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

    David Petraeus Calls on US to Escalate Military Action in Iraq, Syria

    Former CIA Director David Petraeus returned to Capitol Hill Tuesday for the first time since his 2012 resignation to detail his strategy for the United States to escalate military involvement in Iraq and Syria. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Petraeus advised the U.S. to form enclaves in Syria protected by coalition airpower…
    Natalie Johnson
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    • Opinion

    US Must Leverage Aid to Stop Child Sexual Abuse Among Afghan Security Officials

    The New York Times Monday ran a shocking story about the U.S. military condoning child sexual abuse among Afghan security personnel. According to the report, U.S. military officers were told by their superiors to ignore acts of alleged child rape and molestation committed by Afghan police officials, sometimes on U.S. military bases. Adding insult to…
    Lisa Curtis
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    • Opinion

    Forget the Talking Points. What Should the US Really Spend on Defense?

    The debate about defense spending will likely reignite this month as Congress returns from recess and the end of the fiscal year draws near. Unfortunately, much of that debate will not be very helpful or informative. Instead of arguing the merits of a particular military spending level, much of the debate will revolve around Democratic…
    Justin Johnson
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    • Opinion

    Britain’s New Labour Leader Could Destroy the U.S.-U.K. ‘Special Relationship’

    Jeremy Corbyn is hardly a household name in the United States, but his election win has raised eyebrows on this side of the Atlantic and has been prominently featured on the pages of The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. With good reason: there is growing nervousness in Washington in…
    Nile Gardiner
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    • Opinion

    US Spends Far More on Social Welfare Than Most European Nations

    The U.S. Census Bureau has released its annual poverty report. Conventional wisdom holds that the U.S. has a small social welfare system and far more poverty compared with other affluent nations. But noted liberal scholars Irwin Garfinkel, Lee Rainwater, and Timothy Smeeding challenge such simplistic ideas in their book “Wealth and Welfare States: Is America…
    Robert Rector
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    • Opinion

    Can Uber End Traffic Jams? CEO Has Bold Plan to Overhaul Transportation Industry

    Travis Kalanick gave a rare interview in San Francisco this week at the mega Dreamforce conference. Since Uber began getting regularly hammered in the press for its aggressive political tactics and potential legal violations, the once outspoken CEO hasn’t given the public much direction about the future of the multi-billion-dollar transportation company. This week, he gave…
    Greg Ferenstein
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    • News

    Oregon Judge Who Won’t Officiate Gay Weddings Fights to Keep His Job

    >>> Update adds judge's comments in televised interview. An Oregon judge is fighting an investigative panel’s accusation that by declining to perform same-sex weddings on religious grounds, he violated both the state’s constitution and code of conduct for judges. This and other allegations could result in the judge’s suspension or removal from office. However, a close…
    Ken McIntyre
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    • Opinion

    Is Socialism on the Rise?

    Heritage Foundation expert Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, spoke to Fox News’ Neil Cavuto about the victory of far-left politician Jeremy Corbyn, who will lead the British Labour Party, and what it might mean on the global stage. “What you have seen, certainly, on both sides of the Atlantic is…
    Daily Signal Staff
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    • News

    ‘Safest School in America’ Has $400K Security System. Should Other Schools Catch Up?

    Monday’s incident at Delta State University marks the ninth time that one or more persons have died during a school shooting event in 2015, according to the website Everytown.org, which tracks school shootings in the United States. A high school in suburban Indiana is taking extra steps to steel itself against such tragedy and has been called…
    Madaline Donnelly
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    • News

    Army Photographer Founds Music Non-Profit to Help Struggling Military Members

    When you meet confident, Emmy-winning Michael Henneberger, it’s hard to believe that just seven years ago he was diagnosed with both panic disorder and major depressive disorder. Henneberger, then 25, had joined the Army as a combat photographer. He was stationed at Ft. Meade, Md., for a year of training prior to his discharge. The former musician found…
    Leah Jessen
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    • Opinion

    The Chinese Economy Just Hit a Major Speed Bump. Why the Pentagon Cares.

    The Pentagon cares as much about how money moves around the world as it does about the movement of arms. Small wonder the recent bobbling in Beijing’s economy has caught the armed services’ attention. After owning bragging rights to one-third of global economic growth, the Chinese economy just hit a major speed bump. Growth slowed. The…
    James Carafano
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    • News

    New Study: Physician-Owned Hospitals Serve Poorer Patients At Average Rates

    Physician-owned hospitals are often vilified  in America’s health care system, accused of siphoning the most profitable operations away from other hospitals while leaving them with the sicker and poorer patients.  Congress has banned new ones from opening. But an independent study released Wednesday argues  physician-owned hospitals have gotten a bad rap.  The study, published online…
    Jordan Rau
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    • News

    10 Public Officials Who Defied the Law Over Gay Marriage Mostly Silent on Kim Davis Case

    A Kentucky clerk at the center of a national controversy was held in contempt of court and sent to jail for refusing to comply with a judge’s order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But she isn’t the only public official who has defied the law over same-sex marriage. On Thursday, a federal judge…
    Melissa Quinn
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    • News

    UK’s Former Defense Secretary: The West ‘Surrendered’ to Iran in Nuclear Talks

    The nuclear agreement between Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers merely places Tehran’s nuclear ambitions “on hold” and undercuts the international community’s ability to condemn the regime if it violates the deal, the United Kingdom’s former defense secretary said Thursday. Liam Fox, a conservative member of Parliament, said the P5+1 “caved” to Iran’s…
    Natalie Johnson
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    • Opinion

    307,000 Veterans May Have Died While Waiting for VA benefits. The VA Status Quo Must Change.

    Remember the Department of Veterans Affairs scandal in April, 2014 that exposed veterans had died as a result of waiting for healthcare? Veterans were placed on fake wait lists and were signed up for ghost clinics and records were manipulated. Deceit had become the norm in order to make the VA look better in an…
    Amber Smith
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    • News

    Will Government Officials Be Held Accountable for Kate Steinle’s Death? Her Family Filed a Lawsuit.

    In an attempt to hold government officials accountable for the shooting death of their 32-year-old daughter Kate, the Steinle family filed a lawsuit against three government agencies. The suit alleges that those agencies are in part responsible for Steinle’s death, but experts say the family has little chance at prevailing. "Unfortunately, prior lawsuits against cities…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • Opinion

    How Much Should the US Spend on Defense?

    The debate about defense spending will likely reignite in September as Congress returns from recess and the end of the fiscal year draws near. Unfortunately, much of that debate will not be very helpful or informative. Instead of arguing the merits of a particular military spending level, much of the debate will revolve around Democratic…
    Justin Johnson
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    • Opinion

    No More Double Standards for Women in the Military

    Last week, two female Army officers and West Point graduates made history when they successfully passed Army Ranger School, known as one of the most physically challenging and difficult leadership schools in the military. Not only is this a phenomenal personal accomplishment, but they have paved the way for other women to advance in the…
    Amber Smith
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    • News

    More Than 200 Retired Military Leaders Push Congress to Reject Iran Deal

    More than 200 retired U.S. generals and admirals added their names to the Iran nuclear agreement’s opposition this week after they sent a letter to top congressional leaders pressing lawmakers to reject the accord. The former senior military officers contend that the deal threatens U.S. national security, noting the estimated $150 billion that will pour…
    Natalie Johnson
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    • News

    Kansas Cut Planned Parenthood’s Funding. Then the Obama Administration Retaliated.

    More people are paying attention to Planned Parenthood’s government funding following a series of undercover videos. But the fight over public funding for the abortion giant has been brewing for quite some time and is likely to get more rancorous. Case in point: Kansas. The state legislature and governor successfully moved to divert $300,000 in public funds…
    Nicholas Fondacaro
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