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 hearing on the findings and recommendations of the Ft. Hood Independent Review Committee:
"Thank you, Chairwoman Speier, and thank you to our panelists for coming in today and sharing their findings and recommendations with us. I look forward to a productive discussion today because the tragedies at Fort Hood over the past year, and some of the other issues raised in the press and from when I travelled to Fort Hood, like crime rates in general, housing issues, crushing optempo, and poor quality of life, especially for our families, are very personal problems for me. I have been in the Army for over 34 years, and while I know that when we throw up our hand and volunteer to serve, mission accomplishment is. . . and has to be . . .the number one goal for every commander and soldier. But we get there by making people, service members and their families, our number one priority. . . Not the motor pool, not the training calendar, not the training center rotation. When people are prioritized, and the right balance is put in place, those other requirements become much easier to complete and they are completed more effectively.
"I think there have been some obvious breakdowns not only at Fort Hood, but likely across the services as requirements compound and optempo becomes all consuming – and it only takes a little loss of focus by leaders for problems to spiral out of control – for units, soldiers and families. There will be some accountability resulting from the various investigations and reviews completed at Fort Hood – and accountability is important – but what I am most interested in is looking forward - making sure change is institutionalized where change is needed. . .and using what we've learned at Fort Hood as a case study for all leaders, starting with the Secretary of Defense down to the squad and team leader, so that systems are in place for ensuring servicemembers and their families are given the priority they deserve.
"Trust is paramount for any military unit or organization. If soldiers and families feel like leaders don't care about their well-being – keeping them safe from sexual assault and harassment or crime in general, or making sure that all are treated with dignity and respect then trust is gone, and combat effectiveness is depleted. We simply cannot tolerate a culture that does not recognize people as the number one priority.
"Your testimony today is very much appreciated. Thank you again to our panelists and thanks again to you Chairwoman Speier for calling this hearing. With that, I yield back."
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