The administration's national defense strategy gets it exactly right in prioritizing service members. In today's hearing, I would like to focus on how we welcome young people into the military, how we support families who continue to serve, and how the military contributes to our communities. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer force. Our annual posture hearing provides the department the opportunity to discuss their personnel policy priorities for the coming year. I'm honored to chair this subcommittee and I look forward to continuing its long history of bipartisanship and working as a partner with Ranking Member Scott and with all of our members on both sides of the aisle to improve the lives of our service, members of retirees, military families ,and the civilian workforce. So supporting the military and military families means a lot to me, And I am particularly pleased to be chairing my first hearing as an Armed Services Subcommittee chair. All three of my brothers served in the military.

I am pleased to welcome all of you here to this hearing to receive testimony on the military and civilian personnel programs at the Department of Defense and the military services in review of the administration's Defense authorization request for fiscal 2024. Good afternoon and welcome to the first Personnel subcommittee hearing of the 118th Congress.

Us military doesn't want tanks