Top retired General cheers continuing demise of Iran sanctions bill January 21, 2015 | Vet Voice Foundation  Washington, DC – With rumors swirling that sponsors of an Iran sanctions bill are struggling to find Democratic support, and a veto threat issued by President Obama in last night’s State of the Union, a major veterans organization is optimistic that diplomatic efforts to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions will continue. “Interference by Congress won’t strengthen our negotiators’ hand, it will make it harder for them to do their job,” said Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton, Managing Director of the Vet Voice Foundation. “Diplomacy is far more likely to work without backseat driving from Congress.  Congress has the responsibility to do everything it can before putting American troops in harm’s way… Read More ›

A Smarter Way to Spend on Defense Tobias T. Gibson January 21, 2015 | The Hill  The United States has historically had significant difficulty preparing for the kinds of conflicts it finds itself involved in. For example, despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States continued preparing for conventional conflict during the 1990s. The result was a shortfall of necessary equipment and expertise in the early days of the War on Terror, with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld infamously quipping that “You go to war with the army you have.” Beyond challenges in adapting its hardware, the military and the intelligence community had difficulty adapting their intellectual talent to deal with emerging threats. The national security community has had to do without imperative language… Read More ›

Implementing Obama’s “Smarter Kind of American Leadership” Last night, President Obama in his State of the Union address touched on a host of national security issues of critical importance to the United States and international community. While his discussion of national security was broad, a key theme running through his address was the forward-looking need to reinforce America’s global position and security in the 21stcentury by emphasizing diplomatic and economic power. This “smarter kind of American leadership” applies to a number of issues, but the President’s comments on Asia, Iran, Cuba, trade strategy, and climate security in particular demonstrate the value of careful and relentless global engagement to producing results. Now armed with a clear agenda, the Administration and Congress need to work together to… Read More ›