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

    How the Private Sector Can Remake US Cybersecurity
    President Donald Trump recently reiterated a pledge to build a team that will provide him, in his administration’s first 90 days, with a plan to “aggressively combat and stop” cyberattacks. Topping the list of the new administration’s priorities should be the need to articulate a comprehensive strategy of cyber deterrence. In outlining policies to shape…
    Frank Cilluffo | Alec Nadeau
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  • opinion

    Trump Refugee Order Balances Security and Compassion
    Read any commentary on the just signed executive order on visa and refugee vetting from several countries in the Middle East and odds are the assessment will tell you more about the writer’s politics than be an analysis of the order. I confess: I have a perspective as well. Mine comes from working on the…
    James Carafano
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  • opinion

    In Defense of Bill Pryor for the Supreme Court
    Rumor has it that Judge William H. Pryor Jr. topped President Donald Trump’s short list for the Supreme Court. But in recent weeks, he’s come under intense scrutiny from some who claim that he supports the LGBT agenda and would be a foe to religious liberty. I have known Bill Pryor for more than three…
    Ed Meese
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  • opinion

    How Trump Can Advance the Special Relationship With Britain
    Just seven days after taking office, President Donald Trump will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington on Jan. 27. It will be the first visit to the White House by a foreign leader since Trump’s inauguration, and the meeting sends a clear signal that the Anglo-American alliance will be at the heart…
    Nile Gardiner | Ted Bromund
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  • news

    Trump’s OMB Pick Shares Vision on Social Security, Regulation
    Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., appeared before the United States Senate Committee on the Budget Tuesday to share how he will reform entitlement programs and regulations, should he be confirmed by the Senate as the next director of the Office of Management and Budget. In his opening statement, Mulvaney said that the Office of Management and…
    Rachel del Guidice
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  • news

    Veterans Explain Why They Came to Trump’s Inauguration
    Thousands of people gathered in the District of Columbia to watch the inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Trump was sworn into office Friday at noon, where he marked the event as a time of change for the American people. “Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    Pentagon Nominee James Mattis Warns of Russian Attempts to ‘Break NATO’
    Russia is the principal threat facing the United States, and the new administration should increase support to allies in the face of the Kremlin’s attempts to “break the North Atlantic alliance,” Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary testified Thursday. Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, speaking at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee,…
    Josh Siegel
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  • opinion

    Fixing the VA for Our Veterans: What Will Trump’s Pick Need to Do?
    It’s official: President-elect Donald Trump has selected David Shulkin, the Department of Veterans Affairs undersecretary for health, to be the next VA secretary. Shulkin, who has been undersecretary since July 2015, faces substantial challenges in reforming the troubled agency and restoring it to its mission of providing timely care and benefits to veterans nationwide. The…
    John Cooper
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  • news

    Meet David Shulkin, Trump’s Pick to Lead VA
    President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday his intent to nominate David Shulkin for secretary of veterans affairs. Trump made the announcement during a press conference in New York City, his first since the November election. “I’ll tell you about David, he’s fantastic,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “He will do a truly great job. One of the…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    Federal Worker Union Is Blocking Republican VA Reforms
    President-elect Donald Trump promised to fire incompetent and dishonest Department of Veterans Affairs employees, but he will have to fight the American Federation of Government Employees—the largest federal worker union—every step of the way. During the 115th Congress, Trump—along with Republican majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives—can enact sweeping reforms to improve every…
    Luke Rosiak
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  • news

    VA Hospitals’ ‘Improvement’ Doesn’t Tell Whole Story, Veterans Advocate Says
    MADISON, Wis.—The headlines last month declared that most U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers saw improvement in fiscal year 2016. It seemed like a positive end to another rough year for the VA and the people the government-run health care system is supposed to put first. But a veterans advocate is advising news consumers to read the fine…
    M.D. Kittle
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  • news

    The Healing Power of Fly Fishing for Combat Veterans
    On 112 acres off Springhill Road in Belgrade, Montana, sits a six-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot home called Quiet Waters Ranch. The ranch belongs to the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation, a nonprofit located 10 miles south in Bozeman that teaches combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan how to fly fish in the place that’s considered the sport’s…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    So Much for the GOP Blockade: Obama Tops Bush on Judicial Confirmations
    Recent stories in Politico and The Washington Post paint a picture of unprecedented obstruction by Senate Republicans of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees. “Trump set to reshape judiciary after GOP blockade,” blared Politico’s Burgess Everett on Dec. 16. Nine days later, it was The Post’s turn. “Trump to inherit more than 100 court vacancies, plans…
    Robert B. Bluey
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  • opinion

    3 Ways Politicians Play Politics With Public Employee Pensions
    Pensions are a huge part of public employees’ compensation, often providing a quarter to a third of their total compensation. A new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council shows how politicians play politics with public pensions, threatening public employees and taxpayers alike. State and local governments across the U.S. hold about $3.8 trillion in…
    Rachel Greszler
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  • news

    What a Special Committee Investigating Russia’s Cyberattacks Could Do
    A bipartisan group of senators is pressing for the creation of a special panel—known as a select committee—to investigate and provide the definitive account of Russian cyberattacks on the U.S. political system. Sens. John McCain. R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., along with incoming Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.,…
    Josh Siegel
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  • news

    How Russia’s Cyberattacks Have Affected Ukraine
    KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine’s May 25, 2014, presidential election was a pivotal moment for the country. A revolution that February, in which more than 100 died, had overthrown pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Two weeks prior to the election, on May 11, pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhansk declared their independence from Kyiv….
    Nolan Peterson
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  • opinion

    Cyberattacks Are a Major Security Threat. Here’s How to Deter Them.
    Nearly two years ago, North Korea launched a cyberattack against Sony that nearly crippled the movie giant. The U.S. responded by imposing yet another round of feckless sanctions against the Hermit dynasty. But ironically, if members of the North Korean army had landed in Los Angeles and blown up Sony’s studios with dynamite, they would…
    Albert Wolf
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  • opinion

    Social Security Needs Real Reform, Not Just a New Commission
    Social Security was a fact of life in 20th-century America, but it may soon reach a critical fork in the road. In less than two decades from now, Social Security’s combined trust fund will be exhausted. If no action is taken to reform this major program, benefits will suddenly be indiscriminately reduced by 23 percent. To…
    Romina Boccia
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  • opinion

    3 Steps to Making Christmas Special Without Breaking the Bank
    “I love you, man.” It may not be the easiest thing to say, but it’s definitely the cheapest. Yes, sharing why you appreciate someone is much cheaper than buying the hottest gift on Amazon. Maybe more painful for you, but definitely the budget-friendly choice. If you find yourself thinking, “Ugh, feelings,” you’re in good company….
    Beverly Hallberg
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  • opinion

    New Social Security Reform Bill Moves in the Right Direction
    Finally, a reform plan has been introduced to preserve Social Security without troubling younger generations with undue debt and tax burdens. This plan, the Social Security Reform Act of 2016, was introduced last week by Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, the chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. Johnson’s plan applies the right…
    Romina Boccia
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