New American Defense Strategy: Allies Must Manage Their Own Security

SadaNews - The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) issued a national defense strategy changing priorities late on Friday, calling on U.S. allies to take control of their own security and reiterating President Donald Trump's administration's focus on dominance in the Western Hemisphere over its old goal of countering China.

The 34-page document, the first since 2022, was politically significant for a military plan, criticizing partners from Europe to Asia for relying on previous U.S. administrations for defense support. It called for a "sharp shift - in approach, focus, and style."

This translated into a blunt assessment demanding allies to shoulder more burden in facing countries like Russia and North Korea.

The opening sentence stated: "For far too long, the U.S. government has neglected - and even refused - to put the Americans and their tangible interests first."

This strategy comes at the end of a week of hostility between President Trump's administration and traditional allies such as Europe, where Trump threatened to impose tariffs on certain European partners to pressure them into attempting to acquire Greenland before announcing an agreement that calmed the situation.

While allies face what some consider a hostile stance from the United States, they are sure to be unhappy when seeing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth offering "reliable options to ensure U.S. military and commercial access to key areas," particularly Greenland and the Panama Canal.

In the wake of a scuffle this week at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the strategy immediately calls for cooperation with Canada and other neighboring countries while continuing to issue a clear warning.

The document states: "We will engage in good faith with our neighbors, from Canada to our partners in Central and South America, but we will ensure that they respect and play their part in defending our shared interests. If they do not, we will be prepared to take focused and decisive actions that materially enhance American interests."

The document indicated that the department expects the United States to play a "more limited" role in deterring North Korea, transferring a larger share of responsibility to South Korea, a move likely to raise concerns in Seoul.

South Korea hosts about 28,500 U.S. troops as part of a mutual defense against any military threat posed by North Korea, and Seoul raised its defense budget by 7.5 percent this year.

The national defense strategy, a document that guides Pentagon policies, stated that "South Korea is capable of assuming primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with vital but more limited U.S. support."