National Security, Defense, and Foreign Relations

New law would increase survivor benefits for fallen Guardsmen and reservists Tags: National Security, Defense, and Foreign Relations

Washington Examiner - Melinda Barnes Runk remembers that summer day in 2007 when a uniformed service member and a religious leader showed up at her house to tell her that her husband, an Apache helicopter pilot in the Utah National Guard, had died in a helicopter crash. Chief Warrant Officer Clayton Barnes had served in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2005. On Aug. 20, 2007, Clayton and copilot, Chief Warrant Officer James Linder, had been on a training mission when their helicopter crashed near Lake M... Read more

Chaffetz Vote for NDAA Helps Equalize Survivor Benefits Tags: National Security, Defense, and Foreign Relations

Disparities in survivor benefits for military reserve members (including the National Guard) are rectified in the National Defense Authorization bill, which passed the House last night. Rep. Chaffetz supported the authorization, which included a number of significant provisions for Utah and for the men and women who defend our freedom. At the request of Rep. Chaffetz, language from his H.R. 2053, The Military Survivor Benefit Equity Act, was incorporated into Section 624 of the bill. The provisi... Read more

Chaffetz Votes to Strengthen National Security Tags: National Security, Defense, and Foreign Relations

Today, Congressman Jason Chaffetz released the following statement after voting in favor of the year-long spending bill to fund the government: “I take national security very seriously. The provisions in this bill to fund the military and reform our flawed visa waiver program outweigh other concerns I have with this deal. This is simply not the time to let down our guard on national security. There are a number of other important provisions that I believe will have a net positive impact, includi... Read more

Make no mistake: Mexico is in crisis Tags: National Security, Defense, and Foreign Relations

The most violent, brutal, and lawless place on the planet right now may not actually be half a world away in the Middle East, but right next door in Mexico. Since Mexico’s drug war began to escalate in 2006, more than 100,000 Mexican residents have been murdered or gone missing according to the State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council. Kidnapping, human trafficking, and the brutal dismemberment and display of murder victims is far too commonplace. These incidents are taking place li... Read more

It's time to pull out of Afghanistan Tags: National Security, Defense, and Foreign Relations

At the conclusion of the decade-long manhunt for the world's most notorious terrorist, U.S. military forces are receiving well-deserved credit for a mission accomplished. The elimination of Osama bin Laden was made possible by a strong intelligence operation and well-trained special forces units under the Joint Special Operations Command. In the global war on terror, the combination of actionable intelligence and highly mobile special forces has proven most effective against an enemy that is not... Read more