Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow at Defense Priorities, said recent strikes have emboldened Trump to lean more heavily on military power. She pointed to U.S. attacks on Iranian targets earlier this summer and, more recently, a strike on a Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat, which she said the administration clearly views as both policy successes and strong political points.
“These two strikes, as well as other small things, are maybe pushing Trump to be more aggressive than he was on the campaign trail, or even than he planned to be coming in,” Kavanagh said . . .
Kavanagh noted that the rhetorical turn may resonate differently with U.S. audiences. For some, she said, it will emphasize the military’s lethality—a theme Trump and Hegseth have repeatedly embraced.
For others, it will serve as a reminder that the United States spends far more time intervening abroad than defending its own borders.
“Department of War is sort of a much more accurate description of what the military does,” she said. “The homeland itself is actually very secure: we have oceans on two sides, weak neighbors to the north and south… so I do think it calls attention to what is the fundamental role of the military here, which is fighting wars abroad, which hasn’t always advanced U.S. interests.”
Featuring
Events on Grand strategy
