Read SECDEF James Mattis’ DoD-wide memo following government shutdown

Despite warnings by Secretary of Defense James Mattis about what a government shutdown would do to America’s defensive capabilities, lawmakers were unable to find an agreement that would keep the federal government funded on Friday night. According to statements made earlier this week by the famed general turned Defense Secretary, the first place this shutdown […]

Politics in space: Trump’s new space directive hindered by time, his own budget

Amid the rapid advancement of national space programs in nations like China and India, President Donald Trump signed a new directive mandating America’s return to the moon, and further down the road, putting American boots on Mars. The directive I’m signing today will refocus America’s space program on human exploration and discovery.  It marks an […]

President Trump signs defense budget into law, biggest military raise in 8 years

President Donald Trump signed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act into law in an event held in the White House on Tuesday.  The bill represents a significant step toward ending the current continuing resolution spending the Defense Department has been trapped under since the start of the new fiscal year on November 1st, but the […]

Op-Ed: Thoughts from a soldier deployed during the 2013 shutdown

As Congress just passed a bill, stopping the government shutdown from happening just one day shy of their deadline, everyone seems to be talking about the implications should another government shutdown actually occur. The last such shutdown happened in 2013, and though they passed a bill to pay military personnel that year, that particular bill […]

Deputy Secretary of Defense to lawmakers: ‘Operating without a budget is not normal’

For months now, America’s defense leaders have been asking the nation’s lawmakers to provide consistent and stable funding for the country’s defensive infrastructure.  America, which boasts the largest military on the face of the globe and has conducted continuous combat operations in multiple theaters while maintaining a stabilizing presence in nearly every corner of the […]

Senior aviation leaders from all four branches call on Congress for a consistent budget

Senior aviation officials from all four branches testified before Congress on Thursday to emphasize the need for budget certainty in the future in order to maintain America’s combat readiness in the skies. Over the past ten years of combat operations, the Department of Defense has been forced to continue operations under what’s called “continuing resolution” […]

A little perspective goes a long way when it comes to defense spending

The United States has earned its reputation as a military powerhouse through blood and fire.  American military personnel have conducted continuous combat operations the world over for the better part of two decades now, all the while maintaining a massive naval footprint that keeps shipping lanes safe and secure and bolstering the defenses of allies […]