Opinion Pieces by Rob

What it looks like when competing with China comes last By Rep. Rob Wittman June 17, 2022 Defense News When U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attempted to lay out the Biden administration’s stance toward Taiwan in his recent speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he reaffirmed the president’s commitment to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.… Read more »

Opinion: Biden defense budget compromises American security By. Rep. Rob Wittman May 21, 2022 The Virginian-Pilot   We are at a turning point in our nation’s history. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated his clear rejection of post-Cold War global order through his ferocious invasion into a sovereign nation. China remains the pacing challenge through their threat to… Read more »

Rob Wittman column: We must unleash American energy independence To read this online in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Click Here. One consistent message I hear from constituents throughout Virginia’s 1st Congressional District and folks throughout the entire commonwealth is American families are feeling the pain of soaring inflation and skyrocketing energy costs in a very real… Read more »

The 30-year shipbuilding plan from the Biden Administration does not reflect our legacy or prevent a vision for our future. Instead, this plan would abandon key tenants of American naval power, shirk congressionally mandated shipbuilding requirements, break faith with our shipbuilding-industrial base, and put the Navy on a path of near-term decline during a pivotal decade for confronting… Read more »

The Department of the Navy needs a serious, strategy-driven shipbuilding plan; and Congress must provide full, consistent funding to turn that plan into real ships. Read my Op-Ed on this issue from the U.S. Naval Institute - Proceedings below. Russia’s aggressive and intolerable invasion of Ukraine serves as a wakeup call for the United States. Russian leader Vladimir Putin… Read more »

For over 50 years, Coast Guard Station Milford Haven has protected life and commerce throughout the waterways of the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, and the middle Chesapeake Bay. All that could change if the Coast Guard’s budget plan to downgrade their presence in the region isn’t stopped. Recently, the Coast Guard announced plans to reduce operations out of Mathews County, a decision… Read more »

When it comes to the commonwealth of Virginia, national security is economic security. Our state is crucial to the mission and success of the U.S. military and our nation’s overall defense; in turn, defense spending makes up a fifth of our economy and is the largest, single driving factor in the economic prosperity of the commonwealth. As a focal point for our military, with 27 military… Read more »

We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. We are about to decide if the United States retains its global primacy, or if we concede our position to those of malign intent. It is no secret the United States is preparing for global military competition with China, and I am committed to ensuring our Department of Defense and warfighters are ready. I believe in peace through… Read more »

I’ve read many letters in The Free Lance-Star that asked why I signed onto the Texas amicus brief, and many who have misconstrued what the amicus brief says in the first place, so I’d like to clear that up. The amicus brief states: “The offices of President and Vice President were created by the U.S. Constitution, and when a state legislature exercises its power to determine the manner… Read more »

With the release of the Navy’s 30-year Shipbuilding Plan and the public previews of the Joint Force Structure Assessment, it has become increasingly clear that the largest hurdle for conventional warfare competition success against China depends on the Navy’s ability to cross a critical body of water to get to the fight — the Potomac River. Put in another way, Navy needs to readjust their… Read more »