Gen. John Hyten/Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dennis Hoffman
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer meets with Air Force Gen. John Hyten today, an opportunity to speak with the nominee to be the next commander of the United States Strategic Command, better known as STRATCOM.
President Barack Obama has nominated Hyten to succeed Admiral Cecil Haney as commander of STRATCOM. Hyten is the Air Force Commander at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.
Fischer says she’s looking forward to the meeting.
“He has a lot of experience when it comes to national security and dealing with space,” Fischer tells Nebraska Radio Network. “As he moves into this new role, I look forward to just hearing his views on the nuclear mission that STRATCOM has.”
Fischer says she will ask Hyten about his plans to modernize the nation’s nuclear deterrence program.
“That is a priority for me and I want to hear that he’s going to be a champion of that,” Fischer says.
STRATCOM is located just outside Omaha in Bellevue at Offutt Air Force Base.
Fischer serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and chairs the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee.
For now, Fischer is withholding judgment on whether Hyten is a good fit for STRATCOM.
“You know, we’ll see. We’ll see,” She says. “I know he’s very well respected. I’ve heard good things about him.”