Transcripts For CSPAN2 Administration 20240704 : vimarsana.c

Officials in the state department the pentagon u. S. Agency for international developmen■n tes■4■;fi the pacis region. They also considered some of the challenges the island nation face including Climate Change, e and chinas presence in the region. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing is just over 90 minutes. [background noises]■ this hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order. For thousands of years pacificfq islanders have been masters of the seat navigating oceans by canoe guided only by the stars. With Climate Change and globalization h yitting their sh innovators on how to save their heritage. There are over a million and a half americans and pacific from freely associated state serving in the United States armed forces. This put people to people ties at the heart of our reliohi a ps been a vital and Strategic Interests of the United States. During world war ii u. S. Navy built an airstrip what is now nation. But today it is the peoples republic of china that is planned to rebuild the f beijing is signaling is policing deals to provide cybersecurity and Community Policing assistance in the since the islands change their recognition from taiwan to china, prc nationals have moved to the islands. Market with lowcost goods. Distracting timber and fish and other resources. Bringing in tours and practices that threaten the natural environment. In some cases setting up transnational criminal operations that in the limited capacity of global Law Enforcement. All of this compounds t forces that drive young people to search for Economic Opportunities elsewhere. Developments are deeply concerning to the United States and region like australia, new zealand, and japan. At the same time Pacific Island nations on the front lines of the Climate Crisis. Many are only a few feet above sea level. This makes them particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events on climate chae. Not onlye uninhabitable in the coming decades a serious threat to installations. Earlier this years series of extreme waves of damage and military base at the Marshall Islands. And missile test range for the United States the department of defense and some of the armys most sophisticated tracking equipment. Pleased by the administration is to prioritize our engagement in the region. Building new embassies is not easy we all know that. Especially wetland in the domestic capacity is limited ocean levels are rising. But i want to encourage the department to be creative and q. Beijing will not slide out its efforts to gain influence in this important region, neither should w congress recently passed and funded for all three Free Association nations we are glad it was for more than 40 years agreements have governed the critical relationships printed by the administration has called the b■grock o pacific. I want to thank senator manchin, barrasso Ranking Member for their bipartisan leadership in getting th signed by the president also want to acknowledge the leadership of senator schatz and her ohno in regard to that agreement. I wish the same spirit of cooperation applied toward china bill and the administration outcompete chinas proposal which ps years budget. The u. S. Competition with china concerns almost every Single Member of our committee as well as most members of the United States senate. I appreciate the staff on both sides getting us about 80 there but we now need to reach the finish line. If we are serious about countering china i asked the Ranking Member to work with me and every member of this committee to finish the job the next work. I also want to thank our witnesses for appearing before f witnesses i look forward to your presentations. I hope you will speak on about how we can spe up t expansion of a diplomatic presence, how we work with australia, new zealand and japan and others to support and foster Economic Opportunities in the i. What we can do to climate proof our military installations to defend our National Security interest in the years to come re finally asked cutely at what is at stake for the night six military in a region we failed to engage. I look forward to your let me th Ranking Member senator risch. Thank you very much start myd remarks let me say on the china issue, like the issues we are talking about this is a bipartisan issue. On a favorite six as you know i wrote you a letter we had a response but we privately and wl continue. We had a long history of friendship in this hearing just last Week Congress acted your new Free Association as you noted mr. Chairman. They are a compact countries. Micronesian of the Marshall Islands. We partner with them to advance economic. To provide for u. S. Military and nation. To provide cooperation of Law Enforcement and training and much more. Further Security Partnership with the states way a way of cross causing significant american in those decades we stay for years to come. There Strategic Investments in and our partners in the end of Pacific Region. However in order to maximize the partnerships, the Administration Must adjust the policies to demonstrate u. S. Focus and re not going anywhere. First diplomatic presence in this regions only serious work. Weve been too slow to get our diplomats firmly on the ground to pushix influence. I am also concerned about the lack of support for the diplomats we do have in the pacific. E evidence in the Solomon Islands. By the time a state of parma start paying attention china was already signing a major Security Agreement. The department asked for personnel for the post it did fc Affairs Officer to push back against the chinese propaganda. This is a large globe. Theres a lot of countries but my staff has been monitoring this particular region for numerous Important Reasons that i just mentioned. This is not just about getting our people on the ground once there they must be able to do their job and advance u. S. Interests i ing at the speed of bureaucracy and not the speed of relevance. Ive sent five letters to secretary blinken urging a approach to expansion for it and encourage using the flexibilities that my secure embassies construction and counterterrorism act provides to stand up our diplomatic presence and creating a Management Platform to improve to these commissions. The Solomon Islands example brings me too a second issue, Security Cooperation. In addition■ to greater Chinese Military Law Enforcement other nations continue to explore security arrangements with china. In 2022 Pacific Island countries came together and rejected chinas push for regionwide Security Agreement. That was pof of what dedication to sovereignty and unity can achieve. Last years been approached by china about a new security arrangement. Chinese and police are present note chinese set insight on other nations i like the departments of state and defense to disss pack and help the committee understand how this agreement serves our interest regionwide. I would also like it updatehiney cooperation initiatives are causing the greatest concern and how we are working with our partners to address it. I would especially like the Defense Department to discuss australias role in security for the Pacific Islands. We all know there is certainly more to it than that. Like it ud Economic Development in this region. Im aware of our work from Illegal Fishing but want to kno. I want real details on this not just descriptions about creating and enabling Stakeholder Networks et cetera, et cetera. We note some chinese projects like a hospital in fiji did it backfire. This means the u. S. And t partners need to get our act together more quickly. With that i turned back to the chair. Lex thank you for opening comments we will always attempt to Work Together on all issues. Including this region. Hearing. O welcome all three of i will introduce you that will have approximate five minutes give your Opening Statements for your entire statement without objections will be made pt o re. Welcome assistant secretary. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service andmer 9 1994. He has served in numerous post in the end of Pacific Region including most recently as former u. S. Ambassador to vietnam. Assistant secretary, welcome. Assistant secretary of defense for Indo Pacific Security Affairs and also along with this committee under then chairman bidens you get special privileges you can speak for [laughter] he has also served as a Senior Advisor on china to the secretary of defense. Administrator who is no stranger to this committee and we welcome his return st 419 his capacity usaid to talk about his work on the Pacific Island region for it againe you an extra 15 seconds because you netWork Together when i was chair of the subcommittee. He is a former Senior Advisor and counselor in the Foreign Relations committee covering issues related to the end of pacific. In theory should be able to anticipate and answer every one of our questions. He also brings an abundance of experience prior to his service from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he served as Deputy Assistant secretary of defen for East Asia Program officers of the Stanley Foundation responsible for the Foundation Asia program. With that will start production mr. Chairman, in it for just a moment . I like to note is actually from nebraska so maybe he should get 10 seconds for that . [laughter] absolutely the committees getting a little out of hand. [laughter] understand, mr. Secr . Secretary . Mr. Chairman good morning. Ranking member and members of this committee, thank you very much for convening this hearing and the opportunity to testify on your strategy and is strategically important Pacific Island region. Defense and usaid today and understand my good friend Pacific Island is here as well and honored by his prenc well. The United States is a pacific nation. We share longstanding historic and cultural ties to the Pacific Island neighbors. The history are inextricably lied and security depend on the region free and open prosperous and secure and resilience. Pacific islands are important partners in a issues, standing together at the un on human rights in opposing russias illegal and unprovoked invasion of ukraine to contributing to global secur■aiy peacekeeping operations and tackling the Climate Crisis as well as combating illegal unreported and unregulated fishing. The pif challenges to their security and their prosperity including Climate Change and economic shocks making the region more vulnerable to influence from the prc. As secretary blinken has said the prc is the only country with both the intent to reshape in increasingly the economic diplomatic military and technological power to do it. That certainly holds true in■ te pacific. Through foreign assistance, at least cap short robust public messaging campaign prc has moved the Pacific Islands. Rt itsel i in addition, in recent years three Pacific Island countries has switched diplomatic ties from taiwan to the prc. 2022 asd Ranking Member noted signed an unprecedented Security Agreement with the prc the details of which have not been publiclylea. Of course, as we have often said we are not in the business of forcing countries to choose. Neither in the pacific nor anywhere else. We do it to ensure countries in the pacific have a choice and the ability to make their own sovereign decisions free from under the administration and a pacific strategy and Pacific Partnership strategy of the nine states has expanded diplomatic and Development Engagement wh President Biden has convened two summits to engage with Pacific Island leaders on shared priorities including Climate Change, trade investment, and a free and open Pacific Region. Since he first Pacific Island summit in 2022 we have announced plans to work with congress to provide over a billion new fund. We open embassies in the Solomon Islands in 2023. We will open an embassy lady year. We also continued to work with the governments on our plan to open an embassy there. We recognize the cook islands as sovereignet states. Peace corps volunteers have returned to fiji we plan to return later this year end 2025. We appoint to the firstever u. S. Envoy to the Pacific Islands form to enhance cooperation with the region leading foreignpolicy presence and assistance of the coast guard and maritime awareness programs. In 2023 signed a defense Cooperation Agreement engage wie regions most populous country. We also work with partners to increase Internet Access in the pacific. Together with ausalia for Pacific Island countries. Weve announced her intention or 10 years beginning with fy 24 request in support of a new economic Assistance Agreement related to the south treaty which is critical to the economy has been a cornerstone of our relationship in the region for over three decades. Our multilateral for 2020 United States Australia Japan new zealand and the United Kingdom launch the partners in the blue pacific and infoordinan initiative guided by pacific priorities. Since its inception the grouping has expanded for additional partners andtives on disaster r, resilience, cybersecurity and ocean and fishery research. U. S. Ationships the republic of the Marshall Islands and the federated of micronesia. Economic assistance would provide in support of those compacts are key to maintaining stability and prosperity of our partners and safeguarding our shared longterm defense and Strategic Interests in the region. I want to sincerely thank the committee for approving the compact agreements and authorizing the necessary funding authorities on a bipartisan basis. That will allow steadily ahead and our partnership with is vitally important countries. In conclusion i wish to reiterate the Pacific Region critical importance to the and our longterm Strategic Interests. I look forward to work with congress this committee to continue our renewed engagement across the pacific in a competition. Thank you very much. Chairman cardin, distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me too testify about how the department of defense is contributing to peace and security acros the Pacific Island. Here is my good friends two underscore government approach. From a National Security perspective the Pacific Islan