In this essential episode, Ray Powell and Jim Carouso welcome two returning guests and leading strategic thinkers: retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan, author of “The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire,” and Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and co-host of the Net Assessment Podcast. Together, they dissect the Trump administration’s newly released National Security Strategy and its implications for U.S. alliances, Indo-Pacific security, and the evolving competition with China.

NSS Unveiled: Zack explains what the National Security Strategy (NSS) is - the connective tissue linking U.S. objectives to the ways and means of achieving them - while noting the internal contradictions and lack of central logic. Released with minimal fanfare in early December, this NSS marks a significant departure from conventional approaches to American global engagement.

Regional Winners and Losers: Mick offers his characteristically candid, “she’ll be right, mate” assessment, arguing that while Europe faces a much more civilizational challenge under this strategy, Indo-Pacific allies like Australia, Japan, and Taiwan emerge relatively intact. The document maintains U.S. commitment to the defense of the first island chain, though the beleaguered Philippines notably goes unmentioned.

Spheres of Influence and Inconsistencies: The experts dissect the document’s troubling embrace of spheres of influence - asserting U.S. primacy in the Americas while condemning Chinese ambitions in Asia. This contradiction, combined with transactional mercantilism replacing values-based alliances, signals a fundamental shift in American grand strategy.

The China Challenge: Both guests critique how the NSS reduces all of Asia to a China problem, ignoring critical issues in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. They explore China’s aggressive response to Japanese Prime Minister Takeuchi’s Taiwan comments and what Beijing’s gray zone operations reveal about testing U.S. resolve.

Deterrence and Taiwan: Zack warns that U.S. strategy focuses too narrowly on preventing a Taiwan amphibious invasion while neglecting China’s political warfare strategy. Mick emphasizes that Xi Jinping views Taiwan as a political problem, not primarily a military one, and may seek a grand bargain with President Trump.

Technology and National Security: The conversation addresses the controversial decision to allow Nvidia to sell advanced H200 chips to China, which both view as a significant national security mistake that undermines the technology competition goals in the NSS.

Congressional Pushback: The recently released National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes provisions constraining troop withdrawals from South Korea and other guardrails, reflecting bipartisan congressional frustration with lack of Pentagon consultation.

Episode 118 provides indispensable analysis for understanding how U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy is developing under Trump 2.0, and why allies and adversaries alike are recalculating their positions in the world’s most dynamic and consequential region.

👉 Follow Zack at AEI or on X, @ZackCooper

👉 Follow Mick at Futura Doctrina or on X, @WarInTheFuture

👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia

Why Should We Care About America’s Unconventional New National Security Strategy? | with Mick Ryan and Zack Cooper

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