Senator Baldwin Questions Defense Secretary on Troop Deployment Authority and Budget

Authority for Troop Deployment

• ❓ Senator Baldwin questioned the Defense Secretary on the specific constitutional or statutory authority used to deploy active duty Marines to California neighborhoods.
• 🏛️ The Secretary cited the President's constitutional authority and mentioned section 12406 of title 10 regarding National Guard troops, promising to provide the specific provision for active duty Marines.
• 📜 While acknowledging historical precedent for using active duty troops to support law enforcement, Baldwin insisted on the specific legal authority for this deployment.

Defense Budget and Ship Procurement

• 🚢 Baldwin highlighted the lack of specific detail in the Department of Defense's budget request, particularly concerning the procurement of Constellation class frigates and destroyers, which are built in her home state of Wisconsin.
• 📉 The Secretary acknowledged issues with the frigate program, citing problems and delays that led to modifications, and stated that tough choices are being made on some platforms.
• 📊 He committed to providing the committee with the necessary details regarding frigate and destroyer plans, noting that significant work has been done to reverse previous administration priorities.

Military Policy on Transgender Service Members

• 🏳️‍⚧️ Baldwin raised concerns about the Department of Defense's policy to separate thousands of service members due to their transgender status, questioning its impact on military readiness and national security.
• 🧠 The Secretary stated that the department conducted an extensive analysis, agreeing with the assessment that gender dysphoria complicates military service and readiness, and committed to providing this analysis to the committee.

Strategic Priorities and Renaming Ships

• 🇨🇳 Baldwin expressed disappointment that the focus has shifted from countering global threats like China and Iran to issues like renaming ships, specifically mentioning the renaming of a ship named after Navy veteran Harvey Milk during Pride Month.
• 🚢 The Department's stance is that they are not interested in naming ships after activists.