Today I was pleased to meet with President @ashrafghani at #MSC2019 to thank him for his leadership and to hear his assessment of the political, economic & security situation in Afghanistan.
It is clear to me that @POTUS’ South Asia strategy is working. It has given the Afghan people a real chance to achieve a sustainable peace. At this pivotal moment, American support for Afghanistan remains critical.
I also met with @NATO SecGen @jensstoltenberg to reaffirm America's ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance. America's allies have our back. They're fighting with us in Afghanistan. They're unified w/ us in condemning Russia's violation of the INF Treaty.
They’re doing more to shoulder the burden of common security with more than $41 b in extra defense spending since @realDonaldTrump took office. A strong NATO is not just good for Europe. It is in America's national security interest.
I also met with Poland’s Minister of Defense today to discuss our alliance and robust security cooperation. We also discussed the future of an enhanced US military presence in Poland, which is the subject of an upcoming Department of Defense report directed by last year’s NDAA.
Visited with German Minister of Defense to affirm the importance of the US-German alliance and emphasize our shared commitment to increasing NATO burden sharing in all its forms - cash, capabilities and contributions. #MSC2019
Good to catch up with Acting Secretary of Defense Shanahan at Munich Security Conference today. Pleased he could be here to represent the United States to our allies and partners.
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Yesterday, during substantial questioning from my @SASCGOP colleagues and myself, we learned a lot from top military leadership about President Biden's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Here are my top takeaways ↓
Military leaders advised @POTUS to keep at least 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
Reminder: On August 18, President Biden said, it “wasn’t true” that his advisors said this…“No one said that to me that I can recall.”
Here's what Generals Milley and McKenzie told us yesterday ↓
Another thing we learned yesterday? Al-Qaeda is reconstituting in Afghanistan & Al-Qaeda & other terrorist organizations could have the capability to strike our homeland as soon as a year from now.
Don’t forget - in August @POTUS falsely said Al-Qaeda is “gone” from Afghanistan
Tune in now as I deliver opening remarks at a hearing on @POTUS's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan & the Administration's future plans for counterterrorism. @SASCGOP is here today to understand what happened, why military advice was ignored & who should be held accountable.
I want to be perfectly clear: the frustration on this committee about the chaotic & deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan is not—and should never be—directed towards our troops. Our men & women in uniform bravely volunteer to go into harm’s way to keep their fellow Americans safe.
.@POTUS and his advisers who put our troops in a dangerous and difficult situation.
Even worse: this was avoidable. Everything that happened was foreseeable. My colleagues on this committee and the commanders in charge—we saw it coming.
Proud to announce the completion of the 60th Annual National Defense Authorization Act — a bill that champions our troops, supports our military families, and strengthens our national defense. #FY21NDAA
There’s nothing else on Capitol Hill that has gotten done for 60 years straight. That’s because this bill is the most important thing we’ll do all year. Here's what the #FY21NDAA does to secure our nation today and defend tomorrow: armed-services.senate.gov/download/fy21-…
I extend my gratitude to @SenJackReed, @RepAdamSmith, and @MacTXPress for working with me to complete this conference agreement. While we have not agreed on everything, the’re’s one thing we have agreed on: We need to get this done.
Today’s @SASCMajority hearing on the NNSA budget was an important one. What we heard from our witnesses was serious: U.S. nuclear forces are long overdue for a major overhaul. Facilities are crumbling, weapons are becoming obsolete, and we’re falling behind China and Russia.
I asked our witnesses to describe just why it’s so important that the federal agencies charged with protecting our nuclear deterrent work together. It’s a matter of responsibility to our taxpayers — and it’s a grave matter of national security.
Unfortunately there are policy proposals coming from House Dems & unelected bureaucrats that would do just the opposite. As Secretary Lord told us, it would make our system less efficient, directly impair our ability to deliver key weapons systems & create a lot more bureaucracy.
The 1033 program allows @DeptofDefense to transfer surplus equipment – like vehicles, boots, computers, and more – to federal, state and local law enforcement. This equipment is always demilitarized to be appropriate for public safety use.
For years, local law enforcement agencies have been asked to do more with less, and now, as they face liberal calls to defund the police, we need to be continuing this transparent, responsible program.
I am offering an amendment to the #FY21NDAA that improves the 1033 program by prohibiting the transfer of weapons that law enforcement can’t & shouldn't use, like weaponized drones & lethal grenades, and by training officers in de-escalation & protecting constitutional rights.