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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 nominees to serve in senior roles at the Pentagon.

Mr. Marc J. Berkowitz, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Dr. Joseph S. Jewell, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, Mr. James R. Caggy, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities, and Mr. Brendan P. Rogers, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment, all appeared before the committee.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Wicker underscored the critical nature of these positions and their vital roles in advancing the Department of Defense’s mission. 

Read Chairman Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered.

I welcome our witnesses today and thank them for being here. The American people need public servants to step up and help us deter our enemies. We face a threat environment more dangerous than any since World War II.? I say this at almost every hearing because it bears repeating. In such challenging times, I am grateful that these individuals have answered the call to serve.

Space is an increasingly contested domain. Peer adversaries China and Russia have been rapidly advancing their capabilities to challenge U.S. dominance and disrupt our space-based assets. As these nations invest heavily in anti-satellite weapons and electronic warfare, the United States must move with urgency to stay ahead.

Mr. Marc Berkowitz has been nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. If confirmed, he will play a critical role in developing policy. That policy must ensure our space systems are not only modern and resilient but also fielded on timelines that match or outpace our adversaries. We simply cannot deter war with China if we do not have dominance in space.? Our national security depends on maintaining strategic advantage in that domain, and that requires forward-leaning leadership.

Dr. Jewell is nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology. The department currently faces bureaucratic bottlenecks when it works to transition technology into fielded weapon systems. If confirmed, Dr. Jewell would help remove those inefficiencies. Additionally, he must ensure that our tech research is properly secured from theft by our adversaries. Research security is paramount, whether it has been conducted at a Federally Funded Research and Development Center or at affiliated universities that work on behalf of the department.

Mr. Caggy is nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities. If confirmed, he will lead a broad portfolio. His office would coordinate experimentation campaigns that help integrate innovative weapons into the joint force. Those efforts will help us field new systems more quickly. I would like to understand his views on how the department can more effectively bridge any interoperability challenges across our diverse weapon systems.

Finally, the department cannot project power if it does not have the facilities to do so. Mr. Brendan Rogers has been nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment. If confirmed, he would oversee Navy facilities as the department implements crucial reforms, including the need to maintain a four percent plant replacement value by 2030.Again, let me say that if confirmed he would oversee Navy facilities as the department implements crucial reforms, including the statutory need to maintain a 4% plant replacement value by 2030. I think my ranking member will emphasize that if it needs to be. We must invest in our facilities so that service members and defense civilians are not working and living in decrepit conditions. So, there’s a reason we put that in our senate-passed legislation. The Navy is at a pivotal point when it comes to both privatized housing as well as unaccompanied barracks. The department has begun allocating the proper resources to these initiatives, but this Assistant Secretary position must hold contractors accountable for privatized housing. At the same time, the office holder must ensure safe and adequate unaccompanied housing. I look forward to hearing how Mr. Rogers intends to tackle these challenges.