New US doctrine: 'The priority is the defence of the nation. Russia a manageable threat, Europe less powerful'

Defending US national territory, deterring China in the Indo-Pacific through force and not confrontation, increasing burden-sharing with US allies and partners, and enhancing the US defence industrial base. These are, in that order, the priorities of the new National Defence Strategy, released by the Pentagon. Homeland defence is listed as a top priority, above the Indo-Pacific, defining the Western Hemisphere as a region 'neglected' by previous policies. However, the document denies any tendency towards isolationism.

The National Defence Strategy (Nds), which defines how the Department of Defence will implement the guidelines, is traditionally considered a key document for the Pentagon. However, in a surprising move, the Department has chosen to publish it with unusual discretion: the document, writes the specialised website Breaking Defence, was emailed out unannounced, almost at 7pm on Friday (local time), when the entire east coast is focused on a major incoming snowstorm.

'Russia will remain a persistent but manageable threat to NATO's eastern members for the foreseeable future': this is one of the passages in the new US National Defence Strategy released by the Pentagon.

And 'while Europe remains important, its share of global economic power is smaller and declining. It follows that while we are and remain committed to Europe, we must - and will - prioritise the defence of US homeland and deterrence against China': this is one of the passages in the document, according to which the US must 'increase burden-sharing with allies and partners'. In this sense, the Pentagon envisages a 'more limited' role in North Korean deterrence, with South Korea assuming the main responsibility for the task. South Korea hosts some 28,500 US troops engaged in joint defence against North Korea's military threat, and Seoul has increased its defence budget by 7.5 per cent for this year. "South Korea is able to take primary responsibility for deterrence over North Korea with critical but more limited support from the United States."

"As President Trump has stated, the top priority of the US military is to defend the homeland. The Department will therefore prioritise this objective, including defending American interests throughout the Western Hemisphere,' the Nds further reads. This means securing the national territory also through border security, counter-narcotics and airspace protection, as stated in the key points of the document.