Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, returned today from meeting with high ranking government officials in South Korea and Japan amidst increasing tensions in the region. The Congressional delegation included Ranking Member and Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo and focused on defense and readiness challenges including force posture and transformation initiatives on the peninsula.

In the wake of China’s overt militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea and North Korea’s nuclear testing and rocket launch provocations, Japanese and South Korean leaders have expressed deep concerns about regional security. To learn more about those concerns and discuss how the U.S. can offer support, Wittman met with Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani and Chief Cabinet Minister Yoshihide Suga in Japan, as well as Minister of Defense Minkoo Han and 1^st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam in the Republic of Korea.

“Now more than ever, it’s so important for the United States to demonstrate our dedication to our friends in the Pacific,” Wittman said. “Our regional partners are facing a pattern of incitement from a China intent on asserting its dominance in the South China Sea and from an unpredictable and volatile North Korea. Visiting with leaders in the region and hearing their concerns first-hand helps us understand what’s at stake not only for their interests, but for ours. This is the time for us to reassess our strategy in the Pacific and take the necessary steps to make sure that our forces there are appropriately organized and aligned.”

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the 1st District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, where he is Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.

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