Politico: The Pentagon downgrades China as top threat in new defense strategy
The Pentagon has released a long-delayed National Defense Strategy that marks a sharp departure from past administrations, shifting priority away from China and toward defending the US homeland and the Western Hemisphere.
Unveiled late Friday, the strategy aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent military actions in Venezuela and his push to expand US influence in places such as Greenland.
Unlike previous strategies, including those from Trump’s first term and the Biden administration, the new document doesn’t place countering China at the center of US defense planning.
Instead, it criticizes earlier administrations for neglecting US interests and putting at risk US military access to strategically important areas such as the Panama Canal and Greenland.
The strategy emphasizes serving the practical interests of the US public and moving away from what it calls grandiose strategies.
In contrast to the National Security Strategy released last month, the Pentagon document places less emphasis on Europe and doesn’t describe the continent as being in civilizational decline, however, it does argue that Europe’s global economic influence is diminishing.
“Although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and declining share of global economic power,” the strategy states.
“While the United States will remain engaged in Europe, defending the US homeland and deterring China will take precedence”.
The document was released months behind schedule, as according to Politico report in September that a draft had reached Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but internal disagreements — particularly over how to characterize the China threat during ongoing trade talks — delayed its publication.
The strategy also asserts that the US should no longer allow rivals to gain influence over key areas in the Western Hemisphere, including the Gulf of Mexico, though it provides few specifics on how this objective will be achieved.
Whereas the 2018 and 2022 defense strategies identified China as the primary threat to US security, the 2026 version underscores continued diplomatic engagement with Beijing.
At the same time, it calls for building a strong denial-based defense posture in the Pacific to deter potential conflict, without detailing what military assets would be deployed.
Russia, Iran, and North Korea are cited as threats as well, but they receive considerably less attention than in previous strategies.
