Military action in Iran and Venezuela was necessary to counter China on Taiwan

I’m of the opinion that China represents the most significant and enduring geopolitical rival to the United States, and the Taiwan issue acts as a powder keg. Only a robust threat of “Peace through Strength” can prevent a catastrophic war.

Xi has committed to bringing Taiwan politically into the CCP by 2030. We're told 2027 is also an interesting date since the Chinese military may well be at its peak then. After 2028 the PLA Navy will require a significant amount of recapitalization and upkeep as all navies do. Chinese grand strategy also calls for the US to be managing several regional conflicts at once. To this end, through the Belt and Road Initiative and sundry economic and military alliances across the world, China has been working towards its goals.

China's alliances that include weapons technology transfers as well as economic agreements with Russia, Iran, and Venezuela have set the playing field. Add to that the economic alliances with the other BRICS+ countries.

The BRICS alliance was set up to supplant the US Dollar by creating an alternative international financial consortium. This, if successful, would insulate the BRICS+ countries from sanctions levied by Western governments. Although China seems to have miscalculated the necessity of a much-needed market for its runaway manufacturing, the US and its economy.

This time last year, I was deeply concerned by the forces arrayed against the US and increasingly concerned with the quantity of munitions our military was using in the Middle East and how many missiles and shells we were using to support Ukraine. Add to this the proliferation of Russian - and to a lesser extent, Chinese - air defense systems to Iran and Venezuela, and US power was being stretched across 4 regional commands. I am no longer concerned. If anyone had suggested to me that President Trump had a head for grand strategy, I would have laughed. And I would have been wrong.

Russian and Chinese air defense systems have proven ineffective in both Iran and Venezuela. Our latest stealth aircraft, coupled with specifically designed precision munitions and the best-trained pilots in the world, have laid bare the shortcomings of the vaunted S-300 air defense systems provided by Russia.

For months, the Iranian-backed Houthis were launching anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones at international shipping in the Red Sea. To respond to this threat, the USN deployed destroyers as well as carrier strike groups. We met the challenge but at an asymmetric cost: an SM-2 missile, the standard loadout for a vertical launch system (VLS) capable ship, costs approximately $5 million, while newer SM-6 VLS missiles cost significantly more. These systems were used to defeat relatively low-cost ASBMs - often several times a week or even a day, seriously depleting our reserves. Similar asymmetrical engagements were carried out across the Middle East throughout the year. All these weapons systems are necessary for a successful defense of Taiwan. The conclusion of the Twelve-Day War stopped the munitions bleed out.

This brings us to the last 6 months. I would argue that President Trump has scuttled Chinese intentions through several well-timed, audacious, and deliberate actions. China's strategy to use its alliances with Russia, Iran, and Venezuela to keep the US occupied in EUCOM, CENTCOM, SOUTHCOM, and PACOM simultaneously is now in shambles. The successful military operations in SOUTHCOM and CENTCOM have now neutered two of the potential adversaries, all while Russian ineptitude has ground the Russian army down to a hollow shell of what it was.

Compounding the military success have been a series of economic and diplomatic achievements that were equally impactful. Trump has managed to pry India away from subsidizing Russia through oil purchases. Assertive follow-through with sanctions enforcement on the high seas by seizing illicit tankers between Venezuela, Russia, Iran, and China is having an impact on Russia and Iran, and probably also China. Targeted tariffs have had the dual effect of waking up the world to the necessity of the US market and to level a playing field distorted by 30 years of globalist utopian groupthink.

I’m a classical liberal and usually defer to the likes of Thomas Sowell and Milton Friedman on economic issues, and I remain skeptical about how the current tariff policy is being applied, but the last year has been an exciting ride. I will give credit where it's due. Thank you, Mr. President, and thanks to all our servicemen and intelligence officers keeping the country safe.