Robert Greenway, former Deputy Assistant to President Trump and Director of the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation, joins Joe Pags with a clear and sobering message: America’s strength has been allowed to wither, and it’s time to rebuild. From the military-industrial base to global diplomacy, Greenway lays out what it’ll take to restore the United States as a force to be reckoned with.
Greenway warns that America’s military readiness was deeply damaged under Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “We had the worst recruiting crisis,” he says, explaining that under the previous administration, accountability collapsed. “No one was held accountable” for the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. But there’s hope—“That is now being restored,” he says, citing a “renewed appetite” for service among young Americans under President Donald Trump.
On energy independence, Greenway doesn’t mince words. “Practical policies [are] now finally being pursued by someone with a business background who’s capable of doing it,” he says, contrasting the Trump administration’s goals with the Obama-era reluctance to achieve U.S. energy dominance. He describes how new infrastructure projects in Texas and Louisiana could rapidly restore American industrial capacity—“faster than we expect.” Clean coal, domestic shipping, and manufacturing are key elements to strengthening the military and economy simultaneously.
Regarding Iran, Greenway warns the regime is “a hair’s breath away from being able to test a nuclear device.” He emphasizes that diplomacy must come first—“The president is exhausting all ways to communicate”—but notes that strength is the only language Tehran truly understands: “When confronted with force and overwhelming force, they will back off.”
Turning to Ukraine, Greenway says eventual negotiations are inevitable. “There’s gunna have to be a negotiation between the preexisting borders and the current status of the conflict itself,” he explains. Meanwhile, Ukraine seeks a “maximalist security guarantee,” a demand that complicates the path to peace.
He also clears the air on President Trump’s vision for Gaza. “The goal was never to take it over,” Greenway explains, but to “shift the position” of the surrounding countries. He believes Iran—not Gaza—is the true focal point of instability in the region.
Greenway’s message is loud and clear: it’s time for America to lead again—with strength, clarity, and decisive action.