This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, vows to continue his support for U.S. military members and their families in the wake of a new report that shows an increasing amount of U.S. military weapons are made using Chinese-manufactured components.

In a statement sent to WND, Scott said he knows firsthand the sacrifices veterans, military members, and their families make to keep America safe.

"I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for the selfless service of military members and the families who support them. As a Navy veteran myself, I know firsthand the sacrifices our military members, veterans, and their families make to keep our country safe," Scott said in his statement.

Scott noted during his time as governor of Florida, he worked to champion legislation to make the Sunshine State the most military- and veteran-friendly state in the nation. Now he uses his position in the U.S. Congress to ensure funding is directed where it is needed to keep adversaries at bay.

"Fighting for our heroes continues to be my top priority as a U.S. senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee. Every year I work with my colleagues to pass a National Defense Authorization Act which will authorize the appropriate amount of defense spending to not only deter our enemies and defeat them if necessary but also, importantly, to continue to increase the pay for all members of the armed forces and improve the quality of life for our military families," Scott said.

Scott added that the men and women of the armed forces are America's greatest asset, and vowed to serve and protect the nation's families.

"Our military provides for the safety of our country and protects our national security, and I'll never stop fighting for the funding to support them. I will never lose sight of one of the most important roles I have as a senator: to protect and serve the families of our nation. And that starts with supporting America's greatest asset — the men and women of our armed forces." Scott said.

According to a report from Govini, China’s manufacturing of military weapons components, namely semiconductors, has increased from 12,000 manufacturers to almost 45,000 manufacturers between 2005 and 2023. This puts the U.S. military in a precarious position if China decides to declare war, or simply stop the supply chain to the U.S. together.

Despite President Joe Biden claiming during a news conference Thursday that manufacturing in the U.S. is at "peak growth," the data within the Govini report shows China is outpacing the U.S. on building naval warships, and other weapons systems.