WEBVTT

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virtually once you start speaking

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there's a slight delay before your

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displayed on the main screen speak into

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the microphone because it will activate

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the camera displaying the speaker on

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the main screen . Do not stop your

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remarks . If you're not immediately

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seeing the screen switch . If the

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screen does not change after several

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seconds , please make sure you are not

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muted to minimize background noise and

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ensure correct speaker is being heard

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and displayed . We ask that you remain

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on mute unless you have sought

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recognition and I will call on you or

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if you need to seek recognition . Uh

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please do so . Um myself for a staff

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designee may mute the participants

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microphone when they're not under

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recognition that there's inadvertent

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background noise . Members who are

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virtual though I want to remind you

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that you are responsible for muting and

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UNM muting yourself unless we have a

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technical issue . If I notice when

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you're recognized and having a

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technical issue and you have not a

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muted yourself , I will ask the staff

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to send you a request to unmute

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yourself . Please accept the request so

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that you are no longer muted . And

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finally , house rules would require

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me to remind you that we have set up an

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email address in which members can send

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anything they wish to submit in writing

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to any of our hearings . That email

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address has been provided in advance to

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your staff this morning subcommittee

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Will we received testimony from the

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honorable Lloyd Austin Secretary of

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Defense General Mark Milley , Chairman

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of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and to

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help answer any extremely technical

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questions . We are joined today by

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Under Secretary Mike McCord Controller .

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Gentlemen , thank you for participating

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and I welcome you're welcome you to our

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subcommittee . The Biden administration

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released its fiscal year 2023 budget

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request in March . As always , this

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subcommittee will have an aggressive

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schedule to review the request to make

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adjustments and pass the bill out of

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committee in June . Our goal will be to

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go to the floor with the appropriations

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bill in july and to get them to the

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president's desk by october for his

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signature . We both know that speed is

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of the essence because both here at

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home and around the world , democracy

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and democratic values are under threat .

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Congress must make every effort to pass

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these appropriations bills on time for

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fiscal year 2023 the president has

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proposed Seven excuse me ,

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$762 billion

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$33

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billion 4.6% increase

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over what was enacted in fiscal year

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2022 . Make no mistake . We

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will ensure that the Department of

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Defense has the resources it needs to

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protect our country . But this top line

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number , when you put in perspective ,

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Let's think about it for a minute and

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2015 , when we were still fighting in

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Afghanistan , the department received

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$5.60 billion . That's an increase of

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spending over $200 billion dollars in

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just eight years . And yes , the world

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has changed and has changed rapidly in

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recent years and we've learned a lot .

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We've learned from the war in Ukraine

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that it's not only important that we

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have strong military deterrence , but

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we also must have a robust diplomatic

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efforts to rally the world in

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opposition to authoritarianism . We

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must both ensure that we have both in

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order to protect our national security .

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It is our responsibility as Congress to

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strike the correct balance between

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defense , diplomacy and development .

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The war in Ukraine has also made it

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clear that the foundational task of

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properly maintaining training and

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equipping a modern military is

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essential to our success In the 21st

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century conflicts . The poor

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performance in Russia and their

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military has high delighted this very

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fact . Taking care of our personnel ,

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their families , providing our service

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members with the best training possible ,

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ensuring logistics challenges can be

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overcome and given decision makers the

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best intelligence . These are all vital

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components of making sure that our

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military can win in any conflict .

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Procurement , modernization , of course

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are important . But we will always want

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to have the edge over our enemy .

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It doesn't matter if we have 355

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Navy ships with the most advanced

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weapons . If we cannot perform basic

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maintenance and keep the ships in

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service investments in personnel and

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operation and maintenance and health

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don't always drive the defense budget

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debates , But last year they made up at

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63% , of our

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bill . We all know that there's more

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and more critical investment in the

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life and health and safety of our

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service members members have been

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particularly alarmed with recent events

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at the USS George Washington where

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there have been several deaths ,

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including investigations into suicide .

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The Navy has launched its investigation

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into what led to these terrible

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tragedies . This subcommittee stands

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ready to work with you for any

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additional funding for mental health

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services and any suicide prevention

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programs that you should want . More

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resources for . We look forward to

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hearing from our witnesses how the

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budget requests prioritizes investments

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in our people , which are the backbone

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of our force . I want to commend the

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department for proposing a $3.1 billion

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dollars in this budget for increasing

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resiliency , at installations for

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energy efficiency , for its research

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and development into clean energy as

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the largest consumer of fuel in the

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federal government . The department

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needs to do more to reduce its

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emissions , lower the cost of energy

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and to fight climate change . And our

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subcommittee wants to work with you on

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these shared goals and we all know that

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climate change and addressing it is

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part of our national security agenda .

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Finally , several of us have had the

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opportunity to travel to Eastern europe

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in the last month to see firsthand the

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importance of working with the soldiers

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and sailors and marines , airmen and

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guards who are all doing whatever they

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can to help Ukraine defend itself and

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promote uh security throughout the

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region . We look forward to hearing how

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this budget request and the immediate

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threat of Russian aggression in europe

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while making investments and future

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capabilities in the indo pacific region .

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And as you know , we sent over to the

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Senate the supplemental support for

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Ukraine last night . So Secretary

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Austin General Milley , undersecretary

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of record . I want to thank you again

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for your service and the service of

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your families to our country and for

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being here ready to answer any

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questions we might have . But before we

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hear your testimony sir , I'd like to

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recognize our distinguished ranking

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member Mr calvert for any opening

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comments he would have Mr calvert .

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Thank you . Thank you . Chairman column .

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I want to thank Secretary Austin

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General Milley for being here today to

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testify . Department defense budget

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request for fiscal year 19 2023 . So I

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look forward to hearing about your

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priorities for the coming fiscal year .

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I must note my disappointment in the

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request , both in the amount and

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substance as I said last year , I

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believe it's critical that we fund the

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D . O . D . At 3 to 5% above inflation

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to meet our national defense

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requirements . The 4.6 requested for Fy

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23 would be sufficient historic levels

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but do To this administration spending

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inflation is soaring at rates we have

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not seen since 1981 . Instead of

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accounting for these economic realities .

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The D . O . D . Wrongfully budgeted for

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a 2.2% inflation rate in a time where

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we must increase defense spending to

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keep pace with peer adversaries . This

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administration is effectively proposing

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to cut the Department of Defense .

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America must continue to enforce the

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rules based order that we lead in the

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enduring global security that we

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involved in . As we have seen in

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Ukraine . The world looks to the United

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States to stand by democratic allies

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around the world . This comes at a cost

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but doing so is in our own national

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security interest . Republicans in the

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house and the Senate are united Just as

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we were in fiscal year 22 to ensure

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that our war fighters have the tools

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they need to be ready , modernized and

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lethal . It's my hope that the majority

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follows that fiscal year 2022

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conference framework that provided

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sufficient funding to D . O . D . And

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that we pass our bills on time this

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year . Along with my disappointment in

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the top line funding level . I also

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have serious concerns about some of the

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proposals by the administration . First ,

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many of the services are continuing to

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pursue a divest to invest strategy . In

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some cases like the Marine Corps , I

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think this is appropriate and others ,

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I fear some proposals are shortsighted

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and leave glaring capability gaps . We

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cannot simply hope that the programs

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will meet the needs of the war fighters ,

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china Russia , Iran North Korea non

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state actors are continuing to invest

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in capabilities that threaten our

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security as well of our allies . I fail

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to understand How Decommissioning 24

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Navy ships divesting hundreds of

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aircraft helps us maintain our

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strategic combat advantage over these

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threats . Budget . Prioritization must

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of course occur . But we must be ready

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for a variety of conflicts to break out

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in multiple warfighting domains .

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Though I expect much of the discussion

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today to be focused on the situation in

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Ukraine . I do not want us to lose

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sight on what happened in the

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withdrawal from Afghanistan . Not only

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did this decision weaken our strategic

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footprint in the region , It directly

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led to the deaths of 13 US service

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members . I look forward to hearing

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from you about what our enduring

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requirements in this region are Along

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with what capability we should be

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focused on in FY 23 appropriation bills .

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Again , thank you for being here today .

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Look forward to taking time to question

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you . And are you back my time . Thank

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you . Mr calvert . The full committee

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chairwoman , MS Dolora will be joining

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us later . But now it's my pleasure to

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recognize the former chair of the

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subcommittee and uh now the full uh

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ranking member of the committee , Miss

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Granger . Thank you . Chair Chairman

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McCaul . Um I appreciate that very much .

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I'm sorry and I'd like to thank the

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witnesses for appearing before us today .

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The past several months have

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highlighted how important is that

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Congress prioritizes our national

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security and adequately funds are

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military Russia's unprovoked , illegal

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and appalling invasion of Ukraine must

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continue to be met with strong

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resistance from the United States and

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our allies adversaries like China and

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Iran and north Korea must know that

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America will stand firm with its allies

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and we have the ability to win any

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fights . Well , I command thee commend

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the department's swift response to the

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ongoing conflict in Ukraine . I'm

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disappointed by the department's fiscal

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year 2023 budget request , inflation

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continues to increase costs for all

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sections sectors and the defense

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industry is not immune to its effects

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despite increased aggression from our

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adversaries . And once again the biden

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administration is short changing

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defense . I hope we can reach a

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bipartisan consensus similar to the one

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that led to the final passage of the

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fiscal year 2022 appropriation bills .

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This includes robust defense spending

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at a rate much higher than requested by

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the administration . Congress must

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ensure that our men and women in

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uniform have the tools and the

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resources to meet and defeat our

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enemies . Now . It's not the time to

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under fund the military and the clothes .

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I think each of you for your service .

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I look forward to hearing from you

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today and thank you madam Chair . I

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yield back . Thank you Mr Granger .

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Gentlemen . Your for Britain testimony

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will be placed on the record . Members

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have lots of questions as you can well

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imagine so feel free to give summarized

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form of your statements . Secretary

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Austin the floor is yours .

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Well . Good morning chairman column .

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Ranking member calvert , ranking member

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granger and all the distinguished

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members of the committee . Thank you

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for the chance to testify today in

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support of the president's budget

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request for fiscal year 2023 . It's

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great to be here with General Milley

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who has been an outstanding partner .

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I'm also pleased to be joined by our

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controller under Secretary Mike Mccurry

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Madam chair . We're still focused on

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three key priorities at the Department

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of Defense , defending our nation ,

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taking care of our people and

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succeeding through teamwork in our

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budget request helps us meet each of

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those priorities . Our budget request

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seeks more than $56 billion dollars for

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air power platforms and systems And

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more than $40 billion dollars to

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maintain our dominance at sea including

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buying nine more battle force ships And

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almost $13 billion dollars to support

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and modernize our combat credible land

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forces . Our budget request also funds

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the modernization of all three legs of

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the nuclear triad to ensure that we

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maintain a safe , secure and effective

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strategic deterrent and of course none

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of these capabilities matter much

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without our people and their families .

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So we're seeking your support for a 4.6

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pay raise for military and civilian

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personnel and other special pay and

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benefits . We also plan to invest

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in outstanding and affordable child

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care and in the construction of on

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based child development centers and in

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ensuring that all of our families ,

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Families can always put good and

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healthy food on the table . We're also

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deeply focused on a terrible problem of

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suicide in the U . S . Military . So

14:54.480 --> 14:56.369
we're increasing access to mental

14:56.369 --> 14:58.520
health care , expanding telehealth

14:58.520 --> 15:00.990
capacities and fighting the tired old

15:00.990 --> 15:04.160
stigmas against seeking help . And with

15:04.160 --> 15:06.049
your support , I just ordered the

15:06.049 --> 15:08.216
establishment of an independent review

15:08.216 --> 15:10.660
committee to help us grapple with

15:10.660 --> 15:13.600
suicide to better understand it , to

15:13.600 --> 15:16.700
prevent it and treat the unseen wounds

15:16.700 --> 15:19.380
that lead to it . At the same time ,

15:19.390 --> 15:21.501
we're still working hard to implement

15:21.501 --> 15:23.680
the recommendations of the Independent

15:23.680 --> 15:25.791
Review Commission on Sexual Assault .

15:26.240 --> 15:28.351
We know that we have a long way to go

15:28.351 --> 15:30.490
to rid ourselves of this scourge and

15:30.490 --> 15:33.780
our budget requests Seeks nearly $480

15:33.790 --> 15:36.360
million dollars to do just that . This

15:36.360 --> 15:38.790
is a leadership issue . And you have my

15:38.790 --> 15:40.901
personal commitment to keep leading .

15:41.940 --> 15:43.718
You're also seeing how much our

15:43.718 --> 15:45.718
leadership matters when it comes to

15:45.718 --> 15:47.940
Ukraine . And last month I convened the

15:47.940 --> 15:50.360
first meeting of what's now the Contact

15:50.360 --> 15:53.220
group on Ukrainian security . It's a

15:53.220 --> 15:55.276
group of defense leaders from around

15:55.276 --> 15:57.190
the world committed to supporting

15:57.190 --> 15:59.301
Ukraine after Russia's unprovoked and

15:59.301 --> 16:02.320
unjust invasion . And it's an important

16:02.320 --> 16:04.290
new way for nations of goodwill to

16:04.290 --> 16:07.020
intensify their efforts to help Ukraine

16:07.020 --> 16:09.740
better defend itself , both for today's

16:09.750 --> 16:11.806
urgent needs and for the long haul .

16:12.640 --> 16:14.640
Now with the help of Congress , the

16:14.640 --> 16:16.807
United States has been able to deliver

16:16.807 --> 16:18.918
a security assistance to Ukraine with

16:18.918 --> 16:21.060
unprecedented speed and resolved and

16:21.060 --> 16:23.116
that's made a huge difference on the

16:23.116 --> 16:25.850
ground and President Zelensky made that

16:25.850 --> 16:27.906
clear when I met with him last month

16:27.906 --> 16:30.128
and keith along with Secretary of State

16:30.128 --> 16:33.840
Blinken . Since January 2021 , The

16:33.840 --> 16:35.396
United States has committed

16:35.396 --> 16:37.670
approximately $4.5 billion dollars in

16:37.670 --> 16:40.320
security assistance to Ukraine , which

16:40.320 --> 16:44.300
includes $150 million President

16:44.300 --> 16:47.190
last Friday . Our most urgent goal

16:47.190 --> 16:49.357
continues to be sending the Ukrainians

16:49.357 --> 16:51.670
and capabilities they need most right

16:51.670 --> 16:54.200
now , as the war has shifted to the

16:54.200 --> 16:57.010
Donbas and to the south , the coming

16:57.010 --> 16:59.066
weeks will be critical for Ukraine .

17:00.440 --> 17:02.384
Next week we expect to exhaust the

17:02.384 --> 17:04.218
drawdown authority that Congress

17:04.218 --> 17:06.273
approved in March . So as you know ,

17:06.273 --> 17:08.440
the president submitted a supplemental

17:08.440 --> 17:10.551
budget request to Congress so that we

17:10.551 --> 17:12.662
can continue to meet Ukraine's urgent

17:12.662 --> 17:14.884
requirements without interruption . And

17:14.884 --> 17:16.884
I deeply appreciate the Houses vote

17:16.884 --> 17:18.884
yesterday to approve that request .

17:18.940 --> 17:22.550
With bipartisan support . And I hope

17:22.550 --> 17:25.270
that the Senate quickly follows . The

17:25.270 --> 17:27.270
supplemental will fund will provide

17:27.270 --> 17:29.603
funds for additional drawdown authority .

17:29.603 --> 17:31.826
It will also provide more resources for

17:31.826 --> 17:33.603
the Ukraine Security Assistance

17:33.603 --> 17:35.714
initiative , for critical investments

17:35.714 --> 17:37.881
and for covering the operational costs

17:37.881 --> 17:40.550
of bolstering NATO's eastern flame . I

17:40.550 --> 17:42.439
want to thank all of you for your

17:42.439 --> 17:44.439
strong leadership toward our shared

17:44.439 --> 17:46.740
goal of helping Ukraine defend itself

17:46.750 --> 17:50.480
and support NATO . Now in

17:50.480 --> 17:52.647
supporting NATO . Now , let me briefly

17:52.647 --> 17:54.813
mention a few other major efforts that

17:54.813 --> 17:56.813
the departments focused on , as you

17:56.813 --> 17:58.536
know , the department's pacing

17:58.536 --> 18:00.758
challenge remains countering aggression

18:00.758 --> 18:02.758
from china . So this budget invests

18:02.758 --> 18:04.950
some $6 billion Pacific Deterrence

18:04.950 --> 18:07.380
initiative . And in keeping with our

18:07.390 --> 18:09.650
new national defense strategy we're

18:09.650 --> 18:11.650
going to going to enhance our force

18:11.650 --> 18:14.460
posture , our infrastructure , our

18:14.460 --> 18:16.627
presence and our readiness in the indo

18:16.627 --> 18:18.738
pacific including the missile defense

18:18.738 --> 18:20.849
of Guam . At the same time we must be

18:20.849 --> 18:22.980
prepared for threats that pay no heed

18:23.150 --> 18:25.620
to borders from pandemics to climate

18:25.620 --> 18:27.470
change and we must tackle the

18:27.470 --> 18:29.692
persistent threats posed by north Korea

18:30.040 --> 18:32.670
Iran and global terrorist groups . So

18:32.670 --> 18:34.726
I'm proud that our budget seeks more

18:34.726 --> 18:37.003
than $130 billion dollars for research ,

18:37.003 --> 18:39.180
development , testing and evaluation

18:39.440 --> 18:41.607
and it's the largest R . And D request

18:41.607 --> 18:43.662
that this department has ever made .

18:43.662 --> 18:47.570
This includes $1 billion $250

18:47.570 --> 18:50.600
million 5G . Nearly $28 billion

18:50.600 --> 18:54.550
$11 billion dollars to protect

18:54.550 --> 18:56.650
our networks and develop a cyber

18:56.650 --> 18:59.920
mission force Madam chair . This budget

18:59.920 --> 19:02.570
maintains our edge but it does not take

19:02.570 --> 19:04.792
that edge for granted . So I asked this

19:04.792 --> 19:06.848
committee to support the president's

19:06.848 --> 19:09.070
budget and with the help of Congress we

19:09.070 --> 19:11.181
will continue to defend this nation .

19:11.340 --> 19:13.690
Take care of our people and support our

19:13.690 --> 19:15.900
allies and partners . Thank you and I

19:15.900 --> 19:18.067
look forward to your questions . Thank

19:18.067 --> 19:20.430
you . Mr Secretary General Milley , the

19:20.430 --> 19:23.630
flourish Urz german column and ranking

19:23.630 --> 19:25.519
member calvert and ranking member

19:25.519 --> 19:27.680
granger . I'm indeed privileged to be

19:27.680 --> 19:29.902
here alongside the Secretary of Defense

19:29.902 --> 19:32.100
and Secretary McCord represent the

19:32.100 --> 19:34.100
soldiers and sailors , the airmen ,

19:34.100 --> 19:36.322
marines , Guardians , the United States

19:36.322 --> 19:38.433
Joint Force . Our troops are the best

19:38.433 --> 19:40.544
lead , best equipped , best trained ,

19:40.544 --> 19:42.656
most lethal and most capable military

19:42.656 --> 19:44.656
force in the world . Largely due to

19:44.656 --> 19:46.711
your continued support alongside our

19:46.711 --> 19:48.933
allies and partners At any given time .

19:48.933 --> 19:51.350
Approximately 400,000 of us Are

19:51.350 --> 19:53.960
currently standing watch 155 countries

19:54.340 --> 19:56.720
and conducting operations every day to

19:56.720 --> 19:59.390
keep americans safe . Currently , we

19:59.390 --> 20:01.557
are supporting our european allies and

20:01.740 --> 20:04.400
guarding NATO's eastern flank In the

20:04.400 --> 20:06.340
face of the unnecessary war of

20:06.340 --> 20:09.640
aggression by Russia against the people

20:09.640 --> 20:11.880
of Ukraine and the assault on the

20:11.880 --> 20:14.250
democratic institutions and the rules

20:14.250 --> 20:16.250
based international order that have

20:16.250 --> 20:18.940
prevented great power war For the last

20:18.940 --> 20:22.110
78 years since the end of World War Two ,

20:23.040 --> 20:25.670
We are now facing two global powers

20:26.140 --> 20:28.610
china and Russia , each with

20:28.610 --> 20:30.610
significant military capabilities ,

20:30.940 --> 20:34.520
both who intend to fundamentally change

20:34.700 --> 20:37.360
the current rules based order . We are

20:37.360 --> 20:39.990
entering a world that is becoming more

20:39.990 --> 20:42.160
unstable and the potential for

20:42.160 --> 20:44.104
significant international conflict

20:44.190 --> 20:46.350
between great powers is increasing .

20:46.840 --> 20:49.610
Not decreasing the United States

20:49.610 --> 20:52.300
military comprises one of the four key

20:52.300 --> 20:54.022
components of national power ,

20:54.340 --> 20:56.451
diplomatic , economic , informational

20:56.451 --> 20:58.507
and military in order to protect the

20:58.507 --> 21:00.673
homeland and sustain a stable and open

21:00.673 --> 21:02.950
international system in coordination

21:02.950 --> 21:05.061
with the other elements of power . We

21:05.061 --> 21:07.006
constantly develop a wide range of

21:07.006 --> 21:09.117
military options for the president as

21:09.117 --> 21:10.894
Commander in chief and for this

21:10.894 --> 21:12.839
Congress to consider as the United

21:12.839 --> 21:14.894
States military . We are prepared to

21:14.894 --> 21:17.006
deter and if necessary , to fight and

21:17.006 --> 21:19.172
win against anyone who seeks to attack

21:19.172 --> 21:21.320
the United States , our allies or are

21:21.320 --> 21:23.542
significant and vital national security

21:23.542 --> 21:25.764
interests . The Joint force appreciates

21:25.764 --> 21:27.209
the work that our elected

21:27.209 --> 21:29.264
representatives do to ensure that we

21:29.264 --> 21:31.209
have the resources needed to train

21:31.209 --> 21:33.376
equip and manage the force in order to

21:33.376 --> 21:35.431
be ready . We thank the Congress for

21:35.431 --> 21:37.542
increasing last year's fiscal years ,

21:37.542 --> 21:39.598
last fiscal year's level of military

21:39.598 --> 21:41.598
funding And we look forward to your

21:41.598 --> 21:43.653
support for this year's budget . The

21:43.653 --> 21:45.820
joint force will deliver modernization

21:45.820 --> 21:47.987
and readiness for our armed forces and

21:47.987 --> 21:50.042
security to the people of the United

21:50.042 --> 21:52.370
States . At the FY 23 budget request of

21:52.370 --> 21:55.900
773 billion . This budget will enable

21:55.900 --> 21:58.011
the decisions , the modernization and

21:58.011 --> 22:00.122
the transformation of the joint force

22:00.122 --> 22:02.344
in order to set and meet the conditions

22:02.344 --> 22:04.567
Of the operating environment that we're

22:04.567 --> 22:07.190
likely to see in 2030 and beyond the so

22:07.190 --> 22:09.301
called change in the character of war

22:09.301 --> 22:11.357
that we have discussed many times in

22:11.357 --> 22:14.150
the past . We will work diligently to

22:14.150 --> 22:16.039
ensure the resources the american

22:16.039 --> 22:18.261
people entrust to us are spent brutally

22:18.261 --> 22:20.428
in the best interests of the nation in

22:20.428 --> 22:22.428
alignment with the national defense

22:22.428 --> 22:24.594
strategy . In the forthcoming national

22:24.594 --> 22:26.372
military strategy . This budget

22:26.372 --> 22:28.317
delivers a ready agile and capable

22:28.317 --> 22:30.539
joint force that will defend the nation

22:30.539 --> 22:32.539
while taking care of our people and

22:32.539 --> 22:34.706
working with our partners and allies .

22:34.706 --> 22:36.594
We are currently witnessed to the

22:36.594 --> 22:38.428
greatest threat to the peace and

22:38.428 --> 22:40.372
security of europe and perhaps the

22:40.372 --> 22:42.372
world In my 42 , almost 43 years of

22:42.372 --> 22:44.910
service in uniform , the Russian

22:44.910 --> 22:47.260
invasion of Ukraine is threatening to

22:47.260 --> 22:49.650
undermine not only european peace and

22:49.650 --> 22:52.110
stability but global peace and

22:52.120 --> 22:54.380
stability . The one that my parents and

22:54.380 --> 22:56.690
generations of americans fought so hard

22:56.690 --> 22:59.180
to defend the islands of the pacific

22:59.180 --> 23:01.090
and the beaches of Normandy bore

23:01.090 --> 23:03.257
witness to the incredible tragedy that

23:03.257 --> 23:05.201
befalls humanity when nations seek

23:05.201 --> 23:07.090
power through military aggression

23:07.090 --> 23:09.620
across sovereign borders . Despite this

23:09.620 --> 23:11.842
horrific assault on the institutions of

23:11.842 --> 23:13.953
freedom , it is heartening to see the

23:13.953 --> 23:16.064
world rally and say never again . The

23:16.064 --> 23:18.480
specter of war in europe , your

23:18.480 --> 23:21.000
military stands ready to do whatever is

23:21.000 --> 23:23.360
directed in order to maintain the peace

23:23.360 --> 23:25.527
and stability not only in the european

23:25.527 --> 23:27.740
continent , but a piece that ensures

23:27.750 --> 23:29.940
global stability and international

23:29.940 --> 23:32.051
order . Where all nations can prosper

23:32.051 --> 23:34.300
in peace . We are also prepared and

23:34.300 --> 23:36.133
need to sustain our capabilities

23:36.133 --> 23:38.244
anywhere else on the globe as well as

23:38.244 --> 23:40.467
our priority effort in the AsIA pacific

23:40.467 --> 23:42.411
region measured against our pacing

23:42.411 --> 23:44.522
challenge of the People's Republic of

23:44.522 --> 23:46.744
china and in defense of our nation . We

23:46.744 --> 23:48.911
must maintain competitive overmatch in

23:48.911 --> 23:51.189
all the domains of war , space , cyber ,

23:51.189 --> 23:53.500
land , sea and air , the United States

23:53.500 --> 23:55.810
of America is at a very critical and

23:55.810 --> 23:58.170
historic geo strategic inflection point .

23:58.840 --> 24:01.062
We need to pursue a clear eyed strategy

24:01.340 --> 24:03.230
of maintaining the peace to the

24:03.230 --> 24:05.174
unambiguous capability of strength

24:05.340 --> 24:08.150
relative to china and Russia . This

24:08.150 --> 24:10.060
requires that we simultaneously

24:10.390 --> 24:12.450
maintain current readiness and

24:12.450 --> 24:15.050
modernize it for the future . If we do

24:15.050 --> 24:17.050
not do that then we are risking the

24:17.050 --> 24:19.217
security of future generations . And I

24:19.217 --> 24:21.383
believe this budget is a major step in

24:21.383 --> 24:23.606
the right direction . I look forward to

24:23.606 --> 24:27.370
your questions . Thank

24:27.370 --> 24:31.240
you . I've I've got three questions

24:31.240 --> 24:35.190
and succinct answers . Um I want to

24:35.190 --> 24:38.530
be a good steward of time for my

24:38.790 --> 24:41.170
my colleagues here at the podium .

24:42.040 --> 24:45.370
Um Yesterday President biden referred

24:45.370 --> 24:47.880
to combating inflation as his top

24:47.880 --> 24:51.120
domestic policy . Would you please

24:51.120 --> 24:53.660
share with the committee the fy 23

24:53.660 --> 24:56.560
budget request and how it was built in

24:56.560 --> 24:59.560
the amount of program and costs

25:00.240 --> 25:01.962
growth and then how you worked

25:01.962 --> 25:04.450
inflation into that . So as Secretary

25:04.450 --> 25:06.672
Austin , if you start out with that and

25:06.672 --> 25:08.561
if you want to turn it over to mr

25:08.561 --> 25:12.480
McCord at any point , please do so Well .

25:12.480 --> 25:14.480
Thank you Terry Mccollum and I will

25:14.480 --> 25:16.591
provide some comments and I certainly

25:16.591 --> 25:19.420
will invite uh Secretary Mccollum to

25:19.430 --> 25:21.486
Secretary McCord . Excuse me to make

25:21.486 --> 25:25.390
some comments as well . Um We built

25:25.390 --> 25:27.390
this budget based upon our national

25:27.390 --> 25:29.612
Defense strategy which we just released

25:29.612 --> 25:31.910
as you know in classified form . We

25:31.910 --> 25:34.132
were very diligent careful to make sure

25:34.132 --> 25:36.132
that we went after the capabilities

25:36.132 --> 25:38.670
that we needed to support that strategy .

25:39.040 --> 25:41.670
Uh And I'm confident that that we were

25:41.670 --> 25:43.910
successful in doing that and this

25:43.910 --> 25:45.680
budget provides a significant

25:45.680 --> 25:48.640
capability . Uh and and again as we

25:48.640 --> 25:50.790
match those capabilities to what's

25:50.790 --> 25:54.750
needed to be relevant in uh in in the

25:54.750 --> 25:58.050
work that we're uh we're pursuing uh in

25:58.050 --> 26:01.510
the indo pacific and also in europe , I

26:01.510 --> 26:05.170
think that that again this is a very

26:05.180 --> 26:06.847
healthy budget and provides a

26:06.847 --> 26:09.013
significant capability . When we built

26:09.013 --> 26:11.124
the budget , we had to snap the chalk

26:11.124 --> 26:13.660
line at some point in time . As as you

26:13.660 --> 26:15.771
always do when you build a budget and

26:15.771 --> 26:18.090
at that point in time we made some some

26:18.090 --> 26:20.990
key assumptions and uh and I'll let

26:21.000 --> 26:23.530
Secretary McCord speak to them . Mr

26:23.530 --> 26:27.250
Secretary , thank you . Yes . As the

26:27.250 --> 26:29.472
secretary said the first line of effort

26:29.472 --> 26:31.694
of course was building the budget to to

26:31.694 --> 26:33.861
support the strategy and implement the

26:33.861 --> 26:36.083
strategy . But parallel to that , I was

26:36.083 --> 26:35.890
conducting a review . My team was on

26:35.890 --> 26:38.860
what inflation was doing In in county

26:38.860 --> 26:40.916
or 21 , which was the period we were

26:40.916 --> 26:42.916
building the budget . So we came in

26:42.916 --> 26:44.693
with an assumption that the GDP

26:44.693 --> 26:46.804
inflation that we used would be about

26:46.804 --> 26:49.027
two . We saw that that was increasingly

26:49.027 --> 26:51.880
doubled it basically 243.9% for 22 as

26:51.880 --> 26:54.610
we built that price increase into 23

26:54.750 --> 26:57.080
going forward . Uh If you look at the

26:57.080 --> 26:59.136
last six months of data which we did

26:59.136 --> 27:01.302
not have them but have now That number

27:01.302 --> 27:03.470
is now five , So we are a little under

27:03.480 --> 27:05.591
but we as secretary said , we did the

27:05.591 --> 27:07.702
best we could with the information we

27:07.702 --> 27:09.702
had . We recognize that things have

27:09.702 --> 27:12.340
changed a little since then . And as as

27:12.340 --> 27:14.562
I described in my rollout briefing when

27:14.562 --> 27:16.729
the budget came out , we put about $14

27:16.729 --> 27:20.190
billion five-year

27:20.190 --> 27:22.790
plan for goods and services , another

27:22.790 --> 27:26.770
$6 billion $20 billion dollars per year

27:27.340 --> 27:29.396
from last year's plan to this year's

27:29.396 --> 27:31.618
plan . Just for the pricing increase on

27:31.618 --> 27:34.290
top of the strategy driven specific

27:34.290 --> 27:36.850
program choices . So

27:39.040 --> 27:41.150
thank you for that . Um So it's

27:41.160 --> 27:44.050
inflation as as I said , the president

27:44.060 --> 27:46.570
is focused on combating it and I know

27:46.570 --> 27:48.950
you will work diligently with both

27:48.950 --> 27:51.800
sides of the aisle as well as as our

27:51.800 --> 27:53.911
staff as we move forward . If we have

27:53.911 --> 27:56.010
any inflation issues that need to be

27:56.020 --> 27:58.020
addressed . But thank thank you for

27:58.020 --> 27:59.964
that answer . Uh the run up to the

27:59.964 --> 28:02.187
Russian invasion of Ukraine . The biden

28:02.187 --> 28:03.798
administration engaged in an

28:03.798 --> 28:05.853
unprecedented campaign to declassify

28:05.853 --> 28:08.060
intelligence one I fully supported

28:08.240 --> 28:10.740
knowing what I was being briefed on and

28:10.740 --> 28:12.907
what I thought the american public and

28:12.907 --> 28:15.129
the world should know . Could you maybe

28:15.129 --> 28:17.110
expand for this committee ? How

28:17.120 --> 28:19.140
important the role of intelligence

28:19.140 --> 28:22.670
diplomacy has been in

28:22.670 --> 28:25.110
Ukraine and working with our european

28:25.110 --> 28:28.970
allies as the Russians prepared . It's

28:28.980 --> 28:31.260
unnecessary aggression against the

28:31.270 --> 28:34.030
people of Ukraine . Uh And are there

28:34.030 --> 28:36.510
any areas in the defense intelligent

28:36.520 --> 28:39.250
enterprise that you would recommend for

28:39.250 --> 28:41.280
additional investments or for this

28:41.280 --> 28:44.360
committee to focus on ? Okay ,

28:45.340 --> 28:47.451
well thank you . Chair Mccollum . You

28:47.451 --> 28:50.080
make a great point . Yeah . What what

28:50.090 --> 28:53.300
what we did in terms of sharing

28:53.300 --> 28:55.133
intelligence with our allies and

28:55.133 --> 28:59.020
partners was very very helpful uh to to

28:59.020 --> 29:00.853
demonstrate that we wanted to be

29:00.853 --> 29:03.500
transparent and this is a tribute or

29:03.500 --> 29:06.120
credit to the president . It was his

29:06.120 --> 29:09.610
decision to uh to move forward and uh

29:09.620 --> 29:12.330
and make sure that we shared as much

29:12.490 --> 29:15.270
information as possible that created

29:15.270 --> 29:17.640
trust amongst our our allies in a in a

29:17.650 --> 29:20.190
more meaningful way uh and that that

29:20.190 --> 29:22.960
trust created allowed us to create

29:22.970 --> 29:25.090
greater unity . And so from the very

29:25.090 --> 29:27.880
beginning you've seen the president

29:27.890 --> 29:30.250
myself , secretary Blinken Blinken

29:30.250 --> 29:33.620
worked hard to make sure that we

29:33.770 --> 29:37.150
united the Alliance as as much as we

29:37.150 --> 29:40.060
could . Uh and and they have we have

29:40.060 --> 29:42.227
been united from the very start and we

29:42.227 --> 29:44.449
hope to be that way going forward . But

29:44.449 --> 29:46.560
to answer your question , the sharing

29:46.560 --> 29:48.616
of intelligence was a key element in

29:48.616 --> 29:50.782
getting us to where we are right now .

29:52.640 --> 29:55.110
And then my last question and I know

29:55.110 --> 29:57.010
I'll probably get a brief answer

29:57.010 --> 29:59.110
because we're going to be talking to

29:59.110 --> 30:01.670
your status as we move forward . But uh

30:01.680 --> 30:03.624
there's a lot of focus on the indo

30:03.624 --> 30:05.847
pacific and rightly so . But the arctic

30:05.847 --> 30:07.680
also with what is happening with

30:07.680 --> 30:09.847
climate change , the natural resources

30:09.847 --> 30:12.013
that are up there , The shipping , the

30:12.013 --> 30:14.124
distance , the United States actually

30:14.124 --> 30:16.236
is from Russia . The fact that Russia

30:16.236 --> 30:18.530
and china at times are are working

30:18.530 --> 30:20.620
together and china is considering

30:20.620 --> 30:23.210
itself a near arctic nation , which as

30:23.210 --> 30:25.321
a geography teacher , I find a little

30:25.321 --> 30:27.580
baffling , but they often say things

30:27.580 --> 30:31.270
that baffle me . Um would you maybe uh

30:31.440 --> 30:33.662
talk about what the department is doing

30:33.662 --> 30:35.940
to coordinate activities in the arctic ?

30:35.940 --> 30:38.273
But here again with a lot of our allies ,

30:38.273 --> 30:40.107
a lot of our NATO allies and any

30:40.107 --> 30:42.620
resources that you would want us to be

30:42.620 --> 30:44.676
focused on that are included in this

30:44.676 --> 30:48.590
budget . We were an arctic nation .

30:48.600 --> 30:50.830
This is this is a region that's very

30:50.840 --> 30:54.560
important to us . Uh and you've seen

30:54.560 --> 30:57.670
us address the arctic in our strategy ,

30:57.670 --> 30:59.892
our national defense strategy that just

30:59.892 --> 31:02.114
came out . You've seen us most recently

31:02.114 --> 31:04.840
opened up a a a center that's that's

31:04.840 --> 31:08.360
focused on arctic issues . And uh and

31:08.360 --> 31:11.580
we're we continue the work of making

31:11.580 --> 31:13.747
sure that we have that center properly

31:13.747 --> 31:16.024
manned and focused on the right issues .

31:16.024 --> 31:18.247
We've conducted a number of significant

31:18.247 --> 31:21.170
exercises in the arctic region here

31:21.180 --> 31:23.347
recently . As a matter of fact , there

31:23.347 --> 31:25.458
is a substantial exercise on going up

31:25.458 --> 31:28.730
there right now with air exercise . And

31:28.740 --> 31:32.330
and uh that's been , you know , we've

31:32.330 --> 31:34.274
been doing that throughout . We'll

31:34.274 --> 31:36.497
continue that work . We've recently had

31:36.497 --> 31:38.386
to combatant commanders visit the

31:38.386 --> 31:40.441
arctic simultaneously . And and so I

31:40.441 --> 31:43.830
think I think this is a focus area for

31:43.830 --> 31:45.608
us . As you pointed out this is

31:45.608 --> 31:47.719
important and uh , and we'll continue

31:47.719 --> 31:50.670
to resource it appropriately . Thank

31:50.670 --> 31:54.250
you for that . And I look forward

31:54.250 --> 31:56.890
to being a person from the Bold North .

31:56.890 --> 31:59.480
As many of us on this committee are not

31:59.480 --> 32:01.702
the gentleman next to me from florida .

32:01.702 --> 32:03.813
However , uh , to work with with with

32:03.813 --> 32:06.620
you on this . Mr calvert . Thank you ,

32:06.620 --> 32:09.030
madam . Chair Secretary Austin , I

32:09.030 --> 32:11.197
think we're all in agreement regarding

32:11.197 --> 32:13.390
the threats facing our nation . China

32:13.400 --> 32:15.178
is using all the instruments of

32:15.178 --> 32:17.067
national power to erode America's

32:17.067 --> 32:19.270
standing in the world . We received

32:19.270 --> 32:21.437
your new National Defense Strategy and

32:21.437 --> 32:23.603
your fy 2023 budget request . I'd like

32:23.603 --> 32:26.690
to know A few things . 1st how does

32:26.690 --> 32:28.468
this budget align with your new

32:28.468 --> 32:30.800
strategy and second , how does this

32:30.800 --> 32:33.070
budget specifically deter china and

32:33.070 --> 32:35.820
Russia for example , with no clear

32:35.820 --> 32:38.630
shipbuilding plan And only eight ships .

32:38.630 --> 32:40.741
As I read the budget requested in the

32:40.741 --> 32:42.852
budget coupled with the retirement of

32:42.852 --> 32:46.380
24 ships have a very big concern that

32:46.390 --> 32:48.446
we're not taking the threat of china

32:48.446 --> 32:50.334
aggression in the south china sea

32:50.334 --> 32:52.390
seriously . Especially when China is

32:52.390 --> 32:56.000
building 22 ships this year , retiring

32:56.010 --> 32:58.590
24 and only building eight . How does

32:58.590 --> 33:00.812
this budget ensure that we're balancing

33:00.812 --> 33:02.812
the ability to fight tonight with a

33:02.812 --> 33:04.868
much needed modernization across the

33:04.868 --> 33:07.740
armed forces . Well , thank you sir .

33:07.750 --> 33:11.070
Um again , when we built this budget ,

33:11.080 --> 33:14.900
we built it based upon our new National

33:14.900 --> 33:16.790
Defense strategy and there is

33:16.790 --> 33:19.340
significant investment in a number of

33:19.340 --> 33:22.630
issues that a number of capabilities

33:22.630 --> 33:25.700
that are absolutely relevant to to the

33:25.700 --> 33:29.000
competition with china . As you know ,

33:29.010 --> 33:32.590
we have to be relevant in all

33:32.590 --> 33:34.923
domains , all warfighting domains , air ,

33:34.923 --> 33:37.560
land , sea , space and cyber And in

33:37.560 --> 33:39.449
this budget you see us invest $27

33:39.449 --> 33:42.250
billion $11 billion

33:42.250 --> 33:45.990
$24 billion dollars in

33:46.000 --> 33:49.600
missile defense And defeat uh $7

33:49.600 --> 33:52.350
billion $4 billion dollars of that is

33:52.360 --> 33:55.690
invested in hypersonic . And so we're

33:55.690 --> 33:57.940
investing in significant capability

33:58.140 --> 33:59.973
with this budget and there is an

33:59.973 --> 34:02.550
additional $6.1 billion dollars

34:02.940 --> 34:05.770
invested in our pacific Defense

34:05.780 --> 34:09.150
Initiative . So we believe that that

34:09.150 --> 34:11.150
again this is going after the right

34:11.150 --> 34:13.830
capabilities to ensure that we remain

34:13.830 --> 34:16.060
not only competitive but we're we

34:16.060 --> 34:18.227
maintain that competitive edge that we

34:18.227 --> 34:21.700
spoke of earlier . Well obviously

34:21.710 --> 34:24.140
from my perspective and I think from

34:24.140 --> 34:26.251
the perspective of many of us on this

34:26.251 --> 34:28.307
side is and obviously all the things

34:28.307 --> 34:30.418
that you talked about were supportive

34:30.418 --> 34:33.510
of at the same time , right numbers do

34:33.510 --> 34:36.370
matter . And right now as you know ,

34:36.370 --> 34:39.820
the Chinese have won about 360 ships to

34:39.820 --> 34:43.270
our 280 ships And they're building

34:43.280 --> 34:45.590
significantly almost 3-1 to our

34:45.590 --> 34:48.330
capability . So that's a big concern .

34:48.350 --> 34:52.130
Um one of the quick question on the

34:52.140 --> 34:54.710
issue of civilian personnel , I know I

34:54.710 --> 34:57.900
bring this up to you and others . Often

34:58.440 --> 35:02.360
I have a historic trend sheet here that

35:02.840 --> 35:05.580
I would like to submit to the record In

35:05.580 --> 35:08.600
the year 2000 , there were 651,000 d .

35:08.600 --> 35:09.750
o . d . civilians

35:10.840 --> 35:14.300
And 1,384,000 active duty

35:14.300 --> 35:17.490
military . Today there's 100,000 more

35:17.490 --> 35:19.670
civilians . 752,000

35:20.890 --> 35:24.670
Actually 753,000 civilian employees .

35:25.240 --> 35:29.220
2 1,350,000 active duty . So we've

35:29.220 --> 35:31.410
dropped active duty by 50,000 and

35:31.410 --> 35:34.120
increased civilians by 100,000 . And

35:34.120 --> 35:37.030
the ratio obviously is out of sync to

35:37.030 --> 35:39.590
the historic average . And I think I've

35:39.590 --> 35:41.646
mentioned to you , if we went to the

35:41.646 --> 35:44.960
Business Council recommendation to

35:44.960 --> 35:47.182
bring that back to the historic ratio ,

35:47.440 --> 35:49.940
We would save $125 billion dollars over

35:49.940 --> 35:52.051
five years which we could keep in the

35:52.051 --> 35:54.218
department and spend on procurement of

35:54.218 --> 35:56.218
building the ships that we need and

35:56.218 --> 35:58.440
building the new airframes that we need

35:58.440 --> 36:00.760
and assisting the army and all the rest

36:00.760 --> 36:03.370
of the service in on the capabilities

36:03.370 --> 36:06.530
that they desperately need . So again ,

36:06.540 --> 36:09.300
I would take a look at the reforms that

36:09.300 --> 36:11.411
are necessary to bring this back into

36:12.030 --> 36:15.540
back into some historic ratio where we

36:15.550 --> 36:17.606
spend the money where it needs to be

36:17.606 --> 36:19.820
spent and Madam Chair , I'd like to

36:19.820 --> 36:21.700
submit this chair for the record

36:21.710 --> 36:25.680
without objection . Anything you would

36:25.680 --> 36:27.402
like to address on that . Mr .

36:27.402 --> 36:29.458
Secretary . Well , thanks to read as

36:29.458 --> 36:31.569
we've as I've mentioned to you before

36:31.569 --> 36:33.736
and we talked about this , maintaining

36:33.736 --> 36:35.902
the right balance that you pointed out

36:35.902 --> 36:39.110
is uh is a key objective of mine and

36:39.110 --> 36:41.221
and we'll stay cited on this and make

36:41.221 --> 36:44.200
sure that that we have , we do in fact

36:44.200 --> 36:46.422
have the right balance . We've taken on

36:46.422 --> 36:48.880
a number of new initiatives were doing

36:48.880 --> 36:50.824
things in space and cyberspace and

36:50.824 --> 36:53.850
other areas that that require um

36:54.230 --> 36:56.660
additional staffing . But to your point

36:56.670 --> 37:00.500
we have to make sure that we keep our

37:00.510 --> 37:03.000
our staff lean . Uh and uh and that

37:03.000 --> 37:05.056
were you know , we have what we need

37:05.056 --> 37:07.000
and not more than we need . So I'm

37:07.000 --> 37:09.056
committed to you to continue to work

37:09.056 --> 37:08.450
this .

37:13.130 --> 37:16.600
Mr Mr laurel or I should say for

37:16.600 --> 37:19.600
committee chairs . Mr Lawrence . Find

37:19.600 --> 37:23.450
you could even call me rosa anyway um

37:23.460 --> 37:26.790
Thank you very very much Madam Chair uh

37:26.800 --> 37:28.890
Mr Secretary . We when we wrote the

37:28.900 --> 37:30.956
second supplemental one area that we

37:30.956 --> 37:32.956
focused on was our ability to track

37:32.956 --> 37:35.011
weapons that we are sending to uh to

37:35.011 --> 37:37.240
Ukraine . The bill requires you along

37:37.240 --> 37:39.240
with Secretary Blinken to report to

37:39.240 --> 37:41.351
Congress on measures taken to account

37:41.351 --> 37:43.920
for the defense article sent to Ukraine ,

37:43.920 --> 37:46.030
particularly those that require

37:46.030 --> 37:49.340
enhanced uh and use monitoring um look

37:49.340 --> 37:51.229
forward to your report . Is there

37:51.229 --> 37:53.284
anything you can share with us today

37:53.284 --> 37:55.507
about actions you are taking . Uh we're

37:55.507 --> 37:57.729
having more of a diplomatic presence in

37:57.729 --> 37:59.729
Ukraine , even if it were less than

37:59.729 --> 38:01.896
before the Russian invasion Help ? How

38:01.896 --> 38:04.062
was the Department of Defense ensuring

38:04.062 --> 38:06.118
that equipment is reaching the right

38:06.118 --> 38:08.062
Ukrainian units and used for their

38:08.062 --> 38:11.470
intended purposes . Uh 2022 omnibus

38:11.470 --> 38:14.000
provided an additional $300 million for

38:14.000 --> 38:16.150
US allies and partners in europe ,

38:16.520 --> 38:18.750
Including 180 million for the Baltic

38:18.750 --> 38:21.220
Security Initiative . 30 million for

38:21.220 --> 38:23.850
Poland , 30 million for Romania . 20

38:23.850 --> 38:25.906
million from Bulgaria and 40 million

38:25.906 --> 38:28.017
for Georgia . How will the department

38:28.017 --> 38:30.128
use these resources to shore up their

38:30.128 --> 38:33.680
defenses ? Thanks . Charity laurel

38:33.690 --> 38:36.300
accountability is is an important issue

38:36.300 --> 38:38.820
to all of us . As you know , we don't

38:38.820 --> 38:40.931
have people on the ground right now .

38:40.931 --> 38:42.987
So it makes it a bit difficult . But

38:42.987 --> 38:45.153
this is an issue that when when when I

38:45.153 --> 38:48.830
met with President President Zelensky

38:48.840 --> 38:51.950
and and Minister of Defense Reznikoff

38:51.960 --> 38:55.820
in Kiev about two weeks ago , I

38:55.820 --> 38:57.431
emphasized the importance of

38:57.431 --> 38:59.653
accountability and his Chief of Defense

38:59.653 --> 39:01.840
was also in that meeting . Uh and and

39:01.840 --> 39:03.951
how important it is to make sure that

39:03.951 --> 39:06.510
they are tracking uh well , you know ,

39:06.510 --> 39:08.790
the disposition of our sensitive

39:08.800 --> 39:10.633
equipment that's uh that's being

39:10.633 --> 39:12.800
deployed . Uh And they assured me that

39:12.800 --> 39:14.600
they were focused on this and I

39:14.610 --> 39:17.430
revisited this again with the Minister

39:17.430 --> 39:21.370
of Defense A week ago two weeks ago and

39:21.380 --> 39:23.640
and when when I met with him in Germany

39:23.640 --> 39:26.070
and then as late as yesterday and in

39:26.070 --> 39:28.237
terms of the disposition of the actual

39:28.237 --> 39:30.860
disposition of the equipment whether or

39:30.860 --> 39:33.500
not it's getting to where the people

39:33.500 --> 39:35.722
that needed . This is this is something

39:35.722 --> 39:37.722
that the chairman and I check every

39:37.722 --> 39:39.833
time that we talk to our counterparts

39:39.833 --> 39:41.944
and we talked to them weekly . Uh and

39:41.944 --> 39:44.480
again , I revisited this issue with uh

39:44.490 --> 39:47.240
Minister Resident Reznikoff yesterday .

39:47.250 --> 39:50.600
And uh and again , we'll continue to

39:50.610 --> 39:53.360
uh to emphasize this this very , very

39:53.360 --> 39:55.980
important point . And I'm presuming

39:55.980 --> 39:58.036
that we are working with these other

39:58.036 --> 40:00.620
countries and in essence to bolster

40:00.620 --> 40:02.620
their resources as well in terms of

40:02.620 --> 40:04.860
what they need , Bulgaria , Romania

40:04.860 --> 40:07.910
Poland , we continue that work . You're

40:07.920 --> 40:10.087
you're right , you're thank you . If I

40:10.087 --> 40:12.960
can just have a quick question . You

40:12.960 --> 40:14.960
know , there's a great focus on the

40:14.960 --> 40:16.738
total amount of funding for the

40:16.738 --> 40:18.738
Department of Defense . I'd like to

40:18.738 --> 40:20.849
focus on two other aspects consistent

40:20.849 --> 40:24.670
and timely funding Uh from 21 to

40:24.670 --> 40:26.290
22 for programs within the

40:26.290 --> 40:28.179
Subcommittee's jurisdiction , the

40:28.179 --> 40:30.800
Department received a 4.7% increase .

40:30.810 --> 40:32.866
The budget request proposes a nearly

40:32.866 --> 40:36.640
identical increase for 2022-2023 .

40:37.010 --> 40:39.580
We have already started the process of

40:39.580 --> 40:41.802
having full committee counterparts meet

40:41.802 --> 40:43.913
to attempt to come to an agreement on

40:43.913 --> 40:45.969
overall spending which would greatly

40:45.969 --> 40:49.010
facilitate the enactment of the 2023

40:49.010 --> 40:51.770
bills . How important our

40:51.770 --> 40:54.690
predictability , The Steady increases

40:54.690 --> 40:56.770
in funding . How helpful would it be

40:56.770 --> 40:58.714
for the Department for Congress to

40:58.714 --> 41:02.070
enact spending bills before October one .

41:02.080 --> 41:03.990
And can you describe the negative

41:03.990 --> 41:06.140
consequences of another cr

41:07.610 --> 41:09.666
well , first of all charity laurel .

41:09.666 --> 41:11.666
Let me thank you for your continued

41:11.666 --> 41:13.888
focus on this issue , you've done a lot

41:13.888 --> 41:15.999
of work to help the department in the

41:15.999 --> 41:18.230
past and I appreciate what what I

41:18.230 --> 41:20.452
anticipate that you will continue to do

41:20.452 --> 41:22.570
in the future . Thanks thanks for

41:22.570 --> 41:25.290
everything . Uh This is this is really

41:25.290 --> 41:27.660
important . And if I could ask for ,

41:27.670 --> 41:29.970
you know , anything , it's for , you

41:29.970 --> 41:32.550
know , both sides to uh to lean into

41:32.550 --> 41:34.620
this and get the budget passed as

41:34.620 --> 41:36.980
quickly as possible . And I know it's

41:36.980 --> 41:39.710
important to everybody , but as you

41:39.710 --> 41:41.877
know , without a without a budget , we

41:41.877 --> 41:43.877
can't do new starts and some of the

41:43.877 --> 41:46.043
things that we want to invest in which

41:46.043 --> 41:48.099
will give us that capability that uh

41:48.099 --> 41:50.321
that helps us maintain that competitive

41:50.321 --> 41:52.810
edge . Uh you know , it we're late in

41:52.810 --> 41:55.550
some cases getting started , so getting

41:55.550 --> 41:57.772
a budget by september would be would be

41:57.772 --> 42:00.280
great . Uh and uh and again , if I

42:00.280 --> 42:02.502
could ask for everyone's help on that ,

42:02.502 --> 42:04.724
again , that's that's that's one of the

42:04.724 --> 42:06.947
most important things that you could do

42:06.947 --> 42:08.836
to help us aside from passing the

42:08.836 --> 42:10.947
budget itself . Thank you very , very

42:10.947 --> 42:13.113
much . And thank you for your help the

42:13.113 --> 42:15.169
last time , I just might conclude by

42:15.169 --> 42:17.391
saying that Through the supplementals ,

42:17.391 --> 42:19.391
both in March and the one we passed

42:19.391 --> 42:19.300
last night we're talking about close to

42:19.300 --> 42:23.230
$30 billion so I think

42:23.230 --> 42:25.230
we are keeping our commitment in in

42:25.230 --> 42:27.810
that uh in in in in that in that effort

42:27.820 --> 42:30.580
as as we move forward . And so that

42:30.580 --> 42:32.691
what we're looking at in terms of the

42:32.691 --> 42:34.913
increased percentage in the President's

42:34.913 --> 42:37.136
budget , I should be in line with where

42:37.136 --> 42:39.302
we can try to move forward . But thank

42:39.302 --> 42:41.469
you very very much all of you for your

42:41.469 --> 42:43.524
for your service and for all of your

42:43.524 --> 42:45.302
efforts to keeping our national

42:45.302 --> 42:47.636
security secure . Thank you . Thank you ,

42:47.636 --> 42:50.550
madam Chair . Thank you for working it

42:50.550 --> 42:52.550
in . I know how busy everybody is .

42:54.760 --> 42:57.480
Next four questions . We will hear from

42:57.480 --> 43:00.760
the full ranking member um at the

43:00.770 --> 43:03.103
appropriations Committee , Miss Granger .

43:07.300 --> 43:11.000
Thank you . The military services want

43:11.000 --> 43:14.390
to retire equipment well before the end

43:14.390 --> 43:16.540
of their useful lives , the

43:16.540 --> 43:18.640
capabilities lost by retiring these

43:18.640 --> 43:21.070
assets will not be replaced until

43:21.070 --> 43:24.360
future systems come online . One

43:24.360 --> 43:26.527
example of this is the Navy's littoral

43:26.527 --> 43:29.190
combat ship General Milley . Please

43:29.190 --> 43:31.360
explain how the department determines

43:31.370 --> 43:34.210
what amount of risk is acceptable when

43:34.210 --> 43:36.510
considering these types of retirements .

43:39.600 --> 43:41.880
The way we evaluate risk is the risk to

43:41.880 --> 43:43.936
the mission primarily we take inputs

43:43.936 --> 43:46.790
from the combatant commanders for that

43:46.800 --> 43:49.530
and secondly evaluate risk to force and

43:49.540 --> 43:51.651
for that . We're looking at train man

43:51.651 --> 43:53.762
equipped which is primarily the roles

43:53.762 --> 43:55.929
of the service chiefs . Together those

43:55.929 --> 43:58.310
come in to me and I compile that for

43:58.310 --> 44:00.366
the secretary and provide him a risk

44:00.366 --> 44:02.720
assessment with respect to the littoral

44:02.730 --> 44:06.010
combat ship Navy program , uh Navy

44:06.020 --> 44:09.620
Marine program . Um There's an ongoing

44:09.620 --> 44:12.870
study for amphibious warfare uh and in

44:12.870 --> 44:15.037
the navy for the shipbuilding , as was

44:15.037 --> 44:17.203
mentioned by uh ranking member calvert

44:17.203 --> 44:19.370
about shipbuilding . Uh And we based a

44:19.370 --> 44:22.290
lot of our analysis on those inputs

44:22.290 --> 44:24.690
from the Navy and the Marine Corps . So

44:24.690 --> 44:26.857
if you don't have a replacement for it

44:27.000 --> 44:29.460
and you're still considering it , then

44:29.460 --> 44:32.150
why why would you mothball them as we

44:32.150 --> 44:35.190
call it at this time ? Well , it comes

44:35.190 --> 44:38.680
down to balance uh in terms of

44:38.690 --> 44:41.450
what's affordable and what the Navy can

44:41.450 --> 44:43.339
afford and what the Department of

44:43.339 --> 44:45.561
Defense can afford . Uh So there's risk

44:45.561 --> 44:47.617
calculations on what not to fund and

44:47.617 --> 44:49.506
what to fund . Uh And the overall

44:49.506 --> 44:52.520
assessment was to go ahead and uh fund

44:52.520 --> 44:54.960
the eight ships that were buying and

44:54.960 --> 44:57.040
not to continue to fund the LCS for

44:57.040 --> 44:59.262
this particular budget , I have serious

44:59.262 --> 45:01.770
concerns about the way that was

45:01.780 --> 45:04.220
determined . I have another question .

45:04.220 --> 45:06.860
Secretary Austin the conflict in

45:06.860 --> 45:09.110
Ukraine has placed a high demand on our

45:09.110 --> 45:12.860
supply of javelin singers and other U .

45:12.860 --> 45:15.840
S . Munitions . This demand has

45:16.390 --> 45:19.460
highlight a cap capacity issue for a

45:19.460 --> 45:21.560
defense industry . How can we best

45:21.560 --> 45:24.610
support a robust and flexible capacity

45:24.620 --> 45:26.787
for our defense industry . And how can

45:26.787 --> 45:29.200
we ensure that we have stockpile

45:29.200 --> 45:31.870
sufficient to meet demand for critical

45:31.880 --> 45:34.500
items needed in Ukraine and for future

45:34.510 --> 45:38.370
conflicts , stockpiles are

45:38.370 --> 45:40.259
something that the chairman and I

45:40.259 --> 45:42.750
monitor routinely . Certainly we have

45:42.750 --> 45:45.530
the input from each of the services uh

45:45.530 --> 45:49.180
and uh in terms of working with

45:49.180 --> 45:51.700
industry to get them to open up lines

45:51.700 --> 45:54.010
and increased product uh production .

45:54.390 --> 45:56.730
As you know , we we met with industry

45:56.740 --> 45:59.290
early on . They've they've committed to

45:59.290 --> 46:01.457
doing that . You saw the president was

46:01.457 --> 46:03.630
just down at one of the one of the

46:03.630 --> 46:06.730
Javelin , uh one of the places where

46:06.730 --> 46:08.674
we're producing javelins here just

46:08.674 --> 46:10.674
recently and and got a thorough lay

46:10.674 --> 46:13.730
down . Uh so the the defense industry's

46:13.730 --> 46:15.770
leading into this , uh it'll take a

46:15.780 --> 46:18.040
little bit of time to to get some of

46:18.040 --> 46:20.600
these opened up uh to the degree that

46:20.600 --> 46:22.720
we want them opened up . But uh but

46:22.720 --> 46:25.020
that work is ongoing and and I have to

46:25.020 --> 46:28.110
admit that the industry is is meeting

46:28.110 --> 46:30.290
us more than halfway on this issue .

46:32.180 --> 46:33.290
Thank you .

46:36.880 --> 46:39.570
Next . Excuse me Next . We'll go to Mr

46:39.570 --> 46:41.960
Ruth Ruppersberger , Mr Womack . Mr

46:41.960 --> 46:44.071
Aguilar . And then Mr after hold , Mr

46:44.071 --> 46:46.290
Roethlisberger recognized the first

46:46.290 --> 46:48.770
thing I want to acknowledge . Mr

46:48.770 --> 46:52.560
Secretary and General , um your your

46:52.560 --> 46:54.282
confidence , your leadership .

46:54.282 --> 46:56.393
Throughout the years I've been here ,

46:56.393 --> 46:58.290
I've been working mostly national

46:58.290 --> 47:00.220
security and I think you both are

47:00.230 --> 47:02.286
excellent leaders and you're in very

47:02.286 --> 47:04.508
difficult times and I think you have to

47:04.508 --> 47:06.563
build the right team to move forward

47:06.563 --> 47:08.508
and what what your mission is . So

47:08.508 --> 47:10.508
thank you for your service . Um I'm

47:10.508 --> 47:12.674
going to get into more specific area .

47:12.674 --> 47:14.910
Ukraine cyber security posture . Um

47:14.920 --> 47:16.698
over the last few weeks we have

47:16.698 --> 47:18.753
publicly learned more and more about

47:18.753 --> 47:22.050
how our nation's cyberspace operations

47:22.050 --> 47:25.330
have ? Both aided allies and partners

47:25.330 --> 47:27.920
like Ukraine and our own understanding

47:27.920 --> 47:30.170
of our adversaries capabilities and

47:30.170 --> 47:33.460
techniques in cyberspace now , how

47:33.460 --> 47:36.130
important is persistent engagement with

47:36.130 --> 47:39.000
malign actors in cyberspace ? And how

47:39.000 --> 47:41.300
do you assess us ? Cyber command's

47:41.300 --> 47:43.900
capacity to build more partnerships

47:43.900 --> 47:46.340
like we have with european nations and

47:46.340 --> 47:50.270
other parts of the world in terms of

47:50.270 --> 47:52.550
the importance . It is absolutely

47:52.550 --> 47:55.790
critical and that's why early on

47:56.180 --> 47:59.440
we partnered with Ukrainians

47:59.450 --> 48:03.070
in help them with training and and

48:03.080 --> 48:06.860
help them to outline issues and

48:06.870 --> 48:08.981
associated with their networks that's

48:08.981 --> 48:12.030
paying dividends for them as we speak .

48:12.040 --> 48:15.660
Uh It also allows us to get early

48:15.660 --> 48:18.240
warning uh if if we see something

48:18.240 --> 48:20.296
developing that could be a threat to

48:20.296 --> 48:22.500
our allies or or us . And so that's

48:22.500 --> 48:25.440
been very helpful to us In this budget .

48:25.450 --> 48:27.561
Sir . You've seen that we've invested

48:27.561 --> 48:30.860
some over $11 billion dollars in in in

48:30.860 --> 48:34.720
cyber that helps us to modernize uh the

48:34.730 --> 48:36.841
force , but it also helps to increase

48:36.841 --> 48:39.100
the size of the force . And uh and that

48:39.100 --> 48:42.120
will help in in our efforts to partner

48:42.120 --> 48:44.970
with additional nations not only in

48:44.970 --> 48:48.280
europe , but most importantly in in the

48:48.290 --> 48:51.120
in the indo pacific as well . So to

48:51.120 --> 48:53.342
answer your question , it's critical we

48:53.342 --> 48:55.453
are building more capacity to be able

48:55.453 --> 48:57.287
to do that as we speak . Another

48:57.287 --> 48:59.453
question how much flexibility you have

48:59.453 --> 49:01.970
in your posture based on the

49:01.980 --> 49:05.280
department's Fiscal year 2023 budget

49:05.880 --> 49:08.400
to account for possible increased risk

49:08.610 --> 49:10.680
to national security systems and

49:10.680 --> 49:12.990
defense , critical infrastructure here

49:12.990 --> 49:15.750
in the United States given the White

49:15.750 --> 49:17.940
House's public acknowledgement of

49:17.940 --> 49:20.162
evolving intelligence that the Russians

49:20.162 --> 49:22.720
are exploring options for cyber attacks

49:24.030 --> 49:27.160
and I think we have we have significant

49:27.160 --> 49:29.770
capacity and we need more capacity and

49:29.770 --> 49:32.870
we're investing in that uh in terms of

49:32.880 --> 49:35.102
threats to the homeland , as you know ,

49:35.102 --> 49:37.550
Sir , DHS is the lead agency for that ,

49:37.550 --> 49:39.800
but we are doing everything within our

49:39.800 --> 49:43.170
power to be ready to assist DHS with

49:43.170 --> 49:45.570
anything that uh they need help with .

49:45.580 --> 49:48.200
And so that that coordination is

49:48.200 --> 49:50.367
ongoing . We've leaned forward on this

49:50.367 --> 49:53.020
quite a bit and uh and I think it's

49:53.020 --> 49:55.690
been very helpful so we will continue

49:55.690 --> 49:58.320
those efforts well . And I know NSA

49:58.320 --> 50:01.020
does a lot in this regard , chris

50:01.020 --> 50:03.470
english who was Deputy director , very

50:03.470 --> 50:05.359
qualified and competent is really

50:05.359 --> 50:07.690
heading up the the domestic side now .

50:08.060 --> 50:10.282
And I assume that you all come together

50:10.282 --> 50:12.171
as a team to share information to

50:12.171 --> 50:14.770
protect us . Absolutely , absolutely .

50:14.770 --> 50:16.937
That's a that's a routine coordination

50:16.937 --> 50:19.240
that uh and you know , general Macaroni

50:19.240 --> 50:21.630
is , he is absolutely focused on being

50:21.640 --> 50:24.890
uh you know , ahead of the need . And

50:24.890 --> 50:27.020
so there's a great relationship there

50:27.030 --> 50:29.141
and that that is a really good team .

50:29.141 --> 50:30.808
In my opinion . You're back .

50:34.160 --> 50:36.610
Thank you Mr Womack , Thank you Madam .

50:36.610 --> 50:38.666
Chair , thank you gentlemen for your

50:38.666 --> 50:40.610
service to our country . I want to

50:40.610 --> 50:42.499
follow up on the question that my

50:42.499 --> 50:44.554
colleague mr calvert had asked about

50:44.554 --> 50:48.120
the indo pacific strategy . Um the

50:48.120 --> 50:51.750
budget request seems to have small

50:51.750 --> 50:55.580
increases in force rotations , but no

50:55.580 --> 50:58.120
new real permanent increases in combat

50:58.130 --> 51:00.780
capable military forces in the region

51:00.780 --> 51:03.300
instead seems to be betting on more

51:03.300 --> 51:06.270
innovation and soft power . Uh in that

51:06.280 --> 51:10.040
strategy , in my opinion , the military ,

51:10.340 --> 51:12.340
the need for military power has not

51:12.340 --> 51:14.451
decreased but were choosing to try to

51:14.451 --> 51:16.562
plug in some gaps with maybe some non

51:16.562 --> 51:19.420
military capabilities . So please mR

51:19.420 --> 51:22.580
Secretary help me understand um

51:23.860 --> 51:26.027
you know , where I'm wrong on this and

51:26.027 --> 51:28.810
and and where this department is trying

51:28.810 --> 51:32.510
to go in meeting that that

51:32.510 --> 51:34.640
very complicated strategy .

51:36.760 --> 51:40.560
Um and I don't think there's a

51:40.560 --> 51:42.671
right or wrong here , sir . I think ,

51:42.671 --> 51:44.727
you know what , what I would like to

51:44.727 --> 51:47.400
say is number one , I think we have a

51:47.410 --> 51:51.180
very sound strategy and you've just

51:51.180 --> 51:53.124
seen us roll out that new national

51:53.124 --> 51:55.490
defense strategy . It focuses on making

51:55.490 --> 51:59.300
sure that we employ uh capability in

51:59.300 --> 52:01.411
all five of the warfighting domains ,

52:01.411 --> 52:03.133
air , land , sea , space , and

52:03.133 --> 52:05.380
cyberspace . Uh And it also focuses on

52:05.380 --> 52:08.230
making sure that that we uh we leverage

52:08.230 --> 52:11.540
the capability resident in our in our

52:11.540 --> 52:13.870
allies and partners and and and and I

52:13.870 --> 52:16.100
think that's really important . And as

52:16.100 --> 52:18.211
we continue that work , I think we're

52:18.211 --> 52:20.322
seeing some great opportunities . But

52:20.322 --> 52:22.489
as we as we look at our our strategy ,

52:22.900 --> 52:26.060
making sure that we are in fact uh

52:26.070 --> 52:28.600
getting the capabilities of space and

52:28.600 --> 52:31.260
cyberspace integrated into our efforts .

52:31.260 --> 52:33.482
I think it's it's really , really key .

52:33.482 --> 52:36.250
We again , with a pacific deterrence

52:36.250 --> 52:38.090
initiative , we have invested

52:38.090 --> 52:40.850
significantly in making sure that uh

52:40.860 --> 52:44.120
you know , we increase our our rotation

52:44.130 --> 52:45.963
training rotations in the in the

52:45.963 --> 52:48.510
theater that we're investing in in some

52:48.510 --> 52:50.510
infrastructure and doing some other

52:50.510 --> 52:52.621
things . So . So I think it's a sound

52:52.621 --> 52:54.843
strategy . I think what we've asked for

52:54.843 --> 52:57.200
uh enables us to to to accomplish that

52:57.200 --> 53:00.760
strategy has the

53:01.150 --> 53:04.900
unanticipated um extraordinary

53:04.900 --> 53:08.870
cost to deal with what was going on in

53:08.870 --> 53:11.570
eastern europe right now . Has that um ,

53:11.580 --> 53:14.710
has that cost impacted um ,

53:14.720 --> 53:17.480
what we're needing or what we're trying

53:17.480 --> 53:19.536
to do in this budget for our biggest

53:19.536 --> 53:23.380
pacing threat , which is china . Uh huh .

53:23.750 --> 53:26.810
I would say no . I think that , you

53:26.810 --> 53:30.410
know , as we've taken on our uh

53:30.420 --> 53:32.710
efforts to help the Ukrainians , we

53:32.710 --> 53:35.620
certainly have invested uh quite a bit ,

53:35.630 --> 53:37.630
as you heard me say earlier , sir ,

53:37.630 --> 53:40.870
$4.5 billion over the last

53:40.880 --> 53:43.970
uh couple of years . Um but we've

53:43.970 --> 53:46.500
also seen investment from our allies

53:46.500 --> 53:49.260
and partners are our major efforts here

53:49.270 --> 53:51.780
are , you know , with NATO uh and with

53:51.780 --> 53:53.891
the allies and partners that are that

53:53.891 --> 53:55.613
are in the region who are also

53:55.613 --> 53:57.920
investing and providing equipment and

53:57.930 --> 54:00.380
training to the Ukrainians as well .

54:00.390 --> 54:02.501
And it's that combination of effort .

54:02.501 --> 54:04.390
But I think it's been very , very

54:04.390 --> 54:06.723
meaningful . So to answer your question ,

54:06.723 --> 54:08.723
we've maintained our maintained our

54:08.723 --> 54:11.470
pace , our efforts in the indo pacific

54:11.490 --> 54:14.270
all the while we were we were engaged

54:14.270 --> 54:16.326
in in our current efforts in Ukraine

54:16.440 --> 54:18.329
got a question for General Milley

54:18.329 --> 54:20.910
President's budget request cut and in

54:20.910 --> 54:23.290
strength in the active Army by 12,000

54:23.290 --> 54:25.512
soldiers . I want us to be very careful

54:25.512 --> 54:27.623
as a country not to allow the army to

54:27.623 --> 54:30.010
be a bill payer in a in a lot of areas .

54:30.020 --> 54:32.640
Uh It also cut the in strength for both

54:32.640 --> 54:34.640
active Air force and navy . But I'd

54:34.640 --> 54:36.807
like to specifically focus on the cuts

54:36.807 --> 54:40.500
of the army uh that the

54:40.500 --> 54:42.667
army's requested reduction is based on

54:42.667 --> 54:44.556
the reassessment of recruitment ,

54:44.556 --> 54:46.611
potential and obtainable goals . Can

54:46.611 --> 54:48.778
you , can you speak to the pipeline uh

54:48.778 --> 54:51.530
and the impact it's having on on on our

54:51.530 --> 54:54.920
ability to uh to meet our

54:54.930 --> 54:56.874
objectives , on the recruiting and

54:56.874 --> 55:00.420
retention front . I can .

55:00.430 --> 55:03.360
Overall recruiting has actually gone

55:03.360 --> 55:05.620
well for the navy , the Air force uh

55:05.630 --> 55:07.797
and the Marine Corps , they're meeting

55:07.797 --> 55:09.852
their goals in space force , they're

55:09.852 --> 55:09.500
meeting their goals . Army is a little

55:09.500 --> 55:11.444
bit behind glide path . Now , high

55:11.444 --> 55:13.667
schools haven't graduated yet . They're

55:13.667 --> 55:15.722
they're coming up . So those numbers

55:15.722 --> 55:17.778
are leaving out a little bit here in

55:17.778 --> 55:19.889
the coming months . But we predict we

55:19.889 --> 55:19.780
project that the army will come up

55:19.780 --> 55:22.040
appointed to below what their desired

55:22.050 --> 55:24.530
recruiting goals are relative to the

55:24.530 --> 55:26.697
end strength . What Secretary of war ,

55:26.697 --> 55:28.863
Meth and Chief of Staff McConville are

55:28.863 --> 55:31.086
focused on is quality of the force . So

55:31.086 --> 55:33.086
they want to make sure that they're

55:33.086 --> 55:35.141
bringing in high quality individuals

55:35.141 --> 55:34.730
into the military . So they determined

55:35.080 --> 55:37.247
in order to do that they wanted to cut

55:37.247 --> 55:39.247
and strength just a little bit . So

55:39.247 --> 55:41.469
it's a modest cut . Um I don't think it

55:41.469 --> 55:43.691
will have a significant negative impact

55:43.691 --> 55:43.040
on the overall national security .

55:43.040 --> 55:45.262
United States . Uh Take , for example ,

55:45.262 --> 55:47.690
what you mentioned about in the pacific ,

55:47.700 --> 55:51.220
we've got 350 plus 1000 troops raid in

55:51.220 --> 55:53.442
the pacific from the west Coast all the

55:53.442 --> 55:55.970
way forward stationed west of the MDL .

55:55.980 --> 55:57.950
We've got a very , very large and

55:57.950 --> 56:00.300
capable naval force with the pac fleet .

56:00.400 --> 56:02.289
You've got a core and a couple of

56:02.289 --> 56:03.956
divisions uh and you've got a

56:03.956 --> 56:05.789
tremendous amount of 4th and 5th

56:05.789 --> 56:07.844
generation aircraft along with cyber

56:07.844 --> 56:10.011
and space capabilities . So , relative

56:10.011 --> 56:11.956
to the pacing threat , uh the main

56:11.956 --> 56:14.011
effort , if you will , the strategic

56:14.011 --> 56:14.010
main effort for the United States

56:14.010 --> 56:15.899
military , that is clearly in the

56:15.899 --> 56:17.980
pacific . So even though we are

56:17.980 --> 56:20.160
incurring additional capabilities and

56:20.160 --> 56:22.216
investments in what we're doing with

56:22.216 --> 56:23.882
Ukraine , that's not having a

56:23.882 --> 56:25.827
significant negative effect on our

56:25.827 --> 56:27.882
ability to keep pace with china . Uh

56:27.882 --> 56:30.104
And I think the cuts for the army , for

56:30.104 --> 56:32.271
example , are quite modest relative to

56:32.271 --> 56:32.360
the whole . Thank you General