During his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly today, President Trump embraced a higher level of defense spending than his budget originally proposed. The President said, "And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense. Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been". That funding level is in line with the work done by the Hou... Read More »
Today, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) of the House Armed Services Committee made the following comments on the military accidents that took place this week: "Last week, I wrote in the Washington Post to warn of the further damage that a stopgap Continuing Resolution would do to our U.S. military and highlighted that this summer alone 42 service members died in accidents related to readiness challe... Read More »
Following a summer in which 42 service members died in accidents connected to a military readiness crisis, Congress voted to impose yet another continuing resolution on America's men and women in uniform. This is the ninth time in a row that the US Military will start the year with a CR. As Chairman Thornberry pointed out in the Washington Post , "CRs… present a stark risk. Continuing to govern fr... Read More »
WASHINGTON - House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring one (1) event the week of September 11 through 15:Tuesday, September 12, 2017"Securing the Peace After the Fall of ISIL"Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations(POSTPONED Ð 2212 Rayburn Ð OPEN)***The hearing will be rescheduled for a later date.*** Witnesses: Panel 1Kathryn Wheelb... Read More »
Yesterday, the House Armed Services Committee hosted a hearing to discuss the recent Naval accidents. The discussion also turned to the ongoing readiness issues the Navy faces, including reduced training, long deployments and continued budget uncertainty. Below are excerpts from some of the stories identifying critical readiness shortfalls: New York Times: Navy Ships Kept at Sea Despite Training a... Read More »
Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) of the House Armed Services Committee placed the following statement in the record, offering his reasons for voting against the Continuing Resolution:Mr. Speaker, I support providing immediate emergency assistance for those affected by recent natural disasters and was glad to vote for such a bill earlier this week. I believe that raising the debt limit for only three... Read More »
Washington Post - By Mac Thornberry September 7 at 4:24 PM This summer, the nation mourned the 42 service members who died in accidents related to readiness challenges across our military. The deaths of 17 sailors aboard the USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald, along with separate accidents claiming the lives of 19 Marines and six soldiers, grabbed the nation's attention. But words of sorrow do ... Read More »
Today, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's joint hearing titled "Navy Readiness – Underlying Problems Associated with the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain." For testimony and to watch the hearing click here. "I call this joint hearing of the subcommittees on Readines... Read More »
Today, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower & Projection Forces, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's joint hearing titled "Navy Readiness – Underlying Problems Associated with the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain." For testimony and to watch the hearing click here. "I want to welcome Admiral Moran, Rear ... Read More »
By Mackenzie Eaglen September 07, 2017 "With hurricane relief and the debt ceiling grabbing the headlines, it will be easy to overlook today's Congressional hearing on recent ship collisions in the Pacific Ocean. But policymakers should not. Troops are now more likely to die in "peacetime" incidents than active hostilities or combat. We should all be worried about that trend. Recent U.S. Navy ship... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring one (1) event the week of September 11 through 15: Tuesday, September 12, 2017 "Securing the Peace After the Fall of ISIL" Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations (2:00 PM – 2212 Rayburn – OPEN) Witnesses: Panel 1 Kathryn Wheelbarger Acting, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Se... Read More »
This summer, 42 service members died in accidents related to readiness challenges impacting the U.S. Military. Seventeen Sailors were killed aboard the USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald; separate accidents claimed the lives of 19 Marines and 6 Soldiers. These incidents are more warning lights that our military readiness crisis is deepening. Congress has a choice: repeat past mistakes and jeopardize mo... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring one (1) event the week of September 4 through 8: Thursday, September 7, 2017 "Navy Readiness – Underlying Problems Associated with the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain" Joint Hearing: Subcommittees on Seapower & Projection Forces and Readiness (2:00 PM – 2118 Rayburn – OPEN) Witnesses: Admi... Read More »
Today, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following remarks following the Pentagon's announcement on force level accounting and reporting procedures in Afghanistan:"I am pleased to see that as we prepare to execute a new strategy in Afghanistan, President Trump and Secretary Mattis have chosen to put the facts on the table. The Obama Administration did n... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring one (1) event the week of September 4 through 8: Thursday, September 7, 2017 "Navy Readiness – Underlying Problems Associated with the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain" Joint Hearing: Subcommittees on Seapower & Projection Forces and Readiness (2:00 PM – 2118 Rayburn – OPEN) Witnesses: VADM... Read More »
