WATCH: Hirono questions top military brass about readiness, impacts of Iran war, women in combat
Hawai‘i Democrat US Senator Mazie Hirono lobbed questions about readiness of US joint forces at vice chiefs of all five US military branches and director of capabilities and management of US Government Accountability Office during a recent US Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support hearing.
Hirono, ranking member of the subcommittee, questioned witnesses about readiness of their respective forces in light of the ongoing war in Iran.
She also raised alarms about President Donald Trump’s Administration “review” of women in combat roles.
“I must begin by acknowledging the tragic loss of multiple US service members in the Middle East. Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones, along with the thousands of other Americans who are serving in harm’s way as we speak,” said Hirono in her opening remarks. “We must also acknowledge how we got here. President Trump chose to launch airstrikes without so much as consulting with Congress.”
She asked each witness how the war will impact the force readiness: “How are you supposed to determine impact on readiness if you don’t know the extent of this war, what it is going to take?”
Witnesses each responded it was too early to determine the war in Iran’s impact. They also committed — at Hirono’s urging — to providing critical readiness information via classified email once it was available.
The Hawai‘i Democrat also raised concerns about a Pentagon decision to review the “effectiveness of women in combat jobs.”
“This is extremely offensive and likely reflects an effort by the secretary of Defense to lay the groundwork to reverse the policy allowing women to serve in combat arms positions,” Hirono said.
She asked each witness if they think the presence of women in combat units lowers standards. All agreed it does not.
Hirono then asked: “Over the last decade since combat arms have been open to women, have you seen any instance where the standard your service established resulted in a degradation of combat effectiveness?”
Each witness answered, “no.”
She went on to highlight several issues of importance to Hawai‘i, including how the US Army intends to balance necessary training requirements while respectfully engaging with the Native Hawaiian community as they negotiate upcoming land lease renewals.
Hirono posed a similar question to the US Navy and US Air Force.
She concluded her questioning by expressing concerns about the use of US Department of Defense resources to support the US Department of Homeland Security immigration agenda.
Hirono highlighted how Army bases and Navy contracts were being used to build US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities, expressing concerns about how this allocation of resources impacts readiness.
“The Navy is enabling [Department of Homeland Security] to use a naval process to fast track these detention facilities, and I would like to know ASAP how many Navy personnel are working in that regard,” the senator said.
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