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Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening statement at a committee hearing entitled "National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activities in the Indo-Pacific."

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

Last week, the Chinese Communist Party rolled out a new set of defense policies. It includes a 7 percent increase in defense spending and a plan to become an Arctic and Antarctic power. The CCP reiterated their expectation that the world will soon be doing business on its terms.

Our allies in the Indo-Pacific share America's commitment to free and democratic government. Like us, they are at risk of being overrun by China's push for global supremacy.

Effective American military strength in the Indo-Pacific is essential to the security of our allies, global trade, and democracy. That means we need to build a modern, credible, conventional deterrent to on-going Chinese territorial expansion. And it means we need a modernized nuclear triad to deter a broader conflict.

This is not about domination. It's about deterrence.

We must make any attack on Americans or our allies too costly for the Chinese Communist Party to pursue.

Section 1251 of this year's NDAA required Admiral Davidson to complete an independent assessment of what INDOPACOM needs to build a meaningful deterrence in the region.

He reported back that we need to make investments in integrated air and missile defenses, long range precision fires, and logistical capabilities that can survive a contested battlefield. Capabilities like the Guam Defense System using Aegis ashore and TACMOR in Palau will provide our forces with critical information about incoming targets. Long range precision fires, backed by more robust ISR capabilities, will create openings for our forces to move in a contested environment.

I don't think these capabilities are "nice to have". I believe they are the bare minimum we need to protect our forces and deter China's territorial ambitions.

This committee created the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to get honest military advice from experts like Admiral Davidson. We would be foolish to seek out his advice and then toss it aside. I look forward to hearing from Admiral Davidson today about these important priorities.

General Abrams faces a similar challenge. Allied forces under his command have been the backbone of deterrence on the Korean peninsula for decades. But we need to continue to improve our capabilities in the region to maintain that deterrence.

Even under extreme sanctions, North Korea continues to modernize its military, developing larger and more advanced missiles to threaten South Korea, Japan, and even the US mainland. We cannot afford to let that go unchecked.

I'm interested to hear General Abrams' thoughts on North Korea's newly publicized capabilities, as well as South Korea's on-going defense modernization.

I also want to know whether the new Special Measures Agreement announced this weekend will improve our ability to deter North Korean aggression. To effectively deter the threat posed by China, North Korea, and other adversaries, we must fill existing readiness gaps, while at the same time modernizing our forces. But that comes at a price. And it's not cheap.

The bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission recommended annual growth of 3 to 5 percent above inflation in the defense top line. Other defense leaders and experts inside and outside the Pentagon have affirmed that level of investment.

I understand some are opposed to spending what's needed. They'd like to see the money invested elsewhere. But I believe that now is not the time cut or even freeze defense spending. Doing so delays the development and delivery of critical new capabilities our military leaders need to maintain deterrence, protect our allies, and defend our nation.

After we hear about the threats we face from our witnesses today, and the other Combatant Commanders that will come before us soon, I hope we all can agree that we must keep investing in our defense.

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