Hancock County, Mississippi, was the last place a group of Ukrainian soldiers expected to be when Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked assault on their country. But their visit proved timely. The Ukrainians had been studying at the Special Boat Training Center (SBTC), a renowned maritime security program that has equipped military and police forces across the globe.

There on the Gulf Coast, U.S. Navy officers taught the tactics, operations, and strategy associated with small-boat warfare. When they returned to their homeland, the Ukrainians immediately used these lessons. Russia’s navy dwarfed Ukraine’s, forcing the defenders to compete using numerous small vessels—exactly the kind the SBTC trained them to use.

Allies Stepping Up

This story from the SBTC illustrates a broader theme: Through partnerships with our allies, we make the world safer for everyone. America should not bear the weight of global security alone, and the good news is that we do not have to. Our allies have been stepping up.

Europe has provided far more financial, military, and humanitarian support for Ukraine than has the United States. Our North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies have increased their own defense investment toward the target of 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Many of our closest partners are developing cutting-edge military technology that the United States is learning from. My committee has led several efforts at the Pentagon to improve our ability to coordinate sales and technology transfer with allies. President Trump has insisted that our allies shoulder their defense responsibility, and Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war has also served as a wake-up call to nations that had been neglecting their military.

I recently returned from a visit to Europe, where I represented the United States at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The organization helps North American and European nations to work together on security, human rights, and economic prosperity. At the conference, we recommitted to fighting back against dictators like Vladimir Putin and his partners.

Remembering a Champion of Freedom

Few Americans embodied that effort more than South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away this month. Senator Graham and I were the last remaining members of the Republican Revolution—the U.S. House members elected in 1994. We served alongside one another for 32 years.

It is impossible to talk this week about America’s alliances without paying respects to Lindsey. The free world is safer and stronger because of Senator Graham’s relentless fight against dictators. He had been a champion of human rights, liberty, and justice in the Middle East—striving especially to weaken Iran and to help Arab nations accept Israel. This month, he visited Kyiv, Ukraine, for the latest of many trips since the war began. For over a year, Lindsey Graham had been striving to get senators, representatives, and the White House to consensus on a sanctions bill that would drain Putin’s coffers.

One of his final acts as a legislator was to secure White House agreement on that bill. This could turn out to be Lindsey’s greatest achievement. I am helping lead efforts to finish what he brought so far. A fitting tribute to Senator Graham’s life’s work would be for the Senate and the House of Representatives to pass this bill right away and for the president to sign it. These sanctions would reinforce core priorities of Senator Graham’s life: weakening our foes and strengthening our allies, so that Americans can live in security.

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