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COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - Today, a Congressional Delegation led by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and including Reps Henry Cuellar (D-TX) Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) concluded a two-day visit to Sri Lanka. In Colombo, the Delegation met Sri Lankan President Maiyhripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Karu Jayasuriya Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, and R. Sampanthan Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition and Tamil National Alliance. During their meetings, the delegation emphasized the shared values of democracy, rule of law and freedom of the seas. They encouraged Sri Lankan leaders to continue vital constitutional reforms and stability efforts.

PARIS - Yesterday, a Congressional Delegation led by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and including Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), honored the fallen at the Belleau Wood Battlefield , and the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France.

As Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said, “In the Indo-Pacific region, the United States faces a near-term, belligerent threat armed with nuclear weapons and also a longer-term strategic competitor. In fact, four of the five key security challenges -- China, Russia, North Korea, and terrorism -- reside in the PACOM area of responsibility. Critical to meeting all of the challenges in the region is our relationship with our allies and also with countries with whom we share interests.”

China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran all take advantage of America’s open society to launch malign influence campaigns against the United States and our allies. While these campaigns are the result of centralized government strategies, America’s response is often decentralized or poorly-coordinated.