PILLAR I Protect the American People, the Homeland, and the American Way of Life “We will defend our country, protect our communities, and put the safety of the American people first.” PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP T | J U LY 2 0 1 7 his National Security Strategy begins with the determination to protect the American people, the American way omy. They steal and exploit our intellectual prop- of life, and American interests. Americans have tors, and hold our critical infrastructure at risk. long recognized the benefits of an interconnected All of these actions threaten the foundations of world, where information and commerce f low the American way of life. Reestablishing lawful freely. Engaging with the world, however, does control of our borders is a first step toward pro- not mean the United States should abandon its tecting the American homeland and strengthen- rights and duties as a sovereign state or compro- ing American sovereignty. erty and personal data, interfere in our political processes, target our aviation and maritime sec- mise its security. Openness also imposes costs, We must prevent nuclear, chemical, radiological, since adversaries exploit our free and demo- and biological attacks, block terrorists from reach- cratic system to harm the United States. ing our homeland, reduce drug and human traf- North Korea seeks the capability to kill millions of ficking, and protect our critical infrastructure. Americans with nuclear weapons. Iran supports We must also deter, disrupt, and defeat poten- terrorist groups and openly calls for our destruc- tial threats before they reach the United States. tion. Jihadist terrorist organizations such as ISIS We will target jihadist terrorists and transna- and al-Qa’ida are determined to att ack the United tional criminal organizations at their source and States and radicalize Americans with their hate- dismantle their networks of support. ful ideology. Non-state actors undermine social We must also take steps to respond quickly to meet order through drug and human trafficking net- the needs of the American people in the event of works, which they use to commit violent crimes natural disaster or attack on our homeland. We and kill thousands of American each year. must build a culture of preparedness and resilience Adversaries target sources of American strength, across our governmental functions, critical infra- including our democratic system and our econ- structure, and economic and political systems. 7