U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) on Tuesday questioned witnesses during a defense appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Pentagon’s technology, innovation and modernization priorities and efforts.
Shelby is the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and its subcommittee on defense.
The two witnesses who testified in the hearing were: Barbara McQuiston, acting under secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering at the Department of Defense; and Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The hearing, of course, came days after the Biden administration proposed a fiscal year 2022 defense budget that does not even keep up with the rate of inflation.
“This Committee has appropriated billions of dollars for basic research, applied research, and advanced technology development to support efforts that would allow our military to maintain a competitive and strategic advantage over our adversaries,” said Shelby in his opening remarks. He served as chairman of both the Committee on Appropriations and its subcommittee on defense from 2018 until earlier this year.
Alabama’s senior senator warned, “Our technological and industrial progress remain a constant target from China, Russia, and other nation states who are actively working to undermine and surpass our military’s advancements.”
“We need a ready and lethal force, equipped with modernized systems capable of providing strong national security and, importantly, deterring war,” Shelby advised. “Our investments in innovative research are critical in guaranteeing success.”
He outlined that the appropriations committee over the past four years “has supported the necessary budget increases in cutting-edge research areas such as hypersonics, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems and microelectronics to address warfighter needs and capability gaps.”
However, this progress is in jeopardy.
“With the top line budget recommendation unveiled by the current administration last week, I am extremely concerned about our ability to continue to make those essential strategic investments that will allow us to keep pace,” Shelby remarked.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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