Ricketts Supports Taiwan’s Defense Capabilities, Energy Resilience to Counter Communist China

Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) participated in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where he discussed the importance of the Providing Our Regional Companions Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Environments (PORCUPINE) Act to ensure Taiwan has the capabilities it needs to counter Communist China's aggression.

"Last year, I led a congressional delegation with Senators Coons and Budd to Taiwan. What stood out to me was a partner that understands the threat from Beijing and is stepping up in a serious way," said Ricketts. "Taiwan is stepping up, and they need a partner that is equally committed to their defense. But the backlog in U.S. arms deliveries to Taiwan remains a serious problem. Critical systems-from HIMARS and Harpoon missiles to howitzers and F-16s-have all been delayed for years."

"As China's threat continues to grow, that kind of delay is unacceptable," concluded Ricketts. "Congress also has a role to play here. We can treat Taiwan more like a close security partner by placing it in the NATO-Plus category, shortening notification timelines, and raising thresholds for arms sales. I've introduced the PORCUPINE Act with Senators Coons which does exactly that."

Watch the video here.

Ricketts' comments were made in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on nominations. The hearing considered the nominations of John Breslow to be U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, Fleet White to be Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Todd Steggerda to be Representative of the U.S. to the Office of the United Nations - Geneva, Preston Wells Griffith III to be Representative of the U.S. to the Office of the United Nations - Vienna and Representative of the U.S. to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Adam Cassady to be Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy.