Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, called for rapid changes to the U.S. strategic posture to deter two near-peer nuclear adversaries in the future, citing a recent report from the Strategic Posture Commission that examined the long-term strategic posture of the United States.
“The results of their report detailed the gravity of the situation we face and emphasized that the current trajectory of the US nuclear deterrent is insufficient to deter the looming Chinese and Russian threat,” Rogers said in a statement published Thursday.
The HASC chair highlighted key takeaways including the absolute necessity of the nuclear force modernization program and the need for it to be supplemented to meet new Russian and Chinese threats; the expansion of the size of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and delivery systems; and the nuclear force size and composition and its ability to simultaneously deter both countries.
Rogers also reiterated some recommendations detailed in the report: “The Commission recommends Congress fund an overhaul and expansion of the capacity of the U.S. nuclear weapons defense industrial base and the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear security enterprise… [and] the United States urgently deploy a more resilient space architecture and adopt a strategy that includes both offensive and defensive elements to ensure U.S. access to and operations in space.”
