Madeleine Bordallo: “First, I commend Chairman Thornberry, Ranking Member Smith, and the committee staff, who have worked many, many long…”

“First, I commend Chairman Thornberry, Ranking Member Smith, and the committee staff, who have worked many, many long nights on the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, a bill that displays a true example of bipartisan support. The Subcommittee on Readiness' portion of the bill takes important steps to aid readiness recovery and improve our military's readiness. The bill includes a number of provisions aimed at improving readiness of the surface Navy. This is a priority for the subcommittee, especially following the four incidents that occurred in the Pacific last year. While the Navy has taken steps to address issues identified in the Strategic Readiness Review and Comprehensive Review, additional steps are still necessary. The bill also includes reporting requirements to improve oversight of key readiness issues and assess readiness over time. We further address military installations and infrastructure by supporting resiliency, force protection, research and development, and improvements to our defense communities. The bill provides continuing support to our DOD civilian personnel, who are invaluable to military readiness. Their hard work does not go unnoticed. I especially thank Chairman Thornberry for following through on his commitment to me to include my provision to address the critical workforce shortages on Guam for our construction and healthcare industries.…”