▶ 0:03:46Please say
▶ 0:15:11Subcommittee will come to order. I ask unanimous consent that the chair be authorized to declare recess at any Without objection, so ordered. We have a few members that aren't here yet, but uh one of the things about this committee uh going forward, we're going to start on time, so we're starting on Uh today we will hear from our witnesses on the role of special operations forces in great power competition. The United States is facing a dramatically different geopolitical environment now than any any other time in recent decades.
▶ 0:15:39While this century has been dominated by our efforts in the global war on terrorism, the new era of great power competition presents strategic challenges from revisionist states in China and Russia and their rogue state allies in Iran and North Korea.
▶ 0:15:52Over the past several years, as our nation has confronted evolving landscape the evolving landscape of great power competition, our special operators have adapted to meet the challenges posed by our adversaries while continuing to combat the continuous and evolving threats posed by violent extremist organizations, military proxies, and non-state actors. US special operations forces are ideally suited and organized for great power competition.
▶ 0:16:18The core activities of our special operations units, from working with our partners around the world to help bolster their defenses and unconventional warfare capabilities to counterproliferation and special reconnaissance, is more needed today than ever before or decades in the past and offers the ability to present significant strategic and operational challenges to our adversaries while simultaneously enabling our allies and partners to resist outside aggression.
▶ 0:16:45The relationship our soft our special operations forces have built and sustained through decades of partnership with our allies are critical for our access and placement to counter our adversaries. The United States will continue to rely on the men and women throughout the soft community to prepare future battle spaces, rapidly respond to contingencies in multiple theaters, and extend American influence by operating across the spectrum of competition including below the threshold of traditional military
▶ 0:17:16conflict and in the gray zone. To address this continuously changing environment, ASD SOLIC and SOCOM recently released the joint special operations forces operating concept for force development and design guide to the soft community and the and and the department to ensure we develop, and I "A joint special operations force that rapidly fuses all domain capabilities for tailored and simultaneous missions across the full spectrum from competition to conflict enabled
▶ 0:17:46by persisting campaign by persistent campaigning for global advantage." That sounds a little verbose and a little academic, but if you read it slowly, it makes sense. This concept requires the soft community to be culturally literate in dynamic regions across the globe and proficient across evolving domains in the cyberspace just on the role of special operations forces as the United States embraces an era of great power The subcommittee will examine will seek to examine the unique
▶ 0:18:16of the soft service components and how special operations forces core activities may complement and enable the joint force to operate against strategic We hope to further understand how the soft components determine what the appropriate capabilities and force structure are to support and respond to the geographic combatant commanders' requirements for great power competition and counter adversaries and non-state Our witnesses today are the commanders of the special operations service components
▶ 0:18:47and have decades of experience with the special operations community. I want to welcome Lieutenant Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga, Commander of the United States Army Special Operations Command, Lieutenant General Michael Langley, Commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command, Major General Peter Huntley, US Marine Corps Commander Marine Forces Special Operations Command, and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, Commander Naval Special Warfare Command.
▶ 0:19:13In the interest of time, I'll ask the witnesses to keep your opening statements or your opening remarks to 5 minutes or less so that we have sufficient time for questions and answers. With that, let me thank our witnesses for appearing before us today. I now recognize Ranking Member Crow for his opening remarks. Thank you, Dr.
▶ 0:19:33Jackson, and thank you to our special operations forces component commanders for being here today to provide testimony on the role of US special operations in great power The global security environment is changing rapidly. Our adversaries regularly engage in malign gray zone activities intended to challenge the US in the global order.
▶ 0:19:55As stated in the 2022 National Defense Strategy, countries like China and Russia use a broad range of diplomatic, informational, economic, and military tools to undermine our national So, to address and to protect our national interests and to combat these malign activities, we have to find various ways to counter these efforts. Although the authority to leverage irregular warfare is not unique to special operations, it is essential.
▶ 0:20:22Irregular warfare highlights core SOF activities like foreign internal defense, unconventional warfare, military information support operations, civil affairs operations, and others which are essential if we are to successfully counter our competitors in the gray zone. Indeed, our special operations forces are uniquely qualified to support the whole of government approach of integrated deterrence when it comes to great power competition.
▶ 0:20:49Our partners and allies remain remain key to addressing these challenges. The history of our special operations forces is rooted in partnership. The generational relationships that SOF develops with our partners gives these forces a unique understanding of the global operating environment, allowing them to work in some of the most difficult locations around the world.
▶ 0:21:10These relationships also help us to identify key vulnerabilities, mitigate security concerns, and alter competitor perceptions of risks, costs, and benefit of certain actions. So, today we will examine the core activities of SOF and how they apply to great power competition.
▶ 0:21:28After over two decades of SOF focus on counterterrorism and countering threats from non-state actors and violent extremist we must not forget the hard-won lessons of the last 20 years, and we should endeavor to maintain SOF's ability to conduct counterterrorism operations while ensuring they can support the joint force in great power competition.
▶ 0:21:49We will examine how the new Joint Special Operations Forces operating concept for force development and design will assist the components in shaping force requirements to focus on great power competition. Lastly, I want to take a moment to recognize the key successes of our SOF forces and what makes them the best at what they do.
▶ 0:22:10It's the people and it's their families and it's the support network because we would be nothing and our SOF would be nothing if it weren't for the exceptional talent of Americans who step up day in and day out to, at great risk to themselves and at great sacrifice, perform the hardest missions that our country asked them to do. So, thank you, Dr. Jackson and to our witnesses, and as always, Rangers lead the way. Thank you.
▶ 0:22:38We we will hear from our we will and then we will move into a question and answer session. Immediately following one round of questions, we will reconvene for the classified which will take place in Rayburn 2337. We're going to try to set a stop time of 2:30, so I think everybody should get their questions in based on the number of folks here, but if we don't, any questions that we don't get to we'll ask in the classified session. So, with that, Lieutenant General Braga, we'll begin with you.
▶ 0:23:09Chairman Jackson, Ranking Member Crow, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thanks so much for the opportunity to represent the 36,000 members of the United States Army Special Operations Command here today. I look forward to highlighting just who we are, how we are transforming for the future, and what we are required to protect the homeland and enable the joint force.
▶ 0:23:28USASOC generates combat-ready forces and innovates for today's fight and modernizes for tomorrow's challenges while also caring for our soldiers and families in an uncertain fiscal Although there is tension between these efforts, we continue to generate exceptionally high return on investment with regionally aligned forces and unique capabilities. USASOC comprises less than 10% of the Army and receives 1/2 of a percent of the Army's budget, and similarly, we constitute over half of Special Operations Command and are staying with 16% of the budget.
▶ 0:23:59Our Green Berets, Rangers, aviators, civil affairs, and psychological operations soldiers are lethal warriors who provide a unique value proposition and options for the We are in the contact layer with approximately 3,000 soldiers deployed every day in 80 different countries where the defense of the homeland begins. Our people maintain generational relationships and sustain the connective tissue with our interagency and international partners.
▶ 0:24:24Forces assigned to USASOC also stand ready to execute crisis response activities anywhere in the world on short notice. Our formations have supported an exponential increase in crisis response requirements over the last several years. Army Special Operations role today is clear and the value proposition for tomorrow is valid. The future of conflict will find our forces operating in the contested, the deep, and the denied areas supporting the joint force. USASOC is undergoing its largest transformation in decades.
▶ 0:24:52We're updating our doctrine, developing multi-domain capable units of action, and creating battle labs to consolidate lessons learned and innovate forward with our partners. For the first time in decades, we've created a new occupational specialty and courses focused on technology and unmanned systems. USASOC established an irregular warfare task force to buy down risk associated with transregional threats from our adversaries. We also co-founded the SOF Space Cyber Triad.
▶ 0:25:16This modern-day deterrence concept ensures Army Special Operations, Space and Missile Defense, and Cyber Commands can serves serve as the eyes, ears, and teeth of the joint force and the Army. Our people are innovation pathfinders. They are professionally impatient problem-solvers, and their observations of today's battlefields make it clear to me that we still have much work to do. The innovation cycle is measured in days and weeks, not months or years.
▶ 0:25:43Yet, our funding, acquisition processes, and bureaucracies are not optimized to innovate at the speed of need. We must position our people in the proximity of to the problem with the right authorities and right resources to identify emerging capability gaps, pioneer solutions, and disseminate lessons learned to all theaters. USASOC remains committed to our top priority, our people, who are a linchpin of our success.
▶ 0:26:09Army Special Operations soldiers serve with distinction around the world in harm's way, and since 2001, USASOC soldiers have been awarded nine Medals of Honor, three of which those service members and warriors still serve within our formation. And over the last two decades, 382 of our soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the As we work to balance readiness requirements and modernization imperatives, we remain invested in caring for our people and never forget the sacrifice they and their families make.
▶ 0:26:39It is our solemn responsibility to take care of our people, set conditions for future battlefield success, and to generate the highest return of invest on investment for the American people. Thank you for your invitation to testify today and your continued support. Thank you, sir. Lieutenant General Conley, you're now Chairman Jackson, Ranking Member Crow, and distinguished members of this subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the role of Air Force Special Operations in today's strategic environment.
▶ 0:27:10On behalf of Command Chief Green, myself, and the more than 20,000 men and women of AFSOC, I'm grateful for the opportunity to present an overview of the capabilities your air commandos provide in safeguarding the interests of Simply put, AFSOC exists to support our nation's priorities by supporting the joint force and our SOF partners. We do this through four primary mission areas that have evolved throughout our history: specialized mobility, strike, ISR, and air-to-ground integration.
▶ 0:27:38This year, AFSOC reaches a milestone, its 35th anniversary as a major command. We started as a collection of helicopters, cargo aircraft, and special tactics focused on long-range penetration, establishing airfields, and personnel recovery. After 9/11, we evolved into a force exquisitely tailored to By fielding new intelligence platforms, extensive intel networks, and advancing our interdiction capability, we honed our ability to strike terrorists at their source.
▶ 0:28:09Today's air commandos are evolving again using the ingenuity of our people and unique capabilities to meet our nation's needs across four key priorities: homeland defense, crisis response, countering violent extremists, and support to theater SOF commands. The common theme across each phase of our history is our ability to adapt. Air commandos repeatedly demonstrate their ability to become what the nation needs at that time, at that place.
▶ 0:28:35Today, we face new challenges as we continue to adapt to the changing threat environment. We are seeing an increased demand for AFSOC capabilities. Since 2019, demand for your air commandos has surged, in some cases even exceeding the peak levels seen during the global war on terror.
▶ 0:28:52As we sit here today, our airmen are forward-based in strategic locations and forward-deployed in harm's way, countering malign activities and actively preventing attacks on our And while SOF aviation is an irreplaceable asset, it is expensive, and our budget has remained largely flat in the face of rising cost. The more complex the threat environment, the more expensive it is to develop capability and maintain readiness to operate in these environments.
▶ 0:29:19I contend that AFSOC provides a high return on investment, accounting for less than 1/2 of 1% of the Air Force's budget and a proportional part of SOCOM's budget, which is roughly only 2% of the DOD's overall budget. For a small cost, the nation sees an outsized return from its investment in AFSOC. Air commandos are present around the globe 24/7/365.
▶ 0:29:43Our Indo-Pacific base wing is located within the first island chain, actively building relationships with allies and partners, setting conditions for future joint force operations, and creating dilemmas for our adversaries. Our wing in Europe is actively training with and supporting NATO allies, to include maturing partnerships with our new NATO soft partners as we work together to identify both the challenges and opportunities of operating in the On top of all this, air commandos maintain a persistent deployed presence
▶ 0:30:13targeting non-state actors capable of threatening American interests and our All while remaining in a 24/7 alert posture back here in the states to respond to crisis at the direction of our president. And while we face challenges, I also see incredible opportunity and take pride in our ability to respond quickly wherever our nation needs us. AFSOC is built to win. We're informed by, but not beholden to past missions.
▶ 0:30:38We remain ready and Thank you for your continued support of America's air commandos, who remain a cornerstone of America's competitive edge. And I look forward to your Thank you, General. Rear Admiral Sands, you're recognized for 5 minutes. I'm proud to be here with my fellow special operations component commanders.
▶ 0:31:06Naval Special Warfare is a maritime component of SOCOM's joint force and an integral part of America's war-fighting I'm here with Force Master Chief Walter Dittmar, and we are honored to represent the 10,000 men and women of Naval Special Warfare.
▶ 0:31:21Thank you for your continued support to our mission, our force, and our Naval Special Warfare's purpose is to provide maritime soft capability to enable joint force lethality and inside denied and contested areas. We prioritize three capabilities. Support to long-range fires, maritime kinetic effects, and maritime non-kinetic effects.
▶ 0:31:49The latter is our most decisive Naval Special Warfare capability. Our ability to operate in the maritime provides the nation with unique access across the globe. Our maritime training allows us to go where others cannot. Our operators and support personnel use combatant craft and submersibles to conduct decisive operations in support of the joint force.
▶ 0:32:14Our people are the foundation of our And these bespoke maritime assets allow us to close with the enemy. In Naval Special Warfare, we exploit our tactical and technological advantages. Manned-unmanned teaming is our future. We'll integrate this capability into our tactical formations to maximize our scale and our lethality. We own the water, we embrace the robots, and we win every fight.
▶ 0:32:45Maritime soft activities have an outsized impact on joint force This can be a SEAL dive pair placing explosives in the dark of night to protect Navy ships and submarines. It can look like special boat operators in low-visibility craft stalking an enemy vessel with to enable lethal Naval Special Warfare gnaws down opponent advantages of scale.
▶ 0:33:13The nation remains under-invested in our maritime special operations account. Naval Special Warfare will refine our capabilities with a clear-eyed discussion of risk to bridge the gap between operations and resourcing. Current fiscal constraints and increased deployment costs are challenging our ability to balance modernization and Our nation maintains an advantage in the maritime domain, but our opponents are closing fast.
▶ 0:33:43Naval Special Warfare represents less than 1% of the Navy's budget and 14% of SOCOM funding. Like each of my special operations teammates here, we provide a high return on investment. With that investment comes solutions for some of the nation's toughest problems. Agility has been a hallmark of Naval Special Warfare since our inception. The return to the maritime is a return to our original identity.
▶ 0:34:12The first frogmen cleared lands across Europe and the Pacific so our forces could close with the enemy. Today, our commitment to the nation is to be ready to do it again. To conclude, Naval Special Warfare's purpose is our North Star.
▶ 0:34:28It guides us as we decide what to do and what not to As the nation's maritime special operations force, we shoulder the responsibility to own the water and execute the nation's most challenging and decisive operations. Thank you, and I look forward to our Thank you, Admiral. Major General Hutley, you're recognized for 5 minutes.
▶ 0:34:51Chairman Jackson, ranking member Crow, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss the future of Marine Forces Special Operations For two decades, MARSOC has maintained a persistent forward presence, strengthening relationships with strategic partners and allies, and also defeating threats across the globe. Our Raiders, our special operations capability specialists, and of course, our Navy Corpsman represent the very best of the United States Marine Corps and the broader US Naval Service.
▶ 0:35:20And as always, we continue to embody a proud legacy, uphold the Marine Corps reputation for efficiency, effectiveness, and in a and a high return on investment. As national security priorities shift, MARSOC stands at the forefront of a critical transformation. We have adapted to the landscape of future conflict and prioritized modernization efforts, which will enhance our ability to counter adversaries across every domain. To do this, your continued support is foundational.
▶ 0:35:49And we ask for the investment necessary to cement MARSOC's role and help our nation win. This is not just about buying new equipment or kit. This is about maintaining and enhancing an elite, persistent, inside force that has a generational relationship with strategic partners and the capability to sense, make sense, and act faster than our Raiders continue to be persistently deployed in key locations and are capable of surviving and thriving in contested and of course denied spaces.
▶ 0:36:19All this while facilitating the success of the broader joint force. In order to continue this, there are three things that we must do. First, we must continue to equip and further develop the capabilities of our Raiders with cutting-edge technologies such as advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and and networking to not only link every sensor to every shooter, but to turn small, disaggregated teams into the cornerstone of an overwhelming joint force.
▶ 0:36:46These tools will radically increase our ability to detect and exploit adversaries' weaknesses, which will give the joint force the eyes and ears it will need to defeat the most advanced Imagine, if you will, a small team of Raiders deployed to a small, remote island chain capable of monitoring adversaries' movements, disrupting communications, and providing deadly, accurate, and real-time targeting information to joint assets that may be operating hundreds of miles away.
▶ 0:37:15Second, your continued support for expanding our precision strike capabilities is crucial. On the modern battlefield characterized by distributed forces, dynamic employment, and degraded communications, MARSOC will not just be the joint forces' eyes and ears. We must also provide our own lethal and accurate fires. This will require continued investment in multi-domain strike platforms and the associated munitions to position with our forces that are in theater now.
▶ 0:37:43This will allow us to maintain our competitive advantage against all Finally, but certainly not last, we must continue investing in our people. Our rigorous training pipeline ensures we recruit and develop operators not only capable of mastering these new technologies, but also seamlessly supporting and integrating with the broader joint force to deliver decisive Our Raiders represent a critical asset for our nation at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.
▶ 0:38:13Their skills are essential now in competition as they will be in crisis and conflict. These investments not only benefit MARSOC, but they will pay dividends across the entire joint force by providing a more lethal, agile, and integrated force that stands ready in theater today. We present a deterrent threat in competition, and of course, and always, a lethal asset in conflict.
▶ 0:38:38I look forward to working with this committee to ensure your investments in MARSOC continue to pay outsized dividends. Thank you very much. Thank you, General. We'll begin by with questions now, and I'll start by recognizing myself for 5 minutes. This is to to all our witnesses here today. Can each of you describe what you think is the one critical capability that your special operators and organizations contribute to great power competition and counter our number one adversary, China?
▶ 0:39:08Start with you, General General Clarke. Uh Chairman, I think our transregional uh footprint and relationships, generational relationships in the deep and contact layer out there at the near abroad as well as other places in uh really across every GCC where we find the footprint of the of the People's Republic of China using all forms of their national power to erode uh international rules, norms of behavior, and ultimately uh address our national security
▶ 0:39:39advantage that we have out there. We find ourselves working with our internet agency partners and our international partners to push back with irregular warfare options. So, in in different cases, this could be in the information environment. It could be in more clandestine efforts. It could be a better understanding to inform policy makers of what efforts our adversaries taking to erode these national security advantages. So, we're we're like global sensors for the joint force. We provide pushback in the competition phase.
▶ 0:40:08We also provide value should it go to high-end conflict phase. Thank you. General Conley. Chairman, I'd much like General Braga's comment, I'd say our our greatest attribute in the Pacific is our presence. As I mentioned in my opening statement, we have a wing located in Kadena that's been there in some way, shape, or form for decades. So, we understand the operational environment. We have long-standing, decades-long relationships with key partners over there, and we understand the battle space.
▶ 0:40:35As we as I prep the rest of the AFSOC formation for potential conflict in new theaters, having that core capability and knowledge set allows me to flow airmen in and out of that theater with parent with partnerships of our own formation that allow us to to quickly get up to speed and deliberately train back here in the states. So, when we we move forward, we're ready to go. Thank you, General. Admiral. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 0:41:03Our biggest NSW contribution to great power competition, especially when you think of China, is our access to the As the only our nation's only maritime special operations force, we provide the ability to access areas both undersea and on the sea that no one else can go. And this enables us to do a variety of things in support to joint force lethality and survivability.
▶ 0:41:25If you our role in the maritime to enable our DOD forces, our larger joint force, to either close with the enemy and survive as they do it. Thank you, sir. General. Yes, Mr. Chairman. As I spoke about in my opening remarks, we have the ability and we do live, thrive, and survive in contested and denied spaces. And as I talked about before, the ability to link any sensor with any shooter. What does that mean?
▶ 0:41:52That in places like the Western Pacific or really anywhere in the globe that is going to be contested and be difficult for joint forces to project power into, we're already there living, developing relationships with with partners and allies, but also bring along the capabilities to link not only our organic sensing capabilities, but also the capabilities of coalition, host nation, or even our own surrogates in order to be able to illuminate the operating space at scale to facilitate joint force fires and maneuver. Thank you, sir.
▶ 0:42:21And I'm going to ask this question. This is a two-part question. It can be pretty short, but how would each of you assess your parent service's understanding of the capabilities that you each bring to the integrated deterrents in US efforts to compete against their strategic adversaries? And can you provide us a sense of the number or the percentage of requests that you receive from the combatant commanders for support that were not that you were not able to execute and generally why you were not able to fulfill this request.
▶ 0:42:50Chairman, I'll get you the exact number in a in a follow-up, but it is increasing the number of operational requests that we cannot meet due to force size and or resources cuz it is more expensive to deploy and and meet this demand. That is a that is a challenge. Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman, I I'd in reverse order, I I'd echo what General Braga said. I We commit almost 100% of our forces in each deployment cycle.
▶ 0:43:19So, there's no excess left uh in order to do other things. It means trade-offs for what we're currently tasked to do, and I can discuss more of that in the next session. From a parent service view, I certainly don't want to speak for my my my chief, but I'd say it's improving it's good and improving.
▶ 0:43:37I think there was a post uh GWA perspective that um special operations might not be as needed as much in a great power competition setting, but over the last few years, I think the realization based on our presence, our access, and our relationships that they need us more than ever. So, that relationship is strong and and growing. Thanks. And General Braga, you agree that you think that your service understands your unique capabilities? Absolutely, Chairman.
▶ 0:44:04We feel fully integrated, interoperable, and we're innovating on behalf of the United States Army, and we're fully integrated with the transforming contact efforts of the United States Army. Thank you, sir. I'd begin by saying the need the Navy has a really a deep understanding of our capabilities. But like my teammates, over the last 2 years in particular, this has really improved. The Navy's looking to us and saying, "What are your five Ws?
▶ 0:44:27What are the things that you're specifically going to do for us in conflict uh God forbid with China?" And so, I think we're integrated well with the Navy, especially with our submarine force, and that's only improving. Thank you, sir. Uh yes, Mr. Chairman. We enjoy significant and great support from the Commandant of the Marine Corps and and his team.
▶ 0:44:46We work very closely with our sister MARFORs, specifically MARFORPAC, MARFORCYBER, and MARFORSPACE, to include the MEFs as well, both one MEF on the West Coast, three MEF in Okinawa, and two MEF here on the East Coast. So, yes, we're providing great support. Um in terms of how we're marbled into Marine Corps force design, we're making good progress there, but we definitely are part of that team, and and we look forward to working with the broader Marine Corps going forward.
▶ 0:45:15In terms of demands from the joint force, right now we are at max capacity. We're putting everything we out the door that we can in order to still maintain and train the force properly. So, there's probably more things we should be doing. There's definitely more things that the combatant commands would like us to do. We're at max capacity at this time. Thank you, sir. And with that, I'm going to yield back and recognize ranking member Crow for question. Thank you, Dr. Jackson.
▶ 0:45:42I wanted to continue the conversation that we've had before about the issue of lessons learned because we just we can't afford not to learn lessons learned in real time out in out in the the world as things are rapidly evolving. It the the failure to do that would just be too Um and perhaps one of the the best laboratories, although I hesitate to use that term because it is a a brutal hellscape of a of a battle in Ukraine.
▶ 0:46:11Um it but it but is the Russia-Ukraine conflict and and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where we're seeing new tactics, new techniques, um entirely new ways of fighting being developed, you know, on a weekly and monthly basis. Uh and both forces evolving quickly. I'm concerned that we are not we're not structured to do that.
▶ 0:46:35I mean, you all you have the agility and can can evolve quicker than most given your size and the the talent of your forces, but even still, I think there are very real barriers to doing that. So, I'd I'd love each of you to comment on what are those barriers to learning quickly, and if you could change something today to allow us to adapt more quickly to what we're learning and seeing overseas, what would it be? And I'll start on the other end with General Thank you, Congressman.
▶ 0:47:06I would say that first of all, we do have a very rigorous after-action program that allows us to identify lessons. Um the challenge that I'll talk about here in a second is is being able to implement those upgrades, if you will, to our capabilities.
▶ 0:47:22Um as we do enjoy uh good, I would describe, acquisition authorities, but right now the pace of modernization in the tactical space across the globe, whether it's Ukraine, whether it's in Colombia, or whether it's anywhere else in the world, is moving very fast. Our ability to modernize on pace is something that concerns me concerns me greatly.
▶ 0:47:46Um and I think that's be one of the biggest challenges, particularly for SOF, going forward is being able to to keep up with the the rapidly evolving. For instance, you know, artificial intelligence is moving fast. The difference in today's operating environment than what we saw in the past 20 years is that we've always enjoyed a great advantage of being able to sense the enemy before they sense us. But with the proliferation of technologies, that's a two-way street.
▶ 0:48:11Whether you're fighting against a peer competitor, or whether you're fighting against a narco organization somewhere else in the world, it's it's out there. You see al-Shabaab, ISIS, even Clan del Golfo in Colombia, they have these capabilities at the tactical edge. They're moving fast in terms of upgrading. We need to be able to move just as fast. That's our main challenge going forward. Congressman, I think our lessons learned capability is good.
▶ 0:48:39We see rapid turnover of things happening at the front edge from our allies and partners. So, I think that's a good system that we've got at least within SOCOM. The challenge and really our our priority is getting equipment that's required for the modern battlefield rapidly into the hands of our operators. And the reason is because they need it to survive. And so, we would like to see I think that's the challenge, not just the lessons learned, but taking what we're learning and turning it quickly into real capability within our force.
▶ 0:49:11Congressman, I'd I'd answer that in two parts. The first from my air-to-ground integration force, which is my special tactics community, I'd say they're phenomenal at taking lessons learned and turning them into actionable things, whether that's off-the-shelf technology. They do run into some of the same challenges that my colleagues have mentioned.
▶ 0:49:30When when you try to scale some of that stuff, we run into uh harder procurement challenges, Uh, they are exceptional at at learning, real time, adapting with uh especially with unmanned aerial systems, uh both offensive and and defensive. Uh on the other hand, I'd say for my aircraft fleet, our modifications take too long.
▶ 0:49:50Uh they're they're pricey and uh just the the nature of our depot system, our procurement system, uh they take a long time and my concern is that um by the time we get a fleet of 50 aircraft of any flavor uh updated to where they need to be, the technology's already irrelevant. So, it's this constant loop of trying to catch up with the enemy threat.
▶ 0:50:10Uh we learn largely overcome that by training our way out of it to the extent we can through developing of new tactics and procedures, but that's only a small piece of what we really need as far as uh advanced modifications. Uh Congressman, proximity to the problem is critical regardless where modern warfare is happening around the globe. Uh we garner these lessons learned and passing back to the joint force very well.
▶ 0:50:31Our people are great innovating, have fantastic ideas, uh but we struggle rapid innovation, I would say funding, and even processes where we treat similar uh modifications of drones, commercial off-the-shelf drones, and do a modification of it, but it's treated as a major end item in the acquisition kind of lens, which is come take sometimes can take months or years. And we are not existentially motivated like some of our partners are in different theaters out there.
▶ 0:50:57So, we have a lot of work to do on the innovation, funding, and the oversight uh processes to make them more streamlined. Thank you. Um and very briefly, one uh additional question, I'd ask you all to keep it to 30 seconds so we can make sure the other members um have some time, but uh you know, I I I said in my opening um that the quality of the people is our our biggest asset.
▶ 0:51:20Can you just speak briefly as each of you and your your services the challenge of of recruiting and maintaining the force right now cuz I know everyone's challenged across the board. Uh we'll we'll start on on this side, General Uh thank you. Carson, first of all, retention is very high in special operations uh forces from data polling that we do because a sense of purpose and honestly family support.
▶ 0:51:44Um everyone who's getting out of special operations at the end of their times uh highlights those two uh pluses of serving inside special operations. If you want to be surrounded by uh people who uh want to perform above the men standard and have missions of conquer consequence and purpose, you come to SOF and there's high satisfaction level. We do need help uh recruiting. We do need help and everyone's constituents of getting our word out. We need a better job of telling our story both nationally and at the local level. and and we're working with the army for that to tell our story better.
▶ 0:52:12We haven't always been good at that. Uh so, we do have some work to do on to improve our recruiting numbers, but retention is as high as it's ever been. I'd say for both recruiting and retention, we're stable. Uh there's room for improvement on both sides. I'll go back to special tactics. That is an area where we deliberately recruit, uh put them through assessment selection as they come through.
▶ 0:52:35So, that's a that's a small subset of a small subset of American population that has a propensity to serve in the in the physical condition to serve. Um so, we have always had a little bit of a struggle uh recruiting enough to to meet the attrition rates. Uh but but we're okay there.
▶ 0:52:52Uh retention is is stable, um but we have high quality individuals in our formation and in the same people uh they the same reasons we want them in our formation are the same reasons the private sector wants to hire them. Uh they want airline pilots. Um so, we we try to incentivize them through uh just the quality of life and quality mission they have. There is like General Braga said, there is an attraction to this mission. So, people want to serve. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves.
▶ 0:53:21So, I'm not overly concerned on the retention piece. For our families, I think it's uh it's universal. They care about schools. They care about affordable housing, and they care about medical care in the area. So, that's stuff we try to focus on with our local civic leaders. Carson, our numbers really reflect the intake through the Navy. So, we're really grateful to the Navy and especially Navy recruiting command because they bring the talent into the front door.
▶ 0:53:50Once it comes to us, we have our Naval Special Warfare Center, which I consider to be our most important command. That's where we actually make SEALs and special warfare combatant crewman. Our numbers are good. Our retention is good. But again, it's just all about getting the right people coming through the front door into the Navy and then into our selection and assessment programs. Uh Congressman, uh we're a little bit different. Uh we don't recruit uh straight from the civilian population.
▶ 0:54:17We only recruit from within the Marine Um as you're well aware, the Marine Corps has made mission each year. Uh more than that, for our purposes, they've kept the quality very high. So, our recruiting environment is has been very good. We haven't had any problems. Um so, we're in good shape regarding that. In terms of retention, like the my sister components here, we've uh we've had high level of retention. Once um Marines are able to get in the MARSOC, they have a tendency to stay. So, we're in good shape. Thank you. Thank you. Go back. Mr.
▶ 0:54:47Scott, you're recognized for 5 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General Braga, you mentioned this, but I want to reiterate this number. Uh you provide just over 50% of SOF forces and you are 1/2 of 1% of the US Army budget. Is that correct? Is that what I heard you say? Yes, sir. We received the majority of our budget uh from Special Operations Command through P11 funding.
▶ 0:55:16one of the things that we don't talk about enough, I don't believe because it's a very world's very big place, is partner Can you speak to the role uh that you play in building partner capacity abroad and how you measure measure success in those fields? Yes, Carson.
▶ 0:55:35Ultimately, we have a fantastic relation global and generational relationship around the world built on the bedrock of the last 20 years of counterterrorism missions that are now being applied against nation-state adversaries where we have a confluence of uh priorities and and aligned uh strategic competitors. Uh so, these same relationships that we work on and and actually sharing blood and sweat on the battlefield are now being applied against new problem sets. So, it's reaping dividends there.
▶ 0:56:01I would say a measure of effectiveness when we have partner forces who are doing uh equivalent missions as good as us and sometimes better than us on the battlefield that are aligned with US national security interests. So, Ad- Admiral, one of the things that you spoke about, and this is surprising to hear coming from somebody with a trident, you're not necessarily known for your non-kinetic actions, and you said that non-kinetic was today one of the most important decisive
▶ 0:56:31Uh could you speak what what I'm interested in is as we've watched the Russians, they've been experts at this for for years, misinformation. Uh and that's part of what we're talking about. Uh but then we have space, we have cyber, we have spectrum.
▶ 0:56:52could you speak to that issue and and why you as a a Navy SEAL feel like that your non-kinetic actions are your most important actions in today's uh warfare as we have learned from uh Putin that as Patton said, Russians have no regard for human life. Thank you, Congressman, for the The reason I say that non-kinetic effects are the most powerful thing that NSW can do for modern warfare is because that's where the modern war takes place.
▶ 0:57:21The most important regions are space and then cyber. And so, our ability to get into places where other folks can do to enable those activities on behalf of others is maybe our biggest value proposition. And so, it's not as much about us taking on a target as a or a a single point structure. About it's more about us enabling a larger effect for the nation. I'm worried about and and I'll give you a specific example.
▶ 0:57:50Um I believe it was where French ISR picked up where uh Russians had killed several people, mass graves, and uh before the information could be gotten to the government, the Russians had spread through social media that it was the French that had killed the people. I just General Braga, you're shaking your head. You know the situation I'm talking about. And and the end result of that, if I'm not mistaken, is that the French were kicked out of the country.
▶ 0:58:21Is that Is that correct? That's correct, Congressman. I mean, that this speaks to the importance of speed with regard to this new type of warfare that we're talking about.
▶ 0:58:35And my question is, have our authorities changed so that we can operate fast enough when we see this see these things these messages happening in real time to get the counter message out from what the Russians are doing.
▶ 0:58:52It doesn't It seems to me that by the time we get our message out or a counter message out, which would be the truth out, that the that the effect of the Russian disinformation has already occurred and forced uh the good guys out of the country. How do we fix that? Carson, we see the information environment at our own peril.
▶ 0:59:13It's more important to be first in the information environment to set the narrative, especially when you're dealing with nation-states with nation-state size resources against it who leverage artificial intelligence, bot farms, and the rest of it. It's critical terrain to dominate in the information environment. Traditionally, it's been held at a very high high uh throughout the world of perhaps an older lens of risk acceptance. A lower a lower level of risk would be very beneficial. I'm I'm almost out of time.
▶ 0:59:40I I do think this is just the area we've got to improve on with the authorities and how we train our partner forces to address the issues uh in those countries. Thank you all for your time. Mr. Keating, you're recognized for 5 minutes. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh thank all of you for your service and and certainly demand I think for a soft presence all around the globe is higher than ever.
▶ 1:00:03Uh given those demands, I mean even in uh General Fenton really reiterated during that period the greater demand the character as the character of the warfare evolves as well as the convergence of our adversaries. You mentioned General Bragga, too, the uh bond that we've had with our allies and partners, how important that is.
▶ 1:00:31How is the interoperability, given what you've all said about the need to get specific assets in a timely fashion? How are you What's the interoperability with our allies and partners and how can that be improved? Congressman, I can take that one first. I'd say just continued SOF and reps.
▶ 1:00:52The more access, the more time we spend forward, you know, I'd say to my formation that uh virtual presence is actual absence and there's there's no no replacement for being forward. So, our ability to continue to be funded and supported to be in a forward presence gives us those touchpoints and you know, right now we are reaping benefits of lieutenants and senior airmen that had interactions as lieutenants and senior airmen that are now that are now lieutenant colonels
▶ 1:01:23and chief master sergeants that have had those relationships now for 20 years. Yeah, I just want to shift to uh General Bragga mentioned the role as global sensors. I think that's a very important phrase that's there. That does That just doesn't mean working with our partners and our allies. It also means working with uh other American entities.
▶ 1:01:45Uh among them the State Department and among them Uh and given the cutbacks we've had with USAID, can you speak to particularly General Bragga, the the importance as part of that those global sensors and your ability to work in very difficult places in the world having the presence of USAID and other American entities. Uh yes, Congressman.
▶ 1:02:12I've I've had the benefit to work with multiple embassy teams around the globe and I think we're strongest when we have a unified synchronized effort of all elements of national power um for the United States national security interests. Yeah, that communication and making sure that you know, there's there's no seam there's a seamlessness with that. Can you comment on that, General Hunley, too? Uh yes, Congressman.
▶ 1:02:38Although I can't speak directly to USAID, I will say that outside of areas of declared hostility, the interface and being tied into the local country team and specifically their country plan and then how SOF with their capabilities, whether it's civil affairs, whether it's or whether it's building partnership capacity, that if you're integrated with that country team's country plan, that that's that's that's the right way to do it and that's also in a lot of places in the globe where we provide a significant amount of value.
▶ 1:03:09Yeah, I think it's not only being able to get information, sense things in terms of being global sensor, but it's also a situation where you're building trust and that trust is important when you're dealing with you know, our other allies around the world. Uh quickly, you know, a lot of this is going to be focused on the shift to great power and what we have to do there.
▶ 1:03:32Can you speak to to the you know, the what's occurring to with non-state actors and some of those challenges that still The shift that we made is important given the you know, what's happening in the character of warfare, but also we still have these non-state actors that are so difficult. Can anyone you know, give us a little insight in terms of those challenges now?
▶ 1:03:56The nexus of non-state and state is I would suggest growing and I think our nation-state adversaries will take every advantage they can, whether there's relationship with drug cartels or terrorist organizations, violent extremist organizations. Uh every facet of power is available will be leveraged by our nation-state adversaries, but the standalone uh non-governmental ones are still threats to the homeland, which is part of the we look at SOF as part of that solution to address those challenges. I don't know if anyone else wants to comment on that.
▶ 1:04:23Uh um Congressman, I I talked about this a little bit before in my opening comments, but what we're seeing is particularly non-state actors, their capabilities are are increasing and evolving relatively fast. If you take just a quick casual look at Al-Shabaab or ISIS in Eastern Africa or even some of the narco organizations in South America, what they bring to the tactical fight is frankly pretty impressive. They seem to be upgrading and improving quickly.
▶ 1:04:53That's just kind of where the tactical world is right now and that's where it's going. Our ability to keep up with that, we can identify that, we know what we have to do, but be able to get those capabilities into the hands of our operators or our small tactical units, I would describe as critical. I think that's important given the the nature of their ability to you know, deal with AI and other assets. I yield back. Thank you. Uh Mr. Kelly, you're recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you, Chairman Dr. Jackson. Um I first want to thank each of you.
▶ 1:05:23We conduct several operations in Mississippi. We do Southern Strike, which is Air Force centric and SOF uh specific. It's very valuable with international partners. I think that's so good. I talked about earlier, General Hunley, about um our Marine Raiders training and using those resources. We have Stennis, we have several locations. I really appreciate that and I think that partnership is really good. Think it helps in a state like Mississippi where we have the 20th Group or port portions of the 20th Group.
▶ 1:05:52Talking about that, I know, General Bragga, that you plug in the 19th and 20th Special Forces Groups to help you support global things. Is there anything we can do to improve those relationships against all Reserve and National Guard SOF forces that plug into you? What can we do to improve Carson, thank you for the question.
▶ 1:06:14Like the active duty active duty component entities underneath my command, we do struggle with making choices on O&M operational and maintenance funding for readiness as well as innovation. So, whether it's training for pre-deployment or developing a new drone or new munition, it's the same tension on the funding there. So, we do find ourselves making difficult decisions of getting our National Guard forces ready for combat and ready for deployment.
▶ 1:06:43And if if any of you have comments, if not, I'll move next question. General I mean, Admiral Sands, sorry. Thanks, Congressman. Just a a brief comment maybe on our Reserve forces. I would offer that the condition of our Reserve forces, whether it's in the Army or in the Navy, especially our Special Operations Reserve forces, is really improved and it's a huge advantage to us now. I was a a SOCAF commander before this, so had 20th Group deploying out.
▶ 1:07:09Unbelievable capability and they're really able to back up our active duty And thank you. And just really quick, you know, we have the 127 Echo, we have several different authorities that each of you use. Are there any new authorities that you think that we can help you get that help you operate or there improvements or modifications that we can make to the current authorities that would help you be better at great power competition? Carson, I'd say the authorities are fantastic.
▶ 1:07:39The ability to blend those authorities on one singular deployment would be advantageous for us, whether you're deployed and leveraging 127 Delta, Echo, a 333 or build partner capacity. The ability to switch between those would be very advantageous for us, more flexibility. And I would argue again for innovation type funding that wouldn't challenge what we need to build ready combat forces.
▶ 1:08:01And um talking about that, I met our State Department I think has prevented us from training almost a decade worth of people military training for foreigners to come here and train, which later those guys wind up being the president or the secretary or minister of defense or the general of their armies or navy or or admirals of their navies.
▶ 1:08:24How important is I met in building relationships with states which we need to have great relationships to win great power competition in the Pacific and Africa and South America. yes, Congressman. As like my colleague to my right, I'm a former TSOC commander, Theater Special Operations Command. I'll tell you in South America, I met alumni are critical.
▶ 1:08:50The relationship, just the connection that builds, the affinity frankly for the United States, its culture, our way of government. Uh it I think it pays incredible dividends. So, I am a huge fan of I met. If if we don't do that, do our competitors go give them training which is lesser quality, but also changes their culture and values by what they learn through the military training that they get in our country or another country? They will actively exploit that space.
▶ 1:09:20And then the final thing is one of the things I really push for is fungible funds that you guys and I think it needs to be at the two or three star level, whatever theater we're talking about, that you can do projects, military type projects, that go through the State Department. The ambassador would need to sign off, but we do lots of money, we send money to places and we send these things, but we but there's no tangible results that the communities can see.
▶ 1:09:47And I think of when I was in Djibouti and all they needed was a footbridge for some kids and it cost like $80,000 to do. But it was going to take us 3 years to do it. So the Chinese just built it. Would just small amount projects where you could build a footbridge so the kids don't get run over going to school or those things. Would that be helpful to you to uh to build relationships? Congressman, absolutely would. And to answer your other question, I'm at his critical. I stay in contact with two of my foreign classmates from the SFQ course three decades ago.
▶ 1:10:17It is absolutely critical to expand access and influence with true relationships, not partnerships. These are real Mr. Chairman, are you back? Thank you, Mr. Ryan. You're recognized for 5 minutes. Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all for being here. I building on my um my esteemed colleague from the south uh uh with my Yankee accent here.
▶ 1:10:44Um uh Can you talk I we've talked a lot about our capabilities and and our capacities, rightly so. Um and can you assess and just in maybe 30 seconds each, how do you assess our adversaries on their where their soft capabilities are at, where they're going, uh whether that's in some of the influence operation influence operations on other continents or specifically within INDOPACOM.
▶ 1:11:09I know that's a lot in in 30 seconds, but just how do we match up um and what should we learn from our adversaries that that you all are Congressman, thanks for the question. I don't focus solely on soft versus soft. I do focus on their irregular warfare approaches and their ability to use all facets of national power, economic, informational, diplomacy, lawfare, psychological warfare and that that concerns me, their ease of blending all that together for a more holistic And are
▶ 1:11:39they sorry but are they way ahead of us on that? Or significantly ahead of us? I think there are success stories around the globe where they have succeeded. Congressman, say from a threat lens, they continue to improve every day and it goes back to my open statement where we can't keep up with the threat because our it takes us a long time to modify.
▶ 1:12:04Um but from a special operations lens, I I I think we remain the partner of but that's fragile. You know, our lack of investment or if we take our eye off a particular country or partnership, it's at risk of someone else exploiting Mr. Congressman, as General Braga said, we don't it's not really a soft on soft fight most of the time, right? So we're going at it really assessing our adversary capabilities as the larger nation.
▶ 1:12:30And what we see certainly in INDOPACOM is we see increasing capabilities across the board. And we I think everybody is obviously tracking on that. And then what you're seeing also in places like Russia is they're getting greater experience through combat, through actual operations. And that's going to improve any country's capabilities. So we're keeping a close eye on that, but I would say that at least in the maritime environment, we still are out in front.
▶ 1:12:58I'll echo what my fellow commanders have talked about sir. It's really their ability to diffuse everything, but also the freedom that they have or freedom of action they have basically turn on issues relatively quickly. In other words, whatever the authorities they have, they seem to be quicker than ours.
▶ 1:13:16And and just kind of building on that way as you were saying General Braga well-intentioned but self-imposed rigidity around our different authorities and what you can do when and I think it's fair to say our adversaries are not, you know, thinking the same way to put it to put it lightly and any recommendations that you have to us building on other questions from my colleagues of how we can give more flexibility to all to match the to match that is is something I think we're all, you know, very supportive
▶ 1:13:46of and wanted to hear and and and push on. Switching switching gears with the small amount of time I have, General Braga, I I appreciate the time we we spent uh the other week. Um Many of my colleagues may know this and if so, I apologize, but could you just share the 18X ray lessons learned around not just recruitment for you all, but actually how that's affected the larger uh Army recruitment piece? Thank you, Congressman. Yeah, the 18X ray program is critical to Special Forces.
▶ 1:14:15That's the off-the-street recruiting for Special Forces Green Berets, of which makes up over 50% of our force now. We had a different model 20 25 years ago, it was only from the Army, but it's a critical lifeblood to our Special Forces Green Berets. Since we are high standards organization, four out of five both Special Forces Green Berets and Rangers do not successfully make it through our rigorous assessment selection, yet they end up being successful non-commissioned officers in the United States Army, which is a benefit for the Army in recruiting efforts.
▶ 1:14:47Thank you. I And again, I a lot of you are probably aware. I just thought it was a important to think about as we're all dealing, other than the Marines of course, who are always on it, dealing with recruitment challenge. I thought it was really creative and impressive. So I'll I'll yield back balance my time. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Mr. Bergman, you're recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Thank you, gentlemen, for coming and ma'am in the back. Goody, it's great to see you. I we seem to This is hard for me to articulate properly.
▶ 1:15:16We we just as Mr. Crow said, got done with a couple decades worth of essentially CT operations and right now it seems like SOF is kind of looking for you know, trying to find a new home.
▶ 1:15:29And I would I would just caution you uh you know, we talk a lot about UAVs and AI and all these you know, torpedo information warfare and all those but really at the end of the day a frogman and a and a and a raider and a green beret and a and a ranger uh got to be the guy that's going to go into a room and bludgeon someone to death with their hands. And we can't get away from that. Like we are a different breed of people.
▶ 1:15:59And we have to focus on our core competency and that is killing the Uh up close and personal for real. And so I would just want to make sure that we don't lose focus on that. Or we will lose. And we that and that is that will not be So we have a conflict between the first and fifth uh SOF truth, you know, humans are more important than hardware are.
▶ 1:16:24But also most SOF missions have to be enabled by non-SOF operators, right? And so I just want to caution you to remember those. There's a reason that those are written down. They're written in blood. So of course we need to have enablers. We have to have mission specialists.
▶ 1:16:43We need to have people that are operating these technologies, but we have to have the rifleman, that is just a a word of warning. Never forget who we are. A tip of the spear, the spear is held in a hand and it is thrust into the enemy's chest. And that's how a war is won. So when we're talking about this great power competition stuff, um we're trying to avoid a global conflagration, right?
▶ 1:17:11Like we want to World War III from happening. And my concern is this, is if you're not posturing yourselves to be able to act in these denied areas without direct communications. We we've become so dependent on communications and asking for your appropriate permissions, right?
▶ 1:17:30So when we're talking about operating in a in a denied area where C4I is essentially gone um what are you guys doing as component commanders to push down execution authorities to the lowest possible level, General? Congressman, thank you for the question. And and if I could address first the the part about lethality. At our very core, now and forever, we are a lethal force.
▶ 1:18:00We've talked about the character of war changing, but what hasn't changed is the nature of war. So even though technology is rapidly advancing and we're doing our best to keep up, the nature of war demands that we still be able to fight close in and personal. Right on. So we have we have not changed in that regard.
▶ 1:18:18Uh I would have to defer questions on on what in terms of what level the authorities are to to the combatant commanders or to my my brothers in the theater special operations command, but the more flexibility that that we have, the more that we can provide to those combatant commanders. Fair well. Thank you. Thank you, Congressman. To add on to the General's comments, just and especially as a fellow SEAL, our basic core competencies are never going to go away. Like we can't ever forget that. We don't want to talk about NSW's identity. That's fundamental.
▶ 1:18:49Um and then we also have to do these other things where we have to get to the target and it's really difficult to get there. And we need to do things that are decisive. So it's it's not a it's not an either or for us. It's an all of the above and I know you you recognize that. Um as far as pushing down the what we see especially in INDOPACOM is a requirement. It's going to be a different kind of fight. We're going to be fighting more dispersed. We're going to have smaller elements and we have to fight through commander's intent, right?
▶ 1:19:18Purpose, method, end state. We We to push that down or we'll have commanders who are just wondering what to do. So, in the absence of leadership we That has been my experience. Yeah, so in the absence of leadership we lead and and that's or in the absence of orders and direction, right? We lead. So, that's that's the way that we're moving, I think, and I think I can say that for all of SOCOM. Uh thank you, Congressman.
▶ 1:19:43To to the first point, uh well, outside of our special tactics community, which is uh you know, usually partnered with the I'm totally down to I I group of your guys saved uh one squad from SEAL Team 4 in Afghanistan in 2003 by removing his shirt and waving his arms because an Apache got wings level and was going to smoke him with a Hellfire. So, thank you very much for saving my brother's life, Yes, Congressman. I mean, I I I have the the honor and blessing of working among heroes every day.
▶ 1:20:11Uh but we also have a I used to. We also uh you know, we haven't talked much about I mentioned it as a core mission to strike, but we we also have a very lethal force uh that's above our our soft partners, uh whether that's AC-130s, MQ-9s, or other things. Uh we we remain good at that job. Uh sorry, General. Um I apologize, my time has expired and I'd like to give my colleagues the opportunity. Thank you very much for coming here I yield back. Thank you. Uh well, we reached our time here.
▶ 1:20:41So, what we're going to do right now is we're going to adjourn the open session and we're going to immediately reconvene in 23:37 for the uh for for the classified session. We'll pick up uh in the order where we left off so everyone can ask their questions in the classified session. Before we leave, I just want to make one comment. I want to thank you all for your time today. I want to thank you for your service to our country. I want to thank everybody in this room that's in uniform right now for your service to our country for the sacrifice that you and your families uh endure on a daily basis to keep us safe. So, thank you all and with that we're adjourned.
▶ 1:22:02I think they're better than the old Yeah, no, I got your text. I text you do back. I said