 Let me say up front that the Army's readiness across its formations is improving and if called upon today I am confident we would prevail in any conflict This is due in part to the increased funding Congress has provided recently for this. I would like to say thank you However, if we were to continue increasing our readiness to desired levels and modernize the force We require predictable adequate sustained and timely funding The Army's mission is to defend the nation the Army's mission to defend the nation has not changed But the strategic environment has we've returned to an era of great power competition that makes the world ever more complex and dangerous While the Army must be ready to deploy fight and win anytime anywhere against any adversary The national defense strategy has identified China and Russia as the principal competitors Against which we must build sufficient capacity and capabilities Both countries are playing a more aggressive role on the world stage and either possess or are building Advanced capabilities that are specifically designed to reverse the tactical overmatch. We have enjoyed for decades The Army has a comprehensive plan however to ensure its long-term dominance Fiscal uncertainty though has done a great deal to erode our readiness and hamper our modernization efforts Late appropriations challenge the army to execute funding well Which is why we are seeking increased flexibility to spend these precious dollars when funding is delayed To address the challenges mentioned above I've identified three focused priorities for the army readiness modernization and reform Readiness is the top priority because only a ready total army regular army guard and reserve can deter conflict Defeat enemies and enable the joint force to win decisively and While the quality training and a spree of our soldiers are what make the US Army the most ready and lethal ground combat force in history This superiority is enabled by the best weapons and equipment we can provide them As such the second priority is modernization or future readiness to ensure overmatch on future battlefields The army is now increasing its investments in modernizing the force We are also laying the groundwork for more more increases in the coming years The army's modernization strategy is focused on one goal Make soldiers and units far more lethal and effective than any adversary can imagine The establishment of the army futures command this summer is the best example of our commitment to the future lethality of the force Army futures command will address the key shortcomings of the current acquisition system Providing unity of command effort and purpose to the modernization process The army has also identified its top six modernization priorities for the coming years Each of these priorities is detailed in our written statement and is the purview of a newly established cross-functional team The purpose of these CFT's is to determine the requirements of needed capabilities To ensure all stakeholders are at the table from day one and to focus army resources on accelerated experimentation prototyping and fielding My third priority is reform freeing up time money and manpower to enhance readiness Accelerate modernization and ensure the efficient use of the resources provided to us by the American people Our reform efforts particularly with the acquisition system are long overdue While futures command is probably the boldest reform. We are pursuing other army reform initiatives Oh much the acquisition authorities dedicated to the services in prior legislation With these authorities, we are reinvigorating the army requirements oversight council Moving major defense acquisition programs back to the service and using other transactional authorities to accelerate fielding in limited situations Although a ready and modernized army is critical to defend the nation We must not overlook what makes us remarkable for this. I've outlined three enduring priorities first taking care of our soldiers civilians and their families second a service wide Recommitment to the army's values, especially treating everyone with dignity and respect and finally strengthening our allies and partners by building stronger ties I Look forward to discussing these with you as time permits with that Let me thank you again for this committee's continued support of the army and specifically the funding increases requested in FY 18 and The FY 19 budgets I look forward to your questions and appreciate the opportunity to discuss these important matters with you today. Thank you