Mike Rogers: “As chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, I am deeply familiar with our nuclear forces. I want to urge my…”

“As chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, I am deeply familiar with our nuclear forces. I want to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. Two successive Secretaries of Defense have said that nuclear deterrence is the most important mission the Department has. Secretary Hagel said: ``Our nuclear deterrent plays a critical role in assuring U.S. national security, and it is DOD's highest priority mission. No other capability we have is more important.'' Secretary Carter said: ``The nuclear mission is the bedrock of our security. It is what stands in the background and looms over every action this country takes on the world stage. It is the foundation for everything we do.'' The LRSO program is critical to the mission, and it must remain on schedule. The fleet of existing air-launched cruise missiles that the LRSO will replace is over 30 years old, and their reliability is rapidly declining. Projected improvements in adversary air defense will impact its effectiveness even more. Simply put, our nuclear deterrent will not be credible unless it is modernized. The funding this amendment seeks to eliminate is necessary to modernize and keep this aspect of our nuclear deterrent on schedule. There is a clear military requirement for the LRSO, and it is a national security imperative. This requirement has been identified and documented by the military and the Obama administration.…”