What is the NDS/ National Defense Strategy, and why does it matter?
TAT readers,
Today I will go back to my national security roots, and talk a bit about the just released, NDS. The NDS/ National Defense Strategy is a policy document created by DoD, that gives an overview of how DoD will address the White House’s priorities in the NSS/ National Security Strategy. The NSS, which is the highest level national security document, is created by the White House for each new administration in order to communicate to the legislative branch, where the defense priorities of the United States fall. To put it simply, the NSS lays out the president’s vision for defense and the NDS is DoD, telling us how they will go about pursuing that vision.
Phew, now that we’re through with all that, let’s take a look at why we should all strive to better understand these often droll, policy documents, at least superficially. Spoiler alert… I am significantly disappointed in and somewhat frightened, after having read both the NSS released a couple of weeks ago, and the NDS, released just last week. If I had to sum both up in a sentence, it would go something like this; “Both the new NSS and NDS read like blueprints for empire, power and profit and largely neglects the most serious threats to our nation and world.” I am no stranger to such documents, as that they have been an integral part of much of my national security career. Both documents have been required to be produced by the White House and DoD, going back to 1986.
Considering that today’s essay is about two of the nation’s most critical policy documents, media has paid little attention. Writing about doctrine is droll to say the least, and reading it even more so. I say this as an “apology in advance,” for the occasional and pedantic “doctrine-speak.” Still, these documents provide everyone with some keen insights into what is in store from the administration. These days, we all need to have better insights into this criminal administration, if only for self-defense.
For example, Russia mostly gets a free pass from her aggression, in both documents. Both highlight choosing business relationships over morality. Human rights, environmental issues, extremism, economic elitism, regional peace initiatives and especially alliances, are neglected as priorities. The bottom-line is that the US will choose global relationships based on how they provide us wealth (acquired by any means) and more power, human needs be damned. These priorities hardly speak to the nation we once were, that led the free world by carrying the torch of freedom proudly around the globe. Owning and leading with our values won us the Cold War, not making business deals.
Something else that both new documents strongly imply, is what I have discussed off and on for the past couple of months, the US consolidation of power over the entire western hemisphere, from pole to pole. This consolidation is part of the “new world order” that Putin spoke of in his public remarks, congratulating Trump after last November’s election win.
This administration’s priorities are in my opinion, criminally negligent. By example, building an Executive Branch paramilitary army to deal with undocumented aliens, absurd. Remember, every dollar spent on false reality, deprives resources from our true national security threats. Until the Trump era, both documents were prepared by sane and deeply experienced experts, not the political Kommissars of the Trump administration and GOP. The new NDS claims to focus on the same four priority threats as Biden administration’s 2022 NDS but… the devil as they say, is in the details. They are in no way the same.
"The 2026 NDS lists four priorities, in order: (1) defending the U.S. homeland; (2) deterring China through strength rather than force; (3) increasing burden sharing with U.S. allies and partners; and (4) “supercharging” America's defense industrial base." - The 2026 National Defense, Strategy by the Numbers - CSIS - By Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park - January 2026
Trump’s priorities on paper, sound like a replay of the Biden’s four NDS priorities, as you can see in the graphic below. The prioritizations on the document though, are part, “smoke-and-mirrors,” part hollow and unlike the same words in the Biden NDS, often mean something entirely different. For example, “defending the homeland.” The Biden administration, did not need hooded, masked and warrantless thugs in the streets, to deport more undocumented aliens, than any other president before him. Those raids and brutal operations against what have turned out to be 73% innocent US citizens, legal residents, legal aliens already in the Asylum system and of course, the undocumented, has remarkably little to do with national security.
As part of my profession, I regularly read professional journals, the work of prestigious think tanks and glean the insights of countless professionals that I believe to be forward thinkers. CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Brookings have long been favorite US think tanks and I respect their work. In a December 8th published piece, Brookings experts weighed in on the new NSS. The majority of the experts’ assessments, I concurred with and those assessments ranged from Luke-warm in parts, to scathing in others. Overwhelmingly, these assembled experts, found disfavor with the document and extreme disfavor with much of it. I encourage everyone to read, time-permitting, the linked Brooking’s piece.
The new NDS, is in my professional opinion, measurably worse. In a close read of the new analysis of the NDS by CSIS, the administration fares little better.
"Summary of the 2026 NDS Approach: The 2026 NDS covers the same topics as the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) and does so in a similar way. It is not an implementation document but, in effect, a second policy document. The Department of Defense (DOD; this white paper uses the name Department of Defense because that continues to be the agency’s legal name) was apparently reluctant to get ahead of the president in any realm. As evidence of this, the president’s name or a reference to him appears 47 times. Tone: The tone is populist and partisan. The document rejects the national security approach of previous administrations, including, by implication, the first Trump administration. Indeed, the first Trump administration is mentioned only once—and in passing. Radical changes: Homeland and hemispheric security are the top priorities, though the effect on forces is unclear. There is extensive discussion of counter-drug and counter-migration efforts but no discussion of military use in cities. Europe is turned over to the Europeans to defend, with the United States in support. The strategy does not see a conventional conflict with Russia or North Korea as major U.S. force drivers." - The 2026 National Defense Strategy by the Numbers: Radical Changes, Moderate Changes, and Some Continuities - CSIS - Report by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park - January 27th, 2026
A couple of my notable objections to Trump’s NDS, revolve around it’s focus on transactional diplomacy, rather than a strategy that advances and protects western liberal democracy and benefits US interests. The new NDS’ agenda, is more power and more wealth, and be damned with promoting or even adhering to, American or western values. These are the primary foreign policy considerations of this administration. To this administration, allies and friends only hold value to the US, so long as they don’t get in the way of the their insatiable greed and lust for power. Oil in Venezuela and Nigeria, rare earth minerals and oil in Argentina and the insanity about Greenland and her natural resources, are just a few examples. Meanwhile, the US military which is paid for with our tax-dollars, has become the private army of conquest, for administration’s own personal gain, not our national security.
Calling immigration a top-tier threat is patently ridiculous when everyone living in America, is under perpetual cyber attack, exposed to evermore frequent and dangerous natural disasters with a dysfunctional and underfunded FEMA, being at risk from disease, environmental hazards, drugs, guns, trafficking etc. Somehow, seeing undocumented immigrants that pay $100B into our treasury for services they cannot access, seems to be what the GOP considers, their highest threat priority. Threat intelligence experts by the dozens, are howling with laughter at the nonsense the White House is selling, to try and justify their actions.
The focus on China as a dangerous competitor, has been on the NDS and NSS priority lists for well over a decade. The difference is, prior to the Trump era our strategy included close cooperation with the very allies that Trump now threatens, intimidates, coerces and worse. Some have now begun limiting intelligence sharing with the US, that they would normally have shared. Obviously, this makes us less safe.
As I often say, “truth is what people and organizations do… not what they say.” Lofty words that mimic the priorities of the Biden administration in the new Trump NSS and NDS, in no way mean the same thing. In fact, the actions of the administration on all national security issues, are as detached from reality as the brainwashed Republican base. In my professional opinion, both of these critical documents reflect nothing but a thinly veiled attempt to sell us on their commitment to our national defense, by trumpeting a strategy that does precisely the opposite. Republicans may believe them, but no other sane person would.
Summary
I won’t beat everyone up with a long summary and will get straight to the point. Both our new NSS and it’s subordinate, the NDS, do not reflect protecting our nation, as can be seen when laying out the objectives of the 2022 Biden administration NSS and comparing them to the current Trump version. The 2026 version supports withdrawal from allies and international organizations, pursuing profitable business with nations sporting horrific human rights records, but have valuable resources, aggressive protectionism of the US and also, the entire western hemisphere, more militarized law enforcement in our streets, far more prey to large financial institutions and on and on and on. None of this represents American values and in reality, leaves us far less safe on the global stage.
Finally, and yes, there’s always, “and the worst thing is…” In their bold arrogance, they proudly share this with the world, humiliating us even further. To be frank, any serious geo-political intelligence or risk analysis professional that was honest, would see what I see. The Brookings and CSIS analysis embedded earlier in this essay, say so in far nicer words than I have used here. Both are highly respected think tanks, but must be a bit more delicate publicly in today’s vengeful political environment. I have no such constraints.
My friends, these two little understood documents are a roadmap. They may be droll and a bit painful to learn about, but they are also instructive as to where all of this insanity is going. The places we’re going according to these documents do not represent America nor make us safer. We need to pay attention to them at least enough, to understand why they are a threat to our nation, our values and our very daily lives.
Back later in the week, and my very best until then,
Paul