SEATTLE, WA – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration publicly released its National Security Strategy.

“President Biden’s National Security Strategy is right on target, because the American people deserve a plan for addressing our country’s biggest national security challenges.

“The administration’s National Security Strategy correctly addresses the immediate challenges to the rules-based international order posed by Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine while also recognizing that the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing presents a wider, more enduring range of challenges. To support a global order that is free, open, prosperous, and secure, the United States must engage in strategic competition, when necessary, and careful cooperation, when possible, to advance our national interests, including efforts to meet the existential threats posed by climate change.

“President Biden and his team of qualified, experienced national security officials also understand that our country’s strength draws from our economic vitality, rich diversity, and pace-setting technological innovation in addition to our military power. I am pleased that the National Security Strategy calls for bringing these competitive advantages together as part of a balanced approach that meets the needs of the American people. Further, by reiterating the importance of alliances and partnerships as a crucial part of protecting U.S. interests, this National Security Strategy marks another much-needed step in helping restore the relationships that have made us safer, more secure, and more prosperous together. 

“It is clear that our country faces a range of national security challenges. Beijing and Moscow seek to remake the international order in the image of authoritarianism. The threat of transnational terrorism requires continued vigilance. The COVID-19 pandemic has tragically reminded us about the importance of global health to security and prosperity. And we face a deepening climate emergency. But, as clear as these threats are, it is also clear that the Biden-Harris administration has the right plan and priorities for addressing these challenges and more, as well as the right people in place to deliver results.”

 
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