Press Releases

Today, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "Department of Defense (DOD) Fiscal Year 2017 Science and Technology Programs: Defense Innovation to Create the Future Military Force:"

"I am pleased to welcome everyone here today for this hearing on the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request for science and technology programs within the Department of Defense.

In a recent speech, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter spoke about the return of great-power competition, and the need to deter our most advanced competitors. We can only deter these competitors and adversaries when the Department of Defense harnesses innovation and creates new capabilities for the military that will maintain and expand our tech-superiority, now and into the future to achieve peace through strength.‎

This budget request is a good step in tackling the modernization challenges of the Department. Activities like the Third Offset Strategy and the Long Range Research and Development Plan are important to charting a course that takes a strategic view of the security environment; however, I remain concerned that it is too little too late. As I see it, starting major initiatives at the end of an administration makes it difficult to ensure that these things will survive the new budgetary and policy priorities that will naturally arise with a new President. I hope I am wrong, since I support many of the things being proposed in this budget request, but only time will tell.

I would like to welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses, and appreciate their perspectives on all of these issues. This panel includes:

• Dr. Stephen Welby, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

• Ms. Mary Miller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology

• Rear Admiral Mat Winter, USN, Chief of Naval Research

• Dr. David Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology, and Engineering

• Dr. Arati Prabhakar Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency"