Issue Position: Defense

Issue Position

The reality in today's world is that the readiness of our military is more important than ever. In over 200 years, our nation has never faced a more diverse group of military challenges. From various countries attempting to gain a distinct military advantage, to enemies that wage war simply due to a different ideology from us, we as a nation must remain vigilant at all times.

The 2012 proposed base budget of some $553 billion, plus an additional $118 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, represents one of the largest portions of the total U.S. budget.

Careful consideration must be given to insure our military is adequately funded for completing their missions while keeping waste at a minimum.

Without question, I am a staunch supporter of our military. Like many American families, I possess a close, vested interest in our military personnel's welfare, which includes two nephews already serving and my own son deployed in Afghanistan. I am proud of their service beyond words, and I certainly understand the risks that are necessary to keep our nation secure from all enemies. Unequivocally, our troops must be well-trained and well-equipped, however, at the same time, I am mindful of our nation's budgetary woes. Congress possesses the arduous task of deftly considering all aspects of the defense budget in order to safeguard our military's requirements, but also avoid the needless fulfillment of certain egos or illusions of brilliance with warfare systems our military does not need.

When considering the proposed defense budget, I believe Congress should scrutinize every item that the various service branches request, as it should for any other type of budget spending.

I agree with the assessment of Defense Secretary Gates when he stated that future conflicts will be fought differently from conflicts in the past.

Consequently, our needs in a military sense must coincide and adapt with the future risks posed by these new threats.

It is well understood by the American public that the defense budget is vast, yet I believe this presents an opportunity to spend the taxpayers money in a astute, intelligent fashion. In regards to this opportunity, I have concerns regarding several proposed warfare systems and I believe some of the following items, in light of future conflicts and potential adversaries, demonstrate the need for essential and careful consideration on every request that is brought forward:

1A. reconsideration of the Navy's $24.6 billion request for 11 new ships including a new aircraft carrier and two nuclear submarines.

2A. reconsideration of the cost overruns of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, which to date, amounts to more than $4 billion and rising.

3A. reconsideration of the U.S. Marine's program for the "Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle," slated at a cost of $2.8 billion.

4A. reconsideration of 24 new Trident Submarine nuclear missiles at a cost of $1.4 billion.

The above slate of items illustrates a narrow summary of defense initiatives requiring deliberate debate by Congress. Even though I question these systems, do not equate these concerns with a soft stanch on defense in any way, for I am not. I doubt there are many who has a greater respect for the service provided by our troops. I believe it is vitally important that all of our troops receive the best equipment we can provide, such as the most effective body armor available and better armor for all of our troop vehicles for use in combat theatres. Earlier in the current conflicts our young military men and women are involved in, there were reports of body armor shortages, and many of the ground vehicles lacked sufficient armor to withstand IED and other type of blasts. This lack of equipment was inexcusable, and the cost to our personnel was too high. I cannot fathom the feeling of a family's loss due to such a reason and we, as a nation, cannot accept this fact or needlessly place our soldiers' lives in harm's way by failing to provide the best equipment to minimize that harm. Anything less is unacceptable.

I favor spending the taxpayers' money on personnel and material that delivers more for less. For example, I am in favor of additional unmanned drones capable of gathering intelligence and delivering blows to the enemy without loss of life to our troops. I favor spending on better intelligence-gathering equipment and methods since in the current type of conflicts, it has been shown that intelligence is key to any mission. I favor spending on providing good pay and benefits for our personnel and support for their families to ease the long periods of separation while in conflict. Above all else, I do not favor long protracted bouts of deployment and certainly no occupation in various theatres of conflict.

I prefer to implement the wisdom of President Theodore Roosevelt, who said in 1900, "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

In other words, we need to utilize our troops wherever needed to protect our nation and national interests, and at the same time, allow them to perform their mission in the most expedited manner possible at the lowest cost of life to our personnel. I believe most Americans would agree.

Our military embodies our nation's greatest strength in protecting our unique way of life. We must honor their service by supporting them at the highest level possible, and let them do the job they have been charged with. We can meet this challenge by mandating Congress to seriously consider all facets of the military mission while performing due diligence in respect to the nation's budget situation. I will meet these challenges if given the opportunity.

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