Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez has served as a member of the House Armed Services Committee since first entering Congress in 1997. She is currently the highest ranking female on the Committee and serves as Chair of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. She is also a member of the Strategic Forces and Military Personnel Subcommittees.

As Chair of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities (TUTC) Subcommittee, Rep. Sanchez's top priority is preparing our Armed Forces for a new generation of security challenges.  This is a vitally important subcommittee, with jurisdiction over the Department of Defense's counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation operations.  The subcommittee also oversees our military's overall information technology and cybersecurity - two fields with direct implications for Orange County's growing technology and cyber-defense sectors. 

On the Military Personnel Subcommittee, Rep. Sanchez fights to provide our troops with the resources they need to protect not only our nation, but themselves. In the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, Rep. Sanchez successfully lobbied for the development of a Sexual Assault Database, which will increase public awareness of sexual abuse in the military and encourage accountability and responsibility within each Armed Service branch. In the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, Rep. Sanchez was able to include a provision that will address concerns that support units with female servicemembers do not receive adequate combat skills training, thereby putting the entire unit in danger.

Rep. Sanchez continues to be a leading advocate in Congress for women in the military. She successfully included language in the 2004 Defense Reauthorization Act that created a Department of Defense task force to investigate cases of sexual harassment and violence in the United States Military and Naval Academies. In 2005, she successfully revised Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to include a meaningful sexual assault statute that protects victims, empowers prosecutors, and creates a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual assault and abuse.

In Congress, Rep. Sanchez will continue to promote polices that enhance service member safety and advance America's long-term national security goals. She will continue to work to ensure that our men and women in uniform not only have the equipment and support they need today, but well into the future.

To learn more about the House Armed Services Committee, please click here.