Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for military construction and family housing.
Senate Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
2025-06-17
Source: Congress.gov
Summary
This subcommittee hearing examines the Department of Defense's $18.9 billion fiscal year 2026 military construction budget request, which includes a $1.4 billion increase over the 2025 enacted level. Key witnesses from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense discuss project costs, infrastructure backlogs, and quality of life investments. The panel highlights concerns over rising costs, deferred maintenance, and the $900 million in military construction funding directed through a reconciliation bill, which lacks project-level justification and raises questions about oversight and mission alignment. Witnesses also emphasize the need for greater efficiency, improved housing conditions, and expanded support for military families, with specific projects in Georgia and Alaska under scrutiny. The hearing underscores bipartisan efforts to ensure installations are resilient, ready, and provide safe, modern environments for service members and their families.
Participants
Transcript
Good morning, and the subcommittee will come to order. First, I'd like to welcome Ranking Member Ossoff and congratulate him on the birth of his second daughter, Lila. I've got three daughters. Lots of drama in my house. I look forward to working with you on the subcommittee, and again, we just want to welcome you. We meet today to discuss the President's fiscal year 2026 budget request for military construction and family housing. for the Department of Defense. I would like to begin by recognizing today's panel. Today we'll hear from representatives of the military services as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Joining us are the Honorable Dale Marks, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy Installations and Environment, Lieutenant General David Wilson, Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-9, Vice Admiral Jeffrey Jablon, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations installations and logistics, Lieutenant General Steven Scelenka, Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, Lieutenant General Tom Miller, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection, who is approaching retirement after 34 years of service. General, thank you so much for your many years of service, and we certainly wish you well your retirement. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from you someplace, but again, we do appreciate you very, very much. Brigadier General Zachary Workomsky, Space Force Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber and Nuclear. This year's MILCONS request is $18.9 billion, a figure we only recently received due to significant delays in the delivery of the budget to Congress. We on the subcommittee look forward to receiving the justification books and related exhibits which still have not been delivered but are expected later this month.
From the data currently available, we know this request is an increase of $1.4 billion over the fiscal year 2025 enacted levels. While I'm encouraged to see another year of growth in the MilCon request, I remain concerned that we're not necessarily buying more, we're simply paying more. Some of these budget numbers are staggering. Not that long ago, hitting the $100 million mark on a single project was significant. Now it has become routine, increments once the exception, are increasingly the norm, accounting for nearly $6 billion in this year's request. That's more than 40 projects so costly they require incremental funding over multiple years. That may seem normal now, but this was not always the case. Multi-billion dollar recapitalization efforts combined with the increasing complexity of facilities needed to support today's weapons systems are resulting in larger and more complex projects. At the same time, inflation and other economic pressures continue to escalate costs. This trajectory is not sustainable, and future budget requests cannot continue absorbing these rising costs. To that end, I am encouraged by the conversations taking place within the Department that are examining the full range of factors, policies, procedures, regulations, and laws that affect MilCon and its associated costs. Some of these are established by Congress, others stem from DoD policy, and some may be self-imposed. As such, the effort required to drive meaningful changes will vary, but I'm hopeful these discussions will lead to thoughtful analysis, honest dialogue, and ultimately real improvements in the efficiency of the MilCon process. Some of this will require close collaboration between Congress and the Department, and I'm committed to being a partner in that effort.
there will always be factors beyond your control, which makes managing the areas you control all the more critical. The recent injunction reinstating project labor agreement requirements is a clear example of how external influences can introduce uncertainty and added cost into the MilCon process, costs that are especially difficult to anticipate given how long the current planning, programming, and budgeting cycles take. I hope one outcome of the ongoing review directed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense is a faster timeline from project inception to final delivery. As a critical force enabler, MilCon supports everything from infrastructure tied to new weapons platforms to quality of life facilities like hospitals, schools, and housings. We owe it to the service members, the taxpayer, to deliver timely, high-quality facilities on schedule and within budget, and I hope that future budget requests reflect efficiencies that lower the cost of individual projects. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today and continuing the dialogue and work needed for a successful MilCon program. Before we turn to our witnesses, I would like to recognize my colleague, Senator Ossoff, for his opening remarks.
Good morning, and thank you very much, Chairman Bozeman. Thank you for your partnership. I look forward to the important bipartisan work we'll do together leading this subcommittee. I also want to thank you for your kind words celebrating Lila's arrival, and I'm pleased to report, Mr. Chairman, that baby and mother are both healthy. So thank you for the well wishes. To our witnesses, thank you for being here. Thank you for your service to the nation.
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