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.
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    • Opinion

    Rebuilding the Military Comes With a Price Tag. But the Price of Waiting Is Higher.

    The Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will cost an additional $295 billion over the next four years to execute President Donald Trump’s plans to rebuild the military. Its calculation was done by comparing the current Budget Control Act defense caps with the Trump budget outline. Those budget caps, established in 2011, limit how much…
    Frederico Bartels
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    • Opinion

    With More Investment, Our Missile Defense System Could Be Truly Dependable

    Thirty-three minutes. That’s all the time we’d have to respond to an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile from anywhere in the world. Roughly half an hour to avert disaster—if we’re lucky. Sure, that isn’t the most cheerful thought to entertain, especially at Christmas time. But with all the saber-rattling coming from North Korea these days, not…
    Ed Feulner
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    • Opinion

    Our Special Operations Forces Are Stretched Too Far

    America is rightly proud of the incredibly capable and effective special operations forces that serve as the literal point of our military spear. The Army Rangers, Army Special Forces (Green Berets), Navy SEALs, Special Operations Aviation, and other elements are the best in the world. No mission is too tough for these spectacular men and…
    Steven Bucci
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    • Opinion

    Contra Activist Judges, It’s Not Discriminatory to Prohibit Transgender Individuals From Joining Military

    On Dec. 11, a federal lower court judge in Washington, D.C., refused to stay her earlier Oct. 30 order blocking President Donald Trump’s Aug. 25 directive regarding transgender military service. That directive, transmitted to the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, put to a halt the Obama administration’s June 2016 plan to allow transgender individuals…
    Alden Abbott
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    • Opinion

    How Licensing Laws Protect Special Interests at the Expense of Everyone Else

    New data compiled by the Institute for Justice shows just how far states have overreached in regulating professions. The report, “License to Work,” shows that 1 in 4 jobs are now restricted by licensing requirements, and that these onerous rules generally do nothing to improve service or protect people. Licensing requirements began as a way…
    Timothy Kilcullen
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    • Opinion

    Senate Should Follow House’s Lead in Nixing Special-Interest Loopholes

    President Donald Trump is right. Washington is a swamp, infested with special-interest groups feverishly working to keep their place in the capital bog. Our current tax code is the leading example of institutionalized privilege—bought and paid for by lobbyists. The tax code is riddled with privileges—special deductions for manufacturing, credits for everything from research to…
    Adam Michel
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    • Opinion

    I’m a Pediatrician. Here’s What I Did When a Little Boy Patient Said He Was a Girl.

    “Congratulations, it’s a boy!” Or, “Congratulations, it’s a girl!” As a pediatrician for nearly 20 years, that’s how many of my patient relationships began. Our bodies declare our sex. Biological sex is not assigned. Sex is determined at conception by our DNA and is stamped into every cell of our bodies. Human sexuality is binary….
    Michelle Cretella
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    • Opinion

    Meet These 2 Trump Judicial Nominees Who Just Fielded Questions in the Senate

    This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee considered two of President Donald Trump’s best nominations to date—Kyle Duncan for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and David Stras for the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, scheduled the hearing over the protest of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who refused to…
    Elizabeth Slattery
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    • Opinion

    The US-UK Alliance Is Special and Will Endure

    In the past 48 hours, a political firestorm has developed across the Atlantic following President Donald Trump’s retweet of a series of video tweets from an obscure, extremist United Kingdom-based political group called Britain First. This series of retweets has led to widespread condemnation from British politicians on all sides of the political aisle. Britain…
    Nile Gardiner
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    • Opinion

    Podcast: The Move That Will Get Judicial Nominees Confirmed Faster

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced he won’t hold up two judicial nominees any more because of “blue slips.” We explain. Plus: drama at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Prince Harry’s engagement to American actress Meghan Markle.
    Katrina Trinko
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    • Opinion

    We Hear You: God, Faith, Prayer, Veterans, Columbus, and Originalist Judges

    Editor's note: We picked some sentiments and perspectives from The Daily Signal's audience that seem to suit Thanksgiving weekend and what we celebrate, reflect upon, and give thanks for. You can write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Katrina Trinko’s commentary, if there is no God, as many have been taught in our…
    Ken McIntyre
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    • Opinion

    The Lack of Security on the Border

    The circumstances of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez’s death remain murkier than the Rio Grande River. Martinez succumbed to critical head injuries early Nov. 19. An unnamed partner, who came to Martinez’s aid after he radioed for help from a remote area of the Big Bend Sector in Texas, suffered serious wounds. Whether by…
    Michelle Malkin
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    • Opinion

    This Senator Is Putting an End to Democrat Stonewalling on Judicial Picks

    Don’t say we didn’t warn you, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Democrats at a rocky Senate Judiciary meeting last week. When Democrats blew up the 225-year-old judicial confirmation rules in 2013, Grassley said they’d regret it. Now, four years later, the left is finding out just how right he was. Sure, clearing the way for…
    Tony Perkins
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    • Opinion

    Here’s How Bad the TSA Is Failing at Airport Security. It’s Time for Privatization.

    This year, the Department of Homeland Security carried out covert tests on Transportation Security Administration security, and the results weren’t pretty. The results of the tests showed that the TSA screeners failed to detect weapons, drugs, and explosives almost 80 percent of the time. While the exact failure rate is classified, multiple sources indicate it…
    David Inserra
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    • Opinion

    Group That Rates Trump’s Judicial Nominees Has History of Liberal Advocacy

    The consideration of federal judges with lifetime appointments is perhaps the most important and long-lasting work the Senate will do between now and the end of the year. Every senator, Republican and Democrat, took an oath to perform this duty. Nobody took an oath to outsource this duty to any outside organization. Unfortunately, some of…
    Sen. Ben Sasse
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    • Opinion

    Democrats Berate Conservative Judicial Nominee for Politically Incorrect Tweets

    This week, two nominees to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, facing fierce opposition from Democrats. President Donald Trump nominated Don Willett and James Ho to seats on the federal appeals court based in Texas. Willett, currently a justice on the Texas Supreme Court, is known as the…
    Elizabeth Slattery
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    • News

    US Defense System Has Smacked Down More Than 100 Missiles in Yemen War

    The U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system has shot down more than 100 missiles fired from Yemen at Gulf Arab states since 2015, Defense News revealed Wednesday. The missiles were likely fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels over the last two years at Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for the Gulf states' support of an…
    Saagar Enjeti
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    • News

    Through God, This Mississippi Boys School Is Working to Heal the Racial Divide

    GREENWOOD, Mississippi—Thomas McMillin Howard, known as “T. Mac,” describes Greenwood, Mississippi as a “backwards place.” And sadly, most people who’ve visited would agree. Separated by a bridge where the black population tends to live on one side, and the white population mostly lives on the other, Greenwood has struggled to reconnect with its racially segregated…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • Opinion

    In Succession Battle, Zimbabwe Military Coup Topples 37-Year Dictator Mugabe

    It appears that the reign of one of the world’s worst rulers is finally over. The military of Zimbabwe began moving into the nation’s capital of Harare on Tuesday, and appeared Wednesday morning to have deposed President Robert Mugabe, who has misruled his southern African country since it achieved independence in 1980. The coup is the…
    Joshua Meservey
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    • Opinion

    Homeland Security Will Soon Have a Tough, Smart Leader at the Helm

    Kirstjen M. Nielsen, the nominee to be the next secretary of homeland security, was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Tuesday. In her earlier confirmation hearing, Nielsen proved to the committee and the broader public what many already know—that she is well-prepared to take on the hard task before her. Neilsen adeptly handled topics ranging from the opioid crisis…
    David Inserra
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