Friend-

As you may know, our country is currently facing a multitude of threats from around the globe. With growing aggression from adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia, America must project a unified front to protect our national security interests. That is why I believe we must have a permanent, rather than an acting, Secretary of Defense. I applaud President Trump for announcing his intent to nominate Mark Esper to the role of Secretary of Defense, and urge the President to move ahead with formally nominating Mr. Esper for the position. Mr. Esper is highly qualified and in the best possible position to bring stability and strong leadership to the Pentagon. I am also urging my colleagues in the Senate to confirm the nominee for this position in a timely fashion.

Government officials have an obligation to place our servicemen and women in the best possible position to successfully complete their missions. We must bring the capability of our armed services closer to meeting the reality of the threats facing the United States and to project power around the globe to deter our adversaries. Throughout my time serving the First District in Congress, I have fought to secure on-time, reliable funding for our national defense and ensure our men and women in uniform have the proper training and equipment to carry out their mission and return home safely. I want to make sure we have a strategy and the resources to deal with those threats; we have the obligation to restore military readiness and meet the needs of our men and women in uniform.  A permanent Secretary of Defense is necessary for strong American leadership on the world stage and to deter our adversaries.

Sincerely,

Rob


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