Green Bay Reporter

Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.,, was joined by Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., to attend the Australian American Leadership Dialogue (AALD) in Australia last week. The focus of discussions was on the continuous aggressive actions by the CCP and the significance of the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) union.

"In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s increasing aggression in the Indo-Pacific, it’s time to turbocharge AUKUS," Gallagher said in an Aug. 10 news release. "We are already well within the window of maximum danger when it comes to the CCP threat to Taiwan, which means we don’t have time to sit back on our laurels and wait 10 years to deliver new capabilities. We need deterrence now."

Gallagher, who is also a co-founder of the Friends of Australia Caucus and co-chair of the AUKUS Working Group on Capitol Hill, delivered a speech at the AALD. In his keynote address, he emphasized the significance of the alliance, especially in light of CCP aggression in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. 

Gallagher's address underscored the idea that collective strength is paramount and delved into the comparison between investment costs and the value of human lives. He highlighted the necessity for increased investment in the U.S. Navy and emphasized the importance of providing submarines to Australia, according to his speech.

Recently, the CCP's aggression has escalated, employing tactics of "military and economic coercion" to intimidate neighboring nations, threaten maritime situations and create instability in areas surrounding the People’s Republic of China." The CCP has similarly pursued control over Taiwan, employing comparable tactics with the aim of achieving their surrender, according to the U.S. Department of State.

“Anyone who doesn’t see the growing threat presented by the CCP should pull their heads out of the sand," Dunn said in an Aug. 15 news release. "The CCP’s influence and stronghold on the Pacific will continue to spread until it’s too late to rein in. Our friends in Australia recognize this and want to work with us to secure the Pacific. I’m grateful to Chairman Gallagher for seeing the importance of this trip to bolster the AUKUS partnership. We must be proactive and maintain strong relationships with our allies to protect the Pacific and America.”

“AUKUS sent a strong and timely signal of commitment to the Pacific," Rep. Aunmua Amata Coleman Radewagen, R-American Samoa, said in the Aug. 15 release. "It’s important to our friends throughout the Pacific Islands to fully see this resolve through, with its emphasis on regionwide stability. It’s an honor to represent American Samoa, a small but strategic U.S. territory in the South Pacific, as the U.S. works with allies to secure peace and commerce, and we support these priorities in Congress."