By Dr. Ann Griffiths, 7 December 2025
The D.J. Trump administration recently released a new National Security Strategy. While the introduction by President Trump is fanciful to say the least, the strategy asks the questions that all countries should ask when writing a national security strategy. Under the heading “President Trump’s Necessary, Welcome Correction,” the introduction says “The questions before us now are: 1) What should the United States want? 2) What are our available means to get it? and 3) How can we connect ends and means into a viable National Security Strategy?” These are questions that need to be answered by every country.
The strategy moves on to (sort of) answer the questions. At home, the United States wants the usual things – peace, economic success, control over borders, good infrastructure, etc. The strategy lays out what the country wants from the world. This includes a cooperative Western Hemisphere (adding a ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine), undoing “the damage” other countries have done to the US economy, supporting the freedom and security of Europe “while restoring Europe’s civilizational self-confidence and Western identity,” preventing an opponent from dominating the Middle East, and making sure that US technology and standards “drive the world forward.” Nothing surprising there, although some of the phrasing could be objected to. The section about the available means to achieve its goals naturally lays out the strengths of the US military, and extolls how the Trump administration has made the military stronger. Eyebrows in Canada and Europe could be raised at the mention of how US soft power has been strengthened and the importance of allies. But I’ll let you make your own decision about the tone of the strategy by giving you the following quotation:
“President Trump’s foreign policy is pragmatic without being “pragmatist,” realistic without being “realist,” principled without being “idealistic,” muscular without being “hawkish,” and restrained without being “dovish.” It is not grounded in traditional, political ideology. It is motivated above all by what works for America—or, in two words, “America First.” President Trump has cemented his legacy as The President of Peace. In addition to the remarkable success achieved during his first term with the historic Abraham Accords, President Trump has leveraged his dealmaking ability to secure unprecedented peace in eight conflicts throughout the world over the course of just eight months of his second term.”
If you remove all the praise lavished on the President, the strategy might be a useful guide for the United States for next few years – and the document would be considerably shorter. As it is, it’s a testament to the way things are right now in Washington. Read the document at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf
Image: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers the Reagan National Defense Forum keynote speech outlining the new National Security Strategy in Simi Valley, Calif., 6 December, 2025. Credit: US Air Force Staff Sgt. Madelyn Keech
