At a recent campaign rally in Florida, Donald Trump told supporters one of his top priority's as president will be defeating ISIS.
"Our Navy is the smallest it's been since WWI. Think about that. The smallest since WWI and rebuilding it will require a national effort," he said. "We will eliminate the Obama, Clinton defense plan and rebuild our badly depleted military. When did we ever need it more?"
Retired Lt. Col. Mark Roy likes what Trump is proposing.
In 1996, Roy's Marine detachment helped reinforce the U.S. Embassy in Liberia.
He's quick to point out that while Hilary Clinton was Secretary of State, a U.S. Ambassador and several Navy Seals died in Benghazi, and no one's been held accountable.
"You're either incompetent or this is a complete willful dereliction of duty for not sending people in there before or during," Roy said.
Trump's national defense plan includes:
- Increasing the size of the US Army to 540,000 active duty soldiers
- Rebuilding the U.S. Navy toward a goal of 350 ships
- Providing the U.S. Air Force with 1,200 aircraft
- Growing the U.S. Marine Corps to 36 battalions
For Roy, the numbers and past issues point to a need for Trump over Clinton.
"She let those guys die in Benghazi," Roy said. "I've got a nephew in the Marine Corps right now and I'd love to tell people, 'hey join the Marine Corps, it's the best thing you'll do.' But if she's the commander in chief, I don't trust her at all."
