National Security and Defense

America must be capable of proactively protecting the nation and its citizens. Our armed forces must be ready to act anywhere in the world where vital national interests are threatened. This can be achieved by giving the military the resources it needs to keep us safe and maintain freedom.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Protecting America is Lowest Priority Protecting America is Lowest Priority

    Despite Administration claims to the contrary, President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for FY 2013 would reduce national defense to the lowest of the major budget priorities of the federal government. Read More.

  • Defense Spending Policy in 2012 Elections Defense Spending Policy in 2012 Elections

    Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.

  • Saving the American Dream Saving the American Dream

    The Heritage Foundation offers a detailed plan to redesign entitlement programs, guarantee assistance to those who need it, and save the American dream for future generations. Read More.

Our Research & Offerings on National Security and Defense
  • Backgrounder posted May 24, 2012 by Paul Rosenzweig The Alarming Trend of Cybersecurity Breaches and Failures in the U.S. Government

    Abstract: The number of cybersecurity attacks on, and breaches within, the United States government has been growing. The U.S. Senate is now gearing up to debate cybersecurity legislation—and will have to vote on…

  • Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Andrew Grossman Dismissing Padilla v. Yoo: A Glass Half Empty?

    The Ninth Circuit correctly dismissed Jose Padilla’s lawsuit against John Yoo, the former Department of Justice official who provided key analysis of legal questions arising from the war on terrorism. But being the traditionally liberal and oft-reversed Ninth Circuit, the court could not leave well enough alone and issued an…

  • Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Baker Spring Centralizing Management of the Military Health System

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a paper last month urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to centralize the management of the Military Health System (MHS).[1] GAO has long held the view that the management structure for supervising the MHS is too de-centralized to impose the discipline necessary…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 21, 2012 by Rebeccah Heinrichs Providing the Capabilities That the Common Defense Requires

    Threats to America’s security, way of life, and allies are increasing rather than decreasing. Instability persists in the Middle East, terrorists continue to plot attacks, adversaries buy and sell ballistic missiles and nuclear technology, and the intent of countries with the ability to pose a strategic threat to the U.S.…

  • Lecture posted May 15, 2012 by The Honorable Jon Kyl Why Conservatives Should Fund and Support a Strong National Defense

    Abstract: As Senator Jesse Helms wrote in his memoir, “Jefferson warned us that ‘the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.’… [T]he lesson of history is that to secure our liberty, America must be constantly on guard, preparing to defend our nation against tomorrow’s adversaries…

  • Issue Brief posted May 15, 2012 by Steven Bucci, Ph.D., Baker Spring Congress Should Invest in Seapower over Bureaucracy

    The U.S. House of Representatives showed strong support for national security when it voted through a reconciliation process to override the sequestration cuts scheduled for defense in January 2013. By following the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) lead in raising the top-line budget for defense over the…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 14, 2012 by Peter Brookes Protect America from What?

    A North Korean long-range ballistic missile launch into the Pacific Ocean, Russian threats of a preemptive strike against U.S. missile defenses in Europe, the Syrian regime’s continuing violence on protestors, and Taliban terrorist attacks in Afghanistan are just a few of the recent events that should serve to remind us…

  • Issue Brief posted May 8, 2012 by Paul Rosenzweig CISPA Disappoints in the End

    As the House began its consideration of cybersecurity legislation last month, there was reason to be optimistic about the course that the House Leadership and the House Intelligence Committee had set. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), as it went to the floor, was imperfect to be sure,…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 7, 2012 by Steven Bucci, Ph.D. A New Decade of National Security: How Ready Is America?

    As America faces its first full decade post-9/11, how ready is she to protect her place in the world? The tragedy of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the events that were precipitated by them—Iraq, Afghanistan, worldwide terrorist campaigns, the Arab Spring, and the continuing reordering in the Middle…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 1, 2012 by Matthew Spalding, Ph.D. The Price of Liberty: Providing for the Common Defense

    Throughout history, as in many other parts of the world today, political rule was the privilege of the strongest or the most powerful. Property was the possession of kings, barons, and lords. Each was born to his or her destiny, and almost all were subject to someone else. …

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  • Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Baker Spring Centralizing Management of the Military Health System

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a paper last month urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to centralize the management of the Military Health System (MHS).[1] GAO has long held the view that the management structure for supervising the MHS is too de-centralized to impose the discipline necessary…

  • Center for Data Analysis Report posted November 7, 2005 by Tim Kane, Ph.D. Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Recruits Before and After 9/11

    A few Members of Congress, motivated by American combat in the Middle East, have called for the reinstatement of a compulsory military draft. The case for coercing young citizens to join the military is supposedly based on social jus­tice?that all should serve?and…

  • Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Andrew Grossman Dismissing Padilla v. Yoo: A Glass Half Empty?

    The Ninth Circuit correctly dismissed Jose Padilla’s lawsuit against John Yoo, the former Department of Justice official who provided key analysis of legal questions arising from the war on terrorism. But being the traditionally liberal and oft-reversed Ninth Circuit, the court could not leave well enough alone and issued an…

  • Lecture posted May 5, 2004 by The Honorable Frank Williams Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties in Wartime

    This month, several individuals detained as "enemy combatants" will make their appeals for freedom to the highest court in the land. Perhaps now, more than any other time in recent memory, the eyes of the world are intensely focused…

  • Backgrounder on February 28, 2012 President Obama’s 2013 Budget Delivers Tax Hikes, More Spending, More Debt

    Abstract: The President’s 2013 budget, released on February 13, repeats the stale and unsuccessful policies of the past three years. The Administration’s apparent vision is one of bigger government, more spending, higher taxes, and deeper deficits. At a time when runaway spending and swelling…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 21, 2012 by Rebeccah Heinrichs Providing the Capabilities That the Common Defense Requires

    Threats to America’s security, way of life, and allies are increasing rather than decreasing. Instability persists in the Middle East, terrorists continue to plot attacks, adversaries buy and sell ballistic missiles and nuclear technology, and the intent of countries with the ability to pose a strategic threat to the U.S.…

  • Issue Brief posted March 14, 2012 by David Addington Federal Budget: What Congress Must Do to Control Spending and Create Jobs

    As the national debt races toward $17 trillion and nearly 13 million Americans search fruitlessly for work, America needs bold changes from its leaders. Congress must get federal spending and borrowing under control and get out of the way of job creation in the private sector. …

  • Backgrounder posted April 5, 2011 by Baker Spring The FY 2012 Defense Budget Proposal: Looking for Cuts in All the Wrong Places

    Abstract: The Obama Administration’s FY 2012 budget request suggests that the Administration has subordinated the nation’s defense needs to budget goals. The proposed budget continues the trend of reducing defense spending below safe levels while allowing entitlement spending to grow unchecked. To begin correcting…

  • Backgrounder posted April 29, 2010 by Jena Baker McNeill, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Jessica Zuckerman 30 Terrorist Plots Foiled: How the System Worked

    Abstract: In 2009 alone, U.S. authorities foiled at least six terrorist plots against the United States. Since September 11, 2001, at least 30 planned terrorist attacks have been foiled, all but two of them prevented by law enforcement. The two notable exceptions are the…

  • Center for Data Analysis Report posted October 27, 2004 by Tim Kane, Ph.D. Global U.S. Troop Deployment, 1950-2003

    The proposed global redeployment of U.S. troops coupled with the open question of how long U.S. forces will stay in Iraq highlight the need for objective data on force deployments, objectives, and results. Surprisingly, no comprehensive time series data on U.S. troop deployments by year and country seem to exist…

Find more work on National Security and Defense
  • Backgrounder posted May 24, 2012 by Paul Rosenzweig The Alarming Trend of Cybersecurity Breaches and Failures in the U.S. Government

    Abstract: The number of cybersecurity attacks on, and breaches within, the United States government has been growing. The U.S. Senate is now gearing up to debate cybersecurity legislation—and will have to vote on…

  • Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Andrew Grossman Dismissing Padilla v. Yoo: A Glass Half Empty?

    The Ninth Circuit correctly dismissed Jose Padilla’s lawsuit against John Yoo, the former Department of Justice official who provided key analysis of legal questions arising from the war on terrorism. But being the traditionally liberal and oft-reversed Ninth Circuit, the court could not leave well enough alone and issued an…

  • Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Baker Spring Centralizing Management of the Military Health System

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a paper last month urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to centralize the management of the Military Health System (MHS).[1] GAO has long held the view that the management structure for supervising the MHS is too de-centralized to impose the discipline necessary…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 21, 2012 by Rebeccah Heinrichs Providing the Capabilities That the Common Defense Requires

    Threats to America’s security, way of life, and allies are increasing rather than decreasing. Instability persists in the Middle East, terrorists continue to plot attacks, adversaries buy and sell ballistic missiles and nuclear technology, and the intent of countries with the ability to pose a strategic threat to the U.S.…

  • Lecture posted May 15, 2012 by The Honorable Jon Kyl Why Conservatives Should Fund and Support a Strong National Defense

    Abstract: As Senator Jesse Helms wrote in his memoir, “Jefferson warned us that ‘the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.’… [T]he lesson of history is that to secure our liberty, America must be constantly on guard, preparing to defend our nation against tomorrow’s adversaries…

  • Issue Brief posted May 15, 2012 by Steven Bucci, Ph.D., Baker Spring Congress Should Invest in Seapower over Bureaucracy

    The U.S. House of Representatives showed strong support for national security when it voted through a reconciliation process to override the sequestration cuts scheduled for defense in January 2013. By following the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) lead in raising the top-line budget for defense over the…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 14, 2012 by Peter Brookes Protect America from What?

    A North Korean long-range ballistic missile launch into the Pacific Ocean, Russian threats of a preemptive strike against U.S. missile defenses in Europe, the Syrian regime’s continuing violence on protestors, and Taliban terrorist attacks in Afghanistan are just a few of the recent events that should serve to remind us…

  • Issue Brief posted May 8, 2012 by Paul Rosenzweig CISPA Disappoints in the End

    As the House began its consideration of cybersecurity legislation last month, there was reason to be optimistic about the course that the House Leadership and the House Intelligence Committee had set. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), as it went to the floor, was imperfect to be sure,…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 7, 2012 by Steven Bucci, Ph.D. A New Decade of National Security: How Ready Is America?

    As America faces its first full decade post-9/11, how ready is she to protect her place in the world? The tragedy of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the events that were precipitated by them—Iraq, Afghanistan, worldwide terrorist campaigns, the Arab Spring, and the continuing reordering in the Middle…

  • America at Risk Memo posted May 1, 2012 by Matthew Spalding, Ph.D. The Price of Liberty: Providing for the Common Defense

    Throughout history, as in many other parts of the world today, political rule was the privilege of the strongest or the most powerful. Property was the possession of kings, barons, and lords. Each was born to his or her destiny, and almost all were subject to someone else. …

Find more work on National Security and Defense
Find more work on National Security and Defense