 I'm deeply concerned, however, that the administration's failure to direct the appropriate resources to the crisis at the southern border has resulted in shifting the burden to the Guard. Because the administration has refused to fund the construction of a comprehensive barrier along the border, it has been compelled to send the National Guard to deal with the consequences. Further, if the administration succeeds in appealing a recent court decision, Title 542 restrictions will end, and the demands on the Guard's manpower and resources will only increase. Recently, we've seen as much as $300 million in a single year reprioritized from the Guard to pay for border deployments. That's a lot of money. Now we're seeing active military components cover most of the bill, which puts a significant and unnecessary strain on the DOD in the year of execution. Regrettably, this was all predictable and avoidable. So today I would like to understand, if you can help us here, how the administration's policies at the border are straining your resources and how the President's budget supports the fundamental requirements of the Guard and the Reserves. I would also like to know whether your respective budgets fall short of providing adequate funding for much-needed equipment, modernization, training, and recruitment. I know that's a lot, but this is the funding committee. Thank you very much. Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Shelby, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and to testify on behalf of the Commandant of the Marine Corps about your Marine Corps Reserve. I am honored to appear with my fellow Reserve Components Service Chiefs and my senior enlisted leaders, Force Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz and Command Master Chief Kerry Wessler who are seated directly behind me. As the Commandant stated two weeks ago before this committee, the Marine Corps must be ready to respond to crisis in any climate place. That is part of our national security. On average, every year, approximately one-third of my force activates for exercises or in support of global combatant commands. From no notice, deployments to CENTCOM, INDOPAYCOM, and UCOM, to at home in support of COVID-19 operations, to recruit training in support of both coasts for the recruit depots at Paris Island and San Diego, to operations allies welcome here at home for our Afghan partners. There is no timeline or mission that your Marine Corps Reserve will not and cannot answer when called upon. As the Marine Corps approach to global threats continues to evolve, so must the Marine Corps Reserve. This means not only having the right capabilities at the right capacity, but also getting the right access to our warfighters at the speed of relevance to meet future demands in an increasingly complex global landscape. Our three-year effort under Force Design 2030, punctuated by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, has led us to consider whether the current models for authorities and resource funding will allow us to generate, access, and deploy the Marine Corps Reserve at the speed of need required by growing global threats. With the current lack of overseas contingency operations funding, our ability to respond to future contingency scenarios is severely questioned. I would like to work with this committee to explore a new, more modern set of authorities and funding that would enable and empower your Marine Corps Reserve to continue responding to crisis and contingency with increased flexibility. As you are aware, a vitally important component of Force Design 2030 is the Marine Corps strategy for talent management. As part of this evolving strategy, the Marine Corps must continue to leverage the Reserve component to recruit and retain and promote diverse warriors who possess unique talents, skills, and perspectives. Talent management like Force Design must succeed in order to ensure that we have the best warrior leaders in place so that we win future battles. As this committee is well aware, Reserve Marines work extraordinarily hard to balance family responsibilities, civilian careers, and education with their military service. They introduce different perspectives to the Marine Corps based on their wide range of background and experiences. They have chosen to continue to serve honorably even though many of them have long since fulfilled their initial obligation to the Corps. On a daily basis, they demonstrate extraordinary selflessness and continue to answer their irrational call to serve. I want to thank the committee for your continued support to the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation. In this coming year, I would like to work with this committee to explore several opportunities to enhance the Marine Corps' littoral maneuver and sustainment capacity by building these capabilities within the Marine Corps Reserve. I believe that leveraging the degree of funds for this effort can have a direct and immediate impact to our operational and strategic posture. By increasing the flexibility of Nogria, Congress can help protect our warfighters and prevent strategic risk to mission by ensuring your Reserve Marines remain at the peak of operational readiness. Finally, I echo the sentiments of my fellow Reserve Service Chiefs, and I would actually personally like to thank Ranking Member Shelby for over 60 years of public service serve. You are a true example of a servant leader. General Scoby, Rich, I want to thank you for everything you've taught me over the last three years, and I'm so proud to have served with you. Senator Shelby and General Scoby, on behalf of all the Reserve Marines, we thank you for your service to our nation, and I appreciate the opportunity to be here today and look forward to your questions. I propound this to all of you. The Guard and Reserves are often the last service components to fill new equipment, platforms, and you tend to receive less in the President's budget for procurement than others on upgrades. And each of you identify critical equipment platforms that need urgent upgrades and modernization that are currently unfunded. Also, how do you plan to mitigate any risk associated with budget gaps in these platforms? So I think to answer your question, I would have to say, I mean, thinking about what our actual priorities are, which is the individual sons and daughters, moms and dads that make up the Corps. So the very first priority would have to be individual combat equipment, which is the very body armor that they wear on their body, their night vision, all the things that make them survivable and effective as individual warriors. The platforms that they will man are important, too. That's got to be the priority. As far as new capabilities, back to my previous statement, I think coastal, near-coastal and riverine maneuver platforms, small craft.