As we begin the New Year, we as a nation and a world are very fortunate that missile defense systems are deployed and operational all over the world, especially around and in the Pacific, where ridiculous accelerated rhetoric, escalation, a likely upcoming North Korea ballistic missile test and references to pushing nuclear hot buttons. To make peace and being critically relevant, deployed ballistic missile defense systems among the United States and the nations of the international community are providing stability to enable a peaceful solution.

The world entering 2018 has the most proliferation of ballistic missile defense systems spread among nations that has ever been done before and will continue to grow to meet and deter nuclear preemptive, reactionary, accidental action and proliferation of the nuclear ballistic missile forces of North Korea. More ballistic missile defense capability and capacity is required, understood, and supported by Congress and the President of the United States with a historic increase to the missile defense budget that will be forthcoming this year to keep the nation safe, assure the safety of our allies and help to prevent conflict and deter against war.

In further enabling the existing increased support for Missile Defense in 2018, the United States Senate has voted on and confirmed by vote, the nomination of John Rood, who President Trump has selected to be Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. John Rood is the first Defense Department nominee voted in this new year of 2018.

We congratulate John Rood as the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and accept his resignation as a member of the Advisory Board for the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.