Press Releases

Today, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, made the following remarks on the hearing titled “U.S. Strategic Forces Posture:”

"Today we are focused on the 'U.S. Strategic Forces Posture' and we have again this year a tremendous pair of witnesses:

• The Honorable Brian McKeon

Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Department of Defense

• Admiral Cecil Haney

Commander

U.S. STRATCOM

I want to thank the witness panel for the time it takes to prepare for today’s testimony.

The subcommittee appreciates the seriousness with which you have prepared for this hearing and I assure you we approach our responsibility to provide oversight, policy, and funding authorization for the nation’s nuclear deterrent, missile defense, and national security space systems and capabilities with the same seriousness.

Your testimony will directly inform the policy and funding authorization decisions we make in the coming weeks.

These three mission areas could not be more important – indeed, existential – to the nation’s security.

Admiral Haney, I noted your recent appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies when you stated, '[w]e are out of time: sustainment is a must, recapitalization is a requirement…Our budget has a deterrent value of its own and reflects our nation’s commitment to our deterrence strategy…our adversaries pay close attention to [whether] we backup our words with resources…Our choice is not between keeping the current forces or replacing them, rather the choice is between replacing those forces or risk not having them at all.'

Adm. Haney, I hope you repeat this point as often as you can. Too many in the public policy and advocacy machine in this city either aren’t aware of this fact or willfully choose to ignore it.

We can’t help those who willingly choose ignorance, but we shouldn’t give up on those who aren’t aware of the basic facts.

Mr. McKeon, I know you spent a significant amount of time and energy on the Department’s Nuclear Enterprise Review in 2013. I am eager to hear how you are ensuring the momentum achieved during this review is maintained, especially as we see key recommendations, like the replacement of the Vietnam-era missile field security helicopters, languish in red tape in the Air Force and the Joint Staff.

And, I know I don’t have to tell you, but I feel it is essential that the American people are aware, of the increasing threat we face in outer space. We are facing serious and growing foreign threats to our space systems.

We will need to work closely with STRATCOM and OSD to ensure the war fighter has the capabilities and authorities to fight and win should a war extend to space."