    [House Hearing, 119 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                              [H.A.S.C. No. 119-1]

                 ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR THE 119TH CONGRESS

                                   __________

                          COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                                  HEARING HELD

                                JANUARY 15, 2025

                      [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#13

                                     ______

                        U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

    61-513                      WASHINGTON : 2026

                          COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

                        One Hundred Nineteenth Congress

                         MIKE ROGERS, Alabama, Chairman

    JOE WILSON, South Carolina           ADAM SMITH, Washington
    MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio              JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
    ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia, Vice    JOHN GARAMENDI, California
        Chair                            DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
    AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia                SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts
    SAM GRAVES, Missouri                 SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California
    ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York          RO KHANNA, California
    SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee          WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts
    TRENT KELLY, Mississippi             CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania
    DON BACON, Nebraska                  JASON CROW, Colorado
    JACK BERGMAN, Michigan               MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey
    RONNY JACKSON, Texas                 JARED F. GOLDEN, Maine
    PAT FALLON, Texas                    SARA JACOBS, California
    CARLOS A. GIMENEZ, Florida           MARILYN STRICKLAND, Washington
    NANCY MACE, South Carolina           PATRICK RYAN, New York
    BRAD FINSTAD, Minnesota              GABE VASQUEZ, New Mexico
    MORGAN LUTTRELL, Texas               CHRISTOPHER R. DELUZIO,
    JENNIFER A. KIGGANS, Virginia            Pennsylvania
    JAMES C. MOYLAN, Guam                JILL N. TOKUDA, Hawaii
    CORY MILLS, Florida                  DONALD G. DAVIS, North Carolina
    RICHARD McCORMICK, Georgia           GILBERT RAY CISNEROS JR.,
    LANCE GOODEN, Texas                      California
    CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana              ERIC SORENSEN, Illinois
    DERRICK VAN ORDEN, Wisconsin         MAGGIE GOODLANDER, New Hampshire
    JOHN J. McGUIRE III, Virginia        SARAH ELFRETH, Maryland
    PAT HARRIGAN, North Carolina         GEORGE WHITESIDES, California
    MARK B. MESSMER, Indiana             DEREK TRAN, California
    DEREK SCHMIDT, Kansas                EUGENE SIMON VINDMAN, Virginia
    JEFF CRANK, Colorado                 WESLEY BELL, Missouri
    ABRAHAM J. HAMADEH, Arizona

                          Chris Vieson, Staff Director
                  Zach Steacy, Legislative Operations Director

                 ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR THE 119TH CONGRESS

                                  ----------

                              House of Representatives,
                                   Committee on Armed Services,
                           Washington, DC, Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
        The committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:35 a.m., in room
    2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Mike Rogers (chairman
    of the committee) presiding.

     OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE ROGERS, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
             ALABAMA, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

        The Chairman. The committee will come to order.
        I ask unanimous consent that the chair be authorized to
    declare a recess at any time.
        Without objection, so ordered.
        Without objection, members have 5 legislative days within
    which to submit statements to be made a part of the record.
        So ordered.
        We have four items of official business to consider today:
    adoption of the committee rules; approval of the committee's
    security procedures; approval of the committee's authorization
    and oversight plan; and, finally, the appointment of committee
    staff.
        Before we begin consideration of the business for us today,
    I want to recognize myself for a few minutes to welcome
    everyone to the Armed Services Committee.
        This committee's fundamental responsibility is to provide
    for our Nation's common defense. The work we do here is
    critical to the security of our country and that of its allies
    and partners around the world. And while we have our
    disagreements, we have a long tradition of carrying out our
    responsibilities in a bipartisan fashion, and we guard that
    jealously.
        That tradition will continue. I look forward to working
    closely with my good friend, the ranking member, to enact an
    NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act] that strengths our
    national defense and provides for our warfighters. That effort
    starts in the next few weeks with a series of hearings and
    briefings focused on the very complex and growing threats we
    face from our adversaries, especially China; the challenges
    facing our defense industrial base, which is enormous; and the
    ways we can reform acquisition and field innovation more
    quickly.
        Following these hearings, we will begin our aggressive
    schedule of hearings and briefings from the defense leaders in
    defense in the Pentagon and combatant commanders that will lead
    us through the NDAA markup.
        We will also continue our oversight work on key defense
    programs to determine if they actually provide the capabilities
    that we need. If they don't, they will be cut. At the end of
    the day, I expect that we will find significant savings at the
    Pentagon.
        But I want to be clear: Buying the new capabilities we
    need, paying the long-overdue bills for readiness, and
    providing for our servicemembers will be very expensive. We
    cannot shy away from those investments. Our adversaries are
    fielding new capabilities at an astonishing rate. We can't sit
    idly by as our adversaries outpace us. We need to make
    significant and sustained investments in national defense.
        But that is not the path we are on today. Under the FRA
    [Fiscal Responsibility Act], we are essentially cutting defense
    by more than 2 percent. This is the lowest level of defense
    spending as a percentage of GDP [gross domestic product] since
    before World War II. That is not sustainable or acceptable, and
    it will not deter our adversaries.
        You will be hearing me talk a lot about getting defense
    spending back above 4 percent of our GDP. If we are serious
    about peace through strength, we need to get back to that level
    of investment.
        I look forward to working with all of you to accomplish
    these goals.
        With that, I want to quickly introduce our seven new
    Republican members.
        First, Mr. Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin. Derrick served in
    the U.S. Navy for 26 years, retiring as a Navy SEAL senior
    chief, with multiple combat tours across Africa, Asia, Europe,
    and Latin America.
        Next, Mr. John McGuire from Virginia. John served as a
    United States Navy SEAL for 10 years. Following his military
    career, Rep. McGuire founded a small business preparing young
    men and women for service in our military and law enforcement,
    and he served in the Virginia House of Delegates.
        Next we have Mr. Pat Harrigan from North Carolina. Pat is a
    West Point graduate and a combat-decorated Green Beret who
    served two tours in Afghanistan. Following his service, he
    founded a thriving defense manufacturing business in North
    Carolina.
        Next we have Mr. Mark Messmer from Indiana. Mark represents
    Indiana's Eighth Congressional District, which is home to Naval
    Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division, the largest Naval
    installation in the U.S. and the third largest Naval
    installation in the world. Mark is a former member of the
    Indiana State House and Senate, serving his last 4 years as the
    Senate majority leader.
        Next we have Mr. Derek Schmidt from Kansas. Derek is a
    fifth-generation Kansan who served for 12 years as the attorney
    general of Kansas. He represents Kansas's Second District,
    which includes Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth, and the
    headquarters for both the Kansas Army and the Air National
    Guard.
        Mr. Jeff Crank from Colorado is also joining us. Jeff is
    filling the shoes of our former colleague, Doug Lamborn, and
    represents the home of the Air Force Academy, NORAD [North
    American Aerospace Defense Command], several significant Army,
    Air Force, and Space Force installations.
        And, finally, we have Mr. Abe Hamadeh from Arizona. Abe
    represents Arizona's Eighth Congressional District. Since 2016,
    he has served in the U.S. Army Reserve as an intelligence
    officer, deploying to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
        I welcome all of you to the committee, and I look forward
    to working with you.
        And, with that, I yield to my friend, the ranking member,
    Mr. Smith.

    STATEMENT OF HON. ADAM SMITH, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM WASHINGTON,
              RANKING MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

        Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate that. And
    I appreciate your opening remarks. I think they are a spot-on
    description of what we do here on this committee and why it is
    so important. I want to echo your comments; this is a terrific
    partnership.
        Mike and I work incredibly closely together and have for a
    number of years. I look forward to continuing that partnership.
        And I think the two biggest things that drive this
    committee are: number one, absolute commitment to
    bipartisanship; and, number two, absolute commitment to getting
    our bill done every year--64 consecutive years. And it is never
    easy, by the way. It always seems like, ``You get it done? Ah,
    you got it done. You always get it done.'' Sure. But it is
    always a very, very difficult process.
        But the reason it survives is because of, I believe, the
    culture that has been built on this committee, certainly by
    Chairman Rogers, but also, I think, by a long succession of
    chairs and ranking members--many of whom are reflected on the
    walls behind us here that made sure that everybody on the
    committee, no matter how long you have served on the committee,
    no matter how new you are, understood that is what we do here:
    We work together, we get things done.
        We argue. We disagree. That is, you know, democracy. That
    is the way it works. But we are very focused on getting the
    bill done because we understand how important our mission is,
    exercising oversight of the Pentagon and making sure that the
    men and women who serve in the military have the tools they
    need to perform their mission. It is incredibly important. This
    committee does a great job.
        I also want to thank you will see a symbol behind us here
    the House Armed Services Committee staff, far and away the
    greatest asset that we have on this committee. So, for the new
    members, I would urge you, get to know the staff. They will
    save you, time and time again. So, great knowledge base, very
    dedicated public servants. I appreciate their incredible work.
        And I agree with the chairman on the priorities that we
    have. I always, you know, list them as four top priorities, two
    of which the chairman really emphasized.
        One is acquisition reform. The Pentagon has to move more
    quickly to buy the innovative technologies that we need for
    modern warfare. We are seeing that play out in real-time in
    Ukraine, and we are still frustrated by how long it takes, in
    many instances, to purchase the new, innovative equipment and
    ideas that we need for the Pentagon. It is a lengthy, lengthy
    requirement, process-driven thing that we are dedicated to
    reforming here.
        Second is production capacity. We have all read about how
    the war in Ukraine has strained our resources. We need to
    rebuild the arsenal of democracy basically, get back to being
    able to build the equipment and munitions that we need in a
    timely manner.
        Number three is the personnel. We have to be able to
    recruit and retain the people necessary to serve that. I want
    to give a special shout-out to the Personnel Subcommittee but
    also to the task force that focused on quality-of-life issues
    last session. I think we made incredible progress in last
    year's bill on helping meet those recruitment requirements, but
    it continues to be a priority.
        Lastly, partnerships and alliances. Big, complicated world.
    We cannot do it all on our own. AUKUS [Australia-United
    Kingdom-United States] is a great example. I will give a
    special shout-out to my good friend Joe Courtney here.
        They are going to, like, elect you President of Australia
    at some point, I think.
        You know, dedicated to that. But the submarines aside, it
    is about the relationship and really benefiting from the skill
    sets that we have amongst the wide range of partners and allies
    that we have.
        Lastly, I agree with the chairman, it is going to take
    money. But I also agree with his first statement. Let's take a
    look at how we are spending the money that we have. It is
    always easy to say, ``Gosh, just give us more money.'' $900
    billion is a fair amount of money. I think it is worth it to
    exercise the oversight and see, are we getting the most out of
    that money that we are spending?
        So we are going to work on all of those issues.
        So I think it is a great committee. I think, those of you
    who are joining us, you are joining the best committee in
    Congress. We are happy to have you and look forward to a
    productive year.
        And, with that, I will introduce our new members. We have a
    couple--the first two here, I think, are--I don't know if they
    count as new members they are coming back. That might be the
    better way to put it.
        Jason Crow, in particular. He only left us for one term to
    go over to the Foreign Affairs Committee, but he is back. He
    represents Colorado's Sixth Congressional District, which is
    home to Buckley Space Force Base and a robust defense and
    aerospace industries. And he is a combat veteran who served as
    a paratrooper in Iraq and as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan.
        Another that we are welcoming back, and that is Congressman
    Gil Cisneros, who represents California's 31st Congressional
    District. He is a veteran and former Under Secretary of Defense
    for Personnel and Readiness and previously served on HASC
    [House Committee on Armed Services] in the 116th Congress.
        We have joked that he went off to the Pentagon and now he
    is very, very happy to be back here. Left the building going,
    ``Oh, my God.'' So, anyway.
        But we can use those insights to help us do our oversight
    responsibilities. In his position as Under Secretary, he worked
    tirelessly to ensure that we have the strongest fighting force
    possible and military that represents the best of America.
        And now to the truly new members, first time on the
    committee.
        Congressman Eric Sorensen represents the 17th Congressional
    District in Illinois. He was elected in 2022. Brought nearly 20
    years of experience as a trusted TV meteorologist, serving
    western Illinois communities. And his district is home to the
    historic Rock Island Arsenal on the Mississippi River and the
    182nd Airlift Wing at the Peoria Air National Guard Base.
        Next, we have Maggie Goodlander, representing New
    Hampshire's Second District. Before being elected to Congress,
    she served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy
    Reserve for over a decade. And she began her career as an
    advisor to Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, both of whom
    served on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
        Next is Sarah Elfreth from Maryland's Third Congressional
    District. Before being elected to Congress, she represented the
    U.S. Naval Academy for 6 years in the Maryland General
    Assembly. She fought tirelessly for the well-being of our
    servicemembers and veterans in the statehouse. This included
    legislation on mental health advocacy, suicide prevention,
    voting rights, and education.
        Next, we have George Whitesides, representing California's
    27th District, and his district includes the United States Air
    Force Plant 42 in Palmdale and multiple military design and
    manufacturing operations. Congressman Whitesides is a former
    NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] chief of
    staff and served as the CEO [Chief Executive Officer] of Virgin
    Galactic, a space technology company. He has experience with
    hypersonics, space technology, aerospace manufacturing and
    test, and procurement reform.
        Next, also from California, we have Derek Tran,
    representing California's 45th District. As the son of
    Vietnamese refugees, Derek represents Little Saigon, Orange
    County, the largest Vietnamese diaspora in the country. And he
    is a military veteran who served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 8
    years and who was deployed to Iraq.
        Next, coming to the other coast, we have Eugene Vindman
    from Virginia's Seventh District. It is home to thousands of
    uniformed personnel and Department of Defense civilian workers
    at Quantico Marine Corps Base, Fort Wolters Army Reservation,
    and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. He is a
    25 year Army veteran, paratrooper, and JAG [Judge Advocate
    General] prosecutor.
        Lastly, we have Wesley Bell from the middle of the country,
    Missouri's First District. He is the son of a police officer
    and county jail servant and has dedicated his life to justice,
    fairness, and service to his community. As the former St. Louis
    County prosecutor, he championed reforms and commonsense
    solutions to build safer, stronger communities while ensuring
    accountability and opportunity for all.
        Welcome, all of you. It is great to have such a terrific
    group of folks on the committee.
        And, with that, I yield back to the chairman.
        The Chairman. I thank the gentleman.
        I would note, Adam made the point that our staff is
    outstanding. And there is a lot of them. So if you will look in
    the drawer of your desk, you will find a sheet that has a
    picture of their pretty mug and their name and title
    underneath. So if you are ever sitting in the room wondering,
    what does that person do and what is their name, you can look
    at that little chart. And if you don't have one, let us know;
    we will get you one. But that will stay in your desk. And if
    you want one to take home or to your office, we will get you a
    copy.
        All right. On to business.
        I call up Resolution No. 1, regarding the Committee Rules
    for the 119th Congress.
        The clerk shall read the resolution.
        Mr. Greene. ``Committee Resolution No. 1. Resolved, That
    the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives,
    adopt the committee rules for the 119th Congress, which are
    stated in the copy distributed to each Member.''
        The Chairman. The proposed committee rules have been
    developed jointly with Ranking Member Smith and made available
    to members' offices on Monday, January 13.
        I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered
    as read and that the resolution be open to amendment at any
    point.
        Without objection, so ordered.
        At this time, is there any discussion or are there any
    questions concerning the committee rules?
        If there is no discussion, are there any amendments to the
    committee rules?
        No amendments.
        The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Virginia, Mr.
    Wittman, for the purpose of offering a motion regarding
    Committee Resolution No. 1, the committee rules.
        Mr. Wittman. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee
    Resolution No. 1.
        The Chairman. The question is on the motion of the
    gentleman from Virginia.
        So many as are in favor will say aye.
        Those opposed, no.
        A quorum being present, the ayes have it, and the motion is
    agreed to.
        Without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the
    table.

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        The next order of business is the Committee Resolution
    No. 2, regarding the committee's security procedures for the
    119th Congress.
        I call up the Committee Resolution No. 2. The clerk will
    read the resolution.
        Mr. Greene. ``Committee Resolution No. 2. Resolved, That
    the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives,
    adopt the committee security procedures for the 119th Congress,
    a copy which has been distributed to each Member.''
        The Chairman. Security procedures were coordinated with Mr.
    Smith and were made available to members' offices on Monday,
    January 13.
        I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered
    as read and that the resolution be open to amendment at any
    point.
        Without objection, so ordered.
        Is there any discussion or are there any questions
    concerning the security procedures?
        If there is no discussion, are there any amendments to the
    security procedures?
        Ms. Houlahan. Mr. Chairman, I have a quick question.
        The Chairman. Who is talking?
        Ms. Houlahan. Chrissy.
        The Chairman. Oh, Chrissy.
        Ms. Houlahan. Hi. I am just wondering, in the security
    clearance procedures, has there been any accommodation for
    training on the management of classified information,
    particularly maybe for the new members? And can there be?
        The Chairman. Yeah, I am informed the Office of House
    Security coordinates that, but we can make sure that they are
    put in connection with them for that purpose. That is a good
    idea.
        Ms. Houlahan. Thank you. I appreciate it, sir.
        The Chairman. Okay. If there is no further discussion, are
    there any amendments?
        The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Virginia, Mr.
    Wittman, for the purpose of offering a motion regarding
    Committee Resolution No. 2, the security procedures for the
    119th Congress.
        Mr. Wittman. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee
    Resolution No. 2.
        The Chairman. The question is on the motion from the
    gentleman from Virginia.
        So many as are in favor will say aye.
        Those opposed, no.
        A quorum being present, the ayes have it, and the motion is
    agreed to.
        Without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the
    table.

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        The next order of business is the Committee Resolution
    No. 3, regarding the committee's authorization and oversight
    plan for the 119th Congress.
        I call up Committee Resolution No. 3. The clerk will read
    the resolution.
        Mr. Greene. ``Committee Resolution No. 3. Resolved, That
    the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives,
    adopt the committee authorization and oversight plan for the
    119th Congress, a copy of which has been distributed to each
    Member.''
        The Chairman. The authorization and oversight plan has been
    coordinated with Mr. Smith and made available to members'
    offices on January 13.
        I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered
    as read and that the resolution be open to amendment at any
    point.
        Without objection, so ordered.
        Is there any discussion or are there any questions
    concerning the authorization and oversight plan?
        If there is no discussion, are there any amendments to the
    authorization and oversight plan?
        The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Virginia, Mr.
    Wittman, for the purpose of offering a motion regarding
    Committee Resolution No. 3, the authorization and oversight
    plan for the 119th Congress.
        Mr. Wittman. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt the Committee
    Resolution No. 3.
        The Chairman. The question is on the motion of the
    gentleman from Virginia.
        So many as are in favor will say aye.
        Those opposed, no.
        A quorum being present, the ayes have it, and the motion is
    agreed to.
        Without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the
    table.

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        On to the final order of business. I call up Committee
    Resolution No. 4, appointing committee staff for the 119th
    Congress.
        The clerk will read the resolution.
        Mr. Greene. ``Committee Resolution No. 4. Resolved, That
    the persons listed on the sheet distributed to the Members, and
    such other personnel as may be required by the committee within
    the limits and terms authorized under the Rules of the House of
    Representatives, are hereby appointed to the staff of the
    Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, for
    the 119th Congress, it being understood that according to the
    provisions of law, the Chairman will fix the basic salary per
    annum.''
        The Chairman. As many of you know, our committee is unique
    in that the combined staff--I mean, the staff is a combined
    staff. The committee staff here is here to provide advice and
    counsel to all of you, Republicans and Democrats alike. Please
    feel free to avail yourself of their services. They are a very
    talented group of professionals.
        A copy of the committee staff for the 119th Congress was
    prepared in consultation with the minority and made available
    to member offices on Monday, January 13.
        I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered
    as read.
        Without objection, so ordered.
        Is there any discussion or are there any questions
    concerning the committee staff? I know some of them are
    questionable looking, but that is not my question.
        All right. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from
    Virginia, Mr. Wittman, for the purposes of offering a motion
    regarding Committee Resolution No. 4, appointing committee
    staff.
        Mr. Wittman. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee
    Resolution No. 4.
        The Chairman. The question is on the motion of the
    gentleman from Virginia.
        So many as are in favor will say aye.
        Those opposed, no.
        A quorum being present, the ayes have it, and the motion is
    agreed to.
        Without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the
    table.

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        You all have jobs now.
        Without objection, committee staff is authorized to make
    technical and conforming changes to reflect the action of the
    committee in adopting Committee Resolutions 1 through 4.
        Let me recognize Mr. Smith for any closing remarks that he
    might have.
        Mr. Smith. I don't have anything, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
        The Chairman. Nor do I.
        Welcome to the Armed Services Committee.
        We are adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 9:57 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]

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