Legislature(2015 - 2016)CAPITOL 120
03/10/2015 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, Commissioner/adjutant General | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
March 10, 2015
1:33 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bob Herron, Chair
Representative Jim Colver
Representative Shelley Hughes
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Max Gruenberg
Representative Chris Tuck
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING:
DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS~
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL
Brigadier General(Alaska) Laurel J. Hummel - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
BRIGADIER GENERAL LAUREL J. HUMMEL, Commissioner Designee
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as commissioner designee to the
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs.
ALEX ELMORE, Major, Alaska Army National Guard
Executive Officer
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered a question during the confirmation
hearing for Brigadier General(Alaska) Laurel J. Hummel,
Commissioner Designee, Department of Military & Veterans'
Affairs.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:33:32 PM
CHAIR BOB HERRON called the House Special Committee on Military
and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 1:33 p.m.
Representatives Tuck, Lynn, Gruenberg, LeDoux, Hughes, Colver,
and Herron were present at the call to order.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING:
CONFIRMATION HEARING:
^Department of Military & Veterans Affairs,
Commissioner/Adjutant General
Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, Commissioner/Adjutant
General
1:34:02 PM
CHAIR HERRON announced that the only order of business would be
a confirmation hearing on the appointment of Brigadier
General(Alaska) Laurel J. Hummel as the commissioner/adjutant
general of the Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs.
1:34:37 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL(Alaska) LAUREL J. HUMMEL, speaking as the
commissioner designee to the Department of Military & Veterans'
Affairs (DMVA), informed the committee she was born into a
multi-generational military family; her father served four
combat tours of duty. From her experience, she learned the
values of a close family focused on the shared objective of
service to the nation. Commissioner Designee Hummel choose a
military career at the age of seven, before women were accepted
into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. At the age of
seventeen, she was admitted into West Point, and was
commissioned in 1982 into the Military Intelligence Corps. Her
service in Alaska began as the Operations Intelligence Director
and Chief of Joint Intelligence Support Element for Alaskan
Command in the late 1990s. In 1998, she was selected to command
a battalion and also for a professorship at West Point, and she
chose to return to West Point to teach, advise, and manage its
Geography and Environmental Engineering Department. During her
tenure at West Point, she was called upon to assist operations
in Iraq and in Afghanistan. During a tour of duty in
Afghanistan, she facilitated the inclusion of women into the
National Military Academy of Afghanistan, which was an arduous
process. After thirty years of active duty, Commissioner
Designee Hummel retired and returned to Alaska. Since then, she
has been involved in business and politics, and was asked by the
governor in January to be the commissioner/adjutant general of
DMVA and the Alaska National Guard (AKNG).
1:40:59 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL continued to say that retirement
from active duty was difficult, and her appointment is humbling
and "the opportunity of a lifetime." She said she was eager to
begin a leadership role along with other members of the
leadership team at AKNG and DMVA. Her vision for DMVA includes
focusing on the Arctic military strategy and the formulation of
a national policy in the Arctic. This focus must include [U.S.
Code - Title 10: outlines the role of armed forces] and national
partnerships with National Guard Bureau in order to preserve the
funding and resources for DMVA and AKNG. Most of DMVA's funding
comes from the federal government, thus relevance and partnering
with Title 10 forces are critical to funding and the growth of
AKNG. In addition, there is a need to focus on homeland
security and emergency management through training events and
exercises. Commissioner Designee Hummel stated that in order to
create a foundation for an ethical and optimistic organizational
culture, there must be clearly defined processes, based in
doctrine, in an ethical, legal, and moral climate.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL recalled those who have been
mentors to her, and noted that leaders believe in, have trust
in, and have respect for their subordinates. She spoke of her
father's influence on her decisions.
1:47:47 PM
CHAIR HERRON asked who nominated Commissioner Designee Hummel
for West Point.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said she entered West Point on a
presidential appointment to the class of 1982, which was the
third class to admit women. In further response to Chair
Herron, she said women attending service academies today are
more physically fit. She acknowledged that conditions at West
Point at that time were different and difficult; the attrition
rate for women in her class was 50 percent. The women cadets
today are very close, but did not interact with each other at
that time. There was a high level of maturity in her class.
CHAIR HERRON asked whether there were times of doubt.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said in 1980 she came to Alaska to
serve in the Cadet Troop Leader Programs, and there were
problems with drugs and racism that caused her to consider
leaving the service; however, she decided to be part of the
solution instead.
REPRESENTATIVE COLVER observed there are operational advantages
to the use of drones and asked whether there are programs within
AKNG using drones.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said no. An issue with the use of
drones is intelligence oversight on their use. The Alaska
National Guard is bound by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
regulations for operations on American soil. At this time, AKNG
is consulting with the University of Alaska Fairbanks research
program in this regard.
1:56:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES advised that Mike O'Hare, Deputy Director,
Division of Homeland Security/Emergency Management (DHS&EM),
DMVA, represents DMVA on the Legislative Task Force on Unmanned
Aircraft Systems.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL clarified that her response was to
programs within AKNG and the military use of drones; however,
DHS&EM has many uses for drones.
REPRESENTATIVE COLVER described the use of geographic
information systems (GIS) in the private sector for engineering
and surveying purposes. He asked for Commissioner Designee
Hummel's ideas in this regard.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL referred to technology developed by
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), DoD. She
agreed that DHS&EM uses many applications in satellite
technology. Although unsure how to bring GIS into DMVA
operations, she said the military is at the leading edge of GIS
technology.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN noted that the commissioner/adjutant general
has civilian responsibilities and inquired as to Alaska's
present level of security.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said force protection and threat
levels are constantly assessed by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS), and the relayed to DHS&EM, thus DMVA is
informed and can take appropriate measures.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES asked for a brief description of the
commissioner designee's mission for the department in the
future.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL explained that DMVA's mission is to
its customers who are the military, administrative services, the
Alaska Military Youth Academy, DHS&EM, administrative oversight
of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation, the Alaska State Defense
Force, and the Office of Veterans Affairs. These missions are
to the state and the federal governments, and her appointment is
commissioner of DMVA and adjutant general of AKNG. Her vision
for DMVA includes increasing the perception of relevance with
DMVA's federal partners in order to sustain resources and the
military force structure. It is important to keep AKNG in place
to protect Alaska, and also as part of the national operational
Ready Reserve. In addition, DMVA needs to act as an active
partner with National Guard Bureau, the Alaska Congressional
delegation, Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force,
U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Air Pacific, First Army Corps, Alaskan
Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and
U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). There must be opportunities
to train with these partners and to share best practices. She
said Arctic strategies, operational partnerships, and sound
emergency management are her three major operational focus
areas. Moreover, the organizational culture will be further
developed by a specialized team to address problems that AKNG
has had in the past. Commissioner Designee Hummel turned to
DMVA's state operations, pointing out the department has over
400 state employees doing critical work. Therefore, DMVA
customers are every Alaskan, at-risk youth, Alaskan veterans,
members who are citizen-soldiers, and members who are full-time
guardsmen.
2:08:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES asked whether any reorganization is
planned to accommodate budget constraints.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said no, although some programs are
being decremented or postponed as necessary.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES expressed her support of the focus on
veterans. She then asked the about importance of the Uniform
Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to a healthy and functioning
unit and operations, and for morale.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL stated the National Guard Bureau,
Office of Complex Investigations report on AKNG revealed the
need to adjudicate administrative and punitive measures when
necessary. The state code currently in statute is outdated and
lacks "teeth" for situations other than administrative
processing. If a soldier or airman commits an act that is not
enforceable by state law, but would be enforceable by a military
code or regulations that allow non-judicial punishment, AKNG has
no authority other than to "attempt to put the person out of
service." She advised that a code is needed for justice;
furthermore, a code raises the expectation of a functioning
command climate. There is now a judge advocate general officer
whose principal purpose is to assist the House Judiciary
Standing Committee and other legislators put in place a
functioning code of military justice. This is a complicated
process - to avoid double jeopardy, for instance - and by
working in partnership, she expects an exemplary result in time.
2:13:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES asked for a description of double
jeopardy.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL explained the code would ensure
that a certain violation is either in the authority of the
military, or in the authority of the civilian court system, but
not both.
CHAIR HERRON requested that the commissioner designee work with
legislators on upcoming legislation in this regard.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL agreed, and said she could not
predict when the upcoming legislation would be filed.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked whether an appropriate military code
of justice would have made any difference regarding the
treatment of the recent AKNG sexual scandals.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL advised there were many issues in
in the recent occurrence. She opined that with a working code
of military justice, regulations for non-judicial punishment, a
command climate based on doctrine, and a less permissive
culture, there would have been a different set of results. As
an aside, she responded to an earlier question from
Representative Lynn that DHS&EM advises there are no credible
threats to security at this time.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX questioned whether simply having a
military code of justice, without the appropriate command
structure, would have had an effect in the past.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL advised that the code, non-judicial
punishment measures, and a chain of command that is willing to
enforce the code and use the non-judicial punishment measures,
are all needed.
2:19:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX surmised that - whether or not there is a
military code of justice - after an accusation of sexual assault
by a member of AKNG, the case would go to civil authorities.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said yes, and added that if the
victim is a member of AKNG, the guard should "close ranks around
that victim and go through all the steps of assisting that
victim."
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked exactly what offenses would be
adjudicated with non-judicial punishment if a military code of
justice were in place.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL gave an example of a soldier or
airman publishing derogatory, sexist, or racist comments on a
Facebook page; this would be conduct unbecoming a military
member's position, but would be an exercise in free speech in
the "civilian world."
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked whether another example is an
extramarital affair, which would be adjudicated under the
military, as opposed to civil law.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said correct.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK expressed his great satisfaction with the
commissioner designee's credentials, and asked for more
information on her postings in Afghanistan.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL stated that in 2010 she was posted
in Afghanistan as an academic advisor to the National Military
Academy of Afghanistan, and in 2011-12 she was the project
officer tasked with bringing women into the academy. In 2012,
the new class of cadets included women. In further response to
Representative Tuck, she agreed that the strength of the first
women cadets at West Point was physical and mental.
2:26:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK favorably compared a list of the
commissioner/adjutant general's duties with the commissioner
designee's resume.
2:27:59 PM
CHAIR HERRON asked whether female cadets have been vindicated.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said no, and observed that
organizational change is extraordinarily hard; occasionally an
apology is offered. On another subject, in further response to
Chair Herron, she said Adak's time of key geographic location
has passed and at this time, technology has surpassed previous
iterations. Adak's importance remains as a shipment point for
maritime endeavors, but not for aspects of military strategies.
CHAIR HERRON asked for a brief explanation of commissioner
designee Hummel's unpublished paper entitled "Illitquisat:
Indigenizing Alaskan Public Education."
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL explained that as a doctoral
student, she was inspired by a scientist who collected anecdotal
data on indigenous peoples which was not valued or included in
research by Western scientists. The paper included a series of
lesson plans and curricula based on Native learning styles more
meaningful to students. In further response to Chair Herron,
she said her most personally significant award is the North
American Treaty Organization (NATO) medal. She described her
work with NATO forces in Afghanistan.
CHAIR HERRON asked her to describe the trials and tribulations
of American soldiers in Afghanistan.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said there are many levels of
trials and tribulations: the tactical level of discomfort and
fear in a battle with no certain front, and the level of social,
cultural, and political doubt. She praised the selflessness of
those who suppress their questions and continue to serve.
CHAIR HERRON asked the time required for her paperwork to be
federalized by National Guard Bureau.
2:41:30 PM
ALEX ELMORE, Major, Alaska Army National Guard, Executive
Officer, Office of the Commissioner, DMVA, informed the
committee the timeline is unclear; however, Commissioner
Designee Hummel is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and holds the
rank of Brigadier General in Alaska.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL offered that two other adjutants
general are active duty retirees who have been called to serve
in the National Guard.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES agreed that a review of the uniform
military code will impact the culture and effectiveness of AKNG.
Society is much different than when the code was first written,
and she asked Commissioner Designee Hummel if there are aspects
of the code that are outdated and unreasonable, and that should
not be enforced, for instance, charging for an extramarital
affair.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL stated she would need to review the
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) before giving an
informed answer; however, in most commands, one consideration
taken is how an action reflects on the command and its mission.
She provided an example of fraternization between ranks. She
concluded that non-judicial punishment is based on the impact of
the action to the unit, morale, national defense, and the
integrity of the force.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES expressed her support for the higher
standard set by the military over 100 to 200 years, even though
now society is "a different world." She restated her question
as to whether a charge for an extramarital affair should be in
the code.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said the UCMJ is a sound document;
she would have to review the code in its entirety in order to
determine whether aspects of the code are no longer pertinent,
although that is not within the purview of the commander to do
so.
2:49:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN clarified that the UCMJ applies to active
duty military, and he questioned whether the question applied to
the UCMJ, which is a federal document, or to the code that may
be adopted for AKNG.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES said her question was directed to the
document adopted for Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked for the definition of
necrogeography.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE HUMMEL said necrogeography is the
geography of death and dying. She described her interest in
cemeteries as part of a cultural landscape, and a research
project in which she adopted a semester-long curriculum for high
schools students who studied a cemetery.
2:52:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX read the committee report:
The House Special Committee on Military and Veterans'
Affairs has reviewed the qualifications of the
following governor's appointee and recommends that
this name be forwarded to a joint session for
consideration: Commissioner, Department of Military &
Veterans Affairs/Adjutant General of the Alaska
National Guard, Laurel Hummel. This does not reflect
intent by any of the members to vote for or against
this individual during any further sessions for
purposes of confirmation.
2:53:27 PM
[There being no objection, the confirmation was advanced.]
2:53:35 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 2:53 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| MVA Commissioner Designate Laurel Hummel resume.pdf |
HMLV 3/10/2015 1:00:00 PM |