America is nearing a decisive moment. Unless Congress acts to change current law, automatic sequestration cuts will slash future spending on national defense across the board by more than $500 billion beginning early next year. Combined with the $487 billion in cuts already put forward by the President in February, America’s military will see its budget drop on average by $100 billion annually over the next decade. As Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned lawmakers in a November 2011 letter, sequestration will be “devastating,” yielding “[t]he smallest ground forces since … More
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North Korea unveiled a new missile during its April parade celebrating the 100th anniversary of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung. The missile is assessed to be a new mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Last year, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates first revealed the existence of a North Korean road-mobile ICBM. Since the parade, military analysts have disagreed over whether the transporter-erector-launcher vehicles were provided by China and therefore a violation of U.N. resolutions, whether China also provided missile technology to North Korea, and whether the displayed missiles were fakes. The … More
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Next week is the start of Heritage’s fourth annual Protect America Month. Protect America Month is the month where we highlight the need for a strong National Defense. Join us on Friday from 12-1 ET when we will be joined by Heritage’s Jim Carafano and he will be taking your questions about defense, defense spending, homeland security, what has been going on since Osama bin Laden’s death, and what the current threats are. If you cannot be here for the chat, leave a question in the comments and we’ll try … More
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This week, the House of Representatives will vote on several cybersecurity bills, giving rise to the apt moniker “Cyber Week.” Congress is right to act on this very important issue, as up to $400 billion is stolen from U.S. companies in cyber theft and espionage every year. While Congress correctly acknowledges this real threat, it is important that Congress not just act to say that it did something. H.R. 3523, or the Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), is a strong cybersecurity bill that the House Permanent Select Committee … More
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This week, the Chinese and Russian militaries began the first joint naval exercises the two sides have ever conducted. The exercise, occurring near Qingdao on the Yellow Sea, will involve 16 Chinese surface combatants and two submarines, including five missile destroyers, five missile frigates, and four missile boats, as well as a resupply ship and one of China’s new hospital ships. These are most likely drawn from the Chinese Northern Fleet, which is headquartered in Qingdao. The Russian contingent is comprised of four surface combatants, including the Slava-class cruiser Varyag … More
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World War I had killed millions, and in its aftermath, the great nations of the world were in an arms race that was alarming and unprecedented. As international tensions rose, disarmament was regarded as the most effective way to curtail the potential outbreak of another large-scale war. The Secretary of State called leaders of the major world powers to Washington, D.C., to discuss multilateral weapons reductions. Through a number of security agreements that obligated the five nations involved to participate in arms limitations programs, the participating nations might avoid another … More
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In today’s Wall Street Journal, Edwin J. Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation, Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, and William Kristol, a director of the Foreign Policy Initiative, co-authored an op-ed on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” budget. Here’s an excerpt: In an election year, it’s all too easy for politicians to defer hard choices until after the polls have closed in November. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) has taken the more difficult road with his “Path to Prosperity” budget. … More
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On March 22, Representative Paul Ryan (R–WI), chairman of the House Budget Committee, sat down with Heritage’s David Addington, Michael Franc, and Stuart Butler to discuss his budget proposal The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise and President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget. Ryan’s assessment of defense spending, in particular, was cogent. He voiced concerns that President Obama’s defense budget was a budget-driven process and wasn’t based upon on our strategic requirements and the threats that we face. He said that after 10 years of war and wear and … More
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This morning at The Heritage Foundation, Representative Paul Ryan (R–WI), chairman of the House Budget Committee, sat down with Heritage’s David Addington, Michael Franc, and Stuart Butler to discuss his budget proposal The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise and President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget. The importance of maintaining a strong national defense while confronting the nation’s spending crisis played a prominent part in Ryan’s remarks. In surveying the state of the U.S. military today and potential threats on the horizon, Ryan said that the President’s defense budget … More
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This morning at The Heritage Foundation, Representative Paul Ryan (R–WI), chairman of the House Budget Committee, sat down with Heritage’s David Addington, Michael Franc, and Stuart Butler to discuss his budget proposal The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise and President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget. The importance maintaining a strong national defense while confronting the nation’s spending crisis played a prominent part in Ryan’s remarks. In surveying the state of the U.S. military today and potential threats on the horizon, Ryan said that the President’s defense budget is … More
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