US Defense Department unveils 2026 National Defense Strategy
The strategy, outlined in a memorandum signed by the defense secretary, argues that previous administrations weakened US military effectiveness by pursuing lengthy nation-building efforts and foreign interventions, which eroded combat readiness and weakened the “warrior ethos.”
Under the new framework, the armed forces are redirected toward what the document describes as their “core, irreplaceable role” — preventing and winning wars that have a direct impact on US national interests.
The strategy is built around four central pillars: safeguarding the US homeland, countering China in the Indo-Pacific through strength-based deterrence rather than direct confrontation, increasing responsibility-sharing among allies and partners, and rebuilding and strengthening the US defense industrial base.
Homeland security is identified as the military’s foremost mission, with expanded attention given to border protection, efforts against narcotics trafficking organizations labeled as terrorist groups, safeguarding strategically important locations in the Western Hemisphere such as the Panama Canal and Greenland, and enhancing air, missile, cyber, and nuclear defense capabilities.
Regarding China, the strategy supports broader military-to-military engagement with Beijing as a way to reduce the risk of unintended escalation, while also acknowledging the scale of China’s military expansion.
"About China, we will also be clear-eyed and realistic about the speed, scale, and quality of China’s historic military buildup. Our goal in doing so is not to dominate China; nor is it to strangle or humiliate them. Rather, our goal is simple: To prevent anyone, including China, from being able to dominate us or our allies—in essence, to set the military conditions required to achieve the NSS goal of a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific that allows all of us to enjoy a decent peace," it said.
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