Breen: Single-Source Oil Dependence Threatens National Security, Must Support Development of Advanced Energy Technologies

Washington, D.C. –Today, Michael Breen, Executive Director of the Truman National Security Project and Center for National Policy and Operation Free Spokesman, testified before the House Energy and Power Subcommittee at their hearing entitled, “U.S. Energy Abundance: Exports and the Changing Global Energy Landscape.”

Operation Free is a nationwide coalition of veterans and national security experts, dedicated to securing America with clean energy. Operation Free is an advocacy campaign of the Truman National Security Project and Center for National Policy.

In his written testimony, Breen addressed the dangers of our single source dependence on oil and the policy measures we must take to strengthen our national security.

At the hearing, Breen said, “No matter how much domestic production picks up, the negative consequences of our single-source oil dependence are likely to persist. Today, the Syrian resistance movement is being gunned down with bullets supplied by Putin’s oil-rich Russia. American Soldiers and Marines are confronting terrorists in Afghanistan armed with Iranian weapons, purchased with oil money. Our forward operating bases are put in danger every time a fuel convoy is attacked. In every case just mentioned, American national security is significantly threatened.”

Breen highlighted some of the energy innovations that the military is spearheading to try and reduce our dependence on oil and strengthen our national security. He described how the Air Force is deploying the world’s largest demonstration of vehicle-to-grid technology, using a fleet of electric vehicles to lower the electricity bills of military installations, and the Marines are deploying renewable energy platforms on the battlefield.

Breen explained in his testimony that “[i]t should be no surprise that our military is leading the world in developing next generation energy technologies… just this past Friday, at the Truman Project’s annual conference, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus detailed the Navy’s investments in new ways to power ships and aircraft. The Navy has developed advanced biofuels made from sources like algae and camelina, a seed that already grows in 49 states. Like the internet and GPS—two military developed technologies—these advancements are benefitting the American economy today… We must support their development, and continue to lead the world through innovation.”

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Operation Free is a nationwide coalition of veterans and national security experts working to secure America with clean energy. Operation Free is a campaign of the Truman National Security Project and Center for National Policy.

Keynote Speakers Will Join Policy, Political and Military Experts in Addressing the Emerging Threats of the 21st century

Washington, DC – The Truman National Security Project’s 2013 Membership Conference on May 3^rd will feature a prestigious line up of speakers including Gen. John Allen, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

The theme of the conference is “Forging a Legacy” and speakers will describe the current national security landscape and discuss how to establish 21^st century foreign policy strategy to confront today’s threats.

The conference will take place Friday, May 3^rd to Sunday May 5^th. Friday’s program at the Kennedy Caucus Room will be open to press. You must RSVP to sdreyer@trumanCNP.org to attend.

What: Truman Project Annual Membership Conference

Who: Truman Project Principals, Gen. John Allen (Ret.), former Sec. of State Madeleine Albright, and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus

When: Friday, May 3^rd 9-3:30pm ET Full agenda here

Where:
Capitol Hill, Russell Senate Office Building
Kennedy Caucus Room, SR-325
Located on Constitution Avenue & 1st Street

RSVP to sdreyer@trumanCNP.org to attend

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About Truman Project

The Truman National Security Project is a leadership institute that recruits, trains and positions forward-thinking leaders to advocate for and implement policies that strengthen American security, our nation’s economy, and human rights and democracy at home and around the world. Learn more at www.trumanproject.org

“Commander in Chief” Ad Recognized by American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) at Annual Conference

Washington, DC – The Truman National Security Project is proud to announce that it has been awarded a coveted Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC), the industry’s highest honor bestowed upon political consultants at the national and international level. The Truman Project was recognized for its television ad, “Commander in Chief,” which was produced in partnership with Adelstein | Liston and aired in October 2012 and questioned Gov. Mitt Romney’s ability to keep America safe if he were elected President.

The ad was awarded a Silver Pollie in the category of “Television Advertisement Produced” for its exemplary work during the 2013 political season.  The ad also received an honorable mention in the category of “Best Use of a Negative Contrast”. This is the Truman Project’s second Pollie award in as many years and its first honorable mention.

“We are so honored to receive these awards,” said Truman Project Executive Director Mike Breen. “The winning organizations represent the top talent in the political and public affairs consulting business across the nation. We are grateful for this recognition and to our partner Adelstein | Liston for helping us promote the importance of national security in the 2012 campaign.”

The Pollie Awards are bipartisan honors awarded annually by the AAPC to members of the political advertising and communications industry who have demonstrated superior work on behalf of their candidates and causes. A blind jury of their peers known as the “Judges” selects AAPC award winners. Esquire magazine has dubbed the Pollies as “…the Oscars of political advertising.”

The AAPC announced this year’s winners at the 2013 Annual Pollie Awards & Conference on April 5 in Washington, D.C. The annual Pollie Awards & Conference marks the beginning of the next political season where political professionals gather to learn, celebrate, relax, network and refuel for the upcoming 2014 election cycle.

The “Commander in Chief” ad also won “Best” and “Toughest Ad in 2012” at the 2013 Campaigns and Elections Reed Awards earlier this year.  

About AAPC

Founded in 1969, the AAPC is a multi-partisan organization of political and public affairs professionals dedicated to improving democracy. The AAPC has over 1,000 members hailing from all corners of the globe.  It is the largest association of political and public affairs professionals in the world. For more information, see www.theaapc.org.

About Truman Project

The Truman National Security Project is a leadership training institute that recruits, trains and positions forward-thinking leaders to advocate for and implement policies that strengthen American security, our nation’s economy, and human rights and democracy at home and around the world. Learn more at www.trumanproject.org

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Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Time: Noon-1:15 p.m.
Location: One Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 333, Washington, D.C.

In his book, Star Spangled Security: Applying Lessons Learned Over Six Decades Safeguarding America, former Defense Secretary Harold Brown (a RAND Trustee) applies his vast foreign policy experience to the world’s current challenges.

At an event on Tuesday, April 9, Dr. Brown will join Scott Bates, president of the Center for National Policy, in Washington, D.C. to discuss aligning the United States’ values, interests, and defense budget to meet the nation’s ongoing and future needs.

Read the rest of the article here.

Who:
Moderator: Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, CNP Fellow for cybersecurity
Panelist: Richard Spires, DHS CIO

When: Wednesday, March 13^th 11:00am-12:15pm ET

Where: Truman/CNP Capitol Hill Office
One Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 333
Washington, DC 20001

You can follow the event live on Twitter and send in questions for the panelists by tweeting at @CNPonline.

Houser will lead the Truman Project’s nationwide advocacy efforts, including the award-winning veterans’ campaign Operation Free and Howarth – a Truman Project Fellow – will lead member engagement among the DC-based Truman Project community. Fureigh will launch and manage Truman Project’s new Training Program, a curriculum including trainings and briefings on strategic communication, military 101 and national security issues.

Truman Project/CNP Executive Director Mike Breen said that each new department head will add immediate value to the organization. He said, “Jaclyn’s extensive organizing experience and her ability to manage large teams will be huge assets to our advocacy campaigns. Likewise, Caitlin’s experience as a Truman Project member has provided her an insider’s view of the way we function as a community. The addition of Jaclyn and Caitlin will help us maintain the high level of communication outreach, member development and advocacy that our members and supporters expect. We are also pleased to have Brandon continue the great work he has done in the past under his new title. With these new staff changes, we can continue to train and position the rising decision-makers of our country.”

Houser brings more than a decade’s worth of experience leading campaigns and projects for political candidates, progressive non-profits and consulting firms to Truman Project/CNP.  Her political work includes serving as Campaign Director for 2012 Congressional candidate Teresa Hensley in Missouri’s 4th District and as a Regional Field Director with John Kerry’s 2004 Presidential bid in Michigan.  Most recently, she worked at the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) where she acted as press liaison for the half-million member union.

“I am so excited to join the Truman/CNP team,” said Houser. “The organization has a proven track record of getting the job done right, and I’m excited to help continue that tradition in 2013 and beyond.”

Howarth, the former National Policy Director of the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, is a Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, where she covers human security and humanitarian technology. She served as an analyst for the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s Satellite Sentinel Project team from 2011-2012, reporting in near real-time on human security threats in the southern border regions of Sudan; the Project’s findings were cited by the Office of the ICC Prosecutor in its case against Sudanese Defense Minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein.

“As a Truman member, I have seen firsthand the important work that the Truman Project does at the nexus of policy, politics, and the progressive movement,” Howarth said. “I’m proud to be part of a team that’s writing a new chapter in national security, and excited to help it reach new heights.”

Brandon Fureigh, will be the first Director of Training and Public Engagement for the Truman National Security Project and Center for National Policy. He previously served as Advocacy Director managing Truman’s award winning campaigns Make US Strong and Operation Free. He led his team to key policy and legislative victories including the Truman Project’s first piece of legislation, the Energy Security Coordination Act of 2012, which was passed unanimously by the California State Senate.

“Training the next generation of foreign policy and national security leaders has always been an essential part of the Truman mission. Creating the new Training Directorship was a natural step forward in developing the program,” explained Fureigh.

The Truman National Security Project is a leadership training institute that recruits, trains and positions forward-thinking leaders to advocate for and implement policies that strengthen American security, our nation’s economy, and human rights and democracy at home and around the world.

The Center for National Policy is an independent policy institute that convenes experts, leaders and practitioners to craft policies that strengthen American security, our nation’s economy, and human rights and democracy at home and around the world.

The two organizations partnered in January 2013 and together, they unite generations of innovators in forging a stronger America.

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Voice of Korea covers the Women in Combat event hosted by the Center for National Policy with Scott Bates and Mike Breen.

Click here to listen.

(Note: Korean language)

 Watch it Here: http://tru.mn/10WJGn1

Washington, D.C. – Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the elimination of the ground combat exclusion rule for women in the military. Sec. Panetta stated his desire to move forward with a plan to eliminate all gender-based barriers to service. The services will have until January 2016 to make a case that some positions should remain closed to women.

Today, at the Truman Project/CNP Capitol Hill Office, former U.S. Army Captain Mike Breen and female combat veteran Kayla Williams discussed the effects that Secretary Panetta’s decision will have on current and future generations of servicemembers, and outlined which barriers will be the most challenging to overcome.

Kayla Williams is a former sergeant and linguist in a military intelligence company of the US Army. She is the author of a memoir, Love My Rifle More Than You, and she serves as a Truman National Security Project Fellow and on the Army Education Advisory Committee.

Williams is fully supportive of Secretary Panetta’s decision but cautioned that it will take time to implement the new order. She said, “Rescinding the combat exclusion policy is a validation of the honorable service of the American women who have served in every conflict since the Revolutionary War, and in particular the more than 280,000 U.S. women who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade – especially those who have received awards for their valor, or been wounded in combat. However, implementation presents numerous challenges for the military; successful integration of women into all currently closed jobs and units will require clear vision, accountability, and strong leadership.”

Mike Breen, Executive Director for Truman Project and the Center for National Policy served alongside Special Operations Forces as a U.S. Army captain. Breen said, “The decision to allow women to serve in combat is a tremendous step forward and the fact that the final push has come from within the military speaks volumes for how vital women have become to operational success. Maintaining physical standards for direct-fire combat is difficult for anyone — man or woman — so if a woman can do it, then I am all for it.”

In 1994, the Department of Defense enacted the “Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule,” which barred women from ground combat jobs (such as the infantry and artillery) and from being assigned to “units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.”

The nature of modern warfare means that the traditional distinction between the ‘front line’ and ‘behind the line no longer exist,’ ensuring that women often face the same risks of being attacked by the enemy as their male counterparts. More than 150 female servicemembers have died and more than 800 have received the Purple Heart in connection with wounds suffered on the field of battle during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

By rescinding the 1994 rule, Sec. Panetta is opening the door for female servicemembers to be assigned to jobs and units from which they were previously excluded and allowing military units to have the best people on their teams regardless of gender.

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The Truman National Security Project is a leadership training institute that recruits, trains and positions forward-thinking leaders to advocate for and implement policies that strengthen American security, our nation’s economy, and human rights and democracy at home and around the world.

The Center for National Policy is an independent policy institute that convenes experts, leaders and practitioners to craft policies that strengthen American security, our nation’s economy, and human rights and democracy at home and around the world.

Together, we unite generations of innovators in forging a stronger America

Truman Project and CNP to Host Discussion Featuring Kayla Williams, Combat Veteran and Author of Love My Rifle More Than You

Washington, D.C. – Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the elimination of the ground combat exclusion rule for women in the military. Sec. Panetta stated his desire to move forward with a plan to eliminate all gender-based barriers to service. On Thursday, February 21^st at 12pm ET, CNP President Scott Bates will be joined by an expert panel to discuss the effects that Secretary Panetta’s decision will have on current, and future generations of service-members, as well as which barriers will be the most challenging to overcome.

Please RSVP to Stephanie Dreyer at sdreyer@trumancnp.org or 914-715-6087. Lunch will be served.

Moderator:
Scott Bates CNP President

Panelists:
Mike Breen, Executive Director of Truman CNP and former U.S. Army Captain
Kayla Williams, Author of Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the US Army and Truman Project Fellow

Date: Thursday, February 21st

Time: 12:00pm-1:15pm

Where:
Truman CNP Capitol Hill Office
One Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 333

NOTE: For those unable to attend the event in person, we will be live streaming it on U Stream here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/center-for-national-policy

You can also follow the event live on twitter and send in questions for the panelists by tweeting at @CNPOnline.

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“The cybersecurity EO signed by the President yesterday provides the critical infrastructure companies that supply the vital services we all rely on with a new framework to strengthen their defenses. Helping these companies voluntarily and collaboratively establish standards of care to ensure the public safety and economic prosperity of our country, while improving the flow of cyber threat information from the government to the private sector is a great initial step.

“However, Congress must now act to incentivize widespread adoption of such measures with legislative carrots and a backstop of legislative sticks, if necessary.  Private sector companies should rightly determine how most efficiently to protect their critical systems, but our elected leaders should ensure they actually do so.  By carefully tailoring legislative incentives to encourage wide adoption of the EO framework–while ensuring strong privacy, civil liberties and consumer protections–Congress can help spur the private sector towards innovative, cost-effective solutions to address cyber threats.

“The President has taken a thoughtful and bold step to do all he can to protect our national security, our jobs and our privacy. It is now up to Members of Congress to match his courage, put country first, and build on this foundation by passing effective legislation.”

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