China's rise and its challenges, the emergence of robotics as a major economic force, Greece's fiscal woes, and the threat posed by a warming climate are among the most important things happening in the world today.
The Founders knew defense was important, which is why they made it a central part of the governmentâs. In his paper, âThe Price of Liberty: Providing for the Common Defense,â Matthew Spalding explains: It is the constitutional duty of the federal government to secure the countryâs international borders and preserve and protect its territorial integrity, to strengthen and preserve its constitutional government, and to promote the long-term prosperity and well-being of its people.
The principle of collective defence is at the very heart of NATOâs founding treaty. It remains a unique and enduring principle that binds its members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the Alliance. NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in its history after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States. 2  NATO has taken collective defence measures on several occasions, for instance in response to the situation in Syria and in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.