Rogers: ‘Indo-Pacific home to the greatest threat we’ve faced’

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) continues to highlight the national security threat from North Korea and China.

Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, spoke about the issue during a hearing on U.S. military posture and national security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

Chairman @RepMikeRogersAL delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on U.S. military posture and national security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.                                                     https://t.co/00ukkZEPeF pic.twitter.com/RGs0UfCH73

— Armed Services GOP (@HASCRepublicans) April 18, 2023

“The Indo-Pacific is home to the greatest threat we’ve faced in generations,” Rogers said. “In North Korea, we have a madman who would rather build an illegal nuclear arsenal than feed his starving people. The world has sat by while Kim has lobbed ICBMs over his neighbors, rebuilt his nuclear testing facility, and expanded his inventory of warheads. Last week’s announcement that North Korea tested a solid-fuel ICBM is the latest in extremely troubling news. It eliminates the time-consuming liquid fueling process, making it much harder for us to detect the missile and neutralize it before launch.”

The congressman said an effective missile defense system is absolutely necessary to combat the threat our adversaries in the region.

“That’s why it’s so imperative for us to invest in missile defense and accelerate the Next Generation Interceptor program,” Rogers said. “A strong missile detect and defeat capability is also critical in our deterrence of the Chinese Communist Party. We’ve talked a lot this year about the growing threats we face from the CCP.”

Rogers also criticized recent activity by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that he believes are a part of an effort to “intimidate” the U.S.

“It’s gotten to the point where Xi’s foreign ministry is now seeking to intimidate the Speaker and other members of Congress just for supporting democracy and self-determination for the people of Taiwan,” he argued. “This is not how responsible nations behave. Especially not nations armed with nuclear weapons.

“We have no choice but to take Xi’s threats seriously. And we have to be resolute in our response.”

He believes the U.S. response to China should be:

• We need to accelerate our own military modernization.
 
• We need to enhance training and readiness in the region.
 
• We need to better distribute logistics throughout the Pacific.

• We need to expand and strengthen our partnerships in the region;
 
• We need to better arm our allies with agreements like AUKUS.
 
• And, we need to expedite the delivery of arms and training to Taiwan so they can better defend their democracy.

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee