WILMINGTON — U.S. Sen Chris Coons is now the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Defense Appropriations panel, giving him a key role in shaping America’s $850 billion defense budget. He’s hoping to use that position to help the Delaware region while walking a fine line on the Trump administration’s muscular policies in foreign affairs.
To get a better sense of shared priorities and the best direction for America’s defense strategy, Coons started discussions with U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, his counterpart on the committee.
“At the highest level, we are at a critical moment in defense spending because technology is expanding so rapidly,” Coons told the Delaware Business Times on Friday afternoon. “Artificial intelligence and what it’s making possible in terms of quantum computing, new space technologies, new communications and hypersonic missiles … all these have very positive developments— and very frightening developments.”
Hypersonic missiles, in particular, have been developed and deployed by the United States and China, for example. But China has been ahead of the race, in part because of its decades of research in the development and testing infrastructure needed.
The United States launched a test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body last month in Cape Canaveral in Florida, opening the door for more tests in the near future. Drones in the Ukraine-Russia War have also shown the flexibility for quick mass-produced and inexpensive technology to shape a battlefield
through aerial attacks.
“The Ukrainians have used drones to remarkable impact to hold back Russian armor on eastern and southern fronts. I’m interested in the research and development of new platforms and how that can make a difference,” Coons said. “I’m hoping to see real benefit to our region as a result of my role in this committee.”
But part of the problem is that the defense procurement process is bureaucratic, the senator said. The Government Accountability Office wrote in a
report last summer that the U.S. Military was “alarmingly slow” as major programs are now taking 11 years to complete, or three years longer than expected. With China continuing to dramatically expand and modernize its military readiness through building more technology, China President Xi Jinping
has ambitions to annex Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, by 2027 by force if necessary. The Pentagon is watching
China’s military developments closely, on high alert for the potential for an international conflict.
That’s just two examples that Coons pointed to as a reason the United States needs to focus more energy on military preparedness by leveraging existing technology to get there. He hopes the Delaware region can benefit from manufacturing, research and construction jobs in potential movement at Ridley Park in Pennsylvania, where Boeing builds V-22 Ospreys and the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which was famed for building warships in the past but has recently been acquired by Korean shipbuilder Hanwha.
Hanwha has already started putting money into dry docks and heavy cranes. It is currently capable of manufacturing U.S. Department of Transportation Ships for training exercises, as well.
“Boeing at its height employed 500 Delawareans at that site and I’ve met with the CEO of Hanwha and they’ve signed agreements to invest and expand at the Philadelphia Shipyard,” Coons said. “We’re under capacity in U.S. shipyards, and there’s a lot of money in the federal budget to invest in shipbuilding. I’d like Philadelphia to have a real shot at that - and we have companies here that can invest in that.”
That includes
Summit Aviation in Middletown that has a long track record of working with military aircraft and ILC Dover that has historically manufactured spacesuits, inflatable habitats and landing airbags.
In particular, Coons identified Dover as a prime area which can see the most benefit as the Dover Air Force Base (DAFB) has seen millions in construction projects. In 2024, the base reported it completed seven construction projects valued at $58 million. In the new year, the DAFB will be starting 20 new construction projects valued at $25 million.
The Dover Civil Air Terminal also is open for more flights under its newly-signed joint use agreement and has several parcels of undeveloped land around it.
“That has enormous potential to grow as a place we can possibly attract new technology, like say a drone manufacturer,” Coons said. “Training, equipment and logistics are going to look different as time passes, and we need to make sure that the base remains the main strategic air command on the East Coast.”
But he also acknowledged the precarious moment as the U.S. is still contending with a change of power as the Trump administration takes a hard look at where the trillions of dollars in the federal budget has been spent. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump announced intentions to place 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico— longstanding allies of the U.S.— as well as others on China. A deal was struck Monday with both countries with Trump adding that the tariffs were momentarily paused for 30 days.
In the past, Coons was a leader on the State and Foreign Operations subcommittee – one of which is getting the most scrutiny as Trump continues to find ways to pare down that federal budget. The senator told DBT during the interview on Friday that he is trying to take an optimistic viewpoint that he can work to shape policy with McConnell.
“One of the things that the Biden administration did was strengthen our strategic place in the Western Pacific, through agreements with the Australia to service American nuclear-powered submarines to have a greater reach in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. At the end of the day, Mitch McConnell presents as someone who believes in our global network of alliances – as well as investing in defending Ukraine,” Coons said.
“President Trump did some truly unconventional things in national security foreign policy in his first term,” the senator added. “I’m hoping that McConnell and I can push back on some of that… we have to keep investing in the future of America’s security with a sense of urgency and an eye on rapid technology innovations.”