USA, here is the new 2026 Defense Strategy: what changes

“As U.S. forces focus on homeland defense and the Indo-Pacific, Our allies and partners will assume primary responsibility for their own defense, with critical but more limited support from American forces“, the document reads.

What changes

The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marks a significant departure from past Pentagon policy, both for its emphasis on allies, who are called upon to shoulder greater burdens with less support from Washington, and for its softer tone towards traditional enemies China and Russia.

The previous National Defense Strategy, released under President Joe Biden, described China as Washington’s most significant challenge and said Russia posed a “serious threat.”

But the new document urges “respectful relations” with Beijing, without mentioning Taiwan, a U.S. ally that China claims as its own territory, and describes the Russian threat as “persistent but manageable.”

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s defense strategies emphasize the importance of defending national security, but the description of existing threats is significantly different. The Pentagon “will prioritize efforts to close our borders, repel any form of invasion, and expel illegal immigrants,” the 2026 document says.

Joe Biden, for his part, had focused on China and Russia, saying they pose “more dangerous challenges to national security” than any terrorist threat. The ‘National Defense Strategy 2026’ also does not mention the dangers associated with climate change, which the Biden administration had identified as an “emerging threat”.

Similar to what was done with the ‘National Security Strategy’ published by the White House at the beginning of December, the Pentagon places Latin America at the top of its priorities. The Pentagon “will restore American military dominance in the Western Hemisphere. We will use it to protect our Homeland and our access to key territories across the region”, we read in the document, which talks about “Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine“.

Trump and allies

The Pentagon’s announcement comes as controversy rages over US President Donald Trump’s statements according to which NATO allies have “remained a little away from the front lines” in Afghanistan. Words that sparked harsh criticism from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The White House replied without directly answering that “the United States has done more for NATO than all the other countries combined”. Thus Taylor Rogers, spokesperson for the White House, in a statement sent to AFP.

Trump’s statements also provoked a reaction from Prince Harry, who also served in Afghanistan. The sacrifices of NATO soldiers “deserve to be told with sincerity and respect”, we read in a note released by its spokesperson. The prince said that “in 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in history. This meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand alongside the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our common security. The Allies answered that call.”