Issues
NATIONAL SECURITY
Strong Military in a Dangerous World
The global war on terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, threats from rogue states like Iran and North Korea, and the rise of potential strategic competitors like China and Russia mean that America requires a larger and more capable military to protect our country's vital interests and deter challenges to our security. America confronts a range of serious security challenges including protecting our homeland in an age of global terrorism; working with friends and partners overseas to help them combat terrorism and violent insurgencies in their own countries; defending against missile and nuclear attack; maintaining the credibility of our defense commitments to our allies; and waging difficult counterinsurgency campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Nathan Bech recognizes the dangers posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, violent extremists and their terrorist tactics, and the ever present threat of regional conflict that can spill into broader wars that endanger our allies and destabilize areas of the world vital to American security. He knows that to protect our homeland, our interests, and our values - and to keep the peace - America must have the best manned, best equipped, and best supported military in the world.
Fighting Terror
The attacks on September 11th represented more than a failure of intelligence. The tragedy highlighted a series of failures in responding effectively to terrorist attacks on American interests including: the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the 2000 bombing of the USS COLE. As US Representative, Nathan Bech will ensure that America has the quality intelligence necessary to uncover plots before they strike, the resources to protect our infrastructure and our borders against attack, and the capability to respond and recover from a terrorist incident swiftly.
Effective Missile Defense
Nathan Bech strongly supports the development and deployment of a national missile defense system. Effective missile defenses are critical to protect America from rogue regimes that possess the capability to target America with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Effective missile defenses are also necessary to allow American military forces to operate overseas without being deterred by the threat of missile attack from a regional adversary.
Increasing the Size of the American Military
For too long, we have asked too much of too few - with the result that many service personnel are stop-lossed and on their second, third and even fourth tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. There can be no higher defense priority than the proper compensation, training, and equipping of our troops. Recruitment and retention suffer from extended overseas deployments that keep service personnel away from their homes and families for long periods of time.
The size and composition of our armed forces must be matched to our nation's defense requirements. As requirements expand in the global war on terrorism so must our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard be reconfigured to meet new challenges. Nathan thinks it is especially important to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps to defend against the threats we face today.
Smarter Defense Spending
Nathan Bech will work aggressively to reform the defense budgeting process to ensure that America enjoys the best military and Homeland Defense at the best cost. This includes reforming defense procurement to ensure the honest and efficient expenditure of taxpayer dollars. Too often, parochial interests - rather than the national interest - have guided our spending decisions. Nathan supports significant reform in our defense Homeland Security acquisition process to ensure that dollars spent actually contribute to U.S. security and are prioritized based on need and not influence.