U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak) Holds a Hearing On Fiscal Year 2007 National Guard and Reserve Appropriations

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U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak) Holds a Hearing On Fiscal Year 2007 National Guard and Reserve Appropriations

(CORRECTED COPY: CORRECTS BOND SPEAKER IDS AND CORRECTIONS THROUGHOUT)

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS: SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFENSE HOLDS A HEARING ON FISCAL YEAR 2007 NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE APPROPRIATIONS

APRIL 26, 2006

SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR TED STEVENS (R-AK) CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR THAD COCHRAN (R-MS) U.S. SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA) U.S. SENATOR PETE V. DOMENICI (R-NM) U.S. SENATOR CHRISTOPHER (KIT) BOND (R-MO) U.S. SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY) U.S. SENATOR RICHARD C. SHELBY (R-AL) U.S. SENATOR JUDD GREGG (R-NH) U.S. SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R-TX) U.S. SENATOR CONRAD BURNS (R-MT)

U.S. SENATOR DANIEL K. INOUYE (D-HI) RANKING MEMBER U.S. SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD (D-WV) U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT) U.S. SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA) U.S. SENATOR BYRON DORGAN (D-ND) U.S. SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL) U.S. SENATOR HARRY REID (D-NV) U.S. SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA) U.S. SENATOR BARBARA MIKULSKI (D-MD)

WITNESSES: LIEUTENANT GENERAL H. STEVEN BLUM, CHIEF, U.S. NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU

LIEUTENANT GENERAL CLYDE VAUGHN, DIRECTOR, U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

MAJOR GENERAL CHARLES ICKES II, ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES R. HELMLY, CHIEF, U.S. ARMY RESERVE

VICE ADMIRAL JOHN G. COTTON, CHIEF, U.S. NAVAL RESERVE

LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN W. BERGMAN, COMMANDER, U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE

LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN A. BRADLEY, CHIEF, U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE

[*] STEVENS: Good morning and welcome to all of you. Sorry to be a little late.

We want to welcome you to today's hearing on National Guard and Reserve programs.

There are two panels scheduled today. First, we want to hear from the National Guard leadership, and then from the leaders of the four Reserve forces. This first panel consists of Lieutenant General Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau; Lieutenant General Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard; and Major General Charles Ickes, acting director of the Air National Guard.

We thank you very much for coming, for your service. And we do welcome General Vaughn and General Ickes for our first hearing before this subcommittee. We're pleased to have you here.

And we know that in the past year our Guard and Reserves have continued to provide support for the active duty forces overseas. The total force is a reality now. There's no question about it.

In addition to augmenting the military effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Reserves has also stepped up to meet challenges, such as securing our homeland, responding to national disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina.

You've had several sizable missions to fulfill and have accomplished all of them with a great deal of success. And we thank all of your citizen soldiers for their dedication and sacrifices at home and abroad.

We want to hear about several challenges we're told that face our Guard and Reserves, including the continued deployments, modernization of equipment and recruiting and retention of personnel.

We'd like to have you discuss the future plans to remain relevant and ready to support our total domestic security.

We look forward to hearing from each of you how the fiscal year 2007 budget request will help you address these issues.

Let me yield to my good friend the co-chairman from Hawaii.

Senator Inouye?

INOUYE: I thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to join you in welcoming our witnesses.

The utilization and dependency on our Reserve forces and our Guards have changed very dramatically. Now, you're all over the world. There's an unprecedented demand for the Reserves. Today your forces are spread around the globe and serving here at home by the thousands.

And has this committee has noted, in past hearings, your troops have responded magnificently.

The integration of reserve forces by combatant commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq have been seamless. The bravery is impressive.

Again, we congratulate you for having your forces prepared for the challenges they are now facing.

But as I say this, I know that the challenges facing us are many and growing. For example, many states are concerned about the plans the Army has to reorganize several Guard units.

We are aware of the concerns that our returning Reservists may have difficulty being retained. We know about your shortfalls of equipment for those returning from service overseas.

We understand that some Reserve units have been called to deploy overseas more than one since ...

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