Fischer: We Cannot Allow Credibility of U.S. Nuclear Deterrent to Erode

Today, Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, questioned witnesses to examine New START —the U.S.- Russia treaty that mutually limits nuclear arsenals.
The panel included former STRATCOM Commander Admiral Charles Richard, USN (Ret.); Rose E. Gottemoeller of Stanford University and the Hoover Institution; and Timothy A. Morrison of the Hudson Institute.
Click
here
for Fischer’s full remarks and questions
Fischer’s remarks as prepared for delivery
:
Nuclear deterrence underpins our national security, and for the last 80 years, it has worked. Our deterrence strategy has also – rightfully – evolved over time.
Back in 2010, when New START was being ratified and we were finalizing our nuclear modernization plans, the geopolitical environment was fundamentally different.
All the assumptions made back then – they were wrong. Russia is not a friendly potential partner. China is not a lesser threat.
Here is the reality today: Russia has been in noncompliance with New START since 2022 and continues to hold a massive numerical advantage in tactical nuclear weapons. China is growing its nuclear arsenal at a breathtaking pace. Both countries are outpacing us in developing novel, destabilizing weapons.
Nuclear deterrence only works if our nuclear forces are safe, reliable, and credible.
In 2023, the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission released its final report, which unanimously agreed that our current nuclear modernization plans – predicated on New START limits – are not sufficient to meet the new threats posed by Russia and China.
We cannot allow the credibility of our nuclear deterrent to erode.