National Security News

The Daily Signal provides reports on national and homeland security issues, including military readiness, intelligence operations, border protection, and global conflicts. Featuring news, analysis, and commentary, this section explores how security policy decisions affect America’s national defense and freedom.
Filter articles by
  • news

    Democrats Who Urged Military to ‘Refuse Illegal Orders’ to Be Interviewed by FBI
    The FBI and the Justice Department are seeking to interview six Democrat members of Congress about a controversial video they participated in, urging members of the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.” A Justice Department official spoke on condition of anonymity to Reuters and claimed the FBI interviews sought to determine “if there’s…
    Jacob Adams
    Read More
  • news

    FBI Probes Congressional Democrats Who Warned Military About Illegal Orders
    REUTERS—The FBI has requested interviews with six Democrat members of the U.S. Congress who in a video message told members of the military they can legally refuse to carry out unlawful orders, a Justice Department official told Reuters on Tuesday. The move comes a day after the Pentagon threatened to recall Sen. Mark Kelly, a…
    Jana Winter | Joseph Ax
    Read More
  • opinion

    Victor Davis Hanson: Democrats Who Told Military Not to Obey ‘Illegal’ Orders Are ‘Not Being Honest’
    On this episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” Victor Davis Hanson and Jack Fowler take aim at the six congressional Democrats who called on military members to defy “illegal” orders from the commander in chief. Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His…
    Victor Davis Hanson
    Read More
  • news

    ‘Not Aware’: Slotkin Pressed Over Urging Military to Defy ‘Illegal’ Trump Orders
    After urging members of the military to refuse “illegal orders” from the Trump administration, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., admitted she is not aware of any such orders. “Do you believe President [Donald] Trump has issued any illegal orders?” ABC’s Martha Raddatz asked her. “To my knowledge, I am not aware of things that are illegal—but certainly there…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    Read More
  • opinion

    30-Year JAG Veteran Schools Democrats for Video Calling for Sedition in the Military
    Six Democrat congressmen recently released a video directed at members of the U.S. military and intelligence communities imploring them to “refuse illegal orders” from President Donald Trump. As former members of the military and intelligence community, they should be ashamed of themselves and retract their insubordinate, ignorant, and politically motivated diatribe. The video, posted earlier…
    Cully Stimson
    Read More
  • news

    Republicans Fire Back at Democrats Who Tell Military Members to ‘Refuse Illegal Orders’
    Republicans are firing back after a group of six Democrat lawmakers created a video telling U.S. military members and the intelligence community they do not need to follow “illegal orders.”   “Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home,” the Democrats say in the video message. “Our laws…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: VA Houses Largest Number of Homeless Veterans Since 2019
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Veterans Affairs has permanently housed the largest number of homeless veterans since 2019. The VA housed 51,936 veterans experiencing homelessness in fiscal year 2025, the agency announced in a news release first provided to The Daily Signal. This represents the largest number since fiscal year 2019 and 4,011…
    Tyler O’Neil
    Read More
  • opinion

    Payroll Costs of the Federal Swamp Exploded 24% During Biden Era
    There were 5% more federal workers—2.77 million in 2020 to 2.90 million in 2025—when President Joe Biden left the White House, but the costs of paying this vast legion of bureaucrats exploded 24% during the same period, according to a new report by a nonprofit government watchdog. Much of the skyrocketing payroll costs is due to spiking…
    Mark Tapscott
    Read More
  • opinion

    Poland Strengthens Its Military Muscle
    As NATO countries ramp up their defense spending, Poland has taken its place at the vanguard—perhaps because of its long history stained by tragedy. Recognizing Russia’s ambitions and it’s assertive tactics, Poland has embraced a robust deterrence strategy centered on readiness, resilience, and forward defense to fortify NATO’s eastern flank. In the past decade, Poland…
    Joseph Wozniak | Wilson Beaver
    Read More
  • news

    Government Shutdown Ends With Trump’s Signature Hours After House Passes Funding Bill
    The longest government shutdown in history is over after President Donald Trump signed a bill to fund the government into law on Wednesday night, just hours after the House of Representatives passed the measure. “Today, we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion,” Trump said before signing the bill. “The…
    Bradley Devlin | Jacob Adams | George Caldwell
    Read More
  • news

    With These 3 Bills, Arizona’s Biggs Salutes Veterans
    Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., has introduced three bills intended to enhance the well-being of American veterans through improvements in burial procedures, oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and vets’ health care. “As Veterans Day approaches, Congress must recommit to honoring our nation’s heroes not just in word, but in deed,” Biggs told The Daily Signal….
    Jacob Adams
    Read More
  • opinion

    Strengthening Veteran Mental Health: A Vital Mission
    Every morning, the secretaries of Veterans Affairs and War receive updates on suicides among service members and veterans. The numbers paint a dire picture of mental health across the armed forces. The Department of War’s most recent data, released in its 2024 Annual Report on Suicide in the Military, reported 523 suicides across the Total…
    Mo Syed | Carrie Sheffield
    Read More
  • news

    Senate Defeats Schumer-led Opposition to Opening Government; Funding Bill Heads to House
    The government shutdown is another step closer to coming to an end after the Senate voted in favor of a bill to fund the government. The Senate passed a measure that would fund the entire government through Jan. 30 by a vote of 60 to 40 on Monday night. Thirty-eight Senate Democrat Caucus members, led…
    Bradley Devlin | Jacob Adams | George Caldwell
    Read More
  • news

    Did the Military Violate Trump’s DEI Executive Order?
    The U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps appear on a list of sponsors for a conference of the American School Counselor Association, which supports diversity, equity, and inclusion—an activist ideology that President Donald Trump directed the federal government to eliminate. A Department of War source with knowledge of DOW Community Engagement Planning noted that…
    Tyler O’Neil
    Read More
  • news

    Senate Votes to Put Congress on Path Toward Ending Government Shutdown
    A bipartisan group of senators voted 60-40 to approve a key procedural measure that puts legislation reopening the government on track to pass the Senate. Eight Democrat senators—Illinois’ Dick Durbin, Maine’s Angus King, Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, and Virginia’s Tim Kaine—joined 52…
    Tyler O’Neil | George Caldwell
    Read More
  • opinion

    The Party of Political Violence: Barack Obama Crosses a Rubicon
    Jay Jones, the Democrat candidate for attorney general in Virginia, made the most bloodcurdling endorsement of political violence I have seen from an elected official—and none other than Barack Obama spent the weekend sidling up to him. Brief recap: Jones has not denied reports that he sent text messages fantasizing about shooting Todd Gilbert, the…
    Tyler O’Neil
    Read More
  • opinion

    Yes, the US Military Knows the Difference Between Narco-boats and Fishermen
    Over the past several weeks, President Donald Trump’s counternarcotics strikes in the Caribbean and now the Pacific have marked a turning point for Washington, directing the U.S. security apparatus to confront the deadly narco-terrorist threats in our hemisphere. The outcome has been undeniably positive, effectively collapsing narcotics trafficking across the Caribbean and sending a clear…
    Andres Martinez-Fernandez
    Read More
  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: Trump on Track to Recoup $10M Improperly Paid to Agency’s Senior Executives Under Biden
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Biden administration’s Department of Veterans Affairs improperly awarded $10.8 million in bonuses meant for staffers who directly serve veterans to highly paid senior executives. Under President Donald Trump, the agency is close to recovering the remainder of the lost funds. The VA improperly awarded $10.8 million in “critical skills incentives”…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    Read More
  • opinion

    Will the Democrats Finally Have a Primary in 2028?
    Democrats haven’t had a real primary since 2008, and I’m not bullish on the chances for a real contest in 2028, either. By contrast, Donald Trump took the Republican Party by storm in 2016 and 2024, and he has reinvigorated the party and reshaped American politics, becoming the most influential political figure since … the…
    Tyler O’Neil
    Read More
  • news

    Shutdown Will Disrupt Air Travel, Transportation Chief Warns
    Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy delivered a stern message at the Capitol on Thursday: The federal government shutdown is already putting a strain on air traffic controllers, and the problem will only get worse until the government reopens. “Next Tuesday is the first paycheck that [air traffic controllers] will not receive for the work that…
    George Caldwell
    Read More