Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, interrogated Lloyd J. Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, and U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a hearing to review President Biden's Fiscal Year 2025 funding request for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Senator Capito queried Secretary Austin about policies from the Biden administration that have allegedly weakened American deterrence in the Middle East, following attacks against American troops, including one that resulted in three servicemembers' deaths in Jordan in January 2024.

Additionally, Senator Capito pressed Secretary Austin on the administration’s decision to pause a shipment of security assistance bound for Israel due to disagreements with Israel’s military strategy.

Finally, Senator Capito asked Gen. Brown about the Department’s progress toward replenishing U.S. munitions stockpiles since the passage of the national security supplemental package last month.

During her questioning, Senator Capito expressed concern over what she perceived as an erosion of American deterrence under President Biden's administration. "When I see President Biden’s messaging to Putin, and to Iran, and to the Houthis, and to other Iran-backed groups... I'm concerned that we are significantly eroding our deterrence by setting these ambiguous boundaries," she said.

In response, Secretary Austin outlined several goals set at the beginning of this crisis which included protecting American troops and civilians in the region, recovering hostages and supporting Israel in its efforts to defend itself while also ensuring containment of conflict within Gaza.

Regarding reports on halting military aid to Israel, Senator Capito sought clarification from both officials present at the hearing. After some back-and-forth discussion with Secretary Austin regarding potential withholding of weapons shipments to Israel based on unfolding events in Rafah, Senator Capito thanked him for his clarification while expressing disagreement with the approach.

Lastly, Senator Capito discussed with Gen. Brown the status of munitions replenishment following the passage of the National Security Supplemental. Gen. Brown stated that the supplemental and the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act would put them on a better path towards consistent defense industrial base support, but also emphasized the importance of timely budget allocation for contract writing and investment confidence.