“Good morning.  This hearing of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee will come to order. 

 “The purpose of today’s hearing is to examine the strategic posture of the United States and the status of our strategic forces, including our nuclear weapons programs, missile defense systems, and military space programs.

 “The Strategic Forces Subcommittee has jurisdiction over each of these areas, which track closely with the responsibilities of U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM. 

 “I want to welcome General Kevin Chilton, Commander of STRATCOM. General Chilton has testified before; thank you for coming back.

 “There’s plenty for us to discuss today given the many challenges we face with Russia, North Korea, Iran and whether we rework the Moscow Treaty, and a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

 “The challenges we face are complicated and the world we operate in is dangerous with rogue states and terrorists vying to get nuclear weapons. We know that our work here is critical to make the world a safer place and to rid the world of these horrible weapons.

 “In the debate over our nuclear posture, there is an emerging bipartisan consensus. Two years ago, former Defense Secretary Bill Perry, former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, and former Senator Sam Nunn called for the U.S. to move toward a world free of nuclear weapons. President Obama has echoed this call as well.

 “But even as we debate the feasibility of such a policy, we still face the ongoing challenge to be good stewards of our nuclear deterrent, without undermining critical non-proliferation efforts.

 “These challenges highlight the urgent need for a robust national discussion of the U.S. strategic posture. 

 “This subcommittee has acted to enable just such a discussion by establishing a bipartisan commission in the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act to examine U.S. strategic posture and recommend a 21st Century nuclear weapons policy. 

 “Under the capable leadership of Bill Perry and former Defense Secretary Jim Schlesinger, the commission submitted an excellent interim report in December, and they will deliver their final report on April 1st.  Doctors Perry and Schlesinger will also testify before our full committee on April 2nd.

 “General Chilton, since your testimony last year, the Congress has continued to have a vigorous discussion over U.S. ballistic missile defense systems and policy. 

 “As Chair of this subcommittee, I have argued that our primary focus should be on countering the most imminent, here-and-now threat to our deployed troops and our allies: short and medium range missiles. 

 “This subcommittee also has oversight of our military space programs. There is no shortage of challenges here, either. A year ago we witnessed the U.S. successfully intercept a failed satellite that could have re-entered the atmosphere in an uncontrolled way, threatening populated areas with hydrazine fuel. 

 “Last month, an Iridium satellite and an old Russian Cosmos satellite collided in outerspace.  The debris created from the collision will be a problem for decades. The collision underscores the urgent need for better Space Situational Awareness capabilities.
 
 “The United States has a host of pressing strategic and policy challenges, all of them interconnected. In this hearing, we hope to continue a critical discussion so that we may, together, chart the right strategic path forward for the United States.

 “Now let me turn to our Ranking Member, Mr. Turner, for any comments he may have.”