National Security [Obama]

Author: Obama for America

When President Obama took office, the U.S. was engaged in two wars and faced terrorist threats at home and abroad.
President Obama has refocused our security priorities to concentrate on the most serious threats facing our country, promote our values, and improve our standing in the world.
President Obama is committed to strengthening America's leadership by maintaining a strong military and staying true to our values and ideals.
President Obama fulfilled his promise to responsibly and safely bring our troops home from Iraq, and is making sure returning servicemembers have the support they need.

The President's Record on National Security

STANDING UP FOR THOSE WHO SERVE

President Obama is committed to keeping the sacred trust we hold with members of our nation's all-volunteer military. The President has fought to expand and improve benefits for veterans and their families—from access to the health care they need to the education and job opportunities they deserve when they return home.

The President and his administration, along with the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden, have secured commitments from private sector companies to hire unemployed veterans and worked to make sure returning servicemembers can find work when they come home. The President also took executive actions to help match veterans with potential employers, streamline the job search for returning servicemembers, and is working to provide veterans and their families better access to job training. Recently, the President announced his Veterans Jobs Corps initiative, which will put veterans back to work on a range of projects that benefit from the skills they developed in the military.

As part of the President's plan to support American jobs, he signed into law the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior tax credits to encourage businesses to hire unemployed veterans and veterans with service-connected disabilities.

Download this fact sheet to learn more about the President's accomplishments for veterans and military families.

TAKING THE FIGHT TO AL-QAEDA

President Obama has refocused the United States' efforts on defeating al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
More of al-Qaeda's senior leadership has been eliminated in the last three years than at any time since September 11th, 2001—including the group's leader, Osama bin Laden.
President Obama has started to bring home our troops from Afghanistan as Afghans take ownership of the security and leadership of their country.
On May 1st, President Obama signed a historic Strategic Partnership Agreement between the United States and Afghanistan that will help us to complete our mission and end the war in the Afghanistan as fast as we safely and responsibly can. By 2014, America's combat mission in Afghanistan will end.
This marks a pivotal moment after a decade of war. The number of our troops in harm’s way has been cut in half. We have a clear path to finish our work in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to al Qaeda.

ENDING THE WAR IN IRAQ

President Obama has fulfilled his promise to responsibly and safely bring our soldiers home. When the President took office in January 2009, there were 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Today, the war in Iraq has ended and the Iraqi people have taken responsibility for the security of their country.

LIVING UP TO OUR VALUES

President Obama has upheld our American values by reversing previous administration policies that harmed our national security and moral authority in the world. President Obama has banned the use of torture, closed secret CIA detention facilities, and reformed military commissions. He directed all executive departments and agencies to ensure the lawful interrogation of detainees, requiring them to comply with the Geneva Convention and U.S. law.

The President has revamped military commissions in a manner consistent with the rule of law. His administration established basic protections for those who refuse to testify, prohibited the use of evidence obtained through improper interrogation, and increased the ability of the accused to select counsel.

REDUCING THE THREAT OF LOOSE NUCLEAR WEAPONS

President Obama signed and passed the START Treaty with Russia, which will reduce the number of nuclear weapons deployed by Russia and the United States and has allowed the United States to resume inspections of Russian nuclear sites.

PROMOTING PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

President Obama has been clear that he is determined to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Under President Obama’s leadership, the United States gained the support of China, Russia, and other nations to pass the most comprehensive international sanctions regime that Iran has ever faced.

The President also worked with Congress to pass the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions and Divestment Act, and signed additional sanctions hitting Iran's central bank and oil revenues, targeting Iran’s entire financial system for the first time.

PRESERVING AMERICA'S COMMITMENT TO ISRAEL'S SECURITY

President Obama has repeatedly reaffirmed the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and has raised U.S. security assistance to Israel to unprecedented levels. Under President Obama's leadership, U.S.-Israeli defense cooperation is broader and deeper than ever.

The President is working to address Israel’s security needs and ensure Israel's future as a Jewish state and the homeland for the Jewish people.

For more information, visit jewishamericans.barackobama.com.

DMU Timestamp: May 03, 2012 23:39