Your term expires tomorrow night, your original 2 year term. Chairman NUNN. If that term expired and we did not act on your confirmation, who then would be in charge of our military forces? Admiral CROWE. Well, the same men that are now, Mr. Chairman the President and the Secretary of Defense. Chairman NUNN. I mean beyond that. In a military uniform, who would be in charge? Admiral CROWE. Oh, I thought I would go home and rest for a few days. [General laughter.] Chairman NUNN. Would the Vice Chairman take over? Admiral CROWE. I was told by my legal counsel that it is a debatable issue and we hope it won't come to that, but yes, it would be the Vice Chairman. Senator WARNER. Perhaps it is in our best interest not to try to answer the question. Chairman NUNN. The Vice Chairman would take over, is that not right? Admiral CROWE. I assume so, yes. Senator WARNER. I join the chairman in saying that you have the respect and the trust of the Senate, certainly of this committee. You have done a fine job. We are grateful that you have offered yourself for continued public service. Admiral CROWE. Thank you very much, sir. It has been a pleas ure. Chairman NUNN. This hearing is concluded. Thank you very much. [Whereupon, at 12:40 p.m., the hearing was concluded.] [The nomination of Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr., was reported to the Senate by Senator Sam Nunn on September 29, 1987, with the recommendation that the nomination be confirmed. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on October 1, 1987.] NOMINATION OF JOHN J. WELCH, JR., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1987 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 8:45 a.m., in room SR222, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Carl Levin presiding. Present: Senators Levin and McCain. Staff present: Patrick A. Tucker, minority counsel; Andrew S. Effron, counsel; Gerald K. Bankus and Sherri Wasserman Goodman, professional staff members; Pamela G. Powell, staff assistant. Also present: Jeffrey B. Subko, assistant to Senator Exon; Greg Weaver, assistant to Senator Levin; Milton D. Beach, assistant to Senator Glenn; Terrence Lynch, assistant to Senator Shelby; William J. Wight, assistant to Senator Warner; Alan Ptak, assistant to Senator Gramm; and Patrick A. Putignano, assistant to Senator McCain. OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR CARL LEVIN, PRESIDING Senator LEVIN. This morning the Armed Services Committee meets to consider the nomination of John J. Welch, Jr., to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Research, Development and Logistics. Mr. Welch comes to this position with extensive experience in defense acquisition. He is an engineer by training, graduating from MIT in 1951. For most of his professional career he has been involved in the aerospace industry, first as an engineer, later as a program manager, and later still as a senior vice president at LTV Aerospace Corp. From August 1969 to September 1970, Mr. Welch was the Chief Scientist in the United States Air Force. He is also an active consultant to the Defense Science Board, a member of the U.S. Army and Air Force Science Board and the National Academy of Sciences Naval Studies Group. Mr. Welch, you come to this position at a very critical time. The Air Force initiated many procurement programs in recent years in the expectation that budgets would grow faster. The Air Force has launched a number of very large new programs, including the Advanced Tactical Fighter, the C-17 transport, the Advanced Tactical bomber, the small ICBM, rail mobile MX missiles, two new classes of space boosters, the National Aerospace Plane, and the MILSTAR satellite program, for example. All were launched at a time when the DOD was projecting real growth increases of 5 percent a year. Fiscal reality now presents a different picture. We have had 3 years of real spending declines in defense. The prospect of the Gramm-Rudman sequester order this fall opens the possibility that defense spending in fiscal year 1988 could be as much as $32 billion below the President's request. In the outyears, the defense budget is some $300 billion higher than likely spending projections. This means that from $70 to $100 billion of Air Force programs and activities will have to be cut over the next 5 years. You face very tough problems during your stewardship, if the Senate confirms your nomination. We note with relief that you bring an excellent background in defense acquisition to help you with those tough problems. We welcome you today and look forward to your statement. I know that your wife is here this morning. We welcome her as well. Before we turn to your opening statement, let me ask Senator McCain if he has an opening statement. Senator MCCAIN. No, thank you, Mr. Chairman. [The nomination reference of John J. Welch, Jr., follows:] NOMINATION REFERENCE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, July 2, 1987. (Under authority of the order of the Senate of February 3, 1987.) Ordered, that the following nomination be referred to the Committee on Armed Services: John J. Welch, Jr., of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, vice Thomas Edward Cooper, resigned. [The biographical sketch of John J. Welch, Jr., which was transmitted to the committee at the time the nomination was referred follows:] AUGUST 23, 1985. PERSONAL DATA Name: John James Welch, Jr. Name of company: LTV Aerospace and Defense Company. Title: Senior Vice President-Program Development. Business address: 1725 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 900, Arlington, Virginia 22202 Business telephone: (703) 521-6560. Date and place of birth: 8-23-30, Cambridge, Mass. Citizenship: United States. Marital Status: Married. Military service: None. Education: B.S. in Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, May 1951. WORK EXPERIENCE Company assignments: Junior engineer, Chance Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas, June 1951-July 1952: design of alighting and arresting installation for aircraft and missiles (F7U, XWU-1, F4U and AU-1); selected by competitive examina tion for a program of on-the-job training and classroom instruction in all departments of the corporation. Flight test liaison engineer, Chance Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas, July 1952-April 1954: modification, testing and preparation for delivery of the Regulus I missile and all support systems; modification, testing and preparation for flight of complete airframe, propulsion, and support sections of the Regulus I missile; modification, testing and preparation for flight of Regulus I drone and control aircraft (TV-2, F2H, F9F, and FJ); preparation and evaluation of the Regulus I missile from receipt to actual launch. Included in this period was the responsibility for the conversion and initial evaluation of the missile launching submarine USS TUNNY. Missile operations engineer, Chance Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas, April 1954-November 1956: all problems concerned with the introduction and employment of the Regulus I weapon system in the fleet, and in particular, submarines. These problems included training, logistics, weapon utilization, customer contact, reporting, and on-the-spot design and installation of electrical, electronics, mechanical and structural alterations to correct deficiencies. Project engineer, Chance Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas, November 1956-February 1959: complete responsibility for design, installation and test of the launching, stowage, checkout and handling systems for the Regulus I and Regulus II shipboard weapon systems. This included weapon system responsibility from BuAer to all shipbuilding and subcontract agencies involved in the Regulus programs. Project engineer-advanced anti-submarine warfare, Chance Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas, February 1959-November 1959: study of requirements and preparation of advanced ASW proposals. Included in this period were technical proposals for sonar, aircraft and missiles. Chief, ASW engineering projects, Chance Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas, November 1959-July 1960: technical responsibility for all phases of all projects in the ASW Engineering Department of the Aeronautics Division. ASW systems engineering manager, Chance Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas, July 1960-August 1961: management responsibility for all phases of all projects in the ASW Engineering Department of the Aeronautics Division. Plans and programs manager-aircraft and missiles, Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc., Dallas, Texas, August 1961-July 1963: responsible to the General Manager for planning, proposal program coordination and execution, marketing, sales and customer liaison for the Aeronautics and Missiles Division. This included the analysis of future military needs and requirements, cost effectiveness and systems analyses, direction of all divisional pre- and post-proposal activities and the determination of sales and marketing strategies. Advanced programs manager, Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc., Dallas, Texas, July 1963July 1964: direct responsibility for all advanced systems effort within LTV Astronautics Division. These responsibilities included management planning, administration, technical and sales efforts. This area has the prime divisional responsibility for the planning and acquisition of new business. Director of product development, Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc., Dallas, Texas, July 1964-March 1965: responsible for directing the planning and execution of all marketing with the exception of current products to current customers, and for directing the planning of this exception, with execution to be by the Program Manager. Further responsible for directing all advance contract and IR&D programs to obtain new business with specific emphasis on the present defense systems, space maneuvering systems, and advanced launch systems. Vice president-director of product development, LTV Aerospace Corporation, Dallas, Texas, March 1965-May 1966: same as above with the addition of acting for the vice president-general manager in his absence. Vice president-director of defense systems, LTV Aerospace Corporation, Dallas, Texas, May 1966-December 1966: responsible for the direction of all space defense systems programs currently under contract to the Astronautics Division and all advanced space defense systems programs being conducted under the division's IR&D effort with specific emphasis on the promotion of new business in the space defense systems area. In addition, acted for the vice president-general manager in his ab sence. Vice president-programs, LTV Aerospace Corporation, Dallas, Texas, December 1966-October 1968: responsible for the direction of all programs currently under contract at the Missiles and Space Division-Texas facilities. This included Scout, Landing Force Support Weapon, Saturn Tanks, Apollo Radiators, SPARTA, and Langley Field Operations. In addition, responsible for all space and ballistic missile defense systems programs and their alternate applications. Acted for vice president-general manager in his absence. |