Trump Defense Strategy Shifts Burden to Allies and Prioritizes Western Hemisphere Access to Greenland and Panama Canal

📌 Key Facts

• The Trump administration released a 34-page National Defense Strategy (NDS) on January 23, 2026, described as a “sharp shift — in approach, focus, and tone” from prior strategies.
• Unlike Biden’s 2022 NDS that named China as the “pacing challenge,” the new strategy prioritizes U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere as its top focus.
• The document explicitly singles out guaranteed U.S. military and commercial access to Greenland and the Panama Canal as priorities under that Western Hemisphere focus.
• The NDS pointedly criticizes allies in Europe and Asia for relying on U.S. defense “subsidies” and urges them to “take control of their own security.”
• The strategy’s Greenland language is linked to President Trump’s recent Davos claim of a “framework” with NATO chief Mark Rutte and his tariff threats over the island; Danish officials say formal negotiations have not yet begun.
• The document says the U.S. will engage in “good faith” with neighbors like Canada and partners in Central and South America, but warns it will take “focused, decisive action” if they do not “do their part.”

📰 Source Timeline (2)

Follow how coverage of this story developed over time