▶ 0:23:15Chair Wicker: Thank you, and I welcome our four witnesses and their families and thank you for being here this morning. Mr.
▶ 0:23:27Chair Wicker: Brandon williams has been nominated to be under secretary of energy for nuclear security, and the administrator of the national nuclear security administration, nnsa, he would be responsible for rebuilding and modernizing our long neglected nuclear weapons stockpile. Failure is not an option.
▶ 0:23:52Chair Wicker: Over the past several years we have watched as russia, china, and north korea have expanded their arsenals develops new types of weapons, for which we are sorely unprepared. The committee is focused on ensuring that the department of defense and nnsa deliver results as the congressional strategic posture made clear.
▶ 0:24:17Chair Wicker: Modernizing our country's nuclear deterrent is a national imperative. I look forward to hear how he intends to pursue this objective. Mr. bradley hansell has been nominated for -- to serve as undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. As well as serving as advisor on intelligence, and counterintelligence security and law enforcement matters.
▶ 0:24:45Chair Wicker: The undersecretary is tasked with protecting the department's most sensitive information from adversaries ensuring the provision of timely and accurate intelligence to our forces, overseeing the security clearance vetting process, guarding against insider threats and protecting our industrial base from china's campaign of espionage and theft.
▶ 0:25:11Chair Wicker: He served as a naval officer and an army green beret his distinguished career and saw firsthand that quality intelligence is crucial to executing the mission, that experience and his work in the private sector gives me prominence that -- confidence that he will do an excellent job. I look forward to hearing him outline his priorities for our intelligence and security enterprise. Mr.
▶ 0:25:37Chair Wicker: Earl matthews has been nominated to be the general counsel of department of defense and has had ace -- a distinguished career of judge advocate in the army reserve and national guard, serving as jat advent -- judge advocate for the dcn national guard. He brings extensive civilian government experience.
▶ 0:25:58Chair Wicker: He worked for secretary mattis in 2017 before moving over to the army general counsel office where he served as acting general counsel of the army. President trump and secretary hegseth have taken bold steps to reform the department of defense, and as we all know, purposeful and thoughtful reform requires purposeful and thoughtful lawyers. And I am confident that Mr.
▶ 0:26:28Chair Wicker: Matthews possesses both qualities. I look forward to hearing his opinion on what the dod office of counsel is doing right, and I want to hear his ideas on how to do things differently. Mr. dale marks has been nominated to be the assistant secretary of defense for energy installations and environment, which ensures the operational readiness and resiliency for the department of defense.
▶ 0:26:55Chair Wicker: If confirmed he would oversee the management of military installations and infrastructure, the bedrock of safety and well-being of servicemembers and their families. This will play a key part in the implementation of several reforms from last year, among them the mandate requiring the minimum 4% plant replacement value for dod facilities. Let me repeat that.
▶ 0:27:22Chair Wicker: Among them are the mandate in the ndaa requiring a minimum 4% plant replacement value for dod facilities. And areawide contract authority and review of green energy focus -- policies that focus more on climate change than combat lethality. I look forward on hearing how he intends to tackle these important issues and we have a lot to talk about today.
▶ 0:27:53Chair Wicker: And I turn to my friend and colleague, ranking member read. -- reed.
▶ 0:27:59Sen. Reed: Welcome and congratulations on your nominations. I would also like to greet and welcome your families and friends who have come to support you. I also want to recognize representative pfluger, who will introduce Mr. marx and Mr. matthews momentarily. Mr.
▶ 0:28:21Sen. Reed: Williams has been nominated to be the undersecretary for national security -- national nuclear security. You would be responsible for the programs in the programs of modernizing and overseeing the nuclear stock power -- piles and production facilities. I am concerned that the trump administration has undermined this mission.
▶ 0:28:44Sen. Reed: Nearly 200 nnsa nuclear engineers were fired and then hastily rehired and another 250 employees took the deferred retirement option. More than 8500 employees at the department of energy, about half of the workforce, were identified by the office of management and budget to be fired including 500 nnsa employees. The potential damage on the threat to the safety of all american should be alarming.
▶ 0:29:16Sen. Reed: Mr. williams is a former congressman, and a navy veteran and I would like to know how we -- he will approach this challenge and protect the vital workforce. Mr. hansell, you've been nominated as undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. You will have a dual role as advisor to the secretary of defense and the director of defense intelligence and the director of national intelligence. The complexity of the global rent environment we face is unprecedented.
▶ 0:29:48Sen. Reed: China, russia, iran, north korea and other actors pose serious challenges. You will be responsible for reassure -- ensuring the enterprise is equipped with the resources and capabilities that it needs to meet these challenges. These are immensely complicated networks, but your experience will be a valuable -- valuable in such a complex position.
▶ 0:30:13Sen. Reed: I welcome your thoughts on how you plan to foster cooperation and ensure that the military has timely and accurate information. It is often said that the network of allies and partners is our greatest advantage over our global competitors. If confirmed he will be in charge of managing and facilitating our intelligence relationships with foreign military partners.
▶ 0:30:39Sen. Reed: I fear that many of the actions taken by the president such as cabinet members discussing classified information on signal to eliminating foreign assistance to placing tariffs on many of our closest allies undermines these long-standing relationships and makes it less likely that they will trust us with their most sensitive information. I hope you will lay out your plan for ensuring that our network of allies and partners remain strong. Mr.
▶ 0:31:05Sen. Reed: Matthews, you have been nominated to be the general counsel of department of defense. He serves as a chief legal officer and as the primary legal advisor to the secretary of defense. If confirmed he would provide legal advice and counsel on the full scope of missions and responsibilities including the roles and functions of the military, contracting and acquisitions, military health care, military justice and more.
▶ 0:31:36Sen. Reed: Frankly, I am concerned about the legality of certain activities at the trump administration has ordered the military to execute. Public trust in the military can never be taken for granted and it is a sacred duty that must be carried out responsibly. You have extensive experience as a judge advocate in the U.S. army national guard.
▶ 0:31:59Sen. Reed: And I expect you to exercise independent judgment and give your breast confident to the -- to give your best advice to the secretary of defense. I would like to see how he would represent all service members with the professionalism they deserve. Mr. marx, you have been nominated to be assistance -- assistant secretary of defense.
▶ 0:32:24Sen. Reed: He would oversee the defense department's physical footprint and coordinate environmental safety and occupational health programs. Your extensive background in the U.S. air force managing infrastructure, testing, logistics and other issues should serve you well.
▶ 0:32:43Sen. Reed: There are a number of significant challenges you will need to address, in particular military construction has been underfunded, forcing servicemembers and civilians to manage missions with inadequate infrastructure. Similarly, barracks require greater oversight to meet the standards that are servicemembers and military family members return -- deserve. This has needed to be addressed extensively over the years.
▶ 0:33:13Sen. Reed: As growing energy demands and whether impede readiness will need to support energy programs to extend the capabilities of our war fighters. I welcome your thoughts and how you will addressed each of these challenges. I think the nominees for your willingness to serve and look forward to your testimony. Thank you.
▶ 0:33:35Chair Wicker: I appreciate that. Mr. matthews, I see that one of my good friends and colleagues from the house of representatives, august pfluger has humbled himself to come over here to the united states senate and introduce you. We very much appreciate the effort of representative pfluger and I now turn to him for whatever remarks you might make.
▶ 0:34:04Rep. Pfluger: Thank you chairman and ranking member and all of the distinguished members for allowing me to be here, it is an honor to introduce my dear friend and former colleague from the national security council staff, earl matthews. He has the nominee to be the next general counsel of department of the defense and I wholeheartedly believe that he is the right person at the right time with the right skill set to fulfill this critical role. I will urge his swift confirmation.
▶ 0:34:35Rep. Pfluger: I have known him for six years now and we first met when he was a senior director for defense on the national security council. He took a chance on hiring me. Do not let that in any way cloud your judgment on him. He has a great person.
▶ 0:34:53Rep. Pfluger: During this time I have witnessed his excessive leadership capabilities firsthand as he led a handpicked 11 -- team of 11 charged with advancing the president's defense policy agenda and he was instrumental in establishing the U.S. space force, one of the most transformative decisions for our national security. Despite facing resistance within the pentagon, he led the charge on behalf of president trump to make this a reality.
▶ 0:35:24Rep. Pfluger: His story is one of resilience, dedication and service. Born in philadelphia with a proud tradition of military service he faced adversity when he lost his mother shortly after his birth. He was raised by his maternal aunt, a retired pennsylvania government employee whose guidance and support shaped the man he is today.
▶ 0:35:47Rep. Pfluger: She is here today alongside her husband and so many of earl's family members and friends that they are here to show unwavering support that are directly behind us. I cannot think of a more proud and affirming statement to have your own family and friends at the confirmation hearing of this importance.
▶ 0:36:07Rep. Pfluger: I can say without reservation that there is no one more qualified or deserving to serve as general counsel than earl matthews who has served with character, integrity, and dedication that is worthwhile of our great national security enterprise and department of defense. Chairman and ranking member, thank you for allowing me to introduce my good friend, someone incredibly qualified to fill this position.
▶ 0:36:34Chair Wicker: We appreciate it and thank you for pointing out the friends and family members who are present. We welcome them and hope that they enjoy the hearing. So, representative, you are free to go. You are welcome to stay. I know you are busy. We appreciate your input. I turned to my distinguished colleague, senator scott, who I understand will be saying some words of support for Mr. marks.
▶ 0:37:05Chair Wicker: So, senator scott, you are recognized.
▶ 0:37:07Sen. Scott: Chairman and members of this committee, it is a great honor to introduce dale marks to be the next assistant secretary of defense for energy, installation and environments. I would also like to recognize his wife and son. This role is crucial in ensuring the readiness of our military installations, successive energy policies and resilience of our services. He has a leader who can deliver for the americans and the families of our armed forces.
▶ 0:37:37Sen. Scott: He has a former fighter pilot and a combat wounded veteran. After his career he continued his service in a civilian capacity where he rose to the ranks of senior executive service. He is currently serving as executor -- executive director of the material command at egeland air force base. Out of uniform he demonstrated his ability to build teams, promote accountability and prioritize long-term success.
▶ 0:38:06Sen. Scott: The issues are not just challenges but leadership and oversight issues. This position is essential to ensuring that military installations remain strong and support mission success and environmental strategies at hand -- enhance and not hinder operational readiness.
▶ 0:38:24Sen. Scott: At a time when global energy security and resilient infrastructure are paramount we need a leader who understands the strategic and operational challenges facing our military and the above-mentioned -- and the impatience of high-level decisions. His broad expertise, and deep experience make him exceptionally well qualified for this position. Working with president trump, the secretary of defense and entire administration he will keep our forces ready to protect and serve.
▶ 0:38:54Sen. Scott: I hope that this committee fully supports his nomination. Congratulations.
▶ 0:38:59Chair Wicker: Thank you. We appreciate it. And now we will hear opening statements by each of our nominees. And without objection, we will take them in the order of Mr. williams, Mr. hansell, Mr. matthew and then finally Mr. marks. Mr. williams, you are recognized.
▶ 0:39:23Mr. Williams: Thank you for inviting me to be considered by this committee for this important position and also thank you senator fischer, I know that the mission of the nsa is near and dear to your heart as well as you, senator king. Thank you to the distinguished members of this committee, it is an honor to appear before you today. I would like to offer my appreciation to president trump for nominating me.
▶ 0:39:52Mr. Williams: I am honored and grateful to be considered. I will work diligently to strengthen the communication of our strategic deterrence. I share the president's commitment of peace through strength and look forward to serving under secretary right's leadership. I would like to recognize my beloved wife, stephanie.
▶ 0:40:12Mr. Williams: I asked her father, an army colonel with three bronze stars and two vietnam combat tours if I could have his daughter's hand in marriage. Stephanie has outranked me ever since. As a child she lived in germany during her father's battalion command which protected the most critical territory in europe. She experienced firsthand the soviet threat and the specter of nuclear war.
▶ 0:40:41Mr. Williams: I can say we both have a visceral understanding of the importance of strategic deterrence. I am pleased that our son could be present today. At the department of energy, the national nuclear security administration has gone through obscurity in the past few decades but has been thrust back in the public consciousness. In my estimation the men and women comprise one of the greatest scientific and engineering organizations in human history.
▶ 0:41:09Mr. Williams: They are exceptional machinists, technicians, marksmen, engineers, computer and data scientists, physicists and rapid -- and weapons designers. This workforce continues to ensure the safety and reliability and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile. If given the opportunity to lead this organization, I will do so humbly in the shadow of great americans like admiral rickover and robert oppenheimer.
▶ 0:41:41Mr. Williams: I have watched many hours of questioning and testimony from this committee and I know that you are aware that the hour is late and the need is urgent. To restore our nuclear weapons enterprise. I repeatedly heard the concerns of our military commanders and our strategic forces. This committee has provided critical bipartisan leadership and keen foresight to respond to the threat from china, russia, and others.
▶ 0:42:10Mr. Williams: You have set in motion the necessary efforts and respect is due to my colleagues and friends in the house of representatives. As a member of congress I served as the chairman of the energy subcommittee for the science, space and technology committee where I had oversight over our prestigious doe national labs and was privileged to visit many of them.
▶ 0:42:34Mr. Williams: Independent of my committee obligations I actively shot briefings from leadership -- sought briefings from leadership and staff to strengthen our strategic deterrence posture. I am aware of the many challenges that nnsa faces and it is with humility that I asked to be entrusted with this mission. I am deeply committed to america's strategically -- strategic deterrence.
▶ 0:42:58Mr. Williams: I witnessed the student protest in tiananmen square and then enrolled in an introductory class on strategic deterrence and volunteered for nuclear submarine duty. During my nearly six years of navy service I made six strategic patrols in the pacific aboard the submarine uss georgia. On board I served as the strategic missile officer, nuclear weapons safety officer, security officer and radiological controls officer.
▶ 0:43:29Mr. Williams: I was responsible for the launch codes and for thousands of hours I supervise the nuclear reactor and engine room operations. I then completed a masters degree at the wharton school and later cofounded a software company dedicated to modernizing industrial manufacturing.
▶ 0:43:46Mr. Williams: My mission if confirmed is to accelerate the restoration of our nuclear weapons enterprise, rebuild trust with congress and customers, the department of defense and the department of state and others and prioritize strengthening the relationships with our nuclear partners overseas. We will continue to meet the strategic defense mission of the nation and of our allies.
▶ 0:44:13Mr. Williams: As a world goes more perilous, if confirmed I will keep nuclear materials out of the hands of that actors and to protect americans at home. I am truly humbled to be considered and look forward to answering your questions.
▶ 0:44:29Chair Wicker: Thank you very much. Mr. han solo -- hansell.
▶ 0:44:36Mr. Hansell: Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and for your consideration of my nomination to be under secretary of defense for intelligence and security. I would like to thank president trump and secretary hegseth. Nearly five years ago I was honored by this committee's strong bipartisan support to be the deputy area -- deputy undersecretary. I am here today to earn your broad support for my nomination.
▶ 0:45:08Mr. Hansell: My first inspiration to serve this country started with those in my family who served before me. For three generations my family has sworn to protect and defend the constitution and I will recall my grandfather's pride while speaking about his service about a young sailor in the pacific. Both of his sons became naval officers and both of my brothers serve. Michael is a civilian with the navy and my brother brian commands a marine corps squadron. My passion for service deepened with my own.
▶ 0:45:39Mr. Hansell: One of the most powerful driving factors of my life came from the privilege of commanding soldiers in combat. I felt there existed a social contract that some of the most impressive men and women in our country would do what is asked when it is asked with incredible risk to their own lives. In return, their leaders hold the sacred responsibility to do everything in their power to ensure when necessary it is the right decision and every possible advantages afforded to them.
▶ 0:46:10Mr. Hansell: My role to fulfill this responsibility ended after being wounded in afghanistan. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to work tirelessly in support of that same contract and the war fighter. I would like to thank my wife who is with me today who impresses me every day for her willingness to sacrifice in support of this cause as well as our one-year-old son who we hope someday gets to feel the joy of serving a cause greater than himself.
▶ 0:46:39Mr. Hansell: I believe the combination of experiences have made me uniquely qualified to drive impact in this role. My deep understanding of intelligence ranges from the tactical and experience level. My team included the development and utilization of intelligence source or sources which I relied on when planning and leading combat missions. I know the value of getting it right in the human process of getting it wrong -- price of getting it wrong.
▶ 0:47:08Mr. Hansell: I leverage intelligence in the formulation of policy and lead efforts to address the responsiveness and foundational coordination of challenges between components. In the private sector I leverage leadership and business up -- business expertise to advise performance. I also had the opportunity to apply industry best practices to very unique government domains as we partnered with leaders in the dod and ic.
▶ 0:47:37Mr. Hansell: Effective management of the defense and intelligence enterprise is essential and we must align efforts to maximize and -- affects downrange. This includes ensuring we have the right technology and organizational structure to enable our personnel, some of america's best to increase their impact in the operational environment and position the enterprise to the rapidly changing landscape of the future.
▶ 0:48:03Mr. Hansell: We must better enable intelligence to inform department investments, matching capabilities with threats. With program costs exceedingly high and the cost of misallocation on the modern battlefield even higher, the premium on intelligence in forming entire acquisition lifecycle is at an all-time high.
▶ 0:48:24Mr. Hansell: We must ensure that the department has all of the tools required to most effectively compete along the full continuum of conflict. Our adversaries are increasingly conducting malign activity below a threshold has triggered a military response, enhancing irregular warfare capabilities will allow us to provide risk informed options to better compete short of armed conflict and reestablish deterrence.
▶ 0:48:58Mr. Hansell: I believe that offensive cyber capabilities and increased focus on defense are areas of increased opportunity. And opposite area intelligence is essential for imposing a cost on adversaries. I look forward to serving these amazing men and women to support priorities. In closing I am deeply committed to working with this committee in congress to provide information needed to carry out oversight responsibilities. Thank you for your time and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:49:27Chair Wicker: Thank you for your service and as a matter of fact, you were severely injured in combat in afghanistan. And it is somewhat of a miracle that you are here. We commend you for your service and we commend those caregivers and medical personnel that helped you recover. Thank you for your testimony. Mr. matthews you are next and recognize.
▶ 0:49:56Mr. Matthews: Chairman wicker, ranking member read and distinguished members of the committee, morning. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as a president's nominee to serve as the general counsel of the department of defense. It is a high honor and distinct privilege to be considered for this role. I am grateful for the kind introductory remarks of my dear friend, congressman august pfluger.
▶ 0:50:26Mr. Matthews: I am deeply appreciative of many friends and family members present in support of my nomination. I do want to recognize my wife, whose love and support is instrumental to me being here today. I also must give special recognition to my aunt, marietta matthews austin, my mother's sister who raised me as my -- as her own child upon my mother's death.
▶ 0:50:55Mr. Matthews: I am deeply grateful to president trump for the special trust and confidence he has put on to be by my nomination. I am thankful to the secretary of defense for his continued support and trust.
▶ 0:51:09Mr. Matthews: If confirmed, my lone star would be to ensure that the military and policy objectives of the president and secretary of defense are achieved in -- that are consistent with the constitution and laws of the united states.
▶ 0:51:27Mr. Matthews: My commitment is that the dod enterprise large will receive timely and legally accurate advice and counsel to make sure that all activities and operations of the department are conducted in accordance with applicable law, including the law of armed conflict relative to conduct in combat operations.
▶ 0:51:49Mr. Matthews: My commitment to the role for which I have been nominated is undergirded by my family's long lineage of service to the united states. Our legacy of military service dates back to the civil war. At least one member of my family has served in uniform during every conflict in which our country has participated from world war I through afghanistan.
▶ 0:52:14Mr. Matthews: I am named after my maternal grandfather who was a soldier in the united states army. All three of my maternal uncles served in the armed forces of the united states. Both of my mother's older brothers served in combat during the vietnam war, one, my uncle matthews a retired career noncommissioned officer in the united states air force is with us today. I spent my summers visiting my uncle at various military operations.
▶ 0:52:44Mr. Matthews: And gain an appreciation for military life. As a boy, the role model most present in my life and the person who most shaped and influenced the person that I am today was my uncle russell b matthews. He was a marine who graduated from recruit training as an 18-year-old in 1966 who served a combat tour in the republic of vietnam.
▶ 0:53:13Mr. Matthews: After his four years in the marine corps he returned to philadelphia and spent a full career as an employee of the united states postal service. He instilled in his eldest nephew a love of books and a love of country. My two uncles and other combat veterans in my inner-city philadelphia neighborhood inspired me to want to serve my country as they did.
▶ 0:53:40Mr. Matthews: I applied for a reserve convict -- reserved position as a third-year student. I joined the army because I believe in its mission, to fight and win the wars. I have been a member of both the profession of arms and the profession of law for over 25 years. I spent over four of those years deployed to combat or hazardous duty zones.
▶ 0:54:04Mr. Matthews: As a member of the 22nd silver affairs battalion attached to the infantry division, I crossed the berm from kuwait into iraq and was one of the first army lawyers to reach baghdad. I spent my first tour working under a provisional authority to rebuild the iraqi judiciary post.
▶ 0:54:28Mr. Matthews: And I served as a legal advisor at a detention facility in baghdad where I saw our iraqi and third country detainees treated with humanity, dignity and respect as required by the law of armed conflict, as is the standard for our forces. I routinely interacted with the international committee of the red cross during my time.
▶ 0:54:55Mr. Matthews: My force -- my first tour in iraq enhance my critical understanding of the role played by dod lawyers in expanding and sustaining the rule of law. I remain firmly and equally committed to the rule of law. I have been privileged to serve as a judge advocate during operational deployments to bosnia, iraq, afghanistan and the horn of africa.
▶ 0:55:24Mr. Matthews: Additionally, I have served a civilian tour in afghanistan as an intelligence officer working within her agency partners in support of the joint world fight -- war fighter. I have completed additional assignments as a military lawyer in both the office of the judge advocate general in the army and office of legal counsel to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
▶ 0:55:48Mr. Matthews: In a civilian capacity I have served as a career attorney at the defense intelligence agency and senior political appointee in my role as principal deputy general counsel and acting general counsel for the department of the army, the largest component of the dod. In my previous roles I have been privileged to work with consummate legal professionals of the office of the department of can that -- of defense and have collaborated with that office on numerous legal issues.
▶ 0:56:19Mr. Matthews: I have interacted professionally with dod general counsel over the past 22 years. I will hold this mission sacrosanct. If confirmed it will be my honor as a temporary custodian to preserve and advance the dod mission in support of our constitution and laws and the men and women of the department both military and civilian, of their families and the american people that the department of defense exist to protect.
▶ 0:56:48Mr. Matthews: I am also committed to working with this committee and its staff to ensure that the congress is fully informed of the operations of the department of defense. Thank you for allowing me to be here today and I welcome your questions.
▶ 0:57:02Chair Wicker: Thank you. Mr. marks.
▶ 0:57:05Mr. Marks: Chairman, ranking member, and distinguished members, it is an honor to be considered for the role of assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment. I am humbled by the opportunity. Thank you to senator scott for his support in the unwavering support of the florida defense community. I am deeply grateful for president trump's trust in me.
▶ 0:57:35Mr. Marks: I want to say -- I want to thank secretary hegseth on his laser focused efforts on behalf of our war fighters. Three factors motivated me to serve the nation and the men and women in uniform. First is my faith and trust in almighty god and the provision of his endless grace in his life -- in my life. The second is my family starting with my beautiful wife, patty, who stood by my side through far more than anyone should ever ask.
▶ 0:58:03Mr. Marks: My son, tony, who inspires me with his creativity and perseverance daily and my three other children who could not be here. Michelle, kristin, and robert. I am continually impressed by the leaders they have become. I must mention the blessings of four grandchildren. I want to thank my friends and colleagues who have helped me in my journey to this moment. The third factor is a deep and abiding love for our great nation.
▶ 0:58:32Mr. Marks: I have spent more than half my life serving our country with one third of that deployed in combat to some far-off land, even as a civilian in support of our national defense. I have the privilege of serving tours at the pentagon and major commands and sub commands and leading at the installation level. I have served alongside all of our service partners and numerous allies to defend our nation. It is a privilege to be asked to serve in this capacity.
▶ 0:59:03Mr. Marks: The department of defense is committed to achieving peace through strength and this is our solemn mission. The strength and lethality of our military is built not only on the weapon systems that defend us but the readiness of our service members and families to accomplish this mission. To that end it confirmed three fundamental principles to guide me. I am a fighter pilot, I have to keep it simple. The first is to protect the mission. Second, take care of our people.
▶ 0:59:36Mr. Marks: Third, partner for success. Protecting the mission is about a wide-ranging amount -- group of threats. We cannot expect to modernize our facilities if we continue to do things the same way we always have. Holding to status quo got us to where we are today, so it will take a new mindset and approach to see different results.
▶ 1:00:01Mr. Marks: Many people believe change is hard and I would submit that change is hard because resistance to change is easy. We must tackle these challenges to mission assurance with expanded opportunities to enhance readiness and resilience while faithfully stewarding the natural resources entrusted to us. The second is taking care of our people. This is a readiness issue.
▶ 1:00:27Mr. Marks: I know firsthand that our war fighters cannot deliver 100% of their effort if they are dealing with safety and health challenges in their homes and they cannot wonder if the buildings they work and have functioning plumbing or that the cyber success -- the cyber systems or electricity will fail. I am committing to -- committed to fixing these things to make sure our assets serve as an enabler providing a distinct advantage to our war fighters. Third, partnering for success.
▶ 1:00:58Mr. Marks: The dod exists in 800 locations around the globe, meaning that we need to be good community partners working with civic and business leaders to improve the resilience of military installations inside and outside the fence line. These partnerships promote the value of military installations and strengthen communities and states through collaborative planning and support of the american military.
▶ 1:01:24Mr. Marks: I commit that if confirmed I will work tirelessly to apply these principles to prioritize omitted resources to enhance war fighting capacity and lethality that will deter and if called upon, to feed our adversaries. Finally, I will work with this committee in congress to provide our armed forces with the capabilities needed to defend and protect our homeland. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 1:01:49Chair Wicker: Thank you to all of our witness is their opening statements. -- witnesses for their opening statements and we very much think the family and friends who have come to give you support. We now must ask all of you a series of standard questions this committee poses to all civilian nominees.
▶ 1:02:16Chair Wicker: So, if you would all turn on your microphones and just answer together verbally, have you adhered to applicable laws and regulations covering conflict seven trust. >> yes.
▶ 1:02:31Chair Wicker: Have you assumed duty or actions that appear to presume the outcome of the problem -- of the confirmation process? >> no.
▶ 1:02:40Chair Wicker: It makes it important that this committee and its subcommittees and other appropriate committees of congress receive testimony, briefing, reports and records and other information from the executive branch on a timely basis. Do you agree have confirmed to appear and testify before the committee when tested? >> yes.
▶ 1:03:01Chair Wicker: Do you agree to provide records, documents and electronic communications in a timely manner when requested by this committee, it subcommittees or other appropriate committees of congress and to consult with the requester regarding the basis of any good-faith delay or denial and providing such records? >> yes.
▶ 1:03:25Chair Wicker: Will you ensure that your staff complies with the deadlines established by this committee for their production of reports, records, and other information including responding to hearing questions for the record? >> yes.
▶ 1:03:39Chair Wicker: And will you cooperate in providing witnesses and refers in response to -- briefers in response to congressional requests? >> yes.
▶ 1:03:51Chair Wicker: Will those witnesses be protected from reprisal for their and briefings? >> yes.
▶ 1:03:58Chair Wicker: That concludes those questions and I would note for the record, satisfactory answers on the part of all four with -- of our witnesses. I have five minutes and let us see how well I can do. Mr. marks, you mentioned facilities. Thank you for doing that.
▶ 1:04:19Chair Wicker: I assume that you noticed that I stress the 4% requirement contained in the most recent ndaa and I mentioned it actually twice. You notice that? Do you think there is a reason?
▶ 1:04:34Mr. Marks: It is vitally important and I appreciate the conversation we had in your office.
▶ 1:04:40Chair Wicker: Well, if you are confirmed and I am sure you will be, will you make sure and commit to this committee that you are going to follow that requirement and actually tend to this?
▶ 1:04:54Mr. Matthews: Yes --
▶ 1:04:55Mr. Marks: Yes.
▶ 1:04:56Chair Wicker: I appreciate that. Let us talk about economic warfare and irregular warfare. You might tell us what your view is of exactly what that is. But, I assume that you believe we have a lot more to do on this issue with regard to our pacing challenge with the chinese.
▶ 1:05:28Chair Wicker: Do you believe that it is time for one person to have the coordinating responsibility for all of this economic warfare and irregular warfare?
▶ 1:05:43Mr. Hansell: I appreciate the question. It is a large one. I acknowledge that economic security is national security. Relevant to my portfolio and what I think you are referencing is the aggressive and malign activity short of armed conflict that china is conducting is the reason I have outlined one of my priorities is providing the secretary more risk informed options to compete along the full continuum of conflict and
▶ 1:06:14Mr. Hansell: That would have an increased focus on irregular warfare and as to the structure, I am not yet in the department and cannot speak on the best structure. I can tell you from my government experience and the threat that the chinese activity is incredibly adept at exposing the seams in government structure. And I think we need very aggressive and integrated coordination in order to best leverage our capabilities.
▶ 1:06:45Mr. Hansell: That is certainly a kind of warfare that would be an interagency approach. But within dod it would be confirmed that the office -- I would advocate for my office to have a leadership role in such coordination.
▶ 1:06:58Chair Wicker: I am glad you will look at that. And you cannot assume what you will find when you get in there. Let me just observe that the dod has more than one dozen players in this space. And, I would hope that perhaps your shop could take a lead role in coordinating all of the activities among more than a dozen organizations. Now, will -- Mr.
▶ 1:07:26Chair Wicker: Williams, you got one thing to concentrate on. And that is modernizing our U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. And, working with chairwoman fischer and ranking member king in making this the largest civil works project in the history of our government work.
▶ 1:07:57Chair Wicker: I hope that you will stay away from ill advised attempts to undermine the autonomy of the nnsa. Can I have your personal assurance that you will focus on modernizing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, and oppose any moves to undermine the independence of nnsa, or distract from its core mission, which I just outlined?
▶ 1:08:25Mr. Williams: Thank you for the question. Yes. I will certainly endeavor, should I be confirmed, to produce the weapons of our strategic deterrence. I am deeply committed and I will have been a customer of those and I care deeply about that mission.
▶ 1:08:46Mr. Williams: Since the atomic energy commission going back to the beginning, right after the manhattan project, civilian control and independence of our nuclear weapons enterprise has been essential and it is part of american belief that there should be that separation. And I will endeavor to keep that independent.
▶ 1:09:07Chair Wicker: That is helpful. Let me take liberty. Mr. matthews, there has been a problem in the past with the dod ogc. I hope that you are going to help us rectify this. We make requests, we get responses very late from various components of the department.
▶ 1:09:35Chair Wicker: Unnecessary rejections of -- redactions of sentences and long documents that we receive. How would you use your role to ensure that the dod response to this committee as you have promised to do, in full transparent and timely manner and avoid this practice of incomplete, late, and redacted responses?
▶ 1:10:03Mr. Matthews: Thank you for your question. If confirmed, I am going to return your phone calls. And those of ranking member reed or any member in the committee. I view the congress as the board of directors for the department of defense. And I consider my responsibility, if confirmed, to be responsive.
▶ 1:10:27Chair Wicker: I appreciate that. We can have a hearing down in the classified skiff if we need to. But once we get down there, the redaction's need to be lifted. And I think my colleagues -- thank my colleagues from indulging me.
▶ 1:10:49Sen. Reed: Mr. williams, you will be the senior lawyer in the department of defense and secretary hegseth has made it clear in multiple ways that he has not met respect from lawyers. He dismissed them from the army, navy and air force.
▶ 1:11:10Sen. Reed: And these are critical officers to guide the department, particularly in complying with the law of armed conflict and ensuring that the military adheres to restrictions and rules that would touch upon any kind of domestic appointment. You commit to following the rule of law and the constitution, even if the secretary disagrees?
▶ 1:11:34Mr. Williams: Unreservedly.
▶ 1:11:36Chair Wicker: Do you commit to always exercising your legal judgment free of political influence.
▶ 1:11:42Mr. Matthews: I do.
▶ 1:11:44Sen. Reed: Federal law states clearly that no employee may interfere with the provision of independent advice to military leader -- military leadership. You commit to fostering and continue to protect this independence?
▶ 1:12:00Mr. Matthews: I will always follow the law.
▶ 1:12:04Sen. Reed: Will you ensure that the acting ig will not be influenced or interfered with including the investigation of signalgate.
▶ 1:12:13Mr. Matthews: I do.
▶ 1:12:15Sen. Reed: Mr. williams, you are in charge of a very challenging assignment. As I indicated in my old company -- in my opening remarks, 177 employees were laid off and 153 took early retirement. Now, 150 of that first batch were called back because nnsa realize they cannot function without them.
▶ 1:12:45Sen. Reed: Nnsa has been chronically understaffed. And now, as I mentioned, they have declared that doe will shed 8500 employees and that boils down to about 500 civilians at nnsa. How can you make the organization function when morale has been spiraling downwards because of these personnel changes and simply the lack of personnel.
▶ 1:13:14Mr. Williams: Thank you for the question, ranking member reed. I have read those reports although I have no firsthand direct knowledge of any of those decisions or within nnsa. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the men and women are an exceptional organization and I think in human history.
▶ 1:13:40Mr. Williams: They will be essential to accomplish the scope of the task allied to this committee and the resources that have been entrusted over the last decade of a real rebuilding of it. And I can ensure you -- assure that we will advocate and accomplish that mission together.
▶ 1:13:58Sen. Reed: I hope you do, because if you lose 500 personnel you will be setting up at night, not just worrying but watching the weapons. Mr. hansell, you are responsible for carrying out section 714 of title x which authorizes the secretary of defense to provide protection in circuit -- and security in the united states to designated individuals who are under a serious threat to their safety.
▶ 1:14:34Sen. Reed: The most recent annual threat assessment stated that iran seeks to target officials employees are involved in the killing of soleimani in january 2020 and has previously tried to conduct lethal operations in the united states. There are two former defense secretary's.
▶ 1:15:00Sen. Reed: They have had their protection removed. Do you believe that decisions related to whether or not these protections should be based on the assessment by the threat of the intelligence community?
▶ 1:15:16Mr. Hansell: Thank you. I am aware of the language and the new ability of the secretary to delegate this responsibility versus the prior restriction to the deputy secretary. I am very familiar with the regulation and that there are two categories.
▶ 1:15:38Mr. Hansell: One where folks can receive this benefit because of the nature of the position and the second is based on circumstances, one of those being serious credible threats. The other being overwhelming operational circumstances and that the law says that that termination shall be made -- determination shall be made on a threat assessment.
▶ 1:16:03Mr. Hansell: The law is clear that a threat assessment should inform that and I am also aware of the notification requirements in that law and if confirmed, would intend to follow it as written. Additionally, make it an overall assessment to make sure we have a sustainable resource, sustainable framework that allows us to mitigate risk to force in a standardized way.
▶ 1:16:34Mr. Hansell: >> your view is that the threat assessment should be the predicate for removing or providing protection. Can congress get a copy of the threat assessment that was used in the decision to take away those protections?
▶ 1:16:54Mr. Hansell: I have no information about historical decisions but if confirmed, I would have access to the threat assessments in accordance with regulations and I would share those.
▶ 1:17:09Sen. Fischer: Thank you gentlemen for putting yourselves forward to serve your country. We deeply appreciate that. The national security, the national nuclear security administration defines and disposes nation's nuclear weapons.
▶ 1:17:34Sen. Fischer: Our stockpile is credible thanks to the hard work done every single day by our national security laboratories. Mr. williams, I appreciated our earlier conversations and agreed that nnsa faces immense challenges. Nnsa infrastructure recapitalization efforts were banded after the war.
▶ 1:18:01Sen. Fischer: Now we must modernize without interrupting the production of nuclear weapons. Many of these facilities are truly one-of-a-kind and must be custom designed and built to safely process plutonium, uranium, lithium and high explosives. Fortunately we are not starting from a blank slate.
▶ 1:18:24Sen. Fischer: The nnsa has produced a blueprint that shows all the facilities that need to be built over the next 25 years and sequences them in priority, linking them to a new warhead production effort. We also have an opportunity. As we build new infrastructure to replace old facilities, some of which date back to the manhattan project, to incorporate modern manufacturing processes.
▶ 1:18:53Sen. Fischer: We can produce nuclear weapons faster, more efficiently and reduce risk in that process. Mr. williams, if confirmed, how would you approach the challenges of recapitalizing nnsa's infrastructure?
▶ 1:19:11Mr. Williams: Thank you for that question and that is the key question. As I have studied the problem and read the reports and read the blueprint enterprise that you mentioned, as well as the reports, the scope and scale is as you described.
▶ 1:19:38Mr. Williams: We have to deliver the program of record, the lifetime extensions of our existing stockpile as well as rebuild the infrastructure to modernize. A lot of that comes through reassessing our relationship with risk. Reevaluating the risk that we take. We have to make sure we have the workforce, that we retain the workforce that we have. As I mentioned, it is not just weapons scientists.
▶ 1:20:06Mr. Williams: It is machinists, technicians, every level of the organization that is needed to keep the very special qualities and skills that we have acquired, that we cannot afford to lose. It would require leadership, a focus on the mission. One of the things that drives all of us is understanding the current threat.
▶ 1:20:35Mr. Williams: It is sobering for all of us to suddenly be talking about strategic deterrence, talking about threats that we got perhaps as a nation have gone away 30 years ago and the men and women of the nnsa never believe that. I think there is a focus of the mission and leadership. I think there is innovation and focus on the workforce as well as keeping congress informed that you will continue to support this mission.
▶ 1:21:01Sen. Fischer: I hope you will look at that leadership, look at the workforce, be able to look at some of the complex construction projects that are out there and figure out how to improve the management of those as well. Mr. williams, there are seven life extension programs in major altercations currently underway.
▶ 1:21:28Sen. Fischer: These nuclear weapons must be delivered on schedule and several are synced to new delivery systems that are currently under development by the department of defense. Maintaining that close connection between nnsa and the department of defense on these programs, that is key to the success for all the programs that are involved here if confirmed,.
▶ 1:21:54Sen. Fischer: How will you ensure that nnsa fully understands the requirements for these?
▶ 1:22:00Mr. Williams: I will be participating in the nuclear weapons council. I would like to come out to stratcom with the leaders. They are the most important customers of nnsa. If confirmed, I would very much like to hear their input and have a very transparent conversation with them.
▶ 1:22:24Mr. Williams: There are a great number of details and classified information that I have not been privy to that I look forward to immersing myself in to make sure I understand all the details of delivering what our strategic forces require to deter our enemies. Very committed to work with you and this committee to make sure I am following through.
▶ 1:22:53Sen. Fischer: And your role in that nuclear weapons council is important in that process. Thank you for that.
▶ 1:23:02Chair Wicker: Senator hirono.
▶ 1:23:06Sen. Hirono: Welcome to our nominees. I ask the following two initial questions before any of my committees to ensure the fitness to serve. We will start with Mr. matthews and go down the line. Since you became an adult have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature? Please, down the line. >> no.
▶ 1:23:36Sen. Hirono: >> no.
▶ 1:23:40Sen. Hirono: That he ever entered into a settlement relating to this kind of conduct? >> no. >> no senator.
▶ 1:23:49Sen. Hirono: Mr. marks, several military training areas are very critical. The land leases in hawaii will expire in 2029. These leases are critical to ensuring U.S. and allied military forces can adequately train in the pacific. However, the lands involved also hold cultural significance to the native hawaiian community.
▶ 1:24:20Sen. Hirono: If confirmed, will you ensure that these negotiations which will expire is conducted in a manner that respects local communities and the environment while still prioritizing military readiness?
▶ 1:24:36Mr. Marks: Thank you for that question. I know this is critically important to you. Yes if confirmed, I will work not only with the military services but the local community. Hawaii plays a strategic role for indopacom and I want to assure respect of the communities as well as the importance of those training areas is recognized and we find the best possible solution.
▶ 1:25:00Sen. Hirono: The d.o.d. Recognizes the importance of these negotiations and there is a person who is charged with making sure that these negotiations include the voices of the community. It is good that you are aware or that you will be aware of the of how we are going about things.
▶ 1:25:29Sen. Hirono: I would also note that it is very important to the community that these negotiations occur as transparently as possible so that the community feels as though the military is acting in good faith. Listening to their voices. The d.o.d.
▶ 1:25:46Sen. Hirono: Stakeholders are closely coordinating with the epa hawaii state agencies and the public to complete the closure of the red hill fuel storage facility. You are probably aware of the spills that have occurred at the facility resulted in some 93,000 people being impacted. They had to go to hotels and find other arrangements.
▶ 1:26:15Sen. Hirono: This led to a questioning by the community of how the navy, the military, was conducting itself. Will you commit to overseeing the safe and timely closure of red hill which will require taking a transparent role with the public to restore the confidence and the trust of the community in the military?
▶ 1:26:46Mr. Williams: Thank you. Transparency is vital to partnership which is built on trust. I will commit to work not only with the navy to ensure we are taking the proper steps to both mission capability and what is in the best interest of the community.
▶ 1:27:02Sen. Hirono: The closing of red hill is not over in that there are remediation and environmental issues that still must be addressed. I will ask that you address them in a timely manner with the resources that will be required.
▶ 1:27:19Mr. Williams: Absolutely. It was just a couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting with the hawaiian coordination cell so they can get me up to speed so I can understand the issue more thoroughly and I appreciate it more deeply.
▶ 1:27:34Sen. Hirono: Are military bases and installations are in various states of disrepair, especially in hawaii which have asian facilities, energy vulnerabilities and poor infrastructure.
▶ 1:27:50Sen. Hirono: I am putting into the ndaa a requirement that all of our services put together a 30 year infrastructure improvement plan so that we have something going forward that will more properly ensure that our infrastructure needs are being addressed. Will you support such a planning process for our services?
▶ 1:28:19Sen. Hirono: >> I believe the long-term planning so I appreciate the initiative you produced and if confirmed, we will work with not only you and the committee but the services on how to get a future look at the investments of our infrastructure.
▶ 1:28:35Sen. Hirono: May I ask one question of Mr. matthews?
▶ 1:28:38Chair Wicker: Sure.
▶ 1:28:40Sen. Hirono: I am glad you testified that you will follow the rule of law and that the independence of the jack officers, that is very important. Do you have any concerns about the fact that the military services senior attorneys were fired?
▶ 1:29:01Mr. Matthews: Thank you for your question. Not being in the department I was not privy to the reason for the decision of secretary hegseth to request nominations. From my understanding, they had been resigned before the beginning of the administration. I don't think he was fired.
▶ 1:29:26Mr. Matthews: I think the nominations for the army and air force, I think he had -- acted according to law when he did so. I would say that I share your concern about the independence of legal advice. We have some concerns about what happened because no reasons were given. Thank you.
▶ 1:29:54Chair Wicker: Perhaps you can follow up on the record. Thank you very much.
▶ 1:29:59Sen. Sullivan: Thank you Mr. chairman and I want to thank all of the nominees and their families. A really impressive group of nominees. All veterans. All have served in incredible capacities. Purple heart recipients. Very impressive. Thank you to all of you. I will not quiz you on the great billy mitchell, father of the U.S. air force who said that alaska was the most strategic place in the world. I know you know all that.
▶ 1:30:30Sen. Sullivan: I want from each nominee your commitment to come to alaska to see the strategic place and see our wonderful military forces there. Can I get each of you to commit to that starting with you, Mr. matthews?
▶ 1:30:43Mr. Matthews: If confirmed, it is my first trip.
▶ 1:30:46Sen. Sullivan: Great answer. Can anyone else top that?
▶ 1:30:51Chair Wicker: That does not have to be the answer.
▶ 1:30:54Sen. Sullivan: Maybe you can come before you are confirmed.
▶ 1:30:57Mr. Williams: As I testified before you five years ago, I think the trend will continue. I look forward to visiting.
▶ 1:31:05Sen. Sullivan: Thank you.
▶ 1:31:09Mr. Marks: It would likely be in july or august.
▶ 1:31:13Sen. Sullivan: Know you are coming in february. >> as we discussed, as goes alaska, it would be an honor to visit alaska.
▶ 1:31:28Sen. Sullivan: I appreciate all of the great opening statements. Mr. matthews, your statement and your families service, remarkable. Super impressive. I am glad so many of your family members are there. We had a good discussion. You are a very smart lawyer. You have a great background. Just to be clear as we discussed, your loyalty in this job is to the constitution, correct?
▶ 1:31:57Mr. Matthews: Yes.
▶ 1:31:59Sen. Sullivan: You have been doing that your whole career, loyalty to the constitution and the united states.
▶ 1:32:05Mr. Matthews: Yes.
▶ 1:32:06Sen. Sullivan: Excellent. Let me go to Mr. matthews and Mr. marks. I want to talk briefly about the contracting program that we talked about in my office. I was recently in the great state of alabama, huntsville, alabama. A lot of contractors there.
▶ 1:32:30Sen. Sullivan: This is a program that has been in the law for decades that helps economically disadvantaged communities but where I don't think it gets a lot of press is just how effective and efficient.
▶ 1:32:46Sen. Sullivan: Our pentagon needs effectiveness to deliver services, in huntsville I saw a company that took the request for an armored vehicle, a navy harpoon system, to combine them together. They did it in two weeks, the design. Then they had manufacturing done where this new system was out on the beaches of taiwan in less than a year.
▶ 1:33:16Sen. Sullivan: The government gets to keep the ip. All done in huntsville, alabama. It was unbelievable. The big primes will take 10 years to do something like that. Mr. matthews and Mr. marks, can I get your commitment to work with this committee? This has nothing to do with d.e.I.. This is efficient, effective, good for the pentagon and I want to make sure you guys agree with me. Can I get your commitment on that?
▶ 1:33:45Mr. Matthews: You have my firm commitment to do this. We are supportive of the national defense. >> and made it more efficient and deadly?
▶ 1:34:04Mr. Matthews: Correct.
▶ 1:34:06Mr. Marks: If confirmed, you have my commitment. Anything that can get capability into the hands of the war fighter more quickly, we support that.
▶ 1:34:15Sen. Sullivan: Let me quickly talk about the indopacom commander, department of homeland security commander, ceo, the navy have all recently testified saying, you look at a map, you look at the russians and the chinese, how aggressive they are being in the north pacific and the arctic. We need to reopen that base. There was a navy team that was there just last week.
▶ 1:34:42Sen. Sullivan: Can I get your commitment to work with me on that, in looking at the really critical base that used to be a subbase? Senator hirono was talking about red hill. This has the largest depot center on the earth. Can I get your commitment to work with me on that?
▶ 1:35:03Mr. Matthews: You have my commitment, if confirmed.
▶ 1:35:06Chair Wicker: Senator king.
▶ 1:35:09Sen. King: Thank you. I want to echo senator sullivan's comments. All qualified in the work you have done to serve this country prior to this day. It is exceptional. I wanted to express my appreciation and recognition of that. I also want to go back to our wonderful chairman john mccain and remind the senator that billy mitchell was court-martialed but that is another story.
▶ 1:35:37Sen. Sullivan: I think he got his rank back.
▶ 1:35:41Sen. King: This is something that has been going on for 10 years.
▶ 1:35:45Chair Wicker: It turns out he knew what he was talking about.
▶ 1:35:48Sen. Sullivan: He did. Thank you Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:35:52Sen. King: I know senator reed raised this question but I am concerned about this memo that was mentioned on friday of the possibility of 500 people in the nnsa as non-essential. That is 20% of the workforce. The testimony is it is one of the greatest scientific engineering organizations in human history.
▶ 1:36:18Sen. King: I just do not understand how that wonderful organization, if that's true, 20% are non-essential. I did a little calculation. That is 2/10 of 1% of the budget. What is to be gained by reducing the staff by 20% of this essential agency at this moment with the rebuilding of our nuclear triad?
▶ 1:36:47Mr. Williams: Thank you for that question and your attention on the workforce. If confirmed, I commit to you that I will stand up for the men and women of nnsa, that I will advocate for them. We are facing a moment in history where nnsa must perform.
▶ 1:37:10Mr. Williams: I think there are opportunities for us to innovate at nnsa, to deliver on the program record and the expectations that this committee has set and that will stand up to our adversaries.
▶ 1:37:23Sen. King: This is a no failed mission. Because of the modernization program we are in the midst of, the demands on nnsa have never been greater, probably since the founding of the agency. I hope you will stand up for that workforce. There is an issue here not only of the people, the 500 people being non-essential, the effect on morale in the workforce is something to be considered.
▶ 1:37:53Sen. King: I hope you can address this early in your tenure and be sure that the workforce is protected and that the morale of the agency can be maintained. Will you commit to that?
▶ 1:38:05Mr. Williams: If confirmed, I will certainly commit to that. My commitment to this deterrence began in tiananmen square in may of 1989 in observation of the student protest. I was in the pacific on a nuclear submarine during the third crisis in the taiwan strait when the communist chinese first launched missiles in the modern age that flew over taiwan in a show of force.
▶ 1:38:32Mr. Williams: In the aftermath of that he sailed a carrier battle group through the strait to show our resolve. We cannot do that today and that concerns me. This program is of historic importance.
▶ 1:38:46Sen. King: I cannot agree more. I always ask intelligent officials the same question. Will you tell the president the truth even if it is something that he does not want to hear?
▶ 1:38:58Mr. Hansell: Absolutely I would do so. I think the president and secretary would require me to do so.
▶ 1:39:07Sen. King: The former dni said the job of the intelligence committee is to find the truth and tell the truth. Who started the war in ukraine?
▶ 1:39:21Mr. Hansell: It is in military fact that russia invaded ukraine in 2014 and 2022 as a recently outlined.
▶ 1:39:33Sen. King: You just earned my vote. Thank you. Mr. williams, I will overlook the harvard law school experience. I think several other senators on this committee are under that disability.
▶ 1:39:51Sen. King: Can you recall an occasion in all of your career as a lawyer for the military where you said no to an officer to an order that they wanted to pursue that you told them was contrary to the constitution of the laws of this country?
▶ 1:40:05Mr. Williams: I typically try to avoid that situation while providing advice but I can recall experiences where there were problems in armed conflict. In afghanistan we had a platoon leader who had some detainees walking across I'm eating infected land -- walking across ied infected land. That is not how we do it.
▶ 1:40:38Mr. Williams: We separate our prisoners. That was something I had to point out.
▶ 1:40:40Sen. King: And you made it clear and reversed it.
▶ 1:40:47Mr. Matthews: Correct. .
▶ 1:40:50Sen. Tuberville: Thank you for being here and your willingness to serve. Mr. marks I want to talk about an issue that affects many across this country including my home state. The issue with military construction. We need to move fast and traditional military construction process is way too slow. There are two warehouses that are going up as we speak.
▶ 1:41:20Sen. Tuberville: One military corps of engineers is building and the other is by the fbi. These warehouses are roughly the same size but the fbi facility has a lot more bells and whistles. Yet the military warehouse is going to take double the time to build and 150% over the cost of what is costing the fbi building. How does this make sense? It is a disaster. I'm sure we are having these problems across the country. Can I get your commitment to look at the situation?
▶ 1:41:51Sen. Tuberville: The lieutenant general down there is really looking into this. I think you could help us with this in the future. We need to cut back on the time and the cost of these buildings.
▶ 1:42:03Mr. Marks: Thank you for that question and I could not agree more. We need to look at additional best practices and ways to speed up milcon. If confirmed,, I would want to dig deeper with you to see how we can potentially go faster.
▶ 1:42:23Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. We recently discussed drone incursions. Can you tell the committee about that conversation?
▶ 1:42:34Mr. Marks: What we have seen across the country is an increase in drone activity surrounding our installations whether that is for national turnarounds or other investments, things that we need to make. Senator, in the local area I currently serve we have increased our investment to increase detection capability so that we can use the authorities that we have been provided at the installation level to defend those installations.
▶ 1:43:03Mr. Marks: If confirmed, I would want to see it expanded so that we can work with the combatant commanders to be sure that we are defending our homeland.
▶ 1:43:14Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. One of the institutions you will oversee is the missile and space intelligence center, a component of the department of intelligence agency located in huntsville, alabama. It provides world-class analysis and performance of four weapon systems. Can you talk about how important it is for our war fighters to assess the kind of for material data that it provides?
▶ 1:43:44Mr. Hansell: Yes. I would highlight the importance relative to the growing importance of this space domain, becomes ever more critical to our national security as well as I think critical intel should be used to inform golden dome architecture design at every stage of the milestone.
▶ 1:44:13Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. Mr. williams, nnsa has been plagued by cost overruns, schedule delays, uranium processing facilities, the savannah river plutonium processing facility and others. What steps would you take to ensure that these project management failures are not repeated in the future?
▶ 1:44:42Mr. Williams: That is right at the heart, the plutonium production that you mentioned at savannah river as well. It is the critical path to restoring our ability to make new nuclear weapons and to ensure that the life extension of our existing stockpile. There are a number of details that I have not been briefed on.
▶ 1:45:07Mr. Williams: I commit to you if confirmed, that there is a commitment to get that back and to deliver for the weapons programs.
▶ 1:45:16Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. Mr. matthews, if confirmed, what role would you have been advising the president and secretary on reforming the jack war -- the jag corps?
▶ 1:45:34Mr. Matthews: Thank you for the question. If confirmed I would be the legal advisor to the president but if the president were to ask me, I would consider the question and in light of the facts and make a recommendation.
▶ 1:45:55Mr. Matthews: The joint force jags play an important role in ensuring the delivery of military justice and other activities so it is important that we get it right.
▶ 1:46:12Chair Wicker: Thank you. Mr. marks will you visit huntsville before or after you visit alaska? Just take that for the record. Senator warren.
▶ 1:46:27Sen. Warren: Thank you and congratulations to all of our nominees. After a 2018 reuters investigation found that military families were living in homes filled with mold, pest infestations and other hazards, this committee opened an inquiry and instituted a slate of reforms in 2019 to hold private military housing contractors accountable.
▶ 1:46:56Sen. Warren: One of these reforms was the creation of a tenant bill of rights to ensure that military families have the quality housing that they deserve. Another was the creation of a public database for military families to report when their landlords failed to provide that quality housing. I am glad that the d.o.d. Finally created that database called the housing feedback system last year. I am sorry service members had to wait five years for it. D.o.d.
▶ 1:47:25Sen. Warren: Needs to do better to rebuild trust with military families. Mr. marks if confirmed, it would be your job to make sure that service members and their families have safe, high quality and affordable housing.
▶ 1:47:46Sen. Warren: Will you commit to preserving and using d.o.d.'s housing feedback system to hold private military housing contractors accountable?
▶ 1:47:58Mr. Marks: Thank you for that. As someone who has been a military housing resident, I appreciate the oversight to include that database which has been implemented. I have watched it roll out. You have my commitment we will continue to build transparency.
▶ 1:48:16We Owe Them Sen. Warren: I appreciate that and I appreciate your strong response. One of the reforms are an important start. Military families are still being treated like second-class citizens by unscrupulous landlords.
▶ 1:48:35We Owe Them Sen. Warren: The housing conditions in these private homes were so reprehensible that families could not even live there but the families had to continue paying rent further unlivable homes while in temporary housing. Mr. marks, do you agree that military families deserve the same protections provided to their civilian neighbors?
▶ 1:49:01We Owe Them Sen. Warren: For example, the right to terminate their leases if their landlord fails to address safety hazards or the right to sue their landlord if their family got sick because of poor conditions in the home?
▶ 1:49:15Mr. Marks: We owe our residents the highest standards of quality in homes and to continue to make robust the informal and formal dispute resolution processes.
▶ 1:49:30Sen. Warren: My question is should our military families have the same rights that their civilian neighbors have insisted under local and state laws to get protection?
▶ 1:49:43Mr. Marks: I understand there are some laws to include the enclave act that needs to be addressed. What I would like to do is dig deeper to see how we could address that. I believe that residents need to have robust rights to include where they live.
▶ 1:49:59Sen. Warren: We already have a pretty bad example because these families at fort bell who have tried to file claims under the virginia consumer and housing protection laws and their complaints were dismissed because of the enclave doctrine. This is the doctor that says on federal lands tennis might not be entitled to the same rights as other members of the state or community.
▶ 1:50:26Sen. Warren: I want to work with my colleagues to address this in the ndaa but d.o.d. Also recently provided a response to a letter that I sent that said the military services already have the authority to require private military housing companies to take corrective action and can negotiate to provide families with additional rights.
▶ 1:50:51Sen. Warren: Let me ask you, will you work with this committee and the military services to fight for and enforce military families housing protection rights and ensure they receive the safe and quality, high quality housing they are entitled to?
▶ 1:51:09Mr. Marks: If confirmed, you have my commitment to work with this committee and others on the services on behalf of our residents. We owe them that for the service that they give our great nation.
▶ 1:51:20Sen. Warren: I appreciate that and I hope we will take this up. We have a duty to make sure that military families homes are safe so they can stay focused on the mission of keeping the rest of us safe. Substandard housing conditions hurt military readiness. That is a problem we can fix.
▶ 1:51:41Chair Wicker: Thank you. Senator gillibrand. Sen. gillibrand thank you. Currently those discussions about whether the nsa and U.S. cyber command should be dual.
▶ 1:52:04Chair Wicker: Do you believe all of the prior reviews of this arrangement including one just three years ago that have found substantial benefits to that structure or do you feel that this should be reconsidered and an open question. What is your recommendation for the future arrangement?
▶ 1:52:29Mr. Hansell Thank You: For the question. I did testify on this. I am aware of how robust the capabilities have become and how the criticality of the cyber domain is for national security.
▶ 1:52:45Mr. Hansell Thank You: I am very aware of the link the amount of fight that has gone into this to date, the current implementation guide that secretary also put in place and will certainly leverage all thinking to date in any analysis.
▶ 1:53:04Mr. Hansell Thank You: Although I don't have a specific recommendation on this, I do believe just like in the private sector that every organization to include the defense and intelligence security enterprise has to constantly assess to make sure it is aligned with the right tools and organizational structure to maximize its effect.
▶ 1:53:24Mr. Hansell Thank You: I am very aware of this committee's language that any recommendation to change the dual hat comes with a need for the secretary and chairman to certify no degradation and operational capability to start work on for national security. If confirmed, I would advise the secretary accordingly.
▶ 1:53:43Sen. Gillibrand: All usd is one of the full-time participants of the cross functional team for anomalous health incidents. A report from march 2023 recommended a review and update any affable -- applicable documents to address counterintelligence. To my knowledge this has still not been completed. Will you commit to reviewing the recommendations of the d.o.d. Ig report?
▶ 1:54:12Mr. Hansell: I will. It is absolutely critical. I know firsthand the importance of taking care of those who are willing to put themselves on the line to serve our country. If confirmed, I would ensure that the defense intelligence continues to make it a reportable event so that we can make any relatedness to foreign service activities.
▶ 1:54:40Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you. Mr. matthews, secretary hegseth took the unbelievable action of firing the judge advocates general of the military departments. The senior military lawyers were put in place to provide independent legal advice. The law currently states no officer or employee of the department of defense may interfere with the ability of a judge advocate general to give legal advice.
▶ 1:55:09Sen. Gillibrand: I know we asked you a similar question and you said you would follow the law and you will work to maintain independence. How are your jag supposed to feel about this and how we you assure them that they will not be subject to political pressure?
▶ 1:55:29Mr. Matthews: Thank you for your question and your work throughout the years. You know many jags. You know it is hard to control. You came out with the special concept and they opposed it. They will not hesitate to speak up when they have an issue. It has been my experience that the advocates in the joint force have options. They can become lawyers at corporate law firms. They are not in these jobs for money.
▶ 1:55:59Mr. Matthews: They will do the right thing regardless. I think their moral fiber, their courage, they have been trained to choose the harder right over the easier wrong.
▶ 1:56:08Sen. Gillibrand: We are counting on them to exert their independence and their legal act human and to really strengthen the military justice system which has not been working well so it is on you to make sure they feel supported, to make sure they have the tools and resources they need to make sure they are not feeling like they are being politically bullied into certain outcomes.
▶ 1:56:33Sen. Gillibrand: I am also very concerned that secretary hegseth is considering downgrading the judge advocate general from three stars to two stories. I am sure you are aware that we have 20 years of precedent that put that change in place so that they would have independence. Do you think this reduction is appropriate?
▶ 1:56:50Mr. Matthews: This congress gave the secretary the discretion to determine what grade they serve at. When senator graham led the fight to have them serve at that level, it was required. That was changed. We agreed that it was too top-heavy with stars.
▶ 1:57:14Mr. Matthews: I think there is an overall assessment of the rank structure within the department at the headquarters of the army, navy and air force. It may be that other staff officers also lose their grade. I think the quality of the legal advice is not impacted by the great an officer serves at. When I joined the army, the general wore two stars and they gave advice.
▶ 1:57:44Mr. Matthews: Commanders will all rely if they want to stay out of trouble. They play a vital role. I think that rank is important but more important is the quality of the legal advice they will be issuing.
▶ 1:57:58Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you Mr. matthews. We will be counting on you to bring a military justice system that is worthy of the sacrifice of our men and women who serve.
▶ 1:58:09Chair Wicker: Mr. matthews, you made a very frank and honest answer to that question. I appreciate it. Thank you, senator. Senator scott.
▶ 1:58:22Sen. Scott: Congratulations to each of you. I think everyone of you will do a great job. Let me start with Mr. matthews. I have always had concerns about -- how much influence jags -- how much influence jag officers have. We have people who are responsible for our men and women in uniform. To lead them in battle.
▶ 1:58:53Sen. Scott: How much influence does a jag officer have? I understand they give them legal advice but ultimately they are not the decision-maker. I keep hearing stories that the lawyers are running it every time we have to put men and women in harm's way. If we put men and women in harm's way, I want a war fighter rather than a jag officer making the final decision. How does it work?
▶ 1:59:23Mr. Matthews: Thank you for the question. Jag officers are war fighters. We are soldiers. We want to destroy the enemy just like anybody else. Jag officers running the command, that is a command failure. We are advisors. We only advise the policy who make the decisions.
▶ 1:59:50Mr. Matthews: If the council was showing the senator what to do, that is not how it works. We can only advise. That is my response.
▶ 2:00:01Sen. Scott: Tactical decisions are not made by jag officers?
▶ 2:00:06Mr. Matthews: They should not. In 20 years we have had a great deal of restraint in combat operations and activities. The law is quite permissive. The roa has been restrictive and that has impacted our ability to get after the enemy sometimes.
▶ 2:00:35Mr. Matthews: We should also listen to the law of war of course but we live in a risk-averse culture. Commanders are always concerned about getting their leaves, about getting an investigation that will impact their ability to be promoted. That is an issue that needs to be properly identified.
▶ 2:00:56Sen. Scott: Thank you. In 2019 we experienced a tragic attack. After that day it I fought hard to get legislation passed to ensure we properly vent every foreign national regardless of the country in -- regardless of the country of origin. I'm glad we were able to make this become law.
▶ 2:01:22Sen. Scott: Can discuss how we can continue to expand security on basis and protect military faces and families?
▶ 2:01:27Mr. Hansell: I am very aware of the incident and your fight for legislation after it.
▶ 2:01:36Sen. Scott: The military was not deciding who was allowed on the base. The state department was making the decision, not the department of defense which made no sense at all.
▶ 2:01:47Mr. Hansell: As I testified before and I assume I will more today, it is these seams in government that we have to be careful of. After this legislation it is very clear about the vetting requirements needed for military , for international military students.
▶ 2:02:05Mr. Hansell: I would say as disturbed as I am about the status of our vetting capabilities in the department right now, there can be no exception about the application of them in securing our personnel.
▶ 2:02:25Mr. Hansell: I would just say in addition to, since that incident there have been new threats arising and one that is of concern of mine is this threat of ubs on our installations. I would certainly work with my colleagues and the task force to best address that.
▶ 2:02:47Sen. Scott: Thank you. Mr. marks, constantly we get reports in our military is not ready to go to battle. If something happened today, they are not ready to go to battle. What can you do to make sure that they are prepared?
▶ 2:03:03Mr. Marks: I appreciate that question. One of the greatest ways we can help our service members is to ensure that the places that they live and work are of a high enough standard and quality so that they are not distracted by the things that will take them from their mission to ensure that they are ready to do the work they need to do.
▶ 2:03:24Chair Wicker: Thank you. Senator rosen.
▶ 2:03:29Sen. Rosen: Thank you for holding this hearing. I want to thank congressman williams for meeting with me last week. Thank you. I will direct my questions to you, congressman.
▶ 2:03:43Sen. Rosen: The nevada test site now known as the nevada national security site, we really still call it the test site, it is larger than all nnsa sites combined and to the ranking member, it is equivalent to the size of the state of rhode island. >> high tide or low tide?
▶ 2:04:07Sen. Rosen: We will strike that from the record. They play a critical role in nuclear weapons development. The majority of united states exposed to nuclear testing from 1950 to one to 1962 when tests were conducted.
▶ 2:04:31Sen. Rosen: During this air which we must not ever return to, millions of people and acres of land were contaminated by radiation. Since president george bush signed the moratorium in 1992 the nnsa has utilized the stockpile stewardship program in the underground laboratory to conduct critical experiments to certify the reliability, safety and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile. What we are doing in nevada is working.
▶ 2:04:57Sen. Rosen: For decades the directors at the national laboratories and commanders of U.S. strategic command and secretaries of defense and energy including through the entirety of the first trump administration have annually certified the military effectiveness of our stockpile. Nonetheless some in president trump's orbit have suggested that the U.S. should resume nuclear testing. Can you imagine that? Despite no evidence supporting this position.
▶ 2:05:26Sen. Rosen: If it is above ground explosive testing, the amount of exposure and destruction would be felt worldwide. In addition to placing the people of nevada at risk, experts warned that breaking the moratorium would likely prompt russia and china to follow. They have more to gain from testing than we do given our superior scientific and computer modeling capabilities. This could ignite a dangerous and costly nuclear on the race for no reason.
▶ 2:05:54Sen. Rosen: Congressman williams, if president trump were to ask your advice about returning to explosive nuclear tests, how would you counsel him on the national security implications and what would you recommend?
▶ 2:06:08Mr. Williams: Thank you for that question and thank you for hosting me. The conversation was insightful. I very much appreciated that. As you pointed out, we have 928 nuclear tests that we performed, more than any other nation. We collected more data than anyone else.
▶ 2:06:30Mr. Williams: It is precisely that data that has underpinned our scientific basis for confirming the stockpile since the moratorium in 1982. The decision whether to continue testing, critical testing, supercritical testing, would certainly be above my pay grade, should I be confirmed.
▶ 2:06:57Sen. Rosen: Would you recommend explosive nuclear testing in place of our testing that we do at the you won a total -- at the u1a tunnel?
▶ 2:07:13Mr. Williams: I think we should rely on scientific information.
▶ 2:07:17Sen. Rosen: I will stay on this because resuming testing would risk severe economic and environmental impacts not just on nevada but primarily nevada placing more than 2 million people at risk live in las vegas and not to mention the states going east. At least 32 accidental accidents occurred during the last period of underground testing. It is why there is strong opposition to testing including from our republican governor.
▶ 2:07:45Sen. Rosen: Again, congressman williams, how would the risk of radiological release and groundwater contamination posed by underground nuclear testing along with the risk to the las vegas economy feature in your advice to the president if he were even to indicate interest in resuming even below ground or any type of explosive nuclear testing?
▶ 2:08:06Mr. Williams: My primary concern would be for our deterrence, deterring our enemies and the environmental impact of course would be very important and impactful to the citizens of nevada. I think before those kinds of activities were to take place, particularly so close to a populated area, those would be very important considerations.
▶ 2:08:29Mr. Hansell: Thank you for your time --
▶ 2:08:32Sen. Rosen: Thank you for your time.
▶ 2:08:35Chair Wicker: Senator kelly.
▶ 2:08:38Sen. Kelly: Thank you. As under secretary of defense, you would be responsible for classified information. In recent reporting, foreign governments are increasingly trying to exploit recently fired probationary federal employees for classified information. As you know some of those probationary employees have actually worked for d.o.d. For some period of time.
▶ 2:09:09Sen. Kelly: Our national security secrets are more at risk now because of this administration's sledgehammer approach to a federal workforce. This is not about the loyalty of our civilian service but rather about the careless manner in which they are being fired. While this is not a new problem, this administration's actions have made it a bigger one.
▶ 2:09:36Sen. Kelly: Already we were aware of an ongoing effort by the prc to contact and recruit members of the U.S. military to learn how our military operates so effectively in certain areas. Combat aviation is one of those. We have an edge because of our training and our tactics and our long history, especially in combat aviation but in other areas as well.
▶ 2:10:07Sen. Kelly: We should not be making this information available to our adversaries. Last year I introduced a piece of legislation called the no work with adversaries act with senator cotton to try to tackle this problem and I will introduce it again next year. If confirmed, how do you plan to shore up our military's defenses and ensure service members and d.o.d. Civilians are alerted to the threat that is out there from the prc and our adversaries?
▶ 2:10:37Mr. Hansell: I appreciate the question and I am certainly aware of the magnitude and breadth of ttp's and their agility being used by our adversaries and specifically the legislation you introduced regarding training of some of our fighter aircraft pilots.
▶ 2:11:05Mr. Hansell: It is my hypothesis that most veterans and service members do not have any malice intent. The bad apples are far and few between a bit. This is an example where we need to have clear guidance that is understood by service members and develop the tools that enable them to navigate the commercial space at a speed of relevance.
▶ 2:11:30Mr. Hansell: I am very concerned about the department's ability in identification, mitigation among a slew of variables in the industrial base. This would be the perfect example, reading the legislation about not only pass-through entities but the amount of subsidy that triggers the legislation is something that I think we have a burden to provide the service members the tools to do the right thing which I think is their natural instinct.
▶ 2:11:57Sen. Kelly: I agree service members do not have any intent to share information. Just one. The right person with the right knowledge can do significant damage to our national security. It is also important that everybody understands that the risk is out there and the prc is actively trying to recruit.
▶ 2:12:23Sen. Kelly: My understanding is there have been times where folks think they are working for one company and they are actually working for the prc. Getting the information out there is incredibly important. I hope you will work with us on that. Mr. williams, recent efforts to eliminate federal workers and contractors could have significant consequences for nnsa's mission.
▶ 2:12:52Sen. Kelly: How do you assess the impact of potential workforce elections on stockpile sustainment, nonproliferation and modernization programs? I don't want to go over my 30 seconds.
▶ 2:13:03Mr. Williams: Thank you for the question and thanks for working with me on reform issues over a year ago. If confirmed, I will speak up for the men and women of the nnsa and advocate for them. We know how critical they are to restoring our nuclear, our nuclear weapons enterprise. All of the discussions about personnel, we are rising to meet historic demand right now.
▶ 2:13:35Mr. Williams: Innovation is key to that. Efficiency is key to that. But we need a specialized workforce that has been developed.
▶ 2:13:42Sen. Kelly: I encourage you to push back against any further cuts to the nnsa workforce when it could undermine the nuclear security mission. Thank you.
▶ 2:13:56Chair Wicker: Thank you very much. Senator slotkin.
▶ 2:14:01Sen. Slotkin: Thank you. To all the nominees, congratulations. Mr. matthews, if confirmed you would be the senior most lawyer in the department of defense, an incredibly important job. When the secretary and commander-in-chief want to employ and deploy the department of defense, it will come to you to decide whether the requests meet the legal standards.
▶ 2:14:29Sen. Slotkin: I'm concerned that secretary hegseth is looking to chart his own path on legal issues. As I understand it in march he brought in his personal lawyer to oversee sweeping reforms of the jag corps, thousands of military lawyers who meet her out how military leaders are trained and the decisions they make.
▶ 2:14:55Sen. Slotkin: If confirmed, would you be his boss or would he be your boss?
▶ 2:15:05Mr. Matthews: President trump nominated me to be the chief legal officer of the department of defense. I will be the chief officer of the department of defense. I have been reading articles about him but I don't know him. He just became a judge advocate. I am not aware but I will be the chief legal officer of the department of defense. I am not an empty suit. I am a serious guy.
▶ 2:15:33Sen. Slotkin: That is what we want. We want the confirmed official to be the senior lawyer. I hope Mr. hegseth's personal lawyer does not employ sweeping reforms given what the secretary has already done with the jag corps. In that role you will be asked to cater -- give out really big decisions for the department of defense.
▶ 2:15:58Sen. Slotkin: There are times when officials ask for things that violate the constitution and you are standing in the breach making the tough calls as we discussed in our office. Can you confirm for me in a couple of things that if you are told active duty military is being asked to suppress nonviolent protests, will you determine and advocate that it not be a way the department of defense is employed?
▶ 2:16:28Mr. Matthews: I will advise on the law and tell my clients what the law is.
▶ 2:16:34Sen. Slotkin: The law is clear about active duty suppressing nonviolent protests. What about U.S. military holding U.S. citizens indefinitely without charge or access to courts? Will you push back on any attempt to use those unlawful powers?
▶ 2:16:50Mr. Matthews: You raised a hypothetical scenario. It is extraordinary. I am not aware of that occurring today.
▶ 2:16:58Sen. Slotkin: We hope it never happens but it is clearly illegal, right?
▶ 2:17:02Mr. Matthews: I cannot imagine a situation where a situation where U.S. citizen can be held indefinitely without any access to courts or due process.
▶ 2:17:10Sen. Slotkin: I hope you will push back on that. What if you were asked to punish military personnel for expressing lawful political views outside of their official duties? Would you advocate for military punishment in that case?
▶ 2:17:25Mr. Matthews: If confirmed, we don't punish anybody. I am a lawyer.
▶ 2:17:31Sen. Slotkin: Your recommendation.
▶ 2:17:33Mr. Matthews: What is the scenario?
▶ 2:17:36Sen. Slotkin: Is a member of the military expresses a lawful political view outside of their official duties?
▶ 2:17:45Mr. Matthews: Lawful political views are in the eye of the beholder. If they make disparaging remarks, that is an issue we need to study.
▶ 2:18:00Sen. Slotkin: If they express a view that they might consider voting for a democrat, is that something you would recommend advocating some reprimand for?
▶ 2:18:08Mr. Matthews: I don't have anything against democrats. Not to be flippant. It is a hypothetical. I cannot imagine a scenario like that.
▶ 2:18:18Sen. Slotkin: We see four star generals being fired because of their alleged views. We are seeing people removed. People I am assuming you served with for years, removed for doing their jobs because they did not comports with the political views of the secretary of defense so it is not a hypothetical to ask whether someone will be punished for their political reviews -- political views.
▶ 2:18:41Mr. Matthews: I have not seen any evidence that they were removed because of political views. I have not seen that.
▶ 2:18:48Sen. Slotkin: Can we agree it is highly unusual to remove that many? Have you ever seen in your career the removal of that many jag at one time? Have you ever seen it?
▶ 2:19:02Mr. Matthews: I have not seen it in my career. We are talking about two people. The actions taken by the secretary were lawful to my understanding.
▶ 2:19:17Sen. Slotkin: By yield back -- I yield back.
▶ 2:19:24Chair Wicker: Thank you. Senator peters.
▶ 2:19:29Sen. Peters: Mr. marks, you indicated you would aggressively address to fast -- pfas. I'm glad to hear that because it is a priority for me with the number of sites we have initiated need to be addressed. I am hopeful we can agree on some expectations.
▶ 2:19:59Sen. Peters: I will ask four questions and if you can just answer yes or no, that would be incredibly helpful. When it comes to pfas clean up. Yes or no, would you be willing to remediate where pfas exceeds federal or state standards?
▶ 2:20:20Mr. Marks: I will adhere to the laws of the standards.
▶ 2:20:26Sen. Peters: Cleaning up to ensure pfas safety?
▶ 2:20:32Mr. Marks: We want to clean up as indicated.
▶ 2:20:36Sen. Peters: Interim remediation is achieved efficiently and effectively?
▶ 2:20:41Mr. Marks: Absolutely.
▶ 2:20:45Sen. Peters: Improving transparency in engaging with community stakeholders throughout the process?
▶ 2:20:49Mr. Marks: Yes, if confirmed, we would want to uphold that.
▶ 2:20:55Sen. Peters: Transparency is one of the frustrations we have had in our local communities and I would hope that would be different.
▶ 2:21:00Mr. Marks: You have my commitment if confirmed, we will work hard on transparency.
▶ 2:21:08Sen. Peters: Mr. hansell, congratulations on your nomination. I'm glad we were able to meet in my office. As we discussed in my office, the bulk of new information technology development in the commercial sector is the d.o.d.
▶ 2:21:32Sen. Peters: 's traditional acquisition practices and they need to be updated and streamlined to quickly adapt and integrate commercial technologies that are advancing a whole lot faster than we are seeing in the traditional sources. This kind of change is challenging for the community given the needs for additional safeguards and classification. My question for you is if confirmed, how will you work to speed up commercial technology adoption?
▶ 2:22:01Mr. Hansell: Thank you for the question. I am very aware of it in my private sector experience. I have seen the challenges highlighted as an advisor to d.o.d.
▶ 2:22:17Mr. Hansell: I have seen the opportunity costs of non-decisive action and advising private sector clients trying to do business in the intelligence community and defense department, I saw the effects of not being a good customer and not cutting the red tape. I agree with you in areas with more classification, these problems are exasperated.
▶ 2:22:41Mr. Hansell: The first thing I would do is in line with the act but I think we need to be more aggressive and make sure there is not an over classification. I have seen too many times where folks are using over classification as a barrier to entry to a competition and that is not getting the best for the war fighter and we have to stop that.
▶ 2:23:02Mr. Hansell: Another example of the red tape is between accreditation, security backlog, in the private sector it sometimes is better to buy a company than to go through the process. I think we can agree the process is extremely broken.
▶ 2:23:20Mr. Hansell: What I would do is I think that there is an incredible amount of people out there who want to provide services to the intelligence community defense corps but did not understand the problems that exist because they have over classified them so I would like to build bridges with leaders in the insight industry.
▶ 2:23:40Sen. Peters: I look forward to working with you. There is a lot to do there. Mr. williams, the national nuclear security administration which you have been nominated to head is responsible for a lot of very big things. First, maintaining and enhancing the safety, security and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile. It is a big job.
▶ 2:24:02Sen. Peters: Yet we have elon musk and doge that have made this agency a top priority for staffing cuts which many believe is reckless. How can the national nuclear security administration protect our most sensitive nuclear assets and meet response abilities without sufficient staff?
▶ 2:24:26Mr. Williams: Thank you. I am not in the department so I am not really familiar with what the plans are other than the news reports. However, I will commit to you that if confirmed, I will be an advocate for the men and women of the nnsa. They comprise a unique workforce at a unique period of time when we have to meet the mission of reconstituting our nuclear weapons enterprise.
▶ 2:24:55Mr. Williams: That is my commitment, that I will be an advocate.
▶ 2:25:02Sen. Peters: If confirmed, will you allow doge to dictate staffing decisions or will you push back?
▶ 2:25:15Mr. Williams: I am not aware of how doge operates but the nnsa act by congress puts personal issues under my authority should I be confirmed and I will be certain to protect and exercise that authority.
▶ 2:25:32Sen. Peters: Thank you.
▶ 2:25:34Chair Wicker: Senator shaheen
▶ 2:25:38Sen. Shaheen: Welcome to all of the nominees this morning. Mr. marks, the former piece air force base was one of the first places where pfas was discovered after the base had been closed.
▶ 2:25:57Sen. Shaheen: It contaminated the water supply for the city of fort smith and the air force was very responsive in coming and helping the city deal with that, putting carbon filters on the wells so that the water was cleaned up and they have been cleaning up the groundwater since then.
▶ 2:26:16Sen. Shaheen: I was reassured to hear your responses to senator peters on your commitment to pfas department of homeland security I am concerned with reports I am hearing from those people who are part of the restoration advisory board that d.o.d.'s travel policy restrictions are hindering engagement meetings.
▶ 2:26:41Sen. Shaheen: Again, I was reassured when you committed to supporting community engagement on this issue. Do you agree that there is a responsibility to meet regularly with those restoration advisory boards and if possible, to do that in person where possible so that it increases transparency and engagement with communities?
▶ 2:27:05Mr. Marks: Thank you for that. I am not familiar with that part of the issue however partnership is exactly what needs to take place in communities to be successful. If confirmed, I would want to work with the services to better understand why they were not allowed to travel. I c1 my understanding is the mission can go forward so I would like to dig for if confirmed.
▶ 2:27:33Mr. Marks: It would be my encouragement to have those in-person meetings, they are the most effective methodology.
▶ 2:27:43Sen. Shaheen: I agree. Because of the early recognition of pfa's contamination, they did a health study that is about to wrap up to determine the long-term health effects of pfa's.
▶ 2:28:08Sen. Shaheen: For us in new hampshire, the impact has been significant because there were two childcare centers affected by the contamination and parents were very concerned about what the impact will be long-term on their children. Mr.
▶ 2:28:25Sen. Shaheen: Matthews, I understand you were present in meetings at the department of defense and that you subsequently wrote a report outlining fallacies in previous testimonies to congress. I appreciate that, but I would like to know how you intend to ensure that all dod attorneys provide advice free from political influence?
▶ 2:28:55Sen. Shaheen: >> that is the standard, that is the expectation, that is their job. So, I will reinforce that requirement throughout the department to the extent I can if confirmed.
▶ 2:29:11Sen. Shaheen: You are a member of the army jack poor. >> I'm aware. -- I'm a reserve member, yes.
▶ 2:29:24Sen. Shaheen: A number of my colleagues on this panel have requested answers for why the jag corps was fired. Do you have any knowledge? >> I wasn't in the department and have no special insight.
▶ 2:29:41Sen. Shaheen: My understanding was that secretary hegseth announced the president would accept nominations for those positions and that the incumbents did resign. After it was announced that nominations were being sought. I have no insight into why that occurred.
▶ 2:30:03Sen. Shaheen: But just to be clear do you consider your job as a jack officer to be political in any way? >> no, ma'am.
▶ 2:30:13Sen. Shaheen: Thank you. >> people in uniform should stay out of politics. That is my gig.
▶ 2:30:20Sen. Shaheen: I appreciate that and I hope that is a value the department of defense and secretary hegseth will continue to enforce. Mr. williams, I want to follow up on senator peters' questions about the firings at nsa.
▶ 2:30:37Sen. Shaheen: As he pointed out there are fewer qualified, experienced personnel now safeguarding our nuclear weapon that when those, when the first firings happened at nsa of 3000 people deemed non-essential that people had to be hired back because the firings were not targeted enough to recognize who was essential and who wasn't.
▶ 2:31:05Sen. Shaheen: I would hope if you are confirmed that you would be very clear about what personnel are essential to ensuring our nuclear stockpile is safe. >> senator, thank you for that question and thank you for visiting the air force research lab where you and I were together a little over a year ago. Thank you for showing interest.
▶ 2:31:32Sen. Shaheen: I don't think that was me.
▶ 2:31:35Mr. Williams: Was it not?
▶ 2:31:39Sen. Shaheen: It was not.
▶ 2:31:41Mr. Williams: I wish it had been. [laughter] to answer your question, the mission of nsa is so critical in our history, the workforce is so critical to meeting the needs right now. If confirmed, I would work very carefully and closely to see what changes if any in personnel and scope would be necessary.
▶ 2:32:07Mr. Williams: I would welcome analysis and evaluation of are we innovating, are we spending money at nsa in an optimal way? Those decisions I will advocate for the men and women of nsa and know they have special skills that cannot be easily replicated.
▶ 2:32:26Sen. Shaheen: Thank you, thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 2:32:29Chair Wicker: Thank you, senator shaheen. Are there questions? This concludes today's hearing. I want to thank the witnesses for their testimony and think their friends and families for joining us and for staying with us. For the informational members and staff, questions to the record will be due to the committee in two business days of the conclusion of the hearing. With that, we are adjourned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.
▶ 2:32:59Chair Wicker: Visit ncicap.org]