A former GOP congressman tapped by President Donald Trump to oversee the country’s nuclear arsenal is facing a grilling before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday on his road to confirmation.
Brandon Williams, nominated to become Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, is a Navy veteran who formerly chaired the energy subcommittee for the House Science, Space and Technology Committee during his brief stint in Congress.
He brings with him thousands of hours of experience supervising the operation of a nuclear power plant and propulsion plant on a nuclear submarine, and he’s undergone rigorous training to supervise two naval reactor designs, sources tell Fox News Digital.
Tom D’Agostino, a former administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration himself who served under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said Williams’ nomination comes at a critical time for nuclear deterrence.
“There’s no question in my mind that he has what it takes from a technical expertise, technical competence and technical leadership standpoint, because he’s already proven it,” D’Agostino told Fox News Digital. “He’s proven it in the Navy. And just having gone through and made it through the nuclear propulsion program, which is the heralded program started by Admiral Rickover over 50 years ago, I have absolutely no doubt at all that he could run this organization.”
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“It’s obviously proven time and time again, that electricity, power lifts the standard of living for all that have it,” D’Agostino said. “And so having a somebody at the helm of the NNSA, which isn’t a commercial nuclear power organization, it s a national security power organization, but there are relationships between the two, but having somebody like him in that position at this point in time is a really important, it’s very important.”
“There’s no question that other powers – China, Russia, whatever, you can throw in, maybe, however you think about North Koreans – but the reality is there’s geopolitical instability,” he said. “Over years, having a strong nuclear deterrent led by people that know what they’re doing and will get the job done is a key of that nuclear deterrance. It’s not just the warheads themselves, it’s the technical competence of the people in the organization.”
“Brandon Williams, absolutely, Congressman Williams certainly has that,” D’Agostino told Fox News Digital. “And he’s, you know, he’s confirmed he’ll be leading an organization that is filled with technically competent people that know how to get the job done. So this is an important time. The world is watching. There’s no question about it.”
In his opening statement, Williams thanked Trump for the nomination and promised the committee that, if confirmed, he would “work diligently to strengthen the capability, credibility and communication of our strategic deterrence.” Williams said he “shares the president’s commitment to peace through strength” and looked forward to serving under Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“At the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration has functioned in relative obscurity for many decades but has recently been thrust back into the public’s consciousness. In my estimation, the men and women of the NNSA compromise one of the greatest scientific and engineering organizations in human history,” Willaims said. “This workforce, since the Manhattan Project, continues to ensure the safety, security, reliability and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile. If given the opportunity to lead this extraordinary organization, I will do so humbly in the shadow of great Americans like Admiral Rickover, Ernest Lawrence and Robert Oppenheimer.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., penned a letter to Williams arguing that he lacks any of the extensive technical experience of his predecessors.
Williams completed training at the Naval Nuclear Power School and served as a junior officer on a nuclear submarine, but Warren said he does not possess any advanced degree in physics or engineering. The Democratic senator said the NNSA is in the middle of a $200 billion nuclear modernization project, which the Government Accountability Office has found has already exceeded initial cost estimates by more than $2 billion and is behind by almost 10 years.
Warren also hit at Williams’ experience in the private sector. He founded a software company that focused on modernizing and securing industrial controls for manufacturing industries, but Warren raised concerns over alleged Chinese ties.
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“I am concerned that a leader without strong technical expertise and extensive experience could put our nuclear deterrent at risk and waste billions of dollars,” Warren said in a statement. “The person confirmed to lead the NNSA…must also make it abundantly clear that they would not share information with companies that might support China’s own nuclear modernization efforts, further jeopardizing American national security.”
Trump has touted nominees to his Cabinet as “outsiders,” as the Republican prioritizes upending the entrenched bureaucracy in Washington.
American Nuclear Society CEO Craig Piercy told Fox News Digital that Williams participated in a number of discussions over the past few years as a House member focused on ensuring policymakers have a good textual understanding of nuclear energy.
“The one thing that I can say about Brandon Williams is he’s thoughtful, he listens, and he asks good questions,” Piercy said. “Those are all the hallmarks of a good leader who cut their teeth in the nuclear Navy, right? And I mean, the nuclear Navy is the source for a significant portion of the workforce in nuclear today. And it brings a certainness free to core.”
“He’s always been knowledgeable, he has always demonstrated an understanding, not just of technology, but of the larger, you know, geopolitical consequences of the technology,” Piercy said.
Piercy said the next NNSA administrator must focus both on ensuring both the efficacy of the nuclear stockpile and deterring the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
“I think that part of the challenge here is also, while we’re doing both of those things, ensuring that American nuclear companies have an opportunity to export civil nuclear technologies to other countries that have the energy needs, and those are fairly broad,” he told Fox News Digital. “There is a way of doing that safely without compromising our non-proliferation objectives. And in fact, you know, having the U.S. engaged in civil nuclear commerce is a good thing for the country because it gives us greater influence over the safety and non-proliferation norms globally. So it’s a big challenge for anyone in that job and obviously it requires the whole of government approach to do it well.”
D’Agostino said Williams’ lack of experience in the federal government should not raise concerns about his ability to effectively manage the nuclear arsenal. In his own career before leading the NNSA, D’Agostino said he picked up experience in the military and as a civilian employee before joining the executive branch. Williams also has that military experience, but is unique in that he brings with him strong relationships from his time on Capitol Hill.
“He has that experience in the military and he has that experience on Capitol Hill, which is frankly incredibly important to understand… So there are similarities from the standpoint of cultural and commitment to national security and serving your country,” D’Agostino told Fox News Digital. “That will serve the country well. I’m confident of that because a big part of the job in the NNSA, in addition to leading a technical organization, is also about relationships on the Hill, explaining to members what’s going on in the program and why it’s so important.”
The role of NNSA administrator involves overseeing the nation’s nuclear laboratories. D’Agostino named the Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Los Livermore National Laboratories as the three of the largest laboratories in the country and “with the highest qualifications and standards, frankly, throughout the world” that “were a part of the organization that developed the nuclear deterrent” and are “a key part of maintaining the nuclear-deterrent stockpile.” Another of significance is the Naval Nuclear Laboratory underneath Admiral William J. Houston, which is part of the Naval Reactors Program.
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“Those Naval Nuclear Laboratories are also part of NNSA,” D’Agostino said. “Because Congressman Williams is a product of the naval nuclear propulsion program, his understanding of and experience with these laboratories will be important to maintain their technical competence and supporting, frankly, the country’s security well into the future.”
