National Defense

After the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, America declared a war on terrorism, launched a retaliatory attack on Afghanistan and against the terrorists responsible. But we have since strayed from the original mission of hunting down terrorists that directly threaten the United States. Our military has become over extended with troop deployments around the world that do not make us safer. I propose a smarter more effective strategy for defending America against foreign threats. A foreign policy of non-intervention and free trade will lead to a safer more prosperous America.

To Achieve a foreign policy that will enable us to maintain a strong vigilant defense while reducing our overall military spending I would author and submit legislation to do the following:

• Deploy troops only in cases of a clear and present danger to the country. An immediate step toward ending terrorism is using military deployment as a defensive act only. Military intervention serves as the instigator for most terrorist attacks, motivating terrorists to attack the United States and our Interests. September 11th was retaliation for our military presence in Saudi Arabia after the first Gulf War.
• Withdrawal the United States from outdated alliances. These obsolete alliances have proven to be expensive, wasteful and unproductive. We should withdraw from NATO and close military bases in Europe. Wealthy nations such as Germany and France can easily provide for their own defense.
• Remove barriers to trade. International trade is good for consumers, business and an American worker, with over 20% of our economy now being fueled by trade with other nations. More importantly, nations who trade with each other rarely go to war – primarily because commerce fosters communication and cooperation.
• Invest in a strong national defense. Brining home our troops around the world will enable us to increase our investment in actual defense. If we took even 10 percent of our investment in overseas occupation and invested it in defense at our borders and airports we would significantly decrease incidents of terrorism.