Dem Rep. Krishnamoorthi: Our Defense Base ‘Is in Such Disrepair’ It ‘Invites Aggression’, We’re Inefficient

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) stated that the United States’ “defense industrial base is in such disrepair that it shows weakness and that invites aggression.” And cited disparities in shipbuilding, long-range anti-ship missiles and issues the United States has with manpower inside of its defense industrial base and said that the U.S. isn’t getting the most out of its defense budget as it could.

Krishnamoorthi said, [relevant remarks begin around 1:40] “Right now, our defense industrial base is in such disrepair that it shows weakness and that invites aggression. Just as one example, in the shipbuilding arena, for every one oceangoing vessel that we can produce, China can produce 359 in one single year. And, unfortunately, we have gaps with regard to long-range anti-ship missiles and we also have gaps in terms of manpower to actually fill the vacancies in our defense industrial base to produce the stuff that we need to deter aggression.”

Elsewhere, Krishnamoorthi stated that the U.S. isn’t getting the best results it could from its defense spending and should send demand signals by making long-term purchase commitments to incentivize companies to invest in production.

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