In her first public address since taking office, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said March 19 that the Chinese Communist Party and its actions pose a threat to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and to the rules-based international order on which the security and prosperity of the United States and its allies depend. She also warned U.S. Defense Department officials and contractors that in order to compete with the Chinese Communist Party, the Pentagon must make “hard choices” to abandon older weapons systems to make room for the development of modern forces.
Hicks made the statement in an address to the National Defense University’s National War College class of 2021. She spoke of “Beijing‘s demonstrated greater military assertiveness and willingness to take risks, taking a more coercive and aggressive approach to the Indo-Pacific region.” She said, “China and its actions pose a threat to regional peace and stability, and to the rules-based international order on which the security and prosperity of the United States and U.S. allies depend.”
The Biden administration released its Medium-Term National Security Strategy Guidelines on March 3, which highlighted China as the only “major competitor” with the potential combined power to challenge the international system, Hicks said, adding, “The guidelines note that Beijing is the only country that has the potential to combine its economic, diplomatic, military and scientific and technological power The approach states that Beijing is the only competitor that has the potential to combine its economic, diplomatic, military and scientific and technological strengths to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system. The United States must be able to compete on all these levels for our future way of Life,” she said.
For the U.S. military, Hicks said, “this often means acting in a supporting role as a diplomatic, economic and other soft power tool. But it will also require the United States to demonstrate a willingness and ability to credibly deter aggression from the People’s Republic of China.” Hicks noted that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on a visit to Japan this week, said the U.S. military and its allies and partners must have the capability to outpace the Chinese Communist Party’s military. “If we are to leverage our strengths and close critical gaps to deter determined adversaries, we must invest in ourselves in major changes, not only financially but also culturally,” she said.
Hicks expressed confidence that the United States is ready, and her sources of confidence are numerous. According to Hicks, “First and foremost, Austin made clear in his message to the troops that the Department of Defense will be committed to innovation and modernization. DoD will be committed to rapid experimentation, which provides the space necessary to test and refine innovative warfighting concepts.” She said, “On the path to disruption, learning occurs in part through failure, but we will seek to always act with the trust of the American taxpayer and at reasonable risk.”
Hicks added that “it is not enough to develop concepts and test doctrine; DoD will also work to bridge the so-called valley of death and ensure we have a real sense of needed capabilities in the force.” Making room for new capabilities will require hard choices, she noted. Where national security needs are no longer being met, she said, “DoD will work closely with Congress to phase out systems and approaches optimized for the previous era.” She said the Pentagon will also pay attention to aligning the incentives that drive its investments, selection of talent and innovative approaches.
Second, Hicks said she believes the Defense Department can effectively deter adversaries because the Biden Administration is committed to strengthening what may be America’s greatest asymmetric advantage: U.S. alliances and partnerships. “America’s ability to pursue common economic and security goals with other nations is a cornerstone of our success, which is why competitors seek to actively undermine trust in us,” she said. Hicks emphasized that “for the U.S. military in particular, our defense relationships and the networks among them enhance interoperability; generate shared norms of responsible international behavior and respect across domains; and deepen the flexibility of our collective global posture.”
Third, Hicks said she and Secretary Austin know that addressing the biggest challenges and advancing DoD priorities will require sustained attention from the top to create the leverage for lasting institutional change. “Fundamental to our approach is the promotion of a healthy civil-military relationship that includes civilian control of U.S. defense and national security policy,” she said. Hicks said, “Democrats and Republicans alike recognize that the Department of Defense should and must make the People’s Republic of China a priority pace challenge for the United States.”
Hicks said, “The Department of Defense should be confident that it will continue to receive the support it needs to maintain its edge. As the department begins the congressionally mandated process of reviewing and revising its defense strategy, the Pentagon must seek to ensure that it has the necessary resources and that its military concepts and capabilities are capable of deterring and, if needed, defeating the most challenging adversaries.” “We must succeed not only in the competition of concepts, but also in the firmness of execution,” she said.
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