Will the United States military strike targets in Libya before the October 22 presidential debate, which, coincidentally, will focus on foreign policy and national security? Probably. Would this attack fall into the “October Surprise” or “Wag the Dog” category? Probably not. The attack would certainly be no surprise. On September …
As its January 2 deadline draws near, sequestration and the roughly $500 billion it will cut from defense have received increasing attention. While proponents of these dramatic cuts argue it shows fiscal restraint and will save the country money, the sensitive nature of Department of Defense (DOD) contracting could mean …
This Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) will hold a hearing on sequestration’s impact on defense and national security in light of the Sequestration Transparency Act Report, which the White House released on September 14. The report unfortunately brings very little insight to the impacts of sequestration on U.S. …
The political grandstanding around sequestration is shameful. As Bob Woodward described in his book The Price of Politics, the present crisis was not the product of ineptitude or misplaced priorities (who would have thought those would be considered lesser evils?). It has been caused by the conscious decisions of political …
The White House is attempting to use the U.S. military as a bargaining chip to force Congress to raise taxes—the looming “sequestration” budget cuts were never supposed to happen, because Congress was supposed to come to a budget agreement. Now the military faces deep, across-the-board cuts. The President has attempted …
After the treacherous murder in Libya of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens earlier this week, it was announced that a U.S. Marine Corp Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST), consisting of approximately 50 specially trained Marines, would be deployed to Tripoli to enhance security at the U.S. embassy there. From where did …
Eleven years ago today, terrorists shattered America’s sense of safety. Generations who did not remember Pearl Harbor suddenly knew the shock of an attack on U.S. soil. Brothers, fathers, cousins, wives, and daughters were lost. And more sisters, mothers, husbands and sons would give their lives in the years that …
U.S. political leaders are facing a crossroads. They can step up and solve the budget impasse, or they can do nothing and let mandated sequestration cuts take effect. The latter course would have grave consequences for the nation. Lawmakers should keep several things in mind as we hurtle toward the …
During a visit to the Niagara Falls Air and Reserve Station, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta praised the soldiers and airmen of the Reserve and National Guard for their service safeguarding the nation. He warned, however, that the looming defense sequestration threatened to jeopardize the National Guard’s capacity to protect the …