EXPLAINED: Where Do Harris and Trump Stand on US National Security Defense Industry?

As the public prepares itself in the final days ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, there will be numerous items that voters will need to consider before they make their choice. The economy, education policy, abortion rights, border security, and other domestic issues will be on the minds of millions of Americans.

National security will be another hot priority item. Over the past two years, the US has provided hundreds of billions in defense assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. US aid to these countries has caught the attention of millions of those Americans who are curious about how their tax dollars are being spent. They also want to know how the country will enhance its national security in the coming years.

In Eastern Europe, the Americans have stated that they will continue to do whatever it takes to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. The US has sent High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), javelin anti-tank missiles, helicopters, Humvees, drones, and other forms of defense equipment and vehicles.

At the same time, while sending this assistance to Ukraine, the US has also been rebuilding and replenishing its own defense stockpiles. In a report published by The Washington Post last year, nearly 90 percent of funds approved by Congress for military aid to Kyiv were “used stateside to build new weapons or to replace ones sent” to Ukraine. This has helped enhance US national security, it has boosted the US economy, and it has employed thousands of Americans across the country in munitions and equipment factories.

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Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the US has sent missile defense systems and weapons to Israel for its fight against Hamas and Hezbollah. Like the defense aid provided to Ukraine, the funding for the equipment being sent to Israel is being used to replenish and maintain the levels of US stockpiles.

In the Pacific region, the US is sending advanced surface-to-air missile defense systems along with other types of weapons and defense equipment to Taiwan as that country increases its defensive measures as faces up to potential Chinese aggression.

These examples suggest that the US is interested in aiding these three partners so that they can preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Supplying these countries with the capability to defend themselves and coordinating defense strategies with them suggests that these relationships will also help strengthen and secure US national security.

How would former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris seek to preserve US national security during a period of international conflict? Have their campaigns addressed how the candidates would keep the American people safe?

Vice President Harris.

According to the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the current vice president has been a “key player on national security issues.” Vice President Harris has held frequent meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has regularly joined meetings when President Biden has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she has frequently traveled to Asia to speak with US partners in the region. Harris has also regularly attended and spoken at the Munich Security Conferences, where she has discussed the need for the US, its allies, and partners to increase their defense capabilities and cooperation.

The United States “must stand in defense of international rules and norms,” Harris said during the 2024 Munich Security Conference. “We are committed to [pursuing] global engagement, [upholding] international rules and norms, [defending] democratic values at home and abroad, and [working with our allies and partners in pursuit of shared goals.”

In the Democratic Party Platform published this August, Vice President Harris pledged to “better integrate the defense industrial base” and “increase cooperation on advanced capabilities such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous platforms, and electronic warfare” with America’s allies and partners.

Finally, she has called for the mitigation of risks of AI and the examination of how to harness its benefits. The vice president believes that taking this approach will help strengthen the U.S. industrial base and America’s national security.

Former President Trump.

Trump has taken a different approach to that of Harris, who says she is looking to strengthen US coalitions with various countries around the world, whereas Trump is taking an isolated approach. While president, Trump said that he did not want the US to be the world’s policeman. He called for withdrawal from various US military installations and bases around the world, saying that the US should not involve itself in endless wars.

During his time in office, Trump questioned the importance of various military alliances to the US, particularly NATO. He said that the organization was “obsolete.” He was critical of the “financial cost of NATO to the US.” In addition, he did not endorse Article 5 of the organization. During his current bid for the presidency his stance on NATO has not changed. On the campaign trail, he argued that NATO members who do not pay their fair share in defense spending should not be protected.

While he has been critical of US involvement abroad Trump has called for strengthening domestic security. In the Republican Party Platform published this July, Trump argued that reviving the US defense industrial base is critical. He has called for weapons platforms, defense equipment and material to be US made, without specifying how he would pursue this strategy.

While both candidates have called on the need to strengthen US national security and the defense industrial base, their approach to achieving it couldn’t be more different. Harris sees the best way to be by strengthening relations with America’s allies and partners. Trump has adopted a more isolationist approach where the US would revamp its capabilities on its own without collaboration or assistance from others.

US national security is seen as an important voter issue for Americans during this presidential election. The candidates have made it clear where they stand on security matters and now, voters must decide which of the candidates will lead the United States to a secure and prosperous future.

Mark Temnycky is an accredited freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. He can be found on X @MTemnycky