Supporting a Strong Military & National Defense

A glance at the news quickly reminds us of the many dangers and growing threats our Country faces.  One of the government’s fundamental responsibilities is to ensure our national security.  Therefore, I strongly support adequately funding our military and investing in advanced technologies to ensure the safety and security of our land is never in question.  

Strengthen International Partnerships & NATO Alliance

One of the strongest deterrents to enemy aggression is the strength derived from international partnerships and alliances. Unfortunately, the current administration has caused significant harm to our nation by damaging and weakening these relationships. We must work to rebuild trust and collaboration with our allies, so any potential adversary understands that when they oppose the United States, they confront not only the most powerful fighting force in history but also the determination and support of much of the international community standing alongside us.

Supporting Our Troops

America must provide unwavering support for our troops. This includes equipping them with the most advanced training and equipment necessary to safely and effectively carry out their missions, and we must honor their commitment to our nation by ensuring fair and competitive compensation. 

Furthermore, it's essential to support the families of our soldiers by providing access to adequate housing, healthcare, job assistance and childcare. We also need to improve the transition to civilian life by ensuring continued access to healthcare and benefits. Lastly, we must guarantee that all soldiers, both active duty and veterans, have access to mental health services.

Adequate Supply Chains for Critical Materials

We must take immediate action to reduce our dependence on foreign governments for critical materials, rare earth metals, and semiconductors. Relying on foreign sources for these materials poses a significant threat to our national security, as it could hinder defense manufacturing capabilities.

Research & Development

It is essential that we invest significantly in research and development to ensure our nation possesses the most advanced capabilities and weapon systems. This investment will help deter aggression from potential adversaries and enhance our success in battle. Additionally, we must focus on developing artificial intelligence to predict, analyze, and counter evolving threats. Improving our cybersecurity defenses is also critical to safeguard our networks and infrastructure.

Intelligence Services

We must continue to ensure our intelligence services remain the strongest in the world, anticipating and countering threats before they occur.

Military Independence from Politics

While a hallmark of our nation is having a civilian commander-in-chief, we must ensure that military leadership remains nonpartisan and is not used for political gain, as we have seen too often with the current administration.  

Seasoned Leadership

Leadership is essential for success in any endeavor. The current administration has been negligent in protecting our national security by appointing individuals to positions of power and authority who lack the necessary experience, temperament or judgment to lead our agencies and troops effectively. We must once again value knowledge, experience and expertise in leadership, which is not exclusive to any one political party. There are experienced military and national defense leaders in both the Democratic and Republican parties, and we must demand the highest standards from those who are leading our military and defense agencies.

Foreign Aid

The current administration has done our nation a great disservice by framing foreign aid as a waste of money that would be better spent at home. While there are often humanitarian benefits to the foreign aid the United States provides to other countries, the reality is that by offering aid, we can strengthen our relationships and ensure that struggling nations are more likely to support us rather than our adversaries.  Foreign aid, therefore, is not so much a question of humanitarian aid, but rather national security.

Work to Establish Treaties & Arms Agreements

While investing heavily in our national defense is essential, we must also allocate significant resources to diplomacy. Regardless of our military capabilities, it is vital always to seek ways to de-escalate tensions and reduce the potential for conflict and war. To achieve this, we should continue engaging in dialogue with those who oppose us to diffuse tensions and prevent conflicts.

While we must continuously seek partnerships and diplomatic solutions to the conflicts we face, we must ensure our enemies recognize that an attack on the United States, our citizens or allies will bring with it the fury and wrath of God.   This is not meant to suggest that we should invite or seek conflict, but rather that we must maintain the capabilities to defend our Nation and allies from its enemies.