WEBVTT

00:01.580 --> 00:03.691
Thank you . The hearing will now come

00:03.691 --> 00:05.691
to order . I ask that the unanimous

00:05.691 --> 00:07.913
consent that the chair be authorized to

00:07.913 --> 00:09.969
declare a recess at any time without

00:09.969 --> 00:11.747
objection . So we wanna welcome

00:11.747 --> 00:13.636
everyone here to this hearing and

00:13.636 --> 00:13.560
military personnel subcommittee .

00:13.670 --> 00:15.899
Today's hearing is on the military food

00:15.899 --> 00:17.940
programs and the duty to feed our

00:18.520 --> 00:20.520
service members . I wanna thank our

00:20.520 --> 00:22.742
witnesses for being with us today , and

00:22.742 --> 00:24.576
I hope this hearing provides the

00:24.576 --> 00:26.298
opportunity for members of the

00:26.298 --> 00:28.187
subcommittee to have a productive

00:28.187 --> 00:30.131
discussion with our witnesses . So

00:30.131 --> 00:32.242
let's be clear , our men and women in

00:32.242 --> 00:34.298
uniform . Put everything on the line

00:34.298 --> 00:34.290
for this country they endure the tough

00:34.819 --> 00:36.763
conditions and constant demands of

00:36.763 --> 00:39.930
military life . Access to nutritious ,

00:40.180 --> 00:43.139
high quality meals should be a given ,

00:43.180 --> 00:45.459
not a challenge or a quote unquote nice

00:45.459 --> 00:47.689
to have , especially . When money is

00:47.689 --> 00:50.319
deducted from junior enlisted members'

00:50.319 --> 00:53.450
paychecks to pay for it , we , myself

00:53.450 --> 00:55.506
and the ranking member , when we had

00:55.506 --> 00:57.506
our meeting , we're was talking our

00:57.506 --> 00:59.506
initial meeting was we were talking

00:59.506 --> 00:59.009
about agreeing on the fact that we

00:59.009 --> 01:01.250
wanna focus on quality of life issues

01:01.250 --> 01:03.472
and this being one of them , yet , uh ,

01:03.472 --> 01:05.583
we continue to hear reports about the

01:05.583 --> 01:07.417
poor food quality , inconsistent

01:07.417 --> 01:09.250
operating hours , and logistical

01:09.250 --> 01:11.250
failures that leave too many of our

01:11.250 --> 01:13.361
service members without reliable meal

01:13.361 --> 01:12.959
options . And that's clearly

01:12.959 --> 01:14.903
unacceptable . I hope we would all

01:14.903 --> 01:17.070
agree on that . Even more concerning ,

01:17.070 --> 01:18.959
fewer than 1 in 3 service members

01:18.959 --> 01:22.120
regularly use on base facilities . A

01:22.120 --> 01:24.176
take rate that low signals a serious

01:24.176 --> 01:26.398
disparity between what's being provided

01:26.519 --> 01:29.010
and what's actually working for the

01:29.010 --> 01:31.349
force . The services have a

01:31.349 --> 01:33.405
responsibility to provide accessible

01:33.405 --> 01:36.389
meals that meet the nutritional needs

01:36.389 --> 01:38.445
of our service members . However , a

01:38.445 --> 01:40.556
lack of tracking and proper oversight

01:40.556 --> 01:43.550
of food programs has led to wildly

01:43.550 --> 01:45.717
inconsistent standards across military

01:45.717 --> 01:47.717
installations . Some bases have top

01:47.717 --> 01:49.772
notch dining facilities while others

01:49.772 --> 01:51.939
struggle to serve safely cooked food ,

01:52.110 --> 01:55.599
according to . Uh , a RAND study 25% of

01:55.599 --> 01:57.839
service members in living in the

01:57.839 --> 02:01.000
barracks report food to be , uh , food

02:01.000 --> 02:02.889
insecure . Think about that for a

02:02.889 --> 02:05.339
minute . That's just not bad for morale .

02:05.879 --> 02:07.823
It's bad for readiness and frankly

02:07.823 --> 02:09.935
embarrassing and unacceptable for the

02:09.935 --> 02:11.935
United States of America . Today we

02:11.935 --> 02:13.712
will hear directly from leaders

02:13.712 --> 02:16.039
responsible for overseeing military

02:16.039 --> 02:19.110
food programs . I wanna know what's

02:19.110 --> 02:21.110
broken , why it's broken , and more

02:21.110 --> 02:23.277
importantly , how do we fix it and fix

02:23.277 --> 02:26.389
it uh quickly . This isn't about

02:26.389 --> 02:28.500
politics , it's about doing the right

02:28.500 --> 02:31.190
thing for and by the people who defend .

02:31.910 --> 02:34.110
This nation . I look forward to the

02:34.110 --> 02:35.832
discussion and working with my

02:35.832 --> 02:38.054
colleagues to ensure that every service

02:38.054 --> 02:40.332
member regardless of rank duty station ,

02:40.410 --> 02:42.860
or shift has access to the quality

02:42.860 --> 02:44.949
meals that they need and that they

02:44.949 --> 02:47.630
deserve before our before hearing from

02:47.630 --> 02:49.750
our witnesses , let me offer ranking

02:49.750 --> 02:51.917
member Houlihan an opportunity to make

02:51.917 --> 02:54.649
some opening remarks . Thank you and

02:54.649 --> 02:56.705
thank you all very much for coming .

02:56.705 --> 02:58.705
Thank you , Mr . Fallon for hosting

02:58.705 --> 03:00.593
this hearing on such an important

03:00.593 --> 03:02.705
quality of life issue for our service

03:02.705 --> 03:04.705
members , the access to quality and

03:04.705 --> 03:06.816
nutritious food . I believe that this

03:06.816 --> 03:08.816
hearing serves as a continuation of

03:08.816 --> 03:10.927
much of the good work that we started

03:10.927 --> 03:13.038
in the last Congress . The bipartisan

03:13.038 --> 03:15.093
House Armed Services Quality of Life

03:15.093 --> 03:17.316
report highlighted food insecurity as a

03:17.316 --> 03:18.927
challenge result . from poor

03:18.927 --> 03:20.816
compensation of service members ,

03:20.816 --> 03:23.093
particularly those who are most junior ,

03:23.093 --> 03:25.260
and as a result we included a historic

03:25.260 --> 03:27.316
pay raise for junior enlisted in the

03:27.316 --> 03:29.205
last NDAA , and I look forward to

03:29.205 --> 03:31.260
taking on the challenge of improving

03:31.260 --> 03:33.482
food quality and access across military

03:33.482 --> 03:36.156
installations in this NDAA , uh , you

03:36.156 --> 03:38.595
know that we all are in agreement when

03:38.595 --> 03:40.906
we're both quoting the same source of .

03:41.281 --> 03:44.841
In January of 2023 , Congress at

03:44.841 --> 03:47.008
Congress's request , the RAND National

03:47.008 --> 03:49.174
Defense Research Institute did publish

03:49.174 --> 03:51.119
a study on food insecurity amongst

03:51.119 --> 03:53.230
members of the armed forces and their

03:53.230 --> 03:55.341
dependents , which included a variety

03:55.341 --> 03:58.811
of findings , but amongst them that 25%

03:58.811 --> 04:00.922
of all active duty personnel would be

04:00.922 --> 04:03.742
classified by the USDA as having low

04:03.742 --> 04:06.130
food security . And in addition that

04:06.130 --> 04:07.963
report highlighted that the food

04:07.963 --> 04:10.186
insecurity was higher amongst those who

04:10.186 --> 04:12.929
lived on post . Since then , a series

04:12.929 --> 04:15.330
of news reports have further exposed

04:15.330 --> 04:17.497
concerning trends across the service's

04:17.497 --> 04:19.330
food programs , whether it's the

04:19.330 --> 04:21.552
quality of the food being served or the

04:21.552 --> 04:23.608
quantity of options available during

04:23.608 --> 04:25.830
meal hours or both , both are variables

04:25.830 --> 04:27.774
that challenge service members and

04:27.774 --> 04:29.774
their access to food and nutritious

04:29.774 --> 04:31.774
food as well . So this is of course

04:31.774 --> 04:33.608
also compounded by the fact that

04:33.608 --> 04:35.608
service members may find chow halls

04:35.608 --> 04:37.830
closed or kiosk shelves empty when they

04:37.830 --> 04:39.886
finally have the chance to eat given

04:39.886 --> 04:41.830
their very varied work schedules .

04:41.959 --> 04:44.015
Nearly all service members receive a

04:44.015 --> 04:46.399
monthly payment which is designed to

04:46.399 --> 04:48.839
defray their personal food cost . It's

04:48.839 --> 04:51.200
known as the basic allowance subs

04:51.200 --> 04:53.440
subsistence with BAS , and this

04:53.440 --> 04:55.607
allowance is provided at a flat rate .

04:55.679 --> 04:57.623
However , the funding mechanisms .

04:57.623 --> 04:59.934
Support on installation food programs

04:59.934 --> 05:01.894
have recently come under increased

05:01.894 --> 05:04.095
scrutiny after questions were raised

05:04.095 --> 05:06.095
regarding how the services actually

05:06.095 --> 05:07.873
spend their basic allowance for

05:07.873 --> 05:09.762
subsistence that is withheld from

05:09.762 --> 05:12.095
soldiers , sailors , marines , airmen ,

05:12.105 --> 05:14.454
and guardians . It's also unclear

05:14.454 --> 05:16.565
whether the services consistently and

05:16.565 --> 05:18.676
accurately account for those costs of

05:18.676 --> 05:20.787
food programs , which also calls into

05:20.787 --> 05:23.174
question if and how the services are

05:23.174 --> 05:25.899
measuring their own effectiveness . To

05:25.899 --> 05:27.455
the points of oversight and

05:27.455 --> 05:29.232
effectiveness , last year , the

05:29.232 --> 05:31.455
Government Accountability Office , uh ,

05:31.579 --> 05:33.746
released a report where it made over a

05:33.746 --> 05:35.412
dozen recommendations for the

05:35.412 --> 05:37.357
Department of Defense and Military

05:37.357 --> 05:39.412
Services to increase their oversight

05:39.412 --> 05:41.523
and evaluation of nutritional efforts

05:41.523 --> 05:43.523
in support of service members , and

05:43.523 --> 05:45.746
unfortunately I must report that nearly

05:45.746 --> 05:47.940
a year after its release , all of the

05:47.940 --> 05:49.739
recommendations , all of the

05:49.739 --> 05:52.059
recommendations remain open . Which

05:52.059 --> 05:53.980
means that they have not yet been

05:53.980 --> 05:56.179
addressed and that's why I'm very

05:56.179 --> 05:57.901
interested in hearing from our

05:57.901 --> 06:00.260
witnesses how are we modernizing food

06:00.260 --> 06:03.029
options ? How are we improving access

06:03.029 --> 06:05.679
to quality of food and what additional

06:05.679 --> 06:08.100
legislative authorities you might need

06:08.100 --> 06:09.711
from us to be able . To make

06:09.711 --> 06:11.767
improvements to the food security of

06:11.767 --> 06:13.933
service members , Mr . Chairman , I am

06:13.933 --> 06:15.933
confident that we will and can work

06:15.933 --> 06:18.156
together to make sure that the services

06:18.156 --> 06:20.322
turn the tide and increase the quality

06:20.322 --> 06:22.378
and quantity of food options . Thank

06:22.378 --> 06:24.600
you so much again to the witnesses here

06:24.600 --> 06:26.711
for being here today , and I yield my

06:26.711 --> 06:28.760
time . Uh , thank you Re member . I

06:28.760 --> 06:30.871
would like to welcome our witnesses ,

06:30.871 --> 06:32.982
Lieutenant General Christopher , uh ,

06:32.982 --> 06:35.359
Mohan , deputy commanding general for

06:35.359 --> 06:37.799
Army Material Command , Vice Admiral

06:37.799 --> 06:39.521
Scott Gray , commander of Navy

06:39.521 --> 06:42.040
Installation Command , Mr . Horace HL

06:42.040 --> 06:44.839
Larry , uh , director of services for

06:44.839 --> 06:46.672
Air Force Manpower Personnel and

06:46.672 --> 06:48.709
Services , Major General Jason

06:49.000 --> 06:51.167
Woodworth , commander for Marine Corps

06:51.167 --> 06:53.222
installations Command . Each witness

06:53.222 --> 06:55.278
will have the opportunity to present

06:55.278 --> 06:55.109
his or her testimony , and each member

06:55.109 --> 06:57.165
will have an opportunity to question

06:57.165 --> 07:00.779
witnesses for . 2 minutes

07:01.470 --> 07:04.109
we respectfully ask the witnesses to

07:04.109 --> 07:06.549
summarize their testimony in 5 minutes

07:06.549 --> 07:08.790
or less . Your written comments and

07:08.790 --> 07:10.790
statements will be made part of the

07:10.790 --> 07:12.790
hearing record with that Lieutenant

07:12.790 --> 07:14.957
General Mohan , General , you may make

07:14.957 --> 07:16.846
your opening statement . Chairman

07:16.846 --> 07:18.901
Fallon , ranking member Houlihan and

07:18.901 --> 07:18.119
distinguished members of the

07:18.119 --> 07:19.952
subcommittee , thank you for the

07:19.952 --> 07:22.008
opportunity to discuss the Army food

07:22.008 --> 07:23.619
program . We appreciate this

07:23.619 --> 07:25.730
subcommittee's shared concern for our

07:25.730 --> 07:27.841
soldiers' welfare . I acknowledge the

07:27.841 --> 07:29.841
challenges in our dining facilities

07:29.841 --> 07:31.730
that have made headlines and more

07:31.730 --> 07:33.730
recently the articles in the army's

07:33.730 --> 07:35.619
management of food entitlements .

07:35.619 --> 07:37.730
Senior commanders are responsible for

07:37.730 --> 07:39.952
execution of their food programs at the

07:39.952 --> 07:42.063
tactical level on our installations .

07:42.063 --> 07:44.286
And as the Army's senior sustainer , it

07:44.286 --> 07:46.341
is my responsibility to provide them

07:46.341 --> 07:48.175
the capabilities , resources and

07:48.175 --> 07:50.230
support they need to be successful .

07:50.230 --> 07:52.341
And I've and I recognize that we have

07:52.341 --> 07:54.008
not moved fast enough to make

07:54.008 --> 07:56.119
improvements . However , I assure you

07:56.119 --> 07:57.841
the Army is not spending money

07:57.841 --> 07:59.952
collected from soldiers' entitlements

07:59.952 --> 08:02.429
elsewhere . The Army pays about $1.9

08:02.429 --> 08:05.269
billion to enlisted soldiers in basic

08:05.269 --> 08:07.500
allowance for subsistence or BAS each

08:07.500 --> 08:10.109
year . We then collect $400 million

08:10.109 --> 08:11.942
back from soldiers on milk , the

08:11.942 --> 08:14.165
soldiers that are on milk cards , so we

08:14.165 --> 08:17.260
then only request $1.5 billion which

08:17.260 --> 08:19.427
relying on that $400 to pay the annual

08:19.427 --> 08:22.079
total BAS requirement . We budget a

08:22.079 --> 08:24.023
completely separate pot of money ,

08:24.420 --> 08:26.850
subsistence in kind to purchase and

08:26.850 --> 08:29.072
prepare food in our dining facilities .

08:29.072 --> 08:31.529
All in , we spend nearly $3.9 billion

08:31.529 --> 08:33.640
each year to feed soldiers around the

08:33.640 --> 08:35.585
world . We must innovate and drive

08:35.585 --> 08:37.809
revolutionary change . So 18 months 18

08:37.809 --> 08:39.865
months ago we stood up the Army Food

08:39.865 --> 08:41.920
Service Board of directors , which ,

08:41.920 --> 08:43.920
which reports to me . The board has

08:43.920 --> 08:45.865
worked together surveying soldiers

08:45.865 --> 08:47.809
across the army , implementing the

08:47.809 --> 08:49.976
multiple efforts to expand our options

08:49.976 --> 08:51.642
right now . Including kiosk ,

08:51.642 --> 08:53.698
additional mobile food trucks , grab

08:53.698 --> 08:55.698
and go , and meal prep programs but

08:55.698 --> 08:57.253
looking to the future , the

08:57.253 --> 08:59.420
revolutionary change that our soldiers

08:59.420 --> 09:01.642
want and deserve requires us to totally

09:01.642 --> 09:03.809
rethink our strategy , which brings us

09:03.809 --> 09:05.642
to our campus style dining pilot

09:05.642 --> 09:07.476
program . I appreciate Congress'

09:07.476 --> 09:09.642
support in the FY25 NDAA that directed

09:09.642 --> 09:11.476
us to execute this pilot , which

09:11.476 --> 09:13.642
enables a contracted commercial vendor

09:13.642 --> 09:15.420
to transform traditional dining

09:15.420 --> 09:17.476
facilities into college campus style

09:17.476 --> 09:19.587
experiences . Our pilot will leverage

09:19.587 --> 09:22.580
this industry expertise and and

09:22.909 --> 09:25.510
incentivize a contractor . To operate a

09:25.510 --> 09:27.566
facility where our soldiers actually

09:27.566 --> 09:29.566
want to dine . Our ultimate goal is

09:29.566 --> 09:31.732
making our dining facilities the venue

09:31.732 --> 09:33.899
of choice for our soldiers so they can

09:33.899 --> 09:35.899
be the world's most lethal fighting

09:35.899 --> 09:38.121
force . Thank you and I look forward to

09:38.121 --> 09:37.859
your questions . Thank you , General

09:37.859 --> 09:40.026
Emerald Gray . You're now recognized .

09:41.719 --> 09:43.830
The Davidson window predicts war with

09:43.830 --> 09:46.580
China as early as 2027 . We must think ,

09:46.739 --> 09:48.850
act and operate differently to ensure

09:48.850 --> 09:51.017
we're ready to fight and win in a mere

09:51.017 --> 09:53.619
722 days . Our shore installations are

09:53.619 --> 09:55.341
war fighting platforms and the

09:55.341 --> 09:57.230
wellspring from which all our war

09:57.230 --> 09:59.419
fighting readiness emanates . At the

09:59.419 --> 10:01.197
same time , the Navy's degraded

10:01.197 --> 10:03.419
facilities and infrastructure undermine

10:03.419 --> 10:05.419
our ability to deliver combat ready

10:05.419 --> 10:07.641
forces and ensure the well-being of our

10:07.641 --> 10:09.586
sailors and families . Over recent

10:09.586 --> 10:11.752
years , the Navy has lost an estimated

10:11.752 --> 10:13.863
$200 million in buying power in their

10:13.863 --> 10:16.030
boss accounts alone , and this year we

10:16.030 --> 10:18.363
took an additional $105 million in cuts ,

10:18.363 --> 10:20.419
which further hobbles our ability to

10:20.419 --> 10:22.641
make real change . We gotta do better .

10:22.641 --> 10:24.752
Our key war fighting advantage is our

10:24.752 --> 10:26.863
people . The navy has a covenant with

10:26.863 --> 10:29.039
our sailors . They dedicate themselves

10:29.039 --> 10:31.219
to serve and with all the sacrifice

10:31.219 --> 10:34.159
that that entails , and we commit to

10:34.159 --> 10:36.103
take taking care of them and their

10:36.103 --> 10:39.070
families . This covenant fortifies our

10:39.070 --> 10:41.237
war fighting spirit and provides us an

10:41.237 --> 10:43.349
edge over our adversaries in

10:43.349 --> 10:45.182
partnership with Congress , Navy

10:45.182 --> 10:46.905
leadership has made meaningful

10:46.905 --> 10:49.182
improvements in compensation , housing ,

10:49.182 --> 10:51.238
medical care , child care , improved

10:51.238 --> 10:53.349
conditions in our shipyards , changed

10:53.349 --> 10:55.516
policies to better serve our sailors ,

10:55.516 --> 10:57.627
uh , and made critical investments to

10:57.627 --> 10:59.738
improve quality of life and access to

10:59.738 --> 11:01.738
healthier food options . We are now

11:01.738 --> 11:03.905
broadening our efforts to enhance food

11:03.905 --> 11:05.960
quality . And are fully committed to

11:05.960 --> 11:08.071
improving sailor nutrition across our

11:08.071 --> 11:10.293
over 80 as shore and 268 afloat galleys

11:10.293 --> 11:12.840
which serve over 48 million meals

11:12.840 --> 11:16.000
annually . Every dollar a BAS collected

11:16.000 --> 11:17.840
for rations and kind is spent to

11:17.840 --> 11:20.799
purchase food , period . No BAS funds

11:20.799 --> 11:22.966
have been misallocated . In fact , the

11:22.966 --> 11:25.021
Navy supplements BAS with additional

11:25.021 --> 11:26.966
funding to enhance the quality and

11:26.966 --> 11:28.966
quantity of food to better fuel the

11:28.966 --> 11:31.200
performance of our sailors . Uh , I am

11:31.200 --> 11:33.422
taking action to eliminate uh potential

11:33.422 --> 11:35.533
seams between the Navy's food service

11:35.533 --> 11:37.589
stakeholders , and I am accelerating

11:37.589 --> 11:39.811
our evolving strategy to better attract

11:39.811 --> 11:42.033
sailors into our galleys . I share your

11:42.033 --> 11:43.867
concern . I asked for Congress's

11:43.867 --> 11:46.033
support to protect our boss accounts .

11:46.033 --> 11:48.200
For a food transformation line item in

11:48.200 --> 11:50.367
the budget , for additional funding to

11:50.367 --> 11:52.539
improve our galley facilities and to

11:52.539 --> 11:54.761
consider an increase in BAS entitlement

11:54.761 --> 11:56.817
to better facilitate the purchase of

11:56.817 --> 11:58.706
more healthy food options for our

11:58.706 --> 12:01.340
sailors , the Davidson window is 722

12:01.340 --> 12:04.099
days away . By honoring our warrior

12:04.099 --> 12:06.266
covenant , we will keep faith with our

12:06.266 --> 12:08.432
sailors and our families . Thank you ,

12:08.432 --> 12:10.599
and I look forward to your questions .

12:10.599 --> 12:12.932
Thank you . uh , thank you , Admiral Mr .

12:12.932 --> 12:12.570
Larry , you're now recognized ,

12:12.859 --> 12:14.750
Chairman Fallon . Ranking Member

12:14.750 --> 12:17.270
Houlihan and esteemed members of this

12:17.270 --> 12:18.881
committee . I appreciate the

12:18.881 --> 12:21.048
opportunity to engage with you today ,

12:21.070 --> 12:22.940
and I thank you for your ongoing

12:23.349 --> 12:25.820
support . As the Department of the Air

12:25.820 --> 12:28.669
Force's witness , I represent both the

12:28.669 --> 12:32.369
Air Force and The space force .

12:32.989 --> 12:34.909
Together we stand firm in our

12:34.909 --> 12:37.000
commitment to delivering and

12:37.000 --> 12:39.669
strengthening our food services program

12:39.960 --> 12:43.150
and its contributions to the readiness ,

12:43.400 --> 12:47.159
resilience and morale of our remarkable

12:47.159 --> 12:50.359
airmen and guardians . Our innovative

12:50.359 --> 12:52.770
food services program took flight in

12:52.770 --> 12:56.400
2010 with implementation of Air Force

12:56.400 --> 12:59.570
Food Services transformation . This

12:59.570 --> 13:02.219
transformation , fueled by a tradition

13:02.219 --> 13:05.590
of care and support , upholds strict

13:05.590 --> 13:09.070
accountability and staunch execution as

13:09.070 --> 13:11.820
its standard business model . While

13:11.820 --> 13:13.876
this innovative approach has evolved

13:13.876 --> 13:15.987
into what is currently known as known

13:15.987 --> 13:19.299
as Food 2.0 , our core principles

13:19.299 --> 13:22.909
remain accessibility , quality ,

13:23.380 --> 13:25.880
nutritional value , and cost .

13:27.200 --> 13:29.422
These four elements are the cornerstone

13:29.422 --> 13:31.533
of our food service operation and the

13:31.533 --> 13:34.270
calling card for our eminent guardians

13:34.520 --> 13:38.039
dining experience . Further , the

13:38.039 --> 13:40.206
Department of the Air Force recognizes

13:40.206 --> 13:42.206
Food Services' role in building and

13:42.206 --> 13:45.840
maintaining strong and capable warriors .

13:46.619 --> 13:48.619
These members must possess both the

13:48.619 --> 13:51.659
mentality and the staying power to

13:51.659 --> 13:53.715
render the lethality our warfighting

13:53.715 --> 13:56.739
commanders are entrusted to deliver for

13:56.739 --> 14:00.469
the nation . As such , every dollar

14:00.469 --> 14:02.719
from essential service messaging

14:02.719 --> 14:06.510
transaction is used solely . For

14:06.510 --> 14:09.260
food services . None of these dollars

14:09.260 --> 14:12.070
for members' paychecks are diverted

14:12.070 --> 14:15.869
elsewhere . As I close , rest assured

14:15.869 --> 14:17.702
your department of the Air Force

14:17.702 --> 14:19.770
remains alert to its food services

14:19.770 --> 14:22.369
program and the critical role it plays

14:22.369 --> 14:25.690
in delivering ready and resilient

14:25.690 --> 14:28.460
members fully capable of mission

14:28.460 --> 14:30.599
accomplishment . Thank you , Mr .

14:30.609 --> 14:32.849
Chairman and committee members , and I

14:32.849 --> 14:35.182
stand by for your questions . Thank you ,

14:35.182 --> 14:37.409
Mr . Larry . General Woodworth , you're

14:37.409 --> 14:40.750
now recognized . Chairman Fallon ,

14:41.159 --> 14:42.715
ranking member Houlihan and

14:42.715 --> 14:44.326
distinguished members of the

14:44.326 --> 14:46.159
subcommittee , thank you for the

14:46.159 --> 14:48.381
opportunity to testify before you today

14:48.381 --> 14:50.492
on behalf of the United States Marine

14:50.492 --> 14:52.270
Corps . The Marine Corps stands

14:52.270 --> 14:54.326
committed to maintaining the highest

14:54.326 --> 14:56.492
standards of readiness and lethality .

14:56.492 --> 14:58.548
We are equally dedicated to ensuring

14:58.548 --> 15:00.548
that your Marines are provided with

15:00.548 --> 15:02.659
nourishment to remain healthy and fit

15:02.659 --> 15:05.190
to fight . Money collected from Marines

15:05.190 --> 15:07.190
and mess halls is used to cover the

15:07.190 --> 15:09.869
cost of food and operating expenses of

15:09.869 --> 15:12.030
our dining facilities . These

15:12.030 --> 15:14.030
deductions are used solely and

15:14.030 --> 15:16.710
exclusively for food services and not

15:16.710 --> 15:19.369
diverted to other programs . As

15:19.369 --> 15:21.809
demonstrated by our past 2 years audit

15:21.809 --> 15:24.031
results , the Marine Corps ensures that

15:24.031 --> 15:25.587
every dollar authorized and

15:25.587 --> 15:27.698
appropriated by Congress is spent for

15:27.698 --> 15:30.000
its intended purpose and is accurately

15:30.409 --> 15:33.109
accounted for . The quality of the

15:33.109 --> 15:35.630
meals we provide is essential to

15:35.630 --> 15:37.630
ensuring our marines are physically

15:37.630 --> 15:39.630
prepared to meet the demands of the

15:39.630 --> 15:41.463
mission . We take great pride in

15:41.463 --> 15:43.519
offering meals that are balanced and

15:43.519 --> 15:45.630
satisfying . The Marine Corps follows

15:45.630 --> 15:47.797
the Department of Defense standards to

15:47.797 --> 15:49.741
ensure every meal supports optimal

15:49.741 --> 15:52.074
performance over and overall well-being .

15:52.369 --> 15:54.650
We aim to provide food that keeps

15:54.650 --> 15:56.969
Marines prepped , focused , and ready

15:56.969 --> 15:58.979
for action . At Marine Corps

15:58.979 --> 16:01.035
installations command we oversee the

16:01.035 --> 16:02.812
quality and consistency of food

16:02.812 --> 16:05.580
services across all installations and

16:05.580 --> 16:07.524
strive to continuously improve the

16:07.524 --> 16:10.340
dining experience by collaborating with

16:10.340 --> 16:12.118
industry partners and gathering

16:12.118 --> 16:15.510
feedback from our marines . Warrior

16:15.510 --> 16:17.900
readiness begins at our installations .

16:18.599 --> 16:20.432
The Marine Corps is dedicated to

16:20.432 --> 16:22.655
ensuring that every Marine receives the

16:22.655 --> 16:24.766
best possible meal to fuel their body

16:24.766 --> 16:26.821
for the mission . We're proud of the

16:26.821 --> 16:28.877
work we do to support the health and

16:28.877 --> 16:31.043
readiness of our force . We appreciate

16:31.043 --> 16:32.821
your continued support in these

16:32.821 --> 16:34.988
critical efforts . Thank you again for

16:34.988 --> 16:37.080
the opportunity to testify for you

16:37.080 --> 16:39.302
before you here today . Look forward to

16:39.302 --> 16:43.169
your questions . Thank you very

16:43.169 --> 16:45.391
much , chair . I recognize myself for 5

16:45.391 --> 16:47.280
minutes of questions . I wanted ,

16:47.280 --> 16:50.289
wanted to start with , um , in general ,

16:50.409 --> 16:52.631
uh , and you had mentioned about , uh ,

16:52.631 --> 16:54.798
the universities and , and going up to

16:54.798 --> 16:56.853
the standard . Do you think that the

16:56.853 --> 16:59.020
DFAs are at that standard now that can

16:59.020 --> 17:01.353
be comparable to a university ? So , um ,

17:01.353 --> 17:03.409
thank you for the question , sir . I

17:03.409 --> 17:05.520
would tell you that , uh , our dining

17:05.520 --> 17:07.680
facilities , um , we have bright ink

17:07.680 --> 17:10.319
spots of really innovative soldiers who

17:10.319 --> 17:12.430
are driving this , uh , change at the

17:12.430 --> 17:14.800
dining facility level but because we

17:14.800 --> 17:17.439
are an army in motion constantly and so

17:17.439 --> 17:19.495
when we think about a university and

17:19.495 --> 17:21.606
our , our campus style dining pilot ,

17:21.606 --> 17:23.439
it is to to institutionalize the

17:23.439 --> 17:26.150
management . And the and the um the

17:26.150 --> 17:28.261
operation of our dining facilities at

17:28.261 --> 17:30.150
scale which will bring in a whole

17:30.150 --> 17:32.630
another level of uh of of expertise

17:32.630 --> 17:34.741
from the commercial industry so we're

17:34.741 --> 17:36.630
gonna commercialize uh our dining

17:36.630 --> 17:38.463
facilities but again meeting the

17:38.463 --> 17:40.463
soldiers where they are making sure

17:40.463 --> 17:42.686
they have healthy nutritious nutritious

17:42.686 --> 17:44.908
options , um , and things like expanded

17:44.908 --> 17:47.640
hours , uh , more grab and go more etc .

17:48.829 --> 17:51.099
And uh and the pilot program is it how

17:51.099 --> 17:53.199
many locations is it 5 sir it's 5

17:53.199 --> 17:55.500
locations , 5 different states . The uh

17:55.500 --> 17:57.611
request for proposal is on the street

17:57.611 --> 17:59.611
right now . Uh , anticipate that we

17:59.611 --> 18:01.778
will get our um our offers in the next

18:01.778 --> 18:03.556
couple of months . We'll do the

18:03.556 --> 18:05.778
evaluation in the fall . We'll be ready

18:05.778 --> 18:07.778
for business . Admiral Grace , uh ,

18:07.778 --> 18:07.420
same question as far as do you think .

18:07.530 --> 18:10.040
That uh navy facilities would measure

18:10.040 --> 18:12.040
up to let's say universities we see

18:12.040 --> 18:14.151
across the country , sir , I think we

18:14.151 --> 18:16.151
offer very high quality food , uh ,

18:16.151 --> 18:18.373
nutritious options for our sailors uh I

18:18.373 --> 18:20.429
agree with you there is variation uh

18:20.429 --> 18:23.239
but I think the standard across the

18:23.239 --> 18:25.479
entire service is good and the and and

18:25.479 --> 18:27.760
remains high . Uh , we do have , uh ,

18:27.770 --> 18:29.930
bright spots of excellence in some

18:29.930 --> 18:32.050
locations and we're working hard to

18:32.050 --> 18:34.520
capture those lessons learned and , and ,

18:34.530 --> 18:37.560
uh , raise the standard across , uh ,

18:37.569 --> 18:39.347
our service , uh , Mr . Larry .

18:41.640 --> 18:44.239
Sir , while we are not there , I have

18:44.239 --> 18:46.829
to say , um , I would think we're about

18:46.829 --> 18:49.359
maybe 70 , 75% there because of the

18:49.359 --> 18:51.470
initiative that we had in place since

18:51.470 --> 18:55.349
2010 with Food 2.0 and

18:55.560 --> 18:57.449
with the partnership we have with

18:57.449 --> 18:59.560
universities where we go out and walk

18:59.560 --> 19:01.671
the ground , walk the university . To

19:01.671 --> 19:04.084
talk with the uh chefs , the food

19:04.084 --> 19:06.785
service managers , the dietitians , how

19:06.785 --> 19:08.841
do you provide this level of support

19:09.045 --> 19:11.156
and what it is we can pull from it in

19:11.156 --> 19:13.824
partnership to advance our food

19:13.824 --> 19:15.935
services operations ? That's a lot to

19:15.935 --> 19:17.880
be said for best practices and not

19:17.880 --> 19:19.991
reinventing the wheel for sure , uh ,

19:19.991 --> 19:22.550
general . Thank you , Chairman . I

19:22.550 --> 19:24.494
would start by saying that we have

19:24.494 --> 19:27.270
moved away from the line style feeding

19:27.270 --> 19:29.709
process that you remember from previous

19:29.709 --> 19:31.869
years except for an initial training

19:31.869 --> 19:34.670
and we have more of a diverse option uh

19:34.670 --> 19:36.781
at each of our dining facilities with

19:36.781 --> 19:38.837
two kids in college . I can tell you

19:38.837 --> 19:40.892
that two different universities have

19:40.892 --> 19:43.059
very different dining uh quality um at

19:43.059 --> 19:45.114
our mess halls we have variations in

19:45.114 --> 19:47.226
quality sometimes as well , and we're

19:47.226 --> 19:49.392
working really hard to improve in this

19:49.392 --> 19:51.392
next contract that we are currently

19:51.392 --> 19:53.337
negotiating . Uh , to offer better

19:53.337 --> 19:55.226
hours , uh , better options , and

19:55.226 --> 19:57.337
increased quality , yeah , I mean the

19:57.337 --> 19:59.503
fact of the matter is when I think the

19:59.503 --> 19:59.300
take rate is roughly , what do you know

19:59.300 --> 20:01.411
what your take rate is , General ? So

20:01.411 --> 20:03.578
it's approximately 25% of our soldiers

20:03.578 --> 20:05.969
who are ESM and live or uh uh SIK live

20:05.969 --> 20:08.136
in the barracks . Yeah , we , we found

20:08.136 --> 20:10.358
about 25-30% roughly . So that uh jives

20:10.358 --> 20:12.191
with what we were looking at and

20:12.191 --> 20:14.302
universities take rates usually about

20:14.302 --> 20:16.469
60 or 70% . So it's higher and there's

20:16.469 --> 20:16.270
work to be done , I think for sure . Uh ,

20:16.349 --> 20:18.516
another very important question is I'd

20:18.516 --> 20:20.405
like to go down the line . Who is

20:20.405 --> 20:22.349
direct what individual is directly

20:22.349 --> 20:24.699
responsible for food quality ? In the

20:24.699 --> 20:27.260
in the United States Army for food

20:27.260 --> 20:29.380
quality at the institution level it's

20:29.380 --> 20:33.089
me , um , but , but at the unit level

20:33.089 --> 20:35.256
it is unit commanders and we place the

20:35.256 --> 20:37.367
responsibility on unit commanders all

20:37.367 --> 20:39.478
the way up to the installation senior

20:39.478 --> 20:41.589
commanders but I am responsible . You

20:41.589 --> 20:43.811
wear more than that hat though . You do

20:43.811 --> 20:46.089
a lot of other things , yes sir , I do .

20:46.089 --> 20:45.859
OK , same question for the Admiral .

20:46.630 --> 20:48.741
Sir , we have multiple stakeholders ,

20:48.741 --> 20:51.019
but I am the Navy's quality of service ,

20:51.019 --> 20:53.241
uh , lead under the Vice Chief of naval

20:53.241 --> 20:55.352
operations , so I take responsibility

20:55.352 --> 20:57.574
for the delivery of quality food , uh ,

20:57.574 --> 20:59.797
at our installations . Fair to also say

20:59.797 --> 20:59.699
though , Admiral , you have a lot of

20:59.699 --> 21:02.020
other hats and jobs that you're , I do

21:02.020 --> 21:04.242
have many hats . Yes sir , Mr . Larry ,

21:04.242 --> 21:06.464
likewise , sir , I have many hats , but

21:06.464 --> 21:09.000
I am that overseeing and accountability

21:09.000 --> 21:11.530
quality leader now through a services

21:11.530 --> 21:14.109
center with an 06 , providing outreach

21:14.109 --> 21:16.349
and support to all of our insulation to

21:16.349 --> 21:19.599
zero in on that quality . General .

21:20.349 --> 21:22.293
Yeah , thank you , Chairman . I am

21:22.293 --> 21:24.516
responsible for the quality of the food

21:24.516 --> 21:26.516
service provided . Is that the only

21:26.516 --> 21:25.859
thing you do for the United States

21:25.859 --> 21:28.026
Marine Corps ? Absolutely not . Yeah ,

21:28.026 --> 21:30.359
and , and I think you see the theme and ,

21:30.359 --> 21:32.526
and what we're , uh , we wanna talk to

21:32.526 --> 21:34.748
some very smart people and maybe , uh ,

21:34.748 --> 21:36.748
have a billet for specifically that

21:36.748 --> 21:36.540
that's how important this quality of

21:36.540 --> 21:38.707
life issue is , uh , and I wanna thank

21:38.707 --> 21:40.651
you all for , uh , your coming and

21:40.651 --> 21:42.540
answering the questions and I now

21:42.540 --> 21:45.010
recognized ranking member . Thank you ,

21:45.099 --> 21:49.020
Mr . Chair , um . When I'm just gonna

21:49.020 --> 21:51.242
ask each one of you , when was the last

21:51.242 --> 21:53.187
time you ate at one of your dining

21:53.187 --> 21:55.298
installations and would you recommend

21:55.298 --> 21:57.650
it to a friend ? So the last time I ate

21:57.650 --> 21:59.872
in a dining facility , ma'am , was at ,

21:59.872 --> 22:02.420
uh , at Fort Cavassos , um , at the hub ,

22:02.699 --> 22:04.969
uh , within 34 footprint , and I

22:04.969 --> 22:06.913
absolutely would recommend it to a

22:06.913 --> 22:08.969
friend . And when was that ? Um , it

22:08.969 --> 22:11.247
was probably about , uh , 4 months ago .

22:11.247 --> 22:13.469
I was there for a warfighter exercise ,

22:13.469 --> 22:15.580
Admiral . Uh , just about 2 weeks ago

22:15.580 --> 22:17.913
out in , uh , Fallon , Nevada . So , um ,

22:17.913 --> 22:20.136
and yes , it was a quality experience .

22:20.136 --> 22:22.358
I enjoyed it very much and , uh , I was

22:22.358 --> 22:24.580
happy , uh , walking out that , uh , we

22:24.580 --> 22:26.636
were delivering the right service to

22:26.636 --> 22:28.858
our sailors , Mr . Larry . Last month ,

22:28.858 --> 22:30.636
ma'am , at Dover Air Force Base

22:30.636 --> 22:32.858
Delaware as part of our food 2.0 dining

22:32.858 --> 22:35.080
operation , uh , great experience , and

22:35.080 --> 22:37.319
I come back to my response to through

22:37.319 --> 22:40.040
Chairman Fallon . About 70% , 75% ,

22:40.079 --> 22:42.246
we're about there . We're working hard

22:42.246 --> 22:44.357
at it . We're ramping up , but a good

22:44.357 --> 22:46.357
experience . Excellent in general .

22:46.910 --> 22:48.910
Thank you ma'am . I ate at a dining

22:48.910 --> 22:51.430
facility about a month ago uh here in

22:51.430 --> 22:53.652
the Quantico area . We'll tell you that

22:53.652 --> 22:55.763
uh previously in the fall I had eaten

22:55.763 --> 22:57.986
at one that did not meet the standard .

22:57.986 --> 23:00.208
We send in an inspection team we closed

23:00.208 --> 23:02.263
that dining facility for 3 months to

23:02.263 --> 23:04.486
get it back up to speed . Thank you . I

23:04.486 --> 23:06.708
appreciate your candor and I grew up in

23:06.708 --> 23:06.510
a .

23:14.689 --> 23:16.745
family would always take me into the

23:16.745 --> 23:19.729
mess hall to eat with myself and having

23:19.729 --> 23:21.890
experienced some diversity of of

23:21.890 --> 23:24.001
efforts across the world , I will say

23:24.001 --> 23:26.057
that there are hits and misses , and

23:26.057 --> 23:28.057
I'm grateful that we're focusing on

23:28.057 --> 23:30.930
this , um , uh , General Moen , my

23:30.930 --> 23:33.010
question to you is I'm confused . It

23:33.010 --> 23:35.410
sounded like that you got authority to

23:35.410 --> 23:38.489
do this test in 2023 , and now it's

23:38.489 --> 23:40.609
2025 , and we have , we're still out

23:40.609 --> 23:43.609
with the RFP . Is that my correct

23:43.609 --> 23:46.839
understanding ? 25 ND 2025 . OK , so

23:46.839 --> 23:48.895
that makes more sense and so at this

23:48.895 --> 23:50.895
point you're not you haven't gotten

23:50.895 --> 23:53.006
anywhere other than the RFP and , and

23:53.006 --> 23:54.839
you expect results in the fall .

23:54.839 --> 23:57.061
Besides the , the rollout of additional

23:57.061 --> 23:59.800
initiatives like kiosk , food trucks ,

24:00.079 --> 24:02.000
uh , meal prep programs have been

24:02.000 --> 24:04.000
extremely popular , uh , but from a

24:04.000 --> 24:06.719
contractual standpoint is we is the RFP

24:06.719 --> 24:08.886
excellent , excellent . I look forward

24:08.886 --> 24:10.941
to the results and , uh , a plan for

24:10.941 --> 24:13.163
rapid roll out if you have success with

24:13.163 --> 24:15.386
it , which I anticipate you will . Uh ,

24:15.386 --> 24:17.108
Admiral , um , do you have any

24:17.108 --> 24:19.260
visibility into the food program cost

24:19.260 --> 24:21.482
data at the installation level ? I know

24:21.482 --> 24:23.704
there's been some kind of confusion and

24:23.704 --> 24:26.209
drama about . Which different accounts

24:26.209 --> 24:28.320
are , you know , hitting the BAS line

24:28.320 --> 24:30.542
or not , uh , do you feel as though you

24:30.542 --> 24:32.320
have good transparency and good

24:32.320 --> 24:34.431
accountability and good accounting in

24:34.431 --> 24:36.709
that area ? Uh , in , in the aggregate ,

24:36.709 --> 24:39.430
yes ma'am , I mean we know , uh , uh ,

24:39.439 --> 24:41.810
we do a good job budgeting for our

24:41.810 --> 24:43.921
accounting each year . As a matter of

24:43.921 --> 24:46.143
fact , um , we typically go over budget

24:46.143 --> 24:48.421
for the last 5 years we go over budget ,

24:48.530 --> 24:50.252
uh , as I stated in my opening

24:50.252 --> 24:52.869
statement , um , not only do we collect ,

24:53.060 --> 24:54.949
uh , BAS , uh , for those who get

24:54.949 --> 24:57.280
rations in kind . The Navy supplements

24:57.280 --> 24:59.391
that to provide additional funding so

24:59.489 --> 25:01.930
overall we do have good visibility . I

25:01.930 --> 25:04.152
coordinated with the other stakeholders

25:04.152 --> 25:06.152
in the Navy and in preparation with

25:06.152 --> 25:08.263
this hearing , and I was satisfied uh

25:08.263 --> 25:10.374
with the information I was provided .

25:10.374 --> 25:12.708
Thank you . And with the remaining time ,

25:12.708 --> 25:14.486
uh , that I have general . Uh ,

25:14.486 --> 25:16.541
regarding the Marines , I , I , uh ,

25:16.541 --> 25:18.652
interested to find out that there are

25:18.652 --> 25:20.763
only two vendors that you all rely on

25:20.763 --> 25:22.263
and that just seems like a

25:22.263 --> 25:24.359
vulnerability . Um , is there any

25:24.359 --> 25:26.400
thought to diversifying your vendor

25:26.400 --> 25:28.400
fleet so that we don't end up in a

25:28.400 --> 25:31.040
vulnerable position ? Ma'am , currently

25:31.040 --> 25:34.040
we are in negotiations to renew our

25:34.040 --> 25:36.207
contract right now . Uh , we expect to

25:36.207 --> 25:38.318
have that completed by the end of the

25:38.318 --> 25:40.484
FY . I will take that back and look at

25:40.484 --> 25:42.596
it , ma'am , whether we can diversify

25:42.596 --> 25:44.596
more as you know , currently we are

25:44.596 --> 25:46.540
really down we are with one single

25:46.540 --> 25:48.596
source down to uh yes ma'am . Yeah ,

25:48.596 --> 25:50.707
diversification . I am a supply chain

25:50.707 --> 25:52.651
person is definitely important and

25:52.651 --> 25:54.707
lastly with uh Mr . Larry on the Air

25:54.707 --> 25:56.939
Force , uh , where I served , uh , you

25:56.939 --> 26:00.530
all have been working on transformation

26:00.530 --> 26:04.150
in food system changes since 2010 is my

26:04.150 --> 26:06.680
understanding . But it seems as though

26:07.020 --> 26:09.131
implementing those changes across all

26:09.131 --> 26:10.964
installations still has not been

26:10.964 --> 26:13.520
completed and we're obviously in 2025 .

26:13.540 --> 26:15.151
What are the delays to those

26:15.151 --> 26:17.699
installation changes ? Part of the

26:17.699 --> 26:19.930
delays , ma'am , is just working across

26:20.380 --> 26:22.630
different leaderships as our

26:22.900 --> 26:25.011
installation leadership changes every

26:25.011 --> 26:27.178
other year . Every 2 years , the other

26:27.178 --> 26:29.814
part I would say would be the funding ,

26:29.885 --> 26:32.052
how much funding we have , how quickly

26:32.052 --> 26:34.274
we can get after it , how many staff we

26:34.274 --> 26:36.484
have on to go out and not only do it ,

26:36.564 --> 26:38.864
ma'am , but do it correctly because we

26:38.864 --> 26:40.864
think of it within the structure or

26:40.864 --> 26:43.204
like an hour operation . It's one thing

26:43.204 --> 26:45.371
to open it , but it's another thing to

26:45.371 --> 26:47.780
keep it open . This way is one thing to

26:47.780 --> 26:50.180
say we have gone and upgraded , but we

26:50.180 --> 26:52.420
wanna make sure that it's done

26:52.420 --> 26:54.420
correctly and done in a manner that

26:54.420 --> 26:56.309
meet the needs and desires of our

26:56.309 --> 26:58.531
military members . So we'll pick up the

26:58.531 --> 27:00.587
pace , but we've been working pretty

27:00.587 --> 27:03.329
hard , man . You that when it's become

27:03.329 --> 27:05.440
almost the point when we have another

27:05.440 --> 27:07.440
18 year old who wasn't born when we

27:07.440 --> 27:09.496
started that it's going a little bit

27:09.496 --> 27:11.607
too slow in terms of the pace . I , I

27:11.607 --> 27:13.718
yield my , I yield back . Thank you .

27:13.718 --> 27:15.940
Thank you , thank you , and I just want

27:15.940 --> 27:18.162
it for the record Fallon , Nevada is my

27:18.162 --> 27:20.107
favorite town in that state . Uh ,

27:20.107 --> 27:22.107
chair now recognizes my good friend

27:22.107 --> 27:24.329
from Florida , Mr . Mills . Thank you ,

27:24.329 --> 27:26.273
Mr . Chairman . Uh , gentlemen , I

27:26.273 --> 27:26.130
appreciate you all coming here today

27:26.130 --> 27:28.297
and for your continued service . But I

27:28.297 --> 27:30.352
really look for transparency at this

27:30.352 --> 27:32.574
point , uh , as you're well aware , the

27:32.574 --> 27:34.797
recently reported funding challenges at

27:34.797 --> 27:36.852
the DFAS or chowhalls across 11 army

27:36.852 --> 27:39.019
installations was certainly of concern

27:39.019 --> 27:41.130
for me as a military combat veteran .

27:41.130 --> 27:43.290
The biggest concern is the cost

27:43.290 --> 27:45.290
associated with these programs . If

27:45.290 --> 27:48.449
they're fully funded at $50 per soldier ,

27:48.660 --> 27:50.716
our service members should be eating

27:50.716 --> 27:53.140
steak and lobster , and instead they're

27:53.140 --> 27:54.973
investing in yields , you know ,

27:54.973 --> 27:56.973
investing in things that yield poor

27:56.973 --> 27:58.973
quality and inconsistent hours that

27:58.973 --> 28:01.251
leave our soldiers , sailors , marines ,

28:01.251 --> 28:03.362
guardians lacking . General Mohan , I

28:03.362 --> 28:05.529
believe in accountability . I think we

28:05.529 --> 28:05.140
all understand the difference between

28:05.140 --> 28:07.140
responsibility and accountability .

28:07.140 --> 28:09.418
Responsibility is I'm sorry , my fault ,

28:09.418 --> 28:11.251
my bad . Accountability is being

28:11.251 --> 28:13.196
removed from your position , being

28:13.196 --> 28:15.307
downgraded or actually having someone

28:15.307 --> 28:15.189
else come in and do something about it .

28:15.969 --> 28:18.191
So I just wanna be clear , I believe in

28:18.191 --> 28:20.191
accountability at all levels of our

28:20.191 --> 28:22.080
service , not just for our junior

28:22.080 --> 28:24.136
enlisted or our junior officers . So

28:24.136 --> 28:26.247
who is ultimately responsible for the

28:26.247 --> 28:28.025
management and oversight of DFA

28:28.025 --> 28:30.520
operations within the army ? Sir ,

28:30.599 --> 28:32.766
thank you for that question and from a

28:32.766 --> 28:34.877
standpoint at the at the army level ,

28:34.880 --> 28:37.680
um , for our future strategy and our

28:37.680 --> 28:39.902
current operations , the person is me .

28:40.569 --> 28:42.680
And what measures have you enacted in

28:42.680 --> 28:44.625
order to correct these failures to

28:44.625 --> 28:46.625
include logistical failures at Fort

28:46.625 --> 28:49.270
Cabos ? The , the , um , the first is

28:49.560 --> 28:51.671
meeting the soldiers where they are ,

28:51.671 --> 28:53.782
finding out what they want , um , and

28:53.782 --> 28:55.893
we've learned some tough lessons when

28:55.893 --> 28:58.060
we've rolled out initiatives that have

28:58.060 --> 29:00.060
that have gone , uh , almost better

29:00.060 --> 29:02.227
than what we had like for kiosk , uh ,

29:02.227 --> 29:04.227
meal prep programs and so we had to

29:04.227 --> 29:04.199
make adjustments both in our vendor

29:04.199 --> 29:06.199
base . And the way we operate those

29:06.199 --> 29:08.785
kiosks , but our future , um , that we

29:08.785 --> 29:10.952
have an RFP on the street right now is

29:10.952 --> 29:13.118
to totally change the way that that we

29:13.118 --> 29:15.175
feed soldiers so we get the quality

29:15.385 --> 29:17.775
that we get the , the corporate level

29:18.064 --> 29:20.397
people who do this for a living to , to ,

29:20.425 --> 29:22.369
uh , to feed our soldiers while we

29:22.369 --> 29:24.592
focus our 92 golfs our our food service

29:24.592 --> 29:26.944
personnel on being soldiers and being

29:26.944 --> 29:29.222
prepared to sustain soldiers in combat .

29:30.459 --> 29:32.459
On Monday , the Pentagon released a

29:32.459 --> 29:34.126
memorandum entitled Workforce

29:34.126 --> 29:36.015
Acceleration and recapitalization

29:36.015 --> 29:38.237
Initiative Organizational Review . This

29:38.237 --> 29:40.292
memorandum states that all functions

29:40.292 --> 29:42.348
that are not inherently governmental

29:42.348 --> 29:44.292
retail sales , recreation , such ,

29:44.292 --> 29:46.626
should be prioritized for privatization .

29:46.626 --> 29:48.515
Do you believe that the essential

29:48.515 --> 29:50.792
messing would operate more efficiently ,

29:50.792 --> 29:52.959
predictability and effectively if it's

29:52.959 --> 29:52.300
management was handed over to the

29:52.300 --> 29:54.800
private sector ? With proper oversight ,

29:54.949 --> 29:57.640
yes , sir . Uh , with the exception of ,

29:58.199 --> 30:00.477
with the exception of , I'm sorry , um ,

30:00.479 --> 30:03.479
our overseas deployed , um , uh ,

30:03.589 --> 30:05.922
operations that needs to be soldier led ,

30:05.922 --> 30:08.319
um , and executed , Vice Admiral .

30:09.770 --> 30:11.881
I do believe uh we would benefit from

30:11.881 --> 30:14.048
privatization . We do have a challenge

30:14.048 --> 30:16.159
though . I mean we've got a lot of we

30:16.159 --> 30:18.381
can't privatize on a ship underway in a

30:18.381 --> 30:20.492
combat zone for example and so . Um ,

30:20.492 --> 30:22.603
while we do have opportunities in KOA

30:22.603 --> 30:22.550
and and potentially even at some

30:22.550 --> 30:24.383
overseas locations , we gotta be

30:24.383 --> 30:26.661
careful of the people who do , uh , uh ,

30:26.661 --> 30:28.717
CSs who do work on a board ship , we

30:28.717 --> 30:30.606
need somewhere for them to rotate

30:30.606 --> 30:33.069
ashore and serve and so , uh , we gotta

30:33.069 --> 30:35.125
balance that with , uh , our , our ,

30:35.125 --> 30:37.236
you know , the career path and , uh ,

30:37.236 --> 30:39.458
the , the challenges we have associated

30:39.458 --> 30:43.339
with that , but I am a fan . Sir ,

30:43.449 --> 30:45.449
on the surface , I would think so .

30:45.449 --> 30:47.671
It's just a matter of , as Admiral Gray

30:47.671 --> 30:49.819
stated , how would we model that

30:50.250 --> 30:52.306
readiness and that combat element to

30:52.306 --> 30:54.369
make sure that we have that right

30:54.369 --> 30:56.147
because having been an on scene

30:56.147 --> 30:58.489
commander now ranging on massive tent

30:58.489 --> 31:00.711
city operations , we had better have it

31:00.711 --> 31:03.010
right . So , won't step away from it ,

31:03.050 --> 31:05.650
willing to look , but my vote is not in

31:05.650 --> 31:07.872
yet . I have to work it . I like that .

31:08.130 --> 31:10.449
Major General Woodworth . Thank you ,

31:10.459 --> 31:13.199
sir . I will start by saying all of our

31:13.199 --> 31:16.319
Konis mess halls are operated by our

31:16.319 --> 31:18.920
contract , so we have not quite taken a

31:18.920 --> 31:21.142
step all the way to privatization , but

31:21.142 --> 31:23.198
we do have a private company that we

31:23.198 --> 31:25.253
contract with to do those . Oonis is

31:25.253 --> 31:27.364
still all Marine Corps . Uh , we will

31:27.364 --> 31:29.531
take the , uh , question back and look

31:29.531 --> 31:31.309
more detail . Failed at whether

31:31.309 --> 31:33.420
privatization is a good option for us

31:33.420 --> 31:35.364
obviously there's some significant

31:35.364 --> 31:37.364
benefits , but I would bet that the

31:37.364 --> 31:39.587
cost would go up for us so something to

31:39.587 --> 31:41.864
consider . Thank you . Well , you know ,

31:41.864 --> 31:41.489
in my experience what I've found is

31:41.489 --> 31:43.489
that privatization actually ends up

31:43.489 --> 31:45.489
being cheaper because the one thing

31:45.489 --> 31:47.656
that the government does well is spend

31:47.656 --> 31:49.656
money we don't necessarily spend it

31:49.656 --> 31:49.430
efficiently or effectively , but we're

31:49.430 --> 31:51.541
very good at spending money . I think

31:51.541 --> 31:53.859
the $36.7 trillion in deficit right now

31:53.859 --> 31:55.979
would prove that . My whole thing is

31:55.979 --> 31:58.201
though , the commissaries are basically

31:58.201 --> 32:00.201
almost all privatized at this point

32:00.201 --> 32:02.368
whether it's from running the cashiers

32:02.368 --> 32:04.201
and the actual systems itself or

32:04.201 --> 32:03.780
whether it's stocking the shelves or

32:03.780 --> 32:06.002
whether it's actually selecting vendors

32:06.002 --> 32:08.002
to try and get it on the thing so I

32:08.002 --> 32:09.724
hope that you do look into the

32:09.724 --> 32:11.724
privatization or at least a private

32:11.724 --> 32:13.891
public partnership of some sort and uh

32:13.891 --> 32:13.739
hopefully in our next meeting if the

32:13.739 --> 32:15.961
chairman does decide we can try and see

32:15.961 --> 32:18.128
what kind of updates we have with that

32:18.128 --> 32:20.295
I yield back . Thank you , Chair . now

32:20.295 --> 32:22.072
recognizes , uh , a friend from

32:22.072 --> 32:24.183
Washington , Ms . Great . Thank you ,

32:24.183 --> 32:26.017
Chairman Fallon , ranking member

32:26.017 --> 32:27.739
Houlihan . I have the honor of

32:27.739 --> 32:29.906
representing Joint Base Lewis McCord ,

32:29.906 --> 32:33.089
and I think about people that age .

32:33.910 --> 32:35.854
The choices they make when they're

32:35.854 --> 32:37.910
getting food , especially the people

32:37.910 --> 32:39.910
who live in the barracks . And so I

32:39.910 --> 32:42.243
think about barriers that they may have .

32:42.243 --> 32:42.180
So can you talk to me about some of the

32:42.180 --> 32:44.347
feedback you received from people that

32:44.347 --> 32:46.449
you surveyed ? How easily is it

32:46.449 --> 32:48.449
accessible , especially given their

32:48.449 --> 32:51.199
schedules ? How far are the dining hall

32:51.199 --> 32:53.369
facilities from the barracks that they

32:53.369 --> 32:56.770
stay in ? What type of what type

32:56.770 --> 33:00.079
of Offerings are they getting ? And

33:00.079 --> 33:02.357
then also too , you know , how you get ,

33:02.800 --> 33:04.967
how you were sure that nutritious food

33:04.967 --> 33:07.189
is what's on the menu as well . So I'll

33:07.189 --> 33:09.300
start with you , General Mohan . Uh ,

33:09.300 --> 33:11.522
thank you for that question . uh , uh ,

33:11.522 --> 33:13.800
I was stationed at , uh , at then Fort

33:13.800 --> 33:16.000
Lewis , uh , several years ago , um ,

33:16.040 --> 33:17.762
and we had a network of dining

33:17.762 --> 33:19.651
facilities . The , the , uh , the

33:19.651 --> 33:21.762
landscape has changed somewhat and so

33:21.762 --> 33:23.873
what we've , uh , what we've seen the

33:23.873 --> 33:25.984
army do and senior commanders again ,

33:25.984 --> 33:28.151
senior commanders , uh , program is to

33:28.151 --> 33:30.151
layer transportation on top of food

33:30.151 --> 33:32.239
service and offer a , um , uh , the

33:32.239 --> 33:34.461
Rainier Express , uh , which is an Uber

33:34.461 --> 33:36.406
like . Uh , an Uber like app where

33:36.406 --> 33:38.517
soldiers can get picked up where they

33:38.517 --> 33:40.628
are , um , particularly in times of a

33:40.628 --> 33:42.795
high up tempo when we might have our ,

33:42.795 --> 33:44.961
our dining facility personnel deployed

33:44.961 --> 33:44.810
to the field or out in the Pacific on

33:44.810 --> 33:46.969
an exercise to shuttle and move those

33:46.969 --> 33:48.636
soldiers around as far as the

33:48.636 --> 33:50.802
nutritious food in the , in the , um ,

33:50.802 --> 33:52.969
uh , in the dining facilities , all of

33:52.969 --> 33:55.449
our recipes are , uh , approved by

33:55.449 --> 33:58.239
dieticians and come from , uh , a , uh ,

33:58.250 --> 34:00.770
a process of oversight that comes from

34:00.770 --> 34:03.229
our joint culinary center . Um , and so ,

34:03.310 --> 34:05.254
so they operate , uh , off those ,

34:05.349 --> 34:07.630
those , uh , recipe cards . Um , I will

34:07.630 --> 34:09.669
admit that , uh , kiosk have been

34:09.669 --> 34:11.929
somewhat of a challenge , um , uh ,

34:11.949 --> 34:13.830
because when we had catastrophic

34:13.830 --> 34:15.941
success in a couple of places when we

34:15.941 --> 34:18.418
rolled them out , um , again . Um , not

34:18.418 --> 34:20.585
realizing how exactly popular it would

34:20.585 --> 34:22.696
be , and so we leaned on our partners

34:22.696 --> 34:24.807
in the defense commissary agency to ,

34:24.807 --> 34:27.438
to basically upscale the , um , uh ,

34:27.539 --> 34:29.483
the , the food that we have in our

34:29.483 --> 34:31.706
kiosk to meet the demand that we have ,

34:31.706 --> 34:33.928
um , at our installations . All right ,

34:33.928 --> 34:36.389
Vice Admiral Gray . Thank you for the

34:36.389 --> 34:38.556
question , ma'am . Um , yeah , I first

34:38.556 --> 34:40.722
and foremost I would say I , I am very

34:40.722 --> 34:42.889
frustrated by the low utilization rate

34:42.949 --> 34:45.116
by our sailors . It's , uh , breaks my

34:45.116 --> 34:47.790
heart , frankly , to know that we , um ,

34:48.030 --> 34:50.086
you know , we take their entitlement

34:50.086 --> 34:52.197
and then we see them oftentimes using

34:52.197 --> 34:54.308
Uber Eats or going to McDonald's or ,

34:54.308 --> 34:56.530
you know , 5 Guys on the Bay so they're

34:56.530 --> 34:58.697
we're essentially paying twice for the

34:58.697 --> 35:00.641
food and for these young folks who

35:00.641 --> 35:00.229
don't have a lot of money , it's a

35:00.229 --> 35:02.451
crusher for me , right ? And so I , you

35:02.451 --> 35:04.699
know , I will tell you that . Um , we

35:04.699 --> 35:06.921
do a great job , I think , in providing

35:06.921 --> 35:08.866
healthy options for nutrient dense

35:08.866 --> 35:11.199
foods . Um , the barracks are typically ,

35:11.260 --> 35:14.020
uh , in the vicinity of the galley . Uh ,

35:14.100 --> 35:16.156
many of our ships work aboard , uh ,

35:16.156 --> 35:18.322
many of our sailors work aboard ship ,

35:18.322 --> 35:20.489
and so they can eat , uh , on the ship

35:20.489 --> 35:22.489
or they can choose to eat off the .

35:22.489 --> 35:22.439
Chip on the galley , so there are

35:22.439 --> 35:24.679
options from a health perspective we

35:24.679 --> 35:28.590
follow as all of us do the DOD 1338

35:28.590 --> 35:31.000
instruction which outlines the food

35:31.000 --> 35:33.333
options that we have to make , you know ,

35:33.333 --> 35:35.111
for example , uh , we , we , we

35:35.111 --> 35:37.222
typically do a minimum of 3 entrees .

35:37.222 --> 35:39.389
One of them is a vegetarian , um , you

35:39.389 --> 35:41.611
will have multiple fruit options , uh ,

35:41.611 --> 35:43.729
3 to 4 cereal options , a hot cereal

35:43.729 --> 35:46.260
option . Um , vegetables and starches ,

35:46.300 --> 35:48.489
etc . and , and all of those , um ,

35:48.620 --> 35:50.820
menus that our dieticians review as

35:50.820 --> 35:52.939
well are reviewed to ensure that they

35:52.939 --> 35:56.379
meet the USDA criteria . So , um , we

35:56.379 --> 35:58.712
offer it , it's available to them there ,

35:58.739 --> 36:01.260
um , but we gotta do a better job at

36:01.260 --> 36:03.260
getting them in the door and making

36:03.260 --> 36:05.540
them , uh , uh , uh , making them want

36:05.540 --> 36:07.818
to take advantage of their entitlement .

36:07.939 --> 36:11.870
Mr . Larry . Yes , ma'am , we think we

36:11.870 --> 36:14.070
do a pretty decent job with this one ,

36:14.350 --> 36:16.350
especially in terms of the way that

36:16.350 --> 36:18.909
we've structured our menus and continue

36:18.909 --> 36:20.909
to work with them to have , like we

36:20.909 --> 36:22.909
used to be at a 14 day cycle on our

36:22.909 --> 36:24.965
menus , now we're at a 28 , and what

36:24.965 --> 36:27.229
that does is it's laid out for the

36:27.229 --> 36:29.007
whole month , virtually you can

36:29.007 --> 36:31.229
remember we'll see , but here she gonna

36:31.229 --> 36:33.229
have for meals when they go in that

36:33.229 --> 36:35.507
dining facility . And that's been very ,

36:35.507 --> 36:37.618
very popular . The other part of that

36:37.618 --> 36:39.285
is when you look at it from a

36:39.285 --> 36:41.507
nutritional value perspective , when we

36:41.507 --> 36:43.562
go back to OSD's construct of Go for

36:43.562 --> 36:45.673
Green , we have been really zeroed in

36:45.673 --> 36:47.840
on that very heavily and also with our

36:47.840 --> 36:49.729
friends in the Army and Air Force

36:49.729 --> 36:51.946
Exchange , what percentage of your

36:51.946 --> 36:54.426
products in these facilities are

36:54.426 --> 36:57.181
healthy items ? And how are they coded

36:57.181 --> 36:59.422
so when a novice person like HL Larry

36:59.422 --> 37:01.902
walk in , I don't have to read every

37:01.902 --> 37:04.013
element on the menu , it's coded so I

37:04.013 --> 37:06.124
can see this is healthy , this is the

37:06.124 --> 37:08.346
least little bit least nutrient , etc .

37:08.346 --> 37:10.458
and I know what I'm looking for . And

37:10.458 --> 37:12.235
we also make sure we have those

37:12.235 --> 37:14.291
nutrient items up front so they pick

37:14.291 --> 37:16.235
those before they see the others .

37:16.235 --> 37:18.346
Thank you , Major General Woodworth .

37:18.346 --> 37:20.402
Thank you for the question , ma'am ,

37:20.402 --> 37:22.458
and I would start by saying the most

37:22.458 --> 37:21.860
important thing we need to do is to

37:21.860 --> 37:24.138
make it taste better . I was gonna ask ,

37:24.138 --> 37:26.193
do y'all season the food ? Yeah yeah

37:26.409 --> 37:28.631
yeah yes ma'am . There are recipes , of

37:28.631 --> 37:30.742
course , but yes , uh , absolutely we

37:30.742 --> 37:32.965
need to make it taste better if we want

37:32.965 --> 37:32.699
more people to come there . We have a

37:32.699 --> 37:35.080
program called Feel Fuel to Fight which

37:35.080 --> 37:37.330
is . Essentially a marine nutrition

37:37.330 --> 37:39.386
education program that we're working

37:39.386 --> 37:41.552
real hard on . We need to provide more

37:41.552 --> 37:43.774
hours , more grab and go options , uh ,

37:43.774 --> 37:45.886
and more , uh , better tasting food .

37:45.886 --> 37:45.330
Thank you , ma'am . Right , well ,

37:45.340 --> 37:47.340
thank you very much for all of your

37:47.340 --> 37:49.507
hard work with this . We do appreciate

37:49.507 --> 37:51.673
it and we appreciate your attention to

37:51.673 --> 37:51.219
quality of life for those who are

37:51.219 --> 37:53.330
serving . Thank you so much . I yield

37:53.330 --> 37:55.441
back , Mr . Chair . Thank you . Chair

37:55.441 --> 37:57.108
now recognizes gentleman from

37:57.108 --> 38:00.159
California , Mr . Cisneros . Thank you

38:00.159 --> 38:02.159
Mr . Chairman and thank you all for

38:02.159 --> 38:04.326
being here , um . Like I , I think I'm

38:04.326 --> 38:07.590
in a unique experience here or because

38:07.590 --> 38:09.701
of my previous experience , right ? I

38:09.701 --> 38:11.534
used to be the Undersecretary of

38:11.534 --> 38:13.757
Defense for personnel readiness . Every

38:13.757 --> 38:15.979
time I visited a base , I made sure I ,

38:15.979 --> 38:18.146
I , I ate in a dining hall , uh , plus

38:18.146 --> 38:20.479
I used to be a food service officer too ,

38:20.479 --> 38:22.646
so I'm always , you know , there as to

38:22.646 --> 38:24.868
kind of go and , and , uh , the quality

38:24.868 --> 38:26.923
of the food . I will always stand up

38:26.923 --> 38:28.701
for our cooks or our , our mess

38:28.701 --> 38:28.580
specialists , or , or culinary

38:28.580 --> 38:30.691
specialists as we call them there and

38:30.691 --> 38:32.858
all the services and the job that they

38:32.858 --> 38:34.913
do . I think they do provide quality

38:34.913 --> 38:36.969
food , um , and I always say used to

38:36.969 --> 38:39.191
say sailors just sailors need something

38:39.191 --> 38:41.413
to complain about and the easiest thing

38:41.413 --> 38:43.636
for them to complain about was the food

38:43.636 --> 38:45.969
on the ship , uh , but that being aside ,

38:46.129 --> 38:48.850
um , I , I don't think the , the

38:48.850 --> 38:50.739
quality of the food is really the

38:50.739 --> 38:52.850
problem and I will tell you that just

38:52.850 --> 38:55.183
from my experience when I would go , um ,

38:55.209 --> 38:58.010
it was always access right ? if if they

38:58.010 --> 39:00.239
were working on the flight line . Or

39:00.239 --> 39:02.350
you know , the galley wasn't near the

39:02.350 --> 39:04.183
flight line . They didn't have a

39:04.183 --> 39:06.406
vehicle to get to the other side of the

39:06.406 --> 39:08.461
base where the , the , the chow hall

39:08.461 --> 39:10.572
was or the galley , uh , if they were

39:10.572 --> 39:10.280
working crazy hours , if they were like

39:10.280 --> 39:12.719
at , uh , you know , uh , a medic or a

39:12.719 --> 39:14.949
cor a corpsman there at the hospital ,

39:15.439 --> 39:17.661
uh , and they , they didn't have , they

39:17.661 --> 39:19.495
weren't able to go to the galley

39:19.495 --> 39:21.550
because the galley was closed during

39:21.550 --> 39:23.606
the hours that they worked , um , so

39:23.606 --> 39:25.717
that was more the problems that I ran

39:25.717 --> 39:27.939
into that I saw that I experienced that

39:27.939 --> 39:29.995
when people came to me . And kind of

39:29.995 --> 39:31.995
were telling me about the food . It

39:31.995 --> 39:34.217
wasn't really that much . I don't , I ,

39:34.217 --> 39:34.060
I'm not gonna say I never heard about

39:34.060 --> 39:36.227
the quality of the food , but it was ,

39:36.379 --> 39:38.570
it was more access there , and I will

39:38.570 --> 39:41.500
say visiting Camp Pendleton , uh , I

39:41.500 --> 39:43.833
would say if you all haven't been there ,

39:43.833 --> 39:46.000
they have some galleys over there Camp

39:46.000 --> 39:48.167
Pendleton , I think are phenomenal and

39:48.167 --> 39:50.000
should be an example for all the

39:50.000 --> 39:52.222
services . Um , as far as the diversity

39:52.222 --> 39:54.222
of the food that's available , um ,

39:54.222 --> 39:56.222
they were all able to , the Marines

39:56.222 --> 39:58.444
were able to get as much as they wanted

39:58.444 --> 40:00.611
to eat . Um , I remember we went there

40:00.611 --> 40:02.833
and served Thanksgiving dinner one time

40:02.833 --> 40:04.944
with my family . I had 11 Marine that

40:04.944 --> 40:07.111
must have came up 12 times for all the

40:07.111 --> 40:06.250
turkey , you know , to get all the

40:06.250 --> 40:08.528
turkey that that was available to them .

40:08.528 --> 40:10.583
And I think that's a great example .

40:10.909 --> 40:13.076
The problem there though was sometimes

40:13.076 --> 40:15.131
Camp Pendleton being so big , all of

40:15.131 --> 40:17.353
the galleys always weren't open all the

40:17.353 --> 40:19.242
time and so sometimes they had to

40:19.242 --> 40:21.465
travel a great distance in order to get

40:21.465 --> 40:25.080
to one that was open . Um , so I would

40:25.080 --> 40:26.969
say , and just to kind of set the

40:26.969 --> 40:29.247
record straight , DECA is not run , um ,

40:29.247 --> 40:31.413
by contractors now . It's , it's still

40:31.413 --> 40:33.413
run by DEA and that kind of used to

40:33.413 --> 40:35.580
follow under me , but I will say the ,

40:35.580 --> 40:37.691
the thing that they did to change the

40:37.691 --> 40:39.747
commissaries was they actually put a

40:39.747 --> 40:41.969
lot of emphasis in there and they tried

40:41.969 --> 40:44.136
to make it a better experience for the

40:44.136 --> 40:46.302
customers . Kind of going into there ,

40:46.302 --> 40:48.469
uh , I mean , I remember when I was in

40:48.469 --> 40:50.636
the navy you had to follow the line go

40:50.636 --> 40:50.370
the route , and now it's more like just

40:50.370 --> 40:52.481
like going into any other supermarket

40:52.481 --> 40:54.537
and I think they , they really put a

40:54.537 --> 40:56.703
big emphasis on that and really trying

40:56.703 --> 40:58.929
to change that and so I think that's

40:58.929 --> 41:01.489
where we kind of need to go with , you

41:01.489 --> 41:03.656
know , I , I think with our , our chow

41:03.656 --> 41:05.711
halls or galleys or whatever we call

41:05.711 --> 41:08.250
them in the various services is really

41:08.250 --> 41:11.229
kind of focused on . The the quality

41:11.229 --> 41:13.560
and the access and ensuring that our

41:13.560 --> 41:16.219
service members can get there and so

41:16.219 --> 41:18.500
General Mohan , the , the one thing I ,

41:18.600 --> 41:20.800
I do worry about with the , the army's

41:20.800 --> 41:24.530
experiments and the uh . Um , uh ,

41:24.800 --> 41:27.300
is that I , I , my alma mater , and I

41:27.300 --> 41:29.356
will say they will go unnamed here ,

41:29.356 --> 41:31.411
got actually got rid of their dining

41:31.411 --> 41:33.467
halls and they went to a thing where

41:33.467 --> 41:35.411
you could just basically get , you

41:35.411 --> 41:35.179
would have money on the card and you

41:35.179 --> 41:37.401
could go eat anywhere in the vicinity .

41:38.409 --> 41:40.465
Most of them ran out of money before

41:40.465 --> 41:42.409
the semester was even over . And I

41:42.409 --> 41:44.520
worry about our our service members

41:44.520 --> 41:46.520
kind of having that same experience

41:46.520 --> 41:48.631
that they're going to the place where

41:48.631 --> 41:50.742
it's a little bit more expensive here

41:50.742 --> 41:52.909
and there and then halfway through the

41:52.909 --> 41:54.964
month they're out of money . Um , so

41:54.964 --> 41:57.076
how's the army gonna deal with that ?

41:57.076 --> 41:58.964
And so , sir , thank you for that

41:58.964 --> 42:01.076
question and uh the way we're dealing

42:01.076 --> 42:03.131
with it is is um one we're not there

42:03.131 --> 42:05.353
yet as far as you get a loaded car that

42:05.353 --> 42:07.409
you can go and go to anywhere on the

42:07.409 --> 42:09.576
installation . We have talked about it

42:09.576 --> 42:11.687
we've done the , uh , the necessary ,

42:11.687 --> 42:13.742
um , uh , electronic transactions to

42:13.742 --> 42:16.076
prove that we can do it in testing , um ,

42:16.076 --> 42:15.949
but right now we are focused on our

42:15.949 --> 42:18.116
campus style dining facilities that it

42:18.116 --> 42:20.060
has those things that you that you

42:20.060 --> 42:22.260
mentioned . Um , uh , vastly expanded

42:22.260 --> 42:25.139
hours , um , grab and go programs , and

42:25.139 --> 42:27.550
we've even in the RFP we've authorized ,

42:27.689 --> 42:30.340
um , offers to offer an option to do

42:30.340 --> 42:32.899
meal delivery , um , and then layered

42:32.899 --> 42:35.177
on top of that transportation services ,

42:35.300 --> 42:37.411
uh , on the installation like we have

42:37.411 --> 42:39.356
at JBLM and also at , uh , at Fort

42:39.356 --> 42:41.300
Cavasso's two larger of our larger

42:41.300 --> 42:43.479
installations . So , so we do not

42:43.479 --> 42:46.379
intend . Um , to , uh , in the current

42:46.379 --> 42:49.919
construct of the contract to , to , um ,

42:49.929 --> 42:52.040
change things for so if you're an ESM

42:52.040 --> 42:54.207
soldiers live in the barracks , you go

42:54.207 --> 42:56.429
to the dining facility , you swipe your

42:56.429 --> 42:58.485
card and you eat what you want , and

42:58.485 --> 43:00.596
that's where we're headed . Thank you

43:00.596 --> 43:00.060
for that answer and thank you all for

43:00.060 --> 43:03.260
being here and I yield back . Thank you ,

43:03.340 --> 43:05.507
Chair now recognizes from California ,

43:05.507 --> 43:07.673
Ms . Jacobs . Thank you so much , Mr .

43:07.673 --> 43:09.784
Chairman , um , and thank you all for

43:09.784 --> 43:12.118
being here . I represent San Diego , um ,

43:12.118 --> 43:14.340
and in San Diego alone , our food bank

43:14.340 --> 43:16.500
serves nearly 40,000 service members

43:16.500 --> 43:18.722
and their families every single month .

43:18.860 --> 43:21.860
Um , it's clear that the military is

43:21.860 --> 43:23.804
falling short in ensuring that our

43:23.804 --> 43:25.860
service . Members and their families

43:25.860 --> 43:27.971
are food secure right with those high

43:27.971 --> 43:29.971
numbers . Vice Admiral Gray , Major

43:29.971 --> 43:31.971
General Woodworth , I know you both

43:31.971 --> 43:33.916
know San Diego well . How are your

43:33.916 --> 43:36.138
services planning to address this issue

43:36.138 --> 43:38.193
specifically in high cost areas like

43:38.193 --> 43:40.416
San Diego where BAS is often not enough

43:40.416 --> 43:42.416
to cover food costs , and what , if

43:42.416 --> 43:44.638
anything , do you need from Congress to

43:44.638 --> 43:46.804
be able to address this problem ? Well

43:46.804 --> 43:48.971
thank you man for the question . In my

43:48.971 --> 43:51.193
opening remarks I uh I did mention that

43:51.193 --> 43:53.249
I think , uh , with the high cost of

43:53.249 --> 43:55.416
food and the , the rise in inflation ,

43:55.416 --> 43:57.471
uh , I , I , I do think it's prudent

43:57.471 --> 43:59.638
that , uh , Congress takes a look at ,

43:59.638 --> 44:01.860
um , the rate of BAS , uh , not only to

44:01.860 --> 44:03.749
provide adequate quantity but the

44:03.749 --> 44:05.693
quality of food , you know , fresh

44:05.693 --> 44:07.416
fruits and vegetables are more

44:07.416 --> 44:09.416
expensive than processed fruits and

44:09.416 --> 44:09.300
vegetables , yet that's exactly what we ,

44:09.389 --> 44:11.222
we want our sailors to eat those

44:11.222 --> 44:13.111
nutrient dense foods , so I would

44:13.111 --> 44:15.429
encourage , uh , that I , I think , um .

44:15.800 --> 44:18.100
I think the work that Congress has done

44:18.100 --> 44:20.669
with the basic needs allowance is uh is

44:20.669 --> 44:22.790
an important work to to put up an

44:22.790 --> 44:26.020
appropriate floor uh ensure that , um ,

44:26.030 --> 44:27.939
our youngest sailors , uh , get

44:27.939 --> 44:29.995
adequate resources they need to feed

44:29.995 --> 44:31.939
themselves and their families when

44:31.939 --> 44:34.050
appropriate . Right now those numbers

44:34.050 --> 44:36.050
are very small in the in the in the

44:36.050 --> 44:38.272
navy , I think , uh , 22 people . But ,

44:38.272 --> 44:40.272
uh , that threshold is being raised

44:40.272 --> 44:42.750
from 150% to 200 in the in the near

44:42.750 --> 44:45.189
future and I think that will add a a

44:45.189 --> 44:47.189
significant number to the role so I

44:47.189 --> 44:49.356
appreciate the work that that Congress

44:49.356 --> 44:52.010
has done in that manner . Thank you for

44:52.010 --> 44:55.000
your question , Congresswoman . I would

44:55.399 --> 44:57.510
argue that the best place for them to

44:57.510 --> 44:59.621
eat if they meal card eligible is the

44:59.621 --> 45:03.010
dining facility for $13.30 a day is the

45:03.010 --> 45:05.177
cheapest food that they're gonna get .

45:05.177 --> 45:07.121
Now that doesn't solve the problem

45:07.121 --> 45:09.232
about families that I know is in your

45:09.232 --> 45:11.288
mind as well . Um , I think that the

45:11.288 --> 45:13.454
pay rate change that we just , uh , in

45:13.454 --> 45:15.566
the last NDA that's in effect now . I

45:15.566 --> 45:17.510
think we'll have a positive impact

45:17.510 --> 45:19.677
there . um , I also think that uh that

45:19.677 --> 45:21.510
we need to potentially take more

45:21.510 --> 45:23.677
advantage of a uh tool we already have

45:23.677 --> 45:25.954
the basic needs allowance , um , which ,

45:25.954 --> 45:28.066
uh which offers an additional stipend

45:28.066 --> 45:30.177
per month for marines in the lowest ,

45:30.177 --> 45:32.343
uh , earning levels . So thank you for

45:32.343 --> 45:34.343
your question . Absolutely . Well ,

45:34.343 --> 45:36.399
thank you guys for bringing up basic

45:36.399 --> 45:38.454
needs allowance . I was really proud

45:38.454 --> 45:38.040
that we were able to expand it in last

45:38.040 --> 45:40.239
year's NDA to 200% of the federal

45:40.239 --> 45:42.600
poverty line . Um , Admiral , I know

45:42.600 --> 45:44.656
you said there were 22 people in the

45:44.656 --> 45:46.822
navy who currently receive BNA . Could

45:46.822 --> 45:48.933
the rest of you share in each of your

45:48.933 --> 45:51.100
services how many people are currently

45:51.100 --> 45:54.389
receiving BNA ? Ma'am , I will tell you

45:54.389 --> 45:56.556
that I don't know the exact number . I

45:56.556 --> 45:58.778
know that is , uh , it's a low number ,

45:58.778 --> 46:00.722
um , and we're trying to , um , to

46:00.722 --> 46:02.722
ensure commanders understand , um ,

46:02.722 --> 46:04.889
what those limits are and do the , the

46:04.889 --> 46:07.000
financial education that is necessary

46:07.000 --> 46:09.167
not only from a soldier level but also

46:09.167 --> 46:11.389
a leader level so we can point soldiers

46:11.389 --> 46:13.860
to those , um , uh , avenues of support .

46:14.459 --> 46:18.040
Thank you . Same here , ma'am . I do

46:18.040 --> 46:20.096
not have that number with me , but I

46:20.096 --> 46:22.040
know it's a low number and we will

46:22.040 --> 46:24.270
follow up . OK , thank you . Thank you

46:24.270 --> 46:26.437
Congresswoman . Uh , the number that I

46:26.437 --> 46:28.548
have is 4 , so we will look to expand

46:28.548 --> 46:32.179
that . OK , and um . I guess my next

46:32.179 --> 46:34.346
question you might not have the answer

46:34.346 --> 46:36.457
to , so if , if not , you can take it

46:36.457 --> 46:38.679
back , but how many do you estimate are

46:38.679 --> 46:40.846
eligible for BNA but are not receiving

46:40.846 --> 46:44.409
those benefits ? Ma'am , I need to take

46:44.409 --> 46:46.520
that one for the record and come back

46:46.520 --> 46:48.742
with you with the exact answer . Sure .

46:48.742 --> 46:50.798
Uh , it's a good question . Um , you

46:50.798 --> 46:53.199
know , as , uh , General Mohan all

46:53.209 --> 46:55.949
alluded to , those benefits have to be

46:55.949 --> 46:58.227
applied for based on the circumstances .

46:58.227 --> 47:00.389
So I really don't have any way of

47:00.389 --> 47:02.445
knowing whether or not the system is

47:02.445 --> 47:05.659
adequately , um , informing commanders

47:05.659 --> 47:07.709
and informing sailors . The lowest

47:07.709 --> 47:10.709
level to ensure that they are they they

47:10.709 --> 47:12.876
get the benefits that they're eligible

47:12.876 --> 47:15.429
for but we do work hard within our um

47:15.429 --> 47:17.596
our personnel system to identify those

47:17.596 --> 47:19.596
people that we do make the criteria

47:19.596 --> 47:21.762
that meet that criteria and then reach

47:21.762 --> 47:23.929
out to those commanders to proactively

47:23.929 --> 47:26.750
encourage them to uh uh to apply for

47:26.750 --> 47:30.699
those benefits . I

47:30.699 --> 47:33.110
will follow up , but may I just say for

47:33.110 --> 47:35.780
the Department of the Air Force , that

47:35.780 --> 47:38.629
is one that we consistently try and

47:38.629 --> 47:40.351
assess , but it is very , very

47:40.351 --> 47:42.296
difficult for one reason , for the

47:42.296 --> 47:44.699
people who may be food insecure , they

47:44.699 --> 47:46.739
don't have to talk to any senior

47:46.739 --> 47:48.628
leaders . I go back to our senior

47:48.628 --> 47:50.795
listed leaders all the time like I did

47:50.795 --> 47:53.017
a year ago , so , how many do you think

47:53.017 --> 47:55.183
are there and how many may need help ,

47:55.183 --> 47:57.406
and they're just not aware because what

47:57.406 --> 47:59.406
they do is knowing that they're not

47:59.406 --> 48:01.628
gonna Come in and ask for help . I have

48:01.628 --> 48:03.906
it . Then we say , if you do need help ,

48:03.929 --> 48:06.580
here are the resources available to you ,

48:06.669 --> 48:08.780
and we try and approach it that way ,

48:08.780 --> 48:10.947
but I will get you a definitive answer

48:10.947 --> 48:13.058
and follow up . Thank you , General .

48:13.058 --> 48:15.280
Thank you , Congresswoman . Uh , BNA is

48:15.280 --> 48:17.447
a program that I've learned more about

48:17.447 --> 48:19.558
during preparation for this testimony

48:19.558 --> 48:21.725
and something we'll continue to push .

48:21.725 --> 48:23.947
Uh , we have 1100 Marines approximately

48:23.947 --> 48:23.379
they're eligible and as I said , we

48:23.379 --> 48:25.546
only have 4 that are taking it , so we

48:25.546 --> 48:27.546
got some work to do . Thank you , I

48:27.546 --> 48:29.712
appreciate that . I'll look forward to

48:29.712 --> 48:29.139
working together with you all on

48:29.139 --> 48:30.972
addressing this issue , and Mr .

48:30.972 --> 48:32.972
Chairman , I yield back . Thank you

48:32.972 --> 48:35.083
Chair now recognizes gentle lady from

48:35.083 --> 48:37.195
Hawaii , Ms . Dakuta . Thank you Mr .

48:37.195 --> 48:39.306
Chair . Um , I know that this hearing

48:39.306 --> 48:41.250
was partially inspired by concerns

48:41.250 --> 48:43.472
regarding the military's allocation and

48:43.472 --> 48:43.469
use of the basic allowance for

48:43.469 --> 48:45.691
subsistence . I had a good conversation

48:45.691 --> 48:47.747
with General Mingus about this issue

48:47.747 --> 48:49.747
last week , and while he assured me

48:49.747 --> 48:51.913
that the dollars are being fully spent

48:51.913 --> 48:53.913
in support of soldiers' nutritional

48:53.913 --> 48:56.136
needs , I emphasize that the complexity

48:56.136 --> 48:58.136
of the accounting in the J books is

48:58.136 --> 48:57.949
another unaddressed part of the problem

48:57.949 --> 48:59.949
for all of the services . It's very

48:59.949 --> 49:02.270
frustrating because it's not clear that

49:02.270 --> 49:04.492
it adds up and the reality is . That as

49:04.492 --> 49:06.548
much as a quarter of service members

49:06.548 --> 49:08.437
still as we've been talking about

49:08.437 --> 49:10.548
experience food insecurity which only

49:10.548 --> 49:12.659
makes the situation worse and so I do

49:12.659 --> 49:14.770
want to reiterate that point here and

49:14.770 --> 49:14.350
encourage all of you to streamline the

49:14.350 --> 49:16.550
accounting for the BS so it's clear to

49:16.550 --> 49:18.739
all of us and to our service members ,

49:18.750 --> 49:20.830
especially as to how this money is

49:20.830 --> 49:22.663
being spent in the right way and

49:22.663 --> 49:24.886
getting directly to them . So thank you

49:24.886 --> 49:26.830
very much for being here today . I

49:26.830 --> 49:28.997
wanna touch upon a few things . I know

49:28.997 --> 49:30.886
many of the questions were , were

49:30.886 --> 49:33.108
already asked one is talking about um .

49:33.108 --> 49:35.052
The culture and stigma around food

49:35.052 --> 49:37.274
insecurity , you know , major challenge

49:37.274 --> 49:39.274
that has been mentioned in both the

49:39.274 --> 49:41.386
recent RAND study and in other places

49:41.386 --> 49:43.163
is the culture surrounding food

49:43.163 --> 49:45.330
insecurity in the military . There are

49:45.330 --> 49:47.108
various ways that this issue is

49:47.108 --> 49:49.219
described , although one variation is

49:49.219 --> 49:49.010
that food insecurity is linked to a

49:49.010 --> 49:51.121
stigma of poor financial management .

49:51.340 --> 49:53.396
Which can make it harder for service

49:53.396 --> 49:55.618
members to get promoted or get security

49:55.618 --> 49:57.396
clearances they need for career

49:57.396 --> 49:59.929
advancement and so what is clear to me

49:59.929 --> 50:01.985
is that there's a cultural challenge

50:02.129 --> 50:04.090
that stigma that makes it hard for

50:04.090 --> 50:06.201
service members and their families to

50:06.201 --> 50:08.368
talk about food and hunger . This only

50:08.368 --> 50:10.312
makes it harder to tackle the root

50:10.312 --> 50:12.312
problem and the root causes of food

50:12.312 --> 50:14.534
insecurity in this unique subset of our

50:14.534 --> 50:16.757
population . Now understanding that for

50:16.757 --> 50:18.923
many of our young service members this

50:18.923 --> 50:18.770
might be the first time they're living .

50:18.864 --> 50:21.031
Away from home , first time they might

50:21.031 --> 50:23.031
get a plastic card loaded with some

50:23.031 --> 50:25.086
cash and as was just mentioned by my

50:25.086 --> 50:27.086
colleague could be spent before the

50:27.086 --> 50:29.031
month is well over because they're

50:29.031 --> 50:31.197
making poor decisions perhaps fiscally

50:31.197 --> 50:33.364
so how are you , you know , working to

50:33.364 --> 50:35.420
reform and improve the military food

50:35.420 --> 50:38.034
system but also address and tackle what

50:38.034 --> 50:40.455
are some fundamental , um , cultural

50:40.455 --> 50:42.288
challenges to create a healthier

50:42.288 --> 50:44.288
dialogue about food , nutrition and

50:44.288 --> 50:46.122
financial management amongst our

50:46.122 --> 50:49.320
service members . Uh , ma'am , I'll

50:49.320 --> 50:51.598
take that . Um , it's a great question .

50:52.159 --> 50:56.159
Uh A lot of sailors leave their mamas

50:56.159 --> 50:58.110
and come to us and their mamas did

50:58.110 --> 51:00.221
everything for them and so they don't

51:00.221 --> 51:02.332
know how to do the most simple things

51:02.332 --> 51:04.110
they don't know how to cook for

51:04.110 --> 51:04.100
themselves they don't know that you

51:04.100 --> 51:06.322
don't pour kitty litter down the toilet

51:06.322 --> 51:08.479
or it clogs up . I mean , so you know

51:08.479 --> 51:11.159
the basics oftentimes it's just basic

51:11.159 --> 51:13.719
life skills and so we do have through

51:13.719 --> 51:15.886
our fleet and family service centers ,

51:15.886 --> 51:17.775
um , you know , those educational

51:17.775 --> 51:19.830
skills , financial management we can

51:19.830 --> 51:22.219
get you counseling . Um , you know , uh ,

51:22.229 --> 51:24.451
planning for baby , all of these , uh ,

51:24.451 --> 51:26.469
courses that we offer , uh , I , I

51:26.469 --> 51:28.691
think first and foremost I'll speak for

51:28.691 --> 51:30.802
myself , but I , I think this applies

51:30.802 --> 51:32.969
across the breadth of all the services

51:32.969 --> 51:35.989
is , um . Knowing and under

51:35.989 --> 51:38.045
understanding those things , it's so

51:38.045 --> 51:40.211
important at the unit level and at the

51:40.211 --> 51:42.211
chief level or the division officer

51:42.211 --> 51:44.770
level that people know their sailors

51:45.030 --> 51:46.919
and that they interact with their

51:46.919 --> 51:49.030
sailors and they ask questions of the

51:49.030 --> 51:51.252
sales because you're right , people get

51:51.252 --> 51:50.709
embarrassed , you know , they , they

51:50.709 --> 51:53.540
overextend themselves um on their bills

51:53.540 --> 51:55.707
and then they don't wanna highlight it

51:55.707 --> 51:57.762
by coming to say I can't afford food

51:57.762 --> 51:59.762
and then they suffer in silence and

51:59.762 --> 52:01.949
oftentimes we we will only find out

52:01.949 --> 52:04.830
about it . A month after or you know

52:04.830 --> 52:06.989
when they're really now in crisis and

52:06.989 --> 52:10.270
so um uh the connection at the lowest

52:10.270 --> 52:12.590
level is so important to ensuring that

52:12.590 --> 52:14.701
we're taking care of our folks , uh ,

52:14.701 --> 52:16.368
and , and that that intrusive

52:16.368 --> 52:18.750
leadership in their lives to ask them

52:18.750 --> 52:20.750
the questions is just critically

52:20.750 --> 52:23.889
important . Thank you . Anyone else

52:23.889 --> 52:27.060
want to ? I'd like to jump on this one ,

52:27.320 --> 52:29.469
as well , um , so we see as a a

52:29.469 --> 52:31.636
multifaceted approach . Uh , the first

52:31.636 --> 52:33.858
is , is , uh , Admiral Gray said look ,

52:33.858 --> 52:35.913
the , the first line leaders have to

52:35.913 --> 52:37.858
know their soldiers and have to be

52:37.858 --> 52:39.913
involved in their soldiers and again

52:39.913 --> 52:42.080
intrusive leadership is a term that we

52:42.080 --> 52:44.191
use as well . We layer on top of that

52:44.191 --> 52:46.413
financial training echelon not only for

52:46.413 --> 52:48.469
our our young soldiers and our young

52:48.469 --> 52:50.691
officers . As well , um , uh , in order

52:50.691 --> 52:52.802
to teach them how to manage the , you

52:52.802 --> 52:52.754
know , the money that they have , but

52:52.754 --> 52:54.921
also from a leadership perspective how

52:54.921 --> 52:57.032
to direct soldiers to the right place

52:57.032 --> 52:58.921
to get that , uh , that financial

52:58.921 --> 53:01.032
resource help , um , and then we , we

53:01.032 --> 53:03.254
offer a variety of options and we spend

53:03.254 --> 53:05.195
$13 million a year on just the

53:05.195 --> 53:07.306
financial readiness program . We also

53:07.306 --> 53:09.528
have a virtual program that , uh , that

53:09.528 --> 53:11.695
so for soldiers who are maybe a little

53:11.695 --> 53:13.751
bit hesitant that has virtual skills

53:13.751 --> 53:15.806
and , uh , virtual training they can

53:15.806 --> 53:17.973
take to manage that money . Um , and ,

53:17.973 --> 53:20.195
uh , and then for the actual , uh , you

53:20.195 --> 53:22.251
know , teaching them how to live , I

53:22.251 --> 53:24.362
hate to use that term , but we've had

53:24.362 --> 53:26.473
some innovative units again driven by

53:26.473 --> 53:26.290
junior leaders that have said , OK ,

53:26.330 --> 53:28.441
the meal prep program because in your

53:28.441 --> 53:30.663
dining facilities or in your barracks ,

53:30.663 --> 53:32.941
um , we have , uh , cooking facilities ,

53:32.941 --> 53:35.052
your meal prep program is gonna be in

53:35.052 --> 53:37.449
some cases ready to cook food and so

53:37.449 --> 53:39.889
they teach them how to cook , um , and

53:39.889 --> 53:42.167
which I think is , is really important .

53:42.167 --> 53:44.333
Um , and then finally , as we envision

53:44.333 --> 53:46.389
our future state of our campus style

53:46.389 --> 53:48.611
dining facility , look , the , the , in

53:48.611 --> 53:51.310
the , in the contract is . The ambience ,

53:51.600 --> 53:53.959
the modern restaurant feel , so it's a

53:53.959 --> 53:56.080
place where where families can also

53:56.080 --> 53:58.040
come really focused on our junior

53:58.040 --> 53:59.873
listed soldiers that live in the

53:59.873 --> 54:02.780
barracks , but also as a , as a bonus

54:02.780 --> 54:05.159
it's a safe place it's a good place and

54:05.159 --> 54:07.215
it's a quality place at a reasonable

54:07.215 --> 54:09.103
price for soldiers to bring their

54:09.103 --> 54:11.381
families to . OK , thank you very much .

54:11.381 --> 54:13.326
I know my time's lapsed . I , um ,

54:13.326 --> 54:15.548
yield back , Mr . Chair . I wanna thank

54:15.548 --> 54:17.715
all the witnesses . This , I think , a

54:17.715 --> 54:19.992
really good , uh , really good hearing ,

54:19.992 --> 54:22.103
very informative work to do . I think

54:22.103 --> 54:21.129
we'll all agree there . I wanna

54:21.129 --> 54:23.185
encourage you , you probably already

54:23.185 --> 54:25.407
doing that , uh , best practices , uh ,

54:25.407 --> 54:27.462
and , and , and , and talking to one

54:27.462 --> 54:29.629
another , and my experience in the Air

54:29.629 --> 54:31.462
Force , I always like to mess up

54:31.462 --> 54:33.462
personally myself , uh , you know ,

54:33.479 --> 54:35.368
you're welcome . You're welcome ,

54:35.368 --> 54:37.590
Rachel , um . I would like to thank the

54:37.590 --> 54:39.757
witnesses again uh providing for their

54:39.757 --> 54:41.800
testimony this afternoon and for uh

54:41.800 --> 54:43.911
their future attention in this matter

54:43.911 --> 54:45.911
as well as present . There being no

54:45.911 --> 54:48.133
further business , this subcommittee is

54:48.133 --> 54:47.350
adjourned .