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

    Reagan on Veterans Day: ‘Peace Fails When We Forget What We Stand For’

    America has officially honored its veterans on Nov. 11 since 1954, when an act of Congress changed the name from Armistice Day, recognizing the 1918 ceasefire between Germany and Allied nations. Veterans Day became a federal holiday to honor those who have served in the U.S. military. The video above features excerpts from President Ronald Reagan’s Veterans Day remarks…
    Alex Anderson
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    • Opinion

    Why We Served: A Thank You to Our Fellow Veterans

    “Those who live today remember those who do not. Those who know freedom remember today those who gave up life for freedom.”  —Ronald Reagan, Nov. 11, 1988, Veterans Day National Ceremony, Arlington National Cemetery As we pause to honor all Americans who have served in our armed forces, especially those who gave their last full…
    Steven Bucci
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    • Opinion

    Veterans Are the Real 1 Percenters

    Mentioning “1 percenters” conjures up images of protest and class warfare. But there is another 1 percent who are beyond politics: the men and women who serve in America’s armed forces, as well as the veterans who served before them. Despite over a decade of ceaseless war against terrorism, fewer than 1 percent of the…
    Bruce Klingner
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    • Opinion

    Good News: A GOP Congress Usually Correlates with Booming Financial Markets

    It was exactly 20 years ago, in November 1994, that Republicans under the maverick leadership of Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America took over the House of Representatives for the first time in nearly half a century. What may not be remembered is that the GOP sweep continued what became the longest and strongest…
    Stephen Moore
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    • Opinion

    How to Slash the Bloated Pentagon Bureaucracy in 5 Steps

    Before the arms race with the Soviet Union came the hiring race among U.S. military bureaucracies. It started not long after the National Security Act of 1947 established what became the Department of Defense (DoD). The Secretariat added staff and functions to ride roughshod over the services. In turn, the services added staff to meet…
    James Carafano
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    • News

    Top Navy SEAL Officials Aren’t Happy With Teammates Spilling bin Laden Secrets

    Two high-ranking Navy SEAL officials are scolding any current or former members of the service who would “advertise” their service or “seek recognition” for their actions. A letter signed by Force Master Chief M.L. Magaraci and Rear Adm. B.L. Losey, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, is believed to be a preemptive response to a Fox News…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    From In-N-Out Burger to Nilla Wafers, Here’s How Politicians Are Spending Election Night

    Some of them went from town to town, campaigning as the clear underdog. Others, not up for re-election, used their political clout to elevate U.S. Senate hopefuls from state to state. A few laid low, allowing tensions on the Left to steer the momentum of the midterm elections. And some went big, spending millions of…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    Facing Bleak Prospects, Va. Millenials Want Government Both to Do More and Get Out of the Way

    That much-mentioned, so-called millennial generation in Virginia is facing an uphill economic climb. The average student loan debt of 18- to 35-year-oldspolled by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy is $33,500. Four out of five say they believe the economic challenges they face are greater than the ones their parents did at the…
    Kathryn Watson
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    • News

    3 Schoolgirls’ Attraction to ISIS Reveals 24/7 Security Concern

    News that three teen-age schoolgirls from the Denver area skipped class and headed off to join the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria isn’t as surprising as it first appears, a national security expert says. “This is something law enforcement officials are going to have to be on 24/7,” James Carafano, vice president of foreign…
    Josh Siegel
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    • News

    6 Outrageous Times VA Employees Did Wrong and Still Got Paid by You

    The Department of Veterans Affairs remains embroiled in a scandal that resulted in the deaths of at least 40 veterans assigned to its medical facilities. Now, a report from Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., outlines the actions of numerous VA employees who were suspended for various offenses but continued to get a salary from taxpayers. Coburn…
    Melissa Quinn
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    • Opinion

    Attack in Ottawa: Facts Remain Scarce But Reality of Security Threat Remains

    Gunshots rang out at multiple locations across Ottawa this morning, including at the War Memorial and in the Parliament buildings. Much is unknown at the moment and the operation is ongoing. As of right now, police are reporting that one Canadian soldier, who was guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier at the War Memorial,…
    David Inserra
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    • Opinion

    Q&A: The Pentagon’s New Ebola Team

    What is the Pentagon trying to do with this new Ebola domestic response team? When called upon by other parts of the federal government (or state governors) for help in domestic emergencies (hurricanes, floods, etc.), the Defense Department provides support. It can be logistical, medical or related tosecurity and transportation. This mission, which is part…
    Steven Bucci
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    • Opinion

    As DHS Morale Continues to Fall, Congress Should Fix the Way It Handles Oversight

    Employee morale at the Department of Homeland Security has sunk to new lows, despite new leadership under Secretary Jeh Johnson and other senior DHS officials. The 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey found that only 21 percent of employees in the DHS Science and Technology Directorate had confidence in their leadership’s ability to “generate high levels…
    Ellen Prichard
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    • News

    Northern Va. Community College Spent $1.3 Million on Sketchy Contracts

    At least one of Virginia’s 23 community colleges has some serious shaping up to do, a recent state audit revealed. Northern Virginia Community College paid $1.3 million in hourly rates of up to $290 to a firm it didn’t even hold accountable to make good on its contracts, an audit from the state’s Auditor of…
    Kathryn Watson
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    • Opinion

    Hey, Defense Department: Focus on ISIS, not Climate Change

    As world leaders remain locked in on the threat of ISIS, the U.S. Department of Defense laid out its plan to fight a different battle: ice caps. In a new report, DOD argues that climate change poses “immediate risks to U.S. national security” because of warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and more…
    Nicolas Loris
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    • Opinion

    Three Changes Bobby Jindal Would Bring to American Defense Policy

    We have some idea from his two terms as governor of Louisiana what Bobby Jindal, perspective 2016 presidential candidate, would do domestically in the Oval Office. But we found out on Monday that when it comes to foreign and defense policy, Jindal would pursue a track a lot more like that of Ronald Reagan than…
    Greg Andrews
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    • News

    Hong Kong’s Former No. 2 Official Fields 7 Questions on the Future of Her City

    As the number of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong dwindles, one of the city’s veteran leaders is a key figure in seeking a compromise with the pro-Beijing camp on how to elect a new chief executive. “It is imperative that the Hong Kong government offer some concession–and a significant one–that can convince the die-hards in…
    Josh Siegel
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    • News

    After Reports of Mismanagement, VA Hospital Gets New Supply of Linens

    And then there was linen. Veterans Affairs hospital officials in Shreveport, La., stocked the cabinets with linen, pajamas and towels cabinets after an investigation exposed that the hospital routinely did not have enough of these items to meet patient needs. Three employees at the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center said linens were plentiful at the 10-story…
    Tori Richards
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    • Opinion

    The Defense of Marriage Isn’t Over

    Monday’s action from the Supreme Court is, as I noted, a setback for sound constitutional self-government and a setback for a healthy marriage culture. Rather than a single Roe v. Wade of marriage, where the Supreme Court would redefine marriage across the nation, the Court, by refusing to hear any of the marriage cases, has…
    Ryan T. Anderson
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    • News

    Former Homeland Security Chief: US Can’t Take ‘Chainsaw’ to Visa Policy Because of Terrorists

    A program that allows citizens from allied European countries to visit the U.S. without a visa has drawn new concerns from lawmakers who worry that radicalized Western Muslims will easily travel here to commit acts of terror. But Michael Chertoff, the former secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who helped expand the program,…
    Josh Siegel
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