Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta testified before a U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hearing on January 30, stating that the United States faces national security threats on a global scale. He highlighted concerns about autocrats, armed conflicts, and China's role in supporting adversarial regimes.
Leon Panetta served as the 23rd secretary of defense from July 2011 to February 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Defense website. Prior to this role, he was director of the CIA for two years. Before joining the CIA, Panetta co-directed the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy with his wife for ten years, promoting public service values. His career also includes roles such as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton from July 1994 to January 1997 and representing California's 16th Congressional District.
In his testimony, Panetta said that the threat landscape faced by the United States has heightened in recent years. He commended the Committee on the CCP for exposing threats posed by this party. According to Panetta, adversaries are increasingly weaponizing economic tools and trade dependencies to the point of armed conflict; he cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an example. This invasion represents a "larger ideological battle taking place globally between democracies and autocracies," said Panetta. He underscored the role of the United States and its allies in supporting Ukraine and sending a strong message to potential aggressors like China.
Beyond Russia and China, Panetta stressed that there are other global threats facing the United States. "We are facing an increasingly aligned group of autocrats from around the world united in their determination to maintain absolute power domestically and their intent to destabilize the international order that we helped build after World War II," he stated.
On China specifically, Panetta pointed out President Xi Jinping's assertive leadership of the CCP. According to Panetta, China's ideological campaign, coupled with mis- and disinformation efforts, targets the Global South to discredit the United States and its allies. He highlighted China's expanding economic influence, development of indigenous technologies, and leverage of market access as tools used to shape global geopolitics. Panetta expressed concern about China's military modernization, its alignment with other autocratic regimes, and potential use of force against Taiwan.
At the hearing, Panetta emphasized the need for bipartisan communication and maintaining alliances in the Indo-Pacific region. He suggested policy priorities that include arming Taiwan, strengthening force posture, investing in military technology, bolstering alliances, enhancing engagement with India, maintaining strong export controls, investing in strategic sectors, and fortifying cyber defenses.
