(The Center Square) – As Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sparred on the debate stage on Tuesday night about the role of the American military on the world stage, there is no doubt that servicemen around the country were paying close attention.
Any potential policy changes would have a unique impact on North Carolina, which has a dozen military installations and where military and defense industries are the second-largest employers. Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg and home to the 82nd Airborne and Special Operations Forces, has long been known as “who receives a president’s 911 call.”
With 129,049 servicemen in North Carolina as of 2016, the state’s success and economy relies heavily on the foreign policy decisions of the future president.
“The military presence here in North Carolina is the second-largest contributor to our state’s economy,” said a statement from the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission.
Harris and Trump laid out very different visions for their foreign policy plans. The incumbent vice president emphasized America’s role in preserving democracies around the world like Ukraine, while Trump said that peace can only be achieved through strength.
“It is very well known that Donald Trump is weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy,” Harris said.
The 59-year-old Democrat said Trump’s “temperament” does not suit a world leader.
“I have traveled the world as vice president of the United States. World leaders are laughing at Donald Trump,” Harris said. “I have talked with military leaders, some of whom worked with you, and they say you are a disgrace.”
Trump, the 78-year-old Republican, responded by pointing to the numerous global conflicts that have broken out since the Biden administration began, calling Biden “weak and pathetic.”
“Why is the whole world blowing up?” Trump asked. “Three years ago it wasn’t.”
The former president said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said, “‘It’s because you need Trump back as president. They were afraid of him.’”
Both also addressed two conflicts, one between Israel and Palestine, and one between Russia and Ukraine. They went back and forth, challenging each other’s positions.
“I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself, but we must have a two-state solution where we can rebuild Gaza,” Harris said.
Trump said that her support of Israel is a false promise.
“She hates Israel,” he said. “If she is president, I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now. I’ve been pretty good at predictions, but I hope I’m wrong about that one.”
Trump said that, in the Ukrainian war, Europe needs to “pay up.”
“They should be forced to equalize,” he said. “That said, I want to get the war settled. … I will get it settled before I am even president.”
While Trump promised to end the war, Harris said that would be because Trump just “gave it up.”
“The reality is, it has been about standing as America always should,” Harris said of the war in Ukraine. “As a leader, upholding international rules and norms.”
With North Carolina having one of the largest military footprints of any state in the nation, these policy positions could have a real and tangible impact on the state. Military economic impact is estimated at $66 billion annually.
“The military bases located in North Carolina are major drivers in our communities, allowing families and business to thrive through the synergy and partnerships that have developed between local and state government, military and defense sectors, and local businesses throughout our history,” said the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
According to Trump’s platform, his administration is committed to “ensure that America’s military is the strongest and best-equipped in the world – and that our government uses that great strength sparingly, and only in clear instances where our national interests are threatened.”
To do this, he will modernize the military, strengthen alliances, and revive America’s industrial base.
Harris’ platform stands by her time as vice president and says she will also strengthen the military if elected.
Her website says, “As commander in chief, she will ensure that the United States military remains the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world, that we unleash the power of American innovation and win the competition for the 21st century, and that we strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership.”
