John Bolton: It’s ‘critical’ for the US to handle multiple strategic priorities

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton said on Thursday it is “critical” that the U.S. becomes capable of handling more than one strategic defense priority at a time, saying the White House cannot disregard one priority for the sake of another.

Bolton gave his thoughts on the state of U.S. security while speaking to The Hill’s Steve Clemons for its “A More Perfect Union” event.

When asked  by Clemons if he had any concerns about the U.S.’s ability to establish strategic priorities, Bolton said, “I think the United States can handle more than one strategic priority.”

“In fact, I don’t think — it’s not only possible we can do that, it’s critical that we can,” he continued.

“It’s certainly the highest priority to focus on the threat of China. 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.”

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of military involvement was part of President Biden’s plans of shifting focus to the growing economic competition with China. Since the Western-backed, democratically-elected Afghan government fell to the Taliban, China has moved to establish its own influence in the region, with Chinese officials meeting with the Taliban and establishing communications with the militant group.

“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.”

Bolton said that there has been a lack of effort from recent presidents, across both parties, to explain to the American people “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.”

When it came to the U.S.’s capabilities in fending off digital threats, Bolton stated that “we have a long way to go to catch up” with adversaries like China and Russia.

“The cyberspace is a domain like every other human domain. It has its pluses and its minuses and it can be peaceful, but it has … we’re facing adversaries that have turned it into a domain of war in many respects and we have to be ready for that. It requires education of the population,” said Bolton. “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.”

The Hill’s “A More Perfect Union” festival is sponsored by Microsoft and Southern Company.