GOP reshuffles House Armed Services subcommittee chairs

House Armed Services Committee members Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and Michael Waltz (R-FL) today became the top Republicans on two of the panel's subcommittees, movements a committee aide said were triggered by Rep. Mike Turner's (R-OH) becoming ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence after the retirement of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA).

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the House Armed Services Committee’s top Republican, said Lamborn would become ranking member of the House Armed Services strategics forces subcommittee, while Waltz would become ranking member on the readiness subcommittee.

Lamborn was previously ranking member on the readiness subcommittee and Turner was previously ranking member at strategic forces.

“Representative Lamborn has been a strong leader on the Readiness subcommittee. I know he will continue his hard work in support of our national security needs in his new role as the Ranking Member of the subcommittee on strategic forces,” Rogers said. “Representative Waltz served our nation honorably as a Green Beret and I know he will continue be a strong advocate for the needs of our military in his new role as the ranking member of the subcommittee on readiness.”

Lamborn said he would use his new role to focus on countering China and Russia.

“It is no secret that China is undergoing a rapid, unprecedented nuclear build-up including testing new hypersonic missiles,” he said. “Russia's nuclear program has undergone significant modernization of all three legs of its triad, including the development of anti-satellite weapons that significantly threaten the space domain. It is vital that our military has the resources and capabilities necessary to keep our county safe, particularly in light of these new and growing threats.”

Waltz struck a similar chord on countering threats to U.S. national security.

“It’s imperative that the Department of Defense has the best resources to defend against the Chinese Communist Party’s march toward global dominance, Russia’s increased malign behavior, new terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan, the Iran Regime’s march toward a nuclear weapon, North Korea’s nuclear arsenal proliferation and missile development, and threats to freedom in the Western Hemisphere from Venezuela and Cuba,” he said.