All eyes were on Paris last weekend following a string of devastating ISIS attacks that unfolded Friday night. As a result, hardly anyone tuned into the “Face the Nation” Democratic primary debate–us included. But for the sake of consistency, we’re turning back time to recap the military and veteran-related highlights of the debate you almost certainly did not watch.

On ISIS

So soon after the Paris attacks, all three candidates were adamant that the terrorist threat needed to be stopped. Clinton and O’Malley said that the United States needs to work in tandem with other nations to quell ISIS violence.

Hillary Clinton: It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president has consistently said– which I agree with– is that we will support those who take the fight to ISIS. That is why we have troops in Iraq that are helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military, why we have special operators in Syria working with the Kurds and Arabs, so that we can be supportive. But this cannot be an American fight, although American leadership is essential.

Martin O’Malley: America is best when we work in collaboration with our allies. America is best when we are actually standing up to evil in this world. And ISIS, make no mistake about it, is an evil in this world. ISIS has brought down a Russian airliner. ISIS has now attacked a western democracy in — in France. And we do have a role in this. Not solely ours, but we must work collaboratively with other nations.

 

On Caring for Military Veterans

Though the conversation did not naturally veer towards military veterans or the larger military community, O’Malley and Sanders found opportunities to express their commitment to veterans issues.

Martin O’Malley: I was in Burlington, Iowa. And a mom of a service member of ours who served two duties in Iraq said, “Governor O’ Malley, please, when you’re with your other candidates and colleagues on stage, please don’t use the term ‘boots on the ground’. Let’s don’t use the term ‘boots on the ground’. My son is not a pair of boots on the ground.” These are American soldiers and we fail them when we fail to take into account what happens the day after a dictator falls and when we fail to act with a whole of government approach with sustainable development, diplomacy, and our economic power in alignment with our principles.

Bernie Sanders: When you talk about the long-term consequences of war, let’s talk about the men and women who came home from war. The 500,000 who came home with PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. And I would hope in the midst of all of this discussion, this country makes certain that we do not turn our backs on the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend us, and that we stand with them as they have stood with us.

On Sequestration

No candidate advocated for increasing the military’s budget or troop levels, but Sanders did suggest reallocating money away from nuclear warheads so it can be spent more wisely.

Bernie Sanders: This nation is the most powerful military in the world. We’re spending over $600 billion a year on the military and yet, significantly less than 10 percent of that money is used to be fighting international terrorism. We are spending hundreds of billions of dollars maintaining 5,000 nuclear weapons. I think we need major reform in the military, making it more cost effective, but also focusing on the real crisis that faces us.