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▶ 0:11:53morning this hearing of the subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs will come to order want to welcome everyone here today uh without objection the chair May declare a recess at any time I recognize myself for the purpose of making an opening statement good morning and welcome to the first hearing of the subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs I look forward to working with ranking member subrayan and all the members of the subcommittee throughout this Congress today we are here to get a better understanding of the challenges facing our national security and the urgent need to restore America's strength on the
▶ 0:12:23world stage over the past four years we've seen a series of policy failures that weakened our Global standing undermined National Security and emboldened our adversaries while the previous administration spoke of prioritizing American Safety and Leadership its actions certainly told a different story one of strategic drift reactive policymaking and diminished deterrence we see this in inop Pacific where us allies question our resolve and adversaries probe our vulnerabilities the previous administration's failure to respond decisively
▶ 0:12:53to challenges whether in the South China Sea the Taiwan straight or securing critical Supply chains has dissolved confidence in America's leadership similarly in Europe President Biden's Relentless demand that Ukraine become a part of NATO only exacerbated Russia's aggression the Biden administration's failure to communicate a clear in-game after Russia further invaded Ukraine allowing the war to drag on at Great cost to global stability and the American taxpayer in nearly three years the US allocated 124.5 billion in security assistance
▶ 0:13:23to Ukraine to put this in perspective the US spent nearly $89 billion in sec security assistance in Afghanistan over 20 years I cannot help but be concerned about the speed at which funds are being allocated and whether they they are being used effectively even though we support Ukraine uh against Invasion by Russian forces it is critical that we ensure accountability and strategic oversight of our financial support to re to reach objectives that benefit the US national interest unconventional threats in the digital
▶ 0:13:54domain continue to reveal vulnerabilities Nations States and criminal organizations engage in cyber Espionage and attacks against critical infrastructure the GAO has consistently named cyber security as a threat year after year on its highrisk list despite Decades of warnings the failure to prioritize this vulnerability continues to jeopardize our national security the lack of urgency with which the priv administration approached these vulnerabilities put American businesses and citizens at risk
▶ 0:14:24we must act to defend our cyber Frontiers invest in resilient infrastructure and strengthen public private cooperation to remain a global leader finally while the B Administration was preoccupied with other priorities the global terrorist threat grew The Botch withdrawal from Afghanistan was more than just a failure to execute it signal to the world that the United States was willing to abandon allies and leave security vacuums that enemies could exploit Iran back terrorist organizations such as Hamas Hezbollah and the houthis have escalated their attacks
▶ 0:14:55with alarming frequency October 7th 2023 terrorist attack on Israel was a direct consequence of failing to maintain strong deterrence in the Middle East the ongoing hostage hostage crisis in which several Americans remained captive underscores the price of the B administration's in action the Trump Administration has already demonstrated decisive action in securing the release of American hostages leveraging strong diplomatic pressure and strategic negotiations in contrast the bid administration's
▶ 0:15:25approach was slow and reactive leaving US citizens in God and elsewhere in prolonged danger with little tangible progress at home we cannot ignore the security risks posed by an unsecured Southern border since 2021 nearly 400 known or suspected terrorists have been apprehended Crossing into the country illegally and those are only the ones who we caught luckily president Trump has made a priority to restore border security after rapid action on day one we
▶ 0:15:55are already seeing results in just the first 20 the Trump Administration illegal border crossings decreased by over 90% according to the US border patrol president Trump's strong leadership reinstating the remain in Mexico policy canceling unlawful parole programs resuming border wall construction and deploying 10,000 US troops to enhance border security have all helped to reduce the threat of the Border president Trump is undoing the crippling policies of the bid Administration and returning the
▶ 0:16:25globe to peace through American strength Congress must support president Trump's efforts to Res to restore deterrence modernized defenses and reaffirm our commitment to an American First National Security posture I look forward to hearing from our Witnesses today I now recognize that ranking member superm for the purpose of making an opening statement uh thank you uh Mr chairman Timmons and thank you for holding this hearing I look forward to working together on the subcommittee and doing everything
▶ 0:16:55we can to ensure the safety and security of all am Americans and I also um you know want to make sure that this committee will support our military and Foreign Affairs Personnel here and around the globe and from our conversations it sounds like that'll be a priority for this subcommittee so I'm grateful for that and you know they and their families make so many sacrifices to our country and we thank them for their service and I want to thank today's Witnesses for appearing before the subcommittee to share their expertise as well and uh protecting the American people against emerging
▶ 0:17:25Global threats ensuring America's national security these are by partisan issues and we can agree that there are Global threats to the Safety and Security of the United States and its allies we can agree that we need a foreign policy that strengthens America's standing in the world combats our adversaries encounters extremism and we agree that we need to be prepared for those threats and preparation means having the tools having the technology and most importantly having the very best and most qualified Personnel to keep us safe and represent us on the world stage but
▶ 0:17:56what I and I think many others across the political Spectrum really are concerned about is this does this Administration know who our adversaries really are or who our allies really are two Does this does it understand what it takes and all the things we need to do to protect us from emerging threats and strengthen our standing in the world and three does it know who it takes to be prepared for these threats the Personnel the seasoned diplomats the military experts the technology experts I have some doubts honestly even these first
▶ 0:18:26few weeks of the administration and so many others and let's start with really defining who our allies and adversaries really are because I think there's some confusion and I can't believe we have to do this but I'm here we go uh Russia is not our friend Vladimir Putin is not a trustworthy partner they do not want integration and cooperation with us they want an independent sphere of influence that destabilizes Europe China is not our friend the CCP is also not a trusted partner not to mention their born record on human
▶ 0:18:56rights uh Europe is not our enemy we have similar goals shared values and more most importantly many decades of mutual trust and cooperation with the goal of global peace and stability Mexico is not our enemy they're not only a trusted Ally but their cooperation is integral when it comes to border security and fighting cartels Canada is not our enemy at least not outside the hockey rink they are a trusted Ally so why are we threatening to Annex them right now so let's ask the question of what it takes to be prepared for emerging Global threats
▶ 0:19:27and how the US can be a reliable partner in the world the answer is not erratic and unpredictable foreign policy the answer is not making and breaking promises to our allies the answer is not betraying our allies signaling to them that we are an unreliable partner if our allies believe that they cannot rely on us they will stop sharing critical intelligence that is a threat to our country intelligence sharing with our allies is a critical part of protecting America's national security and how do we expect to strengthen our ties and build trust if we're actively declaring trade Wars on our allies or for
▶ 0:19:57supporting Fringe extremist groups in their elections or if we're basicly calling our democratically elected allies dictators and finally is this Administration ensuring that we have the Personnel the institutional knowledge and the expertise to quickly and effectively respond to emerging threats this is what's happening right now is a brain drain in the federal government the shuttering of agencies and the disdain for our civil servants is a huge threat to our national security and actively goes against the goal of preparing the country for emerging threats how do we
▶ 0:20:27respond to emerging global threats when our president does not even seem to understand who our threats are or how we stop them instead of protecting our national security he's mimicking the propaganda of our authoritarian adversaries in some cases sending mixed signals to the world about what we stand for and the firing and firing the best people who are positioning us to keep us safe so I hope the members of this committee share my desire to conduct true oversight to further our shared goals of keeping our country safe and prosperous because this administration's foreign policy even to date
▶ 0:20:58is essentially surrendering to our emerging threats not addressing them headon it's making us weaker less prepared and it threatens our future and makes Americans less safe so I yield back I'm pleased to welcome a distinguished panel of witnesses who bring both experience and expertise that will be valuable to today's discussion I'd first like to welcome Brent Sadler who is a retired captain of the US Navy and led many initiatives in the indopacific during his tenure Mr Sadler is currently serving as a senior research fellow of Naval Warfare and advanced technology at the Heritage
▶ 0:21:29next we have Megan mobs uh who is a former Army officer paratrooper and combat veteran with an extensive background on defense National Security and Public Safety and is and currently uh serves as director of the center for American Safety and Security at the Independent Women's Forum next we have Jacob olart who is a preeminent scholar on issues related to the Middle East and is currently the director of the center for American Security at America First policy Institute lastly we have Charles who is
▶ 0:21:59a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international Affairs in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of government at Georgetown University I thank each of the witnesses for being here today and I look forward to your testimony um pursuant to committee rule 9g the witnesses uh will please stand and raise their right hand thank you uh do you somly swear or firm that the testimony that you about to give is the truth the whole truth and nothing
▶ 0:22:29but the truth so help you God thank you let the record show that the witness is answered in the affirmative you may take your seat we appreciate you being here today and look forward to your testimony let me remind the witnesses that we have read your written statement and it will appear in full in the hearing record please limit your oral statements uh to 5 minutes as a reminder please press the button on the microphone in front of you so that it is on and the members can hear you uh when you begin to speak the light in front of you will turn green
▶ 0:23:00after 4 minutes the light will turn yellow when the red light comes on your 5 minutes has expired and uh we would ask for you to please wrap it up um I now recognize Mr Sadler for his opening statement uh good morning chairman Timmons and ranking member of subar amum and and thank you for the opportunity to share my insights with the distinguished members of this committee and the American public it has been nearly four years since Admiral Philip Davidson the then Commander the indopacific command warned that China Was preparing in for a war over the fate
▶ 0:23:30of Taiwan by 2027 in that time since American statecraft has not risen to the times as recent world events make clear Russia has invaded Ukraine and waged the largest war of aggression in Europe since World War II and avoidable War but missed opportunities to posture military forces confusing diplomatic messages like president's minor incursion remark in late January 22 together with a persistent reluctance to arm Ukraine with the weapons with authority to use them as needed signaled
▶ 0:24:00a green light for Invasion and a predictable yearslong War of Attrition with Western allies providing Munitions and weapons to Ukraine in a prolific and unsustainable rate Iran through its proxies proxies attacked on October 7th 2023 Hamas launched a barbaric assault on urw Ally Israel which grew to include proxies in Iraq Syria Hezbollah in Lebanon and the houthis in Yemen the attacks in the Red Sea against our warships has further depleted American
▶ 0:24:30Munitions critical in a war against China 120 sm2 80 sm6 20 standard missile 3 and advanced sea sparrows that will take many months to replenish this followed the former administration's sanctions relief releasing more than $16 billion to Iran and non-response to Iran proxy attacks 83 of which against US forces occur between January of 2021 and March of 2023 only four of which of those occasions were responded to to this made clear to the mulles
▶ 0:25:00in teron the attack the time to attack was in China has also been very active testing a fractional orbital bombardment system that greatly complicates our strategic attack detection and defenses quadrupled its ICBM forces from 100 to 400 missiles while rapidly expanding its modern Navy to over 370 warships far in excess of our 295 warships this morning this has fueled a confidence and incre increased aggressiveness by its military
▶ 0:25:30violent and dangerous confrontations like that at second Thomas schol last summer that saw several Filipino Sailors injured one of which losing a thumb are unfortunately becoming the norm in each of these cases it's important to note that our allies play a role America First does not mean America alone and a key lesson of the Ukraine war many of our Asian allies have have noted is that an ally unable to defend itself or delay adequately an aggressor is a liability to our Collective defense
▶ 0:26:01and very likely to suffer defeat America must heed this lesson as well and tend to its defenses better to include securing our economy while our allies work with us to bolster our common defense that has been neglected for too long case in point Taiwan over 20 billion dollar in arm sales critical to detering a Chinese Invasion has languished for far too long this backlog must be cleared the reason for this is verion am Munitions like stingers and javelins to the war in Ukraine of
▶ 0:26:31course but also a lackluster and inadequate defense industry here at home this was made unavoidably evident as our domestic artillery munition production only 14,000 rounds a month at the beginning of that war couldn't keep up with the rate of expenditure on the battlefield Ukraine was needing to use and expend 20,000 rounds a day Taiwan is stepping up too with increased defense spending over 2% of GDP they have spent since 2022 in the Island's new president elected last year is moving forward to reach a 3%
▶ 0:27:01of GDP goal finally if we cannot secure our own Supply chains and sustain a wartime economy we are vulnerable to coercion by a China that effectively controls the terms of trade via its network of ports and Maritime dominance to be a good Ally the US must strengthen its defenses and Harden its economy by restoring a vibrant competitive Maritime industry the lessons of the last four years make clear sustain peace is only possible with the strengthening of our
▶ 0:27:31defenses you thank you I now recognize Dr mobs for her opening statement chairman timens ranking member of sub mayam and members of the subcommittee thank you for the opportunity to testify today on emerging Global threats for me this means having a timely discussion on the future of US foreign aid and the indispensable role of soft power in securing American interests the world is rapidly changing and authoritarian regimes are raging a Relentless campaign to expand their influence undermine
▶ 0:28:01Western institutions and reshape the global order they understand that power is not only measured in tanks ships and missiles but also in influence and perception if we are to Prevail in this competition the United States must effectively deploy both hard power and soft power hard power our military capabilities requires political will and material strength but soft power the power of our ideals our culture and all Global Partnerships requires equal political will and a disciplined strategic approach to the exportation of American
▶ 0:28:31values yet the American people have lost faith in soft power or foreign aid by another name and who can blame them for decades they were told their hard-earned tax dollars are being used to advance us interests build alliances and project American leadership abroad instead the last few weeks have demonstrated that Millions vanished into a bloated bureaucracy enriching contractors and NOS with Deep Pockets and deeper ties to Washington while the world grew more dangerous the American people do not forget when their generosity is exploited
▶ 0:29:02their security is put at risk and their trust is betrayed this is what the managed decline of American soft power looks like let's be clear usaid became a racket the real money was not in result but in relationships accountability was an afterthought success was measured by dollars obligated and not outcomes achieved worse usaid drifted from its original Mission it became a platform for social experiments disconnected from strategic interests and the needs of the local populations it purported to serve for example
▶ 0:29:32in regions vulnerable to Russian disinformation usaid directed resources towards advancing controversial social agendas in societies where such efforts were culturally alienating and counterproductive this not only undermined our credibility but provided Russia with powerful propaganda tools against us in the Middle East as Iran extended its reach usaid poured money into projects that have ties to terrorist groups and espoused anti-israeli commentary human rights matter freedom of expression matters freedom of religion
▶ 0:30:02matters but what we got instead was arrogance waste and failure and the American people saw that they saw their money squandered while their own communities crumbled similarly the United Nation now stands exposed as a relic of a bygone era far from effective at multilateral cooperation the UN has become a stage upon which authoritarian regimes flaunt their power and democratic nations flounder in procedural paralysis the time is come for United States to fundamentally reassess its support and potentially defund the UN
▶ 0:30:32altogether Defenders of the UN argue that its existence however flawed is better than nothing this is a dangerous delusion a system that legitimizes aggression and rewards hypocrisy breeds more conflict not less diplomacy devoid of enforcement is an invitation to lawlessness and we see the consequences of that today war in Europe genocide threats in the Middle East and an increasingly aggressive China in the Pacific the United United States must lead in forging A New Path clinging to a dysfunctional institution out of fear of the
▶ 0:31:02unknown is not leadership it is surrender multilateralism is not inherently virtuous especially when it shackles America to an institution that emboldens its enemies this is why the American people now view foreign aid as a dirty word not because we are isolationists not because they lack compassion but because they know a scam when they see one but here is the danger their anger though Justified is leading us towards retreat and Retreat is exactly what China and Russia want soft power is not charity
▶ 0:31:33it is a weapon one that when wielded correctly can shape the battlefield before a single shot is fired Beijing understands this Moscow understands this the question is do we understand this China's belt and Road initiative is not simply about building roads and ports it is about entrenching influence creating dependencies and expanding beijing's geopolitical reach Russia's disinformation and destabilization campaigns are not just about spreading lies they are about weakening Western alliances and exploiting societal fractures
▶ 0:32:03soft power when properly executed is a force multiplier when we build critical infrastructure in a developing country we deny China when we support independent Independent Media and Eastern Europe we blunt Russia these outcomes are not nice to halves they are core National Security imperatives we must rebuild The credibility of American soft power not as a vanity project for Washington Elites but as a weapon and defense of our nation in the Free World but it must be reformed refocused and reinvigorated peace through strength requires
▶ 0:32:34both the resolve to defend freedom and the wisdom to inspire it thank you thank you I now recognize Dr olidort for his opening statement Mr chairman Mr ranking member esteemed members of the committee thank you for the opportunity to appear before today last week we learned about an Israeli mother Shiri bibas and her two boys Ariel and Kaa here ages who today would be age five and two they were murdered in Cold
▶ 0:33:04Blood by monsters an autopsy of the bodies of the boys the youngest of whom at the time was just shy of 10 months old revealed indications of torture with bare hands in a further Twist of the knife when the caskets were returned and the expectation reasonable one that under these circumstances perhaps these Unthinkable circumstances a mother could be together with her children
▶ 0:33:35well shir's body was not there this is the true face and expression of what Hamas and its adversaries around the world and acolytes around the world uh truly seek it is a wakeup call to us about the true face of evil and our responsibility to never ever allow it to succeed the Middle East is the part of the world that I know best and it is there that I will focus my remarks today our close Partners in the region
▶ 0:34:05Israel and the Arab states are eagerly looking to the United States to lead I believe that what will happen in this region will shape world events for years to come with implications for how we deal with the People's Republic of China and with Russia president Trump and his team bring the exact right Focus Innovation and boldness to deal with this anti-American access their approach worked in 2017 yielding historic achievements and they will work today it is thanks to president Trump and to his team that we are finally
▶ 0:34:36finally seeing American hostages returning home from around the world including those who've suffered Unthinkable conditions in hamas's Terror tunnels the world in 2025 could not be more different from the one president Trump inherited in 2017 the Middle East has transformed overnight in unimaginable ways due solely to The Bravery and sacrifice of the men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli Air Force Through the invaluable support of the
▶ 0:35:06United States making Iran its weakest in decades and yet paradoxically Iran is also its most aggressive all as it inches closer towards acquiring a weapon those parts of the region that were once formerly part of its Empire of Terror parts of Syria and Lebanon thanks to the effectiveness of Israel's military pressure today are entering new new chapters of transition and uncertainty presenting
▶ 0:35:36challenges for us in the Middle East today I believe there are three key priorities for the United States that require urgent attention the first how to deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran the second how to effectively eliminate the threats facing Israel and the Third how to restart the Abraham Accords earlier this month president Trump reintroduced an expanded version of his maximum pressure campaign scaled to address the full gamut of threats that the Iranian regime poses
▶ 0:36:07to the American people both abroad and at home on that very same day president Trump unveiled a bold New Vision for the future of Gaza one that explicitly promises and guarantees the prosperity and security of the gazan people just as it does to their neighbors to the north this is a subject that nobody nobody had wanted to talk about much less for which anybody had previously offered a plan by making this announcement president Trump immediately catapulted this issue to the top of his priorities in the region
▶ 0:36:37compelling our regional Partners to cooperate on a plan as they are doing today it is in America's interest to see that Palestinians are free of Hamas of Islamic Jihad and of Iranian regime influence so what can Congress do there are two general things I think Congress can do the first and easiest is to go visit there is 's no better education you can give yourselves and your staff than to be on the ground visit key sites and hear directly from our friends on the front lines there's also no greater symbol of support than for our elected
▶ 0:37:08officials to appear shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends in their time of need second I encourage you to look and follow the administration's policy on Iran augmenting it as events develop on the ground while looking pragmatically at places like Syria and Lebanon and where our regional Partners can help lead and shape events on the ground to reinforce our deterrent against our adversaries this is not a job for the United States to do alone and yet it is only the United States that can point the way America First foreign policy is not America alone it is the projection of American
▶ 0:37:38strength abroad on behalf of the American people marshalling our allies and partners to Build a Better World of peace and security I encourage you to build that world for the sake of our people and for our children thank you and I look forward to your questions thank you I now recognize Dr cchan for his opening statement thank you uh Mr chairman I'm pleased to have the opportunity to share a few Thoughts with you this morning I think we are at a historical inflection point in the United States
▶ 0:38:08globally and that President Trump has the potential to be the Agent of Change that would adapt the United States and US Grand strategy to a changing world and it would adapt a world to a changing United States we've been through an era that we call Pax americ that opened at the close of World War II and it was based upon us Primacy it was based upon a thriving political Center in the United States
▶ 0:38:38the rise of the middle class fired by the industrial era and this gave rise to a certain kind of American foreign policy and a certain kind of international order anchored by the United States and I think we're now at the end of that era and the end of that era has been d driven by the onset of the digital age and by the erosion of the American middle class and with it the hollowing out of the political Center
▶ 0:39:09and we're also in an era in which power is Shifting in the International System from west to east and from north to south as a consequence we need to go from the old to the new and Trump if nothing else is a disruptor who recognizes that it's time to go from the old to the new the question that I have in my mind that I pose for the committee is President Trump going to be only a demolition man who brings
▶ 0:39:39down the old order and leaves us standing in the rubble or his he actually going to be someone who brings us from the old to the new and Builds an American Grand strategy and International System that is better that is more stable and that works better for for average Americans as well as for Global Peace there are aspects of Trump's foreign policy that give me hope he is more transactional and he is therefore talking
▶ 0:40:10to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping that in my mind is a good thing we need to talk to bad guys and not just to our friends number two he's pushing fair trade rather than free trade we have lived through several decades of hyper globalization that did did not work to the benefit of many Americans it's time to fix that number three less democracy promotion less time spending problems far a field more time spending
▶ 0:40:40uh uh spent uh solving problems at home number four immigration I don't think there's any American in this country who doesn't understand we have a broken immigration system and number five a leaner more effective and more efficient American government who can object to that goal that having been said I see four risks and they are very serious risks of where America First could run off the rails number one that this
▶ 0:41:10transactionalism turn into a unilateralism that leaves the United States isolated on the world stage bereft of the alliances that it has built since World War II and imposing tariffs on all of our partners in way that not just disturb our geopolitical relationships but fragment the global economy this looks a lot to me like the 1930s and Smoot Holly if we do 25%
▶ 0:41:40on Mexico 25% on Canada and 60% on China number two under reach what's happening today with with uh Ukraine is on the one hand a good idea we need to talk to the Russians but it has been handled very poorly there's no strategy why is Trump insulting zalinski why is he saying that Ukraine is to blame why did he just yesterday order his diplomats
▶ 0:42:11to vote no on a resolution at the UN that said this is Russian aggression if this isn't Russian aggression I don't know what aggression is and so we need a government that understands who's right and who's wrong and to stand up for a democracy that's struggling it for its survival number three yes let's not waste a lot of time trying to turn Afghanistan and other countries into Ohio but let's make sure we protect democracy here at home
▶ 0:42:41and I've studied what happened in Hungary and in turkey and other countries that became illiberal democracies after long runs of democracy we are not far from that outcome and I would ask this house this institution to make sure that it jealously protects its powers and that we make sure that the rule of law and that the norms and practices of liberal democracy are preserved final point I think the United States needs a better and
▶ 0:43:11more efficient government what I see happening is the United States is breaking its government president Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the US government and the world that America made your time's expired and it's time to speak up thank you I now recognize myself for 5 minutes of questions Mr Sadler the US is engaged in an era of great power competition yet our actions haven't always reflected the urgency of this challenge how would you assess the United States current
▶ 0:43:41strategic posture in relation to China and Russia and are we sufficiently prioritizing military Readiness and deterrence yeah the short answer is that we're shooting behind the duck to use a southerner's term here um we've admired this problem as as a nation bipartisan uh multibranch the executive Congress for far too long and the early 2000 China acknowledged recognized in the as the smoke was still rising over September 11th tax
▶ 0:44:11in 2001 that was their strategic window of opportunity and they have not failed to deliver on that they've rapidly grown across the board their military while we have shrunk and we need to do better it requires re reorganizing the way that we are uh doing business and government we do need to take a freshh perspective like we did in 1947 with the National Security Act and get ready and retool for this new cold war that we're in but the focus on just Readiness is a failure Focus just on capacity is a failure and focus
▶ 0:44:42just on some new capabilities and you know modern Weapons Systems is also a failure we're in an and world we have to do all three of those things if we hope to keep the peace all while realizing we have $36 trillion in debt sounds easy um a critical element to this problem is that the Biden State Department prioritized certain foreign military sales while ignoring others despite all being authorized by Congress it seems that the the future well at least in retrospect with um Ukraine it would would have been better to arm
▶ 0:45:12them prior to uh Russia invading the term that I think is used most is the porcupine method um as of September 2024 US foreign military sales backlog to Taiwan included 20.5 billion in weapons that had yet to be delivered what specific reforms are needed to ensure Critical Defense equipment reaches our allies in a timely manner yeah this is this one is uh troubling because the place where we could see the biggest war is with China and the United States
▶ 0:45:42and so it's imperative that we get these weapons to Taiwan Beijing does count bullets they count missile tubes they do count all of these things and their military to military balance it's the easiest most costeffective way to avoid what could be the most destructive war that we've seen as since we've became a nation uh of course looking back at Ukraine it you know thanks to president Trump and his first term he started moving in Lethal assistance uh it was a little too little a little too late unfortunately as we know in February of 2022 but we can't allow that mistake
▶ 0:46:12to be repeated in Taiwan the odds are too high so we need to get that moving it is processed as much as it's money but it's also industrial capacity and that means you have to sustain the demand with orders and with resources and budget and it's really a question question of prioritization thank you for that uh Dr olor can you outline the key differences between the Trump and Biden administration's approach to securing the release of American hostages absolutely thank you for the thank you for the question um in my view um president Trump inherited
▶ 0:46:43a bad negotiating hand with this process it's part of why um it's taken so long not the only reason but for one thing we should never have been a neutral broker we are a party to these negotiations we have American hostages there we should have never taken this passive approach that's just on the framing of it and there are also about a dozen Nations that were represented among the hostages in other words there are a lot of opportunities to reframe and reshape how those negotiations take place but I think the more important uh issue um is the
▶ 0:47:13withholding of assistance to Israel the operational and tactical Direction and uh management of Israeli uh military engagements in Gaza which are uh Far and Beyond any modern military uh in terms of preserving human life um that all had a corrosive uh effect by basically by showing a a a big gap between the United States and our close partner so I think those two hand inand uh were were problematic thank you um I want to thank each of the witnesses
▶ 0:47:43again for testifying what I'm hearing consistently from each of you is that we need to support president Trump's work to Leverage The Power of the US economy improve diplomatic relations and modernize our defenses and I realize that um some of my colleagues across the a going to take issue with the manner in which the administration is attempting to end the war in Ukraine but I will point out that they were able to get um Mexico and Canada to the table in just hours to secure their side side of the border before anybody could even
▶ 0:48:13throw stones at the proposal so yes we're in a unique era of um international relations but I do believe that these new approaches have potential and I do believe that secretary Rubio is very incredibly talented and has a potential to resolve a lot of these challenges ahead of us um thank you um that's all my I now want to recognize the gentleman from Virginia Mr suban for
▶ 0:48:43five minutes uh thank you Mr chairman uh I I heard a couple interesting things and um I'll get to them but first I wanted to talk about military personnel and in foreign affairs personnel because that's in the news a lot right now and there's many of them in my district I I I um in particular have talked to many um defense contractors um people who work for those contractors people who work at places like usaid and the defense department and
▶ 0:49:13one of the things I keep hearing is that you know they'll they'll go find a job in the private sector certainly this is hard on their families to have this unpredictability or be laid off altoe uh but what they're concerned about is the work really um a lot of their work uh sustains our uh importance and our uh influence in countries they work in or regions they work in a lot of our work and the work that they do is critical to our safety and sometimes it's it's not easy to explain it's
▶ 0:49:44not easy to explain you know nuclear scientists is making sure that our nuclear Arsenal is safe uh but um when you fire all the nuclear scientists one how are you supposed to get them back right having trouble getting them back and walking back that mistake for instance and two uh you know do other future nuclear scientists want to join our government and help be a part of the solution help the Safety and Security of the American people and take a lesser salary in
▶ 0:50:14many cases to do that um you know are we are we a good employer right that's going to be really critical and attracting the best and brightest talent in our government and so this is something I keep hearing over over again and when you especially when you uh cut off when you cancel a contract um many times the company will have spent many years U investing millions of dollars uh or more into trying to develop that technology or that asset and um and and that research and development
▶ 0:50:44ends up really going to the Wayside and we we go years behind we get years behind on Military technology and assets as a result and so I want to start there but um I ask for unanimous cons sent to enter into the record uh this um uh February 24th 2025 article from The Washington Post um titled us votes against UN resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war without objection so ordered uh and the first line says the United States
▶ 0:51:14voted with Russia North Korea Iran and 14 other Moscow friendly countries Monday against the UN resolution condemning Russian aggression and Ukraine and calling for the return of Ukrainian territory and I would just ask uh I I would ask our uh Witnesses today uh U Mr Stadler start with you uh do you believe uh Ukraine and zalinski was responsible for this war that's now oh thanks again uh for the chance to be here
▶ 0:51:45I'd say the first thing is the metric in which you evaluate success is it yes or no question do do you think that Ukraine was responsible for the do you blame Ukraine for the war that's happening right now no I don't Dr mob do you blame UK foring dror do you blame Ukraine for theing drin do you blame Ukraine for okay it's interesting and then what what about this UN resolution here do you feel like it was appropriate for the United States to vote against this resolution Dr Mr Sadler I think it's the wrong metric to to evaluate
▶ 0:52:15getting a lasting peace is the real thing not a meaningless un vote so you you believe that the UN we should have voted with Russia North Korea and Iran on this UN resolution no the end is what I'm focusing on do we get a lasting meaningful peace between Russia and Ukraine that serves American interest this vote will be forgotten if we get does this does this does this vote give us a lasting piece I think the jury's still out on that okay um dran do you believe this vote on the UN resolution
▶ 0:52:46gives us a lasting peace do do you think this was the right move for the United States uh no I do not I think the only way we're going to get a lasting piece is making very clear to Vladimir Putin that he can't keep taking territory from Ukraine that is the way to get peace it's to stop him and I think I would agree with that and something else Mr saler said was that if our allies can't defend themselves then they're they're almost they're not our Ally is that what you said i' love love for you to clarify that no absolutely I'd love to clarify that no
▶ 0:53:16what I saw firsthand in the summer of 22 in Tokyo was a for someone that grew up in Japan a very Stark change because of what they saw in Ukraine and the lesson they took from that and I've heard it in other countries throughout Asia is that if you do not take care of your defense adequately and you can't sustain yourself long enough for your allies to come in you are a liability to that Collective I would say what what I took from that what I'm taking from this administration's foreign policy is that uh we're not going to be there for our allies and so why would our allies
▶ 0:53:46want to trust us I yield thank you and I recognize the gentleman from Arizona Mr Bigs for five minutes thank you Mr chairman Dr mobs and your in your written testimony you open a section on multilateral institutions by stating the UN is a institution uh I used to represent NOS at many multilateral institutions including the United Nations and uh if you want to see illiberal democracy at work you need to just go up to the UN if you want to see corruption
▶ 0:54:16at work you just need to go to the UN so can you elaborate on your statement that's a institution absolutely I mean clearly it's paralytic it's bureaucratic there is evidence of corruption as you said if you read my written statement but just a few examples of that is the Rwanda genocide that we saw occur Bosnia Syria its inability to deter aggression in Ukraine not only that there was the oil for food scandal in 20 in 2004 um oftentimes they spend more money on conferences in the administration than they do actually on the programs
▶ 0:54:47there's been un peacekeeping abuses there's been allegations of sexual exploitation in Haiti Congo all over the place uh I am not against alliances but I think it is clear that this institution no longer serves American interests and is often times in fact contrary to American interests yeah thank you thank you for that I'll leave that and I just point out that when when in the discussion on soft power economic relationships trade relationships those are also um indicative of
▶ 0:55:17soft power as well and the US um is actually I believe Now using S this kind of soft power I mean you see it in the resp sponsored with Mexico and Canada just like licky split to actually close the border so now you have record lows you haven't seen this low number of daily Encounters in probably 30 years more I I don't know when I I grew up on the border I don't know when we've seen fewer than these so um I'll I'm going to go on now Dr Sadler
▶ 0:55:51Yos um they glad to have you here with us today um the weakness on the world stage embolden our geopolitical Rivals China and Russia continuously attacked us critical infrastructure with few consequences and what can the Trump Administration do to hold China and Russia accountable for these attacks well thanks this this is the challenge of this new cold war that we're in first we have to be willing to use all tools that are available to us for an endstate a strategic end and too
▶ 0:56:21often we've operated in cylinders of Excellence the economics kind of on their own the military off on their own The Diplomatic kind of on their own we need to bring that together and bring all those forces to bear and specifically uh just this morning actually in the last not this morning but the last 24 hours there was a vessel Chinese vessel yet again caught severing undersea cables to Taiwan that vessel is being boarded right now this is the type of I would say we're moving out of Gray Zone a comfortable Gray Zone that we've gotten too comfortable the last 20 years into a more real and more conventional kind of
▶ 0:56:51Confrontation so we have to be ready for these types of incidents we have to be able to hold hold those shipping I just want to interrupt you just for a sec when you talk about that that is that is not the first time that's happened even in the last six weeks that it's happened multiple times yes I I want to ask you this question uh it's been reported that chinese-backed hacking groups volt typhoon and salt typhoon have gained access to us energy and Telecommunications infrastructure these groups targeted existing law enforcement National Security intercepts
▶ 0:57:22the wiep access points uh and Mr chairman I'd like to submit for the record um uh an article called Chinese Telecom Espionage began with much broader aims and another one US officials urge Americans to use encrypted apps Amit unprecedented Cyber attack without objection so ordered thank you the same report suggest that these attacks were successful in accessing Communications of 150 select high value targets including people affiliated with president-elect Donald Trump the cyber attacks are so thoroughly embedded in Telecom
▶ 0:57:52infrastructure that federal law enforcement agencies urged Americans to in to use communication methods with encryption despite years of efforts by these same agencies to mandate similar backd doors and end to end encrypted apps uh Mr Sadler what do you believe the Trump Administration could do to fight against these cyber attacks there of course is the question of offensive where you have to put more cost and accountability on
▶ 0:58:22those that are launching these attacks that's always going to remain behind the veil of of secrecy But continuing to Resource and continue to sharpen those tools which in many cases may take months if not years to get the placement necessary so that when an actor like the Chinese Communist Party does do another attack against us United States and a Citizens that were able to Levy a cost on them and internationally you're seeing that the UK has secretly demanded that Apple create a similar back door to allow for government to spy
▶ 0:58:52on users encrypted accounts Senator Ron widen and I I uh wrote a letter to the Director of National Intelligence tulsy Gabbert on this issue earlier this month I asked that it be received into the record without objection ordered um gentleman oh how I wish I had more time thanks I now recognize a gentleman from Massachusetts Mr Lynch for five minutes thank you Mr chairman first of all I just want to say uh thank you uh to Mr chairman and and the ranking member for putting together a great hearing very very timely and important and I
▶ 0:59:22want to thank some excellent Witnesses for for your testimony varied in some cases but but very thoughtful nonetheless uh as the ranking member pointed out earlier in his questioning in recent days president Trump has falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war against Russia this is despite despite the fact that uh we all know that in 2022 President Putin actually took credit for this and I quote him he said I decided to launch a special military operation against Ukraine that's the mere fact
▶ 0:59:52also uh many of us on this committee and across Congress we sat and classified briefings for months for months as as Russia slowly moved uh mechanized armed divisions from as far away as vlat ofo like 4,000 miles away to the Ukrainian border and then finally uh as as all the witnesses have pointed out uh launch The Invasion he has also president Trump has also accused freely
▶ 1:00:23elected Ukrainian president zalinski of being a dictator and uh someone who just wants to keep the gravy train going in terms of of funding and uh as as the ranking member again pointed out just yesterday the United States uh had its un representative join Russia to vote against United Nations General Assembly resolution which condemned Russia's war against Ukraine which many Saw as a stab in the back
▶ 1:00:53uh to to Nato in a shameful reversal of longtime US foreign policy in support of Western democracy the president's dangerous lies in support of Putin who is nothing better than a gangster are shameful and make us look weak and strong we have strayed from the enduring purpose of US foreign assistance to defend human rights and basic freedoms abroad in the interest of US National Security that has been a policy that has been shared by Ronald Reagan
▶ 1:01:24and and Jack Kennedy uhon Reagan said our national interests are inextricably tied to the security and development of our friends and allies and President Kennedy similarly said he said foreign aid is a very powerful source of strength for us for our us long-standing support for Global democracy and security as defined by exceptionalism Dr cupin
▶ 1:01:55uh what advantage does the US get from its support we've we've supported Ukraine to the tune over $150 billion over the past five years uh Military Support 90% of that support was spent in the United States on you know through military contractors providing providing that Aid to to uh to Ukraine what's the advantage that we get from that
▶ 1:02:26the main advantage that we get from helping Ukraine survive as an country is investing in the security of Europe and Eurasia H going back to the early days of America's involvement globally we decided that we did not want to let that strategic Heartland be dominated by a hostile power and as a consequence we've taken steps to block Russia from doing that we are not not putting
▶ 1:02:56boots on the ground this is a good investment we're we're spending a a rounding error in the defense budget and we're blocking Russia one other point if I may our strong suit in standing up to Putin is our solid front with Ukraine and our allies and it's Pennywise and pound foolish to distance ourselves from Ukraine and to end up in a situation where the new German Chan
▶ 1:03:26on the eve of his election Victory says I don't think I can count on our alliance with the United States anymore something is wrong when that is the first statement of the new German Chancellor thank you Mr chairman I want to yield the balance of my time to the member thank you I want to um kind of finish along those lines uh if you saw you may have seen the The Cutting of usaid and firing of many of its workers and we
▶ 1:03:56heard a little bit about the China belt and Road initiative how do you think this is going to influence uh our sort of standing in the world Megan is right that there is waste there is corruption but you don't throw out the baby with the bath water you fix the problem and right now as we speak all around the world people are starving they're being denied medicine fundamental humanitarian assistance is being withheld who's
▶ 1:04:27benefiting our adversaries the Chinese the Russians and others who are filling the Gap thank you I thank you and I recognize the gentleman from Arizona Mr Crane for five minutes thank you uh Mr chairman for holding this uh hearing today on America's national security I want to start by asking the panel I'm going to start with you Mr Sadler um if you're aware of how our founding fathers felt about imperialism
▶ 1:04:57Empires well we fought a revolution to go against it right I think that's still True to this day what about you Dr mobs I would argue that it's no Kings just Patriots right I want to ask you I want to read some uh statements and see if you guys know who said this the Great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign Nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connections as possible does anybody know who said that George Washington yep George Washington
▶ 1:05:28how about this one peace Commerce and honest friendship with all nations entangling alliances with none Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson how about this one the United States have no business in making conquests nor in aspiring to any kind of Empire the principal object of government is to secure the happiness of society not to extend the boundaries of an Empire anybody know who said that come on can I guess yep John at Quincy Adams yes sir exactly why do
▶ 1:05:58you guys think that our founding fathers were so concerned with imperialism in Empire Building anybody anybody well I think the lesson of American citizens under the British Empire was a very personal one where you had soldiers in your house it's a lot of why we have our Bill of Rights uh the other is I think they were probably also students of history that those type of entanglements would basically bankrupt us and get us away from our core principles of democracy
▶ 1:06:28free Society Bingo does it concern you guys that we're $36 trillion in debt annual deficit of $2 trillion as we sit here and we talk about uh Glo the United States's Global involvement do any of you guys because I know you get this really economics probably isn't your uh core study but um do any of you guys wonder when when that Tipping Point is going to be whether it's $40 trillion in debt $50 trillion anybody ever wonder about that I wonder
▶ 1:06:59about it and worry about it cuz we ran deficits around 55 60% of GDP when we were Global power we're now at 120% plus and headed higher we're going to go bankrupt I I completely agree with you which is why I believe that the United States should be very cautious in extending itself too far and I believe in many ways that we have and I say this please understand as somebody who dropped out of college my senior year to join the the Navy and then the week after 911 and do multiple deployments
▶ 1:07:29so I do consider myself a patriot and somebody who loves this country but I do believe we've extended ourselves way too far and I think we should hearken back to uh some of the wisdom of our founding fathers I want to now go into uh NATO um Mr Sadler what percentage of GDP is the United States paying right now for uh National Defense uh around about 3.5% what about the other countries in NATO uh you got UK and several others come in around 2 and a half%
▶ 1:07:59on a good day France 1.9% Italy 1.5 Canada about 1.4 Germany 1.6 Spain around 1.2 do you think it's fair to the United States and our our citizens that you know these other countries that we have an alliance with aren't spending even 2% or 3% of their GDP I'd say it's actually even worse than being fair it's extreme dangerous and Reckless on their part absolutely what about you Dr mobs I
▶ 1:08:31agree I want to read you guys a list of um some things that we've recently covered about usaid which I actually tried to defund by 50% uh last year uh 1.5 million to advance diversity Equity inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities 70,000 for production of a Dei musical in Ireland 2.5 million for electric vehic vehicles in Vietnam 47,000 for a transgender Opera in Colombia 32,000
▶ 1:09:01for a transgender comic book in Peru 2 million for sex changes in LGBT activism in Guatemala 6 million to fund tourism in Egypt and I could go on and on and on do you think uh Dr mobs that that helps with uh uh the security of the United States that type of spending absolutely not and actually it erods our security absolutely uh next I want to talk about real quick um because I've heard some of my Democrat colleagues um you know rail against the Trump Administration foreign
▶ 1:09:31policy um who was the president when uh Russia invaded Georgia anybody know Obama uh Bush who was the president um when Russia invaded Crimea that was Obama that was Obama yeah who was the president when Russia invaded Ukraine first time or second time second time yep I I seem to be missing president Trump's name from that list so um I do think that peace through strength
▶ 1:10:02works why do you think that um Russia didn't make any uh moves why do you think that Russia didn't make any moves while uh president Mr cran Trump time's expired can can they can they finish answering my question no sorry we got to keep the clock um I now recognize the gentleman from Maryland uh Mr mumi for five minutes thank you very much Mr chairman my thanks to you and the ranking member for the hearing obviously my thanks also to the witnesses who've been uh witnessing this morning on a number of different
▶ 1:10:32things um I just want to try to bring a little perspective there's several things that I think well I know that I have to kind of point out here that are interesting if not uh confusing uh in 19 886 I sat at the White House with President Reagan I was a young freshman member of Congress he called us all down to talk about what it was going to be like going forward we laughed joked talked baseball but when he got to
▶ 1:11:02Affairs uh someone in our class asked Mr President what are we going to do about containing the Soviets and he in his own way said I'm going to tell you what I've learned from my predecessor that he learned from his predecessor and that he learned from his and that is that all politics stop at the waters Edge we may be Democrats Republicans and independents but all politics stop at the waterers Edge and so that's how I
▶ 1:11:32came into this Congress believing that that was just the rule of law it's the way we operated so I was particularly confused um as a member of the Ukrainian caucus long before the war started when uh president Trump just recently said that Russia did not invade theuk Ukraine and that uh the ukrainians somehow or another were theault here I just want to make sure we're on the record is a
▶ 1:12:02testimony of each of you that uh Russia did invade Ukraine yes or no yes yes okay do any of you know why the president said otherwise okay let the record reflect we've got unanimous consent that uh Russia invaded the Ukraine and none of us really know why um somebody was asking do you remember statements or slogans I'm going to ask all
▶ 1:12:33of you this uh do you remember who said are you going to believe me or Your Lying Eyes well I'll tell you it was George Jefferson on the Jefferson Show when he couldn't believe that Wheezy had told him something that did not exist so as we get older in life some things change some remain the same I'm concerned also about uh our Global Readiness uh and I'm particularly concerned when I have seen in recent weeks now
▶ 1:13:03the effort to severely tamper down uh the Black and Latino and Asian efforts uh within the military to bring young men and women in and to give them an opportunity and to call it Dei well you can't diversify the military the military is already Diversified 35% of the military racial minorities and so would I would think that since we don't have people beating down the door to join the military that when we've got bright young
▶ 1:13:34men and women we ought to be encouraging them so I was again taken back two weeks ago when the president um ordered that uh there' be no participation in the annual and the largest recruitment effort that takes place over a 3-day period where every uh Secretary of every arm service participated as did uh Rank and file members and others where recruitment was being done for young men and young women who were engineers who had big backgrounds in
▶ 1:14:04stem who were coming into our armed services and helping to deal with this Readiness issue deployment is is real serious we've got troops as all of you know station all over the globe we don't need to find ways to reduce our capability in that regard and so I would severely well I would seriously I should say hope that that sort of thinking does not pervade uh it's not good I'm I'm concerned also as a ranking member of the government operations committee that the Pentagon has failed seven
▶ 1:14:34straight audits seven and I've been working with them as a ranking member for the last couple of years along with the chair of that committee that's embarrassing so if we're going to talk about as we have usaid Which is less than 1% of the budget let's also find a way to talk about how we're going to make sure that the billions of dollars that are being wasted each year at the Pentagon does not continue to happen which affects every aspect of our ability not only to deploy but to be ready to fight and to do everything else
▶ 1:15:05uh and I don't see any urgency there so I want to make sure I am on the record saying we have got to find a way again to point out the fact that the Pentagon has failed seven straight audits there's a lot of waste Fraud and Abuse there and I yield the balance of my time to the ranking member I heal back to the chair thank thank you and I recognize uh the gentleman from Virginia Mr McGuire for five minutes thank you Mr chairman uh you know we live in a great country um and but it seems like in
▶ 1:15:35government and in politics we forget about we the people I'm I'm a very staunt supporter of limited federal government but if we do anything we should keep our people safe and I got to tell you I think our biggest threat is our our national debt if it was1 trillion dollar we should be sounding alarms everywhere and over the discussion today so far I've heard people saying we need more money for Taiwan we need more money for the Middle East well if we go to war we better win that war quicker we won't have money for the spare parts and so number one we have got to get our
▶ 1:16:05spending under control and I have a heart but there is so much waste Fraud and Abuse we've only been in this new Administration five or six weeks and I think we've just seen the tip of the iceberg we have competitors China Iran Korea uh Russia and we have of course the proxies and they are I think China's philosophy is everything can be used as a weapon and it should be used as a weapon uh Dr dobs
▶ 1:16:35you talked about hard and soft power and I'd like to ask you the first question is how would you uh Define how would you describe the Biden administration's foreign policy did that help or hurt our hard and soft power over the last four years so I would argue that they relied overly on soft sof power but I would actually argue that was a perversion of soft power it was a focus on these Progressive projects that actually didn't necessarily promote the necessary influence where we needed to and as a result you had ineffective
▶ 1:17:05foreign policy because there was an overreliance on soft Power Smart power is a successful integration of both hard power and soft power to get an effective outcome so you believe that these policies weakened the American people I do believe that yes thank you uh Mr Saddler uh how should China's Gray Zone tactics in the indopacific and other strategic regions concerned the US leadership now you talked about convention where they were cutting cables yeah so I've this is a topic I've spent a lot of time on and
▶ 1:17:35I'll try and do ad Justice by by saying very succinctly in one geographic area that really is a decisive theater that will get and keep China's attention where we can have an advantage that's South China Sea in Southeast Asia so we have to wage a maritime counterinsurgency against what they've been doing for the last several decades that is bullying bu in and chorusing our partners and our allies in the region top of the list that we have to do better by is the Philippines where I was just a few weeks ago I think it's become very clear it should always be clear that American
▶ 1:18:05leadership matters at home and abroad and by the grace of God we got president Trump back in the white house and I don't think we can remind everyone enough that he got a mandate from the American people he got the popular vote and he got the Electoral College um why do you I'd like to ask everybody real quick why do you think Russia did not invade Ukraine when he was in his first Administration and hold I will say this on the campaign Trail when people asked me about Ukraine what I said all the time is all the world leaders
▶ 1:18:36there's one world leader that said I just want people to stop dying and that was President Trump and I think I'll start with uh Dr cupin why Vladimir Putin chose to double down on his invasion of Ukraine when he did is difficult to say even Russians themselves can't say why February 2022 he pushed the button but you notice he didn't do that when Trump was in power uh no but he hasn't stopped when
▶ 1:19:06Trump is in power Trump's trying to negotiate a peace deal and Putin is bombing the hell out of UK making progress Dr oler sure in my view there are three uh reasons the first is uh president Trump ordered the killing of several hundred Russian green men in the Syrian desert uh the second he made it clear to Putin that he'd be disinvited from the G20 meeting if he done that and he gave Ukraine the javelins it needed and and he didn't say also that they could invade so Dr m i mean I would argue you saw exactly what I said earlier which was smart power the integration of hard power and soft power under the first Trump
▶ 1:19:36Administration and then I would just further and say the reason why it happened under Biden's watch is I do think Afghanistan withdrawal was the first Domino that then projected to the world our inherent weakness yeah Trump doesn't have a say doe deficit or difference um the other thing is that he also understood when Putin was doing kind of a test and so an intelligence pool to so to speak and he responded aggressively when he needed to and appropriately the the incident in Syria is one but it's not the only one also smart power
▶ 1:20:06peace through strength uh Dr mobs how would you define Trump's foreign policy agenda and we've only been started for we only been here six weeks or so and if you have any advice for the Trump Administration or congress so I would Define as unprecedented I think it's important um as other Witnesses said that he is speaking to Vladimir Putin that was a critical misstep by the Biden Administration and I would say that we have to establish we had saw in the first Administration which is that soft power or hard sorry smart power peace through strength in order to have an effective outcome thank you thank you
▶ 1:20:37I yell back I now recognize the gentleman from Texas Mr Cloud for five minutes hey thank you Mr chairman appreciate youall being here there couldn't be a more important topic than the security uh of our nation and uh what the security of our nation really means to the world you know over the last uh certainly our lifetimes here the last couple Generations we've been able to enjoy a world where the United States is the Premier influence in the world and what that's meant for the world has been scientific breakthroughs it's meant human flourishing going through the
▶ 1:21:07roof it's it's meant a lot of wonderful things for the world um by and large and um you compare the what the America First agenda is with which president Trump is bringing to the scene compared to the previous administration under President Biden um under Biden he ironically said in a speech during uh while he was in the Ukraine in 2008 he said we are trying to create a multi-polar world in other words the policy of the Biden
▶ 1:21:37Administration the Obama Administration at the time when he said that but uh once he became president of the Biden Administration was to create a world where the United States was not the Supreme influence in the world uh I was interested Dr mobs you spoke of the um the you said the perversion of soft power uh and that how I I just ask you this who is making those decisions we could talk about the Dei programs we can talk about all the crazy spending the the uh transgender operas and other seas
▶ 1:22:08and all these different kind of things because when I talk to ambassadors overseas they would say we want to align ourselves with the United States because we appreciate the freedom that you have stood for we appreciate what you meant for the world uh but we talk to China and they talk roads and bridges we talk to you all and it's it's social engineering against values that our our country disagrees with uh could you speak to that I think some of it is bureaucracy unchecked and if you don't mind I'll tell you a quick story so I've been to Ukraine many times 22 times since the fullscale invasion I've spent a lot of time there and
▶ 1:22:38this is a perfect example of where usaid has failed one of the things they were asking for and by they I mean ukrainians was tourniquets and not for the military for civilians civilians were dying and they needed tourniquets our usaid who was responsible for Aid was incapable of delivering tourniquets because the most rapid um agency within uh usaid is oti and that was how they could get potentially tourniquets to the people of Ukraine but they couldn't do medical equipment so we were unable to meet the need of the people we were purporting
▶ 1:23:08to serve and as a result You Know Who provided tourits China and they broke they failed so it's bureaucracy bureaucracy unchecked with zero oversight and no accountability I think it was you Mr Sadler who mentioned Afghanistan or I forget who said that one of you oh oh was it was you again uh being being the Tipping Point uh the beginning of uh kind of the domino effect that led to Ukraine uh it was interesting during the it was actually tragic during the Afghanistan withraw we had a number of
▶ 1:23:38people on airplanes uh ready to go we had the Manifest we had their IDs people who should have been evacuated and we were calling the state department literally I have this on my phone I'm calling the state department the Taliban was willing to let them leave we had countries willing to accept them and our own State Department was calling ahead to other countries to tell them don't let that plane land and therefore they wouldn't uh and of course we know the tragedy of what happened in Afghanistan overnight you had a semif free not in the context of the United States
▶ 1:24:08but overnight they went to you have the Bible app on your phone you're being ex you executed um and so we speak about the internal threats but a lot of these policies are being driven by our own State Department I guess is what is was my concern is I think that's absolutely right I think that the the the Afghanistan situation is actually quite more complicated than that because I think what you saw was an overt politization of things that shouldn't have be politicized the intelligence Community the Pentagon then the entire National Security apparatus and as a result you saw everything
▶ 1:24:38fail I think that you saw unfortunately hard power fail in some ways but truly soft power and that is what projected to the world that we were unprepared and unwilling to do what was necessary and as a result I do think that that was a green light for many of the worst actors in the world to do whatever because they felt they could do it unchecked Mr Sadler I wanted to ask you there was some concern about military recruiting uh under the president under President Trump's Administration could you speak to has that gone up or down since he's been elected oh it's it's going through the roof
▶ 1:25:08in a good way yeah record numbers of of recruiting okay just wanted to make sure could you also speak to the effects that Dei had uh when it came to it there was a comment that in the military we're already Diversified I would say or that's great the therefore maybe we don't have to have needs for classes on critical race Theory and the like yeah Dei at its at its roots is a Marxist IDE driven by Marxist ideology critical race Theory but the manner in which the last Administration tried to implement it had an alienating and
▶ 1:25:38divisive effect when we could have actually taken a far better approach sending out recruiters to communities that haven't seen a military recruiter high schools that haven't allowed them in the past but to try to get them in there that's the type of diversity in Geographic but also communities that we should have done but instead they pursued an identity uh line that fit right in with the Marxist approach which was about division thank you thank you chairman in closing I want to thank our Witnesses once again for their testimony today I now yield to ranking member sub
▶ 1:26:08manum for closing remarks uh thank you Mr chair uh you know I appreciate the witnesses coming today I appreciate everyone on the committee and and the chairman I uh I just want to reiterate I'm going to be a broken record at this Congress how important it is to have really good people in our military and in our civil service uh and at the state department all our agencies that serve us and if we are prioritizing loyalty over competency we are not going to have the best people if we are firing
▶ 1:26:39people who do really cutting edge important research and technological innovation in our military and in our civil service we are not going to have the best people we're going to be less safe we're going to have more emerging threats uh we didn't talk a lot about Iran but I want to make sure you know I think there's bipar and consensus that Iran is a real threat and has destabilized the Middle East through its actions funding groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and uh we have to make sure that we work together to address that threat as well and I I
▶ 1:27:09heard something about Empire building and you know last year during the campaigns I uh you know certainly there was um you know this um sort of rhetoric about let's be a little more isolationist perhaps let's put America First and not be entangled in foreign affairs but then I was confused that the president's first press conference he's talking about taking over Greenland and taking over Panama and and annexing Canada and even you know more recently turning
▶ 1:27:39Gaza into the French Riviera and that doesn't sound isolations to me that doesn't sound like you know minding your own business and that doesn't sound like avoiding Wars that sounds like perpetuating Wars especially when uh the president actually went out of his way to say he wouldn't rule out ground troops into those areas in those regions uh I think there's a lot of contradictions with this administration's uh foreign policy and I think that it's confusing our allies it's confusing me and Congress confusing a lot of us and it's
▶ 1:28:09not helpful words matter and the words coming out of this Administration are not helpful when it comes to addressing our emerging threats we need to have more consensus around making sure that we are with our allies that we know who our adversaries are and that we work together to resolve these issues instead of confusing and instead of the chaos thank you are you Mr chair thank you for that I now recognize myself for closing remarks I want to thank you all for being here uh today it's very helpful you presented a lot of good ideas
▶ 1:28:39and things for us to think about and work on for uh this Congress I'm going to highlight just some thoughts on Ukraine and then spending in general so uh I just got back from the Munich security conference there were hundreds if not thousands of diplomats from all over the world and Ukraine was obviously top of mind and I think it's important and I kept going back to the history of how we got here because I think um you really have to start there and in 1991 few people know this the third largest nuclear power in the world
▶ 1:29:10was Ukraine they had 2,300 nuclear weapons and Bill Clinton and the Russians agreed in a trilateral uh agreement to give up all of Ukraine's nukes give them all back to Russia in exchange for Russia agreeing uh to um recognize the sovereignty of their borders and the US this is fun agreed to defend Ukraine and that was in 1994 so fast forward um 2014
▶ 1:29:41uh President Obama did nothing uh or not enough when Russia invaded Crimea and then fast forward to 2022 and President Biden after his horrific withdrawal from Afghanistan um again did nothing so as we talk about the the word confusing was used uh approach that this Administration is taking to uh Ukraine in an attempt to end this war I think that President Trump
▶ 1:30:11deserves the benefit of Doubt deserves some leeway to engage in this process to try to end this war and you know the most frustrating thing for me was that one of the confusing things coming out of this is zelinsky's uh flip-flop on mineral rights because when uh the vice president and the Secretary of Defense were there for the first day or two in Munich there was widespread agreement about a plan on mineral rights and then they left and within 24 hours zinski is now criticizing
▶ 1:30:41the US criticizing Trump criticizing uh secretary Rubio it actually didn't make any sense to me and I think that President Trump's um language is because of that and I think zalinsky needs to appreciate that we are running out of Grace as it relates to this conflict and president Trump has the ability to and secretary Rubio has the willingness to end this conflict and you know we're going to have um some Whiplash over the next
▶ 1:31:11couple of weeks as they do that but let me tell you a little spoiler alert it's going to end because that's what president Trump said was going to happen and I believe that zilinsky needs to appreciate that he is not going to uh become a member of that's just not going to happen it's a red line for Putin and I don't know why we keep talking about it doesn't mean that President Trump is not going to create a scenario in which the United States defends Ukraine in the future that's the purpose of the mineral rights deal so we got to give a little uh leeway to president Trump and to his team they have
▶ 1:31:41earned it as to the UN resolution there were competing resolutions um the US resolution was focusing more on ending the war and the European resolution was focusing more on uh how it started and I I do believe that everyone agrees that Russia is entirely and unilaterally responsible for invading Ukraine and I think that the most important thing is ending this so I if those are just general thoughts on Ukraine I guess
▶ 1:32:12last is spending so we get a lot of there's a lot of consternation about President Trump's uh desire to cut waste Fraud and Abuse and to give our fiscal situation under control I also serve on the Doge subcommittee and while uh he has tasked Elon Musk with addressing this massive huge challenge it is President Trump's direction that Elon Musk is taking so you know Elon Musk is only doing whatever president Trump tells him to do
▶ 1:32:42and president Trump is the one that is responsible that is our democratic system of government and that is what 77 million people voted for and you know while he has started um in certain government agencies because they were the easiest I want to point out that uh Pentagon spending is on The Chopping Block I mean I couldn't be more pro-military and I'm one of the four members of Congress that still serves in the military I'm still a captain of the South car International Guard but secretary heith has said and this is kind of shocking um
▶ 1:33:12this is actually really shocking that his goal is to cut 8% of the pentagon's budget each year each year I haven't talked to Mike Rogers about this but he's probably having fits um I just want to point something out that takes us in year five down from $890 billion do in annual defense spending to again 8%
▶ 1:33:43each year compounding $580 billion would be our defense budget in uh 5 years so the spending is not going to be only on uh Democrat priorities it's not only going to be on the role of uh foreign aid it's going to be across the board because we have 306 trillion do in debt and we have a$2 trillion annual deficit so we're going to systematically find waste Fraud and Abuse we're going to systematically try to find cost savings across the government
▶ 1:34:13and that is something that we actually just have to do uh we're playing musical chairs and we're running out of time and we got to save our social safety net program and in order to do that we have to fix them and we have to continue our leadership role in the world but in order to that we have to reassess every dollar we spend and make sure that it is uh done wisely so I look forward to um this Congress and to uh engaging in oversight over um the military and Foreign
▶ 1:34:43Affairs and our national security and um with that I will yield back and without objection all members have five legislative days within which to submit materials and additional written questions for the witnesses which will be forwarded to the witnesses if there's no further Business Without objection the subcommittee stands adjourned thank
▶ 1:37:22e for