Issue Position: National Security

Issue Position

We live in a time of unprecedented challenges: we are fighting a war against terrorism, battling for the revitalization and stability of the global economy, facing the potentially catastrophic effects of global climate change, and working to achieve energy independence.

We cannot fight these battles using the same reckless policies that we have over the last eight years. Our future security depends on our ability to take a new approach to these challenges using the strength of our military, the power of diplomacy, and the wisdom of our people.

It is time for a new national security policy that is based on smart strategic choices, including:

* Investments into expanding and strengthening our military forces;
* Strategic decisions about where to allocate our armed forces;
* A renewed focus on the problems weakening us from within our own borders; and
* A new approach to engaging the international community to develop a cohesive response to nuclear proliferation and global climate change.

Expanding and Strengthening Our Military Forces

Our military strategy must grow to meet the shifting nature of warfare and the changing character of conflict. We face a new generation of conflict, where our military will be fighting conventional wars and insurgencies at the same time. The number of wars between nations is declining and the number of irregular, unconventional conflicts is increasing dramatically. We must build a military force that is prepared to handle these new types of competing conflicts, including one with new force structures armed with weapons that work in close quarters.

I also support increasing the size and strength of our military, accompanied by sound preparation for how they will be used and where they will be deployed. We must develop an overall strategic plan to fund and support the most effective and efficient programs necessary to reduce new vulnerabilities at home and abroad, while cutting programs that are obsolete or unhelpful.

Strategic Deployment

Even the strongest and most effective military cannot succeed if we fail to make smart decisions about where to use them. We have the finest military in the world and they have performed bravely in Iraq. However, lasting stability in Iraq will only be accomplished once Iraqis work together to reconcile their political differences and establish their own government. I strongly support the current plan to responsibly and strategically reduce our military presence in Iraq, eliminating the majority of our presence there by 2011. It is now time for us to allow the Iraqis to take back control and governing of their country.

We must provide the military, diplomatic, and economic resources necessary to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists once again. One of the most serious threats to regional security in Asia is on the Pakistan border. The nations of the region and the world must collectively prevent a Taliban-dominated government from getting control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

Domestic Vulnerabilities

National security requires economic security. Our economy remains dependent on oil from some of the most unstable and unfriendly governments in the world. At the same time, we are borrowing trillions of dollars from foreign countries that our children will have to repay. Our nation will not be secure until we take full advantage of the resources we have here at home and dramatically lessen our dependence on foreign sources or energy, and get control over our fiscal solvency.

A Cohesive Response to Global Threats

Many of the problems we now face--from terrorism to global recession--cannot be solved by one country alone and will require a global response. The United States must reach out to the international community and lead the world in a cohesive response to these global challenges.

Most urgent among these challenges is the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the possibility that a rogue nation might provide nuclear technology to terrorists. I believe we must work with the international community to dramatically reduce that threat.

We must also address global climate change. Scientists are in universal agreement that climate change is happening and that it could have catastrophic consequences. Greenhouse Gas Emissions do not stop at national borders, and a new international agreement on reducing carbon emissions is essential to an effective response to the problem. As one of the world's leading producers of carbon emissions, the United States has a responsibility to lead the world to a consensus on this issue.

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