dr. esper, there is no clearer illustration than our army remains at war in the combat of our loss of four nigerian officers last year. in 16 years of war, the army perhaps more than any other service has been tested repeatedly our soldiers have met the test and proved their commitment, courage skill, and determination. today, however, our army is facing a crisis. the burden imposed by our soldiers only grows as threats to our nation increase and see questions tags remains the law of the land sequestration. >> given current operational demands, restoring readiness must be the army first priority. me made progress in improving the brigades ready for deployment. but too many of our soldiers remain in brigade tsz that are currently nondeployable. and the army still does not plan to return to full spectrum readiness until 20021 at the earliest. meanwhile, the army is woefully behind on modernization. and our soldiers are increasingly unprepared to confront the harsh realities of 21st certainty warf

dr. esper,b i would be remiss if i did not reiterate the concerns of defense ministry sf filling out the leadership ranks at the department of defense. i want to be clear that my reservations throughout early consultations i had with the administration about potential nominees including yours, and a handful of others, it was then i decided i couldn't support further nominees with that background beyond those we had already discussed. i appreciate your commitment, not only to recuse yourself on matters related to the raytheon company but further not to accept or seek wavers to your recusal obligation. and i would like to submit your letter stating your commitment into the record woutd objection. let me thank our witnesses for their willingness to serve our nation at this challenging time. the length of my opening statement was directed, directly related to the importance of the task that you will be asked to undertake. senator reed. >> well, thank you very much, mr. chairman. let me join in welc

dr. esper,b i would be remiss if i did not reiterate the concerns of defense ministry sf filling out the leadership ranks at the department of defense. i want to be clear that my reservations throughout early consultations i had with the administration about potential nominees including yours, and a handful of others, it was then i decided i couldn't support further nominees with that background beyond those we had already discussed. i appreciate your commitment, not only to recuse yourself on matters related to the raytheon company but further not to accept or seek wavers to your recusal obligation. and i would like to submit your letter stating your commitment into the record woutd objection. let me thank our witnesses for their willingness to serve our nation at this challenging time. the length of my opening statement was directed, directly related to the importance of the task that you will be asked to undertake. senator reed. >> well, thank you very much, mr. chairman. let me join in welc

dr. esper, you have a wealth of experience as well as lyrics sensitive experience in the public and private sector. your unique perspective will allow you to tackle these challenges head-on and i look forward to hearing your views on these issues. mr. wilkie, if confirmed he will face many challenges including first and foremost that our military has adequate numbers of ready and trained servicemembers and sufficiently high character and talent and national defense objectives. this overarching organization or wires challenges. military personnel cost of continued to rise exceeding the increase to the overall defense budget even as the overall number of active-duty soldiers has dropped from over 2 million in 1998 to 1.3 million today. -- 1982 1.3 million today. despite an increased defense budget over that timeframe mr. wilkie your vast experience with congress should serve you well and in the fewer confirmed i look forward to working with you and tackling difficult issues and i know you will do

doctors esper from -- dr. esper from time to time there is frustration on this committee because of failures of major weapons systems. for example over the last 10 years or so we have wasted about $40 billion on programs like the future combat system command she attack helicopter the crusader howitzer joint tactical radio system and the distributed common ground system army. most recently the committee has learned of the failure of the warfighter information network tactical known as wind teeth. this program has cost the taxpayer over $6 billion and has yet to meet the requirements of our warfighters. the me just tell you now that is not acceptable. it's not acceptable for the taxpayers of america and is not acceptable to the members of this committee. we made several changes over the last couple of years in the defense authorization bill but we do not want any more of these failures. you lose credibility with the american people when they program has to be canceled and it cost the taxpayers over $6 billion. please

dr. esper's nomination and i ask my colleagues to do the same. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question occurs on the esper nomination. the yeas and nays are requested. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators who have is not voted? does any senator wish to change his or her vote? if not the vote is 89 in favor, 6 opposed. the esper nomination is confirmed. under the previous order all postcloture time is considered expired. the senator from mississippi. a senator: mr. president, i have six requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. wicker: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the votes following the first vote in this series be ten minutes in length. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. under the previous order, all postcloture time is considered expired. the questio