Key facts
- Smith said the top priority would be "vigorous oversight of the Department of Defense and the Trump Administration."
- Smith called for more public testimony from senior Pentagon officials and restoration of an Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee.
- Smith listed the war with Iran, which he called "illegal," and strikes in the Caribbean and Latin America as oversight topics.
- Smith questioned a defense budget above $1 trillion and criticized Trump's proposal for a fleet of battleships.
- Military Times reported Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
- Military Times cited a CBO analysis that the Iran war used up to two-thirds of U.S. missile interceptor stock.
Representative Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement on November 4, 2026, setting out his party's priorities for the committee in the 120th Congress and seeking to reclaim its chairmanship. In the statement, Smith said the top priority would be "vigorous oversight of the Department of Defense and the Trump Administration." He called for increased public testimony from senior Pentagon officials and for reestablishing an Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee.
Smith listed the war with Iran, which he called "illegal," along with military strikes in the Caribbean and Latin America, the deployment of troops to U.S. cities and what he described as the politicization of the armed forces as subjects for scrutiny. He also said he would examine contracts and financial support awarded to private companies for waste, fraud and abuse and for favoritism.
Military Times reported that Smith won re-election in his district on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and that Democrats took control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections. The committee is chaired by Alabama Republican Representative Mike Rogers, and new chairs will be elected for the next legislative session. Smith chaired the committee from 2019 to 2023.
Smith questioned the need for a defense budget above $1 trillion and criticized Trump's proposal for a fleet of battleships, writing that the military needs "an appropriate mix of high-end survivable systems and lower-cost attritable capabilities." He advocated more investment in low-cost munitions, uncrewed systems and drone and missile defenses. Military Times cited a Congressional Budget Office analysis saying the war with Iran has used up to two-thirds of U.S. missile interceptor stock, which could take at least five years to restore.
Smith said he remained committed to passing the annual National Defense Authorization Act, though he acknowledged working with Republicans would be "extraordinarily difficult." Military Times reported the NDAA remains unfinished after Senate Democrats blocked a procedural vote in July over disagreements on the war in Iran and provisions involving Israel.