A Transatlantic Reckoning: What the 2025 US National Security Strategy Means for Europe

On December 4, 2025, the Trump White House published a new US National Security Strategy (NSS). The document rocked European capitals and elicited astonishment from a wide range of European and American foreign policy experts. The NSS heralds a sharp reorientation of American foreign and defense policy including a reassessment of US commitments to Europe and a pointed critique of the European project. Notably, the document issues a stark warning that Europe faces the risk of “civilizational erasure” and raises doubts about whether key European states will possess the economic and military strength needed to remain reliable allies. In this rapid-response virtual event, hosted by the American Academy in Berlin and moderated by Academy President Daniel Benjamin, experts examine the NSS in its totality, paying special attention to the implications for European security, the transatlantic alliance, and Germany’s role. Discussion focuses on how the strategy challenges established assumptions underpinning NATO cooperation and European defense posture. The event sheds light on potential consequences for Germany’s own security and defense policy, and on Europe as whole might respond. Panelists: – Stephen Biegun, Former United States Deputy Secretary of State – Emily Haber, Former Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the US – Mara Karlin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development and Principal Director for Strategy, United States Department of Defense – William Wohlforth, Daniel Webster Professor of Government, Dartmouth College 🔔 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://buff.ly/44Sqsks