Rogers, Cheney and Turner Respond to Calls to Restructure Nuclear Command

Feb 24, 2021
Press Release

WASHINGTON – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY), and House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Ranking Member Michael Turner (R-Ohio) released the statement below in response to House Democratsletter encouraging President Joe Biden to modify our nuclear command:
 
“The President of the United States must have the exclusive ability to command and control our nuclear deterrent. Democrats’ dangerous efforts suggesting a restructuring of our nuclear command and control process will undermine American security, as well as the security of our allies. These proposals, if enacted, would leave Americans vulnerable, destabilize the nuclear balance, and shake our allies’ confidence in the nuclear umbrella. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping would cheer if the United States adopted such a unilateral restriction.
 
“The ability to take action during an attack is imperative to deterring a preemptive strike from our adversaries. America should never adopt policies or create bureaucratic impediments that would give our adversaries an advantage.”

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