New U.S. National Defense Strategy Minimizes Technology Emphasis Compared to Past Versions
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Defense quietly released the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) late Friday evening, unveiling a shift in defense priorities that notably downplays the role of emerging technologies. Unlike previous iterations, the latest strategy contains minimal mentions of advanced technological capabilities, signaling a strategic pivot toward strengthening homeland defense and rebalancing global military commitments.
The 2026 NDS serves as the Pentagon’s roadmap to align its military posture with the Trump administration’s “America First” national security agenda. It emphasizes protecting U.S. territories and assets by focusing primarily on the Western Hemisphere and encouraging allies to assume a greater share of responsibilities for global security challenges. However, it is markedly less focused on technological innovation as a cornerstone of U.S. military power.
A Salient Reduction in Technology Mentions
Experts have pointed out the striking contrast between the 2026 document and previous strategies. While the 2018 and 2022 NDS versions spotlighted emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence (AI), hypersonic weapons, quantum computing, directed energy, and biotechnology—as vital for maintaining U.S. military dominance, the 2026 edition incorporates only a handful of technology references.
Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and Defense Program director at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), told DefenseScoop, “The 2018 and 2022 strategies treated emerging technologies as the cornerstone of American military dominance. The 2026 NDS barely mentions technology at all. AI appears once – for factories, not warfighting.”
Indeed, the word “technology” appears just once in the 34-page unclassified document, compared to more than 70 references in the 2022 NDS and over 20 in 2018. Notably absent were mentions of hypersonics, quantum computing, and directed energy weapons.
Strategic Priorities and Policy Shifts
The 2026 NDS is organized around four core lines of effort:
- Defend the U.S. homeland, with an elevated focus on border security.
- Deter China in the Indo-Pacific region “through strength, not confrontation.”
- Increase burden-sharing among U.S. allies and partners.
- Revitalize the U.S. defense industrial base to “supercharge” production capabilities.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized this inward-looking approach in a memorandum, stating that the department will prioritize threats that are most consequential to American interests and will not act everywhere independently or compensate for allies’ security shortcomings.
Technological initiatives in the strategy are largely defensive and commercially focused. The document calls for bolstering cyber defenses for military and certain civilian targets and developing options to deter or degrade cyber threats against the homeland. It also highlights counter-drone systems and ensuring electromagnetic spectrum access for U.S. forces.
The 2026 NDS features the Trump administration’s “Golden Dome for America” missile defense initiative, mentioned three times. The plan aims to cost-effectively defeat large missile barrages and advanced aerial attacks but reflects a focus on deployed defensive shields rather than offensive technological innovation.
Concerns About Innovation and Long-Term Competitiveness
Critics warn that the strategy’s muted emphasis on technology risks weakening American military innovation. Pettyjohn explained, “The National Defense Strategy is supposed to guide investments in technology and shape future military capabilities. A strategy silent on technology is a strategy that cedes the innovation race.”
She added that the 2026 NDS implicitly bets on out-producing China rather than out-thinking it. Given China’s significant shipyards, manufacturing capacities, and industrial workforce, relying solely on production advantages without technological superiority could put the U.S. at a strategic disadvantage.
“The strategy is retreating behind a defensive shield, focusing heavily on Golden Dome and counter-drone systems, while ignoring the technological competition with China,” Pettyjohn said. “Factories building yesterday’s weapons won’t deter tomorrow’s threats.”
Pentagon officials did not respond to requests for comment ahead of publication.
Context and Implications
The National Defense Strategy, updated roughly every four years, outlines the U.S. military’s strategic framework in alignment with the White House’s National Security Strategy (NSS). The latest NSS, issued by President Donald Trump in December 2025, underscores an “America First” theme reflected in the current NDS.
The reduction in technology focus arrives amid growing scrutiny over how the U.S. maintains its edge in critical emerging domains. With great power competition, especially with China, heavily reliant on cutting-edge innovations, the direction set by the 2026 NDS could shape defense investments and priorities for years ahead.
By Brandi Vincent
Senior Reporter, DefenseScoop
January 26, 2026
