Posts belonging to Category National Security
“Providing for the common defense” is the federal government’s single most important responsibility as prescribed by the Constitution. It is the cornerstone of our freedom, upon which all other liberties and guarantees rely. Our nation’s ability to protect its citizens must remain the foremost priority for the President and Congress, regardless of political affiliation or public sentiment. This requires providing the Department of Defense (DOD) with the necessary resources to do so. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Sequester Replacement and Reconciliation Act, designed to ensure those resources … More
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The youngest B-52 bomber rolled off the assembly line 50 years ago. Remarkably, it’s still flying. Like many of the aircraft still used by the U.S. military, the B-52 is telltale example of America’s geriatric aviation force. At a time when our military is asked to do more with less, fiscal constraints have hampered its modernization and recapitalization strategy. Heritage is highlighting these challenges as part of Protect America Month and a three-part America at Risk video series. The B-52 might be among the Air Force’s most recognizable planes. Its … More
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“Americans are tired of carrying the burden of foreign obligations, frequently unappreciated by others and always costly in blood and treasure,” lamented Senator Jon Kyl (R–AZ) last week, as he gave the annual Jesse Helms lecture at The Heritage Foundation. The Senator, who spoke powerfully in favor of engagement and a strong defense, was absolutely right. The fact is that Americans have made huge sacrifices to prosecute the wars in Iran and Afghanistan, and they are weary. However, the world with its multitude of challenges will not go away. Somehow, … More
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An article recently published by the Los Angeles Times discusses how solar storms pose a grave threat to Earth. Mike Hapgood, a space weather scientist in England, says that the world is unprepared for such a storm, and one is likely to occur soon. The Heritage Foundation has led a vital campaign aimed at informing the American public about the seriousness of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks. An EMP is typically described as occurring when a nuclear weapon is detonated at a high altitude, resulting in a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic … More
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“The impact of this decline is no longer invisible. Far too many of the military’s top priority development programs are experiencing schedule delays and development risks which are attributed mainly to a lack of adequate funding, not technical problems—funding problems.” The above quote paints a startling picture of the state of American security forces today. Yet the statement was made 13 years ago by then-Congressman Curt Weldon (R–PA). Recent across-the-board defense cuts resemble those during the Clinton Administration’s “peace dividend,” when the government looted national security accounts to achieve fiscal … More
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Rebuilding Iraq during the raging insurgency was no easy task. It required ingenuity, courage and innovative ways to get the job done—sometimes with equipment that offered little protection from the car bombs and rocket attacks launched by America’s enemies. For veterans of the Iraq war like Col. Kerry Kachejian, it was a life-changing experience to work on the unprecedented reconstruction project. As an Army Reserve engineer, Kachejian was tasked with restoring some of the most basic services for the Iraqi people as well as building schools, hospitals and police stations. … More
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According to the U.S. Navy, America’s nuclear deterrent triad will be limping on one of its legs for over a decade because of the President’s fiscal year 2013 budget request. The Navy will fall below its 12-boat nuclear-armed submarine requirement for 14 years because the Obama Administration’s plans to delay a replacement for the aging Ohio-class submarine by two years. The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine (known as SSBN) has fulfilled the Navy’s leg of the nuclear triad for the past 30 years. According to the Navy, the SSBN is America’s … More
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Nuclear weapons are not much of a worry: That’s the tenor of an AP story reporting on a U.S. government study that looked at the consequences of 10-kiloton nuclear weapon detonated on the corner of 16th and K Street in downtown Washington, D.C. “The surprising conclusion?” according to the article, “Just a bit farther from the epicenter of the blast, such a nuclear explosion would be pretty survivable.” Well, that’s not so bad, right? Think again. In the “government” scenario, the terrorists detonate the nuclear weapon at ground level, where … More
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It is hard to overstate the dangerous implications of what happened this week when President Obama was caught by an open mic sending a message to Russia’s dictator-in-waiting to wait quietly till after the November elections, after which Mr. Obama could make concessions on America’s national defense. The White House is trying to explain this incident away as par for the course in an electoral year. It is not. Here, in essence, is what it appears to be: this was our commander in chief in league with an anti-American autocrat … More
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Can Twitter get you killed? Can Facebook start and stop wars? Can terrorism be financed through Paypal, and might people arm themselves through eBay? These are the questions tackled in an online forum sponsored by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute examining the nexus of social networking and national security. The Heritage Foundation recently hosted a similar public event on the subject. With all the buzz in Congress over cybersecurity legislation, including the PRECISE Act, there is never a better time to bone up on what is going on in the … More
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