20250401: Full Hearing: US Military Posture & National Security Challenges in North & South America
2025-04-01
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Source: Congress.gov
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Unknown (SPEAKER_07)
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Unknown (SPEAKER_07)
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Unknown (SPEAKER_07)
Today we begin our fiscal year 2026 posture hearings with U.S. Northern and Southern Commands. I want to thank our witnesses for their service and for joining us today and for the time it took to prepare for this hearing. It's very helpful. I appreciate y'all. We know that border security is national security. Over the past four years, we've learned that the hard way. President Biden's open border policies triggered historic levels of illegal immigration. They also emboldened cartels that flooded our streets with fentanyl and other drugs made mostly with Chinese precursor chemicals. The human cost has been staggering. In the 12 months ending October 2024, over 52,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses. Republicans have been unequivocal. The real fix had to come from the top, and President Trump delivered. Through decisive executive action, including authorizing the deployment of 7,500 additional active duty troops to the border, illegal crossings have plummeted. In February, apprehensions were down 94% compared to the year before, and dangerous criminals and gang members are being removed from our communities. But the job isn't done. I look forward to working with the President and my colleagues on a reconciliation package that provides the DoD the resources it needs to support civilian authorities in sealing the borders. Meanwhile, America's adversaries are developing and fielding more advanced air and missile capabilities. It is clear the homeland is no longer a sanctuary. Chinese and Russian aircraft have ramped up activity around Alaska, including their first-ever joint bomber patrol. North Korea keeps testing its long-range missiles, and there are signs Russia may be helping them.
And China and Russia's strategic missile capabilities, including hypersonic weapons, continue to evolve rapidly. Amid these threats, it is alarming there is an effort afoot to auction off parts of the spectrum of DoD needs to track incoming missiles. This spectrum supports most of our military radar systems, including our early warning and homeland missile defense. Losing it would put President Trump's Golden Dome initiative at serious risk and undermine our security. Turning to SOUTHCOM, China's growing presence in our backyard is a direct threat to the United States. Through its Belt and Road Initiative, China is expanding its control over ports, space facilities, and 5G telecommunications in that region. It's also snapping up copper, lithium, and other critical minerals essential to its military modernization. These are not business deals, they're beachheads. In a conflict, these assets would be weaponized against us. That's why I support efforts to roll back Chinese influence in our hemisphere, especially in the Panama Canal.
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