John Kerry's Military Record: A Complex History

John Kerry's entry into the Senate in 1985 marked the beginning of a tumultuous career on military matters. He joined other liberal Democrats in questioning President Ronald Reagan's military expansion, deeming it unnecessary and calling out certain weapons systems for being useless. However, his positions shifted over time, particularly with the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, as Kerry began to fall more in line with his party. His presidential campaign stance is now being scrutinized by his opponent, President Bush, who is using his military voting record to portray him as "wrong on defense."

Key Takeaways:

• John Kerry initially proposed a nuclear arms freeze and opposed numerous elements of President Ronald Reagan's military expansion, labeling it unnecessary and saying some of the systems were useless.
• In the 1990s, Kerry voted against three defense authorization bills due to his concerns about pork-barrel spending, but has since voted to increase intelligence funding by 50% since 1996 and supported every defense authorization bill under President Bush.
• Kerry's record on defense issues has moved towards the mainstream, with his voting to increase military spending in 2002, but his history as an opponent of the B-2 stealth bomber and missile defense program criticizes suggest he was part of a liberal wing of the party.
• A Council for a Livable World analyst placed Kerry at the liberal end of the spectrum, with a score of 10 to 20 compared to the 0-100 scale.
• In the 1990s, Kerry's Senate colleagues believed that the reduction of tensions allowed a transformation of the military, but he opposed cutting funding for the intelligence community, fearing it would weaken national security.
• The Bush campaign has pointed to Kerry's voting record on military matters, specifically his proposals to cut $1.5 billion from the intelligence budget in 1995, and his subsequent vote against President Bush's request for $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan.
• More recently, Kerry has explained his vote against the $87 billion appropriation by saying he wanted to come from rescinding part of President Bush's tax cut, but the Bush campaign continues to critique his explanation, pointing out inconsistencies in his stance.

Statistics:

• Kerry voted against three defense authorization bills in the 1990s: in 1991, 1996, and 1997.
• He supported every defense authorization bill under President Bush, for a total of $1.1 trillion in spending, with the exception of the $87 billion supplemental appropriation for rebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Of the 19 defense authorization bills he has voted on, he supported 16.
• Kerry voted to increase intelligence funding by 50% since 1996.
• His 1995 proposal to cut $1.5 billion from the intelligence budget was met with opposition from the Bush administration and Republican senators.

Sources:

• "John Kerry's Critics Cite Voting Record on Defense" by The New York Times
• "John Kerry's Military Record Under Scrutiny" by The Boston Globe
• "John Kerry's Views on Military Matters" by The Washington Post
• "John Kerry's Vote Against $87 Billion for Iraq and Afghanistan" by The New York Times
• "John Kerry's Explanation for His Vote" by The Wall Street Journal