Eliot Cohen, a respected political scientist, strategist, and author (among many other notable accolades), recently criticized the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) in a piece for The Atlantic (“Whatever This Is, It Is Not Strategy,” dated Jan. 29, 2026).  In a follow-up interview on Feb. 1st on “The Shield of the Republic” podcast with Eric Edelman (featured below), Cohen doubled down on those points during an extended discussion of the document. While his concerns deserve consideration,