Overview
- The 33-page National Security Strategy prioritizes the Western Hemisphere and economic security, urges Europe to assume far greater defense responsibility, and rejects NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance.
- An unpublished longer draft reviewed by Defense One calls for cultivating like-minded European movements and proposes a new Core 5 summit format with the U.S., China, Russia, India, and Japan.
- The document minimizes Russia as a direct U.S. threat, emphasizes pursuing strategic stability with Moscow, and drew public approval from Kremlin officials.
- The strategy dismisses mainstream climate policy, stating it rejects “climate change” and “Net Zero” ideologies it says harm Europe and subsidize U.S. adversaries.
- In parallel, a sweeping NDAA advances in Congress to lock in European posture and oversight, including a 76,000-troop floor, limits on equipment withdrawals, and new intelligence tasks on Russia–China cooperation.