Peace Through Strength - An America First National Security Policy | The Rob Maness Show EP 363

“America’s national defense strategy and military budget are inadequate for the dangerous world in which we find ourselves. An emerging axis of aggressors is working to undermine U.S. interests across the globe. Congress and military leaders agree: The United States has not faced such a dangerous threat environment since the years before World War II. The best way to avoid further conflict is to be ready. Today’s security challenges demand a generational investment to revitalize our armed forces – investments that would restore America’s military strength for decades to come.” Those words come from the senior Republican Senator on the Armed Services Committee, from my state, Roger Wicker, in his recent report on the status of America’s national security strategy, the strategic threats we face, and the military force structure we have in place to address them. While I don’t always agree with him but in this case, we align nearly completely. We must re-invest in and recreate our industrial capabilities to bring critical manufacturing, such as ship building and the associated workforce, back to our shores. But while we do those things, we must craft a security strategy and posture to be strong enough to deter China, our greatest adversary, and that needs to happen yesterday. My guest today is Elbridge Colby, co-founder and principal of The Marathon Initiative, a policy initiative focused on developing strategies to prepare the United States for an era of sustained great power competition. Colby served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development from 2017-2018, developing the 2018 National Security Strategy in the first Trump Administration.