Barb Van Andel-Gaby Chairman of Heritage Foundation - Economy | Official Website
The Heritage Foundation has released a report titled "The Prioritization Imperative: A Strategy to Defend America’s Interests in a More Dangerous World," outlining a defense strategy for the incoming U.S. administration in 2025. The report emphasizes prioritizing the defense of the U.S. homeland and countering China's ambitions, while empowering allies to handle lesser threats.
Alex Velez-Green, Senior Policy Advisor at the Allison Center for National Security and co-author of the report, stated: “The U.S. military is no longer capable of winning multiple major wars at a time. It's not even clear we’ll be able to deter—or if necessary, win—a single war against our most powerful rival, China."
Velez-Green emphasized that policymakers have failed to manage America's resources effectively, leading to potential vulnerabilities. He stressed the need for change to defend the American homeland and deter China.
Robert Peters, Research Fellow for Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense and co-author of the report, added: “America’s military isn’t resourced to be everywhere at once. Yet, that’s exactly what America’s leaders have asked of it for decades—and the results speak for themselves."
Peters highlighted ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East and warned about possible escalation in other regions under nuclear threat. He advocated focusing on primary national interests—defending the U.S. homeland and deterring China—while strengthening alliances against other threats.
The report's findings include:
- The necessity for America's military to defend both the U.S. homeland and prevent foreign rivals from dominating key regions.
- The current limitation of U.S. forces being sized only to win one major war at a time.
- The importance of empowering allies in various theaters to maintain deterrence against Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
- The critical need for prioritization given current resource constraints.
If adopted, this strategy aims not only to bolster America's defenses but also prevent Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific while revitalizing global alliances.
