Pentagon Downgrades China as Top Threat in New Defense Strategy
The United States no longer considers China its primary security threat, according to the Pentagon’s 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), marking a major shift in Washington’s strategic priorities.
Instead, the strategy signals a renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere, as President Donald Trump’s administration moves away from a decade-long approach that viewed Beijing as the central challenge to US security and economic interests.
Allies Urged to Share Defense Burden
The document states that US allies and partners, including South Korea, must take greater responsibility for their own defense. It stresses that partners should shoulder a fair share of the burden in maintaining collective security.
This position aligns with Trump’s repeated calls for European and Asia-Pacific allies to increase defense spending and strengthen their military capabilities in response to threats from Russia and North Korea.
Strategic Pivot to the Western Hemisphere
The 34-page Defense Department blueprint, released late Friday, follows the administration’s National Security Strategy, unveiled weeks earlier.
That earlier document emphasizes a plan to restore American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. It also calls for reinforcing the Monroe Doctrine, a 19th-century policy aimed at limiting foreign influence in the Americas.
Together, the two strategies signal a clear shift in US foreign and defense policy, with broader implications for allies who have relied heavily on American leadership in countering China’s regional and global influence.
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