Monday, November 10, 2025

Today, Jim Mattis and Michael Auslin offer 250th birthday wishes to the US Marine Corps; Peter Berkowitz encourages the president and vice president to use their platforms to condemn antisemitism, conspiracy thinking, and bigotry on the American far right; and new content from the Tennenbaum Program for Fact-Based Policy highlights key information Americans should know about Social Security and national defense spending.

United States Marine Corps at 250

Leading the Marines—and Leading America

In an essay for Hoover’s Freedom Frequency Substack, Marine, former Secretary of Defense, and current Hoover Distinguished Fellow Jim Mattis wishes the Marine Corps a happy 250th birthday and celebrates the leadership and ethical principles that have animated the corps since its birth in the American Revolution. Mattis points out that duty, initiative, preparation, leading by example, and mentoring are not just martial virtues; they’re also the ingredients for accomplishing missions in every civilian realm. Read more here.

Semper Fi @250

Distinguished Research Fellow Michael R. Auslin also commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps in a post at his Substack, The Patowmack Packet. “Two hundred and fifty years ago today, on November 10, 1775, the US Marine Corps was established, following the Continental Army in June and the Navy in October,” writes the historian. “Despite the ongoing government shutdown, any readers in the National Capital Region might want to swing by the US Marine Corps War Memorial, near Arlington National Cemetery, today,” Auslin suggests. Read more here.

Revitalizing American Institutions

Right-Wing Antisemitism, the New Right, and the Buckley Blend

In his weekly column for RealClearPolitics, Senior Fellow Peter Berkowitz  analyzes the current controversy within American conservatism over commentator Tucker Carlson’s “cozying up to Holocaust downplayers, Nazi apologists, Stalin enthusiasts, and rank antisemites.” Berkowitz argues that “it is incumbent on President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who lead the Republican party and captain the American right, to intervene” in this matter, especially following the much-discussed comments of Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts initially defending Heritage’s affiliation with Carlson. (Berkowitz notes that Roberts apologized to Heritage colleagues on November 5.) Turning to a formative period in the history of American conservatism and the principles then established by National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr., Berkowitz says Trump and Vance “should explain to backers and all citizens that the Republican Party has no place for bigots, purveyors of vile conspiracy theories, and sycophants of blood-stained anti-American dictators.” Read more here.

Tennenbaum Program for Fact-Based Policy

Myth and Fact Sheet: National Defense

The United States has the world’s most capable and technologically advanced military force, built to deter aggression, defend national interests, and safeguard global stability. The Department of War, the nation’s largest government agency, includes the army, marine corps, navy, air force, space force, and coast guard. A new fact sheet from Hoover’s Tennenbaum Program for Fact-Based Policy separates myth from reality in the realm of American security and defense. The concise overview reveals how much of the federal budget is dedicated to defense (spoiler: it’s much less than half!) and notes that NATO allies are all expected to meet or exceed their defense spending commitments this year. Read more here.

Should Government Decide How Much You Save?

One of the biggest misconceptions about Social Security is that today’s payments secure your benefits tomorrow. In a new archival short-form video from the Tennenbaum Program, legendary economist and former Hoover Senior Fellow Milton Friedman reveals that Social Security is not a savings plan but a pay-as-you-go system. Against the popular misconception that Social Security funds are placed into individual savings accounts, Friedman explains that the taxes workers pay today are immediately used to fund current retirees, leaving future taxpayers responsible for covering the next generation’s benefits. Watch here.