Vandenberg Flash Focus

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) joins TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to discuss his role on the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense, and his role as Chairman of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs at a time of global uncertainty in the strength of American leadership aboard. 

This special episode is part of the Vandenberg Coalition's Future of Conservative Foreign Policy series, where we discuss the challenges facing the United States and how conservative policymakers should approach the world stage.

Zack Cooper joins Flash Focus to discuss Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's state visit to Washington this week. What are the top-takeaways and how should policymakers think about our relationship with the country that is arguably our most important ally?

Japan is central to America's alliance network in the Indo-Pacific and the Administration sees a willing security partner in Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. During the Prime Minister’s state visit in Washington this week, the United States and Japan unveiled plans for military cooperation and coordinated command structure, ranging from missiles to moon landings. Kishida also addressed a joint session of Congress, urging Congress to uphold U.S. commitments and leadership globally, while offering assurances that Japan is today a strong partner “standing shoulder-to-shoulder” with America.

Zack Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies American strategy and alliances in the Indo-Pacific. He has previously served on the staff of the National Security Council and in the Department of Defense. He is a member of the Vandenberg Coalition's advisory board.

Jump to:

00:01:16 The new U.S.-Japan defense collaboration & command structure

00:04:02 Prime Minister Kishida’s call for U.S. global leadership

00:06:28 Differences between Kishida and former PM Abe on foreign policy

00:09:53 Japan’s strategy in the shifting Indo-Pacific security environment 

00:12:08 Japanese-Filipino coordination in the South China Sea

00:14:40 Significance of the U.S.-Japan alliance in American strategy

Vandenberg is joined by authors Matthew Kroenig & Dan Negrea to discuss their new book, We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War.

Many argue that today's Republican Party is divided, but this book argues that the outline of a GOP foreign policy consensus is emerging just beneath the surface. We call this emerging Republican foreign policy doctrine the Trump-Reagan fusion. Trump and Reagan were the most influential Republican presidents of the past several decades, and any viable GOP foreign policy must build on their legacies. We Win, They Lose explains why the Trump-Reagan fusion is superior to progressive alternatives and how it can guide the GOP, the United States, and the American people to greater levels of peace, prosperity, and freedom.

Juan Cruz and Ana Quintana join Flash Focus guest host Carrie Filipetti to dissect the unfolding crisis in the Caribbean island nation. For months, unrest has been growing and violence has escalated in the streets. Meanwhile, Haiti's prime minister is trapped in Puerto Rico, Kenya has promised to send a security force to the island, and the United States has promised financial support.

Juan Cruz is a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and has previously served in government for 30 years, including on the National Security Council. Ana Quintana is the Vandenberg Coalition's Senior Policy Director. She was formerly the Staff Director for Western Hemisphere for House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX).

Jump to:

00:01:33 Background—what is going on in Haiti?

00:03:30 Haiti's chaos goes back a long time

00:03:55 Who is leading Haiti and why is the prime minister stuck in Puerto Rico?

00:05:40 What is the United States' national interest in Haiti? Why does it matter to us?

00:08:11 Difficulties of a foreign military presence in Haiti & the Biden administration's support for a Kenyan-led security force

00:10:24 U.S. UN Ambassador: "the U.S. is committed to providing the mission to Haiti what it needs to succeed"—are we?

00:12:15 There is no clear plan from the Biden administration

00:13:52 What should the United States and other interested parties be doing differently?

Richard Fontaine joins Flash Focus to discuss the war in Ukraine on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion (Feb. 24th). Since 2022, Ukraine has held the line against Russia and maintained its independence, but not without great cost. Congress is now debating whether or not to approve another aid package to the embattled country.

Richard is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security and has previously served in government at the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He recently returned from Ukraine, where he traveled widely, including to cities close to the front lines.

Jump to:

00:01:10 The state of the war two years in

00:03:28 What has Ukraine accomplished so far?

00:06:22 Ukrainians paying close attention to the debate in Washington

00:09:27 Prospects for Congress passing another aid package

00:12:30 The view from Europe: strategic ramifications of the war & American aid

00:14:49 European aid to Ukraine now exceeds American aid to Ukraine

00:17:40 What are America's strategic goals vis-a-vis the war? How do those goals relate to Ukraine's objectives?

As Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine approaches its second anniversary, the U.S. Congress is debating whether to continue providing military aid to Kyiv. Lost in the noise, however, is what is actually happening on the ground.

Flash Focus welcomes Heather Nauert, former spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, to discuss her recent visit to the war-torn country and the conditions for people on the ground that Americans don't always see on the nightly news.

While there have been several expert trips to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion almost two years ago, few have had the opportunity to travel so far east and see so many different cities, including Odesa, Kherson, Kryvyi-Rih, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Lviv.  

Jump to:

00:01:18 "A 1300 mile road trip through a war zone"

00:02:27 What do Americans miss about the situation on the ground in Ukraine?

00:05:22 Conditions near the front line and in other parts of the country

00:07:00 Children going to school in bomb shelters

00:09:56 Debate in Congress on supplemental funding for military aid

00:12:30 Securing America's border while helping allies & friends abroad

On Saturday (1/13), voters in Taiwan elected incumbent vice president Lai Ching-te to serve as president, the first time an incumbent party has won a third successive presidential election. What was the PRC's reaction and what does Lai's election mean for cross-strait relations and the U.S.-Taiwan relationship?

Flash Focus welcomes Russell Hsiao, executive director of the Global Taiwan Institute, and Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Riley Walters to discuss Taiwanese democracy in action and the diplomatic ramifications for the Indo-Pacific.

Mentioned in the Episode: Taiwan's Election Matters to America

Jump to:

00:01:05 Elections recap—who ran & who won?

00:04:40 Reaction from the PRC & China's democratic neighbors

00:07:42 Lai's foreign policy & the future of U.S.-Taiwan relations

00:12:32 Foreign policy in Taiwan's politics—consensus on key questions & debate over cross-strait relations

00:17:44 Xi Jinping's intentions towards Taiwan

For weeks, Iran-backed Houthi terrorists have attacked civilian shipping as well as U.S. & allied warships in an attempt to blockade the southern approach to the Suez Canal through the Red Sea. Last night (Jan. 11) after weeks of defensive convoy operations by a multinational naval coalition, the U.S. and U.K. launched missile and airstrikes to take out Houthi missile and drone launching sites ashore.

Captain John Konrad joins us to discuss the ramifications for global shipping of the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and the U.S.-led response through Operation Prosperity Guardian.

Jump to:

00:00:59 The Houthi blockade and the situation in the Red Sea

00:05:45 Global ramifications of blockading the Red Sea & Suez Canal route

00:11:22 Operation Prosperity Guardian & U.S.-led coalition efforts to protect shipping

00:18:20 Recent U.S./U.K. airstrikes against Houthi missile launching sites ashore

00:20:53 What should policymakers expect in the future when it comes to threats to free navigation & commerce?

Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis—across the Middle East, chaos and violence can be traced back to the Islamic Republic of Iran through its terrorist proxy groups. Vandenberg Coalition founder & chairman Elliott Abrams joins us to discuss the state of the Israel-Hamas War and how it relates to the broader Middle East.

00:01:00 Update on the situation in Israel & Gaza

00:02:35 The ground war and what to expect going forward

00:03:40 Israel determined to eliminate Hamas and wary of the threat from Hezbollah in the north

00:05:43 How is this war affecting Israel's relationships with its neighbors & the Middle East?

00:07:23 Houthi attacks on Red Sea Houthis and the connection to Iran

00:08:17 The Obama-Biden Iran playbook and its consequences

00:09:45 The importance of making Iran pay a price for funding terrorism

00:11:10 The value of returning to a 'maximum pressure' policy towards Iran

The Vandenberg Coalition's Executive Director, Carrie Filipetti, sat down with Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA) to discuss her role on the House Select Committee on the CCP, securing the national defense at a time of fiscal uncertainty, the importance of American leadership, and more.

This special episode is part of the Vandenberg Coalition's Future of Conservative Foreign Policy series, where we discuss the challenges facing the United States and how conservative policymakers should approach the world stage.