Rubio Campaign Press Release - Marco Rubio Has the Best Foreign Policy Experience of Anyone in the GOP Race

Leading conservative voices and experts have praised Marco Rubio as having the most experience and the best foreign policy expertise in the Republican field.

Senator Jim Risch, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence:

Restoring our allies' convictions that America still has the capacity to lead will require a president willing to equip the United States with the intelligence tools it needs to succeed. It will require a president with immersive experience in foreign affairs and national security. And it will require a president with prudence and foresight. Based on my experience, observations and collaborative work, the most prepared candidate to be commander-in-chief is Marco Rubio.

Major General Steve Siegfried (ret.), former commanding officer, Fort Jackson, South Carolina:

After closely reviewing the record of all the candidates, it is clear that Marco Rubio best understands the threats facing our nation. While other candidates voted to cut defense spending, Marco has always supported our military. . . . Marco will work tirelessly to strengthen our military and to keep our families safe. Marco will be a strong Commander in Chief, and I look forward to him restoring America's leadership in the world.

Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens:

Marco has "the most nuanced and sophisticated foreign policy" in the Republican field.

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer:

Foreign policy looms uncharacteristically large in this election cycle, and Rubio is the most knowledgeable and fluent current contender [in the Republican field] on everything from Russia to Cuba to the Middle East.

Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo, member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, West Point graduate:

I'm proud to stand with Marco — he will be an outstanding commander-in-chief. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee and a veteran, there is no doubt that Marco has shown great national security leadership in the Senate.

Retired Marine Lt. Col. Mike Moffett member of Gen. Tommy Franks' Central Command staff after 9/11:

We need a leader with vision, courage, and the leadership qualities necessary to restore confidence in our allies while conveying clarity to potential foes. Such a leader is Senator Marco Rubio, who yesterday gave an inspiring address on the future of America's role in the world. His remarks sold me on his unique suitability to be Commander-in-Chief.

I believe Senator Rubio will execute this "first duty" with a conviction that our nation — and the world — desperately needs. His senate record backs that up. He's been an active member on the Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. That background, combined with a domestic agenda that can renew the American Dream, accounts for my fervent and passionate support for his candidacy.

Richard Grenell, U.S. Spokesman to the U.N. under Ambassador John Bolton:

For political reporters who try to put [Rubio] in a box, like he's a first term senator, and he's young, they are surprised . . . [That's because] they haven't been watching the national security issues closely. . . . It's clear that Marco Rubio is not just learning foreign policy and memorizing the leaders and the different groups. This is not an academic exercise for him.

Grenell:

What most presidential candidates do is just kind of summarize past foreign policy crises to give a Wikipedia page [explanation] of what's going on. . . .Marco Rubio is actually offering solutions and he's leading the discussion.

Senator Deb Fischer, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee:

He is strong on national security. He understands the threats to this country. I do serve on the Armed Services Committee and I chair the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats. I know what the challenges are out there that we face. And no one knows these threats better, no one knows the challenges that we have in the world today, the dangerous world we face than Marco Rubio. That's why I'm supporting him. He will be a strong commander-in-chief. He will keep us safe. He will keep our country safe. He will keep our families safe.

Senator Jim Inhofe, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee:

As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marco consistently demonstrates that he understands what it will take to keep America safe and to rebuild our place of leadership in the world. He is also one of the most informed and most knowledgeable critics of the Obama administration's failed foreign policy, not only regarding ISIS in the Middle East, but across the globe. Marco has demonstrated sound judgment in knowing who our allies are and who they are not.

Former Arizona Senator Jon Kyl:

I came to respect him as a real expert in matters related to our national security. He is on the Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee. He knows the subject very well, and he also has very good instincts about what we should do.

Former Texas Senator Phil Gramm:

He's [the] best prepared on national security.

Gramm:

I think he has the judgment, the wisdom, the foreign policy experience. I think he's right on terrorism.

Max Boot, Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, on an appearance Marco made there:

It felt as if he were taking a Ph.D. oral exam in foreign policy — and he passed easily. . . He never seemed the slightest bit flustered, he always had cogent points to make, and he had a plethora of specific facts to cite in his answers about everything from Iraq to China.

Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon, member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs:

More than any other candidate, Marco Rubio has the right ideas to take on the threats we face around the world. As a member of the Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees, he has seen firsthand the importance of identifying our enemies and standing by our friends, and he knows what it takes to win the war against ISIS.

California Congressman Darrell Issa, member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs:

He's been fighting for a lot of things I believe in, and he's not afraid to engage on the hottest subjects. That's important because the next president's going to have to fix a lot of broken things including our foreign policy.

California Congressman Doug LaMalfa:

When it comes to terrorism, Marco Rubio understands the threats facing our country and he knows what is required to defeat terrorism. Marco is fully prepared to be our next Commander In Chief and he has my full support. I proudly endorse Marco Rubio for President.

Colorado Congressman Mike Coffman, member of the House Committee on Armed Services:

Marco understands the threats facing our country and his plan for a New American Century will strengthen our military, keep our country safe, and it's why as a Marine Corps combat veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am proud to endorse him.

Georgia Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence:

Marco's experience on the Senate Intelligence Committee and his strong stance on foreign policy make him the most qualified candidate to lead our nation. He understands the threats our country faces every day, and how to protect our nation, citizens and interests abroad.

Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullin:

One of the most important jobs of our next president will be keeping this country safe. Senator Rubio has the knowledge and understanding of the serious threats facing this country.

Pennsylvania Congressman Glenn Thompson:

During these dangerous times, Marco understands national security and I am confident that he is the right leader to work to keep our families safe.

Tim Mak, Daily Beast national security reporter — "Marco Rubio Schools Jeb Bush on Foreign Policy":  

The student has now become the teacher. Sen. Marco Rubio, once viewed as a protege of presidential competitor Jeb Bush, schooled the former Florida governor Wednesday evening in the first national security address of his national campaign. As compared to Jeb Bush, who fumbled and stumbled through his first major national security address, Marco Rubio delivered a master class on foreign policy that spoke to the soul of the right's hawkish neoconservatives. In New York City, before the Council of Foreign Relations and their foreign policy experts, Rubio showed himself to be a peer.

John Hinderaker, Powerline Blog:

When I have interviewed Marco Rubio over the years, I have been highly impressed by his command of a broad range of foreign policy issues. I consider him the strongest candidate in the 2016 field, of either party, on foreign affairs.

Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal:

He has in his head a fact-horde, which is immediately accessible to him as he speaks. You get the impression no briefing has ever been wasted on him. And he's quick.