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Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. Mr. President and my colleagues, for too long, political leaders have shied away from being honest and having a difficult conversation with the American people about our national security. Elected officials have kicked the can down the road, failing to tell the country just how dangerous the world has become. It is past time to confront this issue.

Many Americans do not know that the safety we enjoy has been secured by a global network of U.S. military bases, diplomatic efforts, and international coalitions, as well as massive amounts of equipment and ammunition. We have taken our security for granted, not knowing that much of it has been enabled by a previous once-in-a-generation investment made decades ago.

President Ronald Reagan led Congress to rebuild the U.S. military in the 1980s. I will hasten to add that it was a bipartisan Congress who joined President Reagan in this effort. Americans have been living off that investment ever since.

Because of those efforts, we have rested easy under the umbrella of overwhelming military superiority. Today, though, our military streak is diminishing to dangerous lows--dangerous lows. That umbrella of security has become a false sense of security. The U.S. Navy is the smallest and oldest it has been in over eight decades--80 years. Our Air Force is shrinking. Much of our military infrastructure is out of date.

This is a fact, and it is no secret. Time and again, U.S. military leadership comes before Congress and tells us we are facing the most dangerous security environment since at least the Cold War, if not since World War II.

Most Americans don't know that we are long overdue for a generational replenishment of our weaponry. We have delayed updating our military even as China has gotten closer and closer to matching our military might. The news gets even worse: China is actually multiplying its strength by spearheading a new axis of aggression, joined by Russia, Iran, and North Korea. So far, China has not moved against us because its dictator, Xi Jinping, knew he would lose, but just over the horizon, he might have reason to feel differently.

We in Congress must tell the American people what is at stake. Failing to deter China would immediately trigger a global economic depression. Losing to Beijing would extend the hardship, darkening the course of the entire 21st century. I am not trying to be alarmist, but we need to be honest.

This bleak future is possible but not inevitable. I recently introduced a detailed plan to rebuild American military might and restore our ability to deter threats. It would be a downpayment for our future. It would be expensive--many worthwhile things are expensive-- but it would be far less costly than war.

Political neglect has put us in this vulnerable position. It does not have to be this way. My goal is to launch a much needed conversation about how we can turn the page on that complacency and to get started right away with corrective action. I have been inviting my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join in this discussion. I will continue to extend that invitation. But there is really no time to waste. We need to get started this year. We can do so next week when the Armed Services Committee in the Senate begins the NDAA markup, the National Defense Authorization Act. During our meetings, I will introduce an amendment to raise the level of this year's defense investment significantly. My amendment will be an opportunity for the kind of debate for which this Chamber is renowned.

In considering national spending priorities, we have thought of ourselves as hamstrung by spending caps, but we simply have to dream bigger when it comes to our vital national security. I hope this debate will lead to a defense topline number that meets the moment.

President Reagan's buildup kept the peace and won the Cold War, and it did so without firing a shot. The future can be just as peaceful and secure for our children and our grandchildren, but it is time we made that investment in the future.

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