Military News

None of us want to think about another attack on America. But nor do we want to be unprepared if such an attack occurs. Dakota Wood, the lead editor of The Heritage Foundation’s Index of U.S. Military Strength, explains that right now the military’s readiness status is “marginal.” In other words, between aging equipment and…

Movie sequels rarely top the original. But that doesn’t mean they can’t offer some useful real-world lessons. Take “Rocky III.” The film starts off with our hero, Rocky Balboa, having captured the heavyweight boxing title by finally defeating Apollo Creed. He’s happy, wealthy, and hugely popular. He finally has his mansion, a beautiful wife, fancy…

How prepared is the United States military to defend the American homeland, win wars abroad, and preserve freedom of commerce internationally? Marginally. “Marginal” is a reality-based description for America’s military, according to The Heritage Foundation’s 2020 Index of U.S. Military Strength, set for release Wednesday. The latest Index of U.S. Military Strength is a one-of-a-kind…

In light of the recent attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities and oil fields, more people are paying attention to the use of armed drones, especially in the Middle East. While the investigation into the strike at Abqaiq and Khurais continues, one thing is now clear: The threat of armed drones is not only an…

In a recent article, the staff at Stratfor Worldview noted how the unwillingness and/or inability of allies to work with the U.S. to address regional security concerns ultimately limits the ability of America to meet new challenges. In early 2018, then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis made the case that a period of  “long-term strategic competition”…

The chief of staff of the Army, poised for the ultimate military promotion, says he will bring a forward-looking, high-tech vision to the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Army Gen. Mark Milley has been nominated to replace Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, who will be retiring upon the completion of his second term…

The House Armed Services Committee needs to do more if it’s serious about continuing to rebuild the military and meeting the challenges outlined in the president’s National Defense Strategy. It all starts with the budget. Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., has proposed a version of the National Defense Authorization Act funding our nation’s defense at $733…

Some are hyperventilating over reports that this year’s annual Independence Day celebration in Washington will feature remarks by President Donald Trump, military flyovers, and stationary displays of Army equipment, including tanks.  The Washington Post highlighted the increased costs of the event and expressed anxiety over how there was a chance that tanks and other heavy…

The House Armed Services Committee and its Senate counterpart have finally passed their respective versions of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, with the House coming in at $733 billion and the Senate matching, in general terms, the Trump administration’s request for $750 billion. While the $17 billion difference between the two is a significant…

The Democrat-controlled House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces is advancing policies on nuclear weapons and missile defense that would make the U.S. and its allies less safe. This is evident in the markup (or the subcommittee’s version) of the National Defense Authorization Act, which it released Tuesday. For example, the markup prohibits funding for…

The Department of Defense’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, released June 1, is most remarkable for its clarity. It underscores America’s enduring commitment to the region, which some of us have been trying to explain to our friends abroad since the presidential election in November 2016. It’s also crystal clear on the China challenge in ways that…

There’s been a lot of conversation these days among America’s wealthy class about whether capitalism can—or even should—survive in an age of increasing wealth disparity. Some, like billionaire hedge fund owner Ray Dalio, seem downright ambivalent about their wealth. Dalio, whose net worth stands at about $14 billion, believes that wealth disparities between rich and…

House appropriators have now released their budget top lines for every government agency, and their number for the Department of Defense shows they acknowledge the defense budget needs an increase. But that increase still isn’t enough, as it falls short of the president’s budget request and of what the military needs to continue its rebuild….

The long arm of the PC police has reached back to the ’30s and arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced the late singer Kate Smith. Smith, who popularized Irving Berlin’s song “God Bless America” and was a female pioneer in early television, recorded songs that today in hindsight are viewed as racist. An old friend, Harry Covert,…

The Pentagon commemorated the 36th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative in dramatic fashion March 25 by reaching a new technological milestone. The military conducted a successful test of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system against the most complex simulated threat to date.    On March 23, 1983, in that historic speech to the…

Will the Trump administration be able to continue rebuilding our military? That depends in large measure on whether Congress passes the National Defense Authorization Act for the upcoming fiscal year. In his inaugural hearing as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., delivered a message of committee unity and commitment…

In normal usage, “discrimination” is an ugly word. But discrimination has two meanings. The first and more familiar definition is “the treatment of a person or particular group of people differently, in a way that is worse than the way people are usually treated.” Discrimination of that sort is clearly unacceptable. The second, less common…

Despair filled the eyes of the mother next to me in the Senate committee hearing room as she showed me a picture of her son. She explained he will need lifelong medical care because she was unknowingly exposed to lead paint and mold in her home during her pregnancy. To my surprise, she wasn’t living…