Donald J. Trump Forty-Fifth President
(2017 to 2021)
National Security Strategy To Advance America’s Interests December 18, 2017 - Ronald Reagan Building / Washington, D.C.
(Video courtesy of DoD News with editing by USA Patriotism!)
Text Summary of National Security Strategy
President Donald J. Trump's new National Security Strategy sets a
positive strategic direction for the United States that will restore
America’s advantages in the world and build upon our country’s great
strengths.
"Our government's first duty is to
its people, to our citizens ... to serve their needs, to ensure
their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values."
President Donald J. Trump
The 2017 National Security Strategy
builds on the 11 months of Presidential action to restore
respect for the United States abroad and renew American
confidence at home.
Strategic confidence enables the United
States to protect its vital national interests. The Strategy
identifies four vital national interests, or “four pillars” as:
I. Protect the homeland, the American
people, and American way of life; II. Promote
American prosperity; III. Preserve peace through strength;
IV. Advance American influence.
The Strategy addresses key challenges
and trends that affect our standing in the world, including:
o Revisionist powers, such as China and Russia, that use
technology, propaganda, and coercion to shape a world
antithetical to our interests and values;
Regional dictators that spread
terror, threaten their neighbors, and pursue weapons of mass
destruction;
Jihadist terrorists that foment
hatred to incite violence against innocents in the name of a
wicked ideology, and transnational criminal organizations
that spill drugs and violence into our communities.
The Strategy articulates and advances
the President’s concept of principled realism.
It is realist because it
acknowledges the central role of power in international
politics, affirms that strong and sovereign states are the
best hope for a peaceful world, and clearly defines our
national interests.
It is principled because it is
grounded in advancing American principles, which spreads
peace and prosperity around the globe.
I. PROTECT THE HOMELAND: President Trump’s fundamental
responsibility is to protect the American people, the homeland, and
the American way of life.
We will strengthen control of our
borders and reform our immigration system to protect the
homeland and restore our sovereignty.
The greatest transnational threats to
the homeland are:
Jihadist terrorists, using barbaric
cruelty to commit murder, repression, and slavery, and
virtual networks to exploit vulnerable populations and
inspire and direct plots.
Transnational criminal
organizations, tearing apart our communities with drugs and
violence and weakening our allies and partners by corrupting
democratic institutions.
America will target threats at their
source: we will confront threats before they ever reach our
borders or cause harm to our people.
We will redouble our efforts to protect
our critical infrastructure and digital networks, because new
technology and new adversaries create new vulnerabilities.
We are deploying a layered missile
defense system to defend America against missile attacks.
II. PROMOTE AMERICAN PROSPERITY: A strong economy
protects the American people, supports our way of life, and sustains
American power.
We will rejuvenate the American economy
for the benefit of American workers and companies, which is
necessary to restore our national power.
America will no longer tolerate chronic
trade abuses and will pursue free, fair, and reciprocal economic
relationships.
To succeed in this 21st century
geopolitical competition, America must lead in research,
technology, and innovation. We will protect our national
security innovation base from those who steal our intellectual
property and unfairly exploit the innovation of free societies.
America will use its energy dominance to
ensure international markets remain open, and that the benefits
of diversification and energy access promote economic and
national security.
III. PRESERVE PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH: An America
strengthened, renewed, and rejuvenated will ensure peace and deter
hostility.
We will rebuild America’s military
strength to ensure it remains second to none.
America will use all of the tools of
statecraft in a new era of strategic competition—diplomatic,
information, military, and economic—to protect our interests.
America will strengthen its capabilities
across numerous domains — including space and cyber — and
revitalize capabilities that have been neglected.
America’s allies and partners magnify
our power and protect our shared interests. We expect them to
take greater responsibility for addressing common threats.
We will ensure the balance of power
remains in America’s favor in key regions of the world: the
Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.
IV. ADVANCE AMERICAN INFLUENCE: As a force for good
throughout its history, America will use its influence to advance
our interests and benefit humanity.
We must continue to enhance our
influence overseas to protect the American people and promote
our prosperity.
America’s diplomatic and development
efforts will compete to achieve better outcomes in all
arenas—bilateral, multilateral, and in the information realm—to
protect our interests, find new economic opportunities for
Americans, and challenge our competitors.
America will seek partnerships with
like-minded states to promote free market economies, private
sector growth, political stability, and peace.
We champion our values – including the
rule of law and individual rights – that promote strong, stable,
prosperous, and sovereign states.
Our America First foreign policy
celebrates America’s influence in the world as a positive force
that can help set the conditions for peace, prosperity, and the
development of successful societies.
