The Pentagon released a defense strategy that shifts priorities, ending a week of animosity between the Trump administration and traditional allies such as Europe.
“For too long, the U.S. government has neglected—or even refused—to put Americans and their concrete interests first,” the opening line reads.
It comes on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to impose tariffs on some European partners over his bid to acquire Greenland. False claim that NATO troops are “slightly further back” on Afghan frontlinethis file does little to lower the temperature.
As allies face what some see as U.S. hostility, they will almost certainly be unhappy to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s department provide “credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to critical areas,” particularly Greenland and the Panama Canal.
It accused U.S. allies of taking control of their own security and reiterated a focus on Western Hemisphere dominance rather than the long-term goal of confronting China.
The 34-page document, the first since 2022, is a highly political military blueprint that criticizes partners from Europe to Asia for relying on previous U.S. administrations to subsidize their defense.
It called for “a drastic shift in approach, focus and tone”.
That translates into a blunt assessment that allies will bear more of the burden of confronting countries from Russia to North Korea.
Much like the previous White House national security strategy, the defense blueprint reinforces Trump’s “America First” philosophy of non-interference abroad, questioning decades of strategic relationships and prioritizing U.S. interests.
The last National Defense Strategy, released in 2022 under then-President Joe Biden, focused on China as a “pace challenge” to the United States.
From one crisis to another: A week in Trumpland feels like a new era
Trump threatens tariffs on countries that oppose his Greenland plans
Western Hemisphere
The strategy also seeks help from America’s backyard partners while warning them that the United States will “vigorously and fearlessly defend U.S. interests throughout the Western Hemisphere.”
It specifically points to access to the Panama Canal and Greenland.
Just days ago, Trump said he and NATO leader Mark Rutte had reached a “future agreement framework” on Arctic security issues that would allow the United States “full access” to Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
China and Greater Asia Pacific
The new policy document casts China, which the Biden administration considers its top adversary, as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific that simply needs to prevent it from dominating the United States or its allies.
The goal “is not to dominate China, nor to stifle or humiliate them,” the document said. It later added, “This does not require regime change or some other struggle for survival.”
“President Trump seeks to establish a stable relationship with China that is characterized by peace, fair trade, and mutual respect,” the report said. Prior to this, the Trump administration was trying to escape from the trade war caused by high tariffs. It said it would “open up broader military exchanges” with the Chinese military.
Free subscription our weekly newsletter Get exclusive, original reporting from ITV News. Delivered straight to your inbox every Friday morning.
At the same time, the strategy does not mention or guarantee TaiwanBeijing claims the self-ruled island and has said it would use force to seize it if necessary. The United States has its own legal obligations to provide military support to Taiwan.
In contrast, the Biden administration’s 2022 strategy states that the United States will “support Taiwan’s asymmetric self-defense.”
In another example of handing over regional security to allies, the document said, “South Korea is capable of assuming primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited support from the United States.”
Europe
While the defense strategy states that “Russia will remain a persistent but manageable threat to NATO’s eastern members for the foreseeable future,” it claims that NATO allies are stronger and therefore “capable of assuming primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.”
The Pentagon will play a key role in NATO “even as we adjust U.S. force posture and activities in the European theater” to focus on priorities closer to home, the report said.
The United States has confirmed it will reduce the number of troops stationed on NATO’s border with Ukraine, and allies are worried that the Trump administration may drastically reduce the number of troops and leave a security vacuum as European countries face an increasingly aggressive Russia.
Want quick, expert briefings on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcast to find out what you need to know…
