February 15, 2023

The Difference between an Ally and a Partner

“Allies and partners” are at the molten core of US defense strategy. The 2022 United States National Defense Strategy (NDS) uses the phrase “Allies and partners” 117 times and devotes an entire chapter to the imperative of “Anchoring our Strategy in Allies and Partners and Advancing Regional Goals.” It proclaims allies and partners a “center of gravity for this strategy.”

But what are allies and partners for exactly? And what is the United States trying to achieve through its alliances and partnerships?

Alliances and partnerships should not be treated as ends unto themselves. Washington should think carefully about the security goals It seeks to advance through its alliances and partnerships.

This is a gauche question in Washington, where allies especially have taken on religious valence (Close readers will note a quirk in the NDS text. “Allies” get a capital “A” to signal their pride of place in the hierarchy of US foreign policy relationships. Mere partners, in contrast, don’t get to be proper nouns). The value of US allies and partners is treated as self-evident, something too obvious to question. This is problematic because it creates an intellectual fuzziness conducive to goal displacement.

Read the full article from Inkstick.

  • Commentary
    • May 22, 2025
    Sharper: America’s Edge

    A volatile global security environment requires the United States and its allies to develop new tactics and capabilities to deal with novel global threats. On June 3, policyma...

    By Charles Horn

  • Video
    • May 14, 2025
    Why China’s Amphibious ‘Invasion Platforms’ Are Troubling Sign for Taiwan

    Beijing’s new ships can land on beaches and link to form massive mobile piers. Analysts, including Tom Shugart from Center for a New American Security, say they’re intended to...

    By Tom Shugart

  • Podcast
    • May 13, 2025
    "From Production Lines to Front Lines," with Becca Wasser and Philip Sheers of CNAS

    In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula are joined by Becca Wasser and Philip Sheers from the Center for New American Security (CNAS) to discuss t...

    By Becca Wasser & Philip Sheers

  • Reports
    • May 8, 2025
    Lessons in Learning

    Executive Summary Although claims of a revolution in military affairs may be overhyped, the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy to change warfare is growin...

    By Josh Wallin

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia