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Every year has a word that speaks to the political moment. In 2010, amid Europe’s debt crises, it was “austerity.” In 2024, after the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental disasters, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it was “resilience.” In 2026, another word has come to dominate the language of national security: “self-reliance.”

As war spreads, confidence in the international order erodes, and the United States shuns longtime alliances in favor of a more transactional and militaristic foreign policy under President Donald Trump, leaders around the world are promising to make their countries less dependent on others. Although the paths to self-reliance vary significantly from country to country, they share a common goal: to have enough defense capabilities to be able to survive alone in a time of conflict.

Every year has a word that speaks to the political moment. In 2010, amid Europe’s debt crises, it was “austerity.” In 2024, after the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental disasters, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it was “resilience.” In 2026, another word has come to dominate the language of national security: “self-reliance.”

As war spreads, confidence in the international order erodes, and the United States shuns longtime alliances in favor of a more transactional and militaristic foreign policy under President Donald Trump, leaders around the world are promising to make their countries less dependent on others. Although the paths to self-reliance vary significantly from country to country, they share a common goal: to have enough defense capabilities to be able to survive alone in a time of conflict.

Major powers such as China and India have historically circled the language of self-reliance, consistent with their positions outside the U.S. security umbrella. What is new is that formal U.S. allies—from Australia to Europe to the Philippines—have begun using the same language, seeking the ability to defend, arm, and equip themselves without relying on an increasingly unpredictable partner.

Rising defense spending is one visible indicator of this shift. At the recent NATO summit, U.S. allies emphasized their commitments to higher defense spending, much of which is intended not simply to purchase more weapons but to scale up domestic defense industries and cultivate indigenous capabilities.

Yet self-reliance does not mean autarky. Building self-reliant defense capabilities is a hazardous, expensive climb that is often beyond the reach of any single country acting alone. Ironically, many countries will find that sustaining a........

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