Mr. Secretary, thanks for including Red Hill in your testament before this committee. Last Friday, the Hawaii Department of Health issued an emergency order regarding the closure of Red Hill. It sets specific timelines that the Navy should comply with for the secure and expeditious defueling and closure of Red Hill.
Yes, and I’d like — I’d to comment real rapidly. As you realize, sir, we’ve been testing the — the Red Hill. All indications right now — now are that it is safe. That’s a dedication that has to be made by the Department of Health in Hawaii. And we continue to work very closely with the Department of Health and other officials on Hawaii to come back to that correct conclusion at the proper moment in time. So primarily based on China’s present 2030 drive projections, what quantity of carriers and provider air wings ought to the Navy be fielding?
Lots of challenges to work collectively, however I assume the — the plan you have put collectively is — it will get us in the right — proper course. Need to work collectively to determine out what the finances’s finally going to be and how we are able to cover these costs tilting 235m. The Department of Defense is embracing our small business program very aggressively across the nation to attempt to include a higher number of vendors to offer these needed merchandise across the board. So there’s plenty of effort going on, Congresswoman.
Also, we all know plane carriers cannot project energy without the service air wing, right? Several members of this committee consider that there’s a substantial amount of threat in the Navy’s present tactical air — aviation plan. The subsequent technology air dominance schedule has slipped over the previous few — few years. That’s a very low number from what I perceive. And — and the potential of these ships usually are not as great both. So we can all like freak ourselves out about all of the trillions of dollars a 12 months, apparently, we have to spend on our protection budget.
And I simply suppose that the Navy ought to face up for our sailors and their members of the family and the regulation enforcement that protects them. We even have a psychological well being team on board. It contains a doctor, one psychiatrist. It contains behavioral well being specialists. And so I owe you a extra detailed reply, sir.
It’s about plenty of the things that the Chairman simply previously spoke about as properly, too. It’s about how you employ strategy to defeat the enemy. The general theme that I’m sort of getting is there is a disparity between — or there’s not a reconciliation of here’s what we have to be safe and here’s where we’re at. There seems to be some — some disparity. The Navy has requested — is requesting legislative aid from — from the statutory requirement to assist the carrier air wings.