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John Spratt believes our country needs to stay strong, second to none as a military power.
From missile defense to military procurement, John has backed a strong but cost-effective defense. The Almanac of American Politics pinpoints him as “one of a handful who shape defense policy in the House.”
A strong supporter of our troops, John helped pass a hike in hazardous duty and separation pay, fought for a waiver of premiums on servicemen's life insurance, and pushed for funding of family separation centers and low-interest loans for reservists on active duty.
Iraq
John Spratt believes that we should keep pushing for a positive outcome in Iraq, while preparing for a handoff. He believes that we should tell the Iraqis that we are not pulling out immediately, but neither are we staying indefinitely. The Iraqis must build up their army and police forces, because the day is coming when Iraqis must take charge of Iraq.
Our mission in Iraq has been plagued from the start by poor intelligence, poor planning for the post-war, and a disdain for the advice of our allies and our own military leaders. The Army's chief of staff was ignored, and too few troops were deployed. The Administration failed to foresee the insurgency that followed the war, and many of our servicemen and women who were deployed were not properly equipped with body armor or armored vehicles. Troops were forced to improvise in the field and assigned to duty for which they were not trained. These and other errors in judgment have cost us casualties and made the insurgency more intractable.
What should we do? First, we must supply our troops in Iraq with everything they need to suppress the insurgency and secure the country. Second, we must step up the training of Iraqi security forces – army, border guards, building guards, police and special counter-terrorism units – so that we can turn over to Iraqis the responsibility for securing their own country. Third, we should help the Iraqi forces protect themselves through the provision of better armor and smarter security where recruits gather. Fourth, we must assist Iraqis in forming a functioning representative government, in which all ethnic groups have a voice. And fifth, we must enlist greater allied assistance in protecting Iraq 's borders and preventing the infiltration of foreign terrorists.
Terrorism
Since 9/11, the United States has dealt heavy blows to al Qaeda and international terrorist networks. However, in October 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged that “we lack metrics to know if we are winning or losing the war on terror,” and that we are “putting relatively little effort into a long-range plan” to prevail. How can we defeat global terrorism?
John Spratt believes that we must use every tool at our disposal – including military force – to capture, kill or disrupt international terrorists who are intent on attacking our homeland and our citizens, as well as our interests in other parts of the world.
The lesson of 9/11 is clear: There are terrorists in the world who want to destroy us and they have no compunction about killing innocent men, women and children to further their aims. We must take the fight to the enemy and redouble our efforts to capture Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants. At the same time, we must engage allies in a global network in which each country embraces the defeat of terrorism as a common cause. We ourselves must recognize that this is not only a war of arms, but also a war of ideas. The United States needs a long-term strategy to dispel the anti-Americanism that exists in some parts of the world, and which is particularly virulent in many Islamic nations.
What should we do? First, we must capture or kill terrorists who are bent on attacking Americans and other innocent people. Second, we should target the broader network of Islamist terror groups, whether or not they are linked to al Qaeda. This requires penetrating their networks; seizing their assets and stopping them from raising money; and pressuring governments to deny them safe haven. Third, over the long term, we must get to the roots of such fanaticism, promote reforms and opportunity in Islamic nations, convince governments to clamp down on institutions that serve as breeding grounds for terrorists, and encourage reformers.
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