OPINION:
As President Biden continues to experience cognitive collapse, it’s increasingly likely that former President Donald Trump will soon drop “former” from his title. When he does, he has many challenges.
Unquestionably, the economy has suffered under Mr. Biden. But his foreign policy is equally unstable, even as he routinely stumbles as the leader of the free world.
The chain of failures is stunning. His disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan resembled a scene from the Keystone Cops turned tragic. He signaled to Russia that if its invasion of Ukraine were a “minor incursion,” that would be acceptable. And when the full invasion occurred, Mr. Biden’s tepid support of Ukraine was halting and unsteady. So, too, is his mercurial support for Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists.
Indeed, standing in the way of Israel’s final push to destroy Hamas is tantamount to national security malpractice. And of course, Iran and its Houthi and Hezbollah proxies are delighted with Mr. Biden’s feebleminded handiwork in the Middle East.
Enter Mr. Trump. He will have his hands full repairing the economy and dealing with the proliferation of conflicts that erupted during the Biden administration. In addition, the former president has a huge task before him in resetting U.S. military readiness.
As president, Mr. Trump made progress in improving defense readiness after decades of debilitating counterinsurgency wars in the Middle East. In that era, the military was worn thin and lost its edge to wage conventional war. Now that the military has awakened to the reality that our near-peer adversaries — Russia and China — have not foreclosed on engaging in conventional war, our military chiefs have shifted their attention to preparing for such a contingency, including possible combat with Iran and North Korea.
Mr. Trump’s progress in improving military preparedness was cut short in 2020. Unfortunately, on Mr. Biden’s watch, the military has become a petri dish for “woke” policies and anti-American diversity, equity and inclusion nonsense that has alienated many potential recruits, notably young White men. After all, if you’re wrongly and maliciously labeled a White supremacist or hate-filled bigot, why would you want to risk your life serving under political leaders who find you abhorrent?
Therefore, Mr. Trump’s first priority must be to repair the damage to recruitment under Mr. Biden. Mr. Trump must make clear to all Americans that military service is open to warriors who love this nation and want to defend it, not tear down its honorable traditions. And in doing that, he must select the best service leaders possible to recruit patriotic young men and women to defend our nation. The Pentagon’s current leadership has failed miserably in recruitment efforts.
Second, he must pick an exceptional secretary of defense to ensure competent civilian oversight of military affairs. That person should not be a former general officer but rather a well-rounded American of notable accomplishment who understands how to orchestrate large and complex organizations such as the Department of Defense. That defense secretary must be firm and decisive to ensure the president’s policies are implemented and necessary reforms made, particularly in avoiding wasteful spending.
Third, Mr. Trump must be keenly focused on strengthening the military for potential conventional or nuclear war. That means having a well-armed and vigorously trained military capable of defending our nation, deterring our adversaries and destroying any enemy unwise enough to test our resolve. For example, the Army, the foundational service of our nation, is too small, not properly equipped, and hampered by far-left social engineering and politically correct influences unrelated to combat readiness. All of this must change as soon as Mr. Trump is inaugurated.
Fourth, while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has shirked its funding obligations in past years, it has made a significant contribution to supporting Ukraine. Mr. Trump was right to press NATO members to do their fair share in 2017. He should acknowledge that improvement but continue pressuring them to match the U.S. contribution to NATO because they are equal partners, not vassal dependents.
Finally, while Mr. Trump is wary of huge investments in alliances that receive more from the U.S. than they are willing to reciprocate, allied bases are necessary for the U.S. to respond properly to conventional war threats in Europe and the Indo-Pacific regions. Without ample forward-deployed forces, however, we will fall short. Simply put, we do not have the sea and air assets to ensure sufficient forces are present in any given region when major wars erupt. And since we are both an Atlantic and Pacific power, we need effective alliances to host and support forward-deployed American forces in the European-Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific regions. Besides, U.S. forces training with allies overseas makes for stronger and better teammates.
Yes, Mr. Trump must reset the military preparedness that Mr. Biden has woefully neglected.
• L. Scott Lingamfelter is a retired Army colonel and combat veteran (1973-2001) and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates (2002-2018). He is the author of “Desert Redleg: Artillery Warfare in the First Gulf War” (University Press of Kentucky, 2020) and “Yanks in Blue Berets: American UN Peacekeepers in the Middle East” (UPK, 2023).
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