Think tank with Trump administration ties calls for major US military pullback in Pacific

A recent proposal from Defense Priorities calls for ending defense alliances with longtime partners and adopting a non-intervention policy toward Taiwan. American soldiers gather on the beach following a live-fire coastal defense drill near Laoag, Philippines, May 4, 2026, as part of the annual Balikatan exercise. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes) A Washington think tank with ties to Trump administration officials is calling for a dramatic retrenchment of U.S. military power in the Western Pacific, including ending defense alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines and adopting a non-intervention policy toward Taiwan. The proposal from Defense Priorities would shift most U.S. forces away from the first island chain near China and concentrate them farther east around Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.

The think tank argues its “second island chain” strategy would reduce the risk of war with China while preserving U.S. access to important markets and trade routes. Critics say it would dismantle the security structure Washington has built over seven decades in the region and may encourage allies to develop nuclear weapons. Defense Priorities published the proposal, A Second Island Chain Strategy for Asia, on its website Sept. 10. The organization advocates a foreign policy of military restraint and says its approach is consistent with principles embraced by President Donald Trump. Its