Military & National Security

Our women and men in uniform make up the strongest, best-trained, most well-equipped military in the world. New Mexicans have long answered the call of duty to serve. This tradition runs deep in our state’s history, and at times New Mexico has had the highest rate of military volunteerism of any state in the country.

With military bases at Cannon, Holloman, Kirtland, and White Sands Missile Range, and two national laboratories, New Mexico plays a pivotal role in our national security and defense. Our state is also at the forefront of research and development that contribute to our country’s safety. I am proud to have championed initiatives to expand the roles of our labs and bases—from directed energy and small satellites to new flying missions.  Today, New Mexico is the nation’s Center of Excellence for researching, developing, and testing high energy laser and high powered microwave systems as well as researching and developing rapid space capabilities. I will continue fighting to ensure our state remains a leader in developing these next generation systems as well as transformative technologies like Artificial Intelligence. In the Senate, I founded a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Caucus so that lawmakers can strike a careful balance between mitigating the risks of new technologies like AI and fostering its tremendous economic and national security benefits.

As a son and brother of service members, and in my role as a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I am firmly committed to ensuring that our military and intelligence communities have the tools they need to keep our nation safe, fight terrorism, and support our allies.

On the Senate Intelligence committee, I have helped lead efforts to investigate the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and to combat foreign disinformation campaigns.  I am also a strong supporter of human and constitutional rights, and believe in the notion that America can be both safe and free. I was proud to help pass the USA FREEDOM Act, which ended the National Security Agency's (NSA) bulk metadata collection program that allowed the government to collect billions of Americans' private phone call records while suspecting them of no wrongdoing. 

I was also an active proponent of doing away with the discriminatory military policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and I continue to stand up for reforms to reduce sexual assault in our military.

I am also strong supporter of human and constitutional rights, and believe in the notion that America can be both safe and free. I opposed the authorization of the PATRIOT Act and was an active proponent of doing away with the discriminatory military policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Latest

  • NM Delegation Seeks Deployment of Combat Support Hospital to New Mexico

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Deb Haaland, and Xochitl Torres Small wrote to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's request for the deployment of a fully equipped Combat Support Hospital (CSH) to Albuquerque, New Mexico and to support the mobilization of any needed Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR) units to New Mexico communities under strain to meet the demands of a surge in new COVID-19 patients. Read More

  • N.M. Delegation Urges State Department To Take Immediate Action To Repatriate New Mexicans Abroad Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Deb Haaland, and Xochitl Torres Small today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the Department of State to take immediate action to repatriate New Mexicans living, working, and traveling abroad and to provide these same New Mexicans with all necessary medical care while these plans are being executed. Read More

  • In Key Air Force Budget Hearing, Heinrich Highlights N.M. Space Rapid Capabilities Office, PFAS Clean Up, And Diverted Holloman AFB Funding

    WASHINGTON - In a key Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to review the Air Force Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2021, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) pressed Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett and Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David L. Goldfein on several New Mexico priorities. Senator Heinrich questioned Air Force leadership about the critical independent nature of New Mexico's Space Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), the need to coordinate with local and state officials to address PFAS contamination in Clovis, and diverted Holloman Air Force Base funds that have left America’s best and brightest using duct tape to hold their training grounds together. Read More

  • Budget fails to restore funding for NM projects

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Despite promises to do so, President Donald Trump's proposed fiscal 2021 budget for the Department of Defense fails to restore $3.6 billion in funding for 127 defense projects diverted last year to build 175 miles of the wall on the border with Mexico, U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich’s and Tom Udall’s offices said. Read More

  • Heinrich Votes To Support War Powers Resolution To Prevent War With Iran

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after voting to support S.J.Res.63, a war powers resolution to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran without congressional authorization. The resolution passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 55 to 45. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, Luján Urge Department of Defense to Provide Assistance For Clovis Well Water Cleanup

    WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper demanding the Department of Defense (DoD) assist with drinking water clean up after PFAS chemicals were detected within the Clovis, New Mexico water system. EPCOR, the company that owns and operates Clovis's public drinking water system, conducted testing for 21 PFAS chemicals in its production wells. Some of the 82 wells indicated the presence of PFAS, according to EPCOR. EPCOR immediately took the affected wells out of service. Read More