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Today, Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projections Forces, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "The Future of Air Force Long-Range Strike - capabilities and employment concepts":

"Today the subcommittee meets to discuss the Future of Air Force Long-Range Strike—capabilities and employment concepts. Our distinguished panel of guests testifying today includes:

Lt Gen (Ret) Robert J. Elder, Jr. (Ph.D.), Faculty, George Mason University;
Mr. Mark Gunzinger, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; and
Dr. Rebecca Grant, President, IRIS Independent Research , distinguished guest thank you for being with us today.

During World War II, America gained the ability to strike targets at long range with its massive bomber force. The Air Force flew thousands of conventional daylight precision bombing missions over Europe and Asia. Crossing thousands of miles of ocean, the war in the Pacific was brought to a decisive end by the nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From that point, the United States maintained the robust conventional and nuclear 'Long Range Strike' capabilities needed to deter the aggression of hostile states and assure the security of our allies around the globe. As the threat environment evolved, so have our capabilities. Stealth and precision stand-off weapons enable our Navy and Air Force to penetrate anti-access environments. Our increasing ability to process, exploit and disseminate Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance information help deter future conflicts and deescalate regional tensions.

That said, our long-range strike capabilities must evolve further to address the range of challenges posed by the rapid and threatening rise of China, a resurgent and expansionist Russia, a subversive and terror supporting Iran and an unpredictable and provocative North Korea. China, Russia and North Korea are established nuclear powers and Iran, regardless of the negotiated P-5 agreement, remains a nuclear threat in the not-so-distant future. Adding to this complex security environment, I am concerned about Russia and China rapidly fielding highly capable integrated air defense systems and other anti-access capabilities. The proliferation of these weapon systems is eroding our ability to perform Long Range Strike with our legacy bomber fleet and stand-off precision weapons, thus diminishing our ability to deter and respond to aggression.

The current state of our bomber force is of great concern; the newest B-52 bomber is 53 years old. In at least one Air Force family, three generations of Airmen have piloted the Stratofortress, in combat engagements from Vietnam to ENDURING FREEDOM. As of September 2015, Air Force bomber force structure consists of 158 total bombers (63 B-1, 20 B-2 and 76 B-52 aircraft) with an average age of 39 years. Of the total, only 96 are currently funded for combat service. The Air Force plans on recapitalizing B-1 and B-52 force structure with a smaller fleet of 80-100 Long Range Strike Bombers. As we grapple with the proliferation of anti-access systems and contested environments, dwindling force structure, and continuing budget constraints and uncertainty, it is critically important that we identify the long-range strike capabilities and concepts that we need for the future."