The fact that there is no mention of Taiwan in the latest 2026 National Defense Strategy document released by the Trump administration has rung alarm bells in Taipei, especially against the backdrop of constant Chinese military pressure on the self-ruled island. This is the first time that there has been no mention of Taiwan in any U.S. defense strategy document, and it has raised concerns that Taiwan’s security is no longer a priority for the United States.
According to analysts, the 2026 NDS is a “radical shift” in the defence priorities of the United States, with a focus on “constraint, burden-sharing, and a more limited understanding of U.S. military commitments.” The 2022 National Defense Strategy, on the other hand, had specifically mentioned Taiwan, stating that China’s
“increasingly provocative rhetoric and coercive behavior”
were threatening the stability of the Taiwan Strait. Such language is no longer used.
A sharp break from past U.S. messaging on Taiwan
In past U.S. defence strategies, Taiwan has always been identified as a hotspot in the Indo-Pacific region. The commitment of Chinese President Xi Jinping to “reunify” Taiwan with the mainland, if necessary, has been consistent, and the U.S. is obliged by the Taiwan Relations Act to supply Taipei with defensive weapons.
Since 2019, Washington has authorized more than US$20 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the latest purchases of F-16V fighter jets, Harpoon coastal defense missiles, and HIMARS rocket systems. Such moves have been necessary for maintaining deterrence against China. In this context, the complete absence of Taiwan in the latest NDS has been seen as a disturbing sign by many in Taiwan.
Chinese military activity continues unabated
The fact that the incident occurred when it did is especially problematic. Yesterday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced that it had observed a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) helicopter and six Chinese naval vessels in the vicinity of Taiwan, some of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that China has been disregarding with increasing frequency.
This type of activity has become commonplace in Taiwan in the past few years. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the PLA has conducted thousands of sorties in the vicinity of Taiwan in 2024 alone, a deliberate effort to wear down Taiwan’s military and demonstrate the validity of Beijing’s sovereignty claims over the territory.
Taiwan’s military scrambled planes, ships, and missile systems in response to Sunday’s events.
“We have been monitoring the situation and have responded accordingly,”
the ministry stated.
Strategic ambiguity or political calculation?
Some analysts argue that Taiwan’s omission reflects a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to keep diplomatic space open with Beijing ahead of high-level talks. According to Taiwanese political scientist Dennis Weng, President Trump is expected to meet Xi Jinping in April, and the softened language may be designed to avoid provoking China in advance of negotiations.
Indeed, the 2026 NDS adopts a noticeably more restrained and pragmatic tone toward Beijing, avoiding explicit criticism while emphasizing competition without confrontation. This rhetorical shift has unsettled opposition politicians in Taiwan, particularly within the Kuomintang (KMT), which has questioned whether Taipei’s extensive defence spending is yielding tangible political backing.
“Even though we have spent so much buying U.S. arms, there is no mention of Taiwan’s security in this strategy,”
KMT legislator Lai Shyh-bao said.
“That shows where Trump’s priorities lie.”
Another KMT lawmaker, Wang Hung-wei, was more blunt:
“Taiwan has met what the U.S. demanded, but cannot even get a single mention in return. That leaves people with a bitter feeling.”
Government reassurances fail to fully calm concerns
Officials from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) urged caution, arguing that U.S. policy should be judged by actions rather than documents. They pointed to continued arms sales, military exchanges, and congressional support as evidence that Washington’s commitment remains intact.
Yet critics note that strategy documents matter, particularly in shaping long-term planning, alliance expectations, and signals to adversaries. Beijing closely scrutinizes U.S. defence language, and silence on Taiwan may be interpreted as strategic hesitation rather than neutrality.
A narrower U.S. defence vision
The NDS also suggests a broader retrenchment in U.S. global posture. It emphasizes homeland defence and the Indo-Pacific, while warning that allies elsewhere should assume greater responsibility for their own security with only “more limited support” from U.S. forces. This language points to a reduced American military footprint beyond core priority regions.
Although the document does reference the Asia-Pacific, it remains vague. It states that the U.S. military will “erect a strong denial defence along the First Island Chain”—which includes Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines—but stops short of explaining how Taiwan specifically fits into that framework.
The strategy adds that U.S. forces in East Asia will continue “to ensure that neither China nor anyone else can dominate us and our allies.” For many in Taipei, however, such generalities fall short of the clarity needed at a moment of rising tension.
Strategic silence with real consequences
As China expands its military capabilities—now fielding the world’s largest navy by ship count and rapidly modernizing its air force—the lack of explicit U.S. reassurance risks undermining deterrence. Taiwan’s exclusion from the 2026 National Defense Strategy may not represent an abandonment, but it does inject uncertainty at a time when ambiguity carries real strategic costs.
For Taipei, the question is no longer just whether Washington will act in a crisis, but whether the political will to name Taiwan openly as a security priority is eroding—and what that silence signals to Beijing.
