Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee Chairman Rob Wittman made the following opening statement for the Readiness portion of the HASC Full Committee Markup of H.R. 4435, the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act:
Mr. Chairman, thank you for your steadfast leadership on this committee, and particularly on this bill as we navigate difficult issues and confront budget choices that will impact our national security for years to come.
I’m pleased to present the readiness subcommittee mark, drafted in a bipartisan manner, which I believe goes far toward addressing critical readiness concerns. But it cannot address every concern since we’re constrained by an unmovable top line that has exacerbated impacts to readiness from the previous two budget cycles.
When we legislate to a top-line rather than a national security strategy, we risk making ill-advised choices. It also shifts our attention from other pressing and equally important concerns, such as:
- The safe and responsible withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan;
- A crisis in Ukraine which threatens to destabilize Eastern Europe and will impact our presence in the region;
- A humanitarian disaster and civil war in Syria that threatens the balance of power in the region; and,
- Growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific.
That being said, I believe this mark accomplishes a number of important national security imperatives by:
- Prohibiting the Department from pursuing an additional BRAC round, or any other effort, aimed at locking in unwise force structure reductions during a time of accelerated transition and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan;
- Addressing deficiencies in the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise by resourcing several unfunded requirements for the Nuclear Force Improvement Program (FIP), while also addressing nuclear security forces equipment shortfalls which have exacerbated the challenges;
- Addressing the Marine Corps requirement to establish two new special Marine Air-Ground Task Forces in SOUTHCOM and CENTCOM which are needed to support U.S. diplomatic and military installations around the world, requirements made exceptionally clear after the attack on the consulate in Benghazi;
- Taking steps to enhance the hard-won readiness of the Army by funding unmet requirements for training, flying hours, and depot maintenance necessary to support ongoing and future operations, particularly in Africa where I recently visited; and,
- Ensuring a ready and robust Navy – prepared to support global Combatant Commander requirements by:
o mitigating shortfalls in the aviation depot maintenance accounts;
o restoring CVN-73 funding to retain it as a viable fleet asset;
o recommending plans for the Ticonderoga Class Cruisers and Dock Landing Ships in the Chairman’s mark;
o restoring steaming days critical to training our fleet at sea; and, fully funded flying hour programs across the services to ensure our pilots don’t have to step into an aircraft without appropriate flying time and necessary pre-qualifications.
These additions however, don’t alleviate my concern about readiness shortfalls and that we here in Washington need to better understand how the choices we make impact those who serve and sacrifice on our behalf. While I’m pleased with the work we’ve done in this mark, we must continue to focus on restoring the readiness lost as a result of sequestration and addressing the larger overall issue of senseless and arbitrary budget decisions.
The fact remains that national security requirements, as outlined in the defense strategy, far exceed the budget that has been provided.
I remained concerned about the overall readiness and training of our force, not just for the men and women that are fighting in Afghanistan, but for those stationed around the globe. We need to ensure they are manned, trained, equipped, and prepared to meet the challenges on the horizon with overwhelming superiority and strength.
They should be the focal point of our discussions and debate today.
I would also like to thank the Readiness Staff for their great work on this bill and their efforts since in crafting this legislation and traveling across the globe, from Afghanistan to Africa and the Asia Pacific, to observe the real impacts of sequestration and the study the readiness levels of our forces. Michele Pearce, Vicky Plunkett, Ryan Crumpler, Brian Garrett, Jamie Lynch, Dave Sienicki and Nicholas Rodman, thank you for all you do every day to support and serve our all-volunteer force. It has been a pleasure to work with you and the members of this subcommittee.
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee where he is the Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.
###
