It is paramount to our national security to continue to have unimpeded access to the Pacific theater and to have better intelligence in this AOR.

I believe it improves readiness as well as morale and welfare when a soldier can deploy and demob from home station.

I hope that our witnesses today can contextualize their remarks with these strategic documents as guides.

I feel that if we do not pass a defense appropriations bill with the requested fiscal year 2011 funding levels, that we will end up with even further significant shortfalls in 2012 that will negatively affect readiness without truly…

The Army appreciates the continued commitment and support of the U.S. Congress in all that we do.

The Department of Defense has become overly dependent on the use of services contractors.

With your support for this plan, the Army will meet near-term BOG: Dwell goals of 1:2 AC and 1:4 RC starting in FY 12.

I am concerned that there is an over-focus of those assets in the CENTCOM AOR to the detriment of other AOR's like the Pacific.

So, in other words, no definite decisions have been made, and as you said it is a work in progress.

the United States seeks to develop additional opportunities for joint and combined training in the Western Pacific that respond to the need for constant readiness of U.S. forces to carry out joint operations.

How has the long-term use of sailors and airmen to meet ground force requirements impacted the readiness of the Navy and Air Force?

Thank you for your leadership of this very important subcommittee.

Congress should exercise stringent oversight of this practice to ensure that no good deeds are being inadvertently punished.

We have become heavily reliant on the Navy and Air Force to provide individual augmentees to meet ground force requirements in CENTCOM.

The fiscal year 2012 budget request reflects shortfalls in depot maintenance requirements across the Department.

In your opinion, are we ready? Will we be ready? If not, what should we be doing?

The QDR report identified force structure requirements and capabilities to deal with challenges and threat to U.S. interests.

The military services have adopted a rotational readiness construct which enables deployed and deploying forces to obtain the highest level of readiness.