Mike Gallagher, the Republican representative from Wisconsin and chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), recently offered insights into the approval of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Gallagher underscored the importance of securing funding for this crucial bill.
Chairman Gallagher stated, "While this bill is absolutely essential, it is not alone sufficient to address the growing national security threats around the globe. Operating under Continuing Resolutions has hurt our men and women in uniform’s ability to do their job and the defense industrial base’s ability to build the weapons and the Navy we need." He further emphasized that without a defense appropriations bill fully funding NDAA's priorities, Congress would be hampering its warfighters and impairing its capacity to safeguard American interests globally. "We should celebrate the passage of this NDAA by staying here next week and passing the funding for it, not by going home and saying job well done," Gallagher added.
The NDAA, which has been consistently passed for over six decades, serves as an annual legislative instrument for delineating defense policy guidelines and specifying military funding distribution. According to Investopedia, Congress regularly revises and updates this legislation to ensure it aligns with evolving national defense needs and challenges.
Gallagher played a key role in shaping China-related provisions in the bill. These included elements from the Select Committee's Ten for Taiwan report and text from the "American Security Drone Act". The press release from his committee outlined other measures in the bill such as a conventional ground-based missile deployment strategy in Indo-Pacific, joint training programs with Taiwan's military forces, integration of long-range anti-ship missiles onto legacy aircraft fleets, among others.
"We are in the window of maximum danger when it comes to a conflict with China over Taiwan," warned Gallagher. He stressed that equipping military forces with necessary resources to deter or win potential conflicts must be Congress' primary focus. "This year’s NDAA helps us achieve these objectives by requiring the Pentagon to develop a strategy for deploying and utilizing long-range conventional missiles in the Indo-Pacific, enhancing military cybersecurity cooperation with Taiwan, and strengthening programs that better integrate cutting-edge technologies from the private sector into our military," he said.
Gallagher, who is seeking re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, holds a degree in international relations and affairs. He served seven years of active duty in the Marine Corps, leaving in 2013 with the rank of captain. During his service, Gallagher worked in counterintelligence and was part of the Central Command (CENTCOM) assessment team during deployment, according to Ballotpedia.
