America’s New National Defense Strategy Is an Arrogant Plan for Securing American Interests at the Huge Expense of Its Allies, Partners, and Agents

News:

“The United States military will prioritise protecting the homeland and deterring China while providing ‘more limited’ support to allies in Europe and elsewhere, according to a Pentagon strategy document. The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) released on Friday (23/01/2026) marks a significant departure from past Pentagon policy, both in its emphasis on allies taking on increased burdens with less backing from Washington and its softer tone towards traditional foes, China and Russia.” (aljazeera.com)

Comment:

A central theme within the 2026 National Defense Strategy, released by the US Department of War on 23 January 2026, is the American demand for its allies and partners to share costs and losses with it, whilst America pursues its interests around the world. So, the strategy clearly states, “Line of Effort 3: Increase Burden-Sharing with U.S. Allies and Partners.” The strategy further defines the geographical regions within which the US will demand that other states do more, “the Department will prioritize strengthening incentives for allies and partners to take primary responsibility for their own defense in Europe, the Middle East, and on the Korean Peninsula, with critical but limited support from U.S. forces.”

The people of power in the Muslim World must note that the strategy details the sharing of burdens in the heart of the Islamic Ummah, the Middle East, stating, “As President Trump laid out in his historic Riyadh speech, the United States seeks a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East. As the President also made clear, however, this transformation can only come at the hands of those with the greatest stake in the region’s future—our allies and partners in the region itself.” Here, let both the people of power outside of the Middle East, as well as those within the Middle East itself, pay heed. In fact, American policy towards the Middle East is for what it calls the “Greater Middle East,” which includes Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly when it comes to key interests of America, such as the American occupation of Gaza, the permanent surrender of the Blessed Land of Palestine, and wide-ranging normalization with the Jewish entity. Thus, let the people of power throughout the Islamic Ummah weigh the consequences of the 2026 National Defense Strategy carefully. America under Trump does not only want its cake and to eat it, it also wants to make sure its agents in the Muslim World spend, with open hands, from the armies and wealth of Muslims, in order to cut the cake and lift it up to the mouth of America.

The extent of the change in the American defense strategy can be understood by comparing it to the peak of American global influence, in the era between the nineties of the last century, and the early part of the current century.

It is in this era that the American deep state established its Project for the New American Century (PNAC) between 1997 and 2006, “to promote American global leadership.” At that time, the US played a very prominent role, spending freely from its wealth and men to secure its interests. Thus, America lifted a large burden, leading a 42-country coalition to invade Iraq between August 1990 and 28 February, 1991. America also lifted a large burden during its leading the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) during the invasion of Iraq between 2004 to 2009, as it was evident in its invasion of Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021. In this era, America was also generous with its agents in the Muslim World, supplying them funds and weapons to secure its interests, albeit at the expense of Muslims and the sanctities of Islam. Through corruption, the American agents in the Muslim World were able to become immensely wealthy, as well as being able to bribe the cheap souls within the people of power to side with them and America, against the Muslims and Islam.

However, now, America has been exhausted from lifting its own burdens to secure its own interests, politically, militarily, and economically. Politically, America has lost its moral authority over the world, as its naked pursuit of material interests, regardless of huge losses in lives of civilians, became clear, as well as its horrific crimes of its military, which even animals in the jungle would shy from. This decline in political authority was reinforced in the collective conscious of the world because of American support for the Jewish entity during its genocide in Gaza. This political crisis is deepened by the severe domestic conflict within pillars of the American deep state. On the military front, American troops have been traumatized and demoralized by fierce resistance, particularly in its campaigns within the Muslim World. No amount of dependency on America’s new weapons can compensate for the cowardice and fatigue of its troops. As for the domain of economy and finance, America has been forced to focus on its own economy, reducing costs and increasing revenues, as the world still suffers from the effects of the 2008 financial collapse, as well as the Covid 19 recession. So, now the American demand of its agents has changed. America now not only wants its agents to secure its interests, it wants them to do so at the expense of the wealth and armies of Muslims. Thus, America’s agents will spend in an unprecedented manner from the wealth and sons of the Islamic Ummah to serve Trump. The rulers of Muslims will thus increase taxation upon the Muslims, who are already crushed by sky-high taxation and inflation, as well as selling control of the key resources of the Ummah to American companies, whether it is regarding oil, gas, or Rare Earth Elements (REEs).

O People of Power in the Islamic Ummah!

The 2026 National Defense Strategy reveals that America is not as it once was, so consider the opportunity that Allah (swt) has extended before you. America is like the ailing lion in the jungle, facing crippling limitations in feeding itself. America now depends more on the strength of others, more than ever before. America uses mere memories of its previous strength to terrify peoples into submitting to its will. However, its terrorism does not change its reality, or close the opportunity for dismantling its cruel hold on the Muslim World.

As for the agents of America, America cannot provide them the support, funding, and weapons as it did for its previous agents, such as Musharraf, Mubarak, and Bashar al-Assad. Thus, the agents of America of today, such as Asim Munir, As-Sisi, and Ahmad ash-Shara, are much weaker than their predecessors, as they also depend on foreign support and approval to stay in power. Moreover, the anger within the Ummah is rising against the agents of America, and will rise more as they strive to secure American interests, whilst the Muslims bear huge losses in their wealth and their troops.

Allah (swt) said,

[وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَمۡرِهِۦ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ]“And Allah (swt) is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know” [TMQ Surah Yusuf: 21]. Through the trial of Gaza, Allah (swt) has brought many changes in the international scenario and it is a time for reevaluation. So, O brothers, reevaluate America, reevaluate its agents, and reevaluate the opportunity for you to fulfill your Shariah obligation, bringing much needed change in the Muslim World through the establishment of the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly-Guided Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood. Hizb ut Tahrir seeks your nussrah (military support) for the reestablishment of the Khilafah Rashidah, so respond!

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Musab Umair – Wilayah Pakistan