00:00Thank you very much, and it seems that Senator Tuberville is next.
00:09Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, gentlemen.
00:12Mr. Tell, I enjoyed visiting my office recently about Alabama's inland waterways.
00:19Last year, we had three of our locks fail in one year.
00:24That's unacceptable.
00:25Our waterways infrastructure is operating past and is expected lifespan and will continue to break.
00:34We're having huge problems.
00:36Businesses depend upon our waterways to move goods all the way down to the Port of Mobile.
00:40What's your plan to cut bureaucratic red tape and rapidly repair critical infrastructure across the system?
00:46Even though we just passed a couple years ago, trillions of dollars worth of infrastructure money, we didn't see any of that.
00:53Senator Tuberville, thank you for the question.
00:55As someone who grew up on the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa County, one of your waterways, I understand their importance.
01:02They deliver American commerce to the globe.
01:06It's true in Alabama, and it's true throughout the country.
01:09It's unacceptable that our infrastructure is not meeting our current demands.
01:14We have got to work across government agencies to make sure we remove red tape, coordinate, communicate with you stakeholders here in Congress who have the ability to help deliver some of these projects.
01:24And I look forward to working with you on the locks and other navigation and flood control infrastructure within Alabama.
01:32We do have a lot of red tape within the Corps of Engineers.
01:34I'll let you know that.
01:36And look forward to working with you on all of that.
01:39We've got to get stuff done.
01:40We just can't sit back.
01:41Thank you, Senator.
01:42Couldn't agree more.
01:44Mr. Anderson, thank you for your service.
01:48As career officer in the Air Force, I'm sure you've had your share of both good and bad base facilities, housing units, commissaries.
01:59You know, I believe that what happens outside of work is just as important as work itself, quality of life, family, stability, and all those things that go along with it.
02:07Do you believe that having a lower quality of life leads to decreased morale, readiness, and retention?
02:13Absolutely, Senator.
02:14And how do you plan on working with your colleagues and Air Force staff to address all these issues?
02:20Because we do have problems.
02:22Senator, you are correct.
02:24The, if confirmed, I intend to delve into this issue immediately.
02:29My intention is to remain at the headquarters for a period of time in order to come up to speed on these issues and then to get into the field, if confirmed, and to see these things firsthand.
02:41I've read about them, and I look forward, if confirmed, by this committee, working with you and with all members of the committee in addressing these.
02:50You know, last week, Secretary Hitson signed a memorandum requiring our service academies to adapt admission standards based solely on merit.
03:00Thank God.
03:01You know, as I'm not only a member, recently a president put me on the Air Force Academy board, which I'm looking forward to.
03:10I'm also chairman of the subcommittee that oversees our academies.
03:14I welcome that change in policy.
03:17Under the previous administration, we saw our nation's premier leadership laboratories cower to woke ideologies.
03:23If confirmed, you will have oversight over the Air Force Academy.
03:28How do you plan on ensuring that this memorandum is thoroughly put to our Air Force Academy?
03:35Senator, based on my reading of the public media, the Air Force, and specifically the organization that I hope to lead, if confirmed, has already moved aggressively on this.
03:48My understanding is that there is a certification required back by the end of the month from the superintendent of the Academy.
03:55But if confirmed, I intend to delve into this completely to ensure fullest compliance with the executive orders, direction of the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Air Force, as well as existing law.
04:08Look forward to working with you, too, on some things I have in mind for the Academy that possibly we could change.
04:14Number one, not looking to save money, but saving money, but also enhancing leadership in the Academy there.
04:21I think that we can all get together and make it better.
04:25It hasn't changed in years.
04:26We still go by the same old models.
04:29And, again, we're looking for leadership.
04:31That's what the Air Force Academy and all of our academies represent, you know, for our military.
04:37I do have some more questions.
04:39I'm out of time, but I'll give them to you for the record.
