Tag Archives: National Security

Salute the troops

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Hello again, it’s me, Michelle. Ned and Kirsten have wrapped up their summer internships at America.gov and are headed back to their universities. Didn’t they do a great job blogging about Obama?

Back when Barack Obama was running for president, he said he would withdraw combat troops from Iraq. And now, that is becoming a reality. On August 31, the United States’ combat mission in Iraq will come to an end.

“At this key transition point, it is important to show our support to the troops and their families,” the White House says on its website. How to show your support? The White House provides tips on how to craft a message to American soldiers via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Flickr.

President Obama is expected to mark the August 31 end of combat operations with a televised speech to the American people.

Obama stays true to pledge to end war in Iraq

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Veterans listen as Obama speaks about Iraq and Afghanistan at the Disabled American Veterans convention Aug. 2.

Veterans listen as Obama speaks about Iraq and Afghanistan at the Disabled American Veterans convention Aug. 2.

Last week, President Obama announced that he will fulfill his campaign pledge to end the war in Iraq by the end of the month. Today, he’s meeting with his national security team to discuss U.S. actions in the country, according to the White House schedule.

By the end of August, the U.S. military strategy in Iraq will shift from combat operations to supporting and training Iraqi security forces, Obama said in his address at the Disabled Americans Veterans convention in Georgia last Monday.

“By the end of this month, we’ll have brought more than 90,000 of our troops home from Iraq since I took office—more than 90,000 have come home,” he said. “Our commitment in Iraq is changing—from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats.”

What do you think of Obama’s decision?

White House denounces leak of Afghan war reports

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The White House condemned the leak of about 900,000 classified U.S. military records posted online by Wikileaks Sunday.

The documents, which cover a time period from January 2004 to December 2009, contain information about U.S. military efforts on the ground in Afghanistan, including information about civilian deaths and details about Taliban use of heat-seeking missiles, according to The New York Times, which received early copies of the reports along with London’s the Guardian newspaper and Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine.

In a statement released Sunday, President Obama’s national security advisor, Gen. James Jones, said the disclosure of these documents could put the lives of Americans and U.S. partners at risk and threaten the nation’s security.

“These irresponsible leaks will not impact our ongoing commitment to deepen our partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan; to defeat our common enemies; and to support the aspirations of the Afghan and Pakistani people,” he said.

The reports cover a time period before Obama announced a new strategy on Dec. 1, 2009 to increase resources in Afghanistan and increase focus on al Qaeda and Taliban safe-havens in Pakistan. While challenges lie ahead, Jones said Obama’s strategy aims to address conflicts presented by violent extremist groups, increase bilateral efforts, and support the local people.

“We are now focused on breaking the Taliban’s momentum and building Afghan capacity so that the Afghan government can begin to assume responsibility for its future,” he said. “The United States remains committed to a strong, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan.”

Michelle Obama greets troops

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Michelle Obama

“One of my defining missions as first lady,” Michelle Obama said at California’s Camp Pendleton June 13, is “to help the rest of our country better understand and appreciate the incredible service of you and your families, and to make sure that your voices are heard back in Washington.”

The first lady has made military families a priority of hers, having talked with troops across the country about the hardships they face. “I’m here today to remind America that, as a nation, we can never forget or fail to support you, our incredible military families,” she said.

The families – “with all the pride of being a military wife or husband, but with also the fears and the anxiety that come when the person you love the most in the world is in harm’s way” – are just as much heroes, the first lady said.

Obama: "We will not be terrorized."

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Police arrested Pakistani-born U.S. citizen Faisal Shahzad who admitted Tuesday to attempting to set off a car bomb in the heart of New York’s Times Square, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said. Shahzad faces terrorism and mass destruction charges.

“The American people can be assured that the FBI and their partners in this process have all the tools and experience they need to learn everything we can,” President Obama said May 5. “That includes what, if any, connection this individual has to terrorist groups. And it includes collecting critical intelligence as we work to disrupt any future attacks. Justice will be done, and we will continue to do everything in our power to protect the American people.”

The FBI, Homeland Security Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and other national security officials worked with local citizens to track down the suspect and remove him from an airplane before it was able to take off.

“This incident is another sobering reminder of the times in which we live,” Obama said. “Around the world and here at home, there are those who would attack our citizens and who would slaughter innocent men, women and children in pursuit of their murderous agenda. They will stop at nothing to kill and disrupt our way of life. But once again, an attempted attack has been failed… because ordinary citizens were vigilant and reported suspicious activity to the authorities.”

A local merchant reported the smoking Nissan Pathfinder to New York City Police Department, which led to the investigation and arrest. New York is the largest city in the United States, with a population of more than eight million.

“I’ve had the opportunity to personally thank some of the citizens and law enforcement officers whose quick thinking may have saved hundreds of lives,” Obama said.

New York was the target of the September 11 terrorist attacks which brought down the twin World Trade Centers, killing nearly 3,000 and forever altering the city’s skyline.

“New Yorkers have reminded us once again of how to live with their heads held high,” the president said. “We know that the aim of those who try to carry out these attacks is to force us to live in fear, and thereby amplifying the effects of their attacks — even those that fail. But as Americans, and as a nation, we will not be terrorized. We will not cower in fear. We will not be intimidated. We will be vigilant. We will work together. And we will protect and defend the country we love to ensure a safe and prosperous future for our people. That’s what I intend to do as President and that’s what we will do as a nation.”

Nations Make Nuclear Security Agreements at President's Summit

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Representatives from 46 countries attended President Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit April 12-13 in Washington, D.C.

“We have the opportunity, as individual nations, to take specific and concrete actions to secure the nuclear materials in our countries and to prevent illicit trafficking and smuggling,” Obama said.

The goal of the talks between the nations was to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists. Media reported it as the largest gathering of world leaders called by an American president since President Franklin Roosevelt hosted a 1945 meeting that began the United Nations.

For Obama, the summit followed his April 8 nuclear nonproliferation treaty with Russia, where both countries have agreed to decrease nuclear arms by 30 percent.

Among those in attendance were Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese Jordanian President Hu Jintao, King Abdullah, Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamed Najib Abdul Razak and Armenian President Serzh Sargsian.

The White House reported that several nations have come to agreements that include:

Chile has shipped its highly enriched uranium to the United States; Ukraine has agreed to ship its highly enriched uranium out of the country within two years; and Canada has agreed to ship its used highly enriched uranium to the United States.

And the United States and Russia have both agreed to eliminate enough plutonium for approximately 17,000 nuclear weapons.

South Korea has agreed to host the next Nuclear Security Summit in 2012.

White House Will Host 47 Nations in Nuke Talks

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The White House will host world leaders representing 47 countries at the Nuclear Security Summit April 12-13.

“The pursuit of peace and calm and cooperation among nations is the work of both leaders and peoples in the 21st century,” Obama said in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday.

Next week, world leaders will discuss the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons, preventing the trafficking of these weapons on the black market and keeping them out of the hands of terrorist organizations.

The Washington, D.C., summit follows President Barack Obama’s signing of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty with Russia.

Under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the United States has agreed with Russia to begin decreasing nuclear arms by 30 percent. But the president said this was not enough.

“This is a well-crafted treaty that meets the interests of both countries; that meets the interests of the world in the United States and Russia reducing its nuclear arsenals and setting the stage for potentially further reductions in the future,” Obama said.

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Obama and Medvedev sign the START nuclear nonproliferation treaty April 8. World leaders will gather in Washington April 12-13 to discuss nonproliferation among 47 nations.

Obama, Medvedev Sign Nonproliferation Treaty

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The two largest nuclear powers in the world – the United States and Russia – have signed a treaty to decrease nuclear arms by 30 percent.

President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the treaty in Prague, Czech Republic April 8.

“This day demonstrates the determination of the United States and Russia,” Obama said, “the two nations that hold over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons — to pursue responsible global leadership.”

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Medvedev toasts Obama after signing the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

According to the White House, decreasing U.S. nuclear warheads by 30 percent includes ballistic missiles, submarine missiles and bombers.

The treaty states that Russia and the United States will also be permitted to monitor each other’s adherence to the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) through inspections and other forms of transparency.

But the United States also issued a statement allowing for the continued development and deployment of its missile-defense systems for national security.

The treaty must also be reviewed and approved by the U.S. Senate to take effect.

“But nuclear weapons are not simply an issue for the United States and Russia,” Obama said. “A nuclear weapon in the hands of a terrorist is a danger to people everywhere … Next week, 47 nations will come together in Washington to discuss concrete steps that can be taken to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years.”

New nuclear strategy

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The Obama administration issued a revised strategy for using nuclear weapons, April 6. The Nuclear Posture Review, the nation’s first major review of nuclear strategy since 2001, maintains the traditional position of using nuclear weapons as a deterrent.

“We are recalibrating our priorities to prevent nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism, and we are reducing the role and number of weapons in our arsenal, while maintaining a safe, secure and effective deterrent to protect our nation, allies and partners,” Secretary of State Clinton said.

Today the president is heading to Russia, where he will sign a nuclear treaty with that nation. The agreement calls for the former cold war rivals to reduce their arsenals.

For more, see “Obama Administration Revamps Nuclear Policy.”

Obama Condemns Bombings in Russia

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Two deadly bombings on Moscow’s subway system during rush hour March 28 were the result of two female suicide bombers, media reports said.

More than 38 people were killed and 60 wounded in the early morning explosions. One of the attacks took place below the Federal Security Service – Russia’s secret police headquarters.

The bombings came after Russian police killed several Islamic militant leaders in the Caucasus and two days after President Barack Obama’s renewed arms-control treaty with the nation.

“I send my deepest condolences to the people of Russia after the terrible loss of life and injuries resulting from the bombings on the Moscow Metro,” Obama said. “The American people stand united with the people of Russia in opposition to violent extremism and heinous terrorist attacks that demonstrate such disregard for human life, and we condemn these outrageous acts. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones, and I wish all who sustained injuries a successful recovery.”