Today, we often hear commentary on our longest war and continued involvement in Afghanistan. Many Americans probably do not realize that the British Empire was heavily involved in that region in a struggle with Imperial Russia during the 19th century. In fact, British forces fought in three Afghan wars. Fortunately, the U.S. has evaded that […]
Defense
Ambassador: Iraq Largely Responsible for Its Own Success
Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Fareed Yasseen discussed progress in Iraq Feb. 22, noting that the entire dynamic in the long-embattled country has dramatically changed from just four short years ago. “The Iraqi army that has now defeated ISIS is not the Iraqi army of 2014; the governance structure of Iraq is different from […]
Nearly 3/4 of Youth Ineligible for Military
Of the 34 million youth aged 17 to 24 in the United States, only 29 percent could actually serve, according to a report from The Heritage Foundation. As the military relies on volunteers to fill ranks each year, it’s a crisis authors Thomas Spoehr and Bridget Handy say is not in the future; it’s here […]
Mattis: DACA Service Members Won’t be Deported
Defense Secretary James Mattis said Feb. 8 that U.S. military personnel who are in the country as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would not be deported. “Anyone who’s in the delayed enlistment program or is already signed up and waiting to go into boot camp, anyone on active duty, anyone in […]
Government Shutdown Threat Looms Over DOD Budget
In Congress, one member can keep any piece of legislation from being voted on or even force a federal government shutdown. In October 2013, for example, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) led the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party to force a partial government shutdown for more than two weeks over ending funding for the […]