Roger Wicker Asks Witness How Congress Can Rectify Pilot Shortage In The Air Force

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During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) spoke about the pilot shortage in the Air Force.

Transcript

00:00Nicely done, and thank you for staying within the time limitation.

00:08We now have standard questions that we ask our civilian nominees and not just need a

00:20verbal yes or no from each of you simultaneously.

00:26Have you adhered to applicable laws and regulations governing conflicts of interest?

00:30Yes.

00:31Yes.

00:32Have you assumed any duties or taken any actions that would appear to presume the outcome of

00:38the confirmation process?

00:40No.

00:41Exercising our legislative and oversight responsibilities makes it important that this committee, its

00:46subcommittees, and other appropriate committees of Congress receive testimony, briefings, reports,

00:51records, and other information from the executive branch on a timely basis.

00:55Do you agree, if confirmed, to appear and testify before this committee when requested?

01:01Yes.

01:02Do you agree to provide records, documents, and electronic communications in a timely manner

01:08when requested by this committee, its subcommittees, or other appropriate committees of Congress,

01:13and to consult with the requester regarding the basis for any good faith delay or denial

01:19in providing such records?

01:20Yes.

01:21Will you ensure that your staff complies with deadlines established by this committee for

01:26the production of reports, records, and other information, including timely responding to

01:31hearing questions for the record?

01:32Yes.

01:33Yes.

01:34Will you cooperate in providing witnesses and briefers in response to congressional requests?

01:38Yes.

01:39Will those witnesses and briefers be protected from reprisal for their testimony and briefings?

01:46Yes.

01:47And that concludes our standard questions, and it's now time for us to begin the five-minute

02:06rounds, and I hope members will be as observant of the five-minute time limit as our distinguished

02:14nominees are.

02:15First of all, a quick yes or no from all of you.

02:23Much of the funding in the Defense Reconciliation Bill is unspecific because of our rules and will

02:28technically be at the discretion of the Department of Defense, though we will write recommendations

02:33for them.

02:34A quick yes or no, do you commit to follow the Congress's spending recommendations in defense

02:40reconciliation unequivocally?

02:41Yes.

02:42Yes.

02:43Yes.

02:44Yes, from all three.

02:46Okay, let me begin with you, Colonel Anderson.

02:50There's an Air Force pilot shortage.

02:56How big of a challenge is that?

02:59What are the reasons for it?

03:02Does that include the fact that civilian pilots for the airlines are getting higher pay, better

03:10more regular schedules and more time at home?

03:15And what can we in the Congress and you in the administration do about this?

03:21Thank you, Senator.

03:22I hung up the uniform a full 16 years ago, and we were talking about pilot shortages then,

03:30as we have been talking about a number of other issues.

03:33And so the Air Force has embarked on attempting to address this in a very vigorous way.

03:40They have implemented, based on my rating, a $50,000 bonus.

03:46But monetary compensation is not the only incentive that keeps our pilots in the cockpit.

03:55It is such things as the quality of their service, to have challenges, to be able to step up and

04:02exercise their leadership skills, to do any number of things.

04:07Well, how can we improve on that, though?

04:08Well, one of the things, Senator, that I just read about in Air and Space Forces magazine,

04:16which I was unfamiliar with, the Air Education and Training Command has just begun a new initiative

04:22this year, where the AETC commander is going to begin a pilot program, no pun intended, to

04:29test out initial pilot training, IPT, which will be done at civilian flying schools, and

04:37then to feed those graduates into traditional undergraduate pilot training.

04:43Based on the reading in that article, it can be done at a wash without requiring additional

04:48financial resources, and they believe that they can generate an additional 1,500 pilots

04:54a year.

04:55Okay.

04:56IPT before UPT.

04:57That is correct.

04:58Well, we could visit the entire five minutes and the entire time of the hearing on that.

05:03Let me turn to you, Dr. Napoli.

05:07Of course, we know where the president is right now.

05:11We know there are discussions about the Iranian nuclear program.

05:18And we're also very aware of the verification challenges under the defunct JCPA.

05:25In your view, what steps should we consider in verifying possible future agreements with

05:33Iran?

05:34And do you think there's any point in even trying that?

05:36Thank you, Senator Ricker.

05:39I appreciate the question.

05:41The complexity and seriousness of the Iranian nuclear issue is obviously very recognized.

05:48At this time, I'm not privy to U.S. government or detailed matters regarding our nation's discussions

05:54with the government of Iran.

05:56However, if confirmed, I will commit to working with the State Department diplomatically, the

06:01Department of Defense, the administration, and the broader Department of Energy to ensure

06:06that the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation can bring the tools and expertise needed to address

06:11the Iranian nuclear issue.

06:12Okay.

06:13But you know from open sources, from the news media, that verification was difficult under

06:20the JCPA.

06:21Yes, Senator.

06:24I fully support the IAEA's efforts for a comprehensive safeguards agreement and the broader goals of an additional protocol.

06:31Verification is the heart of nonproliferation, and I think we should all strive to meet those

06:36broader nonproliferation norms.

06:38Mr. Till, how are we going to move past some of the burdensome bureaucratic delays that have

06:45frustrated all of us on both sides of the dais?

06:48Thank you, Chairman Wicker, for the question.

06:53The Supreme Court rendered an opinion in 2023 called the Sackett decision.

06:58This decision provided clarity to the question about the regulatory regime related to wetlands

07:05and navigable waterways.

07:08It's my understanding that the Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with the U.S.

07:12Army Corps of Engineers, is currently working to provide additional clarity about the impacts

07:18of that decision, and the goal would be to provide clarity to stakeholders across the country

07:23so that they understand where the regulatory regime of the federal government stops and

07:27starts.

07:28With regard to the various flood control and navigation projects across the country, the Congress

07:36is of course very interested in these projects and has been very involved in directing the executive

07:40branch to execute them.

07:42It's incumbent upon the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Assistant Secretary of the

07:44Army for Civil Works to provide transparency and clarity to the Congress, to the public,

07:49about the progress of those projects, what may be impeding them.

07:51In some cases, it may be that the project's authorized, but the funds haven't been appropriated.

07:55It may be that a local, non-federal entity has paperwork that it still needs to complete,

08:01or it may be another agency's regime that is a barrier to progress on these projects.

08:07It might very well be, yes.

08:08Thank you, Mr. Till.

08:09Thank you, Senator.

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