Steve Womack Asks Hegseth To Commit To Ensuring That The National Guard Is ‘Equipped Properly’

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During Tuesday’s House Appropriations Committee hearing, Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about National Guard funding.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and my thanks to our witnesses here today.

00:06Secretary Hex said, General Cain, thank you from the bottom of my heart

00:10and on behalf of this committee for your service to our nation.

00:14Obviously, we face a number of challenges and pacing threats across the globe in all domains,

00:21and we have to ensure that the joint force is ready to fight and win our nation's wars.

00:26So let me begin with General Cain.

00:30What risks do the recent force structure changes or proposals in the Army and Marine Corps

00:36present to the joint force, given your global force integration responsibility?

00:44Can you speak to that for a minute?

00:45Yes, sir, and I'll be mindful of the environment that we're in and speak broadly,

00:51and thank you for the question.

00:52You know, we are having to make some difficult choices to pivot some of the combat capability

00:59that we have now to the combat capability that we need in the future.

01:05Both services, alongside the Department of the Navy and the Department of the Army,

01:11are making those changes in order to provide us with the combat capability and capacity that we need

01:18at scale to create the dilemmas that we have to deliver for the joint force and our adversaries.

01:24So at this point, you know, we're doing the right pivots, Congressman,

01:30to make sure that we have the right depth that we need.

01:32Secretary Hegseth, both of you understand the unique value proposition that the National Guard provides

01:42the joint force having served.

01:45And gosh, for a long time it was just me and Hal Rogers up here as the Guard guys.

01:51So it's good to have some company.

01:53As we're looking to be efficient with federal dollars,

01:56I always kind of believe that the Guard and the Reserve component structure in general

02:02brought what I called value to the force.

02:06That I realize it's probably not at the same level of proficiency

02:12that the active duty counterparts might have, but they bring value to the force.

02:17And when we need to surge responsibly and quickly,

02:21then the Guard and Reserve are certainly at the ready to do that.

02:27My question is pretty simple.

02:30Can you both commit to ensuring that the National Guard component is resourced

02:35and equipped properly to meet not only today's operational demands, but those in the future?

02:41And I ask this question, having had experience back in the day

02:46when the National Guard was more or less a reserve force,

02:51and it was only after 9-11 that we began to use the National Guard

02:56in a truly operational form.

03:00And I thought it did a lot of great things for the Guard.

03:02I thought it brought value to the force.

03:05And I worry sometimes that we may, you know, pivot back to the time

03:11when the National Guard is relegated to more of a reserve structure

03:15rather than able to surge with our forces in a moment's need

03:20and be able to deliver combat capability

03:23and combat service support capability when needed.

03:27Can you speak to that, Secretary?

03:28Sir, I think it's an excellent point.

03:32It does, the National Guard and Reserve bring great value,

03:35not to mention the civilian skills, the additive civilian skills that they bring.

03:40Completely recognize the shift that happened after 9-11.

03:42I was a part of that, as were many people in the Guard of our generation.

03:47I think we're entering an even another phase,

03:50especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland,

03:53where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component

03:56of how we secure that homeland and apply those civilian sets across the spectrum.

04:00So when you're looking at, say, the Army, for example,

04:02what we need in the active Army vis-a-vis the National Guard

04:06will not be a reflection of what we need or don't need.

04:08It will be a right-sizing of where that particular application would be best used.

04:15And the National Guard is a huge component of how we see the future, sir.

04:20General Cain.

04:20Sir, I'll, you know, the policymakers tell us what size our force should be.

04:28What I will commit to you, and by the way, thank you both for your service in the Guard.

04:33As a fellow Guardsman, you're legendary in those hallways.

04:38What I will commit to you is that I'll make sure that the voice of the Guard

04:42is heard at the policy level pursuant to my job as a chairman.

04:47I yield, Mr. Chairman.

04:48I thank the gentleman, Mr. Case.

04:53Thank you, Chair.

04:55Mr. Secretary.

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