Bartlett Opening Statement for Hearing on Army Aircraft Programs

Apr 22, 2009
Press Release

Contact: Josh Holly; 202.226.3988  

Bartlett Opening Statement for Hearing on Army Aircraft Programs  

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, today released the following prepared remarks for the subcommittee’s hearing on the U.S. Army’s aircraft programs: 

“Mr. Chairman, I want to thank our witnesses for being with us. We are very fortunate to have each of you serving our country, and we are very fortunate to have you here today. 

“We are here to talk about the Army’s aircraft programs.  This is a very critical subject matter and there are many important questions I know many of us on the committee have in regards to this subject.  Unfortunately we do not have a budget yet, and I understand our witnesses are prohibited from discussing anything in regards to the pending Fiscal Year 2010 budget request.  However, there are many things our witnesses can discuss, such as the conditions and performance of our current aircraft programs. 

“Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the incredible performance of our Army aviation soldiers and aircrews during the past seven years.  Army aviation has truly been ‘building the plane in flight’.  In the midst of a war in two very different theaters, the Army has completely transformed its aviation force structure; adapted to the enemy and the environment; and moved ahead in its modernization.  I would ask our Army witnesses to please take this message of congratulations and gratitude for their incredible performance back with you to the Pentagon and pass it on to our soldiers as you visit them whether here in the United States or abroad. 

“As we all saw in Iraq, the increase in IEDs not only resulted in the Department pursing more survivable vehicles such as the MRAP but also increased the demand on rotorcraft and ISR assets.  And this demand will certainly increase as we grow our presence in Afghanistan while continuing to maintain a significant force in Iraq for the foreseeable future.  Although I have many questions, there are two areas I hope to learn more about today. The first is in regards to Secretary Gate’s recent comments on adding funding to the training of army aviation pilots.  While I applaud any increase in funding that provides training for our pilots, it seems to me that the shortage of equipment on hand, such as helicopters, is a more immediate concern.  I realize we will have to discuss the details in our classified session, but in this unclassified session I would like to hear from our witnesses if they are more concerned about the availability of aircraft or the availability of trained pilots. 

“The second area I am interested in is in regards to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).  A lot has changed, technologically, since operations began seven years ago.  UAVs are one of our most promising new capabilities.  What have we learned from operations in theater in regards to how we utilize this nascent capability and what do you see in the future of UAVs?  What new ways are you exploring for how to deploy and use these platforms?”