Hearing of the Seapower Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee - Opening Statement of Sen. Wicker, Hearing on Hearing to Receive Testimony on Marine Corps Ground Modernization in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2019 and the Future Years Defense Program

Hearing

Good afternoon. The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower convenes this afternoon to examine Marine Corps ground modernization initiatives.

This afternoon, our subcommittee welcomes two distinguished witnesses: Secretary of the Navy for Expeditionary Programs and Logistics Management, and Lieutenant General Robert Walsh,

Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

Gentlemen, thank you very much for your attendance today, and for your decades of service.

Mr. Smith, I understand you are testifying before this subcommittee for the first time. Mr. Smith:
Senator Wicker: Mr. Jimmy Smith, Deputy Assistant Is that correct? That is absolutely correct, Senator. Well, we welcome you all the more, and we are eager to hear what you have to say.

As the military's force in readiness, the Marine Corps has unique crisis response roles and missions.
The new National Defense Strategy, globally deployed marine units will continue to serve as front-line forces postured against potential adversaries.

Priorities, it does not change the Marine Corps' role as the military's tip of the spear. Learn about the state of marine ground forces and the According to Although the NDS sets new Today, this subcommittee will efforts underway to restore readiness and modernize these forces.

Strategy is shaping the Marine Corps' perspective on readiness, operations, and modernization for ground forces. I look forward to hearing how the National Defense Since the NDS release, Marine Corps leadership has discussed the current and future challenges faced by amphibious forces.

Cyber weapons, drones, electronic warfare, mines, and highly capable air and missile threats all greatly complicate Sophisticated sensor arrays, space and amphibious operations and power projection from the sea.
The Marine Operating Concept 2025 offers warfighting concepts such as sea control, littoral operations on a contested -- in a contested environment, and expeditionary advanced base operations to help the marines meet many of these challenges.

I hope our witnesses will explain how the fiscal year 2019 budget request translates strategic direction and operational concepts into the rapid development and acquisition of capabilities.

Many Marine Corps modernization programs have suffered from a drawn-out -- from drawn-out development timelines, shifting and unrealistic requirements, and cost overruns.

These factors have frequently conspired to prevent the fielding of replacements for aging systems, leaving our marines short of critical capabilities. Years of budget instability have increased the damage, and that's on us, sitting around this table.

Year budget agreement provides a window of stability and operation for the Marine Corps. Confident that the Marine Corps can develop and field more lethal and agile ground forces to prevail in the high-end fight.

However, the recently passed - This subcommittee is This afternoon, our subcommittee will examine five key areas relating to Marine Corps ground programs:

First, long-range precision fires. The subcommittee is eager to hear about efforts to field longer-range rocket artillery and missile systems and -- that can do a better job of targeting adversary combat formations and supporting naval maneuvers.

Corps will activate a second High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, HIMARS, Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, this year. And we've got some Army people in the room today, and we appreciate their service also.
Work collaboratively to address shortfalls in their tube and rocket artillery and surface-to-surface missile systems.

In support of this effort, the Marine The Army faces similar lethality and range gaps. We expect both services to
Secondly, mobile short-range air defense. U.S. ground forces have not experienced enemy attacks since the Korean War. Aircraft, rockets, artillery, and missiles pose an However, I am concerned that manned and unmanned increasing danger to marine units and installations worldwide.

Capability since the early '90s. Explain ongoing efforts to rectify this shortfall. Understand that the Army also faces many of the same challenges.

The Marine Corps has not updated its air defense Our witnesses should As with long-range precision fires, this subcommittee believes that the two services should work together to meet similar requirements.

Although the Army and Marines seem to be collaborating on short-range systems, fielding a medium- range system is a more challenging issue.

To ask why that is. Understanding of the Marine Corps' requirements and plans to deploy longer-range air defense capabilities. So, we might want The subcommittee would like a better Next, close combat lethality.
Secretary Mattisrecently established a Pentagonwide task force to improve the lethality, survivability, and resiliency of close combat formations.

Have prioritized readiness recovery efforts on aviation units, to the relative detriment of close-combat units.
We'll ask about that. I've heard concerns that the Marine Corps may So, The subcommittee believes that the Marine Corps must make a balanced readiness and modernization effort across aviation and ground programs.

From today's witnesses about Marine investments in its core We look forward to hearing infantry formations.

And next, very shallow water mine countermeasures. Historically, mines have created serious difficulties for maritime forces, particularly amphibious units. Adversaries, such as North Korea and Iran, may employ large numbers of mines to deny access to strategic waterways and approaches.

Airborne platforms have countermine capabilities, but they are focused on operations in deeper water, away from shore. Potential The Navy's littoral combat ship and several The Marine Corps needs to counter -- needs countermine capability from ship to shore, including in very shallow water and on the shore.

Corps recently agreed to produce joint countermine doctrine, our witnesses should address how the Marines will deal with mine threats on shore and in regions with very shallow water.

Given that the Navy and Marine And finally, combat vehicle obsolescence. Our subcommittee would like to discuss the state of major Marine Corps ground combat vehicles.

First entered service in the mid-1980s; the amphibious assault vehicle, in the late '70s; and the Abrams tank entered service in the early '90s. More modern combat vehicles.

The light armored vehicle The Marines clearly need The subcommittee is interested in the Marine Corps' plan to modernize, replace, and upgrade its legacy ground platforms. Requires all of the services to adjust to revised security priorities.

Guidance will require the Marines to make difficult decision, especially concerning ground programs.

The recently released National Defense Strategy The Marine Corps is no exception. The new The emerging security environment presents significant challenges to the ways in which the Marine Corps has traditionally operated.

Subcommittee and the Marine Corps continue to work closely It is imperative that the together to ensure the success of its ground program modernization initiatives. I, once again, thank you for your service to the
country and for appearing today.

And I'm delighted to recognize my teammate and Ranking Member, Senator Hirono.

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