Senators push to update nuclear military might in defense bill – By Bryant Harris (Defense News) / April 26, 2024
A key group of senators is pushing to include their bill on nuclear modernization when the Armed Services Committee drafts its annual defense policy legislation in June.
The Restoring American Deterrence Act, introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., would create a new Pentagon position to oversee deterrence policy, develop plans to deploy up to 50 extra intercontinental ballistic missiles, require an assessment of U.S. sites suited to host highly enriched uranium facilities, and increase Defense Production Act grants for the industrial base.
“It’s clear that the flawed, outdated assumptions from 2010 that underpin our current strategy will not be enough to address the long-term threats we face,” Fischer told Defense News in a statement. “The Restoring American Deterrence Act is the landmark legislation our country needs to effectively deter our peer nuclear adversaries like China and Russia in the future.”
Fischer, the top Republican on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, promised to work with the bill’s co-sponsors to include it in the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
