What Trump Should Avoid to Strengthen the United States: Restoring Military Power as a Key Mission of the “World Policeman”

As Donald Trump begins his second term, he will face a world where the challenges for the US have intensified. Yes says Mitch McConnell – a senator from the state of Kentucky, who served as the leader of the Republicans in the US Senate from 2007 to 2024. China is expanding its influence, Russia is waging war in Ukraine, and Iran is actively advancing its aggressive goals, including the development of nuclear weapons. These countries, along with North Korea, are coordinating their actions to weaken the US-led global order.

What do revanchism and isolationism lead to?

According to McConnell, the Biden administration sought to address these threats through dialogue and reconciliation. But revanchist forces avoid inclusion in the international order. They are taking advantage of US weakness, and their ambitions are only growing.

Washington often focuses on domestic problems, ignoring the need to invest in military power. This makes the US weaker, but isolation or focusing on one region is not an option. Prioritizing Asia at the expense of Europe or the Middle East is a strategic mistake, because it is important to maintain alliances and military superiority to deter aggressors.

What should Trump build his policy on

Leader of the Republicans in the US Senate considers, that the newly elected president should focus his foreign policy on rebuilding the US military. This requires significant investment in defense, modernization of the military industry, and acceleration of the development of new technologies. The administration must also strengthen cooperation with allies and partners, rejecting domestic calls for isolation. Ignoring global interests will only strengthen the position of opponents.

China is the biggest long-term threat to the US, but previous administrations have acted inconsistently by failing to identify key competitive targets. The Trump administration must take this challenge seriously and ensure adequate funding, avoiding the mistakes of the Obama administration. In particular, defense budget cuts that weaken US military readiness and strategy must be avoided.

US Asian partners expected more attention, but this led to reduced resources in other regions. European allies were unhappy when the US began to ignore the Russian threat. Republicans who see Ukraine as a distraction from problems in Asia should heed the lessons of the past: the US withdrawal from the region creates a vacuum that adversaries fill.

This followed Obama’s withdrawal from Iraq, which caused chaos. The failure to respond decisively to Russia’s actions in Georgia in 2008 and the weak response to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 encouraged Putin’s aggression: unpunished evil grows stronger.

To confront China, Trump needs to avoid the mistake of leaving Ukraine. A Russian victory would undermine European security by increasing the aggression of China, Iran and North Korea. Determination to contain Russian aggression is the key to confronting global challenges.

America will not be revived by those who preside over its decline

Senator from the state of Kentucky admits, that Trump has taken important steps in containing Russia: lifting Obama’s restrictions on aid to Ukraine, providing lethal weapons to Kiev, using force against the Syrian regime, killing Russian mercenaries and increasing US energy production. At the same time, his controversial statements, his courtship of Putin and the delay in aid to Ukraine in 2019 undermined hardline politics.

Biden, despite his rhetoric, pursued an Obama-like reset policy with Russia. He extended the SNO treaty without conditions, denied aid to Ukraine, and allowed a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which only encouraged Putin to test the resolve of the United States. Biden’s belief in the ability to limit Russian aggression through arms control proved to be as misguided as the isolationist approach of the right.

When it became clear that Putin was preparing to invade Ukraine, Biden was urged to provide large-scale military aid and increase the US presence in Europe, but he refused. Even after the start of the war, aid came with delays and restrictions, which weakened its effectiveness, prolonged the conflict and strengthened Moscow’s position.

Although some Republicans opposed supporting Ukraine, most recognized that it was an investment in US security. Funding helps strengthen the country’s defense and industrial base and weaken a common enemy. However, it is necessary to act more decisively, because, despite the loss, Putin continues to mobilize resources for the war. Russia’s victory is possible only if the West retreats.

The value of allies

McConnell  assured: Trump will face isolationists who underestimate the role of allies for US security and ignore the risk of multi-front conflicts. Allies become even more important in such situations.

There is progress in Europe, with most NATO countries increasing defense spending and more than two-thirds meeting the 2% of GDP target. Allies are also heavily investing in American defense systems, purchasing more than $185 billion worth of weapons starting in 2022. Although Hungary remains a weak link due to its pro-Russian position, in general, European countries took more seriously the calls of the United States to share the defense burden.

Trump can promote further change by urging allies to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP and strengthen their budgets to prepare for new challenges.

Isolationism under the guise of an Asia First strategy

Some are calling for Trump to withdraw support from Europe, noting that European allies recognize the connection between threats from China and Russia. EU leaders, in particular, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasize that the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region are interconnected. This understanding is shared by the allies in Asia, first of all, Taiwan, which declares that the fate of Ukraine affects its own survival.

Those who insist on prioritizing Asia ignore the importance of cooperation with Europe to counter China. This calls into question their sincerity in wanting to compete with Beijing, instead leaning towards isolationism under the guise of an Asia-first strategy.

Critics underestimate the dangers of a rapprochement between China and Russia, their influence in Asia and the global confrontation with the United States. Yes, Russia has been undermining US interests in Syria and through its alliance with Iran for a long time. The use of Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine was a consequence of the weak reaction of the West, which strengthened Iran’s partnership with China and Russia.

China is also expanding its influence in an effort to divide the US and its partners, including the Middle East. The idea of ​​”Asia first” only makes it easier for Beijing to achieve this goal, just like the previous mistakes of the US that allowed China to gain a foothold in the region.

How Washington can catch up with Beijing’s defense spending

The US spends almost 900 billion dollars on defense every year, but this, according to the opinion an expert, is not enough for global challenges. Next year, defense spending will make up just 12.8% of the federal budget, and nearly half of that money goes to wages, not weapons.

China is increasing its annual military spending to $711 billion and focusing on confronting the US in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration has proposed cuts to the defense budget without even accounting for inflation, casting doubt on the United States’ ability to stand up to China.

The United States is forced to allocate its resources globally, making efficient financing difficult. Politicians’ declarations of support for Taiwan or opposition to China will be useless without significant investment in defense capabilities…

…Next time, we’ll cover other important points made by Mitch McConnell, including that the United States needs a multi-threat military, why the United States needs to take care of its weakened defense industrial base, how tariffs have strained relations with allies, and tested the patience of American consumers, why and how the American bureaucracy inhibits the introduction of innovations even in the case of their obvious military benefit.

Tetyana Viktorova