The Army is building a force that is leaner, more lethal, and better equipped to operate in contested domains with speed and precision, said Army Gen. James J. Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army, who testified on a panel yesterday during a House Armed Services Committee subcommittee hearing on military readiness.
He said that under the "transforming in contact" initiative, the Army is enhancing its tactical networks and rapidly fielding unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS and electronic warfare systems.
In the last 10 months, TiC delivered 11 new capabilities and technologies to specific units within the 101st Airborne, 25th Infantry, 10th Mountain and 34th Infantry divisions. Mingus expects the effort to expand to more units throughout the next two years.
He said the Army Transformation Initiative, which is part of TiC, allows the service to restructure formations and dominate future battlefields while advancing the development and delivery of critical capabilities and end programs that no longer deliver value.
"Under ATI, we are accelerating the delivery of our new M1E3 [Abrams] tank, our next future vertical lift [aircraft] and the next generation command and control. We're closing the long-standing gaps in counter-UAS, expanding integrated air defense, and bringing long-range hypersonic capability this year," Mingus added. The general said ATI also includes a plan for more efficient funding and fielding for those systems to keep pace with operational demand and technological advancement.
Other Army initiatives he discussed with lawmakers included organic industrial base modernization efforts to ensure systems and munitions are produced and sustained at scale, new housing and barracks construction, and updated dining facilities to provide more nutritious options and improve soldier fitness.
Mingus said recruiting remains a priority even after the Army exceeded its goal in fiscal year 2024 with over 55,000 soldiers entering the service. This fiscal year's recruiting target is 61,000 soldiers, with over 56,000 already signing up.
Regarding the budget, he said the Army is being asked to do more with less, adding, "With no budget increases to offset inflation and reduced buying power, the rising costs of pay and allowances consume our top line."
Navy Adm. James W. Kilby, vice chief of naval operations, also testified and agreed with Mingus about the need for consistent and predictable funding, calling it "foundational" to improvement efforts.
"At the time when we need to move faster to counter China and global instability, we are fiscally moving slower," he said, noting that the Navy's readiness is most vulnerable under a full-year continuing resolution.
Kilby said the service set a goal of making 80% of its ships, submarines and aircraft combat-ready by Jan. 1, 2027. To do that, he said it is reducing maintenance delays and improving manning, training, modernization and sustainment.
"We are seeing progress," he said, adding that last year, the Navy increased surface ship depot maintenance from 41% on time to completion to 68%.
"Unfortunately, this progress is not consistent across all platforms. I am not satisfied with amphibious ship maintenance. Our Navy and Marine Corps operate as a lethal, integrated force, and we have work to do here," the admiral said.
The Navy is also focused on recruiting and retaining talent. Kilby said it is committed to attracting and developing Americans who can innovate, solve hard problems and dominate in combat.
Last fiscal year, the Navy recruited over 40,000 sailors — the most since 2003 — and is currently on pace to exceed this fiscal year's recruiting goals.
Kilby said the Navy is also working on reducing wait times at child development centers and improving housing.
Marine Corps Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, said that over 30,000 Marines are forward deployed, with the vast majority of them in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mahoney said he is concerned about the lack of amphibious ship availability, which inhibits littoral mobility and sustainment of forces. He is also concerned about the budget.
"The lack of on-time and predictable funding has hampered our ability to carry out a business plan, and it has constrained our ability to balance that readiness with modernization," he said.
However, he is not concerned about the recruiting mission, noting that the Marine Corps attained its recruiting mission last fiscal year and will do so again this year without compromising standards.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Adrian L. Spain, deputy chief of staff for operations, said the Air Force stands ready to defend the nation, despite having "the oldest airplanes, the smallest force, and with fewer monthly flying hours than at any point in our history."
Airmen have and always will get the job done, but today they do so at elevated risk, he said, adding that adversaries like China are expanding and modernizing their nuclear and conventional forces.
Space Force Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, vice chief of space operations, said, "The Space Force underpins our nation's capabilities within the joint force, within our economy and within society as a whole."
Guetlein said the Defense Department is faster, better connected, more informed, precise and lethal because of its ability to harness space, as a result of the progress made in the service's five years of existence.
"The world's use of space is growing at an accelerating rate, and access to and use of space grows. The strategic landscape in space is becoming increasingly complex and perilous, even compared to our other warfighting domains," he added.
Regarding the budget, Guetlein noted that the Space Force "is woefully under-resourced to meet the demands for space capabilities placed on it by our combatant commanders and the nation. We must increase investments to deter the threat."
He said other challenges include adversary nations jamming GPS signals, spoofing and disrupting satellite communications, and developing advanced anti-satellite weapons.
"Unfortunately, these unsafe and unprofessional behaviors have become the norm rather than the exception," he said. "They create an increasingly hostile environment for the space domain capabilities essential to our security and prosperity and put at risk the continued freedoms to which we have become accustomed."
To meet these challenges, Guetlein said the Space Force is accelerating its transformation as a warfighting service.