January 10, 2024 – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell On National Security Threats: Weakness and Timidity Are Contagious
base and purchasing the cutting-edge weapons our own forces need to deter our biggest adversaries.
“And the legislation we’re considering this month would do even more to help meet urgent requirements of our own armed forces. It will increase procurement of critical munitions, long-range fires, and air defenses and invest in our own defense industrial capacity.
“This is essential for long-term competition with China and Russia. America and our allies still face serious shortcomings. And they extend well beyond the war in Ukraine.
“By one recent tally, Russia and China’s arsenal of land-based air defense systems far exceeds the combined stockpile of the United States, Europe, and Japan combined.
“The West is outgunned in critical capabilities. So let’s not waste time indulging the misconception that standing behind our European allies is an obstacle to competition with China.
“Let’s give no credence to the idea that America should cut and run from our own allies and partners… precisely as our adversaries work closer and closer together.
“With continued American leadership, European allies are shouldering more and more of the burden of collective security on the continent.
“There is just no question that our NATO allies are building military capacity and taking on more responsibility for restoring and maintaining the sovereignty of America’s closest trading partners.
“But America is a global superpower. And retreating from our leadership of NATO before seeing the job through won’t make competition with China any easier. Handing Russia victory in Ukraine on account of a waning attention span will only shred America’s credibility, weaken critical alliances, and force us to contend even more directly with two major adversaries at once!
“I honestly can’t think of a more shortsighted strategic gamble.
“Only time will offer a full accounting of the missed opportunities of the past three years. But it is already clear that hesitation and self-deterrence on the part of our Commander-in-Chief cost Ukrainian lives and chances at swift victory over Russian aggression.
“Of course, the brazen violence of Iran’s terror network reminds us that this weakness and timidity is contagious. We cannot let them spread.
“We cannot let short-sightedness govern our approach to the strategic competition that will define the next century of American history.
“We cannot give China any more reasons than this Administration already has to doubt America’s resolve to stand with sovereign democracies and to vigorously defend our interests.
“In the very near future, it will be time for the Senate to demonstrate that we understand what time it is.”
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