The U.S. military and America’s national security stands at the brink. This week, a congressional “super committee” was due to develop a plan to reduce the federal deficit by more than $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. Failing to enact the plan by January 15, 2012, would result in automatic cuts to military spending–a scenario that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta describes as “devastating.” The super committee’s ability to succeed remains in serious doubt, with reports of its deadlock and failure headlining newspapers this morning. Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidates are … More

The United States should cut its nuclear weapons capabilities to contribute to deficit reduction, writes Michael O’Hanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution. O’Hanlon qualifies this opinion by stating that “our strategic forces should remain as large as Russia’s.” Yet these two statements are mutually exclusive, as the United States is already below Russia’s numbers—considering Russia’s advantage in nuclear short-range systems. Cutting funding for the nuclear weapons complex would only make the situation worse, both qualitatively and quantitatively, as the Russians are vigorously modernizing their nuclear … More

What happens if the “super committee” fails to meet its target of $1.5 trillion in budget savings by Thanksgiving and sequestration is triggered? It would spell doomsday for the military, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warns. In letters sent to Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Panetta said that under the worst-case scenario, “the total cut will  rise to about $1  trillion compared with the FY 2012 plan,” and he says “The impacts of these  cuts would be devastating for the Department.” Panetta went on to detail what those cuts would … More

The Obama Administration may unwisely decide to ignore the advice of its own military advisers and cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq down to 3,000 by the end of the year, according to press reports. Iraqi and U.S. officials are currently negotiating behind the scenes about how many of the roughly 45,000 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq will be allowed to stay past the December 31 deadline set by the 2008 Status of Forces Agreement. Senior commanders were reportedly “livid” at the increased risks that will be imposed … More

The situation looks bleak. The military faces hundreds of billions of dollars in defense cuts while being involved in three military engagements. On the horizon is the new Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—a.k.a. the “Super Committee”—and the possibility of a $1 trillion “trigger” that would change the military as we know it. This Thursday afternoon, the Defending Defense project will host an event on the future of defense spending in the face of this deficit-reduction “Super Committee.” Featured speakers include Senators Lindsey Graham (R–SC), Jon Kyl (R–AZ), and Kelly … More

By Phil GiraldiSyria is much in the news lately, with Senator Lindsey Graham and others calling for  military action to bring about the removal of President Bashar al-Assad and to protect “the Syrian people from slaughter.”  Secretary of Stat…

In one of the most important votes on Obama’s lower court judicial nominees, Democrats were unable to overcome the filibuster of Ninth Circuit Court nominee Goodwin Liu in a vote in the U.S. Senate this afternoon. It takes 60 votes to end a filibuster under the Senate rules, and the final vote was only 52…

A lifetime appointment to the federal bench is now selling for $700,000. At least that was the cost for Rhode Island judicial nominee Jack McConnell, who has donated that sum of money to Democrats in the two decades before President Obama tapped him for federal district court. McConnell faces a Senate confirmation vote as early…

By Phil GiraldiA recent news item that appeared yesterday on the Reuters wire service illustrates just how information is shaped before it is sent out to the reader.  The article is headlined “Pro-defense senators push fight against Gaddafi.”&nbsp…

By Matt HawesSenator Lindsey Graham calls for nation building in Libya in this recent Piers Morgan Tonight appearance and also claims that no one in the GOP criticized spending in Afghanistan and Iraq while the Republicans were in charge.
Guess he has…