Beyond the Water's Edge

The United States must look north for the next great power battleground — The Arctic is becoming increasingly important for U.S. national security. It is a strategic location for missile defense, trade routes, and vast reserves of natural resources, and Russia and China are attempting to exercise more control over the region.

Pageantry. That’s always been the word that comes to mind when I think of events like last week’s U.N. General Assembly. Rarely are there real outcomes, and rarely does it feel like the fanfare is worth the enormous amount of taxpayer money the U.S. government spends on hotel rooms, flights, and trains for staff to head to New York City. Pageantry also came to mind during last week’s summit between Chairman Xi and President Trump.

Washington is abuzz with the summit between President Trump and Chairman Xi, and not just because the traffic is worse than normal. After all, even at a time when bipartisan consensus is an increasingly fading phenomenon, concern over China’s military and economic threat appears to be holding across the aisle. From calls to release innocent Americans like Youlin Chen and Min Zin

The United States Constitution is not known first and foremost as a foreign policy document. And yet this text—among the most important political documents in human history—is the birthplace not simply of our nation, but of the principles that guide our conduct in the world. After all, what is foreign policy but the means through which the United States remains prosperous, safe, and above all, free?

Last month, Ukraine celebrated 35 years of independence, a significant milestone given the internal and external pressures that have sought to undermine it throughout that time. Critics frequently question the resilience of Ukraine’s democracy, arguing that the war has intensified its longstanding problems, including corruption.

In lieu of paragraphs this week, I’m offering a podcast. Last week, I had the absolute honor of joining my friend John Mark Wilson, an Army and NSC veteran, for an episode of his podcast, The Beaten Zone.

In need of a good beach read for the final days of Summer 2026? The Vandenberg Coalition has you covered! Instead of our regular news roundup, in this week’s Beyond the Water’s Edge we wanted to highlight some of what our wonderful Advisory Board has published over the past year, perfect for getting caught up on some of

As part of my summer internship here at Vandenberg, I researched the false narratives about Israel being pushed by various isolationist podcasters. Israel not only faces an existential kinetic threat from Iran and Iran’s proxies, it also is seeing efforts by these digital influencers to erode American support for Israel.

Months before the United States formally entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met aboard naval vessels off the coast of Newfoundland to co-author a shared vision for the postwar world.

A few weeks ago, President Trump announced that China had collected voter information for 220 million Americans—to nobody’s surprise. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are responsible for 77 percent of all suspected malicious cyber operations inside the United States since 2005, targeting American critical infrastructure, sensitive data, and everyday systems.

Earlier this year, The Vandenberg Coalition celebrated our five-year anniversary. From the beginning, we have built an Advisory Board with some of the smartest, most accomplished conservative foreign policy experts in the game today.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a speech making the case to the American people that the United States needed to reassess its approach to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Shortly after the United States entered World War II, General George C. Marshall recruited legendary film director Frank Capra to direct a series of films. This series, entitled Why We Fight, aimed to answer for the millions of American soldiers being sent to the front lines that all-important question: why?

This weekend, Americans around the country celebrated 250 years since the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. “250 years of freedom” was the rallying cry for a great many of these events. And while freedom should well be prioritized in the celebration of America’s birth, freedom itself was not created spontaneously by the Declaration.

When explaining his vision for the Star Wars prequels, George Lucas said his movies are “like poetry, sort of. They rhyme. Every stanza rhymes with the last one.” He meant that the prequels echoed the themes and storylines of the original trilogy.

Last week during a press conference on Iran, Vice President Vance warned Israel about objecting to the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding. In particular, he noted that Israel and the United States do not always have the same interests, and that as Vice President, his responsibility is to the United States.

In the 47 years since Iran was taken over by radical Islamic fundamentalists, it has been a source of terror around the world. The regime slaughters its own people, launches unprovoked terrorist attacks against Israel, disseminates anti-American and antisemitic propaganda, and murders American citizens.

At the start of the Cold War, Americans largely understood that it was at its core a struggle between two opposing worldviews: freedom and tyranny. From Kennan’s Long Telegram to NSC-68, it was clear that the United States was not just fighting for territory or economic interests, but the Western principles of human dignity, individual liberty, faith, and democracy.

Birthdays are worth celebrating—especially America’s. This is why since January, The Vandenberg Coalition has published a series of videos commemorating the anniversaries of, and extracting lessons from, landmark documents and speeches in U.S. foreign policy history. The first three installments—Senator Arthur Vandenberg’s “Speech Heard ‘Round The World,”

When we talk about “peace through strength,” the strength side of the equation usually gets the most attention. But before we can determine how to best build and exercise strength, we first must be clear about what we mean by peace, particularly when it comes to China.

This week, The Vandenberg Coalition hosted a fascinating discussion between Danielle Pletka, Marshall Billingslea, and Bradley Bowman on the U.S.- NATO relationship. While all agreed NATO has been foundational to America’s past success, the question for the panel centered on what role NATO should play in America’s present and future.

Last week, The Vandenberg Coalition presented the Trump administration with a letter signed by over two dozen national security leaders requesting that in his upcoming summit with Xi, President Trump advocate for the end of the persecution of Christians in China, and in particular, the unjust imprisonmnet of Pastor Ezra Jin.

Four score and one year ago, Senator Arthur Vandenberg stood in Congress and delivered his “Speech Heard Round the World,” a bold vision for the future of American foreign policy that emphasized U.S. sovereignty, robust alliances, and a strong national defense to advance American interests and values around the world.

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating, alongside Advisory Board member Rebeccah Heinrichs, in an Alexander Hamilton Society debate on the Iran war. While there are many strong and divergent views on the operation—including within our Coalition—it is quite rare to witness a nuanced, respectful debate. As Rebeccah and I argued that the War in Iran has been a net benefit to U.S. security

For the first time since 1972, the United States left Earth’s orbit en route to the Moon as part of the Artemis II Mission. While the astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft did not step foot on the Moon during this mission, the astronauts set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human in history.

Over the last few months, there has been much to celebrate about the display of American military capability. As I’ve written numerous times, the last year has transformed public perception of the American military.

“The Times They Are A’Changin” in Venezuela…or are they? Much has been promised for change in Venezuela following Operation Absolute Resolve—namely a plan of stabilization, recovery, and ultimately a transition to democracy.

The Vandenberg Coalition was honored to host Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX) for an on-the-record discussion about his views on the Future of Conservative Foreign Policy.

Ten years ago, American diplomats stationed in Havana, Cuba, inexplicably began to report unusual symptoms: Pressure sensations, waves of pain, and vision and balance problems.

America is divided. It is not Democrat vs. Republican, man vs. woman, or Boomer vs. Gen Z, but instead those who live in the real world and those who live online.

The Ayatollah is dead. What that translates to – in lives saved, in human rights abuses avoided, in arbitrary detentions and torture prevented – is incalculable.

On February 22, 1946, George Kennan sent a 5,000-word diplomatic cable that shaped how the United States would understand and respond to the Soviet challenge for the rest of the Cold War.

One of the most important national security challenges of the day is how to properly calibrate our “Pivot to Asia.” China clearly remains the central pacing threat for the United States today in terms of military, economic, and critically, informational operations.

January brought new hope to freedom fighters around the world as the United States extracted Nicolás Maduro to face justice for his crimes against humanity and Iranian protestors organized to directly challenge the tyrannical regime in Tehran after 46 years of repression.

According to The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets—a new book by David Shedd and Andrew Badger—one critical but often overlooked explanation for China’s meteoric rise has been the scale, scope, and pace of its unprecedented state-sponsored espionage campaign.

2026 has started with a bang. Some good, some bad, but it has not been dull: The stunning success of Operation Absolute Resolve. Greenland. Phase 2 of the President’s Gaza Peace Plan. The Board of Peace floated as a potential alternative to the United Nations.

While all eyes were focused on the Western Hemisphere two weeks ago, many have begun to look back eastward to Iran. In what appear to be the largest protests in the history of the Islamic Republic, Iranians of all backgrounds and ages have flooded the streets.

For the debut episode of our new video series “The Beacon of Liberty: 250 Years of American Foreign Policy,” we highlight a speech that changed the course of U.S. foreign policy: Senator Arthur Vandenberg’s “Speech Heard Round the World.”

It has been quite the week for those of us who have spent most of the last few years focused on Venezuela. Operation Absolute Resolve was a resounding success for American military might and justice – and a clear warning to America’s adversaries that our will and capability remain the best in the world.

Shortly after President Trump was inaugurated, I gave a presentation at the Special Competitive Studies Project on China. The President’s decision on TikTok, I argued, would be a bellwether for his broader approach towards China.

The Vandenberg Coalition was pleased to host Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI) for an on-the-record discussion about his views on the Future of Conservative Foreign Policy. How pervasive is the Chinese Communist Party’s presence in the United States?

If you have been fortunate enough to spend time in the American West, it is very likely you’ve watched in wonder as the expansive wings of a red-tailed hawk glide across the never-ending blue sky. These majestic beasts are assertive, agile, and strong, fiercely defending their nests and territories.

Given last week’s holiday, let’s talk Turkey. Not the bird this time – the country. Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel for the first time since 2018, and unsurprisingly, the key theme was the future security of the Israeli state. While there was much discussion on Gaza and Hamas, another potential threat loomed in the background: Turkey.

As many in Washington seek to clarify President Trump’s objectives toward Venezuela, there is one leader whose vision needs no interpretation: Maria Corina Machado. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, Maria Corina recently outlined her “Freedom Manifesto”

For the fifth month in a row, The Vandenberg Coalition and GOP polling firm TargetPoint surveyed a sample of Trump voters to gauge their perspectives on salient foreign policy challenges. President Trump’s foreign policy remains very popular with his voters, but they especially approve when he takes tough action against our adversaries.

This week, I’ve been thinking about democracy. The reason we are such fierce defenders of a strong American foreign policy is because it ultimately defends our own nation — our sovereignty, our democracy, our values. What was the secret sauce that made our democracy so successful, when so many others have collapsed?

Earlier this month, Grace Jin Drexel received the heart-wrenching news that her father, Pastor Ezra Jin, was rounded up and detained as a part of the largest coordinated nationwide crackdown against an urban house church in over 40 years in China.

Last week, our hearts were lightened with the return of 20 living Israeli hostages who spent the previous 738 days under Hamas captivity. 738 days. An unimaginable horror. While much remains to secure a lasting peace in the Middle East…

For the fourth month in a row, The Vandenberg Coalition and GOP polling firm TargetPoint surveyed a sample of Trump voters between September 22–29 to assess their attitudes on the pressing foreign policy challenges…

Another shutdown. While it is true that one of the hardest lessons to learn in DC is that politics and policy are irrevocably linked, it is nevertheless disappointing to see when partisanship so clearly places party over country.

Last week, President Trump laid out his vision of American foreign policy – and his criticisms of the United Nations. While what most people will remember about the President’s speech is the escalator incident, the teleprompter, or the President’s colorful line that “all your countries are going to hell,”

The Vandenberg Coalition wishes a Shana Tova Umetukah to all of those observing Rosh Hashanah. May this year bring blessings of peace and security and serve as a celebration of the beauty and sweetness of life. Honest Candor will be back next week.

Today is Constitution Day. 238 years ago, our founders signed the document that enshrined within it both our contemporary system of governance and the rights we continue to hold dear.

As international leaders gather once again in New York to cosplay diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the history – and the future of the international system. President Trump has been accused of breaking the “rules-based liberal international order,” but in truth his actions have simply highlighted that order broke long ago.

While President Trump rightly promised toughness against our leading adversary – with some even worrying the focus on China would be so all-consuming it would exclude confronting other challenges abroad – so far it feels more like a rapprochement. Just within the past few weeks, we have seen the White House create an official TikTok account