Dear Friends,
A government shutdown has taken effect—an outcome with immediate and dangerous consequences for America’s national security. While Washington stalls, our adversaries press forward.
In recent weeks, Russian aircraft have probed U.S. and NATO airspace, and Beijing has unveiled new military technologies while escalating threats toward Taiwan. These are not distant concerns. They reveal how closely our rivals watch America’s divisions, testing our resolve and seeking to exploit a distracted nation and weakened force.
This shutdown undermines readiness, delays key modernization efforts, and disrupts the defense industrial base—at the very moment we must prepare for renewed global competition. Meanwhile, the Senate continues to stall on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the single most important piece of legislation to equip and sustain our armed forces. As Senator Roger Wicker has emphasized, this bipartisan bill does not require a continuing resolution and must be passed without delay.
Veterans On Duty believes the path forward is clear: Congress must set aside partisan gamesmanship, end the shutdown and restore funding, and swiftly pass the NDAA. The stakes are nothing less than the safety of our troops, the strength of our alliances, and the security of our nation.
Follow us on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook—and help spread the word by sharing our newsletter with friends, family, and veterans in your community. Together, we can preserve the blessings of American liberty.
Signed,
Hooff Cooksey
Executive Director, Veterans on Duty
