The Committee on Armed Services (sometimes abbreviated SASC for ''Senate Armed Services Committee'') is a
committee of the United States Senate empowered with
legislative oversight
Congressional oversight is oversight by the United States Congress over the Executive Branch, including the numerous U.S. federal agencies. Congressional oversight includes the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, ac ...
of the
nation's military, including the
Department of Defense, military
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
,
nuclear energy
Nuclear energy may refer to:
* Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity
*Nuclear binding energy
Nuclear binding energy in experimental physics is the minimum energy that is required ...
(as pertaining to
national security), benefits for members of the military, the
Selective Service System and other matters related to defense policy. The Armed Services Committee was created as a result of the
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 following U.S. victory in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. The bill merged the responsibilities of the Committee on Naval Affairs (established in 1816) and the Committee on Military Affairs (also established in 1816).
Considered one of the most powerful Senate committees, its broad mandate allowed it to report some of the most extensive and revolutionary legislation during the
Cold War years, including the
National Security Act of 1947
The National Security Act of 1947 ( Pub.L.br>80-253 61 Stat.br>495 enacted July 26, 1947) was a law enacting major restructuring of the United States government's military and intelligence agencies following World War II. The majority of the prov ...
. The committee tends to take a more bipartisan approach than other committees, as many of its members formerly served in the military or have major defense interests located in the states they come from. The committee's regular legislative product is the
National Defense Authorization Act
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the name for each of a series of United States federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense. The first NDAA was passed in 1961. The U.S. Congress o ...
(NDAA), which has been passed by Congress and signed into law each year since 1962.
The current chair is Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and the Ranking Member is Republican Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.
Jurisdiction
According to the
Standing Rules of the United States Senate, all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects are referred to the Armed Services Committee:
# Aeronautical and space activities pertaining to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems or military operations.
# Common defense.
# Department of Defense, the
Department of the Army
The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is or ...
, the
Department of the Navy, and the
Department of the Air Force, generally.
# Maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, including administration, sanitation, and government of the Canal Zone.
# Military research and development.
# National security aspects of nuclear energy.
# Naval petroleum reserves, except those in Alaska.
# Pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges of members of the Armed Forces, including overseas education of civilian and military dependents.
# Selective service system.
# Strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense.
Members, 117th Congress
Subcommittees
Chairs
Committee on Military Affairs, 1816–1947
Committee on Naval Affairs, 1816–1947
Committee on Armed Services, 1947–present
Historical committee rosters
111th Congress
Source:
;Subcommittees
112th Congress
Source:
;Subcommittees
113th Congress
Source:
;Subcommittees
114th Congress
115th Congress
116th Congress
Source:
See also
*
United States House Committee on Armed Services
*
List of current United States Senate committees
Footnotes
External links
*
archive Senate Armed Services Committee Report on Torturereleased November 20, 2008.
* Historic archives at
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music ...
:
**
**
**
*
{{United States Space Force
Armed Services
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
Veterans' affairs in the United States
1816 establishments in the United States
Organizations established in 1816
Civil–military relations