Chairman Wicker leads SASC hearing on FY27 budget with top Pentagon leaders…

WASHINGTON- U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a hearing to examine the Department of Defense’s posture for fiscal year 2027, focusing on the most dangerous global security environment since World War II, the accelerated military buildup of the Chinese Communist Party, and coordinated threats posed by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The hearing also discussed ongoing U.S. military operations, defense modernization priorities, burden-sharing among allies, and efforts to strengthen U.S. innovation, deterrence, and war readiness.

Secretary Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Daniel Caine, and Jules W. Hurst III, serving as Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, testified before the committee.

In his opening remarks, President Wicker reaffirmed his support for President Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request. The president also emphasized the need to modernize U.S. military capabilities, strengthen deterrence, and fortify the defense industrial base to ensure a ready and capable force.

Read Chairman Wicker’s opening statement from the hearing as delivered.

This hearing will come back to order. We have completed a productive classified session at SCIF, and we will now begin the public portion of this hearing. I welcome Secretary Hegseth, General Caine, and our Acting Comptroller, Mr. Jay Hurst, and thank them all, including their families, for their service.

For the dozens of Americans who regularly watch our hearings, my next remarks will come as no surprise, but for new viewers, I want to reiterate the context of our remarks. I said it at almost every hearing. We live in the most dangerous security environment since World War II. Every uniformed officer who appeared before this committee agreed with this statement.

Above all, we are in competition with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. The stakes are high: whether this will be a century led by the United States or a century defined by an authoritarian and autocratic regime that cares little for the needs of its citizens or those of neighboring countries. The Chinese Communist Party has accelerated its historic military buildup and predatory economic practices against Americans and countries around the world.

Xi Jinping not only leads China, but also an Axis of aggressors. This growing alliance cannot be denied. This includes China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, who are united in their goal of opposing America’s interests and those of other like-minded democratic countries around the world.

Vladimir Putin’s chosen war in Ukraine is now entering its fifth year. Putin’s goals echo the imperialist ambitions of World War II aggressors, including Adolf Hitler. Vladimir Putin suffered 1.2 million casualties and failed miserably in his military objectives. In doing so, he transformed the Russian economy into one fueled by war, raising the prospect of an even more aggressive Moscow in the near future.

Most of Iran’s leaders are now deceased, but they and those who survived have always sought violence against America, Israel, our Gulf allies, and the Iranian people. We saw it in the October 7 massacre, in their continued support for Hezbollah and Hamas, and in their willingness to engage in nuclear blackmail. Iranian ayatollahs have always posed a threat to American interests.

Kim Jong Un has joined Putin’s war of aggression. It is pursuing a military and nuclear buildup that threatens South Korea, Japan and the United States.

The links have never been so close between these four dictators, between these four dictatorships. They support each other in their aggressive efforts, support each other financially, and plot to undermine America’s goals. We should expect them to continue this behavior.

This competition plays out across all dimensions of national power – the economy, technology, diplomacy, etc. – but today we are here to talk about the military dimension of this competition. These regimes have regularly attempted to seize by force what they cannot obtain through the political process. This is why we must be prepared to deter conflicts and, if necessary, win them. President Trump has used the United States military appropriately and effectively to serve American interests. He viewed our adversaries as a united bloc and took action in light of that reality. Under Operation Absolute Resolve and associated statecraft, the president removed an aspiring dictator from the board and prepared Venezuela for a future aligned with democratic interests. In Operation Midnight Hammer, he sought to eliminate the Ayatollahs’ agenda. When the Ayatollah chose to redouble his efforts, the president launched Operation Epic Fury. He worked on this mission to remove their conventional military capabilities and force them back to the table for a permanent solution. As we all mourn the tragic loss of the 14 service members who lost their lives in this conflict, we do so knowing that the world is safer without a nuclear Iran.

All these actions are part of a strategy of “peace through strength”. In this approach, we seek first to avoid war and take military action when necessary to defend U.S. interests.

So, Mr. Secretary, I am pleased that you are here today to testify in support of President Trump’s historic $1.5 trillion defense budget request, which will go a long way toward rebuilding our military capabilities for a generation. I must say from the outset that the hearing is likely to be long, that there is a lot to discuss. This $1.5 trillion request is packed with important programs and initiatives that are absolutely necessary to secure America’s interests in the 21st century. I believe this funding supports and accentuates three comparative advantages that the United States has over the Axis of aggressors.

The first comparative advantage America enjoys over its adversaries is that we have the best innovation and industry in the world. So I hope our witnesses today will cover the progress we’ve made over the past year in rebuilding America’s arsenal. Last year, our reconciliation bill, combined with bipartisan appropriations bills, produced a defense budget of approximately $1 trillion. This year’s demand would represent an increase of almost 50%. Every penny should be spent wisely to make down payments on crucial transformative capabilities, such as drone warfare, low-cost munitions, and missile defense. Also last year, Congress and the Executive Branch made historic acquisition reforms. We are therefore well positioned to achieve huge efficiency gains this year and in the years to come. Which makes the process much more flexible and faster. I look forward to discussing how we might accelerate the implementation of these actions. In particular, I would like to see the Pentagon do more this year to spur competition in the defense industrial base. Competition absolutely generates better results for our military and taxpayers.

Of course, our collaborators constitute the last comparative advantage we have over our adversaries. We have enjoyed significant improvements in recruitment and retention, but we need to consolidate a merit-based environment that takes full care of our people. I congratulate you, Mr. Secretary, for your efforts over the past year to achieve this. Of course, this task will never be completed, but we approach it with pleasure and we welcome the progress made. We will always strive to care for and equip America’s military as much as possible. I look forward to more work between this committee and the Department in the coming year.