Trump administration's defense strategy tells allies to handle their own security

"The 34-page document, the first since 2022, was highly political for a military blueprint, criticizing partners from Europe to Asia for relying on previous U.S. administrations to subsidize their defense. It called for "a sharp shift in approach, focus, and tone." That translated to a blunt assessment that allies would take on more of the burden countering nations from Russia to North Korea."

""For too long, the U.S. Government neglected even rejected putting Americans and their concrete interests first," read the opening sentence. It capped off a week of animosity between President Donald Trump's administration and traditional allies like Europe, with Trump threatening to impose tariffs on some European partners to press a bid to acquire Greenland before announcing a deal that lowered the temperature."

The Pentagon released a 34-page National Defense Strategy that shifts priority toward Western Hemisphere dominance and pushes allies to take responsibility for their security. The document criticizes partners in Europe and Asia for relying on past U.S. administrations to subsidize defense and calls for "a sharp shift in approach, focus, and tone." It assigns greater burden to allies in countering threats from Russia to North Korea and states Americans' concrete interests come first. The strategy signals credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain, including Greenland and the Panama Canal, and urges cooperation while warning the U.S. may act decisively if partners do not share defense obligations.

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