Pentagon shifts priority to homeland and Western Hemisphere, sidelining China as top threat

The Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy reorients U.S. defense priorities away from countering China and toward defending the homeland and interests in the Western Hemisphere, signaling a major shift from prior administrations. The plan emphasizes practical interests, maintains diplomacy with China, and calls for a strong denial posture in the Pacific, but offers few concrete details on assets or steps to safeguard key terrain like the Panama Canal or Greenland, while de-emphasizing Europe as a primary arena.