The assessment appears in the unclassified version of the U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) released Saturday by the Pentagon, a foundational policy document outlining Washington’s global defense priorities.
“With its powerful military, supported by high defense spending, a robust defense industry, and mandatory conscription, South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support,” the document said.
“South Korea also has the will to do so, given that it faces a direct and clear threat from North Korea.”
The strategy marks one of the clearest official acknowledgments to date that Washington expects Seoul to shoulder a larger share of deterrence on the peninsula, aligning with President Donald Trump’s long-standing call for greater burden-sharing among U.S. allies.
The Pentagon said the shift is “consistent with America’s interest in updating U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula,” language that analysts say may foreshadow a reassessment of the scale and role of U.S. Forces Korea, though the document stops short of specifying troop reductions.
At the same time, the NDS underscores the continued severity of the North Korean threat. The Pentagon assessed that Pyongyang retains the ability to strike targets in South Korea and Japan with nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, while also posing “a clear and present danger of nuclear attack on the American homeland.”
Although much of North Korea’s conventional military equipment is described as aging or poorly maintained, the report warns Seoul must remain vigilant against the risk of invasion, particularly as Pyongyang’s nuclear forces grow in size and sophistication.
The Korean Peninsula is explicitly cited as a case where Washington expects an ally to assume “primary responsibility” for regional defense, enabling the United States to reallocate military resources elsewhere. Similar language appears regarding Europe, where the Pentagon argues NATO allies are well positioned to take the lead in conventional defense with reduced U.S. involvement.
The new strategy places homeland defense as the Pentagon’s top priority, followed by deterring China in the Indo-Pacific, increasing burden-sharing with allies, and strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base. While the document denies any move toward isolationism, it reflects a sharper focus on U.S. domestic security and the Western Hemisphere than in previous editions.
Notably, the NDS provides few operational details — typical for an unclassified version — but sends clear signals to allies about Washington’s expectations under the Trump administration. Compared with the 2022 strategy issued under President Joe Biden, the new document places heavier political emphasis on allied responsibility and explicitly references President Trump throughout.
The strategy follows the White House’s release of a new National Security Strategy in December, which also emphasized homeland defense and reduced reliance on forward-deployed forces.
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