Since the beginning of our nation’s history, the core obligation of the federal government has been the common defense of the United States. Central to that mission is the readiness, lethality, strength, and warfighting acumen that make up the foundation of American deterrence. To paraphrase the words of former President Ronald Reagan, if peace and stability are our desired outcome, then America must be strong. We must be strong to deter and defend against aggression and preserve freedom and peace.
Under former President Joe Biden, however, the U.S. witnessed a dangerous, self-imposed erosion of its deterrence capabilities. From the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan to the first major ground war on the European continent since World War II, Biden’s presidency plunged the world into chaos. These failures emboldened America’s adversaries and invited unfettered, brutal aggression.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 was more than just a poorly executed exit — it was a glaring signal to the world that the U.S. was unwilling or unable to manage global conflicts effectively. The images of desperate Afghans clinging to U.S. aircraft, billions of dollars of military equipment abandoned to the Taliban, and the tragic loss of 13 U.S. service members in a terrorist attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport all sent a clear message: American leadership was in retreat.
That perception of weakness only grew. Russia, seeing an indecisive and risk-averse White House, launched its full-scale reinvasion of Ukraine, confident that the Biden administration would do little to prevent it. Meanwhile, in the Indo-Pacific, China escalated its aggressive military maneuvers and harassed Taiwan and U.S. allies with little fear of serious repercussions. In the opening months of 2021, Biden reversed President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran — easing sanctions to free up cash for Iran to pay some debts and increase oil exports to China, removing the Iran-backed Houthis from the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations, rescinding the American snapback of U.N. sanctions at the Security Council, pulling European allies back from censuring Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, and allowing Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria to attack U.S. forces with near impunity. Iran-backed militias freely attacked U.S. bases and shipping lanes in the Red Sea and launched a barbaric terrorist attack against Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, including 12 American citizens.
At home, Biden’s Pentagon prioritized woke and progressive social policies over military readiness. Recruiting numbers plummeted, morale declined, and combat readiness suffered greatly. The focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, climate change policies, and vaccine mandates alienated many service members and possible recruits. The result? A weaker, less prepared military at a time when global threats are on the rise and our defense industrial base is in serious need of modernization. While many of these inane policy decisions have been reversed thanks to Trump’s leadership, more work is still to be done. And quickly. Ahead of the joint address to Congress, these are challenges that the Republican Study Committee is ready to tackle alongside the Trump administration.
With Trump back in the White House, alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and national security adviser Mike Waltz, we’re setting a clear path forward for the U.S.: rebuild the military, restore our warrior ethos, and reestablish American deterrence.
Unlike his predecessors, who viewed the military through the lens of social experimentation, Hegseth recognizes that the Department of Defense has one primary mission: to produce the most lethal fighting force on Earth. Under his leadership, we’re already seeing a renewed focus on combat training, eliminating wasteful programs, and stripping away ideological distractions.
TRUMP SHOULD MAKE THE MILITARY GREAT AGAIN
Once again, the Pentagon will focus on what matters most and ensure that every policy and budget decision enhances America’s ability to deter and, if necessary, defeat its enemies. This means prioritized funding for critical programming such as weapons modernization, missile defense, air dominance, naval shipbuilding, and cyber warfare while cutting unnecessary bureaucratic bloat. It means cutting unnecessary red tape and ensuring that the U.S. can rapidly produce the munitions and equipment needed for sustained military operations. It means reestablishing the doctrine of peace through strength by bolstering our force posture in the Indo-Pacific, encouraging Europe to build up its defense capabilities to deter and effectively counter Russia, and reimplementing maximum pressure against Iran and its proxies.
These are the marching orders that will drive us forward into a new era of American deterrence. The world will soon remember what our adversaries have forgotten: When America leads with strength, peace prevails — and those who test our resolve will meet the full force of American power.
August Pfluger is a U.S. representative for Texas and is a former Air Force F-22 fighter pilot. He is currently the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus on Capitol Hill.
Zach Nunn is a U.S. representative for Iowa and is a former Air Force Airborne Intelligence officer. He is currently the chairman of the Republican Study Committee’s National Security Task Force.