U.S. Representative Michael Waltz (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the state of U.S. Transportation Command and options to provide sealift, airlift and ground distribution in times of conflict.
Rep. Waltz's remarks as prepared for delivery:
With the Indo-Pacific as our priority theater, the tyranny of distance will strain the platforms, people, materiel, and fuel laydown that support the mobility enterprise and we certainly face struggles on all fronts.
With the closure of Red Hill, we were forced to examine our fuel laydown in the Indo-Pacific and across all other COCOM Areas of Responsibility. Congress designated TRANSCOM as the DOD executive agent for bulk fuel management and will serve an important role in moving that fuel forward to support strategic operations.
Moving that fuel for air operations is a strategic capability that cannot be neglected. Replacing aging airlift and air refueling platforms is complicated and we must ensure availability of legacy platforms until their replacements reach full operational capability. For that reason, Congress has established statutory minimums for both the airlift and air refueling fleets to ensure we have needed capacity.
Our MARAD and Military Sealift Command fleets are also in a similar state. Recapitalization of our sealift fleet that we will rely on to carry ground platforms and materiel into theater is a pressing issue. Crewing these vessels is also of great concern. We have a significant shortage of credentialed mariners that, combined with poor vessel state, have resulted in less than impressive readiness rates during recent exercises.
We will also rely on this same pool of credentialed mariners to crew commercial vessels in the Maritime Security Program and the Tanker Security Program. We have a tough road ahead and I look forward to hearing how MARAD plans to administer these important programs and bolster the number of credentialed mariners.
I would also like to highlight an important issue for our service members. TRANSCOM administers the Defense Personal Property Program that moves and stores service members' household goods during change of station moves. I remain concerned about a single point of failure in the new Global Household Goods contract and emphasize that oversight from both TRANSCOM and Congress will be an important part of implementation.
In closing, our ability to execute logistical functions in a contested environment will define our ability to succeed in any future strategic competition. We must get this right and ensure that we can move, sustain, and fuel U.S. forces to meet any scenario. With that I look forward to hearing whether the FY24 budget request meets that task and I yield to the Ranking Member.
