Mike Rounds Asks Trump’s JCS Nom About Protecting Military Access To The Electromagnetic Spectrum

2 days ago

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) questioned former Lieutenant General John D. Caine, the nominee to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about military use of electromagnetic spectrum.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you, Senator Blumenthal. Senator Rounds. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General

00:05Kaine, once again, thank you for taking the time in my office to visit with me

00:09about a number of the items that you're hearing about today. I want to go back

00:14specifically to an item that Senator Fischer began talking with you about and

00:18that is with regard to the spectrum and the challenges surrounding it.

00:23And the reason why I want to use that as an example is because I know that

00:27General Milley and General CQ Brown, both in their in their role as the chief of

00:34staff and providing their best military opinion and advice, were put in a

00:41position, literally, of saying to other people within other administrations that

00:47this particular part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is

00:50currently controlled by the Department of Defense, is critical to our national

00:54defense. And, in fact, over the last several years, I have asked in front of

00:59this particular committee well over two dozen uniformed officers to specifically

01:05discuss the need to maintain control of specific portions of the electronic

01:09spectrum. In particular, I've asked whether or not the 3.1 to 3.45

01:14gigahertz band, if we were to lose that from DOD's specific use, if that would

01:21negatively have or would have negative consequences for our warfighting

01:25capabilities. And I have had 100% agreement that if we lost that it would

01:31have negative consequences. Would you agree with that assessment? I would,

01:36Senator. Thank you. You will be asked at some point, because this is a valuable

01:41commodity, there's a limited amount of electromagnetic spectrum available, but

01:45there are interests within the United States that would love to have access to

01:50this without regard to what it would do or not understanding what the impact

01:54would be on our national defense. Are you aware that under President Trump's

02:00proposed concept of a Golden Dome or a protection, a missile protection system,

02:05that a number of the radar systems that would be required to be in effect for

02:11that to move forward are found within the 3.1 to 3.45 portions of the

02:16spectrum because of their unique physical or physics competencies?

02:22Senator, I'm familiar with the basics of that frequency spectrum. I don't know

02:28what particular radars Golden Dome has brought into their mix of equipment, but

02:33that would not surprise me. Thank you. I just think this is part of the

02:38discussion that's been here today has been a concern by the committee that any

02:43person that has the role of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs recognize just how

02:48serious their role is with regard to providing to a very, very group

02:56of powerful individuals the best professional military advice that they

03:02can provide and recognizing that while you don't control the policy that is set,

03:06your role, as this committee sees it, is in many cases the last resort to

03:12providing the right types of advice that elected leaders have to hear

03:16regardless of whether or not they want to hear it. My understanding, and once

03:21again I'll ask you to just confirm it, you recognize that that is your primary

03:24responsibility? Senator, I think that's the most important part of this job and

03:30the essential part of this job and if confirmed you have my commitment that

03:35I'll always speak truth to power. Well, I think you'll find that this committee

03:38will be very supportive of you in that role. General, the B-21 Raider is one of

03:43the most capable military platforms the world has ever seen. It will play a

03:47crucial role in any conflict the U.S. faces against a near-peer adversary

03:51because of its ability to operate in a highly contested environment. The Air

03:55Force has committed to at least 100 B-21s, but given its dual missions of

04:00conventional long-range strike and nuclear deterrence, many of us believe

04:05that we will need a number closer to 200 bombers. If confirmed, would you be

04:11prepared to advocate for more than 100 and perhaps as many as 200 of these

04:17platforms if a review of our war plan suggested that that is what required for

04:22our operational plans moving forward? Senator, the last part of your question I

04:28think is the key part for me after the analysis portion and you know mindful

04:33that I've not been confirmed for this job yet, I'd like to speak to the other

04:37Joint Chiefs and the combat commanders whose requirements Raider will fulfill

04:41before I commit to supporting any particular number of B-21s. It's an

04:48essential part of our nuclear and conventional program and certainly a key

04:53component of it, but before I commit to any number I'd like to study the matter

04:57and come back to you. But if that appears to be the case you would you would not

05:01hesitate to recommend more if those studies warranted it? I would not hesitate.

05:06Thank you, thank you Mr. Chairman. Thank you Senator.

Mike Rounds Asks Trump’s JCS Nom About Protecting Military Access To The Electromagnetic Spectrum

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