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1 (2014)

handle is hein.cbhear/fdsysabuc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: AUT-ENTICATED U.S. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION GP DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 10:02 a.m., in room SD-106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Richard J. Durbin (chairman) pre- siding. Present: Senators Durbin, Leahy, Murray, Shelby, Collins, and Murkowski. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN M. McHUGH, SECRETARY OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR RICHARD J. DURBIN Senator DURBIN. The subcommittee meets this morning to re- ceive testimony on the fiscal year 2015 request for the United States Army. I am pleased to welcome the Secretary of the Army, John McHugh; the Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond Odierno, thank you; the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Frank Grass; the Chief of the Army Reserve, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Talley; and the Acting Director of the Army National Guard, Major General Judd Lyons. Thanks for being here. The fiscal year 2015 President's budget request includes $119 bil- lion for the Army that falls under the Defense Subcommittee's ju- risdiction. The budget request does not include funding for Over- seas Contingency Operations, known as OCO. That's a big concern. Until we receive the President's plan for support in Afghanistan post-2014, it's really difficult if not impossible to appropriate proper levels of funding to support our warfighters. To comply with the budget caps specified in the Budget Control Act (BCA), the Army is facing an estimated $170 billion in budget reductions over the next 10 years on top of sequestration, which forced the Army to cut an additional $37 billion in fiscal year 2013. How to achieve these savings is a familiar story. Each military service is forced to find a balance between end strength, readiness and modernization. The Army is reducing end strength as rapidly as possible in order to rebuild readiness. But to do this, you must accept greater risk in modernization programs. Your fiscal year (1)