Senate Committee on Armed Services

The common defense, the Department of Defense and the military departments generally, military research and development, national security aspects of nuclear energy, pay, promotion, retirement and benefits of armed forces members, and the selective service system.

Senate Committee on Armed Services has 27 members, made up of 14 Republicans, 12 Democrats and 1 other. Roger F. Wicker chairs it. Jack Reed is the ranking member, which is the senior post held by the minority party. Senate committee seats are held for the length of a senator term, so membership turns over more slowly than in the House. The membership below is generated from the roster this site maintains against clerk.house.gov and senate.gov.

Jurisdiction source: Senate Rule XXV

How business reaches this committee

Senate Rule XXV lists the subjects above and assigns them here. A bill introduced in the Senate is referred to the committee whose Rule XXV jurisdiction covers its main subject, so measures on these topics start with this committee. From there it can hold hearings, amend the text, report the bill to the full Senate, or leave it alone, which is what happens to most bills.

Subcommittees

The committee divides its work among 7 subcommittees:

  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Cybersecurity
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
  • Subcommittee on Personnel
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
  • Subcommittee on Seapower
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Who serves on it

27 senators sit on the committee: 14 Republicans, 12 Democrats, and 1 independent. That gives the majority 14 of the 27 seats. Roger F. Wicker is the chairman. Jack Reed is the ranking member. They come from 25 states.

Following its work

Hearing notices, markup schedules, witness lists and published reports live on the committee’s own site, linked at the top of this page. The full member list below links to each member’s page here, with contact details and the seat they hold. For background on how seats and chairs are handed out, read How congressional committees work. For what happens to a bill after a committee reports it, read How a bill becomes law. To look up who represents a particular place, start at U.S. senators by state.

Members

27 members. Generated from the roster this site holds, checked against the Clerk of the House and the Senate committee lists on September 26, 2026.

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