NATIONAL SECURITY

Clear Goals; Achievable Missions

I hold our nation’s armed forces in the highest possible regard.  Their sacrifices – and those of their families – are the reason we Americans enjoy the freedoms we do.  There is no vote in the United States Congress more sobering than that which will send our men and women in uniform onto the battlefield.  If I ever commit myself to that course of action it will be because I believe our national security interests are at stake, we have a clearly defined mission (entrance and exit strategy), and our troops will enter the fight with the best equipment and most favorable rules of engagement.  We owe them every possible advantage if we are asking them to put their lives on the line for us.

As somebody who has been a business owner and job creator for all of my working life, I cannot understand fully the many factors that go into fighting and winning a combat mission.  But, I pledge to do everything possible to engage military experts to determine whether in my judgment a mission is achievable.

Afghanistan: I have been asked frequently about our mission in Afghanistan, a military offensive started 10 years ago now.  In the aftermath of 9/11, which brought the worst attack on the U.S. homeland in our nation’s history, it was essential that we root out Al Qaeda and deprive them of their safe haven.  Afghanistan had become a base of operations where they could plan and execute their attacks on the U.S. and our citizens, and we needed to destroy the organization at its core.

Now, a decade later it is appropriate to question whether our initial military and political objectives have been met and what more can be accomplished.  Already in this campaign, I have been meeting with members of the veterans community, some of whom served in Afghanistan, to get their perspective on this complex situation.  By any measurement, Al Qaeda’s ability to operate out of Afghanistan has been significantly disrupted.  Those behind the 9/11 attacks, including Osama bin Laden himself, have been eliminated, their base of operations destroyed, and their ability to finance and execute sophisticated attacks severely diminished.

Along with destroying the safe haven for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, we also sought to re-establish a stable government that could be a partner in bringing the country into the modern world and away from oppressive Taliban rule.  This has proven to be a harder task.  Tribal factions, the persistence of the Taliban, and a weak government has created an unstable security situation for U.S. troops.  President Obama has ordered an increase in ground and air forces to try to re-establish control over the country and give more time for political stability to occur.   He has also provided a time-frame for withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan so that their government knows it must step up its efforts to achieve political unity.

Generally, I support these actions.  Whoever is elected as the next U.S. Representative from the 1^st Congressional District will have to vote “yes” or “no” on a future course of action, however.  If I am elected, I fully intend to visit with our military leaders and troops in Afghanistan to hear directly from them.  I pledge to travel to Afghanistan to learn first-hand about the conditions on the ground and receive the best advice from those being tasked with carrying out the mission.

Supporting our returning troops and families: Ten years into the War on Terror we are seeing the demand for veterans services increase significantly.  It is estimated that there will be 2 million veterans coming out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who served in some capacity.   Oregon has been touched by these wars in very real ways.  Half of our National Guard deployed to those two theatres of operation, creating demand here at home from both returning troops and families of active military and the National Guard.

In addition to those who suffer from physical disabilities, there are significant mental illness needs of many returning vets.  The American Psychology Association released a study recently indicating that college students who served in Iraq or Afghanistan were six times more likely to contemplate suicide.

The federal government needs to do a lot to grow our economy and balance its budget, but I will always be mindful that we need adequate resources to care for those who answered our call to serve.  They’ve given us freedom and security; the least we can do is make sure there are jobs waiting for them back home.

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