Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Hearing to Consider Four Senior Defense Nominations

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a hearing to consider the qualifications of four senior nominees to serve within the Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mr. John Noh, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Mr. Charles Young, nominated to be General Counsel of the Army, Mr. William Lane, nominated to be General Counsel of the Air Force, and Mr. David Beck, nominated to be Deputy NNSA Administrator for Defense Programs, all appeared before the committee.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Wicker first acknowledged the two-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks carried out against Israel. He then emphasized the importance of each nominated position and its role in addressing nuclear threats facing our nation.

Read Chairman Wicker's hearing opening statement as delivered.

The hearing will come to order. Today, the committee will hear from and speak with four nominees. Before we do, I want to mark this date, the second anniversary of the attacks of October 7, 2023.

We know well the horrors of that day, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel in acts of unspeakable brutality. The terrorists killed 1,195 people, including [46] American citizens. They took hostage 251 innocent people, among them 12 Americans. It is my sincere hope that the president's peace efforts will bring the hostages home very soon and lead to a lasting peace. And for my part, we stand fast with our ally, Israel.

I welcome our witnesses and their families today, and I thank them for being with us. I am grateful that these individuals have stepped up to serve. We need people like them, because we face an increasingly dangerous threat environment-the most dangerous we have faced since World War II.

Mr. John Noh has been nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs. We must do what it takes to ensure continued deterrence against the People's Republic of China, because we are not where we need to be in that respect. President Trump has rightly focused on achieving peace in Europe and the Middle East. The U.S and our allies must also maintain a favorable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, and the Trump administration must have the tools it takes to do that job. It will be Mr. Noh's responsibility, working alongside Congress, to ensure that the administration does have those tools.

The Chinese Communist Party, along with nuclear-armed Russia and North Korea, pose a significant threat to the United States. The scale and scope of that threat put a premium on our alliances. In light of that, I am disappointed with some of the decisions the department has made with respect to our allies in Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Taiwan. A few of these choices have left me scratching my head. Perhaps we will talk through some of those today. I hope to hear how Mr. Noh will inject more diplomatic skill and mutually beneficial approaches into our conversations with our close allies.

Mr. Charles Young has been nominated to be the General Counsel of the Department of the Army. He is currently serving as the DOD's Principal Deputy General Counsel, having been appointed by President Trump. He previously served as the DOD Acting General Counsel. In Mr. Young's long history of public and military service, he has served as the General Counsel of the National Guard Bureau and as the Bureau's litigation and employment law chief. Mr. Young served in the Army and in the National Guard, both as an Apache attack helicopter pilot and later as a Judge Advocate. He retired from military service in 2009, and I commend Mr. Young for his lifelong commitment to public service. I have no doubt that, if confirmed, he will be of great benefit to the United States.

Mr. William Lane has been nominated to be the General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a partner in the Wiley law firm, where he practices administrative and constitutional law. He has represented clients in matters before the United States Supreme Court. In addition to his work in the private sector, Mr. Lane served in the Department of Justice and as Special Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Notably, Mr. Lane is an Army veteran. If he is confirmed, all these experiences will aid him in his position as the Air Force General Counsel.

I look forward to hearing from both Mr. Young and Mr. Lane. I would like to hear their views on what their prospective offices are doing right and what those offices might do differently.

Mr. David Beck has been nominated to be the Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs for the National Nuclear Security Administration. If confirmed, he will be responsible for the essential task of rebuilding and modernizing our long neglected nuclear weapons stockpile. Over the past several years, we have watched as Russia, China, and North Korea have rapidly expanded their nuclear arsenals and developed new types of weapons-weapons for which are sorely unprepared. These advances, and our absurdly low progress in updating our own forces, threaten the very foundation of our strategic deterrent. They expose the American people to existential dangers. We have not seen dangers like that since the Soviet Union could threaten us with annihilation every day during the Cold War.

The Congressional Strategic Posture Commission made clear that modernizing our country's nuclear deterrent is an absolute national imperative. This position requires leadership and skill and a clear, unmistakable commitment to pursue results relentlessly and to deliver the stockpile we need to defend our nation and our allies.

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