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'This Guy's Really Smart': Mike Johnson Lauds Former Staffer, Top Defense Nominee In Senate Hearing
Forbes Breaking News
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2 days ago
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to introduce the nominee to be an Assistant Secretary of the Army Jules Hurst.
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00:00
We have some business which we will proceed to in just a moment, but the Speaker of the House
00:07
has honored us with his presence today, and I do believe he has a few words of introduction,
00:13
and then, Mr. Speaker, you are welcome to stay for the rest of the morning, if you like.
00:21
But if you need to attend to other duties, you are certainly encouraged to go do that with haste.
00:29
So you are now recognized, Mr. Speaker.
00:32
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Chairman Wicker.
00:34
Really appreciate it, and I would love to be with you all for the rest of the day.
00:37
I know it. I know it.
00:39
And I want to thank Ranking Member Reed and all the members of the committee.
00:43
It really is my honor to be here, and I came this morning with the privilege of introducing my former staffer,
00:49
my trusted friend, and a great American patriot, Jules J. Hurst III, who sits here to my left.
00:56
He is being considered, of course, for Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
01:03
I wish I had brought a speech for some of the other distinguished gentlemen sitting at this table,
01:07
because I'm a fan of all of them, and we're blessed as a nation to have such highly qualified people
01:13
willing to serve in these fateful times that we're in.
01:16
And it's great to see Jay's wife, Beth, sitting behind me and their children here today.
01:21
They have a large brood.
01:23
The Hurst family recently grew again, and as Jay and Beth welcomed their fifth child, young George, here.
01:28
He's the youngest person in attendance.
01:31
He was just born a few weeks ago, and a good-looking kid just like his daddy.
01:36
Congratulations to the beautiful family.
01:38
This has been quite a month for the Hurst family.
01:41
Jay joined my congressional office in January of 2022 as a defense fellow,
01:46
and while he was only on loan for one year, he instantly became part of our family.
01:51
He's like family to us.
01:52
He worked long hours.
01:53
He engaged with my constituents and local businesses,
01:56
and he simplified complex military issues for our staff.
02:00
My district is Louisiana's fourth congressional district,
02:02
and it's one of the most important military districts in America,
02:05
because we're home to Barksdale Air Force Base, the home of the B-52s.
02:08
We've got the Global Strike Command there, two-thirds of the nuclear triad is commanded,
02:14
about 15 miles from my driveway.
02:17
We also have Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center
02:20
and many other military assets like Camp Menden and others.
02:24
So having a qualified defense fellow is an essential component of what we do,
02:28
and Jay was the best we've ever had.
02:30
And for those who don't know, defense fellowships are only one-year posts.
02:34
And despite that, Jay planted deep roots in my office,
02:39
and with all of our personnel and everyone involved,
02:41
it was not uncommon for me to return to the office late after voting on many nights
02:47
to find Jay there holding court with interns and staff.
02:51
He mentored the people in and around my group and all my employees about everything,
02:58
personal responsibility, finances, whatever advice they may have needed at the time.
03:02
And he became the indispensable man for us.
03:05
And it's this type of man, this type of leader, that Jay is.
03:09
He enriched our office with great camaraderie and valuable insight
03:12
and willingness to go above and beyond every single day.
03:15
And while working in my office and afterwards,
03:17
Jay published many scholarly articles on topics like great power competition,
03:22
autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and warfare,
03:25
and several respected publications.
03:27
I learned a lot reading what he wrote, and I don't know how he had time to do it.
03:31
I'm really not sure because he's very prolific, but he wrote and he published often.
03:38
His commitment to continuing education in his personal capacity should send a signal to this committee
03:42
that Jay will bring the same level of dedication and the relentless quest for excellence to the U.S. Army.
03:48
Jay eventually left my office to return to the Pentagon,
03:50
but when I was elected Speaker of the House in October 2023,
03:53
I called and begged him to come back.
03:55
I needed his counsel and steady hand, and he was willing to do that.
03:58
So he returned to my office and became my Legislative Director
04:01
and a Defense Advisor to the Speaker's Office in some very difficult times, as we all know.
04:06
With hot wars burning around the globe, Jay's insight and counsel were invaluable.
04:11
Before he served with me, he served as an Army officer,
04:14
government civilian on the Army staff,
04:15
within the Joint Special Operations Command Intelligence Brigade
04:18
at the 75th Ranger Regiment and within U.S. Central Command.
04:22
As both a military officer and civilian,
04:25
he deployed to Afghanistan four times as a senior intelligence officer
04:28
for a Joint Special Operations Task Force.
04:31
He also supported the initial stand-up of Project MAVEN,
04:34
which is the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team.
04:37
I have a hard time even pronouncing that, okay?
04:39
This guy's really smart.
04:41
He continues to serve in the Army Reserve as the F.A. 59 Army Strategist.
04:45
Following the election last year,
04:47
I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to keep him much longer.
04:50
His talents were needed.
04:52
His expertise, his dedication to the men and women of our armed forces
04:55
were needed at a higher level, and they took him.
04:59
And that's why I wasn't surprised when Jay was asked to serve on the DOD landing team
05:03
and to perform the duties of Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness,
05:07
and now to serve, with the blessing of this committee and the support of the Senate,
05:11
as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
05:15
I have no doubt in his ability to do an outstanding job serving the men and women of the U.S. Army
05:19
and it's my great honor and true privilege to support his nomination today.
05:24
I want to thank you again, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Reed,
05:27
and all of you for the privilege of introducing Jay.
05:29
And I strongly encourage every member of this committee to support his confirmation,
05:34
and let's put Jay to work for the whole country.
05:36
Mr. Chairman, do we get to question this witness?
05:42
No.
05:48
Well, go ahead.
05:49
No.
05:51
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
05:53
You are excused with...
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