As the 2024 Reagan National Defense Forum kicks off this weekend, the tried and true "peace through strength" strategy is at the top of military experts’ – and Americans’ – minds, according to the head of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute.
"President Trump and the Republicans who got elected, both in the majority in the House and the Senate, clearly have a mandate for peace through strength," the organization's president and CEO David Trulio said Friday on "America’s Newsroom."
"The good news there… Americans generally believe in peace through strength, whether they're Trump voters or Harris voters, our survey data clearly shows that," he continued. "But this is wind at the sails of those who seek to have a strong military engaged in the world."
Leaders from across the political spectrum are gathering at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, to discuss and assess policies aiming to strengthen America’s military.
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Ahead of the annual meeting, the Ronald Reagan Institute released new survey data which captured the voices of Americans on a variety of topics, ultimately finding that an overwhelming majority view foreign policy and national defense as being "somewhat" or "extremely" important to them.
"The U.S. military is a treasured institution and it's very important that Americans feel that way. Obviously, the most fundamental purpose of government is to defend the nation and the population," Trulio said.
"Americans want America to be engaged in the world," he expanded. "And one way we do that is by having a strong military that can deter bad actors, but also be there for us if, God forbid, we ever come to blows."
The opinion shows a divergence from the position frequently pushed by President-elect Donald Trump, who has long championed an "America first" policy, which some fear could isolate the U.S. during a geopolitically turbulent time as Russia’s aggression continues to ramp up in Europe, Iran remains a chief threat in the Middle East, and China continues to pose a threat politically, militarily and economically.
While more than half of male survey takers, 59%, said they believe the U.S. could win a war against China, the female participants were more skeptical with only 45% expressing the same confidence, while 23% said they were unsure compared to 18% of male participants expressing the same.
"It's a very chaotic world. China has certainly been ascending militarily, obviously economically. The Chinese navy is bigger than the U.S. Navy now," Trulio pointed out. "So people are right to stop and think, do we have the military that's fit for purpose? Our own survey data over time shows that Americans want a military that could win two wars at the same time, not just one."
America’s top adversaries "are people who don't share our values, don't share our worldview. And none of us as Americans who love freedom and democracy want to live in a world dominated by those people," the president and CEO added.
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Though he expressed that "nobody should get a free lunch," Trulio also noted "bright spots" in the foreign policy sector with countries that can meet U.S. responsibility, engagement and ethics.
"Our collective security is everybody's responsibility," he said. "Poland, Lithuania, for example, these are countries that are more than living up to their commitments. And we need to see more of that."
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
