Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., has called on the White House to examine nuclear command, control and communications system modernization efforts as part of the federal government's Nuclear Posture Review (NPR).
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) chairman told President Biden in a letter that his administration should also take into account the U.S. nuclear deterrent and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) infrastructure during the NPR process.
“I urge you to ensure this review directly influences your next budget request, in line with your Interim National Security Strategy, which notes the importance of taking steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy,” Smith wrote in the missive dated Monday.
Smith said using the “fail-safe and risk reduction" analysis method could help the government gain insight into the vital issues associated with the nuclear enterprise.
“Given the evolving cybersecurity and information warfare threats, we must ensure that our systems are secure and protected against the accidental or inadvertent launch."
The lawmaker wants the Biden administration to ensure that ongoing and future modernization efforts are necessary, pointing out that the armed forces are currently working on a record amount of new weapons and maintaining costly systems with questionable operational relevance.
"This requires the close attention of you and your national security leadership to ensure the nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable, affordable and is balanced across the full spectrum of integrated deterrence," Smith added.
