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The Bulwark ·Behind the news

The Pentagon is Too Fixated on China

by Mark Hertling

Published 2026-06-01 08:41:14+00:00

Can a superpower keep its balance if it treats every other crisis as a distraction?

0:00 / 10:32 · Narrator Charon

Context

Published on 1 June 2026, the piece examines the Pentagon’s current obsession with China through the lens of a juggler’s dilemma. While the Indo-Pacific is the clear priority for the current administration, the essay questions whether a singular focus on one major threat ignores the reality of an interconnected world. Security threats in the Middle East and Europe aren't waiting their turn. The argument moves toward a strategy that accounts for how these global tensions overlap and demand attention simultaneously, rather than treating them as isolated events.

Show notes

An examination of the U.S. national security strategy and its prioritization of China as the primary pacing challenge. Drawing on recent Department of Defense policy statements, the analysis assesses the risks of a singular focus on the Indo-Pacific amid active conflicts in Ukraine, Iranian maritime aggression, and instability in the Western Hemisphere. It argues for a globally integrated approach to manage simultaneous, overlapping security threats.

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