Pentagon to offer ‘more limited’ support to US allies

Reuters A drone image of the Pentagon in Washington DC.Reuters

Homeland security is the top priority in the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy

The US will offer “more limited” support to allies, according to the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy.

In a significant shift to its security priorities, the US Department of Defense now considers security of the US homeland and Western Hemisphere – not China – as its primary concern.

Previous versions of the strategy – published every four years – named the threat posed by China as the top defence priority. Relations with China will now be approached through “strength, not confrontation”, the report says.

The defence strategy reinforces recent calls from President Donald Trump, including for greater “burden-sharing” from allies in countering threats posed by Russia and North Korea.

The new 34-page report follows last year’s publication of the US National Security Strategy, which said Europe faced civilisational collapse and did not cast Russia as a threat to the US. At the time, Moscow said the document was “largely consistent” with its vision.

By comparison, in 2018, the Pentagon described “revisionist powers”, such as China and Russia, as the “central challenge” to US security.

The new strategy calls on American allies to step up, saying partners have been “content” to let Washington subsidise their defence, although it denies the shift signals a US move towards “isolationism”.

“To the contrary, it means a focused and genuinely strategic approach to the threats our nation faces,” it says.

Washington has long neglected the “concrete interests” of Americans, the report says, adding the US does not want to conflate American interests “with those of the rest of the world – that a threat to a person halfway around the world is the same as to an American.”

Instead, it says allies, especially Europe, “will take the lead against threats that are less severe for us but more so for them”.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, is described as a “persistent but manageable threat to NATO’s eastern members”.

Unlike in previous versions of the strategy, Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by China, is not mentioned. However, the document does write that the US aims to “prevent anyone, including China, from being able to dominate us or our allies”.

Late last year, the US announced a vast arms sale to Taiwan worth $11bn (£8.2bn), leading China to hold military drills around the island in response.

The strategy also outlines a “more limited” role for US deterrence of North Korea. South Korea is “capable of taking primary responsibility” for the task, it adds.

In the 12 months since Trump began his second term as president, the US has seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, carried out strikes against alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, and more recently, applied pressure on US allies to acquire Greenland.

The strategy reiterates that the Pentagon “will guarantee US military and commercial access to key terrain, especially the Panama Canal, Gulf of America, and Greenland”.

The document says the Trump administration’s approach will be “fundamentally different from the grandiose strategies of the past post–Cold War administrations”.

It adds: “Out with utopian idealism; in with hardnosed realism.”

At the World Economic Forum earlier this week, Trump claimed the US had “never gotten anything” from Nato and “we’ve never asked for anything”.

He further criticised the organisation, incorrectly claiming “the United States was paying for virtually 100% of Nato”.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the old world order is “not coming back” and urged fellow middle powers – like South Korea, Canada and Australia – to come together.

“Middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” Carney said at the Davos meeting.

That came as French President Emmanuel Macron also warned of a “shift towards a world without rules”.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Houthis claim Saudi's Dammam airport targeted with 2 drones (REUTERS/File)

Houthis claim Saudi’s Dammam airport targeted with 2 drones

Yemen’s Houthis on Monday claimed to have targeted Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport with two drones. Houthis claim Saudi’s Dammam airport targeted with 2 drones (REUTERS/File) According to news agency Reuters, the Iran-aligned group also said that they launched drones towards an early-warning radar in Jizan and a military transport aircraft at Jizan airport. There was

Prime Minister Andy Burnham says local journalism holds power to account. Picture: House of Commons

Prime Minister Andy Burnham: ‘Local journalism is vital to holding power to account’

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has hailed local journalism as a vital part of the country’s democracy, praising reporters who hold those in power to account and give communities a voice. Mr Burnham said independent journalism should be recognised as part of the nation’s infrastructure, rather than a luxury, as he threw his support behind the

New York City police officers are on duty outside the Lotte Palace Hotel during a United Nations General Assembly leaders reception, late Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

UK Adventurer Returns Home After 28-Year Trek Around the World

HULL, England, Nov 2 (Reuters) – A British adventurer who has been ⁠walking ⁠around the world for almost three ⁠decades is due to finish his trek on Monday, ending a 31,000-mile journey ​at the house where he grew up. Karl Bushby has hacked through jungles in Central America, crossed the ice between Alaska ‌and Russia

US President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Iran threatens US with prolonged, ‘devastating’ war as Trump warns of fresh strikes

Iran has warned the United States of immediate and potentially far-reaching consequences if Washington launches another attack, threatening that a future conflict could be more prolonged and devastating than the previous round of fighting. US President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has warned of a response to any “kind or

DR Congo Ebola toll tops 5,000 as cases spread

DR Congo Ebola toll tops 5,000 as cases spread

BUNIA   An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 5,000 people, government data released on Oct. 30 showed, as health officials urged stronger surveillance to contain its spread. More than 10,000 people have been infected since the outbreak was declared in May. It is the country’s largest Ebola outbreak

Canada police officers in Ontario, Canada (Photography for representative purpose only) (REUTERS)

Over 4,500 Indians removed from Canada this year: CBSA

Toronto: Over 4,500 Indian nationals have been removed from Canada already this year, marking a historic high. Canada police officers in Ontario, Canada (Photography for representative purpose only) (REUTERS) According to data published by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), 4,526 Indians were removed from the country will September 30 this year, a record. They

Supporters of the Houthi authorities brandish their weapons during a protest against Saudi intervention in Yemen, in Sanaa, on October 9, 2026. The Houthis, who are fighting the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government, seized the coastline alongside crucial trade route during a lightning offensive last month, extending their control over all of Yemen's Red Sea coast. Yemeni government forces have been attempting for several days to retake coastal territory captured by the pro-Iranian fighters. (AFP FILE)

How the Houthis built their war machine

ALI AL-WAZIR is no ordinary businessman. The 47-year-old Yemeni, who is known as “Prince”, plies his trade in Guangzhou in southern China. The bustling port is about 7,000km (4,500 miles) from Yemen. But distance has not prevented Mr Wazir from playing a part in his country’s long civil war. In 2024 he was accused of

Former Poland's Prime Minister and leader of the Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc) right-wing opposition party Jaroslaw Kaczynski speaks as anti-government protesters attend a demonstration in front of the Constitutional Court, Poland's highest court, in Warsaw on October 14, 2026. Right-wing protestors clashed with police in front of Poland's highest court on October 14, attempting to block its judges from entering the building and defending its overhaul by the previous government. (AFP)

Poland’s fight over its constitutional court gets physical

POLAND’S Constitutional Tribunal is supposed to embody democratic stability, but has spent the past decade as a battleground for fights between populists and liberals. The latest conflict looks like a full-blown constitutional crisis. On the evening of October 30th a group of judges picked by parliament this year, but whom the country’s president has refused

Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s finance chief, says she thinks cyber-security will become a “huge business” for her firm over the next two years. (REUTERS)

Hackers are running riot with AI. Its makers want to cash in

There has never been a better time to be a North Korean hacker. Last year the country’s cyber-thieves stole $2bn-worth of cryptocurrency, triple the level two years before, according to Chainalysis, a research firm. This year’s haul is set to be much bigger. On October 29th $6.3bn was swiped from Binance, the world’s largest crypto

Binance posted a net outflow of $3.6 billion in cryptoassets after restoring customer withdrawals on Sunday. (Representative Image/Reuters)

As Binance crisis unfolded, 7-month-pregnant co-CEO took 3 am calls, led 100-person war room to tackle heist

Seven months pregnant, Binance co-CEO He Yi worked through the night to oversee the cryptocurrency exchange’s response after hackers stole over $6 billion in virtual assets, as the company scrambled to restore services, The New York Times reported. Binance posted a net outflow of $3.6 billion in cryptoassets after restoring customer withdrawals on Sunday. (Representative

Ukraine's Ministry for Digital Transformation later said in a post on X that the nationwide alert system was functioning normally. (Representative image/ Unsplash)

Fake nuclear, chemical threat alerts flash as Russia, Ukraine report cyberattacks on emergency apps

Russia and Ukraine have both reported cyberattacks targeting their emergency alert apps, with hackers sending fake warnings of nuclear, chemical and radiation threats to mobile phone users. Ukraine’s Ministry for Digital Transformation later said in a post on X that the nationwide alert system was functioning normally. (Representative image/ Unsplash) While Ukraine’s air raid alert

Rather than talking about petrol prices or deep-sea trawling in the closing days of the campaign, she is being forced to defend the ethics of her staff. (REUTERS)

An unfolding disaster in Alaska could cost Democrats the Senate

DEMOCRATS NEED a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of the upper chamber of Congress. Now, with election day looming on November 3rd, a state crucial to that effort is descending into chaos. Republicans have asserted for months that Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher living in a small fishing village, launched

Today, China has three aircraft carriers, with a fourth on its way that Western experts believe will be nuclear-powered.

The U.S. Once Dominated the World’s Oceans. China’s Xi is Changing That.

SINGAPORE—In 1998, a shadowy entertainment company based in the gambling hub of Macau made an unusual purchase: an aircraft carrier. Called the Varyag, it was originally ordered for the Soviet Union, but was left to rust unfinished in a Ukrainian shipyard. Its Chinese buyers said they wanted to turn their $20 million acquisition into a

Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a visit to Devon in August

Why protecting trusted local news titles like The Herald matters

“My government will work to ensure trusted local journalism remains at the heart of communities” Prime Minister Andy Burnham 00:01, 02 Nov 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a visit to Devon in August(Image: Finnbarr Webster/PA Wire) Too much power in this country has flowed one way: towards Westminster and away from the places where

Iran has warned of a longer war if the US launches fresh attacks. (REUTERS)

‘Next war could last longer’: Iran warns US as Trump hints at fresh strikes

Iran warned on Sunday that any renewed war with the United States could last longer than the previous round of fighting, after President Donald Trump said he still had to “take care” of more targets. Iran has warned of a longer war if the US launches fresh attacks. (REUTERS) Diplomatic efforts to end the Middle

The report also highlighted the risks to mountain glaciers, including those in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). (Representative file photo)

Even 1.5°C warming could wipe out over half of world’s glaciers, studies show

Over half of the world’s glaciers, by number, could disappear, while melting polar ice sheets push the global sea higher even if global warming is restricted to 1.5°C, findings of two new reports released on Monday have revealed. The report also highlighted the risks to mountain glaciers, including those in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x