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I hope you saw my latest weekly column.



ROGER WICKER: Funding Should Reflect National Security Priorities
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Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit this week with Russian President Vladimir
Putin should be a wake-up call for the United States. China and Russia, our
country’s most significant strategic adversaries, are looking to enhance their
relationship during Russia’s brutal assault of Ukraine. In light of the united
stand by these two dictatorships, this is no time for the United States to
signal a lack of resolve.


Biden's Budget Projects Weakness, Not Strength


As our enemies attempt to show solidarity, our defense spending should project
strength. Instead, Biden’s recently released budget projects weakness. For the
third year in a row, he has requested military spending that does not even keep
up with inflation.



On the other hand, China has increased its military investment every year for
the past 20 years. This month, the Chinese Communist Party announced a 7.2
percent increase in its military budget – about six times the rate of Biden’s
proposal. That increase is probably an understatement of China’s true spending.



In the three decades since we emerged as the world’s sole superpower, the
sheer force of our military might has largely discouraged China and Russia from
aggression. But China is expanding its military at a faster pace than any army
in human history, threatening our ability to prevent war and to be victorious
if we are attacked.



Today with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is a real threat China may have
similar designs toward its neighbor, Taiwan. If China succeeds, it will control
a broad swath of the Pacific Ocean, and the global balance of power will tilt.
Our children and grandchildren would not live in an American-led 21st century.
Current military investment is not enough to ensure China does not invade
Taiwan, and that must change.


The Budget We Need


Fortunately, there is a blueprint available for the force we need. For years,
military commanders have said our Navy fleet – which is essential to defend us
from China – is too small. In 2017, I authored, and President Trump signed, the
SHIPS Act, which made it the policy of the United States to reach a 355-ship
fleet. Unfortunately, the administration has ignored this requirement, and our
fleet is just 290 ships compared to China’s 340-ship fleet.



As we build our fleet, the budget should set aside funds for the specific
types of ships we need most. In the last budget cycle, I was successful in
raising the threshold for amphibious ships. According to the Commandant of the
United States Marine Corps, General David Berger, we must build these ships so
his Marines can “go global” and protect American interests in the Pacific and
beyond. President Biden’s budget would zero out this critical category,
shrinking our fleet while China expands its power over the seas.


American Shipbuilders Stand Ready


To build these ships, we need significant infrastructure improvements. The
Secretary of the Navy warned recently that just one Chinese shipyard has more
building capacity than every American shipyard combined. This alarming fact
demands increased investment, something President Biden’s budget fails to
promote.



Congress and President Biden should unleash American shipbuilders by improving
the shipyards found all over our nation – from Mississippi to Wisconsin and
Hawaii to Maine. These companies can help prevent war and create jobs at the
same time. This is worth the investment: It will cost a lot to deter China, but
it will cost a lot more if we do not.



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Thank you for your support,



Senator Roger Wicker




 

Paid for by Wicker for Senate.



You can also keep up with Roger Wicker on Twitter
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