January 24, 2026 · Foreign Policy, War & National Security
· Official action
Confirmed
Pentagon's New Defense Strategy Puts the Western Hemisphere First and Tells Allies to Defend Themselves
On January 24, 2026, the Pentagon released a 34-page National Defense Strategy, the first update since 2022. It states that "for too long, the U.S. Government neglected — even rejected — putting Americans and their concrete interests first," prioritizes the Western Hemisphere, and pledges to secure "credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain," naming Greenland and the Panama Canal. It calls for "a sharp shift — in approach, focus, and tone" toward allies, assigning NATO members primary responsibility for Europe's conventional defense.
The document departs from the 2022 strategy in two respects that carry alliance consequences. It drops the designation of China as the "pacing challenge," instead seeking "stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations" with Beijing, and it does not mention Taiwan. Naming Greenland — sovereign Danish territory whose acquisition the president was simultaneously pursuing through tariffs on NATO members — as "key terrain" in a formal defense strategy links a territorial claim to declared military planning.
The strategy was issued as administration policy; it does not require congressional approval.
The document departs from the 2022 strategy in two respects that carry alliance consequences. It drops the designation of China as the "pacing challenge," instead seeking "stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations" with Beijing, and it does not mention Taiwan. Naming Greenland — sovereign Danish territory whose acquisition the president was simultaneously pursuing through tariffs on NATO members — as "key terrain" in a formal defense strategy links a territorial claim to declared military planning.
The strategy was issued as administration policy; it does not require congressional approval.