FY27 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities

Check the data. Good job. Take over for another one. Mm-hmm. Today's hearing will come to order. The subcommittee meets today to review the department's fiscal year twenty twenty seven budget request for nuclear forces and atomic energy defense activities. Welcome and good afternoon to our witnesses. As you are all aware, we are scheduled to have a vote series beginning at four PM, uh so I'm not gonna run down all your names so we can see them um and uh but I will certainly when we recognize you our plan is to accomplish as much as we can over the next hour uh or so, and then we'll adjourn the hearing when votes begin. Uh we will not reconvene for a classified session, though we're happy to schedule this at a later date uh as needed. In order to maximize time for members' questions, I will ask each of our witnesses to limit their opening remarks to three minutes. Uh I will forgo an opening statement, but before turning to the ranking member, I want to recognize uh that this hearing will be Admiral Wolf's final appearance uh in uniform before the committee. After nearly four decades of service to the nation, including eight years as the Director of SSP, he will be retiring later this year. Admiral Wolf uh has testified before this subcommittee every year since twenty nineteen and this panel has benefited greatly from his wisdom and counsel, and as I have I personally from our meetings. Uh so thank you Admiral and uh we wish you all the best in a well-deserved retirement. With that, I now recognize the ranking member, Mister Moulton, for his opening comments. Uh.

Thank you, Chairman uh Desjardins, and given our compressed schedule today, I ask unanimous consent that my complete opening remarks be entered into the record. I would like to take a moment uh to welcome Honorable Brandon Williams and General White to the subcommittee. This is, there is critical work that must be done across both of your portfolios, and your sound management is critical to making sure we get this right. I would also like to recognize Vice Admiral Johnny Wolf and Lieutenant General Andy Gubara for their steadfast leadership and work they have done for this subcommittee. Admiral Wolf, I want to thank you for your thirty-eight years of service to our nation. As the Director of the Navy Strategic Systems Program Office for the past eight years you have shown what consistency and commitment to mission can provide. And I personally thank you for the transparency and candor you have offered to Congress. I wish you and your family well in retirement. And uh and lastly, General Gabara, congratulations on your new role as the Director of the Air Staff. I look forward to continuing to work together. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

Thank you, and I also, as we spoke I think just yesterday, congratulations uh General uh J- Shibara. Um we'll now turn to our witnesses. Uh your prepared testimony will be made part of the record, but you will each have three minutes to make some opening remarks. Um Mr. Williams, we'll begin with you and after that we'll uh just move down the line. Y- you're recognized.

Chairman De Gele, uh Ranking Member Bolton, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the President's fiscal year twenty twenty-seven budget request for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Mister Chairman, a r- a written statement has been provided and I respectfully request that it be submitted for the record.

Without objection.

NSA's fiscal year twenty twenty-seven budget request is thirty-two point eight billion dollars and represents President Trump's vision of America first, grounded in peace through strength. The request supports the full and rapid modernization of all three legs of the nuclear triad. It provides critical funding for the revitalization and recapitalization of production infrastructure and maintains America's critical edge in national security science. It also supports a robust non-proliferation and counter-terror- counter-terrorism portfolio that serves as America's shield against nuclear and radiological attack while advancing the President's energy dominance objectives. Finally, it builds on NNSA's long-standing partnership with the US Navy in support of the nuclear fleet, MyHeritage, uh the strongest force for peace and freedom on Earth. In an unprecedented era where we face two pure nuclear powers, keeping America safe cannot mean business as usual. The days of stewarding an ever-aging nuclear stockpile as NNSA's primary mission are over. Under President Trump's leadership, NNSA will return to its Manhattan Project roots as an organization focused on weapons production to meet Department of War requirements for America's strategic deterrence. Our non-proliferation and counterterrorism capabilities will serve as first and last line of defense against nuclear or radiological attacks. The growing global interest in nuclear power and technology will be met by America, American nuclear industry and leadership. And our Naval Reactors program will maintain America's unmatched asymmetric advantage in naval nuclear propulsion technology. Our ballistic missile submarines will remain the silent sentinels, guarding our assured second strike capability, while our attack submarines and aircraft

Thank you for your remarks. I will now turn to Doctor Kadlec for your statement.

Chairman De Dejarle, Ranking Member Moulton, members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today regarding US nuclear forces. I appear before you with a message that is stark and sobering. For the first time in our nation's history, we will face the challenge of deterring two nuclear peers, China and Russia simultaneously, as well as regional powers with grown capabilities. This is not a hypothetical future problem, this is a now crisis. China is engaged in a breathtaking and opaque expansion of its nuclear arsenal, while Russia with the largest nuclear arsenal continues to modernize its forces integrating new kinds of weapons into its strategy for nuclear coercion. Both countries have sophisticated theater nuclear weapons significantly outnumbering the US. Add to this challenge is North Korea, whose missiles now can reach the American homeland. The picture becomes alarmingly clear we're in a new and more dangerous era. The twenty twenty three strategic posture commission highlighted the inefficiencies and risks we have allowed to fester in our nuclear enterprise. For too long, we've operated under a business as usual model that reflected a benign security environment. Programs were delayed, hard decisions deferred, and taking risks av- were avoided. Now we must flip that model. We have to act with urgency while we take steps to accept risk appropriately to confront these challenges. The President's FY twenty twenty seven budget request pro- request prioritizes the nuclear deterrent as the foundi foundation of America's defense and increases uh by eleven point four billion dollars the previous year's budget for this uh for our nuclear deterrent. As secretary Haegstead said recently, nothing else matters if we don't get this right. We must accelerate our critical submarine, missile, bomber, and NC three programs whenever possible to deliver the next generation capabilities to the warfighter as soon as possible. We must also accelerate slickam and develop additional theater nuclear forces as well. Such capabilities are essential to managing escalation, ensuring the US is never subject to blackmail. Finally, we must supercharge our defense industrial base, returning the US to the world's premier arsenal, capable of producing at scale, with speed, and with unmatched quality. The cost of investing in our nuclear forces and supporting capabilities and infrastructure is significant. However, the cost of failure is a world where the risk of miscalculation, catastrophic conflict is unacceptably high. That is a price we cannot afford to pay. We owe it to the warfighter, to the American people, and our posterity to ensure that our arsenal of freedom remains ready, reliable and resolute. The time to act is now. Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

Thank you, Doctor Kadlec, and and uh Before I introduce General White, I just wanna tell a story about he and I traveling to uh Minot, North Dakota to show the airmen there that we were tough and we could come up there and and deal with the harsh winters of Minot, North Dakota and we stepped off the plane, it was seventy-one degrees, so uh uh we tried. But anyways with that I recognize General White.

Thank you, sir. Chairman Desiree L. A., Ranking Member Moulton, and distinguished members of the committee, I'm honored to appear before you and thank you for the opportunity to testify on the vital work of the direct reporting Portfolio Manager of Critical Major Weapons Systems. The office was established by Secretary Hegseth to provide urgent, unified focus on a select group of weapons systems critical to the nation's defense. Sentinel ICBM, Minuteman-three ICBM, B-twenty-one Raider, F-forty-seven and CCA family of systems, and the VC-twenty-five B. All require a higher level of leadership and operational urgency to ensure their timely delivery and execution. Ultimately, my portfolio represents twenty-eight billion of the department's F Y twenty-seven budget request. In alignment with the national defense strategy, the DERPAM's role is two-fold, relentlessly prioritize the programs most consequential to the security and prosperity of the American people, and to drive the acquisition process transformation necessary to equip the US military with the world's most decisive and lethal war-fighting capabilities, success demands an outcomes-focused culture. As India states, the United States should never will never be left vulnerable to nuclear blackmail. The bedrock of homeland defense is a robust and modern nuclear deterrent. As such, it is imperative that U S modernization programs proceed with urgency to include fielding of the Sentinel and B- two B- twenty-one weapon systems. On the B- twenty-one program, I'm happy to report recent progress with the award of two additional low-rate initial production lots, and a recent agreement with Northrop Grumman that will increase annual production capacity by twenty-five percent. A D- additionally B- twenty-one is on path, With its flight test campaign, the first aircraft remains on track for delivery to Ellsworth Air Force Base in twenty twenty seven. With a planned fleet of at least a hundred aircraft, I am grateful for the continued support from Congress on this program, and I want to advocate for sustained funding moving forward. The F Y twenty seven budget request of seven billion includes investments for flight tests modernization and procurement of aircraft and support systems. Regarding the land-based leg of the nuclear triad, the department is committed to ensuring Minuteman three force remains safe, secure and effective until Sentinel is fielded. Over two billion is allocated annually for operations and sustainment, with crucial FY twenty-seven investments to ensure weapon system continues to meet requirements until its retirement. I can report to you that Sentinel program is advancing with clear purpose, on a path to its milestone B decision by the end of twenty twenty six, and initial operational capabilities in the early twenty thirties. Recent milestones achieved to date include taking the first Minuteman-three solo off-line for transition, Assuming first three stage ground test missile and a breaking and breaking ground on a prototype launch silo, the first missile pad launch is scheduled for twenty twenty seven. The FI twenty seven budget request of six billion includes investment in air vehicle development, launch silo, and launch center prototyping, flight test execution, and necessary facility and infrastructure upgrades. Thank you again for your continued support and resourcing for these critically important programs I look forward to your questions. Thank you.

Thank you, General. Uh, now recognize Vice Admiral Wolf.

Chairman DeJarlais, Ranking Member Moulton, and distinguished members of this subcommittee, it's an honor to be here. I'd like to begin by assuring you that the Navy's nuclear forces, the bedrock of our national security, are safe, secure, effective, and credible. SSP is entrusted to provide cradle-to-grave life-cycle support to three critical programs the Trident-two D-five strategic weapons system the Navy conventional s- prompt strike hypersonic program, and the nuclear arm sea launch cruise missile. These are three of our nation's highest priority acquisition programs, and with your support, they ensure the Navy is delivering peace through strength. As the most survivable leg of the nuclear triad, the ballistic missile submarine force provides an unyielding for- foundation for assured response against any adversary. That force stands at a critical juncture. Decades of strategic foresight had delivered an unparalleled capability. But, to maintain our advantage in the face of evolving threats, we must build on these decisions and prioritize the modernization of our nuclear infrastructure and our industrial base. A strong domestic industrial base is the foundation of a credible deterrent. Using resources authorized by this committee, SSP is actively working to revitalize this national asset, ensuring the timely production and delivery of strategic weapons system components while fostering American jobs, and technological superiority. Our modernization needs cannot succeed without investing in research and development the critical skills for our workforce and the facilities needed to produce sustain and certify our strategic systems our infrastructure is also at an inflection point existing facilities are reaching their thirty year recapitalization windows as we enter into a once in a generation modernization of both the Trident weapons system and the ballistic submarine platform. Over the past year, Navy has made incredible progress moving forward with development of the Sea Launch Cruise Missile as the program moves at an extremely aggressive pace, to deliver both a limited operational capability and an initial operational capability. Strategic deterrence is critical to this nation. It is the foundation of national security strategy and is a top priority of the secretary of war. In order to accomplish our mission of sustainment and development, SSP must have trained skilled employees on board. Systems do not design, test, and build themselves. People do, which makes our people our greatest asset. As the fourteenth Director of Strategic Systems Programs, I am honored to represent them and I have absolute faith and confidence in the systems we deliver due to the proficiency and professionalism of these dedicated service members and civilians who have made strategic deterrence their life's work. The fifteenth Director will inherit a legacy of proven success that will enable the command to grow and take on challenges we have not yet begin to imagine. With continued congressional support and stable on-time funding, the Navy will continue to effectively defend our nation and preserve peace for future generations. This, as you pointed out, sirs, will be my last time sitting in front of this committee. I'd like to thank you for your support of SSP and more specifically your support of me during my time as director. You allowed us to accelerate these critical national programs. I'm humbled and honored to have been entrusted to lead an organization so critical to our national security. I am proud of the work my team and I have accomplished over the last eight years that I have been Director of SSP and indeed across my thirty-eight years in the Navy. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and I look forward to your questions.

Team Member Moulton, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. In partnership with our teammates across the War Department and the NNSA, the Airmen and Guardians of the Department of the Air Force, work tirelessly to maintain the essential nuclear deterrent our nation requires. Their unwavering professionalism and dedication to the United States nuclear mission ensures the foundation of our national security remains strong. Our strategic deterrent is at a critical inflection point. The urgency we face to modernize and recapitalize is heightened by an increasingly complex and challenging environment. The members of this subcommittee are very aware of the expanding Chinese and North Korean nuclear arsenal and Russia is nearly complete with their nuclear modernization. This era is not a return to the Cold War. It represents a new paradigm defined by the challenge of multiple nuclear-armed competitors. The systems we rely on for deterrence are decades past their planned life spans and we must promptly modernize them or face critical shortfalls. The path forward is not just replacing our legacy systems, but doing so with an approach that is both fiscally responsible and strategically sound. To meet this challenge, the Department of the Air Force is executing a comprehensive, once in a generation recap capitalization of nearly our entire nuclear enterprise. Completion of these programs are essential, and until they come online we must continue to fully sustain our current systems to ensure there is no gap in our nation's strategic deterrent mission. Your continued and timely support is both appreciated and is a fundamental requirement to ensure our strategic deterrent remains credible now and into the future. As I assume a new role as the Air Force Director of Staff in the coming weeks, this will be my last posture hammering before this subcommittee, I want to express my appreciation to all of you for your partnership and support of the Department of the Air Force and the nuclear enterprise. It's been an honor to testify before you, representing our airmen and our guardians. I look forward to your questions.

Thank you, sir, and uh w- we wish you best of luck in your new endeavors. Uh, we'll now turn to member questioning and I'll start by recognizing myself. Uh, there has been plenty of public discussion about potentially increasing the prokur procurement of the B-twenty-one bombers, based on the changing threat environment. However, we've had comparatively little dialogue about increasing procurement plans for other nuclear modernization programs, even though those plans were similarly established with a very different threat landscape in mind, and well before China's nuclear breakout. Do you think we need to reconsider procurement quantities across the other nuclear modernization programs, such as the Sentinel ICBM, Columbia class submarine and long range standoff cruise missiles. Uh if you could comment on Sentinel B twenty one, General White, uh and then Doctor Kodlik if you would comment on the other programs.

Thank you Chairman, and I I think the answer to the question is analysis is always something we keep at the forefront. As we think about the continued evolution of the threat, um we have programs of record that we believe represent the threat as they stand and as it evolves. But I don't think we can stand still just like our adversaries aren't standing still. So working with Doctor Kadlik and with the Policy Enterprise, largely we turn to them and we provide data in that analysis, working with both STRATCOM and Global Strike Command to make sure we have those numbers right. So my my commitment to you is to work within the enterprise, to continue to analyze those numbers. Um, uh, I do think that while they are programs of record, it is inherently important that we continue to do that analysis as the threat continues to evolve. while we balance out with what our policy partners have to do in the business that they do. So that that would be the the short of it, but so my commitment to you is to continue that that analysis and continue communicating and working with with this subcommittee to make sure we have information. Doctor Kadlec, over to you.

Oh, thank you, General White. And uh in in terms of your question, uh, Mister Chairman, the short answer is yes, we should reconsider the procurement quantities across the domain. And and I just want to highlight just a couple in that place, uh, With the replacement of the Ohio class submarines with Columbia we're actually losing some uh potential capacity and capabilities since the Columbia will have fewer missile tubes than the Ohio, so that's just one example. And as details in the FY twenty seven budget request show, we're putting more money to increasing the buy of LRSOs and starting to buy long lead id- items for Columbia to increase the number of boats to at least fifteen. On B twenty one I'm I stir uh firmly stand with General White to look at the requirements and determine the right number. Uh clearly uh he has uh identified the role that Admiral Correll plays as the commander of STRATCOM, and also the Air Force in terms of determining that number. We've heard from Admiral Correll and and Admiral Paparo recently about a number north of a hundred uh but again I I look forward to do it looking at the analysis and looking at the numbers and supporting General White's efforts in this domain.

Thank you. Uh General White, Congress has used flexible funding structures in the past to support modernization efforts for example with ta- tanker recapitalization. Uh do you think these concepts could have value and help accelerate or increase efficiency when it comes to nuclear modernization?

Uh thank you Chairman, and and the answer to that is a resounding yes. I think any time we can get greater flexibility with funding, it allows us a a lot more um freedom of maneuver within these programs to make sure we can deliver on our commitments, number one, and number two, making sure we can address real-time threats. I'll tell you um foundationally part of the idea behind the DERP one was making sure we had processes in place that allowed us greater flexibility. This is the one area where we really need to focus some attention because of that flexible funding again it makes it much easier, especially when larger portfolios have numerous program elements. It makes it a lot easier to to to take action in order to to address near-time threats. as well as steer programs into to mission outcomes so uh certainly sir any any opportunity we have to get that flexibility we will welcome it.

Dr. Keidlich do you have anything to add to that?

Yes sir I do and um I I wanna just uh reaffirm what uh General White said but also have been having been a beneficiary of Congress's flexibility in funding during operation operation warp speed I personally identify you know can experience the uh the opportunities that come by giving uh latitude to to move and take uh take advantage of opportunities and minimize risks. Uh clearly there's a role for Congress to be notified and informed of these uh these activities when they do happen, but I think there's an example in the defense domain with the uh sea based deterrence fund uh where you could act uh you can enable to act quickly uh and identify opportunities again and align activities with uh our colleagues at DOE and NSA uh with the rapid capabilities team to accelerate not just simply a platform, but a total capability with the warheads that NSA provides.

OK, and uh I- I'm gonna ask one more question Seth, and I'll just ext- uh Administrator Williams,

Mm-hmm.

NNSA's uh budget request for fiscal year twenty twenty-seven is a significant increase over the current fiscal year. Uh can you talk about why this increase is necessary and the growing level of effort NNSA is undertaking on the road to restoring our scientific and production capabilities and building the modern responsive nuclear enterprise that the nation needs.

Thank you for the question, Mr. Chairman. Um, yes, there is a significant need for investment. Um, the truth is is that America's nuclear weapons enterprise is at an inflection point in history. We are transitioning from the last thirty plus years of a stewardship uh of the existing uh stockpile, which is as capable as ever, but we're shifting from that model to a modern twenty-first century production model, uh which is necessary to meet the rising threat. Um that looks like in fact I would say even in history it's the perfect time to do this, because we have new tools available to us in the form of artificial intelligence, uh and a very committed uh workforce. Uh just a remarkable seventy thousand Americans that are patriotic, that are working uh diligently down this So I I think just to for the sake of time, I would say that we're just at this uh transition point in history and uh we have not made those investments in the past and we need to make those investments now.

I yield. I I yield. I yield and I now recognize the ranking member, Mister Moulton,

Thank you.

for his questions.

Thank you very, thank you very much, Mister Chairman. I'm gonna pick up right where you left off, uh with that question that sounded like it was written by the administration, uh and give you some more time to go into why there's a thirty-five

Ranking member, uh, thank you for the question. I think if you uh look back

Mm.

uh to the early nineteen sixties, uh you'll see that the nuclear weapons enterprise consumed about six percent relative to uh the Department of Defense budget, even as we ramped up spending for uh the Department of Defense for the Vietnam War. Um today that number is about three percent, so we're actually spending half of what we spent a generation ago uh to build the same uh capability, that is the whatever's necessary to deter our adversaries. Um What we're building is we are replacing uh generational uh infrastructure for manufacturing we manufacture a unique set of things, uh for our nuclear stockpile uh they are not small things, whether that's depleted uranium or uh really rich.

Look, we all know this, we know all this,

Sure.

and I appreciate the historical footnote.

Sure.

What are you buying?

Um.

It's just a specific question, just give us some example, you're seven billion dollars. There's a lot I can buy for seven billion dollars. There's a lot of gas at inflated prices that Americans can buy for seven billion dollars. So just tell us what are you buying for seven billion dollars?

We are uh accelerating the plutonium pit mission in Los Alamos. So a lot of those are glove boxes. Uh, we are building a training center and equipping a training center for the workforce at Savannah River. Uh, we're continuing the modernization uh, the transformation, I should say, of the MOX facility at Savannah River. into the two-site solution for pit production uh to include Savannah River. Um we are doing uh uh reinvesting in a number of the scientific instruments that are necessary to continue to stay ahead of our adversaries, uh to continue to um uh monitor the stockpile and um uh that's just a a small taste.

It it's it's it's very hard to see a training center and a a Savannah Real uh River facility that that thanks to my colleague from South Carolina here has been regularly funded on by this uh subcommittee, costing seven billion dollars.

Uh, well that was one of the many things that I mentioned, uh, I did not ascribe seven billion dollars to that one uh project.

I'm just, there is nothing in your list that that struck me as something that should even cost a billion dollars.

Um, remember I I would invite you to come down and see the scale and scope of the nuclear weapons enterprise at Savannah River at any of our sites, you would be welcome. I think you would be um amazed at what a class one nuclear facility

Well I'm I'm happy to, I'm happy to take that trip. You know,

Yes sir, I, you oughta enjoy that, we oughta enjoy that.

because part of our job is actually to try to hold you accountable.

Uh, happy to.

Right? And uh, and not give you soft balls, but actually have, ask tough questions on behalf of the American taxpayer. And um, I think the American taxpayer would just like to know what we're getting. Your enterprise was a target of Doge. Right? Elon Musk came in and said, " Let's cut money."

I I don't.

From your for your your enterprise.

That was before I was uh sworn in, but I I don't believe that's true.

Well you It was not true, yes.

I I I don't believe that we were specifically or um a target of Doge. Um.

OK, well then then perhaps we can give you a little historical footnote, because you were,

Please.

there were personnel cuts, there were other cuts made to to to your facilities, and the whole point was that we can save money there. So what's the answer? I mean, are are we is this a place where we can get more efficiencies in government? Or is it a place where we need to spend more money? We I think we need some clarity on that. Uh, General White, I appreciate the conversation that we had earlier about how you intend to get the Sentinel program back on track, um, and some of the changes that you're making to the acquisition strategy to try to make it more cost efficient. One thing I always come back to is the importance of competition. it's by far the best way to force contractors to get down their costs. So can you talk about some of the ways in which you're making sure that the Sentinel program is structured to support maximum competition over the course of the development fielding and sustaining of the system?

Uh, thank you, Ranking Member Moulton, absolutely, and I think a couple of things that as I looked uh came up on the program and and did the research steering into it and understanding exactly how the contract structures were one of the things I recognized is, we had this very uh very vertical structure and what we've done is built architecture in in the restructure to find opportunity specifically as it relates to construction in areas where after we get design complete we can open the aperture to to have competition one of the other areas i'm paying very close attention to is making sure we build a software architecture that allows us to have uh uh an opportunity to be able to compete into the future rather than typically what we normally do is we have software that is just It is very uh stove piped in a sense. Uh, Northrop Grumman is working with us on that, building that architecture, making sure it's open. If that architecture remains open and we are sure of that, which I can tell you we are doing that w- that hard work right now, it allows us to continuously compete the systems and subsystems as we continue to sustain and maintain this system into the future.

Well, I think you're gonna find bipartisan support for that approach on this committee after the debacle of the F-thirty-five. So thank you for that, General, and Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

I thank the ranking member and I'm now pleased to recognize the distinguished mental a gentleman from South Carolina Joe Savannah Wil- River Wilson.

Hey and and um Chairman uh Doctor Desjolle thank you very much and ranking member Seth Moulton thank you for um always bringing up about the Savannah Riverside, it's a beautiful place to visit hey it's a hey you all know where it is, it's across the river from the Augusta National Golf Course so you you can place it there. Uh with that in mind, I want to thank the witnesses for being here today and uh indeed we face a increasingly complex threat environment from war criminal Putin's uh murderous war in Ukraine to the Chinese Communist Party largest peacetime military build-up in history, along with North Korea's continued nuclear advancements in both missile and nuclear capabilities. These threats are an increasing ability to threaten our American families and our allies and particularly interested in how the Department of Defense and national and nuclear security administration are sustaining and modernizing the nuclear triad at a speed and scale and to me this is particularly important because as we address the different threats there is good news and that is my pers- view is as we address the challenge of what worked for Putin Chinese Communist Party in North Korea I'm grateful that President Donald Trump has courageously destroyed the threat of uh the nuclear capability of Iran. As he was advised by envoy Steve Whitcroft of Tehran having eleven nuclear bombs, he responded decisively to a re- a regime at war with America for forty-seven years, murdering and injuring thousands of Americans. Additionally, all political parties in America have supported Iran must never have a nuclear capability. With that in mind, we must ensure the nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, effective, and ready to promote peace through strength. With that in mind, uh Secretary, former Congressman, Navy Veteran Williams, the Trump Administration uh Nuclear Posture Review committed to producing eighty plutonium pits per year by twenty-thirty and also, quote, a delay of this would result in the need for a higher rate of pit production at a higher cost, end of quote. I'm grateful for the two-site solution for the plutonium pit production uh to include the Savannah River site. I'm the only member of Congress who's actually worked at the Savannah River site, so I know firsthand the capabilities of the personnel there. With that in mind, do you agree the longer it takes to achieve pit production goals, the higher the required production rate and cost will be? And what risk are there that pose to meeting the deterrence requirements of this decade?

Uh, Mr. Wilson, thank you for your question and thank you for just your support for the nuclear deterrence mission. It's utterly critical uh for that kind of leadership to ensure that future generations are safe from the nuclear threat. Um, we are committed at NSA to the two-site solution uh for restoring pit production uh to the United States. Uh, frankly, it is a good news story. Uh, we have been able to move out quickly and much more aggressively at the Los Alamos site um that's mission is succeeding at a tremendous pace and we are gonna produce uh more pits there uh faster and at greater quantities than anyone imagined uh but that's uh only tees up the need to get the Savannah River site online and producing as quickly as possible uh as you know the training facility uh is also coming online that's gonna support uh both acceleration at Los Alamos even though the training will be at Savannah River uh as well as uh getting set up for the Savannah River site so um we are uh on track on that mission. I would say that we have some challenges to meet the eighty pits per year by twenty thirty that uh Congress has mandated but uh through our transformation objectives, we are moving out on that mission and I have to tell you the workforce has responded absolutely admirably in uh stepping up to the challenge and need of the nation.

And Mr. Secretary, I'm really grateful, the communities I represent are so supportive of the efforts of everyone here because we know how critical it is for peace through strength. And Admiral Wolf, uh we have a real issues with the Industrial Base. Uh what what do you recommend that we do to get the Industrial Base back on track?

Sir, thanks for that question. Yeah, I think I think what the department has done, uh as we start to look at standing up these portfolio acquisition executives that are running these programs, I think what we've done in the Navy as far as putting a focus on um, what Admiral Goucher is doing with a PAE, uh, undersea warfare and DERPAM submarines. Getting, getting that focus and then doing the invest- the smart investments, not just with our s- with our, uh, subs but with the primes particularly, uh, getting them where they need to be. So, I think we're doing everything that we can. The department is pushing really, really hard. Um, everybody's focused on that and it, we just gotta continue to ramp up to get all of these platforms delivered.

Thank all of you for your dedication.

Gentleman yields back, now pleased to recon recognize the gentleman from California, Mister Whitesides.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, and thank you to all for your distinguished service. Uh, as the representative of Palmdale's Plan forty-two, I'm uh excited about uh the continued good progress of the B twenty-one program, and I can tell you all that uh our community is a hundred percent behind this program and looking forward to supporting it as uh as we potentially ramp up. Um, uh general Well, y- you and I had a chance to discuss um the the capability of the four twelfth, and to make sure that it is uh properly uh staffed to uh carry out the wide range of critical testing programs. Um, I know that uh you're on top of that, and so I don't think there's anything that we need to talk about on that on that front. I did however want to talk to you about a small detail that I hesitate to raise with somebody who is responsible for whatever it is a thirty billion dollar, sixty billion dollars of uh of uh which is traffic around plant forty two. Um because we have had such growth in that site, it's it's not really built to have that and and we we now have huge traffic uh jams uh or significant traffic jams outside of the facility um this is not a uh in the grand scheme of your challenges it's not really that big a deal but it's a big deal to the folks uh the the good men and women who are uh working hard and who are now stuck in in these things and so I wonder whether. might be able to work with somebody on your team just to try to address this challenge because it it does affect thousands of folks who are working on this important program.

Well thank you Congressman, and first of all, uh I couldn't agree more, the the community effort that goes into making something of this uh order of magnitude, like building the B-twenty-one uh is critically important. And uh the last thing we wanna do is be an inconvenience for the community as we continue to ramp up for this. So what I'll do is uh we'll we'll get back with you, I'll get you name of who you can work with. Um, and I'll work with, um, my Northrop Grumman p- counterparts as well, who obviously have a big presence there, and then work on ways, there are different things we can do in terms of shift work and, and how we, we transfer times and, and try to ease some of that traffic burden. So, we'll get together with the team and we'll reach out to your team and make sure we can, we can address some of this.

I'd appreciate that. Um, I think the community and the workers themselves would, would really appreciate that. Um, uh, the, the, the only, um, other questions that I had was just it seems like as a country we have got to deal with the issue of workforce preparedness, um, for all of our programs, whether it's submarines, whether it's bombers, all these things. And, um, I th- I think I just wanted to express from the perspective of Congress, we wanna be a partner to you as we deal with this nationwide challenge, right? Because, you know, you you talk to Joe Courtney, you know, you're talking about the subs, you talk about the B-twenty-one. We have a huge challenge to train up and motivate y- y- young people and and middle career people to join these super important tasks. So, I don't know if any of you have any particular genius ideas that Congress should be pushing harder on, but this seems like a crucial uh point to enable us to build at the pace that we know that we need to do to uh compete with our peer competitors.

Yes sir, I I will say the department at large has really been going after this particular piece as it relates to both skilled and unskilled labor and we're having some success. Um, I I will tell you I think the biggest piece of this is continued focus. And with that continued focus, especially as it ties to these larger programs, making sure we can, we can have positions that not only do we have to fill just within the government side of the ledger, we also have to address the same challenge within the industry side. And often we find ourselves competing with each other. So I think a couple of things, continued focus, making sure we have programs and helping people understand what the opportunities are, both on the industry side and the government side, and then continuing working with communities and making sure we can get, get folks positioned where they can compete well into these spaces. We've had some really good success, specifically out in, in your area, um, as it relates to working on some of these challenges, and even working with some of the local community colleges and such. Those are the types of successes I think is what's gonna drive us to a place where we have the workforce we need to address some of these challenges.

Thank you, and I agree. Uh, any other comments, Jeff?

Yes sir, I, if I could just add to that. So, uh, for from my perspective, it's it's identifying opportunities to to train that workforce. I agree with General White. Once we get them in the door, but we've got to find opportunities to train them because this is a new workforce. This is a generational change that we're going through. And if if Congress helps us to find those opportunities where we identify, maybe do some early testing, OK? Get ahead of this. Let these teams learn through actually building things and testing those things. We tend to set our programs up so that everything is success oriented, OK. We've got to - we've got to identify those opportunities. And if it doesn't go so well, that's OK. What I can tell you is what we've learned on our programs, we are gonna get so much learning and we are gonna train that next generation of workforce that when it really matters they will be ready to go to address those challenges.

Thank you, I agree.

Congressman, if I if I may, just uh

Yep. I refer to the chairman here.

refer

Go ahead.

Thank you. Um, in my home state now of Tennessee, uh, Roane State, uh, Co- Community College has done an ex- exceptional job of workforce development for the growing nuclear industry around Oak Ridge. So I think there are pockets of success, um, you know, that uh that could speak to your office and please reach out if we can uh help facilitate uh communication there.

Great, I think what we see is that it's working in a few places and if we can share those lessons, maybe we can uh help the country. Uh I yield back. Thank you, Mister Killing.

Right, thank you. Uh the Chair now recognizing the gentleman from Indiana, uh Mister Mesmer.

Uh thank you Chairman and and thank you th- for the witnesses for being here today. Uh first off, Vice Admiral Wolf, you're gonna be missed. Yeah, it's been great working with you. Um Doctor Cadillac, uh thank you for our our discussions last week. I look forward to continuing to collaborate. Uh some may view the fact that there was no funds requested for the Slic-A-Man and the twenty-seven uh fy twenty seven budget as reflecting a lack of commitment to the program can you confirm that the administration is fully committed to developing dep- and deploying a nuclear sea launch cruise missile

Yes sir the uh the administration is fully behind this. I think evidence of that is that if you look at the five year defense plan you'll see funding throughout that period even though there's no funding uh identified for fy twenty seven.

K thank you. Administrator Williams can you uh confirm that you share the same agreement?

Uh yes sir I do uh the the um funding from the reconciliation process is carrying the project forward at pace we're ahead of schedule uh and we're gonna be uh able to deliver Warhead uh the W eighty dash five ahead of the Navy's needs

OK. Thank you.

we're on track.

Yep. Thank you for confirming that. Do- uh Doctor Kadilek do you expect uh secret resources for the Silicam N and FY twenty eight?

Yes, sir.

K. Administration uh Administrator Williams, same question for you but for the Warhead.

Uh, yes sir, absolutely.

K. Uh, Doctor Kedlick, the S uh Sliccoman program envisions a cruise missile capability, but over the long term do you see a need for a uh theater nuclear capabilities beyond legacy designed cruise missiles?

Uh, yes sir, there is a need and it's been expressable both by uh Combatant Commanders and by STRATCOM.

It's super. Thank you. Uh, General Gribara, I know this committee is focused on recapitalizing the MH one thirty nine, uh, for nuclear security and personal transport. Uh, what is the plan for recapitalizing the ground vehicles that support that same mission?

Congressman, thank you for the question. So we do have a plan to uh to refurbish ground vehicles, not just in the missile fields but throughout our Air Force. One of the challenges we've had in the past is treating these vehicles uh that are really mission vehicles as if they're just kind of generic vehicles. And what we need to do is have a a more agile plan that the missile field vehicles that have many many miles put on them every year is not the exact same as a vehicle kind of at the local base that is only occasionally used and so we've done some uh pretty in- aggressive work to try and mainstream that uh always more work to do, but uh we are uh I am much more comfortable with where we are on that than we were say two years ago when I began this job.

Is the uh JLTV uh important to that ground ground base support?

I think the JLTV absolutely is important, has a role, it is not the only vehicle that needs to be put

Perfect. Uh do you know th- your goal for the JLTV fleet numbers?

So I'd like to get back to you afterwards with the exact numbers.

Perfect. And does the Air, does the Army's divest divestiture of that program affect the Air Force's ability to, to keep that program efficient?

Uh, I believe we're still gonna be in good shape.

K. Thank you. Um, General White, uh as you recalibrate the uh sentinel program and infrast- int- infrastructure's needs to be both both mission capable and cost effective, have you been engaging across your university laboratories for for potential novel solutions to the construction mission set?

We have started the process of actually doing that specifically as it rates uh, um, relates to water issues at each of the site locations uh, cuz we know a lot of these universities have a lot of experience, especially from a locale perspective. We'll continue to use that as well as looking at other novel ideas we might use for constructions. Um, we're just now in the early phases of the of the design of what we call the launch control centers and that's where we're gonna start seeking additional help and and guidance in areas where it it could be helpful we saw for example in our trip to Minot uh Minot is very different than what we see at F. E. Warren so using those local um that local expertise is gonna be instrumental in helping us make sure we can deliver on the construction and infrastructure side.

Well, this may be a bias on my part. But as a Purdue University engineering graduate, your team might wanna reach out to the PARE Infrastructure and Innovation Lab, as they're working on the exact kind of innovative solutions and methods that'll help uh bring cost and and cost down and and uh timelines uh speed up. So,

Yes, sir.

glad to share that contact if you need it. Um, Admiral Wolf, thank you and your office for engaging with myself and my team concerning the Sliccom end program uh and the support voiced here by, uh, Cadillac and Minister Williams, and reconciliation use of the of Congress's given the program. Uh last year in this committee we provided some tools to reduce costs, uh schedule risk, and integration of Slicum into the Virginia class submarine. Notwithstanding operational implications w with such an action would implement implement integration of future uh nuclear theater weapons be cheaper and faster in a in a Mac on an Ohio class or or Virginia class sub.

I'm sorry, what was the question, sir?

Would it b- um, would it be l- less expensive to integrate future nuclear theater weapons in a in a in a uh multiple all-around canister of a Ohio Ohio class or Virginia class sub?

So certainly for Virginia, we we are looking at what the best option is to to have a canister. Um, as you as you well know as we've talked about, um, for the limited operational capability, we're gonna use the same canister that we are designing for what will go into our Virginia payload module um because that's the quickest way to get that integrated into that submarine, so that's the path we're on. Um we're always looking at what additional options could we have to make this the most effective and c- uh cost and technical way to develop these solutions. Yes sir.

Thank you and uh I'm over time so I yield back.

I I thank the gentleman. Uh the chair now, recognize the gentleman from New Mexico, Mister Vasquez.

Thank you Mister Chairman, uh thank you to our witnesses for being here with us today. Uh, the United States is the safest and most powerful country on Earth, and it needs to stay that way. Responsibly managing our nuclear weapon systems plays a key role in maintaining our nation's safety and power. New Mexico is at the heart of our nation's nuclear program. Southern New Mexico in my district is home to the Trinity site, the birthplace of America's nuclear program. Los Alamos National Laboratory was founded solely to carry out the Manhattan Project and it was there that America successfully built the world's first nuclear weapon, and today maintains a critical role in our nuclear program. And just outside of my district in Albuquerque is Sandia National Lab, a cutting edge research site whose primary mission is to ensure the US nuclear arsenal is safe, secure, reliable, and ready to fully support our nation's deterrence policy. I visited the lab numerous times and the work the team is doing there is truly groundbreaking. New Mexicans are proud of the role that our state plays as a cutting edge hub for research and development in US nuclear weapons strategy and deterrence. But our state has also seen the devastating impacts that nuclear testing and development has had on generations of New Mexicans. On July sixteenth, nineteen forty-five, nearly half a million New Mexicans were awakened by that deafening explosion and they were unknowingly exposed to deadly radiation as a result of the first above ground nuclear test in the United States. The fallout from the Trinity site rained radioactive ash throughout the state poisoning crops livestock and our people. These communities became known as downwinders, and they continued to be impacted decades later by debilitating health effects, including rare cancers, infertility, and death. That's why I pushed through this committee, the Downwinder Commemoration Act, which directs the Department of Defense to establish memorials at White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands National Park, honoring New Mexicans that were impacted by the Trinity test. Cuz if we don't learn from this history, we're doomed to repeat it. I'm extremely concerned that last October, The president stated he would like to resume nuclear testing, and that Defense Secretary Hegseth stated that the resumption of nuclear testing was a " very responsible way" to maintain nuclear deterrence. There's nothing, I believe, very responsible about subjecting Americans to decades of debilitating health impacts and it raises severe concerns about this administration's openness to restarting live or above ground testing of nuclear weapons. We don't need to do this. Our country can rest assured that our nuclear stockpile remains safe, secure, and effective, thanks to the advance work done by labs like Los Alamos and Sandia in New Mexico. Resuming live tests would not enhance national security, rather it would undermine decades of our own scientific achievement, erode global non-proliferation norms, and impose unnecessary financial and environmental burdens. So I stand firmly against any return to above ground nuclear testing, and uh am against repeating those same mistakes of the past that have already

Uh the only the president of the United States uh has the authority to um commence you to recommence uh nuclear testing and he alone um uh will make all of those decisions I will say that uh my family is from New Mexico, my father is a downwinder as you described uh in Roswell uh in nineteen forty five um and that the NNSA performs more than a thousand tests every year on our stockpile, on all the different components and systems to ensure that they are incredibly effective uh as designed for the um for the mission that they perform. So um we uh I can tell you that our stockpile is uh absolutely ready. I can tell you that our adversaries know that our stockpile works as advertised, and uh and it maintains the deterrence today.

Thank you, Under Secretary. So then would you agree that there's no need for above ground nuclear testing?

I will do as the President directs.

Uh, how about in your own expertise and knowledge and experience with your own family?

All of which is in service to the President.

Well, I can't emphasize how uh unnecessary above ground nuclear testing is with the current technology that you just described. uh and that I know we have in New Mexico to test our nuclear stockpile and its vi- viability uh to insure its its safety and deployment. Resuming nuclear weapons testing would undenvi- undeniably harm the health and well-being of Americans for generations and cause long-term irreversible and environmental damage. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

Thank you and uh we actually finished a little ahead of schedule so I thank our witnesses for uh being here today and uh with that uh this hearing is concluded. Okay.