By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 2, 2014 – As concerns persist that
sequestration spending cuts will continue to stress the human element of U.S.
Strategic Command’s capabilities, the United States must implement and maintain
a defensible joint information environment, Stratcom’s commander told the House
Armed Services Committee here today.
Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney reported that the global security
environment is getting more complex, dynamic and uncertain than at any time in
recent history, as evidenced by ongoing events in Ukraine and North Korea.
As a result, he said, Stratcom will execute a tailored
deterrence and assurance plan that includes providing a safe, secure and
effective nuclear deterrent force, partnering with other combatant commands,
addressing space challenges, building cyberspace capability and capacity and
preparing for uncertainty.
The campaign, he said, is critical in addressing advances in
state and nonstate military capabilities across air, sea, land and space
domains, as well as in cyberspace.
“The space domain is becoming ever more congested, contested
and competitive, [and] worldwide cyber threats are growing in scale and
sophistication,” he said, adding that the proliferation of weapons and nuclear
technologies also continues. “No region of the world is immune from potential
chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear risk.”
Terrorist threats also remain a source of significant
ambiguity, and the threat of home-grown violent extremists remains a concern,
the admiral emphasized.
Against this dynamic and uncertain backdrop, Haney said,
Stratcom’s missions are to partner with other combatant commands to deter
attack, detect strategic attack against the United States and its allies, and
defeat those attacks if deterrence fails. “Our unified command plan assigned
missions are strategic in nature, global in scope and intertwined with the
capabilities of the joint force, the interagency and the whole of government,”
he added.
These attributes, Haney told the panel, require linkages and
synergies at all levels to bring integrated capabilities to bear through
synchronized planning, simultaneous execution of missions and coherent
strategic communications.
But trained, ready people are at the heart of the command’s
missions and priorities, Haney said, citing recent personal integrity concerns
associated with the intercontinental ballistic missile force at Malmstrom Air
Force Base, Mont.
“I fully support [Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s]
initiatives to assemble key Department of Defense stakeholders to fully assess
and understand the implications of recent events and seek long-term systematic
solutions that will maintain the trust and confidence in our nuclear
enterprise,” Haney said.
In addition to critical deterrence and assurance work,
Stratcom is engaged in broader missions such as intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; missile defense; joint electronic warfare; global strike; and
analysis and targeting.
"While these diverse activities are being synchronized
and integrated by an outstanding team, none of this work … could be
accomplished without trained, ready, motivated people,” the admiral said. “They
remain our most precious resource and deserve our unwavering support.”
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