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23 August 2024

Chris Williams and Marc Berkowitz, National Security Decisions for the Next President, Issue No. 597, August 19, 2024

Chris Williams & Marc Berkowitz

The next President of the United States will face an extraordinarily complex and dangerous international security environment which could rapidly deteriorate. America now confronts an unprecedented array of national, functional, and transnational threats. In particular, the United States is engaged in a geostrategic contest with a new entente of Axis powers. Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are led by autocratic regimes with revisionist or irredentist political aims to change the international system at the expense of U.S. interests.

Within days of being sworn-in, the next President will be forced to make decisions that will determine the future direction of U.S. national security policy. Whether prepared or not, America could face multiple, potentially concurrent, crises or conflicts around the world involving vital or extremely important U.S. interests.[1] It would be imprudent to expect that the U.S. homeland will be a sanctuary in the event of a conflict. Indeed, it may be a prime target for attacks by America’s enemies.

The next President will also inherit a mismatch among the national security objectives (ends), ongoing courses of action (ways), and allocated resources (means) to protect and advance U.S. interests, including support commitments to allies and partners. This article examines key national security decisions that await the next President.

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