House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring seven (7) events the week of April16-20. Tuesday, April 17, 2018 "Promoting DoD's Culture of Innovation" Full Committee (10:00 AM - 2118 Rayburn - OPEN) Witnesses: The Honorable Michael D. Griffin Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Department of Defense Dr. Eric Schmidt Chai... Read More »
Military Times - By: Tara Copp - April 8, 2018 Read the entire piece here. In the last three weeks, six military aviation crashes have killed 16 pilots or crew — a tragic development that has cast a spotlight on a growing crisis: Accident rates have soared over the last five years for most of the military's manned warplanes. Through a six-month investigation, the Military Times found that accident... Read More »
TASK & PURPOSE: By PAUL SZOLDRA on April 5, 2018 Read the entire piece here. More U.S. military service members have died in aircraft mishaps over the past year than have died while serving in Afghanistan under the Operation Freedom's Sentinel mission. That terrible sentence makes me think there is a definite crisis in military aviation. It should give Pentagon leaders pause that a junior soldier ... Read More »
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee made the following statement after a tragic series of fatal aviation accidents in the US Military: "Like all Americans, I grieve over the loss of our men and women in uniform, and the tragic deaths of troops killed in aviation accidents over the past month is especially heartbreaking. What has been evident to me for some ti... Read More »
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee returned today from a seven-day trip to oversee US military operations in East Africa. Thornberry stopped in Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia; meeting with American service members, US military commanders, and local leaders including the Sudanese prime minister and the chief of staff of the Sudanese military. R... Read More »
Reps Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Adam Smith (D-WA), respectively Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee today unveiled the schedule for the Committee's consideration of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Known as a "markup" the Committee will follow its traditional process of open meetings to consider this essential national security legislation. The FY1... Read More »
Today, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), of the House Armed Services Committee, joined Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for a press conference on the Omnibus Package. The Speaker and the Chairman reiterated the importance of passing the Omnibus Package for our military. See some of his remarks below and watch the Chairman's comments here. "The consequence of the vote we are about to take is about real live ... Read More »
Today, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's hearing titled "Department of Defense (DoD) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Policy and Programs for Fiscal Year 2019." For testimony and to watch the hearing click here. "Welcome everyo... Read More »
Today, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's hearing titled "Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities." For testimony and to watch the hearing click here. "Welcome to our hearing on the 'Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request ... Read More »
America's Military Today: Over the past 8 years we have reduced the size of the Army, Guard, and Reserve by as much as 120,000 Soldiers and eliminated 15 brigade combat teams. Only 5 of 58 Brigade Combat Teams are "ready to fight tonight." Funding to upgrade outdated Army equipment has been cut in half during the last 8 years. What the Omnibus Can Do: Invest $22.1 billion to get our troops ready t... Read More »
America's Military Today: To fund other priorities with constrained budgets, the services have been diverting funds from facilities maintenance, a risky gamble that has accelerated the failure rate of our infrastructure. Estimates of the number of facilities that now meet the Pentagon's definition of "failing" have doubled in recent years. Our Armed Forces are struggling with crumbling and mold-ri... Read More »
America's Military Today: Serious readiness shortfalls, including insufficient time or resources to train Sailors or maintain ships, contributed to the fatal accidents aboard the USS Fitzgerald and USS McCain last summer. In some cases, Sailors have been working over 100 hours a week to keep up with training requirements and current operations. Navy ships and submarines remain in port unable to sa... Read More »
America's Military Today: Our Air Force is smaller than it has ever been, with the average age of Air Force aircraft over 27 years old. The Air Force is 2,000 pilots short. The pilots we do have are flying fewer hours than their predecessors in the 1970s when the service was considered "hollow." Less than half of the Navy's aircraft can fly due to maintenance and spare parts issues. Approximately ... Read More »
Tonight, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following remarks on the recently introduced Omnibus Appropriations Package: "For too long, Washington has asked our troops to do more with less, sending them into harm's way without the training and equipment they need to defend themselves and the country. We have added mission after mission while we cut thei... Read More »
Today, Chairman Thornberry (R-TX), of the House Armed Services Committee talked with Fox News about why the Omnibus is important for the military. Read some of his comments below and watch the interview here: Is the Omnibus enough for Defense? "It is not enough to fix our problems, but its probably the right amount to be spent this year..." "This bill begins the rebuilding process. Unfortunately i... Read More »
