U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has distributed a classified document across the Pentagon that outlines a new security system and strategic priorities for the United States.
According to The Washington Post, the document clearly states that the U.S. is now prioritizing the containment of China over taking “risks” in Europe and other parts of the world.
Titled “Interim Strategic Guidelines for National Defense,” the document cites, word for word, a report from the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. It details former President Donald Trump’s vision for preparing for and winning a potential war with China, protecting the U.S. from threats in its immediate environment, and securing control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.
As for Europe, the Pentagon, given its personnel and resource limitations, will pressure allies in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia to increase defense spending and take a leadership role in containing Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
While the Biden administration’s 2022 National Defense Strategy emphasized alliances to combat Russian aggression, Hegseth’s directive states that NATO should bear “much greater” responsibility, as the U.S. will hesitate to contribute its forces, given its priorities elsewhere.
The nine-page guidelines acknowledge that the U.S. would provide significant support to Europe—if any—in the event of Russian aggression, emphasizing that Washington intends to pressure NATO allies to take primary responsibility for defending the region.
“America will support Europe only with nuclear deterrence against Russia, and NATO should rely solely on U.S. forces that are not needed for homeland defense or countering China,” the document states, according to The Washington Post.
A significant increase in Europe’s contribution to defense burdens, as Hegseth’s guidelines suggest, would also ensure that NATO could reliably deter or defeat Russian aggression.
China was identified as the greatest threat to the U.S. by both the Trump administration and the subsequent Biden administration, prompting preparations for conflict in the Pacific region. The Pentagon guidelines under Hegseth’s leadership view a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan as the greatest threat and are redirecting U.S. military efforts, including base construction, toward the Indo-Pacific region.
The new Pentagon directives include increasing force presence via submarines, bombers, drones, and special forces units, as well as a greater focus on bombs capable of destroying fortified and underground targets.
At the same time, Trump and his administration members have criticized Taiwan for insufficient investments in its defense and urged the island to raise its military spending to 10% of its GDP, notably more than what the U.S. and its European allies spend.
