This morning, Senator Wicker (R-MS) made a bold statement on twitter. The long serving Mississippian tweeted that China's Navy will be twice the size of ours by 2030. He continued on by stressing the importance of building our fleet to deter the possibility of future war. Furthermore, he believes this is critical to preserving freedom of the seas. An article published by his office made the following statement:
"Twenty years ago, China’s military influence did not extend more than a few hundred miles off the Chinese coast. Today, the situation has changed dramatically."
He elaborated by saying this is not only a threat to our prosperity, but to other countries in the region. Wicker's statement would go on to say:
"These trends should come as a loud warning to the world’s largest trading economy and military superpower. America needs an armada of new ships to guarantee freedom of the seas and deter the possibility of war."
The Mississippi Senator called on the new president to embrace a plan to build more ships. This being only one part of his overall plan to maintain seapower.
The Senator also saying, "I am committed to preventing such a disastrous reduction of our national defense."
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@RobWittman[/caption]The original tweet was re-tweeted by Congressman Rob Wittman. (R-VA) who captioned, "Well said, Senator! I look forward to working with you to get this done." The congressman has long aired similar grievances. Particularly about the nation's need to meet the growing threat from China.
Positions to influence change
Senator Wicker's Committee assignments, for the 117th Congress include the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. His responsibilities also include subcommittees on Airland, Personnel and Seapower.Additionally, Congressman Rob Wittman serves on the House Armed Services Committee. Where he serves as the Vice Ranking Member of the full Committee and Ranking Member of Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments below!