The Defense Priorities Foundation is a libertarian-leaning foreign policy think tank founded in 2016 with support from businessman and prolific right-of-center donor Charles Koch and is among several libertarian-leaning and right-of-center advocacy groups and think tanks connected to Koch and his Stand Together network of organizations. The group focuses on promoting a less militaristic foreign policy and supports limiting United States involvement in ongoing global conflicts. The group has published policy research on topics including Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, China, and North Korea. The group has specifically supported scaling back U.S. involvement in NATO and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. ^{1 2}

Background

The Defense Priorities Foundation was formed in 2016. It was described by Politico as formed by associates of billionaire Charles Koch, who along with his late brother David Koch, have funded a variety of center-right and libertarian-leaning organizations since the early 2000s through the Stand Together network of organizations, including the Stand Together Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, the Charles Koch Institute, and the Charles Koch Foundation. ²

William Ruger, a former Navy Reserve officer who was the vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute was a founder of the organization. Edward King, who was formerly the CEO of Concerned American Voters, a right-leaning super PAC that supported the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in 2016, was the founding president of the foundation and was still leading the organization as of 2025. ²

When the Defense Priorities Foundation was founded, the group was described as seeking to “elevate national security policies that are decidedly out of the mainstream of Republican — and even some Democratic — foreign policy thinking, featuring a significantly greater reluctance to assert military force or even impose sanctions on nations such as North Korea. The related Defense Priorities Initiative, meanwhile, is designed as the organization’s advocacy arm, which will seek to lobby Congress.” ²

In 2016, A spokesperson for the Charles Koch Institute told Politico that the institute and the Charles Koch Foundation were not providing financial support to the new think tank, but praised the group’s formation. ²

Activity

The Defense Priorities Foundation focuses on promoting a less militaristic foreign policy and supports limited United States involvement in ongoing global conflicts. The group has published policy research on topics including Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, China, and North Korea. The group has supported scaling back U.S. involvement in NATO and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. ¹

Regarding the Israel-Hamas war that broke out in 2023, the foundation did not call to limit U.S support for Israel, but cautioned against direct U.S. military involvement and advocated avoiding a regional war that could result in direct conflict with Iran and other U.S. adversaries. ³

Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, the foundation urged the U.S. to limit its involvement and facilitate a negotiation to end the war. ⁴

The group published a list of recommendations for the second Trump administration in 2025. The group emphasizes making America’s NATO allies “sweat” by threatening to draw down NATO involvement of U.S. troops to encourage wealthy European countries to spend more to rebalance NATO defense spending. ¹

The group also urged the second Trump administration to recommit to the “One China” policy that formally recognizes the People’s Republic of China “as the sole legal government of China and acknowledges Taiwan as part of China but without Taiwan directly under China’s control,” stating that the One China policy “is a classic case of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, allowing Taiwan to essentially be independent such that the U.S. has unofficial relations with it, including arms sales of defensive weaponry to Taiwan.” ¹

The group also urged the administration to address nuclear proliferation and scale back military commitments that no longer serve U.S. interests. ¹

1. “Realistic recommendations for Trump II.” Defense Priorities Foundation. Accessed January 31, 2025.  https://www.defensepriorities.org/symposia/realistic-recommendations-for-trump-ii/
2. Bender, Bryan. “Allies of Rand Paul, Koch take aim at hawks.” Politico. June 9, 2016. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/rand-paul-charles-koch-think-tank-224099
3. “Understanding the Israel-Hamas War.” Defense Priorities Foundation. November 3, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.defensepriorities.org/briefs/understanding-the-israel-hamas-war/
4. “Why neutrality is the best course for Ukraine.” Defense Priorities Foundation. January 10, 2025. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.defensepriorities.org/opinion/why-neutrality-is-the-best-course-for-ukraine/