United States Senate Committee on Armed Services

Committee information

• Date created: 1947
• Members: Twenty-seven in the 116th Congress (2019)
• Subcommittees: Airland; Cybersecurity; Emerging Threats and Capabilities; Personnel; Readiness and Management Support; Seapower; Strategic Forces.

Role

The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services is one of the most powerful standing committees in Congress. Standing committees are permanently bodies that have legislative and oversight authority on issues under their jurisdiction. The Committee on Armed Services has jurisdiction over the aspects of the US military. This includes all Department of Defense offices and operations, the departments of the Navy, Army, and Air Force, and all policies and laws related to forming, maintaining, and deploying military services. This includes military benefits and the Selective Service system that registers young people for potential military service through a draft.

The committee also has oversight responsibility for military research and technology development and for the aspects of nuclear energy and technology related to the security and defense of the nation. Aeronautical defense systems and measures are also under this committee’s jurisdiction. The committee is responsible for oversight of all of these areas, including related policies, laws, and appropriations.

The committee has broad jurisdiction that touches many key areas of the federal government. One of the fundamental purposes of a federal government is to provide for the national defense. This gives the committee legislative jurisdiction and oversight of one of the most powerful functions of the federal government, and one that is crucial to the future of the country.

The defense of the United States is also expensive. According to the Congressional Budget Office, defense spending makes up about one-sixth of the overall US budget, giving this committee oversight authority of a significant amount of American tax dollars. The committee also has jurisdiction over many key military facilities, which are not only strategically important to America’s defense, but economically important to the areas in which they are located. As a result, the recommendations of the committee to Congress impact sizeable areas of the country and its economy.

The importance of the committee members also means that these Senators are more likely to have contact with other prominent governmental leaders. This helps them to become better known to others in government and to their constituents—the people who live in the areas that they represent. This can help during reelection campaigns and help them gain visibility to potentially run for other offices, including president.

The leadership of the committee is determined every two years when a new Congress begins its session. Among other things, these elections determine which political party wins the most seats in Congress. The party that holds the majority in the overall Senate also holds leadership seats on all Senate committees. For example, in the 2018 mid-term elections, Republican senators won a 53 to 45 majority over Democrats, with two Independents. This established a Republican majority and gave all committee leadership positions to Republicans. The ratio of Republicans to Democrats on each committee is based on the ratio of the parties in the full Senate. Senate committees have two leadership positions; the committee chair is chosen from the majority party and the ranking member is chosen from the minority party. These leadership roles are sometimes chosen by seniority and sometimes by secret ballot of the committee members.

The membership of committees is also subject to change every two years, though some members will serve through multiple election cycles. The membership of committees is decided by a special “committee on committees” that is formed by Congressional leadership after each election. This committee proposes members for each of the Senate’s standing committees. Senators can request placement on a committee, however, these requests are not always honored. Sometimes granting or withholding membership on a particular committee is used as a means of rewarding or disciplining a senator for his or her conduct or voting record.

History

The committee system in Congress helps the larger group to get more done by having smaller groups focus on specific areas. The information and discussions these groups have on issues and legislation are then recommended to the full House or Senate for action. This system has existed in Congress since its earliest days. However, by the mid-twentieth century, the committee structure had grown so large that it was difficult for members of Congress to keep up with the number of committee positions. The Legislative Reform Act of 1946 reduced the number of committees by eliminating some committees and consolidating the functions of others so that fewer committees carried the load. The Senate Committee on Armed Forces was one of fifteen committees created by this act in the Senate. Prior to the act, the Senate had thirty-three committees.

Prior to the changes in 1946, the needs of America’s defensive forces were overseen by a number of other committees. The earliest committees were select committees. These committees were seated for a short period of time for a specific purpose. They were meant to be dissolved after that purpose was met. However, a number of select committee saw their terms extended several times. Eventually, it became apparent that more permanent committees were needed to deal with some aspects of the business of Congress. Congress began establishing permanent standing committees with authority over various functions, including defense and military matters.

The first of these committees were formed on December 10, 1816. They included the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, and the Senate Committee on the Militia. A militia is a civilian army that either supplements the country’s regular military forces or fights against them in a rebellion. For example, until the United States formed a regular army to fight the British in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), communities formed militias of ordinary citizens to counter any British attacks. In the case of the Senate committee, however, militia referred to civilian forces that would supplement the regular trained army and was a precursor of the contemporary National Guard or Army Reserve.

These committees existed until 1858 when the committees on Military Affairs and the Militia were combined into one committee—the Senate Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia. In 1872, this committee became simply the Senate Committee on Military Affairs. This committee, along with the Committee on Naval Affairs, existed until the Legislative Reform Act of 1946. At that point, the two committees and their functions were consolidated into the Senate Committee on Armed Services. As airplane technology developed in the twentieth century and was incorporated into military service, the oversight of military aviation also became part of this committee’s jurisdiction.

Subcommittees

As of the 116th Congress in 2019, the Senate Committee on Armed Services had twenty-seven members and seven subcommittees dedicated to various aspects of the larger committee’s jurisdiction. These included the subcommittees on Airland, Cybersecurity, Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Personnel, Readiness and Management Support, Seapower, and Strategic Forces.

Senate Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland

This subcommittee focuses on the planning and operation of the programs and policies related to the Army, Air Force, and National Guard and Reserve troops. All aspects of these forces are under the subcommittee’s jurisdiction except for those related to space, computer technology, special operations, and nuclear weapons. The committee’s responsibility includes budgetary oversight for the research, development, acquisition and evaluation of new equipment.

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity

This subcommittee holds oversight authority for the Department of Defense offices of Military Cyber Force Matters and the US Cyber Command as well as well as the cybersecurity components of other Department of Defense agencies. The members of the subcommittee are responsible for the policies and procedures of these committees. The subcommittee also serves as a watchdog over the budgets for the research and development departments of the information technology and cyber capabilities areas. This includes oversight jurisdiction for all efforts pertaining to cyber-related threats and attacks, including purchasing, training, and development programs.

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

This subcommittee has oversight for the National Security Agency (NSA), the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Special Operations Command, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. All of these are part of the Department of Defense or its related agencies. The subcommittee also has direct oversight for a number of specific Department of Defense offices. This includes the offices of the Under Secretaries of Defense for Research and Engineering and Defense-Intelligence and the Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Homeland Security, Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, and Research and Engineering. These offices, agencies and departments deal with technology and scientific developments for defense purposes, including those used for the purposes of gathering intelligence, counterterrorism, homeland defense, cooperative security arrangements, and countermeasures against weapons of mass destruction.

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel

All policies and procedures related to military and Department of Defense civilian employees are under the oversight of this subcommittee. This includes compensation, health care benefits, and nomination of personnel for various positions. It also includes oversight for a number of education-related services provided through the Department of Defense, including education for professional military personnel and the schools and childcare provided for Department of Defense employees. Subcommittee members also address oversight of the military commissaries and exchanges. Prisoner of War/Missing in Action personnel matters are also under this subcommittee’s authority. A number of services for former military personnel are also subject to this committee’s oversight, including retirement benefits and the Armed Forces Retirement Home. The Defense Agencies for Health, Commissary, and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting are under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction.

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support

This subcommittee has oversight for the areas of the Department of Defense that deal with training and logistics for military operations. This includes the US Transportation Command and the Defense Logistics Agency. Committee members also provide oversight to several areas of the Department of Defense, including the office of the Department of Defense Inspector General, the Defense Investigative Service, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. The subcommittee oversees matters related to base realignment and closure and to the construction of military and family housing. In addition, the subcommittee handles policies and procedures related to the procurement, construction, and maintenance of military facilities and housing, shipyards, depots, arsenals, and munitions plants. Other aspects of military preparation under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction include the procurement of ammunition for conventional weapons and oversight for America’s defense stockpile.

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower

This subcommittee has oversight authority over nearly all aspects of the US Navy and Marine Corps. This includes all maritime issues and the budgets used by the Navy and Marine Corps for research, development, testing, procuring, and evaluating new equipment and supplies. Several special funds, including the National Defense Sealift Fund and the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund, are also under the supervision of this subcommittee.

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

This Subcommittee has oversight for the US Strategic Command, the Missile Defense Agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Oversight for the space commands of all military departments are also under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction. Research, development, evaluation and testing of space systems and strategic nuclear forces as well as missile systems falls under this subcommittee’s authority. The subcommittee members are ultimately responsible for oversight of all arms control and non-proliferation programs that prevent the development of excessive amounts of high-powered weapons. They also oversee the nuclear defense efforts of the Department of Energy as well as all space programs.

Bibliography

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