U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, delivered the following opening statement at the full committee markup for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.
Rep. Lamborn's remarks as prepared for delivery:
I would like to thank the members of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, and especially Ranking Member Moulton, for the work they've done this year. I would also like to thank the professional staff for their efforts to produce a successful bill – Ryan Tully, Whitney Verett, Peter Schirtzinger, Maria Vastola, Zach Calderon, Bryn Woollacott, and Julia Valenzuela. The mark we have before us today reflects a continuation of the bipartisan approach that this subcommittee is known for.
This mark supports the ongoing effort to modernize America's nuclear deterrent, modernizes the supporting laboratory and production infrastructure managed by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, invests in both homeland and regional missile defenses, and continues to support the Department of Defense's transition from legacy space architectures to more capable and resilient constellations.
I am particularly pleased with the provisions in this mark that accelerate the development of offensive and defensive hypersonic capabilities. This mark takes significant steps to achieve that goal by expanding our test infrastructure, adding additional range space to fully meet the demand for hypersonic flight-testing, evaluating missile end-game performance. Building on measures included in last year's bill, it requires the Department to evaluate and conduct the associated environmental review processes for additional air corridors for hypersonic testing.
To advance our ability to deter China's nuclear breakout and Russian aggression, accelerate our development of hypersonics, and advance our efforts in military space and missile defense, I encourage all members to vote yes on this bipartisan Strategic Forces Subcommittee mark.
