So, it sounds to me like the Defender sphere has collapsed and the idea is to use TSP to “relaunch” it, using our own resources, prestige and reputation for that purpose?

I get why this is good for Defending but I don’t see any way in which this is good for TSP. It defines our foreign policy according to the Mil-GP alignment of a minority of our players, and drags us into a fight not of our making. It alienates a larger number of platers, including existing TSPers.