Opening Statements

Today, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's hearing titled "FY20 Priorities for Department of Defense Nuclear Activities."

"Thank you Mr. Chairman. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to General Hyten, Mr. Trachtenberg, Vice Admiral Wolfe, and Lieutenant General Clark, and Lieutenant General Arny Bunch, who I see back there, and who I hope will be heading to Wright Patterson Air Force Base very soon leading AFMC. Thank you all for your service to our nation and for being here today.

"Today's hearing comes at a crucial point for our nuclear enterprise. The Department of Defense with the National Nuclear Security Administration is moving out on implementing the recommendations made in the Nuclear Posture Review, specifically regarding the development of low-yield nuclear capabilities, which I strongly support. This year with the support of our NATO allies we finally initiated our withdrawal from the INF treaty after years of Russian non-compliance. Lastly, we continue along the broad nuclear enterprise modernization which remains the Department of Defense's number one priority.

"Meanwhile, we continue to witness disturbing trends in foreign nuclear forces developments. Both China and Russia continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals, increasing the quantities, capabilities, and delivery platforms for nuclear weapons. China announced its intention to develop its own nuclear triad, with the development of a nuclear-capable strategic bomber. Russia possesses an overwhelming number of tactical nuclear weapons, coupled with an increasingly disturbing rhetoric supporting their escalate-to-deescalate theory. Additionally, Iran and North Korea continue to present very real threats to our deployed forces and homeland.

"I would like to highlight a few issues that I hope our witnesses will address here today.

"First, let me start with U.S. nuclear policy. There has been some, even in this committee that believe that the U.S. should adopt a no-first-use policy with regards to nuclear weapons. I believe that is misguided and ultimately dangerous, because it prematurely limits our options to credibly deter. It is destabilizing, not supported by our allies in Europe or in the Pacific, and artificially limits our ability to provide for a credible deterrent capability. I would be interested in the witness' perspective on this issue, specifically from Gen Hyten and Mr. Trachtenberg.

"In a related policy theme—the future of arms control. I strongly supported the Administration's intent to withdraw from INF. It is a failed treaty because of years of Russian non-compliance, that have led us to an operational and strategic disadvantage across the globe. Our withdrawal was supported by NATO and our allies in the Pacific. While the Administration considers the fate of New START and any other follow-on strategic arms control treaties such efforts must demonstrably benefit the security of the United States. They should be verifiable and include the tactical strategic systems being developed by Russia and China such as their respective hypersonic weapons programs. I do not believe China can be incentivized to join in this discussion without doing even more harm to our current and future force structure. I would be interested in the perspectives of the panel on what it would take for Russia and China to initiate arms controls discussion that still benefitted the national security of this nation.

"Lastly, and perhaps most importantly. We must continue our nuclear modernization program at the pace and scope at which it is being conducted. While my colleagues frequently argue that it is took expensive and cite the "sticker shock" of modernization, the reality is that at its peak nuclear modernization is expected to cost 6.4% of the defense budget. As the previous Secretary of Defense said, "We can afford survival." The numbers we are talking about are undoubtedly large. But these are not programs that we can afford to take any more risk in than we have over the last 30 years since we last modernized them. The threat picture has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. So too must our deterrence capabilities. I will look to Vice Admiral Wolfe and LtGen Clark to help me understand whether these programs are rooted in validated requirements, meeting their projected cost profile, minimizing risk, and executing responsibly.

"This might be the most important hearing this subcommittee has all year, because it is the hearing that defends the budget proposal for number one priority of the Department of Defense.

"To all the witnesses thank you again for being with us today. You each possess a tremendous amount of expertise and insight on our nation's nuclear forces, and our nation is better off as a result of your service. I look forward to your testimony."
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