U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the FY24 budget request for U.S. nuclear weapon and warhead modernization and sustainment plans.
Rep. Lamborn's remarks as prepared for delivery:
The Strategic Forces subcommittee meets today to review the fiscal year 2024 budget request for U.S. nuclear forces.
Good morning to our witness – Secretary Plumb, Secretary Rosenblum, Administrator Hruby, General Bussiere, and Vice Admiral Wolfe.
I'm glad that we're able to hold this hearing as informed by President Biden's budget request. My priorities as we put together the Fiscal Year 2024 budget are that we keep the current nuclear modernization program of record on track, where there are delays or bottlenecks we identify ways to fix or circumvent them, and we begin to examine new capabilities outside the current program of record. We need to be thinking about the key infrastructure investments and capabilities we'll need in a decade, and start planning and budgeting for them now.
We are in a precarious time during our nuclear modernization program. Simultaneously modernizing the ground, air, and sea legs of our triad was never going to be easy, and we are past the point of no return to ensure new capabilities come online as old capabilities age out. I intend to be deeply involved in the schedules for the COLUMBIA, Sentinel, and B-21 programs as well as those for the associated warhead and missile systems. There are three specific concerns that I would like to highlight today.
On the Sentinel ICBM program, there have been some press statements that global macroeconomic issues like supply chain are causing delays to the program. I would like to thank Undersecretary Bill LaPlante for quickly reaching out to schedule a briefing on these challenges, and happy that he will be here tomorrow to brief Ranking Member Moulton and myself. Once we get that briefing tomorrow, we'll be sure to get an update in the works for members as well. Secretary Rosenblum and General Bussiere, to the degree you can say anything about those delays today, it would be appreciated.
I am also incredibly worried about the National Nuclear Security Administration's ability to recruit and retain people, and how this is leading to delays in key projects. Administrator Hruby, we are obviously very concerned about the delays in plutonium pit production, but we're also tracking delays to the Tritium Finishing Facility in South Carolina and the Pantex High Explosive Facility in Texas. My understanding is that these programs are delayed, so I'm hoping you will explain why the Tritium and High Explosive projects didn't receive any funding in the budget request.
Finally, I have some questions about AUKUS. There is broad bipartisan support across the aisle for this framework. I would like to understand how AUKUS is going to impact U.S. highly enriched uranium requirements. Specifically, I would like to know if we need to begin thinking about and budgeting for a DOD-specific program to sustain our requirements.
With that I'd like to again welcome our witnesses. We look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to develop these critical nuclear capabilities, and how this subcommittee can be helpful.
I now recognize Ranking Member Moulton for his opening comments.
