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Report July 3, 2025

The National Defense Strategy Project

By Atlantic Council experts

What is the biggest threat to the United States—and what should the military do about it? Where should the United States position its forces around the world? How should the US military adapt to the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and the weaponization of space? These are just some of the questions that must be addressed in the next National Defense Strategy (NDS), the foundational document through which any new administration articulates its vision for US defense policy. Published by the Department of Defense (DoD), it establishes the principles that guide US military force design, capability development, global posture, operational planning, and resource allocation.

The second Trump administration’s forthcoming effort is no ordinary NDS. It will define the DoD’s defense posture, US force structure, and modernization priorities for the next four years in a period of intensifying strategic competition, rapid technological disruption, and evolving global threats.

Against this backdrop, the Atlantic Council’s National Defense Strategy Project outlines the priorities the DoD should address in its next NDS. Our experts offer practical recommendations for implementation and identify where the United States must adapt to preserve its strategic edge and strengthen national resilience. A forward-looking defense strategy will be essential to ensuring military readiness, reinforcing deterrence, and protecting national interests—and it will play a pivotal role not only in responding to current challenges but in anticipating those on the horizon.

Read the issue briefs

A US defense strategy to win the next conflict

By Clementine Starling-Daniels

Amid rising global tensions and rapid technological change, the forthcoming National Defense Strategy is set to reshape US military strategy. Its success hinges on five key priorities.

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Homeland defense amid new strategic threats

By Clementine Starling-Daniels and Amy Cowley

From launching cyberattacks to targeting critical infrastructure, US rivals are bringing the fight closer to home. Defending against these threats will require not just military might, but smarter defense planning, greater resilience, and military modernization.

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A pivot to China—not Asia

By Clementine Starling-Daniels, Edward Brady, and Theresa Luetkefend

The next National Defense Strategy must prioritize competition with China beyond the Indo-Pacific—and clearly define how to recalibrate the size, structure, and posture of US forces.

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Rethinking combined arms for modern warfare

By Edward Brady

To conduct all-domain operations, modern warfare requires a new approach to combined arms. The US military should reassess the future composition of its forces, integrating high-end manned platforms with low-end, attritable vehicles.

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Invest in space or lose the high ground

By Edward Brady and Clementine G. Starling-Daniels

Space superiority underpins military dominance across all domains. To deter and win future conflicts, the United States must significantly invest in the capabilities of its Space Force—including space command and control, as well as domain awareness.

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Five pillars for deterring strategic attacks

By Mark J. Massa and Alyxandra Marine

As its highest priority, the Department of Defense must deter strategic attacks on the United States. A five-pillar strategy could guide efforts to prevent nuclear and nonnuclear threats while ensuring resilience and readiness against large-scale nuclear attacks on the US homeland.

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Addressing China’s military expansion in West Africa and beyond

By Tressa Guenov

As China expands its military reach in West Africa, the United States risks losing strategic ground on the continent. The next National Defense Strategy must confront China’s ambitions beyond the Indo-Pacific, balancing defense diplomacy, bilateral military relationships, and counterterrorism.

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Winning through people

By Beth Foster and Alex Wagner

To maintain military readiness, deter conflict, and preserve its technological edge, the United States must prioritize human capital by investing in resilient service members and a skilled civilian workforce.

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Insights & Impact

Apr 17, 2025

Clementine Starling-Daniels and Theresa Luetkefend co-author DefenseNews op-ed titled “Questions Congress should ask about DOD ‘peace through strength’ plan”

On April 16, Forward Defense director Clementine Starling-Daniels and assistant director Theresa Luetkefend published an op-ed in DefenseNews. The article, titled “Questions Congress should ask about DOD ‘peace through strength’ plan,” analyzes the Department of Defense’s Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance memo and the Trump administration’s defense priorities.

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Strategic shifts: Insights from the Commission on the National Defense Strategy

Former Congresswoman Jane Harman and former Ambassador Eric Edelman discuss how the NDS Commission’s findings will shape US defense strategy amid escalating global security challenges.
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Explore the program

Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.

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Related Experts: Clementine G. Starling-Daniels, Edward Brady, Mark J. Massa, Alyxandra Marine, Theresa Luetkefend, and Amy Cowley

Artificial Intelligence Defense Policy Defense Technologies Missile Defense Nuclear Deterrence United States and Canada

Image: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, alongside Polish Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, visited the Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 (APS-2) site in Powidz, Poland on February 15, 2025.