The “America First” Defense Strategy

Foreign Policy Live

Foreign Policy

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.1 • 622 Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Pentagon’s policy chief Elbridge Colby recently called for a “NATO 3.0”, stating that the United States would “continue to provide the U.S. extended nuclear deterrent” to Europe, but when it came to most defense matters, Europe would need to “assume primary responsibility.” Colby is the undersecretary of war for policy and joins FP Live host Ravi Agrawal at the annual Munich Security Conference. And in part two of this podcast, Colby and Agrawal were joined by four other guests: Richard Marles, the deputy prime minister and defense minister of Australia; Judith Collins, the minister of defense of New Zealand; Toshimitsu Motegi, the foreign minister of Japan; and David van Weel, the foreign minister of the Netherlands. Plus, One Thing from Ravi on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference. Listen to Munich Moments on Apple or Spotify. A transcript of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s 2025 speech at the Munich Security Conference. A transcript of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 2026 speech at the Munich Security ConferenceA transcript of Colby’s interview with Ravi A collection of FP’s reporting and analysis from the Munich Security Conference Matthew Kroenig: Two Cheers for the National Security Strategy A. Wess Mitchell: The Grand Strategy Behind Trump’s Foreign Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Ravi Agrawal, Foreign Policy's Editor-in-Chief. This is FP Live.
0:10.6	So I promised you more of my interviews from the main stage at the Munich Security Conference.
0:16.5	If you're interested in whether the United States can actually pivot to Asia when it comes
0:21.8	to defense, this one's for you.
0:24.4	Today's show is a two-parter.
0:26.9	First, a one-on-one with Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policymaker.
0:32.3	He's been on the show before, but that was when Trump was on the campaign trail.
0:36.5	Colby has since been instrumental in drafting
0:39.3	the White House's national security strategy and national defense strategy, and we discussed
0:45.0	how the administration is shifting its focus from Europe to Asia. We also went back and forth
0:51.2	on an important hypothetical. Would the United States actually come to
0:56.2	Europe's aid if a member of NATO invoked Article 5, the clause that says an attack on one
1:02.6	is an attack on all? And then the second part of this podcast is going to be Colby again,
1:09.0	but joined on stage by four other prominent policy makers,
1:13.7	the foreign ministers of Japan and the Netherlands, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia,
1:19.2	as well as the Defence Minister of New Zealand. I should point out, the interview with Colby
1:24.3	was recorded on stage for another podcast, Munich Moments.
1:28.7	That is a new production between FP and the Munich Security Conference
1:32.6	that looks back at the past six decades of that summit.
1:37.3	It's a great show covering landmark speeches such as the ones by Putin in 2007,
1:43.4	Zelensky in 2022, and J.D. Vance last year. Take look when you can.
1:48.7	We'll leave details in the show notes as well. The interviews are coming right up, but first,
	...

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