On 05 December 2025, the President Donald Trump administration announced the new National Security Strategy (NSS) including major changes due to the principle of “America First”. This strategy defines a new vision on the US and the world, aiming to make “America great again” in the 21st century.
Adjustment of the global strategic goals
International researchers believe that with the 2025 National Security Strategy, the US has adjusted the global strategic goals from “dominating” the world to protecting the national interest, the people and the future. According to the Strategy, Washington seeks peace but is ready for the war if forced to confront, cooperates for mutual benefits and competes when required. It will no longer impose its own models on other countries, but requires its allies to share security burdens. According to the President Donald Trump administration, this is the roadmap to ensure that the America remains strong, safe and prosperous in the 21st century.
In this Strategy, the US continues to define the effective deterrence capability to be the core to realise the global strategic goals. Accordingly, the US Military is required to have enough combat capability and win all the high-intensity conflicts, also the flexibility to handle any asymmetric and sub-threshold threats. The US seeks to comprehensively modernise the armed forces, develop the integrated offensive and defensive capabilities, including the supersonic missile systems and the multi-layer missile defence system - “Golden Dome”; reinforce the reliable, safe and modern nuclear deterrence; take the strategic reliability as the vital interest through the endeavour to search for verifiable arms control mechanisms. Being different from the previous ones, the new NSS of the US seeks to avoid any endless wars or extended interference which is lengthened and ambiguous on the objectives and has no clear end as this could weaken both material and spiritual benefits of the US. However, when its core interest is threatened, the US will take swift, overwhelming and decisive actions with clear objectives and transparent retreating roadmaps. The rapid military intervention by the US in Venezuela on 03 January 2026 was a clear evidence of this.
Enforcing the Monroe Doctrine in the new context
The 2025 National Security Strategy defines the Western hemisphere as the crucial strategic region for the US, which has more direct and urgent effects to its border security, migration, transnational crimes, supply chains and domestic stability of the US than any other ones. Therefore, the President Donald Trump administration decides that the US will enforce the Monroe Doctrine in the new context in order to prevent other powerful countries from intervening, invading and controlling the strategic energies in the Western hemisphere including the vital infrastructure, ports, natural resources or the telecommunications network in the region.
The Monroe Doctrine (introduced in 1823) defines the America as the “exclusive sphere of influence” for the US; other outside countries, European ones at first, then cannot deeply interfere in the Western hemisphere, the US, in return, will not be deeply involved in Europe. In 1933, the US did not focus on this Doctrine when the President Franklin Roosevelt administration implemented the good-neighbour policy and pivoted the global strategy to Europe. However, in 2017, after entering the White House, President Donald Trump declared the revival of the Monroe Doctrine. In his second tenure, President Donald Trump sped up the Doctrine and considered Latin America as the first priority in the US foreign policies. The primary movement of this Doctrine in the new context was shown when President Donald Trump ordered a military operation in Venezuela on 3 January 2026 - a movement that caused mixed reactions from many countries and international institutions.
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| US President Donald Trump and the 2025 National Security Strategy (Photo: AFP) |
Reshaping the relations with allies
During many decades after the World War II and the Cold War, the US took on the role of ensuring primary security for allied countries. Since entering the White House in 2017, especially after being re-elected for the second presidential term in 2025, President Donald Trump has adjusted the security policies on allied countries in order to implement the policy of “America First”. Therefore, the 2025 NSS requires that the allied countries, the NATO member countries in particular, to share the security burden with the US. The new NSS clearly states that the alliance is stable only if all countries share the security costs fairly; the US will not continue to shoulder the defence burden for countries which are rich but not ready for their self-defence. At the same time, it also requires all allied countries to make appropriate contribution to the common defensive capabilities; lest the alliance take advantage of the US on trading, financial or industrial policies; not to consider the alliance the unconditional sponsorship but the mutually beneficial relationship with shared responsibility.
For the allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, the new NSS envisages enhancing the credible military deterrence by reinforcing and expanding the cooperation in various fields with the allies and partners including Japan, Korean, Australia, Philippines, India and the ASEAN countries, focusing on protecting the main supply chains in fields of semi-conduction, energy, strategic minerals and high technology; strongly opposing claims on the illegal territories and maritime militarisation. The new NSS still defines the Indo-Pacific Ocean as the main centre of power competition in the 21st century, and that the objective of the US is about to build this area into a free and open area, where no country could put their dominance or impose their will on others, and the international law on maritime freedom is respected.
Besides, the 2025 NSS also envisages preventing any hostile countries from seizing control of the Middle East; avoiding the involvement in any endless wars; promoting cooperation in the region, and being ready for selectively using the military power when the US’s core interests are threatened.
Adjusting the relations with China and Russia
Regarding China, the 2025 NSS states that the relation between Washington and Beijing has been changed into a near-equivalent level, focusing on technology, trade and the control capacity of supply chains. According to researchers, when the containment strategy towards China is no longer sustainable, the US intends to avoid conflicts and maintain the mutually beneficial economic relations based on the interdependence level. Washington is about to prevent any actions by Beijing on “coercing” the economy, “stealing” the intellectual property supporting businesses and “distorting” the market. The US also enforces to deter conflicts, especially the ones in the Taiwan Strait.
In the relations with Russia, the 2025 NSS of the US states that Russia is still a major military power, which could cause the “instability” in the region and the world. The US will treat Russia from a position of strength, and avoid the unnecessary escalation that may cause direct conflicts among nuclear powers. The US is ready to deter any actions by Russia causing insecurity; support the allies and partners before the pressure from Moscow; maintain necessary communication channels to manage strategic risks, especially the ones related to nuclear weapons.
Adjusting the domestic policies
To implement the policy on making the “America great again”, the 2025 NSS also adjusts some priorities in the domestic policies.
Firstly, prioritising the task of protecting the border security and preventing illegal immigration. The new NSS affirms that there is no sovereignty without safe borders. As a result, the US considers protecting borders, preventing the waves of illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and transnational crimes as the top priority of national security. The President Donald Trump administration will eliminate any legal loopholes having been used to make illegal immigration; stop any policies on attracting illegal immigration disguised in humanity; expand cooperation with other countries to stop illegal immigration from the root; fully use tools of economy, foreign affairs, security and trade to force any non-cooperative countries to change their policies on migration.
Secondly, defining the economic security as the national security, considering the national strength being started from the strong domestic economy. Accordingly, the US firmly prevents unfair trading movements; opposes countries which have supported businesses to distort the market or pressure the US to either transform the technology or violate the intellectual property rights. Also, the US reshuffles the supply chains towards safety and diversity, locates the production plants in the US or reliable countries; protects the key industries; uses the tariffs, sanctions and other legal tools when necessary.
Thirdly, prioritising maintaining technological advantage and renovation. The US continues to maintain its superior technological advantage in fields deciding the power in the 21st century including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, space and dual-use technology; firmly prevent the transformation of sensitive technology to strategic opponents, and set global standards of values and benefits of the US.
Fourthly, being independent of energy and modernising the infrastructure. The new NSS aims to maintain the US global energy dominance to ensure low prices for households and domestic businesses; focus on exploiting domestic natural resources such as oil, fuels and traditional energies in order to reduce the living cost and improve the economic competitiveness.
Fifthly, preserving the traditional social values, integrating the national security with cultural values and social structure; intensely protecting traditional family values and citizens’ freedom, considering these as one of the sources of the US power.
According to several international researchers, the 2025 US NSS is a comprehensive roadmap to protect the sovereignty, foster the well-being and maintain the technological advantage of the US based on the pragmatic principles. By integrating the economic security with the national security and reshaping the international relations, the President Donald Trump administration tries to secure a more steady position. This is a core foundation to govern all domestic and foreign affairs of the US. At the same time, it will surely affect the global political, military, and economic situation in the near future.
Senior Colonel LE THE MAU