Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) addressed concerns related to military readiness and the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan with Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine (Retired), President Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Highlights of the Senator’s remarks from Lt. Gen. Caine’s Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing are available below.
Sen. Mullin’s full remarks can be found here.
On Lt. Gen. Dan Caine’s (Retired) return to service:
“Your retirement didn’t last too long and the idea that you’re willing to jump back and serve just speaks volume to the true inner spirit that you have. And I want to thank for doing that. You have made a tremendous amount of sacrifice already. And you know eyes wide open what this job is going to entail. You have some real challenges ahead of you.”
On the current state of the defense industry:
“I know you’re familiar with the so-called Last Supper in 1994 to where we basically encouraged our defense industry to consolidate. I’m a firm believer in looking back and looking at things, where they went wrong, because since then, our defense industry really hasn’t been able to deliver on time and on budget, on some of the most critical needs we have. We’ve seen from our planes in the air, to our ships in the shipyards, to the equipment… is constantly behind what we’re needing.”
On the need for more advanced technology in the military:
“Today when we ask for technology that’s being used against us, or that our adversaries have already achieved, when we ask our defense industry to deliver, it’s five to seven years. If we’re lucky, it’s three, and yet it’s never on time… I feel like that this is one of the biggest threats that we have. We have a technology need today, and it’s being delivered five years from now. We are five years behind… I do feel like this is the biggest threat to our military today.”
On the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan:
“It’s deeply personal to me, and I know it is to you, and anyone else that’s had the privilege of serving the nation in Afghanistan. But because of our disastrous withdrawal, I feel like there’s a hesitation in our military and our military families to actually step forward and make that sacrifice again. I think there’s a lot of doubt that the United States is able to stand behind what our first mission is, and then to be able to bring pride to those that sacrificed.”
“With that [Afghanistan withdrawal], brings a morale issue to those that are still serving, those with sometimes the most experience in there. And I feel like we may be having a drain in knowledge of those that have sacrificed so much.”
Additional photos from today’s hearing can be found here.
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