Mike Rogers: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for offering this amendment. A provision nearly identical to this has been in…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for offering this amendment. A provision nearly identical to this has been in the final version of the last two NDAAs, and it should be in the final version of this year's NDAA. As chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, I understand that the responsiveness and distributive nature of our ICBMs are the most critical features. Without ICBMs, an adversary would need to strike less than 10 targets to disarm our nuclear forces. But with ICBMs, an adversary needs to strike hundreds of hardened targets deep in America's homeland. That is a much more difficult proposition and is at the very heart of our deterrence. During his confirmation hearing, Secretary of Defense Mattis agreed with this assessment, noting: ``The ICBM force provides a cost-imposing strategy on our adversaries.'' We should confirm this policy once more. It is vital that our ICBM force remain robust and responsive. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment.”