Economic security

The catastrophic threat to national security: Exploding debt

The politics of division imposes an invisible cost to the Nation.  Divisive politics inherently mean that almost no common ground exists for action on issues of great importance, and falling into the chasm between the two parties are calamitous dangers to national security that make our actual headlines today pale in comparison. One such danger in the political no-man’s-land is not even being discussed, and so no one is working on a solution: the national debt.

Almost ten years ago, Admiral Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, did not identify an adversary nation or terrorist organization as the paramount threat to our country. He stated emphatically: “The most significant threat to our national security is our debt.”

In the decade since then, the U.S. has continued to pursue two wars and other conflicts, largely outside the budget process and with no war tax to ameliorate the more than $5 trillion that has been spent.