Foreign Policy

The United States military has learned many lessons from World War I and World War II. We have adopted different strategies to deter oppressive or coercive regimes. The most successful strategies have always been deterrence through strength of presence. We have learned the value of operational gap studies, vulnerability assessments, and of applying advanced technologies as a force multiplier. The United States’ values have always related to deterring aggression by diplomacy.

Afghanistan & Hamas

After the Biden administration surrender in Afghanistan, we see emboldened terrorist groups and Iranian proxies probe our defenses. These groups test our ability and our capability when responding to drone or cruise-missile strikes (clearly financed and/or made by Iran). The Biden administration’s decision to allow Iran access to their $8 billion unchecked, and without proper oversight, has resulted in an emboldened Iran who thinks they can recapture an oil tanker (now used by Iraq) that was taken during previous sanctions against Iran.

We see the Biden administration’s appeasement strategy, which prohibits U.S. military commanders from responding effectively. As of December 2023, the administration has severely limited the U.S. military’s ability to protect our service men and women with incredibly restrictive Rules of Engagement (ROEs). Responding by doing one or two air strikes on a storage facility will not be effective. How is it that Obama, in October 2016, sent a clear message to the Houthi Rebels when the U.S. Navy was permitted to respond by destroying multiple radar sites with Tomahawk missiles in retaliation to a Houthi attack?

The Saudi Arabian Coalition that went to war with the Houthi Rebels (2015) made about 25,000 air strikes in Yemen with U.S. weapons and aircraft. As a result, many civilians died without effectively deterring the Houthi problem. These air strikes further contributed to the recruitment of extremists to the Houthi cause. If we have learned anything from leaders who peddle extremism, it is that preventing extremism starts with removing the person inciting the terrorist behavior. President Trump ordered the air strike on Qassem Soleimani when he received information that an imminent attack was being planned. That was the right decision. Removing the threat will always be the better decision than conducting 25,000 air strikes in Yemen that could drive more recruits into terrorism.

We are at a critical junction in U.S. history. We have multiple nation-states attacking their neighbors. Understanding the cultures and governments of the Middle East and their motivations — both bad and good — will be critical for a Senator from Utah. The need to have strong foreign-policy experience will be imperative. When I see the botched Biden surrender in Afghanistan, it reminds me of the need to prevent politicians from making operational military decisions without proper understanding of military operations. To prevent the expedited delivery of visas to our partners or interpreters in the Afghanistan evacuation is an epic tragedy and could have been easily resolved by a more thorough analysis.

With respect to the Hamas terrorist attack, the Biden administration should have never sent a carrier battlegroup to Jerusalem. Because the IDF and IAF are fully capable of responding to these threats (study the Six-Day War in 1967), the U.S. should have started talks with Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. That would have been the most politically advantageous action for the United States and would almost certainly have prevented us from being dragged into any lasting conflict with the Houthi Rebels or Hezbollah.

Now that we have been pulled into the conflict by the Biden administration, we are obligated to assist (seemingly) with the eradication of Hamas. While the U.S. has troops in the region, we should be sending a direct and clear message to Hezbollah and all Iranian proxy groups (including the Houthi Rebels in Yemen) — that unprovoked assaults on U.S. troops will not be tolerated. We must give our commanders in the military the distinct ability to deter and protect U.S. service members.

Iran

Iran has to be dealt with effectively and decisively — more diplomatic leverage should be placed on the Iranian government to ensure terrorism is not tolerated. We can leverage other countries in the region to deny Iranian proxies funding streams for their terrorist activities. Leaning heavily on other Sunni-dominant countries that harbor known terrorist groups will be important in stemming the funding that goes to these organizations. There should be no reason Hezbollah, Hamas, or the Houthi Rebels can operate businesses in NATO countries to support their terrorism. Unlike the Biden administration’s failure, we can incentivize and convince Sunni-dominant countries to not support terrorists through incentives and transparency.

Ukraine

Ukraine has to have assistance — that is obvious. The deterrence of Putin must remain a top priority for the United States. There is too much evidence that suggests his desire, and the desire of many Russian leaders, to retake much of what was lost after the Cold War. Rallying more support from Europe will prove critical as we deter Iranian terrorist proxies. What needs to happen in Ukraine is more accountability for the billions in military equipment being shipped to the region. We need to ensure we are not allowing our most prized technology to fall into the hands of those who can reverse-engineer it. It is also important to employ strategies and diplomatic measures to help influence the withdrawal of Russian forces from the region.

China

China has demonstrated they cannot be trusted. For almost 20 years they have blatantly stolen our technology, and we have done very little to deter that behavior. China listens to our military communications near domestic military bases — some of the approximately 380,000 acres the Chinese government owns. (Source: Sen. Romney on Chinese intel activity in Salt Lake City.)

Through state-sponsored programs, China even conducts espionage in Utah — using programs like the China Scholarship Program (CSP) to recruit and send Chinese nationals here to steal technology and conduct espionage. (Source: CSET — China Scholarship Council Overview.)

Most concerning is the theft of our microprocessor technology, which is critical in facial recognition (computer vision) and military technologies. After this theft, China has most likely implemented it in China’s social-credit system and military applications.

While the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Australia, and many other countries in the South Pacific can be used to deter China, India is one of the strongest countries in the region — and has already experienced Chinese incursions in the Himalayas. We have only recently entered into military-technology agreements with India, something that would have benefited us many years ago.

Most recently, China has beefed up their nuclear missile arsenal (DF-26), which is compatible with both nuclear and conventional warheads. This poses a significant problem and should be addressed to avoid a nuclear disaster — any launch from a DF-26 could be mistaken for a nuclear attack.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative is extremely concerning. Their land grabbing in Africa has multiple purposes — not only for rare earth minerals, but also concerns that China is launching cyber attacks from Ethiopia and conducting international espionage from multiple regions in Africa. In its Belt and Road Initiative, China has invested over $20 billion in Africa and $4 billion in Ethiopia alone. (Source: CFR — China’s Massive Belt and Road Initiative.)

Currently Ethiopia is approximately $13.7 billion in debt to China, which is deeply concerning when China has a history of lending to countries with difficult repayment terms. Ask yourself why Ethiopia would be a strategic interest for China to invest in. Out of all the countries in Africa, Ethiopia is the largest investment — not mentioning the internal conflict that has claimed over 50,000 lives in Ethiopia since 2020. (Source: USIP — Despite High Stakes in Ethiopia, China Sits on the Sidelines.)

China is providing these hard-to-repay loans to Nepal as well. China’s strategic plan to compel specific countries to comply by economic burdens cannot be tolerated. This sets a dangerous precedent and must be deterred.

So, when the United States is plagued with “swatting calls” to hundreds of our public schools in dozens of states, should we be asking why these calls have been found to originate from Ethiopia? Is there any incentive for China to push the gun debate to the point that we lose more of our 2nd Amendment rights? (Sources: Duluth News Tribune; NPR.)

The solution here is not placating and pandering to China — it is tough economic decisions that primarily involve incentivizing U.S. companies to use India supply chains instead of China. I won’t even mention the history China has of luring U.S. investors into fake Chinese companies or Chinese companies that over-embellish their capital or tangible assets. (Sources: The New York Times; “The China Hustle”.)

India is one of the strongest democracies in the region. There is absolutely no logical reason why we should be incentivizing China’s approximately 20-year immoral behavior by continuing to do business with them. We have recently gone into agreements with India to share more military technology, but incentivizing investors from the U.S. to use supply chains from India is a wise and more logical choice. (Source: DoD — U.S. and India Rapidly Expand Military Cooperation.)

I support leaning heavily on microprocessor independence from Taiwan. The main reason Biden said he would be willing to defend Taiwan by putting boots on the ground is likely because of the economic impact of losing Taiwan’s microprocessor market to China. The good news is that, in the attempt to address the world’s microprocessor shortage, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is currently attempting to build facilities in Arizona — I endorse this effort.

Now is the time for stronger words and more intense debates. We cannot be afraid of being “canceled” or “Woke” by an establishment that is deeply embedded into the federal government and does not represent the diversity of America. It is not a time for complacency or inexperience. We need a Senator from Utah who will make hard decisions, who will fight the good fight, and who will most importantly protect the provisions in the United States Constitution.