Above: Senator Shelby questions Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey
WASHINGTON – On Tuesday before the U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Sen. Richard Shelby quizzed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey over President Obama’s 2014 defense budget proposal.
Shelby keyed in on two areas, first with how serious the threat of North Korea is to the United States and our interests.
“[T]here’s very little question that the Chinese have more influence with North Korean than any country,” Hagel replied. “And, without veering off into the secretary of state’s province, I would say that the Chinese have been helpful in dealing with the North Koreans. We have different issues, different, agendas, different interests. But we also have many of the same interests that are parallel and intersect. North Korea is one. How dangerous is North Korea? Dangerous in a sense they are unpredictable. They have capacities. We know that. We have allies there, starting right on the border on the DMZ with our allies in South Korea.”
Hagel went on to say North Korea remains a dangerous and unpredictable country. Dempsey agreed and said that included North Korean threats against the mainland United States.
“You ask about what are our national security interests on the Korean peninsula,” Dempsey said. “I would list four very quickly — one, defend the homeland. They are seeking to acquire the ability to reach the homeland or some of our territorial interests in the Pacific. So we have a clear interest — a national security interest.”
Other interests Dempsey cited included preserving the armistice between the two Korean nations, acknowledging the risk to the United States in how they procure technology, specifically nuclear and ballistic missile technology, and maintaining the U.S. commitment to allies in the region.
Shelby finished up his time by asking Hagel to touch on cyber security, particularly with regard to commercial and military interests.
“It’s one of the very few areas in the FY2014 budget where we have asked for an increase, for obvious reasons,” Hagel replied. “I have said many times, Sen. Shelby… that I think the cyber threat is probably the most insidious, dangerous threat overall that this country and there are a lot of threats. But it crosses every line. You don’t know where it is coming from, you don’t know when it’s coming. This is a very significant threat and I think everyone understands that in the Congress. We do. As you noted, it takes down industrial based secrets and it can essentially paralyze economies.”
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