“The subcommittee will come to order.  This afternoon the Readiness Subcommittee meets to mark up H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

 “I would like to thank my ranking member, Mr. Forbes from Virginia, for his and his staff’s help in preparing this mark.  I also would like to express my appreciation to the Readiness Subcommittee staff for all their work on this bill.

   “Before you are the bill and report language related to areas of this subcommittee’s jurisdiction within Titles 3, 10, 11, 14, 21 through 29, and 34.  Our proposed legislation for H.R. 2647 addresses military readiness, training, depot maintenance, civilian personnel, military construction, energy security, and environmental issues that affect the Department of Defense.  This mark authorizes $120 billion for operation and maintenance and $23 billion for military construction.

 “The committee commends the Department for applying additional resources to the readiness accounts in fiscal year 2010, but overall readiness remains tenuous.  Further attention will be needed in subsequent fiscal years to return U.S. forces to full-spectrum preparedness.

“By relying upon Overseas Contingency Operations funding to achieve air, ground, and sea training at levels required to maintain military standards, the fiscal year 2010 budget request essentially leaves full-spectrum training at a steady state.
 
 “After more than seven years of continuous combat operations, skills not required for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have atrophied and will take time to restore once the troops are allowed sufficient dwell time. 

“Readiness will improve in the out years only with intensive management and resourcing as the services require funding to reset equipment and retrain their forces.  The committee strongly urges the Secretary of Defense to use every available authority to accelerate restoration of a strong readiness posture to reduce risk as soon as possible.

“Our concerns regarding how the continuing high level of operational tempo in Iraq and Afghanistan are affecting the individual services’ readiness are described in detail in the report accompanying this bill.

“To address some of these concerns, in this mark we have added $418 million to the operation and maintenance accounts.  These increases include $195 million for Navy aviation depot maintenance and $200 million to eliminate the deferred maintenance requirement for active and reserve Navy ships.

“Both of these areas were identified by the Chief of Naval Operations as the Navy’s top unfunded requirements in fiscal year 2010.  The mark takes several actions related to energy and environmental policy for installations and for military operations.  Regarding installations, it authorizes $90 million for energy conservation projects and it encourages use of renewable energy and hybrid and electric vehicles.

“The mark also renews legislation authorizing the Department of Defense to conduct integrated natural resource management plans, an important tool for environmental management on military installations.  Regarding operations, the mark addresses fuel demand management at forward-deployed locations, a topic addressed by our subcommittee at a hearing earlier this year.

“The subcommittee continues to be concerned about benefits provided to DOD civilians who are deployed to combat zones.  The mark includes a one-year extension of the authorization to allow premium pay for civilians deployed to Central Command. 

“It also would extend, to civilians who are sent to Pakistan to work on stability, security and reconstruction teams, the same benefits that are provided to State Department employees and DOD employees serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In order to facilitate the insourcing initiative announced by Secretary of Defense Gates, the mark includes a provision that would eliminate headquarters personnel caps in order to hire acquisition personnel, or personnel necessary to perform inherently governmental functions, or to maintain sufficient organic and technical expertise.

“And, this mark includes provisions aimed at further refining the A-76 public-private competition process.  The mark includes report language addressing DOD’s National Security Personnel System, or NSPS.  In response to a letter from Chairman Skelton and myself, Secretary Gates halted further conversions into NSPS and he established a special taskforce to conduct a thorough review of NSPS that will provide recommendations for changes and improvements to the Department’s personnel management system.

“Turning to military construction, base realignment and closure, and family housing, the mark authorizes $23 billion for fiscal year 2010.

“The mark includes several provisions related to Guam.  The committee received testimony from the Department that highlighted several issues associated with the realignment of Marine Corps forces from Okinawa to Guam.  The provisions that have been included provide the framework to ensure that we are building the right facilities, at the right time, with the right oversight.  The subcommittee remains steadfast to completing the 2005 BRAC round on time, by September 2011, and has fully funded the administration’s request. 

“I am dismayed that military facilities continue to decline.  The Department has indicated that full sustainment investment is the best method to maintain our facilities but has not requested funds to best manage our facilities.

“In order to address this, the committee has included an additional $322 million to achieve sustainment of facilities at 95% of the requirement.  Furthermore, the committee has added $450 million to improve the quality of training barracks in the Army. 
 
“The chair now will recognize the ranking member, Mr. Forbes, for any remarks he would like to make.”