▶ 0:13:23Chair Mcconnell: The subcommittee will come to order. 2027 appropriations process now underway, we are here to receive testimony on the posture of the national guard bureau and reserve components. Thanks all of witnesses for being here. Gen. Nordhaus, chief of the national guard bureau.
▶ 0:13:51Chair Mcconnell: Lieutenant general robert harter, chief of the army reserve. Rear admiral richard lofgren, acting chief of the navy reserve. Lieutenant general loni anderson, commander of the marine force reserve. Lieutenant john p hughley, chief of the air force reserve -- john p healy, chief of the air force reserve. This will be gen.
▶ 0:14:19Chair Mcconnell: Healy's final posture meeting with the subcommittee. I want to thank him, his wife kathy for their years of dedicated service to our nation and the lasting impact you leave on the force. Gentlemen, welcome. We look forward to a candid discussion on the president's budget request for fiscal year 2027.
▶ 0:14:45Chair Mcconnell: The president's intention to significantly increase overall investment in national defense is certainly good news, but the details on the top line will determine whether the U.S. military can train, equip, deploy, and sustain a force actually capable of deterring serious threats.
▶ 0:15:10Chair Mcconnell: The guard and reserve are critical to the homeland defense , security cooperation with allies and partners to meet aggression with an overwhelming response. Obviously, ongoing operations in the middle east offer a tragic reminder, a majority of the service members killed in action since march 1 have been members of the guard or reserve.
▶ 0:15:37Chair Mcconnell: I know the subcommittee's deepest sympathies are with their comrades and family. Of course, current conflicts also offer urgent lessons about the future of warfare. This is not just a responsibility of the active component.
▶ 0:15:59Chair Mcconnell: Secretary driscoll observed last week that ukraine has "fundamentally offered how humans engage in conflict" and that "we are learning a lot from them." I think the secretary's observation is spot on, but the value of these lessons will hinge on our own ability to actually apply them. Our adversaries for their part are applying them.
▶ 0:16:26Chair Mcconnell: Iran is using lessons from russia's war and applying them against us in the middle east. The U.S., on the other hand, is slow to adapt. I why could that be? Well, in part, because of two administrations in a row have limited the number of military advisers who could visit ukraine. It is hard to learn if you do not observe.
▶ 0:16:56Chair Mcconnell: It is harder to deepen cooperation with your friends while cutting assistance at the same time. That is my republican majorities in congress voted both to authorize and to, more importantly, appropriate $400 million in assistance for fiscal year 26, this year.
▶ 0:17:22Chair Mcconnell: We expect that the department will obligate and expend those funds in accordance with congressional intent. The current strategic landscape suggests that demand for highly trained, well-equipped citizens in uniform, like the ones currently operating in centcom, is it likely to decrease anytime soon.
▶ 0:17:45Chair Mcconnell: But the guard and reserve's ability to perform these essential missions, to answer the call, depends on your access to modern capabilities and stable funding. I will be curious to hear what lessons you are driving from current conflicts, and when you are doing to implement them across your command.
▶ 0:18:10Chair Mcconnell: I was encouraged the president's budget request includes increased funding for military personnel operation. Congress has carried the water for this account which enables both the guard and reserve, but is included in the base budget request actually for the first time.
▶ 0:18:39Chair Mcconnell: These are important requests for commitment, but you know better than anyone, it will be hard to meet multiyear modernization targets without stable funding. On that front, I have repeatedly warned the department, and even more importantly, omb that one time shocks of reconciliation dollars simply cannot stand in
▶ 0:19:09Chair Mcconnell: For continuing annual appropriations. So we owe it to the men and women of our armed forces to provide ample funding for the common defense, year after year, with strong bipartisan support. With that, let me turn to senator coons.
▶ 0:19:32Sen. Coons: Thank you, Mr. chairman. I want to think the witnesses today and echo a number of things the chairman just said. You will hear them in my remarks. We have worked closely and will together as as our staffs and we agree on many of the points of the chairman raised, in particular the four hundred million appropriated for ukraine, and the importance of the state partnership program in connecting american guard elements to some of the countries around the world as they sought to emerge from the warsaw pact, as they sought a
▶ 0:20:05Sen. Coons: Modern military, great partnerships. Let me also join in a special thank you to lt. Gen. Healy in his final appeared before a subcommittee. I am sure you are relieved. Frankly, I just want to thank you and your family for your service. You're components onto an extraordinary job of balancing both civilian lives and military career.
▶ 0:20:27Sen. Coons: I think that does not get enough recognition, so let me begin by thanking all the men and women we represent in the guard and reserve who are a critical part of the full U.S. military. Many of us were reminded once again of that balance when, shortly after the president launched operation epic fury, components of our home state guard and reserve were mobilized or put on notice for deployment, as were two units from delaware.
▶ 0:20:57Sen. Coons: While we have policy differences on this war, this was the latest demonstration of the larger point of the guard and reserve our absolutely essential to our U.S. military. I joined the chairman in grieving over the loss of 13 americans so far, the hundreds that have been wounded. Not only do our prayers go to their families, but our hope for success in the peace negotiations currently underway.
▶ 0:21:25Sen. Coons: Today's hearing is on the guard and reserve's fiscal year 27 budget, and it comes in the much larger context of a $1.5 trillion defense budget request submitted by the president. The pentagon is literally just starting today to put details of this budget online. What we know so far is that the overall request shows, in my view, a misunderstanding of the balance that our nation requires. The 27 budget request is for a record 44% increase in defense.
▶ 0:21:57Sen. Coons: There are many programs and initiatives across munitions, shipbuilding, space, cyber, effective procurement strategies that have widespread bipartisan support. In my view, we have to respond to the increasing collaboration and partnership between our adversaries, p.r.c., russia, iran, dprk across the globe.
▶ 0:22:20Sen. Coons: But this top line number did not emerge from a thoughtful policymaking approach from the pentagon planning staff, it was a demand tweeted by the president. I will join with the chairman in saying that last year the omb requested a critical part of the defense budget inside the budget reconciliation process, which is not a guarantee, and is a partisan process. That choice last year, the timing of it produced billions of dollars in mistakes.
▶ 0:22:46Sen. Coons: Omb, rather than recognizing the error, this year has tripled the size of that bad idea to $350 billion. That uncertainty will not give our defense industrial base to protect ability. We've also seen defense programs added at the last minute, nicknamed to please the president, which I don't think helps the department differentiate between genuine core needs, nice to have a items, and vanity projects.
▶ 0:23:15Sen. Coons: I also have concerns about how the department proposes this record request which includes cuts to programs and services all americans rely on. But let me move forward. I firmly believe chairman mcconnell, chair collins, vice chair murray and myself can figure out a responsible way to fund the government without leaving our children trillions in debt and deficits and without transferring health care and education. That is a broader conversation.
▶ 0:23:44Sen. Coons: Today, we are looking at how we support the guard and reserves. I'm a strong component of the guard and reserves, especially those in my home state who have deployed repeatedly. This subcommittee has to ensure each of the components testifying today are trained, equipped, and ready to answer that call.
▶ 0:24:01Sen. Coons: I am concerned about some ideological choices over the last 14 months that have had your components with a one-two punch, as your accounts have been diverted to pay for operations abroad at the southwest border, and as the administration has shown hostility to the civilian members through a hiring freeze, no pay raise, opm's insistence on literally approving every new hire. No private business within their company that way, and you don't deserve this distraction and chaos.
▶ 0:24:31Sen. Coons: On the positive side, I agree very much with the chairman, the billion dollars for the national guard reserve account is welcome, look forward to hearing how you plan to use those funds to modernize your force. State partnership programs, dollar for dollar punches way above its weight. All of us know our home state partner, whether it is ecuador, djibouti, in the case of kentucky, trinidad and tobago. I have seen it on the ground, I've heard it from combatant commanders.
▶ 0:25:02Sen. Coons: It pays great dividends. I look forward to hearing ways about ways we can support programs for the guard and reserve into work in partnership with our allies in cyber, medical,, specialties and others. Our nation needs and deserves and appreciates the service and support of the component you represent. Mr. chairman, I look forward to this morning's hearing.
▶ 0:25:22Chair Mcconnell: Thank you very much. Now, I will turn over to the panel, beginning with gen. Nordhaus. I would like each of you to limit your remarks to about three minutes, giving us the maximum chance for q&a. General, would you like to lead off?
▶ 0:25:42Gen. Nordhaus: Thank you. Before I provide my opening remarks, I asked that we remember our fallen service members across the joint force who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. They will always be remembered. Chairman mcconnell, ricky member kunz, esteemed members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the strength of your locally based globally engaged national guard. I think our 54 adjutant general's and senior listed general john who is with me today for their accounts.
▶ 0:26:13Gen. Nordhaus: Moreover, I want to thank you, congress, for your support that underpins everything we do, ensuring a stronger and more secure tomorrow. It's an honor to represent 435 thousand soldiers and airmen of the air national guard. Today nearly 44,000 guardsmen are engaged worldwide securing our homeland in supporting every combatant commander around the globe. Your national guard has had a remarkable year defined by the scale and simultaneity of our operations. We are powered by our core advantage, the citizen soldier.
▶ 0:26:44Gen. Nordhaus: They combined the warrior ethos and civilian acquired skills, creating an organization that is as innovative as it is lethal, a force that is community-based and engaged worldwide. Defending the homeland is the department of war's number one priority. This is national guard's foundational mission come our dual mission serving as the primary combat reserve of the army and air force while also serving as a military first responder in domestic crises. This is a challenge we probably proudly accept.
▶ 0:27:16Gen. Nordhaus: Without hesitation, during operation midnight hammer and epic fury, national guard crews delivered decisive close to iran in lockstep with our joint force partners. Your national guard is an indispensable return on investment for america. We represent 20% of the joint force it we operate on less than 4% of the department's budget. Our decisive capabilities are only possible if our citizen soldiers and airmen trained with modernized equipment, fully interoperable with the joint force.
▶ 0:27:44Gen. Nordhaus: To sustain strategic dominance, we must modernize concurrently with our services to aggressively outpace and overmatched tomorrow's threats with robust investments for today. This year, I remain laser focused on sharpening our war fighting edge to increase our guard's readiness and bolster our capabilities and core mission for homeland warfighting and partnerships.
▶ 0:28:09Gen. Nordhaus: When we serve our citizens in a state active duty status, current policy sends those reimbursement funds back to the treasury. We ask for your support in restoring those state active duty funds that get spent back to our readiness and back to our formations. Our warfighters are the most critical asset, and to support their service we must enact duty status reform and compensate people work with equal pay and benefits.
▶ 0:28:40Gen. Nordhaus: In closing, I want to again thank this committee for your unwavering support. Let us pray and continue to support our warfighters in harm's way. Let us stand by them and their families. We are thankful for their service. We will always keep our promise to our nation into our citizens to be always ready and always there. Thank you. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:29:04Chair Mcconnell: Thank you. Let's take the witnesses and following order. Anderson, lofgren, healy.
▶ 0:29:14Lt. Gen. Anderson: Thank you, chairman mcconnell, vice chair kunz, thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the, the marine corps about your marine corps reserve. I'm honored to be here with my incoming senior enlisted leader sergeant major patrick fay. Marine corps reserve is a critical component of our nation's defense. We provide 30% of our total force capabilities with 3.2% of the marine corps's budget.
▶ 0:29:39Lt. Gen. Anderson: We are not a strategic reserve held for a crisis, we are a globally engaged, operational force that provides the marine corps strategic depth, ability to augment and reinforce the active component at a moments notice. Our relevance is defined by our readiness, providing combat ready units to global operations, the reserve integrates with the total force. In fiscal year 2025, we activated reserve marines across five combatant commands.
▶ 0:30:07Lt. Gen. Anderson: Today, we have marines activated in every geographic combat command to include combat operations in centcom and a float on our marine expeditionary units. These diplomas are not just a measure of our readiness but how we build up. We are growing a more capable, combat seasoned reserve force that will be prepared for how young conflict. This level of readiness and modernization is directly enabled by your support. We thank this subcommittee for its continuing support especially through the national guard and reserve equipment account.
▶ 0:30:36Lt. Gen. Anderson: For the marine corps reserve, ngrea is not just a funding line, it's a more funding requirement and the primary tool that enables our modernization. These funds allow us to field the modern platforms and systems our marines need to train as they fight. With 99% execution rate across recent fiscal years, the marine corps has proven its ability to execute with discipline and reserve and speed while maintaining our service's clean audit for the last three years.
▶ 0:31:06Lt. Gen. Anderson: Reserve readiness requires modern infrastructure. There marine corps reserve occupies 148 reserve training centers across 47 states and the average condition in our portfolio is poor. While we aggressively pursue efficiencies through programs like facility sustainment, restoration and modernization and military construction navy reserve, too slow this decline, the disparity between our requirements and resources is growing.
▶ 0:31:31Lt. Gen. Anderson: Continued support for our military construction and sustainment account is essential to provide safe, secure, and modern facilities for our marines. Because at the heart of the success is our marines, sailors, and families who serve with unwavering dedication. They are the foundation of our readiness. With your continued support, I'm confident the marine corps will remain what our nation expects us to be, an elite combat ready force prepared to answer the call anytime and anyplace.
▶ 0:32:01Lt. Gen. Anderson: Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. It's a great time to be a marine reservist. I look forward to your questions. >> good morning, chairman mcconnell, the state with members of the committee. For 111 years, the navy reserve has provided critical strategic depth to the fleet and joint force. When our nation because, we answer ready, lethal, and all into fight and win today. We are building the navy of the future anti-bonding the next era of american seapower.
▶ 0:32:31Lt. Gen. Anderson: Today, we are resilient, agile, globally present, and combat credible force that is fully integrated into the navy's mission. With me today is our force master chief, a tireless advocate for our sailors and their families. Thank you for the opportunity to address this committee on behalf of our incredible navy reserve sailors.
▶ 0:32:49Lt. Gen. Anderson: Over the last couple of months in support of operation epic fury, I logistics blew the c-130 aircraft and evacuate over 2800 personnel including families out of harm's way and demonstrated critical aerial refueling capabilities for the navy all while supporting critical carrier strike group logistics. The same squadrons have delivered thousands of pounds of ordnance of critical cargo and tactical airlift support to south, protecting our homeland and safely relocating our teams out of the path of hurricane melissa.
▶ 0:33:19Lt. Gen. Anderson: When our nation calls and our fleet because, navy reserve answers, delivering logistics when and where they are needed. Your support for the c-130 j in the president's budget will ensure that we continue to answer the call with the capability and capacity our nation requires. Our north star is clear. We are unambiguously focused on warfighting readiness. Today, 59 thousand navy reserve sailors are on active-duty orders, serving in every area of response ability.
▶ 0:33:48Lt. Gen. Anderson: Our sailors deploy 24/7, 365 restoring peace through strength while advancing the foundry, fleet, and how we fight. We continue to modernize our force and align our resources to warfighting priorities, ensuring ready to fight and win today, tomorrow, and well into the future. Our most significant countries and to our nation's defense is the foundation of our difference posture is our people. A lethal and resilient force is not built alone, it is built with talent and automation of our sailors.
▶ 0:34:17Lt. Gen. Anderson: I ask for your full support in funding the rpn, and the ngrea appropriation to the president's budget level. Our investment in our sailors is critical to enabling a combat ready force. Every exercise, every mobilization must sharpen our edge in must be matched by investment in modern equipment.
▶ 0:34:37Lt. Gen. Anderson: To this end, we are postured in our force to deliver advanced combat ready give abilities at the fleet demands, replacing our aging fleet with a modern super hercules meets the fleet's demands to contested logistics and sustain maritime power. As I've shared with many of you, our c-130 tango fleet operates exclusively by the naval reserve is the navy's only long-range inter-theater airlift of oversize cargo. Last year, this moved over 72,000 passengers and 22 million pounds of cargo.
▶ 0:35:08Lt. Gen. Anderson: However, this fleet is aging and let's modern survivability with communication equipment needed for contested environments. We are grateful for the strong alignment on this priority. Chairman mcconnell, members of the committee, thank you for the continued support of the navy reserve, sailors, civilians, and families who make our mission possible. I look forward to your questions. >> good morning, chairman mcconnell, ricky member koons, the state with members of this committee. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today.
▶ 0:35:39Lt. Gen. Anderson: On behalf of command star greg betty and the more than 100 80,000 soldiers and civilians of your army reserve, thank you for your support of our warrior citizens and their families. For just 6% of the total army budget, the army reserve provides over half of the army's maneuver support forces including the majority of the level medical outcome engineer, into statement units and more than 95% of the army's total bulk fuel distribution capacity in support of the joint force. You go, we go.
▶ 0:36:09Lt. Gen. Anderson: That is my miss to my active-duty teammates. Right now, nearly 9000 army reserve soldiers are deployed, supporting army and joint force requirements at home and around the globe to include support to operation epic fury and operations on our southern border. Our soldiers are in the fight. To keep pace with emerging threats and to appear large-scale combat operations, we are transforming.
▶ 0:36:33Lt. Gen. Anderson: The foundation of this transformation is our shift to a geographic mission command, a model that replaces its c2 structure built for protectable deployments within geographical alignment up there to support building readiness for lisko. To ensure our units remain ready, I asked for your help in three key areas. First comfortable funding. Continuing resolutions and government shutdowns have huge readiness impacts they were the part-time nature of our force makes missed training days nearly impossible to recover.
▶ 0:37:06Lt. Gen. Anderson: Second, continued support of our of them rpa funding. In a major conflict, more than 35,000 army reserve soldiers are required within the first 60 days. We must be ready. Third, continued support of the much appreciated national guard and reserve equipment account, ngrea, which allows for the flexible procurement of critical equipment.
▶ 0:37:29Lt. Gen. Anderson: Seven march, my command star major and I were on the tarmac in dover, delaware reading our six fallen army reserve heroes as they return home from the centcom ao are. More than 30 army reserve soldiers were wounded in that same attack in kuwait. We honor their sacrifice and it affirms our resolve to ensure every army reserve soldier receives counter drone equipment and training at pace with the army and joint force.
▶ 0:37:54Lt. Gen. Anderson: To that end, we have dedicated nearly 30 of our ngrea appropriation to counter uas systems and will continue to invest in these lifesaving technologies. In closing, we are your army reserve, we are not a force in reserve. We are in the fight. The resources you provide are critical to ensuring young women and women in our army reserve stay combat ready. Thank you for your time today and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:38:21Lt. Gen. Anderson: >> chairman mcconnell, ranking member koons, distant was members of the subcommittee, it's an honor for me to one last time be here with my senior enlisted advisor, chief master sergeant nunez, representing 67 thousand air force reserve airmen. We are a strategic advantage and the cost effective investment, not a backup force. Our airmen's unmatched experience provides that's too deft to deter our adversaries.
▶ 0:38:48Lt. Gen. Anderson: Our partnership builds and interoperability with our partners. Our results are in for operation epic fury proves we are always ready and accessible to respond to any crisis in less than 72 hours. This is the air force reserve advantage in action. When properly resourced, we are a cost-effective solution for all mission areas. We operate our installations 28 days a month on just 25% of our force, delivering mission ready airmen for only $.30 on the dollar.
▶ 0:39:17Lt. Gen. Anderson: In fy25's closeout was our best on record. Your support and our data-driven tools enable precise resource management and list informed decisions. The air force reserve is efficient, experienced, accessible, and lethal in every mission set. We need your support to maintain this advantage. Currently, 77% of our fleet is over 39 years old. Supply chain shortages threaten aircraft availability, and a 1.5 billion dollars backlog means requirements are rapidly outpacing our resources.
▶ 0:39:47Lt. Gen. Anderson: Ngrea is a critical modernization and agility to maximize purchasing power. I look forward to discussion on the chain from a dedicated congressional appropriation to the presidential budget. We are currently hollowing out our nation future combat capability through disproportionate divestment. The air force reserve is projected to lose 21% of our inventory, a significant imbalance compared to the other components.
▶ 0:40:15Lt. Gen. Anderson: Our number one priority has been, and will remain, concurrent and proportional fielding of advanced aircraft. As ours crews proved their value right now in operation epic fury, disproportionate divested is unnecessarily adding risk to national security. That security hinges on our seamless interoperability with our allies and partners. Recent operations have proven this is a urgent necessity, not an option.
▶ 0:40:38Lt. Gen. Anderson: Now in its second year, our reserve allies and partners program continues to build globally interoperability, while operating on a near zero budget, we have conducted 71 engagements last year including formal partnerships with united kingdom, and france while establishing new security pathways with the netherlands and the philippines. Prioritizing this program is a cost effective investment that enables our allies to share the burden of strategic deterrence.
▶ 0:41:04Lt. Gen. Anderson: I like to take this last opportunity to thank you and this body for your continued support of the air force reserve in our warfighters. I'd also like to thank my wife kathy who is unwavering support to the men, women, and families of the air force reserve, and to me, deserves note in this record. Thank you very much. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:41:23Chair Mcconnell: Thank you, general. Good luck. We know that drones are going to play an increasing role in modern warfare. I remember recently reading, someone described ukraine as follows. The silicon valley of dronwe development.
▶ 0:41:52Chair Mcconnell: In other words, the leader in the world in this new advanced technology, becomes increasingly important in warfare. Yet, I am having a hard time finding american military people or civilian military leadership who fully understands the significance of continuing to support our friends and allies in ukraine.
▶ 0:42:22Chair Mcconnell: So let me ask each of you, in terms of your own experience, have you ever been to ukraine? Any of you? No one. Ok.
▶ 0:42:38Chair Mcconnell: Well, I'm not blaming you, but that underscores part of the problem we are running into in getting proper attention by the civilian leadership that you all ultimately report to, to understand the importance of avoiding at the end of the conflict the headline that says russia wins, america loses.
▶ 0:43:10Chair Mcconnell: Not a headline that I think does is any good in our efforts to continue to provide the leadership that we need, not just for our own country, but to have a stable world, america needs to be the leader, on the cutting-edge of the biggest problems. What are you doing to make sure the guard and reserve is best postured to adopt the lessons learned from ukraine?
▶ 0:43:43Chair Mcconnell: >> chairman, to start out with, this last month, I went down to indiana, camp atteberry, where they are working with trex. At stanford technology readiness, extreme mentation, and exercise. Some of the drones that you have seen admiral cooper use over and centcom have been built through that incredible partnership.
▶ 0:44:11Chair Mcconnell: I recently attacked north dakota to make sure that they are taking a look at how we are doing that, testing, bring that capability to the next level. The national guard is incredible on building innovative and individual capabilities.
▶ 0:44:30Chair Mcconnell: We look forward to working with the department, joint staff, 401, joint interagency task force on how to get the next level of drones, uas, counter uhs systems. >> the air force reserve is also participating from the onset of the conflict in ukraine.
▶ 0:44:53Chair Mcconnell: While not directly in ukraine, providing quite a bit of technological experience, help with month to month advancements in terms of what the ukrainians are using. On a separate note, we are learning quite a bit from how to counter these drones as well. Last year, the air force reserve with our 10 unit equipped bases that we are responsible for used $78 million at the end of the year to purchase counter systems which are being deployed month to month and out.
▶ 0:45:23Chair Mcconnell: We have two of them deployed currently. In addition, we have a rapidly deployable counter system. In the early days of epic fury, there was quite a bit of incursions into some of our bases from drones. Our rapidly deployable version of this kit was sent to barksdale within 30 hours of request. In that first night come we had our first drone knockdown as well.
▶ 0:45:51Chair Mcconnell: We are certainly taking advantage of what we are learning from the defensive perspective, but at the small level, 3, 4-person level, we are making sure that our best and brightest are in germany, helping out what they are advancing month to month in ukraine. >> if I could share, it's a daily conversation in the marine corps on the lessons being learned, particularly for marine forces reserve, our joint attack team is led by two reservists.
▶ 0:46:22Chair Mcconnell: The talent we have in the reserves rises to the top. There were just promoted meritorious way to staff sergeant due to their efforts and how use of drones in the marine corps. Over the next four years, we are standing up what we call our low altitude air defense, counter uas s on ballistic missile capabilities. We have seen that through force design. We have seen that in the current conflict where long-range fires and the counter uas will be a priority for the field.
▶ 0:46:53Chair Mcconnell: We are getting after it in that way, Mr. chairman. >> Mr. chairman, the army reserve is driving on that. Not only would have been in ukraine but what is going on in ukraine, what happened in kuwait to our army reserve formation. To that end, we are procuring and tying using ngrea. We will be testing 17 technologies that will be integrated this june, to include running our first ever kinetic drone range.
▶ 0:47:23Chair Mcconnell: We will have expendable drones coming in, soldiers with their weapons in a proper site, kinetically engaging, being able to defend themselves. The armor reserve takes this seriously. We are nested with the army, joint task force 401, to make sure we have the latest technology. >> Mr. chairman, I would add for the navy, force design standpoint, we are investing in billets that supports both undersea warfare and surface assets from an unmanned perspective.
▶ 0:47:54Chair Mcconnell: Critical for us in the ngrea funding as well is using that to fund unmanned systems, some of the other as is that we use for both air refueling and expedition logistics. It ties into the others, sir.
▶ 0:48:08Chair Mcconnell: I have one more question. Lt. Gen. Harter, argument has a kentucky connection, but I think it's important to move in the direction of where warfare is headed. Kentucky manufactures and produces ultralightweight camouflage net systems.
▶ 0:48:41Chair Mcconnell: Both ukraine and russia have placed a high priority on passive defensives like modern camouflage against drones. Given the availability of legacy camouflage systems against modern centers and drones that we are likely to face in the future, to what extent is the army accelerating fielding of
▶ 0:49:11Chair Mcconnell: These at the speed of relevance? Does the current procurement strategy adequately address the requirements of the army reserve? >> thanks, chairman. We are tied into the army's procurement. That is a game changer for us. We are getting rid of our legacy systems. We have some of those.
▶ 0:49:34Chair Mcconnell: I think with the battlefields of ukraine will show you some of the basics of just getting back to cover and concealment, overhead cover, systems like oil can, defeats ir, defeat some of the defense systems, goes a long way toward ensuring survivability on the battlefield. The army reserve is in sync with the army in changing out our legacy systems. >> thank you so much, chairman. I could not agree more with your first question.
▶ 0:50:04Chair Mcconnell: Have you been to ukraine? Senator shaheen led a bipartisan delegation for which I recently had a chance to visit odessa and to see deployed counter drone systems that had been provided several years ago to the ukrainians you are defending odessa, to see deployed naval assets that have been donated by the united states, and to talk to really critical U.S. leaders from the army who are helping to learn the lessons of ukraine.
▶ 0:50:35Chair Mcconnell: What I have seen and observed both in briefings and on the ground is that ukraine is not just fighting bravely and with great determination against russian brutality and aggression but they are innovating into the next generation of warfare, and it is our dramatic loss if we fail to embrace and learn those lessons and to stand with those defenders. My first event this morning was with the archbishop of the ukrainian catholic church in a bipartisan breakfast.
▶ 0:51:06Chair Mcconnell: I spent sunday at a ukrainian church in delaware and met a double-amputee veteran of the ukraine armed forces, an american mother whose son with no ties to ukraine volunteer, deployed, and was killed by russians in combat. I recommend to you the chairman's insight. On ngrea, I'm encourage the dod has included the base request for a billion dollars. But I'm concerned about one thing.
▶ 0:51:34Chair Mcconnell: One of the most important features historically about how we have appropriated ngrea funds is our requirement that all of you as the chiefs of the reserves components administer the funds. This ensures the guard and reserve actually prioritize their own requirements because at times there is a disconnect. Are you aware of any proposed changes to this process, any of you? No.
▶ 0:52:02Chair Mcconnell: Then let me simply say on the record, it is my hope and intention that the guard and reserve will remain in control of the procurement and deployment decisions being made through that. One of the reasons that I pay attention to this is that at times big army, big air force does not make the same deployment decisions as the guard and reserves. This is a parochial question, but gen.
▶ 0:52:28Chair Mcconnell: Nordhaus, can you describe the operational benefits of completing the c-130j updates across all the guard units who are not currently so equipped?
▶ 0:52:38Gen. Nordhaus: Thanks, ranking member coons. The c-130 is just a great aircraft all across from moving to airlift and things across not only the battlefield but across the homeland and response. The c-130j adds another pallet position so it has extended range, extended ability to take equipment and people and capabilities to where they need to go.
▶ 0:53:06Gen. Nordhaus: We appreciate the incredible funding of c-130s from congress. We have 12 that we will push out shortly, three units left with the h models. Arkansas has the training. Lc's up in new york. We appreciate congress's support on the c-130s.
▶ 0:53:30Sen. Coons: Importance of updated c-130s for the naval reserve as well. >> if I could inject as well, we have three remaining squadron of c-130h's in the reserve. While they are very capable and modernized with new engines, they are still a 30-year-old aircraft and not included in any relevant o plans for the department of war which leaves us in the position of, if we want to participate, we have to bring our own maintenance associated with it.
▶ 0:53:59Sen. Coons: Mary came from the air force reserve perspective to get modernized into those j's.
▶ 0:54:04Sen. Coons: Your testimony about the disproportionate divestment of platforms across all of your components is something I keep in mind. The guard and reserve forces have been tasked with expensive operation requirements including operations on the southern border and deployments to washington, D.C. and other states. All of you plan your needs for the year without these unexpected additional requirements. How has the tempo impacted our readiness?
▶ 0:54:35Sen. Coons: Your readiness is our relevance, that is a memorable sentence. What trade-offs are you having to make in terms of maintenance, training, flying hours, as for example, guardsmen and reservists are deployed to patrol in washington, D.C. and beautification projects, rather than being truly equipped and ready for participation in combat? >> thank you for the question.
▶ 0:55:00Sen. Coons: Readiness, just as, if I could, we normally get our reservists 39 days a year. Anytime I can get them on orders, I am gaining readiness. Whether it is medical or some other training. We will find some way to get additional tactical training. Although we have not been tasked with southwest border or other missions, but we do at the marine corps, because of the commandant's drive to optimize the use of the reserve to be know what units are going out to 2030, 2031.
▶ 0:55:31Sen. Coons: That helps them plan their lives, their families, career. Everything that we've been conducted in the reserves has been budgeted. For the marine corps, be have yet to see an impact on our overall operating funds.
▶ 0:55:44Sen. Coons: If I could ask gen. Nordhaus to answer the question as well and then we will move on.
▶ 0:55:50Gen. Nordhaus: As we work with the training that we do across the border, statutory requirements, we continued to get that across the 54. We are seeking reimbursement from the department of war. They are working with and will use with the department of justice, department of homeland security. We continue to work to get after our training and make sure our soldiers and airmen are always ready in there. We will continue to work with the department on those reimbursements.
▶ 0:56:17Sen. Coons: I think it's important that you had the equipment, training, resources you need to carry out your core mission and that there be reimbursement for unexpected additional missions. Thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:56:31Chair Mcconnell: Senator hogan.
▶ 0:56:35Sen. Hoeven: Thank you all for being here and for the incredible work that you and all the members of the department of war are doing. It is unbelievable. We are behind you 100% and appreciate you so much. All of you. Gen. Nordhaus, two quick items right off the top. We have an air guard unit that actually works in the missile fields, security police. Great operation, ongoing, working with active-duty on a full-time basis.
▶ 0:57:07Sen. Hoeven: Incredible example of how you were in the fight every day. I want to commend you on that. The other is that our jamestown facility for the combat engineers, they have been operating out of the civic center for a long time. A facility for them has to be a priority. They are up to deployed. Just want to hear your thoughts as far as supporting that.
▶ 0:57:29Gen. Nordhaus: Senator hoeven, thank you for the question, for the support. It's my understanding it is currently in design. Expecting 35% designed by august. We will continue to work with congress and the army national guard on funding it.
▶ 0:57:44Sen. Hoeven: You referenced the t. Rex program. The army guard base is a t. Rex site. We are looking forward to exercises there in august. We already emphasize the importance of drone warfare. We have been at all things ua as encountered ua as for 20 years. Talk to me about what can be accomplished at the t. Rex site.
▶ 0:58:10Sen. Hoeven: I will ask the reserve members the same thing because this is a dod designation, and this drone effort is department of war wide. Your thoughts, other members thoughts on what can be accomplished with these t. Rex sites were drones and counter drones?
▶ 0:58:28Gen. Nordhaus: Thanks, senator. I got to talk with 15 people from industry as they integrate each of the pieces and parts and capabilities into drones along with 100 of our guardsmen who are bringing the capabilities and understanding the impacts from the ukraine conflict and then across the board for counter uis, U.S. systems. Each of the industrial experts really appreciated how this t.
▶ 0:58:58Gen. Nordhaus: Rex is going because they can feel fast, they can then go back and make adjustments to whatever their system is and an integrated with all the other players to make sure those drones or drone systems are top of the notch. Our department of defense can take a look at what capabilities they bring and then by the right systems.
▶ 0:59:17Sen. Hoeven: Let's go to the core and then down the line. What can we do on these t. Rex sites for the core? >> while I don't have a depth of knowledge that gen. Nordhaus does, we do our primary work on the defense autonomous working group. That is where he spend a lot of our time developing our drone tactics, through that lane.
▶ 0:59:37Sen. Hoeven: >> senator, we are spending most of our time with the usb rounds, both manned surface vessels and undersea vessels as well. One of the critical things that all of the reservists bring to the fight is not just the military skill set and also there civilian industry skill sets that they can bring.
▶ 0:59:58Sen. Hoeven: Things that we are seeing is that innovative spirit, can-do attitude comes every time we have the opportunity to train and bring those people into execute missions and operations. >> senator, any opportunity we have to train is, especially in this ivanka with growth of technology, the army reserve is all in. We have got some clearance at our training locations.
▶ 1:00:24Sen. Hoeven: Faa clearance to operate drones, to enable our counter drone efforts. If we have that in north dakota, army reserve is on it.
▶ 1:00:32Sen. Hoeven: Great comment. One of the unique things about north dakota, we are the only state that has the faa raw data radar feed, so we can do exactly that. One of the reasons we have been designated the t. Rex site. Thank you for bringing that up. You batting cleanup because you are doing a ton out there at grand forks. We appreciate it.
▶ 1:00:57Lt. Gen. Healy: Appreciate that, sir. Not familiar with the t. Rex system. Absolutely, if there's an opportunity to get better trained, better equipment, better exercises. Currently in the air force generation model we are currently using, our expeditionary wings are getting a certification event to authorize the organic nature of the unit to pick up and deploy. Part of that includes counter drones, counter uis training. -- uas training.
▶ 1:01:29Lt. Gen. Healy: We are more than welcome to join in training.
▶ 1:01:30Sen. Hoeven: Thank you all. Appreciated very much. Thank you, Mr. chair.
▶ 1:01:37Chair Mcconnell: Senator baldwin, senator capito.
▶ 1:01:45Sen. Baldwin: Lt. Gen. Harter, we have had thousands of active duty and reserve soldiers participate in combat operations against iran over the last several weeks. 13 U.S. service members have been killed. Hundreds more have been injured since the war began.
▶ 1:02:02Sen. Baldwin: I would like you to please identify and explain any differences between how soldiers and the active duty and reserve components are screened for injuries and giving medical care as they return from combat deployments like those in the middle east. >> thank you, senator baldwin. When it comes to our soldiers on the battlefield, we are treated as one team.
▶ 1:02:30Sen. Baldwin: We are treated by the way -- front on the treatment, what I'm getting anecdotally from our wounded that came back, also like to wait medical care, getting back here to the united states. Two quick points I would offer is, it is bringing the family members into that process quicker. I think some of our skillsets have atrophied on how we notify families of wounded soldiers. Obviously, our fault and we are pretty good at.
▶ 1:03:02Sen. Baldwin: Making sure our family members are tracking the status of their soldier. Once we get back to our mobilization site, my biggest concern is that soldiers are screened, they have been in a pretty kinetic environment, then they go back to home station. So how do we maintain contact and make sure those soldiers continued to get the care they need. We are nestled at the medical community, soldier recovery units, to continue to maintain that. Managing leadership.
▶ 1:03:31Sen. Baldwin: Making sure squad leaders, but soon leaders, command leaders are tracking by name.
▶ 1:03:35Sen. Baldwin: Thank you, general. I've heard directly from son army reserve us from wisconsin who returned from the war and said that they initially received less timely and thorough medical services than their active-duty counterparts. Has the army reviewed the care reserves are receiving after deploying in the war against iran, have you identified any problems?
▶ 1:04:02Sen. Baldwin: >> we are reviewing, as is the army come exactly what care our soldiers received. We have met with some soldiers as they have come back from fort hood, washington, D.C. there were some perceptions -- and perceptions are pretty important, that there were not receiving the same level of attention. We think they have. We will continue to follow up to make sure that they get the care they need.
▶ 1:04:30Sen. Baldwin: I am flying to fort hood and not so distant future to talk to some of our young men and women.
▶ 1:04:35Sen. Baldwin: Thank you. My next question is for you, gen. Nordhaus. Given that members of the national guard do not receive full and premium free tricare benefits like you active-duty counterparts, guardsmen can struggle to pay for medical care necessary to keep themselves ready for combat.
▶ 1:04:58Sen. Baldwin: Can you describe some of the medical readiness challenges that are faced by the national guard and how that impacts your ability to deploy?
▶ 1:05:10Gen. Nordhaus: Senator baldwin, thanks for the question. All 435,000 of our guardsmen are ready to go, always ready, always there means something. As we look at their medical care , as traditional soldiers and airmen, they don't get that full-time tricare. But we see is that probably the largest section of readiness comes from the dental health.
▶ 1:05:35Gen. Nordhaus: When we send soldiers to a station, they don't return a return to units because they are not ready or not trained, it is because they are not dental ready. Dental readiness is readiness for our national guard. I think that's very critical. As we look across all of our health care, look forward to working with congress on incremental approaches to this so that all of our members can have health care they need to all be ready and be there.
▶ 1:06:01Sen. Baldwin: Thank you. Given how much our military relies on our guardsmen and reservists for operations, it seems clear we need to take further action to get the reserve component better access to health insurance and health care. What can congress do to help, do you think it would improve readiness to expand tricare access, including dental to the reserve component?
▶ 1:06:28Gen. Nordhaus: Any health care is great for the national guard. We look forward to working with congress. I would also like to open up to the rest of the reserve chiefs. >> absolutely. Tricare select right now is an option, recommended in 2020. But it is not scheduled to be put into action until 2030.
▶ 1:06:50Gen. Nordhaus: Anything we can do for our reserve technicians decreases and individual's cost per month, about $216, decreases family members about $350, as they are currently paying through the fhab. In addition to that, dental, there is a $1500 cap in terms of what they are authorize when not on an order staff. One root canal on the books, and you are not qualified to deploy.
▶ 1:07:17Gen. Nordhaus: During a normal deployment cycle, 180 days ahead of a rotation deployment, they have the opportunity to get on orders and get that fixed. In this last execution of epic fury, we mobilized our people in 72 hours. There is no chance we are going to get those people needing that additional care, that level of care for the cost benefit.
▶ 1:07:38Sen. Baldwin: Thank you.
▶ 1:07:41Chair Mcconnell: Senator capito followed by senator shaheen.
▶ 1:07:49Sen. Capito: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Before I begin my question, I want to recognize a tragedy in the guard community. I do express my condolences to those who have had issues with this latest incursion, but we lost two cardmembers from the west virginia national guard community the day before thanksgiving, specialist sarah beckstrom and staff sergeant andrew wolfe, who was 24, attack. Washington, D.C. while volunteering to keep our streets safe.
▶ 1:08:18Sen. Capito: We lost sarah on thanksgiving day. We continue to send prayers to her family in west virginia. I'm proud to report that andy has made a miraculous recovery, not full but miraculous. He throughout out the first pitch at the wbc game recently. It's a testament to our national guard members. I just want you want you all to keep them in your thoughts, their families in our thoughts and prayers. Gen. Nordhaus, thank you for everything that you've done.
▶ 1:08:50Sen. Capito: Adm. Lofgren, great to see you again, thank you for coming to west virginia to see the lockheed martin facility that makes significant portions of not just the navy's jay c-130j but also the c-130 variance across all the other services. We have covered ground on the 130j, but I want to give you the opportunity to talk about the significance of that aircraft for the navy reserve.
▶ 1:09:16Rear Adm. Lofgren: Appreciate the question and thank you for the time in west virginia. Kc-130j is really the connective tissue for maritime operations. People, fuel, and equip it across these vast domains, distances, being able to support the combat commanders. In a fight defined by distance, logistics really is combat power. Kc-130j delivers on that.
▶ 1:09:47Rear Adm. Lofgren: Brings critical refueling capabilities. We are seeing that right now at the strait of hormuz, refueling the air wing. First time the reserve has revealed aircraft in a combat zone. Help to evacuate nearly 3000 family members and personnel. It is a real-world example of that speeding capability, capacity under pressure. It also highlights the challenge that we have got right now. The tangles that we are flying right now our aging, 35 years old. Reliability, long-term sustainment our problems.
▶ 1:10:19Rear Adm. Lofgren: They are real and growing concerns. That's exactly why we need to recapitalize and replace those now with a more survivable platform. What stood out to me during my time in west virginia was, we met somebody that was working on the assembly line, second generation of his family to work on those aircraft. He said some thing that really stuck with me. Every single american c-130 that is flying right now has been touched by west virginians.
▶ 1:10:47Rear Adm. Lofgren: We really felt that expertise, that pride, precision built into every detail that we rely on. For us, bottom line, the kc-130j is closing the capability gap that we have right now. The support from you and the rest of the committee is critically important.
▶ 1:11:03Sen. Capito: Thank for recount of that story. If you hadn't, I was going to remind you of that. Gen. Nordhaus, thank you for your visit, exchange in my office recently. There has been a lot of talk about drone warfare. The admiral talked a little bit about, all you did about the innovation that come from the warfighter, the ones that are in the theater.
▶ 1:11:30Sen. Capito: There is a lot of soldier inspired innovation that goes on that they bring from their own may be jobs they have outside of the reserves. I would say the ridge runner irregular warfare exercise laboratory, hosted by our west virginia national guard, provides some of that. General, how is the national guard harnessing the innovation from citizen soldiers to address the new age of warfare, could you give us a couple examples?
▶ 1:11:55Gen. Nordhaus: Senator capito, thank you for highlighting our airmen and soldiers. As we look at ridge runner, I'll be there tomorrow, excited to see that. As we look at innovation, our guardsmen worked out in industry and they bring all of that innovation and technology on the cyber side, bring those skillsets.
▶ 1:12:19Gen. Nordhaus: As we look at taking innovation out of the air national guard, air force reserve test center, they take innovation, taking the ngrea dollars we get and taking 80% of the capability is at 20% of the cost because they are innovating those tools and systems and as we go across. I appreciate the discussion on the uass. One thing we do is continue to innovate on how we can continue to protect and defend our basis.
▶ 1:12:48Gen. Nordhaus: Air national guard and army national guard side, we are often operating in a title 32 status which doesn't have the same protection and benefits as title x. We look forward to working with congress on those authorities so that when we are operating for counter uas within our defenses, we have the right authorities.
▶ 1:13:05Sen. Capito: Thank you all very much.
▶ 1:13:08Chair Mcconnell: Senator shaheen, followed by moran, bozeman, murkowski.
▶ 1:13:18Sen. Shaheen: Thank you, Mr. chairman, thank you for each of you for the job you do representing our national guard. That when -- men and women of the card are critical not just to national security of this country but to our individual states. All of us appreciate that, so thank you. Let me start by agreeing with senators mcconnell and kunz, their comments about ukraine.
▶ 1:13:43Sen. Shaheen: I hope we are doing everything possible to learn from what is happening in the war in ukraine, how it is affecting the future of war. Gen. Nordhaus, I also appreciated your comments about dental care. I don't know why the policies of the government, sadly, my home state of new hampshire, have failed to recognize that amount is part of our health care and to be treated as such.
▶ 1:14:17Sen. Shaheen: Thank you for visiting new hampshire. As I'm sure you were told often when you wear there, it is the only kc 46 wing in the country to reach initial operating capacity. You won't be surprised to learn that I am concerned about the logistic composite model study, and alternately, I understand that that study has revealed that the wing needs more maintenance than are currently
▶ 1:14:47Sen. Shaheen: There permanently. I understand general peer act had a good meeting with our tag. He talked about the importance of maintaining the temporary billets until they can become permanent. Can I get your commitment, the 157 will receive those maintenance bill it supports that they need, as determined by general peer act and the outcome study?
▶ 1:15:09Gen. Nordhaus: Senator shaheen, first off, thank you for the visit. Last year, I planned on visiting and flying the kc 46 prior to epic fury. At that delayed. But I will be up there to fly the kc 46. I have spoken with both the last day to make sure this is going in the right direction. I know the study added 10 positions so we will make sure those go in.
▶ 1:15:38Gen. Nordhaus: We also added the 29 temporary agr's to make sure we are moving in the right direction. But we are also continuing that work with the air force and kc 40 six at -- as a whole is incredible going forward.
▶ 1:15:54Gen. Nordhaus: We appreciate that what is authorized on the agr's, because the full-time resource is so critical that it is also appropriated as well so we can have those agr's, so we can push not only at the one 57th, but across the national guard. Both army and air. Our full-time resources are critical because they build the readiness for our guardsmen to come in on not only the weekends but when they come in on their drill status to be ready and there.
▶ 1:16:24Sen. Shaheen: Thank you. Thank you for helping to make that argument which the subcommittee will have to take up when we get to that point in the appropriations process. I also want to ask you about the remote vision system that we know has been an ongoing problem with the kc 46. What we are hearing is boeing hopes to integrate the revised rbs 2.0 system into the new builds beginning in 2027.
▶ 1:16:53Sen. Shaheen: But they don't have a timeline for retrofitting kc 46's that are already in service. Can you talk about your understanding with respect to that and do you expect to advocate for that? And perhaps general healy might want to weigh in on that as well.
▶ 1:17:09Gen. Nordhaus: Senator, I've flown the f-16 for 23 years and the f-35 for a little bit of time. Air refueling is the most critical thing. You are seeing it play out in epic fury where the national guard has a large percentage of tankards, both kc 135 and the kc 46 over there. Have to be able to do that back and forth.
▶ 1:17:33Gen. Nordhaus: Certainly, I will be focused with air force and working with general healy to make sure the systems that come on board that we can have the best systems capable for our airmen out there flying those missions. I have never completed a combat mission without refueling before, after, or both.
▶ 1:17:51Sen. Shaheen: So, again, I know boeing is talking about getting the new remote vision systems into the planes after 2027. How are you talking to them about what's going to happen with those already in service?
▶ 1:18:08Gen. Nordhaus: --
▶ 1:18:17Gen. Healy: I know there is pressure from the air force for retrofitting the systems on those existing kc 46's. We have two units, we are classically associated with one. We are just as concerned about getting the proper equipment in the current systems.
▶ 1:18:29Sen. Shaheen: Thank you. I'm sure the chair and ranking member will be interested in what we might do in the defense appropriations bill to help address that as well. Thank you all.
▶ 1:18:44Chair Mcconnell: Senator moran.
▶ 1:18:47Sen. Moran: Thank you. Let me join senator shaheen in expressing concern about kc 46, they matter greatly in kansas both in the active-duty and the guard. I want to start by asking questions about that. Certainly about the safety issue of boeing.
▶ 1:19:15Sen. Moran: And we are anxious for all of the fleet to be updated with the latest in safest technologies. We saw the need for that in epic fury. But our kc-135's are relied on significantly but they are an aging fleet. Modernization of that force needs to take place quickly.
▶ 1:19:40Sen. Moran: I'm asking you, general nordhaus, about recapitalization plans, particularly for our error guard national guard refueling wings.
▶ 1:19:50Gen. Nordhaus: Senator murray and, thank you for the question. As we look at the national guard, we are in the fight every day. When we look at what we are doing over at epic fury we are 30% of the operational air force and over 30% of that air over in epic fury right now. Critical capability that we need for our nation and joint force.
▶ 1:20:15Gen. Nordhaus: We know we have mobile nine getting ready to go out for the kc 135 wings to be able to apply for the next kc-46 fielding that process is run through the air force corporate process. It is tense. , repeatable, and defendable, and we will make sure all wings compete fairly to that. We look forward to it being pushed out when those planes come on board.
▶ 1:20:42Sen. Moran: What's the timeframe you expect?
▶ 1:20:43Gen. Nordhaus: I don't have the exact timeframe right now. But I believe it is in 2032 the early 20 30's. We need to modernize the rest of the fleet as well. 14 of our state -- of our 17 wings are flying those kc 135's, and they were built in the 60's and 70's. They need to be modernized as well.
▶ 1:21:08Sen. Moran: General, it sounds like an aside, it is more than an aside. When I learned of the difficulties that tankers were having in theater a few weeks ago, I immediately thought of kansas and kansas families, both guard and active-duty.
▶ 1:21:29Sen. Moran: And I would just highlight for you all, I had insufficient capability at that time to learn about what planes and what units and whether national guard or kansas was involved in those accidents. I couldn't get an answer either in-state or in washington, D.C. and I think that is an error that needs to be corrected for the future. There just was no information for days.
▶ 1:22:00Sen. Moran: I learned finally mostly from the public press as to what units and national guard members were involved. I would just welcome your help in making certain that in the case of epic fury and future engagements, that we have the capability of learning what's going on for the information of family members back home.
▶ 1:22:20Gen. Nordhaus: Absolutely, senator. We will take that on. Each week, I'm currently speaking with all 54 adjutants, generals every monday and thursday. We will continue to work that and get you timely information.
▶ 1:22:36Sen. Moran: Thank you very much. I'm getting interested again in engaging in this issue of duty status reform. I welcome any support that you would like to make this morning for our efforts to address this issue. How can this process be streamlined, provide guard and reserve with the efficacy it needs and responds and missions, and how do we make sure our guard members and their families know what they are entitled to under what status?
▶ 1:23:04Gen. Nordhaus: I'm going to speak very quickly because I know my other reserve chiefs are focused on this as well. Duty status reform is critical. It simple buys over 30 statuses down to nine and in four categories. It helps guarantee parity with equal pay and benefits for service members serving side-by-side.
▶ 1:23:26Gen. Nordhaus: It feeds mobility, increases national guard readiness, and reduces air and it creates less frustration for our service members and their families and provides the health care they need on time. >> I would just add onto this, this is clearly and simply a retention issue. Make it easy for our members to serve. We have been working and looking at duty status reforms since I was lt. Col.. That is 20 years we have been looking at this.
▶ 1:23:52Gen. Nordhaus: We finally got opportunities coming up through the house side. We gladly welcome anything on the senate side to coordinate with that.
▶ 1:23:58Sen. Moran: We tend to lead on this issue and I would inform my colleagues of the value of their support. And we welcome their input on how best we can write legislation that gets duty reform accomplished. Thank you.
▶ 1:24:13Chair Mcconnell: Senator boseman.
▶ 1:24:16Sen. Boozman: Thank you, Mr. chairman, and thank you, senator coons, for having this important hearing. We appreciate you also very much. And your service to our country. I also would echo senator moran's concerned about the status reform. I have visited with several of you about this and know how important it is.
▶ 1:24:44Sen. Boozman: General nordhaus, congress funded the national guard to purchase fiscal year 23 and 26. I understand these platforms are still pending a basic decision. Can you explain the tactical advantage of the national guard having the uaa as program?
▶ 1:25:02Gen. Nordhaus: Thanks, senator boseman. It was a pleasure visiting arkansas about a week ago. You have a terrific general and general chad bridges. Thank you to congress for three sets of great eagles the first one has been identified to be down in arizona. There are two units to be stationed. .
▶ 1:25:25Gen. Nordhaus: As we look at the national guard, the army national guard, out of the army's 18 divisions, eight of those divisions are in the army national guard. Need to be interoperable, plug and play. As those divisions go downrange to plug back in for a division coming out, it needs to have those isr platforms. It provides one of those platforms. Platform agnostic, though.
▶ 1:25:52Gen. Nordhaus: Isr capability and capability like we see being used over and iran right now, is critical to the war fight. It's critical to our divisions that are divisions are plug and play into the army other divisions.
▶ 1:26:05Sen. Boozman: Do you have any idea when the basic decision will be made?
▶ 1:26:09Gen. Nordhaus: I don't have a specific. We will have to get back to you. But it will hopefully be in the coming year.
▶ 1:26:15Sen. Boozman: Thank you. General healy, we are grateful for our reserve airmen and their continued readiness and availability. We understand you all have done a tremendous job in executing resources given to you by congress. What specific areas should this committee prioritize in fiscal year 27 budget to preserve the advantage of the air force reserves delivers?
▶ 1:26:45Gen. Healy: I appreciate the question. I believe I'm contractually obligated to save fully funding our oh and m and rpa rick asked would be the simplest answer. Obviously, we would like more than that. We executed our 25 funding roughly $4.2 billion in on them down to $11 million, which was unheard of level of accuracy. Are reserve personnel appropriation of under $3 billion, we executed down to just over $6 million at the end of the year.
▶ 1:27:09Gen. Healy: With that, with our execution of our program of 101.1%, we essentially created the readiness that we said we would. When we asked for fully funding our current request, we have a proven track record that that readiness is what allowed us to generate that mobilization and a ready fashion in 72 hours. I would ask for that fully funding of owen m.
▶ 1:27:39Sen. Boozman: So, that is your biggest challenge, the funding?
▶ 1:27:44Gen. Healy: Any time a decrease in funding, it creates subsequent challenges. Whether it is we have -- we have talked about the tricare reserve select, with regard to the dental as well. Our biggest challenge is that, and concurrent fielding of weapon systems.
▶ 1:28:03Sen. Boozman: Very good. General harter, I understand the guard and reserve rely on the national guard equipment account to update legacy systems. We were happy to see it funded for the first time ever in this year's president's budget request. Can you tell us how you use this funding and maintain parity with the active-duty components?
▶ 1:28:30Gen. Harter: Gen. Harter: I appreciate the question we get less than 1% of the army's modernization budget. It provides almost 40% of our modernization capabilities for us. We will use that to continue the protection system, counter uis and modernizing our fleets. We are 95% of petroleum distribution for the joint force, so we can modernize our tracking fuel fleets. It is critical to drive readiness for the army reserve.
▶ 1:28:59Sen. Boozman: I would just add open to the discussion with regard to the change versus the independent appropriation. Concern for -- in the air force reserve, 155 million is what we have executed in the most recent years. As that is programmed out for five years, that becomes flat due to inflation, I would say.
▶ 1:29:27Sen. Boozman: Quite honestly, are concerned, with the pb authorization, is it never gets to the reserve. We are concerned about that as well.
▶ 1:29:35Sen. Boozman: General nordhaus, can you very quickly -- we talked about this in the office. The importance of the state partnership program. Can you explain very quickly the importance of funding the partnership program?
▶ 1:29:49Gen. Nordhaus: Thank. The national guard has 116 partnerships globally. It started in 1993 with 13, and now we are at 116 around the globe. The combat commanders love it for the capability provides, the nations we partner with love it because it is building partner capacity. It is tilting -- we learn as much from them as we do from us.
▶ 1:30:17Gen. Nordhaus: As we continue to grow this program, we need the supporting funding so we can have the bilateral affairs officers, we can do key leader engagements and continue the robust exercises and partnerships with the nation's globally. >> gentlemen, thank you for being here. Thank you for your leadership. I want to start off my questioning focused on the combat search and rescue, and personnel recovery.
▶ 1:30:49Gen. Nordhaus: I think we all recognize that this is an essential capability that has to be maintained. And it is also one of these niche areas where it's pretty amazing what we see in this capacity. It was reported in the fy 27 program objective memorandum cuts to the air force combat search-and-rescue enterprise, particularly the planned elimination of the hc 130 j combat king two fleet.
▶ 1:31:21Gen. Nordhaus: I have received a commitment in person from general wheels bok that he will not cut the hc 130j's. The budget appears to reflect that. The fact that it was even up for consideration was concerning.
▶ 1:31:40Gen. Nordhaus: General nordhaus, the national guard has rescue components in alaska but also in kentucky, oregon, new york, california, and general healy, the air force reserve has these rescue components in oregon, arizona, and florida. I'm assuming you would agree that cuts to these missions would severely impair our operational abilities.
▶ 1:32:11Gen. Nordhaus: I'm worried about the signals that it would send to our horses if we were to make these cuts -- our forces if we were to make these cuts. I would like to hear about the imperative for the combat search and rescue mission from both of you.
▶ 1:32:25Gen. Nordhaus: Senator murkowski, it is a pleasure to visit clear I'll send him and jay baer over the last 18 months. I know the criticality of the search-and-rescue mission as a previous see fact where you are looking at airmen, hundreds of miles off the coast of alaska, to intercept adversary aircraft, or be able to search and rescue. Or what we just saw in epic fury where we had to go in and retrieved two down airmen.
▶ 1:32:58Gen. Nordhaus: We are both committed on the c-130 rescue up in alaska. There is no plan in the president's budget to divest.
▶ 1:33:07Sen. Murkowski: Excellent.
▶ 1:33:07Gen. Healy: I would that. The position is unequivocal that he does not support any cuts whatsoever to that. I think you're seeing that by the investment in the -- I think yesterday's news about the a-10's extension for two years as a critical role in epic fury.
▶ 1:33:31Sen. Murkowski: Very good. Thank you. I want to ask about the costs being incurred in the ongoing operation epic fury. We anticipate seeing a relatively large supplemental coming before us.
▶ 1:33:51Sen. Murkowski: Trying to understand what it is that is being incurred in terms of the cost, I think general nordhaus, you just mentioned perhaps the guard and reserve are 30% of the capability in operation epic fury currently?
▶ 1:34:13Gen. Nordhaus: International gartside. As far as the air component, the air national guard is at least over 30% of those forces.
▶ 1:34:21Sen. Murkowski: Let me ask you about that. That is considerable in terms of the air guard's contribution. I don't know if it's possible for you all, each of you, to share with the committee your components contribution to operation epic fury. And the cost for engagement to date.
▶ 1:34:49Sen. Murkowski: My interest in this is I want to make sure that that cost will be fully captured in the supplemental request, because I worry that some of it may be absorbed into the baseline budget in ways that could degrade your readiness for years to come. General nordhaus, if you want to start with that?
▶ 1:35:12Gen. Nordhaus: Thanks, senator. I will also say our army national guard is doing amazing work as well. We are capturing that data right now, and we are pulling that in. We are working with the department of war and we will provide those data and funding up to the committee as appropriate.
▶ 1:35:29Sen. Murkowski: Do you share my concern that some of this may be absorbed into the baseline? I just want us to know what it is we should be looking for.
▶ 1:35:47Gen. Nordhaus: I don't have specifics on that but certainly, all of our aircraft and army formations and guardsmen downrange, as we bring that equipment back, we need to make sure we capture all the costs so we can build that readiness backup, and rebuild the military as we continue.
▶ 1:36:00Sen. Murkowski: I look forward to further information but I truly appreciate the efforts of all of our services in this operation as we move forward. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. chairman. >> just one quick concluding question from me and an observation.
▶ 1:36:29Sen. Murkowski: On the state partnership program, which senator boozman asked, we added $26 million above the president's budget request last year to improve training and exercise and expand these partnerships. General nordhaus, if I heard you right, from 13, today, there is 100 16 have heard from several commanders in our recent hearings of how much they value them.
▶ 1:36:57Sen. Murkowski: Can we work together in the year ahead to expand their scope, reach, and their striking cost-effectiveness?
▶ 1:37:04Gen. Nordhaus: Ranking member kunz, absolutely. What we see is today, another partnership will go out to the 54 to possibly partner with and we will go through our normal process. As we look to each of the commands, it is incredible capability. 60% of the globe is partnered with the state. Less than 1% of that theater security cooperation budget.
▶ 1:37:33Gen. Nordhaus: It is a force exponential that our country, every country I meet with, they go on and on about it. When I was over in finland, sweden, and norway with the adjutants generals from each of those, you could see the immense amount of pride and conductivity. -- connectivity. What if the chiefs of defense said they had been partnered with one of our states, not officially through a state partnership program, for 50 years.
▶ 1:38:01Gen. Nordhaus: But in the last three years or they were partnered, it was game changing, his term, about how it helped them with their capability. We are learning from their military readiness and hours how we are growing together.
▶ 1:38:14Sen. Coons: Outside of my state's 30 year partnership, the very first time, I was really educated on it was in ukraine. In 2016. I got to visit with the then new leader of the ukrainian national guard. As they were transitioning from a soviet warsaw pact style military to a more nato style military, the routine deployments and training, in the joint exercises that emphasized not just military doctrine, but also civilian control military,
▶ 1:38:45Sen. Coons: Transparency and accountability, intake corruption efforts, local investments, the leaders I met with who were ukrainian said that their partnership with guardsmen from california over years had made a transformational difference. I have since seen and heard the same thing in lithuania, nigeria, djibouti, a dozen places around the world. Let me close with an observation you made at the outset. 20% of the joint force, 4% of the budget.
▶ 1:39:17Sen. Coons: I think you said 30% for three. Unbelievable value for the dollar. And reinforcing the values that founded us as a republic. You do incredible things with very -- the least we can do is honor that service and sacrifice by investing. Thank you for letting me go on a few more minutes, and thank you for your service.
▶ 1:39:39Chair Mcconnell: I want to thank all of our witnesses. Thank you for your service and your testimony today. Members of the subcommittee will have a week to submit additional questions for the record. Senators may submit additional the 10 questions, and we ask each of you if you get some of those, to respond within 30's -- within 30 days of receiving them. The subcommittee now stands in recess, subject to call of the chair.