‘Era of uncontested US dominance over'
Speaking to graduates at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Vance said that US leaders had assumed after the Cold War that 'American primacy' was assured. 'Nor did we believe any foreign nation could possibly rise to compete with the United States of America,' he stated.
Vance said that following the end of the Cold War, America enjoyed a mostly unchallenged command of the air, sea, space and cyberspace.
The vice president warned that the global landscape has shifted. 'The era of uncontested US dominance is over. Today we face serious threats in China, Russia, and other nations determined to beat us in every single domain – from spectrum, to lower Earth orbit, to our supply chains and even our communication infrastructure,' he said.
During the post-Cold War period, Washington began focusing on 'soft power' and 'meddling in foreign country affairs,' even when they had 'very little to do with core American interests,' Vance said, adding that the administration of President Donald Trump would be ending this 'decades-old approach to foreign policy.'
Washington now aims to put an end to 'undefined missions' and 'open-ended conflicts,' he said.
Trump has indicated his desire to help bring an end to both the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the conflict in Ukraine. The United States has been the primary military sponsor of both West Jerusalem and Kiev during both conflicts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set the US president's plan to relocate the Palestinians of Gaza to surrounding countries as a precondition for ending the war. Trump has previously expressed his ambition to invest in the enclave and transform it into a resort after the hostilities conclude.
The current US administration has also been pushing for a diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine conflict, and slowing its long-time military support for Kiev. Additionally, Trump has moved to recoup funds spent on the aid through a joint mineral exploitation deal signed with Ukraine, but did not provide Kiev with formal security guarantees.
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