The Republican congresswoman argues that arms deals have a positive economic impact locally
Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills, has been appointed to a new congressional task force aimed at speeding up arms sales and making sure the U.S. delivers weapons to its allies on time.
This effort comes as concerns rise over growing threats in the Indo-Pacific region, which stretches from South Asia to the Pacific Islands. Tensions are especially high with China’s increasing military power.
The task force’s job is to look at arms sales that are still in the pipeline and figure out whether the U.S. is meeting its promised delivery deadlines.
Kim, who was part of a similar task force from 2023-24, says this new task force will take a broader approach.
“The point is to track all of the arms sales that came to our attention from our partner countries in Asia, especially, and making sure that there are no delays, that we are able to meet their requests on time and deliver them in an effective manner,” said Kim, who represents communities in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
“The intent is to make sure that there is that trustworthiness between our allies and partners that depend on arms, equipment and other defense articles,” she said. “These are critical allies in the Indo-Pacific.”
While the earlier task force focused mainly on Taiwan’s defense needs, Kim said this year’s effort will look at arms sales to other countries in the region, too.
Kim said that in addition to Taiwan, countries including South Korea, Japan and several Southeast Asian nations are also purchasing arms from the U.S. She argued that these deals do more than just strengthen military alliances — they also have a positive economic impact locally.
“We’re already talking about co-production of key arms and military equipment, and this will also be helpful to help our local economy as well,” Kim said. “In Orange County, we have several defense industries that could definitely benefit from the sales that we’re making to our partners in Asia.”
While Kim acknowledged that established defense companies, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, have long been reliable players in the industry, at times, she said, “we felt that we could definitely utilize the startup defense companies.”
She highlighted Anduril, a Costa Mesa-based defense tech company, as an example of a local company growing in the defense space. Founded in 2017 by billionaire Palmer Luckey, Anduril is a relatively new but significant player in the defense industry. The startup has secured billions of dollars in contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. Luckey is also a prominent fundraiser for the Republican Party and President Donald Trump.
Under the AUKUS agreement — a security partnership between the U.S., the U.K. and Australia — Anduril has expanded into Australia, opening a new office in Sydney. The company announced in 2022 that it plans to design and produce major defense products in Australia.
“This is the type of thing that I would like to encourage, whether we make those arms sales domestically, or be able to do that with our American businesses having a presence in the region,” said Kim. “And obviously, I shouldn’t just focus on Southern California, but that’s what I represent. That’s what I focus on. We have defense industries throughout the country, but I think this is going to be really, really important for us to meet the demands in a timely manner while we provide some economic vitality.”
Kim placed importance on supporting emerging defense technology companies, which she said can help streamline the production and delivery of arms.
“This will allow us, as task force members, to be able to really hone in on the countries where we are having arms sales and then understand if there is a nexus into … utilizing emerging technologies and encouraging startup companies in the defense industry, giving them the opportunity to participate so we can provide more expedient deliveries,” she said.
Arms sales delays have been an ongoing problem, especially with Taiwan. Kim pointed out a significant backlog of arms deliveries to Taiwan, which has been one of the U.S.’s top customers for decades. As of December, Taiwan is still waiting on nearly $22 billion worth of weapons, according to estimates from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C.
“That erodes the trust from Taiwan about our ability to keep our promise. And this is something that we want to address this time,” she said.
Kim previously introduced the Arms Exports Delivery Act, which was included in the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, to improve tracking and transparency of arms deliveries. The new task force, she said, will conduct a broader assessment of pending arms sales and delivery schedules to ensure the U.S. can meet its commitments on time.
“We want to, first of all, analyze what kind of arms sales that we have currently pending, and where are we in terms of meeting those requests,” she said. “And then what is the update — can we do this before the due date? Again, when they purchase arms from the United States, they need it by the due date, or before the due date, because there is a need for it.”
Kim specifically highlighted 2027 as a critical year for Taiwan’s defense planning. Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to take control of Taiwan, and Kim said Taiwan needs to be prepared to defend itself.
“Taiwan, for example, we are constantly looking at the end date of 2027, which is the year Xi Jinping has made it very clear, that’s the day, however he does this, he wants to take over Taiwan,” Kim said. “We want Taiwan to be prepared and equipped to deter that aggression.”
When asked if she had any concerns about the potential security risks of expediting arms sales, Kim said she’s open to discussing the issue once the task force convenes, although the date for that has not yet been set.
Kim’s appointment also comes at a time when the Trump administration may be moving forward with efforts to streamline the arms sales process.
Trump is reportedly working on an executive order designed to speed up the U.S. government’s weapons sales to foreign countries, which could benefit U.S. arms contractors. Politico reported that the order aims to reduce some of the congressional oversight in the Arms Export Control Act, which governs the process of arms exports.
The 12-member task force will be led by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, and will include two other California lawmakers: Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from Sherman Oaks, and Rep. Sara Jacobs, a Democrat from San Diego.
