Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
The U.S. Senate's Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee is a subcomittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and focuses on a wide range of related topics centered around new threats to the U.S. (including terrorism, illegal drugs, weapons of mass destruction, or other topics.) The subcommittee also oversees sales of U.S. military technology to foreign countries, and defense and military research and development efforts through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
See also the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
Examples of Subcommittee Topics
The subcommittee might hold deliberations on ways to improve efforts to reduce illicit drug imports or as was the case in 1998, look at the future of International Terrorism and predict events similar to 9/11. Many in the U.S. Senate give the 1998 version credit for nearly predicting 9/11 and specifically pointing out the very verbal efforts of Senator Joe Lieberman to effect changes prior to 9/11.
Other examples from the subcommittee's hearing schedule:
- "To receive testimony on U.S. Government efforts to counter violent extremism."
- "To receive testimony on nonproliferation programs at the Departments of Defense and Energy in
review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011 and the Future Years Defense Program."
- "To receive testimony on Cooperative Threat Reduction, chemical weapons demilitarization, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, nonproliferation research and engineering, and related programs, in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2002."
Personnel
In the 111th Congress, The Subcommittee is chaired by Democrat Bill Nelson of Florida, and the Ranking Minority Member is Republican George LeMieux, also of Florida.
Majority
- Bill Nelson, Florida, Chairman
- Jack Reed, Rhode Island
- Ben Nelson, Nebraska
- Evan Bayh, Indiana
- Mark Udall, Colorado
- Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico
- Edward Kaufman, Delaware
- Carte Goodwin, West Virginia
- Carl Levin, Michigan (Ex Officio)
Minority
- George LeMieux, Florida, Ranking Member
- Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
- Roger Wicker, Mississippi
- Scott Brown, Massachusetts
- Richard Burr, North Carolina
- Susan Collins, Maine
- John McCain, Arizona (Ex Officio)
Past Leadership The Subcommittee was previously chaired by Senator Pat Roberts (who was also the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence), and the ranking minority member was Democratic Senator Harry Reid.
External Links
Committee on Armed Services Subcommittees membership: http://armed-services.senate.gov/scmembrs.htm#subet Contact information for subcommittee members from ContactingTheCongress.Org: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/cgi-bin/newcommittee.cgi?site=ctc&lang=&commcode=sarmed_services_threats
