Next, defense secretary james mattis and general paul seldom the before the armed Senate Armed Services community. Secretary mattis stressed the need for Stable Funding for the military to be fully trained and ready. This is a 90 minute portion of the hearing before members went to the closed session. The committee will come to order. The Committee Meets today to hear testimony on the nationalations Defense Strategy and Nuclear Posture review. We welcome back the secretary of defense and vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to discuss these important documents. I cannot count the number of times i have heard members of this Committee Talk about the importance of having a Defense Strategy to help guide decisions the executive branch have to make. Now we have one. It is a component of the Broader National Security strategy released in december, and it has within it the Nuclear Posture review, the first of its kind since 2010. A lot has changed since 2010. And both documents come at a critical time. As the National Security strategy points out, americas military remains the strongest in the world. However, u. S. Advantages are shrinking as rival states modernize and build up their conventional and nuclear forces. There will undoubtedly be criticism of both documents. Some of it will be based on valid shortcomings, some may spring from more ideological differences. Debates about the particulars are fair and to be expected. Think, toalso fair, i commend the administration for bringing structure and rationality to our National Security efforts, in what is a dangerous and volatile world. One last point. We must never forget that with any strategy, the heart of our Nations Defense, our most valuable asset remains the people who serve. It is morally wrong to send brave men and women out on missions under any strategy in which they are not trained for the best this country can provide. That support should not be conditioned on any other issue, and we cannot forget there is a real human cost to failing to fully support them. Strategy is important, but nothing is more important for congress than for us to do our job, to support the men and women who protect us, fully and unconditionally. Yield to the ranking member. Thank you mr. Chairman. Thank you secretary mattis and general, i appreciate you both being here. I appreciate that you put out the National Security strategy, obviously a crucial important step in figuring out how we put together our budget. And also have the department of defense does its job how the department of defense does its job. I will start by agreeing with the last point the chairman made, whatever we do in our military, this is what we expect you to do. It is our paramount obligation to make sure that we fund that. To make sure that we dont have a situation where we give them so many tasks, but not enough resources to train for them. That is the definition of a hollow force, when we send them into battle unprepared for what we told them to do. Unfortunately due to budgetary challenges in the last six and seven years, that has happened far too often. We have lurched from continuing resolution to Government Shutdown to continuing resolution its very difficult , for both of you and your predecessors to plan what you are going to do when you dont know how much money you are going to have one week to the next. I think that is a very significant problem, so i appreciate the strategies put together. My biggest concern is, does it match the likely resources we will have to fund it . We are 21 trillion in debt and counting. The deficit laughter was close to 700 billion and its going up, not down. So how do we make this fit . How does this work . You look at the broader picture. And we just cut taxes. We cut them by what is going to amount to 2 trillion. We will hit the debt ceiling sooner than we expected to, because less revenue is coming into the treasury. So in the face of the 21 trillion debt, and all of the needs the chairman outlined, and your strategy lays it out. And all of us in this committee are aware of the list. It is sort of up on the wall over there. Those are the threats we face. How do we meet them . In the face of all of that, we decided to give away 2 trillion. I could make the argument that in so doing, the congress made a Public Policy decision that we will not fund the government at levels that we should. We decided not to fund it and then ok, there are other places we can get the money. The president said he is not for mandatory spending at all. The state of the Union Address promised more money than i could have ever imagined. As a side note i think we ought , to ban the state of the Union Address. I say this for republicans and democrats alike. The main thing that it does is executive thethe chance to go up there and promise things that are impossible to deliver, and the American Public comes to expect it like magic, and is surprised when it does not happen. Every state of the Union Address i have seen, i have walked out of there thinking, we dont have that money, what is he talking about . I worry greatly about how the strategy will be implemented in the face of our debt and deficits. If Interest Rates go up, we have been incredibly lucky we have been able to borrow this money on the cheap. If Interest Rates go up to 3 , you can forget about this stuff. I dont blame that on the Defense Budget. I understand it is aps of it, it is 17 of the budget, the a piece of it, it is 17 of the budget, but our overall budget picture doesnt add up. I worry that ultimately will cost the men and women we serve, cost them to carry out the missions we all hear that we need. Last thing i want to hear we have the list china, russia, north korea, iran, violent extremist groups how can we protect our country . I just want to make a couple of quick comments on that. There is a Common Thread between all of those threats. That is a threat to representative democracy, freedom, and capitalism. All of those groups want to make the country safe for autocratic dictatorships. Each one of them has a slightly different viewpoint on what that dictatorship should look like, but it is a fundamental threat to democracy and representative government. I think we have to understand in that context and push back comprehensively to try and create a world that is safe for freedom and democracy. I think that is critical in keeping a peaceful and prosperous world. Lastly, i am interested from hearing from you. We hear a lot from the military about what you dont have, about where we are not spending enough money, the threats we are not meeting. If we get to where we need to go, where can we save money . What part of our National Security strategy can we not spend money on . If we dont hear places where we can save money, there is no way we we can spend what we need to meet it. I think your leadership and under ash carter and the chairman has gotten at procurement reform, employing commercial technology, ideas that can enable us to get more for less money. That is never going to be more important than it is going forward, given the fiscal situation we are in, and given the environment as described. How do we meet that . We have to be smarter about how we spend our money. With that, i yield and look forward to your testimony. The committee is pleased to welcome the secretary of defense and device chairman of the joint chiefs of staff the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Gentlemen, thank you for being here. Secretary, you are recognized for any comments you like to make. Sec. Mattis thank you distinguished members of the committee. Im here at your invitation to testify on two subjects, the 2018 national Defense Strategy, and Nuclear Posture review. I am joined by the vice chairman joint chiefs of staff. In the midst of our ongoing counterterrorism campaigns, my role is to keep the peace for one more year, one more day, giving secretary tillerson and diplomats time to resolve crises through diplomatic channels. The department of defense does this by providing the commanderinchief with military options that ensure diplomats negotiate from a position of strength. Up front, i will visit our nations First SecurityAssistance Brigade in georgia, as they prepare to deploy to afghanistan. To advance the security of our nation, these troops are putting themselves in harms way, and in effect signing a blank check payable to the American People with their lives. They do this regardless of congress obligation to provide Stable Funding. Our military has been operating under debilitating continuing resolutions for over 1000 days over the past decade. These men and women hold the line for america while lacking this most fundamental congressional support, a predictable budget. Congress rightfully mandated this national Defense Strategy, then shut down the government the day of its release. Today we are again operating under a disruptive continuing resolution. It is not lost on me that as a as i testify before you this morning, we are again on the verge of Government Shutdown, or at best, another damaging continuing resolution. I regret that without sustained predictable appropriations, my presence here today wastes your time, because no strategy can survive without the funding necessary to resource it. Yet we all know that america can afford survival. Nations as different as china and russia have chosen to be strategic competitors. They seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models, and pursue veto power over other nations economic, diplomatic, and security decisions. Rogue regimes like north korea and iran persist in taking outlaw actions that undermine and threaten regional and global stability. Violent extremist organizations continue to sow hatred and murder innocents. Across the globe, democracies are taking notice. We recognize Great Power Competition is once again a reality. We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorism by, with, and through our allies. But in our new Defense Strategy, Great Power Competition is now the primary focus of u. S. National security. Our military remains capable, but our Competitive Edge has eroded in every domain of warfare. Air, land, sea, cyber, and space. Under frequent continuing resolution and sequestered budget caps, our advantages continue to shrink. The combination of rapidly changing technology, the negative impact on military readiness resulting from the longest continuous stretch of combat in our nations history, and insufficient funding have created an overstretched and under resourced military. During last weeks state of the Union Address, President Trump said weakness is the surest path to conflict. For those who might suggest that we should accept a yearlong continuing resolution, it would mean a disastrous sequestration funding level for the military. In a world of change and increasing threats, there is no room for complacency. History shows that no country has a preordained right to victory on the battlefield. President Trumps National framed within President Trumps National Security strategy and align with the departments of state, our 2018 national Defense Strategy provides clear direction for americas military. A longterm competition requires the seamless integration of multiple elements of National Power diplomacy, information, economics, law enforcement, and military. The departments principal priorities are longterm strategic competitions with china and russia. Given the magnitude of the threats they pose to u. S. Security and prosperity today, Congress Must commit to an increased sustained investment in capabilities. Currently the department will the department, will sustain its efforts to deter and counter rogue regimes, and consolidate our gains in iraq and afghanistan while moving toward a more resources sustainable approach. More than any other nation, america can expand the competitive space. We can challenge our competitors where we possess advantages. We can restore a competitive military edge. Our first line of effort emphasizes that everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military. In war, an enemy will attack a perceived weakness. Therefore we cannot adopt a single preclusive form of warfare. Rather we must be able to fight across the spectrum of combat. This means the size and composition of our force matters. The nation must field a sufficient capable force to deter conflict. If deterrence fails, we must win. To defend our way of life, our military will embrace change while holding fast to proven attributes that make us the most Formidable Force on any battlefield. Those who would threaten americas experiment in democracy must know, if you threaten us, it will be your longest and worst day. To implement this strategy, we ,ill invest in key capabilities recognizing that we cannot expect success fighting tomorrows conflicts with yesterdays strategies. Driven by this strategy, next week you will see in our fy19 budget investments the following space and cyber, Missile Defense, advanced autonomous systems, and professional military education to provide our high quality troops what they need to win. We will prioritize rebuilding readiness while modernizing our existing force. We will also be changing our forces posture to prioritize readiness for war fighting in major combat, making us strategically predictable for our allies and unpredictable for any adversary. To second line of effort is strengthen alliances while building new partnerships. Histories clear that nations with allies thrive. We inherited this approach from the greatest generation, and it has served the United States well for 70 years. Working by, with, and through allies, who have carried their fair share, as a source of strength. Since the costly victory in world war ii, americans have carried a disproportionate share of the Global Defense burden while others recovered. Today, the growing economic strength of partners has enabled them to step up. As demonstrated by more than 70 nations and International Organizations participating in the defeat places campaign, and defeat isis campaign and in the 40some nations standing in natos mission in afghanistan. Nato allies are increasing their budgets, giving credence to the value of democracy standing together. Our third line of effort serves as the foundation for our militarys Competitive Edge. Reforming the Business Practices of the department to provide consultancy and security, and security,lvency and and thereby gaining full benefit from every dollar spent. Every day we will earn the trust of congress and the American People. We must be good stewards of the tax dollars entrusted to us. We will deliver our departments full financial audit this year. Because results and accountability matter. Historyt audit in dods will reveal how we can be better stewards. The culture is transitioning to a culture of performance and affordability that operates at the speed of relevance. We will prioritize speed of delivery, continuous adaptation, and frequent modular upgrades. With your critical support, we will shed outdated processes while adopting american industrys best practices. If current structures inhibit our pursuit of lethality, i i expect my Service Secretaries heads tose agency consolidate, eliminate, and restructure to achieve the mission. One of the key elements of the 2018 national Defense Strategy is to ensure americas military provides a safe, secure, and Effective Nuclear deterrent. Last january, President Trump directed a Nuclear Posture review to ensure the u. S. Nuclear deterrent is robust, modern, flexible, resilient, ready, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st century threats and reassure allies. I recently received a letter from senators concerned that the 2018 Nuclear Posture review would undermine the existential threat posed by Nuclear Weapons. To the contrary, the Nuclear Posture review reaffirms the mutually reinforcing role of a complexterrence in security environment, while underscoring the u. S. Commitment to nonproliferation to Counter Terrorism and arms control. Specifically, the review reflects the department of defenses priority to maintain a safe and Effective Nuclear deterrent that will successfully deter nuclear and nonnuclear strategic attacks, ass