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House hearing spotlights strains on U.S. military mobility — stressed tankers, aging C-17s and medical airlift challenges
Summary
At a joint House Armed Services hearing, TRANSCOM and MARAD witnesses warned that limited government-preference cargo, an aging airlift and tanker fleet, and connectivity gaps are straining U.S. mobility. Lawmakers pressed for recapitalization, cargo access and steady funding.
House members pressed U.S. Transportation Command and the Maritime Administration on whether the nation has the ships, crews and aircraft needed to move and sustain forces globally, citing recent losses and an aging tanker and cargo fleet.
TRANSCOM commander General Reed told the committee that ‘‘the air refueling fleet is the most stressed fleet that we have’’ and urged continued investment in KC-46 recapitalization and improved fleet survivability and connectivity so crews can ‘‘see what’s happening around them’’ and respond. Reed said TRANSCOM is the joint force’s ‘‘immediate force’’ and that air refueling and airlift enable rapid movement in demanding scenarios.
Members repeatedly raised concerns about the C-17 fleet’s age. Reed said the C-17 average age is ‘‘about 22 years’’ and warned that the design and fielding timeline for a successor platform means ‘‘the time is now to get started’’ on recapitalization.
Lawmakers also pressed witnesses about medical airlift and patient movement. Reed described recent exercises, including Ultimate Caduceus 2025, and said TRANSCOM can distribute teams and use ‘‘any available aircraft’’ to move wounded personnel; he noted remaining personnel vacancies and said Congress can help by sustaining equipment investment and by supporting experiments to use commercial capacity for patient distribution.
The hearing emphasized operational dependencies across platforms and domains. Members cited the KC-135 crash that killed six airmen and tied that loss to the broader need to recap tanker and airlift fleets. Reed said survivability — including improved beyond-line-of-sight communications — is key to protecting crews and enabling medical care during movement.
The session ended without votes; members asked witnesses for follow-up briefings and written materials on force structure studies, recapitalization timetables and options for expanding surge capacity without degrading other readiness lines.
