The U.S. new defense strategy shifts its focus, stating that Russia's threat to NATO's eastern member states is manageable.

According to U.S. media reports, a new version of the U.S. Department of Defense's "Defense Strategy" report released on Friday states that Russia poses a "sustained but manageable threat" to NATO's eastern member states, marking a significant shift in U.S. defense priorities.

The 34-page report places the security of the U.S. homeland and the Western Hemisphere at the forefront. Unlike previous strategies, the document states that the relationship with China should be "managed through strength rather than confrontation."

The strategy also requires U.S. support for allies to be "more limited," reflecting President Donald Trump's repeated calls for greater burden-sharing in addressing the Russian threat.

The strategic document states: "We will defend the homeland and ensure our interests in the Western Hemisphere are protected. We will deter in the Indo-Pacific region through strength rather than confrontation. We will strengthen burden-sharing with global allies and partners."

The document emphasizes that allies—especially those in Europe—"will take the lead in dealing with threats that are less severe for us but more serious for them."

Regarding Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, the report describes it as a "sustained but manageable threat" to the eastern flank of NATO. The Pentagon noted that despite demographic and economic challenges, Moscow "still maintains deep military and industrial reserves" and the "national resolve" to engage in prolonged conflicts in its neighboring regions.

The report states: "Given this, the Department of Defense will ensure the U.S. military is prepared to defend against threats posed by Russia to the U.S. homeland."

At the same time, the strategy emphasizes that Moscow cannot achieve European hegemony. European NATO countries "outstrip Russia in economic size, population, and potential military strength."

The strategy also commits to ensuring U.S. military and commercial access to strategic locations including the Panama Canal, the Gulf of Mexico, and Greenland.

Despite this, the strategy emphasizes that the U.S. seeks to "prevent any one from dominating us or our allies."

This report was released before the 2025 National Security Strategy, which largely avoided labeling Russia as a threat to the United States. The new document is positioned as a shift away from previous administrations' global ambitions. The Pentagon wrote: "Abandoning utopian idealism and embracing pragmatic realism."

At the beginning of this month, at the World Economic Forum, Trump criticized NATO, claiming that the U.S. "bears almost 100% of the costs of NATO" but "has never received anything in return from the alliance." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron both warned about changes in the global order, urging middle powers to coordinate in a "world without rules."

Original: toutiao.com/article/7598940059173241350/

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