▶ 0:16:35Chair Wicker: We meet this morning to receive testimony on the posture of the united states space command and united states strategic command. We are joined today by general stephen whiting and admiral richard correll. I think a witnesses for again -- I thank are witnesses for again appearing in for their service.
▶ 0:17:01Chair Wicker: The strategic posture commission reach unanimous -- reached the unanimous conclusion -- conclusion the united states must upgrade our strategic capabilities to have any hope of countering growing threats from russia, china, north korea, and iran. The progress we have made since then has been limited but russia and china have advanced by leaps and bounds in their nuclear and space programs.
▶ 0:17:31Chair Wicker: Even north korea has outpaced our efforts as kim jong-un steadily expands his nuclear and missile arsenals as we enter the fifth year of war criminal blood
▶ 0:17:46Rep. Dunn: -- vladimir putin's war against ukraine, russia remains a major teacher threat to the united states. Moscow owns the largest and most modern nuclear arsenal, giving it a 10-one advantage over the united states in tactical nuclear weapons. Russia has also developed new weapons, unlike anything in the U.S. inventory.
▶ 0:18:14Rep. Dunn: It stocks nuclear powered transoceanic autonomous torpedoes and international cruise missiles. For its part, china is rapidly becoming a greater threat. Beijing is expanding its nuclear arsenal at break neck speed, likely outpacing the U.S. by the early 20 30's.
▶ 0:18:40Rep. Dunn: Already it has successfully deployed in operational strategic triad nuclear missiles, bombers, and summary and spirit of the past few years, china quadrupled the size of his nuclear arsenal. And build an icbm network larger than our own here in the united states. The chinese have missiles and can drop nuclear warheads from orbit anywhere on earth with virtually no warning. Russia and china understand that space is a battlefield.
▶ 0:19:12Rep. Dunn: They are openly developing and testing capabilities to degrade or destroy our satellite constellations. Each country has obliterated operational satellites, scattering thousands of fragments of debris and endangering hundreds of other orbital objects. Unfortunately, these aggressive actions only scratch the surface of moscow and beijing's militarization of space.
▶ 0:19:38Rep. Dunn: North korea is a less immediate threat than china or russia, but it is a threat nonetheless. Kim jong-un is increasingly able to attack the united states and our allies. North korea is conducting frequent missile tests and working to build ballistic missile submarines. Both actions make one thing clear. Kim jong-un believes he can achieve his goals through nuclear threats.
▶ 0:20:07Rep. Dunn: The golden dome initiative is long overdue. And is a reassessment of the capabilities we need to defend our homeland from strategic attacks. The president allowed the outdated new start treaty to expire and he exposed moscow and beijing's illicit nuclear testing. I believe both actions help to the strategic balance that has tipped against us for decades.
▶ 0:20:39Rep. Dunn: Operations midnight hammer and epic fury eliminated the threat of a nuclear armed iran. Permanently, I hope. Still there is more we need to do. We must restore the national nuclear security administration's basic industrial capabilities, make progress on the sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, the columbia summer rain, and the nuclear sea launched cruise missile programs.
▶ 0:21:07Rep. Dunn: We must explore what additional nuclear and space capabilities we need to deter putin, xi, and kim's ambitions. We can afford no less. I would like to hear how we are managing the risk of maintaining critical military capabilities that are both too old and too few in number to be the threat today, much less the threats of tomorrow.
▶ 0:21:35Rep. Dunn: I would like to leave this hearing understanding better how are witnesses to see the roles of their commands evolving under the latest national defense strategy. It is no secret I believe this falls short in several areas. I am particularly concerned that the current strategy does not address space and nuclear threats with anywhere near the urgency they deserve.
▶ 0:22:03Rep. Dunn: So undoubtedly we will talk about that today and I now turn to my friend and colleague, ranking member read.
▶ 0:22:09Sen. Reed: Good morning to our witnesses. General whiting, let me begin by thanking you for 36 years of service to our nation. I understand this will be our last posture hearing and I want to wish you and your wife all the best as you go forward. Thank you for your service. And admiral correll, welcome. This is your first posture hearing before the committee and I thank you as well for your service and dedication.
▶ 0:22:40Sen. Reed: We are operating in a historically dangerous strategic environment with the expiration of the new start treaty for the first time in half a century the united states and russia lack a framework to regulate their digital forces. We must pursue a successor agreement. The alternative, and unconstrained arms competition, would serve no one's interests.
▶ 0:23:07Sen. Reed: With we now face two near peer nuclear rivals. China is expanding his arsenal with projections indicating it could reach rough parity with the united states and russia by 2030. This problem is shaping the operational environment, including increasingly coordinated military activity between russia and china such as joint strategic bombing patrols near alaska and in the western pacific.
▶ 0:23:35Sen. Reed: In addition, the concept of extended charts, the bedrock of our alliance system, is under serious strain. For generations the U.S. nuclear umbrella has reassured allies, deterred adversaries, and help prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons. Today, confidence in america and its extended deterrence is eroding.
▶ 0:23:58Sen. Reed: In europe, they are growing discussions of altered deterrence arrangements outside nato and in asia allies are reconsidering nuclear options. This trend has profound implications. If allies doubt the credibility of U.S. commitments, weapons proliferation becomes a rational response.
▶ 0:24:18Sen. Reed: From your perspective, I would like to know how you assess the risk of overlapping or competing deterrence frameworks and any update you have on how strategic command is adapting its posture, planning, and doctrine to this more complex dynamic with china and russia. I also want to address the recent discussions about resuming nuclear testing. I do not believe nuclear testing would be necessary or constructive to our nuclear capabilities.
▶ 0:24:47Sen. Reed: We have invested $10 billion in the national ignition facility, which allows us to study weapons physics without underground testing, a capability russia and china lack. Our laboratories have certified annually for nearly 25 years that we have no technical need to test.
▶ 0:25:08Sen. Reed: Additionally, it would invite others to follow suit, enabling nations such as north korea and potentially india and pakistan to advance their own designs while eroding long-standing nonproliferation laws. -- nonproliferation norms. I value your perspective on the strategic cost-benefits of testing, perhaps -- particularly in how it might shape behavior of other nuclear armed states.
▶ 0:25:36Sen. Reed: Space is now a contested domain mac nearly every aspect of military operation that depends on space-based capabilities. Early phases of any future conflict will hinge on our ability to maintain command and control while denying the same to our adversaries. To the extent you can discuss this in open setting, I would like your assessment on the resilience of our space-based command and control systems and the military services progress toward delivering integrated space base of facts.
▶ 0:26:08Sen. Reed: I'm also interested in space, -- spacecom's role as a supporting command, especially the ability to detect threats in space and relay that information to a weapons system. This battle management affects our ability to protect troops on the spacecom ground and -- on the ground and spacecom must integrate their capabilities with other combatant commands.
▶ 0:26:36Sen. Reed: I would like to know what challenges you face in integrating with combatant commands such as into pay, -- indopacom. I recognize many of these issues will be explored further in closed session but it is important we articulate the stakes and trajectory in this form as well. I look forward to your testimony.
▶ 0:27:04Chair Wicker: General whiting, would you like to make an opening statement?
▶ 0:27:10Gen. Whiting: Members of the committee, it is an honor for chief master sergeant simmons and me to appear before you alongside admiral correll. I'm privileged to testify before this committee as the commander of the united states space command representative sending the men and women who worked tirelessly to ensure the united states maintains our dominance in space.
▶ 0:27:32Gen. Whiting: U.S.-based command area of responsibility is the ultimate high ground, from which we provide critical capabilities and overwatch that enhance the entire joint force. We protect american interests from the threats now arrayed against our space systems to include our opponents capabilities that allow them to conduct space and able to tax. Thanks to the support of congress, U.S.
▶ 0:27:54Gen. Whiting: Space capabilities ranging from precision navigation and global communications to missile warning and real-time intelligence provide the joint force with unmatched precision, accuracy, reach, and lethality. We see the unmatched integration in operation may not resolve and epic fury during which space affects or critical.
▶ 0:28:26Gen. Whiting: Space and cyber forces were the first movers. Employing layered and not connected affects to enable freedom of maneuver for the joint force. General caine's remarks underscore the importance of achieving and maintaining space superiority, not only to safeguard the systems essential for precision strike and secure communications but to provide overwatch for terrestrial forces operating in harms way.
▶ 0:28:53Gen. Whiting: Should an adversary degrade or destroy our space capabilities, the joint forces' ability to divide -- to fight will be immediately immaterial impacted -- immediately and materially impacted. Operations that set favorable conditions for our joint war fighters.
▶ 0:29:16Gen. Whiting: This operational imperative aligns with secretary hegseth's observation that space is the ultimate high ground and we must deliver supporting fires from our positions of advantage to cover our maneuver forces. Our opponents are moving at an alarming pace, developing and deploying capabilities to deny is the use of space.
▶ 0:29:37Gen. Whiting: China's on orbit presence has grown, operating 1300 active satellites, a 667 percent increase since 2015, including more than 510 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites.
▶ 0:29:55Gen. Whiting: They are using these capabilities to integrate space and able to fax across their forces, making them more lethal, precise, and far ranging while fielding weapons purpose built to outmaneuver and destroy our satellites. At the same time, russia continues to demonstrate cape abilities designed to disrupt our assets, including potential placement of a nuclear weapon on orbit, the single greatest threat to our space architecture.
▶ 0:30:23Gen. Whiting: These developments threaten our joint forces the control of space shapes outcomes on land, at sea, in the air, and in cyberspace. To ensure U.S.-based command can deter conflict and maintain deterrence in space we request continued congressional support of our key fiscal year 2020 seven priorities, including fielding integrated space fires, active protection of high-value satellites, enhancing battle space awareness, building an integrated command-and-control
▶ 0:30:53Gen. Whiting: System, sustaining our force's freedom to maneuver, and providing cyber defenses of our space enterprise. We thank congress for its support this past year, which has enabled us to begin the transition to our permanent headquarters at redstone arsenal, as directed by the president. To guarantee mission continuity we are executing a phased relocation operating from interim facilities while a new, purpose built command-and-control headquarters is constructed.
▶ 0:31:22Gen. Whiting: Our people are central to this effort and we are using retention and relocation incentives to keep our mission-critical talent throughout the move. Your continued support and authorizations are essential to accelerate the completion of this modern headquarters and ensure our uninterrupted readiness. With the continued support of congress, U.S.-based command will remain prepared to address the evolving threat landscape, deter aggression, counter adversary actions, and safeguard american interest in space today and for generations to come.
▶ 0:31:55Gen. Whiting: Armed conflict in space is not inevitable but should deterrence fail the integrated space power of our team will provide a decisive advantage. My posture statement is submitted for the record and I look forward to answering your questions.
▶ 0:32:07Chair Wicker: You are going to need the continued engagement and doubling of effort from the congress. Thank you for your statement. Admiral correll, you are recognized.
▶ 0:32:21Adm. Correll: Good morning. Command sergeant major and I are honored to appear before you today alongside our teammates, general whiting and chief master sergeant simmons. It is a privilege to represent the dedicated men and women of the united states strategic command and to discuss the critical role we play in safeguarding our nation's security. I would like to begin by taking a moment to honor our fallen U.S. service members.
▶ 0:32:51Adm. Correll: The joint force is eternally grateful to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and their legacy inspires us to continue our mission with unwavering resolve. This is my first time addressing this committee as commander of U.S. strategic command and I want to express my sincere gratitude for this committee's steadfast support.
▶ 0:33:14Adm. Correll: Your commitment to providing the resources necessary for us to execute our mission during this by generational period of modernization is appreciated. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the american people. There unwavering support helps us to remain the most advanced, lethal, and credible fighting force in the world. It is their trust and confidence that drive us to excel in our mission every day.
▶ 0:33:41Adm. Correll: Our nation's nuclear forces, the foundation of our national security, are safe, secure, effective, and credible. My confidence in this assessment is not based solely on combat capability but on the ordinary professionals at U.S. strategic command. They are the essence of our credibility. Their expertise and dedication ensure that we remain ready to deter aggression and responds decisively when directed.
▶ 0:34:11Adm. Correll: As I testified before you today, stratcom and its components stand ready, not seeking out confrontation but deterring strategic attack and underpinning all department of war operational plans. The strategic capabilities provided by each leg of the triad, coupled with assured nuclear command control and coordination or in c3 systems underpin everything our department does.
▶ 0:34:41Adm. Correll: Our challenge, one we face every day, is to deter great power conflict and manage the complexities of deterring multiple nuclear competitors simultaneously. All while adapting to rapid technological change. And advancements. This change is most evident in five evolving threat vectors. Cyber, counter U.S.
▶ 0:35:06Adm. Correll: Space capabilities, in other words what can the adversary do to us in space to challenge what we deliver from space for the joint force, contested electro magnetic spectrum, novel missile systems, and supply chain challenges. Adapting to today's landscape demand sustained focus, vigilance, and modernization of strategic forces.
▶ 0:35:30Adm. Correll: As we bring the b 21 bomber, the club be a class submarine, and the sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile system online, we will ensure the credibility of our deterrent for decades to come. Thank you for your support and trust and the soldiers, sailors, airmen, guardians, and civilians and marine professionals who provide -- comprise U.S. strategic command for dedicating your time and effort to our mission and portfolio. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:36:01Chair Wicker: Thank you, admiral correll. It is going to take quite a bit of resources, quite a plus up resources to make good on the last statement you made about putting us where we need to be for decades to come here and can you comment about that?
▶ 0:36:27Adm. Correll: I pay very close attention to the ability to sustain all three legs of the triad and bridge to the next generation of capability. This committee and the legislator -- legislature has been very supportive in providing funding to bring those new capabilities online and sustain the existing capabilities.
▶ 0:36:57Adm. Correll: That will be, as you said come up for the next 15 years, that transition, and we will need to continue to pay close attention to that. In terms of the resources --
▶ 0:37:10Chair Wicker: And when we pay close attention that will require more resources.
▶ 0:37:16Adm. Correll: The resources are going to be prox only 5% of the defense budget, to sustain existing capability and bridge to the new capability and out offer that that is an exit -- an existential insurance policy for our country and a good value proposition for our nation and I appreciate the committee's chair
▶ 0:37:44Wicker: Support. Absolutely a required insurance policy. It is obvious that both of you are in this together and we had some testimony about a nuclear armed space. How close is anyone to get into that? I will stay with you, admiral correll, and then move over to general whiting.
▶ 0:38:12Adm. Correll: Russia has indicated and has been publicly acknowledged that they are working on a nuclear capability that could be placed in space.
▶ 0:38:26Sen. Reed: Chair wicker: what is your estimate of how soon that might be?
▶ 0:38:30Adm. Correll: With respect, I prefer to answer that in close testimony.
▶ 0:38:35Chair Wicker: It would amount to a major game changer, would it not?
▶ 0:38:41Adm. Correll: A very significant. We have to account for it in terms of the architecture we have and what we can do about it and the department is focused on that. We do have some options.
▶ 0:38:50Chair Wicker: General whiting, we will be in a closed session, but what can you tell the american public in answer to my question?
▶ 0:39:01Gen. Whiting: I associate myself with admiral correll's comments. The reports are that russia has developed a nuclear antisatellite weapon that they could potentially place in orbit. They have not done that today. If they did that, that would be an indiscriminate weapon that if detonated on orbit would immediately place at risk every country's space capabilities in low-earth orbit.
▶ 0:39:28Gen. Whiting: United states, china, russia, japan, europe, you name it, so that would violate the outerspace treaty and would not be a development we could tolerate.
▶ 0:39:36Chair Wicker: Tell us about this debris that was caused by the destruction of one of the satellites.
▶ 0:39:49Gen. Whiting: In early 2000 seven, china executed a hit to kill antisatellite weapons test against one of their own defunct satellites. They did a relatively high altitude and it created 3600 pieces of long-lived debris that we still have to deal with today and in november 20 21 russia executed a hit to kill test against one of their satellites and that was about three months before they invaded ukraine
▶ 0:40:19Gen. Whiting: Which seemed to be they were sending a signal to united states and to the west of that they could hold our satellites at risk and that created about 1500 pieces of debris they had to do it -- we had to deal with at the time that even caused their cosmonauts to have to take shelter because of the potential collision between that debris and the international space station. That did not happen, but there was a reckless test nonetheless.
▶ 0:40:43Chair Wicker: It has been almost two decades since china did this and more recently -- do you think china realized that they should never do this again or do you think it is a matter of time?
▶ 0:40:59Gen. Whiting: The fact they have not re-a similar test indicates that they realize they made a mistake in the way in which they executed that test and the fact that they still have to deal with that debris. I hope that is the case and we would not want to see a similar test like that happen.
▶ 0:41:18Chair Wicker: You say we have to deal with it. Are we removing some of it somehow to or dealing with it by fording it?
▶ 0:41:31Gen. Whiting: We do not have any way to remove it other than to allow gravity but depending on also to that can take decades so we track it and provide warnings to all satellite owners and operators around the world so they can maneuver their active satellites away from that debris if they are able to do that.
▶ 0:41:53Sen. Reed: From a cost-benefit perspective, including not just monetary costs but political costs, do you see a military need now for nuclear weapons testing?
▶ 0:42:10Adm. Correll: The department of energy determines the need for nuclear warhead testing. The department does a variety of tests with our launchers and missile systems to validate the performance of the systems and I would associate myself with comments from the department of energy with respect to nuclear warhead tests.
▶ 0:42:36Chair Wicker: Can you update us on the current comments from the department of energy? Are you aware of a position that they have to test or not test? That they have taken any type of position with respect to testing , no further testing necessary?
▶ 0:42:58Adm. Correll: On an annual basis I'm obligated to review a letter , a joint letter between the department of energy and part of defense that looks hard at whether we need to do anything more in terms of nuclear warhead testing and in that most recent letter that came forward to congress, and indicated we have the capabilities and sufficient testing to satisfy ourselves on
▶ 0:43:29Adm. Correll: The reliability and efficacy of our nuclear warheads but we monitor that closely and I'll continue to provide my best military advice. What I would say is we want to be in a position where if we needed to resume some kind of testing that we had thought through that and have the capabilities.
▶ 0:43:54Adm. Correll: To deter other nations from resuming or doing any kind of nuclear yield testing. Those nations are signatory to a treaty that obligates them not to do that.
▶ 0:44:14Sen. Reed: You have stated precisely that the opening stages of recent operations stress the reliance on space-based command-and-control. That is going to be the first sort of area of conflict in any major conflagration. Are you concerned around the vulnerability of our space-based command-and-control at this point?
▶ 0:44:41Gen. Whiting: Are command-and-control relies on a number of systems, some of which were built before the era we find ourselves in today where they face a number of ground-based and space-based threats so we have to figure out ways to defend those capabilities while they are modernizing. We have new capabilities starting to arrive such as proliferated low worth -- low-earth orbit that has added to our resiliency.
▶ 0:45:10Gen. Whiting: We continue to need to execute on programs that will continue to make us even more resilient going forward.
▶ 0:45:14Chair Wicker: A question for both of you. The nation's principal is -- icbm range and surveillance. I'm told that the condition of the infrastructure is deteriorated.
▶ 0:45:39Chair Wicker: Can each of you describe the importance of the range and his condition and what you have to do? This is a topic that is often overlooked.
▶ 0:45:51Gen. Whiting: I visited and it is an important location. From which we execute important space domain awareness operations and also unique missile-defense testing can occur there as well so from a space command perspective it is definitely a location we want to see continued investment so we can continue to sustain operations that are there and I routinely have engagements with united states army to help them understand my requirements there.
▶ 0:46:23Adm. Correll: I would wholeheartedly agree with general whiting's comments with the respect to the importance of the actual -- atoll. The air force uses that facility to test our ballistic missiles and validated performs the way we expect and we conduct three to four tests a year and we use that and provide important
▶ 0:46:54Adm. Correll: Feedback on the accuracy and efficacy of the system so we need to sustain it and wholeheartedly support additional investments and I would agree that there are challenges there with the infrastructure that we need to pay close attention to a. The other comment I would make relative to capabilities and insights into testing, you mentioned it in your opening remarks, senator, the national ignition facility.
▶ 0:47:26Adm. Correll: That is an important capability for our nation in terms of validating the efficacy of our stockpile.
▶ 0:47:33Sen. Reed: Thank you. >> admiral, I have appreciated our conversations on the need for a nuclear force posture that is relevant to our expected threat environment. Holding onto a force structure that was decided 16 years ago, based on flawed assumptions, is irresponsible.
▶ 0:47:58Sen. Reed: And risks eroding the credibility of our nuclear deterrent. For example the program of record for at least 100 bombers no longer appears to be sufficient. Do you still agree with your predecessor that we need to procure at least 145 b 20 ones?
▶ 0:48:20Adm. Correll: Yes. I fully support 145 to meet stratcom's requirements and it may be higher than that for the joint force but for stratcom, 145.
▶ 0:48:32Sen. Fischer: I have been encouraged by department strategy to consolidate acquisition authorities into a single for the sentinel program. How are you working with general white to ensure the program is meeting your requirements.
▶ 0:48:49Adm. Correll: As you mentioned, journal white is a direct report portfolio manager reporting directly to deputy secretary feinberg and I would say that is a very tight linkage, that he is reporting if not at least once a week then twice a week.
▶ 0:49:08Adm. Correll: In terms of collaboration, coordination, and common understanding of where we stand with the sentinel program, general white and myself and my component commander at air force global strike talk at least once a week and discuss where we stand with respect to sentinel, what the next milestone is, and any challenges associated with that and what I have seen since general white has taken the
▶ 0:49:41Adm. Correll: Position is key milestones being pulled to the left and out highlight the milestone certification required as a result of the breach. Previously that was indicated to occur in 2027.
▶ 0:49:59Adm. Correll: He has indicated it will occur before the end of calendar year 2026 and first launch from vandenberg of the missile itself is expected in 2027 and that has also pulls to the left. It is a good mechanism to lay flat the understanding of where the challenges are going forward.
▶ 0:50:22Sen. Fischer: We also need to ensure the minimum three -- minutemen three will remain safe, efficient, and effective. What steps are you taking to make sure that happens until sentinel is ready?
▶ 0:50:39Adm. Correll: Over communicating with stakeholders on any challenges as they occur. I see my responsibility to the department to pay very close attention to sustainment, where challenges might manifest themselves, and articulate how we are addressing this challenge is where if there's any additional resources or assistance needed to address those challenges.
▶ 0:51:07Sen. Fischer: Since you have taken command, do you see opportunities out there to be able to strengthen the work that we need to see on mc three modernization?
▶ 0:51:20Adm. Correll: I would say we are on a good trajectory with nc3 modernization. We have felt a model that addresses the threat vectors I talked about to provide decision quality information to the department on future capability investments.
▶ 0:51:37Adm. Correll: One area I would highlight that has been of particular instance and very strong support from the department and other supporting agencies is cyber and noticed that he listed that as the number one threat factor and that was purposeful.
▶ 0:51:52Sen. Fischer: Do you see opportunities to be able to work with the private sector as -- with respect to being able to leverage their emerging technologies that they have as well? Will stratcom look at that or are you already doing that?
▶ 0:52:11Adm. Correll: We look at that through what we refer to as the reach facility. It is an arrangement with data associated with university -- it is associated with the nebraska and it is a mechanism for the command to bring in smaller companies, look at new technology and how that might be employed, as you look at future capabilities.
▶ 0:52:40Adm. Correll: That is for nc3 and electromagnetic spectrum capabilities.
▶ 0:52:45Sen. Fischer: General whiting whiting, ivy question for the record about working with our nato allies on capabilities and being able to integrate with them as well. Thank you. Senator shaheen, you are recognized.
▶ 0:53:02Sen. Shaheen: Thank you both for being here and for your service. I want to start with the iran war because we have seen the iranians have been targeting our satellites, our radar, our communications there.
▶ 0:53:18Sen. Shaheen: We've also seen reports that they are considering strikes, cyber strikes in united states against our systems and we saw that they hacked stryker medical earlier this month and blocked some of the data was completely deleted and others was blocked so, are you concerned about iranian backed hacker groups who could be targeting our
▶ 0:53:49Sen. Shaheen: Satellites, cutting off our communications, trying to hack into our radar capabilities?
▶ 0:53:58Gen. Whiting: We are as concerned about cyber generically as admiral correll mentioned because it is the soft underbelly of our space enterprise. There are countries, not iran, but countries like russia and china have demonstrated they could attack us in space with weapons or co-orbital satellites but they would rather attack us in cyber because it is cheaper for them and harder for us to attribute so I believe the defenses that we have put in place for our cyber against those kind of threats are up to the challenge of an iranian
▶ 0:54:30Gen. Whiting: Cyber attack but it is not something we ever rest on our laurels. We have to be very vigilant to make sure we understand what their intent is an capability is and then modify our defenses accordingly.
▶ 0:54:42Sen. Shaheen: Do you feel that same sense of assurance about the private sector and the threat they also could be facing from iran?
▶ 0:54:52Gen. Whiting: With the situation he noted in the press and the last couple weeks, I think there probably are vulnerabilities there that a nation like iran could seek to exploit.
▶ 0:55:04Sen. Shaheen: Do you have anything to add to that?
▶ 0:55:08Adm. Correll: I agree with general whiting's characterization with that. It is having the sensing capability to understand when there is a sophisticated operator on the network that causes traffic patterns to adjust, a really sophisticated actor. We need that sensing capability and ability to factor in the right subject matter expertise.
▶ 0:55:37Sen. Shaheen: It was reported last year that the trump administration is considering making changes to the unified command plan that would hand over U.S. command and control of nuclear weapons to the purview of the supreme allied commander of nato. I know you do not want to comment on the policy there, but can you comment on how you view U.S. command and control over nuclear weapons in a scenario where article five is invoked?
▶ 0:56:11Adm. Correll: I would say that the arrangement that we have with the supreme allied commander is a mechanism that has been in place for many years , that functions appropriately for its intent and I have had no discussions within the department about adjustments to that arrangement and should I be
▶ 0:56:41Adm. Correll: Asked to I would provide my best advice with respect to that.
▶ 0:56:47Chair Wicker: We have heard since the start of this war in iran and even before that a number of our security partners have publicly questioned whether they should have their own nuclear weapon capabilities, whether they can rely on the united states' nuclear umbrella. Can you comment on that? Are you concerned about that?
▶ 0:57:11Chair Wicker: Did you hear any of our allies and partners talking seriously about that and how are you thinking about addressing those concerns from our allies?
▶ 0:57:23Adm. Correll: I have reasonably frequent conversations with her undersecretary for policy and at every opportunity in mill to mill engagements I reinforce our extended deterrence commitment on the part of the united states and I have detected no change in my engagements in concern for
▶ 0:57:58Adm. Correll: Our commitment and our stated commitment with respect to that and that includes in my discussions with secretary colby and out highlight that stratcom has several liaison officers. From other countries at our command and we are scheduled to add a liaison officer from france to help with those communications and enable those in that individual is scheduled to report this summer.
▶ 0:58:28Sen. Shaheen: I'm out of time. If I could ask secretary colby share your view of that situation? When you have those conversations with him?
▶ 0:58:41Adm. Correll: I feed back any conversations I have within the department appropriately and reinforce our extended deterrence commitments. There is a conventional burden sharing element to the national defense strategy which lead apartment has talked about extensively and those are part of the conversations as well.
▶ 0:59:10Sen. Fischer: Senator rounds, you are recognized.
▶ 0:59:14Sen. Rounds: Thank you to you and your teams for your service to our country. I would like to begin by asking you both a specific question with regard to the many systems that were command rely on for missile warning, space-based sensing, and nuclear control and -- command and control. Two key portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
▶ 0:59:42Sen. Rounds: Can we talk about how critical it is to have assured access to the band and the 7.4 to 8.4 band of the spectrum for the systems at space, and stratcom -- that spacecom and stratcom use and the need for direct access for both of you to those parts of the spectrum.
▶ 1:00:12Gen. Whiting: Access to those bands you highlighted are critical for our mission and the three megahertz range. We have key radar that supports our space domain awareness and in these seven gigahertz range we have key communications and we want to be able to make sure we continue to operate.
▶ 1:00:34Gen. Whiting: We recognize the president has called for the united states to win the 60 race -- 6g race and we support efforts to find technological solutions but also ensure that we have it for national defense purposes.
▶ 1:00:52Adm. Correll: I would associate myself with the comments from general whiting and would stomp the incredible importance of sustaining that access. Missile warning quit missile tracking current missile defense would be impacted.
▶ 1:01:10Sen. Rounds: General whiting, to go back on this a little bit, what I'm concerned about is that both of those bands, the lower three and seven and eight, and they are protected from spectrum auction but some folks remain interested in shifting additional federal users back into those bands, which would free up that portion that the federal users have been using but it adds additional challenges within these bands that you rely on.
▶ 1:01:41Sen. Rounds: In your professional military opinion, will be the impact to our strategic communications nuclear deterrence homeland defense missions, including golden dome, if the military were forced to share those with other federal users in a sub optimal manner?
▶ 1:01:58Gen. Whiting: With your caveat about the sub optimal manner, which would assume we do not have the full usage and protection of that band width it would be a significant detriment to our mission because the satellites we have on orbit today, we are going to rely on those for years, if not decades to come and we cannot ship them out of a band that might be using the bands we just talked about, including our ground-based radars that use those bands as well so we have to figure out how to be able to continue to use our legacy
▶ 1:02:29Gen. Whiting: Systems that we are going to have to rely on for years to come.
▶ 1:02:32Adm. Correll: I agree.
▶ 1:02:34Sen. Rounds: Thank you a. Would be fair to say washington, D.C. is protected by radars in those bands? What about hawaii? Alaska? The west coast of the united states?
▶ 1:02:50Adm. Correll: The same.
▶ 1:02:53Sen. Rounds: Just a little bit of a discussion please with regard to the b 21 and its -- the growing demand for that particular product. It is coming online shortly. I'm curious, when you were answering the question for senator fischer, you indicated you agreed that 145 was an optimal number for this.
▶ 1:03:23Sen. Rounds: Can you talk about the determining factors you used in coming up with that analysis?
▶ 1:03:30Adm. Correll: When you look at the required readiness and timeliness of bomber response options with respect to stratcom's operational plans that drives the number of 145 in terms of the capability of the b 21, and I could expand more in a classified setting, and terms of
▶ 1:04:01Adm. Correll: The capability out highlight that part of the big so watch there is its ability to sense a maneuver in a contested election magnetic spectrum so yes it is a conventional strategic stand in, stand off precision strike bomber but also a key enabler for the joint force in terms of electromagnetic spectrum in that area along with other capabilities associated that we would have to talk in a classified setting.
▶ 1:04:31Sen. Rounds: Thank you both and your teams for your service.
▶ 1:04:36Chair Wicker: I believe senator kaine is next.
▶ 1:04:45Sen. Kaine: I have one topic to address what each of you. Admiral correll, I want to talk about the delays in the columbia class submarine. The delay in the first columbia class suggests that it will be delivered about 12 to 16 months after its originally planned date.
▶ 1:05:06Sen. Kaine: What are you all doing to extend the useful life of the ohio class submarines so we can take care of any delay in columbia production?
▶ 1:05:20Adm. Correll: The navy has a plan to do maintenance on existing ohio class submarines to extend their service life and there is high confidence in the ability to extend their service life so that we can manage the risk of sustaining the capability we have two bridge to the columbia class and their sufficient margin there to address that with the maintenance plans.
▶ 1:05:48Sen. Kaine: If they do that successfully, is it fair to say that stratcom's capabilities will not be jeopardized so long as that ohio class extension is done well?
▶ 1:05:59Adm. Correll: Yes, senator.
▶ 1:06:01Sen. Kaine: Thank you for that. General whiting, we are proud in virginia of wallops, nasa's only owned and operated launch range and an asset that supports both governmental operations across multiple governmental agencies but also commercial spaceflight. I think it will continue to play a key role in enabling national security missions at its launch range.
▶ 1:06:29Sen. Kaine: How do you view wallops as an asset for spacecom operations?
▶ 1:06:38Gen. Whiting: I think it has been an amazing story over the last decade as the united states military and arranges in cape canaveral, at vandenberg, has upped the launch tempo with the commercial industry as they have ramped up. As that continues to go up we will have to look at other launch locations to absorb the capacity and I think wallops could be a potential to do that.
▶ 1:07:10Gen. Whiting: From a space command perspective, we think the capabilities of wallops island and the resilience it provides to the broader launch enterprise are important.
▶ 1:07:19Sen. Kaine: I think there had been more rockets launched from wallops than vandenberg or canaveral when all the attention because they are unmanned rockets and they tend to be smaller. But the ability to hit orbits off the east coast as compared to the other ranges is very important. The other thing about wallops that is interesting, it is a mantra ranges for governmental and commercial launches.
▶ 1:07:47Sen. Kaine: What commercial space capabilities should we be leveraging more effectively and how do you think about the importance of collaboration with commercial space industry?
▶ 1:07:56Gen. Whiting: The U.S. commercial space industry is one of the united states' most significant advantages, not just for the space for us but for our nation writ large. It is driving innovation, expanding economic opportunities come and so from the united states space command perspective we want to make sure we are leveraging that innovation, leveraging the cost curves that are delivering capability faster and cheaper and then work with
▶ 1:08:26Gen. Whiting: The services that space force in particular to be able to bring that capability into operation so we think it is a massive advantage for us and we have a role in helping defend those commercial companies who the U.S.
▶ 1:08:40Gen. Whiting: Government most contracts with for space services and we do that at a cell we have in vandenberg space for space where we share information up to the top secret level with those companies so they understand the domain they are operating in any threats they are facing and they can share with us the insights they are getting from their operations as well.
▶ 1:09:00Sen. Kaine: I will ask a question from the rep -- for the record about the space debris problem. It is one thing if there is debris because of target shots on defunct satellites in orbit continually when there not a lot of satellites in orbit but governmental and private companies around the world are putting more and more satellites in orbit for security reasons and communications reasons so the value of what is up in orbit
▶ 1:09:34Sen. Kaine: Now makes this debris problem much worse in terms of trying to get a handle on it. I know there are space treaties dealing with it and we generally have good protocols about trying to minimize debris or avoid it but this is going to be a larger problem as more and more satellites get put into orbit. It is something we have to get a handle on and I'm glad the chairman raised it.
▶ 1:10:04Chair Wicker: Can you tell us how many satellites are in space right now?
▶ 1:10:10Gen. Whiting: Total number of trackable objects just went over 50 thousand. From that time to today, that number has gone up almost 90%. It is almost double the 6.5 years.
▶ 1:10:25Chair Wicker: And headed higher.
▶ 1:10:27Gen. Whiting: Absolutely. We have seen recent reports from commercial space companies that not only do they want to continue to build out these proliferated low-earth orbit communications but now going to space for data centers and artificial intelligence purposes, that is an exciting future that is coming.
▶ 1:10:54Sen. Ernst: Thank you for being in front of us today and your teams were your service to our great united states of america. I will start with you and we will keep hammering on this but right now the united states is undertaking a once in a generation effort to modernize all three legs of the nuclear triad.
▶ 1:11:15Sen. Ernst: We all know it is incredibly essential to credible deterrence but it is increasingly defined by the cost growth, the schedule delays, and something we are well aware of here, budgetary pressures. So we have the president that says he wants to spend another $500 billion in defense.
▶ 1:11:43Sen. Ernst: We have heard we are going to get another request for $200 billion perhaps in the form of a supplemental. The department has to demonstrate it can deliver these capabilities on time and on budget without crowding out our other critical priorities so if you can tie it up neatly with a bow on it for the committee today, which programs are experiencing the most significant cost and schedule delays and what specifically is
▶ 1:12:16Sen. Ernst: Driving those cost overruns?
▶ 1:12:23Adm. Correll: The direct report portfolio managers are the subject matter experts with respect to real-time reporting on costs and schedule with those programs.
▶ 1:12:39Adm. Correll: I would tell you that in my interactions with the direct report portfolio managers and their leadership, so this is the vice admiral and general white and joe guetlein for golden dome, they are laser focused on delivering for our country and understanding where the risks are and addressing those risks
▶ 1:13:10Adm. Correll: In terms of schedule and keeping pressure on costs and that arrangement for my perspective, the organizational arrangement of a direct portfolio manager with a direct report to the draft -- the deputy secretary has been powerful in keeping our foot on the gas for delivering capability on schedule on budget and I acknowledge there has been significant challenges there.
▶ 1:13:42Sen. Ernst: I think it is important. We continue to place additional pressures on your shoulders but those portfolio managers as well . We as congress need to keep the pressure on those primes and others that are engaged in this process, understanding we have limited resources and we absolutely need to modernize our nuclear triad so pressure all the way around, including here on the hill and members in
▶ 1:14:14Sen. Ernst: Congress. If we can turn to spacecom cannot we have seen with the operations ongoing in iran, counterattacks coming from iran and general whiting, we saw this incredible shot fired from iran toward diego garcia so what we are learning from this, that missile has traveled over 2500 miles and weapons and ballistic
▶ 1:14:51Sen. Ernst: Missiles coming from our adversaries and what can we do then in that scenario, how do we adapt within spacecom to make sure that our missile warning, architecture is able to account for these long-range threats, like this recent attempt to strike on diego garcia?
▶ 1:15:13Gen. Whiting: Senator, thank you for highlighting that. We have a critical tip abilities for settlement control as well as space domain awareness. Our missile warning architecture is absolutely the foundational capability that allows our joint force and national leadership to know about those kinds of launches. Today, we do a very good job, best in the world of detecting those kinds of launches, but you asked about what kind of evolution we need.
▶ 1:15:39Gen. Whiting: The congress has funded several additional missile warning capabilities that are coming. Low-earth orbit tracking constellation, medium earth orbit tracking constellation, and then a modernized strategic constellation in geosynchronous orbit. . As those, like, that will allow us to track those missiles and have full custody all the way until they are impacting. That allows us to tip and you missile defenses to be even more successful.
▶ 1:16:09Gen. Whiting: Those are important investments and I would ask for the congress's continued support.
▶ 1:16:11Sen. Ernst: My time has expired. Thank you very much.
▶ 1:16:15Chair Wicker: Senator scott. It seems that you touched base 7.2 seconds before senator cotton, so you are recognized. >> instant replay on that one.
▶ 1:16:34Sen. Scott: Thank you to go of you for being here. Let me talk about something that is important to florida, space dominance, a pretty big issue. We prioritize and put a lot of effort into the space coast. I became governor right after manned flight was shut down, so it's a big issue.
▶ 1:16:59Sen. Scott: We try to make sure that the space coast is an aerospace hub, model of what happens when we use public-private partnerships to help america reach its exploration goals. We are not the only ones trying to do this. We have adversaries like communist china. I'm appreciative of the president including national security and space, this discussion is important.
▶ 1:17:22Sen. Scott: Can you explain to the american people why space is so important to our national security and how adversaries like communist china, complete adversary, can use it to undermine our country?
▶ 1:17:35Gen. Whiting: Thank you for the question. Today as we sit here in 2026 the entire joint force is sought with an assumption they will have access to's have access to' space stability through all conflicts. We do not have a structure to like the way that we did before our system for space enable. We didn't have precision strike, global navigation, global communications.
▶ 1:18:00Gen. Whiting: It is vital that we defend those capabilities in space so that we can continue to deliver them against the threats that are now against us. We have seen a dramatic increase in the threats over the last several years from china and from russia. That is why U.S. space command, we say it's a moral response ability to defend our space capability so we can continue to support the rest of the joint force.
▶ 1:18:21Sen. Scott: Can you talk about the importance of public-private partnerships at florida space coast?
▶ 1:18:26Gen. Whiting: I have been an observer of that, not directly involved, but pretty remarkable to me how that public-private partnership is able to deliver infrastructure at cape canaveral and patrick space for space to ensure that those launch ranges, that large range has been able to keep up with a dramatic increase in commercial launch tempo we have seen. I think is true that range has not been a constraint on commercial launch growing.
▶ 1:18:58Gen. Whiting: A big part of that is not only the government investment but the commercial, private investment we have seen through space florida.
▶ 1:19:03Sen. Scott: When I was governor, we put a lot of money, but we were able to get companies to come in and spend a lot of money. Blue origin, boeing, spacex spent a lot of money. Admiral, as we are aware, the real threat of adversaries like communist china do not exist just in space. Communist china is also focused on dominance around the world.
▶ 1:19:28Sen. Scott: It's critical to our nation is ready to project peace and strength but also it's no secret the navy has had a building ships on time and on budget. Secretary phelan is working hard to change that. Can you talk about the importance of the columbia class submarine and why you need that asset now?
▶ 1:19:48Adm. Correll: The columbia class submarine represents our second strike capability for our nation. It doesn't get any more important or necessary than that, senator. That submarine will be world-class, decades ahead of what china or russia can produce in terms of technology, quietness, and capability. It is a critical capability for our deterrent.
▶ 1:20:21Adm. Correll: With the appointment of vice admiral goucher, portfolio manager, it will get laser focused, which it already has, to deliver that capability for our nation.
▶ 1:20:33Sen. Scott: The fact that it is late, does it impact the navy's resourcing decisions?
▶ 1:20:42Adm. Correll: The navy is continuing to fund columbia, so it's had no negative impact on funding for columbia and the priority and delivery. It remains the navy's number one priority. The navy's budget backs that up, senator.
▶ 1:20:59Sen. Scott: Thank you to the men and women that serve with you.
▶ 1:21:03Chair Wicker: Senator moran.
▶ 1:21:07Sen. Warren: Thank you, Mr. chairman. President trump has dragged us into war against iran, and we are all paying the price. Service members have died, oil prices are soaring, and we are facing a global economic crisis over the strait of hormuz. One big reason, donald trump's go it alone approach to blowing up long-standing american alliances.
▶ 1:21:32Sen. Warren: He has insulted and tariffed just about everyone and he launched this more alongside israel without telling our other allies, and then when he sees gas prices skyrocket, donald trump changes his tune and starts begging our allies to help us patrol the strait of hormuz. And our partners have said they want to help but only if the fighting stops. Adm. Correll, U.S.
▶ 1:21:59Sen. Warren: Strategic command is responsible for strategic deterrence and nuclear operations. You have said repeatedly that alliances are critical to deterrence. So, admiral, do russia and china think our alliances are strong when our partners refuse to help?
▶ 1:22:18Adm. Correll: My military assessment is that they continue to think they are very strong, and I think china and russia's behavior in terms of attending to undermine those alliances demonstrates their continued concern for america's alliances.
▶ 1:22:40Senator Warren: Your answer makes no sense to me. Russia and china watch us insult our allies and then begged for their help and then our allies don't give that help, and you think russia and china think, there is an alliance that is working just great? But it is not only an embarrassment when the president begs and our allies say no. It is a national security threat because our enemies take note of that.
▶ 1:23:12Senator Warren: It is your job to advise the secretary about how to deter our greatest threats. You are telling me your view is that there is no threat here? I am just telling you, that does not bear credible analysis. Trump has alienated many of our allies, and those costs are becoming clear.
▶ 1:23:34Senator Warren: At the same time, we have launched more with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu who seems to be pursuing a completely set of different objectives. And president trump is unwilling or unable even to reign in netanyahu. On march 18, the netanyahu government bond one of the region's largest oil fields. Trump then posted that the U.S. didn't know in advance, and that we didn't want further oil strikes because of the economic danger that it would pose.
▶ 1:24:07Senator Warren: So, admiral, does it enhance strategic deterrence to have major partners undermining explicit U.S. policy goals?
▶ 1:24:17Adm. Correll: Senator, I respectfully disagree with your overall assessment.
▶ 1:24:23Sen. Warren: What part do you disagree with, that from posted that we didn't know, didn't agree with what netanyahu did? But netanyahu did it anyway?
▶ 1:24:34Adm. Correll: Senator, I can just speak to my portfolio and my response abilities. Our capabilities remain ready to respond and deter each and every day.
▶ 1:24:47Sen. Warren: I appreciate that, but that is not my question. My question is, does it enhance strategic deterrence to have major partners undermining explicit U.S. policy goals?
▶ 1:25:00Adm. Correll: Strong mil-to-mil relationships and our allies that merck are part of our overall deterrence.
▶ 1:25:08Sen. Warren: Again, your answer lacks any credibility. If this administration cannot keep its main partner in line and cannot keep its own stories straight, then we have a problem.
▶ 1:25:25Sen. Warren: In june, the white house issued a press release proclaiming "iran's nuclear facilities have been obliterated and suggestions otherwise are fake news." yet now, iran's nuclear program is one of the many changing reasons that the administration has given for this war. Adm. Correll, let me ask one more, does it help strategic deterrence when the white house changes its story minute by minute on the reasons for this more? -- war?
▶ 1:25:55Chair Wicker: Senator moran, the witness on three occasions have said that he is declining to answer that question because he disagrees with the premise. I appreciate that members are able to make whatever points they want, but I think it is clear why he is unable to answer your question because he completely disagrees with the premise.
▶ 1:26:16Sen. Warren: I'm glad it is clear to you, Mr. chairman, but with respect, I don't understand what part of the premise he disagrees with. I am stating facts here. I am asking if those facts are helpful to the united states or unhelpful for the united states.
▶ 1:26:33Chair Wicker: Admiral, you can answer the question if you are able.
▶ 1:26:37Adm. Correll: I have no further comments to make other than what I previously said.
▶ 1:26:42Chair Wicker: Senator cotton.
▶ 1:26:47Sen. Cotton: For the record, I think your credibility is very high, admiral. You are the commander of strategic command, not the central command commander, not secretary of state. I don't think it is in your portfolio to make judgments about allies all around the world.
▶ 1:27:05Sen. Cotton: Frankly, I commend your restraint by the second or third time you asked the question, you didn't borrow from the internet meme that this is a wendy's, ma I' want to press theam. Went it alone. We didn't go it alone with israel. Israel is one of the most capable military partners we have in the world, correct, admiral?
▶ 1:27:31Adm. Correll: Yes, senator.
▶ 1:27:33Sen. Cotton: It seems like every arab nation is with us as well. In fact, the investor from the united arab emirates published an op-ed today in the wall street journal, explaining why we need to finish the job in iran. The president of the uae has been an unflappable ally, as is the crown prince of saudi arabia.
▶ 1:28:03Sen. Cotton: Even countries like oman and qatar that tries to mediate differences, maintain friendly relationships with iran, have expressed their dismay to what has happened. Not surprisingly, since what their friendly relations with iran got them was a bunch of missiles shot into their country. I think is far from accurate to say that we are going it alone in this war against iran's revolutionary terror regime.
▶ 1:28:33Sen. Cotton: I want to borrow from both your expertise about missiles and space, build on what senator ernst was discussing, the launch of the intermediate range ballistic missile toward our base in diego garcia in the middle of the indian ocean. That is bad. I am glad it failed, glad that we shot down one. It also of course shows missiles of that range are not exactly worth the paper it was worth on.
▶ 1:29:06Sen. Cotton: Other long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. Let me just ask this. The technology needed, not for an intermediate range missile, but intercontinental missile, missile that could hit the united states, is pretty much the same as an intermediate range missile, isn't that right, adm. Correll?
▶ 1:29:24Adm. Correll: Yes, senator, that's correct.
▶ 1:29:28Sen. Cotton: Gen. Whiting, isn't that correct?
▶ 1:29:31Gen. Whiting: It is, and it is not too much different from a space launch vehicle.
▶ 1:29:35Sen. Cotton: You need enough booster thrust to get something into space, reentry vehicle to get it back from outer space, from space onto the earth surface. Iran has long had a space launch vehicle program. In your observations about space, have you seen any iranian astronauts up there lately?
▶ 1:29:57Gen. Whiting: They do not have a manned spaceflight program.
▶ 1:30:01Sen. Cotton: Do you think may be the program is a flimsy cover for an intercontinental missile?
▶ 1:30:06Gen. Whiting: I do think they were developing intercontinental missiles.
▶ 1:30:11Sen. Cotton: Adm. Correll, for a reentry vehicle, what they used for that missile going to diego garcia, the medium-range missiles shot at israel, that would be a suitable reentry vehicle?
▶ 1:30:24Adm. Correll: That's correct.
▶ 1:30:26Sen. Cotton: All you would have to do it a crude and functioning manner is to marry those technologies and they would be able to strike us here.
▶ 1:30:34Adm. Correll: That's correct.
▶ 1:30:36Sen. Cotton: I think that can be done in a matter of months, not years. Is that on your mind at stratcom?
▶ 1:30:42Adm. Correll: Absolutely.
▶ 1:30:45Sen. Cotton: Thank you. I want to turn to slightly shorter range weapons. You testified, admiral, at the house armed services committee, that china "seeks a larger and more diverse nuclear force comprised of systems ranging from low yield precision strike missiles to a bunch of other stuff." also the need that you have also discussed for an enhanced theater capable nuclear capability to counter such
▶ 1:31:15Sen. Cotton: Development from china, from russia, north korea. Could you discuss what resources, capabilities, authorities you need to counter the threat of theater nuclear forces?
▶ 1:31:28Adm. Correll: Yes, senator. In terms of the deterrence challenges associated with russia or china and their theater nuclear force capability, part of the strategy there is to ensure that we raise the threshold for use of that capability by xi or putin.
▶ 1:31:53Adm. Correll: We are investing in nuclear capabilities, intended to have a response that is in kind and could match should xi or putin determined there was a lower threshold for use.
▶ 1:32:11Sen. Cotton: I don't think we can do it fast enough. Thank you.
▶ 1:32:15Chair Wicker: Thank you. Senator kelly.
▶ 1:32:20Sen. Kelly: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Thank you both for being here today. Admiral, I want to start with you, talk about missile defense and golden dome. As I understand, the architecture and visions to a much more expansive, layered system capable of defending against large-scale missile threats. Maybe including up to a salvo from pure adversaries. That kind of vision requires a large number of interceptors far beyond our current inventories.
▶ 1:32:52Sen. Kelly: We are talking about different ways about how we can do this. But also increasingly sophisticated electromagnetic countermeasures to deal with decoys, jamming, other countermeasures. It's a complicated problem. We could be seeing issues with trying to intercept icbms that are on trajectories different orbital inclinations because of the latitude they are launching
▶ 1:33:23Sen. Kelly: From. Some land-based, some see based. Admiral, how do you assess the operational feasibility of this approach? I understand the argument that a more robust missile defense architecture could strengthen deterrence by denial and provide additional protection for the homeland, but at scale, this becomes a question of cost, capability, and plain physics.
▶ 1:33:47Sen. Kelly: One of my big concerns is that we spend $500 billion, $1 trillion, we get to the end of the timeline and we have a system that just fundamentally does not work, or does not work well enough to increase deterrence.
▶ 1:34:01Adm. Correll: From my perspective, senator, the work initially on the sensor layer and the capability to detect and track advanced missiles that would be advanced hypersonics, advanced cruise missiles, fractional bombardment capability, that is step one in architecture that we are talking about.
▶ 1:34:26Sen. Kelly: I also agree, I see the benefit in that. Hypersonic vehicles being able to maneuver, coming from a nonstandard direction, is something we have to focus on. It is like the bigger picture of a salvo, being able to intercept multiple rounds coming at us simultaneously.
▶ 1:34:54Adm. Correll: Yes, senator. There is a universe of capabilities and efforts associated with that. You talk about space-based interceptors. That is one technology that we will need to mature. C what the limits are of that in terms of interception capabilities. Gen.
▶ 1:35:16Adm. Correll: Guetlein is approaching it from a kill chain perspective, understanding the whole system that goes into the ability to launch an attack against the U.S. that include looking closely at left of launch capabilities.
▶ 1:35:36Adm. Correll: You are looking at left of launch, initial launch, boost phase, and the full range of capabilities there in terms of golden dawn for america.
▶ 1:35:48Sen. Kelly: You think we can build something that achieves the requirements?
▶ 1:35:54Adm. Correll: I think we are going to advance our understanding and capabilities considerably without effort, yes, senator.
▶ 1:36:00Sen. Kelly: Thank you. General, there have been reports that last year, china's sj25, sj 21 maneuvered, we think they may have done a satellite refueling experiment. If confirmed, this would be the first time that a satellite in geo refueled another. That's my understanding.
▶ 1:36:29Sen. Kelly: That represents a significant leap, not just in sustainment, but in china's capability to discuss operations. Taken together with their captors basic abilities, they are building a dynamic and maneuvered approach to space, one that would allow them to persist on orbit longer, reposition assets and potentially hold U.S. systems at risk.
▶ 1:36:57Sen. Kelly: Can you comment about your concern, what steps we should be taking to counter that, or build our own capability to be able to match the on-orbit persistence?
▶ 1:37:11Gen. Whiting: Thank you for the question. We're watching that operation last year very closely. I think your question well articulated what is happening. China has demonstrated their sophistication on orbit to include starting to deliver a broad maneuver capability on orbit.
▶ 1:37:31Gen. Whiting: My concern is that they develop that, they will have the ability to maneuver for advantage, the way the united states has for decades on land, at sea and in the air, use maneuver for our advantage. We talk about maneuver warfare. I believe we need to deliver our own maneuver warfare capability to make sure we can leverage the advantages the joint force has developed over the decades in space, as we have in other domains.
▶ 1:37:55Sen. Kelly: Thank you, general.
▶ 1:38:01Sen. Sullivan: Thank you for being here. Admiral, I want to follow up on senator kelly's golden dawn discussion. I have been one of the senators very focused on missile defense for a long time, including golden dome. Senator cramer and I hear on the committee have focused a lot on that, our golden dome act, we introduced last year. A lot of that was in the ndaa. Gen.
▶ 1:38:30Sen. Sullivan: Guetlein mentioned that he clearly thought we had a technology to do this. I think we have a leadership, certainly, the president has made this a priority of his, which is important for getting an initiative of this size, complexity completed. You have a lot of interest in congress, funding from the working families tax cut that we got done in july. But one of the things gen.
▶ 1:39:02Sen. Sullivan: Guetlein mentioned that could be a challenge was actually not a technology but the organizational structure within the U.S. government to make this happen. In a hearing a number of months ago, we talked about this in some ways like manhattan project 2.0, that is the scale. Can you give me a sense from your perspective on how this is moving forward, where we need to continue to focus?
▶ 1:39:31Sen. Sullivan: As I mentioned in the ndaa, senator cramer and I were able to get a lot of elements of legislation supporting and accelerating the golden dome initiative into law. I would like your assessment.
▶ 1:39:48Adm. Correll: Stratcom is one of the key co coms that is supporting gen. Guetlein's leadership on this effort, gen. Whiting at spacecom, general geo in north com for the joint force. From my perspective, gen. Guetlein is providing superb leadership.
▶ 1:40:13Adm. Correll: Right now, he is focused on the various capabilities in terms of the architecture to sense, detect, and track and integrating that, all of that information. So you have a data layer that enhances our ability to detect and track any kind of inbound threat.
▶ 1:40:41Adm. Correll: Then integrating the command and control. The organizational alignment, what is the optimal organizational alignment associated with that? That is where he is focus for technology demonstration this summer. On the command and control capabilities and how we have advanced that. There's a number of innovative companies that are closely allied and supporting that effort. I am highly encouraged.
▶ 1:41:09Adm. Correll: We can talk more in a classified setting, but I'm highly encouraged by the process they are making.
▶ 1:41:14Sen. Sullivan: I am, as well. You mentioned sense, detect, track, one more element in that chain, kill. A lot of that currently, those elements, missile defenses are based in alaska. Actually most of them in terms of ground-based interceptors, tracking.
▶ 1:41:41Sen. Sullivan: One of the things I've been concerned about, admiral, in 2017, working directly with the president and his team, my bill, advancing america's missile-defense act, passed as part of the ndaa, called for more ground-based missile interceptors, which we built up 20 more silos. But they are empty. They remain empty, which to me, makes zero cents.
▶ 1:42:13Sen. Sullivan: How quickly are going to fill those 20 empty silos with the next generation ground-based missile interceptors? It seems to me a huge miss and our current posture to protect the country when we have missile interceptors silos that are built, ready to go, and they are empty, and they remain empty.
▶ 1:42:35Adm. Correll: Senator, I do not have the exact details on that. I will take that as a look and come back to you. I can work with gen. Guetlein. I know we have challenges in our defense industrial base in terms of delivering at scale some of the capabilities that we need.
▶ 1:42:53Sen. Sullivan: Let me thank you on that. For the record, gen. Whiting, I would appreciate if you could give me a sense -- I will just ask the question if you can provide it. A lot of your missions, a key anchor point is clear force stationed in alaska.
▶ 1:43:15Sen. Sullivan: I wonder if you are looking at other missions and capabilities, buildout of that critical area, particularly with the long range discrimination radar that is now up and running, probably the most important ground-based radar system in the world. If you can get back to me.
▶ 1:43:31Chair Wicker: We will take that on the record. Thank you, senator sullivan. >> thank you. General, admiral, thank you for being here today and for your service. I want to talk a little bit about nuclear testing.
▶ 1:43:50Chair Wicker: As members of this committee have heard me raise over and over again, the nevada national security site, formerly the nevada test site, continues and will continue to play a critical role in nuclear weapons development. But some of my colleagues on the other side like to throw about nuclear responses as if it were nothing. As if there were no consequences . No consequences that last decades, even longer in some cases.
▶ 1:44:20Chair Wicker: Nevada was ground zero for a majority of these tests. United states nuclear testing from 1951 to 1992 with 100 atmospheres, 828 underground tests. There are consequences to what my friends are just bantering around like it is nothing. After george h.w. Bush signed a testing moratorium in 1992, the U.S.
▶ 1:44:43Chair Wicker: Rightfully developed a stockpile stewardship program and some critical experiments to which the nevada national security state has continued to certify the reliability, safety, the effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile and using science and physics and math and technology. We do not need explosive nuclear testing.
▶ 1:45:07Chair Wicker: Today, the sites underground laboratory is undergoing major mining and construction to provide enhanced capabilities for the subcritical experiments, ecsc. It will host two of the most capable weapons are radiographic systems in the world, together with these efforts, these machines will provide even greater certainty and data about performance of the U.S. new peer stockpile far better data than experts say that any information that could be gleaned if the U.S.
▶ 1:45:35Chair Wicker: Were to break that moratorium and conduct explosive nuclear tests either belowground or above ground, as the president and some in his orbit have advocated. For decades, directors of the national laboratory stratcom commanders and secretaries of defense and energy have annually certified the military effectiveness of our stockpile and certify that it does not require resumption of explosive testing with over 1000 subcritical experiments from a robust computer modeling, providing the data to support
▶ 1:46:05Chair Wicker: These positions. Adm. Correll, following up on a question that asked you at your nomination hearing, now that you have taken command, do you see any technical or strategic justification for resuming explosive testing, do you agree with these data informed assessments that it is unnecessary for the united states to resume explosive nuclear testing of any kind?
▶ 1:46:27Adm. Correll: Senator, as you mentioned, I review an annual assessment of our existing testing capabilities and its ability to certify that our warheads are safe, secure, effective, and remain credible as a deterrent. That process will continue. There are exquisite capabilities associated with that.
▶ 1:46:54Adm. Correll: You mentioned many of those capabilities. In addition to that, national ignition facility is another really important one that gives us insights. As those warheads age, we need to continue to be vigilant about that. I will continue to provide my best military advice. With respect for the need, should there be a need to resume any testing.
▶ 1:47:24Adm. Correll: But I stand by the letter I endorsed most recently this last year in terms of the sufficiency of testing. The only caveat I would put on that is, having the capability to resume additional testing, should the need arise, that we posture ourselves to be able to do that.
▶ 1:47:47Sen. Rosen: I am going to disagree with you there. Sending a billion dollars to put us in a position to resume explosive testing after all the money that we have spent on the science so far with stockpiles, stewardship programs, enhance capabilities for subcritical experiments, artificial intelligence for weapons design, productions of new pits to replace the aging ones.
▶ 1:48:12Sen. Rosen: All of these initiatives will affect certainty about our warhead performance and will be able to help us go forward. I believe we should be able to use those experiments to the safety of our american citizens where you'll be testing this.
▶ 1:48:28Chair Wicker: Thank you, senator rosen. Clearly, we have a disagreement on the subject between you and the witness. Senator tuberville.
▶ 1:48:41Sen. Tuberville: Gen. Whiting, just a couple of updates. Securing a new military construction agent, march 26 is the deadline. Do we have any update on that?
▶ 1:48:58Gen. Whiting: Thank you for the question. Our move to huntsville is moving forward. We are right now in final discussions with elements of the united states air force, army corps of engineers to pull together with a team of that construction agent will look like. I believe the secretary of the air force and I will memorialize that decision in the very near future.
▶ 1:49:24Gen. Whiting: I'm very happy we are able to take advantage of the milcon reform language that the committee inserted into the last national defense authorization act which is allowing us to build our new headquarters in a different way than we would have last year without that language.
▶ 1:49:38Sen. Tuberville: Existing facilities, what are you thinking about that? Any update on that?
▶ 1:49:45Gen. Whiting: Yes, senator, that will take a few years. We are modifying the existing facilities on redstone arsenal. In fact, next month in april, we will do our first ribbon-cutting on a top-secret scif that will see over 80 people and then we will start moving personnel there to begin work at that level.
▶ 1:50:07Gen. Whiting: I'm happy the progress we are making and that progress will continue over the next couple years as we work to get significant portions of our staff there even while the permit headquarters is being built.
▶ 1:50:19Sen. Tuberville: What is the timeline on that? Three to seven years?
▶ 1:50:25Gen. Whiting: For the permit headquarters? I would suspect that facility will break ground next year, will come online likely in 2031. Then there will be probably a years worth of time that we are moving people into that facility. That is the timeline we are currently looking at.
▶ 1:50:43Sen. Tuberville: Personnel transition, any update on that?
▶ 1:50:48Gen. Whiting: We have a small office that we have stood up there, about 20 people right now. By the end of this year, we are targeting that number to be closer to 200 people that will be working from redstone from our headquarters. That will be paced with the delivery of interim facilities that are appropriate to the security classification level we need, and that we have all the appropriate I.t. Networks.
▶ 1:51:16Gen. Whiting: We are offering relocation incentives for our workforce in colorado to consider moving to alabama. We are also offering retention incentives because I need my work force to stay with me in colorado until their function is ready to move. Those are some of the updates we have as we are moving personnel. Logisticscognitions, air force has over 10% of its aircraft dedicated to aerial refueling.
▶ 1:51:43Gen. Whiting: Satellites have historically been built with no way to refuel here in the U.S., but the chinese communist party demonstrating space refueling capabilities for the first time last year. Any recommendations for the future?
▶ 1:51:57Gen. Whiting: Senator, you know too well in your question, our traditional domains, air, land, sea, those military services have extraordinary percentages of their force dedicated to enabling maneuver through sustainment and logistics. In fact, there's a great quote from admiral nimitz, at sea and fuel replenishing is what won world war ii because they could continue to fight.
▶ 1:52:28Gen. Whiting: In space, we typically launch a settlement with all the fuel it's going to have. Every time we maneuver, we expend fuel. We always have to have this discussion, should I maneuver even though it is to can live off of the end of that satellite? That creates a psychology of scarcity across our enterprise where we don't enable commanders to maneuver the way they may want to because we are concerned about the expenditure of fuel.
▶ 1:52:53Gen. Whiting: My recommendation is that the united states develop an on-orbit logistics and servicing capability that would allow us to bring maneuver warfare to space, the same way the U.S. navy, air force, army, marine corps execute maneuver warfare in their respective domains.
▶ 1:53:07Sen. Tuberville: Admiral, submarines are the tip of the spear for our nuclear capabilities. The problem is we cannot seem to build them fast enough. What flexibility and tkibuli does stratcom gain if we are able to fill 16 class of 12?
▶ 1:53:28Gen. Whiting: The existing capability we have includes 14 ohio class boat with 22's. That is 280 launch tubes. The program of record is a minimum of 12 columbia with 16 tubes each, 192. That is 280 versus 192. Chairman wicker in his opening remarks talk about the challenges and the complexities in the strategic environment.
▶ 1:53:59Gen. Whiting: Additional capacity and capability at sea in terms of lodgers is very beneficial from my perspective. There is ongoing work within the department in terms of force sufficiency. That work will inform any future budget decisions associated with columbia.
▶ 1:54:20Gen. Whiting: If you just do the math for what we have and the program of record, I will continue to advocate for additional capability at sea in terms of the columbia class.
▶ 1:54:31Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. I hope chairman wicker is listening to that.
▶ 1:54:36Chair Wicker: Yes, absolutely. You are not suggesting that some questions I listen to more carefully than others?
▶ 1:54:43Sen. Tuberville: May be a little.
▶ 1:54:46Chair Wicker: Admiral, the first part of your answer was about our capacity right now to build. The thrust of senator tuberville's question is how much better defended we would be if we were able to reach the goal that he mentioned. The answer is that we very much need to do that, is that correct?
▶ 1:55:16Adm. Correll: That's correct, senator. Maximizes what stability and option to present to the president should the need arise.
▶ 1:55:24Chair Wicker: I would just observe there is still time before governor to brazil -- turberville moves off the dais for us to make more progress on that. He and I are teammates. Senator blumenthal, you are next.
▶ 1:55:45Sen. Blumenthal: Thank you both for your service. Both of you are in charge of some of the most advanced technology, scientific breakthroughs available to our military. Adm. Correll, you were a graduate of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy. Both of you I'm sure are familiar with the importance of alliances.
▶ 1:56:13Sen. Blumenthal: How would you explain to the american people the importance of our alliances in the fields where you have authority?
▶ 1:56:23Gen. Whiting: Senator, thank you for the question. Certainly from my perspective, our partnerships in space are one of our strengths. It is something that russia and china do not have. And U.S.
▶ 1:56:37Gen. Whiting: Space command, I have the privilege to lead a named operation in space including six other countries, canada, united kingdom, australia, new zealand, france, germany, where we operate together in space to maintain vigilance against threats, track debris, show our interoperability. We are continuing to press forward with that and strengthen those relationships.
▶ 1:57:01Sen. Blumenthal: Admiral?
▶ 1:57:03Adm. Correll: I would echo the sentiment expressed by gen. Whiting. Those alliances and partnerships are incredibly important to the overall deterrence that we present against potential competitors or challengers. With respect to U.S. strategic command, we have four liaison officers in the headquarters embedded in headquarters.
▶ 1:57:32Adm. Correll: That includes japan, republic of korea, the u.k., of course, and australia. We are about to receive a fifth liaison officer embedded into our staff from france. That reinforces the importance of those mil-to-mil relationships, enhance our capabilities and deterrence over all.
▶ 1:57:54Sen. Blumenthal: There has been a fair amount of turbulence in our diplomatic relations with our allies. I think I am using a euphemism. I am hopeful, at your level of cooperation and partnership, the alliances continue to be strong and resilient, whatever the political turmoil at the surface
▶ 1:58:26Sen. Blumenthal: . Underneath the potential contention, I'm hopeful that your work with our allies continues to be strong. Am I wrong in that hope?
▶ 1:58:39Gen. Whiting: Senator, I have seen no impact on our ability to partner the way my command wants to partner. I have not detected any reluctance on the part of our partners to continue to move forward with us.
▶ 1:58:54Adm. Correll: I have the same experience, senator.
▶ 1:58:57Sen. Blumenthal: My hope is that turbulence is going to be passing, a phase that we will work through and reestablish in public statements and rhetoric, the appreciation for our partnership and alliances that you have reflected in your testimony.
▶ 1:59:21Sen. Blumenthal: Because at the working level, at the point where rubber meets the road, so to speak, although that is not a good analogy for space, I am very hopeful that we can sustain and add to those alliances. The american public appreciates how important they are. Admiral, could you talk a little bit about the importance of the columbia class?
▶ 1:59:47Sen. Blumenthal: I know you have spoken to senator kaine about the impact of delays, but maybe you can comment further on the importance of getting back on track.
▶ 1:59:59Adm. Correll: Yes, the department has appointed a direct report portfolio manager, vice admiral goucher to focus on some reconstruction. He has a direct report relationship with deputy secretary feinberg.
▶ 2:00:17Adm. Correll: The intent there is to have an individual with the experience that can manage that program and optimize the performance for delivery of columbia and other submarine construction, virginia class, as well. The importance to our deterrent capability, I cannot overstate that. All three legs are vitally important. They complement each other.
▶ 2:00:47Adm. Correll: The sum of the parts are much greater for the whole. That is a second strike capability that is always at sea, always ready to respond to tours effectively. I see that in the intel reporting.
▶ 2:01:00Sen. Blumenthal: I know that general dynamics and others are doing dedicated, monumental work in producing the columbia. I think we should appreciate their contributions to our nation's national security.
▶ 2:01:18Adm. Correll: We have an incredible blue-collar work force to that.
▶ 2:01:22Sen. Blumenthal: Best in the nation. Thank you, Mr. chairman. >> senator banks prima Sen.
▶ 2:01:31Banks: Gen. Whiting, you are tasked with the trans regional missile defense mission which relies on space-based sensors. How critical it is this mission to homeland defense?
▶ 2:01:42Gen. Whiting: Foundational to homeland defense. It is all about detecting threats that are launched in other areas of responsibility outside of this hemisphere and continent. Being able to provide that warning to U.S. northern command so that general geo under his authority can employ national missile defenses as he is able to do that.
▶ 2:02:05Sen. Banks: Can only be accomplished in space?
▶ 2:02:08Gen. Whiting: Correct. It's one of the unique aspects that the U.S. has come at a lodge anywhere around the world we detect that in near real time and provide the information to not only fielding forces but other combatant commands, ultimately up to the president.
▶ 2:02:22Sen. Banks: Explain why that is the case, only can be occultist in space.
▶ 2:02:27Gen. Whiting: We have the unique advantage to see the entire globe. We have satellites in geosynchronous orbit, highly elliptical orbits, and we can perform that detection. The congress is investing in improved warning missile defense capabilities that will allow us to improve our ability to have custody of those threats from lunch to impact which will continue to support our missile defenses.
▶ 2:02:51Sen. Banks: On that point, how urgent is it to deploy additional tracking sensors with fire control capability to defeat hypersonic and advanced missile threats?
▶ 2:03:02Gen. Whiting: Your question highlight the advancement of missiles that we have seen like hypersonic, fractional orbital bombardment systems. For those, we need these enhanced capabilities so that we can maintain custody of the threats to enable our missile defense.
▶ 2:03:18Sen. Banks: As we work on the next ndaa, how urgent is it?
▶ 2:03:24Gen. Whiting: The threats are present today.
▶ 2:03:27Sen. Banks: You need more.
▶ 2:03:30Gen. Whiting: As soon as we can feel the capabilities.
▶ 2:03:32Sen. Banks: The acps fields several counter space weapons that could potentially disrupt or destroy satellites. If our space-based sensors were disrupted, how will that impact the joint force?
▶ 2:03:44Sen. Banks: The entire joint force assume they will have access to space get abilities. It is not only the number of forces we have at the kind of capabilities, precision guided weapons, for example, not only need the gps signal to be able to be employed, but they need space-based contributions to the kill chain. How do you find, target the location you are trying to impact? All of that is enabled from space. Without those get abilities, we cannot fight the way the joint force is designed.
▶ 2:04:13Sen. Banks: Would more centers build additional resilience to ensure you are able to accomplish our mission?
▶ 2:04:19Gen. Whiting: Yes, the number helps with resilience, also distribution of those capabilities through multiple orbits also helps us with resilience.
▶ 2:04:28Sen. Banks: Admiral, you talked about slick m about slick em in. Your predecessor testify that this would provide an additional nuclear deterrent capability do you agree with that statement?
▶ 2:04:47Adm. Correll: I do. Specifically raising the threshold for a potential adversary contemplating use of a lower yield theater nuclear weapon. It is very helpful from a deterrence perspective to have a capability that is not visible terms of generation, that has a non-ballistic trajectory, and his low yield over all.
▶ 2:05:15Sen. Banks: Can you explain the importance of having low yield survivable, persistent nuclear capabilities like slcm?
▶ 2:05:23Gen. Whiting: It complicates --
▶ 2:05:26Adm. Correll: It complicates the potential adversary's decision-making. Xi or putin don't see a gap in the ability to deliver, use a nuclear theater weapon and put the position where they feel they are putting the U.S. in a position where we would have to escalate beyond a theater capability.
▶ 2:05:50Sen. Banks: Very helpful explanation. China is rapidly expanding its nuclear capabilities and now includes expanded stockpiles and dual capable systems. What evidence do you see that china is shifting toward a more aggressive nuclear doctrine?
▶ 2:06:07Adm. Correll: China's nuclear doctrine continues to evolve. It remains to be seen where it ultimately lands. What I would say is they are developing capabilities both in terms of diversity and quantity, and various mechanisms of delivery of those capabilities which includes a full range including an emphasis on theater nuclear capabilities that are
▶ 2:06:38Adm. Correll: Inconsistent with our stated no first use policy.
▶ 2:06:40Sen. Banks: Thank you. My time has expired.
▶ 2:06:43Chair Wicker: Senator sheehy.
▶ 2:06:48Sen. Sheehy: General, what do you assess is our resilience against a chinese first strike against our orbital infrastructure?
▶ 2:06:57Gen. Whiting: China has a critically increased the number of threats they can employ from both ground-based systems like asap weapons as well as on-orbit capabilities. We continue to have the world's best space architecture and we continue to develop and apply could abilities that improve our resilience. But we must focus on those continued investments and programs at the congress has funded must continue to deliver so that we can maintain our resilience relative to those grown threats.
▶ 2:07:29Sen. Sheehy: How old is our gps hardware, infrastructure, architecture design of our gps systems?
▶ 2:07:36Gen. Whiting: We have a mix of satellites on orbit today that provide an operational constellation. Some are probably 20 years old, some are recent launches. Those 20-year-old son with her bill for a different era where we didn't face these kinds of threats. We want to continue to see that capability modernized.
▶ 2:07:55Sen. Sheehy: How you are some of the chinese offensive systems designed to disrupt or destroy that infrastructure?
▶ 2:08:02Gen. Whiting: There have been launches just within the last couple of months that are capable of impacting our space capabilities. Some of those chinese threats are up-to-date as they could possibly be.
▶ 2:08:15Sen. Sheehy: That is like if you went down to the apple store and walked in with a flip phone, perhaps one of those old briefcase phones that we grew up with, and traded that in for an iphone 17. In some cases, we are dealing with that gap of technological capability.
▶ 2:08:36Gen. Whiting: I think you are right, senator. In some cases, china has skipped a generation or two of legacy technology and got right to using today's capabilities. They are demonstrating their developing capable systems.
▶ 2:08:52Sen. Sheehy: Probably for both of you, but general, this is your domain primarily come but quickly could become the admiral's domain as well. The opening shots of a potential conflict which we hope never happens, but should it happen with our peer adversaries, I don't use the term near peer adversaries because I think they are peer. You think the first shots would start in space?
▶ 2:09:15Gen. Whiting: It is likely in a conflict, the first shots would occur in cyber and space. As you noted, that is not inevitable. It will be a conflict. We do expect that china would make an attempt to neutralize our space get abilities early in the conflict.
▶ 2:09:32Sen. Sheehy: Admiral, care to comment?
▶ 2:09:35Adm. Correll: I agree with the assessment. We would expect a global, all domain effort on the part of peer adversaries.
▶ 2:09:44Sen. Sheehy: Exactly. The next pearl harbor not be around a small island with a few ships, it will be a global space infra-structure attack. I hope it doesn't happen, but if I were them, that is how I would open up. As you stated, our entire force structure is really predicated on uninterrupted access to our space infrastructure and architecture with a low to no latency high-bandwidth connection.
▶ 2:10:12Sen. Sheehy: Most of those connections are very vulnerable, both from a software, hardware, and other perspectives. What I would ask from both of you, being the primary uniform forces around this paradigm, be very vocal that modernization is not going from a vhs tape to a dvd. It is make sure we are the most up-to-date, latest streaming capability.
▶ 2:10:37Sen. Sheehy: Unfortunately, oftentimes modernization, by the time to go through the program of record, evaluations, discussions, bureaucracy, it is not modern anymore. It is just less old than the original model was. This is a time where I think you have bipartisan commitment to force modernization especially in this realm. I would ask you to be as aggressive as possible to make sure we are not going from a vhs tape to a dvd, we are coming to the absolute most front edge of capabilities so we are ready for that first strike.
▶ 2:11:08Sen. Sheehy: Thank you.
▶ 2:11:09Chair Wicker: Thank you, senator sheehy, for a very sobering but appropriate line of questioning. This concludes the open portion of today's hearing. There are some matters that are classified that we need to take up in the sensitive information facility. We will reconvene there imprecisely 15 minutes. With that, we are recessed.