The Weaponized Suit Defense Program Hearings were a series of congressional hearings held by the Senate Armed Services Committee to determine the nature of the Iron Man suits of armor designed, built, and owned by Tony Stark. During questioning by Senator Stern (who has a personal and bitter hatred of him as well as being a Hydra sympathizer or member), Stark denied possessing "a specialized weapon," referring to his Iron Man suits instead as "a high-tech prosthesis". Stern demanded that Stark turn over the Iron Man armor to the United States military (and by proxy Hydra), but Stark refused, insisting that he and the suit were one.