Transcripts For CSPAN3 Pentagon 20240705

[inaudible] i might just wait for good afternoon, welcome to the committee of the 118th congress. I am pleased to welcome all of you here for this testimony on the military and civilian personnel programs at the department of defense, and the military services and review of the Administration Defense authorization request for fiscal 2024. All of my brothers served in the military, supporting the military, a military families means a lot to me. I am particularly pleased to be chair in my first hearing as an Armed Services subcommittee chair. I am honored to chair at the subcommittee, and i look forward to continuing its long history of bipartisanship and working as a partner with Ranking Member scott, and with all of our members, on both sides of the aisle, to improve the lives of our Service Members, of retirees, military families, and the civilian workforce. Our annual posture here provides the department the opportunity to discuss their personal priorities for the coming year. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the all volunteer force. And todays hearing, i would like to focus on welcoming young people into the military, how we support families who continue to serve and have military contributes to our communities. The Administrations National Defense Strategy gets that exactly right and prioritizing Service Members. We must do this to address one of the militarys greatest challenges, the ongoing struggle to recruit goals. This year, only the marine corps and the space course our media never coding targets. Meanwhile, the army is set to miss its target by tens of thousands of soldiers. The navy has recently lowered its requirements and standards for many up radiance in order to address them anticipate shortfalls. The most direct way to address the shortfall is to ensure that were taking care of military personnel and their families. This is just as much a readiness issue as our supply of tanks and missiles and material to fight on land and at sea. So, were to start . Well, i have one war that i want to propose with the subcommittee, including protecting and enhancing health care, continuing to build on senator gillibrands leadership, and addressing Sexual Assault, and combatting the corrosive impacts of the revolving door between Senior Pentagon officials, and defense contractors, and foreign governments. They also look forward to working with the readiness subcommittee to be certain that u. S. Military families are not to living in on safe, and unsanitary housing conditions. Upton extensively must get of work here, and i have worked on the Committee Members on bipartisan legislation. For todays hearing, i have picked three items to begin with. Access to childcare, medical data, and Junior Reserve Officers training, or jay rotc. First childcare. Accessing childcare remains a problem for all families, military and civilian. We must modernize and improve the way that d. O. D. Ensures that Service Members and their families have access to childcare. I am happy to work with any member of the committee, democrat or republican, who has good, smart, Creative Ideas on how to do that. Second, i want to take a good hard look at medical data, and how it affects both members of the military, and civilians. I want to ask specifically about implementation of my amendments, along with waukee castro, to the 2021 national Defense Authorization act, to provide d. O. D. The authority to wave civilian deaths from military hospitals. This is a bill that was intended to keep our doctor sharp without sticky patients with big private bills. I wont get to cover today, but i am also concerned about Service Members who have tried care, but who still get stuck with medical bills that theyre expected to pay on their own. Finally, i have questions about the Junior Reserve Officers training program, or jay rotc. Particularly about reports of Sexual Assault, of our children. We have much to do to better support military families. I look forward to working on these issues and many more. I will now turn to Ranking Member scott for his comments to open this hearing. Thank, you thank you barbara, scott. Thank. You know this is the first meeting at the personal subcommittee of this congress. Let me begin by saying i very much looking forward to working with secretary, or senator, orrin. As we continue the bipartisan tradition of the Armed Services committee, developing the national Defense Authorization act. Im on four committees, and this is my for subcommittee to be the Ranking Member of. I would like to say that the Armed Services committee is a committee that works well together. I think were going to continue to do a great job in the national Defense Authorization act this year. Every member here as united in supporting our men and women in uniform, and their families. The subcommittee has a long history of prioritizing the wellbeing, and morale of Service Members. Im eager to be continuing that work as the new Ranking Member. Today the military faces, as we all, know recruiting crisis. If Current Trends continue, the army and navy will fail to receive their missions this year. The armynavy looked like they missed the mark over 10,000 records each. This will be the only other time in history that it is meeting the recruiting mission. The is unprecedented, in the years have the all volunteer force, the subcommittee is making to do whatever we can to fix it. Im concerned that in the midst of this environment, the lower the standards. We see this with disastrous results. Im ndp veteran myself. I joined at the age of 18. Ive probably done more clean thats a latrines than i did being a writer man. Im also the son of a wobble to a veteran, who fought, he was one of 3000 people who did all four of combat jumps with the airport. He also thought the night of the bulge. I know that a new job in the military is easy. When as ship catches fire, every sailor must know how to respond to save lives. When Elizabeth Sanders drop below certain levels, we have seen increase morale. This is a company by lower units and readiness. These are not acceptable outcomes. We have to use this to avoid mistakes. The good news says, the difficulties recruiting is right, now were tension levels are generally high. That means once people join the military, they tend to like it i want to stay. Military families have high retention rates. This is important by d. O. T. Surveys that report married Service Members with children have the highest levels of satisfaction with the military way of life. We have to ask ourselves why is there such a disconnect between birch crude in struggles, and retention successes. What can we do to push back up. As we continue working to ensure our Service Members in the families enjoy high quality of life in the military, we can do more to share their stories with the rest of the country. Effective use of marketing and advertising must be a priority right now. We need to resource at accordingly. The department offense should also be an advocate for the many benefits that come with services. For example, we know that veterans have higher unemployment, rates higher homeownership, marriage, entertainment achievement. Military service thats young men and women in the past hookup via, when you want people to know that. So we have major issues facing our military, in the subcommittees ready to tackle them. Thats why it was excited to take the position as Ranking Member, because there are real issues, like housing, childcare, and health care that demand or attention. These arent republican and democrat, issues there are things that these committee, hasnt this continue to work on. On a personal basis, so that military members and families are taken care. Of this committee did this last congress, to better protect against, and prevent, Sexual Assault. Working together on these issues allow us to best serve those who protect our nation. That is why i was incredibly disappointed when i finally received secretary prepared statements of several witnesses last night attempt pm. He found that a major focus at the pentagon, im sure, probably there to the white house, was prioritizing the ei. They say that cultural war issues i wrote that the importance that we have a workplace, whether the military or elsewhere, where people come to their jobs with up without it being disrespected or discriminated against, but when it comes to our armed forces, the top question should be, as every person who wants to join solely focused on the mission, to intimidate the out of our enemies, and defeat them if necessary. Its not about any diversity quotas being the most lethal on the planet, because the folks that wear the uniform are fighters, devoted to protecting american values, putting that above all of us. Our commanders now, this and im greatly concerned that if this administration is forcing them to move away from nuts, to achieve some diversity about the american military. World have talking points with yeah, the statements, some 26 pages, let me make sure ive got, at some 26 pages, does not get to recruiting, tell page 20 of the statement. Instead, topics like abortion, and diversity, equity, inclusion, are dressed in those first 20 pages. I dont understand why the department feels its necessary to change the culture of the military by, quote, adi diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility principles across the department efforts. As a veteran, as a rotc commissioned officer, as a former member of the air force reserve, i can tell you that the United States military has been decades ahead of the rest of our society and inclusion. Ive said publicly, many times, the United States military is the greatest Civil Rights Program in the history of the world, and im proud that they have been ahead of our society on that. When some of my colleagues criticize the department from this place of priorities this is a concern i have as a Ranking Member, of what theyre talking about. With regard to junior rotc, and my home state of mississippi, the program is a pillar in the development of future leaders. Over the years, and passed legislation to expand the number of j r t c units, as a part of the nda. To increase funding in veterans that are eligible to be a junior rotc instructor. Junior are tc helps our nations and highschoolers reach more of their full potential to become successful citizens. A report, it found, i quote, there is consensus that jay are otc participation has both academic and non academic benefits for students, unquote. According to this very comprehensive and scholarly report, most of these got economically disadvantaged schools. And the day rotc provides, quote, volunteer opportunities to benefit the larger community, unquote. My conversations with superintendents, principles, and parents, when i asked if you would like to have junior rotc and your school, ive never run into a superintendent, or principle that sad other than yes, im very much glad we have junior rotc, or i would like to have a junior rotc program. This moment presents us with an opportunity to address the claim in recent news articles about j. R. R. Tc. This reporting suggests that jay rotc and structures probe committed Sexual Misconduct at much higher rates incivilities. I very much doubt that assertion. There is simply no Data Available to support that. Sexual misconduct for students is never acceptable. The jay rotc program understands. This every instance of misconduct involving jay rotc, the military, immediately expelled the instructor. I will also say that this. Junior rotc makes an easy target in this area, because the department of defense is a central repository of information, and is subject to strict oversight. So there is a lot of information about generosities. On the other hand, the other information on Public School systems is diffuse, since the systems are large, sprawling, and d. C. Intra lies. We know School Districts are not publicly disclosed cases. A teacher Sexual Misconduct. Thats just a fact. It is such a problem that last, year the department of education released a report on the issue and found only 20 states have eyes on the books that prohibit suppressing information regarding school Sexual Misconduct. We dont get all the facts. No one would suggest that we do away with Public School simply because there is some misconduct on the part of a very few members of the faculty. If anything, there is every reason to believe that junior rotc as a safer environment than others for our future leaders. Junior rotc instructors receive twice the screening, twice the screening of a normal teacher before they enter the classroom. Both in the military, and the school district. Given this extra scrutiny, im highly skeptical of the idea that jay rotc instructors are more likely to commit misconduct. Congress should be mindful of the highly positive, highly positive impact of junior rotc. In fact, to celebrate on both sides of the aisle. Im this, committee my colleague from massachusetts has that senator warren is to be thanked for raising this issue. It is taken substantive and helpful interest in charities y. As she reenters the, room i think over that. I will carry our shared work forward by introducing additional legislation this year which would further expand junior rotc to the hundreds of schools that are currently on the waiting list for program. We hope to have many partners in this, effort and i look forward to working with senator warren, and the Ranking Member, senator scott, as we approach this years and dna. Thank, you madam chair. So, to our witnesses, thank you for appearing. We have two panels today, the first panel consists of officials from the office of the secretary of defense who will cover the full range of military and civilian personnel programs. The honorable under secretary of defense, dr. Lester martinez, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, miss sean skelly assistant secretary at the defense for readiness, mr. Tom constable, acting assistant secretary of defense for man power reserve affairs, and Miss Elizabeth foster, executive director, offices of resiliency. Welcome to all of you. Appreciate your being here. The second panel will consist of the assistant secretaries in the military departments for man power in reserve at the fares. Well have miss agnes schaffer, assistant secretary of the army, mr. Franklin parker, assistant secretary of the navy, and mr. Alex wagner, assistant secretary of the air force. Again, thank you all for appearing here. Undersecretary i understand that youre going to deliver an Opening Statement on behalf of the first panelist. Is that right . Then you are recognized for five minutes. Thank you. Chairwoman, to significant piece of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss that departments greatest, rains are people. On behalf of the entire team, i think the committee for your support a 2. 3 million active and reserve component Service Members, and over 900,000 civilians defend our nation, and the families who serve alongside them. This year is an especially momentum as well as the 50th anniversary of the all volunteer force. Both of these events are senator even taking care of our people and that are foundational to all the efforts. Promote the health, wellbeing, and safety of the force and families. Cultivate Talent Management, and its advanced or teacher readiness. Judging the department, trust is key to preserving our all volunteer force. We think congress for its support to provide the full support for this budget request, and supported the recommendations of the independent review committee on Sexual Assault in the military. We are making progress towards implementation all approved irc recommendations, and your support for this budget requests, will fill the specialized prevention personnel defense opportunity, remove barriers, and ensure barriers with dignity and respect. With regard to the health of albion of the families, the global pandemic, economic pressures, and the operational temple makes it more important than ever to take care of our people. Thanks to congress support, our Congress Members received a 4. 6 basic pay raise at the beginning of this year. That fy 29 president s budget, for 2024. These pay races are critical for recruiting and retaining the all volunteer force. Secretary austin directed the creation of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee to conduct a comprehensive review. This committees report was published in late february, in the department is carefully reviewing the recommendations. Every death by suicide is a tragedy, and in the military community we are tackling these issues with the focus attention and dedication. With regard to cultivating Talent Management, recruiting challenges will galvanize future Service Members are having a o which edgy with the peace corps, and Selective Services that have the benefits of the Public Service to our nation and communities. Were also working on efforts to expand on both our youth, and our influences to the National Military advertising campaign. We ask for your support and the fy 24 budget, which includes 40 million for a joint Marketing Campaign. With pianos force priority, with our ensuring that we can build, maintain, balance capabilities, and competitive deployments, the need for childcare among our military families can be even greater. Thats why our military has long recognized that childcare is essential to supporting Service Members ability to protect our country. The og was the largest employer sponsored Child Care Program in the United States. Military and non military families should all have access to high quality reliable care. Thats why i based my bill for a universal child care system on the d. O. D. Model. But the doj trial care system still faces its own challenges. The top one being finding enough workers to care for eligible children. Secretary cisneros. Workforce shortages have been a major problem in the childcare industry for years now. Of course its been even worse since the pandemic. Our military Childcare Development centers facing this as well . Thank you for your support on the Health Care Efforts in the nation and you are correct there is a nationals shortage in the country and we are filling that. A last year we were able to raise the salary, the minimum wage. We are going to talk about the money in just a, minute but you do have a problem. I just want to make sure i got this on the record. What it means for military families when they do not have access to the child care that they need. Can you just say a word about that . It does create difficulties. We as you stated see childcare as part of a resident, to think or worry or have the ability to drop their child off for childcare at a Childcare Development center, or using one of the other options that we have available to them. It really relieves stress for them and allows them to focus on their mission and performing their. Taxed this is part of performing a mission . And being able to concentrate on your tasks. It takes a lot to recruit and retain staff or anything. One significant issue is pay, which is where he started a minutes ago. When was the last time you updated your pay scale for childcare workers . Last, year we were able to raise. When did you last up to the pay scale for childcare workers . Raising the salaries for Child Development workers last year when we raised the minimum wage was when we were able to. You got a minimum up, but im talking about the scale overall. Not everybody is at minimum. I understand the last time was 30 years ago . Does that sound about right . Its probably been a while since we looked at it. What is the highest level of pay a Child Care Worker in the military system can receive under your 30 year old skill . From what ive been told maam, allow mr. Constable to answer this question. Do you want to do you want to answer that one . Chairwoman thank you very much, the top of the scale is approximately 55,000. Thats it, thats the top. D. O. D. Runs the School System for military families called the og va, four. How does the pay scale for teach compare with d. O. D. Childcare . Pay scales for people with similar credentials . Secretary cisneros . Unless you want to call on mr. Constable. Maam, they do not have similar credentials. The person im asking is when youve got people with similar credentials, maybe i should ask it this way. What is the top pay for video workers . Allow mr. Constable to answer that. The top aide is approximately 110,000 per year. Approximately 110,000. I think we understand the difference here, 55, 000, to 110,000 for the very top. If we had two workers with the same credentials, same education, same experience and one was teaching four year olds, at a d. O. D. Child developmental center, it would earn only about half as much as one teaching six year olds at a dodo center. I have to ask, do you think that makes any sense . Are you surprised to find out that you are in trouble filling the spots . As you stated, we are having difficulty its a National Problem and i think being able to pay a Competitive Salary is part of that that has to be there to get in the solution to resolving this problem. So, thats why were here today, to talk about. This childcare is infrastructure. We need roads. We need bridges to get to work, and the cases of our military, sometimes you need an Aircraft Carrier or a cargo jets. You also need a functioning child care center. If the federal government is serious about military returns and National Security, if it is serious about retaining families, then we need to invest more in Child Care Workers and that means with in d. O. D. Its put money into these workers. We need to start by updating this pay scale, and to doing it now. 30 years is too long to go between and it is a statement that we do not care about those people. If we care about the system, we will update those pay skills. Thank you. I now call on senator scott. Thank you chairwoman, secretary cisneros, you know we talk about scrutiny recruiting numbers. Tell me what you think of your marketing plan, and your advertising program, and is it very effective . What should you do differently, and is it properly funded . Thank you for that question senator. I will admit, we need to do a better job of telling our story. The benefits of military service we can provide, i was just last month talking to a group of College Students as well as High School Students about the benefits of service, and really how it changed my life, like yourself sir i joined the military at 18 years old, it put me on a different trajectory that i could not even imagine for myself, that id be sitting here. There are benefits to that and i think as our senior listed, we are here on the hill a couple weeks ago testifying, is that we do agree that we need to do a better job of telling our story and marketing ourselves, we are working with Public Affairs department to do that. As i said in my Opening Statements, for ost and the services that have their own budgets, they can talk about that and the next panel, but for ost we are requesting 40 million, its in the budget to help us with a joint Marketing Campaign that will allow us to go out and do the research as well as to go out and mark it to the influencers, whether it be teachers, grandparents, parents to let them know about the benefits of military service. So ive spent a lot of marketing, and we tested everything. We tested all of our marketing plans, we tested what, worked what didnt work. Talk about how you do that with you and your advertising and how you mark it in the military. We do have a firm, we have the benefits of military service. So ive spent a lot of marketing, and we tested everything. We tested all of our marketing plans, we tested what, worked what didnt work. Talk about how you do that with you and your advertising and how you mark it in the military. We do have a firm, we have chambers as we call it that we work with to go and to help us prepare the Marketing Campaign, it does the research for it. With that i can turn it over to mr. About jammers and what it does for us. Thanks very much, senator thank you for your question, jammers the joint Advertising Marketing research that does our work is very similar to what you would find in industry, and works closely with industry. As you probably are aware its a highly fragmented marketplace, so testing and piloting is key just as you have said. To that and, the additional funds requested in the president s budget request for fy 24 will not be focused on closing deals with Service Members. What it is really focused on is building the brand, making sure there is more public awareness, and making sure thats when the time for a decision comes for a young person to join or to not join, they are at least aware that military service, or Public Service is an option to them. The services can speak about whats in their budget separately for them going in and going on that baseline that we will provide to close the sales with each of the contract deals. So first of all if you could send us a copy of your research, i would like to see it. Second, if its not successful were going to have to change firms, have you, are you using the same people that got you your wear behind . I have to get you along with the other information of the background with whom weve worked over indifferent iterations of this effort. Has anything changed . A significant lee so. What you are going to see in the 24 request is one of the biggest increases that we have put into this because we have our investment in that baseline awareness that the marketing targeted towards those influencers has waned over the years, so we still have a need to again not leave it all to the service as or to the Service Online spots or to whatever medium they choose. To do the whole job, again what you are seeing now is based on the data and understanding that rebuilding the brand and getting awareness to all of our target populations is where we are going. If you are asking for 40 million, to have resources to suggest if you got there, and if you start trying something and it doesnt work are you going to stop . I think we will have to see how the market responds to the investment, like Everything Else but the intent is to sustain overtime that baseline marketing to keep the brand out there, to keep the awareness of the Public Service military out there. I suspect then that as the Service Numbers ab and flow over the years and years, it will make larger, smaller investments to keep the ranks at the right. Thank you. Senator corona . Secretary center, and probably from us or constable, to my office has heard from our Service Members and hawaii that they are deeply concerned about imminent cuts to their cost of living allowance by around 50 . Thats a big potential cut. May i share their concerns. Has the most expensive cost of, living today the cost of a gallon of gas is more than 1 above the National Average of 3. 46, a gallon of milk in hawaii is about 7. 85 compared to the National Average of 4, 41 cents. The cost of housing in hawaii is higher than any other states, i could go on. As we continue to combat inflation, the thought of slashing the cost of living allowance would allow Service Members is absurd. Secretarys interest, does the suggest the cost of living has fallen by 50 in hawaii . If not, how does d. O. D. Justify cutting the cost of living allowance for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, guardians and marines in hawaii and, really how do you justify this kind of potential cut. Maam the cost of living allowance that you are referring to is. They get overseas cost of living allowance. It really is about trying to bring it in line with what the, to make sure that their dollar goes just as far as it goes in the night states, in the continental United States he should say. Im glad you know the continental United States is. What we are seeing is that the struggles have really kind of with inflation. Inflation does not really play into the whole analysis and how we come up with that. In order to as its evening, things here and the United States have grown as well and have gotten more expensive. Ill turn it over to mr. Constable again to go into detail about how the formula is figured out there. Thank you, thank you senator. Let me get to because im running out of time. You believe this huge cut for Service Members and hawaii is justified . And if so could you send me the justification, or send this committee to the best justification. We could provide you with the information. You consider this kind of got cut to be justified . I think the way its figured out in the system it is, and the way it is, i will not just say that its hawaii, but its all around the country. Alaska as well. Where are you making these . All of these areas are facing the same, cut because the is meant to bring to pay scale or pain in alignment with what it would be here to make sure that the dollar if they were here in the states, whats trust stretch just as far as they are overseas. As we struggle here, or as people are struggling here in the continental United States, its kind of even playing field. We can provide you with that information and alternate over to mr. Constable. Clearly, i dont think that these kinds of cuts are justified for Service Members and hawaii. They are already having a pretty hard time. I was glad to see the president s budget included multiple investments in our first Service Members like 90 million to expand fall they prek. 209 million for Suicide Prevention efforts, and 637 million for our continued investments in Sexual Assault prevention, and response. Although weve made some changes overtime and how the military would deal with Sexual Assault cases, its still an issue, its continues to be an issue so im glad that this kind of investment is being made to fight this and i appreciate the department of defenses commitment to taking care of its people, but i think there is more to do, especially for Service Members considering their Family Planning options. Mister secretary sitter knows, what is the importance of the new policies to ensure access to Reproductive Health care for our Service Members . Also, is a fertility tool that Service Members, men and women could use if they wish to have children and the future. This is something that the british Armed Services provide. Could you give me your views on what the cost of cryo preservation under childcare would be . Could this not be an important recruiting and retention tool for the military, all of the services are facing those issues . As you stated, i believe Family Planning is very important and we have done a lot i believe to help the Service Members with that. We have walkin hours for contraceptives for our Service Members at our now that they can go and make sure that they are an a plan there. We initiated the policies there to help support Reproductive Health care for our Service Members as well. Whether they are denied access to certain types of health care in different, states week will ensure that they are able to travel to get that in health care. As far as what youre asking for, i can turn it over to. I can turn it over to dr. Martinez who can go over that. Senator thank you for the question, we did provide the services to Service Members that may have had trauma, or are facing cancer. It is a very very limited service. We are not providing the care for all of the beneficiaries. I dont know why. They are saying that you provide crier preservation options. We may provide that in the case of trauma, or in the case of. Thats a very limited assessments. I would ask that you look at what the British Armed forces are doing in this area, and let us know if this is something that we should look at. Of the sleigh i support Going Forward on. Third thank you, senator. Thank you chair, its honor to be on the subcommittee with you. Its good to be with a member of the former u. S. House. We served together for a few years. A couple questions, i want to draw your attention and this is on the heels of the recruiting conversation, i want to draw your to our Community Salutes. It recognizes and Honors High School seniors who planned to enlist in the military following their graduation, they also recognize the group also recognizes that parents and other members of the family this is an incredible way to build and maintain support for our military within communities across america. Despite senior military leaders speaking at these events, im told that military lawyers have taken issue with official communications to inform reporters in Senior Leaders of opportunities to engage or support our communities mister secretary, will you commit to look into this and find ways to partner with o c s, our Community Salutes and other organizations like it. The bottom line is we need all the support we can get to be closer to our recruiting hubs. Are you looking at this . Yes senator, we can take that for the record and. Im not familiar with the organization or as to why certain members have been told possibly not to participate, but thats something we can take for the record and supply you with an answer. Im excited to hear your response. Speaking of responses, thank you for getting me back to me on that letter ice recently submitted, i received this yesterday. This is a letter my colleague and i century guarding the administrations decision to permit, taxpayer funding for an authorization of travel to acquire abortions. The bottom line is, i dont think this is unacceptable response. Once again the department failed to answer the committee s repeated request for information. Instead we got what amounts to a form letter just repeating and an an on on on the new policies. When youre the policies, thats why i asked the on questions. Heres a few of the questions i would like to answer you to enter for the question. How many women have refused to be stationed in germany south korea or any other country because of the nations abortion laws . I dont have that information for you. If its zero, if its non zero which. Please send information on that. All commit to looking into that and seeing what the information is if thats available. Thats not typically a please let us know if theres your information, or if there is your information let us know what that is. Does the department have any data on women who felt deterred from joining the military for fear of being stationed at an installation or base in the state or nation that has restricted abortion laws . Weve had discussions with Service Members who have. In a data on that . We also have a brand report that they published and that they believe would happen from all the effects that the would have on recruiting and retention. If you would send that to, us because we have repeatedly requested it. It seems like that would be a good report for us to have. Thank you very much for, that i appreciated. What actions would the d. O. D. Take against a commander that refused to facilitate the abortion of an unborn child and keeping with their son held religious religious beliefs . Well senator, the commander does not really know when the Service Member is making a, request they are asking for Reproductive Health care, Reproductive Health care, and that could come in different forms. The commander should not be digging into what the specific reason is why they are seeking Reproductive Health care. The assumption was that it was known and it was against their sincerely held religious beliefs, with the d. O. T. Take action against such a commander . Well, a commander should not know, they should not be digging into that. I will say, if the commander feels uncomfortable with approving such a request, they can move it up the chain of command, but it is not the responsibility of the commander to put their religious beliefs on to Service Members. That really was not the question, but you have millions of americans, myself included are rightfully against the use of taxpayer funds to facilitate abortion. We will submit some more questions for the record, but that final time here. What is being done to ensure that those kicked out of the military due to the Vaccine Mandate are able to rejoin . Should they want to continue their service. Senator, that would be a question that could be better answered by the services. They are the ones carrying out those tasks, but the secretary made it clear in his memorandum that Service Members had put in a request for accommodation, whether it be administrative, religious or medical reasons that those, if a decision had been made, those requests would be polled, if it was a plea for covid19, and if other members that were separated request, there is a process for them to apply to the board or to apply for one of the boards that the services had to come back into the service, or to have their due to 14 adjusted, whether it be their status adjusted as far as their discharge status. Thank you for being here, and i think the panel. Think you. Actually you cannot, im sorry we are in the middle of a hearing. Senator duckworth, thank you. Thank you, thank good afternoon to our witnesses. I introduced legislation that ensured guard and reserve members receive the same monthly incentive pay for maintaining the same Critical Skills and taking on the same hazardous duties as their counterparts in an active components. Reservists qualify for these incentive pays work hard to maintain the same skills as an active duty counterpart. Often on time when they are not technically drilling, yet they are currently only paid one 30th of the incentive paid that the active counterparts receive. The situation is, you have to go to three jumps as a paratrooper, reservist goes out and he desist three jumps in one day, an active duty troop goes out and does his three jumps in one day, the active duty troop gets 150, and the reservist get five bucks. For the same three jumps. This is an equity issue, and one that im glad that my colleagues in this committee voted in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way to address by including my bill in the fy its report and certification for as required by law. We are still waiting to hear from d. O. D. On this. We are still waiting to pay our equitably for the Critical Skills and risks they pay to our military. How close is the department to completing the report, and more importantly, how much longer would you like our nations reserve components to wait before it is afforded its pay parity on active duty . Senator thank you for the question, and i know i was a former tar officer and changed the fulltime support. The United States navy working with our reservists, i know how hard they work, and how dedicated they are to dedicating the nation. For that, im going to turn it over to mr. Constable. Wonderful, why are you six months late . This is a conversation that has started many many working groups really say they are aware of the requirements, and apologies for the late report. We do anticipate meeting with the staff soon to talk through some of the impasse is that we have reached paste primarily on the realization in all camps that not all special skills, not all special plays are created equally or should be treated the same. We just have to find the right mix of places where we seek equal dollars for equal consideration, and of course are cognizant of creating incentives to draw people from one force to the other as one treated the same. We just have to find the right mix of places where we seek equal dollars for equal consideration, and of course are cognizant of creating incentives to draw people from one force to the other as one report has warned. We do owe you a report and we do believe we are nearing a solution to propose. Can you tell that in ordinary speak, rather than d. O. D. Speak . What is it, six months . A year . I think you are slow rolling this because you dont want it to implemented. Not months not years, i think its a week. Obviously faster when we go back then when i went there. I want to know. Can you call me back in a week . I believe its for staff, i dont think its ready for the members. When can you commit to . I can commit to meeting with the staff and weeks or less. Ill give you four weeks. Senator. You need to do this, and this idea that you can slow roll this and that you are going to is going to leave the active duty to go to the reserves because hes going to get 150 bucks a month extra for three jobs is an insult to the troops on active duty. Its still an insult who do those same three jobs every month to make those standards. Im going to move on to my next question. The military Services Face in part to a historically small pool of eligible recruits. This year, im introducing the enlist act. This enables the department of to expand its recording pool like Daca Recipients and other longtime residents of this country who can pass a dod background check, and meet the Services High standards for enlistment. While maintaining the Department Security standards, the illicit act will aid the Services Recruitment efforts by allowing highly skilled and motivated individuals to succeed in the military. Under mr. Constable. I would like to hear from each of you what you think the illicit acts expansion would benefit military recruitment efforts, and as a followup for either of, you what other actions has the department undertaken to bolster efforts to recruit diverse towns from across the nation . Maam, senator we have tried this before to try, so we are in support of trying to diversify our enlistment pool in order to number of kids. , Young Students that have grown up here in the United States and consider themselves american citizens. They have done nothing wrong, and they have good lives and they have long served. This is something that we have looked at and the pass that we have tried to move through in the past, and we are continuing to try to do it again. You did not answer my question . How out mr. Constable . Senator, the department would support any effort to expand their recruiting pool, so we look forward to reading the details within your bill. The 40 million that we spoke of earlier thats contained in the president s budget request for chambers, in one part is really geared towards getting at some more diverse populations. We dont like leaving any money on the table or any population, unchecked especially with all the skills that they bring us or the opportunity to better reflect the american public. To that and you should expect to see, the man to see more marketing, more advertising geared towards a broader population. We look forward to the constitution bill. Thank you. Im overtime. Thats fine, thank senator sullivan . Thank you madam chair to be on the committee, i want to thank the witnesses. Im going to follow up on senator duckworths line of questioning for mr. Cicero, mr. And mr. Constable. If this is already been talked about, i apologize, forgive me for getting here late. We have this recording problem right now. I dont have to tell you, but they are mays 2022 recruiting call was missed by 25 . So far this year the armynavy and air force are projected to miss their 2023 targets. Im really interested in what you think is going on. Theres different theories, this economy, i think theres cultural issues, if you tell everybody every day in the Washington Post and the New York Times that the military is full of extremists, which by the way it is not, it is not. Lets get that one right. You are going to have people going, jeez i dont want to send my daughter there. So, the army deserves some credit developing its soldier prep course, which i think has been successful. The navy seems to be taking a different approach, which is dropping its standards to as low as they can go, not really wise in my view. The marine corps has not missed its recruiting goals, but i dont think theyre out of the woods yet. What do you think is happening and how do we need to get on it . I do think, the average man and woman, in america who wants to serve, they want to deploy, they want to defend their country, they want to fights. I think we cannot lose that aspect of or trying to recruit for the men and women who want to do it. We do not have to go too far afield to say, we are going to do all these other appeals. We should appeal to the patriotism and desire thats been in this country for 200 plus years, to deploy and fight for the country. Thats how you get good recruitment numbers, what do you guys think . Senator, thanks for the question and for the opportunity to talk about recruiting, we know there are some challenges out there right now. One of the things that we are seeing in the research that we have is that there is definitely a military civilian divide. As senator duckworth said, the recruiting poll is getting smaller and smaller, those who are qualified. They are not qualified because theyre overweight, they have a low score. What is it . Those are two things right there sir, there are not meeting the academics containers, theyre not meeting the physical standards, but then we are also seeing that 30 years ago, 40 of people between the ages of 16 to 24 new somebody who served in the military. Thats only 15 right now. They dont know what the military is, they dont understand what its about. Thats why earlier when we talked about weve got to do a better job going out and telling our story and the benefits of military service. Its a great story. It changed my life, they put me on a different trajectory, and for thousands of people its the same. Our view viewing the soldier prep courses and answer that other services can maybe emulates . I think the army could probably better talk about that later on, but that is one of the things that they saw. They saw there was a need to help students academically, to help them get in better shape in order so they could meet those standards. I understand that the navy is trying to emulate that program as well. Any other thoughts mr. Constable . Senator, i want to point out one specific initiatives that we have had, and that is the medical sessions review pilots. This is where we are questioning conventions that have constrained us over the years simply because we know more than we used to, especially with Electronic Health records. That is where we used to say, if you have had asthma at any point, you are not eligible. We questioned all of those working closely with the medical team, to defiant where we can assume a lot looking at the data to where these people would qualify, and thats brought thousands more and. What about, this is a topic on that topic, on Mental Health. Right now i know for a fact that certain services, and ive been asking this question through the Armed Services committee, we disqualify young men and women in some services if they have seen a psychiatrist, or if they have been on medicine for medical health. Yet, we want them to try to improve their Mental Health. How are we thinking about that in a way that would not just say, oh you are on medicine for six months . You saw a psychiatrist . You are a Young High School kid . You are disqualified. Thats just the wrong message. Theyre either going to lie, or they are going to not seek help. There is, as mr. Constable, said there are a lot of things that we have looked to reevaluate that we are trying to work with the services to expand that. Is that one . I believe it is one. One of the things that we are trying to do in the militarys Destigmatize Mental Health problems. Mental health is health. We want people to come forward when they need to feel the need that they need to talk to somebody, or they need to see a professional. We dont want them to if you said you had a problem, they automatically take their security clearance, away or ground you for flying the aircraft. We dont want that to be the case where we have been working hard to change that. Some people will come forward and deal with their health issues. Thank you, senator blumenthal . Thank you very much madam chair. I want to follow up on exactly that. Frankly, i can well envision, you would rather have someone who sought help then someone who denied the need for. Said, im fine but i want to shoot up a classroom, or whatever. They are not going to talk about that when they come to a recruiter. You say you are working hard. What are you doing and what is your timetable for specific steps . Im not here to put you on the spot. But i would like to a written response with specifics as to what you are doing to change those qualifications, and on what basis for Mental Health, because i think the question raised by senator sullivan is absolutely critical. Yes senator, we can provide you with that but there are some great programs in the services, that they implement. One i always like to talk about is the air force as true north, where they have put in warren chiraz counselors within their squadrons to provide them individuals to talk to when they need counseling, or to talk about different. Active duty members, but what about the recruits who will come to see the marine corps, or a recruiting officer and say yes, i went for help . What happens to that person . Like i said, we can provide you with that written response. I can turn it over to dr. Martinezlopez who might be able to comment on that. We are working with the to try to expand. We were able to come to agreement on 38 different issues, whether it be at small or adhd. I dont have time to hear about all of that. I want to focus on Mental Health, because Mental Health as the secretary has said, should be regarded the same as physical health. If somebody broke a leg, and they said to you, yes i broke my leg, i played football. I was out for six months. Im fine now. He would take them . If someone says, yeah i had a problem, i want to see a see a shrink. It really helped. Thats the kind of story that should be regarded in the same way. I want to relate this issue to a very specific one. That is the suicides of sailors on the uss George Washington. Three sailors, died by suicide while that ship was undergoing maintenance and repairs. One of them was xavier zander from connecticut. His dad has been pummeling the department of defense for information about what is being done to better the conditions of sailors when their ship is not at sea, when its being repaired. He was forced to live on the ship while it was being repaired. Its like living in an apartment thats being renovated. He could not sleep he was in bad shape, and he did not get help. The department of defense is doing an investigation, or an inquiry. Do you have the results . Senator, we do not have the results to the inquiry or the investigation that the navy is doing. I believe that is still ongoing. That would be a better question for the navy and the second as to what they are doing, and the improvements that they are trying to make for those. I understand that a report has been finished, and that is under review. Can you tell me why it has not been made available to the father of the young man who lost his life . Senator, i cannot do that right now, i have not seen it myself. Can you look into it . We can see what we can do, we can take that for the record, but i believe i can and that would be a better question for the navy, as to where they are with that report. I have asked them, and they say its under review. We are coming up on the one Year Anniversary of his death. April 15. For all youve said about paying attention to this issue of Mental Health, by the way these three sailors are not the only ones. There have been other suicides on other ships similarly situated in home ports for repair, or maintenance. This is a specific kind of circumstance where you are losing lives in realtime. To wait a year for a report makes no sense to me. Senator, we know any loss of life through suicide or any through any means is a terrible tragedy and it does weigh heavily on our military family. Im sorry that i dont have the answers for you, that reporters still under review. Again we can take that for the record and try to get you a better answer. My time is over, and i want to ask you to commit that you will provide someone to meet with john singer who lost his son to suicide on the uss washington, when he comes down. Im going to invite him down, and i want him to meet someone from the department of defense. Will you make someone available . Senator we will see what we can do to make someone available to meet the individual. Thank you. Senator kelly. Thank you madam chair. Secretary cisneros, nice to see. You thank you for being here. Last year, we discussed the implementation of section 704 of the ndaa. We asked them 2021 otherwise known as to brandon act. This improves the ability of Service Members being able to quickly obtain Mental Health care. It also reduces stigma, provides needed training. The brandon act is named for following United States petty officer third kraus blimp a peoria or arizona. He was a dedicated young sailor, he did all the right things. As he was trying to deal with his Mental Health issues. He suffered some significant Mental Health problems. He was discouraged and ridiculed and then tragically took his own life. I have been working closely with brandons parents, taylor and patrick on this issue. They were in my office just about a week ago and we share serious concerns about the suicide epidemic. As us senator blumenthal, and senator sullivan. Im sure everyone on this committee as well. We need to use every tool that we have to fight this challenge. One of those tools is the brandon act that was in the defense bill last year. I know we have spoken about this before, but i am concerned there have not been visible signs of progress on implementing the brandon act. I have raised this with you and Service Secretaries in the past, and last year i added to the a requirements for a formidable Progress Report on d. O. D. Implementation efforts. That was due on march 1st, i think today is the 15th. Secretary cisneros, why has the committee not yet received your implementation reports that as required by the defense bill . And are there any updates that provides me today about what actions the department is taking to implement the requirements of the act. Senator, thank you for that question and as we stated earlier in a death by suicide is definitely a tragedy, and it really does weigh heavily on our military family, and we are trying to make improvements. Congress is really kind of given this ability with the Suicide Prevention and independent review commission that we were able to complete at the end of last year, we can have talk about that a little bit if you like. We are making progress on the brandon act. To do that, and to talk about i will talk turn it over to dr. Martinezlopez who will give you an update. Senator, thank you for the question. We need to honor brandon. There are questions about that. The best way to answer and honor him is to put it into effect. I am new at the job, we have been here for three weeks. I can tell you that the in the town towards the issue of the brought everybody including individuals we serve, they have no command and control. We are trying to figure out how to implement the law, including all the Service Members. I recommend, and i think moving forward we are going to do this. First we need to break the active duty and we can do that access right away. As we come out with a solution set for the rest of the reserve components, those that have command structure next. Then, the ir are because there are issues of care, and there are a lot of us mister secretary you are talking about how the brandon act will be implemented. My first question was, we were supposed to get a Progress Report on the implementation. That certainly could be what you said here. In the Progress Report, we were supposed to receive that on march 1st, we are now two weeks past that. When can we expect the report on the progress of the implementation . Senator, as we started talking to the staff, this is very soon, hopefully. And then next month or so, you will see the report coming to you of how we hopefully before that. How we implement that. I just give you the scope of how we are approaching it. In a month or two, we can expect the Progress Report on the implementation . Yes sir. You talked a little bit about the implementation. So, i am interested in seeing that in detail about what are we doing to make sure thats what we passed in legislation, how it is going to be implemented, anything else you might need from us . You could add that as well. This is such a serious issue. Its not only in the navy. India, this is a major problem thats affecting readiness. Thats not the reason to do it. The reason to implement this is, its the right thing to do. It will save peoples lives. Thank you. Senator cain . Thank you, i just want to pick up on senator kellys on the brandon act, because this occurred in virginia. Ive also met with a just to put a really fun point on this, they have lost there. Under unimaginably horrible circumstances. They are turning that grief into an effort to try to do something to help others. If we pass and law, but do not implement it. Its a revictimization of a family that does not deserve to be revictimize. They will use that leave you that is yet another pain that they are suffering at the hands of the United States military. This is needs to be done because we have a significant challenge, and im going to get into another dimension of this. It also needs to be done so that a family that has also suffered, does not suffer more. I will need to see that report about implementation. We need to see it soon. We need to understand that this is not some botched checkin thing. You are doing it to meet a need that is a very significant one. Ive had to strings of really difficult suicides within the navy, in Hampton Roads virginia. Sailors aboard the George Washington, who trained for an mls thought they would be doing something, but instead because the George Washington heights been in thislimited duty status for so long, many of them are there, and will have their whole career while the ship is getting refurbished, not doing what they thought they might do. A sense of purpose listeners can grow, that can exacerbate other challenges, when their ships are dried up and getting refurbished, are not necessarily the best. Then we had four suicides within a space of five months with five five weeks with sailors who had been assigned to the midatlantic regional maintenance center. This is a center that, they are kind of like mcivers. Its a great nation where they take things off ships, and instead of paying millions to do something new. They can figure out a way to fix it, its an important mission. Thats a very unusual way its been a composed. Of the 2500 people who work, half are civilians who are under contract. They know how long they are going to be there, half our sailors. Of the sailors, half have been assigned to the mission, but half were assigned their under limited duty status,. Maybe they were private. Maybe they broke a, bone maybe they had a disciplinary issue. They were pulled out and, most of that, nearly 600 people on limited to the status have no idea when they are going back to the fleet. They may be in a med port process that is completely opaque. They do not have a sense of when it will be over. That then builds up some sense of purpose zealousness, when you dont know what your next step is and you dont know when you will now. You not only do not know, but you do not know when you will now. That can also contribute to significant Mental Health challenges. Thats why its no surprise that those for suicides in this workforce of 2500, it was not it was not the sailors that were assigned there for the traditional tour, it was all people within this limited to the population who were limit living in a world of big question marks. I would like to ask, when we have members of the Armed Services who are assigned into limited duty status, what can we do to make sure that they have support they need while they are in that status. There was no embedded Mental Health professions, professionals in this workforce 2500 and even though 600 of them were on limited to the status, each different from the, next each with a lot of questions about their future. What can we do with our limited duty to provide them the services they need . Senator, thank you for that and again as the secretary, says Mental Health is health. We want to ensure that we are taking care of our Service Members that have needs. Ill turn it over to dr. Martinezlopez here, but in a Service Member that needs to see a physician can always go and talk. Its not just the people that needed to seek Mental Health. We have counselors for people who are having financial problems, if they are having relationship problems. The individuals are there for them to go in and talk to. I will turn it over to dr. Martinezlopez to talk about the Mental Health and what individuals need to do in order to seek help. Senator, very good question. I think we are taking the approach of you are right on target which is, its not a medical issue. Its public health, we all play. The commander plays. There are financial, issues social, issues there are medical issues. We need to address all of those. Think about it like a that has a lot of stuff that is heavy. We need to figure out how to loosen that. There is a financial thing that we can do to help that sailor, thats one thing. If there is a social family issue that we can help them with, we can relieve that. If it is a legal issue that they are dealing with, lets go and try to and by doing that we are decreasing risk. That sailors soldiers or guardian from. Thats part of the equation to this conundrum. I think we are in the right track in that respect, a lot of work needs to be done. A lot of education, it is a neverending process. I am confident that we need to keep sailing in that direction, and try to make it work. Thank you, i think our Ranking Member has a comment. First off, i want to senator duckworth, senator and senator kelly, they all ask things where they would like them to be more responsive, so i hope you will do your best to be more, responsive the other thing is, we go for that national Defense Authorization act, it some of our reports, if we are not going to get a report, on time the first thing we need to do is tell us. Tell us why. Thats were not doing it because we dont care, we are doing it because we care. I think if you are not going to get a report, i think all of us would like to know, its i think this committee will work to try to have people who want to serve. I went through what senator cain was talking about, i was in dry, dark my ship was in dry dock. Its very boring. Its really boring. It seems like there ought to be a way to send people to training, and do things like that rather than just. We just sat around, we did nothing. It wasnt like the ship was at risk. We were in a dry dock it needs to show up and hold a gun every so often. Thanks everyone for coming. I a great, i really want to associate myself with it is very frustrating when we get people into ncaa, thats something weve all worked on to make it happen. When we dont get answers. Thats a real problem for all of us. The commitments, specifically that senator ductwork has extracted, and others have asked for. Regard that is something that the whole committee is behind. We expect her to get her answers in a timely fashion. We are going to do a second round with this panel, for those of us who want to do second round questions. I want to do a second round. You are good. You are good and i think senator duckworth. Weve got two more and we go to the second panel that weve got here. So the u. S. Military should have the best doctors in a crisis, these are the medical professionals who are on the front line. But, unlike doctors who are at a really busy place, like mask general, or boston medical center, military doctors dont have a constant stream of Service Members with serious injuries coming in the front door. But, its a good thing, that if you are Service Members are suffering serious injury. But it is also a problem for the doctors, because they get lost practice, stitching people up or setting broken bones, or doing emergency surgery to repair gunshot wounds. One of the key ways that military doctors and surgeons maintain their skills is by treating civilians at military Treatment Facilities, or mtfs. Dr. Martinezlopez, how does d. O. D. Benefit from treating civilian patients . Thank you very much. Its extremely important to us from the standpoint of readiness. We need to keep all the docks and nurses, not just the docks, its a whole team that has to be sharp. By taking care of civilians we do two things. The good neighbor, peace and the practice space. If there is an emergency and they show up at our doorsteps, we have the responsibility to provide good care to them. But, so, we need to, as you said, bring about more patience, especially trauma patients. San antonio is a Perfect Place where we do worldclass burnt care, and also trauma care. And hopefully, we never have to use those abroad, but if we do, our team will be ready to deploy and do that. So we want you to be sharp. And we want you to have the chance to train as a team on an ongoing basis, we should be able to designate this as trauma centers. Because your level is that high, in terms of your practice. In other words, treating civilians for the military to treat civilians, its supposed to be a win win. The civilian patient gets worldclass care, and military doctors stay up to date on their skills. It is not working out so well for patience. Most of them are dropped off at the mtfs in an ambulance, because they needed emergency treatment, and the mtf is the best closest option. Two thirds of civilians who end up at an mtfs care, do not have any insurance. The military Treatment Facility sticks these patients with massive bills. And, if the cost isnt waved, federal law requires aggressive debt collection. Including, garnishing patients wages, or seizing tax refunds, or even taking 15 of their Social Security check, before even reaching their pockets. The good news is, the d. O. D. Now has authority to wave these deaths. Dr. Martinezlopez, over the last five years, military Treatment Facilities traded almost 30,000 civilian emergency patients. For how many of those 30,000 patients, did d. O. D. Exercise its authority to wave a civilian medical debt . Keeping in mind, two thirds of these folks do not have insurance. Maam, a very small number, i think 57. 57. Thats exactly right. 57 times. D. O. D. Waved medical debt out of 30,000 people who came in, and incurred these debts. So, d. O. D. , is actually i tried to work this out, 0. 2 of the cases. Doj claimed that there were numbers this low because Waiver Authority was too low. The debt could only be waived if there was, quote, direct and compelling relationship to a priority d. O. D. Objective. Not just that someone cant pay. To address this problem, representative castro and i got an amendment into the 2021 nda, some of you remember this, to expand d. O. D. s authority to wave medical bills. Our changes clarified that if medical treatment for and civilians will enhance military medical readiness, overall, and if the patient is unable to pay, d. O. D. Has Legal Authority just to tear up the bill. Martinezlopez, how often has d. O. D. Exercised its expanded authority to wave costs for civilian, when the treatment will enhance readiness, and the patient is unable to pay . Maam, i dont know for sure, but i dont think weve done many, if any. Yeah. So its kind of looking like zero right now. Look, d. O. D. Is dragging its feet on, while these patients are toppling into financial ruin. The g. A. O. Also found that d. O. D. Wasnt telling patients that they had an option for relief, as required by d. O. D. s own regulations. And they werent properly tracking people when they had, or had not paid their bills. So, doctor martinezlopez, on this new notion that we are really going to Start Holding people accountable in this committee, can i have your commitment that you are going to clean this up, start wiping out medical debts for civilians who shouldnt have been hit with those devastating bills to begin with, and you are going to get back to me on this . Senator, i dont want to put more burden on my colleagues who are in the same boat. On patients that already have been traumatized. Thats not what we are in. At worst, they cant pay. So why do we want to keep adding insult to many of those injuries . Thank you for this waiver, as i understand right now, ive tried to figure out how can i expect expedite that rulemaking to give the solution that you want, and we want. So i commit to working hard to get through the process in d. O. D. , and start affecting, in a nice way, the patients that we care for. I understand that your heart is in the right place, im not curling with your heart. I have to have your actions in the right place. Im going to ask for the same thing that senator duckworth asked for. Can you get back to me in four weeks . And at least lay out what the plan is to make certain that patients are fully informed about the opportunity to have their debts wiped out, and what d. O. D. s plan is to implement what we all worked to put into the law in 2021 . I will get back to you maam. For weeks . Just to tell me what the plan is. Im not even asking you for the final report. Just, tell me what the plan is. I will be glad to talk to your staff for yourself, in four weeks. Okay. We got it. Secretary duckworth . [laughter] thank you madam chair. Gentlemen, Service Members commit their lives, and they should not struggle to feed their families. Yet, in july of 2022, the doj released an updated report that found that 24 of all active duty Service Members experience some level of Food Insecurity, in 2020 and 2021. With our junior enlisted facing the highest risk. Thats why i introduced a bipartisan military family nutrition ask access act last month, this bill eliminates basic allowance for housing from income calculation under the snap a program. Right now, if you apply for snap, they count your b a h as income, even though other programs like medicaid and the irs dont consider your b h two b income. By using an already established intrusion assistance program, and simply updating the treatment of b h, so its in line with other assistance programs, we will expand nutrition access to more families so they can qualify for s. N. A. P. Benefits. Do you consider Food Insecurity and a lack of access to nutrition among a significant percentage of military families to be a readiness issue . Remember, your own reports are at 24 . Secretary, i think Food Insecurity is definitely an issue, and its something that we are working hard to help resolve. The secretary put out a series of memos addressing Different Things about taking care of our people, one of them was around Food Insecurity, and it was about trying to provide. The research we have shows that a lot of this happens when pcs happens. Service members, the families have to move, the spouse usually has to give a job that puts a burden a financial strain on the families and kind of makes the Food Insecurity, maybe theyre not getting good Quality Healthy food all the time. They are until theyre able to get new employment. But this is something that we are working on, we are working to try and ensure that spouses have access to employment. Whether it be through being able to transfer if they have a job in d. O. D. , or other federal government agencies, and being able to remote work or telework, partner with over 600 companies that have made a commitment to hirings causes as well to relieve some of these strange. But we definitely see it as an impact, and as a readiness issue. When families do have struggle to help provide their families with healthy meals. Would you support greater benefits for snap families . Snap should not consider be age as income, because no other part of federal government does either . It sounds very interesting, but i would have to look at the legislation and your proposal before we make any commitment to that. Okay, we will get to do that in less than six months. Assistant secretary martinezlopez, i know youve only been in your seat for a short time, welcome. I met a last month to discuss a wide range of issues with our partners, however, while i was in japan, i heard from d. O. D. Civilians about the struggles that they are now facing accessing health care. Due to a change at their local military driven facilities. What is being done by your office to resolve these issues in japan . Senator, thank you very much, i think that the health care normally for Service Members and their families is important. Also, the civilians that help us. Its a team. I think we have grown that peace at the team larger and larger overseas, and more opportunities to civilians to help us in this. So we havent compensated alone. The mtfs are just the structures active duty and family members. So what we do, is we increase efficiencies of those clinics to see, create Space Available to then see the civilians. And i we have a change the policies. The same policies have been standing for many years. What we have done is we increase we are working hard to increase efficiency of those clinics, so more Space Available will be for the civilians. That is just a bandaid. What i heard from them is actually the opposite, that they have recently been seen at the facilities, and the facilities of actually turned around and said, nope, we arent going to see you anymore, you go out into the economy in tokyo and find your own doctors. Now that they arent great doctors, but frankly they are now no longer able to Access Health care. Senator, if i may, i went to japan recently. I did five town halls, heard in mainland japan and okinawa, talking about this issue. As dr. Martinez has stated, our policy hasnt changed. The civilians and the always been seen on a Space Available basis. What we had done was sent out a message through d h a, the Defense Health agency, because we were hearing that from our Service Members and from their families, they were having trouble getting appointments. And they are our top priority. But what weve done, as dr. Windiness has stated, as weve stated the mtfs there in japan to maximize their efficiencies, to open up more appointments, make them available. So that those that are seen on a space basis, well have more of a chance to go and get that access, and to get that health care as well. Will you be doing this around the world for all of our d. O. D. Civilians . As we are looking at it, i think japan, as weve learned, is very unique. The cultural differences there, the way they provide health care, as to what we are used to, is definitely different. The language barrier, you know, creates a big its a big challenge there. But it is something that we are looking at. My deputy was just recently in germany, looking at some of the same issues. But the Space Available is everywhere, thats everywhere throughout the department of defense. Its not just specific to japan. But we are working on increasing, and to see what we can do to provide other opportunities, whether its providing a clinic through a fees, that could see patients. Or partnering with an organization like we do with our defense. With our Service Members. Make a organization available that will help them seek the health care that they need out in the community, like we do for our Service Members when we dont have access to that type of health care. They need a certain type of health care, and we just cant provided at that location. We need to wrap this up. Thank you. I appreciate all of you being here, miss foster, secretary kelly, i appreciate your being here even though i know questions didnt come to you. The first panel is excused, we would like to bring up the second panel please. You okay . Thank you all for being here, our second panel consists of assistant secretary military department for a man power and preserve affairs. And each of our witnesses is going to do a brief Opening Statement, i believe. Can i start with you, miss schaffer . Assistant secretary of the army . Are you ready . I am. Good. Chairwoman warren, Ranking Member scott, distinguished members of this subcommittee, thank you very much for the ability to appear on behalf of the men and women of the other thank you all for being here, our second panel consists of assistant secretary military department for a man power and preserve affairs. And each of our witnesses is going to do a brief Opening Statement, i believe. Can i start with you, miss schaffer . Assistant secretary of the army . Are you ready . I am. Good. Chairwoman warren, Ranking Member scott, distinguished members of this subcommittee, thank you very much for the ability to appear on behalf of the men and women of the other states army. At the end of summer 2022, the Senate Confirmed to be the assistant secretary of the army for man power and reserve. I joined an amazing team that worked tirelessly every day to improve the lives of our soldiers, civilians, and families. I bring both deep and broad expertise to my current position, as well as a renewed emphasis on leveraging data and analysis. To assess the effectiveness of our policies and programs to better target our resources, and alignment with the secretary of the armys main six objectives. To my previous position as a Senior Adviser to the kurds secretary of deputies in pretoria defense. And my 16 years at ram, supporting the department of defense the research and analysis, my focus every day for years has been on improving our armies readiness to meet the objectives are a National Security strategy, and to improve the lives of our active and reserve component members and their families. In my current role, these continue to be my soldiers, civilians, and their families. My three priorities our readiness, including quality of life, prevention of harmful behaviors, manning the army of 2030, and this issue jake modernization of our personnel policies, policies, and systems across our entire spectrum. Readiness ensures that we have the ability to protect combat power whenever, wherever it is required. Manning the army of 2030 requires not only the new Weapons Systems and doctrines to succeed and the future of warfare, but also the people who have the appropriate skills and competencies for tomorrow. Not just today. Strategic modernization includes how we recruit and hire, how we grow, employ, and manage talent, and how we create a Workplace Culture that enables people to thrive, and want to expand their careers in the army. The armys Mission Remains unchanged. To fight and win our nations wars, we are building the army of 2030, and in doing so, taking care of our people. Because they are the foundation of our great army, and our number one priority. The future of multi Domain Operations requires highly trained, agile, and resilient personnel, across the total force. Active guard reserve and civilians, people performed the best when they are part of cohesive teams, founded on treating everyone with dignity and respect. All of the armies personnel, programs, and initiatives are focused on this, because we lead with our values, and in doing so, essential to the readiness required to accomplish our mission. Chairwoman, Ranking Member, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for your unwavering bipartisan support, of our outstanding soldiers, civilians, and their families. I look forward to our discussion on our questions today, as well as continuing this conversation in the future. Thank you very much. Secretary parker, representing the navy. Go navy stop that [laughter] i want to point out, my brothers air force, army. So we are trying to do the best we can. [inaudible] thank you, chairwoman warrants, english members of the subcommittee, thank you for allowing me join you today. I am honored by this opportunity to appear before you to talk about our department of the navy sailors, marines, civilians, and their families. As the 2022 National Security strategy makes clear, we face unpredictable threats and global challenges. Our nation is a strong, well trained, well equipped navy and marine corps. To address the wide array of challenges and threats. And we must leverage our talent to retain both our competitive edge, and our multi domain dominance. The changing strategic landscape, demands that we maintain and strengthen our nations maritime dominance, so our forces can deter, fight, and win against potential adversaries. As an integrated team demonstrating talent, capabilities, and dedication, second to none, together our sailors, marines, and civilians can overcome any challenges they face. Our people are our greatest strength. And our quarter of success. Both as a military, and as a nation. I am incredibly proud of their performance, commitment, and unparalleled resilience in the face of the dynamic global challenges that have become our present operating environment. Our nation is a strong, well trained, well equipped navy and marine corps, to address the wide array of challenges and threats facing our nation. To be a combat ready force, we must leverage the strengths of all our people. For their, because we have an all volunteer force, we must ensure that all see value in serving, and are treated with respect when doing so. In our constantly evolving environment, we must continue the general decreased in propensity to serve and the covid19 pandemic limited recruiter access, making it difficult to maintain contact with potential recruits. The secretary of the navy is personally involved in addressing these challenges. As part of these efforts, we have engaged leadership from the department of education, and support its axis. We have contacted principals before it recruiter access to their schools. For these and other efforts we want to ensure that they can be there recruiter goals. In addition to recruiting, the navy and marine corps wants the right talent and experience which, lets our recruiting efforts. We will use every lever in our authority to maximus retention and we are already seeing positive transfer retention rates across both services. Over the course of the last year, the department of the navy has made sink of good strides to educate the force and modernize our educational objectives. Todays navy and Marine Corps Team is one of the most technologically advanced ever conceived, it will to dominate the air, sea, and undersea. As we become more technologically advanced, technology will be a crucial war fighting enabler, throughout our University System we create eight continuum of learning to equip them with skills to operate on complex systems and an everchanging war fighting environment. We are well aware of the fundamental difficulties of Mental Health in our force, and we are committed to supporting supporting the Mental Health of all sailors, marines and civilians. Given the complexity of this challenge, our office of force resiliency has taken a comprehensive approach to datadriven Suicide Prevention efforts, and prayed new strategies for Suicide Prevention. We also took note of the work of the Suicide Prevention committee and will work to create key recordations their life. We are committed to a limited Sexual Assault through the navy and the marine corps, Sexual Assault directly impacts our unit cohesion and ultimately undercuts our readiness. Actual assault is a persistent challenge that requires a multipronged approach that leverages a wide range of initiatives, not only to address Sexual Assault but also to prevent it before it occurs. Secretary del toro directed an Advisory Panel last spring to bring believers of all leaders of the principal offices to the table to implement the recommendations from the review on Sexual Assault. We have made to get good strides implement and the rc recommendations, though we fully recognize additional work remains. Those efforts, we are investing significant resources to fuel necessary changes and have made ample progress dedicating a workforce to prevent harmful behaviors, preventing Sexual Assault and supporting survival survivor recovery. Quality of life is critical to our Service Members and their families. The stresses on our spouses and children wait on the minds of our service, especially when deployed. We want to enable them to focus on more fighting. To this and we have taken action to create more parental leave, support career advancement, and expand independent care support and childhood care access. We are also pushing to and through illiteracy through literacy tools and other support. We consistently answer the call. We step forward and perform superbly in times of greatest need. Time and again, our navy and Marine Corps Team has invariably risen to all challenges and defended our nation, bonded together by 250 years of tradition and antideeps a deep sense of duty to the country. I look forward to working with you to make sure that our efforts meaningfully support the being of op wellbeing of our sailors, civilians, and that we always best position to fulfill them to fulfill the vital roles they fulfilled. They could for the opportunity and im ready to answer your questions. Secretary geithner, representing the air force. Chairwoman warren, Ranking Member scott, the signature members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today, and thank you for your continued support for rmn, are guardians and their families. Im looking forward to working with both of you and continue the work with our terrific staff. I am proud not only of the adaptability but the tenacity of our force, as current world events such as pandemic recovery, inflation and Great Power Competition with ever evolving challenges for nation. In order to recruit and retain a lethal, expert and resilient force, we need our partners on the hill to help us tell our story to the American People and showcase the unique missions of military service and also the unique value of military life. We are implementing the vision of the secretary of defense outlined in the taking care of people initiative, but have also gone further in important areas like childcare and spousal employment. Our members need to know that we are doing everything we can to take care of and support their loved ones. That also means providing a competitive compensation package, housing and education benefit and Quality Health care. We have made significant progress, validated by archive by our 90 retention rate. But we must do more to prevent harmful behaviors that are counter to our values, undermine our team and diminish our readiness. It particular, Sexual Violence will not be tolerated, condoned, or ignored within our ranks. Those who preach that trust will be held accountable. I want to talk about the recruiting challenge that we have been facing. The air force is currently projected to miss its recruiting goals for the First Time Since 1999. There are multiple factors that have made recruiting challenging, including historically low on a planet, strong private sector wage growth, and a lack of access to high schools exacerbated by the covid19 pandemic. However, the most important factor, propensity to serve, is the lowest we have seen in decades. What does that really mean . It starts with a lack of familiarity. In 1995, 40 of americans had a parent who served. Today that number is less than 13 . After 9 11, military installations became more hardened and more secure, and it also separated those who served from those whom they protect. That lack of familiarity has been filtered by a public that emphasizes the risks of service while missing the benefits. We are taking steps to address this issue by opening up opportunities for communities to visit our bases, sharing inspiring and authentic stories of Service Members and highlighting the stakes of our hightech mission to deter competitors. But the department cannot do this alone, and we need your help. Congress has a critical oversight function, and we also need to enhance our partnership to increase propensity to serve. You are an important voice to your constituents, to the young people and the parents and the influencers that can help shape the next generation of service. By elevating opportunities and highlighting the benefits of our values and our team. Now, 50 years to an all volunteer force, we must reach all communities of america, geographic and demographic, to ensure that we recruit the brightest and the best. You cant be if you cant see it. Every person in the air and space force plays a Critical Role in ensuring this organization is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow and in particular, are pacing challenge. We are excited to partner with you and rebuild this relationship with the American People together. With that, i look forward to your questions. Thank you. I will ask the first round of questions here. The junior reserve officer training corps, jrotc, is a dod funded program for middle school and heisel students that is designed to teach students the value of citizenship and Public Service. Schools hire and oversee the instructors and the military services that train and pay part of the salaries for the instructors who are all retired Service Members. The deity and the department of education share oversight for the program. There are some pretty serious gaps in that oversight, a recent New York Times investigation found that at least 33 jrotc instructors had been currently charged with Sexual Misconduct. I started my own investigation with senators blumenthal and others, in response to this, and found that there were at least 114 allegations of abuse over the past decades. Decade. When they learned about it, they did the right thing, suspending or firing the instructor. But i am worried that we are seeing only the tip of the iceberg. Secretary schaeffer, the army has the largest Jrotc Program of all to the military services. Let me start by asking you. One of the ways we track whether we are making progress on military Sexual Assault is an annual report. Is there any kind of formal annual reporting on instances of Sexual Assault and harassment in the Jrotc Program . Senator warren, thank you your question. This is an issue that concerns me as well. There is an annual my understanding is there is an annual report, but i do not have that tracking in it. There is no, part of that is is there a report tracking the instances . There is a report, it doesnt attract that. My office has directed that, before i came in in december, my office directed that we include that in the report. But right now, you are now trying to put this in. Ok, thats good. Thats a good thing. Another tool recommended for tracking this kind of problem is a survey that allows individuals to anonymously report if this is Sexual Harassment or abuse. Does the army have that kind of survey for jrotc . Im not aware, but i can look into it. I agree that might be i think you might find the answer is no. Let me ask the other services. Annual report, secretary parker . Derailment, note there is no annual report. Secretary geithner. Wagoner. There is a report, these are employees of schools jrotc instructors are school employees, the students are obviously students, and so the uptake of the military asking survey im not asking that. Do you have an annual report that reports how many people reported Sexual Assault against your folks who are in the Jrotc Program. The air force Jrotc Program office tracks this extremely closely. So i5 requested an annual report would get a copy of it and it would show me how any people reported incidences of Sexual Harassment . I cant say its a formal report, what i can say is that we have a list of every single incident and the disposition over the last five years. So, the answer to my question is that a yes or no. As far as im aware we dont have an actual annual report. . Do you do a survey, secretary parker. No. Secretary geithner. Wagner. We dont have a survey, but we do provide a number of mechanisms for parents and students. If you are serious about Sexual Assault and harassment, these are the best to tools we have available. Im asking are we doing it, and secretary schaefer is starting with the army, im not hearing it from the navy or the air force, and im asking all three of you, using the second tool, and the surveys, and im hearing no no no and no. So no annual reporting, or just starting annual reporting, no surveys, in other words, there is no way for the dod or other services to have the kind of information they need to exercise basic oversight. It starts with knowing what is going on. And we know the problems. We know the people under report firmly, under report on surveys. But you gotta at least start there. One of the biggest problems that has come to light in these investigations is also that some of the instructors who abuse these students have done it before. At least seven of the instructors that we know about who work eventually criminally charged. It turns out that students had already raised concerns with the school before the incident that got these constructors arrested. Let me start there. Secretary schaefer. If colleges failed to report Public Safety issues like Sexual Assault, the department of education can find them under the cleary act, or even strip them of all federal funding. There are serious consequences for failure to report. So lets ask about dod accountability. If schools filter report, or stop this behavior in Jrotc Programs, does the dod have any mechanism for saying you no longer get to operate it Jrotc Program . A Jrotc Program . My understanding is that it is the responsibility of the schools to report. I know, and im asking when they fulfill that responsibility, is this where the department of education, the department of education actually has tools to use to safe you will pay consequences if you fail to report. Because we all understand nobody wants to report this stuff. And the school responsible doesnt want to report this. Is there anything in the army Jrotc Program that will tell a school if they fail to report there will be consequences . Im not aware, but i will look into it. Ill tell you take that as a know until you tell me otherwise. Thatll be a no. Senator warren, the memorandum of agreement between air force rotc and each school has specific requirements im asking about whether there are consequences if this quote keeps its mouth shut. If it consistently violates the agreement, then the school will be decertified as would any have you ever do decertified the school. I would have to look into that. But you have a mechanism. Very disturbing findings and Sexual Harassment. Theres something i want to uncover very quickly, and that is recent investigations have also found that dozens of schools have forced students to participate in the Jrotc Program against their will. Parents have to send a permission slip for a kid to go to the museum on a field trip. The notion that thousands of students are forced to participate in Jrotc Programs is just out of line with the programs values. Secretary schaefer, does the army force the jrotc to certify that their program only requires certified and consensual signups . So perhaps a way to certify that that is the case. Secretary parker, how does the navy feel about that . Senator warren, i think that is something we would be willing to consider. Secretary wagoner. Absolutely. We have an all laundry for us, we should havent all volunteer jrotc. We should all agree on that. If the military does not step up and prevent these kinds of abuses, then you endanger our ability to continue programs that build are forced of the future. This is your reputation on the line here, and i hope youll work with me to get procedures in place to make this program a safe program for all of our kids. Thank you. Senator scott, reiki members got. Ranking member scott. One thing you guys talked about in an earlier panel, anything on required under the ndaa, just make sure you let us know where you are in the process. You cant receive a lot of funding and then get questions about why you didnt do it. Let us know where you are, and anything that is required under the ndaa, that would be helpful. We just celebrated our first . Third birthday in the space force, a lot of people dont understand why the space force matters. What are you doing to raise the profile of the space force, introducing guardians to americas youth, and using the talent in the booming space industry . Regular member scott, im excited to talk about the United States space force, three using. The mission is incredibly important, it helps every day to protect not only our modern way of war, but our modern way of life. We are excited to continue to work with congress and develop a proposal to manage talent in the space force very differently than we have in the rest of the military departments. And you will be seeing a legislative proposal on that topic in order to allow us to access a different type of talent and to have a talent process where we were able to have a better permeability between fulltime and parttime guardians. And we can do that for two reasons. One, because of the small size of the space force, but also because of the ability to attract hightech stem talent. We are focused on Building Brand identity, because the American People dont understand what the space force is or what they do. And we are committing to spend 12 million on building that brand identity, but jiggly with influencers. The space force today is meeting its recording mission, but we are concerned about the future. Finally, in the era of declining propensity, we need to access a greater variety of talent, and as i set, manage them differently. In order to access that specialized stem talent, we need to take on new approaches and try new things, the space force is leading the way and i think to get to your question, folks who have the ability to look at the option of military service differently then maybe one would have looked in the past where its a full career today, being able to Talent Management say, im going to go take a couple years off to focus on making sure my kids get into college, or raising them at a certain time or to take care of the sick a sick parent are some of the things we are looking at to allow people to plan their careers differently and see themselves serving in a different way than we could have done before. Thank you. Signature schaefer, the army as you know has had trouble that shoveled recruiting and retaining. How does that impact the readiness of the army. Thank you for your question. This is sort of a three legged stool as we think about it. So we have a session of attrition and retention. And our attention is historically high right now. Which is wonderful. And i think that some mentioned it in the earlier panel someone mentioned it in the earlier panel, that once i get in the door they want to stay. We are really focused on addressing the civilianmilitary divide that we talked about. My sense is that it gets wider and deeper constantly. In the army there is sort of a historical piece to this as well, we have hardened a lot of our installations. Our biggest recruiting tool is somebody walking down the street uniform and talking to people about their experiences. And they just dont see that in the northern part of the country, or know somebody who in the military in general is in the military in general. That creates a huge knowledge as well as cultural gap. We need to fill that. Along with what secretary wegner mentioned, we arent looking up as i am bringing my lengths of this and thinking about all of the complaints that i have heard over the years from Service Members. And a lot of it is that its too hard to serve in many instances, thats what i keep hearing. Its modernizing these systems. We have a post industrial personal system. And its those annoying things, right. That people are sort of working through. And we want to make sure that we do not lose people because of those annoying things. So that we can bolster and keep that retention piece high. As we tried to bridge this gap, across the civilmilitary divide on the recruit side. Thank you. Chairwoman. Senator blumenthal, im promoting your today. You today. Senator blumenthal. Thank you. Secretary parker, i had a discussion with secretary cisneros, i dont know if youre in the room. But you know i asked about the failures on the uss washington in particular, Xavier Sandor. A connecticut family from elsewhere in the United States, there have others and others they committed suicide. Is there a report and when will it be released . Senator blumenthal, think you very much. I was present for your comments and i appreciate your concern and advocacy. 3 i am familiar with the report, that is to say a report from the investigation that pertains to quality of service, i believe this is the report you are referring to. And this looks at the quality of service, polity of life factors influencing the sailors who died by suicide during that. Period. I commit to you that i will go back and really push for this issuance of that report. I would like to see the report now. Meaning now. Why is that not possible . Senator, i have not seen the report personally myself either, but that is something i will take back and see. Its been almost a year after Xavier Sandor took his own life. I think that family has a right . . To see that report. What would you say to the family. Would you say to john sandor . s son committed suicide almost 11 months to the day. And the navy still has not given him the facts. Would you say to him . What would you say to him . Senator, i, i have no response that i could get to him that would be sufficient. My response would be i would show him the report and asking to come down and i am going to invite him to come down next week and i would like you to come to a meeting with me in my office and john sandor. Will you do that . I will. And i hope you bring the report. I will go back and, i commit to you i will, i will do my very best senator, but i will be in that meeting. Well. With all the respect, and i know this is not your decision, so im not blaming you, personally. But. Im a dad, two of my sons have served, one in the marine corps, another as an officer in afghanistan, and another navy seal. And if it were my son, i would be i would be pretty angry. So, i hope you can be there with the report. Senator, i look for to working with you on this issue. I will do my very best and i will be in that and even our civilian employees in the civilians who interact with our want to thank our witnesses for their service, i want to thank you for testifying today, i also want to thank jon clark, gary wheeling, andy scott, sean okeefe, katie magnus and brandon gavins for working to put together todays hearing. I value your contributions and i look forward to working with all of you. Todays hearing makes it clear that we still have a lot of work to do. To offer our Service First are extended military families and even our civilian employees in the civilians who interact with our military the very best. I look forward to working with Ranking Member scott as we go forward on bipartisan basis to do the very best for our people. Thank you all, this hearing is close. Closed