The Strategic Blueprint: Comprehensive Analysis of the 2022 U.S. National Military Strategy

Key Strategic Highlights

The 2022 National Military Strategy (NMS) operates as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's operational implementation of the broader National Defense Strategy (NDS)
Strategic priorities focus on integrated deterrence, campaigning effectively, and building a resilient Joint Force to counter threats from China and Russia
The strategy emphasizes strengthening alliances and partnerships as essential elements for maintaining strategic advantages in a complex security environment

Understanding the National Military Strategy Framework

The 2022 National Military Strategy (NMS) is a critical document that translates the broader National Defense Strategy (NDS) into specific military operational guidance. Released alongside the 2022 National Defense Strategy on October 27, 2022, it establishes the strategic framework for the U.S. Armed Forces in addressing evolving global security challenges. While the NDS provides the overarching defense policy direction, the NMS offers specific guidance on how the Joint Force will implement these priorities militarily.

The NMS serves as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's guidance for developing and employing the Joint Force to achieve national security objectives. It integrates policy directives with operational frameworks necessary for military development. This document establishes clear priorities and provides direction on force employment, development, and design to meet current and future threats.

Strategic Context and Global Security Environment

The 2022 NMS acknowledges that the world is experiencing transformative changes across multiple dimensions. The strategy recognizes the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the "pacing challenge" for the U.S. military due to its rapid modernization and expansion of military capabilities. Russia is identified as an "acute threat," particularly following its invasion of Ukraine, requiring continued deterrence in Europe. Beyond these state actors, the strategy addresses persistent threats from violent extremist organizations, regional destabilizers like Iran and North Korea, and transnational challenges including pandemic diseases and climate change.

The security environment is characterized by increased strategic competition, rapid technological advancement, and the emergence of new domains of warfare, particularly in cyber and space. These factors collectively shape the operational landscape in which U.S. military forces must be prepared to operate.

Document Hierarchy in U.S. Strategic Planning

Document	Issuing Authority	Purpose	Relationship
National Security Strategy (NSS)	The President	Articulates the nation's global interests, goals, and objectives	Parent document that guides all security strategies
National Defense Strategy (NDS)	Secretary of Defense	Establishes Department of Defense priorities and approaches	Implements the security aspects of the NSS
National Military Strategy (NMS)	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff	Provides military operational framework and guidance	Implements the NDS through military means
Service-specific strategies	Service Chiefs	Detail branch-specific roles and capabilities	Support implementation of the NMS

Core Strategic Priorities of the 2022 Military Strategy

The 2022 NMS articulates several interconnected priorities that guide the employment and development of U.S. military forces in pursuit of national security objectives:

Integrated Deterrence

The centerpiece of the 2022 strategy is the concept of "integrated deterrence," which represents a whole-of-government approach to preventing aggression. This approach combines military capabilities with diplomatic, informational, and economic tools across domains, theaters, and the spectrum of conflict. Integrated deterrence leverages the collective strength of the United States and its allies to deter adversaries from taking harmful actions.

Multi-Domain Deterrence Implementation

The strategy emphasizes deterrence across all domains—land, air, sea, cyber, and space—requiring synchronized capabilities that can be employed in combinations tailored to specific threats. This integrated approach allows for flexible response options that can be scaled appropriately to address various challenges, from gray zone activities to potential high-intensity conflicts.

Campaigning

The NMS emphasizes the importance of "campaigning," which involves the deliberate employment of the Joint Force in day-to-day activities that advance strategic objectives. Campaigning activities strengthen deterrence by demonstrating capabilities, building partner capacity, and gaining advantages against competitor coercive actions. These persistent operations below the threshold of armed conflict help shape the security environment favorably.

Forward Posture and Presence

Maintaining a forward military presence in key regions allows the U.S. to respond quickly to emerging threats, reassure allies, and deter potential adversaries. The strategy emphasizes the importance of strategic positioning to enable rapid response capabilities when required, particularly in the Indo-Pacific and European theaters.

Building a Resilient Joint Force

The NMS prioritizes developing a Joint Force that is lethal, resilient, sustainable, survivable, agile, and responsive. This requires investments in key capabilities, talent management, and innovative operational concepts. The strategy emphasizes the need to modernize military systems while maintaining readiness for current operations.

Force Development Priorities

The strategy outlines specific capability investments needed to maintain military advantage, including advanced technologies in artificial intelligence, hypersonic systems, directed energy, cyber capabilities, and space-based systems. It emphasizes the need for adaptable force structures that can reconfigure rapidly to meet emerging challenges.

This radar chart illustrates comparative military capabilities across key strategic domains identified in the 2022 National Military Strategy. It shows the current U.S. military capabilities, targeted future capabilities, and estimated capabilities of strategic competitors China and Russia. The assessment highlights areas where the U.S. maintains advantages and identifies domains requiring strategic investment to maintain military superiority.

Strategic Regional Focus Areas

Indo-Pacific: Primary Theater of Concern

The 2022 NMS identifies the Indo-Pacific region as the priority theater, with particular focus on countering China's expanding military capabilities and assertive actions. The strategy aims to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific through strengthened alliances, enhanced forward presence, and increased interoperability with regional partners. Specifically, it addresses concerns about potential coercion against Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

European Theater: Countering Russian Aggression

In Europe, the strategy focuses on deterring further Russian aggression, particularly following the invasion of Ukraine. It emphasizes the continued importance of NATO and the need to enhance alliance military capabilities. The strategy calls for persistent rotational forces and pre-positioned equipment to enable rapid response to potential threats along NATO's eastern flank.

Middle East: Sustainable Regional Presence

The strategy outlines a calibrated approach to the Middle East that maintains sufficient capabilities to counter terrorist threats, deter Iran, and support regional partners while avoiding resource overcommitment. It envisions a sustainable military presence focused on building partner capacity and leveraging over-the-horizon capabilities where appropriate.

mindmap root["2022 National Military Strategy"] ["Strategic Environment"] ["Great Power Competition"] ["China as Pacing Challenge"] ["Russia as Acute Threat"] ["Regional Destabilizers"] ["Iran"] ["North Korea"] ["Transnational Challenges"] ["Terrorism"] ["Climate Change"] ["Pandemic Threats"] ["Strategic Approach"] ["Integrated Deterrence"] ["Multi-Domain Operations"] ["Allied Coordination"] ["Whole-of-Government"] ["Campaigning"] ["Gray Zone Operations"] ["Forward Presence"] ["Partner Capacity Building"] ["Building Joint Force"] ["Force Modernization"] ["Talent Management"] ["Technological Innovation"] ["Regional Priorities"] ["Indo-Pacific"] ["Europe"] ["Middle East"] ["Africa"] ["Implementation"] ["Force Design"] ["Readiness"] ["Risk Management"]

This mindmap illustrates the key components and relationships within the 2022 National Military Strategy. It visually represents how the strategy's core elements connect to create a comprehensive approach to addressing national security challenges through military means. The mindmap highlights the strategic environment assessment, fundamental approaches, regional priorities, and implementation mechanisms that form the backbone of the military strategy.

Alliance and Partnership Enhancement

A cornerstone of the 2022 NMS is the emphasis on strengthening alliances and partnerships as essential multipliers of U.S. military effectiveness. The strategy recognizes that addressing complex security challenges requires coordinated action with like-minded nations and partners who share common interests and values.

NATO Transformation

The strategy outlines efforts to transform NATO to better address contemporary threats, including enhanced integrated air and missile defense, improved allied interoperability, and increased defense spending across the alliance. It emphasizes NATO's role not only in deterring Russia but also in addressing challenges from China and non-state actors.

Indo-Pacific Alliance Network

In the Indo-Pacific, the strategy emphasizes strengthening bilateral alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand while enhancing multilateral arrangements such as the Quad (U.S., Japan, India, Australia) and AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States). These networks are seen as essential for maintaining regional stability and countering coercive behavior.

Accessing the Full Text of the 2022 Military Strategy Documents

The full text of the 2022 National Military Strategy can be accessed through official government channels. The document is published by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and serves as the primary military implementation guidance for the National Defense Strategy. While some elements of the NMS may be classified for security reasons, unclassified versions and summaries are made available to provide strategic transparency.

Official Document Access

The most authoritative source for accessing the full text of the 2022 National Military Strategy is the Joint Chiefs of Staff official website. The document can be downloaded in PDF format from: Joint Chiefs of Staff - National Military Strategy 2022.

Additionally, the 2022 National Defense Strategy, which provides the overarching framework for the NMS, is available from the Department of Defense website: Department of Defense - National Defense Strategy 2022.

This video from the Brookings Institution features a conversation with senior defense officials discussing the implementation and implications of the 2022 National Defense Strategy. The discussion provides valuable context on how the strategy positions the U.S. to meet key challenges in the coming decade and offers insights into the military strategy components contained within the broader defense framework.

Visual Representations of Strategic Concepts

This visual representation from the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings illustrates the key components of the National Defense Strategy in a single image. The visualization helps conceptualize how different elements of the strategy connect and interact to form a comprehensive approach to national security. The diagram shows the relationship between integrated deterrence, campaigning, and building enduring advantages as the core pillars of the strategic framework that guides military strategy implementation.

This image depicts key focus areas of the 2022 U.S. National Defense Strategy, which provides the foundation for the military strategy. The visual representation highlights the strategic shift toward addressing great power competition, particularly the challenges posed by China and Russia, while maintaining capabilities to counter regional destabilizers and transnational threats.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the National Defense Strategy and the National Military Strategy?

What is meant by "integrated deterrence" in the 2022 strategy?

Why is China identified as the "pacing challenge" in the military strategy?

How does the 2022 strategy address emerging technologies and domains?

What is meant by "campaigning" in the military strategy context?