Shift conventional defense burden to allies; reduce U.S. Europe posture
Mandate demands allies take far greater conventional responsibility—transform NATO so allies field the great majority of conventional forces vs. Russia while reducing U.S. force posture in Europe, plus similar shifts for Gulf, ROK, and Taiwan/Japan/Australia.
Mandate
Mandate Ch. 4 (Department of Defense) — Allied burden-sharing: make burden-sharing central; transform NATO so allies field great majority of conventional forces to deter Russia while U.S. primarily provides nuclear deterrent and select capabilities, reducing U.S. force posture in Europe; enable ROK lead vs DPRK; empower Gulf partners; support Taiwan/Japan/Australia collective defense.
Undo plan
1) Reverse abrupt U.S. Europe drawdowns that create deterrence gaps before allies can backfill.
2) Negotiate burden-sharing via NATO capability targets with timelines, not unilateral posture cuts.
3) Maintain U.S. enablers (ISR, logistics, nuclear umbrella) while allies grow mass.
4) Coordinate with State on alliance reassurance messaging.
5) Verify: NATO capability scorecards; U.S. EUCOM posture inventories.
Sources
- https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
- https://archive.org/stream/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL_djvu.txt
- https://whatisproject2025.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2025_MandateForLeadership_CHAPTER-04.pdf
- https://whatisproject2025.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2025_MandateForLeadership_SECTION-02.pdf