they have seen the effectiveness. i can only say to you because you know it so well by visiting your members of the national guard, as you all do and the support we've had over decades from our two services. what i worry about most is will the title ten world find a way to include world war ii, find a way to maintain a balance to keep the national guard. how do we keep this low cost, high impact force of citizens, soldiers and airmen in our case

in the game to keep the investment in our competency at a level that the nation nay need and sustain as a hedge for future operations. this investment has been a wise investment. and this deserves to have a national guard that's trained, equipped and well led. because there will be challenges in the futures. i can't thank you enough for helping to make us who we are toda today. >> you're not going no be ignored. none of you. i applaud all three of you.

>> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to ask about the proposal to move the squadron to richardson. right now this proposal looks like it will have an impact on the 168th air refueling wing. to the extent that an operation that is currently a 24-hour a day operation, 365 days a week, that with this proposal, it may result in operations being diminished to effectively a 12-hour day, five days a week. not necessarily bankers hours.

but certainly not the kind of hours that will be required, that are required for this incredible intensive refueling wing up there. general schwartz keeps reminding me of the significance and the fact that we have 23 million gallons of gas up there. it's pretty important to the overall mission. how would this proposal, which would effectively reduce the operations there, how will this impact the guards' mission there. >> senator, i've asked the same question. you know. when you stop and think about the importance of that refueling wing, the strategic location and

think about the other activity. you can recognize the role that it plays in the air control alert mission for afghanistan. if the f-16s are moved and the level of support goes down will there be sufficient contingency to continue functioning as it does now? a lot of the dollar bills required for my air national guard unit there are not in my budget. i don't get to make that call. i have ensured there will remain sufficient funds and sufficient services to keep the 168th playing the vital role that it does. the decision to whether to go from a 24-hour alert that they're currently onto something less than that is a call that is

left to a general in consultation with norad ennorth com. i can't get into the operational decisions. but my concern would be that we have in the future as competent and capable wing as we do right no now. >> let me rephrase it. if, in fact, you did have to go to a reduced hours operation, 12 hours, could you do the mission that you believe you're required to do there in the arctic? in the north pacific? >> again, the mission requirements are set by the war fighters. if they were to make that conclusion, we could do that. that's a judgment call that will

need to be made by the combat commander that will take into consideration the additional risk that not having that unit on alert for 12 hours a day might pose to the aca mission. >> let me ask you another, then. the 168th we recognize as operating at its capacity. they reported having to dwe clean certain missions within the 24-hour a day period that they're operating now. the 168th has asked for additional aircraft and an active association they've been doing so for several years now. can you give me the status of any of these kwgs? part of the release to congress evolved from what we call the fca, forced composition analysis. not just kc-46s, but kc-135s,

and kc-10s. one of the recommendations that came out of the study was as we go guard in the refueling enterprise that all of the units transition to either active associations and in the case of the 168th where the guard or reserve would play the supporting role. i think the future looks good for an active association. the question will be the timing. would it bring additional airplanes or maintainers to help robust the capabilities of the wing with the existing eight airplanes. those are questions yet to be answered. >> and no, no time line within which to that we mipgt expect

those answers? >> no time line that i'm aware of. other than a push to active association associations. >> let me ask you about the 323s. last year they proposed the elimination with the belief that they would replace that capability. they're now proposed to go away. are we reconsidering the future of the c-23s? >> the army has taken the funding away. the intent is to stop those by 2014. to my knowledge there's no reconsideration of that. what i'm told is there's a wide number of generals that feel

that the c-23 is important to the domestic missions. air force is looking at the c-130s to fill that mission. are you satisfied that that the mission can be served with the c-130? basically, this the right thing to be doing? i feel like it's a concern that should be addressed. i'm not sure it's been adequately addressed. for the domestic mission. i know army the took the air force position that they will support inner theater air lift. which is the mission that the c-23 and the c-27 airframe were

designed to do. >> any ideas on how we can address domestic air lift? >> north come is in a recent discussion, the commander of the north command. he views looking at the homeland as a theater of operations. and i think his perspective will be very important in determining requirements for all ohm land defense or homeland operations the homeland being one of those parameters. >> mr. chairman, thank you. >> thank you very much. >> gentlemen, i thank you for your testimony early this morning and i thank you to our service to our nation. do you have further questions? >> no, mr. chairman.

i have no further questions. i want to thank you for the leadership you're providing for armed forces. thank you very much. >> i will be submitted questioning. i ask for your response. and now the committee asked the generals to come forward. present your testimony. >> i thank you for joining us this morning. your full statements will be placed on the record. shall we start? with general admiral devink? >> chairman, thank you for the

privilege to speak with you about the capabilities, capacity and readiness of our 63,988 men and women serving in the military today. . the hours exemplify the values of honor, courage and commitment. as our mottos claim, we are ready now. any time, anywhere. the chief naval operations established three tenants for the navy. war fighting first, operate forward, and be ready. . they provide both full and part time operational capabilities and importantly, also provide

strategic depth for maritime missions to ensure the navy is always ready to respond globally, while maintaining efficiency across the spectrum of operations. this will allow the navy to assign missions reserved from peace to war. while we'll first have the opportunity to budget for such use in fiscal year 2014, i want you to know how important the efforts were to the future force, while having the opportunity to do so. i'm also appreciative of your support for the navy unique fleet. they want us to be more cost effective and flexible, and thus

more relevant well into the future. our 2013 budget request will enable the navy reserve to continue supporting current operations while maximizing the strategic value of the navy reserve, a value for the readiness, innovation, agility and accessibility. the true prize for the sailors and the navy alike will be the real and meaningful work as part of america's navy of global force for good. as an example of this work, the navy reservists once again assumed 100% of the navy's commitment to the overseas contingency operation for fiscal year 2013 and beyond. i believe we must be asked, and even required to do those missions we are able to do. so the active component can focus on the missions they must do. this is my fourth and final year appearing before your committee. i'm proud of the accomplishments

of our sailors and the navy. on behalf of our sailors and the families and civilians thank you for the commitment to our navy reserv reserve. >> mr. chairman, senator cochran, first of all, it's an honor to be here. thank you for the support you continue to give our soldiers and our nation. on behalf of the 205,000 soldiers in the army reserve that are serving the nation. what i refer to as a national treasure. and i think what epitomizes what the soldiers are all about is the young soldier i brought with me today. so instead of being eloquent in an opening statement and everything. i wanted to introduce him to you. seated to my left is sergeant daniel burgess and his wife

janette. he is up from the cleveland area. belongs to a psychological operations unit up there. last year he was in afghanistan, and he was in southern afghanistan attached to the marines. while doing that, he himself stepped on an ied. he lost his leg. severe wounds to the rest of his body. the first thing janette said when she contacted him is i'm not getting out. i'm staying in. today he is down in ft. houston at the warrior training brigade rehabbing so he can get back in

force. we have to make sure we're doing everything in our power in an area where we are looking to save money and reduce debt, but we cannot afford to shortchange the great soldiers. and as the admiral said, they are indispensable. our army can't do what it does without them. i use him as a symbol of why i'm here. and i look forward to your questions, sir. >> thank you to your service to our nation. we're very proud of you. please be recognized.

>> and also your wife. [ applause ] i'll call upon the marine general. >> thank you very much, chairman inouye. vice chairman cochran, and members of the committee. it's an honor and privilege to speak with you here today on behalf of your united states marine corps reserve. mr. chairman, we welcome your leadership and support. the sub committee's continued unwaivering support for marine corp. reserve and the associated programs enables marines and sailors to professionally to

perform in a capacity greatly presented. with me today are my two senior listeded a viruss and leaders. sergeant james e. booker and command master chief eric e.kuzan. these gentlemen e pet miz the navy marine corps team and proudly represent our services enlisted marines and sailors who collectively form the backbone of marine forces reserve. the marine corps is as strong today as ever in the 236-year history. the marines have been doing what they have done best since 1775. standing shoulder to shoulder, to fight our nation's battles. i'm pleased to report to you today that today's marine corps attends to the commitments at a

total force. it's integrated into all areas since never before. since 2001 the great nation required the marine corps to be continuously engaged in combat operations in iraq and afghanistan, as well as in regional security cooperation and crisis prevention activities in support of various geographical combatant commanders. almost 80,000 reservists have been activated and mobilized since september 11th. this has been unprecedented in the generations of marine corps reservists. they evolve from a strategic cold war reserve to an operational force, capable of filling both roles. both the strategic and the operational role.

in the operational role the marine sources has formed routine combatant commander and service requirements across a variety of military operations. marine forces reserve continues to perform its strategic role with combatant commander exercise involvement, and focused readiness that enables a rapid transition to operational roles or support to major contingency operations. as i sit here today, we have almost 1500 marines and sailors deployed on five continents in support of six geographic combatant commanders, which includes conducting combat operations in afghanistan to theater security activities by special marine air ground task force in eastern africa. as they reshape to a force of

180-1. the depth and range will be able to mitigate risk and maximize opportunities where available. they are appropriate for providing us with personnel required to support the total force during active component builddown. accordingly, these are essential tools in achieving 100% of our strength and continued use of the programs is critically important as we rebalance the total force. . it's a privilege to serve in these important times, especially as a leader of our all volunteer reserve component force. with your continued support, i'm highly confident that your marine corps reserve will remain a ready, relevant and responsive force that continues to be fully vested in the total force marine

corps. thank you for your demonstrated support, for the reservists, the families and their employers, and from your marines, chairman inouye and distinguished members of the committee. i look forward to your questions. >> thank you very much, general. >> thank you for the opportunity to appear here before you today. i would like to introduce my newest command chief and have her stand, please. chief master sergeant kathleen buckner. i strongly believe we're an operational component of the total force because of the capability, kpas capacity and accessibility as a title ten reforce. we are seamlessly integrated into every service corps

function across the full spectrum of operations. they are responsive to security needs and an effective, efficient and affordable component of your air force. our air force reserve personnel, most of whom come to us from the active force average seven years of additional experience over the counter parts and our capability rates reflects that every day. without a doubt the reserve is able to maintain the vast investment in human capital and maintain a hedge against unanticipated requirements. the reserve has experience in over 20 years of continuous operational engagement in both combat and humanitarian missions, and we balanced this tempo while maintaining our nation's critical strategic surge capability. our air force reserve succeeds

as being operationally engaged and prepared due to the focus on maintaining the right balance. and our air force resourcing prior tos should be flexed such. the president and secretary of defense are clear about the need for reversability of resources. the air force reserve is a leverage to make this happen. they will be there when called, prepared paired, trained and equipped. we are forecasted to reduce by 900 personnel. however, that figure is just the proposed fy-13 president's budget and is the tip of the iceberg.

the loss are in specialties still essential to the total force an aircraft maintainer with 17 years of experience cannot become a cyber warrior with 17 years of experience overnight. the air force is losing the capability of 5,000 to 6,000 experienced and trained personnel. the alternative to these losses once again is to focus on the correct balance to adjust all three components mix to maintain crucial capacity. globally fielded in small numbers and highly responsive. there should be a more ro bust reserve component as a projection force.

we can support the president's reversability plan, contribute to the nation's economic recovery and ensure the security of our nation and its interest. mr. chairman, members of the committee, senator cochran, i am honored to have served the last four years as chief of the air force reserve and commander of the air force reserve command. i appreciate this committee' enduring support of our airmen and stand ready for your questions. thank you. >> thank you very much. during your tenure as chief of the army reserve, you were called upon to transform from strategic to operational. can you give us an update on where you are at this moment. how do you think the operational reserve can be used in afghanistan. >> yes, sir.

>> coming into this job six years ago, which i planned to stay for four, that was really the task at hand. how to transfer to an operational footing and put them on a rotational basis. and do that while trying to fight a war on two fronts. i can report to you today, sir. that that has been a success. during iaf and oaf, we have mobilized over 200,000 of our soldiers and put them into support missions both in iraq, afghanistan and here at home. we kept on active duty soldiers

every day since the inception. those soldiers are doing critical missions. i say our force is indespensable because we are what we call the enablers for the army. the engineers, the medical structure, the logistics, transportation, military policemen, all those kind of capabilities that the army over time has shifted more and more into the reserve component. as an example, today if you look at the trchgs capability as we're looking to produce a footprint in afghanistan. the transportation to get soldiers and get equipment out of there is critical. 85% of the capability for the army rests in the guard and reserve. 70% of the medical capability rest fls the guard and reserve. civil affairs and psychological operations rest in the reserve. so the army can't do what ty