Vernuccio’s View

Predator drone (US Army photo)

Vernuccio’s View: White House Responds to Iran’s Drone Shoot Down

There was a flurry of White House activity following President Trump’s surprise decision to not proceed with a military response to Iran’s downing of an American unmanned drone in international airspace. New sanctions were imposed on Iranian leaders.  According to […]

by · June 29, 2019 · Op Ed, Vernuccio's View
The Pentagon circa 1947. Library of Congress photo by Theodor Horydczak

Vernuccio’s View: Defense Budget — Challenges Accepted

For a number of years following the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States faced comparatively weak opponents.  Washington’s armed forces were far more advanced than any opponent. That began to change when China, its technology developed through both […]

by · June 23, 2019 · Vernuccio's View
Vernuccio’s View: Tiananmen Square: 30 Years, No Improvement

Vernuccio’s View: Tiananmen Square: 30 Years, No Improvement

Thirty years ago this month, the hopes for freedom of nearly a billion people were dashed.  Their dreams were crushed by a tyrannical governing system that had already taken the lives of a hundred million in their own homeland, as […]

President Donald Trump

Vernuccio’s View: Suspect Motives Behind Opposition to China Trade Deal

President Trump’s trade negotiations with China have revealed a great deal about American politics. From a purely logical perspective, the move to rein in China’s rapacious practices of intellectual property theft, espionage, product dumping, forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, and […]

by · June 10, 2019 · Vernuccio's View
Vernucio’s View: Is Pope Francis too political

Vernucio’s View: Is Pope Francis too political

Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, is continuing what some perceive to be a departure from the traditions of the institution he leads. Critics maintain that he has used his highly visible position to engage in temporal matters. […]

Vernuccio’s View: NASA’s Budget and Earth’s Survival

Vernuccio’s View: NASA’s Budget and Earth’s Survival

If financial arguments prove unconvincing to NASA’s detractors, perhaps saving the planet from destruction may be a more powerful persuader. NASA’s budget is relatively sparse, at less than one-half of one percent of federal spending.  It is, however, continuously attacked […]

by · June 2, 2019 · Vernuccio's View
Vernuccio’s View: U.S.-Japan Coordinate Pacific Defense Vs. China

Vernuccio’s View: U.S.-Japan Coordinate Pacific Defense Vs. China

In contrast to the Trump Administration’s concerns about some NATO members, notably Germany, not doing their fair share for mutual defense, the White House has been pleased with Japan’s efforts to counter the growing threats from China.  Japan’s 2019 defense […]

by · May 12, 2019 · Vernuccio's View
Vernuccio’s View: NASA’s Budget and Earth’s Survival

Vernuccio’s View: NASA’s Budget and Earth’s Survival

If financial arguments prove unconvincing to NASA’s detractors, perhaps saving the planet from destruction may be a more powerful persuader. NASA’s budget is relatively sparse, at less than one-half of one percent of federal spending. It is, however, continuously attacked […]

by · May 10, 2019 · Vernuccio's View
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena visited the recently bombed St. Sebastian’s Church, Katuwapitiya, Negombo Tuesday morning to inspect damages caused to the church. (Courtesy Government  of Sri Lanka)

Vernuccio’s View: Can a Sri Lanka-style Attack Happen in U.S.?

Can the type of terrorist attack that occurred in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday happen here in the United States? Last October, eleven people were killed and seven were injured at the Tree of Life – Or L’Simcha Congregation in […]

by · April 24, 2019 · Opinion, Vernuccio's View
Vernuccio’s View: China’s Dangerous Presence in the Caribbean

Vernuccio’s View: China’s Dangerous Presence in the Caribbean

The Gatestone Institute’s Gordon Chang reports that “About 55 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida on Grand Bahama Island, a Hong Kong-based business is spending about $3 billion on a deep-water container facility, the Freeport Container Port. The concern is that the […]

by · April 22, 2019 · Vernuccio's View
Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project.

Vernuccio’s View: White House Moves to Protect US From EMP

A White House Executive Order signed in March addresses the long-neglected threat of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) disaster which could devastate the United States. An “Electromagnetic pulse” is a burst of electromagnetic energy.  A single EMP has the potential to […]

NATO Summit 2018

Vernuccio’s View: Is Turkey Still an Ally?

There is a deeper significance in the move by The United States to suspend delivery of its premier fighter planes to ostensible NATO ally Turkey. The move is in response to that nation’s purchase of a sophisticated air defense system, […]

President Trump Welcomes the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the White House.  (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)

Vernuccio’s View: U.S., Brazil Build New Relationship

The rapidly growing relationship between Brazil and the United States since the election of Jair Bolsonaro in October 2018 was emphasized in the March meeting at the White House of the two leaders.  They are said to have a common […]

Vernuccio’s View: Is the U.S. Military Strong Enough?

Vernuccio’s View: Is the U.S. Military Strong Enough?

Is America adequately protected? Unlike other federal programs, determining the adequacy of the military depends not on internal factors, but on foreign challenges. Comparing the budgets of various nations is an ineffective way of determining strength. Countries with “command economies” […]

by · March 27, 2019 · Opinion, Vernuccio's View
Source: Us State Department Fact Book.

Vernuccio’s View: Negotiations and the Larger Threat

Should Venezuela’s Chavistas and Afghanistan’s Taliban have a role in the new governments that will soon take power? That’s the thinking of the foreign policy establishment, as well as the mantra of the chattering classes.  They may both be wrong. Put the […]

by · March 22, 2019 · Vernuccio's View