Foreign Policy & National Security
Solving the Threatization of National Defense
What I Believe
Our national defense strategy must be simple, decisive, and unwaveringly focused on the immediate safety and mission success of the American soldier. We will not allow political or ideological constraints to compromise our forces or prolong conflicts. America must be strong, strategic, and cautious with lives and resources.
The Problem: Compromised Rules of Engagement
Our military’s effectiveness is being compromised by ideological constraints, turning our own defense system into a threat. This moral constraint is the source of the Threatization of National Defense—the process of compromising military effectiveness for ideological purity.
We force our soldiers to fight wars under complex Rules of Engagement (ROE) that demand they treat enemy combatants with a level of caution and care that the enemy does not respect or reciprocate. This practice places American lives at unacceptable risk, unnecessarily prolongs engagements, and drains our resources, allowing sophisticated adversaries to exploit our self-imposed weaknesses.
What I'll Do - The Peace and Preparedness Initiative (PPI)
The objective of our military is to achieve quick, decisive victory and bring our troops home safely. We will restore clarity and authority to military command while adapting to modern threats.
Reasserting Decisive Rules of Engagement
- Streamlining Rules of Engagement (ROE): We will immediately review and simplify all Rules of Engagement (ROE) to be concise, clear, and unambiguous. Our commanders and soldiers will have the authority they need to neutralize threats without undue hesitation or fear of subsequent bureaucratic prosecution.
- Prioritizing the American Soldier: Future Rules of Engagement (ROE) will be written explicitly to prioritize the safety and mission success of U.S. troops above all else. We will not adhere to abstract international standards that non-compliant enemy combatants willfully ignore.
- Ending the Prolonged Engagement Model: We will shift our strategic focus away from nation-building and back toward strategies that result in quick, decisive victory.
Modernizing Defense
- Cyber First Defense Shift: Mandate a significant, strategic shift in defense spending from legacy hardware to next-generation, asymmetrical defense capabilities. Reinvest funds to focus heavily on cyber warfare deterrence, resilience, and offensive counter-capabilities.
- Restored Congressional War Powers: Pass legislation to repeal outdated Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) and restore Constitutional balance. The Executive Branch must be required to seek clear, time-limited, and narrowly defined authorization from Congress for any sustained military engagement abroad.
Diplomacy and Strategic Alliances
Strategic Alliance Strengthening: Strengthen alliances (e.g., NATO, Pacific pacts) based on shared defense and clearly defined responsibilities. Commit to a foreign policy doctrine that reserves military force as a last resort, prioritizing economic pressure and persistent diplomatic engagement.
Diplomacy and Foresight Funding: Fully fund the State Department and USAID to conduct effective diplomacy. Establish a permanent, non-partisan Presidential Council for Strategic Foresight to conduct long-term strategic assessments (10, 20, 50 years out) on emerging global risks.
Why It Matters
We must stop wasting American blood and treasure on conflicts that don’t make us safer. Restoring clear, decisive Rules of Engagement (ROE) honors the soldier’s commitment, saves American lives, and ensures our armed forces are capable of achieving their objective efficiently. By ending the Threatization of National Defense, we project confidence and strength, which is the truest deterrent against future conflict.