Senator Fischer Criticizes Poor Congressional Engagement with DoD Policy Office

Congressional Engagement Concerns

• 🎯 Senator Fischer expressed disappointment with the quality of engagement from the Under Secretary of War's Policy Office with the Senate Armed Services Committee.
• ⚠️ This lack of engagement was noted as a contrast to the previous Trump administration.
• 🤝 Mr. VeZ Green agreed that meaningful engagement with Congress is necessary for the department to receive needed authorities and funding.

Improving Communication and Policy

• 💡 Mr. VeZ Green committed to proactively engaging with Congress on matters of consultation, not just notification, if confirmed.
• 🗣️ He acknowledged past frustrations, having personally experienced difficulty obtaining information while staffing a member on the committee.
• 🏛️ Both parties recognized the importance of healthy discussion with committee members, even when there are areas of disagreement on how best to support allies and partners.

Nuclear Modernization and Oversight

• 🚀 The need to modernize all aspects of nuclear deterrent forces simultaneously was highlighted due to years of underinvestment and shortsighted decision-making.
• 🛡️ Mr. VeZ Green pledged to be a fierce advocate for the full modernization of nuclear forces, including NC3 systems and infrastructure, if confirmed.
• 🔍 He expressed a commitment to working with the committee to identify pain points where additional leadership attention or resourcing is required for the Nuclear Weapons Council.

Independent Analysis at CAPE

• ✅ Mr. Payne emphasized that independent analysis is the top priority for CAPE (presumably the Center for a New American Security, though not explicitly stated in transcript).
• 🧠 This independent analysis is crucial to ensure it is not impacted by biases or outside influences.
• ⚔️ The importance of red teaming and an "iron sharpens iron" perspective, both internally and externally to CAPE, was also stressed.