April 28, 2026, marks the fifth anniversary of The Vandenberg Coalition’s founding. Over the last five years, conservative foreign policy has seen meaningful successes, faced notable setbacks, and confronted new challenges and opportunities that will shape its future direction. Elliott Abrams, Chairman of The Vandenberg Coalition and Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Secretary Robert Wilkie, 10th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the newest member of The Vandenberg Coalition’s Governance Board, join Executive Director Carrie Filipetti on this special edition of Flash Focus to reflect on the state of conservative foreign policy.

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

(1:06) Conservative Foreign Policy Origin Stories

(8:08) Conservative Moral Courage in Foreign Policy

(15:59) What is America’s Proper Role in the World?

(20:26) The Future of Alliances

(26:44) The Future of the U.S.-Israel Relationship for Conservatives

(36:00) Freedom and Democracy

(44:56) Reasons for Concern and Optimism