Strong defense, secure borders needed

Strong defense, secure borders needed

The horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, in July was yet another reminder of why Americans must insist on a responsible defense and immigration strategy. If there is a more important role for government to play than keeping its citizens safe, I have yet to hear it.

From the very beginning, The American Legion has been dedicated to the proposition that our country keep a strong national defense. It is one of our founding pillars.

It’s more than just a political talking point to World War II veteran Sterling Cale. As a 20-year-old pharmacist’s mate, he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Hospital Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked.

“I tell all my students, ‘Remember Pearl Harbor,’” he said to me during last year’s memorial observances in Hawaii. “It could happen again. Only next time, we should be like the Boy Scouts: prepared.”

One might think that preparation would be even more of a necessity in today’s nuclear age. While Cale and his fellow Pearl Harbor veterans were victims of a sneak attack, our current enemies have made it quite clear that they want to kill us. 

“Death to America” is a frequent chant in Iran, and ISIS has vowed to raise its flag over the White House. Moreover, North Korea regularly threatens its neighbors to the south, and China has been increasingly aggressive in claiming illegal jurisdiction over the South China Sea.

If the jihadist attacks in Boston, Chattanooga, Tenn., and San Bernardino, Calif., teach us anything, it is that we must thoroughly scrutinize the backgrounds and intentions of anyone entering our country. We must also do a better job of shutting the door completely on those who enter illegally.

Although the terrorists at Orlando, Fla., and Fort Hood, Texas, were born in the United States, FBI Director James Comey has warned against the influence that “foreign terrorist organization propaganda” has on these murderers. Engaging terrorists online and communicating with their operatives should carry the same severe penalties dealt to those who possess or access child pornography. The Internet is a wonderful medium, but it should not be used as a tool to kill us.

My visits to U.S. military bases also give me reason for concern. Our armed forces are suffering death by a thousand cuts. While the size of our military is trending toward pre-World War II levels, the threats seem to be multiplying. U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and U.S. Air Forces Africa are expected to protect the United States and our allies with 75 percent fewer active-duty personnel in the region than were stationed there in the pre-global war on terrorism 1990s.

“We know we’re shrinking,” Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. James E. Davis told me. “We know we don’t have the manpower. But we accomplish the mission and there is a cost to our people and our families.”

 

That cost is seen not only in the toll on good servicemembers and their loved ones, but in the exodus of seasoned troops, leaders and warfighters. For that, we all pay a price.