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House Armed Services Committee
Subcommittee Chairman Ortiz' opening statement--March 20, 2007

"Today the Readiness subcommittee will hear about our BRAC and military construction programs.

"While I am delighted to see that DOD has committed the largest amount of money to new construction that I can remember, I remain concerned that we have several serious issues that confront this committee . some of our own making and some because of the lack of attention from DOD.

"Whether you support the president in Iraq or not, I believe that we can all agree that we are in for a long war, against a determined enemy. In this long war, our troops deserve the best that our great nation can offer .. and I will do my part to support this effort.

"One of the most important issues that remind our troops of our nation's commitment to their success is to ensure that our all-volunteer armed forces have the best facilities available to take care of their messing and berthing and, in many cases, taking care of their families.

"Unfortunately, we don't always do a good job. I cannot tell you how upset I am at the terrible treatment that we have provided to our soldiers at Walter Reed. I believe that these building problems are because of the poor oversight of our facilities .. and gentlemen, the people that can make a difference are testifying before us today.

"With the sustainment that DOD has proposed for Fiscal Year 2008, we should expect additional problems, similar to Walter Reed. I can assure you that this committee will do what it can to fix this oversight.

"I am also concerned at the overall increase in military construction that has been proposed and our ability to manage such a large program. This problem will only get worse because Congress can't fully fund the BRAC 2005 account in a timely manner, causing a bow wave of construction into Fiscal Year 2008. It is important for the Department to manage this military construction increase very carefully and ensure that our soldiers and sailors have the correct facilities in time to meet their rebasing timelines.

"Finally, I want to add that our troops deserve the best training available. Some of the services would rather have our soldiers and sailors in conditions that don't allow our troops to train in conditions that best simulate deployed conditions. Encroached flight patterns and land use constraints represents one of the biggest problems that confront DOD and our ability to train like we fight. I hope that the Department is prepared to make hard training decisions that ensure the best training for our troops.

"The Chair recognizes the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, Ms. Jones, for any remarks he would like to make."