Mike Steger is arguing that the United States is undergoing a major strategic shift away from globalization and prolonged foreign wars toward a system built around national sovereignty, industrial production, advanced defense technology and scientific development.

Steger framed the change as the end of a decades-long era in which American military and economic power was used to support what he described as a globalist order.

"For 60 years, from the jungles of Vietnam to the sands of Baghdad, America has been defending a globalist world order. 60 years of American blood and treasure defending an empire that turned America's industrial heartland into the Rust Belt and left our citizens for dead, not anymore," Steger said.

He pointed to September 30 as a day when several developments came together to symbolize that change, including the departure of the last U.S. troops from Erbil, trade discussions in Milwaukee, new nuclear investment and a shift in military strategy.

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"In one day, on Wednesday, September 30th, you could feel how the world changed," Steger said.

He argued that the change goes well beyond the upcoming elections.

"This isn't about the midterms. It's about Trump 2028," Steger said.

Steger tied the end of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq to a broader rejection of what he called the last 60 years of "forever wars."

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"As the last troops left Iraq, Trump said this marks the end of a very expensive excursion into hell, and he wasn't just referring to Iraq. It was the last 60 years of globalist hell. Iraq was just the final blow," Steger said.

He said the new approach to the Middle East should focus more heavily on economic sovereignty and infrastructure than direct military control.

Steger pointed to pipeline projects involving Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Turkey as examples of the model he supports.

"because every one of these pipelines is what economic sovereignty actually means," Steger said.

He argued that the same principle should shape U.S. trade policy, pointing to remarks from Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at the G20 summit in Milwaukee.

Steger said the existing global trade framework is no longer suited to current economic conditions and cited Greer’s criticism of institutions built for a different era.

He also invoked John F. Kennedy as an earlier example of what he calls the American system, describing Kennedy’s support for domestic industrial investment, scientific progress and large infrastructure projects abroad.

"On all fronts, Kennedy moved to re-energize the nation and the world," Steger said.

According to Steger, the broader goal is to rebuild an economic order centered on sovereign nations that can produce, build and develop rather than depend on multinational systems.

"We gather as possible architects of a new international economic order," Steger said, quoting Greer.

Steger connected that economic vision to a major overhaul of American military strategy. He said the emphasis should shift toward advanced defensive systems, rapid technological development and closer coordination between military researchers, entrepreneurs and private companies.

He highlighted Project Meridian, which he described as a study of future warfare involving the Pentagon’s chief technology officer and figures such as Elon Musk.

Steger also pointed to drone warfare and directed-energy weapons as examples of the kind of rapid innovation he believes will define the next generation of national defense.

"So on June 23 at White Sands Missile Range, six different contractors fired lasers and high-powered microwave systems as part of a new arsenal of anti-drone warfare," Steger said.

He argued that technologies such as lasers could dramatically lower the cost of defense compared with traditional missiles.

"A laser shot costs a fraction of a missile, while its magazine is as unlimited as its power supply," Steger said.

Steger tied those developments to new nuclear energy and shipbuilding investment, citing $120 billion for eight nuclear power plants and $150 billion in American shipbuilding from South Korea.

He said those investments represent a model in which allied countries support American industrial capacity while the United States builds the systems needed to defend a broader order based on sovereignty.

Steger also pointed to Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative as an example of how military research can produce civilian technological breakthroughs.

"In 1983, Reagan announced the SDI, the Strategic Defense Initiative, a space-based missile defense system that is the precursor to President Trump's Golden Dome," Steger said.

He described how research at national laboratories eventually contributed to advances in lithography used for semiconductor manufacturing.

"And this formula: critical military research, coordinated with federal labs, then partnered with private companies for the introduction of revolutionary new technologies-technologies that no company alone could afford to build. This is a leading pillar of the American system," Steger said.

He argued that combining defense research with a strong domestic industrial base could generate breakthroughs in semiconductors, energy, space and advanced manufacturing.

Steger also cited the commercial space sector, including what he described as a $100 billion SpaceX launch facility in Louisiana, as part of the emerging industrial ecosystem.

"Put all of this together, and you have a revived industrial ecosystem of nuclear energy, shipbuilding, advanced weapon systems, and space exploration capable of absorbing the next great scientific breakthrough," Steger said.

For Steger, the central goal is to ensure that future companies, factories, patents, and technological breakthroughs remain rooted in the United States rather than being lost through globalization.

"This is the American system: research and exploration, new discoveries, advanced technologies, and broad platforms of economic growth," he said.

Steger concluded by arguing that the United States can build influence through scientific progress and industrial strength rather than permanent conflict.

"While the enemy tries to control through conflict, we dominate by scientific leaps; we create a culture committed to advancement and look to ensure that all Americans benefit from our nation's success," Steger said.

"It's a new era, and a new American century ahead."

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