Concerned About Nuclear Modernization, Thornberry to Hold Hearing

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he plans to hold a full committee hearing to review the nation’s strategic nuclear deterrent. Speaking with reporters yesterday, Thornberry emphasized the importance of the nation’s nuclear deterrent and plans to modernize the nation’s weapons complex, nuclear arsenal and fleet of delivery vehicles. “From the missiles and the bombers to the submarines and the warheads, we have very old, aging machines, but upon those machines the rest of our defense efforts depend,” Thornberry said. “Not only is it the bill [coming due], it’s the plan that is really important I think for the future of the country. I think the full committee needs to look at the overall plan, including the cost, and then of course the individual subcommittees will look at the various programs.”

 

In contrast to previous years, Thornberry said he plans to delay budget hearings for a month or two in order to allow the committee to hold hearings on global threats and challenges. Typically, the committee has held budget hearings soon after the President releases his annual budget request, which is scheduled this year for Monday.