▶ 0:15:04Chair Wicker: The committee meets for testimony on the posture of the united states european command and transportation command. I like to thank our witnesses today, general grynkewich and general reed, for being here and extend special welcome to their families. General grynkewich oversees 80,000 military personnel in the U.S. european command.
▶ 0:15:30Chair Wicker: He serves as the supreme allied commander of, making him the military commander of nato, the world's only nuclear alliance. General grynkewich comes before this committee at a time of great turmoil. United states is engaged in kind to see conflict in the middle east while simultaneously supporting ukraine's self-defense against the russian invasion.
▶ 0:15:57Chair Wicker: Eucom is involved in both efforts, providing operational and logistic support to operation epic fury. At the same time it facilitates the flow of weapons and intelligence to ukraine and of course our forces in europe remain at the ready to deter and defend against russian aggression.
▶ 0:16:19Chair Wicker: Our european allies provide access rights to our forces and creates enormous military advantages for the united states. Our presence in europe enables us to project power into adjacent theaters, most obviously into the middle east but also to africa and now the arctic. Our european allies are increasing their defense spending.
▶ 0:16:46Chair Wicker: We must recognize they are sharing the political and military risk of war and that is every bit as important as U.S. interest. Defending against armed aggression from russia remains the most compelling rationale for the nato alliance. Russia is led by vlad Rep.
▶ 0:17:12Dunn: , a war criminal and ruthless murderer and dictator. He possesses the world largest and most diverse nuclear arsenal and always cheats on his arms control commitments. In his twisted view of the world, russia is the victim of historical injustices.
▶ 0:17:34Dunn: He has proven willing to take on extreme risks to redress these perceived historical injustices against russia, most notably by launching a full-scale invasion of ukraine, entirely a war of choice. Some have proposed a reduction in U.S. forces deployed in europe.
▶ 0:17:59Dunn: Such an action, which some have entitled nato 3.0, would have us on -- would have us take an unnecessary vulnerability on at a precarious moment. Putin could easily interpret that action as week -- weakness rather than resolve. During the cold war, we share the burden of conventional defense in europe because it was in america interest to do so.
▶ 0:18:30Dunn: This remains the case today. Europe has heated president trump call to step up on defense spending. We need to ensure the political will is turned into hard combat capability as soon as possible. Mr. putin has a predilection for war and aggression. That is a fact. And it led this committee to place the floor on the U.S.
▶ 0:19:03Dunn: Military force posture in europe. Particularly the army ground maneuver forces. Mr. putin's aggression has caused us to make that decision. We took that step in the national defense authorization act that became law in december, a bipartisan achievement. The law reflects our collective judgment that now is not the time to accept unnecessary risks in europe.
▶ 0:19:32Dunn: The best way to reduce the need for defense in europe is to degrade the threat posed by russia's military appeared ukraine is doing that. It success in defending his russia reflects ukraine's resolve and ability to innovate during war time. We should support these efforts.
▶ 0:19:52Dunn: We should merely begin a crash program to take advantage of new production lines here in america him a building new, low-cost weapons to help the ukrainians defend themselves. This includes low-cost cruise missiles, which we can build thousands of every year, and includes new, more easily producible air defense interceptors.
▶ 0:20:16Dunn: While general grynkewich is focused on the european theater, general reed supports the global joint force. Its expertise in precision allows the joint force to extend its reach beyond the safety of friendly confines. Whether supporting operation midnight hammer, operation absolute resolve, or the hundreds of regular missions required by other combatant commands.
▶ 0:20:45Dunn: When most americans think of the military, they mention airplanes, warships, and big guns, correctly, I might add. What they do not see is the system that moves all these pieces around the globe. The worldwide network of american logistics assets keeps our far-flung basins ready for action. We are the world's best military in part because trans calm runs this complex system.
▶ 0:21:15Dunn: China and russia know this. These adversaries are not simply modernizing their forces. They are targeting our global logistics network to prevent us from operating around the world.
▶ 0:21:30Dunn: Congress recognizes this danger and the national defense authorization act passed on a bipartisan basis and signed by the president of the united states last december elevated contested logistics management to a senior leader responsibility.
▶ 0:21:49Dunn: We charge the deputy secretary of defense vice chief of the joint staff's and the commander of trans calm to work together to integrate contested logistics across the joint force. This statutory direction makes explicit what the battlefield has already proven, can just -- contested logistics is not owned by any single command or service. These witnesses come before the committee at an important moment for american national security.
▶ 0:22:19Dunn: I thank them for appearing today and look forward to our conversation. With that, I turned to my colleague, ranking member read.
▶ 0:22:28Sen. Reed: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Thank you for appearing today. Thank you for your service to the nation and to those who you command our warmest thanks and appreciation. European command and transportation command are engaged in supporting the ongoing conflict with iran.
▶ 0:22:49Sen. Reed: From a naval and combat operations to moving personnel, equipment, weapons, and medical support across continents, eucom and trends, our sustained united states military effort. This is a reminder that modern warfare requires every element of american military power, logistical networks, and the ability that connects them all.
▶ 0:23:18Sen. Reed: General grynkewich, the convergence of interests among potential adversaries like russia, iran, china, and north korea is of great concern to this committee. There is a recent development that is her scrutiny. Media outlets report last week that russia has been providing iran with the locations of U.S. military personnel and assets for targeting in the middle east.
▶ 0:23:45Sen. Reed: I'm concerned about this development, especially because the white house has sought to downplay it and the secretary of defense has said that he is not concerned. If this recording is true commitment must be addressed with resolute and vocal condemnation by america's leaders. Our servicemembers deserve nothing less. For more than three years, eucom , has been the backbone of the international effort to support ukraine in the war of survival against russia.
▶ 0:24:14Sen. Reed: It has enabled the to defeat the russians and defend their sovereignty well sending an unmistakable message to america's adversaries by the strength of the nato alliance and resolve of the united states and his partners. The operational picture today remains difficult.
▶ 0:24:33Sen. Reed: Neither side has been able to secure a decisive advantage on the battlefield but ukrainian forces continue to battle bravely and the ukrainian people remain steadfast in their resolve. At the same time, the broader strategic context in europe is evolving in the trump administration's new national defense strategy outlines the significant shift in how the united states views its role in the european ao are.
▶ 0:25:03Sen. Reed: The administration has argued for a reduction in american engagement in europe and a larger share of nato conventional defense responsibilities. Strengthening europe's defense capabilities is an important and necessary goal which our european partners are already making strides.
▶ 0:25:27Sen. Reed: But any significant shifts in capabilities and capacity of the united states will offer to the nato alliance -- must be assessed and coordinated with our allies. Anything less than" a nation could create unnecessary gaps and increase risk during a period of significant geopolitical tension. I worry the administration is singly focused on the speed of transition and not the strategic implications of getting it wrong.
▶ 0:25:57Sen. Reed: General grynkewich, I would ask for your perspective on this. Is he or expectation that europe could assume a majority of nato's conventional defense burdened by the end of this decade and what risks do you foresee in accelerating such a transition before our allies may be fully can situate it to do that? General reed, transcom is vital to ongoing operations in iran.
▶ 0:26:24Sen. Reed: The success of any military campaign depends on the ability to move forces, equipment, and supplies across the globe at speed and scale. From strategic airlift's and see lifts to aerial refueling and the movement of munitions between theaters might your command is a logistical network that allows the united states military to operate worldwide.
▶ 0:26:44Sen. Reed: Out appreciate an update on demands these current operations are placing on transcom and your assessment of command readiness to sustain that while maintaining capacity to respond to crises in other theaters. Looking further ahead, one of the most important challenges facing the department of defense is the problem of contested logistics. For decades, american military operations have benefited from secure sea and air lines of communication.
▶ 0:27:14Sen. Reed: We have reached a point where potential adversaries will likely target a logistics network that underpins U.S. military power. Threats could include attacks against forward bases, aircraft, and ships that resupply those bases, cyber attacks on information technology systems that manage deployments, and even strikes against ports in the and abroad.
▶ 0:27:40Sen. Reed: General reed these vulnerabilities raise questions about the resilience of the logistics systems on which our military depends. I would like an update on your command efforts to address the contested logistics problem, in particular how you're working with the military services to ensure that future logistics platforms and operational concepts are better suited to operate in a contested environment.
▶ 0:28:07Sen. Reed: Thank you again for your leadership in the service of the men and women under your command. I look forward to your testimony. Thank you.
▶ 0:28:16Chair Wicker: Thank you for giving them a preview of the questions you are going to ask. Who would like to go first? General grynkewich? Your recognize we your opening statement.
▶ 0:28:26Gen. Grynkewich: Members of the committee, it is an honor to be here today representing the men and women of european command. I'm grateful to have command sergeant major tj holland, r command senior enlisted leader, joining me today. It is a privilege to be here with my good friend general randall reed. Through my career I have seen firsthand the extraordinary capability U.S. transportation command delivers across our joint force.
▶ 0:28:56Gen. Grynkewich: I like to begin by thanking this committee in congress for your steadfast support to the work fighters and missions of U.S. european command. The united states faces a complex and evolving global security environment. Growing cooperation between russia, north korea, iran, and the people's republic of china has increased military risks across multiple theaters and domains.
▶ 0:29:18Gen. Grynkewich: In europe, north korean troops and matériel, iranian drone technology, and chinese economic support enabled moscow to sustain its war in ukraine. I have been privileged to be part of the negotiations working to fulfill the president's goal of lasting peace, but in the meantime the brutal war continues, regionally starting its fifth year as both sides trade human life for time and territory.
▶ 0:29:46Gen. Grynkewich: Despite losses in ukraine, russia retains the capability and capacity to threaten U.S. interests with its large and increasingly diverse nuclear stockpile, asymmetric capabilities, and ground, air, and maritime forces. Given the environment, U.S. european command is focused on three priority missions. The first is protecting the U.S. homeland. To do this, U.S. european command works with norad and U.S.
▶ 0:30:15Gen. Grynkewich: Northern command to monitor and secure the strategic approaches to north america. Allies help with this by sharing intelligence, strengthening our early warning, and enhancing our ability to respond to potential threats. In the north atlantic and arctic, they help us monitor russian and chinese activity, including subs and long-range bomber patrols. Together we ensure these capabilities are unable to threaten the U.S. or interests in this hemisphere.
▶ 0:30:42Gen. Grynkewich: Our second mission is to serve as a platform for projecting U.S. combat power in and beyond europe. Our forces and infrastructure take advantage of the continent's geography and love united states to rapidly move forces cannot sustain operations, and provide the president with military operations -- options across multiple theaters. U.S.
▶ 0:31:04Gen. Grynkewich: European command increased pressure on the shuttle fleet with the seizure -- during midnight hammer and facilitated strikes on ice affiliated terror groups in africa. This mission continues with support operation epic fury in iran. Our third mission area is positioning the nato alliance to deter and defend.
▶ 0:31:29Gen. Grynkewich: Given the possibility of simultaneous conflict in multiple theaters, a strong nato allows the united states to redirect focus while protecting our european interests. This requires allies to step up and they are doing that. Allies are increasing defense spending and building readiness to assume primary responsibility for the conventional defense of europe. This requires continued investment in a robust and resilient defense industrial base that can deliver the required military capabilities at scale.
▶ 0:31:59Gen. Grynkewich: As the character of war continues to evolve, U.S. european command is working with nato allies, industry, and the joint force to capture the lessons of contemporary conflicts. We are committed to ensuring nato remains the most capable military alliance in history and protecting our interests at home and abroad. Members of the committee, thank you for your support to our war fighters and mission. It is an honor to appear before you today and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:32:28Chair Wicker: General reed, you are recognized.
▶ 0:32:32Gen. Reed: Members of the committee, today I'm joined by my wonderful bride and our senior enlisted leader. Together we represent the men, women, and families of the united states transportation command. I'm also privilege to serve and testify alongside my longtime friend general grynkewich. Thank you for your leadership. At the champions of global logistics, U.S. trans, is a total force team of -- U.S.
▶ 0:33:05Gen. Reed: Transcom is a total force team of civilians and merchant mariners. Your support of these experts in the missions they fulfill allows the war fighter to thrive. I must highlight our most unique experts, the joint enabling capabilities command. This command is your first responder in the global crisis. The joint force's 911.
▶ 0:33:29Gen. Reed: They rapidly deploy planners, communicators, and command-and-control specialist that activate a joint task force headquarters and set conditions for success. U.S. trends, -- transcom has three military service components. It delivers rapid global airlift, air refueling and evacuation speed and reach to provide immediate response.
▶ 0:33:52Gen. Reed: The navy military sealift command delivers the mass of our combat power through the decisive strength of sealift sustainment. The army transportation command is the critical deploying the joint force from our forts to our strategic seaports connecting the homeland to the global fight and operating critical ports worldwide. Completing the U.S. trends, team is our commercial partners.
▶ 0:34:17Gen. Reed: Commercial airlines, trucking companies, real operators, and ocean shipping companies move our service members and cargo anywhere, anytime. These industry leaders and partners offer expertise and networks required for mission success. U.S. transcom is part of a larger team.
▶ 0:34:41Gen. Reed: Together, the military commercial industry, allies, and partners form a network with a single mission, to deliver power and presence at the time and place of our choosing. We know the strategic environment continues to transform. Our competitors trained to contest our every move and turned logistics into a primary battle space. We acknowledge the challenge. This is why we exist. U.S. transcom specializes in winning the fight to get to the fight.
▶ 0:35:11Gen. Reed: Therefore there should be no surprise our priority remains keeping power projection as a decisive strategic advantage. We champion the american war fighter starting here in our homeland. The journey begins on highways, railways, and commercial seaports. Your interest in securing and modernizing this network is an investment in the ability to project power.
▶ 0:35:38Gen. Reed: The resilience of the civilian infrastructure, the bedrock of the domestic supply chain, allows transcom forces to deploy. Your continued partnership helps forge the future of maritime dominance. By recapitalizing strategic sealift, america will deliver overwhelming combat power to any shore for the next 50 years. We must continue this vital work and champion the mariners who form the backbone of our fleet and underwrite our national security.
▶ 0:36:05Gen. Reed: We support the maritime policies, including maritime secured a program, tinker secretive program, cable security program, the jones act, and carter preference laws. Together, these program secure U.S. flag vessels and the merchant mariners necessary to move sensitive defense material in an emergency.
▶ 0:36:28Gen. Reed: Third, your support guarantee is our air mobility fleet remains a dominant projection force, the ultimate display of american resolve. We unleash the power of presence, reassuring allies and deterring adversaries. Continue modernization and recapitalization secures this advantage for the next generation of war fighters.
▶ 0:36:50Gen. Reed: Finally, we are transforming all mobility operation platforms into a survivable, connected node as tankers and cargo planes link to battle space awareness. They become the eyes and ears of our commanders as they drive toward mission success. Your support makes our forces more resilient. We are grateful for air fleet investments because conductivity creates survivability.
▶ 0:37:18Gen. Reed: Your leadership positions ustranscom to overcome any challenge. Together, we send the message that america's logistic outreach is unmatched. Our resolve is unbreakable. We are ready, united, decisive and we will always deliver. Thank you for the opportunity to represent ustranscom and to answer your questions.
▶ 0:37:40Chair Wicker: Journal g -- general g, I will ask you to pronounce your name.
▶ 0:37:48Gen. Grynkewich: General grynkewich.
▶ 0:37:50Chair Wicker: With a witch. Thank you. I will elaborate. Do you agree that the russian military's lack of technical skill has been exposed in the war in ukraine?
▶ 0:38:08Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, russia invaded ukraine thinking it would be a two week warm and as I heard a friend say recently the hardest part of a short two week war is the first couple years. I think putin has learned that because of the problems he has had yielding a modern and effective force.
▶ 0:38:28Chair Wicker: Do you agree that russia has maintained the ability to wage war and continues to threaten our treaty allies in europe?
▶ 0:38:37Gen. Grynkewich: I do.
▶ 0:38:39Chair Wicker: And clearly you've already said that russia has demonstrated its abilities to sustain high intensity warfare over four years and I guess it is fair to say also that the public somehow over there is willing to suffer deprivation in pursuit of return to what they feel is russian greatness.
▶ 0:39:10Chair Wicker: You agree with that statement?
▶ 0:39:11Gen. Grynkewich: I do. Putin as an autocrat is able to control the information environment in russia, so the russian people are probably not hearing all of the trials and tribulations their forces are facing, nor understanding the high casualty rates.
▶ 0:39:26Chair Wicker: I guess we'll be fair to say the elite in russia are not feeling all of the negative effects that the general populace is feeling.
▶ 0:39:38Gen. Grynkewich: I assess that is correct.
▶ 0:39:42Chair Wicker: Nato secretary-general and the german chancellor have both publicly stated that russia, once the war is over, will again pose a dire threat to europe by the end of the decade. Do you agree with that? I will let you elaborate, if you like.
▶ 0:40:04Gen. Grynkewich: In ukraine today, russia has well over 500,000 troops so sure they were in ukraine end, which we all hope it does, we will have to see the contours of the agreement and monitor russian behavior to see what their intentions are but from a purely military perspective, one 500 thousand battle hardened russian troops are repositioned to other areas, we will have to pay attention to that as a potential military threat and be cognizant of what it could pose to the
▶ 0:40:37Gen. Grynkewich: Alliance.
▶ 0:40:38Chair Wicker: We are the -- delighted to see our european allies agree to the 5% and two do their fair share -- they're part of the burden sharing.
▶ 0:40:52Chair Wicker: How long do you think is going to take for our european friends, once they have connected this 5% commit to build the capabilities and force structure needed to actually assume the lead role in the conventional defense of europe?
▶ 0:41:14Gen. Grynkewich: I agree that the agreement at the hague summit is a tremendous accomplishment and shows how seriously europeans are taking their own security. Many nations are already on a pathway with five or six nations this year already near or above 5% of gdp.
▶ 0:41:33Gen. Grynkewich: The biggest risk for those countries is now turning that money into actual military can ability in their inventory, and that does take an industrial base that can deliver on time so I see that as the biggest risk to them being able to achieve this on a quick timeline so from my perspective I think we're looking at different capabilities will show up in different times.
▶ 0:41:57Gen. Grynkewich: It will be a gradual slope that will increase and the pace of european armament as the industrial base gets healthy. You'll see it start slowly and as investments take off they will be able to react quickly so I would say by the end of this decade they will have made great progress toward that. They will not be all the way there, but certainly by 2035.
▶ 0:42:21Chair Wicker: So by 2030 they will have made great progress but will not be there. By 2030 five, if their commitment continues, they should be able to be in leadership position.
▶ 0:42:33Gen. Grynkewich: I believe that is correct.
▶ 0:42:38Sen. Reed: Thank you, gentlemen. General reed, you have been quoted as saying that we must start a new program to modernize our strategic air left. I know you cannot disclose details of budget proposals, but are you confident that we will begin the process of modernization this year?
▶ 0:43:03Gen. Reed: Strategic airlift is one of the most critical capabilities we provide. It is what we call the immediate force when our nation needs to respond right away. That is how we get the force quickly projected out of the country and to the point of the challenge here is that for the capabilities we need in these aircraft, it takes a long time to design and actually deliver the aircraft.
▶ 0:43:33Gen. Reed: C5 and c-17 is capable today -- thank you for the investment for the upkeep, but the time has passed now to start on the development of the next platform. In that platform, not only will have to be able to do things that the c5 and c-17 today, but we will make sure we have secure communications that the platform will have the awareness of the space around it for crews to be aware of what is going on around them and at the same time he
▶ 0:44:04Gen. Reed: Needs to be as survivable as we can create.
▶ 0:44:09Chair Wicker: One of the un-expected beneficiaries of our operations in iran has been russia. The price of gas has increased dramatically, which benefits their economy at a point where their economy was suffering after multiple years of warfare. We have lifted sanctions on the delivery of oil of india and other countries.
▶ 0:44:36Chair Wicker: We are now in a position where we must send missiles, particularly patriots, to the gulf area to replenish our supplies rather than provide them to ukrainians. This all seems to be a situation where putin is benefiting dramatically.
▶ 0:44:57Chair Wicker: Is that your perception, that this has unexpected lead or unintentionally given him a significant increase in staying power?
▶ 0:45:09Gen. Grynkewich: I'm proud of the role that european command is playing to support operation epic fury and our soldiers sailors have been operating at a high tempo in the eastern men and elsewhere -- eastern mediterranean and elsewhere. As you noted, the price of oil and gas has gone up. We noted putin depends on that. I think how much he benefits from it depends on how long prices remain elevated.
▶ 0:45:39Gen. Grynkewich: The leadership of the department is watching this closely. The president is watching this closely. And they're certainly concerned about the prices out there so I guess on the front I would say we do continue to flow munitions into ukraine. I could get into the specifics on implications in a classified session today but I -- I assure you the support continues.
▶ 0:46:07Chair Wicker: Should we increase security assistance ukraine given the least momentary strengthening of russian economy and capabilities?
▶ 0:46:20Gen. Grynkewich: I think the -- there are always global trade office for the amount of security assistance we can provide so it is a policy question on what the level of support should be. I am in constant contact with ukrainians and they tell me where they see opportunities. I am validating and looking at those opportunities that they are providing to us and the weapons they are requesting and providing my recommendations to the department on what we could provide them in situations.
▶ 0:46:51Gen. Grynkewich: I'll be happy to discuss more of that in detail in the classified session.
▶ 0:46:55Sen. Reed: I have about 45 seconds. Congested -- contested logistics is an issue we have been grappling with for years. Any quick thoughts about what we can do and are doing?
▶ 0:47:09Gen. Reed: We continue to pursue changes in how we operate, any opportunity in current operations, exercises in experimentation as well.
▶ 0:47:23Chair Wicker: Senator fischer, you are recognized.
▶ 0:47:27Sen. Fischer: Thank you both for being here today and for your service to our country. General reed, how is transcom preparing to perform strategic lived in a contested environment? That presents unique challenges, correct?
▶ 0:47:45Gen. Reed: Yes, senator appear in the strategic challenge as we see it begins here at home. We are finding that the adversaries are aligning and trying to contest us in every domain possible. That also begins in the cyber realm. Some of the ways we are making sure we harden ourselves there is through increased cyber hygiene. We also get great assistance from U.S.
▶ 0:48:10Gen. Reed: Cyber calm and law enforcement. That extends not only within the department but since a portion of what we are able to do is in the commercial realm we are also able to extend assistance to them as well. When it comes to being able to project the force in -- and to project power, we continue investments and we welcome more in making the aircraft more survivable and also with more secure communications.
▶ 0:48:39Sen. Fischer: General grynkewich, what is your assessment of russian military progress reconstituting his losses in ukraine, in particular in terms of missile production or other weapons systems?
▶ 0:48:56Gen. Grynkewich: The russian war economy is in high gear so in terms of missile production my assessment is that they have the capacity in their defense industrial base to continue with high levels of production and as far as personnel are concerned today they have been able to replenish battlefield losses that they have been taking on a month-to-month basis.
▶ 0:49:27Sen. Fischer: In september, we saw a russian drone incursion along the polish border. How is -- how has eucom and nato responded? >> I was proud of the immediate response that the alliance was able to take in response to that incursion. Dutch planes operating under nato command were able to shoot down several of those drones that came into polish airspace.
▶ 0:49:56Sen. Fischer: The alliance is established vigilance activity that stitches together a number of air and missile defense capabilities across the eastern flank of the alliance to thicken the lines for defense and now we are also in the progress of rewriting our standard defense plan for integrated air missile defense across the alliance, the first time this has been done in decades and it should be done by
▶ 0:50:19The Summit Sen. Fischer: This summer.
▶ 0:50:20Sen. Fischer: So you feel pretty positive about eastern sentry and how it is working now and in the future as well?
▶ 0:50:28Gen. Grynkewich: I do and I would cite as evidence of the alliance's ability to defend a couple ballistic missiles launched by iran toward turkey and the successful engagement of those ballistic missiles to neutralize that threat.
▶ 0:50:42Sen. Fischer: Can you tell us in this setting what your views are and what you anticipate seeing in the future in cooperation between russia and china?
▶ 0:50:53Gen. Grynkewich: I can talk a little bit about it here and of course elaborate in the classified session but what we see is two primary means of support that the chinese provide to the russians. One is assisting them with evading sanctions and helping their economy and the second is dual use equipment that comes out of the chinese industrial base and flows into russia.
▶ 0:51:19Gen. Grynkewich: You might think of this as different ships and and tenants then used on weapons of war that the russians produce in their industrial base so that certainly is concerning to us. If I look into the future, I would accept that type of relationship -- expect that our relationship to continue with their interests align, for russia to be willing to support china in the opposite direction if china finds itself in need of assistance.
▶ 0:51:46Sen. Fischer: I appreciated the conversation we had. How are you working with the air force to meet your requirements?
▶ 0:52:02Gen. Reed: We continue to ask them to support us with spare parts, weapon system sustainment, and to keep the training pipeline strong. In addition, they are assisting us with survivability of the aircraft as well.
▶ 0:52:21Chair Wicker: We are senator gillibrand -- we have senator gillibrand. >> Sen. gillibrand: we have seen horrific reports of a U.S. missile hitting a girls school in iran.
▶ 0:52:39Chair Wicker: I recognize this is not your aor , but can you speak to the process that you have eucom at -- you have at eucom for developing targets? What kind of protections you have? Based on what I have heard from reporting, the data looked at was a decade old.
▶ 0:53:03Chair Wicker: That any person who can get settled access to google maps today can see that this was a school. New york times had no problem getting that data and information, per a report today. What you intend to do at eucom to make sure you're targeting is consistent with american values?
▶ 0:53:31Gen. Grynkewich: Over the course of my career, I have come as a fighter pilot, always done every thing I can to avoid civilian harm and casualties. I would tell you I'm absolutely committed to that. The department is committed to that. When tragedies like this happen, it causes us all to reflect and try to improve processes. I have been involved in the trucking process on the tactical and operational levels through my career.
▶ 0:53:59Gen. Grynkewich: We have a number of safeguards in the system. Every time at the tactical level I was going to release a weapon on a target, I was personally making an assessment as to whether there was any chance of civilian harm. If there was, was a proportional to the military necessity of striking the target? At the operational level, from my time in U.S. central command previously and now at U.S.
▶ 0:54:25Gen. Grynkewich: European command I can assure we have robust standards we go through to see an update to the imagery and update our understanding of the target, refresh the intelligence on a recurring -- on a recurring basis to determine the chances of civilian harm and address collateral concerns. I am committed to trying to mitigate that risk.
▶ 0:54:44Sen. Gillibrand: I am concerned that secretary hegseth does not agree with you. Secretary hegseth has criticized rules of engagement designed to adhere to the laws of armed conflict and support civilian harm mitigation. Secretary hegseth has also cut the civilian protection center of excellence by about 90%.
▶ 0:55:09Sen. Gillibrand: Their mission was to help you and help protect against civilian casualties so how do these changes by secretary hegseth affect your mission, judgment, and responsibility you take so seriously?
▶ 0:55:24Gen. Grynkewich: They are not affected my ability to prevent civilian harm in any way. It is embedded in the trucking process. It is embedded in the culture of U.S. european command and the U.S. military to try to avoid that civilian harm so we are continuing to do the things we have always done to comply with the law of armed conflict and ensure we mitigate that risk.
▶ 0:55:46Sen. Gillibrand: Can you guess how we could have gotten this wrong in iran and targeted a children's school?
▶ 0:55:54Gen. Grynkewich: I would hesitate to speculate an incident like this. I would say there is usually a chain of errors and mistakes that happens, similar to an aviation accident or other transportation accident. I would say we need to let the investigation play out and find all those factors.
▶ 0:56:11Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you, general. I like to talk about -- I would like to talk about following the firing of the space commander in the standup of nato's arctic century mission. How is eucom managing friction caused by administration rhetoric regarding braille and sovereignty and terror threats against nato allies?
▶ 0:56:42Sen. Gillibrand: -- greenland sovereignty and terror threats inc. -- tariff threats against nato sovereignty -- allies?
▶ 0:56:49Gen. Grynkewich: With every cheapo defense across the alliance, we have maintain focus on what was that we were responsible for doing, which was defending -- deterring and defending every inch of alliance territory from aggression and our ability to focus on that, to focus on the hague commitments, and make our military stronger, kept us on task, if you will, through those discussions.
▶ 0:57:14Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you.
▶ 0:57:16Chair Wicker: To clarify for your benefit, senator gillibrand, you did not mean to say that we had targeted a school.
▶ 0:57:28Sen. Gillibrand: That missile hit a school.
▶ 0:57:33Chair Wicker: But it is the word targeting you did not mean.
▶ 0:57:36Sen. Gillibrand: How we chose a target that turned out to be a school next to an appropriate target of a naval base of the fact it is chosen as a target I like to know and I hope we can have an open hearing on this.
▶ 0:57:56Sen. Ernst: Thank you to our witnesses for your service to our nation. President trump has pushed our nato allies hard to commit 5% of gdp toward defense and resilience. We have seen a lot headlines highlighting new defense investments across europe. At the same time, nato defense plans depend on interoperability across 32 allies operating across air, land, maritime, cyber, and space domains.
▶ 0:58:26Sen. Ernst: General grynkewich, are these new investments translating into shared capabilities with nato that are interoperable or are there gaps that are allies need to find and fill?
▶ 0:58:42Gen. Grynkewich: That is a terrific question. The -- we focus very much on interoperability across the alliance at U.S. european command. One of the best ways to ensure interoperability is when our allies buy american equipment from our defense industrial base. That solves the interoperability problem at face value. At the U.S. industrial base -- the U.S. industrial base cannot deliver everything they need so they are investing in their industrial base as well.
▶ 0:59:12Gen. Grynkewich: To ensure everything works together, we have made a standards that countries in the alliance and outside the alliance, including in the indo pacific adhere to to ensure interoperability. Especially new members of the alliance or folks newly certified to nato standards, we need to help them along and make sure they understand this is to be technical when you get into beeps and squeaks of making sure things work.
▶ 0:59:35Sen. Ernst: I appreciate that. They shout out as well about the defense industrial base. This lends credibility to all of our voices when we are saying that we need to invest in more here in united states. I'm glad our partners are stepping up and developing their own industrial base but certainly we need a stronger one here in our own nation. Briefly, I'm a huge supporter of the state partnership program.
▶ 1:00:05Sen. Ernst: I know we have spoken about this before. Our iowa national guard and kosovo are partnered and we know that a strong american presence in these countries does maintain stability. Can you speak briefly about the state partnership program in your thoughts?
▶ 1:00:27Gen. Grynkewich: I spent time with her commanding general of your garden and they do tremendous work in kosovo. The spp builds deep and lasting relationships. Some of our state partners have been in the program for 30 years or more and are the course of those 30 years as exercises happen to both sides of the atlantic it builds a bond you cannot replace.
▶ 1:00:52Sen. Ernst: Thank you. I agree. We have automatic equipment identifiers -- identification tags that help track location of our assets across our transportation system. One of the largest manufacturers of those tags and technology is owned by a parent company with ties to the chinese communist party.
▶ 1:01:21Sen. Ernst: Currently, transcom uses our rail system to move heavy assets like tanks from fort stewart or other armored vehicles through the U.S.. My concern is that the ccp could utilize these tracking technologies to monitor our military movements, which is a major security risk during a build up or surge so would you agree with the vulnerability?
▶ 1:01:50Sen. Ernst: Do you think we are giving the chinese access into a window of our military movements and engagements and what can we do about it?
▶ 1:02:00Gen. Reed: The department works hard to eliminate chinese component wherever we find it and that continues with all the energy and effort that we can put to that. Second, when it comes to all domain contested in all domain and the cyber realm is one where this presents itself plain and clear.
▶ 1:02:28Gen. Reed: With that being said, while it may be a vulnerability there are ways we can harden that and we continue to do that. There are alternative ways to make sure we can track the information.
▶ 1:02:44Gen. Reed: Increasingly as we get stronger tools we apply those tools and one thing that is important, as we continue to use the commercial realm, there are lots of other things that move in the commercial space and that makes it hard for folks to track our equipment.
▶ 1:03:02Sen. Ernst: We need to recognize it we do have vulnerabilities to make sure they are not being exploited so thank you, Mr. chair.
▶ 1:03:12Chair Wicker: Senator kaine, I understand you intend to yield your time to a person who is not yet in the room.
▶ 1:03:21Sen. Kaine: Correct, so I will take my time. America has been at war for 12 days peer the cost to our troops and innocent iranian civilians and even school children are dramatic. The war is deeply unpopular. The war is illegal. The constitution may explain only congress can declare war. The reason for this provision was articulated by abraham lincoln.
▶ 1:03:46Sen. Kaine: Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending the good of the people was the object. This our convention understood to be the most kingly of all kingly oppressions and they resolved to so framed the constitution that no one manageable the power of bringing this oppression upon us. The president has escalated his use of military to carry out hostilities all over the globe without congress while threatening military action against many nations.
▶ 1:04:14Sen. Kaine: We are at war because of the unilateral actions of one man who is confident congress will not challenge his kingly behavior. The war is unprecedented. We have heard from the president many reasons for the war but senators have now heard publicly and jack from the secretary of state and for multiple sessions and -- the president sent our sons and daughters, spouses, parents, and to war because another nation was determined to invade iran and if that occurred
▶ 1:04:46Sen. Kaine: Iran will likely target U.S. troops in retaliation. The trigger of this war was israel's decision to invade iran on february 28. We could've avoided this war by persuading israel that it should have -- not invade and that doing so would hurt its ally america and cause instability. There is no evidence we try to do that. Or we could focus on protecting our own troops from retaliation following an israeli invasion. Instead, president trump decided to join an invasion of iran initiated by another nation.
▶ 1:05:17Sen. Kaine: He is not the first american president who has been urged to take this step. Others wisely resisted. He did not. The war is unnecessary. Iran and america were allies until american engineering -- america engineered -- that act followed by 26 years of a brutal dictatorship the U.S.
▶ 1:05:41Sen. Kaine: Health fund created deep hostility between our two nations who were formally friends -- formerly friends. That hostility resulted in five decades of violence between our countries, the facts of which are well-known to american and iranian citizens alike. Iran engages in dangerous behavior to U.S. citizens.
▶ 1:06:06Sen. Kaine: Does that danger, more than 6000 miles from our shores, warned the sacrifice of our troops, killing of innocent civilians, and expense of billions of taxpayer dollars if more war between iran and the united states where the answer we would have found it sometime in the last 73 years. We had a diplomatic offramp to decades of hostility in the iranian nuclear deal that the U.S. and iran together with our european allies plus china and russia negotiated in 2015.
▶ 1:06:33Sen. Kaine: President trump's decision to bend that deal, even though it was working and even though many of his closest advisors told him to maintain it ushered in a sharp spike of iranian aggression. American troops are dying because this nation's political leadership tragically abandons diplomacy. We owe our troops better than this. They served with such skill and bravery.
▶ 1:06:59Sen. Kaine: As our experiences in vietnam and iraq have shown, the bravest pete rock service, overcome poor civilian decision-making, whether by a president grown too fond of war or a congressman willing to provide a check against such behavior. Virginians feel this deeply. One of the first officers of the war lived in spotsylvania county. Hundreds of virginians are now deployed.
▶ 1:07:27Sen. Kaine: Their families ask me, have we learned nothing from 25 years of war in the middle east, more than 14,000 american troops and contractors dead, more than 65,000 injured, more than $8 trillion spent that could have gone to her education, health care, or economic development? Have you learned nothing? I pray this warrants soon.
▶ 1:07:50Sen. Kaine: Virginians have suffered this year as a sputtering economy burdened by tariffs and chaos produces higher prices, if jobs, and slower growth. Gas has gone up $.60 a gallon in the last 11 days, costing virginians nearly $5 million a day just in increased fuel costs.
▶ 1:08:08Sen. Kaine: We need a president who will honor his promises to avoid foreign wars of choice and strengthen the economy here at home and we need a congress who will not stand silent as these promises are broken.
▶ 1:08:23Chair Wicker: Senator scott, you are recognized.
▶ 1:08:28Sen. Scott: First I want to thank our troops. The -- I had the opportunity to serve in the navy at the tail end of vietnam. Fortunately, I did not have to get -- to go to vietnam but anybody who puts on the uniform you have to admire the because they are making the decision to put their life on the line for our freedom. We have a lot of troops at risk right now. I pray for their safety. We have lost seven members, one in florida.
▶ 1:09:01Sen. Scott: We have 140 or so injured. I hope they have a full recovery but the most important thing we can all say is we admire with the military has done. We respect with the military has done and support with the military is doing and we hope they come back safely.
▶ 1:09:20Sen. Scott: The goals of this conflict is that they do not have a nuclear weapon and ability to have ballistic missiles and kill americans like they have been doing for decades so I do not think any of us ever want to go to war but I think we all do respect our freedom and want to keep our freedom. I want to thank all our troops for what they are doing. Thank you both for being here and thank you for your hard work.
▶ 1:09:45Sen. Scott: One of the things I appreciate about this president is he sees the value in putting america first and working with france across europe, asia, and round -- around the world to ensure peace through strength. I have had the opportunity to visit our allies. I went to denmark, estonia, and finland last year, all of which are doing their part to increase national defense spending. They all had great things to say about president trump's efforts in the event space and as a partner.
▶ 1:10:11Sen. Scott: A number of allies have been frustrated with being told it is a matter policy that they cannot buy U.S. weapons and the white house and secretary have had to deal with that. The problem I want to focus on today is that there are also frustrations with the foreign military sales program. I understand why. They are facing a defense industry that fails to deliver ships and aircraft. Our manufacturers are not getting things done on time. Where on budget.
▶ 1:10:38Sen. Scott: Or people in the department of war say they cannot have the weapons they want to forcing them to turn to other countries because they need the weapons now. They are doing what we have asked appear they are stepping up defense spending but there is not enough american weapons to buy. They want our weapons because they know they are the best weapons. They want to train with us. They do not want to buy other systems. I know you're working on interoperability, but they want to buy american ones.
▶ 1:11:04Sen. Scott: What is unfortunate is the president and secretary hegseth have made clear what is good for our allies to buy american-made ships and weapons. It provides good paying jobs to americans and allow our allies to fight their own fights with the best weaponry. The most important thing is you have to defend yourself and be a partner. We will not be your first line of defense. So general grynkewich, is it good for our allies to buy american-made planes, ships, weapons, and to train with us?
▶ 1:11:33Sen. Scott: How does this impact our relationship with our allies? Does it make all our military a better fighting force?
▶ 1:11:38Gen. Grynkewich: I encourage our allies to buy american equipment as often as possible. We do make the best equipment in the world. It is the highest standard kit in so many areas and does enhance interoperability when they do so. Unfortunately -- fortunately, there is action being taken here with the america first arms export strategy which will move several things out of the frustrating fms process that you described.
▶ 1:12:07Gen. Grynkewich: Andrew thinks full sales which will speed the pace at which they can acquire. I would say the work that secretary feinberg is doing to supercharge the defense industrial base will have a big payoff and help allies get increment quicker than they would without those actions.
▶ 1:12:30Sen. Scott: A general told us the current force posture with five brigade combat teams and two division headquarters -- he said was his advice to maintain that force posture. Is the force posture the same today?
▶ 1:12:42Gen. Grynkewich: We have the last year so that is the only adjustment made. -- we have one infantry team return home in the last year so that is the only adjustment made.
▶ 1:12:57Sen. Scott: Thank you.
▶ 1:12:59Chair Wicker: Senator kelly.
▶ 1:13:01Sen. Kelly: Thank you, Mr. chairman. General reed, everything happening in iran and the middle east now highlights the -- how critical the maritime domain is. Not just for our ability to sustain military operations but for the global economy. I want to drill into this a little bit with you. On march 2, while docked at the port in bahrain, a U.S.
▶ 1:13:28Sen. Kelly: Flag tanker was struck by projectiles that caused a fire on board. Are you familiar with this? The crew was safe. One shipyard worker was killed. That vessel is part of the program. How many tankers are enrolled in that program?
▶ 1:13:57Gen. Reed: The program is fully subscribed at this point and it is upwards of 60.
▶ 1:14:02Sen. Kelly: Upwards of 60.
▶ 1:14:05Gen. Reed: If you're talking about the tanker security program, we currently have 10 that are funded.
▶ 1:14:13Sen. Kelly: 10 that are funded. The ship, stena and pear tip, was one of those and is now damaged. Not a large fleet -- imperative, was one of those and now is damaged if you're not a large fleet. When one is damaged a can have outsized impact.
▶ 1:14:40Sen. Kelly: You highlighted the commercial time industry, the strategic capability during a crisis. I agree with that. We need to do more to support the commercial industry we rely on. Let me ask a practical question here.
▶ 1:14:59Sen. Kelly: Since transcom relies on commercial vessels that require insurance, what happens when no one is willing to ensure ships that are operating in a conflict soon? -- conflict zone?
▶ 1:15:15Gen. Reed: Senator, thanks to the emergency program of the tanker security program the value of that for a U.S. transportation command is the fact that we have access to those ships. Though ships are committing to serve with us and partner with us to stop we have the ability to employ them in a maneuver scheme in conjunction with the theater commanders.
▶ 1:15:45Gen. Reed: Part of that also drives us to plan with the theaters to make sure we have force protection within as well but meet the need.
▶ 1:15:53Sen. Kelly: Can you explain the tender security program? This is the reinsurance the president mentioned the other day?
▶ 1:16:03Gen. Reed: The tanker security program our U.S. flag to ships --
▶ 1:16:11Sen. Kelly: I thought you said something else. My concern is with the insurance. Can these ships in the program, the 10 ships, which nine are available now, are they without the required insurance because they are in a conflict zone? How does that affect their ability to be used to our benefit?
▶ 1:16:34Gen. Reed: There is a provision for war risk insurance. The program by a large is run by the maritime administration within the department of transportation. U.S. transcom works with them in conjunction. If that is required, there is a conversation and cooperation that exists between the two of us.
▶ 1:17:00Gen. Reed: We can recommend the requirement for that, at which time the carriers have the opportunity to apply for the insurance.
▶ 1:17:05Sen. Kelly: Do you see this as an issue today that it is going to be challenging to get some of these ships underway through the strait of hormuz because of insurance issues? Do you think there is no problem?
▶ 1:17:20Gen. Reed: Senator, the challenge with transiting the strait is the conditions that exist. That depends on the conditions at hand. That will be judged just by the theater commander. Once the conditions are set, we sail.
▶ 1:17:48Sen. Kelly: No resistance by the shipowners in the security program to sailors who is -- to sail as soon and transcom says it's ok?
▶ 1:17:58Gen. Reed: There is an information exchange that exists. There is the executive working group. We advise them of the situation. We point out what is going on. They understand the risk and they also give advice to us in terms of the best way ahead.
▶ 1:18:15Sen. Kelly: If I could just have 30 more seconds, Mr. chairman? A lot of this highlights -- we have 10 ships in the tanker security program. Msc has a limited number of vessels. Do you agree we need a national maritime strategy so the maritime transportation system is prepared for crises?
▶ 1:18:39Sen. Kelly: When we look at a conflict going across the pacific, the western pacific in the future with china, are we prepared with our current maritime industry to support a long-term conflict with a near peer adversary?
▶ 1:18:59Gen. Reed: I will tell you that if we were given the task to go today, we would all go. We would take away have been we would execute and support the combatant commander and their needs based on what they require. I will tell you that there's a lot of work to be done to strengthen the health of the fleet, to strengthen the health of the workforce. Part of the challenge is cargo.
▶ 1:19:24Gen. Reed: Having cargo available will actually drive the overall plan for the demand to build ships, the demand to have the ships. Work done by the crews.
▶ 1:19:35Sen. Kelly: That issue is addressed in my bipartisan ships for america act. I hope to move that forward so you are in a better position to do your job. Thank you.
▶ 1:19:48Chair Wicker: General reed, have you looked at the ships for america act?
▶ 1:19:53Gen. Reed: I have.
▶ 1:19:55Chair Wicker: You have? What do you think about it? It had a pretty good suggestion, don't you think?
▶ 1:20:07Gen. Reed: Chairman come there are a lot of aspects and it's incredibly comprehensive. It does address a lot of things. It does bring home the fact that we do need a comprehensive approach with comprehensive investment. We need to make sure there is a provision to invite the commercial leaders as well to help us through this. In the end the fundamental success will be driven by the amount of cargo.
▶ 1:20:36Gen. Reed: When we have cargo that will drive the demand for shipping, we will find a way to actually construct here and have the crews because they will have work to do.
▶ 1:20:49Chair Wicker: Senator sheehy.
▶ 1:20:53Sen. Sheehy: Thank you, Mr. chairman. I second what senator kelly was saying. We need to focus not just on the exquisite platforms with the broader capacity of the logistics system that will support that frontline fight. General reed, specifically I would like to talk about our future airlift platforms. We spent time talking about the 47 and be 21 and the f-35 and the f-22.
▶ 1:21:25Sen. Sheehy: Those are critical platforms but moving material into the theater as we evaluate a westpac engagement with a peer adversary -- I believe we are in a peer to peer situation with china. Physically moving people, bullets, bombs, food, clothes.
▶ 1:21:45Sen. Sheehy: Moving millions of tons of gear halfway around the world quickly, especially where we are fighting in someone else's backyard and having to project that material around the world to tiny islands that may or may not be in control of. C-5's are 40% dispatch reliability. The c-17's are also aging.
▶ 1:22:12Sen. Sheehy: As far as I know we don't currently have a follow on long-range heavy logistics aircraft that has been decided upon and not in production or even a decided conceptual stages. When we look at how challenging the kc 47 program is to rollout -- the last pilot has not been born yet and that's probably true. The 46 rollout has been very problematic. We need to have a serious focused effort.
▶ 1:22:43Sen. Sheehy: This committee and also the general officer level of focusing on bringing the next generation heavy airlift platform to reality. Whether that is restarting the c-17 with great upgrades or that his reimagining a new platform, we have to do it quick so I would like your thoughts on that. I understand you are not the procurement command.
▶ 1:23:05Sen. Sheehy: Part of the defense acquisition paradigm we are trying to change is making sure the customer is closer to the actual specification process for the platforms. We have given the power to the peo's and contract officers. The most powerful voice in any process should be the actual end-user customer. You should be the ones driving the requirements, not bureaucrats somewhere else.
▶ 1:23:33Sen. Sheehy: If you could talk about nexgen airlift and where it needs to go, I would appreciate that.
▶ 1:23:37Gen. Reed: Our primary job is to set the conditions to move within the headquarters -- excuse me. We start with the idea we need to set the globe to set the theater. We have aircraft that are operating around the world each day along with sealift. When a crisis arises, there is the need to make the shift.
▶ 1:24:04Gen. Reed: Once we do that, every aircraft we have available that originates in the region, we employ them directly. All the aircraft we have here in the united states we generate that. We build the network to connect the two.
▶ 1:24:23Gen. Reed: Our c-17's and c-5's are the most capable things of the world to make that -- get that forced out of the. 85% still resides here. When they are needed abroad, those of the aircraft we used to start the move.
▶ 1:24:44Gen. Reed: The challenge we have predominantly with our competitor is that they are actively developing weapons systems that threaten our aircraft. Not only do we need new aircraft, we need the aircraft that are more survivable. In dealing with the air force we are working with them on the requirements to meet that. But also to track the development of the threats from our competitors.
▶ 1:25:14Sen. Sheehy: I would encourage us to explore alternatives and having a wider guarantee for our contract operated cargo carriers. Not best for contested environments but they can get tonnage forward. Exploring things like amphibious aircraft or submarines. Subs have been reserved.
▶ 1:25:41Sen. Sheehy: When we are operating in a westpac environment, moving underwater. Thank you for your time today.
▶ 1:25:50Chair Wicker: Senator king and senator hirono.
▶ 1:25:57Sen. King: There has been confusion about the war and the effects, the causes, why we did it, what our strategy is. There is a clear winner in the war. It is vladimir putin in russia. Estimates released a few hours ago are that russia has reaped $6 billion of benefit from the war since it began two weeks ago.
▶ 1:26:26Sen. King: It's about $400 million a day with the increase in oil prices and the easing of sanctions which is somewhat puzzling to me. I think the record should show the real winner so far is vladimir putin. To the tune of $6 billion in two weeks general -- in two weeks.
▶ 1:26:50Sen. King: General reed, what percentage of the transport on the sea and air would be commercial carriers under contract with transcom?
▶ 1:27:04Gen. Reed: Day-to-day, about 40% of what we fly around the skies is commercial. We make a conscious decision where to employ the commercial. The commercial airlines are supporting us in high-volume and places outside the theater.
▶ 1:27:34Sen. King: That 40% would go up I presume?
▶ 1:27:39Gen. Reed: If it is required, yes. In the case of sealift, once the ready reserve force makes the initial surge, commercial plays in for sustainment and greater than 90% of all sustainment is done by the commercial fleet.
▶ 1:27:56Sen. King: That is what worries me. We are talking about hundreds, if not thousands of commercial carriers who may or may not be secure in terms of cyber as you are.
▶ 1:28:14Sen. King: What steps do we take to ensure -- you said 90% of the ships and 40% to 60% in the air -- are commercial carriers to ensure they are protected from a cyberattack? If we are in a serious conflict with a significant adversary, the first thing is a major cyberattack to attempt to blind us and disable our transportation system.
▶ 1:28:41Sen. King: Do you red team to determine the extent of their cyber vulnerability?
▶ 1:28:47Gen. Reed: We do. There is a lot of cooperation in that realm. We operate mainly through two different channels. We have a lot of help to make sure we can protect ourselves.
▶ 1:29:06Sen. King: I'm worried about delta airlines security if they are called upon to be transporting troops and the extent to which they could be penetrated, their systems. Not yours but they are gen.
▶ 1:29:21Reed: Once the planning is complete we have some secure channels with the commercial transportation providers. We red team and provide help for cyber hygiene. Among the sources are cybercom, national security agency, the department of war cyber crime center.
▶ 1:29:43Sen. King: I urge you to step up those efforts because this is where the first wave is going to come. General grynkewich, to what extent are the russians -- there has been discussion about this -- probing in eastern europe and doing asymmetric warfare in the baltics and poland?
▶ 1:30:07Sen. King: This information, cyber attacks, even drone incursions -- this disinformation.
▶ 1:30:17Gen. Grynkewich: Right now we see a fairly robust amount of russian hybrid activities or asymmetric activities. Whether it is information operations or sabotage and those types of things. There have been several incidences in the baltics and poland in the last several months since I have been in command. As far as conventional true buildups, most of the russian ground forces are focused on ukraine.
▶ 1:30:47Gen. Grynkewich: We do not see significant russian buildup right now. There are concerns those could be coming at some point in the future. Particularly once russia is able to reconstitute his forces.
▶ 1:30:57Sen. King: I'm sorry. If president zelenskyy was here, what would he tell us that he needed right now?
▶ 1:31:06Gen. Grynkewich: --
▶ 1:31:11Sen. King: I expect to hear that regularly.
▶ 1:31:12Gen. Grynkewich: Air defense capability based on the russian attacks on his heating and electrical infra structure.
▶ 1:31:19Sen. King: A great deal of capability is now tied up in the gulf region, is that correct?
▶ 1:31:27Gen. Grynkewich: We have a robust defense capability in the middle east. That uses some of our eucom to capabilities.
▶ 1:31:37Sen. King: In the middle east?
▶ 1:31:41Gen. Grynkewich: In the eastern mediterranean.
▶ 1:31:42Sen. King: Peer defense capability seven move towards the middle east as a result of this conflict?
▶ 1:31:48Gen. Grynkewich: Yes, sir.
▶ 1:31:51Chair Wicker: Senator cotton.
▶ 1:31:55Sen. Cotton: Thank you for your appearance and your service. It is well-known that iran supplied russia with hundreds, maybe thousands of one-way attack drones since the start of the ukraine conflict. I assume you agree that passing on the counter drone warfare lessons that ukraine and eucom have learned from that fight to the forces in the middle east today and to the pacific is a top priority, right?
▶ 1:32:23Gen. Grynkewich: Absolutely. We are deploying capabilities into the middle east for those purposes.
▶ 1:32:33Sen. Cotton: Could you use additional funds to make sure we have the right people and processes to capture those lessons and implement them?
▶ 1:32:38Gen. Grynkewich: More funds is always welcome.
▶ 1:32:42Sen. Cotton: I agree that I look forward to working with the committee to consider the funding for the ndaa and supplemental down the road. I know the experience ukraine has had and that eucom has had in that light has saved lives in the middle east. General, tell us about what is going on in the southern flank of eucom and cyprus?
▶ 1:33:08Gen. Grynkewich: We have a fair amount of activity in the eastern mediterranean. Our destroyers are defending our allies and defending our U.S. forces in the region. Several capabilities are on the island of cyprus. I can go into details in a classified session. We are very much watching that. There have been a few one-way attack drones we have assessed have come from somewhere, likely from lebanon towards cyprus.
▶ 1:33:37Gen. Grynkewich: We are focused on defending that piece of terrain.
▶ 1:33:39Sen. Cotton: Thank you. You are a fighter pilot, right? 16's and 22's?
▶ 1:33:52Gen. Grynkewich: Yes, sir.
▶ 1:33:53Sen. Cotton: The men and women in uniform are the best fighting force in the world and our air force and navy right now are on the forefront of the current campaign operation epic fury. I have a few questions about what they may be seeing based on your experience. How complex of an operation is it for our fighters to conduct the campaign the size of operation epic fury?
▶ 1:34:17Gen. Grynkewich: Based on my experience looking at campaigns like this in the past, it is incredibly complex and the sequencing of events and the technical acumen required at the operational and tactical level is quite high.
▶ 1:34:31Sen. Cotton: It is my understanding from the briefings that the secretary and the chairman have given that are combined -- that the combined forces dropped no less than 5000 bombs on key enemy targets. How impressive is it for our bombers to execute a mission that size with such precision?
▶ 1:34:51Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, that is a powerful demonstration of american strength and to orchestrate that size of a campaign, admiral cooper deserves great praise for how he has been able to manage that at the operational level.
▶ 1:35:10Sen. Cotton: General caine said ballistic missile attacks trended downward 90% from where they started and one-way attack drones have decreased 83% since the beginning of the operation. A testament to our air defenders and air defense system. Based on your experience flying the fighters, I assume you would agree with him that operation epic fury is a real testament to those young men and women we have on the front lines operating the systems and flying those aircraft.
▶ 1:35:38Gen. Grynkewich: I would. It's always better to get the archer than the arrows. The offenses counter aspect that is being prosecuted at U.S. central command is impressive on the defensive side of things.
▶ 1:35:51Sen. Cotton: General reed, you have prior experience in the cockpit. How impressive is it that our tanker fleet has supported these continuous operations in the middle east for the largest air campaign in recent memory?
▶ 1:36:04Gen. Reed: The tanker fleet has been very impressive to get the forces across the ocean and to get them ended sentcom. I'm grateful to my friend who's also been able to help with the portion of his fleet. The fact we were able to get our forces in place to get defense set and go on offense is quite impressive.
▶ 1:36:28Sen. Cotton: Is there any force in the world as the tanker mobility aircraft to sustain an operation like epic fury?
▶ 1:36:34Gen. Reed: Not to the scale that we can at the moment.
▶ 1:36:37Sen. Cotton: Thank you, gentlemen.
▶ 1:36:39Chair Wicker: Senator blumenthal.
▶ 1:36:45Sen. Blumenthal: , thank you both for being here today and for your service. General grynkewich, I recently visited ukraine and in addition to going to odessa to visit with the men and women of the ukrainian armed services who were serving their, I met with the american chamber of commerce.
▶ 1:37:15Sen. Blumenthal: 600 major businesses with operations in ukraine. Almost half of them have been targeted and attacked by russia. Within days of my visit, an oreo manufacturing plant was hit by russian attacks. Are you looking into the attacks on american businesses in ukraine? Are you familiar with that issue?
▶ 1:37:47Gen. Grynkewich: I am familiar with that. This is mostly managed through the U.S. in and kyiv who takes the reports and sends some back there state department channels. Our defense attache office is also aware of the reports.
▶ 1:37:59Sen. Blumenthal: Are you taking action to protect those businesses?
▶ 1:38:03Gen. Grynkewich: Sir, we are not taking any direct action. I will tell you that all the support that the departments provide to ukraine is certainly going to have a benefit for those businesses as the ukrainians fight back against the russians.
▶ 1:38:22Sen. Blumenthal: Is it an attack on those businesses and attack on american interests?
▶ 1:38:25Gen. Grynkewich: Sir --
▶ 1:38:30Sen. Blumenthal: It's an attack on american property, is it not?
▶ 1:38:33Gen. Grynkewich: I think it is a complex issue. From a policy perspective, the approach we have taken is to try to help the ukrainians to defend things within their country as best as possible. That is where we are focused that -- focused at eucom.
▶ 1:38:53Sen. Blumenthal: Shouldn't we take a more aggressive posture when they are attacking purposefully? These are not mistakes. Close to 300 american businesses have been damaged significantly as a result of these attacks targeting them by russia.
▶ 1:39:06Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, it is a tragedy that russia targeting is indiscriminate. It is indiscriminate against american businesses and other targets across ukraine. As we think about how we best enable the ukrainians to fight back against the russians, all this goes into our --
▶ 1:39:26Sen. Blumenthal: I respectfully disagree with your use of the word indiscriminate. It is very discriminated. They are purposely targeting hospitals. I saw hospital specifically destroyed in large part. They are targeting electric generation facilities, which I also saw. They are targeting american businesses. Discriminating in a very purposeful way. Let me move on.
▶ 1:39:57Chair Wicker: I will give you a little extra time. Do you agree with that, general grynkewich? He is pretty much correct.
▶ 1:40:06Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, I do agree. When I use the word indiscriminate, I'm applying to the moral lines and they are not discriminating in the way that we would under the law of armed conflict as to what the targets are.
▶ 1:40:21Chair Wicker: I think you and the senator agree on that. You can resume your time, senator.
▶ 1:40:27Sen. Blumenthal: Thank you, Mr. chairman. I think your questions were helpful and I appreciate the distinction you are drawing, general. Eucom is the global integrator for all defense matters relating to russia. I am presuming you know about russia's role in the war with ukraine. You have been asked a bit about it so far.
▶ 1:40:56Sen. Blumenthal: I am assuming the public reports are correct in that russia is aiding ukraine. Can you tell us more about requests -- I'm sorry, aiding a iran. Can you tell us about the request from iran to russia for assistance and how russia has responded?
▶ 1:41:25Gen. Grynkewich: I am aware of the public reporting. I can go into specifics on your question in the classified session. I would echo what secretary hegseth has said recently. If russia is doing this, it is wise to reconsider providing any assistance to the iranians.
▶ 1:41:40Sen. Blumenthal: You believe we should respond aggressively to that kind of assistance that is putting our men and women in greater harm's way?
▶ 1:41:52Gen. Grynkewich: Any time anyone puts american service members and harm's way in any manner, we should respond robustly.
▶ 1:41:59Sen. Blumenthal: Why have we not done it?
▶ 1:42:01Gen. Grynkewich: I am confident we are responding robustly to anyone who is assisting the iranians with targeting U.S. forces.
▶ 1:42:10Sen. Blumenthal: Perhaps you can tell us more in the classified setting.
▶ 1:42:16Gen. Grynkewich: I would be happy to elaborate.
▶ 1:42:17Sen. Blumenthal: Thank you.
▶ 1:42:17Chair Wicker: Senator budd.
▶ 1:42:21Sen. Budd: General grynkewich, it is good to see you. Thank you for the meeting yesterday. Much of the discussion of the rusty hyper ukraine work is focused on those two countries -- russian-ukraine war is focused on those two countries. Talk about north korea's role in the conflict and the threat they pose. Also about the iranian contribution today and even prior to operation epic fury.
▶ 1:42:52Gen. Grynkewich: One of the things we watch closely as how some of our competitors are on the global work with each other when they share interests. We have seen that with the north koreans and the iranians and russians. In the north korean case, as you know it's been reported there's been a number of north korean troops that have been deployed to the border with ukraine and have made up some substantial combat power shortfalls the russians have had and supplemented them.
▶ 1:43:23Gen. Grynkewich: There's a number of reports of north korean individuals now going to work in the russian industrial base to generate some of the ballistic missiles and uavs they are building based on the labor shortages the russians have within their industrial base. That industrial base got started because of the iranian sharing of technology of their drones and sharing the blueprints and teaching the russians how to build them and build them and scale. That is one of the main threats facing ukrainians today.
▶ 1:43:53Sen. Budd: Are the russians short on people and bringing in labor from north korea?
▶ 1:43:59Gen. Grynkewich: That is my assessment, senator.
▶ 1:44:01Sen. Budd: General reed, thanks for being here. I appreciate what you have done at transcom. It's a heroic effort leading up to epic fury. Talk about some of the numbers, some of the success stories so far, and where are the gaps where congress can assist?
▶ 1:44:19Gen. Reed: Thank you, senator. Some of the success is the ability to generate the aircraft to actually get on the move. I'm grateful to the congress for the sustained funding for the weapons systems sustainment. Because of that we are able to keep pace. We have been doing that extremely well so thank you for that.
▶ 1:44:41Gen. Reed: Other success stories is that we have been able to establish a network for aeromedical evacuation in order to bring home the wounded and get them to a higher level of care.
▶ 1:44:54Sen. Budd: What concerns does transcom have regarding chinese and russian naval deployments? Commercial investments in ports across the globe?
▶ 1:45:08Gen. Reed: For the russian deployments, we monitor those. We maintain an awareness of where they are going and make assessments in terms of what capabilities they may be seeking . When it comes to the chinese fleet deployments, we do the same but we also go one step further to track their footprint, infrastructure and what types of things they put in place. Mainly in seaports.
▶ 1:45:35Gen. Reed: We keep a close eye on their electronic systems, cranes in that type of thing. We work with port authorities to make sure we know where those are. We operate in ways to circumvent that.
▶ 1:45:48Sen. Budd: At this point, general reed, are they limiting your ability at transcom to enable logistics around the globe?
▶ 1:46:00Gen. Reed: Currently, they are not. We plan for that.
▶ 1:46:03Sen. Budd: General grynkewich, how is our air domain awareness in the russian-ukraine conflict throughout eucom?
▶ 1:46:09Gen. Grynkewich: We have a robust set of agreements with allies and partners that we stitched together. It is not perfect but I'm very confident we are on the right path to make it better. We do have very good awareness, particularly in and around ukraine.
▶ 1:46:28Sen. Budd: I'm concerned about the uncertainty around the purchase of the wedge tailed that's affecting partners who canceled e-7 orders last november. What is your thoughts in terms of the current eucom and future needs that current and future eucom --current and future eucom needs?
▶ 1:46:54Gen. Grynkewich: Low radar cross platforms. It's a capable platform for detecting those.
▶ 1:47:01Sen. Budd: They canceled orders. Any concerns there?
▶ 1:47:05Gen. Grynkewich: The e-3 fleet is aging, about 50% combat effective as many of the aircraft are depoted. E-7 was the plan but we are looking based on affordability. Depending on where the united states goes, it might be back on the table where it may not but we are looking at it closely.
▶ 1:47:33Chair Wicker: Senator hirono.
▶ 1:47:36Sen. Hirono: General grynkewich,
▶ 1:47:41Sen. Hirono: General grynkewich noted the russian people are probably not given accurate information on the war. I think it is very important for the american people to know what is happening with regard to iran. Before you begin, I would like to take a moment to highlight for the american people the costs of this president for zero reckless decision to take our country to war with iran without congressional authorization.
▶ 1:48:14Sen. Hirono: The seven braised service members have been killed. 150 wounded, kate severely injured. Over $11 billion in the first six days. This is day 13. We are likely closer to $20 billion already spent on this illegal war with no end in sight and no plan for what will come next. Oil prices are going up.
▶ 1:48:41Sen. Hirono: The major beneficiary of this is russia. Despite how impressive and professional our military is, this is a real war, not a game and certainly not an excursion. It is important, even if the president won't acknowledge when errors happen.
▶ 1:49:02Sen. Hirono: Preliminary findings of the strike on an elementary school in iran that killed 170 five civilians, mostly children, point to U.S. responsibility. This tragedy did not happen in a vacuum.
▶ 1:49:18Sen. Hirono: Secretary hegseth in his misguided attempt to focus on lethality guided the office that focuses on mitigating --gutting the office that focus on mitigating civilian casualties to less than 40 people. In that kind of an environment errors can occur, as noted once again by general grynkewich.
▶ 1:49:44Sen. Hirono: What may have happened in the instance of the killing of the schoolchildren, it's an error upon error. A chain of errors as he put it. We mourn the deaths of our brave. As the work continues there will be more civilian deaths and more costs to our american families.
▶ 1:50:12Sen. Hirono: I joined all those who pray that the war will end, even if there is really no articulated end in sight. I would like to start my questions reed with general -- my questions with general reed. Transcom is supporting the war in iran, even though I totally disagree with the president's decision to launch the war.
▶ 1:50:41Sen. Hirono: This war is placing significant demands on our aging air mobility, and refueling fleets both of which need to be recapitalized. I'm concerned the war is going to impact transcom's ability to support planned exercises and training in other theaters, particularly in the indo pacific.
▶ 1:51:04Sen. Hirono: General reed, chevy had to cancel or scale back any planned transcom exercises with ind opacom because of the war?
▶ 1:51:19Gen. Reed: We have surged to meet the need. One thing we have done is get access to greater numbers of reserves to assist with that. Access to guard helps preserve our ability to support other combat commanders as well to a good exercises in the pacific.
▶ 1:51:44Gen. Reed: In addition we also work with the joint staff to make sure as the needs arise that we can meet the needs as best we can well be support the war fight.
▶ 1:51:55Sen. Hirono: You are telling me as the war against iran continues, you are making adjustments with regard to any needs, particularly in indopacom ? We have a lot of exercises that are important with our allies in that part of the world. You are having to make adjustments.
▶ 1:52:16Sen. Hirono: Will you commit to informing this committee if transcom is unable to fully support upcoming exercises in the indopacom or other combatant commands?
▶ 1:52:32Gen. Reed: Yes, senator.
▶ 1:52:32Sen. Hirono: General grynkewich, one of the united states' greatest asymmetric -- I'm running out of time -- Mr. chairman, may I finish my question?
▶ 1:52:45Chair Wicker: Yes ma'am.
▶ 1:52:48Sen. Hirono: We are stronger when we work closely with our international partners. Would you agree that this requires constant investment in interoperability and training as technology and threats evolve?
▶ 1:53:08Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, I would and we focus on that every single day at U.S. european command.
▶ 1:53:11Sen. Hirono: There are a series of questions that follow to maintain that interoperability. I will submit those questions and others.
▶ 1:53:22Chair Wicker: We will take another round of necessary. And there is the classified portion. Senator slotkin is next.
▶ 1:53:29Sen. Slotkin: Thank you both for being here and thank you for all you are doing to support the significant effort going on in the middle east. As someone who was at the pentagon and the cia, it is hard to miss two important trends that are happening in the war in the middle east that are connected to what you will do. One is I feel like the conversation on drones has come home to roost.
▶ 1:53:58Sen. Slotkin: The pentagon over many administration, democratic and republican, has had this unbelievably glacier slow process of acquisition. Even though we know that the drones we build our big and expensive and take two years to build enter $30 million and you can buy them off amazon, we have not been able to get them into the doctor and come into the force in a serious way. Now I feel like unfortunately we are paying the price for that.
▶ 1:54:31Sen. Slotkin: This is a different chapter in american warfare with the drones from iran killing american forces, hitting U.S. embassies, hitting civilian targets. I think 11 other countries. Evading our air defenses, which are set up for much bigger projectiles. We have had I think according to press reports 11 a.m. To nine -- 11 mq9's downed.
▶ 1:55:03Sen. Slotkin: We now have ukrainian advisors coming from ukraine to train us. They are the experts. It is not for either of you to respond to but I just feel like we need to understand that warfare has fundamentally changed.
▶ 1:55:23Sen. Slotkin: If iran is able to hold us at bay and continue that power production -- we keep hearing that the reason why -- one of the reasons why is iran's power production. They are holding the persian gulf at bay. We can't move ships through it and they are using low-cost drones, 20,000 to $50,000 each to kill U.S. forces.
▶ 1:55:47Sen. Slotkin: I hope in a moment of inflection for the pentagon, for all of us that unless we understand how to more quickly get our acquisition system to be responsive we will continue to lose our soldiers. I hope that is a major lesson that we are all learning. The second is the role of iran and china -- I'm sorry russia and china in supporting iran.
▶ 1:56:13Sen. Slotkin: I know we can't talk about it in an open setting but there are press reports that the russians are helping target U.S. ships and aircraft. I just hope we can all be on the same page. In europe, you understand the threat of russia. If russia is helping to kill U.S. forces, we have crossed the rubicon. We are in another moment.
▶ 1:56:46Sen. Slotkin: We have to take decisive action on that. Instead, we are giving them breaks on oil. They are making a ton of money. All the weapons and the systems we need for this war are what we would have otherwise given ukraine to defend themselves.
▶ 1:57:04Sen. Slotkin: I just hope we are all in the same page on this committee and in a bipartisan basis that the situation with drones and with russia and helping to potentially kill american forces and target our weapons and systems and ships are new. We need to adjust to that new reality.
▶ 1:57:25Sen. Slotkin: Can you tell me in my last-minute here, general grynkewich, I'm concerned we will lose a lot of capabilities out of europe and this administration is never going to put them back in. Can you talk about the importance of capability in europe?
▶ 1:57:44Gen. Grynkewich: I think having capability in europe ultimately provides options for this administration or any administration in the event of a conflict. I would highlight in my opening statement I talked about one of the missions of U.S. european command is to serve as a power projection platform. It is having capabilities in europe, munitions in europe that allow us to help U.S.
▶ 1:58:10Gen. Grynkewich: Africa command, or to help U.S. central command with operation epic fury. The distances are shorter. It is less expensive and much easier to project power.
▶ 1:58:26Sen. Slotkin: I would say american power is still important and deterrence is the best option. The way we do that is with capabilities. If anyone thinks vladimir putin is deterred when we leave europe, I would love to sell them a bridge. Thank you.
▶ 1:58:42Chair Wicker: Senator banks.
▶ 1:58:46Sen. Banks: General grynkewich, we hear a lot from how the european allies don't trust us, don't like us, perth -- president trump them away. Can you talk about what president trump has taught us about how to bring our european allies on board? It seems there is good news with the european allies coming to the table to help us out.
▶ 1:59:14Gen. Grynkewich: I would tell you that by and large the vast majority of our european allies, especially the military level which is where I engaged was often, have been extremely supportive. They provided access to enable general reed's operations to refuel aircraft coming from the united states. It is incredible to see.
▶ 1:59:47Gen. Grynkewich: There is certainly some discussions in the press about allies who did not move quick enough or did not provide the access we wanted. Under the tip of the iceberg there is much more support in europe for the things that are ongoing in the middle east right now.
▶ 2:00:02Sen. Banks: What did we learn from that?
▶ 2:00:07Gen. Grynkewich: The relationships with our european allies matter. They admire with the U.S. military is able to do. I think many nations recognize, as several senators mentioned, the threat that iran has played over the years. I reflect on my time in iraq during the defeat isis operations in 2019 to 2020. European allies were side-by-side with us.
▶ 2:00:33Gen. Grynkewich: The biggest threat was iranian threat networks threat network back to forces in iraq attacking and killing U.S. and european forces. On the military level many of us understand that threat and understand the minutes it poses.
▶ 2:00:48Sen. Banks: Can you give us an update on nato strength and what we are seeing from our allies for stepping up to the plate to do more?
▶ 2:00:57Gen. Grynkewich: You bet. This coming year we will have five or six allies that will be at or near the 5% spending commitments. Many others, the biggest economies like germany are on a rapid pace to achieve 3% or 3.5% spending by the end of the decade.
▶ 2:01:15Gen. Grynkewich: There is plenty of appetite and plenty of understanding that a more balanced and strong european pillar within the nato alliance to complement what america has done for so many years is essential and will make for a stronger, more healthy alliance moving forward.
▶ 2:01:29Sen. Banks: This is good news compared to the past where nato is stronger and has more money and doing more to step up to the plate to support all of our shared causes.
▶ 2:01:42Gen. Grynkewich: I agree.
▶ 2:01:42Sen. Banks: One thing I'm concerned about with the nato allies is their reliance on chinese technology that could compromise the security of critical infrastructure and impacts our U.S. forces. Thanks to president trump's leadership, the nato allies have committed to spending 5% on their security, including 1.5% on defense related activities. If allies use part of this funding to rip and replace high-tech chinese technology, how would that contribute to eucom's mission?
▶ 2:02:21Gen. Grynkewich: We want chinese technology out of anything related to the defense of the united states or europe or across the alliance. We focus efforts to help allies identify where they have chinese technology in their information networks, particularly their defense information networks. There is chinese technology and ownership across much of the infrastructure that folks like general reed would rely on to flow forces across or into the continent.
▶ 2:02:46Sen. Banks: To all of our nato allies share our concern about chinese technology?
▶ 2:02:49Gen. Grynkewich: They do. Even the allies I would traditionally put in a category where they did not pay attention to this will be highlighted it today. They understand the threat and the risk and they take action.
▶ 2:03:03Sen. Banks: Would it be helpful if our allies remove china from satellite ground stations in the arctic?
▶ 2:03:11Gen. Grynkewich: Absolutely, senator.
▶ 2:03:11Sen. Banks: I yield back.
▶ 2:03:13Chair Wicker: Senator duckworth.
▶ 2:03:17Sen. Duckworth: We are in the second week of this war with no end in sight and I fear the longer it goes on it will have lasting impact on the readiness of our military's response to crises elsewhere. This administration's hiding its incompetence behind the valor of military men and women as if questioning why we are at war is equal to questioning the valor of our troops. We know that is not true. I know our military will always do the best and most professional job possible.
▶ 2:03:48Sen. Duckworth: That means we hear in these chambers who are the elected representatives of the american people are beholden to do our job to make sure this is the right war, one that is worth our troops' sacrifices. That extends to logisticians and support staff. As we have been reminded of the sick soldiers we lost last week. We must understand the demands it puts on our military.
▶ 2:04:18Sen. Duckworth: By choosing this illegal war, when he still cannot justify, trump put service members at risk in unnecessary ways. Seven service members killed, seven families had to hear the worst news of the lies and 100 40's have been wounded, eight severely. With the expansion of the campaign to overhead air operations within iran and possible naval escorts our troops might be a greater risk going forward.
▶ 2:04:44Sen. Duckworth: General reed, transcom has been working to modernize our global patient movement enterprises for the complexities of large-scale combat operations. Can you explain the challenges our medical evacuation system faces in transporting critical care patients when airspace and maritime routes are contested as we are seeing currently happening in the middle east?
▶ 2:05:09Gen. Reed: Senator, initially what has to happen is we need to put the entire system in place. That requires us to forward stage teams, not just the teams that will provide the care but the teams we actually -- that provide scheduling and the teams who have the initial communications with higher level facilities along the route. Sometimes we have to put those in place in an environment that is contested. Then they continue to serve throughout.
▶ 2:05:39Gen. Reed: That is done in concert with the theater commander who provides the force protection. Once the scheduling begins, we then put the aircraft in place at the point in time. It requires that patients are stabilized and once they are assembled we picked them up. We fly them out. We also depend on force protection to clear the air space so the aircraft can get to the next station.
▶ 2:06:09Gen. Reed: Also important is the permission to overfly so we can have the shortest and fastest routes.
▶ 2:06:16Sen. Duckworth: Is incredibly complex. We need to make investments in the system. There is a lot more work to be done but you are doing the absolute heroic best with what you have. Our wounded service members and logistics professionals now face the realities of medical evacuation and airspace contested by missiles and drones from the enemy. I don't believe trump consider these risks when he chose this war without understanding how it would spread in the region.
▶ 2:06:44Sen. Duckworth: I know they are not investing in medical readiness in the indopacom where despite the risk of military conflict we have actually less medevac experience in much greater distances to cover. The same situation in africa. The department underinvested in the medical evacuation system which is why I advocated to give transcom the resources you need to rapidly adapt to future contested environments.
▶ 2:07:14Sen. Duckworth: These widen as we continue to strain our system. General reed, can you speak to the importance of secure connectivity and potential impacts both logistical support but also its potential impacts on existing gaps to this essential medical evacuation mission? We discussed this a little bit the other day.
▶ 2:07:32Gen. Reed: What is important is making sure we can pass the information on. The status of each person we tend to. Being able to make sure the information gets established at the point but also forwarded to the next station. That way we can have the proper position with the proper care and proper equipment to tend to them. As we press for more secure communications we will make sure there is no drop in care.
▶ 2:08:03Sen. Duckworth: Are you facing challenges right now?
▶ 2:08:07Gen. Reed: We are facing challenges in terms of secure funding.
▶ 2:08:09Sen. Duckworth: This administration's poor planning exacerbated the logistic system. General grynkewich, can your experience, do you agree that coordinating with allies and partners before an operation is critical to ensure our air assets have the necessary logistical --
▶ 2:08:32Gen. Grynkewich: There is always a balance in terms of when you do the coordination. If you have the luxury based on operational security concerns to engage with allies and partners and secure access at a time, that is incredibly valuable. There are a host of factors.
▶ 2:08:50Chair Wicker: Thank you, senator. Senator warren.
▶ 2:08:55Sen. Warren: On february 28, donald trump launched his war against iran. By march 1, iranian strikes hit six surrounding countries. All the trump administration said to americans in the region was exercise caution. On march 2, the state department finally told americans in over a dozen countries to evacuate but gave no real guidance on how to do that.
▶ 2:09:24Sen. Warren: As thousands of flights were canceled, the state department initially told americans to "not rely on the U.S. government for assistance, departure or evacuation." let's be clear. The trump administration chose the war, they planned this war for months and they made no plans to safeguard hundreds of thousands of americans in the region. There is no excuse for this. I want to draw a comparison here.
▶ 2:09:54Sen. Warren: In 2006, the state department requested support from dod just two days into the war in lebanon. Transcom arranged ships, commercial charter and military flights for nearly 15,000 americans. General reed, if the secretary of state and the secretary of defense asked transcom for help to evacuate americans, would you provide that support?
▶ 2:10:20Gen. Reed: I would.
▶ 2:10:23Sen. Warren: Thank you. General reed, we are almost two weeks into the war. Have secretary rubio and state department made any requests for transcom to help evacuate americans out of the middle east?
▶ 2:10:37Gen. Reed: On the 20th of february, the department of state made a request to my department for that. We have provided some assistance.
▶ 2:10:47Sen. Warren: They made that request back on february 28?
▶ 2:10:53Gen. Reed: Yes, senator.
▶ 2:10:54Sen. Warren: When we called yesterday they said they had not asked you for assistance. Can you explain why that would be so?
▶ 2:11:02Gen. Reed: I cannot explain it.
▶ 2:11:03Sen. Warren: I don't understand this. You have been helping them all this time?
▶ 2:11:11Gen. Reed: Senator, what we have done is through central command responded to the request for the state department to provide airlift at locations that they have specified.
▶ 2:11:27Sen. Warren: How much have you airlifted in this time, how many people?
▶ 2:11:30Gen. Reed: I will have to look that -- it is in the hundreds.
▶ 2:11:35Sen. Warren: Not in the thousands?
▶ 2:11:37Gen. Reed: That is correct. As we continue to watch the situation there have been other flights and other opportunities for american citizens to get out of the way. Some of that is by ground transportation and some has been by commercial charters by the state department.
▶ 2:11:56Sen. Warren: Are you saying you are not doing more because you think americans who are in the region are currently being adequately served by commercial flights and private vehicles out of the region?
▶ 2:12:11Gen. Reed: We have responded to requests for a specific task. In conjunction with the commercial flights and what transcom is providing, there are a number of ways to get citizens out of harm's way.
▶ 2:12:26Sen. Warren: I'm trying to understand why you are not doing more. I'm hearing from my constituents who are stranded there and have been stranded there for two weeks. They are asking for help and they are not getting help from the U.S. government. You are telling me that you are not helping because you think they have plenty of other ways to get out of the region? Or is it that secretary rubio has not been asking you for that help? I want to understand who bears responsibility here.
▶ 2:12:53Gen. Reed: Senator, it is the responsibility of all to care for the citizens and harm's way. As we receive a tasking an opportunity to do that, transcom has responded.
▶ 2:13:07Sen. Warren: My constituents and other americans who are trapped in the region are trapped there because secretary rubio is not asking you for help, is that right? I want to understand what is happening.
▶ 2:13:23Gen. Reed: We have been asked or and are available to do that. We are involved in all the coordination to meet our citizens where we can get to them and then transfer them to safely. -- safety.
▶ 2:13:44Sen. Warren: You just have not been asked for more help, is that right?
▶ 2:13:48Gen. Reed: We have been tasked and responded to each of those tasks.
▶ 2:13:54Sen. Warren: I understand military speak. I don't understand how it is we can get 15,000 people evacuated shortly after the war in lebanon and now we have still have tens of thousands of people trapped in the region. I'm not understanding what your answer is here. I don't think the american people are either.
▶ 2:14:14Chair Wicker: General reed, has the state department contacted you in this regard to ask for help?
▶ 2:14:23Gen. Reed: The state department has, just as they did in response to lebanon. During that time there were provisions to get people out by sealift and charter. The amount of people who left left with transcom help.
▶ 2:14:45Chair Wicker: Senator peters.
▶ 2:14:49Sen. Peters: The strait of hormuz is a strategic chokepoint in the middle east with nearly 1/5 of the global petroleum and 3.5 trillion dollars cubic feet of liquefied natural gas annually transits the streets. The closer we are seeing right now has left about 1000 vessels stuck in the persian gulf. Two tankers were set ablaze just this morning.
▶ 2:15:23Sen. Peters: Even before these attacks, the uncertainty has caused gas prices to skyrocket, we will trading up to $120 a barrel this weekend and still at an elevated level and likely to continue to go up. According to the international energy agency, the war has caused the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. That's a big statement.
▶ 2:15:48Sen. Peters: In the history of the global market. 30% of the world's fertilizer supply passes through the strata for mus. -- strait. Food prices will go up across the world. We have felt the impact of the closure here. And we cannot forget the impacts of servicemembers who rely lamb being resupplied.
▶ 2:16:17Sen. Peters: The question for you is are you in talks with the centcom commander on actual plans to open up the street -- strait to commercial traffic?
▶ 2:16:34Gen. Reed: We are working with admiral cooper as he continues to prosecute the operations he has. The war fighting since, we are doing every thing we can to help them get after the targets that he needs to actually suppress the threats on the streets.
▶ 2:16:57Gen. Reed: There is intense concentration and -- to make sure we can reduce that's enough to make sure we can get through the straits. When it comes to sustainment for the forces, the straight is not the only way that we are -- the only way we are restricted to for force sustainment. We have alternatives we are executing as we speak.
▶ 2:17:21Gen. Reed: >> transcom provides the logistics backbone to support our forces in conflict in the war in iran, as you are talking about. This means not only moving troops in the region, but making sure they have full munitions.
▶ 2:17:41Gen. Reed: We talked about this at length about how trends come -- transcom relies on partners for capacity to ensure delivery of these supplies.
▶ 2:17:54Gen. Reed: How has your ability to deliver these, given the contested logistics environment, where we have commercial ports, commercial fuel networks, and commercial partners that have been displaced as a result of the closure of the strait of hormuz? >> acknowledge disruptions. This is exactly what we expect in a contested environment.
▶ 2:18:23Gen. Reed: When there is commercial participation, they are able to deliver to ports that are safe, and we take the responsibility from there. In this way, together, we operate where we can operate the best, and we get the more for it -- war fighter the things they need. >> you are still able to rely on commercial partners for logistics?
▶ 2:18:52Gen. Reed: Are there military options where we have greater control? Very good. General, we have seen reporting from the dod about the missile defense systems from the indo pacific. They are repositioning them.
▶ 2:19:16Gen. Reed: These moves I know have alarmed our allies, weakening our regional deterrence involving our adversaries, including china as well as north korea. Have you been asked to reposition any of your missile defenses away from europe? Thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 2:19:40Chair Wicker: Senator rosen?
▶ 2:19:42Sen. Rosen: Thank you, generals. Thank you for your service to our country. I want to talk about support for ukraine's critical infrastructure right now. You know russia has engaged in a concerted campaign to attack civilian power infrastructure in what is a brutally cold winter.
▶ 2:20:09Sen. Rosen: I am incredibly concerned that russia will continue to sustain attacks on ukraine's civilian infrastructure. I know you have thoughts on this, based on our recent conversation. Can you discuss your views on the threats posed by russian attacks on infrastructure, and what support the U.S. government is providing ukraine to support this critical infrastructure? What should we be doing in this space?
▶ 2:20:32Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, as you alluded to, there were a number of attacks over decades in eastern europe against the ukrainian civilian infrastructure. This included their electrical grid. During this period, we saw them down to just a couple hours of electricity per day. And attacks on the heating plants as well.
▶ 2:21:06Gen. Grynkewich: That affected many of the cities across ukraine. I think many of these attacks were broadly intended to put pressure on the civilian population. Anytime you attack a civilian population, you find that it hardens their resolve. We look back to london in world war ii.
▶ 2:21:36Gen. Grynkewich: After the blitz, they kept fighting. That is what we see in the ukraine as well. It is warming up. The russians continue these attacks. They have not shifted to other targets yet. At this point, it is still unclear.
▶ 2:21:54Sen. Rosen: I will be looking forward to updates on that. I also want to talk about nato cyber preparedness. The nato general secretary warned that russia could use military force against nato within five years. Russia has capability for continued war with ukraine. Russia is demonstrating a willingness to deploy cyber aggression toward nato. Nato hosts an annual cyber exercise, locked shield.
▶ 2:22:25Sen. Rosen: And has begun to strengthen cyber capabilities by creating integrated -- an integrated cyber defense center, but that will not be operational until the 28. How are you and cyber, working with our nato allies and european partners to enhance our security capabilities, particularly with those less cyber capable nations? That puts us all at risk and makes us more vulnerable to our adversaries.
▶ 2:22:50Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, that is a good question. Thanks for asking it. This is one of the areas where I have focused to try to understand how we can bring the cyber capabilities that other nations do have. While there are some countries that do not have a lot of capabilities, there are some in the alliance that do.
▶ 2:23:11Sen. Rosen: We are only as strong as our weakest link, right?
▶ 2:23:14Gen. Grynkewich: We have an alliance built on collective defense. If one country is strong in defense and the other in cyber, there is a natural synergy to be stronger together. In the classified session, I would be happy to give you details. But we are working to modernize how we access those cyber effects.
▶ 2:23:36Sen. Rosen: I'm going to stick on this topic because over the past year, russian aircraft and drones have flown into nato airspace on multiple occasions. I don't believe these incursions were accidental. Russia is deliberately testing nato countries, their readiness, resolve, and timing.
▶ 2:23:58Sen. Rosen: Building on senator fischer -- I know she asked this earlier -- how do you think nato should most effectively respond to these russian acts of aggression, even if they say they were accidental?
▶ 2:24:08Gen. Grynkewich: Senator, I'm very proud of the initial response as I mentioned. I would also say that the standup of our eastern century vision has resulted in a dramatic decrease in this activity. It has had not just a preventive effect, in terms of being able to stop incursions into the airspace, but it has also deterred russians from taking that kind of reckless behavior in the first place. I think there is always work to be done.
▶ 2:24:40Gen. Grynkewich: We continue to have limited incursions. But I think we are on the right path.
▶ 2:24:45Sen. Rosen: Thank you. I look forward to the classified briefing.
▶ 2:24:49Chair Wicker: Which will begin precisely at 12:00 noon. A vote is going on right now. I would encourage you to go ahead and vote, and we will see you precisely at 12 noon.