Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Ranking Member Jim Cooper (D-TN) sent a bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump recently urging him to support additional missile defense funding of $2.5 billion included in the House passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help the United States better prepare and handle the most recent North Korean threats. The bill was passed in July following successful tests of North Korean missile technology.

“President Trump has already begun to make tremendous strides in rebuilding our national defense. And his strong stand against the North Korean threat is greatly welcomed. Today, I ask President Trump to fully support the $2.5 billion increase to ensure we are completely prepared to deal with any threat that comes out of North Korea. The funding Mr. Cooper and I have requested is the same amount that passed overwhelmingly by the House in this year’s NDAA,” Rogers said.

The letter stated, “The recent North Korean progress on its nuclear weapons capabilities and particularly the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests by North Korea, present an increased threat to our homeland, regional stability, and the 28,500 American service members and their families deployed to the Korean Peninsula…This proposed funding would enhance reliability and discrimination capabilities for homeland missile defense by developing space-based sensors for discrimination and increasing the number of ground-based interceptors necessary for spares and tests, increase funding for missile defense technology research, and increase procurement of THAAD and Patriot interceptors.”

Rogers is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee.