Hot National Security Issues Brief

Defense Spending

Some critics accuse the President of cutting defense spending at the expense of the nation’s security. This claim is false, and the alternatives to the President’s course are far worse.

First, the President is not gutting defense spending and undermining our national defense. After factoring in the modest cuts imposed by the bipartisan Budget Control Act, the President’s current budget would merely flatten future growth, not gut it.

Second, it makes little sense to spend money on wars that we’re no longer fighting, especially at the expense of our nation’s fiscal health. It also makes little sense to increase the size of our ground forces just as the two wars of the last decade come to a close.

Third, voters understand that we must get our fiscal house in order to maintain our national strength, and military efficiencies will play a part in doing so.

We must do everything necessary to maintain the world’s strongest fighting force. We must keep faith with the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our security. But budgets are tight, and we must make sure our defense spending makes sense to confront 21st century challenges.

Iran and Nuclear Weapons

President Obama has kept up extraordinary pressure on Iran, placing upon the Islamic Republic the toughest sanctions in history. There is clear evidence that the sanctions are hurting the Iranian regime.

Now, some individuals want the President to start bombing Iran now. This would be a serious strategic mistake—it could have disastrous consequences for U.S. security, the stability of the Middle East, and the global economy. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that it would permanently halt the Iranian nuclear weapons program.

It is unacceptable for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. However, at this point, military strikes are not the right answer to stop them. The President and Congress have imposed tough sanctions that are beginning to bite, forcing Iran to the negotiating table. Also, premature military strikes could make it harder to stop Iran in the long run, will throw the Middle East into further turmoil, and put our economy at risk by disrupting oil shipments in the Persian Gulf.

Special Operations Forces

Under President Obama, the nation has embraced the use of small, elite teams of U.S. military personnel and drone technology to attack our enemies. This new strategy allows our military to be more precise, reducing collateral damage. This success was clearest in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. However, some political partisans have attacked the President and accuse him of publicizing these missions for political gain.

President Obama makes tough calls as Commander-in-Chief to keep the nation safe, and is using the best people and tools possible to do so. He takes the security of these operations very seriously, and he has a deep appreciation for the skill and sacrifice of people who carry them out.

Afghanistan

The U.S. is transitioning to give the Afghans responsibility for their own security, and the President has a plan for ending the U.S. combat mission by 2014. While some may criticize this plan, they do not offer an alternative beyond remaining in Afghanistan indefinitely or providing abstract notions of consulting with military commanders.

There is a strong expert and public consensus that it is time to end our mission in Afghanistan after 11 years of war.

President Obama is keeping his promise to have the U.S. out of Afghanistan by 2014. After more than a decade of war, that‘s the right thing to do. We are training Afghan forces to secure their own country, and we will keep up the pressure on al Qaeda wherever they are.

For more national security message framing and foundational information, read our 2012 National Security Debate Book.