Pentagon’s 2026 plan calls for primary allied responsibility while leaving US support deliberately undefined

The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday released its 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), calling for allies and partners in Europe, the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula to take “primary responsibility” for their own defense, with Washington providing “critical but limited” support. The document reflects the Trump administration’s emphasis on burden-sharing and its effort to reorient U.S. defense planning toward deterring China while managing global commitments.

The strategy assesses South Korea as capable of leading conventional deterrence against North Korea and frames the alliance within a broader push to update U.S. force posture overseas. While the NDS highlights closer cooperation on planning, readiness and industrial collaboration, it does not specify what forms U.S. “critical” support would entail in a contingency, nor does it define how responsibilities would be divided operationally.

The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday released its 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), calling for allies and partners in Europe, the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula to take “primary responsibility” for their own defense, with Washington providing “critical but limited” support. The document reflects the Trump administration’s emphasis on burden-sharing and its effort to reorient U.S. defense planning toward deterring China while managing global commitments.

The strategy assesses South Korea as capable of leading conventional deterrence against North Korea and frames the alliance within a broader push to update U.S. force posture overseas. While the NDS highlights closer cooperation on planning, readiness and industrial collaboration, it does not specify what forms U.S. “critical” support would entail in a contingency, nor does it define how responsibilities would be divided operationally.

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