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    Zero Dark Thirty: Hollywood Hunts Bin Laden

    Zero dark thirty seemed like time the movie finally ended. The long-awaited film that chronicles how the CIA tracked down the mastermind of 9/11 opened in Washington this weekend. The Oscar-nominated movie seemed as long as waiting for it to come to D.C., covering more than a decade from the … More

    Hunkering Down for the Confirmation Hearings

    Yesterday, President Obama pretty much told the world what to expect from the White House for national security and foreign policy for the second term: more of what it gave the globe in the first term. The President nominated former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) for Secretary of Defense. He picked … More

    DHS Fails Again to Implement ID Card Protections

    Lost amid the scuffle of fiscal cliff negotiations and holiday preparations was the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) December 20 statement confirming that only 13 states were deemed REAL ID compliant and that the remaining states would receive another extension. Unfortunately, that means DHS isn’t sure whether 37 states are … More

    Some Good, Some Bad in National Defense Authorization Act

    Last month, The Heritage Foundation compared the Senate and House versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with Heritage’s policy positions on national security and defense. Now that the final version of the NDAA is available, it is possible to analyze which of Heritage’s national security and defense interests … More

    Kerry in Spotlight; Hot Issues Remain for Next Secretary of State

    Last week, embattled U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice took herself out of the running for Secretary of State as Hillary Clinton’s successor. It did not take long for the rumor mill to pick up that President Obama is leaning toward Senator John Kerry (D-MA) for the post. Though Rice did not … More

    Obama Administration Prepares to Resume Nuclear Talks with Iran as Congress Ratchets Up Sanctions

    The long-stalled talks on Iran’s nuclear program will soon resume. Earlier this week, European Union diplomat Helga Schmid contacted Iran’s deputy nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri, “to discuss the way ahead, including possible dates and venues for talks,” according to State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland. Three rounds of talks this year … More

    BioWatch Early Warning System Should Be Continued

    Despite serving as the U.S.’s only defense against biological weapons, the BioWatch program is on the cutting board because of high cost and a large number of “false positives.” These concerns, though real, should also be weighed against the very real threats in the world and the benefits brought by … More

    Surprise, Surprise: Report Finds Homeland Security Wasting Money

    In his oversight report, “Safety at Any Price: Assessing the Impact of Homeland Security Spending in U.S. Cities,” Senator Tom Coburn (R–OK) highlights several examples of cities using homeland security grants for ill-advised expenses. Senator Coburn’s report is an important one and a must read for the media and policymakers. … More

    Syrian Crisis Escalates Amid Renewed Concern over Chemical Weapons

    On Monday, President Obama warned the beleaguered Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad not to use chemical weapons against its own people. “Today I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command: The world is watching,” Obama said in a speech at the National Defense … More

    Social Media in Warfare: The New Battleground

    Twitter, blogs, and YouTube accompanied rockets, bombs, and aircraft as weapons in the conflict between Israel and Hamas that concluded in a ceasefire last week. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had taken to the blogosphere in order to update the world about the number of rockets that have hit Israel … More