The doc argues that Europe is economically and militarily able to defending itself, noting that non-U.S. NATO members dwarf Russia in financial scale, and are subsequently “strongly positioned to take major accountability for Europe’s standard protection.”
On the similar time, the technique locations emphasis on Greenland, explicitly itemizing the Arctic island — alongside the Panama Canal — as terrain the U.S. should safe to guard its homeland pursuits.
The Pentagon says it would present the president with “credible choices to ensure U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain from the Arctic to South America, particularly Greenland,” including that “we’ll be certain that the Monroe Doctrine is upheld in our time.”
That framing aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric on Greenland, which has unsettled European capitals and fueled concern over Washington’s long-term intentions within the Arctic.
The defense strategy builds on the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy launched in December, which recast the Western Hemisphere — fairly than Europe — as the first enviornment for defending U.S. safety.
Whereas the sooner doc went additional in criticizing Europe’s trajectory, each methods stress continued engagement paired with a transparent expectation that European allies will more and more take the lead on threats nearer to residence.
