Opening Statement (As Prepared)

Click here to stream the hearing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good afternoon, and thank you to Chairman Kelly, Chairman Bergman, and Ranking Member Garamendi for holding this joint hearing to review the Posture and Readiness of the Mobility Enterprise.

Thank you to General Reed for being with us today. I’m happy to have spoken with you earlier this year and look forward to your testimony.

Our mobility enterprise remains challenged by adversarial threats, with high stakes in the Indo-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

The contested logistics environment in INDOPACOM poses a challenge that will require properly resourcing TRANSCOM and maintaining our strong network of allies in the region. With the size of its Navy and access to important shipping routes, China wields the ability to interfere with or deter commercial vessels and the supply of U.S. or allies’ seafaring supplies, highlighting the necessity for TRANSCOM to be maneuverable and maintain readiness.

TRANSCOM continues to play an important role in delivering the Congressionally appropriated aid to Ukraine at a time when Russia makes it clear it has no intention of seeking peace. I hope that the Administration will maintain its current course and allow TRANSCOM to complete this mission undisrupted.

Lastly, I want to highlight the important work that TRANSCOM has done in supporting humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza via ground and air drop delivery to our regional partners.

While we have no witness here today from MARAD, I need to touch on the issue of sealift. I continue to be frustrated by the lack of movement on the Congressionally directed mandate to initiate a new build sealift program. Continuing to rely on the purchase of foreign-built used sealift ships that are unaffordable, have a limited life span, and take years to modify is not a viable strategy to recapitalize the Ready Reserve Fleet.

Congress will continue to, as we have in the last few years, focus on the viability of domestic shipbuilding for this program and pushing for a sustainable solution to the problem at hand. I look forward to hearing how TRANSCOM and MARAD can work with the Navy to get to tackling this issue.

TRANSCOM’s aircraft also faces similar issues of aging and readiness concerns. Both of TRANSCOM’s air and sea capabilities requiring modernization highlight the need for a revitalization of the domestic defense industrial base and serve as a reminder for Congress to take action to do so.

Thank you again to my colleagues and to General Reed, and I yield back.