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U.S. National Security Strategy Shifts Burden to Allies
The 2025 document narrows focus to Western Hemisphere, asks partners to take on more responsibility in Asia and Europe
Published on Feb. 10, 2026
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The United States' 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) shifts the burden of global order maintenance to partners and allies, especially in Asia and Europe, as the U.S. grapples with economic strain and military overreach. The strategy elevates the Western Hemisphere as the primary theater of concern, downgrades the Middle East, and urges Europe and Indo-Pacific allies to take on more responsibility for their own security.
Why it matters
The strategy represents a reconfiguration of U.S. global leadership, with Washington seeking to make competition with China cheaper and more sustainable by integrating partnered militaries into a denial network in the Indo-Pacific. However, this burden-shifting approach is causing anxiety among allies who fear becoming proxy battlegrounds or being left exposed without firm American guarantees.
The details
The NSS narrows the definition of U.S. vital interests to the Western Hemisphere, invoking the Monroe Doctrine to reject external influence close to home. It downgrades the strategic relevance of the Middle East and urges Europe to take primary responsibility for its own security. In the Indo-Pacific, the strategy revolves around the First Island Chain, with the U.S. pledging to build a force capable of denying aggression but emphasizing that such denial must be collective. Allies like Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines are being asked to increase defense spending, invest in deterrence capabilities, and accept frontline risks in a potential conflict with China.
- The 2025 National Security Strategy was presented in February 2026.
The players
United States
The U.S. government, which has authored the 2025 National Security Strategy to redefine its global priorities and shift more responsibility to allies.
China
Described as the main competitor to the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region, where the strategy seeks to build a denial network with regional partners.
Japan
A key U.S. ally in Asia that is amid a historic military buildup to prepare for contingencies, including those related to Taiwan.
South Korea
A long-standing U.S. ally whose trust in the American nuclear umbrella is now fraying, leading to a debate over whether it needs its own nuclear weapons.
Philippines
A frontline state in the South China Sea that is being offered expanded U.S. access but also fears becoming a buffer state absorbing pressure without reciprocal American vulnerability.
What’s next
The strategy's implementation will be closely watched, as allies navigate the implications of increased responsibility and diminished U.S. commitments.
The takeaway
The 2025 National Security Strategy represents a fundamental shift in U.S. global leadership, as Washington seeks to preserve primacy by redistributing the costs and risks of maintaining international order onto its partners. This burden-shifting approach is causing anxiety among allies who fear being left exposed or becoming proxy battlegrounds in great power competition.
