We are a non-partisan network of foreign policy scholars and practitioners who believe in the power of American leadership to protect American national security.
The Vandenberg Coalition is a non-partisan network of foreign policy leaders, both experts and practitioners, advancing the position that the national security, prosperity, and freedom of the United States require a strong and proud foreign policy.
The Coalition aims to ensure that elected officials, candidates for government office, and the press have a common, credible and fact-based source of information on defense and foreign policy and access to a network of future leaders and practitioners committed to American leadership in the world.
The Vandenberg Coalition agenda is founded in strategic leadership to protect democracy in the United States and throughout the world. We support a strong national defense system, strategic international cooperation, and strong national economic security.
A strong national defense is essential to protect the vital interests of the American people and to deter aggression and hostility abroad.
Robust alliances among sovereign nations and the strategic use of multilateral institutions can preserve and advance U.S. interests. Nations joined in common cause, not supranational government, are the foundation of international cooperation and peace.
Free and fair trade advances the prosperity and security of the American people. U.S. trade and investment agreements should benefit workers and families in the U.S. America must sustain its defense and industrial base, lead efforts against predatory economic practices, and promote respect for the rules of international trade and commerce.
The strategic pursuit of American principles advances American security. A proud American foreign policy should champion American values without apology.
The American people are the ultimate arbiters of U.S. foreign policy. The foreign policy of the United States should be responsive to the interests and principles of Americans not just in Washington but across our country.
The United States must remain the most powerful nation and influential leader in the world.
In light of this week’s midterm elections, it is worth reflecting on the title of our weekly newsletter. Senator Arthur Vandenberg famously said that partisan politics needed to stop at the water’s edge. Less famously, but perhaps more importantly, he also said that “bipartisan foreign policy is not the result of political coercion but of non-political conviction.”
The Indo-Pacific is the decisive theater of global competition and is critical in propelling the U.S. economy. The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) hostile actions are most acutely felt in the Indo-Pacific as it seeks to become a dominant regional power and overhaul the regional balance of power.
“Estoy aqui. Con ustedes.” I am here. With you all. With these words, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned to her country after 10 months abroad. She left to the accolades of millions to receive her Nobel Peace Prize. She returned to an even more meaningful scene—the undying affection of her people, welcoming home not just her but their democratic aspirations.
Our team brings together professionals with deep experience in national security, foreign policy, and public affairs—guided by a distinguished Advisory Board of experts across government, academia, and diplomacy.
