WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX), made the following statement on the U.K.’s decision to allow Huawei to help build its 5G network:

“The U.K.’s decision to allow Huawei a role in building parts of its 5G network is troubling. While the U.K. believes that they can mitigate the risk posed by Huawei’s access to their network, in 5G there is no sure way to isolate the core network from other components. Granting Huawei access to any part of a country’s network opens access to the whole network, providing a potential door to the Chinese government. This decision will inevitably complicate America’s ability to share information with our closest ally."