Mitch McConnell Questions National Guard Chief On Lessons In Emerging Technology From Ukraine Conflict

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During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing prior to the Congressional recess, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) questioned Steven S. Nordhaus, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, about the use of emerging technologies in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Transcript

00:00I had a couple of votes. I'm not quite sure where you all are, but let me address the

00:09things that I'm concerned about briefly. What are the lessons that the National Guard

00:15and Reserve are drawing from ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, particularly

00:23regarding the changing nature of warfare, including the use of drones and other emerging technologies?

00:33And how are these lessons influencing training, force readiness, and future resourcing?

00:46Chairman, General Nordhaus here. I'll start for the National Guard. Certainly, as we see the war

00:51in Ukraine, the use of drones, being leaner, lethal, more mobile, being able to be able to take

01:00formations and maneuver them around and have the capability to take down threats from counter

01:05UAS and maintain air superiority in the future is going to be absolutely vital. So we continue to

01:12take those lessons learned on the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard side with our

01:16services and making sure that we're arm and arm, shoulder to shoulder with them as we monitor

01:21our force for the future for warfighting for adversaries under this new changing character

01:26of warfare.

01:30Senator, for the Army Reserve, we're really nested with big army. Obviously, as I said in my

01:35opening statement, we have the bulk of logistics and enabling capacity for the United States Army

01:40and the Joint Force. So when you saw Russia grind to a halt in the opening days of that, it was

01:45sustainment. It was their logistics. They had no logistics tail. So we are driving hard on making

01:50sure our exercises are integrated with our COMPO-1 teammates. Here in June, I'll be doing an exercise

01:56at NTC kind of in support of an active duty formation, one of my brigades will. And they are,

02:02the Army is implementing all the lessons learned with drones, ubiquitous sensing, dispersion.

02:08The Army units that are surviving at our national training centers, it's back to the basics.

02:14It's overhead cover. It's just making sure you disperse. It's reducing your electromagnetic

02:19signature. So those lessons are absolutely being pushed into the Army. It's why the Chief is driving

02:24on transformation and ATI.

02:27Well, General Harder, a little closer to home, I've got, just like my colleagues have probably,

02:36significant defense facilities in Kentucky. Fort Knox, for example, is home to the Army Reserve

02:48Aviation Command, the headquarters for all aviation assets within the Army Reserve. What specific impacts

02:58will the ATI restructuring plans have on Army Reserve Aviation Command at Fort Knox?

03:08So, Senator, Chairman, we are still working through that with the Army on reducing our two E-cabs,

03:15Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigades, one of which is headquartered along with the ARAC headquarters

03:19at Fort Knox. We're assessing the impact and looking at what rotary aircraft we may retain in the Army

03:25Reserve. But I can tell you, at Fort Knox, the Army Reserve is investing. In addition to the ARAC,

03:32we have a two-star training command headquarters. I have another one-star training command headquarters.

03:36I have one of my equipment concentration sites. So we are looking to better maximize the training

03:43opportunities that Fort Knox provides for the Army Reserve. And I'd be happy to follow up with your team

03:49on exactly what the impact is of the aviation restructure.

03:52Chairman Conge.

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