Senator Angus King Challenges Pentagon Nominees on 'Department of War' Misnomer

Naming Convention: Department of Defense vs. Department of War

• 🏛️ Senator Angus King corrected Pentagon nominees for referring to the Department of Defense as the 'Department of War'.
• 📜 King emphasized that the official name, established by the National Security Act of 1947, is the Department of Defense, and any change requires Congressional action.

Role of the Independent Watchdog

• 🕵️ Senator King questioned a nominee about their role as an independent watchdog, highlighting the summary dismissal of the predecessor.
• ✅ The nominee committed to investigating waste, fraud, and abuse within the department fearlessly and objectively, as required by statute.
• 🗣️ King stressed the importance of this independent function for overseeing departmental actions and protecting whistleblowers.

Legal Authority for Lethal Strikes

• 🚢 Senator King inquired about the legal basis for recent lethal strikes on ships in the Caribbean, questioning nominees on their jurisdiction.
• ⚖️ Nominees stated they were not involved in the operations but committed to seeking legal opinions and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations if confirmed.
• 📜 King underscored the constitutional roles of Congress in declaring war and the President as commander-in-chief, urging scrutiny of the authority for such strikes.

The Importance of Research and Development

• 🚀 King discussed the critical need for advancing technology, citing hypersonic, directed energy, and drone technology as areas where the US has fallen behind.
• 💡 The nominee for thinking about the 'next war' emphasized that the origins of advanced technology, like that used in recent strikes, lie in basic research.
• 🔬 A commitment was made to ensure adequate resources for research in universities and defense labs, recognizing its direct impact on operational capabilities.
• 🧠 The nominee stressed that losing the AI race would be detrimental, as it is fundamentally based on research and development.