Ernst salutes military at CPAC

by Mark Hensch - 02/26/15 1:02 PM ET

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) saluted America’s armed forces during her Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) debut.

The freshman senator began by recounting her own service in the Iowa National Guard as a lieutenant colonel. Ernst served from 2003-2004 as a company commander in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

{mosads}Ernst then halted mid-speech and asked that all service members in attendance receive a standing ovation.

2024 Election Coverage

“I will always remain optimistic about the bright future for America,” Ernst began, “because of fearless men and women like these veterans, from earlier generations to those who will step forward and answer duty’s call in the months and years ahead.”

Steering clear of other hot-button issues like immigration reform and the stalemate over the funding of the Department of Homeland Security, she instead turned to foreign policy. Ernst challenged President Obama to “finally develop a cohesive and strong strategy” to defend against current threats such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Ernst was elected in November and is a rising star in the GOP. In January, she delivered the GOP response to Obama’s State of the Union speech.

Tags CPAC Defense Joni Ernst