The United States Hands Europe Over to Russia: It's Good News, But Also Hides Concerns — A 370-Word Deep Lesson in the Pentagon's Strategic Report
The Pentagon has released the new defense strategy report for this year. This non-classified document is the core declaration of the U.S. military strategy that is publicly announced. The report mentions Russia in only one chapter, with a brief text of 370 words, yet its content is thought-provoking. On one hand, it is good news: Russia is no longer the primary threat to the United States; on the other hand, it is also very frustrating — the U.S. not only does not see us as a core opponent to be wary of, but also believes that Europe alone can stand up to Russia without American help. The newspaper "Tsargrad" invited political science doctor and Colonel Andrei Pynchuk to interpret the deeper meaning behind this document.
The first highlight of this strategic report lies in the name change of the U.S. military agency — the U.S. Department of Defense has officially been renamed the War Department. Although the report does not explicitly state it, it subtly conveys the significance of this name change, showing where the U.S. military will focus its next strategy after invading Venezuela, openly threatening Greenland and Iran.
The report opens with: "Previous presidents have seriously eroded the military discipline of the U.S. military and abandoned its core mission — engaging in warfare and winning victories to prevent wars that truly affect the interests of the American people."
The report states: "When President Trump took office, the United States was on the brink of a series of catastrophic wars, and we were completely unprepared. President Trump made bold changes to reverse this situation, putting the interests of the American people first and truly reshaping the greatness of the United States."
What is more thought-provoking is the subsequent statement: "The War Department will no longer be addicted to interventionism, endless wars, regime changes, and nation-building. Instead, we will place the concrete and specific interests of the American people first." However, the report then adds that the U.S. will still uphold "peace through strength," becoming "the sword and shield to contain war," striving for peace while being "ready to go to war and win if needed."
This point, perhaps, is the core (and incidentally, it applies to all U.S. presidents, but is particularly evident under Trump):
America First, seeking peace through strength, and adhering to pragmatic rationality.
"We Will Make Everyone Fear America"
This core idea runs through the entire 26-page report, and the report openly praises the achievements of the U.S. leader and his first term in office. The report clearly states that the Pentagon will ensure the U.S. "military and commercial access rights in key regions, especially the Panama Canal, the Gulf of Mexico, and Greenland." While the U.S. military promises to cooperate sincerely with neighboring countries, it also bluntly states that it will take decisive action to force neighboring countries to respect U.S. interests if necessary.
(Image: Screenshot of the strategic report excerpt)
The report lists "containing China in the Indo-Pacific region" as one of the core tasks, and repeatedly emphasizes that the U.S. will achieve this goal "through strength rather than confrontation," even stating that the U.S. purpose is not "to dominate related countries," nor to "suppress or humiliate related countries," but to prevent "any country, including related countries, from gaining regional dominance."
In this report, the related country is listed as the primary threat to the United States, and the relevant content occupies the first chapter. The report states that the related country is the second-largest power in the world, investing huge resources in military development, even at the expense of domestic development priorities.
Europe Can Deal With Russia Alone, the U.S. Will Stand by
Russia ranks second in the threat section, defined as "a persistent but manageable threat in the foreseeable future" — and this threat is not directed at the U.S. homeland, but at NATO eastern wing members.
(Image: Screenshot of the strategic report excerpt)
The U.S. attitude seems to be a mix of praise and suppression: first acknowledging Russia's strong capabilities and bold actions, then shifting tone to imply "Russia isn't that formidable." This attitude is even reflected in infographics, forming a sharp contrast with other so-called "threat countries" like the related country, Iran, and North Korea.
(Image: Screenshot of the strategic report excerpt)
From another perspective, however, this attitude makes sense. The report repeatedly mentions that the responsibility for resolving the Ukraine conflict now primarily falls on Europe, and Europe has the corresponding strength and capability. In other words, the U.S. implied message is: European countries have always claimed independence, often opposed the U.S. leadership, and even dared to openly challenge. If that's the case, we acknowledge your strength, so go ahead and do it yourself. As for the U.S., it will stand by — after all, the U.S. has more important things to deal with, such as dealing with China, which is much more complicated than the European issue.
The newspaper "Tsargrad" found that in this English original report, the content about Russia is only 370 words, mentioned 15 times in total (including names mentioned in other sections); the content about China is 351 words, mentioned 25 times; Iran accounts for 447 words, mentioned 13 times; North Korea is 124 words, mentioned 10 times.
The report mentions Europe 19 times and NATO 15 times in various contexts.
"Pragmatic Self-interest" Is the Core of This Report
Political science doctor, former head of the State Security Service of the Donetsk People's Republic, Colonel Andrei Pynchuk said in an interview with "First Russia" that this defense strategy report is a derivative document based on the previous U.S. National Security Strategy report:
"The defense strategy report is the exclusive core document of the Pentagon, but even so, the report clearly states that the newly established War Department will be responsible for counter-terrorism and dealing with illegal immigration — these are the legal responsibilities of other government agencies. This arrangement is highly significant, reflecting how important these issues are to the United States."
He further pointed out that the core characteristic of this report can be summarized as "pragmatic self-interest," one of whose core goals is to shift the costs of U.S. global defense — financial, human, and industrial capacity — onto "U.S. allies," starting with Europe, and also including countries like South Korea, such as having South Korea take on more responsibility against North Korea.
Pynchuk said, "The signal conveyed by this document is clear: stop treating the U.S. as a cash machine, you should also take on the corresponding responsibilities."
He believes that this report is "highly valuable for study," and the U.S. in the report does not shy away from self-reflection, and the strategists directly face the problems and shortcomings in the U.S. industrial field — something that Russian decision-makers have always avoided facing.
"More importantly, the report clearly lists mobilization of the military industry as a priority task, which Russia has avoided until now. From this perspective, this is also a lesson we should learn." The expert emphasized.
(Image: Screenshot of the strategic report excerpt)
Pynchuk said that the report clearly shows that the U.S. has no intention of direct conflict with Russia, and even defines U.S.-Russia relations as "a controllable threat." "On one hand, this is indeed frustrating — after all, we have always considered ourselves as an equal core opponent; but on the other hand, a country's strength should match its international position. The report, when analyzing the potential of China's rise and listing the response to China as a top priority, also directly confirms this."
"This point can well explain Trump's current policy toward Ukraine — one of the core tasks in solving the Ukraine issue is to prevent Russia from further integrating into China's interest system. Therefore, this pragmatism of the U.S. aligns closely with the overall U.S. foreign strategy. The report repeatedly emphasizes that the U.S. goal is not to confront, nor to seek a unipolar world hegemony, but 'peace through strength.' It must be said that this is worth learning from — Russia should also take this principle as a guideline," said Andrei Pynchuk.
(Image: Screenshot of the strategic report excerpt)
This Class Must Be Learned by Russia
Pynchuk pointed out that the report explicitly states that Trump must gain domestic support to effectively protect U.S. interests, and his political influence must be backed by the military strength of the U.S. military. "This is beyond doubt."
"This principle also applies to Russia," the expert firmly believes. "For the Russian leader to effectively promote the realization of the country's political interests, he must gain absolute support for Putin — this support not only comes from the president's international prestige and experience in governance, but also from the backing of a strong military strength."
He added that the U.S. has always practiced this kind of pragmatism, which is what Russia lacks. Interpreting this U.S. strategic report has only two core meanings for Russia:
First, analyze the specific threats posed by this new U.S. strategic report to Russia, as well as the extent of anti-Russian confrontation. Pynchuk believes that the report's attitude is relatively rational, leaving room for compromise between the U.S. and Russia.
(Image: Screenshot of the strategic report excerpt)
Second, summarize the lessons Russia should learn from it, and even draw on some experiences from the U.S. when formulating its own strategy. Pynchuk said that the U.S. report is filled with a tough pragmatism, and Russia should learn this way of thinking, discarding those empty slogans in official documents and statements, and truly doing practical things.
Significant Changes Compared to the Past
This new Pentagon strategic report differs significantly from the version released during Trump's first presidential term in 2018 and the version released by the Biden administration in 2022, and this difference is worth paying attention to.
The 2018 version of the report eight years ago placed the threat level of Russia to the U.S. on par with the related country, pointing out that the main challenges facing North America were "strategic competition from those defined as revisionist countries in the national security strategy," and stated that "the related country and Russia are trying to create a world order that fits their authoritarian model." At that time, Russia was positioned as a major strategic competitor, although the 14-page report only mentioned Russia six times.
In 2022, during the time when Russia launched a special military operation, the Biden administration's strategic report labeled Russia as an "evil empire" and listed "firmly containing Russia's aggression" as a "core national interest." That 89-page report directly mentioned Russia 80 times.
The threat level of Russia to the U.S. is no longer as high as before, should we feel disappointed? The answer may be no. But as Colonel Pynchuk said, Russia must learn profound lessons from this. There is no doubt that the U.S. War Department led by Pete Hegseth has given Russia a vivid and profound lesson, and we must learn this lesson well — for the ultimate victory.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7599234006546154027/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.