▶ 0:14:49Let's try that again with the microphone. The subcommittees will come to order. I ask unanimous consent that the chair be authorized to declare a recess at any time with without objection. So ordered. Uh folks, thank you to all of us for uh Oh, okay. You get a lot of input up here from the left and the right and not the left, just not not politically, just your left side and your right side.
▶ 0:15:20We're joined today by General Randall Reid, commander of the US Transportation Command. Thank you, General Reid. It was great to see you in my office a couple of weeks ago. We had a nice meeting for be for you being here to testify at this very important hearing. I would also like to welcome Mrs. Reid who is in the audience today. Well, no wonder you're smiling, General Reid. Uh we appreciate you being here, ma'am.
▶ 0:15:45Um overall, you know, Transcom's mission is a critical component of our national security posture. Our mobility forces are the cornerstone of our ability to project power on a global scale. We are facing an increasingly contested logistics environment especially in the Indopaccom area of responsibility.
▶ 0:16:08You know as part of that our fuels as a single manager for global bulk fuel management and delivery. Transcom has a crucial role in supporting our strategic operations. Given the tyranny of distance that must be overcome. ensuring reliable fuel delivery that is paramount.
▶ 0:16:30I remain concerned that demand for fuel in the Pacific exceeds capacity and our aging air refueling fleet is an increasing readiness concern. Another subject, household goods. I'm especially interested in the progress of the transition from the legacy tender of service program to the global household goods contract. the challenges that have been encountered and Transcom's plan for moving forward.
▶ 0:16:58Our focus should always remain on ensuring our service members receive the quality relocation experience they deserve. Another subject, civilian mariners. I remain concerned about the continued lack of qualified civilian mariners and the impact personnel shortages have on the ability of the Navy and Marad to support our entire fleet.
▶ 0:17:22It is obvious that we need to grow the civilian mariner pools and expand state maritimemies like the Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern College. Transcom resources and I'm also interested in hearing more about how TransCom is navigating budgetary constraints, personnel shortages, and supply chain vulnerabilities to execute its mission requirements.
▶ 0:17:50For the previous three years, Transcom did not submit an unfunded priorities list. I repeat, did not submit an unfunded priorities list. I hope that you consider using this tool going forward to ensure that TransCom is meeting its requirements and does not accept unnecessary risk. And in closing here in the brief opening remarks, I look forward to hearing how TransCom plans to confront the challenges of tomorrow. I will now yield to the ranking member for his opening statement. Mr. Garandi.
▶ 0:18:26Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you and our colleagues on the uh Navy side of this for joining us in this really, really important meeting. And General Reid, uh good to be back talking to you about an old problem once again that remains to be resolved. Um today as we assess the posture and readiness of our mobility enterprise, I want to emphasize the critical role of air, land, and sea mobility capabilities in ensuring our national security.
▶ 0:18:57These forces are all too often underappreciated and I'm grateful that we are meeting jointly to address the issues our forces face in providing transportation, sustainment, and distribution of our Navy's war fighters. it. To put it plainly, we need to get back to the basics of how we operate and refocus on maintaining our critical assets and building our workforce to meet the warfire needs. The chairman went through uh five, six different specific issues.
▶ 0:19:25So, I'm going to perhaps cut some of this short. Too often we in Congress and in the Department of Defense become overly focused on the new fancy shiny technologies without paying attention to the resources we need to sustain and maintain our fighting forces. We are too focused on throwing the long ball instead of perfecting the basics of blocking and tackling. Oh, I like that back in the day, but I won't go back to college here.
▶ 0:19:54Um, it's often unappreciated, but it's the work of US Transcom, and it will ultimately win or lose in the US in the next contest. Our underinvestment in the maritime industry illustrates this point. We often talk in this committee about our naval fleet, but as Transcom knows, our mobility forces often rely on more than just military vessels.
▶ 0:20:17Our broader commercial product partners are crucial enablers for the global mobility and the lack of available US flag merchant ships pose a severe severe threat to our seal lift capabilities. Without a robust and reliable seal lift capacity, our ability to project power and sustain operations globally is at risk.
▶ 0:20:42It's my hope that the ships act, which I have worked on with Chairman Kelly here uh and his predecessor Mike Waltz, will play a key role in catalyzing investment in our maritime industrial base to ensure that we have a robust maritime industry ready and able to support our economic and national security.
▶ 0:21:01As we take steps to rebuild our maritime forces, I hope that we will think hard about both the short and the long-term steps needed to ensure that our nation has the maritime force that it needs.
▶ 0:21:14When we talk about recapitalization, I think we must ensure that we are sending clear and consistent demand signals, consistent demand signals to incentivize the construction and operation of a US flag vessels to restore our maritime readiness. As much as I love to talk about ships, I am concerned about the state of our air mobility fleet, the KC 46A Pegasus.
▶ 0:21:41While a promising platform continues to face significant operational deficiencies, including issues with maintenance, uh, remote vision systems and other critical components. These unresolved challenges hinder its ability to perform air refueling missions effectively and in some cases at all, which is the corn this is the cornerstone of our global mobility strategy.
▶ 0:22:07We must accelerate efforts to address these deficiencies to ensure the KC 46A can meet its intended missions and requirements. I recognize that this problem isn't just a transcom issue and that we must hold the Department of Defense accountable.
▶ 0:22:23And here I would insert this, the Department of Air Force accountable and the Department of Defense accountable and most importantly the Congress and the Senate of the United States where a good deal of this problem emanates from.
▶ 0:22:45But on an optimistic note note, I hope that today we will hear more about the impacts of these issues on transcom's missions and solutions to fix it. I look forward to the hearing witnesses. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity. I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Garmeny. And I now recognize the chairman of the SE Power Subcommittee, Mr. Kelly. Thank you, Chairman Bergman and Ranking Member Gari for leading today's hearing.
▶ 0:23:13And thank you to my battle buddy and ranking member Joe Courtourtney for his leadership on these issues. These two subcommittees have a long history of working well together to strengthen our mobility enterprise and I look forward to continuing that work Amateurs do operations, professionals do logistics. We will win or lose any war that our nation does based on our ability to apply logistics and to be better than everyone else.
▶ 0:23:43I want to start with thanking uh former member of the House and Armed Service Committee, Jerry Carl, back there. Uh Miss Reed, thank you for your service. I I'm going to tell you, uh we can't do it without our family. It's a family business in more ways than one. And we can't do it without the faithful support of our spouses, our significant others, and our children and our parents and all those people who make so much.
▶ 0:24:10TransCom is going to be the decisive competitive advantage that wins or lose is the next war. And I pray that we never have that, but our ability to project logistics across the globe is the determining factor. um the ships act which Mr.
▶ 0:24:29G Mindy said we have to redo our ship building industrial building capacity and that is both uh in naval ships that are combat ships and logistical ships and we've got to build back that we became the greatest maritime nation in the world because we had the ship building ability. We can do it again but it's going to take hard work and commitment.
▶ 0:24:53I have a whole lot of comments, but General Reid, you are here at a critical time in a critical location, and we depend on you to give us the ideas. As you and I talked about earlier, uh we want you to help us to solve this problem because if you don't, that leaves it in the hands of Congress, and we are not known for solving problems in the most efficient and effective and quickest way. So we need your guidance to do this the right way to make sure that we stay strong.
▶ 0:25:23So whether we're talking ships, whether we're talking about refueling airplanes in theater, whether we're talking about the agency 17 fleet that we have and what is the next generation or how long till we slept these folks, do we extend their life to still K competitive? We have to win the logistics war and we're depending on you.
▶ 0:25:44and the most important in my opinion and I'm an operator but you are in the most important fourstar command combatant command that we have and with that Mr. Chairman I yield back. Oh may I enter my actual written notes into the record please. So ordered. Thank you Chairman Kelly. I now recognize ranking member Courtourtney from Connecticut for his opening statement. Great.
▶ 0:26:12Thank you um Chairman Bergman, Chairman Kelly, and my friend, Ranking Member, John Garmendy for, um once again having this joint hearing. Um again, the jurisdiction of these two subcommittees uh make the logic of this joint hearing uh more efficient. And um again, uh General Reed, it was a pleasure to meet you uh in my office a couple of weeks ago. Congratulations to you on your confirmation.
▶ 0:26:34And um again, I think you know, obviously your experience and training uh make you the the right person uh for uh as my friend Trent Kelly said, really in many respects the most important command. He he did uh quote General Omar Bradley's uh famous famous quote about uh amateurs and professionals and uh we actually uh on this in this panel uh are united um in terms of really trying to make sure that that uh mission, you know, becomes a success.
▶ 0:27:04Um and again I think my friends and colleagues have already stated what the challenges are out there in really almost every theater whether it's u European Command uh Indopaccom the Middle East uh you know logistical um missions are really you know right there at the top of the list in terms of you know whether or not we can um as a country and our allies succeed together. Um so I'm not going to repeat or go through all of that.
▶ 0:27:30I just would note that um it you know obviously the ships act has strong support also in the subcommittee but I I would just note that in the last two congresses NDAA uh we have already moved out in terms of trying to get uh MARAD um to to really embrace the notion of uh new build um programs in addition to foreign purchase of uh sealift uh vessels that are out there. Um I realize, you know, we're in a moment of transition.
▶ 0:28:00So having a witness today uh from Merrad um I guess didn't wasn't in the cards. Uh I hope uh the chairman will both sort of make um put that on our dance card soon. uh again as soon as we have somebody from Merat because uh I know personally I have a lot of questions about just you know whether or not the authorities that we enacted in 2024 and sorry in 2023 and 2024 are actually um you know underway uh in that um that department.
▶ 0:28:30We are strong supporters in terms of US-built uh seal lift and we think we can we have a uh a model that actually is affordable uh and executable and um you know as I said that's something that certainly I was looking forward to today's hearing to to to go um into greater detail. Uh but again um we've got a lot to talk about with General Reid here today and I look forward to your your testimony. Um and again with that I yield back the bounce of my time.
▶ 0:29:04Thank you um Mr. Courtney and uh General Reid love to hear your statement. Chairman Bergman, Ranking Member Gindi, Chairman Kelly, Ranking Member Courtourtney, distinguished members of this subcommittee. Good afternoon.
▶ 0:29:26I am honored to join you today with my lovely bride, Len, and senior enlisted leader, Chief Master Sergeant Brian Croelnik, to represent the men and women of the United States Transportation Command. The war fighting command, we project, maneuver, and sustain the joint force anytime, anywhere in support of the national objectives. Our war fighting elements consist of three service component commands.
▶ 0:29:50Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Military Seal Lift Command, Air Mobility Command, and our direct subordinate, the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command. Beyond our core military units, US Transcom maintain strong partnerships with the commercial transportation industry. Our fourth component to fully execute our unified command plan tasks.
▶ 0:30:14Today's security environment presents numerous complex challenges to force projection and logistics as adversaries actively seek to disrupt, degrade, and deny our transportation networks, especially within the homeland. With 85% of US combat power residing within the continental United States, resilient transportation networks fortified against malicious cyber attacks now prioritize the crucial forttoport transportation segment.
▶ 0:30:44Even after overcoming initial deployment disruptions, we must continuously enhance our capabilities to maintain a decisive advantage. Decisive advantage demands a modernized and connected seal lift, airlift, and air refueling fleet. By 2032, 54% of our government-owned seal lift ships will reach the end of their service life.
▶ 0:31:08In addition, we fully support the maritime security program, tanker security program, the Jones Act, and cargo preference laws that all work to ensure we have the necessary US flag capability and US merchant mariners ready to move sensitive defense material during a emergency. The start of a recapitalization plan is due for our airlift fleet because of the long lead time for platform development.
▶ 0:31:35We welcome the service-led recap plans for the air refueling fleet which must continue uninterrupted into the future. Even after the Air Force accepts the final contracted KC46, the average age of the remaining KC135 fleet will be 67 years old. Finally, we remain fully committed to the ongoing transformation of the global household goods program.
▶ 0:32:01Moving is an integral part of our life and while most of us relocate every two to three years and learn better ways of doing it every time we move, it is always challenging. The department began transitioning to the global household goods contract or GHC in April 2024 with the goal of providing an improved moving experience for service members and their This transformation is a monumental task and reaches into every aspect of a service member's
▶ 0:32:32relocation. And because GHC is reshaping how we move service members, their families, and their memories, we remain in close collaboration with the services to identify then take action to resolve the issues. Because we are centered on service members and families, we recently made adjustments to the transfer rate to the prime contractor.
▶ 0:32:54While it has not been an easy path and there have been issues, there should be no doubt we will see this through to the fellow service members and their families who deserved an improved moving experience and we are going to deliver on this experience. These challenges I mentioned today may sound daunting. However, I continue to stress that our professionals will overcome any disruption. We are emboldened by the guiding principles to be ready, united, and decisive.
▶ 0:33:23Our enterprise achieves unity by forging strong bonds with allies, partners, commercial industry, the services, and our fellow combatant commands to amplify our collective strength. This level of unity demonstrates the joint force is not and will not be deterred by contested environments.
▶ 0:33:43US Transcom was created as a purpose-built force to provide the essential surface, ocean, and airlift capacity to project and sustain American power anywhere in the world at any time. Thank you for your continued and unwavering support for the mission and our people. I'd like to thank this committee for the support that you gave to make sure that we can uh to procure two ships off the market. And I welcome your questions and together we deliver. Thank you, General Reid, for your opening statement.
▶ 0:34:13I now recognize myself for five minutes for questions. So, we'll get right to it. Uh, the mobility capabilities and requirement study identified the need to mitigate mobility impacts of operating in a contested environment. Okay. How was TransCom preparing for strategic lift in a potentially contested operating Chairman, the first thing we're doing is we continue to study and update the study.
▶ 0:34:41We anticipate um that within the next year, now that we have a uh new president in office with his priorities, we will have uh updated information to update the requirement study. Uh as we're doing that, we're also uh uh rededicating ourselves to planning with our fellow combatant commands in particular in the Pacific. And so as we plan with them, uh we are reassessing their requirements.
▶ 0:35:11Uh we are reassessing the threats that the adversary will present to us and at the same time we work with the theater to um alter what we're doing to make sure that we can succeed. Additionally, we're putting additional concentration on the cyber realm and with outstanding support from CyberCom, uh we're also stressing ourselves in that area as well. Thank you.
▶ 0:35:35Um, and these five minutes go fast, so we're just I'm gonna we could go into a lot of detail a lot of these, but I understand on a different subject, Transcom has shifted to the conditionsbased approach for the phase in of the global household goods contract and will split move task orders this peak season between GHC and the legacy tender of service system because of insufficient capacity.
▶ 0:36:00What result has the shift to a conditionsbased phased in phase in had on customer satisfaction rates? Chairman, this has always been conditionsbased to start off with because the goal of the transition was to make sure that there was no harm to the service members who actually make the move.
▶ 0:36:21with the conditions based in that we look to see uh what capacity actually resides whether someone is under the current program that we're on now as well as what we're transitioning to. Um as we manage the transition we also make sure that we have the opportunity to see uh the trends where folks need help and how we can uh continue to help. Okay. Thank you. And um switching subjects again here.
▶ 0:36:47How is Transcom addressing the vulnerabilities in bulk fuel delivery and storage infrastructure across your across your AO? Once again, that begins with an assessment. Uh it begins with uh uh what we determine in-house and then we work together with the theaters as well. Uh we look at their requirements. We look at the infrastructure that they have in their and then from there we uh jointly chart a path forward to success. Okay.
▶ 0:37:15And then then kind of the last subject here in my five minutes, budget and resources. Are current funding levels adequate to support Transcom's operational requirements and modernization modernization efforts? And if if they aren't, where are their critical funding gaps? First and foremost, we support the services and what they're pursuing. They're the ones that organize training, equip, and actually provide the equipment that we use. So, anything that we can do to support them is key.
▶ 0:37:43And then secondly, as we continue to seek um additional uh used foreign ships that suit our needs, um anything that we can do to accelerate the procurement of those ships would help. Um how is Transcom balancing the need for the near-term readiness with long-term investments in future The first thing that we look to do is to make sure that we can answer the call for what we're tasked to do today.
▶ 0:38:12Um, we take care of the equipment and the folks that we have on hand and then we adjust our plans to make sure that that we can answer the call. As we continue to look forward, we look at gaps, we look at the shortfalls, and then we pursue to close those in conjunction with the services. Okay. Is Transcom planning on to sub planning to submit a list of unfunded priorities this cycle? Right now, since we don't have a budget, we continue to look at what what we require.
▶ 0:38:40Um, as the commander, I will look to see what tools I have to actually get the equipment that the folks need, and I will not be shy to use whatever tool is available. If the unfunded requirement is the path, then I'll certainly use that. Well, I guess about the only guidance I would give you uh from this committee's perspective, you should have that list in your pocket at the appropriate time because I know your staff knows and we we would appreciate it.
▶ 0:39:04And with that, I yield back and I recognize Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As we go through these various questions, I see my myself constantly going over to Mr. Courtney and Mr. Trent Turf because we are we need to work together on these things.
▶ 0:39:27Uh I was just asking our team here about your uh number one on your 26 priority list uh which is the removal of the statutory 10 ship limit to buy used ships. Um and then you argue why you need to do that.
▶ 0:39:52Um, that's okay as long as we're building ships along the way and the tenure is associated with the time frame and specific kinds of ships that you would want to acquire railroads or tankers or whatever.
▶ 0:40:08Uh we would I would very much appreciate detailed information on uh why the tenship limit in the current law uh is putting you in a position where you cannot meet the needs of the u uh mobility sea mobility seal lift uh and then how you would maintain the construction of American ships.
▶ 0:40:39And I want you to do this in a way that might be a little different. It's something we've talked about for a good while along here. And that is to make certain vessels in the Jones Act fleet militarily useful and available uh to the military when needed. Some of this is actually happening at a small vessel level.
▶ 0:41:04But it seems to me that if we have may have an opportunity and this actually is in the ships act is that if we could use the Jones Act fleet uh encourage it to expand even subsidize that fleet for example a an oiler you put a king post in the middle of it and couple of whatever else you might need.
▶ 0:41:26We might be able to do two things that is to build the ship in America, American crude and subsidize it to the point of being militarily useful. The same thing with rowos, some of those are uh useful in the Jones Act fleet. So, there's a whole array of vessels, some of which might be useful or might be on your must-have list.
▶ 0:41:53And if in fact they are there, could they come from the Jones Ax fleet be maintained by the operator in the domestic commerce and then when you need them just as the airplanes which you now can take from the uh commercial fleet and hopefully well I shouldn't go there about where we're sending immigrants but uh let's just leave that aside for a moment.
▶ 0:42:18you have a a an opportunity or you have a program with the airline industry to call on whenever needed um various uh airplanes to transport uh your military needs. We could do actually the law actually exists in the maritime industry. We've not used it for a long time. It seems to me it's one of the things we can do. So, I'm putting that on the table. It requires very specific information. What kind of ships do you need?
▶ 0:42:47when do you need them and could they do they exist in the Jones Act fleet? Could we subsidize? You know, we'll buy a king post and some communication or whatever else might be needed. Uh and if you're going to build a new one, let's build it to a standard that would actually you could put an a tank on it rather than the current decks which would probably cause that tank to uh exit through the bottom of the ship.
▶ 0:43:13So anyway, if you could work with us on that, I think we have an opportunity here to do at least two things simultaneously. Rebuild our fleet that you need uh and simultaneously rebuild our encourage our shipyards as well as the mariners. And there's ways in which that can all of these things can work together. However, we need to be very specific. I will tell you I will not support a removal of the 10 ship limit until such time as you give us the program going forward.
▶ 0:43:43What do you need through time? What kind of ships are those? Do any of those exist in the current Jones Act? Could the new future Jones Act fleet uh achieve that goal? Uh with that, I'll yield back and we'll go to the next issue when the next round comes. Thank you. Chairman Kelly, you're recognized for your your opening questions. Thank you again for being here, General Reid. Uh I I just want to reiterate the 10 ship.
▶ 0:44:10We've given the Navy and our ship builders time to do that. And if we continue to expand that cap, what will happen is we still won't build ships. So there's not a lot of support without justification. So and there's a difficult justification to buy more ships without building American and building them here. That's buying new ships is a part-time solution and it's a band-aid. We need to look to the long-term solution. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the 186 air refueling wing at Keyfield in Meridian, Mississippi.
▶ 0:44:40Named after the Key brothers, who on June 4th, 1935 in the Old Miss, which is now in our Smithsonian here, flew for 653 hours and 34 minutes, 27 days via air refueling and introduced the automatic shut off valve, which is still in use in our Air Force today. I think history matters when we talk about our air refueling and no one did it better or longer than the Key brothers.
▶ 0:45:05General Reed, during our office call, we discussed the increase in air refueling requirements primarily for Stratcom. What are your concerns? Thank you. Uh the concerns that I have is that we continue to recap that fleet without a break. Um, the KC130s, the KC135s that we have are uh aging. As they continue to age, it's harder to find the parts.
▶ 0:45:33Once we actually find the parts and we begin to fix the airplanes, it takes longer. So, the faster that we can continue to replace those planes. It's uh it's it's it's it's key. Um, we've mentioned the KC46 already. Um, it does have some challenges. when we are able to get the parts for that aircraft and use it then it works fine as well.
▶ 0:45:54Uh so the pace at which we recap the aircraft the investment that we continue to have to keep the ones we have flying uh that's the concern and I want to talk a little bit about that. That's one thing at DoD uh and here in Congress we have to do. We have to send a consistent demand signal. If we want KC46s, we got to let them know how many we're going to buy and how many we're going to build. and then they've got to meet their part of the contract. It's the same thing with ships.
▶ 0:46:21If we want to buy them on the on the foreign market, we're not going to build ships here until there is uh there because all these private companies exist to make money and they can only do that when they have a consistent demand signal. That's why we have to send a consistent demand sh signal that we are going to build ships here. The C17 aircraft is approaching the end of their service life. So what are the plans to recap our cargo fleet in the Air Force?
▶ 0:46:48So both the uh C5 and the C17 are workh horses for us. Uh they continue to perform when we need them to. Uh those airplanes also require uh investment to make sure that we can sustain them as well. Uh the issue with the C17 is uh while it performs well, a lot of folks think that it's new and it's not a new plane.
▶ 0:47:09And so we will continue to use it and stress it and uh because it takes such a long time to build the next plane uh the time is now to start looking at the next one. And probably my final question, are there enough civilian mariners to man the MSC fleet? Are there enough commercial mariners and tankers to meet the TSP and the MSP's operational needs, especially as we work to grow the size of these fleets?
▶ 0:47:37as we look at the plans and uh how we're uh to respond to that uh for the initial response to a crisis and conflict. Uh yes, we do. Uh the challenge that comes with that pool is once we go into a protracted stage, uh we plan on a rotation of the force and we don't have enough crews to maintain that sustainable rotation.
▶ 0:48:04Uh but if I may add if you will um uh I'd also like to clarify that a lot of folks think when we talk about that workforce that there's a challenge to build ships and to buy ships uh for that force. Um it's not necessarily that we'll be challenged to find the people for what we build and what we buy. We need to replace what we have so the force that we do have they have something that's more reliable. And finally I'm not going to ask this in the form of the question. And I'm going to make it in the form of a statement.
▶ 0:48:34Uh but the new build seal lift program is the best pathway to recapitalize the national defense reserve fleet and support the American ship building industry. We have to build our own ships. We can't rely on foreign people to build our ships. We have partners and allies that can do that. But until if we want to be a great maritime nation, we have to be build great maritime ship. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield Thank you. And um Mr.
▶ 0:49:02Courtney, you're recognized for your opening questions. Great. Thank you. Uh Mr. Chairman and U. General Reid, when you and I met a couple weeks ago, uh we had a discussion regarding the Jones Act, which uh again your predecessors um have always, you know, publicly stated support for that.
▶ 0:49:19I was wondering again if you could uh address that that question and also just what your thinking is um is part of your The stipulation of the Jones Act is that we have USbuilt ships with and those ships are crewed by US citizens to carry US cargo.
▶ 0:49:40And so from the outset, I see that as a way to maintain the readiness of the force, maintain a pool of folks who can actually crew the ships and then if the nation needs them, they're there. Um, and with the availability of the cargo, we have a way to actually maintain the readiness as well. So for us it's abs absolutely critical. Thank you for your answer and um you know I obviously I agree with that answer as I think many of us do.
▶ 0:50:09Um you know there's always sort of voices in Washington that sort of um uh speak against you know whether the Jones Act should be um continued. But I think it's important for people to remember the Jones Act was passed after World War I when um our country uh discovered that we had a shocking lack of capacity for sealift in terms of getting troops and materials uh over to Europe.
▶ 0:50:33Um and Congress enacted the Jones Act as a as a way of making sure that we never sort of fall into that same predicament. It's not a a total solution by itself. Obviously, the numbers, as you've testified, don't lie in terms of the fact that we've got to do more in terms of expanding uh production as Mr. Kelly said.
▶ 0:50:51Uh but again, uh repealing the Jones Act would actually just make a difficult problem even worse um you know, for our seal lift and our national um you know as I mentioned in my opening statement so in 2023 and 2024 we we enacted provisions for the um you know uh start of a new build program using a vessel construction manager model which is exactly what h what is happening right now at the Philly shipyard
▶ 0:51:22where the maritime training um fleet is um getting actually towards the end of the block by uh of six 600 100 plus um long uh outstanding quality ships that are being built within contract price uh because of the fact that it uses this vessel constru construction manager model that's a very much a private sector approach in terms of getting a basic design and and repeating that design without adding lots of requirements that drive up the
▶ 0:51:52the cost. So, um, again, this is more of a Merrad question and I, you know, um, don't want to be unfair to you in terms of that, but I I just want to at least put on the record that, um, you know, we have a real life success story in terms of just how we can in the US at a great shipyard right across the river from Mr. Norcross's district.
▶ 0:52:15um that shows that you know we can do it affordably and and actually in in a in a you know achievable time frame if if we put our minds to it and that's exactly what we enacted in terms of uh last year's uh NDAA.
▶ 0:52:28So when we have our friends from MARAD over here, I mean, we we really um you know, if we if we're being asked to keep raising this cap for foreign buys, um you know, we've got to start seeing um that you know, the the other provisions that um we pass as laws here, which we lifted the cap as you testified in in your written testimony, that we're actually seeing the whole bill uh implemented, not just uh part of it. And um you know, with that, I'm going to yield back.
▶ 0:52:58I could look forward to your testimony in the uh classified session uh later this afternoon. Mr. Chairman, if I may uh provide a response to that. um great partnership between Transcom and the maritime administration and uh in my conversations with them as the practitioner. Um it's clear to each of us that we need to use every lever that we can to actually uh buy down the ages of the fleet.
▶ 0:53:26Um I am aware that they have plans for a ship. Um I am aware that they have a process with with which to build. Um and from what my understanding is with them is that uh once they have appropriations in hand, it would take anywhere from 3 to 5 years to actually build the ship and get the ship into the fleet. And so there's a process there that that works. Um the appropriations uh would be the would be the next step for that.
▶ 0:53:54And then um as long as we could also do that as well as buy we will be well on the way to make sure that we could refresh the fleet. Thank you for your answer. You're a good partner for meat. With that I yield back. Thank you Mr. Scott. You're recognized for five minutes. Thank you Mr. Chairman and General. Um we don't always agree up here. Uh I'm actually in favor of lifting the cap.
▶ 0:54:19Uh hopefully with uh you know the full year CR you can purchase ship eight and nine. I don't know if you'll be able to do that before the end of the year. Do you think you can do that before the end of the year? Yes, representative. Okay. So assuming that you get eight and nine Um how old are the ships that you're replacing with the two the two used ships that you will be purchasing? So, the oldest ships in the fleet are well over 50 years.
▶ 0:54:53And if you needed to go to war today with that 50-year-old ship, could you? It is not as reliable as I would like. um, if we don't raise the cap, then you're limited to purchasing one additional ship. And how old are the ships that you're buying for eight and nine that you're using to recapitalize the fleet?
▶ 0:55:22Representative, those ships are uh the ones that we're looking for, the ones that are available to us that fit our needs. They're about uh anywhere from 10 to 12 years old. Okay. 10 to 12 years old. All right. And they're replacing ships that are over 50 years old. That's correct.
▶ 0:55:40So, it's safe to say that if we ended up in a conflict where we had to transport men and women and equipment that we would be better served and more likely to win with a 10-year-old ship than with a 50-y old ship. That's correct. And that is that is the reason I'm for lifting the cap. I think we need to replace the 50-y old ships with 10-year-old chips.
▶ 0:56:05And my understanding is, and you said 3 to four years, my understanding was it was going to take four to five years if we uh provided the infusion of cash to get the ship building started again in the United States. But either way, let's just call it four. Um that's a long time.
▶ 0:56:26And um I don't I don't have a problem with uh going down a path where we um recapitalize for better terminology the the US ship building industry. But let's let's be honest about what what we're talking about buying here. We're not talking about buying aircraft carriers. We're talking about buying generic roll on rolloff containers ships. Correct. That's correct. That we see going in in and out of every port.
▶ 0:56:56uh in America. We're not talking about buying them from China. We can buy them from Singapore. We can buy them from South Korea. We can buy them if they're manufactured in Japan. And the other thing, these are used ships, not new ships. That's correct. I ju I just from this from the standpoint of having the ability to get the job done if we end up in a war, I think we need to continue to buy the 10-y old ships and get rid of the 50-y old ships.
▶ 0:57:21Um, if if if we're going to rebuild the ship building industry in in the United States, I hope we do that. I I would tell you I personally would prefer that we spend that money on uh warships in instead of generic roll on rolloff ships, but that's that's a discussion for for the committee.
▶ 0:57:40Um, but we've allowed ourselves because of this World War I era law to get into a position where we can't get our men and women and equipment into place if we end up in uh a conflict in a foreign land. And so I I I have colleagues that I very much respect here that don't want the cap lifted. I very much think the cap needs to be lifted and uh we're putting our ability to win at risk by not lifting it. Uh same thing somewhat with the C5 and C17 except for it's it's not the Jones Act. These have been two workh horses for a long time.
▶ 0:58:11Uh Robins Air Force Base rebuilds those planes. When they come out of there, they're they're pretty much like new. But um when are we going to develop a new strategic airlift and increase the airlift capacity that we have as a country? Uh I've had that conversation with the United States Air Force uh as part of that.
▶ 0:58:37I know that as they were looking to uh recap and replace the next air refueler uh they were also looking at maintaining that process to look at the next air lifter. And so uh as far as the timing that they have for that I would have to defer to them. Yeah, I would just submit to my colleagues on the committee that I don't think we need to wait a decade to start developing the next uh fleet of airlift capacity um aircraft for our country.
▶ 0:59:05With that, General, I appreciate your time and your service and u I yield the remainder of my time. Thank you. And uh I'm take a a moment of very special personal privilege and and yield to my colleague, Mr. Mills, for a um a brief introduction of a a very important individual who has just joined us here in the hearing room. Uh, Mr.
▶ 0:59:36Mills, you are recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I appreciate you guys being here today, but as it is the National Medal of Honor Day, I want to recognize a guy that is truly an amazing man, uh, a man of honor, a man of courage, um, and someone I consider to be a friend. And even though he says I'm probably the only politician that he likes, that works out well. But uh I wanted to recognize uh Master Son Earl Plumbley, Medal of Honor recipient who's with us today.
▶ 1:00:05Um a unique individual who also has a Marine and special forces background. An amazing individual.
▶ 1:00:25uh has served in combat multiple times in defense of our constitution and defense of others who was in Gazny uh during a time that was not a great time uh when there was a breach and 10 insurgents came through. It was Master Sant Plumbley as well as for two of his other colleagues who came to their aid and made sure that we could go ahead and defend that that breach. He put himself as a human shield to protect the driver in order to try and get there and has just exemplified what it is to be a man of courage, a man of honor.
▶ 1:00:54A man who didn't do it because he was expecting a ward, but because he wanted to truly save and protect those who he fought alongside. And so I just wanted to take a moment um and just recognize Master Art Plumbley because you truly deserve it in all facets. And I know you are now trying to get used to the idea of people always applauding you, which isn't always the most comfortable thing. So, the fact that I get to make you uncomfortable also makes me very happy. Um, and anytime I get to embarrass you, that also makes me happy.
▶ 1:01:22But, uh, we truly are are in a debt of gratitude for your service and for all that you've done. And, uh, Mr. Chairman, thank you for giving me the time to acknowledge him. This is one of those rare moments where we get to see true heroes. And as President Reagan said, if for those who said you can't find heroes, you're just not looking. There's one amongst us right now. Thank you. And that I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Mills.
▶ 1:01:42Again, um our thanks to you, sir, for your dedication and your and your duty and your honor, uh and in the force of of um just great danger and for what you've done for your other for your fellow soldiers and all the folks that you uh represent across the country being that example of honor, courage, and commitment. So, thank you. Um, with that we will resume our our questioning here.
▶ 1:02:13uh, Miss Strickland, you are recognized for your questioning for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I represent Joint Base Lewis McChord, which is home to approximately 40,000 total active duty service members, their families, and the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings who fly C17s. But I'm going to shift gears a bit and really talk about quality of life for those who are serving.
▶ 1:02:39Um, I'm very well aware of the toll that frequent moving can take on our soldiers and families and I continue to receive constituent messages and conversations about the global household goods contract GHC including stories from service members about the stress, the financial impact and filled moves that this contract change has brought them.
▶ 1:03:04As summer approaches, many thousands of service members and their families will be moving under a program that is not quite proven capable of meeting capacity needs. So, General Reed, we talked a bit about homesafe and global household goods contract. Can you talk specifically about the process that Transcom is using to ensure transparency, fiscal responsibility, and accountability in Homes Safe Alliance's performance under the contract?
▶ 1:03:30Then my second question sir, has Transcom completed an early performance assessment under homes safe allianc's contract? And if so, what did you learn? Yes, thank you. Um, under the GHC contract, what we've done so far is we continue to maintain the tender of service, which we currently have as we make the transition to GHC. under tender of service.
▶ 1:03:59Uh what we do there in collaboration with the services is we work amongst uh nearly 800 different entities in order to try to meet the needs of a move for service members and their families. Under GHC uh we are actually uh providing structure to the moving market where it actually intersects with the department of defense. So it's not that we're actually trying to change the market.
▶ 1:04:27We're changing how we have the structure on the portion of the market where we where we exist. For the GHC portion, uh we deal with a single entity that has developed an IT system that connects with ours that actually allows us now to see things in a way that we could not see things before. under the current program that we are transitioning away from.
▶ 1:04:53Uh most of that is done by small companies which is fine but it's a very manual process. Sometimes it's done with paper trying to go back and correct things is incredibly hard. And because there are so many players in the field there if a problem arises sometimes it's hard for us to see and correct.
▶ 1:05:12With this transition, we've actually put structure in place where now uh all of that is visible both to the department to the movers and also to the service members themselves. As such, because of this new construct, we actually have levers that we can use to actually address performance shortfalls. Not exactly something that we had before.
▶ 1:05:36And so while there are performance issues and while things in spots aren't as solid as we would like them, at least now we can see them and at least now we can hold the conversation. At least now we can document it and at least now we have incentives to get the performance that we're seeking.
▶ 1:05:55We continue to monitor this all the time and where we find things that need to be need to be addressed, we actually encounter the vendor and we actually work it real The other thing that we do is we continuously update uh Congress each each quarter. And so the push for transparency for us is incredibly strong. And in addition, we invite the press and we chat with them as well. And so uh we leave no stone unturned because this is not about a program and it's not about the vendor.
▶ 1:06:25It's about the service members and the families. Absolutely. And there's probably there are many things that are stressful and moving is one of them. Um, one thing too, um, service members, they've reported significant out-ofpocket expenses related to delayed moves and last minute changes. Can you very quickly talk about what the plan is and the commitment to fully reimburse them under the GHC program?
▶ 1:06:49Uh, when this happens, uh, we can file a claim and that claim is for an inconvenience uh, claim and so then it's up to Homesafe to actually work that claim. Um, as we continue to look at the performance and as they continue to respond to, uh, the shortfalls that we had seen before, uh, we have actually seen within the last few weeks the number of those cla those claims declining and they've resolved those claims to 100%.
▶ 1:07:18And so while there is still work to go, we are actually getting the improvements that we're seeking. Great. Thank you very much. I yield back, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Djali. You're recognized for five minutes. Thank you, General Reed. Last fall, the Air Force established the first enduring K KC46 exped expeditionary air refuel refueling squadron in the scentcom AO. While the KC 46 has supported Sentcom operations before, this represents a major milestone.
▶ 1:07:47Can you speak to how this deployment went and what it means for US Transcom to now have an enduring presence in Sententcom? Thank you. Previously when we sent that airplane to the theater it was there for just a short while uh maybe for a few days to a week. Um in this particular case uh we sent them for a full deployment. Um we were very pleased with the performance of both the the the crews in the plane.
▶ 1:08:12Uh part of that is due to the service having a process to actually uh um allow the units to train for that deployment. Um but the main factor here that made the difference was a robust investment in spares and parts.
▶ 1:08:29And so prior to the deployment um we made sure that we sent over um and that we had in place uh robust crews, robust maintainers and spares and parts and then we closely monitored uh the consumption and the performance of the airplane. uh the aircraft availability was above 80% which is significantly higher than what we find at home station but the difference was the investment in the spares.
▶ 1:08:58So as we continue to go forward uh that will be something that you will continue to hear from both the service and from transcom support for spares and sustainment. And uh during the exercise Bamboo Eagle 251, you had 10,000 personnel, 175 aircraft that conducting operations. Um what did you learn?
▶ 1:09:20You've touched on this a little bit earlier with General Kelly, but uh what did you what did you learn about the KC46 performance in this exercise and expound upon the what the Air Force learned about operating in contested environments during conflict? Once again, for the performance of the airplane, investing in the spares was key. Uh as far as the contested environment goes, um being connected to the rest of the joint force was also key.
▶ 1:09:45And so with that uh all of the training objectives that the crews sought they were actually able to uh obtain from that standpoint. The contribution of the rest of the joint force was a uh exercise in employment of sending forces out in mass and then responding to simulated attacks, disagregating and then coming back together. And the KC46 was very key in assisting the joint force to uh learn to operate in that environment.
▶ 1:10:15Okay. And you talked about the uh spares C17 had a program that uh had an agreed to level of support to maintain specific level of readiness at all times. So I I think what you're saying is that would be helpful if the Air Force implemented uh these types of agreements to other mobility systems. And would congressional support to fund additional spares for KC46 uh help move the needle on aircraft availability on uh mission capable rates?
▶ 1:10:45Thank you for that. And uh for uh for that approach, I defer to the service in terms of how uh they actually work the the uh programs for that. But the predictability and the stability um extends to lots of things and um when we are predictable and stable in the requirements and also the forecasts and then letting the vendors know what they can expect, then we can fund to that.
▶ 1:11:12Um and so I humbly ask uh in that respect uh on time budget please allows us to forecast allows us to uh make sure that things remain predictable and and stable. Okay. Thank you. I yield back. Thank you Mr. Vinman. You are recognized for five minutes. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:11:36So, um, my colleague did a great job of talking about the global, um, household goods contract. Uh, as a 25-y year army veteran of and with many moves, including overseas under my belt, that is, uh, certainly something that, uh, I know is a concern to active duty service members. But I'm going to turn my attention to something else.
▶ 1:12:01Um so under your purview you have um oversight I guess or u of the strategic highway network and so what is what is uh your assessment now of um the the strategic highway network uh US rail um that status and the fact that national security decisions are not factors in the funding for that. How does that affect those systems?
▶ 1:12:33Part of my concern as a transcom commander is not only contested logistics abroad, but making sure that we can generate the force within the United States to actually get to the ports on the coast and then project from there. Uh very key to us is uh as you mentioned the highway system, the rail system and the port system. uh we have an analysis section and my army component um takes a very deep look each year in terms of the health of that system.
▶ 1:13:04Um when it comes to highways we have some that are very critical u for our nets to actually get equipment out of the fort to the port. Um as we look at that system um some of it is federal but a big portion of it is not. it uh actually is uh run and has the oversight of the states, local communities and the territories as well.
▶ 1:13:28Um while we make our concerns known for defense, um they are not always obligated to fund to that, but generally we get cooperation and consideration for that, but that's something that we have to work all the time. Uh that's also the same for rail and that's also the same for ports.
▶ 1:13:45And as it relates specifically to port capacity, there are only two ports that uh my understanding on on one on the east coast, one on the west coast uh for for trans shshipment of um ammunition. Is that sufficient uh for uh MCO and Matsu um uh east and west? Uh they are not the only ports that we have, but they are the most significant ports that we have.
▶ 1:14:13And so uh they are specifically built uh for capacity throughput and to handle the net net explosive weight. Uh one of the things that we consistently work on the surrounding communities with is encroachment to make sure that we can actually protect people when we have to do the operations there. Thank you. I yield back. Thank you. Mr. Jimenez, you are recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:14:42Um had a couple questions. How much do we spend per year uh general on fuel? Diesel number. Let's say diesel and and uh and jet fuel. How much do we spend a year? Actually, I'll have to get back to you on that. I don't have that on hand. You have a guesstimate a swag? No, I don't. Would it be billions of dollars? It's a lot. It's a lot.
▶ 1:15:13Okay. So, I'll put that as a lot. Okay. All right. I wonder how many zeros are behind a lot. Um, how much money do you spend transporting fuel around? Another lot. It's It's a noteworthy amount. Yes. Okay. So, I got a noteworthy and a lot. Okay. That must must add up to something. Okay. Uh do we transport water around?
▶ 1:15:40If required um we have in the past and in extremists but in the case of fuel um we are responsible to manage bulk fuel and if necessary we will actually move the fuel. Um we obviously move f fuel in the air for air refueling.
▶ 1:15:57increasingly uh we have responsibility to move fuel on the seas but that's in response to the needs of the theaters and so I mean let's say on an aircraft carrier um the the the aircraft carrier itself is nuclearpowered you don't have to worry about that but you do have to worry about the fuel for the aircraft on the aircraft carrier right yes we do so you have a fleet of tankers that supports that battle battle group to make sure that the aircraft are fueled on that aircraft carrier we have Salmon and we also
▶ 1:16:28have access to uh uh uh ships on the on the commercial realm. So you you'll have commercial ships also supply those those aircraft carriers. We can Um is that a a vulnerability for us? Uh both a vulnerability and an Okay, explain opportunity.
▶ 1:16:56The opportunity is that we have a small amount of ships uh that uh we control that we can move at that we that we can move when we need to um they're there for a quick response as well. Okay. And with the understanding that we don't have enough, if we need to uh uh use other uh aspects potentially through allies, partners or commercial, we can pursue those as well. Okay.
▶ 1:17:24Um, when you when you have a fixed base, do you use commercial um commercial companies to refuel uh the the base itself for the oper Let's say you have an air base somewhere in um in a foreign country. Do you use commercial uh resources or commercial companies in order to refuel those those bases and and supply their needs? Well, we have the means to to do that as well. Yes. or do you actually refuel it yourselves?
▶ 1:17:53How how do how does that work? Uh for a good portion of that, um the defense logistics a agency works works that. So they're on the supply chain side. Um they're the ones that actually buy the fuel and actually work the sourcing of the fuel. Um we help to manage the the needs of where the theaters require the fuel and if uh they need us to move the fuel, we will actually work that.
▶ 1:18:19But it's in collaboration between the theater, the supply chain side and ourselves uh to make sure that we get the fuel to where it's where it's required. Are there any bases where we have to supply the fuel or are no commercial uh companies that will do that? Any bases like that? Somewhere remote?
▶ 1:18:41If there's a remote location and they require the fuel, we will work with the theater to find the best possible solution to get the fuel to to them. All right. Thank you. So, it's it's a lot and it's substantial. Um, fair enough. I got I got the answers I need. Thank you. Could you give me some more specifics, though? Uh, but maybe send it to my office. I really like to know exactly how much we spend on fuel. Okay. Both diesel and jet fuel if you could. Okay. Uh, yes, I will certainly. Thank you, sir.
▶ 1:19:11I appreciate it. And I yield back. Mr. Cuda, you're recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, General Reed, I know you touched a bit on the Jones Act, but in a contested environment, how important is it for us to have a fleet of reliable domestic ships to call on and deploy as soon as it is required? You know, in the Indo-Pacific, specifically where I live, we already lag behind China's maritime fleet. We know this.
▶ 1:19:40How would it impact our readiness if we did not have these US flag ships available to us uh in times of aggression or in a contested environment? Thank you. Uh having US flag ships means that uh those are US ships, US crews that we can depend on and that we can control. We can make sure that they're absolutely ready. If we didn't have them, we would be depending on the speed of a potential contract for someone who was willing to work with us.
▶ 1:20:08Um and then if they were not willing then um obviously there's a shortfall. Thank you. So clearly the Jones Act helps to contribute to our readiness posture especially in the Pacific. Thank you. Um going off on another particular topic of interest for me. You know naturally any and all of our ships in the Pacific will be targets during any kind of contingency.
▶ 1:20:29How are you thinking about ship repair needs for these vessels and what work is currently being done to ensure our domestic shipyards like the one in Hawaii are prepared to handle this work? I know this is part of a broader discussion about ship building and ship repair capacity nationwide, but I want to be sure that given the importance of bulk fuel posture, something that was just talked about, that this is something that we are tracking.
▶ 1:20:54So, uh, this is a problem that we work in conjunction with the United States Navy, Mered and ourselves. Um, for commercial ships, they have the option to get repaired, uh, wherever they can. For US ships, we normally will bring them here. And so, uh, it's one of those where it depends on the situation, the criticality of the need, and um, and, uh, the, uh, uh, how fast we can actually get the ship repaired.
▶ 1:21:21So, I know that we're doing extensive uh work on the shipyard in Hawaii as you are well aware, but especially given that China is our pacing threat right now um and you know our concerns in the Indoacific, do you think we have the capacity that we need to be able to ensure that should we need repairs done um during any kind of contested environment that we'll be able to do so um with our current um infrastructure there or do we need to continue to add to this?
▶ 1:21:49Representative, I'll have to get back to you on this one, but I will tell you that uh in general, as we look to build new, we are finding that uh we do need to invest a little bit more in the capacity, uh to actually do ship repair and the workforce as well. And so, uh this is a national need as well as a need for US Transcom. Thank you. Well, definitely it's a long way. I can tell you having flown back and forth between here and Hawaii, uh that's a lot of blue between California and Hawaii.
▶ 1:22:19And especially if we're talking about speed and efficiency, um then building up back at my home is probably a prudent decision. Um want to take us on another of course a topic while I've got some time. You know, in our office call, we talked about aeromedical evacuation challenges um and the work USRCOM is doing with the global patient movement. As I mentioned then I continue to be very concerned about our ability to move large numbers of patients in a contingency especially in the Pacific.
▶ 1:22:48Um we are very remote where we are and I know there is angst about the lack of air medical evacuation capability in Hawaii specifically. Given the significant needs in this area, if you could ask for anything uh even given signaled constraints to future defense budgets, what would you ask for in support of Aera medical evacuation capabilities particularly in the First of all, um I would want a way to recruit more
▶ 1:23:18people into the field so that we have more folks to actually provide the care. Second of all, we continue to look at improvements in equipment and make sure that we have ways to actually purchase more equipment and then determine where to actually store that as we look to see how to continue to build a network to actually move those who need to be moved. Um how do we build out staging locations to actually bring folks back to the states?
▶ 1:23:46And then finally once we get them back here uh at home to the lower 48 uh working with uh US Northcom uh for a distribution plan to actually get folks to the point of care once we're here and if necessary work with commercial aircraft and surface transportation to actually get folks moved. Thank you. Definitely.
▶ 1:24:08And I think we recognize that while Hawaii would be the center point for any kind of mass casualty event in the Pacific or the Indoacific going to the continent, we do currently not have the capabilities to be able to exercise those kinds of functions. And so definitely something we need to work on. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back. Thank you. And Mr. Mills, you're recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, General Reed, for being here today. I want to talk about efficiencies within Transcom.
▶ 1:24:34Uh, General Reed, as your current administration continues to try and fulfill its promise to find and address the waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government and the American taxpayers, you know, needing and deserving that uh we have this robust and functional DoD. What requires DoD to try and finally pass an audit, which we know has failed on four different occasions. Uh, what are you doing at Transcom to ensure that your command can pass an audit? audit is very important to us.
▶ 1:25:05Um, first of all, I'd like to outline the fact that uh we are committed to it and we are looking at all of the the challenges that we face. Uh first and foremost, we have a plethora of systems that are uh that deal specifically with transportation and then we have a separate set of systems that deal with finance and those legacy systems most of which we don't own or control. Um were never designed to talk to each other.
▶ 1:25:32There are a number of systems that reside here in the US and then also some systems that reside abroad. Um, as we trace the mission thread in terms of what we need to get after to make sure that the systems work to get the efficiencies, we have to trace all of the transportation and finance systems that support uh uh transportation here on the surface in the US and then strategically outside the US via air and by sea lift and then once it gets abroad back
▶ 1:26:02on the surface again with someone else. So we're talking on the order of hundreds of systems and thousands of stakeholders that have redundancy and that we need to join together. Uh fortunately we have great support to get an enterprise resource planning system that is actually commercially offtheshelf not anything that we're going to design to help us with that. Uh it's not just an IT system.
▶ 1:26:29Uh there's also a professional, educational and and cultural change that we're uh pursuing as well and also to get help in actually changing the behavior of how we work this system, how we work the processes and how we eventually merge these two to get to the point where we have a single source of information that we can work with and finally be able to track the data to get to a clean audit.
▶ 1:26:57Um, we are working incredibly hard to meet the deadline. Um, and uh, and we are leaving no stone unturned for that. Um, we still have a ways to go. Acknowledge that, but it's mine to fix. I appreciate that.
▶ 1:27:12Look, this has been one of the things that you're familiar with the United States digital system, which also had the very similar pro problem, which is that it didn't have the interoperability between departments, agencies, and bureaus to be able to feed the necessary information to ensure oversight, to ensure programmatic overview, um, and look at the overall systems and its efficiencies.
▶ 1:27:33It almost kind of sounds like what you're saying is is a Dogeelike system that has the interoperability and the capabilities to be able to continue to look at things from a programmatic perspective and then coalate all this data analysis and data mine to be able to grab that for efficiencies would be something of potential value. Correct. That's correct. I really appreciate that. Um, General Reed, can Transcom offer anything to the rest of the department to assist in this effort?
▶ 1:27:59Do you think uh actually the rest of the department is involved in this as well um and we are depending on them to uh help us with their systems. Uh we will be the lagging indicator in that if you will. So the healthier they get the healthier we'll get. But as we work this uh system uh we'll all get there faster together. Excellent.
▶ 1:28:24And in my last minute remaining j your testimony you note the challenges associated with sea lift capabilities in Indo and Pacific region. This is obviously very important to all of us but especially my colleague Makuda. Um given that this is not a single facet issue or simply a funding problem. Please elaborate on how TransCom may implement a more robust maritime presence. First and foremost is through the exercise program.
▶ 1:28:51And so um as that theater commander um exercises his forces and invites the rest of us to join uh being involved in the planning earlier helps. We've already started that and we are learning a lot of things that we are applying into our request and how we train. Excellent. Thank you so much for your time and for your service. General Reid. Mr. Chairman, with that I yield back. Thank you.
▶ 1:29:17Um, seeing that all who are here have asked a first round of questions, uh, we are going to adjourn this portion of the of the hearing, the unclassified, and we're going to uh, as soon as we can walk up there. And if you need to take a little rest stop for a second, that's fine, too. But we'll reconvene in room 2212 for the classified section of this hearing.