POLITICO: New Democrats Unveil National Security Plan

Jeremy Herb, Defense Reporter at POLITICO, provides a first look at the recently released National Security Principles unveiled by New Dems. Read more below:

FIRST LOOK — NEW DEMOCRATS UNVEIL NATIONAL SECURITY PLAN: 

by Jeremy Herb, Morning Defense, POLITICO 

The House centrist New Democrat Coalition is out today with a national security framework advocating the defeat of transnational terrorist organizations like al Qaeda and ISIL, as well as adapting to other emerging threats and beefing up diplomacy to avoid "reckless interventions." Among their recommendations, the New Democrats push for repealing sequestration budget caps, strengthening U.S. cyber defenses, increasing funding for domestic counterterrorism and international development, reforming the acquisition process and promoting human rights.

Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), who co-chairs the New Democrats' National Security Task Force, told Morning D the coalition’s principles emphasize "that not every problem can be solved with a bomb or a tank."

"The 21st Century foreign policy challenge is figuring out the right tool to fit the right problem," he explained. The coalition is a moderate bloc of House Democrats, with 13 of the group's 52 members on the House Armed Services Committee, including ranking Democrat Adam Smith of Washington state.

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