Make Europe Great Again: Expanded U.S. National Security Strategy Calls for Cooperation with ‘Selected’ EU Countries

Defense One has reported that an expanded version of the U.S. National Security Strategy exists, containing additional provisions not included in the publicly released document.

It describes plans by Donald Trump’s administration to reassess international relations, move away from old alliances, and create new tools of influence.

The key points align with the official version: competition with China, a reduced U.S. role in Europe’s defense, and a renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere. However, the expanded version also introduces new approaches to global leadership, including the use of cultural values.

One of the key slogans of the document is “Make Europe Great Again.” It argues for ending NATO’s “permanent expansion” and for European allies to gradually move away from reliance on U.S. military support.

The authors of the strategy assume that Europe is experiencing a “civilizational erosion” driven by migration policy and restrictions on freedom of speech. In this context, the United States proposes focusing cooperation on countries with right-wing governments and movements.

Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland are listed among the states with which Washington intends to work more closely, to gradually distance them from the European Union.

The document also states that the United States should support parties, movements, and cultural figures who advocate for sovereignty and the preservation of traditional European values while remaining pro-American.

A separate section of the strategy is devoted to creating a new format called Core 5 (C5). It is to include the United States, China, Russia, India, and Japan – countries with populations exceeding 100 million.

Unlike the G7, the new format will not be limited by the criteria of wealth or democratic governance. The C5 is expected to hold regular summits focused on specific topics, the first of which will be security in the Middle East and the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The expanded version of the Strategy also acknowledges the “failure of American hegemony.” The authors state that the pursuit of global dominance was misguided and unattainable, and that U.S. interests should be focused solely on countries whose actions directly threaten American security.

In this context, the Trump administration proposes stepping back from the role of Europe’s primary defender and focusing instead on combating drug cartels in Venezuela. At the same time, the document emphasizes that the United States should not leave the world without leadership, but must also not allow China or Russia to take its place.

After the report’s publication, the White House officially denied the existence of any version of the document other than the publicly released one. Administration spokesperson Anna Kelly stated that “there is no alternative, private, or secret version,” and that reports about other documents are “leaks from people far removed from the president.”