Libertarian Party on Homeland Security

	Libertarian Party on Homeland Security Party Platform

Intelligently rethink overall military spending

Libertarian Party vice-chair Arvin Vohra calls Obama out on ignoring here the expensive and destructive Drug War, and his hypocrisy on Internet informational privacy while running, and defending, a universal surveillance state, and his refusal to intelligently rethink overall military spending and postures while talking up a supposedly more intelligent form of constant foreign military intervention. Source: Reason Mag.: Libertarian response to 2015 State of the Union , Jan 20, 2015

Don't suspend Bill of Rights, even during time of war

The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil liberties of our citizens. The Constitution and Bill of Rights shall not be suspended even during time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the law. Source: 2014 Libertarian Party Platform , Nov 1, 2014

Military should defend against aggression; not world police

We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world and avoid entangling alliances. We oppose any form of compulsory national service. Source: National platform adopted at Denver L.P. convention , May 30, 2008

Reduce defense spending by half; just defend the US

Certainly America’s defense capability should be strong enough to defend the United States. However, the US now accounts for 37% of all the world’s military spending. Another 30% of world military spending is by countries in Western Europe along with Japan, South Korea, and Israel -- nations which pose no conceivable threat to the US.

Russia, our former Cold War adversary, certainly represents no military threat. Our military budget is $260 billion; Russia’s is less than $80 billion. China spends less than $7 billion on defense. The most commonly cited rogue states -- Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, North Korea, and Cuba spend a combined $15 billion. Nowhere are American vital interests under attack or even seriously threatened.

If the US were to pursue a policy of defending its own borders while avoiding foreign intervention, we could realistically reduce our defense budget to as little as $125 billion over the next five years.

Source: Libertarian Solutions; Michael Tanner on LP Web site , Nov 7, 2000

Build missile defense privately, with federal “reward”

The Defense Department has spent $100 billion and 17 years trying to create one, with very little progress. We must realize that the Defense Department is just another bureaucratic government agency-the Post Office in fatigues. It is the least efficient place to turn for a missile defense. [A Libertarian president would] post a reward of, say, $25 billion-to go to the first private company that actually produces a missile defense and proves that it works. I think we could have one within 3 or 4 years. Source: LP 2000 campaign on-line, by Harry Browne , Nov 7, 2000

Oppose any form of national service

We call for the abolition of the Selective Service. We oppose any form of national service. We oppose adding women to the pool of those eligible for the draft because we believe that this step enlarges the number of people subjected to government tyranny. We support the immediate exoneration of all who have been accused or convicted of draft evasion or desertion. We call for the end of the Defense Department practice of discharging armed forces personnel for homosexual conduct. Source: National Platform of the Libertarian Party , Jul 2, 2000

Eliminate nuclear weapons & bring all U.S. troops home

The potential use of nuclear weapons is the greatest threat to America. We call on the U.S. government to continue negotiations to the end that all such weapons will ultimately be eliminated. If Europeans want nuclear weapons on their soil, they should take full responsibility for them and pay the cost. We call for the withdrawal of American military personnel stationed abroad, including the countries of NATO Europe, Japan, the Philippines, Central America and South Korea. Source: National Platform of the Libertarian Party , Jul 2, 2000

Support resistance to the draft

That the Libertarian Party National Committee unconditionally supports his right to resist, and will continue to support his struggle against the state in whatever form it takes consistent with libertarian values; and
That the Libertarian Party National Committee supports the right of all draft eligible youth to resist registration and the draft.

Source: Resolutions of the Libertarian National Committee , Aug 30, 1981

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Page last updated: Feb 24, 2022