DOD Official: US National Defense Strategy at Work in Israel, Ukraine

The United States is implementing its 2022 National Defense Strategy in Israel’s war against Hamas, as well as in supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, a Department of Defense official said in a Brookings Institution event Tuesday. 

Mara Karlin assistant secretary of defense for strategies plans and capabilities, told the event’s attendees that the Hamas attack on Israel is the latest example of the strategy at work. According to her, U.S. deliveries of Israel’s requested defense materials started within three days after the war began, the DOD said.  

Karlin also stressed that the heightened U.S. military presence in the Middle East that the NDS dictates prevents other groups’ involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

She added that although the strategy primarily focuses on deterring China, it also looks out for other threats, such as Russia, Iran, North Korea and terrorist groups. 

On the Ukraine front, Karlin said the NDS is behind Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III in presiding over the Ukraine Defense Contact Group composed of more than 50 countries.

As former commander of the U.S. Central Command, Austin helped form and manage the coalition against Iraq and Syria, which grew to over 90 countries and organizations, Karlin noted.