CAN DO • Train all Force Support Package 1 (first-to-fight) units to C1 • Train all other units to Authorized Level of Organization (lowest acceptable in "band of excellence") • Maintain minimum Base Operations (keep the lights on) • Provide child care services at fiscal year 1998 levels • Maintain health and safety standards • Avoid significant environmental penalties Accomplish 25 percent of the Facilities Reduction Program (World War II wood teardown) • Perform routine short-term facility maintenance Support the Army's ROTC Advanced Camp at fiscal year 1998 level. CANNOT DO • Train to a high degree or band of excellence in all units Buy needed M1A1/Bradley track replacement for 3rd Brigade 2d Infantry Division Conduct a Corps Command Post Exercise, "Cascade Mist," to maintain core competencies after the summer turn-over of staff personnel • Make major or significant unscheduled repairs to facilities Improve or upgrade any facilities Another resource indicator is the loss of civilian employees. If you were to look back at Fort Lewis pre-Desert Storm to the present, fiscal year 1990-1999, you would find the supported military population virtually the same. During the same period, we have lost significant civilian employee authorizations, and authorizations for military personnel that perform Table of Distribution and Allowances (nonwarfighting) duties. This has the effect of slowing services, repairs and programs that enhance our quality of life. I am forced to use borrowed military manpower to make up the shortages. Were you to come to Fort Lewis, you would find soldiers manning grass-cutting work parties, soldiers working in our gymnasiums and sports facilities, and trustee-status work-release military inmates from our Regional Correction Facility performing a variety of labor tasks. I narrowly avoided putting large details of soldiers back washing pots and pans in Mess Halls in order to save additional precious dollars. Since soldiers do not Join the Army to cut grass, issue volleyballs or wash dishes, I think you can see the morale, readiness and retention implications. I wish I had better news. Our current estimates place Base Operations funding below our needs, and Real Property Maintenance significantly below needs. SUMMARY In summary, let me re-state that in terms of I Corps' ability to perform its wartime missions our soldiers and units are trained and ready. I Corps units reflect the excellence of the best Army in the world. Quality of Life is in a decline, and that decline is recognized by our soldiers and their families. We must reverse this trend now. Infrastructure is unsatisfactory and is living on borrowed time. If we are to have a Fort Lewis at which our children and grandchildren would be proud to serve, infrastructure must be fixed and maintained, now and in the future. In closing, let me say that in no way should any of my remarks be construed as derogatory toward our soldiers. Fort Lewis' soldiers are proud to serve and reflect that pride and professionalism in their daily lives. They are the world's best-and we absolutely must provide them with the world's best leadership, facilities, quality of life and support that we, as a nation, can muster. Thank you for all you have done for us in the past-on behalf of all of us at Fort Lewis, thank you in advance for your support in the months and years to come. Senator INHOFE. Thank you, sir. STATEMENT OF LT. GEN. LEON J. LAPORTE, USA, General LAPORTE. Mr. Chairman, Senator Robb, thank you for allowing me to come today and speak before you. I represent over 250,000 soldiers, family members and civilians that work at five different installations, comprising III Corps. III Corps is a very large organization-over 75,000 soldiers and 24,000 combat vehicles and aircraft. Today, there are over 12,500 of those great soldiers deployed both overseas and in CONUS. Since assuming command last August, I have had the opportunity to visit all these units, both in deployment status and back in the United States training. I am confident that they are trained and ready. We see, as the XVIII Corps and I Corps, readiness being a function of training, infrastructure and quality of life. The Corps' main focus is training. The dollars that we were given by Congress this year have been put into training. We are training at the battalion task force level. That has improved readiness significantly. I detailed in my written statement how extensive the training program from corps all the way down to the battalion level is. I would just tell you that the training is going well. There is a price to pay. The OPTEMPO is extremely high. We have similar figures in terms of soldiers' deployment times away from home. Multiple deployments for both training and operational missions are of great concern to our soldiers and families. Talking to them, that is one of the major reasons that our young soldiers and our officers are leaving the service; the OPTEMPO is significant. We still need help, fiscal help, in terms of installation. There is no internal flexibility left for us to rearrange dollars to support our base operations and RPM requirements. There are no dollars to perform required maintenance on transformers, on lines to prevent power failures, roof repairs to prevent leaks, sewer lines to prevent bursting pipes, and heating and air conditioning systems. Fort Hood gets very hot in the summertime, and we have some barracks that are unbearable for soldiers to sleep in because of failing air conditioning. III Corps, and especially the 4th Infantry Division, is involved with the Force XXI process. We will digitize the 4th Infantry Division by 2000, and the Corps by 2004. This is a very important modernization program for the United States Army. We need to continue to prepare for the future. We are concerned about aging equipment and modernizing the Army Reserve. We cannot fight III Corps without our Reserve brethren. We need both the Army Reserve and the National Guard to be with us in implementing the Force XXI digitization initiatives. In summary, sir, I would tell you that III Corps stands ready to accomplish specified contingency missions. One of the most important indicators of this readiness is as I travel around, I can see in the eyes of the soldiers their confidence. They are confident in their equipment. They are confident in their training. They are confident in their peers. They are confident in their leaders. That is signifi cant. I see that from Texas all the way to Bosnia. As you are aware, the 1st Cavalry Division is currently executing the Bosnia mission. They have been doing that for 6 months. We are in the process, along with the XVIII Corps, of training the 10th Mountain Division and soldiers from Fort Riley to assume that mission, and we are actively involved with the National Guard Bureau to train the 49th Division, Texas National Guard, to assume the mission in March of 2000. High OPTEMPO, perceived decrease in quality of life and eroding infrastructure concern me, my commanders and my families. Inadequate funds to properly maintain installation facilities and provide services are in a serious state of decay. I look forward to your questions, and thank you for the opportunity to appear. [The prepared statement of General LaPorte follows:] PREPARED STATEMENT BY LT. GEN. LEON J. LAPORTE Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you. I am pleased to report to you today on the Readiness of III Corps, the world's most powerful Armored Corps. Let me say up front that we are trained, equipped and ready to execute our wartime contingency missions. More importantly, we are demonstrating our readiness on a daily basis in world-wide deployments. III Corps has over 75,000 soldiers and 24,000 combat vehicles and aircraft stationed at Ft Hood, Ft Carson, Ft Riley, Ft Sill, Ft Bliss and forward-stationed in Korea. Together they represent over 35 percent of all United States Army active component ground combat power. 12,438 (over 16 percent) of these great soldiers are deployed today. Our two divisions and 14 brigades that make up III Corps are prepared for either of our country's two major contingencies. Warfighting readiness is the heart of our mission. We are prepared to deploy anywhere at anytime. Major rail spurs provide quick access to deep water ports of Beaumont, Houston and Corpus Christi. This, combined with ready access to deployment airfields, make III Corps installations extremely valuable power projection platforms. Since assuming command, I have visited and observed the training and operations of each of these major units. I am confident they are trained and ready. We see readiness as a function of training, infrastructure and quality of life. In III Corps, we pursue a balanced readiness approach and are able to meet our training and warfighting requirements; however, we run the risk of long-term readiness shortfalls if we do not place additional emphasis on infrastructure and quality of life. TRAINING Over the past 9 months, III Corps has executed an aggressive training program that ensures we remain trained and ready across the spectrum of conflict. This continues today with soldiers of III Corps deployed in 14 countries. Last summer the Corps rapidly deployed its Forward Command Post on two C5As to South Korea and participated with Combined Forces Command and the Third Republic of Korea Army in Exercise Ulchi Focus Lens. The Corps and 4th Infantry Division continued refining their warfighting competencies in the Korean Theater through the fall, culminating with a corps and division Warfighter Exercise in December. Earlier this month, the Corps staff and commanders participated in a Joint Task Force training seminar taught by representatives from USACOM. This valuable training helped us prepare for an upcoming USACOM and FORSCOM exercise, Roving Sands '99, in which the Corps will be a Joint Task Force Headquarters. III Corps also received the mission last year to train and certify all FORSCOM units participating in Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia through October 2000. First Cavalry Division assumed its mission in Bosnia last October. In January 1999, the Corps Headquarters deployed to Ft Polk, Louisiana and conducted a Mission Rehearsal Exercise to train and certify the 2d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. This month that brigade assumes the mission as part of the United States contingent and the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division returns home. First Brigade will then execute an intensive train-up culminating in an National Training Center rotation in January 2000. The Corps is overseeing preparation of the 10th Mountain Division from Ft Drum and other mechanized elements from Ft Riley as they prepare to assume the Multi-National Division-North mission from the 1st Cavalry Division in August 1999. This training will also culminate with a Mission Rehearsal Exercise at Ft Polk in May conducted by the Corps with the support of the Joint Readiness Training Center and the Battle Command Training Program. Concurrently, III Corps and the 1st Cavalry Division, with the support of the 5th Army and the Office of the Texas Adjutant General, are assisting the 49th Armored Division Headquarters, Texas Army National Guard and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment from Ft Carson as they prepare to assume their Bosnia duties in March of 2000. Many of you have visited our soldiers and can testify to the professional manner in which they represent this country and help shape the hope for peace in that re gion. There may be concerns about the impact of this mission on the warfighting readiness of units conducting Peace Support Operations; we have learned that many of the tasks are very similar. The 1st Cavalry Division leadership has focused on sustaining warfighting tasks through the support of simulations, distance learning and other training technologies. Soldiers have been able to maintain a high state of individual and crew-level readiness during the deployment. The constant day-today planning and coordination needed to synchronize and execute the many diverse missions in this complex environment have also honed command and staff skills at the task force, brigade and division levels. Finally, Bosnia has proven to be a great leadership laboratory for our junior non-commissioned officers and company grade officers. The experience and expertise gained in Bosnia will pay extraordinary dividends for the Army in the future. With 54 percent of the Army in the Reserve components, integration of the Total Army is important. In III Corps, the Army's White Paper, One Team, One Fight, One Future is a reality. The Corps is executing three major AC/RC initiatives; Wartrace relationships, the Integrated Division and the Division Teaming Program. Wartrace relationships are vital to the ability of III Corps to execute its' war-time mission. They have always been strong, and we continue to work at them every day. The Corps Signal Brigade hosted a Wartrace Conference from 22-23 January with attendees from the five National Guard Signal Battalions affiliated with III Corps. In February, III Corps and the 13th COSCOM hosted our first annual Combat Service Support focused Wartrace Conference at Fort Hood, Texas. A total of 47 battalion size and larger units were present (30 Active Component and 17 Reserve Component units). Fort Riley and Fort Carson are creating the first two integrated divisions. These divisions are made up of Army National Guard enhanced Separate Brigades under a regular Army division headquarters. The division has training readiness oversight and the goal to enhance readiness and deployability of the enhanced brigades. We have agreements with each of the states and are creating standard operating procedures under which these organizations will operate. The two divisional headquarters are well into the implementation of this program; the first phase will be completed in October 1999. Division Teaming is an Army pilot program that pairs selected active and National Guard combat divisions. The goal is to improve proficiency in assigned missions for both organizations. The pillars of the program are operational support for global/ domestic missions and mutually benefiting training opportunities. The first units to participate in the Division Teaming Program are the 4th Infantry Division, teamed with the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard and the 1st Cavalry Division, teamed with the 49th Armored Division. The 4th Infantry Division is completing a brigade rotation at the National Training Center. During this rotation, soldiers and equipment from the 40th Infantry Division participated as part of the force. The 40th Division will also participate with the Corps in Roving Sands 1999 as an Army-level Headquarters. As mentioned earlier, the teaming of the 1st Cavalry Division and the 49th Armored Division is already paying big dividends as the 49th Division begins to train for its Bosnia mission in March of 2000. III Corps is leading the way in reshaping the Army as part of the Force XXI program. In this fiscal year alone, we will be fielding 65 new systems throughout the Corps. The 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood is modernizing and reorganizing and will complete its conversion to the Force XXI Division structure this fiscal year. It is also conducting a comprehensive fielding and testing program to become the Army's first digital division by the end of year 2000-all while maintaining its combat readiness. The 1st Cavalry Division will follow in 2003 with III Corps becoming the first digitized Corps in 2004. The Corps' focus on maintaining a trained and ready force is all encompassing. In August 1998, an Armor Task Force returned from Kuwait where it trained as part of CENTCOM's Exercise Intrinsic Action. Earlier this month, the 68th Engineer Company from Fort Hood and the 553rd Combat Support Unit from Ft Riley returned from Honduras and Nicaragua where they provided humanitarian relief to people who were devastated by Hurricane Mitch. These units performed extremely well in very primitive conditions and brought relief and stability to that region. In February and March, brigades from the Corps Artillery supported both the 3rd Infantry Division Warfighter in Georgia and the V Corps Warfighter in Europe. The 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is also participating in the V Corps Warfighter exercise. 3-2 Air Defense Artillery, a Patriot Battalion from the Corps Air Defense Brigade at Ft Bliss, deploys this month to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Southern Watch. In the last 9 months, the Corps has had 4 brigade rotations to the National Training Center and provided support to 2 brigade rotations at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft Polk. The recent receipt of the fiscal year 1999 readiness supplemental from Congress and proposed budgets will allow us to conduct home station training at the battalion task force level. As you can see, III Corps units are very active. The increased OPTEMPO that the Corps has experienced over the last few years comes with a cost. Today 7,593 III Corps soldiers are deployed in 14 countries around the world in support of our National Military Strategy. An additional 4,845 III Corps soldiers are deployed away from their home stations within the continental United States conducting training. Our training programs support our readiness objectives; however, personnel shortages provide significant challenges to our commanders. The greatest challenge is the shortage of both mid-grade non-commissioned officers and junior commissioned officers. Multiple deployments for both training and operational missions cause soldiers to be away from their homes and families at an ever-increasing rate. Civilian employees are a significant part of a ready force. Programmatic and commercial activity related cuts are breaking an already stretched civilian workforce. These reductions have caused us to lose considerable flexibility, we are now no more than one deep in many areas. Additional decrements will have an even greater impact on installation readiness and our ability to mobilize, deploy and sustain our combat ready units. Historically, to alleviate some of the civilian shortfalls, soldiers have performed base support duties on a borrowed military manpower basis. However, the force structure can no longer support diverting soldiers without risking readiness degradation in combat units. Therefore, borrowed military manpower is not a practical option to supplement or replace civilian manpower shortages. INFRASTRUCTURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE The additional dollars provided by Congress in the fiscal year 1999 appropriation and readiness supplemental allow us to maintain trained and ready units. However, this is not true on the installation operations side. With OPTEMPO increasing, the stress placed upon our Garrisons has also increased. Recurring budget cuts have exerted a heavy toll on infrastructure and quality of life programs. In fiscal year 1998, for the first time, dollars were reprogrammed from infrastructure and quality of life to maintain training readiness. This fiscal year many accounts are funded below the survival level. Repair and maintenance is restricted to physical plant catastrophic failures only. There are no dollars to perform required maintenance on transformers and lines to prevent power failures, roof repairs to prevent collapses, sewer lines to prevent bursting pipes, and heating and air conditioning systems. Our soldiers need to concentrate on their mission essential tasks, not return to the days of performing dining facility chores, cutting grass, and guarding fence lines. They need to perform vehicle maintenance in a paved motor pool and have the right tools available. They need assurance that public works can afford to repair the toilet in their barracks room, or keep the air conditioner operating during the 100-degree summer heat. They need to eat in a clean modern dining facility. Quality of life however, is more than taking care of the single soldier today. Sixty two percent of III Corps soldiers are married. Nine percent of them are married to other soldiers. Soldiers must believe that the daily sacrifices they and their families are called upon to make are worth it. Family forums such as Army Family Action Plan and town hall meetings indicate a growing concern that reduced budgets willreduce their quality of life. If we can fulfill their expectations, we keep the soldier and family in the Army. Current funding levels do not allow us to meet their needs. Senior commanders are concerned they may not be able to meet their daily training readiness challenges if they have to migrate dollars into infrastructure and quality of life. This not only impacts readiness today, but also will have devastating consequences for the future. We must have adequate funding in these critical areas. SUMMARY III Corps is trained and ready to accomplish specified contingency missions. Our soldiers are men and women of character who are confident in their own abilities, the abilities of their peers, their equipment, their training and their leaders. As such, they will guarantee success on any battlefield around the globe. Warfighting readiness is our daily focus and standards and discipline are our watchwords. One of the most important indicators of readiness is whether your soldiers have a sense of purpose. All across III Corps, from the hills of Korea and Colorado to the plains of Kansas and Texas, to the camps in Bosnia, you can see in our soldiers eyes that sense of purpose, their belief that they are serving their Nation and providing a valuable contribution to their country. |