As a veteran (former Paratrooper and Army Ranger), I have experience in national defense. The federal government has a Constitutional responsibility to defend U.S. shores and sovereignty from all threats. The fact that the United States currently has hundreds of thousands of troops deployed across an estimated 135 countries stretches our military too thin and imposes unnecessary human costs on military personnel. I am confident that American security is better served by streamlining our military, concentrating our forces and avoiding futile nation building.