Ten years ago, American diplomats stationed in Havana, Cuba, inexplicably began to report unusual symptoms: Pressure sensations, waves of pain, and vision and balance problems. A number of theories were offered for “Havana syndrome,” but all we knew for sure was something happened, that Americans suffered, and that we could not definitively say why. Disturbingly, in spite of the suffering it caused our people, many seemed eager to dismiss the idea that a foreign hostile power was behind the attacks, preferring instead a “nothing to see here” line.

However, recent reporting now suggests that the United States was indeed able to identify a culprit and even allegedly secure a version of the device responsible. While this reporting is yet to be confirmed by the U.S. government, it suggests the apprehended device is linked to Russia. This raises key questions regarding two adversaries of the United States: Russia and Cuba.

If this weapon is confirmed to be Russian, it would serve as another example of the damage Russia has caused to Americans. From providing Iran intelligence to target American servicemembers, to regularly engaging in cyber-attacks against American critical infrastructure, to now potentially harming at least two dozen American diplomats with a previously unknown weapon, the Russians continue to strike the United States with impunity. Rather than continuing to believe Putin’s many lies, it is past time to hold Putin responsible by insisting on long-term consequences for him in his ongoing onslaught against Ukraine, his support for the Islamic Republic, and now his potential involvement in the Havana syndrome attacks. Notwithstanding concerns about oil prices stemming from Operation Epic Fury, providing sanctions relief to Russia only emboldens Putin’s ambition to weaken the United States.

On Cuba, reports now suggest the United States is negotiating with the Cuban regime. While there is much more to say, for now I will simply say this. Those who know the Cuban regime know that if the Russians indeed deployed a device like the one reported to have been used against American diplomats on Cuban soil, the regime would have certainly known about it and permitted it to happen. That they allowed the continued attacks against our personnel cannot go unpunished. Answering for the Havana syndrome attacks must be among the top demands in our so-called negotiations with the regime – and our so-called negotiations with Putin.

-Carrie Filipetti, Executive Director of the Vandenberg Coalition

On March 12, 1947, President Harry S. Truman delivered a speech to Congress asking to authorize $400 million in emergency assistance to Greece and Turkey as part of support to the Greek government against a Communist insurgency. In doing so, Truman articulated that the United States must “support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures” and that totalitarian regimes imposed on free peoples posed a threat to American national security. The Truman Doctrine established that targeted U.S. economic and security assistance to front-line democracies could be a strategic tool in combatting the threat from hostile authoritarianism. It also reinforced the reality that effectively insulating America from outside threats required  maintaining a global presence to include aid for strategic partners. The lessons of the Truman Doctrine remain relevant today, as targeted U.S. assistance for strategic partners and allies like Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine are critical insulating layers protecting against our current authoritarian threats. In this video, Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director of Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, and Dan Twining, President of the International Republican Institute, analyze the speech and the influence of the Truman Doctrine today. Watch the third installment of this series here.

Starting in June 2025, The Vandenberg Coalition worked with GOP polling firm TargetPoint on a series of seven polls analyzing what ~1,200 Trump voters think about American foreign policy. We were in the field shortly after Operations Midnight Hammer, Absolute Resolve, and Epic Fury — and the results were clear. In contrast to the handful of political pundits who favor American decline and claim to speak for President Trump’s base, we found that Trump voters are overwhelming supportive of a muscular “peace through strength” American foreign policy that takes decisive, bold action to secure American interests and protect the American people. Read our primer here to see the key takeaways for the “Americans First: Polling the People” series.

Russia is an adversary of the United States working to harm American interests and undermine American power abroad. To assist with his war in Ukraine and to achieve Russian grand strategic objectives, Vladimir Putin is partnering with other American adversaries like China, Iran, and North Korea. President Trump has made numerous attempts to secure a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine, but Vladamir Putin has continued to reject all attempts at peace, despite Russia only achieving marginal territorial gains at significant human cost to both Ukraine and Russia. Read our latest primer here to learn more about what the United States needs to do to take on Russia.

In recent years, China has increasingly used economic bullying in attempts to obtain concessions from other governments and the private sector. In a new book, China’s Weaponization of Trade: Resistance Through Collective Resilience, Vandenberg Advisory Board member Victor Cha, along with his coauthors Ellen Kim and Andy Lim, discusses China’s economic coercion and outlines a strategy for how countries led by the United States can more effectively counter China's coercive efforts. Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Vandenberg Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to break down how the United States can better identify and counter China’s malign practices. You can listen to the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts, and you can watch this episode as a video here.