Press Releases

Today, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's joint hearing titled "The Current State of U.S. Transportation Command."

"I am pleased to welcome members of the Seapower and Projection Forces and Readiness subcommittees to our hearing today, for an unclassified session on "The Current State of U.S. Transportation Command". I would especially like to thank Congressman Rob Wittman, Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and Congressman Joe Courtney, Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee for joining me here today in our effort to better understand this topic.

This hearing follows a series of hearings and briefings highlighting the individual readiness challenges of each military service, which further confirmed that our services are indeed in a readiness crisis.

The cornerstone of the U.S. military is its service members. Underpinning their success is the ability for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to go where they are needed and to have fully-operational equipment ready to be used.

While I firmly believe that the United States military remains the world's best, I am concerned about shortfalls in readiness and the trend lines that we see. U.S. Transportation Command enables our military to deliver an immediate and powerful force against U.S. adversaries anywhere on the globe through airlift, air refueling, and our strategic sealift. As members of these subcommittees know, U.S. Transportation Command will always answer the nation's call, but there are challenges that demand our attention today to ensure the readiness of our military.

I reiterate my belief that the first responsibility of the federal government is to provide for the security of its citizens, to accomplish for citizens that which they cannot do for themselves; therefore, it is our responsibility as members of these subcommittees to continue to better understand the readiness and force structure situation of the United States Transportation Command, to understand where we continue to take risks, and to understand where more attention is needed."