This is so frustrating because he comes so close to getting it. The defense elites' obsession with needing to do everything, everywhere, all at once while funneling billions into strategically disastrous wars in the Middle East is exactly what got us into the place we are today.

Yes, our defense industrial base needs a generational investment to fix decades of mismanagement, but that process is going to take decades. You can double the defense budget tomorrow, but you can't speed up procurement, rebuild supply chains, and build a new military overnight.

Even defense contractors will privately tell you that no matter how many billions of dollars you throw at the problem, they wont be able to produce more fifth gen fighters or build ships at a grander scale until the industrial base is shored up-and that's going to take decades.

It’s very, very clear that China’s ambitions for its military go way, way beyond Taiwan and the first island chain. Gabon! 1/ bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

👇 It's very clear that Asia is now the center of the global economy. We need to prioritize Asia first in our strategy - for our own interests, interests which dovetail with those of many other countries, especially in Asia itself.

“More fundamentally, China is working to create a sphere of influence, extending from Japan to India, detrimental to the interests of America and its allies and strategic partners.”

extremely concerning. Elbridge Colby is right to keep a laser-focus on it (& them), where too many others get distracted too much.

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Elbridge Colby The size and composition of its blue water navy is a dead giveaway. If they weren't planning on using it, it is a gross squandering of resources.

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Couldn't agree more. Asia's rise is a reality we must acknowledge and engage with to protect our economic interests.

John Pang Elbridge Colby Nobody is proposing either to "own Asia" nor to "cut Asia down" Both of those false choices you mentioned would be ridiculous ideas if anyone actually propose them Mr. Colby proposes to build up military deterrence such that it raises CCP's cost/gain calculation to not try war.

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If the foremost advocates for the disastrous Iraq War - and for additional wars they were fortunately prevented from undertaking - are all pointing in one direction… Then I’d highly recommend going in the other direction.

Elbridge Colby Think this speaks for itself. nytimes.com/1998/01/30/opi… Bombing Iraq Isn't Enough By William Kristol and Robert Kagan Jan. 30, 1998

Neoconservatism. Nothing has done more damage to American foreign policy and our standing around the world in the post-Cold War era. When will it ever end?

If I could retweet this a million times I would

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