{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcsally.senate.gov/news/press-releases/mcsally-bipartisan-senators-express-strong-support-for-the-quad-and-australias-return-to-exercise-malabar", "McSally, Bipartisan Senators Express Strong Support For The Quad & Australia\u2019s Return To Exercise Malabar", "2020-10-20", "2020", "2020-10", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "Martha McSally", "M001197", "www.mcsally.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. SENATE \r\nU.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) and a bipartisan group of senators expressed\r\nstrong support for India's decision to formally invite Australia to participate\r\nin the annual Exercise Malabar.  The letter,\r\naddressed to Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu,\r\nwas also signed by U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN),\r\nChris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX),\r\nJosh Hawley (R-MO), James Lankford (R-OK), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Marco Rubio\r\n(R-FL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Mark Warner (D-VA). From an\r\noperational perspective, the addition of such a uniquely capable and stalwart\r\npartner, like Australia, to this naval exercise is invaluable, providing\r\nincreased interoperability, strengthening threat assessment abilities and\r\nenhancing the maritime roles and missions of the four naval powers, wrote\r\nthe senators. However, of equal importance is the symbolic nature of\r\nAustralia's inclusion in Malabar, marking the first time that the United\r\nStates, India, Japan and Australia will engage collectively at the military\r\nlevel since the formation of the Quad and the Quad-plus-Singapore naval\r\nexercises held in September 2007. China has\r\nopportunistically looked to expand its military footprint across the\r\nIndo-Pacific. From the South China Sea to the Himalayas, Beijing continues to\r\nuse methods of intimidation and territorial aggression to test the resolve of\r\nregional actors, continued the senators. In response to these malign\r\nactions, the U.S. has signaled its increased commitment to the region with the\r\nnewly proposed Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which will complement the Asia\r\nReassurance Initiative Act (ARIA) to provide a more robust military presence.\r\nHowever, without coordinated efforts among committed and capable partners,\r\nsolitary actions will not sufficiently address these ever-evolving security\r\nchallenges. Almost three\r\ndecades ago, the Malabar Exercise acted as a launching pad for increased\r\nU.S.-Indian relations. We hope that Japan's inclusion in the exercise, and now\r\nAustralia's, will have a similar effect, strengthening cooperation among the\r\nQuad as we collectively defend our shared vision for a free and open\r\nIndo-Pacific, concluded the senators. The letter\r\nalso expresses support for increased coordination among Quad members on non-security\r\nissues like humanitarian assistance, vaccine development, and infrastructure\r\ninvestment in the Indo-Pacific region. Read the full\r\nletter here. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcsally.senate.gov/news/press-releases/mcsally-bipartisan-senators-express-strong-support-for-the-quad-and-australias-return-to-exercise-malabar"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0058637708425522, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}