Senator Martin: Government leader, to quote military doctrine:

The ultimate role of the armed forces is to apply force, or the threat of force, in the furtherance of the interests of the state. . . .

To achieve that goal and follow in the footsteps of the heroes in uniform who came before them, key trades in the Armed Forces need to be filled with exceptional personnel. They need to have the capacity to fight and to respond to emergencies if our nation calls upon them to do so.

Senator Gold, you did list some of the efforts that are being made, but would you commit to informing the Senate about the government’s exact plan to recruit and retain the personnel required to defend our country and respond to national emergencies?