Press Releases

Today, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's hearing titled "Nuclear Deterrence—the Defense Science Board's Perspective." For testimony and to watch the hearing click here.

"Welcome to our hearing on 'Nuclear Deterrence—the Defense Science Board's Perspective.'
I want to thank our witnesses for being here today and for your service to the public.

Our witnesses are all experts who have spent their careers in fields related to nuclear deterrence. They are appearing today in their capacities as Members of the Defense Science Board, but all have long and distinguished histories in the topic of our hearing.

We thank you for the hard work it takes to prepare for this hearing. Our witnesses are:

• Dr. Michael Anastasio

• Dr. Miriam John

• Dr. William LaPlante

In December 2016, in the waning days of the Obama Administration, the Defense Science Board completed a report titled 'Seven Defense Priorities for the New Administration.' It made recommendations to the new Trump Administration on key issues in the world of defense.

Chapter 2 of this report summarized years of work by the Board on nuclear deterrence. Which is exactly what we will explore today.

The Board has published 12 studies over the past 14 years on this topic. So it's clear the Board has spent a lot of time thinking about this.

As well it should: a defense mission of such importance seems worthy of sustained and focused attention. And our military and civilian defense leaders have repeatedly said nuclear deterrence is our highest priority defense mission.

We heard this very clearly just yesterday from the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior military officers.

As the new Administration and Congress goes forward with the nuclear modernization program initiated by President Obama, we should take stock of where we and other nuclear powers are at—and where we're going.

The Board's report correctly notes that 'nuclear weapons are a steadily evolving threat—in both new and familiar directions.' We must understand how the threat is evolving and anticipate what must be done to compensate.

Of course, we must also understand where we've been. The Board notes that the 'after 25 years of downplaying (and poorly resourcing) the mission' significant investment is needed to ensure a credible nuclear deterrent.

Importantly, the Board notes that despite the U.S. focus on downplaying the utility of nuclear weapons, many other nations have not done the same.

Our witnesses today will be able to provide the collective views and recommendations of the Board, as well as their own views as Board Members.

Informing the public is a big part of our job up here, and the American people need to hear from independent experts like you on where we should be going with our nuclear deterrent.

Directly after this hearing, the subcommittee will meet in a closed session to continue the discussion with our witnesses at a classified level. Members must understand the sensitive details of both foreign threats and U.S. capabilities to fully appreciate the Board's assessment.

Ensuring a credible nuclear deterrent—for the long-term future—will continue to be a major priority for this nation, this Congress, and this Committee.

As Chairman Thornberry said yesterday: 'This hearing and the Committee's broader series on nuclear deterrence will remind us, the American people, our allies, and our potential adversaries that the U.S. strategic deterrent must always be credible and must always be ready.'"