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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    • News

    The CIA’s Secret Himalayan Hotel for Tibetan Guerillas

    POKHARA, Nepal—It’s been 43 years since the CIA cut off support to the Tibetan guerillas that the agency trained and armed to fight a covert war against China. Yet, a monument to the CIA’s secret war in Tibet is still standing in Pokhara, Nepal. The former Hotel Mount Annapurna building sits on a quiet side…
    Nolan Peterson
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    • Opinion

    The European Parliament is Wrong on Edward Snowden and National Security

    On Oct. 29, the European Parliament approved a resolution (passed by 285 votes to 281) calling “on European Union Member States to drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistleblower and international human rights defender.” The European…
    Nile Gardiner
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    • Opinion

    Is US Military Strong Enough? As We Fight Terrorism, Military Isn’t What It Was During Cold War

    One of the very few things the federal government must do, per the U.S. Constitution, is protect our country and our national security interests. In fact, this is something that only the federal government can do. One of its primary tools to do so is the U.S. military and it spends a lot of money…
    Dakota Wood
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    • Opinion

    Why a Registry for Drones Is Being Rushed by Aviation Officials

    Drones are flying off the shelf at a record pace. This holiday season, Americans are expected to buy 1 million drones. Drone manufacturers see sales measured in the billions. Federal officials, however, see nothing but danger. They look at this year’s record number of reports of near-collisions between passenger jets and drones, the encroachment of…
    Jason Snead
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    • Opinion

    Missile Defense Essential for Countering Iranian Threat

    Recently, Iran conducted a successful test of a new precision-guided, long-range ballistic missile—dubbed “Emad.” This test is an outright violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231, which states that “Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using…
    David Poortinga
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    • Opinion

    New Study Shows Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide Increases Suicide Rates

    Does legalizing physician-assisted suicide lead to a drop in the suicide rate? As counterintuitive as it sounds, some advocates of assisted suicide have been making this argument. A new academic study, however, shows the reverse to be true: legalizing physician-assisted suicide increases the total number of people committing suicide. This debate heated up earlier this…
    Melody Wood
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    • Opinion

    The Army Is the Smallest It Has Been Since Before World War II, And Other Signs of the Military’s Decline

    The state of our military isn’t good. The Heritage Foundation released its 2016 Index of U.S. Military Strength today, and its findings are cause for concern. While potential adversaries have either grown more threatening or maintained their levels of aggressiveness, U.S. military strength continues to atrophy due to budget cuts and lack of prioritization from…
    Brian Slattery
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    • Opinion

    Budget Deal Kicks the Can on Disability Insurance, Robs $150 Billion From Social Security

    The budget deal reached last night attempts to stave off depletion of the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund at the end of 2016 by “reallocating” about $150 billion over the next three years from the Social Security Trust Fund to the Disability Insurance Trust Fund. This infusion of Social Security revenues should keep the disability…
    Rachel Greszler
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    • Opinion

    Navy Conducts Successful Missile Defense Test

    Last week, off the coast of Scotland, the U.S. Navy conducted a successful test intercept of a ballistic missile target (video), the first live intercept of a ballistic missile in Europe. The Navy launched a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IA interceptor from the USS Ross as part of a joint exercise with eight U.S. allies. The…
    David Poortinga
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    • Opinion

    Debunking Myths About Banks and the 2008 Financial Crisis

    Between now and the presidential election, we’ll be treated to all sorts of wonderful fables about what caused the 2008 financial crisis and the best way to prevent another one. Most of these stories will rehash the same old spin that we’ve been hearing for years. The biggest whopper concerns the Glass-Steagall Act, the 1933…
    Norbert Michel
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    • News

    After Shoring Up Support, Paul Ryan Is Officially Running for House Speaker

    Rep. Paul Ryan is officially in the race for speaker of the House. In a letter to his Republican colleagues Thursday night, Ryan, R-Wis., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he’s “eager and ready to be our speaker.” Earlier this week, Ryan told House Republicans he would take the gavel only…
    Philip Wegmann
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    • News

    Ben Sasse Calls for ‘Ceasefire’ Between Social and Economic Conservatives

    A new report by the American Enterprise Institute documents the connection between stable families and economic growth. The authors of the report, titled “Strong Families, Prosperous States,” contend that though the word “economics” comes from the Greek word “oikonomia,” which means “management of the household,” economists “have paid little attention to the links between household…
    Kate Scanlon
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    • Opinion

    Defense Analysts Explain Real Cost of Nuclear Forces

    The United States is facing an increasingly constrained fiscal environment, with the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) placing mandatory limits on spending. At the same time, all three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad—land-based, sea-based, and airborne—are due for extensive modernization. Further programs are needed to sustain the U.S. stockpile of nuclear warheads. These necessary…
    David Poortinga
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    • Opinion

    The Insane Amount the White House Is Spending on Standing Desks

    The White House reportedly wants to shell out a whopping $700,000 for standing desks. While it’s true that sitting all day long can have adverse health effects and it’s smart business to keep employees healthy, it’s an extraordinary amount of money to pay for something that can be recreated with a free cardboard box. Additionally,…
    Greg Ferenstein
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    • Opinion

    Californians on Insane Water Policy: ‘Whatever’

    SACRAMENTO—If California flew a state flag that truly represented its popular culture, it’s possible we’d have not the Bear Flag, but a guy shrugging his shoulders and the word “Quicquid”—Latin for the state’s unofficial motto, “Whatever.” California residents have reacted to the state’s increasingly draconian water cutbacks with the well-known “whatever” spirit. They’ve significantly exceeded…
    Steven Greenhut
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    • Opinion

    Does the Public’s Demand for Transparency Threaten America’s National Security? Gen. Michael Hayden Weighs In

    Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of both the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, says Edward Snowden has caused a huge trust gap between the American people and their government and between the U.S. and our allies. In an interview with The Daily Signal, Hayden also talks about the impact of social media…
    Genevieve Wood
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    • Opinion

    Washington Sets the Stage for Another Financial Crisis

    My 13-year-old son told me at the dinner table the other day that Franklin Roosevelt was one of America’s “greatest presidents” because “he ended the Great Depression.” He’s usually a good student, so I checked where he got this tripe, and sure enough, the fairy tale was right there in his American history book. The textbook tells kids that the New Deal ended…
    Stephen Moore
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    • News

    Why Social Security Benefits Aren’t Rising Next Year

    The government announced on Thursday that nearly 65 million Americans will not receive an increase in Social Security benefits next year. The reasoning? Consumer prices have been down over the past year. The following can help break down a couple calculations that measure why Social Security beneficiaries will be without an increase in their 2016…
    Leah Jessen
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    • Opinion

    John Bolton on the Biggest National Security Crisis Facing the Next President

    John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, sat down with The Daily Signal Thursday to discuss national security, the Middle East, and what questions 2016 candidates should have to answer. 0:13—What Bolton thinks about President Barack Obama’s decision to leave troops in Afghanistan. 1:04—What question Bolton would ask presidential candidates about national security….
    Genevieve Wood
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    • Opinion

    Why VA Police Thought an Active Shooter Drill Was Real

    Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances converged at my office complex. As I stood in awe with my colleagues, someone said “There’s an active shooter in the building over there!” In disbelief I searched Twitter for clues. I found one tweet: Report of active shooter on 5th floor of skyline complex on Rt.7 in Fairfax…in…
    Daniel Kaniewski
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