Fischer, Wicker in The Wall Street Journal: Pacific Allies Need U.S. Support

In case you missed it: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal recounting their recent travels to the Indo-Pacific, including meetings held with leaders in Taiwan, the Philippines, and Palau.

Read the op-ed here or below.

In Taiwan we spoke with President Lai Ching-tse and senior officials. They understand the gravity of the threat and are responding with urgency to meet it. Mr. Lai has committed to increasing defense spending and mobilizing the public behind a resilience plan.

In Manila, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has placed restoring the alliance with the U.S. at the center of his foreign policy and deepened cooperation with Japan, Australia and Taiwan. With a fleet that dwarfs the Philippine navy, China has tried to use its muscle to dominate the South China Sea. Manila has stood firm.

In Palau, China is working to undermine the government of President Surangel Whipps Jr. by exporting criminal elements and applying economic pressure. Palau is allied with the U.S., and Mr. Whipps refuses to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing.

Our allies are resolute and determined to resist China, and the U.S. is indispensable to that mission. Our military presence in Guam, Palau, Hawaii and the Philippines forms the kind of logistics chain that wins wars. Tougher infrastructure, backup communication cables and stockpiled supplies are crucial to victory.

Over the past few years, we have worked closely with Adm. Samuel Paparo, who commands U.S. forces in the Pacific. We have sought to understand his requirements and cut through the bureaucracy that has for years prevented key investments in the Western Pacific. The defense investments in this year's reconciliation law are designed to deliver capabilities relevant to the China fight, focusing on space capabilities, logistics systems, and low-cost weapons. The legislation expands munitions lines and will lead to more than a dozen new weapons production lines.

The new law also strengthens our ability to operate from Guam and accelerates construction projects in Palau and at the Filipino military bases from which U.S. forces operate. These investments are complemented by historic new funding for strategic economic competition with China, including the creation of an Economic Defense Unit and supercharging the Office of Strategic Capital.

A strategy based on peace through strength is the best approach for deterring China, Russia and Iran-the axis of aggression. It requires sustained defense spending that equals 5% of gross domestic product.

Some have said this is too costly-but we can't afford an underresourced military. We don't get to pick the threats we face, only how to respond. The axis requires a comprehensive strategy that accounts for the contributions of our partners and is backed by the resources necessary to execute it.
Mr. Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Ms. Fischer, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Nebraska.