As congressional leaders struggle to find a short-term budget fix to keep the government running past the end of this month, Senate Armed Services Committee officials will invite military leaders to a Thursday hearing to talk about the long-term budget problems facing their forces.

Army Chief Of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Air Force Chief Of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson are scheduled to testify that morning on the financial strains put on the force by five years of spending caps and offer "innovative" solutions for maintaining military superiority.

Leading up to that, House and Senate negotiators will be working on a budget breakthrough and final compromises on the annual defense authorization bill. Pentagon leaders have repeatedly complained that the lack of compromise and long-term planning is hurting their ability to efficiently manage their money.

The committee has also scheduled a Tuesday hearing on cyber matters and encryption, in the wake of how Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton handled her digital information as secretary of state.

Monday

Senate Foreign Relations -- 5 p.m. -- Visitors Center S217
Closed briefing
Committee members will receive a closed briefing on the failed coup in Turkey and the future of U.S.-Turkish cooperation.

Tuesday

Senate Armed Services -- 9:30 a.m. -- Hart 216
Cyber defense
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Marcell Lettre II and U.S. Cyber Command chief Adm. Michael Rogers will testify before the committee on encryption and cyber matters.

House Homeland Security -- 10 a.m. -- Cannon 311
Defense-in-Depth
The subcommittee on border security will discuss the effectiveness of the U.S. Border Patrol's so-called Defense-in-Depth strategy, and its impact on drug trafficking.

Senate Foreign Relations -- 10 a.m. -- Dirksen 419
U.S.-U.K. relations
Committee members will discuss the possible impact of Brexit on the U.S. relationship with the United Kingdom and Europe.

Wednesday

Senate Foreign Relations -- 9:30 a.m. -- Dirksen 419
Child protections
The subcommittee on global women's issues will hear from outside experts on efforts to end child marriage and protect girls.

House Foreign Affairs -- 10 a.m. -- Rayburn 2172
Iran policy
Lawmakers will mark up legislation prohibiting the distribution of ransom payments to the government of Iran.

House Homeland Security -- 10 a.m. -- Cannon 311
Terrorist pathways
The committee will review the Department of Homeland Security's capabilities to identify and track foreign fighters and other terrorists attempting to enter the United States.

House Foreign Affairs -- 2 p.m. -- Rayburn 2200
Turkey
The subcommittee on Europe will discuss the long-term security ramifications of the failed coup attempt in Turkey two months ago.

House Foreign Affairs -- 2 p.m. -- Rayburn 2172
Eritrea
Members of the Africa subcommittee will discuss instability in Eritrea and its security effects on the region.

Senate Foreign Relations --  2:15 p.m. -- Dirksen 419
NATO
The committee will hear from outside experts on the possibility of North Atlantic Treaty Organization expansion, focusing on the accession of Montenegro.

Senate Veterans' Affairs -- 2:30 p.m. -- Russell 418
Commission on Care
Lawmakers will hear from members of the Commission on Care on their report to reform VA health care, and receive feedback from VA officials.

House Armed Services -- 3:30 p.m. -- Rayburn 2118
Next Generation Air Space Control
The subcommittee on projection forces will hear from Air Force officials on their likelihood of complying with Next Generation Air Space Control requirements.

Thursday

Senate Armed Services -- 9:30 a.m. -- Dirksen G50
Military budgets
Army Chief Of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Air Force Chief Of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson will testify before the committee on long-term budgetary challenges facing the military services.

House Foreign Affairs -- 10 a.m. -- Rayburn 2172
Nicaragua
The subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will discuss security problems in Nicaragua and the impact on the region.

Senate Foreign Relations --  2:15 p.m. -- Dirksen 419
Norway
Committee members will discuss the civil nuclear agreement with Norway and its long-term security implications.



Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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