| Defense Priorities | |
| Type: | Foreign policy think tank |
| Tax Id: | 81-0714113 |
| Status: | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |
| Location: | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Edward King[1] |
| Revenue: | $1,255,009[2] |
| Revenue Year: | 2020 |
The Defense Priorities Foundation, also known as Defense Priorities, is an American foreign policy think tank based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for more restrained U.S. foreign policy.
Defense Priorities was established in early 2016 by supporters of United States Senator Rand Paul and funded by conservative donors Charles Koch and his brother David Koch. Early leadership included William P. Ruger of the Charles Koch Institute and Edward King of a pro-Paul political action committee. The organization was founded to advance Paul's foreign policy views, which argued for a "more prudent, restrained" United States foreign policy.[3] [4]
Defense Priorities publications have advocated for capitulation to Putin regarding the Russian invasion in Ukraine, against the arming of rebels during the Syrian Civil War, against harsher sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear program, and against deeper military engagement in the Middle East.
The think tank's leanings have been characterized as "isolationist", "non-interventionist",[5] "libertarian",[6] "pro-restraint",[7] and "realist".[8]