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Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul questioned Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on the importance of solidifying our trilateral partnership among the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom to counter increasing aggression from the Chinese Communist Party.

WATCH HERE

– Highlights from Chairman McCaul’s Questioning –

Chairman McCaul: “In Australia, [AUKUS] a 20-[to]-50-year commitment, and [the CCP sees] that. That’s a strong commitment to Australia and to the UK in a common defense against China…AUKUS [is] probably one of those issues that Chairman Xi is most concerned about, and probably is the one that keeps him up at night. And so, I want to give you a chance to respond.”

Deputy Secretary Campbell: “…But you’re absolutely right. If we’ve made this decision to work in the strongest possible partnership with our two closest allies, in many respects, Great Britain and Australia, we’re going to have to make those adjustments. It will be challenging, but we’re going to have to make those adjustments. Now, what I will tell you, just by way of a quick explanation those areas that you mentioned, acoustics and stuff, it is not that the folks at lower levels are saying the answer is, ‘No.’ They’re saying, ‘We have to review each case as it comes to us.’ It doesn’t mean that they’ll reject it, but I think what our Australian friends are primarily concerned with, Chairman, is that that could lead to a very cumbersome process, long reviews, you know, overruns in terms of times and delivery. And so we need to make this usable for defense planners and others who are making billion-dollar investments. And so I think the point that you’re underscoring is critically important. Your op-ed, your letters, and what you have done, in conjunction with the ranking member, have actually helped us to be able to make sure that we are doing the right thing in our government, to acknowledge this partnership…”

Chairman McCaul: “I think [artificial intelligence], land, air, and sea would be critically important. I would ask you to engage with us in the committee on this. We don’t want to see some product come of out the lower levels of the State Department that we’ve been secluded from, in darkness, or that we have no idea what’s going on, when it is going to come out, [and] what’s going to be in it. I think you’re the perfect person to engage with this committee [in] the next 60 days, how we can work together to carry out the intent of Congress in passing this important legislation.”

Deputy Secretary Campbell: “I completely, wholeheartedly accept that challenge and I will make it so.”

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