WASHINGTON, USA – Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and colleagues wrote to Air Force and Navy leaders, expressing concerns that US military bases may not be able to defend against growing Chinese military threats. In the letter, the lawmakers highlight preliminary research showing that over the past decade, China built more than 400 hardened aircraft shelters while the United States built just 22 in the Indo-Pacific.
Hardened aircraft shelters are reinforced hangars used to protect military aircraft and will be critical as the United States looks to safeguard its assets in the Indo-Pacific.
Chairman Moolenaar and Senator Rubio were joined by Select Committee members Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Andy Barr (R-KY), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Jim Banks (R-IN), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) in seeking immediate action from Pentagon leaders.
The lawmakers write, “[U]nclassified analysis suggests China has enough weapons to overwhelm our air and missile defenses protecting those bases. … We are concerned about the alarming lack of urgency by the Department of Defense in adopting [adequate defensive measures]. US bases in the region have almost no hardened aircraft shelters compared to Chinese military bases.”
The lawmakers identify shortcomings in DoD military construction priorities and note that the United States spends hardly any money on base resilience military construction projects in the Indo-Pacific at the very moment China is undergoing one of the most rapid military buildups in history. They also call attention to an onerous DoD regulation that is significantly delaying critical construction projects and adversely affecting US military posture in the region.
The lawmakers request that the Pentagon respond to the following questions by May 29, 2024:
- What steps have you taken to incorporate and enhance passive defenses to protect our bases and forces in the Indo-Pacific, including in Alaska, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Minor Outlying Islands, and allied and partner territory?
- What plans do you have to create hardened aircraft shelters, underground bunkers, and other hardened facilities to protect aircraft, equipment, and forces operating out of US bases in the Indo-Pacific?
- What additional hardened infrastructure, reconstitution, camouflage, concealment, and deception projects and programs could enhance the passive defenses of US critical assets and forces in the Indo-Pacific?
- Do you plan to request additional funding for base resilience construction projects, including hardened aircraft shelters, underground bunkers, and dispersed and/or redundant facilities? If so, please explain.
- Has the Department assessed options to increase efficiency and speed for executing military construction so that such critical projects do not take years to complete?
- Will you grant the Joint Region Marianas an exemption from following “Munitions and Explosives of Concern” procedures for military construction?
- Will you implement “Recognize, Retreat, Report” procedures as the baseline for military construction throughout the Indo-Pacific?
- The Pentagon accurately classified the PRC as the “pacing challenge.” However, with INDOPACOM acknowledging many unfunded projects, why does the Department’s budget not reflect its rhetoric on the PRC?
View the lawmakers letter to the Pentagon here.
