Rogers: Congress Must Support Sentinel, Air Superiority, and Space Dominance

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the posture of the Department of the Air Force for Fiscal Year 2026. Chairman Rogers' remarks as prepared for delivery: We are here today to hear from the Department of the Air Force on its FY26 budget request. Unfortunately, we still ha...

Rogers: We Must Equip Our Soldiers for Tomorrow's Fight Today

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the posture of the Department of the Army for Fiscal Year 2026. Chairman Rogers' remarks as prepared for delivery: I welcome our witnesses and thank them both for their service to our nation. Today, we kick off our review of the Administ...

Kelly: We Must Restore Confidence in America’s Defense Industry

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, delivered the following remarks at a hearing on the posture of the Department of the Navy for Fiscal Year 2026. Rep. Kelly's remarks as prepared for delivery: Thank you, everyone, for being here today to discuss the Department of the Navy’s posture for the upcoming fiscal year...

Rogers: GAO Report Confirms SPACECOM HQ Belongs in Alabama

| Posted in Press Releases

House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) released a statement today after a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report validated multiple Air Force recommendations to base the United States Space Command (SPACECOM) headquarters in Huntsville, AL. “The GAO report yet again affirms that Huntsville is the best option for Space Command’s headquarters. When making his decision to locate the ...

Rogers Applauds Passage of Historic Budget Bill and Generational Investment in National Defense

| Posted in Press Releases

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) released a statement today applauding the House passage of H.R. 1 - the One Big, Beautiful Bill; budget reconciliation legislation to deliver on President Trump’s commitment to secure our nation and our borders, spur economic growth, and improve accountability to taxpayers. The bill includes $150 billion in mandatory funding for bipartisan...

Bacon: The U.S. Is Already in a Cyber War—It’s Time to Start Acting Like It

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), Chairman of the Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the review of the Department of Defense's cyber posture for Fiscal Year 2026. Stream the hearing here. Rep. Bacon's opening remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning everyone, and welcome to today’s heari...

Jackson: U.S. Must Strengthen the Defense Intelligence Enterprise to Swiftly Counter the CCP and Global Threats

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Chairman of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the posture of the defense intelligence enterprise. Rep. Jackson's opening remarks as prepared for delivery: Today, we will hear from our witnesses on the Defense Intelligence Enterprise, or DIE, and how the DIE is po...

DesJarlais: Modernizing Space Acquisition Is Essential to Deterring the CCP

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-MI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, delivered the following remarks at a Strategic Forces subcommittee hearing on the activities of national security space programs. Rep. DesJarlais' opening remarks as prepared for delivery: The Strategic Forces subcommittee meets today to receive testimony on the policies and programs r...

Bergman: Outdated Construction Policies Are Draining Billions From Military Readiness

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, delivered the following remarks at a Readiness subcommittee hearing on an energy, installations, and environment update. Rep. Bergman's remarks as prepared for delivery: Before a single shot is fired or a plane takes off, readiness is built – or broken – in the barracks, on the training fields, a...

Opening Statement from Rep. Bacon at Hearing on the Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Posture of the Department of Defense

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation, delivered the following opening statement at a subcommittee hearing on the posture of information technology and artificial intelligence of the Department of Defense. Rep. Bacon's remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning everyone, and welcome to today’s he...

DesJarlais: We Must Adapt Our Nuclear Strategy to Meet Growing Threats

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on nuclear forces and atomic energy defense activities programmatic updates. Rep. DesJarlais remarks as prepared for delivery: The Strategic Forces subcommittee meets today to receive testimony on the policies and programs related to nu...

Kelly: Fleet Modernization Is Non-Negotiable in This Threat Environment

| Posted in Opening Statements

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, delivered the following remarks at a hearing on Air Force projection forces aviation programs and capabilities. Rep. Kelly's remarks as prepared for delivery: I want to thank everyone for being here today as we convene this important hearing to discuss the state of our United ...

Bergman: We Must Rebuild Our Military Readiness to Deter Conflict in the Indo-Pacific

| Posted in Opening Statements

U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, delivered the following remarks at a Readiness subcommittee hearing on the current state of military readiness in Fiscal Year 2026. Stream the hearing here. Rep. Bergman's remarks as prepared for delivery: I want to thank all of our witnesses for being here today to discuss the current state of our military readine...

Bacon: Innovation Delays Are Risking Our Military Advantage

| Posted in Opening Statements

U.S. Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation, submitted the following opening statement for the record at a subcommittee hearing on the military posture of science, technology, and innovation. Stream the hearing here. Rep. Bacon's remarks as prepared for delivery: Welcome to today’s Cyber, IT, and Innovation Subcommittee hear...

Rogers’ Statement on President Trump’s Proposed Budget

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) released a statement on President Trump’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026: “America’s national defense is facing extraordinary challenges,” Rogers said. “We are no longer deterring our adversaries. We are being outpaced in the development and deployment of critical military capabilities. And our defense indus...