Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: THE United States is urging allies to assume greater responsibility for regional security as it confronts simultaneous threats from adversaries across multiple regions, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby told the Senate Armed Services Committee recently. Testifying on the Trump administration’s 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), Colby said Washington must rely more heavily on partners and allies while focusing its own military resources.
“The American military, while without peer, is not infinite in its application and resources,” Colby told lawmakers. The strategy emphasises greater burden sharing, particularly among wealthy allies in Europe and Asia, whom Washington believes must contribute more to their own defence. “Many of our allies have functionally demilitarised since the end of the Cold War,” Colby said. “This is untenable and unreasonable.”
In Europe, the United States wants NATO partners to lead conventional defence against Russia, while on the Korean Peninsula Washington is encouraging South Korea to assume greater responsibility for deterring North Korea. The Pentagon official said a similar approach applies in other regions, including the Middle East, where Washington is working with Israel and regional partners to counter threats from Iran and militant groups.
Colby said the defence strategy recognises that the United States faces the possibility of adversaries coordinating actions across multiple regions, creating the risk of simultaneous crises. He warned that the United States must prepare for such scenarios while avoiding military overextension. “We cannot do everything everywhere all the time,” Colby said.
