250 Years Of Freedom, Carried By Those Who Serve

This week, we mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Throughout our history, one facet has remained constant: the resolve of the American warfighter. From Lexington and Concord to Fallujah, Americans have fought with all the strength God gave them to protect this country and its people from those who wish us harm.

Those challenges have only grown more complex. The Founders could not have imagined that some of our closest allies were once our adversaries, or that the gravest threats to our way of life would come from forces they never conceived of. Near-peer adversaries like China test us every day, seeking to divide Americans from within, manufacturing the chemical precursors used to produce fentanyl, stealing our innovation, and running influence campaigns built to turn Americans against one another. Countering them takes more than technology or policy. It takes the strength of the Americans in uniform, the ones willing to give their last breath so that others may live.

Supporting those soldiers requires real investment and hard conversations. The all-volunteer force is exactly that: all volunteer. Sustaining it is not just a matter of operations or munitions depth. People are America’s greatest military advantage: the enlisted warfighter sleeping in the dirt, the noncommissioned officer corps that sets us apart from every other military on earth, and the officers entrusted with making decisions that affect the lives of our service members and their families.

America could not have reached its 250th year without service and sacrifice. Generations of Americans built and defended the foundation of freedom we stand on today, and the threats to that freedom are not going away.

Honoring that legacy means supporting our servicemen in every way we can. In Congress, that means robustly funding the Department of War, scrapping outdated policies that hinder the warfighter, and ensuring our forces have the tools not just to fight a war, but to win it. No American soldier, sailor, airman, guardian, or marine should ever meet an enemy on equal footing. A fair fight is a policy failure. Matching an adversary’s capabilities is not victory. The advantage should always be ours.

That means passing a robust National Defense Authorization Act and my HONOR Gold Star Families Act, which increases the death gratuity for the families of those who make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation — and the core components of which have been included in the NDAA as an amendment.

It also means rebuilding America’s defense industrial base and moving toward defense spending equal to 5% of GDP. It also means expecting our NATO allies to meet the same standard — a commitment reinforced under President Donald Trump’s leadership. Above all, it means remaining relentless in our support for the men and women who defend this country every hour of every day.

So, this week, take a moment to remember what 250 years of this experiment has cost and that someone is still making sure there is a 251st. Congress owes them more than gratitude. We owe them the decisive edge they need to win.

Matt Van Epps is a former Army officer and the representative for Tennessee’s 7th congressional district.