Global Power Competition
The 2022 National Security Strategy describes the threats to vital U.S. national security interests posed by the “pacing challenge” of China and the “acute threat” of a resurgent Russia. While the National Strategy integrates the traditional elements of national power, it is the military element that underpins the rest, and is the ultimate guarantor of national security. How we structure and employ that military in an increasingly contested and competitive global environment is arguably our most important national security challenge. As the Chief of Naval Operations our speaker helped shape the Navy we have today, and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he served as an advisor to the President and Secretary of Defense on the employment of the joint force.