John Boozman Questions Military Officials About How Funding Impacts Reserve And Nat. Guard ‘Readiness’

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During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing before the congressional recess, Sen. John Boozman (R-MT) questioned military officials about force readiness.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Interim Chairman. You're doing a wonderful job.

00:09Thank all of you all. I enjoy so much visiting in the office with you all.

00:13I appreciate your service. I appreciate all you represent.

00:17And most importantly, I always know that after I get done talking with you,

00:22I know that you've got the best interest of trying to keep us safe

00:27and so importantly, trying to keep the people that are serving under you safe and secure also.

00:36General Nordhaus, this is a question that you're going to hear, I hope, a lot today,

00:41and I hope you all comment on it periodically.

00:44But we know that operating under a full year CR creates challenges for our military,

00:49especially National Guard and Reserves.

00:52Can you explain how the fiscal year full year CR has impacted readiness?

00:57And what the potential impacts of a second consecutive full year CR would be

01:01on the National Guard and Reserve components?

01:05Senator Bozeman, thank you.

01:07First off, for Congress and the year-long CR added in GREA funding

01:12and State Partnership Program funding and AGR funding.

01:16And so we appreciate even under a CR, funding was added to keep those critical programs going.

01:21As we look at CRs, certainly any budget uncertainty creates challenges for the force.

01:28As you look at what dollars are you going to have to be able to do exercises and training,

01:32what equipment are you going to be able to buy,

01:34and making sure that you can have our guardsmen ready to go as you go through the year.

01:40And so any fiscal challenges or uncertainty there can slow that down.

01:46And then as we get into the summer months, you have to, once the money comes in,

01:49then you've got to accelerate to get that training done.

01:53We also have our guardsmen that are going to school and things like that,

01:56so it makes it more challenging.

01:58But the National Guard, $430,000 strong, always ready,

02:02and we're finding ways to mitigate that where we can to make sure that we maximize

02:06every dollar that Congress gives us to get after readiness and lethality.

02:10Very good.

02:11General Rordhouse, we are thankful for everything that the National Guard is doing

02:16to support the Joint Force and Arkansas.

02:19With the DOD focused on cost savings, the Guard offers a unique,

02:24cost-effective alternative to counter rising costs of the active force.

02:29Where do you believe the Guard's capabilities are not being fully utilized

02:33or overlooked in defense planning?

02:35Senator, as we look at the National Guard, there was talked by Senator Moran

02:43about a RAND study which talked about F-16s at 42% more, less costly,

02:49being used in the National Guard, and 34% less for KC-135s.

02:56So we look forward to partnering with our active duty both on the Army and the air

03:00to be able to keep that capability within the service so that when needed, we're ready to go,

03:06but also help them with the budget challenges in these critical times.

03:09Are there specific areas where the committee should prioritize to ensure the Guard is properly funded

03:15to meet both its federal and state responsibilities?

03:20Senator Bozeman, as we talked in our meeting, certainly our foundation readiness accounts.

03:24So as you look at flying hours, we're going to end flying hours probably by the end of August this year.

03:33Facility sustainment, restoration, modernization, every dollar gets after our aging facilities,

03:39and those facilities are the focal points for our guardsmen coming in,

03:42and they help with retention and recruiting.

03:44But if they're great facilities, they also help us get after readiness and training for the war fight.

03:49Weapon system sustainment, having the parts and the equipment ready to go.

03:52So our full-time force is able to prep that equipment and have it ready to go

03:57so when the guardsmen, traditional members show up, that they're put on equipment that's ready to go

04:02so that they can use every minute that we have for them over the weekends or when they're on duty

04:07to be able to get after building that readiness for the war fight.

04:11And then certainly our base operating support.

04:13Those accounts are critical to make sure that we can take care

04:16and make sure the bases are ready to receive the soldiers and airmen as they come in

04:20and get them to where they need to go to get the training done.

04:23Very good.

04:24General Harder, we've discussed previously the Army Reserve's innovative use of funded, reimbursable authority.

04:31It's clear you're thinking creatively about how to strengthen the Reserve's capabilities.

04:35Can you provide an update on how funded, reimbursable authority is being used today

04:41and what challenges are limiting your ability to fully utilize this authority?

04:47Thank you, Senator.

04:48It was great meeting you with you in your office, too.

04:51We've got a lot of great folks from Arkansas on our team.

04:55Tim Griffin was recently with us.

04:57I will tell you, funded, reimbursable authority right now,

05:00we're focused on using it in our military intelligence community,

05:03and it drives incredible amounts of capability and readiness for our COMPO-1 teammates.

05:08And I think the more authority we have to use that outside of just the military intelligence spectrum

05:14with all the other capabilities that we bring to the fight,

05:17it's a valued training for our formations and it delivers capability for the nation.

05:21So we'll continue to pursue that.

05:23Very good.

05:24Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

05:25Thank you, Chairman.

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