Soon, President Trump will issue America’s new national security strategy. But given the very high operational tempo of the last 25 weeks, thanks in large part to the challenges and outright threats we inherited, the key principles of the Trump foreign policy have already been laid down.

The first principle of our administration is plain for all to see. America is back. And under President Trump, so is American leadership. American influence is a global good and this recognition is a first step toward advancing our leadership, which in turn can help set the conditions for the security and prosperity of the United States and its allies. The era of apologizing for America is over.

We have openly rejected the passive and reactionary ideas central to the Obama years, especially “leading from behind” and “strategic patience.” It is our key assumption that a world without American leadership, in which the president does not forcefully stand up for the eternal truths upon which the republic was founded, is a very dangerous world. And the last eight years proved us right.