Tommy Tuberville Presses Defense Nom About Military Facility Construction Timelines: 'It's A Disaster'

4/9/2025

During Tuesday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) questioned Department of Defense Nominees about military facility construction timelines.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you, Senator King. Senator Tuberville.

00:02Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, gentlemen, for being here and your willingness to serve.

00:06Mr. Marks, I want to talk a little bit about an issue that affects many of our installations across the country,

00:12including my home state, Redstone Arsenal, and Huntsville.

00:15The issue is military construction, better known as MilCon.

00:19We need to move fast, and traditional military construction process is way, way too slow.

00:25You know, back at Redstone Arsenal, there are two warehouses, as we speak, that are going up.

00:30One military corps engineers is building, and the other is by the FBI.

00:35These warehouses are roughly the same size, but the FBI facility has a lot more bells and whistles,

00:41yet the military warehouse is going to take double the amount of time to build,

00:45and 150% over the cost of what it's costing the FBI building.

00:50How on earth does this make sense?

00:53It is a disaster, and I'm sure we're having those problems across the country.

00:56Can I get your commitment to go and look at this situation?

01:00Lieutenant General Chris Mohan of the AMC commander down there is really looking into this,

01:07and I think he could help us with some of this in the future.

01:09We need to cut back on the time and the cost of a lot of these buildings.

01:12Mr. Marks.

01:13Senator, thank you for that question, and I couldn't agree more.

01:17We absolutely need to look at additional best practices on ways to speed up our MILCON

01:22to include how it aligns with our programs, and so we've confirmed I absolutely would want

01:27to dig deeper with you on this to ensure that I see how we can potentially go faster.

01:32And another quick question for you, Mr. Marks.

01:34You recently discussed drone encouragements with my staff.

01:37Can you tell the committee about that conversation and your experience?

01:41Senator, thank you.

01:43What we have seen across the country, and especially there at Eglin,

01:47is an increase in drone activity and, in fact, activities surrounding our installations,

01:52whether that is foreign national turnarounds or other investments, things that we need to make.

01:58And so, Senator, in the local area at the installation I currently serve at,

02:03we've increased our investment to increase detection capability

02:07so that we can then use the authorities that we have been provided at the installation level

02:12to defend those installations.

02:14And, Senator, if confirmed, I would want to see that expanded so that we can work

02:19with the combatant commanders to ensure we are defending our local installations here in the homeland.

02:23Thank you very much needed.

02:24Mr. Hansel, as you know, one of the organizations you will oversee is USDI, INS,

02:30if you are confirmed, is the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, MISIC,

02:34which is a component of the Department of Intelligence, AC.

02:38It's located in Huntsville, Alabama.

02:41MISIC provides world-class analysis and performance of foreign weapons systems.

02:46Mr. Hansel, can you talk a little bit about how important it is for our warfighters

02:49to assess the kind of foreign material data that the DIA and MISIC provide?

02:55Mr. Hansel, yes, Senator, I'd first highlight the importance of MISIC as the important relative

03:04to the growing importance of the space domain.

03:08It becomes ever more critical to our national security,

03:13as well as I think critical intel from MISIC should be used to inform the Golden Dome architecture design

03:22at every stage of the milestone.

03:27Mr. Williams, NNSA has been plagued by cost overrun, scheduled delays,

03:32project cancellations related to construction of nuclear facilities,

03:36including uranium processing facility, the Savannah River plutonium processing facility, and others.

03:43If confirmed, what specific steps would you take to ensure that these project management failures

03:49are not repeated in the future?

03:52Thank you, Senator.

03:54And that is right at the heart to the plutonium pit production that you mentioned in Savannah River,

03:59as well in Los Alamos, you know, is the critical path to restoring our ability to make new nuclear weapons

04:07and to ensure the long life extension of our existing stockpile.

04:13There's a number of details, a number of classified details that I've not been briefed on in that,

04:18but that is, I commit to you, should I be confirmed,

04:20that it is absolutely a commitment to get that back and to deliver, you know, for the weapons programs.

04:29Mr. Matthews, if it confirmed, what role would you have in advising the President and the Secretary on reforming the JAG Corps?

04:38Whoa.

04:42Thank you, Senator, for the question.

04:45If confirmed, I would be a legal advisor to the Secretary of Defense and not to the President unless he asked me.

04:51But if the President were to ask me, I would consider the question he asked in light of the facts and information available to me,

05:02I would make a recommendation.

05:04The JAG Corps, the Army, Judge Advocate General Corps, the Joint Force JAGs play an important role

05:10in ensuring the delivery of military justice, ensuring compliance with the law of armed conflict,

05:18and a whole myriad of activities.

05:20And so it's important that we get it right.

05:24Thank you, Senator Tuberville.

05:25Mr. Marks, are you going to visit Huntsville before or after you visit Alaska?

05:33Just take that for the record.

05:36Senator Warren.

05:37Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations to all of our nominees.

Tommy Tuberville Presses Defense Nom About Military Facility Construction Timelines: 'It's A Disaster'

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