Security Issue

Joe Biden
Biden says he will repeal tax cuts for those who make more than $1 million and use those funds to pay for improvements to homeland security. With additional funds over the next five years, the United States would be able to enhance protection of chemical manufacturing facilities and create local counterterrorism units in U.S. cities to stop homegrown terrorist plots, Biden says.

Hillary Clinton
Clinton emphasizes the importance of working with allies and creating foreign policy with a bipartisan consensus. To keep the United States safe, Clinton says, the U.S. government should engage with its enemies, as it did with the Soviets throughout the Cold War.

Chris Dodd
Dodd says he would improve alliances and international institutions to enhance the fight against terrorism. He also would call on American allies like Saudi Arabia and Russia to support democracy in their own countries and to eliminate the conditions that foster terrorism.

John Edwards
Edwards proposes creating a modern-day equivalent of NATO for combating terrorism. This institution would provide for high-level diplomatic engagement on issues like intelligence-sharing and cooperative security operations by partner nations. He says he will strengthen multilateral efforts to identify and prevent the transfer of weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups.

Rudy Giuliani
Giuliani says that winning the War on Terror is “the great responsibility of our generation.” He says Americans must be on the offense in the fight against terrorism.

Mike Gravel
Gravel opposes a military confrontation with Iran and Syria and advocates a diplomatic solution. He says that climate-change issues are a matter of national security.

Mike Huckabee
Huckabee says overwhelming force can be used to accomplish a mission, such as rooting out terrorists. He also stresses the importance of renewing diplomatic efforts so the United States does not have to fight terrorism alone.

Duncan Hunter
Hunter believes the fact that the United States has not been attacked since September 11, 2001, indicates that U.S. agencies are doing a good job identifying, tracking and prosecuting terrorists. He says that building fences along the U.S.-Mexico border is a proven way of keeping the United States safe.

Dennis Kucinich
Kucinich wants to form a Department of Peace, which would "offer a new, clear vision of people working out their differences without resort to primitive violence." He says war should be used only as an absolute last resort for self-defense.

John McCain
McCain says the U.S. Army must be enlarged to meet the challenges it faces today. He supports the development and deployment of national missile defenses.

Barack Obama
Obama says the U.S. military needs to be transformed to meet today's needs and supports plans to increase the size of the U.S. Army by 65,000 troops and the U.S. Marine Corps by 27,000 troops. Obama pledges to lead a global effort to secure all nuclear weapons and nuclear material now housed at vulnerable sites within four years.

Ron Paul
Paul believes the United States has troops in too many countries and that efforts should be made to bring many of these troops home. He believes war should not be fought without a declaration by Congress.

Bill Richardson
Richardson recently unveiled his plan to reform the U.S. military, which includes budget cuts to defense programs he sees as not relevant to the mission of today's military. He says the United States should take troops from Iraq and put more into the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, where al-Qaida leaders are suspected to be hiding.

Mitt Romney
An effective security strategy, Romney says, will incorporate both military and diplomatic efforts to engage moderate Muslim nations. He says the United States must continue to tighten economic sanctions on Iran and impose “diplomatic isolation” on the Iranian government.

Fred Thompson
In a post-September 11 world, Thompson says, immigration is a national security issue. He supports missile defense and has called for strengthening relationships with allies.