I continue to serve as a Captain in the Illinois Army National Guard. I served on active duty in the United States Army for over five years, including three years stationed in Germany, where I supported Ukraine and NATO. I now consider myself a pro peace veteran who stands against US military imperialism and interventionism around the world.

I support a decrease of at least $100 billion in the US Defense budget. We must cut this bloated budget, end endless wars, and invest that money in our communities. As a veteran of the War in Afghanistan and Operation Freedom's Sentinel, I've witnessed the aftermath of how our "forever wars" perpetuate the cycle of endless violence throughout the world. Rather than using military force, the US must leverage diplomacy and humanitarian assistance.

The people of Palestine experienced violent displacement and dispossession of their land, property, and belongings in the Nakba of 1948. They continue to suffer, while most American politicians vote to send offensive and defensive weapons to Israel and enable an ongoing genocide in Gaza. I support an immediate and permanent ceasefire that sets the stage for peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. I believe in ending all US military support to Israel.

The recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state by the United States and the international community is not enough. I believe in a one-state solution within the borders of the former Mandatory Palestine with equal rights for all people. I recommend this democratic state conducts a comprehensive study of what was taken and what was lost and undergoes an extensive reparations process, along with a truth and reconciliation process to move forward peacefully.

Simultaneously, I condemn anti-Palestinian, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim rhetoric. It's incredibly dangerous to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. It's equally dangerous to call anyone who disapproves of Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza an antisemite. Our elected officials must not equate Jewish people with Israel's far-right government.

I condemn the United States' and Israel's illegal war on Iran. I believe the Iranian regime continues to violently oppress their people, and I hope the people can win the fight for their sovereignty. However, the United States has proved throughout history that they fight for their own self interest and in the interest of capital, rather than the interest of "spreading democracy." I call on the US to immediately end this illegal war.

I condemn Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. Simultaneously, we must acknowledge the role NATO expansion played in current escalation. I support Ukraine's right to defend itself, but I believe we must push for an immediate and lasting end to the war. The current arms deliveries to Ukraine continue to escalate the conflict, while enriching the US military industrial complex.

The US must drastically increase diplomacy and negotiations with the People's Republic of China. I view the PRC's push for unification with Taiwan as a legitimate, anti-imperialist effort to reunify a nation fractured by western imperialism. The Taiwanese government currently serves as a US client state; independence serves Western geopolitical interests, rather than the best interests of the people of Taiwan.

These views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the United States Army or the Illinois Army National Guard.