WASHINGTON- Rep. Joe Wilson (SC), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, made the following opening statement as prepared for delivery at the Subcommittee Markup of H.R. 4435, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.
All Subcommittee Marks can be found on the Committee Repository; the committee is no longer providing paper copies of Marks. Additionally, a live video feed of the markup can be seen on theCommittee website.
"The Chairman’s mark in front of you is the product of an open, bi-partisan process.
The mark provides our war fighters, veterans and their families the care and support they need, deserve, and have earned. Specifically, this year's proposal:
• Continues to refine the Department of Defense Sexual Assault and Response program while at the same time actively monitoring the Department’s implementation of the significant reforms enacted by Congress over the past two years. In particular, the mark requires performance evaluations for commanding officers to include assessments of the command climate emphasizing how reports of sexual assault are treated by the commander and how victims who have reported crimes are treated by the members of their unit.
"In addition, the mark would:
• Authorize an extension of a wide array of bonuses, special and incentive pays for our men and women in uniform.
• Would require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a review, utilizing the services of an independent organization experienced in grocery retail analysis, of the defense commissary system and reverse some of the cuts in the budget to the commissary system.
• Expresses the Sense of Congress that the United States has a responsibility to continue to search for missing or captured members of the Armed Forces while transitioning from combat operations in Afghanistan.
• Standardize the collection, reporting and assessment of suicide data involving members of the Armed Forces and their family members, including Reserve Components, and provide enhanced tracking of suicide data within the Department of Defense. Additionally, the mark requires a review of Department of Defense efforts regarding suicide prevention among members of the Special Operations Forces and their family members.
• Although this mark supports the Department of Defense request for annual end strength reductions due to fiscal realities, as I have made clear in the past, I have serious reservations about the end strength and force structure reduction plans for our military. America remains at war today and will continue at some level of persistent conflict globally with a ruthless and committed enemy for the foreseeable future. An enemy encouraged by outlaw rogue regimes. We must not forget the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"This mark does not include the Department’s request for military retirees to pay more for health care. Additionally, this mark does not include a fundamental change to the TRICARE benefit. Congress established the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission and we need to be informed of their analysis before proceeding with wide impacting changes. This mark does not include the requested reduction in the basic allowance for housing that would require a 6% out of pocket expense for housing for all service members.
"In conclusion, I want to thank Mrs. Davis and her staff for their contributions to the mark and support in this process. Of course, we are joined by an active, informed, and dedicated group of subcommittee members. Their recommendations and priorities are clearly reflected in this mark.
Additionally, I appreciate the dedication of the Subcommittee staff: Jeanette James, Debra Wada, Craig Greene, Dave Giachetti, Colin Bosse and our two academic fellows; Dr. Ellen Johnson and Matt Vanderschuere."