Why Republicans must put the spotlight on national security at tonight’s debate 

Tonight’s second Republican debate is an opportunity to recapture the issue of national security for the GOP. The need for decisive leadership in the tradition of Ronald Reagan is now and always has been a winning issue for the Republican candidate for president. The hopefuls on stage need to clarify their leadership on this key issue. 

The war of Russian aggression is the central issue in today’s national security debate. So far, the GOP candidates have been mixed — and some indecisive — in their positions. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign has faded ever since his early statement that Ukraine was a “only a territorial dispute.” This debate is a moment for DeSantis to show he is ready to lead America through this time of danger. 

Vivik Ramaswamy has proposed an unrealistic deal, forcing Ukraine to surrender its territory to Russian President Vladimir Putin and banning Ukraine from NATO membership. The other candidates must confront those unrealistic proposals. 

Mike Pence and Nikki Haley both assert the American national interest and support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Both need to elaborate on their understanding of the stakes and show commitment and passion for the safety of our country.  

Former President Trump has chosen not to attend this debate. As his ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), I was never directed by Trump or anyone else to go soft on Putin’s ambition to conquer Ukraine. Trump has only said he believes he can negotiate an end to the war quickly. We are left to speculate what he plans to do, but in my view, a bad deal with Putin is worse than no deal at all. This is a moment when Trump can remind Americans that his strong leadership during his term as president deterred Russian and Chinese aggression.  

A loud minority in my Republican Party are pushing for the abandonment of Ukraine. This weak and defeatist approach is a radical departure from Reagan’s leadership that won the Cold War and opened the door to the liberation of millions of people from authoritarianism. I don’t know what they are thinking, but it sure isn’t conservative. 

Arguments for abandoning Ukraine are a drumbeat from those who wish America would abandon its international leadership. They say things like “We don’t have the money”; “We care more about Ukraine’s border than our southern border”; “It’s all our fault — we never should have expanded NATO”; “Ukraine is corrupt — they’re stealing our money”; “Russia is winning! We should force Ukraine to compromise away their territory.” All of these arguments are false.  

Those who push those arguments are, however, advancing the Russian program of disinformation. Whether deliberately or by accident, these positions are aiding Russia. The Russians understand that the battlefield is not only in Ukraine, but also in the minds of the American people. If Americans lose their resolve, the Russians win. China will be encouraged to launch its own aggression against Taiwan. The near-certain result would be a real-world war in which we would be forced to fight. 

Our Republican candidates rightly criticize President Biden for his handling of our national security. Biden’s problem is not that he is doing too much but that he is doing too little, and too late. The president has failed in his duty to speak out and explain the stakes to America in the Ukraine war. His office has the best “bully pulpit,” but he simply hasn’t engaged in the public debate to explain the danger facing the American people if the Ukraine war goes wrong, 

Republican candidates for president have an obligation to ask themselves, and the American people, what kind of world they want their grandchildren to live in. Putin imprisons his political adversaries, and murders those who challenge him. In Ukraine, war crimes, murder, rape and the stealing of children are his tools. China places religious minorities in forced labor concentration camps. China abuses its own citizens by assigning a civil “score,” depriving freedom-loving Chinese of the right to send their children to college, to work, or even to ride buses. 

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have made their intentions clear. Their evil vision of the future cannot be allowed to triumph. Our Republican candidates must now make their beliefs clear. It’s time for the Republican candidates to state their understanding of this challenge, and to recapture national security for our winning issue. The second GOP debate is that time. 

James S. Gilmore III is the immediate past U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and served as the 68th governor of Virginia. He is currently president of Gilmore Global Group, LLC, where he consults on issues of public spending and taxation and on foreign policy.