Hirono Lobbies For Missile Defense Radar During Hearing On Afghanistan … The Hawaii Democrat said the Biden administration’s budget doesn’t reflect its promises to shift focus to the Pacific after ending America’s longest war.
President Joe Biden’s administration has said one reason for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan was the need to shift its focus to the Pacific. Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono wants to make sure that happens.
Hirono grilled military leaders Tuesday about what the Defense Department will do with money and troops freed up by the end of America’s longest war, asking specifically about a $1.9 billion missile defense radar that has been planned for Hawaii.
“The president has touted the Afghanistan pullout as necessary to free up time and money to deal with near peer competitors like Russia and China,” Hirono told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “But that stated rationale is somewhat I think at odds with the administration’s budget.”
