The world is in for “exciting times” following the inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20, decorated U.S. Army general David Petraeus said during remarks in Salt Lake City on Friday.
During wide-ranging remarks at a policy summit at the Grand America Hotel, sponsored by the Salt Lake Chamber and the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, Petraeus touched on both the Biden and Trump administrations’ approaches to trade and foreign policy, and gave advice on how to be a strategic leader.
Petraeus said his approach to Trump is to “take him seriously, but not literally,” and said he agrees with the president-elect on some — but not all — of his approaches to policy, adding he supports Trump’s goal to reduce regulations domestically.
But, he said, sometimes it’s unclear if Trump is serious about pursuing a policy, and that makes it “intriguing to divine ‘what does this mean?’”
Petraeus, who described himself as non-political — he said he doesn’t even register to vote — said Trump has made some interesting Cabinet picks. He described the three categories they fall into — those who are loyal to “Make America Great Again” principles, those who are more traditional Republicans, and a few “tech bros.”
“My hope is with all of the different forces at play ... the outcome of that will be extraordinary,” he said.
Petraeus credited Trump with changing the conversation on China, but said it is important for the competition between the two countries not to turn into military conflict. He also credited the Biden administration with crafting a “good” approach to China, but said it will “need to be refined.”
Following his 40-year career in public service, which included serving as the CIA director during the Obama administration, Petraeus moved to the private sector. He currently is a partner at KKR, a global private equity firm. He spoke onstage Friday with Miles Hansen, president and board director of the Stirling Foundation.
Risks around the world
Toward the end of his 37 years in the U.S. military, Petraeus was called on to assume command of forces in Iraq, where he served for four years, and then in Afghanistan.
During his remarks Friday, Petraeus was critical of the “chaotic” withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden, saying he believed the U.S. could have maintained a presence in the country to keep order. When U.S. forces withdrew in August 2021, American contractors who had been assisting the Afghanistan Security Forces also left and the ASF collapsed, leading to the Taliban retaking control of the country.
Afghanistan was where both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State took root, he pointed out, adding that when the U.S. abruptly withdrew from Afghanistan it sent a message to other global actors, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“Everything is connected in the world,” he said, pointing out that China’s leaders are likely watching what the U.S. will do in Ukraine, given their desire to retake control of Taiwan.
Petraeus had complimentary words for Ukraine, particularly their growing military capabilities, saying they were “producing tomorrow’s tech for today’s wars.” He said he encouraged the Biden administration to give Ukraine what they needed to prosecute the war.
On Syria, Petraeus called the toppling of the Assad regime “serendipitous,” and said it “changes the dynamics in the region dramatically.”
He credited the change in part to Israel “hammering” Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in Lebanon. He expressed some wonderment over Israel’s ability to target the leaders of Hezbollah by disrupting the supply chain and placing bombs in first their pagers, and then their walkie talkies. Israel also managed to reduce the number of missiles, drones and projectiles controlled by Hezbollah from around 150,000 at the start of the war to 15,000 today, he said.
Still, he cautioned, it remains to be seen what the new leaders in Damascus will do, and said the country is not yet unified behind Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which is still designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., something he said should change.
Petraeus said the last few years there has been a “seismic change” in the world order as great power rivalries have been renewed and with the onset of a new era of protectionism seen in approaches to trade and investment.
As he spoke about the tension between the U.S. and China, Petraeus had advice for business leaders in the room — don’t do all of your manufacturing in one region of the world.
But, he said, he doesn’t think the U.S. and China — the first and second largest economies in the world — can completely decouple from one another. Both are reliant on each other for necessary products, he said.
Petraeus lays out strategic leadership model
During his remarks, Petraeus laid out the four steps he follows as a leader, punctuated by stories of his military service.
The steps are:
First, get the “big ideas right,” he said. Petraeus described his work overseeing detention facilities in Iraq, which had become hotbeds of terrorist recruitment. By moving the most committed terrorists to higher security facilities, and by focusing on re-teaching and training those who remained, they were able to reduce recidivism among the detainees.
Second, he said, communicate your ideas to everyone who has a stake in the outcome, whether at home or abroad.
Third, oversee the implementation of big ideas with determination and inspiration, and by hiring the “best and brightest.”
And, fourth, determine how to refine the “big ideas,” then follow steps one through three “again and again.”
Petraeus also spoke about his drive for excellence, recalling a time when he spoke to cadets at West Point, his alma mater, and told them they needed to set their sights high, especially given that they were going to lead future soldiers into battle.
“Your soldiers will not be impressed by somebody who is proud to be average,” he said.
Petraeus was just in Utah, and he remembers 2010 BYU address
Petraeus said he was in Utah two weeks ago to ski at Deer Valley, saying he “avoided” Colorado this year and had a “terrific time in Utah.”
Later in his remarks, Petraeus brought up a speech he gave at a Brigham Young University forum, where he delivered a list of 10 reasons BYU graduates made “great new lieutenants.”
He could only remember a few of the reasons, including that BYU graduates make great “designated drivers.” But a Deseret News article from the time has the full list.