The American people’s vision for national defense

By U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer
R-Nebraska

President Ronald Reagan was deeply committed to the idea of “peace through strength.”

It’s an acknowledgment that peace is best achieved through military power, because a strong military deters conflict. His dedication to this idea led to the modernization of our forces at the time, contributed to the peaceful resolution of the Cold War, and is still the bedrock of our defense strategy today. 

Every year, defense leaders from both parties – as well as military and industry leaders – gather at the Reagan Presidential Library to discuss how we can apply President Reagan’s successful legacy to our current challenges, and what the American people think about foreign policy and military spending.

It’s called the Reagan National Defense Forum, and this year I’ll be there to discuss why the American people still overwhelmingly support peace through strength, and what that means for our military in coming years. 

Each year, the Ronald Reagan Institute releases a survey of Americans’ opinions on foreign policy. They found that despite our political differences, the majority of Americans are of one mind when it comes to our national defense.

According to the survey, half of Americans see China as the greatest threat to the United States. They are especially concerned about the growing axis of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea – 86 percent said they were concerned about the increasing collaboration to undermine the United States.

Americans also know that our military isn’t headed in the right direction. Only 51 percent of Americans believe that our nation’s military is superior to China’s. And the vast majority of those surveyed support increased defense funding to address threats like China. In fact, 79 percent of Americans want the government to spend more on the military.

Americans’ priorities are in the right place. The biggest challenge facing our nation is China, but the larger problem is our ability to deter China as well as other threats simultaneously. 

Today, we face two peer nuclear adversaries – but we’ve barely begun modernizing our nuclear forces. Our world is brimming with unrest, from China now having the world’s largest Navy, to terrorism in the Middle East, to war in Ukraine. More than ever, Americans want leaders who will prioritize our national defense, invest our resources wisely, and support Reagan’s wise maxim.

The new Congress and new administration will have a critical opportunity to do so. We can’t put off investing further in America’s defense for another five or 10 years. 

I’m confident that Congress will partner with the new administration to rebuild our military, modernize our weapons systems, and prepare our nation to defend itself from the threats we face. That is how we can carry out the mission the American people gave us on November 5th: to secure our nation so it can thrive.