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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has written 275 briefing papers for the incoming Trump administration: nearly 1,000 pages of classified material on North Korea’s nuclear program, the military campaign against the Islamic State, tensions in the South China Sea, and every other kind of threat the new team could face in its first weeks in office. Nobody in the current administration knows whether anyone in the next has read any of it. Less than three days before President Obama turns the keys to the White House, and the nuclear codes, over to President-elect Donald J. Trump, Mr. Trump’s transition staff...

Far away from the chaotic banter of political discourse, a small network of patriots have come together – yet few, if any, will ever elevate their mindset to notice the significance of their assembly. Specifically, this Thanksgiving, we stand thankful for, and raise our glass toward, General James Mattis and General John Kelly. Both have joined ranks with Admiral Mike Rogers (NSA), General Michael Flynn (Nat Sec) and Representative Mike Pompeo (CIA) to unite behind President-Elect Donald Trump and stand the gap after a long 65 year void.

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named a libertarian election lawyer as his White House counsel and a hard-line former Reagan administration official to a top post on his national security staff. Trump announced that Donald McGahn, a controversial former member of the Federal Election Commission who had served as Trump's campaign lawyer, will be his White House counsel. (snip) For deputy national security adviser, Trump chose Kathleen "KT" McFarland, who in her most recent role as a Fox News analyst has expressed strident opposition to many of President Obama's national security policies.

President-elect Donald Trump will tap KT McFarland to be his deputy national security adviser, according to Bloomberg News and the New York Times. McFarland, a former spokeswoman in the Pentagon during the Reagan era, lives in New York and currently serves as a Fox News National Security Analyst. She also served in the Nixon and Ford administrations and was an aide to Dr. Henry Kissinger, according to her Fox News profile. She also ran for the New York United States Senate seat held by Hillary Clinton in 2006, but was defeated by her Republican rival John Spencer. McFarland signaled on...

President-elect Donald Trump will tap KT McFarland to be his deputy national security adviser, according to Bloomberg News and the New York Times. McFarland, a former spokeswoman in the Pentagon during the Reagan era, lives in New York and currently serves as a Fox News National Security Analyst. She also served in the Nixon and Ford administrations and was an aide to Dr. Henry Kissinger, according to her Fox News profile. She also ran for the New York United States Senate seat held by Hillary Clinton in 2006, but was defeated by her Republican rival John Spencer.

Anyone who's followed Donald J. Trump on Twitter will know that he has an explosive temper - which might be a bit of a worry when he commands the world's second-biggest nuclear arsenal. But could he really unleash nuclear holocaust if he was a bit annoyed? He genuinely could - so quickly, in fact, that devastation would reach the other side of the globe quicker than most of us could order a pizza to our doors. If Donald Trump were to give the order to attack, no one can countermand it - the military will simply check the codes, and...

"Today, Mr. Trump convened a meeting of some of the top foreign policy and national security experts in the country to discuss how to win the war against Radical Islamic Terrorism. The participants talked about improving immigration screening and standards to keep out radicals, working with moderate Muslims to foster reforms, and partnering with friendly regimes in the Middle East to stamp out ISIS. This is a stark contrast to Hillary Clinton who wants to bring in 620,000 refugees with no way to screen them, who refuses to say radical Islam, and who bears direct responsibility for the rise of...

Retired lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency weighs in on 'Special Report'

Donald Trump delivered a major foreign policy speech Monday in Youngstown, Ohio, entitled “Understanding The Threat: Radical Islam And The Age Of Terror.” He lashed out strongly against the Obama-Clinton foreign policies that have led to turmoil in the Middle East, unleashed ISIS and allowed Iran to enhance its power in the region and globally. However, rather than dwell on the mistakes of the past, Trump also outlined his own forceful approach to defeating radical Islamic terrorist organizations once and for all, which includes, but is not limited to, just ISIS alone. “We cannot let this evil continue,” Trump declared....

Introductory remarks by Rudy Giuliani and Mike Pence, who speak about the ways they know each other well and why they admire each other, as well as having confidence in Donald Trump. This is an appearance that was not interrupted by protesters. An enthusiastic audience applauds and chants appreciatively. Mr. Trump speaks presidentially from prepared notes, but does not hold back. As Mike Pence said in his opening, "You will hear today a broad-shouldered vision to confront our enemies, restore our security and once again have America command the respect of the world."

GOP nominee Donald Trump is poised to receive his first classified intelligence briefing in New York City on Wednesday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will give Trump a "fairly general" report, says Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.   Retired Gen. Michael Hayden emphasized this latter point, noting the secret meetings will be "secret-light." Many have voiced their concerns about Trump having knowledge of important national security intel, especially after he invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails. the words "Trump" and "classified intelligence briefing" are so hard to write in the same tweet.— Edward Luce (@EdwardGLuce) August 17, 2016 Others pointed out that...

Donald Trump “would be the most reckless president in American history,” according to a damning letter signed by 50 prominent Republican national security experts urging voters to stay away from the GOP nominee this fall. In the clearest sign yet that Trump has failed to win over droves of Republican voters worried about his mercurial temperament and erratic behavior, the letter’s signatories, which include dozens of former officials in the Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and both Bush White Houses, made clear, in no uncertain terms, that the mogul not only lacks the credentials to be the nation’s leader but would...

Fifty of the nation’s most senior Republican national security officials, many of them former top aides or cabinet members for President George W. Bush, have signed a letter declaring that Donald J. Trump “lacks the character, values and experience” to be president and “would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being.”

Donald Trump’s speech on national security, which he delivered the day after the terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida, will change the dynamic of this election. The speech was specific, detailed, and on the money. Trump showed how strategic securing the border is, how important stopping immigration from terror zones like Syria is, and how deadly political correctness has become. Political correctness – which transforms the Islamic world, which has a lot to answer for, from aggressors into innocent victims – functions as a shield for Islamic terrorists, and handcuffs law-abiding citizens prompting them not to report suspicious activities by Muslims...

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Even if Donald Trump does not pick Newt Gingrich as his running mate, the former U.S. House Speaker may still have a job in the billionaire's administration. Trump is considering picking Gingrich for a top national security post should he be elected president, according to two people familiar with the the candidate's thinking. A longtime backer of Trump's campaign, Gingrich was added to the short list of vice presidential candidates in May. While Trump could still ask Gingrich to join the ticket, his focus has narrowed in recent days to Indiana Governor Mike Pence and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie,...

Other GOP elected officials may be avoiding the Republican National Convention later this month, but Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst sees an opening night speech as an opportunity “to give Iowans a voice on the national stage.” “Right now, Iowans are pretty darned frustrated — just like when I ran for election,” said Ernst, whose 2014 campaign caught fire with a “Make ’em Squeal” promise to cut federal spending. National security is to be her focus when she addresses the Cleveland convention on Monday, July 18. “There’s a real pushback against the failed policies we have right now,” Ernst said Tuesday....

The GOP Establishment will do anything, including openly supporting Hillary Clinton, to ensure that Mr. Trump is defeated in November. Today, an open letter signed by fifty national security officials who served in Republican administrations from Nixon to Bush 43, was released by media outlets. The letter, minus the fifty signature blocks is printed below in italics. My comments are in regular print. STATEMENT BY FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS The undersigned individuals have all served in senior national security and/or foreign policy positions in Republican Administrations, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. We have worked directly on national security...

“The names on this letter are the ones the American people should look to for answers on why the world is a mess, and we thank them for coming forward so everyone in the country knows who deserves the blame for making the world such a dangerous place. They are nothing more than the failed Washington elite looking to hold onto their power, and it’s time they are held accountable for their actions. These insiders – along with Hillary Clinton – are the owners of the disastrous decisions to invade Iraq, allow Americans to die in Benghazi, and they are...

Donald Trump thanked a group of Republican national security officials Monday for coming out against his candidacy, saying it is good for voters to now know who is to blame for “making the world such a dangerous place.” . . . Mr. Trump countered in a statement of his own, saying the signatories "are nothing more than the failed Washington elite looking to hold onto their power, and it's time they are held accountable for their actions." . . . "It's time we put our foot down and declare that their gravy train is over: no longer will Crooked Hillary...