Service, has been tested. Routinely theyve proven their courage, skill and determination. The burden imposed on our soldiers only gres as threats to our nation increase and sequestration remains the law of the land. Given current operational demands, restoring readiness must be the armys First Priority. Weve made some progress this year towards improving ready brigads ready for deployment. But the army still does nautd plan to return to full Spectrum Readiness until 2021 at the earliest. Meanwhile, the army is woefully behind on modernization and our soldiers are increasingly unprepared to confront the harsh realities of 21st century warfare. With glaring capability gaps, these problems would only get worse as our adversaries continue to modernize their forces. Put simply our army lacks both the adequate capacity and the key capabilities to win decisively. If confirmed we will expect you to implement the six key priorities for force modernization that the remember army announced last month. We must work to turn these Program Goals into real equipment and put them in the hands of our soldiers. They cant afford the false choice between readiness and modernization. Building a ready modern army will require Visionary Leadership and a clear strategy. If confirmed, we will expect you to lead the army to those ends. Youll have to learn the lessons of the past, make tough decisions, take and manage real risks and hold yourself and those working for you accountable for results. When you do so, you will always have an ally in this chairman, in this committee. Finally, dr. Esper,b i would be remiss if i did not reiterate the concerns of Defense Ministry sf filling out the leadership ranks at the department of defense. I want to be clear that my reservations throughout early consultations i had with the administration about potential nominees including yours, and a handful of others, it was then i decided i couldnt support further nominees with that background beyond those we had already discussed. I appreciate your commitment, not only to recuse yourself on matters related to the Raytheon Company but further not to accept or seek wavers to your recusal obligation. And i would like to submit your letter stating your commitment into the record woutd objection. Let me thank our witnesses for their willingness to serve our nation at this challenging time. The length of my Opening Statement was directed, directly related to the importance of the task that you will be asked to undertake. Senator reed. Well, thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Let me join in welcoming our nominees and to thank them and their families for their willingness to serve in their positions. Id also like to, as you will, as you introduce your families, acknowledge the Critical Role they play in supporting your efforts and the men and women in uniform. Youve been nominated to lead one of our greatest institutions, the United States army. If confirmed you will be serving during a time with many challenges, why we continue to deploy soldiers around the world. The army soul so continues to grapple with modernization and canceling those efforts that are underperforming or of course prohibited and you have a wealth of experience including your expeer ynls in the army as well as in public and private sector. If confirmed, your unique perspective will allow you to tackle these challenges head on and i look forward to hearing your views on these issues. Mr. Willky, if confirmed of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, youll face charges including our military has adequate numbers of ready and Trained Service members of sufficiently high character and talent to meet National Defense objectives. This over arching imperative requires many challenges. Exeding the increase to the overall Defense Budget, even as the number of active duty soldiers has dropped from over 2 million in 1980 to 1. 3 million today. Despite an increase to Defense Budget over that time frame. Your vast expeer yngs with the department and congress should serve you well as if you are confirmed. I look forward to working with you and youll be tackling difficult issues and i know youll do them well. You have been nominated to serve at a very critical time. Intelligence and operations are more integrated than ever before. But at the same time the demand for timely intelligence is exer baited by the inefficient allegation process of airborne intelligence and recognizance capabilities among the gop combattant commands. As gathering capabilities continue to advance at an exceptional pace, were also experiencing a shortfall in analytical tools necessary to make use of the overwhelming amount of intelligence being generated. Given your more than three deai decades of service to the namy, you should serve with great distinction as you have in the past. Mr. Roberts, if confirmed, you will serve in a position that dates back to the 1946 Atomic Energy act. Since its mission its faced nonproliferation and treaty verification. However, its core mission as not changed. To support its Nuclear Deterrent mission and the department energys nnsa. In no Uncertain Terms i expect you as your predecessors have done to hold your nnsa accountable in meeting the stock pile neesds and restoring our ability as we recapitalize our tried a over the next 20 years. Following the ratification of the new star treaty, this committee has extended considerable time and effort holding the nnsa accountable to this mission. Again, thank you for your willingness to serve the nation and had thank you, mr. Chairman. I note the presence of our respected friends, senator tells, who would like to i believe introduce one of the witnesses. Thank you, mr. Chairman, Ranking Member and distinguished colleagues on senate Armed Services. I have the privilege of making a few comments about colonel robert willky. He has an extensive resume im sure is in the recrord but i think it bears repeating the things i think make him uniquely qualified. Many of you met him when he was working for secretary mattis to help with the transition. Hes got several years of private sector experience including working on projects to reform and reorganizeinize the ministry of defense supply chain and logistics system monopoly he also served in the Bush Administration for both gates and rumsfield as assistant secretary of defense and before that he served under condoleezza rice. I could go through the full resume but i wont. I have to tell you being a junior senator being willing to serve with me was a real honor. He started under jesse helms and hes worked on capitol hill for many years up to and serving in the leaders office. He has a grasp of history that is unparallel. We play a game in my office called stump robert. We havent figured out how to do it yet and he has a broad base of educational experience. In your comments about taking readiness seriously theres probably not a day that goes by that were not talking about that and its one of the reasons when we were looking at subcommittees i may serve on that he was the one to say it would be great for you to get the personnel subcommittee because thats an area we can do a lot of work and we made progress with the great staff and im pretty sure they have a high opinion of robert. We also call him forest gump. Because there is not a single story he cannot put in context of some experience he had had dating back to the roman times. He is going to be a great addition to the department of defense and im personally its bitter sweet to lose him but in my capacity as personnel subcommittee, i get opportunity to continue to work with him and do great work. So i whole heartedly appreciate the opportunity to introduce him. Well, thank you, senator tillerson. Thank you for your very good words and your opinion is shared on this diasas well. And so maybe well just begin with you, mr. Willky, if youd like to proceed. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator reed and distinguished members of the committee on Armed Services this is the second time i have appeared in this chair. I hope its better than the last time. Yes. In 2006 i was blessed to have my wife julie with me. We grew up together outside of fort bragg and she is the foundation of our family in both our civilian and military lives. Unlike 2006, my daughter megan is now old enough to sit here. She is escaping from her Junior High School classes at washington and lee and is also representing her brother adam, who is a first semester Mechanical Engineering student at clemson university. Im also proud to have my sister in law here, we too went to high school in fayette vill. You welcome him to the committee. Thank you. I was honored to be introduced by a former member of this committee and a truly great senate leader, trent lot. Im equally humbled today not only by the confidence placed in me but to be introduced by senator tillerson. Senator helms said for any senator to truly represent North Carolina, he must understand North Carolina highway 24. That is the road that connects 45 of the entire United States marine corps in the eastern part of our state to the place senator reed calls the hub of the universe, fort brag. He exemplifieies what all of usn the military life strive to be and that is to serve as leader. If confirmed dwrb will be charged with making life easier for military and civilian who carry our future on their shoulders. Ive been privileged to see this military life from many angles, as a dependent, as the son of a gravely wounded combat soldier, and as a Senior Leader in the white house in the pentagon. My earliest memories are of the mass jumps of the Airborne Division at fort brag and of the artillery half section rolling across the old post quad rangal. I witnessed first hand the transition from the conscript military to the allvolunteer total force of guard active and reserve envisioned by the late army chief of staff craig neighbors. Mr. Chairman, since desert storm readiness has meant the ability to mobilize, fight and win two wars. Without prejudging the strategic review, that notion of readiness is a good place for p r to start when assessing the quality of the total force. In my opinion, as the chairman mentioned, the department has too often been caught up in cha chasing the shiny object. There have been few champions for readiness to work with this committee. Simply put we need to get people back in the range and in the motor pools and prepare for the full spectrum of conflict, a spectrum that now includes cyber in space. The thresh hold question is whether each decision enhances the ability to deter and if need be keeping our soldiers, sailers and airmen and marines alive and back quickly. When they return, we owe them and their families the same level of care and attention. This is not the military that he joined that dawn of the kennedy administration. Yet, were hamstrung bay policies and procedures to run that force of multiple millions refreshed each year by thousands of drafties and rotc graduates. Today our military is vastly different. Comprised entirely of high quality volunteers. 17 of the force is female. Many of whom are serving in the front lines in numbers and missions unimaginable in the days of the wax. But our head impaquarters are bloeted. Men and women forced to leave in their prime. Promotions often see the bottom performer advance at the same pace as the front runner. Success will increasingly rely on the technical aability of our troops yet our assignment system values dep lth over breadth of experience. Service members cannot move freely among active guard and reserve components. In my fathers day, few soldier husband families. Today over 60 do. For our families, the center of their lives can be the military health care system. But that system has been slow to keep up with modern medicaled a vanls vances for conditions like autism and other behavioral disorders. We still center military families making their medical appointments on paper. Constant rotation again based on a 19th century army model prevents spouses from putting down roots and garnering mean g meaningful employment. The bottom line, as the chairman said in his remarks to secretary mattis is if the families are not happy, the soldier walks. The allvolunteer force has performed miracles but dwell times for front line marine and infantry units are down to 1. 14 years and on any given day, 15 of the army is medically unable to deploy. Mr. Chairman, we must address those hard facts or the force will break. This committee has kept face pace and faith with many of the finest in the world. If confirmed, i pledge to build on your work and work with the it great patriots that part of they are families, the patriots that help you keep that faith. I thank you and look forward to your questions. Thank you for an excellent statement. Dr. Esper. Chairman mccain, members of the Armed Services committee, its an honor and a privilege to appear before you this morning as the president s nominee of secretary for the army. I would like to begin by recognizing my wife, leah and our children, luke, john and kate with me today. Like many military families they made sacrifices in support of my service. Theyre welcome here. Less than a year after we married, my wife experienced anxious days and nights to the gulf war. Later she gave birth to our first son and Army Hospital in a foreign country while i was training throughout and we moved four times in five years but she always made a home wherever the army sent us. After i transitioned to the virginia guard, she showed additional parenting duties during annual training and everything in between. This will continue for several years during my various jobs in the senate, the house, as a Deputy Assistant secretary of defense, until 2007. I tell the story because the big thanks i owe my wife for all the support she gave me and the terrific job she did raising our children. I also show the story to give you a sense of my experiences in the army. Until my tirement, i wore an army uniform for 25 years. I was fortunate to serve in some of the best top leadership units and serve on three separate continents in defense of our country. I understand well the challenges of military service. And how it all impacts the soldiers and their families. I was fortunate to serve with the best. Of the United States army whose selfishness and vigilant keep our great country safe. Their welfare and readiness will always be my top priority. Todays is the greatest ground force in history. Despite this fact, the service faces many challenges. This committee know them well. Pi pivoting to address adversaries while terrorists fight they fight terrorists abroad. The next secretary must lead the premier ground force to success in these difficult times and insure its prepared for the future fights as well. My vow, if it confirmed is deliver my values, experiences and all my energies to address these issues. If confirmed my First Priority will be reidiness, insuringing the total army is across the full spectrum of conflict. With the army engaged in over 140 countries around the world, training rotations to europe to deter russia and four deployed units in the pacific defending against a bell koes, north korea, readiness must be our top ort. This means recruiting the best our nation has to offer. And insuring theyre well traind and well led. Every unit must be prepared to deploy and accomplish its mission. These are the fundamental title 10 duties of the secretary of the army and if confirmed i intend to do them well. This means growing the force while maintaining quality, reshapeing it to be more successful and robust lin domains to guarantee clear over match in futurer conflicts. The secretary must articulate a clear vision. Reforms championed must be and includes modifying the personnel system. Prototyping and demonstrating systems early and involving the private sector. We must provide them with the tools they need to fight and win when had they need them. I kn in the meantime they mus exercise better stewardship of its resources. So third priority is efficiency. I intend to play an active role in the top acquisition programs, reduce bureaucracy, bring inefficiency out of processies and promote an audit ready culture. We must free up time, money and man power to be invested in our other priorities. If confirmed proven to maximize and collaborate broadly, treat others with respect, encourage innovation, Critical Thinking and trait talk. Empower people and hold leaders accountab accountable. They must be upheld at every level. Chairman mccain, members of this committee, thank you for your time and consideration today. I know well the critical article one responsibilities. And what you expect. So i look forward to working continuously to insure inUnited States army is ready to fight and win any day under any conditions and that the total army family are, soldiers, civilians and loved ones at home are well cared for. Im grateful for your consideration and look forward to your questions. Thank you, mr. Kernen. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. And for your consideration to be the undersecretary of defense for intelligence. Im appreciative of the trust and confidence President Trump and secretary mattis have placed in me and if confirmed look forward to assuming the responsibilities of a role i view as extremely important. Id like to thank my family who are not here in person but are in spirit. They have all influenced me greatly. My father, who left Columbia Medical School in 1939 to fly b 32s and my father in law who flew during world war ii and two sisters, martha and mary who are active humanitarians on many fronts. Most important lay my wi