We Need Leaders with National Security Competence | EP 705

National security competence is not optional for the people we send to Washington. You just saw that clip—national security knowledge is kind of important for a U.S. senator. Not a nice-to-have. Not a talking point. A requirement. Look at the world right now. Iran is still the chief sponsor of terror, racing toward nuclear capability and threatening our forces and allies. China is building the largest navy on earth and probing every weak point in the Pacific. Ukraine remains a meat grinder that drains American resources while the strategic picture keeps shifting. In that environment, the last thing this country can afford is senators who treat foreign policy like a press release or a focus group. We need leaders who understand deterrence, who know the difference between strength and bluster, and who have actually carried the weight of national defense decisions, not just talked about them. Peace through strength only works when the people in charge actually know what strength looks like and how to maintain it. That’s why today’s conversation matters. Joining me again is Chad Caton, a retired firefighter, former U.S. Navy Seabee, South Carolina native, and Republican activist who doesn’t mince words about the competence gap we’re seeing.