At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spoke to Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth about Russia's war with Ukraine.
00:00is not a welcome place for demonstrations and anybody who tries to disturb the
00:09proceeding is going to be echoed out. Secretary Hegseth, General Cain, Ms.
00:18McDonald, we're glad to have you here. There's no doubt that the global threat
00:30demands from us an uncompromisingly lethal force and your efforts over recent
00:39months to renew the department's focus on lethality and your attention to the
00:45concerns of service members at the tip of the spear are worthwhile and appreciated.
00:52Of course sustaining this shift requires a clear strategy and adequate
00:59investments in capabilities. So we're looking forward to hearing in detail
01:05what exactly the Office of Management and Budget is requesting on behalf of the
01:11Department of Defense for this coming fiscal year and whether this budget flows
01:17from a strategy or instead defines and limits the strategy. This hearing will be
01:28the first public demonstration of what we hope to be a productive relationship
01:32between the subcommittee and the department. In the past the relationship
01:37has functioned best. When it's based on timely. And forthcoming communication.
01:46Last year. Details from the department and the services about their growing
01:53requirements. Actually did inform the subcommittee's efforts to mark up a bill
01:58to provide the military with eighteen point eight billion dollars in resources above
02:04President Biden's last request. And unfortunately we all know that didn't
02:09become law. Regrettably the CR we're under right now has yet another was another missed
02:18opportunity that compounded the constraints facing the department. On this subcommittee
02:26you'll found plenty of support for the department's efforts. For example to improve air and missile
02:33defense systems. Grow the pipeline for unmanned technologies. Modernize our nuclear triad.
02:41And expand shipbuilding capacity. But lumping reconciliation spending in with full year appropriations risk
02:53that. Completing. Completing different objectives. Chairman Wicker and his South House.
03:00Counterpart have pointed out already that even an important one time investment in military
03:08modernization. Is not a substitute for steady growth. In the annual budget top line. In fact it may well end up
03:19functioning as a shell game. To avoid making the most significant annual investments that we spent years.
03:26Urging the previous administration to make. I struggle to understand for example why the
03:34administration would cut procurement funding. In the base fiscal year twenty six budget.
03:41budgeted by fourteen point four billion. And move that funding.
03:48Into. All of which enjoys strong bipartisan support. While that would be moved into a simple majority
03:57reconciliation bill. The fiscal year twenty six annual request seems to do just this. For Virginia class submarines.
04:06Arleigh Burke class destroyers. And B-21 bombers.
04:13Like with critical munitions. We should send the services and industry a sustained demand signal.
04:21By incorporating them. Into annual appropriations. If we're really serious about making the
04:29and sustained long term investments in our military. Then let's do it more. Than just a one time injection.
04:38Of funding. If the administration wants to request a trillion dollar defense budget for fiscal year twenty six.
04:45And make a full year investment in urgent priorities and new programs.
04:50Let's do it. In the meantime let's not overstate the fiscal twenty six request.
04:57The administration's requested. Base defense budget. Is lower than fifteen of the last twenty annual requests.
05:08Including President Biden's request for fiscal year twenty five. In fact fiscal year twenty six.
05:16Extends. Your predecessors street to five straight base reduction requests. That would fail to keep pace with inflation.
05:25Let alone with the threat of China.
05:30But say we do take reconciliation into account.
05:35Even then. This is hardly the largest funding request for the Department of Defense.
05:41In constant dollars. The fiscal year twenty six Department of Defense budget request.
05:47Still falls short of the annual funding request for fiscal oh eight.
05:52Fiscal year oh nine. Fiscal year ten.
05:56And fiscal year eleven.
05:59As a share of DDP.
06:02Even including reconciliation.
06:04The fiscal year twenty six request is still just around.
06:08Three percent.
06:09That's not just half the level of the Reagan buildup that secured peace through strength.
06:16It's even less than the four point five percent of GDP requested for defense under President Carter.
06:24As we've discussed before I think it's worth repeating.
06:28The cost of a war is a lot bigger than preventing a war.
06:35At the height of World War two thirty seven percent of our gross domestic product was spent on defense.
06:42In Korea thirteen percent.
06:44Vietnam nine percent.
06:47The Reagan buildup.
06:50Six percent.
06:50Five percent.
06:52So we know.
06:54Looking strong.
06:56Actually works.
06:58Saves money.
07:00Saves lives.
07:03But what we're looking at this year is less than four point five percent of the GDP.
07:10Which is the last defense request of President Carter.
07:15Why should we expect our allies to spend five percent?
07:20Five percent.
07:21When we're investing.
07:23About half that.
07:25The failure to spend more on defense is compounded by another dynamic.
07:31Every year a greater share of the defense budget goes to cover costs other than modernizing
07:37and procuring new weapons and equipment for our fighting forces.
07:41Without additional resources.
07:46Rising personnel and operations and maintenance costs risk crowding out new capabilities.
07:55How we will allocate taxpayer dollars is an expression of our political will.
08:00We can't expect our adversaries to take American hard power seriously.
08:05If we don't put our money where our mouth is.
08:07But as I mentioned we're also interested in your articulation of the strategy that informs.
08:17Or is it informed by the administration's budget?
08:22How does that strategy account for adversary alignment?
08:27How does it address not only the threat of conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
08:31But the reality of conflict and military threats.
08:35To our interests in Europe.
08:37And the Middle East.
08:39Most of us on this panel believe that Russia's war in Ukraine.
08:44Its alignment with the aims of other U.S. adversaries.
08:48And its eventual outcome are profoundly important.
08:53To America's interests.
08:55And offer more than just a glimpse.
08:57Into the future of warfare.
08:59I'd like to hear your views on this conflict.
09:04Who is the aggressor?
09:06What are the stakes for America in the West?
09:09What is the return on investment of our assistance to Ukraine?
09:14I don't see funding for Ukraine's security assistance initiative in your budget request.
09:18Is it the administration's view that terminating security assistance to Ukraine will make lasting peace more or less likely?
09:31What lessons is the U.S. military learning from the conflict?
09:35How will the department of industry continue to learn if we cut off our partnership with the world's leading battlefield innovators?
09:47Why would Asian partners trust us if we abandon partners in Europe?
09:52What lessons are China, Iran, and North Korea learning?
09:56And how much more will they benefit if Russia prevails?
10:03I'd like to hear your views on the impact of war in Europe on other theaters.
10:10The Asian and Pacific allies you just met with recently are under no delusions about how unchecked Russian aggression influences the calculus of President Xi.
10:24They understand that strategic alignment among adversaries is actually global.
10:31They're all communicating with each other.
10:34America must recognize in turn that the risk of simultaneous conflict on multiple fronts is real and growing.
10:44Your Under Secretary for Policy acknowledged this reality in his confirmation hearing this spring.
10:50But the capabilities America needs to prevail in such a conflict do not seem to be reflected in the requests we've received.
11:01From OMB.
11:03So there's a lot we need to cover today.
11:05We'll invite you to make opening statements in just a moment.
11:08But with that, I'd like to turn to Senator Coons.
11:12Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
11:13Thank you as well, Secretary Hegseth, Chairman Cain, and Ms. McDonnell for joining us here today.
