2016 GOP Debate Guide: National Security Edition

With the first debates of the primary season set for this evening, here is some of Defense One’s recent coverage of the many candidates—beginning with Republicans up top, and Democrats below—each seeking to capture voters’ attention in one of the more fraught national-security election cycles in recent memory.

A Tale of Two GOP Advisers, Split by 2016
Two old friends — co-workers, national security pros, Romney campaign veterans — are advising two different presidential candidates this time around. What does that say about the future of the Republican Party?

Scott Walker’s National Security Gap
Translating gubernatorial leadership to presidential has long plagued state executives running for the White House. But Scott Walker has a particularly tough sell in 2016.

Jeb Bush Enters 2016 Race, Keeping National Security at a Distance
Bush announced his candidacy with a promise to be the optimistic candidate of “Today and Tomorrow” — and no word on his father’s and brother’s wars in the Middle East.

‘Imagine’ Ted Cruz As Commander In Chief
The self-declared outsider launches his presidential bid with national security stances that don't stray far from the “mushy middle” he denounces.

The ‘Rubio Doctrine’ Is a Rerun
For all his attempts to position himself as a fresh-faced foreign policy leader, Marco Rubio stands on the same national security stool the GOP recycles roughly every four years.

The Paradox of Rand Paul’s National Security Moment
The young, alternative Kentucky senator who blasts Republicans and Democrats as trigger-happy hawks makes his pitch for commander-in-chief with an old backdrop and mainstream message.

No ‘Amnesia’ About 9/11, Chris Christie the Candidate 
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s lack of international experience hasn’t kept him from criticizing the non-interventionist vein running through U.S. politics. Nor has it kept him from saying President Obama could learn from his style of leadership when confronting the Islamic State.

Meet John Kasich, the Fiscal-Defense Hawk You Don’t Remember
The two-term Ohio governor and 16th presidential candidate had a center seat at the table of power in Washington for nearly two decades more than a decade ago.

Rand Paul vs. Rick Perry: The GOP’s Battle for the Future of National Security
The bluster between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Rand Paul is just smoke for the fire that is the GOP's identity crisis. 

Bobby Jindal Wants To Be Wonk in Chief
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is positioning himself to be the national security wonk in 2016. 

On the Democratic side:

Clinton Uses Cuba To Attack GOP’s Force-First Foreign Policy
Her Republican rivals are attacking her as a politician from “yesterday.” She’s using the Cuba thaw to say they’re stuck in the Cold War.

Is Jim Webb the Ultimate Democratic Dark Horse?
The Virginia Democrat could end up posing a steep electoral challenge to Hillary Clinton.

Meet Martin O’Malley, Hillary Clinton’s Latest Unlikely National Security Critic
The former Maryland governor offers a warier foreign policy, contrasting himself with a more hawkish Clinton and Republican field.

Bernie Sanders Enters 2016 Race as an Alternative to Hawkish Rivals—Including Clinton
The anti-war Vermont senator calls for accountable defense spending and better veterans care, setting him apart from other 2016 candidates on national security.