Magnolia State News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today participated in a full committee hearing discussing worldwide threats to U.S. national security with the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and a top official from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

In his remarks, Wicker drew attention to a range of national security challenges posed by Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China. Wicker emphasized that these threats all directly challenge American world leadership.

“The United States is confronted with the most complex and dangerous global security environment since the Second World War. Our adversaries are growing their military capabilities and engaging in provocative and destabilizing behavior across the spectrum of competition and conflict,” Wicker said. “They are actively trying to displace the United States as the global leader and weaken longstanding and critical alliances and partnerships.”

The Mississippi senator also said that the size and scope of these threats demands an increase in defense spending that the Biden administration has not produced. If the President is unable to deliver a budget that adequately addresses these challenges, Wicker said, then Congress will step up to secure the funding needed.

“We are at an inflection point. The decisions we make this year will have far-reaching implications for the United States military – whether it is postured and equipped to deter our adversaries and, if necessary, defeat them in conflict,” Wicker said. “Regrettably, President Biden’s budget request lacks urgency this moment requires and fails to make the necessary investments in our nation’s defense. For the third year in a row, the budget request cuts defense spending. Make no mistake: Our adversaries are taking notice. And I do believe on a bipartisan basis we will rectify this failure.”

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Defense Intelligence Agency director Lieutenant General Scott D. Berrier testified before the committee.

Read Senator Wicker’s full remarks as delivered below, or watch them here.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to congratulate you on your statements concerning the threat we receive from China and Russia. And also I want to join you in observing and memorializing the life of Gen. Vincent Stewart and his untimely death. And I want to thank our witnesses for being here today.

Today’s hearing comes at a pivotal time. The United States is confronted with the most complex and dangerous global security environment since the Second World War. Our adversaries are growing their military capabilities and engaging in provocative and destabilizing behavior across the spectrum of competition and conflict. They are actively trying to displace the United States as the global leader and weaken longstanding and critical alliances and partnerships.

We are at an inflection point. The decisions we make this year will have far-reaching implications for the United States military – whether it is postured and equipped to deter our adversaries and, if necessary, defeat them in conflict. Regrettably, President Biden’s budget request lacks urgency this moment requires and fails to make the necessary investments in our nation’s defense. For the third year in a row, the budget request cuts defense spending. Make no mistake: Our adversaries are taking notice. And I do believe on a bipartisan basis we will rectify this failure.

Our foremost adversary – the Chinese Communist Party – is in the midst of an unprecedented buildup of its conventional, strategic, and asymmetric military capabilities under the direction of its most powerful and ruthless leader since Chairman Mao.

At the same time, Putin’s brutal and unprovoked attack against Ukraine has entered its second year and has upended global security, caused untold loss of life, and further isolated his autocratic regime. Now is not the time to question our commitment to our Ukrainian partners. To protect U.S. interests, we need to provide Ukraine with the tools it needs to bring this war to a conclusion.

Not to be outdone, North Korea may now possess enough missiles to overwhelm our homeland missile defenses, and Iran inches closer to developing a nuclear weapon of its own while it continues to sow chaos across the Middle East through its terrorist proxy network.

Additionally, President Biden’s disastrous and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has emboldened terrorist networks around the world. ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia are reconstituting their capabilities and remain intent on killing Americans.

Finally, I remain deeply disturbed by the scope and severity of the recent disclosure of classified materials and the impact such disclosure has on military operations, intelligence collection, and cooperation with key allies and partners. Although I understand multiple investigations are ongoing, I expect this committee will be kept fully informed as details become available and corrective actions are taken. This committee deserves answers on how such a junior servicemember in a support role was able to access, print, and post online highly classified documents for over a year without detection. We need to understand whether the Department of Defense’s insider threat and security procedures failed or simply were not followed.

Again, I thank our witnesses for being here and I look forward to this important discussion.

Original source can be found here