Senator Rounds Questions Commander Nominee on Spectrum Defense and B-21 Bombers

Spectrum's Critical Role in Defense

• 💡 Senator Rounds emphasizes the critical importance of spectrum for U.S. warfighting capabilities, including homeland defense, force protection, and strategic communications.
• ⚠️ Releasing specific spectrum bands (3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz) for commercial use would have a negative impact on military operations.
• 💰 Admiral Coddle's testimony highlighted the cost of vacating these bands as potentially "infinity", underscoring their irreplaceable nature for military systems.
• 🚀 The commander nominee agrees that forcing commercial wireless providers into the S-band would negatively impact early warning radars and increase the risk to command and control and missile defense systems.
• 🗣️ The nominee pledges to speak truth to power and inform Congress and the chain of command about any inter-agency decisions that negatively affect warfighting capabilities or nuclear deterrence.

B-21 Bomber Program and Strategic Command

• 🎯 Senator Rounds references General Cotton's assessment that 145 B-21 bombers are needed to support Stratcom, a view the nominee agrees with.
• ✅ The nominee confirms that the B-21 program is on time and on budget, highlighting it as a strong acquisition program.
• 🌍 In the context of potential multi-theater conflicts with near-peer adversaries like China and Russia, the nominee would continue the emphasis on the exercise program for Strategic Command.
• 🔒 Job one for the Stratcom commander is to preserve decision space for national command authority and provide options when required.