Hearing of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Vicky Hartzler, Hearing on the FY22 budget request for fixed-wing tactical and training aircraft programs

Hearing

U.S. Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the FY22 budget request for fixed-wing tactical and training aircraft programs.

Rep. Hartzler's remarks as prepared for delivery:

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

I want to thank each of the witnesses for their dedicated service to this Nation, for your support to our service men and women and each of their families, and for being here to provide testimony on the budget request for fixed-wing tactical and training aircraft modernization programs.

Recognizing the hard decisions and challenges imposed on all of you by the President's proposed budget topline, I look forward to working together to determine what is the right balance to prioritize and fund both current tactical readiness and modernization investments required for future capabilities.

It is critical that our tactical fighter aircraft force is capable of keeping pace, deterring, and if necessary, defeating a peer threat in both the near- and long-term. I commend each military service for your initiative and plans to modernize and improve the future capability and lethality of your fighter aircraft fleets. And I look forward to the discussion with our witnesses today about these modernization programs and how each military service proposes to restructure or "right-size" its fighter aircraft fleet to meet the needs of the future.

I also expect our witnesses to lay out the steps they are taking to ensure that our current and existing tactical aircraft fleets remain the most lethal and capable in the world, ready to fly and fight today because while I agree that modernization and the development of newer capabilities are critical for our future defense posture, I believe it is equally important to ensure that our fighter aircraft and the pilots that fly them are capable and ready to deter our adversaries in the near-term as well.

From a strategic and operational risk management perspective, I expect the witnesses to address how their future modernization, procurement, and fleet restructuring plans are impacting the current readiness and sustainment of existing tactical aircraft capabilities.

I have consistently expressed my concern that the Navy's decision to end procurement of the F/A-18 Super Hornet beginning in Fiscal Year 2022 creates too much operational risk in the near term given the Navy's current shortfall of 49 aircraft.

I want a full assessment from today's military witnesses of the risks, specifically in terms of potential aircraft shortfalls, gaps in capabilities, industrial base impacts, and future costs, each of the military services is accepting within its existing tactical air programs in order to develop and buy the fighter aircraft fleets of the future.

This information is critical for myself and members of this subcommittee as we review the military services' plans for divestments, decreasing fleet sizes, squadron relocations, and significant unfunded priority requests, and make decisions for this year's National Defense Authorization Act.

I thank the Chairman for organizing this important hearing and yield back.

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