National Security & Foreign Policy
Virginia is one of the most militarily connected states in the country and is home to every service branch, including the largest naval station in the world, premier Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force installations, and a robust Coast Guard presence. Tim knows that the Commonwealth plays a huge role in helping the nation meet our national security challenges and he has been instrumental in ensuring that our military installations have the resources they need to keep the country safe.
Tim is committed to strengthening America’s national security through a balance of our military, economic, and diplomatic tools. Tim believes it should be Congress’ goal to minimize the risk of unnecessary war while maximizing the chance that the United States will decisively win any war we must fight. As a member of the Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the Chair of the Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, Tim is focused on providing the best quality resources to our servicemembers and their families and protecting Americans from national security threats. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s issues, Tim is focused on strengthening relationships with international partners, striving for diplomatic solutions to conflicts, and maintaining a commitment to our values of freedom, democracy, and human rights.
Tim has been the leading voice in Congress raising concerns over Presidents’ efforts to expand the use of military force without congressional authorization. He has worked across the aisle to improve the way the President and Congress consult on matters of war and the initiation of U.S. military action. In February 2020, the Senate passed his bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran without congressional authorization by a vote of 55-45. Tim has also introduced bipartisan legislation to revise the War Powers Resolution of 1973, repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that authorized the Iraq War, and replace the open-ended 2001 AUMF with a narrower authorization.
Tim has discussed with senior military officials the need for a coherent U.S. cyber strategy in order to deter foreign adversaries from conducting cyber-attacks on the U.S. Tim has recognized that part of this strategy to address growing cybersecurity challenges includes ensuring that we have a robust cyber workforce in place to defend the nation in both the private and public sectors. Virginia is a center for the nation’s cyber workforce, with the second highest concentration of tech workers in the U.S., the largest concentration of data centers in the world, and the headquarters of many key federal agencies. To help strengthen this critical workforce, Tim has introduced and passed into law several pieces of legislation—including the DoD Cyber Scholarship Program Act and the Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act—to make more scholarships available for students, particularly at community colleges, in exchange for a service requirement in the cyber field for the government.
