Not long ago, the active-duty military derided National Guard and Reserve units as “weekend warriors.” But, as the Pentagon relies more heavily on citizen soldiers, the chiefs of each military branch’s guard and reserve components are calling for modernization of equipment, training, and increased benefits. “It’s a matter of readiness,” Gen. Daniel Hokanson, Chief of…

Commentary Japan is finally stepping up its defenses against China. Tokyo’s new national security strategy includes an increase in the defense budget from 1 percent of GDP to 2 percent. That will bring Japan into third position globally regarding military spending, behind the United States and China. The United States supports Japan’s tougher strategy. The U.S….

Some House districts that voted for President Joe Biden are leaning red—and a new endorsement emerges in Arizona’s Senate race that could rally an entire base to the right. A researcher from the Heritage Foundation joins us to discuss censorship on Twitter after his account was just recently suspended. What has been happening since Elon…

Commentary It’s that time of year when China announces its defense budget. This year, defense spending is set to increase 7.1 percent (1.45 trillion yuan or $230 billion) after last year’s 6.8 percent rise, and a 6.6 percent increase the year before that. But these figures are almost meaningless. Perhaps Beijing only issues them as a…

News Analysis China’s defense budget will likely increase by approximately 7.1 percent this year, more than last year and the year before, and more than its expected GDP increase. Beijing is apparently on the warpath, even as U.S. defense budgets have declined over 10 percent over the last decade, and could decline further under President…

TOKYO—Japan’s Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other “game-changing” weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to China’s growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan. The 1.1 percent budget…

World War II concluded more than 75 years ago, and although there have been regional conflicts where Canada has volunteered soldiers since then, there’s been no war that tested the willingness of all young Canadians to go to the front lines to defend freedom if called upon. Retired Lt.-Col. John Selkirk, who spent decades in…

The Secretary of State says there’s no hostage-like situation at the Mazar-i-Sharif airport in Afghanistan. So what’s the holdup? And why does Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) say he’s furious? The Taliban are accused of killing a pregnant policewoman in front of her family. This, while the EU ambassador to Afghanistan voices his concerns about women’s…

China will increase its military budget to 1.35 trillion yuan (about $207.8 billion) in 2021, which is 6.8 percent higher than 2020, Chinese state-run media reported on Mar. 6. One expert told The Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s top priority is to strengthen its military. During the ruling party’s most important annual…