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“The Joint Subcommittee will come to order.
“Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, a Member of the full committee, has requested permission to join us today during this most important hearing. Without objection, Congresswomen Shea-Porter will participate under committee rules.
“Today the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee joins the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee to receive testimony on the current status of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle program, or "MRAP". This hearing continues our formal series of official oversight activities on MRAP. Force protection will always be at the forefront of these subcommittees and is what brings us here today.
“We have over 164,000 troops still operating in Iraq. Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks continue to be responsible for about 70 percent of U.S. casualties in Iraq. So far, this year has been the deadliest year for American troops since the war started. The MRAP family of vehicles offers significantly more protection and survivability for our troops. This is due to several factors such as vehicle height, increased weight of the vehicle, and the V-shaped undercarriage which helps deflect the force of the blast away from the underbody of the vehicle.
“We are aware that a total integrated approach using all available technologies to combat IEDs is vital. But the last line of defense for our troops in the IED chain is an armored vehicle. Right now, the MRAP should be that vehicle.
“It is no secret that I, along with many other Members of this joint subcommittee, have not been satisfied with the response of this Administration to the force protection needs of our troops. During our last hearing, we raised concerns over setting an artificially low theater requirement, repeating past mistakes in terms of vehicle production, adequately mobilizing the industrial base, and failing to properly fund the program.
“Three weeks ago I met with Secretary Young in my office and the information he briefed to me showed a substantial improvement in DOD's execution of the MRAP program. At the time of the July 19th hearing, just over 240 MRAPs had been produced with only 176 fielded to Iraq, and there was an unfunded requirement of over $5 billion. Today over 1,500 MRAPs have been produced and close to 700 vehicles have been fielded.
“The Department of Defense requirement now stands at 15,374 vehicles, up from the previous requirement of only 4,000. The amended Supplemental now requests full funding for this new requirement. From day one, Congress has said tell us what it will take for MRAP and we will provide what money you need.
“Now is not the time to be complacent. We still have major production, fielding, and sustainment challenges ahead of us. Over the next two months there will be a steep increase in production of MRAPS. Over the next two months production is scheduled to jump from 440 vehicles per month to nearly 1,100 per month. This 700 vehicle increase is critical to the MRAP fielding and these subcommittees seek to be reassured that this increase will proceed without a hitch.
“If there are any potential problems that might disrupt these ambitious production goals, now is the time to state those concerns so that we can help mitigate them. The subcommittees expect to be reassured that industry has been mobilized to meet these ambitious production goals.
“I recently returned from visiting two MRAP facilities where I saw dedicated and motivated Americans working hard to produce vehicles. They all were aware of the critical nature of their work and the protection these vehicles provides our troops in theater. Unfortunately, I also observed inefficiencies in the manufacturing and installation processes that if remedied, could help these great Americans do their jobs better and get MRAPs to the field faster.
“We have invited industry to testify today, not as a means to point any fingers, but as an opportunity for an open discussion to determine if there are better, more efficient ways to accelerate production of MRAPs.
“We understand industry has, at risk to themselves, been extremely forward leaning with production and material orders, and I commend you all for that effort.
“At the end of the day we have to be able look every brave man and woman in uniform, as well as their family members, directly in the eye and tell them that we are doing everything possible to protect them. We owe them that.
“We have two very distinguished panels of witnesses appearing before the subcommittees today.
“I would like to welcome our Panel 1 witnesses:
• The Honorable John Young, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and also Director of the MRAP Task Force;
• Mr. Bill Greenwalt, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy; and,
• Captain Cloyes R. “Red” Hoover, USN, Commanding Officer, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR), Charleston.
“At this time I would like to recognize my friend from Hawaii, the Chairman of the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, the Honorable Neil Abercrombie. Mr. Abercrombie.”
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