Moments ago, President Trump gave a speech about his new National Security Strategy.\u00a0 Most of what the President stated as our \u201cnew\u201d strategy is in essence a continuation of previous administrations\u2019 policies.\u00a0 He spoke in generalities, short on any specifics.\u00a0 The strategy was based on four prongs: 1. Borders and Immigration; 2. Economic Growth; 3. American Influence; and 4. Peace through Strength.<\/p>\n
Homeland security is a big part of national security and we are long overdue for real immigration reform.\u00a0 Any time this issue arises in Congress, a majority of members succumb to demographic politics and run for the hills rather than address this important issue.\u00a0 DACA (protection for Dreamers) seems to be the best hope for passing something, but that cannot be the only thing.<\/p>\n
The economy is a critical aspect of national security. \u00a0Department of Defense officials have described our national debt as the biggest threat to national security.\u00a0 The debt has many serious consequences.\u00a0 First, it bankrupts the nation, preventing us from addressing important issues, forcing us to borrow incredible sums of money, and will soon result in runaway inflation and other catastrophic consequences.\u00a0 As most of our debt is owned by China, China, an economic and geopolitical adversary, has dangerous leverage over us.\u00a0 We pay China billions of dollars every month in interest payments and they use that money to fund their infrastructure, military, investment in Asia and Africa, creating military islands in the South China Sea, etc.\u00a0 They also continue to manipulate their currency, engage in unfair trade practices, and are the world\u2019s leading intellectual property thieves.\u00a0 All of these actions threaten our economy and national security.\u00a0 President Trump mentioned these issues in the speech, but for the past year he has done nothing but praise China and its repressive leaders who work to the detriment of the United States.\u00a0 If the President is finally going to address these issues and take appropriate action, it is high time and most welcome.\u00a0 But nobody should hold their breath\u2026<\/p>\n
President Trump spoke about increasing international trade.\u00a0 He is right about one thing \u2013 the U.S. has been the victim of significant unfair trade practices in multiple markets.\u00a0 However, the U.S. opting out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) will hurt U.S. businesses and only prevents the U.S. from benefitting from the arrangement.\u00a0 American workers have good reason to be weary of these agreements because they often do not see the benefits.\u00a0 However, the key is to properly negotiate the agreements, to include the interests of American workers, and then ensure proper enforcement of the terms.\u00a0 TPP is a reality and provides incredible access to 40% of the world\u2019s economy, access the U.S. has now forfeited to China and Russia.<\/p>\n
While tax reform in our country is overdue, the current GOP tax plan is a tax cut and not tax reform.\u00a0 Putting aside discussion of the various provisions, the ugly truth of this plan is that it will add over 1.5 trillion dollars to the debt, thus directly threatening our national security in a significant way.\u00a0 President Trump also stated he was introducing a long-awaited infrastructure improvement plan that will cost approximately seven trillion dollars.\u00a0 We desperately need the infrastructure improvements, but that is seven trillion dollars more on the debt!<\/p>\n
Lastly, President Trump spoke about our military, clearly the pinnacle component of national security.\u00a0 The military has suffered from significant spending cuts that impact training, readiness, and equipment.\u00a0 These cuts were in large part the result of concern over the national debt and uncontrollable federal spending as well as Congress abdicating its responsibility by not passing budgets for many years.\u00a0 There is perennial talk of saving money or absorbing cuts by shrinking the huge bureaucracy.\u00a0 The Department of Defense indeed suffers from a bloated, ineffective bureaucracy.\u00a0 However, when cuts come down, they are unwilling or unable to absorb the cuts in this manner.\u00a0 Military equipment is extremely expensive, period.\u00a0 We can talk about better contract negotiation and management, perhaps ways to limit overages, but that is a reality that we can not eliminate.\u00a0 The best way to improve and support our military is to end the folly of endless engagements.\u00a0 As a veteran I know all too well the terrible cost of never-ending wars.\u00a0 President Trump stated in the campaign and again today that it was time to stop spending trillions of dollars to nation-build in remote places like Afghanistan while ignoring our own country.\u00a0 He is absolutely correct on that point.\u00a0 It is unconscionable that we are still in Afghanistan with the tremendous financial cost and continued loss of American lives.\u00a0 Military leaders keep changing the definition of \u201cwinning\u201d to justify recommitment to the mission every few years.\u00a0 I wholly respect that they do not want the sacrifice of so many to be for nothing.\u00a0 However, it has been seventeen years and there is still no real end in sight.\u00a0 Nobody with a soul can look American families in the eyes at this point and tell them it is worth their sons, daughters, spouses, or siblings lives to remain there.<\/p>\n
National security is the president\u2019s most important responsibility.\u00a0 Too much is at stake to get this wrong.\u00a0 Let\u2019s hope President Trump is up to the task and his actual strategy is much more substantive than the short and simplistic words he spoke today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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