No Apology, by Gov. Mitt Romney (R, MA): on Homeland Security
Barack Obama:
OpEd: walked away from missile defense of Eastern Europe
Russia's burgeoning relationship with Venezuela has purpose beyond energy: anything that diminishes America pleases Putin, both because it weakens a competing power and because it gratifies his personal animus for the US. Russia's resistance to severe
sanctioning of North Korea and Iran as they have pursued their nuclear programs are a stick in the eye for the US. So, too, is Russia's insistence that the world replace the dollar as the reserve currency. Putin also bitterly opposes any development that
would strengthen the US such as missile defense, particularly in Eastern Europe, and admission of the former Soviet satellites into NATO. Pres. Obama's decision to walk way from our missile defense program in Poland and the Czech Republic was a huge
concession to Putin, as is the stalling on admission of Georgia and the Ukraine into NATO. Russia welcomes concessions, and these, like their predecessors, were not repaid in kind. Russia takes, Pres. Obama gives, and Russia demands more.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 18
Mar 2, 2010
Bill Clinton:
Shrank military by 400,000 troops during 1990s
We shrunk our military by 400,000 troops during the 1990s, retired over one hundred ships from the navy, and decreased the size of our air force by more than a quarter. More ominously, we gutted our human intelligence capabilities, and never took
any real steps to infiltrate the violent jihadist groups like al Qaeda that had declared was on America. At home, births to teenage mothers rose to their highest levels in decades, teenage drug use climbed, and pornography became the
Internet's biggest business. Our dependence on foreign oil rose from 42% of our total consumption to 58% today.I don't wish to challenges and hard times on this nation, even though
I believe they have made us the country and people we are today. But neither do I fear them. My sole concern is that Americans will choose not to act, not to face our challenges head-on, not to overcome them.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 9
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Increase defense spending to at least 4% of GDP
In the face of Obama's approach and foreign policy agenda, we need to do several things. The first is fairly elementary: We should treat our allies like the allies they are.
That means, for starters, not being harder on them, or demanding more from them, than we do from our adversaries.
To ensure that America remains safe and maintains its role as a defender of freedom, we also need to increase our defense spending to at least 4% of our GDP per year, including substantial and increasing support for missile defense.
Under Pres. Obama, our defense spending will decline as a share of our economy and of the federal budget. And it will fall far below what is required to meet our global commitments.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 30-32
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Recognize the scope and reality of the jihadist threat
Radical, fundamentalist Muslims--Islamists--are estimated to number about 200 million people. While most Islamists do not condone the tactics of the violent jihadists, they share the same vision for the course of the Islamic world. Every non-Muslim state
is to be removed from every land that was once under Muslim control--including part of Western Europe, all of northern Africa, and the Persian & Arab lands of the Middle East.Even after the attacks of 9/11, some Americans cannot bring themselves to
recognize the scope of reality of the jihadist threat. Others have concluded that the burden of preventing future attacks is too great.
But jihadists see the world in starkly different ways from most Americans. For example, while Western nations take
care to separate church from the state, for the Islamists, religion and government are to be one. The founding fathers of Islam proclaimed that "Islam is a religion and a state." Thus, Islamists would replace secular systems of justice with sharia.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 64-69
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Strengthen soft power because it is real power
It is long past time for America to strengthen and effectively deploy our soft power. There should be no misunderstanding of the fact that soft power is REAL power; that it can and does affect world events. The Lebanon War in 2006 is one example.When
conflict broke out between Hezbollah and Israel, many observers were surprised to see Hezbollah garner so much support among the Lebanese people. Hezbollah was launching rockets from Lebanese neighborhoods, making them the open targets of Israeli
retaliation, but nonetheless, the Lebanese people cheered Hezbollah.
A good deal of the support for Hezbollah stemmed from deep-seated anti-Israel resentment. But it was also the result of Hezbollah's long effort to help the Shia community by building
village schools and other social services. Israeli officials explained that Hezbollah contributed only a few million dollars a year to this effort, but it was money very effectively spent. In this instance, soft power meant real power for the Hezbollah.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 78
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
China's military is over half our size (not one-tenth!)
Reports of America's share of worldwide defense spending can be misleading. According to official budgets, we are responsible for about 48% of the entire world's defense spending--approximately ten times the amount spent by China. But, reported numbers
do not tell the real story. First, some countries simply do not report all their military expenditures. China does not include expenses for strategic forces, military purchases from foreign countries, or the cost of military-related research and
development. So while its reported military budget in 2007 was $46 billion, its actual annual spending is estimated to be in the range of $100 billion to $ 140 billion.China's lower troop cost is largely the result of conscription and the nation's low
wage rates. If China's cost to employ a soldier and to purchase an item of military hardware were identical to those that are paid in the United States, its budget would be closer to half the size of ours, not the one-tenth that is reported.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 83
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Defense cost comparison US vs PRC
It costs the United States $129 billion a year to field 1.5 million troops. China, by contrast, can raise an army of 2 million troops--33% more men and women than our combined services--for only about $25 billion annually. If their cost per soldier were
the same as ours, instead of spending $25 billion for their troops, they would have to spend $172 billion. China's lower troop cost is largely the result of conscription and the nation's low wage rates.For all these reasons, if you were to accept
the argument of the activists opposed to the defense budget's size and you were to look at reported defense spending figures as a measure of the military strength of the two countries, you would get a very inaccurate impression. If China's cost to employ
a soldier and to purchase an item of military hardware were identical to those that are paid in the United States, its budget would be closer to half the size of ours, not the one-tenth that is reported.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 84
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Our nuclear arsenal must be updated comprehensively
America's strategic defense relies on credible nuclear deterrence. Accordingly, our nuclear arsenal must be updated--comprehensively and soon. While other nations have been testing and updating their nuclear capacity, we have done little to maintain our
deterrent power.Russia insists that nuclear reduction talks encompass only strategic nuclear weapons, not theater nuclear weapons, which are currently configured for short-range deployment. Their position is understandable, as they have many times
the number of theater nuclear weapons as does the US; they'd like to cement that superiority into place
We must develop and install a robust missile defense system. Progress achieved in the Bush years in building a shield to protect the US from the
missiles of rogue states and in preparing for a missile shield in Europe was a good start.
Ideally, we would rid the planet of nuclear weapons. But we are unlikely to be successful in doing so, at least within the coming decades.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 88-89
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Allies must increase defense spending to a fair share
America alone is strong. America standing with its allies is a good deal stronger. But our allies are disarming at the same time that our potential foes are rearming. China & Russia are spending more than 4% of their GDP on their military, but France &
the U.K. spend less than 2.5%, Italy 1.8%; Germany only 1.3%, and consistent with its postwar commitments, Japan spends less than 1.0% on defense. Raising the US defense budget from 3.8% to 4% of our GDP would add about $30 billion to defense.
Raising defense spending by these 5 allies to 4% of their GDP would add TEN TIMES that amount to our combined defense. It is time for our allies to increase their investment in national and global security in order to assume their fair share of the load
and to strengthen our combined capabilities.When added together, the troop-strength and armament figures of our allies appear quite competitive. But they do not fool our potential adversaries: our allies [are not] a coherent collective military power.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p. 97
Mar 2, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Strong Economy; Strong Military; Strong People
There are three pillars that sustain a free and strong America: - A Strong Economy
- A Strong Military
- A Free and Strong People
The action steps to secure each of these include those noted in this Agenda for a Free and Strong America:
- Stop the trillion-dollar deficits and spend only what we have
- Increase our investment in science & basic research
- Stand by our allies and friends including Colombia, Israel, Georgia
- Fast-track NATO admission of our friends
- Promote and
defend democracy and Western values around the world, including Honduras and Iran
- Maintain a defense budget of at least 4% of our GDP
- Add at least 100,000 troops to our ground forces
- Immediately replace equipment and armament that has been lost
in conflicts
- Update our nuclear deterrent
- Expand our commitment to missile defense
- Return our navy and air force to the levels needed to meet their respective missions
- Establish Special Partnership Forces to aid in removing insurgencies.
Source: No Apology, by Mitt Romney, p.301
Mar 2, 2010
Page last updated: Feb 19, 2019