Damaging our credibility with our European allies By Julianne Smith, NSN Board of Directors Member, and John Bradshaw, NSN Executive Director August 31, 2015 | The Hill Hardline conservatives in the U.S. congress who are eager to repudiate the nuclear agreement reached with Iran act as if the deal is just between the U.S. and Iran. The indispensable role of our close European allies hardly gets a mention. This short-sighted approach risks undercutting alliances and partnerships that have been the bedrock of American security for decades, and fails to appreciate the role European partners played in creating the international sanctions regime that brought Iran to the negotiating table. Six countries – not just the United States – negotiated the July 14th Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,… Read More ›

NSN Advisory Board Member Daniel Benjamin on Sen. Schumer, Iran Deal Daniel Benjamin: Schumer’s unconvicing argument August 12, 2015 | NY Daily News Sen. Chuck Schumer owes us more. Although in the statement explaining his opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran, he adopts a Solomonic pose and recounts that he has engaged in “deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching,” Schumer’s reasoning is seriously flawed on key issues. He avoids issues that need to be faced squarely, and he delivers judgments that do not hold up under scrutiny. To continue reading, click here. Is Iran About to Unleash a Wave of Terrorism Against the United States? August 13, 2015 | Foreign Policy Yes, some of the potential $150 billion windfall coming to Tehran will help support Assad.… Read More ›

F-35: The Pentagon’s $1,500,000,000,000 Failure, with Bill French August 14, 2015 | The Zero Hour NSN Policy Analyst, Bill French, discusses the high cost and low benefits of the F-35 program. To watch the original interview posting, click here.   Read More ›

Iran deal makes region safer: Berger August 12, 2015 | CNBC Sandy Berger, NSN Advisory Board Chairman, discusses how the deal makes the region safer. To watch the original interview posting, click here.   Read More ›

Thunder without Lightning: The High Costs and Limited Benefits of the F-35 Program Policy Report by Bill French August 2015 The National Security Network (NSN) is pleased to release a new policy report, Thunder without Lightning: The High Costs and Limited Benefits of the F-35. According to our analysis, the F-35 lacks the capabilities to execute its primary mission, and costs too much relative to its predecessors. The Department of Defense should examine ways to reduce its commitment to this albatross of an acquisition program. To read the full report, click here. From the report: “To perform against near-peer adversaries, the F-35 will have to be capable of executing a range of missions, from defeating enemy aircraft to penetrating enemy air defenses to strike surface… Read More ›

A “No” to Iran Means No Forever By Samuel Berger August 2015 | POLITICO There is a notion cultivated by opponents of the Iran nuclear agreement, attractive to members of Congress under intense pressure to vote no, that congressional rejection of the agreement will enable U.S. negotiators to reach a better deal. The expectation is, that with a further turn of the screws, we can pressure the Iranians to give more and/or we give less. But it can’t happen. The agreement needs to be judged on its merits and the consequences of rejecting it need to be confronted without the illusion that there will be another, easier chance. Opponents cannot escape through a trapped door marked “later.” There is no later, this is the end of… Read More ›

Sen. Schumer’s partial endorsement of the Iran deal By John Bradshaw, Executive Director of NSN August 7, 2015 Chuck Schumer’s announcement that he will vote to disapprove the Iran deal was not unexpected, but his detailed explanation of his decision contains some surprisingly positive analysis of the agreement.  After citing a number of weaknesses he sees in the first ten years of the deal, Schumer admits that: “Those who argue for the agreement say it is better to have an imperfect deal than to have nothing; that without the agreement, there would be no inspections, no snapback. When you consider only this portion of the deal — nuclear restrictions for the first ten years — that line of thinking is plausible”. Not a ringing endorsement, to be sure, but… Read More ›

Without A Bomb, What Is Iran’s Military Capable Of Doing? By Michael Lane Smith July 31, 2015 | Task & Purpose Keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon has been an international priority. Without a nuke, how does the Iranian military shape up?… J. Dana Stuster, a policy analyst at the National Security Network think tank, recently went so far to say the rhetoric supports “an alarmist mischaracterization of Iran’s role in the geopolitics of the Middle East.” The conflicting arguments illustrate the schism in perspective regarding Iran’s ability to cause the United States and its allies harm. Stuster cites political motives for some of the postering from American congressional leaders hoping to discredit the recent nuclear deal with Iran, and Ilan Goldenberg, senior fellow and director… Read More ›