Senate Armed Services Committee presses nominees on Army Transformation Initiative, staffing and program cancellations

Nominees to senior Defense Department posts testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee and faced sustained questioning about the Army Transformation Initiative, its potential effects on readiness and what cuts or reorganizations will mean for installations, small contractors and weapons programs.

The matter came into focus when Chairwoman Ernst asked the nominee to be Under Secretary of the Army, Mr. Oberdahl, to explain how the Army’s transformation would “enhance the army's ability to respond to the pacing threat posed by China.” Oberdahl replied that “the army that has carried us through the last 4 decades, may not have the ability to match the pacing, threat with China,” and said the service must become “lighter, leaner, much more technologically savvy” across equipment, processes and doctrine.

The initiative, released the prior week, proposes headquarters reductions, command consolidations, accelerated fielding of…