Wall St. Journal Weighs in on NDAA

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

This week the Wall St. Journal weighed in on President Trump's threat to veto the National Defense Authorization Act, and the harm it could do to America's Troops and security."President Trump deserves credit for rebuilding America's armed forces, so it's a pity his parting shot is a veto spectacle over a defense policy bill. Mr. Trump won't extract what he wants but he might harm some of…

Not Enacting NDAA Will Have Consequences

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

As the House prepares to vote on final passage of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act, media is carrying stories on the consequences if the conference report is not enacted by the end of the calendar year. Unlike other pieces of legislation, conference reports cannot be reintroduced and immediately taken up in a new congress. The process, which could be expected to take several…

NDAA Tough on China

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

According to the Director of National Intelligence in last week's Wall St. Journal, "China poses the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom world-wide since World War II… Beijing intends to dominate the U.S. and the rest of the planet economically, militarily and technologically." As the threat China poses to America's security and…

Thornberry on Challenges Facing the Country

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Last month, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Fox National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin. The interview covered military readiness, America's national security challenges, the state of politics in the country, and the importance of America continuing to engage with the world. You can watch…

House Progressives Propose Dangerous National Security Cuts

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Today, House Progressives will offer an amendment to cut $73 billion in an attempt to defund America's military. The amendment exempts military personnel accounts, the Defense Health Program, and civilian personnel accounts, forcing a 16% cut across-the-board in all other accounts. The amendment would cause a reduction twice size of sequestration. It also violates the bipartisan budget…

Thornberry in RCP: COVID-19 and the Defense Industrial Base

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

In a column on RealClearPolitics today, HASC Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) argues that keeping the Defense Industrial Base healthy is key to our national security, and explains what that will take. Read the full column here. Excerpts below: ​ "...COVID-19 demonstrates one kind of threat to American national security and our people. But we expect the government to have the…

Thornberry Indo-Pacific Deterrence Bill Making Waves

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

After being released last week, Rep. Mac Thornberry's bill to create an Indo-Pacific Deterrence Initiative focused on building partnerships and alliances to curb China's global aspirations is making news: WSJ EDITORIAL BOARD: Here Comes the Asia Defense Buildup: "Washington strategists have been talking about a "pivot to Asia" for the better part of a decade, but it may take the…

Thornberry on Iran Protests

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, appeared on FOX America's Newsroom to discuss ongoing protests in Iran, intelligence assessments, and the importance of engaging with the world to U.S. National Security. You can watch the full interview here. Iranian Regime Reaction To Protests: "Iran, like any other authoritarian regime, cares more than…

DAMAGING DEFENSE: How a CR Will Cut Defense

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

This week Congress will kick the can down the road once again and enact another wasteful Continuing Resolution. As Secretary of Defense Esper said last week, "CRs disrupt training, impede readiness, delay maintenance, impose uncertainty on the workforce, & induce inefficient & constrained contracting practices."These stop-gap measures do more than just waste taxpayer dollars, they…

Damaging Defense: Thornberry on New CR

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on reports that an additional Continuing Resolution will extend until December 20th: "Reports that the next stop-gap spending bill will extend until December 20th are disappointing and troubling. Such a late date makes a further stopgap beyond the 20th more likely. Every CR is…