Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) said while it's a good thing that the Biden administration has acknowledged the threats posed by China and the importance of the Indo-Pacific region, the defense budget falls short of where he believes it needs to be.
McCaul is a Texas native who represents the state's 10th Congressional District, according to his website. At the beginning of the previous Congressional session, McCaul was appointed to serve as Republican Leader of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
“The Pentagon is right to carry forward two key elements of the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy: That China is our greatest threat, and the Indo-Pacific region is our priority military theater," McCaul said. "This administration needs to match its rhetoric with the defense budget and hard power we need in the Indo-Pacific to deter CCP aggression.”
Other officials emphasized the need for international cooperation on these issues.
"Integrated deterrence isn't just about steps that we take on our own," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. "It also means working even more closely with our unparalleled network of allies and partners to deter aggression in region after region."
Foreign policy experts also warn against excessive reliance on China.
“We can’t rely on China to build components for our weapons, which is to some extent, potentially what we have done — whether knowingly or not,” Elbridge Colby, co-founder of The Marathon Initiative, said, CNBC reported.
A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) supports either increased or restructured military spending. The report argues that gradually increasing military spending now would help deter a war with China.
