Opening Statement (As Prepared)

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Thank you, Chairman DesJarlais, and welcome to our panel of distinguished witnesses. Before we begin, I’d like to welcome Honorable Brandon Williams and General White to the subcommittee. There is much work to be done across both of your agencies to successfully modernize our nuclear triad, while also maintaining U.S. leadership in the science and experimentation that ensures that our weapons are safe, secure, and reliable. Your roles are critical to making sure we get this right. I would like to also take a moment to thank Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe and Lieutenant General Andy Gebara for their steadfast leadership and work they have done with the subcommittee. Admiral Wolfe, I want to recognize your 38 years of service to our nation. As the Director of the Navy’s Strategic Systems Program office for the past 8 years, you have shown what consistency and commitment to the mission can provide, and I personally thank you for the transparency and candor you have offered to us in Congress. I wish you well in your retirement. And lastly, General Gebara, congratulations on your new role as the Director of the Air Staff. I look forward to continuing to work together. 

Over the past decade, the global strategic landscape has continued to deteriorate. The CCP is dramatically expanding their nuclear arsenal. They are building de-stabilizing dual-capable delivery systems like hypersonics, and they have declined to establish nuclear norms of safe behavior. Meanwhile, war criminal Vladimir Putin has spent four years threatening the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine. And, most troubling, our own President shamelessly posted on social media in reference to Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight.” Let me be clear: despite the White House’s backpedaling, there is only one type of weapon that can bring that kind of destruction. I am disgusted, but sadly not shocked, that our own President is threatening war crimes and nuclear saber-rattling.

Nuclear deterrence is the foundation of our national security, and it is supposedly the highest priority of the Pentagon. But there are some glaring problems with it today across the Department.

First, I believe, as does a bipartisan majority of Congress, that we must maintain and modernize our nuclear triad, but most of these programs are dangerously behind and over-budget.
Second, even if we get our efforts back on track, all of our modernization plans are based on one major nuclear adversary, not two, who must be deterred simultaneously but might be deterred differently. We’re not just behind. We don’t even know if we’re building what we actually need.

Third, the President’s disastrous war of choice in Iran is rapidly depleting our inventory of critical conventional munitions. The U.S. has long had conventional overmatch when it comes to both Russia and China. With that in doubt, the role of nuclear weapons may become frighteningly more relevant in a future, near-peer conflict.

Fourth, this Administration does not appear to be interested in the policy surrounding nuclear weapons. The 2026 National Defense Strategy is almost completely silent on this Department’s approach to strategic deterrence. The witnesses will tell you the classified document includes some magical strategy of how they intend to achieve world peace, but let me assure you it does not. Nearly a year and a half into the new administration, and Congress and the American public still have no answers as to what our strategy is, other than to abandon our allies. 

Further, with the expiration of the New START Treaty this past February, we have abandoned the last Arms Control framework between Russia and the U.S. For the first time in my lifetime, there are no limits on the number of nuclear weapons in the world. Despite the President touting some “big beautiful deal” with Russia and China, the reality is there has been no movement towards limiting the world’s deployed nuclear weapons, and we are undeniably less safe today than we were when this president took office.

I have long said, and firmly believe, that our collective goal should be to rid the world of these indiscriminate, devastating weapons. I know this President is no fan of nuclear weapons. It may be one of the few places we agree. That gives us the ability to pursue a genuinely safer world through arms control and risk reduction, but it will take time plus political courage and commitment. Those are not hallmarks of this administration, but they are hallmarks of this panel of witnesses. You have the power to be part of the solution. Use it.
 
Thank you Mr. Chairman, I yield back.