Defense hearings: Combatant commanders and budget talk in the Senate

House members are home on recess this week, but senators remained in Washington, D.C. to continue work on the Defense Department and Veterans Affairs fiscal 2017 budget requests and related issues.

Special Operations Command head Gen. Joseph Votel, who appeared before a House panel last week, will visit the Senate Armed Services Committee twice this week. The first is to talk about next year's budget, the second is to talk about his next job as head of U.S. Central Command.

House appropriators are expected to return to Capitol Hill next week with draft plans for their fiscal 2017 budget, shifting that process from hearings to committee and floor debates. The Senate will do the same later this spring.

Combatant commanders

Special Operations Command head Gen. Joseph Votel, Africa Command head Gen. David Rodriguez, and Central Command head Gen. Lloyd Austin III testify before the committee on worldwide operations and the fiscal 2017 budget request.

Homeland Security budget

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security will testify on their fiscal 2017 budget request.

Military personnel

Service personnel and manpower officials will appear before the committee to discuss issues facing servicemembers and the fiscal 2017 budget request.

Air Force modernization

The airland subcommittee will hear from Air Force acquisition and operations officials about future modernization plans and the fiscal 2017 budget request.

Nominations

The committee will consider the nominations of Gen. Joseph Votel, to move from head of Special Operations Command to leading Central Command, and Lt. Gen. Raymond Thomas III, to replace Votel.

Defense health program

The subcommittee on defense will discuss the fiscal 2017 budget request for military health programs and long-term reforms to the system.

Security cooperation

The subcommittee on emerging threats will hear from outside experts on international security cooperation and assistance programs.

Closed hearing

Committee members will hold a closed session with Air Force Space Command head Gen. John Hyten to discuss his agency's fiscal 2017 budget request.

Nominations

The committee will consider several nominations, including new ambassadors to Uruguay and Somalia.

VA budget

Veterans Affairs officials will testify before committee members about their fiscal 2017 budget request.

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

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