Member Day

Committee will come to order. I welcome our colleagues to HASC Member Day. Thank you for taking the time to be with us. We look forward to hearing from you about your priorities for fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. In addition to the testimony provided today, several members have submitted statements for the record. I ask unanimous consent that all members' written statements be made a part of the record. Without objection, so ordered. Committee will recognize members to give statements, one at a time, in the order in which they arrive. We limit testimony to four minutes each today, but we will enter your full remarks for the record. Thanks for being here, and I yield to my friend, the ranking member, for any opening statement he may have.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman. I welcome our members and really appreciate the bipartisan work of the committee. And also, we are very inclusive. The NDAA impacts a lot of districts, not just the members on the committee. So we want to try to be representative of the entire Congress and appreciate hearing from you, and hopefully we can work together to produce another outstanding product later this year. Thank you. I yield back.

I thank the ranking member. Our first witness today is Mr. James. You're recognized, Mr. James.

Thank you, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, for giving me the opportunity to speak today. I want to highlight the critical importance of investing in Selfridge Air National Guard Base and ensuring it's fully prepared for the next generation of missions that will define our nation's security. Selfridge is not only a Michigan asset, Mr. Chairman. It is the cornerstone of our homeland defense. As the only National Guard installation with 100 percent federally owned flight line, its strategic location near the northern border, the longest land border in the world, its proven joint force integration with DHS, the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and its unparalleled access to the Great Lakes airspace make it indispensable to our homeland defense. As our delegation outlined, the planned arrival of the F-15EX Eagle II and KC-46A Pegasus aircraft represent a transformational leap in capability, enhancing our air sovereignty, rapid response, and aerial refueling across the region and the world. This mission is also a clear priority for President Donald J. Trump. His decision to base these next-generation aircraft at Selfridge reflects the installation's strategic value and a broader commitment to strengthening our homeland defense posture. It is now incumbent upon us to do everything we can to ensure the federal resources are in place to execute that vision. While securing these aircraft was a major milestone, the mission is not yet complete, Mr. Chairman. Without the necessary federal investment to modernize the base infrastructure, we risk falling short of fully realizing this commitment. That's why FY 27 military construction funding is so critical, sir. The modernization of Selfridge is not routine. It's a time-sensitive national security priority. Without timely investment, we risk operational delays, safety gaps, and increased long-term costs. Michigan has already demonstrated strong partnership in this effort, including significant state investment of $152 million. Special thanks for Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall for his leadership. Without it, that investment wouldn't be possible. Now, we respectfully ask this committee to please do its part to prioritize the necessary MILCON funding to ensure that Selfridge Air National Guard Base is ready on time and on budget. Doing so will empower the men and women of the 127th Wing to strengthen our national defense posture and secure Selfridge's role as a premier installation for decades to come. This is about readiness. This is about deterrence. This is about delivering on critical national security priorities. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for your time. I look forward to continuing to work with you, the ranking member, and this committee to advance this effort.

Thank you, Mr. James. Gentlelady from Illinois, Ms. Budzinski, is recognized.

Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony before the House Armed Services Committee as a part of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act Member Day. I am here today to advocate for a bipartisan initiative that directly impacts the safety of our service members, securing our nation's defense supply chains, and the resilience of American manufacturing. Crafted in partnership with the House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bost and Congressman Jared Golden, this provision has two primary objectives. First, it directs the Department of Defense to ensure the Army issues regulations requiring all boots to be Berry Amendment compliant. Our troops deserve the best quality military equipment and uniforms to support the rigors of training and deployment. Second, the provision strengthens our domestic industrial base by requiring that these boots be American-made and American-sourced. Over the past several years, we have seen a concerning influx of poorly made, non-Berry Amendment compliant, and foreign-sourced footwear available to the United States Army. Army Regulation 670-1 was designed to ensure that garments and equipment worn by our soldiers meet the rigorous performance and quality standards, and to make sure equipment could withstand severe conditions. However, over time, the market for Army soldier footwear has been taken over by foreign manufacturers, to the point where much of the Army footwear we see today meet the appearance standards of AR-670-1 design but do not meet the performance or quality standards. This means current Army uniform regulations allow soldiers to purchase foreign-made combat boots that pose a significant safety threat to them and their fellow soldiers. In crafting this language, we have worked with stakeholders and members of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to ensure seamless implementation. A two-year ramp ensures domestic manufacturers have time to optimize their operational capacity to meet the demand. The language also includes an exemption for service members who have been deployed overseas in a combat zone. These provisions will ensure that both domestic manufacturers and our armed services are able to successfully navigate the transition with as few obstacles as possible for both department leadership and our service men and women. In safety, in addition to safety, this is also critical, this is also a critical matter of national security. Relying on a strategic competitor like China for a key component of our defense supply chain has the serious and troubling potential to hinder our military readiness and warfighting capabilities. Recent global conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, have underscored the fragility of international logistics. I want to thank the members of the House Armed Services Committee, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, for including this language in the House-passed versions of the fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026 NDAAs. While I was disappointed that this language did not reach the President's desk in previous years, I was encouraged by the strong bipartisan support it received in our chamber. Finally, I want to thank Congressmen Bost and Golden for their partnership on this important provision, and I ask that the committee support its inclusion and passage in this year's National Defense Authorization Act. Thank you again for this opportunity to submit testimony, and I look forward to working with you on these important issues. Thank you.

We thank you. Gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Baird's recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you very much for this opportunity to speak about a few critical technologies which should be prioritized by this committee in fiscal year 2027 NDAA and by the Department of War at large. The United States faces a growing number of unique security threats. Our nation-state adversaries, including China, Russia, and North Korea, are developing and producing hypersonic missiles or other advanced kinetic weaponry at a rate dangerous to the United States and our allies. These weapons, which move at speeds of Mach 5 or faster, can evade traditional interceptors and pose a direct threat to our naval, air, and ground forces. While the United States and the House of Representatives have prioritized next-generation missiles in recent NDAAs and appropriation bills, we should not lose focus or become complacent. To ensure America remains competitive, we must ensure our industrial base has the capacity and the tools needed for developing these hypersonic weapons. We must provide funding for testing missile bodies in the wind tunnels designed to simulate Mach 5 or even Mach 8 speeds and leverage real-world testing environments to ensure superior performance. I urge this committee to continue pushing for expanded funding for wind tunnel testing, as well as the development and manufacturing of hypersonic missiles and hypersonic missile defense capabilities. To support the manufacturing and the next-generation interceptors and next-generation missiles to include hypersonics, we must ensure that we have necessary technology to maintain our munitions stockpiles. Additive manufacturing, including laser powder bed fusion technology, is proven option to 3D print missile parts or munitions at a more efficient rate than traditional casting, becoming potentially more cost-effective and bearing more product. As this committee evaluates acquisition reform and increasing our procurement of munitions, additive manufacturing should be considered a strong alternative. To this point, the Department of War has completely reshaped how we support our warfighters through procurement, in addition to incentivizing private industry to innovate new technologies which necessarily are ironclad without a contract in front of them. As conflict continues in Ukraine and various civil wars in Africa persist, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear, CBRN, warfare poses a current and future risk to our warfighters. The Department of War has and this committee need to continue investing in CBRN detection equipment, especially with entities that have developed technology to allow military personnel to detect and engage with CBRN threats from a distance. Protects and projects that research and develop detection capabilities to be mounted on drones or unmanned vehicles will take necessary risk out of the equation for our courageous warfighters. The Department of War has identified six critical technology areas, including hypersonics and biomanufacturing. This is necessary progress, and I would love to see the scaled advanced manufacturing capability as a future addition to this list. I commend each of the committee members for the work that they do in contribution to American national security. Thank you for the opportunity to speak, and I would be happy to work with the committee to ensure priorities such as these are included in the 2027 NDAA.

Thank you, Mr. Baird. Gentlelady from Florida, Ms. Castor's recognized.

Well, thank you, Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, Mr. Kelly, and the HASC professional staff for the opportunity to highlight a few priorities from Florida and the Tampa Bay area. I'm privileged to represent MacDill Air Force Base. It's home to two air refueling tanker wings, the 6th and the 927th. They operate 24 KC-135s that are transitioning to the KC-46 Pegasus. There were, by the way, three airmen who were killed in action in the Iran war who were attached to the wing, and our hearts go out to their families. Thank you for your support of the families there. But MacDill is an very active base because in addition to the air refueling wings, it's also home to US Central Command and US Special Operations Command. Has about 17,000 active duty and civilian personnel, many retirees, many dependents. It is an active base. So I wanted to highlight three priorities for my patriotic community for MacDill especially. First is we are in desperate need of a new SOCOM headquarters. The SOCOM headquarters at MacDill was constructed in 1958, or excuse me, 1968. It's 58 years old. When you come to MacDill, there is a big discrepancy between the Central Command HQ that was constructed a little over a decade ago and SOCOM. Think about how the mission of our special forces has grown and modernized over the decades, and the building there now simply cannot serve the needs. General Fenton, the former SOCOM commander, did a good job with launching the refresh in partnership with our bipartisan SOF Caucus, Rep. Jackson, Rep. Hudson, Rep. Peters. I'm going to submit the letters of support from the SOF Caucus, but really beseech the committee to work with the appropriators to make sure that a new SOCOM HQ is on track. I met with General Bradley at SOCOM last week. They have done a charrette with the Army Corps of Engineers and have selected kind of their best-case scenario. One of the things he highlighted to me is with the evolving electronics and data security, there are going to be some significant upgrades to investments we need to make there. They need a modern facility, members, and I hope you'll be able to get behind it. Second is what General Kurilla, General Fenton, and the service members there have highlighted to me, and that is how far we are behind when it comes to the cost of living. We are making a push for a renewed look at locality pay. It is a real problem now to retain a skilled workforce in the Tampa Bay area because of the mismatch between locality pay and what OMB has. We need the committee's help to dig into that and make sure that we have every, we're using every tool necessary. And then next is I encourage the committee to continue to focus on base housing. The committee did a good job with a tenant's bill of rights, housing bill of rights a few years ago, but we're still having problems at MacDill with the contractor, the Michaels Corporation. They've been put on a watch list, but they have not served the military families who live on the base very well. That has gone from a star in DOD installations for base housing to a real problem child. It's a hot and humid place, and that contractor must be responsible for upholding base housing and taking care of it. So those are three important recommendations. Thank you for the opportunity to highlight them to you today, and I'll submit a few letters for the record.

Without objection, so ordered. I was going to ask, do you know if the replacement or new building for SOCOM is in the FYDP? Without objection, so ordered. I was going to ask, do you know if the replacement or new building for SOCOM is in the FYDP?

I believe, I believe that it is. There's been some discrepancy. General Fenton tried to get it in the, in last year and it didn't quite make it, and so I'm not exactly sure of the status. I could use your help on that. Thank you.

You'll have it. Okay. Next gentlelady is the gentlelady from South Carolina, Ms. Biggs.

Thank you, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith. I really appreciate the opportunity to appear before the committee today on a matter that I feel may not make headlines but is one that carries serious consequences for our national security. I want to talk about something called short-wave infrared quantum dot materials, SWIR quantum dots. They are a foundational input for the next generation of infrared sensor systems, sensors that guide precision munitions, enable surveillance in contested environments, and support our warfighters in low-light and adverse weather conditions, and underpin many of the advanced capabilities we are counting on to maintain our edge over peer adversaries. Here's the problem. The dominant commercial suppliers of these materials are physically located in or owned by entities tied to the People's Republic of China. And to my knowledge, there is currently no domestically owned producer operating at a scale sufficient enough to meet the defense industrial base demand. So let me say that plainly. For a material that feeds directly into our most sensitive sensor systems, we are substantially dependent on a strategic adversary. This is precisely the kind of technical vulnerability that our adversaries exploit and that we tend to discover only after the supply chain breaks. We have seen this story before with rare earths, with semiconductors, with active pharmaceutical ingredients, and we cannot afford to learn this lesson again with materials that sit inside our most critical platforms. The good news is that American companies are working on this. There are U.S.-owned entities that have demonstrated real capabilities for advanced quantum dot materials and are actively pursuing manufacturing scale-up. What they need now is a signal from the department and from Congress that there is a viable path to market in the defense supply chain. That is why I am urging the committee to include my language in the fiscal year 2027 NDAA directing the Secretary to prioritize U.S.-owned entities with demonstrated capability in this space and to require a report on the domestic supply chain for quantum dot materials used in SWIR sensor systems. That report should include a concrete recommended course of action for establishing sufficient domestic supply to meet the projected demand by fiscal year 2030. Fiscal year 2030 is not far away. The procurement pipelines that depend on these materials are already being written. If we do not act now to develop domestic supply, we will find ourselves soon making a very uncomfortable choice: delay critical programs or continue accepting components from a supplier in Beijing. I'll be honest, when I came to Congress, I did not expect to spend Member Day talking about quantum dot synthesis. But that is exactly the point. Our adversaries are investing in these layers of supply chain because they are unglamorous and because they fall between the cracks of our oversight. I'm thankful for this opportunity to appear before you today, and I look forward to working with you on this vulnerability in the upcoming NDAA, and thank you again.

Thank you for bringing it to our attention. Chair now recognizes the gentlelady from Texas, Ms. Garcia.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the Ranking Member Smith and to the members that are here in the committee for this opportunity to talk about our FY 27 NDAA. In 2021, my district in Houston suffered a terrible loss after U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén was sexually assaulted and murdered by a fellow service member in Fort Hood. Her death led to the passage of the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act that ultimately moved the prosecution of sexual assault and harassment cases outside of the chain of command. Vanessa's legacy continues to drive my work in Congress because there's yet much to be done. This reform supported by this committee have strengthened protections for our service members, but we must do more. We must continue advocating for the prevention, response, and reduction of sexual misconduct across the armed forces. This is why I ask that you prioritize and continue supporting the Department of Defense initiatives, programs, and offices dedicated to protecting our men and women in uniform. That includes the Office of Special Trial Counsel, Office of Special Victims' Counsel, and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program within all branches of the armed forces. Building on this commitment, I would also like to talk about our service members' quality of life. Those who volunteer to serve our nation often endure frequent deployments, demanding work schedules, family separation, and the physical and mental demands associated with military service. Similarly, this challenges also take toll on spouses and children who are forced to deal with constant moves and long periods of separation from their loved ones. Often times our service members and their families must move to high-cost areas forcing them to cover expenses out of their own pockets as the basic allowance for housing is not enough to cover. Even worse, our service members do not have access to reliable childcare services, often forced to deal with long waitlists and staffing shortages. Offering proper basic allowance for housing is critical to make sure that our service members and their families can access reliable and affordable housing, and in Texas, they must have air conditioning. At the same time, we must provide adequate childcare services and properly staff childcare centers to make sure military parents can perform their duties knowing that their children will be taken care of. Lastly, I urge the committee to enforce guardrails to prevent any deployment of our military at voting centers. As the midterm elections are fast approaching, there are growing concerns about our military being deployed to polling sites. This act would effectively intimidate voters as well as cast fears and doubts in our election process. It would have a profound chilling effect. We must implement guardrails that prevent any misuse of our military and taxpayer money. We all have the right to go to polling sites and to vote for who we believe is the best candidate without feeling that our rights are being violated and that we might be intimidated when we get to the polls. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and members. I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank you, Ms. Garcia. Chair now recognizes the gentlelady from Washington, Ms. Randall.

Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, thank you for the opportunity to share my priorities for the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. I enjoyed the opportunity to testify before the committee last year and am grateful for your partnership and leadership in including my legislation, the Anchor for Military Families Act, in the final fiscal year 2026 NDAA. As a result, more than 15,000 service members, reservists, and their families who call my district home and the millions across the country will face a much smoother process in accessing housing and educational resources when undergoing a permanent change of duty station. Washington's 6th District is home to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Naval Base Kitsap, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton, a bit of a mouthful, formerly Naval Hospital Bremerton, and Army Reserve Center in Tacoma. There are also 12 federally recognized tribal nations in my district, some of whom have usual and accustomed lands that include and surround the military installations. Partnerships between tribes, defense communities, and local installations have been critical for ensuring military readiness. Yet tribal governments are currently excluded from directly accessing Defense Community Infrastructure Program, also known as DCIP funding. That's why I partnered with the subcommittee chairman Wittman to introduce Defense Community Infrastructure Program Tribal Eligibility Act to correct this long-standing inequity. In my district, tribal governments like the Suquamish Tribe work side-by-side with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Naval Base Kitsap to support infrastructure, workforce, and regional stability. These partnerships are operationally critical to mission success. This bill allows tribal governments to directly compete for DCIP grants just as state and local governments do. It ensures the communities supporting our military have access to the resources needed to do so effectively. Tribal governments are already key contributors to our defense infrastructure, and maintaining and expanding that infrastructure depends strongly on those partnerships and ensuring that we do everything we can to mitigate environmental and community impact on tribal citizens will only make us more successful. That's why I respectfully urge the committee to include the bipartisan DCIP Tribal Eligibility Act in FY 27's NDAA. Relatedly, I'm also asking the committee to increase the authorization for DCIP to meet continued demand and support military readiness. DCIP strengthens readiness by investing in the infrastructure that service members and their families rely on, and demand far exceeds funding. For example, in FY 2020, 109 applications were submitted but only 16 projects were able to be funded. More recently, 90 million in fiscal year 2025 supported only 10 projects. We desperately need to increase the authorized funding levels for this program to ensure more communities can meet infrastructure demands tied to military operations. I'm also concerned about the continued reductions in healthcare services at military treatment facilities, specifically our former Naval Hospital in Bremerton. OB-GYN and inpatient mental health services have been eliminated, redirecting service members and their families to local community healthcare facilities, facilities struggling because of consolidation, vertical integration, and losses to federal funding. Or they're sent to Madigan in Rep. Strickland's district, which is near enough for some but a whole day's journey for others. The closure of the ER and labor and delivery unit have similarly shifted demand onto civilian systems and delayed access to care. Our healthcare crisis will only get worse as the Defense Health Agency diminishes and reduces services to beneficiaries and their families. Forcing service members and their families seeking specific healthcare services to overcome new and greater barriers to get that care goes against their enlistment contract they signed when they agreed to give their lives in support of their country. We have to stabilize and restore core services at military treatment facilities, particularly in regions supporting large military populations, and I hope this is an issue that the committee prioritizes over the next NDAA. Thank you.

I can assure you the Defense Health Agency will get a lot of attention from us this year. Thank you very much. Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gonzalez.

Thank you, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, for holding today's Member Day hearing. I appreciate the opportunity to speak before the committee to discuss several important military installations in South Texas, including Naval Air Station Kingsville and Corpus Christi Army Depot. Naval Air Station Kingsville has played a critical role in training the next generation of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators since it first opened its doors in 1942. Today, it's home to Training Air Wing Two and trains nearly half of the Navy Marine Corps tactical jet pilots each year. NAS Kingsville also employs over 4,000 people and contributed around a billion dollars to the Texas economy in 2024. As you can see, NAS Kingsville plays a crucial role in national security and the local economy, as well as across the nation. And that is why Congress must address several pressing infrastructure issues. One is a really pressing issue is a pass and tag facility and fire station training facility at this naval air station. The installation's current pass and tag facility is located 1.3 miles beyond the entry gate and the control point, requiring gate security personnel to escort visitors and contractors over a mile into the installation before they can obtain credentials. The level of access before proper vetting poses a significant security risk for NAS Kingsville, delays vehicle entry into the base, and places administrative burdens on security personnel. Another important infrastructure issue we must address is its fire station, which was built in 1956 and it's in desperate need of renovation and replacement. The current facility is way too small to accommodate modern firefighting equipment and is plagued by a variety of issues, including leaky roofs, mold, and ineffective climate control. And in case I need to remind anybody, it gets really hot down in this region of the state. For years, NAS Kingsville command has requested funding to complete the new pass and tag facility and the fire station. However, they've been unsuccessful as the Department of Defense requires projects to be included in the Future Years Defense Program or unfunded priority list to be eligible for this type of funding. I urge you and your colleagues to include language in this year's NDAA highlighting these two very essential projects that include these projects in these lists. I'd also like to take a moment and highlight another very important issue for South Texas, and that is the declining workload at the Corpus Christi Army Depot. As you may know, Corpus Christi Army Depot, which currently employs over 2,000 highly skilled workers, is the U.S. Army's premier facility responsible for the repair and overhaul and modernization of helicopters and rotary-wing aircraft. As the world's largest helicopter repair facility, the depot is vitally important for our military readiness. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Corpus Christi Army Depot March 6 alongside Under Secretary Michael O'Boyle to see firsthand the essential work that is performed at this depot. Despite the fact that Corpus Christi Army Depot's highly skilled workforce is vitally important to American national security, the amount of repair assigned to this depot and the number of people employed there has dropped dramatically over the years. Just in the past decade, we've lost about 3,000 or 4,000 jobs, having billions of dollars of impact. Most of these jobs are veterans who've served our country in uniform. Allowing depots like Corpus Christi Army Depot to decline risks permanently degrading an important military capability that gives the organic industrial base the surge capacity needed during a time of war or conflict. The 50-50 rule has not really worked in this base. They do it as an overall purview of different bases. We've lost 3,000 jobs. We have about 2,000 that we're trying to save. These are highly skilled, very well-trained individuals. As I said, most of them come from our military branches. I think there's so much more that can be done in this base, especially in terms of new industries like drone capacity or bringing helicopter repairs from different branches to this facility. There is no place with more trained personnel in the world than Corpus Christi when it comes to helicopter repair and certainly moving into this new drone industry. I urge the committee to please look at Corpus Christi. I'd be happy to tour the base with you all and show you the incredible people that work there and things that have been done for generations. I appreciate the opportunity to testify with you. I love that I think this is a committee where bipartisanship still works. I think making sure that our bases have cutting-edge facilities and that we continue taking care of the people is in everyone's national interest.

Thank you for bringing it to our attention. Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Barrett.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the ranking member and the other committee members for holding this hearing today and hearing from members about our priorities. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to address you as you look to begin the drafting of the 2027 NDAA. The United States must keep our military the strongest in the world to deter our adversaries and keep our nation at peace. The NDAA is central to that mission, not only taking care of the men and women who wear the uniform every single day, but also making sure that America is and always will remain a free country. Today, I'd like to highlight two priorities of my own for this bill. First is ensuring the safety of military aircraft in civilian airspace. I was proud to help advance the ALERT Act just this week, which took important steps to ensure that the tragic crash over the Potomac River last year never happens again. But we can't stop with just one bill. The Pentagon must learn from its mistakes, and that starts with closing the loopholes that put military pilots and civilian travelers in harm's way by allowing non-sensitive military rotary-wing aircraft to operate with their ADS-B signaling equipment turned off. One of my bills, H.R. 7240, the Military ADS-B Out Loophole Act, would do just that. Turning off life-saving technology should be reserved only for truly sensitive missions, not routine flights. In addition, we must ensure that these systems, when in use, are fully functional. That's why I was proud to also lead H.R. 8072, the Safety in Shared Skies Act, which requires that the ADS-B signaling equipment be tested every 90 days. Regular testing is a common-sense step to ensure that critical safety equipment works when it is relied upon. While some aspects of my bills were included in the ALERT Act, I strongly urge the committee to incorporate them into the NDAA to set standards across the department. My second priority is restoring the promise made to our veterans and service members. When an American signs on the dotted line to join the military and take their oath of office, they do so with the understanding that we'll keep our promises to them. One of those promises is the Montgomery GI Bill, a commitment to help service members and their families pursue educational opportunities. As you're well aware, the Department of War allows service members the opportunity to transfer their unused benefits to their spouse or children. But there's a problem. About 6,000 service members have been denied the opportunity to transfer their GI Bill benefits to their children because of politics. During the COVID-19 mandate, many healthy and brave men and women had to make the commitment to continue serving our country or were forced to choose between receiving the vaccine that was politically charged or being involuntarily discharged from service. These weren't disciplinary separations. They were honorable service members who were forced out before reaching the years of service required to transfer their GI Bill benefits to their children, even if they had already initiated that process. That was wrong and we need to fix it, and we can do that. I introduced a bill, H.R. 3619, the Patriots Over Politics Act, a bill to restore the ability for a veteran to transfer their GI Bill benefits to their spouse or children if they were voluntarily or involuntarily separated during the COVID-19 mandate period. This bill corrects an injustice caused by political decisions that never should have interfered with military careers or family livelihoods. I look forward to working with this committee to advance these priorities in the NDAA this year and to continuing strengthening both our military readiness and our commitment to those who serve. Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity again, and I yield back.

Thank the gentleman. Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Pfluger.

Thank you, Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, for the opportunity to be here and to advocate for the NDAA. I served 25-plus years. This is an amazing bipartisan bill, and it's great to hear the bipartisan support. I hope that will actually translate into bipartisan votes in affirmative for all of the national security implications that we're facing, not just the NDAA. I represent Goodfellow, 14,000 joint force members trained in the business of intelligence, the most incredible place for intel training. But I'm going to go beyond Goodfellow right now. As you know, Chairman, I flew the F-15, the F-22, many combat missions in the Middle East and deployments around the world. I joined an Air Force that had decisively shaped the post-Cold War world. But when I retired this past February, I left a force that remains unmatched in its capability and lethality, but is the oldest and smallest in history. It is the oldest and smallest that it's ever been. And the facts are that the average age of Air Force aircraft has nearly tripled since the Gulf War. The Air Force fleet is roughly 60 percent smaller than it was during Operation Desert Storm. And for the past two decades, the Department of the Air Force has decreased budget flight hours by approximately 37 percent. The problem is much larger than delays in modernization. It's a lack of investment that has eroded the force over the past three decades. And despite these constraints, the United States has conducted several complex operations over the past year that no other force on earth could have executed on a similar scale or with comparable precision. And while we're achieving extraordinary results in these operations, the uncomfortable truth is that our fleet is wearing out faster than it's being replaced and our systems are, the system is blinking red at this point. For all of these reasons and more, the Department of the Air Force must be prioritized at this time. And I urge that the committee would reject the decades-old habit of just incrementalism and authorize a substantial increase to the Department of the Air Force top line, even above and beyond, well above and beyond, in fact, the President's request. That this funding should be fenced for procurement, for readiness recovery, and for force generation. And when considering the top-line budgets, I also urge that the committee clarify the Department of War's budgetary tables to reflect each department's true allocations, with a specific look in the Department of War to place all pass-through spending in the defense-wide spending account. I would hope that the committee would direct the Secretary of the Air Force to then provide Congress with a standardized recurring report on fleet health, on mission-capable rates, which we know are very, very low in some of our aircraft. In fact, the older ones, even the ones that I flew that were brand new in the early 2000s, including the F-22, are struggling right now, with other weapon systems struggling even more. The high-tempo deployments increase aircraft wear and reduce aircraft training, aircrew training opportunities. And without reliable data, the readiness gap only deepens. The President's budget recognizes the readiness gap caused by decades of underinvestment in our force. And I am in line with the President in recognizing the need to enable the Department of War to assist in securing our borders. His budget request reflects the grave reality that it will require tremendous resources to course-correct decades of decay in our national security infrastructure. More and more, conflicts abroad are creating nefarious agents that threaten the homeland. And the tactics learned by South Americans recruited during the Russia-Ukraine conflict will soon be on our doorstep targeting our border, our infrastructure, our sovereignty, and the safety of all American citizens. Again, I'm very thankful for this committee. I look forward to working alongside, but have to raise the warning flags as a practitioner and the only person in Congress that flew a fifth-generation aircraft, that we are in dire, dire need of a true, not just a reinvestment, but a true over-investment in the Department of the Air Force. Again, for 30-plus years, it has been used. It's the only force, it's the only department that has been engaged in every single area of the world and in every single conflict, and it offers the President a real strategic impact that no other service can really bring to the fight like air and space power can, which is very unique, but we have to invest now. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, thank you for this opportunity to testify. I yield back.

Thank you. Chair now recognizes the gentlelady from Pennsylvania, Ms. Scanlon.

Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, thank you for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of my constituents in advance of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. Today, I am here to request your support for the CH-47F Block 2 program. First, I want to thank both of you for your steadfast support of the Chinook. We have worked together to preserve funding for this program across seven consecutive NDAAs, and I greatly appreciate that partnership. The Chinook is the Army's only heavy-lift helicopter, and my constituents are proud to build it in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, in my district. The program has strong bipartisan support, as was recently demonstrated in a letter that 17 of my colleagues and I sent to the committee in March, requesting your support for 12 Chinook aircraft for the Army in fiscal year 2027. Those members represent districts across the country, including Mr. Norcross, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Deluzio, and Mr. Conaway from this committee. The Chinook has been the workhorse of the U.S. Army and the Army National Guard, serving as one of our soldiers' most trusted assets, whether rescuing soldiers from enemy fire in Afghanistan, dropping thousands of gallons of water to combat wildfires in California and Colorado, or supporting search and rescue efforts hours after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida. The Chinook has saved lives and has proven its capability time and time again. However, the Army is seeking for the second time to cancel this program, despite recommitting to the Block 2 program in 2024, promising future-year funding in its fiscal year 2026 budget, and asserting to Congress that the Army needs and values this program. The fiscal year 2027 budget request contains no funding for the Block 2 program. As you know, Congress has been through this before. In 2019, the Army first sought to delay the program, and thanks to your support, we added aircraft every year until the Army finally rebalanced its aviation portfolio and began requesting Chinooks in fiscal year 2025. Army aviators have received the first Block 2 helicopters and, by all accounts, are thrilled with its added capabilities and resilience. The whiplash from the Army over the past seven years is a textbook case of the problems that plague procurement and have led to the deterioration of our defense industrial base. While it is difficult to understand the intentions of Army leadership here, it seems clear that once again, they have cut Chinook funding in order to request funding elsewhere in the budget, knowing that Congress will finally backstop the Chinook program. These games have real-world consequences. The back-and-forth on whether to move forward with Block 2, followed by meager budget requests, has kept the production line well below minimum sustainable rates, causing multiple rounds of layoffs at Ridley Park and increasing the Chinook's per-unit cost, so it is inefficient. Further, Block 1 aircraft continue to be retired with no plans for their replacement. If the Army does not extend the lifespan of the Block 1, refuses to commit to the Block 2 program, and has no other serious plan to modernize heavy lift, we will soon approach a serious capability gap right at the time when our national defense needs may be greater than ever. I applaud the Armed Services Committee's efforts to rebuild the nation's defense industrial base. The Army's decision to zero out the Block 2 program, combined with cuts to the Army's other aviation programs, would be a death knell for the vertical lift industrial base. Not only would the FY 27 budget end this invaluable program for the Army and National Guard, it would also threaten the livelihoods of 3,700 workers in my district and tens of thousands more at 320 suppliers across the country. We can't let this happen. Finally, I must point out the glaringly irresponsible decision-making in this administration's budget request. The Department of Defense is asking Congress for $1.5 trillion. The reconciliation bill that Senate Republicans are moving may add hundreds of billions in new defense funding. But somehow, with all this new spending, Army aviation is being decimated. The Army and Defense Department leadership are not prioritizing core assets and core capabilities and the realities of production. As we move forward with the NDAA this year, Congress must play a role in rebalancing the Department of Defense's misplaced priorities. Thank you for your consideration of my request. I look forward to working with you to address these issues in the NDAA. I yield back.

Thank you, Ms. Scanlon. Chair now recognizes Mr. Hernández of Puerto Rico.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, members of the Armed Services Committee. I'm here today to fight for veterans in Puerto Rico and for their families. As you advance this year's National Defense Authorization Act, I urge you to extend equal treatment in the TRICARE program to all the veterans in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. What's the issue? Right now, Puerto Rico is considered an overseas location under TRICARE. This creates unnecessary and significant barriers to accessing care. Basically, we don't have the same level of access or reliability of TRICARE Prime on the mainland. Veterans are paying out of pocket, veterans are traveling off the island for basic specialty care, veterans are waiting longer for treatment. My legislation closes this gap. My bill, the TRICARE Equality Act, would benefit nearly 38,000 TRICARE beneficiaries in Puerto Rico. This includes active-duty service members and their families. This includes members of the National Guard and Reserve. And this includes around 24,000 military retirees and their families. Now, when the U.S. government spends $2 billion a day in an overseas war but refuses to spend a fraction of that per year to help our veterans in Puerto Rico, the U.S. government is failing as a matter of principle. It's incredible. Our soldiers are just as valuable as their fellow citizens when it comes to fight, but they are less valuable once that fight is over. I discussed this issue with Ranking Member Smith in December, and I hope we can improve TRICARE access for Puerto Rico's veterans. Our veterans have served this nation with honor. They deserve equal access to the care they have earned. Thank you.

I thank you, Mr. Hernández. And now we turn to Ms. Kaptur of Ohio. You're recognized. I thank you, Mr. Hernandez. And now we turn to Ms. Kaptur of Ohio. You're recognized.

Thank you, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith. It's a pleasure to be with you today, all the members and your hard-working staffs. As a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I am grateful for the partnership between our respective committees and stand ready to work with you and ensure that the brave members of our armed forces have the support and tools they need to keep our country safe. Please allow me to highlight, I'll just speak summary here, please allow me to highlight several important priorities, including strengthening support for our European allies, providing the Army Corps of Engineers the necessary support to deal with increasing workloads, taking care of our Gold Star families, honoring World War II heroine Rear Admiral Alene Duerk, and I will be attaching to my testimony submitted for the record an addendum of key priorities that are topical, such as hypersonics, advancement there, and attention to our defense industrial base and critical materials. But very briefly, let me just say first, today the threat of continued Russian aggression presents the gravest security threat to our long-standing allies and liberties alliance and America's interests on the European continent and to European and American security in modern history. Dictator Vladimir Putin and the ever-expanding spiderweb of tyranny represented by China, North Korea, and Iran are emboldened as Washington's commitment to tested allies comes into question. I view this as extraordinarily important. It is why I call on this committee to strengthen the deployment of U.S. forces in Europe by including a new permanent posting on the eastern flank to deter future Russian aggression. Secondly, successful defense partnerships with Ukraine can be deepened by co-production of innovative systems and defense technologies, such as the unmanned aerial and maritime systems as well as ongoing work with strategic metals. Secondly, I want to turn to the Gold Star Spouse Health Care Enhancement Act. This bill would assure that surviving spouses who qualify for the Gold Star lapel button may continue receiving TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select coverage as active-duty family members for as long as they remain otherwise eligible for TRICARE. Under current law, surviving spouses retain that status for only three years after the death of their service member. After that point, they are shifted to retired family member status and forced to absorb additional costs in order to keep TRICARE Prime or move to TRICARE Select. I would just welcome your committee's attention to that particular issue. Third, I'd like to bring to the committee's attention the necessity to revitalize and reinvest in our defense industrial base, including our primary beryllium extrusion press as well as untapped shipbuilding capacity along the Great Lakes. We're two years behind in our shipbuilding, as you well know, and I really do believe that some of this capacity can be dealt with by uploading additional components that are made in shipyards that are underutilized, and obviously in the Great Lakes region. I wanted to then turn to a bipartisan legislation that Congressman Bob Latta of Ohio and I have introduced to recognize Rear Admiral Alene Duerk by renaming a ship in her honor. It's the Alene Duerk Ship Renaming Act of 2025. During World War II, she cared for wounded service members at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, at Bethesda, and later aboard the USS Benevolence in the Pacific theater, where she treated casualties from the Third Fleet operation until the end of the war, a very dangerous and important service. Naming a vessel in her honor would be a fitting and overdue tribute. Finally, I wanted to highlight the crucial work of those defending our homeland, such as the 180th Fighter Wing stationed at Toledo at its Air National Guard base, and the need of those F-16s for new engines, and the RED HORSE unit that accompanies it, and the 983rd Engineering Army Reserve Battalion that is located co-adjacent. I think we have to pay attention to, and I know you are, to our National Guard and our Army Reserve units that are deployed so often. And I left my district this week, the F-16s have been practicing during the night, during the day, and day after day after day, and all of a sudden I didn't hear the thunder anymore. And so we know the great service that they provide. I just thank you, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, for your attention, and we will submit an addendum to the record for your consideration. Thank you so much for your service.

Thank you, and I could not agree with you more on any of those things, but particularly I appreciate your emphasis on our European posture and the needs of our defense industrial base. Those are both priorities for this committee, and I appreciate you making them priorities as well. I'll yield to the ranking member.

I'm good. Thank you.

All right. With that, thank you very much. We're adjourned.