Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this important hearing.  I also want to thank our witnesses for appearing today to discuss U.S. Special Operations Command and the readiness of our special operations forces.  You are both ably leading your respective organizations through a period of both high operational tempo and also significant transition.

United States Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its establishment by Congress.  Those 30 years, and particularly the last 15, have been characterized by great successes – including the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.  SOCOM’s history also includes tragedies that have resulted in the loss of brave special operators.  Fortunately, our SOF have learned from each of these events and have emerged as a stronger and more capable force.  General Thomas, the high quality of men and women you lead today are a testament to that lineage.

SOCOM is unique within the Department of Defense as the only functional combatant command with “service-like” responsibilities for the training, equipping, organization, and readiness of SOF.  When Congress created SOCOM, it also established the position of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, or ASD SOLIC to be the “service secretary-like” civilian tasked with day-to-day advocacy and oversight of SOF.  For many reasons – including competing responsibilities for other policy matters – the ASD SOLIC has not adequately fulfilled that mandate to date.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 sought to address this issue with a number of reforms designed to optimize the partnership between the Commander of SOCOM and the ASD SOLIC for the benefit of SOF.  For that reason, we are pleased to have Ms. Whelan, the Acting ASD SOLIC, testifying today in the “service secretary-like” role envisioned by last year’s reforms.  We look forward to receiving an update from both of you on the progress towards achieving the goals of last year’s bill and what we may expect over the next several years.

Our SOF remain heavily engaged in the fight against ISIS, al Qaeda, and other violent extremist organizations – sometimes directly, but more often in support of local partner forces on the ground as we have seen most prominently in Iraq and Syria.  I hope both of you will give us your assessment of what if, anything, we can do to accelerate progress in defeating these groups.

While the last 15 years of SOF deployments have been primarily focused on countering violent extremist groups, there is growing realization that SOF and the unique skill sets they possess may be called upon for other mission sets as well.  General Thomas, you and many in your community have sought to characterize the so-called “Grey Zone” of competition short of direct military conflict.  We saw such tactics most notably as part of Russia’s eventual illegal annexation of Crimea and should expect more such challenges as adversaries pursue efforts against the United States and other countries.  I hope that you will provide the committee with your views on the suitability of SOF to address “Grey Zone” challenges today and what changes to special operations capabilities and authorities – many of which were designed to confront the terrorist threat – may be necessary.

Given the demand for SOF across these various mission sets, we must always remain mindful of the already high operational tempo faced by our special operators and their families.  SOCOM has sought to mitigate the stress of these repeated and demanding deployments through the “Preservation of the Force and Families” initiative.  I look forward to an update on the lessons learned from this initiative and SOCOM’s plans going forward. 

General Thomas and Ms. Whelan, I hope you will pass along the committee’s admiration and thanks to our special operators and their families for the tremendous sacrifices they make in support of our national security.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.