The government of the United States has a foundational strategic document that explains how it views and understands global threats and how it plans to protect its national interests. This is called the National Security Strategy, and each U.S. presidential administration is required by law to produce one and submit it to the United States Congress.
Understanding the National Security Strategy of the United States
A master document of the U.S. government for how it sees the world, the threats it faces, and the tools it plans to use. It sets priorities, outlines strategic goals, and signals to allies and rivals exactly where Washington is heading.
Background
Note that the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 requires every U.S. president to submit a National Security Strategy to the U.S. Congress. Hence, because of changes in the composition, leadership, and direction of the federal executive government every six years following the U.S. presidential election, the security strategy is usually updated once per administration.
Think of the document as the blueprint for U.S. national security. It outlines the views of the current administration on primary threats, strategic priorities, defense policies, foreign policy principles, and various diplomatic, military, economic, and informational tools of power. The document is not a simple military doctrine but also a political and economic blueprint.
Each strategic document published by each administration reflects the worldview of the current president. It also influences the direction of several federal executive functions like defense and intelligence priorities, federal budgeting, inter-agency coordination, and foreign relations. Further, because the document is public, it is a message to allies and adversaries.
The authorship of a particular National Security Strategy is usually attributed to the U.S. president in office. However, the actual content is the product of inputs from senior administration officials of relevant agencies. These include the National Security Advisor and the staff of the National Security Council, and the U.S. Department of State and its advisors.
Note that there are content requirements. The document is obliged to discuss international interests or goals and objectives, the commitments of the U.S. at home and abroad, the policies the current administration intends to pursue to achieve its goals, and the capabilities needed to deter threats to national security and protect and promote the overall national interest.
Purposes
Remember that the National Security Strategy is a foundational strategic document that tells not only the U.S. Congress and the U.S. citizens but also the greater global audience about how the current president and their administration view threats to its national security and overall national interest. The following are the specific purposes of this document:
• Presidential Blueprint for the U.S. National Security
The document outlines the views of the current U.S. president and his administration on important threats like state rivals, terrorism by non-state actors, cybercrimes, and economic instability, while also enumerating and defining strategic priorities like alliances, military postures, and technological pursuits.
• Guiding the Direction of the National Security System
Hence, because it is the blueprint of the U.S. president, the National Security Strategy also guides relevant agencies and other related federal executive functions. The document sets the overall direction. This is later turned into more detailed plans or actionable strategies, like the National Defense Strategy and defense budget.
• A Communication to the U.S. Congress and Public
The main audience of the document is the U.S. Congress. It communicates the strategic vision of the president to legitimize requests for funding and policy support. It is also aimed at creating internal consensus across the executive branch. The document also serves as a strategic message to allies and adversaries.
• Philosophical and Political Doctrine of the U.S. President
Each National Security Strategy reflects the worldview of the current U.S. president. This normally includes how it sees the U.S. on the international stage. This is the reason why the document also serves as a blueprint for guiding various domestic policies and the greater foreign policy of a particular presidential administration.
It is still important to underscore the fact that the National Security Strategy is not a detailed and expansive operational plan. Moreover, while it is true that it is a blueprint that guides agencies like the Department of Defense, it does not discuss classified information. The document is also not a bipartisan nor a legislative product. It only reflects the agenda of the president.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Stolberg, A. G. 2012. “Case Study: United States.” How Nation-States Craft National Security Strategy Documents. Strategic Studies Institute,
- The White House. November 2025. National Security Strategy of the United States of America. President of the United States. Available via PDF