Assessing the 2026 NDS: What comes next?

The Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy (NDS) in late January, characterizing it as a marked departure from previous strategies, even from President Trump’s last NDS in 2018. Homeland and hemispheric defense come in as top priorities with additional emphasis on burden shifting in Europe and countering China. On the other hand, the document downplays the salience of conflict with Russia.

A new DEFP video series, hosted by Defense Priorities Director of Military Analysis Jennifer Kavanagh, breaks down the NDS with leading defense and foreign policy experts. In this episode, Kavanagh speaks with Dan Caldwell, a former Pentagon adviser and senior fellow for foreign policy at American Moment, about what implementing the NDS will look like and what comes next.