Marco Rubio's foreign policy: 'The world is at its safest when America is at its strongest'

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In his first policy speech since announcing a 2016 campaign, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday called for ramping up military spending to ensure the U.S. can effectively counter any threats around the globe.

"The world is at its safest when America is at its strongest," Rubio said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Though light on specifics, Rubio outlined three core "pillars" to his foreign policy approach: boosting military funding, articulating America's global vision, and protecting America's economy in an increasingly globalized world. The freshman lawmaker also took a swipe at the likely Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, calling her tenure as secretary of state "ineffective at best and dangerously negligent at worst."

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"We simply cannot afford to elect as our next president one of the leading agents of this administration's foreign policy," Rubio said.

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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.