limits (Joint
Explanatory Language Change)
The reprogramming process, recommended for reform by the Commission
on PPBE Reform, is affected by two proposals--O&M Unobligated Balance
Carryover up to 50 percent into the next FY and Increase to BTR Limits
adjusted for inflation--on pages 6 and 7, respectively, in the
Appendix.
--FY 2025 resources requested for PPBE reform implementation: The
total FY 2025 resources requested for PPBE reform
implementation is $12.9 million. These resources are for
implementation of the early 13 recommendations made by the
Commission on PPBE Reform. Further, since the final report from
the Commission on PPBE Reform was released after the FY 2025
budget was submitted, funding for implementing any additional
recommendations from the final report will be requested in the
FY 2026 budget submission.
--The FY 2025 funding request includes $7.8 million by the Office of
the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) to implement 11 of
the early recommendations and $5.1 million by the Chief Digital
and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to develop and
implement the SUNvana classified and unclassified data sharing
enclaves between Congress and DoD. This request consists of
$5.9 million of O&M, DW and $7.1 million of RDT&E funding.
These amounts break out as follows:
--Recommendations 10, 12, 17, and 27A: $0.7 million of FY 2025 O&M,
DW funding is requested for contracted full-time equivalents
(FTE) that will provide cross-functional support in
implementing all four recommendations that fall under the
responsibility of the Deputy Comptroller for Program and Budget
(P/B) and the Deputy Chief Financial Officer in OUSD(C). These
include Recommendation 10--Review and Consolidate Budget Line
Items; Recommendation 12--Review and Update PPBE-Related
Guidance Documents; Recommendation 17--Encourage Improved In-
Person Comms; and Recommendation 27A--Restructure budget
justification books.
--Recommendation 18: $0.5 million of FY 2025 O&M, DW funding is
requested for contracted support to develop training courses
that will improve the Department's budget justification
material and will be led by the Director of Human Capital and
Resource Management, OUSD(C).
--Recommendations 19 and 24: $5.1 million of FY 2025 RDT&E funding is
requested for contracted support to develop and implement the
SUNvana classified and unclassified data sharing enclaves
between Congress and DoD.
--Recommendations 20, 21, 26: $4.2 million of FY 2025 O&M, DW funding
is requested for contracted FTE that will provide cross-
functional support in implementing all three recommendations
that fall under the responsibility of the Deputy Comptroller
for Enterprise Financial Transformation in OUSD(C). These are
Recommendation 20--Create a Common Analytics Platform;
Recommendation 21--Strengthen Governance for DoD Business
Systems; and Recommendation 26--Streamline Processes and
Improve Analytic Capabilities.
--For Recommendation 23: $1.9 million of FY 2025 RDT&E funding is
requested for contracted support for the consolidation of the
OSD resourcing systems.
--Recommendation 25: no FY 2025 funding is requested as this
recommendation falls within an existing Department-funded pilot
program for improved recruiting and retention led by the
OUSD(C) and the Department's Chief Talent Management Officer in
the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and
Readiness.
--Recommendation 27B27B: $0.5 million of FY 2025 O&M, DW funding is
requested for contracted support to improve training courses
for DoD liaisons to Congress and will be led by the Deputy
Comptroller for Budget and Appropriation Affairs.
--Recommendation 27D27D: no FY 2025 funding was requested for the
recommendation to improve understanding of private sector
practices.
Progress on PPBE reform initiatives identified as key by the
Commission on PPBE Reform
--Establish classified and unclassified enclaves for DoD-Congress-DoD
information sharing and Modernize the Tracking of
Congressionally Directed Actions: In the last year, the
Department stood up SUNvana, an extension of the Advana
ecosystem that can provide Congress access to budget and
execution-related data, applications, and services without a
Common Access Card (CAC). The SUNvana environment currently
provides users access to Selected Acquisition Reports (SAR),
and modern, default, historical, and Middle Tier of Acquisition
(MTA) program reports. I appreciate Congress providing
additional funding in Fiscal Year 2024 for enhancements to
SUNvana. The CDAO and OUSD(C) are working with the
congressional staffs to prioritize improvements to SUNvana
using this funding.
--Improved In-Person Communications/Midyear Update: A Departmental
workgroup has been established to identify opportunities to
provide Congress with an improved understanding of emerging DoD
priorities, impacts of fact-of-life changes, new operational
requirements, emerging technology, and geopolitical updates. To
date, the workgroup has been engaging with internal DoD
participants to collect data on all PPBE related engagements
with the Hill throughout the Department to determine where
additional or revamped engagements are necessary.
--Through its data discovery efforts, the Department found that over
the last 10 years, DoD engagements with the Hill have increased
significantly; specifically, from 2014-2024, there was a 522
percent increase in briefings from the Department to Congress.
Correspondingly, over the same period, there was a 91 percent
increase in requests from authorizers, a 288 percent increase
in requests for reports to Congress, and an 80 percent increase
in requests from authorizers.
--The workgroup is now focusing on quality versus quantity of future
engagements and will begin engagement with Congress in the very
near future to solicit their input on where they think improved
communication would be most beneficial.
--Review and consolidate BLIs: The Department has established a
workgroup to systematically review budget line items and work
with congressional defense committees to rationalize and
consolidate BLIs where appropriate. This workgroup has begun to
collect inputs from DoD components on proposed BLI changes
prior to consulting with the Committees of Jurisdiction to
determine where changes are mutually beneficial.
--Continue Rationalization of the OSD Resourcing Systems/Accelerate
consolidation of the OSD programming and budgeting systems: The
Department continues collaboration across the components to
streamline business processes, leverage existing data-related
implementations, and eliminate duplication of efforts. The goal
is to create a data-driven environment powered by advanced
analytics and artificial intelligence. This year, the
Department will continue its efforts to sunset legacy systems,
including a system that archives execution data (1002 and
SF133) received from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service
which will be replaced by the ADVANA-SIPR database. The
Department is also assessing the Comptroller Information
Systems data structure and all existing functionality necessary
for the OMB submission requirements for integration into the
Next Generation Resource Management System.
Progress on other PPBE reform initiatives include:
--J-Book Restructure: A cross-functional workgroup has been
established to comprehensively review the Department's budget
justification books (J-books), including the scope and depth of
budgetary and programmatic content, uniformity of presentation
formatting, and the consistency of terminology usage. We will
engage with Congress on proposed changes.
--Improve training for preparation of budget justification materials:
The Department convened a working group to identify initial
training needed by specific appropriation, exhibit type, and
skill level to target improved J-Book submission quality and
consistency across the DoD. For the remainder of FY 2024, DoD
will establish and hold ``train-the-trainer'' sessions. In
FY25, for all three certification levels within the DoD
Financial Management Certification Program, existing web-based
course training will be revamped and new courses will be
developed with targeted competency objectives to improve J-Book
submission quality and consistency across the DoD financial
management community.
--Update of PPBE-related guidance documents: The Department has
committed to improving effectiveness of our financial
operations and reporting through improved clarity and currency
of our guidance documents. We already completed assessing and
categorizing the DoD Financial Management Regulation chapters
for revision and republication. Since January 1, 2024, the
Department has reissued 10 out of 106 DoD Financial Management
Regulation chapters identified for revision and is expected to
reissue a total of 20 chapters by the end of FY 2024. Over FY
2025 and FY 2026, the Department expects to complete the
remaining 86 chapters identified for updates and reissue them
by the end of FY 2026.
--Create a Common Analytics Platform/Expand PPBE analytics via Advana
& Streamline processes and improve analytic capabilities to
reduce workload: The Department initiated a change management
process to train its workforce to utilize Advana for analysis
via Advana 101. Additionally, the OUSD(C) Enterprise Financial
Transformation team has established bi-weekly sessions to
introduce Advana and train the Financial Management community
on topics such as web applications, spend plan modelling, and
execution review tools within Advana. OUSD(C) is also actively
strategizing to broaden Advana's utilization and developing a
data integration plan for the Department's Next Generation
Resource Management System (NGRMS) to improve capability and
reduce redundancy. Advana data and dashboards also served as
the sole platform for FY24 working capital fund mid-year
reviews.
--Strengthen Governance for DoD Business Systems/Annual report on
DoD's strategy of consolidation of PPBE business systems: The
Department validated the planning, programming, and budgeting
system inventory and incorporated the additional systems into
the next Defense Business Systems (DBS) Audit Remediation Plan.
However, the Department would welcome the consolidation of
congressional reporting on the DBS into a single report, which
would better align to the DoD's Annual Financial Reporting
timeline and support more results-based reporting.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Patty Murray
Question. In 2013, as part of an effort to consolidate services in
the Military Health System, the Defense Health Agency downsized
military hospitals across the U-S, including Naval Hospital Bremerton
in Washington state. What steps is the Department taking to increase
its hiring so servicemembers and their families have adequate access to
labor and delivery services?
And how is the Department working with local hospitals to establish
M-O-Us to ensure that military bases can maintain readiness while
caring for local servicemembers and their families?
Answer. We take the health well-being of the force and our military
families extremely seriously. We continue to meet congressional intent
for reform, and we've completed consolidation of military medical
treatment facilities under the Defense Health Agency. The Department
has been working at all levels in a deeply collaborative way to ensure
the Military Health System's 9.6 million beneficiaries have access to
the care they need, including to our sailors and their families in
Washington State. The Defense Health Agency, Military Departments, and
Joint Staff are working in close coordination to address staffing
shortages and fulfill mission requirements.
Question. The Center for Autism Resources, Education and Services
(CARES) facility and program at Joint Base Lewis McChord has proven to
be an effective resource for military families who have a child with
disabilities. Are there limitations to expanding this program elsewhere
in the country?
Has the Department looked at expansion?
Answer. Providing evidence-based support and services to DoD
beneficiaries with special healthcare needs is a top priority. Any
program for consideration of an enterprise solution must be critically
evaluated to ensure that the beneficiaries' needs are addressed, and
that it is sustainable. Certain limitations may preclude expansion,
including funding, availability of identified providers, and other
geographic or regional limitations. The Defense Health Agency continues
to work with Joint Base Lewis McChord to explore the CARES model and
its capability to expand throughout the enterprise. The analysis
includes, but is not limited to, an appropriate staffing model, patient
population, patient throughput, and clinical outcomes.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Question. The Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill provided funding
specific to the Department of Defense for treatment and payments to
victims of anomalous health incidents (AHIs). The Fiscal Year 2025
Budget also requests $5 million. I recently wrote a letter with Chairs
and Ranking members of Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign
Relations and Intelligence committees requesting that the
Administration fully implement the HAVANA Act.
The DoD still has not issued a final rule, required by law, to
provide payments to victims. At the May 8, 2024 hearing, you provided
commitment to the Committee that the Department will pursue the
rulemaking related to treatment and payments for AHI victims.
As required by law, please provide a date by which the Department
will issue its regulation related to treatment and payments for AHI
victims.
Answer. We take the health and well-being of the force and our
military families extremely seriously. That includes those who may have
experienced an Anomalous Health Incident (AHI). We support a government
wide effort to identify the cause, and provide medical care to those
with symptoms, caused by a potential AHI. We'll continue to provide
quality care to all current and former U.S. government personnel and
their families who have been referred to us for evaluation and care.
The Department is facilitating timely access for health assessments and
medical treatment to evaluate and treat those who are experiencing AHI
symptoms or related conditions. We've established memorandums of
understanding across the interagency to ensure care is delivered
quickly and seamlessly to all who may be affected. We have streamlined
our processes across the interagency to ensure care is delivered
quickly and seamlessly to all who may be affected.
Additionally, we are committed to providing compensation to current
and former civilian employees of the Department or their family members
for certain Anomalous Health Incident (AHI)-associated injuries and are
working diligently to implement the necessary requirements to ensure
individuals receive compensation in accordance with the HAVANA Act of
2021.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Christopher A. Coons
Question. I enacted the Global Fragility Act (GFA) 4 years ago with
26 bipartisan cosponsors in order to prevent violence and promote
stability by maximizing effectiveness of U.S. diplomatic and
development efforts with security and defense assistance. I remain
concerned by the lack of Department of Defense (DoD) engagement on
implementation, especially in Coastal West Africa where the security
situation is increasingly dire.
Answer. DoD is fully engaged in supporting GFA implementation. In
its supporting role, DoD helps manage and prevent conflict and address
global fragility through specialized activities including Civil Affairs
activities, operations in the information environment, institutional
capacity-building, and security cooperation. DoD efforts also include
enhancing the capabilities of security forces, focusing on
professionalization, and strengthening civilian-military coordination.
As an indicator of this commitment, DoD committed more than $45 million
in security cooperation funding to Coastal West Africa nations between
Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2024. Coastal West African countries
have also benefited from the Defense Operational Resilience
International Cooperation (DORIC) pilot program, which works with
partner national security forces to plan for, respond, and adapt to
defense-related environmental and operational energy challenges.
Question. What are DoD's plans for bolstering security assistance
in support of GFA, especially in Africa?
Answer. DoD has already taken steps to bolster security assistance
in GFA priority countries. For example, GFA was identified as a
priority in the Fiscal Year Significant Security Cooperation Initiative
guidance provided to Combatant Commands. Since the GFA was enacted,
Geographic Combatant Commands, including USAFRICOM, have incorporated
GFA principles into security cooperation planning.
Question. What are your plans to increase global train and equip
and logistic support in line with GFA implementation in region?
Answer. DoD primarily supports GFA implementation through civil-
military engagement support, training and equipping militaries,
building defense institutional capacity, and professionalizing security
forces. In addition to sizeable programmatic investments DoD has
already made to support GFA implementation, DoD has also increased
support to GFA priority countries in the form of additional personnel,
Civil Affairs capabilities, and the increased frequency and focus of
senior leader engagement.
Question. DoD's Civil Affairs program is not only important to GFA,
but to addressing gray zone threats and instability more widely. I am
concerned to hear that funding cuts to Civil Affairs may implicate GFA
implementation, encourage you to reconsider.
Answer. Civil Affairs forces are DoD's unique tool not only for
implementation of stabilization activities, but also for influence and
access. Civil Affairs forces enhance awareness of the civil environment
and manage civil-military engagements, mitigate civilian harm, and
identify and attrite underlying causes of instability. Civil Affairs
forces work with local partners, to include partner militaries, to
strengthen resilience against threats and enhance civil-military
relations.
Question. Details on plans for Civil Affairs budget for forthcoming
fiscal years?
Answer. Civil Affairs (CA) forces are an important component of the
United States Army Special Operation Command (USASOC) whose tasks
include building and maintaining international partnerships. The
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity
Conflict (ASD(SO/LIC)) and Commander, United States Special Operations
Command (USSOCOM) will continue to ensure that CA forces are funded
sufficiently and adjust annual budget submissions accordingly.
Additionally, the Army's current transformation has impacted active-
duty CA billets and force structure. To mitigate these impacts, the
ASD(SO/LIC) and Commander, USSOCOM will work closely with the Army
Reserve's CA components to ensure they are trained and funded to meet
mission requirements. Budget specifics regarding Army CA forces will be
released when the President's Budget is signed.
Question. What are your plans to reconfiguring U.S. force presence
and capabilities in Coastal West Africa?
Answer. DoD remains committed to working by, with, and through
African partners to build their capability to degrade terrorist
organizations and contribute broadly to regional security and
stability. We are investing in our security cooperation programs to
bolster the capacity and capabilities of friendly foreign militaries to
address security challenges and continue to seek opportunities to
further enhance our partnerships with West African countries. We
continue to explore options for future DoD posture in Coastal West
Africa, including any potential reconfiguration of U.S. force presence
and capabilities.
Question. I recently visited the Middle East where I saw how
vulnerable U.S. troops are to UAS attacks. I understand efforts to
enhance counter UAS are a priority and that DoD's budget request
includes a request for a specific counter-UAS fund. Can you speak to
the threat and why having flexible funding for counter-UAS initiatives
is important?
Answer. Small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) are an inexpensive,
accessible, flexible, expendable, and plausibly deniable way to carry
out armed attacks and project outsized power over a variety of domains.
They are growing in variety, quality, and quantity, however their
ability to adapt to complex operational environments with autonomy,
volume, speed, and lethality makes them a very challenging threat.
Countering Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) is an important component
of an integrated air and missile defense architecture, providing both,
air defense and force protection to our forces and allied and partner
nations against state and non-state adversaries. For Fiscal Year 2024,
in close collaboration with Members of Congress, $100M in procurement
funding was redirected from the C-UAS Transfer Fund and placed directly
into Service and US Special Operations Command accounts to provide
emergent capability to protect U.S. personnel at several key locations
and critical installations in the Homeland and abroad. Continuing this
close coordination with the Services to identify capabilities that
address emergent threats will enable the C-UAS Transfer Fund to provide
the necessary resources to protect U.S. personnel in the Homeland and
abroad.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lindsey Graham
Question. Foreign entities of concern (FEOC) empower their
governments to access sensitive data for national security purposes,
which raises concerns about connected vehicles manufactured or operated
by companies incorporated in certain countries, particularly the
potential for unauthorized access to collect and transmit data and
implement surveillance capabilities embedded within a vehicle's
technology. DoD recently added one of the world's largest LiDAR
suppliers, with roots in Shanghai, on a list of companies with
``Chinese Military Connections.''
How concerned are you about the potential national security impacts
of automakers and suppliers with FEOC backing gaining market access in
the U.S.? What are those public concerns?
Answer. In its capacity as a member of the Committee on Foreign
Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the Department of Defense
routinely conducts rigorous analysis to identify transactions or
foreign investments involving U.S. entities that may pose a threat to
national security. The Department believes the CFIUS process allows for
a full assessment of the national security risks involved in
transactions filed with the Committee. The Department of Defense
continues to evaluate the potential that foreign entities of concern
(FEOCs) may access, collect, or transmit data and implement
surveillance capabilities. Regarding more specific definition issues,
the Department of Defense defers to the Departments of Treasury and
Energy and the final rules issued regarding the FEOC definition.
Question. The June 2023 Battle Force Ship Assessment and
Requirement stated that the Navy requires a fleet size of 381 manned
and 134 unmanned ships. Current budget caps, as set by the Fiscal
Responsibility Act (Public Law 118-5), negatively impact the ability of
the Department of Defense to fund the Department of the Navy above
inflation in order to meet this goal and ensure our nation can meet the
various threats around the globe.
How much funding would be required to ensure that the Navy reaches
this goal of 381 manned and 134 unmanned ships?
Has the Department of Defense considered alternative ways to reach
this goal, such as looking to our allies in Japan or South Korea to
construct unmanned ships?
Answer. The FY25 Budget includes $32.4 billion in shipbuilding
funding to modernize our Naval Forces, including new construction of 6
battle force ships in FY25 with plans to procure 57 ships over the next
5 years. We had to make tough, responsible choices to comply with the
Fiscal Responsibility Act budget caps, and we're focused on investing
in what industry can produce. Over the last 3 years, you have seen us
make critical investments in the shipbuilding industrial base to ensure
that American industry can meet our national security needs far into
the future. These investments will support supplier and workforce
development, and infrastructure improvement to support increased
production and reduce maintenance backlogs. The Navy is making critical
improvements to ship maintenance and construction to ensure we maintain
the fleet as effectively as possible. Further, in support of the
Secretary of the Navy's ``Enhancing Strategic Partnership'' priorities,
the Navy continues to engage with Japanese and South Korean delegations
to discuss unmanned systems in order to ensure our nation can meet
threats around the globe.
Question. Congress passed the Make PPE in America Act as part of
the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act in 2022. This law strengthens
efforts to onshore production of personal protective equipment (PPE) in
the United States by requiring Federal agencies to issue long-term
contracts for American-made PPE. My understanding from conversations
with a domestic PPE manufacture is that agencies are not fully
complying with the law.
How many long-term contracts has DoD issued to U.S. manufacturers
since the enactment of the Make PPE in America Act?
Answer. The requirements of the Make PPE in America Act are not
applicable to the DoD.
However, based on a review of DoD contract data, the Department
estimates it has issued less than 230 long-term contracts for PPE to
U.S. manufacturers since the enactment of the Make PPE in America Act.
Question. How many Buy America waivers, specifically for medical
exam gloves, has DoD requested and received since the Make PPE in
America Act was enacted? Please explain your reasoning.
Answer. The requirements of the Make PPE in America Act are not
applicable to the DoD. According to available data, the Department has
not requested any Buy American non-availability waivers for medical
exam gloves since the Make PPE in America Act was enacted on November
15, 2021.
Question. Please identify how many Service-Disabled Veteran Owned
Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) received contract awards from DoD (to
include DLA) to the Federal resellers who provide U.S. manufacturers
medical exam gloves under the Make PPE in America Act since January
2022?
Answer. The requirements of the Make PPE in America Act are not
applicable to the DoD. However, the Department reviewed data in the
Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) and found 15 SDVOSB vendors who
received contract awards from DoD to provide U.S. manufactured medical
exam gloves since January 2022. The contract description in FPDS was
used to identify gloves, but data is not available to tell whether
these vendors were resellers.
Question. In your opinion as the Secretary of Defense, what more
could Congress have done to ensure government agencies like the DoD
support U.S. manufacturers of medical examination gloves who are not
able to purchase NBR from a domestic source?
Answer. America's Defense Industrial Base is one of our core
strategic assets. When able, we will always prioritize American
companies and defense suppliers. DoD appreciates the congressional
direction in Section 835 of the FY24 NDAA that raised the domestic
source content for major acquisition programs in line with Executive
Order 14005, issued by President Biden in 2021. Having more defense
equipment made in America is good for our national security and our
industrial base. Authorizing government agencies to purchase medical
examination gloves from manufacturers who source raw materials from the
National Technological and Industrial Base (NTIB) could further
increase supply chain resilience even when domestic sources are
unavailable.Additionally, legislation allowing sourcing from NATO
allies and countries designated as Major Non-NATO Allies (MNNA) under
22 U.S.C. Sec. 2321k would significantly increase the potential
supplier base for raw materials to also include countries with
extensive manufacturing. Expanding available sources to include NTIB
members, NATO, and MNNA countries would bring in six of the world's top
ten countries by manufacturing output (excluding the United States) as
potential precursor sources. The National Defense Industrial Strategy
calls for partnering with allied defense industrial bases, and
expanding the authority to source from these nations would increase our
industrial partnership.
Question. In your opinion as the Secretary of Defense, what more
could Congress have done to ensure government agencies like the DoD
support certified SDVOSB resellers who work with these U.S.
manufacturers noted above?
Answer. The recent increase in the government-wide goal for
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) from 3% to
5%, as outlined in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),
represents a significant move in supporting these businesses. The
Department of Defense remains committed to meeting and exceeding this
goal, as it has consistently done in previous fiscal years.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
Question. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article,
Chinese companies have an aggressive hold on the solar market,
controlling about 83% of solar panel production and almost 100% of some
aspects of the solar supply chain. DoD recently announced it would
purchase solar panels for the Pentagon's rooftop.
If the Pentagon follows through, are you committed to purchasing
only American made solar panels from entities not owned or controlled
by Chinese companies?
Answer. If the Pentagon rooftop solar project moves forward, the
solar panels will comply with domestic preference statutes implemented
by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement, including relevant provisions of the Buy
American Act as well as the Trade Agreements Act.
Question. Last year, the NDAA included a provision banning DoD from
procuring batteries from Chinese-owned entities; should we do the same
for solar panels?
Answer. Current laws and regulations are sufficient to ensure the
Department is not procuring solar panels from Chinese-owned entities.
No additional legislation is required at this time. For its contracts
involving the purchase of solar panels, the Department complies with
the domestic preference and trade agreement partner statutes
implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense Federal
Acquisition Regulation Supplement. The Department uses a rigorous and
extensive oversight process to ensure compliance with these laws and
regulations. This process includes thorough pre-award technical
evaluations to assess whether contractor proposals are fully responsive
to the applicable specifications and project requirements, including
domestic sourcing requirements. The Department also utilizes
comprehensive post-award construction quality management, including
regular government-led quality control meetings and inspections with
appropriate documentation from the contractor detailing the exact
material and equipment the contractor intends to use or install. These
processes help to ensure that the Department is only procuring solar
photovoltaic equipment that is fully compliant with all statutory and
regulatory sourcing requirements. Looking to the future, the Department
is leveraging its considerable purchasing power to support the ability
of the U.S. carbon pollution free energy industry and related allied
commercial supply chains to rapidly grow and provide resilient,
diversified, clean energy generation to support our warfighters.
Question. The Military Spouse Accelerator Pilot (MSCAP) shows
promising early results.
Can the DoD elaborate on plans to expand this program or introduce
similar initiatives?
Answer. We've worked hard to increase opportunities for employment
for military spouses. Through the spouse education and career
opportunities program, we provide access to high quality, tools, and
information resources to expand educational and career support to
military spouses around the world. The Military Spouse Career
Accelerator Pilot (MSCAP) has proven that the military spouse talent
pool is desirable across various industry sectors. In its first year,
the Career Accelerator saw 85% of participants receive employment
offers with an average of compensation of $69,000.
In year two, we are focusing on expanding MSCAP into two new
sectors: Creation of skill-based fellowships and expansion into the
public sector. The creation of skill-based fellowships supports spouses
that may not have the needed experience or education but want to enter
the workforce. Over the 12-week fellowship, spouses will receive the
necessary training to move into an employed role. We have more than 50
spouses currently participating in these new fellowships. The other is
to expand MSCAP to include the Federal government. We recognize that
Federal employment is a great opportunity for military spouses. We are
working across Federal agencies to overcome some of the differences
between the private and public sector; mainly access to facilities and
systems and efficiently moving into an employed status at the end of
the fellowship.
Question. Can the DoD provide any data that shows a correlation
between high military spouse unemployment and recruiting and manning at
certain installations?
Answer. The Department is not able to show a correlation between
high military spouse unemployment and recruiting and manning at certain
installations. However, information on recruiting, retention, PCS
moves/location and spouse unemployment is provided below:
--Recruiting: JAMRS, within the Office of People Analytics (OPA), has
found that economic factors, including perceptions of the
economy and the ability to find a full-time job, have very
small predictive ability on propensity to join the military. A
large majority of military enlisted accessions are single at
the time of entry so it is unlikely that spouse unemployment
would be salient for them.
--Retention: An OPA study found that employed spouses of active duty
Service members are significantly more likely to support their
Service member staying in the military than are unemployed
spouses. (Citation--Office of People Analytics (2020). Factors
Associated with Active Duty Spouse Unemployment (Report #2020-
094), retrieved from https://www.opa.mil/research-analysis/
spouse-family/military-spouse-survey-survey-reports-briefings/
2019-survey-of-active-duty-spouses/factors-associated-with-
active-duty-spouse-unemployment/).
--PCS Moves: An OPA survey found that spouses who had a PCS move in
the past 12 months had more than double the odds of being
unemployed as spouses who had not had a PCS move in the past
year. Citation--2021 Survey of Active Duty Spouses: https://
www.militaryonesource.mil/data-research-and-statistics/survey-
findings/2021-spouses-survey/.
--Location: The OCONUS spouse unemployment rate was higher than the
CONUS rate. Citation--2021 Survey of Active Duty Spouses,
Special Analysis.
Question. What specific steps is DoD taking to enhance the
Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to better align veterans' skills
with civilian job markets?
Answer. TAP provides extensive employment information and support
to assist Service members in aligning their skills with civilian job
markets. TAP curriculum includes a one-day Department of Labor (DoL)
Employment Fundamentals of Career Transition course, a two-day DoL
Employment Workshop, a two-day DoL Career and Credential Exploration
workshop, and the Small Business Administration's two-day Boots to
Business course. In addition, the Department, in collaboration with
Transition Interagency Partners, provides or is developing the
following additional support:
--TAP Military Occupational Crosswalk (MOC) Course:
--The purpose of the MOC is to identify skills, education,
training, and credentials obtained before and during the
military and align them with civilian opportunities. During
MOC, Service members examine their military and civilian
experience and training records, identify civilian
occupations/careers that correlate to their career goals
and interests, identify the skills, education, training,
and credentials required for their identified occupation/
career field, and document the gap between their current
skill set and what is required for their elected civilian
occupation/career field.
--In January 2024, the Department added a MilGears activity to the
MOC. MilGears combines education, training, and
professional experience to create a personalized pathway
toward career development. MilGears allows Service members
to explore different career paths and learn about
interesting roles; assess how current experience lines up
with job demands and requirements; and connect with
workforce and educational opportunities to advance career
goals.
--SkillBridge: SkillBridge is a voluntary transition program that
provides Service members with opportunities to gain valuable
civilian work experience through industry training,
apprenticeships, or internships during their last 180 days of
military service. The intent of SkillBridge is to facilitate
the acquisition of civilian skills that enhance employability
after military service. TAP includes multiple touchpoints that
introduce SkillBridge to transitioning Service members. In
2023, to increase synergy while promoting uniformity, best
practices, and management efficiencies across transition and
reintegration programs, the Department incorporated SkillBridge
into the transition governance structure under the Transition
Executive Committee reporting to the VA/DoD Joint Executive
Committee, aligned policy under the Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and aligned program
management under the Defense Human Resources Activity's
Military-Civilian Transition Office.
--TAP Enterprise Individual Self-Assessment (EISA): In February 2024,
the Department completed a 12-month EISA Pilot that is now
undergoing reliability and validity testing along with
development of supporting information technology capabilities.
Upon implementation, EISA will establish a criterion-based warm
handover protocol, leverage evidence-based practices to predict
negative or adverse post-transition outcomes and inform risk
mitigation through revised TAP curriculum.
--Department of Labor Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot
(ENPP): The Department continues its partnership with and
support of ENPP. ENPP leverages the employment and training
resources and expertise available from approved government and
non-governmental partners to provide the following services:
apprenticeship opportunities; digital matching; employment
mentorship; employment networking; hiring events; placement
services; referrals to employment opportunities; training
services; and wraparound services. Employment Navigators (ENs)
are available to assist participants, both virtually and in-
person, from the earliest stage of their transition during pre-
separation through their separation from military service.
Partners continue to assist service members after their
separation.
Question. How is the success of these initiatives measured?
Answer.
--Assessment and Evaluation Design: TAP applies a mixed-method
assessment and evaluation design, implementing more than one
method of data collection to evaluate the effectiveness of TAP.
The central thesis of program effectiveness examines Service
members' preparation to meet their post-transition goals and
goal achievement. This approach to evaluating effectiveness
spans 365 days before and after a Service member's military-to-
civilian transition. The Department continues to review and
modify transition-related measures and indicators (M&Is) to
capture performance, tendencies, and potential challenges with
respect to data integrity or collection processes. The M&Is
have a wide range of focus, including TAP compliance based on
legislation requirements, and indicators to summarize trends
for analysis on the desired long-term end states of TAP.
--Counseling: TAP Counselors evaluate the possible challenges a
Service member may encounter based on the personal self-
assessment, development of an Individual Transition Plan, and a
one-on-one counseling session.
--Transition Assistance Participant Assessment (TAPA): DoD uses the
TAPA to capture inputs of Service member experiences and
knowledge gained. Approximately 17 percent of Service members
responded to the TAPA with over 90% of those agreeing or
strongly agreeing that TAP helped them gain the information and
skills they need to plan their transition.
--Interagency Data-Sharing: To improve our understanding of post-
transition outcomes, the Department partnered with the U.S.
Census Bureau to merge data for longitudinal analyses of
veteran employment and education outcomes. The partnership
merges Department data on the individual level with Census data
including employment, post- secondary education, and other
state and Federal data in the Longitudinal Employer- Household
Dynamics dataset. The combined dataset will provide the ability
to longitudinally track the experiences of Service members and
Veterans from their time in the military through their
transition and reintegration into civilian life. The project is
undergoing reliability and validity testing after which data
will be available to both public and private researchers
(tentatively in 2025).
--Predictive Analytics Summit: In May 2024, the Department hosted a
Predictive Analytics Summit to enhance synergy and
collaboration among Transition Assistance and Reintegration
Program partners and other Federal agencies to achieve
consistent outcomes across the enterprise. The Summit was built
on the foundation of data sharing across the Federal government
to provide comprehensive descriptive data/analytics information
and predictive analysis opportunities to reduce adverse
outcomes among transition and reintegration Service members.
This approach supports data triangulation and enables effective
collaboration, which are critical elements in our shared
mission to mitigate risk. Implementing predictive analytics
ascertains risk mitigation and strategies among Service members
who may experience adverse post-separation outcomes.
--Department of Veterans Affairs' Post-Separation Transition
Assistance Program Assessment (PSTAP) Outcome Study: PSTAP is a
multi-year study, published each summer, which provides data to
support the long-term outcomes and effectiveness of TAP. This
study surveys cohorts of recently transitioned veterans to
collect information at post-separation intervals (6 months, 1
year, and 3 years). The PSTAP allows the agencies participating
in TAP to assess outcomes related to transition based on
holistic veteran wellbeing and economic stability across
various life domains, including employment, education, health
and relationships, finances, and overall well-being.
Question. Has the DoD considered expanding transition programs for
other branches of the military, such as Soldier for Life, than solely
TAP?
Answer. The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is a critical
statutory program that provides opportunities, services, and training
for transitioning Service members in their preparation to meet post-
military goals. While TAP remains a critical component, the Department
recognizes the importance of broader support throughout the continuum
of service and looks for opportunities to expand and leverage other
transition and reintegration efforts using best practices from all
branches of the military.
Question. The Brandon Act was included in the NDAA FY2022 to
improve the referral process for servicemembers seeking a mental health
evaluation and allowing them to seek help confidentially.
How does the DoD ensure that seeking mental healthcare does not
affect mission readiness or a service member's career trajectory?
Answer. Mental health is health. Period. We will stop at nothing to
tackle this issue. In May 2023, the Department implemented a self-
initiated referral process for mental health evaluations required by
law. Service members can now initiate a referral process for a mental
health evaluation through a commanding officer or supervisor in a grade
above E-5 on any basis, at any time, in any environment. Service
members are not required to provide a reason to request and receive a
referral. They continue to have the option to directly contact a mental
healthcare provider, without their unit's involvement. Additionally,
the Department reduces stigma for seeking mental healthcare services by
balancing patient confidentiality with a commander's need to know,
safeguarding, except in a case in which there is an exigent
circumstance, the confidentiality of mental healthcare services
provided to members who voluntarily seek such services. The Department
has invested in establishing an integrated primary prevention workforce
and creating healthier command climates and safer communities for our
military community. Finally, the Department updated and reissued DoD
Instruction 6490.08, ``Command Notification Requirements to Dispel
Stigma in Providing Mental Health Care to Service Members,'' to
reinforce the policies of eliminating stigma in obtaining mental
healthcare services and to further encourage help-seeking behavior by
Service members.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito
Question. Has the Biden Administration made a policy decision to
withhold certain weapons from delivery to the State of Israel?
Answer. The United States' commitment to Israel's security is
ironclad.
To date, the Administration has paused only one shipment of weapons
to Israel. No final determination has been made on how to proceed with
this shipment at this time, and we continue to discuss this issue with
the Government of Israel. No other deliveries of weapons, munitions,
equipment, or other services are paused at this time, and other
security assistance continues to flow to Israel.
Since Hamas' horrific attack on October 7, 2023, the United States
has surged billions of dollars in security assistance, passed the
largest ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance, and
led an unprecedented coalition to defend against Iranian attacks. The
President has made clear that we will continue to provide Israel with
the necessary capabilities to defend itself against threats and
adversaries, including Hamas. We are also working to ensure that Israel
receives the full amount of assistance Congress appropriated for it in
the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024.
Question. Please provide the list of weapons this policy applies
to.
Answer. To date, the Administration has paused only one shipment of
weapons to Israel consisting of 1,818 2,000-pound bombs and 1,704 500-
pound bombs.
The 500-pound bombs have subsequently been shipped to Israel. No
other deliveries of weapons, munitions, equipment, or other services
are paused at this time, and other security assistance continues to
flow to Israel.
Question. What is the reason for this decision?
Answer. The Administration remains committed to an outcome in Gaza
and across the broader Middle East that protects Israel's security. At
the same time, the Administration is particularly focused on the end-
use of the 2,000-pound bombs and the effect they could have.
Question. Were Israeli officials notified in advance of this course
of action?
Answer. U.S. Government officials, including from the Department of
Defense, regularly communicate with Israeli officials regarding ongoing
security assistance actions.
Question. Does the Department of Defense believe that Israel can
achieve its strategic and operational objectives without entering
Rafah?
Answer. Israel began its operations in the Rafah region in early
May, including along the Philadelphi Corridor. These operations in and
around Rafah began after Israel commenced evacuation efforts, which
ultimately led to the voluntary evacuation of approximately one million
people from the Rafah area within two weeks.
We continue to discuss ways for Israel to achieve its strategic
goals. Achieving sustainable victory on the battlefield for Israel
requires both targeting Hamas and providing for the civilian
population. These efforts are not mutually exclusive.
Question. If so, how?
Answer. There are alternative ways to dismantle Hamas, besides a
major ground combat operation in the densely-packed urban area of the
city of Rafah. Such alternatives do not preclude Israeli military
operations in Rafah where Hamas embedded itself with the civilian
population. Such alternatives may focus on targeted raids, precision
strikes, the safe and timely evacuation of civilians from the
battlespace, the protection of civilians, and the facilitation of
humanitarian assistance.
Question. The Administration has stressed that it is only pausing
deliveries of offensive weapons and has continued to deliver defensive
systems to Israel. What is the Department's assessment of the reduction
in Israel's ability to deter aggression from Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas
if the United States publicly pauses deliveries of offensive weapons?
Answer. The Administration did not pause deliveries of offensive
weapons. To date, the Administration paused only one shipment of
weapons to Israel consisting of 1,818 2,000-pound bombs and 1,704 500-
pound bombs. The 500-pound bombs have subsequently been shipped to
Israel. We continue to discuss this issue with the Government of
Israel. No other deliveries of weapons, munitions, equipment, or other
services are paused at this time, and other security assistance
continues to flow to Israel.
President Biden, together with our allies and partners, made clear
that this is not a moment for our adversaries to exploit the situation
to seek advantage. We provided support for Israel's air and missile
defense systems, including providing additional Iron Dome batteries and
inceptors from our inventory, and our own forces played an integral
role in thwarting Iran's unprecedented aerial attack against Israel on
April 13 and on October 1.
We continue to make force posture adjustments to deter attacks from
adversaries, promote regional stability, deter attacks, and protect
freedom of navigation in the region. We're committed to protecting our
forces and national interests, as well as to deterring a regional war.
Our swift response sends a clear message to anyone who might seek to
widen this conflict. We are not going anywhere.
______
Questions Submitted to General Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. The budget request is consistent with the caps set in the
Fiscal Responsibility Act. However, the proposed growth is below
current inflation levels and does not account for billions of dollars
of additional requirements identified by the military services.
General Brown, what is the operational impact of the budget cap?
Answer. The President's $849.8 billion defense budget for FY 2025
reflects our shared commitment to facing today's security challenges
head-on, while also laying the groundwork to confront the uncertainties
of tomorrow. This budget includes targeted program reductions to meet
funding levels approved by Congress under the Fiscal Responsibility Act
of 2023. It prioritizes near-term Joint Force readiness through
investment in critical programs and capabilities, while making smart
but modest investments to modernize our forces and support our service
members and families. The targeted program reductions reduce programs
that will deliver future combat capability in the 2030s, thus topline
growth is critical in the out years to ensure we meet our modernization
goals.
Question. What does this mean for our military capabilities 5 years
down the road?
Answer. Provisions of the FRA forced tough choices related to
further modernization. The FRA's topline limitation requires the
Department to make targeted reductions to programs that will deliver
key capabilities in later years to preserve the joint force's ability
to fight and win in the near term. The budget request strategically
invests in future joint force operations, readiness, procurement, and
research and development for combat capabilities to retain our
strategic edge across every domain. In the long term, possible CRs
along with potential FY25 impacts resulting from FRA sequestration
actions can create a misalignment of DoD funding, resulting in
shortfalls within DoD appropriations that disrupt readiness gains and
slow capability enhancements. Impacted military capabilities such as
the modernization of the Nuclear Triad, Munitions MYP to address PRC
pacing challenges, and future shipbuilding for the Virginia and
Columbia class submarines are already strained and would be set back
further by FRA sequestration.
Question. I firmly believe in the strong deterrence effect created
by our nuclear programs, including the Sentinel program. Sentinel will
replace the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, but due
to cost and schedule delays, the program is currently under review.
Even before these cost increases, there was little to no margin in the
schedule to replace the Minuteman III before the end of its service
life in 2036.
General Brown, some suggest that one way to reduce cost of the
Sentinel program is to reduce the number of our nuclear-capable
interceptors at our 3 ICBM sites. What would the operational impact of
that reduction be, and do you agree with that assessment?
Answer. The replacement for the ground-based leg of the nuclear
triad, the Sentinel weapon system, remains one of the largest, most
complex programs within the Department. Reduction in the quantity of
Sentinel missiles at each base would undermine DoD's ability to achieve
Presidential objectives and DoD employment guidance ascribed to the
Land Leg of the Triad. The Department notified Congress in January 2024
that Sentinel had experienced a critical cost overrun, and reviewed the
program as required under the Nunn-McCurdy Act. This review considered
a range of alternatives to the program, to include fielding a smaller
silo-based force. The review concluded that there is no alternative to
Sentinel itself that provides acceptable capability to meet the joint
military requirement at less cost.
Question. I have repeatedly called upon Secretary Mayorkas and
President Biden to step up and secure the southwest border. The status
quo is not working, despite the assistance of our troops. DHS continues
to rely on DoD support at the southwest border. But once again, no
funding is included in the budget for DoD personnel and operations.
General Brown, the Homeland Security budget request includes $114
million to buy and deploy technology at the border to reduce the number
of DoD troops required there. In your assessment, will this technology
help stop the deadly flow of fentanyl coming across the border that is
hurting Montana communities?
Answer. I am proud of the men and women of the Joint Force as they
stand ready to support the whole of government approach to every
challenge our nation faces. In regard to the southwest border, our
joint warfighters have continued to answer the call in support of the
Department of Homeland Security mission of border security to include
countering the cross- border flow of fentanyl. While our warfighters
have supported this mission with highest honors, I must defer to the
Department of Homeland Security on the assessment of the effectiveness
of employment and deployment of technology to assist in combatting the
flow of fentanyl across the border.
Question. Two months ago, in response to a growing humanitarian
crisis, the President directed the Department of Defense to establish a
pier on the Gaza coastline to provide critical food and water
deliveries for Palestinian civilians. The initial estimate for 60 days
of operations was $154 million; we understand that DoD now estimates
the cost to be $320 million for 90 days of operations.
General Brown, how much risk are U.S. service members under while
supporting this operation? What measures are in place to protect U.S.
forces?
Answer. I am extremely proud of the joint warfighters that
supported the Gaza aid pier and all of the leadership that supported
the planning and execution through all of the challenges. The primary
mitigation measures put in place were 1) General Officer (ARCENT
Commander) leadership on the ground with daily risk assessments, 2)
multiple defensive capabilities at sea and on land to protect U.S.
Service Members from any form of threat (air, direct fire, and indirect
fire), and 3) daily threat analysis that drove Commander decisionmaking
and execution on the ground. As a result of these mitigation measures,
risk to force was LOW and there were zero casualties, wounded or
killed, that resulted from the threat environment in and around Gaza.
Question. In recent years, Congress has established unprecedented
acquisition and budget authorities to drive more innovation into DoD.
Yet the results are mixed: many of these programs suffer from cost
overruns and schedule delays, and we have yet to see prototypes
successfully fielded at scale. My concern is that we are at risk of
falling into the trap of `perennial prototyping', and not actually
delivering capability in relevant numbers to our troops by increasing
procurement.
General Brown, for years, research and development funding has been
used to mature and prototype technologies like hypersonic weapons and
artificial intelligence. These technologies would give us decisive
capabilities in a near-peer competition with China, so when will they
become real programs that are fielded at scale?
Answer. Our Nation needs us to both be ready to fight today's
battles and prepare for tomorrow's wars. We must prepare by modernizing
and aggressively leading with new concepts and approaches. The Joint
Warfighting Concept (JWC) provides a framework for how the Joint Force
will modernize and how we will fight in a future conflict. We must
modernize our force, through innovation and by building a bridge to the
defense industry to deliver capability in a timely manner. As we work
to shorten the timeline between prototype and program of record, there
is growing importance for collaboration between the Services, our
industry partners, and Congress to deliver at scale, develop training
programs, and provide required sustainment so our warfighters can
operationalize the delivered capabilities.
To accomplish this, the Department has established programs that
are laser focused on transitioning prototype technology across the
valley of death and at scale. For example, the Replicator initiative is
a Department-wide effort to expedite innovation adoption within the
Department while enhancing adaptability and resiliency in warfighting
strategy. Also, the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve is a whole-
of-Department effort focused on advanced technologies to close gaps in
the JWC's required capabilities. Finally, the Department is championing
the newly established Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of
Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program to inject small-business
oriented programs with required funding to bridge them from development
into production, accelerating production by one to 2 years earlier than
previously baselined.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito
Question. Has the Biden Administration made a policy decision to
withhold certain weapons from delivery to the State of Israel?
Please provide the list of weapons this policy applies to.
Answer. This policy applied only to one shipment of 2,000-pound
bombs and 500-pound bombs. Subsequently, the 500-pound bombs have been
delivered.
Question. What is the reason for this decision?
Answer. The Department, under the Administration's direction,
paused the shipments with a focus on the end-use of the 2,000-pound
bombs and the impact they could have on the safety of the Palestinian
civilians.
Question. Were Israeli officials notified in advance of this course
of action?
Answer. The Department maintains persistent communication with
Israeli officials in order to communicate all security assistance
actions, including this action.
Question. Is it possible for Israel to achieve its strategic and
operational objectives without entering Rafah?
If so, how?
Answer. Precision in operational execution is a luxury that the
U.S. Military and only a few of our allies has at their disposal. Major
ground combat operations is not the only strategy that can effectively
defeat Hamas. Alternatives do not preclude Israeli military operations
in Rafah where Hamas has embedded itself with the civilian population.
Such alternatives may focus on targeted raids, precision strikes, the
safe and timely evacuation of civilians from the battlespace, the
protection of civilians, and the facilitation of humanitarian
assistance.
Question. The Administration has stressed that it is only pausing
deliveries of offensive weapons and has continued to deliver defensive
systems to Israel. What is the Department's assessment of the reduction
in Israel's ability to deter aggression from Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas
if the United States publicly pauses deliveries of offensive weapons?
Answer. We have continued to provide both offensive and defensive
systems to Israel. The Department, under the Administration's
direction, paused the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, but continued the
deliveries of other weapons, munitions, and equipment, including 500-
pound bombs.
Our continuous adjustments to force posture and security assistance
have continued to promote regional stability and deter attacks from
adversaries.
Senator Tester. Special thank you, even though you didn't
say one word, Mike McCord, thank you very, very much. You are a
critical part, critical component of making all this stuff
work, and I want to recognize your good work. Thank you very,
very much.
Mr. McCord. Thank you, Chairman. And I appreciate the
opportunity to engage with this subcommittee throughout the
year in multiple forums.
SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS
Senator Tester. Absolutely. This subcommittee is going to
reconvene on Wednesday, May 15, at 10 a.m. to hear from the
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Service
Acquisition Executives.
As of right now, we stand in recess.
[Whereupon, at 11:58 a.m., Wednesday, May 8, the
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Wednesday,
May 15.]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
----------
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024
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, Reed, Baldwin, Shaheen, Murphy,
Coons, Murkowski, Moran, Hoeven, and Boozman.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Acquisition Programs
STATEMENT OF HON. DR. WILLIAM A. LAPLANTE, UNDER
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR ACQUISITION AND
SUSTAINMENT
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JON TESTER
Senator Tester. We'll call this committee to order. Good
morning. Today, we're going to hear from the Department of
Defense's Acquisition Experts. We want to welcome Under
Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Dr. William A. LaPlante
and the service acquisition executives Douglas R. Bush,
Nickolas H. Guertin, and Andrew P. Hunter.
Welcome gentlemen. Your leadership is vital to getting
capability into the hands of our war fighters and to modernize
our force. And I want to thank you all for being here. I want
to point out that the Space Force brethren are absent today and
it's because we will have a classified hearing to discuss space
related matters in a few weeks.
The fiscal year 2025 budget request for the development and
procurement of weapons systems is $310.7 billion. While the
Fiscal Responsibility Act required you to make some tough
decisions on certain programs, this is not an insignificant
number. So, we're having this hearing to better understand how
the department leverages those resources to field the programs
that we need, preferably on time and on budget.
After multiple continuing resolutions, Congress finally
enacted the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill just last
March. However, in many instances, the funds necessary to
execute acquisition programs are still not in the hands of the
program managers. Many factors affect getting acquisition
right, but it cannot be denied that repeating continuing
resolutions affect the ability of program managers to
effectively get the most bang for the taxpayers' buck and feel
the programs on cost and on schedule.
That said, over the past 5 years, Congress has provided the
Department of Defense several new acquisition authorities and
funding flexibilities. Such as Rapid Prototyping Authority and
the establishment of software pilot projects. Recent
appropriations bills have also supported numerous DOD
(Department of Defense) initiatives to facilitate rapid
innovation outside of traditional budget cycle. Yet the reviews
are mixed. A recent Navy study showed that most ship building
programs are over budget and behind schedule;
The Air Force's Sentinel Program incurred a Nunn McCurdy
breach and is on review; and the Army recently terminated its
fourth attempt in 20 years to modernize its scout helicopter.
We'll continue to work with the Department of ways to improve
the acquisition process but I must say we all share
responsibility for the state of our acquisition enterprise; and
I would tell you that it isn't good, and for a number of
reasons.
Number one, Congress needs to enact appropriation bills on
time. The department needs to stabilize its program
requirements, utilize realistic acquisition strategies, and
request the right amount of funding and sign good contracts,
and industry needs to flat out deliver on time. DOD acquisition
is not an academic exercise. It's is responsible for getting
the war fighter what it needs, when they need it so that they
can do their job in an increasingly dangerous world.
I look forward to hearing from each of you on how we can do
better. Senator Murkowski will be joining us shortly. She will
have a few statements. Susan is not here at this moment in time
but she will put her opening. I ask unanimous consent that her
opening statement be put into the record.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Senator Susan M. Collins
Thank you, Chairman Tester, for holding this hearing. This is the
first time that I can remember having the acquisition leadership of the
Department of Defense appear before the Subcommittee together.
This hearing reflects the growing need to improve acquisition
outcomes through applying the lessons of past acquisition programs--
both good and bad. We also want to ensure that cutting-edge innovation
happening around the United States as well as with our allies can be
fielded as rapidly as possible to address our most difficult military
threats and to better protect the warfighter.
On lessons learned, I have had a front row seat on how not to build
a lead ship and how uncertainty can lead to years of damage to the
industrial base. When the Navy abruptly reduced the number of DDG-1000
ships from 32 to 11 and finally to just three after the Navy decided to
buy DDG-51s again, this created extremely challenging circumstances for
large surface combatant shipbuilders and their suppliers that
reverberated for many years. I am pleased to see the three ships of the
Zumwalt-class are now being outfitted to carry the Navy's first
hypersonic weapons, but there are many lessons to be learned from that
program.
On a positive note, I have also seen great benefits in both cost
savings and industrial base stability from multi-year procurement
contracts. Five multi-year contracts have formed the foundation of the
DDG-51 program since 1998. I supported the expanded use of these
contracts to munitions in the FY24 appropriations bill. I would welcome
an update from our witnesses on what other steps the Department is
taking to ensure the industrial base is postured to manufacture the
weapons our military requires.
Shifting to innovation, I see three obstacles to innovation that
need to be addressed. First, too often the career incentives for DoD
program managers inhibit innovation. I am concerned that military
program managers are rewarded for embracing the status quo and not
taking prudent risks.
Second, the civilian personnel system at DoD too often is slow and
overly bureaucratic. I was recently briefed on a major defense
acquisition program where the number of DoD civilians involved grew 10-
fold. As the small army of acquisition professionals went about
validating the technology, one of the design reviews resulted in
literally thousands of comments, all of which must be addressed before
the program moves forward.
Third, we have to make it easier for a small, innovative company
with useful technology for the warfighter to penetrate the Pentagon
bureaucracy. The first budget that included Air Force Secretary Frank
Kendall's highest priority capabilities for great power competition was
the budget signed into law a month and a half ago. Yet, he has been
Secretary for nearly 3 years and identified these needs at the
beginning of his tenure! If that is the fastest Secretary Kendall can
go, think about how much more difficult it is for a small business
owner who has not been steeped in defense issues for 50 years.
In our last defense appropriations bill, we took a number of steps
aimed at making it easier to bring more innovation into the Department,
including a one billion dollar investment in the Defense Innovation
Unit and accelerating roughly $300 million for the Replicator
initiative, even though funding for it was not originally included in
the budget request for 2024.
It is now up to the Department and each of you to make sure that
these investments translate into fielded capabilities for our Soldiers,
Airmen, Sailors, Marines, and Guardians.
Lastly, but perhaps most important, we must acknowledge that more
money and more flexible authorities cannot solve all these problems. At
the end of the day, there's no substitute for sound acquisition best
practices implemented by smart, savvy, experienced program managers at
DoD.
There is clearly much to discuss today. I look forward to hearing
from our distinguished witnesses.
Senator Tester. With that we will start with you Dr.
LaPlante, for your opening statement. I believe--hang on for a
second. Yes.
Each one of you have 3 minutes. Know that your full written
testimony will be a part of the record. Go ahead, Dr. LaPlante,
you have the floor.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF DR. WILLIAM A. LAPLANTE
Dr. LaPlante. Yes. Thanks Chairman Tester and Ranking
Member Collins, who I know will be here and distinguished
members of the subcommittee. Thanks to all of you. It's a
pleasure to be here today with our service acquisition
executives representing department's acquisition and
sustainment. As the Chairman just said in recent years, thanks
to you all, you've given us more authorities, more ways to do
acquisition, increasing flexibility in getting--to get things
at speed and capability and we really appreciate it.
We will give you in this hearing and to the extent that you
have questions and talk about it. Examples of what seems to be
working there, where still the challenges but an example of
what you've given us and how it's being used are the middle
tier acquisition authorities, rapid fielding, rapid prototyping
that is being used right now by my three colleagues down the
table, as well as the Space Force and putting together
proliferated Leo Constellation.
So, a lot of goodness happening there. The Army of course,
has also done things with the Software Pathway as well as
others, and Mr. Bush can talk to the Integrated Air and Missile
Defense which uses Software Acquisition Pathway in a hybrid
form. In overall there's 60 programs that are using Software
Pathway, and that's only been with us a few years. So, it shows
you what we've been able to do with your help. I think we need
to do a lot more, but anyway, it's a positive sign.
The other piece is flexible contracting. As the Chairman
said, contracting is a key part of this. What we've relearned
or learned or relearned in Ukraine is the department can do
contracting extraordinarily fast when it puts its mind to it.
We have methods like the Undefinitized Contracting Actions, or
UCA, that can be put in place within days or weeks.
And I would say in Ukraine we've seen that. There's no
reason we can't extend that and continue that across other
contracts in the Department of Defense. Another very important
tool that you've given us and industry has paid attention is
multi-year procurements for munitions. Thank you for giving us
this. And it shows a degree of trust.
Industry has been saying for years we don't see a demand
signal. We need to understand a demand signal. A lot of us have
been frustrated by that saying what else do you need, we've got
all these supplementals coming. Well, I think what the multi-
year shows is that we're committed in these cases for those
contracts, that it won't be a one and done in 1 year. It's
going to be in multiple years and we'll get the savings
appropriate with it and your help in getting those multi-years
are a big part of it.
We've also done things with the service and service
specific acquisitions. I would say when you're talking about
acquisition there's really three legs of the stool. One leg is
acquisition, which is the contract. The second is the
requirement and this is what the Chairman was talking about
getting what the department needs right for the war fighter.
And the third is having the money in the right year.
Those three legs of that stool moving across all three in
an agile fashion is the secret of really effective acquisition.
And so, we remind the service acquisition executive that and we
work with folks like this committee to make sure we can move
across that.
Again, I think there's a lot that we can talk about.
There's a lot of good that has happened at acquisition,
continues to happen. We also have a lot more work to do. So,
subject to the later questions, that's my opening statement.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. William A. Laplante
i. introduction and background
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and distinguished Members
of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today on Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition
programs.
I am honored to be here alongside the Service Acquisitions
Executives (SAEs) from the Army, Navy, and Air Force representing the
Department's 187,000 acquisition and sustainment professionals.
Together, they are building enduring advantages for our nation, allies,
and partners every day by delivering capability quickly and cost
effectively at scale.
Acquisition is a profession and an expertise that takes an
incredible amount of knowledge and skill built over time. Put simply,
our warfighters are successful largely because of the acquisition
workforce and as the Department's acquisition leadership, the SAEs and
I are immensely proud of the work these professionals conduct to pace
the challenges we face as a nation.
As outlined in the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS), the
Department of Defense identifies four top-level defense priorities to
strengthen deterrence, including defending the homeland; deterring
strategic attack against the United States, our allies, and partners;
deterring aggression and being prepared to prevail in conflict when
necessary; and to ensure our future military advantage. While the
People's Republic of China (PRC) remains our pacing challenge, the
United States and our allies are also actively and concurrently
providing security assistance in Europe and the Middle East.
For those of us in the acquisition world, the NDS is a call to
action. Building enduring advantages to enable integrated deterrence
requires the right mix of capabilities and technologies woven together
to defend against current and future threats. Our acquisition system
must be able to deliver secure, resilient, and preeminent capabilities
quickly and at scale--and we remain committed to using all of the tools
and authorities available to do so at speed and scale.
ii. the defense acquisition system
In recent years, DoD redesigned and reissued its acquisition
policies to improve responsiveness to warfighter requirements. The
Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF) comprises six ``pathways,'' each
tailored to the unique characteristics and risks of the capability
being acquired and reflecting modern business practice.
Section 804 of the Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized the operation of the Middle Tier of
Acquisition (MTA). This authority allows the Department to rapidly
develop fieldable prototypes to demonstrate new capabilities, or to
rapidly field production quantities of systems with proven technology
that require minimal development. Since receiving MTA authority from
Congress, programs across every Service have used the pathway to
deliver capability faster or accelerate ``traditional'' acquisition
processes by combining MTAs with other AAF pathways.
For example, Space Development Agency is using MTA to harness
commercial development for increased speed and lower costs. Through a
spiral development strategy that plans to infuse new technology every 2
years using MTA, the agency will be able to be more responsive to
warfighter needs in delivering a proliferated space architecture.
Additionally, the Army's M10 Booker Combat Vehicle, formerly known as
Mobile Protected Firepower, used MTA to prototype and refine
requirements before transitioning to the Major Capability Acquisition
pathway for full-rate production. There are currently 106 total
programs using the MTA pathway representing more than $24 billion
across the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP). Of the 236 programs
that have utilized the MTA pathway since the policy went into effect,
three have transitioned to full operational capability, 107 have
transitioned to another acquisition pathway, and 15 have terminated.
Similarly, Section 800 of the FY20 NDAA provided statutory
flexibilities for the creation of the Software Acquisition pathway.
This pathway helps relieve programs from procedural bottlenecks of
major defense acquisition programs and the Joint Capability Integration
and Development System (JCIDS) process, instead driving DoD away from
waterfall approaches to focus on rapid, iterative software delivery
with active user involvement. Together, these authorities have allowed
us to focus on delivering smaller increments of software capability
faster, incrementally generating requirements, prioritizing customer
participation throughout capability development, and increasing the use
of automated testing. Today, there are more than 60 programs using the
software pathway.
We are actively reviewing lessons learned from our initial AAF
implementation and determining both where policy updates may be needed
as well as where workforce development efforts can be bolstered to
ensure comprehensive understanding and application of the AAF pathways'
flexibilities.
Beyond the AAF, the Department is further tailoring acquisition
approaches through a range of complimentary contracting authorities
such as Other Transactions (OT) and Commercial Solutions Openings
(CSO). Over the past 7 years, DoD's use of OT agreements for prototype
projects has increased from $620 million in FY15 to more than $15.5
billion in FY23. Last year, we published an updated DoD OT Guide to
address recent changes in statute and regulation, as well as
recommendations from the DoD Inspector General and Government
Accountability Office. The Defense Acquisition University has likewise
increased dedicated resources to educate acquisition professionals on
best practices for OT use, including the introduction of the OTA
Credential, training courses, and focused webinars.
Section 803 of the FY22 NDAA similarly provided DoD with permanent
authority to use CSOs to competitively select proposals received in
response to a general solicitation based on review by scientific,
technological, or other subject-matter expert peers. The authority was
used in the Federal COVID-19 response to procure quantities of
therapeutics worth more than $20 billion in obligations since the
summer of 2020. In FY23, the Department executed 163 actions with an
aggregate value of $1.8 billion under the CSO authority.
Under Section 1244(a) of the FY23 NDAA, the Department also
continues using flexible procurement authorities to rapidly acquire
munitions, equipment, and other support for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan,
and other allies as well as to replenish DoD stocks. Such flexibilities
include use of other than competitive procedures, Special Emergency
Procurement Authorities (SEPA), Undefinitized Contract Actions (UCA),
temporary exemption from certified cost or pricing data requirements,
and delegation of some sole source justification approvals. As a
result, contracts that used to take months are being awarded in a
matter of weeks and the cumulative effect is the rapid acceleration and
sustainment of critical systems and munitions.
These authorities have already been used by the Army and Air Force,
and we anticipate additional use throughout the period extended through
2026.
iii. major acquisition programs
While Section 825 of the FY16 NDAA delegated milestone decision
authority (MDA) for most major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs) to
the SAE of the military department or component that is managing the
respective program, I remain the MDA for 11 of the Department's largest
and special interest programs. This includes the B-21 Raider, COLUMBIA-
class submarine, and Sentinel programs that make up our nuclear triad,
as well as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
As stated in the NDS, nothing the Department does is more important
than deterring strategic attack. Our nuclear forces serve to deter
nuclear employment of any scale directed against the U.S. homeland or
the territory of allies and partners. For the foreseeable future,
nuclear weapons will continue to provide unique deterrence effects that
no other element of U.S. military power can replace. The 2022 Nuclear
Posture Review reaffirmed the longstanding conclusion that the
combination of all three triad legs is the best approach to maintaining
strategic stability. For the air-based leg of the triad, the B-21
Raider entered productionin 2023 and will replace the B-2 and
conventional-only B-1 bombers. The B-21 will be a visible and flexible
deterrent capability for decades to come, and provide operational
flexibility across a wide range of military objectives.
The B-21 Raider entered limited rate production in November 2023
and the program is currently conducting its flight test campaigns. The
program is on track to procure a minimum of 100 aircraft and continues
to successfully execute within cost, schedule, and performance goals
defined in the government's Acquisition Program Baseline (APB). B-21
remains on track to meet its key performance parameter for Average
Procurement Unit Cost (APUC) of $550 million in Base Year 2010 dollars
and has negotiated fixed price production options for the first 40
aircraft.
The Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) weapon will likewise replace the
nuclear-armed AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile. The LRSO program is
a joint effort involving DoD and Department of Energy National Nuclear
Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), with the Air Force responsible for
cruise missile development and integration and DOE/NNSA responsible for
the W80-4 warhead. With the ability to penetrate and survive advanced
integrated air defense systems, the LRSO program will maintain the
viability of the B-52H fleet for the nuclear mission and ensure the
United States continues to field a visible, flexible, and credible
nuclear deterrent through the airborne leg of the triad. The LRSO
program is meeting cost, schedule, and performance measures in
successfully progressing through the Engineering and Manufacturing
Development Phase. The program remains on track to meet its planned
fielding date.
For the first time since the 1980s, the Navy is building a new
class of Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN). As recently announced, the
Navy is projecting to deliver the first COLUMBIA-Class SSBN 12-to-16
months late based on current shipbuilder performance.
Lead ship delivery schedule remains at risk due to challenges with
first-time construction as well as the availability of specialized
industrial capabilities and facilities, adequate work force recruitment
and development, and supply chain and material availability across the
nuclear enterprise. Currently, all options to recover schedule are
being considered for the COLUMBIA-Class. The COLUMBIA Class will
eventually be equipped with the modernized Trident II D5 Life-Extension
2 strategic weapon system, which will ensure the effectiveness of the
sea-based leg of the triad through the 2080s. The COLUMBIA-Class SSBN
remains a critical component of our triad modernization efforts, and
DoD will continue to explore all options to drive improvement in
schedule and mitigate associated risk.
The modernization of the land-based leg of the triad through the
Sentinel program is the most complex program the Air Force has
undertaken in decades. The program is intended to replace the Minuteman
III weapon system with new missiles, command and launch infrastructure,
support equipment, and trainers. On January 18, 2024, the Air Force
formally notified Congress and DoD of a critical Nunn-McCurdy breach
for the Sentinel program. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) is executing its statutory
responsibilities by conducting a robust review of the program and a
detailed root cause analysis. OUSD(A&S) has assembled six review teams
that are assessing all aspects of the program's schedule and cost
growth to ensure the review is comprehensive and accounts for all
potential sources of change. We expect to complete this in-depth
examination of the Sentinel program in the timeframe required by
statue. It is also important to note that even while we execute this
review process, every day, the Air Force and DoD are actively
mitigating program risks to ensure there are no capability gaps as we
maintain our Nation's nuclear deterrent.
The F-35 is the most capable multi-role fighter aircraft anywhere
in the world, and it is integral to our concept of integrated
deterrence. As the preferred choice of our military services, allies
and partners, the F-35 acquisition program also represents a strategic
instrument of foreign diplomacy and a model for co-development, co-
production, and co-sustainment activities. In March 2024, I approved
the F-35 acquisition program's Milestone C and Full-Rate Production
Decision, formally authorizing entrance into the Operations and Support
acquisition phase. With more than 990 F-35s delivered, the program has
demonstrated production stability, agility, and mature manufacturing
processes, and F-35 is ready to fight tonight. In addition to the
United States, around the world, 17 countries have acquired or plan to
acquire F-35s.
The F-35 program continues to address challenges with modernization
efforts. Development and fielding of Technology Refresh 3 is taking far
too long to deliver, and the program seeks to provide a truncated,
training version of the software later this calendar year. Block 4
development is re-baselining the most crucial capabilities into a
future F-35 major subprogram structure on a combat-relevant timeframe,
which will improve reportability and increase acquisition oversight.
Additionally, Engine Power Thermal Management Modernization efforts are
conducting technology maturation and risk reduction to support future
F-35 mission capabilities and sustainment. Continued F-35 modernization
is essential to keep pace with our adversaries, we just need to deliver
these capabilities sooner.
iv. integration
As we continue to drive the cultural shift to embrace flexible
acquisition and contracting authorities granted by Congress in recent
years, we also recognize that the integration of emerging technologies
into existing capability is critical.
The complexity of today's security environment demands a joint
force that is underpinned by integrated system-of-systems capabilities
in order to outpace adversaries that are unbounded by specific missions
or Service structures. This requires aligning efforts across the
Department, holistically looking more broadly across the entire
``three-legged stool'' that comprises enterprise acquisition to solve
these challenges: (1) requirements development through the Joint
Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS), (2) resourcing
through the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE)
process, and (3) program management through the Defense Acquisition
System (DAS).
To align disconnected, Service-specific system acquisitions and
better inform requirements and resourcing needs, my office established
a new Acquisition Integration and Interoperability, or AI2,
organization. This team is translating portfolio management gaps into
joint system-of-systems technical solutions and acquisition strategies.
AI2's efforts are aligning and delivering key joint capabilities by
closing seams between requirements while institutionalizing lessons
learned through Competitive Advantage Pathfinders (CAPs) and
Department-wide processes such as Integrated Acquisition Portfolio
Reviews (IAPRs).
In February 2022, the Deputy Secretary of Defense established CAPs
to identify barriers in capability fielding resulting from disconnects
among the three ``legs,'' as well as to subsequently demonstrate
corresponding solutions. Six pathfinders comprising the first CAPs
Sprint demonstrated several successes in accelerating capability
delivery and identifying scalable reforms. The second Sprint, which is
currently ongoing, includes seven pathfinders that are illuminating
actionable recommendations to institutionalize acquisition approaches,
lessons-learned, and enduring policy reforms across the Department. In
most cases, pathfinder programs are accelerating capability deliveries
by an average of two to 4 years--and often without any additional
funding. Instead, they are focusing on modular, open systems approaches
to streamline development and cross-Service integration. Each CAP
program necessitates stakeholders across the Department coming together
to solve problems in innovative ways, driving not only process
efficiencies but also identifying how solutions can scale to similar
mission sets.
For example, CAPs have proven that development cycles can be
shortened by taking advantage of existing investments, open
architectures, and cross-Service use of technologies. By partnering
with the Navy, the Army didn't have to start at the design or
development stages when they began investigating improved electronic
warfare (EW) technologies. Modularity of Navy shipboard EW components
enabled near-direct use on ground vehicles, allowing the Army to
successfully enter at the demonstration stage with minimal hardware,
software, or firmware changes. From ship to shore, the EW capability
provides the ability to degrade and deny adversary sensors for both
Navy and Army missions from the same set of equipment.
Similarly, a Navy capability called Medusa provides vital ship-
based situational awareness and electronic attack functions to degrade
and deny adversary anti-access/area denial capabilities. Previously,
this capability has been too large for aircraft to use in highly
contested environments; however, through a CAP, the Navy and Air Force
are developing a new, miniaturized capability that compacts the ship-
based system into a size, weight, and power that is suitable for
aviation platforms. Aptly called Pegasus, when deployed, the capability
will significantly reduce risk to ship and aircraft during a range of
critical missions from air anti-submarine warfare and expeditionary
troop movement to anti-surface warfare combat search and rescue. By
leveraging the CAPs approach, the effort has shaved nearly 3 years off
the development cycle: the time from funding availability through
development completion is estimated to be only 18 months. This
pathfinder has likewise demonstrated that the broader set of DoD
platforms with this antenna configuration are immediate candidates to
benefit from this capability, ultimately delivering situational
awareness and electronic attack functions at scale to benefit our
warfighters.
The Department has a relatively good track record of delivering on
deliberate, long-term acquisitions to modernize major platforms and
systems of the Joint Force--albeit with some continued challenges for
containing cost growth--as demonstrated by the technological advantage
we maintain over our adversaries. The Department appreciates the
authorities granted by Congress in recent years that enabled the AAF
reforms and a more robust contracting toolbox to accelerate the DAS
where practical and appropriate. However, as the pace at which those
adversaries accelerate their own technological advancement, the
scalable reforms being identified by CAPs present additional
opportunity to further enable speed across the ``three legs'' beyond
the DAS.
For example, increasing flexibility for relatively small subsets of
the Department's total budget would allow DoD to be more responsive to
emergent and evolving threats. In certain instances, such as counter-
unmanned aircraft system (c-UAS) capabilities in Ukraine, we're seeing
the threat change and adapt as frequently as every two weeks. Coupled
with the devastating events at Tower 22, having funding aligned with
the prosecution of capability areas as opposed to specific, by-name
systems would better enable procurement to outpace adversarial
advancements and mitigate the risk posed by UAS to our Service members,
allies, and partners worldwide. Our resourcing agility must match or
exceed the adversary's ability to field agile capabilities. I applaud
the work of the PPBE Commission and look forward to continued
partnership with the Committee on areas for potential implementation.
We also recognize that cultural reform and partnership is critical
to institutionalizing CAPs across the Department. Defense Acquisition
University (DAU) is developing educational resources and courses to
increase awareness and utilization of the many tools and approaches
that CAPs have illuminated.
To better identify and address interdependencies and critical
risks, we continue to build, refine, and align capability portfolio
management approaches across the Department. Integrated Acquisition
Portfolio Reviews (IAPRs) are holistic reviews that bring together
stakeholders across the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the SAEs
to look at a specific mission thread--such as nuclear command, control,
and communications (NC3) or integrated air and missile defense--to
assess and prioritize static portfolio requirements and risks
associated with dynamic mission-based requirements. At their core,
IAPRs strengthen the synchronization of warfighting concepts,
requirements, technologies, and program execution to directly align
decisionmaking with operational needs. Through this mission engineering
mindset and focusing on the kill chain, IAPRs ultimately deliver
integrated suites of capabilities that are collectively stronger
together than the sum of their parts.
Last year, we conducted five IAPRs focused on sustainment, NC3
situation monitoring and conferencing, air and cruise missile defense
of the homeland, cyber hardening of priority defense systems, and
tactical air capabilities for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
Each continued to illuminate the need for greater integration and
interoperability across systems and portfolios as threats increasingly
require the development of more complex warfighting capabilities
spanning multiple Services, systems, and operating domains.
Earlier this year, the Deputy Secretary of Defense also signed DoD
Directive 7045.20, Capability Portfolio Management, that established
the policy for using portfolio management across the Department to
advise senior leadership on capability investment, divestment, and
management. The policy aligns the Joint Staff requirements and Office
of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering's
science and technology efforts to support IAPRs.
v. production at scale
Regardless of which AAF pathway--or combination of pathways--is
employed, a clear acquisition strategy to production at scale is
fundamental. Simply stated, if a technology is not in production, we
are not providing our warfighters the capabilities they need.
The conflicts in Ukraine and Israel have put into sharp focus
significant challenges across both domestic manufacturing and
international supply chains. While we are seeing new, innovative
combinations of technologies and concepts being developed and
implemented on the battlefield in mere months, if not weeks, the
conflicts have illuminated the enduring need for a strong, secure, and
resilient industrial base to deliver and sustain capabilities at scale.
Following the end of the Cold War and the resulting decrease in
anticipated demand, the traditional defense industrial base
restructured itself. Consistent investments in the defense industrial
base decreased dramatically, production capacity shrank, defense-
oriented companies consolidated significantly, and the associated
manufacturing and production workforce declined by nearly two-thirds.
For example, the submarine and shipbuilding sector alone will need to
hire thousands of skilled workers to continue the production cadence of
all three Navy nuclear platforms, including the COLUMBIA-Class and
VIRGINIA-Class submarines.
As across the broader global economy, we remain challenged by the
tyranny of lead time. Producing nearly any modern munition--such as a
Javelin, Stinger missile, or Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System
(GMLRS)--still takes at least two to 3 years, and their complex
production lines cannot immediately be turned on or off overnight.
Industry also reasonably remains reluctant to build additional capacity
``at risk'' until they have a clear, consistent demand signal from DoD,
often with specific procurement quantities contracted for multiple
years.
To ensure we pace the challenges outlines in the NDS, we cannot
continue the ``feast or famine'' behavior we've typically employed each
time a contingency arises. The FY23 NDAA, as amended by the FY24 NDAA,
authorized multiyear procurement (MYP) contract authorities for 20
munitions programs to create the stability those suppliers need to
accelerate procurement. This type of language enables the Department to
enter more economical procurements from suppliers and more efficient
production as compared to a series of annual contracts. The Army
subsequently awarded and is executing the first five MYP contracts for
aspects of 155mm artillery ammunition production, to include metal
parts and containers, and load, assemble, and pack.
The Department appreciates the Committee's approval of MYPs for
GMLRS, Patriot PAC-3, Naval Strike Missile (NSM), Advanced Medium-Range
Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), and
Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile--Extended Range (JASSM-ER) in the
FY24 budget and intends to execute MYP contracts for the majority of
these systems throughout the Fiscal Year. However, to fully realize the
cost savings and strategic benefits afforded by MYPs, I welcome the
opportunity to further collaborate on funding for Advanced Procurement
of long-lead items and subcomponent materials that underpin production
of critical systems.
The first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS), which
my office published earlier this year, is likewise intended to guide
the Department's engagement, policy development, and investment in the
industrial base over the next three to 5 years. As the strategy
outlines, our industrial base is hampered by workforce challenges,
brittle supply chains, a lack of excess industrial capacity, and
inconsistent demand signals from the DoD. These challenges are the
result of decades of policy decisions and will not be fixed overnight.
Urgent action is required now, and accordingly, the NDIS focuses on
four strategic priorities: resilient supply chains, workforce
readiness, flexible acquisition, and economic deterrence. We recognize
that a strategy is only as good as its accompanying implementation plan
and continue working to finalize its development in the coming weeks.
We are grateful for the Committee's enduring partnership on
industrial base matters.
Together, we must continue working to better incentivize the
private sector to be more prepared to scale production and meet
emergent national security needs. Production is itself a deterrent, but
at the end of the day, you get the industrial base you pay for. Recent
base appropriations coupled with supplemental funding for Ukraine,
Israel, and Taiwan have been instrumental in jumpstarting our
rebuilding of the defense industrial base. However, significant
sustained investment is required into the future in order to realize
the modernized defense industrial ecosystem the NDS necessitates.
vi. conclusion
A flexible, responsive acquisition system that delivers capability
at speed and scale underpins the Department's ability to maintain
warfighting advantage against the pacing challenge. Across the DoD
acquisition enterprise, we remain focused on using all available tools
and authorities to maximize value to the American taxpayer while
effectively and efficiently meeting the needs of our warfighters,
allies, and partners. We appreciate the Committee's steadfast support
and look forward to continued partnership as we work to improve
acquisition outcomes together.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Dr. LaPlante.
Secretary Bush.
STATEMENT OF HON. DOUGLAS R. BUSH, ASSISTANT SECRETARY
OF THE ARMY FOR ACQUISITION, LOGISTICS AND
TECHNOLOGY, UNITED STATES ARMY
Mr. Bush. Chairman Tester, distinguished members of the
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, thank you for
the invitation to appear before you to share our views on
successes and challenges we face in developing, procuring, and
fielding major acquisition programs.
The Army's fiscal year 2025 budget represents a sustained
commitment to our key modernization portfolios. It also
continues modernization and procurement of enduring platforms
that will remain with us for some years to come.
However, as members of the subcommittee have, I'm sure,
noted in reviewing our fiscal year 2025 budget, the Army's base
budget for procurement research accounts are under pressure in
an overall flat budget environment. In that context the Army is
committed to getting every bit of modernization we can get out
of the funds we receive.
The Army cannot do that without your support, and I thank
you for your strong support of Army Programs in the fiscal year
2024 Appropriations bills and the fiscal year 2024
Supplemental. Passages of those bills were critical in ensuring
we stay on track with modernization and replenish our stocks as
rapidly as possible.
In terms of how programs are doing, I'm overall very
pleased with where things stand in most Army Programs right
now. With a few exceptions, Army acquisition programs are
delivering on time, on cost and providing a level of combat
effectiveness that is world class something one can observe in
Ukraine and elsewhere, where our systems are in high demand and
performing exceedingly well in high intensity combat against a
very capable enemy. Patriot, Javelin, HIMARS, GMLRS, Bradleys,
Abrams Tanks, and 155 artillery, just to name a few, are
showing what U.S. weapons can do on the battlefield.
That combat performance is in my view the only standard
that truly matters. In the end because whether it's our
soldiers using this equipment or an ally, it makes the
difference between life and death for the people on the front
line.
There are of course programs where everything is not going
perfectly and I'm happy to dive into the reasons for that with
members. But I am pleased to support that with this committee's
support, Army acquisition officials are feeling empowered to
take informed thoughtful risk and when appropriate--where
appropriate to increase our overall pace of development,
production, and fielding.
From an acquisition policy perspective as Dr. LaPlante
said, the Army continues to aggressively implement and employ
the many reform initiatives provided by Congress. Middle tier
acquisition is one. We have 35 programs using it. We've had
many success stories. The M10 Booker Combat vehicle went from
program start to production in 4 years.
Our new 6.8-millimeter rifle went from an idea to
production in just 3 years. And the other very exciting thing
is the software pathway doctoral plant mentioned. This pathway
is critical to allow us to go at the same speed industry goes
when they're doing their programs.
And finally, I should mention that the Army is pursuing
multi-year programs. We did four in fiscal year 2023 for
artillery, where with this committee support, we're pursuing
two more for PAC 3 and GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket
System) in fiscal year 2024. And a last thing to mention is
this committee's strong support for rapid acquisition authority
to allow us to respond to urgent threats. We used that
authority doing a contract in less than 30 days to meet a
critical Counter UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) need in
central command which was under attack last fall.
That kind of flexibility when used responsibly with correct
oversight is absolutely essential to meeting critical war
fighter needs quickly. In closing, I want to say thank you on
behalf of the Army for both the funding and authorities we need
to support our modernization efforts. With continued support
from Congress, we are building a force capable of competing
across the spectrum of competition and conflict to deter
conflict and failing that prevailing conflict. Thank you for
your time today. I look forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Douglas R. Bush
introduction
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, distinguished members of
the Subcommittee, thank you for your continued support to our Soldiers,
Civilians, and Families. On behalf of the Secretary of the Army, the
Honorable Christine E. Wormuth, and the Army Chief of Staff, General
Randy A. George, we thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
today to discuss defense acquisition and the Army's modernization
programs.
The Army's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget reflects the Army's
comprehensive approach to modernization, so the Army can adapt to the
challenges of an unpredictable era marked by rapid and disruptive
technological innovation and great power competition. The budget
request sustains momentum in our modernization initiatives, including
the ability to invest faster in rapidly developing technology, while
simultaneously prioritizing our role as the Joint Force linchpin in the
Indo-Pacific, improving our Nation's industrial base and relationships
with its innovation base, and continuing to support our Allies and
partners. Most importantly, this request will provide our Soldiers the
materiel solutions needed to fight and win our Nation's wars as part of
the Joint Force.
modernizing the force
The FY 2025 budget request puts the Army on a sustainable path to
equip today's Soldiers with modern equipment while we invest in the
technologies and systems necessary to build the Army of 2030-2040. We
have also ensured that our requested resources are synchronized with
the Secretary of the Army's six operational imperatives around which we
are building the Army of 2030-2040:
--First, to sense deeper and more persistently than our enemies at
all echelons.
--Second, to concentrate combat forces from dispersed locations to
overwhelm our adversaries.
--Third, to deliver long range precision fires as part of the Joint
Force.
--Fourth, to deliver air and missile defense at echelon to protect
our forces.
--Fifth, to reliably communicate amongst ourselves and our Joint and
coalition partners and secure ourselves from enemy cyber and
electronic attack.
--Last, to sustain the fight for whatever the duration.
Front and center in this effort is our sustained commitment to our
key modernization portfolios--Long Range Precision Fires, Next
Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift, Network, Air and
Missile Defense, Soldier Lethality, Synthetic Training Environment, All
Domain Sensing, and Contested Logistics--and we are grateful to
Congress for the stable funding provided to advance these initiatives.
Long Range Fires Programs:
--The Army demonstrated the Precision Strike Missile's (PrSM)
capability to achieve ranges well beyond the legacy Army
Tactical Missile System and began production qualification
testing in 4Q FY 2023.
--We successfully tested the Land Based Anti-Ship Missile seeker and
the Extended Range Propulsion ramjet, setting conditions for
subsequent increments of the PrSM program.
--The Army concluded the Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA)
Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) Rapid Prototyping effort in
October 2023, with a determination that the current effort
required further maturation and redesign. As part of a shift in
strategy, the Army is planning a ``commercial off the shelf''
performance demonstration in the summer of 2024 that will
provide decision makers a better understanding of the artillery
systems available and capable of meeting the Division Artillery
Lethality capability gaps validated by Army Futures Command led
Tactical Fires Study.
--The Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, in
partnership with the Navy, is on track to deliver the first
Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) battery in CY 2024.
--We delivered the Army's Mid-Range Capability (MRC) initial hardware
in 1Q FY 2023 and are on track to equip three MRC batteries
between FY 2024--FY 2026.
The MRC prototype effort leverages existing Service missiles,
launchers, software, and offers a maritime strike capability. MRC is
projected to operate in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM)
area of responsibility (AOR).
Next Generation Combat Vehicle Programs:
--The Army remains fully committed to the XM30 (Formerly Optionally
Manned Fighting Vehicle) program, executing a multi-phased
acquisition approach to maximize competition. In 3Q FY 2023,
the Army awarded the competitive contract to two vendors for
the Phase 3 (Detailed Design) and Phase 4 (Prototype and Test)
portions of program. Final vendor selection targeted for 2Q FY
2028.
--The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program continues to make
progress, informed by extensive experimentation with the RCV
Full-System Prototype effort. At the end of FY 2023, the Army
awarded four contracts for demonstrator vehicles. Final vendor
selection is scheduled to occur in 2Q FY 2025.
--The M10 Booker (Formerly Mobile Protected Firepower) program began
low-rate initial production in 3Q FY 2022, with the first LRIP
vehicles arriving in 2Q FY 2024 and fielding planned for FY
2025.
Future Vertical Lift Programs:
--The Army is committed to the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft
(FLRAA), which remains our highest aviation modernization
priority. FLRAA will provide effective assault and MEDEVAC
capabilities, with significantly increased speed, range, and
endurance.
--The Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS) is leveraging a
competitive rapid prototyping approach to deliver
transformational reach to ground forces with an organically
sustained, rapidly deployable, runway-independent, and on-the-
move control platform. FTUAS provides the BCT organic airborne
reconnaissance and security with real-time situational
awareness and effects vital to cross-domain maneuver at the
speed required in Multi-Domain Operations. FTUAS will use an
open systems approach to continually upgrade the system with
the latest technology.
--The Army continues development of Launched Effects, a family of
operationally consumable Uncrewed Aircraft Systems that are
launched from both air and ground platforms to extend tactical
and operational reach across multi-domain operations and
enhance the overall range of lethal and non-lethal effects.
This will include loitering munitions, additional sensors, and
a vast array of payloads to support varying mission
requirements.
Network Programs:
--The Army is transforming our command and control (C2) network to
ensure we have the right capabilities at echelon to fight and
win in Large Scale Combat by delivering simpler, more
intuitive, lower signature, and more flexible capabilities.
--The Army is adapting its electromagnetic spectrum training,
operations, and technology for Large Scale Combat, including
equipping commanders with the materiel they require to see,
understand, and reduce their electronic signature to manage
risk to mission.
--Over the next year, deployed Army units will conduct real-world
experiments to reduce network complexity and get the right
capability in place at the right echelon.
--The Army is also accelerating delivery of the Unified Network
through unified requirements, unified governance, a realigned
PEO, and centralized delivery of services.
--FY 2025 continues the fielding of modernized C2 network capability
while evolving to more agile methods of development and
deployment.
--In FY 2025, the Army is investing in key capabilities that increase
network resiliency, modernize backhaul, and upgrade post/camp/
station network infrastructure worldwide.
--In total the Army is fielding more than 450 Army, Army Reserve and
Army National Guard units with modernized network and/or C2
capability in FY 2024--2025.
Air and Missile Defense (AMD) Programs:
--The Army fielded the Initial Operational Capability for the
Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS)
in 3Q FY 2023 and recently completed the Full Rate Production
decision for this critical Air and Missile Defense system that
will link Army and Joint sensors to shooters.
--The Army is improving the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense
capability, which was fielded to the first battalion, with the
second battalion fielded in 1Q FY 2024.
--The Army continues to make progress on its Directed Energy
Maneuver--Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) effort, a 50
kilowatt-class laser on a Stryker. Four prototypes have been
accepted by the Army.
--We are advancing directed energy efforts for Indirect Fire
Protection Capability (IFPC) by developing high-energy lasers
(HEL) and high-power microwaves (HPM) for a layered defense of
fixed and semi-fixed sites against an array of threats. As of
2Q FY 2024, the Army has accepted four IFPC-HPM prototypes. Two
prototype IFPC-HEL 300kW-class laser weapon systems will be
delivered by the end of FY 2025.
--Six Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) prototypes
have been manufactured and are in developmental testing, with
residual operating capability first demonstrated in 1Q FY 2024.
Testing will continue to validate additional capabilities
through an Operational Assessment with Warfighters in 1Q FY
2025.
--In November 2023, the United States Government leased the two Iron
Dome Defense System Army (IDDS-A) Batteries to the Government
of Israel for a period not to exceed 11 months.
--The Army has accepted the first set of Indirect Fire Protection
Capability (IFPC) launchers for test and evaluation and is on
path to complete delivery of all 16 launchers to begin an
operational assessment in 4Q FY 2024.
--The Army continues to procure Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft
Systems (C-sUAS) to address Unmanned Aircraft Systems threats.
In 1Q 2024, the Army began procuring one Division C-sUAS set
with 172 Coyote interceptors, complete with procurement of 59
fixed sites that cover globally prioritized critical sites. In
FY 2025, the Army will procure a second Division set of C-sUAS
systems, seven Family of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems to
provide C-sUAS capabilities for USASOC, continue to field C-
sUAS capabilities to protect Secretary of Defense approved
covered facilities and assets, and support emergent
requirements in support of Joint Urgent Operational Needs.
Additionally, the Army will finish fielding C-sUAS capabilities
to the first two Army Combat Divisions.
Soldier Lethality Programs:
--Based on results from Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS)
FY 2022 operational testing, the Army conducted a program re-
plan to address areas of improvement. The Army and Microsoft
have identified solutions to address these areas through
refinements driven by Soldier-centered design. The Army
initiated IVAS 1.0 fielding to Training and Doctrine Command
(TRADOC) units in late FY 2023, and is on pace to field IVAS
1.1 systems to the Combat Training Centers in FY 2024. The Army
intends to field IVAS 1.2, the full rate production goggle, to
the Close Combat Force as early as 4Q FY 2025.
--The Army has procured approximately half of its Enhanced Night
Vision Goggle Binocular (ENVG-B) procurement objective.
Additional procurement funding in FY 2023, along with
programmed funding in FY 2024, facilitated the purchase of an
additional 10K ENVG-B systems and maintains ENVG-B production
through 4Q FY 2026.
--Production of the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) Rifle,
Automatic Rifle, Fire Control, and General Purpose Ammo began
in FY 2022, and First Unit Equipped occurred in 2Q FY 2024.
Synthetic Training Environment (STE) Programs:
--STE Software (STE-SW) and Reconfigurable Virtual Collective
Trainers (RVCT) delivered initial prototype capabilities in FY
2023 and is on track for First Unit Equipped (FUE) in 4Q FY
2024 to Army Fort Cavazos, Fort Moore, and Fort Novosel. One
World Terrain, a key component of STE-SW, is in the hands of
Soldiers now providing operational battlefield visualization.
--We continue progress on the Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer which
remains aligned with IVAS, with development focused on hardware
productization, cybersecurity, reliability, and other
enhancements.
--The Army's Live Training System (LTS) to conduct force-on-force and
force-on- target live training will deliver initial capability
to the Joint Readiness Training Center in FY 2024.
--The Soldier Virtual Trainer (SVT) conducted its first Soldier
Touchpoint in 1Q FY 2023, with a second STP scheduled for 3Q FY
2024. The program is on track to deliver initial capability in
1Q FY 2025.
All Domain Sensing Programs:
--The Army transitioned to M-Code Global Positioning System (GPS) and
alternative Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) beginning in
FY 2022, following the first fielding of Dismounted Assured PNT
Generation I Quick Reaction Capability System, fulfilling the
Directed Requirement.
--The Mounted Assured PNT System Generation II Program of Record, an
M-Code GPS capable system, will initiate fielding in FY 2024.
--Success in the APNT/S Cross-Functional Team (CFT) allowed the Army
to transition the team and its efforts into the All-Domain
Sensing (ADS) CFT. The ADS CFT will address multi-sensor
dominance, sensing architecture, advanced processing and
dissemination, and other operational enablers to facilitate
successful understanding and decisionmaking in multi-domain
operations.
--The Army continues to invest in the ground segments of space-based
technologies that close operational gaps in deep sensing and
targeting activities. The Army prototyped and live-fire
demonstrated the first-ever use of Low-Earth Orbit Satellite-
based Alternative Navigation technology to guide a Precision
Guided Munition in a totally GPS-denied environment and
successfully engage a target at long range.
Contested Logistics Programs:
--AFC instituted the Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team (CL
CFT) to lead a deliberate transformation effort by developing
Army and Joint Signature Sustainment Modernization Capabilities
aligned to pacing threats associated with contested Multi-
Domain Operations (MDO) and Large-Scale Combat Operations
(LSCO).
--The CL CFT reached Full Operational Capacity (FOC) on 31 OCT 2023.
--The CL CFT is currently addressing the challenges presented in a
contested environment through four key portfolios: Precision
Sustainment, Human Machine Integration (HMI) Supply &
Distribution Systems, Advanced Power, and Demand Reduction.
--Recently, an Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) approved
Predictive Logistics with an initial focus on firing platforms,
specifically Abrams, Paladins, and Bradleys.
--The CL CFT pursues continuous transformation with autonomous/
robotic solutions and HMI to increase operational reach and
endurance for commanders.
The Army's budget request also continues procurement and
modernization of our key systems for our operational aviation
platforms, Ground Combat Systems, Intelligence programs, Logistics,
Armaments, and Ammunition. We carefully balanced the overall Research,
Development, and Acquisition portfolio, including fine-tuning between
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funding, and Procurement
funding, as we transition from enduring systems to our new modernized
systems.
The Aviation portfolio strikes a balance between prudent
investments to maintain the viability of the enduring fleet, while also
investing in future aircraft and capabilities designed to provide
reach, standoff, and overmatch against peer competitors in Multi Domain
Operations. Beyond investments in FLRAA, the Army is making key
investments in Apache, Black Hawk, and Chinook helicopter
modernization, to include CH-47F Block II for conventional units and
MH-47G for special operations units. The Army also continues
investments in munitions and aircraft protection by sustaining Joint
Air-to-Ground Missile production, an improved lethality option to
the current Hellfire missile, and through continued investment in
Aircraft Survivability Equipment, a suite of systems that protect Army
aircraft from threat infrared missiles, radar guided missiles, and
lasers through detection and defeat systems.
Armored Brigade Combat Team modernization and combat vehicle
protection remain a priority. With this budget, the Army will procure
30 Abrams M1A2SEPv3s Tanks, 51 Strykers, 20 Self-Propelled Howitzer
Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) vehicle sets, and 26 Joint Assault
Bridges.
The Intelligence and Electronic Warfare (IEW) Portfolio enables
Commanders to see and sense more, at greater distance, and more
persistently at every echelon. The IEW portfolio is making key
investments in critical Multi-Domain Intelligence capabilities to
provide better analytics, Deep Sensing, and Indications and Warning
(I&W) in support of Targeting. These investments include the
Terrestrial Layer System which will provide electronic warfare and
cyber enabled effects; the Army Intelligence Data Platform (AIDP) that
is the Army's first cloud native web based intel program of record; The
Multi-Domain Sensing System-High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation
System (MDSS-HADES), which will provide collection at extended ranges;
and the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN), which will
provide processors to exploit and disseminate critical intelligence, at
every echelon. These critical investments are required to meet our
pacing threat challenges.
The Air and Missile Defense portfolio invests in integrated command
and control, sensors, and shooters to provide 360-degree, tiered,
layered defensive fires against a wide range of air and missile
threats. It continues to invest in Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft
Systems (C-sUAS), Lower Tier AMD Sensor prototypes, Patriot radar
upgrades, and procurement of critical AMD munitions, such as the
Patriot Missile Segment Enhanced. The Fire Support portfolio continues
to invest in modernization priorities to address long-range missiles
fires and capabilities needed for today, with a focus on the INDOPACOM
AOR. In FY 2025, we will procure 236 PrSM Increment 1 missiles, support
PrSM Increment 2 seeker development, and begin procurement of 19
Maritime Strike Tomahawks (MST) to support the priority theater.
The Command and Control portfolio continues to align resources
required for networks and command posts to be simpler, more intuitive,
lower signature, and more flexible.
The portfolio will increase Command Post mobility and survivability
through investments in modular command posts, on-the-move and low earth
orbit SATCOM, and secure wireless capabilities. The portfolio procures
modernized radios to meet the National Security Agency cryptographic
modernization requirements and joint and coalition interoperability;
continues investments in Unified Network Operations, software-defined
network capabilities, and network security to enable data centricity.
It will also continue to procure and develop Assured Position,
Navigation, and Timing capabilities.
The Logistics portfolio invests in Army Watercraft, a combat
multiplier in support of Army operational concepts and the Geographical
Combatant Commander in large scale combat operations; invests in
contested logistics capabilities to reduce demand and provide point of
need production and sustainment; and realigns funding to support
critical ammunition program lines and Army Training Strategies to
ensure contractual requirements are met to maintain Industrial Base
Minimum Sustainment Rate capacities; and procures of 1,353 Joint Light
Tactical Vehicles, 16 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles
(HMMWVs) and 2,167 HMMWV antilock braking system/electronic stability
control kits to improve our existing tactical wheeled vehicle fleet.
Finally, the Human Machine Integration (HMI) portfolio consolidates
Army efforts to bring autonomous and machine learning advantages to our
tactical formations. Integrating virtual training capacities in
emerging weapon systems and enduring systems with add on modules/
effects ensures continuous training of Soldiers and formations to
operate efficiently and effectively as part of the joint force.
Observations from ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, as
well as an understanding of the significant threats in INDOPACOM
demonstrate a need to rapidly develop an HMI capability inside our Army
formations at echelon. Our investments in autonomous and semi-
autonomous ground and aerial systems are essential to extend our
battlefield effects, maintain an advantage over the enemy, and enhance
the lethality and survivability of our formations. The Army will employ
robotic systems to offload risk from Soldiers onto machines and
leverage autonomy and machine learning to reduce Soldier mental and
physical loads. This allows our number one asymmetric advantage, the
U.S. Army Soldier, to focus on those tasks that only humans can do--the
ethical application of force, utilize curiosity and intuition, and
apply the art of command. The ability to make first contact with the
enemy using a robot instead of a Soldier is essential to continue to
protect our most precious resource. Investment in the HMI portfolio
allows the Army to do this.
modernizing our business practices
The Army has embraced industry best practices, such as the use of
Soldier-centered design and rigorous experimentation with prototypes,
to enable feedback from Soldiers and commanders earlier in the
development process. This is accomplished in phases--first by getting
prototype equipment into the hands of Soldiers from the operational
force early, through Soldier touchpoints, to refine requirements before
more investments are made. In subsequent phases of experimenting with
prototypes in increasingly complex scenarios, we assess how we would
organize and fight using this technology. This provides the Army not
only valuable feedback on the technology itself, but we learn how we
need to train and integrate across Doctrine, Organization, Training,
Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy.
The Army continues Project Convergence, a Joint and multi-national
experimentation campaign of continuous learning to inform capability
design with Soldier touchpoints that culminates in a major field
experiment. Working closely with our counterparts from the other
Services, we identify Joint warfighting problems to solve.
Experimentation objectives, operational scenarios, and data collection
plans are managed by the Project Convergence Board of Directors, which
includes representatives from all the Services, the Joint Staff, and
coalition partners. Events range from field experimentation with the
signature modernization capabilities from the Army's Cross-Functional
Teams to embedding experimentation objectives in annual operational
exercises, such as Northern Edge, Valient Shield, Balikatan, and
Avenger Triad. These events include focused learning on integration
with multi-national partners, including FVEY, NATO, and many Pacific
partners (Japan, Republic of Korea, Philippines, Singapore, etc.). The
PC series also features a Capstone event that establishes an Army-
hosted Joint experimental venue. The Capstone event is designed to
inform the Joint Warfighting Concept, the OSD vision for CJADC2, and
CCMD priority areas (such as the Joint Fires Network from INDOPACOM).
The Army continues to implement and employ the reform initiatives
granted by Congress that were designed to streamline and gain
efficiencies in the acquisition process. In recent years, Congress has
authorized more flexible approaches to acquisition, which have resulted
in the establishment of DoD's Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF). The
AAF provides the Army with six acquisition pathways that enable the
acquisition workforce to tailor strategies to deliver better solutions
faster. For example, the Army is judiciously using Middle Tier
Acquisition (MTA) rapid prototyping authority to experiment with
innovative, mature technologies to quickly demonstrate new
capabilities. The Army is using MTA rapid fielding authority to quickly
field production quantities of new or upgraded systems with minimal
development, potentially resulting in faster capability delivery and
lower costs. In all, the MTA pathway enables a ``try before we buy''
framework that reduces risk, reduces cost, and accelerates capability
development and deployment. The Army currently has 32 programs
executing MTA rapid prototyping or rapid fielding efforts and is using
these authorities to accelerate select Army modernization priorities
including FLRAA, XM30, MRC, and IFPC.
The Army also benefits from the establishment of the Software
Acquisition Pathway (SWP). The SWP is a new acquisition pathway used to
facilitate rapid and iterative delivery of custom software capabilities
to users, recognizing that technology development cycles are more rapid
in software systems. Programs using the SWP will demonstrate the
viability and effectiveness of the capability within 1 year. The Army
currently has 17 programs executing on the SWP, and we continue to seek
more opportunities to use this tailored pathway. In addition to the
SWP, the Secretary of the Army issued a new policy in March 2024 to
drive adoption of agile software development practices. The directive
institutionalizes modern software development approaches across the
Army, in line with industry best practices. These approaches--which
include agile and lean practices--focus on iterative development and
delivery of software in close coordination with users. This type of
development allows software to be rapidly developed and refined over
time, accelerating the Army's ability to deliver needed capabilities to
Soldiers. To enable broad adoption of these modern approaches, the
directive reforms many of the institutional processes that underpin the
software development lifecycle, from requirements through sustainment,
which have historically been cumbersome and time intensive. This
represents one of the first significant efforts across the Department
to comprehensively adjust legacy software development processes in line
with private sector best practices.
Rapid Acquisition Authority (RAA) continues to enable the
Department to quickly acquire and deploy capabilities in response to
urgent operational needs. This authority applies to capabilities that
can be fielded within 2 years and are based on already proven or
available technologies, or to capabilities that can be developed or
procured under MTA authority. RAA significantly streamlines acquisition
requirements to enable a rapid response to existing threats. The Army
most recently used this authority to award a production contract for
600 Coyote Interceptors to help protect U.S. forces from Unmanned
Aerial System attacks. Congress further enhanced RAA in the FY 2024
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to better enable the
Department to respond to emergent technological advancements or
threats, or to U.S. allies and partners who have been subject to an
armed attack by a ``country of concern,'' respectively.
The Army also benefits from expanded use of Other Transaction
Authority (OTA), which can include follow-on production awards. OTAs
are contractual instruments other than standard procurement contracts
(i.e. FAR), grants, and cooperative agreements that lend themselves to
working with small companies and non-traditional defense contractors,
two known sources of technological innovation. The Army effectively
uses OTAs to streamline the acquisition of basic and advanced research
activities, prototype projects, and follow-on production efforts. In FY
2023, the Army awarded more than 1,767 OTA agreements valued at $6.9
billion. The Army updated its OTA Policy in February 2024 to address
recent statutory changes, including the expanded definition of
prototype efforts and incorporate innovative pilot programs to use OTAs
for construction.
Congress also made permanent the authority for Commercial Solutions
Opening (CSO) in the FY 2022 NDAA. Since its establishment as a pilot
program, the Army has leveraged the CSO authority to obtain innovative
commercial products and solutions to fulfill requirements, close
capability gaps, and provide technological advances. The streamlined
nature of the CSO procedures also serves to lower barriers to entry and
incentivize small and non-traditional vendors who have not previously
worked with the Department. The Army used CSO authority extensively as
part of its pandemic response efforts.
In addition, in the FY 2016 NDAA, Congress encouraged delegation of
Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) for most acquisition programs from
the Office of the Secretary of Defense to the Military Departments. The
Army further delegated MDA for some of these programs to the Program
Executive Officer level, when appropriate. This delegation allows the
Army to appropriately align program oversight with risk, resulting in
reduced bureaucracy and increased efficiency.
Lastly, Congress recently provided temporary authorities to
streamline acquisition and contracting requirements to support Ukraine,
Taiwan, and Israel, and to replenish domestic stocks of equipment.
Section 1244 of the FY 2023 NDAA, as amended by section 1242 of the FY
2024 NDAA, enables the Army to reduce procurement lead times by several
months. It also provides streamlined multiyear procurement authority
for select munitions, which the Army is using to stabilize the
industrial base. These flexibilities have been critical in helping the
Army move quickly to deliver capabilities in response to Russia's war
against Ukraine and to replenish U.S. stocks.
All these initiatives, individually and in combination, allow for
better and faster modernization decisions and faster requirements
development.
conclusion
The Army is modernizing and adapting to ensure we can deliver
leading-edge capabilities to our Soldiers at the speed of relevance and
innovation. With continued support from Congress, we are building a
force capable of competing across the spectrum of competition and
conflict to deter war and, failing that, prevail in war. With stable
funding, newly enacted authorities, forward-leaning leadership, and
fiscally agile processes, as well as a rigorous technology
experimentation regime, we are even further down the modernization path
than envisioned at this point last year.
Modernization is a central element of Army transformation,
translating materiel modernization into capability and lethality in our
formations. The nature of our adversaries and their ability to harness
if not control the direction and pace of technological innovation to
achieve overmatch across the warfighting domains demands that we adapt
continuously in how we modernize and transform. With your support, we
are committed to doing that.
Thank you again for this opportunity to discuss Army Modernization
and for your strong support of our Soldiers, civilians, and their
families.
Senator Tester. Thank you for your statement.
Secretary Guertin, you are on the floor.
STATEMENT OF NICKOLAS H. GUERTIN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY
OF THE NAVY FOR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND
ACQUISITION, UNITED STATES NAVY
Mr. Guertin. Chairman Tester and distinguished members of
the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before
you today to address our acquisition programs and the defense
industrial base. We'd like to thank the subcommittee for your
leadership and support to the ship building naval aviation and
ground programs that maintain maritime superiority in defense
of our Nation.
Maintaining the health of our acquisition programs while
strengthening the industrial base is a top priority. Through
strategic partnerships between the Department of Defense,
Congress, our sister services, and industry, we are more
efficiently and affordably procuring ships, aircraft
ammunitions by leveraging the advantages of opportunities such
as block by, and multi-year procurement authorities.
The fiscal year 2025 budget requests fully funds the
Department of Navy's top defense acquisition priority, the
Columbia class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, prioritizes
resources for the Navy shipbuilding account to fund investments
in the submarine industrial base and includes the San Antonio
Class Landing platform dock in support of the Department of
Navy's requirement for 31 amphibious ships.
We're also making targeted investments in critical
munitions to address today's threats and posture ourselves for
tomorrow's challenges. The Department of the Navy continues to
invest funds in the weapon industrial base to ensure we can
surge and ramp to production in the immediate future.
The passage of multiple Security Supplementals enables us
to replenish stocks of U.S. weapons and provide equipment to
key allies and partner nations. Supplemental legislation also
facilitated and funded our partnerships with industry to expand
capacity, modernize existing production lines and improve
resiliency by qualified additional suppliers and streamlining
certification capabilities.
These investments positively impact our primes, their
subcontractors and critical suppliers across the U.S. while
supporting our allies and partners. With deliberate approach,
the Department of Navy has increased ships and aviation
maintenance and readiness accounts to improve availability
while modernizing existing platforms. The Department of Navy
continues to make robust strategic investment in our four
public shipyards and ensure they're able to execute ship
maintenance effectively and efficiently.
In aligning with my secretary's priorities, the Department
of Navy continues to identify and overcome obstacles that
threaten the success of our acquisition programs and the
industrial base. The launch of the Merit Main Defense
Industrial Alliance in cooperation with Federal and local
government as well as industry demonstrates our commitment to
developing and maintaining a well-trained, skilled, and
motivated workforce in support of growing and fostering the
ship building industrial base.
The Department of Navy appreciates the continued support
and investments from Congress. Thank you for the opportunity to
appear before you and your subcommittee today and look forward
to answering your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Nickolas H. Guertin
Chairman Murray, Ranking Member Collins, and distinguished members
of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
today to address challenges to our industrial base. Maintaining a
healthy industrial base is a Department of the Navy (DON) priority. We
can only achieve our strategic goals and objectives of strengthening
maritime dominance, building a culture of warfighting excellence and
enhancing our strategic partnerships by building and maintaining
resilient supply chains, engaging in flexible acquisition practices,
employing sound economic deterrence principles as well as training and
retaining a robust and knowledgeable workforce.
The National Defense Industrial Strategy demonstrated that building
industrial advantages through a resilient defense ecosystem is
imperative. The Navy articulates its future efforts to improve its
Defense Industrial Base across five strategic categories: resilient
supply chain, workforce readiness, flexible acquisition, economic
deterrence, and advanced technology to achieve industrial advantage.
Our industrial base must build the future fleet while sustaining
today's fleet. A strong, resilient, and effective shipbuilding,
aviation and munitions industrial base, composed of shipyards, depots,
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), suppliers, ship designers, and
associated supply chains, is essential to accomplishing and sustaining
operational readiness.
Growing and modernizing vital production and repair facilities is a
national security imperative. We must invest in our industrial base,
alongside our allies, partner nations and industry partners with a
collective goal to accelerate the production, throughput, and
sustainment of the ships, submarines, aircraft and munitions we
require.
Strengthening our industrial base is a priority and strategic
partnership between the Department of Defense (DoD) and industry
partners. In partnership with Congress and industry, we can more
efficiently and affordably procure ships, aircraft and munitions by
leveraging the advantages of initiatives, authorizations and waivers
such as block buy and multi-year procurement (MYP) authorities where in
the best interests of the U.S. Government. These flexible acquisition
tools coupled with stable procurement budgets and on-time
appropriations can provide our industry partners with solid and
predictable demand signals that ultimately support and strengthen the
industrial base. This enables benefits such as improved workforce
hiring and the establishment of dedicated training centers and
pipelines resulting in over 3,500 people trained since 2020, and
approximately 1,000 new workforce personnel in about 120 small/medium
industry partners.
The FY25 budget request fully funding the Nation's top Defense
acquisition priority, Columbia Class Nuclear Ballistic Missile
Submarine, and the nuclear architecture that underpins it, prioritizes
resources in the Navy shipbuilding account to fund investments in the
Submarine Industrial Base, and includes a San Antonio Class Landing
Platform Deck (LPD) to maintain 31 amphibious ships per our Title 10
requirement. With a deliberate approach, the DON increased funding in
ship maintenance/readiness accounts which designed to increase the
fleet's ship availability in parallel while modernizing existing
platforms to put more players on the field.
Additionally, the DON continues to make the robust strategic
investment in four public shipyards to maximize our players on the
field today and the next few decades.
We are making targeted investments in critical munitions to address
today's threats and posture ourselves for the future. The DON continues
to invest funds in the weapons industrial base to ensure we can surge
and ramp up production in the immediate future.
We appreciate Congress's support through the passage of multiple
security supplementals enabling us to replenish stocks of U.S. weapons
and equipment provided to key allies and partner nations through our
security cooperation activities. Supplemental legislation has
facilitated and funded our partnership with industry to expand
capacity, modernize existing production lines, improve resiliency by
qualifying additional suppliers, and streamline recertification
capabilities. These investments positively impact our primes, their
subs, and critical suppliers across the U.S.
A resilient, healthy, diverse, dynamic, and secure supply chain is
required to ensure the development, production and sustainment of
ships, aircraft and munitions critical to our national defense on time
and within budget. We're making progress on gaining valuable insight
into our critical supply chains to ensure investment opportunities are
identified and prioritized to provide the greatest impact. The DON
continues to invest and explore ways to better assess the health of the
supply chains and industrial base. Through relationships with our
industry partners and strategic utilization of our Organic Industrial
Base (OIB), the DON will achieve a more resilient, modern industrial
base that is economically and environmentally sustainable, and does not
rely upon adversarial foreign sources of capital, technology, raw
materials, and critical inputs.
Equally important is ship and aviation maintenance via the OIB.
Critical to ship and aviation maintenance is the ability of the DON to
acquire technical data needed to maintain and repair our systems during
wartime scenarios. In March, 17 F/A-18E/F Block III aircraft were
placed on contract with Boeing with the final F/A-18E/F scheduled to
deliver in FY27. This
contract also procures critical technical data absolutely necessary
for the DON to organically maintain the F/A-18E/F after the production
line shuts down.
We are realizing significant reductions in days of maintenance
delay across ship and aviation platforms, through targeted improvement
efforts and the use of data analytics. We are trending in the right
direction and will continue to do better. The investments we are making
in the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), Fleet
Infrastructure Optimization Programs (FIOP) and Marine Corps Organic
Industrial Base (MCOIB) Infrastructure Optimization Plan (MIOP) will
help get us there.
145 day Shipbuilding Review
The Secretary of the Navy's Maritime Statecraft initiative
promulgates whole of government awareness, advocacy, and action to
rebuild the comprehensive maritime power of the nation including a
commitment to strengthen the U.S. commercial shipbuilding and repair
industry. Efforts today and beyond contribute to a national effort to
build comprehensive U.S. and allied maritime power, both commercial and
naval.
Ensuring the timely delivery of ships that are capable and on-
budget is critical to maintaining our national security and maritime
dominance. However, recent challenges, including workforce shortages in
craft trades and design engineers, supply chain disruptions, and
technical challenges, have impacted our ability to meet our
shipbuilding goals and prompted Secretary Del Toro to direct a
comprehensive review of our shipbuilding enterprise. This 45 day
Shipbuilding Review identified common issues from lingering COVID
impacts across a national workforce and supply chain landscape, with
industry reticent to invest. On average, schedule delays are over a
year to contracted delivery dates for many of our ships under contract,
with costs increasing commensurately as a result of these delays and
continued elevated inflation. The review identified major initiatives
to drive improvement, and I have recently tasked for implementation,
several of these initiatives to include:
--Establishing a shipbuilding ``Get Real Get Better'' forum for
improved real-time performance transparency,
--Aligning contract risk sharing approaches between Navy and
industry,
--Conducting a design and engineering workforce health assessment,
and
--Assessing the Navy's shipbuilding acquisition workforce posture.
With the support of Congress and working with local, state and
national organizations, the DON and its shipbuilders will continue to
identify opportunities to generate resiliency and productivity at our
shipyards, within the shipbuilding workforce, and in the supply chain.
Submarine Industrial Base (SIB)
As highlighted in the Navy's 45 day Shipbuilding Review, our
submarine programs are challenged. The Navy is assessing that the
Columbia lead ship delivery will be 12-16 months late due to the
contract requirement, and the Virginia class submarines are delivering
two to 3 years late.
The SIB, consisting of the public shipyards and two prime
shipbuilders, General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington
Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS), along with the
16,000 suppliers across the country, support both new-construction
submarines and sustainment of the in-service submarine fleet. The SIB
faces an increase in demand across the enterprise as the Navy ramps up
production of the Columbia Class and continues to increase production
to two Virginia Class submarines per year beginning in FY26, while
increasing SSN operational availability and supporting international
commitments under the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS)
partnership. The unprecedented demands on the SIB requires a whole-of-
nation effort.
The Navy's FY25 budget request expands upon the foundational
investments made in prior budget cycles and also addresses in-service
sustainment health. These investments are critical to shore up the SIB
to produce Virginia and Columbia, sustain in-service submarines and put
us on a path to support AUKUS requirements. Investments are targeted in
six key areas to include infrastructure, supplier development, scaling
of new technologies, workforce development, strategic outsourcing and
government oversight of these efforts.
The Navy has seen significant benefit from investments made to date
including installation of multiple additive manufactured components on
in-service submarines; graduation and placement of nearly 500 people
from the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing programs, which
will scale to train and place 800-1000 skilled trades annually by FY25,
will increase hiring at our shipbuilders and the building up of
additional infrastructure for submarine production through the
groundbreaking of the multi-class submarine production facility at
Newport News, VA. The Navy will continue its investments in the
Virginia Class Material strategy to improve public shipyard
availability execution with a North Star Goal of 80% operational
availability for our in-service submarines.
In FY25, $4.0 billion in funding is requested in support of the
SIB, which exemplifies the Department of Defense's commitment to
bolstering supply chain resiliency, workforce development, and flexible
acquisition. The Navy appreciates congressional support to the
submarine enterprise, including approval of the Administration's $3.3
billion in FY24 supplemental funding request which will increase and
accelerate investments in the SIB.
Surface Ship Industrial Base
The surface shipbuilding industrial base that produces aircraft
carriers, surface combatants, amphibious ships, combat logistics and
support vessels, is facing challenges comparable to those seen across
the broader industrial base. The Navy's 45 day Shipbuilding Review also
included our major surface ship programs. The review assessed that CVN
80 delivery is 18-26 months late, Constellation Class Frigate lead ship
is 36 months behind, and Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA), LPD, fleet
replenishment oilers (T-AO), and the Arleigh Burke class destroyer (DDG
51) programs are late to contract, however stable and tracking to
program managers estimates.
The Navy is taking proactive steps to improve the surface
shipbuilding industrial base capability, capacity, and quality through
investments in shipyard infrastructure, supplier development, and
workforce initiatives; bolstered by congressionally added large and
small Surface Combatant Industrial Base (SCIB) funding. Since FY20,
Congress has provided over one billion dollars in SCIB funding against
the DDG 51 and Constellation-Class Guided-Missile Frigate (FFG 62)
program lines. Those SCIB investments provided through FY 2024
addressed risk in schedules, increase capability to meet future force
structure, promote job creation and economic security, and address risk
in single source or fragile supply chains. Expanding the capabilities
of suppliers and shipyard infrastructure in the surface ship industrial
base promotes greater industrial base stability and improved
efficiency.
The Navy provides investments in the needed facilities at our U.S.
Shipbuilders to produce this nation's most capable warfighting vessels.
These investments not only address the infrastructure to build ships,
but also provides for facilities that support our sailors and
shipbuilding workforce. Recent examples include:
--Upgraded transportation and childcare
--On-yard commercial food service
--Office spaces shared with Navy personnel at General Dynamics-Bath
Iron Works
--Construction of a sailor multi-use facility with exercise facility,
food court, Internet cafe, laundry facility and work control
office at HII-NNS
--Installation of a new watertight intermediate gate lodge at HII-NNS
Dry Dock 12 to split the dry dock into two sections that
enables simultaneous construction of two FORD Class aircraft
carriers in the same dry dock
--Workforce retention bonuses at Fincantieri Marinette Marine for the
FFG 62 program.
The Navy has also incorporated a dedicated Workforce Incentive on
the DDG 51 Multi-Year Procurement (MYP) contract (FY23-FY27), applying
over $100M towards workforce development incentives at BIW and HII-
Ingalls.
The Navy is invested in addressing the recruiting and retention
challenges to ensure a skilled workforce is available today, and in the
future, to support the Navy's shipbuilding and repair needs. We will
continue to invest in and maximize the use of the American workforce to
build and sustain our forces. The Navy continues to prioritize
stability in procurement profiles and design configurations to maximize
workforce development and improve cost, schedule and performance.
The Navy continually monitors and works with industry and
Government partners, including sub-tier suppliers, to assess the
general health of the industrial base and identify opportunities for
strengthening areas in need of reinforcement. The resources provided by
Congress have been instrumental in progressing the surface ship
industrial base to support both shipbuilding and repair needs.
Weapons Systems/Munitions Industrial Base
Given the Department's strategic focus on preparing for protracted,
high-intensity conflict against near-peer adversaries, prioritizing
investments in munitions remains paramount within the budgetary
landscape. Sustaining ample stockpiles of missiles and munitions stands
as a cornerstone of operational readiness.
Recognizing industry's current constrained capacity for rapid
production surges during crises underscores the necessity for
preemptive measures. Recent conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, along with
heightened activity in the Red Sea, highlight the imperative for
bolstered investments to support allies and partners, necessitating
increased industrial capabilities.
The DON is investing resources toward essential munitions like the
Tomahawk, Standard Missile, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM),
Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile- Extended Range (AARGM-ER),
Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), AIM-9X, AIM-120, MK 48
Heavyweight Torpedo (HWT), and Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to expedite
production, enhance resilience, and foster interoperability.
In the past, munitions have often borne the brunt of budgetary
trade-offs within the DON. Redirecting investments toward industry as
well as recertifying existing munitions sends a clear signal that
building munitions inventories and replenishing stockpiles is a top
priority.
Augmenting the OIB serves as a critical support mechanism for the
industrial sector, providing essential facilities and skilled personnel
for surge production. Leveraging Public- Private Partnership
authorities enables rapid expansion of the industrial base, though
maintaining a delicate balance is crucial to prevent exceeding
production capacity. Examples of this include a proposed $185M in the
PB25 budget request and $675M across the FYDP for the DON Energetics
Comprehensive Modernization Plan (ECMP) which aims to enhance the DON
capacity to meet immediate munitions requirements, foster innovation in
energetics technology and streamline operations to address urgent
demands.
The DON is aggressively improving our OIB's safety and readiness at
Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD). In FY23
and FY24, we invested $345M, across over 200 projects to jumpstart this
plan and unlock a doubling of capacity by FY26.
In addition, our Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance (NIRO) plant,
Allegany Ballistics Lab (ABL), operated by Northrup Grumman, is
supporting urgent national security requirements associated with the
restocking of DoD munition stocks and support of U.S. national
interests in Europe and the Pacific Area of Operations. We recently
awarded $178M to Northrop Grumman to construct new facilities ('Plant
5') to expand production, adding 50% more capacity by FY27.
Further PB25 initiatives target the backlog in missile
recertification, aiming to streamline processes and allocate additional
resources. This includes efforts to return missiles to the Fleet,
enhancing the capacity of the recertification rotatable pool to
expedite parts repair and replacement.
Tactical Aviation
The safeguarding of our national interests remains dependent on the
most superior naval force in the world, one that is deliberately
postured to meet the constantly evolving geopolitical challenges and
threats. The DON is investing in lethality, capacity, capability, and
readiness across the Naval Aviation Enterprise to provide our
warfighters the necessary spectrum of abilities to deter or defeat
enemy aggression.
The very center of our tactical air investment and the continued
strengthening of our industrial base is our request for the procurement
of twenty-six F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters--thirteen
carrier-based F-35s for the Navy and Marine Corps and thirteen short-
takeoff vertical-landing F-35s for the Marine Corps. Additionally,
seventeen F/A-18E/F Block III aircraft were placed on contract with
Boeing with the final F/A-18E/F scheduled to deliver in FY27.
The DON continues to invest in broadening the Electromagnetic
Warfare industrial base with Next Generation Jammer and numerous self-
protection systems. Our Navy and Marine Corps team must continue to
invest in the defense industrial base to maintain warfighting capacity,
supremacy of rapid innovation, capability modernization and an
efficient and effective acquisition process to provide for our Joint
Force as well as our Partners and Allies.
Rotary Wing Aviation
The health of the Rotary Wing aircraft industrial base continues to
be one of our top priorities as a critical enabler to meeting
capability, readiness and affordability objectives. Industry-wide
inflation, workforce instability, and supply chain challenges present
significant concerns, but the Department is making every effort to
ensure that these issues do not deter our delivery of mission capable
rotary platforms. While key platforms, such as the H-60, H-1, MV/CMV-
22, and VH-92A will end production in the next few years, ongoing full
rate production of the CH-53K, aircraft modifications of the H-1, MV/
CMV-22, and VH-92A platforms, and H-60 service life extension efforts
will sustain key suppliers while the Department explores options for
Future Vertical Lift capability. Other service procurement plans will
also keep the major prime contractors and key component and technology
suppliers working beyond the FYDP.
We are making every effort to preserve stability and affordability
through Foreign Military Sales and procurement opportunities that
encourage longer-term industry investments in facilities and workforce.
The DON is requesting FY25 Congressional authorization for a two-year
block buy contract for CH-53K airframes and a five-year multi-year
contract for CH-53K engines which will leverage volume quantities to
realize significant cost savings, provide a constant demand signal to
industry and encourage improved production efficiencies. The Rotary
Wing industrial base, although fragile, has production capacity to meet
current and future requirements if we continue to strengthen these
partnerships and send a consistent development and procurement demand
signal.
Unmanned Aviation
MQ-25 remains a top DON priority as the pathfinder to the Air Wing
of the Future and foundation for Manned-Unmanned Teaming and autonomous
aircraft carrier operations.
Through the team's implementation of the Navy's ``Get Real, Get
Better'' management principle, the program has emerged from the past 2
years' production delays and subsequent re-baselining, and has been
tracking positive trends in build productivity with schedules expected
to hold steady through CY24. The Static Test Article (STA) aircraft
recently completed final assembly and there are now five developmental
aircraft in production flow, including the first System Development
Test Article (SDTA)--the first of three aircraft to deliver to the
Fleet for the first deployment. Production is currently being conducted
at the Boeing facilities in St.
Louis, sub-optimally as it spread amongst other manufacturing
lines. Boeing has invested in a new, dedicated MQ-25 facility, nearing
completion, at nearby Mid-America Airport in Illinois with a projected
capacity of 15 air vehicles per year. The first low-late initial
production (LRIP) contract award for three aircraft is planned for late
FY25. The timing of this award is critical to avoid a break in the
production line and the loss of learning and talent.
The Navy is collaborating with the Air Force and Marine Corps in
the development of the Combat Collaborative Aircraft (CCA). A Tri-
Service Agreement details the unified approach that features a modular
and open systems architecture, shared autonomy and air vehicle
software, and a common control station. The Air Force recently
announced a down select to two vendors to continue with system design
and development while the Navy conducts technology maturation and
demonstrations to inform requirements development. The platform
agnostic strategy ensures that the Services will avoid vendor lock, as
has been typical with traditional programs, and will encourage
competition, innovation and affordability amongst a widening industrial
base.
The Marine Corps has partnered with the Office of the
Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) and
the Naval Air Systems Command in the research, development, test and
evaluation of Kratos' XQ-58A Valkyrie as part of its Penetrating
Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer--Portfolio (PAACK-P)
program. These efforts will inform requirements definition for
autonomous and affordable tactical UAS, and mature manned-unmanned
teaming (MUM-T) capabilities.
Supply Chain and Supplier Management
Supply Chain Improvement Program (SCIP) sustainment performance
data integration continues to improve weapon readiness and reduce
costs. Additionally, SCIP is developing Supply Chain Illumination and
Platform Risk (SCIPR) tool to understand, highlight, track, and
mitigate Supplier Risk and allow real-time analysis of supplier health.
SCIP continues to expand its sustainment performance measurements
across the DON. This includes the development of data architecture
program, SCIPR. SCIP also reduces inventory lead time and maintenance
repairs, increases reliability to SYSCOM programs, evaluates cross-
cutting supply chain assessments for programs with multiple SYSCOM
impacts, and targets high risk supply chain architecture OEM/market
spaces.
Our adversaries increasingly employ economic statecraft to enhance
their military advantage, degrade our access to emerging and critical
technologies, undermine our supply chains, and threaten the broader
industrial base. The DON is proactively addressing this threat through
the concentrated efforts of SECNAV's Maritime Economic Deterrence
Executive Council (MEDEC). This group consolidates expertise and
authorities to establish a centralized approach for economic deterrence
practices across foreign investment, innovation protection and
policies, critical technology, technology program protection,
intelligence, and supply chain risk management.
The Foreign Investment Review (FIR) coordinates a holistic economic
deterrence strategy for the DON and leads regulatory due diligence for
the Committees on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and
the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States
Telecommunications Services Sector (Team Telecom). Priorities include
protecting technology and growing monitoring and compliance to ensure
mitigation efficacy and alignment with risk management best practices.
FIR recognizes increasing attention for broader economic security,
growing interest from Congress and SECNAV, and greater focus on
reduction and mitigating risk. It participated in the creation of a new
Defense Acquisition University (DAU) course on foreign investment
risks, as well as provided guidance during the development of the Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer
(STTR) due diligence process.
The DoN Damage Assessment Management Office (DAMO) encourages
program offices to deliver routine cyber training to be understood by
all governmental personnel. Additionally, DoN DAMO continues to
encourage program offices to reduce cyber incident through proactive
cybersecurity, Systems Engineering, and System Security Engineering
measures. It is funded within the Secretariat Review Board (SRB) budget
under ASN(RDA).
The Wartime Acquisition Sustainment and Support Program (WASSP)
efforts help the DON's acquisition enterprise to be ready to support
the warfighter in time of conflict. Through tabletop exercises with
industry focused on munitions, warfighting platforms, and contested
logistics; WASSP is improving how we acquire and sustain in peacetime
so that there is a better foundation from which to pivot in support of
warfighter. WASSP will continue integrating headquarters staff and
Fleet activities in cooperation with industry.
The Acquisition Enterprise must push authority to the lowest
possible level, empowering personnel with the requisite responsibility
and authority to act effectively and rapidly in wartime conditions.
WASSP will continue to train and drive the practice of expedited
contracting methods to better prepare for wartime response. This is
accomplished by familiarizing the acquisition communities with
expedited contracting methods, waivers, and authorities.
In the industrial base, WASSP seeks to identify ways to build the
surge capacity necessary for contested logistics; in DON terms, these
are the 5 Rs (rearm, refuel, resupply, repair, revive). WASSP also
seeks to improve how we acquire and sustain in peacetime so that there
is a better foundation from which to pivot in support of warfighters
Organic Industrial Base (OIB)
The DON's OIB depots are critical to maintaining our warfighting
posture. This contrasts with the current state of the infrastructure
portfolio. Individual facilities and utilities are antiquated, beyond
service life, in poor condition, inefficient, and not resilient.
The OIB is executed as the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization
Program (SIOP), Fleet Readiness Center Infrastructure Optimization
Program (FIOP) and the Marine Corps Organic Industrial Base (MCOIB)
Infrastructure Optimization Plan (MIOP).
SIOP is executed by the Program Executive Office for Installations
and Infrastructure. The public shipyards are located in Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii (PHNS), Puget Sound, Washington (PSNS), Portsmouth, New
Hampshire (PNSY), and Norfolk, Virginia (NNSY). FIOP is executed
by the Commander, Fleet Readiness Center (FRC). The FRCs are
located in Cherry Point, South Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida, and
North Island, California. MIOP is executed by the Marine Corps
Logistics Command. The Marine Corps depots are located at Albany,
Georgia and Barstow, California.
SIOP, FIOP and MIOP are executed using a mixture of appropriations.
Military construction (MILCON), Operations and Maintenance (OMN), and
Procurement (OPN) are delivering dry docks, infrastructure/facilities,
and industrial plant equipment/advanced manufacturing equipment.
SIOP
The SIOP will deliver dry docks to support current and planned
classes of nuclear- powered warships, optimize workflow through
significant changes to the shipyards' physical layout, and replace
obsolete capital equipment with modern technology that increases
productivity and safety. Recapitalizing century-old infrastructure
improves the working conditions for our 30,000+ shipyard employees. Due
to the cost of the proposed Multi-Mission Dry Dock (M2D2) at PSNS, a
change in the USS KENNEDY's maintenance schedule and the sensitivity of
the surrounding environment, CNO requested further review of the
alternatives to the current proposal. The Resourcing Requirements
Review Board (R3B) decision expected September 2024.
FIOP
The FIOP is a strategic investment plan for the Naval Air Systems
Command depot facilities, equipment, and infrastructure related to the
aviation OIB. It transforms WWII-era organic aviation depots into
modernized Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) repair centers by
streamlining production workflows, upgrading aged equipment and
facilities, building new optimized facilities, and implementing digital
technologies to increase readiness at a reduced cost.
MIOP
Industrial Systems Transformation is the central objective of MIOP.
Defined simply as people, process, technology and property
transformation, this strategy balances workforce development,
technology insertion and process improvement with infrastructure
optimization. Investments in people/workforce is an underlying key
tenant of good performance. MCOIB is executing according to plan.
conclusion
One of our top National Defense priorities is stabilizing,
strengthening and growing our industrial base to increase our ability
and capacity to provide goods and services at speed and scale to meet
current and future Defense requirements. This takes a partnership and a
collective, teaming strategy inclusive of Congress, the DON, our allies
and industry partners.
The DON will continue to identify and overcome obstacles to success
as Industrial Base Strategy implementation continues across the
Department. The Department will address manufacturing capacity,
economic risks to supply chains, and labor training and adequacy in
addition to improving information integration.
The DON appreciates the continued support and investments from
Congress to strengthen our industrial base in an effort to achieve an
enduring maritime and naval aviation advantage that ensures current and
future operational readiness.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today regarding
the challenges that face the industrial base.
Senator Tester. Thank you for your statement.
Secretary Hunter, you have the floor.
STATEMENT OF ANDREW P. HUNTER, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
THE AIR FORCE FOR ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY
AND LOGISTICS, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
Mr. Hunter. Thank you, Chairman Tester, and thank you to
the other members for having me here today to provide testimony
in the U.S. Air Force Acquisition programs and also for the
support you provide to us in terms of resources and flexible
authorities. They are critical to our success in the
acquisition enterprise.
We need that flexibility and those resources because the
way in which we have to do acquisition and the current security
environment is changing and must change, be less platform
centric and more focused on the integration and the tight
integration between systems in order to be effective in the
future fight.
It requires tight partnerships also between the operational
and acquisition communities in the Department of the Air Force
and developing the necessary capabilities to deter when future
conflicts. And the Secretary of the Air Force has also made
clear to the Congress and also to us within the Department of
the Air Force that we're out of time.
And so, we have to reoptimize our organization to move
faster and also to prepare for a very challenging future fight.
And therefore, we're shifting a focus from platforms operating
individually to mission threads and capabilities that are
required to close those threads reliably and consistently over
time in a resilient fashion. This requires us to work across
our stove pipes and integrate in ways that are often stymied
when our existing organizational structure and that require
flexibility within our acquisition approaches in order to
execute successfully.
So, we're adapting our acquisition approaches and our
capability development organizational structure to meet the
challenges of great power competition. Recognizing the
challenges laid out in the defense strategy and our operational
imperatives in our reorganization--reoptimization initiative,
we've gone to implement a next generation acquisition approach
that builds upon a foundation of government expertise,
technical architectures that enable open systems approaches and
the constant injection of new technologies.
It ensures there's continuous competition throughout the
lifecycle of a program to allow the Air Force to take advantage
of new advances in technology through incremental development
while lowering the barriers to entry for companies including
non-traditional companies. I want to particularly highlight the
Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program as the exemplar of our
efforts to develop and field new capabilities rapidly,
affordability, and at scale.
In fiscal year 2025, we'll begin the concept refinement for
the next CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) increment as we
continue to explore international partnership participation and
expand our approach to continuous competition. Since time is of
the essence and capability of development, we're very thankful
to the Congress for providing quick start authority and the
NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act). And I know this
committee was very helpful in getting to a successful
resolution of that issue.
I also want to highlight that we just put through that
authority and through that process a program to provide C3
battle management for moving target indication at scale, which
I think is a very effective use of that authority. We look
forward to working with Congress as we organize into a more
agile and integrated acquisition system that delivers
capabilities quickly and at scale.
We welcome the opportunity to provide you more details on
our key Department of the Air Force efforts, where we can use
help including the establishment of our new software
directorate, our implementation of the defense acquisition
workforce development account, to build that government
expertise that I referred to and our approach to digital
material management.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Andrew P. Hunter
introduction
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and distinguished members
of the subcommittee, thank you for having us here today to provide
testimony on The United States Air Force acquisition programs.
The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is critical to our national
defense. Our capabilities underwrite the capabilities of the entire of
the joint force, and we are uniquely suited to provide this cornerstone
of the Nation's defense. We have made significant progress in
identifying the capabilities the DAF will need to develop and field to
prevail against our adversaries. However, the DAF is facing a
significant, dangerous shift in the strategic security environment. The
DAF has historically adapted to key inflection points to best compete
in emerging security landscapes.
Although we are still the strongest Air Force in the world,
deterrence and operational success are at risk and as Secretary Kendall
has repeatedly emphasized, we are out of time. The People's Republic of
China (PRC) remains our most formidable strategic competitor and while
conflict with the PRC is neither desirable, inevitable, or imminent the
DAF is moving expeditiously to ensure we're ready to deter, and, if
required, prevail in conflict.
current acquisition landscape
Over the last 2 years, the DAF focused on establishing the
modernization programs needed to maintain conventional superiority. In
Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 our seven Operational Imperatives and three
Cross-Cutting Enablers will produce new investments and programs. The
DAF's FY25 President's Budget (PB) reflects our commitment to
developing a threat-informed, concept-driven future Air Force but our
resources have been limited by the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act
(FRA). The FRA spending caps force difficult tradeoffs as the DAF
strives to produce next-generational capabilities, sustain existing
platforms, and ensure that our workforce is prepared to meet the pacing
challenge posed by the PRC.
The COVID-19 Pandemic put a spotlight on shortfalls within the Air
Force acquisition ecosystem that showed a lack of resiliency in our
supply chains and dependence on diminishing manufacturing sources and
materiel shortages. The recently released National Defense Industrial
Strategy reflects our understanding of the state of the Defense
Industrial Base (DIB) and provides a coordinated approach to our
priorities. Led by the Office of the Under Secretary of
Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, DAF programs continue
working with their Industry partners in making tremendous strides to
recover and improve DIB capacity in the years since.
The DAF continues to face an increasingly competitive labor market.
Our DAF acquisition workforce is essential to our mission and we are
working to recruit, develop, and retain the critical skills and
experience needed across the enterprise. For 25 years, the DoD Civilian
Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project (AcqDemo) has
provided an inherently flexible pay and personnel management system
enhancing the quality, management, and professionalism of the
acquisition workforce.
The DAF also appreciates Congressional support in enactment of the
``Quick Start'' authority in Section 229 of the FY24 NDAA. The
authority has already been a vital tool in helping the DAF accelerate
its efforts in Moving Target Indication (MTI) at Scale and Resilient
GPS. In particular, MTI was an outgrowth of our Operational Imperatives
analysis and Quick Start allows us to perform activities that are
necessary to our overall approach towards battle management. We look
forward to updating the Congress about our progress on both MTI and
Resilient GPS.
Finally, the DAF is working closely with DoD to evaluate the
recommendations of the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution
(PPBE) Reform Commission. The ability to implement change at the scale
and speed the DoD requires is key to overcoming our pacing threat.
Transitioning from the 1960's PPBE process to the defense resourcing
system process is an enormous opportunity to revisit the need for
flexibility on new starts and programs transitioning between milestones
in order to foster innovation and adaptability and oversight. We look
forward to collaborating with Congress, DoD, the Office of Management
and Budget, and other stakeholders to undertake the single most
important defense resourcing reform for our generation: a return to
predictable and routine resourcing to ensure the Federal government can
meet the nation's national security needs.
approaches and organizations for great power competition
The Secretary of the Air Force has made clear we are out of time
and must reoptimize now. To achieve a more competitive posture, the DAF
is implementing changes centered on how we develop people, generate
readiness, project power, and develop integrated capabilities. The
Operational Imperatives work highlighted the challenges of integration
and the importance of tight partnerships between the operational and
acquisition communities. Reoptimizing the DAF for GPC increases mission
readiness by eliminating stovepipes to deliver cross-functional and
lethal combat capabilities with the speed and agility required to meet
challenges now and for the foreseeable future. We are shifting focus
from platforms operating individually to mission threads and what
capabilities are required to close those threads reliably,
consistently, over time, in a resilient fashion. This requires us to
work across our stovepipes and integrate in ways that are often stymied
within our existing organizational structure. We are adapting
acquisition approaches and our capability development organizational
structure to meet the challenges of Great Power Competition including
accelerating fielding of technology through better integration and
adaptation of internal and external S&T.
Cross-Portfolio Integration (Horizontal Integration)
Driving cross-portfolio mission systems integration and capability
development reprioritizes ``platform-centric'' kill chains to
integrated, mission-focused ``system-of-systems'' kill webs. This
underscores the importance of adopting common open architectures and
cross- platform integration from the outset, enabling greater
flexibility, agility, and rapid system upgrades at the speed of
software coding.
We must work across stovepipes to horizontally integrate
capabilities from the air fleet with our space capabilities and onto
ground capabilities in operationally meaningful ways. The establishment
of the Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications
and Battle Management (PEO/C3BM) was a pathfinder for horizontal
integration. PEO/C3BM's work on DAF BATTLE NETWORK spans many programs
within the DAF and delivers a critical capability for kill chain in
future conflicts and combines interoperability at the Joint Level with
the flexibility for service needs.
Capability Development Pipelines (Vertical Integration)
The Skyborg effort is a prime example of how to build development
pipelines that result in warfighting capability in the least time
possible, through accelerated vertical integration. Skyborg, which was
a major Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) science and technology
Vanguard, was not originally connected to a specific program of record.
When development showed promise, it was essentially turned into a
program of record as the foundation for a collaborative combat aircraft
(CCA), which we are now accelerating rapidly into production.
Next Generation Acquisition Approach
The DAF has already recognized many of the challenges laid out in
the NDIS, Operational Imperatives, and GPC. These challenges stem from
the need for the DAF and the joint forces to be positioned to respond
to the pacing challenge both in the near- and long-term. While
Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition provides us with the
organizational structure to rapidly deliver capabilities to the
warfighter over time, taking a next-gen approach to acquisition ensures
that we have a framework to build a responsive and resilient industrial
base capable of providing us the best capabilities. Traditional
acquisition practices organize capability delivery around platforms and
have often led to a ``winner-take-all'' approach with a single prime
contractor who essentially controls the development and sustainment of
a platform for decades. Subsequently, this has resulted in worse
acquisition outcomes, such as: less flexibility in contract
negotiations; challenges with data rights, integration of emerging
capabilities, and sustainment; and a diminished industrial base.
In contrast, a next-gen approach builds upon a foundation of
government expertise, technical architectures that enable open systems,
and constant injection of new technologies. It ensures that there is
continuous competition throughout the lifecycle of a program, to allow
the DAF to take advantage of new advances in technology through
incremental development while lowering the barriers to entry for
companies, including nontraditional companies. For example,
Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) was a Pathfinder for Our Next-Gen
Acq Approach that will allow the DAF to ensure both affordable mass and
delivery of capabilities quickly, and at scale. It leveraged the
existence of two government reference architectures (GRA), AMS GRA and
A-GRA, the Air Force's Agile Development office, and preexisting
prototypes. In Increment 1, the DAF established vendor pools that
allowed the DAF to work with multiple vendors in the design process
before deciding to proceed with two vendors. Vendors not awarded an
option for CCA Inc 1 design, build and test of production
representative test articles remain eligible to compete for CCA Inc 1
production and future CCA increments. The DAF plans to make a
competitive CCA Inc 1 production decision in FY26. All current (more
than 20), and potential future, industry partners in the CCA vendor
pool will compete for the CCA Inc 2 concept refinement activities. The
DAF is also exploring opportunities for international participation in
future increments. Using the next-gen approach allows the DAF the
agility to respond to near-term operational needs while building a
long-term, affordable force structure.
A successful next-gen approach requires the DAF to continue to
implement digital acquisition approaches and enterprise digital tools
through digital materiel management, GRA, and a workforce ready to
rethink how we acquire programs and engage industry. From efforts like
the Digital Acquisition Task Force to the development of GRAs, we will
continue to engage in constant and consistent communication with
industry so that we all benefit from the strengths that the government
and industry each bring to the table. Traditional acquisition
approaches will always have a place in our acquisition system, but just
as the threat has evolved, it is also time for us to revisit what has
worked and where there is opportunity for improvement.
GPC Organizational Changes
The capability development-related GPC organizational changes we
are making at the Secretariat and Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
institutionalize the lessons learned through the Operational
Imperatives by establishing offices and Program Executive Offices (PEO)
that will drive integration across the Service.
Integrated Development Office (IDO)
AFMC's IDO will support early integrated capability development
planning and ensure requirements development is informed by
technological opportunity and risk. As requirements are defined, the
IDO will work with the Systems Centers, Air Force Research Laboratory
(AFRL), and AFWERX, to ensure continuous pipelines of competitive
technology development, and with the Program Executive Officers, or
PEOs, to structure execution-ready Programs-of-Record for transition
to, and management by, the PEOs and Program Offices within the AFMC
Systems Centers. The IDO will work in close cooperation with operators
to define and implement early systems acquisition prototyping,
experimentation, and mission engineering; execute enterprise-focused
and integrated early systems engineering and systems acquisition; and
apply the technical architectures developed and managed by the three
Systems Centers.
Air Force Information Dominance Systems Center (AFIDSC)
This new Center will consolidate and increase focus on information
dominance capabilities: Command, Control, Communications, and Battle
Management; Cyber; Electronic Warfare; Business and Enterprise Systems;
and Enterprise Digital Infrastructure. Establishment of the Center will
follow traditional Air Force processes. There will be minimal impact to
the Program Offices designated to become part of this Center, as
personnel are expected to re-align in place.
Air Force Air Dominance Systems Center (AFADSC)
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center will be re-designated as the
Air Force Air Dominance Systems Center, reflecting the portfolio focus
on aircraft, conventional weapons, and associated systems, with an
elevated emphasis on readiness through enterprise product support. The
Center's headquarters will remain where it is and there will be minimal
impact to personnel.
Air Force Nuclear Systems Center (AFNSC)
The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center will become the Air Force
Nuclear Systems Center, focused on the foundational strategic deterrent
role of the nuclear mission and importance of nuclear modernization and
integration. The biggest change is the creation of the new PEO ICBM to
manage the modernization and transition of the land leg of the nuclear
triad. In addition, we will strengthen the nuclear material management
role of the Center to enable true integration and more effective
sustainment of the nuclear enterprise. The Center's headquarters will
remain where it is, with minimal impact to personnel.
The other four AFMC Centers--Air Force Research Laboratory, Air
Force Test Center, Air Force Sustainment Center, and Air Force
Installation and Mission Support Center--remain largely unchanged in
structure and mission but will adjust as needed to meet stakeholder
needs as other organizations in AFMC and the DAF reorganize and refocus
around GPC requirements.
As we implement GPC, we will work closely with our operators and
the communities in which we reside in order to achieve the level of
integration and collaboration necessary for the counter the pacing
challenge.
conclusion
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. We look forward to
working with this subcommittee to ensure the Department of the Air
Force maintains the necessary military advantage to secure our vital
national interests and support our allies and partners in Fiscal Year
2025 and beyond.
Senator Tester. Yes, I want to thank all four of you for
your testimony. We'll get into the questions right now. We have
heard a lot in recent years about the challenge that the
defense industry has to attract and retain a manufacturing
workforce to build weapon systems on time. This is concerning
and we will be discussing that more today. But my primary
question is about the Department of Defense's own workforce.
This is for all of you. What is the DOD's acquisition
workforce? Our acquisition budgets have grown significantly but
do we have enough qualified and experienced contracting
officers? Do we have enough auditors? Do we have enough cost
estimators to manage this workload? We'll start with you, Dr.
LaPlante.
Dr. LaPlante. Yes, thank you. And with the authorities that
this committee and others have given us they're of course only
as good as the workforce to implement them. I would say
broadly, like a lot of our economy and our society, there's
been a generational change in our workforce. I would say that
we have put in place many of the tools that you have given us
including the one that just was mentioned by Honorable Hunter
on the acquisition demonstration and the funds to train next
generation.
I would say the area that I'm most focused on really
beefing up is contracting officers. A couple of comments on
that. Number one, I'm biased but I actually think that the
contracting officers in Department of Defense are some of the
best in the United States government. As a result, they're also
highly desirable both in other parts of the U.S. government
which is not a bad thing necessarily but out in the private
sector.
We also--and this is something perhaps that's not fully
appreciated. During the years in Iraq and Afghanistan many
contracting officers did service downrange in country four or
five times in some cases. Many of those got burned out. So,
we're rebuilding many parts of the contracting workforce. I
would say in pockets we still have work to do. Net overall, I'm
pretty pleased with where we are but I would also defer to my
other colleagues here.
Senator Tester. And we'll go to Secretary Bush next. From
an Army perspective, where are we on those three?
Mr. Bush. Senator, I agree with Dr. LaPlante. If I worry
about one workforce, it's the contracting workforce. There's
only about 9,000 people, they've doubled their workload
frankly. They did Covid, then they rolled straight into
Ukraine.
Senator Tester. So, 9,000 optimal, or do you need more?
Mr. Bush. Sir, I--some more would be helpful. However, we
are in the meantime focused on giving them better technology
and tools to be more efficient. So, I think a little help in
both realms, efficiency, investment, and perhaps some more
people would be wanted.
Senator Tester. If you could get back to us. You don't have
to do it now, because I want to go to Secretary Guertin, but
get back to us with how many more people you would need.
Secretary Guertin.
Mr. Guertin. Thank you, Senator. Echo of my colleagues at
contract officers. A key component of our future, one of the
things IVAC (Interagency Veterans Advisory Council) advocated
for years is a better application of modularity and open
architectures in order to invoke competition more broadly. And
all of those require contracts.
So, we need contract officers to grow. And honestly, the
Navy grows great contract officers because people keep hiring
them. So that's something we continually have to refresh. Also,
a particular note is waterfront workforce. We need more people
out on the deck plates, building and maintaining ships. It's a
big problem for us. Hope to talk more about that later.
Lastly, I'd like to note that we also need to up our game
in understanding how to build ships. Naval architects and
marine engineers is something that we have a deficit of. It
happened over the course of many years, something I'm
particularly focused on so we do a better job of understanding
our business of building ships.
Senator Tester. Okay. And from an auditor's and cost
estimator standpoint we're okay?
Mr. Guertin. Well, in one of the key areas of auditing
includes keeping an eye on waterfront----
Senator Tester. I got you.
Mr. Guertin [continuing]. Ship production----
Senator Tester. That's fine.
Mr. Guertin. But in the area of supervisor of ship
building, that's an area we particularly need more help with.
Senator Tester. Okay. Secretary Hunter.
Mr. Hunter. Yes. Thank you, Senator. We really value the
resources that we received in 2024 for the data account, that
workforce development account, $42 million. Areas of need for
us include, I would say software expertise. So, while we still
rely on industry produce the vast majority of our software, we
need enough government expertise to really be a good customer
for that.
And we are also increasingly doing organic development of
software in our sustainment center. Not just for systems that
are in sustainment but also for new development programs like
B-21 in partnership with our prime. So that is a--that software
workforce expertise is a key area of need.
And I did want to also mention our acquisition workforce
demonstration pilot which has been a pilot since the late-
1990s. I personally believe it should be permanent but in a--at
a minimum we need to extend it because that is a key way of--we
keep our talent.
Senator Tester. Last follow up really quick and you got to
answer this very quickly. I got 20 seconds left. Do you guys
have a plan to fix the shortages that you perceive within the
contracting. Yes, or no?
Mr. Hunter. Yes. We are executing that----
Senator Tester. Secretary Guertin.
Mr. Guertin. Yes, but we could definitely need some help.
Senator Tester. Secretary Bush.
Mr. Bush. Not with the funding I have right now Senator.
Senator Tester. Okay. Thank you very much.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all
for being here and your focus on what we need to be doing
better when it comes to accelerating in the acquisition space.
I think we recognize that sluggish is one of those words that
perhaps best describes what happens in a bureaucracy like we
are faced.
I appreciate your response to the Chairman about workforce
because that is key to most everything. But I want to start,
Dr. LaPlante, if you were to give the department a letter grade
here on its current efforts to reform and to improve the
acquisition process and I noted Mr. Hunter that you said that
you've got an acquisition pilot that has been in place for--
since the '90s.
Maybe sluggish is even too kind of a word but if you have
to really critically assess where we are in and how we're
improving the acquisition process, utilizing the new
authorities that can help you move faster. What is that? And
really what we need to know is what more can Congress do to
help move you through to some better reforms here?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes. I would give it a grade of a B and the
reason I give it a grade of a B on the positive side is the
American equipment is the best in the world. The demand for
foreign military sales from U.S. equipment is at record highs.
Everybody wants the equipment. Everybody sees it work in
Ukraine and other places. They know it can also be trained for
and sustained.
The demand for our stuff is through the roof. We are seeing
that every day. Why is it not higher than a B? Because number
one, we still are too slow in certain areas particularly when
involves with adapting modern software. Number two, we still do
not have enough parts and pieces that are interchangeable that
we can use and they're not proprietary to one company. The
third area, which is still frustrating sometimes is we still
over--don't get the requirements and the acquisition right and
aligned up.
So, we have a lot more work to do to get faster and to
align those. But I would say there's still--when you look at
cost schedule performances, my colleague in the Army, said
largely net costs increases are coming down, performance is
good and schedule is the one area we still need to make
improvement on.
Senator Murkowski. Let me ask you, Secretary Guertin, you
mentioned that within the Navy you need to focus also on how
you're building ships, I think is how you framed it. It's my
understanding that some of what we're dealing with when we're
looking at where the Navy is and the ship building demands is,
is whether it's approving construction when design is not yet
complete or perhaps altering existing requirements during the
build itself.
In other words, you don't have a flow here that is
consistent. Can you expand on some of the internal lessons
learned that the Navy is working to rectify as it faces some of
these concerns with ship building.
I think many of us in this committee, in this Congress are
very concerned about where we are with our naval fleet.
Mr. Guertin. Senator, I share your concern. I was given a
charge by the Secretary of the Navy to, you know, look at ship
building when I was fairly new into the position. And one of
the things that came out of it was to understand our risk
balance. And one of the things we haven't always done well is
have a robust, stable design prior to launching into ship
construction.
One of the things that I intend on doing going forward is
to make sure we're taking better advantage of modern
development tools that we have for doing upfront modeling and
naval architecture prior to going forward with construction.
That's a fairly robust set of practices in the commercial
industry but we need to take better advantage of them in how we
build our naval ships.
We need the right kind of people and the right kind of
tools in order to be able to do that.
Senator Murkowski. Let me ask, back to you, Dr. LaPlante.
And this relates to our ground-based missile interceptors. As
you know in Alaska, we have a pretty important project up
there.
Can you give me an update on the next generation
interceptor program? Are we on track? Is it delayed? Is it
possible that it could even be ahead of time? Where are we?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes. The program is on track, the next
generation interceptor, as you know, the--we were keeping and
missile detector is keeping two contractor teams much later in
the process than we typically do almost up to CDR (Critical
Design Review). They're going through a down select as we know
in the last couple of months. And I expect that to be on track
and on time. Thank you.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you all for being here. I'm going to
begin a little parochially. Assistant Secretary Hunter, we're
very proud that in New Hampshire, the 157th Air Guard flies the
KC-46. They were the first unit in the country to get those KC-
46s. So, I have watched very closely the delays in the rollout
of the new remote vision system. I understand it's delayed yet
again. So, what do we need to do to address that and how do we
make sure that doesn't happen again?
Mr. Hunter. Yes. It's a combination of factors, I would say
the key thing right now is making sure we heal our supply
chains. That has been related to access to the right
microelectronics for that system and also getting FAA
certification that's not particularly the case it's the
engineering work required to get FAA certification. So, it's
having that, that correct engineering expertise within the
industrial base to achieve that necessary standard. So those
are the two main things that are, that we need there. I think
we're on path today to getting there. And I think we'll hit our
current timelines for completing the RVS work. We've gone
through the hardest part of the design stages, and we are very
close to achieving that FAA certification.
Senator Shaheen. So, what's the current timeline?
Mr. Hunter. It is about 26----
Senator Shaheen. Thank you. I will hold you to that.
Secretary LaPlante, actually this is all of you, mentioned the
importance of the flexibility reforms, the acquisition reforms
that have been done in the last couple of years. And one of the
concerns that I think we all have is how do those procurement
authorities address the situation in Ukraine and allow us to
prepare for future conflicts? So, Secretary LaPlante, do you
want to start with that?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes, well, the authorities that have been
provided and we talked already about the software authorities
and mid-tier acquisition have really allowed us to get started
very, very fast and to move basically in an agile fashion if
you want to use the agile term and go through sprints.
So those were already up and being used across the services
when Ukraine happened. What we've added to that with Ukraine
was what we learned from Covid and how to do rapid contracting.
A lot of the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and a lot of
the stuff that was done with the vaccines during Covid was done
by the Department of Defense. That same rapid contracting was
put for Ukraine. So, we learned that.
I think the other piece that we've learned from Ukraine
with these authorities is even if you have these rapid
capabilities you have to do, what sometimes one of my
colleagues here calls the adult stuff, you have to worry about
it being sustained. You have to worry about being trained to
it. And so, you can go fast but you have to go fast with
putting these other pieces in line. And that's what we're
learning with Ukraine. But I'll turn over to my other
colleagues.
Mr. Bush. Senator, I would echo Dr. LaPlante's comments. I
think the reforms are much appreciated. They do let us start
programs faster which is a good thing. However, the basics
still apply. You need good cost estimates, you need realistic
requirements and you need at some point to do the whole package
which is something we do better than any other country which is
the logistics, the military construction that goes with a
device like a new range for a new rifle.
So, ma'am, I think as long as--you know getting started
fast is good but it's not the whole story. However, it is a big
deal and lets us respond more quickly to new technology and new
threats.
Senator Shaheen. Before I'm going to follow up on that. So,
I don't need to have the other responses. I was just in the
Indo-Pacific, one of our stops was in Japan, whereas you know,
they have doubled their defense operations.
And one of the things we heard there was concern about how
fast their industrial base could respond to that directive. I
have also heard that from our European friends about
responding. How are we working with our allies to help them
respond and why has Russia been able to rebuild its systems in
a way that has allowed them to put out what appears to be so
many more munitions than we've been able to get to Ukraine?
Dr. LaPlante. I'll try to get to this very quickly and turn
over my colleagues on.
First, the Russia, we're all monitoring both an open source
and other places. What is Russia doing in its industrial base.
We saw that Putin just replaced his Minister of Defense with an
economist with an emphasis, and I think a lot of us have taken
away that this is not--they're not in it for the short term,
they're in the long term.
The second is the estimates that they're at 7 percent of
their GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for military, and they're
staying there, and they're on a wartime footing. Whatever you
want to say about the United States, we are not. And I'm not
suggesting we should or shouldn't, it's just we're not.
Senator Shaheen. Right.
Dr. LaPlante. The second thing on your point about allies
and partners. Across the board, allies and partners are
recognizing both in Europe and in Indo-Pacific, that they need
an industrial base. Basically restart.
For all of the criticism we give ourselves, rightfully so,
they're envious of what the United States has been able to do.
What we're talking to each of these countries, and I'll talk
about Japan and then I'll turn it over as a specific example,
is doing co-development, co-production with them to help their
industrial base and ours at the same time.
The next generation of missile defense interceptor is going
to be called Glide Phase Intercept. It's beyond NGI (Next
Generation Interceptor). That's a collaboration with the
Japanese and Japanese companies and American companies. So,
that's where this is all headed. You're going to see much more
co-production, co-development co-sustains with allies and
partners.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you. One of the things
that's taking place that I think has a consequence to the
industrial base, the Defense Industrial Base, Spirit
AeroSystems is a company that employs 12,000, 13,000 people in
Kansas.
Does a lot of sub work for nearly every prime defense
contractor in the country. The indications are that it may be
purchased by Boeing. Boeing, I assume is interested in its--and
Spirit does significant work for Boeing today on the commercial
side but there's a significant component of Spirit AeroSystems
that is defense related.
And I'm interested whether any of you are paying attention
to this issue in part to understand what it might mean to our
defense industrial base and to supplies, should this merger
occur. I'd be interested in knowing how this may expand or
contract our defense base?
Dr. LaPlante. I'll say a few words, and then I'll ask my--
--Senator Moran: I should have asked Mr. Hunter--
Oh, maybe Andrew----
Senator Moran. No, happy to hear from you----
Dr. LaPlante. Yes, Doug. So, I'll give the standard caveat
right at the beginning. I don't comment on any pending M&A
obviously because it's a process that go through. I would also
say a couple things. Number one is each one has to be----
Senator Moran. Do you have input in----
Dr. LaPlante. We do, on any of these M&A's (Mergers and
Acquisitions) what happens--whether it's done by the FTC
(Federal Trade Commission) or Department of Justice. The
Department of Defense provides input on the--any collateral
good or collateral bad that would come out of this. And we take
each on a case-by-case basis. I would just say that, but
obviously, the health of the U.S. industrial base particularly
companies that do commercial as well as defense in their
portfolio is something of keen interest to us. I'll turn it
over to----
Senator Moran. I only indicated, Mr. Hunter, because he
just recently returned from visiting.
Mr. Hunter. Yes, Senator, it was a great opportunity to
visit Spirit and developed a deep appreciation for all the ways
in which Spirit is contributing to a variety of U.S. Air Force
programs and as you noted across a number of our key suppliers,
our key prime vendors and in particular the manufacturing
expertise that is resident there and the ability to leverage
new production techniques that are very significant and
important to our more cutting edge newer weapon systems
leveraged out of the commercial development particularly 787.
That is, I think, a key asset for the Nation. And so, we'll
work closely with Dr. LaPlante in terms of the department's
feedback to ensure that those capabilities are still able to be
utilized in the best way possible.
Senator Moran. Any, either. Under Secretary.
Mr. Guertin. So, in just camping a little bit on what Dr.
LaPlante said about how the Defense Department looks at this,
but we also look through the lens of is it helping or hurting
competition? We want competition in as many places as we can
that helps us get a better deal from industry. So that's one of
the lenses that we'll look at that through.
Senator Moran. Let me highlight that Spirit AeroSystems,
this tier one supplier, supports programs like the B-21, the V-
280, the CH-53K. Its wide array across all of the department.
And in my view the Defense Department ought to be at least
encouraging me and others if not the--in addition to the
administration to make sure that if there is a merger that the
defense capabilities of Spirit are not somehow lost in the
process.
My assumption is that Boeing is almost exclusively
interested in this for commercial manufacturing and yet if the
absence of Spirit AeroSystems, we lose a lot of defense
capabilities. I have visited with nearly--well four or five of
the CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) whose companies do work in
defense for--with Spirit. And it--there's a general feeling is
I don't know where else we would go in the absence of Spirit
doing what it does today.
Honorable La Plante: And rest assured as the process as
with others, we will weigh in on the defense implications both
good and necessarily not good on that case. We will absolutely
weigh in.
Senator Moran. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Reed.
Senator Reed. Thank you very much, gentlemen, and thank
you, Mr. Chairman.
And I want to reemphasize two points the Chairman made.
First of all the responsibility for this predicament and it is
a very serious one is shared by both Congress and the
Executives. So, we have to work together. Also, the attrition
of our government workforce is a key factor, and I don't think
we're doing enough to remedy that.
My impression on the decks if you will, there's a 27-year-
old foreman talking to a 27-year-old representative of SUPSHIPS
where before the pandemic there were 50-year old's talking to
each other which makes a bit of a difference.
But I want to go right to the Submarine Industrial Base. As
you know, Congress initiated funding directly to rehabilitate
and strengthen the Submarine Industrial Base. Four years later
the Navy took up the course. But right now, the Columbia is
behind and it's slipping further. We cannot produce two attacks
submarines a year. We're at about 1.2 and I think everyone can
see this platform is probably the most critical and decisive--
both of them--in our inventory.
So, Secretary LaPlante, you sent up a budget this year--the
President did, which is only buying one Virginia Class boat but
also putting a significant amount of money into the Submarine
Industrial Base for parts for additional boats. Can you give us
the rationale and logic?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes, thank you, Senator. And as you well know
and appreciate the help of this committee on the Submarine
Industrial Base, the department had the difficult choice of
either adding to the backlog that was there or take the money
and invest it in increased capacity knowing that that's going
to be delayed before we see the increased--and it's the
increased capacity was what the department chose to do.
Senator Reed. And do you have metrics to measure whether
you're doing this efficiently or effectively?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes. The closest metrics that we look at
when--I know my Navy counterparts, I know probably you do as
well and others, is we look at the work, take Columbia for
example. We look at the plan of where they are in the work
progress compared to the plan. Are they maintaining the plan?
Are they falling behind? Are they ahead? And we're tracking it.
I mean, I know the Navy is tracking it almost every week.
We watch it at my level every month. And for example, in
Columbia we lost some ground in the fall. It looks like we're
gaining some of it back right now. The question is can we gain
enough back to get the 1 year which is the nominal behind on
Columbia to get that shortened. We're watching it very, very
carefully.
A lot of it has to do as you know with the technical data
packages, the work instructions, getting to the workforce in a
way that they can implement and with proper learning and
efficiency. And we're also tracking how Columbia compares,
which is 826 to the 827, which is the next submarine and where
that is. And we're seeing the learning and the growth there,
but we track it all the time. And I'd ask Nick if you want to
add anything.
Senator Reed. Please.
Mr. Guertin. So, Senator as you know we are going to be up
to the point where we need to be able to build two and a third
Virginia's a year plus serial production on Columbia. We need
to position ourselves for success in that regard. And the
investments we're getting from Congress to be able to improve
the throughput of the Submarine Industrial Base is critical to
be able to get to that point where--and it'll be historic even
when we are building Ohios, we're only building two Los Angeles
as a year in both of those types of submarines or much simpler
than these Virginias and Columbias will be.
So, we absolutely support that investment. So, we could get
to the point where we can build two and a third Virginias a
year and serial production of Columbia and get to that historic
high level of throughput.
Senator Reed. Do you think you have the capacity to do
that?
Mr. Guertin. No sir we don't, but with the investments that
we are going to be executing over the course of the next few
years, we will get to that point.
Senator Reed. That would mean investments in additional
shipyards or additional capacity in shipyards.
Mr. Guertin. So, the capacity we're looking at right now is
to improve the shipyards we have in the near term, that's where
we need to put our money. I would like to for--we have actually
are thinking about and looking at where else we might have
shipyard capacity but right now we're driving more of the work
out of the shipyards where they are right at the waterfront and
trying to push more of that work into other facilities that can
support bringing those submarines together in the couple of
places that are unique to that capacity.
Senator Reed. Thank you very much. And Secretary Hunter, in
2023, in the NDAA, we created a site activation task force
resident at Air Force Global Strike to bring operational views
into the process of the Sentinel Program. How is that task
force working, and how are they helping, I hope, with the Nunn-
McCurdy breach?
Mr. Hunter. Senator, they are helping. I work very closely
with General Connor who leads that task force, meet with him on
a very regular basis as we go through the Sentinel Nunn McCurdy
process. But of course, we continue to execute that program
while we're going through the Nunn McCurdy process. So that's a
key partnership.
We view B-21 as the best model for integrating our
operators and our acquirers as I referenced in my opening
statement. And that is the model we are looking to execute with
Sentinel. We haven't reached quite that B-21 level of
integration yet, but we are well on our way. We have staffed up
in the program office with operators from Global Strike, both
operators and maintainers. And we are starting to see benefits
of that especially as we go through some of the design choices
that we have to make to get to where we want to be with the
Nunn McCurdy process.
Senator Reed. Thank you very much.
Senator Tester. Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Dr. LaPlante, we are faced with urgent need to prioritize
critical munitions and replenish our stockpile commodities
against the backdrop of budget hindered by constraints. This
fiscal year missiles and munitions comprise of 10 percent of
the department's investment funding at $29.8 billion. Dr.
LaPlante, how will current budgetary restrictions coupled with
inflation affect your long-term acquisition strategy for
munitions?
Dr. LaPlante. Thank you for the question. Yes. I think what
we've all seen in the last couple of years and actually this is
probably the fourth time it's happened since 2000, where when a
crisis happens within a year or two, we realize that precision
munitions, that we run low on inventory. And part of this is
because we bought munitions historically 1 year at a time.
As I mentioned in my opening, the fact that this committee
helped us get multi-years, really gives that demand signal back
to industry to say we're not just going to buy these key
munitions 1 year at a time, we're going to buy them in multi-
year. And you can commit your own capital, your own workforce
to this.
So, what we have for multi-year, thanks to this committee
and others, we have multi-year contracts we're putting in
place--the Army already for 155, we're going to put them in for
LRASM--Long Range Anti-ship Missile, for JASSM, for Patriot,
MS-3 which is the advanced Patriot and Naval Strike Missile.
That's what we're doing to begin to build this back to show
the commitment to industry that not just for this year, but you
perform, you're going to have this work 3, 4 years from now. So
that's what we're doing. But I would say overall, the budget
obviously constrains it. As I've said, we've always dialed down
on manufacturing and production, because you can. And so, it is
one of the bill payers. It's historically been one of the bill
payers.
Senator Boozman. So again, we've given you this authority.
Will you be able to in the next year or two, then be able to
give us good data, working with your partners as to the
positive effect that this is going to have?
Dr. LaPlante. Absolutely and I would say we're already
seeing some of the positive effect, but we'll do.
Senator Boozman. Good. Thank you very much. Also, I want to
highlight the domestic availability of ingredients necessary to
manufacture smokeless gunpowder including nitrocellulose,
nitroglycerin, and acid production. A supply chain shortage in
these areas could not only impact the ability to manufacture
ammunition but also increase the cost.
Dr. LaPlante, has the department studied the domestic
availability of these ammunition components. And is the
department concerned with the current limited availability of
nitrocellulose? What are the limitations for current and future
production of nitrocellulose?
Dr. LaPlante. Thank you. And it has been said many times,
energetics, which some of these are in the category of
energetics actually is the limiting factor for some of these
munitions in terms of global actually.
So, in the cases of almost all the items you mentioned we
are--and I can actually ask the Army to jump in here finding
alternative sources, domestic sources to really replace these
very rare things that many of them were from overseas. But I'd
ask Doug if you want to add anything.
Mr. Bush. Senator, on the Nitrocellulose front
specifically, we have this year coming online at a Radford Army
ammunition plant, a $700 million previous investment made years
ago by Congress to go to a fully modern, very high-capacity
production capacity that's on our ammo plan.
So, Senator, I think that one, we are going to end up ahead
of the problem not behind which is great to see. However, we do
have other sources. We have focused on making sure those are
friendly countries. Of course, we want allies providing these
things not our potential enemies.
Senator Boozman. Right.
Mr. Bush. We have other tasks sir, directed by Congress
to--by 2028, not have any I would say unfriendly sources in our
ammunition chemical supply chain I would call it.
And we're committed to achieving that sir. And it's going
to require some investments here but also working with members
on working through how we can do that with allies as well.
Senator Boozman. Good. So that's the one we're hearing the
most about the nitrocellulose. Anything we can do to support
your efforts you know, just let us know. The National Defense
Industrial Strategy prioritizes the need for skilled and
staffed workforce. Camden, Arkansas has become a leader in the
defense industry at a time when our country needs it the most.
We recognize there's more work to be done to recruit, retain
and provide skilled workers with the best opportunities as we
ramp up production and capacity.
Dr. LaPlante, to what extent is the department working with
industry partners to invest and renew interest in industrial
jobs to optimize workforce readiness?
Dr. LaPlante. Thank you, Senator. Almost every meeting that
we have with industry that I have, or my colleagues have, most
of the meeting is talking about workforce. And each company is
in sort of a different place, which you'd expect but writ
large, for example, welders across the country in any industry
are--they're, very prized right now.
The other piece that we're seeing is the price differential
between what the defense industrial base will pay for, let's
say some type of workman, HVAC (heating ventilation and air
conditioning) or whatever. The delta between that and the
services industry has decreased. So, we have to work with the
companies without--you know, we're doing a cost effective and
how we can get some of the wages higher.
The other piece of this that we're finding is really
important is supervisors. We had a whole generation of
supervisors basically retire during Covid. What really matters
to most workers is your direct supervisor. So, a lot of
emphasis there, but this is a huge--it is the number one issue
for our industrial basis workforce.
Senator Boozman. Right. Very good. Thank you all so much
for all you do. We really do appreciate you.
Senator Tester. Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Secretary Guertin, during a recent Senate Armed Services
Committee hearing Senator Peters asked you about the Frigate
program. I take issue with your answer and I want to--you seem
to minimize the Navy's shared responsibility for challenges
facing that program.
In my view, it's not merely that the Navy failed to perform
sufficient oversight as you mentioned in your response but that
the Navy has directly contributed to the delay by requesting
substantial design changes as well as a slowly approving design
deliverable. By some reports, the Frigate was intended to
maintain 85 percent of a prior design but now in part due to
the Navy's request for changes retains only 15 percent of that
previous design.
And while some changes related to enhanced survivability
are to be expected, these drastic numbers tell me that the Navy
is contributing to program delays. So, Mr. Secretary, yes or
no, do you agree that the Navy shares responsibility for the
ship design issues that have caused delays for the Frigate?
Mr. Guertin. Senator. Yes, I do. I'm sorry that I left that
impression. This is absolutely a government industry
partnership and the extent that--I mean we didn't change the
requirements for survivability after the contract was let but I
don't think we understood the full impact of what that was
going to be when the ship designers and naval architects got to
work and figured out, well, what did that requirement mean in
terms of the impact to the base designs.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you for that response. The Navy has
identified growing and maintaining a skilled workforce as a
primary challenge for the Frigate Program. For the last 2
years, I secured increases to the Navy's budget specifically to
expand the Frigate workforce and industrial base.
And I'm working again this year to increase workforce
funding because the need certainly remains. Mr. Secretary, how
will this workforce investment address factors contributing to
the Frigate delay?
Mr. Guertin. Thank you, Senator, for helping us with
getting a workforce especially in the places where were
necessary for building this Frigate. It's been especially
helpful to make sure that we have the right people out in those
build buildings. I had a chance to visit up there in Marinette
a couple of times and it is a fantastic facility. We just don't
have enough people out there building those ships and that will
be a big help to attract people into that environment.
But we also need to work with the secretary specifically to
make it an attractive place to work in terms of the equities
for working in that environment, childcare and other kinds of
aspects of the community nearby. And we can do that in
partnership with industry with your support.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thanks Mr. Chairman.
Secretary LaPlante, one of the most important things we're
doing is updating the Nuclear Triad, incredibly important. And
we're now doing a Nunn McCurdy review on the Sentinel portion.
Are you committed to making sure that we work through that,
that we stay on track and that we do the full Sentinel
modernization on schedule?
Dr. LaPlante. Thank you for the question. Just to state the
important thing right at the very beginning as you said.
Senator, number one, the modernization of our triad is the top
priority of the Defense Department. The triad of course is the
next generation bomber, B-21, the next generation SSBN Columbia
we just spoke to and of course Sentinel that which replaces
Minuteman III.
In the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, Biden's administration
reaffirmed the need for a triad. So, Nunn-McCurdy or not, we
have a policy of our country of having and sustaining a triad.
In the case of the Nunn McCurdy, I'm committed to working with
the Air Force and with the cross DOD team to go through the
letter of the law and make sure that we--if we do recertify and
it's not a guarantee that we were recertify a program that is
executable and will meet replacing that leg of the triad.
We're about a month and a half from the end of that
process. We have a lot of work going on. And I'll just continue
to keep this committee informed but separate from the Nunn
McCurdy, we need a triad.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Thank you, Secretary. And then I know
the Chairman of this committee shares my sentiments on this,
but is there anything that we can do that is helpful to you in
this process?
Dr. LaPlante. I think already there's been a tremendous
help particularly, of course, by the Chairman here. I think a
lot of the focus assuming if we go forward is going to be
really on the localities on getting for the States impacted, of
course Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, that
we are reaching out as soon as possible to make sure the
communities are ready for what's coming, to make sure we're
listening to the communities.
And as I've spoken with the Chairman here, to make sure
that things like the vocations needed that we're as early as
possible get that into communities. And of course, you all know
your communities better than anybody and so any of your help
will be appreciated including letting us know when we're not
making the mark.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Thank you, Secretary.
Next question relates to countering drones. We're seeing,
obviously, in Ukraine, Israel, across the world the threat that
is posed by drones. In some cases, we're using million-dollar
missiles to shoot down a very inexpensive drone. And then
you've got swarms. What are we doing on countering drones to
get ahead of the curve here?
Dr. LaPlante. That is the problem of our time. So, we're
doing a lot. Number one is that, I chair that started just in
March and a senior integration group that moves counter drone
equipment into theater ASAP.
At the same time, the Army is the lead service on building
out towards and integrated capabilities. We now have a between
40 and 50 different counter drone technologies. We're finding
out which ones work and which ones need to get fielded. To your
point we also have to make the exchange ratio be cost
effective. If we're shooting down a $50,000 one-way drone with
a $3 million missile, that's not a good cost equation. We're
working through it.
Many of the solutions we're looking towards with industry
and with non-traditionals are very cost effective. That is our
high priority. But I will say the technology is changing every
couple of weeks and the tactics are changing and it's going to
be just a constant fight. But we're all over it.
Senator Hoeven. At Grand Forks, we do an incredible amount
of work with drones not only in terms of the base's mission
there but we have a test site for UAS there, also we've got
Customs and Border Protection co-located on the base.
We have responsibility for 900 miles of border, actually
all the way out to contiguous with the Chairman's State. That
would be a very good location for you to do some of this work.
Are you aware of what's going on there and what about looking
at it for some of this work?
Dr. LaPlante. The details that you just went through I'm
not aware of, but I'd love to follow up on it. And to the
point, the talent and the expertise in building drones
oftentimes is exactly the same expertise in countering them.
Because you understand actually what the technology is, what
they're dependent upon. So yes, I'd be happy to follow up.
Senator Hoeven. Yes. I'd like to get you out there. And
also, Secretary Hunter, same for you. And I would like to add
the ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance)
component. We need more ISR, what are we doing to make sure we
lead the world in that ISR capability?
Mr. Hunter. Well, thank you, Senator. We are working hard
on that. Obviously, there's elements of that we can't talk
about in this forum but that is a huge priority for the Air
Force. And so, we will continue to dialogue with you on the
investments that we're making there to advance those
capabilities. I agree with you. They're essential particularly
to our kill chains.
Senator Hoeven. And I'd like to get you out to North
Dakota, to Grand Forks area along with Secretary LaPlante. I
think it would be helpful for both of you. Thank you. Thanks to
all of you for being here today. Appreciate it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Senator Tester. Senator Coons.
Senator Coons. Thank you very much, Chairman Tester, and
thank you to all of you.
I agree with you that we have widespread, I think,
bipartisan grave concern about whether our defense system
overall is appropriately aligned with the requirements of the
war fighter. That we are taking advantage of innovation in the
American system as we are producing and delivering weapons and
weapon systems and platforms that are more and more dependent
on software, on IT, on interoperability and communications.
I'm concerned we're not learning the lessons of the war in
Ukraine. The MacGyvering of solutions in the midst of an
otherwise very difficult and complex battle space. So, let me
just briefly ask a few questions if I might as the newest
member of the committee.
You recognize, if I might, that there's a huge acquisition
workforce. I think 187,000 acquisitions professionals. And that
just having the workforce to do the acquisition is important.
What work is being done, if I might Under Secretary
LaPlante to make sure that the acquisition workforce is
familiar with, comfortable with and able to use authorities
like other transactions authority, CSO (Commercial Solutions
Opening) to take advantage of the MTA (Middle Tier Acquisition)
pathway. What's being done to make sure that more broadly the
acquisitions community that may have never seen or done one of
these transactions is able to?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes. We have a whole education and training
effort led out Defense Acquisition University. I was just there
actually 2 days ago speaking to one of their graduating classes
that it's all about having experts come in with case studies
and say this is how you use the software acquisition pathway.
This is what you need to know about modern software and
teaching, teaching, teaching.
The best thing that can be done is experts that have done
it in one part of the DOD teaching experts in another part. And
that's what we're doing. We're spreading the word. It's a lot
more of it is online and a lot more of it is also--we're
bringing in industry.
In fact, the class that I spoke to the other day had--a
quarter of it were from industry. So, I think all of the above
is what we're doing. Knowing that you can be an expert in
software acquisition today, 2 years from now you may not be an
expert anymore. You have to keep up with it.
Senator Coons. I was struck in your testimony and maybe I
just misread these numbers quickly. Of 236 programs that use
the MTA pathway, 3 have transitioned to full operational
capability and 107 to other pathways. Help me understand that
ratio. Did I misunderstand what the other pathways meant?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes, let me tell you what I believe without
having the numbers right in front of me. So, the mid-tier
acquisition was put in place via section 804 of the fiscal year
NDAA and there was a restriction on it that said or basically
said with waivers, it's got to be out of it by 5 years.
So, by definition 5 years later, you're not going to be an
MTA anymore for most of these that were started then. So, the
question is when you're nearing the end of that MTA, which is
rapid fielding or rapid prototyping, what do you do? Do you
transition it into major capability which means, for example,
now go into higher rates of production or do you do some other
version of it? And I think that's what you're seeing. We do
have examples of where they've reached the war fighter.
Senator Coons. Last question, if I might. A big piece of
the NDIS (National Defense Industrial Strategy) partnering and
our allies. AUKUS Pillar 2 is particularly intriguing to me.
What do you see as priorities for co-development with close
allies? And this may also be particularly relevant to the Navy,
of capabilities that may be both in terms of workforce and in
platforms we can't do on our own?
Dr. LaPlante. So, Senator, you mentioned earlier the
lessons of Ukraine. One of the lessons of Ukraine is co-
production of munitions. So right now, we're working a lot
across Europe around co-production of 155, co-production of
Patriot in Australia, separate from AUKUS. We're going to be
doing co-production--the Army is of GMLRS (Guided Multiple
Launch Rocket System) and eventually PrSM (Precision Strike
Missile) and I mentioned earlier about Japan with the Glide. I
think you're going to see much more co-production and co-
sustainment with our allies and partners.
Senator Coons. Thank you for your testimony. I look forward
to staying in touch and I will echo what you heard from several
other Senators about the urgency of deploying the counter UAS
platforms at speed that are effective and affordable.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Senator Coons. We're going to do
another round. And I've got a short question that I'm going to
ask. It goes to the previous question that I started out with,
and it goes actually to your answer.
Secretary Bush, you said you didn't have the money at this
time so I want to kind of flesh that out a little bit. Congress
established a distinct appropriations account to ensure
sufficient funding to recruit and retain acquisition personnel.
Have you used that account? Do you have access to that account?
Is it effective?
Mr. Bush. So, Senator, the DODF account, yes, we of course
use it to train folks and if it was bigger that would actually
be very helpful and it wouldn't have to be dramatically bigger,
a little bit could go a long way across the services.
Senator Tester. Okay. As far as the Navy and the Air Force
goes, do you guys use that account and do you feel same way as
Secretary Bush feels?
Mr. Guertin. Yes, Senator, we do. And it's been very
effective, much like what the Army's experience has been.
Senator Tester. Is it adequate?
Mr. Guertin. I'll have to get back to you on that. I don't
have a number in front of me right now but I'd say we could
probably use more.
Senator Tester. Okay. Keep going, Secretary Hunter.
Mr. Hunter. Senator, we do use it as I mentioned $42
million in the 2024 budget. Our request for 2025 is $52 million
within that account. So, it is an increase and it reflects the
fact that we are ramping up both development and production
across a number of acquisition programs. So, we do need more
resources and have requested them.
Senator Tester. Did you have any questions? Senator
Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Hunter, in the fiscal year 2025 budget, Air Force is
acquiring less fighters than originally projected six less F-
35s, six less F-15EXs than originally planned. We all get that
it's right to get the right technology but at some point, it
doesn't really matter how capable the fighter is, you have to
have sufficient numbers.
In Alaska right now, the 18th Fighter Intercept Squadron,
we think is accepting some increased risks because of the low
inventory of the F-16s in the unit. So, question to you is as
our threats and missions increase our aircraft inventory
continues to decrease, does Air Force have a plan to increase
the size of its fight or fleet in the out years?
Mr. Hunter. So, we are continuing with purchase of our 5th
Gen fighter aircraft F-35 and F-15EX in the 2025 request. We
also intend to in effect multiply, force multiply that fighter
force with the collaborative combat aircraft. And that's trying
to, again, change that cost equation that Dr. LaPlante
referenced that in terms of munitions, it's also very true in
the tactical aircraft space that at some point we need a mix of
affordable aircraft along with our higher end fighter aircraft.
And so, we see the collaborative combat aircraft as being
that affordable element that allows us to force multiply our
fighter fleet, which the crewed fighter fleet, which remains
essential but is always something where it's going to be
challenging to get up to, you know, the hundreds of aircraft
production numbers that would be necessary to stay completely
even on the size of our fighter force.
Senator Murkowski. So, let me ask a question about the
expansion of research and the modernization funding in OSD
(Office of Secretary of Defense) rather than in the military
services, in this fiscal year that includes $1 billion in DIU
(Defense Innovation Unit) and more than $500 million for the
replicator initiatives to field thousands of autonomous
attributable systems in the next 18 months.
One of the things that has been underscored in this
committee is that OSD-led efforts have a clear path to be
fielded at scale which is really the responsibility of the
military services, drones or other innovative capabilities just
can't be bought. They need to be incorporated into the tactics
and the procedures for how the military services prepare and
fight war as well as being maintained and modernized.
So, for each of you here there is--do we have sufficient
rigor to ensure these sorts of efforts at the OSD level? That
there's robust clear transition plans that include how the
services are going to employ field and maintain these systems
at scale.
Dr. LaPlante. I'll start by saying first, by asking the
question Senator, you're actually making a really, really
important point. The services lead on fielding at scale and
organized training equip, not OSD----
Senator Murkowski. Right.
Dr. LaPlante. Not OSD. And so, what's really, really
important is much beyond the technology and the widget is what
we call DOTmLPF, the doctrine, the training, the operations.
So, if otherwise, it just doesn't really matter and we're
seeing that with Ukraine. So, what's really important of these
prototypes and efforts, whether they're done by OSD, DARPA
(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), or done by in--you
know, IRAD, is that if it's successful, a credible way to get
this at scale and that the services can use it, can train to
it, and can sustain it. So, it's a key point for us to watch
rather than just get excited about the prototype by itself.
Senator Murkowski. So, you think it's a good idea, but
we're not quite there yet in terms of making sure that we are
implementing to scale?
Dr. LaPlante. I would say it's a good idea but the--if it's
like saying if you're three innings into a baseball game and
the pitching's going really well don't celebrate because you
have to finish the job and finish the job as the stuff has to
get to the services.
Senator Murkowski. Secretary Bush.
Mr. Bush. Senator, I would suggest members think of it in
two ways. One is OSE does have a times useful independent role
in experimentation and prototyping with technologies that we
haven't been able to focus on. And there needs to be a space
for that. There needs to be funding for that because sometimes
they do discover things that we won't on our own.
However, when it comes to scale ma'am, the most productive
efforts are ones that are paired with the services meaning they
are collaborative and cooperative with a clear path to us from
their work. We have had some successes.
The Army's new mid-range capability, which is our land-
based anti-ship batteries started with the Scope Project and we
took it, created, and made it an Army Program. We took their
work, built on it and are now--we have fielded that. So, there
can be successes, ma'am. We're doing that with replicator with
the Army's effort that's been announced.
I think that tight coupling is where when the dollars get
big there needs to be a service partner identified in advance
before the money gets too big--would be my way to think about
oversight.
Senator Murkowski. Appreciate that. Secretary Guertin,
anything final to add?
Mr. Guertin. So, the Navy has been very supportive of
replicator. We actually brought two Navy and one Marine Corps
projects to the first tranche of replicator in partnership with
OSD. And I echo Mr. Bush's comments that that partnership is
critical to fielding at scale.
One other aspect to that is when we're looking at these
kinds of initiatives, we want to make sure we carry forward the
sustainability and support work to make sure there are
soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, guardians can actually use
this stuff in a reliable way when they need to in a fight.
Senator Tester. Senator Murphy.
Senator Murphy. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Good to
see you all. Thank you all for your service.
I wanted to turn to a very expensive program with a set of
serious safety concerns attached to it. That's the Tilt Rotor
V-22 Osprey Program.
At the end of November, 2023, we saw yet another fatal
Osprey crash that claimed the lives of eight airmen due to a
parts failure. From March, 2022 to November, 2023, we had 20
service members die in four fatal crashes. In February of 2023,
DOD indicated that it had solved the hard-clutch engagement
problem, thought to be behind these accidents with 99 percent
certainty.
The department made that assurance only for two more
Ospreys to go down in Australia in August and then in Japan in
November of 2023, the accident I referenced. It's an important
program. It's an expensive program but it's a program that
seems to be plagued by significant and deadly safety concern.
So, Assistant Secretary Hunter, and Assistant Secretary
Guertin, let me ask you this, I know you take these losses
tremendously seriously. Can you update the committee on how
your services are working to address these unanswered and
ongoing safety problems with the V-22 Osprey?
Mr. Guertin. Senator, you're right. This is a particularly
grave concern. The Navy and Air Force took it very seriously.
We did a grounding of those aircraft after the November crash
and we rigorously investigated. We looked at what the--we
actually brought that craft back up out of the water. We
investigated what was going on to detailed analysis and we
better understand what happened in that particular failure
mode. We have established a crawl-walk-run approach to get back
to the point where we can get back to the flight----
So, getting back to the crawl-walk-run, we're now in a
limited envelope but we're characterizing and collecting data
so that we can better understand where we are and be able to
safely get back to the full flight envelope of that aircraft.
The Marines have been flying that thing for years. They have a
lot of them, they love that aircraft but we have to make sure
that it's safe for them to fly.
Mr. Hunter. And Senator, I appreciate the question. We
obviously very deeply regret the loss of life. It was a
terrible tragedy. We have been working very closely with the
Navy on the sharing our engineering expertise. The Navy is the
lead--has the lead engineering role and function for this
platform but it's an important platform for the Air Force as
well. And as secretary Guertin indicated with the crawl-walk-
run approach, we have definitely taken great care.
And I know AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) has
taken great care to ensure that as we get on the path to return
to flight operations every step of an echelon of the operating
units and the support functions that support them are ready to
go to the next stage to resume flight operations.
Senator Murphy. 20 service members lost in the last 2
years. 60 service members lost overall to the Osprey. Look
forward to continuing this dialogue.
To Secretary LaPlante, and Secretary Bush. I'll note that
the Army decided in 2022 to move forward with a Tilt Rotor
Aircraft for the future long-range assault aircraft despite
these safety concerns. And despite the Tilt Rotor bid being
close to twice the cost of the competing bid. And so, this
committee is left with a contract award for a major program for
the Army that has potential major cost implications and has
serious safety concerns.
So, let me ask you can you talk about the steps that are
being taken by the department and the Army with respect to the
Flora contract that is underway to ensure that this new Tilt
Rotor, the Valor, does not expose soldiers to the same risks
that are apparent with the Tilt Rotor Osprey?
Dr. LaPlante. I'll just say a few words and then turn it
over to my colleague Doug. Obviously, the safety considerations
and the hard facts of what you've been saying about these
terrible losses in the last year and a half weigh heavily on
us. And I know the Army is--it's all part of how they're
considering going forward, these programs. I'll let Doug
continue.
Mr. Bush. Senator, thank you for the question. I believe
the Army--we believe we will benefit from the 20 years of
engineering experience and knowledge that the Osprey has, will
provide to our design which we believe will be fundamentally
different in certain respects to make it as reliable and safe
an aircraft as possible.
Senator, military aircraft do tragically crash sometimes.
Military service is inherently dangerous, but we are committed
to, of course, the safest aircraft we can possibly get. And we
were happy to--we will work with members on that as we move
forward.
Senator Murphy. Well, I appreciate your answers, but I
think anybody who has followed the history of military aviation
would submit there have been particularly difficult problems
with the Tilt Rotor, in part, because of the complexity of its
design. And I certainly worry that we have not to any degree of
satisfaction to these families settled the safety concerns on
the Osprey.
And to your point Secretary Bush, we are developing a new
version of the Tilt Rotor and so some of the lessons learned
will be applicable but there's also just as good a chance that
there are going to be a whole new set of safety concerns with
the Valor that are going to add to the expense of this program
that are ultimately going to be significant safety liabilities
for our servicemen and cost liabilities for this committee.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Just a couple of questions in what time I have. Talk a bit
about ammunition. Secretary Bush, you and I had a conversation
I think in a classified setting about ammunition. We have an
old army ammunition plant in Kansas that the Army has invested
significant dollars to bring it back into production. And I
think as a result of the passage of the Supplemental, that
plant is now prepared to manufacture 12,000 155-millimeter
ammunition as requested. So, thank you for that investment.
My question is, are we going to avoid the ups and downs and
based upon the demand of the moment for ammunition, is there
any demand signal to this plant or any other in the country?
What happens when Ukraine is behind us? Is there a plan that
precludes going through what we just went through with this
significant investment that doesn't require that again in the
future?
Mr. Bush. Senator, yes. If I could first say thank you for
the support and for the great folks in Kansas who are helping
us build that load assemble pack facility. It comes online this
summer as part of our overall ramp up to our desired level.
To your main question, we are thinking very carefully about
that. What we don't want to happen is a cliff, where we have a
rapid loss of workforce and an unwise ramp down that puts at
risk these investments we're making in brand new facilities.
So, Senator, my ideal situation would be, oh, you know,
over time when we are required to ramp down to lower production
levels, we do two things, one, we maintain these facilities
either--ideally with work--foreign military sales for example.
If we can keep that going, that lets us keep the high
production rates going even longer and--but even if that winds
down that we work share among the different facilities to
maintain them in at least a warm status with enough people to
be able to ramp up quickly.
One thing I will admit was not in place before was a really
a kind of a war plan to ramp up production. Just like we have
war plans for going in fighting wars. I believe we need one for
mobilization and one that we should rehearse and think about
and try out every now and then, even if it's simulated.
So that, Senator, needs to be a key lesson learned from
this whole thing for the department, not just the Army, so that
our potential enemies know that we can ramp up quickly and that
should deter them from taking us on. But we have to do it,
Senator, not just talk about it.
Dr. LaPlante. Yes, just add to what Doug said. What we're
putting in place with the methodology that Honorable Chris
Lowman who works for me is doing with the services is not just
have the requirement for the level of the munition, but to say
what is the requirement after the conflict is over to replenish
or reconstitute the munition, how fast, and to what extent, and
put that in the requirements. And then we all have to budget to
it.
So, we have to stick with it. I think because both the
multi-year that we mentioned that you gave us and this concept
that Doug's describing, we have to do it because we always get
surprised.
Senator Moran. Thank you both for your answers.
My final question, Mr. Chairman. Technology coordination
between defense and commercial sectors seems important to me
and a bit for what I talked about earlier in my questioning. To
facilitate the speed and development of JADC2 (Joint All-Domain
Command and Control) in this case capabilities. Dr. LaPlante,
would you speak to the need for clarity and assigned
responsibilities for JADC2 within the DOD?
Dr. LaPlante. Yes, thank you. The DOD is building out
what's the JADC2, which in layman's terms is a way of doing the
kill chain, if you will command and control of the kill chain
across multiple weapons, multiple sensors, and multiple
platforms. Doing that together with kinetic and non-kinetic is
what JADC2 is all about. And it's what the department is
building out. The services are working diligently on their
piece. What OSD is doing is making sure that the standards are
correct between the difference.
So, we have interoperability that we don't have vendor
lock. And then to your point about commercial, that we take
advantage of the best of commercial technology and make sure
it's in there. Whether it's rapid networking reconstitution,
whether it's artificial intelligence, that is what's being
built with JADC2, the services are doing their piece. OSD is
making sure that they can talk to each other as we build it
together.
Senator Moran. Would non-DOD experts in the development of
this capacity be beneficial?
Dr. LaPlante. Absolutely, because if you think about what a
5G has had to do, which is build a terrestrial network that has
high data rate, low latency, that is essentially what we need
in JADC2 with the caveat that we're fighting these things in
very contested areas.
Senator Moran. Thank you.
Senator Tester. I want to thank you for your testimony. I
want to thank each and every one of you for the work that you
do. We've got challenges out there in this acquisition sphere
whether it's competition, whether it's workforce, whether it's
timelines, whether it's meeting costs, whether it's the
continuing CR baloney, and I'm being generous when I say
baloney, that comes out of Congress, whether it's government
shutdowns, whether it's budget adequacy. We've got to work
together. We've got to be honest with one another. This is
important stuff, especially at this moment in time.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
Senators may submit additional written questions. We would
ask that you would respond to those questions, if they come in,
at a reasonable amount of time. This defense subcommittee will
reconvene on Tuesday, May 21, at 10 a.m. for a hearing with the
Department of Army.
[The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but
were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the
hearing:]
Questions Submitted to Dr. William A. LaPlante
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. I strongly believe that competition drives better
acquisition outcomes: it fosters innovation and keeps prices low. I
assume you all agree with me on that? That said, often times the
military services will reduce competition with the intent of achieving
near-term budget savings--only to have to deal with vendor lock and
lack of competitive alternatives later.
Secretary LaPlante, after laying out acquisition and funding
strategies that ensured competition throughout development, the Missile
Defense Agency in this budget is eliminating the competitions for the
Ground-Based Interceptor (which defend the U.S. homeland against
intercontinental ballistic missiles), and the Glide Phase Interceptor
(which defend against hypersonic threats). I understand the budget
pressures, but is this really a prudent approach? How do you ensure we
don't pay for this decision later?
Answer. We acknowledge that earlier down select introduces
additional risk into both the Next Generation Interceptor and Glide
Phase Interceptor development; however, this risk is mitigated based on
the technical maturity of the solutions, objective contractor-provided
performance data, and technical rigor and testing built into the
upfront design and development process. For the Next Generation
Interceptor, the Department applied lessons learned from the Redesigned
Kill Vehicle effort and mitigated risk throughout the acquisition and
development process. The Glide Phase Interceptor program follows a
similar approach leveraging learning and experience developing glide
phase intercept weapon concepts through the Defense Against Hypersonics
Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) and Regional Glide Phase Weapon System
development efforts. GPI is also leveraging early high fidelity
modeling and detailed technology maturation plans for its two vendors
to drive demonstration of technical knowledge and resolve key
engineering uncertainties, advancing the state-of-the-art, and
mitigating associated critical program technical risks early in the
developmental process.
In the current funding environment, maintaining competition for GPI
teams would require slowing the pace of development and would delay
flight tests and production decisions, jeopardizing our ability to meet
Warfighter need dates. Down-selecting now allows the Department to
focus its resources on the best single solution in the future,
providing potential opportunities to realize cost savings while
maintaining a schedule from only continuing one development effort on
each program. Following down select to a single solution for both NGI
and GPI, the Department will further control risk by continuing to
measure progress through KPs, which continually assess technology
maturation and critical technology element engineering. In addition for
NGI, the Department is negotiating upfront, priced options to cover
system integration, flight test support, manufacturing of flight test
articles, and production of operational all-up rounds to establish a
basis to influence contractor behavior.
Congress and the Department have significantly changed how DoD does
acquisition since 2016. We are now more than 5 years into using an
adaptive acquisition framework that allows for tailored and flexible
acquisition strategies, yet the results are mixed.
Question. Dr. LaPlante, what have we learned over the last 5 years
in terms of how these new processes have helped, and what still needs
to change to get from demonstrating individual prototypes to fielding
capabilities in relevant quantities?
Answer. The unique Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF) pathways,
their flexibility, and the ability to combine and use multiple pathways
enables acquisition at speed and scale better than ever before. For
example, the Middle Tier of Acquisition Pathway (MTA) and the Urgent
Capability Pathway (UCA) facilitate delivery of critical capabilities
to the warfighter more rapidly when mature technology exists and is
readily available. The Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP) enables
better planning, execution and management of software intensive efforts
while delivering initial capability more rapidly and facilitating
iterative capability enhancements over time. SWP procedure can also be
applied to Major Capability Acquisition Pathway (MCA) programs to
ensure the most modern and efficient business practice is being
employed. The ability to use two pathways in a complementary fashion
facilitates a more rapid response with reduced (but still effective)
administrative oversight.
The implementation of the AAF has also reminded us that we are only
one of the three key systems (together with the Joint Capability
Information and Development System (JCIDS) and the Planning,
Programming and Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process that guide DoD
business operations and are often referred to as the ``three-legged
stool.'' To put it simply, all three legs must be aligned to ensure the
objectives of the AAF are achieved. To that end, the Deputy Secretary
of Defense established a Competitive Advantage Pathfinder (CAPs)
program to identify systemic barriers to capability fielding resulting
from disconnects among the ``legs.'' As I mentioned in my testimony, we
have conducted 6 CAPS that have identified process disconnects and
demonstrated corresponding solutions that will help us achieve the goal
of accelerating capability delivery and identifying scalable reforms.
To ensure our AAF-supported investments are targeted on the right
capabilities, we have initiated Integrated Portfolio Reviews (IAPRs) to
identify program interdependencies and critical risks. The IAPRs bring
together stakeholders from throughout the Department to ensure our
acquisition investments are mission focused and, using the flexibility
of the AAF, focused on delivering suites of capabilities that are
collectively stronger than the sum of their parts.
Question. The Navy's MQ-25 program is multiple years behind
schedule, and unit costs are at least five times greater than the
initial award. The KC-46A program has over $6 billion in overruns and a
19-month-schedule delay past the original March 2024 fielding date.
These are both Fixed Price Contracts, which means that the contractor
has to pay for overruns, so you could argue that the cost overruns are
not the Government's problem. There are also several other programs
that fit this bill, such as the Frigate program, the B-21 Bomber, and
others.
My first question is whether you are concerned that these cost
overruns will eventually be handed over to the Government and
therefore, the taxpayer?
Answer. The Department of Defense utilizes a variety of contracting
mechanisms, to include fixed-price contracts, when acquiring products.
Contracting officers consider a variety of factors when determining a
contract type. Where appropriate, the Department of Defense can use
fixed-price contracts to acquire major weapon systems. Fixed-price-
incentive contracts can provide contractors with incentives to keep
costs in check and stay on schedule. This contracting mechanism
requires the contractor, not the Government, to pay for cost overruns
and schedule delays.
Question. And second, are you concerned that industry will no
longer bid on certain types of contracts, and what does that mean for
future competitions?
Answer. The Department determines contract type based on
acquisition planning and market research, along with the needs of the
specific requirement and the risk the Department is willing to take. At
the same time, industry must conduct their own risk analysis, including
contract type risk, when making a bid-no bid decision.
The Department is committed to promoting maximum practicable
competition. To that end we seek to select, or negotiate, a contract
type that results in reasonable risk to both the Government and the
contractor. Additionally, in most circumstances industry has an
opportunity to voice any contract type concerns by participating in
industry days or providing feedback on draft solicitations.
Question. Congress has provided substantial authorities and funding
for multi-year procurement contracts of weapons that are critical to
the Navy, Air Force, and Army. These contracts will to provide
stability and funding predictability for the industrial base--even
under the tight budget caps. We have been very clear that the Committee
wants to see: Substantial unit cost savings; industry investing to
expand and upgrade their facilities; and weapons being delivered on
cost and schedule.
Can you give us an update on where you are in awarding these
contracts? Are they generating savings, and are we getting weapons
faster?
Answer. Since the inception of the MYP authorities, we have
diligently executed approximately $801 million through five MYP
contracts within our 155mm Artillery portfolio. This substantial
investment, realized in August and September of 2023, has yielded an
estimated cost savings of approximately $62 million, demonstrating the
efficacy and fiscal prudence of this approach.
We plan to initiate four FY 2024 MYP contracts for the PAC-3 MSE,
Naval Strike Missile, and JASSM programs, along with a JASSM/LRASM
Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) award. These contracts represent a total
value of approximately $9.4 billion, with a projected cost savings of
approximately $939 million.
At this juncture, it is premature to conclusively determine the
extent of the cost savings, as certain factors have influenced the
anticipated outcomes. The late approval of the 2024 budget has had a
significant impact on pricing, further complicating the assessment of
cost savings. Additionally, the 2024 congressional marks have impacted
the projection of cost savings. Given these circumstances, it is
evident that more time and analysis are needed before a definitive
conclusion can be reached regarding the efficacy of the MYP authorities
in generating cost savings.
It is important to note that production deliveries are contingent
upon specific production lead times following contract award. In
instances where there are shortages or constraints in the industrial
base, it can result in delays in the delivery schedule. We are actively
managing these factors to minimize any potential delays and ensure that
weapon deliveries are carried out in a timely manner. Our priority
remains meeting the needs of our armed forces while maintaining the
highest standards of quality and reliability.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lindsey Graham
Question. The Department of Defense has long relied on global
management consulting firms to advice various aspects of DoD operations
including cost analysis of the F-35 fighter jet, integration of Space
Force, Army, Navy, and Washington Center Office. Similar to other
Federal agencies, the Pentagon operates under contractional provisions
under Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). As
publicly reported, many of these contractual agreements require vendors
to immediately inform the Contracting office of any organization
conflicts of interest. Some of these global management consulting firms
hired by DoD have done sensitive work for U.S. advisories including
SOE's in China and Russia.
For Department of Defense management consultant agreements, can you
confirm all management consultant vendors have complied with conflict
of interest disclosures?
Answer. The Department's contracting officers analyze all planned
acquisitions, including those with management consulting firms, to
identify and evaluate potential organizational conflicts of interest as
early in the acquisition process as possible. Contracting officers are
required to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate conflicts of interest prior
to contract award.
The Department's contracting officers employ various methods to
address potential conflicts, to include using tailored solicitation
provisions and contract clauses that typically require, as a condition
of contract award, limiting the contractor's eligibility for certain
future prime contract or subcontract awards. In general, these
solicitation provisions require the prospective contractor to provide
additional information/disclosures concerning the actual or potential
conflict. Failure to comply with such a provision or failure to adhere
to conflict of interest disclosure requirements would make a
prospective contractor ineligible for contract award.
Question. What specifically has the Department of Defense done to
prevent organizational conflict of interest specifically for those
consulting organizations that work on naval shipyards and the F-35
fighter jet program?
Answer. It is DoD policy that agencies obtain advice on major
defense acquisition programs and pre-major defense acquisition programs
from sources that are objective and unbiased.
The Department levies specific conflict of interest requirements on
contracts for systems engineering and technical assistance for major
defense acquisition programs. These requirements stem from the Weapon
Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-23) and prohibit
the Contractor or any affiliate of the Contractor from participating as
a prime contractor or major subcontractor in the development or
production of a weapon system under the major defense acquisition
program or pre-major defense acquisition program.
Question. Are an organization's internal ``controls'' sufficient
for Department of Defense vendors who also have clients that include
the China Construction Bank and China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd?
Answer. The current organizational conflict of interest rules do
little to address a contractor's commercial business dealings with
questionable foreign clients. Typically, the Government does not
require contractors to disclose commercial business relationships, or
if they have appropriate internal controls to mitigate any risks
associated with questionable foreign clients.
Some additional support tools may become available when the
``Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal
Acquisition Act'' is fully implemented in the FAR. In the interim, the
DoD will need to continue to evaluate each specific case based on the
known facts.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
Question. The National Defense Industrial Strategy called to
``embrace COTS solutions to drive positive impact on innovation, cost-
effectiveness, and expansion of the supplier base.'' The SOCOM Armed
Overwatch Program is a recent example of integrating COTS solutions as
the NDIS intended.
What other DoD programs can dual-use COTS avionics be practically
integrated into?
Answer. Many large, fixed-wing aircraft leverage COTS avionics such
as cockpit displays and equipment for navigation, and operation of the
aircraft in the national airspace.
The DoD's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) efforts, including the Navy's
FVL Maritime Strike and the Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft
(FLRAA), were developed from inception using a Modular Open Systems
Architecture (MOSA) approach to leverage COTS avionics. Legacy
programs, such as the Army Black Hawk, continue to incrementally
upgrade obsolete systems into MOSA to incorporate adaptable, affordable
systems to address a rapidly evolving threat.
Industry primes assess the pros and cons for systems and subsystems
to assess whether COTS components meet the requirements of the contract
and are sufficiently available, reliable, and secure for use on a
military system. COTS avionics can, in some cases, have an advantage of
lower cost and have a significant amount of performance data available,
but may not be effective for use in all environments.
Question. What steps has DoD changed in the acquisition process
since the release of the NDIS to ensure COTS is being maximized across
all of its programs?
Answer. DoD has always encouraged the use of COTS, so no changes to
the acquisition process have been required based on the NDIS. The
Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), and its associate acquisition
pathways, emphasize the use of COTS where it meets the requirements of
the Department. However, the use of COTS must always be examined for
appropriateness, sufficiency, security, and sustainability. Such
considerations must be evaluated to determine the ``best value'' system
design and procurement.
Question. What risk is the Department taking by accepting COTS
solutions specific to avionics?
Answer. Potential risks from COTS solutions could arise from
adversary manipulation of data, functions, and integrity of the
products or services. Since DoD does not have visibility into the COTS
solution providers' supply chain, it is challenging to ascertain
foreign ownership, control, or influence of companies that make up the
entirety of that supply chain. It is also challenging for DoD to
determine if a product or service has been compromised, especially down
to the hardware/software component and sub-component levels, without
rigorous testing, which can negatively impact cost and schedule. There
are several ongoing efforts within DoD that aim to address the risk,
such as the new efforts for Supply Chain Illuminations and extensible
Bill of Materials, and the enduring efforts of the Federal Acquisition
Security Council, the Section 3252 Exclusion Order Scoping and
Mitigation effort, the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United
States (CFIUS), and various hardware and software assurance effort
across the Department.
In addition, COTS vendors generally provide the Government with
limited technical data and computer software deliverables and
associated license rights, which can lead to challenges. Such
challenges include an inability to (1) perform organic supply support,
maintenance, and sustainment internal to DoD or by DoD allies or
partners; and/or (2) competitively procure spares, repair parts, and
services. This may also result in a lack of control over changes to
interfaces and form, fit, and function of follow-on versions of the
COTS component, and could result in the retrofit of replacement
components being costly and complex.
Question. What other major DoD programs of record have encouraged
the use of COTS products and seen increased participation from new
suppliers?
Answer. The Department encourages the use of COTS in acquisition.
For example, DoD's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) efforts are structured to
leverage COTS as much as feasible. Additionally, the DoD's FVL efforts
were developed using a Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA)
approach to encourage the use of COTS software and hardware. Some
legacy programs, such as the Army Black Hawk, continue to incrementally
upgrade obsolete systems into MOSA to incorporate adaptable, affordable
systems to address a rapidly evolving threat.
______
Questions Submitted to Douglas R. Bush
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. Congress and the Department have significantly changed
how DoD does acquisition since 2016. We are now more than 5 years into
using an adaptive acquisition framework that allows for tailored and
flexible acquisition strategies, yet the results are mixed.
To Secretaries Bush, Hunter and Guertin, you all have examples of
successful rapid acquisition programs, but also programs that have not
delivered as promised. For instance, the Navy's Extra Large Unmanned
Undersea Vehicle, the Army's Extended Range Cannon, and the Air Force's
F-22 Sensor Enhancement Program all come to mind as rapid acquisition
programs that have failed to deliver. Could you each please highlight
your lessons learned for future approaches?
Answer. The use of rapid acquisition authorities such as the Middle
Tier of Acquisition allows the Army to engage with industry more
quickly to test novel approaches to address capability requirements.
This earlier experimentation and testing often results in identifying
both promising innovations and technical challenges earlier in the
acquisition cycle. The Army learns from these efforts by incorporating
successful elements while off-ramping elements lacking technical
maturity without acquiring significant quantities of a particular
system. This allows the Army to better evaluate and learn from various
potential solutions from industry without the financial burden that
would be required under the traditional acquisition system.
In the case of the Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) program,
the Army made significant progress in increasing the range of tactical
fires. While the effort ran into engineering challenges, the Army was
able to identify the problem early on during prototyping, before
committing resources to production. The knowledge gained from the ERCA
effort allows us to quickly re-engage with industry and pivot to other
potential technical solutions that may already exist.
Question. Congress has provided substantial authorities and funding
for multi-year procurement contracts of weapons that are critical to
the Navy, Air Force, and Army. These contracts will to provide
stability and funding predictability for the industrial base--even
under the tight budget caps. We have been very clear that the Committee
wants to see: Substantial unit cost savings; industry investing to
expand and upgrade their facilities; and weapons being delivered on
cost and schedule.
Can you give us an update on where you are in awarding these
contracts? Are they generating savings, and are we getting weapons
faster?
Answer. Congress has been instrumental in providing the Army with
the authority to enter into new multiyear contracts for Patriot
Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3), Guided Multiple Launch System (GMLRS)
and 155mm artillery rounds, which will provide us stability and
predictability of the supply chain and demand for those munitions.
The current target for award of the PAC-3 multi-year procurement
(MYP) is by the end of June 2024. The Army anticipates savings of up to
3 percent and improved stability in the PAC-3 supply chain resulting
from the MYP approach.
The GMLRS MYP contract will be for fiscal year 2024 (FY24)-FY27,
with an already awarded FY24 delivery order being modified to become
the base for the multi-year contract. Proposals are still outstanding
and the Army is anticipates saving of 2.5%. MYP does not shorten the
production timeline, however, GMLRS has Advanced Procurement funding,
which will reduce production lead time from 34 months to 22 months.
With respect to 155mm artillery ammunition, the Army is executing
several MYP contracts. Initial MYP contracts for Artillery Munitions
and components were awarded in FY23. Additionally, delivery orders were
awarded off the MYPs in FY24 for the Modular Artillery Charge System
(MACS) containers, MCAS Load Assemble Pack (LAP), and M1128 Metal
Parts. Delivery orders for the MYP for M1128 LAP are estimated to be
awarded in 4QFY24 and deliveries are anticipated to begin in March
2025. The Army estimates savings ranging from 3% to 11% per awarded
contract.
Question. The Navy's MQ-25 program is multiple years behind
schedule, and unit costs are at least five times greater than the
initial award. The KC-46A program has over $6 billion in overruns and a
19-month-schedule delay past the original March 2024 fielding date.
These are both Fixed Price Contracts, which means that the contractor
has to pay for overruns, so you could argue that the cost overruns are
not the Government's problem. There are also several other programs
that fit this bill, such as the Frigate program, the B-21 Bomber, and
others.
My first question is whether you are concerned that these cost
overruns will eventually be handed over to the Government and
therefore, the taxpayer? And second, are you concerned that industry
will no longer bid on certain types of contracts, and what does that
mean for future competitions?
Answer. The Army respectfully defers to the Navy and Air Force on
the execution of the programs listed.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lindsey Graham
Question. For several fiscal years, Congress has increased funding
for the M240 Medium Machine Gun (7.62mm) in its annual appropriations
bills. However, while Congress increases funding for the M240, the Army
continues to request fewer and fewer resources for the program, to
include just $3,000 in the FY25 request.
What is the Army's strategy for the M240 line and does the Army
have an account of how many guns are in the inventory to include a
breakdown by model?
Answer. The Army's strategy for the M240 family of machine guns is
to continue investigating and implementing various product improvements
to increase reliability, extend service life, and reduce weight for
enhanced mobility while the Army determines the path forward for a
Future Medium Machine Gun. The Army has achieved the Army Acquisition
Objective (AAO) for all M240 variants. Production is expected to
continue to support Foreign Military Sales (FMS), replacements for
Presidential Drawdowns, and other Service requirements. The Army will
continue to replace weapons that reach the end of their service life
with inventory stored at Anniston Army Depot (ANAD). The current
inventory, broken out by model, is listed in the table below:
The Army will be happy to provide the requested inventory data to
Senator Graham's office directly.
Question. How much, if any, of the 2024 National Security
Supplemental funding has gone to sustaining the M240 line for use by
the Army?
Answer. To date, the Army has received $7 million in supplemental
funding to replace M240s sent overseas as part of Presidential
Drawdowns.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator John Boozman
Question. Regarding the $700 million investment at Radford Army
Ammunition Plant, when will we see that reflected in production levels?
Answer. The $700M investment at Radford Army Ammunition Plant
includes the design and construction of the new Nitrocellulose facility
and critical facilities that support the facility, such as the new
Nitric Acid Concentrator/Sulfuric Acid Concentrator Process, acid tank
farm, and ancillary improvements to acid area infrastructure. The
project is scheduled to be completed by 1QFY25 and will support the
production of 20M--28M pounds of Nitrocellulose per year.
Question. Is the plant already operating at full capacity or is it
still being modernized?
Answer. The new Nitrocellulose facility is currently in
commissioning and the plan is to complete commissioning and transition
to support production in 1QFY25.
Question. Are there any obstacles in the way that Congress can help
address if the Army is still working toward full capacity levels?
Answer. The government owned, contractor operated Army Ammunition
Plants serve a vital role in protecting the nation's security. The Army
is appreciative of Congress' support to its Ukraine Supplemental
requests, and, specifically, efforts to accelerate the Army's Army
Ammunition Plant Modernization program, which supports both the high
demand of 155mm munitions and acquires state-of-art manufacturing
equipment/technologies.
Question. Regarding other investments, what is the price tag to
stand up additional facilities to manufacture nitrocellulose to avoid
reliance on other countries? Is this already being considered, and if
so, have other potential locations already been identified?
Answer. The Army does not have plans to invest or construct
additional Nitrocellulose facilities. A second source for
Nitrocellulose is being constructed within the National Technology and
Industrial Base (NTIB), in Canada, to reduce risks of a single point of
failure. The costs to build an additional facility would depend on the
current infrastructure and supporting facilities at the selected site.
______
Questions Submitted to Nickolas H. Guertin
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. Congress and the Department have significantly changed
how DoD does acquisition since 2016. We are now more than 5 years into
using an adaptive acquisition framework that allows for tailored and
flexible acquisition strategies, yet the results are mixed.
To Secretaries Bush, Hunter and Guertin, you all have examples of
successful rapid acquisition programs, but also programs that have not
delivered as promised. For instance, the Navy's Extra Large Unmanned
Undersea Vehicle, the Army's Extended Range Cannon, and the Air Force's
F-22 Sensor Enhancement Program all come to mind as rapid acquisition
programs that have failed to deliver. Could you each please highlight
your lessons learned for future approaches?
Answer. The Department of the Navy (DON) appreciates the changes
made to acquisition policy, which resulted in the Adaptive Acquisition
Framework (AAF). I am confident that, through the AAF, we have been
provided the needed policy tools to respond to requirements. However,
from a cultural standpoint, we have work to do to show our Program
Managers and program offices that we support them, encourage them to
utilize the most appropriate acquisition pathways for their programs,
and in fact expect them to tailor their acquisition approaches. We are
also adjusting our thinking, encouraging programs to embrace the
flexibility of the adaptive acquisition framework through the use of
multiple pathways to deliver capability.
In terms of lessons learned for rapid acquisition, we have found
that successful programs have:
--Ensured that funding and contracting vehicles were fully ready
prior to formally starting the program.
--Obtained support from the resources & requirements communities.
--Used iterative design approaches.
--Prioritized schedule by off-ramping capabilities when necessary.
In our Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) portfolio, we have had 10
programs exit the pathway: 50% completed successfully, 30% transitioned
to another pathway (which is often pre-planned), while 20% were
terminated as a result of changing needs. Through the use of MTA,
programs have been able to get started faster and in some cases fail
faster, allowing us to quickly adjust resources to more promising
outcomes.
While I concur that results have been mixed, for the reasons stated
above I believe they are broadly positive. The AAF's pathways are still
in their early stages, and I respectfully request your support and the
support of this committee in maintaining the flexibility afforded by
the AAF.
Question. Congress has provided substantial authorities and funding
for multi-year procurement contracts of weapons that are critical to
the Navy, Air Force, and Army. These contracts will to provide
stability and funding predictability for the industrial base--even
under the tight budget caps. We have been very clear that the Committee
wants to see: Substantial unit cost savings; industry investing to
expand and upgrade their facilities; and weapons being delivered on
cost and schedule.
Can you give us an update on where you are in awarding these
contracts? Are they generating savings, and are we getting weapons
faster?
Answer. The use of smart acquisition strategies like Multi-Year
Procurements (MYP) provide stability to the defense industrial base and
save the department billions of dollars when compared to buying on an
annual basis. Savings are achieved through efficient material
purchasing, optimal production planning, and overhead rate efficiencies
associated with stable, firm workload. Additionally, multi-year and
block buy procurement authorities support faster fielding of systems
through optimal build sequencing, continuous production lines, and
predictability for the broader supply base.
Naval Strike Missile (NSM): The NDAA for FY23 authorized the Navy
to enter into a MYP contract for up to 1250 NSM All Up Rounds (AURs).
The Navy is on schedule to award the NSM MYP, which will address FY24-
FY28 requirements, to Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace (KDA) by August
2024. The Navy estimates savings attributable to this MYP strategy at
$153.6M or 13.6% cost savings through the FYDP. KDA invested company
funds to increase production capacity to 450 AURs per year to meet
worldwide demand and expedite deliveries throughout the FY2024-FY2028
MYP.
Standard Missile (SM): The FY23 and FY24 NDAAs authorized a MYP
contract for SM-6 Block IA/IAU (up to 1500 rounds). This authority and
the provisions of annual appropriations acts, however, further require
specific authority for this MYP contract to be provided in the
appropriations act. The FY24 Consolidated Appropriations Act did not
authorize a MYP contract for SM-6. The Navy received $117M in Advance
Procurement funding to procure long lead material for a quantity of 222
All Up Rounds (AURs) and is pursuing a single year procurement in FY24
(quantity 97) with an FY25 option (quantity 125). Estimated contract
award is Q4FY24. The Navy is currently evaluating opportunities for a
MYP for SM-6 in FY26.
JASSM/LRASM: The Navy and Air Force are nearing the end of the fact
finding/technical evaluation phase. We have been supporting supplier
negotiations and plan to enter into contract negotiations in June 2024,
with contract award of JASSM/LRASM Multi-Year Procurement to include
Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) funding tracking to Aug 2024.
A unit price has not yet been negotiated, but CAPE is estimating a
10% cost savings and facilitization funding is expected to increase
production capacity to 240 missiles per year. EOQ funding would yield
an additional 83 missiles under MYP, assuming a typical ``buy to
budget'' purchasing approach, with 160 missiles delivering 4 months
earlier than with a single year procurement.
Question. The Navy's MQ-25 program is multiple years behind
schedule, and unit costs are at least five times greater than the
initial award. The KC-46A program has over $6 billion in overruns and a
19-month- schedule delay past the original March 2024 fielding date.
These are both Fixed Price Contracts, which means that the contractor
has to pay for overruns, so you could argue that the cost overruns are
not the Government's problem. There are also several other programs
that fit this bill, such as the Frigate program, the B-21 Bomber, and
others.
My first question is whether you are concerned that these cost
overruns will eventually be handed over to the Government and
therefore, the taxpayer? And second, are you concerned that industry
will no longer bid on certain types of contracts, and what does that
mean for future competitions?
Answer. The treatment of cost overruns and any associated
Government share depends on the type of fixed price contract utilized.
For awareness, the Frigate program utilizes a fixed-price incentive
(firm target) (FPIF) contract type and contains an Economic Price
Adjustment (EPA) clause and the MQ-25 development effort utilizes a
FPIF contract type. Under FPIF contracts, the contractor's actual
(allowable and allocable) costs are recognized up to the contract
ceiling. To the extent the actual cost differs from the anticipated
cost to perform the effort (Target cost), the target profit will be
adjusted by the application of a share ratio to the costs which are
over or under the target cost. Under fixed-price contracts with EPA,
the EPA clause establishes a mechanism to mitigate specifically covered
cost risks to both parties as a result of industry-wide contingencies
beyond any individual contractor's control. In these instances, the
Government will bear the cost risk up to the limit specified in the
clause (if any). Based on the programs in question and the specific
associated contract types, the DON is not concerned that the cost
overruns experienced on these existing contracts will be handed over to
the Government beyond the ceiling prices identified in each contract
and any costs covered by an EPA clause. However, there is a reason for
concern on future contracts due to increased actual costs, impacts to
indirect rates, and other financial considerations made by the
contractor in follow-on proposals.
In order to mitigate industry's future willingness to bid on
certain types of contracts based on their risk tolerance, the
Department will perform greater pre-solicitation engineering and risk
reduction activities as well as work with our industry partners to
address these concerns to balance risk and promote a healthy industrial
base. Recently, the CEO of a major defense contractor announced in a
shareholder meeting that they will no longer accept what they deem as
``unacceptable risk'' in certain programs with the DoD. If this
position holds and is shared by other industry partners, it is possible
industry will not bid on certain acquisition arrangements. For future
procurements, it will be increasingly important for the Department to
solicit industry's risk concerns and develop strategies that mitigate
reasonable claims of risk. In addition, the Department will continue
judicious use of contract type selection in accordance with FAR 16.103
and 16.104 to achieve the objective of negotiating contract types and
prices (or estimated cost and fee) that will result in reasonable
contractor risk and provide the contractor with the greatest incentive
for efficient and economical performance. Many factors are considered
in contract type selection such as price competition, price analysis,
cost analysis, and the type and complexity of the requirement.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator John Boozman
Question. Next generation naval capabilities will be an important
part of our defense strategy in the coming decades as the U.S. and its
allies combat emerging naval threats from China and other adversaries.
The Navy's Hybrid Energy Drive program, also known as the DDG(X)
program, has been working towards modernizing our capabilities,
including through the next generation of DDG 51 Class Guided Missile
Destroyers, which will improve tactical capabilities and reduce
operating costs. What is DoD doing to accelerate the development of
this modern class of destroyers?
Answer. The Navy built the acquisition strategy for DDG(X), the
Navy's next enduring large surface combatant, based on the Integrated
Product and Process Design strategy successfully used by the COLUMBIA
program through early collaboration with Industry partners,
incorporating lessons learned from previous shipbuilding programs,
utilizing a common design tool, de-risking critical systems, and
ensuring a smooth transition of the industrial base from DDG-51 Class
production to DDG(X) production.
The Navy has awarded three contracts: one for each of the Destroyer
shipbuilders, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Bath Iron Works
(BIW); and one to Gibbs and Cox, for design and engineering services.
These contracts are in place to leverage early industry collaboration
and utilize their expertise of large surface combatant designs. This
early collaboration with industry in the Navy-led Team will promote a
higher level of producibility and affordability in the design prior to
the detailed design and construction phase of the program.
The Navy is coordinating a single Computer Aided Design Product
Lifecycle Management Tool (CAD PLM) to be used by both shipyards and
the Navy design team to facilitate cross organizational technical
exchange throughout the design process. In addition to concept design,
the Navy is focusing on early de-risking of DDG(X) through the Land
Based Test and Engineering Site at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC)
Philadelphia. The plan is to de- risk the power and propulsion system
and provide a final form, fit, function to further reduce design risk
and optimize integration prior to ship activation.
The Navy Acquisition Strategy, across the large surface combatant
portfolio, is focused on a smooth transition for the shipbuilder's
design and production workforce. The Navy will be deliberate in the
workload transition from DDG 51 Flight III Class of ships to DDG(X)
across the industrial base.
______
Questions Submitted to Andrew P. Hunter
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. Congress and the Department have significantly changed
how DoD does acquisition since 2016. We are now more than 5 years into
using an adaptive acquisition framework that allows for tailored and
flexible acquisition strategies, yet the results are mixed. To
Secretaries Bush, Hunter and Guertin, you all have examples of
successful rapid acquisition programs, but also programs that have not
delivered as promised. For instance, the Navy's Extra Large Unmanned
Undersea Vehicle, the Army's Extended Range Cannon, and the Air Force's
F-22 Sensor Enhancement Program all come to mind as rapid acquisition
programs that have failed to deliver. Could you each please highlight
your lessons learned for future approaches?
Answer. Middle Tier of Acquisitions (MTAs) provide a critical tool
to leverage prototyping and rapid fielding of mature capability when
used properly to identify and scope technology and producibility risk
and adapt mature technology to Air Force requirements. When used in
conjunction with well-developed transitions from prototyping to
production under programs of record, MTAs facilitate delivering
meaningful operational capability to the warfighter in a relevant
timeframe. The Air Force has been leveraging lessons learned from past
and current programs to apply to future approaches. These lessons
learned include:
--Five years is too short a timeline for highly complex systems such
as aircraft.
--Clarify and address key technical and producibility risks as early
in prototyping as possible and build-in technology off ramps
wherever possible.
--Incorporate transition planning as early as possible.
--Make clear the criteria for success of both the MTA and subsequent
production.
Question. Congress has provided substantial authorities and funding
for multi-year procurement contracts of weapons that are critical to
the Navy, Air Force, and Army. These contracts will to provide
stability and funding predictability for the industrial base--even
under the tight budget caps. We have been very clear that the Committee
wants to see: Substantial unit cost savings; industry investing to
expand and upgrade their facilities; and weapons being delivered on
cost and schedule. Can you give us an update on where you are in
awarding these contracts? Are they generating savings, and are we
getting weapons faster?
Answer. The Air Force plans to award the JASSM/LRASM Multi-Year
Procurement (MYP) contract in 4QFY24 to Lockheed Martin. Lockheed
Martin projects a cost savings of 3.5% versus a single-year procurement
contracting approach based on economic order quantity discounts and
anticipates expedited delivery schedules of 4-8 months over the course
the MYP effort.
Question. The Navy's MQ-25 program is multiple years behind
schedule, and unit costs are at least five times greater than the
initial award. The KC-46A program has over $6 billion in overruns and a
19-month-schedule delay past the original March 2024 fielding date.
These are both Fixed Price Contracts, which means that the contractor
has to pay for overruns, so you could argue that the cost overruns are
not the Government's problem.
There are also several other programs that fit this bill, such as
the Frigate program, the B-21 Bomber, and others. My first question is
whether you are concerned that these cost overruns will eventually be
handed over to the Government and therefore, the taxpayer? And second,
are you concerned that industry will no longer bid on certain types of
contracts, and what does that mean for future competitions?
Answer. Under a Firm Fixed Price contract the contractor is
responsible for all costs above the contract value in completion of
delivery and performance agreed to in the contract. In terms of
concerns with cost overruns eventually being handed over to the
Government, requirements are supported by an Independent Government
Cost Estimate. Where competition is not the basis used to determine a
fair and reasonable cost/price, analysis is conducted on the cost/price
proposal. Contracting officers will secure the necessary data (i.e.,
certified or other than cost and pricing data) and request an audit
from Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), where required, to determine
a fair and reasonable cost/price.
The Air Force is aware of industry's concerns regarding fixed price
contracts but recognizes that a healthy industrial base is paramount
for successful delivery of capabilities at speed and scale to the
warfighter.
Every acquisition is unique and situationally dependent on many
factors that must be considered to determine the best contract type to
use for that specific requirement. This includes: market conditions;
availability of resources; competition; commerciality; technology
maturation; complexity and phase of the program that drive cost,
schedule, and performance risk to both parties. All data, coupled with
industry engagement and feedback, informs the contract type decision.
In this process, the Air Force considers the full range of contract
types available to structure business arrangements that achieve a
reasonable balance of risk between the Government and the contractor,
while providing the contractor with the greatest incentive for
efficient and economical performance. The Air Force will continue to
use Fixed Price contracts when it makes sense to do so, but also
continues to strive for crosstalk and engagement with industry to
ensure concerns are heard and addressed when possible.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Richard J. Durbin
Question. The FY24 Defense Appropriations explanatory statement
included report language that seeks to address efforts by OEMs to
discourage fair and open competition between themselves and independent
providers for bearing repair and refurbishment in fixed wing and
rotorcraft aircraft. Similar language had been included in the FY23
National Defense Authorization Act directing the Department to report
on the matter. Congress supports fair and open competition between OEMs
and independent bearing repair service providers. This is necessary for
the development of a robust domestic industrial base that avoids
increased costs and delay for military weapon systems.
What actions are being taken by the Air Force to conduct
solicitations in a manner which encourages the submission of bids by
independent bearing service providers?
Answer. The Air Force uses several avenues to encourage bids
through open competition to the maximum extent practicable and to
ensure industry awareness of upcoming requirements. These include
hosting Industry Days, using Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part
16 type contracts to award multi-vendor contracts like Indefinite
Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract vehicles; posting both Requests
for Information and Draft Requirements Documents that include
appropriate/salient clauses (e.g., 252.225-7016, Restriction on
Acquisition of Ball and Roller Bearings) to SAM.gov, which is the
official entry point for Federal acquisitions; and encouraging Defense
Industrial Base (DIB) participation to maximize competition.
Question. What incentives are being, or could be, provided to fixed
wing/rotorcraft aircraft Engine OEMs, and Bearing OEMs, that could
support approval of these independent domestic bearing service
suppliers?
Answer. The Air Force has incorporated award fees and incentive fee
contract structures to incentivize contractor performance in numerous
environments for engine prototyping and production. Furthermore, the
Air Force Propulsion Directorate has partnered with the Defense
Logistics Agency (DLA) in ``Captain of Industry'' contracts that
provide more stable demand for bearings. Additionally, small business
participation goals are included in the Air Force Propulsion
Directorate contracts and assessments that require Subcontracting Plans
to ensure that Prime Contractors provide and allow for small business
opportunities.
Question. What reforms are being developed that will safeguard the
general solicitation process to preclude independent vendors from being
allowed to submit a bid for consideration.
Answer. The inclusion of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation
Supplement (DFARS) clauses (e.g., 252.225-7016, Restriction on
Acquisition of Ball and Roller Bearings) and the conduct of a
compliance assessment when posting Draft Solicitations and Requests for
Information to SAM.gov are some of the methods used to safeguard the
process. Additionally, any Source Approved-Vendor may bid on bearing
contracts. Independent vendors also have the option of gaining approval
through submission of Source Approval Requirement (SAR) Packages. SARs
require the vendor to submit company quality plans, access to required
drawings, and manufacturing capability. Following an approved SAR, if
the interested vendor is then awarded a contract, a First Article Test
is subsequently required. If the independent vendor is not licensed to
use the OEM drawings, then they must reverse engineer and substantiate
the design. This substantiation would include an operational test run
funded by the vendor, but the SAR package provides an entry for new
suppliers.
Question. s the Air Force incentivizing Engine OEMs to work with
independent bearing vendors, to qualify them as approved sources, for
future solicitations?
Answer. The Air Force is supporting maximum competition and
incentivizing Engine OEMs to maintain and increase the DIB.
Question. Would the Secretary consider using an expedited process
to approve these sources if the Engine OEM refuses to support a process
under which independent suppliers can be qualified?
Answer. The Air Force is not opposed to expediting approval of
sources should the need arise. Furthermore, the Air Force Propulsion
Directorate's current SAR Package submittal process is effective and
timely when companies choose the SAR Package option. The substantiation
of the design and operational test run funded by the vendor are still
requirements.
Question. Multiple USTRANSCOM Commanders have testified over the
last few decades to Congress that aerial refueling is ``it's most
stressed capability,'' with one commander (responding to congress),
``If I had a thousand more tankers it might be enough.'' In 2020, the
Air Force made congress aware that 30 thousand hours of aerial
refueling missions were not being supported annually.
Does the Air Force (AFWERX) have a Commercial Air Refueling
Augmentation (COMAUG-AR) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
effort underway?
Answer. Air Refueling Tanker Transport (ART2) LLC completed a Phase
I SBIR contract on April 19, 2024 (FA8649-24-P-0223). The contract was
for delivery of a study of a COMAUG-AR framework required for a U.S.
owned and operated civil air refueling air carrier to operate DoD and
Air Force air refueling requirements via a requirements matrix. ART2
proposed a solution that yields a Civil Reserve Air Fleet aerial
refueling partner technically capable of delivering COMAUG-AR during
defense mobilizations, national emergencies, or wartime surges. The
company is eligible to submit a proposal for a follow-on Phase 2 SBIR
contract for development of a prototype system.
Question. In addition to the continued fielding and enhancement of
the KC-46A and existing KC-135 fleet to meet current and future air
refueling requirements, to what extent has the Air Force assessed
leveraging commercial air refueling capabilities?
Answer. Currently, the USAF fleet of 466 tanker aircraft is sized
to meet the fully mobilized wartime tanker requirement. The DAF has
assessed commercial air refueling solutions and has found that while
commercial air refueling will increase capacity, it may come at the
expense of USAF tanker crew training and readiness requirements. In
other words, one-time divestment cost for KC-135s and KC-10s will
likely increase commercial costs to the USAF, which may exceed savings.
Question. To what extent is the Air Force considering National
Defense Authorization Act provisions suggesting KC-10s be transferred
to the OEM as Excess Defense Articles (EDA) for the purpose of
establishing COMAUG-AR?
Answer. There is no current plan to transfer KC-10s at this time.
Existing laws and regulations require the Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) to agree to allow KC-10 AR Boom system's engineering
and technical orders to be shared with a commercial company prior to
selling or loaning the equipment as Government Furnished Equipment
(GFE). At this time, the Air Force has not received any formal
demilitarization waiver requests. The Air Force will examine the
possibility and details of transferring aircraft as GFE if a
demilitarization waiver were to be approved by OSD.
Question. What is the total KC-10A divestment program cost, to
include storage of support equipment, engines, flight simulators and
training material? Relatedly, what potential cost saving or cost
avoidance is associated with transferring such KC-10s to the OEM as EDA
instead?
Answer. In FY24, there was a total of $30M programmed in KC-10 PEs
(active duty and reserve) and $0 in FY25-beyond. This funding includes
one-time induction costs for the remaining fleet into Type storage
(2000--$147k; 4000--$125k) but does not include recurring costs at the
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG). All aircrew and
maintenance personnel costs have been transferred to KC-46 operations
therefore there are no specific cost savings or cost avoidance.
SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS
Senator Tester. We stand in recess.
[Whereupon, at 11:21 a.m., Wednesday, May 15, the
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday,
May 21.]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
----------
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met at 10:01 a.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Hon. Brian Schatz presiding.
Present: Senators Murray, Schatz, Baldwin, Murphy, Coons,
Collins, Murkowski, Moran, Hoeven, Boozman, and Capito.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Office of the Secretary
STATEMENT OF HON. CHRISTINE WORMUTH, SECRETARY
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR BRIAN SCHATZ
Senator Schatz. Good morning. The committee will come to
order.
Welcome back, Secretary Wormuth. We appreciate your
leadership of our Nation's Army and we look forward to
discussing with you the Army's budget priorities for fiscal
year 2025.
And welcome, General George, to your first hearing before
this subcommittee. I am interested to hear your perspectives,
and we look forward to hearing from you.
The fiscal year 2025 budget request for the Department of
the Army is $180.3 billion, excluding funds for MILCON
(Military Construction), which is the same level as the enacted
number for fiscal year 2024. Fiscal 2024, once again, and
unfortunately unsurprisingly, began under a continuing
resolution, which ended up lasting for a full 6 months. Our
entire military is affected by CRs (Continuing Resolutions),
but coupled with months'-long delay in enacting the National
Security Supplemental the Army was doubly affected, because you
were unable to replace weapons systems you donated to Ukraine
with modern capabilities.
I am glad that Congress finally got its act together and
passed the National Security Supplemental, but just like the
regular appropriations bill, it was needlessly delayed by many
months.
Worldwide challenges and threats are constantly evolving,
and as we discussed last year, the Army's response to the
increasingly complex battlefield of the future is to transform
into the Army of 2030. This transformation includes investments
in people, the reorganization of forces, the development of new
equipment, and the adoption of new concepts to defeat
adversaries.
We can best help the Army on its path to modernization
through the timely enactment of a Defense Appropriations bill
for fiscal year 2025, one-time appropriations provide the
resource predictability--on time--excuse me, on-time
appropriations provide the resource predictability that enable
the Army to execute training and operational plans effectively
for the entire fiscal year.
I look forward to working with Senators Murray and Collins
and, of course, the real Chairman, Senator Tester, to position
us for success to getting a budget passed on time.
Once again, I want to thank each of you for your service to
our country.
Before you make your opening statements, I will turn it
over to the Vice Chair, Senator Collins, for her remarks.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR SUSAN M. COLLINS
Senator Collins. Thank you very much, Chairman Schatz, and
welcome to your new role on this subcommittee.
Secretary Wormuth, it is great to see you again. General
George, as this is your first time testifying before our
subcommittee, I want to welcome you. Thank you both for your
service and your leadership.
One of my chief concerns for the Army this year remains the
same as it was last year, and that is recruiting. Madam
Secretary, I commend you and the Chief for your steadfast
refusal to compromise on recruiting standards, and I understand
from your written testimony that the results of the Future
Soldier Prep Course continue to be promising. Nevertheless, the
Army either missed its recruiting objectives or lowered them in
3 of the last 5 years.
The proposed active duty end strength represents the
smallest Active Duty Army since the start of the Volunteer
Force in 1973. It is substantially less than the Army's goal of
470,000 soldiers by the year 2029. I look forward to hearing
how the Army is updating its recruiting approach and what
resources are included in your budget requests to recruit
enough qualified men and women.
While the National Security Strategy's primary focus is
competition with China, Army soldiers, along with our sailors
and marines, are in harm's way today in the Middle East. It is
also the Army, more than any other Service that is providing
the lion's share of equipment and training to help Ukraine's
own army defeat and defend against Russia's brutal invasion.
I would ask our witnesses to clearly articulate how the
Army's proposed modernization efforts and Force structure
changes will improve the Army's posture to address these
growing threats.
In particular, I am interested in hearing more about how
you plan to integrate robotic and unmanned systems into your
future formations, using platforms like the Robotic Combat
Vehicle. A very innovative company in Maine, I am pleased to
say, Howe & Howe how is contributing to this critical
technology.
General George, counter-drone technology is also at the top
of your unfunded priorities list. I hope you will share with us
in greater detail your prioritization of those capabilities
since I share your view on their importance.
The recently passed supplemental bill included more than
$380 million for Army counter-drone systems, none of which, I
would note, was included in the original supplemental requests.
So I am glad that, working with Chairman Murray and Chairman
Tester, that we have been able to address that critical need.
It is important as we deal with the attacks against Israel and
against our forces that are in harm's way, from the threats
posed by Iran and its proxies.
Let me give you one illustration of why these investments
are so important. The son of one of the most experienced
workers at an armament plant in Saco, Maine, was deployed with
the Army in the Middle East after October 7. His Army unit was
protected from these inbound drones by the very weapon systems
built in Saco.
So we must never forget that there are real lives at stake,
and that is why it is so critical that we continue to modernize
and invest in the Defense Industrial Base, since we have seen
firsthand that warfare has changed dramatically.
Finally, I would ask both of our witnesses to provide an
update on how this budget request builds upon the progress from
the fiscal year 2024 Supplemental to expand munition production
and strengthen our industrial base. We have made a lot of good
progress, but there is still much work to be done.
I look forward to hearing your testimony. Thank you for
being here.
Senator Schatz. Thank you, Vice Chair Collins.
Secretary Wormuth, please proceed with your testimony.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF HON. CHRISTINE WORMUTH
Secretary Wormuth. Good morning, Senator Schatz, Vice Chair
Collins, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for
your continued support of our soldiers, Army civilians, and
their families.
General George and I appear before you today at a moment of
profound transformation for the United States Army. We are
transforming our capabilities, our Force structure, and our
recruiting enterprise to ensure the Army is ready and able to
defeat evolving threats, keep pace with technology, and attract
the very best talent.
As we pursue this transformation, we are also taking care
of our people, ensuring that our soldiers and families have the
quality of life that they deserve to sustain our readiness now
and in the future.
This is my fourth year in front of this committee, and like
last year, the Army's 2025 budget continues to support the most
ambitious modernization effort the Army has undertaken in more
than 40 years. We are making significant progress I am pleased
to report, in transforming our capabilities by staying
consistent in our goals and meeting key milestones for
development and fielding.
The Next-Generation Squad Weapon, Integrated Battle Command
System, Mid-Range Capability, and Precision Strike Missile are
just some examples of the critical new systems that we have
recently delivered.
As we bring these new systems into our inventory, we are
also transforming our force structure to meet the priorities of
the National Defense Strategy. We are building out new
formations, such as our five Multi-Domain Task Forces that are
equipped with the capabilities we need to conduct large-scale
combat operations against technologically advanced military
powers.
And we are shrinking excess force structure so that the
units we have are manned and ready. While these force structure
decisions bring down authorized troop levels by about 24,000
spaces, our goal is to increase our authorized end strength to
470,000 by the year--fiscal year 2029.
To meet that goal, General George, and I, and the whole
Army team are working around the clock to overcome our
recruiting challenges, and we are making solid progress.
Building on successful initiatives like the Future Soldier Prep
Course, we are fundamentally transforming our recruiting
enterprise to better compete in the 21st-century job market.
Most significantly, we are redesigning our recruiting
workforce by creating new permanent specialized recruiters for
both enlisted soldiers and warrant officers, actually, the
assessment and selection of the first class of warrant officers
focused on recruiting is finished, and they will be going out
into the field later this summer.
But while we transform, we can't lose sight of taking care
of our soldiers and families. A key part of this responsibility
is providing safe, high-quality housing and barracks. Over the
next 5 years, the Army will invest, on average, $2.1 billion
every year in the construction, sustainment, restoration, and
modernization of barracks for unaccompanied soldiers.
This investment will fund barrack sustainment at 100
percent for the first time in years, and we are leveraging the
expertise of the Army Corps of Engineers to stabilize project
costs. And we are hiring civilian barracks managers so that our
soldiers can focus on warfighting responsibilities.
Physically and emotionally healthy soldiers are more
resilient, higher performing, and less likely to engage in
harmful behaviors. To build resilient soldiers, we are
expanding our Holistic Health and Fitness Program to 71 active
component brigades. We are investing in financial counseling
services to ensure that our soldiers know how to manage their
money, and we are encouraging programs in our divisions that
focus on soldier well-being. Our goal has been and remains
building cohesive teams that can fight and win.
Throughout this transformation, which is required given the
very dangerous world in which we live, we are continuing to
provide combatant commands with trained and ready formations.
This year's budget seeks $1.5 billion for activities tied to
the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, and we have asked for $460
million for Operation Pacific Pathways, our series of exercises
focused on strengthening deterrence and interoperability with
partners in the Indo-Pacific.
In Europe, our troops are demonstrating our commitment to
deterring Russian aggression. As you said, Vice Chair Collins,
the Army is leading the effort to support Ukraine, from
training over 17,000 Ukrainian troops to providing hundreds of
vehicles, weapon systems, and millions of munitions. And in the
Middle East, our soldiers are mission-focused and have been
hard at work building the floating pier to deliver more
humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The Chief and I appreciate the recently passed Supplemental
Appropriations Bill that will maintain our critical support to
Ukraine, support partners in Asia and the Middle East, and
invest in our own readiness. And we strongly urge, going
forward, the passing of on-time annual appropriation bills that
will maintain our readiness in this volatile time.
With your support, we will continue to take care of our
people and sustain the Army's transformation that will keep us
the best Army in the world.
I am proud of all that our soldiers and Army civilians are
doing. And look forward to your questions this morning.
Senator Schatz. Thank you very much Secretary Wormuth.
General George, please proceed.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL RANDY A. GEORGE, CHIEF OF STAFF OF
THE ARMY
General George. Thank you, Senator Schatz, Vice Chair
Collins, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for
the opportunity to talk with you today about our Army.
The world is more volatile today than I have seen it in my
36-year career, and there is clearer cooperation between
adversaries than we have seen in a while. A spark in any region
could have global impacts.
Meanwhile, the character of war is changing rapidly, which
we see from what is happening on the battlefields in Ukraine
and the Middle East. Our Army is as important to the Joint
Force as it has ever been. We must deter war everywhere and be
ready to respond anywhere. So we are focused on providing the
best Army with the budget we are given. Our Soldiers deserve
it, our Joint teammates deserve it, and our Nation deserves it.
And that means making some tough decisions and finding ways to
get better every day.
As the Secretary already highlighted, our planned
investments reflected in our fiscal year 2025 budget will help
our Army win the future fight and ensure that our soldiers and
their families remain ready and resilient. Across the Army, we
are learning from global events and continuously transforming
how we operate, how we train, and how we equip, and I would
like to highlight a handful of things.
We are learning that designs for things like unmanned
systems must be modular, adaptable, and software-defined. We
are working to get relevant technology into the hands of
soldiers immediately. We are learning that counter-unmanned
systems must evolve as the threat does to protect our
formations and critical infrastructure. We are also moving out
on that while being mindful of the cost curve, we need cheaper
solutions.
We are learning that, in some cases, the right tech already
exists to support transformation. For instance, tech exists to
make our command and control nodes more mobile, lower
signature, and more effective. We are fixing our network. And
we are building our magazine depth and modernizing our organic
industrial base because we know that wars never end as quickly
as we hope, they take a lot of ammo.
We are also transforming how we recruit, ensuring that we
have the right talent and the right tech, and that we are
getting the word out about how our Army is a great place to
serve because of our mission and our people.
Finally, we are also looking at where we need to reimagine
our processes, and where we can afford to stop doing things
that don't support our warfighting mission or building cohesive
teams. I am proud of what our soldiers are doing around the
world to help defend our country.
Thank you all for your support. And we look forward to your
questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Christine E. Wormuth and General Randy A. George
the need for continuous transformation
Today's security environment is both complex and volatile. The
contemporary battlefield is increasingly transparent. The inescapable
prevalence of Internet-enabled sensors, from cell phones to satellites,
makes it possible for our adversaries to see and target U.S. interests
anywhere in the world. Advances in commercial technology have outpaced
military technology in many areas, and the innovative use of simple and
inexpensive commercially available systems provides a tactical
advantage to forces that can procure and adapt faster than their
opponents.
Conflict is migrating into cities and dense population centers and
is extending into new domains, with space and cyberspace enabling
global effects. Developments in Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere
around the world have highlighted the volatility of this landscape, and
regional conflicts carry the potential to ignite a firestorm with
global impacts.
To meet these challenges successfully, the Army must transform
quickly. We will ensure continued progress on long-term efforts that
improve our warfighting on current and future battlefields in support
of the National Defense Strategy, but our readiness cannot wait for
arbitrary time horizons. The Army must continuously transform to adapt
to the rapid pace of change occurring now. This need drives our $185.9
billion budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
Army transformation is well underway, but we must accelerate and
intensify our efforts. We must transform our capabilities, force
structure, and recruiting enterprise. We must deliver ready combat
formations and take care of our people, ensuring the quality of life
for our Soldiers, Army Civilians, and families.
transforming our capabilities
As we adapt to the changing environment, we are steadfast in
developing advanced, long- term modernization programs to ensure that
the Army maintains the overmatch required for future battlefields. The
Army has made significant progress in our most ambitious modernization
effort in more than 40 years by maintaining continuity across budgets
and meeting major milestones for development and fielding. The success
of this effort has been marked by the recent delivery and fielding of
the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), Integrated Air and Missile
Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), Mid-Range Capability (MRC), Next
Generation Squad Weapon, and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
The Army continues to develop counter-unmanned aircraft system
(UAS) capabilities as the Department of Defense's lead agency for
countering small-UAS (C-sUAS). From the testing and fielding of systems
such as Mobile Low, Slow, Small-Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat
System (M-LIDS), Fixed Site Low, Slow, Small-Unmanned Aircraft
Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS), or Coyote, to the operational
deployment of Directed Energy Maneuver Short Range Air Defense System
(DE-MSHORAD), the Army and the Joint Counter-UAS Office (JCO) are
exploring novel concepts and accelerating system development to meet
the challenges of the advancing threat.
Building on the requirements for long-range precision fires, the
Army fielded the first prototypes of the MRC to its 1st Multi-Domain
Task Force (MDTF) in 2023 and is in the process of completing flight
testing of the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, which is intended for
delivery by the end of 2024. The Army awarded the contract for the
development of the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN)
in 2Q FY 2024 to produce the targeting data needed for these advanced
capabilities and provide battlefield commanders with advanced
decisionmaking tools in a rapidly evolving battlespace.
The Army is transforming the network to enable these capabilities
and ensure our forces are lean, mobile, and low signature. We will
begin a pilot for satellite-as-a-service in early FY 2025 while making
continued progress on a zero-trust architecture. These efforts will
form the security backbone of the Unified Network and enable the Army's
integration into Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control
(CJADC2).
The Army is re-balancing aviation investments, shifting away from
capabilities that are not survivable on the modern battlefield while
investing in effective new technology. We are ending the development of
the Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and the production
of the UH-60V version of the Blackhawk helicopter while also phasing
out the operations and sustainment of the Shadow and Raven unmanned
systems. We are delaying entering into production of the Improved
Turbine Engine but remain committed to developing that program for
integration into the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters. We
will deliver needed capabilities by relying on a mix of enduring,
unmanned, and space-based assets that are survivable and effective for
current and future fights.
We are investing in our aviation capabilities by beginning
production of the CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopter and continuing
development of the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). We are
also continuing to develop advanced unmanned systems, such as the
Launched Effects family of systems and the Future Tactical Uncrewed
Aircraft System, while leveraging opportunities to use commercial
technology in innovative ways.
As we transform our capabilities, we will explore new ways to
validate our systems as we introduce them into our formations. One way
we will do this is by transforming in contact, using ongoing
deployments and troop rotations as opportunities to explore new
techniques and equipment. Transforming in contact ensures we validate
systems and processes in their intended environments with the Soldiers
who will employ them. Infusing commercial technology that is ready for
employment will improve our lethality and readiness to face the
challenges ahead.
These developments require the continued support of industry,
underpinned by the ingenuity and drive of the American people.
Investments in the modernization and workload of our organic industrial
base are essential to meeting the requirements and scale of the modern
battlefield. Current commercial production is insufficient to meet
global demand. Multi-year procurement authority will significantly
improve the production rates of critical munitions such as 155mm
artillery rounds and Patriot missiles. However, further investment is
necessary to ensure that the nation can scale the production of these
and other munitions and systems to meet current and future
requirements.
transforming our force structure
The Army is transforming our force structure to incorporate new
capabilities and refocus on large-scale combat operations. The legacy
structure from the past two decades focused on counterinsurgency and
counterterrorism operations and maintained authorizations to
accommodate 494,000 Active-Duty Soldiers. Our transformation will
reduce the unfilled and excess positions and create space for new
capabilities supporting large-scale combat operations in a multi-domain
environment. The success of this restructuring will rely on the Army's
ability to gradually increase end strength from the current 445,000
Soldiers to 470,000 by FY 2029 to meet the requirements of the future
force.
This transformation includes a reduction of some 32,000
authorizations across the Active-Duty force structure and an addition
of 7,500 new authorizations, leading to a net decrease of about 24,000
authorizations. The overall reduction in authorizations will more
closely align the structure to the authorized end strength to improve
the readiness of formations while increasing their capabilities for the
future fight. Our restructuring efforts focused on creating lethal,
flexible formations that can adapt to large-scale combat operations and
decreasing the number of authorizations that were designed for a
counterinsurgency mission, not frequently deployed or unfilled. New
additions to the Active Component force structure include the
completion of five MDTFs, four additional Indirect Fire Protection
Capability (IFPC) battalions, nine C-sUAS batteries, and four
additional M-SHORAD battalions. All these formations bring advanced
capabilities to meet current requirements and ensure that we maintain
overmatch against adversaries in the future.
transforming our recruiting enterprise
Transformation will only take place through the hard work of
talented and dedicated Soldiers, Army Civilians, and the support of
their families. The Army is a great place to serve: we are retaining
talented Soldiers, finishing FY 2023 at 102% of our retention mission.
Even so, the challenges to Army recruiting pose an existential threat
to the all-volunteer force, and addressing these challenges has been
one of our most comprehensive efforts over the last year.
The Army is making fundamental changes to its recruiting approach.
This starts with redesigning our recruiting workforce, moving away from
a model that places Soldiers outside of their primary military
occupational specialty (MOS) into temporary recruiter positions for
only a few years at a time. To do this, we are creating new talent
acquisition specialties for both enlisted Soldiers and warrant
officers, allowing our recruiters to develop skills to succeed in a
competitive hiring environment. These new recruiters will expand their
focus on the prospect market beyond those with a high school degree and
will aim to recruit a third of new trainees from the ``college or some
college'' population by 2028. This shift requires our recruiters to
become more active on the campuses of junior colleges and technical
institutes and increase Army recruiting presence in online forums.
We are also creating a significant innovation capability within
U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) to quickly identify and scale
promising new approaches and discard recruiting practices that are no
longer successful in a competitive and rapidly changing labor market.
Finally, we are seeking to elevate USAREC to become a three-star
command that oversees enlisted recruiting, Army Cadet Command, and the
Army's Enterprise Marketing Office and reports to the Secretary of the
Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army in light of its critically
important mission. The leadership of USAREC will serve for an extended
tenure, building stability and expertise and decreasing the impact of
frequent leadership changeover.
Although FY 2023 was a challenging year, it showed a marked
increase of 5,200 recruits over FY 2022, in large part due to the
outstanding work of our 8,000 recruiters and the successful
implementation of initiatives across the Army. As this transformation
begins, our goal for FY 2024 is 55,000 Regular Army recruits and 5,000
commitments to the Delayed Entry Program. We will also continue
successful initiatives like the Future Soldier Prep Course, which has
brought more than 18,000 new Soldiers into the Army since its inception
in the summer of 2022.
delivering ready combat formations
Despite recruiting challenges, the Army is meeting our global
requirements. Over 140,000 Soldiers from all components are deployed or
stationed in 143 countries worldwide to defend the nation's interests
and maintain security with our allies and partners.
The Army provides the operational endurance, reach, and
survivability necessary for joint force success in the Indo-Pacific.
For FY 2025, we are requesting $1.5B for Pacific Deterrence Initiative
activities to exercise and campaign with our allies and partners,
building and demonstrating shared readiness to deter Chinese aggression
and ensure regional stability. This readiness begins in Hawaii and
Alaska, where U.S. Army Pacific has established the Joint Pacific
Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC). JPMRC allows the Army and our
partners to train in a variety of environments, from tropical jungles
to the high arctic.
Funding for Operation Pathways will support partnered, all-
component, multinational exercises such as TALISMAN SABRE. Last year's
exercise included over 30,000 participants from 15 nations and provided
the Army with the opportunity to construct and operate Joint Logistics
Over the Shore (JLOTS), the largest such operation in over two decades.
We continue to train, exercise, and collaborate with our long-standing
allies, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan. Last summer, the Army
deployed a combined arms battalion on short notice from CONUS to the
Korean Peninsula to demonstrate rapid crisis response and our resolve
to deter DPRK aggression. In Japan, the Army supported Japan's Ground
Self Defense Forces through the annual YAMA SAKURA exercise series.
The Army will continue to prioritize the Indo-Pacific as we
transform our force structure and introduce new capabilities for
strategic competition, including the 1st, 3rd, and 4th MDTFs, the 5th
Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB), and the 11th Airborne
Division, the Army's newest division focused on cold weather and high-
altitude operations in the Arctic.
In Europe, the Army is requesting $2.1B to support European
Deterrence Initiative activities to maintain rotational deployments,
train with our NATO allies, build readiness, and demonstrate our
ability to rapidly project combat forces into the theater. This was
recently on display during Exercise ARCTIC SHOCK when U.S. Army
paratroopers and their Norwegian counterparts flew over the North Pole
from Alaska and conducted a combined airborne operation into Norway. In
the coming months, over 16,000 of our Soldiers will train with more
than a dozen other countries in Exercise DEFENDER 24.
We continue our full support of Ukraine and its fight to repel
Russia's invasion of its sovereign territory. Our troops have trained
over 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers in Germany. We have sent major combat
systems and munitions to Ukraine, including 21 High Mobility Artillery
Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 1 Patriot air defense battery, 131 Strykers,
31 Abrams tanks, 162 Bradley fighting vehicles, and over 1.5 million
artillery munitions. This support is an investment in our own national
security: it deters potential aggression elsewhere in the world and
strengthens our defense industrial base. Supporting Ukraine is also
critical to our military readiness. The lessons we have learned from
Ukraine have allowed us to develop new methods, techniques, and
capabilities for future conflicts. We have also seen how U.S. equipment
is both effective and survivable, even in degraded or contested
environments.
Now more than ever, the Army is leading efforts to support Ukraine
in its fight to regain its sovereign borders. The legislation passed
last month allowed us to reinvigorate this critical support. We urge
Congress to pass on-time appropriations bills and supplemental
appropriations bills when required as we demonstrate our unwavering
support for our allies and partners around the world.
In the Middle East, Iranian-aligned militia groups have
increasingly threatened and attacked U.S. forces and interests,
invigorated by Hamas's attacks against Israel in October 2023. U.S.
Army Central (USARCENT) has assessed the force protection requirements
of facilities and units, and we have deployed advanced counter-UAS
capabilities, including DE M-SHORAD, to the region to defeat the
ongoing use of sUAS and expand the network of defense for U.S. troops
and bases. We are also supporting U.S. Central Command with JLOTS,
which will provide the Joint Force with the capability to increase the
viability of large-scale maritime shipments of humanitarian aid into
Gaza.
Soldiers from all components of the Army are serving the nation
around the globe, including 2,500 Soldiers supporting the Department of
Homeland Security at our southwest border. Regionally aligned Special
Operations Forces and SFABs provide access and presence in each
geographic combatant command, including 2nd SFAB's support over the
last year to partner forces in Kenya, Tunisia, Gambia, and other
partners in Africa. Army National Guard units support 30 nations in
Central and South America as part of the State Partnership Program,
training and building enduring relationships that improve mutual
readiness.
readiness of soldiers and families: quality of life investments
Our readiness depends not just on recruiting, equipping, and
training the force but also on the individual health and fitness of
every Soldier. This readiness begins in the barracks, and the Army is
dedicated to providing safe, high-quality housing and barracks for our
Soldiers. The Army will invest an average of $2.1B annually in the
construction, sustainment, restoration, and modernization of barracks
for unaccompanied Soldiers across Future Years Defense Program 25-29.
For FY 2025, the Army is budgeting $935M for nine unaccompanied
housing construction projects across Active Duty and Army Reserve at
multiple installations, a 325% increase in construction from FY 2024.
Barracks sustainment has been funded at 100% of the requirement, an
investment of $680M in FY 2025. We are also leveraging the expertise
found within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stabilize project cost
growth through early involvement in the planning and design processes.
Additionally, the Army is allocating $35M to hire civilian barracks
managers at multiple installations, which will decrease the
requirements for Soldiers to serve as barracks managers and allow them
to focus on their primary warfighting duties.
For accompanied Soldiers, the Army is investing $403.7M into
government-owned Army family housing in FY 2025. This investment will
address facility sustainment, construction of 173 new homes, and
renovation of 252 homes. Across all installations, the Army is
committed to increasing oversight of privatized housing and combating
environmental hazards within both government-owned Army family housing
and privatized housing through consistently applied maintenance and
inspection programs.
The Army remains committed to reducing instances of sexual assault
and sexual harassment, ensuring impartial justice, and encouraging
healthy behaviors that strengthen the trust between the Army and the
American people. During early FY 2024, the Army established the Office
of the Special Trial Counsel (OSTC), which is staffed by specially
trained, independent military attorneys (``special trial counsel'') who
make prosecution decisions for sexual assault, domestic violence, and
other covered offenses. Beginning in December 2023, the OSTC gained the
authority to make case dispositions. This increases transparency and
ensures that impartiality is inherent within the military justice
process.
The Army is implementing a comprehensive, integrated prevention
plan (CIPP) at all commands across the Army, which details actions to
improve command climate. In particular, at the United States Military
Academy, CIPP incorporates character development with proactive
approaches to prevent sexual assault and other harmful behaviors.
Additionally, we have instituted dedicated instruction during initial
entry training that reinforces the shared trust required to form
cohesive teams and provides education on prevention and response
resources. These proactive approaches and many others will inform the
creation of the Army's Sexual Harassment and Response Program (SHARP)
regulation, which will be published this fiscal year.
The Army continues to combat the risk of Soldier suicide through
multiple approaches, acknowledging that every suicide impacts families,
teammates, and the readiness of the force. The Army published its
Suicide Prevention Regulation in September 2023, and we are ensuring
that Soldiers are aware of and have clear access to mental and
emotional health resources. The Army is investing in programs that help
Soldiers maintain financial stability, mental health, strong
relationships, and physical well-being, including expanding the
Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program to 71 brigades in FY 2025 and
budgeting $24.4M for financial counseling services.
This holistic approach to Soldier wellness is taking form at every
installation in the Army, with many garrisons consolidating the
resources needed to combat suicide and increase Soldier fitness at a
single accessible location. Tailored programs like 1st Infantry
Division's ``Operation Victory Wellness,'' 10th Mountain Division's
``Mountain Care,'' and 11th Airborne Division's ``Mission 100'' are
prioritizing engaged leadership and providing a wide range of location
and community-specific resources to Soldiers and their families.
Ensuring that Army families have the resources they need to thrive
is vital to our force's readiness and a driving factor behind Soldier
retention. The Army's FY 2025 budget requests funding to construct
three new child development centers (CDCs) at Fort Liberty, North
Carolina, Fort Meade, Maryland, and Wiesbaden, Germany. We are testing
and implementing incentives to maintain high staffing levels at
existing CDCs by providing recruitment and retention bonuses, tuition
assistance, and access to on-post resources such as commissaries at 16
installations.
Building on the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of
2022, the Army continues to work with the Defense State Liaison Office
to ensure military spouses can achieve portability of their
occupational license as they undergo a permanent change of station.
Army spouses may also take advantage of new opportunities provided by
updates to the Military Spouse Employment Act, which grants Federal
agencies the authority to hire military spouses for remote work and
allows military spouses to retain their positions should they relocate
to another location. We are also continuing to coordinate with the
Office of the Secretary of Defense to implement new policies that
further expand employment opportunities for our Army spouses as
directed by the Executive Order on Advancing Economic Security for
Military and Veteran Spouses, Military Caregivers, and Survivors.
The Army spends over $1.3 billion annually to provide Soldier and
family support programs at installations around the world, but we
recognize that each installation, unit, and community is unique and has
discrete needs. We are empowering senior installation commanders with
the authority to scale successful programs and close programs that do
not meet the needs of each individual community. We are piloting this
tailored, localized approach to Soldier programs at Fort Cavazos, TX,
and will expand to other installations pending the results of the
pilot.
maintaining the strategic path
Today's security environment is volatile and evolving quickly. The
battlefield is increasingly transparent, commercial technology is
advancing rapidly, and new capabilities allow adversaries to reach
around the world. The Army is transforming to meet the needs of this
rapidly changing environment. With Congressional support, we will keep
the Army on a sustainable strategic path as we transform for the
future. We will deliver ready combat formations with advanced
capabilities to defend our nation and its interests. We will transform
our recruiting enterprise to guarantee the longevity of the All-
Volunteer Force. We will invest in the quality of life of our Soldiers,
Civilians, and their families. We will build cohesive teams and foster
climates of trust grounded in our shared Army values. And we will serve
with the discipline and professionalism that the nation demands of its
Army, just as we have done for the past 249 years. This We'll Defend.
Senator Schatz. Thank you very much, General George.
Secretary Wormuth, last year you visited Schofield Barracks
on Oahu, and after touring where soldiers live, you said to the
press, and I quote, ``I wasn't happy with what I saw, frankly,
those are the kinds of things that I want us to get after.''
Tell me what you saw and tell me what you are doing about it?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator Schatz. I have seen a
lot of barracks over the last three-plus years, so I am not
sure if I will remember exactly what I saw at Schofield, but
what I have seen and what I probably saw there was struggles
with, you know, water on the floor, humidity. I remember
meeting one soldier in his barracks room, and it looked like he
had just stepped out of the shower in his bathroom, but in
fact, the water was, you know, seeping through the floor
because of issues with the foundation. As you know well, some
of the barracks at Schofield are pretty old.
And so what we are doing is investing $2.1 billion a year
in barracks, whether it is construction for new barracks,
whether it is renovating barracks we already have, or
sustaining barracks at 100 percent, which is something we have
not done in a long time. And I think all of that, together,
will help us significantly decrease the amount in our inventory
of barracks that are kind of at an unacceptable condition.
I will be honest with you, you know, we have a huge
inventory of barracks, and we are going to, you know, even with
all of that money, that we are investing, we really need to
invest more in barracks, but everything, you know, we have got
to figure out where that incremental dollar goes. But I think
this will do a lot.
Senator Schatz. So the $2 billion a year at 100 percent,
right. So let me try to understand this. This is FSRM
(Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization) money?
Secretary Wormuth. Yes.
Senator Schatz. Okay. Not MILCON?
Secretary Wormuth. Well, the $2.1 billion is the total.
There is MILCON, there is FSRM that is the total.
Senator Schatz. I got it. Okay.
Secretary Wormuth. But within that, we are sustaining at
100 percent as opposed to 85 percent, which is what we have
typically maintain.
Senator Schatz. And how does that work on your--I am sure
you have a sort of wedge analysis to get to where you want to
go. How many years of that level of investment would get us to
something that you would consider acceptable?
Secretary Wormuth. I think it is going to take us several
years, Senator, because, as you know, property just depreciates
continuously over time. So the 100 percent sustainment will
help slow that, you know, steady decrease in quality. But we
are going to have to make these kinds of investments for
multiple years.
Senator Schatz. Sorry to interrupt. Could you get us some
fidelity on, you know, you have an inflation number that you
now have to work with, and then you have the normal
depreciation. Then you know, so I am--your answer is several
years, but I would like to know if it is four-and-a-half, or
six-and-a-half, or two-and-a-half, because I think the
committee needs to know in case there is a desire to spend more
on this kind of thing, you know, what would get us to a better
baseline?
Secretary Wormuth. We can get that for you.
Senator Schatz. Thank you very much.
General George, I have been a fan of Pacific Pathways for a
very, very long time. I want to give you a couple of examples
of how cost-effective it is. Of course, you know this, but this
is really for staff. $18 million in 2023, the Army built
partner capacity in the Philippines through Exercise Balikatan.
In 2019, the Army spent $823,000 in Palau conducting joint
homeland defense drills, community health outreach, and
repairing infrastructure.
Can you just, you know, tell the public, tell the committee
about the cost-effectiveness of Pacific Pathways? I have never
seen, especially in this committee, something so inexpensive
and high impact. Your mic is not on.
General George. Pathways is incredibly effective for us out
in the Pacific. I mean, right now, what USARPAC (United States
Army Pacific) is doing in the Philippines is they basically are
taking an exportable training package that is out there and
helping to train those formations. We have the same thing in
reverse when we have all of our partners and allies that are
coming to Hawaii to train, which is very effective for our
relationships that are out there in the Pacific.
But all of those exercises, I would say, are building our
interoperability, they are building trust with our partners and
allies that are out there, and they are building real
capability. We are also using them, just to your cost-
effectiveness, to help us transform. I mean, some of the things
that we are doing out there right now with 25th ID that has
been out there, they are using unmanned systems to deliver and
ammunition, so using it on the logistics side. And we could go
on a long time about what the impact we think that that is
having out there.
Senator Schatz. Two thoughts: first of all, the soldiers
also love it, they love it. And that is not a trivial aspect of
this program. The other thing is if you can get us some data on
how much more you could do with more resources; that would be
very helpful.
Vice Chair Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Secretary Wormuth, we discussed just recently in my office
the horrific mass shooting that occurred last October 25th in
the State of Maine, the worst mass shooting in our State's
history, in which 18 individuals died, and another 13 were
injured. The killer, Robert Card, was a Sergeant First Class in
the U.S. Army Reserve.
The Governor of Maine has established an independent
commission that has already issued an interim report, and that
report includes several very troubling findings about missed
opportunities to prevent this tragedy. So I want to ensure that
we are taking every action necessary to try to lessen or
prevent the chances of such a tragedy ever happening again.
Secretary Austin has committed to working with me in
drafting legislation that would require our Military Services
to report to the appropriate authorities when a service member
poses a threat to him or herself, or to others, while
protecting the Second Amendment Rights of our service members.
But to draft the most effective legislation, I very much
need the results of the review that the Army Reserve has
undertaken, as well as the investigation that I requested from
the Inspector General. Originally, the Army Reserve's
Administrative Review was supposed to be completed by mid-
January, and we expected to have the IG's (Inspector General)
Report by the end of February. Could you please update me on
when we can expect those two critical reports?
Secretary Wormuth. Certainly. And Senator, first of all, I
would say, you know, my heart goes out to all of the families
in Maine that, that lost people, and that were affected by the
terrible shooting. It was truly tragic.
You will be able to expect, I think, the Army Reserve
investigation in a couple more weeks. It has been, as we talked
about, very comprehensive. There are over, I think, 3,000 pages
of interviews with witnesses and documents that they have
collected, which is partly why it has taken so long, but it
should be done in a couple more weeks. And then I think the
separate review being done by our Army Inspector General will
follow shortly after that.
Senator Collins. Thank you. I look forward to working with
you on the legislation, and would love to have your commitment
for that as well.
Secretary Wormuth. We look forward to working with you on
your legislation.
Senator Collins. Thank you. General George, there are those
who are against assistance to Ukraine, in particular, that
contend that our Defense Industrial Base cannot build enough
Air Defense Patriots, for example, or artillery grounds to
support Ukraine and Israel while also meeting the Army's own
requirements for these systems, even after the substantial
investment from the supplemental.
And I am a very strong supporter of assisting both Ukraine
and Israel. The implication of this line of argument is that we
should end our security assistance to Ukraine because we can't
take care of our own Army's needs as well.
So let me ask, ask you directly, can the Army and our
allies effectively manage the risk to the Army's munitions
stockpiles, particularly for air defense and artillery, while
also providing assistance to Ukraine and Israel?
General George. Senator, I think we can. And I do want to
say thanks on the supplemental. I think obviously the most
important thing for us is on-time funding so we can get things,
and you know, we struggled a little bit with that over this
last year. And what we need to do is, is what we are on the
path to do, is also continuing to invest in our organic
industrial base.
And we can get examples for like 155, where we are
producing a little over 30,000 rounds a month, and by the
beginning of 2026 we will be producing over 100,000 rounds a
month. So that is what we need to do. We need to continue to
invest in that in addition to what we are supplying for our--
you know, to those efforts.
Senator Collins. Thank you.
Senator Schatz. Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you. Thank you, Ranking
Member Vice Chairman.
Secretary, General George, welcome, welcome to your debut
hearing in the appropriations process.
Last October, the Under Secretary announced a digital
engineering strategy to optimize sustainment across the
Services. I understand the Army just this morning signed a
policy to help accelerate the adoption of digital engineering.
My view is that these tools are incredibly important for
designing and building new platforms and sustaining existing
systems.
Secretary, can you tell the committee a little bit more
about the forthcoming policy, and how the Army's previous
digital engineering work informs the adoption of this
capability?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator Moran. It is good to
see you. And we are excited about our new digital engineering
policy. Basically, what we are trying to do is make it easier
for the Army to adopt digital engineering approaches more
broadly at scale across the Army. You know, this is the kind of
work that allows us to do modeling, and simulation, and explore
engineering challenges using computer simulations, which is
more efficient and less costly.
So for example, our program to replace the Bradley Fighting
Vehicle, the XM30 Program, is incorporating digital engineering
in its development work. And the policy has a number of
different components, but its broad goal is to help us use that
important approach more broadly so that we can be more
effective in our modernization programs.
Senator Moran. Thank you for that answer.
General George, I would guess that the Senator from
Connecticut, Senator Murphy, will ask you about the Future
Long-Range Assault Aircraft and its safety. I want to inform
you that I support the decision to award Bell Textron the
contract for FLRAA (Future Long Range Assault Aircraft). This
is an aircraft that maneuvers like a helicopter in vertical
flight, flies twice as far and twice as fast as current
helicopters. All of this needs to be done with a safe piece of
equipment.
The aircraft competitively selected by the Army was the
only one that fully met those requirements, and it was, that
was validated by the GAO (Government Accountability Office).
Would you highlight for the committee, the importance of speed
and maneuverability this aircraft provides, as well as how the
Army plans to leverage its open system architecture?
General George. Yes, Senator, I mean, it can't come fast
enough for me. So I think this is going to be game-changing,
you know, for this aircraft, just for what you talked about.
The range it is going to have, the speed it is going to have,
and then with open architecture, what we can do with manned-
unmanned teaming, launch, defects, and all the other things
that are going to come with this. So I think it is going to
increase our capabilities.
Senator Moran. Thank you. Secretary, TAA (Training and
Technical Assistance) highlighted several capabilities
requiring significant investments at a time in which the Army
budget probably for this fiscal year represent about fiscal
year 2022 levels. I hear that there is a potential of
establishment of new structures or a new structure, like a
drone branch or a permanent ABCT (Armored Brigade Combat Team)
in Poland. Would the simultaneous establishment of additional
units not planned for in previous ARSTRUCs (Army Structure) be
disruptive to the Army's current plans to modernize?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator. I think it would be
challenging to generate, for example, a whole new armored
brigade combat team, you know, given the recruiting challenges
that we are working through. And like I said, I want to
emphasize that we are, I think, going to make our recruiting
goal this year. But you know, we have not built into our
current TAA plans an intention to build a new Armored Brigade
Combat Team. Instead, we are looking at things like the
counter-UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) battery that would
eventually come to Fort Riley, to the Maneuver SHORAD (Short-
Range Air Defense) battalions, and the multi-domain task
forces.
So at this time, we are not looking at building a new
Armored Brigade Combat Team, and I think we want to focus on
the integrated air and missile defense formations that are
going to be so important for large-scale conflict against an
advanced competitor.
Senator Moran. You have established your priorities, and
you believe in those priorities; is that what you are telling
me?
Secretary Wormuth. I do. And I mean, we do--we review our
force structure every year, so we certainly want to adjust to
conditions and adjust, you know, as the strategy may require
us. But right now, I think we believe that we are--what we have
built in, in terms of new formations are what is right for the
Army right now.
Senator Moran. Thank you very much.
General George. Can I make a comment just on the one topic
that didn't come up?
Senator Moran. Please, General.
General George. I know we are a little over. But on the--we
appreciate the interest, for example, on drones. And you have
mentioned, you know, drone branch. You know, for us, this is a
capability that is going to be, I think, resident in every
formation at every echelon. So we don't--we see this as
integrated in--into our formation, not some separate piece. And
I think we need that kind of flexibility.
We are actually doing that right now with our formations.
We have--we selected three units to kind of work this out and
start to transform in contact in doing this. But I don't think
it would be helpful to have a separate drone branch.
Senator Moran. Understood. Thank you.
Senator Schatz. Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Secretary Wormuth, as you know, the tactical wheeled
vehicle industrial base is an important part of the Wisconsin
economy, as well as a vital contributor to the Army's
warfighting requirements. I remain troubled by the Army's lack
of careful management of the industrial base, as I see it. The
Army has now awarded the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract
to an organization with no experience making JLTVs. That
company must now stand up a brand new production line, risking
a gap in fielding this critical platform.
So Secretary Wormuth, what is the status of this new JLTV
line and supply chain? And will the new vendor meet the
required schedule for production and fielding? Has the Army
identified any technical, schedule, or financial risks? And
under what circumstances will the Army negotiate a bridge
contract with the incumbent manufacturer, Oshkosh Defense, to
avoid any gaps in production? And I can repeat those because I
gave you quite a few.
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator Baldwin. At this
time, we are not anticipating any problems in the shift from
Oshkosh to AM General. As you rightly pointed out, AM General
has not made JLTV previously, but one of the things that I
think will provide a bridge, if you will, and allow AM General
to be fully prepared is the fact that we are going to keep the
production line open with Oshkosh using replenishment funds, so
that, I think, will allow us to make a smooth transition.
We are also, you know, in addition to heavy tactical
vehicles, medium tactical vehicles are very important to us,
and so we have extended the period of performance for the
contract with Oshkosh on those vehicles.
Senator Baldwin. But can you update us on the status of the
new line and the supply chain, and whether you believe the new
vendor will meet the required schedule for production and
fielding?
Secretary Wormuth. Senator, I am confident the new vendor
will meet the schedule, but I am happy to have Mr. Bush, our
Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, and his team, come and
brief you in detail on what we are seeing right now with that
company.
Senator Baldwin. Okay. The Army routinely submits a budget
with a request for tactical wheeled vehicles at numbers
substantially below industry's minimum sustaining rate,
expecting this committee to make up the difference. For many
years, I have pressed the Army to adequately fund these
platforms, and we are here today looking at another inadequate
budget request.
Ahead of this year's budget I sent you a letter asking that
the fiscal year 2025 budget reflect more realistic procurement
numbers, and again this year, the budget request is
insufficient. Last week, I asked Secretary Austin to engage the
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial-
Based Policy in analyzing the Army's management of these
programs.
Secretary Wormuth, will you work with the Assistant
Secretary on a plan for future Army budget requests that better
sustain the industrial base, and can I expect to receive the
forthcoming Tactical Wheeled Vehicle strategy that is due this
coming summer?
Secretary Wormuth. We would be happy to work with the
Assistant Secretary for Industrial Programs to get you that
information, Senator. We work closely with that part of the
Office of the Secretary of Defense on a regular basis, and we
will work with them to get you the report.
I would say, you know, one of the challenges that General
George and I have with the flat Army budget is trying to
balance, if you will, investment in enduring systems like our
vehicles and pursuing the ambitious modernization program that
we have. It is always a challenge to determine how to allocate
that incremental dollar, and I think to continue to support our
modernization program, you see us stretching out, if you will,
some of the investments in the ground vehicles.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Schatz. Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Vice Chair, and
thank you all for being here. We appreciate your leadership
and, I know, unwavering commitment, not only to our soldiers,
but also, and as importantly, their families.
I understand the Coyote unmanned aircraft system was
developed as a joint urgent operational need, which allowed for
rapid acquisition. This resulted in some steps of the standard
process being abbreviated. For example, the total Army
Munitions requirement for the Coyote Missile is still being
determined. Without this, it is hard for the Army or industry
to forecast accordingly and know what to expect in future
budgets and contracts.
Secretary Wormuth, what is the Army doing to finalize this
documentation so that the Army and industry can use it as the
basis for Coyote's long-term planning and investment?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator. We have been
relooking our total minimum requirements for munitions and for
things like the Coyote Interceptor, and I think there is a
general recognition that, given what we are seeing in Ukraine,
we need to increase our stockpiles of munitions and counter-UAS
capabilities. So we are working on that right now. I think
General George and I both believe that we need to invest more
in counter-UAS capabilities, which is why you see some of that
on his unfunded priority list.
But given that the Chief sets requirements, why don't I let
him speak to that in particular.
Senator Boozman. Thank you.
General George. Yes, the Coyote is a perfect example of
where we need to head. It has been, you know--we have sent
users, developers, testers forward, we have made it--as the
battlefield has changed we have made adjustments. One of our--
we were going to--we were looking to actually acquire more
Coyotes. Some of the problem was we couldn't increase
production because of the continuing resolution and some of
those changes.
This is one area, Senator, where I think flexible funding
in--and I know sometimes that can be a bad word--but within the
counter-UAS, UAS, and EW (Electronic Warfare) portfolios would
really help us. The battlefield is changing very, very rapidly.
And I am talking in days and weeks, sometimes you are lucky to,
you know, get things changing in a month. But as it changes, we
need to be able to, you know, go back to, we have the best
industry in the world, to go back and say, hey, we need to
change this, we need to up the quantity. Coyote was one of
those examples.
And that would also help us, you know, if there is a
continuing resolutions, if we had that built in, we could make
those adjustments. And that is what we were faced with last
fall, and it was tough to make those adjustments in stride.
Senator Boozman. Very good. The Defense Industrial Base in
Camden, Arkansas, remains at the forefront of critical
munitions production for our National defense. We anticipate
multi-year procurement authority will improve production rates
in the long term, and send a much-needed demand signal to our
industry partners.
Your joint statement also highlights the need for further
investments in order to ensure that the Nation can scale the
production of critical munitions and systems to meet current
and future operations.
Secretary Wormuth, General George, can you speak to what
these investments should entail? And again, does the budget
that is being proposed, does it meet the Army's demand for
munitions?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator. This budget has over
$3 billion in it for munitions, because, again, I think there
is a recognition that we have to build up our stockpiles. So
that includes money for GMLRS, PAC-3, which we have got the
multi-year authority for, Javelins, 155 millimeter, you name
it. And in addition to the $3 billion for the munitions
themselves, the budget also includes a billion dollars for
investing in the Army's own organic industrial base, so that
the various depots, arsenals, and ammo plants can be more
capable of producing faster and in larger capacities. So I
think we are really trying to get after it in this budget in
that area.
Senator Boozman. Thank you. Madam Chair.
Senator Murray [presiding.] Thank you. Senator Murphy.
Senator Murphy. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Thank you
both for being here and for your service.
It sounds like Senator Moran predicted my opening line of
questioning here. Listen, I think we have made a really bad bet
on doubling down on Tiltrotor technology that has proved to be
deadly, and has proved to be wildly expensive, from March 2022
to November 2023, we had 20 service members die in four
separate fatal Osprey crashes. This was after the Department of
Defense said, in February of 2023, that they had fixed the
problem, the hard clutch engagement problem that was thought to
be behind earlier crashes.
They were 99 percent certain that the problem had been
fixed, and then there were four crashes where 20 more service
members died. This is in addition to the program being wildly
expensive. Costs per flying hour have spiked by 22 percent just
between 2019 and 2020.
And so the decision to double down on the Tiltrotor
Program, with a Tiltrotor selection as part of the Future
Vertical Lift Program, sounds disastrous and wildly costly for
this committee.
Reports are that the Tiltrotor bid was twice that of the
competing bid, and then you have all of this evidence that you
haven't fixed the safety problems.
So Secretary Wormuth, can you explain, how the Army can
justify moving forward with the new Tiltrotor aircraft when we
can't even figure out how to address the safety issues with the
existing Osprey? And how we are going to account for a
Tiltrotor program that is known for its tendency for cost
escalation? How can you guarantee that this isn't going to
become just a giant cost suck on this committee as the costs
escalate in the new Tiltrotor program as they have in the
Osprey Program?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator. A couple of things
on that: So on safety, you know, certainly we are concerned
always anytime we see a helicopter crash or an airplane crash,
whether it is the Osprey or, you know, we have had some crashes
of our Apaches. But one of the things I think that the FLRAA
program will benefit from is over 20 years of safety experience
with the Osprey and lessons from the Osprey.
So we will be factoring all of that and learning from all
of that. And again, no helicopter is perfect. There are
inherently--you know, there can be challenges, but I think we
will benefit greatly from the long track record and be able to
learn lessons in terms of safety from the Osprey.
More broadly, to your point about costs, again, we looked
at not just costs when we considered the bids that came in but
also performance. And so I think we have to weigh that. And as
you know, ultimately, the GAO found that our decision to go
with Bell Textron was sound. So we will continue to look very
closely at cost and we will monitor cost growth, but we also
need to be looking at performance, and we felt that the Bell
Textron proposal would give us the performance that we need.
Senator Murphy. A couple of years ago, the Army's number
one modernization priority was the Future Attack Reconnaissance
Aircraft Program. The Army reversed itself, cancelled that
program, which is going to put us in a position to have to rely
on the Black Hawk in the short term to do a lot more work. And
yet this budget request includes only $25 million in Army
research and development funding for Black Hawk modernization,
which just doesn't sound right given the fact that now that you
aren't building a new Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft,
you are going to need to very quickly scale up and modernize
the Black Hawk.
So how do we make sure that we invest in the Black Hawk
Program, in part as a means to balance out what we have lost
with the cancellation of the FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance
Aircraft) Program?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator. One thing the Army
is doing to--as part of our rebalance of the aviation
portfolio--is to pursue the reconnaissance requirements in a
different way, really relying much more on space-based
sensing--the combination of space-based sensing, existing
platforms, and things like future tactical unmanned aerial
systems, and what we were previously calling air-launched
effects, but really we are now just calling launched effects.
So inherent in our decisions in the rebalancing is the fact
that we believe we can meet that requirement in a different
way. As you point out, we do need to continue to invest in
Black Hawk, and I think there are things that we could do if
Congress decided, for example, to give us more money for
research and development in 2025 for Black Hawk. We could work
on the fly-by-wire capabilities. We could work on more--doing
more with the improved turbine engine, which is going to be
critical not just for Black Hawk but also for Apache. So there
are projects I think we could pursue. But I would leave it
there.
Senator Murphy. Great. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Murray. Senator Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
And welcome. Good to see you, Madam Secretary. General,
thank you for being here, and your leadership.
We talk a lot about the various aircraft, the equipment,
but I think we know that as good as that may be if we fail to
invest adequately in our soldiers, that is where we fail, that
is where we have the vulnerabilities. So we have had these
conversations before about how we really take a whole-of-person
approach in addressing the physical, the mental, the emotional,
even the spiritual needs of our soldiers.
We have had the discussion about conditions in Alaska and
some of the challenges that present themselves that often
contribute to mental health struggles. One of the things that
we have found that is amazing in its effort or its ability to
uplift morale is this program that we authorized in the fiscal
year 2023 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), and this
is the Fly Back Home, when particularly a junior service member
who is maybe in Alaska and calls New York or Maine home, the
cost of an airplane ticket is prohibitively expensive.
And so when we put this in place, what we saw was not only
good, strong usage of it, but excitement about what it did. It
basically gave people something to look forward to, and in
terms of a mental health boost, it was really quite
considerable.
So General George, I would ask if you would speak to the
value of such a program for our soldiers; and Secretary, if you
can then comment as to whether the Army intends to restart the
Fly Back Program. General.
General George. Thank you, Senator. And I agree with you
and your comment up front that our edge is our soldiers, and
making sure that we are investing in them. We are really proud.
I think, of a lot of things that we have done, and we have seen
General Eifler and the 11th Airborne Division up there, has
informed things across the Army. So they are doing great. And
first and foremost is they are doing great training up there.
And you know, we are continuing to invest in that because I
think that that is critically important, and I know you have
had an opportunity to see that. What we like to say is that
every location is unique, and we need to be able to do unique
things like the Fly Back Home Program, that is very unique, you
know, given where they are at, and it is helpful for us.
And I think that we have to look at every installation like
that a little bit different. I will tell you that Alaska is
near the top. You know, we offer stations of choice, there is a
lot of people that want to go up and serve in Alaska, that has
helped, you know, with us for our recruiting, and I think it
is, one, it is they want to come up to Alaska and experience
that, but it is also because they do a really good job of
taking care of their soldiers and their families, and I think
it starts there.
Senator Murkowski. We are trying and we are making some
headway, but again, it is these little things.
Secretary, can you comment on whether or not there is any
intention to restart the program?
Secretary Wormuth. Certainly, Senator Murkowski. I think
what I would like to do is, as you know, we have the Fly Home
Program, we also have the remote condition and austere
incentive pay for Wainwright and JBER, and have spent, I think,
over $25 million on that. And then our Vice Chief right now is
really stepping back, and reviewing our MTOE for the entire
11th Airborne Division to see if we are investing it the way
that we need.
What I would like to do is commit to you to look at the
cost benefits of restarting the Fly Back Program. We are under
a flat top line, so every dollar we are constantly in a Peter
and Paul situation. But I know it was a popular program, and I
would commit to you that we will look at that, but I would like
to look at it in the context of some of the other programs that
we are doing as well.
Senator Murkowski. And since you raised the MTOE, it really
does speak to the gaps that we are seeing there with the 11th,
including the lack of the MTOE, the equipment, to define what
equipment is appropriate for the Arctic, the lack of the
division artillery, the lack of the sustainment brigade, the
lack of an aviation headquarters.
So I am glad to know that you are reviewing that. I am
hopeful that we are going to see some progress on this soon
that this is not something that we are going to be studying for
a long while. I think we recognize what has been put in place
with the 11th, the focus on the Arctic strategy, the need to
emphasize the dominance there.
But we have to have it all lined up. We just can't have it
in name only or in title only. I think you both recognize that.
So I don't know if you can inform me as to timing on what we
might expect for progress on this.
General, do you know?
General George. Yes. We are getting together and having
these discussions. I just would tell you, Senator, the things
that I think we need to grow first and foremost with structure,
is counter-UAS capabilities, counter-UAS batteries. I think we
need to grow additional integrated air and missile defense, and
we need to grow some long-range fire.
So we are obviously looking at it, this total Army analysis
is something that we are need to do, We did up-gun the aviation
oversight up there, and added some slots to do that to make
sure that we are kind of have the right oversight up there with
that. But I am just putting it in context that if we are going
to grow capabilities, it would be my recommendation that we
would grow some of these other things first. I am not saying
that those aren't all--you know, that aren't important, but we
would need to grow those other capabilities first.
Senator Murkowski. We will look forward to working with you
and getting the updates on this.
Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Senator Murray. Thank you very much.
Thank you, to both of you, for being here today; it is
great to be here today to talk about what resources the Army
needs in the coming year and to make sure we are supporting the
men and women in uniform who keep all of us safe. I want to be
sure that we deliver the investments your service needs.
And it is critical we also provide adequate funding for
agencies across government, because, as we talked about with
Secretary Austin, the Department of Defense does not operate in
a vacuum. If we fail to properly fund State and other
departments, then our Nation is less secure and will end up
having to spend more money on the Pentagon, not to mention we
leave families more vulnerable to threats like wildfires,
pandemics, and Fentanyl, and other crises.
So with that in mind, I am glad to have you here today, and
I just want to discuss a few things. And one of them is child
care. One of the main challenges I hear from Joint Base Lewis-
McCord in my home State of Washington is that maintaining
adequate staff for its child development centers is a problem.
If you don't have staff, they can't provide child care. And
without safe quality child care, it is really difficult for our
service members to accomplish their mission requirements.
Women service members, in particular, report that lack of
childcare jeopardizes their career opportunities. In fiscal
year 2024, Senator Tester and I secured $167 million to fully
fund the Department of Defense's Child Care Initiatives. And I
am glad you were able to reopen a CDC (Child Development
Centers) at JBLM (Joint Base Lewis-McCord) in January. However,
staffing constraints are still preventing it from operating at
full capacity.
Secretary Wormuth, have the benefits DOD (Department of
Defense) offers for childcare workers shown to be an effective
tool for recruitment and retention?
Secretary Wormuth. I think the incentives are helping us,
absolutely, Chair Murray. You know, we offer a recruiting
bonus. We also have retention incentives. We have been offering
a 50 percent discount on a worker's first child attending the
CDC as well. We have also had a pilot opening up commissary
benefits to our CDC workers. Those are helping us, but----
Senator Murray. Is there something else we should be doing?
Secretary Wormuth. I think one of the things that is a big
challenge for us, is the time it takes to hire civilian
workers. So figuring out, frankly, to be blunt, how we can make
USA Jobs more effective, to shorten the time it takes to hire
civilian workers, that would be----
Senator Murray. How long does it take?
Secretary Wormuth. It takes in some cases more than 180
days.
Senator Murray. So they take something else?
Secretary Wormuth. So they take another job. That is right.
And at places like JBLM, we are at about 70 percent staffing.
And that is something that is controlled by OPM (Office of
Personnel Management), it is outside of the Army, but I--and we
are looking ourselves at what we can do inside the Army to
speed up civilian hiring, but ultimately USA Jobs is a big
piece of it.
Senator Murray. Thank you. General, did you want to add.
General George. Just because I just was up at JBLM, Senator
Murray, and obviously been stationed there, so I think every
location is a little bit different. JBLM is one of the areas
that we are short probably more than other locations. In a lot
of areas there, you know, we are well above 90 percent in the
hiring. So we are dealing with this in different areas, and I
know that I have read something recently there is more than
40,000 shortage nationwide, you know, for child care. So I
think we are competing.
One of the things that we are looking at again, every
location is unique and different is how do we also, in addition
to what the Secretary mentioned as far as commissary, we have
done that is worked as a privilege up there, giving the money
off if they have kids, and we are actually offering them
access, because sometimes it spouses to housing a little
quicker. Housing is a very--another challenge that is up there.
Senator Murray. Yes.
General George. And then I think we also have to look at
the pay that we are doing. And I don't think we need any help
with that, but you know, do we--what grade is it that we could
maybe go up a little bit? But I did want to foot stomp on the
USA Jobs, and the challenge just with that kind of hiring. It
is an old system, and I think that that could be updated.
Senator Murray. Well, you mentioned housing, and that is
the other thing I hear about all the time. We are still seeing
issues with mold, with rodents, with the availability of
suitable and affordable housing, especially at JBLM. I have
heard as many as 650 service members and their families are
spending anywhere from 3 to 12 months in a hotel or other
accommodation while they wait for a home on base or become
available. These service members and their families need to
have a safe, reliable, affordable place to live, period.
So talk to me, Secretary Wormuth about what you are doing
to ensure housing needs are met at both on and off base.
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you. We are doing a few things. In
this year's budget, for example, we have investment for 138 new
homes, 250 renovations of homes, and $400 million for
sustainment of existing army-owned family housing, in addition
to all of the money, the $2.1 billion that we are putting into
barracks for unaccompanied soldiers.
We also continue to work extremely closely with our five
privatized housing partners to make sure that they are
providing quality housing, to make sure that they have enough
maintenance workers, you know, to make sure that they are
taking care of the privatized home. So we absolutely still have
challenges, Chair, but I think we are trying very hard to
reduce the problems with mold and long waits for maintenance.
Senator Murray. General, anything you wanted to add?
General George. I just would add, Senator. Up there, what
one of the things that we do that is unique to JBLM is we have
an office there that does rental agreements to help, because
again it is a specific problem up there, and you know what the
housing market over the last several years has gone up there,
where soldiers don't have to pay you know to get several credit
checks it is one thing they don't have to put and big deposits,
so we are doing other things as well, and we are doing that----
Senator Murray. With the community?
General George [continuing]. With the community, which
again, I think that that is what we are going to have to do, is
tailor you know some of those solutions locally, because the
truth is that about 30 percent of our, you know, Force lives on
base, you know, in family housing. So we are going to have to
work with the local communities really across the country to
solve this.
Senator Murray. Thank you. Senator Capito.
Senator Capito. Thank you. And thank you both, not just for
your service, but for being here with us today. It is good to
see both of you again,
My questions are, first of all, I wanted to ask about
cyber. Obviously, we are we are facing more cyber threats at
every level, and in every aspect of our critical
infrastructure, and from what I understand the Guard is already
playing a critical role in domestic response to cyber-attacks,
including through our critical infrastructure Battalion at the
Army Interagency Training and Education Center in my State of
West Virginia. This unit supports a number of DOD and DHS
(Department of Homeland Security) programs.
Is there a more direct role for the National Guard to play
in cyber specifically using them as a liaison force between the
Federal Government, the States, and the local and State
critical infrastructure? Do you all have--what would your
response to that be? Yes.
Secretary Wormuth. Senator, I think what I would say is,
you know, we try to leverage all of the cyber expertise across
all three of our components, Active, Guard, and Reserve, and
certainly there is a lot of great cyber expertise in the Guard.
I think trying to have a one-size-fits-all program with the
Guard is challenging, because frankly the level of expertise
varies from State to State and also, frankly, so you know 85
percent of our critical infrastructure is in the private
sector, and so there is a tremendous amount of diversity.
But I can tell you that I know General Barrett, who is the
Army Cyber Commander, works very closely with the Guard, to try
to make sure that we are making the best use of them, and that
we are also retaining, frankly, that capability which is very
in demand right now.
Senator Capito. Yes. General George, do you have a
response?
General George. Yes, I just would--and having deployed with
some of these experts in the Guard, I think what makes them
very unique when they come into your formations is a lot of
them work this in their daily jobs.
Senator Capito. Right.
General George. And really keep up a skill level which is
really helpful for us. So we are constantly looking, and we are
in discussions right now with the Guard on, you know, what
adjustments that we need to make. I do think that as part of
our continuous transformation, looking at how we--our cyber
formations again, I think that is one of the things that has
made the world much smaller with space and cyber.
Senator Capito. Right.
General George. So we are constantly evaluating how we can
get better in that space.
Senator Capito. Good. Good. Well, on Friday we had a great
announcement in Huntington, West Virginia, at Marshall
University, in Marshall University-West Virginia University
collaboration. They are friends now, unless they are on the
football field, is what the bottom line is there. But it was
the DOD National Center for Excellence for cybersecurity and
critical infrastructure. They are trying to develop the
workforce, but it is a really great collaborative effort
between private sector, academia, the DOD, and the Guard, and
USCYBERCOM.
So I think we are moving in a great direction in West
Virginia, very excited about the potential for that project in
our home State.
My other question, my next question is on Army soldier-led
innovation programs, providing, obviously, weapons to Ukraine,
illuminated some of our shortfalls, and some of--where we are
doing really well. And I have been a big supporter of soldier-
led innovations through the Army DEVCOM's Pathfinder Program,
and the Accelerating Force Program.
These programs help to transition our weapons and our tech
by actually putting it in the hands of our Military and before
they are--it is actually, as an experimentation type of thing.
So you can get on-the-ground reactions from folks that are
going to be using these weapons, what lessons can be learned.
What is the Army's plan to increase funding for these types of
soldier-driven innovation programs? And can we get new
technology solutions into soldiers' hands for experimentation?
Because I think it will bring great successes to us.
So General, I don't know if you want to start with that?
General George. Sure. I am wishing there was more time on
the clock to talk about this one. So we are doing what we are
``calling transformation and contact''. I would love to have
our team come up here and kind of lay that out what we are
doing.
Senator Capito. That would be great.
General George. What we are doing is exactly what--you
know, if you infuse a formation with technology and then see
how they actually use it, and we have the developers that are
down there that make software adjustments. We have the drones
that are there and we make adjustments to them. That is what we
are doing. So we have a brigade that is going to go over to
Europe. We have a brigade now in the 101st. We have a brigade
that is out in the Pacific. And they are getting--we are fixing
their network, we are adding electronic warfare, UAS, counter-
UAS, all of those capabilities.
And what this means is we are not going to buy stuff, you
know, that say, hey, this going to be here with us for 20
years.
Senator Capito. Right. Right.
General George. We are going to innovate exactly what you
are talking about. I just was down at Stewart, and I know we
have partnerships with universities in West Virginia, and they
are anticipating----
Senator Capito. Right. And we have a facility, yes, in Clay
County.
General George [continuing]. They are making their own; as
an example, they turn what had been a vehicle that was, you
know, manned they basically turned it into a breaching vehicle
was completely automated. So I mean these are soldiers that are
doing these things, they are able to come up with how we can 3D
print parts that cost $20, and you know, took us 6 months to
get to actually 3D printing, 16 of them within an hour, and
they cost 12 cents each.
So these are soldiers that are doing these things. I think
that technology has changed that much we are going to have to
adjust with the times.
Senator Capito. Well, thank you. And also seems to me--and
my time is up--but not only is it a cost saving on the
production, but you are not wasting money on things that may
not, in theater, actually perform is exactly as intended, or as
thought could be.
Thank you all, both, for being here. It is good to see you.
Thank you.
Senator Murray. Thank you. Senator Coons.
Senator Coons. Thank you, Chair Murray. And thank you for
the opportunity to be with you both today, for your service,
and for your leadership, Secretary Wormuth and General George.
I look forward to following up with you, if I can, briefly,
on three things. One that I may have missed the full
conversation on, because I have three committee hearings at the
same time, really grave concerns about Force protection and the
countering the drone threat. Second, the State Partnership
Program which I think has shown real benefits in Ukraine and in
a dozen other countries I have been to in Africa, and Southeast
Asia, in Central America.
But first, the Global Fragility Act, 5 years ago President
Trump signed into law a bill that Senator Graham and I worked
on for years, to try and come up with a common approach, this
is modeled on Plan Colombia, and how we took a combination of
DOD, State Department, USAID over a decade to come up with a
common approach to dealing with a fragile State that was not
yet a failed State.
Colombia, 25/30 years ago was a disaster, it was a mess,
but it was still salvageable. And so a joint strategy effort
between DOD, State, and USAID successfully moved it back into
the column of countries we can work with. We really have
struggled to get DOD engagement and implementation, and there
was several years ago a decision made by the lead agency State,
to prioritize a few countries, Papua New Guinea, Mozambique,
Coastal West Africa.
I just met with the Four-Star responsible for AFRICOM
pressed on the, frankly, deteriorating security situation in
the Sahel and Coastal West Africa, and would urge you to engage
in providing even modest resources to Coastal West Africa,
recognizing that withdrawal or removal of equipment and forces
from these areas is a sensitive and difficult subject to
discuss in full here.
I would welcome your active engagement. I recognize this
often falls to the bottom of the list, but as we saw in
Southwest Asia, there are countries that are sort of off our
list of priority countries until suddenly they are, at great
expense and at great loss of life.
So I would be interested in any brief response, Madam
Secretary, or a chance for a follow-up conversation.
Secretary Wormuth. Certainly, Senator. Happy to do a
follow-up as well; briefly I would say I think where the Army
can be most helpful in that regard is through our Security
Force Assistance Brigade, you know, which we have one aligned
to each combatant command. So General Langley works with our
Security Force Assistance Brigade to try to build
interoperability, build up the security forces in those
countries. That is, I think, where we could make the best
contribution.
Senator Coons. I am intimately familiar. President Ruto of
Kenya is here this week for a state visit, he has been a
tremendous security partner, Kenya generally, in the counter
al-Shabaab work that is very difficult and dangerous in
Somalia, but we do not have a comparable platform or plan for
Coastal West Africa, post-Sahel, and I am very eager to work on
that.
I am also concerned about Force protection for our Forces
who are in FOBs, in Eastern Syria or in Somalia, and just hope
that you recognize the urgency of this. I was interested in
hearing Senator Capito's questions about Soldier Led-
Innovation. We don't have 3 years or 2 years to deploy.
I saw the Coyote System in a recent visit to Iraq and to
Jordan, I have seen some of the other options, I just don't
think we are moving fast enough. What is your sense of what we
might be able to do to support faster Force protection
solutions, for very low-tech, easy to deliver drones?
General George. So I agree with you. And I was having this
conversation with Senator Collins. I do think we need to move
faster, and we are doing that. We are basically taking
everything that we have available and putting it in the Middle
East, and again it is kind of the--it is the user, what Senator
Capito was talking about where you actually have soldiers that
are on the systems, the developers, and the testers that are
all right there.
And we have our directed energy that is over, we just
directed the high-power microwave system that we are doing, is
going to go over there immediately, because I think we have to
spin this, a whole bunch faster. We did--you know a lot has
changed in that work, and that was why it was on the unfunded
priority list to ask to get, because of what has changed in the
Middle East since last October.
And then this is another area, and I know I have mentioned
this, where I think we have to be more flexible in our funding
approach, so that when we have something that research is
working well, and we know we need to procure more of those
systems, and I can give you examples of certain systems that we
are doing better, that we wouldn't have to wait, that we could
do that.
You know, we could come over and notify the committee, and
then you know do a certain wait period, and then go ahead, and
do that. And we would love to work with you on that. But I
think we have to turn the wheel a lot faster on counter-UAS.
Senator Coons. Given the Houthis, given the proximity,
given al-Shabaab, and given where our Forces are, and how they
are deployed, I am as concerned about Forces in Somalia and
Northeastern Kenya, as I am about Forces in Iraq and Syria. And
I hope that that elevates.
Last, in a sentence, the State Partnership Program, 30
years' old, I think we have got every one of our State National
Guards, I think Maine has Montenegro, I think you have got
Malaysia, or Thailand, and I think you have Gabon, if I am not
mistaken. We have got Trinidad and Tobago. I have visited SPP
(State Partnership Program) Partnerships in a dozen countries,
particularly in the Baltic States, and in Ukraine, where they
have made an amazing difference. Please continue to support it
robustly. And I will continue to advocate for that. Thank you
very much.
Senator Murray. Thank you. Senator Hoeven.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Madam Chair. Secretary, General,
thanks for being here, thanks for your service, appreciate you
both very much.
Secretary, given the magnitude of challenges we face it is
critical that the Army National Guard maintain the capabilities
to integrate seamlessly into the fight. And I know you support
that. We funded 12 MQ-1C Gray Eagle Aircraft in fiscal 2023,
which supports one Army Guard Division. I am concerned that
that is not enough. Will you commit to ensuring parity across
the Force for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle?
Secretary Wormuth. Senator Hoeven, our plan with the Gray
Eagles is we have planned to have 12 companies associated with
divisions, I think we have about half of those on contract
right now, and we will--our plan is to have the addition
completed by the end of this fiscal year.
We still have to work through what are the criteria for
stationing those Gray Eagles with our National Guard, and
General Hokanson and General Jensen will be putting together
those criteria, and making sure that they are shared with the
Adjutant's General so that States, you know, have visibility
into the process as we think through stationing. But that is
our plan right now for Gray Eagle.
Senator Hoeven. Okay. Also one of the things that go with
that, is standing up a schoolhouse in regard to training for
the Gray Eagle as well. And I have talked to both members of
the Army and the Guard in regard to doing that because we think
we have a very good proposal for you in North Dakota that would
be a very cost-effective way to do it. And so we would look
forward to discussing that with you, as you stand up this
mission in the Guard. Okay?
Secretary Wormuth. Certainly look for to discussing that.
Senator Hoeven. Thank you, Secretary, I appreciate it.
General, so we are seeing drones transform the battlefield,
and certainly Ukraine, other places as well, the Army recently
canceled plans for several new aviation platforms and seems to
be rethinking its requirements on the battlefield. What role do
you envision unmanned aircraft both large and small playing for
Army in the future, based on what we are seeing in the current
conflicts?
General George. Senator, I was going to tag on to your
previous one and----
Senator Hoeven. Well, please, do. Go ahead.
General George. What we were--because it is related, I
think, to what you were talking about. We are going to need
unmanned systems in all of our formations. We have been meeting
with a large group of Tags, and the division commanders had a
lot of discussions with them about how all of our formations
are going to have to transform. And we are going to need this
kind of technology at every echelon, in doing that, and making
those adjustment, so I think it--not just Gray Eagle, what we
are going to need is short range, medium range, it is going to
have to be inside of our formation.
We did cancel--and I don't know if you are referring to
like Shadow and Raven; those were 25-year-old systems they were
great 15 years ago, but what we can't do is keep something in
the formation that we know is not going to be effective on the
battlefield. And Amazon, Home Depot, I mean all these--there is
a lot of great small companies out there that are really moving
quickly with unmanned systems, and what we are trying to do is
build a modular open system architecture where we can put
different systems and sensors on them, and I think that we will
be able to adapt to that rate of change if take that model.
Senator Hoeven. Right on. I mean we have got to look at--
and I know you always do, and I know you are; we have got to
look at what is going on in the battlefield right now, and the
whole U.S. drones, large and smaller, are changing the dynamics
for all of the Services, not just Air Force, or you know, Navy,
but for you, for the Marine Corps, everybody.
We do a ton of work in unmanned aviation, in Grand Forks
North Dakota, a lot of counter-UAS, we have 900 miles of border
responsibility, we have customs, and border protection co-
located, with the Air Base there, we have a technology park
there, we have all the major players in this area, but it is
not only what we do offensively with these drones it is what we
do to counter them too.
And so I would like to invite you to come and see what we
are doing, but also because we can't be shooting million-dollar
missiles to take down a $500 drone, and Swarms. We have got to
get on top of this. We are working very hard on that, and we
want to work with you to advance that. So I am inviting you as
well, to come see what we are doing, but to work
collaboratively on this, not just for the Guard, but for all
the Services, DOD-wide.
General George. I am going to try to get up there before it
is January and February, since I am from the Midwest, so.
Senator Hoeven. Here is the good news, if you come during
the nice weather you get nice weather; if you come during the
cold weather, we have got the best hockey, you have ever seen.
We will take you the hockey game.
But again, thanks to both of you for your service.
Senator Murray. Vice Chair Collins, last questions.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Madam Chair.
General, first let me say I was delighted to hear you talk
about 3D printing and the possibilities that it can contribute
enormously to our National Defense. The University of Maine has
one of the largest, if not the largest, 3D printer and has
printed everything from a boat, to a home, it is just amazing
what they have been able to do. They are also doing a lot of
work on ballistic protections for our troops using composites,
so it is very exciting the work that is going on. And I am glad
to know that you see the promise as well.
I want to talk about what I think is--or ask you about what
I think is one of the unappreciated consequences of the
supplemental, and that is that the Replenishment funding helps
to modernize the Army. I think that has been lost in this
debate, that it gives you better capabilities.
So General, could you please describe how the replenishment
funding is helping the Army replace its Legacy weapons with
more modern capabilities?
General George. A real quick example, Senator, is 113s are
very capable vehicles, but we are now moving on, and everyone
that we have provided, we are now buying MVs. And so we are
up--you know, we have a better system. The same thing with the
Bradleys that we have done, and what we are doing to buy, you
know, a more advanced model. And then the other thing is to--
for a lot of that, for the supplemental, 80 percent or more of
it was coming back into our own industrial base, and what we
are doing right here. So yes, we are not buying any old stuff,
we are buying new equipment, is what we are getting.
Senator Collins. And that is a real advantage, manage and
your point is well taken that the vast majority of the funding
in the supplemental actually goes to American industrial
companies, and creates good jobs, so it is important as far as
sustaining our industrial base and strengthening it as well.
Secretary, I understand that last month the Department of
Homeland Security, once again requested emergency support from
the Military for Southwest Border Operations, and the Pentagon
is estimating that the cost will be at least $490 million, and
most of it is going to have to be borne by the Army.
First question, has DHS, the Department of Homeland
Security, ever reimbursed the Department of Defense for these
additional costs that you are bearing, to assist DHS on the
border?
Secretary Wormuth. I believe, Senator, that out of, I think
20 years of supporting DHS we have never been reimbursed. I
could be wrong on that, but generally they have not reimbursed
us for the support we have offered, which I think goes to Chair
Murray's point about the importance of adequately resourcing,
not just DOD, but other important agencies like DHS.
Senator Collins. I think it does as well, but it concerns
me because $500 million is not an inconsequential cost, and it
means you are going to have to rob some other underfunded
program in order to meet what is a very legitimate need. It
seems to me that this is a perfect example of something that
should have been in the budget request. It is not. Because as
you point out: this has been going on for many years. Would you
support an emergency supplemental to cover those costs?
Secretary Wormuth. Certainly, I think they could be
considered as part of a supplemental. You know, I do want to
emphasize that the Army has always answered the call, you know,
we have been in support of our friends in the Custom and Border
Patrol, but as you said it is a significant outlay for us, I
think we have already spent $270 million this year, so a
supplemental would certainly be helpful for something like
this.
Senator Collins. Thank you. And finally, let me just
reinforce what Senator Coons said about the State partnerships
with the National Guard. The one with Maine, with Montenegro
and Maine is applying for another partnership right now, was
tremendously successful in getting Montenegro prepared for its
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) responsibilities. And
it was just a terrific experience on both sides. So that is a
program that I hope we will continue to support. Thank you.
Senator Murray. Thank you. Senator Moran, do you have any
additional questions?
Senator Moran. I do. Thank you very much. A couple of
questions in the realm of those who are departing the Service,
in my veteran's capacity, the value veterans bring to the
workforce, there is need for transitioning of service members
to be appropriately credentialed, and translate their skills
that they learned in the Military into their next career.
Secretary, do you think a soldier will be more or less
hirable after their transition if they have certifications that
translate a breadth of experience to potential employers?
Secretary Wormuth. I certainly think helping position our
soldiers to have credentials and certificates that help them be
as marketable as possible when they transition, is valuable.
Senator Moran. And is that happening?
Secretary Wormuth. Yes. We have, as I am sure you know, a
credentialing assistance program that we have been piloting, it
has been wildly successful. I think part of the challenge the
Chief and I have is putting up some guard rails around that to
make sure that we can afford it again inside of our flat
topline, but we are supporting our soldiers in getting
certifications and credentials.
Senator Moran. That answer gives me a suggestion that I
will pursue.
General George, case on delays, outline the Army's path
forward on what conditions you need to meet to resume
operations of horse-drawn caissons at Arlington National
Cemetery?
General George. I am going to mention a couple things and I
am going to turn it over to my ranger buddy here on the right
because I know she spent a lot of time on this, more than I
have. But I think we are looking at, Senator, is conditions
based. I mean we want to do this, well, obviously, the support
we provide at Arlington National Cemetery is sacred to us, and
to all of our veterans, and we are trying to stand up this
capability.
I think we have the right experts that are on board doing
that, as well as General Bredenkamp kind of overseeing that
hiring the right people, making sure--and this, you know, the
problem we had didn't--you know, wasn't created, it took time.
And so I think what--the approach that we are taking I think is
a very good one, very sound, we can come over and talk to you
about it in detail. But I will turn it over to my----
Secretary Wormuth. Sure. This is something, Senator Moran,
we have been working really hard on and it is surprisingly
complex and challenging. But I--as the Chief said, it is going
to be several more months before we can offer caisson funerals
again. And that is because, among other things, we have to buy
30 more horses, to have enough horses to provide this very
specialized capability. We have to find the pasture land to
support those horses.
We have now, I think, gotten on top of making sure that we
have the expert veterinary personnel that we need to help us
care properly for these horses, and the stables, at Joint Base
Henderson Hall-Myers are going to have to be reconstructed. So
we have quite a bit of work to do before we can operate that
particular service, which is so important, safely and
efficiently; but happy to come talk to you in more detail.
Senator Moran. Thank you. It does demonstrate that nothing
is simple. And I appreciate your attention. I think it is a
really important and meaningful experience for veterans, their
families, for Military Service and their families. Thank you.
Final, question total Army analysis provided details of new
counter-UAS batteries to be employed as division assets; is
this capability on schedule to be delivered to the initial
units in fiscal year 2024 and through 2029; and where is the
Army accepting risk in the development of this capability?
Secretary Wormuth. Thank you, Senator. And the Chief may
want to add on this. We are on schedule, you know, as we have
said throughout this hearing, building up our counter-UAS
capability, both the systems and the formations to be able to
perform that function is critical. And so we are on schedule
right now. I believe that the counter-UAS battery coming to
Fort Riley is supposed to arrive in fiscal year 2029, and we
are making it a priority to make sure that we have both the
equipment that will be needed for that, and also the soldiers
who can man that.
Senator Moran. General, this has been a theme for you
today.
General George. Sure. I am happy to add something on
counter-UAS. I think we didn't get an opportunity to talk about
recruiting and I think that that is the most important thing
you know, kind of said that in my up upfront statement about
getting people to come in to and--thankfully, we are we are
looking a little bit better we are ahead, slightly ahead of
projections, and we are going to continue to focus on that.
That is what I think we really need to do, is get the people in
and to continue to grow, because this is a capability that we
need for First Infantry Division, and really everywhere. And
then it is also I will tell you on counter us is something that
we are going to have to continue to look at capabilities at
echelon, and what we need to do, and we are going to have to
continuously transform in that area as well.
Chairwoman, I won't ask a question, but I will conclude we
did not talk about recruitment. It is one of the most important
things on capability of the Army to meet our country's needs. I
would offer, if there is--if you point me in the right
direction, one of my goals to help in recruitment, is to
further expand the availability of Junior ROTC (Reserve
Officers' Training Corps) in Kansas.
And if you want to point somebody in my direction to kind
of help me through that process I would be delighted to help
find a school or schools that might be interested, and we have
great Junior ROTC programs at Junction City, and at
Leavenworth, I would like to see that elsewhere
Senator Murray. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you to our witnesses today.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
Senators may submit additional written questions. We ask
that you respond to them within a reasonable time.
[The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but
were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the
hearing:]
Questions Submitted to Hon. Christine Wormuth
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. Congress provided authority and funding for multi-year
procurement contracts of several Army munitions including the PAC-3,
GMLRS, and 155-millimeter artillery rounds. These contracts will to
provide stability and funding predictability for the industrial base--
even under tight budget caps. We have been very clear that we expect to
see: Substantial unit cost savings; industry investments to expand and
upgrade their facilities; and weapons being delivered on cost and
schedule.
Secretary Wormuth, can you give us an update on where you are in
awarding these contracts? Are they generating savings, and are we
getting weapons faster?
Answer. Congress has been instrumental in providing the Army with
the authority to enter into new multiyear contracts for Patriot
Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3), Guided Multiple Launch System (GMLRS)
and 155mm artillery rounds, which will provide us stability and
predictability of the supply chain and demand for those munitions.
The award of the PAC-3 multi-year procurement (MYP) occurred at the
end of June 2024. The Army anticipates savings of up to 3 percent and
improved stability in the PAC-3 supply chain resulting from the
multiyear procurement (MYP) approach.
The GMLRS MYP contract will be for FY 2024-2027, with an already
awarded FY 2024 delivery order being modified to become the base for
the multi-year contract. Proposals are still outstanding and the Army
anticipates a savings of 2.5%. MYP does not shorten the production
timeline, however, GMLRS has Advanced Procurement funding, which will
reduce production lead time from 34 months to 22 months.
With respect to 155mm artillery ammunition, the Army is executing
several MYP contracts. Initial MYP contracts for Artillery Munitions
and components were awarded in FY 2023. Additionally, delivery orders
were awarded off the MYPs in FY 2024 for the Modular Artillery Charge
System (MACS) containers, MCAS Load Assemble Pack (LAP), and M1128
Metal Parts. Delivery orders for the MYP for M1128 LAP are estimated to
be awarded in 4Q FY 2024 and deliveries are anticipated to begin in
March 2025. The Army estimates savings ranging from 3% to 11% per
awarded contract.
Question. There are no U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine; but
the Army supports Ukraine in its fight to repel Russia's invasion by
training Ukrainian soldiers and supplying major combat systems and
munitions. The delayed passage of the National Security Supplemental
forced you to cover a lot of these costs out of hide.
Secretary Wormuth: How has this impacted funding for other Army
programs? And how quickly can you ``get right'' now that the National
Security Supplemental has passed?
Answer. The Army supported base and contingency requirements like
Ukraine by prioritizing expenditures. Though operational tempo did not
reduce, funding executed at a slower rate while awaiting passage of the
National Security Supplemental. Approximately $557 million of Army's FY
2024 base funding was directly used in support of Ukraine requirements
prior to passage of supplemental funding. Over $167 million (of the
$557 million) impacted major programs resulting in delayed, deferred,
or descoped facilities repair efforts, supplies, parts, and exercises.
Examples include:
--$37.5 million in delayed exercise funding for Saber Strike ($1.5
million), Combined Resolve ($1 million), and Swift Response
($35 million).
--$106 million in deferred or cancelled supply requisitions.
--$3.4 million in deferred parts requisitions to maintain Army
maintenance standards.
--$20 million in deferred improvements for Jasionka, Poland
facilities for the expansion of the remote maintenance and
distribution cell.
The Army is diligently working to align supplemental funding to
restore base funding before 30 September 2024. This requires a
significant amount of labor re-work and coordination, particularly with
contracts, due to the volume and complexity needed to update the
contracting and financial records prior to the end of the FY.
Question. The Army continues to invest in six modernization
portfolios to build the Army of 2030, and design the Army of 2040. The
Army completed the Total Army Analysis this year to better align the
current force structure with these new capabilities. However, some of
these new battalions are being built around modernization programs that
are delayed.
Secretary Wormuth, if there are delays to these modernization
programs, why is this the right time to cut and adjust force structure?
Answer. The Army must begin transformation now to ensure we have
the right capabilities available at the right time for any future
fight. The Army is refocusing on conducting large scale combat
operations against technologically advanced military powers. To meet
these requirements, the Army must generate new capabilities and re-
balance its force structure. The Army must make adjustments now to set
conditions to receive equipment as well as MILCON, doctrine, training,
and force structure. This model worked for MDTF 2 as the Mid-Range
Capability battery is prepared to receive its equipment and is postured
to then deploy quickly to the Indo-Pacific.
This transformation will enable the Army to bring in more than 30
new capabilities or upgraded systems across six critical modernization
portfolios to meet requirements under the National Defense Strategy. It
will also allow the Army to narrow the gap between force structure,
which was designed to reduce excess, largely unmanned, ``hollow'' force
structure to build new formations equipped with new capabilities needed
for large scale combat operations. By bringing force structure and end
strength into closer alignment, the Army will ensure its formations are
filled at the appropriate level to maintain a high state of readiness.
Question. Last year, the Army ordered a safety stand-down after two
helicopter crashes took the lives of twelve soldiers. We talked about
this at last year's hearing. Tragically, fiscal year 2024 has proven
almost as dangerous, with 13 Class A accidents, including three fatal
ones that killed 9 soldiers and 1 border patrol agent. In response, the
Army directed an Aviation ``Stand Up'' for additional safety training.
Secretary Wormuth, Class A aviation mishaps have almost tripled so
far in fiscal year 2024. Do you have the resources in the fiscal year
2025 request turn this around?
Answer. Yes, the President's budget request for FY 2025 fully funds
Army aviation training to safely build proficiency for individual
aviators while meeting the requirements of the Joint Force and building
readiness for large scale combat operations.
Question. For several years, this Subcommittee has criticized the
Department for not having a robust plan to defend Guam against high-end
air defense threats. Now, the Army has finally signed the Memorandum of
Agreement and recently stood up the Guam Defense System Joint Program
Office.
Secretary Wormuth: The Army now has a formal role in the defense of
Guam. What are the biggest obstacles to achieving success and what can
Congress do to help?
Answer. The Army is prepared to support the Joint Team in Defense
of Guam. The Army, as the materiel developer for the Guam Defense
System (GDS) and lead for the Joint Program Office (JPO), appreciates
the help Congress has provided for the defense of Guam. In particular,
the extension of the H-2B temporary need exemption has had a positive
impact on the construction capacity on the island.
The most significant challenge to the delivery of integrated air
and missile defense capability in Guam is the lack of well-defined
requirements, which complicates the planning for construction, support
services, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements.
These delays have contributed to the Department's decision to
``tranche'' the delivery of capability, sequencing materiel deliveries
to the readiness of tactical sites and operational support facilities.
Additionally, there is limited availability of existing facilities to
execute interim requirements. Currently programmed MILCON funding
covers one of three tranche requirements (399 personnel and 5 of 10
tactical sites) to achieve an initial operating capability.
Future cuts or deferred funding to Missile Defense Agency (MDA) GDS
efforts will limit the full range of capability and capacity to deter
and defend against aggression and advanced threats from the People's
Republic of China (PRC).
The FY2023 NDAA directed that the Integrated Air and Missile
Defense of Guam effort be managed using the Major Capability
Acquisition pathway (DoDI 5000.85). The JPO's approach is that the
components of the GDS will continue to be managed under the acquisition
pathways in which they were initiated. The JPO will develop an
Integrated Battle Management layer that ties the Joint component
systems together. This development effort would be better managed under
a different acquisition pathway. Congress can help by modifying its
direction in the FY 2025 NDAA to provide the Department of Defense and
the Army with maximum flexibility to tailor an acquisition strategy
that addresses the needs of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as quickly as
possible.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Richard J. Durbin
Question. Rock Island Arsenal plays a critical role in our organic
industrial base. In recent years alone, the Arsenal has played a role
in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, managing the logistics of
ammunition deliveries to Ukraine, and now housing the world's largest
3D printer as a hub of innovation. Yet, too often, the Army turns to
the private sector for its needs rather than leveraging the
capabilities the service has in house at places like Rock Island.
How does the Army plan to leverage the capabilities at Rock Island
Arsenal to shore up the service's needs while increasing workload for
the Arsenal?
Answer. The Army is investing in the modernization and expansion of
Rock Island Arsenal's forging and castings capabilities and capacity.
The Army is also committed to growing new capabilities at RIA
especially in the production of components for new systems that are
coming online using advanced manufacturing. As an example, the Army has
integrated RIA in the production of the main armament of the M10
Booker, which recently achieved low-rate initial production. RIA
produces the cradle and parts for the breach for that cannon. We have
expanded Rock Island into the testing and ballistic certification of
aluminum armor received from vendors to help speed the acceptance
process for our systems. Additionally, we have purchased and are
installing a thick plate milling capability for aluminum armor that
will improve the ability to partner with original equipment
manufacturers to speed the production of components. We are working
with Defense Logistics Agency to identify candidate components that
Rock Island may be able to produce that the commercial sector is not
supporting.
Question. Rock Island has also helped deliver more than 3,000
Humvee ambulances through a successful public-private-partnership with
the Original Equipment Manufacturer.
Please provide a plan on whether the service plans to procure--
similar to Humvees--an ambulance variant of the JLTV A2, including
whether it plans to include such procurement as part of its annual
budget request and if there will be consideration of Rock Island
Arsenal to support production of these vehicles similar to the Humvee
ambulance effort.
Answer. The Army was unable to incorporate an ambulance variant of
the JLTV due to payload requirements of the patient compartment
exceeding rear axle capabilities. Army Futures Command is currently
developing an Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document for a
Protected Wheeled Ambulance instead.
Question. Please provide data that can help illustrate the Army's
current recruitment and retention needs.
What are currently the top 15 MOSs that are undermanned or
difficult to fill?
Answer. The Army identified 16 MOSs to focus on for recruiting
priorities for FY 2024 as 11X, 12C, 13B, 13F, 13M, 13R, 14E, 14G, 14P,
17E, 18X, 19K, 25H, 35W, 68W, and 89D.
Question. Which of these require security clearances?
Answer. The following of the Priority MOSs require a security
clearance: 13B, 13F, 13M, 13R, 14E, 14G, 14P, 17E, 18X, 25H, 35W, and
89D.
Question. What are the top 5 MOSs that are most difficult to fill
that do not require security clearances?
Answer. The top four Priority MOSs that are most difficult to fill
that do not require security clearances is 11X, 12C, 19K, and 68W.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Question. In its 2021 Arctic Strategy ``Regaining Arctic
Dominance'', the Army asserts that a Multi-Domain Task Force in Alaska
is the first step in setting the conditions for success in the Arctic.
However, in recent years the Army has placed less emphasis on a
permanent MDTF in Alaska, after directly stating it wanted to do so in
its strategy.
Can you please elaborate on the Army's intentions with an MDTF in
Alaska?
Answer. The Army is investing in five MDTFs. MDTFs 1, 3, and 4 are
aligned to the Pacific; MDTF 2 is aligned to Europe; and MDTF 5 is
service retained for global deployment/employment stationed with XVIII
Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, NC. MDTF stationing was driven by
operational requirements. Operational necessity drives all Army
stationing decisions. The first step in a stationing decision is to
consider the operational requirements of the unit. The Army also looks
at how the unit might benefit from proximity to other force structure.
For example, NORAD in Colorado has a robust community of experts for
non-kinetic effects, which MDTF's Multi-Domain Effects Battalion could
leverage. The MDTF at Fort Liberty is located within the XVIII Airborne
Corps' and 82nd Airborne Division's footprint, providing robust
training opportunities to test concepts and develop tactics, techniques
and procedures.
The Army must consider the availability of facilities that can
accommodate the unit and its personnel, meet equipment storage and
maintenance requirements, meet training requirements, and house cyber
defense structure. Given the critical need to field MDTF capabilities
as soon as possible, these facilities must be ready when it is
projected to activate.
Geographic proximity of the installations to the theater of
employment is another important factor, as it facilitates planning
efforts, staff coordination, and travel. For example, Fort Drum's
geographic location is advantageous for alignment to the European
theater.
Finally, rapid, all-season access to force projection platforms
including land, air, and rail to deploy MDTF capabilities to theater is
critical to the utility of the MDTFs to Combatant Commands.
All of these factors contributed to the decision to station MDTFs
at Fort Carson and Fort Drum. Regarding Fort Wainwright and JBER, Army
analysis concluded that these installations did not meet operational
requirements. MDTF equipment and weapons systems are not Arctic-proven
and long-term storage in extreme temperatures may damage or degrade
their useful life, thereby depleting MDTF deployability and readiness.
Fort Wainwright and JBER also lack adequate facilities to house MDTF
units, soldiers and equipment; building the facilities would incur up
to approximately $1B of unprogrammed installation costs for the Army.
Even if the approximately $1B investment was approved, these new MILCON
facilities would not be built in time for use when MDTF force structure
activates. This capability is essential to Army 2030 and must be
activated as soon as possible.
The Army needs to judiciously consider investments in housing and
barracks within a resource constrained environment so that it can
deliver needed improvements to its large inventory. The Army believes
it is prudent to preserve the limited excess facilities available in
Alaska to dedicate to potential future growth for 11th Airborne
Division.
Question. Does the Army plan to establish an MDTF aligned to the
Arctic region or has the Army decided not to field an Arctic-focused
MDTF?
Answer. At this time, the capabilities resident in the MDTFs will
be stationed at: JBLM, Hawaii, Fort Drum, Fort Liberty, and Fort
Carson. Army does not plan on stationing an MDTF in Alaska. Further,
because MDTFs strengthen deterrence, the Army will be exploring
opportunities for MDTF elements to be stationed episodically, or
perhaps permanently, in key theaters in future years.
Question. Army units at both Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and
Fort Wainwright are in desperate need of larger amounts of funding to
sustain, repair, and modernize facilities. In some of the worst cases,
there is actually water leaking into company ops facilities that has
forced Soldiers to set tarps up over their workspaces to protect their
equipment. In Alaska, the need for Facilities Sustainment, and
Restoration and Modernization (FSRM) funding is exacerbated because
construction costs a lot more and facilities deteriorate more quickly.
I know that the budget request fully fills FSRM for barracks projects.
However, the budget request overall is a decrease in funding for FSRM.
Is a reduction in FSRM funding appropriate given the Army's backlog
of projects?
Answer. In a resource constrained environment, the Army had to make
difficult funding choices in the facilities investment portfolio. While
the Army proposed a small decrease in FSRM funding in the FY 2025
request compared to the amount of funding appropriated in FY 2024, the
FY 2025 request nonetheless reflects an increase over Army's FSRM FY
2024 request. In the FY 2025 request, the Army increased sustainment
across the board, and increased Barracks Restoration and Modernization
and Military Construction resulting in an overall increase in facility
investments of roughly $1B over the FY 2024 request. The requested
funding can help address deferred maintenance and repair. For FSRM, the
Army prioritized barracks, resulting in less FSRM funding for
operational facilities. However, the Army continues to maintain
relatively high levels of facility Sustainment funding for all facility
types, with discretion given to local installations to respond to
priority maintenance and repair needs to address situations such as
those found at Army installations in Alaska.
Question. The President's budget request includes $1.1 billion for
marketing and advertising, a 10% increase from the previous year, in
order to more effectively reach its recruiting goals for which it fell
short by 15,000 recruits in 2022 and short by 10,000 in 2023.
Can you please describe what the additional 10% increase will be
used for?
Answer. The Army requested a marketing budget increase for FY 2025
to purchase additional media. Additional media increases impressions
and awareness, leading to an increase in engagement with prospects and
leads. Recent RAND studies on marketing investments and activities for
the Army indicate it will raise awareness and potentially increase
contracts.
Question. Can you provide an update on the current outlook for Army
recruiting in 2024?
Answer. As of July 1st, the Army is on track to meet the FY 2024
recruiting goal of 55K accessions contracts and 5K of applicants into
the delayed entry pool.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito
Question. Given that each COMPO 1 division has an unmanned MQ-1C
Gray Eagle unit, what is the Army's plan to ensure fielding of UAS
capabilities to each Army National Guard division so they are not at a
disadvantage while training and deploying alongside active duty
counterparts?
Answer. The Army plans to field a variety of UAS capabilities
across all COMPOs to meet growing requirements. The Army will field the
MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to the Army National
Guard (ARNG) as directed by Congress with initial fielding in FY27. The
Army does not have a validated requirement to field MQ-1C Gray Eagles
throughout ARNG Divisions and current Army MQ-1C force structure
provides the depth necessary to support divisional requirements across
all COMPOs.
Question. With respect to the ongoing discussions about
establishing an Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence for the Army,
have any decisions been made to determine the location for this Center
of Excellence.
Answer. The Army has not made a decision on creation of an
Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence and has not begun analysis for
a location should the determination be made to create an EW CoE. Any
stationing decisions will be driven by operational requirements and
executed IAW statutory requirements.
Question. If so, what is the proposed location?
Answer. The Army has not made a decision on creation of an
Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence and has not begun analysis for
a location should the determination be made to create an EW CoE.
Question. If not, please share any locations under consideration.
Answer. The Army has not made a decision on creation of an
Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence and has not begun analysis for
a location should the determination be made to create an EW CoE.
Question. Would the Army consider housing this Center of Excellence
at a facility that is not part of any U.S. Army installation?
Answer. The Army has not made a decision on creation of an
Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence and has not begun analysis for
a location should the determination be made to create an EW CoE. Any
stationing decisions will be driven by operational requirements and
executed in accordance with statutory requirements.
Question. What are the defined roles that United States Army Cyber
Command has designated for Army National Guard cooperation in the
protection of critical infrastructure or other cyber missions?
Answer. The National Guard is a critical enabler of cyber
operations for the Department of Defense. For the Army, the National
Guard generates forces for the National Guard's 91st Cyber Brigade and
11 Cyber Protection Teams arrayed across more than 30 states. They
bring unique skills and backgrounds to mitigating cyber threats and are
a strategic asset to Army Cyber Command and U.S. Cyber Command. State-
organized fusion centers offer opportunities for the Guard to
coordinate between state, local, and Federal partners, as well as with
private industry. In addition, Army Cyber Command is developing a
Commander's Estimate to secure Army critical infrastructure in
accordance with FY 2022 NDAA Section 1505 (Public Law 117-81) while
looking for ways to leverage the Army National Guard's unique
capabilities. The Army looks forward to working with U.S. Cyber Command
on additional areas where the Army National Guard can bring further
competitive advantages to the joint force in cyberspace.
Question. What is the status and current strategy for the Launched
Effects program?
Answer. The ``Air Launched Effects'' requirement was validated in
May 2020 to enhance the Army's capability in extending sensing and
lethality from the Brigade to the Corps level. This program is designed
to be launched from air, ground, and maritime platforms, providing
versatile options for Commanders.
Currently, Program Executive Office (PEO) Aviation is focused on
developing Short Range, Medium Range, and Long Range Launched Effects
tailored for both ground and air maneuver formations. These
developments are crucial in ensuring Commanders have the necessary
tools to maintain strategic advantages across all levels of operation.
Our Science and Technology efforts are simultaneously maturing key
enabling technologies to boost the effectiveness and survivability of
these systems. We are particularly concentrating on advancements in
payloads and launch platforms to ensure the highest level of
operational efficiency and reliability.
Key experimentation events, such as Project Convergence and the
Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team's Experimentation
Demonstration Gate Event (EDGE), play a critical role in this process.
These events emphasize autonomy, platform behavior, launchers, and
extended network requirements, ensuring that our Launched Effects
program is robust and capable of meeting its strategic objectives.
Question. Will increased resources for this program result in the
cancellation of any current developmental programs, including turbojet-
powered loitering munitions?
Answer. The increased resources for the Launched Effects program
resulted from the Aviation Investment Rebalance, which included the
cancellation of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program. It
will not result in the cancellation of any current developmental
programs.
______
Questions Submitted to General Randy A. George
Questions Submitted by Senator Jon Tester
Question. Last year, the Army ordered a safety stand-down after two
helicopter crashes took the lives of twelve soldiers. We talked about
this at last year's hearing. Tragically, fiscal year 2024 has proven
almost as dangerous, with 13 Class A accidents, including three fatal
ones that killed 9 soldiers and 1 border patrol agent. In response, the
Army directed an Aviation ``Stand Up'' for additional safety training.
General George, what will this additional training provide to Army
pilots, and how will it help?
Answer. The additional mandatory training will have an impact to
curtail aviation incidents by enhancing aviation units' focus on safety
in general and on specific aviation maintenance and aviator training to
address emerging issues we suspect are contributing factors in recent
incidents. After completion of the Aviation Safety Stand-Up, reducing
the rate of aviation accidents in the future requires a continuous
effort to improve the understanding of operational risk within Army
aviation formations, increase the safety margins of Army aircraft where
possible through materiel solutions, and address a known decrease in
the experience levels of the aviation force due to shortages of mid-
career aviation warrant officers. Rebuilding experience in the aviation
force will take time, the shortage did not develop overnight, and we
cannot expect to fix it overnight. To mitigate the impact the Army
continues to offer the Aviation Bonus to retain our most experienced
and skilled pilots with 3- to 5-year contracts ranging from $30,000 to
$35,000 per year. Additionally, the Army will continue to drive down
risk in aviation operations and training through ongoing modernization
of Army aircraft, reviewing and revising the aviation training
strategy, and sharing lessons learned across the Army aviation force
and with our sister services.
Question. For several years, this Subcommittee has criticized the
Department for not having a robust plan to defend Guam against high-end
air defense threats. Now, the Army has finally signed the Memorandum of
Agreement and recently stood up the Guam Defense System Joint Program
Office.
General George: The Guam Defense System includes platforms from
other Services and Missile Defense Agency. How is the Army working
across the joint force to consolidate and prioritize future investments
when they don't own the systems?
Answer. While the Army supports the Joint Team, the Joint Program
Office (JPO) not owning the Service and Missile Defense Agency Guam
Defense System (GDS) elements is a Department of Defense (DoD) level
synchronization challenge. The Guam Defense System architecture is made
up of multiple systems from across the DoD. Each of these systems
brings existing air and missile defense capability to the warfighter
optimized for their specific mission set. The JPO will work with these
platforms to ensure clear interface definitions exists, evaluate where
capability shortfalls may reside between systems, define and prioritize
investment recommendations across the Services and with the DoD based
on these shortfalls, and advocate with the Office of the Secretary of
Defense for resources as appropriate.
To enable these technical and programmatic discussions, the JPO
will be staffed with senior technical and programmatic representatives
from each Service that has a role in the GDS to both represent Service
equity and advocate for the JPO's initiatives within their Service.
For military construction and interfacing with the Territory of
Guam, the Deputy Secretary of Defense established the Guam
Synchronization and Oversight Committee (GSOC). The GSOC is a Service-
coordinating governance body, chaired by the Under Secretary of Defense
for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Under Secretary of the Navy
that synchronizes logistics, environmental and infrastructure planning,
and community support programs to develop and deliver new capabilities
on Guam. In terms of investment, the GSOC ensures appropriate resources
are programmed and deconflicted by the DoD Components to meet the
operational requirements. The JPO is integrated into the body and will
leverage their efforts to synchronize materiel deliveries with site
readiness.
The JPO will also eventually take on the task of synchronizing
joint doctrine, organization, training, leadership and development,
personnel, facilities, and policy (in addition to its materiel focus).
This will align the joint force intent on how it will operate, sustain,
and secure the GDS with our synchronized development and delivery
strategy.
Question. The Army continues to invest in six modernization
portfolios to build the Army of 2030, and design the Army of 2040. The
Army completed the Total Army Analysis this year to better align the
current force structure with these new capabilities. However, some of
these new battalions are being built around modernization programs that
are delayed.
General George, how are you adapting the new TAA force structure
elements when several of the modernization portfolios are behind
schedule, and what are the budget implications?
Answer. The TAA process is an annual process and is designed to
continually assess and synchronize force structure changes with
modernization delivery schedules. We have the flexibility to adjust
activation dates to account for delays or accelerations in productions
and our continual assessment of risks.
The Army faces a range of fiscal challenges today and in the
future, including its efforts to transform while maintaining current
readiness. The current budget request seeks to set the Army on a
sustainable strategic path to achieve the required capacity,
capabilities, and readiness to win our Nation's wars--both now and in
an unpredictable future. The Army requests the support of Congress for
on-time and full year Defense and Military Construction appropriations.
We need predictable, adequate, sustained, and timely funding.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Question. The Army's 2021 Arctic Strategy emphasizes the need to
dominate in the Arctic. I applaud the Army's effort to lean into this
region. However, the Eleventh Airborne Division--the Army's premier
Arctic-capable force--continues to operate in and around the Arctic
despite several major administrative challenges. The major outstanding
gaps include the lack of modified tables of organization and equipment
that define what equipment is appropriate for Arctic, the lack of
Division artillery, the lack of a sustainment brigade, and the lack of
an aviation headquarters.
Can you clarify the Army's plans for the Eleventh Airborne
Division? Will this unit continue to be Arctic focused or will its role
be expanded?
Answer. The 11th Airborne Division is essential in the Arctic and
remains Arctic-focused at this time. The Army is developing doctrine,
training, and equipment to meet the unique requirements of cold
weather, mountainous, and high-altitude environments. As we develop
Army capabilities, this key terrain remains an important part of our
focus on the Pacific theater and around the world.
Question. What is the anticipated timeline on progress to assign or
stand up division artillery?
Answer. The Army's process for considering future force structure
changes is called Total Army Analysis (TAA). During every Total Army
Analysis cycle the Army determines the optimal force mix to meet
strategic requirements within resource constraints. All Army
capabilities at all echelons are modeled and evaluated during each TAA
cycle to ensure that resources are distributed to support prioritized
strategic requirements. The 11th ABN has a unique mission-set and is
different from other divisions as evident by its equipment
requirements. In the most recent TAA, TAA 25-29, the Army decided to
not establish a sustainment BDE but is focused on growing other
capabilities critical to the 11th ABN mission. The Army continues to
conduct further analysis on mission, structure, and resources required
to support combatant commanders' demand.
Question. What is the anticipated timeline on progress to assign or
stand up a sustainment brigade?
Answer. The Army's process for considering future force structure
changes is called Total Army Analysis (TAA). During every Total Army
Analysis cycle the Army determines the optimal force mix to meet
strategic requirements within resource constraints. All Army
capabilities at all echelons are modeled and evaluated during each TAA
cycle to ensure that resources are distributed to support prioritized
strategic requirements. The 11th ABN has a unique mission-set and is
different from other divisions as evident by its equipment
requirements. In the most recent TAA, TAA 25-29, the Army decided to
not establish a sustainment BDE but is focused on growing other
capabilities critical to the 11th ABN mission.
The Army continues to conduct further analysis on mission,
structure, and resources required to support combatant commanders'
demand.
Question. What is the anticipated timeline on progress to assign or
stand up an aviation headquarters?
Answer. The Arctic Aviation Command activates on 01 July 2024. This
is a tailored capability to ensure Aviation operational risk mitigation
and training oversight of two active component Aviation battalions in
Alaska.
Question. What is the anticipated timeline to update the Eleventh
Airborne Division's MTOE?
Answer. The Army recognizes the unique equipment demand associated
with serving and operating across the Arctic. The Vice Chief of Staff
of the Army is leading an Army Requirement Oversight Council (AROC) to
validate the personal (uniforms, skis, snowshoes) and organizational
equipment (CATVs, snow machines, tents, heaters) required to ensure our
Soldiers have what they need to accomplish the mission in an Arctic
environment. Upon completion of the Army Requirements Oversight Council
process, the Army will develop and produce Military Table of
Organization and Equipment (MTOE) and field new equipment as resources
allow.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito
Question. What are the defined roles that United States Army Cyber
Command has designated for Army National Guard cooperation in the
protection of critical infrastructure or other cyber missions?
Answer. The National Guard is a critical enabler of cyber
operations for the Department of Defense. For the Army, the National
Guard generates forces for the National Guard's 91st Cyber Brigade and
11 Cyber Protection Teams arrayed across more than 30 states. They
bring unique skills and backgrounds to mitigating cyber threats and are
a strategic asset to Army Cyber Command and U.S. Cyber Command. State-
organized fusion centers offer opportunities for the Guard to
coordinate between state, local, and Federal partners, as well as with
private industry. In addition, Army Cyber Command is developing a
Commander's Estimate to secure Army critical infrastructure in
accordance with FY 2022 NDAA Section 1505 (Public Law 117-81) while
looking for ways to leverage the Army National Guard's unique
capabilities. The Army looks forward to working with U.S. Cyber Command
on additional areas where the Army National Guard can bring further
competitive advantages to the joint force in cyberspace.
Question. Given that each COMPO 1 division has an unmanned MQ-1C
Gray Eagle unit, what is the Army's plan to ensure fielding of UAS
capabilities to each Army National Guard division so they are not at a
disadvantage while training and deploying alongside active duty
counterparts?
Answer. The Army plans to field a variety of UAS capabilities
across all COMPOs to meet growing requirements. The Army will field the
MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to the Army National
Guard (ARNG) as directed by Congress with initial fielding in FY27. The
Army does not have a validated requirement to field MQ-1C Gray Eagles
throughout ARNG Divisions and current Army MQ-1C force structure
provides the depth necessary to support divisional requirements across
all COMPOs.
Question. Has the war in Ukraine changed the Army's concept for
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at the division level--and if so, in
what ways?
Answer. The Army is closely monitoring the ongoing conflict in
Ukraine and continually reassessing its requirements to ensure that
American Soldiers remain the best led, trained, and equipped in the
world. The observations from the conflict have reinforced several key
principles in our approach to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at the
division level.
Firstly, Commanders need the capability to engage the enemy on
their own terms and avoid being caught off guard. Uncrewed assets are
critical in achieving this goal by making initial contact with the
enemy, thereby offloading risk from human soldiers to machines.
Despite the advancements in technology, we will never rely solely
on it for our missions. The human element remains essential,
particularly in the Human-Machine Interface, or ``manned- unmanned
teaming.'' This concept leverages the unique strengths of humans--such
as intelligence, intuition, audacity, courage, decisionmaking,
perception, and natural language recognition--alongside the
capabilities of machine AI, including speed, data analysis, and
objectivity.
Additionally, we must always operate with the understanding that we
are under constant observation by enemy systems. This requires
effective cover and concealment to avoid visible detection, reducing
our electromagnetic footprint to mitigate electronic warfare threats,
and employing dispersion tactics to enhance survivability.
To address these challenges, divisions need organic capabilities
that provide persistent reconnaissance and security, especially in
environments where communications may be degraded.
The lessons learned from the war in Ukraine have underscored the
importance of these principles and highlighted the need for adaptable
and resilient UAS strategies at the division level.
Question. If UAS were fielded to Army National Guard divisions,
which platform would be the most likely choice?
Answer. The Army will field the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft
Systems (UAS) to the Army National Guard (ARNG) as directed by Congress
with initial fielding in FY 2027. The Army plans to field a variety of
UAS capabilities across all COMPOs to meet growing requirements to
include Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR), Medium-Range Reconnaissance
(MRR), Long-Range Reconnaissance (LRR), Aerial Extended Range Sensing,
Aerial Tactical Network Extension, and Medium and Long Range Launched
Effects.
SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS
Senator Murray. The Defense subcommittee will next
reconvene, on Tuesday June 4 at 10 a.m., for a classified
hearing on space-related matters.
With that, the subcommittee stands and recess.
[Whereupon, at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 21, the
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday,
June 4.]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
----------
TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2024
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met at 10:03 a.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Hon. Jon Tester (chairman) presiding.
Present: Senators Tester, Baldwin, Shaheen, Murphy, Coons,
Collins, Murkowski, Moran, Boozman, and Capito.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
National Guard and Reserves
STATEMENT OF GENERAL DANIEL R. HOKANSON, CHIEF OF THE
NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JON TESTER
Senator Tester. I call this hearing to order. Good morning.
And let me begin by welcoming our witnesses. Thank you all
for joining us to discuss the fiscal year 2025 budget
priorities.
General Anderson, welcome. Congratulations on your new
command. And I think the entire committee knows that all the
tough questions go to you. Okay, just because.
Look, being a member of the Guard or Reserves is a serious
commitment. These service members have careers in the civilian
world, and they frequently put those careers on hold, often at
a moment's notice, to be able to serve this country.
Whether at the Montana International Guard Base in Great
Falls, which was just selected for delivery of the new C-130Js,
or any of our other critical Bases around this country, Guard
and Reserve units fill critical missions including logistics,
the State Partnership Program, and responding to wildfires, and
other disasters at home, just to name a few.
Providing our guardsmen and reservists the best possible
training and equipment, just like their active-duty
counterparts, is a national security imperative. Our Guard and
Reserve units must seamlessly integrate with the rest of the
Joint Force if the Military is going to accomplish its mission.
You are doing this while dealing with ongoing recruiting
challenges, as well as the yearly and inexcusable disruption
caused by needless threats of a Government shutdown or
continuing resolution.
I want to hear what you are doing, and what you recommend
for us to do to take care of the families and make sure that
our Guardsmen and Reserves have the support and the protections
that they need.
Once again, I want to thank the witnesses for their
testimony today. Especially want to thank General Hokanson, and
General Daniels, and Admiral Mustin, for their distinguished
service to this country. We appreciate it very, very much.
Congratulations on your upcoming and well-deserved retirements.
Susan will be coming shortly, but since she is not here, I
will just tell you, you are all welcome to retire in Montana if
you so choose. Okay.
With that, I think we will start the opening statements.
When Vice Chair Collins gets here, we will suspend and go to
hers, if she so chooses.
So, we will start with General Hokanson.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF GENERAL DANIEL R. HOKANSON
General Hokanson. Chairman Tester, and esteemed Members of
the Subcommittee, this is my final testimony as the 29th Chief
of the National Guard Bureau. It has been the honor of my life
for Kelly and I, and our Senior Enlisted Adviser, Tony
Whitehead, and all of Team 29, to represent the Soldiers,
Airmen, and families of the National Guard. I am proud of their
service and sacrifices, and I am grateful for this
subcommittee's efforts and support.
I would also like to thank the subcommittee for robust and
reliable NGREA (National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account)
funding that supports our overall readiness. Our Nation's
investment in the National Guard comes at a pivotal moment. Our
strategic competitors are seeking advantages in every domain.
If we are to compete and, if necessary, prevail in combat, we
must invest in our people. Specifically, our people include our
pilots, maintainers, and support personnel working in our
fighter squadrons.
As a recent RAND Study concluded, many have nearly doubled
the experience of their active counterparts, and we operate our
aircraft at significantly less cost, providing capability and
capacity we must retain at a time when the global demand for
fighters grows ever louder.
Pilots and maintainers cannot be rapidly replaced or
regenerated. Maintaining all 25 existing Air Guard Fighter
Squadrons is essential to keep pace with global demands.
Additionally, the cap on active Guard and Reserve positions and
a Federal Technician Program that is no longer competitive in
today's economic environment, must be addressed to ensure we
have the full-time personnel required to ensure our formations
are predominantly part-time Soldiers and Airmen, remain
deployable, sustainable, interoperable, and ready.
Meanwhile, every member of our Force must be medically
ready to fight and win our Nation's wars, or respond to our
communities in the time of need. However, not all Guardsmen
have consistent access to healthcare. All National Guard and
Reserve component service members, regardless of status, need
medical and dental health care benefits. This is a matter of
addressing affordable access, a matter of recruiting and
retention, and a matter of duty to the Guardsmen who serve and
sacrifice for our Nation. When we ask them to step on the
field, we have to make sure they are medically ready to play
their position.
The National Guard is a dynamic operational Force that is
integral to the success of the National Defense Strategy, and I
will continue working with the subcommittee to build the
combat-capable National Guard our country needs.
With your continued help, we will keep our promise to
America; a promise to be always ready, always there.
Thank you for your time, your friendship, and your support.
I look forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of General Daniel R. Hokanson
Chair Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and esteemed members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the
Soldiers, Airmen, civilian teammates, and families of the National
Guard.
As this is my final testimony before this Subcommittee as the 29th
Chief of the National Guard Bureau, I want to thank you for your
enduring support of our National Guard. Your investment in the National
Guard has built a capable and professional operational force that is
vital to the Joint Force and our American communities in times of
crisis. Every day we advance the Department of Defense's (DoD)
priorities and support the National Defense Strategy with ready,
trained, and interoperable units. I would also like to acknowledge the
support of our National Guard families and our National Guard
employers; they are a critical component of our success.
During my tenure as Chief, National Guardsmen have been
continuously engaged around the world. Their missions included COVID;
multiple disasters; civil unrest; election integrity; the southwest
border; combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria; support to
our Combatant Commanders around the globe; and security cooperation
support to more than 100 partner nations, including Ukraine. Support
from this Subcommittee and your Congressional colleagues has helped
make this possible. Thanks to your efforts, the National Guard has seen
marked improvements in the quality of life of our Soldiers, Airmen, and
families, greater visibility of our role in the Joint Force, and a
stronger position to face the challenges ahead.
The 2025 Department of Defense budget request makes responsible
choices to prioritize operational readiness and take care of people,
continuing to build a Joint Force that is lethal, resilient,
survivable, agile, and responsive. However, we still face hurdles that
require your leadership. Unpredictable and inconsistent funding--
particularly continuing resolutions-- reduce our buying power and
negatively impact our strategic readiness and modernization. If we fail
to modernize our equipment and force design adequately, we increase the
risk of sending America's sons and daughters into large-scale combat
operations with equipment and formations that may not be fully
interoperable with the active duty forces we serve alongside.
These are not insurmountable challenges, but they represent risks
and vulnerabilities at a time when our strategic competitors are
looking to exploit any vulnerability. I look forward to working with
this Subcommittee to address these challenges and create a better
environment for our National Guardsmen and, as a result, a stronger
Joint Force.
My final objective in my term as Chief is to leave the next
leadership team with an empowered, professionalized force that is
manned, trained, and equipped to keep our promise to America--a promise
to be ``Always Ready, Always There.'' With this Subcommittee's
continued support, we will keep that promise.
a promise of readiness
The primary purpose of the National Guard is fighting and winning
our Nation's wars. As the combat reserve of the Army and the Air Force,
and a community-based force that also supports our Nation's communities
in times of need, we are tasked with a great responsibility.
In 2023 alone, the National Guard served the equivalent of nearly
16 million days. This included more than nine million days overseas
supporting Combatant Commanders, conducting peacekeeping missions, and
deterring strategic competitors and adversaries. Meanwhile, our
Guardsmen, in both Federal and state duty statuses, conducted homeland
defense operations, held training exercises, and responded to disaster
events in the 50 states, three territories, and the District of
Columbia. National Guardsmen saved 476 lives, distributed hundreds of
thousands of meals and bottles of water, and cleared more than 1,500
miles of roadway in response to disasters. Whether it's at the request
of the Combatant Commanders or our Nation's governors, we have never
missed a mission.
I would like to thank the Subcommittee for recognizing the National
Guard's vital role in our national security, as evidenced by the
elevation of the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau to a four-star
position in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This is
not only a symbol of the National Guard's integral role in the Joint
Force, but an act of empowerment and advocacy for the National Guard at
the highest levels of the defense enterprise.
We must continue to build on that Joint Force integration for our
strategic readiness. Considering the reemergence of strategic
competition and increasing frequency of severe weather across our
Nation, we must ensure the National Guard's combat and response
capabilities reflect the challenges of the future. We cannot be fully
operationally ready for the fight of tomorrow with equipment, training,
and formations that are not deployable, sustainable, interoperable, and
ready. Manpower is a critical enabler of operational readiness and our
ability to deliver capability against our strategic competitors. In the
current strategic environment, it is imperative to fully fund National
Guard personnel, training, exercises, equipment, and recruiting to be
strategically ready for potential large-scale combat operations.
Congress's support of the FY 2025 President's Budget is necessary.
Mission readiness takes on many forms. For example, the Air
National Guard has a 28-year history of delivering important space
capabilities overseas and here at home through seventeen unit-equipped
space squadrons--including many critical, no-fail missions for the U.S.
Space Force. As both my predecessor and I have advocated, I believe
keeping these formations in the National Guard will have the least
impact to strategic and operational readiness, lowest risk to mission,
and is the most cost-effective solution.
Our National Guard must be fully modernized, integrated, and
resourced to fulfill our role as the combat reserve of the Army and the
Air Force. That includes maintaining all twenty-five existing Air Guard
fighter squadrons. Every one of our squadrons is essential to keep pace
with global demands, deter our adversaries, and--if necessary--prevail
in conflict. A 2024 RAND study, Active and Reserve Component Force Mix
Considerations for the Air Force, found that aircraft in the reserve
component cost significantly less to operate and support than in the
active component, and shifting F-35 aircraft to the reserve component
earlier would be a way to avoid losing large numbers of experienced
active component pilots from the total force while saving hundreds of
millions of dollars in training costs. The study also acknowledged
reserve component personnel provide the force with nearly double the
experience and qualifications of their active component counterparts,
and that a force mix of 60 percent active component and 40 percent
reserve component would minimize training costs while maximizing
institutional knowledge and experience.
Divesting Air Guard fighter squadrons without a recapitalization
plan exacerbates a national shortage of fighter squadrons, trained and
experienced pilots and maintainers, and adds risk to the National
Defense Strategy. We must seek to balance existing fleets and plan new
aircraft purchases to ensure that the Guard can continue to contribute
to the Total Force in support of the NDS.
Modernization is not exclusively an issue of equipment; it also
pertains to our formations and our facilities. In terms of our
formations, we must be deployable, sustainable, interoperable, and
operationally ready. Like our counterparts in the active duty Army, the
Army National Guard also intends to restructure our forces to better
support divisions as the primary combat formation, and provide greater
agility, endurance and depth. Force structure design in National Guard
divisions should reflect their Active Duty counterparts as closely as
possible. This enhances our operational readiness to respond wherever
and whenever the National Guard may be needed.
In terms of our facilities, modernized installations support better
training scenarios and emergency response missions, while concurrently
serving as a primary tool to increase recruiting, retention, and
quality of life for our service members. However, many National Guard
facilities are aging and some lack the space necessary to conduct
modern training exercises. To support the National Guard's facilities,
the budget supports preventative maintenance and timely response to
work orders. Modernizing National Guard facilities is essential to our
overall operational readiness and a critical quality of life
consideration for our Soldiers and Airmen.
a promise to our partners
The National Guard is a local force with a global reach, and this
is most evident in our State Partnership Program (SPP). This program
pairs a state's National Guard with a partner nation, allowing members
of each military's organization to train together and build enduring
relationships. The overall cost of the program--less than 1 percent of
the overall security cooperation budget--pales in comparison to the
relationships garnered through training exercises, subject matter
expert exchanges, and other military-to-military engagements. Today,
there are 89 partnerships with 106 nations; every Combatant Command is
represented. Last year, we celebrated the SPP's thirtieth anniversary,
and we have plans to continue growing the program in the years ahead.
With the assistance of Congress, the SPP has proven to be a
valuable security cooperation program and continues to grow in support
of the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and
Combatant Commanders' theater security objectives. Thanks to this
program, Soldiers and Airmen experience the global operating
environment, develop military-to- military relationships, improve
strategic and operational readiness, enhance access and influence, and
ensure our Nation has trusted, capable, interoperable Allies and
partners at our side. Fully funding the SPP through the services will
ensure continued access to timely, consistent, and adequate resources
to maximize the program's potential and historically robust return on
investment. In addition, fully funding the President's budget request
for the SPP would increase opportunities for mutual cooperation with
the states' partner nations.
a promise to our people
The National Guard's highest priority is our people. It is our
people who volunteer, train, deploy, and serve, and they are the most
critical element of our success.
That is why we continue to assess and take measures to improve our
aviation safety standards in both the Army and Air National Guards. The
tragic aviation accidents in recent years highlight the need for the
highest levels of training and maintenance; a continued commitment to
fully fund flying hour requirements, full-time aircrew requirements,
and maintenance manpower requirements; and the importance of modernized
equipment. Safety is not only essential to our continued operational
readiness, it is essential to our Soldiers, Airmen, and National Guard
families. As we prepare for the challenges of the future, we always
prioritize the safety of our team.
We remain grateful for Congress' support of the Soldiers, Airmen,
and families of the National Guard. NDAA provisions, including dual
basic allowance for housing for training, and pay and benefits parity,
such as the creation and expansion of maternity, parental, and
bereavement leave to the reserve component, demonstrates both
investment and recognition of the importance and value of our National
Guardsmen. In addition, Congress' pay increase for military personnel
helps our military families keep pace with inflation. The FY 2022 NDAA,
as amended by the FY 2024 NDAA, provides the Department with
flexibility to address paying Reserve Component members the same
monthly amount of special and incentive pay as paid to regular
Component members. Each of these actions recognizes the contributions
of our Guardsmen and Reservists, demonstrates the value of their
service, and are important tools for recruiting and retention.
The National Guard faces the same recruiting and retention
headwinds we have seen throughout the Armed Forces. While the Army
National Guard was able to meet its end-strength goals last year, the
Air National Guard fell short. This can be attributed to a fiercely
competitive recruiting environment, a strong national economy, and
generational shifts in the propensity to serve, among other factors.
To remain a competitive option for those looking to serve, we need
to invest in our recruiters and our recruiting efforts and continue to
find ways to reach the diverse populations that represent the
communities where we live and serve.
I believe the National Guard is a unique and powerful opportunity.
It provides the chance to serve one's Nation, have a civilian career,
live where one chooses, and earn benefits associated with military
service. It is also a tremendous value to the American taxpayer. As
personnel costs continue to increase across the DoD, capacity exists
within the unique National Guard model to grow future capability as a
strategically ready, responsive, and operational force at a fraction of
the cost of active duty forces.
Medical readiness is critical to the activation of our Soldiers and
Airmen; disasters and world events are dynamic and unpredictable, and
we must be ready to respond. But historically, many Guardsmen are not
medically ready for activation due to challenges like insurance
coverage and long wait times for healthcare access when not in a duty
status. If they are unable to seek treatment for a physical ailment or
a dental issue or obtain follow-on care due to a lack of insurance,
they fail to meet medical readiness requirements.
Our service members must be ready at a moment's notice--and
addressing the unique medical challenges we see with the National Guard
is critical to force readiness.
There are other areas to improve healthcare delivery for our
service members. We must continue to focus on building capacity in DoD
hospitals and clinics--capacity to ensure timely and quality access to
care for the 9.6 million Military Health System beneficiaries depending
on us to get this right. Our focus must remain on improving civilian
healthcare staff hiring in select locations, recognizing the increasing
risks of nationwide healthcare provider shortages. Our focus must also
include enhancing easy, convenient access to care through new digital
health technologies, such as the Defense Health Agency's new Digital
Health Strategy. Implementing new digital health tools will enable
real-time and flexible virtual care, and upgraded direct patient care
experiences so our healthcare system can better meet the needs of our
beneficiaries, and expand capacity in the long-term. These efforts and
more will ensure we can meet the demands of today and tomorrow.
a promise for the future
It has been the honor of my life to serve our Nation and the
Soldiers and Airmen of the National Guard, and it is my highest
objective to posture this organization for the demands of the future. I
am thankful for the Subcommittee's personal friendships, and continued
support and commitment to helping the National Guard keep our promise
to America and remain ``Always Ready, Always There.''
Senator Tester. Thank you, General Hokanson.
General Daniels.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JODY J. DANIELS, CHIEF
OF ARMY RESERVE
General Daniels. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins,
and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for
this opportunity to testify today.
On behalf of the 190,000 Soldiers and civilians of
America's Army Reserve, we stand ready to protect American
interests and posture ourselves to meet challenges at home and
around the world.
On any given day, nearly 9,000 Army Reserve Soldiers are
mobilized or deployed worldwide in support of combatant
commands. Tens of thousands more are engaged in training events
and annual combined and joint exercises, reinforcing alliances
and partnerships around the globe. The Army Reserve is also a
key partner in the homeland, facilitating both large-scale
mobilization operations and defense support to civil operations
and authorities.
As the Joint Force prepares to operate in a contested
logistics environment, the Army Reserve will play a key role in
delivering the critical enabling capabilities needed for large-
scale combat operations. A ready and modernized Army Reserve is
a crucial part of the Joint Force that can deploy, fight, and
win our Nation's wars.
From the start of my tenure, I challenged our leaders to
prioritize tough, realistic training, done safely, over dealing
with administrative metrics. I trust that message will continue
to resonate beyond my tenure, which is coming to an end in just
a few weeks. The Army is undergoing a once-in-a-generation
transformation. The Army Reserve requires robust investment to
modernize our aging equipment to enable interoperability with
the Joint Force.
NGREA represents roughly 35- to 40 percent of the Army
Reserve's equipment procurement budget. That said, the Army
Reserve's unfunded equipment requirements list continues to
increase while NGREA funding does not. With inflation and
material costs rising, our buying power is decreasing. The
success of the Army Reserve's modernization efforts hinges on
NGREA funding, and we absolutely greatly appreciate the
committee's continued support.
Additionally, it is important to ensure that our Soldiers
and their families remain a top priority. Caring for our
Soldiers and families and ensuring they receive benefits they
are entitled to is vital. Last October, the Army Reserve
developed a first-of-a-kind intergovernmental Service support
agreement pilot to deliver child care services to Soldiers
during weekend training. We look forward to building on this
pilot and collaborating with the other Reserve components in
future efforts.
I want to take a moment to thank all my fellow officers on
this panel. I want to especially thank Vice Admiral Mustin for
his collaboration on a variety of efforts, especially our Go
Army, Beat Navy videos.
Our new Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, Command
Sergeant Major Betty, and I, are incredibly proud, along with
my husband, to lead the men and women of your Army Reserve; and
are ready for your questions. Thank you.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General Jody J. Daniels
the united states army reserve
ready now! shaping tomorrow . . .
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, distinguished members of
the Subcommittee, thank you for your continued support to our Soldiers,
Civilians, and Families. We thank you for the opportunity to appear
before you today to discuss America's Army Reserve.
In an increasingly complex global environment, America's Army
Reserve remains indispensable, delivering strategic capabilities that
enable the Army and Joint Force to defend the homeland and fight and
win our Nation's Wars. As the Army focuses on ensuring our adversaries
cannot outrange or outpace us on traditional battlefields, space, and
cyberspace, a ready and engaged Army Reserve is equally vital in
protecting American interests--at home and abroad.
Since its establishment in 1908, the Army Reserve has mobilized
more than 1.3 million Citizen Soldiers, bringing flexibility,
adaptability, lethality, and cutting-edge capabilities to every
training exercise and conflict. The Army Reserve blends high-quality
military capabilities with diverse civilian skills, education,
training, and experiences, providing a unique strength to the Total
Force.
Today's Army Reserve comprises over 175,424 Soldiers and 12,200
Civilians--with units in all 50 states, five U.S. territories, in
Germany, Korea and Japan. Fiscally efficient, the Army Reserve supports
the needs of the Total Force, with just 16% of the component serving as
full-time support.
Making up nearly 20% of the Total Army's personnel, the Army
Reserve provides critical units, skillsets, and capabilities--nearly
half of its maneuver support and a quarter of its force mobilization
capacity--at a cost of just 6% of the total Army budget.
As the Army continuously transforms, integrating new technology to
increase mobility and lethality, the Army Reserve provides an essential
link to private sector expertise. This strategic position enhances the
Army's asymmetric advantage against potential adversaries, a capability
critical in Large-Scale Combat Operations and safeguarding the
homeland. Simply put, the Joint Force cannot deploy, fight, and win
without the Army Reserve.
warfighting
As a truly operational Reserve, on any given day upwards of 9,000
Army Reserve Soldiers are mobilized or deployed worldwide to support
the Army and Combatant Commands. Tens of thousands more participate
annually in joint exercises and overseas deployment training that
expand the capability base, strengthen alliances and partnerships, and
promote interoperability. The Army Reserve supports the First Army by
mobilizing and deploying more than 12,000 Soldiers and Civilians
annually from all components at multiple mobilization force generation
installations.
With only 39 available training days per year, Army Reserve leaders
make every battle assembly count. To assist the Army in deterring
adversaries and maintaining stability, the Army Reserve integrates
tough, realistic training--done safely--in multi-component and joint
training exercises--alongside allies and partners across the globe and
in every theater of operation. The Army Reserve also stands ready to
respond to year-round domestic disasters and national emergencies,
tapping into our Force's unique civic expertise and dual-use equipment
capability.
Combatant Commands rely on the Army Reserve's ability to mobilize
and deploy to meet operational plan requirements rapidly. The Army
Reserve provides more than 56% of the Army's quartermaster, medical,
and transportation capabilities. Support to the Joint and allied forces
will be critical in a contested logistics environment where operations,
facilities, and activities are targeted in the homeland, in transit,
and in the theater. With eight of the Army's 14 Expeditionary
Sustainment Commands and 95% of the Total Army's bulk fuel line-haul
capacity, the Army Reserve is essential to set the theater for the
Joint Force, enabling combat formations to seize and maintain
initiative and extend operational reach.
Notably, the 475th Quartermaster Group took part in Talisman Sabre
23, a large-scale Joint defense exercise with Australia, validating
ship-to-shore logistics capability. Working alongside the Navy and
Army's 555th and 130th Engineer Brigades, the units connected three-
mile-long fuel and water pipelines onshore to 175,000-gallon tanks
aboard Australian commercial landing craft about 1,000 meters offshore.
The Army Reserve's participation in Talisman Sabre and other overseas
exercises helps prepare our Soldiers for the challenges expected in a
contested logistics environment, strengthen partnerships, improve
interoperability, and enhance collective readiness. Additionally, over
95 units and 4,000 Army Reserve Soldiers actively contribute to Combat
Training Center (CTC) and Warfighter Exercise (WFX) events yearly.
These exercises play a pivotal role in enhancing the collective
readiness and operational effectiveness of the Joint Force.
The Army Reserve is essential in supporting critical capabilities
and enablers for key training events centers such as CTC rotations.
Supporting approximately 24 rotations annually, the Army Reserve
directly influences the preparation of the Total Force for operational
challenges. This commitment to excellence highlights the Army Reserve's
integral role in enhancing the nation's defense capabilities and
ensuring military readiness across diverse operations.
Defense Support of Civil Authorities
The Army Reserve, in coordination with our partners in the National
Guard, is a Federal Response Partner, maintaining a constant state of
readiness for Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) operations as
a valuable resource and capability provider. In DSCA responses, the
Army Reserve has provided rapid activation of units when and where
needed.
This readiness was evident in the Army Reserve's swift and
effective crisis support response to Hurricane Ian and wildfires in
Hawai'i. Army Reserve Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers and
recovery personnel played a crucial role in preparing for and rapidly
responding to these and other natural disasters throughout the United
States this past year. The Army Reserve's dedication to national
defense and disaster response underscores its vital role in
safeguarding local communities.
Innovative Readiness Training (IRT)
Last year, more than 1,500 Army Reserve Soldiers participated in 16
Department of Defense (DoD) Innovative Readiness Training (IRT)
missions across 12 States and three U.S. territories. IRT leverages
expertise in specialties spanning healthcare, construction, and civil
affairs, to provide real world critical services with lasting benefits
to communities across America.
The Army Reserve led three of DoD's four IRT missions outside the
continental United States. Soldiers conducted training and support in
Puerto Rico and the Mariana Islands, including Guam Wellness, where
Soldiers performed nearly 15,000 medical procedures on more than 5,000
patients. During Operation Health in the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, nearly 24,000 procedures were provided to Saipan,
Tinian, and Rota residents. In recognition of the impact, 126 Army
Reserve Soldiers received the DoD's Civil-Military Partnership of the
Year Award.
deliver and sustain combat ready power
Preserving our All-Volunteer Force--and retaining the multiplying
effects of the unique skillsets our Citizen Soldiers bring--is
paramount to safeguarding our national security interests. To
strengthen and deliver this combat-ready power, the Army Reserve
encourages ``Dual Pursuits,'' fostering an environment that promotes
collaboration and growth in uniform and outside of duty status.
By prioritizing ``tough, realistic training, done safely,'' we have
made significant strides toward achieving our retention objectives.
When our Soldiers have compelling and meaningful experiences to share
after battle assemblies or training events, we know we are moving in
the right direction. Our goal is to consistently inspire our Soldiers'
development and enthusiasm for their mission.
The Army Reserve offers exceptional opportunities that can set a
Soldier up for a lifetime of success, creating the ultimate Warrior
Citizen who shares their skills and talents with the Army while
pursuing a fulfilling civilian career.
Quality of Life
The Army Reserve prioritizes Soldiers by promoting quality-of-life
programs that improve the Army Reserve experience while making
integrating family, work, and military life easier. Readiness relies
upon the Families who support and sustain our Soldiers serving the Army
and the Nation. A critical part of realizing our vision for the future
is ensuring our Soldiers and their Families are well cared for and
supported where they live and work.
To enhance quality of life, the Army Reserve is committed to
improving barracks conditions and collective training facilities,
promoting the health and well-being of our Soldiers, increasing
recruiting and retention, and improving our readiness.
The average age of the Army Reserve barracks inventory is 72 years
old. To maintain and upgrade Soldiers' living quarters and improve
overall quality of life, the Army Reserve prioritizes Facilities
Restoration and Military Barracks Construction. A continued focus on
the program--which serves the 409 Collective Training Barracks, seven
Institutional Training Barracks, and three Permanent Party Barracks
across the Army Reserve footprint--is essential to the well-being and
readiness of our Soldiers and their Families.
The Army Reserve has requested significant increases in MILCON
funding for Advanced Skills Training Barracks in the President's FY
2025 budget, demonstrating a strong commitment to inventory
improvements. The Army Reserve is planning and programming the
modernization of Collective Training barracks when economically viable
and planning and programming projects for Military Construction
(MILCON) to replace and divest barracks that are not economical to
repair.
The Army Reserve is geographically dispersed--maintaining five key
installations, along with an extensive network of 753 facilities. The
Army Reserve's dispersed footprint is a national strategic asset,
allowing the U.S. to project combat power and enhance overall
resiliency. Through sustained improvements in our Soldiers' living
conditions and collective training facilities, the Army Reserve is
investing in the long-term health and well-being of the force, enabling
our Soldiers and families to thrive, and positively impacting
readiness, recruiting and retention, and overall quality of life.
Childcare
Another issue affecting Citizen Soldiers and their Families has
been a nationwide shortage of weekend childcare services. This has had
an adverse impact to both retention and quality of life. The Army
Reserve has around 15,000 single parents and 7,000 dual-military
couples who often face challenges finding suitable childcare during
Battle Assembly weekends and Annual Training. Operating on the weekends
comes at a cost, as many childcare providers do not provide services
throughout the weekend.
In 2020, the Department of Defense recognized this shortfall and
extended childcare benefits to the Reserve Components. The Army Reserve
Family Program office implemented multiple programs to combat this
critically needed asset for Soldiers and their families. In the 4th
quarter of FY 2023, the Army Reserve established a pilot program
through an Intergovernmental Support Agreement in the Kansas City metro
area, offering no-cost childcare options during weekend and annual
training. The program has shown promising results since its
implementation from September 01, 2023, to March 12, 2024. During this
period, 1,039 families and 1,849 children registered with the program,
with 83 families and 303 children actively utilizing childcare
services. While the Army Reserve continues to assess data from pilot
programs launched recently, we continue to explore alternative
childcare solutions to enhance long-term readiness and retention across
the Army Reserve.
Public Private Partnership (P3O)
The Private Public Partnership Office (P3O) continues to build on a
nationwide network of corporate, profit/nonprofit and employee
partnerships. The employment outreach program pairs thousands of
qualified Soldiers, Family members and Veterans with hundreds of
private and public organizations--across more than 20 industry
sectors--to develop career pathways through training, internships, or
apprenticeships with respected companies. Recognizing the multiple
responsibilities that Soldiers carry, including family and career
commitments, P3O demonstrates the importance of a strong relationship
between the civilian sector and the Army Reserve. This connection not
only acknowledges shared talent but also significantly contributes to
reducing stressors in Soldiers' lives, allowing them to focus on
training while balancing family and career obligations.
P3O supports transitioning active-duty service members through its
innovative Active Component to Reserve Component program. P3O actively
links transitioning service members with civilian career pathways to
find meaningful employment, thereby facilitating the seamless
transition of those service members into the Army Reserve. In 2023, P3O
assisted 837 Soldiers, 90 Veterans, and 85 dependents in finding
employment. The partnership has extended to over 240 businesses,
ensuring Soldiers and their families can access diverse employment
opportunities.
Army Reserve Ambassadors
Army Reserve Ambassadors (ARAs) continue to play a crucial role in
fostering positive relationships and generating support for the Army
Reserve among a diverse array of stakeholders. These dedicated
individuals leverage their extensive connections with legislative,
business, and community leaders across the United States to make a
significant difference for Soldiers and their families. Through their
strategic outreach and advocacy, ARAs have demonstrated their
commitment to the future force by actively engaging in initiatives to
attract new talent and retain junior leaders. Notably, their combined
efforts--along with Major Subordinate Commands--have contributed to the
growth of the force through the awarding of more than 200 Minuteman
College Scholarships valued at more than $23 million, thereby enhancing
educational benefits for deserving individuals.
E5 in 5
This past year, we implemented the E5 in 5 Initiative. It aims to
empower Soldiers to attain the rank of sergeant within 5 years of
joining the Army Reserve. Recognizing the abundance of talent within
our ranks, the Army Reserve is committed to promoting individuals who
exemplify leadership qualities and set a positive example.
As part of the initiative, leaders take the proactive steps of
enrolling Soldiers in the Distributed Leader Course (DLC),
expeditiously scheduling the Basic Leader Course (BLC), conducting
flexible promotion boards, and utilizing temporary promotions when
feasible. This initiative underscores the importance of cultivating
leadership skills among our dedicated enlisted corps.
As a result, by the end of 2023, the Army Reserve had exceeded 103%
of required strength for Sergeants for the first time in 4 years by
promoting over 5,000 Specialists who all demonstrated the potential to
serve as noncommissioned officers.
Reducing Harmful Behaviors
The Army Reserve is addressing harmful behaviors that break the
trust between our Army Reserve and our Soldiers. Foundational Readiness
sessions give leaders time to conduct counseling, build esprit de
corps, and underscore the Army Values while bolstering programs such as
Project Inclusion and Equal Opportunity.
Every Soldier deserves a workplace free of sexual assault, sexual
harassment, retaliation, and other behaviors that adversely impact the
work environment. The results of a thorough internal analysis of the
Army Reserve's Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention
Program have enabled programmatic changes driven by the Secretary of
Defense and the NDAA, including improved victim care, staffing,
organization, reporting, and oversight.
The Army Reserve SHARP Team coordinates with Headquarters,
Department of the Army SHARP team and Assistant Secretary of the Army
(Manpower and Reserve Affairs) to develop an Army Reserve-centric
staffing model consistent with the recommendations of the Independent
Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military (IRC-SAM), as
approved by the Secretary of Defense. The Army Reserve SHARP program
inspects and provides staff assistance to every major subordinate
command's program. The 99th Readiness Division's recently completed
virtual Fusion Directorate pilot program offered valuable insights
validating the need to sustain a 24/7 hotline and implement division-
level consolidated Sexual Assault Review Board and Training. The Army
Reserve legal community supports the Office of Special Trial Counsel
(OSTC). Army Reserve support to OSTC will significantly strengthen the
prosecution of sexual assault and other serious criminal offenses by
specially trained attorneys independent of the chain of command.
Suicide Prevention
Suicides are devastating to Families, units, and readiness, and the
Army Reserve is committed to identifying and providing services and
support to vulnerable individuals to let them know that every life is a
life worth living. Suicide remains one of the Army's most complex
challenges, and prevention requires a comprehensive approach. However,
in most recorded suicidal ideation cases, Soldiers actively sought
help, or leaders intervened upon recognizing changes in behavior.
The Army Reserve also empowers Soldiers down to the squad-leader
level to escort any Soldier in crisis to immediate lifesaving care. The
Army Reserve is conducting training sessions to help identify and
address high-risk behavior. Further, the Army Reserve authorizes a paid
duty status for the Soldiers who perform these critical lifesaving
missions and for those who need help.
continuous transformation
The Army is adapting to meet threats posed by the rapidly changing
face of warfare--transforming to ensure we outpace adversaries by
harnessing the latest technologies for warfighting advantage. For the
Army Reserve, continuous transformation means evolving our structure to
support the Army of 2040, reviewing capabilities, and investing in
high-demand civilian skills.
The Engineer 2030 Force (E30F) is leaning forward for the Army of
the future, aligning Army Reserve Engineer Battalions with Active
Component Divisions to provide full spectrum engineering services in
the supported theater--including counter-mobility, mobility and
survivability.
Finally, the Army Reserve requires modernization funding for our
aging High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) fleet, which
will remain mission critical at home and overseas for the foreseeable
future. About half of our nearly 18,000 HMMWVs are beyond their useful
life, reducing our ability to respond to crises and risking Soldiers'
safety without upgraded anti-lock brake systems and electronic
stability control kits.
Cyber Capabilities
The Army Reserve's approach to cyber capabilities extends beyond
traditional military training, recognizing the importance of leveraging
external resources and partnering with academic institutions to stay at
the forefront of cybersecurity. It continues to evolve and adapt to the
rapidly growing threats in the digital domain. Our Soldiers play a
crucial role in the overall cyber capabilities of the Total Force.
The Army Reserve actively engages with the civilian sector to tap
into cutting-edge talent, acknowledging the importance of staying
connected with advancements in the private industry. Recognizing the
significance of early career education, the Army Reserve seeks to
engage with the next generation of Cyber Warriors, Data Scientists, and
individuals involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math) programs. Establishing partnerships with educational
institutions, including K-12 schools and universities, is crucial for
developing a pool of skilled individuals who can contribute to the
evolving landscape of cyber warfare.
Presently, the Army Reserve channels talent into 10 Cyber
Protection Teams, representing 25% of the Army's Cyber Protection Team
capability. These teams consist of experienced Defensive Cyber
Operation (DCO) warriors with unique and specialized civilian skill
sets. These skills include Industrial Control Systems, supervisory
control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, cloud computing, data
science, digital forensics, computer programming languages, application
engineering, and more. These Soldiers contribute not only to military
operations but also bring insights from their commercial experiences,
adding value to the overall cyber defense strategy.
To better meet the needs of the Army and the Nation, the Army
Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade (ARCPB) is expanding by more than 600
positions, creating four deployable command and control battalions;
four Cyber Security Companies to support persistent Defensive Cyber
Operations; and four additional CPTs, posturing the Army Reserve to
meet U.S. Cyber Command and U.S. Army Cyber Command mission
requirements.
The Army Reserve is also focusing on innovation and initiatives by
restructuring the 75th Army Reserve Innovation Command into a two-star
command with two innovation brigades and 25 innovation detachments--a
holistic structural overhaul executed over 3 years.
Energy
Across the nation, we are investing to strengthen energy and water
resilience to ensure access for critical missions under all conditions.
We are securing funding for projects ranging from installation-wide
energy and water distribution plans to ongoing improvements of our
energy use and water accessibility across our footprint. These projects
include electric microgrids, renewable energy technology, centralized
building controls and metering, and facility-related control systems
that are protected from cyberattacks.
The Army Reserve recently installed seven dual-port electric
vehicle chargers at Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, CA, and three
more at the 63rd Readiness Division Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.
The evaluation of these chargers will inform our plans for the entire
Army Reserve fleet.
strengthen the army profession
The range of Army Reserve capabilities encompasses medical
expertise, logistics, transportation, water purification, railroad
operations, engineer, chaplain services, intelligence, military police,
instructional capacities, and civil affairs. As the primary provider of
combat service and combat service support expertise, the Army Reserve
provides tailored responses to meet the demands of current or emerging
requirements. The specialized capabilities within the Army Reserve
ensure that we are both ready and adaptive, aligning with the evolving
needs of the Army and the nation.
Our Soldiers' high-demand career skillsets, such as medical, cyber,
legal, engineering, and port operations--which are costly and
challenging to maintain on active duty--are invaluable in positioning
the Army Reserve as a critical asset for the Army and the Joint Force.
Civilian Acquired Skills Program
In alignment with Total Army objectives, the Army Reserve has
significantly strengthened its Army Civilian Acquired Skills Program
(ACASP) to strengthen our ranks with adept and experienced individuals.
The primary aim of this program is to recognize and incentivize
recruits possessing up-to-date, pertinent civilian skills, particularly
in emerging technologies. The ACASP program enables Soldiers with
civilian skills to undergo shorter entry-level training and contribute
more swiftly in their new roles to the unit and the mission. This
reduces the time away from civilian employers.
Recently expanded from seven to 44 certifiable career fields, ACASP
facilitates a streamlined training process for Soldiers who have
already certified their skills through trade schools, professional
certifications, academic degrees, or work experience. This expansion
has ushered in nearly 200 new Soldiers in 2023, ensuring a continued
influx of dynamic and proficient capabilities for future challenges.
For example, a civilian electrician, enlisting as an Interior
Electrician (12R) under ACASP, was able to reduce his training path by
six weeks. Similarly, medical professionals enlisting in fields like
combat medic can accelerate their training timeline, reducing a 16-week
training program to nine weeks with existing and relevant
certifications.
conclusion
The Army Reserve provides trained, equipped, and ready Soldiers to
fulfill the Nation's domestic and international requirements. Whether
engaged in combat missions or contingency operations or safeguarding
lives and property within America's communities, Army Reserve
formations remain a source of versatile and effective capabilities.
The Army Reserve requires consistent, adequate, and predictable
funding to maintain critical operational capabilities. Such funding is
vital to ensuring the Army Reserve can adequately meet the demands of
the Army and the Joint Force. We are grateful for the Congressional
support with defense spending that positively impacts people, enhances
readiness, and supports modernization efforts. It is critical to the
Army Reserve's investment strategy and an invaluable resource for
modernizing essential mission equipment.
The Army Reserve stands ready to contribute significantly to the
success of the Army, the Total Force, and the Nation as a whole.
Acknowledging the challenges ahead, the Army Reserve remains committed
to providing unwavering support and crucial capabilities for the
Nation's security.
Thank you again for this opportunity to discuss the Army Reserve
and for your strong support of our Soldiers, Civilians, and their
families. I look forward to your questions.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General. Admiral Mustin.
STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL JOHN B. MUSTIN, CHIEF OF NAVY
RESERVE
Admiral Mustin. Good morning, Chair Tester, and Vice Chair
Collins, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. It is a
privilege to address you today, alongside with my colleagues,
with an update on the state and the vision of America's Navy
Reserve.
I would like to begin by recognizing my wife, Kim, whose
steadfast support for 31 years exemplifies the unsung
sacrifices typical of our military spouses. I would also like
to thank Master Chief Tracy Hunt for his tireless efforts in
support of our unlisted Reserve Sailors.
And given this will be my last hearing before this
committee, I want to thank General Hokanson and my peer Reserve
Chiefs for their support and friendship during my tenure as
Chief of Navy Reserve.
On any given day the Navy Reserve provides 60,000 Sailors,
nearly 150 aircraft, two SEAL Teams, three expeditionary
medical facilities, and nearly half of the Navy's expeditionary
combat command and intelligence capability, 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, 365 days a year your Navy Reserve is standing at
the ready with nearly 15,000 Sailors, or 25 percent of our
Force serving, on active-duty orders.
Our current operations extend from Europe's security crisis
to the Red Sea, and from the Indo-Pacific region to recent
support operations in Baltimore, showcasing the flexibility,
readiness, and value our citizens, Sailors generate and
contribute to national security.
In response to Modern threats the Navy Reserve has
aggressively executed a multi-year transformation,
unambiguously focused on warfighting readiness, to prepare the
Force for high-end, multi-domain, warfare. This effort
necessitated modernizing equipment, training systems, and
mobilization processes to ensure our Sailors are both trained
and combat ready from day one.
We have 927 days until 2027, and the accelerating pace of
that countdown clock drives our actions and our sense of
urgency daily. The procurement of modern KC-130 Juliet Aircraft
to replace aging airframes is critical to enhancing the
logistics capabilities of the Joint Force. We share a strong
alignment on this priority as demonstrated by last year's
incorporation of the KC-130 Juliet in the Defense
Appropriations bill, and this year's Congressional add.
This airframe modernization is essential and my number one
equipment priority. It ensures the Navy Reserve can effectively
and efficiently meet contested logistics requirements and
conduct the operations that our combatant commanders and fleet
commanders demand, particularly in the Indo-Pacific area of
responsibility where this Reserve-only capability factors
heavily into our operational plans.
Beyond equipment, we have embraced and invested in
technological advancements to improve work and training
environments, propelling the Navy Reserve into a new era of
both operational and digital Readiness. Commitment to our
Sailors is central to our efforts, focusing on personal and
professional development, promoting a culture of excellence and
fostering a diverse and inclusive environment.
The Navy Reserve has leveraged innovative approaches,
including establishing the Navy Recruiting Reserve Command and
employing advanced digital analytics tools and AD placements to
improve our recruiting efforts.
The retention of our prior Service enlisted sailors is at a
7-year high, ensuring a robust and ready Force. These
commitments enhance our warfighting readiness, and take full
advantage of the unique professional skills inherent in our
Reserve Force.
I extend my gratitude for the committee's support which is
critical for maintaining the operational predictability
essential for our Sailors, their families, and our global
combatant readiness.
Chair Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and all the Members
of this Committee, the dedication of our citizen, Sailors,
civilians, and their supportive families is a gratifying source
of daily inspiration, commanding representing, and advocating
for the Navy Reserve has been the honor of a lifetime.
Thank you for your continued support, and for the
opportunity to address you today. I look forward to your
questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Vice Admiral John B. Mustin
introduction
Chair Tester, Vice Chair Collins, distinguished members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify and illuminate the
pivotal role played by the Navy Reserve in safeguarding our nation. On
behalf of Navy Reserve Sailors, civilians, and their families, thank
you for your continued leadership and support as we continue to
optimize the warfighting readiness of your Navy Reserve Force for
strategic competition.
In 2020, the Navy Reserve began a multi-year transformation to
improve and modernize the way we organize, man, train, equip, and
mobilize to generate the combat power and critical strategic depth the
Navy requires to prevail in conflict. We embraced the imperative to
redesign the Reserve Force--structurally, procedurally, and
operationally--to align with strategic priorities calibrated for a
competitive security environment. With a singular focus on generating
warfighting readiness, this generational transformation provides the
most capable force to our Navy's Fleet Commanders and delivers
integrated all-domain naval power to the Joint Force.
Throughout its rich 109-year history, the Navy Reserve has
demonstrated its role as an elite fighting force--a deep well of
strategic depth enabling our great nation to prevail in competition,
crisis, and conflict. The talent our Navy Reserve Sailors bring to bear
provides an unequivocal asymmetric advantage. As we transformed the
organization, training, and mobilization processes of the Force, we
also remained focused on our collective responsibility to recruit and
retain our nation's precious talent.
On any given day, the Navy Reserve has about 60,000 Sailors, nearly
150 aircraft, two SEAL teams, three expeditionary medical facilities,
and almost half of the Navy's expeditionary combat command and
intelligence capability standing at the ready . . . 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, 365 days a year . . . with nearly 15,000 serving on
active duty orders. I remain in awe of the dedication and
professionalism of Navy Reserve Sailors, civilians and the families
that support them. They provide the foundation that underwrites more
than a century of successful contribution to the Navy and our Joint
Force, and the reason I gaze optimistically to the future.
Timely, predictable, and relevant funding from Congress enables the
Navy Reserve to deliver this strategic depth and meet operational
mission requirements, so we are grateful for your continued support and
enduring interest. Continuing Resolutions result in the cancellation or
deferment of limited and sometimes irreplaceable training
opportunities, negatively impacting the warfighting readiness of the
Navy Total Force. Maintaining the Reserve Personnel Navy account funded
at President's Budget levels enables the Reserve force to deliver
trained Sailors ready to fight and win in the early stages of conflict
and to sustain combat operations. Continued Congressional support will
ensure the Navy Reserve provides relevant, modern capability, capacity,
a resilient surge force, and cumulative warfighting readiness through
training orders, facilities, and equipment today and into the future.
warfighting: deliver decisive combat power
For more than two decades following the unprovoked attacks of 9/11,
and during our global fight against violent extremism, the Navy Reserve
provided operational support in land-based combat environments. The
strategic shift to address peer adversaries in the maritime domain has
forced an evolution to the ready force the Navy Reserve is designed to
deliver. With the resurgence of a global pacing challenge, generating
warfighting readiness required a force design process focused on
modernization and the accelerated delivery of relevant, current
capabilities.
Multi-Domain Warfighting Capability and Capacity
Multi-domain warfighting capability and capacity relevance is a
mandate for the modernized Reserve Force. As such, we are investing
heavily in capabilities that directly align with winning future wars,
including Maritime Operations Centers, contested logistics, surge
maintenance, integrated fires, Naval Special Warfare, and Maritime
Expeditionary Security Squadrons. Additionally, new technologies and
capabilities in space, cyber, imagery analysis, battle damage
assessment and repair, autonomous and un-crewed platforms, artificial
intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and additive
manufacturing represent growth areas that capitalize on the unique
skills and experiences of Reserve Sailors and the civilians that enable
the Reserve Force.
The Navy Reserve delivers these modern capabilities through three
employment models: readiness units that augment active Navy units with
trained, warfighting-ready Reserve Sailors; individual Sailors with
unique skills that enhance the Total Force; and stand-alone operational
units that supplement active component capabilities. The Navy Reserve's
operational units require investments in modern equipment to ensure
relevancy and strategic depth in logistics, aviation, security, medical
capacity, special warfare and other critical capabilities.
Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift
The Navy Reserve continues to prioritize intra-theater lift to
enable rapid deployment, movement, and logistical support to the Fleet
Commanders and Joint Force, particularly through the recapitalization
of the KC-130 Juliet. The C/KC-130T aircraft are the Navy's only long-
range aerial logistics platform capable of transporting bulk cargo,
such as boats, diver recompression chambers, submarine masts, and F-35
engines. Operated solely by the Navy Reserve, the category known as
Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift (NUFEA) consists of 27 C/KC-130T
and 17 C-40A aircraft that comprise the totality of the Navy's organic
intra-theater air logistics capability. In Navigation Plan 2022, Chief
of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday emphasized resilient logistics
in contested environments as a critical force design imperative and
directed recapitalization of the C-130 fleet, a reserve-only
capability, by 2030. Compared to the legacy ``T'' variant, the more
efficient and reliable ``J'' model improves operational performance
while realizing a cost savings of approximately $1,000 per flight
hour--while increasing mission capable rates nearly threefold.
Last year, Navy Reserve air logistics aircraft transported 90,846
passengers and 17.9 million pounds of cargo for the Navy and the
Department of Defense. This capability saved the Department $1.24
billion in expenditures relative to alternative means of
transportation. Despite their demonstrated necessity and value, the C-
130T's age, lack of available parts due to obsolescence, and increasing
cost per flight hour, drive a growing gap between the Fleet's demand
for this mission and the Navy's capability to fulfill it. For these
reasons, the recapitalization of the KC-130J fleet is the Navy
Reserve's number one equipment priority.
Aviation Adversary
The aviation adversary mission ensures the readiness of the Navy's
carrier-based tactical aircraft and develops Navy pilots' air-to-air
combat skill. The Navy Reserve's Tactical Support Wing (TSW) maintains
12 F-16Cs and 12 block 1 F/A-18E/Fs aircraft that replicate high level
threats, and 28 F-5N/F and 2 F-5N+/F+ aircraft that replicate low-to-
mid level threats. The Navy Reserve is modernizing the F-5N/F avionics
suite to improve safety of flight and resolve obsolescence limitations
given an average age of over 40 years per airframe. The current fleet
of F-5s will reach the end of their service life by the early 2030s;
however, eleven upgraded F-5s purchased in FY20 will come into service
over the next 3 years to ensure adversary capacity does not lapse prior
to fielding a replacement aircraft. While the F-5 lacks the speed,
sensors, and signature to accurately represent the high-end pacing
threat, it adequately provides a live adversary platform required for
basic airwing air-to-air training, and serves as a bridge until the
replacement aircraft is fielded.
In April 2022, the Navy Reserve received twelve F-16C aircraft from
the Air National Guard that provide dissimilar aircraft training and
high-end adversary support to the fleet. These aircraft have sufficient
airframe hours remaining to sustain adversary missions through 2035.
Ongoing efforts to upgrade these F-16s, together with investments in
Live-Virtual-Constructive technology, increase the fidelity of modern
threat replication and ensure Reserve adversary training remains
relevant to the fleet until follow-on platforms become available.
Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance (P-8A and MH-60Rs)
The Navy Reserve completed its transition from the P-3C to the P-8A
in 2024. The P-8A aircraft is the nation's only full-spectrum, broad-
area Anti-Submarine Warfare platform. Additionally, it provides armed
Anti-Surface Warfare and networked intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance capability. The Navy Reserve's Maritime Patrol and
Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) squadrons mirror the active component
units in design and mission, and integrate seamlessly into the Global
Force Management (GFM) deployment cycle. In addition to receiving three
P-8As in FY23, VP-62 received one aircraft last month, and is scheduled
for two more deliveries in FY24 for a total of six aircraft. VP-69
began the transition process to the P-8A in April 2023, with the first
aircraft delivered on August 2023. The active component has transferred
five P-8s, and the remaining six are scheduled for delivery between
FY24 and FY25. VP-62 conducted its first forward P-8A operations to
Keflavik, Iceland in November of 2023. They detached within 72 hours of
notice of threat submarine operations, successfully flying over 60
hours of Anti-Submarine Warfare missions with exquisite on top tracking
of real-world adversary forces. VP-69, supporting Commander Third Fleet
(C3F), will surge P-8A detachments during FY24 SUMMER-EX for Homeland
Defense (HLD) missions and participate in the Rim of the Pacific
Exercise (RIMPAC) 2024 supporting joint, partner, and allied
interoperability. Transitioning reserve VP squadrons to the P-8A
sustains the joint forces' military advantage over our pacing threat by
providing worldwide, continuous deployed presence to deter adversaries
and provide robust airborne support of maritime operations.
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 60 (HSM-60), delivers strategic
depth and surge force capabilities, providing ready assets to support
operational tasking on short notice. Last year they supported high-
profile anti-narcotic operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean,
cooperating with USS Farragut and the U.S. Coast Guard. This
interdiction not only disrupted significant illegal narcotic
trafficking, valued over $69 million, but also highlights Navy Reserve
rotary wing capabilities to help project dynamic maritime power and
maintain regional stability.
warfighters: strengthen the navy team
Sailors are our most precious resource--they are the backbone and
the heart and soul of the Navy Reserve. Our focus remains on creating
formidable warfighting teams, attracting and retaining skilled
individuals from America's diverse tapestry, and offering them top-tier
training and education. We are dedicated to enhancing our Sailors'
service quality, encompassing both their quality of life and work, and
ensuring Sailors and their families are supported, valued, and prepared
for the future.
Administration and Management of the Individual Ready Reserve
The Navy Reserve is comprised of 57,200 drilling Selective Reserve
(SELRES) and TAR Sailor billets, and 37,292 Individual Ready Reserve
(IRR) members, totaling 94,492 Ready Reserve Sailors. The IRR is a
critical component of the Navy Reserve, enabling additional surge
capacity for the Navy Reserve Force at a significantly reduced cost.
The IRR service requirement is a component of a Sailor's Military
Service Obligation (MSO), requiring them to maintain basic readiness
standards while affording them opportunities to voluntarily perform
training and/or active duty to provide strategic depth to the Navy. IRR
Sailors also maintain many of the primary benefits associated with
military service such as access to military exchange, commissary and
Morale Welfare and Recreation facilities, Space-Available travel,
Psychological Health and Outreach Program (PHOP) and Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response (SAPR) services.
The Navy Reserve's multi-year transformation includes reimagining
the management of the IRR to better align with the requirements of
Adaptive Mobilization and strategic competition. Accordingly, we have
defined critical skills for the IRR, shifting the focus from the Global
War on Terror and Individual Augmentee (IA)-specific skills to those
focused on maritime skills, while optimizing IRR muster processes.
Additional enhancements include a web-based application in 2023 that
improves the screening of IRR members and provides real-time readiness
data of the IRR force. Since its implementation, screening has
increased nearly two-fold over the past year, improving mobilization
availability, recruiting, and warfighting readiness. In line with
efforts to improve overall Navy Reserve retention, we have also
invested in Sailors' education regarding the requirements and benefits
associated with service in the IRR.
Recruiting and Retention
We are competing for talent within a discriminating labor force
under rapidly evolving economic conditions. The labor market in the
United States is the tightest in recent memory, with more job openings
than people to fill them. However, the turmoil and uncertainty of the
last few years have shown that many Americans are biased to pursue work
for organizations that provide purpose to their lives and align with
intrinsic values. We believe the Navy Reserve is the employer of choice
for those seeking challenge, purpose, and personal growth within a
cohesive community of diverse and motivated individuals. To reach our
goals, we are at General Quarters to spread this message to talented
Americans who are eager to serve.
The Navy Reserve is projected to miss New Accession Training goals
by 973 Sailors and to finish approximately 1,200 Sailors short of the
authorized FY24 End Strength of 57,200. To address end strength
shortfalls, reserve component recruiters have implemented parallel
efforts to access new Sailors as well as those with prior service. To
ensure we can fill critical gaps, the Navy Reserve must maintain a deep
reservoir of talent, which requires active duty Sailors with prior
service to affiliate with the Navy Reserve after leaving active Navy
service. In 2023 the Navy established the Navy Recruiting Reserve
Command (NRRC) and subordinate Navy Reserve Talent Acquisition Groups,
charged with retaining Sailors transitioning from active duty for
continued service in the Reserve Component. To better support these new
commands the Navy also established the TAR Permanent Professional
Recruiter community and designator. These professional recruiters
deploy to fleet concentration areas to establish market penetration,
facilitating the recruitment and retention of Navy Reserve Sailors.
Additionally, NRRC established Prior Service Detachments in the five
continental fleet concentration areas and at two locations outside the
continental United States. These detachments are staffed with Reserve
Benefits Advisors whose purpose is to educate Sailors on the transition
process, as well as the benefits and opportunities associated with
service in the Navy Reserve.
The Reserve Force is proactively engaging in accession and
retention strategies, including promoting transitions from Active
Component to Selected Reserve (AC2SELRES) in Transition Assistance
Program sessions and mandatory career development meetings. In 2023 we
launched programs to promote enlisted SELRES members volunteering for
critical mobilization positions to the next higher pay grade. Other
efforts include increased bonus programs for affiliation and retention,
broadening High Year Tenure policies for greater flexibility, and in
the continuation of SELRES Sailors within the fiscal year. Tuition
Assistance has been extended to SELRES members and exit surveys have
been implemented to pinpoint further improvements for recruitment and
retention. Additionally, the Navy also revised the Military Service
Obligation contract to mandate 2 years of SELRES service following the
initial 4-year active-duty enlistment for Sailors meeting specific
Reserve Force needs, thereby retaining essential skills for strategic
depth.
Culture of Excellence
In transforming the Reserve Force for strategic competition,
Sailors form the foundation of our readiness and remain our most
important stakeholders. The Navy Reserve Force forges a culture based
on trust and respect, where connectedness and inclusion are key
ingredients in every command dynamic. The Navy's Culture of Excellence
(COE) campaign was updated with the launch of ``Forged by the Sea, COE
2.0.'' Forged by the Sea is an approach to building great sailors,
great teams, and great culture in every Navy command. It emphasizes
cultivating exceptional individuals, outstanding leaders, and cohesive
teams, recognizing this is the best way to prepare for victory in
combat, innovate and solve hard problems, and prevent harmful
behaviors. In 2023, the Navy Reserve implemented the Integrated Primary
Prevention Workforce (IPPW) capability with other components of the
DoD. This dedicated workforce addresses multiple primary prevention
functions including suicide, substance misuse, harassment, and sexual
assault. By the close of FY24, the Navy Reserve will have assigned nine
Integrated Prevention Coordinators qualified as public health and
behavior health SMEs spanning each region to focus on risk and
prevention factors.
The Navy Reserve is an exponentially more effective warfighting-
ready force when it capitalizes on the diverse backgrounds,
experiences, perspectives, and talents of those who serve. With this as
our guiding principle, the Navy Reserve is committed to fielding a
force as diverse as the country and harnessing the asymmetric advantage
of our Sailors to accelerate our warfighting advantage. In aggregate,
the diversity of the Reserve Force has increased across all categories
over the previous five-year period. The Reserve Force will continue to
foster inclusion and equity to harness the diverse and unique
capabilities of our Sailors.
Quality of Service
The Navy's Quality of Service (QoS) initiative embodies a steadfast
commitment to bolstering Sailors' well-being, both on and off duty,
through robust leadership support, the institution of rigorous,
enforceable standards coupled with transparency, and the vigilant
maintenance of every Sailor's mental and physical health. At the heart
of QoS are the dual pillars of Quality of Life--encompassing the lived
experiences of Sailors and their families beyond the workplace--and
Quality of Work, which pertains to the professional working
environments. This fusion is critical for fostering a Culture of
Excellence, ensuring our reserve warfighters and teams are
unequivocally prepared to excel in their missions.
The Navy Reserve has significantly improved the support and
educational development for Reserve Sailors through the launch of the
Weekend Drill Childcare (WDCC) and Tuition Assistance programs for
SELRES Sailors. These initiatives directly tackle the well-being and
operational preparedness of our force. The WDCC program provides
critical childcare support during drill weekends, effectively removing
a major barrier to our Sailors' participation and focus. Launched in
2023, the WDCC opened the pilot to fleet-concentration areas in San
Diego, CA; Kitsap/Bremerton, WA; Jacksonville, FL, and later expanded
to Baltimore, MD; Fort Worth, TX; New Orleans, LA; and Ventura County,
CA. The expansion of the Navy's Tuition Assistance program to our
SELRES Sailors is an investment in future Navy Reserve leaders by
supporting the higher education goals and professional development of
all SELRES Sailors in good standing. These initiatives are not solely
retention benefits; they represent strategic investments in our Force's
professionalism, resilience and skills.
Suicide Prevention
Fostering and maintaining the well-being of Reserve Sailors,
civilians, and their families is an imperative for a healthy, whole
force. While the Navy Reserve has realized a consistent year-over-year
decrease in suicide related behaviors since 2019, we continue efforts
to offer and destigmatize mental health treatments and ensure they are
available to all service members and their families. The Psychological
Health Outreach Program (PHOP) provides counselors, coordinators and
resources 24/7/365. Electronic behavioral health screenings are
available to every Sailor and family member for immediate access to
PHOP services while Resiliency Check-ins provide screening and
referrals as necessary. In FY23, PHOP completed a total of 656 Reserve
Center on-site visits and 35 virtual visits, a 21% increase from FY22,
and 3,337 Navy Reserve Referrals. Reserve Sailors, civilians and their
families are critical to our warfighting readiness and remain our most
important asset--the importance of their health, wellness and safety
remains central to our planning, investment, and assessments.
foundation: build trust, align resources, be ready
The Navy Reserve has undergone profound enhancements, moving from
routine monthly drills to implementation of scenario-based exercises
that mirror the complexities of current and projected future conflicts.
Focusing on Warfighting Readiness ensures that Reserve Sailors are
prepared and proficient in their designated billet, and ready to
contribute effectively from day one of any mobilization. The Navy
Reserve Force has modernized legacy models of mobilization, personnel
and pay systems, and Navy Reserve Center's functions and locations to
better support the fleet by increasing responsiveness and performance.
The Navy Reserve Force is committed to ensuring its Sailors are
relevant and ready to deliver maritime dominance in today's
unpredictable security environment.
Adaptive Mobilization
The legacy approach to mobilization, in which individual reserve
Sailors processed through a single centralized facility to receive
specialized training over the course of several months, no longer meets
the demands of a complex and rapidly changing security environment. To
rapidly mobilize the Reserve Force at scale, Adaptive Mobilization (AM)
processes were designed, developed and tailored to each billet, and
distributed mobilization pathways were instituted to bring
mobilization-ready Sailors into their active duty warfighting role
efficiently. Employing the AM model, six regional Readiness and
Mobilization Commands (REDCOMs) and their subordinate Navy Reserve
Centers (NRCs) support distribution of current and future-activations
by mobilizing the entire Selected Reserve population--roughly 47,200
Sailors--within 30 days. This model capitalizes on the strategic
placement of TAR staffs, located at the REDCOMS, NRCs and within the
Fleet, and leverages the nationally distributed Reserve Center
infrastructure unique to Reserve Forces to decentralize mass
mobilization requirements across globally distributed regions. The Navy
Reserve is aggressively exercising these processes through force-wide
mobilization exercises that stress-test our capabilities and
throughput, and drive future improvements. In 2024 the Navy Reserve
Force conducted four mobilization exercises to validate the
mobilization readiness of 100% of our Sailors, and to specifically
identify and address barriers within the AM process.
Navy Reserve Center Optimization
The 111 Navy Reserve Centers (NRC) spread across the United States,
Puerto Rico and Guam make up a critical support network for Reserve
Sailors across the world. In Fiscal Year 2020, the Navy Reserve began
an effort to optimize this network by strategically realigning TAR
personnel to better support reserve Sailors at under-staffed NRCs and
REDCOMs, and strategically closing a small number of NRCs. The effort
supported and aligns with the Secretary of the Navy's 10-year
infrastructure reset strategy, which directed the divestment of the
Navy's facility footprint, in this case reducing the Navy Reserve
infrastructure footprint by 10.3%. Additionally, the NRC optimization
effort reduces the number of stand-alone, off-installation NRCs,
decreasing risk to the force and eliminating the expense and Sailor
dwell impact of additive Armed Watch Stander programs.
conclusion
My unambiguous focus remains warfighting readiness. We have
transformed the Navy Reserve and delivered ready units of action and
augmentation manpower to support Navy warfighting throughout the
spectrum of conflict. To remain ahead of our pacing threats in the
coming decades, we must continue to transform our force with urgency,
to face the challenges of today while preparing for the war of
tomorrow. Strategic and tactical guidance supports this singular goal,
with the enduring foundation of professional, empowered, proficient
Sailors at the core. As it has for well over a century, America's Navy
Reserve remains ``Ready Now.'' We have made great strides in
modernizing how we man, train, equip and mobilize the force. But we
still have much to do.
Today, we face a new era with new challenges. On behalf of the men
and women of the United States Navy Reserve, thank you for your
steadfast support of Navy Reserve Sailors, civilians, families, and
employers. With your continued support, we will lead the transformation
of our Navy Reserve to address the current and future global
environment with speed and agility.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Admiral.
General Anderson.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL LEONARD F. ANDERSON,
IV, COMMANDER OF MARINE CORPS RESERVE
General Anderson. Chairman Tester, Vice Chair Collins, and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to testify on behalf of
the Commandant of the Marine Corps, about our Marine Force's
Reserve.
I am honored to appear with fellow Reserve Component
Service Chiefs, and with my senior enlisted leaders, Four Star
Major Edwin Mota; and Command Master Chief, Michael Mussett.
The Marine Corps Reserve has always been a critical
component of the Marine Corps' Total Force. The emergent
picture of the intricate and multi-domain warfighting
environments of the future increasingly reveals the risk of
relying on the Active component alone. The problem set
demonstrates why the Marine Corps strategically leverages its
Reserve component in two important ways.
First, the Marine Corps Reserve provides support to global
Force management, and employed as a vital contributor to meet
combatant command requirements. The Reserve component, in close
partnership with Marine Force's Command, and the 2nd Marine
Expeditionary Force, continues to mature the utilization of
service-retained Forces in support of global crisis response
operations. We provide Reserve Forces for global deployments
that span the spectrum of conflict, and we participate in
combat-related training exercises in every geographic combatant
command and CYBERCOM (Cyber Command).
Second, the Marine Corps Reserve is amplifying its talent
management efforts. This subcommittee has been briefed
extensively in recent years on the Marine Corps' Force Design
Initiative. Talent management is a major focus of the Marine
Corps and the Marine Corps Reserve. We are identifying select
individuals with high-demand, low-density skill sets that are
inherently challenging to acquire, and providing those Marines
pathways to continued Military Service that are complementary
to their civilian careers.
Each year, this subcommittee provides National Guard
Reserve equipment appropriation funding for the Marine Corps
Reserve. And I am grateful for your continued support through
NGREA. The Marine Corps Reserve is designed to be equipped at
near parity with the Active component, and NGREA funds allow
the Marine Corps Reserve to resource that requirement set forth
by Congress and the combatant commanders.
The Marine Corps Reserve would realize an even greater
advantage by receiving NGREA funding that restores us to our
historical share. I ask that you consider this in your future
funding decisions.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps recently called the
Marine Corps Reserve ``our backbone'' and emphasized to our
senior leaders the need to maximize the potential of our Marine
Corps Reserve Forces by resourcing and equipping them to ensure
they are prepared to meet the threats that face this Nation.
Reserve Marines serve honorably while balancing their civilian
careers and families; they bring a depth and breadth of
knowledge to the Marine Corps that gives the Total Force an
asymmetric advantage.
Chairman, I am glad to be here. And thank you. And I look
forward to your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General Leonard F. Anderson, IV
introduction
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and distinguished members
of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to testify on behalf of the
Commandant of the Marine Corps. This testimony will provide an overview
of the current state of the Marine Corps Reserve and the
responsibilities that your Reserve Marines and Sailors have in our
national security and will highlight the significant progress we have
made in recent years.
The Marine Corps Reserve is a critical component of the Marine
Corps Total Force, providing essential capabilities and capacity to
compete with our adversaries and respond to global crises. We exist to
fight and win our Nation's battles. The Marine Corps Reserve is not
simply a surge force; our capacity is essential to meet the demands of
the 21st century and further enhance the pillars of Force Design. With
the rise of new threats and the evolving nature of future conflict, the
Marine Corps Reserve is ready and able to adapt and compete in this
ever-changing environment.
Our commitment to readiness is unwavering. We continue to exercise
and adapt our activation and mobilization processes, and we are
constantly working to improve the training and skills of our Marines
and Sailors. We are also focused on identifying, developing, and
retaining the best talent. Our Marines and Sailors are our most
valuable asset, and we are committed to providing them with the tools
and resources they need to succeed.
I am confident that the Marine Corps Reserve is ready to meet the
challenges of the future. We are a relevant, ready, and responsive
force, and we are committed to serving our Nation with honor.
talent management
In the dynamic and evolving landscape of modern warfare, the Marine
Corps Reserve recognizes the imperative of effective talent management
as a cornerstone for success. To emerge victorious in the intricate and
multi-domain warfighting environments of the future, our Marines must
attain and sustain advanced technical, intellectual, and physical
capabilities. Moreover, they must operate adeptly in distributed and
ambiguous scenarios.
The Marine Corps strategically leverages the Reserve Component to
address its need for a broader spectrum of high-demand/low-density
skillsets that are inherently challenging to acquire and retain. We
acknowledge the limitations of relying on the Active Component alone
and are committed to attracting and retaining diverse individuals with
unique talents and skills across the total force. Simultaneously, we
strive to provide pathways to military service harmonious with the
pursuit of civilian careers for our Reserve Marines.
Aligned with overarching service goals, the Marine Corps actively
embraces new initiatives to enhance career flexibility and cultivate
talent within the Reserve Component. Our commitment to the Commandant's
Talent Management 2030 initiative is a significant stride in this
direction. New initiatives to maximize permeability across the total
force include a streamlined process for Reserve Component officers to
request transition to the Active Component and a reinvigorated emphasis
on the Direct Affiliation Program (DAP), which creates new
opportunities for departing Active Component Marines, equipped with
valuable skills, to seamlessly transition into the Reserve Component.
During FY23, active component units received goals for direct
affiliation from active to reserve, and this program resulted in 1,094
Marines approved. The FY24 direct affiliation goal is 2,000 and is on
track for success. Direct affiliation demonstrates one of many
permeability efforts that seeks to retain talent within the service.
The Marine Corps Reserve will continue to develop innovative policies,
pathways, and tools designed to capture, catalog, and maintain
visibility of our diverse pool of talent, ensuring these Marines have a
path for future service.
modernization
The Marine Corps Reserve, operating as both a strategic and
operational Reserve, is a critical part of the Total Force Marine
Corps. As the Marine Corps remains the naval expeditionary force-in
readiness in support of Naval Campaigning, Strategic competition, and
crisis response the Reserve Component (RC) continues to be an integral
element of the planning effort. The Marine Corps' force design process
is strategy-driven, threat-informed, and concept-based. Force
development is subsequently pursued through deliberate experimentation,
wargaming, integrated planning, and studies and analysis that inform an
ongoing and iterative campaign of learning to identify what is
effective and required. The Marine Corps Reserve participates in and
provides support to this force design and development effort while
remaining a vital global contributor in meeting combatant command
requirements.
AC forces have been rapidly modernizing under the direction of
multiple administrations' National Security Strategies (NSS) and
National Defense Strategies (NDS). The RC modernization leverages the
iterative experimentation, learning, and refinement being accomplished
by AC forces and complements AC formations as they transition to new
capabilities. The RC remains nested with all Service-related
initiatives supporting modernization. As part of a phased modernization
with the Active Forces, RC forces will continue to modernize while
assessing risk and balancing the Services' ability to remain ready,
relevant, and responsive as a vital contributor in support of Combatant
Command requirements. Additionally, the Reserve Component, in close
partnership with Marine Forces Command and II Marine Expeditionary
Force, continues to mature the concept of Service Retained Forces (SRF)
in support of global crisis and contingency response operations. The
SRF concept demands will uncover needed adjustments to RC capabilities
and platforms and illuminate the vital role the RC plays in supporting
campaigning in competition and fighting and winning in conflict.
innovation and experimentation
The establishment of Littoral Craft Companies (LCC) is a
comprehensive initiative producing strong linkages across several
Marine Corps Reserve lines of effort (LOEs). The initiative supports
numerous key objectives including Site Optimization, Talent Management,
New Platforms and Technologies Integration, Experimentation and
Wargaming Support, as well as Service component integration in a way
that effectively aligns broad aspects of the Marine Corps Reserve's
strategic vision.
Transitioning C and D Companies, 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion
(Galveston, TX and Tampa, FL respectively) into LCCs presented an ideal
Talent Management and Site Optimization opportunity with the bonus of
integrating new Platforms and Technology in the form of littoral craft.
In partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit, the Marine Corps is
pursuing a rapid procurement of these dual-use, commercially available
vessels through an area of interest solicitation to the Defense
Industrial Base. This highly flexible process offers direct access to
vendors capable of producing state-of-the-art littoral craft for the
Marine Corps Reserve on an aggressive delivery timeline.
Capability development is already underway in key focus areas to
include ``Training and Training Sustainment'' and ``Littoral Maneuver
Craft Characteristics.'' As directed by the Service following LCC
initiative approval, the Marine Corps Reserve has held numerous
planning sessions to define the mission, training and readiness
standards; individual and unit mission essential tasks; military
occupational specialty requirements; and other fundamental
characteristics necessary for relevant operational employment.
Incorporating strategic linkages and supported external entities, this
planning accelerates and informs institutional solutions to known
littoral maneuver capability gaps.
fiscal stewardship
As we invest in new platforms, barracks, and training, it is our
responsibility as good stewards of taxpayer funds to continue to prove
that when the Corps is provided a taxpayer dollar, we can show exactly
where and how it has been invested--a responsibility we take very
seriously. Following a rigorous two-year audit, the Marine Corps
achieved an unmodified audit opinion, the best possible outcome--and
the first time in the Department of Defense's history that any service
has received an unmodified audit opinion. These results demonstrate how
seriously the Marine Corps takes its stewardship of taxpayer funds and
our ability to account for and put to best use every dollar trusted to
the service. This audit supports what we have believed for a long
time--when Congress provides the Marine Corps a dollar, we invest it
wisely, and we can tell you exactly where and how it was spent to
further our Nation's national security objectives. The Marine Corps
worked with Independent Public Accountants to validate budgetary
balances and records and to audit physical assets at installations and
bases across the globe. These actions included counting military
equipment, buildings, structures, supplies, and ammunition held by the
Marine Corps and our DoD Partners. The audit's favorable opinion was
only possible through the support and hard work of numerous dedicated
Marines, civilian Marines, and many other partners across DoD.
Nonetheless, we will not rest on our laurels; the audit report pointed
out some areas for improvement, and we will use these recommendations
to make our fiscal practices even better.
a total force
Throughout the past year, the Marine Corps Reserve supported
Combatant Commander requirements by providing reserve forces for global
deployments that span the spectrum of conflict. In FY23, 621 Reserve
Marines joined their Active Component counterparts in deployments that
supported 20 operational requirements across five geographic Combatant
Commands. Thus far in FY24, the Marine Corps Reserve has activated 241
Marines in support of five Combatant Commands and is forecasting the
activation of more than 600 Reserve Marines to support 19 separate
formations throughout the remainder of FY24. These operations
significantly increase the Reserve Component's readiness and
interoperability with the Active Component, Joint Forces, allies, and
coalition partners. Planning is currently underway for increased
activations and deployments, possibly double or triple those of FY24,
that integrate Reserve forces with the Active Component commencing in
FY25 with continued employment through 2030 in support of high-priority
Combatant Command requirements.
In addition to participating in operations, the Marine Corps
Reserve conducts a wide array of combat-related training exercises
around the world. The purpose of these exercises is to improve the
Marine Corps Reserve's combat readiness, retain talent, and foster
improved international relations and interoperability between allied
nations and partners. In FY23, the Marine Corps Reserve led or
participated in 46 military exercises across every warfighting domain
in 16 countries, contributing 8,498 Reserve Marines. To date in FY24,
the Marine Corps Reserve is forecasted to participate in 52 exercises
globally, with a total force of 6,396 Reserve Marines.
The Marine Corps Reserve focuses on operational readiness within
the Marine Air Ground Task Force and the Joint operational environment.
Joint aviation assets from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Air
National Guard, and the Marine Corps Reserve (who planned and led the
event) conducted Tactical Air Control Party training to sustain Joint
Terminal Air Controller (JTAC) qualifications at Camp Shelby,
Mississippi, and San Clemente Island, California. This training
benefitted all participating Services by enabling fixed, rotary wing,
and unmanned aviation platforms to achieve mission-essential training
in close air support while certifying Reserve Marine JTACs.
The Marine Corps Reserve participates in the Department of Defense
(DoD) Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Program, which provides
joint/military training in the United States and its territories to
increase deployments and unit readiness. In 2023, the Marine Corps
Reserve participated in thirteen exercises under the IRT Program, two
of which involved both Active and Reserve forces. Our participating
units were able to train to mission essential tasks involving both
horizontal and vertical construction, logistical support,
communications, and medical care while making tangible, meaningful
impacts in communities located in South Dakota, Hawaii, California, New
Mexico, Tennessee, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, and Indiana.
With Congress's continued support of these efforts, the Marine Corps
Reserve looks to expand its footprint in this program to include
airlift, construction, medical, and cybersecurity efforts.
The Marine Corps Reserve also supports the Total Force by executing
the sensitive and crucial mission of providing casualty assistance to
the families of our fallen Marines. There is no responsibility we treat
with higher regard than this solemn mission. Inspector-Instructor (I-I)
and Reserve Site Support staffs are geographically positioned to
accomplish the vast majority of Marine Corps casualty assistance calls
and are trained to provide compassionate and thorough assistance to
families. Most Marine Corps casualty notifications and follow-on
assistance calls to the next of kin are made by our Reserve Marines.
During FY23, I-I and Reserve Site Support staffs supported over 75% of
the 468 active casualty calls performed by the Marine Corps, and Marine
Corps Reserve units performed 94% of the 20,475 total funeral services
provided by the Marine Corps for former Marines.
equipment
The Marine Corps Reserve is designed to be equipped at near parity
with its active component counterpart due to the Total Force approach
to equipment fielding. To maximize the potential of our reserves, we
must ensure adequate investment in Reserve equipment to ensure the
modernization and readiness of our Reserves. Equipment modernization
and improved readiness are key factors that allow the Marine Corps to
keep pace with future threats and preserve operational agility.
However, the high demand for Reserve units and the resulting high
operational tempo stress the Marine Corps Reserve's ability to maintain
equipment and replenish deficiencies. Delays in appropriations have
affected the Marine Corps' modernization efforts, as well as its
ability to divest legacy equipment. The Marine Corps Reserve's cost to
maintain its legacy equipment continues to increase, adversely
affecting unit training and overall readiness. Inadequate or delayed
fielding, coupled with delays in the appropriation of funds, disrupts
our ability to program long-term equipping activities and challenges
our efforts to improve current and future readiness.
The Marine Corps Reserve mitigates risk and ensures material
readiness through Training Allowances (TA). Reserve units maintain
equipment based on the unit's TA, which is the portion of the unit's
full Table of Equipment (T/E) necessary for maintaining training
readiness at Reserve Training Centers. This method ensures the
necessary amount of equipment to train, maintain, and store remains on
hand within personnel and facility constraints. All equipment above the
TA (the difference between the TA and the T/E) is stored at Marine
Corps Logistics Bases and other ``in stores'' locations. Several
factors affect maintenance efforts and priorities across the RC. These
factors include reliance on personnel to identify and perform
preventative and corrective maintenance, operation and exercise of the
equipment sets, and targeted fiscal resourcing decisions. Leveraging
Operations and Maintenance, Marine Corps Reserve (O&M MCR) funding to
employ Marine Logistics Command mobile maintenance support teams helps
augment our limited organic maintenance capacity. We also utilize a
Service-managed third-party logistics provider to repair secondary
components that cannot be repaired organically due to limited
intermediate maintenance capacity. Congressional support for Reserve
funding as specified in the FY 2025 President's Budget Request is
paramount to our continued success in sustaining equipment and
maintenance readiness.
facilities
The Marine Corps Reserve occupies 158 Reserve Training Centers in
47 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico. Among these, 28 sites are owned and maintained by the Marine
Corps Reserve, while the remaining 130 Reserve Training Centers are
categorized as ``tenant'' status and owned by other Services. Through
support agreements, the Marine Corps Reserve assumes maintenance
responsibility for facilities at 113 of these tenant sites. Over the
past 2 years, the Marine Corps Reserve has dedicated significant
efforts to rectifying and ensuring the accuracy of our real property
records, aligning them with our complete sustainment funding
requirement. Among the total 158 sites, some Reserve Training Centers
are situated within major DoD installations, while the majority are
dispersed across civilian communities, encompassing residential
neighborhoods to industrial and commercial districts.
Traditionally, the Marine Corps Reserve has committed 100% of the
facilities budget to support the sustainment, maintenance, and
modernization of existing infrastructure and day-to-day operating
costs. Because of this investment and commitment, we have improved the
overall readiness of our facilities. Moreover, through the
comprehensive utilization of the Facilities Sustainment, Restoration,
and Modernization (FSRM) program, we have also retained and improved
facilities that were deemed vital to support the Marine Corps Reserve's
mission.
Presently, our focus is on identifying significant FSRM projects
for future funding. Simultaneously, we are actively engaged in efforts
to maximize efficiency. This includes a strategic approach to cost
reduction and funding savings through the realignment of facilities and
the demolition of excess footprint. As part of this initiative, the
Marine Corps Reserve is currently in the process of reprioritizing five
sites, realizing savings ranging from approximately $200k to $300k per
site.
As we capitalize on utilizing the Military Construction, Navy
Reserve (MCNR) program, our focus is on providing construction for new
and enduring capabilities and recapitalizing our aging facilities. The
construction projects enabled by the annual authorization and
appropriation of MCNR funding are a significant factor in advancing our
facilities support mission, especially as we optimize our force laydown
throughout the Nation. Continued support for our MCNR program funding
requests is essential for planning and execution to modernize our
capabilities and, when needed, to divest from infrastructure or
facilities that no longer meet the mission.
The combined effects of our targeted site consolidations, FSRM, and
MCNR Programs have steadily reduced the number of inadequate or
substandard Reserve Training Centers and enabled improved support to
Reserve units and personnel. However, as our infrastructure ages, the
operating costs have steadily increased due to the requirements for
more secure communications and classified spaces within these
facilities and these requirements will continue to rise as the Marine
Corps modernizes to meet the requirements of the National Defense
Strategy.
The safety of our Marines, Sailors, and their families is of utmost
importance; therefore, we are actively engaged in ongoing efforts to
improve the overall force protection at all our sites. We take pride in
working with our Service partners and the National Guard to improve
security at our sites where joint occupation is optimal. Throughout the
last 10 years, numerous force protection assessments have been
conducted at our facilities, and security-engineering reports have been
generated to assist in developing designs that mitigate protection
concerns, specifically within the realm of physical security. These
assessments identify requirements and serve to prioritize enhancements,
ultimately improving the overall facility security for our Marines,
Sailors, and their families.
sexual assault prevention and response
For the Marine Corps Reserve, improving the health and safety of
our service members by fostering a culture of dignity and respect are
top priorities, as they are vital to reducing and ultimately
eliminating sexual assault within our ranks. The Marine Corps Reserve
has a unique and adaptable Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
(SAPR) Program that provides training, advocacy, guidance, and
supportive services across our geographically dispersed force.
The Marine Corps Reserve SAPR Program is undergoing many vital
staffing and structure changes in response to the Independent Review
Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault in the Military in accordance with
the recommendations approved by the Secretary of Defense. These changes
begin by adding more full-time civilian SAPR personnel to strengthen
the effectiveness of both prevention and response efforts, and there is
an accelerated effort to fill all of the required positions at all
levels simultaneously.
The Marine Corps Reserve operates a dedicated Sexual Assault
Support Line that is staffed 24/7 by their professional SAPR team. It
also actively publicizes the DoD Safe Helpline, a resource that offers
crisis support services for members of the DoD community.
quality of life
The Marine Corps Reserve is dedicated to ensuring quality of life
programs are designed to effectively assist all Reserve Marines,
Sailors, and their families, whether deployed or on the home front.
Marine Corps Community Service (MCCS) programs are flexible and are
continually adjusting to meet the needs of our geographically dispersed
Reserve Marines and their families. The training programs provided to
our commanders, Family Readiness Command Teams, and Marines and Sailors
and their families contribute to a ready and resilient force equipped
to succeed. The Marine Corps Family Team Building (MCFTB) Program
enhances readiness through non-clinical preventive education,
professional training, and community-building support throughout the
wide array of mission, life, and career events. During FY23, the Marine
Corps Reserve conducted 267 training events in which 10,427 Marines,
Sailors, and family members received essential information to assist
them throughout the deployment cycle. These events helped them prepare
for and flourish during deployments and achieve a positive post-
deployment reintegration experience.
The Marine Corps emphasizes the importance of readiness for Marines
and family members in many areas of life. The Marine Corps Personal and
Professional Development Programs provide training and educational
resources to increase awareness and build individual and family
development skills. These programs enhance the quality of life for our
military community by promoting self-reliance and self-sufficiency, as
well as continuing the tradition of ``taking care of our own.'' The
Marine Corps Personal and Professional Development Programs include
transition readiness, personal financial management, voluntary
education, and information and referral.
The Marine Corps Transition Readiness Program (TRP) is a
comprehensive program that helps Marines and their families develop and
attain effective post-transition employment, educational, and
entrepreneurship goals. The Marine for Life Network helps to link our
Marines to employment, education, and community resources in their
hometown areas to support their future goals. A virtual course is
available for Marines who are not located near a military installation.
In FY23, the Marine Corps Reserve transition staff assisted 761 Marines
with pre-separation counseling and 618 Marines with capstone
completion.
conclusion
As the operational environment changes, your Marine Corps Reserve
will continue to innovate and evolve in order to meet future challenges
and deter the pacing threats as prescribed in the National Defense
Strategy. The key to our success has been and will continue to be
individual Marines, Sailors, and their families. Your Reserve Marines
will continue to answer their Nation's call to serve, and with your
continued support, we will remain ready. Semper Fidelis.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General.
General Healy.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN P. HEALY, CHIEF OF
AIR FORCE RESERVE
General Healy. Chairman Tester, Vice Chair Collins,
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the
69,600 men and women of the Air Force Reserve, it is an honor
to be here today with my Senior Enlisted Advisor, Chief Master
Sergeant Israel Nun?ez. We are both continually amazed at the
accomplishments of our Reserve Airmen as they meet every
challenge given on behalf of this Nation.
The Air Force Reserve provides an operational capability,
strategic depth, and surge capacity across every Air Force core
mission set. We provide a ready now, accessible Force that is
both mission-effective, and cost-efficient.
Since last October, Air Force Reserve personnel and
aircraft have mobilized, within 72 hours, to fill critical
airlift and air refueling missions in support of CENTCOM
(Central Command) and TRANSCOM (Transportation Command). To
date, in fiscal year 2024 Reserve Airmen have accomplished over
68,000 man-days in support of Levant operations.
As effective and efficient as we are, the Air Force Reserve
must transform for the future. This requires proportional
modernization and concurrent fielding with the regular
component. Maintaining equipment parity ensures our ability to
match pacing threats. Legacy aircraft investment without
recapitalization, and delayed modernization, add substantial
risk to our surge capacity.
It is imperative that our funding reflects proportional
distribution as well. While our 2025 budget request is
relatively flat compared to fiscal year 2024, it is designed to
preserve readiness. However, the recent SAC-D (Senate
Appropriations Committee--Defense) markup recommends a $111
million reduction to our operations and maintenance budget.
This 2.7 percent overall reduction is proportionally 90 times
greater than the Active Component's 0.3 percent reduction in
O&M (Operation and Maintenance). This puts substantial risk to
our Flying Hour Program.
I respectfully request SAC-D address this imbalance during
markup, ensuring equitable funding that maintains our readiness
as well.
We are grateful to Congress for NGREA funding. NGREA
enables us to modernize or replace equipment when
recapitalization by the Active Component is infeasible. For
fiscal year 2025, SAC-D has proposed an NGREA allocation of
$124 million for the Air Force Reserve, a $31 million reduction
from fiscal year 2024, and we would appreciate your support to
increase this allocation, enabling us to field a more lethal
and survivable Force.
While equipment is critical, our most important weapon
system is and always will be our Airmen. Two of our most
significant lines of effort focus on providing accessible and
affordable child care and access to healthcare for family
members with special needs through the Exceptional Family
Member Care Program.
Over the past seven decades plus, the Air Force Reserve has
provided combat-proven readiness. I am certain the Air Force
Reserve will always be ready to defend our great Nation now and
in the future.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today,
for your continued support of the Air Force Reserve, our
citizen, Airmen, and their families. And I look forward to your
questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lieutenant General John P. Healy
united states air force reserve
The Air Force Reserve is a combat-ready force, with a Fiscal Year
2024 (FY 2024) authorized end strength of 69,600 Reserve Airmen,
stationed throughout the United States. As a cost-efficient and
mission- effective force, the Air Force Reserve provides the Nation
with operational capability, strategic depth and surge capacity, both
overseas and at home. The Air Force Reserve's wide-ranging operational
capabilities serve the diverse needs of every Combatant Commander,
whose requirements are as varied as the geographic and functional areas
they support.
With 74 percent of our Reserve Airmen serving part-time, their
combat-tested experience is retained in a cost-efficient force,
available whenever our Nation calls. The Nation benefits from the
intrinsic value gained by a Reserve member's civilian experience in a
variety of careers, from pilots and nurses to teachers and cyberspace
professionals, enhancing our mission with a broad spectrum of
professional insights and capabilities.
The Air Force Reserve directly supports the United States and
neighboring countries with special capabilities, including weather
reconnaissance, better known as the ``Hurricane Hunters,'' aerial
firefighting and aerial spray. The Air Force Reserve's relationship
with other Federal agencies, including the National Weather Service and
U.S. Forest Service, demonstrates how Federal, military and civilian
organizations work together to support the entire Nation.
The Air Force Reserve is a proven part of the Total Force and vital
to the Department of the Air Force's (DAF) effort to address the four
National Defense Strategy (NDS) priorities: defending the homeland,
deterring strategic attacks, deterring aggression and building a
resilient joint force. We execute the full spectrum of DAF missions,
providing strategic depth and maintaining operational readiness to
deter our adversaries, defend the United States, our Allies and
partners, and respond to any contingency--at a fraction of the cost of
the full-time members of the U.S. Space Force and the Regular Component
of the U.S. Air Force.
As the DAF confronts the challenges presented by Great Power
Competition (GPC), the Air Force Reserve stands ready to ensure its
success. Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is the most diverse Major
Command (MAJCOM) in the DAF and with nearly three-quarters of our force
serving in a part-time status, we are optimized for Great Power
Competition by providing surge capacity and strategic depth. Emerging
threats demand a resilient, experienced, and accessible force that is
responsive, agile, and lethal--all of which are attributes of the Air
Force Reserve. Our cost-effective framework amplifies resource
utilization while upholding fiscal responsibility. Focused on talent
retention, we draw from a deep pool of institutional knowledge with
robust support for Reserve Airmen. This approach not only bolsters our
strategic depth but also keeps us resilient and adaptable, essential
for maintaining a competitive edge.
air force reserve fiscal year 2025 posture statement
Total Force operations require Total Force investments. The Joint
Force faces a complex battlespace across multiple domains. As two parts
of the DAF, the U.S. Space Force and the Regular Component of the U.S.
Air Force are working to fulfill the NDS priority of building a
resilient joint force and defense ecosystem. As part of the Total
Force, the Air Force Reserve ensures the DAF can achieve these efforts.
Our mission capabilities rest on one foundation--our people. Our
Reserve Airmen must be able to work side by side with the U.S. Space
Force and our Regular Component partners in the U.S. Air Force. To do
that, the Air Force Reserve must train and equip our Reserve Airmen in
a manner that is proportional and concurrent with the Regular
Component. This will ensure we remain a credible operational and
strategic reserve that can provide a surge capacity in crisis or
contingency.
Our FY 2025 budget request invests in foundational accounts,
focused on preventing year over year degradation, to maintain the
capabilities and readiness required to defend the homeland. The Fiscal
Responsibility Act dramatically increases the importance of the timely
approval of the FY 2025 budget request. Continuing Resolutions delay
budgets and prevent the Air Force Reserve from receiving the funding it
needs to maintain operational readiness.
With Congress' support, we continue to improve our strategic
readiness. I issued a Task Order upon taking Command of Air Force
Reserve Command in 2022 that emphasized two priorities: Ready Now and
Transforming for the Future. The order empowers Reserve Airmen to own
their individual readiness and established accountability across the
entire Command to be the Reserve the Nation needs. We issued a revision
to the Task Order in 2023 and developed metrics that allowed us to
track our progress to maintain operational readiness and transform for
the future. By employing data analytics coupled with new tools and
processes, we are making timely and informed programmatic decisions. We
developed and refined data visualization tools, like the Status of
Funds and Flying Hour Tools, that allow us to make timely and informed
programmatic decisions. We are implementing policy reform that
facilitates modernization and reduces administrative requirements. The
result is an agile and judicious execution of financial resources. The
timely approval of our FY 2025 budget request will enable the Air Force
Reserve to continue improving operational readiness while also
transforming into a data dominant Command. We hold ourselves
accountable from planning to execution of a comprehensive and effective
strategy to build a ready force and transform the organization.
The Air Force Reserve will support the DAF as it makes hard choices
in Air and Space power modernization to keep pace with our strategic
competitors. Airpower and Spacepower modernization are necessary to
address the four NDS priorities, which depend upon effective Command
and Control capabilities that are survivable in the threat environment
of today and tomorrow. In this joint endeavor, the Air Force Reserve
plays a pivotal role, ensuring seamless integration with the Regular
Component. For the Air Force Reserve to remain a viable contributor to
joint operations, the Total Force must maintain equipment parity and
interoperability. These modernization investments require a balance
between current and future risk. Some current capabilities must be
divested to ensure we have the Reserve Force necessary to prevail in
potential future conflicts. As our strategic environment changes, the
risk is increasing over time, requiring hard choices to keep pace with
evolving threats. We appreciate Congressional support as the Air Force
Reserve prioritizes concurrent modernization and proportional fielding.
This modernization and proportionality are coupled with a DAF-wide
effort to re-optimize every aspect of the Department around GPC. The FY
2025 budget continues to integrate Air Force Reserve capabilities with
the DAF to ensure that we can serve as a Total Force contributing to
the Joint Force.
Reserve Airmen and their families are the foundation of our
operational readiness, capabilities and organizational success. Our
Airmen's diverse talent and depth of experience are force multipliers.
Their dedication to our mission is second to none and we owe our Airmen
stability and predictability. The Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN)
model will increase predictability and lessen Reserve Airmen's time
away from family and the financial burdens they may incur being away
from their civilian occupations.
The Air Force Reserve value proposition is simple: we are a cost-
effective strategic force that is experienced, accessible and ready. We
will use budgeted funds to ensure the Air Force Reserve has the
capabilities and training required to generate combat power for the
future security environment. We also ensure that the Total Force is
ready to answer our Nation's call. Congress's support of our FY 2025
budget request will ensure the Air Force Reserve has the continued
ability to organize, train and equip our Reserve Airmen and remain a
ready force to defend our Nation and its interests.
air force reserve's role in defending the nation
The Air Force Reserve is codified in law to provide trained and
qualified personnel available to the Joint Force and Regular Component
in time of war, national emergency, or in response to a crisis or
contingency. Recognizing that Joint Warfighters need Air and Space
Power, the DAF plays a critical role in defending the homeland,
deterring strategic attacks, deterring aggression and building a
resilient joint force. Because operational demands fluctuate, the
Regular Component cannot be manned to meet peak demands and is
therefore right-sized for steady-state operations. The Air Force
Reserve provides the strategic depth and operational support the DAF
needs to meet these demands. This requires Reserve Airmen to be
organized, trained and equipped in line with the Regular Component to
be a ready, resilient and combat-credible force in reserve.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall is posturing the DAF to
meet the challenges of Great Power Competition. At the Air and Space
Force Association Warfare Symposium in February 2024, he unveiled 24
decisions which are designed to optimize how the U.S. Air Force and the
U.S. Space Force organizes, trains and equips their forces. During this
period of optimization, the Air Force Reserve is ready to ensure the
DAF's success. The DAF has identified key areas for review, investment
and re-optimization. The Air Force Reserve will be an important part of
this transformation and needs to be considered in all the DAF's
efforts.
Core Functions
Our ability to meet current taskings and to maintain a strategic
reserve capacity are predicated on equipment parity and our readiness.
The Air Force Reserve provides daily operational support to the Joint
Force, while maintaining a ready and accessible strategic force during
major conflict or surge operations in an unforeseen event, such as
national disasters and contingencies. We also contribute to the DAF's
five core functions.
Air and Space Superiority
Preserving the advantage in air and space during GPC requires
generating combat power in contested environments. Maintaining
equipment parity with the Regular Component ensures our ability to
match pacing threats and secure air and space superiority. Legacy
divestiture without recapitalization and delayed modernization programs
adds substantial risk.
The Air Force Reserve provides vital experience to the DAF's 5th
Generation fighter capabilities. The Air Force Reserve's first unit-
equipped F-35 wing at Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB)
Ft Worth, Texas is on track for first aircraft arrival in FY 2024 as
the unit converts from F-16s to F-35s. We currently execute F-35 Combat
Operations through our Classic Association, with the Regular Component
as the lead organization, at Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah. We
conduct F-35 Formal Training at Luke AFB, Arizona and Eglin AFB,
Florida through Classic Associations. We also perform Operational Test
and Weapons Instructor Courses at Nellis AFB, Nevada through a Classic
Association. The experience of our Reserve pilots and maintainers in
all aspects of 5th Generation fighter operations reduces costs and
improves both the Reserve and Regular Components. The Classic
Association at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska demonstrates
this with the Reserve Airmen of the 477th Fighter Group being the most
experienced F-22 pilots and maintainers in the world. They lower
training costs for the Regular Component and will be one of the first
units to engage an adversary in the event of a conflict in the Pacific.
The Air Force Reserve ensures the preservation of experience across the
fighter community. An Active Association, with the Reserve component as
the lead organization, at Nellis AFB, Nevada is responsible for the
Aggressor mission flying pre-block F-16s in support of many Joint and
Coalition exercises. These Reserve Airmen ensure wartime readiness
across all mission sets within the Total Force.
The establishment of the U.S. Space Force underscored the
criticality of space operations to our National Security. Recent space
weapons tests by our strategic competitors amplifies this point. With
just under 1,400 space professionals conducting 26 percent of daily
missions, the Air Force Reserve is a major contributor to United States
Space Command (USSPACECOM) taskings. The Air Force Reserve also
provides 50 percent of the Total Force's Space Aggressor capability.
Many of our Reserve Airmen bring civilian experience from the aerospace
industry and provide the U.S. Space Force an experienced workforce who
are a force multiplier that ensures Space Superiority. In 2023, over
200 Reserve space operators mobilized domestically and abroad to
conduct space operations in support of Combatant Commander
requirements. The Air Force Reserve will continue to provide focused
support to the U.S. Space Force and USSPACEOM.
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)
Our ISR enterprise is optimized to provide strategic depth and
operational surge capacity in traditional and emerging mission sets.
Currently the ISR enterprise supports distinct intelligence functions
such as Targeting, Signals Intelligence, Human Intelligence, Geospatial
Intelligence, Measurement and Signatures Intelligence and Acquisition
Intelligence. The enterprise drives operations by providing ISR to
Special Operations, Combat Air Force, Mobility Air Force, Cyber, Space
and Combat Operations Squadrons (COS). We continue to develop
capabilities that support the Joint Force while ensuring current
mission sets provide decision advantage against pacing threats.
There are 3,300 ISR Reserve Airmen supporting every Air Force
MAJCOM and all the Functional and Geographic Combatant Command
Intelligence Directorates. As the DAF realigns for GPC, ISR will play a
critical role ensuring the Air Force Reserve has access to Sensitive
Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF) to be part of Next
Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) systems. The Air Force Reserve
continues to invest in the training and development of Chinese and
Russian linguists. Air Force Reserve ISR units are available to the
Global Force Mission Allocation Plan (GFMAP) enabling the Regular
Component and Combatant Commands access to dependable critical
capabilities and personnel.
Rapid Global Mobility
Global power projection through Rapid Global Mobility hinges on a
robust Airlift enterprise and the extended range provided by a modern
aerial refueling fleet. The Air Force Reserve enables combat delivery
through our Strategic and Tactical Airlift fleets. The C-5M provides 21
percent of the Air Force's Strategic Airlift capacity and the Air Force
Reserve provides 65 percent of the total aircrews and 100 percent of
student aircrew training capabilities for the C-5 community. The C-17
provides 79 percent of the Air Force's Strategic Airlift capacity and
the Air Force Reserve provides 31 percent of aircrews for the C-17. The
Air Force Reserve's C-5 and C-130H fleets continue to face sustainment
challenges due to aging aircraft, diminishing vendors and increased
parts costs. Each of our mobility platforms require continued
investment in modernization to ensure survivability in contested
environments. In FY 2024, the Air Force Reserve is forecasted to
perform 50 percent of C-17 and 31 percent of KC-135 long term orders
for U.S. Transportation Command. In addition to the mobility platforms,
the Air Force Reserve provides the majority of the Aeromedical
Evacuation (AE) global capability through 18 Aeromedical Evacuation
units with over 1900 assigned airmen. AE units deploy every 6 months in
every deployment cycle, supporting over 60 percent of the aeromedical
mission. Finally, Airmen assigned to Aerial Ports Squadrons (APS) make
a significant contribution, accounting for a remarkable 45 percent of
the Air Force's overall air transportation capability and leading the
way in 42 percent of rotational deployments to several combatant
commands, thereby underscoring their contribution to global power
projection and military readiness.
Global Strike
Global Strike allows the United States to project military power
rapidly around the world. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
provide deterrence through nuclear and conventional weapons systems and
the Air Force Reserve is committed to ensuring both are credible.
Nuclear capability is foundational to our national security and Nuclear
Deterrence Operations assets include Nuclear Strike, Air Refueling, and
Nuclear Command, Control and Communications capabilities (NC3). To
modernize the Air Force Reserve's capabilities and maintain Total Force
interoperability we are equipping all seven of our NC3 capable command
posts with the new primary strategic communication system, the Global
Aircrew Strategic Network Terminal. Fielding to units has begun in FY
2024. The Air Force Reserve is also standing up the MH-139 Field
Training Unit at Maxwell AFB, Alabama as part of the 908th Airlift Wing
mission conversion. It is postured to begin training in FY 2026. The
MH-139 will enable increased Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
security and represents a Total Force Partnership between the Air Force
Reserve, Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Education and Training
Command. The Air Force Reserve continues to be an integral part of the
bomber portfolio. The B-52 is tasked with conventional and nuclear
missions and is AFRC's linchpin bombing platform. The Air Force Reserve
is responsible for the B-52 Formal Training Unit (FTU) mission at the
93d Bomb Squadron, an active associate unit. Of the three bomber FTUs
in the DAF, the 93d is the largest producer of bomber pilots. The
Reserve also contributes to combat operations through the Classic
Association of the 343rd Bomb Squadron. With the B-1, an Air Force
Reserve Classic Association is tasked with supporting Conventional
Combat Operations and the Formal Training Unit. The Air Force Reserve
is committed to maintaining its Classic Association in the B-1 until it
sunsets and will then transition to the B-21 as the Raider program
comes online according to the bomber roadmap.
command and control (c2)
Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) is the Department of
Defense's top modernization priority. The Advanced Battle Management
System (ABMS) is the DAF's primary contribution to JADC2 as it provides
the situational awareness and decision support tools to close hundreds
of kill chains on relevant timelines in all domains--air, land,
maritime, space and cyber--while operating in a highly contested
environment. As the Regular Component continues to evolve Air
Operations Centers (AOCs) to meet emerging operational Battle
Management/Command and Control (BMC2) requirements, the Air Force
Reserve's Combat Operations Squadrons will provide experienced C2
operators at all AOC Divisions. This evolution of C2 capabilities also
extends to the E-3 AWACS as the Regular component divests from the
aircraft and transitions to the E-7 Wedgetail. The Air Force Reserve
remains the sole surge capability, via the 513th Air Control Group, for
the E-3. The Air Force Reserve will also support the E-7 Wedgetail as
it enters service.
As the DAF fields new capabilities, the Air Force Reserve must
maintain equipment parity to achieve enterprise mission optimization
and assure strategic depth. This includes ensuring legacy platforms are
equipped with ABMS capabilities to guarantee interoperability and
lethality. The Air Force Reserve also provides non-material support for
ABMS initiatives with C2 manpower. Investment in digital infrastructure
and applications, along with modern air and space communication
platforms, provides the foundation of C2 with the speed, adaptability
and resilience needed to achieve these objectives. If the C2 enterprise
is prevented from adapting at speed and scale, on parity with
warfighting requirements to dominate the pacing threat, the Joint Force
could be assuming unmanageable risk in other mission areas.
Integrating cyber capabilities enhances our ability to generate
combat power but exposes us to new threats, as digital technology is
both pervasive and inexpensive. The Air Force Reserve is exploring
continued growth in cyber mission sets to counter persistent threat
actors. There are currently 3,622 Reserve Cyber professionals assigned
to the 960th Cyber Wing or serving as Individual Mobilization
Augmentees (IMAs), who are postured to better align with United States
Cyber Command and Air Force Cyber and Air Combat Command requirements.
Force Structure
With 74 percent of Air Force Reserve members serving part-time, the
majority of Reservists serve alongside our Regular Component
counterparts in association constructs. Approximately two-thirds of the
Regular Air Force's associations are with the Air Force Reserve.
Integrating through associations delivers significant taxpayer value,
both in cost savings and improved mission effectiveness, by sharing
aircraft, equipment and facilities with the Regular Component. In
addition to reservists' military training and experience, our part-time
force brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from their civilian
careers to their military service. This strengthens our capabilities,
enables the integration of commercial best practices and facilitates
beneficial partnerships with industry and other institutions. The Air
Force Reserve's Bullpen initiative is one such example fusing military
experience and civilian best practices. Bullpens leverage IMAs who have
high demand low density (HD/LD) skills that are lacking in the Regular
Component. These Bullpens directly support the Secretary of the Air
Force's Operational Imperatives (OIs) in preparing the DAF for GPC. Two
great examples are the Bullpens that study Hypersonics and China. The
Hypersonic Bullpen has 13 Reserve Airmen who are experts from industry
and academia. The China Bullpen is stood up in March 2024, with
Reservists who have expertise spanning several disciplines including
language, internal politics and strategy. This initiative is ongoing
with future concentrations planned and is an example of how the Air
Force Reserve leverages Reserve Airmen's civilian experience to meet
shortfalls within the DAF.
Associations
There are 79 Associations between the Reserve and the Regular
Component which span nearly every major mission set. Most of these are
Classic Associations, in which the Regular Component is the lead
organization. Active associations, in which the Reserve is the lead
unit, comprise a little more than twelve percent of current
associations. The Air Force Reserve also has units that are equipped
where the Air Force Reserve unit is solely responsible for maintaining
and operating their weapon system.
Full-Time Staffing
Adequate full-time staffing is essential to readiness. Our full-
time force is a mix of Air Reserve Technicians (ART), DAF Civilians and
Active Guard Reserve (AGR) members. Currently the Air Force Reserve has
a ratio of 26 percent full-time and 74 percent part-time members. The
FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act maintained our AGR end
strength at 6,003. For FY 2025, we have requested an AGR end strength
of 6,311. Our ART end strength authorized for FY 2024 is 6,882. In FY
2025, we requested an ART end strength of 6,697. Proper full-time
manning is necessary for the Air Force Reserve because our AGRs and
ARTs are responsible for training our Traditional Reservists (TR).
Finding the right balance between ARTs and AGRs is critical and it is
essential we are funded to be able to hire the best talent possible.
The increase in FY 2025 AGR end strength will support civil
engineering, flightline security, cyber operations, and the operational
readiness for transitions involving key aircraft and systems such as
the F-16 to F-35, KC-135 to KC-46A, HH-60G to HH-60W, and the standup
of the MH-139.
Equipment and Infrastructure
Credible strategic depth requires concurrent fielding of systems
for the Regular and Reserve Components. Effective support to the Joint
Force demands continuous upgrades to legacy platforms to assure
interoperability. Rapid technological advancement and the wide
proliferation of digital technology have increased the tempo of
strategic competition. These forces drive the need for equipment
modernization and parity with the Active Component.
In addition to concurrent fielding and proportional modernization,
the Air Force Reserve must be able to divest its legacy platforms.
Deliberate divestment avoids gaps in capabilities by freeing up
resources for investment in capabilities to match pacing threats.
Asynchronous airframe divestment can cause significant per platform
sustainment cost growth due to diminishing vendors for spare parts.
Further, it can also drive increased training costs as we are unable to
hire qualified Regular Component members for obsolete legacy platforms.
Weapon System Sustainment (WSS) and Modernization
Fully funding the Air Force Reserve FY 2025 WSS request will help
to bridge the fielding gap between the Regular Component and the Air
Force Reserve. Aircraft modernization and system upgrades will provide
capabilities needed for strategic competition by ensuring survivability
in contested environments. A balanced portfolio of new and legacy
platforms will achieve adequate wartime readiness. The FY 2025 WSS
budget request of $1.2 billion is an increase of $176 million from the
FY 2024 Presidential Budget request and will ensure upgrades, repairs
and component replacements are provided to Air Force Reserve aircraft.
Infrastructure and Facilities
Maintaining and modernizing our infrastructure is absolutely
necessary for readiness, force protection and ensuring a safe work
environment. Military Construction (MILCON) appropriations fund new
facilities and major infrastructure projects. The Facility Sustainment,
Repair and Modernization (FSRM) funds included in our Operations and
Maintenance (O&M) appropriation are used to repair and modernize
existing facilities and to extend the service life of existing
infrastructure. While we work diligently to maximize use of existing
facilities at our nine host installations and fifty-seven partner
locations, we still have $1.24 billion in MILCON projects and $1.69
billion in validated FSRM projects in backlog.
air force reserve's role in taking care of people
Taking care of our Reserve Airmen and their families is a top
priority. It begins the moment a member joins the Air Force Reserve and
continues throughout their career. The Air Force Reserve does
everything possible to support our Airmen as they balance their
military career, civilian obligations and family responsibilities. This
assures the Air Force Reserve retains talented Airmen who can leverage
diverse experience from their military service and civilian lives. This
support includes improving suicide prevention through investments in
resilience, social support through the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration
Program, implementing recommendations from the Independent Review
Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military as approved by the
Secretary of Defense, and efforts to expand childcare availability.
Members
Recruiting and Retention
In FY 2023, the Air Force Reserve did not meet its end strength and
we are projected to fall short of our FY 2024 authorized end strength
of 69,600 by approximately 2,900 personnel. The recruiting environment
continues to present significant challenges based on multiple factors
including a reduced propensity to serve, competitive civilian
compensation and difficulty in medically clearing recruits. Along with
the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and collective Total Force team, we
have identified accession policies that limit our ability to recruit
young adults to serve in the military. The DAF has already made changes
to include revising the tattoo policy to allow for limited hand and
neck tattoos and adjusting body fat standards to align with the other
Services (increasing to 26 percent for males and 36 percent for females
for accessions). In FY 2024, we have also granted members a waiver to
re-test following a positive drug test for THC during their accession
process into the military. We have also continued to streamline the
naturalization process in partnership with the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services for inbound recruits. This FY 2025 recruiting goal
is not based on completely closing the personnel end strength
shortfalls but on what the Air Force Reserve believes we can
realistically achieve in the current market with the tools available.
These initiatives will bolster recruiting, but it will take time for
them to mature and close the end strength gap.
The Air Force Reserve Human Capital Strategy calls for a 70 percent
prior service (PS) and 30 percent non- prior service (NPS) recruiting
mix. In FY 2023 we were at 63.4 percent PS accession. In FY 2024 we are
project to end the year at 65.7 percent. The accession model is built
on the expectation that there will be sufficient PS members leaving the
Regular Component who will affiliate with the Air Force Reserve. The
Air Force Reserve strives to affiliate ready and trained Airmen.
However, current trends indicate increased reliance on NPS recruits
which increases training costs and dilutes unit experience. The Air
Force Reserve is also executing a plan of action to mitigate recruiting
challenges with Reserve Component Affiliation Incentive Bonuses and a
deliberate on-boarding process to increase recruiting production.
Increasing retention provides a cost savings by decreasing training
requirements. Air Force Reserve retention is at 88.3 percent which is a
strong position and in line with the historic ten-year retention
average of 88.2 percent. We implemented a tiered retention bonus in FY
2024 to retain enlisted Airmen with 5-10 years of service (our lowest
retention segment at 80 percent). We have also stood up a division
dedicated to retention in our Manpower, Personnel and Services
Directorate at AFRC. Thanks to the funding from Congress, we have been
able to offer retention bonuses between $5,000 to $7,500 dollars. We
have also been expanded the travel reimbursement program to all Air
Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs) for Airmen, E1 to E7. This removes an
undue burden on our Reserve Airmen, who previously had to pay for their
own travel to attend drill weekends with their units. Travel costs were
identified as a contributing factor for members separating from the
Reserve and allows units to expand the geographic areas for
recruitment.
The Air Force Reserve provides a mechanism to retain talent by
providing a continuum of service for members who would otherwise leave
military service. The DAF understands the importance of retaining
experienced talent from both a cost-effectiveness and capacity
perspective. A Total Force Service Commitment is one way to retain
these highly trained members. Data shows that members who affiliate
with the Air Force Reserve are likely to remain in the DAF for up to 28
years. The Air Force Reserve offers flexible service options designed
to retain low-density, high-demand talent, capitalize on investment and
leverage experience. This ensures that a member's talent is retained
beyond the initial service commitment and the investment in their
training continues to be available to the DAF and Joint Force.
The narrative needs to change as a member who joins the Reserve is
not ``quitting Active Duty,'' they are continuing to serve their
country--they are an Airman for life!
Pilot Manning
In FY 2023, the Air Force Reserve achieved a pilot staffing level
of 94%, matching the high from FY 2021 and marking a significant
improvement over the previous year. Despite challenges posed by
aggressive recruitment from civilian airlines, full-time pilot manning
remained steady at 78%. To bolster our ranks and retain talent, we
increased aviation bonuses with $50,000 to AGR pilots, $30,000 to ART
pilots and $10,000 to $15,000 for TR pilots. For ART pilots, we also
offer Recruitment, Relocation and Retention (3R) incentives, which can
equal up to 25 percent of annual base pay and Special Salary Rates
(SSRs) which provide for base pay supplements of up to around 24
percent above otherwise applicable 2024 locality pay levels. Thanks to
congressional support, funding for the Aviation Bonus Program was
significantly increased from $3 million in FY 2017 to $34 million in FY
2024. This strategic investment is crucial, as it not only sustains our
current workforce but also avoids the estimated $10 billion cost of
replacing over 3,600 pilots.
Maintenance Manning
In FY 2023, the Air Force Reserve achieved an overall maintainer
staffing level of 84%, mirroring the challenges we face with pilot
retention due to competitive recruitment from the commercial sector.
Notably, our part-time maintainer force reached 90% staffing, while
full-time maintainer staffing remained more challenging at 75%. With
44% of our enlisted maintainers holding the highest level of technical
proficiency and an average of 14 years of experience, they are highly
sought after in the commercial industry. Similar to our pilot
initiatives, we have implemented several strategies to address these
challenges, including the use of SSRs, paid Permanent Change of Station
(PCS) and 3R incentives. Thanks to the support and funding provided by
Congress, we have been able to offer these incentives, which are
essential for maintaining our readiness and ensuring the Air Force
Reserve remains a competitive and rewarding career path for maintenance
professionals.
Training
To make a meaningful contribution to the DAF core functions, the
Air Force Reserve maintains a focus on being Ready Now which requires
us to have the capability to train Reserve Airmen. The FY 2025 budget
requests training funds and flight hours that allows the Air Force
Reserve to work closely with Combatant Commands and gain joint
experience in training events.
A fully funded Flying Hour Program is essential to maintaining
proficient combat-ready aircrews. In FY 2025, the Air Force Reserve
will continue to use the Flying Hour Program management tool to assist
in effective oversight of the program. This tool uses automation to
allow for near real-time flying hour and financial updates to
facilitate better utilization of the Air Force Reserve's flying hour
funding, maximizing the time aircrews can be in-flight improving their
proficiency.
Accelerated Mission Readiness Training (AMRT) is crucial to
developing technically proficient Airmen to provide a qualified force
to Combatant Commanders. In FY 2023, nearly 59 percent of the enlisted
personnel and 35 percent of the officers in the Air Force Reserve were
NPS. This places a significant strain on readiness thresholds. Emerging
GPC threats and evolving requirements of building Multi-Capable Airmen
requires a technically proficient force that cannot be achieved through
Unit Training Assemblies and Annual Tour days alone. Without AMRT
funds, the average NPS Reservist would need 2-3 years to become
minimally proficient on mission requirements. With decreasing numbers
of fully qualified members transferring from the Regular Component to
the Reserve, there is an increased training burden upon Air Force
Reserve Command. Without continued funding, the Air Force Reserve can
expect to see a 20 percent decrease in qualified, deployable Airmen,
and an increase in excessive training times across all career fields.
The Air Force Reserve is implementing training to develop Multi-
Capable Airmen proficient in sustaining operations, hardening air bases
and recovering air bases following attack. The FY 2025 budget requests
funds for training, ensuring our Reserve Airmen are Ready Now to
support the Regular Component as well as the Joint Force. At several
Air Reserve Bases (ARB), we have developed organic training centers
that allow Reserve Airmen the chance to meet Agile Combat Support (ACS)
and Agile Combat Employment (ACE) training requirements and hone their
expeditionary skillsets. These centers also support the Regular
Component, the Joint Force, and Federal and local agencies. At Westover
ARB, Massachusetts, the Dogpatch Expeditionary Training Area offers an
expeditionary airfield, as well as a drop zone and tactical vehicle
training route. At Youngstown Air Reserve Station (ARS), Ohio, we
identified a training need for Security Forces to build proficiency
through a 180-hour program of realistic training that simulates combat
situations and prepares Security Forces members to deal with stress
under fire. The training also prepares participants for ACE and ACS
missions. The site has been so successful that we are partnering with
U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to use the area for
joint force training events. Civilian and Federal law enforcement have
also used the Youngstown site for training. Finally, at Grissom ARB,
Indiana, we developed bivouac sites to better rehearse ACS and ACE
events and conduct deployment exercises. Thanks to the funding from
Congress, we can provide our Reserve Airmen the facilities to conduct
realistic training.
In addition to establishing training sites, the Air Force Reserve
provided our Reserve Airmen realistic training through the Rally series
of exercises. These exercises began in 2020 and with Congressional
funding, we have conducted them annually to conduct ACE operations and
provided real-world experience in an austere environment. The most
recent, Rally in the Pacific, saw over 400 Reserve Airmen, from a cross
section of career fields including Security Forces, Force Support,
Logistics, Supply, Medical, Flight Operations and Transportation,
simulate deploying with over 185 short tons of cargo from multiple
stateside bases to a downrange location in the Pacific. They operated
across a 9,000-mile training area setting up a forward operating base
in Guam and temporary contingency locations in Palau and the
Philippines. The Rally series shows how the Air Force Reserve has been
able to maximize its budget to execute targeted training that members
need. The total cost of Rally in the Pacific was $2.9 million. To
continue providing our members relevant training, we need timely
budgets which enable our planners to develop future exercises that
prepare our members for GPC. Affording our members the opportunity to
perform their primary duties has been one of the Top 5 influences for
members to stay in the Air Force Reserve over the last 3 years.
Stability for Members
Our Reserve Airmen and their families and employers need stability
and predictability. Exit surveys suggest the high operations tempo and
demands of maintaining a work/life balance are the top reasons for
leaving the Air Force Reserve. Without deliberately planned deployments
and training, Reservists are unable to adequately prepare their
families and notify their civilian employers. AMRT funding allows
Reserve Units to offer predictable future training timelines.
The Air Force Reserve is also working to normalize the use of pre-
planned forces through AFFORGEN. This predictability enables Combatant
Commanders and the DAF to plan and budget for the utilization of Air
Force Reserve forces that is consistent with Congressional intent and
Title 10 USC Section 12304b. It also enables Reserve Airmen, their
families and their employers to prepare for deployments and
mobilization as they meet the demands of defending our Nation. As a
Reserve Element, we strive to ensure the Regular Component sees access
to the Reserve as assured and never assumed. This ensures that
accessing the Reserve is deliberately programmed and budgeted,
providing an experienced and cost-effective force.
The Space Force Personnel Management Act
In 2023, the Space Force Personnel Management Act was passed by
Congress. This significant legislation enables the U.S. Space Force to
enhance its personnel system, facilitating the development and
retention of a highly skilled military workforce. The act allows more
flexibility between full-time and part-time service, helping Guardians
to effectively balance their career and personal goals with the
operational needs of the U.S. Space Force. Over a 5-year period, our
Air Force Reserve space professionals will transition over to the U.S.
Space Force. During that period, we will continue to provide support to
the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. We are working with the
U.S. Space Force to develop transfer policies that will ensure
continuity of operations within current Air Force Reserve space units
until the transition is complete. As our Reserve space professionals
decide whether to become Guardians, they will be supported throughout
the transition to the U.S. Space Force. Not all Reserve space
professionals will make the decision to transfer. Reserve space
professionals who decide to remain in the Air Force Reserve will be
offered the opportunity to retrain, retire or separate. An accurate
count of transfers and retraining costs is currently unknown. The
enactment of the Space Force Personnel Management Act allows us to work
within the DAF and prepare for how the transition of reservists to the
U.S. Space Force will occur.
Family
Air Force Reserve Access to Childcare
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by our Airmen, especially
those who are single parents or part of dual military couples, the Air
Force Reserve is dedicated to addressing childcare availability during
weekend training periods. The Home Community Care (HCC) is a no cost
program that addresses gaps in coverage at host locations without Child
Development Centers and at Regular Component host facilities without
weekend childcare options. Currently, the HCC is available, or is in
progress, at 41 Air Force Reserve locations and we are working to
recruit more providers by zip code. The Air Force Services Center Child
and Youth Program experts work with wing HCC representatives to recruit
new providers and to determine feasibility of creative solutions to
increase childcare available to Airmen during drill weekends. Ensuring
maximum childcare options is vital to retention, as 50 percent of
Reservists cite family and work/life balance issues as their reason for
separating.
Air Reserve Component (ARC) Athena
ARC Athena is a proactive effort by the Air Force Reserve and Air
National Guard to increase readiness of female Airmen and their
families. ARC Athena focuses on addressing administrative barriers,
outdated policies and lack of consolidated resources which inhibit
access to specialized equipment, treatment and information for female
ARC members. The program is supported by 162 volunteers who serve on
nine different lines of effort. These lines of effort include Childcare
Programs and Policy, Pregnancy Discrimination and Maternal Bias,
Aircraft Sanitization, Female Fitment, Countering Sexual Assault and
Harassment, Lactation and In-vitro fertilization, Maternal Fitness,
Female Specialized Healthcare and the Exceptional Family Member
Program.
At the national level, there is a core group of personnel who
volunteer as the Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard co-
leads. These leads facilitate cross talk between the nine ARC Athena
efforts and coordinate with the DAF Women's Initiative Team (WIT),
Women's Peace and Security and other MAJCOM Athena programs. In April
2023, the first annual ARC Athena conference was hosted by AFRC's 911th
Airlift Wing, Pittsburgh ARS, PA.
ARC Athena helps uncover previously unidentified barriers to
service which directly impacts readiness and retention. As the Air
Force Reserve focuses on how best to posture for GPC, we must mitigate
barriers to service to promote professional development and longevity
in service.
The Yellow Ribbon Program
The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program provides pre- and post-
deployment education to Reservists and their families on resource,
benefit and entitlement eligibility. Historically, the feedback for
these events has been overwhelmingly positive. In FY 2023, Yellow
Ribbon approved registration for 1,175 deployers and 1,932 family
members to attend seven events in Orlando, Florida and one in Dallas,
Texas supported by 405 Resource Providers. With the funding provided by
Congress, the Air Force Reserve can achieve a target of at least 50
percent of AFRC first-time deployers attending future events, to
increase preparedness and resiliency through Yellow Ribbon.
Health and Wellbeing
The health and wellbeing of our members is important since they
cannot be ready if they are not healthy in mind, body, and soul. To
that end, the Air Force Reserve is committed to supporting programs
that ensure their physical, mental, and spiritual fitness.
Mental Health
Timely, high-quality access to Mental Healthcare is a challenge
facing our Nation. The Air Force Reserve promotes mental health through
early intervention, identifying and supporting members at elevated risk
and managing crisis response. While TRs are not eligible for active-
duty benefits, there are Reserve specific resources available. This
includes 37 mental health providers in the Director of Psychological
Health (DPH) Program, who are embedded throughout the Reserve Wings to
advise leadership. DPHs provide non- clinical services to Reservists
and their families to include training and education, consultations and
referrals, needs assessments, suicide prevention, resiliency building,
crisis intervention and command advisement on psychological and mental
health issues. Reserve Airmen can also access the Military Family Life
Consultants, who are licensed contract counselors that work outside of
Military Treatment Facilities to provide anonymous and confidential
assistance to all military members in problem solving issues resulting
from deployment, reunions, reintegration, and/or other times of change.
Spiritual Health
Total force fitness includes spiritual health. The Air Force
Reserve is seeing a substantial increase in pre- and post-accession
religious accommodation requests as members express their sincerely
held beliefs. Our Chaplain Corps provides support and spiritual care
through Yellow Ribbon and Strong Bonds courses. The Chaplain Corps also
hosts spiritual training courses and religious services on drill
weekends to maintain the spiritual health of our Reserve Airmen.
Additionally, Chaplains offer the privileged and confidential
counseling to Airmen in distress and guide them to agencies for
additional support such as mental health or financial and family
readiness. This includes 10 AGR Religious Support Team members at our
host bases, who also coordinate Chaplain Corps lines of effort across
our NAFs and tenant wings. Through our AGR program our Reserve Airmen
can access an on-duty chaplain 24 hours a day.
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
Aligning with the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault
in the Military as approved by the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force
Reserve is expanding our Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce (IPPW)
by adding 75 new positions at host wings and headquarters to boost the
effectiveness of our prevention programs. Additionally, we are on track
to hire 23 Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment Victim Advocates by the end
of FY 2025. Our experts are focused on developing proactive and
informed action plans that address sexual assault and harassment,
ensuring a safer environment for all personnel.
Suicide Prevention
During calendar year 2023, the nine confirmed deaths by suicide in
the Air Force Reserve is a decrease from 2022. However, a decrease is
not enough--we are taking proactive measures to eliminate suicide
across our workforce. As part of our ongoing efforts to support the
health and wellbeing of our Airmen, the expanded IPPW incorporates
suicide prevention as a core component of its mission. We allocated
$860 thousand in O&M funding to ensure new IPPW positions had
workspace, and continued congressional support will ensure we are able
to foster an environment that addresses the safety of our members and
further strengthen our fight against suicides in the Air Force Reserve.
air force's role in succeeding through teamwork
Teamwork begins within the DAF, where the Air Force Reserve is an
indispensable part of the Total Force. We provide an experienced and
accessible Title 10 surge capacity to the Regular Component of the U.S.
Air Force and the U.S. Space Force. We work to maintain a Ready Now
posture that can support every core function. Maintaining this
readiness and teamwork with the Regular Component and the Joint Force
requires consistent training. We also play a critical role as the DAF
builds ties with partners and allies. Reserve special missions are a
unique capability that integrates the DAF with Federal agencies and
civilian organizations within the United States and abroad. As the DAF
prepares for GPC and determines how forces will be presented to Joint
Force Commanders, the Air Force Reserve stands ready to ensure that the
DAF can meet its requirements.
Building Ties and Support to Allies and Partners
The 2022 NDS calls for the defense enterprise to incorporate Allies
and partners at every stage of defense planning. Close collaboration
with Allies and partners is foundational for U.S. national security
interests and as part of its efforts to support the Joint Force the DAF
strives to improve those ties. The Air Force Reserve also plays in
developing ties with U.S Allies and partners and supporting them.
Support to Allies and Partners
In FY 2023 the Air Force Reserve supported taskings to U.S.
European Command and U.S. Central Command. This support came in the
form of voluntary and involuntary activations. In FY 2023, 270
Reservists volunteered to support the U.S. European Command. The
support included 10 Russian and Ukrainian language linguists as well as
Reserve ISR Airmen who provided 18,954 man-days in direct support of
Ukraine. Air Force Reserve aircrews also airlifted 2,134 tons of cargo
and 570 passengers. Support to U.S. European Command's Ukraine efforts
have been strictly voluntary. However, the Air Force Reserve volunteers
exceeded the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB) requirements.
Recent Levant operations prove that the Air Force Reserve is
accessible as aircrew and aircraft activated within 72 hours to fill
critical airlift and aerial refueling missions. Since October 7, 2023,
the Air Force Reserve activated C-5 and C-17 Force Elements under Title
10 U.S. Code Sec. 12302--to support U.S. Transportation Command
(USTRANSCOM) requirements. The activation start date was November 28,
2023, for 90 days and members activated within seven and eleven days of
SDOB signature, an approval that is typically an 18-to-24-month cycle.
These crews executed the Air Force Reserve's first involuntary
activations in over 20 years. Air Force Reserve C-17s from the 445th
Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio supported Levant operations
within 72 hours to meet U.S. Central Command requirements and
seamlessly assumed mission responsibilities from Regular Air Force
mission partners. Additionally, unit-equipped C-5s from the 337th
Airlift Squadron, Westover ARB, Massachusetts in support of USTRANSCOM
missions joined with the 709th Airlift Squadron, a Classic Association
C-5 unit from Dover AFB, Delaware to support Levant requirements. Total
support has included 779 Reserve volunteers and 557 who were activated
for over 68,000 man-days. Having Air Force Reserve aircrews share
taskings over the winter holidays allowed the Regular Component
aircrews to prepare for a potential surge in 2024.
Training with Allies and Partners
Building ties to Allies and partners also occurs during training
events. One recent example occurred during RESOLUTE SENTINEL '23--a
Combined, Joint and Total Force (CJTF) exercise in South America. Over
750 U.S. service members took part working closely with partners from
the Americas. The Air Force Reserve represented half of all U.S.
participants and led the Air Component portion, PATRIOT FURY. Twenty-
five Air Force Reservists served in key roles in the CJTF including the
Vice Commander and several key staff positions. Working closely with
members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Special Operations
Command, Reservists enabled ACE operations in planned and unplanned
scenarios from multiple locations. They worked around late cargo flow,
delayed Peruvian approvals and retrograde airlift to execute missions
on time without delaying the exercise.
In addition to offering Reserve Airmen realistic training, Rally in
the Pacific offered a chance to work closely with the Philippine Air
Force. At the request of our Philippine partners, U.S. Air Force
Reservists demonstrated a Joint Precision Airdrop System airdrop to
their Air Force. This was a priority task for the Pacific Air Forces
Commander and the Commander of the Philippine Air Force.
Reserve Special Missions
In addition to supporting the Space Force and the Regular Component
of the Air Force, the Air Force Reserve expands the DAF teamwork
efforts by partnering with and supporting multiple Federal and civil
organizations. We routinely participate in humanitarian aid, disaster
relief and scientific research efforts. The Air Force Reserve provides
direct support to civil authorities through the execution of Modular
Aerial Spray System (MASS), Modular Airborne Firefighting System
(MAFFS) and Weather Reconnaissance missions which use specially
modified C-130 aircraft.
Modular Aerial Spray System
The 910th Airlift Wing's (AW) 757th Airlift Squadron (AS) from
Youngstown ARS, Ohio, operates the Department of Defense's only aerial
spray capability. In FY 2023, the 757 AS conducted 8 MASS missions for
a combined total of 89 operational, positioning and support sorties,
treating 138,397 acres and applying 33,766 gallons of product. These
missions control insect populations, eliminate undesired and invasive
vegetation, and disperse oil spills in large bodies of water. The 910
AW was selected for conversion to the C-130J from FY 2024 to FY 2026.
The first aircraft is expected to arrive in July 2024.
In FY 2022, acceptance testing of the first Electronic Modular
Aerial Spray System (EMASS) was completed. It represents a decade long
acquisition project to insure the sustainability of the Aerial Spray
program. EMASS provides additional capacity and more accurate
calibration for precise application of products when compared to our
aging legacy MASS. Military Type Certification (MTC) for the EMASS on
the C-130H was completed in January of 2024, ensuring final
certification for EMASS to be used on the C-130H. A full spray season
is planned for the C-130Hs using both the MASS and EMASS systems. EMASS
has not been approved for the C-130J. Military Flight Release (MFR) for
EMASS on the C-130J was completed in February 2024 and testing is
scheduled between 18 and 29 March 2024. The approval process for
testing EMASS on the C-130J remains ongoing and we expect completion in
FY 2027. Pending a successful test of the EMASS on the C-130J, we would
have the ability to fly spray missions under the MFR until the MTC is
complete. Reserve Aircrew flew EMASS on the C-130H under MFR for almost
2 years before the MTC was complete. If testing is successful,
procurement of 4 additional EMASS units will take place in the next 18
to 24 months. In 2025, we project a full spray season, with both MASS
and EMASS on C-130H and EMASS only on the C-130J. In 2026, a limited
spray season will occur with EMASS on C-130Js only. In 2027, we project
a truncated spray schedule as additional EMASS units arrive and a full
and normal spray schedule in 2028.
Modular Airborne Firefighting System
The MAFFS is another specialty mission the Air Force Reserve
supports, conducted by the 302d Airlift Wing from Peterson Space Force
Base, Colorado. As the only Title 10 Aerial Firefighting asset
available for direct tasking, the 302 AW's MAFFS mission supports U.S.
Northern Command's Defense Support to Civil Authorities and represents
25 percent of MAFFS assets in the Department of Defense. The Air Force
Reserve's MAFFS capability mobilized between 3 August and 6 September
2023 and represented 90.3 employment hours and over 185.2 thousand
gallons of retardant delivered during Pacific Northwest, Northern
California, Northern Rockies and the Northern Great Basin wildfires. FY
2023 was the second year of limited MAFFS use in the Continental United
States causing proficiency and currency to decline within the MAFFS
community. The 302 AW has explored options to operate overseas in
support of Allies and partners experiencing wildfires, which would help
crews maintain proficiency and currency while also building ties. EMASS
has been procured with National Guard and Reserve Equipment
Appropriation (NGREA) funds.
Weather Reconnaissance
The United States military has been flying into hurricanes since
the Second World War. Today, the Air Force Reserve maintains the only
operational military weather reconnaissance unit in the United States.
The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS) is the only Department of
Defense unit that conducts aircraft reconnaissance missions into severe
tropical weather during hurricane season and flies winter storm
missions off both coasts of the United States. Stationed in Keesler
AFB, Mississippi, their WC-130Js fly out of bases throughout the U.S.
Gulf coast, California, Hawaii and the Caribbean to conduct operations
which improve forecast accuracy up to 30 percent, enabling commanders
and civil authorities to make informed, fiscally responsible decisions
to protect personnel and assets during extreme weather events year-
round. This is a low-density, high demand capability.
In FY 2023, the 53 WRS flew 135 missions with 1,577 flight hours,
the highest in the past 9 fiscal years. This included 469.2 hours in
support of 35 West Coast Atmospheric Rivers and East and Gulf Coast
requirements. The 53 WRS also flew 1107.9 hours of hurricane
reconnaissance across 18 storms in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico and East Pacific Ocean, supporting 151 Lead Federal Agency
requirements and safeguarding of forces throughout the Western
hemisphere.
Mission modernization and resourcing is essential to the expanding
weather reconnaissance mission sets that support our military and
civilian population across the United States. The Air Force Reserve
using a combination of Weapons System Sustainment and NGREA funds to
sustain and provide for hardware and software upgrades, some of which
are still in progress. With requested funding from Congress in the FY
2025 budget, the Air Force Reserve can continue supporting weather
reconnaissance as well as aerial spray and aerial firefighting
missions, ensuring that the Air Force Reserve can defend and protect
the Nation through teamwork with the Total Force, as well as Federal,
state and local agencies.
summary
Our FY 2025 budget request is carefully crafted to ensure
interoperability with the Regular Component and the Joint Force. This
request will continue weapon system modernization, positioning our
force to be more capable, survivable and lethal, while also enhancing
support to our Reserve Airmen and their families. In an era of GPC and
increased resource constraints, we will continue to provide strategic
depth and operational surge capacity to meet pacing threats in the most
cost-effective manner. Reserve Airmen will continue to leverage our
unique blend of military and civilian experience to bring outsized
impact to the DAF's Operational Imperatives. For this to occur, we need
to take care of our Airmen--the FY 2025 Presidential Budget request
allows the Air Force Reserve to do just that. With your continued
support, we are confident the Air Force Reserve will remain prepared to
deliver effects anytime, anywhere to fly, fight and win in air, space
and cyberspace.
Senator Tester. Thank you, General. And I want to thank you
all for following within the 3-minute guideline. I appreciate
that very much. Please know that your entire written statement
will be a part of the record.
I will now turn to Vice Chair Collins.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR SUSAN M. COLLINS
Senator Collins. Thank you very much, Chairman Tester, for
holding this hearing, and thank you all for your candid
assessment of the President's budgets and the needs that you
have.
I know that for three of our witnesses, General Hokanson,
General Daniels, and General Mustin, that this is, likely, your
last opportunity to testify before our committee, and I want to
personally to thank you for your many years of Military
Service, and for serving your country.
One of our priorities for fiscal year 2025 Defense
Appropriations is to ensure that it reflects the fact that many
of you have commented on, that the Guard and Reserve have
served as operational Forces for the past two decades and not
just as a strategic Reserve. Even today, the National Guard and
Reserve provide valuable contributions to our national defense,
from the southwest border where Guardsmen are supporting border
security operations, all the way up to the far corner of the
Northeast where Guardsmen in the 101st Air Refueling Wing,
based out of Bangor, are refueling Military aircraft.
In short, the need to properly resource, ready, well-
equipped, and integrated Guard and Reserve components could not
be more clear yet, that is why it is so disappointing that the
President's budget request for fiscal year 2025 cuts the Guard
and Reserve budget by nearly $2 billion compared to fiscal year
2024.
As just one example, the Guard and Reserve's budget request
for procurement constitutes just 2 percent of the Department's
total procurement request for next year, despite the fact that
the Guard and Reserve account for 37 percent of the overall
Total Force.
Such funding levels, in my judgment, make it virtually
impossible to field the new aircraft and weapon systems in
Guard and Reserve units on a concurrent and proportional basis,
which was and remains the recommendation of the National
Commission on the Structure of the Air Force, 10 years ago, and
is a principle that many of us support today as well.
As your written statements point out, and your oral
testimony as well, the Guard and Reserve provide mission-
effective Forces in a cost-efficient way. The National Guard
State Partnership Program is a great example of that, this
program is a security cooperation program that partners a Guard
unit from one U.S. State with another country that is an ally
or partner. Today, Guard units have formed 89 partnerships with
106 countries around the world.
I can report firsthand that the Maine National Guard's
partnership with Montenegro was essential to paving the way for
that country's successful ascension to NATO (North Atlantic
Treaty Organization) in 2017.
And General, as you described in your written testimony,
these strategic accomplishments occur on a budget that is less
than 1 percent of the Department of Defense's annual budget for
security cooperation with other countries. What a return on a
very small investment.
This is an opportunity for you to candidly share your
priorities as well as the operational challenges and readiness
concerns that you are experiencing as a result of the
constrained budget.
I am very proud of the contributions of our men and women
in the Guard and Reserve, and was delighted to welcome the
Secretary of the Air Force to the 101st Air Refueling Wing just
a couple of weeks ago, and I think he was impressed with what
he saw.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Vice Chair Collins.
Now, we will go to questions, and I will start.
This is a question for all of you. Each year, Congress adds
hundreds of millions of dollars to the National Guard and
Reserve equipment account. It is important to us to make sure
you have modern equipment so you are ready when you are called
upon. This money it is in addition to the Department's budget
request for recognition, and the Active Forces usually have
first pick.
That said, it is concerning to me that despite the funding
gaps each of you have, these kinds of funds are spent very,
very slowly. A couple of things I would love to have you
explain that, and then I would also love to have you explain
how this budget process can become more effective and more
efficient. What could you do better? What can we do better?
I will start with you, General Hokanson. We will go in the
same order as you spoke.
General Hokanson. Yes, Chairman. As in my written
statement, my opening statement as well, NGREA is absolutely
fundamental to the readiness of the National Guard. It allows
us not only to find commercial off-the-shelf solutions--80
percent of the solution at 20 percent of the cost--but it also
allows us to purchase equipment that the Services don't have
the resources to do, which directly impacts our readiness.
In terms of the budgeting process, Chairman, anytime we
have a continuing resolution for any period of time, it has a
significant impact on our organization, not only readiness, but
equipment, MILCON (Military Construction), and everything,
particularly state partnership funding, as we are not allowed
to access it until the CR (Continuing Resolution) ends. So, any
help that we can get to eliminate the CRs would be greatly
appreciated. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Anybody else who would like to respond to
that? Go ahead.
General Daniels. So, one of the reasons that we don't spend
immediately, is because we make a very hard look at what we can
purchase, what are our current year needs. We also look at what
is the rate of production of an existing line that is building
something, and sometimes it cannot add any additional equipment
in, even though we need it and would like to purchase it that
particular year at that point in time. So, we may have to delay
until that line can be expanded or until active component
resourcing efforts have expired.
Senator Tester. Okay.
General Daniels. That slows us down a little bit.
Senator Tester. Okay. Anybody else? Admiral.
Admiral Mustin. Just to add, there is a tactical and a
strategic implication of where we are relative to NGREA for
this year. So, the House has proposed a 20 percent mark, which
leaves the Navy share at a low since 2007. But I would like to
comment just at a strategic level also, that in the last two
decades, post\1/1\1, we have seen the preponderance of funds
appropriately skewed to the Guard and Air National Guard, with
the Service Chiefs allocating about a third between us. If we
agree that the Indo-Pacific is a theater of concern, I would
offer that the combined total between the Navy and the Marine
Corps, which has hovered at about 7 percent of total, could be
worthy of revisiting.
And frankly, the kinds of things that we are spending the
money on are high-impact dollars, as you heard from General
Healy. And I would just ask that we revisit before we close the
books on the fiscal year 2025 budget.
Senator Tester. Okay. General Anderson.
General Anderson. I would like to second the predictable
budget. I think, just across both the Reserve and the Guard,
what is predictable, repeatable, that helps our workforce, that
is both on the civilian side and the Military side, so that it
reflects and compounds like, as this year is an example, as we
approach the last quarter, the NGREA money has not been funded
yet, and we are playing catch up when we find ourselves in this
CR situation. Thank you, sir.
Senator Tester. General Healy.
General Healy. Yes, sir. Currently, the Air Force Reserve
shortage is roughly $1.3 billion in terms of major equipment
that we can use NGREA dollars on. As my other colleagues have
stated, it is a challenge to get out of the blocks with delays,
but once we do, we typically see first-year expenditure at
roughly about 10 percent, second-year expenditure, we are
usually at about 50 percent of execution for that year, with 3
years executing at 100 percent consistently as far back as my
records go.
So, with regard to a 5-year FY DP (Future Years Defense
Program), we are still coming in under that, and we are still
getting there much quicker than the Active Duty is able to
access major equipment in order to make our weapon systems more
viable.
Senator Tester. Okay. Thank you. This question is for you,
General Hokanson. The National Guard is now in the seventh year
of serving on a Southern Border in support of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection. During that time, things have gotten worse
under the administration's failed border policies.
So General Hokanson, I am going to ask you the same
question I asked Secretary Austin when he was in front of this
committee last month. How many Guards' personnel are currently
serving on the Southern Border, and what does this mean for
Guardsmen's operational readiness for other duties?
General Hokanson. Chairman, when we look at the--we have
about just under 2,500 Guardsmen on the southwest border under
Title 10, serving under U.S. NORTHCOM (U.S. Northern Command).
As I have expressed within the building as well, there is no
Military training value for what we do. This is a law
enforcement mission under the Department of Homeland Security.
I know that we are providing additional support along there,
but for our Guardsmen there, they might as well be deployed to
Kuwait, or somewhere overseas, because they are away from their
families, they are there doing mission sets that are not
directly applicable to their military skill set, and so it
increases their personal operational tempo, and that time I
think would be better utilized building readiness to deter our
adversaries.
Senator Tester. Okay. Thank you. Chair Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
General Daniels, as I know you are aware, last October,
Maine experienced the worst mass shooting in our history. 18
Mainers were killed; another 13 were injured in a horrific mass
shooting that was carried out by a sergeant in the U.S. Army
Reserve. I have worked with the Army because I am drafting
legislation where I want the Army and all the Services to be
able to trigger state crisis intervention laws, yellow flag
laws, such as we have in Maine, as an example, that would
result in a judge reviewing the evidence of whether or not a
service member poses a threat to him, or herself, or others.
And I have waited to introduce that because the Army
Reserve has done an extensive investigation, and I asked the
Army IG (Inspector General) to review that. Well, that was
supposed to be finished in January. We are a long way from
January now. I was told by the Secretary that she expected the
Army Reserve's Administrative Review to be completed in a
couple more weeks. That, too, has passed by. What is the cause
of the delay, and when can we expect to get this?
I really don't want to introduce a bill without the benefit
of the findings and recommendations in this report, which is
going to document how many red flags were missed.
General Daniels. First, may I say, very sorry for your
loss. The report from my side has been signed in late May, we
are working on redacting it and making that available in the
next couple of weeks, and I look forward to coming and briefing
you and your team on what we have found as a part of that
report.
Senator Collins. Thank you. I am going to hold you to that
next couple of weeks.
General Daniels. Absolutely.
Senator Collins. Because I have heard that phrase a number
of times.
General Daniels. Yes, ma'am.
Senator Collins. And it really is important. Thank you.
General Hokanson, you have stated that one of your top
priorities is the need to recapitalize an Air National Guard's
Fighter Fleet because a disproportionate number of new fighter
aircraft procured by the Air Force are delivered to Active Duty
units rather than to Guard or Reserve units that comprise the
Total Air Force. This disproportionate fielding of aircraft
also affects other kind of aircraft as well.
For example, I understand that the current KC-46A basing
plan would place 71 percent of the new KC-46s, with the active
units, 14 percent with Reserve units, and 15 percent with Guard
units.
Now, that is the plan, even though the Guard flies about 38
percent of all Air Force tanker aircraft. So, could you explain
why this allocation is done this way? And also give me your
opinion on whether the fielding of new aircraft in a manner
that would be concurrent and more proportional would help
improve the operational readiness of the Guard and the Total
Force?
General Hokanson. Vice Chair Collins, it is a great
question. So, if you look at where we are today, as you
mentioned the Guards, about 37 percent of the aerial refueling,
so we are being fielded concurrently, we are just not being
fielded proportionally. So, under the current plan, from the
183 KC-46s, 32 will go to the Guards. So, we will go from 37
percent down to about 16- to 17 percent of the new aircraft.
The reason why this is concerning to me is a current recent
RAND Study looked at the operational rates of Guard and Active
Duty units, and we still meet the same readiness requirements,
but we operate at about 34 percent less of the cost of the KC-
135, and we think it would be similar on the KC-46. So, the end
result is I think that by not putting more in the Guard and
Reserve, it is going to be more expensive, and a lot of our
experience and capability reside there in the Guard.
Senator Collins. I think that is a really important point,
that it is going to be more expensive, and plus, that is where
the capability is. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you all very, very much for
your service to the country, and General Hokanson, General
Daniels, and Admiral Mustin, we will miss you.
General Hokanson, I very much appreciated working with you
as the co-chair of the National Guard Caucus, so I will
especially miss you.
The Senate Armed Services Committee enacted historic
reforms several years ago to address sexual assault and
harassment in the Military, including taking those offenses out
of a service member's chain of command. That was the result of
years of work on that issue.
Unfortunately, as we have discussed, these reforms don't
necessarily apply to the National Guard, given the State and
local jurisdiction of National Guard units, and some States
have adopted similar reforms on the State level, but some
haven't, and instances of sexual harassment in the Guard
continue to be an issue, including in my home State of New
Hampshire.
The SASC's (Senate Armed Services Committee) passed NDAA
(National Defense Authorization Act) includes legislation that
I was pleased to introduce to require the Defense Advisory
Committee to study this issue and to report to Congress, and we
appreciated the help we got from your office in drafting that
legislation, and also to strengthen the Office of Complex
Investigations, and their ability to look at command climate as
part of the investigations.
So, the Guard Bureau can play a really important role in
looking at this issue. Can you talk about how you and whoever
succeeds you will be able to use your position as Chief of the
National Guard Bureau to incentivize States to take active
measures to address this issue?
General Hokanson. Senator Shaheen, this is one of the
priority things that I will share with my successor when that
person is named. But at the end of the day, sexual assault is
actually not anything ever condoned within any aspect of the
U.S. Military, and we have to use every tool we have available
to us to ensure that we rid that from our formations.
Now, you can look at the statistics, they have gone down
this year, but until they get to zero, we will always have work
to do. So, we will utilize our prevention workforce that we are
hiring now, also our Office of Complex Investigations to help
States bridge that gap between State law and Federal law,
depending on the duty status they are in. Our General Counsel
is very involved in that.
As we have seen with New Hampshire, we will send staff
assistance teams to go out there, take a look at their program,
and make recommendations. And we follow up with those as well
because at the end of the day we have to eliminate this from
our formations.
And so, I think everybody here at this table understands
just how important that is, and I don't think there is anything
that we are not doing to help promote that.
Senator Shaheen. Are there other measures that you think
the Congress should take to better encourage States to take
action and to better support efforts that the Guard can
undertake?
General Hokanson. Senator, fully funding our prevention
workforce is one thing to make sure so that we have got those
folks in every brigade, every wing, so that any Soldier or
Airman knows exactly who to go to, to get the help they need.
But, also to help identify inappropriate behaviors so we can
basically end it well beforehand, and identify those potential
perpetrators.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you. I think it is an -- as
you know it is an ongoing issue that we have got to continue to
work hard to address. I don't know if anybody else on the panel
would like to address that at all. Are you happy to have
General Hokanson response? General Daniels.
General Daniels. I will chime in, that while we are seeing
an increased number of reports, I had the team go back and take
a look at whether or not those were current year reports or
prior year reports. So, it appears that our current year
harassment and assault cases are in decline, but we are seeing
a significant number of prior year reports, which gives me
confidence that we are gaining trust, that people are more
willing to come forward to say what has happened to them
previously, and they trust us to act on that. So that gives me
a little bit of hope.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you. General Hokanson, as you know,
the Guard Bureau's decision to relevel New Hampshire's 157th
Air Refueling Wing has been a concern, particularly given
Senator Collins' comments about the KC-46 and the disparities
that exist and the need to continue those operations.
I appreciate your providing an extension to New Hampshire
and to the other units who have requested one, but can you also
commit to reporting back to Congress prior to reimplementing
the leveling initiative, including on the operational impacts,
and also ensure that your successor also understands the
importance of doing that?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. Actually, we are working on
that now. And the result of this was, we found as we looked
across all of our formations, we had a disparity in the full-
time manning, and so we wanted to make sure that like units had
the same, and what we have identified is the increase in demand
on the Reserve component has actually driven a greater need for
more full-time manning because of the readiness levels we have
to maintain.
And so, we look forward to working with this committee, and
others, to make sure that the number of full-time manning
adequately reflects what the units are being asked to do, so
that we don't put a disadvantage to our part-time Soldiers
where we ask them to continue to work more and more to make up
the difference in our full-time manning.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you. I look forward to seeing
the report.
General Hokanson. Yes, ma'am.
Senator Tester. Senator Moran.
Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you. Thank you all for your
service to our Nation.
General Hokanson, let me follow up again with Senator
Collins' questions of you. I would add some additional thoughts
on the KC-46A basing. A recent RAND Study shows that the
Reserve component pilots are more experienced and cost-
effective than their Active Duty counterparts. The study
recommends that the Air Force reevaluate its bed-down plans for
the KC-46A to maintain an efficient balance between Active and
Reserve components.
In your best Military advice, does the Air Force current
KC-46A basing plan adequately equip the Air Guard Fleet to
maximize the benefits highlighted in the RAND assessment?
General Hokanson. Senator Moran, thank you for the
question. And sir, when we look at concurrent proportional, I
don't think it does. We are currently 37 percent of the Aerial
Refueling Fleet, but the KC-46 plan has us going to about 16-
to 17 percent.
When you look at the fact we operate our KC-135s at 34
percent less cost than the Active component, I would argue by
putting more in the Active Duty you are incurring greater cost,
whereas the same readiness levels are met within our Air Guard
units, and the amount of air refueling that we do is very
significant. So, I would argue that more fielding within the
Reserve component reduces the cost yet retains the same
capability that our Nation needs.
Senator Moran. On a similar subject, Congress appropriated
$350 million to procure one company of Gray Eagles in the
National Guard Division. This is a fine start, but all Guard
Divisions should mirror the active component's operational
capabilities. I particularly think this is true, I mean, that
the war in Ukraine has highlighted for me the value, the
necessity, in fact, of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), and it
seems to me a terrible mistake that our Guard and Reserve would
not have the capabilities that are necessary.
In your best Military advice, do you agree, not with my
assessment, but with the assessment of the need for more Active
component parity?
General Hokanson. Senator, I would argue one of the
greatest missions of the Military is to prevent war by
deterring others to do things that they might want to do, and
by ensuring that our Reserve and Guard units are man trained
and equipped, just like their Active Duty component, then I
think it increases the greater deterrent value.
If you look at the fact we have eight divisions within the
National Guard, ensuring that they have the same capability and
capacity so when called forward, if that need arises, they
bring the same capabilities to the battlefield and that our
adversaries understand that it doesn't matter if it is Guard or
Reserve, they bring the same capability.
And the Gray Eagles, as you mentioned, the drone
capability, the reduction of putting manpower forward, but the
capability is something we need, absolutely, in every one of
our eight divisions.
Senator Moran. Thank you. General Healy, your opening
statement highlighted the risk associated with Legacy Aircraft
divestment without recapitalization and delayed modernization,
what strategies must be employed to mitigate the potential
impacts on air superiority and surge capacity?
General Healy. I appreciate the question, Senator Moran.
And in follow up to the previous question regarding KC-46
Beddown, I would point out as well that we currently have one
KC-46 unit, at Seymour Johnson one that is potentially on the
books out of March Air Reserve Base. But our six remaining KC-
135 units have no program of record. So, we are not being
concurrently filled with KC-46 units.
The constant advocacy on my behalf, I think, is the best
answer right now, whether that is to the Department of the Air
Force leadership or within this body and the House
Appropriation Committee as well.
With regard to proportional and concurrent, two issues come
about from that. Our ability to act in a fifth-gen fight is
severely limited if we have got fourth-gen equipment.
Referencing the RAND Study that General Hokanson brought
up, we have a more experienced Force than the Active component,
and that is just by virtue of people wanting to continue to do
the mission well beyond their 10-year active-duty service
commitment.
That being said, if they don't have the opportunity or the
venue to go to something that they can continue to provide
service in, I think, an F-35 or a KC-46, then we potentially
are losing some of the outstanding experience that is on the
table with regards to fighting our next conflict, if called
upon.
Senator Moran. General Healy, I would point out your answer
to me, one of the things I think is important is all branches
of the service to different degrees experience recruitment and
retention challenges, and we ought to be utilizing, you just
mentioned the capability of retaining personnel in this
capacity, and we ought to be taking advantage of that
circumstance that doesn't exist in all circumstances, true?
General Healy. Absolutely, sir. We call it ``closing all
the windows''. We have got to stop letting these people get
out. So, we do a fantastic job of retention in the Air Force
Reserve. We are currently at about 88.3 percent, 89 percent was
our goal for this year, but we are consistently at an 88.2
percent retention on a 10-year average for our Pilot Force,
which is the most exquisite and costly Force that we have.
Senator Moran. Speaking of closing all the windows, you
should close all the windows on three of the folks who are
sitting at the table this morning. I will miss their presence.
And finally, I would say just as a comment, I am working
with the Kansas National Guard in regard to expanding their
state partnership, and I would like your help, General
Hokanson, and others, to accomplish my goal. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I get to
questions, I want to add my words of congratulations to General
Hokanson, Lieutenant General Daniels, and Vice Admiral Mustin
on your upcoming retirements. I want to thank you for your
service to our Nation.
General Hokanson, I have appreciated working with you over
the past few years on expanding healthcare to service members,
and I appreciate your mentioning that in your opening remarks.
Like you, I believe that increasing access to healthcare and
dental care, especially for our Guard and Reserve members,
would pay dividends in readiness, especially for short-notice
deployments.
Last Congress, I introduced the Bipartisan Healthcare for
Our Troops Act, a bill that would provide all National Guard
and Reserve Service Members with premium-free healthcare
coverage. I understand that the Defense Health Agency is
working to study this issue, and I look forward to seeing those
results.
So General, can you please describe the progress that your
team has made towards this goal during your tenure, and what
you see as the feasible next steps?
General Hokanson. Senator, thank you. And I greatly
appreciate your support for this, really my number one
priority, and it has been my number one priority since my time
as the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.
When you look at the healthcare progress, we continue to
have the conversation, the Act that you mentioned, and more and
more the conversation is taking place. So, we knew this would
take time. We look forward to helping with the study in any way
we can to really clarify the costing. Unfortunately, we have to
assume that every single member would take the premium-free
healthcare, which drives the cost up significantly, when we
know that would not be the case. Many of them do have
healthcare through their civilian employer.
But there is a lot of other things related to this. We
think it would have a significant impact, not only in
recruiting, but also retention, so that the family would know,
as long as their service member is serving in the Guard or
Reserve, that they have healthcare. And so, if they are injured
on deployment, or responding to a disaster in their community,
that they are going to have the healthcare to get better, and
come back, not only to be the breadwinner for their family, or
part of that, but also to continue to serve their country.
And so, anything we can do to help promote that, answer
those questions, I think is going to be really important. When
you look at the economic environment today, most businesses do
offer that healthcare. And so, for us to be competitive in the
recruiting environment, it is also a requirement for us as
well.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you. And tactical-wheeled vehicles
are essential to supplying combat vehicles with fuel,
ammunition, and spare parts to seize and control ground. In
other words, tactical-wheeled vehicles are a critical backbone
of the logistics needed to sustain and win a fight. I am proud
that many of these vehicles are made wholly, or in part, in the
State of Wisconsin.
As this committee has discussed many times, clear
communication with industry and consistently funded demand
signals are critical for allowing our industrial partners to
plan for and meet future demand.
General Hokanson, can you provide the committee detailed
National Guard vehicle requirements and plan purchases for both
the family of heavy tactical vehicles and the family of medium
tactical vehicles across variants and across the Future Years
Defense Program?
General Hokanson. So, Senator Baldwin, I will have our
staff get the exact numbers. But as you mentioned, the heavy-
and light- and medium-tactical vehicles are absolutely critical
to our ability to move across the battlefield, but also to
logistically support our Forces.
And so, as I mentioned earlier, it is important that all of
our Guard formations are man-trained and equipped, like their
Active Duty counterparts, to reduce the variance of systems.
But then also, we can operate more efficiently. So, we would
love to do that, and we will continue to advocate as we field
new systems that all of those come into the Guard and Reserve.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you. And General Daniels, can you
also provide this information to our committee?
General Daniels. Yes, ma'am, absolutely.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
General Healy. Senator Baldwin, if I may? Can I give just a
brief follow up to your initial question regarding access to
healthcare and specifically to dental care?
Senator Baldwin. Please.
General Healy. One of the issues that has become more and
more prevalent to us is the fact that the dental pay
requirement is capped at $1,500 for our service members, so
once any of their annual dental requirements exceed that, it is
out of pocket. As a result of that historically low number of
$1,500, we end up having over 700 of our service members not
able to be ready to go and deploy, because we don't have the
ability to enforce an out-of-pocket expense to our Airmen.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you for that.
Senator Tester. Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank all of
you, all, we appreciate your service. We are going to miss
those of you that are rotating out. But we do appreciate you so
much and appreciate--and I think we always have to remember,
this is a family affair, and not only you but your families
that for many, many years have been so faithful.
General Daniels, I understand the Funded Reimbursable
Authority allows the Reserve component to answer combatant
command and intelligence agencies' demand signals for increased
support to meet intelligence activity mission requirements.
General Daniels, can you describe what Funded Reimbursable
Authority is, and how the active component would benefit if
this was expanded to other high-demand specialties?
General Daniels. Thank you very much, Senator Boozman. The
Funded Reimbursable Authority allows the combatant commands to
assess whether or not they have increased intelligence
requirements. And if they do, they can take their operational
maintenance dollars and convert them to Reserve component pay
and allowances, which then allows our Reserve component members
to support those intelligence activities and help with the
readiness and help with the current threat assessments that the
combatant commands are desiring.
Senator Boozman. Very good. And will expanding the
authority incur any additional cost?
General Daniels. No additional cost would be required,
because it is combatant command is looking at what resources
they need, we are looking to expand to include not just
intelligence but space, information operations, and cyber
capabilities as a funded reimbursable capability that they
could request from the Reserve components.
Senator Boozman. So, it is a win-win; very good.
General Hokanson, I have heard you mention the need to keep
25 of the 25 Fighter Squadrons in the Air National Guard to
meet demands of the National Defense Strategy and keep pace
with our peer adversaries. Is the Air National Guard on track
to keep 25 fighter squadrons? If not, what is the impact of
losing fighter capability?
General Hokanson. Senator Boozman, thank you. When you at
the current 25 Fighter Squadrons that we have, we are currently
in jeopardy of losing two of those, Martin State in Maryland
and then Selfridge in Michigan. Both of those are A-10 units.
In fact, the unit from Maryland is now redeploying from a
tour--a deployment in the Middle East.
When you look at the fact the Air Force is short of about
1,000 pilots and 4,000 maintainers, I don't think we can afford
to lose a single formation. And we actually looked at a plan
by, we call it a temporary cross-component aircraft transfers,
where we could cascade older fighter aircraft into these
formations to retain them until production can catch up with
replacing those aircraft.
When you look at, there is 48 Fighter Squadrons in the Air
Force right now, and I believe the requirement is 60, we are
already critically short and the demand for those aircraft
globally only goes up. Not only for capabilities but also the
deterrent value that they provide, and so we are willing to do
just about anything we can to retain those formations because
once we lose them, then we literally lose them forever.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Thank you.
General Healy, I appreciate our discussion centered on the
Air Force's efforts to reoptimize for great power competition.
Can you share your perspective on how the Reserve component
will be impacted by this reoptimization, and how your current
posture can be leveraged to support future units of action for
the Total Force?
General Healy. Appreciate the question, sir. In short, the
Reserves are ideally suited right now for the great power
competition moves that the Air Forces, writ large, are making.
Through our normal structure of being a relatively lean Force
with regard to our own bases, operating 28 days a month on just
25 percent of the staff, we are ideally suited to be able to
show the cost savings while also showing the ability to
effectively segregate the wing, create deployable combat wings.
Meaning, the fighting Force is able to pick up and go
forward while remaining behind is a base component that manages
the base. We are perfectly suited for that, and we are only
having to make minor changes in our manning structure in order
to be ready for the first opportunity to employ this in 2027.
With regards to the overall reorganization and
reoptimization, what we discovered and what we were able to
show the Active component in the entire Department of the Air
Force is through the current construct of our organization. The
Reserve component, or the Air Force Reserve specifically,
underpins every MAJCOM (Major Command) and every aspect of the
current construct.
As the new construct develops, we also will underpin, and
be integral, and integrated into each of these new portions. So
again, ideally suited to enhance and move forward the Air
Force's ability to utilize this new construct.
I think, at the end, from an operator's perspective, great
power competition is all about ensuring that we have the
ability to fight and win if called upon. And I think the Air
Force Reserve is going to provide deployable combat wings,
combat generation wings, and in-place combat wings that will
absolutely fill out the need that would be presented by the
United States Air Force.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Thank you, sir.
Senator Tester. Senator Coons.
Senator Coons. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Ranking Member.
And thank you to all of our witnesses today for your service
and your dedication to your Nation.
And to General Hokanson, and Vice Admiral Mustin,
Lieutenant General Daniels, thank you and congratulations on
your upcoming retirement. I wish none of you were leaving.
We look to you for advice and insight as we try to finalize
our appropriations decisions. I am from Delaware, the Delaware
Air National Guard is one of four States that are still working
to secure C-130Js. I co-led a letter with Senator Barrasso to
continue, frankly, to complete what has been, I think, an
important acquisition process that helps support national
security and ensure interoperability.
I would be interested, General Hokanson, in how you see the
Guard Bureau's role in completing the procurement of C-130Js
and how that outfitting, in your view, might support national
security, and how congressional support might be relevant.
General Hokanson. Thank you, Senator. And when you look at
the C-130 Fleet, obviously with any system, if we can procure
fleet to the same model, it reduces maintenance, training, all
sorts of costs, and we gain many efficiencies; and so, the
intent for us to continue to advocate for the fielding of the
C-130J in all of our squadrons so that we can capitalize on
those cost savings. And so, we will continue to do that. I know
we have four squadrons left to go. And our intent is to
hopefully complete that within the next couple of FY DPs.
Senator Coons. That is a high priority for me and for my
home State. We also have in Delaware an Air National Guard unit
that has, I think, both Guardsmen and Reservists, that is a
strong cyber unit. It has both offensive and defensive
capabilities, and it is, in my view, a great example of
leveraging the private sector. We have very large data centers;
many of you are probably carrying credit cards issued from the
State of Delaware.
And so state-of-the-art, very high-performing, very capable
cyber professionals in the private sector have the opportunity
to join and serve in both Guard and Reserve roles. I would be
interested in hearing from you, General Hokanson, and also
Lieutenant General Healy, how Air Guard units successfully
leverage private sector resources to support national security
at a lower cost? And what else you think we could be doing to
support the outfitting and deployment of cutting-edge cyber
units?
General Hokanson. Senator, when I look at, we have got 66
units in the National Guard, both Army and Air, in 42 States,
and the capability they provide is pretty amazing. In fact, up
to the highest levels within CYBERCOM, and this is because of
our ability to leverage not only their military training, but
their civilian training.
In fact, a lot of the young kids say they can do things in
their civilian job they can't do in the Military, and they have
got things they can do in the Military they can't do in their
civilian job. But by learning from both sides, they develop
incredible capability. And not only on their Military side, but
also under a State Active Duty to help mitigate cyber-attacks,
or issues with networks within their community, where the
Governor has the authority under State Active Duty to leverage
them.
John.
General Healy. Yes, sir. I would add, so we are a little
bit more modest within the Air Force Reserve, about 3,500 folks
doing cyber mission, but very proud of it. Again, we have a
retention rate right now of roughly 86 percent, which is
fantastic. And what we are also doing in terms of how do we
entice and how do we bring more online is we have currently got
a direct commissioning program where in 2023 we direct
commissioned three individuals. We have got three going in 2024
with seven pending right now.
So, it gives exactly what you are talking about, the
opportunity for an individual on the civilian workforce to take
their skills and their training that they get credit for, and
then we are going to commission them straight into the Air
Force Reserve.
Senator Coons. Thank you for that example. Last question,
if I could. The State Partnership Program is something I have
strongly supported. I have had a chance to visit state units in
the field, from the Baltics, to West Africa, to Southeast Asia.
It is 30 years old, there is 92 partnerships touching 106
countries. I think Montana's partner is Kyrgyzstan, if I am not
mistaken. And I think Maine is Montenegro; Delaware, Mongolia.
A country squeezed between China and Russia and eager for
American help.
What I have seen about the State Partnership Program is
that it allows long relationships. No disrespect, but you know
Active Duty folks tend to cycle in and out of a country, and I
think the National Guard is the best example we have of
civilian control of the Military, integration into civilian
missions, disaster response, infrastructure or otherwise.
What do you see, General, as the challenges to sustaining
the State Partnership Program? What are the opportunities? What
more could they be doing? I think some of the work we did with
Ukraine between 2014 and 2022 made a transformational
difference, and so I am a huge fan of the State Partnership
Program.
General Hokanson. Senator, we greatly appreciate your
support of that program. And just as an example, if you look
back to 2023, we did 1,750 global engagements, and as mentioned
earlier, that is on 1 percent of our budget related to
international interactions. When we look, the challenges we
face going forward is as we add partners, we have actually
added seven this year, is the startup costs are initially a
little bit high, about $800,000 per partnership, but then the
sustainment numbers continue to go down over time.
And so stable, consistent funding, not having continuing
resolution so we can have access to that fund early in the
year, greatly appreciates it. When we get the funding late in
the year, sometimes our state partners can't adjust their
schedules quick enough, and so the earlier the better.
But as you mentioned, Senator, the great thing is in many
cases our State Military or the State National Guard is about
the size of the country's Military. And because we are there,
like they are, throughout their career, those relationships are
critically important. Not only to develop capability and
capacity, and their ability to protect their citizens, but also
to have additional U.S. presence to counter the messaging they
may see from some of our adversaries.
Senator Coons. Absolutely. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. Impressive recall, but I noticed you didn't
get to West Virginia.
Senator Murkowski.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And to all of
you, thank you for your leadership, your commitment, and all
you have given for your country. We are appreciative and
grateful. We recognize, so many of us recognize just the role
of our Reserve Forces and all that they bring in terms of
talent and experience to the fight. So, thank you.
In Alaska, we certainly see that every day. Not only at the
tip of the spear when it comes to Homeland defense, but all
that goes on from the 24/7 radar operation, what they are able
to do in search and rescue capability. We can't live without
you. I think there is a song about that.
Let me ask you, General Hokanson, because we have talked a
lot about the Air National Guard transition of the 575 AGR
(Active Guard Reserve) positions, to technician, billets,
Alaska takes the greatest cut in the AGR Airman, that Senator
Shaheen mentioned it from New Hampshire's perspective here.
In the House NDAA, there was an increase to the Air
National Guard's AGR ceiling. It added 403 positions. Does this
provide enough stability to the Guard to pause the current
full-time leveling? As we have discussed, Alaska is on a year
pause. That is helpful, but is this the answer here? And as you
are answering that, if you can share with me whether you have
had conversations with either NORTHCOM (Northern Command), or
the PACAF (Pacific Air Forces) that the General--excuse me,
Secretary Kendall or General Saltzman on the impact that the
full-time leveling would have on their ability to perform their
missions?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. So, when you look at the
addition of about 400, that just moves the conversation 1 or 2
years down the road. And what I asked our team as I said, Look,
we have to stop iterating. Tell me what the actual solution is
that we need. And so, when they did that full analysis and
Alaska is a great example.
What we are doing is we continue to ask more and more of
our National Guardsmen, but we don't provide the full-time
manning to sustain that, particularly when you have 24/7
operations. And this week alone, we had an Air Force or a
rescue unit saved six people in an airplane crash in Alaska.
That capability is made possible by the full-time manning
within those units.
And so, when I told them, stop looking at the iterative,
and tell me what the actual answer is. And so, they came up
with 29,100. And we can actually show you exactly where that
manning would be, to prevent making a decision where somebody
has to go from an AGR to a technician position.
As I mentioned earlier, we do have a legislative proposal
in to fix the Technician Act, because it is just not
competitive at all in today's environment. You can't live on
that in Alaska. Those are very expensive environments, but we
ask a lot of them.
And so, as a result, you know, my best advice is to get
29,100 AGRs within the Air National Guard, and then also to fix
the Technician Program. I know we are working with your State
to mitigate the impacts of that. We pushed it back a year,
while we get this, hopefully, support, and all the data so that
we can get the right answer, so we can continue to provide the
capabilities that our communities and, frankly, our Nation need
every single day.
Senator Murkowski. Well, I appreciate your response to
that. But I also recognize that as I talk to these AGR folks
back home, they have got decisions to make. They have family
commitments that they are looking to, and all they see right
now is instability. And thank you for the 1 year reprieve, but
this is not the only thing that they are looking at with
concern.
We have also talked and off a lot about the Space Force
considerations, the fact that Air Force wants to force our Air
Guardsmen into the Active Duty Space Force. There has been a
lot of back and forth as--from National Guard Bureau is saying:
It is not going to cost that much. Air Force says it is going
to cost a lot.
But what is really going to cost us is when these people
vote with their feet, when they leave, and then we lose that
experience that we have invested in them. And so, I know that
this is, again, one of those issues that is generating a lot of
debate out there. But I look at that, and I listen to what is
being discussed up at Clear Air Force Station, as they are
manning that operation.
I look at what is going on with this leveling, and the
greatest benefit that you have with your Reserves has been the
stability that comes with these positions. And I note that,
Lieutenant General Healy, you have shared that the recruiting
efforts are great within Active Duty and Reserve Forces, but
they are lagging within the Air National Guard. And it just
causes me to wonder whether or not this self-inflicted
instability is having a very detrimental impact on our ability
to execute the mission, and really do right by our AGR folks.
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator. And as you know, it is all
about our people. The equipment is nothing without them. And we
look at every one of our families. They want to take care of
their families, and so they need that stability. And we all
need that. And so, we are trying to do everything we can to
provide that stability.
And I have been very clear in my conversations about the
Space Force from day one. You know, we actually have a Space
National Guard. We are just not willing to admit it.
Senator Murkowski. Right.
General Hokanson. We have Space Forces that have been doing
this----
Senator Murkowski. They should come up and see, right?
General Hokanson. Yes. For 27 years, we have been doing.
So, it actually does exist. We just don't name it that. And
when you look at the full-time manning requirements, 74 percent
in our latest survey said that they want to stay in the Air
National Guard. And frankly, we have been doing this for the
past over 4 years since the creation of Space Force. And we can
continue to do that. But if we don't take care of our people,
if we don't give them predictability, those decades of
experience that they have, that will take decades to replace,
they are going to vote with their feet, and they are going to
do something else. And at this point, the critical point in the
history right now of global environments, now is not the time
to lose those people.
Senator Murkowski. Exactly. Thank you. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
Senator Tester. Senator Capito.
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all for
being here and to those who are rotating out, best wishes and a
voice of gratitude.
In terms of the State Partnership Program, since Senator
Coons didn't include West Virginia, we have two partners, Peru
and Qatar. So, I was going to ask a question about that. I
might get back to that later.
But General Hokanson--he is not even listening, but that is
okay--the West Virginia National Guard has done the Ridge
Runner Irregular Warfare Training every year, which is a
partnership with the Irregular Warfare Center and the Ridge
Healer Exercise, which focuses on austere medicine.
So, I am proud of these programs, and have supported them
through the appropriations process. And there are 11 partner
countries now from the European and Indo-Pacific theaters that
are training in irregular warfare and prolonged field care. Not
to mention this provides the training and the validation for
the Air National Guard Special Forces.
So, I am not sure how familiar you are with Ridge Runner,
but do you view this as a value-add for the Guard Bureau and
for the DOD (Department of Defense)? And I would be interested
in your perceptions, if you are familiar with this program.
General Hokanson. So, Senator Capito, I am familiar with
the exercise, and it is done there for a reason. And 11 nations
come there for a reason.
Senator Capito. Right.
General Hokanson. Because of the capability and what they
can learn in that environment. The team there does a great job,
and the reason why it continues to grow is people see the value
from that. It also helps us validate our Special Operations
Forces before they deploy. And so, when you look at that field
in Special Operations, they go where it works. And that works
extremely well.
Senator Capito. We are very proud of it. And I know it is
growing, and certainly I will continue to support it through
the Appropriations process.
So, I am going to go over here to General Anderson. He has
been so quiet over there. I have a general question for
everybody, but I think it is an important one. The issue of
modern equipment to the Reserve component that meets the
requirements of an Indo-Pacific contingency should it come
about, including extended range and tactical data link
capabilities for our Air Mobility Fleets.
So, I know we all saw how much our Reserve components were
called upon in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, I would be interested
to know from you--and we will just go down the line, as far as
we can go with the time that I have--what specific
modernization priorities could help your component meet today's
requirements and be ready for a future conflict?
General Anderson. Senator, thanks for the question. It has
been a long silence over here at this end of the table.
Senator Capito. Hoping to get by with that, but I wasn't
going to let you.
General Anderson. Being the new guy in the seat, I figured
it was just a test. To your point on modernization, the
responsibility of the Marine Corps Reserve, you know, to the
parents that have allowed their young men and women to join, it
is my responsibility to train and equip them for the current
threat. And we do that with parity in the Marine Corps, and
Active component, and the equipment that we have.
One example is that we have a battalion that is going
forward. They will be on UDP (Unit Deployment Program) in our
priority theater this fall. So, these are all Reservists from
the West Coast who will be trained and equipped for the current
threat as we rotate and relieve some of those Active component
Forces.
The Marine Corps Reserve, to the point of some of the
initial comments made at the start of this, is an operational
Reserve. That is why Marine Reserves stay. They want to deploy,
they want to have the new gear, and they want to be forward and
facing the threat. So, it is certainly a priority of mine to do
that, so they can answer the Nation's call. And more
importantly, return home.
Senator Capito. Um-hum. General Daniels.
General Daniels. In terms of our priorities for equipment,
we are looking--the Army has what is called Liquid Logistics,
and so those are various different assets for water, petroleum,
and so forth. And so, we need modernization of that kind of
equipment, because you know, it is enough to have lethality,
but then you need that support to keep the lethality to be able
to sustain itself, so a lot of Reserve sustainment capabilities
need modernization that are not of lethality, as well as
communications and vehicles.
Senator Capito. Thank you. General Hokanson.
General Hokanson. Senator, so the great advantage we have
in a Reserve component is not only capability but capacity. And
what we see is fights aren't over in 2 weeks.
Senator Capito. Right.
General Hokanson. And so, it is great to have capability,
but if you don't have capacity like we have in the Reserve
component, then you jeopardize, really, a lot of your strategy.
So, when I look across the Air Guard specifically, as I
mentioned before, it is our Fighter aircraft. Those are the
ones most urgent, followed closely by Tankers, and then C-
130Js.
On the Army side, we have to make sure that our divisions
are fully capable, to deter somebody from doing something. And
so, we need to grow to make sure we have attack helicopters,
and Gray Eagles in all of our divisions.
And then also, as the Army develops these multi-domain task
forces to operate in the INDOPACOM and AOR, to make sure that
we also field those in the Reserve component so we have the
capacity so that our adversaries realize, not only capable but
we have got depth, so we can last.
Senator Capito. Um-hum. Vice Admiral.
Admiral Mustin. For the United States Navy, both the
capacity and the capability for intra-theater lift is a
Reserve-only mission. And that is why my number one equipment
priority is the recapitalization of our VR Squadrons, our C-130
Squadrons, to the KC-130 Juliet. Right now, I am flying 33-
year-old airframes, and struggling to keep them mission
capable. And that is both a parts obsolescence issue, but also
just a training and availability issue.
So that is number one. And then number two is, we talked a
little bit about the NGREA funding. That is another one where I
am almost at a 20-year low, given the proposed AGD mark. So, I
would certainly love to revisit how we can modernize our
avionics on our existing aviation fleet, which is what we use
NGREA for, as well as recapitalizing our ability to do
expeditionary vertical launch reload, like we are doing in the
Red Sea.
Senator Capito. Um-hum. Yes, General.
General Healy. You know, what I have been talking about,
either in visits and to my superiors, is we provide an Air
Force Reserve access and affordable mass, which is rails for
the fight at cost. So, what we are doing with our NGREA dollars
is ensuring that if we do have Legacy Aircraft, they are well
tricked-out Legacy Aircraft.
Senator Capito. Um-hum.
General Healy. So that includes tactical data link, as you
mentioned, for not only our F-16s, but all of our heavy fleet,
large aircraft, infrared countermeasures so we have got the
ability for C5s, C17s to defend themselves. We are talking also
about survivable radar and missile warning systems for the 135s
out there, so they actually know if something is coming at
them. And one of our most impressive is the AESA Radar, which
is the Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar, one of the
most advanced radars in the world that we are putting into our
Block 30 F-16s, which make them more than formidable.
Senator Capito. Good. Well, that is a good list. And thank
you for providing that. In terms of the state partnerships,
just quickly, I will say, I just returned from a trip with
Senator Moran, and some others, and we were all over the place:
Finland, Sweden, Egypt, Greece, these state partnerships are
not just meaningful to us and our States, but they all
mentioned it as we went around, how the benefits that they
reap, how they are stronger than ever, and how they really, not
just like them, but feel like it is such a necessity, as we see
the globe sort of shrinking right before us.
So, thank you all very much. And thanks for the
opportunity.
Senator Tester. General Hokanson, I will go a little
parochial with you, then. The Guard announced, spring of 2026
to the fall of 2026, the C-130Js will be delivered to Montana.
Do those dates still stand?
General Hokanson. Yes, Senator, those dates still stand. I
think April 2026 to October 2026, and then initial operating
capability; and fully operational capability shortly
thereafter.
Senator Tester. Okay. And will they be--will the Js--will
the Hs, the museum pieces, called the C-130-H will be swapped
out for the Js on a one-to-one basis?
General Hokanson. Senator, right now, I believe it is a
two-for-two.
Senator Tester. Okay.
General Hokanson. That we will send two at a time, and make
sure that our air crews and maintainers are well trained in
advance.
Senator Tester. Okay. My last question is for you and
General Daniels; General Hokanson and General Daniels. This
subcommittee has been made aware of two Anti-Deficiency Act
Investigations involving the Army National Guard and Army
Reserve, and both involve budgeting errors that happened during
COVID. I would just like to have you both explain what
happened, the status of the investigation, and what corrective
actions have been implemented.
Go ahead, General Hokanson.
General Hokanson. Mr. Chairman, I can follow up with you on
that, because that investigation has not been concluded yet. We
are waiting for the conclusion and any recommendations or
disciplinary----
Senator Tester. When do you anticipate that conclusion?
General Hokanson. Chairman, I have been following it
weekly. I am hoping that it is done by the end of this month,
or mid-July at the latest.
Senator Tester. And when do you retire out?
General Hokanson. September 1, Chairman.
Senator Tester. Okay. So, we have got a little time. Okay.
Go ahead.
General Hokanson. Yes. Before I leave, Chairman.
Senator Tester. Okay. Good. General Daniels.
General Daniels. I am going to mirror his response if that
is okay.
Senator Tester. Okay. No problem. We look forward to
finding out what happened, why it happened, and what corrective
actions will be taken. Hopefully, you will be able to do that
in writing, you know, moving forward.
Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General Daniels, I understand from your testimony that the
Army Reserve maintains approximately 18,000 Humvees and that
almost half of them are beyond their useful life and need to be
replaced. What is even more concerning to me is that the Army's
budget request, unless I am misinterpreting it, only supports
buying 16 Humvees, which just doesn't make sense to me, since
it is so far below the 1,631 vehicles needed to maintain the
minimum rate of production.
I am pleased to see that the Army Reserve does plan to
spend $29.5 million with its fiscal year 2024 NGREA funding to
buy new production Humvees, if we do appropriate funding for
NGREA in this coming fiscal year, do you expect to use portions
of that funding to buy Humvees?
General Daniels. Yes, ma'am, we do. We are looking,
explicitly, because of the safety concerns of the older fleet
and being able to have the new safety features of the anti-lock
brakes and the electronic stability control kits, those are
things we would like to see in the newer models for our safety
purposes. So yes, we do look to expend our NGREA funds on
Humvees.
Senator Collins. Because that really is an extraordinary
disparity between what you need and what the budget request is.
General Hokanson, I want to follow up on a question that
Chairman Tester started going down the road on, and that has to
do with the obligation of funds. From 2015 to 2024, only 4.4
percent of the DOD procurement budgets were allocated to Guard
and Reserves, and this year's request, as I mentioned earlier,
is barely 2 percent. I think that is totally inconsistent with
the tremendous contributions that each of the components make
to our national security.
So what Congress did in response is to fund the National
Guard and Reserve Equipment Account, NGREA, as it is called.
And it provides procurement funding separate to address
critical Guard and Reserve modernization needs.
Now, I am very much aware that in the last 2 years,
Congress has funded this separate account at a billion dollars
per year. However, to follow up on the Chairman's point, a
substantial fraction of the amount appropriated over the last 3
years is still unobligated.
Now, I understand how terrible continuing resolutions are
for your ability to get your jobs done, but we are taking 3
years and it looks like it is more than half has remained
unobligated. It is difficult for us to make the case, which we
want to make, if you are not obligating the money, and this
seems to be across the board. So, tell me why it is taking so
long to put the funding on contract for such needed equipment?
General Hokanson. So, Vice Chair Collins, when you look at
our--historically, our execution rate, though, it is 99 percent
at the end of the period. And unfortunately, when we look at
the demand for equipment, sometimes the delay is manufacturing
capability to meet with it. But we do execute 99 percent, or
over 99 percent of the funding at the end of the 3-year
timeframe. But because of COVID and manufacturing issues,
sometimes at the one to 2-year mark, it looks completely off.
But we are usually able to obligate all of it, or 99 percent of
it, within the time that we are authorized to do it.
Senator Collins. I realize that you have a period of time
that you can use. But is it accurate that about half of the
funding appropriated over the last 3 years is still
unobligated?
General Hokanson. I can follow up with that, Vice Chair
Collins, but my understanding is it all gets executed, it is
just a matter of when we can get the contracts signed within
the timeframe, so that we do make sure we don't leave money on
the table, but sometimes the contracts are delayed, and we
can't get them as soon as we would like them.
Senator Collins. General Daniels, did you want to add
something?
General Daniels. I completely agree. We expand down to the
last nickel because each one of those dollars is vital to our
ability to modernize. We may not have it early on in that 3-
year period, but we absolutely prioritize, rigorously
scrutinize that list, and buy everything that we possibly can
with the dollars that we receive.
Senator Collins. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Tester. I want to thank you all for your testimony
and your concise answers with the questions. We appreciate
that. As you guys can probably tell, this Committee appreciates
your service to this country, and very much appreciate the
folks who are hanging up their cleats come September. And we
thank you for your service.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
Senators may submit questions for the record. We would ask
you all if you get a question to respond to it as timely 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 General Daniel R. Hokanson
Questions Submitted by Senator Jerry Moran
Question. The Army National Guard (ANG) and Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) operate helicopters to secure the southern border. CBP
helicopters fly similar missions to the ANG UH-72 Lakota, but with
added ballistic protection. The latest B-model Lakota helicopters have
more power, so adding ballistic protection should be feasible.
Is there a material difference in the risk from ground fire between
the missions flown by the CBP and the Army National Guard?
Answer. Yes.
Question. Is there a reason that the Army National Guard is flying
unarmored helicopters while performing missions where ground fire is
possible?
Answer. Army Northern Command considers the environment as
permissive therefore no ballistic protection is required on the
aircraft assigned to the mission. Furthermore, due to the permissive
nature of the mission, aircrews do not wear ballistic protection. The
UH-72 is not fielded for, nor intended to be deployed to, non-
permissible, combat, or hostile environments and therefore, the UH-72
has never been considered to be equipped with ballistic protection.
Question. Has the Army National Guard performed a risk assessment
of National Guard Lakota helicopters supporting law enforcement
missions? If so, how has the risk of groundfire been mitigated?
Answer. The ARNG has not conducted an internal risk assessment of
the SWB mission. Army Northern Command Group Task Force (T-10)
maintains the mission's authority and responsibility and possesses the
detailed intelligence, data, and metrics to determine operational risk.
When conducting home station missions such as the counterdrug mission,
the aircrews receive formal intelligence briefs/update provided by
local law enforcements and agency to mitigate risk.
______
Questions Submitted by Senator John Hoeven
Question. It is important that the Guard has capabilities
equivalent to its Active Duty counterparts. We have been working to
bring the Army's Gray Eagle mission to the Army National Guard, but
there has been some confusion about the size of a company of Gray
Eagles. It is my understanding that there was a Force Design Update
(FDU) based on the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program
that reduced the size of a Gray Eagle company from 12 to 8 aircraft.
However, as you know, the FARA program has been cancelled.
With the FARA program being cancelled, does the FDU from 12 to 8
aircraft still apply?
Answer. Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) approved a
Force Design Update adjusting the Gray Eagle Companies from 12 to 8.
HQDA has provided no justification to reverse this requirement in
response to the cancellation of FARA.
Question. How many aircraft does the modified table of organization
and equipment (MTOE) recommend?
Answer. The Army National Guard is in the process of fielding one
(1) company with the ``K'' Series modified table of organization &
equipment (MTOE), which includes twelve (12) Gray Eagle systems. That
company was approved in the Army Structure (ARSTRUC) document for 2025-
29 Army force structure. The ARSTRUC is the authorizing document for
force structure across the Army, including force structure for the
ARNG. The ARNG will continue to implement future force design updates
based on subsequent ARSTRUC documents according to requirements
informed by the Total Army Analysis (TAA).
Question. The 119th Wing in Fargo, North Dakota has a number of
Block 5 MQ-9 Reaper aircraft on-loan. This is significant because the
Air Guard is not allowed to modify aircraft that is not permanently
assigned, and the Air Guard--particularly the 119th Wing--has played a
vital role in identifying ways to modernize the MQ-9 Reaper fleet.
What are the plans to modernize the Air National Guard MQ-9 Reaper
fleet?
Answer. NGB is currently developing a plan with Air Combat Command
and Headquarters Air Force to receive MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft from the
current active-duty inventory at Holloman AFB.
Question. When do you anticipate that Block 5 MQ-9 Reapers will be
permanently assigned to the 119th Wing?
Answer. Based on Air Combat Command's guidance, NGB anticipates
initial assignment of Block 5 MQ-9 Reaper(s) to the 119th Wing to begin
in FY 2025.
Question. The 119th Wing is home to an Air National Guard Regional
Training Site, one of just a few locations in the country that provides
wartime mission training as well as proficiency training to U.S. Air
Force and Air National Guard civil engineers. In the last few years,
the Air Force Civil Engineer Center has made significant investments in
how Airmen recover damaged airfields. In 2022, a new training program--
Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery (RADR)--was expanded to the North Dakota
Regional Training Site, which now trains Airmen from around the country
on RADR.
What plans do you have to ensure that the Regional Training Sites
have the facilities needed to support the RADR training program?
Answer. The 119th Civil Engineer Squadron has the necessary
facilities to perform all required Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery
(RADR) training. We continuously work with all our Wings to ensure they
have the needed facility to support their mission requirements.
CONCLUSION OF HEARINGS
Senator Tester. This committee now stands in recess.
[Whereupon, at 11:28 a.m., Tuesday, June 18, the hearings
were concluded, and the subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene
subject to the call of the Chair.]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
----------
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES
[Clerk's note.--The subcommittee was unable to hold
hearings on nondepartmental witnesses. The statements and
letters of those submitting written testimony are as follows:]
Prepared Statement of Activate Global Inc.
On behalf of Activate Global Inc. (Activate), we are pleased to
provide this written testimony to the Senate Appropriations
subcommittee on Defense for the official record.
Activate respectfully requests the subcommittee to provide at least
an additional $8 million for the Entrepreneurial Fellowship Pilot in
the fiscal year (FY) 2025 defense appropriations bill.\1\ Activate, in
partnership with the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL), is committed to
investing in forward-thinking entrepreneurial fellows to foster early-
stage innovative technology commercialization to accelerate and enable
new national security capabilities across the defense innovation
ecosystem.
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\1\ Program Element 0602182A, C3I Applied Research, Department of
Defense, Army, 2040 Research, Development, Test & Evaluation.
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Founded in 2015, Activate is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that
partners with U.S.-based funders and research institutions to support
its fellows. Activate transforms scientists and engineers into
founders, empowering them to reinvent the world by bringing their
research to market around key technology focus areas \2\ through a
model that has the potential to immediately innovate our Nation's
national security pipeline. Activate's entrepreneurial fellowship model
originated at Cyclotron Road, a program of Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory and founding Activate partner. Activate has in-residence
communities in Berkeley, Boston, New York, and Houston. With support
from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through authorization
granted in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, Activate has been able to
scale to support additional fellows; partner with more Federal agencies
and stakeholders; and create a new remote offering, Activate Anywhere,
that supports fellows across the Nation in addition to its in-residence
communities. For FY 2025, Activate is seeking to expand its reach
across the Department of Defense (DoD) through ARL regional sites,
strategically located in multiple locations across the Nation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ https://www.activate.org/verticals.
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activate's entrepreneurial fellowship model
Activate strongly believes a 2-year fellowship pilot program in
partnership with ARL would empower the most promising science
entrepreneurs to transform their national security-relevant research
into products that can benefit the warfighter and bolster the Nation's
defense industrial base. Nearly all Activate Fellows receive follow-on
financing from corporate, venture, or government partners to bring
their products to market, ensuring the Nation remains at the forefront
of scientific innovation.
To date, Activate's 188 fellows have formed 147 companies and
raised over $2.3 billion in follow-on funding, with 94% of companies
still active. Additional support from Congress will ensure that this
program continues to meaningfully scale and reach capacity while
expanding support to more diverse scientists located around the U.S.
Broadening the reach of this effective program would ensure more and
better research translation outcomes nationwide and go a long way
toward advancing our Nation's defense industrial base around numerous
key technology areas.
Since 2018, Activate has been working to deliver entrepreneurial
fellowships with support from DoD through the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA)'s INNOVATE Program. The DARPA program will end
in October 2024, having funded 27 microelectronics innovators who
founded 22 companies that have raised over $163 million. A pilot
program with the Army would expand Activate's footprint to other
mission-driven agencies supporting DoD technology needs.
the value of the entrepreneurial fellowship pilot
With the ever-present need to stay competitive against our Nation's
adversaries, rapid innovation is critical to developing and deploying
advanced defense technology. The Entrepreneurial Fellowship Pilot would
fund 12 Activate Fellows and their companies in support of the Army to
accelerate new national security capabilities and enable faster
innovation cycles. Funding for Army-specific entrepreneurial
fellowships would foster early-stage innovation across Army Research
Lab (ARL) regional sites, decreasing risk for Army-relevant technology
research and eventually increasing speed of innovation by tapping into
venture capital.
Activate Fellows would support technology commercialization across
ARL's core competency areas, including but not limited to: Biological +
Biotechnology Sciences; Photonics, Electronics, and Quantum Sciences;
Electromagnetic Spectrum Sciences; Mechanical Sciences; Sciences of
Extreme Materials; Energy Sciences; and Network, Cyber, and
Computational Sciences. This request would also expand and diversify
the Army STEM workforce and further leverage defense laboratory
resources, lab space, and lab equipment, while further enriching
surrounding communities. Overall, Activate's 2-year fellowship pilot in
partnership with ARL would help sustain military readiness, bolster
technological superiority, and improve operational effectiveness.
conclusion
Given Activate's existing capabilities to support research across
ARL's core competency areas, Activate respectfully requests the
allocation of an additional $8 million for the Entrepreneurial
Fellowship Pilot within the C3I Applied Research account (PE 0602182A)
to embed fellows at Army Research Laboratory regional sites to foster
the commercialization of national security technologies of interest to
the Department of the Army and the broader defense industrial base.
On behalf of Activate, we would like to thank you for the
opportunity to provide this testimony. Please do not hesitate to
contact us should you have any questions about Activate or the 2-year
entrepreneurial fellowship pilot. Activate sincerely appreciates the
subcommittee's long history of support for scientific research and
innovation.
[This statement was submitted by Karin Lion, Chief Growth Officer,
Activate Global Inc.]
______
Prepared Statement of the American Society of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)--the
largest international scientific organization of experts dedicated to
reducing the worldwide burden of tropical infectious diseases and
improving global health -appreciates the opportunity to submit
testimony to the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on
Defense. ASTMH urges the subcommittee to protect funding for malaria
research at the Department of Defense. Our request pertains to both the
Congressionally-Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) and research
funding in the Defense Health Program budget.
protecting malaria research programs at the walter reed army institute
of research and the naval medical research center
Every year, the Department of Defense (DoD) ranks malaria as one of
the leading infectious disease threats to our men and women in uniform.
Combatant commanders support continued disease research for the benefit
of service members forward deployed in malaria-endemic countries, and
also partner and ally militaries, Americans traveling abroad, and for
the good of all people living with the threat of the disease.
Despite this history of need and impact, malaria research programs
at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and the Naval
Medical Research Center (NMRC)--the world's premier malaria research
programs--are on the verge of elimination due to U.S. Army budget cuts
enacted without the consent of Congress or combatant commanders. In
recent years, DoD outlined a plan to eliminate malaria drug and vaccine
research funding over the next few years. DoD has already in recent
years reduced funding for malaria vaccine research by shifting and
removing lines and program elements, but today the entire malaria drug
and vaccine portfolio is at risk. This comes at a time when we are
experiencing locally acquired cases of malaria in the US and the
parasites that cause malaria and the mosquitoes that carry them
continue to evolve and are adapting to new environments, showing signs
of resistance to current drug treatments and insecticides, and deleting
specific genes to evade our current testing methods to detect them.
Further, there is the spread of a new invasive malaria vector, the
Anopheles stephensi mosquito that can thrive in both rural and urban
areas, and persist throughout dry seasons. It has been spreading to new
regions and is an evolving threat. For example, if it invades large
cities, the horn of Africa could face unprecedented-sized malaria
outbreaks. This could put an additional 126 million people in urban
areas at risk of malaria as well as US troops that may deploy to these
areas.
Cutting or eliminating malaria research programs at WRAIR and NMRC
would be detrimental to troop readiness and protection, as well as
global health, and represent a loss of talent and capability not easily
rebuilt once gone. The shortsightedness of such a move is astounding
given these anticipated impacts:
1. DoD would lose world-leading infectious disease researchers--
many of whom can and have pivoted to apply their expertise to
COVID-19, Zika, and other threats when needed.
2. The US government's essential bench-to-bedside malaria
research capabilities would be lost, and our premier malaria
research labs in need of rebuilding and restaffing. This would
significantly hamper our capabilities when we have new military
confrontations in malaria-endemic regions and when parasites
become resistant to current malaria drugs--rendering treatments
in use today by our military ineffective, and hinder our
ability to develop new ones.
3. Service members from every branch of DoD are currently
deployed to malaria-endemic countries all over the world and
this is unlikely to change any time soon. According to WRAIR,
malaria infections among service members are responsible for an
estimated 5,300-21,000 lost work hours and $1.12-4.37 million
per year in evacuation and medical care costs.\1\ Further,
rollbacks to funding for malaria research could gravely leave
U.S. troops deployed in endemic areas without essential new
critical life-protecting and life-saving antimalarial medical
countermeasures.
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\1\ Biologics Research & Development. Walter Reed Army Institute of
Research (WRAIR). https://wrair.health.mil/Biomedical-Research/Center-
for-Infectious-Disease-Research/Biologics-Research-Development/.
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Given these potential impacts, ASTMH urges Congress to maintain support
for malaria research in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Defense
Appropriations bill.
including malaria on the list of diseases eligible for cdmrp funding
ASTMH urges the subcommittee to include malaria on the list of
diseases eligible for funding through the Peer-Reviewed Medical
Research Program under CDMRP for FY 2025. The Peer-Reviewed Medical
Research Program has been essential in supporting and supplementing
funding for the DoD research labs and for attracting researchers to
important work that will protect service members. Malaria was
previously included as a research topic in the Peer Reviewed Medical
Research Program in FY 2004, from FY 2012-2018 and FY2021-2024, but was
excluded in FY2019-2020.\2\ Such sporadic inclusion undermines long-
term research. A review of the Congressional Directed Medical Research
Program database shows that, when malaria is included on the list of
eligible research topics, there is robust demand for malaria research
funding. As noted above, military malaria researchers at NMRC and WRAIR
are working to develop drugs and vaccines designed to protect or treat
healthy adults with no developed resistance to malaria--U.S. military
and travelers. The Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program's renewed
inclusion of malaria and the military's work in this area is critical
to maintaining both the health of our troops and protecting U.S.
national security interests.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Peer Reviewed Medical. Congressional Direct Medical Research
Programs (CDMRP). https://cdmrp.health.mil/prmrp/topicareas/topicareas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
conclusion
With an estimated 249 million infections and an estimated 608,000
deaths reported in 2022, malaria continues to pose a threat to U.S.
military operations and the health and well-being of deployed military
personnel.\3\ To ensure mission success and troop readiness in all
theaters, it is critical that Congress support sustainable investments
in U.S malaria R&D at the Department of Defense, particularly through
WRAIR and NMRC, to increase our knowledge, understanding, and tools to
confront infectious diseases. ASTMH appreciates the opportunity to
share its expertise and we hope you will provide the requested FY25
resources to the programs identified.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ World Malaria Report (2023). https://www.who.int/teams/global-
malaria-programme/reports/world-malaria-report-2023.
[This statement was submitted by Linnie Golightly, MD, President,
American
Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.]
______
Prepared Statement of the American Type Culture Collection
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and Members of the
subcommittee:
I appreciate this opportunity to provide written testimony on
Defense appropriations for fiscal year 2025. My name is Dr. Joseph
Leonelli and I have the honor of serving as the Senior Vice President
and General Manager of ATCC Federal Solutions of the American Type
Culture Collection (ATCC).
ATCC is a non-profit organization founded in 1925 and headquartered
in Manassas, VA. We serve as a national resource to the life science
research and development community. Our team of over 670 employees
provides the research community with the world's most diverse
biological resource center with high-quality reagents that support and
catalyze global health initiatives within the U.S. government,
academia, industry, and research foundations. We have supported the
Federal Government for over 50 years, with frontline research and
development (R&D) and with biological research starting materials. Many
of these biological specimens are cited as standards by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
Association of Official Analytical Collaboration (AOAC) International,
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), US Pharmacopeia
(USP), World Health Organization (WHO), and other organizations and
agencies that are involved in public health, diagnostics, food safety,
and clinical and therapeutic product development. ATCC exemplifies
readiness and robustness to pivot to global pandemic response rapidly
and seamlessly in its responses to several recent outbreaks (Zika,
H1N1, and Ebola virus outbreaks) and the COVID-19 pandemic. For
example, through the NIAID Biological and Emerging Infections Research
Resources Repository (BEI Resources) program, managed by ATCC, we have
provided more than 200,000 vials of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronavirus
strains and reagents to over 3,500 researchers at 1,860 institutions in
more than 77 countries. Through the CDC International Reagent Resources
(IRR) contract, ATCC has shipped 69,245 products since the start of
2020 to support the surveillance and detection of SARS-CoV-2 globally.
These efforts were critical in the development of vaccines,
diagnostics, and therapeutics. Aside from COVID-19, ATCC has been a
vital partner in the Federal response to every notable emerging
infectious disease outbreak in the last two decades, including H1N1
swine influenza in 2009, MERS in 2012, Ebola in 2014, Zika in 2016 and
MPOX in 2022.
Specific to the Department of Defense, infectious diseases are a
persistent threat to U.S. military personnel and pose a serious risk to
military operations and the readiness, health, and effectiveness of
current and future forces, and thus the security of our country.
Furthermore, Warfighters are hospitalized more often for infectious
diseases than those who are wounded in combat. Thus, the current
national military strategy specifies a worldwide force protection
capability that requires surveillance, prevention, diagnosis, and
treatment to protect U.S. Forces against potential infectious disease
threats. However, the increased demand for public health and pandemic
response capabilities has highlighted inadequate resourcing and exposed
deficiencies in coordination required for a rapid response to our
National health security needs. Preparing for, responding to, and
recovering from complex infectious disease outbreaks requires an
integrated approach between government Departments and stakeholders.
The development of innovative medical countermeasures must be pursued
to address increasing resistance to currently available treatments
while providing a continuous pipeline of potential solutions for
protecting and treating military personnel from infectious diseases to
strengthen military operational readiness and effectiveness.
There's no greater evidence for ATCC's commitment to warfighter
health than our integral role in supporting the U.S. government's
public health responses. Since 2003, ATCC has had a proven record for
acquiring critical reagents and supplies, the expansion and
characterization of high-quality materials, and storage and global
distribution where the materials are needed. Our actions have
contributed to the rapid development and deployment of diagnostic
assays and therapeutics for emerging and re-emerging infections. ATCC
currently supports the Federal Government by providing well-
characterized microorganism isolates, biorepository management
services, and quality-assured technical documentation to screened,
registered, and government-approved research laboratories. Through the
BARDA Biospecimen Storage and Investigational Products (BSIP) program,
ATCC serves as a national biorepository for clinical samples related to
the pandemic vaccine development efforts. In conjunction with ATCC's
commercial operations, these contracts afford us superior global
logistics experience handling biological materials.
To adapt and fortify the Nation's defense and biodefense systems
against infectious disease vulnerabilities in the future, the
Department must look at biotechnology beyond a means to improve medical
care and vaccines and must capitalize on the biomanufacturing
revolution to meet its capability gaps. Manufacturing products using
biology will contribute to supply chain resiliency, enhance logistics,
and create materials with novel, mission-required properties, which
fortify the U.S. military's ability to provide integrated protection,
treatment, and deterrence from infectious diseases.
Thank you for your leadership and service on the Senate Committee
on Appropriations and subcommittee on Defense on behalf of our
country's brave and dedicated military personnel. Without question, our
military men and women go above and beyond, risking their lives, in
service to our country. I respectfully request your support for
programs and funding for the Department's development of medical
countermeasures (MCMs), which are crucial for health and biodefense
preparedness and response against biological threats.
[This statement was submitted by Joseph Leonelli, Ph.D., Senior
Vice President and General Manager, American Type Culture Collection.]
______
Prepared Statement of the American Urological Association
The American Urological Association (AUA), the premier organization
for urologists worldwide with over 15,000 urologists across the United
States, thanks Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and fellow
members of the committee for the opportunity to provide written
testimony on the health needs of our military and veterans, including
bladder cancer.
Our testimony outlines the importance of combatting bladder cancer
to our Nation's military and veteran population, as well as the need
for expanded investments in research and new advances in treatment and
care. We respectfully request an $8 million line item within the Fiscal
Year (FY) 2025 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
(CDMRP) for bladder cancer to stabilize the field and fund
groundbreaking science that can finally bend the survival rate of
bladder cancer in the right direction.
Bladder cancer is the fourth most diagnosed cancer in U.S. military
and veteran populations, and the sixth most diagnosed cancer in
Americans.\1\ The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2024,
approximately 83,190 Americans will be diagnosed with bladder cancer
and roughly 16,840 will lose their lives to this dreadful disease.
While survival rates for other cancers have increased and treatment and
risk management paradigms advanced, the 5-year survival rate for
bladder cancer has not improved in more than 30 years and progress has
lagged comparatively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ VA News: Bladder Cancer and Veterans: What You Need to Know,
May 11, 2022: https://news.va.gov/103200/bladder-cancer-and-veterans-
what-you-need-to-know/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congress has previously provided funding for bladder cancer
research through the Department of Defense's Peer Reviewed Cancer
Research Program within the CDMRP. Despite the support to date for
innovative and competitive bladder cancer research, there remains an
urgent need to provide predictable investment that will improve the
outcomes for this deadly cancer. A dedicated funding line will help
attract researchers to this field by demonstrating a sustained
commitment to this work.
The AUA represents the interests of urologists and urologic
professionals across the United States. We know firsthand that new
tools, treatments, and techniques are necessary to ensure that a
bladder cancer diagnosis has good, long-term outcomes. Investments in
research are fundamental to that end. Highlighting bladder cancer's
importance to our military community by including a line item will
ensure that the research field can grow and that more research
applications are funded moving forward. This is particularly critical
for younger investigators who may be interested in pursuing bladder
cancer research but are unsure of the field's financial stability and
the feasibility of their grant applications given extremely limited
resources.
The relevance to U.S. veterans is clear: many who served in the
military were exposed to high levels of ``rainbow herbicides,''
including Agent Blue and Agent Orange that are both recognized as
highly toxic. In the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021,
Congress directed the addition of bladder cancer to the Department of
Veterans Affairs' list of presumptive diseases linked to Agent Orange
exposure. This addition came after the National Academy of Medicine
included bladder cancer on its list of ``suggestive evidence of
association'' with Agent Orange exposure.
Additionally, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting a
significant link between exposure to burn pits and bladder cancer,
which must be further explored. Unfortunately, bladder cancer is a
lagging indicator for carcinogens given it tends to impact older
individuals. However, we can be sure that there is likely a connection
to burn pits based on other inhaled carcinogens being known risk
factors.
The AUA's Research Appropriations Committee met with members of the
U.S. House Appropriations Committee earlier this year about this issue,
making clear that establishing an $8 million Bladder Cancer Research
Program under CDMRP is the AUA's top research priority in the FY 2025
appropriations cycle. They were joined by a bladder cancer patient and
veteran named Carlos Glender, who shared his story as part of these
meetings, summarized below.
Carlos was born in Evanston, Illinois in June of 1954. He started
his professional career by serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy, in the
field of naval aviation, from 1975 to 1995. After that, he worked as a
Materials Manager for the cargo airline, Airborne Express in
Wilmington, Ohio for 13 years. Following that position, he worked as a
civil service Logistics Manager for the U.S. Air Force at Wright
Patterson AFB, where he worked for 6 years. In the fall of 2016, Carlos
noticed blood in his urine. His wife, who is a nurse, persuaded him to
see his urologist.
Carlos was diagnosed with Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
(NMIBC) in January 2017. He had surgery to remove the tumor and went to
the nearest National Cancer Institute for a second opinion, which was
the James Cancer Center at Ohio State University. They confirmed the
cancer, and after another surgery, placed him on a BCG treatment
regimen. Carlos has since completed 18 BCGs and he has been cancer free
for over 7 years.
Carlos received BCG, which is general standard of care treatment
for bladder cancer. Notably, BCG is primarily used as a vaccine against
tuberculosis and more than one hundred years old. In the past four
decades, it has also become the main immunotherapy used to treat early-
stage bladder cancer.
The fact that the front-line treatment for bladder cancer is a
tuberculosis treatment that's more than hundred years old speaks to the
dire need for expanded investments in research and the treatment
development pipeline. Second-line therapies for patients who recur
after BCG are particularly lacking. Another high-impact area of focus
in bladder cancer research is the development of novel therapies to
avoid major surgery.
It is clear more must be done, and that our men and women in the
armed forces will directly benefit from advancements against bladder
cancer given its higher incidence rate among veterans than the general
public. Establishing an $8 million Bladder Cancer Research Program in
FY 2025 would go a long way toward helping to stabilize the funding
environment and recruiting the next generation of researchers to
bladder cancer.
We thank you for your time and attention to this urgent health
priority for our military and veteran population.
______
Prepared Statement of the Coalition for National Security Research
On behalf of the Coalition for National Security Research (CNSR), a
100-member-plus coalition of industry, academia, scientific and
professional associations, and non-profits, we write to thank you for
your support for the Defense Science and Technology (S&T) program in
the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Defense Appropriations bill. We understand
the FY 2024 appropriations cycle has been especially challenging as
Congress has debated overall funding levels for the Federal Government;
we sincerely appreciate Congress' careful consideration of Defense S&T
funding throughout the process. As you transition to considering the FY
2025 Defense Appropriations bill, we urge you to prioritize the Defense
S&T program once again.
As you know, the Pentagon continues to ignore the congressional
direction included in the Defense appropriations bills and unilaterally
removes the generous--and essential--funding increases Congress
provides to the 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 program elements that comprise the
Defense S&T program. As a result, these accounts were cut significantly
in the FY 2025 budget compared to FY 2024 appropriated levels. Perhaps
even more concerning, the Administration's FY 2025 budget request for
Defense S&T is in general less than its FY 2024 request. We are deeply
concerned by this trajectory. The looming threats of near-peer conflict
and increasing gray zone activity mean it is imperative we adequately
fund Defense S&T and basic research.
To provide a clear overview, the table at the end of this document
summarizes the recent funding history and our specific requests for the
program elements most relevant to our coalition. While each PE has its
own unique portfolio of work, they share two key characteristics: (1)
The Defense basic research funded by these programs support the R&D
that contributes to revolutionary technological capabilities. (2) These
programs directly and indirectly strengthen our defense industrial base
workforce.
military capabilities to win strategic competition
We must invest in the foundational research that underpins our
National security and technological superiority. Prior investments in
DoD basic research have led to advances in hypersonics testing, various
quantum technologies, creating semiconductors fueling defense radar
systems, improvements in solar cell efficiency, laser technologies,
stealth capabilities, night vision, GPS, sonar, radar, precision
munitions, biosensors, and near-real-time delivery of battlefield
information. Current investments in DoD basic research are working
towards next-generation sensor technologies to improve situational
awareness (optics, materials science, electrical engineering);
autonomous vehicles to support Service members in the field (AI,
cognitive psychology, underwater robotics, aeronautics); new strategies
for enhancing Service members' health and performance (bioengineering,
material science, genetics, neuroscience); new systems to improve
maintenance of key equipment (optics, electrical engineering, AI,
mechanical engineering); and more.
Unfortunately, there is growing evidence--in reports from groups
like the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between
the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (House CCP
Committee), DoD and the National Science Board (NSB)--
--the United States is falling behind in the race for leadership in
certain critical technologies; \1,2\
--China currently is the world leader in hypersonics and aims to
overtake the West in AI R&D by 2025; \3\ and
--China has the largest Navy in the world, placing further importance
on the developing military technologies to provide strategic
advantages.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/policy-
recommendations/reset-prevent-build-strategy-win-americas-economic-
competition-chinese.
\2\ https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243.
\3\ https://media.defense.gov/2023/Oct/19/2003323409/-1/-1/1/2023-
MILITARY-AND-SECURITY-DEVELOPMENTS-INVOLVING-THE-PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-
CHINA.PDF.
\4\ Ibid.
University and Basic Research Initiatives: The Army, Navy and Air
Force each have a University Research Initiative (URI) program element
that supports critical multidisciplinary research (through MURI) as
well as the instrumentation (through DURIP) that is needed to create
transformational military technologies. The Office of the Secretary of
Defense has a comparable program called Basic Research Initiatives
(BRI). Investments in BRI and URIs have resulted in new domestic
semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, advances in quantum computing
and communication, military drones, nanotechnology, and sensor enabling
navigation in GPS compromised environments among many other military
technological capabilities.
In FY 2025, the Pentagon includes a URI program element for the
Space Force as well. While CNSR is pleased to see this inclusion in the
budget request, we are concerned it comes at the expense of Air Force
research. We continue to investigate the budget details to understand
the impacts, and we urge Congress to ensure that Air Force and Space
Force URIs both have the support they need.
Minerva Research Initiative: Many of the National security
challenges we face are social or have social elements to them. Minerva
serves as DoD's signature social science basic research program, and
each Service contributes some funding for Minerva to support their
social science research priorities. Minerva research provides an
important source of new ideas to better understand social, behavioral,
cultural, and political aspects that are inherent to our security
stability. is contributing to areas of strategic interest to DoD such
as AI/machine learning, contested maritime water issues, cyber and
ransomware, and China's rise in foreign affairs among others.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): DARPA's ability
to create truly revolutionary new military capabilities is well
documented. With no intramural research laboratories, DARPA relies on
partners, such as CNSR members, to conduct transformational scientific
research to advance military technologies. In fact, more than 90
percent of DARPA's R&D budget is awarded extramurally. DARPA-sponsored
research with industry and the academic community has led to stealth
capabilities, unmanned aerial systems, metamaterials, advances in
microelectronics and the computer chips fueling AI technologies.
strengthen defense industrial base and s&t workforce
The Defense basic research programs described above are a critical
component of ensuring the U.S. has a robust defense industrial base
(DIB) and S&T workforce. When adequately resourced, individuals funded
by these research programs can enjoy a long career of intellectually
stimulating projects that have larger national and social impacts, as
well as access to state-of-art facilities and equipment. Furthermore,
basic research program elements support a wide range of programs
dedicated to strengthening the industrial base workforce by attracting
the most creative minds to solve complex military challenges and
training students in fields of critical interest to DoD.
This work is essential as DoD estimates that the DIB will require
more than 4 million total jobs to maintain sustainable throughput in
2030.\5\ The various subsectors that make up the DIB, like advanced
manufacturing (missing 2.1 million worker) \6\ and semiconductors
(missing 67,000 workers) \7\, are anticipating labor shortfalls in that
same time period. Additionally, a DIU report on the space sector calls
out workforce as a top industry concern.\8\ According to the House CCP
Committee, this is happening at the same time China is gaining on the
U.S. in the race for global talent. They find that the CCP has invested
heavily in scientific and technological education, which has resulted
in as many as five times as many STEM graduates as the United States.
``It is clear the United States needs more individuals working on
research and development in critical and emerging technologies,'' they
say.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/
3540407/dod-is-taking-steps-to-shore-up-industrial-workforce/.
\6\ https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/
manufacturing/manufacturing-industry-diversity.html.
\7\ https://www.semiconductors.org/chipping-away-assessing-and-
addressing-the-labor-market-gap-facing-the-u-s-semiconductor-industry/.
\8\ https://www.diu.mil/latest/ssib23-report-calls-for-action-to-
build-enduring-advantages-in-space-for.
\9\ https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/policy-
recommendations/reset-prevent-build-strategy-win-americas-economic-
competition-chinese.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense S&T Scholarship and Fellowship Programs: With adequate
resources, DoD programs--like the Science, Mathematics, and Research
for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program and the
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NSDEG) Fellowship--
support DoD's ability to recruit and educate the future DoD civilian
STEM workforce and DIB. These programs provide unique pathways for STEM
students to pursue high quality educations--which include research
internship opportunities--and begin a rewarding career with the DoD.
Programs Ensuring Everyone is Engaged in Defense S&T: Only by
ensuring everyone in the U.S. has the opportunity to engage in the
Defense and S&T enterprises can we meet the challenges of today and
tomorrow. The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) supports a
comprehensive workforce development and training by funding activities
such as the manufacturing engineering education program, enhanced
civics education, after-school programs, competitions, and internships
for students and professional development and training for educators.
For institutions of higher education (IHE), DoD's Historically Black
Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI)
program brings a diverse pool of talent to engage in critical
discovery, while the Defense Established Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) ensures DoD is resourcing IHEs across
the U.S. regardless of institution type or geographic location.
______
Prepared Statement of Department of Defense STARBASE
I write to respectfully and personally request the Defense
subcommittee fund the Department of Defense (DoD) STARBASE Program at
$60 million for Fiscal Year 2025. This level of funding, a $7 million
increase in total enacted FY24 funding, will allow the DoD to launch
additional programs, expand existing capacity, and upgrade classroom
technologies.
DoD STARBASE is an effective outreach in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educational programs for elementary
and secondary school students. STARBASE provides 25 hours of STEM
instruction, along with hands-on after school STEM activities. Since
its inception in 1993, DoD STARBASE has served more than 1.7 million
students from 38 States and territories in more than 590 schools
districts. In addition, DoD STARBASE locations have documented 14,254
volunteers contributing 191,288 hours to the program; valued at
$6,013,543, the efforts of all these volunteers demonstrates strong
community support for the DoD STARBASE program locations.
In FY2023, DoD started three new STARBASE program sites. Although
the program's on-going funding remains uncertain, DoD has approved
start-up funding in FY2024 for Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and
Fort Barfoot Maneuver Training Center, in Blackstone, Virginia. The
first Coast Guard STARBASE program site at Elizabeth City, North
Carolina is expected to receive start-up funding in FY2024 as well. An
additional 17 locations remain on the waiting list for a STARBASE
program site in the future. Currently, a total of 86 DoD STARBASE
program sites are located on military installations nationwide.
Strong evidence-based evaluations of STARBASE program participants
show significant improvement in the students' understanding, interest,
and abilities in math and science, which has led to increased
enthusiasm in pursuing STEM education. Studies conducted by Wilder
Research and the University of New Mexico, identify long-term program
impacts on students' high school graduation, college enrollment, and
interest in STEM. Survey results indicate that former DoD STARBASE
students and military personnel have incredibly positive feelings about
DoD STARBASE, even a decade later.
With its national reach and broad record of success, STARBASE is a
key tool in the DoD's ongoing national efforts intended to close the
STEM achievement gap with other nations. The STARBASE program is also a
key tool in bolstering relationships between the DoD and local
communities, through assured access to military installations while
fostering awareness of military culture.
Continued interest and knowledge in STEM are important to our
Nation and the state of Oregon's future as we strive to build and
sustain a highly educated and skilled workforce capable of meeting the
advanced scientific and technological requirements of the DoD. STARBASE
Oregon is currently serving over 5,000 underserved students annually
and has significantly enriched the educational landscape in local urban
and rural communities for over two decades. The potential closure of
Oregon's four STARBASE program sites due to insufficient funding would
severely impact these students, depriving them of the invaluable
exposure to hands-on STEM curriculum.
For all these reasons and more, I ask that the DOD STARBASE Program
receive your full support for Fiscal Year 2025.
Thank you for your consideration of this request as well as your
past support of the STARBASE program. The point-of-contact to answer
any additional questions you may have is: Jordan Brown, Executive
Director, STARBASE Oregon, at: [email protected].
Sincerely,
Alan R Gronewold
Brigadier General
The Adjutant General
______
Prepared Statement of the Foundation for American Innovation
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and members of the
subcommittee:
My name is Dan Lips. I am Head of Policy at the Foundation for
American Innovation, a think tank focused on promoting innovation,
strengthening governance, and advancing national security. I write to
respectfully request that the Committee include report language
requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to include in its annual GAO-
IG Act report ``estimated completion dates'' for all open Government
Accountability Office (GAO) and Inspector General (IG) recommendations.
Further, the Committee should require DoD to identify currently
unimplemented recommendations that could achieve substantial cost
savings for American taxpayers, strengthen national security, and
improve the safety and wellbeing of military personnel and their
families.
DoD will spend more than $800 billion in FY2024.\1\ Defense
spending accounts for nearly half of the Federal Government's
discretionary spending.\2\ But the Federal Government is facing a
fiscal crisis that will create increasing pressure on discretionary
spending, including the defense budget. For example, according to the
Congressional Budget Office, the Federal Government will spend more on
net interest than the defense budget in 2024 and in subsequent
years.\3\ The scenario unfolding is what once caused former Joint
Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen to warn in 2010 that ``the most
significant threat to our National security is our debt,'' since the
Nation's ability to appropriately resource the military depends on
fiscal and economic conditions.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief
Financial Officer March 2024, United States Department of Defense
Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request (2024), https://
comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2025/
FY2025_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf.
\2\ Congressional Budget Office, Discretionary Spending in Fiscal
Year 2023: An Infographic, March 5, 2024, https://www.cbo.gov/
publication/59729.
\3\ Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook:
2024 to 2034 (2024), https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2024-02/59710-
Outlook-2024.pdf.
\4\ CNN Wire Staff, ``Mullen: Debt Is Top National Security
Threat,'' CNN, August 27, 2010, https://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/27/
debt.security.mullen/index.html.
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Congress has a responsibility to take broader actions to course
correct the Nation's ``unsustainable long-term fiscal path.'' \5\ But
the subcommittee and DoD also have an opportunity to achieve
substantial cost savings and improve DoD's performance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Government Accountability Office, ``A Warning About Our
Nation's Fiscal Health,'' February 16, 2024, https://www.gao.gov/blog/
warning-about-nations-fiscal-health.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through the FY2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act, Congress required
GAO to issue a report estimating the potential cost savings that could
be achieved if Federal agencies acted upon the congressional watchdog
agency's unimplemented recommendations.\6\ According to its report
responding to Congress, GAO estimated that implementing all of GAO's
open recommendations and matters for Congressional consideration
``could produce $92 billion to $182 billion of measurable, future
financial benefits.'' \7\ However, the watchdog agency indicated that
this was a conservative estimate, since the estimate did not include
``certain individual recommendations that may have large potential
financial benefits, such as one for equalizing certain Medicare payment
rates that the Congressional Budget Office estimated could result in
$141 billion in financial benefits.'' \8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ FY2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act, Legislative Branch Division
I--Explanatory Statement, https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/
media/doc/Division%20I%20-%20Leg%20
Statement%20FY23.pdf.
\7\ Government Accountability Office, GAO-23-106598, Potential
Financial Benefits: Estimating the Value of Implementing Open GAO
Recommendations (2023), https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-106598.pdf.
\8\ Ibid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding the Department of Defense, GAO explained that it had made
more than 7,600 recommendations for DoD since 2001, and that GAO had
identified 251 instances of financial benefits totaling $151 billion
and 4,300 other (non-financial) benefits from these recommendations.\9\
Further, GAO conducted a simulation that estimated that DoD could
achieve between $28 billion and $44 billion in savings if it
implemented open recommendations.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ Ibid.
\10\ Ibid.
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As of May 8, 2024, GAO reports that more than 780 recommendations
(including 43 priority recommendations) for DoD remain open.\11\ More
than 200 of these recommendations (including more than 20 priority
recommendations) were made more than 4 years ago,\12\ which is
important since GAO has warned that recommendations not made within 4
years are less likely to be implemented.\13\
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\11\ ``Recommendations Database,'' GAO, May 8, 2024, https://
www.gao.gov/reports-testimonies/recommendations-database.
\12\ Author analysis of a downloadable spreadsheet of open
recommendations for the DoD as of May 8, 2024.
\13\ Government Accountability Office, GAO-24-900483, Performance
and Accountability Report FY2023 (2023), https://www.gao.gov/assets/
d24900483.pdf.
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With its budget submission, DoD included an appendix in response to
the GAO-IG Act, which includes detailed information about the status of
each open GAO and Inspector General recommendation. A review of DoD's
recommendation database shows that the ``Estimated Completion Data for
Full Implementation'' was listed as ``to be determined'' for 86
recommendations (including for 47 recommendations made more than 4
years ago).\14\ Similarly, 91 open IG recommendations had a ``to be
determined'' completion date (including for 26 recommendations made
more than 4 years ago).\15\
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\14\ Comptroller, Department of Defense, Good Accounting Obligation
in Government Act (GAO-IG Act) report (2024), https://
comptroller.defense.gov/Budget-Materials/. Author analysis of
spreadsheet data.
\15\ Ibid.
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To help achieve taxpayer savings and achieve other improvements,
the Committee should require DoD to do the following:
First, the Committee should include report language encouraging DoD
to provide estimated completion dates for all unimplemented GAO or IG
recommendations in its GAO-IG Act reports in FY2026 and future years.
Providing a clear timeline for the implementation of open
recommendations would allow Congress to hold the Department accountable
for achieving cost savings and achieving other improvements to
strengthen DoD's improvements in future years.
Second, the Committee should require DoD to identify currently open
recommendations that could achieve significant cost savings and
expedite their implementations. The Committee could require the DoD to
brief Congress on these recommendations and provide a plan of action to
implement them in a timely manner. GAO and IG recommendations likely
provide a reasonable starting point for achieving substantial cost
savings within DoD's budget. Requiring DoD to identify and brief
lawmakers on recommendations that would achieve substantial cost
savings and provide a plan for swift implementation would help Congress
use its legislative, oversight, and appropriations authorities to
increase the efficiency of the National defense budget.
* * *
The Federal Government's serious fiscal challenges will require
Congress and DoD to increase efficiency to maintain the Nation's
defense. Implementing nonpartisan watchdog recommendations in a timely
manner should be a priority for Congress and DoD.
[This statement was submitted by Dan Lips, Head of Policy,
Foundation for American Innovation.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Friends of Ukraine Network
Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, the Friends of Ukraine
Network (FOUN) is an initiative of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and is a
coalition of Ukraine experts--leading policy and international security
professionals.
Each year since the Russian Federation first invaded Ukraine in
2014, FOUN has developed, published, and distributed annual Priority
Recommendations for U.S. Assistance to Ukraine. Within those
Recommendations the FOUN National Security Task Force has, among other
recommendations, included specific weapons and weapon systems that
Ukraine needs to defeat Russia.
Again, this year specific weapons systems and capabilities are
included in our 2024 Recommendations which are attached to this
statement. Some of these systems are finally being provided but the
need is that they be provided in sufficient numbers and with the
critical support required to allow the people of Ukraine to defend
their country and defeat the Russian invader.
In addition to FOUN's specific recommendations we call to the
subcommittee's attention and to the attention of the Secretary and the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs our ``Longer Term'' recommendation.
Starting on Page 17 you will find: The Bottom Line: Putin will not
stop until he is stopped. If given what it needs, Ukraine will stop
Putin.
In a critical message, FOUN addresses the nature of Putin's regime
and urges our government and the West to internalize the reality that
we will continue to face a long-term strategic confrontation with
Russia. Like it or not, Russia has declared itself our enemy.
Russia must understand that there can be no normalization of
relations until it upholds--in deed as well as in word--the fundamental
principles laid down in the Helsinki Final Act, Paris Charter, and the
NATO Russia Founding Act, it will be equally important for the United
States and allied to see there is no normalization until Russia's
behavior upholds those principles.
We must see Russia and Putin for what they are and have and
implement a strategic plan to deal with them accordingly.
The National Security Task Force of the Friends of Ukraine Network:
--Chair--Ambassador John Herbst--former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine--
head of Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council
--General Philip Breedlove USAF (Ret) Former Supreme Allied Commander
Europe
--Ian Brzezinski--Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Europe and NATO Policy
--Debra Cagan--Former State and Defense Department official
--General Wesley Clark USA (Ret) Former Supreme Allied Commander
Europe
--Luke Coffey--Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
--Ambassador Paula Dobriansky--Former Under Secretary of State for
Global Affairs
--Ambassador Eric Edelman--Former Under Secretary of Defense for
Policy, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, U.S. Ambassador to Finland,
and Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for
National Security Affairs
--Lt. General Ben Hodges USA (Ret) Former Commander U.S. Army Europe
--Glen Howard--former President of the Jamestown Foundation
--Dr. Don Jensen--John Hopkins University
--Dr. Phillip Karber--President of the Potomac Foundation
--David J. Kramer--Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor
--Robert McConnell--Co-Founder, USUF, former Assistant Attorney
General
--Secretary Leon Panetta--Former Secretary of Defense, Former
Director of the CIA, Former White House Chief of Staff, and
Former Director of the Office of Management and Budget
--Herman Pirchner--President, American Foreign Policy Council
--Peter Rough--Senor Fellow and Director, Center for Europe, and
Eurasia at Hudson Institute
--Ambassador Sandy Vershbow--Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and
Former Deputy Secretary General NATO
--Ambassador William Taylor--Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
--Ambassador Kurt Volker--Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO
In addition, we include here before the attached 2024 Priority
Recommendations For U.S. Assistance to Ukraine an article by FOUN
member, Ambassador Kurt Volker pointing out the path to a Ukrainian
victory.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MUST ENSURE UKRAINE A PATH TO VICTORY. HERE'S
HOW.
Posted: April 26th, 2024
By Ambassador Kurt Volker
OPINION--With the successful House of Representatives vote on
Ukraine aid behind us, the Senate and the White House will move quickly
to put the $61 billion package into law. No doubt, the U.S. military
has already been pre-positioning ammunition and equipment so it can
deliver key elements of aid as soon as possible.
This is a key moment in ways that not everyone has grasped and
reveals significant positives. Some 71% of House members voted in favor
of the bill, reflecting resounding bipartisan U.S. support for Ukraine
at both the political and popular levels. Several members of Congress
favoring passage, highlighted the growing connections between Russia,
Iran and China, a new axis of authoritarians who are actively working
together. This is a clear-eyed assessment of the threat facing the free
world.
Former President Donald Trump provided political cover to House
Speaker Mike Johnson to proceed with this legislation when the two met
on April 12. This is a clear sign that if re-elected, Trump does not
want to inherit a disaster. While he wants peace, he wants peace
through strength, not peace through weakness and capitulation.
So much for the good news. The bad news is that the delays and
difficulty in passing the aid bill put U.S. national security at risk
and should serve as a warning that this process cannot be allowed to
drag on. We must no longer give Ukraine just enough to survive, but not
enough to win. A Ukrainian victory is essential to re-establish peace
in Europe, to deter Chinese aggression in Asia, and to reinforce
Iranian worries about attacking Israel ever again. Several measures
should be taken immediately.
--The Biden Administration must clearly and unequivocally back up
President Biden's statement on December 12 saying, ``We want to
see Ukraine win the war.'' America's objective is a Ukrainian
victory. This message needs clear and consistent repetition
from the highest levels of the U.S. Government and must be
backed up with the policy decisions necessary to make this a
reality. There must be no equivocation with the President's
words. We must have strategic clarity. Lower-ranking American
officials must stop avoiding the words ``win'', ``victory'' and
``Russian defeat''.
--Now that funding is assured, the U.S. military should flood Ukraine
with massive quantities of arms and ammunition as quickly as
possible. The Russian military is in a weak condition with poor
equipment, training, morale and leadership but it has made
gains in recent months due to Ukraine's lack of ammunition.
Russian forces need to feel ``shock and awe'' to understand
that the battlefield has now changed, and that time is not on
their side. We need to begin deterring Russia against further
aggression rather that assuring it that we seek to avoid
``escalation''. Rather than worrying about what Putin might do,
Putin should worry about what we might do.
--As part of this, the Biden Administration must lift all artificial
and self-imposed limits on aid to Ukraine. The U.S. should
provide Ukraine with its longest-range ATACMS ballistic
missiles, which can reach Sevastopol, the Kerch Strait Bridge
and Russian logistical concentrations well behind the front
lines. It should stop declaring Russian territory as ``off
limits'' for Ukrainian targeting and instead urge Ukraine only
to hit militarily relevant targets which is consistent with
international law. It should declare already de-commissioned
aircraft sitting in the Arizona desert as Excess Defense
Articles and begin providing A-10 ground attack aircraft, F-16
combat aircraft and other airframes to Ukraine in order to
build a properly scaled Ukrainian Air Force that can deny
Ukrainian airspace to Russian aircraft.
--The administration should work closely with Turkey, Romania and
Bulgaria (our Black Sea NATO allies) to expand de-mining
capacities and engage in freedom of navigation operations in
the Black Sea. Under the Montreux Convention, non-belligerent
nations can bring warships into the Black Sea for 21 days at a
time. This should allow for a persistent presence in the region
to deter Russian attacks on commercial shipping.
--France, the United States, the UK and other NATO allies should form
a 'coalition of the willing' to directly assist Ukrainian
defense of its cities, civilians and non-military
infrastructure from drone, missile and rocket attacks--just as
they did recently with Israel. This can be done by establishing
together with Ukraine, a 'cordon sanitaire' in Ukrainian
airspace adjoining NATO. This could be done from NATO territory
only, or also within Ukraine itself. Hitting unmanned vehicles
that are only aimed at harming Ukrainian civilians and for
example, their power plants, and present a risk to neighboring
NATO territory does not require nations to engage Russian
forces directly. It only requires engaging in the humanitarian
protection of civilians as well as preventing any accidental
strikes on NATO territory. Such a cordon could extend hundreds
of miles into Ukrainian airspace and increase the protection
afforded to Lviv, Odesa and Kyiv while relieving the country's
overworked and under-armed missile crews.
--The United States should begin to build consensus within NATO for
increasing burden-sharing in support of Ukraine by turning the
Ramstein military assistance process into a NATO clearing house
mechanism and establishing a fund as proposed by Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg to provide consistent military support
to Ukraine despite hiccups in U.S. and European processes. The
United States should contribute to this fund but it should be
based on the same percentages assigned to funding for other
NATO budgets, i.e., a contribution of around 2%.
--The United States should also begin building consensus within NATO
for an invitation at the July Washington Summit for Ukraine to
begin talks about its accession to NATO as soon as possible.
Such an invitation is essential to tell Vladimir Putin that he
will never defeat Ukraine, to help provide a Ukraine victory
strategy and to lay the foundation for a future European peace
settlement.
--The U.S. Congress should move swiftly to approve a lend-lease
facility for Ukraine up to $500 billion. U.S. assistance to
Ukraine is necessary and appropriate but to avoid gaps in
available funding in the future, Congress should pre-position
authority for Ukraine to borrow from the U.S. for its defensive
needs. This is how the United States saved Great Britain in
World War II and it is entirely appropriate today in the case
of Ukraine. Such a move would also signal to Putin that we can
outlast and outspend Russia no matter what he does, so his
adventure in Ukraine must come to an end.
The House of Representatives vote is a watershed but it does not
assure victory and peace in and of itself. It now must be followed by
decisive action from the U.S. administration to bring about a Ukrainian
victory and in doing so, to re-establish the conditions for permanent
peace, prosperity and security across Europe and to re-establish
deterrence on that continent, in the Middle East and Asia.
The consequences of failing to do so must not be underestimated
because they could be dire.
______
Prepared Statement of The HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group U.S.
As the world's largest humanitarian demining organizations, The
HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group (MAG) U.S. protect lives and
restore livelihoods of those threatened by explosive hazards. We remove
and destroy landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other
explosive remnants of war and help secure weapons that could fall into
the hands of terrorist groups. For 20 years, HALO and MAG have
partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) Humanitarian
Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program in more than 15
countries and territories. This program, implemented by the U.S. Army,
specializes in developing and testing innovative technologies to detect
and clear landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and IEDs. These
technologies increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of
demining operations for military and humanitarian use--saving lives and
taxpayer money.
The HD R&D team designs technologies to respond to technical
challenges in the field, drawing from new commercial technology,
equipment currently in use by the DOD, and advanced sensor technology
available only through other DOD R&D programs. They then trial
prototypes in real field conditions through partnerships with the
Department of State's (DOS) humanitarian demining programs. During
field evaluations, operators provide feedback on the functionality and
effectiveness of the equipment. This allows HD R&D to modify and
improve the equipment and increase the U.S. military's technical
capacity to respond to explosive threats.
HD R&D produces four specific outcomes. First, the field evaluation
process collects data that helps improve demining technologies used by
the U.S. Armed Forces and support geographic combatant commands in
achieving humanitarian mine action objectives. Second, successfully
trialed equipment is used to train and equip explosive disposal units
of the U.S. military as well as allied militaries. By equipping partner
militaries to address their own explosive threats, U.S. soldiers are
more likely to remain out of harm's way. Third, HD R&D equipment
removes explosives to save civilian lives, most frequently children,
and amplifies the impact of American assistance by increasing the
amount of clearance performed on DOS projects without increasing costs.
Fourth, the HD R&D program supports American jobs by utilizing American
manufactured machines and products, when possible, in their equipment
development process.
The HD R&D Program has a track record of success, having performed
nearly 250 operational field evaluations in 44 countries since 1995.
The program is responsible for developing advanced technology for the
Handheld Standoff Mine Detection System (HSTAMIDS), which combines
metal detection with ground penetrating radar, the rotary mine comb,
designed to efficiently excavate low metal content anti-vehicle mines,
and TRAXX, built to cut through hard-to-see tripwires and lift mines
from soil. Overall, HD R&D equipment has been used to clear more than
26,600 acres of land, and to destroy more than 420,000 mines and UXO.
As you know, HD R&D now receives funding from the following
account: Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Army/PE: 0603920A/
Program Title: Humanitarian Demining. Due to strong bipartisan support,
the program received $23.068 million in Fiscal Year 2024. However, the
FY25 President's Budget proposes only $9.272 million for HD R&D, which
would represent nearly a 60% decrease from the previous year's
appropriation. This proposed funding reduction would substantially
curtail the ability of the HD R&D program to develop necessary demining
equipment that would otherwise protect members of the Armed Forces.
HD R&D equipment has created huge cost savings for humanitarian
demining programs managed by the State Department through increased
efficiencies. Through the deployment of HD R&D-developed HSTAMIDS
detectors, HALO's program in Zimbabwe estimates a cost savings of
approximately $16 million over the last 7 years and the program was
able to clear in 5 years what would have otherwise taken eight. These
detectors have saved roughly $3 million every year in HALO's Cambodia
program, and an evaluation of these detectors in Angola between January
and March 2023 saw a 950% increase in efficiency as compared to
traditional methods. The Rebel Crusher, a mobile soil sifter and rock
crusher used by MAG in Lebanon and Iraq has allowed for mine clearance
at a rate five times faster than with a traditional demining team.
Remote-controlled Robocut machines, used to cut through tripwires in
Ukraine, has accelerated clearance rates by an estimated 500%. The
Wirehound, used to identify hard-to-detect IED components, has
increased clearance by over 200% compared to traditional methods. The
FAE Mulcher, a vegetation clearing tool being used by MAG in Cambodia,
can clear 200% more area than a single deminer using a handheld
strimmer. Investing in resources for HD R&D will allow humanitarian and
military deminers to eliminate threats far more quickly.
Innovative technology developed by HD R&D also protects deminers.
Advanced machines including the Mini MineWolf and the Medium MineWolf,
can operate remotely to physically destroy anti-personnel (AP) and
anti-tank (AT) landmines with no threat to demining personnel.
This program has a long list of unfunded projects it is waiting to
trial, including expanding the global use of drone technology with
various sensors to reduce the amount of time to identify explosive
hazards and counter-IED machines in Iraq and Libya. The HD R&D Program
also requires resources to address the heavy contamination and varied
threat types across Ukraine, where the program is evaluating several
technologies to address the complex operational environment, including
advanced attachments to John Deere equipment, U.S.-manufactured remote
demining robots, and the expansion of the Scorpion detection system.
Further, investments in advancements in artificial intelligence
combined with demining technology has the potential to dramatically
increase efficiencies.
We appreciate the support this subcommittee has provided for this
valuable program, and urge the subcommittee to raise funding to a level
of $25 million in FY25 for HD R&D. This additional funding will improve
the ability of U.S. soldiers and our allies' ability to safely detect
and clear landmines, UXO, and IEDs. This funding is especially
important as new conflicts uncover new challenges in Ukraine and the
Middle East.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
[This statement was submitted by Chris Whatley, Executive Director,
The HALO Trust and Jamie Franklin, Executive Director, Mines Advisory
Group U.S.]
______
Prepared Statement of Humacyte, Inc.
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Collins, and Members of the
subcommittee:
Thank you for this opportunity to provide written testimony on
Defense appropriations for fiscal year 2025. My name is Laura Niklason
and I am the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of
Humacyte, Inc.
Humacyte is developing a disruptive biotechnology platform to
deliver universally implantable bioengineered human tissues, advanced
tissue constructs, and organ systems designed to improve the lives of
patients and transform the practice of medicine. The Company develops
and manufactures acellular tissues with the potential to treat a wide
range of diseases, injuries, and chronic conditions. Humacyte's initial
opportunity, a portfolio of Human Acellular Vessels (HAVs), is
currently in late-stage clinical trials targeting multiple vascular
applications, including vascular trauma repair, AV access for
hemodialysis, and peripheral arterial disease. Preclinical development
is also underway in coronary artery bypass grafts, pediatric heart
surgery, treatment of type 1 diabetes, and multiple novel cell and
tissue applications. Humacyte's 6mm HAV for AV access in hemodialysis
was the first product candidate to receive the FDA's Regenerative
Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation and has also received FDA
Fast Track designation. Humacyte's 6mm HAV for urgent arterial repair
following extremity vascular trauma also has received RMAT designation.
The HAV received priority designation for the treatment of vascular
trauma by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. In February 2024, the FDA
accepted and granted Priority Review of Humacyte's Biologics License
Application (BLA) seeking approval of the HAV in urgent arterial repair
following extremity vascular trauma when synthetic graft is not
indicated, and when autologous vein use is not feasible. The
Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date, the FDA action date for
their regulatory decision regarding the BLA, is August 10, 2024.
Vascular injury sustained on the battlefield is a leading cause of
death and disability in military settings and has increased
significantly in recent conflicts.\1\ Alternative conduits for vascular
repair, reconstruction and replacement are needed in life threatening
severe vascular injuries because the current standard of care is
limited by harvest time, availability of veins to harvest, increased
infection risk, and poor outcomes.\2\ Regenerative medicine research
and development, funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), has
advanced the creation of universally implantable, bioengineered human
tissue conduits that model themselves after and mature into vessels
that resemble the patient's own vasculature and resist infection.\3\
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\1\ Patel JA, et al. A contemporary, 7-year analysis of vascular
injury from the war in Afghanistan. J Vasc Surg. 2018;68(6):1872-1879.
doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2018.04.038.
\2\ Morrison JJ, et al. Clinical implementation of the Humacyte
human acellular vessel: Implications for military and civilian trauma
care. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019;87(1S Suppl 1):S44-S47.
doi:10.1097/TA.0000000000002350.
\3\ Pottol K, et al. Hope regenerated. Army AL&T. January-March
2018:51-55. https://www.army.mil/article/198646/hope_regenerated.
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Blast injuries are common for military personnel in theater, and
account for the majority of vascular trauma suffered by warfighters.\4\
Researchers have found vascular trauma is five times higher in the
Global War on Terror as compared to previous wars.\5\ Explosions and
gunshots are the two leading causes of injuries in contemporary combat
operations and carry a substantial risk of wound contamination due to
the penetrating nature of the trauma.\6\ Limb salvage strategies
include vascular repair in these patients, with resistance to infection
and repair durability being of particular importance, considering the
contaminated wound settings and the young age of most service members.
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\4\ Williams, T.K., Clouse, W.D. (2018). Vascular Injuries. In:
Galante, J., Martin, M., Rodriguez, C., Gordon, W. (eds) Managing
Dismounted Complex Blast Injuries in Military & Civilian Settings.
Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74672-2_11.
\5\ Shireman PK, Rasmussen TE, Jaramillo CA, Pugh MJ. VA Vascular
Injury Study (VAVIS): VA-DoD extremity injury outcomes collaboration.
BMC Surg. 2015;15(1):13. Published 2015 Feb 3. doi:10.1186/1471-2482-
15-13.
\6\ Khorram-Manesh A, Goniewicz K, Burkle FM, Robinson Y. Review of
Military Casualties in Modern Conflicts-The Re-emergence of Casualties
From Armored Warfare. Mil Med. 2022;187(3-4):e313-e321. doi:10.1093/
milmed/usab108.
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Traumatic wounds caused by blast injuries are almost always
contaminated, and often compromise the vascular supply to limbs and
organs. The most common permanent vascular repair procedures used today
are associated with risks such as further damage and complications to
limbs where repair vessels are harvested from patients (autograft) and
infection from implanted synthetic vascular grafts. Repairing these
contaminated injuries via current methods carries a high risk of
complications and infection, meaning that there is a lack of suitable
conduit available to effectively repair vascular injuries in most war-
injured patients.
The shift towards biologic solutions in treating civilian and
humanitarian vascular trauma represents a significant opportunity for
advancement in military medical care. These solutions are particularly
beneficial in combat settings, where the risk of infection and the need
for rapid healing are paramount. Biologic grafts, being more
biocompatible than synthetic alternatives, reduce the body's immune
response, leading to better integration and fewer postoperative
complications. This advantage is crucial in combat scenarios where
soldiers need to recover quickly and return to duty. The improved
biocompatibility and reduced rejection rates associated with biologic
solutions could significantly enhance the long-term health outcomes of
injured service members.
I appreciate this opportunity to provide written testimony and want
to thank you for your leadership. The Department of Defense has a
pivotal role in enhancing military medical capabilities by focusing on
biologic solutions for vascular trauma and I respectfully request your
support for funding and programs for the advanced development of
innovative solutions in vascular repair therapies that offer improved
outcomes in terms of biocompatibility and reduced rejection rates
(immunogenicity), which is vital in battlefield scenarios and for
saving the lives of severely injured Warfighters.
Thank you.
[This statement was submitted by Laura Niklason, M.D., Ph.D.,
Founder,
President, and Chief Executive Officer, Humacyte, Inc.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
On behalf of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), we
are pleased to provide this written testimony to the Senate
subcommittee on Defense and Related Agencies for the official record.
HFES urges the subcommittee to provide robust funding levels for
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) at the Department
of Defense (DOD) in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations process.
Specifically, we urge the subcommittee to direct DOD to identify
opportunities across the services to transition human performance
research to defense RDT&E activities and acquisition programs to reduce
cost, strengthen force protection, reduce the potential for re-
engineering, and enhance training.
HFES and its members believe strongly that investment in scientific
research serves as an important driver for innovation and the economy,
and for maintaining American global competitiveness. Accordingly, we
thank the subcommittee for its longtime recognition of the value of
scientific and engineering research, and its contribution to innovation
in the U.S.
the value of human factors and ergonomics science
HFES is a multidisciplinary, professional association with over
3,500 individual members worldwide, including psychologists,
scientists, engineers, and designers, all with a common interest in
designing safe and effective systems and equipment that maximize and
adapt to human capabilities.
For over 50 years, the U.S. Federal Government has funded
scientists and engineers to explore and better understand the
relationship between humans, technology, and the environment.
Originally stemming from urgent needs to improve the performance of
humans using complex systems such as aircraft during World War II, the
field of human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) works to develop safe,
effective, and practical human use of technology. HF/E does this by
developing scientific approaches for understanding this complex
interface, also known as ``human-systems integration.'' Today, HF/E is
applied to fields as diverse as transportation, architecture,
environmental design, consumer products, electronics and computers,
energy systems, medical devices, manufacturing, office automation,
organizational design and management, aging, farming, health, sports
and recreation, oil field operations, mining, forensics, and education.
With increasing reliance by Federal agencies and the private sector
on technology-aided decision-making, HF/E is vital to effectively
achieving our National objectives. While a large portion of HF/E
research exists at the intersection of science and practice-that is,
HF/E is often viewed more at the ``applied'' end of the science
continuum-the field also contributes to advancing ``fundamental''
scientific understanding of the interface between human decision-
making, engineering, design, technology, and the world around us. The
reach of HF/E is profound, touching nearly all aspects of human life
from the healthcare sector to the ways we travel, to the hand-held
devices we use every day.
human factors and ergonomics at the department of defense
HFES strongly believes that Federal investments in DOD-funded
research will have a direct and positive impact on national security,
the economy, and the overall safety and well-being of Americans. For
this, HFES supports robust funding for DOD RDT&E programs, including
HF/E research programs across the Services to encourage further
advancements in technology and safety, among other areas.
With the creation of the Department of Defense Human Factors
Engineering Technical Group (DOD HFE TAG), DOD has demonstrated the
value it places on the inclusion of HF/E-related research and has
acknowledged the benefit of interagency collaboration, as it relates to
RDT&E in this field. DOD HFE TAG is comprised of technical
representatives from DOD, the National Aeronautical and Space
Association (NASA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA).
The scope of this working group is broad, making its benefits
diverse. The goals of DOD HFE TAG are to:
--Provide a mechanism for the timely exchange of technical
information in the development and application of human factors
engineering.
--Enhance coordination among government agencies involved in HF/E
technology research, development, and application.
--Assist in the preparation and coordination of tri-service
documents, and sponsor in-depth interaction, which aids in
identifying HF/E technical issues and technology gaps.
In addition, the American National Standards Institute recently
approved ANSI/HFES 400-2021, the Human Readiness Level Scale in System
Development Process. This standard, created by HFES, defines the nine
levels of the Human Readiness Level (HRL) scale and provides guidance
for their application in the context of systems engineering and human
systems integration processes. The HRL scale both complements and
supplements the existing Technology Readiness Level scale to evaluate,
track, and communicate the readiness of a technology or system for safe
and effective human use. The HRL standard is currently being utilized
by DOD program managers as a voluntary standard.
HFES strongly believes that all DOD programs developing new
technologies should be required to report to the Department on the HRL
of their systems on an annual basis. The HRL should be reported for
each major component of new military systems and should be used to
identify deficiencies and areas where additional attention to human-
system integration is warranted to reduce risks to program schedules,
human safety, and effectiveness. DOD's HRL scale should correspond to
the requirements set forth in ANSI/HFES 400-202.
Ahead of implementing an HRL scale, the Secretary of Defense, with
the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and with
the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, should
determine how any materials from ANSI/HFES Standard 400-2021 can be
incorporated or referenced in DOD procedures and guidance material in
order to enhance safety in relation to human factors. The Secretary
should report on the current HRL level of major development and
acquisitions programs and compare them to the current listed Technology
Readiness Levels. By reviewing and ultimately incorporating this
standard DOD will better understand if needed human-system integration
activities have been conducted before deploying new national security
systems and technologies.
Continuing to prioritize HF/E research at DOD, along with
incorporating the Department's use of the HRL system would undoubtedly
produce positive impacts on the safety and well-being of American
citizens.
conclusion
Given DOD's critical role in supporting fundamental research and
development across defense and engineering disciplines, HFES supports
robust funding levels for DOD RDT&E programs, especially those that
specifically fund human factors RDT&E activities in FY 2025 as well as
improvements to the inclusion of human systems integration in
acquisition programs. These investments fund important research
studies, enabling an evidence base, methodology, and measurements for
improving organizational function, performance, and design across
sectors and disciplines.
On behalf of the HFES, we would like to thank you for the
opportunity to provide this testimony. Please do not hesitate to
contact us should you have any questions about HFES or HF/E research.
HFES truly appreciates the subcommittee's long history of support for
scientific research and innovation.
[This statement was submitted by Carolyn Sommerich, President, and
Steven C. Kemp, CAE, Executive Director, Human Factors and Ergonomics
Society.]
______
Prepared Statement of Manufacturing Times Digital
On behalf of Manufacturing Times Digital (MxD), we are pleased to
provide this written testimony to Senate Appropriations subcommittee on
Defense for the official record.
MxD respectfully requests the subcommittee to provide at least an
additional $19,500,000 to accelerate and modernize the Army's organic
industrial base (OIB) facilities and capabilities in the fiscal year
(FY) 2025 defense appropriations bill. This funding will allow the
Nation's digital manufacturing institute to implement enterprise-level
digital modernization capabilities across the Army's arsenals and
depots and harmonization efforts across the Army's Organic Industrial
Base (OIB) facilities.
Manufacturing Times Digital (MxD) is a DoD-sponsored public-private
partnership that convenes the best of industry, academia, and
government to strengthen and accelerate OIB digital modernization
initiatives. Through our over 300 members, which includes the DoD,
industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and other government
stakeholders, MxD integrates multiple digital technologies and systems,
helping manufacturers improve their operations and driving systemic
productivity improvements. MxD is the National digital manufacturing
institute and focuses on enhancing the global competitiveness of U.S.
manufacturing by developing and deploying advanced digital
manufacturing technologies, educating the present and future workforce,
and securing the U.S. supply base. MxD, which is also the DoD-
designated National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing, was
launched in February 2014 as the second national manufacturing
innovation institute, a network known as Manufacturing USA. MxD is
committed to developing the most cutting-edge technology and research
to not only modernize the current state and condition of military
facilities but to transform the Nation's arsenals and depots to provide
flexible, agile, and technology-enabled infrastructure needed for
future needs and capabilities. The proposed effort will result in a
versatile and scalable modernization effort implementable throughout
the State's OIB and beyond.
mxd and the digital modernization accelerator program
MxD proposes to scale their Digital Modernization Accelerator
Program for Army Material Command (AMC) to help the Army fulfill the
goals of its 15-year OIB Modernization Implementation Plan (MIP) \1\
and overall Modernization Strategy.\2\ The Digital Modernization
Accelerator Program, as authorized in the FY 2024 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA), consists of a team of experienced and skilled
technical fellows, engineers, and program managers to expand their
existing OIB-focused Digital Manufacturing Modernization Accelerator
program with the tools, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) needed for
Army OIB modernization. The Digital Modernization Accelerator Program
will support existing and future requests from AMC and their
subordinate commands, to implement digital, cybersecurity, and work
force development capabilities at all OIB installations. The first
pilot is being conducted at Iowa Army Ammunition Plant and is expected
to be scalable and transferable to the other OIB Arsenals, Depots, and
Ammo plants. The project team will coordinate with local community
colleges/trade schools, the government operated/contractor or
government owned industry members, and virtual training sites to
distribute the courses.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://www.army.mil/standto/archive/2022/03/25/.
\2\ https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/
2019_army_modernization_strategy_final.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aligned with the Digital Modernization Accelerator Program mission,
MxD has hosted multiple workshops to share lessons learned, scope
relevant projects, and convene the Institute's ecosystem to assist the
Services to implement their OIB Modernization Strategies. Since the
program's inception, MxD has hosted the Army munitions (Iowa) and small
arms ammunition (Lake City) stakeholders as well as the Navy's
Shipyards, including all four shipyards (Norfolk, VA, Puget Sound, WA,
Pearl Harbor, HI, and Portsmouth, ME) and their command from Naval Sea
Systems Command, Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP).
This project is focused on bridging the funding gap the Army is
experiencing due to their OIB modernization Program Objective
Memorandum (POM) funding being unavailable until FY 2026. MxD will
leverage this funding to ensure the consistent and continuous
modernization progression of AMC OIB facilities.
the value of digital modernization at the army material command (amc)
The U.S. Organic Industrial Base (OIB) provides critical material
and sustainment support to warfighters around the world by
manufacturing, repairing, maintaining, and deposing of essential
equipment and munitions, which ensures the readiness and superiority of
U.S. military. While the Military Services have announced and embarked
on long-term OIB modernization efforts, in recent months, there has
been growing observation and concern that the efforts are not advancing
quickly enough to ensure operational readiness now and in the future. A
2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report \3\ found that,
since FY 2016, the condition of depot infrastructure (including
facilities and equipment) has not improved and ranks fair-to-poor.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105009.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the Army's MIP recognizes the critical need for resources for
Army facilities, further resources would help build and accelerate the
necessary capacity to maintain readiness by sustaining the Army's
enduring and future systems and aim to overcome the backlog and
significantly improve current facility conditions. OIB modernization
efforts are also typically hindered by a skilled labor shortage, a
consequence of long-term disinvestment in US manufacturing. Leaders of
the DOD's OIB, including the AMC OIB Modernization Task Force, have
developed essential and bold plans to digitally modernize the OIB to
support and sustain the future U.S. military force. The Department
calls for collaboration with industry, academia and subject matter
experts across needed technologies and implementations to ensure a
successful, integrated approach to the next generation of U.S.
capabilities.
MxD has initiated the OIB Digital Modernization Accelerator Program
with recent site visits and assessments at multiple OIB facilities,
including Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, Watervliet Arsenal in New
York, Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Iowa, and the Marine Corps
Maintenance Depot in Georgia. Rock Island Arsenal is an example of the
impact these types of assessment and pilot projects can generate which
resulted in the coordination and down selection of pilot projects. For
example, the program has delivered a machine health and status
dashboard(s) to relay real-time machine and production status. Another
project conducted feasibility studies of paint assembly systems that
have a massive impact on human health and safety. MxD is also planning
to expand efforts to the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama with support
from the Army Materiel Command.
All the projects provide solutions through incorporating digital
TTPs to provide the foundational requirements to incorporate advanced
manufacturing capabilities such as additive, robotics, and artificial
intelligence (AI). The outcomes of these projects constructed to be
easily transferable to other sites included in AMC. Through this
effort, MxD is also partnering with fellow DOD manufacturing
institutes, ARM and LIFT, to create workforce development training and
hiring guides for critical roles at Army Ammunition Plants.
conclusion
Given MxD's role in supporting OIB facilities across the country,
MxD respectfully requests the allocation of an additional $19,500,000
of funding to scale OIB Modernization efforts in partnership with the
Army Material Command (AMC) OIB Modernization Task Force.
This effort will inform the AMC's knowledge and implementation,
reduce redundancy, and expedite modernization at the OIB facilities.
While the results of this project will benefit AMC sites across the
Nation, MxD will prioritize initial modernization efforts for Rock
Island Arsenal in Illinois, and Anniston Army Depot and Redstone
Arsenal in Alabama.
More specifically, for FY 2025, the Digital Modernization
Accelerator Program will target current efforts with AMC's Tank-
automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM). This work will build upon,
scale, and transition based on the direct engagement with enterprise-
level Services, focusing on the most immediate or current needs such as
the conflict in Ukraine or Israel and preparing for the long-term
threat that could occur in the Pacific.
On behalf of MxD, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to
provide this testimony. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you
have any questions. MxD truly appreciates the subcommittee's long
history of support of the USA Manufacturing Institutes and our work in
manufacturing innovation and modernization.
[This statement was submitted by Berardino Baratta, CEO, and Erin
O'Donnell, Director, Government Engagement, MxD.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Neurofibromatosis Network
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony to the
subcommittee on the importance of continued funding for the Department
of Defense's Peer-reviewed Neurofibromatosis (NF) Research Program
(NFRP). NF is a terrible genetic disorder closely linked to many common
diseases widespread among the American population. The highly
successful Neurofibromatosis Research Program has shown tangible
results and direct military application with broad implications for the
general population.
On behalf of the Neurofibromatosis (NF) Network, a national
organization of NF advocacy groups, I speak on behalf of the 120,000
Americans who suffer from NF as well as the millions of Americans who
suffer from diseases and conditions linked to NF such as cancer, brain
tumors, heart disease, memory loss, bone abnormalities, deafness,
blindness, and psychosocial disabilities, such as autism and learning
disabilities. Thanks in large part to this subcommittee's strong
support, scientists have made enormous progress since the discovery of
the NF1 gene in 1990 resulting in clinical trials now being undertaken
by the NFRP.
In Fiscal Year 2025, we are requesting $25 million for the Peer-
reviewed Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) within the Defense
Health Program, the same as the Fiscal Year 2024 enacted level. The
NFRP is now conducting clinical trials at nation-wide clinical trials
centers created by NFRP funding. These clinical trials involve drugs
that have already succeeded in eliminating tumors in humans and
rescuing learning deficits in mice. In addition, in March 2020, the
Food and Drug Administration approved the first ever drug, co-developed
by NIH and AstraZeneca, with seed money from the NFRP, for the
treatment of plexiform tumors in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
Administrators of the NFRP have stated that the number of high-quality
scientific applications justify a much larger program. For these
reasons, it is imperative that we continue to invest in research if we
are to advance toward treatments and a cure for the numerous diseases
associated with NF.
what is neurofibromatosis?
NF is an unpredictable genetic disorder of the nervous system that
affects almost every organ system in the body. Neurofibromatosis (NF)
refers to three different genetic medical conditions, Neurofibromatosis
type--1, Schwannomatosis, and NF 2--related Schwannomatosis, involving
the development of tumors that may affect the brain, spinal cord, and
the nerves. While not all NF patients suffer from the most severe
symptoms, all NF patients and their families live with the uncertainty
of not knowing whether they will be seriously affected because NF is a
highly variable and progressive disease. NF causes tumors to grow along
nerves including in the skin, just below the skin, and in the brain and
spinal cord. It strikes worldwide, without regard to gender, race or
ethnicity. Approximately 50 percent of new NF cases result from a
spontaneous mutation in an individual's genes and 50 percent are
inherited.
NF can cause a myriad of devastating clinical problems including
nerve and brain tumors; disfiguring skin growths; inability to heal
after bone fracture, which may ultimately require amputation;
psychosocial disabilities, including autism and learning disabilities;
unmanageable chronic pain; deafness; blindness; cardiovascular defects;
vascular disease; and paralysis. NF gene mutations are also important
'drivers' of cancers in the lungs, liver, brain and breast.
nf's connection to the military
Neurofibromatosis (NF) has become a clinical 'model' for advancing
medical research. The genetic information learned from NF holds the key
to understanding a number of health issues that benefit the war
fighter, as well as the general population, including cancer, bone
fracture and repair, vascular disease, nerve regeneration, behavior and
psychosocial issues, and pain.
The Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) is providing critical
research that directly benefits the War Fighter including:
Bone Repair.--At least a quarter of children with NF1 have abnormal
bone growth in any part of the skeleton. In the legs, the long bones
are weak, prone to fracture and unable to heal properly; this can
require amputation at a young age. Adults with NF1 can have low bone
mineral density, placing them at risk of skeletal weakness and injury.
The NFRP is a strong supporter of NF1 bone defects research and as a
result this field has made significant progress in the past few years.
Bone fractures sustained by the war fighter and how to repair them is
of interest to the military. Research studies will identify new
information about understanding bone biology and repair and will pave
the way to new strategies to enhancing bone health and facilitating
repair.
Pain.--Severe and unmanageable pain is seen in all forms of NF,
particularly in schwannomatosis, and significantly impacts quality of
life. NF research has shown similarities between NF pain and phantom
limb pain. NFRP funding has been critical in supporting this. Chronic
pain, and how to treat it effectively, is one of the most poorly
understood areas of medicine but has very high relevance to those in
the military recovering from service-related injuries. NF Research in
this area could help identify new ways to target pain effectively with
the right drugs or therapies.
Vascular Disease.--NF1 elevates the risk of vascular disease
including aneurysm, stroke and vessel occlusive disease. NF1
predisposes patients to early cardiovascular disease, which is also the
leading cause of death among United States Veterans. NF research has
demonstrated that when treating affected NF mouse models with an
antioxidant medication it reduced vessel disease. Discoveries related
to cardiovascular disease in NF1 are likely to be more broadly
informative, including for veterans and active-duty military personnel.
Psychosocial and Cognitive Disabilities.--NFRP research has
revealed common threads between NF1 learning disabilities, autism and
other related disabilities. Research being done within the NF Clinical
Trials Consortium, NFRP created clinical centers, has led to important
findings and expanded research in this area. This research contributes
to our broadening understanding of how brain signaling can impact on
behavior and psychosocial difficulties. Members of the military
returning from service can suffer from psychological trauma and it is
not easy to understand how this can be effectively treated. As we learn
more from the NF population about psychosocial function, we will be
able to shed light on this area for the benefit of the military.
Nerve Tumors and Repair.--Nerves are the most common location for
tumor development amongpatients with NF. Tumor growth alone, or
treatments for the same, commonly cause nerve injury and associated
deficits. Identifying mechanisms to improve nerve repair would benefit
patients with NF, as well as advance the science needed to better treat
nerve injury common in warfighters.
dod' contribution to nf research
While other Federal agencies support medical research, the
Department of Defense (DOD) fills a special role by providing peer-
reviewed funding for innovative and rewarding medical research through
the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). CDMRP
research grants are awarded to researchers in every State in the
country through a competitive two-tier review process. These well-
executed and efficient programs, including the NFRP, demonstrate the
government's responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Recognizing NF's importance to both the military and to the general
population, Congress has given the NF Research Program strong
bipartisan support. From FY1996 through FY2024 funding for the NFRP has
amounted to over $452 million, in addition to the original $8 million
appropriated in FY1992. In addition, between FY1996 and FY2022, 500
awards have been granted to researchers across the country.
The CDMRP funds innovative, groundbreaking research which would not
otherwise have been pursued, and has produced major advances in NF
research, including conducting clinical trials in a nation-wide
clinical trials infrastructure created by NFRP funding, development of
advanced animal models, and preclinical therapeutic experimentation.
Because of the enormous advances that have been made as a result of the
NFRP, research in NF has truly become one of the great success stories
in the current revolution in molecular genetics. In addition, the
program has brought new researchers into the field of NF. However,
despite this progress, officials administering the program have
indicated that they could easily fund more applications if funding were
available because of the high quality of the research applications
received.
In order to ensure maximum efficiency, the Department of Defense
collaborates closely with other Federal agencies that are involved in
NF research, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Senior
program staff from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke (NINDS), for example, sit on the NF Research Program Integration
Panel which sets the long-term vision and funding strategies for the
program. This assures the highest scientific standard for research
funding, efficiency and coordination while avoiding duplication or
overlapping of research efforts.
Thanks in large part to this subcommittee's support, scientists
have made enormous progress since the discovery of the NF1 gene. Major
advances in just the past few years have ushered in an exciting era of
clinical and translational research in NF with broad implications for
the general population. These recent advances have included:
--In March 2020 the Food and Drug Administration approved the first
ever drug, co-developed by NIH and AstraZeneca, with seed money
from the NFRP, for the treatment of plexiform tumors in
neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
--Phase II and Phase III clinical trials involving new drug therapies
for both cancer, hearing tumors, vision tumors, bone graft and
cognitive disorders.
--Establishment of the Neurofibromatosis Clinical Trial Consortium
which includes an operation center and 23 clinical sites.
Allows for partnerships with well-established NF Centers,
pooling expertise and resources, quicker turn arounds of
scientific reviews and regulatory approvals, leveraged work
with pharmaceutical companies all towards the common goal of
new treatments and a cure for Neurofibromatosis.
--Development of advanced mouse models showing human symptoms.
--Determination of the biochemical, molecular function of the NF
genes and gene products.
--Connection of NF to numerous diseases because of NF's impact on
many body functions.
fiscal year 2025 request
The highly successful Neurofibromatosis Research Program has shown
tangible results and direct military application with broad
implications for the general population. The program has now advanced
to the translational and clinical research stages, which are the most
promising, yet the most expensive direction that NF research has taken.
Therefore, continued funding is needed to continue to build on the
successes of this program, and to fund this promising research thereby
continuing the enormous return on the taxpayers' investment.
We respectfully request that you include at least $25 million in
the Fiscal Year 2025 Department of Defense Appropriations bill for the
Peer-reviewed Neurofibromatosis Research Program. With this
subcommittee's continued support, we will prevail. Thank you for your
support.
[This statement was submitted by Kim Bischoff, Executive Director,
Neurofibromatosis Network.]
______
Prepared Statement of TB Alliance
TB Alliance is pleased to submit this testimony to the Senate
Committee on Appropriations, subcommittee on Defense for consideration
in fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations. TB Alliance is a not-for-
profit organization dedicated to the discovery, development, and
delivery of better, faster acting, and affordable tuberculosis (TB)
drugs that are available to those who need them. We submit this
testimony and urge the subcommittee to include TB in the
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program's Peer Reviewed
Medical Research Program's (CDMRP PRMRP) list of eligible diseases in
FY 2025, as it has done in FYs 2016--2019, and FY 2023.
As you know, the men and women in our armed forces are responsible
for protecting our Nation from threats both domestic and abroad. A
critical element of the Department of Defense's (DoD) mission is
supporting infectious disease research, which it conducts at various
facilities such as the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the
Naval Medical Research Center. Since the DoD cannot programmatically
fund every disease that could cause harm to our Nation's military
personnel, Congress fills this gap in research through the CDMRP, which
presents a critical opportunity for Congress to directly influence
research funding by providing a list of approved diseases eligible for
competitive peer reviewed grant opportunities via the PRMRP.
TB, an airborne disease, is the leading global infectious killer
globally with about 1.3 million deaths in 2022 according to the World
Health Organization (WHO). The global TB pandemic, including the rapid
spread of drug-resistant TB, poses a serious global security threat.
Although considered a low-incidence country, even here in the U.S.,
every State continues to report TB cases each year and the disease
remains a significant public health issue. In 2022, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported over 8,000 cases of TB in
the U.S. The cost to treat and care for a patient with TB in the U.S.
averages $20,000 for drug-susceptible TB, $182,000 for multidrug-
resistant TB (MDR-TB), and $568,000 for extensively drug-resistant TB
(XDR-TB) according to most recent estimates. Additionally, the CDC
believes there are up to 13 million individuals in the U.S. with latent
TB infections-a future reservoir of active TB cases.
TB is of particular concern for the DoD because of its potential
impact on our armed forces. Our global military footprint means that
American military men and women are posted in countries and regions
that experience high rates of both active TB disease and TB infection.
For instance, in Europe, where over 100,000 U.S. troops and dependents
are stationed, there were nearly 164,000 cases of TB and 73,000 cases
of MDR-TB in 2021. In the Western Pacific region, nearly 82,000 troops
live amidst over 1.8 million cases of TB and 70,000 cases of MDR-TB
according to the most recent WHO estimates. Ukraine continues to be a
high-burden MDR-TB country. With the war in Ukraine ongoing, millions
of Ukrainians are seeking refuge in NATO ally countries, some of whom
are on TB treatment or have undiagnosed TB, putting a significant
strain on in-country public health resources while exposing our
military to potential MDR-TB outbreaks. These outbreaks globally could
cause drug shortages, severe economic consequences, and possibly
extensive fatalities as well as global destabilization. Funding
research and development now can make this scenario less likely in the
future.
Additionally, through programs like the Pacific Pathways, thousands
of U.S. military members rotate through countries around the Pacific
Rim like the Philippines and Thailand, where a combined 844,000 cases
of TB occurred in 2021, including thousands of cases of MDR-TB. The
WHO, however, estimates that global TB numbers are much higher than
currently reported due to disruptions in diagnosis stemming from the
COVID-19 pandemic and resource diversion. As an example, the
Philippines has one of the highest incidents of TB in the world, with
737,000 cases report in 2022 and accounts for 7% of all TB cases
globally. The U.S. and the Philippines recently launched their largest
joint exercise in years, with around 16,000 troops participating in the
``shoulder-to-shoulder'' trainings. As we strengthen our alliance with
the Philippines and other Pacific countries, our soldiers will come in
increasing contact with countries that have high burden TB rates in the
region.
For these reasons, more research into TB and related treatments,
vaccines, and diagnostics is imperative if we want to avoid tragic
scenarios of MDR--and XDR-TB outbreaks in the future. Having adequate
treatments on hand in case our warfighters fall ill with TB is critical
to our military's mission readiness and our National security. Today,
we are at a unique and unprecedented point in TB research due to
positive advancements in key areas of development. Recently, the FDA
approved a new drug regimen to treat XDR-TB and complicated MDR-TB-
demonstrating that better diagnostics, a fully effective vaccine, and
shorter, less toxic treatment regimens are the only way we will
successfully eliminate TB. The DoD CDMRP funding has been integral in
these efforts.
We urge you to build off the progress already made and continue to
include TB in the list of eligible diseases for FY 2025.
[This statement was submitted by Pietro Turilli, Senior Vice
President, External Affairs, TB Alliance.]
LIST OF WITNESSES, COMMUNICATIONS, AND PREPARED STATEMENTS
----------
Page
Activate Global Inc., Prepared Statement of...................... 373
Allvin, General David W., Chief of Staff, Department of the Air
Force, Department of Defense................................... 7
Prepared Statement of........................................ 9
Anderson, Lieutenant General Leonard F., IV, Commander, Marine
Corps Reserve, Department of Defense........................... 329
Prepared Statement of........................................ 330
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Prepared
Statement of the............................................... 374
American Type Culture Collection, Prepared Statement of the...... 376
American Urological Association, Prepared Statement of the....... 377
Austin, Hon. Lloyd J., III, Secretary, Office of the Secretary of
Defense, Department of Defense................................. 141
Prepared Statement of........................................ 145
Questions Submitted to....................................... 189
Summary Statement of......................................... 144
Baldwin, Senator Tammy, U.S. Senator From Wisconsin, Questions
Submitted by
Boozman, Senator John, U.S. Senator From Arkansas, Questions
Submitted by
Brown, General Charles Q., Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Department of Defense................................... 155
Prepared Statement of........................................ 156
Questions Submitted to....................................... 203
Bush, Hon. Douglas R., Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, United States Army,
Department of Defense.......................................... 216
Prepared Statement of........................................ 217
Questions Submitted to....................................... 261
Capito, Senator Shelley Moore, U.S. Senator From West Virginia,
Questions Submitted by
Coalition for National Security Research, Prepared Statement of
the............................................................ 378
Collins, Senator Susan M., U.S. Senator From Maine:
Statements of
Questions Submitted by
Coons, Senator Christopher A., U.S. Senator From Delaware,
Questions Submitted by
Daniels, Lieutenant General Jody J., Chief, Army Reserve,
Department of Defense.......................................... 316
Prepared Statement of........................................ 317
Del Toro, Hon. Carlos, Secretary, Department of the Navy,
Department of Defense.......................................... 51
Prepared Statement of........................................ 56
Questions Submitted to....................................... 118
Summary Statement of......................................... 55
Department of Defense STARBASE, Prepared Statement of............ 381
Durbin, Senator Richard J., U.S. Senator From Illinois, Questions
Submitted by
Foundation for American Innovation, Prepared Statement of the.... 382
Friends of Ukraine Network, Prepared Statement of the............ 384
Franchetti, Admiral Lisa, Chief of Naval Operations, Department
of the Navy, Department of Defense............................. 76
Prepared Statement of........................................ 77
Questions Submitted to....................................... 129
George, General Randy A., Chief of Staff, Department of the Army,
Department of Defense.......................................... 273
Prepared Statement of........................................ 274
Questions Submitted to....................................... 306
Graham, Senator Lindsey, U.S. Senator From South Carolina,
Questions Submitted by
Guertin, Nickolas H., Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
Research, Development and Acquisition, United States Navy,
Department of Defense.......................................... 224
Prepared Statement of........................................ 225
Questions Submitted to....................................... 263
HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group U.S., Prepared Statement of
The............................................................ 386
Healy, Lieutenant General John P., Chief, Air Force Reserve,
Department of Defense.......................................... 336
Prepared Statement of........................................ 337
Hoeven, Senator John, U.S. Senator From North Dakota, Questions
Submitted by................................................... 370
Hokanson, General Daniel R., Chief, National Guard Bureau,
Department of Defense.......................................... 311
Prepared Statement of........................................ 313
Questions Submitted to....................................... 370
Summary Statement of......................................... 312
Humacyte, Inc., Prepared Statement of............................ 388
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Prepared Statement of the.. 389
Hunter, Andrew P., Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for
Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, United States Air Force,
Department of Defense.......................................... 232
Prepared Statement of........................................ 233
Questions Submitted to....................................... 265
Kendall, Hon. Frank, Secretary, Department of the Air Force,
Department of Defense.......................................... 1
Prepared Statement of........................................ 9
Questions Submitted to....................................... 37
Summary Statement of......................................... 4
LaPlante, Hon. Dr. William A., Under Secretary of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment, Department of Defense............. 207
Prepared Statement of........................................ 210
Questions Submitted to....................................... 257
Summary Statement of......................................... 209
Manufacturing Times Digital, Prepared Statement of............... 391
McCord, Hon. Michael J., Under Secretary of Defense
(Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, Department of Defense... 141
Moran, Senator Jerry, U.S. Senator From Kansas, Questions
Submitted by
Murkowski, Senator Lisa, U.S. Senator From Alaska, Questions
Submitted by
Murphy, Senator Christopher, U.S. Senator From Connecticut,
Questions Submitted by
Murray, Senator Patty, U.S. Senator From Washington, Questions
Submitted by
Mustin, Vice Admiral John B., Chief, Navy Reserve, Department of
Defense........................................................ 323
Prepared Statement of........................................ 324
Neurofibromatosis Network, Prepared Statement of the............. 393
Saltzman, General B. Chance, Chief of Space Operations, United
States Air Force, Department of Defense........................ 6
Prepared Statement of........................................ 9
Schatz, Senator Brian, U.S. Senator From Hawaii, Questions
Submitted by
Shaheen, Senator Jeanne, U.S. Senator From New Hampshire,
Questions Submitted by
Smith, General Eric M., Commandant, United States Marine Corps,
Department of Defense.......................................... 86
Prepared Statement of........................................ 88
Questions Submitted to....................................... 134
TB Alliance, Prepared Statement of............................... 395
Tester, Senator Jon, U.S. Senator From Montana:
Opening Statement of
Questions Submitted by
Wormuth, Hon. Christine, Secretary, Department of the Army,
Department of Defense.......................................... 269
Prepared Statement of........................................ 274
Questions Submitted to....................................... 300
Summary Statement of......................................... 271
SUBJECT INDEX
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Acquisition Programs
Page
I. Introduction and Background................................... 210
II. The Defense Acquisition System............................... 211
III. Major Acquisition Programs.................................. 212
IV. Integration.................................................. 213
V. Production at Scale........................................... 215
VI. Conclusion................................................... 216
Additional Committee Questions................................... 257
Approaches and Organizations for Great Power Competition......... 234
Current Acquisition Landscape.................................... 233
Modernizing:
the Force.................................................... 218
Our Business Practices....................................... 222
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Department of the Air Force
United States Space Force
Office of the Secretary
Additional Committee Questions................................... 36
Building a Resilient Joint Force and Defense Ecosystem........... 11
Complying with FRA............................................... 10
Deterring Aggression and Prevailing in Conflict.................. 11
Meeting National Defense Strategy Priorities..................... 11
Responding to Increasing Threats................................. 9
United States Air Force.......................................... 11
Air Force's Role in:
Defending the Nation......................................... 12
Taking Care of People........................................ 13
Succeeding Through Teamwork.................................. 14
United States Space Force........................................ 15
Space Force's Role in:
Defending the Nation......................................... 15
Taking Care of People........................................ 16
Succeeding Through Teamwork.................................. 17
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Department of the Army
Office of the Secretary
Additional Committee Questions................................... 300
Delivering Ready Combat Formations............................... 276
Maintaining the Strategic Path................................... 278
Need for Continuous Transformation, The.......................... 274
Readiness of Soldiers and Families: Quality of Life Investments.. 277
Transforming our:
Capabilities................................................. 274
Force Structure.............................................. 275
Recruiting Enterprise........................................ 276
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Department of the Navy
Office of the Secretary
Additional Committee Questions................................... 118
America's Identity as a Maritime Nation.......................... 77
Fiscal Year 2025 President's Budget, The......................... 60
Foundations: Build Trust, Align Resources, Be Ready.............. 84
Geopolitical Landscape, The...................................... 77
Navy's FY25 Strategy-Driven Budget Request....................... 78
Progress Update on the DON's Three Enduring Priorities........... 58
Warfighters:
Strengthening the Navy Team.................................. 82
Delivering Decisive Combat Power............................. 79
Where We Are Going............................................... 90
Who We Are and How We Fight...................................... 88
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National Guard and Reserves
A Promise:
for the Future............................................... 316
of Readiness................................................. 313
to our Partners.............................................. 315
to our People................................................ 315
A Total Force.................................................... 332
Additional Committee Questions................................... 370
Air Force Reserve Fiscal Year 2025 Posture Statement............. 337
Air Force Reserve's Role in:
Defending the Nation......................................... 338
Taking Care of People........................................ 342
Air Force's Role in Succeeding Through Teamwork.................. 347
Command and Control (C2)......................................... 340
Continuous Transformation........................................ 321
Deliver and Sustain Combat Ready Power........................... 319
Equipment........................................................ 333
Facilities....................................................... 334
Fiscal Stewardship............................................... 332
Foundation: Build Trust, Align Resources, Be Ready............... 328
Innovation and Experimentation................................... 332
Modernization.................................................... 331
Quality of Life.................................................. 335
Ready Now! Shaping Tomorrow . . ................................. 317
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response........................... 335
Strengthen the Army Profession................................... 322
Talent Management................................................ 331
United States:
Air Force Reserve............................................ 337
Army Reserve, The............................................ 317
Warfighters:
Strengthen the Navy Team..................................... 326
Deliver Decisive Combat Power................................ 325
Warfighting...................................................... 317
__________
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Additional Committee Questions................................... 189
Defending the Nation............................................. 147
Modernization and New Concepts................................... 159
Strategic Environment............................................ 157
Succeeding Through Teamwork...................................... 152
Taking Care of Our People........................................ 151
Trust............................................................ 162
Warfighting...................................................... 158
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