Proposed FY 2027 Department of Health and Human Services Budget Hearing

we're still waiting for one alright good morning yeah there's no one else so we're good i was just with the archbishop

ok this subcommittee will come to order with the fiscal year twenty seven appropriations process now underway we're here today to receive testimony on the posture of the national guard bureau and reserve components thanks all of you witnesses for being here general nordhaus chief of the national guard bureau lieutenant general robert harter chief of the army reserve rear admiral richard lopkin acting chief of the navy reserve lieutenant general lonnie anderson commander of the marine force reserve and lieutenant general john p hailey chief of the air force reserves this will be general hailey's final posture hearing with the subcommittee so i wanna thank him his wife kathy for decades of dedicated service to our nation and the lasting impact he'll leave on the force so gentlemen welcome we look forward to candid discussion about the president's budget request for fiscal year twenty twenty seven the president's intention to significantly increase overall investment in national defense is certainly good news but the details beneath the top line will determine whether the us military can train equip deploy and sustain a force capable actually capable of deterring serious threats the guard and reserve are critical to the homeland defense security cooperation with allies and partners in readiness to meet aggression with an overwhelming response obviously ongoing operations in the middle east offer a tragic reminder a majority of the service members killed in action since march first have been members of the guard or reserve and i know the subcommittee's deepest sympathies are with their comrades and their families of course current conflicts also offer urgent lessons about the future warfare this is not just a responsibility of the active component secretary visco observed last week that ukraine has quote fundamentally altered how humans engage in conflict and that quote we are learning a lot from them end quote i think the secretary's observation is spot on but the value of these lessons will hinge on our own ability to actually apply them our adversaries for their part are applying them iran has used lessons from russia's war and applied them against us in the middle east us on the other hand been slow uh to adapt why could that be well in part because two administrations in a row have limited the number of military advisers who could visit ukraine it's hard to learn if you do not observe it's also hard to deepen cooperation with ukraine while cutting assistance at the same time that's why republican majorities in congress voted both to authorize and to, more importantly, appropriate four hundred million dollars in assistance for fiscal year twenty-six this year. And we expect that the department will obligate and expend those funds in accordance with congressional intent. The current strategic landscape suggests that the demand for highly trained well-equipped citizens in uniform like the ones currently operating in centcom isn't likely to decrease anytime soon but the garden reserve's ability to perform these official missions to answer the call depends on your access to modern capabilities and stable funding so i'll be curious to hear what lessons you're deriving from current complex and what you're doing to implement them across your commands. I was encouraged that the president's budget request includes increased funding for military personnel operation and maintenance and most notably the national guard and reserve equipment account. Congress has historically carried the water for this account which helps to modernize the equipment available to card to both the guard and the reserve but it is included in the base budget request. actually for the first time these are important requests of commitment but you know better than anyone that it'll be hard to meet multi-year modernization targets without stable funding and on that front i've repeatedly repeatedly warned the department and even more importantly omb that one time shots of reconciliation dollars simply cannot stand in for continuing annual appropriations. So, we owe it to the men and women of our armed forces to reliably provide ample funding for the common defense, year after year, by strong bipartisan support. With that, let me turn to Senator Coons.

Thank you so much, uh, Chairman, uh, and I wanna thank all of our witnesses today. uh and echo uh a number of the things the chairman just said you'll hear them in my remarks we have worked closely and well together as have our staff and we agree on many of the core points um that the chairman just raised in particular the four hundred million appropriated for ukraine uh and the importance of the state partnership program in connecting american uh guard uh elements to uh some of the countries around the world as they sought to emerge from the warsaw pact or as they sought to develop a modern military uh they were great partnerships um let me also join in a special thank you to lieutenant uh general healy at his final appearance before our subcommittee i'm sure you're relieved uh but frankly um you and your family i just wanted to thank you uh for your service your components all do an extraordinary job of balancing uh both civilian lives and a military career uh and i think that does not get enough recognition so let me begin by thanking all the men and women who you represent of the Guard and Reserve, uh, who are a critical part, um, of, uh, the full U. S. military. Uh, many of us, uh, became, were reminded once again, uh, of that balance, uh, when shortly after the President, uh, launched, uh, Operation Epic Fury, uh, components of our home state, uh, Guard and Reserve were mobilized or put on notice for deployment as were two units from Delaware. Um, while we have policy differences, uh, on this war, Um, this was just the latest demonstration of the larger point that the Garden Reserve are absolutely essential uh to uh our US military. Um, I joined um the Chairman in um grieving over the loss of thirteen Americans, um, so far and the hundreds who've been wounded. Um, and not only do our prayers go to their families, but um our hope for um success in the peace negotiations are currently underway. Um, today's hearing is on the Garden Reserve's fiscal year twenty-seven budget. uh and it comes in the much larger context of a one point five trillion dollar uh defense budget request submitted by the president the pentagon is just starting literally just starting today uh to put details of this budget online um but what we know so far is that the overall request shows in my view a misunderstanding of the balance um that our nation requires uh the twenty seven budget request is for a record forty four percent increase in defense Um, and there are many programs and initiatives across uh munitions and shipbuilding, um space and cyber, uh effective procurement strategies that have widespread bipartisan support. Um, and in my view we have to respond to the increasing collaboration and partnership between our adversaries the PRC, Russia, Iran, the DPRK across the globe. Um, but this top-line number did not emerge from a thoughtful policy-making approach from the Pentagon. planning staff, it was a demand tweeted by the president. Um, and I'll join with the chairman in saying this, last year the OMB chose to request a critical part of the defense budget inside the budget reconciliation process, which is not a guarantee and is a partisan process. Um, and that choice last year and the timing of it produced billions of dollars in mistakes. And OMB rather than recognizing um that error, um this year has tripled the size of that bad idea to three hundred and fifty billion. And that uncertainty will not give our defense industrial base the predictability to plan. Um, we've also seen uh defense programs added at the last minute or nicknamed simply to please the president uh which I don't think helps the department differentiate between genuine core needs nice to have items and vanity projects. Um, I I also have uh concerns about how the department proposes this record request, which includes cuts to programs and services all Americans rely on. Um, but let me uh move forward. Um, I firmly believe that Chairman McConnell, Chair Collins, Vice Chair Murray, myself and all the others can figure out a responsible way to fund the government without leaving to our children trillions uh in debt and deficits, uh and without harming healthcare, transportation and education. But that is a broader conversation. Before us today um is how we support the Guard and Reserves. I'm a very strong proponent of the Guard and Reserves, um especially folks in my home state uh who have deployed uh repeatedly. Um this subcommittee has to ensure each of the components testifying today are trained, equipped and ready to answer that call. Uh and I am concerned about some ideological choices made over the last fourteen months that have hit uh your components with a one-two punch as your O and M accounts have been diverted to pay for operations abroad and at the southwest border um and as the administration has shown some real hostility to the civilian members um through a hiring freeze, no pay raise and OPMs on and off literally personally approving every new hire. No private business would run their company that way, and you don't deserve uh this distraction and chaos. On the positive side, and again I agree very much with the Chairman, the billion dollars for the National Garden Reserve equipment account is a welcome addition and I look forward to hearing how you're planning to use those forces to modernize and protect yours and in closing the state partnership program, I think dollar for dollar punches way above its weight. All of us know our our home state partner, whether it's ecuador and jibouti in the case of kentucky uh or it is trinidad and tobago in the case of delaware i've seen it on the ground i've heard about it from combatant commanders uh and i think it pays great dividends so i look forward to hearing about ways we can support many valuable programs through the guard and reserve uh and to work in partnership with our allies in cyber and medical and combat specialties and others our nation needs um and deserves and appreciates the the service and support of the components you represent Mister Chairman, I very much look forward to this morning's hearing.

Thank you very much, uh, Senator Grins. Um, now turn to the panel. Beginning with General Nordhus. And I'd like for each of you to limit your remarks about three minutes would give us a maximum chance for Q and A. And General, would you like to lead off?

Thank you. And before I provide my opening remarks, I ask that we remember our fallen service members across the joint force who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country they will always be remembered. Uh, Chairman McConnell, Ranking Member Coons, esteemed members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the strength of your locally based, globally engaged National Guard. I thank our fifty-four Adjutants General and Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines who is with me today uh for their counsel. Moreover, I want to thank you, Congress, for your support that underpins everything we do, ensuring a stronger and more secure tomorrow. It's an honor to represent four hundred and thirty five thousand soldiers and airmen of the National Guard. Today nearly forty four thousand guardsmen are engaged worldwide securing our homeland and supporting every combat commander around the globe. Your National Guard has had a remarkable year defined by the scale and simultaneity of our operations. We are powered by our core advantage, the citizen-soldier. they combine the warrior ethos and civilian acquired skills creating an organization that is as innovative as it is lethal a force that is community-based and engage worldwide defending the homeland is the department of war's number one priority this is the national guard's foundational mission our dual mission serving as the primary combat reserve of the army and the air force while also serving as a military first responder in domestic crises This is a challenge we proudly accept. Without hesitation during Operation Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury, National Guard crews delivered decisive blows to Iran in lockstep with our joint force partners. Your National Guard is an indispensable return on investment for America. We represent twenty percent of the joint force, yet we operate on less than four percent of the department's budget. Our decisive capabilities are only possible if our citizens, soldiers and airmen train with modernized equipment, fully interoperable with the joint force. To sustain strategic dominance, we must modernize concurrently with our services to aggressively outpace and overmatch tomorrow's threats with robust investments for today. This year I remain laser focused on sharpening our warfighting edge to increase our guards' readiness and bolster our capabilities and our core missions for homeland warfighting and partnerships. When we serve our citizens in a state active duty status, current policy sends those reimbursement funds back to the treasury. We ask for your support in restoring those state active duty funds that get spent back to our readiness and back to our formations. Our war fighters are our most critical asset, and to support their service, we must enact duty status reform and compensate equal work with equal pay and benefits. In closing, I want to again thank this committee for your unwavering support. Let us pray and continue to support our warfighters in harm's way. Let us stand by them and their families, and we are thankful for their service. We will always keep our promise to our nation and to our citizens to be always ready and always there. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.

Thanks, General. Well, let's take the word. This is an Following order, Anderson, Lofgren, Harder and Healy.

Great, thank you, Chairman McConnell. Vice Chair Coons, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the Commandant of the Marine Corps about your Marine Corps reserve. I'm honored to be here with my incoming senior enlisted leader, Sergeant Major Patrick Fey. Marine Corps reserve is a critical component of our nation's defense. We provide thirty percent of our total force capabilities with three point two percent of the Marine Corps's budget. We are not a strategic reserve held for a distant crisis. We are a globally engaged operational force that provides the Marine Corps strategic depth and the ability to augment and reinforce the active component, at a moment's notice. Our relevance is defined by our readiness. Providing combat-ready units to global operations, the reserve is seamlessly integrated with the total force. In fiscal year twenty twenty five, we activated reserve Marines Across five combatant commands. Today, we have Marines activated in every geographic combatant command to include combat operations in CENTCOM and afloat on our Marine expeditionary units. These deployments are not just a measure of our readiness, but it's how we build it. We are growing a more capable, combat-seasoned reserve force that's going to be prepared for high-end conflict. This level of readiness and modernization is directly enabled by your support. We thank the subcommittee for its continued support especially through the National Guard and Reserve equipment account. For the Marine Corps Reserve, Negria is not just a funding line. It's a war-fighting requirement and the primary tool that enables enables our modernization. These funds allow us to field the modern platforms and systems our Marines need to train as they fight. With ninety-nine percent execution rate across recent fiscal years, the Marine Corps has proven its ability to execute with discipline and reserve, and speed while maintaining our services clean audit for the last three years. Reserve readiness requires modern infrastructure. The Marine Corps Reserve occupies one hundred and forty-eight reserve training centers across forty-seven States, and the average condition in our portfolio is poor. While we aggressively pursue efficiencies through programs like facility sustainment restoration and modernization and military construction, Navy Reserve, to slow this decline, the disparity between our requirements and resources is growing. Continued support for our military construction and sustainment accounts is essential to provide safe, secure, and modern facilities where our Marines train. Because at the heart of the success is our Marines, sailors, and families who serve with unwavering dedication. They are the foundation of our readiness. With your continued support, I'm confident that the Marine Corps will remain what our nation expects us to be, an elite, combat-ready force, prepared to answer a call, any time, at any place. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. It's a great time to be a Marine Reservist. I look forward to your questions.

Good morning, Chairman McConnell, Ranking Member Coons, and distinguished members of this committee. For a hundred and eleven years, the Navy Reserve has provided critical strategic depth for the fleet and the joint force. When our nation calls, we answer, ready, lethal, and all in to fight and win today. We are building the Navy of the future and defining the era of American sea power. Today we are a a resilient, agile, globally present, and combat critical force that is fully integrated into the Navy's mission. With me today is our Force Master Chief Nikki Rios, a tireless advocate for our sailors and their families. Forrest and I thank you for the opportunity to address this committee on behalf of our incredible Navy Reserve sailors. Over the last couple of months in support of Operation Epic Fury, our Logistics Port Wing, flying the C-forty and C-one-thirty aircraft, have evacuated over twenty eight hundred personnel, including families, out of harm's way and demonstrated critical aerial refueling capabilities for the Navy all while supporting critical carrier strike group logistics. These same squadrons have delivered thousands of pounds of ord- of critical cor- cargo and tactical airlift support to SouthKom, protecting our homeland and safely relocating our teams out of the path of Hurricane Melissa. When our nation calls and our fleet calls, the Navy Reserve answers, delivering logistics when and where they're needed. Your support for the KC one thirty J and the President's budget will ensure we can continue to answer that call with the capability and capacity our nation requires. Our North Star is clear. We are unambiguously focused on war fighting readiness. Today, fourteen thousand of our fifty-nine thousand Navy Reserve sailors are on active duty orders, serving in every area of responsibility. Our sailors are deployed twenty-four seven, three sixty-five, restoring peace through strength. while advancing the foundry, the fleet, and how we fight. We continue to modernize our force and align our resources to war-fighting priorities ensuring we're ready to fight and win, today, tomorrow, and well into the future. Our most significant contribution to the nation's defense and the very foundation of our deterrence posture is our people. A lethal, ready, and resilient force is not built to steal in circuits alone. It's forged from the talent, training, and motivation of our sailors. Therefore, I ask for your full support in funding the RP N, the OMNR, and degree appropriations at the President's budget level. Our investment in our sailors is critical to enabling a mobilization and combat ready force. Every drill weekend, every exercise, every mobilization must sharpen our edge and must be matched by investment in modern equipment. To this end, we're posturing our force to deliver advanced combat focused capabilities that the fleet demands. Replacing our aging C-one-thirty Tango fleet with the modern KC-one-thirty J Super Hercules meets the fleet's demand to enable contested logistics and sustain maritime power. As I've shared with many with you uh many of you, our C-one-thirty Tango fleet, operated exclusively by the Navy Reserve, is the Navy's only long-range intra-theater lift of oversized cargo. Last year, this wing s- moved over seventy-two thousand passengers and twenty-two million pounds of cargo. However, this fleet is aging and lacks modern survivability and communication equipment needed for contested environments. We're grateful for the strong bipartisan alignment on this priority. Chairman McConnell, Ranking Member Coons, and members of the committee, thank you for the continued support of the Navy Reserve, the sailors, the civilians, and the families who make our mission possible. I look forward to your questions.

Good morning. Chairman McConnell, Ranking Member Coons, and distinguished members of this committee. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. On behalf of Command Sergeant Major Gregg Betty, and the more than one hundred and eighty thousand soldiers and civilians, of your army reserve thank you for your support of our warrior citizens and their families. For just six percent of the total army budget, the army reserve provides over half of the army's maneuver support forces, including the majority of theater level medical engineer and sustainment units, and more than ninety-five percent of the army's total bulk fuel distribution capacity in support of the joint force. You go, we go. That's my message to my active duty teammates. Right now nearly nine thousand Army Reserve soldiers are deployed, supporting Army and joint force requirements at home and around the globe, to include support to Operation Epic Fury and operations on our su- our southern border. Our soldiers are in the fight. To keep pace with emerging threats and to prepare for large-scale combat operations or LISCO, we are transforming. The foundation of this transformation is our shift to a geographic mission command, a model that replaces a C-two structure, Built for predictable GWAT deployments. With the geographic alignment that better supports building readiness for LISCO. To ensure our soldiers and units remain ready. I ask for your help in three key areas. First, predictable funding. Continuing resolutions and government shutdowns have huge readiness impacts. And the part-time nature of our force makes missed training days nearly impossible to recover. Second, continued support of our OMAR and RPA funding. In a major conflict, more than thirty-five thousand Army Reserve soldiers are required within the first sixty days. We must be ready. Third, continued support of the much appreciated National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account, or NEGRIA, which allows for the flexible flexible procurement of critical equipment. On seven March, my Command Sergeant Major and I were on the tarmac in Dover, Delaware, greeting our six fallen Army Reserve heroes as they returned home from the CENTCOM AOR. More than thirty Army Reserve soldiers were wounded in that same attack, Chueba in Kuwait. We honor their sacr- sacrifice, and it affirms our resolve to ensure every Army Reserve soldier receives counter-drone equipment and training at pace with the Army in joint force. To that end, we've dedicated nearly a third of our degree of appropriation to counter UAS systems that will cont- and will continue to invest in these lifesaving technologies. In closing, while we are your Army reserve, We are not a force in reserve. We are in the fight. The resources you provide are critical to ensuring the young men and women our army in our army reserve stay combat ready. Thank you for your time today, and I look forward to your questions.

Chairman McConnell, Frankie Memmer-Kunz, distinguished members of the subcommittee, it's an honor for me one last time to be here with my senior enlisted advisor, Chief Master Sergeant Nunes, representing sixty seven thousand Air Force Reserve airmen. We are a strategic advantage and a cost-effective investment, not a back-up force. Our airmen's unmatched experience provides the strategic depth to deter our adversaries. Our partnership builds interoperability with our allies and partners. Our recent surge for Operation Epic Fury proves we're always ready and accessible to respond to any crisis, in less than seventy-two hours. This is the Air Force reserve advantage in action. When properly resourced, we're a cost-effective solution for all DAF mission areas. We operate our installations twenty-eight days a month on just twenty-five percent of our force delivering mission-ready airmen for only thirty cents on the dollar. FY twenty-five's closeout was our best on record. Your support and our data-driven tools enable precise resource management and risk-informed decisions. The Air Force Reserve is efficient, experienced, accessible, and lethal in every mission set. We need your support to maintain this maintain this advantage. Currently, seventy-seven percent of our fleet is over thirty-nine years old. Supply chain shortages, threatened aircraft availability, and a one point five billion dollar backlog means requirements are rapidly outpacing our resources. And Greta is a critical modernization agility in maximizing an opportunity to maximize purchasing power. I look forward to the discussion on the change from a dedicated congressional appropriation to the presidential budget. We are currently hollowing out our nation's future combat capability through disproportionate divestment. Over the fight up, the Air Force Reserve is projected to lose twenty point one percent of our inventory, a significant imbalance compared to the other components. Our number one priority has been and will remain concurrent and proportional fielding of advanced aircraft. As our crews prove their value right now in epic fury, disproportionate divestment is unnecessarily adding risk to national security. That security hinges on our seamless interoperability with our allies and partners. Recent operations have proven this is an urgent necessity, not an option. Now in its second year, our Reserve Allies and Partner program continues to build global interoperability. While operating on a near-zero budget, we've conducted seventy-one engagements last year, including formal partnerships with the United Kingdom and France, while establishing new security pathways with the Netherlands and the Philippines. prioritizing this program as a cost-effective investment that enables our allies to share the burden of strategic deterrence. I'd like to take this last opportunity to thank you and this body for your continued support of the Air Force Reserve and our war fighters. I'd also like to thank my wife, Cathy, whose unwavering support to the men, women, and families of the Air Force Reserve, and to me, uh, deserves note in this record. Thank you very much, and I look forward to your questions.

thank you general good luck we know that drones are gonna play an increasing role in modern warfare i remember recently reading that someone described ukraine as follows the silicon valley of drone development in other words the leader in the world in this new advanced technology that becomes increasingly important in warfare yet i'm having a hard time finding american military people or civilian military leadership who fully understand the significance of continuing to support our friends and allies in ukraine so let me ask each of you in terms of your own experience have you ever been to ukraine any of you no one ok well i'm not blaming you but that underscores part of the problem we're running into in getting proper attention attention by the civilian leadership that you all ultimately report to to understand the importance of avoiding at the end of the conflict the headline that says russia wins america loses not a headline that i think does us any good in our efforts continue to provide the leadership that we need uh not just for our own country but to have a stable world, America needs to be in the leader on the cutting edge of the biggest problems. What are you doing to make sure the Guard Reserve is best postured to adopt the lessons learned from Ukraine?

Chairman, uh, to start off with, uh, just last month I went down to Indiana uh at camp atterbury where they're working with uh t rex uh and t rex stands for technology readiness experimentation and exercise and so uh some of the drones that you've seen admiral cooper use over in uh san com have been built uh through that incredible uh partnership i recently uh passed on the tag of indiana to the tag of uh north dakota uh to make sure that they're taking a look at uh how we're doing that and how we're testing and uh bringing that capability to the next level uh the national guard is incredible on building innovative and individuals and new capabilities and we look forward to working with the department the joint staff uh giada four O one uh the joint uh inter-agency task force on uh how we get the next level of uh drones uas's and counter uas systems

sorry yeah The Air Force Reserve has also participated from the onset of the, of the conflict in Ukraine, while not directly in Ukraine, but providing quite a bit, bit of technological experience and help with month-to-month advancements in terms of what the Ukrainians are using. Uh, on a separate note, we are learning quite a, quite a bit from how to counter these drone drones as well. Last year, the Air Force Reserve, with our ten unit equipped bases that we're responsible for, used seventy eight million dollars at the end of year to purchase a counter SUAD system uh which is being deployed month to month right now we've got two of them deployed currently in addition to this we also have a counter SUADs a rapidly deployable counter SUADs system and in the uh in the early days of epic fury there was quite a bit of incursions into some of our bases uh from drones and our rapidly deployable version of this kit was sent to barksdale within thirty hours of request Uh, and in that first night we actually had our first drone knockdown as well. So, uh, we are certainly taking advantage of what the, what we're learning from a defensive perspective, but in a, at the small level, at the one, two, three, four person level, we're, we're making sure that our best and smartest are in Germany and best helping out what they're advancing month to month in Ukraine.

If I could share, it's a daily conversation in the Marine Corps, uh, on the lessons that are being learned and particularly for marine forces reserve our drone attack team in the marine corps is led by two reservists the talent that we have uh in the reserves uh rises to the top and in fact they were just promoted meritoriously to staff sergeant by the department of war due to their efforts in uh how do we use attack drones in the marine corps and second over the next uh four years we're standing up our our what we're calling our fourth lad our low altitude air defense so we have our counter uas uh and ballistic missile capabilities and detection in the marine corps uh, and Marine Corps Reserve because we've seen that through force design. You've seen it in the current conflict where long-range precision fires, and the counter-UAS is gonna be a priority for our forces in the field. So, we're, uh, we're getting it after in that way. Mister Chairman, thank you.

Mister Chairman, we're, uh, in the Army Reserve, we're driving on that in my opening statement. Obviously not only what happened in Ukraine or what's going on in Ukraine, but what happened in Kuwait, uh, to - to our Army Reserve formation. Uh, to that end, I mean, we are procuring, uh, anti-drone qui- kit using the GRIA. We will be testing seventeen technologies at our integrated exercise this June, Operation Sentinel Justice, to include running our first ever kinetic drone range, where we will have expendable drones coming in and soldiers with their weapons in the proper site kinetically engaging and being able to defend themselves. So the Army Reserve, we take this very seriously. We're nested with the Army and and Joint Task Force four O one to make sure we have the latest technology.

Mr. Chairman, I would add that, uh, for the Navy in a forced design standpoint, we are investing in, uh, in billets that, uh, support both, uh, undersea warfare and, uh, and and surface assets from a, uh, from an unmanned perspective. Critical for us is the, uh, in that degree of funding as well as, uh, is using that to, uh, to fund, uh, unmanned systems, uh, and some of the, uh, other assets that we'll use both for, uh, aerial refueling and, uh, expeditionary logistics. So it ties in together, sir.

i have one more question yeah directed uh uh directed general harter that i admit has a kentucky connection but it's i think important to move in the direction of where the warfare is headed kentucky manufactures and produces ultra lightweight camouflage net system commonly referred to as all cans both ukraine and russia have placed a high priority on passive defenses like modern camouflage against drones given the vulnerability of legacy camouflage systems against modern sensors and drones we're likely to face in the future to what extent is the army accelerating fielding of olcans at the speed of relevance does the current procurement strategy adequately address the requirements of the army reserve

oh thanks chairman we we are tied into uh to the army's procurement of olcan that that is a game changer for us we're getting rid of all of our legacy systems we still have some of those And I think what the battlefields of Ukraine will show, that some of the basics of just getting back to cover and concealment, overhead cover, uh, and systems like Alt-Kan that is, defeats IR and helps per- defeat some of the sensing systems, uh, goes a long way towards insurance survivability on the battlefield. So the, the Army Reserve is synched with the Army in changing out our legacy systems for systems like Alt-Kan.

Thank you so much, uh, Chairman. Uh, I could not agree more with your first question. Um, have you been to Ukraine? Um, Senator Shahin led a bipartisan uh delegation um, through which I recently had the chance to visit Odessa, uh, and to see deployed counter drone systems that had been provided uh several years ago to the Ukrainians who are defending Odessa, uh, to see deployed uh naval assets that had been donated by the United States, and to talk to um, to uh really critical um US leaders uh from the army who are helping learn the lessons of Ukraine. Uh, and I think, uh, what I've seen and observed both in briefings and on the ground is that Ukraine is not just uh fighting uh bravely and with great determination against Russian brutality and aggression but they are innovating into the next generation of warfare, and it is our dramatic loss if we fail to embrace and learn those lessons and to stand with those defenders uh my first event this morning was with the Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church um in a bipartisan uh breakfast. And I spent Sunday uh at a Ukrainian church in Delaware uh and met a double amputee, a veteran uh of the Ukrainian armed forces and a an American mother whose son, with no ties to Ukraine, uh volunteered, deployed and was killed uh by Russians in combat. So I recommend to you uh the Chairman's insight. Um on Negria, uh I am encouraged that the DOD has finally included in the base budget request a billion dollars. Um, a- and, but I am concerned about one thing. Um, one of the most important features historically about how we have appropriated Negria funds, is our requirement that all of you, as the chiefs of the reserve components, administer the funds. Um, this ensures the garden reserves actually prioritize their own requirements, because at times there is a disconnect. Um, are you aware of any proposed changes to this process, any of you? No. Um, then let me simply say on the record, um, it is my hope and intention that the Garden Reserve will remain uh, in control of the procurement and deployment decisions being made uh through that. Um, one of the reasons I pay attention to this um, is that at times um, big army, big air force uh does not make the same deployment decisions as the garden reserves. Um, this is a parochial question, but General Nordhaus, can you describe uh the operational benefits of completing the C one thirty J updates across all the guard units who are not currently so equipped.

Um thanks thank you member Coons uh Senator um the C one thirty uh is just a great aircraft uh all the way across the board for moving tactical airlift and things uh across not only the battlefield but across the homeland in response uh the C one thirty J adds another pallet position so it uh has extended range and has extended ability to take equipment and people and capabilities to where they need to go so we appreciate the incredible funding of the c one thirties uh from congress uh we have um uh moab twelve uh that we will push out shortly so there's three units left with the h models and then arkansas which has the uh training uh and then uh the lcs up in uh new york So we appreciate Congress's support on the C-one-thirties.

And we have heard directly from Ofgren about the importance, uh, of updated C-one-thirties, uh, for the Navy Reserve as well.

Sir, sir, if I could inject as well, with the,

Those.

we have three remaining squadron of C-one-thirty H's in the Air Force Reserve. And while they're very capable and modernized with new engines, they're still a thirty year old aircraft and not included in any relevant O plans, uh, for the Department of War, which leaves, which leaves us in the position of if we wanna participate, we have to bring our own maintenance associated with it. So, very keen on, on the Air Force Reserve perspective as well to get modernized and into those Js as well.

Thank you. That's helpful. And your earlier testimony about the disproportionate divestment of platforms across all of your components, uh, is something I keep in mind. Um, the Guard and Reserve Forces have been tasked with expensive operational requirements, uh, that are including operations on the southern border and deployments, um, to Washington DC and other states. Um, all of you plan your O and M needs uh for the year without these unexpected additional requirements. How has the increased operational tempo impacted your readiness? Every one of you, but you started this. Uh, " your readiness is your relevance", that is a memorable sentence. What trade-offs are you having to make in terms of uh maintenance, training, flying hours, uh, as for example guardsmen and reservists are deployed to um, patrolling Washington DC and beautification projects, rather than being truly trained, equipped and ready for participation uh in combat. General.

And thank you for the question. If readiness off the top, just as uh if I could, you know, we we normally get our reservists thirty-nine days a year. That's how much we get to train with them. So anytime I can get them on orders, I'm gaining readiness, whether or not it's medical, some other training, we'll find a way as Marines to get some additional tactical training regardless of the mission. Although yet we have not been tasked with Southwest Border or - or - or other missions, what we do in the Marine Corps, and because of the commandant's drive to optimize the use of the reserves, we plan our deployments across the FIDEP. We know what units are going out to twenty thirty, twenty thirty-one, that helps them plan their lives, helps them plan their career and their families. So, so far, everything that we've been conducting in the reserves was already budgeted. Now we're working on POM twenty eight and twenty nine in the out years. Uh, but for the Marine Corps, we have yet to see an impact on our, uh, overall operating funds.

Mr. Chairman, if I could ask General Nordhaus to answer the question as well, then we'll move on.

I'm Senator Coons. Yeah, as we work uh with the training that we do across the border statutory requirements, uh we continue to get after that across the fifty-four. Uh, we are seeking reimbursement from the Department of War, and they're working with MOUs with Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. So we continue to work to get after our training and make sure that our our soldiers and airmen are always ready and always there and we'll continue to work with the department, on those reimbursements.

I look forward to hearing back from you about those reimbursements. I think it's important that you have the equipment, the training, the resources you need to carry out your core mission and that there be comp- that there be reimbursement for um unexpected and additional missions. Thank you, Mister Chairman.

Senator Oven.

Thank you, Mister Chair. Uh, thanks to all of you for being here and for the incredible work that you and all the members of our uh Department of War are doing, it's just it's unbelievable. And we're behind you a hundred percent and we appreciate you so much, all of you. Uh, General Nordhaus, two quick items, uh, right off the top. One is, uh, we've got an Air Guard unit now that actually works in the missile fields with the Mounted Air Force Base uh, security police, great operation, ongoing, working with the active duty on a full-time basis. Incredible example of how you guys are, yeah, in the fight every day. Want to commend you on that and emphasize it. And the other is our Jamestown readiness, uh, our Jamestown facility for the eight seventeenth Combat Engineer's they've been operating out of the civic center there for a long time the a facility for them has to be a priority they're often deployed unit you know that just wanna hear uh your thoughts as far as supporting that

uh senator hovind thank you for uh the question and for the support uh it's my understanding it's currently in design expected thirty five uh percent design by august and will continue to work uh with congress and with uh army national guard on on funding it

Thank you, sir. You referenced the T-REX program, and as you know, uh, our uh, uh, air, Army Guard uh base, Camp Grafton, North Dakota is a T-REX site. And we're looking forward to exercises there in August. We've already uh emphasized the importance of drone warfare. Uh, we've been at all thr- all things UAS and counter-UAS down our state for over twenty years. And so talk to me about what can be accomplished at that T-REX site, and then I'm gonna ask our reserve members the same thing. because this is a DOD designation and this drone effort is DOD wide uh department of war wide so your thoughts and the other members thoughts on what can be accomplished with these T-rex sites for drones and counter drones

thanks senator uh when i went to add a barrier i got to see and talk with fifteen uh people from industry as they integrate each of the pieces and parts uh in capabilities into drones along with about a hundred of our guardsmen who are bringing the capabilities and understanding uh the impacts from the ukraine conflict and then across the board for counter-us and uh and us systems so each of the uh defense industrial base experts they really appreciated how this t-rex is going because they can fail fast they can then go back make adjustments to whatever their system is and then integrate it with all the other players to make sure those drones or drone systems are top of the notch So, our Department of Defense can take a look at what capabilities they bring, and then buy the right systems, best in breed.

Thank you, sir. Let's go to the Corps, and then just down the line. Uh, what can we do on these TREK sites for the Corps?

Yeah, Senator, for uh the TREK sites, while I I don't have uh the depth of knowledge that General Nordhaus does, where we do our primary work is the dog, the Defense Autonomous Working Group. That's where we spend a lot of our time developing our drone tactics is through, uh is through that lane.

'Kay, Navy.

Senator, we're spending most of our time right now with the USV RONs and UUV RONs, both uh uh ma- or unmanned uh surface vessels and uh undersea vessels as well. I think one of the critical things that uh that all of the Reservers bring to the fight is is not just their military skill sets, but also uh their industry civilian skill sets that they can bring to the fight as well too. So the things that we're seeing is that innovative uh spirit and can-do attitude that comes uh every time that uh we have the opportunity to train and uh and bring uh bring those people uh into and execute uh missions and operations.

Thank you. Army?

Senator, any opportunity that we have to train uh especially in this type of environment with drones and technology, uh the Army Reserve's all in. I know one of our challenges, and we did, we've got some clearance at some of our training locations, the FAA clearance to be able to operate, you know, drones uh to enable our counter drone efforts. So if we have that in North Dakota, the Army Reserve's all in.

So that's great comment. and that's one of the unique things about north kota is we have it statewide now we're the only state that has the uh fa raw data data uh radar feed so we can do exactly that's one of the reasons we've been designated uh the t-rex site

right

so thanks for bringing that up

yeah senator lincoln

air force only appropriate that you baton clean up here cause you're doing a ton out there at grand forks and and we appreciate it