Vice President JD Vance visited Capitol Hill to offer a message of support for his \u2018friend,\u2019 Elbridge \u2018Bridge\u2019 Colby, President Donald Trump\u2019s contentious nominee for the Pentagon\u2019s No. 3 spot, undersecretary of defense for policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In so many ways, Bridge predicted what we would be talking about four years down the road, five years down the road, 10 years down the road. He saw around corners that very few other people were seeing around,\u2019 Vance said in opening remarks Tuesday at Colby\u2019s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n
\u2018If you look at his long career in defense policy, he has said things that, you know, frankly, alienated Democrats and Republicans. He\u2019s also said things that I think both Democrats and Republicans would agree with,\u2019 Vance continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The vice president praised Colby as a \u2018good man\u2019 and an \u2018honest man.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018You need people who are going to tell you the truth. We\u2019re going to look you in the eye who are going to disagree,\u2019 Vance said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The vice president\u2019s presence demonstrates how seriously the White House is looking to shore up support for Colby, whose restraint-minded views have given pause to some more hawkish senators.<\/p>\n
It is the second confirmation hearing Vance has attended after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who the vice president also has a close relationship with. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Colby said in his own opening remarks, \u2018There is a real risk of major war, and we cannot afford to lose one. I recognize these realities in my bones. It is my great hope that we can get through the coming years peacefully, with strength in ways that put us and our alliances on a stronger and more sustainable footing.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m willing and ready to engage with those who disagree with me and adapt my views based on persuasive arguments and the fact is that I value our alliances deeply, even as I think they must be adapted, and that I love our great country, and will put its interests first and foremost.\u2019<\/p>\n
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., questioned Colby on his previously\u00a0stated position, \u2018America has a strong interest in defending Taiwan, but Americans can survive without it.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018our views on Taiwan\u2019s importance to the United States seems to have softened considerably,\u2019 Wicker told Colby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colby disputed that point, arguing he had been shooting a warning flare that the U.S.\u2019 \u2018military balance has declined\u2019 with regard to China.<\/p>\n
\u2018What I have been trying to shoot a signal flare over is that it is vital for us to focus and enable our own forces for an effective and reasonable defense of Taiwan and for the Taiwanese, as well as the Japanese to do more,\u2019 said Colby.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018So my position in terms of the value of Taiwan is consistent. But what I\u2019m very fearful of, Senator, and I think this is agreed across administrations of both parties, is that, you know, the military balance has declined. So I\u2019m trying to avoid a situation of which, because we are not adequately prepared.\u2019<\/p>\n
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, pressed Colby on his views on Russia and Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018In November 2023, you said, \u2018The invasion of Ukraine is an evil act by the Russians, and I morally support the Ukrainian defense.\u2019 Do you still agree with that statement?\u2019 asked Reed, D-R.I.<\/p>\n
\u2018I think I stand by my record, but at this point, I think, there\u2019s a very delicate diplomatic process going on where the president is rightfully trying to resuscitate the peace process. And I don\u2019t think it\u2019d be appropriate for me to weigh in,\u2019 said Colby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., pressed Colby on whether Russia was an \u2018adversary\u2019 or an \u2018ally\u2019 to the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Russia presents a significant military threat to Europe, and there are significant military threats to the homeland as well,\u2019 said Colby. \u2018We can\u2026 diminish, you know, the potential for direct confrontation with Russia in the same way with China.\u2019<\/p>\n
Colby\u2019s confirmation process has rankled Iran hawks, and at least Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has privately expressed skepticism. Wicker previously told Roll Call that Colby\u2019s nomination poses \u2018a concern to a number of senators.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colby, who worked at the Pentagon during Trump\u2019s first term and was a lead author on the 2018 U.S. National Security Strategy, has long asserted the U.S. should limit its resources in the Middle East and refocus on China as the bigger threat.<\/p>\n\n
Vice President JD Vance visited Capitol Hill to offer a message of support for his \u2018friend,\u2019 Elbridge \u2018Bridge\u2019 Colby, President Donald Trump\u2019s contentious nominee for the Pentagon\u2019s No. 3 spot, undersecretary of defense for policy.\u00a0 In so many ways, Bridge predicted what we would be talking about four years down the road, five years down <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":37310,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-37309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}