On Monday, Elbridge Colby, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, characterized President Donald Trump’s demand for increased defense spending as a new global benchmark. He emphasized that nations are aligning with this standard, citing South Korea as the most recent example.
Colby shared on X that the recently released National Security Strategy (NSS) report from the White House reaffirmed President Trump’s establishment of a new global standard for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members, requiring them to commit to defense spending of 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) through the Hague Convention.
He noted that this historic achievement has already bolstered NATO and will enable the U.S. and its allies to achieve and maintain peace through strength globally. Colby added that other nations are stepping up to meet this new global benchmark, with South Korea being the latest example.
Colby, a key architect of U.S. defense policy, stated that the United States is prepared to support allies seeking to enhance their military capabilities. He highlighted that the NSS report outlines plans to offer more favorable treatment in commercial sectors, technology sharing, and defense procurement to nations voluntarily assuming greater security responsibilities.
He stressed that to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific, Asian allies must take on more of their own defense responsibilities. Quoting the NSS, Colby said that it will build forces capable of repelling attacks anywhere in the first island chain. However, U.S. forces cannot and should not carry out all of this alone. Allies must significantly increase their spending on collective defense and take more action.
The NSS report is the top strategic document for U.S. national security, drafted under White House leadership. The first island chain refers to China’s defensive line against the U.S. and serves as America’s military containment line against China, connecting southern Kyushu in Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
Colby also pointed out that the NSS states that following President Trump’s call for increased burden-sharing by Japan and South Korea, it must urge these countries to increase their defense budgets to focus on capabilities necessary to deter adversaries and protect the first island chain. It will also maintain its firm stance on increasing defense spending in the relationships with Taiwan and Australia while strengthening its military presence in the Western Pacific.
Colby emphasized that the NSS underscores the need for the U.S. to maintain a favorable balance of power to prevent any country from becoming a dominant force that threatens American interests. He insisted that the U.S. must collaborate with allies to manage global and regional balances, urging allied nations to significantly boost their defense budgets to address long-standing burden imbalances.
Colby assessed the overall NSS as clearly and strongly articulating the America First and peace through strength agenda. He stated that this strategy ensures that it always operate from a position of strength, presenting a pragmatic approach to advancing the national interests.
He described President Trump’s strategy as a form of flexible realism, noting that U.S. policy will realistically assess what is possible and desirable in relations with other countries. Colby added that while maintaining good relations with countries that have different systems, it will demand that the allies uphold shared values and norms.
Additionally, the NSS emphasizes that the U.S. will reaffirm and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American dominance in the Western Hemisphere and protect the homeland and key geopolitical access in the region. It further states that it will deny non-Western Hemisphere competitors the ability to deploy forces or other threatening capabilities in our hemisphere or to possess or control strategically important assets.
The Monroe Doctrine is a diplomatic principle declared by the U.S. in 1823, stating that it would not tolerate European powers’ intervention in the Western Hemisphere (the Americas). It also embodies the principle of mutual non-interference, asserting that the U.S. would not interfere in European internal affairs and conflicts.