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United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
Committee of the United States Senate
Committee of the United States Senate
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Senate Armed Services Committee |
| type | standing |
| chamber | senate |
| congress | 119th |
| status | active |
| formed | January 2, 1947 |
| chair | Roger Wicker |
| chair_party | R |
| chair_since | January 3, 2025 |
| ranking_member | Jack Reed |
| rm_party | D |
| rm_since | January 3, 2025 |
| seats | 27 members |
| majority1 | R |
| majority1_seats | 14 |
| minority1 | D |
| minority1_seats | 12 |
| minority2 | I |
| minority2_seats | 1 |
| policy_areas | Defense policy, military operations |
| oversight | Department of Defense, Armed Forces |
| counterpart | House Armed Services Committee |
| subcommittees | |
| website |
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 of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy (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 the U.S. victory in World War II. 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 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 represent. The committee's regular legislative product is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which has been passed by Congress and signed into law annually since 1962.
The current chair is Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and the ranking member is Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
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 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, 119th Congress
Main article: 119th United States Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
Subcommittees
| Subcommittee Name | title=U.S. Senate: Committee on Armed Services | url=https://www.senate.gov/general/committee_membership/committee_memberships_SSAS.htm | access-date=2025-02-01 | website=www.senate.gov}} | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airland | Kevin Cramer (R-ND) | Mark Kelly (D-AZ) | |||
| Cybersecurity | Mike Rounds (R-SD) | Jacky Rosen (D-NV) | |||
| Emerging Threats and Capabilities | Joni Ernst (R-IA) | Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) | |||
| Personnel | Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) | Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) | |||
| Readiness and Management Support | Dan Sullivan (R-AK) | Mazie Hirono (D-HI) | |||
| Seapower | Rick Scott (R-FL) | Tim Kaine (D-VA) | |||
| Strategic Forces | nowrap | Deb Fischer (R-NE) | Angus King (I-ME) |
Leadership
Committee on Military Affairs, 1816–1947
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic-Republican | Tennessee | 1816 | ||
| Democratic-Republican | Georgia | 1817 | ||
| Democratic-Republican | Tennessee | 1818 | ||
| Jackson Democratic-Republican | Tennessee | 1823 | ||
| Adams Republican | Ohio | 1825 | ||
| Jacksonian | ||||
| (1828–1837) | Missouri | 1828 | ||
| Democratic | ||||
| (1837–1841) | ||||
| Whig | South Carolina | 1841 | ||
| Whig | Kentucky | 1842 | ||
| Democratic | Missouri | 1845 | ||
| Democratic | Mississippi | 1849 | ||
| Democratic | Illinois | 1851 | ||
| Democratic | California | 1855 | ||
| Democratic | Mississippi | 1857 | ||
| Democratic | Arkansas | 1861 | ||
| Republican | Massachusetts | 1861 | ||
| Republican | Illinois | 1872 | ||
| Republican | Alabama | 1877 | ||
| Democratic | New Jersey | 1879 | ||
| Republican | Illinois | 1881 | ||
| Republican | Connecticut | 1887 | ||
| Democratic | Mississippi | 1893 | ||
| Republican | Connecticut | 1894 | ||
| Republican | Wyoming | 1905 | ||
| Republican | Delaware | 1911 | ||
| Democratic | Alabama | 1913 | ||
| Democratic | Oregon | 1913 | ||
| Republican | New York | 1919 | ||
| Republican | Pennsylvania | 1927 | ||
| Democratic | Texas | 1933 | ||
| Democratic | North Carolina | 1942 | ||
| Democratic | Utah | 1945 |
Committee on Naval Affairs, 1816–1947
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic-Republican | Georgia | 1816 | ||
| Democratic-Republican | New York | 1818 | ||
| Democratic-Republican | Virginia | 1819 | ||
| Adams-Clay Federalist | Massachusetts | 1823 | ||
| Jacksonian | South Carolina | 1825 | ||
| Jacksonian | Pennsylvania | 1832 | ||
| Anti-Jackson | New Jersey | 1833 | ||
| Jacksonian | ||||
| (1836–1837) | Virginia | 1836 | ||
| Democratic | ||||
| (1837–1839) | ||||
| Democratic | Maine | 1839 | ||
| Whig | North Carolina | 1841 | ||
| Whig | Delaware | 1842 | ||
| Democratic | Maine | 1845 | ||
| Democratic | Florida | 1847 | ||
| Democratic | California | 1851 | ||
| Democratic | Florida | 1855 | ||
| Democratic | New Jersey | 1861 | ||
| Republican | New Hampshire | 1861 | ||
| Republican | Iowa | 1864 | ||
| Republican | New Hampshire | 1870 | ||
| Republican | California | 1877 | ||
| Democratic | New Jersey | 1879 | ||
| Republican | Pennsylvania | 1881 | ||
| Democratic | New Jersey | 1893 | ||
| Republican | Pennsylvania | 1895 | ||
| Republican | Maine | 1897 | ||
| Republican | California | 1909 | ||
| Democratic | South Carolina | 1913 | ||
| Democratic | Virginia | 1918 | ||
| Republican | Vermont | 1919 | ||
| Republican | Maine | 1923 | ||
| Democratic | Florida | 1933 | ||
| Democratic | Massachusetts | 1937 |
Committee on Armed Services, 1947–present
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | South Dakota | 1947 | ||
| Democratic | Maryland | 1949 | ||
| Democratic | Georgia | 1951 | ||
| Republican | Massachusetts | 1953 | ||
| Democratic | Georgia | 1955 | ||
| Democratic | Mississippi | 1969 | ||
| Republican | Texas | 1981 | ||
| Republican | Arizona | 1985 | ||
| Democratic | Georgia | 1987 | ||
| Republican | South Carolina | 1995 | ||
| Republican | Virginia | 1999 | ||
| Democratic | Michigan | 2001 | ||
| Republican | Virginia | 2001 | ||
| Democratic | Michigan | 2001On June 6, 2001, the Democrats took control of the Senate after Senator James Jeffords (VT) changed from the | ||
| Republican | Virginia | 2003 | ||
| Democratic | Michigan | 2007 | ||
| Republican | Arizona | 2015 | ||
| Republican Party (United States)}} | Republican | Oklahoma | 2017 | |
| 2018 | 2021 | |||
| Democratic | Rhode Island | 2021 | ||
| Republican | Mississippi | 2025 |
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maryland | 1947 | ||
| Republican | New Hampshire | 1949 | ||
| Democratic | Georgia | 1953 | ||
| Republican | New Hampshire | 1955 | ||
| Republican | Massachusetts | 1963 | ||
| Republican | Maine | 1967 | ||
| Republican | South Carolina | 1973 | ||
| Republican | Texas | 1977 | ||
| Democratic | Mississippi | 1981 | ||
| Democratic | Washington | 1983 | ||
| Democratic | Georgia | 1983 | ||
| Republican | Virginia | 1987 | ||
| Republican | South Carolina | 1993 | ||
| Democratic | Georgia | 1995 | ||
| Democratic | Michigan | 1997 | ||
| Republican | Virginia | 2001 | ||
| Democratic | Michigan | 2003 | ||
| Republican | Arizona | 2007 | ||
| Republican | Oklahoma | 2013 | ||
| Democratic | Rhode Island | 2015 | ||
| Republican | Oklahoma | 2021 | ||
| Republican | Mississippi | 2023 | ||
| Democratic | Rhode Island | 2025 |
Historical committee rosters
111th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
Source:
;Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Minority Member | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airland | nowrap | Joe Lieberman (I-CT) | nowrap | John Thune (R-SD) |
| Emerging Threats and Capabilities | Bill Nelson (D-FL) | George LeMieux (R-FL) | ||
| Personnel | Jim Webb (D-VA) | nowrap | Lindsey Graham (R-SC) | |
| Readiness and Management Support | Evan Bayh (D-IN) | Richard Burr (R-NC) | ||
| SeaPower | Jack Reed (D-RI) | Roger Wicker (R-MS) | ||
| Strategic Forces | Ben Nelson (D-NE) | David Vitter (R-LA) |
112th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
Source:
;Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airland | nowrap | Joe Lieberman (I-CT) | |
| Emerging Threats and Capabilities | Kay Hagan (D-NC) | ||
| Personnel | Jim Webb (D-VA) | ||
| Readiness and Management Support | Claire McCaskill (D-MO) | ||
| Seapower | Jack Reed (D-RI) | ||
| Strategic Forces | Ben Nelson (D-NE) |
113th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
Source:
;Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airland | nowrap | Joe Manchin (D-WV) | |
| Emerging Threats and Capabilities | Kay Hagan (D-NC) | ||
| Personnel | Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) | ||
| Readiness and Management Support | Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) | ||
| Seapower | Jack Reed (D-RI) | ||
| Strategic Forces | Mark Udall (D-CO) |
114th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|
| Airland | Tom Cotton (R-AR) | |
| Emerging Threats and Capabilities | Deb Fischer (R-NE) | |
| Personnel | Lindsey Graham (R-SC) | |
| Readiness and Management Support | Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) | |
| Seapower | Roger Wicker (R-MS) | |
| Strategic Forces | Jeff Sessions (R-AL) |
115th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
116th Congress
Main article: 116th United States Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
117th Congress
Main article: 117th United States Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
Source:
118th Congress
Main article: 118th United States Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|
Footnotes
References
- "History {{!}} United States Senate Committee on Armed Services".
- Steinhauer, Jennifer. [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/us/politics/mccain-uses-committee-post-to-press-for-defense-agenda.html "With Chairmanship, McCain Seizes Chance to Reshape Pentagon Agenda"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (June 9, 2015). Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- (February 3, 2017). "History of the NDAA".
- Rule XXV: Committees, Standing Rules of the United States Senate.
- {{USBill. 119. SRes. 16 (119th Congress)
- {{USBill. 119. SRes. 17 (119th Congress)
- Independent Senator caucusing with Democrats
- "U.S. Senate: Committee on Armed Services".
- Died August 8, 1913.
- At the beginning of the 107th Congress in January 2001 the Senate was evenly divided. With a Democratic president and vice president still serving until January 20, the Democratic vice president was available to break a tie, and the Democrats thus controlled the Senate for 17 days, from January 3 to January 20. On January 3 the Senate adopted S. Res. 7 designating Democratic senators as committee chairs to serve during this period and Republican chairs to serve effective at noon on January 20, 2001.
- On leave from December 2017. Died August 25, 2018.
- "U.S. Senate: Committee on Armed Services".
- {{USBill. 118. SRes. 30 (118th Congress)
- {{USBill. 118. SRes. 31 (118th Congress)
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