Mark Kelly: “these are dangerous times for our national security, and the actions we take here this week will shape the world that…”

“these are dangerous times for our national security, and the actions we take here this week will shape the world that our kids and our grandkids grow up in. Putin continues to wage a brutal war to annex Ukraine and has been making gains as Ukraine runs low on ammunition. Israel is under threat from not just Iran's proxy terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah but Iran itself. Just 10 days ago, we saw them launch hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against Israel. China continues its aggression toward its neighbors in Asia as it renews its threats to take Taiwan by force. Our partners and allies and the democratic values we hold dear are in real danger. That should be enough to compel us to act, but it is bigger than that. Iran, China, and even North Korea are helping to supply Russia's desperate war machine. China's President Xi is watching to see if we can hold together the coalition supporting Ukraine. He is judging what the cost would be if he were to invade Taiwan. Our adversaries are testing us, and they see instability and dysfunction as an opportunity. That creates a real risk that one or more of these threats could boil over into a wider conflict that would be much more costly for the United States and potentially put more Americans in harm's way. I spent yesterday at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, MD, with U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen.…”