Security expert: Trump's personality will override any strategy

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The announcement of the US national security plan (NSS) has been a routine since 1986. This year the 68-page document was twice of the length given by US President Trump's predecessor Barack Obama. But one expert says Trump's personality will override any strategy that has been drawn up.

“When it comes to strategy, most presidents want to be strategic, but what happens is everyday events and crisis overtake their presidencies,” said Jim Walsh, an international security expert and senior research associate with MIT's Security Studies Program, who believes that Trump goes with his gut instincts.

“This president does not have a strategic bone in his body,” Walsh said.

The NSS "gives one a rough sense of the issues that might be important to a president and how they see the world or want you to see the world,” said Walsh, adding that the strategy can be easily overwhelmed and forgotten in times of crises or by the demands of the day-to-day.

The document branded China and Russia as "revisionist powers" – a sharp contrast to Trump's conciliatory tone toward Putin and towards Xi during his November trip to China.

Unlike the language used in the NSS, Walsh said when you actually look at Trump's interactions with China and Russia, he has not treated the two countries as adversaries. And it is these actions that will matter more than what's written in the NSS, argues Walsh.

Speaking on how influential he thought the document could be, Walsh said it will not dictate US security policy.