A new Pentagon strategy document softens tone on traditional foes, China and Russia.
Published On 24 Jan 2026
The United States military will prioritise protecting the homeland and deterring China while providing “more limited” support to allies in Europe and elsewhere, according to a Pentagon strategy document.
The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) released on Friday marks a significant departure from past Pentagon policy, both in its emphasis on allies taking on increased burdens with less backing from Washington and its softer tone towards traditional foes, China and Russia.
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“As US forces focus on homeland defense and the Indo-Pacific, our allies and partners elsewhere will take primary responsibility for their own defense with critical but more limited support from American forces,” it said.
The new document urges “respectful relations” with Beijing and describes the threat from Russia as a “persistent but manageable” one affecting NATO’s eastern members.
It makes no mention of US ally Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
The previous NDS, released under President Donald Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, described China as Washington’s most consequential challenge and said Russia posed an “acute threat”.
The Trump administration’s strategy document takes aim at the past administration for neglecting border security, saying this led to a “flood of illegal aliens” and widespread narcotics trafficking.
“Border security is national security,” and the Pentagon “will therefore prioritise efforts to seal our borders, repel forms of invasion, and deport illegal aliens,” it said.
The 2026 NDS also includes no mention of the dangers of climate change, which Biden’s administration had identified as an “emerging threat”.
Like Trump’s national security strategy, which was released last month, the NDS elevates Latin America to the top of the US agenda.
The Pentagon “will restore American military dominance in the Western Hemisphere. We will use it to protect our Homeland and our access to key terrain throughout the region,” it said.
The document mentions the “Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine”, a reference to the declaration two centuries ago that Latin America was off limits to rival powers.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has repeatedly employed the US military in Latin America, ordering a shocking raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as well as strikes on more than 30 alleged drug-smuggling boats that have killed more than 100 people.
Trump’s administration has provided no definitive evidence that the sunken vessels were involved in drug trafficking, and international law experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings, as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the US.
