'This Guy's Really Smart': Mike Johnson Lauds Former Staffer, Top Defense Nominee In Senate Hearing

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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.

Transcript

00:00We have some business which we will proceed to in just a moment, but the Speaker of the House

00:07has honored us with his presence today, and I do believe he has a few words of introduction,

00:13and then, Mr. Speaker, you are welcome to stay for the rest of the morning, if you like.

00:21But if you need to attend to other duties, you are certainly encouraged to go do that with haste.

00:29So you are now recognized, Mr. Speaker.

00:32Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Chairman Wicker.

00:34Really appreciate it, and I would love to be with you all for the rest of the day.

00:37I know it. I know it.

00:39And I want to thank Ranking Member Reed and all the members of the committee.

00:43It really is my honor to be here, and I came this morning with the privilege of introducing my former staffer,

00:49my trusted friend, and a great American patriot, Jules J. Hurst III, who sits here to my left.

00:56He is being considered, of course, for Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

01:03I wish I had brought a speech for some of the other distinguished gentlemen sitting at this table,

01:07because I'm a fan of all of them, and we're blessed as a nation to have such highly qualified people

01:13willing to serve in these fateful times that we're in.

01:16And it's great to see Jay's wife, Beth, sitting behind me and their children here today.

01:21They have a large brood.

01:23The Hurst family recently grew again, and as Jay and Beth welcomed their fifth child, young George, here.

01:28He's the youngest person in attendance.

01:31He was just born a few weeks ago, and a good-looking kid just like his daddy.

01:36Congratulations to the beautiful family.

01:38This has been quite a month for the Hurst family.

01:41Jay joined my congressional office in January of 2022 as a defense fellow,

01:46and while he was only on loan for one year, he instantly became part of our family.

01:51He's like family to us.

01:52He worked long hours.

01:53He engaged with my constituents and local businesses,

01:56and he simplified complex military issues for our staff.

02:00My district is Louisiana's fourth congressional district,

02:02and it's one of the most important military districts in America,

02:05because we're home to Barksdale Air Force Base, the home of the B-52s.

02:08We've got the Global Strike Command there, two-thirds of the nuclear triad is commanded,

02:14about 15 miles from my driveway.

02:17We also have Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center

02:20and many other military assets like Camp Menden and others.

02:24So having a qualified defense fellow is an essential component of what we do,

02:28and Jay was the best we've ever had.

02:30And for those who don't know, defense fellowships are only one-year posts.

02:34And despite that, Jay planted deep roots in my office,

02:39and with all of our personnel and everyone involved,

02:41it was not uncommon for me to return to the office late after voting on many nights

02:47to find Jay there holding court with interns and staff.

02:51He mentored the people in and around my group and all my employees about everything,

02:58personal responsibility, finances, whatever advice they may have needed at the time.

03:02And he became the indispensable man for us.

03:05And it's this type of man, this type of leader, that Jay is.

03:09He enriched our office with great camaraderie and valuable insight

03:12and willingness to go above and beyond every single day.

03:15And while working in my office and afterwards,

03:17Jay published many scholarly articles on topics like great power competition,

03:22autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and warfare,

03:25and several respected publications.

03:27I learned a lot reading what he wrote, and I don't know how he had time to do it.

03:31I'm really not sure because he's very prolific, but he wrote and he published often.

03:38His commitment to continuing education in his personal capacity should send a signal to this committee

03:42that Jay will bring the same level of dedication and the relentless quest for excellence to the U.S. Army.

03:48Jay eventually left my office to return to the Pentagon,

03:50but when I was elected Speaker of the House in October 2023,

03:53I called and begged him to come back.

03:55I needed his counsel and steady hand, and he was willing to do that.

03:58So he returned to my office and became my Legislative Director

04:01and a Defense Advisor to the Speaker's Office in some very difficult times, as we all know.

04:06With hot wars burning around the globe, Jay's insight and counsel were invaluable.

04:11Before he served with me, he served as an Army officer,

04:14government civilian on the Army staff,

04:15within the Joint Special Operations Command Intelligence Brigade

04:18at the 75th Ranger Regiment and within U.S. Central Command.

04:22As both a military officer and civilian,

04:25he deployed to Afghanistan four times as a senior intelligence officer

04:28for a Joint Special Operations Task Force.

04:31He also supported the initial stand-up of Project MAVEN,

04:34which is the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team.

04:37I have a hard time even pronouncing that, okay?

04:39This guy's really smart.

04:41He continues to serve in the Army Reserve as the F.A. 59 Army Strategist.

04:45Following the election last year,

04:47I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to keep him much longer.

04:50His talents were needed.

04:52His expertise, his dedication to the men and women of our armed forces

04:55were needed at a higher level, and they took him.

04:59And that's why I wasn't surprised when Jay was asked to serve on the DOD landing team

05:03and to perform the duties of Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness,

05:07and now to serve, with the blessing of this committee and the support of the Senate,

05:11as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

05:15I have no doubt in his ability to do an outstanding job serving the men and women of the U.S. Army

05:19and it's my great honor and true privilege to support his nomination today.

05:24I want to thank you again, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Reed,

05:27and all of you for the privilege of introducing Jay.

05:29And I strongly encourage every member of this committee to support his confirmation,

05:34and let's put Jay to work for the whole country.

05:36Mr. Chairman, do we get to question this witness?

05:42No.

05:48Well, go ahead.

05:49No.

05:51Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

05:53You are excused with...

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