As of this morning, the Army has over 190K Soldiers deployed in 140 countries around the world. Those Soldiers form the leading edge of an Army that stands ready to fight and win, whenever and wherever it's called.
We are currently demonstrating Army readiness with our Defender 20 exercise in Europe, the largest of its kind in 25 years, and we will do the same in the Pacific in the Fall on a smaller scale. Both exercises will further strengthen not only our readiness to deploy US Army forces, but they will also increase our ability to fight alongside our Allies and Partners and deter those nations or groups who wish America harm.
Going forward, we will sustain the tactical readiness of our units, while at the same time, ensuring we are strategically ready to mobilize, deploy, and sustain our combat forces in a way that supports how we will fight in the future.
To ensure that the Army will be ready and can win in the future, we must also modernize, as the Secretary and I have discussed with many of you. The National Defense Strategy has focused us on Great Power competition. But Great Power Competition does not have to mean Great Power conflict.
A ready, modern, and multi-domain Army provides the Nation's strategic leaders with flexible options to compete below the threshold of armed conflict while maximizing deterrence. With timely, adequate, predictable, and sustained funding, we will deliver an Army that will never be out-ranged, out-gunned, or overmatched.
But to get to the Army we need in the future requires transformational change, not incremental improvements. Our FY21 budget request supports that transformational change. It aligns resources with the National Defense Strategy and our Army priorities. It also balances the demands for readiness now and allows us to invest in the future.
Our budget request maintains 58 brigade combat teams, 23 Aviation Brigades, and six Security Force Assistance Brigades across the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserves.
It enables 24 combat training center rotations, including four for the National Guard. It funds
strategic readiness, including dynamic force employments to Europe and the Indo-Pacific and maintenance of key pre-positioned stocks and ammunition.
It provides modest end strength growth to meet expanding operational requirements, and promotes
interoperability with Allies and Partners through combined exercises with countries around the world.
In terms of modernization, our request supports the continued development of the Army's Multi-
Domain Operations Concept, which will inform our contributions to the emerging joint warfighting concept.
Our request funds multi-domain task forces in Europe and the Pacific to increase Army capabilities
in both competition and conflict.
And our budget request supports critical steps in research and development that will allow us to
deliver key systems across our six modernization priorities.
Our budget request also funds key quality of life improvements like housing and childcare to take
care of our People.
Finally, our budget helps us win in the war for talent by moving us from an Industrial Age personnel
management system to a 21st Century Information Age talent management system with the continued implementation of the Integrated Personnel and Pay System and initiatives like Talent-Based Branching, the Army Talent Alignment Process, and the Battalion Commander Assessment Program.
Thank you all for your time and for your support to our Army. I look forward to your questions.
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