Opening Statements

Today, Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021:

"I thank the Chairwoman and my fellow subcommittee members for their dedication and hard work that went into this mark, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. I also want to thank the Chairwoman for working with me to include the provisions of the family readiness standalone bill introduced by Ranking Member Thornberry and me earlier this spring.

"I am pleased that the subcommittee mark we are considering, builds upon many of the important reforms this Committee has dedicated itself to in previous NDAAs. The mark includes vital provisions that support our war fighters, military families, and retirees and gives them the care and support they need, deserve, and have earned.

"Specifically, this year's proposal continues to rebuild and grow the armed forces, including increases in end-strength for the Army, Navy, and for the first time the Space Force; and there is also a requirement for a detailed report on the force structure plan of the Space Force. This proposal also includes an extension of special pay and bonuses for service members in high demand fields, and supports a military basic pay raise by 3%.

"The mark continues the committee's dedicated work in support of the military family. The mark requires the Department of Defense to redefine military family readiness and military family resiliency as well as implement a strategy to better communicate with military families; and develop a bi-annual survey that measures the effectiveness of the Department's programs in areas like education, spousal employment, and military healthcare.

"The mark requires the standardization of the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) to include the process for identifying and enrolling participants, enhances the respite care benefit, establishes outcome measures, and improves the screening process for the evaluation of duty stations that can support EFMP enrollees. It also improves the PCS process so that as soon as notification of orders are provided, an EFMP coordinator will begin working with a family on their needs at their new installation and begin coordinating specialty appointments through TRICARE.

"The proposal requires the Department to provide specific, actionable information on the amount of funding needed to hire and retain behavioral health professionals for active duty and all other TRICARE beneficiaries. The proposal also requires an action plan on the use of telehealth for behavioral health and other similar medical disciplines.

"Another important section in the proposal is a study that would require the Department of Defense to examine the feasibility of authorizing a spouse to contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan account of their service member spouse. If feasible this may be very helpful to many military families.

"The proposed mark requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a military-civilian task force on domestic violence with experts from within the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as civilian experts. It also requires the Department to collect information on the prevalence of domestic violence involving members of the Armed Forces, their intimate partners, and immediate family members.

"The proposal also includes several provisions addressing the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped virtually all parts of the military and society. It requires the Department to ensure that the Armed Forces have the diagnostic equipment, testing capabilities, and personal protective equipment necessary to protect service members from the threat of infectious diseases and to treat members who contract infectious diseases. It also requires the National Security Strategy to include the provision of drugs, biologics, vaccines, and other critical medical equipment to ensure combat readiness and the safeguarding of the health of the Armed Forces. The proposal also requires a report on the critical vulnerabilities in the medicine supply chain of the United States.

"Finally, the proposed mark would continue to build on critical reforms in previous NDAAs including: refining sexual assault prevention and response programs; providing additional oversight of the Military Health System to include prohibiting further realignment of military medical end strength until a review of medical manpower requirements includes homeland defense missions and pandemic influenza; and the proposal limits the realignment of certain Military Treatment Facilities until further information is considered on the impact on beneficiaries and the capacity of local health care networks.

"In conclusion, I want to thank Chairwoman Speier and my colleagues on the subcommittee for their considerable work on this mark and I yield back."