‘Active Involvement Across the Globe’: Bolton Urges US Security to Focus on More Than One Priority

Former president Trump’s security adviser from 2018 to 2019 is known as an ardent proponent of the expansion of US political and military influence across the world. He previously claimed that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was a mistake, shared by both presidents Trump and Biden.

John Bolton believes that the US shouldn’t concentrate only on one strategic defense priority.

Talking to The Hill about the current state of US national security on Friday, Bolton said that it is “critical” to be capable of “handling more than one strategic priority".

"It's certainly the highest priority to focus on the threat of China,” he noted. “I consider it existential in this century, not just for the United States, but for the West as a whole. But that doesn't mean you can disregard other threats, and Afghanistan and the broader Middle East are excellent examples of that.”

Focusing on the growing Chinese presence in conflict-stricken regions abandoned by the US, Bolton recalled the recent situation in Afghanistan.

"China is increasing its efforts to extend its influence in precisely the region the Biden administration has turned away from," Bolton said. "The world is a big and complex place. We are a big and capable country."

According to Bolton, both presidents Biden and Trump are responsible for the botched withdrawal, because they purportedly failed to explain to Americans that "that if they want to continue to kind of live, the kind of society we enjoy here, there has to be active involvement across the globe in order to protect the interests on which that society rests".

He also touched upon cybersecurity, claiming that the cyber space was transformed by “adversaries” in what has been described as “domain of war”, and the US should be ready for this.

"I think we're behind at the moment, but I think we've become more aware and I think we need the offensive and defensive capability that we're building now. We need to build it faster and bigger,” he concluded.