Strategic Forces

The Strategic Forces Subcommittee is a specialized panel within the House Armed Services Committee that handles a narrow but critical slice of defense policy. As a subcommittee, it conducts initial hearings and reviews legislation before matters move to the full committee, which alone can report bills to the House floor. The subcommittee's jurisdiction covers Department of Defense and Department of Energy policy related to strategic deterrence, nuclear weapons, strategic arms control, nonproliferation, nuclear safety, missile defense, and space programs. It also oversees nuclear command and control systems, strategic missiles, and Department of Energy national security programs. The subcommittee is chaired by Republican Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, with Democrat Seth Moulton of Massachusetts serving as Ranking Member. The 16-member panel exists because nuclear strategy, space capabilities, and missile defense represent specialized domains requiring focused expertise separate from broader military readiness or personnel issues. Recent hearings have examined the fiscal year 2026 strategic forces posture, national security space programs, nuclear forces and atomic energy defense activities, and missile defense programmatic updates, reflecting the subcommittee's ongoing oversight of America's strategic deterrent capabilities.