Today, Rep. Joseph Heck (R-NV), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "Transition Assistance Program – A Unity of Effort:"
"I welcome everyone to this hearing where our focus is the collaboration between the Department of Defense and private organizations to assist service members who are transitioning to civilian life.
We are all aware that the Army and the Marine Corps have begun downsizing, with the plan to reduce 40,000 soldiers and 2,000 Marines by 2018. Undoubtedly, such cuts put strain on our service members and their families. These reductions in end strengths represent additional service members that will be asked to leave the military on top of the over 165,000 service members that separate every year. We owe these transitioning service members and their families a robust system that prepares them for life after the military. We want to make sure they can continue to make the same caliber of contribution to society once they take their uniforms off that they made to our Nation’s security while in uniform.
Today’s hearing continues our commitment to ensuring that the Transition Assistance Program meets the needs of transitioning service members, not only though a through a whole of government approach, but also by partnering with organizations who share our commitment to help service members successfully transition from military service. I am interested to hear from our first panel how they connect with individuals who are leaving the military and what services they offer to assist. I am also interested to hear from DOD and the military services how they include organizations, such as those represented here today, in the Transition Assistance Program.
In response to the increasing need to help prepare individuals for post-service opportunities such as employment, higher education or entrepreneurial endeavors, Congress and DOD have continually worked to improve the Transition Assistance Program. I am interested to hear from our DOD and military service witnesses whether the recent changes have produced the desired results. For example, in your view, are service members transitioning today better prepared for post-service life as compared to those transitioning five years ago?
With that, I want to welcome our witnesses and I look forward to their testimony."
