RPA releases Seventh Party Principle: strong national defense

Terry Benham, a U.S. Army Veteran and a partner of Impact Management Group in Little Rock, wrote a guest opinion to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette on Sunday. This seventh piece in our series of the Party principles discusses the importance of a strong national defense.

"The world is safer when America is strong. Throughout our lifetime, the world has looked to America first. Perhaps it wasn’t always that way but as far back as 1630, John Winthrop declared in a sermon that America would become a shining “city on a hill,” representing the hope and aspirations of all free men and women. Ronald Reagan later revived that phrase, rallying Conservatives across the country around a belief in American exceptionalism and a hope that we would remain a nation which is 'sought out by those possessed by an abiding love of freedom and a special kind of courage.'

"Strength and courage are in our DNA. First exemplified by our Founding Fathers, these attributes assert and preserve our exceptional stance in the world. From the beginning, we’ve been a refuge and a beacon of hope to those who seek freedom from oppression and the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Whether in our home defense or through our international liberation of the oppressed, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces have always been the strength of the American idea. It’s through them and strong national defense policies, that we remained exceptional and a pillar of strength for our allies and those seeking hope of a better tomorrow..."