In 1794, President George Washington requested and Congress authorized the building of six frigates, a type of warship widely used at the time. The presence of a standing U.S. Navy was deemed necessary in order to defend American citizens and commerce from European wars and the Barbary Coast pirates. By 1794, it had become clear that the ongoing wars between Revolutionary France and England would continue to place American ships in harm’s way. The United States needed to protect American commerce and enforce its neutrality in the European wars. But …
The decision by the U.S. Navy to rescind new guidelines that would have permitted same-sex marriages to be performed in navy chapels in certain states is a simple recognition of the law of the land. The fact that the rescission came only after pressure from Members of Congress who wrote to the Defense Department on May 6 requesting the enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a sober reminder that the Obama Administration continues to play fast and loose with this area of public policy. A quick review …
Today, the 235th birthday of the U.S. Navy, Heritage thanks all of America’s sailors and their families, retirees, and veterans. On October 13, 1775, Congress enacted legislation providing for the outfitting of America’s first two warships. While Navy missions have evolved significantly from searching for munitions ships supplying the British, the essential role America’s maritime forces play in securing our nation and allowing prosperity to flourish is unchanged. The U.S. has the finest men and women in uniform on, above, and below the high seas safeguarding our national interests at …
Washington’s latest over-used phrase—“rethinking the defense budget”—has, for many policymakers, come to mean “what can we cut next?” On Tuesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs convened to identify solutions to tame the growing defense budget. The thinly veiled premise behind the hearing was to identify what the Administration can cut and which cuts politicians can get behind while trying to appear not to compromise national security. Congress’s continual evaluation of government spending is vital; it can help identify efficiencies as well as …
Can it get any worse for the workers of Louisiana? In just a few short years, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the region; BP’s oil spill wrecked havoc with the fishing and tourism industry; and the government’s drilling moratorium is about to impact a significant segment of the Louisiana economy. Adding to all this, earlier this week Northrop Grumman stated that it would close its Avondale shipyard in Louisiana. In the past decade, the Avondale shipyard built the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks which has experienced construction and maintenance …
During President Obama’s address to the nation from the Oval Office tonight, he stated that he was calling on Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to lead a long-term restoration plan for the Gulf region. The President noted Secretary Mabus’ prior service as Governor of Mississippi as providing his credentials. While Heritage respects his service, Secretary Mabus left the governorship nearly twenty years ago and much has changed since then. In addition, the Navy needs a Secretary who is able to devote their full attention to the current issues we …
After the American Revolution, ships that were deemed too costly to maintain were sold as merchant ships. Swords had been beaten into plowshares, cannons had been beaten into anchors. By the late 1780s, however, American merchant ships had become easy prey to pirates. Lightly armed, if at all, ship after ship fell victim to the risks of the high seas, particularly in the Mediterranean. Families and communities were forced to pay ransoms for the return of their missing sailors; the government was reduced to paying tribute to the Barbary States …
America’s Navy sails alone. It’s impossible to compare the U.S. Fleet to the rest of the world’s navies, because the United States has a singular role and mission. We need a better navy than anyone else. No post-World War II President has backed away from the nation’s expansive leadership role. Nor has any recent President significantly reduced its foreign policy commitments by treaty or interest. In fact, the number and scope of U.S. military missions has expanded in the past 15 years. As long as the United States undertakes a …
The United States is a maritime nation. The military is the nation’s guarantor of freedom of the seas and protector of global sea lines of communication. The military ensures the safe transit of international commerce along trade routes that allows our local grocery store and Wal-Marts shelves to remain stocked everyday. Protection of the sea lines allows all of us to use the internet at will and on demand, as well. As Heritage highlights in “The State of the U.S. Military,” this week , the U.S. Navy’s fleet today contains …
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is a man consumed by an obsession. That obsession is the United States. The United States wants to assassinate him; steal his oil; invade his country, etc. Hugo Chavez wakes up in the morning obsessing about the Empire, shorthand for the U.S. and beds down at night with the same thoughts. Most certainly he suffers nightmares about the horrors of the U.S. from dusk to dawn. The U.S. Southern Command! The Fourth Fleet! The Colombian Defense Agreement! Even the sinister designs of the hospital ship, USNS …
