WASHINGTON: The top lawmakers on the congressional committees overseeing the Pentagon today released a list of individuals they have selected to serve on a new commission tasked with evaluating the “long-term strategic posture of the United States.”
The 12-person commission, established through the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, will produce a threat assessment, a “detailed review” on the country’s nuclear weapons policy and strategy, recommendations for changes as well as submit a final report to lawmakers by the end of this year.
The group is made up of names that will be very familiar with the nuclear community.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., nominated John Hyten, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Strategic Command chief. Hyten is known as a fierce advocate for the need for the nuclear deterrent. Reed also tapped Madelyn Creedon, a former number two official at the National Nuclear Security Administration and currently a professor at the George Washington University.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, chose Rose Gottemoeller, formerly the deputy secretary general at NATO and under secretary at the State Department responsible for arms control issues. Gottemoeller is a vocal advocate on arms control issues. Smith also tapped Leonor Tomero, who served as the deputy assistant secretary for nuclear and missile defense policy at the start of the Biden administration but exited after only eight months; Tomero was a longtime staffer for the House committee, including working directly for Smith, and is seen as a critic of nuclear weapons programs.
The top republican on the Senate committee, Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., tapped former congressman and senator Jon Kyl, who had a major hand in pushing for a strong nuclear modernization plan that came together during the Obama administration, and Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, who served as the administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration for former President Donald Trump.
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Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the ranking member on the House committee, chose Rebeccah Heinrichs and Marshall Billingslea, both senior fellows at the Hudson Institute who focus on strategic deterrence and arms control issues, respectively. Billingslea is perhaps best known as the Trump administration’s lead negotiator over the New START agreement, while Heinrichs is another panel member with a history of advocating for nuclear modernization.
The other four individuals to serve on the commission will be nominated by the speaker of the House, the House minority leader, the Senate majority leader and the Senate minority leader.