Joe Miller near the Iraq Border, ’91I am deeply concerned about the future and the readiness of our military. Believe me, as a combat vet with a son at the US Military Academy at West Point, it’s not an abstraction to me, it’s personal.
 
What brings it all even closer to home for me is living in Alaska, which is now within striking distance of North Korean and Chinese missiles. And as Arctic neighbors, Russian aggression could be an existential threat to the State of Alaska in the future if we don’t summon the will to lead.

While Russia moves to reconstitute its Soviet-era control in Ukraine and solidify strategic assets in the Americas, our president is proposing a military draw-down to pre-World War II levels. This coming on the heels of cuts to our strategic missile defense, and a massive reduction in our nuclear arsenal.

Alaska’s geo-political significance could not be overstated. As General Billy Mitchell testified before Congress in 1935: “I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world. I think it is the most important strategic place in the world.”
 
Alaska needs representation in the United States Senate with the knowledge and experience to address these national security concerns. In days to come, our national security may require it.

 
That’s why Combat Veterans for Congress has endorsed my run for United States Senate, and Gun Owners of America has rewarded my commitment to the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms against all enemies, foreign and domestic, with their endorsement.
 
Barack Obama’s irresponsible foreign policy has weakened America’s standing in the world and has put us on a dangerous path of appeasement. Make no mistake about it, the trajectory we’re on constitutes an imminent threat to our national security.
 
China now stands poised to rival the American military within a few short years. Rogue regimes around the world, including Iran and North Korea, are testing the limits of US resolve. And Islamic militants the world over are gathering strength.
 
History teaches us that weakness invites aggression. Ronald Reagan was right, “Peace through strength!”
 
We must project strength – if we are to maintain our leadership in the world and properly defend our borders in an increasingly hostile world.
 
As a veteran and as an American, I was outraged when Congress passed the Ryan-Murray budget which President Obama signed into law. I was the only U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska to stand against this horrendous piece of legislation. The measure would have cut some working age retirees’ benefits by as much as twenty percent. Collectively, the cuts purported to save six billion dollars. Yet Big Government politicians had no problem with a $63 billion spending increase in the bill.
 
After severe backlash, vulnerable Democrats like Alaska’s Mark Begich, who voted for the original cuts, pushed through a measure to restore benefits. Another election-year ploy by desperate politicians!
 
There is no doubt this President is out of control, and Congress is almost as bad. The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned that our national debt is the most serious national security threat our nation faces. We are now four years and $4.5 trillion further in debt, since he made that statement.
 
To keep this nation secure, we must get the federal government back within its means and ensure our military remains second to none.