Issue Position: National Security

Issue Position

Over the course of the last 25 years, the world has evolved beyond a Cold War mentality, and U.S. foreign policy must adapt to reflect these 21st Century global realities. Our goal in foreign affairs must always be to keep America safe and secure. Gone are the days of major superpowers, replaced instead by an increasingly interconnected global community, and protecting our shores and our allies means crafting a balanced approach and working multilaterally as often as possible.

In this rapidly-changing world, American defense policy must adapt to modern military engagements, and so too, must defense spending. In a world without grand armies meeting on sprawling battlefields, we need a more agile, more specialized military with the latest technologies to keep our troops out of harm's way. At the same time, we must focus on diplomacy and development, as force is, and always should be, our last resort.

Israel

For the Tenth District and for myself, Israel means more than just America's greatest ally in the world's most volatile region; Israel means family and friends. Every year large numbers of our neighbors, friends, children, students and young adults visit Israel. And many of us have family, friends and co-workers in Israel. Standing up for Israel is not just politics, it's personal.

Israel faces a broad spectrum of threats, from a nuclear Iran, a collapsing Syria, uncertainty in Egypt, more than 60,000 Hezbollah missiles in Lebanon, increasingly-lethal Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets in Gaza to Palestinian efforts to delegitimize Israel internationally and to circumvent negotiations with resolutions at the United Nations.

America's unshakeable commitment to Israel's security flows both from our mutual strategic interests and our shared values and aspirations for our children. As vibrant democracies, we recognize that freedom and liberty are at the core of our national identities and mutual prosperity. Strategically, the United States and Israel share a disproportionate role in addressing the ominous threats of radical extremism, global terrorism and a nuclear Iran. A strong U.S.-Israeli relationship is crucial for our efforts to address the rapidly-changing security dynamic in the Middle East and is an instrumental component of our strategy to pursue and achieve real, lasting peace in the region.

I am committed to ensuring that the U.S.-Israeli relationship remains strong, steadfast and secure. I am also committed to protecting Israel's qualitative military advantage. As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, I will continue to be a leading voice in support of security assistance for the State of Israel.

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