House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) delivered the following opening statement at a hearing on the U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Chairman Rogers' Statement as Prepared for Delivery:
Today, we continue our posture hearings with INDOPACOM and U.S. Forces Korea.
As we meet, our adversaries are deepening their cooperation. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are working together to challenge the United States. Recent reports of China and Russia’s support for Iran during Operation Epic Fury are just the latest example of this cooperation.
In his threat environment, President Trump was right to commit to a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget. This investment is essential to rebuild our military and ensure peace through strength. I look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to get it enacted.
In particular, this investment is critical to addressing our most pressing challenge: deterring China in the Indo-Pacific.
Under Xi Jinping, China is pursuing a historic military buildup. It now fields the world’s leading hypersonic missile arsenal. The PLA is on track to exceed 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.
China is the world’s preeminent shipbuilding nation. And its growing arsenal of conventional long-range strike, cyber, and space capabilities increasingly puts not only U.S. interests in the region at risk, but also the U.S. homeland.
And China is not just building capability, it is demonstrating intent. In a December exercise, the PLA encircled Taiwan and rehearsed operations to isolate and seize the island.
To ensure the Department can deter China through strength, we must:
- improve integrated air and missile defenses, including the Guam Defense System;
- scale production of innovative, low-cost munitions and attritable unmanned systems;
- replenish our munitions stockpiles, especially long-range fires; and
- rebuild and modernize U.S. shipbuilding.
Moreover, we need a strong network of alliances and partnerships.
Fortunately, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia are increasing their defense spending and providing critical access and basing that enable our forces to operate throughout the region.
Taiwan, too, has made strides in strengthening its self-defense capabilities and is already spending about 3% of GDP on defense. And like President Trump, the Taiwanese President is also proposing a special budget to bring their defense spending closer to 5% of GDP. I encourage their legislature to pass it as soon as possible.
The stakes are clear for not only Taiwan, but also the United States: a cross-Strait invasion would disrupt the global economy and enable China to dominate the Pacific and its key sea lanes to America’s detriment.
The time is now to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses. I urge the Department to move quickly to execute congressionally-appropriated funds for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The recently announced $11 billion U.S. arms sale is a positive step, but we must make use of every available authority to arm Taiwan.That is consistent with the 2026 National Defense Strategy’s call to build a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain.
While China is our pacing challenge, North Korea remains a persistent threat that cannot be ignored. North Korean forces are gaining real-world combat experience fighting for Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. In return, Putin is giving Kim advanced technologies to greatly enhance his military capabilities. North Korea’s advancing cyber, nuclear, and missile arsenals threaten both South Korea and the U.S. homeland.
Therefore, I am encouraged that South Korea is demonstrating a clear commitment to taking on significantly greater responsibility for its own defense. But that progress must not be undermined by a premature reduction of U.S. forces from the Peninsula or a premature transition of wartime operational control.
I want to thank our witnesses for being here and for their service to our nation.
I look forward to hearing how we can work together to ensure our warfighters have what they need to maintain stability and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
