MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEES WILL MEET TO BEGIN THE CONFERENCE PROCESS The conferees for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018 will meet tomorrow to formally begin the conference process. Known as the "pass the gavel" meeting, the event is the first formal meeting of NDAA conferees, who work together to resolve differences between the defen... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee National Guard Modernization THE PROBLEM: The National Guard often operates with older model equipment. Specifically, the Guard flies some of the oldest model of Black Hawk helicopters in the inventory. In recent months, these Guard air crews have been... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee The Few, The Proud, The Ready?THE PROBLEM: According to the Orange County Register, "the number of ground and aviation mishaps per 100,000 Marines this year is 10.49, up about 60 percent from 2014. Now, concerned Pentagon officials are looking to possi... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services CommitteeSpace-Based Missile WarningTHE PROBLEM: The Space-Based Infrared Warning System (SBIRS), a constellation of satellites run by the Air Force, is a pillar of our Nation's ability to gather intelligence on, identify, and track missile launches around the g... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Flying The Wings Off The A-10 THE PROBLEM: The A-10 is a workhorse in the fight against ISIS, so much so that we are literally flying the wings off them. Without a contract to produce replacement A-10 wings, the Air Force may be forced into retiring s... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Army Strong? THE PROBLEM: One of the great challenges to Army readiness is that we simply don't have enough Soldiers to train, prepare to deploy, and meet operational demands. That is one reason that only 5 of 58 brigade combat teams are "ready to fig... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Cyber Warfare Capabilities THE PROBLEM: Cyber defenses, resiliency, and cyber warfare capabilities are essential to defend America. Our enemies have demonstrated an increasing ability to use cyber to attack America, our allies, and our interests. Chin... Read More »
Orange County Register - By: Erika I. Ritchie - October 14, 2017 ...Tagen Schmidt was among 14 Marines and a sailor burned – with several incurring critical injuries – when their amphibious assault vehicle burst into flames last month following an explosion during a pre-deployment training exercise in hilly terrain and dry brush between two gun ranges. ...The accident is the most recent in a rash ... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Nuclear Labs Crumbling THE PROBLEM: As CNN reported last year, the infrastructure within the Department of Energy (DOE) that provides nuclear weapons to our military is decrepit and falling apart, with a $3.7 billion backlog in deferred maintenance an... Read More »
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) released the following statement on the Trump Administration's Iran strategy: "The President's announcement today rightly focuses on the full range of deadly threats from the Iranian regime. Our relationship with Iran should not be defined by one flawed nuclear... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee KEEPING MARINES SAFE IN THE AIR THE PROBLEM: General Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it best when he used the aviation community as an example of how lack of training and equipment is damaging the force: "I would give you an examp... Read More »
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, recognized the following members of the Committee who have been named by House Leadership to serve on the House-Senate Conference committee to resolve the differences in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act: The following Members of the House Armed Services C... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee "Outranged, Outgunned, and Outdated"THE PROBLEM: Budget cuts and continuing resolutions since 2008 have cut the Army's ability by over 70% to replace old, worn out equipment with modern platforms that can compete with competitors like Russia and China.... Read More »
"Every day we live under a continuing resolution is a day we do damage to our military." - Mac Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Missile Defense THE PROBLEM: Over 28,500 service members and 250,000 Americans in total live in South Korea. General Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, said yesterday "It is no secret that North Korea is quickly developing intercontinental ballistic m... Read More »
