Calvert Remarks At FY25 Budget Hearing For The United States Army (As Prepared)

The Subcommittee will come to order.

Today, the Subcommittee will receive testimony on the posture of the United States Army.

First, I would like to welcome our two witnesses: Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, and General Randy George, the Chief of Staff of the Army.

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to your testimony.

The U.S. Army provides our nation with the best fighting force in the world. We face a variety of threats from across the globe which require a well-trained and well-equipped Army. As new threats evolve, it is imperative that we prioritize investments that not only contribute to current readiness, but also provide us with a decisive advantage on any future battlefield.

I am pleased to see your ongoing efforts to improve force posture in INDOPACOM. The over 70,000 soldiers serving in the region, your work with our regional Allies and partners, and investments in critical munitions will help secure greater operational access to the region, and provide a much needed deterrence posture. I look forward to discussing more about how your fiscal year 2025 budget request invests in the INDOPACOM theater.

We are keenly aware of the need to modernize the Army of today to address great power competition in the future, and appreciate that this process began several years ago. I think you’ll agree that this Subcommittee worked with you to balance supporting your strategy while ensuring that successful, ongoing programs continue to receive an appropriate level of resources.

However, I am seeing a disturbing trend in the success rate of your modernization programs, particularly the Army’s big dollar investments. I’m thinking of $2 billion for a helicopter program that has now been canceled, $3 billion for a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon that has not had a successful test flight and is well past its fielding date, and $1 billion for a long-range artillery cannon that was recently canceled due to engineering challenges. That’s $6 billion invested into three major programs, and no operational capability. Imagine the number of 155mm rounds or other critical munitions we could have bought with that funding.

I support innovation and modernization, but I’d like to have a higher level of confidence that the Army is investing their limited budget appropriately. I am hoping you can tell us how you are scoping modernization to identify non-feasible programs earlier, and working to incorporate successful technologies more rapidly.

Threats from unmanned aerial systems are increasing, and the technology for these systems is also maturing at a rapid rate. We have watched this evolve during the past two years in Ukraine, and have unfortunately suffered the consequences of not addressing the threats of this technology as we continue to mourn the three U.S. soldiers who were killed in January at Tower 22.

That is why I am a supporter of efforts to rapidly prototype and field UAS and counter-UAS technologies. Initiatives like the Deputy Secretary’s Replicator program are a step in the right direction. I understand that the Army is already leaning forward by investing in these capabilities, and I am interested in learning more about your initiatives today.

Modernized capabilities are only as good as the soldiers operating them. I was pleased to see that your fiscal year 2025 request includes significant funding for new and modernized barracks, as well as sustainment costs to ensure our soldiers have improved living conditions. I am interested in hearing about these efforts, including receiving assurances from you that you are addressing important quality of life programs for all our soldiers worldwide. The Army continues to face recruiting challenges, and I would like to hear about your efforts to address this issue.

Finally, I am pleased to see your recent investments in production lines to boost monthly deliveries of key munitions. The Army has overseen a significant transfer of equipment to Ukraine, and I applaud your efforts. However, I continue to be concerned about our domestic stockpiles and, therefore, our readiness rates. I hope you will discuss today how your fiscal year 2025 budget will improve the production of munitions and address any shortfalls that we may have in inventory.