American Security

Policy Priorities

Maintain the America First Tradition in the National Security Profession
Bolster America's Economic Might
Expand America's Unrivaled Military Strength
End Endless Wars and Make Foreign Commitments Strategic
Secure the Southern Border
Eliminate Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans

The twin American victories in the Second World War and the Cold War established our country as “the last, best hope for man on Earth.” Freedom’s cause in every part of the globe depends upon a strong America. With our country secure, we can, with greater confidence, advance American security abroad. American security is exemplified by a strong military, fair trade deals, alliances that are equitable, aggressors who are isolated, and those who harm us, destroyed. The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) examines American security abroad as a prerequisite for peace at home: always putting American interests first. This includes removing ourselves from endless, unnecessary wars in order to rebuild the homeland, while also understanding our indispensable role in maintaining a world at peace.

The America First Policy Institute’s American Security champions Americans rather than a theoretical “America” imagined by the Washington national security establishment. The exercise of American power requires clear justification, and an America First approach ensures that American power is used in the interest of Americans. To advance that goal, the American Security looks to ensure that there will be rigorous advancement of policies which will serve as an authentically American alternative to Washington’s increasingly obsolescent foreign and defense policy orthodoxy.

The phrase America First refers to an approach rooted in an awareness of America’s unique role in the world, and its unmatched ability to do best for others when its people are strong, safe, and prosperous. It means that any commitments of American lives or dollars abroad must come with concrete benefits to the American people. Every investment of American resources needs to reap a substantial security benefit.

Team

The Honorable Robert Wilkie

Co-Chair, American Security Policy

Lt. General (Ret.) Keith Kellogg

Co-Chair, American Security

The Honorable Fred Fleitz

Vice Chair, American Security

Jacob Olidort, Ph.D.

Chief Research Officer, Senior Policy Officer and Director, American Security

Ethan Tan

Analyst, American Security Policy

Ryan Nanartowicz

Analyst, American Security Policy

Benjamin Woolsey

Policy Analyst, American Security Policy

James Carafano

Senior Fellow, American Security

Anna Hardage

Deputy Director, American Security

John R. Thomas, Jr.

Senior Fellow, American Security

Latest

News Release | July 14, 2026

AFPI Releases Issue Brief on Restoring the Promise of the MISSION Act

Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released a new issue brief, Restoring the Promise of the MISSION Act.

Issue Brief | July 14, 2026

Restoring the Promise of the MISSION Act

Veterans rely on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to provide timely, high-quality care for the injuries and illnesses they incurred in the course of military service. However, the agency routinely fails to deliver on this promise by forcing veterans to languish on waitlists for care. In response, President Trump signed the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act into law in 2018, giving veterans the right to obtain care from providers in their own communities when the VHA could not deliver. By 2024, the MISSION Act connected 3.1 million veterans—over a third of the VHA’s veteran enrollees—with high-quality clinics and hospitals in their communities.

News Release | July 6, 2026

AFPI Releases Expert Insight on How Foreign Military Sales Can Strengthen U.S. Security and America’s Industrial Base

Expert Insights | July 6, 2026

From Weapons to Wages: How Foreign Military Sales Create U.S. Jobs

Decades of offshoring of manufacturing jobs have hollowed out the American industrial base, including the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), leaving America’s ability to secure its interests in a degraded state. Between 2000 and 2016, the United States lost nearly five million manufacturing jobs, leaving entire communities deprived of the durable, high-wage work that once anchored them and which formed so much of American life until recent decades.

Op-Ed | July 4, 2026