Russia, Canada, and Fish -- and China

Winning the New Cold War: A Plan for Countering China, edited by Jim Carafano, Michael Pillsbury, Jeff Smith, and Andrew Harding, Heritage Foundation Special Report #270, March 28, 2023, sections on “Diminish the Value of Russia as China’s Ally," “Improve U.S.-Canadian Bilateral Cooperation," and “Address Illegal Fishing and Maritime Militia Activities." "The Heritage Foundation’s “Winning the New Cold War” describes the ends, ways, and means to secure America’s future while confronting the greatest external threat the U.S. has faced since the collapse of the Soviet Union—the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). To be successful, this plan requires real and sustained U.S. economic growth, greater political will, stronger external partnerships, synchronized economic and security policies, resilient supply chains and borders, adequate military deterrence, and American energy independence. It also requires buy-in from the whole of American society. In order to implement a whole-of-nation strategy, the U.S. government must educate the American public and business community, from Main Street to Wall Street, about the scope of the threat from the CCP."

NDAA 2024 - Treaties, Interpol, and Taiwain

NDAA 2024: Increasing the Readiness of the U.S. Military, edited by Maiya Clark, Heritage Foundation Special Report #269, March 22, 2023,sections 64-66. "Congress should condemn the Attorney General and the Secretary of State for refusing to publish a substantive report in compliance with Section 6503 of the FY 2022 NDAA. It should reiterate its request for such a report, this time requiring that the report draw on all available public evidence, including that already published by the State Department, and state that it will respond with hearings to any failure to produce a substantive report."

Interpol's Finances

Interpol Needs Improved Financial Transparency to Restore Its Integrity and Block Autocratic Manipulation, Heritage Foundation Special Report #258, August 1, 2022. "Interpol serves a valuable purpose and deserves to be properly funded. Its democratic member nations have a particular stake in ensuring thatInterpol can fund itself through its normal budgetary processes, for the less Interpol relies on statutory contributions, the more likely it is to fall into the financial clutches of the autocracies that seek to abuse it for their own ends. The U.S. and its democratic allies in Interpol need to start laying the groundwork now for the election of the organization’s next Secretary General in 2024. No reforms of Interpol’s finances or of Interpol more broadly, no matter how necessary or far-reaching, will be effective if Interpol’s leaders are not committed to upholding and advancing them."

Land Mines, Clusters, ATT, and Interpol in FY2023 NDAA

How the National Defense Authorization (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 Should Prepare the Military for Great-Power Competition, edited by Frederico Bartels, Heritage Foundation Special Report #257, March 10, 2022, see recommendations 59 and 60.

Cooperative Pandemic Measures with Europe

The U.S.–European Economic Partnership Recovery Plan, with colleagues at the Heritage Foundation, Heritage Foundation Special Report #230, May 8, 2020. "Europe is being devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, and the economic situation in the United States is not much better. The U.S. and Europe need each other more than ever in order to pull each other out of the post-COVID-19 economic crisis. This Special Report has identified seven areas of potential transatlantic community cooperation between the U.S. and Europe: (1) economic freedom, (2) a U.S.–EU Free Trade Agreement, (3) a U.S.–U.K. Free Trade Agreement, (4) the Three Seas Initiative, (5) the Visa Waiver Program, (6) Europe’s energy security, and (7) Europe’s approach to China 5G technology. Cooperation on these seven areas offers a realistic and meaningful approach for Americans and Europeans to help each other."

The 2021 NDAA - Land Mines, Cluster Munitions, and Defense Cooperation

How the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriations Act Can Prepare the U.S. for Great Power Competition, with colleagues at the Heritage Foundation, Heritage Foundation Special Report #222, March 23, 2020. "The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and the Department of Defense Appropriations Act are key tools for helping the Department of Defense (DOD) adapt to great power competition. The process of preparing for great power competition will not be a fast one, nor is it a matter of simply giving the DOD more resources. It will require prioritizing the long-term challenge posed by China and Russia, while divesting from previous efforts that do not contribute to meeting those challenges. Even if the United States dedicated all federal taxpayer dollars to the defense of the nation, the DOD would still have to make hard decisions about which capabilities are necessary now and in the future, as well as about the level of readiness of each unit. The 2021 authorization and appropriations acts are excellent opportunities for Congress to help the DOD make those decisions."

The Transatlantic Community

How and Why American Conservatives Must Fight for the Future of the Transatlantic Community, with James Carafano, Nile Gardiner, and Walter Lohman, Heritage Foundation Special Report #217, November 7, 2019. "The American experiment is rooted in Western religion, culture, and ideas, and over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries was recognized universally as the basis of modern Western civilization and the foundation for good governance and a just society. Like for all civilizations, foundational concepts are constantly under challenge, reinterpretation, and revision. Westerners’ belief in immutable rights, however, is the idea that brought the two sides of the Atlantic together—and gives them common cause in facing the world’s challenges every bit as much as a convergence of material interests. This belief and partnership are worth preserving—and it is why American conservatives have a stake in the future of the transatlantic community."

The Annual NDAA Blockbuster

The Role of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in Rebuilding the U.S. Military, contributor, Heritage Foundation Special Report #208, February 6, 2019. "The FY 2020 defense budget will be the most important defense budget of the Trump Administration. In great measure, the FY 2020 budget will determine the destiny of the military rebuild championed by President Trump and by Congress. Due to recent budget increases, the military has seen gains in readiness, but the rebuild is far from a completed task. Every service has expressed the imperative to increase in size and in capabilities in order to counter great power competition as described in the National Defense Strategy. The FY 2020 defense budget represents the fork in the road for the military rebuild and for the viability of the defense strategy. The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will be a clear signal of how Congress intends to shape the resources that will define the military’s effort and direction. In this Special Report, Heritage Foundation analysts detail 57 recommendations for Congress on how to continue the crucial rebuilding of the U.S. military through the 2020 NDAA."

The 2019 NDAA

The 2019 NDAA Must Continue to Rebuild the Military and Make it More Efficient, contributor to to Heritage Foundation Special Report #198, February 9, 2018. "The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) needs to be a step forward in rebuilding the Armed Forces’ capacity, capability, and readiness. Every single service is facing important questions about its future, both in terms of end strength and the infrastructure that will support its mission. Congress plays a vital role in shaping the military forces for next year and for the years to come. The NDAA is the best vehicle for Congress to shape the military’s present and future. The military did not get to the current level of deteriorated readiness in one year, and it will take consistent and sustained effort to rebuild that readiness. The 2019 NDAA needs to build on last year’s efforts and establish a reliable trend of investment."

Russia and U.S. Grand Strategy

U.S. Comprehensive Strategy Toward Russia, with James Jay Carafano and others, Heritage Foundation Special Report #173, December 9, 2015. "Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has not had a coherent, comprehensive strategy toward Russia. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine demonstrates, the U.S. has paid a price for this failure and, of course, many of Russia’s neighbors have paid far higher prices. At the core of the U.S. failure has been an unwillingness to assess the nature of the Russian regime realistically and to base its policy on that assessment. Too often, the U.S. has relied on wishful thinking."

Global Economic Freedom Agenda

2015 Global Agenda for Economic Freedom, section on "Europe," with other Heritage authors, Heritage Foundation Special Report #160, August 26, 2015. "The promotion of economic freedom at home and abroad is essential not only for a genuine and sustained revitalization of the U.S. economy, but also to strengthen U.S. national security. In 2010, the United States fell from the highest category of economically free countries in the Index of Economic Freedom and has been stuck in the ranks of the “mostly free,” second-tier economic freedom category ever since. The message for the U.S. in the 2015 edition of the Index is simple: to avoid further decline Americans must press for more economic freedom at home and abroad. This Heritage Foundation Special Report describes in detail concrete plans to promote global economic freedom. It describes many actions that nations around the world need to take, and offers Washington a blueprint for a practical and effective global strategy. American leadership can be decisive in promoting property rights and anti-corruption measures in other countries. In addition, the report urges the U.S. government to pursue more vigorously agreements with partner countries around the world that reduce barriers to trade and investment, as opposed to any that might only create additional regulatory hurdles to doing business. It also stresses the importance for all governments (including in the U.S.) to promote opportunity for all and to identify and reduce support for state-owned enterprises that are breeding grounds for cronyism and favoritism. This global agenda can and should be implemented—starting today."