STATEMENT OF COLONEL ROBERT B. NELLER COMMANDER My name is Robert B. Neller, Colonel U.S. Marine Corps and I am presently assigned as the Commanding Officer of the Sixth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. I have been in command since July 1998. I appreciate the opportunity to address this committee and express my views on readiness as they apply to the Sixth Marines. Mission. The Sixth Marine Regiment is one of three infantry regiments in the Second Marine Division. The regiment is comprised of three infantry battalions of about 900 Marines and Sailors each, and a regimental headquarters company of 250 Marines and Sailors. Our mission is to be capable of deploying on short notice, via air, sea or land transport to any spot in the world to fight and win. This deployment may be as a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) headquarters or as the Ground Combat Element of a larger MAGTF. The regimental headquarters also has the task of providing trained and ready battalions for assignment to Marine Expeditionary Units for deployment to the U. S. European Command Area of Responsibility or to the Unit Deployment Program to Okinawa. Presently two of the Sixth Marines' battalions are assigned to Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU): First Battalion is deployed to the Mediterranean with 24 MEU, Third Battalion is presently assigned to 22 MEU for a six-month training work up in preparation for their deployment this fall, and Second Battalion will be assigned to 24 MEU this fall for deployment in early 2000. Operations tempo (Optempo). Optempo, the amount of time Marines are in the field training or away on deployments, is a constant concern. It impacts on our readiness and the retention of the force. On any day in the Second Marine Division, five of the nine infantry battalions are either forward deployed or preparing to deploy: three battalions are assigned to MEUs, one is on unit deployment to Okinawa and a fifth battalion is tasked with sourcing company sized commitments to Panama, Haiti and to a South American training deployment, UNITAS. Of the four remaining battalions, one is always assigned the Air Contingency Battalion mission, while the other three pursue an active training program. Today’s reality is that while commitments have increased in the past five years, they are now accomplished with two less infantry battalions than the Division had just prior to the Gulf War. While optempo is high for forward-deployed units such as those assigned to the MEUs, it is also high for units training at home station. For example, since July 1998, the Sixth Marines regimental headquarters conducted a two-month Combined Arms Exercise in Twentynine Palms, California, participated in a week long Nuclear Biological and Chemical evaluation exercise, executed a ten-day tactical evaluation of one of the battalions, and embarked onboard U. S. Navy amphibious ships for a two week exercise off the Atlantic coast. Although this is the price we pay to be combat ready, I do get concerned that our training pace is increasing our maintenance costs and creating an environment where it is more difficult to retain our Marines. Training. Training each Marine to the highest degree possible is the most important thing we do. Having a high level of training is the number one force protection issue. Speaking for the Sixth Marines, and the entire Second Marine Division, I can tell you that we are at a high level of training readiness. However, our training readiness comes with a cost. We support three Unified Commanders on a daily basis and are in the war plans for two other Unified Commanders. We therefore must train in a variety of environments across the spectrum of conflict. This requires our force to travel to various locations to get the training we need. These training deployments cost money and take Marines away from home station. All Marines understand that this is part of our profession and much of this training cannot be "simulated." However, our ability to train effectively is being adversely impacted by the increased cost, time and effort it takes to get our equipment ready for training and to keep it up during training, and to repair it once the training is concluded. Until we get newer, more reliable equipment, we will continue to achieve our training readiness on the backs of our Marines. Maintenance. Although a Marine infantry regiment does not possess a large amount of heavy organic equipment, such as tanks or armored personnel carriers, we do have 282 pieces of rolling stock, which includes trucks, high mobility multi-wheeled vehicles (HMMWV) and trailers, and several hundred radios of various types. Additionally, we maintain and operate several thousand ordnance items, including rifles, pistols, machine guns, mortars, and night vision goggles. Keeping this equipment combat ready is a daily challenge for all commanders. Much of our equipment is old and although we know that some replacement items are in the pipeline, they cannot be fielded soon enough. Modernization of our rolling stock is critical and I would solicit your continued support of these programs, and if possible, the expediting of the modernization effort. For example, the average age of our HMMWV fleet is 13 years while our five-ton trucks are 17 years old. The age of our equipment has increased our maintenance requirements, both in the time we spend fixing equipment and the money it costs for each repair. Every day we experience the reality that the parts cost for an equipment repair order has increased over 100% in the last few years. Although it appears we are managing this in the short term, our Marines are spending an ever increasing amount of time on repairing equipment in order to keep it operational so we can train. We are also continuously inducting vehicles into corrosion control programs to repair damage done to the vehicles by exposure to salt water. Corrosion is a reality of being an amphibious force, but it has a greater effect on aging equipment. Nevertheless, in spite of increased repair costs and aging gear, we have been able to maintain equipment readiness in excess of 90% throughout the regiment due to the sacrifice and hard work of our Marines. Information Technology. The Second Marine Division has made a significant investment in automation in the last two years and we possess up to date computers and the necessary connectivity to allow us to communicate and operate in today’s digital world. In garrison, we have electronic mail, Internet access and the ability to read message traffic with our computers. In the area of supply and maintenance, we are currently introducing systems that will accelerate and make more efficient the ordering and distribution of repair parts. In the operational area, we are moving toward a digital tactical command post with an electronic map. However, the availability and reliability of the equipment we need to achieve this goal is some years away. Even with all this progress, I have concerns over the "panacea" of digitization and rapid technological changes we have seen in the past decade. In some areas, there appears to be a proclivity toward over reliance on technology. As such, we have seen structure cuts based on the so called savings realized from "leveraging technology." We need to continue to embrace the "revolution in military affairs" but with our eyes wide open to second and third order effects. Personnel. The key to our success is the quality and ability of our Marines. These young Americans are dedicated and willing to undergo the challenges of hard training and long deployments. However, they increasingly feel they are not being adequately compensated in both pay and benefits for their service. In some technical occupational specialties, we simply cannot compete with compensation in the civilian sector and are forced to constantly replace highly trained and capable Marines. The proposed pay increases and elimination of the REDUX retirement will improve compensation to the force. However, other issues such as continued reduction in family medical benefits, frequent moves with so many spouses now having their own careers, and continued family separations due to training and real world commitments continue to work against our ability to retain the Marines we need for the career force. Families. In the Sixth Marines, 828 of our 3000 Marines are married. My obligation to the families of these Marines is to make sure they are ready, trained if you will, for the rigors of being part of the Marine family. The vehicle we use for the readiness of our families is the Key Volunteers Network. The efforts of the Marine spouses that serve as Key Volunteers allow Marines to be able to focus on their mission and deploy with a certain piece of mind that someone is there to assist their families if needed. The Key Volunteers Program is a real combat multiplier and has a positive impact on overall unit readiness and retention. We retain not just the Marine but the Marine family. The continued support of this program is absolutely essential for the readiness of the force. Again, on behalf of our Marines, I appreciate the opportunity to address this committee and share some thoughts on readiness. The Sixth Marines and all of Second Marine Division is, today, a ready and trained force, prepared to undertake missions across the spectrum of conflict. However, this readiness increasingly comes at a price of increased maintenance costs and long hours spent by our Marines to keep the equipment we need to train with operational. Nevertheless, we are confident our efforts will continue to be supported by this Committee through adequate funding and accelerated modernization of our equipment. Your efforts allow us to continue to do what needs to be done to keep our families and ourselves ready for any mission that may come our way. |