Former President Donald Trump’s pick of Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his vice president could speed the GOP’s departure from a “permanent conflict” approach to national security, should Trump win in November, former U.S. officials and defense experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Vance has aligned himself with Trump’s “America First” approach to national security and generally advocated against U.S. intervention in foreign conflicts, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Given Vance’s ideology, Trump’s choice to pick him as vice president has alarmed some prominent neoconservatives — a term frequently used to describe “hawkish” and pro-intervention conservatives — but welcomed by former senior U.S. officials and defense experts who told the DCNF they see his views as credible and pragmatic. (RELATED: It Took A War For NATO Members To Actually Take Their Obligations Seriously With Biden At The Helm)
“Vance is unique among GOP politicians on foreign policy. You can either be a party leader on foreign policy or you could be right about foreign policy, but you can’t be both. But Vance seems to be both,” Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy at the CATO Institute, told the DCNF, noting that it is unsurprising that neoconservatives were upset by Vance. “Those people are extremely anxious, and I think they should be extremely anxious.”
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“The selection of Vance does indicate a break with the Reaganite, sort of establishment wing of the GOP that has been the dominant faction for a long time,” Michael DiMino, senior fellow at Defense Priorities and former CIA official, told the DCNF. “I think this represents Trump putting a stake in the ground and saying, ‘Hold on now, let’s put America first.’ And that’s about realism and restraint, and it’s about putting core U.S. interests first.”
Vance is expected to speak at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Thursday and emphasize his stances on foreign policy, but previous comments could hint at what could be expected from his speech. The Ohio Senator has been critical of the Biden administration’s deepened involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war and the over $175 billion that has been provided to Kyiv since 2022.
One of Vance’s chief concerns is that Ukraine is incapable of winning the war, which he outlined in an April opinion article for the New York Times. Ukraine suffers from a lack of manpower arsenal, problems that have only gotten made worse as Russian forces continue to seize territory in eastern Ukraine.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) (C) talks to reporters between votes at the U.S. Capitol on February 12, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Ukraine needs more soldiers than it can field, even with draconian conscription policies. And it needs more matériel than the United States can provide,” Vance wrote in his op-ed for the Times in April, recommending Kyiv take a defensive posture rather than attempt an offensive. “The Biden administration has no viable plan for the Ukrainians to win this war.”
Vance has voted against aid to Ukraine in the past and advocated in recent months for the U.S. to prioritize brokering a peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia. Trump has advocated for a similar policy and promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war before even being inaugurated in January, should he win the presidential race. (RELATED: ‘I’m The Guy’: Biden Says He Alone Pressured Nation To Get Aid Into Gaza — But It Didn’t Appear To Work)
“Vance is in lockstep with Trump on that issue,” ret. Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, host of the Daniel Davis Deep Dive show and senior fellow at Defense Priorities, told the DCNF. “It doesn’t surprise me the least that those who have a different view of the Russia-Ukraine war or the neocon crowd would be terrified… because they want permanent conflict, whether they say that or not, the results of their policies and their choices are unambiguous.”
More broadly, Vance has advocated that the U.S. should pressure Europe to focus on its own security rather than rely on American interventionism. Like Trump, Vance has been critical of NATO members for failing to meet their defense spending obligations while the U.S. pays more than any other nation in the alliance.
President Joe Biden (L) and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R) participate in the launching of the Ukraine Compact at the 2024 NATO Summit on July 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“Vance has carved out a place for himself to have a voice on foreign policy, and Trump is aware of that. I think it’s largely consonant with Trump’s views on foreign policy, so that helps,” Logan told the DCNF.
Vance will speak about foreign policy and defense on Wednesday at the RNC, whose theme for the day centers around “Make America Strong Again,” according to the Times. Lawmakers and officials who spoke to Politico on Wednesday said they are incredibly nervous about what Trump’s pick of Vance means for national security.
“Picking somebody like Vance just underscores that ‘America First’ is where the future is headed,” DiMino told the DCNF. “And it upsets the apple cart that the neocons have become so used to over the past 25 years. I think what you’ve seen over the last couple of days is these people having meltdowns over this.”
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