1 00:00:00,039 --> 00:00:03,029 Uh , Doctor Mink , uh , welcome , sir . 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,033 Uh , you are recognized for your 3 00:00:05,033 --> 00:00:08,840 opening statement . Chairman 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:10,784 Wicker , ranking member Reed , and 5 00:00:10,784 --> 00:00:13,062 distinguished members of the committee , 6 00:00:13,062 --> 00:00:15,007 thank you for the chance to appear 7 00:00:15,007 --> 00:00:17,229 before you today as the nominee for the 8 00:00:17,229 --> 00:00:19,396 secretary of the Department of the Air 9 00:00:19,396 --> 00:00:21,396 Force . I am honored and humbled to 10 00:00:21,396 --> 00:00:21,120 have this opportunity , especially at 11 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,520 such a pivotal time in our nation . I'd 12 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,409 like to thank President Trump for 13 00:00:25,409 --> 00:00:27,520 having the faith and confidence in me 14 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,687 to submit me for my nomination to this 15 00:00:29,687 --> 00:00:32,750 position . I'm joined by my today by my 16 00:00:32,750 --> 00:00:34,990 wife Jean who is a retired Air Force 17 00:00:34,990 --> 00:00:37,212 nurse and one of the best officers I've 18 00:00:37,212 --> 00:00:39,268 known . We met at South Dakota State 19 00:00:39,268 --> 00:00:42,180 University in 1985 before class started 20 00:00:42,180 --> 00:00:44,180 and it didn't actually get off to a 21 00:00:44,180 --> 00:00:46,013 great start . Uh , I was already 22 00:00:46,013 --> 00:00:48,236 studying and she thought I was a bit of 23 00:00:48,236 --> 00:00:50,459 a nerd , uh , which she didn't know 24 00:00:50,459 --> 00:00:52,681 what she didn't know was I was actually 25 00:00:52,681 --> 00:00:54,626 studying for my pilot , my private 26 00:00:54,626 --> 00:00:56,848 pilot's license . Uh , my focus at that 27 00:00:56,848 --> 00:00:58,903 time was Air Force officer , pilot , 28 00:00:58,903 --> 00:01:01,126 astronaut . Uh , it didn't exactly work 29 00:01:01,126 --> 00:01:03,015 out that way , uh , but I've been 30 00:01:03,015 --> 00:01:05,126 extremely fortunate to have her by my 31 00:01:05,126 --> 00:01:07,348 side since then and to serve my country 32 00:01:07,348 --> 00:01:09,403 in a variety of roles for 35 years . 33 00:01:09,403 --> 00:01:11,403 I'd also like to acknowledge my son 34 00:01:11,403 --> 00:01:11,309 Troy and daughter Jenna have both 35 00:01:11,309 --> 00:01:13,309 provided the greatest moments of my 36 00:01:13,309 --> 00:01:15,650 life . We have enjoyed many activities . 37 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:17,538 My favorite , perhaps not their 38 00:01:17,538 --> 00:01:19,704 favorite , was coaching them and their 39 00:01:19,704 --> 00:01:21,704 teammates in competitive robotics . 40 00:01:21,730 --> 00:01:23,730 I've also had my stepbrother here , 41 00:01:23,730 --> 00:01:25,841 Army Lieutenant Colonel Troy Merkel , 42 00:01:25,841 --> 00:01:27,952 who also served multiple tours in the 43 00:01:27,952 --> 00:01:29,952 Middle East . Finally , I'd like to 44 00:01:29,952 --> 00:01:32,286 thank my father , my mother , my sister , 45 00:01:32,286 --> 00:01:34,230 and other members of my family who 46 00:01:34,230 --> 00:01:36,430 could not be here today . I'd like to 47 00:01:36,430 --> 00:01:38,374 briefly talk about the reasons I'm 48 00:01:38,374 --> 00:01:40,041 honored and excited about the 49 00:01:40,041 --> 00:01:42,263 opportunity to continue my service as a 50 00:01:42,263 --> 00:01:44,430 secretary of the Department of the Air 51 00:01:44,430 --> 00:01:46,652 Force . Of my 35 years of service , the 52 00:01:46,652 --> 00:01:48,486 first were spent as an Air Force 53 00:01:48,486 --> 00:01:50,708 navigator serving a significant portion 54 00:01:50,708 --> 00:01:52,680 of that time overseas . My first 55 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,589 deployment came . My first deployment 56 00:01:55,589 --> 00:01:57,750 came as I was pulled off of strategic 57 00:01:57,750 --> 00:02:00,069 nuclear alert and sent to support 58 00:02:00,069 --> 00:02:02,125 conventional operations in the first 59 00:02:02,125 --> 00:02:04,610 Gulf War where I flew over 100 missions . 60 00:02:04,870 --> 00:02:07,029 This rapid shift in mission , the 61 00:02:07,029 --> 00:02:09,196 readiness , training , and flexibility 62 00:02:09,196 --> 00:02:11,307 required left a lasting impression on 63 00:02:11,307 --> 00:02:13,589 me . I believe the flexibility is even 64 00:02:13,589 --> 00:02:17,149 more critical today . Following my 65 00:02:17,149 --> 00:02:19,205 active duty time , I transitioned to 66 00:02:19,205 --> 00:02:21,205 the Air Force reserves , spending 4 67 00:02:21,205 --> 00:02:23,371 more years supporting the National Air 68 00:02:23,371 --> 00:02:25,482 Intelligence Center and the Ballistic 69 00:02:25,482 --> 00:02:27,593 Missile Defense Organization . I also 70 00:02:27,593 --> 00:02:29,482 became an Air Force civil servant 71 00:02:29,482 --> 00:02:31,705 focusing on building and operating some 72 00:02:31,705 --> 00:02:33,927 of the most advanced weapon systems for 73 00:02:33,927 --> 00:02:35,816 the Department of Defense and the 74 00:02:35,816 --> 00:02:37,871 intelligence community . It included 75 00:02:37,871 --> 00:02:39,927 multiple positions as a researcher , 76 00:02:39,927 --> 00:02:41,816 program manager , the director of 77 00:02:41,816 --> 00:02:43,927 communications programs and policy at 78 00:02:43,927 --> 00:02:46,038 the Pentagon , Deputy undersec of the 79 00:02:46,038 --> 00:02:48,199 Air Force for Space , the assistant 80 00:02:48,199 --> 00:02:50,310 director of national intelligence for 81 00:02:50,310 --> 00:02:52,366 Systems and resources analysis , and 82 00:02:52,366 --> 00:02:54,143 currently as a principal deputy 83 00:02:54,143 --> 00:02:56,366 director of the National Reconnaissance 84 00:02:56,366 --> 00:02:59,190 Office . A big part of these jobs was 85 00:02:59,190 --> 00:03:01,190 understanding the threat that I was 86 00:03:01,190 --> 00:03:03,301 building systems to have to , to have 87 00:03:03,301 --> 00:03:05,079 to support against this quickly 88 00:03:05,079 --> 00:03:07,079 evolving threat . And these threats 89 00:03:07,079 --> 00:03:09,259 have shaped my perspective . I believe 90 00:03:09,259 --> 00:03:11,429 the challenges we face are threefold . 91 00:03:12,179 --> 00:03:14,300 First , near peer competitors such as 92 00:03:14,300 --> 00:03:16,529 China are evolving faster than we are 93 00:03:16,529 --> 00:03:18,699 in some cases , which will eventually 94 00:03:18,699 --> 00:03:20,255 result in the US losing our 95 00:03:20,255 --> 00:03:23,139 technological advantage . Secondly , 96 00:03:23,419 --> 00:03:25,419 some competitors such as Russia are 97 00:03:25,419 --> 00:03:27,570 fielding highly escalatory asymmetric 98 00:03:27,570 --> 00:03:30,320 capabilities . And third , our homeland 99 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,100 is is increasingly put on the defensive 100 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,544 from threats such as cyberattack , 101 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,831 unmanned aerial systems , and illegal 102 00:03:37,831 --> 00:03:39,887 activities at the border , including 103 00:03:39,887 --> 00:03:42,630 illicit drug trafficking . If confirmed , 104 00:03:42,789 --> 00:03:45,011 my priority will be to organize , train 105 00:03:45,011 --> 00:03:47,011 and equip the department of the Air 106 00:03:47,011 --> 00:03:48,956 Force that had lethality needed to 107 00:03:48,956 --> 00:03:51,949 deter all potential aggressors and if 108 00:03:51,949 --> 00:03:55,399 necessary when in conflict . First , 109 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,162 the department is building and 110 00:03:57,162 --> 00:03:59,107 operating some of the most complex 111 00:03:59,107 --> 00:04:01,162 systems ever fielded , uh , both air 112 00:04:01,162 --> 00:04:03,410 and space . We need the right number of 113 00:04:03,410 --> 00:04:05,880 guardians , but we also need the needed 114 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,639 skills , training , support , and focus 115 00:04:08,639 --> 00:04:10,806 to deliver and operate those systems . 116 00:04:11,339 --> 00:04:13,561 Secondly , we need to innovate faster . 117 00:04:13,561 --> 00:04:15,506 I spent the last decade increasing 118 00:04:15,506 --> 00:04:17,672 competition and expanding the industry 119 00:04:17,672 --> 00:04:19,395 base , which has significantly 120 00:04:19,395 --> 00:04:21,395 accelerated accelerated delivery of 121 00:04:21,395 --> 00:04:23,420 capability and at a lower cost . I 122 00:04:23,420 --> 00:04:25,420 intend to bring that same drive for 123 00:04:25,420 --> 00:04:27,739 innovation to the department . Finally , 124 00:04:27,779 --> 00:04:29,890 we need to streamline the acquisition 125 00:04:29,890 --> 00:04:31,890 and budget process with appropriate 126 00:04:31,890 --> 00:04:34,779 fiscal controls . I've helped lead my 127 00:04:34,779 --> 00:04:37,940 current organization to 16 clean 128 00:04:37,940 --> 00:04:40,162 financial audits , which I believe is a 129 00:04:40,162 --> 00:04:42,160 record . In the national security 130 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,380 enterprise . Throughout my career , 131 00:04:44,540 --> 00:04:46,707 I've demonstrated my commitment to the 132 00:04:46,707 --> 00:04:48,873 protection and defense of our nation . 133 00:04:48,873 --> 00:04:50,984 If confirmed , I intend to bring what 134 00:04:50,984 --> 00:04:53,040 I've learned to this position and to 135 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:54,873 the department to deliver on the 136 00:04:54,873 --> 00:04:56,873 president's goal of achieving peace 137 00:04:56,873 --> 00:04:58,596 through strength . Should I be 138 00:04:58,596 --> 00:05:00,651 fortunate enough to get this job , I 139 00:05:00,651 --> 00:05:02,540 look forward to working with this 140 00:05:02,540 --> 00:05:02,230 committee , this Congress to ensure the 141 00:05:02,230 --> 00:05:04,286 airmen and guardians are equipped to 142 00:05:04,286 --> 00:05:06,286 secure the nation . Thank you and I 143 00:05:06,286 --> 00:05:07,100 look forward to your questions .