One troubling conclusion that emerged from these hearings is the apparent lack of a sound, well-conceived national security strategy. At the same time a major news story appeared in the Washington Post which supported my fears that the administration lacks consensus and coherence in its approach to national security strategy. This is disturbing because a coherent, overall strategy should provide the basis for judgments about the resources devoted to defense and the force levels required. How much Defense spending is enough in today's still dangerous world? How much security can we afford in today's economic climate? An agreed-on strategy can give us standards by which to answer these questions. It can provide consensus on what military spending should actually buy, and clarity about what we must defend. Without such standards, one man's budget cuts are just as valid as another man's increases. Sooner or later America is going to face another test of the Nation's military capacities and national leadership.
Editor's note · Context
Discussing national security strategy and defense spending during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Share
More from J. Thurmond
In a little less than 1 month, the world will commemorate the 50th anniversary of 'D-day,' the invasion of Europe that signaled the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. As a veteran of the invasion, I remember how excited we were with…
I rise in support of the Domenici amendment to the Senate budget resolution. This amendment would reverse the Budget Committee decision proposed by Senators Exon and Grassley to cut $26 billion from discretionary outlays over the 5-year…
I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Hugh L. Willcox, an able attorney and one of the leading citizens of Florence, SC, who recently passed away. While Mr. Willcox's passing is indeed unfortunate, he lived a long and productive life. In his almost…
My legislation will give the labeling authority to the Department of Health and Human Services and its subsidiary the Food and Drug Administration which have more experience in these matters.





