Hillary Clinton takes a jab at Trump during Virginia national security discussion

The former Secretary of State sat down with experienced service members on June 15 to discuss the state of America’s national security. The event took place at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, VA.

With the tragedy in Orlando bringing up much debate over how the US government should respond to terrorism, Clinton used this opportunity to portray herself as the more experienced and collective candidate. Hampton Roads, being home to Naval Station Norfolk and Joint Base Langley-Eustis, was the ideal location for the campaign to hold a discussion focused on issues regarding today’s military.

The panel was hosted and moderated by Dorothy McAuliffe, First Lady of Virginia, and included experts on national defense and military life. Most of Clinton’s time was spent listening to the panel members and attentively taking notes. Topics ranged from how the fleet is and should be structured, to issues enlisted personnel and their families face.

The former Secretary didn’t waste time in attacking Trump’s counter-terrorism proposals. When retired Rear Admiral James Barnett questioned the Republican nominee’s credentials and competency, Clinton stated once again that Trump is unfit and unqualified to be commander-in-chief.

“A ban on Muslims would not have stopped this terrorist attack; neither would a wall,” said Clinton. “I don’t know how one builds a wall to keep the internet out.”

In addition to addressing the terrorist attack in Orlando, Clinton listened to issues that military families continue to face in the 21st Century. Former naval officer Robert Hamer emphasized the importance of the enlisted service members in the US Navy. After addressing his concerns with back-to-back deployments that sailors often go through, he referenced the USS Cole bombing and stated that the ship would not have survived without the ingenuity of the crew.

“I think we have a lot of leaders and officers that don’t take the human element into consideration (in regards to enlisted sailors),” said Hamer. “The USS Cole is alive today not because of some new weapon or piece of equipment that we spent billions of dollars on. It was enlisted sailors who saved the USS Cole.”

Clinton responded by saying she is concerned that many enlisted men and women are struggling to find adequate jobs after their military service. She called for elevated investment in military families and asked the panel members what they believe should be done in making quality of life better for those who serve.

At the end of the round table discussion, the panel allowed a few questions from the audience. One of the audience members asked Clinton what she plans to do to improve the wait times for service members and families on health insurance.

“I want to support the kind of reforms that are going to provide timely and accountable service,” said Clinton. “We need to weed out any abuses of these services.”

The event was unique in that Clinton and the panel members heavily focused on how to improve daily life and benefits for enlisted personnel, as opposed to simply talking about an attack strategy against ISIS. The discussion touched on a variety of issues, and it appears that the presumptive Democratic nominee will continue to heavily attack Trump on foreign policy and national security over the course of the campaign.