WEBVTT

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Willingness to appear . Before the

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committee and discuss the department's

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priorities , challenges , and ongoing

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initiatives . I also want to recognize

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what has been a welcome shift back

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toward a focus on warfighting readiness

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standards and lethality across the

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force . Our military exists to deter

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conflict and if necessary , fight and

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win wars . Strong leadership ,

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discipline , and mission focus matter

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to the readiness of the joint force ,

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and I appreciate your leadership to

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reintroduce and reinforce those

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priorities . At the same time , many of

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the personnel and readiness issues

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facing the the force present ,

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significant changes for the senior

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leadership as well as our service

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members while recruiting . Has improved

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significantly over the last 2 years and

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retention remains strong across much of

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the force . We cannot afford to become

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complacent . The department continues

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to face long-term demographic

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challenges , increasing competition

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from the private sector , and a

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shrinking pool of Americans eligible

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for military service . The strength of

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our military depends not only on the

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weapons systems we feel or the

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operations we conduct . But on our

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ability to care for the men and women

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who serve this nation and the families

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who stand beside them . This

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subcommittee Has spent years working on

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issues like military compensation ,

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childcare , spouse employment , and

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professional development because taking

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care of service members and their

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families directly impacts readiness and

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retention . As the department continues

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to make significant investments across

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the defense enterprise , it is crucial .

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That resources remain focused on the

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quality of life , healthcare , and

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personal readiness issues and most

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directly affect service members ,

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military families , and overall force

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readiness . Today , the military health

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system faces significant funding and

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readiness challenges that threaten

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access to care , strain military

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treatment facilities , and jeopardize

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the retention of highly skilled medical

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professionals . At a time of increasing

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global threats and growing demands on

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our force , we cannot afford to

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underinvest in the healthcare

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infrastructure that underpins military

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readiness , ensuring stable ,

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significant , sufficient and

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predictable funding for the military

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health system is not simply a

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healthcare issue . It is a national

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security imperative . Today's hearing

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also provides an important opportunity .

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For the committee to hear directly from

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the department's civilian leadership on

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the policies and decisions shaping the

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force . Too often military leaders

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appearing before Congress are asked to

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defend or explain policy decisions that

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ultimately originate elsewhere within

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the department . This hearing gives us

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the opportunity to discuss those

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decisions directly with the officials

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responsible for developing and

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implementing them . I appreciate all of

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you being here today and we look

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forward to your testimony . Senator

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Warren . Thank you , Mr . Chairman ,

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and thank you to our witnesses for

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being with us today . Our annual

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posture hearing provides an opportunity

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for the department to discuss personnel

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priorities for the coming year , and

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it's also an opportunity for this

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subcommittee to continue to focus

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specifically on the challenges that

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service members and their families are

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facing . That is our job . Since this

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subcommittee's posture hearing last

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April , Secretary Hegseth and President

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Trump have asked our troops to risk

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their lives in an illegal war with Iran

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at the same moment that the

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administration's actions make life

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harder for service members and their

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families . President Trump and

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Secretary Hegseth have badly mismanaged

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America's military budget . The Army

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reportedly needs to make up for a

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shortfall of 4 to $6 billion .

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Now , to fill that gap , the army is

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reportedly looking to slash training

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costs across the force , including by

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cutting pilots' flight hours , which

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could have serious safety consequences .

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We should ask ourselves why is there

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such a huge gap , and the answer is

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that the president's decisions to drag

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the military into a war with Iran and

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at the same time to use the military to

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do DHS's job at the southern border ,

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and the gap is getting even wider

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because the army still has not been

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reimbursed by the Department of

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Homeland Security for its past support

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in border operations . Now , Secretary

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Hegstaff has also continued to send

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chilling messages of who is and who is

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not welcome in America's military . So

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far , despite repeated questions from

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Congress , there have been no

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explanations for multiple abrupt

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removals of top military officers .

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The secretary also reportedly blocked

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the promotion of 4 Army officers to

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become 1-star generals , 2 of whom are

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black and 2 of whom are women .

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Secretary Hegseth is also requiring a

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review of the effectiveness of having

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women in ground combat roles .

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Despite senior enlisted leaders

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testifying before this subcommittee in

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February of this year that women in

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combat arms units do not lower

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standards and attacks on university

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partnerships will limit opportunities

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for troops to develop leadership skills

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and risk gains in both recruitment and

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retention . Secretary Hegseth has also

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continued to undermine the military

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justice system . He fired the top

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military lawyers shortly after he was

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confirmed to avoid

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roadblocks to President Trump . Those

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roadblocks are known as the law .

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The secretary has sent Judge Advocate

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General off to work as immigration

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judges or federal prosecutors in

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Minneapolis and other cities . He said

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the Iran war would have no stupid

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rules of engagement . He also launched

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a quote ruthless review of the roles

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of JAGs that may simply be one more way

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to reduce accountability for

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potentially illegal policies .

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The administration also continues to

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treat DOD's civilian workforce with

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contempt . It is shameful that for the

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2nd year in a row , DOD's budget

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request fails to include a dollar

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of pay raises for civilian employees .

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That is shameful . With Trump policies

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driving up costs for all Americans ,

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this is a significant pay cut for DOD

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civilians who play critical roles in

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our military , critical roles

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supporting service members and

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families' quality of life , contracting

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and acquisition for weapons systems ,

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engineering , holding together our

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medical health system , as the chairman

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identified . And much , much more .

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Secretary Hegseth is taking other steps

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that endanger the health of our troops .

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Last month , he announced that DOD

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would end the mandatory flu vaccine .

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Which has been in place since 1945 .

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Keep in mind that the flu vaccine was

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made mandatory after 20-40% of the

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US Army and Navy personnel fell ill

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during World War One , resulting in

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over 26,000 deaths and significant

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degradation in military readiness .

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Mandatory vaccines in the military date

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all the way back to when General George

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Washington mandated that troops be

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vaccinated against smallpox back in

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1777 . Secretary

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Hegseth is playing politics with the

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health and the readiness of our

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military , and that is wrong . There is

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much to talk about , but I want to

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focus on two topics with our witnesses .

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First , we need to ensure that the

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contractors entrusted to administer

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Tricare benefits are keeping our

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service members and their families

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healthy , not just using taxpayer

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dollars to boost their own bottom lines .

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Express Scripts , which is the largest

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pharmacy benefit manager in the United

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States , has held the Tricare pharmacy

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contract for 20 years now . And over

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that time , Express Scripts has forced

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thousands of pharmacies out of the

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TriCare network , which makes it a

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whole lot harder for service members to

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fill prescriptions , but it likely

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boosts the orders and the profits for

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Express Scripts mail-order pharmacy .

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For years , I've been calling for more

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transparency into the TriCare pharmacy

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contract . But DOD has

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carefully protected the interests of

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Express Scripts at every single step .

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It is time for Tricare to put the

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interests of our service members first .

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They should do it on their own , but if

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they don't , then Congress should force

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them to do so . Second , we need to

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have protections in place for service

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members to report serious concerns to

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protected channels without fear of

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reprisal . Military families have long

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dealt with terrible living conditions

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in housing that is owned by private

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military contractors , but those

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private companies have muzzled families

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by forcing them to sign nondisclosure

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agreements to get compensation . For

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the damages that they have suffered . I

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appreciate that one of the department's

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legislative proposals for this year's

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NDAA would be to make clear that

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tenants are protected from reprisals

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for reporting dangerous and disgusting

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housing conditions to an inspector

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General , to Congress , or to the

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Department of Defense , but we

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shouldn't stop there . We must make

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clear to servicemen . Members ,

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including in other contexts where

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they're forced to sign NDAs , that they

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still have the right to report serious

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violations of the law , to report gross

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wastes of money , abuse , serious

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threats to public safety , and to do it

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all through protecting . Channels . We

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also need to make sure that we are

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protecting service members who come

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forward to report serious concerns to

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troop safety and health , such as

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unsafe weapons or aircraft systems , so

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they can report to Congress , to DOD ,

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and to the IG . Safety of our troops

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and the efficient operation of DOD

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should be at the top of our list , and

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that means protecting people who have

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the courage . To call out problems

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and make us aware of them . So I look

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forward to discussing these topics with

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our witnesses . Thank you , Mr .

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Chairman . Thanks , Senator Warren .

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Now we'll turn to our opening

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statements . Uh , the Honorable Anthony

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Tatum , Undersecretary of Defense for

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Personnel and readiness . Thank you ,

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uh , Mr . Chairman . Uh , good

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afternoon , uh , uh , Chairman

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Tuberville , Ranking Member Warren ,

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distinguished members of the personnel

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subcommittee . Thank you and your staff ,

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uh , for the opportunity to testify

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today and for your shared resolve , uh ,

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to care for our service members , their

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families , and Department of War

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civilians , and to ensure that our

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military remains ready , lethal , and

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unmatched . When patriotic young

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Americans answer the call to defend our

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nation , we answer a call of our own to

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look after them and the families who

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serve and sacrifice alongside them .

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This includes our fallen heroes and

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their loved ones . They will never be

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forgotten . President Trump and

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Secretary Hedseth have prioritized the

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well-being and preparedness of our

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warriors from day one . Since last July ,

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my team and I have focused on

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optimizing personnel and readiness

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policies in line with their guidance .

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We have taken swift action to deliver

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tangible outcomes that directly improve

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the lives of the people we serve . For

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example , we have enabled historic

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recruiting successes and strong

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retention rates through innovative

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initiatives like MEPs in a Box ,

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expanded our partnership with the

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Department of Veterans Affairs ,

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striving to expedite the transfer of

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electronic health records , created an

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aviation mishap task force to address

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concerning trends in aviation . And

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more recently authorized the evacuation

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of military civilian families in

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Bahrain , helping to coordinate safe

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moves and continuous access to

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education . Indeed , a service member

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who knows their family is well cared

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for is one who is focused on their

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mission . With this as a governing

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principle , we will continue to ensure

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that our warriors and their families

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have access to high quality healthcare ,

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sound education for their children ,

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food security , and meaningful

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employment opportunities . Meanwhile ,

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we are working to reshore the

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pharmaceutical supply chain for

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military essential medications ,

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transform the Department of War

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Education activity to better serve our

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students , revitalize professional

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military education in line with our

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core warfighting mission , modernize

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the Defense Commissary Agency , and

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establish Project Patriot pipeline to

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develop mission critical skills for the

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department and the defense industrial

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base . The president's historic $1.5

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trillion budget enables further

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investments in these activities ,

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allowing us to build on hard earned

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gains that will benefit our military

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community and our mission for years to

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come under the leadership of President

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Trump and Secretary Hessa . The

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department has made strong progress .

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With your support , we will keep

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advancing the policies and programs

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that enable our people to thrive in the

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force to remain ready . Thank you again

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for the opportunity to testify today .

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I look forward to answering your

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questions . Thank you , Mr . Secretary .

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The next is Honorable Tim Dell ,

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Assistant Secretary of Defense for

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Manpower and Reserve Affairs .

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Secretary . Chairman Tuberville ,

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Ranking Member Warren , and

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distinguished members of the Personnel

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Subcommittee , thank you for the

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opportunity to speak about the

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heartbeat of the Department of War ,

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our men and women in uniform , our

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civilian workforce , and their families .

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My team is guided by President Trump's

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directive to achieve peace through

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strength and Secretary Hegseth's three

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key pillars restoring the warrior ethos ,

15:54.011 --> 15:55.678
rebuilding our military , and

15:55.678 --> 15:57.456
reestablishing deterrence . I'm

15:57.456 --> 15:59.400
grateful for Secretary Hegseth and

15:59.400 --> 16:01.400
Undersecretary Tato's leadership in

16:01.400 --> 16:03.622
accomplishing these tasks . As a former

16:03.622 --> 16:05.844
Green Beret , I constantly remember the

16:05.844 --> 16:07.789
first of the United States Special

16:07.789 --> 16:09.733
Operations Command's soft truths .

16:09.733 --> 16:12.067
Humans are more important than hardware .

16:12.067 --> 16:14.289
The department must attract , develop ,

16:14.289 --> 16:16.400
employ , and retain the finest talent

16:16.400 --> 16:15.750
by offering a meaningful mission ,

16:16.250 --> 16:18.583
setting high , uncompromising standards ,

16:18.583 --> 16:20.694
and taking care of our people . We're

16:20.694 --> 16:22.750
succeeding on that front . In fiscal

16:22.750 --> 16:24.861
year 2025 , the military's recruiting

16:24.861 --> 16:26.972
efforts broke records with all active

16:26.972 --> 16:29.028
duty services meeting the recruiting

16:29.028 --> 16:31.028
and retention goals . That momentum

16:31.028 --> 16:33.309
continues in fiscal year 2026 . We can

16:33.309 --> 16:35.253
never fully compensate our service

16:35.253 --> 16:37.420
members for their sacrifices . We must

16:37.420 --> 16:39.642
ensure they're financially secure . Our

16:39.642 --> 16:41.865
recent review confirms the department's

16:41.865 --> 16:44.031
total military compensation package is

16:44.031 --> 16:46.198
strongly competitive with the civilian

16:46.198 --> 16:48.031
labor market . To reward our top

16:48.031 --> 16:50.087
civilian performers , the department

16:50.087 --> 16:52.087
recently processed more than 90,000

16:52.087 --> 16:54.198
cash awards . We are expanding spouse

16:54.198 --> 16:56.031
education and career development

16:56.031 --> 16:58.198
opportunities and removing unnecessary

16:58.198 --> 17:00.309
regulations to reduce military spouse

17:00.309 --> 17:02.309
unemployment , increasing childcare

17:02.309 --> 17:04.476
opportunities , and focusing our Dawia

17:04.476 --> 17:06.698
schools on core academic excellence and

17:06.698 --> 17:08.531
transparency with parents . I've

17:08.531 --> 17:10.420
witnessed firsthand the bravery ,

17:10.420 --> 17:12.531
sacrifice , and resilience of our men

17:12.531 --> 17:14.531
and women in uniform , our civilian

17:14.531 --> 17:16.753
personnel and their families , and I am

17:16.753 --> 17:18.976
privileged to serve them . They are the

17:18.976 --> 17:20.976
reason the American military is the

17:20.976 --> 17:23.198
most lethal fighting force in history .

17:23.198 --> 17:25.309
May God bless our troops , and I look

17:25.309 --> 17:27.650
forward to your questions . Thank you

17:27.650 --> 17:29.372
very much . Next , we have the

17:29.372 --> 17:31.380
Honorable Keith Bass , Assistant

17:31.380 --> 17:33.713
Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs .

17:34.640 --> 17:36.751
Chairman Tupperville , Ranking Member

17:36.751 --> 17:38.862
Warren , and distinguished members of

17:38.862 --> 17:40.862
this committee . Thank you for this

17:40.862 --> 17:42.918
opportunity to represent the 130,000

17:42.918 --> 17:44.973
men and women of the military health

17:44.973 --> 17:47.029
system . The president's fiscal year

17:47.029 --> 17:49.084
budget 2027 is a direct investment .

17:49.650 --> 17:51.859
Our most vital military and our most ,

17:52.020 --> 17:54.298
most vital military asset , our people .

17:54.459 --> 17:56.515
This budget equips the department to

17:56.515 --> 17:58.403
counter evolving threats and most

17:58.403 --> 18:00.515
importantly , to safeguard the health

18:00.515 --> 18:02.737
and well-being of our service members .

18:02.737 --> 18:04.737
A medically ready force is a lethal

18:04.737 --> 18:06.848
force , and to that end , our primary

18:06.848 --> 18:08.681
focus is on ensuring our medical

18:08.681 --> 18:10.848
personnel are strategically positioned

18:10.848 --> 18:13.070
to enhance force readiness and maintain

18:13.070 --> 18:15.181
the critical clinical skills required

18:15.181 --> 18:17.680
for combat casualty care . To further

18:17.680 --> 18:19.791
this objective , we are strengthening

18:19.791 --> 18:21.736
our strategic partnership with the

18:21.736 --> 18:23.902
Department of Veterans Affairs . These

18:23.902 --> 18:26.069
collaborations are vital . They enable

18:26.069 --> 18:27.902
the delivery of joint healthcare

18:27.902 --> 18:30.124
services , optimize the use of taxpayer

18:30.124 --> 18:32.124
resources , and enhance the patient

18:32.124 --> 18:34.347
access across both systems , ensuring a

18:34.347 --> 18:36.291
seamless continuum of care for our

18:36.291 --> 18:38.790
nation's heroes . The proposed budget

18:38.790 --> 18:40.457
funds critical combat support

18:40.457 --> 18:42.623
requirements including our , our blood

18:42.623 --> 18:44.512
program , joint trauma care , and

18:44.512 --> 18:46.630
medical logistics . These investments

18:46.630 --> 18:48.297
allow for rapid deployment of

18:48.297 --> 18:50.519
life-saving technologies to support our

18:50.519 --> 18:52.630
medical personnel in the most austere

18:52.630 --> 18:54.550
and remote locations . With the

18:54.550 --> 18:56.550
continued and invaluable support of

18:56.550 --> 18:58.606
Congress , we are making significant

18:58.606 --> 19:00.606
investments in the military medical

19:00.606 --> 19:03.099
research . Uh , and development . These

19:03.099 --> 19:05.099
efforts directly address the unique

19:05.099 --> 19:07.099
threats our warfighters face with a

19:07.099 --> 19:09.099
particular focus on advancing brain

19:09.099 --> 19:11.210
health and expanding access to mental

19:11.210 --> 19:13.619
health care services . Finally , we are

19:13.619 --> 19:15.729
taking decisive action to remedy the

19:15.729 --> 19:17.699
Tri-Care transition issues . My

19:17.699 --> 19:19.921
leadership team is aggressively focused

19:19.921 --> 19:21.755
on enhanced contract oversight ,

19:22.349 --> 19:24.516
process improvement , accountabilities

19:24.516 --> 19:26.682
at all levels to ensure that no member

19:26.682 --> 19:28.627
of our community faces unnecessary

19:28.627 --> 19:30.516
delays in receiving care . We are

19:30.516 --> 19:32.349
redoubling our efforts to ensure

19:32.349 --> 19:34.460
beneficiaries are aware of resolution

19:34.460 --> 19:36.405
channels , including our dedicated

19:36.405 --> 19:38.627
TriCare benefits counselors and patient

19:38.627 --> 19:40.682
advocates to address any issues with

19:40.682 --> 19:42.905
billing , access , or quality of care .

19:42.905 --> 19:44.960
Our warfighters , past and present ,

19:44.960 --> 19:47.182
and their families deserve a healthcare

19:47.182 --> 19:46.689
system they can depend on without

19:46.689 --> 19:48.800
reservation . I'm grateful for the

19:48.800 --> 19:51.022
enduring partnership and the support of

19:51.022 --> 19:53.459
this committee and has provided to the

19:53.459 --> 19:55.570
department and to the military health

19:55.570 --> 19:57.681
system . Thank you and I look forward

19:57.681 --> 20:00.015
to your questions . Thank you very much .

20:00.119 --> 20:02.790
The next is Honorable Maurice Todd ,

20:03.150 --> 20:05.094
Assistant Secretary of Defense for

20:05.094 --> 20:07.949
readiness . Chairman Tuberville ,

20:08.229 --> 20:09.785
Ranking Member Warren , and

20:09.785 --> 20:11.396
distinguished members of the

20:11.396 --> 20:13.229
subcommittee , thank you for the

20:13.229 --> 20:15.229
opportunity to testify today on the

20:15.229 --> 20:17.285
readiness of our total force . As we

20:17.285 --> 20:19.451
navigate a strategic landscape defined

20:19.451 --> 20:21.118
by persistent competition and

20:21.118 --> 20:23.340
accelerating technological change , the

20:23.340 --> 20:23.310
partnership between the department and

20:23.310 --> 20:25.254
this committee has never been more

20:25.254 --> 20:27.254
vital to our national defense . Our

20:27.254 --> 20:29.254
national defense strategy demands a

20:29.254 --> 20:31.532
joint disciplined force that is lethal ,

20:31.532 --> 20:33.421
agile , and decisively superior ,

20:33.421 --> 20:35.532
ensuring our warfighters can deploy ,

20:35.780 --> 20:38.469
fight and win in any conflict . My

20:38.469 --> 20:40.691
office is committed to translating that

20:40.691 --> 20:42.802
strategic imperative into operational

20:42.802 --> 20:44.858
and tactical reality . Over the past

20:44.858 --> 20:47.180
year , our direct partnership with this

20:47.180 --> 20:49.069
committee has yielded significant

20:49.069 --> 20:50.791
tangible wins in our readiness

20:50.791 --> 20:53.013
enterprise . By executing our strategic

20:53.013 --> 20:54.902
priorities and applying resources

20:54.902 --> 20:56.791
precisely where they generate the

20:56.791 --> 20:58.847
greatest operational impact , we are

20:58.847 --> 21:00.791
maintaining a proactive , dominant

21:00.791 --> 21:02.569
posture across the globe . This

21:02.569 --> 21:04.791
deliberate allocation of our forces and

21:04.791 --> 21:06.902
readiness capabilities does more than

21:06.902 --> 21:08.902
maximize our combat credibility and

21:08.902 --> 21:11.069
readiness . It builds vital trust with

21:11.069 --> 21:13.180
the American people and takes care of

21:13.180 --> 21:15.180
our warfighters . We are seeing the

21:15.180 --> 21:15.030
results of this unified effort through

21:15.030 --> 21:17.829
several critical wins in aviation and

21:17.829 --> 21:19.385
operational safety . We are

21:19.385 --> 21:21.218
aggressively prioritizing mishap

21:21.218 --> 21:23.273
prevention to protect our aircrews .

21:23.273 --> 21:25.329
Through the new aviation mishap task

21:25.329 --> 21:27.329
force , we are examining mishaps to

21:27.329 --> 21:29.329
identify critical safety issues and

21:29.329 --> 21:31.385
solutions to improve aviation safety

21:31.385 --> 21:33.385
throughout the force . We have also

21:33.385 --> 21:35.218
refocused military education and

21:35.218 --> 21:37.107
training standards to restore the

21:37.107 --> 21:38.718
warrior ethos , to forge the

21:38.718 --> 21:40.885
intellectual and tactical readiness of

21:40.885 --> 21:43.051
the total force , recognizing that our

21:43.051 --> 21:42.609
true advantage is the intellect and

21:42.609 --> 21:44.849
resilience of our warfighters . By

21:44.849 --> 21:46.960
fundamentally refocusing professional

21:46.960 --> 21:49.127
military education on mission relevant

21:49.127 --> 21:50.905
curricula , we are ensuring our

21:50.905 --> 21:53.071
warfighters have the dedicated time to

21:53.071 --> 21:55.238
master the skills required to outthink

21:55.238 --> 21:58.160
and outfight any adversary . In human

21:58.160 --> 22:00.271
performance and brain health , we are

22:00.271 --> 22:02.438
aggressively mitigating risks to brain

22:02.438 --> 22:04.438
health from blast overpressure . We

22:04.438 --> 22:06.549
have established cognitive baselining

22:06.549 --> 22:08.716
at all initial military training sites

22:08.716 --> 22:10.549
and are modernizing how we track

22:10.549 --> 22:12.549
lifetime exposures . Thanks to your

22:12.549 --> 22:14.549
partnership in the fiscal year 2025

22:14.549 --> 22:16.771
NDAA , we are developing blast-specific

22:16.771 --> 22:18.771
safety thresholds and deploying new

22:18.771 --> 22:21.049
blast safety officers across the force .

22:21.049 --> 22:21.020
We are actively promoting a culture of

22:21.020 --> 22:22.798
safety across the enterprise by

22:22.798 --> 22:24.780
tackling systemic risks head on to

22:24.780 --> 22:26.891
protect our most valuable asset , our

22:26.891 --> 22:29.058
people . Ultimately , the shared focus

22:29.058 --> 22:31.002
guarantees that our total force is

22:31.002 --> 22:33.224
ready to deter aggression and if called

22:33.224 --> 22:35.391
upon to prevail decisively against any

22:35.391 --> 22:37.849
threat to American interests . As a

22:37.849 --> 22:40.071
public servant to the American people ,

22:40.071 --> 22:42.182
I am deeply committed to this mission

22:42.182 --> 22:44.182
and to our continued partnership to

22:44.182 --> 22:46.516
ensure the readiness of our warfighters .

22:46.516 --> 22:45.890
Thank you for your continued

22:45.890 --> 22:47.946
partnership . I look forward to your

22:47.946 --> 22:51.520
questions . OK , thank you very much .

22:51.599 --> 22:54.300
Um . As we start here , we'll just go

22:54.300 --> 22:57.160
through a round of questioning . Mr .

22:57.199 --> 22:59.680
Tatum , recently we heard about a

22:59.680 --> 23:01.791
project you've been working on called

23:01.791 --> 23:04.280
Project Patriot Pipeline . Could you

23:04.280 --> 23:06.979
explain to us what that is ? Thank you ,

23:07.060 --> 23:09.116
uh , Chairman , and , uh , thank you

23:09.116 --> 23:11.338
for your and the ranking members , uh ,

23:11.338 --> 23:13.060
commitment in this committee's

23:13.060 --> 23:15.004
commitment to our men and women in

23:15.004 --> 23:17.338
uniform . Project Patriot Pipeline , uh ,

23:17.339 --> 23:20.180
is a direct result of the secretary's

23:20.180 --> 23:23.130
focus on the arsenal of freedom . As he

23:23.130 --> 23:26.010
has traveled around the country to

23:26.010 --> 23:28.829
bolster our defense industrial base ,

23:29.430 --> 23:31.652
uh , we and the personnel and readiness

23:31.652 --> 23:34.150
domain asked ourselves the questions

23:34.449 --> 23:36.849
how are we going to resource this with

23:36.849 --> 23:40.329
the talent necessary to expand the

23:40.329 --> 23:43.010
arsenal of freedom and and complete the

23:43.010 --> 23:46.750
mission and indeed to align

23:47.089 --> 23:50.449
presidential priorities and personnel

23:50.449 --> 23:53.380
policy . And so what we've done is

23:53.380 --> 23:55.602
we've taken a look at several different

23:55.602 --> 23:57.824
work streams . You have active National

23:57.824 --> 24:00.859
Guard reserve , you have spouses , and

24:00.859 --> 24:03.369
you have civilian workforce , uh , that ,

24:03.380 --> 24:05.900
uh , we are , uh , charged with

24:05.900 --> 24:08.699
managing . And within each one we want

24:08.699 --> 24:11.099
to encourage re-enlistment and we want

24:11.099 --> 24:13.210
to encourage re-enlistment into those

24:13.210 --> 24:15.469
high demand , low density . Military

24:15.469 --> 24:17.699
occupational skills such as Patriot ,

24:17.989 --> 24:21.310
cyber , and aviation maintainer ,

24:21.589 --> 24:24.910
and we are aligning bonuses with the

24:24.910 --> 24:28.890
services to ensure that we are . Uh ,

24:28.900 --> 24:31.380
encouraging folks to re-enlist within

24:31.839 --> 24:34.900
those key high-demand , low density

24:35.040 --> 24:38.780
MOSs . Within , if they choose

24:38.880 --> 24:41.640
to leave service , we want to capture

24:41.640 --> 24:43.696
that training and investment that we

24:43.696 --> 24:46.040
made in their training . So that we're

24:46.040 --> 24:48.920
able to keep that $500,000 or a million

24:48.920 --> 24:50.587
dollars that we put into that

24:50.930 --> 24:53.160
individual and if they're an aviation

24:53.160 --> 24:56.040
maintainer in the military , we want

24:56.040 --> 24:58.280
them to be a depot aviation maintainer

24:58.280 --> 25:00.520
and so we are tweaking tuition

25:00.520 --> 25:03.920
assistance and skill bridge time to be

25:03.920 --> 25:07.459
able to incentivize folks that want to .

25:08.349 --> 25:10.349
Migrate into the defense industrial

25:10.349 --> 25:12.449
base to try to incentivize them into

25:12.449 --> 25:15.359
those key skill sets . We have a real

25:15.359 --> 25:17.099
issue with our aviation depot

25:17.400 --> 25:19.511
maintainers . We're going to drop off

25:19.511 --> 25:21.622
the cliff here pretty soon and demand

25:21.622 --> 25:23.790
is going to go way up , uh , depending

25:23.790 --> 25:25.846
upon the platform that we're talking

25:25.846 --> 25:27.959
about . And so we , we are trying to

25:27.959 --> 25:30.560
get ahead of that by incentivizing

25:30.560 --> 25:33.589
people if they're going to leave to

25:33.589 --> 25:35.645
stay within the defense industrial .

25:35.645 --> 25:37.422
Base and I include healthcare ,

25:37.630 --> 25:39.630
education in the defense industrial

25:39.630 --> 25:41.270
base as well . And so we are

25:41.270 --> 25:43.326
incentivizing people through tuition

25:43.326 --> 25:45.630
assistance through extra time and skill

25:45.630 --> 25:47.908
bridge . Come down to military spouses .

25:47.910 --> 25:49.632
We have a huge military spouse

25:49.632 --> 25:51.577
employment effort going on . We're

25:51.577 --> 25:54.189
rebranding it as spouse works where we

25:54.189 --> 25:57.689
have the skill bridge-like program

25:57.910 --> 26:00.790
that they can do the internships and

26:00.790 --> 26:03.300
then begin to work . We have money

26:03.300 --> 26:05.300
where we can pay for scholarships .

26:05.300 --> 26:07.078
We're going to increase that to

26:07.078 --> 26:09.300
incentivize them to go into the defense

26:09.300 --> 26:11.133
industrial base , whether that's

26:11.133 --> 26:13.022
healthcare , education , aviation

26:13.022 --> 26:15.819
maintainer , welder , shipbuilder , all

26:15.819 --> 26:19.819
of that to us , our spouses and , and

26:19.819 --> 26:22.319
deserve these opportunities , and we've

26:22.739 --> 26:25.060
allowed for direct hiring authority in ,

26:25.140 --> 26:27.362
in many of these areas to help with the

26:27.362 --> 26:29.529
Patriot pipeline , as we call it . And

26:29.529 --> 26:31.640
then third , the civilian workforce ,

26:31.699 --> 26:34.699
we want them to re-enlist , so to speak ,

26:34.979 --> 26:37.739
and re up within the civilian domain to

26:37.739 --> 26:41.260
go into things such as the Golden Dome ,

26:41.500 --> 26:44.500
cyber , and these real critical high

26:44.500 --> 26:46.729
demand , low density areas where We

26:46.729 --> 26:48.849
need the real talent . And so it's a

26:48.849 --> 26:51.250
holistic approach from when someone

26:51.250 --> 26:53.689
comes in , we're trying to incentivize

26:53.689 --> 26:55.530
them through bonuses into these

26:55.530 --> 26:57.650
critical high demand , low density

26:57.650 --> 26:59.959
areas . We're trying to keep them in ,

26:59.969 --> 27:02.136
which we're doing and , and recruiting

27:02.136 --> 27:04.358
and retention are going very well right

27:04.358 --> 27:06.358
now . And then to the very end when

27:06.358 --> 27:08.413
they choose to get out , if that's 3

27:08.413 --> 27:10.469
years or 30 years , we've invested a

27:10.469 --> 27:12.358
lot of money in that professional

27:12.358 --> 27:14.413
military education . We want them to

27:14.413 --> 27:16.859
stay or a spouse , we want that person

27:16.859 --> 27:19.140
to be able to work in the defense

27:19.140 --> 27:21.619
industrial base and make our country

27:21.619 --> 27:23.841
stronger , make that arsenal of freedom

27:23.939 --> 27:26.250
stronger . And then likewise with our

27:26.250 --> 27:28.530
civilian workforce . So that's it in a

27:28.530 --> 27:30.930
nutshell . We're trying to complement

27:30.930 --> 27:33.969
the Secretary's efforts and Under

27:33.969 --> 27:35.802
Secretary Duffy's efforts in the

27:35.802 --> 27:38.025
arsenal of freedom to undergird it with

27:38.025 --> 27:41.010
the talent necessary to run the arsenal

27:41.010 --> 27:44.930
of freedom . Thank you , Senator Warren .

27:46.150 --> 27:49.000
Thank you , Mr . Chairman . The TriCare

27:49.000 --> 27:52.390
Pharmacy Benefit helps 9 million

27:52.800 --> 27:54.856
service members , veterans and their

27:54.856 --> 27:56.911
families access prescription drugs .

27:57.510 --> 28:00.810
Tricare's pharmacy contractor ,

28:00.959 --> 28:04.119
Express Scripts , decides which

28:04.119 --> 28:07.040
pharmacies are included in the TriCare

28:07.040 --> 28:09.459
network and decides what they're going

28:09.459 --> 28:12.329
to get paid . Um , and of course ,

28:12.449 --> 28:14.969
Express Scripts is supposed to work for

28:14.969 --> 28:17.849
the DOD and for military families .

28:18.250 --> 28:21.209
That's what taxpayers pay Express

28:21.209 --> 28:24.979
Scripts to do . Except Express

28:24.979 --> 28:28.930
Scripts also runs its own pharmacy that

28:28.930 --> 28:31.670
participates in the TriCare network , a

28:31.670 --> 28:34.359
competitor to every other pharmacy ,

28:34.660 --> 28:36.959
and that means that Express Scripts

28:37.300 --> 28:40.420
both provides pharmacy services to

28:40.420 --> 28:43.500
TriCare members directly and sets the

28:43.500 --> 28:47.300
reimbursement rates for itself and all

28:47.300 --> 28:50.579
of its competitors . That gives Express

28:50.579 --> 28:54.199
Scripts an incentive to under reimburse

28:54.199 --> 28:56.819
all of the competing pharmacies and

28:56.819 --> 29:00.410
inflate its own payments . So how is

29:00.410 --> 29:03.359
that deal working out for the taxpayers ?

29:03.780 --> 29:07.199
Express Scripts reportedly charged DOD

29:07.660 --> 29:11.489
$484 more on average

29:13.099 --> 29:16.050
for generic drugs dispensed by the

29:16.050 --> 29:19.020
Express Scripts owned pharmacy .

29:20.030 --> 29:23.189
Meanwhile , Express Scripts has offered

29:23.189 --> 29:27.150
unaffiliated pharmacies such terrible

29:27.150 --> 29:30.310
terms that since 2022 , nearly

29:30.310 --> 29:34.069
13,000 retail pharmacies have just

29:34.069 --> 29:36.291
left the Tricare network . They've just

29:36.291 --> 29:38.589
said we can't be part of this . So ,

29:38.869 --> 29:41.091
Assistant Secretary Bass , you lead the

29:41.091 --> 29:43.989
Defense Health Agency , which oversees

29:43.989 --> 29:46.156
this contract that I'm talking about .

29:46.589 --> 29:50.189
Are you concerned that Express Scripts

29:50.189 --> 29:52.849
appears to be steering service members

29:53.229 --> 29:56.449
to the pharmacies that it owns and

29:56.579 --> 29:59.010
overcharging American taxpayers ?

30:01.260 --> 30:03.538
Thank you , Ranking Member Warren . uh ,

30:03.538 --> 30:05.704
I appreciate your , your support and I

30:05.704 --> 30:07.760
understand that this is an important

30:07.760 --> 30:09.871
issue . Uh , the department continues

30:09.871 --> 30:12.038
to , to look at this and review and as

30:12.038 --> 30:14.204
you're aware , this PBM is , uh , is ,

30:14.204 --> 30:16.260
uh , TRICare PBM is different than a

30:16.260 --> 30:18.204
normal PBM . It is a , it provides

30:18.204 --> 30:20.430
administrative services only . It's a

30:20.430 --> 30:24.219
contract me . Management mechanism for

30:24.219 --> 30:26.275
their departments . It does claims ,

30:26.275 --> 30:28.497
mail order pharmacy and is paid a fixed

30:28.497 --> 30:30.719
fee for each of the prescriptions . The

30:30.719 --> 30:32.552
Department of War controls their

30:32.552 --> 30:34.719
pricing and retains the cost savings .

30:34.719 --> 30:36.608
We understand the concerns and we

30:36.608 --> 30:38.663
welcome the opportunity to work with

30:38.663 --> 30:40.830
you and your staff . I'm sorry , could

30:40.830 --> 30:42.997
I have an answer to my question ? I am

30:42.997 --> 30:44.997
concerned that we've got a pharmacy

30:44.997 --> 30:47.163
benefit manager here who competes with

30:47.163 --> 30:49.500
a bunch of America's pharmacies , and

30:49.560 --> 30:52.040
it's the one that is doing the pricing ,

30:52.050 --> 30:54.160
and it's the one that's deciding who

30:54.160 --> 30:56.280
else the competition will be . That

30:56.280 --> 30:59.479
seems like to me a perfect way to be

30:59.479 --> 31:01.090
able to advantage yourself ,

31:01.199 --> 31:03.421
disadvantage everyone else , and look ,

31:03.421 --> 31:05.588
I'm not just making that up . I've got

31:05.588 --> 31:09.160
two pieces of evidence , $484 more per

31:09.160 --> 31:12.979
average . That we're paying now on

31:12.979 --> 31:16.739
these generic drugs and 13,000

31:16.739 --> 31:18.739
pharmacies across this country that

31:18.739 --> 31:20.739
have just said , you won't pay me

31:20.739 --> 31:22.660
enough , so I've got to leave the

31:22.660 --> 31:24.739
entire system , which cuts down on

31:24.739 --> 31:26.906
service for our military members . And

31:26.906 --> 31:28.739
are you telling me , oh , you're

31:28.739 --> 31:30.961
thinking about it , you've had 20 years

31:30.961 --> 31:33.219
to think about this . We , we , the

31:33.219 --> 31:35.441
department continues to , to evaluate .

31:35.510 --> 31:38.319
This this budget , it over it , uh , it

31:38.319 --> 31:40.839
reviews and , and , uh , works with the

31:40.839 --> 31:42.950
contractor to ensure that it's within

31:42.950 --> 31:45.006
the guidelines of the you're working

31:45.006 --> 31:46.839
with the contractor . How's that

31:46.839 --> 31:49.300
working out ? How do you explain $484

31:49.300 --> 31:53.010
on average ? More for prescription

31:53.010 --> 31:55.121
drugs for generic drugs . Thank you ,

31:55.121 --> 31:57.510
Senator . I'm not aware of the cost .

31:58.160 --> 32:00.329
Then how do you explain 13,000

32:00.329 --> 32:02.689
pharmacies actually leaving the whole

32:02.689 --> 32:04.911
system ? Just saying you won't even pay

32:04.911 --> 32:07.022
me enough to make it worthwhile . The

32:07.022 --> 32:09.133
contractor is meeting its contractual

32:09.133 --> 32:13.130
requirements . Yeah , what ? You don't ,

32:13.609 --> 32:15.442
what are you saying about 13,000

32:15.442 --> 32:17.989
pharmacies leaving this whole system

32:18.089 --> 32:20.609
and they won't do any , they can't fill

32:20.609 --> 32:22.776
prescriptions now for our military and

32:22.776 --> 32:25.053
for our veterans ? You're OK with that ?

32:25.489 --> 32:27.545
No , ma'am . Our priority is to make

32:27.545 --> 32:29.767
sure all of our beneficiaries , the 9.6

32:29.767 --> 32:31.822
million , get the coverage that they

32:31.822 --> 32:34.045
deserve and the benefits they deserve .

32:34.045 --> 32:36.211
Well , I think they deserve a lot more

32:36.211 --> 32:36.050
than what you're delivering for them ,

32:36.060 --> 32:38.282
and I want to know when you're going to

32:38.282 --> 32:40.449
get better at this . Look , what we're

32:40.449 --> 32:42.227
talking about here is a blatant

32:42.227 --> 32:45.229
conflict of interest . Our job in this

32:45.229 --> 32:48.579
Senate subcommittee is oversight , and

32:48.579 --> 32:50.739
that's why it is for years now , I've

32:50.739 --> 32:53.689
been calling for more transparency . To

32:53.689 --> 32:56.430
ensure that Express Scripts isn't

32:56.430 --> 32:59.030
favoring itself and its own

32:59.030 --> 33:02.469
subsidiaries and under reimbursing the

33:02.469 --> 33:04.770
independent pharmacies in the hopes

33:04.989 --> 33:06.878
that it can drive them out of the

33:06.878 --> 33:08.933
Tricare business altogether and just

33:08.933 --> 33:10.600
have more of the business for

33:10.600 --> 33:12.589
themselves . I have been met with

33:12.589 --> 33:16.589
obstruction every step of the way

33:16.589 --> 33:19.390
from our own Department of Defense . So

33:19.390 --> 33:21.279
let me ask you another question ,

33:21.279 --> 33:24.739
Secretary Bass . Will you disclose the

33:24.739 --> 33:27.300
differences between Tricare

33:27.300 --> 33:30.099
reimbursement rates and fees and other

33:30.099 --> 33:32.660
price concessions between what it's

33:32.660 --> 33:35.300
paying pharmacies and what it's paying

33:35.300 --> 33:37.300
itself ? Yeah , thank you , Ranking

33:37.300 --> 33:39.522
member Warren . I , I commit to working

33:39.522 --> 33:41.633
with you and your staff and providing

33:41.633 --> 33:43.744
the data that you're , you'll give me

33:43.744 --> 33:45.911
that data . I will work with you . I'm

33:45.911 --> 33:47.911
gonna hold you to that . So Express

33:47.911 --> 33:50.290
Scripts' pattern of bad behavior speaks

33:50.290 --> 33:53.290
for itself . In addition to the news

33:53.290 --> 33:55.401
reports that I've already mentioned ,

33:55.569 --> 33:59.089
an audit of the office , an audit by

33:59.089 --> 34:01.959
the Office of Inspector General for the

34:01.959 --> 34:04.015
Office of Personnel Management found

34:04.015 --> 34:06.839
that Express Scripts overcharged

34:06.839 --> 34:09.050
American Postal Workers Union and the

34:09.050 --> 34:11.010
Federal Employees Health Benefits

34:11.010 --> 34:14.649
Program by about $45 million . And the

34:14.649 --> 34:16.927
Government Accountability Office found ,

34:16.927 --> 34:20.370
quote , persistent inconsistencies in

34:20.370 --> 34:22.810
the data that Express Scripts provided

34:22.810 --> 34:25.000
to DOD , which DOD is supposed to be

34:25.000 --> 34:28.209
validating on its own , but failed to

34:28.209 --> 34:31.489
catch . So , Secretary Bass , given the

34:31.489 --> 34:34.370
long history of infractions by Express

34:34.370 --> 34:36.810
Scripts that I just read to you , will

34:36.810 --> 34:40.809
you commit To annual audits of the

34:40.809 --> 34:44.089
Tricare pharmacy contract to ensure

34:44.489 --> 34:46.489
that taxpayer dollars are not being

34:46.489 --> 34:49.968
wasted . I commit to , uh , yes , I

34:49.968 --> 34:53.049
commit to doing , um , annual review of

34:53.049 --> 34:55.271
the contract . And then will you let us

34:55.271 --> 34:57.398
see those annual audits ? I commit to

34:57.398 --> 34:59.454
working with you and . No , will you

34:59.454 --> 35:01.620
let us see them ? I don't want to hear

35:01.620 --> 35:03.676
about them and hear your summary . I

35:03.676 --> 35:05.898
want to see the audits . Do I have that

35:05.898 --> 35:08.009
commitment ? I will work with you and

35:08.009 --> 35:10.342
your staff . Is that a yes ? Yes , good .

35:10.342 --> 35:12.454
Thank you . That wasn't so bad . Um ,

35:12.454 --> 35:14.731
look , the , thank you , Mr . Chairman .

35:14.731 --> 35:16.842
I apologize for running over . I just

35:16.842 --> 35:18.790
want to finish up by saying , The

35:18.800 --> 35:21.060
current Tricare contract with Express

35:21.060 --> 35:24.389
Scripts expires in 2029 , and

35:24.389 --> 35:27.709
DOD right now is in the acquisition

35:27.709 --> 35:31.429
planning phase for the next generation

35:31.429 --> 35:33.909
contract as it builds the requirements

35:33.909 --> 35:37.290
for this new contract . DOD cannot

35:37.290 --> 35:39.689
continue to ignore this conflict of

35:39.689 --> 35:42.090
interest that arises when a company

35:42.090 --> 35:45.570
owns both a PBM , that is the one

35:45.570 --> 35:47.909
directing the payments , and a pharmacy .

35:48.129 --> 35:50.449
That has got to stop . And in the

35:50.449 --> 35:53.959
meantime , existing Contracts should be

35:53.959 --> 35:56.610
regularly audited and subjected to much

35:56.610 --> 35:59.270
greater transparency to try to beat

35:59.530 --> 36:01.909
this kind of conflict out of the system .

36:02.159 --> 36:04.810
I look forward to working with DOD on

36:04.810 --> 36:07.330
this and serving the best interests of

36:07.330 --> 36:10.250
the 9 million American service members ,

36:10.330 --> 36:12.441
veterans , and their families who are

36:12.441 --> 36:14.219
depending on us . Thank you . I

36:14.219 --> 36:16.386
appreciate it , Secretary Bass . Thank

36:16.386 --> 36:18.608
you , Mr . Chairman , and thank you for

36:18.608 --> 36:20.663
the extra time . Thank you , Senator

36:20.663 --> 36:24.350
Warren . Senator Hirono . Thank you ,

36:24.399 --> 36:27.699
Mr . Chairman . Secretary Tata ,

36:28.459 --> 36:31.300
the Trump regime has repeatedly

36:31.300 --> 36:33.659
attempted to reshape our federal

36:33.659 --> 36:36.500
vaccine policies and direct conflict

36:36.780 --> 36:39.419
with science and leading public health

36:39.419 --> 36:42.419
experts . Now it seems those misguided ,

36:42.459 --> 36:44.626
as far as I'm concerned , policies are

36:44.626 --> 36:46.515
seeping into the military . First

36:46.515 --> 36:48.292
Secretary Hicks says waived the

36:48.292 --> 36:50.515
COVID-19 vaccine requirements , and now

36:50.515 --> 36:53.100
just last month he overturned the

36:53.100 --> 36:57.010
annual flu vaccine mandate . Uh ,

36:57.090 --> 36:59.330
which has been DOD policy since the

36:59.330 --> 37:03.250
early 1950s , over 70 years . Uh , of

37:03.250 --> 37:05.417
course , there is a reason for the flu

37:05.417 --> 37:07.139
vaccine requirement . Military

37:07.139 --> 37:09.250
personnel frequently live and work in

37:09.250 --> 37:11.528
close quarters , particularly on ships ,

37:11.528 --> 37:13.361
making them highly susceptible ,

37:13.361 --> 37:15.669
susceptible to rapid disease

37:15.929 --> 37:17.985
transmission . Secretary Taylor , do

37:17.985 --> 37:21.939
you know who Funded the invention of

37:21.939 --> 37:25.699
the first flu vaccine . Uh ,

37:26.300 --> 37:28.467
Senator , thank you for the question .

37:28.467 --> 37:30.522
Thank you for the concern , uh , for

37:30.522 --> 37:32.744
our soldiers . Uh , I believe World War

37:32.744 --> 37:34.911
One was , uh , the US Army created the

37:34.911 --> 37:38.050
flu vaccine , and , uh , so the US Army

37:38.050 --> 37:40.050
in the 1930s and 1940s , and do you

37:40.050 --> 37:42.610
know why the Army did this ?

37:43.989 --> 37:47.350
Because they wanted to stop the spread

37:47.350 --> 37:50.949
of infectious disease . So does that

37:50.949 --> 37:54.290
concern still not exist ? Because , uh ,

37:54.300 --> 37:56.459
what's gonna happen when getting the

37:56.459 --> 37:58.979
flu vaccine becomes optional ? In fact ,

37:59.179 --> 38:02.560
uh , what new peer review literature

38:03.060 --> 38:05.899
did the department rely on to support

38:05.899 --> 38:08.219
overturning the flu vaccine requirement

38:08.219 --> 38:11.300
and how many service members of the 1 .

38:11.540 --> 38:14.939
I don't know that millions they're 1.8

38:14.939 --> 38:17.699
million , 2.8 million active duty , and .

38:18.669 --> 38:22.439
Almost a million reserves and civilians

38:22.439 --> 38:26.419
within DOD . So what peer review study

38:26.419 --> 38:28.909
led to this change in the vaccine flu

38:28.909 --> 38:32.090
vaccine requirement and how many

38:32.090 --> 38:35.000
service members do you expect will now

38:35.000 --> 38:37.919
not get the flu vaccine as a result of

38:37.919 --> 38:41.000
this optional policy ? Senator , thank

38:41.000 --> 38:42.889
you for the opportunity to , um ,

38:42.889 --> 38:45.056
comment on this . Uh , we , uh , under

38:45.056 --> 38:47.278
the secretary's guidance , uh , went to

38:47.278 --> 38:49.111
the services . Uh , we asked the

38:49.111 --> 38:51.780
services to come back to us with a list

38:51.780 --> 38:54.560
of exceptions to the policy , uh , that ,

38:54.840 --> 38:58.800
uh . They wish us to

38:58.800 --> 39:00.709
pursue . We are collecting those

39:00.709 --> 39:02.949
exceptions right now and as you might

39:02.949 --> 39:05.010
expect , the services have come back

39:05.010 --> 39:07.810
with a robust set of exceptions uh that

39:07.810 --> 39:09.754
we are still in the pre-decisional

39:09.754 --> 39:11.643
draft stage . We're talking about

39:11.643 --> 39:13.921
submarines . We're talking about ships ,

39:13.921 --> 39:15.977
we're talking about basic training ,

39:15.977 --> 39:15.439
we're talking about Ranger school .

39:15.469 --> 39:17.580
We're talking about . Understand Mr .

39:17.580 --> 39:19.580
Secretary , so these exceptions are

39:19.580 --> 39:21.802
those services who are saying that they

39:21.802 --> 39:23.747
want to continue to require people

39:23.747 --> 39:25.747
getting the flu vaccine is that are

39:25.747 --> 39:27.747
those the exceptions you're talking

39:27.747 --> 39:27.659
about ? This , this is in draft

39:27.659 --> 39:29.548
predecisional . They've come back

39:29.548 --> 39:31.840
asking for these exceptions to the

39:31.840 --> 39:34.780
policy that we will then take to the

39:34.780 --> 39:38.030
secretary for his final approval . OK ,

39:38.090 --> 39:40.312
I'm gonna have to ask you again just so

39:40.312 --> 39:43.050
uh there's clarity . The exceptions are

39:43.050 --> 39:45.449
to Secretary Heck says these are

39:45.449 --> 39:47.727
optional , this is an optional vaccine ,

39:48.050 --> 39:51.870
so . The services are submitting

39:51.870 --> 39:54.229
exceptions that they want their

39:54.229 --> 39:56.396
submariners , for example , to have to

39:56.396 --> 39:58.469
get the flu vaccine . Are those the

39:58.469 --> 40:00.747
exceptions that are being gathered now ?

40:00.747 --> 40:03.429
I , I , I can't list them all , all for

40:03.429 --> 40:05.651
you right now , but the exceptions that

40:05.651 --> 40:07.596
we are gathering are to be able to

40:07.596 --> 40:11.530
vaccinate for flu prior to deployment ,

40:11.750 --> 40:14.669
uh , on , on a ship , for example , but

40:14.669 --> 40:16.891
there are several other exceptions that

40:16.891 --> 40:18.947
are being requested . Yeah , I , I .

40:18.947 --> 40:21.058
And I just wanna make sure that there

40:21.058 --> 40:23.058
are some service services that have

40:23.058 --> 40:25.905
decided that this optional policy is uh

40:25.905 --> 40:28.574
going to probably affect readiness .

40:28.905 --> 40:30.961
You can't have a flu outbreak in the

40:30.961 --> 40:33.016
submarine , for example , so I think

40:33.016 --> 40:35.985
that that is um that's warranted , but

40:35.985 --> 40:37.864
you didn't mention peer reviewed

40:37.864 --> 40:40.745
literature that led to Secretary Hexa

40:40.745 --> 40:43.949
making this policy change . To begin

40:43.959 --> 40:47.479
with , Are you aware of any peer

40:47.479 --> 40:49.368
reviewed studies that led to this

40:49.679 --> 40:53.489
change ? Senator , uh , what I'm aware

40:53.489 --> 40:57.350
of is the , um , troop morale , uh ,

40:57.409 --> 41:00.649
and , uh , significant backlash from

41:00.649 --> 41:03.939
the imposition from the Biden era , uh ,

41:04.080 --> 41:07.570
on the COVID vaccine and the mandatory ,

41:07.639 --> 41:11.010
uh , COVID vaccine and the expulsion of

41:11.010 --> 41:13.810
lots of talent for refusing to take

41:13.810 --> 41:16.040
that vaccine , that experimental

41:16.040 --> 41:17.729
vaccine that was unlawful as

41:17.729 --> 41:21.219
implemented . And so I think what the

41:21.219 --> 41:24.100
secretary is trying to get at is uh

41:24.100 --> 41:27.020
restoring trust and faith , restoring

41:27.020 --> 41:30.379
the warrior ethos within the force by

41:30.379 --> 41:32.659
saying that . OK , so he had his

41:32.659 --> 41:34.715
reasons , but they were not based on

41:34.715 --> 41:36.826
any peer reviewed literature . It was

41:36.826 --> 41:39.350
based on . Uh , that they , uh , you

41:39.350 --> 41:41.128
know , there is such a thing as

41:41.128 --> 41:43.350
leadership that will say to the service

41:43.350 --> 41:45.128
members this is for your health

41:45.128 --> 41:47.072
protection . It is , it is science

41:47.072 --> 41:49.239
based , etc . but that didn't happen .

41:49.239 --> 41:51.239
He did it in full consultation with

41:51.239 --> 41:53.350
health affairs , with me , with the ,

41:53.350 --> 41:55.461
with the team , uh , to , to make the

41:55.461 --> 41:57.683
best decision possible to restore trust

41:57.683 --> 41:59.628
and faith in the wake of the COVID

41:59.628 --> 42:01.294
vaccine . So basically it was

42:01.294 --> 42:03.406
ideologically based , not peer review

42:03.406 --> 42:05.517
based . I have a question about women

42:05.517 --> 42:07.572
in combat . Can I continue ? I can't

42:07.572 --> 42:09.850
tell from my . Clock whether I've , uh ,

42:09.850 --> 42:13.610
my time is up . I think

42:13.610 --> 42:15.649
it is it up ? Can you ?

42:17.820 --> 42:20.780
OK , I could I just mention something

42:20.780 --> 42:23.340
about women in combat ? So as you know ,

42:23.520 --> 42:25.659
Secretary Hickson has asked for a

42:25.659 --> 42:28.020
review , a study on the appropriateness

42:28.020 --> 42:29.969
of women in combat roles , and you

42:29.969 --> 42:33.419
recently issued a memo mandating the

42:33.419 --> 42:35.308
review of female service members'

42:35.308 --> 42:38.020
performance in combat arms units . Uh ,

42:38.300 --> 42:40.620
as you know , women can serve in combat

42:40.620 --> 42:42.676
units , uh , provided that they meet

42:42.676 --> 42:44.787
all of the physical requirements that

42:44.787 --> 42:46.953
everybody else has to meet . So I just

42:46.953 --> 42:48.842
wanna ask you , uh , should every

42:48.842 --> 42:51.009
service member regardless of gender be

42:51.009 --> 42:52.842
permitted to serve in any role ,

42:52.842 --> 42:54.850
including the combat arms , if they

42:54.850 --> 42:57.169
meet the established standards ? Yes or

42:57.169 --> 42:59.550
no , Senator , uh , what we are doing

42:59.550 --> 43:01.929
is reviewing the effectiveness of

43:01.929 --> 43:03.873
ground combat units that have been

43:03.873 --> 43:05.707
integrated , uh , 10 years after

43:05.707 --> 43:07.873
integration just like we did Goldwater

43:07.873 --> 43:10.151
Nichols , just like we did . Don't ask .

43:10.151 --> 43:12.151
Don't tell just like we did blended

43:12.151 --> 43:14.318
retirement system . So , so this is 10

43:14.318 --> 43:16.040
years later meets the physical

43:16.040 --> 43:19.100
requirements should be able to serve in

43:19.100 --> 43:21.090
any role to which they meet the

43:21.090 --> 43:22.820
physical and other whatever

43:22.820 --> 43:24.989
requirements there are , yes or no .

43:25.500 --> 43:28.110
You , I'm not sure I understand your

43:28.110 --> 43:31.179
question , Senator . Whether or not any ,

43:31.300 --> 43:33.411
OK , we repeat , should every service

43:33.411 --> 43:35.133
member regardless of gender be

43:35.133 --> 43:36.967
permitted to serve in any role ,

43:37.219 --> 43:39.669
including the combat arms if they meet

43:39.669 --> 43:41.447
the established standards , the

43:41.447 --> 43:43.669
established standards , yes , Senator ,

43:43.669 --> 43:47.219
yes , thank you . Thank you ,

43:47.780 --> 43:51.129
uh , Secretary Todd . Traumatic brain

43:51.129 --> 43:53.870
injuries continue to be a huge problem .

43:55.330 --> 43:57.219
You see anything that we're doing

43:57.219 --> 44:01.169
that's helping , uh , restore and , uh ,

44:01.570 --> 44:03.626
you know , just improve , you know ,

44:03.626 --> 44:05.681
the identification , number one , of

44:05.681 --> 44:07.903
brain problems , because we've all seen

44:07.903 --> 44:09.903
that . And then , are we making any

44:09.903 --> 44:13.449
progress on getting the health recovery

44:13.449 --> 44:15.649
time faster than in the past ?

44:18.219 --> 44:20.163
Chairman Toro , thank you for your

44:20.163 --> 44:22.386
question . Yes , traumatic brain injury

44:22.386 --> 44:25.610
is a serious concern in the force among

44:25.610 --> 44:27.721
our military service members . It can

44:27.721 --> 44:29.777
have long lasting effects long after

44:29.777 --> 44:31.554
they've they've had the initial

44:31.554 --> 44:34.449
concussion or or injury . We are

44:34.449 --> 44:36.505
working diligently with the military

44:36.505 --> 44:38.282
services to ensure that we have

44:38.282 --> 44:40.060
guidelines out there concerning

44:40.290 --> 44:42.370
exposure , particularly blast blast

44:42.370 --> 44:45.590
exposure . Um , but also other types of

44:45.590 --> 44:48.280
traumatic brain things that can cause

44:48.280 --> 44:50.280
traumatic brain injury . We put out

44:50.280 --> 44:53.760
guidelines . We have a reference , an

44:53.760 --> 44:55.593
information guide that addresses

44:55.593 --> 44:57.427
specific weapon systems that our

44:57.427 --> 44:59.427
service members are exposed to on a

44:59.427 --> 45:01.705
regular basis , outlining the area . Of

45:01.705 --> 45:03.594
the blast , the standoff distance

45:03.594 --> 45:07.185
required , the minimization of using or

45:07.185 --> 45:09.625
being close to these weapons systems ,

45:09.945 --> 45:12.245
minimizing what they have to do to

45:12.254 --> 45:13.865
maintain their proficiency ,

45:13.865 --> 45:16.504
emphasizing the use of simulators if

45:16.504 --> 45:18.945
possible in order to ensure that they

45:18.945 --> 45:22.300
are proficient . We're also looking and

45:22.300 --> 45:24.411
working with our acquisition folks to

45:24.411 --> 45:26.244
make sure that as we develop new

45:26.244 --> 45:28.356
weapons systems , the impact of blast

45:28.356 --> 45:30.189
overpressure and of course those

45:30.189 --> 45:32.300
impacts on traumatic brain injury are

45:32.300 --> 45:34.467
considered when developing the weapons

45:34.467 --> 45:34.340
system so that we have some sort of

45:34.340 --> 45:37.739
mitigating measures . In addition , the

45:37.739 --> 45:39.739
Secretary recently signed the

45:39.739 --> 45:41.739
warfighter Optimization Performance

45:41.739 --> 45:43.906
optimization directive . Which focuses

45:43.906 --> 45:46.072
on total , uh , the total readiness of

45:46.072 --> 45:48.183
our force and looks at their health ,

45:48.183 --> 45:50.072
and part of this is brain , brain

45:50.072 --> 45:52.183
trauma and traumatic brain injuries .

45:52.183 --> 45:54.350
Uh , we are working again with all the

45:54.350 --> 45:56.572
services . We are also working directly

45:56.572 --> 45:58.795
with with specific units in the field .

45:58.795 --> 46:00.906
In fact , we , we just had a briefing

46:00.906 --> 46:03.017
from , from the Ranger Regiment where

46:03.017 --> 46:05.239
they were doing , using their own local

46:05.239 --> 46:07.461
tactical . Initiatives to see what they

46:07.461 --> 46:09.683
can do to mitigate , uh , for example ,

46:09.683 --> 46:11.850
breaching operations or , or , or , or

46:11.850 --> 46:13.961
confined explosive operations , and ,

46:13.961 --> 46:15.961
and I came up with a number of very

46:15.961 --> 46:18.120
innovative ideas on how to do it . In

46:18.120 --> 46:20.370
addition , uh , since as you know , our

46:20.370 --> 46:22.481
Ranger regiments are are are airborne

46:22.481 --> 46:26.239
units , they have a mouthpiece that has

46:26.239 --> 46:28.870
a Wi Fi factor . Or or component in it .

46:29.110 --> 46:31.229
So every time one of their soldiers

46:31.229 --> 46:33.229
jumps , uh , it can automatically ,

46:33.229 --> 46:36.030
automatically record if there was what

46:36.030 --> 46:37.752
it perceived as some sort of a

46:37.752 --> 46:39.989
traumatic injury and it automatically

46:40.169 --> 46:42.391
starts broadcasting and they can't hide

46:42.391 --> 46:44.502
it because , you know , some , some ,

46:44.502 --> 46:46.613
some troops just don't want to report

46:46.613 --> 46:46.090
it . They want to keep soldiering on ,

46:46.550 --> 46:48.661
and so that is hooked in with some of

46:48.661 --> 46:50.772
the initiatives they're doing . We're

46:50.772 --> 46:52.994
taking that and looking at it to see if

46:52.994 --> 46:55.050
we can expand that not only to other

46:55.050 --> 46:57.217
airborne units but across the forest .

46:57.217 --> 46:59.328
In fact , the Undersecretary recently

47:00.239 --> 47:02.360
decided that we should work with our

47:02.360 --> 47:05.479
schools , schools , in order to use

47:05.479 --> 47:07.701
some of these mouth guards to see if we

47:07.701 --> 47:09.701
can identify any risk to the to the

47:09.701 --> 47:11.757
children of our service members when

47:11.757 --> 47:13.868
they're playing sports in some of our

47:13.868 --> 47:16.035
schools . So we're trying to look both

47:16.035 --> 47:15.560
with our service members but across the

47:15.560 --> 47:17.727
forest to identify any of these things

47:17.727 --> 47:19.782
that impact or could cause traumatic

47:19.782 --> 47:22.129
brain injury . Thank you . Uh , Mr .

47:22.139 --> 47:24.417
Deal , only a small percentage of , uh ,

47:25.139 --> 47:27.260
Americans currently qualify for

47:27.260 --> 47:29.300
military service without a waiver .

47:31.780 --> 47:33.891
Many of these young Americans who are

47:33.891 --> 47:36.459
motivated and want to serve , but they

47:36.459 --> 47:38.780
encounter a lot of times administrative

47:38.780 --> 47:41.379
hurdles and waiver decisions during

47:41.379 --> 47:43.601
their process . From your perspective ,

47:43.601 --> 47:45.823
what are the biggest bottlenecks in the

47:45.823 --> 47:48.046
system today ? And what more should the

47:48.046 --> 47:51.639
department , uh , do to be streamlining

47:51.639 --> 47:54.280
medical evaluations and waiver

47:54.280 --> 47:56.280
processing so that we are not

47:56.280 --> 47:58.391
necessarily delaying or disqualifying

47:58.719 --> 48:02.580
otherwise capable applicants . Mr .

48:02.699 --> 48:04.255
Chairman , I appreciate you

48:04.255 --> 48:06.421
highlighting that issue and the chance

48:06.421 --> 48:08.643
to speak to it . It's a very concerning

48:08.643 --> 48:10.866
thing that so few young Americans today

48:10.866 --> 48:12.977
are qualified to serve . Something we

48:12.977 --> 48:15.143
need to be very careful about is , for

48:15.143 --> 48:17.255
one , maintaining high uncompromising

48:17.255 --> 48:19.255
standards . So where we have a very

48:19.255 --> 48:21.366
good reason to ensure that you meet a

48:21.366 --> 48:23.310
minimum qualification , we need to

48:23.310 --> 48:25.532
uphold that for the good of the service

48:25.532 --> 48:25.020
and for the protection of the

48:25.020 --> 48:27.280
individual . We also need to make sure

48:27.699 --> 48:29.532
that we don't just have needless

48:29.532 --> 48:31.199
requirement . because they're

48:31.199 --> 48:33.088
historical relics . So one of the

48:33.088 --> 48:35.199
things we must continue to do through

48:35.199 --> 48:37.310
our medical assession records pilot

48:37.310 --> 48:40.139
program is carefully review each of the

48:40.139 --> 48:42.350
medical requirements we enforce when a

48:42.350 --> 48:44.406
young American man or woman tries to

48:44.406 --> 48:46.406
join and make sure that requirement

48:46.406 --> 48:48.461
makes sense , that it's connected to

48:48.461 --> 48:50.628
the battlefield requirements , that it

48:50.628 --> 48:52.517
contributes to lethality , and if

48:52.517 --> 48:54.572
that's a historical requirement that

48:54.572 --> 48:54.100
doesn't make an impact on the

48:54.100 --> 48:56.322
battlefield , we should get rid of it .

48:56.322 --> 48:58.489
We've had success over the last couple

48:58.489 --> 49:00.239
of years reducing some of the

49:00.239 --> 49:02.295
requirements in this pilot program ,

49:02.295 --> 49:04.350
letting young people come in despite

49:04.350 --> 49:06.406
the fact that they had a preexisting

49:06.406 --> 49:08.461
condition that in the past would not

49:08.461 --> 49:10.406
have been waived , and we see very

49:10.406 --> 49:12.517
strong results from that program . We

49:12.517 --> 49:14.406
are continuing to actively review

49:14.406 --> 49:16.517
conditions . Even just last year , we

49:16.517 --> 49:18.295
removed several of the existing

49:18.295 --> 49:17.919
conditions that were automatic

49:17.919 --> 49:20.080
disqualifications to ensure that if

49:20.080 --> 49:22.136
you're actually qualified to serve ,

49:22.136 --> 49:24.247
that we give you that opportunity . I

49:24.247 --> 49:26.302
can speak to personal experience . I

49:26.302 --> 49:28.469
had an ACL reconstruction in college .

49:28.469 --> 49:30.413
When I applied to the army , I was

49:30.413 --> 49:32.636
automatically disqualified . I needed a

49:32.636 --> 49:34.858
waiver to come in , and I'm so grateful

49:34.858 --> 49:37.024
that I was given the chance to serve ,

49:37.024 --> 49:36.919
and I was able to serve in airborne and

49:36.919 --> 49:39.141
special operations units for 10 years .

49:39.141 --> 49:41.308
And that , that was the right decision

49:41.308 --> 49:43.363
to make sure there wasn't a needless

49:43.363 --> 49:45.530
disqualification . And we did continue

49:45.530 --> 49:47.752
to do that to carefully filter and take

49:47.752 --> 49:49.475
advantage of the talent that's

49:49.475 --> 49:51.808
volunteering to serve in our department .

49:51.808 --> 49:53.530
So in your instance , how many

49:53.530 --> 49:55.808
evaluations did you have to have to be ,

49:55.808 --> 49:58.810
to be cleared ? I had to go to 2 extra

49:58.810 --> 50:00.477
appointments . I had to see a

50:00.477 --> 50:02.366
specialist , and there was really

50:02.366 --> 50:04.532
advanced equipment that I had to drive

50:04.532 --> 50:06.754
another hour to a different facility to

50:06.754 --> 50:06.729
put my leg in that machine and have it

50:06.870 --> 50:09.092
test the flexibility and strength , and

50:09.092 --> 50:11.259
it took months in that process . I was

50:11.259 --> 50:11.189
sweating bullets , Mr . Chairman , to

50:11.189 --> 50:13.245
see if I'd have a chance to serve in

50:13.245 --> 50:15.300
the army . I'm really grateful I got

50:15.300 --> 50:15.149
the chance , and I think it was clearly

50:15.149 --> 50:17.300
the right decision . Thank you ,

50:17.520 --> 50:18.687
Senator Blumenthal .

50:21.770 --> 50:23.409
Thank you , Chairman . Um ,

50:25.620 --> 50:27.590
Secretary Tata , I want to ask you

50:27.590 --> 50:30.760
about the recent decision . To

50:31.540 --> 50:34.729
Remove military fellowships and PME

50:34.729 --> 50:38.540
programs . From that is

50:38.540 --> 50:40.318
professional military education

50:40.318 --> 50:42.262
programs from Yale and a number of

50:42.262 --> 50:43.429
other institutions .

50:46.100 --> 50:48.322
I question whether these decisions were

50:48.322 --> 50:50.267
driven by actual national security

50:50.790 --> 50:54.360
criteria or by Very bluntly , political

50:54.360 --> 50:58.209
retaliation . Against universities that

50:58.570 --> 51:00.737
are perceived , I think , wrongly , as

51:00.737 --> 51:04.239
ideologically disfavored . According to

51:04.239 --> 51:06.320
the Pentagon's own memo , partner

51:06.320 --> 51:08.098
institutions are supposed to be

51:08.098 --> 51:09.919
evaluated based on factors like

51:09.919 --> 51:11.697
intellectual freedom , national

51:11.697 --> 51:13.863
security relevance , and relationships

51:13.863 --> 51:17.419
to Adversaries , as I'm sure you know ,

51:17.909 --> 51:21.189
Yale has a nationally renowned national

51:21.189 --> 51:23.411
security program , the Jackson School .

51:23.419 --> 51:27.149
It has experts at the law school as

51:27.149 --> 51:30.149
well as elsewhere in the university .

51:30.189 --> 51:33.270
It conducts extensive defense-related

51:33.270 --> 51:36.070
research . It hosts ROTC programs .

51:36.810 --> 51:39.330
which are very widely .

51:40.179 --> 51:43.379
Attended and it educates active duty

51:43.379 --> 51:45.490
service members and senior officers .

51:45.490 --> 51:48.360
So my question is , why was Yale

51:48.739 --> 51:51.280
removed from these programs ? And I

51:51.280 --> 51:53.419
assume the same answer would apply to

51:53.419 --> 51:55.659
the other institutions . Senator ,

51:55.709 --> 51:57.949
thank you for , uh , that question and

51:57.949 --> 51:59.838
your interest in our professional

51:59.838 --> 52:02.209
military education . Uh , certainly ,

52:02.510 --> 52:05.899
um , all the schools that were adjusted ,

52:05.949 --> 52:08.830
uh , uh , from , uh , the current list

52:08.830 --> 52:12.070
of fellowships , uh , uh , we added new

52:12.070 --> 52:14.270
schools . We wanted to refresh , uh ,

52:14.350 --> 52:17.250
in particular , uh , we were , uh ,

52:17.270 --> 52:19.214
interested in schools that allowed

52:19.214 --> 52:21.389
freedom of speech on the campus , uh ,

52:21.469 --> 52:24.550
and other types of , uh , intellectual

52:24.550 --> 52:27.429
freedom . And uh the

52:28.550 --> 52:30.717
realignment provides freedom of speech

52:30.717 --> 52:34.280
and intellectual freedom . Uh Senator ,

52:34.479 --> 52:37.080
for , for Yale and others , uh , the

52:37.080 --> 52:40.399
secretary , uh , chose to realign so

52:40.399 --> 52:43.080
that we could , uh , involve other

52:43.080 --> 52:45.302
schools that were more aligned with the

52:45.302 --> 52:48.439
patriotic values and the values that we

52:48.439 --> 52:50.479
seek to instill within it's more

52:50.479 --> 52:54.179
aligned with patriotic values than Yale .

52:54.600 --> 52:57.449
If you come to Yale . And

52:57.949 --> 53:01.669
you talk to students and faculty , but

53:01.669 --> 53:03.840
also see the great tradition of Yale .

53:04.909 --> 53:07.350
As volunteers for our military , it's

53:07.350 --> 53:11.310
active duty participation now in

53:11.310 --> 53:14.729
educational programs and ROTC , uh ,

53:15.030 --> 53:18.310
which has grown in magnitude , um ,

53:19.409 --> 53:21.689
I really question whether that's a fair

53:21.689 --> 53:23.850
assessment and whether in fact it's

53:23.850 --> 53:27.629
based on Preconceived , non

53:27.629 --> 53:31.510
fact based notions of an

53:31.510 --> 53:35.350
Ivy League school . What would you

53:35.350 --> 53:37.550
say , uh , Senator , I don't think it

53:37.550 --> 53:39.717
was based on any preconceived notion .

53:39.929 --> 53:42.096
Uh , the , the list of schools that we

53:42.096 --> 53:44.590
have now are all very much , um ,

53:44.629 --> 53:47.550
aligned with , uh , establishing a

53:47.550 --> 53:49.328
strong professional development

53:49.328 --> 53:51.272
programs for professional military

53:51.272 --> 53:53.217
education . And getting our senior

53:53.217 --> 53:55.229
leaders focused on our foundational

53:55.229 --> 53:57.340
principles back to the constitutional

53:57.340 --> 53:59.507
principles upon which our great nation

53:59.507 --> 54:01.673
was founded and that's the goal of the

54:01.673 --> 54:03.673
professional military education . I

54:03.673 --> 54:05.618
think that it's pretty clear these

54:05.618 --> 54:08.250
decisions were made based on . The

54:08.250 --> 54:11.399
Secretary of Defense or some other

54:11.409 --> 54:13.090
official feeling that these

54:13.090 --> 54:16.229
universities are quote unquote

54:16.649 --> 54:19.989
woke . Which I think .

54:21.270 --> 54:23.103
Undermines our national security

54:23.103 --> 54:25.550
because it denies our service members

54:25.550 --> 54:27.449
the benefit of some of the best

54:27.669 --> 54:30.570
teachers , academicians , research .

54:31.239 --> 54:33.800
And frankly , veterans at these schools .

54:34.010 --> 54:37.199
Let me ask you , um , About

54:37.820 --> 54:41.780
um . housing conditions of US

54:41.780 --> 54:45.229
military . Installations , um .

54:47.229 --> 54:50.110
A comprehensive survey not long ago

54:50.110 --> 54:52.830
reported that 97% of service members

54:52.830 --> 54:54.870
and their families reported

54:54.870 --> 54:57.189
habitability issues with their

54:57.189 --> 55:00.310
military-provided home like toxic mold

55:00.310 --> 55:03.310
and damage . The survey also found that

55:03.310 --> 55:05.199
half of all requests to address .

55:06.250 --> 55:08.306
Dangerous conditions reportedly went

55:08.306 --> 55:11.679
unresolved . I don't have to tell you

55:11.679 --> 55:15.209
that that . pattern is

55:15.209 --> 55:18.260
unacceptable . Along with some of my

55:18.260 --> 55:20.290
colleagues on this panel , Senator

55:20.290 --> 55:22.050
Hirono , Senator Ernst , in a

55:22.050 --> 55:25.679
bipartisan way . Led the military

55:25.679 --> 55:28.040
occupation occupancy living .

55:29.510 --> 55:32.199
Defense Act The Mold Act

55:33.120 --> 55:35.790
Which requires strict health and safety

55:35.790 --> 55:38.580
standards , independent . Inspections ,

55:38.659 --> 55:40.330
financial accountability for

55:40.330 --> 55:42.386
contractors in privatized housing to

55:42.386 --> 55:45.250
assure that military families are

55:45.260 --> 55:48.040
protected . Given that these problems

55:48.040 --> 55:50.560
have continued , what are you doing ?

55:50.639 --> 55:52.583
What reforms have you undertaken ?

55:53.120 --> 55:55.287
Senator , thank you for your concern .

55:55.287 --> 55:57.770
I , I share your concern , uh , for ,

55:58.040 --> 56:00.040
uh , military family housing . Uh ,

56:00.189 --> 56:02.959
it's certainly something that is not

56:02.959 --> 56:05.139
under the uh personnel and readiness

56:05.139 --> 56:07.639
portfolio , but I , I , we have a seat

56:07.639 --> 56:09.972
at the table on the barracks task force ,

56:10.209 --> 56:12.840
and we do not own facilities or

56:12.840 --> 56:15.120
military housing , but I , I'm very

56:15.120 --> 56:17.389
concerned about it and . I was just in

56:17.389 --> 56:19.629
the Pacific last week and uh we had

56:19.629 --> 56:21.796
mold in housing and we talked about it

56:21.796 --> 56:23.851
with families . I held sessions with

56:23.851 --> 56:25.962
families and , and other folks , uh ,

56:25.962 --> 56:28.073
teachers and parents and , and , uh ,

56:28.073 --> 56:30.351
uh , those that were living in housing ,

56:30.351 --> 56:32.185
and it's a real concern and so I

56:32.185 --> 56:34.296
support , uh , what it is that uh you

56:34.296 --> 56:36.407
are discussing and , and I'm happy to

56:36.407 --> 56:38.185
talk to my colleague , uh , the

56:38.185 --> 56:39.907
Undersecretary for Acquisition

56:39.907 --> 56:42.073
sustainment that owns that portfolio .

56:42.073 --> 56:44.185
Well , it's a health problem . It's a

56:44.185 --> 56:46.407
readiness problem . That's right . It's

56:46.407 --> 56:49.370
a military family problem . It's a mold

56:49.370 --> 56:53.250
problem which is potentially . fatal

56:53.250 --> 56:56.270
to children . And

56:57.149 --> 57:00.790
Evidently Our leadership isn't

57:00.790 --> 57:03.110
doing much about it , and in fairness ,

57:03.189 --> 57:05.830
I should tell you this problem has

57:05.830 --> 57:09.469
spanned . Various administrations .

57:10.199 --> 57:13.620
But now is the time To do something

57:13.620 --> 57:15.860
about it . And I hope you will . I

57:15.860 --> 57:18.110
visited housing in New London and

57:18.110 --> 57:21.219
Groton , where mold problem has really

57:21.219 --> 57:24.300
presented a health problem to military

57:24.300 --> 57:27.219
families . And if you're not the right

57:27.219 --> 57:29.649
person , I hope You will tell us who

57:29.649 --> 57:31.871
the right person is , Senator Senator ,

57:31.871 --> 57:34.038
I am , I'm the right person . I'm here

57:34.038 --> 57:36.093
before you . I'm the right person in

57:36.093 --> 57:38.260
representing the department , and I'll

57:38.260 --> 57:40.093
tell you , the Secretary made an

57:40.093 --> 57:39.969
announcement not too long ago . He's

57:39.969 --> 57:42.209
committing millions of dollars to

57:42.209 --> 57:44.389
remediation of mold across the force ,

57:44.649 --> 57:46.929
across all the housing , and so yes ,

57:47.010 --> 57:48.843
I'm the right person because I'm

57:48.843 --> 57:51.010
sitting right here before you . Well ,

57:51.010 --> 57:54.870
let me just posit to you . We've now

57:54.870 --> 57:58.679
spent an acknowledged $29

57:58.679 --> 58:01.909
billion . On a war of choice .

58:03.100 --> 58:05.939
It is A

58:07.070 --> 58:09.520
War that this president said would not

58:09.520 --> 58:11.800
become a forever war . It seems like

58:11.800 --> 58:14.919
now a whatever war becoming a forever

58:14.919 --> 58:17.959
war , but it is consuming at least a

58:17.959 --> 58:20.320
billion dollars a day . I suggest

58:20.320 --> 58:23.020
respectfully . Some of that money

58:23.760 --> 58:26.399
should be devoted to military housing .

58:26.439 --> 58:29.550
It would be a fraction . Of that total .

58:30.409 --> 58:32.689
But it is vital to readiness and

58:32.689 --> 58:35.129
preparedness , not just morale , but

58:35.129 --> 58:37.330
the health of our troops and their

58:37.330 --> 58:40.760
families , and we know families serve

58:40.760 --> 58:43.889
along with our military men and women ,

58:43.929 --> 58:46.870
and I could also suggest , by the way .

58:48.530 --> 58:50.752
That maybe instead of a billion dollars

58:50.752 --> 58:52.863
for a ballroom , we could devote some

58:52.863 --> 58:55.870
money to military housing . As I said ,

58:55.989 --> 58:57.989
Senator , the Secretary has pledged

58:57.989 --> 59:00.211
money to remediation of mold throughout

59:00.211 --> 59:02.378
the barracks and housing . Thank you .

59:02.729 --> 59:04.729
My time has expired . Thank you for

59:04.729 --> 59:06.785
your answers to my questions . Thank

59:06.785 --> 59:09.007
you . I'd like to follow up , Secretary

59:09.007 --> 59:11.118
Tateor . Do you think that people are

59:11.118 --> 59:13.340
actually listening because we , we're ,

59:13.340 --> 59:12.850
I think every state's having this

59:12.850 --> 59:15.530
problem in military bases . Uh , you

59:15.530 --> 59:17.808
know , you know , we can talk about it .

59:17.808 --> 59:19.974
But I know we're having a huge problem

59:19.974 --> 59:22.197
in our state of Alabama . And if you're

59:22.197 --> 59:24.308
not having a problem , then you don't

59:24.308 --> 59:26.530
have humidity in your state . Any state

59:26.530 --> 59:28.697
with humidity has huge problems . What

59:28.697 --> 59:30.863
do we need to do ? I mean , it , do we

59:30.863 --> 59:33.620
need to specifically put in the , uh ,

59:34.169 --> 59:37.209
NDAA something about mold , something

59:37.209 --> 59:41.050
about , you know , the . Treatment , I

59:41.050 --> 59:43.272
mean , we're , we , we can't continue .

59:43.272 --> 59:45.383
It's been , it's been happening since

59:45.383 --> 59:47.272
I've been here for 6 years and we

59:47.272 --> 59:49.494
haven't made any progress . So , what ,

59:49.494 --> 59:51.717
what's your thoughts ? Are , are people

59:51.717 --> 59:53.606
listening ? Chairman , people are

59:53.606 --> 59:55.709
listening . The Secretary has made a

59:55.709 --> 59:58.350
commitment of significant funds to

59:58.350 --> 01:00:00.909
remediation of mold , and we can

01:00:00.909 --> 01:00:03.076
certainly circle back to the committee

01:00:03.076 --> 01:00:05.340
with exactly what that commitment is ,

01:00:05.949 --> 01:00:07.727
but the Secretary takes it very

01:00:07.727 --> 01:00:09.893
seriously . He is all over the world .

01:00:09.893 --> 01:00:11.893
He is in barracks . He is in family

01:00:12.229 --> 01:00:14.989
housing , and he has noticed this

01:00:14.989 --> 01:00:17.469
problem . He talks to troops and

01:00:17.469 --> 01:00:20.139
families routinely , as do I . And ,

01:00:20.229 --> 01:00:22.229
and we know this is an issue and we

01:00:22.229 --> 01:00:24.451
have committed funds to it and we are ,

01:00:24.451 --> 01:00:26.870
uh , resolved to , uh , uh , resolve

01:00:26.959 --> 01:00:29.510
the , the , uh , issue . How much in

01:00:29.510 --> 01:00:32.010
funds have been committed me go next

01:00:32.010 --> 01:00:34.232
because my questions follow right up on

01:00:34.232 --> 01:00:36.343
what you're doing . Are you through ,

01:00:36.343 --> 01:00:38.510
Senator ? How , how much , how much in

01:00:38.510 --> 01:00:40.677
funds have actually been committed and

01:00:40.677 --> 01:00:43.290
spent ? Uh , uh , Senator , I need to

01:00:43.290 --> 01:00:45.512
get back with you on that number . Uh ,

01:00:45.512 --> 01:00:47.734
I do not know the exact amount that has

01:00:47.734 --> 01:00:49.957
been committed to , uh , remediation of

01:00:49.957 --> 01:00:52.012
mold in family housing . I think the

01:00:52.012 --> 01:00:54.012
chairman is absolutely right . I've

01:00:54.012 --> 01:00:56.610
been on this committee now for almost

01:00:56.620 --> 01:00:59.189
16 years . We've talked about it

01:00:59.250 --> 01:01:02.780
endlessly . I have visited . Bass and

01:01:03.449 --> 01:01:06.209
Military family housing and it seems

01:01:06.209 --> 01:01:09.600
like . The inaction is like the mold ,

01:01:09.639 --> 01:01:13.639
it just keeps growing and uh

01:01:13.820 --> 01:01:16.770
it's there . As I said , Senator ,

01:01:18.350 --> 01:01:20.461
the Secretary shares your passion and

01:01:20.461 --> 01:01:22.572
commitment to fixing the problem , as

01:01:22.572 --> 01:01:25.229
do I and , and , and my team . Senator

01:01:25.229 --> 01:01:27.790
Warren . Sir , I just wanna follow up

01:01:27.790 --> 01:01:29.909
on this same conversation , if I can

01:01:29.909 --> 01:01:33.050
with you , Secretary Tata , and it

01:01:33.189 --> 01:01:35.669
picks up on what the chairman said . Is

01:01:35.669 --> 01:01:37.949
anybody listening ? And I just wanna ,

01:01:38.149 --> 01:01:40.260
I just wanna focus in a little bit on

01:01:40.260 --> 01:01:42.389
that . So you're the top advisor on

01:01:42.389 --> 01:01:45.790
quality of life issues . Do you support

01:01:45.790 --> 01:01:48.860
Congress passing reforms in this year's

01:01:48.860 --> 01:01:52.000
NDAA ? That would protect service

01:01:52.000 --> 01:01:54.360
members and their families from

01:01:54.360 --> 01:01:57.399
retaliation for reporting housing

01:01:57.399 --> 01:02:00.040
companies that are forcing them to live

01:02:00.040 --> 01:02:03.679
with mold for months or even years on

01:02:03.679 --> 01:02:06.389
end . Absolutely , without equivocation ,

01:02:06.399 --> 01:02:09.030
I support that . I , I really

01:02:09.040 --> 01:02:10.984
appreciate that and want to triple

01:02:10.984 --> 01:02:13.096
underscore it as we go into our , our

01:02:13.096 --> 01:02:14.979
negotiations on the NDAA because

01:02:15.520 --> 01:02:18.199
housing companies have been using

01:02:18.199 --> 01:02:20.800
nondisclosure agreements . To try to

01:02:20.800 --> 01:02:23.760
muzzle tenants to keep our service

01:02:23.760 --> 01:02:25.899
members from being able to report

01:02:26.320 --> 01:02:28.840
what's going wrong , and we just don't

01:02:28.840 --> 01:02:30.840
want to see the same thing over and

01:02:30.840 --> 01:02:34.800
over where NDAs are used in

01:02:34.800 --> 01:02:38.699
different parts of DOD to keep

01:02:39.159 --> 01:02:41.270
those who are injured from being able

01:02:41.270 --> 01:02:43.326
to complain about their injury . And

01:02:43.326 --> 01:02:45.760
look , there may be a lot of different

01:02:45.760 --> 01:02:49.550
circumstances where . People are

01:02:49.550 --> 01:02:52.949
being asked to sign NDAs , including

01:02:52.949 --> 01:02:56.610
people who have clearances . But those

01:02:56.610 --> 01:02:59.409
agreements should never preclude the

01:02:59.409 --> 01:03:02.290
ability of a service member . To be

01:03:02.290 --> 01:03:04.530
able to complain to a commanding

01:03:04.530 --> 01:03:06.419
officer about what's happening in

01:03:06.419 --> 01:03:08.586
housing , to be able to complain to an

01:03:08.586 --> 01:03:10.929
inspector general , or to complain to

01:03:10.929 --> 01:03:13.969
Congress to point out wrongdoing , and

01:03:13.969 --> 01:03:16.489
I think it's critical that we make sure

01:03:16.489 --> 01:03:19.479
that whistleblowers of every kind ,

01:03:20.050 --> 01:03:22.050
including spouses who are trying to

01:03:22.050 --> 01:03:24.383
protect their children in their housing ,

01:03:24.383 --> 01:03:26.606
all the way to people who see something

01:03:26.606 --> 01:03:28.828
wrong in the department they're in . So

01:03:28.828 --> 01:03:31.419
let me ask you on that one . Secretary

01:03:31.419 --> 01:03:35.100
Tata , should DOD be informing service

01:03:35.100 --> 01:03:36.656
members of their rights and

01:03:36.656 --> 01:03:40.379
responsibilities to report violations

01:03:40.379 --> 01:03:43.260
of the law and abuses even if they've

01:03:43.260 --> 01:03:46.699
already signed an NDA agreement ? I

01:03:46.699 --> 01:03:49.659
support any senator or ranking member

01:03:49.659 --> 01:03:52.242
Warren . I support any action . That

01:03:52.242 --> 01:03:54.298
protects a family member , a service

01:03:54.298 --> 01:03:56.282
member and their family to have

01:03:56.282 --> 01:03:58.115
appropriate housing and to lodge

01:03:58.115 --> 01:04:00.683
appropriate complaints , regardless of

01:04:00.683 --> 01:04:02.850
the circumstances because they deserve

01:04:02.850 --> 01:04:04.905
the best . They're sacrificing their

01:04:04.905 --> 01:04:07.072
lives for our country and there should

01:04:07.072 --> 01:04:08.923
be nothing in their way of of

01:04:08.923 --> 01:04:10.867
absolutely having the best housing

01:04:10.867 --> 01:04:13.202
possible and I appreciate that because .

01:04:13.305 --> 01:04:15.361
Like my colleagues here , we've been

01:04:15.361 --> 01:04:17.472
working to try to upgrade the housing

01:04:17.472 --> 01:04:19.583
for a very long time . Basically , it

01:04:19.583 --> 01:04:21.472
feels like ever since the private

01:04:21.472 --> 01:04:23.583
contractors came in and took over and

01:04:23.583 --> 01:04:25.805
figured out they could make a profit by

01:04:25.805 --> 01:04:27.916
shortchanging our military families .

01:04:27.916 --> 01:04:30.085
But , but let me remind you , Mr .

01:04:30.145 --> 01:04:32.266
Secretary , the question I was asking

01:04:32.266 --> 01:04:34.926
actually widened out the second time ,

01:04:35.266 --> 01:04:37.099
and that is , this is true about

01:04:37.099 --> 01:04:39.426
housing , but I'm asking the question

01:04:39.426 --> 01:04:41.489
up and down the line . The fact that

01:04:41.489 --> 01:04:44.540
people are being asked to sign NDAs ,

01:04:45.169 --> 01:04:47.290
and it raises questions in other

01:04:47.290 --> 01:04:50.290
contexts about whether or not they have

01:04:50.290 --> 01:04:52.800
the right , for example , to report to

01:04:52.800 --> 01:04:56.409
an inspector general about something

01:04:56.409 --> 01:04:59.320
they've seen that is wrong . And if

01:04:59.330 --> 01:05:01.330
they can't report or feel like they

01:05:01.330 --> 01:05:03.497
can't report to an inspector general ,

01:05:03.497 --> 01:05:05.552
then we don't get the information we

01:05:05.552 --> 01:05:07.608
need . We don't get the oversight we

01:05:07.608 --> 01:05:09.608
need . We can't expose the problems

01:05:09.608 --> 01:05:11.941
we've got . So I just want to make sure .

01:05:11.941 --> 01:05:14.959
Your support is not only that families

01:05:14.959 --> 01:05:16.792
ought to be able to report about

01:05:16.792 --> 01:05:18.903
housing , but anybody up and down our

01:05:18.903 --> 01:05:20.903
chain in the military should not be

01:05:20.903 --> 01:05:24.169
stopped by an NDA from reporting . When

01:05:24.169 --> 01:05:26.113
they see something that is wrong ,

01:05:26.113 --> 01:05:28.225
being able to report to an IG , being

01:05:28.225 --> 01:05:30.502
able to report to a commanding officer ,

01:05:30.502 --> 01:05:32.613
being able to report to somebody here

01:05:32.613 --> 01:05:34.889
in Congress , are you in agreement on

01:05:34.889 --> 01:05:37.111
that ? I know of nothing that restricts

01:05:37.111 --> 01:05:39.278
anybody from reporting anything to the

01:05:39.278 --> 01:05:41.445
Inspector General . OK . And then if I

01:05:41.445 --> 01:05:43.500
can , I'll do one really quick , one

01:05:43.500 --> 01:05:46.669
more turn on this . And that is about

01:05:46.669 --> 01:05:49.229
the importance of making sure that our

01:05:49.229 --> 01:05:52.830
warfighters are operating systems that

01:05:52.830 --> 01:05:55.389
do not unnecessarily endanger their

01:05:55.389 --> 01:05:58.010
health or their safety . For example ,

01:05:58.350 --> 01:06:02.110
in 2011 , 2 F-22 pilots raised

01:06:02.110 --> 01:06:04.110
concerns about becoming disoriented

01:06:04.310 --> 01:06:06.310
because of oxygen problems with the

01:06:06.310 --> 01:06:09.169
F-22 . But their commanders

01:06:09.750 --> 01:06:12.790
said fly anyway . Both pilots went to

01:06:12.790 --> 01:06:16.770
Congress . One went to the IG . The IG

01:06:16.989 --> 01:06:19.429
concluded that the pilot wasn't

01:06:19.429 --> 01:06:22.189
protected . The law protects troops who

01:06:22.189 --> 01:06:25.590
come forward to raise concerns about

01:06:25.590 --> 01:06:28.790
public safety . But it isn't explicit

01:06:28.790 --> 01:06:30.846
if they want to prevent their fellow

01:06:30.846 --> 01:06:32.790
service members from being hurt or

01:06:32.790 --> 01:06:35.280
being killed . So I just want to ask ,

01:06:35.949 --> 01:06:38.060
should we be alerting people to their

01:06:38.060 --> 01:06:41.709
rights to report and make sure that

01:06:41.709 --> 01:06:44.350
service members can come forward with

01:06:44.350 --> 01:06:46.209
concerns about troop safety ?

01:06:48.879 --> 01:06:50.580
Ranking Member Warren , the

01:06:51.919 --> 01:06:54.479
broadly , any soldier , sailor , airman ,

01:06:54.520 --> 01:06:57.679
marine , or guardian that sees an issue

01:06:57.679 --> 01:06:59.901
with any kind of defective equipment or

01:06:59.901 --> 01:07:02.123
any safety issue should feel free to go

01:07:02.123 --> 01:07:04.123
to the chain of command , go to the

01:07:04.123 --> 01:07:06.346
Inspector General , go to whomever that

01:07:06.346 --> 01:07:08.512
can help solve that problem until that

01:07:08.512 --> 01:07:10.735
problem is solved . Yeah , I appreciate

01:07:10.735 --> 01:07:12.512
that . I very much support your

01:07:12.512 --> 01:07:14.679
conclusion here . But I want to remind

01:07:14.679 --> 01:07:16.568
you , the reason I'm asking these

01:07:16.568 --> 01:07:18.790
questions is because the problem is out

01:07:18.790 --> 01:07:18.500
there , and there are people who feel

01:07:18.500 --> 01:07:20.780
like they can't do that . And so , I

01:07:20.780 --> 01:07:22.780
just hope we're gonna do everything

01:07:22.780 --> 01:07:24.836
possible at DOD . We're gonna get as

01:07:24.836 --> 01:07:27.600
much as we can in the NDAA . To push in

01:07:27.600 --> 01:07:29.822
that direction . And I also want to say

01:07:30.000 --> 01:07:32.320
thank you to Secretary Todd for your

01:07:32.320 --> 01:07:34.199
work on blast overpressure . I

01:07:34.199 --> 01:07:36.239
appreciate the questions from the

01:07:36.239 --> 01:07:38.639
chairman on this , and thank you to

01:07:38.639 --> 01:07:40.840
Secretary Bass for your point about

01:07:40.840 --> 01:07:43.080
supply chains . Uh , other things I

01:07:43.080 --> 01:07:45.136
would have asked you about , but you

01:07:45.136 --> 01:07:47.080
guys have covered it . I really do

01:07:47.080 --> 01:07:47.080
appreciate it . Thank you . Thank you

01:07:47.080 --> 01:07:49.191
for your work , Secretary Teddy . You

01:07:49.191 --> 01:07:50.913
can , you can tell we're all .

01:07:51.399 --> 01:07:53.939
Concerned about the mold because we all

01:07:53.939 --> 01:07:56.161
hear about it from our constituents and

01:07:56.830 --> 01:07:58.830
You know , I , I'm all for spending

01:07:58.830 --> 01:08:00.790
whatever we need on a $1 trillion

01:08:00.790 --> 01:08:02.957
business , which is our military , but

01:08:02.957 --> 01:08:05.123
we always have to look at the blocking

01:08:05.123 --> 01:08:07.750
and tackling here . And that's the pay

01:08:07.750 --> 01:08:09.972
for our service members and taking care

01:08:09.972 --> 01:08:11.861
of us , our , our service members

01:08:11.861 --> 01:08:13.694
through healthcare or housing or

01:08:13.830 --> 01:08:15.949
whatever , because I have people come

01:08:15.949 --> 01:08:18.171
to my office all the time talking about

01:08:18.171 --> 01:08:20.270
mold and their families are sick . I

01:08:20.270 --> 01:08:22.390
mean , sooner or later , we , we ,

01:08:22.950 --> 01:08:25.006
whatever we do with the NDAA , if we

01:08:25.006 --> 01:08:28.259
just add 1% . Just personnel

01:08:28.839 --> 01:08:31.319
readiness , it would help this military

01:08:31.319 --> 01:08:33.375
so much which sometimes it just gets

01:08:33.375 --> 01:08:35.597
overlooked . Unfortunately . It's not ,

01:08:35.597 --> 01:08:37.763
not your fault , but , but now we're ,

01:08:37.763 --> 01:08:39.986
we're , we're , we're charging you with

01:08:39.986 --> 01:08:42.208
getting , Chairman , I'm sitting here ,

01:08:42.208 --> 01:08:44.375
so it's , it's , it's , it's , it's in

01:08:44.375 --> 01:08:46.375
my rucksack . I'm going to carry it

01:08:46.375 --> 01:08:48.597
back . Uh , the secretary , as I said ,

01:08:48.597 --> 01:08:50.875
has recognized this , uh , a while ago ,

01:08:50.875 --> 01:08:53.041
and he has committed funds to it , and

01:08:53.041 --> 01:08:55.152
he's got a team working on it . And ,

01:08:55.152 --> 01:08:57.152
and , uh , I've , I've got about 15

01:08:57.152 --> 01:08:59.319
note takers in here including myself ,

01:08:59.319 --> 01:09:01.319
and we are , um , this is one issue

01:09:01.319 --> 01:09:03.541
that we know that , uh , we need to get

01:09:03.541 --> 01:09:05.819
back to you on , uh , ASAP . Thank you .

01:09:05.819 --> 01:09:05.209
Remember the blocking and tackling ,

01:09:05.350 --> 01:09:07.517
yeah , that's right , and wearing your

01:09:07.517 --> 01:09:09.461
mouthpiece while you're doing it .

01:09:11.668 --> 01:09:15.109
Secretary Kaine or Senator Kaine . Um ,

01:09:15.330 --> 01:09:17.497
thank you , Mr . Chair , and to ranked

01:09:17.497 --> 01:09:19.663
Member Warren and to colleagues here .

01:09:19.663 --> 01:09:21.608
Um , I want to follow up on just a

01:09:21.608 --> 01:09:23.497
point that Senator Blumenthal was

01:09:23.497 --> 01:09:25.552
making in early March when the , the

01:09:25.552 --> 01:09:27.608
Pentagon canceled the Senior Service

01:09:27.608 --> 01:09:30.009
Corps fellowship program in at 13

01:09:30.009 --> 01:09:32.609
colleges and pulled them and said it

01:09:32.609 --> 01:09:34.665
was because these colleges were weak

01:09:34.665 --> 01:09:37.049
and woke that was the claim . Uh , one

01:09:37.049 --> 01:09:39.410
of the colleges was the College of

01:09:39.410 --> 01:09:41.354
William and Mary in Williamsburg ,

01:09:41.354 --> 01:09:43.577
Virginia , the oldest public university

01:09:43.577 --> 01:09:45.358
in the United States . Um , the

01:09:45.358 --> 01:09:48.199
educator Thomas Jefferson , uh , a , a

01:09:48.199 --> 01:09:50.628
pretty important figure in our nation's

01:09:50.628 --> 01:09:52.795
history , uh , William and Mary's kind

01:09:52.795 --> 01:09:54.684
of key leadership position is the

01:09:54.684 --> 01:09:56.795
Chancellor for a long time recently ,

01:09:56.795 --> 01:09:58.795
that Chancellor was Bob Gates , the

01:09:58.795 --> 01:10:00.850
former Secretary of Defense , and it

01:10:00.850 --> 01:10:03.358
was almost comical that I think that

01:10:03.358 --> 01:10:05.469
announcement came out of the Pentagon

01:10:05.469 --> 01:10:07.958
on the 3rd of March . On March 25th ,

01:10:08.079 --> 01:10:11.189
Military Friendly.com . Named William

01:10:11.189 --> 01:10:14.029
and Mary , a gold level military

01:10:14.029 --> 01:10:16.140
friendly school , the highest honor a

01:10:16.140 --> 01:10:18.370
university can receive and also named .

01:10:19.060 --> 01:10:20.838
The Raymond A . Mason School of

01:10:20.838 --> 01:10:23.004
Business is the top graduate school in

01:10:23.004 --> 01:10:25.520
the nation for military and veterans .

01:10:26.330 --> 01:10:28.729
I'm William and Mary , 1600 military

01:10:28.729 --> 01:10:30.951
connected students across campus , Army

01:10:30.951 --> 01:10:34.629
ROTC , naval ROTC . The Office of

01:10:34.629 --> 01:10:36.518
Student Veteran Engagement is the

01:10:36.518 --> 01:10:38.740
central hub for connecting military and

01:10:38.740 --> 01:10:40.950
veterans on campus . Since that opened

01:10:40.950 --> 01:10:43.229
6 years ago , the graduation rate for

01:10:43.229 --> 01:10:45.396
military or veteran connected students

01:10:45.629 --> 01:10:47.890
has exceeded the graduation rate for

01:10:48.589 --> 01:10:50.700
everybody else , but , but that's not

01:10:50.700 --> 01:10:52.700
all . William and Mary also has the

01:10:52.700 --> 01:10:54.811
Lewis Poehler Chesty Pouller Veterans

01:10:54.811 --> 01:10:56.978
Benefit Clinic at the William and Mary

01:10:56.978 --> 01:10:59.200
Law School that where law students help

01:10:59.200 --> 01:11:01.311
veterans qualify for benefits they're

01:11:01.311 --> 01:11:03.422
entitled to under the VA . The Center

01:11:03.422 --> 01:11:05.478
for Military Transition at the Mason

01:11:05.478 --> 01:11:07.478
School of Business to help veterans

01:11:07.478 --> 01:11:09.367
transition to high-level civilian

01:11:09.367 --> 01:11:11.422
management positions . The School of

01:11:11.422 --> 01:11:13.422
Education at William and Mary has a

01:11:13.422 --> 01:11:13.410
unique program in the country . It's

01:11:13.410 --> 01:11:15.689
called the Clinical Mental Health and

01:11:15.689 --> 01:11:18.609
Military Veteran Counseling Program ,

01:11:18.819 --> 01:11:20.875
which trains counselors to work with

01:11:20.875 --> 01:11:23.009
veterans and military families , and

01:11:23.009 --> 01:11:25.065
there's a whole lot more I could say

01:11:25.065 --> 01:11:28.370
about military . Friendliness at

01:11:28.370 --> 01:11:30.129
William and Mary . Now , the

01:11:30.129 --> 01:11:32.240
announcement that William and Mary is

01:11:32.240 --> 01:11:34.296
one of the 13 schools that's too wet

01:11:34.296 --> 01:11:36.700
and weak or woke to have a senior

01:11:36.700 --> 01:11:39.220
fellowship kind of struck the campus

01:11:39.220 --> 01:11:41.442
almost as this April Fools' Day . There

01:11:41.442 --> 01:11:43.859
was only one such fellow at William and

01:11:43.859 --> 01:11:45.859
Mary at the time , so it's not like

01:11:45.859 --> 01:11:48.089
this was a huge dent to , to the

01:11:48.089 --> 01:11:50.729
university . But for a college that has

01:11:50.729 --> 01:11:52.840
had such a prominent role in American

01:11:52.840 --> 01:11:55.007
military history and is winning awards

01:11:55.069 --> 01:11:56.902
for being a military and veteran

01:11:57.140 --> 01:11:59.307
friendly campus , it kind of felt like

01:11:59.307 --> 01:12:01.418
a gratuitous slap , and I just wanted

01:12:01.418 --> 01:12:03.418
to ask Secretary Tate or anybody is

01:12:03.418 --> 01:12:05.362
like what's , what's weak and woke

01:12:05.362 --> 01:12:07.584
about the College of William and Mary ?

01:12:08.100 --> 01:12:10.322
Senator , thank you . I appreciate your

01:12:10.322 --> 01:12:12.544
support of our military , and it's been

01:12:12.544 --> 01:12:14.489
20 years since we bumped into each

01:12:14.489 --> 01:12:16.433
other in Afghanistan when you were

01:12:16.433 --> 01:12:18.970
governor . Uh , uh , uh , notably , uh ,

01:12:19.390 --> 01:12:21.612
everything that you read except for the

01:12:21.612 --> 01:12:23.723
fellowship program stays with William

01:12:23.723 --> 01:12:26.379
and Mary , the ROTC , all of that stays .

01:12:26.459 --> 01:12:29.020
Um , we're realigning the senior

01:12:29.020 --> 01:12:31.450
Service College Fellowship , uh . In a

01:12:31.450 --> 01:12:33.172
different direction , uh , for

01:12:33.172 --> 01:12:35.061
professional military education ,

01:12:35.061 --> 01:12:37.609
notably George Mason stays and , and ,

01:12:37.689 --> 01:12:39.800
you know , quite frankly , the Hayden

01:12:39.800 --> 01:12:41.745
Center there , they're not super ,

01:12:41.745 --> 01:12:43.467
super supportive of , uh , the

01:12:43.467 --> 01:12:45.411
administration , but , uh , they ,

01:12:45.411 --> 01:12:47.189
they've stayed and they met the

01:12:47.189 --> 01:12:49.078
criteria and , and so this was an

01:12:49.078 --> 01:12:51.750
objective assessment of , uh ,

01:12:52.009 --> 01:12:54.290
education institutions and can I just

01:12:54.290 --> 01:12:56.450
say about Secretary Tata on that

01:12:56.450 --> 01:12:59.209
objective assessment . If the

01:12:59.209 --> 01:13:02.370
announcement was , we're realigning and ,

01:13:02.779 --> 01:13:04.946
you know , maybe William and Mary only

01:13:04.946 --> 01:13:07.112
has one of these fellows , so it's not

01:13:07.112 --> 01:13:09.112
like a core part of the William and

01:13:09.112 --> 01:13:08.979
Mary mission . They've got these other

01:13:08.979 --> 01:13:12.479
things . Or if the announcement was

01:13:12.479 --> 01:13:14.590
about some objective criteria certain

01:13:14.590 --> 01:13:16.312
universities meet at , certain

01:13:16.312 --> 01:13:18.919
universities don't . That sounds like a

01:13:18.919 --> 01:13:20.910
realignment and analysis , but the

01:13:20.910 --> 01:13:22.959
announcement that we're pulling 13

01:13:22.959 --> 01:13:25.181
schools because they're weak and woke ,

01:13:25.759 --> 01:13:27.870
that that was the headline around the

01:13:27.870 --> 01:13:29.926
country , that , that's the headline

01:13:29.926 --> 01:13:32.148
that the William and Mary alums and the

01:13:32.148 --> 01:13:34.315
students and the folks who are working

01:13:34.315 --> 01:13:36.481
so hard with the veterans and military

01:13:36.481 --> 01:13:38.759
families had to be confronted with and .

01:13:38.759 --> 01:13:40.870
When they're running the ROTC program

01:13:40.870 --> 01:13:42.926
and the veterans Benefit program and

01:13:42.926 --> 01:13:44.759
the military families counseling

01:13:44.759 --> 01:13:46.981
program and they're winning awards from

01:13:46.981 --> 01:13:49.148
national publications , it just seemed

01:13:49.148 --> 01:13:51.037
like a gratuitous and unnecessary

01:13:51.037 --> 01:13:53.259
insult . And , you know , I , I don't ,

01:13:53.259 --> 01:13:55.370
you , I doubt you were the person who

01:13:55.370 --> 01:13:57.703
assigned that label to William and Mary .

01:13:57.703 --> 01:13:56.919
You're a Virginian and you know how

01:13:56.919 --> 01:13:58.752
important William and Mary is to

01:13:58.752 --> 01:14:01.439
Virginia , but it just , It was almost

01:14:01.609 --> 01:14:03.899
comical that this happened at the same

01:14:03.899 --> 01:14:05.950
time as William and Mary is being

01:14:05.950 --> 01:14:08.169
lauded for national publications for

01:14:08.169 --> 01:14:10.058
how much they do for our nation's

01:14:10.058 --> 01:14:11.947
military . I'm gonna ask a second

01:14:11.947 --> 01:14:14.279
question , um , and , and this might be

01:14:15.850 --> 01:14:17.906
Secretary for you or it might be for

01:14:17.906 --> 01:14:19.794
somebody else , but , and this is

01:14:19.794 --> 01:14:21.961
something that I , I think I may offer

01:14:21.961 --> 01:14:24.183
some amendment about in , in the , um ,

01:14:24.183 --> 01:14:26.072
NDA process . The SECDEF recently

01:14:26.072 --> 01:14:28.406
announced reforms to the chaplain corps .

01:14:28.470 --> 01:14:31.149
That would remove visible officer rank

01:14:31.149 --> 01:14:34.350
insignia from chaplain uniforms . The

01:14:34.350 --> 01:14:36.572
argument was the change would reinforce

01:14:36.572 --> 01:14:38.683
the idea that chaplains are chaplains

01:14:38.683 --> 01:14:40.950
first and officers second . But I've

01:14:40.950 --> 01:14:43.006
heard from an awful lot of people in

01:14:43.006 --> 01:14:44.950
the chaplain's corps , and they've

01:14:44.950 --> 01:14:47.117
argued that , hey , I earned my rank .

01:14:47.117 --> 01:14:49.283
I earned my rank and just like I could

01:14:49.283 --> 01:14:51.990
wear a chaplain's Corps insignia just

01:14:51.990 --> 01:14:53.879
like somebody else could wear the

01:14:53.879 --> 01:14:56.046
insignia that might signify what their

01:14:56.046 --> 01:14:58.212
MOS is in the military , chaplains are

01:14:58.212 --> 01:15:00.157
saying if I've earned the rank , I

01:15:00.157 --> 01:15:02.323
ought to be able to carry the insignia

01:15:02.323 --> 01:15:05.399
on my uniform . I'm trying to

01:15:05.399 --> 01:15:07.510
understand what , what is the problem

01:15:07.510 --> 01:15:09.732
that's trying to be solved here because

01:15:09.732 --> 01:15:11.732
I think a lot of our chaplains feel

01:15:11.732 --> 01:15:13.843
like when you order me to take off my

01:15:13.843 --> 01:15:15.732
rank insignia , you know , you're

01:15:15.732 --> 01:15:18.979
almost . Um , kind of devaluing the

01:15:18.979 --> 01:15:21.146
work that I've done to get to the rank

01:15:21.146 --> 01:15:23.368
that I've earned . So could you explain

01:15:23.368 --> 01:15:25.590
that a little bit because I think I may

01:15:25.590 --> 01:15:27.812
try to bring up an amendment about this

01:15:27.812 --> 01:15:29.868
in the course of the NA . But what's

01:15:29.868 --> 01:15:29.729
the justification for that ? Thank you ,

01:15:29.839 --> 01:15:32.172
Senator , for that question . Uh , I'll ,

01:15:32.172 --> 01:15:34.228
I'll take a shot at answering , then

01:15:34.228 --> 01:15:36.580
I'll turn it over to Secretary Dill as

01:15:36.580 --> 01:15:39.600
well . Uh , the bottom line is a former

01:15:39.600 --> 01:15:41.711
paratrooper battalion commander , air

01:15:41.711 --> 01:15:43.656
assault brigade commander , deputy

01:15:43.656 --> 01:15:45.822
commander general , and , uh , all the

01:15:45.822 --> 01:15:48.729
troops in Afghanistan , uh , sometimes ,

01:15:48.839 --> 01:15:51.459
frequently , perhaps young soldiers ,

01:15:51.839 --> 01:15:54.061
uh , see a captain , major , lieutenant

01:15:54.061 --> 01:15:56.061
colonel rank , and they're a little

01:15:56.061 --> 01:15:59.040
concerned about going to an officer

01:15:59.040 --> 01:16:01.319
versus a chaplain , and I , I believe

01:16:01.319 --> 01:16:05.240
that that was a large part of the , um ,

01:16:05.629 --> 01:16:07.709
Uh , aesthetic change that the

01:16:07.709 --> 01:16:10.149
secretary directed , uh , to get back

01:16:10.149 --> 01:16:12.038
to the ministerial duties and not

01:16:12.038 --> 01:16:15.149
counseling but ministering to our

01:16:15.149 --> 01:16:17.729
troops , the faith-based troops that ,

01:16:17.750 --> 01:16:20.270
that want to come to the chaplain . Uh ,

01:16:20.350 --> 01:16:22.461
and I don't care if it was the , uh ,

01:16:22.669 --> 01:16:24.891
uh , captain that was a chaplain for me

01:16:24.891 --> 01:16:27.002
as a battalion commander or the chief

01:16:27.002 --> 01:16:29.390
and chaplains of the army . I still

01:16:29.390 --> 01:16:31.501
call them chaplain , and I don't care

01:16:31.501 --> 01:16:33.501
what faith they were , I still call

01:16:33.501 --> 01:16:35.668
them chaplain . Does anybody else want

01:16:35.668 --> 01:16:37.723
to add to that because I , I kind of

01:16:37.723 --> 01:16:39.946
have a follow-up response . Yeah , so I

01:16:39.946 --> 01:16:42.168
do . I , I'll let Secretary Dill , uh ,

01:16:42.168 --> 01:16:44.279
uh , take that on . Senator Kaine , I

01:16:44.279 --> 01:16:46.557
appreciate the chance to speak to this ,

01:16:46.557 --> 01:16:46.100
uh , very personal issue to me as well .

01:16:46.209 --> 01:16:48.431
My father's a pastor . I , I served for

01:16:48.431 --> 01:16:50.598
many years . I'm very grateful for the

01:16:50.598 --> 01:16:52.598
chaplains . I echo Secretary Tata's

01:16:52.598 --> 01:16:54.740
point . Absolutely , there are young

01:16:54.740 --> 01:16:57.020
service members that are gun-shy about

01:16:57.020 --> 01:16:59.620
approaching senior personnel in general ,

01:16:59.770 --> 01:17:01.992
and I , I would be disappointed to hear

01:17:01.992 --> 01:17:05.589
a chaplain express . That type of

01:17:05.589 --> 01:17:07.870
reaction about their rank , some a

01:17:07.870 --> 01:17:10.037
phrase that you shared to say like I ,

01:17:10.037 --> 01:17:12.810
I earned that rank . That is the case ,

01:17:12.930 --> 01:17:15.560
but I absolutely see the role of a

01:17:15.560 --> 01:17:18.049
chaplain as being a servant of the

01:17:18.049 --> 01:17:20.810
troops , and the fact that they have

01:17:20.810 --> 01:17:23.879
that rank . I think should not at all

01:17:23.879 --> 01:17:26.229
impact their primary concern to be just

01:17:26.229 --> 01:17:28.450
as Secretary Tata said , to care for

01:17:28.450 --> 01:17:30.394
the spiritual needs of the service

01:17:30.394 --> 01:17:32.770
members . You know , I , I often , when

01:17:32.770 --> 01:17:34.826
I served in Special Forces , I often

01:17:34.826 --> 01:17:37.048
did not wear my rank . Never did I have

01:17:37.048 --> 01:17:38.881
a feeling that I was no longer a

01:17:38.881 --> 01:17:41.103
captain in the army or that someone had

01:17:41.103 --> 01:17:42.937
disrespected me , and I wasn't a

01:17:42.937 --> 01:17:45.159
chaplains . role . In fact , you know ,

01:17:45.159 --> 01:17:47.326
they , they are always both a chaplain

01:17:47.326 --> 01:17:49.326
and an officer , regardless of what

01:17:49.326 --> 01:17:51.326
people see on their chest , and how

01:17:51.326 --> 01:17:51.000
strong is it to be able to see the

01:17:51.000 --> 01:17:53.240
symbol of their religious service and

01:17:53.240 --> 01:17:55.018
the servant leadership position

01:17:55.018 --> 01:17:56.907
prominently on their chest to let

01:17:56.907 --> 01:17:58.962
service members know this is who you

01:17:58.962 --> 01:18:00.907
can come to talk to , to have your

01:18:00.907 --> 01:18:03.018
spiritual needs addressed . And , and

01:18:03.018 --> 01:18:02.979
as you may know , Senator , this policy

01:18:03.149 --> 01:18:05.430
From the secretary is not stripping

01:18:05.430 --> 01:18:07.910
chaplains of their rank and not even

01:18:07.910 --> 01:18:09.966
depriving them of the chance to wear

01:18:09.966 --> 01:18:12.188
that rank on a uniform , but not in the

01:18:12.188 --> 01:18:14.077
working and utility uniforms when

01:18:14.077 --> 01:18:16.132
they're out there ministering to the

01:18:16.132 --> 01:18:18.132
troops . Yeah , and , and so let me

01:18:18.132 --> 01:18:20.299
respond back to that . Um , our troops

01:18:20.299 --> 01:18:22.229
go to a lot of folks for pretty

01:18:22.229 --> 01:18:25.359
personal advice . They go to medical

01:18:25.359 --> 01:18:28.319
professionals . They go to lawyers ,

01:18:28.520 --> 01:18:31.359
JAG lawyers for advice . We don't

01:18:31.359 --> 01:18:34.279
deprive somebody who's in the military

01:18:34.279 --> 01:18:37.520
and a medical MOS of their ability to

01:18:37.520 --> 01:18:40.000
wear their rank when they are providing

01:18:40.000 --> 01:18:42.220
service to troops . We don't provide

01:18:42.839 --> 01:18:46.240
JAG officers who are providing legal

01:18:46.240 --> 01:18:48.479
counsel on incredibly sensitive matters

01:18:48.479 --> 01:18:50.859
in many cases of the ability to wear

01:18:50.859 --> 01:18:53.600
their rank . When they're providing

01:18:53.600 --> 01:18:55.790
services to their troops , we don't

01:18:55.790 --> 01:18:58.012
provide mental health professionals who

01:18:58.012 --> 01:19:00.179
are uniformed . We also have obviously

01:19:00.179 --> 01:19:02.346
civilian mental health professionals .

01:19:02.346 --> 01:19:04.068
We don't provide mental health

01:19:04.068 --> 01:19:06.179
professionals who are uniformed . And

01:19:06.179 --> 01:19:05.959
tell them , listen , you're not

01:19:05.959 --> 01:19:08.126
supposed to wear your rank when you're

01:19:08.126 --> 01:19:10.680
providing services to your troops . And

01:19:10.680 --> 01:19:12.847
so I , I think there's a little bit of

01:19:12.847 --> 01:19:14.958
a , a double standard here that I can

01:19:14.958 --> 01:19:17.124
understand why we've received outreach

01:19:17.124 --> 01:19:19.124
from chaplains on this . Um , their

01:19:19.124 --> 01:19:21.291
sense of having earned the rank is not

01:19:21.291 --> 01:19:23.291
a , an entitlement mentality . It's

01:19:23.291 --> 01:19:25.709
that they join this all volunteer

01:19:25.709 --> 01:19:27.750
military and they're proud of their

01:19:27.750 --> 01:19:29.990
service and when they feel like they

01:19:29.990 --> 01:19:33.609
alone are being told you have to remove

01:19:34.149 --> 01:19:35.871
your rank insignia when you're

01:19:35.871 --> 01:19:37.871
interacting and doing the , the job

01:19:37.871 --> 01:19:40.093
that you're doing for the US military ,

01:19:40.093 --> 01:19:42.205
they , they feel singled out in a way

01:19:42.205 --> 01:19:44.093
that they can't understand . It's

01:19:44.093 --> 01:19:46.093
helpful to hear you , you know , to

01:19:46.093 --> 01:19:48.149
kind of describe the rationale , and

01:19:48.149 --> 01:19:47.700
this is something that , you know , we

01:19:47.700 --> 01:19:49.779
can take up more , uh , as we go

01:19:49.779 --> 01:19:51.835
forward in the next month . The last

01:19:51.835 --> 01:19:55.330
thing that I wanted to ask and , um . I

01:19:55.330 --> 01:19:57.250
never , I never assume budgetary

01:19:57.250 --> 01:19:59.417
decisions are made , you know , by the

01:19:59.417 --> 01:20:01.306
person that happens to be sitting

01:20:01.306 --> 01:20:03.417
across me at the table . I get budget

01:20:03.417 --> 01:20:05.583
recommendations are made . They go all

01:20:05.583 --> 01:20:07.806
the way up the chain and usually it's ,

01:20:07.806 --> 01:20:10.028
you know , the president's team and OMB

01:20:10.028 --> 01:20:12.083
that's kind of maybe the , the final

01:20:12.083 --> 01:20:14.306
arbiter , but I have mentioned at Armed

01:20:14.306 --> 01:20:16.306
Services Committee hearings that it

01:20:16.306 --> 01:20:19.580
seems odd that the budgetary request to

01:20:19.580 --> 01:20:21.691
increase the defense budget from $800

01:20:21.691 --> 01:20:23.802
billion to $1 trillion give or take .

01:20:24.020 --> 01:20:25.939
Does not include a pay raise for

01:20:25.939 --> 01:20:27.939
800,000 civilians who work in the

01:20:27.939 --> 01:20:30.259
military . There's a bonus pool . I , I

01:20:30.259 --> 01:20:32.819
get that , but there is a significant

01:20:32.819 --> 01:20:34.986
and well-merited and well-deserved pay

01:20:34.986 --> 01:20:38.569
raise for uniformed members of the DOD

01:20:38.569 --> 01:20:40.680
family , and that's good , and I hope

01:20:40.680 --> 01:20:42.736
we , we do that . But to not include

01:20:42.736 --> 01:20:45.899
any pay raise . Um , for the civilian

01:20:45.899 --> 01:20:48.379
800,000 , which is I guess maybe about

01:20:48.379 --> 01:20:51.779
30% of the DOD family , that , that

01:20:51.779 --> 01:20:54.001
strikes me as if , well , if , if money

01:20:54.001 --> 01:20:56.223
was really tight , I might get it , but

01:20:56.223 --> 01:20:58.390
if we're jumping from 800 billion . To

01:20:58.390 --> 01:21:00.390
1 trillion 5 , I think that sends a

01:21:00.390 --> 01:21:02.446
signal that is kind of a challenge .

01:21:02.446 --> 01:21:04.740
You have an awful lot of DOD civilians

01:21:04.740 --> 01:21:06.629
who are working side by side with

01:21:06.629 --> 01:21:08.740
uniformed um folks , you know , every

01:21:08.740 --> 01:21:11.060
day . These guys will get the big raise

01:21:11.060 --> 01:21:13.171
and these guys and gals won't , won't

01:21:13.171 --> 01:21:15.116
get any raise . I think that could

01:21:15.116 --> 01:21:17.004
create some morale challenges and

01:21:17.004 --> 01:21:19.227
especially when you consider . That the

01:21:19.227 --> 01:21:21.680
DOD civilian workforce is heavily a

01:21:21.680 --> 01:21:24.120
veteran workforce . An awful lot of the

01:21:24.120 --> 01:21:26.398
DOD civilians are people who've served ,

01:21:26.398 --> 01:21:28.620
you know , could be 8 years or could be

01:21:28.620 --> 01:21:30.620
a full career in the military , and

01:21:30.620 --> 01:21:32.564
then they move into a DOD civilian

01:21:32.564 --> 01:21:34.620
position . And so it's my hope , and

01:21:34.620 --> 01:21:36.731
this is again , I'm not assuming that

01:21:36.731 --> 01:21:38.953
any of this was your recommendation . I

01:21:38.953 --> 01:21:41.120
mean , I suspect all of you would like

01:21:41.120 --> 01:21:43.342
to see a whole lot more done in a whole

01:21:43.342 --> 01:21:45.509
lot of areas , but I'm hoping that our

01:21:45.509 --> 01:21:47.731
colleagues when we sit down and grapple

01:21:47.731 --> 01:21:49.953
with this . This significant request in

01:21:49.953 --> 01:21:52.399
the top line . Think about the fact

01:21:52.399 --> 01:21:55.779
that this 800,000 civilian component of

01:21:55.779 --> 01:21:58.057
the DOD does really , really good work ,

01:21:58.370 --> 01:22:00.259
and we ought to be sending them a

01:22:00.259 --> 01:22:02.481
message that we recognize that . And so

01:22:02.481 --> 01:22:04.426
with that , uh , Mr . Mr . Chair ,

01:22:04.426 --> 01:22:06.979
you're back . Thank you , uh ,

01:22:07.520 --> 01:22:10.089
Secretary Tate , oversight . We're

01:22:10.089 --> 01:22:12.311
getting ready to go into our markup our

01:22:12.311 --> 01:22:15.089
NDAA . Anything any of you want to say ,

01:22:15.330 --> 01:22:17.552
any need or whatever we can think about

01:22:17.810 --> 01:22:20.370
going into the markup , uh , next month .

01:22:21.779 --> 01:22:24.140
We'll start down here if we miss

01:22:24.140 --> 01:22:27.060
something . Chairman , ranking member

01:22:27.060 --> 01:22:28.949
Senator Kaine , I appreciate your

01:22:28.949 --> 01:22:31.620
comments on civilian workforce . I talk

01:22:31.620 --> 01:22:34.060
frequently about the professionalism of

01:22:34.060 --> 01:22:36.950
the PNR career civilians . One of the

01:22:36.950 --> 01:22:40.259
things we just did was we rewarded the

01:22:40.259 --> 01:22:44.020
top 15% . And within PNR I said make it

01:22:44.020 --> 01:22:46.740
GS 15 and below because SES's get a

01:22:46.740 --> 01:22:50.299
bonus up to $25,000 . And I was in

01:22:50.299 --> 01:22:52.580
Korea last week , uh , with my good

01:22:52.580 --> 01:22:55.299
friend General Xavier Brunson and his

01:22:55.299 --> 01:22:57.355
team lined up all the civilians that

01:22:57.355 --> 01:22:59.500
they had given bonuses to , and they

01:22:59.500 --> 01:23:01.680
said this was life changing . This was

01:23:02.180 --> 01:23:05.299
a , a sea change in , in how we treat

01:23:05.299 --> 01:23:07.521
our civilians . So that bonus pool that

01:23:07.521 --> 01:23:09.577
you referenced , Senator , is very ,

01:23:09.577 --> 01:23:11.743
very important . And , and certainly ,

01:23:11.743 --> 01:23:13.910
uh , we appreciate your support of our

01:23:13.910 --> 01:23:16.021
civilians and we appreciate our , our

01:23:16.021 --> 01:23:19.430
career civilian workforce and , uh , to

01:23:19.430 --> 01:23:21.541
the chairman and the ranking member ,

01:23:21.541 --> 01:23:23.819
we appreciate having this conversation .

01:23:23.819 --> 01:23:26.790
We dedicate to you to answer all of the

01:23:26.790 --> 01:23:28.901
questions that you might have for the

01:23:28.901 --> 01:23:31.430
record , and I will turn over the rest

01:23:31.430 --> 01:23:33.910
of my time to , uh , uh , my teammates

01:23:33.910 --> 01:23:36.243
here that I've worked very closely with .

01:23:36.243 --> 01:23:38.577
Can I just say one thing about this guy ,

01:23:38.577 --> 01:23:41.089
so , um . Before I knew him , I knew

01:23:41.089 --> 01:23:44.229
his dad . Who was a beloved member of

01:23:44.229 --> 01:23:46.270
the Virginia General Assembly for a

01:23:46.270 --> 01:23:48.326
very long time representing Virginia

01:23:48.326 --> 01:23:50.381
Beach , and his nickname was Coach .

01:23:51.080 --> 01:23:53.759
Everybody called him Coach Tata , and

01:23:53.759 --> 01:23:55.703
he was a , a member who was really

01:23:55.703 --> 01:23:57.926
revered on both sides of the aisle when

01:23:57.926 --> 01:24:00.037
I first met the secretary when he was

01:24:00.240 --> 01:24:02.518
serving in Afghanistan and as governor ,

01:24:02.518 --> 01:24:04.740
I went to visit our , Guard troops and

01:24:04.740 --> 01:24:07.073
I think it was at Bagram Air Force Base .

01:24:07.073 --> 01:24:09.129
I , I don't know if it was at Bagram

01:24:09.129 --> 01:24:11.184
and you stopped when you saw my last

01:24:11.184 --> 01:24:13.518
name and you said , Are you coach's son ?

01:24:13.518 --> 01:24:16.000
And , and , um , I said , of course ,

01:24:16.180 --> 01:24:17.902
and you're , you're getting me

01:24:17.902 --> 01:24:20.069
misty-eyed here , Senator . Good man .

01:24:20.069 --> 01:24:22.236
Good man . Secretary Deal , any follow

01:24:22.236 --> 01:24:23.902
up ? Chairman Tubberville , I

01:24:23.902 --> 01:24:25.624
appreciate that question , the

01:24:25.624 --> 01:24:27.180
opportunity to speak on the

01:24:27.180 --> 01:24:29.347
department's needs . The primary thing

01:24:29.347 --> 01:24:31.124
I would point to would be fully

01:24:31.124 --> 01:24:33.013
supporting the president's budget

01:24:33.013 --> 01:24:35.069
request . That request is how we get

01:24:35.069 --> 01:24:37.236
after so many of these quality of life

01:24:37.236 --> 01:24:39.347
concerns , from the well-deserved pay

01:24:39.347 --> 01:24:41.124
raise for the troops to funding

01:24:41.124 --> 01:24:44.220
childcare . Just helping spouses find

01:24:44.220 --> 01:24:46.339
employment and then many other things

01:24:46.339 --> 01:24:48.506
in my colleagues' portfolios as well .

01:24:48.506 --> 01:24:50.672
So that'd be my major request . And of

01:24:50.672 --> 01:24:50.470
course , we always appreciate the

01:24:50.470 --> 01:24:52.859
chance to work with your staff as you

01:24:52.859 --> 01:24:54.915
examine these issues and mark up and

01:24:54.915 --> 01:24:56.859
come to us and give us a chance to

01:24:56.859 --> 01:24:58.803
provide some context . Thank you .

01:24:58.803 --> 01:25:01.026
Thank you , Secretary Bass , Chairman ,

01:25:01.026 --> 01:25:03.137
ranking member , I just want to thank

01:25:03.137 --> 01:25:05.415
you for your , uh , continuing support .

01:25:05.415 --> 01:25:07.637
Obviously military health system equals

01:25:07.637 --> 01:25:09.581
readiness . I have 20 years in the

01:25:09.581 --> 01:25:11.692
military . Both my girls were born in

01:25:11.692 --> 01:25:13.859
the healthcare system , and I received

01:25:13.859 --> 01:25:15.859
care at Fort Belvoir . So obviously

01:25:15.859 --> 01:25:18.200
this is a , a very important issue for

01:25:18.200 --> 01:25:20.089
our military members , and I look

01:25:20.089 --> 01:25:22.422
forward to continuing to work with , uh ,

01:25:22.422 --> 01:25:24.311
with this committee . Thank you ,

01:25:24.311 --> 01:25:26.490
Secretary Todd . Chairman Toberville ,

01:25:26.600 --> 01:25:28.822
thank you very much . Um , yes , as you

01:25:28.822 --> 01:25:30.989
look forward to moving ahead , I think

01:25:30.989 --> 01:25:33.156
one key thing that we can look at is ,

01:25:33.156 --> 01:25:35.267
as we work with the services on blast

01:25:35.267 --> 01:25:37.267
overpressure requirements , they've

01:25:37.267 --> 01:25:39.433
identified many requirements , but the

01:25:39.433 --> 01:25:41.656
only folks who put money on it in the ,

01:25:41.656 --> 01:25:43.711
in the palm for FY 27 was SOCOM . So

01:25:43.711 --> 01:25:45.933
what we would like to do is ensure that

01:25:45.933 --> 01:25:47.989
we emphasize to the services that if

01:25:47.989 --> 01:25:47.390
you're going to identify these

01:25:47.390 --> 01:25:49.660
requirements that you put a number on

01:25:49.660 --> 01:25:51.740
it in your POM request because just

01:25:51.740 --> 01:25:53.573
looking at the numbers estimated

01:25:53.910 --> 01:25:55.743
required for FY 27 it's about 85

01:25:55.743 --> 01:25:57.854
million and then those things are are

01:25:57.854 --> 01:25:59.966
multiplied over the over the FIA . So

01:25:59.966 --> 01:26:01.743
yes , they understand there's a

01:26:01.743 --> 01:26:03.854
requirement . We understand there's a

01:26:03.854 --> 01:26:03.819
requirement . We put money on it ,

01:26:03.830 --> 01:26:05.941
what's available to us at the SOCOM ,

01:26:05.941 --> 01:26:08.052
but to emphasize to the services that

01:26:08.052 --> 01:26:10.052
if they do have this requirement to

01:26:10.052 --> 01:26:12.163
please to please budget for it also .

01:26:12.299 --> 01:26:14.609
As you look at aviation mishaps

01:26:14.669 --> 01:26:17.029
throughout the forest and responding as

01:26:17.029 --> 01:26:19.229
we have been to the tragedy of January

01:26:19.229 --> 01:26:21.910
2025 , we've been looking very deeply

01:26:21.910 --> 01:26:23.910
across the forest and we're finding

01:26:23.910 --> 01:26:26.350
that the availability of funds in a

01:26:26.350 --> 01:26:28.930
timely manner through a formal budget

01:26:29.500 --> 01:26:31.722
will help our commanders and leaders in

01:26:31.722 --> 01:26:33.833
the field implement their flying hour

01:26:33.833 --> 01:26:35.556
programs , be able to plan for

01:26:35.556 --> 01:26:35.509
maintenance , scheduled maintenance and

01:26:35.509 --> 01:26:37.176
unskilled maintenance , depot

01:26:37.176 --> 01:26:39.342
maintenance , and buy the repair parts

01:26:39.342 --> 01:26:42.270
they need . So we're hoping that We

01:26:42.270 --> 01:26:44.492
know that continuing resolutions happen

01:26:44.492 --> 01:26:46.492
quite a lot , but they do limit our

01:26:46.492 --> 01:26:48.326
folks in the field to be able to

01:26:48.326 --> 01:26:50.159
implement these programs , so it

01:26:50.159 --> 01:26:52.270
reduces flying hour programs , safety

01:26:52.270 --> 01:26:54.492
training , undermines retention because

01:26:54.492 --> 01:26:56.437
aviators want to fly , and if they

01:26:56.437 --> 01:26:58.548
can't do it in the military , they'll

01:26:58.548 --> 01:27:00.548
do it somewhere else . So we really

01:27:00.548 --> 01:27:02.770
hope that we can get some support there

01:27:02.770 --> 01:27:04.714
to make sure they have dedicated .

01:27:04.714 --> 01:27:04.229
Funding and , and we're hoping to

01:27:04.229 --> 01:27:06.470
somehow emphasize to the , to the

01:27:06.470 --> 01:27:08.870
services not to reduce your flying over

01:27:08.870 --> 01:27:10.870
programs to meet other requirements

01:27:10.870 --> 01:27:12.926
because it does undermine safety and

01:27:12.926 --> 01:27:15.148
readiness across the force . Uh , thank

01:27:15.148 --> 01:27:17.314
you , uh , Chairman Tuberville . Thank

01:27:17.314 --> 01:27:19.370
you very much . This has been , this

01:27:19.370 --> 01:27:21.370
has been good . I hope somebody got

01:27:21.370 --> 01:27:23.481
something out of this , but , uh , we

01:27:23.481 --> 01:27:25.648
do appreciate all of your service . We

01:27:25.648 --> 01:27:27.648
might run over a little bit of time

01:27:27.648 --> 01:27:29.870
today , but this was very informative .

01:27:29.870 --> 01:27:32.037
And if we can help in any way , let us

01:27:32.037 --> 01:27:32.899
know . Thank you . Adjourned .