On February 8, the United States and Japan jointly announced changes to the existing bilateral accord for realigning U.S. Marines on Okinawa. While both sides affirmed commitment to relocating a Marine air unit on the island, more significantly, the Obama Administration abandoned longstanding U.S. insistence that Japan fulfill pre-conditional commitments… Read more
Last week, six U.S. Senators, including John McCain (R–AZ) and Jon Kyl (R–AZ), endorsed draft legislation that would block the automatic defense cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011for fiscal year (FY) 2013. Under their proposal, those additional cuts to the Pentagon would be offset by targeting spending… Read more
Abstract: The Budget Control Act, which ended the impasse over the debt ceiling and created a Super Committee to identify more deficit reduction proposals, cuts the defense budget by $1 trillion and paves the way for further reductions next year. These cuts come on top of successive rounds of deep… Read more
Among the amendments pending to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 before the Senate is one sponsored by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R–NH) that seeks to move up the date in the law for the Department of Defense (DOD) to produce auditable financial statements. The amendment would move… Read more
The defense budget is currently underfunded to compensate the professional all-volunteer U.S. force adequately and modernize the inventory of all the services. Military benefits and entitlements must be addressed to strengthen the force and ensure that those in uniform are not given fewer benefits in the future. Like the rising… Read more
How a nation treats its veterans says a great deal about the kind of nation it is. To provide an adequate defense, America has to achieve three vitally important objectives with respect to compensation and benefits for those who serve and have served in the armed forces: … Read more
Washington has a problem. The men and women who serve and have served in uniform and their families deserve quality health care. Delivering first-class care, particularly in time of war, is a daunting challenge. Furthermore, care for military members, retirees, and their families in an all-volunteer force must be portable.… Read more
On Thursday, September 8, 2011, the Defending Defense coalition, a joint project of the American Enterprise Institute, the Foreign Policy Initiative, and The Heritage Foundation, hosted "Defense Spending and the Super Committee." The event took place on Capitol Hill with Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Jon Kyl… Read more
The Effect of Ever More Defense Budget Cuts on U.S. Armed Forces A joint project ofAmerican Enterprise Institute, Foreign Policy Initiative, andThe Heritage Foundation … Read more
A joint project of American Enterprise Institute, Foreign Policy Initiative, and The Heritage Foundation Background The Obama administration has requested that Congress provide $553 billion for the Defense Department’s base budget in FY 2012—$13 billion less than… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
Overview The U.S. government’s primary job is to provide for the common defense. The most important element to protecting vital national interests is the U.S. military, which reinforces America’s diplomatic initiatives, acts to deter threats, and, when necessary, fights and… Read more
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… Read more
The Obama administration has been on the defensive about exorbitant federal pay ever since a Heritage Foundation report...… Read more
Like many federal efforts in Washington, last week’s reintroduction from House Democrats to create a public health...… Read more
Most Americans now believe that major health care legislation will not pass this year. But as Heritage Vice President...… Read more
In order to secure the votes to pass a health care bill, Senate Democrats were forced to scrap the widely-unpopular...… Read more
In the ongoing attempts of Congress to find an alternative to the “public plan” in health reform, the Senate bill...… Read more