US NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY 2025 - AS AN IDEOLOGICAL MANIFESTO FOR DIVORCE WITH EUROPE

Abstract

Since 1987, the National Security Strategy (NSS) written by the White House administration has served as a framework document through which the President of the United States presents his own vision of the vital interests of the state. This strategic document is submitted to Congress in order to highlight the main threats and the use of instruments of power. The strategy was legally formulated by the Goldwater-Nichols Act and codified in 50 U.S.C. § 3043, the NSS, was conceived as an annual cut-off, but none of the former US presidents respected such a rule. The writing and publication of the Strategy, due to the irregularity and momentum of inspiration, has transformed more into a series of "doctrinal moments" than a continuous institutional ritual. From a legal perspective, the Goldwater-Nichols Act is explicit that "The President shall annually submit to Congress a comprehensive report on the national security strategy of the United States." On the one hand, On the one hand, the annual report must be submitted by the date of the federal budget, while on the other hand, each new president must present a supplementary strategy within 150 days of taking office. This means that each new White House administration is required to publish two NSSs during the first year of its term. The law also states that the report is initially submitted in classified form, while an unclassified version can accompany it and serve as a reference in the public debate. The latest US National Security Strategy, published on December 5, 2025, is a manifesto of Trump's foreign policy doctrine. Like Trump himself, this document lacks both coherence and rigor. This text is also unusual in its section dedicated to Europe. The NSS recognizes that Europe is the only US partner that has been severely criticized for "suffering from a civilizational decline" unlike Russia or China. The US aims to restore the self-confidence and sovereignty of European states by freeing them from the harmful grip of the EU by strengthening "healthy nations" of Europe and reliance on far-right (so-called "patriotic") parties. Finally, this review is also an analysis of the NSS so far and their common features.