House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers addressed the need to revitalize the U.S. defense industrial base during a recent hearing in Washington, D.C. Rogers opened his remarks by acknowledging the commitment of servicemembers involved in Operation Epic Fury and those stationed globally.
"I want to start by recognizing the tremendous dedication, professionalism, and sacrifice of our servicemembers engaged in Operation Epic Fury and those stationed around the world," Rogers stated. He expressed support for the President’s decision to carry out the operation, emphasizing its necessity for protecting Americans and allies. "I support the President’s decision to carry out this Operation. I believe it had to be done to protect Americans and our allies in the region."
Rogers noted differing opinions among committee members regarding the operation but called for unity in ensuring servicemembers have adequate resources. The focus of the hearing was on evaluating how best to strengthen the defense industrial base to support military personnel.
"Peace through strength starts in our factories, our depots, and our shipyards," he said. Rogers pointed out that after the Cold War, there was a decline in domestic defense manufacturing due to workforce reductions, regulatory burdens on small businesses, and inconsistent demand signals discouraging investment from prime contractors.
He warned that these factors led to depleted stockpiles of critical defense items and delays for allies seeking American-made weapons. "While America allowed critical manufacturing capability to erode, China did not," Rogers remarked, highlighting China's larger shipbuilding capacity and production rates for ships, drones, and munitions.
Rogers identified revitalizing the defense industrial base as a top priority for this year’s committee agenda. "That is why this committee is making revitalizing the defense industrial base its top priority this year," he said.
He outlined several steps: investing in domestic reindustrialization and skilled labor; expanding use of multi-year authorities for funding; reducing reliance on China for critical materials; encouraging new entrants into defense production; and implementing executive orders on arms exports to leverage allied purchases.
Rogers praised efforts by Deputy Secretary Feinberg to expand munitions capacity and referenced expanded multi-year authorities included in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). He also voiced strong support for a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget.
He emphasized industry’s role in investing further in production capacity and highlighted congressional investments aimed at strengthening supply chains through legislation such as what he referred to as "One Big Beautiful Bill." Rogers also welcomed new financing tools being considered by the Department of Defense but requested clearer guidance on when equity investments should be used.
The chairman addressed concerns about consolidation within sectors like solid rocket motors (SRMs) that have created bottlenecks affecting munitions supply. "This committee has long warned about consolidation in the solid rocket motor industrial base and the bottlenecks it created for critical munitions," he said.
Rogers concluded by stressing that military power depends on industrial strength: "Modern military power rests on industrial strength. It is the difference between deterring a major war and losing one."
The House Armed Services Committee oversees national defense programs according to its jurisdiction under Rule X of U.S. House Rules (https://armedservices.house.gov/), including matters related to armed forces operations as well as legislative processes such as community project funding through acts like NDAA (https://armedservices.house.gov/). The committee is responsible for congressional oversight of national defense affairs (https://armedservices.house.gov/) with notable members including Reps. Joe Wilson, Michael R. Turner, Robert J. Wittman, and chaired by Rep. Mike Rogers during recent Congress sessions (https://armedservices.house.gov/).
