Policy Priorities
Tax Relief for America’s Middle Class
Incentivize Job Creation for American Workers
Promote Wage Growth
Incentivize Onshoring
Ensure Access to Capital
The twin American victories in the Second World War and the Cold War established our country as “the last, best hope for man on Earth.” Freedom’s cause in every part of the globe depends upon a strong America. With our country secure, we can, with greater confidence, advance American security abroad. American security is exemplified by a strong military, fair trade deals, alliances that are equitable, aggressors who are isolated, and those who harm us, destroyed. The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) examines American security abroad as a prerequisite for peace at home: always putting American interests first. This includes removing ourselves from endless, unnecessary wars in order to rebuild the homeland, while also understanding our indispensable role in maintaining a world at peace.
The America First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security champions Americans rather than a theoretical “America” imagined by the Washington national security establishment. The exercise of American power requires clear justification, and an America First approach ensures that American power is used in the interest of Americans. To advance that goal, the Center looks to ensure that there will be rigorous advancement of policies which will serve as an authentically American alternative to Washington’s increasingly obsolescent foreign and defense policy orthodoxy.
The phrase America First refers to an approach rooted in an awareness of America’s unique role in the world, and its unmatched ability to do best for others when its people are strong, safe, and prosperous. It means that any commitments of American lives or dollars abroad must come with concrete benefits to the American people. Every investment of American resources needs to reap a substantial security benefit.
Team
Lt. General (Ret.) Keith Kellogg
FORMER: Co-Chair, Center for American Security
The Honorable Robert Wilkie
Co-Chair, Center for American Security
Fred Fleitz
Vice Chair, Center for American Security
Jacob Olidort, Ph.D.
Director, Center for American Security
Adam Savit
Director, China Policy Initiative
Gloria McDonald
FORMER: Senior Policy Analyst, Center for American Security
Ken Timmerman
Senior Fellow, Center for American Security
Morgan Murphy
Senior Fellow, Center for American Security
Latest
Op-Ed
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April 9, 2025
Gaza Is the Gateway for the Trump Administration to Restart the Abraham Accords
Little has been heard about the future of Gaza since Egypt on March 4 rolled out its plan, following on President Trump’s announcement a month earlier, to transform Gaza into a “riviera.” Conveniently for Egypt, Hamas’s obstinance in the hostage negotiations and Israel’s current military activities in the area have stolen the spotlight.
Op-Ed
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March 31, 2025
The Art of the Iran Deal
President Trump has in recent months repeatedly emphasized two points regarding Iran: first, that he would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and, second, that he would prefer to achieve this through a deal rather than “bombing the hell out of it.” Earlier this month he sent the Supreme Leader a letter inviting him to direct negotiations.
Op-Ed
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March 25, 2025
Hamas’s Next ‘Hell to Pay’ Choices
In early March, President Trump met with a delegation of freed Israeli hostages who were in Hamas captivity. That night he doubled down on his threat to Hamas, writing on Truth Social, “Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
Congressional Testimony
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February 25, 2025
Opportunities Amid Geopolitical Difficulties: A Look at Global Threats in 2025
Last week, we learned about an Israeli mother, Shiri Bibas, and her two boys, Ariel and Kfir, who would be five and two years old today. They were murdered in cold blood by Hamas monsters. An autopsy of the bodies of the boys, the youngest of whom was just shy of 10 months old at the time, revealed indications of torture with bare hands.
Commentary
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January 30, 2025
Next Steps for President Donald Trump’s Executive Order
Next Steps for President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, “Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information.”
Topics
- Higher Education
- Agriculture
- Energy
- Asia
- Europe
- Israel & the Middle East
- Budget, Spending, & Taxes
- Civil Service Reform
- The Administrative State
- Weaponization
- Public Health
- Criminal Justice & Public Safety
- Border Security & Immigration
- National Security & Defense
- Marriage, Family, & Children
- Religious Liberty
48
issues
Videos
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Opportunities Amid Geopolitical Difficulties: A Look at Global Threats in 2025
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An America First Approach To U.S. National Security
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Israel at War: And the Implications for America
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The Afghanistan Withdrawal: What Really Happened
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H.R.1 Energy Roundtable Discussion
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America First National Security Symposium
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Standing up to the Chinese Communist Party: How to Protect State Sovereignty
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Confronting Growing Threats from North Korea
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Bibi’s Return and the Future of U.S. - Israel Relations
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The Voice of Iranian Women: A Closer Look at the Amini Protests in Iran
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AFPI Executive Director Chad Wolf Runs Into The Lion’s Den on CNN
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