During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) questioned experts about reserve capabilities, ship maintenance and recruitment efforts.
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00:00Chairman Wicker.
00:01Well, Chairman, I surely am glad you gave Senator Hirono a few extra moments.
00:08You offered me an opening statement, and so I may take those few extra moments.
00:14You are the chairman of the committee.
00:15You can do whatever you want.
00:17But I also want to congratulate Chairman Sullivan and Senator Hirono for their leadership in
00:23calling this hearing.
00:25It's a terrific panel, and it's been great so far.
00:28Let me say this about the CR.
00:32We repeatedly say, House and Senate, Republican and Democrat, that we never need to do this
00:38again, and for some reason, something comes up, some group is unwilling to compromise,
00:46and look at the long picture, and we find ourselves in this position.
00:50I will say this about the fact that this is the first year-long CR for the Department
00:58of Defense.
01:00I guess we could at least admit that it is a hybrid CR in the sense that there are the
01:07anomalies that our witnesses have mentioned, and the numbers have been plussed up just
01:14a little bit.
01:15But this is a shame on our process, and it is not in keeping with what the founders intended.
01:24They intended for legislation to be difficult, but they intended for the parties and the
01:31Houses to compromise and have some give and take and finally get in the right direction.
01:38In my view, Mr. Chairman and Ms. Ranking Member, the real flaw in the CR that we'll be voting
01:48on later this week is that it doesn't provide enough money, regardless of the anomalies
01:54and the tiny plus-ups here and there.
01:59Regardless of that, it does not provide adequate support for the military and for the challenges
02:06we have, for adversary nations, pacing challenges, plus Russia, plus North Korea, plus Iran,
02:20that like never before have worked together to bring us ill.
02:26And it is contrary, Mr. Chairman and Madam Ranking Member, to the voice of the Senate
02:33in the National Defense Authorization Act, which plussed up national defense out of the
02:40Armed Services Committee and from a bipartisan vote on the floor by $25 billion.
02:48We couldn't get that done in conference, and so we are where we are on the authorization.
02:54But were it not for the prospect of a reconciliation bill that adds $150 billion for vital national
03:05security purposes, I could not vote for the continuing resolution as it is.
03:13Unless something changes, I'll have to swallow my words again this year and go ahead and
03:19pass it, because the alternative is so unpalatable and so dangerous.
03:24But I will say this.
03:26Based on what we see and based on what is in this continuing resolution, $150 billion
03:36in the reconciliation bill may not be enough.
03:40And I'm hearing some comforting words, Mr. Chairman, from the administration that they
03:46realize that too.
03:47And I realize they're the budget hawks in this city, and they're the defense hawks in
03:52this city, and we all want fiscal responsibility.
03:57But I'm telling you $150 billion in the reconciliation bill may not be enough based on the way we
04:03have treated defense over the past few years and based on what we're about to do this week.
04:09So thank you all for doing what you can with the authorities, anomalies, and little plus-ups
04:18that we give you.
04:19In the time I have to ask questions, let's talk about the ability – and I'll direct
04:30this to you, General Mingus – the ability of our reserve component to be ready for potential
04:38conflicts with near-peer adversaries.
04:42If a conflict began today, General, is the Army Reserve component manned, trained, and
04:47equipped appropriately to be successful?
04:55I would say it would depend on the type of organization within the Guard and the Reserve,
05:01sir.
05:03We meet our directed readiness tables requirements in terms of the active component, the Guard
05:08and the Reserve, in terms of what are required inside those immediate forces that are needed
05:13inside of 10 days, 30 days, and 45 days.
05:16Once you get beyond that, then it is not as pretty as you would see.
05:22This last year, we did have to bring down, in the op-tempo accounts for the Guard and
05:27Reserve, we typically like to keep them at 85 percent of their training requirements.
05:31We had to bring that down a little bit this year because of the top line that we were
05:35at.
05:37So there is concern now.
05:39As a result of that, the Secretary and the Chief and all of us are taking a look at what
05:43is the right balance between the active Guard and Reserve, and what mission set should be
05:47in those.
05:48And there's an active look at all of that.
05:51Well, don't you wish you didn't have to begin your answer with, it depends.
05:55I wish you didn't have to begin your answer with, it depends.
06:03You talked about the balance.
06:04How about the balance between the types of Reserve units?
06:08And that's what I mean, sir.
06:09So for example, our petroleum capacity is almost all in the Reserve component.
06:15We know that we're going to need some of that capability early on in a fight, and so do
06:19we need to move some of that from our Reserve component into the active component.
06:23So that's some of the analysis that we're looking at.
06:26Okay.
06:27Let's go to Admiral Kilby.
06:28It seems that we're picking on that end of the table so far today.
06:33Admiral Kilby, the Navy spends billions of dollars each year to operate and maintain
06:37its combat surface ships.
06:42Those surface ships are vital to combat, deterrence, defense of the homeland.
06:49Yet year after year, we hear about significant challenges to the readiness of our Navy's
06:54surface fleet.
06:55How's the Navy changing and modernizing in this regard, and also in the way they attack
07:02ship maintenance to get problems under control?
07:06Two general areas here, sir.
07:08Thanks for that question.
07:09One was addressed by General Mahoney.
07:12One, locking down that planning in advance of that availability is key.
07:17That requires the funding, and the contract closed about four months before we start the
07:22availability, which allows the contractor to order those long lead parts and develop
07:27those teams, in particular for amphibs, steam maintainers, and diesel maintainers, which
07:32are a shrinking pool in our nation.
07:34So lock down that project ahead of time and understand the condition of the ship, which
07:39means you have to do inspections and really understand vice opening things and inspecting
07:45them during the avail.
07:47So that's the first part about that.
07:49The second part is this piece I mentioned in my opening statement, which you didn't
07:55hear, but getting the 80% of combat surge ready ships, aircraft, and submarines.
08:00We've had some success in the Navy doing that with our fighter fleet and are spreading it
08:04to all our aircraft.
08:06We want to do the same thing with our ships, same thing with our submarines.
08:09That's a bigger challenge because of the complexity of it, but that's the goal we're after.
08:14That requires some focus and some effort to do that, but it also requires looking at processes
08:19which may not be helpful now in changing those processes, and that's what we did with aviation, sir.
08:25Okay, and then let me just ask General Mingus and Admiral Kilby, on the recruiting, is part
08:33of making this more successful long term a better career path for the people we place
08:40in these positions, General?
08:43Yes, sir.
08:46I mean, most come in the military to serve, to make a better way for themselves in terms
08:53of their lifestyle, some it's to get college benefits.
08:59A better career path for the people we put in recruiting positions.
09:03Oh, yes, sir.
09:05Absolutely.
09:06I misunderstood the question.
09:07That is one of the things we've talked about.
09:09Similar to what the Marine Corps have been doing for decades, if we're going to put talent
09:13out in our recruiting formations, we have to reward that talent on the back end.
09:17So absolutely.
09:18Same applies for the Navy.
09:22Focus on those recruiters, one, telling their story to a potential recruit is what sells
09:29it.
09:30Identifying with that individual and connecting with them on a very personal level and having
09:35them see their future in that is what we need.
09:38So focus on that process.
09:42For us, we had an incentivized structure, which was not to get the max people in.
09:48It was to recruit a certain number of people per month.
09:51We've taken those limits off.
09:53Bring everybody in.
09:54Don't save up recruits for next month.
09:56Bring them all in as soon as you can, and that will either fill up our delayed entry
10:00program or get those sailors to boot camp as soon as possible.
10:04That's been our success.
10:05Okay.
10:06Mr. Chairman, I want people in the military who are assigned to our recruiting programs
10:15to say, thank gosh, I got this great position.
10:20My career path looks bright because I've been put on a fast track by being a recruiter.
10:27That's my point.
10:28Well, General Mahoney, do you want to comment on that?
10:30Because the Marine Corps has been doing that for decades.
10:33Yes, I would.
10:34The three things that I think are the pillars of our success in recruiting, the one main
10:41one, is a professional recruiting force.
10:44These people are screened, slated, handpicked, incentivized while they're in the job, typically
10:50will get meritorious promotions, and when they get out, what we find is when they return
10:54to the fleet, they are some of our strongest officers and staff NCOs.
10:58The Commandant was a recruiter.
11:01Most Commandants have been recruiters.
11:03Most of our General Officers have been recruiters.
11:05Among our most successful staff NCOs, the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was a recruiter.
11:10So as far as Senator Wicker seeing a path, that's baked in to how we make our recruiters
11:16and their breed apart.
11:18Thank you, Mr. Chairman.