In testimony before Congress, U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins said the world’s new security landscape requires the United States lead with innovation to protect itself and its Allies from current and emerging challenges.
Those challenges include Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; the People’s Republic of China’s pressure on Taiwan; the conflict in the Middle East as Israel defends itself from Hamas terrorism; the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels; the deepening cooperation among Russia, the DPRK and Iran.
Under Secretary Jenkins said the United States is responding to these and emerging threats:
“This Administration has secured Allied unity to suspend the Treaty on Armed Conventional Forces in Europe in response to Russian withdrawal. We proposed and passed United Nations resolutions calling on countries to not conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests and to not use radiological weapons. We led states to endorse responsible practices regarding artificial intelligence for military applications, and we completed the destruction of U.S. chemical weapons stockpiles, eliminating an entire category of declared weapons of mass destruction.”
At the same time, Under Secretary Jenkins said, the United States is strengthening nuclear safeguards and security, as it assists nations partnering in nuclear energy and peaceful nuclear cooperation. It is also enhancing interdiction measures to guard sensitive U.S. technologies from exploitation, as well as working to protect semi-conductor and other emerging technologies.
“Standing shoulder to shoulder with our closest allies is one of the hallmarks of American diplomacy,” said Under Secretary Jenkins. She pointed to the strengthening of Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities by the United States, as well as U.S. assistance to its allies and partners in transitioning away from Russian-origin equipment.
Under Secretary Jenkins also called the trilateral security partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, known as AUKUS, “a prime model” of American diplomacy.
“A generational opportunity that deepens cooperation with our closest allies, strengthens our long-term defense and security partnerships, provides us a clear pathway to continue advancing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and sends a very strong signal of deterrence and commitment to the highest nonproliferation standards in the region and around the world,” she said.
Under Secretary Jenkins declared the United States is “clear-eyed about the areas in which our adversaries or competitors are making inroads, and how our actions will determine the safety and security of future generations.”
