Rutherford Times

Yesterday, Congressman Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee chaired his first hearing as chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee. The session focused on evaluating the current capabilities of the United States' strategic forces. Attendees included General Anthony Cotton from U.S. Strategic Command, General Stephen Whiting of U.S. Space Command, General Gregory Guillot from U.S. Northern Command, and John Hill, who is currently performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy.

In his opening statement, DesJarlais highlighted the distinct roles and priorities of the represented commands, all of which share a common challenge. "I think it’s worth noting that the three officers in front of us today represent different combatant commands, with different missions, and different priorities, but they each face a common problem. All of you are responsible for mission areas where the United States once enjoyed superiority, but we are now increasingly confronted by adversaries," he said.

During the hearing, the congressman expressed a keen interest in the witnesses' evaluations of the current threat landscape. "Our adversaries recognized the foundational role that each of these mission areas play in our defense strategy. They cannot compete with our conventional forces, so they have chosen to target our homeland, hold our space systems at risk, and expand their nuclear arsenals to challenge our deterrent. These threats have been building for some time, but the pace is accelerating," DesJarlais stated.

He concluded his remarks by emphasizing the significance of the committee he leads, stating, "These growing threats and how we as a nation choose to respond to them is why I really do believe this is the most important subcommittee in Congress."

The full proceedings of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing from April 9, 2025, are available to the public.