The National Defense Strategy (NDS) is produced by the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and is signed by the United States Secretary of Defense as the United States Department of Defense's (DoD) capstone strategic guidance. The NDS is required by law that mandates the secretary of defense to publish a "strategic framework" to address “priority missions of the Department of Defense” and the “assumed strategic environment.” It should “support the most recent National Security Strategy (NSS) report of the President." In theory, the NSS provides guidance for the DoD to outline military planning, military strategy, force posturing, force constructs, force modernization, etc. It is expected to be produced every four years, with an "unclassified summary" made available to the public.Lloyd Austin III, US Secretary of Defense, et al. (27 Oct 2022) 2022 National Defense Strategy of the United States, including the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, and the 2022 Missile Defense Review 80 pages: Unclassified. NDS (1st-32nd pages); NPR (33rd-62nd pages); MDR (63rd-80th pages)US Department of Defense (28 Mar 2022) Fact Sheet: 2022 National Defense Strategy 2 page sketch NDSColin Kahl, US Department of Defense (4 Nov 2022) The 2022 National Defense Strategy: A conversation with Colin Kahl 2 hour discussion of NDS presented by the Brookings InstitutionCJCSI 5123.011 (30 October 2021) CHARTER OF THE JOINT REQUIREMENTS OVERSIGHT COUNCIL AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT CAPABILITIES INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM JROC charter and JCIDS
The NDS informs another related document, the National Military Strategy (NMS), written by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and signed by its Chairman (CJCS). The NMS and NDS often agree, but since the CJCS's role is to give unfiltered military advice to the government, the NMS is also an opportunity for the CJCS to provide a contrary opinion, however rare. In any case, the NMS is a further refinement of the NDS to provide the U.S. military with more detailed guidance for theater campaign planning, modernization, force posturing, and force structure. NMS is often classified, while the NDS is not. By law, the Secretary of Defense has to release an unclassified summary of the classified version of the NDS.
Each NDS emphasizes different issues areas, reflecting priorities that each administration identifies as the most important for the U.S. military to address. Prioritization is a universal feature of the NDS across administrations that have to manage global interests with limited budgets.
In 2018, under the first Trump administration, the NDS became the sole successor to the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).Saralyn Cruickshank (Jan 19, 2018) U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis outlines bold new national defense strategy at Johns Hopkins Updating nuclear command, control, and support infrastructure to better counter-attacks from U.S. adversaries Prioritizing investments in space operations and capabilities Integrating cyber defense into the full spectrum of military operations Developing information systems that support the military's tactical operations, strategic planning, and intelligence gathering The 2018 NDS focused on great power competition with China and Russia and shifted attention away from counterterrorism.
In 2022, under the Biden administration, the NDS was released on October 27 along with the Missile Defense Review (MDR) and Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). See Reorganization plan of United States Army for more detail --Note A. The focus in the 2022 NDS was the "pacing threat" of China, followed by an "acute threat" of Russia.
In 2026, under the second Trump administration, the NDS was released on January 23, following the December 2025 publication of the NSS.US Department of War, (23 Jan 2026), 2026 NDS National Defense Strategy , The 2026 NDS's elevation of homeland and hemispheric security as the top priority for the DoD represents a major departure from previous strategies.
See also National Military Strategy National Security Strategy (United States)
References and notes
External links
National Defense Strategy, 2005 National Defense Strategy, 2008 National Defense Strategy, 2018 National Defense Strategy, 2022: unclassified fact sheet National Defense Strategy, 2026