A conservative foreign policy should rest on four key principles: (1) the preservation of the Anglo–American Special Relationship and the transatlantic alliance, (2) the defense of British national sovereignty, (3) the firm projection of military power in the defense of the national interest, and (4) the advancement of freedom and liberty. All four principles should be underwritten by a strong national defense, necessitating a significant increase in defense spending above its current historically low level of just 2.1 percent of GDP.