WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, led his colleagues in examining the force posture of U.S. Army.

In his opening remarks, Senator Wicker spoke to the need for the Biden administration to better support the Army as it undergoes a major force modernization with insufficient funding.

Secretary of the Army Honorable Christine E. Wormuth, Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George, USA, testified before the committee.

Read Senator Wicker’s opening statement as delivered below or watch it here.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I thank the witnesses for being here today and for briefing so many of us before this hearing.

The Chair mentioned that this is General George’s first testimony before the committee in this capacity. It’s noteworthy that Secretary Wormuth actually administered the oath of office to the general via cell phone while he was visiting the 11^th Airborne in Alaska.

Since then, these two leaders have worked together to reform their service branch. And I commend both of our witnesses for their shared leadership.

In October, the Army announced a series of overhauls to its recruiting structure and strategy in an effort to combat the recruitment crisis. I hope to learn more about this today.

When implemented, the entire Army recruiting enterprise will reside under a single 3-star commander. This person will serve for four years and report directly to the Secretary of the Army. The service is now targeting prospective candidates in the college-age range, embracing modern data collection methods, and professionalizing the Army recruiter role. So, I look forward to hearing an update from the Secretary about these reforms as well as current recruiting progress.

These recruiting overhauls directly impact the new Total Army Analysis released in February. The Army rightfully reduced force structure to align better with the number of soldiers in its formation. The service plans to stand up some new counter-UAS batteries, fire protection battalions, and multi-domain task forces to adjust to current trends in warfare. While I support these decisions, I remain cautious about the reductions in special operations forces and would like to hear from General George about the service’s proposed force structure changes.

All of the units and soldiers in the Total Army Analysis will rely on current Army modernization efforts. I am encouraged that the Army’s FY25 budget request contains more than double its purchase year over year of Precision Strike Missiles, a critical capability in the Indo-Pacific.

Further, the Army tripled its request for Coyote counter-drone interceptors to help protect our soldiers and overseas bases from Iranian attack drones. I also thank the witnesses for using congressionally provided multi-year procurement authority to procure both GMLRS (guided multiple launch rocket systems) and Patriot missiles. However, I must say it is disappointing to see additional Patriot and Stinger missiles on the unfunded requirement list, rather than fully funded in the base budget.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration has again done a disservice to the Army in the FY25 budget submission. When accounting for inflation, this year’s budget is more than a two percent cut compared to last year.

Madam Secretary, and General George, and members of the committee: I appreciate the Chairman of the committee just a moment ago expressing concern that we are not providing adequate resources to the Army to get the task done. General George submitted a list of over $2.2 billion worth of unfunded priorities the Army needs, including more counter-UAS capabilities like Roadrunner and reconnaissance systems.

I think that’s a low figure. I’m convinced the Army’s actual unmet needs far exceed this $2.2 billion. And so, General, I’m going to ask you to comment on that.

U.S. Army Pacific has $430 million of unmet needs, of which only $100 million are covered in the unfunded list. Plus, we know of significant shortfalls elsewhere, such as nearly $1 billion missing for Army Prepositioned Stocks this year. The Army plays a leading logistical role in the western Pacific. And I’d like to hear from both of our witnesses on what else we can do to improve our ability to operate there.

Tell us what you need – please – and we’ll try to get it for you.

Congress must correct this budget request and ensure the Army has the resources to meet the needs and meet our nation’s challenges.

Thank you to my teammate, Mr. Chairman.