To the closed session. [gavel clacks] the committee will come to order. The Committee Meets today to hear testimony on the administrations Defense Strategy and Nuclear Posture review. We welcome back the secretary of defense and vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to discuss these important documents. I cannot count the number of times i have heard members of this Committee Talk about the importance of having a Defense Strategy to help guide decisions that we executive branch have to make. Now we have one. It is a component of the Broader National Security strategy released in december, and it has within it the Nuclear Posture review, the first of its kind since 2000. Kind since 2010. A lot has changed since 2010. Both documents, at a critical time. As the National Security strategy points out, americas military remains the strongest in the world. However, u. S. Advantages are shrinking as rival states modernize and build up their conventional and nuclear forces. There will undo
[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] our meeting will come to order. The Senate Armed Services Committee Meets this morning to receive testimony on global challenges in the united, in National Security strategies to meet those threats. Its my honor to welcome our distinguished witnesses, former sectors of state Henry Kissinger and george shultz, and the former deputy secretary of state richard on the taj. Your careers of service have been unbelievable, been great. We are so honored to have you folks here. I want to begin by reading a brief welcome from our chairman mccain who regrets that is unable to be here for todays hearing, and encoding him now. He says, with the rising global challenges and increasingly complex and competitive strategic environment, America Needs the leadership, wisdom and experience that only statesmen of this stature can provide. This committee and this nation thank you for your service and we are grateful for your continued voices of reasons dur
The navy maintain s a stunt and enduring prince of 100 ships and submarines forward deemployed rained the globe to ensure the freedom of maritime. The challenges facing the 21st 21st century navy have never been greater. There are those who would argue that the greatest challenge donations navy has come from our own congress. Over the decade of continuing resolutions and fiscal restraint and budget control act, has had a cumulative effect of degrading the capacity, capabilities and reddiness of the u. S. Navy. In light of these increasingly complex Maritime Security environment and the recently released National Defense strategy, the discussions today could not be more timely. As retired submariner myself, im greatly honored to host the cno today. I, too was also a physic major and we also share another common piece in our history that admiral will talk about. Admiral john richardson, graduate from the United States Naval Academy in 1982, batch of or describes in physics has masters fr
Ms. Haley now to the senate. On the senate side today, also notable that about three hours into Nancy Pelosis speech, mitch mcconnell, the republican leader, and senator Chuck Schumer came to the senate floor to announce the end of negotiations and agreement on a deal, a twoyear deal raising budget caps under the budget control act of 2011. And expanding the budget through 2019. So the house yesterday passed the continuing resolution, that shortterm measure through march 23. Its the senates turn now and now they will further consider the budget resolution, expanding, as we said, spending for some 300 billion through fiscal year 2019. We just have 15 minutes or so here. But we did want to show you the comments of the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, of the Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell and Chuck Schumer, one quick tweet before. That the president has weighed in at the very end of Nancy Pelosis speech this afternoon. About the budget agreement. Saying the agreement today is so important
Being with us this morning. You are a man who lived through the Nuclear Threat of the cold war. Can you compare what that was like to the potential threats that we are aware of today in the world iran, north korea, other areas . Well, at the end of the cold war in the early 90s, a lot of people were hoping that the whole issue, the specter of Nuclear Weapons was behind this. Today i have to say that the possibility of a Nuclear Weapon beingty used is probably higher than any time since the human missile crisis and are concerned is less on inactive miscalculation that provides a faulty information for the United States and russia. Younu are feeling while you e energy secretary. Yes, indeed. Although i think its gotten worse in the intervening period. For example, with russia, lets face it our relationship is very, very poor at the moment. Much less communication that was going on and that is what adds to this idea that miscalculation is that could lead us to a very, very bad outcome. Yo