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

    Federal Officials Delayed San Bernardino Terrorist Attack Probe
    A new report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general concludes that the field office director at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “improperly delayed” investigators from Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting a “lawful and routine law enforcement action” after the San Bernardino terrorist attack last December. Inspector General John Roth conducted the investigation…
    Sharyl Attkisson
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  • opinion

    How NDAA Could Impact US Missile Defense
    The U.S. House of Representatives recently took a first step to enact the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2017 into law. The bill is one of the major congressional vehicles to advance policies related to U.S. national security issues. The NDAA advances several important nuclear weapons and missile defense policy positions….
    Michaela Dodge
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  • news

    He Blew the Whistle on a Global Financial Firm, Then Broke Open Swiss Bank Secrecy
    This Sunday on “Full Measure,” we have the incredible story of a whistleblower sent to prison after turning evidence against one of the biggest and most secretive banks in the world. Released from prison four years ago, Bradley Birkenfeld is a wealthy man thanks to a record $104 million settlement paid to him by the U.S….
    Sharyl Attkisson
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  • news

    Senator Urges Privatizing Airport Security to Get Around TSA’s ‘Huge Bureaucracy’
    With long wait lines at airports across the country, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee is calling on the TSA to “get their act together” and consider more cost-effective and efficient options. “This has to be fixed. TSA is going to have to raise their game because you can’t have people sitting in lines…
    Kyle Stewart
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  • news

    5 Takeaways From Congress’ TSA Hearing
    As security wait times reach all-time highs at airports across the country, the Transportation Security Administration administrator was brought before a House committee. TSA Administrator Peter V. Neffenger testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday morning to address his agency’s critics and propose solutions. Here are the highlights from “Long Lines, Short…
    Andrew Egger
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  • opinion

    Ben Rhodes Proves the National Security Council Needs to Be Reformed
    Recent remarks by Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes to the New York Times shows us that the National Security Council (NSC) as an institution is urgently in need of an overhaul. Rhodes, who handles the president’s strategic communications, takes pride in how he sold the Iran nuclear deal to the American press. In the absence…
    Helle Dale
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  • opinion

    3 Ways TSA Could Improve Wait Times
    We’ve all had to awkwardly stand in line at airport security as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) herds hundreds of passengers to departure gates. Long lines only add to the already stressful event of flying. Our current airport security process has become a running joke (along with long waits at the DMV or the “simplicity” of doing…
    Riley Walters
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  • opinion

    China’s Challenge to International Cybersecurity
    Chinese activities in cyberspace regularly garner a great deal of attention. Chinese hackers have been accused of stealing millions of records from U.S. government databases, such as the Office of Personnel Management, as well as various corporations. Chinese leadership sees information as inextricably linked to not only the broader national interest, but also to regime…
    Dean Cheng
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  • opinion

    6 Facts Highlight Why We Need to Rebuild Our Military
    The U.S. military seems to be breaking. Senior military leaders have made dire statements before Congress, and story after story is revealing the potentially deadly challenges facing our men and women in uniform. As Congress considers the annual defense authorization bill, here are six clear, real-world examples of why Congress needs to use the defense…
    Justin Johnson
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  • news

    Senate Confirms Obama Judicial Nominee Opposed by Maryland Police Unions
    The Senate confirmed Paula Xinis for a federal judgeship in Maryland by a vote of 53-34, over the protests of major state police unions and outside conservative groups. Xinis, a partner and senior trial attorney at the Baltimore law firm representing the family of Freddie Gray, will serve in what is in effect a lifetime…
    Philip Wegmann
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  • opinion

    Congress Must Act Now to Start Rebuilding the US Military
    This week the House of Representatives takes up the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2017. Much of the debate and media coverage will revolve around a handful of controversial provisions ranging from nuclear weapons to religious freedom. Marine Corps mechanics have had to scavenge F-18 parts from museums to keep their planes flying….
    Justin Johnson
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  • opinion

    Our Military Deserves More Than One Brand of Shoe to Wear
    Sneakers, sneaks, kicks, tennis shoes, running shoes: whatever you call them, everybody has a pair. (I’ll die before I call them trainers. This is America.) It seems that there are a thousand brands and types to choose from, whether for particular sports or just lounging around in comfort. But Congress is about to force men…
    Jim DeMint
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  • opinion

    Washington Insiders Gut Military JAG Litigation Track
    No wonder so many Americans on the left and right are disgusted and fed up with career Washington bureaucrats and insiders. Common sense ideas which folks outside the beltway understand and take for granted are hard to come by inside the beltway. Exhibit A is the novel idea—to the Army, Air Force, and some key…
    Cully Stimson
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  • news

    Judiciary Chairman: Obama Received More Confirmations Than Bush at This Point in His Presidency
    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is pushing back against the idea that the judicial nomination process is broken after being criticized for not holding a hearing to confirm President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. The Senate Judiciary Committee, tasked with checking the president’s power to appoint federal judges, has held hearings for 38 of Obama’s judicial…
    Leah Jessen
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  • opinion

    Tired of the TSA? Here’s Why Private Screeners Are the Answer
    Congress is considering giving the Department of Homeland Security the authority to move around some of its funds to the beleaguered Transportation Security Administration as lines at airports grow. While this redirection might be a short-term solution (and maybe not even that as it will take time to hire and train these screeners), it is…
    David Inserra
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  • opinion

    How Washington Politicians Wasted Billions Trying to ‘Invest in Our Future’
    The federal government has wasted billions on energy projects promising to usher in a new energy future. All Washington can do is play favorites when picking energy options (think Solyndra). Why? Because revolutions don’t come from the government—they come from the people, and the same holds true for energy. Despite many attempts to force it,…
    Nicolas Loris
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  • opinion

    The Myth That Regulation Can Stop Financial Crises
    Regulation doesn’t prevent financial crises—a fact that the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act conveniently ignored. Born from the myth that deregulated markets caused the 2008 crisis, Dodd-Frank inserts the federal government into virtually all components of the financial sector. The legislation polices everything from derivatives markets to payday lending, and it…
    Mollie McNeill
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  • news

    ‘Thank You for Your Service’: How One Organization Is Looking Out for Military Kids
    Every Saturday, Jihee Ewart’s three sons, Logan, Scott, and Ryan fight for a spot in front of the computer in their Leesburg, Va., home, where they patch through a connection on Skype. Half a world away on a military base in Jordan, Greg Ewart, the boys’ father, waits on the other end. Saturdays are Greg…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • opinion

    Obama’s Green Agenda Should Be Kept Out of National Security
    This week I will be offering an amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prevent scarce defense dollars from being squandered on President Barack Obama’s executive orders regarding climate change. These executive orders require the Department of Defense (DOD) to incorporate a host of climate change bureaucracies into its acquisition programs, logistics…
    Rep. John Fleming
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  • opinion

    12 Amendments to Watch for in Defense Authorization Fight
    The House Armed Services Committee will soon mark up their version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill regularly runs over a thousand pages long and sets budgets and policies for almost every aspect of our national defense. The committee markup routinely runs until 3 or 4 a.m. and includes hundreds of amendments…
    Justin Johnson
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