STRATCOM Nominee Wants More B-21s, Deflects Questions on US Resumption of Nuclear Tests

The nominee to become the next head of U.S. Strategic Command, Vice Adm. Richard Correll, endorsed the production of more than 100 B-21 bombers, echoing his predecessor Gen. Anthony Cotton’s view that 100 B-21 bombers are too few for the nation’s requirements.  

“I agree with Gen. Cotton’s assessment, and I believe he’s been on the record saying between 140 and 150 B-21s,” Correll said, adding: The B-21 is “one of the strongest-performing large acquisition programs we have, and I agree it’s on time and on budget.”

The Navy three-star admiral was also supportive of B-52 modernization, calling the life-extending program “essential … to our strategic deterrent.” The new Rolls-Royce F130 engines provide “world-class” powerplants and, along with the new radar digital backbone, will make the B-52 virtually “a new airplane,” he said. The updates will “almost certainly … improve the readiness rate of those aircraft, going forward.” The B-52 radar upgrade has seen cost and schedule overruns in the last year.

Correll said the U.S. electronic warfare game is not up to snuff, and called for more attention to domain.

The STRATCOM commander “is responsible for reporting on training and understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum capabilities within the joint force, and then advocacy for developing electromagnetic spectrum capabilities,” he said.

There’s “a rich body of lessons learned associated with the Russia/Ukraine conflict that is being applied within the joint force, and needs to continue to inform the way ahead” on electronic warfare.

“We’re not where we need to be, but we’re focused on it and making progress,” he said.

In written answers to questions ahead of the hearing, Correll indicated concern about exercising electronic warfare capabilities.

“As demonstrated in recent exercises, deficiencies continue to be repeated, which range from the lack of the availability of high-end training equipment to the infrequency of training opportunities across the force,” he said. “Training deficiencies, coupled with shortcomings in blue force capabilities, contribute to the force’s inability to maintain previous [electro-magnetic spectrum] advantages.”

Open-air test ranges “are atrophying in both size and transmission authorization,” he added. “Alternate methods to train the force to operate in a contested and complex EMS throughout all domains must be explored.”

Although live, virtual and constructive techniques can help in this area, “they cannot fully capture the true fog, friction, and realism of warfare down to the tactical level,” Correll said.

“Based on cost-benefit analysis, these solutions must be adopted from a modular open systems approach in order to best capitalize return on investment.”

He also said the Joint force not adequately integrated an EMS battle plan into its overall warfare plans.

“While we are making progress … there is still much work to be done. Integrating EMS into our operational plans requires understanding how EMS operations impact all weapons and systems and is a critical component of the EMS Superiority Strategy Implementation Plan. Spectrum-dependent systems are the norm now, and how these systems are employed must be carefully planned to account for any countermeasures’ effect.”

He said the recent “successful launch” of Electromagnetic Battle Management-Joint (EMBM-J) software “is a major milestone in this effort,” and will help “interleave” JEMSO with overall operational plans.

In his written and in-person testimony, he agreed that there must be work done to ensure that commercial spectrum allocations don’t interfere with military uses of certain parts of the spectrum, particularly the S- and X-bands.

“[W]e must prioritize novel and creative ways of sharing spectrum while maintaining reliable and secure uses for the Department,” Correll wrote, urging a “whole of government” approach to “protecting warfighter equities” in spectrum assignment.

“Additionally, EMS operators in coordination with the intelligence community are currently unable to provide the warfighter with a fully informed depiction of the electromagnetic environment due to certain information limitations [and] institutional stovepipes,” Correll wrote. STRATCOM “is working these issues through a multi-directorate collaborative software development path to build an automated and AI-ready capability to bridge some of these gaps.” He pledged to work with other federal agencies to bring the controversy to heel.

Asked in pre-hearing questions about the importance of preserving Air Force Global Strike Command—possibly due to some calling for consolidation of STRATCOM and AFGSC to save general officer billets, which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has vowed to reduce—Correll offered a robust endorsement of preserving the current command structure.

The AFGSC commander is “essential” because it’s the “single point of contact for two-thirds of our nuclear triad and 68 percent of our Nuclear Command and Control systems,” Correll said.

“The sheer magnitude and scope of the modernization efforts within” the GSC portfolio “ require constant leadership and oversight to ensure all our modernization efforts are synchronized and capable of meeting” national needs.

The ability to talk directly to the person in charge of all that “provides a distinct advantage toward meeting both readiness and operational needs across the world,” Correll wrote.

Correll, however, deflected questions about President Donald Trump’s comments regarding resuming nuclear tests, telling questioners on the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was not yet clear what the president had in mind.

Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media site, that “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.” He posted the comment Oct. 29, while on an official visit to South Korea.

Pressed by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Ha.) on the need for real-world, explosive testing of nuclear weapons, Correll demurred. “Neither China nor Russia has conducted a nuclear explosive test,” he said. “So I’m not reading anything into it or reading anything out.”

Correll said existing simulations for nuclear detonations are sufficient to ensure STRATCOM’s annual certification that the nuclear arsenal is reliable, effective, and credible. The U.S. last detonated a nuclear explosive in 1992. Periodic test launches to ensure that the intercontinental missile arsenal is operable use missiles without nuclear material

Asked pointedly by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) Correll said he is “absolutely confident” in the nuclear arsenal’s ability to function as planned.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that other countries “seem to be doing all the nuclear testing.”

He added: “We’ve halted it … many years ago. But with others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do, also.”

Trump may have been referring to testing of strategic delivery systems—a point made by several SASC members—given that Russian president Vladimir Putin has boasted within the past week of testing a new underwater nuclear weapon and about a new nuclear cruise missile.