Check the national news these days and you are likely to find Jack Reed, Rhode Island’s senior U.S. senator, discussing foreign policy, the military, economics, health care and other issues. You may find speculation that he’s in line to be secretary of defense.

To assess Reed’s impact on the national stage, staff writer G. Wayne Miller and staff photographer Mary Murphy recently spent several days in the nation’s capital. They also visited West Point, a pivotal place in Reed’s life; spent time with Reed in Rhode Island and at his home near Washington, D.C.; and were allowed access to Reed’s personal archives and other documents.

Read their report this weekend, in The Providence Sunday Journal and on projo.com.

On Monday, Miller will host Senator Reed for an online chat at 11:45 a.m.

To participate, readers can log on live –– or post a question in advance –– at projo.com/chat