Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member Bordallo, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting us to testify on the readiness of your United States Army. On behalf of our acting secretary, the Honorable Patrick Murphy, and our Chief of Staff General Mark Milly, we would also like to thank you for your demonstrated commitment to our soldiers, Army civilians, families and veterans.
We live in a dangerous world, and after more than 14 years of continuous combat, it's tempting to hope that a respite lies just over the horizon. Instead, the global security environment remains unstable and continues to place a high demand on our Army. This is why readiness is and must remain the Army's number one priority. Today, the Army is globally engaged with more than 186,000 soldiers supporting combatant commanders in over 140 countries. In Afghanistan and Iraq, we build
partner capacity to fight violent extremists. In Africa and throughout the Americas, we partner to prevent conflict and shape the security environment. In the Pacific, more than 75,000 soldiers remain committed. And in Europe and Asia, Army forces reassure allies and deter Russian aggression. At home and in every much of the world, the Army remains ready. To maintain readiness and meet the demands of today's security environment, the Army requires sustained, long-term and predictable funding. While the current budget provides a modicum of predictability, it is insufficient to simultaneously rebuild decisive action readiness and modernize for the future. To ensure sufficient readiness today, the Army assumes risk by reducing end strength, delaying modernization and deferring infrastructure recapitalization and investment. These trade-offs mortgage future readiness.
We request congressional support to rebuild readiness, maintain end strength, equip our soldiers with the best systems now and in the future, and provide soldiers and their families with quality of life commensurate with their unconditional service and sacrifice. With your assistance, the Army will continue to resource the best trained, best equipped and best led fighting force in the world.
We thank Congress for the steadfast support of our outstanding men and women in uniform, our Army civilians, families and veterans. They deserve our best effort.
Thank you again for allowing us to join you today and we look forward to your questions.
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