Over the course of the next year, we are likely to see a new approach to the U.S. national security decision-making apparatus. While the Obama Administration often relied on an inner circle of key advisors to inform defense policy, President-Elect Trump has sketched out a cabinet that is heavy on military brass. It also remains to be seen how President-elect Trump will work with the new, Republican-controlled Congress to make good on his campaign promises to increase federal defense spending and grow the size of U.S. Armed Forces, and how President-elect Trump’s trade policies may impact the competitive edge of the U.S. defense industrial base in foreign military sales.

Executive Branch Agenda -

While it may not be a comprehensive listing of all of President-elect Trump’s national security priorities, according to a December memo sent from the Trump Transition Team to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), President-elect Trump’s leading defense priorities include...