Good morning. This hearing of the subcommittee on readiness and management will come to order. Subcommittee meets today to receive testimony from undersecretary defense for acquisition and sustainment, ellen lord concerning supply chain integrity fourth apartment of defense in the United States. Since her initial confirmation as the under secretary of defense secretary lord has oversensitive give acquisition reform at the department of defense and i am sure we will talk about some of that today. As the u. S. National armament director she has traveled to see the u. S. Throughout the u. S. And the to see our allies and partners with regards to the development and Manufacturing Activities around the world and unfortunately has seen how reliant the u. S. Defense Industrial Base chain has become particularly as it relates to china. With the rise of china and Great Power Competition and the Global Pandemic the vulnerabilities and gaps in our supply chain particularly as it relates to the Na
Of your words and you can pause when answering questions so that we capture your complete response. Thank you very much and ms. Barnes, youre now recognized for five minutes. Ms. Bans, yrnes, you may have t unmute. I think were having trouble hearing you. Proceed, ms. Barnes. I think you just unmuted. Okay. Chairman pappas, chairwoman brownley, Ranking Member bergman, chairman takano, members of the subcommittee and task force, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss gaos work for Sexual Harassment at the department of veteran affairs. I will talk about statements from my june report released last week. The protection board estimated that 22 of va employees experience some form of Sexual Harassment in the workplace. Va has several methods to address such Sexual Harassment complaints. But we found that the agency was falling short in a number of areas. Including one, its complaint structure, collection of incidents on Sexual Harassment and actions taken, and, three, provision in
Subcommittee meets today to receive testimony from under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, ellen lord, concerning supply chain integrity for the department of defense in the United States. Since our her initial confirman as the undersecretary of defense, secretary lord has overseen significant acquisition reform at the department of defense, and a chill well talk about some of that today. As the u. S. National armaments director she has traveled to see the u. S. , throughout the u. S. And to see our allies and partners with regard to the development and Manufacturing Activities around the world, and, unfortunately, has seen firsthand just how reliant the u. S. Defense Industrial Base chain has become come to class relates to china. With the rise of china and Great Power Competition of the global covid19 pandemic, the vulnerabilities and gaps in our supply chains particularly as relates to National Security have taken on a new urgency. What you think Ranking Member k
Activity and turmoil going on around us. Many of us are back in washington today. Were holding this committee virtually in compliance with the regulations for Remote Committee proceedings pursuant to House Resolution 965. This authority has allowed us to continue to do our work on behalf of the American People, while keeping our staff, families, and the Broader Community safe. We have all started to become familiar with navigating this technology, i do want to remind members of a few procedures. First, consistent with the regulations, the committee will keep microphones muted to limit background noise. Members are responsible for unmuting themselves when they seek recognition or when recognized for their five minutes. Members and witnesses must have their cameras on at all times. Weve got to keep track of you even if you step away from the proceedings. Please leave your camera on rather than logging out. Finally, as you know, we may have votes during todays hearing. It looks like theyr
American veterans. We will hear the opening statements. I will remind you to pause two to three seconds before spe speaking, so the microphone picks up your words and so you can pause when answering questions so we capture your complete response. Thank you very much, ms. Barnes, you are recognized for five minutes. Ms. Barnes, you may have to unmute. I think were having trouble hearing you. Proceed, ms. Barnes. I think you just unmuted okay. Members of the subcommittee and task force, thank you for inviting me here to today to discuss Sexual Harassment at the department of Veterans Affairs. 2016 survey by the protection board estimated that 22 of va employees experienced some form of Sexual Harassment in the workplace. Va has several methods to address such Sexual Harassment complaints, but we found that the agency was falling short in a number of areas including one, the complaint structure, the [inaudible] and three [inaudible] to va employees. I will discuss issues with the complain