This Veterans Day, I am thankful the United States possesses the most lethal fighting force the world has ever known, paired with a soon-to-be Commander-in-Chief aligned with a Senate, and House of Representatives that has shown an indisputable affinity towards the military — with a budget to match. In May of this year, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), released a “Major Defense Investment Plan,” calling it a generational investment in defense. More recently, a bipartisan commission on the National Defense Strategy found that:
“The United States last fought a global conflict during World War II, which ended nearly 80 years ago. The nation was last prepared for such a fight during the Cold War, which ended 35 years ago. It is not prepared today.”
Money isn’t everything, though. Since Donald Trump’s convincing victory last week, Hamas has called for an immediate end of the war against Israel, and while President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping had more diplomatic statements, there was certainly a cautious tone, that could be interpreted as fear or respect, of a second Trump presidency.
Meanwhile, the European Union has miraculously opened up an option to buy American liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead of continuing to purchase Russia’s (why this is still happening is appalling to me). NATO’s increase in defense spending since 2022 has increased more than 17 percent and is expected to double from 2023 spending by the end of this year — a prescient sticking point in former President Trump’s first administration. Donald Trump is already releasing the animal spirits of deterrence just by getting elected.
Why does this matter on Veterans Day? On August 31st, 2021, the last American C-17 left Kabul, Afghanistan and marked the first domino to fall that resulted in a world on fire. Many veterans and active-duty service members felt lost and without purpose — a feeling that the years we gave to the military — our best years — were all for naught.
The moral injury was astounding as service members voted with their feet, displaying the worst recruiting and retention crisis in a generation while the number of armed conflicts around the world grew — that divergence is directly correlated. Following the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the COVID vaccine mandate within the Department of Defense, veterans and service members alike were disillusioned by the actions of policymakers, and a Commander-in-Chief, who threw away his best military advise and decided to uproot any progress made over decades of spilled blood and treasure in the Middle East. The withdrawal led to tacit permission to America’s worst enemies to act without consequence.
The week following the results of the presidential election give vindication to America’s best and brightest — those who raised their hands and volunteered to defend this great nation. The U.S. military and our veteran population is the greatest deterrent against our enemies; what they were missing was a leader that is able to wield that deterrent without fear.
Donald Trump will also enter the White House with another powerful weapon to rebuild the military: JD Vance. As a Marine (since no Marine is a “former” Marine), Sen. Vance witnessed the Global War on Terror first-hand — an experience that, until now, had not been included on a presidential ticket.
I do not know how this Trump administration will handle issues like Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, terrorism, or the Taliban. Most service members and veterans privately hold a wide array of opinions towards each of those conflicts and on national security issues (myself included), but I am confident in one thing: that the military and our veteran population can be proud of being the greatest deterrent the world has ever seen.
Donald Trump overcame legal issues, an impeachment, comparisons to Hitler, and multiple assassination attempts only to emerge with overwhelming victory. Whether his perseverance and victory are viewed by allies or adversaries with fear or respect is irrelevant; they are welcome changes from four years of fecklessness. This will surely translate in less conflict around the world as the United States reclaims the role of decisive leadership with a carrots and a lethal, large stick held by an Administration that knows how to use it.
The results of the presidential election were an indictment of a great many things — the economy, social issues — but today, I want to emphasize that the military and national security is top-of-mind for so many service members and veterans around the world. We have seen what happens when bad policy trickles down in the military and experienced first-hand what weakness and restraint allow.
George Washington said in his first address to the House of Representatives and the Senate, that “to be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” Today, rest easy knowing that the military and veteran community is exactly what it’s meant to be: an instrument of peace because we are a lethal deterrent in the hands of those who know how to wield it.
David served in the U.S. Army for a decade, beginning in the 82nd Airborne Division and later the 4th Psychological Operations Group. Most recently, David served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Congressman Darrell Issa. In addition to leading the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), David has developed Open-Source Intelligence strategy and policy for the DoD and DIA. David is currently the National Security Director for ShadowDragon, an ethical OSINT company.