The Trump administration recently released an ambitious National Security Strategy aimed at strengthening hemispheric defense for American security—yet the House and Senate compromise version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directly opposes these goals. While the National Security Strategy prioritizes homeland protection, the NDAA locks decision-makers into maintaining excessive overseas troop levels, prioritizing bureaucratic continuity over strategic flexibility.
Section 1249 of the NDAA mandates that U.S. forces in Europe cannot fall below 76,000 for more than 45 days without presidential certifications to Congress. The bill also requires consultation with every NATO ally and “relevant non-NATO partners,” creating unnecessary hurdles for troop reductions. Similarly, Section 1255 prohibits dropping troop levels below 28,500 on the Korean Peninsula or transferring wartime operational control without repeated congressional approvals.
The NDAA functions as a deliberate statutory barrier to presidential decision-making, stripping the commander in chief of essential authority under the Constitution. This legislative framework—referred to by critics as the “deep state”—safeguards entrenched interests over national security strategy, including committees, lobbies, and bureaucracies that prioritize continuity over reform.
Critically, Congress eliminated a Senate provision banning DEI in service-academy admissions—a measure designed to enforce merit-based standards and prevent racial profiling. While the final bill includes limited DEI restrictions, it fails to align with President Trump’s goal of creating a military where race and sex are no longer factors.
As written, the NDAA obstructs the execution of the National Security Strategy by transforming strategic institutions into bureaucratic extensions rather than tools of presidential will. This shift reflects institutional inertia over voter intent—making approval of the bill incompatible with the administration’s core security objectives.
