ASD Nominee Scher Emphasizes ‘Unwavering’ Military Support

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jake Richmond

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2014 – Robert M. Scher, the nominee for assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee today that what happens at the Pentagon “is all about how to better support the men and women that make up our armed forces.”

Since April 2012, Scher has served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for plans. If confirmed, he said his new role would be to support the undersecretary of defense for policy, the deputy secretary and the secretary of defense in formulating strategic guidance for the department.

He stressed an “unwavering” commitment to service members and said his most important task would be to ensure that “what we do in the Pentagon continues to best support our forces.”

Prioritizing the Nuclear Enterprise

Scher answered questions from committee members on the importance of effective strategy in Afghanistan and Ukraine, and he repeatedly discussed the nuclear enterprise, which he called a “number-one priority” for the Defense Department.

The nominee said the nuclear enterprise has remained safe, secure and effective, but added that the department has “underperformed” in that arena of late.

Officials have spent considerable time working to ensure the department understands the needs of the nuclear enterprise, Scher said, and he expects current funding plans will preserve modernization and fix problems that were found in multiple reviews.

“We spend about $15 to $16 billion per year,” he said. “We are looking to plus that number up in the billions – not tens of billions, but in the billions.”

He explained that the increase in funds will not come at the expense of modernization, but rather from other parts of the department’s budget.

Uncertain and Dynamic Environment

The DoD is operating in an “uncertain and dynamic environment” right now, Scher said, which doesn’t allow the luxury of exclusively focusing on either today’s problems or those of the future.

“We must simultaneously be working to address the needs of current operations, planning for potential contingencies, and ensuring that we build a military that is capable of responding to the threats and opportunities of the future,” Scher said.

Scher did offer a caveat to his comments on future plans and strategies: “Sequestration throws all of this into question.”

Before his current duty, Scher served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, between April 2009 and April 2012. He entered government service through the Presidential Management Fellowship Program.

“If confirmed,” Scher said, “I will make every effort to live up to the confidence that has been placed in me.”