Issue Position: National Security and Foreign Policy
Issue Position
Issue Position: National Security and Foreign Policy
Supporting our Troops
While the debate on the Occupation of Iraq continues in Washington, supporting our troops is an imperative shared by everyone in Congress. Our troops must get the support and the protection they need. From providing them with body and vehicle armor, to boosting their base pay, our troops must come first.
We must also do everything we can to support the families of our men and women in uniform, because they often suffer and sacrifice while supporting their family members deployed in combat.
Empowering our National Guard
Ohio's National Guard remains the best in the country. I will do everything I can to help ensure that they receive the support and benefits they've earned. Ohio's National Guardsmen and women have performed admirably in Iraq and other foreign theaters and continue to maintain the highest level of preparedness despite the tough strains the War in Iraq has placed on their personnel, equipment, budget and families.
Support for the Guard includes providing the Guard with the money and equipment it needs, including fully funding BRAC. In addition, the National Guard Empowerment Act will, among other important reforms, give the Guard a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Guard is asked to do more and more both here and abroad, we must ensure that they have the resources to meet these duties.
Iraq
I will continue to be an outspoken opponent of the War in Iraq. We went to war on false pretenses, without a plan for withdrawal, and without the proper body armor and vehicles our troops need. Four years after invading Iraq, U.S. forces are forced to referee a civil war with no end insight, costing more American lives every day. The best way to protect and support our troops is to redploy them out of Iraq now. We need to focus on a diplomatic solution to establishing stability in the region. A lasting peace in Iraq demands that we redeploy, internationalize a new and reduced military presence, expand our diplomatic efforts, and invest with our allies in responsible Iraqi-centered reconstruction
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