Howard P. McKeon

I personally agree that all elements of national power should be brought to bear to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

if we back off from the policy that they do not attain nuclear capability, then the overall threat to the world is something we do not want to even contemplate.

These exceptional incidents are not reflective of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have honorably served in Afghanistan.

I see little 'strategy' in such a plan, if it exists; but rather a political calculus that will ultimately protract the war in Afghanistan, increase casualties, and further erode confidence among our allies and credibility among our…

Our economy and security has never been more dependent on our military, especially in the Asia-Pacific Region.

It is important our forces in the Pacific have the personnel, training, equipment, and the authorities they need.

Quantity does have a quality all its own--especially in a theater that covers half of the Earth's surface.

I also want to highlight my continuing concerns about President Obama's missile defense strategy.

I'm worried about the decisions being made for the 'sake of efficiencies and budget' that change our force posture in Europe but neglect our commitment to regional allies and stability.

I do not believe 1350 total Air Force aircraft--bombers, fighters, airlift, search and rescue, rotorcraft, and trainers--is in the national security interests of this country.

I implore you to heed our commanders' advice. We are seeing success.

Although this strategy is framed as making the military more 'nimble' and 'flexible,' it is not clear how slashing the armed forces by over 100,000 during a time of war... makes that so.

One thing we could do is just eliminate the Defense Department, and we could probably save our whole budget.

By volunteering to put their lives on the line for this country, they are entitled to the best training, equipment, and leadership our Nation can provide.

Too many appear to believe that we can maintain a solid defense that is driven by budget choices, not strategic ones.

Not only should that be a nonstarter from a national security and economic perspective, but it should also be a nonstarter from a moral perspective.

As I continue to emphasize, our successes in the global war on terror and in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to be lulling our Nation into a false sense of confidence such as a September 10th mindset.

As a fiscal conservative, I tend to oppose increasing Government spending for the purpose of job creation.

Secretary of Defense Panetta has said the cuts on the scale of sequestration will result in a 1-percent hike to unemployment and 1.5 million jobs lost.

But defense cuts are certainly a path to job loss, especially among our high-skilled workforces.

Believing that we can maintain a solid defense that is driven by budget choices, not strategic ones, is a dangerous path for our national security.

I remain concerned that our Nation is slipping back into the false confidence of a September 10th mindset.

I believe the Department of Defense has already absorbed more than its fair share of cuts--over half a trillion dollars through 2021.

As our Nation marks the ten-year anniversary of the attacks on our Nation this Sunday, we remember and commemorate the lives lost on that day.

Faced with serious economic challenges, we are slipping back into the September 10th mentality that a solid defense can be dictated by budget choices, not strategic ones.