American leadership remains indispensable to global security. Maintaining that leadership and combatting threats to it is core to my worldview. Peace is best maintained when our adversaries understand that the United States has both the strength and resolve to defend our interests. That requires a capable military, strong alliances, robust industrial base, and a clear-eyed approach to threats from the likes of China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorist organizations.

As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have made competition with China and security in the Indo-Pacific key priorities. Beijing is operating under the dangerous assumption that the “East is rising, and the West is declining.” This perceived advantage is making Xi Jinping increasingly aggressive, particularly toward Taiwan—a thriving democracy, important economic partner, and central to peace and stability in the region. If China were to invade Taiwan, substantial economic and geopolitical upheaval would follow. My legislative initiatives have focused on supporting Taiwan’s independence, securing its participation in international organizations, and deterring China from its territorial ambitions.

Closely related is Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine. Xi Jinping is carefully watching America’s response here, inferring that our posture would be similar to how we would respond if China were to invade Taiwan. Keeping Putin at bay—and humiliated by defeat—helps ensure that NATO and the United States are not drawn into the conflict militarily. It’s delusional to think the freedom we enjoy as Americans is not threatened by the rise of authoritarianism in China, Russia, and around the world. There is no question that it is in our best interests to support Ukraine.

I also serve as the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. We can’t advance America’s interests without prioritizing this part of the world, which has also been a focus of the Trump Administration due to its significance in domestic policy issues like immigration, illicit drug flows, trade, global security, and even Chinese influence.

Though a world away, these issues are not abstract to Utah. Our state’s growing aerospace and defense sectors are critical to U.S. national security and support thousands of Utah families. Ensuring the United States remains strong abroad also means ensuring these Utah institutions have the resources and support they need to succeed.