Hearing of the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee - Aviation Readiness

Hearing

Good morning, and thank you all for being here today to discuss a topic that is instrumental to the success of our military operations: aviation readiness. Over these last several months, we've heard testimony from each of the service branches about what needs to be done to overcome our significant readiness challenges. A critical part of that testimony has dealt with the negative impacts that aircraft shortages, maintenance issues, and lack of adequate hangar space continue to have, not only on our overall readiness levels, but also on our military aviators.

In separate hearings about Naval infrastructure readiness, both Admiral Mary Jackson and General Azzano testified about aircraft hangar fire suppression systems that were unusable and inadvertently activated. At the Air Force hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, the instability of those systems ultimately rendered the entire hangar unusable for nearly 3 months. The impacted portion of the hangar--17% of the hangar space--remains unusable. The Marine Corps and Army face similar facility challenges.

The service branches also face real obstacles when it comes to the retention and training of flight and maintenance crews. Aging aircraft and prolonged maintenance times, not to mention the operational demands of the fight against terrorism, mean that aviators and other personnel are dealing with more danger and fewer training opportunities. Regrettably, the rash of recent military aircraft crashes has highlighted the human and other costs of dwindling aviation readiness.

We owe our warfighters every protection and precaution available, and I look forward, today, to hearing from each of our service branches about aviation readiness, readiness recovery, impacts to safety, and whether and where we can continue to take risks.

With that, I welcome all of you and the distinguished panel of senior aviators before us.

We have with us:

* Lieutenant General Jon M. Davis, USMC
Deputy Commandant for Aviation
* Lieutenant General Kevin W. Mangum, USA
Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
* Major General Scott D. West, USAF
Director of Current Operations
* Rear Admiral Michael C. Manazir, USN
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems

Gentlemen, thank you for your presence and your testimony today. I look forward to hearing your insights about readiness challenges to military aviation.

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