I think the power struggle between the United States and China will be the intelligence field’s new focus as security concerns continue to develop. According to the House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, the intelligence community’s “capacity to address hard targets like China has waned” after two decades of focusing on counterterrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. He is adamant that having the intelligence community work with the congressional oversight committees will be effective in creating changes that will help counter Chinese intel. Counterterrorism efforts are influenced by global powers and with China’s harsh treatment of Uighur Muslims to counter violent extremism it shows they are not tolerant of religious/racial minorities that are unwillingly associated with extremist groups. It is not enough to condemn China’s internment camp actions to the UN Human Rights Council, if Chinese power goes unchecked then this form of “re-education” to combat terrorism goes unchecked as well.

“The United States must retain overmatch-the combination of capabilities in sufficient scale to prevent enemy success and to ensure that America’s sons and daughters will never be in a fair fight. Overmatch strengthens our diplomacy and permits us to shape the international environment to protect our interests.” I think ­­­Pillar III highlights the long-standing debate over defense spending and for this administration's strategy it is an increased investment. Renewing capabilities such as the nuclear arsenal and advancing statecraft through competitive diplomacy in complex regions are examples of peace through strength. However, if equal funding is not guaranteed to both defense and state than one department will be lacking while the other financially over-matched to ensure the safety of this nation.

@Justin Spusta I too agree that it is very interesting to analyze the document after three years and that you mentioned the recent rise in domestic terrorism. The U.S. has focused heavily on foreign threats that identifying domestic ones can be a contentious subject because it would mean admitting it is escalating within our borders.

“A democracy is only as resilient as its people.” This document represents the prerogative of putting America First and the administration in 2017 was able to center The National Security Strategy on the foundation of American resilience. Each subsection emphasizes a U.S. interest that will protect and expand domestic prosperity, whether it be towards energy security, economic development or technological advancements, there is no doubt that the priority lies with the American people. However, as the United States is a major influence in the world, pushing nationalistic views in foreign policies and security strategies can vex regional allies. This can make for longer negotiations if natural resources are needed or if military operations need to be done outside of U.S. soil. If the United States is to be an effective institutional leader then being resilient in the global arena is just as important as it is on the homeland.