President Donald Trump presented his national security strategy as what he called a reassertion of fundamental truths and “principled realism.”
“Any nation that trades away its prosperity for security will end up losing both,” @POTUS says.
“A nation without borders is not a nation. A nation that does not protect prosperity at home cannot protect its interests abroad,” the president said Monday, speaking at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.
Trump noted that economic policy and international trade are closely tied to national security.
“A nation that is not prepared to win a war is a nation not capable of preventing a war,” Trump continued. “A nation that is not proud of its history cannot be confident in its future, and a nation that is not certain of its values cannot summon the will to defend them.”
The 70-page strategic document establishes four pillars of U.S. security interests:
1.) Protecting the American people, the homeland, in part through border security that includes constructing a southern border wall and ending chain migration.
2.) Promoting American prosperity by ensuring America remains competitive through what the president called “fair and reciprocal” trade deals.
3.) Preserving peace through strength, which includes rebuilding the military, getting rid of the military sequester and missile defense.
4.) Advancing American influence, in part through leading and advocating reforms in international groups such as the United Nations and and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Trump was clear that the United States would compete with other countries—namely Russia and China—but would also seek common ground on international challenges such as North Korea and Islamist terrorism.
“We also face rival powers, Russia and China, that seek to challenge American influence, values, and wealth,” Trump said. “We will attempt to build a great partnership with those and other countries, but in a manner that always protects our national interests.”
The 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Defense Department Reorganization Act requires the president to submit a national security strategy to Congress. President Barack Obama only submitted such plans to Congress in 2010 and 2015.
The document Trump submitted had a stronger focus on the economy, as the president said, “Any nation that trades away its prosperity for security will end up losing both.”
“We know that American success is not a foregone conclusion. It must be earned and it must be won,” Trump said. “Our rivals are tough. They are tenacious and committed to the long term, but so are we. To succeed, we must integrate every dimension of our national strength and we must compete with every instrument of our national power. … America is in the game and America is going to win.”
The national security strategy says:
The United States will respond to the growing political, economic, and military competitions we face around the world. China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity. They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.
