US National Security Strategy (NSS) is widely regarded in Washington not as a routine bureauc-ratic exercise, but as a declarative statement of intent –effectively a manifesto for a new phase in the foreign and security policy of the US Formally mandated under Section 603 of the 1986 Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act, the NSS is intended to be sub-mitted annually, although in practice such reports are frequently delayed, selectively updated, or at times not published at all.¹ 

Beyond its statutory purpose, the NSS occupies a distinctive position within the national secu-rity architecture of the US It serves as the principal framework through which the executive branch communicates its strategic worldview to Congress, identifying the threats it considers most con-sequential, the regions it intends to prioritize, and the means through which it plans to project power. These means encompass the full range of statecraft available to the US, including military force, diplomacy, economic instruments, and the management of alliances and partnerships. ...

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