FDD's Foreign Podicy The National Defense Strategy and the Threats That Matter Most
Jan 30, 2026
Mark Montgomery, Admiral and senior cyber and tech specialist, and Bradley Bowman, defense strategy and great‑power competition expert, break down the new National Defense Strategy. They debate defense funding, risks in cyber warfare like Volt Typhoon, U.S. posture on Taiwan and deterrence, messaging about allies and America’s interests, and implications for Ukraine, Israel, Korea, and hemispheric competition.
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Strategy Requires Ends-Ways-Means
- A genuine strategy must coordinate ends and means and allocate finite resources to top priorities.
- Bradley Bowman says the 2026 NDS better aligns priorities and resources compared with the NSS but still has shortcomings.
Stabilize Defense Budgets
- Increase defense funding and make base budgets predictable to revive the defense industrial base.
- Mark Montgomery warns one-off reconciliations distort planning and create future budget cliffs.
Defense Spending At Historically Low Share
- U.S. defense spending as a share of GDP is near historic lows outside pre-9/11 years.
- Bradley Bowman argues this underfunding clashes with a geostrategic moment likened to World War II.