China has been formally downgraded from its status as the Pentagon’s top security priority, according to the newly released US National Defense Strategy.
The four-year strategic document elevates the defense of the US homeland and the Western Hemisphere to the primary focus, marking a significant shift.
The strategy criticizes what it describes as a historic neglect of America’s “concrete interests” and announces a more limited framework for supporting allies abroad.
This realignment follows the 2023 US National Security Strategy, which warned of a potential “civilizational collapse” in Europe but notably did not classify Russia as a direct threat to the United States—a characterization Moscow said was “largely consistent” with its own perspective.
The revised Pentagon strategy signals a move toward a more restrained and domestically focused defense posture, reshaping the priorities that have guided US military planning for years.
By James Kisoo
