Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Florida Politics

Marco Rubio Urges Lloyd Austin to Stand Up to China in Southeast Asia

Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin, ahead of his trip to Southeast Asia, to promote freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and encourage our partner nations to engage in multilateral military activities with members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Taiwan.

Share Story Via Text, E-Mail, Facebook or Twitter
Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin, ahead of his trip to Southeast Asia, to promote freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and encourage our partner nations to engage in multilateral military activities with members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Taiwan.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin, ahead of his trip to Southeast Asia, to promote freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and encourage our partner nations to engage in multilateral military activities with members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Taiwan.

The letter is below.

Dear Secretary Austin:

During your trip to Southeast Asia, I urge you to actively engage with the leadership from Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines to promote and expand efforts to conduct bilateral and multilateral military operations with the member states of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. I also request that you promote possible opportunities to conduct military exercises, or joint combined exchange training, with the Taiwan (Republic of China) Armed Forces.

Strengthening our partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility (AOR) is a critical component to ensuring the U.S. and its allies and partners’ interests are protected. This region has both military and economic significance to the U.S., and should our ability to project forces forward ever be called into question, it could have irrevocable destructive effects on the defense of our nation and the stability of our economy.

In the event of a regional conflict in the Indo-Pacific AOR, the existence of unified command and bilateral military experience with our partner nations will be vital to ensuring our success. By further developing Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines’ operational experience with the Quad, the U.S. can ensure the existence of a strong deterrence to the People Liberation Army’s active aggression in the region.

Additionally, encouraging our partners to engage with Taiwan is a show of united strength that will not only frustrate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but serve as a powerful deterrent in the region. This is true now, more than ever, as the CCP has increased its naval operations in the region and air incursions into Taiwanese territory. The future defense of Taiwan will depend on not just the U.S., but all of our Indo-Pacific allies and partners working in concert to push back on the CCP’s attempts to dominate and intimidate the region. The development of robust multilateral military coordination between these countries and Taiwan will increase the CCP’s apprehension toward utilizing force in order to advance its illegitimate regional claims.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

In order to project a credible threat of deterrence, the U.S. has to do more with its partners and encourage others to do the same.

 

Author

  • Florida Daily

    Florida Daily offers news, insights and analysis as we cover the most important issues in the state, from education, to business and politics. View all posts

Share Story Via Text, E-Mail, Facebook or Twitter

Follow Us on Social Media

Related Stories

Hurricanes

Florida’s U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his immediate approval of the State of Florida’s...

Florida Politics

As communities across Florida’s Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Helene, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott are meeting with...

Senator Marco Rubio

The Office of the Surgeon General announced a public advisory warning of alarmingly high levels of parental stress. The advisory and the Surgeon General’s accompanying op-ed, offered a...

Foreign Affairs

Florida’s Senior U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R), Vice Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, demands the Biden administration to guard domestic chip technology...

Business

Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) recently contacted executives at John Deere, highlighting the need for patriotic companies to prioritize American workers and their families. Deere...

Foreign Affairs

Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), who serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of...

Healthcare

Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) joined fellow Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and 17 of their colleagues in urging Department...

Florida Politics

In response to former President Donald Trump being found guilty on all 34 counts during his hush money trial in New York, Florida leaders...