About a week ago, the Department of Defense released the 2026 National Defense Strategy. As with any new NDS, the document quickly came under scrutiny across the defense landscape. Defense experts observed, among other things, its overwhelming emphasis on homeland defense, the more détente-oriented approach it takes to China than previous strategies, an apparent reduction in support for allies, the document’s limited focus on emerging technologies, and its disregard of climate change. Some of what commentators have noted was predictable, but not all.
There are key details in the document that must be unpacked to develop a full understanding of it and to appreciate, for instance, how it will be interpreted by various audiences—adversaries and competitors, allies and partners, and service chiefs, combatant commands, and leaders across the joint force. To do so, John Amble is joined on this episode of the MWI Podcast by three guests. Frank Hoffman is a retired Marine officer who served for years as a senior research fellow at the National Defense University and has worked on past National Defense Strategies. Mark Cancian, also a retired Marine officer, is a senior adviser with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. And Pat Sullivan is an Army colonel and the director of the Modern War Institute.
The MWI Podcast is produced through an endowment generously funded by the West Point Class of 1974. You can listen to this episode of the podcast below, and if you aren’t already subscribed, be sure to find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss an episode. While you’re there, please take just a moment to leave the podcast a rating or give it a review!
Note: The discussion references two articles about the NDS, which you can find here and here.
Image credit: Staff Sgt. John Wright, US Air Force
