In a rare bipartisan move, former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Mike Pompeo have openly teamed up, cautioning that internal debates within the U.S. Department of Defense over a “spheres of influence” strategy could allow competing countries to gain footing.
According to Clinton, some Pentagon strategists have proposed a scenario in which China would establish dominance in East Asia and Russia would control Eastern Europe, with the United States mostly limiting itself to the Western Hemisphere. She referred to that situation as a “disaster” that would harm American reputation and “in relation to our main issue, which is the Chinese Communist Party.”
Pompeo shared her worry, stating that the United States must continue to lead the world and never give up strategic power to rival authoritarians. He underlined that rather than ceding supremacy to others, American principles and presence should continue to be strong in all spheres.
Their comments raise concerns about the larger U.S. security posture as the Pentagon turns its attention to the Western Hemisphere by increasing its presence in its southern command zone and withdrawing some rotational units from Europe.
The similarities between Clinton and Pompeo underscore serious concerns that retreating from international obligations or severing ties could give China or Russia more confidence and enable them to take advantage of the void.