U.S. Representative Jack Bergman, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, said on Apr. 15 that Congress must prioritize maintaining and sustaining existing military assets to address declining U.S. military readiness during a hearing on the posture of U.S. Military Readiness for Fiscal Year 2027.
Bergman said declining readiness trends have resulted in aircraft being cannibalized and ground vehicles left idle, which he described as unacceptable. He called for Congress to focus more on day-to-day maintenance rather than solely procuring new equipment.
“The sad fact is that we have allowed our military readiness to decline across the board because we are more focused on procuring shiny objects than on holistically managing the day-to-day maintenance necessary to sustain our military,” Bergman said in his prepared remarks.
He also addressed issues with specific programs such as the Joint Strike Fighter fleet, saying, “Cannibalizing our Joint Strike Fighter fleet because we have not provided the basic parts to support this superior platform is not a reasonable long-term solution to maintaining current readiness.” Bergman added that proposed budget requests would help end this cycle and set a sustainable path forward.
The chairman highlighted problems with amphibious ship availability, attributing them not just to maintenance but also leadership issues: “Years of neglect, misplaced priorities, and open derision from certain Navy pundits have left less than half of our amphibious ships available for tasking… That is not a maintenance problem — it is a leadership problem.” He emphasized accountability from Navy leadership moving forward.
According to the official website, the House Armed Services Committee includes members such as Reps. Joe Wilson, Michael R. Turner and Robert J. Wittman and oversees national defense programs under its jurisdiction defined by Rule X of House Rules and Manual for matters related to national defense.
Additionally, Rep. Mike Rogers served as chair of the committee during recent Congress sessions according to its official website. The committee influences legislation through processes like the National Defense Authorization Act for community project funding as reported by its official website.
The committee’s role extends into congressional oversight over national defense and military affairs according to its official site.
Bergman concluded his statement by calling for any expanded force structure initiatives to be paired with strategies ensuring legacy assets are maintained throughout their service life: “This approach is not only cost-effective but also more rapidly expands our readiness force posture to best meet our ongoing national security challenges.”