Krishnamoorthi and Moolenaar Urge Secretary of Defense to Prioritize AUKUS Amid Growing CCP Military Threats

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressing strong support for the AUKUS partnership and calling for continued prioritization and resourcing of the agreement in the face of the CCP’s growing military aggression.

In the letter, Krishnamoorthi and Moolenaar write:

“The People’s Republic of China’s rapid expansion of its nuclear, conventional, cyber, and space capabilities—many specifically designed to target the armed forces of the United States and our allies—threatens U.S. interests and jeopardizes the security of our partners. AUKUS is essential to strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and advancing the undersea capabilities that will be central to ensuring peace and stability.”

The letter highlights a series of unprecedented moves by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), including the simultaneous deployment of both Chinese aircraft carriers to the western Pacific and recent naval live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea. These developments underscore Beijing’s ambitions to project military power deep into the southern Pacific, even near New Zealand’s doorstep.

Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi and Chairman Moolenaar praised Australia’s $3 billion pledged investment in the U.S. submarine industrial base and reaffirmed the importance of both Pillars I and II of the AUKUS framework—spanning submarine production and advanced technology cooperation.

“We are stronger together under the AUKUS framework,” the lawmakers write. “With an ‘all hands on deck’ approach, appropriate resourcing, and relentless problem solving, we can deliver on the mission of the agreement, strengthen our partnerships, and enhance our shared security interests.”

The letter reiterates the Select Committee’s bipartisan commitment to bolstering U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific and ensuring that the United States maintains its leadership in the undersea domain to deter the CCP’s increasingly coercive behavior. Upholding AUKUS helps maintain U.S. credibility as an ally amid global speculation of the United States’ trustworthiness as an ally and partner. 

 The letter can be read here. 

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