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Good morning . The committee meets 

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today to receive testimony and the 

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president's budget request for the 

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Department of Defense for Fiscal Year 

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2023 witnesses this morning . Our 

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Secretary of Defense lawyer , 

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undersecretary of Defense comptroller 

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Michael McCord and Chairman of the 

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Joint Chiefs of Staff , General Mark 

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Milley , Thank you for appearing before 

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us today and please extend the 

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committee's thanks to the uniform 

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civilians and civilian men and women to 

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the Defense Department who selflessly 

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served the nation . Last week , 

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President Biden released his Defense 

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Department budget request for fiscal 

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year 2023 with a top line of $773 

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billion . The request focuses on 

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several key areas , including 

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prioritizing china as a key strategic 

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competitor , addressing the acute 

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threats posed by Russia and other 

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adversaries and modernizing the Defense 

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Department . Our national security 

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challenges have never been more stark . 

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One month ago , Russia unleashed its 

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illegal and unprovoked and indeed a 

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barbaric attacked on Ukraine upending 

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peace and stability in europe . Putin's 

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invasion has inflicted horrific 

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suffering upon innocent civilians in 

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Ukraine threatened european security 

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and cause serious consequences for the 

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global economy . The Ukrainian military 

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has performed heroically in the face of 

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this overwhelming violence and the 

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Ukrainian people have shown the world 

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what true courage looks like if Putin 

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thought his actions would drive a wedge 

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between NATO and members uh and within 

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the international community . He was 

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badly mistaken . The conflict in 

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Ukraine has reinvigorated the NATO 

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alliance and exposed the brutal nature 

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of Putin's regime . Since the start of 

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the conflict . The international 

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community has implemented a severe and 

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far reaching series of economic and 

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energy sanctions against Russia , 

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increased military and humanitarian 

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assistance to Ukraine and reinforce 

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NATO's military presence along the 

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eastern flank . The international 

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community has united in a way not seen 

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in decades and our potential 

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adversaries around the world are taking 

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notes with that in mind . This budget 

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requests appropriately recognizes china 

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and in Russia as the key strategic 

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competitors for our military . 

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Concurrent with the release of the 

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budget , the Defense Department 

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submitted to Congress classified 

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versions of the National Defense 

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Strategy , the national nuclear posture 

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review and the missile defense review . 

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These , along with other strategic 

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planning documents yet to be released , 

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will serve as key guide posts for this 

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committee as we take a clear eyed 

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approach to what is necessary to 

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succeed in our long term strategic 

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competition . An essential element of 

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our strategy going forward is the need 

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to build the joint capabilities of our 

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armed forces across all domains 

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including space , cyber and information 

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operations . And I'm interested to hear 

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from witnesses how this budget support 

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joint capabilities to ensure our 

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military remains the world's premier 

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fighting Force . I am encouraged that 

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this budget includes the largest ever 

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request for research , development , 

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testing and evaluation . A total of 

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$130 billion 9.5% increase over 

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last year's enacted levels . The budget 

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includes significant funding from 

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modernization areas such as micro 

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electronics , artificial intelligence , 

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hypersonic and five G technologies 

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which will be critical for our national 

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defense . Our strategy towards china 

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and Russia should not be sold defined 

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in dollars by how much but rather were 

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and why to achieve the greatest 

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comparative advantage . I'm also 

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pleased to see that this budget request 

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places a priority on taking care of our 

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men and women in uniform and the 

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civilians who serve alongside them By 

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including across the board . Pay raises 

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military and served brilliant personnel 

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of 4.6% . While this pay raise is 

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required by law for military personnel 

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to often Defense Department civilians 

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have been overlooked . This increase in 

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civilian pace sends an important 

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message to the workforce keeping our 

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strategic competition with china front 

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and center . This budget request 

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includes $6.1 billion for priorities 

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covered by the pacific deterrence 

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initiative or P . D . I . Although we 

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are awaiting the specific details of 

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the department's pd I request , I'm 

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encouraged by the progress we have made 

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thus far . This committee will continue 

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working to help improve the design and 

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posture of the joint force in the indo 

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pacific region including by improving 

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logistics , modernizing infrastructure , 

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conducting exercises and training and 

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building the capabilities of our allies 

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and partners . This budget request also 

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includes $12.1 billion dollars for 

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military construction projects and I'm 

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particularly pleased to see increases 

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in the energy resilience conservation 

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investment program . The improvements 

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to our facilities , sustainment repair 

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and modernization will go a long way 

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towards the joint forces readiness . 

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This effort is further supported by the 

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budget request initiatives to weapon 

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platform propulsion efficiencies to 

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save you with regard to our nuclear 

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strategy . I understand the budget 

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request supports important steps for 

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the modernization of our nuclear triad . 

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Given the reckless statements by Putin 

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over the past several months , 

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including an out of cycle nuclear 

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exercise before invading Ukraine , our 

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allies and partners depend on an 

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extended deterrence . Now more than 

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ever , we must also be acutely aware of 

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china's rapidly growing arsenal 

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modernization of our strategic forces 

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is necessary to reassure not only our 

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allies but deter any attack on our 

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homeland but by either of our near peer 

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nuclear armed competitors . But even as 

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we modernize , we should seek ways to 

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promote strategic stability including 

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following talks beyond new start to 

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cover all types of nuclear weapons and 

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if possible reduce nuclear stockpiles 

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went verifiable for all parties given 

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these strategic threats . The proposed 

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investment and tried and true platforms 

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like the Columbia and Virginia class 

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submarines is a prudent decision . 

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Similarly , this budget supports the 

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development of a new long range stealth 

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bomber , strengthening the fighter 

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fleet and building up the defense 

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industrial base , including upgrades to 

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the navy's public and private shipyards . 

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Keeping the nature of strategic 

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competition in mind . However , it is 

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also necessary to to divest the 

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platforms and capabilities that are 

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either not necessary or inefficient for 

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supporting our strategy belt tightening 

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in any department particularly defense 

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is always a challenge but there's also 

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an opportunity to evaluate what is 

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necessary and what drives innovation . 

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Department has taken the first 

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difficult step in proposing $2.8 

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billion dollars worth of divestments 

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and retirements of platforms . And I 

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will work my colleagues to evaluate 

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these proposals and make hard but 

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necessary choices amidst the global 

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pandemic climate change , economic 

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uncertainty , renewed Russian 

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aggression in europe and disruptive 

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technologies in the hands of 

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competitors . We have to recognize the 

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interconnected nature of the threats 

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before us . Congress must make 

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thoughtful decisions about how we 

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resource and transform our tools of 

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national power . Now that President 

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biden has issued his budget request , 

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the committee can be in our work of 

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crafting an agenda that meets America's 

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needs now in the future . Again , I 

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thank the witnesses for their 

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participation . Today I look forward to 

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the testimonies . Let me now recognize 

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the ranking member . Senator . Ny , 

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thank you . Mr . Chairman , thank you 

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And I join in welcoming the witnesses 

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for four years . This committee has 

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been using the To this 

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2018 

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document , the National Defense 

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Strategy Commission and I don't 

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recall ever having one 

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document hang around for so long with 

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somebody the 12 who got involved with 

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this to start with did a good job and 

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putting us where we are now last week 

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we received the classified version of 

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the biden administration's new nds 

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that's this from , from what I've seen 

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so far , it appears the new strategy 

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document does a good job expanding our 

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understanding of the scale and the 

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scope of the threat from the chinese 

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Communist Party and its military 

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modernization . There are some things 

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that will probably have a disagreement 

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about that . We have done that in the 

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past but we continue to consider the 

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new strategy . For example , there are , 

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there may be some areas of strategy 

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that we administration is willing to 

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take risks and the Congress may or may 

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not agree . But it's clear and I really 

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can't stress this enough . The chinese 

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threat is beyond anything that we have 

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dealt with before in our lives . 

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General Milley last year you told us 

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that the chinese and the Russians 

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combined spend more than we than us on 

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national defense . This year , Beijing 

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announced additional 7.1 

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percent increase in the defense , their 

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defense budget . This is a scary thing . 

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This is a is a big deal . Mr Secretary . 

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I do appreciate the based on the 

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new nds that you went to the White 

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House to ask for more resources and I 

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appreciate that very much . But but 

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even then , the budget just doesn't 

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rise to the moment . It doesn't deliver 

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the real growth or military needs . And 

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that is , it says , it says very 

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clearly in this document in the very 

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beginning of the document , The 3% to 

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5% range is where we need to be . And 

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that real growth is recommendation 

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comes from the bipartisan committee . 

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So the The budget also doesn't 

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recognize with the record high 

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inflation we're seeing today in the 

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realm of 7-8% . That's 

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On the bipartisan basis . Congress 

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tried to give our defense budget real 

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growth in in 2022 

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but the military will end up losing 

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buying power due to the inflation . 

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This historic inflation is a new I 

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call it the new sequestration . We all 

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remember when we went through the 

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sequestration together for me , 

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this isn't just about how much money we 

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spend on defense , this is about how we 

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spend the money and we need a higher 

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top line because what's in this 

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budget right now is not nearly enough 

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to make up for lost time . This budget 

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shrinks both our naval fleet 

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and our air force aircraft fleed . 

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It cuts in strength . The end strength 

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00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:57,591
has been very disturbing to all of us 

283
00:10:57,770 --> 00:10:59,937
and I'm glad to see the investments in 

284
00:10:59,937 --> 00:11:02,159
research and development . So some good 

285
00:11:02,159 --> 00:11:04,250
things are out there working and and 

286
00:11:04,250 --> 00:11:06,194
we're all doing together . And the 

287
00:11:06,194 --> 00:11:08,306
reason I took so long in this opening 

288
00:11:08,306 --> 00:11:10,560
is that this is the first budget 

289
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hearing of the of the season . You know , 

290
00:11:14,350 --> 00:11:16,760
people don't realize that this goes on 

291
00:11:16,770 --> 00:11:19,040
12 months a year and that's what this 

292
00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,207
is all about . And we're going to do a 

293
00:11:21,207 --> 00:11:23,540
good job . Thank you Mr Chairman . Well , 

294
00:11:23,540 --> 00:11:25,707
thank you very much Senator Inhofe and 

295
00:11:25,707 --> 00:11:27,873
thank you Mr Secretary um the Chairman 

296
00:11:27,873 --> 00:11:31,730
and Secretary McCord . Um we've been 

297
00:11:31,730 --> 00:11:33,952
informed that there is a vote that will 

298
00:11:33,952 --> 00:11:36,063
convince at 10 a.m. There'll be three 

299
00:11:36,063 --> 00:11:39,750
votes in in order . So we will be 

300
00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:43,610
slipping out ones and twos . But we 

301
00:11:43,610 --> 00:11:46,070
will continue the hearing throughout 

302
00:11:46,070 --> 00:11:48,292
the morning . Uh and then we'll go into 

303
00:11:48,292 --> 00:11:50,514
the classified section at the collusion 

304
00:11:50,514 --> 00:11:53,000
of this open session with that . Let me 

305
00:11:53,010 --> 00:11:55,060
address a question to the Secretary 

306
00:11:55,060 --> 00:11:57,910
McCord . Ah Mr Jackson . 

307
00:11:58,540 --> 00:12:02,340
What ? Oh , I'm trying to 

308
00:12:02,340 --> 00:12:04,980
anticipate the votes so I jumped ahead 

309
00:12:04,990 --> 00:12:07,157
Secretary of Austin . Let me recognize 

310
00:12:07,157 --> 00:12:08,990
you for your opening statement . 

311
00:12:10,740 --> 00:12:13,520
Thank you . Chairman . Good morning . 

312
00:12:13,530 --> 00:12:15,752
Chairman Reed . Ranking member Inhofe . 

313
00:12:15,752 --> 00:12:18,030
Distinguished members of the committee . 

314
00:12:18,030 --> 00:12:20,141
Thanks for the opportunity to testify 

315
00:12:20,141 --> 00:12:22,141
today in support of the president's 

316
00:12:22,141 --> 00:12:24,252
budget request for fiscal year 2023 . 

317
00:12:24,740 --> 00:12:26,684
It's great to be here with General 

318
00:12:26,684 --> 00:12:28,684
Milley . It has been an outstanding 

319
00:12:28,684 --> 00:12:30,851
partner and I'm also glad to be joined 

320
00:12:30,851 --> 00:12:33,000
today by our comptroller and Chief 

321
00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,980
Financial Officer . Mike Mchugh Rd Mr 

322
00:12:35,980 --> 00:12:37,924
Chairman . We're still we're still 

323
00:12:37,924 --> 00:12:40,091
focused on key three key priorities at 

324
00:12:40,091 --> 00:12:42,036
the Department of Defense and they 

325
00:12:42,036 --> 00:12:44,250
include defending our nation , taking 

326
00:12:44,250 --> 00:12:46,180
care of our people and succeeding 

327
00:12:46,180 --> 00:12:48,340
through teamwork and the budget 

328
00:12:48,340 --> 00:12:50,618
requests that we have submitted to you , 

329
00:12:50,618 --> 00:12:52,396
helps us meet each one of those 

330
00:12:52,396 --> 00:12:54,618
priorities . Our budget seeks more than 

331
00:12:54,618 --> 00:12:56,840
$56 billion dollars for air power 

332
00:12:56,840 --> 00:12:59,660
platforms and systems , More than $40 

333
00:12:59,660 --> 00:13:01,550
billion dollars to maintain our 

334
00:13:01,550 --> 00:13:04,800
dominance at sea Including buying nine 

335
00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,860
more battle force ships And almost $13 

336
00:13:07,860 --> 00:13:09,582
billion dollars to support and 

337
00:13:09,582 --> 00:13:12,650
modernize our combat credible forces on 

338
00:13:12,650 --> 00:13:16,200
land . A budget request also funds the 

339
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:18,367
modernization of all three legs of the 

340
00:13:18,367 --> 00:13:20,430
nuclear triad to ensure that we 

341
00:13:20,430 --> 00:13:23,180
maintain a safe , secure and effective 

342
00:13:23,180 --> 00:13:25,870
strategic deterrent . Of course none of 

343
00:13:25,870 --> 00:13:29,010
these capabilities matter without our 

344
00:13:29,010 --> 00:13:32,750
people and their families . So we're 

345
00:13:32,750 --> 00:13:35,860
seeking your support for a 4.6% pay 

346
00:13:35,860 --> 00:13:38,580
raise for our military and civilian 

347
00:13:38,580 --> 00:13:41,210
personnel and other special pay and 

348
00:13:41,210 --> 00:13:44,570
benefits . We also plan to invest in 

349
00:13:44,790 --> 00:13:46,950
outstanding and affordable child care 

350
00:13:47,340 --> 00:13:49,490
in the construction of on base child 

351
00:13:49,500 --> 00:13:51,940
child development centers and ensure 

352
00:13:51,950 --> 00:13:54,390
and in ensuring that all our families 

353
00:13:54,390 --> 00:13:57,390
can always put good and healthy food on 

354
00:13:57,390 --> 00:14:00,070
the table . We're also deeply focused 

355
00:14:00,070 --> 00:14:02,292
on a terrible problem of suicide in the 

356
00:14:02,292 --> 00:14:04,360
U . S . Military and I'll keep on 

357
00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:06,360
saying it . Mental health is health 

358
00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:09,140
period . So we're increasing access to 

359
00:14:09,140 --> 00:14:11,420
mental health care , expanding 

360
00:14:11,420 --> 00:14:14,530
telehealth , capable capacities and 

361
00:14:14,530 --> 00:14:17,590
fighting the tired old stigmas against 

362
00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:21,000
seeking help with your support . I just 

363
00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:22,778
ordered the establishment of an 

364
00:14:22,778 --> 00:14:25,020
independent review committee to help us 

365
00:14:25,020 --> 00:14:27,400
grapple with suicide to better 

366
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:29,990
understand it to prevent it and treat 

367
00:14:29,990 --> 00:14:32,400
the unseen wounds that lead to lead to 

368
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,000
it . At the same time , we're still 

369
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,690
working hard to implement the 

370
00:14:36,690 --> 00:14:38,634
recommendations of the Independent 

371
00:14:38,634 --> 00:14:40,730
Review Commission on Sexual assault 

372
00:14:40,740 --> 00:14:43,170
because we know that we have a long way 

373
00:14:43,170 --> 00:14:45,448
to go to rid ourselves of this scourge . 

374
00:14:45,940 --> 00:14:48,100
Our budget seeks nearly $480 million 

375
00:14:48,100 --> 00:14:50,580
dollars for that enterprise . Sexual 

376
00:14:50,580 --> 00:14:53,230
assault is not just a crime . It's an 

377
00:14:53,230 --> 00:14:56,010
affront to our values and to everything 

378
00:14:56,010 --> 00:14:58,010
that we're supposed to represent to 

379
00:14:58,010 --> 00:15:00,440
each other and to this country . And 

380
00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,496
this is a leadership issue . And you 

381
00:15:02,496 --> 00:15:04,496
have my personal commitment to keep 

382
00:15:04,496 --> 00:15:06,820
leading . Now while I'm on the topic of 

383
00:15:06,820 --> 00:15:09,480
leadership , let me briefly address our 

384
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,260
military's role in the world because as 

385
00:15:12,260 --> 00:15:14,760
I've said , we succeed through teamwork . 

386
00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,096
As I've witnessed myself in the last 

387
00:15:18,096 --> 00:15:20,151
several weeks , countries around the 

388
00:15:20,151 --> 00:15:22,207
world continue to look to the United 

389
00:15:22,207 --> 00:15:23,929
States to provide that sort of 

390
00:15:23,929 --> 00:15:26,096
leadership . With help from Congress , 

391
00:15:26,096 --> 00:15:27,929
we've been able to rush security 

392
00:15:27,929 --> 00:15:29,818
assistance to Ukraine to help the 

393
00:15:29,818 --> 00:15:31,984
Ukrainian people defend their lives in 

394
00:15:31,984 --> 00:15:34,151
their country and their freedom . Last 

395
00:15:34,151 --> 00:15:36,318
october I visited Kiev too , meet both 

396
00:15:36,318 --> 00:15:38,484
my Ukrainian counterpart and President 

397
00:15:38,484 --> 00:15:41,080
Zelensky and we discussed our deepening 

398
00:15:41,090 --> 00:15:43,257
defense partnership and our unwavering 

399
00:15:43,257 --> 00:15:46,180
support for Ukraine's sovereignty in 

400
00:15:46,180 --> 00:15:48,940
the face of Russian aggression even 

401
00:15:48,940 --> 00:15:51,107
before Russia's unprovoked and illegal 

402
00:15:51,107 --> 00:15:53,580
invasion . We provided Ukraine with a 

403
00:15:53,580 --> 00:15:55,636
billion dollars worth of weapons and 

404
00:15:55,636 --> 00:15:57,580
gear through presidential drawdown 

405
00:15:57,580 --> 00:15:59,760
authority . Now we're delivering on 

406
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:01,704
another billion dollars pledged by 

407
00:16:01,704 --> 00:16:03,538
President biden . And our budget 

408
00:16:03,538 --> 00:16:05,670
includes $650 million 

409
00:16:05,670 --> 00:16:09,430
Europe , Including $300 

410
00:16:09,430 --> 00:16:12,360
million Security Assistance Initiative . 

411
00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:14,784
In just a couple of days ago , the 

412
00:16:14,784 --> 00:16:17,250
president authorized an additional $100 

413
00:16:17,250 --> 00:16:19,840
million to send more javelin and our me 

414
00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,290
systems weapons that will provide 

415
00:16:22,290 --> 00:16:26,140
critical support to the Ukrainians as 

416
00:16:26,140 --> 00:16:28,340
they continue to resist Russian 

417
00:16:28,340 --> 00:16:31,440
offenses in the east and in and south 

418
00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:33,980
of the country . We're also helping to 

419
00:16:33,980 --> 00:16:35,980
coordinate the delivery of material 

420
00:16:35,980 --> 00:16:37,758
provided by other nations which 

421
00:16:37,758 --> 00:16:39,813
continues to flow in every day . And 

422
00:16:39,813 --> 00:16:41,647
let me thank you for your strong 

423
00:16:41,647 --> 00:16:43,870
leadership toward our shared goal of 

424
00:16:43,870 --> 00:16:47,620
helping Ukraine defend itself since the 

425
00:16:47,620 --> 00:16:49,370
invasion . I've spoken and met 

426
00:16:49,370 --> 00:16:51,900
frequently with Minister Reznikoff , my 

427
00:16:51,900 --> 00:16:54,800
counterpart including on monday and I 

428
00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:56,967
have assured him that we will continue 

429
00:16:56,967 --> 00:16:58,967
this effort . We'll get him and his 

430
00:16:58,967 --> 00:17:01,240
troops the tools and the inventory that 

431
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:04,440
they need most and that they're using 

432
00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:06,960
most effectively against Russian forces . 

433
00:17:07,540 --> 00:17:09,762
We've also reinforced our NATO allies . 

434
00:17:10,340 --> 00:17:12,562
We spend additional combat power to the 

435
00:17:12,562 --> 00:17:14,820
alliance's eastern flank Raising our 

436
00:17:14,820 --> 00:17:17,150
posture in Europe to more than 100,000 

437
00:17:17,150 --> 00:17:19,900
troops . These reinforcements include 

438
00:17:19,910 --> 00:17:22,240
dozens of aircraft , An Aircraft 

439
00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,296
Carrier Strike Group and two Brigade 

440
00:17:24,296 --> 00:17:26,850
Combat Teams . As president Biden made 

441
00:17:26,850 --> 00:17:29,960
clear we will defend every inch of NATO 

442
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,590
territory if we if required . And we're 

443
00:17:33,590 --> 00:17:35,930
making good on that promise . Mr 

444
00:17:35,930 --> 00:17:38,097
Chairman , As you've heard me say many 

445
00:17:38,097 --> 00:17:40,230
times , we need resources matched the 

446
00:17:40,230 --> 00:17:42,630
strategy and strategy matched to policy 

447
00:17:42,870 --> 00:17:45,260
and policy matched to the will of the 

448
00:17:45,260 --> 00:17:47,620
american people . And this budget gives 

449
00:17:47,620 --> 00:17:49,453
us the resources that we need to 

450
00:17:49,453 --> 00:17:51,670
deliver on that promise as well . It 

451
00:17:51,670 --> 00:17:53,790
reflects our recently submitted 

452
00:17:53,870 --> 00:17:55,790
national defense strategy , which 

453
00:17:55,790 --> 00:17:57,734
highlights the pacing challenge of 

454
00:17:57,734 --> 00:17:59,790
china And that's why we're investing 

455
00:17:59,790 --> 00:18:03,320
some $6 billion Pacific Deterrence 

456
00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:05,500
initiative . It's why we're realigning 

457
00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:07,667
our posture in the indo pacific toward 

458
00:18:07,667 --> 00:18:09,722
a more distributed footprint . We're 

459
00:18:09,722 --> 00:18:11,778
going to enhance our force posture , 

460
00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,500
infrastructure , presence and readiness 

461
00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:16,990
in the indo pacific this includes the 

462
00:18:16,990 --> 00:18:19,870
missile defense of Guam and it's why 

463
00:18:19,870 --> 00:18:22,037
we're making broad investments in such 

464
00:18:22,037 --> 00:18:23,926
key areas as undersea dominance , 

465
00:18:23,926 --> 00:18:26,150
fighter aircraft modernization and 

466
00:18:26,150 --> 00:18:28,317
advanced weaponry including hypersonic 

467
00:18:28,317 --> 00:18:30,670
strike . And many of these investments 

468
00:18:30,670 --> 00:18:32,670
will pay dividends encountering the 

469
00:18:32,670 --> 00:18:34,960
acute threat of Russia as well which 

470
00:18:35,340 --> 00:18:37,990
our strategy underscores at the same 

471
00:18:37,990 --> 00:18:40,046
time we must be prepared for threats 

472
00:18:40,046 --> 00:18:41,823
that don't observe borders from 

473
00:18:41,823 --> 00:18:44,046
pandemics to climate change and we must 

474
00:18:44,046 --> 00:18:46,212
tackle the persistent threats posed by 

475
00:18:46,212 --> 00:18:48,157
north Korea Iran and global global 

476
00:18:48,157 --> 00:18:50,430
terrorist groups . Now the national 

477
00:18:50,430 --> 00:18:53,000
defense strategy advances our goals in 

478
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,980
three main ways forging integrated 

479
00:18:55,980 --> 00:18:58,650
deterrents deterrents , campaigning and 

480
00:18:58,650 --> 00:19:01,500
building enduring advantages . An 

481
00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:03,680
integrated deterrence means combining 

482
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:05,750
our strengths across all warfighting 

483
00:19:05,750 --> 00:19:08,720
domains . To maximum effect . To ward 

484
00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,190
off potential conflict campaigning 

485
00:19:11,190 --> 00:19:14,120
means day to day efforts to gain and 

486
00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,390
sustain military advantage and to 

487
00:19:16,390 --> 00:19:18,660
counter acute forms of coercion by our 

488
00:19:18,660 --> 00:19:20,910
competitors and to complicate their 

489
00:19:20,910 --> 00:19:23,750
preparations for aggression and to 

490
00:19:23,750 --> 00:19:25,960
build enduring advantages . We need to 

491
00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,160
accelerate force development , 

492
00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:30,529
acquiring the technology that our 

493
00:19:30,529 --> 00:19:32,473
warfighters need And so our budget 

494
00:19:32,473 --> 00:19:35,560
seeks more than $130 billion . As you 

495
00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:37,950
pointed out . Mr Chairman for research 

496
00:19:37,950 --> 00:19:40,060
development , testing and evaluation 

497
00:19:40,740 --> 00:19:42,573
and that's the largest R . And D 

498
00:19:42,573 --> 00:19:44,684
request this this department has ever 

499
00:19:44,684 --> 00:19:47,000
made . It's nearly a 10% increase over 

500
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,167
last year . Which was the department's 

501
00:19:49,167 --> 00:19:50,944
previous high water mark . This 

502
00:19:50,944 --> 00:19:52,722
includes $2 billion dollars for 

503
00:19:52,722 --> 00:19:55,530
artificial intelligence . $250 million 

504
00:19:55,530 --> 00:19:59,420
for five G . Nearly $28 billion for for 

505
00:19:59,420 --> 00:20:02,170
space capabilities and another $11 

506
00:20:02,170 --> 00:20:04,170
billion to protect our networks and 

507
00:20:04,170 --> 00:20:06,440
develop a cyber mission force . This 

508
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:08,551
budget maintains our edge but it does 

509
00:20:08,551 --> 00:20:10,660
not take that edge for granted . And 

510
00:20:10,660 --> 00:20:12,882
quite frankly , Mr Chairman in the 21st 

511
00:20:12,882 --> 00:20:14,940
century , you either innovate or you 

512
00:20:14,940 --> 00:20:16,910
get left behind and through the 

513
00:20:16,910 --> 00:20:19,077
president's budget . And with the help 

514
00:20:19,077 --> 00:20:21,188
of this committee we will continue to 

515
00:20:21,188 --> 00:20:23,188
innovate and with your help we will 

516
00:20:23,188 --> 00:20:25,299
continue to defend this nation . Take 

517
00:20:25,299 --> 00:20:27,243
care of our people and support our 

518
00:20:27,243 --> 00:20:29,521
allies and partners and with your help , 

519
00:20:29,521 --> 00:20:31,688
I know that we will continue to lead . 

520
00:20:31,688 --> 00:20:33,743
Thank you and I look forward to your 

521
00:20:33,743 --> 00:20:35,854
question . Thank you very much . Mr . 

522
00:20:35,854 --> 00:20:37,743
Secretary General Milley , please 

523
00:20:38,140 --> 00:20:40,196
Chairman Reed and ranking member ran 

524
00:20:40,196 --> 00:20:42,362
off and members of the committee , I'm 

525
00:20:42,362 --> 00:20:44,529
privileged to represent the soldiers , 

526
00:20:44,529 --> 00:20:46,251
sailors , airmen , marines and 

527
00:20:46,251 --> 00:20:48,307
guardians of the United States Joint 

528
00:20:48,307 --> 00:20:50,473
Force . Our troops are the best lead , 

529
00:20:50,473 --> 00:20:52,473
best equipped , best trained , most 

530
00:20:52,473 --> 00:20:54,640
lethal and most capable military force 

531
00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:56,751
in the world alongside our allies and 

532
00:20:56,751 --> 00:20:58,362
partners at any given time . 

533
00:20:58,362 --> 00:21:00,930
Approximately 400,000 American troops 

534
00:21:00,930 --> 00:21:04,210
are currently standing watch In 155 

535
00:21:04,210 --> 00:21:06,490
locations around the world conducting 

536
00:21:06,490 --> 00:21:08,730
operations every day they keep 

537
00:21:08,740 --> 00:21:11,260
Americans safe . Currently we are 

538
00:21:11,260 --> 00:21:13,204
supporting our european allies and 

539
00:21:13,340 --> 00:21:16,300
regarding europe's eastern flank in the 

540
00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:18,411
face of unnecessary war of aggression 

541
00:21:18,740 --> 00:21:20,962
by Russia against the people of Ukraine 

542
00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:22,980
and the assault on democratic 

543
00:21:22,980 --> 00:21:24,591
institutions and rules based 

544
00:21:24,591 --> 00:21:26,813
international order that have prevented 

545
00:21:26,813 --> 00:21:29,850
great power war For the last 78 years 

546
00:21:30,340 --> 00:21:32,880
since the end of World War Two . We are 

547
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:36,800
now facing to global powers , china and 

548
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,780
Russia , each with significant military 

549
00:21:39,780 --> 00:21:43,010
capabilities , both of whom intend to 

550
00:21:43,010 --> 00:21:45,640
fundamentally change the current rules 

551
00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:48,240
based global order . We are entering a 

552
00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,260
world that is becoming more unstable 

553
00:21:51,740 --> 00:21:53,629
and the potential for significant 

554
00:21:53,629 --> 00:21:55,710
international conflict between great 

555
00:21:55,710 --> 00:21:59,170
powers is increasing . Not decreasing 

556
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,096
the United States military comprises 

557
00:22:02,096 --> 00:22:03,984
one of the four key components of 

558
00:22:03,984 --> 00:22:06,320
America's national power , diplomatic , 

559
00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:08,790
economic , informational and military 

560
00:22:08,790 --> 00:22:10,960
to protect the homeland and sustain a 

561
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,620
stable and open international system in 

562
00:22:13,620 --> 00:22:15,842
coordination with the other elements of 

563
00:22:15,842 --> 00:22:17,898
power . We constantly develop a wide 

564
00:22:17,898 --> 00:22:19,787
range of military options for the 

565
00:22:19,787 --> 00:22:22,009
president as commander in chief and for 

566
00:22:22,009 --> 00:22:24,287
this Congress to consider as the U . S . 

567
00:22:24,287 --> 00:22:26,509
Military . We are prepared to deter and 

568
00:22:26,509 --> 00:22:28,564
if necessary , fight and win against 

569
00:22:28,564 --> 00:22:28,350
anyone who seeks to attack the United 

570
00:22:28,350 --> 00:22:31,150
States . Our allies are are significant , 

571
00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:34,050
vital national security interests . The 

572
00:22:34,050 --> 00:22:36,161
Joint force appreciates the work that 

573
00:22:36,161 --> 00:22:38,050
our elected representatives do to 

574
00:22:38,050 --> 00:22:39,939
ensure that we have the resources 

575
00:22:39,939 --> 00:22:41,994
needed to train equip and manage the 

576
00:22:41,994 --> 00:22:44,106
force in order to be ready . We thank 

577
00:22:44,106 --> 00:22:45,994
this Congress for increasing last 

578
00:22:45,994 --> 00:22:48,217
fiscal year's level of military funding 

579
00:22:48,217 --> 00:22:50,439
and we look forward to your support for 

580
00:22:50,439 --> 00:22:52,494
this year's budget . The joint force 

581
00:22:52,494 --> 00:22:54,217
will deliver modernization and 

582
00:22:54,217 --> 00:22:56,439
readiness for armed forces and security 

583
00:22:56,439 --> 00:22:58,550
to the people of the United States At 

584
00:22:58,550 --> 00:23:02,170
the Fy 23 Budget request of 773 billion . 

585
00:23:02,940 --> 00:23:05,162
This budget will enable the decisions , 

586
00:23:05,162 --> 00:23:06,607
the modernization and the 

587
00:23:06,607 --> 00:23:08,662
transformation of the joint force in 

588
00:23:08,662 --> 00:23:10,884
order to set And meet the conditions of 

589
00:23:10,884 --> 00:23:12,940
the operating environment that we're 

590
00:23:12,940 --> 00:23:15,420
likely to face in 2030 and beyond the 

591
00:23:15,420 --> 00:23:17,420
so called changing character of war 

592
00:23:17,420 --> 00:23:19,476
that we have discussed many times in 

593
00:23:19,476 --> 00:23:21,587
the past . We will work diligently to 

594
00:23:21,587 --> 00:23:23,587
ensure the resource of the american 

595
00:23:23,587 --> 00:23:25,420
people and trust to us are spent 

596
00:23:25,420 --> 00:23:27,587
prudently and in the best interests of 

597
00:23:27,587 --> 00:23:29,420
the nation in alignment with the 

598
00:23:29,420 --> 00:23:31,642
forthcoming national defense strategy . 

599
00:23:31,642 --> 00:23:34,160
The classified document is out in the 

600
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,049
national military strategy . This 

601
00:23:36,049 --> 00:23:38,760
budget delivers a ready agile and 

602
00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:40,816
capable joint force that will defend 

603
00:23:40,816 --> 00:23:42,816
the nation while taking care of our 

604
00:23:42,816 --> 00:23:44,871
people and working with our partners 

605
00:23:44,871 --> 00:23:47,660
and allies . We are currently witnessed 

606
00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,462
to the greatest threat to the peace and 

607
00:23:50,462 --> 00:23:52,407
security of europe and perhaps the 

608
00:23:52,407 --> 00:23:54,580
world . In my 42 years of service in 

609
00:23:54,580 --> 00:23:56,960
uniform , the Russian invasion of 

610
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,360
Ukraine is threatening to undermine not 

611
00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:01,910
only european peace and stability , but 

612
00:24:01,910 --> 00:24:04,300
global peace and stability that my 

613
00:24:04,300 --> 00:24:06,720
parents and generations of americans 

614
00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,150
fought so hard to defend the islands of 

615
00:24:10,150 --> 00:24:12,372
the pacific and the beaches of Normandy 

616
00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:15,010
bore witness to the incredible tragedy 

617
00:24:15,010 --> 00:24:17,740
that befalls humanity when nations seek 

618
00:24:17,740 --> 00:24:19,830
power through military aggression 

619
00:24:20,140 --> 00:24:22,780
across sovereign borders . Despite this 

620
00:24:22,780 --> 00:24:25,002
horrific assault on the institutions of 

621
00:24:25,002 --> 00:24:27,113
freedom , it is heartening to see the 

622
00:24:27,113 --> 00:24:29,280
world rally and say never again to the 

623
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,940
specter of war in europe . Your 

624
00:24:31,940 --> 00:24:34,900
military stands ready to do whatever is 

625
00:24:34,900 --> 00:24:37,122
directed in order to maintain peace and 

626
00:24:37,122 --> 00:24:39,344
stability on the european continent , a 

627
00:24:39,344 --> 00:24:41,456
piece that ensures global stability , 

628
00:24:41,456 --> 00:24:43,289
an international order where all 

629
00:24:43,289 --> 00:24:45,400
nations can prosper in peace . We are 

630
00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:47,690
also prepared and need to sustain our 

631
00:24:47,690 --> 00:24:49,912
capabilities anywhere else on the globe 

632
00:24:49,912 --> 00:24:52,023
as well as our priority effort in the 

633
00:24:52,023 --> 00:24:54,190
AsIA pacific region , measured against 

634
00:24:54,190 --> 00:24:56,246
our pacing challenge of the people's 

635
00:24:56,246 --> 00:24:58,468
Republic of china and in defense of our 

636
00:24:58,468 --> 00:25:00,579
nation , we must maintain competitive 

637
00:25:00,579 --> 00:25:02,690
overmatch in all the domains of war , 

638
00:25:02,940 --> 00:25:05,550
space , cyber , land , sea and air . 

639
00:25:06,740 --> 00:25:09,073
The United States is at a very critical , 

640
00:25:09,073 --> 00:25:11,073
an historic geostrategic inflection 

641
00:25:11,073 --> 00:25:13,760
point . We need to pursue a clear eyed 

642
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:17,110
strategy of maintaining peace to the 

643
00:25:17,110 --> 00:25:19,060
unambiguous capability of strength 

644
00:25:19,540 --> 00:25:22,500
relative to china or Russia . This 

645
00:25:22,500 --> 00:25:24,278
requires that we simultaneously 

646
00:25:24,278 --> 00:25:26,720
maintain readiness and modernize for 

647
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,650
the future if we do not do that , and 

648
00:25:29,650 --> 00:25:31,761
we are risking the security of future 

649
00:25:31,761 --> 00:25:33,983
generations . And I believe this budget 

650
00:25:34,340 --> 00:25:36,618
is a major step in the right direction . 

651
00:25:36,618 --> 00:25:38,951
I look forward to your questions . Well , 

652
00:25:38,951 --> 00:25:40,896
thank you very much General and mr 

653
00:25:40,896 --> 00:25:43,010
Secretary uh I'd like to address my 

654
00:25:43,010 --> 00:25:45,177
first question to Secretary McCord and 

655
00:25:45,177 --> 00:25:47,232
that is one of the concerns everyone 

656
00:25:47,232 --> 00:25:48,954
has right now is the impact of 

657
00:25:48,954 --> 00:25:51,090
inflation on the budget . Can you 

658
00:25:51,090 --> 00:25:53,201
explain how the department calculates 

659
00:25:53,201 --> 00:25:55,201
inflation and how it was taken into 

660
00:25:55,201 --> 00:25:57,312
account in this budget request , both 

661
00:25:57,312 --> 00:25:59,257
in terms of personnel and in major 

662
00:25:59,257 --> 00:26:02,450
contracts ? Yes . Chairman . 

663
00:26:02,940 --> 00:26:05,310
Uh We paid just as much attention to 

664
00:26:05,310 --> 00:26:07,880
this as we did to the program content 

665
00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:09,991
that we're going to spend most of the 

666
00:26:09,991 --> 00:26:11,991
hearing discussing . So when we saw 

667
00:26:11,991 --> 00:26:14,158
prices changing last year we jumped on 

668
00:26:14,158 --> 00:26:16,380
it at the same time . We were doing our 

669
00:26:16,380 --> 00:26:18,213
program review . We took all the 

670
00:26:18,213 --> 00:26:20,547
information available to us at the time . 

671
00:26:20,547 --> 00:26:20,510
Up to the time we had to finish which 

672
00:26:20,510 --> 00:26:22,621
is basically the end of last calendar 

673
00:26:22,621 --> 00:26:24,621
year . Built that into our budget . 

674
00:26:24,621 --> 00:26:26,690
What did that mean ? Uh the GDP 

675
00:26:26,690 --> 00:26:28,968
deflator which is what we use at D . O . 

676
00:26:28,968 --> 00:26:30,968
D . Not the C . P . I . C . P . I . 

677
00:26:30,968 --> 00:26:33,023
Does not reflect what we buy . So we 

678
00:26:33,023 --> 00:26:35,190
weren't chasing 7% but we were chasing 

679
00:26:35,190 --> 00:26:37,190
an increase up to 4% advice to . We 

680
00:26:37,190 --> 00:26:39,357
built that into the pricing of what we 

681
00:26:39,357 --> 00:26:41,468
of what we buy from contractors . And 

682
00:26:41,468 --> 00:26:43,579
then we also have the pay rates which 

683
00:26:43,579 --> 00:26:45,634
you described the 4.6 pay raise . We 

684
00:26:45,634 --> 00:26:47,857
took The increase in wages into account 

685
00:26:47,857 --> 00:26:50,079
the result of both of those things . We 

686
00:26:50,079 --> 00:26:53,140
added $20 billion 23 through 27 . 

687
00:26:53,140 --> 00:26:55,307
Working with the White House Secretary 

688
00:26:55,307 --> 00:26:57,473
made both points to the president both 

689
00:26:57,473 --> 00:26:59,529
on the on the content of the program 

690
00:26:59,529 --> 00:27:01,751
and on the the cost of the program . On 

691
00:27:01,751 --> 00:27:05,520
top of the 20 to $30 billion $20 

692
00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:07,631
billion dollars a year to catch up on 

693
00:27:07,631 --> 00:27:09,798
this pricing increase that we saw last 

694
00:27:09,798 --> 00:27:11,964
year . Then comes the tricky part . Mr 

695
00:27:11,964 --> 00:27:14,020
Chairman is the world keeps changing 

696
00:27:14,020 --> 00:27:15,853
after we finish the budget . The 

697
00:27:15,853 --> 00:27:18,190
invasion of Ukraine spiked rattled the 

698
00:27:18,190 --> 00:27:21,010
markets spiked energy prices . You know , 

699
00:27:21,010 --> 00:27:23,066
we we do not do not have that in our 

700
00:27:23,066 --> 00:27:25,280
budget . So the world keeps evolving 

701
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,720
the global economy , let alone the U . 

702
00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:29,831
S . Economy are very complex and hard 

703
00:27:29,831 --> 00:27:32,109
to predict what's going to happen next . 

704
00:27:32,109 --> 00:27:34,276
So what we saw happen last year is not 

705
00:27:34,276 --> 00:27:36,498
what we see happening today and may not 

706
00:27:36,498 --> 00:27:38,720
be what we see happening tomorrow , but 

707
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,942
we with all the information we had when 

708
00:27:40,942 --> 00:27:43,053
we finished , we caught up so that we 

709
00:27:43,053 --> 00:27:45,276
would not start behind on our pricing . 

710
00:27:45,276 --> 00:27:47,442
Um last point I want to make um I want 

711
00:27:47,442 --> 00:27:49,498
to acknowledge that we have a letter 

712
00:27:49,498 --> 00:27:51,720
from ranking member in half and ranking 

713
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:53,776
member Rogers with a detailed set of 

714
00:27:53,776 --> 00:27:55,720
questions uh that would be another 

715
00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:55,680
opportunity for us to explain this in 

716
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,940
more detail of going forward . Well , 

717
00:27:58,940 --> 00:28:00,884
thank you very much . Mr Secretary 

718
00:28:00,890 --> 00:28:03,600
Secretary of boston , could you 

719
00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,200
highlight for us some of the key 

720
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,367
capabilities that are included in this 

721
00:28:08,367 --> 00:28:12,190
budget that will implement the national 

722
00:28:12,190 --> 00:28:14,079
defense strategy that you've just 

723
00:28:14,079 --> 00:28:16,301
proposed and the President's proposed . 

724
00:28:19,140 --> 00:28:21,850
Thank you . Chairman , you know what 

725
00:28:21,850 --> 00:28:25,180
one of the tenants of this strategy , 

726
00:28:25,180 --> 00:28:27,830
as you heard me say earlier , this 

727
00:28:27,830 --> 00:28:30,360
concept of integrated deterrents and 

728
00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:32,760
the and the principle here is that we 

729
00:28:32,770 --> 00:28:35,450
maximize capability , capacity , 

730
00:28:35,450 --> 00:28:38,200
residents in every war fighting domain , 

731
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,670
air , land , space , sea cyber 

732
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,320
uh and that we're able to network those 

733
00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,950
capabilities in new and different ways . 

734
00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,230
So you can see from this budget that We 

735
00:28:50,230 --> 00:28:52,100
were investing in space in a 

736
00:28:52,100 --> 00:28:53,850
significant way . $27 billion 

737
00:28:53,850 --> 00:28:57,560
$11 billion dollars 

738
00:28:57,940 --> 00:29:01,840
missile defeat and defense $24 

739
00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,240
billion $7 

740
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,020
billion . And so , a significant 

741
00:29:08,030 --> 00:29:10,630
investment in the types of capabilities 

742
00:29:10,660 --> 00:29:13,600
that we know will need to be relevant , 

743
00:29:13,610 --> 00:29:16,190
not only relevant but dominant in in a 

744
00:29:16,190 --> 00:29:18,060
future conflict . Thank you . Mr 

745
00:29:18,060 --> 00:29:21,390
Secretary . I indicated in my 

746
00:29:21,390 --> 00:29:24,000
statement , difficult choices you had 

747
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,890
to make with respect to retiring 

748
00:29:26,890 --> 00:29:29,960
platforms , etcetera , which I presume 

749
00:29:29,970 --> 00:29:32,890
I'll ask you is essential to being able 

750
00:29:32,890 --> 00:29:35,770
to first have the efficiency to 

751
00:29:35,770 --> 00:29:37,492
continue to operate , have the 

752
00:29:37,492 --> 00:29:39,714
innovation to anticipate problems going 

753
00:29:39,714 --> 00:29:42,620
forward . Uh might you and General 

754
00:29:42,630 --> 00:29:45,990
Milley uh talk about the need for this 

755
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:47,060
disinvestment . 

756
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,551
Absolutely , Chairman . As you know , 

757
00:29:51,551 --> 00:29:54,340
it becomes very difficult and costly to 

758
00:29:54,340 --> 00:29:57,970
try to uh maintain platforms that will 

759
00:29:57,970 --> 00:30:01,740
not be relevant in ineffective uh in 

760
00:30:01,740 --> 00:30:04,910
a in a in a fight with a with a peer 

761
00:30:04,910 --> 00:30:07,770
competitor . And so because these 

762
00:30:07,770 --> 00:30:09,603
platforms in many cases are very 

763
00:30:09,603 --> 00:30:12,330
difficult to uh to continue to maintain , 

764
00:30:12,340 --> 00:30:16,290
we need to choose to uh off ramp 

765
00:30:16,290 --> 00:30:18,123
those capabilities and invest in 

766
00:30:18,123 --> 00:30:20,123
capabilities that we know that will 

767
00:30:20,123 --> 00:30:22,012
provide us what we need in a in a 

768
00:30:22,012 --> 00:30:24,550
future fight . Thank you . Um General 

769
00:30:24,550 --> 00:30:27,910
Milley please . Thanks Senator . 

770
00:30:28,180 --> 00:30:30,760
The divestment to invest strategy , 

771
00:30:31,140 --> 00:30:33,720
retires a variety of uh platforms 

772
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:35,664
mostly Navy and Air force that are 

773
00:30:35,664 --> 00:30:37,498
quite expensive and and the cost 

774
00:30:37,498 --> 00:30:39,609
benefit analysis to sustain them over 

775
00:30:39,609 --> 00:30:42,030
time uh done that up . Uh number one , 

776
00:30:42,030 --> 00:30:44,252
number two is the technologies in those 

777
00:30:44,252 --> 00:30:46,308
systems , many of those systems that 

778
00:30:46,308 --> 00:30:48,530
were divesting our old so we are trying 

779
00:30:48,530 --> 00:30:50,641
to modernize the force for the future 

780
00:30:50,641 --> 00:30:52,752
operating environment 2030 and beyond 

781
00:30:52,752 --> 00:30:54,919
and that's what the investments are in 

782
00:30:54,919 --> 00:30:57,141
this budget . I appreciate that . And I 

783
00:30:57,141 --> 00:30:59,370
think looking at not just the fighting 

784
00:30:59,370 --> 00:31:01,810
in Ukraine but also the fighting 

785
00:31:01,820 --> 00:31:05,270
recently in uh Azerbaijan or Armenia , 

786
00:31:05,740 --> 00:31:09,680
uh the impact of drones for example , 

787
00:31:09,690 --> 00:31:12,320
vis a vis tanks . It symbolizes I think 

788
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:16,200
in a way the the future where large 

789
00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:18,880
systems which we assumed in the past 

790
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,060
were difficult to defeat have been 

791
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:24,107
handled quite directly by the 

792
00:31:24,107 --> 00:31:25,996
Ukrainians . But with that let me 

793
00:31:25,996 --> 00:31:28,140
recognize Senator and thank you Mr 

794
00:31:28,140 --> 00:31:31,230
Chairman . I uh Mr McCord . The 

795
00:31:31,230 --> 00:31:34,300
chairman ask a question and lead off 

796
00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:36,770
with which I was going to do . But 

797
00:31:36,780 --> 00:31:39,850
currently , now The question would be 

798
00:31:39,860 --> 00:31:43,510
in 2022 , you want to 

799
00:31:43,510 --> 00:31:45,860
expand a little bit on that year ? 

800
00:31:47,740 --> 00:31:50,260
Well , Yes , center on on inflation in 

801
00:31:50,260 --> 00:31:53,300
2022 , the GDP deflator , which is what 

802
00:31:53,300 --> 00:31:55,356
the department's always used was the 

803
00:31:55,356 --> 00:31:57,411
budget that you got last year . This 

804
00:31:57,411 --> 00:32:00,360
time was built on 2% . We now saw the 

805
00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:02,500
year ended at four and that's what we 

806
00:32:02,500 --> 00:32:04,770
caught up on . So that that pricing 

807
00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:06,896
going forward , building it into our 

808
00:32:06,896 --> 00:32:08,840
program going forward would not be 

809
00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:11,610
behind The tricky part from now is is 

810
00:32:11,610 --> 00:32:13,777
assessing what's going to happen in 23 

811
00:32:13,950 --> 00:32:16,117
going forward , given , given how hard 

812
00:32:16,117 --> 00:32:18,006
it is to predict these things and 

813
00:32:18,006 --> 00:32:20,117
whether oil price spikes are going to 

814
00:32:20,117 --> 00:32:22,172
persist or not persist . Things like 

815
00:32:22,172 --> 00:32:24,061
that , which I think they will be 

816
00:32:24,061 --> 00:32:27,240
persisting it . Secretary Austin , 

817
00:32:27,390 --> 00:32:29,112
there are some who say that we 

818
00:32:29,112 --> 00:32:31,446
shouldn't be talking about the top line . 

819
00:32:31,446 --> 00:32:33,390
We should be talking about how the 

820
00:32:33,390 --> 00:32:35,612
budget aligns with strategy and I think 

821
00:32:35,612 --> 00:32:38,900
we need to talk about both . But we 

822
00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:43,160
only have a classified defense strategy 

823
00:32:43,540 --> 00:32:45,990
and we have no national security 

824
00:32:45,990 --> 00:32:49,060
strategy . So how are we supposed to 

825
00:32:49,070 --> 00:32:51,181
connect the dots between the strategy 

826
00:32:51,540 --> 00:32:54,650
and the budget ? Is there any timeline 

827
00:32:54,650 --> 00:32:56,610
for the White House to release the 

828
00:32:56,610 --> 00:32:58,780
National Security strategy so that we 

829
00:32:58,780 --> 00:33:01,850
can have a debate in public about the 

830
00:33:01,850 --> 00:33:05,600
strategy ? Well , thanks Senator , 

831
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:08,350
I can't offer you a timeline on when 

832
00:33:08,350 --> 00:33:10,572
that's gonna be released . I would only 

833
00:33:10,572 --> 00:33:12,850
say that as we constructed the National 

834
00:33:12,850 --> 00:33:16,190
Defense Strategy . We used a the 

835
00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:19,090
guidance that was available in the very 

836
00:33:19,100 --> 00:33:22,140
detailed National Security Security 

837
00:33:22,140 --> 00:33:24,710
strategy guidance that was published 

838
00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:27,510
very early on in this administration . 

839
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,631
And that was very helpful to us to be 

840
00:33:29,631 --> 00:33:32,420
to allow us to map out the strategy 

841
00:33:32,420 --> 00:33:34,730
that that you you now see and if you 

842
00:33:34,730 --> 00:33:36,841
look at that strategy and you look at 

843
00:33:36,841 --> 00:33:38,786
the budget , you you'll see direct 

844
00:33:38,786 --> 00:33:41,000
linkages between the budget and the 

845
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,830
strategy because we use the strategy to 

846
00:33:43,830 --> 00:33:46,380
fabricate the budget . Okay , that's 

847
00:33:46,380 --> 00:33:49,060
that's good . Thank you very much . Ah 

848
00:33:50,140 --> 00:33:53,080
General Milley , I'm gonna ask you one 

849
00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:55,430
question and I already know the answer 

850
00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,270
because I know you and I think it needs 

851
00:33:58,270 --> 00:34:01,550
to be stated in this this hearing . 

852
00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:04,460
I want to follow up on this 

853
00:34:04,470 --> 00:34:06,930
Congresswoman Turner's questions from 

854
00:34:06,930 --> 00:34:09,940
the ask hearing earlier this week . He 

855
00:34:09,940 --> 00:34:13,460
said your position on the sub 

856
00:34:13,460 --> 00:34:16,970
launch nuclear missiles hadn't changed . 

857
00:34:17,130 --> 00:34:20,110
I just wanted to confirm like Admiral 

858
00:34:20,110 --> 00:34:22,670
Richard in general Walters that your 

859
00:34:22,670 --> 00:34:25,710
best military advice is to continue 

860
00:34:25,720 --> 00:34:28,760
development of this missile for 

861
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:30,670
deterrence purposes . 

862
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,207
That's correct . Senator . My position 

863
00:34:36,207 --> 00:34:38,318
didn't change . And I think that it's 

864
00:34:38,318 --> 00:34:40,373
important to have as many options as 

865
00:34:40,373 --> 00:34:42,318
possible for this president or any 

866
00:34:42,318 --> 00:34:42,300
other president , but I do want to the 

867
00:34:42,310 --> 00:34:44,830
state also that we have lots of options 

868
00:34:44,830 --> 00:34:46,719
and we have a significant nuclear 

869
00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:48,552
capability . So I don't want any 

870
00:34:48,552 --> 00:34:50,663
foreign adversary to misread what I'm 

871
00:34:50,663 --> 00:34:52,830
saying . I just happen to believe that 

872
00:34:52,830 --> 00:34:54,997
this President , every president needs 

873
00:34:54,997 --> 00:34:57,108
lots of options which we have . But I 

874
00:34:57,108 --> 00:34:59,330
think more options are better . Great . 

875
00:34:59,330 --> 00:35:01,330
Okay , thank you . Senator Inhofe . 

876
00:35:01,340 --> 00:35:04,000
Senator jeanne , please thank you and 

877
00:35:04,010 --> 00:35:06,590
thank you . Secretary Austin Chairman 

878
00:35:06,590 --> 00:35:09,590
Milley and Under Secretary McCord for 

879
00:35:09,590 --> 00:35:11,646
being here this morning and for your 

880
00:35:11,646 --> 00:35:14,200
service . Um Secretary Austin , the 

881
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,640
Senate NATO observer group , which I co 

882
00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:18,696
chaired with Senator Tillis recently 

883
00:35:18,696 --> 00:35:21,090
sent a letter to President biden . And 

884
00:35:21,100 --> 00:35:23,790
one of the things we raised in the 

885
00:35:23,790 --> 00:35:26,670
letter was in view of what's happening 

886
00:35:26,670 --> 00:35:28,781
in Ukraine . Whether we should have a 

887
00:35:28,781 --> 00:35:30,614
more strategic and comprehensive 

888
00:35:30,614 --> 00:35:32,781
approach toward the Black Sea region , 

889
00:35:33,140 --> 00:35:35,520
which as we're watching , Russia is 

890
00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:38,100
freely using to attack Ukraine and has 

891
00:35:38,100 --> 00:35:41,310
the potential to shut off that region 

892
00:35:42,010 --> 00:35:46,000
as we think about our future 

893
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:49,160
strategy . How are we factoring in um 

894
00:35:49,540 --> 00:35:51,707
efforts to address what's happening in 

895
00:35:51,707 --> 00:35:53,707
the Black Sea region particularly ? 

896
00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:59,980
Well . Thanks Senator . This unlawful 

897
00:35:59,980 --> 00:36:03,370
and unprovoked aggression by Putin has 

898
00:36:03,370 --> 00:36:05,592
had the effect of changing the security 

899
00:36:05,592 --> 00:36:08,460
architecture in the region for some 

900
00:36:08,460 --> 00:36:11,470
time to come . And so what NATO is now 

901
00:36:11,470 --> 00:36:15,330
doing is taking a look at what 

902
00:36:15,330 --> 00:36:17,350
has changed and what they what NATO 

903
00:36:17,350 --> 00:36:19,970
will need to do to make sure that we 

904
00:36:19,970 --> 00:36:22,390
can continue to do what's necessary in 

905
00:36:22,390 --> 00:36:25,040
protecting our NATO countries defending 

906
00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:27,960
our NATO countries . That work is is 

907
00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,440
just commenced its ongoing . I expect 

908
00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:33,230
that we'll have a robust discussion as 

909
00:36:33,230 --> 00:36:36,380
we go to the summit in june but but 

910
00:36:36,380 --> 00:36:39,450
again , it's it's ongoing work , we 

911
00:36:39,450 --> 00:36:41,840
recognize however , that change has 

912
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:43,896
occurred and that change needs to be 

913
00:36:43,896 --> 00:36:46,840
accounted for . Well , again , um 

914
00:36:47,730 --> 00:36:50,600
the Black Sea region is a particular 

915
00:36:50,770 --> 00:36:53,320
particular vulnerability right now , 

916
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:55,750
given what's happening and are we 

917
00:36:55,750 --> 00:36:59,180
working with our allies in the region 

918
00:36:59,190 --> 00:37:01,550
on what that strategy should look like 

919
00:37:03,430 --> 00:37:07,290
Absolutely senator and Well , prior to 

920
00:37:07,290 --> 00:37:09,650
this , we were working with the 

921
00:37:09,650 --> 00:37:13,390
countries in the region on in 

922
00:37:13,390 --> 00:37:15,840
terms of their capability and capacity 

923
00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:17,729
and and what they needed to do to 

924
00:37:17,729 --> 00:37:20,860
evolve that that that'll all be a part 

925
00:37:20,860 --> 00:37:24,070
of the the ongoing discussion . But 

926
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:26,250
clearly they will have a voice in that 

927
00:37:26,250 --> 00:37:29,310
discussion . And as we look as you 

928
00:37:29,310 --> 00:37:31,199
pointed out , the architecture of 

929
00:37:31,199 --> 00:37:33,421
europe is going to be different because 

930
00:37:33,421 --> 00:37:36,270
of this war . And it appears that we 

931
00:37:36,270 --> 00:37:38,550
will we are right now looking at a much 

932
00:37:38,550 --> 00:37:40,980
more robust presence in europe . How do 

933
00:37:40,980 --> 00:37:44,310
we think that's gonna affect our long 

934
00:37:44,310 --> 00:37:46,199
term military pasture in europe ? 

935
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,360
I wouldn't care to to um speculate at 

936
00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:54,582
this point , Senator . I would say that 

937
00:37:54,582 --> 00:37:56,527
as we look at that posture , we're 

938
00:37:56,527 --> 00:37:58,582
gonna look at capability in all five 

939
00:37:58,582 --> 00:38:00,749
warfighting domains and we're going to 

940
00:38:00,749 --> 00:38:02,916
look at capability across NATO . We do 

941
00:38:02,916 --> 00:38:04,638
expect that it will change our 

942
00:38:04,638 --> 00:38:06,527
footprint in terms of how much it 

943
00:38:06,527 --> 00:38:08,970
changes the US contribution that's left 

944
00:38:08,970 --> 00:38:11,450
to be seen . And whether or not it 

945
00:38:11,450 --> 00:38:14,070
includes uh permanent state , permanent 

946
00:38:14,070 --> 00:38:16,830
basing forward or , you know , 

947
00:38:17,220 --> 00:38:19,680
additional rotational forces in and out 

948
00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:23,250
of that , the the the the eastern flank 

949
00:38:23,620 --> 00:38:25,676
or a combination of both . These are 

950
00:38:25,676 --> 00:38:28,009
things that have to be worked out again . 

951
00:38:28,009 --> 00:38:30,120
Now , we'll work with NATO on this uh 

952
00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:33,960
and and uh to your point , it 

953
00:38:33,970 --> 00:38:35,803
no doubt will be different going 

954
00:38:35,803 --> 00:38:37,914
forward . Chairman Milley , would you 

955
00:38:37,914 --> 00:38:41,440
like to speculate , I won't 

956
00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:43,940
speculate Senator . Uh we're developing 

957
00:38:43,940 --> 00:38:45,773
options for the Secretary of the 

958
00:38:45,773 --> 00:38:47,773
President to consider on the future 

959
00:38:47,773 --> 00:38:49,940
force posture in europe to achieve the 

960
00:38:49,940 --> 00:38:52,107
two fundamental purposes , which is to 

961
00:38:52,107 --> 00:38:53,884
assure our allies and deter any 

962
00:38:53,884 --> 00:38:55,884
adversary specifically Russia . But 

963
00:38:55,884 --> 00:38:58,107
right now those are under development . 

964
00:38:58,107 --> 00:39:00,218
Well , I was pleased to see that um , 

965
00:39:00,218 --> 00:39:02,218
the president's budget included 4.2 

966
00:39:02,218 --> 00:39:04,218
billion for the European Deterrence 

967
00:39:04,218 --> 00:39:06,162
Initiative . But in view of what's 

968
00:39:06,162 --> 00:39:08,329
happening in Ukraine , do we not think 

969
00:39:08,329 --> 00:39:10,218
we're gonna have to increase that 

970
00:39:10,218 --> 00:39:12,500
request ? I don't know if that's for 

971
00:39:12,510 --> 00:39:14,990
under Secretary McCord or for you , Mr 

972
00:39:14,990 --> 00:39:15,750
Secretary ? 

973
00:39:19,820 --> 00:39:21,709
Well , that's certain , certain , 

974
00:39:21,709 --> 00:39:23,542
certainly there's there . That's 

975
00:39:23,542 --> 00:39:25,709
something that will will look at . But 

976
00:39:25,709 --> 00:39:27,820
let me take this opportunity to thank 

977
00:39:27,820 --> 00:39:29,820
you for what you did in the past to 

978
00:39:29,820 --> 00:39:31,987
provide us with . That that enabled us 

979
00:39:31,987 --> 00:39:34,630
to very rapidly flow forces into uh , 

980
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:36,990
into theater . You saw his flow and and 

981
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:40,480
a brigade combat team from from 

982
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:43,460
Georgia into into europe fall in on 

983
00:39:43,460 --> 00:39:45,770
preposition equipment and we're ready 

984
00:39:45,770 --> 00:39:48,150
to go in a very short period of time 

985
00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:51,570
that in a in a in a in addition to a 

986
00:39:51,570 --> 00:39:53,737
number of other things that you helped 

987
00:39:53,737 --> 00:39:55,970
us with created some great capability . 

988
00:39:55,980 --> 00:39:58,147
But to your point , I think we'll need 

989
00:39:58,147 --> 00:40:00,313
more of that going forward exactly how 

990
00:40:00,313 --> 00:40:03,220
much unknown . Thank you . Um , I'm 

991
00:40:03,220 --> 00:40:05,331
almost out of time , but I do want to 

992
00:40:05,331 --> 00:40:07,480
raise the an issue around preface 

993
00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:11,440
because the 2022 . Nd A and the omnibus 

994
00:40:11,450 --> 00:40:13,950
budget bill contained funding for 

995
00:40:13,950 --> 00:40:16,228
breakfast testing and remediation at D . 

996
00:40:16,228 --> 00:40:18,620
O . D . Installations and um for those 

997
00:40:18,620 --> 00:40:20,620
of us who have constituents who are 

998
00:40:20,620 --> 00:40:23,570
affected by um what's happened with PFS 

999
00:40:23,580 --> 00:40:27,030
um exposure at military 

1000
00:40:27,030 --> 00:40:29,760
installations . It's nice to be able to 

1001
00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:32,310
say help is on the way . So are you 

1002
00:40:32,310 --> 00:40:35,940
committed to ensuring that um the all 

1003
00:40:35,940 --> 00:40:38,051
of the initiatives that are funded as 

1004
00:40:38,051 --> 00:40:41,560
part of both of those bills get out on 

1005
00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:43,750
time and as quickly as possible . I am 

1006
00:40:43,750 --> 00:40:45,917
absolutely committed . Senator . Thank 

1007
00:40:45,917 --> 00:40:47,861
you . Thank you . Mr . Thank you . 

1008
00:40:47,861 --> 00:40:49,861
Senator . Senator Worker , please . 

1009
00:40:49,861 --> 00:40:49,610
Thank you . Mr Chairman . In your 

1010
00:40:49,610 --> 00:40:51,721
opening statement . Mr Chairman , you 

1011
00:40:51,721 --> 00:40:53,721
talked about the acute threat we're 

1012
00:40:53,721 --> 00:40:56,620
facing . You termed the challenges as 

1013
00:40:56,620 --> 00:41:00,100
being stark . Uh in the in the 

1014
00:41:00,100 --> 00:41:02,310
statement by General Milley , he said 

1015
00:41:02,310 --> 00:41:05,070
the danger is increasing , not 

1016
00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:08,840
decreasing . Certainly Senator Shaheen 

1017
00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:12,400
is correct about a more robust presence 

1018
00:41:12,410 --> 00:41:14,730
in europe and of course that's going to 

1019
00:41:14,730 --> 00:41:18,030
require more funds from the Congress , 

1020
00:41:18,410 --> 00:41:20,550
the the branch of our government that 

1021
00:41:20,550 --> 00:41:22,640
has the power of the purse . I don't 

1022
00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:26,580
see how we can view the current climate 

1023
00:41:26,580 --> 00:41:29,160
as being one in which budget tightening 

1024
00:41:29,170 --> 00:41:32,070
is appropriate . So I would just 

1025
00:41:32,070 --> 00:41:34,480
challenge my colleagues on this 

1026
00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:36,620
committee and in the House and Senate 

1027
00:41:36,620 --> 00:41:40,480
to assert our authority as as 

1028
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:43,430
the appropriators and as the branch of 

1029
00:41:43,430 --> 00:41:46,400
government charged with providing 

1030
00:41:46,410 --> 00:41:49,430
enough funds to provide for the common 

1031
00:41:49,430 --> 00:41:51,597
defense under the constitution . Now , 

1032
00:41:51,597 --> 00:41:54,520
Secretary Austin , let me talk about um 

1033
00:41:55,010 --> 00:41:58,970
about amphibious 

1034
00:41:58,970 --> 00:42:02,230
ships um to your credit . 

1035
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:05,730
Um You assured Senator Kaine and me 

1036
00:42:06,100 --> 00:42:08,990
um that you would fund the commandant's 

1037
00:42:08,990 --> 00:42:11,046
need for amphibious ships to conduct 

1038
00:42:11,046 --> 00:42:14,950
Marine Corps missions . You did this in 

1039
00:42:14,950 --> 00:42:17,680
the department's FY 23 budget . It 

1040
00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:20,790
calls for full funding of LPD 32 funds 

1041
00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:24,390
L H A nine . So thank you for working 

1042
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:26,400
with Senator Kaine and me on that . 

1043
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:28,590
However , I have significant concerns 

1044
00:42:28,590 --> 00:42:31,430
for the future of amphibious ships . 

1045
00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:33,489
The Department of Defense has not 

1046
00:42:33,489 --> 00:42:35,530
delivered The Navy's 30-year 

1047
00:42:35,540 --> 00:42:37,880
shipbuilding plan for Congress . When 

1048
00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,047
are we going to get that further ? The 

1049
00:42:40,047 --> 00:42:42,269
Department of Defense has not delivered 

1050
00:42:42,269 --> 00:42:44,440
its amphibious ships study to Congress 

1051
00:42:44,550 --> 00:42:47,190
again . When will we get that yet ? 

1052
00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:49,740
Even without these two documents , The 

1053
00:42:49,740 --> 00:42:51,907
department is proposing to end the LPD 

1054
00:42:51,907 --> 00:42:54,830
amphibious ship construction line after 

1055
00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:58,810
LPD 32 . Now , 

1056
00:42:58,810 --> 00:43:01,032
by contrast to comment on the ring core 

1057
00:43:01,032 --> 00:43:03,620
has been clear he needs a minimum of 31 

1058
00:43:03,620 --> 00:43:05,731
am fibs . The math is simple . If you 

1059
00:43:05,731 --> 00:43:09,060
end the LPD line after LPD 32 , you 

1060
00:43:09,060 --> 00:43:11,580
cannot reach The 31 traditional 

1061
00:43:11,580 --> 00:43:13,700
amphibious ships . The Marine Corps 

1062
00:43:13,710 --> 00:43:17,180
even included funding For an entire 

1063
00:43:17,190 --> 00:43:21,080
LPD 33 as its number one unfunded 

1064
00:43:21,080 --> 00:43:24,410
priority In Fy 23 . So Secretary Austin , 

1065
00:43:24,420 --> 00:43:27,610
why did you not include funding For LPD 

1066
00:43:27,610 --> 00:43:30,810
33 in the FY 23 budget ? 

1067
00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:33,322
How do you propose filling the 

1068
00:43:33,322 --> 00:43:35,433
operational gap that this is going to 

1069
00:43:35,433 --> 00:43:38,570
cause ? And do you think we should take 

1070
00:43:38,570 --> 00:43:41,010
note of the fact That the Marine Court 

1071
00:43:41,010 --> 00:43:44,660
shows LPD 33 as its top choice for 

1072
00:43:44,660 --> 00:43:45,827
additional funding . 

1073
00:43:48,900 --> 00:43:52,050
Thanks Senator And let me also thank 

1074
00:43:52,060 --> 00:43:55,280
you For what you've done to continue to 

1075
00:43:55,290 --> 00:43:57,401
to support us and continue to support 

1076
00:43:57,401 --> 00:43:59,930
our our our Navy and our Marine Corps . 

1077
00:43:59,940 --> 00:44:02,000
As you pointed out , there's $2.8 

1078
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,900
billion 23 budget focused on 

1079
00:44:05,910 --> 00:44:08,077
on amphibious amphibious are important 

1080
00:44:08,077 --> 00:44:10,299
to us today . They will be important to 

1081
00:44:10,299 --> 00:44:12,521
us going forward . There's five billion 

1082
00:44:13,990 --> 00:44:16,323
allocated to am fibs across the fighter . 

1083
00:44:16,790 --> 00:44:19,270
As you know , we're based upon the 

1084
00:44:19,270 --> 00:44:22,310
commandant's vision of the future core . 

1085
00:44:22,690 --> 00:44:26,150
We we'll track along with what the 

1086
00:44:26,150 --> 00:44:28,317
commandant's needs are , will continue 

1087
00:44:28,317 --> 00:44:30,539
to work with him . We're also investing 

1088
00:44:30,539 --> 00:44:33,270
in a amphibious warfare ship which is a 

1089
00:44:33,280 --> 00:44:36,710
lighter version of of an an fit . And 

1090
00:44:36,710 --> 00:44:38,821
uh and we will make those investments 

1091
00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:40,920
but we'll continue to work with the 

1092
00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:43,142
with the commandant going forward . And 

1093
00:44:43,142 --> 00:44:47,020
those two mhm reports that that 

1094
00:44:47,020 --> 00:44:50,060
you mentioned earlier the shipbuilding 

1095
00:44:50,060 --> 00:44:52,860
plan and also the emphasis study those 

1096
00:44:52,860 --> 00:44:54,860
are forthcoming in the next several 

1097
00:44:54,860 --> 00:44:58,060
weeks in the next several weeks . Well , 

1098
00:44:58,060 --> 00:44:59,949
very good . Let me ask you this , 

1099
00:44:59,949 --> 00:45:03,100
Secretary Austin with regard to Ukraine , 

1100
00:45:05,790 --> 00:45:07,957
you said on Tuesday it's the objective 

1101
00:45:07,957 --> 00:45:10,310
of the government to to deter Putin . 

1102
00:45:11,190 --> 00:45:13,357
But as General Milley described , it's 

1103
00:45:13,357 --> 00:45:15,523
very difficult to do so unless you put 

1104
00:45:15,523 --> 00:45:18,420
forces on the ground in the omni 

1105
00:45:18,890 --> 00:45:21,110
Congress provided you with $3 billion 

1106
00:45:21,110 --> 00:45:23,840
dollars in authority to further arm the 

1107
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:26,990
Ukrainians yet ? We've only used 

1108
00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:30,370
$900 million dollars of this less than 

1109
00:45:30,370 --> 00:45:33,420
a third of the amount authorized ? This 

1110
00:45:33,420 --> 00:45:35,364
could also be used to backfill the 

1111
00:45:35,364 --> 00:45:37,253
eastern flank NATO partners . Why 

1112
00:45:37,253 --> 00:45:39,970
hasn't the administration provided the 

1113
00:45:39,970 --> 00:45:42,600
full $3 billion ? Does he does the 

1114
00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:45,340
administration not want to send it yet ? 

1115
00:45:45,350 --> 00:45:47,700
Is it not available yet or are their 

1116
00:45:47,700 --> 00:45:49,960
throughput problems at the pentagon ? 

1117
00:45:49,970 --> 00:45:53,320
And how do we fix these problems to get 

1118
00:45:53,330 --> 00:45:56,880
our friends in Ukraine , the 

1119
00:45:56,890 --> 00:45:59,270
equipment , the weaponry they need to 

1120
00:45:59,270 --> 00:46:00,600
defeat the Russians ? 

1121
00:46:03,780 --> 00:46:06,070
But we we communicate with the 

1122
00:46:06,070 --> 00:46:08,550
Ukrainian leadership routinely . As a 

1123
00:46:08,550 --> 00:46:10,717
as I indicated Senator , I just talked 

1124
00:46:10,717 --> 00:46:13,100
to Minister Reznikoff on monday . I'll 

1125
00:46:13,100 --> 00:46:15,920
talk to him again this afternoon . The 

1126
00:46:15,930 --> 00:46:18,041
chairman is in close contact with his 

1127
00:46:18,041 --> 00:46:20,150
counterpart as well . We base what 

1128
00:46:20,150 --> 00:46:23,480
we're doing on their needs and those 

1129
00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:25,480
needs are identified and that those 

1130
00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:28,920
frequent engagements , we are flowing 

1131
00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:33,160
resources into Ukraine faster than most 

1132
00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:35,049
people would have ever believed . 

1133
00:46:35,049 --> 00:46:37,216
Conceivable , you know , from the time 

1134
00:46:37,216 --> 00:46:39,271
and in some cases from the time that 

1135
00:46:39,271 --> 00:46:41,438
authorization is provided , You know , 

1136
00:46:41,438 --> 00:46:43,549
four or five days later , we see real 

1137
00:46:43,549 --> 00:46:45,604
capability begin to show up . You're 

1138
00:46:45,604 --> 00:46:47,493
not suggesting they are receiving 

1139
00:46:47,493 --> 00:46:50,780
everything they're asking for . Not if 

1140
00:46:50,780 --> 00:46:52,891
I said that , I certainly didn't mean 

1141
00:46:52,891 --> 00:46:55,113
to say that what I meant to say Senator 

1142
00:46:55,113 --> 00:46:57,280
was , we are providing them with those 

1143
00:46:57,280 --> 00:47:00,470
capabilities that are relevant and and 

1144
00:47:00,480 --> 00:47:03,180
uh and effective in this fight . And 

1145
00:47:03,180 --> 00:47:06,410
you've seen us do provide a tremendous 

1146
00:47:06,410 --> 00:47:09,260
amount of anti armor and aircraft uh 

1147
00:47:09,260 --> 00:47:12,410
and capability and also communications 

1148
00:47:12,410 --> 00:47:15,760
capabilities as well as uh U A . V . S . 

1149
00:47:15,870 --> 00:47:19,300
And and we're also looking to help them 

1150
00:47:20,580 --> 00:47:22,920
in a number of other ways , but but we 

1151
00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:25,031
are providing those capabilities that 

1152
00:47:25,031 --> 00:47:27,390
have proven to be absolutely effective 

1153
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:29,830
in this fight . Thank you . Senator 

1154
00:47:29,830 --> 00:47:32,163
Worker , Senator Gillibrand , thank you , 

1155
00:47:32,163 --> 00:47:35,030
madam , Chairwoman um General Milley 

1156
00:47:35,030 --> 00:47:37,141
and Secretary Austin , I just want to 

1157
00:47:37,141 --> 00:47:39,252
commend the fine work you're doing in 

1158
00:47:39,252 --> 00:47:42,790
Ukraine with regard to being supportive 

1159
00:47:42,790 --> 00:47:45,012
of the Ukrainian people's will to fight 

1160
00:47:45,012 --> 00:47:47,940
and will to win . Um I went with the 

1161
00:47:47,940 --> 00:47:49,996
delegation with Senator Ernst just a 

1162
00:47:49,996 --> 00:47:52,300
few weeks ago and we were able to meet 

1163
00:47:52,310 --> 00:47:54,910
with the 82nd airborne as well as um 

1164
00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:57,647
our troops in Poland as well as troops 

1165
00:47:57,647 --> 00:48:00,310
that are doing exercises in Germany . 

1166
00:48:00,320 --> 00:48:03,530
And I can say it was extremely um 

1167
00:48:03,540 --> 00:48:07,530
inspiring and um something I 

1168
00:48:07,530 --> 00:48:09,808
think that you should be very proud of . 

1169
00:48:09,808 --> 00:48:12,100
Um do you believe our current strategy 

1170
00:48:12,100 --> 00:48:14,210
is sufficient for Ukraine to win the 

1171
00:48:14,210 --> 00:48:16,377
war against Russia ? And if not , what 

1172
00:48:16,377 --> 00:48:18,599
shifts and strategy would you suggest ? 

1173
00:48:18,670 --> 00:48:20,590
And second , um 

1174
00:48:23,670 --> 00:48:26,960
we've talked about how 

1175
00:48:27,050 --> 00:48:30,270
this conflict could ultimately be 

1176
00:48:30,270 --> 00:48:33,500
resolved and I want to know if you 

1177
00:48:33,500 --> 00:48:37,120
are engaging um with any Russian 

1178
00:48:37,120 --> 00:48:40,280
counterparts or whether any NATO allies 

1179
00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:41,280
are doing so 

1180
00:48:45,870 --> 00:48:47,703
in terms of whether or not we're 

1181
00:48:47,703 --> 00:48:49,759
engaging Russian counterparts . Both 

1182
00:48:49,759 --> 00:48:51,981
the chairman and myself have frequently 

1183
00:48:51,981 --> 00:48:53,926
reached out to our counterparts in 

1184
00:48:53,926 --> 00:48:56,680
Russia to try to ensure that we 

1185
00:48:56,690 --> 00:49:00,490
maintain a dialogue that's in the last 

1186
00:49:01,780 --> 00:49:03,947
since mid february . That's that's not 

1187
00:49:03,947 --> 00:49:05,960
been very we've not been very 

1188
00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:08,016
successful because the Russians have 

1189
00:49:08,016 --> 00:49:10,290
not responded in terms of whether or 

1190
00:49:10,290 --> 00:49:13,060
not , you know , this is the right 

1191
00:49:13,060 --> 00:49:15,530
approach . You know , our goal , our 

1192
00:49:15,530 --> 00:49:18,000
objective has been to make sure that we 

1193
00:49:18,370 --> 00:49:20,990
help Ukraine defend itself , protected 

1194
00:49:20,990 --> 00:49:23,490
sovereign territory . And they've done 

1195
00:49:23,500 --> 00:49:26,980
a credible job of doing that because 

1196
00:49:26,990 --> 00:49:29,510
they have the will the determination to 

1197
00:49:29,510 --> 00:49:31,677
defend their sovereign territory . And 

1198
00:49:31,677 --> 00:49:33,954
that's been really , really impressive . 

1199
00:49:33,954 --> 00:49:36,177
But you also need the equipment as well 

1200
00:49:36,177 --> 00:49:38,232
to do that . And so we provided them 

1201
00:49:38,232 --> 00:49:40,399
those anti armor and anti aircraft and 

1202
00:49:40,399 --> 00:49:42,566
weapons , weapons and and also the U . 

1203
00:49:42,566 --> 00:49:44,510
A . V . S . That that have been uh 

1204
00:49:44,510 --> 00:49:47,580
really uh somewhat decisive for lack of 

1205
00:49:47,580 --> 00:49:49,580
a better term in a number of these 

1206
00:49:49,580 --> 00:49:51,636
fights , Putin thought that he could 

1207
00:49:51,636 --> 00:49:53,850
very rapidly take over the country of 

1208
00:49:53,850 --> 00:49:57,210
Ukraine very rapidly capture the 

1209
00:49:57,220 --> 00:49:59,810
capital city . He was wrong and he was 

1210
00:49:59,810 --> 00:50:01,770
wrong , in part because he made a 

1211
00:50:01,780 --> 00:50:04,002
number of bad assumptions , but also in 

1212
00:50:04,002 --> 00:50:05,900
part because of the stiffness of 

1213
00:50:05,910 --> 00:50:08,188
resistance that that he he encountered , 

1214
00:50:08,460 --> 00:50:11,520
I think , you know , Putin has probably 

1215
00:50:11,530 --> 00:50:14,180
given up on that on his efforts to 

1216
00:50:14,180 --> 00:50:16,402
capture the capital city is now focused 

1217
00:50:16,402 --> 00:50:18,569
on the south and east of the country . 

1218
00:50:18,569 --> 00:50:20,624
And our goal is to make sure that we 

1219
00:50:20,624 --> 00:50:22,624
give the Ukrainians everything that 

1220
00:50:22,624 --> 00:50:24,791
they need and that we can possibly get 

1221
00:50:24,791 --> 00:50:26,791
to them as fast as we can get it to 

1222
00:50:26,791 --> 00:50:29,013
them . And we're pushing it very , very 

1223
00:50:29,013 --> 00:50:30,958
quickly . Um , so that they can be 

1224
00:50:30,958 --> 00:50:33,170
successful in that fight as well . And 

1225
00:50:33,170 --> 00:50:35,226
that'll be our focus going forward . 

1226
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:40,960
General Milley . The 

1227
00:50:40,970 --> 00:50:43,137
center , I would say that , you know , 

1228
00:50:43,137 --> 00:50:45,248
what does winning look like ? I think 

1229
00:50:45,248 --> 00:50:47,359
winning is Ukraine remains a free and 

1230
00:50:47,359 --> 00:50:49,526
independent nation . That's been since 

1231
00:50:49,526 --> 00:50:51,359
uh 1991 , with their territorial 

1232
00:50:51,359 --> 00:50:53,470
integrity intact . That's going to be 

1233
00:50:53,470 --> 00:50:55,581
very difficult . It's gonna be a long 

1234
00:50:55,581 --> 00:50:57,526
slog . This is this is not an easy 

1235
00:50:57,526 --> 00:50:59,581
fight that they're involved in . The 

1236
00:50:59,581 --> 00:51:01,414
first part of it is probably and 

1237
00:51:01,414 --> 00:51:03,581
successfully waged during the last six 

1238
00:51:03,581 --> 00:51:05,692
weeks , they've managed to defeat the 

1239
00:51:05,692 --> 00:51:07,914
Russian onslaught onto Kiev . But there 

1240
00:51:07,914 --> 00:51:10,350
is a significant battle yet , ahead 

1241
00:51:10,350 --> 00:51:12,360
down in the southeast , uh , down 

1242
00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:14,582
around the Donbass Donetsk region where 

1243
00:51:14,582 --> 00:51:16,930
the Russians intend to uh mass forces 

1244
00:51:16,930 --> 00:51:19,152
and continue their assault . So I think 

1245
00:51:19,152 --> 00:51:21,263
it's an open question right now , how 

1246
00:51:21,263 --> 00:51:24,210
this ends ideally Putin decides to 

1247
00:51:24,220 --> 00:51:27,540
cease fire , stop his aggression . Uh 

1248
00:51:27,540 --> 00:51:29,540
and there's some sort of diplomatic 

1249
00:51:29,540 --> 00:51:31,540
intervention , but right now , that 

1250
00:51:31,540 --> 00:51:33,762
doesn't look like it's on the horizon ? 

1251
00:51:33,762 --> 00:51:35,707
The immediate horizon . And do you 

1252
00:51:35,707 --> 00:51:37,984
believe we need any shifts in strategy ? 

1253
00:51:37,984 --> 00:51:39,929
Or are you do you believe that the 

1254
00:51:39,929 --> 00:51:42,151
current course is the best course ? And 

1255
00:51:42,151 --> 00:51:44,373
are there any concerns about escalation 

1256
00:51:44,373 --> 00:51:48,060
that you need to mitigate ? Um Yes , I 

1257
00:51:48,060 --> 00:51:50,116
do think the current strategy is the 

1258
00:51:50,116 --> 00:51:52,282
right strategy , which is number one , 

1259
00:51:52,282 --> 00:51:54,860
do not engage in armed conflict with 

1260
00:51:54,860 --> 00:51:57,082
Russia . The United States forces don't 

1261
00:51:57,082 --> 00:51:59,249
engage in armed conflict with Russia . 

1262
00:51:59,249 --> 00:52:02,320
Um and second is to continue to support 

1263
00:52:02,320 --> 00:52:04,042
the Ukrainian people and their 

1264
00:52:04,042 --> 00:52:06,209
government with sufficient weapons and 

1265
00:52:06,209 --> 00:52:08,209
arms etcetera so that they can help 

1266
00:52:08,209 --> 00:52:09,987
defend themselves . Third is to 

1267
00:52:09,987 --> 00:52:12,098
maintain the cohesion of NATO because 

1268
00:52:12,098 --> 00:52:14,264
NATO is very powerful organization and 

1269
00:52:14,264 --> 00:52:16,431
and it's both a military and political 

1270
00:52:16,431 --> 00:52:18,653
alliance in many ways and it definitely 

1271
00:52:18,653 --> 00:52:20,820
acts as a deterrent . So those are the 

1272
00:52:20,820 --> 00:52:22,931
three main objectives the president's 

1273
00:52:22,931 --> 00:52:25,264
laid out for us as the uniform military , 

1274
00:52:25,264 --> 00:52:27,487
and we'll continue to execute those and 

1275
00:52:27,487 --> 00:52:27,360
I think that's the right track . Thank 

1276
00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:29,800
you . I've expired my time , but I want 

1277
00:52:29,800 --> 00:52:32,180
to question for the record . Um 

1278
00:52:32,180 --> 00:52:33,958
Secretary Austin , the People's 

1279
00:52:33,958 --> 00:52:36,124
Republic of China has rapidly advanced 

1280
00:52:36,124 --> 00:52:38,124
their cyber and information warfare 

1281
00:52:38,124 --> 00:52:39,958
capabilities in Russia's ongoing 

1282
00:52:39,958 --> 00:52:41,902
cyberattacks against Ukraine or an 

1283
00:52:41,902 --> 00:52:43,902
indication of how this dimension of 

1284
00:52:43,902 --> 00:52:46,820
warfare um is about is bound to become 

1285
00:52:46,820 --> 00:52:48,770
more complex . What are some broad 

1286
00:52:48,770 --> 00:52:50,659
strategies and approaches that we 

1287
00:52:50,659 --> 00:52:52,770
should be considering to recruit more 

1288
00:52:52,770 --> 00:52:54,826
civilians and uniformed personnel to 

1289
00:52:54,826 --> 00:52:56,881
improve our cyber readiness . Um and 

1290
00:52:56,881 --> 00:52:59,103
you can either do a short answer now or 

1291
00:52:59,103 --> 00:53:01,103
submit your answer for the record . 

1292
00:53:01,103 --> 00:53:03,159
Your choice . I'll take the question 

1293
00:53:03,159 --> 00:53:05,326
for the record . Senator , thank you . 

1294
00:53:05,326 --> 00:53:07,214
Thank you very much . Thank you . 

1295
00:53:07,214 --> 00:53:09,381
Senator Gillibrand , Senator Fischer , 

1296
00:53:09,381 --> 00:53:11,492
please thank you Mr Chairman . I want 

1297
00:53:11,492 --> 00:53:13,659
to begin by noting my frustration with 

1298
00:53:13,659 --> 00:53:15,881
the timing of this hearing . We're here 

1299
00:53:15,881 --> 00:53:18,214
today to review the Department's budget , 

1300
00:53:18,214 --> 00:53:19,937
but we have no detailed budget 

1301
00:53:19,937 --> 00:53:22,310
justification data . My understanding 

1302
00:53:22,570 --> 00:53:25,730
is that the J book will be released mid 

1303
00:53:25,730 --> 00:53:28,080
april . We can't talk about any 

1304
00:53:28,080 --> 00:53:30,880
strategy either . The administration's 

1305
00:53:30,880 --> 00:53:33,102
national Defense strategy , the nuclear 

1306
00:53:33,102 --> 00:53:35,269
posture review and the missile defense 

1307
00:53:35,269 --> 00:53:38,360
review were submitted to Congress last 

1308
00:53:38,360 --> 00:53:40,790
week . But all of those documents are 

1309
00:53:40,790 --> 00:53:43,690
classified Last year and in 

1310
00:53:43,690 --> 00:53:47,490
2017 and 2018 , this committee delayed 

1311
00:53:47,490 --> 00:53:50,080
the secretary's testimony so that there 

1312
00:53:50,080 --> 00:53:53,100
was ample time to review the budget and 

1313
00:53:53,100 --> 00:53:55,530
have a meaningful oversight hearing . 

1314
00:53:55,540 --> 00:53:57,651
And I'm disappointed that that is not 

1315
00:53:57,651 --> 00:54:01,460
the case with respect to the N . D . S . 

1316
00:54:01,460 --> 00:54:03,550
And the NPR . I would note that the 

1317
00:54:03,550 --> 00:54:06,030
previous administration released these 

1318
00:54:06,030 --> 00:54:09,580
documents publicly in early 2000 and 18 

1319
00:54:09,590 --> 00:54:11,534
and the committee had almost three 

1320
00:54:11,534 --> 00:54:13,770
months to review them before Secretary 

1321
00:54:13,770 --> 00:54:15,937
Mattis and General Dunford appeared to 

1322
00:54:15,937 --> 00:54:18,980
test by Secretary Austin . In your 

1323
00:54:18,980 --> 00:54:21,370
opening comments , you said that in 

1324
00:54:21,370 --> 00:54:23,770
this budget resources are matched to 

1325
00:54:23,770 --> 00:54:27,390
strategy matched policy matched to the 

1326
00:54:27,390 --> 00:54:30,480
will of the people . I think having 

1327
00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:32,430
this hearing without any detailed 

1328
00:54:32,430 --> 00:54:34,680
information about the budget . And when 

1329
00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:38,230
we are unable to openly discuss any of 

1330
00:54:38,230 --> 00:54:40,960
the administration's strategy documents 

1331
00:54:41,340 --> 00:54:43,580
directly undermines the committee's 

1332
00:54:43,590 --> 00:54:46,050
ability to conduct its oversight work . 

1333
00:54:46,540 --> 00:54:49,380
And it is contrary to the spirit of 

1334
00:54:49,380 --> 00:54:51,269
transparent government that these 

1335
00:54:51,269 --> 00:54:54,160
public hearings are intended to support . 

1336
00:54:55,640 --> 00:54:57,520
I will be deferring most of my 

1337
00:54:57,520 --> 00:54:59,820
questions to the classified portion . 

1338
00:55:00,540 --> 00:55:03,360
But I do have a few that we were able 

1339
00:55:03,360 --> 00:55:07,010
to glean from the top lines that we 

1340
00:55:07,010 --> 00:55:10,740
were given Secretary Austin in 

1341
00:55:10,740 --> 00:55:14,660
section 16 84 of the 2000 

1342
00:55:14,660 --> 00:55:18,060
and 17 N . D . A . It was directed that 

1343
00:55:18,060 --> 00:55:20,360
the department would designate an 

1344
00:55:20,360 --> 00:55:22,582
acquisition authority to be responsible 

1345
00:55:22,582 --> 00:55:25,250
for defense of the homeland from cruise 

1346
00:55:25,250 --> 00:55:27,306
missile threats . But the department 

1347
00:55:27,306 --> 00:55:30,350
has still not made such a designation . 

1348
00:55:30,940 --> 00:55:32,996
What's the status of this ? And does 

1349
00:55:32,996 --> 00:55:34,773
the department intend to make a 

1350
00:55:34,773 --> 00:55:38,630
designation and when or can we expect 

1351
00:55:38,630 --> 00:55:41,260
that to happen in the near future ? 

1352
00:55:45,540 --> 00:55:49,110
Well , thanks Senator . We do intend to 

1353
00:55:49,120 --> 00:55:52,350
make a designation and and uh well 

1354
00:55:53,140 --> 00:55:56,470
again we'll move out smartly on that um 

1355
00:55:56,840 --> 00:55:59,580
in terms of being transparent and when 

1356
00:55:59,580 --> 00:56:03,150
the budget detailed budgets released uh 

1357
00:56:03,160 --> 00:56:06,770
asked invite uh Mr McCord to make a 

1358
00:56:06,770 --> 00:56:09,290
couple of comments there . But it's our 

1359
00:56:09,290 --> 00:56:11,370
goal , it's our desire , it's our 

1360
00:56:11,370 --> 00:56:13,910
mandate to be as transparent with you 

1361
00:56:13,910 --> 00:56:16,150
as possible . And uh and we will do 

1362
00:56:16,150 --> 00:56:19,110
that . So I would like to continue with 

1363
00:56:19,110 --> 00:56:21,790
my questions since I will run out of 

1364
00:56:21,790 --> 00:56:24,000
time here . But I would point out that 

1365
00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:26,111
one of my missions and I've talked to 

1366
00:56:26,111 --> 00:56:28,222
you about it . I've talked to all the 

1367
00:56:28,222 --> 00:56:30,333
Service chiefs to the Joint Chiefs to 

1368
00:56:30,333 --> 00:56:34,040
be to be able um to declassify 

1369
00:56:34,040 --> 00:56:36,040
much of the material that we see as 

1370
00:56:36,040 --> 00:56:38,262
members of Congress . And I think there 

1371
00:56:38,262 --> 00:56:40,700
are ways to do that and we have to be 

1372
00:56:40,700 --> 00:56:42,811
able to do that so that the people of 

1373
00:56:42,811 --> 00:56:45,410
this country understand the threats 

1374
00:56:45,410 --> 00:56:48,760
that we face so that when they have the 

1375
00:56:48,760 --> 00:56:50,950
information and can review that for 

1376
00:56:50,950 --> 00:56:54,520
themselves , they will support our 

1377
00:56:54,520 --> 00:56:56,960
national defense . They will support 

1378
00:56:57,330 --> 00:57:00,660
our national security . And I feel that 

1379
00:57:00,660 --> 00:57:03,750
we have gone backwards here in making 

1380
00:57:03,750 --> 00:57:06,850
these classified documents and 

1381
00:57:08,030 --> 00:57:10,910
and not being transparent , but if I 

1382
00:57:10,910 --> 00:57:14,670
could continue given the 

1383
00:57:14,670 --> 00:57:17,460
increasing um , cruise missile threat 

1384
00:57:17,460 --> 00:57:19,610
to the United States again , I think 

1385
00:57:19,610 --> 00:57:21,443
it's important that we make this 

1386
00:57:21,443 --> 00:57:24,610
designation . It was in the 2017 N . D . 

1387
00:57:24,610 --> 00:57:28,160
A . And um , that was a long time ago . 

1388
00:57:29,030 --> 00:57:31,197
So I hope that you will step up and do 

1389
00:57:31,197 --> 00:57:34,190
this . Also a Secretary Austin . Under 

1390
00:57:34,190 --> 00:57:36,660
this budget , the Air Force's divesting 

1391
00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:40,690
369 aircraft this year in buying 87 

1392
00:57:40,700 --> 00:57:44,610
which is a net loss of 282 . The five 

1393
00:57:44,610 --> 00:57:48,580
year plan projects buying 467 aircraft 

1394
00:57:48,590 --> 00:57:49,960
and divesting 

1395
00:57:50,030 --> 00:57:53,900
1468 . A loss of over 

1396
00:57:53,910 --> 00:57:57,640
1001 . And the Navy's battle force 

1397
00:57:57,640 --> 00:57:59,640
shrinks as well . Under this budget 

1398
00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:03,610
dropping from 298 ships today to 280 

1399
00:58:03,810 --> 00:58:07,700
in Fy 2027 . You know , I'm open to the 

1400
00:58:07,700 --> 00:58:10,510
concept of divesting of legacy 

1401
00:58:10,520 --> 00:58:12,740
platforms , but I think that is 

1402
00:58:12,870 --> 00:58:16,410
dangerous and a dangerous way to put 

1403
00:58:16,410 --> 00:58:19,160
stress on the force that we have . So 

1404
00:58:19,160 --> 00:58:21,271
how are we planning to deal with that 

1405
00:58:21,300 --> 00:58:23,400
dilemma ? And are we expecting 

1406
00:58:23,410 --> 00:58:26,800
operational demands to fall ? You know , 

1407
00:58:26,800 --> 00:58:28,240
how realistic is that ? 

1408
00:58:32,220 --> 00:58:34,276
Well , thanks Senator First , let me 

1409
00:58:34,276 --> 00:58:36,498
just highlight that there are firm that 

1410
00:58:36,498 --> 00:58:38,609
there will be an unclassified version 

1411
00:58:38,609 --> 00:58:40,664
of the strategy that comes out a bit 

1412
00:58:40,664 --> 00:58:44,530
later . Again in terms of divestment 

1413
00:58:44,920 --> 00:58:47,750
and and investment . We are investing 

1414
00:58:47,750 --> 00:58:50,220
in those capabilities that will enable 

1415
00:58:50,220 --> 00:58:53,250
us to be decisive in the future fight . 

1416
00:58:53,620 --> 00:58:55,787
And those capabilities that are , that 

1417
00:58:55,787 --> 00:58:58,120
are not survivable uh , in that fight . 

1418
00:58:58,130 --> 00:59:01,170
I think we have to divest of them . And 

1419
00:59:01,180 --> 00:59:03,402
and also because they're very expensive 

1420
00:59:03,402 --> 00:59:05,513
to maintain , we can use those , uh , 

1421
00:59:05,513 --> 00:59:07,680
those resources to invest in in future 

1422
00:59:07,680 --> 00:59:09,736
capabilities , the kind that we need 

1423
00:59:09,736 --> 00:59:11,958
for the next fight . And so that that's 

1424
00:59:11,958 --> 00:59:14,180
our strategy . And again , as you match 

1425
00:59:14,180 --> 00:59:16,347
the budget to the strategy , I think , 

1426
00:59:16,347 --> 00:59:18,291
I think you'll find a direct match 

1427
00:59:18,291 --> 00:59:20,670
there . Thank you . I hope you remember 

1428
00:59:20,670 --> 00:59:22,892
it has to be matched to the will of the 

1429
00:59:22,892 --> 00:59:24,470
american people as well . Thank you .