Duckworth at Center for Strategic and International Studies: “America Needs to Show Up and Deliver in the Indo-Pacific”

July 17, 2026 Duckworth at Center for Strategic and International Studies: “America Needs to Show Up and Deliver in the Indo-Pacific” [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Committees on Foreign Relations (SFRC) and Armed Services (SASC)—outlined why it is so important for the United States to increase coordination and cooperation with our partners in the Indo-Pacific at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). During the conversation, Duckworth shared her firsthand takeaways from her official trip last week to Taiwan and Japan , as well as her trip in May to the Philippines and Singapore , where she met with top government and economic leaders to discuss how we can strengthen our partnerships and bolster security. Full video of the event can be found on the CSIS YouTube page , and photos from the event can be found on the Senator’s website . “As a Pacific nation, our national security and economy depend on a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Duckworth. “The United States must show up and deliver for our partners in the region. No matter who is in the White House, I’ll always work to ensure the Senate prioritizes engagement with our Indo-Pacific partners for the long haul. The stronger our relationships and coordination in the region, the better we all can deter PRC aggression and make each other safer.” During the event, Duckworth articulated her vision for restored U.S. engagement in the region. In particular, the Senator highlighted the need for the United States to support accelerating multilateral coordination and invest in a robust diplomatic presence to complement our military’s work to stabilize alliances amidst President Trump’s dismissive and alienating rhetoric, destructive and costly tariffs and reckless war against Iran. She emphasized the interconnected nature of the U.S. and the region’s economies, sharing how, in the all-out race for quantum, engaging nations at the cutting edge, like Japan, helps the U.S. build resilient supply chains that bolster national security while driving new investment in Illinois. Duckworth continues to be a proven leader when it comes to strengthening our relations with Indo-Pacific nations. She is the first U.S. Senator to visit Taiwan after the disastrous Trump-Xi summit where Donald Trump kowtowed to PRC President Xi Jinping and waffled on delivering a critical bipartisan arms package to Taiwan. Upon her arrival, Duckworth penned an op-ed underscoring that the United States’ commitment to Taiwan is steadfast—regardless of who is in the White House. The Senator also highlighted numerous ways she is working to strengthen their partnership and security in the Indo-Pacific region, including through her bipartisan Strategy for Crisis Management Act and South China Sea Strategy Act that both recently passed committee and now await a full Senate vote. The Senator’s Strategy for Crisis Management Act was one of several provisions she secured in this year’s committee-passed NDAA to enhance our readiness and coordination with partners in the Indo-Pacific region. This provision would help deescalate consequential crises short of war in the South China Sea. Among Duckworth’s other wins are provisions that would drive cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies and partners on asymmetric operations and improve medical preparedness and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, Duckworth’s Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness program—a program she championed in the FY2025 NDAA and continues to implement through provisions in this year’s NDAA—will help ensure our nation’s servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where they often must travel long distances to receive care. -30- Print Tweet Next Article Previous Article