The new National Security Strategy of the United States of America has been published on the website of President Donald Trump's administration. This is the most important public administration document in the security field, defining national interests and the proposed role of the United States in the contemporary world. It serves as a guide for American policy, defining its strategic goals and the means for its implementation. This document forms the basis for, among other things, the formulation of the National Military Strategy, which defines the strategic objectives of the armed forces. Based on the strategy's assumptions, political priorities are established, to which specific funds from the national budget are assigned. The importance of the new strategy is demonstrated by the fact that it is the first coherent document defining strategic goals developed and published by the Trump administration during this term. Given the importance of the United States in the global security system, the new document has a significant impact on the perception of our security environment.
The new strategy differs in its form from documents adopted by the current president's predecessors. It constitutes a summary of Donald Trump's activities since taking office in January 2025. The document emphasizes that thanks to the US president's actions, eight armed conflicts have been successfully concluded, including, in particular, the conflict in the Gaza Strip. However, the most striking aspect is its directness, explicitly defining threats, rather than the often veiled language of previous documents. The proposed goals and actions are also formulated directly.
The diagnosis of the contemporary security system, including the catalog of threats to the United States, presented in the strategy is consistent with assessments previously formulated by President Donald Trump. The most important task for the United States is to end the era of mass migration, which, as the document indicates, leads to the depletion of national resources, an increase in violence and other crimes, a weakening of social cohesion, and a distortion of the labor market. Border security is therefore identified as the most important area of national security, directly impacting the domestic situation. The document also emphasizes the need to reconsider the current role of the United States as the sole guarantor of global peace. It also indicated that other developed NATO countries should also make greater efforts in this regard, allocating at least five percent of their GDP to defense.
However, in diagnosing the current security system, the greatest emphasis was placed on economic security. Priority was given to strengthening the American economy.
According to the presented diagnosis, this goal is to be achieved by restoring the balance of the United States' trade relations with other countries, reducing the trade deficit, counteracting export barriers, and ending dumping and other anti-competitive practices, which, according to the document's authors, harm American industry and workers. Trade agreements with other countries are to be based on the principles of fairness, mutual benefit, and respect. The need to ensure the United States' access to key supply chains and essential minerals, including rare earth elements, is also emphasized. According to the document's assumptions, the United States cannot be dependent on any external power for basic components—from raw materials, through parts, to finished products—essential for national defense or the country's economy. Reindustrialization of the economy, shifting industrial production to the United States, is of key importance.
Another important action is to revitalize the defense sector's industrial base, as a strong armed forces cannot exist without a strong economy. Investment in the drone and ammunition industries was highlighted as a necessity. Restoring Washington's energy dominance in oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power, as well as shifting production of essential key energy components to the United States, was also identified as a priority. At the same time, a rejection of the "climate change ideology" was declared. The final economic goal was to preserve and strengthen the dominance of the American financial sector.
From our country's perspective, the strategy's foreign policy priorities have a significant impact. Undoubtedly, the most important region in the document, and the one that receives the most attention, is the Western Hemisphere. As indicated in the strategy, the United States must increase its military presence in this part of the world to prevent threats in this area, combat migration, narcotics, and the growth of adversaries (including drug cartels). The strategy explicitly states that President Trump's approach to this region is a creative extension of President James Monroe's 1823 doctrine, which stipulated zero tolerance for any external interference in the Western Hemisphere, considered the US sphere of influence.
Another important area identified in the document is Asia. In this region, the document highlights the need for economic competition with China. U.S.-China relations should be based on reciprocity and fairness, and subordinated to ensuring U.S. economic independence. On the other hand, a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan is identified as the greatest challenge. The U.S. does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. Beijing's occupation of the island is viewed as having a significant negative impact on U.S. economic interests. At the same time, the document emphasizes the pursuit of peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
The strategy devotes significantly less attention to other regions of the world. In the case of Europe, it explicitly states that it is in "civilizational decline." This region has been criticized for attempts to introduce political censorship and suppress opposition. The strategy also suggests that migration will fundamentally change European identity to a degree that could harm alliances with the US. According to the strategy, the US's goals for Europe include restoring stability in this part of the world and strategic stability in relations with Russia, as well as enabling Europe to function independently as a group of united sovereign states, including by assuming primary responsibility for its own defense.
Meanwhile, the Middle East, previously prioritized, and Africa have been given cursory attention. Compared to previous strategies, little attention is also paid to China and, above all, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. It should be noted, however, that the strategy indicates that the primary interest of the United States is negotiating a rapid end to the hostilities in Ukraine and reducing the risk of confrontation between Russia and other European countries.
The new US security strategy, therefore, represents a synthesis of the US administration's actions to date and Donald Trump's views. It aligns with the president's actions to date. It confirms a reorientation of Washington's foreign policy priorities, focusing on the Western Hemisphere (Latin America and the Caribbean), at the expense of traditionally priority areas, primarily the Middle East. In the case of Europe, this region does not appear to be the focus of the Trump administration, which is encouraging European states to take greater responsibility for their own national security. The document implicitly states repeatedly that international relations should be shaped in a transactional manner, taking into account US interests.
Despite the importance of the security strategy for shaping the US security system, this document should not be considered a definitive and unchanging catalog of the Donald Trump administration's priorities until the end of his presidency. In recent years, American policy directions have significantly diverged from the security strategy's assumptions due to significant changes in the security environment. This occurred under both George W. Bush and Joe Biden. Therefore, the current document largely reflects the current assessment of the national security system and does not limit the president's actions. Furthermore, the involvement of the president's advisors will determine whether the security strategy's assumptions are implemented by all branches of the administration. Especially during Donald Trump's first term, his decisions often met with resistance from lower levels.
Regardless of the content of the new US security strategy, it is in Poland's interest to maintain intense bilateral relations with Washington, including the continuation of significant joint ventures initiated during President Donald Trump's first term. Our priority should be maintaining the United States' current military engagement in our country, primarily a consequence of the enhanced defense cooperation agreement signed with the US government on August 15, 2020. Equally important should be the continuation of joint economic projects, particularly in the area of security, including defense technologies (e.g., drone and ammunition production). Poland, which remains one of the few NATO countries fulfilling its defense spending commitments, still has the opportunity to be treated as a priority by the US in our region, as a significant guarantor of security.
