NATIONAL DEFENSE & VETERANS AFFAIRS

The California Republican Party stands for a strong national defense.

The first duty of government is to provide for the common defense. It is imperative that we retain our military superiority in order to deter any potential adversary, and that under no circumstances would it be wise to initiate conflict at any level with the United States. Yet, we affirm that our military forces exist to deter our enemies and not to initiate war.

We should never allow our troops to be put under foreign command.

We believe that compensation for our troops should be fair and support a state income tax exemption while our troops are on active duty. We are free because of those who have answered the call to serve. We owe our veterans more than our thanks; we owe them our support for retirement benefits and healthcare. We support fair efforts to privatize the operations of the Veteran’s Administration in order to increase efficiencies and the quality of care.