National Security Leaders for America Endorses Kamala Harris for President of the United States
To the American People,
- We are former public servants who swore an oath to the Constitution. Many of us risked our lives for it.
- We are retired generals, admirals, senior noncommissioned officers, ambassadors, and senior civilian national security leaders.
- We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
- We are loyal to the ideals of our nation—like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law—not to any one individual or party.
We do not agree on everything, but we all adhere to two fundamental principles:
- First, we believe America’s national security requires a serious and capable Commander-in-Chief.
- Second, we believe American democracy is invaluable. Each generation has a responsibility to defend it.
That is why we, the undersigned, proudly endorse Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States.
This election is a choice between:
- Serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness
- Democracy and authoritarianism.
Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.
Mr. Trump is Not Up to the job
We do not make such an assessment lightly. We are trained to make sober, rational decisions. That is how we know Vice President Harris would make an excellent Commander-in-Chief, while Mr. Trump has proven he is not up to the job. As leaders, we know effective leadership requires in-depth knowledge, careful deliberation, understanding of your adversaries, and empathy for those you lead. It requires listening to those with expertise and not firing them when they disagree with you.
Vice President Harris has proven she is an effective leader able to advance American national security interests. Her relentless diplomacy with allies around the globe preserved a united front in support of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression. She grasps the reality of American military deterrence, promising to preserve the American military’s status as the most “lethal” force in the world.
The contrast with Mr. Trump is clear
Where Vice President Harris is prepared and strategic, he is impulsive and ill-informed. He has heaped praise on adversarial dictators like China’s Xi Jinping, North Korea’s Kim Jung Un, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as well as the terrorist leaders of Hezbollah. Conversely, he has publicly and privately excoriated the leaders of our most steadfast allies, including the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Canada, and Germany. He abandoned our Kurdish allies while ceding influence in the Middle East to Russia, Iran, and China.
Further, Mr. Trump denigrates our great country and does not believe in the American ideal that our leaders should reflect the will of the people. While Vice President Harris follows the democratic norms we expect of any political leader—including promising to abide by the outcome of the pending election and respecting the rule of law—Mr. Trump is the first president in American history to actively undermine the peaceful transfer of power, the bedrock of American democracy.
Mr. Trump threatens our democratic system
He has said so himself. He has called for the “termination” of parts of the Constitution. He said he wants to be a “dictator,” and his clarification that he would only be a dictator for a day is not reassuring. He has undermined faith in our elections by repeating lies, without evidence, of “millions” of fraudulent votes.
He has shown no remorse for trying to overturn the 2020 election on January 6th, promises to pardon the convicted perpetrators, and has made clear he will not respect the results of the 2024 election should he lose again.
That alone proves Mr. Trump is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.
We believe, as President Ronald Reagan said, that “America is a shining city on a hill.” Yet in this election, one of President Reagan’s more ominous warnings is equally relevant. “Freedom,” he said, “is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
Our endorsement of Vice President Harris is an endorsement of freedom and an act of patriotism. It is an endorsement of democratic ideals, of competence, and of relentless optimism in America’s future. We hope you will join us in voting for her.
Sincerely,
Rear Admiral Michael E. Smith, USN (Ret), President,
National Security Leaders for America
and signed by 880 of its members (including notables John Brennan, William Cohen, Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta) plus 187 associate members.
[To promote readability, Editor has added list bullets, promoted some key phrases to headlines and added emphasis to other phrases.]
