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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned U.S. Air Force (USAF) officials about the need to modernize America’s nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) architecture and discussed the development of the B-21 Raider at a hearing today. Senator Fischer also emphasized the impact of the Sentinel (GBSD) program and the importance of keeping it on schedule.

Lastly, Senator Fischer also took time to highlight the value of the RC-135 program, which is operated by the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base. These aircraft perform essential intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions no other platform can perform. Last year, Senator Fischer’s advocacy reversed a proposed cut to the RC-135’s budget for initial spares, which would have severely impacted fleet readiness. In the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Senator Fischer helped authorize an additional $39.4 million for upgrades to the 55th Wing’s RC-135 fleet’s navigation systems.

Click the image above to watch video of Sen. Fischer’s questioning

Click here for audio

Following is a transcript of Senator Fischer’s questioning:

Senator Fischer: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, I want to ask you about an underappreciated, but absolutely integral, part of our nuclear enterprise. And that's NC3 modernization. Senator King often refers to that as the 'fourth leg of our triad,' and I agree with him on the absolute importance of that. Can you please describe how this budget request supports NC3 modernization and why it is so important that we get this effort right?

Secretary Kendall:
 Thank you, Senator. The NC3 is an essential part of the triad. It actually has to be secure and resilient, so that it can function in an emergency. What we're doing is we're replacing and getting to the next generation of AEHF satellites for secure communications. We're investing in that. We're also investing in the radios that are carried by some of our aircraft that are nuclear capable. And we're investing in some of our software systems that are used to manage nuclear functions. So, we have fully funded investment accounts in each of those areas to make sure we stay current and provide the secure nuclear communications that are necessary.

Senator Fischer: 
Would you say we're on schedule in that modernization? Do you feel pretty confident that we're where we need to be? 

Secretary Kendall:
 I'm never 100% confident of schedules. Every new program — every development program in particular — entails risk. I'm not aware of anything — there's nothing that's keeping me up at night in that area right now. 

Senator Fischer: 
Okay, good to hear. General Brown, I'd like to ask you about the Sentinel program. The Sentinel replacement is one of the largest and most complex projects that the Department has undertaken in decades. What efforts are currently being undertaken to ensure that this program remains on schedule?

General Brown: 
There are several things that we're doing to keep Sentinel on schedule and part of that is the dialogue between the Department of the Air Force with our industry partners. I meet with the CEO on a quarterly basis where we walk through where they are. One of the key aspects we're looking at is trying to be more proactive than reactive on this in really thinking ahead to ensure we're doing things to drive down risk, as far as a supply chains, workforce, to stay ahead of. And then, on top of that, is what we're working through right now with the land acquisition, working that process as well. So, right now, I think the dialogue is important, and that's what's really helping us keep things on track so there are no surprises, or minimize the surprises, and being able to engage and mitigate well in advance of any type of event that might impact the critical path.

Senator Fischer: 
As you look ahead, and you're talking about mitigation on disruptions that can occur, what keeps you up at night?

General Brown: 
Well, just the size of this particular program and the aspect of how important it is to our strategic deterrence. You know, because of the size of the program and the time length it's going to take. You know, those are the things that concern me because there's a lot of things can happen between now and when we've fully fielded. But our goal here is to stay ahead of those and ensure we mitigate any type of challenge. 

Senator Fischer: 
Are we on track for that goal?

General Brown: 
We are now, and that's part of the hard work between ourselves and our industry partners. 

Senator Fischer: 
Okay, thank you. Secretary Kendall, I was with you on the rollout for the B21 Raider. Can you provide us with any updates or new developments on that program? 

Secretary Kendall:
 There haven't been any fundamental changes since we were there, Senator. We're still, as far as I know, on track to have first flight later this year.

Senator Fischer: 
And can you tell me how the budget request this year is going to help to expand munitions production capacity?

Secretary Kendall:
 Yeah, we're asking for multi-year production for three systems: JASSM, LRASM, and AMRAAM. We're also entering production, hopefully, for JATM, the new air-to-air missile. And we're going to be asking for funds to increase the size of that production line, the capacity of that production line from what we originally planned.

Senator Fischer: 
Okay good. Also, Secretary Kendall and General Brown, I was pleased to see that there's full funding for the RC-135 program in the budget request for this year. The RC-135 is a highly capable ISR platform that provides critical intelligence to decision makers and enables the United States to maintain a strategic advantage over potential adversaries. We see those efforts and how important they are in Ukraine and also with our NATO allies. Thank you for getting that in there, and I expect to see continued, full support for the RC-135 fleet in future years as well. So, thank you both very much. Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

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