e-News 3/20/15

• National Worry About National Security
• Yet Another Wake-Up Call to the White House
• Honoring TAPS for Serving Families of the Fallen

 

National Worry About National Security

A CNN poll published this week shows that Americans have grown increasingly wary of ISIS over the past six months, but their confidence in the U.S.' ability to combat the extremist group is waning.

The survey, conducted by CNN/ORC finds 80% of Americans say ISIS poses a serious threat to the United States.  Only 6% of respondents in the new poll say ISIS is not a serious threat.

You can put me in the 80% category.  Since the President announced his intent “to degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS last September, this depraved radical Islamic terror group has actually expanded the territory it holds.  Yes, it’s true that our Air Force and Navy have killed hundreds of ISIS fighters through air strikes, but recruitment of new terrorists from northern Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and yes, even America seems to have increased.

This week alone, ISIS officially linked arms with another murderous Islamic radical group in Africa, Boko Haram, and claimed responsibility for an attack on Tunisia’s national museum which killed nearly two dozen people.

But as concerns over ISIS have grown, it seems Americans' confidence in the plan to combat ISIS has declined. The CNN poll result show 56% of Americans expressed some level of confidence that the military's strategy to defeat ISIS will succeed.

No wonder. Americans see no real strategy from the White House, which seems content to drop bombs on ISIL vehicles while seeming to ignore their safe havens in Syria and Libya and elsewhere.

My Defense Appropriations Subcommittee this week continued its examination of the Administration’s military posture this week with hearings looking at U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. European Command and the posture of our National Guard and Reserves.  Next week, we hear from our Army leadership, including Rockaway’s General Ray Odierno, and from officials in the Missile Defense Agency and the intelligence community.

My recent travels in Egypt and Ukraine highlighted how much faith our allies, partners and friends have lost in U.S. leadership.  Now it’s becoming more clear that the American people are noticing as well.

Yet Another Wake-Up Call to the White House

The Washington Post published a story this morning, “Gunmen in Tunisia Museum Attack trained in Libya.”  The Associated Press story reads: “The two extremist gunmen who killed 21 people at a museum in Tunis trained in neighboring Libya before carrying out the deadly attack, a top Tunisian security official said.

Wednesday’s attack at the National Bardo Museum killed 21 people — 17 of them cruise ship tourists — before the two gunmen were killed in a firefight with security forces. The attack of such magnitude in Tunisia — the only country to emerge from the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings with a functioning democracy — raised concerns about the spread of extremism to the rest of North Africa.

Rafik Chelli, the Interior Ministry’s top security official, said the attackers had slipped out of Tunisia in December and received weapons training in Libya before returning home. He told the El Hiwar El Tounsi TV channel that authorities did not have further details about where or with which group they had trained.

The Islamic State group, based in Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for the Bardo attack. Several well-armed groups in Libya, which borders Tunisia, have pledged their allegiance to Islamic State…”

My postscript: this is just another wake up call to President Obama to help Egypt fight terrorism in Northern Africa by delivering the assistance they need to defend themselves and reassure countries like Tunisia that we are united in fighting radical Islamic terrorists groups like ISIL.

Honoring TAPS for Serving The Families of the Fallen

This week, I had the high honor of being recognized by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), an incredibly valuable private charitable organization that tends to the needs of surviving family members of deceased military personnel.  Whether the solider, sailor, Marine or airmen is killed in combat, dies of a disease or in an accident or commits suicide, TAPS provides comfort, care, services and all manner of assistance for as long as the grieving family needs it. 

TAPS recognized me with their “civilian award.”  Admiral Jon Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations, was presented with the “Military Award.”  I think we both agree that we should be honoring TAPS rather than receiving awards from them!

Read more here.