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R E P U B L I C A N P L A T F O R M
•We
call for a one-year pause in nondefense, non-veterans discretionary
spending.
•We
must develop and deploy both national and theater missile defenses to
protect the American homeland, our people, our Armed Forces abroad, and our
allies. Effective, layered missile defenses are critical to guard against
the unpredictable actions of rogue regimes and outlaw states, reduce the
possibility of strategic blackmail, and avoid the disastrous consequences of
an accidental or unauthorized launch by a foreign power.
•We
strongly support NATO-endorsed efforts to deploy missile defenses to protect
our European allies from the threat of Iranian missiles, and we appreciate
the willingness of the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic to host
these needed defensive systems.
•We
condemn the Russian Federation’s attempts to intimidate states, formerly
under Soviet domination, in order to prevent their deploying missile
defenses.
Democrat Platform 2008
•We
will renew the defense R&D system
(What
does this mean?)
•We
will use this moment both to rebuild our military and to prepare it for
the missions of the future. We must retain the capacity to swiftly
defeat any conventional threat to our country and our vital interests.
(What does this mean?)
We will instruct the Defense and State Departments to develop a strategy for
determining when contracting makes sense