Securing America with Frank Gaffney Podcast

James Roche, Fred Downey, Jim Hanson

 

What are the national security implications of cuts to the defense budget? How will the U.S. operate in light of recent actions taken by the Obama administration? Frank opens today’s Secure Freedom Radio reflecting on the connection between energy security and national security and implications of the proposed defense budget cuts.  James Roche, 20^th Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, stresses the connection between fuel diversity and less dependence on foreign oil on national security.  Roche also speaks to the difficulty of maintaining U.S. presence and power worldwide in light of proposed cuts to an already diminished military force.

 

Next the Aerospace Industries Association Vice President for National Security, Fred Downey examines recent study findings.  Downey describes how the aerospace and defense industrial base has dramatically declined in the 21^st century and we are at risk of no longer being the “top dog” in this important area if we do not protect this base.  Findings show that the number of large aerospace production companies has gone from one hundred fifty in 1960 to about seven currently.  This has also led to more reliance on foreign sources of supply for our weapons systems.  Finally, Downey states that an estimated 1 million jobs, of which 350,000 include highly skilled workers, are at risk if the proposed $1.2 trillion Super Committee cuts are taken from defense. 

 

Jim Hanson, contributor for Big Peace and writer for the military website BLACKFIVE, concludes today’s show touching on topics related to Iran, Turkey, and Libya.  Hanson condemns Obama’s recent announcement to remove all troops from Iraq by the end of the year.  The lack of U.S. presence will give power-hungry Iran an opportunity to gain control and also leave our diplomats and civilians in an unsafe situation.  In addition, attributing the death of Moammar Qaddafi to Obama’s success as Commander-in Chief is shortsighted and the Obama administration must also question its current relationship with NATO ally Turkey.

 

 

 

 

Joel Rosenberg, Fred Grandy, Jim Hanson

How do the Republican Presidential candidates feel about cuts for the US defense department? While a majority of the recent debates have centered on jobs and the economy, one individual posed this question about national security to the candidates. Frank begins today’s Secure Freedom Radio examining last night’s GOP debate in Las Vegas. Although four candidates answered the question centered on the defense budget, only one, Newt Gingrich acknowledged that the Super Committee process was majorly flawed. The United States should decide how to deal with defense only after they have done a real review of the threats the US is facing. We truly need to explore the questions that are important to determine what military action is needed before big cuts are implemented. How can we continue to have a historical ignorance of the true situation when people’s lives are on the line?

Are we living in a moment that feels like the early to mid-1930s when Hitler was rising in Germany? Is the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the new Fuhrer and if so, has the end of the world come? New York Times best-selling writer, Joel Rosenberg gives us an insight into his new book, The Tehran Initiative, where he uses fiction to capture Americans’ attention to what the world would be like if the US and Western powers fail to take decisive action in the Iranian situation. His story parallels what is happening in today’s world where there is an Iranian plot to attack Americans on American soil. Do we have the time for the next President to deal with Iran?

Joining Secure Freedom Radio for the first of many times, Fred Grandy brings Frank some good news. Grandy will be joining Secure Freedom Radio as the new host of its weekly “The Cloak Room” series where Grandy will frankly explore various national security issues with his former colleagues on Capitol Hill. It is a chance for Congressmen to have an inform discussion about big issues such as defense spending and international policies.

Were the French Moroccan Muslim tourists traveling all over the country, taking pictures of public buildings in San Antonio, TX planning a terrorist attack? Weekly regular guest and blogger at Blackfive.net, Jim Hanson and Frank poke fun at the lack of political correctness occurring in this case.

Michael Rubin, Roger Noriega, Mario Loyola, Jim Hanson

Has Iran reverted back to its cocky tricks due to the failure of the Obama administration’s policies in the Middle East? Resident Scholar at AEI, Michael Rubin joins Frank today at Secure Freedom Radio to examine the failed assassination attempt of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir and the role that Iranian forces had in the plot. Reports are stating that the unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or the Quds Force, whose mission it is to export Iranian ideology is at the forefront of many of these terrorist attacks. Rubin states that this is not the first time that an Iranian hit team has come to the United States to carry out a killing. In 1980, Iran sent a squad to Bethesda, MD and successfully killed an Iranian dissident. Unfortunately, US diplomats have continued to dismiss Iranian rhetoric and ignorantly believed that such attacks are just rouge operations. Instead of upholding such ignorance, the United States should have a frank discussion about an Iran regime change and seriously evaluate whether the current regime has US interests in mind.

Is Iran contracting with the drug cartels in Mexico to kill people in the United States? Weekly commentator at Secure Freedom Radio and Visiting Fellow at AEI, Roger Noriega offers his insight on this topic, among other Latin American issues. What is of paramount concern to Noriega is that there is an expanding network of Hezbollah activities in Venezuela that have been linked to Iranian sponsorship. This network continues to grow throughout Central and South America. As the realistic possibility of Hugo Chavez’s death looms over the nation, sources within the country believe that tension will continue to increase. Chavez’s cronies are trying to hold onto power any way they can. This includes arming themselves with weapons in preparation for a civil war that might break out after the death of Chavez. Additionally, they have partnered with Russian, Chinese, and Iranian arms organizations to supply continued arms to the leadership. A majority of these arms have ended up in the hands of narcotraffickers in South America. The US Department of State seems completely oblivious to these actions.

Mario Loyola of the Texas Policy Institute reflects on his lecture at the semi-weekly Center for Security Policy’s Capitol Hill luncheon in which he discussed the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East and beyond. Over the past half century, there has been a turn towards extremists and Islamists like those in the Muslim Brotherhood who have no interest in modernization. These groups turn to the past and see progressive democratic governance, such as that practiced in the United States as the enemy of Islam. They have divided the world into part of the world conquered by Muslims and the part of the world that has yet to be conquered by Muslims. This division into Muslim and non-Muslim territories can be seen in the events unfolding in Egypt. Egypt is looking for legitimacy for its new government in the streets and mosques.

Concluding today’s show is resident expert on military affairs and the “boots on the ground” perspective, Jim Hanson comments on his involvement at the US Army’s Annual Convention. At this conference, Hanson and his company presented a new product that allow smartphones to be used in military operations abroad. The features of these phones include an application that would allow a solider to conduct fingerprint and retinal investigations on the field. This would help our solider combatants more successfully identify who are a friends and foes.

Amb. John Bolton, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Jim Hanson

What would the 2012 election look like without President Obama as the Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party? Frank gets today’s show rolling reflecting on the comments his colleague, Dick Morris made concerning the upcoming election. In Frank’s eyes, President Obama might pull out of the election for fear of the criticism that he will face during election debates. Even members of his own party are apprehensive in the extreme of having President Obama lead the ticket for the Democratic Party. Former President Bill Clinton supports such criticisms and is starting to promote his wife as a future candidate.

Has the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen finally uncovered the truth about Pakistani intelligence services (ISI) and its connection with known terrorist groups? Former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton has a forthright discussion with Frank on the topic. Adm. Mullen admitted that the ISI has obvious connections with dangerous terrorists in Afghanistan and have even nurtured the Taliban. Although little of this information was novel news, most people were still shocked by the specificity of what he said. Adm. Mullen even acknowledged the fact that the ISI was party to the attack on the NATO and US headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ambassador Bolton also shares his thoughts on Obama’s UN speech this past week and how he sees it more as an “election” speech rather than one developing new policy. Moreover, in order to gain more of the Jewish vote, Obama’s speech tried to retract his past adverse policy towards Israel and its allies. The United States’ foreign policy truly is worst after two and a half years of Obama leadership.

Is it right for Texas to offer in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants while they do not even offer it for children of veterans? Representative Louie Gohmert of the 1^st district of Texas displays his disbelief that his state is giving a better deal for children of illegal aliens than for children of wounded or retired soldiers. According to Rep. Gohmert, the legislation was part of a larger budget bill and Governor Perry did not know that the tuition legislation was included. Therefore, by voting for the budget bill, his whole party voted for this tuition qualification. Not only are fellow Texans angry at the bill, but also Hispanics who have legally gone through the immigration process. Rep. Gohmert continues to refutes claims that President Obama would not seek reelection. In his view, a man such as Obama, who takes credit for SEAL Team Six operations will not easily step gracefully out of the limelight.

Our “boots on the ground” guy and weekly guest at Secure Freedom Radio, Jim Hanson concludes today’s Secure Freedom Radio supporting the Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta’s decision to speak the truth about the damaging effects of defense budget cuts. This is the first time that any Secretary of the Obama administration is standing up to Obama and to Democrats in resistance of their ludicrous suggestions for defense cuts. The whole reason we have a defense budget is to support those who we put in harm’s way, argues Hanson. The American people will not accept a large cut in their military force, especially if it means putting our country in jeopardy. With the money floating into entitlements, the US should be able to locate some money for those who have honorably served. Additionally, Adm. Mullen’s admission that Pakistan is “playing both sides” gives validity to former claims on the subject.

Ambassador Yorum Ettinger, Walid Phares, Zuhdi Jasser, Jim Hanson

What does it mean for the Free World and Israel should Palestine get a state adhering to the 1967 borders? Ambassador Yorum Ettinger tries to answer this question while also warning us of the possible implications that this would have for the United States. In Ettinger’s opinion, by supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state, international leaders are acknowledging Palestinians who were known supporters of Saddam during the 1991 Iraq War and even collaborated with him in the invasion of Kuwait. These same Palestinians condemned the US for executing Saddam. Moreover, Ettinger thinks that Mahmoud Abbas has close bonds with the top Russian government officials and was even educated in Russia. These connections could be used in the future to provide a foothold for the Russians and Chinese in the region, as well as is a death sentence for the pro-US government in Jordan. We don’t need another rogue regime that would be a tailwind for the US’s enemies. How have the past two to three years of US foreign policy gone to sour in the Middle East, especially in Syria? Professor at the National Defense University and Lebanese native, Walid Phares joins Secure Freedom Radio today to give Frank his insights on the Syrian opposition leadership that seems to be producing some unsavory characters. Phares states that the father and son Assad regime has participated in non-stop oppression of its own people starting in the 1980s. However, the Assad regime has reached the point of no return, argues Phares, as they have refused to implement any political reforms. Additionally, he discusses how there needs to be a change of direction in Washington, such as identifying the true good guys in the region before a new policy can be implemented. The US leadership can do this by first making the distinction between the duel opposition groups: civil society and the Muslim Brotherhood backed groups. President and Founder of the American Islamic Forum, Zuhdi Jasser shares his personal family experiences under the Assad regime in Syria. Syria is the perfect environment for radical groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, since they offer them a veil of religious protection. Although the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist groups would thrive in the country, Syria would never be controlled by such organizations since it would remain secular. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, however, causes the most problems in the United States. Most of these groups are closely intertwined with Muslim advocacy groups in the United States. This is most problematic since the Obama administration does not have the “Constitution internally to deal with it.” Jasser furthers his point by stating that the Arab Spring would only give way to the Islamist winter and when it does leaders in Washington will not be able to distinguish between Islamist rebels and those fighting for Western ideals. Weekly guest here at Secure Freedom Radio, Jim Hanson concludes today’s show with his “boots on the ground” perspective to the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the cuts on retirement benefits for members of the US military. While Hanson is in favor of the repeal of the discriminatory policy, he believes that sexual orientation should not be used in the military to further the gay agenda. Furthering such agendas has no business in the military, states Hanson. Military men should be respected for their service and not their sexuality. Frank also talks with Hanson about the ludicrous retirement benefit cuts for US military veterans.

Mike Rinn, Nina Shea, Fred Grandy, Jim Hanson

Mike Rinn, Vice President Directed Energy Systems Strategic Missile & Defense Systems at Boeing, joins Frank from sunny Albuquerque, N.M. to discuss the exciting new technology in ballistic missile defense. Rinn, a former Navy F-16 pilot, explains the revolution in Directed Weapons Systems, including the Airborne Laser Test Bed, what he calls “a fairly high-tech Model T.” He informs on how Boeing is making our systems more efficient operating on smaller platforms, to meet our threats worldwide. “The bad guys are still alive and well out there proliferating,” says Rinn, as he identifies these cutting edge technologies that can destroy missiles at the speed of light and literally take the “twinkle” out of the stars to sight enemy missiles. Frank applauds Rinn for his work and can’t imagine another country on earth that would give it up, as he fears we might.

Nina Shea, a leader in monitoring religious freedom around the world, discusses Hillary Clinton’s partnership with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). “We do have to be vigilant about our freedoms,” says the Hudson Institute’s Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, as she explains the nefarious attempts by the United Nations and the OIC to administer blasphemy laws in the West. Meanwhile, the actual violent speech is daily spewing out or Saudi Arabian textbooks calling Christians and Jews the enemy and for apostates to be killed, which Clinton’s state department refuses to take seriously. Shea explains that we will never solve the problem of Jihad if this is what educates the children of the Muslim world. A case point of Shea’s warning against the attack on freedom of expression is happening right in our back yard. Fred Grandy, former Actor, Congressman, radio star and now certified “Islamaphobe,” joins Frank to explain how Islamists and the Left are seeking to shut down his right to speak in Montgomery County, Maryland. “Perhaps you have to refer to me as Gopher, the Infidel,” he says after Fred and his wife Catherine were forced out of their hit radio program on WMAL for exposing Shariah law in the United States. Shorty thereafter, Grandy had a speech cancelled in Minneapolis because his “inflammatory rhetoric” might insight violence. And now, an upcoming speech to the Chevy Chase Republican Women’s Group at a private event is being challenged by leaders in the Md. State government, claiming “divisive rhetoric has no place in Montgomery County.” Fred exposes this affront to free speech in this “immediate and local version of what’s happening at the UN.” He shares how Manda Ervin of the American Islamic Leadership Coalition courageously rushed to his aid, and how she and many others fled from the Muslim world to escape this oppression arriving on our shores. Finally, our boots on the ground guy Jim Hanson, of Blackfive.net, provides insight into Afghanistan and Iraq after the embassy attack in Kabul. Hanson contends the attack is less significant than the media lets on, and was not a military success, only a Public Relations one by creating the impression that the U.S. has not secured Afghanistan. He then warns of the “cut and run” strategy of transition to the Afghan forces, saying this “Potemkin security apparatus” will lead to a return to tribal politics, making our gains erode. Hanson then explains the possible “civil war” brewing in Iraq with the Kurds, and his weariness of our intelligence drying up in the war on terror.

Jim Hanson, Bill Roggio, JD Johannes

Today on Secure Freedom Radio, Jim Hanson of Blackfive.net sits in for Frank and sets out to determine the overall posture of the War on Terror.  Now that President Obama is back to the only job he’s good at, Campaigner-in-Chief, Hanson discusses the latest “trial balloon” announcement of dropping troop levels in Iraq to 3,000 to appease the Left and gain reelection support.  “Just because we’re a little tired doesn’t mean the bad guys are gonna stop their efforts—and they haven’t,” he says as he tries to discern the strategy for our wars.  “In the end we have nothing but a collection of Band-Aids put on the same gaping chest wound over and over and over again,” and now is the time for a cohesive strategy against an enemy that “thinks in terms of centuries and millenniums, not the next election cycle.” Then, Bill Roggio, Managing Editor of the Long War Journal, joins Jim to discuss the state of al-Qaeda and if it is really “on the ropes,” as some government officials say.  Roggio asserts that the organization was “always bigger than Bin Laden,” with a “deep bench” that draws on its affiliates in Yemen and Somalia.  Roggio, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, examines al-Qaeda’s growth and how the Pakistani ISI at best turned a blind eye to Bin Laden’s move to Abbottabad. Jim continues with Bill Roggio to discuss the intelligence problems in the years ahead in the fight against radical Islam.  Since most of the interrogations took place in the early stages of the war, “that intelligence is going to dry up at some point,” he explains, given that we have seemingly stopped detaining terrorists. “You can’t seize any documents with drones,” says Roggio, explaining how the politicization of Guantanamo Bay and enhanced interrogation has hampered our intelligence gathering.  The “fetishization” of the predator drones, he says, is safe, looks clean, and ironic, since it is now more humane to kill than to detain indefinitely. Finally, JD Johannes, Documentarian and correspondent of Outside the Wire, just returned from the Sulaiman Mountain Ridge in Afghanistan and gives Jim the perspective of the war on the ground.  From what Jim calls a “lovely vacation spot,” with all the poppies and the land mines, JD surveyed the troop morale after Obama’s announcement of the Afghan drawdown.  “A lot of wind came out of the sails” as soon as the announcement was made, he says, after such great progresses were made in the surge areas of the Helmand province.   Johannes details the shift in the psychological momentum, and also looks to what’s next for Afghanistan.

Erick Stakelbeck, LTG Jerry Boykin, Jim Hanson, Jamie Metzel

Today on Secure Freedom Radio, Erick Stakelbeck, of CBN News, fills in for Frank and kicks off today’s show with a discussion on the Arab Spring.  The Stakelbeck on Terror host believes the uprisings throughout the Middle East have sown the seeds for the return of an Islamic Caliphate or “the dream of Jihadists from Indonesia to Indiana.”  Stakelbeck cites the Muslim Brotherhood’s ascendancy in Egypt, al-Qaeda’s power in Yemen, Syria’s alliance with Iran and Turkey’s Pro-Islamist Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as signs of trouble brewing in the region.  And after reports of Iran’s “humanitarian” assistance to Libyan rebels, the author of The Terrorist Next Door expresses his concern that the so-called Arab Spring is quickly descending into a “long, cold Islamist Winter.” Next, Erick is joined by LTG (Ret.) William “Jerry” Boykin to discuss his new book Kiloton Threat: A Novel. The gripping novel takes place in a dark future ruled by a nuclear-armed Iran.  Boykin examines the possibility of the Islamic theocracy attempting to hasten the return of the 12th Imam, the Islamic savior said to return in a time of great turmoil.  “What better way to bring about chaos then dropping a nuclear bomb?” asks Boykin, who predicts such an event would start an arms race in the Middle East, and would be very perilous for Iran’s greatest enemy, Israel.  Boykin alerts us of the growing Iranian threat and how the underground Christian church is working for change in Tehran. Jim Hanson of Blackfive.net, joins Erick for his weekly Secure Freedom visit and updates us on the activities of al-Qaeda.  As it appears it still is the worst job on earth to be al-Qaeda’s number two after Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was killed by a drone strike in Pakistan last weekend, Hanson gives President Obama a “bravo” for continuing to authorize these attacks, however, a “terrorist organization with a global ideology is not going to be cut down simply by stacking a few dead tangos out in the Hinterlands,” he says.  Hanson believes the greater problem lies in the fact that no coherent policy has been established for dealing with Islamic extremism worldwide, under neither Bush nor Obama.  The former Green Beret also discusses the problems in Afghanistan and the vindication of Dick Cheney on enhanced interrogation. Finally, Jamie Metzel Executive Vice President of Asia Society, discusses China’s refusal to play by the same set of rules as everyone else on the International stage.  Metzel has been documenting China’s 72 incidents of computer espionage in 14 different countries, and asserts that Communist country threatens to undermine the system of global order. “If everybody did what China does the International system would collapse,” he says, noting that China has benefited enormously from the post-World War II system.  By manipulating its currency and its rampant disregard for intellectual property rights, China has proved to be “gaming the system.”  Metzel, the author of The Depths of the Sea, also calls for greater transparency of the Chinese military buildup, as the current secrecy creates concern for the worst.

Clare Lopez, Mark Krikorian, Trey Knight, Jim Hanson

As the rebels move closer to overthrowing Qaddafi, it remains to be seen what the Transnational Council will make of a new Libya.  But what is for certain, says Clare Lopez: “these individuals, first of all, are a motley crew.” What Andy McCarthy calls the “Libya Mujahedeen,” the rebels consist of a strong flicker of Al-qaeda, and after years of authoritarian rule absent the values of pluralism, equality and man-made law, lies only an uphill battle for Democracy.  Lopez, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Policy, confirms that Article One of the draft constitution states establishes Islamic law over Libya, with the TNC leading Spokesman a strong advocate of Shariah. Lopez also speaks of Iran’s relationship with Syria and a rivalry with Turkey for the role of regional hegemon. Next, Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, joins Frank to discuss President Obama's “administrative amnesty.”  By using Prosecutorial Discretion, a very limited authority necessary for any Executive Branch, the Obama Administration is turning that wiggle room within the law into a matter of policy, contrary to the will of Congress.  The policy orders law enforcement to not arrest illegal immigrants that fall in a broad range of categories, and furthermore, those illegal immigrants “in the pipeline,” as Krikorian calls it, of civil proceedings are being released, unless they are a murderer or rapist.  The Administration has, in fact, taunted the use of Immigration law only for use in these cases, “like going after Al Capone for tax fraud,” he says.  Through “Deferred Action” many are released and able to apply for work permits and Social Security numbers.  This growing act of lawlessness denies illegal immigration as a criminal act, and telegraphs the government's acceptance of the practice.  So, Krikorian asks, “How can that not lead to more illegal immigration?” Then, Trey Knight, Vice President of Knights Armament, explains his company’s contribution to the war efforts by manufacturing the M110 Sniper rifle, used readily in Afghanistan and Iraq.  There is “not another tool that we can put on the ground…that can command the field like a sniper,” says Knight, who describes how this essential weapon has evolved throughout the years.  The technological advances of scopes, silencers, lasers and night vision have “taken the gun to a different level,” he says, but ultimately it’s the soldier’s observation, endurance and intelligence that make the gun successful.  Through his company’s innovation, the sniper has been able to be turned  into a dual weapon, and is saving lives, like Sgt. G below. Finally, Jim Hanson, our weekly “boots on the ground” perspective, wraps the show with his analysis of the developments in Libya:  “We may have just traded one crazy Islamist for a collection of crazy Islamists, and I don’t know if that is a net gain.”  As it is revealed that billions in Qaddafi’s assets will be transferred from the U.S. to the Transnational Council, Hanson is skeptical that, although the rebels may “get nicer tents” and be “riding around in range rovers,” not much good will be bought for the U.S.  The former Green Beret also comments on the report of the CIA assistance to the NYPD in conducting covert monitoring of Muslim mosques.  Hanson praises the efforts, hopes it can avoid the PC stigma and that it will find public support, adding, “Dearborn, Mich. PD could probably use this help, too.”

Rev. Rick Joyner, Roger Noriega, Rowan Scarborough, Jim Hanson

Rev. Rick Joyner kicks off today’s program by introducing his efforts to unite and equip Christians through The Oak Initiative.  Two years ago, Joyner hosted a three day seminar to bond the Christian Church together in a time of great crisis morally, spiritually and economically.  In these times, “we need to know what we believe,” says Rev. Joyner who as President of the foundation seeks to educate Christians on the crucial issues of the day, including Islamic Extremism.  Through the Initiative Christians are uniting across the spectrum, and standing firm against the “Chrislam” movement, that seeks to combine both religions.  “We have a responsibility as Christian leaders to defend the truth,” he says as he adamantly rejects the notion that Allah is the same God of the Bible.  And he is bold in his defense: “Our Jesus is not coming back to kill all Christians who do not submit to Islam.” Roger Noriega, of the American Enterprise Institute, joins Frank to discuss the latest news from Latin America, including the breaking reports that members of the Venezuelan regime are looking to move $29 billion in reserves out of the country to banks in Russia and China.  Noriega breaks down what such a move would do to the Venezuelan economy and what exactly these Chavistas have in mind.  The founder of InterAmerican Security Watch also explains how Venezuela has acted as a broker between Argentina and Iran, in which the Islamic Republic is after Argentina’s nuclear market.  Although Congress has brought considerable attention to this activity, the State Department shows no sign of curiosity and is “blind and content to be blind about what Iran is up to in this hemisphere.” Then, National Security Journalist Rowan Scarborough, of the Washington Times, dissects the series of mistakes that led to the helicopter crash in Afghanistan, the worst loss of life endured throughout the war.  As details continue to emerge, questions remain regarding the justification of the mission and Scarborough insists they need to be asked given the possibility that our forces are ill-equipped in Afghanistan.  The best-selling author of Rumsfeld’s War claims this risk “means we cannot afford to take a procurement holiday” in defense, which makes the automatic trigger to its budget even more alarming if no agreement is reached by the Supercommittee. Jim Hanson, however, laments the “armchair quarterbacking” that has followed the Osama Bin Laden raid and the failed helicopter mission, in which large amounts of operationally secure information has leaked to the press.  “I don’t think we know and I don’t think we should know,” says Hanson about what led to the helicopter crash.  He argues by releasing these details the safety of our special forces and their families will be compromised.  Another subject that has left Hanson in a “scathing mood” is the use of the funerals for the Seal Team Six members as a photo op for the President.  Against the family’s wishes, a White House photographer captured “a beautifully framed photo of Obama attempting to make a salute” says Hanson, who calls it a disgrace to capitalize on the deaths our combat troops.