Elbridge Colby | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Under Secretary of Defense for Policy[a] | |
| Assumed office April 9, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Colin Kahl |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense For Strategy and Force Development | |
| In office May 2017 – June 2018 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elbridge Andrew Colby[2] (1979-12-30)December 30, 1979 (age 46) |
| Party | Republican |
| Relatives | William Colby (grandfather) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Elbridge Andrew Colby (born December 30, 1979) is an American national security policy professional who is currently theunder secretary of defense for policy. He previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development from 2017 to 2018 during thefirst Trump administration. He played a key role in the development of the 2018 U.S.National Defense Strategy, which, among other things, shifted theU.S. Defense Department's focus toChina.
In June 2018, Colby was appointed as director of the Defense Program at theCenter for a New American Security (CNAS). In 2019 he co-founded the Marathon Initiative, agrand strategythink tank, withWess Mitchell. In December 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Colby to serve as the under secretary of defense for policy.
Identifying as arealist, Colby believes China is the principal threat faced by the United States. He believes the US should shift its military resources to Asia to prevent a Chinese takeover ofTaiwan. Colby supports reducing military aid to Ukraine. During theAUKUS review in 2025, Elbridge pressured Australia to confirm what role it would play in a war with China over Taiwan.
Colby moved toTokyo in 1986 when his father was appointed head ofFirst Boston's Tokyo office, and he returned when he was thirteen. While in Tokyo, he attended theAmerican School in Japan inChōfu.[3] Following his return to the U.S., Colby attended and graduated fromGroton School (Class of 1998),[4] where he served as editor of the school newspaper. Colby graduated fromHarvard College in 2002, and fromYale Law School in 2009.[5][6] His early career included over five years of service with theDepartment of Defense, theDepartment of State, and in theIntelligence Community, including a period of service with theCoalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003.[5][7] Colby also served in theOffice of the Director of National Intelligence in 2005–2006.[7]
From 2010 to 2013, Colby worked as an analyst atCNA, a federally funded nonprofit research and analysis organization. From 2014 to 2017, Colby was theRobert M. Gates fellow at theCenter for a New American Security.[8] In 2015, Colby was considered for a major position inJeb Bush's2016 presidential campaign, but was not hired after "prominent, interventionistneoconservatives" objected.[6][9]
In May 2017, Colby was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for strategy and force development, a role in which he served into 2018.[6] In this role, Colby was responsible for defense strategy, force development, and strategic analysis for policy for thesecretary of defense.[5] Colby served as the primary Defense Department representative in the development of the 2017National Security Strategy.[10]
While deputy assistant secretary, Colby served as the lead official in the development and rollout of the department's strategic planning guidance, the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS). The NDS posited: "Inter-state strategic competition, not terrorism, is now the primary concern in U.S. national security," and "the central challenge to U.S. prosperity and security is the reemergence of long-term strategic competition," primarily from China and Russia.[11] Going further, Colby said the "central challenge facing the department of defense and the joint force [is] the erosion of U.S. military advantagevis a vis China and Russia."[12]
Politico reported that in re-orienting American defense resources away from the Middle East and towards China, Colby faced considerable bureaucratic infighting fromU.S. Central Command and theJoint Staff, but received support from theAir Force and theNavy.[6]
After leaving the Department of Defense in 2018, Colby returned to the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where he continued to work on defense issues until 2019.[13] He then launched The Marathon Initiative, a think tank devoted to developing strategies for the US to compete with global rivals.[6][10][14]
In 2021, Colby expanded on his views in his first book,The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict, whichThe Wall Street Journal named a Ten Best Book of 2021.[6][15]
On December 22, 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Colby to serve as theunder secretary of defense for policy for his second term as president.[17][18] Despite the support of influentialMAGA figures likeVice PresidentJD Vance and influencerCharlie Kirk, his nomination drew criticism from Republican Partydefense hawks like SenatorTom Cotton regarding his past comments thatIran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon would not be an existential risk for the United States.[19] During his hearing before theUnited States Senate Committee on Armed Services on March 4, 2025, Colby said he would not hesitate to advise Trump on military options to stopIran's nuclear program if necessary. He also confirmed his intention to increase U.S. military resources in theIndo-Pacific and called onTaiwan to increase its defense budget from 2.5% of GDP to 10%.[20]
Colby's nomination was confirmed by a 54–45 Senate vote on April 8, 2025.[21] SenatorMitch McConnell was the only Republican to oppose Colby's nomination, leading to criticism from Republicans includingJD Vance andNate Morris.[22]
In May 2025, Colby told British officials that the United States wanted theBritish Armed Forces to focus less on theIndo-Pacific and more in the Euro-Atlantic region. He also expressed concern about the UK sending theHMSPrince of Wales to the Indo-Pacific.[23] In June 2025, Colby pushed for the Department of Defense to launch a review whether to scrap theAUKUS agreement with Australia and the United Kingdom.[24] Colby also pushed for Japan to increase its military spending to 3.5% of its GDP, which led Japan to cancel a meeting between U.S. secretary of stateMarco Rubio and U.S. defense secretaryPete Hegseth and Japanese Defense MinisterGen Nakatani and Foreign MinisterTakeshi Iwaya inWashington, D.C.[25]
You know who the hardest guy to get a hold of in the Trump administration is? The undersecretary of Defense for policy. I hope he’s watching. I’m meeting with him tomorrow. Maybe he’ll cancel on me. I don’t know.
In early July, the US paused deliveries of various munitions toUkraine, an initiative that reportedly originated from Colby; both Congress and theState Department were not aware of the decision.[27] Additionally, members within the Trump administration were not consulted on the halting of the arms shipments, with Trump himself claiming to be unaware of the decision.[28] Trump later reinstated the arms shipments within days.[29] Afterwards, a bi-partisan group of members of Congress demanded an explanation from Colby.[30] After theEuropean-White House crisis meeting was held in August 2025, Trump announced the US could provide security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement to end theRusso-Ukrainian war. Colby reportedly told representatives of European allies that the US would play a minimal role in any security guarantees.[31] Later that month, Ukraine was denied long-range missile strikes on Russia under a “review mechanism” that had been developed by Colby.[32]
During aSenate Armed Services Committee hearing held in November 2025, several Republican Senators criticized Colby's office for failure to communicate policy with members of Congress.[33] During the hearing to confirmAustin Dahmer asAssistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities, SenatorDan Sullivan ofAlaska stated "I can't even get a response, and we're on your team" claiming that it was more difficult to get a response from Colby than it was to speak with Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth or even President Trump. Sullivan added that Colby "has been really bad on this. The worst in the administration...".[34] SenatorRoger Wicker ofMississippi agreed, stating that Colby's policy office specifically had been unusually difficult about information sharing relative to other organs of the Defense Department, while SenatorTom Cotton ofArkansas characterized Colby’s office as a “pigpen-like mess,” regarding communication.[35] On 5 November, the Pentagon denied Colby had been purposely withholding information from Congress.Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon's spokesperson, stated that Colby's team had "briefed Congress dozens of times, in both classified and unclassified settings, in addition to other meetings."Reuters described the incident as a "rare bipartisan show of frustration with the administration."[36]
In December 2025, theFinancial Times reported that many within the administration of Japanese Prime MinisterSanae Takaichi felt "deep disappointment" over a lack of public support she received from Trump over remarks about defendingTaiwan, after she stated that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would constitute a "survival threatening situation" to Japan and prompt a response from theJapan Self-Defense Forces. This came after Colby had been reportedly pushing Japan to take such a stance.[37]
Colby identifies as arealist. He believes that China is the principal threat faced by the United States, and that Asia should be the priority of U.S. efforts and resources.[38] He advocates for the U.S. to shift its military planning and resources to prepare for a conflict over Taiwan, and supports bolstering U.S. industrial capacity.[6][38] In aTime article he co-authored with Heritage Foundation presidentKevin Roberts, Colby wrote that: "[W]e need to be absolutely clear: Without question, the top external threat to America is China—by far."[39] He is a "prioritizer," believing the U.S. to have limited military resources, and thus supporting a reorientation of U.S. military resources away from the Middle East and Europe to Asia and China.[40]Foreign Policy describes him as "the loudest and perhaps most cogent voice in Washington advocating a complete shift away from Europe,NATO, and Russia and toward the growing challenge from China".[41]
Colby believes China is seeking regional hegemony over Asia, which he believes to be the world's most important region, and will achieve that goal if not stopped by the U.S. He says that if China is allowed to dominate Asia, it would severely diminish America's future prospects and freedom of action, push theAmerican economy down the value chain, and leave the U.S. less resistant to Chinese pressure.[38][41] He believes the most effective way for China to achieve regional hegemony would be by attacking a U.S. ally or quasi-ally, which he identifies as Taiwan. He advocates for a "strategy of denial" to deny regional hegemony to China and stopping or defeating a potential invasion of Taiwan. He believes an attack on Taiwan would lead to a "limited war" which would seek to cause the least upheaval in the region, with no motivation on either side to escalate; he calls on the U.S. to prepare for this scenario. He further calls for an "anti-hegemonic coalition" made up of U.S. allies in Asia to stop China from taking over Taiwan; he believes that if the coalition failed to stop a takeover of Taiwan, China could seize the Philippines and Vietnam next. Colby also advocates for an end to U.S. policy ofstrategic ambiguity on Taiwan.[38][42] He believes Taiwan should raise its military spending to 10% of its GDP and has called for the destruction ofTSMC to keep it out of Chinese control should Chinese military forces capture Taiwan.[43] While Colby believes Taiwan is important to the US, he doesn't consider it to be an "existential interest" and thinks the "core American interest is in denying China regional hegemony".[44]
Despite his reputation as a China hawk, Colby does not describe theChinese Communist Party (CCP) orCCP general secretaryXi Jinping as "evil" and rejects a "cartoonish account" of China as "unstoppably rapacious", believing China to be a "rising power" with "a rational interest in expanding their sphere and believing themselves to be aggrieved and put upon". He supports treating China with respect and a "strong shield of disincentive", continuing by saying that his policy is "status quo. My strategy is not designed to suppress or humiliate China… I believe China could achieve a reasonable conception of therejuvenation of the great Chinese nation, consistent with the achievement of my strategy. If you put all that together, that looks like somebody who is advocating for peace based on a realistic reading of the world."[38] He also believes the U.S. should not seek to change China's internal politics or ideological system as long as China does not seek regional hegemony.[42]
Colby supports deprioritizing North Korea, tellingYonhap News Agency in May 2024 that the "fundamental fact is that North Korea is not a primary threat to the U.S." and it "would not be rational to lose multiple American cities to just deal with North Korea".[45] He called on South Korea to take "overwhelming responsibility" for its own defense against North Korea, with the U.S. getting involved only if China gets involved. He also saidUnited States Forces Korea should be focused on protecting South Korea from possible Chinese attacks instead of being "held hostage to dealing with the North Korean problem". He supports transferring wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea, while signaling his openness toSouth Korea acquiring nuclear weapons. He said the denuclearization of North Korea was an "impossibly far-fetched" idea, instead calling to focus on more "attainable" goals such as arms control focused on limiting the range of North Koreanintercontinental ballistic missiles.[46] He advocates for Japan to spend more on its military, tellingThe Nikkei in September 2024 that Japan should spend 3% of its GDP on military.[47]
If he [Colby] has his way — irrespective of what Trump does tomorrow or the day after — America will keep weaning itself from Europe and the Middle East, and eventually cease being a global leader to become a North American and Pacific power.
Colby believes aiding Ukraine during theRusso-Ukrainian war jeopardizes America's focus on China. In 2023, he told Politico that "Ukraine should not be the focus. The best way to avoid war with China is to be manifestly prepared such that Beijing recognizes that an attack on Taiwan is likely to fail. We need to be a hawk to get to a place where we can be a dove. It's about a balance of power".[6] Colby later wrote that "it is in America's interest to avoid [Ukrainian defeat], but we must pursue that interest in a manner consistent with our highest priority of restoring a formidable denial defense along Asia'sfirst island chain."[48] He opposes Ukraine's membership in NATO.[49] Colby instead supports European countries to commit more resources on countering Russia and bolstering their militaries, allowing the U.S. to shift its resources on Asia.[38] Colby has repeatedly expressed skepticism towardAUKUS and has reactively negatively to the deployment of a UK carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific.[50] He believes European NATO members should spend around 3 to 4 percent of their GDP on defense and says the U.S. should be "prepared to use carrots and sticks to incentivize the right kind of behavior from our point of view" in regards to European countries.[51]
Colby supports a reduction of U.S. military presence in the Middle East, a region which he described as "relatively unimportant" from a geopolitical standpoint. He supports withdrawing the U.S. military from thePersian Gulf, arguing the U.S. can counter Iran "more efficiently" by "bolstering the military capabilities of its partners in the region". He opposes direct military action against Iran, while arguing that containing an Iran with nuclear weapons "is an entirely plausible and practical objective. In an article written shortly before theOctober 7 attacks, Colby called for a "reset" inAmerica's relationship with Israel, saying America should "defer more to Israel's judgement about how to best manage its security challenges", and that while the US should be prepared to provide material and political support to Israel, it should understand that the US., which "cannot afford to be enmeshed in another Middle Eastern war, will take a supporting role." He later questioned theBiden administration's efforts to counter theHouthis in Yemen.[40]
Colby is married to Susanna Colby.[52] He is Catholic.[53]
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| National | |
| Other | |
