Rep. August Pfluger discussed U.S. strategy on Iran, the importance of airpower, and military readiness during an interview with Jessica Rosenthal on the Fox News Rundown Podcast, according to a Mar. 30 announcement.
The conversation comes as debates continue over national security priorities and the modernization of U.S. armed forces. Pfluger drew from his experience as an Air Force fighter pilot and his current role as Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
Addressing deterrence against Iran, Pfluger said: “I think on the strategic front, you have to have this situation where the Iranian regime knows that the United States of America, and hopefully our allies and our partners… come together and we mean business… And I think that leads to the credibility of deterrence.” He added that it is time for Iran “to lay down their arms, to lay down their nuclear weapons, and to become a transparent country that can once again be respected.”
Pfluger also highlighted challenges facing the Air Force: “The Department of the Air Force is the smallest and the oldest and yet the most tasked department of all the military services… So we absolutely need to recapitalize. We need to go faster to produce weapon systems to be ready,” he said.
On munitions stockpiles, he stated: “We need a mixture of high, low, exquisite, non-exquisite, inexpensive weapon systems that can achieve a variety of effects… And that’s where innovative startup projects and companies really play a big role.” Regarding recruitment efforts in skilled positions across all branches he said: “Recruitment is up. We have finally gotten rid of DEI and divisive policies that Joe Biden championed that really hit our readiness… But it does take some time… we’re always worried about training, readiness [and] lethality.”
Pfluger has served in Congress representing Texas’s 11th District since 2021 after replacing Mike Conaway according to Ballotpedia. He won election in 2020 by receiving nearly 80 percent of votes against Jon Mark Hogg as reported by Wikipedia. Born in Houston in 1978 at age 44 he currently lives in San Angelo according to Congress.gov.