RSS
Addresses U.S. STRATCOM Role in Nation’s Security
January 26, 2012 – Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson today told about 170 defense and national security officials that as Congress works to reduce the debt, America should not undermine advances made in strategic weapons modernization and research, and that a new U.S. Strategic Command headquarters will play a critical role in protecting the American people from harm.
“Now more than ever in these tight budget times, our nation faces challenges as we remain engaged in critical operations that protect our security and interests at home and around the globe,” Senator Nelson said in a speech to the 6th annual Strategic Weapons in the 21st Century conference. “While Washington should continue to reduce spending to reduce the national debt, it should not jeopardize the great strides we have made in strategic weapons systems.”
He noted that the Pentagon’s Nuclear Posture Review states that so long as nuclear weapons exist, the U.S. will maintain safe, secure, and effective nuclear forces.
“Our nuclear forces must continue to play their essential role in deterring adversaries, reassuring allies and promoting global stability,” Nelson said.
The conference, co-hosted by Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, is being held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington. Also scheduled to speak was General Robert C. Kehler, commander of U.S. Strategic Command in Nebraska.
In his speech, Nelson outlined key programs and national security improvements made under the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act Congress passed last year, including authorizing a new STRATCOM headquarters to replace the existing aging and outmoded facility at Offutt Air Force Base.
“I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that STRATCOM has one of the most crucial missions in our nation’s security – and one that cannot be compromised,” said Nelson, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee. “A reliable command, control, and communication from the President to the nuclear forces is fundamental to our strategic deterrent. And the new Command and Control Complex at Offutt Air Force Base will provide this mission surety.”
The full text of the senator’s speech follows:
Thank you, Director McMillan, for that kind introduction and for all of the work that your team at Los Alamos does for our nation as well as the work that is done at all of our national labs. I’d like to begin by thanking Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories for hosting and holding this important policy conference on deterrence. Deterrence, we might all agree, is the best defense against a nuclear conflict.
I’d also like to say at the outset that serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and in the last several years as chairman of its Strategic Forces Subcommittee, is one of the great privileges I’ve enjoyed during my tenure as a senator.
I’ve learned firsthand that our country’s national security interests are both protected and advanced around the clock by an incredibly talented, patriotic and committed group of Americans. Thank you for your contributions to that essential mission.
Now, as you know, for the 50th year in a row Congress passed and the President signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in December. We also passed the 2012 budget in an omnibus bill.
Although Washington has been beset with partisan politicking, the good news was we ended 2011 on a high note with bipartisan support in Congress for these two important bills.
Now more than ever in these tight budget times, our nation faces challenges as we remain engaged in critical operations that protect our security and interests at home and around the globe.
One of the keys to maintaining needed resources for these operations is to continually anticipate and plan for current and future threats.
I share the view of many that strategic weapons systems research and development in these areas enables us to meet emerging threats. Also, current systems and their modernization provide an invaluable deterrence to those who might do us harm.
While Washington should continue to reduce spending to reduce the national debt, it should not jeopardize the great strides we have made in strategic weapons systems.
The Nuclear Posture Review states the objective well: “so long as nuclear weapons exist, the United States will maintain safe, secure, and effective nuclear forces.”
I agree wholeheartedly with this declaration and as the Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee I’ll work to ensure we maintain adequate funding and support for our nuclear forces.
Our nuclear forces must continue to play their essential role in deterring adversaries, reassuring allies and promoting global stability.
As many of you know, the Strategic Forces subcommittee has jurisdiction for oversight of missile defense, strategic forces, space programs, intelligence programs, cyber security, the defense-related work at the Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
I would like to give a brief overview of the provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, as well as the budget that are tied to our Nation’s strategic weapons and deterrence, and the work we’ve undertaken in the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.
As you know, the key mission of U.S. Strategic Command, in my home state of Nebraska, is our nation’s nuclear deterrence. I know General Kehler was here earlier today and provided his perspective on STRATCOM’S role in our nation’s security.
I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that STRATCOM has one of the most crucial missions in our nation’s security – and one that cannot be compromised.
To that end, I’d note that the 2012 NDAA and budget strengthens and improves our nation’s nuclear command and control and the varied missions of USSTRATCOM. It does so by providing the full authorization for a new headquarters complex and funding for the first phase of construction.
The Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) examined the effectiveness of the nation’s command and control of the U.S. nuclear forces in ensuring crisis stability, deterrence and the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile. It concluded that the nation would “make new investments in the U.S. command and control system to maximize Presidential decision time in a nuclear crisis.”
The Command, Control and Communication system enables the president to make informed and timely decisions. He is the sole authority for nuclear employment, and execution of Presidential nuclear response. A reliable command, control, and communication from the President to the nuclear forces is fundamental to our strategic deterrent. And the new Command and Control Complex at Offutt Air Force Base will provide this mission surety to carry out the mandate of the NPR.
Turning now to Ballistic Missile Defense, we’ve achieved bipartisan agreement on our missile defense policies, programs, and capabilities, which we see in the conference report on the NDAA.
For example, over the last two years, Congress has supported the missile defense policies and strategy outlined in the Ballistic Missile Defense Review that was initiated in our subcommittee.
In this year’s conference report, Congress stated that the Missile Defense Agency needs to fix the problems that caused flight test failures with the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, so it can continue to protect the American people from possible future missile threats from counties such as North Korea and Iran.
Congress has also supported implementation of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) to missile defense. Its first phase is now complete. Both the Senate and House Armed Services committees support additional development and improvements needed to implement Phases Two through Four of the EPAA.
Regarding our efforts with NATO to pursue missile defense cooperation with Russia, Congress required that the President provide notice to Congress 60 days in advance and take appropriate steps to protect the information, before the United States shares classified missile defense information with Russia.
In addition, everyone agrees we must improve the transparency and oversight of missile defense acquisition. So, we included a provision codifying those improvements. These and other bipartisan provisions will improve both our security and our use of limited defense dollars.
With regard to Strategic Systems, before the House-Senate conference, there were differing views on the degree to which Congress should mandate the President meet force and funding levels in what is called the 1251 Plan. The 1251 plan outlines 10-year funding for Energy Department and Defense Department nuclear systems. Fortunately, though the differences were reconciled to produce bipartisan agreement on the following:
- The conference report fully funds the next-generation long range penetrating bomber, while designating the engine development as a subprogram of a Major Defense Acquisition Program requiring competition.
- It includes a provision that would direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct biennial assessments of the safety, security, sustainability, performance, and military effectiveness of strategic delivery platforms, including their command and control systems, which, as I just said, the importance of which cannot be overstated.
- It includes a provision that requires the President to submit an assessment to the congressional defense committees explaining any proposal to reduce the nuclear weapons stockpile below the numbers in the New START Treaty, or to reduce the number of hedge weapons in the stockpile. This is important for Congresses’ oversight responsibility so we can understand the justification for additional reductions in our strategic arsenal.
- It also includes a provision that would direct the President to submit a report describing any new Nuclear Employment Strategy that might be issued.
Now, let me describe the conference report actions with respect to the nuclear weapons modernization programs at the Department of Energy.
- The report includes a provision that requires the Director of National Intelligence—in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense—to assess the capabilities of other nations in high-performance computing. We now know that other countries such as China are making quick in-roads in this area – an area in which our nation has led the world and one that is particularly important to the understanding of how our nuclear weapons behave without testing.
- The report includes a provision that directs the Secretary of Defense to submit an accounting report on the nuclear weapons stockpile, including both deployed and non-deployed weapons. Again, this is important for the Congress in its oversight role as it move to invest in modernizing our nuclear stockpile.
- The conference report authorizes $16.9 billion for atomic energy defense activities, including $7.2 billion for nuclear weapons modernization and $2.3 billion for nuclear nonproliferation. While the Committee initially supported the President’s budget request of $7.6 billion for the stockpile – the Budget Control Act Congress passed last August required further reductions.
- I would also note that the conference report fully funds the request for the B-61 gravity bomb life extension program.
- The conference report authorizes Environmental Management and Other Defense Activities at $5.8 billion.
- The conference report also authorizes $1.2 billion for development of the Ohio-class replacement ballistic submarines and reactor. This is needed to modernize the sea-based leg of the nuclear deterrent system. The current fleet of Ohio based subs will begin to retire within the next 15 years and we need to begin planning for their replacement now.
- The report authorizes activities associated with the reactor and ship design to begin that process.
Finally, let me note the conference report provides authority to transfer up to $125 million from DOD to the NNSA to supplement the nuclear weapons modernization program. This provision was added during conference to provide additional funding for large projects, such as Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement project to ensure we build new plutonium pits if needed.
We are all fully aware that the Budget Control Act reduced the levels that can be appropriated by some $400 billion over the next 10 years. I would note that even with this reduction, Congress approved a 5 percent increase over last year’s levels.
In the weeks ahead, I will be working with my colleagues to carefully evaluate the President’s request for fiscal year 2013 in light of the commitments made by Congress and the administration under the New START treaty for nuclear modernization. Congress made commitments for modernization and they must be honored.
Most important, we need to ensure that our stockpile remains safe, reliable and works as intended, so that we maintain our strategic deterrent well into the 21st century.
While tough funding choices must be made under the Budget Control Act, we are eager to examine the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal for balance. It must reflect the nuclear force structure and modernization programs that take into account the implementation of the New Start Treaty; future arms control initiatives and a constrained budget environment.
Members of Congress are especially interested to examine how the B-61 Life Extension Program is structured in the President’s budget, given its precedent-setting nature for the other nuclear modernization programs outlined in the 1251 report. If this project does not start on sound and credible footing, all other modernization projects in the 1251 report could suffer.
Furthermore, I’d also note that we will carefully look at the two large construction projects at Los Alamos in New Mexico and the Y-12 plant in Tennessee.
The Los Alamos project will replace an aging facility to help manufacture plutonium pits. The Y-12 project will replace a similarly aging facility to help manufacture the nuclear weapon secondaries. Any delays now in their execution will affect modernizing the stockpile for years to come.
I must emphasize that it is important for the Department of Defense, the user—and the Department of Energy, the design agency—to advocate as a team to the Congressional Committees for these three large projects over the course of their program life.
In conclusion, while Congress must continue to reduce spending in a prudent and responsible way, I’ll continue working closely with the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and U.S. Strategic Command to ensure that pressing priorities are met and our strategic deterrents are not undermined.
Our national security interests cannot be weakened. In fact, they must be strengthened in light of the uncertainties and instability we see in many nations now in this 21st Century.
With that, let me thank you for inviting me here today. It’s been a great honor to work with you all throughout my time in the Senate.
###
Search: Press