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1 (2015)

handle is hein.cbhear/fdsysagop0001 and id is 1 raw text is: AUT-ENTICATED US. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION GP DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 9:04 a.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Thad Cochran (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Cochran, Murkowski, Blunt, Daines, Moran, Durbin, Leahy, Tester, Udall, and Schatz. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE STATEMENT OF GENERAL FRANK J. GRASS, CHIEF, NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR THAD COCHRAN Senator COCHRAN. The Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations of the United States Senate will come to order. Our hearing this morning will review the budget request for the National Guard and Reserve for fiscal year 2016. We are very pleased to welcome the Chief of the National Guard, General Frank Grass; the Director of the Air National Guard, Lieu- tenant General Stanley Clarke; the Director of the Army National Guard, Major General Timothy Kadavy; Chief of the Army Reserve, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Talley; Chief of the Naval Reserve, Vice Admiral Robin Braun; Chief of the Air Force Reserve, Lieutenant General James Jackson; and Marine Forces Reserve Commander, Lieutenant General Richard Mills. The Guard and Reserve provide vital support to our homeland defense and Overseas Contingency Operations. They are integral in maintaining our national security interests. Since 2001, the Reserve components have evolved from a purely strategic force in Reserve to a strategic and operational Reserve. In this role, they maintain a high state of readiness in the event they are called to duty. Funding for the Guard and Reserve, which is contained within the budget request of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, to- tals $46.7 billion for fiscal year 2016. The request is $1.7 billion more than the current level of spending. Despite this modest in- crease, the future readiness of the Guard and Reserve remains in jeopardy. The uncertainty of the fiscal environment and the evolv- (1)