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

    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
  • news

    Seizures by Feds of Little-Known Drug Spike
    While Customs and Border Protection saw a year-over-year decline in the seizure of many drugs in fiscal year 2025, the amount of khat seized more than doubled.   In fiscal year 2025, which ended on Sept. 30, CBP seized more than 46,000 pounds of khat, up from 17,600 pounds in 2024. The street value of a pound of khat is about $125, according to CBP. Khat is a flowering…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • news

    What’s the Right US Response to Mass Killings of Christians in Africa? New Report Calls for ‘Real Action’
    President Donald Trump is drawing attention to the persecution of Christians in Africa, which has created a moment of “leverage” and momentum for “real action,” according to a new report from The Heritage Foundation.   “Human rights attacks against Christians occur too often, though [they] escape mainstream America, given unfamiliarity, distance, and competing priorities,” Ned Rauch-Mannino, a visiting fellow for The Heritage Foundation’s Douglas…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • news

    China’s Hands Are in America’s Bacon, Hot Dogs. We Should Be Concerned, New Report Says.
    American agriculture is roughly a $1.5 trillion annual industry, and China poses a critical threat to the sector, according to a new report. Over the years, China has expanded its involvement in America’s food system, such as in 2013, when the Chinese-owned company WH Group acquired Smithfield Foods.   Smithfield, a company largely known for its bacon, controls a quarter of U.S. pork processing, distributing products through brands such as…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: DC Crime-Fighting Task Force Boasts 60% Decrease in Murder After Trump Crackdown
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Murders in Washington, D.C., are down 60% since President Donald Trump’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force set its sights on tackling the capital’s crime problem. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner joined the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force briefing on Monday to discuss his agency’s partnership…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    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

    Applying Lessons From Ukraine: How to Win in the Indo-Pacific
    When Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, few expected Ukraine’s underfunded navy to compete with a traditional power. But within months, the naval front reversed and Ukraine transformed its navy into a decisive force in the Black Sea. Throughout the war, Ukraine disabled over one-third of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, sunk its flagship, and provided…
    Sophie Collins | Brent Sadler
    Read More
  • news

    Hamas Returns Remains of Israeli-American
    The remains of three hostages, including those of Israeli-American Omer Neutra, were returned to Israel over the weekend.  Neutra, a native New Yorker and the grandson of a Holocaust survivors, “lived and died a hero,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee wrote on X Monday.   In addition to Neutra, Hamas also returned the remains…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • news

    FBI Thwarts Potential Halloween Weekend ‘Terrorist Attack’
    The FBI has “thwarted a potential terrorist attack,” according to the agency’s director.   “This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X Friday morning.   Patel thanked the “men and women…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • opinion

    Hegseth on Fentanyl, Narco-Terrorists, and America’s Response: ‘It’s Self-Defense’
    Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, his administration has taken a number of decisive actions to reduce the flow of illicit fentanyl into America and eliminate the devastation it wreaks on communities and families. First came orders to end “open border” policies, soon followed by a 20% tariff on China—the primary provider…
    Steve Yates
    Read More
  • news

    Trump Announces When US Will Start Testing Nuclear Weapons
    President Donald Trump has ordered testing of American nuclear weapons to start “immediately.” “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “That process will begin immediately.” “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    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

    China Expert Issues Warning Ahead of Trump’s Meeting With Xi
    Tens of thousands of Americans are dying every year due to fentanyl, and China is complicit, warns author and China expert Gordon Chang. It’s now incumbent on President Donald Trump to hold China accountable, he says.    “The Chinese don’t respect us. So, they don’t respect friendship. They don’t reciprocate it. They press the advantage,…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • news

    DHS Responds to MSNBC Column Claiming ICE Lower Hiring Standards
    The Department of Homeland Security says it is working “at turbo speed” to deport criminal illegal aliens after MSNBC ran a commentary piece outlining the challenges of hiring new immigration enforcement agents.  “Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • news

    Wisconsin Senator Backs Trump Admin’s Drug Boat Offensive
    Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says he fully backs the military’s crackdown on Caribbean drug smuggling and that it’s the only way to deal a blow to the overseas drug trade. Since early September, the administration has been carrying out deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea it says are smuggling drugs into…
    George Caldwell
    Read More
  • news

    US Kills 14 ‘Narcoterrorists’ in Eastern Pacific Strikes  
    The U.S. struck four boats in the Eastern Pacific said to be carrying narcotics.   “Yesterday, at the direction of President [Donald] Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote on X Tuesday.   The…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
  • opinion

    How Venezuelan Regime Is Supporting Radical, Left-Wing Groups in US
    Venezuela’s regime is coming under increasing pressure from the Trump administration for using the cartels it controls to smuggle drugs into the United States. Last week, President Donald Trump said he had authorized covert CIA actions inside the South American country, a significant escalation. But Caracas’ transgressions extend to other areas. It has also long backed…
    Mike Gonzalez
    Read More
  • news

    Key Tool to Prepare US for Major Conflict
    The warnings aren’t new. For years, think tanks, the government, and the media have all raised concerns over America’s lack of military readiness. Solving the crisis could hinge on government contracts, one expert says.    “U.S. military readiness has been degraded over the last two decades due to a variety of challenges,” the U.S. Government Accountability…
    Virginia Allen
    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