Pete Ricketts: “one of the Federal Government's primary responsibilities--mentioned in the preamble of the Constitution no less--is to…”

“one of the Federal Government's primary responsibilities--mentioned in the preamble of the Constitution no less--is to keep America safe. Right now, the world is a very dangerous place. Russia has launched an unprovoked war on Ukraine. Hamas, a terrorist organization backed by Iran, has attacked one of our strongest allies, Israel. There have been 127 attacks on American servicemembers in Iraq and Syria. Houthi rebels are attacking shipping and our U.S. Navy in the Red Sea. The Chinese Communist Party has its eyes set on Taiwan and are violating our sovereignty with things like spy balloons and other forms of espionage. The responsibility for keeping America safe ultimately lies with the President of the United States. But he has a team of critical advisers who are essential to ensuring that Americans are defended. One of those advisers is the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The Secretary links the chain of command between the President and the uniformed military. The law is very clear: If the Secretary of Defense cannot do their job, there are protocols in place to ensure the chain of command remains intact. The law also requires proper notifications be made. Last week, Secretary Austin went to intensive care in a hospital after complications from surgery. We wish him well in his recovery.…”