National Defense

Recent events around the world demonstrate that a strong U.S. national defense must continue to be our nation's top priority. In the past three years, over half of the deficit reduction measures taken by Congress have come out of the military budget, and the President’s actions have ignored strategic thinking for the road ahead. No price is too great to ensure the safety and security of our nation, our freedom, and our values.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am fighting to strengthen our national defense with specific actions, including:

Supporting passage of military pay increases.

Supporting language in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that prevented the President’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round from going forward.

Authoring and passing into law amendments to keep the strongest possible Army end-strength.

Authoring and passing into law legislation to develop an effective national missile defense.

Working to ensure that the Administration does not allow steep budget cuts imposed by Senate Democrats on the Pentagon to do away with valuable strategic thinking. 

Equipping our military with the tools necessary to win the War on Terrorism, and maintaining robust national defense capabilities for potential future requirements.

Working to ease the burdens of Louisiana's deployed service members and their families.

Reforming and improving our intelligence system.

U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee

U.S. Department of Defense

Latest

• Vitter: Defense Dept. Reaffirms Nuclear Commitment, Great Signal for Elevating Global Strike Command General to Four-Star

  (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), said that he is confident that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will elevate the Global Strike Command leadership to a four-star general position – the highest rank possible. 

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  Posted on 11/18/14

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• Sen. Vitter, Rep. Lamborn Warn Administration Not to Weaken Missile Defense

  (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) urged the U.S. State Department to clarify the Administration’s outer space arms control policy, particularly how it could negatively impact the United States’ missile defense capabilities and anti-satellite weapon purposes.

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  Posted on 11/13/14

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• Vitter Discusses ISIS, Border Security with KLFY in Lafayette

  

  Posted on 10/03/14

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• Vitter Statement on U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS

  (Metairie, La.) - U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement addressing American military airstrikes against ISIS in Syria.

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  Posted on 09/23/14

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• Vitter Discusses ISIS Strategy with Fox News

  

  Posted on 09/22/14

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• Vitter Pledges to Continue Support for Maintaining Troop Levels at Fort Polk

  (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining the current troop levels at Fort Polk. The Department of the Army released its Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) for Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment, which assesses force reductions.

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  Posted on 07/09/14

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• Vitter Continues Efforts to Elevate Global Strike Command to Four-Star Position

  (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, today met with Eric Fanning, Undersecretary of the Air Force, to discuss their recommendation to the U.S. Department of Defense to elevate the Global Strike Command leadership at Barksdale Air Force Base to a four-star general position – the highest rank possible.

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  Posted on 06/25/14

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• Vitter Discusses Situation in Iraq with WWL in New Orleans

  

  Posted on 06/19/14

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• Vitter Wants House Committee to Dig into Clinton Leadership on Boko Haram Terrorist Threat

  (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is encouraging members of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs to question witnesses in a hearing today on the role that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played in misleading Congress about the terrorist threat posed by Boko Haram, a terrorist organization based in Nigeria.

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  Posted on 06/11/14

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• ICYMI: Senator: Clinton State Dept. Broke Law, Lied About Boko Haram Terror Threat

  Excerpts: “A leading senator has charged that Hillary Clinton’s State Department broke the law by intentionally obfuscating and downplaying to Congress the terror threat posed by the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram, which recently gained international infamy for violently kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls.

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  Posted on 06/10/14

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