Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I would also like to welcome the nominees and thank them for their service and their willingness to continue to serve.  In addition, I want to thank your families who I know are watching today.  They also serve, and I think you would agree, you would not be here without their support.

I want to note that this is an unusual nomination hearing because we are considering a military nominee with two civilian nominees.  Normally we would not do this, but these are unusual circumstances, and I appreciate everyone accommodating this unique hearing.

Let me also take this opportunity to pay tribute to our services members, and their families, as well as the civilians and contractors for their service during this crisis.  We are saddened by the loss of life and the rising rates of COVID-19 infections throughout the military.  The recent incident with the USS Theodore Roosevelt serves as a reminder of the perils that our service members endure daily, whether deployed to combat zones or conducting routine operations.  It also should have been a wakeup call about the Navy’s actions with respect to COVID-19.

Ambassador Braithwaite, if confirmed as the Secretary of the Navy, you will face a number of critical issues.  First, you must address the effects of the ongoing pandemic on the Department of the Navy.  I want to hear about your vision for the future and what lessons have been learned from your predecessor’s mishandling of the USS Roosevelt situation.  The USS Roosevelt and USS Kidd also demonstrate how quickly deployments can be stressed, so I am interested in hearing what this tells us about how the Navy and Marine Corps are dealing with strains of deployment and high operating tempos.  The next Secretary’s efforts in improving the readiness of our forces will be crucial. 

While readiness is important, if confirmed, you must also confront other challenges including the size of the Navy fleet.  Congress is still waiting on the latest Force Structure Assessment from the Chief of Naval Operations, which was supposed to be shared with the Committee last year.  We must also modernize our fleet and improving operational concepts to ensure success in the future.

Ambassador Braithwaite, I look forward to your thoughts on these issues.

Mr. Anderson, you are nominated to be the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, having previously been confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities.  During your tenure, you performed more senior duties after leadership positions became vacant.  While you have valuable experience, I am concerned that the Policy office is, and will continue to be, hamstrung by the numerous senior-level vacancies within that office. 

The Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy plays a key role in implementing the National Defense Strategy and realigning the Department’s operational planning, budgetary priorities, and capabilities with that strategy.  As the Department contends with a revisionist Russia and China’s global ambitions, it still lacks strategic guidance on multiple challenges.  This includes clear policy for contending with rogue powers Iran and North Korea, a path forward in Afghanistan, a strategy for securing peace and preventing the re-emergence of ISIS in Syria, as well as developing policies for expanding areas of competition, including space, cyber, and irregular warfare.  Furthermore, the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has starkly highlighted the need for the Department to engage in long-term planning for crisis response, and the consequences for failing to do so.  Mr. Anderson, I welcome your thoughts on these issues and how the Department can address these challenges. 

General Brown, you have been nominated to be Chief of Staff of the Air Force.  Having most recently served as the Commander of Pacific Air Forces, you are very familiar with the challenges facing the Air Force today in the Pacific and how the Air Force should be implementing the National Defense Strategy.  

General Brown, if confirmed you will also face challenges to improve readiness while modernizing and expanding force structure.  In order to achieve the stated goal of 386 squadrons, the Air Force will need to increase and sustain modernization efforts over a number of years.  On top of that, the Air Force must simultaneously recapitalize most of the bomber fleet and all of the land-based missile fleet.  These are daunting challenges.  

In the very near term, General Brown, you will be tasked with recruiting and retaining a quality force.  That is no small task as the Air Force and the other services contend with the novel coronavirus pandemic and maintaining operational readiness.  You will also need to ensure that the Air Force has the necessary structure to respond to future crises and contingencies. 

I thank the nominees and my colleagues again for appearing at the Committee’s second hearing this week under these unusual circumstances.