The United States will continue to be a key NATO ally and partner of Europe, but at the same time it will prioritize the defense of its own territory and the deterrence of China. That’s according to the new national defense strategy of the administration of President Donald Trump, which the Pentagon released on Friday. TASR took over the report from the DPA agency.
The document states that Washington will continue to play a central role within NATO even as it adjusts its military presence in Europe. At the same time, he states that “although Europe remains important, its share of global economic power is already smaller and declining”.
The strategy emphasizes that the United States will remain engaged in Europe, but “they must – and will – prioritize defending US territory and deterring China”.
In Europe and other regions, allies are expected to take the lead in dealing with threats that are more serious to them than to the United States, with the help of what the strategy describes as “crucial but more limited support from the US”.
The new defense strategy follows the publication of a national security strategy in early December, which was seen by Western allies as a departure from the tradition of close transatlantic cooperation. A new paper states that previous US strategies failed to take into account core national interests and prioritized the defense of other countries at the expense of the American population. The new approach, he said, is guided by the principle of “America First.”
