With Hagel as Defense secretary, the senators wrote that the military option on Iran would have “zero credibility.”
“This sends a dangerous message to the regime in Tehran, as it seeks to obtain the means necessary to harm both the United States and Israel,” they warned.
Concern Over Nuclear Arsenal
Hagel’s track record on nuclear weapons — particularly a report he co-authored last year calling for decreasing the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and eventually shedding the ground leg of the famed triad — will also continue to draw scrutiny from Republicans, particularly following Obama’s State of the Union promise to open talks with Moscow on further arms reductions.
Throughout his confirmation process, Hagel has assured lawmakers that he supports maintaining and modernizing the nation’s nuclear arsenal and opposes unilateral reductions to the U.S. nuclear inventory.
But many Republicans remain skeptical and will closely track decisions Hagel would soon make as Defense secretary on funding for expensive modernization programs such as the Air Force’s next-generation nuclear-capable bomber and the Navy’s replacement for its venerable fleet of Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines.
In a twist of timing, Hagel would take the top Pentagon job just as the military begins making significant investments in modernizing those multibillion-dollar programs. Their annual investments will only grow during the next decade, making them potential targets as the Pentagon faces the threat of the sequester or other deep cuts that could be part of a deficit reduction agreement.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra and Rep. Joseph Crowley, vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, address a news conference immediately after the closed caucus meeting.
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