Leadership for America

Protect America

Protecting America and Americans from freedom’s enemies.

Read more about Protect America

Statement of Purpose

The nation must recommit itself to living the principles that made this nation safe, free, and prosperous. A complacent America, either at home or abroad, is the greatest threat to a peaceful and productive future for the United States and its friends and allies. America must have the means to remain engaged in the world - to act proactively to protect the nation and its citizens from freedom’s enemies. America is a global power with global interests. The armed forces must have the capacity to act anywhere in the world where its vital interests are threatened. To have a military that can do anything less serves to embolden freedom’s enemies. Likewise, safeguarding the homeland sends a powerful message. The fact that Americans can defend themselves against attack and at the same time grow their economy and maintain a free, open society is disheartening to the enemies of freedom.

Objectives

  1. 1.To protect America from missile attack by deploying a comprehensive missile defense system—one that protects Americans and our western allies from nuclear annihilation.

  2. 2.To ensure that America has the best military in the world, with the training and equipment necessary to keep America safe, free and prosperous. The armed forces of the United States must have the means to conduct current operations, maintain trained and ready troops, and prepare for the national security challenges of the 21st century.

  3. 3.To keep America strong by protecting the homeland and securing our borders. America will become as free and open as it was on September 10, 2001, but with secure borders and the confidence that no transnational terrorists can consider America an easy target.

  • Protect America Month

    Protect America Month

    During our fourth annual Protect America Month, leading conservatives and defense experts will showcase why we must commit to protecting America in an increasingly dangerous world.

    See the schedule of events.

  • Fifty-One and Counting

    Fifty-One and Counting

    Authorities have foiled the 51st publicly known terrorist attack against the United States since 9/11. The fact that the United States has not suffered a large-scale attack in over a decade speaks to the country’s counterterrorism successes. But the long war on terrorism is far from over.

    Read More

  • North Korean Missile Launch Demands Strong US Response

    North Korean Missile Launch Demands Strong US Response

    Despite the failure of North Korea’s attempted missile launch on April 12, Washington should not let Pyongyang’s less than stellar missile performance hinder taking the issue to the United Nations.

    Read More

  • The President's 2013 Budget Falls Short On Defense

    The President's 2013 Budget Falls Short On Defense

    Cut by 1.5 percent, President Obama's 2013 budget for the Department of Homeland Security falls shorts in several key areas including security and immigration-law-enforcement measures.

    Read More

  • Investing in Defense Starts With the Pentagon

    Investing in Defense Starts With the Pentagon

    With the President slashing defense spending, investment in new equipment and technologies has been placed on the back burner. However, the military does not have to wait to get its own act together.

    Read More

  • America's Aging Nuclear Arsenal

    America's Aging Nuclear Arsenal

    With the administration back tracking on its support for modernization of nuclear weapons, questions are magnifying about the U.S. nuclear arsenal’s reliability.

    Read More

  • Why Provide for the Common Defense?

    Why Provide for the Common Defense?

    This volume of Understanding America highlights the Founders' conviction that, in order to preserve peace, America must be ready for war.

    Read More

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  • Visa Waiver Program: Time For Compliance Visa Waiver Program: Time For Compliance

    It has been nearly five years since the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 was passed requiring all current and future Visa Waiver Program members to enter into information-sharing agreements with the U.S. With only half of the 36 member states compling, it's time for the non-compliant members to pay the consequences.

    Read More

  • Adapting to the Threat Dynamics of the 21st Century Adapting to the Threat Dynamics of the 21st Century

    In the 21st century, the only viable approach to national security is to maintain an adequately sized, trained, and equipped force that is capable of dissuading, deterring and--if necessary--defeating a diverse set of future adversaries.

Experts From This Initiative

  • Peter Brookes Peter Brookes

    As senior fellow for national security affairs, Peter Brookes develops and communicates The Heritage Foundation's stance on foreign and defe...

  • James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.

    James Carafano, one of the nation’s leading experts in defense and homeland security, directs The Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center f...

  • Helle Dale Helle Dale

    Helle C. Dale is the Heritage Foundation's Senior Fellow in Public Diplomacy studies. Her current work focuses on the U.S. government’s ...

  • Edwin Meese III Edwin Meese III

    Edwin Meese III is a prominent leader, thinker and elder statesman in the conservative movement - and America itself. Meese holds th...

  • Baker Spring Baker Spring

    Baker Spring is the F.M. Kirby Research Fellow in National Security Policy at The Heritage Foundation. Spring specializes in examining ...

  • Charles Stimson Charles Stimson

    Charles “Cully” Stimson, chief of staff to Heritage Foundation President Edwin J. Feulner, is a widely recognized expert in national sec...

  • Matt Mayer Matt Mayer

    Matt A. Mayer researches, writes and speaks on national security issues as a visiting fellow at Heritage, where the former U.S. Departme...

  • David Muhlhausen, Ph.D. David Muhlhausen, Ph.D.

    David B. Muhlhausen is a leading expert on criminal justice programs in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis. A Research F...

  • Paul Rosenzweig Paul Rosenzweig

    Paul Rosenzweig, who helped craft policy and strategy inside the Department of Homeland Security, brings that experience back to The Her...

  • Kim R. Holmes, Ph.D. Kim R. Holmes, Ph.D.

    Kim Holmes has served since 1992 as Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies and Director of the Davis Institute for Intern...

OTHER LEADERSHIP for AMERICA INITIATIVES

  • First Principles First Principles

    Rediscovering our principles in order to reclaim our future.

  • American Leadership American Leadership

    Advancing American leadership and freedom in the world.

  • Education Education

    Strengthening American education by returning authority to the states and...

  • Energy & Environment Energy & Environment

    Advancing freedom and prosperity by unleashing free enterprise, protecting...

  • Enterprise & Free Markets Enterprise & Free Markets

    Eliminating barriers to enterprise and innovation.

  • Entitlements Entitlements

    Replacing the culture of entitlement with one of mutual responsibility.

  • Family & Religion Family & Religion

    Cultivating an environment in which the permanent institutions of family...

  • Health Care Health Care

    Providing every American freedom of choice in health care.

  • Rule of Law Rule of Law

    Reestablishing the rule of law as the foundation for constitutional...

Our Work
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ABOUT The HERITAGE FOUNDATION

The Heritage Foundation is the nation’s most broadly supported public policy research institute, with nearly 700,000 individual, foundation and corporate donors. Heritage, founded in February 1973, a staff of 275 and an annual expense budget of $82.4 million.

Our mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. Read More

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