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
No Comments »
By Malou Innocent
For years, my colleagues and I have been arguing that disrupting, dismantling, and defeating al Qaeda does not require the occupation of Afghanistan or anywhere else. Wars are incredibly wasteful and counterproductive to the goal of stopping terrorism. Would-be terrorists, moreover, have reduced their dependence on “base camps” and “physical havens” because they can plan, organize, and train from [...]
“…the American homeland is the planet” is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
No Comments »
Want to cut government spending? Without compromising security? The Ryan budget is a good start, but we can do more. How about rethinking the Transportation Security Administration? We need TSA. After all, terrorists continue to target commercial aviation in the U.S. But, do we really need a massive, bloated bureaucracy and an army of government gropers tossing through our trousers and luggage? Probably not. With a budget bigger than the FBI, it’s time to seriously rethink whether TSA is giving us the biggest bang for our security buck. One key finding … More
No Comments »
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told Congress whom she trusts on February 15 when she responded to Congressman (and former Federal Flight Deck Officer) Chip Cravaack’s (R–MN) question at a House hearing. The exchange is exemplified with these remarks: Cravaack: “Is a Federal Flight Deck Officer the last line of defense for our travelling public?” Napolitano: “I think the armed cockpit door actually is.” The term “armed cockpit door” must have been a mistake; she likely was referring to the armored or reinforced cockpit doors installed after 9/11. However, … More
No Comments »
Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (R–CA), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, spoke last week at the Reagan Library on national security and the declining defense budget. He expressed his concerns and strategies to address the current state of our armed forces, specifically the effects that budget cuts will have on U.S. troops. McKeon painted a clear picture of the significance of the proposed troop reduction: “Instead of coming home to ticker tapes, these brave men and women will come home to pink slips. Instead of marching in victory parades, … More
No Comments »
Members of Congress have said it before, and their saying it again: It’s time for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow new members into the Security Partnership Program (SPP), the nearly eight-year-old program allowing U.S. airports to opt out of federal screening and instead privatize their security forces. In a letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole this week, Representatives John Mica (R–FL), Darrel Issa (R–CA), and Jason Chaffetz (R–UT) wrote: Airport operators have expressed tremendous interest in the SPP and that expansion beyond the small fraction of the U.S. … More
No Comments »
In a recent op-ed, defense expert Mackenzie Eaglen points to the USS Essex as an unfortunate example of concerns about military readiness. Equipment failures prevented the amphibious assault ship from setting sail on schedule—for the second time in seven months. Eaglen lists various other malfunctions across the armed services that are causing readiness disruptions. These current problems are the result of years of under-funded maintenance and modernization work. The Obama Administration has repeatedly argued that as America draws out of two foreign wars, its security forces can shrink accordingly. However, … More
No Comments »
In his recent budget request, President Obama cut funding for two Coast Guard National Security Cutters (NSC) that were slated to round out the fleet from six to eight. The Coast Guard Commandant recently stated his “most pressing concern is on the high seas,” and the Coast Guard has not changed its requirement for eight cutters. The Administration has passed off this decision as if it has no implications for U.S. security. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano testified that the Administration made this cut “in light of what the … More
No Comments »
According to The Washington Post, today “[t]he FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police arrested a man…after a lengthy investigation into an alleged plot to carry out a suicide attack on the Capitol.” This could well turn out to be (at least) the 45th terrorist plot aimed at American soil since 9/11 that has been foiled. Number 44 occurred a little over a month ago. From the early accounts, it looks like this takedown represents another example of the right way to conduct effective counterterrorism—by thwarting the plots before they get … More
No Comments »
Can we be confident that President Obama’s counterterrorism strategy is headed in the right direction? When I posted a chart to suggest that the numbers don’t bear that out, many in the blogosphere tried to turn interpreting the chart into a debate over whether the GOP or the Democrats are better at dealing with terrorists. Personally, I think jiggering a debate about counterterrorism strategy into a partisan issue makes no sense. After all, the terrorists don’t care whether the West Wing is run by the left wing or the right … More
No Comments »