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Witnesses tell House panel U.S. must accelerate nuclear modernization to meet a two-peer threat
Summary
Pentagon witnesses told the Strategic Forces Subcommittee that China's rapid nuclear expansion creates a two-peer deterrence problem requiring accelerated modernization of the triad and improvements to nuclear command, control and communications (NC3). Officials said a nuclear strategy review and program acceleration are underway.
Pentagon witnesses told the House Strategic Forces Subcommittee that the pace and scope of Chinese and Russian nuclear modernization requires an accelerated, modernized U.S. nuclear posture.
Dr. Robert Kick, introduced as the assistant secretary responsible for nuclear deterrence, said China's rapid, opaque expansion means the United States faces the "unprecedented challenge of deterring two nuclear peers," and that modernization of the triad and command systems must be accelerated. He urged full funding of major recapitalization programs, naming the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, the Columbia-class submarine and the B-21 bomber as urgent priorities and saying the current Program of Record is "necessary but not sufficient."
Admiral Richard Carell, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, described five evolving threat vectors—cyber, counter-space, contested electromagnetic spectrum, novel missile systems and supply chain vulnerabilities—that complicate deterrence and NC3 survivability. He said Stratcom is working to adapt force structure and command systems to those vectors and to integrate new capabilities as they come online.
Lawmakers probed survivability and resilience of NC3. Representative Bacon asked whether the U.S. should consider returning to a continuous airborne alert posture to ensure survivable presidential decision-making and whether Stratcom is prepared to support an expanded bomber fleet. Admiral Carell and Dr. Kick said assured NC3 remains a top priority and described a "mobile, distributed" trade space that could mix airborne and terrestrial survivable capabilities; Dr. Kick also said that "the Looking Glass next is part of the plan." (Classified details were deferred.)
Witnesses also discussed force-sizing. Admiral Carell said Stratcom analysis points to an air-leg bomber endpoint in the neighborhood of 145 B-21s as a meaningful planning figure, though final numbers and production decisions remain joint force determinations. Members emphasized the need to preserve test inventories and sustain legacy systems while transitioning to modern platforms.
The committee moved to a closed session for further technical and operational discussion; witnesses asked that detailed NC3 architectures and force-sizing rationales be handled in that classified setting.
