The Democratic view of national security issues, unveiled last week by House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, is an attempt to attract voters who view the party as weak on national security. So says Hoyer. He explains that the 15-page document, titled “Ensuring America’s Strength and Security: A Democratic National Security Strategy for the 21st Century,” is a “beginning, not an end” to discourse on the subject. The purpose, he says, is to ensure Americans that House Democrats are “intensely focused” on national security, that Democrats “will not hesitate to use force,” and finally “we want voters to know that Democrats are projecting a forward-looking vision.” Hoyer says Democrats back adding 100,000 troops to the force, enhancements to recruiting and retention, investment in weapons systems relative to the “gravity and nature of the threats,” and completing military modernization. Elsewhere, the report blames Republicans for “exploding budget deficits” and says the federal government must make “hard choices on both taxes and spending.” Question: Would Democrats raise taxes only to fund the Pentagon
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.