Iraq was his greatest disaster, in which hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed and millions were displaced, but he never looked back. John McCain was famous for pushing American involvement in wars fought and unfought. In particular, the National Nuclear Security Administration has an extensive backlog of projects to update its Manhattan Project-era infrastructure, much of which is over 70 years old, as the disguised chairman just told us.What is it about Republican legislators that makes them so fond of wreaking death and destruction upon others? The late Sen. We would like to hear the logic behind such a move.ī eyond the SLCM, every single United States nuclear modernization program has been delayed, reduced in scope, or cancelled over the past decade. This move directly conflicts with clear, bipartisan direction from Congress last year to continue this effort. I see an administration intent on defending policies that grow increasingly out of touch with reality rather than doing the hard work to adapt our forces to current and future threats.įor example, the Biden administration again chose to eliminate funding for the sea-launched cruise missile program, or SLCM, even as China, Russia, and North Korea field thousands of tactical nuclear weapons to threaten the United States and its allies. Instead, I see long-overdue modernization programs simply plodding along. Unlike our adversaries, the United States has not been urgently adapting our nuclear forces. ![]() Half a world away, Iran continues to expand its stockpile of nuclear material as it inches closer to its own nuclear weapon. Not to be outdone, North Korea may now possess enough missiles to overwhelm our homeland missile defenses, and they show no sign of slowing down. This year, China purchased over 28 tons of highly enriched uranium from Russia, which is likely to be used to produce plutonium for additional nuclear weapons. We have also seen recent evidence that China and Russia are now cooperating on nuclear issues. Considering the conventional losses Moscow has endured in Ukraine, it seems likely that Russia may grow even more dependent on the security its nuclear arsenal provides. Vladimir Putin has shown us during his invasion of Ukraine that nuclear weapons are still a powerful tool for keeping adversaries in check. Such a capability would allow China to attack any point on the planet with almost no warning – a terror weapon if ever there was one.įor its part, Russia continues to maintain the largest, most modern, and most diverse nuclear arsenal in the world. Xi Jinping also directed the Chinese military to develop missiles that can put nuclear warheads into orbit around the earth, a so-called “fractional orbital bombardment” system. China has built hundreds of new ballistic missile silos, completed the world’s third nuclear triad, and massively expanded its nuclear weapons stockpile. Since then, China has expanded its conventional and nuclear forces at an unprecedented rate. Just a few years ago, Beijing was something of an afterthought in the nuclear world. For the first time in history, we must contend with two nuclear-armed peer adversaries, each intent on undermining America’s interests. Today, the United States and its allies have entered a dangerous, new era of nuclear competition. ![]() The United States prevailed in the Cold War largely because we maintained a strong and credible nuclear deterrent. I want to especially thank the chair for his very clear opening statement – it is obvious to me based on the facts that he outlined that we are nowhere near where we need to be and that this committee needs to take action in the NDAA to catch up.
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