WASHINGTON: Soon after President Donald Trump took the oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution,” the White House posted two documents declaring they would boost the size of the Navy and Air Force, increase our offensive and defensive cyber capabilities and end sequestration.
In the first document, Making Our Military Strong Again, the Trump Administration declares that the U.S. “cannot allow other nations to surpass our military capability” and will “pursue the highest level of military readiness.”
While few specifics were offered, the document does say the US will “develop a state-of-the-art missile defense system to protect against missile-based attacks from states like Iran and North Korea.”
In the second document, the America First Foreign Policy, the Trump Administration declares that “Peace through strength will be at the center” of its foreign policy.
As expected, they say that “Defeating ISIS and other radical Islamic terror groups will be our highest priority.” In one key declaration, they declare that the U.S will “engage in cyberwarfare to disrupt and disable propaganda and recruiting” of those terrorists.
While they offer no details in this document, the administration does make it official that Tump “is committed to reversing” the trend of a shrinking Navy and Air Force. In various speeches and documents, the Trump campaign said it would build a 350-ship fleet, up from the currently planned 308. The Air Force will apparently get up to 1,200 fighters.
At the end, the Trump administration, mindful of how blasted and unloved most of America’s allies and friends feel, the document offers this bromide: “The world must know that we do not go abroad in search of enemies, that we are always happy when old enemies become friends, and when old friends become allies.”
I’m guessing this won’t change the worried minds of many senior NATO or other allies leaders.
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