Defense and security articles
Get unbiased data and visuals on military recruitment, veterans, border security, and foreign affairs.
Who are the nation’s veterans?
The population of living veterans in the US — nearly 16 million people — is both shrinking in size and growing more diverse. What is a veteran, and who is considered one? Title 38 of the United States Code defines a veteran as “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” The code also outlines who qualifies for veteran status beyond active duty to include service members such as reservists, members of the National Guard, cadets and midshipmen at military academies, commissioned officers outside the Armed Forces, and those in training for military service. The Department of Veteran Affairs is responsible for determining veteran status and maintaining veteran benefit eligibility. What is a protected veteran? The Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 prohibits discrimination against certain veterans. Protected veterans meet the Title 38 qualifications but are afforded additional consideration due to disability, recent discharge, participation in wartime, or service recognition.
Apr 14, 2025How much fentanyl is seized at US borders each month?
About 720 pounds in May 2025. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used medically as a pain reliever but is also trafficked illegally due to its potency. In 2023, the latest data available, fentanyl was involved in 69% of fatal accidental drug overdoses in the US.
Updates monthlyWhat is ICE and what does it do?
Since 2003, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been responsible for enforcing federal laws governing customs, trade, and immigration. ICE was created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which was passed after 9/11. This act created the DHS and reorganized existing agencies, merging the US Customs Service (formerly under the Treasury Department) and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (formerly under the Justice Department) to form ICE. ICE’s mission is to preserve American security and public safety, mainly within US borders, by enforcing immigration laws. This primarily involves detaining, deporting, and convicting unauthorized immigrants. It also assists international investigations into criminal organizations and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit US customs and immigration laws. It operates with a staff of over 20,000 across 400+ global offices and an annual budget of around $8 billion.
Mar 21, 2025How many people are deported from the US each year?
1.1M in 2023. The Department of Homeland Security defines deportation as the removal or return of a noncitizen from the United States. However, a broader term can be used, “repatriation”, which also includes COVID-19 related expulsions from the US.
How many troops are in the US military?
About 2.1 million in June 2024. This includes 1.3 million active duty troops and 762,000 reserve troops. This includes active duty troops or full-time training duty in the reserves. Reserve troops are withheld from initial action to be deployed at a later time and are subject to call to active duty.
How much does the US spend on defense?
About $820 billion in fiscal year 2023. Defense spending includes personnel compensation, equipment, research and development (R&D), and the costs associated with operating and maintaining military efforts. The Department of Defense is responsible for most spending on national defense, along with other agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice.
How many people apprehended at US borders have a prior criminal conviction?
About 17,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This number of criminal noncitizen arrests — now referred to by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as criminal alien arrests — represents 1.1% of all border apprehensions by the US Border Patrol (USBP) through September 2024, the end of the federal fiscal year. Because one person may be arrested multiple times in the same fiscal year, it’s possible to have more arrests than people arrested.
How many unauthorized immigrants are in the US?
An estimated 11 million in 2022. The unauthorized immigrant population consists of all foreign-born noncitizens who are not legal US residents. This includes people who entered the country undetected, those who requested asylum after entry, and those who sought asylum at the border. It also encompasses people from conflict zones, such as Ukraine, and those who have overstayed their temporary visas.
What does the Department of Defense do?
The Department of Defense (DOD) is cabinet-level executive branch agency tasked with maintaining and overseeing the military forces of the United States. Its primary functions include overseeing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force; creating military policies; and managing the defense budget. It was established in 1947.
Updates annuallyWhat does the Department of Veterans Affairs do?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a cabinet-level executive branch agency responsible for providing healthcare services, benefits programs, and access to national cemeteries for the nation's veterans and their dependents. It was established as the Veterans Administration in 1930 and elevated to cabinet status in 1989.
Updates annuallyWhat does USAID do?
USAID (US Agency for International Development) is an independent executive branch agency responsible for administering foreign aid and economic development assistance outside the US. Its functions include supporting economic growth, global health, and education; providing humanitarian aid in response to crises; and advancing US foreign policy goals through partnerships. It was established in 1961 as part of the Foreign Assistance Act.
Updates annuallyHow is the standard of living changing for veterans?
Veterans’ standard of living in 2023 was slightly better than the average American when measured by higher median incomes, lower unemployment rates, and a reduced likelihood of poverty.How many veterans are unemployed?In 2023, 2.8% of veterans — around 241,000 people — were unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The veteran population had a lower unemployment rate than non-veterans (3.6%). Of all Americans, veteran and not, younger people tend to have the highest unemployment rate. This is true for veterans aged 18 to 24, whose unemployment rate of 7.8% is more than double the general veteran average. Veterans with a service-related disability also had a higher unemployment rate; it stood at 6.0% as of August 2023.
Jan 6, 2025How much does the VA spend?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the fifth-largest spender among federal agencies, accounting for 3.5% of federal spending in fiscal year (FY) 2023. Adjusting for inflation, VA expenditures increased nearly 70% over the last decade, from $180 billion in FY 2013 to $301 billion in FY 2023.
Aug 22, 2024Border recidivism: How common are repeat illegal border crossings?
Immigration remains a hot-button issue in the United States, with border recidivism being a key aspect of policy debates. Recidivism has risen in recent years, and reports cite Title 42’s lack of penalties for illegal reentry as a reason for the trend.What is border recidivism?Border recidivism is the rate at which people try to reenter the US illegally within one year of being caught and sent back to their home country.The word “recidivism” is often used to describe how likely a formerly incarcerated person is to re-offend. The same concept applies to border recidivism, which the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) defines as the percentage of people apprehended by the US Border Patrol more than once within a fiscal year (which begin on October 1 and end on September 30 of the following year) for attempting to enter the US illegally.It’s worth noting that an apprehension is not the same as an arrest. Apprehension is when Border Patrol detains someone who is unlawfully in the US. It may or may not lead to an arrest, according to the CBP’s definition.Why does the government track border recidivism?The federal government uses the border recidivism rate to measure how effective the Border Patrol is at preventing illegal immigration, according to a report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). However, the measure has some limitations.According to the GAO and the US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, the border recidivism rate does not account for a person’s apprehension history over multiple fiscal years, nor does it consider individuals who have been apprehended but have no record of removal, which can lead to an underestimation of recidivism.
Aug 1, 2024How does the government support veterans?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spent over $266 billion in fiscal year 2022 — accounting for about 4.3% of all federal spending — on pay and pensions, healthcare, and education for the nation’s veterans.How does the Department of Veterans Affairs spend its budget?The majority of VA expenditures fund veterans’ compensation and pensions (50.5% of VA spending) and medical care services (38.9%).A veteran’s eligibility for pensions and compensation depends on factors such as their age, service, and disability status. More than 5.9 million veterans and their families received financial support from the disability compensation program in 2022, one of the VA’s most-accessed programs.The VA also provides veterans with free healthcare for conditions related to military service, for catastrophic disabilities, and for veterans with a disability rating of at least 50%. (The VA assigns veterans a numerical rating based on the severity of their service-connected disability; this rating determines their’ eligibility for benefits and the amount of their compensation.) The department also provides financial assistance to veterans who can’t afford to pay for healthcare. In 2022, the VA spent $104 billion on veterans’ medical care.Spending per patient varies depending on the veterans’ priority group, which triages patients based on the severity of their disability or medical condition and whether the condition is related to their service.
Aug 1, 2024How much does the US spend on the military?
In 2023, the US military spent approximately $820.3 billion, or roughly 13.3% of the entire federal budget for that fiscal year. In March 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) requested $842.0 billion for 2024 — a 2.6% increase.With the world’s third-largest military, at nearly 1.3 million active-duty troops, the US estimates it spends more than any other nation on its national defense. Between 2014 and 2022, the US spent more than twice as much on defense as did all other NATO members, 30 nations in total.According to the 2022 National Defense Strategy, US military priorities include countering China’s military presence in the Indo-Pacific; deterring strategic attacks against the US and allies; defending against evolving threats like cyberattacks and addressing aggression from Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Aug 1, 2024Statistics on unauthorized US immigration and US border crossings by year
Border officials encountered 11 million unauthorized migrants attempting to enter the US between October 2019 and June 2024.Data on these border encounters — which include people attempting to enter the country or apprehended trying to cross the border without inspection — helps the government estimate the number of individuals illegally entering the US.By understanding the demographics and origins of people encountered at the border, policymakers can better understand the complex factors driving immigration and make informed policy decisions.What is a border encounter?The Department of Homeland Security separates border encounters into three categories:Apprehensions are people temporarily detained by the US Border Patrol (USBP) for crossing the border illegally between ports of entry. They may or may not be arrested under Title 8 and can file for asylee status.Inadmissibles are people seeking legal admission at official ports of entry who are found ineligible by officers of the Office of Field Operations (OFO) under Title 8. This category also includes people seeking humanitarian protection and people who voluntarily withdraw their admission application; they can also file for asylee status.Expulsions are migrants denied exclusively through Title 42 to stop the spread of COVID-19. This status only applied from March 2020 to May 2023. USBP or OFO officers were empowered to expel people and return them to their home country or last non-US location. These individuals were not given the opportunity to apply for asylum.These encounters don't necessarily reflect the actual number of people trying to cross the border; some people make multiple crossings during the same fiscal year, meaning they’d appear more than once in the data, and others successfully enter without encountering any US official.
Aug 1, 2024How much does the US spend on the Space Force?
On December 20, 2019, the United States Space Force (USSF) became the sixth branch of the US military with the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. It was the first new branch since the US Air Force was established in 1947.Nine months later, on September 1, 2020, the Space Force inducted its first class of deployed Guardians, as they are called. Twenty members of the US Air Force trained in space operations and other core space career fields transferred to the new branch, making them the first Space Force members engaged in support of combat operations.What does the Space Force do?Housed within the Air Force, Space Force operates as its own department with its own duties. They are: to protect the interests of the United States in space; to deter aggression in, from, and to space; and to conduct space operations in service of America’s national security.Just as the US Navy protects the country at sea, space is its own domain. This includes civilian, commercial, and military activity — think civilian space travel and exploration, commercial satellite technology, and cyber warfare. The Space Force is charged with protecting and defending American military capabilities and economic interests in the space realm.The Space Force is differentiated from NASA, which is the United States’ civilian space agency. NASA astronauts and scientists are dedicated to space exploration and scientific discovery. There is crossover between the military and NASA, however. Many NASA employees are veterans. For example, NASA’s first class of astronauts, the Mercury 7, were all military test pilots.Where does the Space Force spend its budget?The five-year plan for establishing the Space Force includes creating a headquarters within the Pentagon (fiscal year 2020), transferring select missions and units to the USSF (FY 2021–2022), and eventually developing new ways to organize, train, and equip its forces (2023–2024).In 2020, funding went towards the operation to establish its headquarters. This ramp up period allowed the USSF to establish the necessary “policies, procedures, and systems to operate.”In 2021, funding expanded with the transfer of missions, forces, and programs that had been planned to begin one year after its establishment. This year’s budget included procurement as well as research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), which constituted 67% of the total budget proposal. The 2024 budget request is similarly allocated with 64% of the Space Force budget covering RDT&E.Since the Defense Department has identified China and Russia as looming threats to US space capabilities, the department plans to focus next year’s efforts on building “resilient, ready, combat-credible space forces” by “accelerating the pivot towards resilient satellite constellations, ground stations, networks and data links,” Saltzman said.The Space Force budget continues to increase. In 2020, it received $40 million for establishing operations. In 2021, as the branch became fully operational, it received $15.4 billion in total funding. Two years later, this amount was nearly doubled at $26.3 billion.
Aug 1, 2024How many people die crossing the US-Mexico border?
Since 1998, at least 8,000 undocumented migrants have died attempting to cross the border from Mexico to the US. Their journey often involves traveling through desert areas where there’s few sources of water, steep rocky terrain, and temperatures reaching 118°F during the summer.Extreme heat, drownings, and falls are some of the frequent causes of death for those trying to cross.
Aug 1, 2024An overview of the US–Mexico border
The United States and Mexico share a nearly 2,000-mile land border. Along the way, the American states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas abut the Mexican states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.How long is the US–Mexico border?The 1,954-miles-long border between the US and Mexico includes 18 miles of maritime boundary on the Pacific Coast and 12 miles extending into the Gulf of Mexico.The Rio Grande, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, divides the nations for 1,255 miles. The remaining distance includes a stretch of land from El Paso, Texas, on the east to the southwestern tip of Arizona, where the border follows the Colorado River 24 miles north. There, it meets and follows the southern border of California to the Pacific Ocean.Where do people live on the border?The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the US–Mexico border region, which extends 62.5 miles north and south from the border, is home to around 15 million people. More than 1 million live in 15 groups of sister cities established over decades of binational relations to coordinate emergency response plans.The largest US cities on the border are San Diego, California; El Paso, Texas; and Laredo, Texas.
Jul 30, 2024Is military enlistment down?
Military enlistment has declined in recent decades. The Department of Defense (DoD) said it faces “unprecedented recruiting challenges,” as 77% of young adults in the US are unqualified to serve.At the end of the 2023 fiscal year (September 2023), three branches reported falling short of their recruitment goals: the Navy was at 80% of its target number, the Army was at 77%, and the Air Force was at 89%. The Marine Corps and Space Force were the only branches to meet their recruitment goals.The total number of active-duty service members in the US armed forces declined roughly 6% from 2012 to 2022, from 1.4 million to 1.3 million.How much has military enlistment dropped?Slightly more than 148,000 people enlisted in the US armed forces in 2020, a 58% decline from 1980, when 360,745 new people enlisted in the military. The number of applications to the military has dropped 73% over that same time, from 768,532 to 205,105. while the military’s acceptance rate increased from 46.9% to 72.3%.The Department of Defense said the COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant challenges to recruiting in 2020, and the US Army Recruiting Command notes that the current labor market is the “most challenging … since the inception of the all-volunteer force,” in part because the majority of young adults are disqualified for service because of “obesity, drugs, physical and mental health problems, misconduct, and aptitude.”
Nov 24, 2023How many Americans have died from terrorist attacks since 9/11?
The US made several policy changes to combat terrorism following the 9/11 attacks. Most notably, it created the Department of Homeland Security, increased airport security, and went to war in Afghanistan.In the two decades since the attack, there were far fewer terrorist acts on US soil and most attacks aren’t lethal, according to data from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). The consortium is a Department of Homeland Security science and technology center.While the 9/11 attack was committed by terrorists associated with the extremist Al Qaeda group, most terror incidents in the US are conducted without a connection to a formal organization and are motivated by a wide range of ideologies.How does the US define terrorism?An FBI definition based on federal statute describes terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated... terrorist organizations or nations.” A country or nation can be a state sponsor of terrorism if the Secretary of State determines the country repeatedly provided support for terrorist acts. The US currently considers four countries as state sponsors of terrorism: Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. North Korea and Cuba were the most recent additions to that list, added in 2017 and this past January, respectively.Similarly, an FBI definition of domestic terrorism describes it as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”How many people have died from terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11?The 9/11 attacks killed 2,908 people between the plane strikes at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Penn. Since those attacks, 549 Americans have died in terrorist attacks, according to an analysis of the Global Terrorism Database, maintained by START. In 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, 51 people died in terrorist attacks in the US.About a quarter of all terrorist attacks in the US from 2015 to 2019 involved firearms. Those firearm incidents were responsible for almost all terrorism-related deaths at that time.
Sep 14, 2021How many people have died in the US military, and how?
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, between 1775 and 1991, the US military recorded 651,031 battle deaths and 539,054 non-combat deaths, totaling 1.19 million fatalities.Record-keeping has become more efficient in recent years. From 1980 to 2022, there were 60,770 recorded deaths, of which 50,789 (or 83.6%) were due to accidents, illness, and self-inflicted wounds.
Mar 5, 2024How much aid does the US give to Israel?
The United States committed over $3.3 billion in foreign assistance to Israel in 2022, the most recent year for which data exists. About $8.8 million of that went toward the country's economy, while 99.7% of the aid went to the Israeli military.Israel received the second-largest amount of US aid in 2022 after Ukraine, where the US committed $12.4 billion. The two countries received 4.8% and 18.1%, respectively, of all foreign aid granted that year.
Oct 12, 2023Supreme Court agrees to review 'Remain in Mexico' policy
On February 18, the Supreme Court agreed to review whether the Biden administration’s ending of the Migrant Protection Protocols was legal. The policy, otherwise known as Remain in Mexico, requires people fleeing persecution who arrive at the southern US land border to wait in Mexico as they wait for their immigration hearing. It only applies to people from countries other than Mexico.Beginning under the Trump administration in January 2019, the program was a change from the previous policy of allowing migrants seeking protection to stay in the United States while awaiting immigration proceedings.A federal district appeals court ruled in August 2021 that the policy must remain in place. According to new data released in February, 673 people have enrolled in the Migrant Protection Protocols since it was restarted.
Apr 11, 2022What is NATO and what does it cost to be a member?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marks the second conflict between the two countries in the 21st century and the largest land war in Europe since World War II.In response to this, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has moved military forces into countries around Ukraine, which is not a member country, and has provided a common defense for its member countries.What is NATO and why was it formed?NATO is a military alliance composed of 32 member countries from North America and Europe. The organization was formed in 1949 as a collective defense organization to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The United States has been a member of NATO since 1949.Its primary purpose today is to promote security and defense cooperation among its members while also serving as a forum for consultation and coordination on political and security issues.Which countries are in NATO and how do countries join?Any European state may join NATO after receiving a unanimous invitation from its NATO members. Since 1949, the alliance has grown from 12 to 32 members. Both Finland and Sweden were invited to join NATO at the Madrid Summit on June 29, 2022. Finland became a member on April 4, 2023, and Sweden followed on March 7, 2024.
Jun 18, 2024Sexual assault reports increased 28% at US military academies in 2022
A recent Department of Defense report found that reports of sexual assault across the nation’s military academies increased 28% between the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years. Of the 206 reports, 83% were from enrolled cadets and midshipmen, while the rest were made by academy graduates or civilians. The increase appears to be driven by rising unwanted sexual contact for academy men and women, as well as a higher likelihood to report incidents: reporting rates were up 2 percentage points compared to the 2017–18 school year.
Apr 4, 2023What is a defense contract?
In Fiscal Year 2020, the Department of Defense (DOD) spent about $439 billion on contracts, more than 60% of its spending for the year. It accounts for about two-thirds of all government contracts.But for the last 30 years, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has criticized the department’s handling of those contracts. The GAO has pointed out the department is improperly using contractors for essential government work. It has also admonished the DOD for insufficient oversight into whether companies receiving government contracts are based in the US or not.
Mar 17, 2023How many people are in the US military? A demographic overview
As of September 2023, the US military consisted of 2.86 million people worldwide. The CIA reports that the US has the world’s third-largest active military by size, surpassed only by China and India in 2023.These forces are spread across six main service branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and, as of 2019, the Space Force – all tasked to protect and service the US.The makeup of the US military has changed over time due to external circumstances, like war and geopolitical tension, and internal change, such as the end of racial segregation and the inclusion of women into the armed forces.How many people are in the military?The military includes 2,079,142 military personnel and 778,539 civilians as of September 2023. The US military's strength of 2.86 million troops is slightly greater than the population of Chicago, Illinois, the country's third-largest city.Of those military members, the Department of Defense (DoD) listed nearly 1.29 million people as active-duty troops, and 767,238 as national guard/reserves.Military forces not in the total include retired or standby reserves, along with the 38,825 members of the Coast Guard, which are operated by the Department of Homeland Security and not the DoD.
Feb 21, 2024The 90-year-old law that defines border crossing criminality
One issue at the heart of the current immigration debate is this question: should unauthorized entry int he US continue to be criminalized? The criminalization of unauthorized entry in the US. Criminalization began in 1929 under section 1325, but prosecution of unauthorized entry has been inconsistent.While the passage of 1325 led to thousands of illegal entry prosecutions after it first passed, usage of it declined throughout the 20th century. More recently, illegal entry prosecutions have been on the rise.Here’s a look at the numbers behind the law and who would be affected if a repeal was passed.What is Section 1325?In 1929, South Carolina Senator Coleman Blease proposed a change in the US Code that made unauthorized entry into the country a misdemeanor. Formally titled Section 1325, it was designed to target Latin American immigration, which unlike European and Asian immigration at the time, was not otherwise limited by quotas or bans.Under the law, unauthorized immigrants can either be deported without filing charges or authorities can choose to initiate federal criminal procedures. By 1940, 44,000 illegal entry cases had been filed through Section 1325. However, after that time, illegal entry prosecutions fell out of favor, and Section 1325 became somewhat irrelevant to immigration enforcement.
Dec 3, 2019How many military spouses are employed by the federal government?
The federal government employs over 16,000 military, veteran, and surviving spouses as of 2023, per the White House.There were over 578,000 spouses of active-duty service members in the US military as of 2022, according to the Department of Defense (DoD). About 7.2% of them were active duty military members themselves.What is the military spouse unemployment rate?The DoD's Survey of Active-Duty Spouses found that the unemployment rate among the civilian spouses of active-duty military members was 21% in 2021. This is nearly four times the overall unemployment rate of 5.3% that year.
Feb 9, 2024Where are US military members stationed, and why?
The United States has a strong military presence both domestically and overseas, with over 1.3 million active-duty members stationed at home and abroad.Underscoring this vast reach is the fact that the Department of Defense (DoD) manages over 4,790 military sites worldwide, covering 27 million acres. For context, that’s roughly the size of the state of Virginia.Along with training troops and defending US citizens on American soil, the military protects its national security interests by defending strategic supply chains, deterring attacks and future aggression, and participating in bilateral, regional, and multilateral defense programs.Where are US troops based in the US?As of September 2023, the US had 2.63 million military personnel, including active-duty troops, reserve, and civilian workers stationed domestically. Of these, 1.14 million (3,294) were active-duty troops across the 50 states and Washington, DC. Roughly 60% of these troops were in five states:California (161,052 troops)Virginia (127,020)Texas (110,582)North Carolina (90,841)Florida (65,159)
Feb 3, 2024What are sanctions and how are they enforced?
After Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the US sanctioned several dozen people, companies, organizations and luxury yachts from Russia. Among those targeted was Russian President Vladimir Putin.Sanctions are a foreign policy tool used by the US and others to influence the behavior of other countries as an alternative to military action. The Treasury Department listed 37 sanction programs as of March 2022, including one against Cuba dating back to 1962.While sanctions are often mentioned in news reports, it can be challenging to understand what it means for a country to be sanctioned and how sanctions work in practice.What are sanctions?Sanctions refer to federal government actions restricting economic activity between the US and foreign entities, including people and other nations. These restrictions, including blocking off assets and trade, are made for reasons other than business, such as foreign policy or national security. This makes sanctions distinct from trade tariffs directed at specific countries or regions.Sanctions are usually issued as a program of restrictions. The programs stem from executive orders, legislation or other government actions to address specific issues or behaviors.For example, since 1979, the US has had an ongoing sanction program against Iran. That program began after the Iran hostage crisis that same year. It has since evolved to encourage Iran to abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapon program.Who (or what) is currently sanctioned by the US?Sanctions vary in scope and targets. Most of the sanctions programs listed by the Treasury Department refer specifically to nations or regions of the world, including Cuba, North Korea and Iran. Other sanction programs are issue-specific, such as cybersecurity, election security and terrorism.One of the more recent sanction programs in the news is the US actions against Russia.In 2014, President Barack Obama issued an executive order declaring a national emergency in response to Russia’s invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region. Along with subsequent executive orders, it created a sanctions program that targeted Russia’s financial, energy and defense sectors while prohibiting trade with Crimea. The sanctions program remained active under President Donald Trump.In April 2021, President Joe Biden issued another executive order that started a new sanctions program responding to “harmful foreign activities of the Government of the Russian Federation.” After Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the US expanded that executive order to target several dozen people, organizations, companies, government agencies and even luxury yachts. Among those targeted was Russian President Vladimir Putin.How are sanctions enforced?Any American resident, organization or company with a presence in the US can be fined for violating the rules of a sanction program. A division of the Treasury Department issues penalties to sanction violators.Since 2008, the agency has issued $6.5 billion in penalties stemming from 357 violations. Those penalties are usually assessed after settlement. The heftiest fine was $1.1 billion assessed to France-based BNP Paribas, a banking company with branches in the US, accused of processing transactions with sanctioned individuals in Sudan, Iran, Cuba and Burma.
Mar 22, 2022How many nuclear weapons does the US have?
As of September 2020, the US had 3,750 nuclear warheads, active and inactive. That’s 88% lower than the nation’s peak of 31,255 nuclear warheads in 1967.Nuclear weapons are among the most devastating modern arms available. Ever since their creation, the threat of a nuclear war has loomed worldwide. From the first and only nuclear bombs dropped in 1945 to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 to the current fears over the war in Ukraine, the US is a central figure in the nuclear weapon discussion.
Nov 21, 2023What was the Lend-Lease Act?
The United States enacted the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941 to support the Allied powers in World War II without directly entering the conflict. The Lend-Lease Act law enabled the US to send weapons, ammunition, food, and equipment to the Allied forces.In exchange, the Allied powers gave the United States long-term leases at military bases around the world and promised billions in future monies.Lend-Lease Act and World War IIAfter World War I, many in the United States were wary of becoming involved in another global conflict. This was known as isolationism, and this sentiment dominated much of 1930s American politics.However, as World War II broke out and the Nazis gained control of northern Europe and France, it seemed as though Britain was left to oppose Germany almost single handedly. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill approached President Franklin D. Roosevelt and asked for assistance.Roosevelt attempted to bridge the gap between isolationism and a desire to support Britain with the Lend-Lease Act. This act allowed the US to lend cash-strapped Britain military equipment rather than enter the conflict. The Lend-Lease Act was loosely modeled on the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, in which the US transferred 50 aging Navy destroyers to the British Royal Navy in 1940. In exchange, Britain gave the US 99-year leases to territory in Newfoundland and the Caribbean, which the US would use for military bases.What is the importance of the Lend-Lease Act?The Lend-Lease Act helped shape the outcome of World War II. By supporting the Allies in this way, the US helped prevent the Axis powers from gaining further ground and laid the foundation for post-war global security.
Mar 22, 2024