Transcripts For CSPAN3 Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman Nomination Hearing 20240714

Our meeting will come to order consistent with our policy of starting on time and say good morning to the Committee Meets today to consider the nomination of general mark milley to be chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. We thank you for being here today and are grateful for your decades of distinguished service to our nation, we also welcome your family and friends and invite you at the appropriate time to introduce those that you feel are appropriate. Its standard for the committee to ask certain questions. These are the required questions, we will ask them fast and if you would audibly respond to them i would appreciate it very much. First if you adhere to the applicable laws and regulations governing conflicts of interest . Yes. Do you agree if confirmed to appear and testify upon request before this committee . Yes, chairman. Do you agree to provide documents including copies of the forms of communication in a timely manner when requested by a duly constituted committee or to consult with the Committee Regarding the basis for any good faith delay or denial in providing such documents . Yes. Do you agree when asked to give your personal views even if those are different from the administration . Yes. Will you ensure that your staff complies with deadlines established for requested communications including questions for the record in hearings . Yes. Will you cooperate in providing witnesses and briefers in response to the congressional requests . Yes. And will you will those witnesses be protected from reprisal for testimony or briefings . Yes. Have you assumed any duties or undertaken any actions which would appear to presume the outcome of the confirmation process . No. Very good. Well, this is, and weve all said, i think individually in different forums that we are in a threatened world, i think its the most threatened we have ever been in before. Our main focus is counterterrorism but today americas security challenges have grown to become more dangerous. The National Defense strategy, which is this document that we have adopted for our guideline to the used, we have adhered to it, is an excellent one, were trying to maintain the integrity of that and to follow it closely. The National Defense strategy makes it clear that strategic competition with china and russia not terrorism is now our primary National Security concern, china and russia have passed us in key areas and are catching up with others. I will outline some of these areas, thats something that most americans are not aware of and its one that we have to be aware of and have to communicate that to the public. Years of budget cuts have left our military that will take us years to fix. General milley, you have been nominated to be the principal military adviser to the president and National Security council, secretary of defense and so congress. The chairman plays a unique and influential role, the National Security policy and so the chairman has an outsized impact on the state of Civil Military relations. Appropriate Civil Military relations are essential for a healthy democracy. We look forward to your views on this critical subject. The committee believes that the 2018 National Defense strategy and the recommendations made by the National Defense Strategy Commission provide a Solid Foundation for how to prioritize our modernization efforts and how to position our global force effectively. We need a chairman who can advise civilian leaders on an integrated strategic approach to a wide array of Global Threats and the tradeoffs between our strategic priorities. For example, more u. S. Troops in the middle east might help stabilize the region, but at what cost to the u. S. Interests in europe and the indopacific region, how do we sustain focus on the most important theaters, not just the ones that are the most recently in the headlines. Our civilian leaders are going to have to decide the answers to these difficult questions and the chairmans best military advice is critical input of those decisions. Thats you. The committee looks forward to your views on balancing our Global Force Posture and modernization efforts as the department continues to focus on competition with china and russia. President trump has supported the new National Defense strategy with Defense Budgets that give our troops the resources they need and the National Defense authorization act which has been just passed by this committee, with an overwhelming bipartisan support of 868 at the end of june, continues the positive trajectory we are now prepared for readiness and restore our military advantage. But hard work remains, most importantly we need a budget agreement. The nds and the 750 billion budget request will be useless without a budget agreement. I think we all understand that. Its not your problem, but its your problem to advise us as to the significance of that. Senator reed. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Let me also join you in welcoming general mark milley this morning. Thank him for his Outstanding Service to the nation. Let me acknowledge your wife holly anne and your family for their Tremendous Service they have rendered to the United States. He has a long career as a distinguished officer, the United States army, where he prioritized the rebuildings of the readiness profess. Professionalism and commitment to duty served him well and i commend him for his willingness to take on another critical assignment. If confirmed you will serve within the department of defense. The department is in the midst of implementing the National Defense strategy or nds which will enable the u. S. To posture for competition with a near peer competitor like china and russia. This strategy requires new investments for high end capabilities and new training for our troops. At the same time the threat posed by violent extremist organizations and not is not diminishing and iran and north korea remain extremely dangerous. In addition to these broad strategic challenges the department continues efforts to restore readiness while recruiting and retaining high caliber individuals to serve in our armed services. As the department has grappled with these challenges it has been hamstrung by the fact there has not been a Permanent Senate confirmed secretary of defense for nearly seven months and during this time two different political appointees have helmed the department. In an acting capacity. In addition, vacancies are pervasive across the most senior level, particularly in the civilian positions. Steady leadership at the highest echelons of our military is a necessity now more than ever. Im concerned that the constant turnover of senior civilian leadership within the department has created uncertainty and disarray and as a result may have unintentionally created a situation that could weaken civilian control of the military within the department. I first raised concerns about civilian military relations in the context of secretary mattis confirmation, to be secretary of defense, most recently the National Defense Strategy Commission also raised significant concerns about the current state of Civil Military relations and encouraged the department to take action to ensure decisionmaking remains in the hands of civilian leaders. General milley, this morning i hope that you will provide us with your views on the current state of civilian military relations within the department and, if confirmed as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, what actions do you inn it end to sbshs intend to take to take to ensure that relationship remains robust and strong. The role of the chairman is to serve as the principal military adviser to the president and the secretary of defense. If confirmed, you will search as the chairman at a time in which our country is facing multiple threats from abroad. It had been my hope if the president became more accustomed to the gravity of the office he would over time become more conscientious and thoughtful with his comments. Unfortunately that has not been the case. Instead our Foreign Policy continues to discount the value of longtime alliances and careens from one crisis to the next, oftentimes driven by the president s personality and an apparent affinity for leaders who do not share our core values. Such as liberty, due process and free democrat of the press. General milley, im confident that your deep understanding of the National Security threats facing our nation will be an asset to the president and hopefully the military advice you will provide him will alleviate the risk of miscalculation. And unintended consequences. Furthermore, if you are confirmed i expect that you will continue to make it a priority to keep this committee fully informed on policy decisions impacting our armed forces and changes to our military strategy to counter the risk posed by our adversaries. Thank you again for your willingness to serve our nation. Thank you. Senator reed. General milley, we would like to hear from you in your Opening Statement and any introduces you would like to perform. Thanks, chairman inhofe, appreciate that, and Ranking Member reed and distinguished members of the committee, good morning and thank you all for the opportunity to appear before you today. Its a distinct honor and privilege to be nominated as the 20th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and i appreciate the time and support this committee provides to the men and women and the families of the total joint force. Id like to thank the president of the United States for the trust and confidence he has placed in me and if confirmed i pledge to you and to the American People and to the president that i will always provide my best military advice to him, the secretary of defense, the National Security council and the congress to ensure americas global National Security interests are assured. Id like to take a moment to acknowledge the Extraordinary Service of the current chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general Jared Dunford and my his wife ellen. Chairman dunford has inspired the men and women of our armed forces and conducted himself with utmost professionalism and honor. If confirmed i intend to use general dunfords example and steadfast approach as a personal example for me to follow. On a personal note, id also like to thank my wife who is here to my left, pauly ann for her love and support. During our 35 years of marriage, multiple moves and so much time as a single mom. Without her i would not be here today. She along with our daughter, Mary Margaret and our son peter have given so much to this nation and i am forever thankful for their love and support throughout my career. They like so many military families have demonstrated incredible resilience, service and sacrifice, enabling the men and women in uniform to continue to serve and protect this great nation. Im also eternally grateful for the example set by my mother and father who are no longer with us, but the strength that they instilled in me will last a lifetime. During world war ii my mother served in a Military Hospital in the navy in seattle, washington. Tending to the medical needs of troops from the pacific. My father served with the Fourth Marine Division in the central pacific, making the assault landings in iwo jima. The foundation of service and commitment they provided to me throughout my life will continue to be an inspiration for me in the years ahead. Chairman and senators, as you are all aware and have observed, we are living in a period of Great Power Competition within a very complex and Dynamic Security environment. My parents greatest generation, they fought to establish an International Order that has prevented great power war for over seven decades and its currently under the most stress since the end of the cold war. From east asia to the middle east to eastern europe, authoritarian actors are testing the limits of the International System and seeking regional dominance while Challenging International norms and undermining u. S. Interests. Our goal should be to sustain great power peace that has existed since world war ii and deal firmly with all those who might challenge us. In addition, the fundamental character of war is changing rapidly. We have witnessed a shift from an Industrial Age approach to warfare to a new era characterized by high speed information and disinformation, proliferation of precision weapons and military operations in highly dense urban areas requiring increasingly disbursed and decentralized operations all of which are going to demand unprecedented levels of initiative and agility from our forces. We must adapt faster and if confirmed i look forward to working with this committee to continue to accelerate the u. S. Militarys modernization. By having a lethal, ready and modern force, the United States military will continue to be a vital element of National Power to secure peace through strength. If confirmed, i will support our diplomatic efforts to counter destabilizing activities by revisionist powers, rogue regimes and nonstate actors and i will ensure our joint force is prepared to respond if deterrence fails. Understanding that alliances and partnerships are critical to financing our National Security interests and i will work tirelessly with my counterparts from likeminded nations to ensure our collective security responsibilities are met. In order to protect their freedoms the American People entrust us with the nations most valued resource, their sons and daughters. These young men and women are the best military in the world and our adversaries should not test that proposition. In sum, if confirmed, my priorities are to provide best military advice, to maintain steady continuity of military leadership, implement the National Defense strategy with emphasis on increasing the readiness an modernization of the joint force, maintain and grow our network of allies and partners, sustain great power peace in an era of Great Power Competition and provide unwavering support, care and leadership to our troops and their families. Finally, i have a deep sense of personal humility and fully recognize the complexity of the United States military and the World Security situation, and i know that i do not know all the answers. Therefore, i will be anticipate to a wide variety of Expert Opinions in order to form my best military advice. In closing, if confirmed, it would be my honor to survey long serve alongside these remarkable men and women as the 20th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. I thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you and look forward to your questions. Thank you, general milley. I think what well do, senator reed and i feel we can start with five minute questions and we are going to try to adhere to that time frame because we have a lot of interest here as you can see by the presence of these people. Ive got three things i want to make sure that we get out at the very beginning of this meeting. First of all, i wish the entire country could read this article from the economist. I know youve seen it and weve talked about it in the office, but in that article it reports that chinas military spending rose by 83 in real terms between 2009 and 2018. At the same time frame between 2010 and 2015 our defense was actually cut just under 25 . Now, you stop and think about that, we had a similar experience a few years ago but not to this extreme. Weve seen the impact, as you have said before, before this committee, last march as recently, our military advantages has eroded. In some areas china has passed us up. You know, when you talk to the American People there is always this assumption that america has the very best of everything. And this is pretty much true since world war ii, but its not true anymore. Were pulling out of i call it a slump, but we have areas like hypersonics, hypersonics, the modern thing that we are in competition with and theres some doubt as to whether or not we have come as far as both china and russia. We look at the advanced cruise missiles, we look at some areas of our Artificial Intelligence and our readiness has devastated as well. When you became chief of staff only 5 of the Army Brigades were at the highest level of readiness, now weve improved a lot, we are up to 50 , you might correct me if you think thats not accurate, but i think that is significant. It shows that if we dont get a budget, a budget that will support the growth, the growth that we have experienced in fiscal years 18 and 19, it would be pretty devastating. So id like to start off with your sharing with us what would happen in your mind if were not able to get a budget deal, if we had to go into a cr . Thank you, chairman. I think the impact would be significant. I think a cr in the words of the nds commission, they said the word reckless. I think a cr is a very significant negative impact on the training, equipping, manning, readiness and modernization of the u. S. Military. You know, we have, and weve stressed this, were using our subcommittees where they are all chaired by and with Ranking Members and chairmen, of people up here, people with the real interest in these areas. Im pointing out the areas when you look at the entire joint force across air, sea, land, cyber and space domain. What current capabilities and emerging technologies are you most concerned about relative to china and russia . Well, again, i think the vere and number one stated for the department of defense is the modernization and recapitalization of the triad. I think thats critical. Secondly, i would say is space. Its a new domain of military operations. We have a considerable amount of both commercial and military capables in space. They need to be protected in all of the technologies that go with space. In addition to that, i would say that Artificial Intelligence and hyper sonics and many other techniques are at the top of my list. Theres unnecessary redun dance would you respond to that observation. My view is the triad has worked. Theres many reasons why there havent hasnt been a great power war. Clearly one of them is nuclear deterrence. And part of that is the capability of the triad. Each leg gives you a different capability. You have the bombers, missiles and subjects. The subs give you a second strike. I think its important to keep all three. The last thing i want to mention is we have a lot of vacancies right now. You and i went over that from secretary of defense chief management officers. The top 12 positions are vacant now. How much of a hardship is that going to place on you and do you join most of us up here who feel we need to fill these positions. I think its very important to fill the nominated positions ask get them through the system as quickly as we can properly vetted and confirmed. Having a confirmed person in place i think clearly helps out us in uniform. And it also clearly delineates civilian control of military. I think it reenforces that because the civilian oversight is of krcritical importance. Senator reed . Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you for your service and for your willingness to serve again. In your professional opinion, how would a conflict impact the priorities outlined in the Defense Strategy . In your professional view, how would a military conflict with iran impact priorities outlined in the National Defense strategy . Sure, the priorities in the National Defense strategy that is written in an authoritative document to follow, it clear ly states that china and russia are great power countries. We should be looking at in terms of training, manning and equipped and preparing. We have to deal with north korea and iran and violent extremists. But you mentioned a war with iran. I dont know that would happen, but if it did happen, it would have a Significant Impact on the distribution of the force relative to the other priorities. In effect almost inevitably would overtake those priorities because of the many factors, one americans in combat, which we owe significant support to and also the repetitious of the experience that we saw in iraq where our resources were so c consumed with that fight that in many respect it is gave the russians and chinese an opportunity to sort of Start Building up their forces. Is that fairly accurate summary of what might happen. Thats a possible outcome, yes, sir. Has iran hafed more or less destabilizing manner . Iran has behaved they have been malign actors. Iranian terrorist organizations killed my soldiers when i was in iraq. So they have been a malign actor for many years. Not just since the withdraw from the jcpoa. Theres damage cooperation with our allies and complicated ability to build a coalition necessary to counter iranian malign behavior. In my owning comments, theres military patrol with the department of defense. Theres gaping holes in terms of civilian presence at the department. Theres the dynamic of the area of making sure civilian leadership are truly in charge of the department of defense. Can you give us your thaukts about that . I didnt see it in the army. No issue in terms of civilian control of the military in a real sense of what we wouldnt do what we were told to do. It would be much better to have the nominees fully vetted and confirmed because that gives us much more effectiveness in terms of dealing with allies on the hill, American People and so on and so forth. So im in favor of getting them through the process and confirmed. Talking about any of the issues that confront us. We talk about government response to fill vacancies. But also i will note there seems to be a significant number of vacancies in the state department and other areas you work with on a daytoday basis. In addition to filling vacancy, there has to be the appropriate allocation or responsibilities and cooperation. With the deficiency of personnel on both sides, both state and other agencies and dod and with some cases a vacuum of civilian leadership, do you think there has to be kind of a conscious realignment of the responsibilities and appropriate roles . I dont know, i would have to give that a considerate amount of thought. But i do think across the board in the agency, it would help if we had a full out bench of confirmed nominees that would definitely help. Thank you very much. Thank you, mr. Chairman. General, thank you for your service. I think youre the man for the job. Youre signing on at a Pivotal Moment in the history of our country, and i appreciate you doing that. Let me refer back to the article from the june 29th issue of the economist. And mr. Chairman, if its all right, id like unanimous consent to insert into the record at this point the article that you mentioned called Army Dreamers on page 36 and page 37. In addition to what the chair mentioned, this article in referring to the 83 increase in military spending in china, the article said the splurge has enabled china to deploy precision missiles and antiat slight weapons that challenge american supremacy is in the western pacific. Do you agree with that statement . I do. Its not an overstatement made by the press . No, i dont think so. I think china has for going on 35 years now have embarked upon what they refer to openly in the immediamedia in speeches is is china dream. Thats to be at least a competitor and world class military by the mid2030s. They want to have the capability to defeat us. So they are moving on that and all the domains and different capabilities. Indeed the article says what you just said about midcentury. I want to commend the chairman and the Ranking Member for repeatedly emphasizing were guided by this National Assessment recommendation commission. Let me quote to you from page 30 of that statement. The contrast between chinese and american investors in technology and manufacturing start since the enactment the United States has lost 17,000 defense vendors because of a lack of predictable fuchbding for defense. Thats a correct statement, is it not . I believe it is. I have faith in that reports data pap. More broadly, an estimated 60,000 factories has closed as chinas own National Security Innovation Base has grown markedly. The couplelative result to innovation thats long been critical to americas military edge. This is not some alarmists. This is our top defense and National Security strategists. And im heartened by the fact that the chair and Ranking Member are guided by this. We pass a National Defense authorization act and we did so 8 67. But dont pass a defense appropriation bill, what will be the effect of that . I believe it will have very negative and significant effect. Negative significant effect in terms of training, manning, equipping. Were going to have issues with new starts and delays of acceleration of programs that are already there. I think your Research Development that will be fully impacted. All of those things stop in their tracks. Because its against the law. Lets have one month cr. Some people might feel thats just a continuation of level funding for a 30day period so we can get things worked out. Theres way more to it than that. Theres more to it than that. Its also negative negatiimpact. I hope we can be the the governing adults we need to be. Theres a cost to getting back to normal, isnt there . Thats correct. Were not going to give ourgs out of a hole. I recognize that. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And thank you, general, to you and your family for being willing to taking on this difficult challenge. And the role of chairman of the joint chiefs is so important. I think the understand that all of us have is its very important to get a budget agreement. I hope the message goes out to the leadership of the house and senate and to the white house. That we need a budget agreement and that means compromising. And that everybody has to give a little in order to do that. I want to share the concern that senator wicker is raising. I also want to go back to the comments of both the chair and Ranking Member about the openings that currently exist within the department of defense. That sends a negative message to the men and women serving and a message to adversaries about a the commitment we have and the opportunities that might exist for them. So im pleased to hear your commitment to doing everything you can to make sure those are filled in as timely a fashion as possible. When you and i met in my office lst month, one of the things that we discussed was the issue of isis detainees in seyria. This is something im concerned about for two reasons. One, because as you may remember, james foles lee who was murdered by isis terrorists who are suspected to be called the beatles now, he was a constituent of mine. I was followed very closely whats gone on with these two detainees who are currently in syria. But i think its also a broader issue because we have hundreds and thousands of isis fighters who are being detained. Many of them foreign fighters whose future is unclear and its not clear who is going to be responsible for detaining them and what happens to them and what potential threat they could pose to europe, to the United States and to the middle east if they are released. One of the things included in the defense bill is is an interagency isis detainee coordination position. To help focus on the situation with detainees. If confirmed, will you commit to doing everything you can to ensure that this new position is properly resourced and that it gets the attention that this issue needs . I will do that. I do want to just take a moment. James foley, that was a horrible, brutal act. And the people who did it were held accountable, but thats not complete yet. But hes close to our heart. Thank you very much, general, for your comments. I think one of the things we have heard from the families loud and clear is they would like to see those people responsible for the murders not just of james foley because of Kaitlyn Mueller brought back to the United States, tried and see justice for their loved ones. So one of the things that hopefully this coordinator position can do is to help make that happen. I want to switch to another topic. As you may be aware at this point, theres been no on camera briefings about the pentagon for more than 300 days. I think the American Public is very supportive of our men and women in uniform. They believe in our military and its mission, but i they they need to better understand and know whats happening at the pentag pentagon. And to the extent theres no opportunity to provide that information, to provide some transparency, the public is not able to get the information they need. So i dont know if you can tell us why its been so long since we have had any on camera briefings, so i would ask you that first. And ask if youll do everything you can to ensure there are regular opportunities for the public to engage and members of the press to engage with someone from the pentagon who can answer questions for the public. I dont know why. I didnt even realize it was that many days. But i would commit if im confirmed, i commit to transparency within the bounds of classification ask will do media on the record, off the record broefings. The American People have a right to know what the military is doing within the bounds of classification. Thank you very much. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Welcome, general, good to see you. I appreciated your statement that you gave in response to the committees advance policy questions that you view it as the top priority as well as the support you expressed for maintaining the triad. And also pursuing capabilities such as the low yield Ballistic Missile war head. And this committee has received on the need for the low yield war head. Critics continue to assert that our current arsenal of lowyield options is sufficient and this supplement the capability is not necessary. How would you respond to that argument . The department of defense detailed npr Nuclear Posture review and the recommendation is the low yield capabilities. I think its an important capability to have in our arsenal to deal with adversari s adversaries. Opponents often argue that when we go through this modernization process it diverts resources away from other requirements and we cannot afford to modernize both our conventional forces and also our Nuclear Forces at the same time. I think this is a false choice. And that as former secretary mattis put it, america can afford survival. Do you share those views . 110 , absolutely. With secretary mattis . Yes, we can afford survival and its imperative we modernize and maintain the readiness of the forces. No question about it. In the last appearance before this committee, general dunford and i discussed the argument that we can rely on nonnuclear capabilities in place of nuclear weapons. Without diminishing our ability to deter adversaries or to assure our allies. And he dismissed that idea. Do you agree that those capabilities are not comparable in this notion of substituting one for the other is unwise . They are not comparable. They are complimentary, but not comparable. You and i vilted about some of the disasters that nebraska has gone through recently due to flooding that we saw in march. Also with blizzards in the western part of the state. Right now were seeing more flooding in the central part of nebraska as well. As you know, the air force base is in nebraska and camp ashland is in nebraska. It serves as a Training Facility for the guard throughout the country. We were able to come together to pass a disaster supplement the to begin the process of rebuilding. This did not cover, obviously, all the costs associated with repairing these facilities and much still needs to be done. Theres also damage to other facilities like tind the air force base. This is going to be a long process to be able to get through and rebuild this military infrastructure. I would ask you, do i have your commitment that you will work with meso that we can continue this process of rebuilding these facilities in atimely manner . Absolutely. And you and all the senators in various states have had impact of Severe Weather conditions. You have my commitment to rebuild those facilities. I think we need to always keep that in mind. I appreciate your focus on that. Once we put things off, i have learned in my time here in the senate, you put it off and it deteriorates pretty quickly. We need to make a commitment. Thank you, general. Thank you, senator. Senator . Thank you, mr. Chairman. General, thank you for your 39 years of service to our country and your willingness to continue in this important position for which you are nominated. As part of my responsibilities as a member of the committees i sit on, i ask all nominees of the following two questions. Since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature . No. Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to this kind of conduct . No. As chairman of the joibt chiefs of staff, it is your role to be the principle military adviser to the president. Assisting the president and secretary of defense in providing for the Strategic Direction of the armed services. As you know, this is a Critical Role that we are experiencing throughout the world. Under what conditions would you resign from your position if you are advised a major policy issues were not being heeded . I think it would be a function of something illegal or immoral. Thats what i have been brought up with since i was Second Lieutenant. That would be cause for resignation. Illegal is relatively clear, but unethical requires you to make a personal judgment. Sure. Absolutely. So the sub military conflict space refers to the conceptual space where countries take actions that lie somewhere between warfare and peaceable relationship. Its a space thats appreciated. How should the u. S. Activities across the globe and what capabilities does the u. S. Need to respond to these activities in the gray zone . The gray zone, the term gray zone is capabilities that are operate iing below the level of outright armed conflict. And that happens every single day, actually. And the capabilities well need to develop and maintain and sustain, many of which we already have are cyber capabilities, our ininformation capabilities. Theres many conventional capabilities. Navy, air force, marines, army that are used in those capacities, but those are the principles ones we need to sustain. Are we putting enough resources into these tools . I think in the proposed budget, its balanced. I would like to see more in terms of the higher technologies for the research and development. They become critical. January 2019 the Supreme Court issued an order allowing dod to implement this administrations policy prohibiting some transgender persons from joining the military in this new dod policy took effect on april 13, 2019. Are you implementing this policy . We are. How are you identifying those persons to whom this policy should apply . Theres two categories. If they are in service and the other is if they want to come in service. So first of all, its not a ban. Because a person from Civil Society can try to come in and become a soldier, sailor or marine. They will go through medical and physical exams, et cetera. If they identify as transgender, they can apply for a waiver if if they have a medical condition. That waiver, like all the other medical waivers, will be evaluated by medical professionals to determine if they meet the standards. If youre in service is, same thing. If youre in service and identified and had gender markers changed, then you have been grandfathered and can continue to serve. So basically, it is already hard enough to recruit people since so many of the young people do not and 75 of young people dont even qualify to join any of our services. I would think one of the Major Concerns would be whether they have the medical standards and criteria. The fact that the president imposed this policy would you be implementing such a policy . I think that in my view, were a standardbased military. Were concerned about the deemployability and effectiveness of any of the service members. So if you meet the medical, behavior, health, conduct standards and physical standards, then its my view you should be welcomed in. That sounds like a yes because as long as theres nothing inherent in a a person who is transgender its about standards. Not an identity. Thank you for that. I would like to have your commitment to continue to focus on what we need to do. Its a complex problem. You have 110 commitment that the solution ultimately resides with commanders and commanders applying and enforcing standards and being held accountable to those. Thank you. Lets continue along this line of questioning about standards for senior officers. You said you would be compelled to resign if you were asked to do something illegal, unethical or immoral. Thats consistent probably with the oath you took as a Second Lieutenant not to obey orders that were illegal, correct . Thats correct. Thats the standards we expect for every officer. Frankly, us iwould expect any soldier, sailor, regardless of rank, not to obey an illegal order. Even at the risk of their own life. Thats different from an unwise or ill advised order, correct . Very much different than ill advised, absolutely. So what the president should expect from you, what the nation expects from you is you give your best military judgment. Thats correct. Always. And you all then implement lawful orders even if you agree or might be ill advised. Any department in the government where thats more important that it be done . I will rend r best military advice. And if the American People elected in control of the military, well provide our advice and course of action and talk about risk and consequence and so on. When the Decision Maker makes a decision, its our job to execute. Probably more room for debate than in the department of defense. Lets move back to what senator reed said earlier about iran. Hes worried about any kind of military action against iran distracting from our pure competitors with russia and china. He compared that to the war in iraq for the last 16 years. We had at the height, 150,000 troops on the occupying that nation. Are you aware of anyone in the government recommending troops in iran . I would prefer not to discuss contingency is operations in an open session, but no, i dont think anyone is seriously considering anything what you just discussed. Theoretically military action against iran could distract. Did the operation wes conducted against syria in 2017 or 2018 distract against our efforts in russia and china . I think its always a question of balance and supply and demand and the amount of forces you have and the distribution of those forces relative to the priorities you set. Specific to syria, the numbers are relatively low in syria. So no, i dont think they had a significant negative impact for operations. What about the kind of operation we conducted against libya in 1986 for a terrorist bombing against american troops . Or against iran for striking an american . Operations on those scales, are they likely to distract our efforts . Those were very limited single striketype operations. Those would not have Significant Impact on the main effort of china or russia. I would tend to agree with that. And the suggestion that anyone is calling for 150,000 troops in iran and thats going to distract from russia and china is a strawman. Lets move to Nuclear Arms Control. Its going to be coming up on your tenure. Do you think its wise to continue bilateral Nuclear Arms Control agreements with are russia when china in many ways is a greater strategic threat than russia is. Should china be involved in the next round of new start negotiations if were going to extend new start . As a general matter of principle, arms control agreements or anything that lessens the threats and hazards of the international environment, you have to have the reliable partners to have any kind of arms control agreement. Specific to the new start agreement, that doesnt run out until 2021 and frankly if im confirmed, i need to get with the state department and negotiators and the various people in the department of defense to make sure that i understand all the nuances of that particular agreement and to determine whether or not there should be a fiveyear extension or not. Ill have to get back to you. I would add to the record to consider russias advantage in Nonstrategic Nuclear weapons being a part of the next roubd of those gulf of mexicos. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your service. As well as for your familys shared commitment to service over many years. Its very much appreciated. Im the Ranking Member of this capabilities subcommittee. Earlier this week, we held a hearing on russia and chinas expanding influence in south aor. They stressed the importance of interagency collaboration with International Development resources. It was clear in the hearing as well as what we know generally that poverty and violence are among the leading Truck Drivers of migration that we see here in the western hemisphere. And also that these factors are also contributing to creating a space by which china and russia can start engaging in influence operations in latin america as well. A question for you as the principle military adviser to the president. How would you recommend we utilize International Development programs to strengthen u. S. Security issues, particularly in the western hemisphere . I think and i traveled many times throughout Central America and south america, et cetera. Regardless of region, i think the u. S. Foreign assistance programs are important to achieve u. S. Interests, but also to help nations establish some sense of stability within their confines of their country. Specific to the area youre talking about, these countries are plagued with significant poverty and violence and corruption and so on. And that drives in many ways the push factors of people to emigrate that we see at the border. So it is a security imperative and agree that we need to do more with the security situat n situation. The fact that the Trump Administration decided to cult foreign aid to the northern triangle countries is something that you would advise he should reconsider and make my recommendation to the president at that time. How important that is to the National Security. I am concerned about that current relationship that we have with many of our allies. And that concern is warranted given what we have seen from this administration. And i agree with you. We have to build strong coalitions in order to be strong. We cant go into activities alone. Were strong together. Any actions we take in the middle east to deter iranian aggression, whether its diplomatic or military will require a strong coalition. And with iran recently reaching the limits of its stockpile of uranium set by an international accord, which the United States decided to abandon, and now that iran is raising the enrichment level above required for civilian use, its probably more imperative than ever. That we have a united front. Given what has been happening in the straits of hormuz, i have a specific question. A recent article stated the current chairman is proceeding with lances to assemble a coalition of nations deterring iran b threats to shipping in the persian gulf, which are very evident. Have you been participating in this process to build this coalition and could you provide us an update on whats happening and if confirmed what would you do to strengthen those coalitions in the region . Im aware of the developments. Ive not been a personal participant in those. But im aware. Thats being done by the chairman and joint staffer. In k50coordination with central command. I would like to hear thoughts on how you would continue to prepare for domain operations. I know the hammer has stood up on the task force Pilot Program and will bring this forward. Could you share some Lessons Learned from your efforts of the army and how you intend to incorporate some of that across all of the services. If confirmed. I will. The multidomain operations is a concept at this point. I expect it to be doctrine within a year or two for the army. What it fundamentally is saying is that ground forces, air and naval forces, all of us are going to have to operate in the five domains. Space, cyber, ground at the same time in order to achieve change over an enemy. And its very complicated and very difficult and challenging for us to do that. Were looking at the doctrine but the organization and equipment needed to operate in those five domains of warfare. We have an Experimental Unit operating in the pacific. We stood up another one in europe. So these are experiments were trying to draw some Lessons Learned. So its the likelihood, the probability of much greater increase in dispersion and decentralized operations in the event of a war against a