During a House Armed Services Committee hearing held before the Congressional recess, Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) questioned military officials about U.S. deterrence towards China.
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00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Our overall strategy with China is one of deterrence. Given the
00:16strong support that China has had, critical support to Russia during its illegal and aggressive
00:24actions in Ukraine and the fact that even recently two soldiers were captured who are Chinese
00:31and we'll wait to see the implications of that, whether it's isolated or what the background
00:35is, how important is it in terms of deterrence that the U.S. and our allies, the over 50 countries
00:45that are participating in this, be successful in Ukraine and continuous in that effort to
00:51underscore our deterrence with China? Congressman, I know that China is watching. I know China
00:59is directly supporting that effort and I think that Russian success will embolden China and
01:06Russian failure will give China pause and would enhance our deterrence. And also, what effect
01:15would it have if somehow that 50-country coalition and the U.S. not working in concert with that
01:2450-country coalition that it has led have to do with our other alliances in the Indo-Pacific,
01:31particularly countries like Australia and our Pacific allies as well. That kind of fragmentation
01:38could be a signal to China as well in terms of deterrence. Well, sir, without a comment on policy
01:45and not having much insight into that coalition, just side-to-side insight, the credibility of our
01:53alliances and partnerships and the credibility of American commitment is critical to alliances
01:59and partnerships and that remains a key and critical strategic center of gravity for the United States.
02:03And how would you assess the evolving threats posed by China, Russia, and North Korea, particularly in
02:11the multi-domain operations such as cyber and space warfare? I give them great respect and that great
02:20respect that I give them deserves a robust dominating response from the United States of America. And
02:27they've got a lot of game in those domains. And we've got to stay on top of it. Even North Korea with
02:34their the way they operate in the crypto markets, which requires a lot of attention and the ability to
02:41thwart that. Great. Well, I just want to thank you for your service, all of you, and I yield back.