‘A neocon policy...’: Ex-Marine slams US AI plan as elite control wrapped in America First

Brian Berletic, a former US Marine, author and international relations expert, sharply criticizes the US “AI Action Plan” as a neoconservative agenda with “MAGA/America First” branding serving special interests that aim for global control through AI. He argues that it offers “absurd promises as a micron‑thin sugar coating” to mask private sector consolidation, while ordinary Americans are told it protects them.  

As Berletic highlights, a tiny minority cannot dominate nations with stronger industrial and technological capability unless they cling to a belief in inherent Western superiority. He suggests that regardless of whether voters pick Obama, Biden, or Trump, they are simply choosing “different brands of neocon hegemony and continuity of agenda”. 

Berletic’s critique in full context 

Brian Berletic sees the AI Action Plan as an extension of neoconservative ideology disguised by populist slogans. He contends: 

• The promise of defending ordinary Americans is a thin veil behind which corporations consolidate power. 
• The policy draws from neocon ideas that posit American (white Western) superiority, using that narrative to justify global dominance through AI. 
• From his perspective, American voters aren’t embracing a shift—they're selecting marketing between neoliberal militarism or conservative hegemony. 

While he doesn’t detail every clause, his analysis frames this Plan as another strategic continuation in US foreign and tech policy — that even purported “America First” rhetoric masks continuity in global dominance efforts. 

What is the US AI Action Plan? 

The AI Action Plan, officially titled Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan, was released in response to Executive Order 14179, signed on January 23, 2025, by President Trump. It replaces President Biden’s earlier AI executive order and outlines over 90 federal policy actions structured across three pillars: accelerating AI innovation, building American AI infrastructure, and leading in international AI diplomacy and security. 

Key components include: 

• Reducing regulatory barriers: Federal agencies are directed to identify, revise, or repeal rules that “unnecessarily hinder AI innovation,” including state-level regulations deemed burdensome. 
• Accelerating infrastructure build‑out: The plan fast‑tracks permits for new data centers and semiconductor fabrication plants and promotes expansion of energy, skilled labor, and data infrastructure. 
• Exporting US AI technology: Full-stack export packages — covering hardware, software, models, and standards — are targeted at allied nations to maintain global leadership. 
• Ideological neutrality requirement: Federal contracts will be limited to AI systems judged free from “woke” bias — prohibiting outputs reflecting DEI, critical race theory, or transgender themes — emphasising "truthfulness" and "historical accuracy". 
• Centralised oversight: Agencies are encouraged to withhold funding from states with restrictive AI regulations and uphold pro-innovation ecosystems via departments such as NIST, FTC, OMB and OSTP. 

What is branded as a patriotic, pro‑business strategy — America’s “AI Action Plan” — includes sweeping deregulatory ambitions, ideological neutrality demands, and global tech exports. For critics like Brian Berletic, those policies are not new or unique but reflect longstanding power structures repackaged with MAGA messaging. In his view, the deeply embedded neocon worldview remains intact, regardless of who holds the US presidency.