The Best Defense…

Conn Carroll / June 15, 2010

Two weeks ago former Sen. George Allen (R-VA) visited The Heritage Foundation’s weekly Blogger Briefing to promote his book What Washington Can Learn From the World of Sports, which includes a chapter on national security titled “Defense Wins Championships.” Heritage Foundation senior research fellow for national security James Carafano picks up the theme in his weekly Washington Examiner column:

Of course, national security challenges are not the same as sports challenges. The former is a matter of life and death. Moreover, sports have rules. People like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad play by their own rules.

But sports and national security are both competitions: a struggle of action and counteraction between determined foes. Every strategy has a mix of offense and defense. And be it on the football field or the field of battle, defense is often the less appreciated of the two. That is why Allen’s father was so surprised and honored when his half-frozen players handed him the symbol of victory. Truth is — winning without defense is unthinkable. (more…)