National defense is a top priority

Former Mayor Frank Guinta said defense is a top priority for any level of government, and he will consider security among his most solemn duties once he’s elected as a member of Congress.

“The responsibilities outlined in the constitution: those are the things we should be focused on as a government,” said Guinta, addressing a Town Hall meeting in Rochester, N.H., last week. “One of them, and I think a very important one, one we haven’t talked about it yet, is the defense of our nation.”



These are “frightening” times, Guinta said, particularly with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s announcement last week that his country is capable of producing weapons-grade uranium. Yet, it is among the federal government’s top duties to keep the nation safe from threats, such as the menace Iran now poses.

“Part of my responsibility as mayor was to keep people safe in Manchester,” he said. “Part of the country’s duty is to keep you safe from people like Ahmadinejad, who, like it or not, wants to annihilate us.”

As a representative for New Hampshire in Washington, Guinta said government reform, tax cuts and defense based on good information will be his top priorities. When it comes to defense, Guinta said he would give deference to generals overseeing the situation directly.

“Any troop that protects us and serves us has to have the equipment and a game plan identified by the general on the ground,” he said.