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Senate Strategic Forces Hearing Urges Faster Nuclear Triad Modernization, Pushes for Sea‑Launched Cruise Missile
Summary
STRATCOM testimony to the Senate Strategic Forces Subcommittee stressed an urgent need to speed modernization of the nuclear triad and command-and-control systems, accelerate B‑21 bomber production and advance a nuclear-capable sea‑launched cruise missile while mitigating gaps from program delays.
Chairwoman Fisher opened the Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing by warning that "today, we face a threat environment more dangerous than we've seen since the second World War," and pressed commanders to explain how the United States will sustain nuclear deterrence amid rapid Chinese and Russian modernization.
General Cotton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), told the subcommittee that "the nation's nuclear forces ... are safe, secure, effective, and credible," but described a security environment in which China has rapidly expanded its arsenal and Russia has modernized much of its stockpile. Cotton said STRATCOM is focused on completing multi‑generational recapitalization across all three legs of the nuclear triad and on modernizing nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3).
Why it matters: committee members said decisions over the next months on procurement, program pacing and funding will shape U.S. deterrence for decades. Senators repeatedly flagged the Columbia‑class…
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