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GOP Rep warns US Navy plan to relocate fuel from Hawaii could jeopardize operations in the Indo-Pacific
U.S. lawmakers have sent a letter of warning to the U.S. Navy saying the country could be wholly unprepared for a possible conflict should the military follow through with a plan to move fuel from Hawaii to storage facilities across the Indo-Pacific.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on China, said in a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro dated Jan. 17 that a plan to redistribute fuel from Hawaii’s Red Hill underground bulk storage facility was a “strategic imperative,” Reuters reported. He cautioned, however, that the Defense Department had yet to develop a long-term solution.
“It is unclear how exactly the Navy will replace and distribute the aggregate bulk fuel capacity of Red Hill,” said Gallagher, R-Wis, noting that U.S. operations in the Pacific would “grind to a halt” without a logistics network to ship the oil then to ensure ease of access.
“The Navy appears to be short – by several dozen – ships that will be needed to transport and deliver fuel to our bases and forces operating across the Indo-Pacific,” he continued. “We must address potential weaknesses in our logistical supply lines, while we still have the time to do so.”
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Scaffolding covers the Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol dome on September 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continues to have difficulty finding a legislative path that would prevent the federal government from partially shutting down at midnight on September 30 and would also not jeopardize his speakership. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In October 2023, the Pentagon revealed the Red Hill storage facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam suffered a leak that contaminated the water systems. It then began draining the 1940s-era facility, saying the fuel would be loaded by ship and transported to existing support sites. This process is expected to take several years.
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In Gallagher’s letter, the Republican lawmaker cited a 2016 Defense Department determination that it would need 86 tankers for moving such equipment. He requested that Del Toro explain to the committee whether the department had enough forward fuel storage facilities and would have access to refinery capacity for operations in the Indo-Pacific.
U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson approaches USNS Rappahannock (not shown) to perform an underway replenishment in the Pacific Ocean on May 27, 2017. Rappahannock is a Military Sealift Command ship that aides the U.S. Navy mission by delivering food, fuel and supplies to Navy vessels, thusly extending the Navy vessel’s ability to stay at sea. Picture taken on on May 27, 2017. (Torrey W. Lee/Courtesy U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS)
Gallagher also asked the secretary whether the Navy had identified secure locations to build replacement facilities for Red Hill, and whether it had plans to integrate facilities of allies and partners in redistributing fuel.
A Navy spokesperson affirmed the secretary would respond to the letter accordingly.
“As with all congressional correspondence, the Department of the Navy will respond, as appropriate. We have nothing additional to provide at this time,” the spokesperson said, per Reuters.
China’s sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, arrives in Hong Kong waters on July 7, 2017, less than a week after a high-profile visit by president Xi Jinping. – China’s national defence ministry had said the Liaoning, named after a northeastern Chinese province, was part of a flotilla on a “routine training mission” and would make a port of call in the former British colony. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. military experts continue to warn that the U.S. is unprepared to respond to China’s hegemonic ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, which include seizing territories, facilitating trade negotiations and managing trade routes, and expanding its operational control over disputed waters.
These experts have warned of gaps in U.S. defenses as China, which now has more naval vessels than the United States, continues to dramatically expand its military.
Reuters contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 100% tariff on imports from any country that imposes a tax on digital services provided by United States companies.
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In a social media post, Trump took aim at European countries, he said, that are discussing the “imminent” implementation of taxes on American companies.
The US president has repeatedly sought to use tariffs to deter such taxes, but many countries are seeking revenue as their economies increasingly operate in digital realms dominated by American companies.
“Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% tariff on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America,” Trump wrote.
He added that the new tax would supersede any previously negotiated trade deals. Trump said the penalty would apply to any country that moves forward with such a tax, but he singled out European nations in his post.
Trump has consistently opposed international attempts to tax or regulate American tech giants. Last year, he threatened fresh tariffs on any nation attempting to do so, writing in a post last August that digital taxes and regulations “are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology.”
The warning arrives just ahead of Trump’s 4 July deadline for the European Union and the US to begin implementing a trade agreement that caps most tariffs on EU exports at 15%.
The EU finalised that trade deal with the United States in May. It followed months of internal EU debate after European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen initially reached a tentative agreement last year during a visit to Trump’s golf course in Scotland.
The issue of digital tax remained unresolved
Digital taxes were excluded from that pact and remain a primary source of friction between the US and the European bloc.
While the US government has previously launched Section 301 investigations into digital services taxes, it remains unclear how Trump intends to enforce his latest threat, or whether the tariffs would be applied globally or targeted at specific countries first.
Britain, having left the EU, has levied its own 2% digital services tax since 2020 on revenue generated by search engines, social media platforms and online marketplaces that “derive value” from UK users.
In a policy document released at the time, the British government argued that existing corporate tax rules for digital firms had “led to a misalignment between the place where profits are taxed and the place where value is created.”
The UK tax features specific thresholds, ensuring it is primarily paid by major multinational corporations. The policy was implemented to “ensure the large multinational businesses in-scope make a fair contribution to supporting vital public services,” the document noted.
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Video captured a large emergency response after a small plane crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper on Friday, prompting an immediate information blackout from Chinese authorities, The Associated Press reported.
Video and photos shared on social media appear to show the aircraft plummeting to the ground after smashing a large hole in the 108-story CITIC Tower, located in the Chinese capital’s business district.
Police, fire and EMS workers were spotted at the scene preventing witnesses from taking photos and attempting to clear the area.
People gather near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after an eyewitness reported plane debris at the base of Beijing’s tallest building. Video footage taken from a nearby building by the witness showed fire trucks blasting water at smoke billowing from the 528-metre (1,732-foot) CITIC Tower, while the wreck of a plane lay on the ground beside the building. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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A person working inside the high-rise said the plane crash triggered the building’s fire alarms.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft was a Sunward SA 60L Aurora, which took off about 30 miles east of the city and crashed shortly before 6 p.m. local time.
ADS-B data for the flight only includes a partial flight path and stops prior to the crash, according to air traffic data.
A hole is seen (R) on the side of the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after a reported plane crash. (Peter Catterall/AFP via Getty Images)
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The AP reported that photos and videos of the incident escaped the country’s “great firewall” and were circulated on social media platform X, though Chinese censors have removed content about the crash from the country’s restricted internet.
No information has been released by government officials or state-run media, as of Friday afternoon.
Police personnel block the road near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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The cause of the crash, identity of the pilot, and the number of casualties remain unclear.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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