Civics

National Security

Contributing Scholar: Lt. Col. Tom Kulisz

Episode 5

Provide for the Common Defence

To provide for the common defence underscores the role we, as Americans, have in protecting and preserving the values, integrity, and sovereignty of the United States. Lt. Col. Tom Kulisz of the United States Marine Corps provides a personal perspective on what it means to take the oath as a service member sworn to uphold the Constitution and the principles it stands for.

Related Resources

US Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps (USMC)

Up Next Episode 6 Promote the General Welfare

Provide for the Common Defence

Comment

Published June 3, 2024

To “provide for the common defence” is one of the few explicit duties the federal government is charged to undertake. As a government by the people, however, it falls to us, as individual Americans, to protect our nation’s sovereignty and preserve the American way of life. With nearly twenty years of service in the United States Marine Corps, Lt. Col. Tom Kulisz shares what it means to raise your right hand and swear an oath to uphold the Constitution – the commitment it takes, the selflessness it requires, and the fulfillment that it brings to those who feel called to serve.

Learn More about our National Security Affairs Fellows (NSAFs) and Hoover's National Security Affairs Fellows Program:

Read Lt. Col Tom Kulisz's bio here.
Learn more about Hoover's 2024 NSAF Class here.
Click here to learn more about The Robert and Marion Oster National Security Affairs Fellows (NSAF) Program at the Hoover Institution.

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