Prior Republican administrations came to office with a strategic focus. For years, the dominant issue was the Cold War. After it ended, the debate shifted to if, when or how America should use military force around the world — a debate that culminated with George W. Bush’s disastrous invasion of Iraq.

To the extent that the new team can be said to have a focus, it seems to have its gaze primarily on defeating the Islamic State and, perhaps, coming up with a new approach to Iran. Given some of Mr. Trump’s conciliatory statements about Russia, as well as ties between the Kremlin and Mr. Trump and Mr. Tillerson, it seems likely that the White House will seek improved relations with the country, though they have given no clue as to what shape and strategic goals that relationship will take on.

Beyond that, the members of the Trump team collectively have no executive-branch or diplomatic experience in dealing with other regions of the world or with many of its leading powers, like China, India, Japan, Germany, France or Britain. Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Tillerson’s business experiences will prove of limited value in the new task of conducting affairs of state.

It’s not just their lack of experience that will make for an unstable foreign policy ship. Mr. Trump has, perhaps by design, chosen people who do not know one another, and appear to disagree in personality and worldview. Given his past interests and temperament, it seems likely that Michael T. Flynn, the retired lieutenant general whom Mr. Trump has picked as his national security adviser, will want an action-oriented National Security Council. But the last time the council was geared toward operations, during the Reagan administration, the result was the Iran-contra scandal, which nearly brought down the administration.

One question is who will run the coordinating functions of the National Security Council in the fashion that, say, Brent Scowcroft carried out for Ford and the elder Bush? That job may fall to K. T. McFarland, chosen as the deputy national security adviser, who was once a relatively low-ranking aide to Henry A. Kissinger (and who is now said to be arranging Mr. Kissinger’s visits to Trump Tower).