Rep. Banks praises Reagan Task Force initiative

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) recently espoused the work of the Reagan Institute’s Reagan Task Force, which recently released a report outlining recommendations to strengthen America’s National Security Innovation Base (NSIB).

“The Reagan Task Force’s report is the product of a year’s worth of hard work from some of the defense community’s sharpest minds,” said Banks, who served as a commissioner on the Reagan Task Force for nearly a year. “Policymakers will look to this report to equip the U.S. military to rapidly respond to a changing defense landscape. It was an honor to work on this important Task Force and prepare the United States for the new, emerging national security challenges as we enter an era of Great Power Competition.”

The analysis showed emerging research, such as hypersonic weapons, must be prioritized by the National Security Innovation Base, Banks said. Fort Wayne, Ind., is home to several key defense research technologies, such as electronic warfare tools and hypersonic research.

Task force recommendations include the formation of a national STEM Corps, where students receive free university tuition in national-security-relevant fields and commit to spending several years working within a component of the NSIB ecosystem and a National Security Innovation Base Visa.

The initiative would encourage appropriately vetted, highly skilled foreign workers to contribute their education and talents to the benefit of the NSIB.