[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 172 (Wednesday, November 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Defense Priorities

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, under the misguided leadership of the 
Biden administration, our credibility--America's credibility--on the 
world stage has crumbled. Simply put, our friends no longer trust us, 
and our enemies no longer fear us.
  The Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan 
signaled to our adversaries and our allies alike that the United States 
could not be trusted.
  With deterrence a mere memory, this gave the green light to Vladimir 
Putin to continue his ambitions in Ukraine and launch a full-scale 
invasion after invading Crimea in 2014.
  This administration took it a step further, though, unfreezing 
billions of dollars in Iranian assets and allowing Tehran to pour even 
more money behind the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Shia militias, its 
terrorist proxies operating throughout the Middle East. Of course, the 
administration did this with full knowledge of Iran's nuclear 
ambitions. But they didn't stop there. By removing the designation of 
the Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist group--a decision which the 
President later only partially reversed--President Biden practically 
invited them to start attacking international commerce in the Red Sea.
  The dominoes were set, and now we are seeing them fall. Iran and its 
proxies have been emboldened and launched the most deadly terrorist 
attack on the people of Israel on October 7. Then there is North Korea, 
which has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia, and some intelligence 
estimates that they might be willing to provide up to 100,000 soldiers 
in the coming months as part of Russia's effort to capture Ukraine.
  Then, in the South China Sea, in another part of the world, the 
People's Republic of China--dominated and run by the Chinese Communist 
Party--continues to assert excessive and illegal maritime boundary 
claims, at times using force against our treaty ally, the Philippines, 
when they have attempted to resupply their ship, the Sierra Madre, near 
the Second Thomas Shoal.
  So perhaps it should be no surprise to anyone, given the absence of 
effective American leadership, that President Xi, the President of 
China, has ordered the Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army, 
to be ready and capable to take Taiwan by force in 2027, 2 years from 
now.
  If China's aggression in the Indo-Pacific goes unchecked, President 
Xi and the Chinese Communist Party will continue to threaten, 
intimidate, and ultimately invade China's neighbors. The CCP, Chinese 
Communist Party, will likely escalate its economic war against the 
United States by blackballing us from the biggest market in the world 
and starving our country of critical supplies, including critical 
minerals.
  It is no secret that China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are now 
working in concert to undermine the United States and our allies. It is 
no exaggeration to say we are perhaps at the most dangerous 
environment, geopolitically, since World War II.
  And we know from history that the beginning of wars becomes only 
clear in retrospect. We know that from the runup to World War II. This 
is a dangerous period and environment. So the United States must 
reestablish deterrence and must show the world that we are serious 
about confronting these threats and the reality head-on.
  And while I admit this paints a rather grim picture, I am confident 
that the United States is headed toward a new chapter of ``peace 
through strength,'' as Ronald Reagan said, this time with President 
Trump as our Commander in Chief.
  I am glad to see President Trump has selected military veteran Pete 
Hegseth as the next Defense Secretary, Representative Mike Waltz as the 
National Security Advisor, and our friend and colleague Senator Marco 
Rubio as Secretary of State. And I am proud that my fellow Texan and my 
former colleague in Congress John Ratcliffe has been selected to direct 
the Central Intelligence Agency.
  I am looking forward to working with these terrific individuals to 
reverse the disastrous policies of the Biden administration, but we all 
have our work cut out for us. But I am confident that, in these 
individuals, President Trump picked the right people for the job.
  The first and most significant task at hand will be shoring up our 
Armed Forces, specifically the U.S. Navy. A revitalization of the Navy 
will be critical to deterring Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific as 
well as keeping AUKUS--our partnership with Australia and the UK--alive 
and well.
  In order to pose a credible threat to the CCP, in order to maintain 
deterrence--which is our ultimate goal--we need to adequately resource 
the Navy as well. This starts with our shipbuilding capabilities. 
Secretary-designate Hegseth should waste no time in working with 
Congress on a shipbuilding plan.
  We also stand ready to work with the Trump administration on a plan 
to reinvigorate our aging shipyards, which are struggling to attract 
and retain necessary talent. The Pentagon can streamline its 
specifications for building maritime assets, ensuring that they are 
linked to warfighting requirements.
  Another priority must be improving military recruitment. I am pleased 
to see Secretary-designate Hegseth's commitment to ending the 
politicalization of our military. Given the Biden administration's 
needless focus on what divides us instead of what unites us, it is 
really no surprise that the number of Americans voluntarily joining our 
military is at an alltime low. Reducing the diversity, equity, and 
inclusion bureaucracy will have the benefit of freeing up resources 
necessary to aid recruitment and rebuilding. By ending these culture 
wars and reorienting the Pentagon toward a commitment to excellence as 
a top priority, we will be better positioned to recruit a talented 
military ready to deter aggression anywhere around the world.
  And the Pentagon must come to terms with our depleted arsenal of 
critical munitions. This includes replenishing our stock of long-range 
anti-ship missiles, joint air-to-surface standoff missiles, and the 
advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles.
  Secretary-designate Hegseth can do this cost effectively by returning 
to policies that the Pentagon has disregarded in recent years. 
Mandatory fixed-price commercial contracts promote cost savings for the 
taxpayer. Contrast this with the Department of Defense's current model 
of cost-plus contracting, which has stifled innovation and allowed 
private sector contractors to outsource R&D costs to the taxpayer.
  So we have a lot of work to do as a Congress and as a nation to 
bolster our commitment to our allies and shore up deterrence against 
our adversaries. But by reversing the damage done over the last 4 years 
by the Biden-Harris administration, we will be well on our way to a 
world where America's friends trust us once again and our enemies fear 
us once again.
  I look forward to working with Secretary-designate Hegseth, 
Secretary-designate Rubio, and President Trump to move this country in 
a better direction. I am confident that working together with that goal 
in mind we can work toward a safer and more peaceful world.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.