U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Lead Republican of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening statement at a hearing to examine Department of Defense policies, programs, and activities in the Indo-Pacific region in advance of the fiscal year 2023 budget request.
Lead Republican Rogers' remarks as prepared:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you to our witnesses for being here today.
The conflict between the Chinese Communist Party and American democracy will be one of the greatest tests this nation has ever faced.
A modernized military, well-armed allies, and a lethal Taiwan are essential to countering China.
But we also need operational concepts that are executable.
Over the past year, Members of this Committee have asked questions about INDOPACOM's ability to carry out its operational requirements.
To date, we've gotten few answers to serious questions about contested logistics.
Few answers on accelerating new infrastructure.
And few answers on delivering new technology to the battlefield. To make matters worse, the Secretary announced Monday his intention to close the massive Red Hill fuel depot within a year.
Red Hill has serious problems.
But the Secretary closed Red Hill without laying out the resources need to replace that capability.
That's extremely short sighted.
The response from the Department has been the same: The answer's just one policy announcement away.
That's unacceptable.
What I would like to hear from each of you today is exactly how you will employ new operational concepts…
Field new systems…
And ensure logistics support at new operating locations throughout the Indo-Pacific.
But most importantly, I want to know how you intend to do that in the next five years.
We all know that China is not going to give us 10 or 20 years to prepare for conflict.
We simply cannot procrastinate further.
The issues like Red Hill present an opportunity to modernize beyond a World War 2 logistics model.
But I'm deeply worried about the cycle of indecision and procrastination at the Pentagon.
And getting this important work done in the timeframe that we have to act.
This Committee has tried to provide the Department the capabilities it needs to deter China and ensure we prevail if conflict arises.
But we can't move with purpose if the Department can't define its requirements.
We have tried to nail those down in the PDI.
Congress created the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to highlight and expedite the most essential capabilities.
But the Pentagon kneecapped the PDI process last year with poor guidance and unclear plans.
I hope DOD can rectify that in this year's budget submission.
On top of all of this, we've tasked General LaCamera (Lah Camera) with holding off the North Koreans.
In any other year, North Korea's repeated missile tests would be front page news.
General, it just so happens you've picked a pretty busy time to start your job.
The South Koreans are essential allies and deepening our defense cooperation with them makes us all safer.
We want to know what you need to secure the Korean peninsula in the coming decade.
This Committee is ready to make bold investments in our defense.
