Press Release - ICYMI: Trump's National Security Advisor Says Foreign Policy Will Emphasize 'Peace Through Strength'

Washington Post
Karen DeYoung
1/10/17

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Incoming White House national security adviser Michael T. Flynn said Tuesday that the Trump administration plans to "examine and potentially re-baseline" U.S. relationships around the world but will "keep in mind the sacrifices and deep commitments that many of our allies have made on behalf of our security and our prosperity."

Implementing President-elect Donald Trump's "vision ... of making America great again," Flynn said, would be achieved "overwhelmingly" through a policy of "peace through strength."

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Speaking Tuesday about the U.S. role in the world, Flynn said that "America might have its ups and downs, but the assumption has long been that America would always be there ... reliable, strong, present and ready. We have always been the indispensable nation, and we always will be."

While he spoke of reexamining U.S. global partnerships, Flynn also said that "alliances are one of the great tools that we have, and the strength of those alliances magnify our own strengths."

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He began his speech by complimenting the current national security adviser, Susan E. Rice, who preceded him with remarks of her own.

Rice, he said, after the two shook hands onstage and smiled for the cameras, had spoken with "a grace, a dignity, an elegance and a commitment to this country that goes beyond some of our wildest imaginations." Sacrifices made by Rice and former Clinton administration secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright, who also spoke, "transcend who we are," Flynn said, calling for extra rounds of applause for both.

What Else They Are Saying:

Trump's future national security adviser stresses continuity

Military Times
Vivian Salama and Matthew Lee, Associated Press
1/10/17
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President-elect Donald Trump's future national security adviser said Tuesday he would press on with President Barack Obama's changes to the National Security Council, suggesting no wholesale fix is in store for the body of foreign policy professionals who often provide the last word before the commander in chief's decisions.

At a conference focused on national security and the presidential transition, retired Gen. Michael Flynn sought to stress continuity in America's national security structure after an election dominated by Trump's calls for a rupture in much of Washington's agenda in international affairs. Flynn spoke of "working toward a common national security goal," free from partisan wrangling.

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Flynn called his future job, which doesn't require Senate confirmation, "an awesome responsibility" that "gets to the pure essence of protecting the American people, our homeland and our Constitution."

After Rice stressed that Trump and future presidents should be able to staff the NSC as they wish, Flynn said Trump's incoming team was "committed to carrying out the necessary reforms begun by previous administrations."

Flynn calls alliances 'one of the greatest tools we have'

Politico
Gregory Hellman
1/10/17
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"Faced with some of the darkest days with civil and foreign wars, economic depression, weak leadership at home or hostile threats from abroad Americans have always maintained their faith in the uniqueness of our democratic experiment," retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said Tuesday at an event hosted by POLITICO and the U.S. Institute of Peace. "That has produced the greatest force of economic growth and innovation and the greatest model for liberty the world has ever known."

"That has not and will not ever change," he added. "This is the essence of American leadership. Whether we like it or not the world needs us, in fact it demands it."

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Flynn called America's alliances "one of the greatest tools we have."

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He also laid out what he sees as the principle role of the national security adviser: advising the president; formulating national security policy; monitoring how that policy is implemented; and ensuring the president is thoroughly prepared to make decisions.

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"Our mission is to ensure the president and the national security community is committed to carrying out necessary reforms begun by previous administrations," Flynn said.

After 'Weak Leadership At Home' World Demands U.S. Leadership, Flynn Says

Daily Caller
Saagar Enjeti
1/10/17
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President-elect Donald Trump will purportedly pursue "peace through strength" in the world, Flynn declared, adding that "whether we like it or not the world needs us, in fact it demands it," and that the Trump administration would rely heavily on U.S. allies to carry out its agenda while in office.

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Flynn closed his remarks saying that the new NSC will serve four functions for Trump: advising the president, helping the president formulate policy, monitoring how that policy is carried out by the relevant agencies, and ensuring that the president is properly prepared in times of crisis.

Trump Adviser Flynn Says U.S. to Stay 'Indispensable' Nation

Bloomberg
Margaret Talev and Nick Wadhams
1/10/17
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President-elect Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, Michael Flynn, said the Trump administration may re-examine U.S. relationships around the world but said the nation will remain "indispensable" to global stability.

"The assumption has long been that American power would always be there," Flynn said Tuesday at a conference on the transfer of power at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington. "We have always been an indispensable nation and we always will be."

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Pledging an overarching policy of "peace through strength," Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, said the "unapologetic defense of liberty" is the "core element of American exceptionalism." That would be the case even as the U.S. begins to "examine and potentially rebaseline our relationships around the globe," he said.

"Whether we like it or not, the world needs us and in fact demands it," he said. Even as the incoming administration re-examines U.S. relationships, it is with an understanding that "alliances are one of the the great tools that we have."

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Flynn struck notes of conciliation. He praised President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice, with whom he shared the stage, and thanked her for working with his team to prepare them to take office. He also gave a shout-out to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who served under President Bill Clinton and backed Hillary Clinton against Trump last year, saying he was in "awe" of her.

Trump's national security advisor praises some Democrats

LA Times
Brian Bennett
1/10/17
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So on Tuesday, when Flynn made his first public comments since President-elect Donald Trump picked him as the next White House national security advisor, a packed hall at the U.S. Institute of Peace waited to hear what the fiery former commander and provocative Trump advisor had to say.

Flynn couldn't have been more gracious.

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Flynn said the White House national security council will help form policy, make sure it is carried out by government agencies, and will ensure Trump is "properly prepared" to work with Congress and to make decisions on foreign policy and national security issues.

Toning Down Rhetoric, Flynn Calls for Strengthening Alliances

Military.com
Richard Sisk
1/10/17
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In his speech to the U.S. Institute for Peace, Flynn stayed positive, saying that his role as the White House gatekeeper on foreign, homeland and military affairs would be guided by Trump's "America first" principles.

"We stand on the threshold of a new era" in a rapidly changing world that has "presented us with numerous unpleasant surprises," Flynn said, sticking to general themes.

To meet the challenges, Trump will pursue an "overarching policy of peace through strength," Flynn said, echoing the phrase of former President Ronald Reagan.

The challenges worldwide are "among the toughest we have faced in many decades," Flynn said, but will be overcome by committing to policies in line "with our president-elect's vision to make America great again."

"We have always been the indispensable nation" whose values were buttressed by the "unapologetic defense of liberty," Flynn said. "This is the core element of American exceptionalism."