From decoupling US economy from China to resuming nuclear tests: Ex-adviser details what foreign policy may look like under Trump

Former national security adviser to Donald Trump has urged the Republican leader to sever all economic ties with China, consider deploying the entire US Marine Corps to Asia and resume live nuclear-weapons testing, if the former president returns to the White House in November.

According to a Bloomberg report, Robert O’Brien, who may get another top job if Trump wins a new term as president in November, has spelled out these proposals in an article written by him for a Foreign Affairs magazine.

While O’Brien contributed to the tough stance on China during Trump’s presidency, the recommendations he now outlines exceed his previous public positions on the matter, added the report.

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“As China seeks to undermine American economic and military strength, Washington should return the favour,” Bloomberg quoted O’Brien as writing in the article, adding that “Washington should, in fact, seek to decouple its economy from China’s.”

According to the report, there’s no guarantee that Trump would adopt the policy recommendations on China outlined by O’Brien, particularly one with such profound implications for the US and global economies, given how interwoven the two countries’ economies have become.

However, O’Brien recently stated that he maintains regular communication with the former president. He has been more publicly active in recent months, including meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and criticising President Joe Biden for what he perceives as a lackluster response to attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria, added the report.

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The article is part of a series of initiatives by former Trump administration officials and conservative think tanks. O’Brien’s past role and the possibility of his return lend it more credibility than similar efforts.

Christian Whiton, a former State Department political appointee under Presidents George W. Bush and Trump who collaborated with O’Brien on the article, mentioned that O’Brien provided a copy to Trump campaign adviser Susie Wiles.

According to Bloomberg, citing Whiton, Wiles showed a printed copy to Trump.

However, Karoline Leavitt, a representative from the Trump campaign, disputed this account, stating that it was not true that Wiles had received or shown the article to the former president.

“Let us be very specific here: unless a message is coming directly from president Trump or an authorised member of his campaign team, no aspect of future presidential staffing or policy announcements should be deemed official," Bloomberg quoted Wiles and Chris LaCivita, a campaign senior adviser, as saying in a statement that Leavitt provided on Monday evening.

Measures proposed by O’Brien

The article “The Return of Peace Through Strength: Making the Case for Trump’s Foreign Policy,” which spans over 5,000 words, proposes escalating measures against China.

It suggests that the 60% tariffs Trump hinted at should only serve as an initial action, to be followed by stricter export controls on technology potentially beneficial to China, among other strategies.

“This morass of American weakness and failure cries out for a Trumpian restoration of peace through strength,” O’Brien writes in the article, according to Bloomberg.

He also advocates for a military strategy towards China surpassing the Biden administration’s current focus on the Asia-Pacific region. O’Brien urges the United States to assist in bolstering the armed forces of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, increase military aid to Taiwan, and enhance missile defence and fighter jet capabilities in the area.

O’Brien recommends a comprehensive reorganisation of US military forces, proposing the potential deployment of all 177,000 Marines to the Pacific region, particularly by relieving them of current missions in the Middle East and North Africa.

O’Brien also suggested enhancing the US nuclear arsenal by conducting underground nuclear tests for the first time since a voluntary moratorium began in 1992. He argues that the US should restart production of uranium-235 and plutonium-239 “if China and Russia continue to refuse to engage in good-faith arms control talks”.

Trump’s Ukraine strategy

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Trump has repeatedly said he would end the war within 24 hours upon being elected as the US President.

So far, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any proposal that includes surrendering any Ukrainian territory to Russia.

Trump believes that both Ukraine and Russia are looking to save their faces and the way to do it is through the surrender of two Ukrainian provinces in lieu for the end of the war, according to The Washington Post.

The report quoted people familiar with Trump’s plan as saying that the plan includes Ukraine ceding the Donbas and Crimea regions to Russia.

The Donbas is the eastern region of Ukraine comprising Donetsk and Luhansk provinces where much of the fighting has taken place. Crimea is another region of Ukraine that Russia invaded and annexed in 2014. The plan includes a formal surrender of Crimea.

Trump has privately said that he thinks both Russia and Ukraine “want a way out” and that people in parts of Ukraine would be okay with being part of Russia, as per a person quoted in the report who is said to have discussed the matter directly with Trump.

Referring to Trump’s statements, O’Brien writes in the article that Trump has “made clear that he would like to see a negotiated settlement to the war that ends the killing and preserves the security of Ukraine”.

O’Brien outlines Trump’s strategy as continuing to provide lethal aid to Ukraine, funded by European nations, while maintaining openness to diplomacy with Russia and leveraging unpredictability to keep Moscow off balance.

Notably absent from O’Brien’s recommendations are calls for actions that might unsettle allies. There is no mention of withdrawing from NATO; in fact, O’Brien asserts that Trump strengthened the alliance by insisting European governments increase defense spending.

O’Brien urges NATO to enhance its capabilities by rotating ground and air forces to Poland, bolstering defences near Russia’s borders and affirming the alliance’s commitment to defending all member territories from external aggression.

O’Brien also criticised what he perceives as excessive procurement practices at the Pentagon.

He advocated redirecting resources toward agile, innovative defence suppliers like Anduril and Palantir, companies rooted in the tech sector, to move away from costly and redundant programs.

With inputs from agencies